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mightyoctopus · 8 months

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Library posts on here have me so conflicted.

On one hand, libraries can provide a lot of value to a lot of people, and it's good to inform people of this. Like, I was recently talking to a friend (grown man in his 40s) who didn't know that you could read books for free at a library. The more people are informed about this matter, the better.

And of course, some libraries also provide other services such as movies, board games, internet, printers, 3D printers, cheap coffee, meeting rooms, courses, etc. Talking about this is also good, because many people can benefit from these services! Especially people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them.

But (and here comes the but), I feel like some people on this site are really insistent on claiming that all libraries offer all these services for free, always. And that no library has any flaws at all. And that anyone can access a library at any time. And if you don't, you're a traitor for not supporting your local library.

And like... there is so much wrong with that. First of all, not all libraries offer all these services. And if they do, they might not be available in minority languages. (Spanish in the USA, Turkish in Germany, etc.) And if they do, they're not always free. And this can vary greatly on region and country, too. Not the whole world is the USA. There's places where libraries are rare and spaced very far apart. There's places where libraries are "mobile", meaning they're a car filled with books. Or sometimes a donkey. I think it's great that mobile libraries exist! It's great that people in villages near me can get free books that way. But also, it's absurd to claim that they have the same type of access as someone from a big city. It's absurd to claim that they're class traitors and it's their own fault because they didn't "create demand" and "support their local library." They do not have a "local" library. Not everyone has a local library!

And even if there is a library near you, it's very possibly inaccessible! Most countries do not have laws regarding accessible design, and if they do, they're rarely enforced. Before you go on praising how all libraries are perfect and wonderful, ask yourself, how many are accessible to disabled people? Which disabled people? Wheelchair users? Blind and visually impaired people? Immunocompromised people? There's so many of us. Yet we are so often left out.

Some countries have libraries specifically for disabled people, but most often you need to qualify and prove your disability. I have a membership in such a library. A lot of them will only accept visual impairment and no other disability. I was lucky I was in occupational therapy at the time of my enrollment, because my therapist could approve my paperwork for me. Otherwise I might not have been able to join. It's online only and costs money. It's not free. A lot of books are region-locked since I'm not in the USA. And yet I am so grateful everyday for this opportunity, for this access to books. I know many disabled people aren't so lucky.

My point is not that libraries are bad, but that libraries are very diverse. Pretending like all libraries are not only perfectly alike, but also perfect, helps no one. Libraries can provide vital services, but they do not provide these services equally around the world, and they do not provide these services equally to all people.

If you truly love libraries so much, fight to make them better, fight to make them accessible. Don't silence those of us who are left out.

#library #actually disabled #accessibility #booklr #booktok #I'm the OP

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fastcardotmp3 · 1 year

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I don't read a lot of soulmate aus just because it's not a genre that appeals to me much personally, but I kinda want one where the main love interests are very much not soulmates.

A world where finding your soulmate is actually as rare as it statistically would be, a world where your soulmate probably speaks a different language and lives in a different country and will likely never cross paths with you that makes the whole thing all the more newsworthy when someone actually does find their soulmate.

And what this means is that most romantic relationships? They're not between soulmates, they're just between people who love each other and choose to keep doing the work of loving each other (or don't! because just like in the real world sometimes it just doesn't work out like that)

There are (mostly scam) services to try and take advantage of desperate people who want to find their soulmates; there are people trying to get famous just so there will be more eyes on their [author's choice soulmark] and it might be recognized (and subsequent famous people who always cover up their soulmark to keep people from faking a matching/ complementary one)

There are rom-coms about the ideal soulmate meet-cute and dramas about a relationship split apart when one of them actually meets their soulmate and it's this ingrained part of culture while still being something SO DAMN RARE.

So here's the thing, right, is that Steve and Eddie aren't soulmates.

They're not born to fall in love, they're not meant to be, the universe actually does its level best to drag them away from each other in the form of near-apocalypses and regular old human conflict alike, but even still.

Even still, they see one another at the start of the world all over again, scarred and changed and new; they see each other as they reform themselves from scraps and they hold each other up as they learn to walk away from the wreckage of what they've lost in the process of winning.

And they do what so many have done before them, they choose.

Squabbles and complexities and incompatible natures made to fit with work and effort and a boatload of pure and simple love, even if none of the rest is pure or simple.

Years of it, onwards out of Hawkins and maybe even back again; years of it through further changes and versions of selves, always together in one way or another, even during the hard bits.

They are not meant to be.

They have marks that do not match and it doesn't matter because why chase after something like that when they have this right in front of them.

Because maybe here's the thing, right, is that there's something just as rare as finding your soulmate.

Creating one.

Choosing so much and so often with all the determination at the goddamn root of your person that the mark on your body actually changes to match the choice you've made. The love you have built rather than found.

Because the universe is a fickle thing, she finds the lives of humans short and is fondly exasperated with their impermanence, their altogether restlessness in the face of finding something never promised to them, but she's never claimed to always get it right.

The universe is in charge of a lot of things, but human choice is not one of them, and so when two boys stumble into each other's lives in the face of unspeakable violence and terror and blood, when they stay in each other's lives even after they are no longer fighting in the same war, well.

She's an ever-changing thing, and she has done this before and will do it again, not the removal of one soulmate but the addition of a second, because if someone is willing to create space within themselves for someone they're not intrinsically linked to, stubborn enough even, maybe she can honor that.

And if Eddie Munson wakes up one morning, catches sight of himself in the mirror after a shower and sees something new that he did not put their of his own volition; if Steve is still asleep in the bed on the other side of the hall, not yet aware of the way the universe has shifted to accommodate the work they have put into tying themselves together on the fucking journey of a life they're stumbling through...

It's all still just a choice they already made, isn't it?

#dot post #dot fic #steddie #steve x eddie #steddie stranger things #stranger things fic #steddie soulmate au #i just think if there are two bastards stubborn enough it's them right

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theangrypokemaniac · 4 years

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There's a sneering attitude that the dub is inherently inferior solely for being a dub, and when I say 'dub' I mean the American one. No one attacks the South American interpretation, funnily enough, or the variety that exist globally.

Why not if foreign languages are so abhorrent? Do you think it's kewl to hate America?

That's so original you know.

If the moan centres on the dub changing certain things, well that's a pointless stance, because it's impossible to do otherwise.

What's accepted in one country is not always permitted elsewhere, so either you make those alterations or it's never shown. I'd prefer seeing a slightly toned down version rather than have it never reach the West at all.

This is without considering the technical obstacles that a direct translation brings. The words do have to fit the mouth movements, and if they don't, truncation must follow.

America and Japan are different; the population of the former are not going to comprehend the references to the latter's history and culture, which necessitates some divergence from the original to give it mass appeal.

Anime is a branch of entertainment. It has to attract the public's good will to stay in business. If impenetrable, it'll fail, with all the resulting unemployment and finacial losses that brings.

Those in charge of dubbing understandably think they're on safer ground promoting familiarity rather than the strange, but that's not to say Pokémon was stripped of its identity. On the contrary, it was like nothing I'd ever encountered before.

I may have watched Western cartoons then, but the idea of doing so now is silly. I won't give time to any modern animation unless it's Japanese. Growing up on the dub has not produced an ephemeral fan less serious or 'true'.

The 4Kids dub had wit, humour, deep emotion, suggestive comments and flights of fancy. The voices fitted the characters well.

Unlike the current one, where everyone sounds on the verge of vomiting, but then they're clearly working with substandard material on a miserly budget. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear after all.

Dubs can be bad, but the very state of being a dub doesn't confer worthlessness automatically. Considering the work gone into them, attempting to gain your favour, it seems rude not to appreciate the time and energy spent in production.

Knowing a little about history, sub-only fanatics remind me of the kind of folk who opposed an English Bible, because it was too good for the oiks to read the word of God.

Of course it was alright for them, rich enough to be taught Latin, but not so much the ordinary man.

It amuses me how dozens dismiss the dub, but see no hypocrisy in using its evidence to further their ship or anti-ship arguments, so it can't be that revolting.

It's also bizarre that so many hold sacred the sub of a series currently in a frenzy to shed every aspect of its anime and Japanese origins, leaving a vague, rootless ghost, supposedly making it easier to slip down the gullet of the masses.

Pokémon I've seen referred to as a 'gateway drug', as in the anime that introduced a generation to the entire concept. This means the dub. You would not have got enough kids in the late Nineties to read a screen rather than watch it, and even today most would lose interest rapidly.

Where would you be without that dub? Unless you're Japanese, your first experience of Pokémon will have been a dub, and if not the American, the one where you live, which was only made because there was the funds available.

You may have then progressed to watching the sub, but only because that dub stirred love in your soul.

Where would the franchise be without that dub? You think Pokémon would've grown to be a world-wide obsession raking in billions by itself? No, it'd still be a solely Japanese phenomena, and most likely never lasted this long.

Its decades of supremacy rests on the quality of that dub. It sold games and merchandise to kids by the ton, giving an incentive to keep the series going. If you're not a fan from the first wave, then your favourite era would have never existed had it not been financially attractive carrying on.

The team who wrote the first film actually preferred the dub, moved to tears by its emotive use of music, therefore they aren't so precious as the fans.

Where would anime be without that dub? Pokémon brought it to the West. A handful slipped through previously, but made minor impression.

To those who would dismiss Pokémon entirely in favour of more 'worthy' output such as Studio Ghibli, I would say that Pokémon, first the games, then the programme they inspired, must have an integral quality to have caught on in Japan, which isn't exactly short on similar concepts.

To have gained popularity in a crowded market, and so fervently a dub became an option, can only have come about because it held a certain magic.

It was the dub that smashed a hole in the cultural barrier, setting free the tidal wave to engulf the world. In Pokémon's trail followed Digimon, Cardcaptors, Monster Rancher, Yu-Gi-Oh! et cetera.

Without Pokémon, I doubt they'd have been translated, and definitely never broadcast on mainstream television. That came about as channels desperately hunted down anything Japanese to serve as the next craze.

I really appreciated the effort made by 4Kids in converting every aspect of the series to suit American tastes, including changing text on signs, letters and books into English. I assumed this was standard practice until I watched others.

I could never be as involved in them as I was Pokémon because of that block. It was like being denied access to the deeper waters, fenced into the shallows, and implied a rushed dub, with little care shown but to chase the same crowd and money.

If personified, the dub 'n' sub wouldn't be one human being, but rather identical twins: the same to a casual observer, but easy to tell apart by the more attentive.

It's like the games: Red and Blue are versions of a single adventure, but not totally one. Take the dub and the sub the same way. They are parallel dimensions running on separate rails, and beyond reconciliation, and that's before we consider that, sub and dub alike, each generation has only a faint relation to its predecessor, working on its own whims.

Everyone has a favourite, or can like both, and there's nothing wrong in that, but so many are proud of the fact they hate the dub, as if it conveys a revered status of supremacy.

When Disney films are shown abroad, they too are translated, and I'm sure references and jokes are redesigned to make sense to the locals. It's no use selling yourself as a comedy then being surprised when the audience refuses to laugh, having no idea what you mean.

If people prefer that one, for being what introduced them to Disney as a whole, or as a fond memory of childhood, then so what?

I don't mind if their view of a character is minutely at odds with mine, having seen the original, because what they think is canon to their version, so can't be wrong.

I don't go round declaring every Disney dub to be pathetic by its nature, that viewers of them are of a lesser breed of fan for preferring their own tongue, even though more of the world's population understand English than they do Japanese.

If you enjoy one tailored to your country there's no crime in it, just as I like one at least comprehensible to mine. It's not even my culture, but I pick it up mostly.

The choice must be made on which to follow, and this blog runs on dub canon, as that has a claim on my heart. Just because I don't acknowledge what takes place in the sub doesn't mean I'm unaware of it, but it has no bearing on what I write.

The idea that the dub alters things willy-nilly without rhyme nor reason is also mistaken. Often it does it because the original does not make sense.

In the sub, I know Nanny and Pop-Pop are just a couple of old duffers taken at random and dropped in to a castle, supposedly as James's far away nannies.

Oh yeah, that's a cushy position. You doing a lot of child care from miles off?

Mind you, it used to describe 'em as 'caretakers' on Bulbapædia, as if Nan serves as housekeeper whilst Pop tends to the garden.

That's right. Ma and Pa finally got some work out of this pair of freeloaders.

They're not related, remember? No, no, absolutely not, no way. Of course their style reflects that. They just gave Pop a 'tache, thick eyebrows and a bigger nose, and Nan got a bun and lines in her hair, but there's certainly no connection. Oh no. Such a thing is ridiculous.

They're NOT family. No. Yet Hoenn James still panics they might learn he's joined Team Rocket, spending the whole episode trying to hide the truth.

Why? Who are servants to criticise the son of their employers? Why should their opinion be of any consequence to Hoenn James, especially when his parents, fiancée and butler are cognizant of reality?

Children of aristocrats are usually brought up by governesses, thus develop a stronger attachment to these figures rather than their parents, but that isn't the case here.

James lived with Ma and Pa, not the codgers minding the castle. He would have very little contact with distant employees compared to those who waited on him daily, so why seek out their approval?

Hoenn James apparently was permitted visits to Nan 'n' Pop, which is strange considering they're not relatives. Why them and not any other house-stters?

That's right, Ma and Pa sent their son to one of their properties without them, entrusting him to the care of two shrivelled pensioners of his size that he barely knew, and who could keel over at any minute. There are no other servants present. Apparently Nan and Pop clean an entire castle by themselves.

Oh, and they run a makeshift Pokémon sanctuary, but since it's not their home it has to be done with Ma and Pa's blessing, who also have to pay for it, but they're eevul aren't they?

The idea that somehow Nanny and Pop-Pop have not cottoned on to James's occupation by now is risible.

Servants gossip about their masters. I bet the entire household of his home know, and so in turn does the county. That Nan and Pop remain oblivious proves how isolated they are, for no one's thought to inform them.

When it came to dubbing it, they were made his grandparents, removing all the above nonsense. Of course he visits his nan and granddad, it's their gaff and their money funding the place, and it is likely his mother or father would keep James's job a secret, for fear the shock would finish 'em off.

It should do really. If they're not bothered by it that's a sign of where his rapscallion ways were inherited.

They aren't facially akin to Ma and Pa, but display the same additions, so if staff it's bloody lazy, as if nannies have to resemble your parents, but inventing a blood link excuses the slothful characterisation.

Every reference I've seen on Tumblr relating to the coffin-dodgers calls them Nanny and Pop-Pop. Apparently the dub decision is met with universal approval. It does have redeeming aspects then.

Now the sub writers, rather than ignore this development, took to it too. They aren't exactly bursting with ideas these days and are probably grateful for the lifelines offered.

Remembering James had parents, they forced a likeness between them and Nanny and Pop-Pop. How else do you explain the inexplicable ageing, even when Sinnoh Ma and Sinnoh Pa are younger than Ma and Pa?

I've also known for years that the sub has this woman as Jessie's foster mother, not Ma Jess, but that's stupid.

I can grasp the idea that Jessie and Ma might have endured extreme deprivation, considering that's what Team Rocket has brought to Jessie anyway, and that they may have lived at the bottom of Mew's mountain prior to Ma's death.

What I find difficult to take in is that social services (or as they're known where I live, the S.S.), however notoriously awful they are, would give a child to a mad bitch in a shack with no running water.

Come on, they have to at least pretend to be concerned for Jessie's welfare.

As Jessie is very young, bereavement can't have befallen her in the distant past, so how can she be happy this soon after becoming an orphan? How could the grieving period be a cherished memory?

If that woman's creaming off the money, why hasn't she fixed the place up by now? Where do the payments go, sniffing glue?

Then there's the depiction. If this is just some daft bint never to be mentioned again, why do they conceal her face? Who cares what she looks like when she's unimportant?

Here's another figure from Jessie's past. She isn't disguised, and why not when she too briefly appears and is then forgotten?

Who was she?

The only sort of characters they tended to hide were other members of Team Rocket:

During the early scenes featuring Giovanni, he was enveloped in shadow, adding both intrigue and a sense of menace.

Madame Boss also got this treatment, even though there was probably no intention to ever feature her in the anime. What's the use in keeping an appearance a mystery if it'll remain masked?

With that pattern, it implies this woman is in the same category, like Ma Jess.

When it came to animation, it definitely was intended to be a foster mother. Not her real one. No.

What did they do?

They gave her Jessie's skin tone and purple hair hanging down her back!

You know, like Ma Jess?

Any colour would've done. Any at all, and being anime I do mean any colour, but no. The choice was made to give her the looks of the exact person she's not meant to be!

Is it that surprising the dub simplified things?

I don't mind if you like the dub, sub, both, or any from around the world, but I'm tired of the smug condescension, as if we all agree the sub is the only one that counts, and that dub fans are grunting troglodytes, or not 'proper' aficionados.

None of us would be here were it not for the dub. Pokémon would not be here. I think it deserves some respect for how much of a difference it made, to my life and to yours.

#pokémon #team rocket #nanny and pop-pop #ma jessie #jessie's mom

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tenebraetrash17 · 5 years

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how exactly are ravus and lightning alike? I think they're too different from each other since ravus was evil :/

W e l l, yeet, you have a point, Ravus was kind of “evil” but it was more of a necessary one? He was doing what he could to protect his sister and wanted to make sure she wouldn’t suffer too much.

But ok! Onto the points! I’m going to be looking at this with FACTS AND LOGIC and not a ship standpoint, so I remain a neutral ground!

Ok!

APPEARANCE.

So first off, we can go into design choices, I’ve made joke posts about this before, but the manner of dress these two have is actually quite similar.

Lightning’s theme is consistent with mostly white collared tops, other than her “Knight Of Etro Garb” and in her “Savior’s Garb” she adorns a strange armored piece-shield on her left arm, which looks more fancy than practical tbh.

On the flip side we have Ravus, who is only ever seen in one costume, Tenebrae Raiment, which consists of a white collared coat-thing and a gauntlet on his left arm

Interestingly enough! If you happen to put them up side by side

You can kinda see a bit of a theme here, not to mention thigh high boots and apparently battle undies.

We’ve got the gray-black, the white, and the coloring! Which the purple and red are pretty close on the spectrum too I suppose, or are a bit of complimentary colors?I guess it depends on points of view!

Ok, but slightly similar clothing is not enough to convince anyone, I hope.

So here we go:

STORY.

Revolves around their sister.

M O V I N G O N-

okok just kidding!

But this is honestly the truth of the matter, Luna/Serah is the end goal. Serah/Luna is why they did all this. The reason they sacrificed everything? Why they gave up their childhood? The reason why they were willing to, and in Ravus’ case, give their life away?

It was all for Serah and Luna.

Stories can often be boiled down to a single point.

Motive.

And the motive behind Ravus and Lightning? Saving their sisters from fate.

Although…in Ravus’ case, he didn’t succeed, but that will be touched upon later.

PERSONALITY/CHARACTER TRAITS (?).

Ok, so, here we go!

Two stone cold soldiers, born and raised lacking in parents, their only weakness is for their sister, yet they slowly learn to trust others.

Well that was oddly simple.

Although I feel as if I should go more in depth because I’m trying to explain…so…

Ravus and Lightning both became emotionless out of necessity, Ravus out of need to let the Empire think his loyalty remained only to them, and Lightning because she felt the need to be more mature. And since they were both young, they decided that was the best way to do it.

They both have, in a sense, a pretty fancy way of speaking, or at least talking too much. Because, alright, let’s admit it, Ravus is a chatter box who rants and Lightning vents a lot because the world is going to shit for both of them and DAMNIT THEY NEED THIS.

Also, a little thing which kind of amuses me!Sister has a fiancé? HATE THEM WITH EVERY FIBER OF YOUR BEING, THEY ARE IDIOTS AND THEY ARE UNDESERVING OF YOUR PRECIOUS LITTLE LIGHT OF YOUR WORLD, HIT THEM, CHOKE THEM, A N Y T H I N G. But, y’know, eventually grow to have a begrudging respect and not hate them nearly as much as you once did. Friendship is wild yo.

The enlisted in the army part isn’t really a “character trait” and Square likes that theme, so you know, perhaps not the strongest thing going for them.

RANDOM/STUFF I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE TO PUT IT.

I had no idea what to call this section.

Ok, so I’ve seen a few people talk about how “Versus XIII″ was supposed to be, in a sense, an anti to 13. While XIII was meant to be about “Change your fate”, Versus XIII and XV are about accepting it.

VERSUS [vur-suh s, -suh z]

Against (used especially to indicate an action brought by one party against another in a court of law, or to denotecompeting teams or players in a sports contest):Smith versus Jones; Army versus Navy.As compared to or as one of two choices; in contrast with:traveling by plane versus traveling by train.Abbreviation : v., vs.

Versus XIII was to contrast XIII, and it carried over in XV as LITERALLY NO ONE decides. “Hey, you know what? I know it says this, but let’s do this instead!”

Ravus remains as the only person to keep this mentality, his ffbe profile even goes as far as to have him speak about slaying the gods. SLAYING THE G O D S.

He tries multiple times to save his sister, willing to tear apart the prophecy and basically insist that she won’t die. He won’t allow it. He says follow your calling, but in reality he meant for himself overturn it. He raced through Altissia hoping he wouldn’t be too late!

And even in the end, his death is nigh, it’s probably foretold, but he believes he can win. He believes he can see it through to the end. Only he can’t. Because he’s not the protagonist. He can’t defy fate.

An interesting thing to note is that it’s Ravus who screws over the prophecy in the Episode Ignis ending, making it so Noctis doesn’t die. So I guess in a sense, he does overturn fate, although it wasn’t the outcome he wanted because Luna is still dead.

Ok, that was a bunch of rambling about the whole fate thing, but it is interesting since Ravus is the only one who had that mentality in cannon throughout the game. While the same could be said for Ignis, keep in mind that it was only the Alternate ending where he decided he wouldn’t let the gods have their say.

Oh yeah, not to mention that he’s the only one with the “Daemon Transformation” but it looks more like a Cei’th one. Just a little thing I’d throw in because I forgot this was talking about how alike Raves and Light are and not another one of my “last connections to versus” rambles oops.

ANOTHER POINT

Lightning: Serah! Wait, don’t go! Please! Don’t leave me alone!

Ravus: Oh sister, please don’t go! Please don’t leave me….

Like, sure, it’s probably a basic plea, but it’s almost word for word?

If you want to talk parallels, let’s talk this!

Let’s also get into how Lightning was considered holy as “the Savior” while Ravus comes from the holiest bloodline? Which in fact, purges the darkness from one’s body and soul while Lightning….YEP, saves them souls! Gets them gains! whatamItalkingabouthere?

Ok, back on subject, remember how I said I would address Ravus loosing Luna again?

Well, I actually wonder if Ravus is Lightning but led astray in a sense, it might seem crazy, but his story apparently hasn’t changed since the Versus days from what most sources say. So given that he still has a stronger link with XIII, would it be so crazy to assume that Nomura would want to explore that possibility? Because rumors have it that Ravus was also going to be another ‘chosen one.’

Ravus could very well be considered as Lightning, but he never could achieve victory. Because unlike Lightning, he still lost his sister, the world still fell into ruin, and he still lost his life. And he even went as far as to fall into the chaos scourge.

Yeet, it’s a far stretch, but given the somewhat strange and weirdly specific personalities, I wouldn’t leave anything out.

But one thing to note is that while, despite similarities, they are different characters, so they will not be exactly alike!

I do realize that despite my previous posts, this isn’t an attempt to convince anyone to ship them, just kind of take note of just how many similarities the two have because it kind of is an interesting study! Especially considering the shared universe background they started out with!

This all sounded so much better in my head, it’s like, I had thoughts that were all super factual but I couldn’t write them ????

Oh well. Hope this satisfies you!!

OH YEAH, I ALSO FORGOT THAT THEY BE STORM RELATED!! SHOCKY SHOCKY BANG BANG!

#ravus nox fleuret #lightning farron #ravus #lightning #yo it ain't shippy #just so we're clear!#ffxv #final fantasy xv #ffxiii #final fantasy xiii #final fantasy 13 #final fantasy 15 #YOU KNOW #I HONESTLY LOVE IT WHEN MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS KIND OF HAVE PARALELLS #Final Fantasy Versus XIII #Versus XIII

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calamity-bean · 7 years

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how do you think they're going to resolve the annlett romance?

This probably sounds ridiculously naive, but right now, looking at the show itself, my storytelling instincts are honestly pointing toward a happy endgame for Annlett. The amount of screentime devoted to that romance, the impact it had on both Anna and Edmund, the decision to work Hewlett into the final season, Anna’s ambivalence toward Selah, and now the prospect of Hewlett acquiring Whitehall … All those things point, in my mind, toward reunion and at least the beginning of a new start between Anna and Edmund.

My fears, of course, scream that I’m blinded by shipper goggles and that Turn will feel the need to honor the historical Strongs’ marriage, that they’re setting up Anna giving it another try with Selah, and that Hewlett will end up either a cynical hermit or … dead. So I hesitate to commit my heart to my instincts and my hopes.

In lieu of certainty, may I share with you a little daydream I’ve been entertaining? It’s not necessarily how I want the romance to be resolved, and it’s not necessarily how I think it will be resolved. But it’s a scenario that won’t leave my head. And it morphed from a simple explanation into something of a mini fic, so:

A quick lil post-series Annlett reconciliation fic below the cut!

For once in his strange and sordid life, Abraham Woodhull proves as good as his word. Suddenly, the guns fall silent; the harbor empties of ships; coats red and blue alike are shed. And in his hand, Edmund holds the deed to a house he once dared to think of as home.

There are ghosts in Setauket now. The shadows all filled with the echoes of old friends, old enemies, old moments he would rather forget. In the night, sometimes, drifting sleeplessly around Whitehall with its too many empty rooms, he thinks he hears the harpsichord tapping out an amateur but earnest tune — and then he drowns the sound in the names of planets and stars.

And then, of course, there are the other ghosts. Faces quite living, but unseen in Setauket for years. The soldiers, patriot and loyalist alike, returning home. The spies.

And it is only so long before his path crosses hers.

“…Major.”

“…Mrs. Strong.”

Mrs. Strong. Anna thinks of a letter en route to Philadelphia, and her fingers twist in her sleeves.

Perhaps she has seen the major already, before the end of the war; perhaps she left him with more tears of apology or of anger, hating the cynicism he wears like armor now and hating herself more for crafting it. But here, now, in the full bright colors of peacetime, beneath the blue banner of skyline that spills seamlessly into the bay, there is too much space around them and not enough between.

Niceties are exchanged. Courtesies observed, and they separate quickly, fleeing each other with hearts pounding and throats tight. There’s history scattered between them like shards of shattered glass, and they both must tread carefully lest they cut themselves—but Setauket is a small town, and there are only so many ways to navigate it. The more often their paths cross, the longer they linger, edging dangerously close to the glass. And Anna wonders whether that would be such a terrible thing, really, to be cut.

One day, with no prompting or planning on her part, she tells him about the letter. A papercut, that; not even deep enough to draw blood. But she doesn’t know what to make of the way Edmu—the way Hewlett blinks, twice rapidly, and then draws breath.

“…Why?”

“We … grew apart, Selah and I. Grew in different ways. So much that we scarcely even recognized the shape of one another anymore, much less fit together the way we might have once.”

“But … But you have no one now. No husband, no protection, no—no companion to—”

“Neither do you.”

His gaze hardens. His mouth settles flat and thin. “…Well. I, too, have changed.”

“I know.” It hurts to say. “And yet—” Already, he’s turned to leave, but she calls after him. “Yet still I recognized you.”

For a moment, he stills. And then is gone.

The next cut is deeper. A quick thrust into that armor of his as, sick to her stomach with his cynicism, with his bleak comments and sad eyes, she demands to know—Does he truly believe that? That the world is such a terrible place? Does it make him happy, living like that up in Whitehall, associating with no one, believing in nothing, burying himself in astronomical charts and books? The peaceful solitude of a scientist, all he ever wanted, wasn’t it, since long before the war … But there was a time he believed his science to be a tool of progress. Of enlightenment. Of the meaning behind it all. Does he truly no longer believe that anything has meaning now?

To which he, a wounded animal, snaps: What does she care? What business is it of hers what he does or what gives him joy? She did whatever she had to to attain her goals, she cut herself free of the demands of marriage and love, she chose her exile, imposed it upon herself, and does he not have a right to do the same? Does it make her happy, he wonders? This land they both drift in now, her precious America? After everything she sacrificed to make it a reality, is it everything she ever dreamed?

They both leave bleeding that time.

But the third cut, he makes upon himself.

“Mrs—ah. That is, I mean to say, Miss … Anna.”

Her heart catches in the fear in his face and the heartbeat rhythm of her own name.

“I’m expecting clear skies tonight, and I … thought I might take a turn at the telescope, later in the evening. It would. It would make me very happy. If you would care to take a turn at the telescope as well.”

A moment, and then that wide mouth flickers toward a smile: hesitant, but true. “…We can look for shapes in the stars.”

And when she manages, softly, and blinking rather more than she normally ought, to say that that would make her very happy as well, Anna and Edmund alike beam as they have not beamed in years.

#annlett #turn amc #what is this #idk i just hammered this out in one sitting #which is VERY QUICK by my standards even for something so little and rough as this #if anyone likes it maybe i'll polish it up?#but for now it's just a wee quick thing #my writing #mine #op #asks #Anonymous

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