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illunicae · 6 months ago

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You Can See the Stars

I've wanted to do a part two to When the Lights Go out since I first published it and I finally got around to it. Obviously this will have so much angst, but there is a little fluff mixed in there at the end. Also I might do more stories sent in this timeline so I'm calling the collection There's Always More to Lose. (Also found on Ao3)

Pairing: Rise Donatello x Female Reader

TWs: Semi-graphic description of wounds, Character death, The Kraang apocalypse, Mentions of past character deaths, Blood and injury, Death

The days passing were a hellish blur. You never left your room: there was nothing for you out there. You hardly ate: the soup Mikey had brought you earlier sat abandoned on your bedside table. Your skin was dull: you were withering away. Your eyes never shown with that once familiar youthful spark: what light is left in your life? Tear tracks were a permanent feature on your cheeks, even after your tears stopped falling.

The photo clutched in your hands made your heart twist in a devastating way, yet you couldn’t look away. You were frozen. The picture wasn’t that old, only taken a year ago by a stealthy Michelangelo determined to document the fleeting moments of peace in this world.

A young Lenore sat on her father’s shoulders, the brightest grin on her face as she waved to her mother. Her mother was sporting her own carefree grin as she looked up at her daughter. One of Donnie’s hands was wrapped around Lenore’s ankle to keep her balanced while atop his shoulders; the other was extended toward his wife, where she grasped it in her own hand. The glow of pure admiration in his eyes as he looked at his wife went unnoticed by her in the moment.

The scene was pulled slowly from your hands and you're brought back to your desolate bedroom. Only this time you're not alone. Your eyes rose to meet Leo’s worried gaze. In his large hand he held the photo like a delicate flower petal, his gaze only flickered to it momentarily and his heart broke more.

Leo and Mikey were extremely worried for you, hell the whole resistance was worried for their commander. The blue branded leader understood your grief, but only to a limited extent. When they lost Donnie, he was there with you while you grieved for a husband and he for a brother. But now you lost a daughter, a child. He knew he could never truly grasp a mother’s grief. Leo wanted to fix things. He wanted to take away your pain, your grief.

He wanted to carry it for you, but that was an impossibility. All he could do was make sure you didn’t fall apart.

The bed dipped as he sat next to you. You hardly moved. Leo thumbed the delicate photo before he sighed.

“You need to eat.” When he didn’t get any indication of a response he continued. “I know it’s hard. I’m not going to sit here and say I understand, because I don’t. I could never understand the type of grief that hurts you. But I do know that neither of them would want you to waste away like this. Hidden from the people who are here to help. So please, (Y/n). Eat something, just a single spoonful.” Leo’s voice trailed off, a slight desperate edge to it as he gestured to the warm bowl of soup Mikey brought in, though you never noticed.

You shakily exhaled. Your stomach twisted into an ugly knot both repulsed by the idea of food and craving it. How long had it been since you ate?

Eyes unseeing, you looked at the bowl.

“Just one bite, for her.” Leo spoke, softly urging you to take it.

Shaking hands reached for the bowl. Leo felt relief wash over him as you brought it back to your lap and lifted the spoon with a shuddering hand. Your lips touched the edge of the spoon and the small amount of soup disappeared. Once again you exhaled shakily.

“Thank you.” Leo whispered with relief. It was a start, so he let you return the bowl to your bedside table. He wasn’t going to let his best friend fall apart.

“Leo.” Your voice was scratchy from disuse, raw from nights of long sobbing, and soft from fear of disrupting the small bout of silence. Leo almost didn’t hear it. He wouldn’t have if he wasn’t paying such close attention to you.

“I’m here, (Y/n).” He looked at the side of your face as you were still facing the far wall, not looking at anything in particular.

Tears you thought had long since dried up began bubbling at the lip of your lids. “I failed.” You uttered, soft, raw, and scratchy.

“What?” Leo held the photo a little tighter.

“I failed!” A gasp burst from your lungs as a few tears rolled down your cheek. You turned to look Leo in the eye and he could see the pain, despair, and grief swirling around. “I promised him I’d protect her. I promised HIM!” You sobbed.

Leo understood then.

He had made a similar promise.

Your body shook with forceful sobs as you fell forward. Leo lurched to catch you. Your head hit against his plastron, but you didn’t seem to care. His arms came up to wrap around you as you cried.

“She was supposed to be safe with me. I was supposed to keep her safe.” Tears poured more freely down your cheeks as you repeated your phrases and sobbed. Leo held still, offering himself up for whatever comfort he could provide. His flesh hand rubbed circles onto your back as your tears wet his chest.

“It’s not your fault.” He whispered. “You did what you could.”

You pulled away enough to look him in the eyes but not leave the embrace. You shook your head. Leo cupped your cheek with his hand and wiped a tear with his thumb. You grabbed his wrist with one of your hands, the other rested atop the photo Leo was still holding.

“Who am I if I couldn’t protect her?”

✧*

The pair of you had stayed like that long into the night. Leo didn’t want to leave you alone, and you didn’t have the strength to insist you wanted solitude. When you finally decided to leave your room, Leo helped you when your legs refused to hold your weight.

“One step.” Leo had instructed softly. “Take it one step at a time.”

You sighed and after a moment you were able to walk on your own, but Leo still kept close to your side as you wandered out into the hall. The few resistant members you passed whispered to each other, but you didn’t hear it. You didn’t want to hear it. You had seen it all before, when you lost Donnie and everyone treated you like you were delicate glassware. You supposed you looked even more fragile now without your little light by your side.

Few of the members held a bit of hope in their eyes seeing you up and about again. They didn’t say anything, but their silence spoke plenty. You didn’t spare anyone a glance, you were determined to get to the mess hall where Leo insisted he get you some proper, warm food.

Unfortunately your path took you past the memory wall.

Seeing it out of the corner of you eye, you froze. Leo stiffened beside you. He knew they had put up new photos for everyone they lost in the battle four days prior. He could see the photo they put up for Lenore from where he stood in the hall.

You were looking into the room, your eyes unfocused.

“You don’t have to go in there. Don’t force yourself. We can just walk away.” Leo reassured with a gentle hand on your shoulder.

You took a deep breath and stepped toward the wall; you had to face the wall at one point or another, you couldn’t hide from it forever. And while Leo had said not to push yourself, something was calling you. There would never be closure, not truly, but you had to start somewhere.

You’ll start with the photos on the wall.

Leo trailed after you slightly worried, but he did not stop you.

Looming ominously, lit up with a dozen candles, the wall towered over your form. It seemed to stretch on for miles, but you knew that was impossible, deep down you still had hope to believe you hadn’t lost enough people to fill miles of walls with photos though your grief surely felt limitless.

It’s a well worn arc, your eyes drift across the wall. You looked at it countless of times. Your eyes first landed on the pair of expertly crafted sais to your right perched on a small shelf with a red ribbon and four candles. Your gaze traveled up the wall slightly to the various photos pined. Raph was smiling brightly in the first pic, his grin sharp and his eyes warm: he’s younger there, not as worn down with scars and still filled with inextinguishable hope. The next photo was of Casey: in typical Jones fashion, her grin was a little crazed as she wielded a titanium hockey stick high above her head. A second, smaller picture was pinned right under it of a tired Casey holding a small bundle in her hands. You couldn’t look at that photo for long and quickly avert your gaze to a very familiar object.

The violet battleshell was hung up on the wall, unused.

Breath catching in your lungs like every time, you could only stare at the shell. Sometimes your fingertips would brush the smooth surface, but this hour your hand was heavy at your side. You could still feel the heavy clasps on your shoulders, a phantom weight that followed you constantly. Tensing your shoulders got rid of the feeling momentarily as you moved your gaze on. You could feel the sting as you looked at the photo of Donnie, he’s half asleep with a makeshift mug in his hand, maybe there’s coffee in the mug, you don’t actually remember. Coffee was a delicacy in the resistance.

The next few photos are new.

Pain pricked your eyes. You brought yourself there, you had to look. A soft exhale passed your lips as you lifted your gaze to look at the new photos. The first photo nearly pushed the tears over the lids of your eyes. Lenore bore a bright smile while sat at the edge of a roof. The desolate landscape stretched behind her, you could almost make out what remained of central park: a sad sight really, but the way the sun was setting made it glow almost ethereally and Lenore herself was haloed with golden light. She was so happy in that photo, almost carefree.

What life would she have had? In a world not ruled by grief and terror, would she have gone to school? Make lots of friends? Sneak out of the house to go to parties?

You blinked, there was no use worrying about questions with no answers. Twisting painfully, your heart thudded against your ribs as you saw the next photo, smaller than the first and nestled next to the battle shell.

Lenore wore a lab coat, like her father. Both had goggles perched on their heads as they leaned over a piece of tech. Not just any tech, a battle shell–to fit a smaller shell, to fit Lenore. Lenore was biting her lip excitedly as she helped move tech into place. A proud smirk rested on Donnie’s lips as he watched his daughter work. Neither seemed to notice the camera. The photo was taken only a day before Donnie’s death. It’s the last photo you have of the two of them together.

A tear slipped down your cheek as you stared at that photo, you hadn’t even realized you were crying again.

They never finished the battle shell.

A strangled gasp broke the silence as you could do nothing more than stare. Leo’s warm hand came down to rest on your shoulder, a silent reassurance that he was there. You leaned into the small bit of comfort.

“How am I supposed to go on?” You asked, your voice soft and distant and broken.

Leo swallowed, “You take the future one day at a time. One hour, one second if you need to. You keep moving forward, one step at a time. And know that everyone here will help you.”

✧*

You were in the lab. It wasn’t the first time you'd been in there and you hoped it won’t be the last. You had spent a lot of time in here after the death of Donnie, but you kept moving forward, for your daughter. Now you sat alone in the dim lab.

The unfinished battle shell still laid out on the table where Donnie and Lenore where once working on it. Lenore couldn’t stand the thought of finishing it without her father, even if it meant she would have been still standing here next to you. A thin layer of dust had collected on the tools left exactly where the pair had put them down when you had come to fetch them for dinner. None of you knew in that moment that it would be the last night you spent as a whole family.

If you looked hard enough you could still see your husband and daughter sitting around the table, muttering technical terms back and forth.

Your thumb brushed over the cold metal, clearing some dust from the small engraved logo on the shoulder of the small battle shell. It’s been about a year since you lost Lenore, and a little over since you lost Donnie. Four short months was all it took for you to lose both the love of your life and your precious little light.

“For you, my little light.” You mumbled softly. You looked around at the various screens and tech piled in the lab. “For you, my love.” Squaring your shoulders, you turned and left the lab, pausing briefly at the doorway to look over the empty space.

Taking a deep breath you turned, letting the doors close and lock behind you. You'll be back. That’s what you kept telling yourself, but deep down you knew. Tomorrow is your last stand against the Kraang.

You’ll either win or lose.

You don’t believe you’ll return to that lab again, but you’ll go into battle with determination. You will give it everything. If that’s not enough, then you'll see your husband and daughter again.

Muscle memory brought you to the rooftop exit of the base. It’s not a very tall building you've holed up in, but the roof still provided a half decent view. You didn’t care much for the horizon though, your eyes were always on the sky. Looking for the stars you so loved.

But the world was too broken. The stars were hidden away. Though some nights when you couldn’t sleep or the eve of battle, you liked to pretend that you could still see them when you sat up there on the roof of the base. Usually you sat alone, wishing for something different: for a world not torn apart by a war, a world where your daughter could just be a kid, a world free from this pain.

On a rare few occasions, Donnie would join you and you'd lay on your backs just staring at the red sky trying to catch a glimpse of the beauty beyond. Your hands would interlock and you would think back to that night you first showed Donnie the stars.

You were 14. You were young and the world hadn’t been destroyed yet. You both had no idea what was waiting for you in the future, but it didn’t matter because all you cared about was there and then. You didn’t even know how much you mattered to each other yet. Your hands sat only an inch apart as you laid on your backs staring at the sky. Both of you wanted to slide your hand across to bridge the gap. Both of you were too afraid to do it. How little this moment would matter in the coming future. How many times you would return to this night.

You exhaled softly, you mind peaceful as you admired the sky above you. The glittering stars illuminating the field you found yourselves in. The city noise was only a distant hum.

“You know why I like it out here?” You asked softly. Donnie hummed and turned his head to glance at you. You were still watching the sky and he could see the stars reflected in your eyes. He could see your smile as you explained. “When all the lights go out you can see the stars.”

✧*

“Commander (Y/n), you’re hurt!” CJ shouted worriedly.

The slash across your shoulder and above your heart throbbed painfully. Blood was gushing from the wound, staining your cloak a dark maroon color. You waved the boy off. “I’ll be okay.”

You weren’t sure how much of that was the truth. You and Leo shared glances, and you took notice of the blood pouring through the fingers of his prosthetic from a wound in his side.

The howl of a kraang hound broke the two of you from your small stare off. You reacted quickest and sliced the hound deep with your sword, leaving the beast as a twitching pile of gore at your feet.

“Come on. We gotta move.” Leo instructed, and you all began sprinting up the hill.

Leo stumbled, but CJ was right there to throw an arm over his shoulder and help Leo. You kept your palm on your own wound as you kept pace with the boys.

All around them death and destruction ruled. You tried to keep focus as you sprinted. Briefly your mind wondered where April ended up. Oh you hoped she’s okay. Your head spun, the blood from your shoulder seemed like a river. Stay awake. Stay awake.

You made it to the top of the hill. But you were far from done. You stumbled as did Leo and CJ in front of you. You could hear the kraang hounds behind you all. You all flinched, bracing for pain that never came, instead a familiar voice shouted.

“Bad doggies!” With relief you looked and saw familiar glowing golden chains protecting you all.

“Impecable timing little brother. Very dramatic.” Leo appraised. You could only dryly chuckle in relief as you let your head fall back against the red dirt ground.

A few feet away the boys were talking, but you couldn’t hear any of it over the sound of ringing in your head. Until Leo uttered the words you grew to fear: “That’s it. The Kraang won. The resistance failed.”

A tear slipped down your cheek. So that's it? Was it all for nothing?

You whimpered in pain as you sat up, across the way you made eye contact with Leo. The two of you seemed to speak with only your eyes. There was still a dim glimmer of hope. An impossibility really. One final shot.

When he spoke up there was resolution in his voice. “It isn’t over. We still have a ninja’s greatest weapon: hope.” Leo turned toward his younger brother. A smile on his face despite the circumstances. “That and a badass mystic warrior. Mikey we need a time gateway.” Leo requested, falling serious and somber once again.

Mikey’s eyes widened slightly at the request. “It’ll take everything I have.”

“I know, but this is our last chance. It’s our only chance.” Leo stated. You three adults all shared glances, each weighing the request in your own minds.

Mikey didn’t ponder the request for long before he nodded with determination and flew over toward an open spot to summon the gateway.

“Wait, what’s going on? Where’s he going?” Casey asked as you all watched Mikey.

“CJ you have to listen to us.” You said as you rose to kneel next to CJ and Leo. “The Kraang first came to our planet through a mystic doorway.” You explained.

Leo placed the picture of his family he was looking at earlier face-down on the ground and picked up a charred stone. “The key to open the doorway looked like this.” Leo sketched the image on the picture before picking it up and handing it to CJ.

“Why are you telling me this?” CJ asked, a worried edge cutting his voice.

“Because Mikey’s about to send you back in time to the day that the key was stolen.” Leo stated.

“Wait, he’s gonna what!?” Casey exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes were wide with thought of the impossibility.

You placed your non-bloodied hand on CJ’s shoulder, he’s young and this is a lot to put on the shoulders of someone his age, but it’s your only shot of giving another timeline a chance. “The people who stole the Key opened the doorway for the Kraang. You have to find it before that happens.” You said softly, that day all those years ago flashing memories in your mind.

“Find the Key. Stop the Kraang.” Leo’s voice was stern as he looked at the young teen.

CJ pocketed the picture with a frown, “But sensei–”

Leo cut the boy off with a hand to CJ’s shoulder. “Say it!”

“Find the key.” CJ repeated solemnly. “Stop the Kraang.” Both of you gave the boy a soft smile as you leaned back. CJ looked to be on the verge of tears as he looked between the two of you. CJ clutched the wrist of Leo’s prosthetic arm desperately. “I don’t want to lose you.” He mumbled.

With a soft sigh, Leo shook his head, “Casey, it’s not about me–”

The sentiment was cut off as a bright red light flashed down upon you like a spotlight from hell. Three large Kraang mechs loomed over you injured rebels. CJ jumped to his feet, revving his chainsaw hockey stick. You and Leo followed suit, but at a slower pace due to your wounds.

“They found us!” CJ shouted as he got ready to fight off the army. You could feel your heart shattering. You were out of options.

Another light shone down on you from a mech crawling over the mountain of debris you were just using as cover. You were surrounded. This wasn’t a fight you could win. Realizing this Leo looked toward his brother, “Mikey.”

The situation was daunting, Mikey only spared a glance at his arms cracking apart with golden light. With a shout, he willed more power to the portal.

Noticing what was happening, CJ shouted. “Master Michelangelo, no! You're gonna—” He reached his hand out as Mikey glanced over his shoulder. Mikey winked with a smile before throwing the last of his strength into the gateway. The light was blinding. Your heart ached for you friend who was there one moment and gone the next in an explosion of brilliant golden flakes. The specks of light drifted past you remaining as you all stared in varying levels of grief.

Stark against the desolate landscape, a golden mystic portal beckoned you closer. It flashed and pulsed with Mikey’s magic. You took a deep breath. This was it.

“When you’re done saving the world, do us a favor.” Leo set a heavy hand on CJ’s shoulder. “Grab a slice!” He shouted and threw the teen toward the portal. CJ stared wide eyed as he watched the two of you get farther from him. You and Leo offered one last reassuring smile before turning your backs to the portal.

“For them.” Leo stated with a tight grip on his sword.

“For all of them.” You repeated and you two dashed in opposite directions to protect the portal so no Kraang followed CJ to the past. Your wound screamed at you, blood pouring free of obstruction. But you didn’t back down. This world may be done for, but thanks to CJ another timeline may have a shot.

You choked on air as something slammed into your back. Leo had looked over with wide eyes full of horror and grief. Glancing down revealed the sharp claws of a kraang mech jutting from your stomach. You tried to take a breath but couldn’t. You couldn’t feel the scream that ripped from your throat as the kraang threw you across the battle field, blood spilling in an arc following your trajectory.

When you finally stopped rolling, you looked up just in time to see the portal blink closed. You did it.

Your eyes locked with Leo’s before a blinding red light descended on both of you. You expected pain, but there was nothing. When you opened your eyes you felt nothing. Your body didn’t feel heavy.

You could rest now.

You looked up at the sky. You laughed without breath as you took in the beautiful sight. The battle field fell away, replaced with ribbons of color dancing and weaving through the sky. You sat in a thin layer of water. Was this the after life? It didn’t matter.

“Mama!” A familiar voice shouted.

Your eyes flew wide as you turned to look, standing there was Lenore. She was glowing as she smiled, actually glowing as her ninpo surrounded her like a thin aura. You immediately jumped to your feet and ran toward your daughter. Lenore giggled excitedly as she too sprinted toward you, water splashing with each step she took.

The two of you collided roughly, but there was no pain, only relief and you hugged your daughter tightly. “My little light. My lovely Lenore.” You murmured as you cried and held your daughter close.

“I’m here mama. I’m here.” Lenore hugged back just as tightly.

You sobbed with relief as you couldn’t say anything more than a few inaudible murmurs. Lenore was the first to pull away, much to your dislike, but when Lenore gestured to the figure standing nearby your heart leapt into your throat.

“Don?” Your voice whispered.

He smirked, a familiar sight. “Hello, love.”

You ran to him, heart soaring. He caught you as you leapt through the air. His arms caged you to his chest as he spun you around. “I love you.” You sobbed into his shoulder as you stopped and just stood in your embrace.

“I love you to darling.” He responds, running a hand up and down your back in a soothing manor.

You peeked to the side and pulled away just enough to reach your arm out and pull Lenore into the hug as well. “I missed you. I missed you both so much.” You said as you held your family close.

“We missed you too mama.” Lenore squeezed both you tightly.

“We’ll never have to be apart now.” Donnie stated as he pulled away slightly to cup your cheek and wipe away your tears. Lenore removed herself from the hug to smile at you both before rushing over to greet her uncles. You stayed glued to Donnie’s side as you saw Leo and Mikey surrounded by Raph, Splinter, April, and Casey.

With a soft grin on your face, you looked back at your husband. He was already staring at you with a look full of admiration. His thumb rubbed idly across your cheek as he smiled.

“You know why I like it here?” Donnie asked softly. You raised a brow in question. He just grinned. “When the lights goes out,” the dancing lights faded from the sky as Donnie lifted your chin slowly to get you to look at the sky. Your eyes widened as the lights were replaced by thousands of stars all glittering and twinkling. “You can see the stars.”

#There's always more to lose #rottmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt donnie x reader #my writing #rottmnt angst #x reader #reader insert #rottmnt oc

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pile-of-secrets · 8 months ago

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HI! IM PUTTING MY CASTLEVANIA SEASON 3 EPISODE 9 (and a little of episode 10) THOUGHTS INTO THE WORLD! HERES YOUR SPOILER WARNING NOW!!

oh my god, ok, so. The absolute MADNESS of this episode starts LESS THAN 4 MINUTES IN TO A 28 MINUTE LONG EPISODE. That’s 24 whole minutes of death defining battles and really controlling s3x.

I mean like, the fights were really cool, they were interesting to watch, ISAAC? Bro that’s insane, I really liked the whole mind control concept that town had, I also don’t think the wizard spoke a word the whole time which was an interesting dynamic for a fight. Isaac breaking out of the mind control is like WOO GO ISAAC. But by far, (and yes im aware this was SUPPOSED to be serious) I found all the people slo-mo falling from the building quite funny for some reason?? I guess it was just unexpected.

Then there’s the whole alucard situation, SUMI AND TAKA? WHAT THE FUCK GUYS? YOU WERE GOOD CHARACTERS HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHEN DID THINGS CHANGE?? they were genuinely enjoyable, alucard seemed SAD he genuinely seemed like he wanted them to stay as long as possible! THEY COULD SEE HE WAS LONELY 😭 AND THEY USED IT AGAINST HIM! They basically seduced him, tied him up, TRIED TO KILL HIM. And died. They deserved to die hurting the poor dude like that. Alucard has scars everywhere now and I feel so bad for himmm

Trevor and sypha, good lord. POINT 1: SYPHA WAS RIGHT. SHE SAID, “do you think we can wait?” AND JUDGE BEING DUMBBB went “this is my town. You will do as I say >:(“ AND IT MAKES ME SO MAD! SHE CANT DO ANYTHING AND SHE KNOWSSS. “I just didn’t see it” GRAH POINT 2: that WHOLE fight, oh my god, the FIRE the MONSTERS PRIOR “DRUGLORD” SALA. The whole thing was constructed really well, AND SEEING DRACULA AND LISA. AFTER THE END OF EPISODE 9 IT ALMOST MADE ME THINK IT WAS ALUCARD THEY WERE SEEING. JEEZ IT WAS CONSTRUCTED WELL.

And lastly, my dear wife Lenore, I love her with all my heart BUT WHAT A TWISTED WOMAN?? OH MY GOD POOR HECTOR. IN THE BEGINNING I THOUGHT “oh this has to be more consensual than what’s going on with alucard, she’s probably just Seducing him 🤷‍♀️” WRONG. THE SLAVE RING? THAT LOOKS LIKE IT HURT. AND ALL THEIR SCENES I FEEL LIKE ARE WILDLY MORE REVEALING THAN ANYTHING WITH ALUCARD. BUT SERIOUSLY, That whole plan was really pulled off SO WELL she did a very good job of keeping her own face while KNOWING exactly what she was doing every step of the way. All in all this whole episode pulls together really well into a shamble of absolute terror. And I love it.

#castlevania #alucard #trevor belmont #sypha belnades #lenore castlevania

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wqintraining · 7 months ago

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NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 3, EPISODE 12 (PART 1 OF 2)

We open months ago, just after Sofia completed her transformation into War. War, having changed into her initial blue armor, sans helmet, follows behind a tired and weakened Apocalypse through the halls of their base.

APOCALYPSE: “Your training remains far from complete. You are now armed with the weapons you have earned, but you must still learn how to use them.”

SOFIA: “I believe I am already skilled with my winds. I have not forgotten anything.”

Apocalypse doesn’t doubt that, only what her imagination was previously capable of. She knew how to slice her enemies and disrupt their eardrums, but how far did she ever take that?

APOCALYPSE: “Have you ever torn the air from a man’s lungs and watched the light leave his eyes? Have you considered that with mastery over all that surrounds you, you could make the wind track the most minute of your opponents’ movements? These are the skills I will teach you.”

Sofia looks at Apocalypse from behind, in awe of him.

SOFIA: “Thank you, Lord Apocalypse.” He turns his head to glare at her. “Oh. I am sorry. I am still accepting that this is real…Father.”

APOCALYPSE, turning his head straight: “You are not the first child I have had since my first. Not by blood or by other means.”

SOFIA: “I’m not? Then where are they?”

APOCALYPSE: “Dead. Either killed or aged to dust. My genes do not guaruntee immortality. You are now the first since the original Horsemen to possess it.”

The two stop at the grand entrance to Apocalypse’s bed chambers.

SOFIA, smiling at him, now at his side: “Meaning I have plenty of time to get it right…my lord.”

APOCALYPSE, glaring back at her: “Meaning I would prefer you not going out of your way to annoy me for all eternity.”

SOFIA, playfully: “You made me permanently seventeen. Blame yourself.”

Apocalypse shuts his eyes and seethes as he has his servants open the doors and enters. Before Sofia follows…

SOFIA, still processing: “All eternity.”

Inside the bedroom, Sofia’s eyes dart around at the ornate furnishings, before Apocalypse holds something out to her.

APOCALYPSE, holding out a lightning bolt shaped sword: “The swords crafted by Isca the Unbeaten are unrivaled by any on this plain. I possess them all. I gift this one to you.”

Sofia, hands shaking, takes it and admires it. She notices that it’s different from the ones he uses; it’s much smaller. Apocalypse informs her that this sword was wielded by his wife. Her body was small, but her power was unmatched.

SOFIA: “You are sure she would want me to have it?”

APOCALYPSE: “She will decide that for herself when she meets you.”

Now then, War shouldn’t be thinking that her training will become any easier or less painful just because of his own ailments or her elevated status. Now that she is immortal, he can push her harder than ever. He will make her wish she could die. And she will thank him.

APOCALYPSE: “Are you ready?”

Sofia’s face lights up as she sheathes her new weapon.

SOFIA: “Always, Father.”

Elsewhere, a news broadcast is watched, as millions of people protest around the world against the rising threat of Mutants, not just motivated about everything else that’s happened in recent months, but two new pieces of breaking news. First, the thousands of mysterious deaths from Apocalypse’s plague having finally been tracked to have a connection to the X-gene, and second, Graydon Creed has been found dead.

Graydon’s two largest benefactors, Carlton Kilgore and Lenore Kensington, hold a press conference, surrounded by Friends of Humanity members, and with their respective son and daughter as their side. Since the news first broke forty minutes ago, the Friends of Humanity has gained thousands of new members. They will continue their work, now in honor of Graydon, and avenge his deaths at the hands of the Mutants by finding a new candidate to get America back on track.

The news reminds its viewers of where the source for this accusation is coming from, playing a clip from earlier in the morning of Lenore’s daughter, Wilhelmina, holding a kitten, crying in front of the cameras about how nice Mr. Creed was to her, and that she knows it must have been the Mutant Emma Frost who killed him; she was just meeting with him! She and her friend Kade saw her, but no one else remembers!

The TV this is being watched on is destroyed by an optic blast.

In the headmasters’ office, Cyclops and Magneto are equally pissed.

CYClOPS: “How does this keep getting worse?” He turns to Erik, his anger boiling and his fists shaking. “The news coming about Apocalypse’s plague couldn’t just have come out now by coincidence? The media must have been waiting for something like this just to drive it in.”

ERIK, scooting Scott back with his magnetism to get him out of his face: “Optics are your concern. You will figure something out. I want to know why Emma lied to us.”

Scott’s confused about what he’s talking about, but Erik tells him to not be stupid; Emma told them yesterday that neither she nor M were able to complete the assasination attempt. Scott says he isn’t stupid, he just can’t think of a single reason she would have had to lie.

ERIK: “As if that woman needs to reason.”

SCOTT, even more pissed, eyes glowing behind his sunglasses: “What was that?!”

Before the two can start fighting, Scott’s mind is telepathically soothed as Emma enters.

EMMA: “I don’t know what your problem is, Erik, but keep my name out of your mouth, hm?” She holds Scott’s hand as Erik glares at her. “If you would like to point fingers, consider aiming them toward the little twerps who miraculously avoided having their minds wiped.”

ERIK: “You are saying ten year-old children poisoned Graydon Creed?”

EMMA, narrowing her eyes: “Show of hands. Who here hasn’t had a child of that age, or younger, attempt to kill them?” Magneto can’t raise his hand. Scott smirks. “Precisely.”

Erik questions why they would do this even if they are responsible but, letting go of Scott, Emma thinks they need to table this discussion; they have to worry about their own children.

EMMA: “Our X-Men in Training are gone. All of them.”

Scott asks what she means, with Emma explaining that none of them, or Laura, are here, and from the scan she and Danielle ran, none of them ever came home last night either.

ERIK “They’re rambunctious children with high-stress lives. I’m sure they just–”

EMMA: “I’m not sensing any of them in New York, either.”

Cyclops, clenching one of his fists, exiss the office as he presses on his com.

CYCLOPS: “Danger, prep my jet.”

Emma and Magneto follow after him, wondering what he’s planning.

CYCLOPS: “I’m not losing any more people. I’m done playing games and asking questions. We’re going to have a chat with the one person who has all the answers.”

We cut to the Egyptian dessert, as four figures in the distance trudge through it. Just before we see them, it becomes clear who they are as they start talking.

PITOR: “I already told you, I do not wish to speak about it.”

KURT: “Oh come on, Pete, if anyone can understand the strange emotions of your sister dating your ex, it’s me!”

LOGAN, leading the group and sniffing the air: “You mean because you used to kiss your sister?”

KURT: “That is not what was happening!”

ORORO, clearly happy to be back with HER team: “It isn’t contrary to what transpired either.”

KURT, frustrated even Ororo is teasing: “Storm!”

PITOR: “As soon as our mission is complete, I will express my feelings as I see fit.”

ORORO: “Does that mean a painting? I hope you will be in the mood to share, little brother.”

Pitor smiles. He’ll make sure she gets to see it.

KURT: “Okay, but seriously guys, I wasn’t kissing my–”

LOGAN, cutting him off: “Shut it, Elf. I’ve got something.”

Pitor doesn’t know what he’s talking about; there’s nothing here. Ororo pulls out a device, and adds that, according to the coordinates Kitty gave her, Apocalypse’s base wasn’t far from here before its destruction.

Logan growls as he continues to sniff. He sniffs high, he sniffs low, and eventually…

LOGAN, cringing: “Slim, you idiot.” Kurt questions what Scott did. “That man thinks of everything. But he didn’t think to look underground!”

A pink light flashes and sand is blasted in their faces. The season X-Men prepare for battle, with Logan popping out his claws, Nightcrawler drawing a rapier, Ororo pulling out her knives, and Colossus transforming into his metal form.

“Welcome X-Men!”

Exodus reveals himself, floating above them as he keeps the sandstorm raging.

EXODUS: “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. Have you come to oppose destiny or to submit?” He holds out the hand he used to steal Ororo’s powers. “Storm?”

BEAT

STORM: “I do not know if anything can be done for me.” She twirls her knives. “But you are not leaving this place with that hand. To me, my X-Men!”

Colossus and Wolverine start the fight with a Fastball Special (Classic Edition), with Pitor tossing Logan at Exodus. Exodus casually flings him away, but the X-Men quickly follow up, with Nightcrawler teleporting Colossus above Exodus’ head to smash him. Bennett reacts quickly enough to fling them away as well, but Colossus grabs his arm and throws him into the ground.

Storm and Logan rush him while he’s down, but Exodus launches a massive energy blast at them. Nightcrawler teleports them both out of the blast’s range, while Pitor lands, crashing his knees into Bennett’s chest. Exodus screams, as Colossus pumbles him, drawing blood, until Exodus blasts him away in a rage.

Even as Exodus picks himself up though, the X-Men don’t give him a moment to breathe, as Storm distracts him by throwing one of her knives and slicing his face, giving Logan the chance to move in and slash his chest. Nightcrawler returns with a badly injured but stil standing Colossus, above Exodus, ready to smash him again, but Exodus has had enough of this. The Omega-level telekinetic blasts all of them away with a gargantuan wave of TK energy in all directions.

Logan and Colossus pick themselves back up, while Ororo and Kurt are conscious, but too injured to stand.

EXODUS, enraged: “You actually thought you weaklings could come here and overcome ME?”

LOGAN, trying to get under his skin: “We were actually thinking about your boss, not you.”

COLOSSUS: “Now that we stand here though, I do like our odds.”

Exodus derides them for the fools they are. His power is unrivaled! And them? Two of them cannot even fight on their own. And the metal men are hardly a threat themselves.

Logan and Pitor are tense as they stare him down, knowing he’s right. But…

STORM, forcing herself to stand: “You presume too much, Exodus.” Bennett sneers at her. “Iceman defeated you, did he not? And you have served not one, but three masters. Your power does not seem unmatched to me.”

EXODUS: “Silence!”

STORM, smirking with her single knife at the ready: “You had to cheat to defeat me at my best. Forgive me for favoring my chances while at my worst.”

Ororo’s words get to Bennett, just like she hoped, but not in the way she expected. This depowered, arrogant woman with a blade standing up to him makes him think back to when he was first training Sofia, and become livid that he allowed her to remain such a nuisance.

Exodus screams as he unleashes another blast encompassing the entire area.

In Clan Akabba’s base, Lady Akabba walks past the cells holding Laura, Julian, Noriko, Cessily, and Roxy, not just with her usual grace, but an extra pep in her step. Death and Dust follow behind her, with Sooraya’s eyes guilty as they pass by her friends, and Akihiro assuring Sofia that they won’t wake up until she’s ready for them.

SOFIA, with absolute confidence in her voice: “Good. I don’t want them waking up in these conditions. It will send the wrong idea.” Sofia notices the look in Soo’s eyes. “Do not worry, Dust. Once they understand their place is among the strong, this will be their world as much as yours.” She giggles. “Well, a little more Hellion’s.”

Akihiro narrows his eyes.

AKIHIRO: “My lady, may we speak in private?”

Lady Akabba is quietly amused as she thinks she knows what this is about and asks Sooraya to leave them, informing her the servants will get her anything she needs.

SOORAYA: “I…thank you.”

Soo gives a small bow, before flying off as a cloud of sand. Sofia watches her depart with a smile on her face, before turning back to Akihiro to smirk at him.

SOFIA, mockingly: “Something to say?”

AKIHIRO, displeased: “I would of course never question you…but you still intend to make that boy your king?”

SOFIA: “Why wouldn’t I? I love him.”

AKIHIRO: “He may be fit, but he is hardly worthy of you. You deserve nothing less than an Omega.”

SOFIA: “If memory serves me right, the only Omega men on Earth presently are either incorporeal energy beings, gay, someone I intend to kill, or more than one of the above. That is not what I am looking for.”

AKIHIRO: “And you have just forgotten the way he betrayed you?”

SOFIA: “Love is pain, and pain is love. Besides, you all misled me. He never once slept with Surge while we were together.” Akihiro tries to speak, but she talks over him. “And just as I knew they would, they broke up on their own. So there are no problems.” She tilts her head. “Unless you wish to tell me that you are jealous.”

AKIHIRO, aghast at the prospect: “Jealous? I’ve told you before that if I wanted you, I would have you.”

SOFIA: “And you have never said why you don’t.”

Sofia shoots Akihiro a taunting grin as she strokes his muscular arm, Aki not appearing too happy about it.

EXODUS, approaching: “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” He tosses down the unconscious bodies of Storm, Wolverine, and Colossus. “But we have a problem.”

As Lady Akabba and Death compose themselves, they have Famine explain that the X-Men were finally able to find them. He dealt with the intruders with ease, of course, but they have a little issue.

SOFIA, realizing who’s missing based on her inside knowledge: “Where is Nightcrawler?”

We cut to the Danger Room, where Escapade and Foxx are sparring. In the command room above, Kitty, while watching over her student, is also on her computer, desperately trying to track down the X-Men in training.

KITTY: “Come on. Where are you guys?”

Behind Kitty, Illyana leans against the wall, brooding, thinking about Pestillence’s offer to free her from her suffering. She shakes her head.

MAGIK: “KItty, may I ask you something?”

KITTY: “A little busy babe, but shoot.”

Illyana weakly smiles at the term of affection from her girlfriend. Before she can say anything though, Nightcrawler BAMFs in, laying heavily injured and exhausted on the floor.

KITTY: “Kurt!”

Kitty drops to the floor to check on him, and asks if he’s okay, quickly following up by asking where the others all are. Kurt tries to answer, but before he can, he passes out. Kitty and Yana share a look of concern.

We cut to a familiar large Missisippi home, where elderly Irene Adler is spreading rhubarb jam on a piece of toast. She moves calmly and precisely, before pausing. She sighs.

DESTINY: “I wish you’d knock.”

Irene’s door is blasted in by an optic beam, before Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto barge into her house.

EMMA: “Mystique isn’t here.”

ERIK: “Good. I don’t think I have the patience for that right now.”

IRENE, off-screen: “Excuse me?”

Irene crunches down on and chews her toast, before swallowing and dabbing her face with a napkin.

IRENE: “That’s my wife you’re talking about.”

EMMA: “And do you always have the patience for her?”

Irene cracks half a smirk.

IRENE: “I believe you’re the one with something to say here, Mr Summers. We can talk about it while Ms. Frost writes me a check for my door.”

Cyclops stomps up to Irene. Destiny isn’t afraid as he attempts to appear imposing, taking another bite of her toast.

SCOTT: “Where are the Horsemen? Where are they keeping our students?”

DESTINY, swallowing: “What makes you think I’ve had any visions about that? And why didn’t you come to me about them two months ago?”

SCOTT: “Your first question confirms you know what I’m talking about.”

IRENE: “And your dodging my second makes me suspect an answer.”

SCOTT: “Don’t care. You know about Lady Akabba.”

IRENE: “I do. She attempted to recruit Raven and I. Horrible young lady. Absolutely no manners.”

SCOTT: “We know. Where is she?”

IRENE: “The home that is her present, but not her future.”

ERIK: “We do not intend on allowing her to live. If you see her future, then we have already lost.”

IRENE: “Do not be such a downer, Magneto. My visions are not always accurate.”

SCOTT: “But you do see where she is.” Cyclops’ visor glows, the sound of his beams loud enough for Irene to hear. “And you’re going to tell us right now.”

Irene’s face becomes expressionless, before she sticks the last piece of her toast in her mouth. She smirks at Cyclops’ frustration as she chews.

EMMA: “I take it back, Irene. You and Mystique are perfect for one another.”

Destiny swallows.

IRENE: “I know. Just as I know that the only reason you’re breaking down my door now and weren’t knocking on it months ago is because you’re afraid.”

SCOTT: “Don’t push me.”

IRENE: “You’re not going to murder me in cold blood. That isn’t you. It’s who you’re scared you’re turning into.”

SCOTT: “Emma, get the info from her head.”

EMMA: “I’ve been trying, Darling. She’s had more than a few decades to learn to protect her mind.”

IRENE: “Well? Will you order Magneto to bring my house down on me, next?”

ERIK, pissed: “I do not take orders.”

IRENE: “Of course not. Supervillains like you and Ms. Frost are like me; you only give orders.” Scott’s blood boils and Irene enjoys watching it happen. “I know. You didn’t want to get into bed with another one. But here you are.”

A small amount of energy bubbles out of Scott’s visor, but before he can shoot…

EMMA: “She gave me the coordinates. We’ve been played. They’re underneath their original base.”

Erik is pissed enough by this revelation that multiple glass objects around the house explode. Irene remains unphased.

IRENE: “I suppose I should go clean that up. Good luck saving the world…X-Men.”

As Scott continues to pant and sweat and seethe, Emma calms his mind again, putting an arm around him and leading him out of the house, Magneto floating behind.

EMMA, telepathically: “What she was saying. It’s true then.”

SCOTT, telepathically: “Yes. I’m sorry.”

EMMA: “I don’t particularly care if I’m seen as a hero or villain. You’re getting a little old for that as well. Do you love me?”

SCOTT, without hesitation: “Yes.”

EMMA: “Then we have no problems. At least not between us.”

As they hold each other on their way to the Blackbird, the camera pans over to Magneto. Magneto calls Cannonball over his com. He needs him to bring all the teachers together, immediately.

In Clan Akabba’s base, Exodus and Malice float down a hall together. Malice groans, as she dusts her hands off, with burnt pieces of skin falling off.

EXODUS: “You’ve held this form for nearly a year, and only on the eve of our victory are you beggining to burn?”

MALICE: “I wasn’t fighting for most of that time. I was fine, but the princess and the wannabe prince were more challenging than I anticipated.”

EXODUS: “Well keep it together. You will have your new body soon enough. It would just be tragic if the X-Men arrived and we fell because of you, wouldn’t it?”

Exodus floats away from her with a smirk.

MALICE, annoyed and dusting off more burnt skin: “I’m not the one who keeps losing to them.”

Both Horsemen arrive in a chamber, away from the other prison cells, where Wanda and Pietro are shackled to the wall, with power dampening collars on them. Malice calls upon the power of Pestillence and opens the red eyes on her palms, and rips the poison out of Wanda, absorbing it back into herself.

Wanda wakes up, gasping after her extended slumber.

EXODUS: “Hello, Witch.”

Wanda’s eyes fill with rage as she takes note of her surroundings, including Pietro, and attempts to blast her way out. But nothing happens.

EXODUS: “There is no sorceress more powerful than you, Wanda Maximoff.”

MALICE: “But even you are subject to the incantation placed on this chamber to block magic.”

Wanda struggles, but soon accepts she’s trapped.

WANDA: “I was asleep. For a long time.”

MALICE: “Two months exactly, love.”

WANDA, glaring at the face of her sister: “What do you want?”

EXODUS: “It is just as the two of you discussed. Your chaos magic will break down the fabrics of reality, and resew them to form a beautiful quilt of Mutant dominated perfection.” BEAT. “Although…our specific ideas do differ from our diminutive queen’s.”

Exodus grips Wanda’s chin tightly.

EXODUS: “In the world you forge, I will rule alone as king, my rightful place as the strongest of all. And my world will have no use for humans…or for filth.”

Wanda shakes her head and Bennett lets go.

WANDA: “I’ll die first.”

MALICE: “No. You won’t.”

Exodus and Malice’s eyes both glow, and Wanda screams.

In Laura’s cell, she continues to lay unconscious. Until she suddenly jolts awake.

AKIHIRO, standing over her: “I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this. But I guess you’ll always be your father’s daughter.”

When Laura doesn’t respond, only glaring back, Akihiro tells her they always knew what she was doing. Lady Akabba tells him everything. But still, it was fun training her while it lasted.

Laura looks away.

AKIHIRO: “I can see it, you know. You being the ultimate weapon. If you’d just let go of the idea that it’s all you’re meant to be, I’m not even sure I could stop you. You’ll never be normal. But you’ll also never be what they wanted you to be.”

Laura seethes. She then sniffs, picking something up. Laura looks back at Death.

LAURA: “And I wasn’t lying.”

Akihiro questions what she’s referring to. Laura sardonically explains that her understanding where he’s coming from wasn’t an act. If Logan really did what Akihiro said, she gets his rage.

LAURA: “But Logan’s here. I smell him.”

AKIHIRO, mockingly: “And you think I just need to hear his side of things to hug him and call him Daddy?”

LAURA: “I think I need to hear. Then I can choose which of you I kill when I’m free.”

AKIHIRO: “And what makes you think you’re ever getting free?”

LAURA: “Because…” she trails off, choked up. “Sofia may have lied about sharing my feelings. But she still loves me.” Laura forces a smirk. “And you woke me up for a reason.”

Akihiro thinks, circling his tongue around his mouth.

AKIHIRO: “I’ll think about it. For now…” With his pheremones, Akihiro puts Laura back to sleep. “There’s another brat I need to chat with.”

In a low-end, New York City bar, we catch up with Roberto, who’s cheered on as he wins a round of darts with a bullseye. He sticks out like a sore thumb in this environment, wearing a three-piece suit.

ROBERTO, blowing kisses: “Thank you! Thank you! You’re all too kind!”

His disgruntled opponent pulls out his wallet and gets the money together to pay him for their bet, but Beto assures him that isn’t necessary.

ROBERTO: “Next round is on me!”

The whole bar cheers even louder.

PATRON #1: “Doesn’t he seem to be a little too yuppy to be hanging out here?”

PATRON #2: “He kinda reminds me of those rich guys from the movies who like to kidnap and kill people.”

PATRON #3: “Both of you, shut up. He’s paying, and I’m not complaining.”

Roberto sits down in a booth, where, on his phone, he has a million missed calls and texts from Monet. Most of Monet’s texts are monosyllabic and vaguely threatening, and one of them is just a picture of her glaring at him with a raised eyebrow.

Beto rubs his forehead, as he thinks back to the ultimatum he received last episode. He buries his face in his hands.

BETO: “What would you do, Papa?”

As the door to the bar is opened, someone wearing black and red high-heels steps in. One guy hollars, only to get slapped by his friend; where does he think he is?

PATRON #3: “Hey Bobby, she a friend of yours?”

Beto picks his head up. He should have known he couldn’t hide from Monet.

Sunspot gets up, only as he does so, everyone else in the bar disappears.

BETO: “What the…?”

“I thought we could use some privacy.”

Beto’s eyes widen in horror as the woman who’s entered the bar reveals herself. Along with her black and red heels, which perfectly complement her long, flowing red hair, she wears a bright green business suit with gold shoulder-pads, a gold belt, and various gold and emerald jewelry.

JEAN, smiling sweetly: “Hello, Roberto. It’s nice to see you again.”

In the school’s medical bay, Kitty and Illyana stand by as Danger treats Kurt, with assistance from Melody Guthrie.

DANGER: “She wants to be a nurse, and began aiding me after the riot. Isn’t that sweet?”

YANA, still brooding: “Like a pony.”

Kitty is a little more supportive and gives Aero a smile and a pat on the shoulder, as Melody leaves to get something.

KITTY, sitting down next to Yana: “You still wanna talk?”

MAGIK: “Not really. Feel like I should say something though.”

KITTY, holding her hand: “What’s up?”

Yana takes a deep breath.

YANA: “How would you feel if I went away again?”

Kitty’s immediately worried by the question, and demands that she be direct with her. Magik sighs and explains that she’s just not sure what she’s really doing here. Yes, she’s with her friends, and fighting to protect Mutants but…

YANA: “The only times I’m not sad are when I’m with you.” She summons the anti-soulsword. “I’m not a demon. But I’m barely a Mutant either. My body doesn’t feel right, food doesn’t taste right. I thought I could handle being…this…but I can’t.”

Kitty’s so sorry. But she’s also really glad Yana is at least able to come out with this on her own. She used to have to practically force it out of her when she was a teenager.

KITTY: “Right now…right now, just know that, whatever you are, I love you. Because no matter what, you’re still Magik.” Yana weakly smiles. “I’m sorry we haven’t been able to do more for you. We haven’t had a chance to breathe lately. But we’re about to beat the Horsemen, and when we do, we can take the deepest breath of our lives, and save Wanda. And if it’s what you want…”

YANA: “She has the power to fix me.”

Kitty hugs Yana, promising they’ll get through this. Then maybe Yana can finally take her out on a real date.

YANA, getting red: “Me…taking you out?”

KITTY: “I know what you want.”

Yana’s face flickers between peace and distress.

“Hi Ms. Pryde!”

Kitty and Yana untangle as Foxx enters the medical bay. She heard Nightcrawler was here, and she wanted to make sure he’s okay.

FOXX: “He was one of my favorite teachers. Blue solidarity and all.”

KITTY: “That’s sweet, Foxx, but you can’t be here right now. I’ll ask Kurt to come see you later, okay?”

FOXX: “Hmm. Okay. So he hasn’t even woken up yet?”

KITTY: “Afraid not. Don’t worry, he will soon.”

FOXX, smiling: “Cool.”

As Foxx leaves, Magik asks Kitty if she’s talked to that girl about kissing Bling! yet , with Kitty replying that right now, she’s just worried about where Bling! is.

The camera follows Foxx into the hallway as she pulls out her phone and sends a text.

FOXX, texting: “Nightcrawler is unconscious. He hasn’t said anything.”

“BABY DICTATOR”: “Make sure he doesn’t.”

Foxx grins maliciously.

We cut to the past, where Apocalypse is training a newly recruited Akihiro in his arena. As the two duel, Apocalypse complements the Muramasa blade; next to his own, it is one of the finest he has seen.

Apocalypse guts Akihiro, and kicks him to the ground.

APOCALYPSE: “But its side effects are unfortunate.”

Akihiro pants as he heals, saying that the sword doesn’t change anything.

AKIHIRO: “It is as you said. Death is all I am. It is all I need to be.”

APOCALYPSE: “Correct. But being Death is something to relish. Not something to have infringed upon you.”

AKIHIRO, standing: “Listen, my lord, me and Muramasa are on the same damn page. The world is worthless, and everyone in it deserves to die.”

Apocalypse grumbles. He grabs Akihiro’s head and makes him scream, as his skin is completely covered in scars, and his eyes are gouged out.

APOCALYPSE: “You birth family. The Hand. Romulus. They have all hurt you. They have all fed your hatred. And hatred can be a powerful tool, but it is not the strongest one there is.” Apocalypse makes Akihiro scream again, reversing his last procedure. “I do not hate humanity. No more than they hate the flies they swat at. True stregnth…”

AKIHIRO, interrupting, still in pain: “Please do not say it comes from love.”

APOCALYPSE, smiling: “I could say something else. But I would be lying. Hate only drives you to kill your enemies. Love drives you to do whatever comes after.” Apocalypse tightens his grip on Akihiro, before letting go. “You have never known love.”

Akihiro doesn’t respond. Apocalypse slightly crushes his skull, prompting him to spit out that that is correct. He values his lord’s words, but he is not capable of love. Nor is he capable of being loved.

Akihiro braces himself for more pain, but Apocalypse lets him go.

APOCALYPSE: “I am not here to be your parent. You are here to serve. But I see your worth. If you persevere and prove yourself, I will grant you all that I have to offer. You will have the respect you earn. Once you know respect, from within and from others, love will come.” Apocalypse turns his back and walks away. “And when you do find one you love, show all their enemies the power of Death.”

As Apocalypse exits, Akihiro collapses, panting.

In the present, we remain in the arena, as Akihiro screams, kicking Julian into a wall. Julian wakes up, still wearing a power dampening collar, with everything aching. Seeing Death, he processes what’s going on, and stands.

JULIAN, panting: “Where…is she?”

AKIRHIO, Muramasa in hand: “You mean Lady Akabba? Visiting Lord Apocalypse. She’s about to wake him up and take over the world. Big day.”

Hellion tries to power up, but groans as he notices his collar.

AKIHIRO: “Sorry. Death fears no one, but I still wasn’t taking any chances.”

Julian gets further pissed, knowing now that this is Laura’s creepy brother. Akihiro can’t deny either part of that description.

Hellion clenches his metal fists. He knows he’s a powerless prisoner and he’s up against a Horseman. But that isn’t an excuse not to try.

Julian rushes Akihiro, who licks his lips. Death swings at Hellion’s head, but Julian barely slides underneath Muramasa, only losing a few hairs. The X-Man then jumps out of the way as Akihiro brings his sword down on him.

AKIHIRO, not seriously chasing and swinging at Julian: “You must be curious why I have you here.”

JULIAN, barely dodging despite Akihiro’s lack of care: “Nope! Just thinking about knocking your head off!”

Hellion gets kicked upside the head, launching him up into the air before he crashes back down.

AKIHIRO: “Same powers and more as your friend. It would just grow back.”

As Julian struggles to stand, Death explains to him that he wanted to have a chat. To reach an understanding before everything changes.

AKIHIRO: “For reasons I can’t fathom, Lady Akabba still loves your boyish face. And she intends to–”

JULIAN, cutting him off: “Sofia.” BEAT. “Her name is Sofia.”

AKIHIRO, grinning: “Not anymore it isn’t.” Julian attacks him, but Akihiro casually dances around his punches. “ She is Lady Akabba. War. The daughter of Apocalypse.”

Death slices an “X” across Julian’s chest,before backhanding him away. He can’t get back up this time.

AKIHIRO: “And despite what she thinks, she no longer has a use for you. You are beneath her. So if you want what’s best for her, when she offers you the opportunity to rule at her side, you will decline. And you will bear the honor of dying at her hand.”

Julian grunts, scratching his hands against the ground.

JULIAN: “What…did you do to her?”

AKIHIRO: “I only gave a push in the direction.” He presses the tip of Muramasa against Julian’s forehead, drawing blood. “Do we have an understanding?”

Julian is pissed, but forces himself to grin up at Death.

JULIAN: “I don’t know a ton about what’s going on right now…but she’s not gonna fuck you, man.”

Death is incensed. We pan away as he does something else to make Hellion scream.

Elsewhere in the base, Hellion’s screams transition into Wanda’s, as Exodus and Malice continue to psychically torture her.

EXODUS: “I don’t know what Pestillence is seeing in there. Frankly, I do not care enough to look. All that matters is the power you do not deserve.”

WANDA, still able to speak on the physical plane despite her mind being invaded by Malice: “What…are you talking about?”

EXODUS: “We Mutants were chosen by the lord. In that way, we are all special. But your connection to the chaos force was born of sheer luck. When you build my new world, it will no longer exist.”

WANDA, struggling to hold in her screams, but standing strong: “It does not matter what you do to me. I will not grant you want you seek.”

EXODUS: “What you want is irrelevant. I am the strongest. And the strong always get what they want.”

Bennett turns up the psychic torture, making Scarlet Witch scream again.

We flash back to the past.

One year ago, a nude Bennett steps out of a steamy, ornate shower. He clears the fog from his mirror with his telekinesis and begins brushing his hair and drying himself off with his telekinesis as well.

As Exodus does this, he can’t help but admire his own attractiveness. He feels and strokes his own muscles. And then imagines someone else doing the same. Turning his head, a young knight in black stands behind him, smiling innocently as he massages Exodus.

Bennett at first appears at peace. He then cringes and shouts, destroying his bathroom with a telekinetic wave.

EXODUS: “No! No. I have purged myself of this sin. I cannot fall to it now.”

“You have been fighting this battle for centuries, and still have not achieved victory.”

Exodus sneers as Apocalypse appears in his cracked mirror.

APOCALYPSE: “Are you not ready to yield?”

Exodus spins around and fires a massive energy blast at Apocalypse, destroying part of his own home. Apocalypse merely reaches his hand out to disintigeate Exodus’ attacks, as he fires a speared tentacle out of his stomach to skewer Bennett, and pull him in close to him.

EXODUS, gasping for life: “I…will kill you.”

APOCALYPSE: “Another mission you have had for centuries, and another you will never achieve.”

Apocalypse shoves Exodus off his tentacle and onto the floor.

APOCALYPSE: “You will never defeat me. Just as you will never cease to hunger for the taste of the first you killed in my name.”

Exodus shouts again, launching an energy blast aout of his bleeding mouth, but Apocalypse puts a quick stop to that as he gets on top of Bennett, mounting him, and forcefully covers his mouth with his hand.

APOCALYPSE: “I require new Horsemen. And you, my once trusted Crusader, are whom I believe to be the fittest of Mutantkind’s present crop. The rest of the world’s Mutants are weak and soft in their own ways. But you are of another world. Another time. And you were built by me.”

Apocalypse’s eyes glow back as he attacks Bennett’s mind.

APOCALYPSE: “But before I upgrade you, my creation.” Exodus struggles, but can’t do anything to get Apocalypse off of him. “I will purge you of your weaknesses.”

Bennett is completely afraid.

Back at the bar, Roberto isn’t sure what to do in the presence of Jean. Jean, however, has no fear or anxiety, and hugs Beto.

JEAN: “I’ve missed you.”

BETO, even more confused: “I guess you’re not here to blow me up then.”

JEAN, pulling back: “We didn’t get to spend much time together on the X-Men, but it was never difficult to see the gentleness in your heart.”

Jean smiles warmly, allowing Beto to breathe and smile back.

BETO: “I’m guessing the Phoenix Force isn’t just here for a social call though.”

Jean holds her arm out to be able.

JEAN: “Please. Sit.”

Beto turns his head and sees that a whole buffet of food has appeared where there was nothing moments ago.

BETO: “You really can do anything now, huh?”

JEAN: “It’s just simple molecule manipulation.” Jean sits. “And don’t worry, the other patrons are all still alive.”

BETO: “Nice to know.”

Jean asks how Beto is first. Beto cheekily responds that she probably already knows.

JEAN: “Yes. But I’m trying to not forget all of my manners.”

Sunspot gives the cliffnotes of her current position. He has no faith in Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto, something he’s sure Jean and himself are in agreement on, and is still trying to support them, while also making his own, better plans, but they’ve made clear they don’t want him if he isn’t committed.

JEAN: “Isn’t the answer simple? Aren’t you more confident in yourself than them?”

SUNSPOT: “I’m more confident in my ability to protect us. I’m not confident I’ll like who doing so makes me.”

JEAN: “Not surprising. There are many shades of Erik and Emma in your plans.” Jean consumes a steak by tapping it with her finger and absorbing it into herself. “I’m so disappointed in Magneto. I didn’t think he’d be overrun so easily by the others.” Jean snaps her fingers. “That’s not how I’m supposed to eat here.”

As Jean picks up a fork to eat a salad, Beto acknowledges their ideas aren’t all bad. The problem is the people themselves. Of course, they’re far from the worst people.

BETO: “Could you imagine what my father would have done with the power of an Omega-level Mutant?”

JEAN: “We can ask him if you’d like.”

BETO, unsure if she’s serious: “Umm…no thank you.”

JEAN, shrugging: “This is tasty. I should grow my own food more often.”

Jean tells Beto that she never knew his father, she’s only heard stories. But from what she’s seen, Beto could never be like him.

BETO: “Big words from you.”

JEAN: “They aren’t all I have for you. I was drawn here by the machinations of an old friend of yours. John Sublime.”

Beto curses in Spanish, before Jean tells him it’s fine; he’s finally dead, and she stopped what he was planning.

JEAN: “However, I wasn’t entirely successful in what I sought to do.”

BETO: “I didn’t think you could make mistakes anymore.”

JEAN: “I can’t. But I also can’t always stop others from making them.”

At the table next to theirs, Beto sees Celeste, Phoebe, and Mindee, eating in silence, with cold eyes and shaking hands.

BETO: “The Cuckoos? What happened? Why are there only–?”

He bangs the table, not even needing to finish his question to know the answer.

JEAN: “I tried to save Esme. I did. But there was nothing I could do.”

As Beto beats himself up, knowing that, whatever happened, the Cuckoos wouldn’t have even been involved if they hadn’t let the riot happen, Jean tells him not to despair.

JEAN: “I’d like to ask you for a few favors.”

In Clan Akabba’s lair, Dust knocks on the door of Sofia’s bedroom. Classical music is heard from the bedroom.

SOFIA: “Enter.”

The guards at her door open the entrance for Sooraya, who steps forward to find Sofia, seated on her bed, waving her finger along to the music.

SOORAYA: “You wished to see me, So…Lady Akabba?”

SOFIA, getting up, in a good mood: “You are a part of my inner circle, Dust. War is fine.”

War has both good news and bad news for Sooraya.

SOFIA: “Thanks to the Celestial implant I gave her, your mother just woke up, and is on the verge of a miraculous, full recovery.”

Sooraya presses her hands to her heart and says a swift prayer.

SOORAYA: “Thank you so much. May I go see her?”

Sofia’s face falls. This is where the bad news comes in.

SOFIA: “Some X-Men found us. We apprehended most of them, but Nightcrawler got away. There is a chance Cyclops and his team will come next, and before our plan is put into place.” Sooraya gets nervous, and Sofia picks up on this, floating over to her. “I will not make you fight them if you do not feel you are ready. Making you fight when you are not fit for battle would be foolish. If you would like, you may leave right now and go see your mother. I would like you at my side when I create our paradise, but it is your choice. And it is one you must make now.”

Sooraya hangs her out, taking a moment to think. Until…

SOORAYA: “May I ask a question?”

SOFIA: “Anything.”

SOORAYA, shooting Sofia a hard stare: “Did Apocalypse offer you choices like this?”

The question catches Lady Akabba off guard, but she keeps herself together.

SOFIA: “Yes. He did. Father never forced me to do anything. He only encouraged what was in my best interest.”

SOORAYA, demure, yet skeptical: “I see. And you don’t regret any of them?”

Sofia fails to maintain her composure this time, as she cringes.

We flash back to this bedroom, several months ago, where Apocalypse meditates, hovering above his bed.

While Apocalypse is trying to experience a moment of peace, it becomes clear he isn’t going to get it, as War floats behind him on her side, in a loose fitting yellow and white dress.

Apocalypse tries to ignore her as she casually flits around the room, but his frustration grows as he grumbles.

APOCALYPSE: “May I help you?”

SOFIA: “I am bored. I wish to train.”

APOCALYPSE: “I am meditating. Challenge Famine.”

SOFIA: “I don’t want to train with Famine.”

Apocalypse lets out a deep sigh, making Sofia giggle.

APOCALYPSE: “Do you know why I am meditating?”

SOFIA: “I once made a video about how it is good for your skin. But I doubt that is what this is.”

Apocalypse explains that he is attempting to heal his internal injuries, and regain some of his lost strength.

APOCALYPSE: “In my current condition, I estimate myself to possess strength similar to that of my original Horsemen. Tolerable, but not ideal.”

SOFIA, face filling with guilt: “Oh. I see.” Sofia sits down on the bed. “I won’t bother you then.”

Apocalypse returns to his meditation. But although the room is silent, Sofia’s thoughts aren’t.

APOCALYPSE: “What?”

SOFIA, exploding out of her seat: “You know what! It’s my fault you’re like this! You’re this injured and weakened because I wasn’t strong enough on my own.” Sofia shakes with guilt. “If you had never met me, no one, not the X-Men, not humanity, would have stood any chance of stopping you from achieving our dream.”

Apocalypse takes a few moments to respond.

APOCALYPSE: “Yes.”

SOFIA: “Yes?! And?!”

APOCALYPSE: “And I enjoy your company more than any I have had for the past century, so I do not regret my choice. I have faced 4,000 years of set-backs. This is just another.”

SOFIA, with a pained smile: “You really aren’t upset?”

APOCALYPSE: “I am. But I am not going to blame you for matters outside your control. I am your father, not the worm who gave you your first life.” He pauses to admire Sofia as her smile warms up. “Do you doubt that we are strong enough to destroy all who stand against us?”

SOFIA, shaking her head: “No. I do not.”

APOCALYPSE: “Then there are no problems.”

Apocalypse attempts once more to meditate, only to be hit with a burst of fire from behind, knocking him back.

He glares at Sofia as she smirks at him.

SOFIA: “I know that we are strong enough to defeat anyone. But I believe your full current strength should be tested. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Apocalypse momentarily looks pissed, before laughing and smiling at her.

APOCALYPSE: “You are so strange.”

The camera pans out, moving out of the bedroom. War laughs and screams as the sounds of their fight are heard.

In the present, Sofia has an answer for Sooraya.

SOFIA: “No. I have no regrets.”

Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto arrive back in the school, dramatically entering the foyer. Kitty lets Emma know telepathically that everyone’s together in the Mission Room.

As the three headmasters make their way there, Pixie and Blindfold take notice of them.

MEGAN, blowing up obnoxiously large bubbles with her bubblegum: “What are they in such a hurry for?”

RUTH: “I believe the time has come for this semester’s battle between the X-Men and those who seek to damn us all.”

MEGAN: “Uh, what do you mean, “this semester’s, Blindy”?”

RUTH: “Please don’t talk to me.”

Scott, Emma, and Erik arrive in the Mission Room, where they find Kitty, Magik, Dani, Warpath, Cannonball, Karma, and Wolfsbane all waiting.

SCOTT: “Alright, X-Men. Listen up. We know where the Horsemen are. And it’s time we–”

Sam interrupts Scott, apologizing, but wondering where Sunspot is.

EMMA: “We gave Roberto a choice regarding his future on this team. From the fact he is currently blocking out my telepathy, it appears he’s made his decision. Understood?”

None of the New Mutants look happy about whatever went on, but now’s not the time to dwell.

“Let’s get to the battle plan.”

Scott turns, and is surprised to see one more face: Iceman.

ICEMAN, shaking Cyclops’ hand: “Heard we were finally doing this.”

SCOTT, barely smiling: “Glad you’re here. Sit down.”

The headmasters fill in everyone on what they know. The Horsemen’s base is located directly underneath their previous one. They know what to expect from Lady Akabba, Exodus, Malice, and Akihiro by now. The wins the Horsemen have scored against them were thanks to their surprises, but there shouldn’t be any more of those. Still, don’t forget that there are still no doubt other villains they’ve faced in the past working for them.

SCOTT: “They have our kids. Every one of our X-Men in Training has been taken.” Dani is clearly pissed. “They have Logan, Storm, and Colossus.” Kitty is enraged. “And they have Scarlet Witch. I don’t know what they’ve been waiting for, but if we don’t act now, they will use her to rewrite everything.” Erik shuts his eyes.

SCOTT: “Dani, these are your students, and I know you’ve been wanting this. Welcome to the X-Men.”

Dani nods affirmatively. Magik pats her on the back.

SCOTT: “Kitty, Magik, you’re obviously with us. The rest of you are staying here.”

This comment causes an uproar among the others, who all want to fight, but Magneto orders them all to settle down and behave like adults.

ERIK: “Even if some of you barely are ones.”

Rahne growls at him.

Bobby demands to know what Scott’s doing.

BOBBY: “I come back out here, I’m the biggest gun you’ve got, and Warren and Brian need me to get justice for them, and you’re benching me?!”

Scott tells him that it’s because he’s their biggest gun that he can’t come with them. Look they already have, now look who he’s taking.

SCOTT: “If you come with us and we fail, there’s no one left who’s capable of stopping them.” He puts a hand on Iceman’s shoulder. “If we go down, it’s up to you. Got it?”

Bobby doesn’t like it, but he gets it and agrees.

EMMA: “Our hypothetical back-up squad will also require a leader.” She turns her head. “James. Ideally we won’t give you the chance to, but don’t let us down.”

Warpath is more than a little surprised they picked him over Bobby or Sam.

MAGNETO: “Don’t be. You’ve earned it.”

WARPATH, proudly nodding: “You’ve got it.”

CYCLOPS: “Okay then. To me, my X-Men!”

Kitty, Magik, and Dani gather around the three headmasters, with Magik teleporting the six of them away in a stepping disc.

Underground, Akihiro stalks through the cells, cleaning Julian’s blood off his hands.

“Death!”

Akihiro raises an eyebrow at the sound of who’s calling his name. He turns to find Dust walking him from behind.

AKIHIRO, dismissively: “Something I can help you with?”

He doesn’t even pay attention to her, turning his attention to cleaning himself off.

SOORAYA, put off: “I am friends with your “lady”. Should you not be more respectful?”

Aki laughs and looks up at her.

AKIHIRO: “You’re bold. Stupid, but bold. How can I help you, Dust?”

Sooraya is momentarily distracted by the blood on Akihiro’s hands before she answers.

SOORAYA: “I am about to leave to visit my mother in the hospital. Before I left, I wanted to thank you.”

AKIHIRO: “For what?”

SOORAYA: “You found Leper Queen. If you hadn’t been able to do that so quickly, Laura and I would be dead right now. So…thank you for saving our lives.”

The concept of being thanked for actually preventing death is one that’s clearly foreign to Akihiro from the look on his face, but she shakes it off.

AKIHIRO: “It was Lady Akabba’s will, so it was done.”

DUST: “You mean you do not care if Laura dies? I doubt that.”

AKIHIRO: “It’s not up to me. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s someone I need to go see who’s definitely going to die.”

Aki turns around to go see Logan, but…

DUST: “I want to speak to Storm before I go.”

AKIHIRO, still walking away: “Unless War gave you permission, that’s not happening.”

DUST: “Did she give you permission to torture her king?”

That stops Akihiro in his tracks.

AKIHIRO: “How did you…”

He trails off as all the sand particles on the floor hover into the air.

SOORAYA: “We are in the desert, Death. There is nothing here I cannot see, and nothing I cannot hear.”

Akihiro resumes walking after a moment.

AKIHIRO: “You get two minutes. But I promise, if this is a trick, it won’t matter to me who your friends are.”

Dust finnesses some of the sand particles delicately into Akihiro’s hair.

DUST: “That won’t be a problem. Thank you.”

In the bar, as Jean eats a Phoenix-themed sunday, she tells Sunspot what she needs from him. First, he needs to take the Cuckoos home. These girls have suffered so much and, much as she hates to admit, Scott and Emma are who they need right.

BETO, taking a guess: “And you don’t want to have to explain the situation to them yourself because…that would mean talking to them.”

Jean pops a cherry in her mouth and sucks on it.

JEAN: “The other favor is a little more involved, and I’ll understand if you aren’t up to it?”

BETO AND JEAN (who knows exactly what Beto will say): “Roberto Da Costa is up for anything.”

Beto glares at her. Jean looks back warmly, telling him there’s no point with the bravado around her. He can relax.

BETO: “Not something I’ve been good at since hitting puberty, I’m afraid.”

JEAN, leaning in and resting her hand on Beto’s arm: “I need you…to keep doing what you’re doing.” Beto raises an eyebrow. “For me.”

Beto doesn’t understand. Jean explains that she completely shares his fears over Cyclops and Emma screwing everything up for both Mutantkind and humanity and, at this stage, she has just as little confidence in Magneto.

JEAN: “Maybe even less.”

Jean knows he’s been building his own operation, with the help of some of his old friends, and some old enemies. All for the purpose of protecting Mutants, should the X-Men fail.

JEAN: “Skimming your mind, it’s a solid plan. But wouldn’t it be so much better if, instead of just a contingency plan for after the fact, you had a way to actually stop them?”

ROBERTO: “I’m listening.”

Jean finishes her sunday by abrosbing it into herself, as he levitates herself, and levitates Beto onto his feet.

Energy swirls around Jean, shaking the ground and making the lights flicker, as she groans in mild pain. She pants as she completes her task, releasing a tall, flaming crystal from her pointer finger, with it sitting on her finger delicately on its tip.

PHOENIX: “This is a Phoenix Shard. It is a piece of my essence. Cute, isn’t it?”

ROBERTO: “You’re giving me a piece of you?”

PHOENIX: “No. I’m going to implant it in your heart.”

Jean explains that once this is inside him, he will no longer be among the weakest X-Men. He won’t be among the strongest either, but he will be able to hold his own. It will bring out his full potential.

JEAN: “And, just once, when the time comes that the X-Men must be stopped in their tracks from making a grave error, it will give you the ability to fufill any singular miracle necessary to stop them. It will then burn out after that use, and all the power will slip away, And, if you use it for selfish or malicious reasons, thinking you can go behind my back, it will also incinerate your heart.”

Beto looks into the Phoenix Shard, captivated by how free the flames dance within their confined space. He takes a moment to think.

BETO, standing tall and popping his collar: “It would have been nice working more with you, Jean Grey.”

JEAN, grinning: “Is that a yes?”

BETO, nodding: “Yes It is.”

JEAN; “Good. And don’t worry. We will work together again.”

Jean raises her finger, the crystal not moving or falling as she does so. She slowly sticks it inside Roberto’s chest, making him scream, and lighting up the bar.

Cyclops, Emma, Magneto, Kitty, Magik, and Dani appear in the desert via stepping disc. They’re ready for battle, with Scott already having a blast ready to fire, Emma in her diamond form, and Magik and Dani with their weapons drawn.

CYCLOPS: “Stay alert, X-Men. Emma, can Kitty phase us here, or do we need to move?”

Before Emma can answer, a furious wind blows sand all around the X-Men, and into their faces. As everyone coughs, Kitty grabs onto them to phase them through the sandstorm. Emma and Magneto don’t wait any longer to use telekinesis and magnetism to clear the storm.

When the sandstorm is cleared, the X-Men turn their attention to the highly-visible figure responsible for it. Dressed in her full armor, Lady Akabba stands before them.

WAR: “X-Men. I am glad you are here. Claiming victory while you still stand would have felt wrong.”

Dani doesn’t hesitate to fire a spirit arrow at War’s head, but Lady Akabba casually draws her sword and deflects it in the same motion. Dani’s eyes are wet and intense.

LADY AKABBA: “I see we are getting straight to the point then.”

DANI: “You murdered two of our students. You aren’t walking away from this.”

BEAT

LADY AKABBA: “I wasn’t expecting to see you today, Ms. Moonstar. As I am the only reason Selene didn’t snap you like a twig, I believe gratitude is in order.”

DANI: “What the Hell are you talking about?”

Before War can answer, Cyclops fires a mid-level blast at Lady Akabba, which she flies into the air to avoid.

SCOTT: “We know you aren’t how you present yourself. We know you’re just the latest kid Apocalypse brainwashed, just with a god complex. You can’t fight all of us. Call out your Horsemen, or surrender.”

BEAT

Lady Akabba laughs. She laughs more and more, as her voice fluctuates between her natural one and her modulated one.

LADY AKABBA: “Oh, Mr. Summers. How is it you can have plans and contingencies for everything…” War reaches behind her head and undoes the clasps of her helmet. She takes it off and shakes her glossy brown hair, revealing herself as Sofia. “And yet you couldn’t see what was right in front of you?”

Scott, Emma, Kitty, and Magik are all shocked. Dani pulls her hands to her mouth, tears escaping her eyes, horrified.

Magik is the first to get over her shock, charging up mystical energy in her hand as she roars.

SOFIA, smirking: “Emma, take them out.”

The psychic command implanted in Emma’s mind back at the beach activates, forcing her to comply. She psy-blasts the other X-Men without restraint, before collapsing. Illyana and Dani are knocked out by the blasts, but Magneto is protected by his helmet, and while Cyclops and Kitty are forced to their knees, their red triangles are strong enough to keep them awake.

Cyclops fires a much larger blast than before at Sofia, which she meets in mid-aid with a wave of flames.

SCOTT: “Magneto, take her down!”

Erik nods. And then knocks out Kitty with a magnetic blast.

SCOTT: “What?!”

Magneto then knocks out Cyclops as well.

Sofia giggles as Magneto hangs his head in shame, removes his helmet, and kneels.

LADY AKABBA: “Well done, Magneto.” She lands right in front of him. “You have no idea how good it feels to have you at my feet.”

ERIK, cringing: “The X-Men are defeated. My life is forfeit. And in exchange…”

SOFIA: “Your children may have a bumpy ride getting there, but they will all survive into my new world.”

As Erik struggles with what he’s done, Lady Akabba backhands him to knock him out.

We flash back to months ago to a rarely seen mansion, where Walter Barrett is annoyed, as he’s forced to get dressed in the middle of the night, and return to the office to take care of something.

WALTER: “Derek, get the card ready! We need to be there fast. These damn, incompotent…”

Walter trails off as he’s startled, entering the foyer of his home, to find Sofia, dressed in normal clothes, but with her new sword on her waist, and her blue skin visible.

SOFIA: “Hello, Walter.”

WALTER: “Sofia?! What is the meaning of this?! You nearly gave me a damn heart attack!”

SOFIA, grinning and floating up to him: “I am sorry.”

WALTER: “If you’re here to take me up on my offer, you’re far too late. Especially if that new pigment of yours is permanent.”

SOFIA, shaking her head: “I am not here for your home or money.” Sofia blows him away, forcing him against the wall. He tries to scream, but she prevents the sound of his voice from traveing anywhere. “I already have more than you could ever offer.”

Walter, terrified and whimpering, asks what she’s doing. She can’t just come in here and murder him.

SOFIA: “I studied English more recently than you. Murder is also known as homocide because it is the killing of someone by another of their kind. That is not what is happening here.” Walter screams as she slashes his face with the air. “This is the beginning of an extermination. And I cannot think of anywhere better to start.”

Walter pleads and begs for his life, clearly amusing Sofia, and each time he tries to call for help, Sofia crushes the soundwaves in mid-air.

SOFIA: “Think of what you could have had if you weren’t such a worthless worm. My mother. Me. And all of this to enjoy with us in a long, happy life. Instead, you will die here, surrounded by your riches, alone and unloved by anyone.” She grips his throat and chokes him. “I am not your daughter. But if there is anything you have ever wanted to tell me, say it now.”

As Walter’s face weakens, it seems like he may actually have some heartfelt final words. Instead…

WALTER: “Yes. I should never have fucked that damn who–!”

Sofia squeezes her hand, and pops Walter’s head off.

Sofia is shaken by the act, freezing up for a moment, and looking at the blood all over her. This took more out of her than expected.

“Sofia?”

In a daze, and with her instincts kicking in, Sofia spins around, swinging her sword. Only to realize in horror that she just sliced through Derek ‘s chest.

SOFIA, as Derek falls over: “No.”

DEREK, on the floor and bleeding out, reaching out a hand: “Sofia…please help me.”

Sofia institucally moves to take his hand, but stops herself as she catches her reflection in her sword. She steels herself as she pulls her hand back and stands tall.

SOFIA: “I almost forgot myself. How weak of me. To almost value the life of a man so worthless he devotes it to a man he hates.” She points her palm down at him. “Thank you for taking care of Sofia. But that service is no longer needed.”

We cut away as Sofia releases her flames.

In the present, Surge finally wakes up, seated at the dining room table in Clan Akabba’s face.

NORI: “What the Hell was that…nightmare?”

Cessily and Roxy wake up as well, neither remembering how they got here.

And Julian and Laura are each woken up a second time, as they all find themselves sitting around the same table, and with the same hostess.

Lady Akabba, in an evening gown, sits at the head of a table, a lavish meal spread across the table, and Dust stood behind her lady.

LADY AKABBA: “I know you all must be very confused, my friends. But fear not. I will show you all the way.”

As Surge, Mercury, and Bling! are all in shock, Laura is pissed, and Julian is heartbroken. Elsewhere in the base, Akihiro is waking up Logan, Exodus and Malice are torturing Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Storm, Colossus, Dani, Kitty, and Magik are locked up, guarded by Greycrow and Riptide, and Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto are chained to the walls of Lady Akabba’s throneroom.

With victory at hand, Sofia ttriumphantly takes a sip of wine.

TO BE CONTINUED…

#New X-Men: The Animated Series #New X-Men #Academy X #Scott Summers #Emma Frost #Magneto #Kitty Pryde #Roberto Da Costa #Illyana Rasputin #Laura kinney #Sofia Mantega #Julian Keller #Noriko Ashida #sooraya qadir #cessily kincaid #Roxanne washington #The Stepford Cuckoos

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coconut530 · 5 months ago

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WHAHAHAHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!?!

#Nevermore #Nevermore Webtoon #Webtoon #OMG NEVERMORE’S FIRST SEASON IS COMPLETE #WHAT A CRAZY FEELING MARCH 3 2022 ME COULD NOT HAVE THOUGHT THIS IS WHERE WE’D BE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS #BUT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #FIRST OFF THANK YOU RED N’ FLYNN FOR YOUR WONDERFUL WORK THIS SEASON IT WAS AMAZING I LOVED ALL OF IT #OK EPISODE UHHHH DOLLY AND POPPET ARE STILL CUTE AND BADASS #POPPET YOU LEFT HER ALL ALONE SHE CALLED YOU THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE #OOOOOOHHHHHH POPPET’S MAGIC PRETTY ALL THE MAGIC IN THIS SERIES PRETTYYYYYYY #PROSPERO LOOKS SO PRETTY IN HIS PAJAMAS IDKKKK WHYYYYYY LOVE THE SHIRT #SORRY MONTY YOU CAN’T RUN #WASSUP WILL LOOK AT THE BOOOOOIIIIISSSSSSSS #POPPET’S SPEECH LOOKED SO COOL #OOOOHHHHHH THEY’RE ALL SO SCAREDDDDD #LENORE BROKE MY HEART THIS EPISODE OMG LIKE WHEN THEY WERE HOLDING HER BACK AND SHE’S LIKE “NO!”#“DON’T MAKE ME SIT IDLY BY WHILE IT KILLS THE ONES I LOVE. LET ME GO. PLEASE.” HURRRRTTTTTSSSSS MEEEEEEEEEEEE I’M DYYYYYIIIINNNNGGGGG #JUST NEEDS HER WIFE THEN EVERYTHING’S FINE Y’ALL DON’T UNDERSTAND #WHY IS MANIFESTING IN FRONT OF IT SO BAD I WANT TO KNOW #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GET AWAY FROM HEEEERRRRRRRR STAGGGG #OHHHH THE DETAILS AND SHADING ON THAT LAST PANEL MMMMMMMMMMMMM DELICIOUS #THANK YOU SO MUCH RNF FOR BOTH YOUR SERIES THEY’RE THE LIGHTS OF MY LIFE WHEN THEY’RE GOING #TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED FOR S2 GET SOME REST #WE’LL BE HERE :))))#THANKS TO YOU GUYS FOR READING MY UNHINGED TAGS EVERY WEEK HOPE YOU’LL STICK AROUND FOR MORE OF ME AND MY THINGS #YAYYYYYYYYYYY NEVERMORE SEASON 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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meadow-dusk · 2 years ago

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Albums I Loved in 2023

March: Greendale (2002)

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Greendale has been with me for a while. I tend to listen to it on road trips, long stretches of uninterrupted time which are perfect for this album that really exists in story format. A concept album, perhaps in name, but it feels less like a cohesive narrative and more like leafing through a family photo book that survived in the rubble of a disaster along with someone who peripherally knew the people in the memories captured in these songs.

Neil, of course, is our guide and narrator. I like the way his voice changes form now and then to give a unique sound or personality to the characters on the album (especially the sometimes ornery yet righteous Grandpa), but I never felt removed from him and his own viewpoint. After three or four times of experiencing it this way, something really interesting happened: I realized developed a kind of sympathy towards all of the characters in this story. Even if they only "speak" for a measure or two, they feel rounded out and real. A little more of that humanity is revealed with every listen, and I feel that volumes of possible interpretations could actually be written about this record, mostly constructed around simple yet driving blues riffs. But I will not write them. I am content to allow the mysteries of Greendale to continue to exist. They don't have to be immediately understood for one to appreciate the high points of the record. "Sun Green" alone is reason enough not to leave this one out of the conversation of Neil's great works throughout his career.

Scattered throughout what strikes me as a story of justice and privacy and peace are beautiful sentiments for which appreciation is almost earned but also somehow felt instantly. Among my favorites are "a little love and affection in everything you do will make the world a better place with or without you" and the simple but poignant "share your lovin', and you'll live so long," which gets more tragic on each listen. Otherwise, I don't mind how there's a handful of parts that still leave me scratching my head...like the bit in "Leave the Driving" about an explosion going off on a computer across the world...or why Carmichael's wife Lenore can't know about the contents of his locker...or who's singing or receiving "Bandit" (does it matter? It's almost the crown jewel of the record. Listen to the live take above, and try not to let the hope for good things in your own future overwhelm and terrify you with its own immensity).

Anyway, I intended to be brief but as usual that didn't happen. This kind of feels like it could be one for the ages. I remember so many encounters with it that it's gotta have something truly magical to it. Next time you're out on the road and have ample time and thought to devote, I highly recommend driving to Greendale.

HI so I know it looks like I skipped February. What happened was the thing I was clinging to was not an album but a bootleg recording, and the whole thing disappeared from the internet again. So there was nothing to really post. If it ever surfaces again, expect me to be vocal about it. Also I was writing my own stuff for a while and that's a very different kind of language...anyway, as a result it's been a while since I've done one of these, and I feel rusty.

#TRY TO GET THROUGH BUT NOT 'BE' THROUGH #Albums I Loved in 2023 #Neil Young #Greendale

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the-crow-binary · 1 year ago

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I'd like to open with saying that I do not attack anyone who likes Lenore or Lenectore. Y'all do what you wanna do. However, what I am going to do, is explain my own opinon and it will unfortunately be in the form of a rant. (and in the process attack a very disgusting mentality than many Lenore/Lenectore fans seems to share) SO.

I'm going to address the tags:

I'll start with the first two ones. I can't really say if they are supposed to talk about the writer of the show or the anti-Lenectore fans. The first one does looks like it's against the writer, because Dracula is exactly that description, a "male character who did terrible shit for centuries and still got a redemption arc and a happy ending" (well, not even that, he did not get a redemption arc. Letting your son kill you and then hugging your wife in death isn't exactly an arc, lmao. But he did get a happy ending)

However, the second tag... it doesn't fit how Lenore was written at all. It fits the anti-Lenore/Lenectore fans. Why ? Because the show never demonized Lenore and it's exactly the problem. It has NOTHING to do with gender, and pretending otherwise is ignoring the real issues. Wich are:

Lenore did not get a proper redemption arc. Lenore never showed any regret for what she did. She apologized to Hector once, a minute before she dies, and it wasn't "i'm sorry for what i did to you". It was "I'm sorry for what happened to you". She did not even take accountability for what she did to him: manipulating him until he turned into her sex toy. When they mentioned their sex scene later on, Lenore went "oh shush, you were having fun". This is victim blaming at it's worst. You guys don't realise how DAMAGING what Hector went through is supposed to be. Imagine making love to your love one, only for them to take the opportunity of you being the most intimate you ever were with someone to turn you into their slave. It's betrayal, anyone would be heartbroken, and the only reason why Hector would still "love" her afterward would be the same reason why abused people stay with their abuser.

It's what their relationship should have been depicted as. An abusive relationship, with a man forced to serve a vampire that manipulated him. But that's not how it went down.

Instead, we have a timeskip. Last time we saw Hector, he was visibly disgusted/frightened by Lenore who had taken him to his sister, and talked about him like he was some pet, a sex doll that she thought was good at sex and that she wanted to train ("shhh, the real people are talking" she said after interrupting Hector. All the talk about her wanting Hector to "feel safe", to have "freedom of the castle", to "live like them" only looks like a manipulative tactic when compared to the way she refers to him as if he was lesser than a living being and the fact she had to set a trap for him to swear his loyalty to her). She tried touching him with her feet and he backed off. Lenore did not give a fuck about him at that point, it's pretty clear, and Hector was legitimately wary of her (just- just look at the whole "I MADE YOU INTO MY PET" scene here. THAT is the ONLY moment the show truly "demonize" her. This is clear as day: she is a villain.). And the last of Hector we see before the season ends, he is seemingly plotting something. Wich he was, we can see it in the very next season. But instead of having him manipulate Lenore in return... They show them making sex jokes together and totally ignoring what happened (both the sex scene and what happened in the scene i just linked).

Lenore did not get ANY redemption arc. The writers used the time skip to pretend they got closer and Hector forgave her but we, the viewers, did not get ANY transition to Hector being visibly upset, going "you TRICKED ME and TURNED ME INTO A SLAVE. MY LIFE IS OVER." (with Lenore minimizing his trauma :)), to him protecting Lenore. This is not real life, guys. This is a story, told to an audience. And stories need to show the progression for the audience to accept it. Otherwise, this is bullshit. (the only moments you don't need to show the progression is if it's 100% logic. Like two characters fell in love, and then time skip, and they have children ? We don't need to show them having sex or getting married or anything. It makes sense. But here, showing Hector being betrayed, getting wary of Lenore, visibly starting to scheme against her and the vampire sisters, seemingly ready to free himself for good... and then time skip and he GENUINELY flirts with Lenore ? That is NOT logic. I thought he was lying to her, and I wanted to think that up until the point he outright told Isaac to not harm her. That was the logic path to take.)

"Why's it anyone else's business if she's redeemed or if Hector forgives her????"

Well, it's our business, as viewers. Lenore and Hector are not real people who don't own their fans any right to their private lives. They're not real people who's relationship we should respect and not try to dig into. Those are fictional characters, who's job is to tell us a story, to make us invested in it. And just because the story wants us to lead us somewhere, it doesn't mean it does it right and it can't be criticised for it's execution.

Lenore could have gotten a redemption arc. If she had put in the work. If she had shown regrets and was ready to atone for her crimes. If Hector did not forgave her so quickly (we don't even know WHEN that happened, it's like he was never mad in the first place, when clearly he was!). But she did not. And the thing is... She was NOT demonized either. That's why I highly disagree with your second tag, because the only people demonizing her are people that don't like her. And they demonize her because the show wrote her horrifyingly badly. And the only moment she was shown as a villain is in the "i made you into my pet" scene.

But for season 4 ? She was turned into a poor little meow meow making sex jokes and never once taking responsability for hurting Hector. Hell, the whole season forgot Hector was genuinely hurt and traumatised by what Lenore did to him. It's like nothing happened. That's not the show being super deep with Hector who was able to forgive Lenore tricking him and using him... That's the show not giving any shit and putting actual care into depicting the trauma of a man and how a monster like Lenore could still do good.

A man can be traumatised by a woman. A woman can be an abuser. Show it as it is.

Lenore totally avoided taking any responsability in anything. And that is why her death cannot be seen as her "atoning". She didn't even kill herself because she felt bad for Hector, or anyone else she might have hurt in the past ! She killed herself because she WANTED TO. Because she couldn't "stay in the cage" not even with Hector (the fact she dared say that to Hector's face after literally forcing him into one, both physically and mentally, fucking hell). Because she was disgusted by her vampiric nature. All of her reasons were SELFISH. Poetic, yes, but selfish. It can't even be seen as a punishement for her bad deeds because she was seen as a poor little poetic meow meow up to the very last second. Her death scene was abolutely beautiful, the animation, the music, the fact she prefered to look at Hector instead of the sun before she dies, everything. It was a very good death scene... but it was the scene of a tragic character who seemingly didn't do anything wrong, or already atoned for it. In short: she did not deserve such a beautiful end. Not because she was the most evil character of the serie... but because the way she was written was insulting, incoherent, and straight up disgusting at times.

And look. It's okay to love evil/villains characters. Said characters having a "redemption arc" shouldn't be a prerogative. It's just fun, it's interesting, it's everything you want, and it's okay. But the problem with Lenectore, or Lenore alone, comes when the fans totally ignore everything she did wrong to pretend she is not a villain, she is innocent, what she did was not "that bad"... wich leads me to the third tag, for wich I have three main words to say:

What the FUCK.

Actually, no, scratch that. Four words.

What the ACTUAL FUCK.

I'm sorry, you probably don't know any better, but then, too many people don't know any better, and I need to vent. This is what I talked about earlier. Minimizing Hector's trauma. Except this isn't the evil, villain character doing it here. It's actual, real life people.

Hector getting hard in the sex scene. Hector seemingly "wanting" Lenore. Hector fucking Lenore. Hector not rebelling against Lenore. Only a few, but all shitty examples of why, apparently, Hector must not have been that traumatised. It must not have hurt him that bad, clearly he wasn't that affected in the end.

Excuses that are shared by Lenore and most of it's fans. And it is DISGUSTING. It shows none of you know anything about trauma, including the writer of the show.

Hector isn't a real life person and shouldn't be treated as such. He is a fictional character. But writing a fictional character doesn't mean you can depict trauma like shit. And the things people are saying about Hector are the same people say to actual traumatised people.

Look me in the eyes and tell me that men getting raped by women is seen and treated the same as a women getting raped by men. That women manipulating men is taken as seriously as men manipulating women. I dare you. It's not. How many men, or males have kept their feelings inside after being forced to have sex ? Or after being used ? How many people have told abused men "i'm sure you liked it" ? How many people think men HAVE to love sex, are even obsessed with it ?

Reverse the roles, go on. Make Hector manipulate Lenore until she has sex with him. Make him the one in power while Lenore is completely powerless (because that was their power dynamic for the longest time), forced to listen to him while he treats her like a literal dog and talk about how she's good at sex and he wants to train her. Make Lenore the defenless girl who goes "you tricked me and made me your slave ! my life is over !" in the most upset and traumatised way, and Hector going "your life is saved, Lenore. I gave you what you always truly needed. I made you into my pet. :)". Then make Lenore fall in love with him out of NOWHERE, with NO TRANSITION WHATSOEVER, making sex jokes with him like she was feeling completely DEVASTATED the last time we saw her, and see if Lenore being a woman is truly the main reason why people don't like her. You would hate Hector too if he did all those things to Lenore, never felt sorry for it, and died happily in his own terms without even trying to fix his mess or atone for it. And you would hate how shittily it represents the real life trauma of real life women.

Castlevania decided to tackle a real life issue, and then shat on it. Treated Hector like male victims are usually treated. Giving the impression that yeah, no, men can't get traumatised, men are way over that, look, he's already better. :)

There could have been something poetic and beautiful in someone who's been abused, creating a healthy relationship with their abuser. If said abuser repented. If said abuser, outside of just being sad, actually put in the work to better themself. To show that even if they grew in a specific environnement that made them the way they are, they now realise that it is not the way they wanna live, the way they wanna be, and decide to change. To earn their victim's forgiveness. But that's a process that takes a long time... and not SIX WEEKS. THAT'S NOT EVEN TWO MONTHS. We are to believe that Hector became all lovey-dovey with the woman who manipulated and used him and ripped him of his freedom and very probably began using him for sex (since she wanted to "train him") in SIX WEEKS ?? But yeah, sure, people ! Keep pretending Lenore is such an ideal mommy and Hector nothing but his dog ! Nothing to see here !

"at least Lenore let him hit" I CAN'T EVEN- HECTOR IS BEING ABUSED. THIS IS WHAT IT IS. The writing might have forgot about it BUT IT IS. Lenectore's whole relationship is based on deception. Mostly on Lenore's part. She likes to pretend she protects Hector, but SHE is the one who put him in the situation he was in.

SHE is the one who chose her sisters over him, and made it very clear that they came before him. SHE is the one who put Hector in a real and metaphorical cage, to then act like she was the best dogkeeper in the whole world. "i've been protecting you from Carmilla the whole time" "i want you to be free... but only in the cage i built for you, you can't go outside :)" "lol i made you into my pet, that's what you wanted, right ? sure you've been lied to and manipulated by THREE vampires now and my sister Carmilla made sure to torture you and make your whole journey to come here a nightmare and i will never go against her for you but you still got hard when you saw my boobies so it's okay, right ? <3" the way their relationship is depicted is DISGUSTING and the way too much fans thirst over it and talk about is just as disgusting.

Then again, if you ship Lenectore, or just like Lenore, go on. Don't let me stop you. Having ships that are "toxic" or "abusive" or just not vanilla at all can be quite fun, I'm not sure why villains are so appealing, but I definitely get it. But don't pretend it's a good written relationship, that there is nothing wrong with that, that Lenore was not the monster she was and that her relationship with Hector was actually earned. It comes at the cost of minimizing a male character's trauma (and, by extension, those of IRL people), rape apologism, and straight up ignorance.

I have ships myself that are "horrible". Unhealthy, abusive, manipulative... sometimes I don't just want a cute ship or a hot dynamic. Sometimes I just wanna see the world burn. <3 Same goes with single evil/villain characters. But I KNOW that they're bad and it's actually WHY I like them. Meanwhile, neither the show nor the fans wants to acknowledge the fact Lenore is a villain and she deeply hurt Hector with no proper consequences. Lenector is not interesting as an abusive relationship, and with their bonding moments being 50% sex jokes and 50% Lenore being sad, it's not interesting as a cute couple either.

Tl;Dr: Lenore and Lenectore suck but idc if you like them as long as you are aware of how much and why they suck.

Things I'm still not over in 2023:

Why Lenore gotta die Castlevania TAS, huh??? Why's it anyone else's business if she's redeemed or if Hector forgives her???? Why couldn't they have just fucked off back to Rhodes and lived quietly and peacefully huh???

#and just to point out: Dracula's 'redemption' and happy ending wasn't earned either #so it's not a matter of 'hot vampire lady' can't get happy ending (though in her case she seems pretty happy with her ending)#while 'male character' can #it's a matter of 'oh this show's writing suck how come I've never noticed it before'#don't let the great animation fool you.#(Alucard's trauma was also minimized btw. yet again a male character victim of rape and betrayal who's trauma is depicted like shit. <3)#tired of people using the mysoginy card to defend their badly written character #like the badly written character as much as you want. it's okay. you don't need to pretend they're not badly written to like them.#you can find good things or not so good things but that you like nonetheless in a badly written character. there's nothing wrong with that.#but stop pretending the dude who's been abused actually liked it and people don't like the abuser just because she's a woman.#anti lenectore #anti netflixvania

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kiatheinsomniac · 3 years ago

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Hey I saw that you write for Camilla so I was wondering if You could do a camilla x vampire reader. kind of like the kassanda one you did where reader was out hunting and kassanda left only leaving note and they argue one.

I was think that it could be Camilla getting back from braila and she is upset reader didn’t greet her at the gate only for her to find reader reading in their bedroom. Camilla starts rants a little about the terrible journey and Dracula and his pathetic council only for reader to finally look up from the book (she pretending to be reading) and tells Camilla that she wouldn’t know because Camilla left her behind. They argue about why only for a servant to interrupt and tell’s Camilla her bath is ready. Camilla practically drag reader along with her and puts her in the bath as well (reader not really fight because I t’s easier to go along with her than fight). Only for Camilla to explain why she couldn’t bring reader, maybe reader being the only weakness she allows herself, how reader grounds her ambitions. How if she lost the reader she wouldn’t see what the point of being immortal. Maybe something about how when she first saw reader she knew she had to be with you, had to turn you so she would never have to lose you. Then maybe things get steamy.

Use or scrap whatever works or doesn’t up to you. This scene has just been bouncing around in head for a bit. Love your writing by the way and amazing to find someone who actually writes for Camilla, I love her and striga so much. ❤️❤️ Sexy Badass Vampire Bitches❤️❤️

Oh gods, I had so much fun writing this! I really love requests like this that give me a lot to work with so that I don't run into the risk of hitting writer's block. I'm so happy to have a request outside of Assassins' Creed too - don't get me wrong, I LOVE writing about AC but I've been wanting to expand my blog to be more multifandom. Oh and things DO get steamy ;)

TW: (blink and you'll miss) attempted non-con, smut, biting, scratching, bloodplay, dom/sub dynamics

Word count: 4.3k

You and I are one forever

“But where are Morana and (Y/n)?” Carmilla asked Lenore and Striga, looking further down the bridge that went past the gate to the palace. The two vampires before her shared an uneasy look before Striga answered.

“They are waiting inside, come.”

Morana had, indeed, been waiting inside with a cup of virgin’s blood to offer Carmilla as they all listened to her tale of the trip back from Braila. You, however, were nowhere to be found and it wasn’t until Carmilla retired to your shared bedroom that she found you. You were curled up on the window seat, book in hand, dressed in a silk robe. You would have been able to see that your wife had returned and yet you had not gone to greet her.

“800 fucking miles with no horses!” She exclaimed as she began stripping off her tattered cloak and dress, tossing them into a laundry hamper (not that they would ever see the light of day again, in their state of ruin), “After having to put up with Dracula’s tantrum of the century over his human pet,” You winced at her words, “his equally useless council, that whining sack of shit of a forgemaster and the goddamn castle being dragged miles away by some magician.” She paused when she realised that you had not looked up at her once. She had been gone for weeks and you didn’t show her the tiniest slither of your attention. She continued, wanting to see if this was something you were doing on purpose, “Do you know how insufferable those vampires were?”

“No, I don’t know because I never got to meet them. You left me behind instead.” You finally shut the book and turned your head to face her, indifferent to the fact she was only wearing her undergarments. Carmilla sighed in frustration. She didn’t want to argue over something that she had already laid out so clearly for you.

“You knew that I didn’t want you to go…” She sounded angry but that characteristic sharp edge was missing from her tone now.

“Yes, but to finally agree to let me go with you, just to spend the night tiring me out with sex so that I wouldn’t wake when you slipped away without a word in the morning, going for weeks, leaving your wedding ring behind?” You swallowed hard, not wanting your hurt to overtake your anger, “That was a low blow, Carmilla.” She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly a maid came in, eyes trained on the floor as she stood in the threshold of the door.

“Lady Carmilla, your bath is ready.” Your wife let out a sigh and dismissed her with a flick of her wrist before she made her way across the room to you, taking the book from your hands and setting it aside, raising you to your feet.

“Come, join me.” She spoke, her voice authoritative enough for you to know that she wouldn’t take no for an answer; whatever Carmilla wanted, she saw to it that she got it. You followed her to the bathroom, allowing her to hold your hand but not holding it back.

The bathroom was a pristine white with a tall ceiling, the bath a large, steaming pool built into the ground and two large mirrors being built in the shape of floor-to-ceiling arches on the opposite side of the pool. The room was filled with steam and the scent of oranges and something resembling cinnamon as she stripped off the rest of your clothes and you looked anywhere but at her face as she pushed the robe from your shoulders, kneeling down to slide your pants down your legs and pressing a soft kiss to your cheek as she rose back up to your feet.

“Come…” She said in a quiet voice as she took your hand once more. This time, it was with her left hand and you realised that she had put her wedding ring back on, bringing you into the pool and sinking down into the shallower end of it, leaning against the side as she set you between her legs, pulling you back against her chest, “Don’t ignore me, my love…” She murmured against your hair as her hands cupped the steaming water to cover your shoulders with.

“I’ve felt ignored for weeks, Carmilla.” You spoke flatly. The pain wasn’t fresh but it had been prolonged for far too long and she had yet to ask for your forgiveness. “You lied to me, you left me and you’ve been gone for weeks. Now, you come back and you make no move to ask me how I feel but you ramble on about Dracula. The old fool’s dead and yet he seems to have more of your attention than your wife still.” You felt her rest her forehead against your left shoulder, hands wrapping around your waist under the water to hold you close.

“It almost killed me to be so far away from you for so long, my (Y/n), please don’t ever doubt that.” Those deep red lips brushed against your shoulder and you could feel the gentle scrape of her fangs there when she pulled away from the open-mouthed kiss that she planted there. “I’m sorry that I left my ring behind too, I can’t count the times that I reached for it when I needed you to support me, only to remember that I could not bring it.” You felt her body move from behind you until she was kneeling at your side, a hand cupping your jaw to turn you to face her. When your gazes met, those icy blue eyes were anything but cold and hot tears spilled from your eyes when she pressed the most tender kiss to your lips, her thumb coming to trace the shape of your mouth afterwards, dragging your bottom lip down just enough to see your fangs. You let out a sigh and searched her eyes desperately, needing to see in them that she would never, ever, do something like this to you again.

“I know how our relationship started…” You began, thinking back to when you had run to the gates of her castle as a human woman, having nowhere else to go with the pair of men chasing you having already torn the front of your dress open before you were lucky enough to find an opportunity to slip away. You were so utterly terrified of them in the moment that all of a sudden, the domain of the four vampire queens had become a sanctuary for you.

Carmilla had taken you in when her guards brought you and the two men before her: whether it was out of pity or her disdain for men, you weren’t sure at the time but she had been kind to you in one of the most terrifying moments of your life and had kept you in the safety of her castle. You came to be told, years later, that she had taken you in out of a want to have you and a fierce need to protect you, to know that you would always be safe.

Yes, you had been a pet after that day, but you had been even more surprised at how readily you would bend to her every whim and command. She had often flaunted her immortality to you, made it abundantly clear that she did not see you as her equal for as long as you were human, but not once was she ever cruel to you during that time. Your relationship changed over the next three years and she went from your mistress to your lover to your wife.

Your wedding night was far from traditional, according to human standards anyway. She couldn’t bear the thought of you withering and dying of age as she remained as unchanging as a portrait and so she had turned you that night, giving you her gift of immortality so that you would never have to be parted from each other. An inhumanly excruciating gift, mind you, but you knew, deep in your heart, that you would willingly suffer that pain every night if it meant that you would be with her forever.

“But I’m not your human pet anymore, Carmilla. I’m a vampire, your wife, your equal and you have to treat me as such.” Her face crumpled for a moment and her lips parted in shock at your words.

“My love, I don’t see you as a pet, I haven’t for many years now.” She began, “I’m sorry that I’ve made you feel that way, I truly am. You are my equal, (Y/n), and I swear to you that I will never do anything like this to you again. You are mine, you shall be mine...” You leaned into her hand as another bout of tears fell from your eyes, recalling those same words from just before she turned you.

“... you and I are one forever.” You quoted her. You surged up to kiss her, fingers tangling in her white hair, feeling her pull your body flush against hers. She pulled away when a sob tore from your lips, “I’ve missed you, I’ve missed you so much.”

“You are the only weakness I allow myself, my (Y/n).” She murmured, pressing her forehead to yours, “I made you immortal because I couldn’t bear the thought of ever losing you.” Her voice trembled and it shocked you because it was rare for your wife to be so vulnerable, even with you, the person she was the closest to in the world. “If anything ever happened to you because I was careless, because I didn’t protect you enough…” She squeezed you tighter and one hand came to push the damp hair away from your face, “My immortality would no longer be a blessing but a curse…” She whispered, swallowing hard as your breaths fanned across each other’s faces. “Planning on betraying Dracula put me at risk and I had to be careful. But I’ve had so much more experience with vampires, as you know, and I wouldn’t dream of putting you in such danger.”

“I still missed you.” You mumbled against her lips, leaning in enough to graze your own ones against them in the softest kiss you had ever shared.

“And I missed you equally, my love.” She murmured back, kissing you with all the passion to convey the depth of emotion behind those words. You were panting now, arms around her neck, tangled in her pale hair as she grabbed you just under your breasts, guiding you backwards until she could lift you onto the edge of the pool, stepping out quickly to kneel beside you, smiling as you surged up to your own knees to meet her crimson lips sooner.

Her lips slanted across your jaw and down to your neck, feeling her tongue swipe against your skin and moaning when she nipped at your collarbone as she pushed you down to sit on your calves, taking your face in her hand so that her fingers squeezed your cheeks slightly, forcing your kiss-swollen lips into a pout. Her lipstick was smudged around her mouth and you knew that that could only mean she was admiring her work.

“Look at you, always such a beautiful mess.” There was that familiar dominance in her ice blue eyes but her smile was nothing but genuine as she took in how her lipstick was smeared across your mouth, peppered along your jaw, streaked along your neck and encircling the red bite mark that would no doubt bruise soon. Your chest heaved with a few panting breaths in anticipation of all the things she might have planned for you in her weeks away. Though, she glanced back to the bath and her lips curled down in a frown. “But you’re not the only one that’s a mess at the moment, the journey back was hell.”

You slowly rose to your feet and took her hand, guiding her back into the pool.

“It’s been weeks…” You spoke softly, coaxing her head back and beginning to wash her hair for her, “I can wait a few minutes more.” Eyes that had been closed in relaxation at the feeling of your hands massaging shampoo into her hair opened up again and she took your face in her hand again to pull you down for a kiss.

“Keep the lipstick on though, won’t you?” She hummed, looking over what she had done to you and already planning how she would mark you next as you washed her hair lovingly. Later, she sat up so that you could wash her back with a soap that smelled of pomegranate and blood oranges while she washed the rest of her body herself. Cheekily, you slipped your hands to the front of her chest, streaking handfuls of bubbles over her breasts and stopping to tease her nipples, making her hum out a moan as she glanced over her shoulder to meet your eyes, clutching your wrists. “I thought you were patient.” She mused.

“So did I…” You replied back as she turned in your arms, her hand trailing between your own breasts before settling at your throat, pulling you in for a dominating kiss, fangs nipping at your lower lip and making you gasp. She pulled back to look over your flushed face, your eyes fixed to her lips.

“Bedroom. Now.” She spoke in a soft voice but there was no doubting the command behind her words. You nodded your head quickly and she smiled, taking your hand as you both made your way back to the bedroom, not giving a care in the world for your state of undress nor the water dripping from your bodies. She had you on the bed in no time, straddling your hips and keeping her hand at your throat, her grip certain but not pressing down on you just yet. She only removed her hands to trail kisses along the hollow of your throat, her body working down yours until she had a knee between one of your legs, pressing it up against you and making you gasp, pressing your hips down to meet her.

“Carmilla…” You sighed, craving more of her kisses already.

“You’re not just wet from the bath are you?” She hummed teasingly and you turned your head to the side to hide your face from her but she simply turned you back to meet her eyes, leaning down to kiss you harshly as she continued to drag her knee between your thighs. Your hands landed at her hips, squeezing before pushing up to cup the weight of her breasts, thumbs flicking over her nipples, making her moan into your mouth.

“Please…” You gasped out when she pulled away for a moment, “Let me touch you, make you feel good, please.” She gave you a soft smile, tracing your lip with a finger that no longer bore the signature claws of a vampire. Gods, were you happy to find out that they could retract when you both first began to get involved in each other sexually.

“I had wanted to show my darling wife just how much I missed her…” She was trying to tempt you but your mind was already made up. You had missed the taste of her far too much.

“And you will but please let me do this for you, my love.” You pushed a lock of wet hair behind her pointed ear and she nodded, watching with amusement as your face lit up and you pushed her to lay back on the bed, taking one of her pale legs in your hand so that you could kiss up her thigh, settling them on your shoulders. You sucked down a bruise into her skin, hearing how it made her let out a low hum, fingers coming down to push your hair back from your head before tangling your locks around her long and slender fingers. You looked up into her pale blue eyes from under your lashes before you slowly sank your fangs down into the soft flesh, making her gasp and tighten her grip before you began slowly lapping at the wound, flattening your tongue against it in a show of what you would do next.

The colour of her blood was only slightly darker than the red of her lipstick that was still smeared around your mouth and you buried your face snugly between her plush thighs, tongue delving into her entrance and raking upwards to lap at her clit, pressing a hot kiss there. The mixed flavour of her wetness and blood was on your hungry tongue as you gently grazed your teeth against the sensitive bundle of nerves before opening your mouth and sucking down, whining as she tugged at your hair in pleasure, the feeling shooting straight between your thighs. Your mouth went back down, tongue slipping into her entrance as your nose nudged against her clit, the sounds of her moaning only making the slickness pool between your legs. She bucked her hips against your face slightly when you nipped slightly at her inner thigh again but she often had a lot of self-control in the bedroom and quickly recomposed herself.

“Can I put my fingers inside of you?” You asked in a voice that was far too innocent for your request, the vibrations of your words pressed against her clit. You traced your sharp nails down her pale thighs, retracting them as you did.

“Go ahead, sweet girl.” She moaned and the grip on your hair eased up a little before coming back in full-force when you slipped your middle finger halfway inside of her, your ring finger quickly joining before you pushed them deeply inside of her, feeling how hot and slick she was and a wave of pride washed over you at knowing you were the one to do that to her. As you curled them upwards, pressing against that softer part of her that made her hips jolt in pleasure again, she brought your head up a little so that she could see your whole face, her other hand coming up so that her thumb could press against your tongue that just stuck out from past your lips, watching a string of saliva fall from your mouth to her already soaked pussy. You continued stroking your fingers against that sensitive spot inside of her as you pumped them in and out, feeling how slick she was with each thrust of your wrist.

You couldn’t help but press your thighs together to try and sate your growing need as you brought your mouth down to her clit, sucking down hard and moaning at seeing how she threw her head back, feeling her tug at your hair again. You reached up, hands resting over her ribs as her back arched up and you flicked your tongue quickly over her clit, fucking her harder with your fingers and feeling how she squeezed your head with her thighs. That, paired with how she was only getting tighter around your fingers. You pushed a third finger inside of her entrance and she let out a shrill moan, coming around your hand as you slowed your pace, fingering her shallowly to help her ride out her orgasm.

She released your head and you got up onto your knees, putting your hands upon your knees to fight the urge to touch yourself. She laid there for a few more moments, panting while you admired how you could make her come undone so easily and knowing that you were the only person in the whole world who she would ever surrender control to.

For a time, that is.

She got up and pulled you towards her, pinning you beneath her as she pushed your thighs apart, making you feel the cool air against your glistening pussy. Her lips pressed harshly to the collarbone that she hadn’t marked and she made her way down to your breasts, cupping and squeezing them in her palms before letting her mouth take over instead, licking across your soft skin and lapping over your nipple before sucking down hard, making you arch your back up as you pressed into her hot mouth. You gasped when her lips trailed to the top of your breast and she bit down, doing exactly as you had done earlier and looking up at you through her lashes as she sank her fangs into your soft flesh.

But those eyes soon fluttered shut and she moaned at the taste of you before withdrawing her sharp teeth and lapping at the wound, sitting up to watch it trickle up your chest and pool at your collarbone. She dipped her fingers into the little pool of blood and smeared it over your lips, that were still sticky with her essence, before leaning down to kiss you harshly, working her tongue past your lips and swiping across your fangs, tasting the combination of the two of you in the kiss.

She kneeled between your parted legs now, spreading hers to push yours apart further and she swept her fingers in your blood once more, painting a red streak from your abdomen in a straight line down before she suddenly pushed them into you, making you gasp and buck up against her touch, trying to take her long fingers in deeper.

“Does that feel good?” She hummed and you moaned, nodding your head to hear her laugh lowly, setting a quick and harsh pace, snapping her fingers up into a curl against your sensitive spot, making you throw your head back and Carmilla just adored the sight of you so easily coming undone under her touch.

“Please…” You begged out in a whimper, needing attention on your aching clit.

“Please what?” She hummed, smirking down at you as her other hand became clawed to scratch red streaks down your thighs, making you shudder in pleasure at the pain it provoked.

“Please touch me!” You cried out.

“Silly girl, I am touching you.” She practically cooed, pushing into you with a particularly harsh force that almost made you cry out.

“My clit, please!” You begged and she let out a humed laugh, clearly pleased that you had explicitly told her what you wanted as she then got to rubbing harsh circles on your swollen bundle of nerves making you cry out and clutch your fists around the silk bed sheets that would undoubtedly need to be replaced by the time Carmilla was done with you.

“So good for me, always so pliant and needy and wet.” She sighed lovingly, watching as your flushed face turned to meet hers. She looked utterly composed and it only made you feel like an utter mess at her mercy. “Such a good girl…” Oh there it was, she knew exactly what she was pushing now and it was you to a quick end with her praise, “What a lucky woman I am to have such a beautiful wife who’s so eager to let go of everything and let me make her feel good.” This was punctuated by her pressing down on your clit even harder and you became so lost in pleasure that you hadn’t a clue as to how loud you were being. “So pretty when she just lets go of everything-” her tone was a coo and your fingers twitched to grab her wrist and slow down but part of you knew that this was her way of making everything up to you and so you didn’t need to slow anything down or prolong your orgasm “-and lets her wife treat her like a good… obedient… pretty… girl…” Each word was punctuated by her pace becoming impossibly harsher and you cried out as you came over her hands.

However, she didn’t stop and she didn’t slow down enough to not push you towards overstimulation.

“Carmilla!” You cried out in a moan, your tone warning her of what she was doing but she had no plans to stop or slow down. You reached down for her wrist but her hand left your clit to pin it beside your hip instead. You sighed at the slight relief it gave you to not have her fingers so harshly abusing your oversensitive nerves but you cried out when her thumb came to take the place of the fingers that were gripping your wrist. “Carmilla, please!” You begged, unsure if it was for her to stop or to keep going. She seemed to go for the latter because she then moved her wrist so that her fingers were thrusting into you at a different angle, reaching even deeper and brushing against your most sensitive spot each time they withdrew.

You tried to close your legs against her unforgiving hand but her body between them kept them far apart and, instead, you squeezed them around her waist as they trembled violently in pleasure. As you came again, you cried out her name over and over as though it were the only word you knew, body falling limp against the mattress as you keened at the slow withdrawal of her fingers. When you opened your eyes, she was standing beside the bed with a folded washcloth in hand, wearing a robe that was loosely tied around her waist and fell open to reveal a large expanse of cleavage. She brought the cloth to clean between your legs and you gasped at the oversensitivity of it, making her be a little gentler with you as she turned it over to clean her lipstick from you with the clean side before wiping away your drying blood.

You bit your lip and let out a drawled out hum as you opened your arms for your wife to lay with you. She rested her head against your shoulder and you buried your face in her white hair, sighing and pressing a kiss to her crown drowsily.

“Just so it’s abundantly clear…” You murmured, “I forgive you, my love.”

#carmilla #carmilla castlevania #carmilla of styria #castlevania #netflix castlevania #castlevania netflix #castlevania x reader #carmilla castlevania x reader #castlevania carmilla x reader #castlevania imagine #carmilla x you #castlevania smut #carmilla smut

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beevean · 11 months ago

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Man its just that the average nfcv fan vision of the belmonts is a human centipede. You grab the og belmonts, you kno the good hearted almost superhuman warriors who fought and killed Dracula time and time again, let nfcv turn them into regular vampire hunters that are framed as morally gray bc "muh poor vampires :(", and who are cynical jerks that don't do much of anything. And then you let the fandom bully them into the ground bc haha loser men and muh girlbosses.

And its kinda weird bc its also often making fun of them due to their traumas? Like yea maybe alcoholism due to losing your entire family at a young age isnt a joke you know. Or seeing your mother get killed in front of you as a child. Yes ofc you can make fun of dark stuff i'd be lynched as a hypocrite if i said you cant, but the way its done and how continuous it is... irrespectful? Like they dont respect the serious aspects of the character and legit think they suck for having horrible things happen to them? Im bad at gauging jokes like that but... yea (they just dont know how to bully fictional characters unlike us who throw Isaac off a 10 stories building everyday <3)

In any case, N! Trevor and N! Richter do not deserve that sort of treatment already, and much less their mainline counterparts :/

And regarding girlbosses, they way ppl need to put down their men to show how cool the girls are just, reeks of insecurity to me? Why does having a "loser dumb wife guy" makes her a girlboss? Why would a confident gal need a loser to take care of instead of a good partner were both compliment eachother's strong and weak points? Maybe im being a bit dramatic here, but it carries off a similar mentality to sexist guys that need to put down their gal's accomplishments to feel well Plus, the way how fandoms still revolve around said loser guys and how a lot of the times the writing itself makes the girlboss character a compliment or a motivation for the man without depth for herself makes it all feel performative. Just write a normal character with character traits who happens to be a woman ffs :/

It's incredible. NFCV alone feels like a shitty fanfiction, full of those fanfic tropes that would make me close immediately: flanderization, wimpification of "pretty" male characters, thirsting, juvenile wit, spotlight-stealing OCs, gratuituous sex and SA treated with the finesse of a charging hippo. Then you let the fandom fandomify this shitty fanfic even more, and the result is just a disaster, a kiddie pool of the most baffling misconceptions you could see.

Just to make one example, Trevor in the games is a noble but ruthless hunter, both friendly and fierce, fighting for mankind yet wanting respect yet gladly giving credit to his friends; in the show, he's a washed out Bojack Horseman-esque asshole, who despite his cynicism admittedly attempts to do the right thing when push comes to shove; and according to fandom he's pretty much a funny penis man with two braincells, Sypha and Alucard. the scene where he punches Dracula and he goes "you must be the Belmont" became a meme for a reason :^)

And yeah you're right that the fandom doesn't seem to. like the Belmonts much. But then again, they're acting like the show wants them to :) The writing doesn't take Trevor's alcoholism seriously, so they don't, alcoholism is a funny joke that makes people silly and just a tad pathetic (and it's not a serious addiction and symptom of larger problems no sir). Richter is a goofball who cries in a corny way, so it's easy to laugh at him - and that's when fans don't say that Julia deserved to die for being a "colonizer". Lenore is sexualized to hell and back, so the fans thirst for her and they think that Hector must thirst for her too, and look, wasn't her death so prettly tragic, maybe she was a good person after all!

The way fandoms treat girl characters nowadays is... barely an improvement over the 2000s when Amy would be called a slut for having a backless dress. Now it's all about how stronk and kewl and queens and girlbosses they are. And you can't criticize the writing of a female character because "just say you hate women 🙄", even when the said character is a female victim of abuse who was written by a molester as a smug radfem whose personality never goes beyond "i want to steal from men because men bad" *coughcoughcough*

The show itself is regressive when it comes to its female characters. They're all the damn same. They're either spunky sassy gals who put their men in their place, or evil but hot dommy mommies (Striga and Morana don't fit the mold because they're not characters). Most of them are magic users, even those who in the games were normal women. I will forever stand by my point that Annette did not need to be a metal bender, and if the writers truly cared, they could have fleshed out the skeleton provided by RoB. But they didn't. Because girl power!!! but only if you're conventionally "badass" and have a "strong" attitude.

#anti netflixvania #see i can gush about isaac and his hidden depths *and* yeet him to the ceiling and watch him fall to the ground at the same time #that's what makes bullying funny <3

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endlessly-cursed · 2 years ago

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Carrying On the Legacy (BTS Challenge)

A/N: After days being stuck in this, I have finally completed it!! This is my entry for the day one (even though it’s long gone, rip) for @cursebreakerfarrier ‘s challenge. The Sapiehas belong to both @slytherindisaster and @mjs-oc-corner tagging @gaygryffindorgal since Malcolm also makes an appearance

Summary: Vincent Somerset starts his Hogwarts years

Word Count: 1.2k words

1st of September, 1912

As the carriage drove towards King’s Cross, Vincent Somerset looked through the window as his sisters wreaked havoc, giggling and fussing with each other’s dresses. One of them --he couldn’t tell if it was Jocelyn or Lenore-- slammed her elbow in his ribs and he cried out “Ow! That is enough, girls! We are in a carriage and Mother and Father expect us to be in our best behaviour! Can we please not do this now? Mayhaps when I’m gone? I’m representing Winbourne here.”

Alexandra nodded “He is right. Let’s give it a rest, shall we? Let us play a game! I spy with my little eye…” Vincent squeezed his sister’s hand and she gave him a knowing smile.

Minutes passed when the children’s carriage door opened and Vincent, as rehearsed, got out of it gracefully and with poise, a stoic face and his chin up and shoulders square, meanwhile the youngest giggled and messed with each other’s ribbons. Many of her mother’s former classmates greeted her and he walked beside her as his father took care of his sisters, scolding them with kindness. They were now under scrutiny and needed to be on their best behaviour, though he doubted either Lena or Jo knew what ‘scrutiny’ meant. He politely smiled at his parents’ friends as Jocelyn went to see her future in-laws, Prince Henry and his wife, the Duchess-Princess Cora and their son. He gave him a brief nod and continued listening to the Sapiehas, and chatted with the three children; Joseph, Elisabeth and Winifred.

“Joseph, ladies. I trust this summer treated you well?”

Elisabeth laughed “There is no need for politeness, Vince. We are old friends here.”

“Yeah, there’s no need. Maybe we’ll share a room, Vince!”

“If the Sorting Hat decides to place us in the same house, I’ll look forward to it.”

He offered his arm for one of the girls to be escorted and Elisabeth placed her small hand on the crook of his arm while Winifred chatted with Joseph. He greeted other fellow future classmates on the way as they neared their first stop: that goddamned wall. He looked at Joseph and smirked “Race you there?”

“Last one will buy three chocolate frogs!” He cried and he followed, giggling as the girls followed them behind. Vincent sprinted and closed his eyes… before feeling a whoosh all over his body and then finding himself in the station. His sisters emerged from the wall one by one, and he noticed Joseph was a few seconds late. He smirked and he sighed, defeated “Alright, I know when I've lost.”

They waited for their parents and his mother, even the picture of poise and elegance, seemed emotional about this. She hugged him rather tightly “My boy. My son and heir. It seems like yesterday when I held your tiny frame in my arms and here you are, about to embark to Hogwarts.” She hugged him again and he kissed her cheek and she kissed his forehead “Remember, my boy, though you are for now Winbourne’s representative at Hogwarts, you are also eleven. Do remember to have fun and rest, alright?”

He nodded and his father hugged him tightly “Good luck, my boy, and remember who you are and where you come from, and to be kind to others.”

He nodded “I will make you both proud of me. I promise.”

Then he turned to his sisters and smiled fondly, opening his arms as they all went to hug him and kissed each of their foreheads “... and remember not to give Mama too much of a headache. Yes, I am looking at you, Lena.”

Lenore pouted but nodded “Alright, but you better send me sweets from Honeydukes!”

“Hey, me too!”

“And me!”

He laughed, “Worry not, girls, all of you shall have your monthly gifts.” He looked back and saw that the train would leave at any time now. His mother drew him closer and kissed his forehead and whispered “I love you, my boy. Go before I come to my senses.”

He nodded and went up with Joseph, both chatting as the train took off. Lenore chased it for a while, waving goodbye and yelling something he couldn’t understand. He waved back and hoped for the best.

Hours later…

At long last, he was getting in the boat that would take him to Hogwarts. He was nervous, but thrilled, looking forward to living amazing adventures like his parents did. Maybe he’d meet his future wife there, his aunt teasingly told him, hing that disgusted. Sure, girls were cute, but he didn’t want to think of that now.

He looked down on his Hogwarts robes. His heart beat incredibly fast. The place where his parents fell in love… He squared up his shoulders and, alongside Joseph, followed their guide towards the castle; it was certainly bigger than Winbourne, and with magical properties, but it also had things in common: history of it within the walls, a safe haven, a safe home… a refuge for those who sought it.

They went upstairs and the teacher started to explain “You must be sorted into your houses. There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slyherin. Each house will be like your home. Your triumphs will be celebrated with house points… and your failings will be punished with its revoking. At the end of the year, the house with more points will win. Now, let us get inside.”

Vincent held his tiny head high and followed along, not at the head of the group, but neither at the back. The descriptions of his parents made no justice to what it truly looked like. Ghosts roaming the walls, students laughing and eating, Professors chatting and analysing their new students. It was like a book had been made real.

He waited patiently until the teacher cried “Somerset, Alexander Vincent!” And whispers began to run as he approached the seat and the Sorting Hat.

“...That’s Lady Gray’s son! I’d recognize those eyes and hair anywhere!”

“Do you remember when she sneaked out of Hogwarts to duel that duke?”

“To think that she sat here and chatted with her friends!”

He took a deep breath as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head “Hmm, what do we have here? It is Primrose Gray’s firstborn! I’d recognize you anywhere. Indeed, you have her intellect as well as your father’s bravery… Hmm, I see… Let it be… Slytherin!” He cried.

The table cheered, proud to have the son of one of the most famous and heroic women to have ever passed Hogwarts in their house. The Head Boy greeted him and granted him a neat seat, and as the others were sorted, he took in where he was now: Hogwarts, the place where the greatest wizards and the deadliest ones had studied here once. Where his mother had shaped herself as a woman.

As the dinner came to an end and the head boys and girls led the new students towards its dorms, he took a deep breath. A long time ago, his late grandmother Victoria had come here so she could escape a dangerous marriage and with no other place to run from it, and came out as a loved and feared woman. His mother Primrose came to prove herself and find a meaning to this newfound power, and now he had a different purpose: carry on the Somerset legacy and show that the Somersets remained as strong and powerful. With his shoulders square and looking at this new challenge in the eye, he entered the dorm, ready to prove that he was his mother’s son.

#fbawtft #hphl #hp fanfiction #oc: vincent somerset #alexandra somerset #jocelyn somerset #lenore somerset #elisabeth sapieha #jojo sapieha #winnie sapieha #oc: primrose sabrina gray #malcolm stolberg-burke #back to school 2022

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franki-lew-yo · 3 years ago

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The Romantic (2009, R, Gothic Fantasy/Horror), aka the most forgotten animated film in the world

What if I told you there was a movie under serious threat of becoming lost media with no clear reason as to WHY it's been lost other than no one has apparently watched it besides me and a few people on Reddit? What if I told you that movie wasn't half bad and would no doubt have some interest peeked if anyone DID know about it?

The name of that movie is The Romantic.

It was released in 2009 and it's Rated R for nudity and sex scenes [insert Robbie Rotten meme here], though none of it too graphic. It was a pet project created by animator Michael P. Heneghan, originally starting as a flash project for his animation class before he expanded it into a feature film. The film was inspired by movies such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, but what I see every time I look at it is a touch of Jhonen Vasquez, Tim Burton, and Roman Dirge- the guy behind Lenore the Cute Little Dead Girl. It's flash animation especially remind me of the puppet-rigged toons of the 2000s (again like Salad Fingers or Lenore). It's not bad, it's just not inherently 'feature film' quality flash, nor is it exceptionally artistic like Sita Sings the Blues in it's simplicity. Like, really, if you happen to find this thing it's not the worst animated project at all it's just amateur for a professional production. I've seen worse flash movies. Heck, if The Romantic were released in separate parts on youtube or Newgrounds as a series (ala Homestuck) I'm sure it would have been really successful and totally in it's element. But it wasn't.

Because next to no one has seen it and I'm lucky to have not only ever seen it when it was available for free but have also found it recently (hush hush, I ain't telling you how) I'm going to actually give you all a plot synopsis under the cut. There will be some details I leave out and I think I've spelled some characters names wrong. It's a bit of a surrealist film as well, so you might need some things explained.

Spoilers ahead:

The Romantic is set in an autumnal, surrealist world inhabited by humans and monsters and ruled by three gods; Po the goddess of love; Pik the god of Hate; and Pjorrc the god of time though Pjorrc was made to live inside a pumpkin moon as everything he touched rabidly aged and died.

((Tapestry art featuring the main three gods of the film.))

A young man (called “Romance” or “The Romantic” by the other characters) performs a bull sacrifice in order to summon Abbledepopa, the unseen creator of the other gods and ‘storyteller’ of the world. The sacrifice does not conjure Abbledepopa but, when Romance spares a monster that was ready to eat him, the monster tells him of a profit named Patience. Patience is a foul-mouthed dwarf living alone with an army of babies who points Romance in the direction of Po.

((Romance outside of Patience's house.))

Romance wants the god’s help because he has fallen out of love with his girlfriend. Po grants him his desire and restores his love only for Romance to return home and find his girlfriend with another man. Blinded by heartache and rage, Romance kills her. He then swears vengeance on the gods for ‘making’ him do it. In the midst of this vow, a corrupt prophet called Fat Daddy kills the queen of Vauxhaul (Romance's home) and her guards, and forges a new body for his newborn son with their bodies. Fat Daddy rallies the townsfolk behind him in supposedly finding the Queen’s murder into follow a new religion called "The Poetic End".

((Romance (right) besides the monster he spared at the beginning of the movie.))

Patience accompanies Romance on his quest and tells him to take Po’s mask, which hides her true face, once he kills her. Romance buys Po’s trust by weaving her a tapestry that tells her story: in the dawn of time Po and Pjorrc were in love. However, Pjorrc gradually became distant and Po became resentful when their daughter, Love, earned Po's original title as the god of romance and love.

In the present day, Romance sleeps with Po for over a year before finally killing her and taking her mask. He and Patience return to his home of Vauxhul only to be chased out by Fat Daddy’s personal army. They flee to Marshallton, the town nearest to the god Pik.

((Romance's hometown of Vauxhul. ))

The king of Marshallton, King Crookie, tells Romance of a prophecy he, Patience, Fat Daddy and all the gods are a part of and that the world is soon to change. Romance then fights and successfully kills Pik when he shows the god of hate his reflection in a mirror King Crookie gave him, but not before losing his hand to Pik.

When Romance comes down the mountain he learns from Patience that nine years have passed since his fight with Pik began. Patience reveals to Romance what Pik saw in the mirror that allowed Romance to take the killing blow; after Love had grown up and married, Po asked Pik to tell her where her husband was always running off to. Pik reluctantly revealed Pjorrc was disguising himself as a human and married a mortal woman. Po found Pjorrc and his pregnant second wife, forcing Pjorrc to leave his human family behind, but not before asking his wife to name their son “Patience”. In retaliation for his treachery, Po proceeded to sleep with fifty men and produce the fifty bastard children in Patience’s house.

((Fat Daddy, the main villain.))

Marshallton and the entire rest of the world has fallen to the rule of Fat Daddy, who captures Romance and Patience. Fat Daddy tortures Patience into telling him how to get to Pjorrc but is unable to convince Romance to take part in his ‘new world’ or give him Po’s mask. Romance and Patience escape and leave the village to be torn apart by the fifty babies Po had, now transformed into veracious monsters after Patience didn’t feed them for the past ten years. Romance confronts Patience when he realizes the latter is Pjorrc’s son. Patience calls Romance out on his mantra of vengeance and points out that all his decisions are his own, not the gods, and instructs him to seek Love herself in Po’s basement. Patience then attempts to confront Pjorrc but is cornered and killed by Fat Daddy before he can do so.

In Po’s basement, Romance finds Love nailed to a wall, her face torn off and half eaten by her deformed husband. Love tells Romance that Po ripped off her daughter’s face in rage over Pjorrc’s infidelity and Pjorrc did not intervene fast enough. Po then threw Love into her basement, turned Love’s husband into a monster, and wore her daughter’s face as a mask - which Romance had broken into pieces moments ago after Patience had shown him his face in King Crookie’s mirror. Romance then finds Pjorrc hanging himself. As he dies, Pjorrc tells Romance to take the hand Fat Daddy had cut off and sew it onto himself, which will in turn help Romance defeat Abbledepopa.

Romance traverses the wasteland and does not find Abbledepopa, but instead a golden loom. Having seen all the destruction he and others had caused, Romance sits upon the loom and accepts his fate as the new ‘storyteller’ of the world, as he begins weaving a new one...

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I mentioned before the animation quality of the film and why maybe that caused people to overlook it. The only other thing I could complain about on a technical level with The Romantic is it's sound design. Some of the voices and music is a little too quiet and so all these key details I had to go through the film a few times to really piece together. But that leads me to the thing I like about this movie and I'm sure others would to: the lore.

It's very hard to create a new fantasy world w it's own customs, religions, history and rules out of the blue as any YA Harry Potter/Hunger Games ripoff book could tell you. The Romantic is so unique in how it handles the pantheon and culture of these three gods and their kin; really only four or five characters throughout the entire story aren't connected to the gods or prophecy in some way, as there's the main three gods, Abbeldepappa, and the prophets Patience, Love and Fat Daddy, who make up your main cast besides Romance. There's a lot that's intentionally left unexplained and other info that must be explained, like Pjorrc and Po's marriage and Romance's feelings towards the gods, if we want to understand the former. The movie is paced pretty well and knows when to follow up on what, it's just that again some of those animation and editting shortcomings might make it hard to understand...but I don't think THAT hard. Look, if someone can enjoy Starchaser: The Legend of Orin or even better surrealist world-building films ((Fantastic Planet comes to mind)), then I say there's no reason The Romantic wouldn't have a following. There's no other way I can articulate why and what doesn't work about the story except just to recommend you watch it yourselves, but before I get into that I want to talk themes...because I love the themes and tone of The Romantic.

I revisited The Romantic a week before I made myself watch Centaurworld and The Owl House for the first time...and what a week that was~! The Romantic has the vibe of those kinds of shows along with Adventure Time and Infinity Train ((so I hear, I haven't watched the latter)). It's surreal and you'll only marvel at 'woooah wut an acid trip' for so long before you get into the vibe of the universe. It also reminded me substantially of the Broadway musical Hadestown and not just because this movie is also a self-contained, somewhat self aware fable about the relationships between humans and gods - it's very raw in how the characters talk. It's very emotional and blunt in how kind and how cruel they can be, and it doesn't make excuses or really worships any one of them. Romance himself is the world's most likable Incel: he murders a woman he thought he needed to love and blames his emotions on the gods of those passions...except the gods AREN'T the manifestations of love, time, and hate - they simply dictate and oversee it in the lives of men. It's a dynamic I really like in religious works where Gods are powerful but not all knowing or puppet masters to everyone's design- they have morality too and there is only so much you can blame and get from them.

"You made your gods into excuses and your excuses into gods!"

-Patience. This here is a cool quote. I like this quote.

No matter what, The Romantic is not gonna be a film for everyone. We all have our tastes - I think I'm drawn to it and accepting because I've come to love these kind of worlds that used to keep me up at night - these trippy 70s inspired fantasy landscapes given a whole Avatar: The Last Airbender degree of worldbuilding and character worth. It also doesn't feel exploitive in it's violence, it's sexuality, it's grimmness - it doesn't feel like it's trying to hard or going over the top because it happens to be an adult animated film, something that I love in movies like 9 or Hair High but really turns me off in stuff like Sausage Party or Wizards. Whatever go watch The Romantic...

if you can.

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When I first saw this film in 2016 it was actually very accessible and was even uploaded to youtube by the creator himself. I don't know WHAT happened to Michael P. Heneghan, but simply put, the man's disappeared...like...REALLY disappeared.

Lookit his IMDB. He has The Romantic and a wapping two other projects to his name. His Twitter isn't very helpful either. He last updated in early 2020 and he says next to nothing about The Romantic. It's so odd that he would one day be happy with the film enough to host it on Vimeo and Youtube but then just cop out.

According to a Reddit user: "On Valentines Day 2011, Heneghan released the film for free online through all kinds of platforms including direct download, bittorrent, Vimeo, and even directly through Archive.org. He even joked about releasing a 300 gig uncompressed version.

I know I watched it on Vimeo probably as recently as 2016. Now I can't find it anywhere. The website is dead, the Vimeo video went private, even the archive.org version has been taken down. It really looks like he wanted to wipe it off the face of the internet. His newer website mentions it, but again, the Vimeo link is dead and even that website is closed for business."

It's weeeird. What happened Michael?

And yes, obviously, other people worked on the movie.

No - I can't find out anything about them either.

I'm betting on three theories at the moment: 1) this film is an SCP or some Candle Cove weirdness with only me and a handful of people ANYWHERE remembering it, 2) something weird is going on w Michael Heneghan and it involves too something about this film. It was a scam or a scheme or a hidden agenda weirdness, 3) Heneghan's doing okay he just doesn't like this film anymore and wants it hidden while he takes a break.

Look, I get it Michael! What was once our life's worth can become cringe as you improve as an artist - you're not the person making the stuff you were ten years ago...but you should still have the film kept alive somehow. Someway.

I'm seriously the only person to have ever made fan art of this movie on the internet. That just doesn't happen, and I don't think I like being in a fandom of one. The Romantic is a testament to the power of design and storytelling > animation quality itself. Too often I see people equate good animation with smooth animation, with a budget with squash and stretch. These animations are good but art is diverse and there's so many kinds of films out there, the value of the medium can't just be in one style/form. There's a lot of honestly wonderful pieces of art out there if you know where to look and you're willing to see where it leads you.

Don't let The Romantic be the most forgotten movie of all time. Reblog this post. Show it to your friends. PM the animation community reviewer people like Saberspark and someone who isn't Saberspark and smuggle them a copy.

Keep telling the story...

#Franki's Features #The Romantic #The Romantic Michael Heneghan #The Romantic 2009 #animation #animation community #underrated animation #lost media #horror animation

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