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delimeful · 4 years

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Wibar Extra: Patton’s Charms

A short WIBAR piece that takes place mostly before the first installment, commissioned by @kieraelieson ! Enjoy!

warnings: emotional distress, mentions of smugglers/trafficking, PTSD -

The first time Patton gave away his feathers, it was an impulse.

He’d been running errands for Logan at market; even with the extra limbs, that goof tried to take on more than he could handle. Patton figured that the least could do was lend a pair of hands, even if that meant ducking and weaving through the occasionally precarious crowd.

Still, his task wasn’t urgent enough that when a loud wail split the air, he couldn’t turn right around to investigate. He sidled along past a few clumps of bargaining patrons and came to a gap in the market’s flow, where people were putting space between them and the source of the racket: a Pataruan child in tears.

By the spiraling horns and left-folded robes, a little girl. By the hearts-wrenching cries and skin color shifting to the blue-grey of sea stones, a very upset little girl.

Patton offered the harried father a sympathetic trill as he approached, and was happy to see the man seemed relieved, rather than opposed to a stranger’s aid. Most species didn’t see him as a threat, since Ampens were small and as a whole rather friendly, but it was always better to get permission before interacting with others’ fledgelings.

“Hey, kiddo,” he greeted in Common, lowering his antenna to a friendly-safe angle. She probably wasn’t old enough to be familiar with Ampen body language, but it was the thought that counted.

Her sobbing slowed slightly as she looked down at him with slitted pupils, cheeks pinching inwards and skin turning to lemon-yellow confusion. “Huh?”

He let his eyes crinkle into an encouraging smile. “I’m Patton! What’s your name?”

After a few sniffles and a glance at her dad, who was rushing through a transaction with a textile merchant, she blinked slowly and answered in a small voice. “I… I’m Neri.”

Patton noted absently that she had the same type of translucent third eyelid as Logan, and nodded politely to her. “May the stars greet you, Neri! Now, I came over because you sounded a little upset. Is something wrong?”

Neri’s skin immediately darkened back to that dark ocean grey, and she reached up to grip her horns, probably a self-soothing gesture. “No, I don’t want to! I don’t want to see the seamster! She’s got sharp itty-bitty things and she yells at me when I move. I like my normal clothes! I don’t need new ones!”

“Whoa, hey, it’s okay, kiddo. Can you breathe with me?” Sensing an imminent breakdown, Patton held his hands out to her in an offer of comfort. Neri clutched at his hands with her own smooth, scaly ones, taking deep, shuddering breaths in time with Patton.

“You’re doing great! That sounds like a rough time, but you must be a very brave one, to have been to a fitting before.” Patton beckoned her closer, into a crouch. “Do you want to hear a secret?”

Neri shuffled close, pupils growing large and round with intrigue. “Mhmm.”

“I have a secret power, that keeps your darkest days all lit up. If you see it, you’re guaranteed to have a good day no matter what tries to get you down. I think having a little extra glow will help you keep on that tough face while you’re at the seamster, yeah?”

She seemed a bit doubtful, but leaned in anyhow, undeniably curious. “Yeah… I wanna see.”

Patton fluffed up the feathers along his arms slowly, and Neri gasped as they flushed a bright, luminescent blue. Patton’s cheeks started to hurt as his eyes squinched up happily at the astonished look on her face. “Pretty neat, huh?”

She ghosted her hand over the glowing feathers, careful even before Patton warned her that they were sensitive, her face slowly turning sun-warm orange. “You change colors like me?”

“Only a little,” Patton admitted, “but this color is for making people happy! Do you think it will help you be brave?”

Neri hesitated before blinking slowly, eyebrows furrowing in determination. “I’ll try really hard not to forget.”

Patton cast a glance at her father, still haggling, and made a quick decision. He ran his hands through the ruff of feathers around the back of his neck, until he found one that had come loose after his nap earlier. He offered it to her with a flourish Roman would have been proud of. “How about you keep a little feather? Whenever you start feeling upset, you can hold it in your hand and remember.”

It was as though he’d offered her the whole planet. She took the feather gingerly, and cradled it in her hands, flushed verdant green with happiness. “Thank you!”

By the time Patton got back to his crew, he had completely forgotten that he’d been in the middle of running an errand at all.

That was alright; Logan was only fondly exasperated when he explained.

The second time Patton gave away his feathers, it was to help a friend.

The lighting circuit had gone out on almost the entire ship, and while the flight and grav controls weren’t affected, it was still startling to suddenly be plunged into the darkness.

With how they’d all been doing different things at the time, it had taken them a little bit of stumbling around to find each other. Patton hadn’t been particularly concerned until they finally reached Roman.

Roman, who looked up at Patton’s glow with a desperate sort of hope. Roman, who’s tail had remained curled against his leg for what seemed like the rest of the cycle after the lights came back on. Roman, who had the worst darkvision of them all.

He hadn’t offered an explanation, and Patton hadn’t pushed. They knew more about Roman’s past than most, but there was still a lot that remained unshared. There were probably some things he’d never share with anyone else, and that was okay.

What wasn’t okay was the idea of ignoring the matter and leaving Roman to deal with it all on his own.

Patton sequestered himself in his room for a few cycles, reassuring Roman and Logan whenever they stopped by that he was okay, just working on something. It was a process, since he didn’t normally craft other than drawing. Things like this were more Roman’s area of expertise, but Patton was ready to do whatever it took to create it himself.

Several snapped feathers and a lot of trial and error later, he finally had a trinket he found acceptable. Another few tics, and he had two, ready to present to his friends.

“Just a little something for you guys to have that will remind you of me!” he claimed as he held out the somewhat clumsily-made necklaces, the feather charms glowing brightly. Roman’s grateful ear twitch told him that the Crav’on hadn’t missed Patton’s real motivation.

Even the slightly sore spots where he’d accidentally plucked out feathers that weren’t completely shed felt worth it when he saw the way Roman’s free hand fluttered happily as he strung the cord around his neck, the way Logan brushed his hand over the fluffy charm whenever he was attempting a particularly fiddly experiment, as though for good luck. The gifts were a complete success.

Patton spent the rest of the week feeling lighter than air, barely able to hold in an excited trill whenever he saw the feathers glowing on his friends.

The third time Patton gave away his feathers, it was for profit.

The first compliments and queries about the charms came at one of their usual markets, from strangers and regulars alike. The necklaces Patton had made were hard to miss, especially with how luminescent they were.

He’d been surprised at the outpouring of interest, but it was nearing molting season and he had plenty of discarded feathers to share. It was a little bit tiring to have the bioluminescence activated all the time, but nothing a little snack couldn’t fix.

The most motivating reason, however, was how excited his crewmates became at the idea. Roman would invite Patton to come sit with him in his quarters, showing him intricate knotwork that would hold the feathers more solidly, and Logan offered a preserve that would keep the feather’s glow maximized for longer.

Even after contributing to the new and improved version, his two closest friends stalwartly refused to replace Patton’s original gifts, which made his hearts flutter fondly. He was happy to be helping create revenue for their ship, too. Generally, they were able to get by with their exploratory services and material trading, but putting away a little extra credit took a weight off all of their shoulders.

He loved to run the booth at market, seeing the way people drew to the glow curiously and getting to greet them with his typical enthusiasm. Children were always the most excited, and he made sure to secretly undercharge any charms bought for them. He even got to implement a “tell a joke, get a discount” rule for a day, before Logan put his foot down after one too many puns.

Through the market cycles, a few visitors stood out. There was a Bal’t’n who had shyly inquired if it was alright to consume the light of the feather(Patton didn’t see why not!), or a fellow Ampen who had spent half her time at the booth asking after Patton’s moms (Luckily, he was always happy to gush about them), or Neri’s father, who had expressed profuse thanks to the Ampen and then requested materials to help his daughter make her feather into a proper necklace(Patton refused any sort of payment for helping out a dad).

There were also the less friendly visitors, like the Venefican stranger who had eyed his wares with a cold hunger, and then demanded he prove that he was the one the feathers originated from. He’d never felt so uncomfortable showing off his glow before. They didn’t even end up buying anything.

He saw that stranger only once after that, across the market square, speaking to a cloaked figure in a hushed voice. He only noticed them at all because of the feeling of another’s gaze on him, and he shivered and looked away when the hood of the cloak turned his direction.

It was a bit unsettling, but there didn’t seem to be any real harm done, and so he put it out of mind soon enough.

The fourth time Patton gave away his feathers, it wasn’t his choice.

(Lightspans away, his two best friends held the pendants they had encouraged Patton to make and sell, the ones that had drawn smuggler attention to their small friend.

They had never regretted anything more.)

The fifth time Patton gave his feathers away, it was for himself.

The need proved itself early on in their post-escape travels. His huge new friend moved so much quieter than Roman, and Patton’s darkvision wasn’t anywhere near as good as a Human’s.

Since they were trying to remain under the radar, they traveled by night fairly often, and recently they had gotten perilously close to losing each other in the fog of a particularly confusing patch of galthe vines. Patton could light up, sure, but Virgil would have to be the one to find and reach him. What if they got separated and Virgil was stuck or needed help? Giving his Human a feather charm was a good, sensible idea.

However, knowing it was a good idea and actually following through with it were two very different things. His feathers had grown back, thanks to Virgil, but the sensation of a slow death by starvation was still ever-present in his nightmares. Even though it wasn’t healthy, he hadn't preened any of his loose or ragged feathers, any attempts to remove them bringing back memories he'd much rather repress. He didn't know what he was going to do when he molted. The very thought of it sent a chill down his spine. He never wanted to feel that helpless and weak again.

It was like a mental barrier, a bubble of terror welling up in his throat whenever he thought of broaching the topic. It was silly. He knew that Virgil would understand if he ended up being unable to bring himself to actually implement the idea, but the very idea of speaking it aloud suddenly seemed so… frightening. It frustrated him! There was no reason to be so nervous about helping a friend!

It was while he was sitting at their latest camp, having one of these internal arguments with himself that Virgil approached, whistling a low greeting in Patton’s native tongue. Patton chirped back and released some of the tension in his body by shaking out his feathers, careful not to move too quickly. For a Human, Virgil was easily startled.

“Hey, Pat.” Virgil crouched down, settling into a sitting position with languid grace. “You alright?”

“Of course!” he replied, scooting over to press up against the Human’s side. “Are you?”

Virgil nodded once, and then hesitated for a heartbeat. “So, y’know how we almost got lost for a while on the planet with all the mist and little crab guys?”

Patton stilled, having spent more than enough time remembering the incident. “Y— yeah, on Hythag, right? With the vines? Lots of plants?” Please don’t ask me to give them up again. I’m scared.

“Um, yeah,” Virgil replied, gaze looking him over sharply. He’d picked up on Patton’s unease, but was too unsure of himself to press. “I… well, I was thinking about how stressful it was, and, uh…”

Patton’s antennae flattened against his skull, and he braced himself for the request.

“I made these.”

What?

He blinked, and saw that Virgil was holding two small lengths of thread— no, woven bracelets. Patton reached out and carefully picked up the smaller loop of twine, staring at the way the material was purposefully knotted in a pattern.

“Is this for me?” he asked, looking up at Virgil with unbridled curiosity. “How’d you make them?”

Virgil was staring off at a nearby flowering plant, avoiding eye contact the way he did when he was nervous. “Yeah, that one’s yours. They, uh, match. Back home, we call them friendship bracelets. A little childish, I know, but I don’t know any other patterns I can weave by hand...”

It didn’t escape Patton’s notice that he had dodged the other question, and he squinted at the threads again with a growing sense of familiarity. He peered over at Virgil’s pants, one leg of which seemed particularly more frayed than the other. His feathers puffed up a bit, unable to contain all that he was feeling as he looked at the bracelet made from the only clothes the Human had.

Oh, Virgil…

“... and right now, they won’t really solve our problem, but I figured we could find a source of pigment that glows and apply it? I would have done that part myself too, then it would have been a better surprise, but I wasn’t sure what pigments would be safe for your skin, so— oof!” Virgil’s rambling broke off as Patton launched himself directly at his chest, on the brink of crying as the Human carefully returned the hug. He always felt safest here.

“I take it this means you like it?” Virgil asked, his voice low and amused. Patton nodded into his hoodie, a few affectionate chitters escaping him.

“I love it. I’m wearing it forever.” He paused, swallowing thickly, and then set his chin stubbornly. “But, for the glow, I have something that might help…”

He might not be ready to deal with a molt, maybe not even when he was safe on the Mindscape again, but he could at least put some loose feathers to good use. He could start small, and work his way up to being okay again.

Until then, he knew that Virgil would be by his side with everything he had.

And that would be enough.

#sanders sides #ts patton #ts virgil #space au #WIBAR #watch it burn and rust #wibar extra #writing #my writing #ts roman #ts logan

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themurphyzone · 3 years

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Oneshot: Starlight

So this was the prologue to a multichapter PMD fic that will never be written, though I spent quite a bit of time creating the characters. This oneshot was sitting on my computer for several months, I just thought I’d share this with the Internet.

Summary: A lonely rich girl named Luna has been best friends with Penny the Meowth for years. But when Luna receives a series of strange dreams, she makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

AO3 Link

Penny nuzzled her human’s cheek, mewing helplessly as Luna succumbed to another nightmare. Not for the first time, she wished she could learn Dream Eater so she could take away the pain, the torment, the guilt that persisted in Luna’s eyes during the day.

Her human cried out, almost flinging Penny off her chest as she rolled onto her side and curled into a tiny ball. Her entire body was wracked with tension, and Penny stifled the instinctive rumble building in her throat.

Purring didn’t work. Luna would just think Penny was another Meowth crying for help. Purring was supposed to bring comfort, but now it just added to Luna’s stress.

Penny didn’t understand what brought the nightmares, nor was she privy to the content. Luna was tight-lipped and quiet on her best days, though Penny could easily bring out a giggle or two if she just batted a Poké Ball around.

If she listened too closely, she heard whispers of catastrophic floods, devastating earthquakes, and the faraway pleas of countless Pokémon who didn’t understand why their world was being torn asunder.

“I’m sorry…” Luna whimpered, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead. “I don’t understand…”

Penny unsheathed her claws, lightly tracing the tips against Luna’s arm. Not hard to enough bleed, but just so Luna could feel the pricks and come back to reality. She left light, barely visible trails across Luna’s skin, withdrawing as Luna’s chest gave a sudden heave. Then Luna broke into a coughing fit, catapulting into a sitting position. A pillow and Clefairy doll fell from the bed, landing on the carpeted floor with a muffled thump.

Through a thin sliver of light in the bedroom, Penny saw the terror turn to relief in Luna’s eyes. Luna sighed, her breath hitching as she slumped forward and pressed her head against her knees, face hidden through a curtain of dark hair.

Penny retrieved the Clefairy doll and pressed it into Luna’s side.

“Thanks,” Luna whispered. She placed the doll in her lap and scratched behind Penny’s ear.

Penny released the purr she’d held back, resting her head on top of Luna’s other hand. Focusing on the vibrations of her throat, she tried to imagine a calming wave flowing into her human, though she didn’t know any healing moves.

Eventually, Luna’s breathing evened out. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting at the edge for a brief moment before standing up, the Clefairy doll clutched tightly in her arms.

Without a word, Luna crossed the length of her enormous bedroom and flung the curtains open, allowing more moonlight to filter in. Then she settled against the cushioned windowsill and stared out into the night sky.

Penny jumped onto the windowsill, nudging the Clefairy doll aside so there was room for both of them on Luna’s lap.

“She doesn’t make sense,” Luna murmured. “A role to play…it means something, but I don’t get it. What role can I play when I’m locked in here?”

Penny bristled, hissing in frustration at the reminder of being a secret companion for a secret girl. Luna’s parents were important figures in some organization Penny didn’t care to remember the name of. Luna was unknown by the world beyond the manor grounds. And while Penny was allowed to stay in the manor, she knew Luna’s parents viewed her as a means to keep Luna compliant and out of the way.

Her parents certainly didn’t expect Penny and Luna to bond so quickly, but as long as Luna never expressed a desire to explore the world, they wouldn’t complain.

Luna loved stars and legends and Pokémon.

But she never experienced them for herself when so many others could. She was stuck with books, television, and the stars she could see from her windowsill.

Luna opened the window and a gentle wind blew into the room, chasing away the stifled air.

“The stars are so beautiful, Penny. See that cluster next to the moon? We have a clear view of the Perished Ones tonight,” Luna said, pointing to a group of stars that held some sort of pattern to her, but none to Penny. A breeze gently blew strands of long hair away from Luna’s face.

Her eyes sparkled, holding no traces of the haunted look she’d wandered around with for the past month.

A Meowth’s instincts were drawn to sparkling things, to hoard them and never let them go, and Penny was no exception. She held Luna’s gaze, waiting for her to continue.

“Long ago, a tower was struck by lightning and caught fire, which was then quelled with a cleansing rain. But not before three Pokémon perished in the flames. Ho-Oh revived them with his sacred ashes, and they were reborn as Beasts who roam the land. It’s said that Ho-Oh gave the remnants of the Beasts’ old lives to a deity with power over the stars, and she hung them in the night sky as a reminder of that fateful night. The trio of constellations became known as the Perished Ones.”

It was the most she’d said in a month.

Luna rested her head against her knees again. The contemplative look returned.

“Ho-Oh gave them new roles,” Luna whispered. “He cleansed their spirits and bodies so they could rule over lightning, volcanoes, and the north wind with no regrets.”

Though Penny only considered it a legend, it was clear that Luna was putting much more thought into the story than was necessary. She mewed in displeasure, pawing at Luna’s face so she would focus on petting the itchy spot that Penny could never reach no matter how much she twisted while grooming.

Luna gave a tiny smile, scratching Penny’s back until she fell asleep once more.

They slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

o-o-o-o-o

For once, Luna’s parents were home. But since they preferred to be left undisturbed by both staff and daughter unless there was an emergency, Penny and Luna rarely saw them. Because they had a reputation for firing staff for the slightest indiscretions and hammering them with lawsuits if they talked, nobody was keen on facing her parents’ wrath.

Until now.

Out of self-preservation, Penny did everything she could to dissuade Luna from an audience with her parents. Just as she was debating the pros and cons of knocking her human down and sitting on her until she got the message, Luna crossed the high archway that marked the parlor entrance and stood in front of the Master and Mistress of the Silano household.

Penny swallowed, but padded onto the expensive Kalosian rug that nobody was ever allowed on and wound her tail around Luna’s legs for moral support. Luna glanced down for the briefest moment, then returned her attention to her parents, who were still discussing some trivial matter.

“-Mr. A wants more funding towards the research department. Their top scientist believes he’s found a faster method that will boost a captured Pokémon’s power a hundredfold,” Master Silano explained with a long-suffering sigh, though Penny couldn’t tell if it was directed at Luna or his wife.

“About time,” Mistress Silano said, her manicured nails tapping at the couch impatiently. “He should’ve improved the field equipment a long time ago. Why waste time on common Caterpie when they could have the power of a Legendary?”

“You know he wants to maintain his reputation, Catherine,” Master Silano said. “It’s better to keep these sorts of activities under the radar.”

They ignored their daughter completely, and Penny knew Luna was having second and possibly third thoughts about her plan.

Luna stiffened, but she balled her fists and forced the words out of her throat. “Mother. Father. I’m interested in getting a Drowzee. I’ve been doing some research, and-“

Mistress Silano huffed. “A Drowzee! As if that mangy furball wasn’t enough for you!”

She glared at Penny as if offended by her very existence. But Penny lifted her chin defiantly, refusing to be cowed. After all, she was a prideful Meowth, loyal to those who earned her trust and uncaring about those who didn’t.

“Mother, please.” Luna’s voice quivered. Penny’s tail tightened around Luna’s legs. “I’ve done some research. Drowzee can sense and eat people’s dreams. They can even project the eaten dreams to anyone they trust. It…would be interesting.”

Penny disliked the Drowzee idea, but for Luna’s sake she kept the bouts of jealousy to herself. They both knew Dream Eater was their best shot at understanding the nightmares, but Penny wished that didn’t involve getting another Pokémon since she was meant to be Luna’s constant companion.

“We allowed you to keep that stray Meowth as long as you took responsibility for it. You don’t need another Pokémon.” Master Silano didn’t look up from the stack of papers. “You will not be gallivanting around Kanto doing whatever you want. One Meowth is sufficient for your needs.”

“I’m…I’m only asking for a Drowzee,” Luna said. She tried to copy Penny’s haughty act, but couldn’t keep her head up under Mistress Silano’s scrutiny. “Nothing more.”

“You heard your father,” Mistress Silano snapped, dismissing them with a lazy flick of her wrist. Several golden bracelets clinked with the movement. “Leave us. We have important business to discuss. Later, we will talk about this rebel behavior of yours. I assure you it will not be tolerated again.”

On the verge of tears, Luna spun on her heel and stormed away, abandoning her usual caution in favor of stomping on the floorboards. A rebellious act that would surely add on to her troubles, but Luna didn’t seem to care.

Penny flattened herself to the ground, slinking quietly behind Luna until they reached the modest dining room next to the kitchen. It was their favorite place to take meals. They avoided the large, lonely dining hall the Master and Mistress preferred.

“It’s not fair, Penny!” Luna cried. Penny’s ears flattened as Luna scraped the legs of her chair against the floor. She fell into her seat and slammed her head into the table. “Is understanding my nightmares really too much to ask?”

Penny jumped onto the table, not caring if she was allowed on the furniture or not. If they found her pawprints on the polished wood, so be it. Compared to the demands Luna had to put up with, obtaining a Drowzee was a perfectly reasonable request.

Penny rolled onto her belly and mewed pathetically. She hadn’t needed these deliberately vulnerable positions to garner sympathy and food since she was taken in, but it was the only thing she could think of.

But Luna didn’t move.

Penny’s fur bristled along her spine. She yowled at the top of her lungs and startled Luna, who jumped to her feet with an expression that would’ve been comical if the situation hadn’t been so dire.

“Don’t do that, Penny!” Luna shouted, her eyes blazing. “You have no idea what I’m going through!”

A growl escaped Penny’s throat. These dreams terrified her human and nobody else was aware. That’s all she needed to know.

They glared daggers into each other. Penny flexed her claws against the wood, leaving shallow scratchmarks behind.

Then a knock on the side door broke their concentration.

“Ms. Luna, are you feeling alright?” Michael called, his polite voice soothing as always. He opened the door as far as it would allow with the chain attached. He was an elderly man, tall and well-groomed, and he was the only other person in the manor Penny liked. “Do you require anything for yourself or Ms. Penny?”

Despite herself, Luna couldn’t help but laugh. Penny casually licked her paw and drew it over her ear, trying to appear nonchalant about being called ‘Ms. Penny’, but mostly she was just happy about Luna smiling for the first time in several weeks.

“I think we could use a light snack to settle our nerves,” Luna admitted.

Penny meowed in agreement, licking her lips at the promise of her favorite berries.

Michael unlatched the chain and stepped into the kitchen, nodding politely at Penny before pulling out ingredients and equipment for a light fruit parfait.

“I assume your audience didn’t go well,” Michael said, carefully dicing several strawberries with a practiced hand.

Luna filled a water bowl for Penny and grabbed a glass of juice for herself. “They didn’t listen to me. But it’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” she sighed. “I shouldn’t have said those things, Penny. I’m sorry.”

Penny purred, rubbing her cheek against Luna’s arm. Then she settled in front of her bowl, eager to quench her thirst.

“Ms. Luna, forgive my curiosity, but what reason do you have for staying here? You have a Pokémon. Most children these days would leave home the moment they’re of legal age for an official license.”

“My parents would hunt me down if I left. You know that, Michael,” Luna said. “Penny and I would be on the run constantly. I can’t make her commit to that.”

Penny scowled. Of course she would commit! She had claws and fangs for a reason.

Michael chuckled as he set the finished parfaits in front of Luna and Penny. “Ms. Penny seems to disagree.”

“She likes to contradict me,” Luna muttered, swirling the blueberries around with a spoon.

“It sounds as if fear is your only reason,” Michael mused. “But you were also courageous enough to request a Pokémon from your parents. Many staff members never would’ve confronted them directly.”

Luna dropped her spoon on the table. Yogurt splattered onto her sleeve, but Luna didn’t seem to care. She whipped around and stared at Michael in surprise.

“You think I’m brave?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Michael shook his head. He took a napkin and dabbed at the yogurt on Luna’s sleeve. “No, Ms. Luna. Bravery can easily turn to folly, and I know you’re not a fool. But I believe you display true courage when the situation arises. You found Penny as a critically injured stray who’d happened to wander into the garden, and you nursed her back to health.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Luna said. “You were the one who took care of her.”

“You don’t wear self-defeat well. It’s not a matter of who took care of Ms. Penny’s needs, but rather that you chose to help her at all despite knowing your parents would disapprove. I would dare call that an act of true courage.”

“True courage…” Luna murmured. She finished the last of her parfait, giving the empty bowl to Michael.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

Penny swiped the blueberry juice off her mouth, adding her own questioning meow to Michael’s worried tone.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Luna smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you for everything, Michael.”

Penny followed Luna out of the kitchen. Her ears twitched at the running water and tinkling of dishes behind her.

“Likewise…”

Only Penny caught the sadness in his voice.

o-o-o-o-o

Luna wasn’t changing into her pajamas. And she always changed into her pajamas before reading a story to Penny.

Penny narrowed her eyes. There was an odd lilt in Luna’s voice, like she wasn’t enthusiastic about the story tonight. She was lost in her own mind, somewhere Penny couldn’t ever reach.

“’Awakened, the human dons the Pokémon hide to roam villages.’” Luna finished Sinnoh Folk Tales, then put it back on the shelf. She trailed her hand over the book covers, hesitating over a frayed photo of herself and Penny.

The camera had been nothing but a cheap disposable, but the maid who’d taken the photo was kind enough to get the picture developed somewhere. Shame she’d been fired. She’d made the tastiest poffins that Penny had eaten in her life.

Penny closed her eyes and burrowed into the blankets, leaving nothing except the tips of her ears poking out. She placed a paw over her face, flicking her ears as a light laugh filled the room.

But the atmosphere soon grew somber again.

Under the covers, Penny took deep breaths to fool Luna into believing she was asleep. She’d get to the bottom of this, no matter how much her human believed it was her burden to bear.

A Meowth never let anything escape her claws.

“Penny…I-I’m…” Luna’s voice faltered. “Please understand.”

Her footsteps sounded faintly on the rug, thudded against the floorboards, and slapped against the tile until the sound faded away completely.

Penny’s ears swiveled to the door, listening for Luna’s soft, cautious steps.

Five minutes passed, the Hoothoot clock marking every agonizing second with a faint click.

Her human just wanted a glass of water. That was all. She shouldn’t worry.

But the doubtful voice in her head told her otherwise.

Soon the waiting grew unbearable, and Penny finally threw off the blankets and stalked out the bedroom door. Her skilled paws slid over the ornate rug, but she had no time to be proud over the abilities she’d honed because of her humble beginnings.

Learn where to find food and water. Learn who to avoid. The two most basic rules of the wild.

Luna and Michael were good humans. Avoid the Master and Mistress. The rest of the staff were a gamble, though better moods generally meant less trouble.

Penny crept downstairs, then ran for cover behind a couch at the clack of a high heel behind her.

Luna’s dark hair streamed behind her as she moved into the garden of red lilies. Penny heard Luna’s ragged breaths, smelled her fear, but her steps never wavered. She lifted her face to the stars above.

“I’m ready, Gardevoir. Please guide me and test my resolve if I’m truly destined to be your world’s hero.”

A shimmering blue portal opened before Luna. She stepped through it, leaving no trace of her existence behind.

And Penny cried under an endless canopy of stars.

End AN:So planned concepts: Luna would’ve gone to the world of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, specifically Rescue Team. She gets transformed into a Skitty and teams up with a Charmander named Sunny, who’s the son of the Charizard on Team ACT. There would’ve been a concurrent plot with Penny dealing with the fallout of Luna’s disappearance from her world as well. Overall, the concept was fun to create, but it was too ambitious for me.

But I hope you found this enjoyable regardless.

#pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon ocs #meowth #pokemon fanfiction #fanfiction

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yukiwrites · 4 years

Text

Felicia, Sharing Experiences

Thanks for the support as always, @xpegasusuniverse! It’s so good to be able to delve deep into some characters >v<)!

Summary: While trying her best to work as a maid in Askr, Felicia stumbled on a far-off kitchen she had never used, only to find that an excellent cook -- no, a Master Chef! -- called Dedue had been using it for the past few weeks, so she promptly asked him to help her cook something edible...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

_______________________________

The sun was barely up in the sky when a young woman left the woods behind the askrian royal castle with a chipper hum in her throat and a spring in her step.

She carried three hares and a large pheasant, all masterfully tied on her belt and cleanly killed -- the hunt had been bountiful so early in the morning, if Petra could say so herself. She skipped towards the eastern kitchen, where she would meet her fellow student and cook enthusiast, Dedue, as they had been doing for the past few weeks after being summoned to Askr.

However, the moment she stepped into the corridor that led to the kitchen, a loud explosion came just a bit ahead, followed by a thick black smoke.

Petra sweared in her native language, took up her bow and sprinted towards the kitchen. "Dedue?! What has been happening?!" She jumped in, ready to shoot any magic user that dared attack this early in the morning!

... Yet, what she found was a black-faced Dedue with his hairs standing on end, equally as black as his charred face. Beside him, an apologetic young woman dressed as a maid bowed repeatedly.

"I-I'm so very sorry! I did it just as you told me, Master! I-I swear!" The pink haired woman sobbed softly, bowing so deeply the tip of her high ponytail brushed on the ground.

Dedue closed his eyes and calmly took a handkerchief out of his pocket, promptly rubbing the ashes out of his face. "... I stood there watching and I can barely tell what happened." He said with his usual low voice, then turned towards Petra. "Thank you for your swift action, Petra. As you can see, we are both unharmed."

"H-hah..." The hunter's shoulders sagged, her bow falling limp beside her body. She stepped inside tentatively, glancing at the oven's general direction -- it was even worse than Dedue's and the maid's face, all charred in black with a lump of coal proudly(?) standing atop a pan, at the center of it all. Frowning in confusion, Petra rolled her braid into a bun and proceeded to hide it all under a kerchief so no hair would fall on the prey she was about to skin.

The sobbing maid finally raised her face, her eyes meeting Petra's. "O-oh no! I got in the way of your work, too, right?! I'm so sorry! Uwahhh, why am I so useless?!" She cried.

Dedue took a step towards the woman, then crossed his arms, wondering if he should pat her shoulder or simply wait it out. "... Felicia," he said softly, wanting to explain the root of her mistakes.

However, Felicia straightened her back immediately with his sudden approach, her nose running and her eyes gleaming. "Y-yes, Master?!"

Sighing, the young man gestured for her to turn around and face the oven. "Please, just call me Dedue," he asked for the nth time that week, then pointed to the charcoal that was supposed to be the stir-fried vegetables they had chopped just minutes ago. "Your mistakes resemble someone else's I've taught before coming here." He stated as she looked ready to reach for her small notebook to jolt down everything he said. "You focus too much on what you will do next instead of paying attention to what you are currently doing at the moment."

"B-but I stare at it very hard! I hold my breath and devote my entire being to what I'm doing!!" She huffed earnestly, "is my attention span really that bad? I just wanna do things effectively..."

Dedue picked the kerchief he had been using before the explosion blew it away and patted the ashes out of it before once again putting it on. "Remember the steps -- you must first master each step before going to the next one. What have I asked you to do?"

"U-um," Felicia looked down, suddenly even more apologetic than before, "t-to place all of the tools and ingredients I would need in the order I would use them."

"Yes. What did you do?"

"I... I picked the frying oil and poured into the pan... Y-you said that was the next step, so while you were getting the other vegetables, I just w-wanted to start heating the pan!"

Petra curiously glanced at the duo over her own skinning work, after observing that there were still quite a few vegetables left to chop. "It is only guessing, but did- ah, were you tasking her on washing the vegetables?" She pointed with her chin towards the sink, whence more than half of the vegetables still lay.

"... Yes." Dedue replied curtly, looking from the sink to the oven, resting his gaze on Felicia, making her flinch. "Your mistakes are easy to fix, Felicia, you should simply focus on doing one step at a time."

"E-eh? It was still washing time? I thought- I figured we were- waaah!" She wailed in her own self-pity, curling into a ball of misery under the table.

Petra chuckled, peeking under the table and smiling. "It is being okay, Felicia- ah, may I be calling you that? Dedue is not being mad at you."

The young man tilted his head to the side, uncrossing his arms so he could start cleaning the oven. "Of course. There is no reason to be mad at someone who is earnestly trying their best to succeed. Come, Felicia, we've many a vegetable to wash yet."

Sniffling, the maid raised her head like a puppy that had just been praised. "R-really? Can I still keep going? Won't you say I'm useless and better off just fighting?"

"While we are here to fight to help the askrian people, only you can say what you wish to do. As for us," Dedue bobbed his head in Petra's general direction, "we are simply doing all that we can to help. I wish to ease His Highness' burdens as much as I can, and if that means selecting the nutrients he needs to consume to be fit for battle, then that is what I will do."

Petra nodded after skinning the third hare. "If I can be using my bow to be helping more than just fighting, I am glad! This is a very different and far land, plus- ah, yet? Yet I must use all that I can to grow stronger while we are being here."

Felicia got up from the floor, her clear eyes big with curiosity. "Hunting and cooking can make you grow stronger? I-is that why I'm a better soldier than a maid...?"

Dedue smile while Petra let out a chuckle. "I must be sharpening- ah, honing my skills, no matter what- ah, which they are! I will grow stronger and stronger so I can help my landhome when we return."

"Ohhh, I can get that! Is your country at war?" Felicia sat on a nearby stool, resting her face on one hand as she watched Petra skillfuly deplume the pheasant. She didn't wait for the reply and kept on babbling. "I wonder if every world the heroes around here came from are beset by war? Ours is already finished, so I feel even more useless now since I can't even be a soldier back home!"

Still smiling, Dedue patted Felicia's back so she would get up and guided her hand towards the basin full of water where they had been washing the vegetables previously, noticing that she didn't stop running her mouth for a second while still doing everything he instructed.

"My sister, you see-- she's my twin! But we couldn't be more different -- well, apart from our faces. We really look alike! Though she has blue hair," she waved her hands towards her hair, splashing water about, "and I guess that's where our differences start! She's such a good maid. Such a good maid... But, for some reason, she didn't want to be loyal to our Lord?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion, blurred memories of fire and weak ice magic darkening her past.

Dedue simply nodded, remembering how she had blabbered about her being from the Ice Tribe, a vassal tribe from the Kingdom whose lord, or lady (?), she seemed unsure for a moment, she served.

Petra patted the dirt out of her apron, saving the hare skin for later and throwing the plucked feathers into a bag so she could make more arrows later. "You are strong, Felicia. To be so loyal to someone who's, ah, whose loyalty was paid with your own sacrifice. I cannot do that."

"Sacrifice? But Lord Corrin is so good to me! Really! I'm so incompetent and yet he always worries about me and keeps me by his side... He's the reason I try my best! I want to be useful to him, even if it means... if it means fighting..." Felicia's vision darkened for a second, suppressed memories almost flowing through her lips, blocked by her brain before they could. "Geez, I wonder why I keep thinking about Flora! She's right here in Askr with me, but I keep remembering our quarrels about where our loyalty lies..."

Dedue accepted the skinned prey from Petra, promptly taking them to the corner so as to bleed them, wordlessly asking her to stay by Felicia and aid her in the washing. "Your circumstances are alike in many ways," he commented with a nod. "Yet there is no correct answer apart from what you truly think is right."

"Truth." Petra bobbed her head to the sides, taking the washed vegetables to the chopping table. "You are being alike to Felicia, Dedue. Loyal to your Lord in spite, ah, despite your circumstances."

"Yet it is different -- His Highness saved me when all others would shun me instead. I stay by him because his rule is the only one that can correct the wrongs." He quietly took the chopping knife Felicia had taken after she followed Petra and forgot the rest of the vegetables, pointing her to the wash basin once again, casually talking at the same time. "Your anger and resolve are as justified as Felicia's subordination and loyalty, Petra."

The hunter smiled brightly, nodding as she finely cut a lettuce with the dexterity of a master. "Truth. It is wondering, ah, wonderful? Amazing! ...It is amazing how many different right answers there are to the same question."

Felicia looked from the young man to the young woman, frowning slightly. "Are you also a maid in your world, Petra? It’s, um, Petra, right? If your lady is anything like my Lord Corrin, I'm sure everything's gonna be alright!"

Dedue let out the closest thing to a snort as he directed Felicia to the chopping table. "Petra is a princess."

"A PRINCESS?!" Felicia gasped so loudly she took a step back right onto Dedue's foot, bumped into him and was about to fall head first into the sink when he caught her. "W-whoa, thanks, Master! If you keep being here with me, I might be able to be as good as you or Princess Petra!!" She puffed her chest proudly. “B-but wait, why is a princess so good at chopping vegetables?” She frowned, a slight pout rising on her lips.

Dedue and Petra exchanged glances and smiled, overcome with a need to pat Felicia's head for some reason, as though she were a very eager puppy.

"We can be talking about it as we work, Felicia!” Petra giggled happily. “I’ve been having no doubts you can learn how to be good at your work. Dedue and me, and I? Dedue and I will be helping you.”

“O-oh, thank you so much, my lady! Um, and Master!” She bowed deeply, whipping her hair on the vegetables she had just washed, quickly turning pale as a sheet. “O-oh, nooo! I did it again!!”

Dedue chuckled and Petra giggled, both of them patting Felicia’s back at the same time.

#dedue fire emblem #petra fire emblem #felicia fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fe3h #feh #my writings #yuki's commissions #dedue #petra #felicia

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robert-c · 4 years

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Forty Years In The (Un)Making

The de-evolution of the Republican Party into principally a bunch of blindly loyal sycophants didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen just under Donald Trump’s watch. It actually began with Ronald Reagan in 1980 and has been on a steady trend in this direction ever since.

The political landscape of 1980 was complicated. President Jimmy Carter was widely regarded as having mishandled the Iran Hostage crisis, and Democrats were heavily split between him and other challengers like Ted Kennedy. It was one of those rare elections in which there was significant third party challenge. Pat Robertson, making noises on the religious right (which would ultimately result in his run for office in 1988), also threatened to weaken the Republican base at a time when the Democrats were vulnerable.

Reagan’s response was to invite the religious right into the upper ranks of the party. How much of this was his personal belief, and how much calculated strategy we’ll probably never know. Nevertheless, this gave a significant role to people who believe regardless of facts, and for whom personal steadfastness of belief is more important than anything else. Reagan also introduced the major fostering of falsehoods that satisfied the personal myths of his supporters. Most notable was the “welfare queen” story. He alleged that there was a woman in Chicago living the high life, driving a late model Cadillac, and doing it all on welfare. Good investigative reporting and persistent demands for facts ultimately exposed this as a fabrication. And yet even today, some right wing people believe this story as true because it matches all of their fears and prejudices about public assistance. [As someone who has known people on public assistance I can assure you it is difficult enough to get a minimum of what you need, let alone become ‘well off’.]

Since then it has been a fairly steady trend of presumptions, assumptions, myths and outright lies. All with the intent of fostering the following ideas:

people getting public assistance are liars and cheats,

regulation of businesses kills jobs or drives them out of the country,

businesses are ‘good guys’ and don’t need to be regulated because they never do anything wrong, and “profit above all else” is the American ideal

immigrants are criminals (if they are people of color),

a medical system that supports the profits of drug and insurance companies is the best way to ensure health care coverage choices,

despite the first amendment of the Constitution, this is a “Christian country”,

the second amendment of the Constitution guarantees unregulated access to any weapon a citizen may want, and somehow intends that citizens take up arms against the government when they think their rights are being violated, and

many more on a smaller scale, but all with the idea that anyone not stuck in the 1950’s is somehow an enemy.

LIES! All lies!

The truth is that people on public assistance don’t get what they need because rules supposedly to prevent fraud end up preventing them from finding and keeping most gainful employment by requiring visits during normal work hours, and other reviews of their situation. All of this while the largest potential for fraud exists in government defense contracts, just based on the amount of money that flows through the programs.

Businesses move jobs overseas because of low wages and lack of regulation. But let’s keep in mind what those regulations do. Most of them were initiated and designed to stop unsafe practices in the business; practices that endangered employees, consumers and/or the public at large. Evading such restrictions shouldn’t be praised as a great avoidance of “socialist” control, but should be seen as the callous disregard of the safety and security of others for the sake of a few dollars more profit.

Profit above all else could hardly be called a moral philosophy but that is exactly what this myth would have us believe. It rests on a couple of myths we all want to believe; that success in this country is because of “building a better mousetrap” and that gaining wealth is somehow proof of superior intellect or work ethic, while neither could be farther from the truth about how real wealth is acquired and kept.

Casting immigrants as criminals (if they are people of color) is right in line with centuries old racial prejudices. Little more should need to be said to explain their sick justification for these ideas. Anyone even tempted to believe it should be suspect. Any sweeping generalization based on something someone can’t control (like their ethnicity) is automatically racist.

Portraying “socialized medicine” as a situation where patient choices are limited and/or unavailable is, at best, a recollection of old, failed implementations OR the fears that the rich cannot use their wealth and influence to jump to the head of the line, past real life or death cases just to be sure that their headaches aren’t brain tumors. Oddly enough, the insurance companies, who are somehow cast as the “heroes” in these tales, would if they could limit choices even more. In their best profit interests people with pre-existing conditions (which is all of us, eventually) get no coverage at all, or if they do it is at a premium designed to cover all of their likely expenses in the year, which amounts to no insurance at all and just paying everything out of pocket. Ultimately, they would like to sell their coverage to people who will never use it, or use it sparingly if at all, while at the same time, if they must, charging others with a premium that will at least cover what they expect to payout in claims. This is a perfect example of where capitalistic, free market enterprise does NOT result in the best product or service at the best price. Attempts by competitive insurance companies who want to balance the premium and risk over the largest possible group, will have higher rates for the young who are less likely to use or need insurance and so will be uncompetitive in that group. The so called “free market” system is biased in favor of this ridiculous, anti-competitive arrangement.

Likewise, drug companies make more money selling treatments, than cures. There doesn’t have to be a cover up or secret directive; budget allocations for research and development will naturally favor the most likely profitable drug or approach and that will always be treatment. Cures are more likely the accidental byproduct of researching treatments. The scientists at work in the labs won’t even suspect, they will think they are working toward cures by learning how to develop treatments. Again, think about the idea that the “sacred” profit motive produces only good, and think it out for yourself as to which is the most profitable approach.

At the founding of this country, the mother country, England, had just been through several centuries of warfare and persecutions based on people’s religion. The new country of the United States of America wished to avoid such a situation, and so the first amendment to the Constitution establishes a separation of church and state. It doesn’t matter that most of the Founders could never have imagined how far this separation would have to go; great ideas usually far exceed their originators’ imaginations. Whether it is not lending support to one Christian sect over another, or Christianity versus Islam, or even total disbelief in religion, the concept of separation is the only way to ensure that everyone has the broadest freedom to believe as their conscience dictates. While things like the motto “In God We Trust” on the money are small issues, generally not worthy of a major effort to remove them at this time, they are part of the disinformation that portrays the USA as some sort of religious government or society.

By creating the impression that there has to be (or ought to be) some “general” religion of the US, they have already won half the battle, because the various Christian sects still make up a majority of the populace. BUT the principle of freedom and liberty of belief means that a person should have equal rights to believe as they wish even if they are the only one in the world who believes as they do. This is not abstract, but relates directly to people’s ability to choose abortion, end of life choices, how their remains are to be disposed of (did you know that cremation used to be illegal if anyone of your relatives objected? This was due to the religious notion that at the “end of days” people would be raised up from the cemeteries), and a host of other restrictions including what could be sold at stores on Sundays.

As for the second amendment, it begins with the phrase “well regulated” so any idea that it meant unrestricted access to weapons is stupidly at odds with the actual language of the amendment. There is also absolutely nothing in the Constitution, or its development, that suggests the point of this amendment was to provide a mechanism for people to overthrow the government. In addition to laws against taking up arms against the government (and the definition of treason in the Constitution itself), the Founders thought that the representational nature of the republic would prevent the need for such an uprising. To the extent that the second amendment had anything to do with the preservation of a free government it was that armed forces would be recruited from the citizenry. It NEVER was intended to ensure that criminals, and those with the intent to overthrow the government of the United States (if and when they think it has strayed from its proper role) had access to any and all weapons available.

The other issues are everything from abortion to Sunday closing laws, from consensual prostitution to adult book and movie stores. Once again, it doesn’t matter that you or I wouldn’t want to participate, it’s that as long as there is no coercion involved it is none of our business and if you think it is a sin against God, then God can take care of it – He/She/It doesn’t need our help.

BTW, this is where I should share an experience I had with one of these religious fanatics. Her belief was that the USA had never had a famine because of the “In God We Trust” motto on the money. I will spend no time dismantling the obvious idiocy of this idea. What was significant about her unhinged belief, was that she used the principles of “externalities” to justify her position. To refresh, the principle of externalities is why you cannot drive drunk or without insurance. Your actions that can affect others are rightly regulated under this principle. Her idea, clearly given to her by someone else as she was nowhere near smart enough to have thought this on her own, was that to avoid the retribution of God (as she understood Him) we all had to adhere to at least a minimum of His instructions (again conveniently interpreted for us by self-appointed ‘experts’ in these matters).

It is past time to reject these superficial and self-serving myths.

#Republican lies #conservative myths

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tomsco24 · 4 years

Text

Samuel Thomas Scavone

English-102-06

Professor Sumstad

Final Draft

11/14//2020

The Future of Technology in the Economy

Can you imagine your future grandchildren taking a vacation to Mars? The possibilities with technology are unlimited as Elon Musk remarked, "If you go back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic-being able to talk to people over long distances, to transmit images, flying, accessing vast amounts of data like an oracle. These are all things that would have been considered magic a few hundred years ago.” Technology has impacted our economy for hundreds of years and the breakout for the American economy was during the industrial revolution when people like Vanderbilt and Rockefeller evolved america into a world superpower. Technological advances have significantly improved operations and lowered the cost of doing business. However, many people struggle during this era of technology because the labor force is becoming less and less necessary and people who are under qualified with technology have a hard time finding high paying jobs. Tech powerhouses like Apple, Google, and Amazon, whose stocks are valued much higher than those of many long-time industrial members, are replacing large industrial super companies. The world has evolved into a technology driven economy with benefits in faster production and electric cars but with downfalls in the wealth gap of the people and hackers.

Technology has impacted the economy positively through creating immense transformations in the way companies and nations organize production, trade goods, invest capital, and how they develop new products. The economy increasingly relies on technology every single day. Zia Qureshi, author of Technology and the Future of Growth: Challenges of Change, emphasizes the need for technology when she states, “Advances in digital technologies hold considerable potential to lift the trajectory of productivity and economic growth, and to create new and better jobs to replace old ones. As much as two-thirds of potential productivity growth in major economies over the next decade could be related to the new digital technologies.” New materials and machines are creating more products at a faster rate than before causing an increase in profit for the economy. Advanced manufacturing technologies have changed patterns of productivity and employment for jobs. New air and sea technologies have accelerated the flow of goods and humans. The importance of this is because the world is always changing and it is important to keep up to speed with other nations. Typically, the best economically superior countries are the superpowers of the world. Technology also involves nuclear weapons. The United States is very up to date with their nuclear weapons, in fact, they created the first ever atomic bomb back in world war II with the Manhattan Project. All of those high-tech workers for the project made a great lifetime earnings with that project because of the urgency and necessity to protect the country. Nuclear weapons are equally relevant today because it can be a threat and defense mechanism to protect your country.

In contrast, the technology involved in our economy has had a negative impact on people and the economy itself. This is more based on morals because some people would say that the technology in the economy is at times very corrupt because of hackers. In the 2016 election, technology likely could have won Donald Trump the election. Sometimes technology is very fraudulent and hackers try to steal your money which negatively impacts the economy. This is because it can be unjust and a bad way of distributing money. Governments vary in the way they influence and exploit technological changes, for example, through regulation, procurement, protectionist policies, and support of R&D. The government regulates this technology because in reality technology controls us and it is now controlling jobs. Public attitudes differ and some people are highly against the fact that technology is going to rule our economy. Developing countries are struggling in the global economy because they are unable to produce the technology that we have. Also, they can’t defend themselves with nuclear weapons so they are becoming puppets for superpowers.

In this age farmers are taking a huge hit as well. Unfortunately, for all of human existence farming and agriculture has been infinitely important to our economy and drives the food part of our economy. However, the labor part of farming has become less of a need for companies. New technologies are providing machines to do all the work for them. Because of the less need for farmers, income distribution is a huge problem with technology. In this article, How Does Technology Affect Economics, Thomas Metcalf explains this income distribution by stating, “Workers who are displaced by technological advances may find it difficult to become re-employed as new jobs require advanced skills they do not possess. Technology impacts the number of jobs needed to produce goods and services.” It is projected that 50% of all jobs will be online eventually meaning this issue will only increase for unqualified workers. Unfortunately due to all of this, the wealth gap in our population is becoming more divided. The rich are using technology to become richer, and the poor who are without it are becoming poorer. The other problem is that several people are under qualified for high paying jobs only due to technology. Technology has become so advanced that not everybody is suited to use it and the older generation is really struggling with this, especially those trying to find a job. It has become kind of a culture shock for some people and mainly private enterprises are the ones who develop the technology. People think schools should require all students to carry around a laptop everyday. This is a great idea but tons of schools cannot afford laptops for all students, so this is not the solution.

One modern technological advancement that the world has really benefited from is Tesla and the invention of electric cars. This is because we can preserve oil that gas powered cars need. This is also trending in the direction to where eventually it is predicted that in roughly fifty-one years all cars will be electric because Tesla has been so effective. In economics, the law of supply and demand states that at a higher price the supply of the good will increase. So even though tesla products are generally more expensive it doesn’t matter because they will keep supplying the cars and electric powered cars have become a necessity. In Paul Wessland’s article, How Electric Vehicles Will Shape the Future of Driving, he emphasized the future of electric vehicles by recording a recent stat, “EV sales jumped an incredible 75% from 2017 to 2018, according to the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers, but by the end of 2018, EVs still accounted for less than 2% of the overall vehicle market.” If the electric vehicles continue to jump in production, eventually most if not all cars will be electric. The importance of electric cars is the fuel efficiency and being able to preserve our oil.

The companies most benefiting from modern technology are space exploration companies like NASA. Many new jobs are being created through space exploration and some of their goals are astronomical! In Fran Devinney’s article, What Does the Tech Economy of the Future Look like, he mentions, “The mission’s ultimate goal is to one day establish a colony in which humans can survive in Mars’s 96% carbon dioxide atmosphere.” In order to make this procedure safe and successful, two thousand pound robots will be testing out Mars first. Current technology has allowed NASA and other companies to produce these high functioning robots. Consider these robots to be ‘moving human machines’ as Fran pointed out. To think that it has not been a full century since the first computer was built is mind-boggling. At this rate, there is no limit to the possibilities technology can invent. Another interesting prediction from this article is the new office look. Soon, there will be no paper in the workplace and everything will be digital. There will be a lot of open space and people will roam freely in the building only needing a laptop. All information will be stored into cloud storage which can cause some problems. Information could be leaked or hackers will have the opportunity to access top secret information. Companies are worried about this and the removal of paper may cause these issues.

The economy constantly changes with positive effects and negative effects due to the fact that technology is inconsistent and not available to everyone. It is important to stay up to date with our fast changing pace in the economy and to stay in tuned with technology. In the last century, technology has developed from computers, to moving robots, and eventually to making Mars survivable for humans. For the conservation of our planet, technology is great because of future electric vehicles and the impact NASA has on Earth and with the economy. Sadly enough, not everyone has access to technology and those people may suffer unfairly in a technology driven world. It is evident that technology runs the economy and it is vital for the future generations to grow up learning how to operate with technology.

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snkpolls · 5 years

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SnK Chapter 120 Poll Results

The chapter 120 poll closed with 1,375 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

RATE THE CHAPTER 1,314 Responses

This chapter is less popular than most, possibly due to its abrupt ending and feeling of incompletion. Still, 86.5% of the fandom rated it a four or five making it another solid contribution to the series as a whole.

PATHS are awesome, but I hope there's a satisfying narrative payoff to its inclusion

A lot of mixed opinions on this chapter from everybody, but I personally loved it. It went by fast but it's something you gotta read a few times just to get a good feel on it.

Best chapter since Attack on Liberio

I LOVED this chapter. Paths explained! Baby Eren! Little Mikasa! The OG Levi Squad! School caste Armin and Mikasa!!! I literally began to cackle when Eren straight up told Zeke his plan was stupid. I loved it, I've been waiting for that moment ever since ch114.

Character expressions were beautiful. Isayama's art keeps improving.

Easily one of my top 5 favorite chapters. The artwork was fantastic, the double crossings had me shook, & the Paths converging at the Coordinate is Yggdrasil. Love it!

Felt way too short and paths just got more confusing

I actually had to count the number of pages because I couldn't believe it was over yet. Seemed so short! But at the same time, many questions were answered.

Timeloop theory is out, multiverse theory is in! :)

This chapter was a gift from Isayama to all the Jaeger fans. Thanks Isayama.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT? 1,342 Responses

18% of the fandom was thrilled to see Eren reiterate his “born into this world” sentiment as he rejected Zeke’s ideology. 16% found themselves moved by Zeke hearing Grisha apologize to him in his dreamstate. 14.6% were excited to see Eren rejecting Zeke’s plan, and at a near-tie 9.9% most enjoyed Zeke pulling a double betrayal on Eren, while 9.8% loved the moment when Eren woke up to see the Coordinate in front of him.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ZEKE CATCHING EREN’S HEAD? 1,323 Responses

It was a meme, and now it’s canon. What did you all think of the resolution to last month’s cliffhanger? 42.2% felt it was a bit goofy but still worked, 29.5% thought it was amazing, 16.5% liked the moment but wish it had flowed better and not cut up over chapters, and only 7% thought it was absolutely ridiculous.

All those times playing catch with Mr Xaver really paid off!

It wasn't bad but just hilarious how memes have predicted it

I guessed it would happen after finishing reading chapter 119. In AoT nothing goes the way the characters want it, except for the Yeager bros.

I thought it was really heartbreaking and absolutely traumatizing.

I was very sad for Zeke at that moment, he seems in deep despair, there was no way to know that it would work to make Eren's survive. It was obviously more instinctive like Colt wanting to hug with his brother while he knows it will cause his death than reflexive

I totally called it and was thrilled it really happened

It was expected, but I believe we can't fully know how to feel because it's still a moment in development. I mean, it makes sense, it was the only move. We all saw it coming but it doesn't take anything from the awesomeness

Great payoff to Zeke's obsession with baseball

Eren could have given him a heads up... Zeke almost didn't catch him

WHICH ‘FROZEN IN AN INSTANT” MOMENT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE PLAY OUT? 1,330 Responses

When the action returns to the battle, the majority of the fandom are eager to see “Armin and Mikasa vs. The Cart” (27.4%) and “The aftermath of Gabi’s shot” (26.7%) play out. On a more lighthearted note, was “that one bird” (3.7%) received more votes than “Niccolo and the Braus family” (1.6%).

WHICH TITAN MEMORY MOMENT WERE YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE? 1,328 Responses

“Mikasa from chapter 1” was not only the largest memory shard, but also the moment we were most excited to see (24.3%). “Present day Historia” was our second choice (19.9%) and “The mysterious dark haired boy” was third (12.4%). At the other end of the spectrum, once again “those birds” rule, beating out “the horse” (0.4%), “the ocean” (0.8%), “that bowl of food” (0.2%), “the colossal titan peering over the wall” (1.1%) and “that one person in the bottom left (1.1%) Faye (0.6%), the blimp (0.1%), the basement key (0.4%), Jean’s horse face (0.9%) and even Hange (0.5%).

WHO IS THE BOY NEXT TO MIKASA IN THE MEMORY SHATTER? 1,303 Responses

“A child from the Mid East Alliance” has taken the majority (31.8%) with Rod Reiss and Tom Xaver following, each with about a quarter of the vote. Eren Kruger was fourth with 11.5%. We also had plenty of write ins.

A child from the Mid-East Alliance, as he's wearing a Fez. It's probably a memory from Lady Tybur's youth, as we know the Tybur Family had connections with nations all across the world.

All the memories here have been from either te Attack Titan or the Founding Titan. Thus I don’t think this is a boy from Warhammer Titan’s memories. Possibly it is Eren Kruger’s memories, in which case this cannot he Tom Xaver as it’s much too young for them to meet. Eren met Tom when Tom was a doctor and able to falsify his blood documents is he could join the Marley police. This is a new character.

At this point i really don't know it could be fucking king fritz himself isayama would probably do it

Eren's future son

Frieda’s brother

I think he's ms. Tybur's friend, eren's memories in here kinda mixed up so it makes sense he sees tybur's memories

It’s rod. You can tell by the vest he’s got on. But I do like the few people calling him the Arumika lovechild.

Probably Eren Kruger's friend / brother / child idk, or a future character that we don't know yet.

Someone from Ymir Fritz's time

The child from the last рanel

DID YOU LIKE THE INCLUSION OF CASTE ON TITAN CHARACTERS IN THE SPREAD PAGE? 1,249 Responses

Let’s be real… The manga has had a depressing tone for quite a while now, and some humor (assuming that’s what this was!) is probably good for us. 72% of poll respondents agree with this notion, and loved the inclusion of Armin and Mikasa from the high school AU. 18.3% weren’t quite so keen to see this easter egg, however.

I knew Isayama said something along the lines of incorporating this AU in the canon so it was nice to see that. Whether he plans to make a reincarnation AU out of this or just an easter egg is up to him.

I think it's cute. It's small and out of the way so it's not like it's disturbing the story.

Idk I'm confused. Isayama really likes to play with us

If you mean Nerd!Armin and Goth!Mikasa, yes I did like it. Could you PLEASE call it Highschool AU or similar, I spent like five minutes trying to understand what 'Caste on Titan' meant!

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BEST IN-STORY EXPLANATION IS FOR CASTE ON TITAN BEING INCLUDED? 1,266 Responses

Well over half of the fandom agree that the inclusion of Caste on Titan (AKA the high school AU fake previews) in the memory shatter was merely an easter egg for the fans to enjoy, rather than Isayama canonizing anything. 20.9% feel differently, feeling that Isayama has canonized Caste on Titan as an alternate universe. 10.7% feel that it is a possible future or reincarnation.

Above Ymir Fritz, in a dimension higher than PATHS, lies the one true God and Creator Isayama-sama, who casually screws His people's minds on a monthly basis with images like these.

It is the actual reality

Canon?? FUTURE?? WHO?? WHAT??

Reincarnation AU is canon, baby

I have never heard of Caste on Titan.

Really it's probably just an easter egg, but it also kind of canonizes AUs which is fine by me.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE LOOK AT THE PATHS DIMENSION IN THIS CHAPTER? 1,331 Responses

What did the fandom think of a whole chapter focused on paths? 80.2% loved the deep dive into them, 15.3% liked the information but don’t love paths as a story mechanic, and 2.1% dislike paths immensely and just want to go back to the battle.

Being someone who loves time-travelling stuff, I'm intrigued. I see a lot of theories around and the loop seems a little weird to me. I believe Isayama has a great, unique concept and I'm excited to fully comprehend it.

Enjoyed it a fair bit, but we need to know more! Especially about how this dimension came to be in the first place.

I can't wait to see this in the anime!

I sort of wish it was more alluded to and not shown too much

I wish isayama was good enough a writer so that he wouldnt have to rely on this bullshit for long-term, grand-scheme storytelling

It's awesome, we need a break from battle, right? I can't wait it'll be animated beautifully just like Ymir one back in the season 2

The most fascinating aspect of the story by far. I just want every single one of their mysteries to be revealed.

I really want to know more about the PATHS. But not from Zeke. I think he is definitely lying about some things here. And I loved that double betrayal.

I didn’t know what the heck was going on

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE COORDINATE AS SHOWN IN THIS CHAPTER? 1,321 Responses

A part of the in-depth look at paths this chapter was a visualization of the coordinate itself. Just over half of the fandom are excited that the theories of Norse Mythology influences might have paid off with the coordinate appearing similar to the mythological tree Yggdrasil. 18.2% of you are unsure what Yggdrasil is and how it relates to the story, 16.5% think the coordinate is supposed to look like a tree but Yggdrasil isn’t a direct influence, and 13.1% think it’s just a beam of light that branches off.

I just thought back to most of the depictions in books of Ymir and the Devil. A good number of them had an object behind Ymir, that being a tree. Coincidence? I think not!

It really does have Yggdrasil vibes, and sorta looks like a tree branching off, but for now I can’t quite put it anywhere. Looks dope though.

It symbolizes a tree, and I hope it in turn connects to the tree Eren sat against in Chapter 1

Yes! more norse mythology references! Yggdrasil baby!

I loved how the trails in the path sky were the expanding branches of the Yggdrasil tree from SnK. Different space, different rules of time and matter...

It's shiny, glowy and pretty, and gives rise to loads of amazing fan colorings. Seriously, that full-page panel with Eren standing in front on it is a work of art.

It's the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil but also the Sephirot, among others. Norse Mythology confirmed with the name Ymir, the Norse proto-giant whose body was used to create the nine realms.

Maybe it's Yggdrasil, maybe not. I like the symbolism, but I can't confirm it actually is Yggdrasil.

Tree of life, much original, v cultured

PATHS converging as ROOTS.

BETRAYAL! WHAT DID YOU THINK OF EREN TURNING ON ZEKE? 1,331 Responses

Who doesn’t love a predictable but good betrayal? 70.5% of respondents were more than happy to see that Eren didn’t agree with Zeke’s ideals, even going so far as to support the demeanor in which Eren delivered the blow. 20.9% are happy he doesn’t agree with Zeke, but feel he could have gone a little easier on him. A small percentage feel he should have sided with Zeke…

Expected but still immensely satisfying. Kinda felt a little bummed for Zeke getting rejected like that.

I loved the twist which was made even better with a double-twist!

Assuming Eren wants to go through with the Rumbling, then both plans are crazy

Eren revealed his cards too early. Although, I can see Eren making that mistake.

It was what I'd hoped would happen eventually, however, it's still another example of Eren doing whatever the fuck he wants without consulting his plans with anyone and hurting people as a consequence

Harsh, but Zeke had it coming and it felt kind of great on an emotional level in terms of a true loss to Zeke, who has done some pretty shitty stuff.

Eren’s plan is stupid, you could’ve told Armin and Mikasa about this but nooooo you gotta be an ass.

I knew Eren wouldn't go through with Zeke's plan. But Zeke also deserves to see the errors in his plans, that he has no right to euthanise his fellow Eldians!

I'm not surprised about Eren's betrayel, it was obvious from the start that he would never agree with Zeke's ideology. But currently I feel very bad for Zeke. For first his parents only want to used him for their plans, because of his royal blood and Eren only used him for the same thing. Poor Zeke ;___;

Zeke had a lot of time the overthink everything that has happened in the timeless paths realm. Even if Zeke did not realize before, he definitely thought about the betrayal during said time.

DO YOU THINK ZEKE IS CORRECT THAT THE GIRL IN THE PATHS DIMENSION IS OG YMIR? 1,331 Responses

Zeke assumes, along with 76.5% of readers that the girl we see roaming paths is Ymir Fritz. However, 19.5% of readers disagree with Zeke on this one.

I was but, after reading a theory posted days after the release, it makes sense that she's actually the OG Christa.

I think it’s Ymir, I don’t think ymir is who they think she is

I think she is indeed Ymir... But could also be the Earth devil.

Hearing all these theories about Eren asking Zeke how he could know, and Zeke just responding with (while logical) a not for sure answer makes me mixed

It seems wierd to me that the Founder has no will or personality of her own, it seems to me that shouldn't be the case, but well... I was hoping she would have some more additions to the story of the titans but she seems like a walking corpse

It's the most likely answer, but the fact he's just assuming makes me not want to claim for sure. Yams likes to seize on assumptions.

Kind of, it's the person they call Ymir but it's really the character of Christa

No. At least not fully, many characters have claimed what happened in the past, but none of them have been entirely right. I don't see why I should see Zeke as entirely correct either.

An empty shell of ymir caused by King Fritz messing with the cordinate

I think Zeke, Eren, Historia and this girl (I think it's Eren's daughter) are all Ymir.

WHY DID YMIR PASS BY EREN? 1,328 Responses

Over half of the fandom (57.7%) agree with Zeke’s theory on this one - Ymir gave Eren the brush off because the Founding Titan is basically a pawn of the royal family. 28.1% are suspicious and believe that she’s got other plans we’ve yet to be clued in on.

Nepotism over cronyism, I guess

She's being controlled by Zeke due to his royal blood so she probably got no choice. Maybe if she gets released she'll cooperate with Eren

The grown woman-child doesn't like boring edgy teens, maybe?

In his time in the paths, Zeke gained enough control over them to make since illusions for eren. This chick is just as illusory as his chains. Zeke is using her to manipulate Eren because he needs Eren to control the founder.

Zeke is technically alive. Eren isn’t. She’s going for the living shifter.

Eren is too hot for her, she can't handle the Yeager

That’s not not Ymir.

She really dosnt have a free will and is being controlled by an even higher power

Zeke has created those chains and that girl to trick Eren

Ymir herself is a slave to the royal family. The royal blood in Zeke calls out to her.

WHAT MEMORY OF GRISHA’S DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST? 1,335 Responses

With lots of heartwarming moments to choose from this chapter, 32.7% most enjoyed seeing Grisha turn away from the Reiss chapel and choosing instead to focus on being a good husband and father to his family. 28.8% enjoyed seeing how Grisha spent his time in the basement and the possibility of him seeing Zeke from the future. 19.7% got the dokis over seeing Grisha be there for Eren’s baby milestones.

Loved baby Eren and it was really nice seeing Grisha so caring for his family (I missed Carla too, so good to see her again)

Baby Eren is the cutest baby in the whole universe and if you disagree you need glasses

IN LIGHT OF THIS CHAPTER, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GRISHA NOW? 1,330 Responses

Nearly half of the fandom (47.2%) admire Grisha’s ability to change and work to become a better father and husband after learning from his mistakes. 21.1% are glad that he was much better with Eren, but still can’t look past the way he treated Zeke as a child. 19.3% have always had faith in Grisha and enjoyed his character.

One of the reasons why SnK is as good as it is. The way goodness and horribleness exists within him at the same time, the way it makes him so imperfect, so deplorable, so sympathetic and so human, it's a testament to how well he is written. I love him. I love him so much.

I didn't like him before, but now I have a little more sympathy. I felt like crying when he was dreaming about Zeke and wanted to see him badly. I hope they will have a chance to talk in paths.

I'm amazed by the forgiveness other readers are giving him. It's as if they're ignoring what he actually believed and did. I don't believe many people are beyond redemption, and the fact that Grisha managed to get caught before he could actually murder anyone works in his favour, but I hold him to the exact same standard I would any real person who tried to bring back a regime he himself believed was exceptionally violent and bloodthirsty (before the Owl delivered the 'nice' history of Eldia). Overall he *could* be forgiven, but so far...holding your cute chubby son and choosing not to commit your original sin *again* is not it.

No matter how much he learned from Zeke he still cursed them both with 13 years at the end, so it doesn't really make a difference for me.

For the longest time I didn't know how to feel about him but this chapter cleared up a lot of things and I absolutely love him now

While he ultimately failed at parenting twice, it is good to see he learned from some of his mistakes and that his actions here reflected that. In the end, he still went for the royal family before the breach of the Wall and treated Eren to the serum instead of spending his time looking for a better, less 'child' host for his titan.

DID BABY EREN SEE OLDER EREN AND ZEKE? 1,335 Responses

While it may not impact the story, the vast majority of the fandom (70.9%) feel confident that baby Eren was able to see his future self. Only 2.8% selected “No” for this question.

DID GRISHA SEE ZEKE AT THE END? 1,333 Responses

We don’t really know how it happened, but it sure does seem like Grisha saw Zeke at the end of the chapter when he noted his aged appearance. 79.1% agree that this appears to be the case. 2.7% disagree, chalking this up to nothing more than a coincidence. Eren and/or Zeke being able to interact with the past in any way has some striking implications, so hopefully we get some answers soon!

WILL ZEKE CHANGE HIS MIND ABOUT GRISHA? 1,333 Responses

46.3% of respondents feel that the narrative is pushing Zeke to forgive his father and let go of what happened in the past. 38.6% see the potential for him to forgive Grisha, but don’t want to say with confidence that he definitely will. 11.5% believe that there is nothing that will ever cause Zeke to forgive his father.

At his core, Zeke wants his father to love him and treat him as a son instead of a tool. Knowing that Grisha still thinks of him and feels guilty about the way he raised him must have stirred something in him.

Partially. Yes, Grisha grew from that. But it just meant that Eren got the childhood he wishes he had and that in his eyes Eren got preferential treatment.

If anything I think he's mostly going to be jealous of Eren and regrets not being born at the right time. That being said they haven't reached the memory where Grisha passed his titan to Eren.

Might lean more towards him not changing because of his very single-minded way of looking at things. Maybe a smaller chance, don't know how I'd feel about it, though in terms of storytelling.

I hope. I am so ready for a Zeke redemption to take place even if the chances of it happening are low. I want to see the Yeagerbros working together.

I don't think so. If Eren shows him the next memory in which Grisha gave his titan powers to Eren and forced him to end his mission by going to the cellar and learning to control that power, Zeke would think that he was right about his father that he brainwashed him. Maybe Grisha was a good father in Eren's younger years but at the end he shouldered his burden to his second son and gave Eren a new reason to continue the cycle of hatred, to avenge his mother. I don't think that Zeke will change his mind so easily...I have the feeling that Eren has to convince his Brother otherwise, but I could be wrong.

While his opinion about Grisha May change slightly, that won’t change his opinion about euthanasia.

I love how that in the midst of all the plot development and the PATHS, it still boils down to the characters and their relationships in the end. The Zeke/Grisha parts make this chapter, imo. The boy who wants so much to be loved by his father, who vilifies his father as some sort of coping mechanism, realizing that his father loves him, misses him and regrets the way he treated him, realizing his father is only human... it never fails to tug at my heartstrings. I can't wait to see where Zeke will go from here.

WILL ZEKE’S MIND BE CHANGED ABOUT WHAT THEY SHOULD DO WITH THE FOUNDING POWER? 1,329 Responses

As we step away from the action-centric battle, we move into a battle of philosophies, outlooks, and plans. Zeke has attempted to sway Eren, but will Eren be able to convince Zeke to change his mind about what to do with the power they now possess? 38.8% think he will in fact be able to do just that; and only at about 1% behind, 37.9% don’t know what the outcome will be, and 20.3% don’t think Zeke’s plan will change.

Zeke's mind is already made up. What may change is his motivation. He just may lose all will to execute his plan and let Eren do his thing.

His euthanasia plan is instilled into him primarily by Xaver, his father-figure, someone whom he holds very much in high esteem. So if Zeke should change his mind about that plan, it has to be through changing his current opinion on Xaver.

It will seem he agrees with Eren. And then, out of rage and despair of his ideals being broken and Eren getting the life he wishes he always had, he'll cause the Rumbling to lash out at the world for how cruel it was to him.

No, he's far too stubborn for that. But he still needs to return the powers of the Founder to Eren somehow. So I can see him being cornered in a way that makes him realize there's no happy ending.

Probably, but it shouldn't be because of some Grisha shit, it should be because Eren has a better plan

Yes but he‘s still an ass who had fun in killing. Maybe he‘ll redeem himself by showing remorse but whatever, he just rubs me the wrong way.

I sure hope so, because eugenics really doesn't make sense even if you support the reasoning. If it can be done by a royal titan then it can be undone, and they're literally planning to keep a pack of royals as spares.

I hope so, because I really want to see the brothers work together. Zeke has done a lot of terrible thing (including what he did to poor Levi) but I want to see his redemption arc

I think that Zeke will come to the realization that he is doing to same thing to Ymir as Grisha has done to him.

WHAT DOES EREN WANT TO SHOW ZEKE? 1,324 Responses

This chapter ended abruptly with Eren about to lead Zeke into “The next memory.” But what could that be? 36.3% think he’s going to show Zeke scenes from his own life, 32.1% believe there will be an even deeper dive into Grisha’s past, 19.7% think it will involve Tom Xaver, and 8.6% think Eren Kruger will get more time to shine.

A mix of all of them: More of Grisha's memories up to his death, his own life and experiences (Attack on Titan greatest hits coming for the 10th anniversary chapter), and then finish off with some Xaver reveals if he indeed worked with Kruger.

Bit of Kruger's, Eren's memories, and little bit of Grisha's. Maybe Ymir's or Karl Fritz

Definitely something involving Xaver, probably him in cahoots with Kruger to fool Zeke.

Don't feel like he wants to show Zeke something, just telling Zeke to move it along

His true motives and what lead him down the path he’s been taking since chapter 91

That one exchange between Grisha and Frieda in the cave we still didn't get to see when Eren kissed Historia's hand.

The memory where Grisha turns Eren into a mindless with added dialogue to hit us all in the feels.

Warhammer memories

I hope it could be something around Kruger and Xaver, and finally enlightening Zeke view of his "dad" and their plan. From here they could move around some really interesting scenarios, there are so many possibilities and I AM HERE FOR IT! ("If you want to save Mikasa and Armin..." quote for example idk).

Fall of wall Maria, Dina eating Carla

Some hype ass shit.

WILL EREN BE DEAD AFTER THE INSTANT IS OVER? 1,327 Responses

The majority (77.8%) are confident that Eren will find a way to make it out of the paths dimension alive, while 11.5% are much less optimistic about Eren’s fate. A smaller percentage believe that he’s already dead without any chance of coming back.

I have this weird theory: since a shifter's consciousness can be transferred into the spine or in the Paths dimension in some capacity, what if the consciousnesses of two shifters can be "exchanged" in the Paths dimension? Zeke may end up dying (willingly or not) while Eren lives.

I don't know. I think he'll either come back alive, or find a way to communicate with at least Mikasa and/or Armin before he dies.

Zeke promised that he will never abandon his little brother. Even if their ways differ in the end and Zeke’s mind isn’t changed, I don’t think he would leave his brother to die. He has already stated that he will command Ymir to reconstruct Eren’s body. No way he would treat Eren like that

No. Eren recovered in paths just like Zeke did so there's no reason for him to be dead

It would be a fresh plot twist and I would like him to stay dead because of it but I doubt Isayama has courage to do it.

i think it would be weird for eren to die right now, especially before seeing Armin & Mikasa again

DO YOU THINK ZEKE WILL COME OUT OF THE PATHS DIMENSION ALIVE? 1,328 Responses

Zeke was in pretty good shape when he went into the PATHS dimension, so it only makes sense he would make it out alive - or at least that’s what most of us (81.9%) think! A minority (18.5%) think (or hope?) he will not be so lucky.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER? 1,339 Responses

More than half the fandom wants chapter 121 to be the continuation of A Zekemas Carol. 18.9% would rather take a break from the PATHS dimension to see what’s happening with Levi and Hange.

Been wanting to see Annie, Levi, Historia for many chapters. Now just want these amazing memories to continue! This part of the story is incredibly powerful.

I know this paths fuckery will continue for another chapter or two but after that yams pls gib annie i beg

A moment of silence for the amount of hope I had to see Hanji and Levi, if you will. It will be missed.

All I'm asking for is one panel with Levi and Hange... Is that too much?

Annie in paths Annie in paths Annie in paths Annie in-

Eren in the next chapter is going to open a door from Eren Krugers past showing interactions with Tom Xaver

Heh, as much as I want to see Hanji & Levi, I'm 99% certain we're staying in PATHS zone :)

I feel bad that I didn’t choose Annie for any of these answers, but this moment in the story is literally the only thing I’ve wanted to see for years

I just want to know Levi is alive

I want to know who Ymir really is and what her motivation is! I want to see the story through her eyes!

I don't care about Zeke. Please show me the Present Day Historia memory. I beg you OG Ymir. Amen.

whatever it is im gonna pee myself regardless

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 1,263 Responses

While Reddit and Tumblr continue to make up the majority of our respondents, the Attack on Titan fandom is everywhere. Wherever you choose to discuss the series, we appreciate your support of the chapter poll!

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

"Where's the rest of it?" - Zuko

I liked Eren's "surprised Pikachu" face when Zeke broke the chains.

Great fucking chapter, Eren and Zeke are a riot as a brothers duo.

Why is Grisha so attractive

Boy am I glad Xaver trained Zeke in baseball instead of football.

Grisha Redemption Arc, let's go!

a chapter without reiner is automatically a bad chapter

At the beginning I thought it’d end up being boring but the ending showed me otherwise. Attack on titan never disappoints

Awesome, beyond my expectation. We get more info about PATHS and yeager moments that i nearly don't care about others lol. The cliffhanger is more painful than previous chapter tho

Chapter in a nutshell: "I have more resolve!" "No, just kidding. By doing this I have MORE resolve!" "Well guess what? I have a piano. End of discussion, I have the most resolve."

I kind of dislike the whole concept of the Paths. I really dislike the "enslaved little girl builds Titans out of sand" angle when there was so much potential for a science fantasy explanation instead. At least Eren's acting like Eren again, that's all I'm asking of this manga at this point.

How did Ymir have three daughters when she looks 13 years old and presumably died 13 years old?

I put a 2/5 due to how empty and anticlimatic this chapter was. I'm more than okay to explore the pathverse but I didn't expect 10 pages of filler and recollection, 10 pages where the brotherly betrayal gets quickly resolved with both Eren and Zeke's emotions being turned down (Zeke just told Eren he had no freedom in his decisions ffs) and the rest being Daddy Issues TM.

Dope. Loved it. Answered so many questions. So, the PATHS meme is a little less true now. It'll probably become even less so with the next chapter and so on.

Eren and Zeke this chapter were basically that one spiderman meme you know the one.

Glad the memory manipulation theory was wrong, didn't expect this walk through memory lane however. I'm excited to see if and how Zeke's outlook on his father and whole ideology will change.

Eren out here playing 5D chess against Zeke when he was playing 4D chess and thinking Eren was playing 3D chess. Eren a legend

Eren’s sarcastic attempt at convincing Zeke was a welcome reprieve from the “excuse-me-what” nature of this chapter

Every time Eren appears in a panel I stare in awe at how beautiful he is. Shaven face + Hobo hair = Peak Eren.

I love how abrupt the ending is, specially if Isayama's going for what I'm thinking. I suspect chapters 120, 121, and 122 will all feel connected as one single big chapter, with action outside paths only unfreezing at the end of 122. The main issue is how some parts of this chapter feel like stalling for the inevitable anniversary chapter next month, but I believe it's gonna pay off.

I was laughing like a maniac by the end of the chapter. Eren is truly an incredible little sh*t, and I'm super excited to learn more about his actual motivations. Interestingly enough, Zeke won't shut up about Grisha the father, and seems to have conveniently forgotten (which I did as well) that one of Eren's biggest motivations in his life has come from his mother, who told Shadis all those years ago that Eren was special BECAUSE "he was born into this world". As much as I reeeeeeally wanna see an update on Levi and Hanji (IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS, ISAYAMA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US), this walk down memory lane is turning out to be the most entertaining part of the arc so far

I'm SO HAPPY to see Eren talking again and to see that fiery determination and his snarky attitude! Go Eren!

Just . . . I'm really tired. Now Grisha's father of the year all of sudden. I'm still waiting for Eren to like, suffer real consequences for his war crimes and his shitty treatment of his "friends." And Annie is probably never going to be relevant, Historia is going to stay stuck in her chair. Like, the whole point of this series was that it's hard to tell what the truth is, right? And now there's MAGIC and Eren can literally take Zeke into his memories to show Zeke EXACTLY what happened with Grisha as if that's the real truth? Isayama's gone soft or given up, I dunno. I'm just tired.

Anyone else expect Isayama to just carry on with these flashbacks for four chapters just like the basement.

This chapter hurt me. In fact, this whole arc has. I think the point where I started being really confused was when Zeke got resurrected. I get the point of it. You wanna show what PATHS is? Ok. You wanna show how titans are built! Sure! You wanna explain that this is a pocket dimension and time moves by super slow? Perfect. You wanna show the person making the titans? Cool. But the mechanics with the royal family are so inconsistent. IF ZEKE CAN BREAK THE WILL, WHY CAN’T FRIEDA OR URI OR LITERALLY ANYBODY. Is it because he isn’t the direct founding Titan? Is he bluffing?? I don’t know. I want Armin and Mikasa please.

One redemption for the monky boi, please.

So Eren did all he did, sacrificed so many lives, hurt his friends etc. just because he only hoped he’ll be able to use the Coordinate? Seriously that was his plan? Give me a break please. I’m very disappointed Erwin was not there in the ‘important moments’ page - he was one of Eren’s childhood heroes after all and the person without whom Eren would’ve never gotten this far.

#snk spoilers #snk poll #snk polls #poll results

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twisted-tales-of-all · 5 years

Text

Disaster Date

Kwon Jiyong x Reader

Summary: You and your boyfriend continue your weekly date nights, all the way until the end.

A/N: This is a bit of a prequel to a request I got for him. I apologize for this, as it’s very sad, but it will make the follow-up will be better understood.

Warnings: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

Word Count: ~1.2-1.3K

You and your long-term boyfriend consistently practice weekly date nights despite your busy schedules. Doing this, you realized very quickly how you'll consistently look forward to Tuesday every week. Even after five years, the two of you haven't lost your spark. Sometimes romantic, sometimes crazy, sometimes relaxing, the dates always make you happy. No matter what you do, being together puts a jump in your step, even if you're absolutely exhausted from work. Just seeing him or hearing his voice makes you forget anything bad that may have happened the week prior. From his laughter and always-present smile, you know he feels the same way about you.

This week, you agree to try try something competitive. You both decide on miniature golf and go-kart racing. Simple, sweet, and easily turned into a battle to the death. Both of you readied yourselves for the other's dirty tricks, using the whole week to come up with the best strategies to win. In this way, you both act like children, but you can't seem to help yourselves to the temptation of rubbing your win in the other's face.

Finally, Tuesday arrives. You drive to the meet-up location, jamming out to some of your boyfriend's songs to hype yourself up - not that you needed anything more than the idea of holding his hand again. Arriving, you catch sight of his car and park next to it. Looking through the windows, you find it empty, then pout to yourself and get out of your own car to go find him. You make sure to lock it, then turn to the entrance to find Jiyong smiling at you, his hand waving mercilessly above his head. The sight makes you laugh as you send a small wave back at him and walk over.

"Ready to lose, you energetic child?" Your first words spill out in typical fighting fashion.

"Man, you've gotten weirder since last week. Now you're even talking to yourself." He combats cleanly with a smirk and no hesitation.

You roll your eyes dramatically at his comment. Turning on your heel, you walk into the building, ready to compete. Jiyong follows closely behind. When you stop at the information booth, he makes sure to kick your butt before standing next to you, hand around your waist.

"Two people for the hard course please." He feigns innocence, completely ignoring your glare due to his attack. He pays the fee, chooses a putter fitting to his height and a golf ball fitting his color preference.

"Always red," You tease, then claim your putter and a green ball to contradict his.

"You know it's lucky. I always win with red."

"But what if I want to win?" You pout as you follow him to the course. You know your puppy-dog eyes always work, so you shoot them in his direction.

"You're great, love. Sometimes you can win." He breaks, holding out the red ball for you. As you go to take it, he pulls it away, "Just not today." He quickly pecks your cheek, but the lovely moment quickly disappears as you retaliate with a hit to his arm.

As usual, a quick game of rock-paper-scissors decides the person to start. Jiyong wins, starting the round. He finishes it on top. Quickly, he begins dancing around, bragging about how much better he scored.

"You beat me by two strokes, Jiyong. Be a little more humble. What would your fans think?"

"They'll laugh at me, but be proud I won." He sticks out his tongue. "Now let's make it 2-0 by beating you in go-karts!" Before you can respond, he skips his way back to the information booth, returning the putters and asking about the racetrack.

"Is there a way to just race two people at one time?" By the time you reach him, you hear this question, forcing your eyes to roll so far back into your head that you get disoriented for a quick second. As the worker explains the additional fee, Jiyong nods in understanding but hands over his premium black credit card anyway. "I want this to be fair, so we'll make it private. I don't mind the fee."

Within 15 minutes, the two of you examine the go-karts and strap yourselves into your favorites, ready to race. Some people in line clearly support Jiyong. You assume they follow him or his group, so you don't take offense. As the instructor finishes explaining the rules and controls, you rev the engine, glaring at your opponent as the signal counts down. The instant the light turns green, you both race down the track, staying virtually neck-and-neck for the first two laps. You begin to inch ahead in the third lap, but the race continues until lap seven, so you don't let yourself get cocky.

You turn your head during the straightaway portion of the fifth lap to check the distance between you and Jiyong. You make eye contact as he accidentally hits your vehicle with his, sending you spinning to a stop. You feel the anger boil within you, thinking of the move as his strategy, until you look up and see his kart upside down outside of the track boundaries. Instantly, your anger turns to fear and worry. You fidget around until you can remove your body from the stalled kart. You race over. A worker holds you back and you can see another on the phone, clearly speaking to emergency services. The worker holding you back keeps warning you about something, but your attention remains only on the disaster in front of you. Nobody rushes to his help. You can't understand why. There's blood flowing from underneath the vehicle. Why won't they help him? You scream his name over and over, hoping someone - anyone - will help him. In the blink of an eye, the kart leaves your vision. Instead, flames engulf the spot. At the same moment, emergency services arrive on the scene. Firemen start working to take out the fire. Paramedics line up on the sidelines, ready to help your boyfriend after the fire disappears. But you know. You drop to your knees, unable to hold up your body weight anymore. He makes no noise. No screams of agony. You know.

When the fire ends, paramedics rush onto the kart. They check for a pulse. They find nothing. Carefully but quickly, they flip the car. Attempting to revive him, they follow procedure down to the millisecond. After all the failed attempts, one paramedic checks her watch and writes down the established time of death. The others pack up the equipment. Someone approaches you and asks you a question, but your mind is completely blank.

Immediately, you prepare for the funeral. You join his immediate family as a chief mourner, standing there in numbing emotional torment as you watch his family, friends, band mates, and other idols come pay their respects to the king of k-pop. You know that hundreds of fans have worked together to send in wreaths for his funeral, and that many stay outside in mourning since they can't come inside. The first two days pass by in a blur of black, white, and bowing forms.

The third day comes, and you force yourself to choke back the tears as you and the family take part in the final ceremony. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, you follow the hearse to the cremation center. Upon finally seeing the urn placed in the reserved spot, you can't help but break down.

The love of your life sits here now. Your Tuesdays will be spent here now.

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brooklynislandgirl · 5 years

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@mynameisanakin {{xx}}

To say time was immutable was the worst kind of fallacy. It can be stretched or dilated. It can be shrunk. Filled to the very possible edges or shut up and forgotten. It was subject to individual perception which then was galvanised by a cohesive agreement to believe in the same fractured set of moments corresponding to external reality. At least that was what her Master had explained to her once. She wasn’t sure she understood what he meant then, nor is she sure she has a grasp on it now. Or if both were the same and she just chooses to see it differently. What she is absolutely certain of is limited to a minor handful of things. The first being that hours ago the Temple had come under attack. Which meant that somehow, somewhere, something had gone catastrophically wrong. It’s the sound of screaming and pounding feet that first alert her. So of course instinct takes over. She ushers her charges ~younglings that are injured, sick, and otherwise impaired~ to the safest place she can think of.

Thrulan knows even the forgotten places, pathways that most Jedi are unaware even exist. There aren’t so many. Only three. She gives him medicine for them. All of the credits she can scrounge so they aren’t a burden on his small family. The only other thing she knows with absolute certainty is that Anakin is still alive. The agony he was in was significant. Had nearly buckled her to her knees and she wasn’t sure if he felt her reaching out to him. Offering what strength she could that he might take it, enfold it around himself, to protect him until she can find him. Likely wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe it so much that she simply accepted that as a truth. Especially when she can’t feel him reaching back. That there’s distortion thick and heavy between them.

She can only fear the worst; that Anakin is here, and she knows he is. That he is trapped in some corner unable to free himself. That he is hurt. That he is...no. Twisted and cloaked as his brilliant presence in the Force has become, it isn’t waning. She won’t let that be the truth. She won’t let him go so easily.

That becomes a third thing. The halls as she moves are too quiet in places. Too loud in others. The great library is empty. There’s so very little to find there. Even the Temple Guards are not at their posts, and of course, why should they be? They were under an attack, there was better places for them to be. Her sabre flashes as she makes her way ever closer to Anakin. Though she’s brought up short when she sees who the invaders really are. As if she wouldn’t know the legion by sight. These men, never just clones, who have been under his command, whose wounds she’s mended, whose grief she tried to ease, whose deaths and sacrifices she’s recorded painstakingly for the archives so that they might be remembered beyond purpose, beyond what they had been created for. Only to be betrayed. Why would they have turned on Ana-

No. Not...turned. Parrying blaster fire as best she can, she senses....a link. They...They... Two clones go down and she tries to press forward, stopped in her tracks seconds later by a third trooper she hadn’t seen in the shadows. His rifle is aimed at her, held level. But he hesitates. Brows knit above her eyes, sweat damp strands of hair threatening to slip into her vision as she tilts her head. “....Biscuit?” Against all hope, the trooper removes his helmet, confirming that this was in fact the one she thought him to be. The one who still had an both legs thanks to her. “My Lady. I am so sorry. I don’t want to do this.” Not General. Not Master or even Knight Ivers. Not Melakeni. But...lady. She swallows past the rapidly constricting lump in her throat. “Wha... what is happening, here?”

The trooper looks sick, green under his tawny skin in a way that is both natural and unnatural to her and the more he speaks, the more his face hardens into a mask of duty and remorse.

He doesn’t attempt to kill her when she staggers back under the weight of this new knowledge, one palm splayed against the smooth metal wall to catch herself mid-collapse. Her mind reels. Her sabre thumps dully against the floor as that hand comes up to her chest.

She takes hold of the Force and wraps it around her like an impenetrable wall that nothing can escape from or press advantage into as her heart breaks. The faces of her friends sweep through her memory alive and full of life. They are gone. As are the Masters she has spent the last decade serving.

Remember these lessons well, little padawan, for suffering is a crucible of strength. Her Master’s voice comes to her unbidden and she knows he still lives as well. Where she cannot quite tell. But the voice, a silken thunder of a whisper in her ear, is not wholly wrong. She knows as terrible as the Dark Side must be, that the Jedi had long ago become corrupt. They slaved under the will of the people, currying favour and gathering quiet power until they no longer resembled what they once purported to be; servants of the Force.

And the Force is a living and breathing thing. A river that flows through everything from the most infinitesimal speck of stardust to the edges of the galaxy and perhaps even beyond, to places unknowable beyond the imagination of even the greatest enlightened minds. Its intention was not to steal and enslave infants. Its will was not to be ruled by fear of upsetting those in power in exchange for some small semblance of a voice in galactic matters. The Jedi Order, she can see more clearly now than ever before, was nothing more than rotting fruit on the Force’s branches, dragging it down with the weight of its corruption. And as surely as the tears flowed freely down her face for what she knows has been lost because of it, for the innocence and sweetness and life that was now nothing more than a guttered candle, she understands that the will of the Force was for Anakin to... to wipe clean the slate. To destroy every last vestige of what was, in order for what could be to come about. The restoration of balance, to restore the Force itself and not what sentients had made of it.

She recalls a poem she had read in the archives, only a fraction of it as she let go of her anger. Her confusion. As she gave herself as always, to the Force and its will.

Even as it is for your growth, so it is for your pruning. Even as it ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, So shall it descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Biscuit retrieves her lightsabre without a word of protest from her. She can hear the sigh as she looks up into his face. Despite this directive of his, there is some kindness left in the clone. “I’ll make it quick, Lady. Painless.” “A moment more, please?” He nods. She straightens up as sharply as her spine will allow, and levels her chin. She passes a hand over her face to wipe away any traces of emotion that lingered damply on her cheeks and tried, ridiculously, to straighten her hair. Doing so, she conceals clever little gestures with her fingers. “You should take me to him. He will want to do this himself.” “I...I should take you to him. He will want to do this himself.” She takes a step forward, relieves him of her sabre, and wraps a delicate hand around the white and blue armour. Her steps to the grand hall are silent compared to his own and they do not speak during the trek. She looks neither left nor right. Doesn’t look at the bodies strewn where they fell. Does not acknowledge the char and pockmarks that scattered across the walls from blaster fire. The fire and smouldering ash does not make her tremble though she fears that only second to what they will find. The smoke doesn’t bother her at all. In fact she forgets to make herself breathe in those achingly long moments. The Temple all around her that was once home is now a tomb.

Biscuit leaves her there in the centre of the hall. Takes a stance somewhere out of her periphery and she wonders later how badly he will be punished for allowing her to cloud his mind. For allowing her to come into the presence of his Lord armed and utterly capable of cutting him down if she were fast enough, clever enough.

And what does she find? Significantly more than she had hoped but disturbingly less than what she feared. He looks like a ghost haunting himself. Blurred and fractured at the edges, worn so thin she can practically see Coruscant beyond the doors behind him. Awash with old blood and new, and light that could be either from the dying of the day. His eyes are so hollow. His face drawn and remote and before he even acknowledges that she is there, she can feel him crawling over a threshold of breaking. This is not a man proud of what he has done, not a man who will ever sleep again knowing he has done the right thing, even if that is exactly what Anakin has done. Frangible arms wend around her in his terrible silence. Her eyes close as he brushes his mouth against the crown of her hair and breathes her deeply as if for the first time he can. Breathe. Take air deep into his lungs and scour his psyche with her presence. A hand comes up to his chest where his heart beats strong but erratic. And then? It isn’t a question. Nor is it a command. It isn’t even a choice because choice implied she had a say. No senator, no chancellor, no master, no living being loves Anakin the way she does. Nor had they in all the years before except for maybe his mother. And in an entirely different way. No. It isn’t a choice. And no one would ever have been foolish enough to believe that it was. She untangles herself from Anakin. Braces one foot behind her, shifts her centre of gravity. With preternatural reflexes, she reaches for and takes hold of her sabre. Thumbs the near flat depression on the hilt and allows the purple blade to ignite in the gathering gloom around them. Sees its glow flash in glossiness of his eyes.

Her other hand comes up. There’s a little flip and suddenly the blade is laid across both hands, and she curtsies before him, deep and tired and inscrutable. She does not have a heart, but if she did, it would be bleeding for her little sun, for her Anakin. “In all things, in all ways, I am yours to command, my Lord.” Loud enough to be heard by the gathered clones. Then quietly, more intimately, meant for his ears alone... “That is maybe the stupidest thing you have ever asked of me, Ani. The answer is always yes.”

#mynameisanakin #Images of Broken Light|Anakin Skywalker #Pools of Sorrow Waves of Joy|Anakin and Melakeni #Across The Universe|Star Wars AU #tw: political viewpoint #tw: child death implied #tw: Order 66

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arcticdementor · 5 years

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In "The Accidental Superpower," Peter Zeihan treats geopolitics as the great augur of future events. Zeihan does not reference Asimov's "Foundation" series or the idea of "psychohistory," but the resemblance is striking. Geopolitics like psychohistory allows us to anticipate broad historical forces. Zeihan like Seldon advocates harnessing historical trends to change the future. And, funnily enough, Zeihan like Seldon predicts a coming age of turmoil and conflict. Zeihan believes the whole global system we've known since the end of WWII is going to change. And so, as in Asimov's "Foundation," Zeihan believes that leaders that harness geopolitics will make better decisions than leaders that don't.

Except America. America is so blessed by geography and history that we are immune to the world's troubles. We will dominate the 21st Century without even trying. We are, Zeihan says, "The Accidental Superpower". But to explain this difference between America and the world, it is necessary to first treat geopolitics.

…

For instance, two populations of equal size, one in the mountains, one in the river valleys, will develop in some predictable ways. The population in the river valley will farm fertile lands and build money on trade; the population in the mountain valley is likely to stay poor and fragment into fractious ethnic enclaves. But the river nation may be more vulnerable to invasion, the mountain people likelier to hide away and thwart foreign oppression. The same geopolitical realities can be good or bad, depending on the currents of the day.

…

"Balance of transport" is the fruit of the agricultural revolution. Sedentary people can store up wealth and accumulate resources. So a strong nation needs to be bound together by trade.

As a positive example, Zeihan cites Egypt, where geography binds the people together. The Nile forms a stable channel of trade, while the desert segregates Egypt from the outside world. In a world where the Pharaoh can inspect his entire country from river barge, it's only natural that a stable and centralized government would rule for millennia on end. But when new technologies like the chariot emerged and made the desert a highway for armies, it was only natural that Egypt would cease to be independent, and be governed by a succession of Persians and Romans and Byzantines and Arabs.

As a negative example of "balance of transport," Zeihan cites, interestingly, Canada. Although Canada is a wealthy nation, its geography actually pulls its provinces apart. Zeihan notes that the barren Canadian Shield, the high passes of the Rockies, and the great gulf of the St. Lawrence River naturally divide Canada into several distinct regions. It is thus easier for each region to trade with the United States than with each other. This explains, in some degree, why Quebec never fully integrated with the rest of Canada, and why Quebecois secession in the 90's would have effectively ended Canada's existence. In a later chapter, Zeihan speculates that Alberta could pose such a risk in the future, as its oil and mineral wealth give it a very different economy from the rest of Canada. At the same time, union with Canada is almost entirely a burden on Alberta, because it is the only province that pays more to Toronto than it receives, and it is heavily restricted by environmental policies imposed on the whole country. It might be going too far to imagine Albertan secession, as Zeihan does, but this kind of analysis might provide a wealth of insights into the future of Canadian politics.

…

America's waterways bless us with a tremendous "balance of transport". They are at the center of America's identity and history. They allow us to accumulate wealth effortlessly. Our waterways help explain the historical mystery of how 13 colonies joined in common purpose against the British: America's East is one economic unit. Our waterways help explain the historical mystery of why the American government has been so small: America is naturally so easy to traverse that government roads were never needed. (Zeihan notes that when Germany was building its railroad network in the 1840's, America's federal government had built one road, the "National" Road.) With our tremendous water network, things that would be impossible to any other country are casual accomplishments in America.

This is only the beginning of America's geopolitical blessings. The majority of the Lower 48 is in a temperate zone, a perfect climate for growing crops. We are separated from the rest of the world by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, which makes us almost impervious to invasion. We dominate the North American continent, vastly overpowering the two countries we have to share it with. Of the Rocky Mountains running through the North American continent, we control most of the major passable valleys. We have so many perfect world-class deepwater ports that we aren't even using all of it. ("The United States has more port potential than the rest of the world combined. [...] Chesapeake Bay alone boasts longer stretches of prime port property than the entire continental coast of Asia from Vladivostok to Lahore.") We are the only major power with access to both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, and can sell our goods in either direction. We are blessed with fertile valleys and croplands, rocky rivers for mills for industry, oil and natural gas and minerals and raw materials of every variety. Our balance of transport is effortless; industrialization came naturally; we easily maintain the greatest navy in the world; and not once but twice our economy has built the greatest military force ever known. We have, here, in America, everything we could ever want.

…

The crux of our current world order is rooted in the resolution to World War II. After the war, America had the world's only major industrial economy which had not been destroyed by that war. Russia was the world's only other power. By any historical standard, Zeihan argues, the expected next move was for America to occupy Europe, establish military hegemony, and then impose peace or war on the world and loot Europe of what remained. Instead, at the Bretton Woods conference, America laid the basis for a new world order based on free trade

…

America didn't conquer the world; it "bribed" it through its economic strength. As the Cold War progressed, more and more countries joined the free trade system America established. The "Bretton Woods" system established global near-peace and prosperity, mostly free trade the world over, almost an end to wars over access to markets and raw materials, everything we today call "capitalism" and "globalism". But all this is just a byproduct of American foreign policy, and is highly unusual

…

It is a point that cannot be understated: the whole order of global politics depends on America's international free trade system. We have changed the normal course of politics for every country that is part of that system. Germany is an industrial power today on the base of their exports, which they can only maintain because America keeps safe the flow of raw materials on which Germany relies. China is an industrial power today because America keeps safe the flow of manufactured goods from China to its customer nations. Japan and Britain have access to oil because America safeguards the global market on which the tankers travel. The global economic system is safe because America pays for it to be safe. We subsidize the wealth and prosperity of the entire world.

And this is the problem: America's free trade system benefits everyone in the world except America.

…

America pays for the global free trade system. America hardly uses the global free trade system. America bears most of the burdens of the global free trade system. America reaps few of the rewards. With the implosion of the Soviet Union, there are not even ideological motivations for us to maintain the Bretton Woods system. Thus, it is not only logical but inevitable that the free trade system the world currently enjoys will come to an end.

…

The second global crisis will be growing competition over oil. Global oil supplies are not unlimited, and industrial economies will be competing more for natural resources in order to maintain their standards of living. This is not a new struggle, and the competition in oil has been mediated in large part by America's leadership. But now America has shale. With the development of shale, America has gone from being an oil importer to an oil exporter. We are no longer dependent on the Middle East for our needs, and are only involved for the sake of our allies. So it's only natural that our interest in oil will wane at the exact moment that the rest of the world's interest grows. (And what do our allies do for us, anyways?) So Zeihan predicts that American mediation will fall apart. Conflicts over oil will escalate to wars, and whole nations will have to act very quickly if they don't want the lights to go out.

The third major crisis is a global demographic shift. The world's major economies are all ageing. The baby boomer phenomenon was not contained to America; all over the world the elderly are going to retire en masse. The next generation will be much smaller. This implies, of course, crises over pensions and other social security systems. But it implies something much greater about the availability of capital. Workingmen are generally net producers, as they save money in anticipation of retirement. Retirees are net consumers -- they make little income and draw from their savings. So as the global baby boomer generation retires, there will be a massive withdrawal from savings accounts the world over. People who have been investing money will start saving money. And overnight the supply global capital will dry up. There will no longer be as much money to invest in roads, new businesses, hospitals in Afghanistan, factories in Bangladesh. A lot of the "progress" we have come to expect in world affairs will suddenly come to a stop.

…

So this is "The Coming International Disorder". America, through its blessings and God's "special providence," is powerful without even trying. We are "The Accidental Superpower". We built a new world order based on global capitalism and free trade, one that suspended the normal everyday conflicts over markets and materials. That suspension of global conflicts is coming to an end. America is going to retreat from the affairs of the world, and will exercise such dominance that the 21st Century will be the American Century. The rest of the world will come to blows.

…

• China. China is geographically unstable. Its mountains and river valleys have always worked to congregate its wealth and capital on the coasts, away from the core of the country. This will cause great internal divisions as China seeks to navigate the 21st Century. Because China's wealth is totally dependent on the Bretton Woods system America has so graciously provided. China would still be a poor country today if America had not subsidized China's industrialization and shipping all over the world. Without Bretton Woods and with the coming demographic crisis, China will no longer have the capital it has used to develop and pacify its population. And if China wants to break out, it is surrounded at sea by hostile island nations, and on land by hostile conquered minority peoples. Zeihan predicts that China poses no threat to America whatsoever, we could win a trade war with two hands tied behind our backs. If China poses a threat for anyone it's more likely Japan over oil.

• Russia. Russia faces one of the worst demographic crises of any major power. Its birthrates collapsed after the fall of the Soviet Union and have never really recovered. This is especially concerning because Russia is so geographically unstable that it needs a healthy population to guard its borders. Russia has no real frontier, there are no natural barriers like a great mountain range or desert that protect it from other nations. This is why it has usually protected itself by expanding and invading other nations. But today Russia cannot maintain its current borders if its population is going to shrink. So its only logical that Russia will act now, before the demographic crisis, to push forward into Europe where its borders will be smaller. (Russia's moves in Crimea and Ukraine fit this pattern.) Zeihan predicts, though, that the odds against Russia are probably too great, and it is not unlikely that Russia may collapse entirely as a country before the century is out. (And still the main threat Russia poses it to our allies, not America itself.)

• Mexico. Mexico may be America's real rival and threat. Mexico is troubled in every way that America is blessed. But proximity to America means that, for all its troubles, Mexico's markets will always be safe. Even as a drug war rages over a country practically consumed by anarchy, Mexico is one of the world's 20 largest economies. So Mexico can only go up from here. Its relationship with the US will then become more contentious. The key issue is the border -- the US-Mexican border is a vast stretch of desert and mountain, it exists only on a map. It is a perfect hideout for cartels, criminals, and illegal immigrants. The same geography that brought Americans into Mexico in the 1840's will now work in reverse (has already worked in reverse), at America's expense. Conflict will only grow. It is a deep irony that the country that really portends the greatest trouble for America going forward may not be Russia or China but Mexico.

…

If I had to criticize Zeihan's model, I would say that history does not always move in aggregates. Geopolitics can predict large events, but not small ones. This is something Asimov discusses at length in his treatment of "psychohistory" in the Foundation series. There, for thousands of years, events unfold exactly as psychohistorian Hari Seldon predicted them. And then, without forewarning, one man leaps off the pages of history, gathers together a new empire, and thwarts all expectations of history. That man, "The Mule," makes an ass of all our assumptions. Psychohistory can predict broad trends but not small variances.

So I would level this criticism at the lens of geopolitics. It considers nations, not individuals, not how single leaders or real people diverge from expected trends.

Zeihan, for instance, considers immigration only in positive terms, noting how it renews America's demographic pyramid. But it's clear that immigration causes great conflict within America, conflict that does not appear in traditional geopolitical models. Likewise, it is not obvious to me that America remaining powerful on the world stage means America staying stable at home. America and Americans often have different interests. I can certainly think of one global power which, in the Third Century, turned to violence and civil war, even as it continued to dominate the world around it.

#reddit #book review #geopolitics #peter zeihan #read the whole thing

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soundsandnoises · 5 years

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Slam Dunk Festival 2019: SOUTH, Hatfield Park (26/05/2019)

I was extremely anxious about this one. I was usually going to the one in Midlands, knew the site inside out. Knew how to get to the festival, where to stay, etc. Made it easier to focus on music. This year I worried about so many things, like if I bought right ticket to right Hatfield (can't count the amount of times I actually checked maps, infos and trains, still wasn't enough). I'm not a fan of big train stations and King's Cross ain't a small nor easy for first, second and third timers. It can be quite overwhelming, but what's the fun in it when it's simple, right? Then there was a question of – what gate leads to festival site. Or where to buy a coffee - that one was left unanswered, Sunday morning and relatively small train station (for a change) didn't help.

And then there was... waiting. Before the main gate opens, before the actual festival site opens... Longest three hours full of wondering, while people gathered in a constant flow in space between wristband exchange and gates, green grass was replaced by black blur of people.

But, but... As soon as it opened and I could start realizing my plan: get to the chosen stage, see the first artist, enjoy. I could relax. And that was the leit motiv of this day (maybe except the part where I felt like thirst in Sprite commercial during Busted intense and punk as fuck set when I was fighting for survival, but to be fair, even then I felt so alive and... happy).

I was in for a treat after all and it started perfectly with William Ryan Key opening on Marshall Stage. I would love to hear his material, but I understand his choice to play Yellowcard's songs. Fans surely appreciated the acoustic nostalgia floating through surprisingly sunny morning/midday. There was a bit of a technical hiccup at the beginning, but other than that things ran smoothly.

Milk Teeth took over on the adjacent Dickies Stage. Faster. Louder. Wake up Slam Dunk. Sunny day or not a mix of moody grunge and raw punk energy should do that to you. Make the crowd sit down just to make them ask “Why the fuck are we sitting down?!” seconds later. It's a rock show! But clearly Milk Teeth captivated the audience enough to pull pranks like this.

Hot Milk didn't have easy on The Club Key Stage, 'cause people started to gather for Busted and tent was packed, yet their Left side was in for a fun gig and soon enough young rockers won hearts over with their 'non compromise, everyone's invited attitude'. They were all in, mixing pop, punk and lacing it with electronic samples – nothing better to make you bounce, dance and have a good time.

Quite right warm up for Busted on the Right side of the The Key Club Stage. The tension, the anticipation was hanging thick and heavy over people's heads. The excitement exploded with joyous scream when boys appeared onstage. Boy, I didn't expect the madness. My body wasn't mine for most of the gig, pushed and shoved in random directions as the crowd waved under the tide of moshing, crowdsurfing and bouncing quite randomly. But it was strangely beautiful, the mad joy of people screaming out the lyrics. This was absolutely fabulous surprise act (clearly the cat was out of the bag on Saturday when it turned out that mysterious Y3K was in fact Busted). Slam Dunk did slam.

Then I've had a bit of a change of the scenery with As It Is on the main stage (Monster Energy Stage). I understand the appeal, 'cause it was truly engaging performance. Powerful speeches, truly humble spirit and very positive attitude (they even turned smashing an acoustic guitar into a good deed; after the hardcore version of the song, instead of acoustic one as they teased before guitar was obliterated, Patty [Walters, singer] explained that they'd donate the pieces for a charitable cause). Oh, and show worth a slot at the main stage – emotional, catchy, monumental at times, intimate.

Waterparks brought the green (backdrop, Awsten's hair, security outerwear) and crazy (emanating from both band and extremely devoted fans). Crazy in the best kind of way, the one you lose yourself in the music, the one that makes you happy, the one that courses through every inch of your body. Add funny banters and Awsten's cheeky charisma. The response from green clothed fans was overwhelming to say the least. Strong unison singing every word, mad screams and constant wave of crowdsurfers. What a show.

Simple Plan took over the refreshing and pop rock vibe taking the crowd to the beach and sunny holidays with their beach balls flying over the crowd and summer hits' tunes. Canadian rockers made people jump, yell shamelessly 'dick', sing along. Nostalgic mood mixed with excited screams, they wouldn't be themselves if they didn't joke around (basically rock and comedy show in a price of one). Their youthful approach was and is always something that moves mountains and brings fans to them.

Neck Deep didn't waste a second to establish their rule over the Monster Energy Stage after Simple Plan. Faster, louder, reach to the punk rock roots, start that mosh pit, oh but hold that thought here's Natalia Imbruglia's 'Torn' cover for you, let's feel like it's 90s again and if you don't know it, you lived under a rock. But basically keep the energy flowing, keep it up, keep in coming.

But rock music has so many names, so Hellogoodbye (back in Marshall Stage) was a interesting change of gear, leaning towards indie, electropop and all the weird and beautiful things between them. Oh, how I danced, danced like no one was watching, my face with stupidly wide grin from the sparkling, positive energy I was coated in. Audience was advised to drink pure distilled water, distilled from potatoes (wink, wink). Basically it was a party. Or maybe the party? Well, I was glad I stumbled upon it and stayed.

Touché Amore on Dickies Stage tore the air with growl which seemed to be an appropriate reaction for heavy rain that came down. But their music must have had some magic in it, 'cause soon clouds separated and sun started lurking through them. Or maybe they just had the sunshine with them all this time and brought some from L.A.. Heavy was the music, hardcore stage presence and singer's presence, front barrier seemed to be more appropriate place to scream words than small stage that frankly couldn't contain their energy.

I wasn't even close and I could hear Lights' powerful voice echoing through The Club Key Stage. Tiny figure with flame coloured hair was ruling the stage, voice clear, loud and soulful. Her music taking the best bits from rock, pop and electronic genres was a catchy blend to dance. Her vocals are phenomenal.

One of the band's I was really looking forward to see was Plain White T's (yes, yes, they played 'Hey There Delilah', 'course the did) and I loved every minute of their show [on Marshall Stage]. Indie pop/ indie rock with bits of samples was exactly what I needed, it was my kind of show no matter the time of the day. I could enjoy the music and not worry about being hit by half empty cup with beer (although it was funny to hear the story of crowd starting the biggest moshpit to 'Hey There Delilah', 'cause the band was on stage before Metallica, to be honest it's no the first time when I hear or experience the audience going absolutely bananas to the slowest song, so the story is even funnier), move to the beat. New staff had these nice, not too much electronic touch and was pulsing with energy. But of course the older goodies hit people's hearts harder.

I've managed to catch half of the set of IDKHow on The Key Club Stage Left I'm glad I did, 'cause boys sassiness must be legendary by now. The cheek, the charisma, the silliness acted out with serious faces, the instant bond with adoring crowd makes it all so special. Rhythm section and samples, bit of 80s synth tone, bit of 90s pop and sharp lyrics make their show something to talk about. Just like the acoustic set they played on the top of The Fearless Arms (bar), I'd assume sometime around their time in signing tent and because why not. Got to enjoy that one from the distance, the kind of surprise you could compare to sugar rush every kid gets when eating a candy floss.

From sweet tunes I switched to heavy metal brought by Bullet for My Valentine. Jägermeister Stage's tent was coming off the seams with gathered crowd, when it seemed it was loaded to its ends more people were getting in and immersing in roaring guitars and drums going faster and faster. Crowd gathered there was in for a wild ride.

NOFX headlining on Punk in Drublic Stage and bringing whole bunch of punk rock bands that they’re on tour with) were the living proof that punk's not dead and it's not going anywhere. Talking about snots, cum, walking on the thin line and reigniting the punk rock spirit with each song they were hosting a celebration, party mood was lit up. Punk and ska and a setting sun.

Big surprise, very good surprise was All Time Low's show to me (Monster Energy Stage). There were these jokes, on the borderline of pervert (oh, I've heard so many stories them boys were so inappropriate, but to be fair they never said they were playing songs for children), but the vibe - oh it was magnificent. It was great pop punk, pop rock show and people were literally invited, so it became a dance off onstage. The band was grateful for their fans, entertaining, connecting with their fans and gave fantastic show. Also, brand new song had its debut at Slam Dunk's stage – 'Getaway Green'. What a night.

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reddielibrary · 6 years

Text

the writing on your skin

prompt: The au where whatever you write on yourself shows up on your soulmates body where you wrote it with Eddie and Richie. It would be super cute ❤️

written by: Amy | @reddies-spaghetti

word count: 2498

*click title to read on AO3

With a soft smile on his lips, Eddie glanced down at his wrist as he felt the familiar tickling motion against his skin. Just as he suspected, he watched as a doodle of a flower appeared on the skin, followed by a sentence beneath, written in perfect cursive writing.

Have a flower to brighten up your day - R

He tugged down his sleeve as he heard his mother enter the kitchen, her loud footsteps bringing him out of his daze. She leaned down and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek, her breath making his nose wrinkle up in disgust. “Shouldn’t you be heading to work Eddie-bear?”

With a whip of his head, Eddie looked at the clock, biting back a curse as he scrambled to his feet, pulling his shoes on at the same time. Even though he knew that Mike wouldn’t be phased if he was a few minutes late to his shift, Eddie fed on the moments that he wasn’t trapped in the house with his overbearing mother. “I’ll see you later ma!!” He called out as he pulled his jacket on, stumbling out of the door.

Once he was far enough away from his home, and his mother’s gaze, Eddie lifted his sleeve up again to see the small additions to the flower on his wrist. It was no longer just a outline, the petals were filled with colour and the stem was now secured in a beige coloured plant pot. He pulled his marker out of his pocket and rolled his sleeve up further, finally being able to write out his response.

It’s so pretty, thank you. <3 - E

It was a universal thing. The writing. Eddie wasn’t sure how it worked, and he wasn’t planning on finding out. All he knew was that the person he was talking to was his soulmate. When you are born, you have the ability to communicate with your soulmate, via writing on your skin, whatever you write on your own skin appears on your soulmates.

Of course, there are rules, as the universe in no way, made it easy for the pairing to meet up, or even discover each other’s names. The rules were as follows:

1. Names didn’t appear on the skin. If you tried, the words would either blur, or vanish before it was even complete. Eddie had tried this so many times and the furthest he got was his first name initial.

2. Direct locations wouldn’t show up either. Eddie tried once to write his hometown on his arm for R to see, but unfortunately, that wouldn’t work either.

3. No phone numbers.

The only way Eddie could communicate with his soulmate was through their skin. So far, he had a few details about his soulmate. First, his name began with an R and he was male. Second, he was a fantastic artist and third, he lived somewhere in America. The fact that he could be anywhere in any of the 50 States, made Eddie’s heart sink, as he knew deep down that he would probably never leave Maine and in the process, never meet his soulmate.

Eddie’s thoughts were broken when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out and rolled his eyes at the text message on his phone, from his mother, reminding him to collect his placebo medication from the pharmacy on his way home. With a sigh he put his phone away and uncapped the marker with his teeth once more, scribbling the words, ‘medication from pharmacy’ on the arm that R wasn’t currently doodling on, right next to the note that read ‘work - coffee shop’.

Almost immediately, words appeared under his note, making another smile appear on his lips.

Why do you still get them, if you don’t need them? - R

Eddie thought about the question a lot himself. He knew he didn’t need the pills his mother made him take. He knew that they were nothing but sugar and water, harmless really, under the guise of ‘allergens’. Allergens for allergies that Eddie didn’t even have.

It makes my mother happy, I guess. - E

Even as he scribbled the words, he felt a sick feeling settle in his stomach and he tugged his sleeve back down so he wouldn’t see what R had written back, regardless of the tingling feeling on his skin. As he approached the coffee shop where he worked, Eddie spotted Mike standing outside, a relieved smile on his face.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Eddie muttered when he was close enough for Mike to hear him. “I wasn’t paying attention to the time.”

“You’re lucky you’re my friend Kaspbrak and that my parents own this place. Don’t worry though, Stan’s late too.” Mike winked and followed him into the shop. Eddie grabbed his apron and tied it around his waist before jumping behind the till to take the next order. A few minutes later, the main door opened again and Stan rushed in, hair windswept from his running.

“Sorry Mike,” he muttered, pulling his own apron on. He leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Mike’s lips and it caused a lump to form in Eddie’s throat. For as long as Eddie had known the two of them, they had been joined at the hip. There was no Mike without Stan.

Eddie was happy for his friends, of course he was, there was just a small voice in the back of his head that sounded like his mother, screaming that he was never going to find his soulmate in person. His thoughts were broken by Stan sliding up next to him, taking his place at the coffee machine. “You’re never late,” Eddie commented, his lips turning up into a smile.

“I had an unexpected visitor,” Stan explained, making a start on the orders that were coming through. It was rush hour on a Saturday afternoon, the busiest time of the week. “A friend who moved away the same summer you moved here.”

Oh yes, the other thing about Eddie? He grew up in New York City. Then, the summer before he was to start High School, Sonia up and moved them to Derry. She told Eddie it was because she couldn’t live in the same house his father had lived in, and they needed a fresh start, even though his father had passed away six years before. Eddie knew better than to argue with his mother though, and therefore four weeks later he was beginning Freshman year as a new student who had no idea who anyone was.

He had met Mike and Stan that very first day, and now, almost five years later and on the brink of graduation, they were still his best friends. Even if he felt like the third wheel sometimes. He raised his eyebrow at Stan, “Oh? Who’s that?”

“His name is Richie, we were best friends in middle school but his dad got this really important dentist job in California the summer before High School so they had to move out there.” Stan explained. “I never thought I’d miss the fucker until he wasn’t there to piss me off. We keep in contact but he appeared out of nowhere this morning telling me he was here for graduation. Apparently, he graduated last week and he wanted to come see me before he heads down to New York. He’s going to Art School there.”

“Is he here?” Eddie asked, wanting to meet this mysterious Richie. He tried to ignore how his name began with the same letter as his soulmate, because there are plenty of people Eddie had met that had a name beginning with R. Even if the mention of him attending art school made his heart flutter.

“Not right now,” Stan answered. “I left him to unpack, but he did say he’d come by later when it was less busy.”

That marked the end of the conversation, for the rest of the rush hour both Eddie and Stan worked through the orders until there was only a few people dribbling in. That was when the door opened again and a loud, abrasive voice echoed through the whole shop.

“Michael Hanlon where are you my man!” The voice called and Eddie peaked out from behind the coffee machine, watching as Mike approached the customer and pulled him into a tight hug. “Treating my Stanley well I hope?”

“Of course. My Richie you haven’t changed at all!” Mike laughed and Eddie realised that this was Stan’s mysterious Middle School friend. He kept his eyes trained on the two of them and as Mike stepped aside fully revealing the stranger to him, his breath caught in his throat because this boy was gorgeous.

“Hey, in my defence I got taller!” Richie argued, wrapping a lanky arm around Mike’s shoulders. Eddie felt like he was some teenage girl swooning over her celebrity crush, but he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Richie not even for a second. Just then, Richie looked up and their eyes locked, jolting Eddie out of his trance and he hid behind the coffee machine.

“Stan’s on a break at the moment, but let me introduce you to someone,” Eddie heard Mike say and willed his cheeks not to turn a bright red as Mike brought Richie behind the counter so they were a few feet apart. “Richie, this is Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie this is Richie Tozier.”

Eddie watched as Richie’s eyes flashed with something he couldn’t place before he smiled, wide and almost charming, and held out a hand for Eddie to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Clearing his throat, Eddie place his palm into Richie’s, his eyes widening at the electricity that flowed up his arm at the contact, and he smiled back. “Pleasure is all mine.” His words came out more like a squeak and he let go of their hands.

Richie’s jaw opened and closed as though he was preparing to say something. Before he could, a voice came from the till, loud and annoyed. “Um, excuse me, can someone take my order at some point today please?” Eddie winced as he knew exactly who this was. This was Greta Keene.

Stepping forward to the till, Eddie put on his best ‘fake smile’ and turned his attention to Greta, “Yes, sorry, what can I get for you.”

By the time he was done serving her, Stan had come back from his break and they were engaged in a conversation Eddie didn’t want to interrupt. He felt Mike slide up next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You could shoot off if you wanted to? We’re pretty dead here now.”

Eddie glanced around the shop and he nodded, “Yeah, that would be great Mike, thank you.” Getting off now meant he still had plenty of time to pick up his placebos at the pharmacy. He untied his apron and hung it up, grabbing his jacket from the cloak room and making his way back out front. “I’m off,” he said to Stan, breaking off his conversation with Richie.

“Leaving?” Richie asked, his eyes almost reflecting disappointment, his lips turned up into a pout. “Why don’t you have a coffee with me?”

“I can’t,” Eddie swallowed, “I have to go to pick up my medication from the pharmacy before it closes. If I forget, my mother will have a fit.”

“Honestly Eddie, why do you still take those things?” Stan asked, staring at Eddie seriously. “And before you say anything, in a few weeks it won’t matter anyway because you’ll be out of there and going to New York, so why don’t you just...start now?”

“Because I’m already treading on eggshells, Stan. If I tell her that I know they’re fake now, then she might not let me go to New York after graduation. You know what she’s like.” He sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Eddie didn’t hang around to hear what Stan was going to say to his words, instead he just walked to the door and out into the summer air. He was about forty steps away from the coffee shop when a voice called out to him, bringing his steps to a halt.

“Eddie!”

He turned around just as Richie came to a stop in front of him. He was breathing heavily, his fingers running through his hair. Eddie frowned, tilting his head to the side. “Did I forget something?”

“No, no. I just- I have to ask you something,” Richie breathed, swallowing and reaching a hand forward for Edde’s own. Once again, at the contact, a bolt of electricity shot up his arm. “Do you feel that?”

Unable to help himself, Eddie nodded his head, glancing back up so their eyes could lock together. “Yeah, I feel that...but what does it mean?”

Richie took a step closer, his expression morphing into a warm smile, his eyes softening as he reached the hand not holding Eddie’s, up to cup his cheek. “I think you know what it means.”

Eddie let out a shaky breath, his body almost trembling under Richie’s gaze. Deep down, he knew the answer, but right then he needed some sort of proof or confirmation. With his free hand, he reached down to pull his marker from his pocket, uncapping it and scribbling a small heart on the hand that was still being held by Richie’s. As the ink settled in place, he turned his attention to Richie’s hand, watching in awe and shock as the same little heart appeared on his skin.

“Oh,” Eddie breathed, his heartbeat speeding up, battering against his ribcage and he looked up, meeting Richie’s eyes again. “Hi.”

“Hi, Eddie. It suits you,” Richie pressed their foreheads together, their eyes intimately locked. “Can I take you out, Eddie?”

“Like, on a date?” Eddie stupidly responded, as though there was another word to call it.

“Yes, yes on a date. I want to know everything about you.” Richie grinned, nodding his head.

“Yes, okay. Yes.” A smile was now permanently in place on Eddie’s lips. “How did you know it was me?”

“Other than the bolt of electricity when we shook hands?” Richie asked. “The medication, and the coffee shop. I put the puzzle pieces together quite quickly after that.”

“Stan mentioned you were going to Art School but, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” A blush rose up on Eddie’s cheeks as Richie stepped back and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. They started walking down the street, heading towards the pharmacy.

“Let’s go get your shitty meds, Eds,” Richie winked at the nickname. “And I’ll take you out to dinner.”

“Don’t call me Eds,” Eddie quipped, settling into Richie’s side like a puzzle piece, like he was always meant to fit there. Which he was, because Richie was his soulmate. He’d finally met his soulmate.

“Ah, you’ll learn to love it.”

And he did.

#reddie #reddielibrary #writing team #prompt fill

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elsewhereuniversity · 6 years

Text

Smoke's Students (Part 1/3)

This story picks up where [ this ] fic left off.

~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~

Bounty spent her first week at Elsewhere, her first Free week, after They came for her, in a mild stupor. Smoke and the small collective of people under her protection kept her fed, got her clothing, and made sure she had plenty to do.

In her second week they’d somehow managed to get her a student ID card - some wondrous little Token that gave her unfettered access to most of the student facilities. How they’d managed the forgery she never asked - a boy with a shy smile she’d never seen but nonetheless wore one of Smoke’s charms as a necklace had given it to her and scurried away before she could ask his name or refuse.

She learned later his name was Bugs, and he only left his dorm for class due to personal needs. Smoke had found out about him the previous year and arranged friends to bring him food and take his trash for him. Apparently he was “not bad with computer tricks.”

So as she settled into life in Elsewhere she began to wonder what she would do. This was a place between places, even for the human students. Staying was never an option but it had truly felt like one in those first days. But she knew that there were Rules which were not written, but felt. So she wondered at how long she could stay.

In her third week, she met Haven. The girl with skin almost as dark as her curly black hair had found her on a particularly frustrating day and brought her to “Haven’s Haven” a tongue in cheek nickname for the radiant and peaceful girl’s dorm room. She’d taught Bounty about human meditation and the many ways it was practiced. Given her sweet smelling lotions (“For your skin, dear. The lavendar will sooth if nothing else. I don’t know if that perfect skin of yours needs help, but your nerves definitely do”). Showed her how to take her thoughts and turn the swirling chaos into a calm whorl.

Bounty also met Twice, a boy (later, he explained to her that he was trans which for all she could tell meant he was a boy but some people refused to accept that because of “biology” which she considered a bit dense; they happily called her a girl and she had felt that perfectly fine but she was anything but “biologically” any gender/sex/or human). He was lighthearted and full of smiles and wore everything is vibrant, surprising colors. Bounty felt most at ease with Twice, moreso than even the ever soothing Haven.

In her fourth week, a youthful person, all joy and serenity incarnate, approached her and placed a crown of flowers on her head. She’d been, at first, fearful that the one before her was Fey but quickly realized he was more simply one of those people at Elsewhere that just fit in a strange way. But all day as she wore the crown, almost afraid to touch it, people smiled at her almost knowingly. She learned that everyone loved the flower boy, and even They considered him Unharmed. That night, she brought the circlet to Smoke’s room who placed it on a shelf and said it would stay until Bounty came back for it.

She also began to encounter other students who, now recognizing her face, would come up and ask for advice or help. Often she didn’t have easy answers for human problems but directed them to those she knew who did, people they called Smoke’s Students. In questions of magic and Other Things, she gave cautious advice, and found herself sought often for it once word spread she knew what she was about.

And the days passed, unchanging. And it felt almost as if maybe fate was ignoring her.

And then.

“Bounty?”

“Hmm?” She turned to the voice. It was Twice and he wore a weather inappropriate sundress, seemingly unaware of the temperature being just above freezing. But it was the concerned frown he wore which stood out more, as a relaxed smile was the usual for the gentle face.

“Twice, what’s wrong?”

His hands gently clutched at the folds of the skirt, which she’d learned was a nervous habit for him. “It’s your eyes. Aren’t they usually brown?”

Bounty glanced around and leaned conspiratorially close, suddenly worried. “What color are they?”

Twice stared into her face intently, as if not trusting his own eyes. “Bright emerald. Not green. Like, they shine - they shine like jewels.”

“… Oh.”

A few breaths.

Realization.

Fear.

Panic.

She reached into herself and sought a sense of calm. She let her breath slow and fought for control. She needed to do one thing and do so without worrying others.

Or attracting Others.

Get to Smoke.

Twice walked with her, escorting her to Smoke’s dorm, punching in the door code to the old cipher lock. They ducked into the room, and Twice shot off a text message. Then another. And a third.

Smoke arrived ten minutes later, having simply stood and left her lecture hall without a word, which her professors had become begrudgingly accepting of. She’d called Rote while walking and they arrived together. Haven arrived shortly after (she politely excused herself, citing a student emotional emergency and arranged to get the notes from a friend). Jules flowed down from her floor, as usual over-dressed in gauzy fabric.

Smoke had immediately sat Bounty on her bed, placed her desk chair in front of the scared girl, and sat backwards on it, staring at Bounty like a wolf eyeing a trespasser. Haven saw this and pulled Smoke away (“Stop that, she’s already upset enough without you stirring your cauldron - no, I’m not hearing it, give her space.”) and Smoke surprisingly assented, contenting herself with sulking into one of her older books and muttering about “overly romantic Victorian texts”.

Jules, of course, immediately drifted onto the bed beside Bounty and began holding her hands and asking her if it hurt and why, was that her natural eye color? And how did this glamour work? She was always beautiful and this was just as lovely if a bit startling and then Haven pulled her away, sitting her on the other chair in the room (“What is wrong with you witches? Give the girl some space! She isn’t a research project, she’s our friend”).

At that, Smoke smacked the sesquicentennial book closed and hissed. “Of course! These dusty old English bags aren’t going to help, her friends are.” The witch turned and appraised Bounty differently. “We are.”

Haven smirked and pulled her hair back into a massive bun, twisting a scrunchie into it. Bounty had learned that Haven meant to be less subtle in her actions when she did this and that could be as comforting as it could be terrifying, depending on what side you were on. “That’s better. Put the Harry Potter away and let’s willpower this.”

Smoke glared at Haven and their usual strange blend of camaraderie and antagonism swirled in the room, but the witch decided to let her friend have this one with a sly smile. “Willpower is right. I think being our friend was enough to anchor Bounty to Elsewhere for a while, but it was still temporary. this isn’t home, and home calls.”

Bounty’s face fell. So, Smoke had known she’d have to return. She felt sad, knowing the little charm that had grown fond of her and she it would have to be left behind - such a thing could never last where she would go and it would not be a pleasant passing for the little darling. And she would have to leave behind all her friends, Smoke’s Students – and Twice. That thought hurt. And she was a little upset Smoke hadn’t told her all the witch had figured out through whatever means were available to her skills.

But Smoke was already sending a text. And another. And another. After she was done, she grinned at Bounty with a smile that shouted smug satisfaction. “Bounty, lovely, you aren’t going to leave us. Not until you’re ready. If ever. I have an insane idea. But you have to play along.” The girl with currently gemstone eyes arched an eyebrow. This was not the reaction she expected – but what could one expect of a witch as surprising as this? Smoke sat backward on the chair again, leaning towards her new friend. “What subjects would you like to enroll in?”

Parts [ 1 / 2 / 3 ]

#katjohnadams #stories #smoke's students #smoke #bounty #submission #long post

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thatishogwash · 6 years

Note

Inuoka x Hinata with “How about you make me?” Yeah, this won’t be my last one, ha ha ha.

Sorry it took me so long to get to this! Hope you like it :)

AO3

Inuoka was doing a headcount as he stood by the door, trying to count up his team even as they moved all over the place. He remembered training camp being much more fun before he had been Nekoma’s captain, but he wouldn’t give up the position for everything. Even the mere thought of his team electing him captain made him feel like he was so full he was going to burst. Haiba had complained the longest about not being captain and Inuoka had agreed to a volleyball related competition where he basically slaughtered Haiba in all categories. Haiba might have taken Inuoka’s position during their first year but that didn’t stop Inuoka from working even harder to gain his position back.

“Sou, you’re phone.” Teshiro, their third year setter and also vice captain, said as he let out a loud yawn before holding up Inuoka’s phone. “It was under my pillow.” Before Inuoka could tell Teshiro that he was actually sleeping on Inuoka’s bedroll, the other teen had rolled over and promptly fallen asleep.

Inuoka grinned to himself as he looked down at his phone, expecting a missed call from his mother. Sometimes when he was gone too many days in a row his little sister panicked and needed to hear from him before bed. It was with that thought in mind that Inuoka pulled up his messages and was partially surprised to see one from not his mother but Yachi from Karasuno.

Nekoma had managed to get a manager by Inuoka’s third year. It was one of the players twin sister, but it still counted. All the captains from the training camp plus the managers were in a group chat so they could easily set things up, but Yachi wasn’t speaking to him from the group chat settings. It was a private message that he pulled up.

Can you meet outside the dorms? Please.

Inuoka glanced at his teammates before announcing he had to go to the bathroom but by the time he came back he wanted everyone in their own beds and on the way to sleep. Anyone still awake and caught on games or phones would be participating in all the punishments tomorrow, which quickly shut up the room and Inuoka exited with satisfaction.

It had taken him a while to figure out what kind of captain he wanted to be. There was no way he could be sly and clever like Kuroo had been, giving embarrassing speeches that actually pumped up everyone and helped ease any of their anxiety or fears. He couldn’t be like Fukunaga, who worked in tandem with Kozume and Yamamoto to make a powerful triple team. But there had always been one person Inuoka had secretly admired the most out of all the captains he had met or seen.

Karasuno’s old captain, the one who had helped bring them to nationals for the first time in years. Sawamura was friendly and generally accepting to anything around him, he stayed cool and collected in most situations, unless they involved Kuroo then he seemed to fit the teenage stereotypes much more easily, but there was something undeniably scary about Sawamura when he got angry. Inuoka liked that, enjoyed the thought of being the easy captain who no one wanted to cross.

“What’s wrong Yachi?” Inuoka asked as he stepped out of the building they were all sleeping in to see Yachi pacing anxiously. She had, for the most part, stopped being terrified of all the tall the muscular volleyball players. Some of the younger and more exuberant players still made her flinch back, but the older players tended to form a sort of force field around her. No one ever attempted to approach Yachi when Tsukishima was with her.

“It’s Shouyou.” Yachi wrung her fingers before tucking a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. She glanced behind Inuoka, over to the gyms. Inuoka looked over to see a light still on in one of them.

“He’s still practicing?” Inuoka asked, only partially surprised. Karasuno was still an unpredictable monster, and without Kozume Nekoma was having a more difficult time picking them apart but Karasuno had suffered losses of its own. “Why didn’t you tell Kageyama?” Yachi pulled a face and Inuoka stifled a laugh.

Hinata Shouyou was mostly like water, he tended to flow and weave through most situations without flinching. But even water could be dangerous if it was in the form of a midsummer storm in the middle of the ocean. Mostly Hinata was unaffected, but when he was wound up Kageyama was one of the few people that could make him complete explode. No one needed a couple third years fighting, it would be bad for moral all around.

“I tried Tadashi but he’s already asleep.” Yachi said apologetically, looking up at him with a silent question. Inuoka took in a deep breath and willed himself not to blush because his crush on Hinata was a well known thing amongst the third years in every school.

Inuoka hadn’t even been aware of his own feelings until Yamamoto made a wild guess last year and Kozume told him to shut up. Hinata made friends easily and he did it with everyone. When Inuoka had been replaced by Haiba he had done his best to remain positive and help out in every way he could, he knew it was nothing personal and he wanted Nekoma to have the best chance at nationals also. It hurt that their best chance didn’t involve him, but he tried not to allow anyone else to see that. Hinata had asked for his number after their first practice match, and he had been one of the first people to text Inuoka that he was disappointed that he didn’t get to face off against Inuoka. Hinata’s words had smoothed something left jagged in Inuoka, and they continued to message each other regularly.

During their second year Inuoka slowly began to realize that his feelings weren’t exactly completely friendly, or maybe they were too friendly. It was fine though, Inuoka was excited to have his first official crush but he didn’t want to do anything about it. Volleyball occupied most of Inuoka’s thoughts and time, with trying to keep up with schoolwork so he could stay on the volleyball team taking second place. He was satisfied with having a crush but he was also happy just being friends with Hinata, it’s all he wanted out of their relationship.

After Inuoka assured Yachi that he would make sure Hinata got in bed soon, he thought about those unrequited feelings that seemed to have bubbled up inside him even stronger. He.was worried what they would do after high school ended. Hinata had ambitious dreams and as much as Inuoka would love to play for Japan one day, he wasn’t quite sure he fit in with the monsters like Ushijima and Oikawa, even Hinata and Kageyama.

Would Inuoka regret it if he never confessed? If he even did confess than what would be the ideal outcome? Would he want to date Hinata? Go out to the movies or arcade together, Inuoka could show him around Tokyo and Hinata could show him around the country. They couldn’t hold hands out in public, Inuoka might combust at that, but he thought about sitting on the couch with Hinata, close enough that when Hinata drifted off he could lean against Inuoka.

Stepped into the third gym Inuoka took a deep breath as a ball slammed on the ground before bouncing off in a different direction. Over the course of three years, Hinata had continued to grow by leaps and bounds, leaving those who didn’t give it their all in the dust. His jump serves were powerful, though not as scary accurate as Kageyama’s. At least not yet, Inuoka had no doubt that given another year or two Hinata would give Kageyama a run for his money.

Inuoka knew Hinata was working through his issues the only way he knew how but it was late and Hinata was the vice captain of Karasuno, he couldn’t be seen breaking the rules on the first day of training camp. It would set a poor president for the junior members. Karasuno had come up with more losses than any of the other teams and Inuoka knew that loss set heavily on Hinata’s shoulders. His receives were far better than they had been when he was a first year, but he was nowhere near Sawamura or their old liberos, Nishinoya, skill set. It wouldn’t be an issue but their new libero was a first year who seemed to have a lackluster attitude when it came to volleyball.

That left a lot of pressure for the third years at Karasuno to pick up the slack, to guard the holes in their defense. But it meant Hinata couldn’t be used to his best ability, which was offense. They were still doing the same thing where they were evolving rapidly, at a scary pace that left most in shock but for right now they were kind of a mess and Hinata had to spend most of extra practices teaching his juniors about proper form and practicing receives instead of polishing his own skill set.

“Hey Shou,” Inuoka called out, swallowing down his natural instinct to step back when Hinata turned those too intense eyes on him. “It’s late, we should clean up and get to bed.” If his voice came out a little lower and raspier than usual, he blamed it on the long day and late hour.

“No.” Hinata said flatly before turning back to do a run up for another jump serve, which landed out and made his shoulders stiffen even further.

Hinata was just as friendly and open as he was in first year, he used noises to explain emotions more often than not, he still struggled with school even though when he actually applied himself he tended to do well, and he bounced around each team like he fit in perfectly. But there was always that insanely intense look he got about him that made most people take a step back naturally. Inuoka had even seen it throw Tsukishima off a couple times, and nothing bothered that guy.

“It’s time to stop.” Inuoka said, putting more force into his voice. He wasn’t use to ordering Hinata around, he never had to before because Hinata was happy to go along with whatever anyone else wanted.

“How about you make me?” Hinata picked up another ball before staring down at Inuoka from across the gym, eyes intense and a challenge in the tilt of his head. Inuoka suddenly felt warm all over, there was something blooming inside of him that felt akin to how he always felt facing Hinata down across the net, like here was his true rival and beating no one would feel like how it would feel to win against Hinata.

But this was different and much more intense than even that. Inuoka found himself striding across the gym to do what, he wasn’t sure. His hands came up without a thought as to why and he found himself cupping Hinata’s face between his hands. He momentarily wondered if the calluses on his hands felt bad against the softness of Hinata’s face before that thought slipped away. Hinata had grown a couple centimeters in the few years they had been in high school, but so had Inuoka. It left him towering over Hinata but he had never felt so much bigger than the other teen until that moment.

The ball Hinata was holding bumped into Inuoka’s abdomen, distracting him long enough for his mind to catch up to what his body had been doing, or had been about to do. He quickly let his hands drop and took a step back.

“I’ll help you clean up.” Inuoka said quickly, turning around as his face began to burn. He couldn’t believe he had about to- he touched Hinata’s face! Without his permission! How about you make me isn’t an invitation to-to-kiss someone! Inuoka was going to have to change his name and move somewhere very far away. Maybe Haiba had some relatives in Russia who would accept a poor, dishonored Japanese boy into their home. He was a good cook and didn’t mind doing chores-

Something bounced off the back of Inuoka’s butt and he stumbled forward before turning to give an accusatory look at HInata, even though he had mentally promised himself that he would never face Hinata again because he had just tried to kiss him! Inuoka could only make a noise of confusion and disgruntlement, but Hinata had always been able to understand him and now was no different.

“Did you nearly kiss me?” Hinata asked, his hand already picking up another volleyball as if getting his future ammunition ready. Inuoka’s butt smarted, but he was kind of glad Hinata hadn’t thrown it at his back. Inuoka had landed pretty hard on his back during one of the practice matches against Fukurodani. Inuoka knew Hinata’s aim well enough that he knew how deadly his accuracy was, even just by throwing a volleyball. Hinata had purposefully aimed for Inuoka’s butt.

“I’m sorry.” Inuoka apologized miserably because what kind of monster tries to kiss someone when they are visibly upset?

“Oh.” Hinata looked down at the volleyball in his hand and if he wanted to throw it directly in Inuoka’s face, then Inuoka wouldn’t move and would accept his fate. At least Hinata had lost that frightening intensity, his shoulders were relaxed once more. “You don’t have to help me clean up, it’s my mess.”

Inuoka felt like he had been punched in the gut because Hinata didn’t want him around and the worse part was, Inuoka knew why he didn’t. Inuoka hadn’t even had his first kiss yet and if someone had forced themselves on him, he wouldn’t want to spend extended amounts of time with them either. It twisted something awful inside Inuoka but he wanted to at least try and make it better.

“It’ll be quicker if there’s two.” Inuoka stated softly and when all Hinata did in answer was shrug and began picking up stray balls, Inuoka took that as permission and helped clean up.

It went quickly and was completed in silence that weighed down Inuoka. He wanted to apologize again but he didn’t know if bringing it up would make things even worse. Hinata was hardly ever silent, even when he wasn’t directly talking to someone he was usually singing out his actions.

They walked out together and Inuoka let Hinata go through the door first, staying a step behind the other teen as they made the short trip back to the building where they were sleeping. All Inuoka wanted to do was curl up in his bed and sleep, perhaps until training camp was over.

“Hey Sou?” Inuoka turned hesitantly towards Hinata as they stopped outside the Karasuno room. He could heard soft snores and even quieter talking coming from within. “You could if you wanted to.”

“What?” Inuoka asked in confusion.

“Kiss me, if you wanted to.” Hinata shrugged, his cheeks turning pink in the dim lighting of the hallways. Inuoka’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared over at Hinata, felt his hands go clammy. Hinata met Inuoka’s eyes before a slow smile covered his face, and Inuoka could have sworn it got a little brighter in the dark hall. “If you ever get impulse to do that, or ask me out on a date or hug, if you wanted to. When you’re ready.” Hinata grinned before going into the Karasuno room and closing the door behind him quietly.

“Where have you been dumbass?” Kageyama’s angry voice asked immediately, but it was clearly softer than how it had been when he had been a first year.

“Tobio people are sleeping.” Tadashi’s voice said at a much softer decimal.

“Sorry ‘dashi.” Kageyama apologized at the same volume.

Inuoka walked away, towards Nekoma’s room as his heart beat wildly in his chest. It’s as if Hinata had seen all of Inuoka’s insecurities and worries, understood them, and then blown them away. Inuoka didn’t have the courage to kiss Hinata, not just yet, but knowing it was welcome settled something inside Inuoka and made him fall asleep with a smile on his face.

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aurelliocheek · 3 years

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Mobile App Marketing Trends in Germany

Rapid digitization has benefited many kinds of mobile-first businesses, and the story is no different in Germany. In shopping alone, M-commerce sales are expected to increase a remarkable 9.1% to $42.51 billion by the end of 2021, according to eMarketer.

But marketing an app in Germany has challenges not faced elsewhere. The country’s privacy regulations are among some of the strictest in the world, and Germans are particularly protective of their data. Germany also has a reputation for being slow to digitize, but with the introduction of 5G this year, we can expect this to change.

How to navigate and dominate the German app market is a challenge faced by many app marketers. In this article, we’ve outlined some essential tips to promoting your app in the country

Privacy is sacred to the German consumer

Germany was one of the first countries to introduce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act in 2018, which brought out a host of new legal requirements when handling consumer data. Since then, German consumers have proven willing to report brands that are in breach of these rules. In 2019, leading German property firm Deutsche Wohnen was fined €14.5m for storing data unnecessarily.

Carolin Rohte, Head of Performance Marketing at YAZIO observes: “For Germans, their privacy is sacred – and it’s the same in the digital world. Data privacy may be a topic that affects everyone worldwide, but the German market presents us with very special challenges. Sensitivity, proactive communication and a certain amount of persistence are required”.

Since the introduction of the GDPR, we’ve seen even more change around privacy and data security. The biggest talking point in the digital advertising industry this year was about Apple’s iOS 14.5 update and the depreciation of the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers).

According to Marian Bucher, Senior App Growth Manager at OTTO, “The importance of data protection has increased enormously in recent years. This applies not only to Germany, but also everywhere in the EU and increasingly to other parts of the world. Most recently, this was highlighted by Apple’s iOS 14 update. As a result, a rethink is taking place in the entire (app) marketing industry. For me personally, this is a very positive development – at least if these new rules of the game really apply to everyone and are followed accordingly. For advertisers, it means that the relationship between advertisements and user behavior is more difficult to measure. But also retargeting users is becoming more and more difficult. As a result, OTTO is heavily focusing on leveraging 1st party data”.

So how can German app marketers successfully maneuver this privacy-centric world?

Sergio Palau, former Online Marketing Manager at FlixBus explains: “Aspects such as how and when to ask for their consent need to be tested. Ideally grab some ideas from other companies that are successful in the market, but don’t take anything for granted. There is definitely a risk of being overly cautious and making it “too easy” for users to decline consent, but at the same time I believe it’s not worth risking the backlash of purposely making it hard for users to manage their data. Most Germans actively opt for less tracking and push back against companies or apps that make it difficult for them to understand what and how much data is being tracked. You need to strike the right balance between maximizing the amount of data you can collect and not infuriating your users.”

Ali Khitab, Senior Programmatic Operations Manager at upday adds: “Due to adhering to data compliance laws more closely, players in the DACH market tend to implement data related work flows more meticulously, resulting in limits to scaling marketing or monetization solutions compared to the broader market. Marketers who are looking beyond cookies and third party targeting by building up first party audiences and channels with publishers will be the winners.”

5G and the rise of mobile video advertising

Germany’s aims to become a global leader in digitalization were accelerated last year when the country introduced 5G technology. Today, 40 million people throughout Germany have access to 5G, and it’s expected that by 2025 it will be available nationwide. 5G is also causing a rise in mobile video advertising spend as more marketers feel confident their messages will be seen. Although the previous 4G network allows advertising messages to be played back to a fairly good extent, advertisers can never be entirely sure whether the users will see the message from start to finish.

Peter Okunev, Digital Marketing Lead at Vinted comments: “Germany’s mobile 4G network was one of the slowest and least reliable in Europe. Last year, 5G was rolled out across the country and now over half the population are benefitting from faster speeds and better connectivity. As a result, we are seeing an increased demand for online video. It is expected that by 2025, videos will account for 76% of all mobile data, a significant increase from the current 60%. We can expect to see a growth in online video advertising spend as brands take advantage of this opportunity.”

Retailers must focus on shopping apps

Smartphones have been popular online shopping devices for many years. But the pandemic has pushed Germans to start using their mobile phones as the primary tool for e-commerce transactions. Research from Statista found that, during the Christmas season 2020, nearly two-thirds (64%) of purchases in Germany were made via either a mobile or tablet device – slightly above the European average of 61%.

Mobile apps are also becoming the preferred way of interacting with retailers among the majority of consumers. Retail marketers have an opportunity to grab market share by focusing on their mobile app offering.

Marian Bucher adds: “From my point of view, the German “shopping app economy” harbors a few surprises. A comparison between the top 10 online shops with the highest turnover in Germany and the top 10 shopping apps (according to the app store ranking) has shown a comparatively small overcut for years. It is evident that many retailers have not yet recognized the signs of the times. This gap is being closed more and more by dynamic players who concentrate almost exclusively on apps. At OTTO we have identified this market trend quite early and thus are investing heavily in our app development as well as in our app promotion activities. For those that lag behind when it comes to shopping apps, it won’t be any easier in the future.”

Bastian Winterkemper, Regional Lead, DACH at Liftoff adds: “Time spent in e-commerce apps grew 49% year-over-year. Traditional Ecom players though have to play catch-up with digital first disruptors. In Germany specifically users spend almost 2x in digital-fist apps, about 43 minutes per month.” [note: data is calculated based on avg. no. of sessions * session duration as per slide 22 of shopping report]

Green marketing and the eco-conscious consumer

Consumers are more mindful of the environmental impact of shopping. Increasingly, they are looking into ways in which they can reduce their everyday effects on the environment. In a 2020 survey conducted by Statista, 8.16 million Germans fully agreed that they would be willing to spend more money on an environmentally friendly product. Environmental issues are gaining more media exposure than ever, making green marketing a bedrock of many brands’ modern marketing strategies.

Alexey Gusev, Lead Performance Marketing at Goodgame Studios comments: “Germany is a rather eco-conscious market, so that does affect the marketing and ecommerce activities as well. More traditional forms of advertising such as print, direct mail or OOH are increasingly being replaced by more eco-conscious digital options. For example, fashion brands are ditching fashion shoots in glossy magazines for user generated content on social media”.

It’s an exciting time for mobile app marketers in Germany. Users are spending more time connected to their devices, meaning more opportunities for brands to engage with them. Those that follow these trends when marketing their apps will stay ahead of the rest.

You can read the original article in mobilbranche.

The post Mobile App Marketing Trends in Germany appeared first on Liftoff.

Mobile App Marketing Trends in Germany published first on https://leolarsonblog.tumblr.com/

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