#will you be like Aesop and Joseph and live kind of miserably too? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mystxmomo · 3 years

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Title: infinitum ad absurdum

Fandom: Identity V

Chapters: 1/2/3/?

Description:

At some point, the unconventional became conventional, and odd became the normality.

None of them are quite sure when that switch happened, exactly.

Link: Ao3

===

The first group to come back comes back split in two.

Now. Naib isn’t the type of person to get angry easily.

Especially not at others. He’s.. Well, he’s more the sort to calm the chaos in a room. Knows what to do and say, who to get between to stop a brewing fight from erupting. Not very personal, not to everyone, but not distant. Just quiet. Quite honestly, Luca is impressed with how well he keeps his head. Luca has never really known when to keep his mouth shut, still doesn’t even to this day.

He does, however, know that Naib places a lot of importance on winning. Not for the sake of winning, per-say, but for the safety of everyone involved. He doesn’t like seeing them hurt. He doesn’t get along with everyone, but if Naib thinks he’s particularly secretive about the value he places on their lives then he is sorely mistaken. Luca knows this. Everyone knows this. It is no secret.

So when he walks mechanically into the room, dazed look about him, Luca knows something is wrong. There’s a gash on his arm, blood drips down his forehead, and he walks with a sharp limp. Struggles to keep his own balance. It will all be healed by the morning, he knows. But it looks painful. And it’s not that he’s hurt, that grabs his attention. They all get hurt in these games. Rather, that he’s not putting into the effort to make it look as though he’s not.

“Where is he,” Naib says, far too calm for the look on his face. Norton stands, immediate, goes to approach him. Probably senses the same air of unease as him, “Not now. Where is he?”

“Subedar-” Norton grabs his arm,

“I’m just going to talk to him,” Naib says, but his tongue holds poison, and his gaze cuts, “Let go of me, Campbell.”

He considers, momentarily, leaving the room. That it would be kind of awkward, to sit in the sidelines and watch this. However, Tracy follows in behind him, does well to slide past him in a way that makes it a little too obvious that she’s hoping to avoid being in the line of fire of this conversation. She, instead, comes over to slide into a seat beside him. She looks particularly exhausted, though notedly less beat up, and he slides over part of the abandoned loaf of his herbal bread in sympathy.

“The hunter was Joseph,” She mentions, sounding absolutely miserable. She reaches down to rip into the bread, unbothered by the dirt and dried blood at her finger tips, “We had Aesop on our team. So, you know.”

And it’s all she has to say, really.

Luca gives a nod, understands immediately. Matches with Joseph were always particularly rough, when he felt like playing. And Aesop- Well. Aesop did his job well enough, on a normal day. Fantastically, really. He worked quickly and strategically, tended to stay away from them, but got done what he needed to.

But when the two of them were put together, the match turned into an indescribable experience. An ugly one. Joseph, inevitably, would spend half the match trailing after Aesop. Aesop would always, without failure, forget (or wouldn’t bother) putting down a coffin. Aesop would bleed out. They had until that point to get all the ciphers cracked, or Joseph would spend the rest of the match particularly irritated, muttering indiscriminate insults under his breath in French and swinging about his sabre in a way that was somehow both half hazard and calculated. What he can’t take out on Aesop he takes out on the rest of them.

It always ended in matches laid with tension in the air so thick even he couldn’t miss it, three people out and heavily wounded at best , and their entire team wiped out at worst.

Luca thinks it might be something personal, between the two of them. He’s never bothered asking about it, but has heard the way they talk to one another in passing. Watching the two of them interact is something distinctly intimate, suffocatingly voyeuristic, and somehow invasive, all at once. The sight of Aesop bleeding out on a sword was not one meant for his eyes, yet stumbling across the two of them in matches was near inevitable.

He understands Naibs frustration, in that regard.

“Naib,” Norton tries again, quieter this time, in a way that's meant to be private. But the room is a little too silent, and too many eyes are on them to be avoided, and both he and Tracy are polite enough to at least pretend to be deaf, “Com’mon now. Don’t get in over your head about this,”

“ Rich , coming from you,” Naib spits, firm. Luca can’t see Nortons face from here, but something about the the reaction he gets is enough to cause Naib’s own expression to clear. Suddenly apologetic, and worn. He backtracks, “Sorry. That was- uncalled for. Sorry.”

Norton shrugs, but when he speaks his own voice is far more tense then it was before, “Sit the fuck down,” And then he leaves, giving Naib a light smack upside the head as he does.

Naib listens this time, limps over to the nearest chair and collapses into it. He takes just a moment to eye the door he knows Aesop will be coming out of with a glare, then reaching up to yank his hood over his eyes and hide his face. Luca offers him the same gesture he’d offered Tracy for their hardships, but the only acknowledgement Naib gives the plate of bread is stopping it from flying off the table with the force that Luca sends it his way.

“That bad?” He finally asks Tracy, leaning to her in hopes to keep quiet enough not to disturb Naib’s moping.

“Oh yes,” She nods, “You know, getting our ass kicked aside, our decoder was Helena. Salt in the wound, I think,” She crosses her arms, “He managed to get her dechaired three times, but she still didn’t make it. Had to get me out once or twice. I’m surprised we won, but I think Joseph just gave up near the end. You know how he can be.”

Ah, yes. A melodramatic tight ass.

“Can you two please,” Naib asks, and it’s through gritted teeth, “Talk about this later.”

“Right!” Tracy jumps, whispers, “Right. Sorry.” Then she gazes at him and mouths, “ I’ll tell you later ,”

Luca nods, gives a thumbs up.

Norton pulls back into the room with a first aid kit in hand, staring down at it, rather than them, “Emily isn’t back yet,” He mentions, offhanded.

“Don’t bother.”

“ Don’t bother, ” Norton mocks, under his breath, “Come here. No point in hurting to prove a point.”

It’s around the time Naibs head wound is being cleaned that Aesop steps into the room, Helena following close behind. She momentarily rubs at the ghost pain in her arm. Luca’s experienced the various ways his skin crawls and aches after being brought back from a particularly rough match. He wouldn’t be surprised if Aesop still felt some amount of pain himself, as generally speaking bleeding out tended to lead to worse injuries than being rocketed back. But he makes no sign of it, fumbling with the handles of his case instead.

Aesop isn’t- Well, he’s not exactly the sociable sort. Not with them. He can’t remember the last time he’s seen him willingly outside of his room, aside from dinners, and games. Eli can coax him out, sometimes. Has seen Norton force, quite literally carry him out, others. But he sort of, tends to linger on the outside of their group, stands a little too stilted, avoids their presence and hides his gaze.

(And when their eyes do meet, his look can be downright menacing.)

The guy has always sort of rubbed Luca the wrong way. He doesn’t get him, can’t wrap his head around him. It almost seemed like Aesop wanted nothing more than to slip away from their subconscious, be ignored until he was forgotten and left to his own devices.

And if even he can’t understand him, then there’s gotta be something up, right? Like.. there had to be something up with him.

The fact that his choice in company being as particular as it is, unhelping.

(Except really, no worse than the rest of them, he thinks. Being distant isn't exactly a crime. And Eli and Norton go out of their way to hang out with him, so he can’t be all bad? An internal battle, where uncertainty and expectation fight hand to hand.)

Naib, sounding far more exhausted and far less irate than he had when he’d first entered the room, still lets out a bitter, “ Hey . Carl.”

Aesop closes his eyes, ignores him. Steps down the stairs with silent purpose. Naib shifts to sit up, but Norton grabs him by the hair and forces him back into place, cotton swab he’s using to clean up his wound little more than an excuse to do so.

“You don’t have to do that,” Naib tells him, and when Norton gives him a critical look, he insists, “ Seriously , not so tight.”

The pace of Aesop's footsteps quicken. Luca thinks he might just get out of here without confrontation. Is sort of rooting for him.

“Aesop,” Norton doesn’t bother looking up at him, and Aesop stops near the doorway, “Let's talk later,”

Aesop hesitates. His own head tilts down to the ground, stares at it long enough that Luca swears he’s counting the grains in the wood of the floor. His hand lingers by the door knob, not exactly touching it, but not exactly pulling away.

Then he speaks low, “Alright,” And makes his escape, closing the door behind him.

The tension in the air does not dissipate. It does not seem to go unnoticed.

“Oh dear,” Helena blinks, taps her cane to the ground a few times absentmindedly, “What did we walk into,”

“It doesn’t matter,” Naib tells her, the frustration in his voice leveling as though it had never been there, “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Are you alright? How are you feeling?”

Helena’s head lifts to his voice, “Ah. I’m fine, really, I promise. I’m sorry for wasting your time earlier,” and she offers him a small smile, sincere.

Naib looks almost insulted at the implication, “You didn’t waste my- Campbell I swear to god if you poke me with that thing again I’m going to leave.”

“And do what? Bleed all over the place?” Norton snorts, twirls the cotton swab between his fingers.

“No I’ll clean it myself like an adult ,” As if to prove his point, Naib pulls back, smacking his hand away. Helena lets out a soft laugh into her hand.

The air is comfortable. It’s easy, simple, familiar interaction. Helena takes her seat next to Tracy, leaving the two men to bicker about themselves. Luca’s eyes linger on the doorway, as he considers it.

Could have gone worse, he thinks. Could have gone much worse.

#luca balsa #norton campbell #naib subedar #Tracy Reznik #aesop carl #Identity v #infinitum ad absurdum

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best-life-hacks-on · 7 years

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94 Happiness Quotes That Will Make You Smile

According to the latest World Happiness Report, Americans ranked as the 13th happiest country in the world while Denmark ranked No. 1.

Very often we’ll have to go through some downtimes. At our darkest moments, what we need most is some motivation and encouragement.

Inspiring quotes can change your way of thinking and help you get away from negative emotions.

If you, or your friends, are feeling lost, these 94 quotes will give you a hand of help:

“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.’ If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”

– Chinese Proverb

True happiness is…to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.

– Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”

– Dalai Lama

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”

– Helen Keller

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

– Aristotle

“Happiness is acceptance.”

– Unknown

“The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.”

– James M. Barrie

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

– Confucius

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”

–Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

“Happiness is something that comes into our lives through doors we don’t even remember leaving open.”

– Rose Lane

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.”

– Albert Ellis

“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”

– William Feather

“Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.”

– Buddha

“The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy meditation on the past.”

– Andre Maurois

“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.”

– Marquis de Condorcet

“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.”

– Mary Lou Retton

“I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives.”

– Dalai Lama

“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

– Joseph Campbell

“Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.”

– Leo Tolstoy

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

– Abraham Lincoln

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

– Unknown

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.”

– Morris West

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Mark Twain

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”

– Eskimo Proverb

“To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness.”

– Mary Stuart

The key to being happy is knowing you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go.

– Dodinsky

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

– Epictetus

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

– Frederick Keonig

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

– Herman Cain

“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.”

– Marcel Pagnol

“Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed.”

– Unknown

“To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.”

– Albert Camus

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”

– Ashley Montagu

Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so.

– Robert Green Ingresoll

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.

– Jim Rohn

Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.

– Margaret Lee Runbeck

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”

– Albert Camus

“You can’t be happy unless you’re unhappy sometimes.”

–Lauren Oliver

“Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.”

– Bertrand Russell

“What I do maintain is that success can only be one ingredient in happiness, and is too dearly purchased if all the other ingredients have been sacrificed to obtain it.”

– Bertrand Russell

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

– Dr. Seuss

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

– Oscar Wilde

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

– Winston S. Churchill

“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

– Victor Hugo

“Happiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens.”

– Andy Rooney

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature…. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”

– Helen Keller

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”

– Alphonse Karr

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”

– Roy T. Bennett

“Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you.”

– Roy T. Bennett

“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down”

– Charlie Chaplin

“Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.”

– Ayn Rand

“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.”

– Steve Maraboli

“The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.”

– Friedrich Nietzsche

“One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory.”

– Rita Mae Brown

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”

– Marcus Aurelius

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

– Nicolas Chamfort

“Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.”

– Buddha

“I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”

– Anne Frank

“After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be here.”

― Walt Disney Company

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen

“The root of joy is gratefulness…It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

― David Steindl-Rast

“The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life.”

― Brian Tracy

Rule your mind or it will rule you.

―Buddha

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

― Marcel Proust

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.”

― Leo Buscaglia

“Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy, and make the most of where you are”

―Germany Kent

“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.”

―John Harrigan

“Even the smallest shift in perspective can bring about the greatest healing.”

―Joshua Kai

“A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose.”

― Tom Wilson

“A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.”

― William Arthur Ward

“I’d far rather be happy than right any day.”

― Douglas Adams

“As you change your point of view, your views bring about a change in you.”

―George Alexiou

Happiness is not the absence of the problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.

― Steve Maraboli

“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”

― Andy Rooney

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.”

― James Oppenheim

“Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.”

― Benjamin Disraeli

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

– Dalai Lama

“Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy.”

―Robert Anthony

“The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others.”

― Aesop

If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.”

― Andy Rooney

“On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.”

― Eckhart Tolle

“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”

― Dale Carnegie

“For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them.”

― Seneca

Happiness comes only when we push our brains and hearts to the farthest reaches of which we are capable.

– Leo Rosten

“The only real battle in life is between hanging on and letting go.”

― Shannon L. Alder

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.

– Charles Spurgeon

“If you always attach positive emotions to the things you want, and never attach negative emotions to the things you don’t, then that which you desire most will invariably come your way.”

― Matt D. Miller

“The good life doesn’t knock on the door. Joy is a job.”

― Lionel Shriver

“There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them when they go.”

― Frederick William Faber

“One must have sorrow to truly appreciate joy.”

― Megan Hart

“Let your smile change the world,

but don’t let the world change your smile.”

via lifehack

#quotes #lit #happiness #motivation #life quotes

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