#Luca Mori

[tanyaluca]

Ephemerality…

Tanya Luca

[puckpocketed]

30/10/2022 - The Portland Winterhawks Halloween Special

[normalpeoplethiings]

i genuinely never know how to feel about lucas ryan. i mean he isn’t a great guy because of what he did in solitaire however he really does regret what he did as shown in a cameo of him in radio silence. but he also shouldn’t fully be forgiven for what he did during solitaire. people could’ve died. i kind of just feel meh about him but be confused me so much and i never know how to feel about him.

[faustquillpen]

Wayward Academy

Heya, finally actually posting the story where these weenies came from.  It’s in a script like format beginning with a narration bit, because i kinda want it as a visual novel or comic or something. Shrugs. Anyways I'd really appreciate any interaction with this post, I worked hard and I'm a little sad I don't have many people to yell about my Ocs with lmao. This blog is strictly art writing and oc rambling if that's interesting to ya!!!

It all started with a turtle. Yes, a turtle. No, I don't know why it caught my eye and no I don't think it's destiny or anything of the sort. Just... The right place at the right time?  Or... Wrong place at the right time?  ...Maybe it was the right place?  Whatever. It all started with that turtle.

It wasn't the kind of night you'd expect it to be off when this sort of thing happens.  It wasn't- It didn't- it *was* normal.  Warm with a cool breeze, the kind of night that gently reminds you that colder seasons are coming, the heat of a summer day giving way to a cool, refreshing night.  It was nice, is what I'm saying. Just a nice night.  Peaceful, quiet.  I was walking along a fence that marked the edge of a private hunting property, listening to the last crickets and peeper frogs singing their last songs of the season before they slept.  Or died.  For the crickets at least.  It had been a long day at a mindless, soul crushing retail job, and I just wanted to get back to my flat.

Then I noticed that turtle.

It was stuck on its back, i-i always heard they can't really get up once they're stuck like that but I never actually saw it. You'd think after, like, millions of years of evolution they'd learn how to flip themselves back but, whatever. It was a pathetic little thing, waving its little feet in the air and rocking back and forth.

Obviously I wanted to do something, why wouldn't I?  I'm not, not some, some ass who just leaves a poor animal in trouble. But what was I to do?  The fence stretched for as far as I could see in either direction, and the top was fitted with some nasty looking barbed wire to keep out trespassers.  I remember kneeling on the damp ground, ignoring the chill and looking at the poor thing, trying to think of what to do.  Was there a stick nearby?  Maybe if I... Just tried to get my hand through the chain link?  No, no, it was too far for... Either of those things.  And then I.. I..

You... You ever drop something when you're younger, and you try to just... *Will* it back to you, like maybe you have some sort of latent super power you'll suddenly realize by making your pen or-or remote fly over to you?  I guess I was trying to do that, as I watched it struggle, imagining a mental push from underneath, enough to nudge it over.

And... It did.  

At least, I think it did. I saw a blue... Swirly bit of light, kinda like those orbs on those... um, paranormal.. video... Things. It started next to the turtle, and-And it moved up and towards it, it actually moved *up* and the turtle, it... he Moved with it!  

I think I kind of... Dissociated there.  Maybe?  Or just a regular panic attack. Or shock, I guess. I remember... Staring, at my hands, just, staring, trying to... To see if maybe, I dunno, they looked different somehow?  Glowy like that blue mist too?  But no, they were normal.

Then I remember a shadow passing over me, and getting up way too quick, and tripping backwards over the curb and... Then nothing. I guess I passed out?  There's... No way to really know I guess, but I'm pretty sure I did.  It's really disorienting to be doing one thing and suddenly be snapped to another moment, like no time passed at all between me falling and me groggily listening to the conversation around me.

Voice 1

*Dry, uninterested* you killed him.

Voice 2

No!  He erm, he's just uh, I...

Voice 3

It's my fault anyway, I should of been more... Humany when I went to greet him. The look on his face though?  Like he never saw a giant lizard before!  Hilarious.

Voice 4

Well, we can't do anything about it now--

Voice 2

H-hey I think, I think he's coming to!  Is.. that the right word?  “Coming to?”

Voice 1

Ugh...

*M.c. (main character) opens his eyes, wincing as he slowly sits up, groaning weakly* 

T-turtle...?

Voice 2

Oh yeah!  The turtle!  

Voice 4

Keep your voice down Dylan, poor thing probably has a headache from that tumble.

Dylan

Right right right right *backing away and getting quieter*

Voice 4

Hey there .... Buddy?  Are you doing okay, ah... That wasn't uh, what we meant to do-- do you even know what happened?

M.c.

Mmmmnnnoo? *Still out of it*

Voice 4

Good!  Uh. Forget everything I said just then.  I'm sure that won't be hard to do, you seem uh... Not quite ready to understand words just yet.

Voice 1

Maybe he's just stupid.

Voice 4 

Lucas!

Lucas

*Shrugs with a grunt*

Voice 4

... Rude asses aside... *Focuses back on mc* I'm Josephine

Mc

....

Voice 3 

You're 'supposta tell us your name now.

Lucas

*Quietly, in a slightly sing song voice* told you...

Josephine

*Glares at lucas, who seems to not care in the slightest, then turns back again to mc* you can take your time, love.  Ignore these louts

Voice 3

Hey...

Dylan

*Quietly* What's a lout...

Mc

I-- my name is- uh... Faust. Call me... Faust.

Josephine

Ooookay then... Faust?  So uh... What do you ah, what do you remember?

Dylan 

*In background* I think it's a type of fish...

Faust

*Groaning again and rubs his head* theeere... was a tuuurtle...?

Lucas 

Riveting.

Dylan

*Continuing in background*  why are we fish...?

Josephine

Okay.... Okay you know that's good, actually.  I know uh, some people with head injuries only remember half their day. At least you uh, probably aren't too damaged?  Maybe. We hope so. We had nothing to do with it by the way.

Dylan

Wait, I thought Riley--

Josephine

Shush, shush shush...shhh *covering Dylan's mouth who says something muffled but that vaguely sounds like "what about the fish?"*

Voice 3, probably Riley

*Muffled laughs*

Faust

Uh...  Can I go home now? *Unsteadily getting to feet*

Josephine

Maybe that's for the best--

Dylan

*Loudly interrupting* We gotta talk about the thing!

Faust

Wh..what?  Thing?  I .. what?

Dylan

*Getting louder* the thing you did!  We saw you do the thing!  *Excited pointing*

Josephine

Dylan....

Riley 

He's right 

Faust

I don't-

Dylan

The-- the turtle thing, you made it go... Woosh?  No no, not a woosh.  More like a... A... Little... Tap...?

Faust

Look, I don't know what you saw, but it's not anything you need to... Do anything about. A turtle was stuck on his back, I... I watched him, some wind or-or something blew and he walked away. You can't... *Prove* anything else happened

Riley

Ain't getting away that easy bud, I asked the turtle, she said she was good and stuck before she felt a gentle push over.  I asked about the wind, she said there weren't any.

Faust

... You asked the--

Riley 

Doesn't matter.  ... So do ya know the x-men?

Lucas

We are *not* the x men

Dylan

I'm more of a y man myself.

Josephine

*Urgently* You guys are gonna overwhelm him...

*Incoherent chattering and bickering as the group discusses what they're going to do. Some words are discernable, such as "how are we gonna tell 'im" and "the professor said..." "hey what about the fish"*

Faust takes advantage of this by edging along the wall of the alleyway they had taken him to before breaking into a sprint when he clears the group. 

Lucas

... Should we chase him?

Josephine

NO!

Riley and Dylan (overlapping with each other and Josephine)

Yes!!!

Riley

Majority rules!  *She breaks into a sprint into the darkness of the night, her form shifting into a sleek four legged beast as she runs*

Dylan

Yeah!  *Runs towards where Faust went as well*

Josephine

Wait-- no, stop. Ugh.  Can you believe these guys *she turns to Lucas, but sees that the spot he was in is now empty*

*Muttering* dammit...

Faust is breathing hard as he runs, finding himself in a nearby shopping district.  He loops around a few times, coming face to face with a giant reptile like creature with glowing markings that he fled from with a scream

Faust

*Between breaths* I... Have... *No* idea where I am.

He ends up at a dead end and looks around, it's empty and seems like a safe place to bunker down.  He turns to the entrance of it and takes a peek out, seeing no one but hearing running in the distance.  He turns back around to see if he can hide behind something, only to literally run right into Lucas.

Lucas

Hi.

Faust

OH JESUS F-- what, Why,  ...How?

*Lucas shrugs, his face indifferent as he leans against the wall of the alleyway, sliding down and sitting on the ground.*

Faust

Um... Aren't you gonna like... Grab me and take me back?  That's how this works right?

Lucas

*Grunts and shrugs again, taking out a pack of cigarettes*. Want one, blondie?

Faust

Uhm... No, i-i don't think they're very y'know, healthy?

Lucas

Well, picking your gums when you’re stressed isn’t healthy either.

Faust, stopping what he was doing

Fair enough....

-silence for a bit-

So uh...  What... Kind of music do you listen to...?

Lucas

*Quietly stares* that... Was not what I was expecting you to ask.

Faust sits down next to Lucas, deciding that he was safer in the alleyway than running around a place he didn't know at whatever time of night it was.  They sit in silence for a while. 

Faust nervously looks at Lucas and then away from him a few times, trying to stutter out words. 

Lucas

(interrupting the stuttering) So, blondie, seems like you have a fun little party trick you can do, hm?

Faust

I don't...

Lucas

Riight

Faust 

Listen, I don't know what you want but--

Lucas

Listen.  *He throws aside the cigarette* There's nothing wrong with what we saw, exactly, but there are people out there who can and will take advantage.  If you just... Hear them out, I think it would make a lot more sense.  I don't really like being pulled around either, but at least we don't have to deal with fighting government goons or whatever would come after us. 

Faust

I-- ... I dont-- ... *takes a breath* o-okay.

Lucas nods as the sounds of footsteps come closer, Faust turns his head to the source of the noise. 

Lucas

You never saw me. 

Faust 

*Turning back* I-- *the alleyway is empty*. .... Right, might as well, I guess.  *Sighs*

Dylan is panting and leans against a wall while trying to get his breath back 

Dylan

Hey... Faust...  Don't skip leg day... Or you'll end up like this.  *He half sits down and half collapses*

*Josephine and Riley wave as they walk over*

Riley 

Told ya I smelled him over here

Josephine

... So you could of tracked him without giving him a heart attack this whole time?

Riley

*Considers for a second* ... Nahhh.

Josephine rolls her eyes before addressing Faust

Sorry about ... All this *she sweeps her arms around as if referring to everyone* We want to talk to you, truly we do.  The rest got ahm... A little excited?  We didn't think we'd find anyone like you this soon to be honest.

Faust

It's, it's fine, I needed to get some uhm... Exercise anyway.

Dylan

where's Lucas?

Riley

Probably jumped off a building to get to bed faster

Faust

Wait what, what did you, what?  Wait w-wait --wait!  Is-is he okay?

Riley

 *talking over Faust*. So anyway,  We got a proposition for ya.  How'd ya like to live with all your living expenses paid while learning how to use your powers n'... Other boring education stuff.

Faust 

not going to lie, that sounds like a scam.

Riley

... yea I said that too. 

Josephine

It's not though!  Truly, the Professor seems like a really nice dude, if not a little...

Riley

he's super weird dude, but not in a bad way, like cool weird.

Josephine

... Eccentric.

Faust: ... Not sure if I can deal with more of that, to be honest.

Josephine

Listen, we really think that it'd help, we... Haven't quite started yet ourselves but... It all seems really nice.

Faust

 ... So you're bringing me into something that you don't even know 

Josephine

 I.. uh...

Riley

Sorta.

Dylan

We get extra credit if we help find more people!

Josephine

 *grabbing at Dylan to try to quiet him down, he tries talking while muffled by her hand*

Faust

Oh.  *Sounding legitimately disappointed* so... It's not me.  You just want to get some extra benefits then?

Josephine 

*Sheepishly* I... Was going to tell you?

Faust

Alright.

Josephine

Alright?

Faust 

I'll try this... This whatever it is out.  It's not like anything can get much worse, could it?

Dylan

*Confidently* things always can get worse!

Josephine

*Cutting in* but they won't!  *Quietly* I hope...

Riley

*Handing Faust a bit of paper* here, this is supposedly when the first orientation is, we'd really really really like it if you came with us?  No pressure.

Faust, reading out loud

Dear Student,

To my momentous delight, it has come to my astute attention that you have the unique requirements to be invited to the brand new prestigious Wayward Academy. This is a place for those who do not belong anywhere else, who could not possibly come to their full potential without the support of our diligent staff... (Jeez these are a lot of big words) ... And we wish to formally invite you to our orientation and interviewing process to find out where you can fit in our family.  Any who bring a friend or enemy who also shows potential will receive extra amenities that have not yet been decided upon, but we promise they will be quite a treat! I am excited to also inform you that this letter of invitation also serves as a confirmation of a grant that will be awarded to you if/when you are approved for admittance which will pay for lodgings on or off campus.  I would be honored if you would allow me to interview and learn about your talents and how you would fit in here.  Please consider a visit!

With utmost respect and excitement,

Professor Xavier J. Winter

*Everyone is quiet for a while*

Dylan

well, see ya!  *Leaves*

Josephine

I- uh- we'd really like it if you came.  At least to let us treat you to a meal as an apology for... The trauma of tonight.  Please uh, consider?  *Coughs awkwardly* I'll uh, hopefully see you there...?

Faust

*As he's walking away* I... Guess?

*after a few more seconds*

Faust

... I still don't know where I am.

I found my way home eventually, of course. I guess that's kind of obvious since I'm here and not uh, frozen to death or mugged or eaten by animals.  And uh... I-im honestly not quite sure... What else to say...?

.....

"My dear Faust, welcome to the Academy."

[bumpscosity]

I started playing pokemon diamond! i've been meaning to play it for ages so im super excited to jump in and finally play a 2D pokemon game, though i dont know if i trust either of my rivals yet.... I've only ever played pokemon games where you get exp share pretty much at the start so remembering to individually level up my whole teams gonna be a bit of a learning curve but im always up for new challenges

Naming my starters has always been important to me, it took me a while to come up with her's but i ended up picking Mori, after the japanese word for forest and a city in hokkaido, the island that's the partial inspiration for sinnoh :)

[fightclubgayporn]

i wanna draw the exes as the ouran hosts cause the numbers are perfect and theres even twins but. it ends up with todd as honey which while admittedly funny makes no sense

[bethanysengland]

... oh!

[chronolojay]

gwen stacy, arachnophobia. a web weave based on the incredible fic by @rappaccini

this fic changed the way I think about gwen as a character and got lodged in my brain since I first read it. its a fic that makes you want to make art about it and it is absolutely worth your time.

Sources under the cut

PART 1: The Fall

IMAGES:

The Amazing Spider Man 2. Directed by Marc Webb, performance by Emma Stone, 2014. Gerry Conway, writer. The Night that Gwen Stacy Died. Pencils by Gil Kane. Inks by John Romita. Colors by Dave Hunt. Letters by Artie Simek. The Amazing Spider-Man #121, 1973. @gui_la_ume, TikTok, 2023, LEGO Spiderman Animation, https://www.tiktok.com/@gui_la_ume/video/7245780799251860763. Lavergne, Max. "Coming Up With a Complete List of Ways to Die", Infinite Gossip, Sep 28, 2023, https://infinitegossip.substack.com/p/coming-up-with-a-complete-list-of. Pal, Marijan. "Ajshil, Oresteja, SNG Drama in Ljubljana",  Wikimedia Commons,1968,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ajshil,_Oresteia,_Drama_SNG_v_Ljubljani_(4).jpg. Spider-Man 3. Directed by Sam Raimi, 2007.

TEXT:

the garages. "solar eclipse". https://open.spotify.com/track/23y7JvIq11f1NHnwxWC27P?si=7b4482b1601e40de Madison, Piper. "Phonograph" . https://open.spotify.com/track/13ypXt9ag0Rq8uLBe2tZqn?si=d0aab028801e419d ��Memento mori.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento%20mori. Accessed 1 May. 2024. Oates, Joyce Carol. Blonde: A Novel. 2000, ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA68593021. The Oresteia, Aeschylus rappaccini. arachnophobia. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48363238/chapters/121980043  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, 2023.

PART 2: Rage, OR: Tear It All Down

IMAGES:

Area 51 circuit board, "I'M NOT DEAD YET" via https://arcadeheroes.com/2014/04/20/arcade-games-easter-eggs/ are you in hell via https://www.tumblr.com/screenshotsofdespair/705113397985968128 A Softer World. www.asofterworld.com/index.php?id=891. bloody knuckles. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/68/68/62/686862f692cfb5e02b76013701ff3347.jpg burn it all lighter via https://png-heaven.tumblr.com/post/675085348575084544/love-still, https://www.etsy.com/listing/717241294/personalized-lighter-zippo-engraved caitlynsarah95, "Hands". Deviantart, May 3, 2019, https://www.deviantart.com/caitlynsarah95/art/Hands-796203302. Daley-Ward, Yrsa, "all the wrong colours" "DIY Three Ingredient Venom Slime", elledoingstuff, https://web.archive.org/web/20201126155036/https://shedoesstuff.com/2018/10/22/diy-three-ingredient-venom-slime/  Gerhard Richter Untitled (5 Jan 1990), 1990 Marchese, David. “Kathleen Turner, in Conversation.” Vulture, 7 Aug. 2018, www.vulture.com/2018/08/kathleen-turner-in-conversation.html. MarianneCreates, "live with this", via https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/98874045 McGuire, Seanan, and Rosi Kampe. Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider Vol. 1. Marvel, 2019. Melissa P. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, 2005. Paskow, Linnea "Splitter", 2020.  https://linneapaskow.com/paintings-/18 Roland Arhelger, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Verrazzano-Narrows_Bridge_(New_York).jpg Sin, Nata. "Menotaxis", November 8, 2022. https://instagram.com/nata__sin__?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== "Spider PNG image image with transparent background", via https://pngimg.com/image/4537. "Spider Transparent #1558430", via  http://clipart-library.com/clip-art/spider-transparent-2.htm. "Spider PNG Image" via https://www.pngall.com/spider-png/download/1726 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, 2023. "Transparent Spider Gif #1587577", via http://clipart-library.com/clip-art/transparent-spider-gif-23.htm. "Transitions Purple T-Shirt + Download", august, via https://store.augustalsina.com/products/transitions-purple-t-shirt-pre-order-download

TEXT:

Boyer, Anne. "WHAT RESEMBLES THE GRAVE BUT ISN’T". 2017.  Moyers, 17 April 2017, https://billmoyers.com/story/poetry-month-what-resembles-the-grave-but-isnt/ Carson, Anne. H Of H Playbook. New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2021. Euripides. Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides. New York Review of Books, 2008. Lord Huron. "Not Dead Yet", https://open.spotify.com/track/5NRbNXwXHM9mYgxMhzVWTP?si=d55caaf2461a4675 rappaccini. arachnophobia. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48363238/chapters/121980043 

PART 3: Live

IMAGES:

277: Venetian Memento Mori Earrings, Ragoarts.com. www.ragoarts.com/auctions/2021/07/summer-jewels/277 beigeandrose. “The 1990s Goth Faux Leather Lace up Chunky Heels Platform Boots Size US 8.” Etsy, www.etsy.com/listing/117460104/the-1990s-goth-faux-leather-lace-up. “Clasped Hands of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11156. Coello, Iban. Carnage-ized Variant Cover, Spider-Gwen: Ghost-Spider Vol. 2 - Impossible Year. Marvel Entertainment, 2019. Forcibly Feminized at the Pharm, The High Femmes, 2022 Hodan, George. "Spider Web." PublicDomainPictures.net, https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=21073&picture=spider-web Home, pinkshift, 2023 "Nice While It Lasted." Bojack Horseman, created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, season 6 episode 16, Netflix, 2020. Rainbow, Kesha, 2017 Shinkai, Makoto, and Midori Motohashi. The Garden of Words. Kodansha Comics, 2016. Skin-N-Bones. “An top down image of red soup, on a blue background, with noodles spelling out ‘Everybody Dies.’” Tumblr, 12 June 2013, skin-n-bones.tumblr.com/post/52800040011. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, 2023. "Spiderman Graffiti, Pittsburgh", by chronolojay “THAT’S BELIEVABLE!” Tumblr, 3 Mar. 2024, www.tumblr.com/thatsbelievable/743968419651665920?source=share.

TEXT:

Latour, Jason. SPIDER-GWEN VOL. 6: THE LIFE OF GWEN STACY. Illustrated by Mike Ploog, Cover Art by Robbi Rodriguez, vol. 6, ‎ Marvel Universe, 2018. Limón, Ada. “Dead Stars.” Poets.org, 1976, poets.org/poem/dead-stars. rappaccini. arachnophobia. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48363238/chapters/121980043  Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Round One Schedule

may 27 (group 1 left side)

Joy O'Connor vs A'den

Adelle vs Adrian Alyward

Ahleri vs Aithus

Aleksander Thunderblade vs Alice Liddell

Amelia vs Amaranth

Andre Caron vs Anwedd

Anise vs Lt. Strike

Aqua vs Ariella

may 28 (group 1 right side)

Adrian Mori vs Alexander

Andris Harkin vs Ashley Bethaz

Arkyn Thornburn vs Athaliah Taveet

Aris vs Atlas Fletcher

Arryn va Azarias

Barir Stelmer vs Beck Valentine

Bela Balogh vs Betani D'Agia

Billie Way vs Black

may 29 (group 2 left side)

Betty vs Bob Guppington the 1st

Blodeuwedd vs Brat

Burr vs Caldren

Cpt. Ambivalent vs Casey Dickenson

Caroline Schaeffer vs Cedric Blackwell

Cassidia Reynolds vs Christopher

Celeste vs Cluinn

Bobbert Guppington the 2nd vs Clair

may 30 (group 2 right side)

Bobby Guppington the 3rd vs Chris Carnovo

Conas vs Crispin

Copper vs Cusick

Connell vs Cymin

Dae vs Dallow

Daniel Grace vs Daven

DeathScreen vs Derik

Doc vs Domitius

may 31 (group 3 left side)

Dr. Victor P. Henly vs Dhrake

Dorothy Gale vs Dr. Elliott Sinclair

Eabennor vs Edith Wickham

Ellie vs Edlyn

Elysia vs Elwin

Emma Gardner vs Erin

Ephesia vs Eniss

Epic Palustre vs Eriol

june 1 (group 3 right side)

Dr. Riku Honda vs Edmund

Ethylene Petra vs Eva Blythe

Faraena vs Farold

Evelyn Vordur vs Felix Rodzic

Feire vs Gail Goffrey

Gerdie vs Ferir

Ghost Lad vs Gigi

Evangelinne vs grandma Maudie

june 2 (group 4 left side)

Haru vs Heather

Henry Pebbleton vs Hibiscus

Hiromi vs Hope Espy Chase

Hugo Mallory vs Ilumi

Ilias vs James Zauberen

Ilya Severin vs Impossible

Jacer vs Jack Archer

James (Loriair) vs Isidore Kavi

june 3 (group 4 right side)

James (Eyurenia) vs Isabel

Jarryd vs Jasper

Jett vs Joden

James Bracegirdle vs Julia Cook

Kabos vs Kate Riley

Kathryn vs Keres Blake

Keyto vs Kimera

Kodi Archer vs James Mulligan

june 4 (group 5 left side)

Korosa vs Kylin

Laughing Hare vs Leeli

Kurtis vs Kyra

Len vs Licia

Leo King vs Lt. Matthew

Lina Lane vs Loch

Logis vs Lucas Greydawn

Lt. Madeline vs Logolas

june 5 (group 5 right side)

Kyr vs Laurentiu

Maddox Darling vs Luria

Kestler vs Matthew Johnson

Marin of Yuneth vs Meridian

Mathilda Talbot vs Mina

Mihalis vs Max Way

Mip vs Milton

Misty Way vs Maristella

june 6 (group 6 left side)

Miranda Hayes vs Nikki Way

Mochrar vs Myra

Mr. Guardian vs Nabikio

Naru vs Ms Hallifax

Nimble vs Nevin Imre

Orchid Finch vs Prince Adar Griffith

Nokh vs Obsidious

Onne vs Peter Pensworth

june 7 (group 6 right side)

Mr. G vs Ourem

Pandora vs Owen

Oriana vs Peg

Peter Dragonsbane vs Percy

Pietro vs Princess Torva

Peter Bethaz vs Prince Adric

Princess Rovyna vs Prometheus

Protagonist vs Naphtali

june 8 (group 7 left side)

Puddles vs Queen Alyth of Avena

Quinn vs Ragunoe

Ramona vs Rannis

Relaner vs Rhyin

Ril'siya vs Ripple Fisher

Riema vs Riser Way

Rocoroi Markus Mikko vs Rosemarie

Ryphl vs Santeri

june 9 (group 7 right side)

Saskia vs Senaka

Sh'zkai vs Shleaema

Shiido vs Skylar

Sonrisa Firiel vs Syx

Sly Bastion vs Stelemi

Spike vs Sz'nami

Tad vs Tamaki

Teasel vs Tannufia

june 10 (group 8 left side)

Tehvlar vs Thaendric

the Enemy vs the Mailman

the Poppy Queen vs the Runaway Prince

Theo Gray vs Tiger

Thomas Hargrove vs Tiny

Thessaly vs Tsuname

TJ Valentine vs Toka

Trajeda vs Val (Keepers)

june 11 (group 8 right side)

Veelia vs Trevin

Verity vs Vokku

Vellatra vs Waizu

Valentina vs Wendy

Wryden vs Yasmin

Wisteria vs Zac O'Connor

Yuro vs Zaire

Zhahara vs Ziph

[pinkeoni]

Will Byers: The Final Girl

Looking more at Will through Carol J. Clover's Men, Women, and Chain Saws

After making this post about Will's gender expression in which I referenced and was inspired by Carol J. Clover's book Men, Women, and Chain Saws, a book which was mentioned in this article, an article which brought to my attention my Mori motherthroat, I have since made it through the books introduction and have gotten all the way to the end... of the first chapter. Like I said, I'm a slow reader.

But it's within this first chapter that Clover actually talks about the Final Girl trope, something that I, and others, have suggested that Will falls into.

And to be honest, I didn't quite get the Final Girl labelling of Will until I started reading Clover's book and made my analysis. But now, it all makes sense. So I wanted to do a deeper dive into Will as the Final Girl of the show, how he embodies this trope, and how he subverts it.

Defining Will as a "Final Girl"

The idea of Will being the Final Girl is a way to allow Will to have the masculine hero role that the creators seem to be teasing for him, without sacrificing his more feminine role of victim. The term victim-hero that I used in my original post is one that I got from Clover herself, which she uses in reference to final girls. Final girls spend the majority of their film suffering at the hands of the killer (victim) before eventually turning the tables and getting revenge (hero) or is saved by an outside force, typically (but not always) a male one.

The Final Girl idea for Will doesn't come out of nowhere either, as the show itself plays with slasher tropes. Season one opens with a culling from the killer with the initial lab sequence, and dialogue from Brenner suggests that there were other victims, with only Will being left as the lone survivor. Season four feels more slasher-y, with the kills being on screen and the killer actually given a name and a face (making Max somewhat effectively the Final Girl for that season) and the season ends with the idea that the killer is still on the loose, with emphasis given to his connection with Will.

Carol J. Clover describes Final Girls as follows:

“The Final Girl is boyish, in a word. Just as the killer is not fully masculine, she is not fully feminine—not, in any case, feminine in the ways of her friends. Her smartness, gravity, competence in mechanical and other practical matters, and sexual reluctance set her apart from the other girls and ally her, ironically, with the very boys she fears or rejects, not to speak of the killer himself.”

Where Final Girls are often boyish girls, Will is a girlish boy. So it's not just the narrative that aligns him with other Final Girls, it's his characterization as well. His non-conformity to gender norms, as well as his romantic reluctancy, is part of the trope.

This is most notably exemplified in season three, when Will is unable to relate to the heterosexual-romance drama that his other male friends seem to be intertwined with. Even Dustin, who doesn't share much time with the main crew this season, had a girlfriend, something that allied him to Mike and Lucas and set Will apart.

In season one Will feels more Sally at the end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, after being tortured for the last chunk of the film by the slaughterhouse family, Sally makes her escape on the back of a pickup truck. Will spends most of the season evading the killer (who we later learn to be Vecna) until he is rescued by Hopper and Joyce. Will and Sally never turn a weapon against the killer, but they endure, out last, and survive long enough to be rescued.

But Sally's case is just one way that the Final Girl story can end, and you're more likely to find a different kind of ending— with the Final Girl turning the tables on the killer and getting back at him. Sometimes, but not always, by brandishing the killers own type of weapon against him.

So now we're in a post-vol. 2 world where the killer is still at large, Will has been confirmed several times now to be the center of the final season, it's said to be Will's "coming-of-age" story and the killer's reign can't last forever.

Clover talks about "phallicization" when describing the journey of the Final Girl.

"The tale is no less one of maleness. If the experience of childhood can be—is perhaps ideally—enacted in female form, the breaking away requires the assumption of a phallus. The helpless child is gendered feminine; the autonomous adult of subject is gendered masculine; the passage from childhood to adulthood entails a shift from feminine to masculine."

But is that really the answer? For Will to wield a weapon against Vecna and brutally kill him? For Will's femininity to be framed as something that needs to be overcome?

To go in the opposite direction (castration) hardly seems like a solution either, especially considering that the phallus belongs to gay man. To castrate would be to suggest that the phallus— sexuality— is one that is dangerous and needs to be removed.

So how do we find a middle ground, one that maintains the phallus without eliminating Will's feminine character traits? And is there a solution suggested in the text?

Oh rod motif, you never get old

In episode one the phallus is represented as something destructive, the rifle, which Will puts down and arguably because so, was afforded more time than if he had used it.

As the series marches on, the phallus never goes away— it just transforms.

The phallus has gone from something of fear and destruction to a representation of love and creation. But Will has yet to self actualize because the above scene is also an act of castration because Will doesn't claim proper ownership over the painting. The phallus is a beautiful display of love, but only if it belongs to someone else.

The show may have (unsubtly) foreshadowed this self actualization as it relates to the phallus and the defeat of Vecna.

And I don't really think that people at this point want to spend the rest of the post reading about Will with powers theoretics so I'll just leave the suggestion there for now and allow you to come to your own conclusions.

Final (Girl) Thoughts

The idea that heroism is male and victimization is female is an idea that is as old as and older than Odysseus, but that isn't to necessarily say that heroism and self-actualization is a purely male idea, something that may have been contended by the existence of Final Girl herself.

"At the moment that the Final Girl becomes her own savior, she becomes a hero; and the moment that she becomes a hero is the moment that the male viewer gives up the last pretense of male identification. Abject terror may still be gendered feminine, but the willingness of one immensely popular current genre to re-represent the hero as an anatomical female would seem to suggest that at least one of the traditional marks of heroism, triumphant self-rescue, is no longer strictly gendered masculine."

[crownleys]

Favorite Female Character Poll

Hehehe thank you for tagging me @nsewell!! I agree, we're all playing with them as dolls so everyone pick your favorite out of the toybox

And I'll tag @delucadarling @swordsandspectacles @mysterycyclone aaand @thischarmingand and @galacticdrift

[faustquillpen]

Once upon a time, there was a being beyond the veil of our world...

... Who embodied the idea of Justice.

But the powerful God-like creature became disillusioned with humanity's version of "Justice."

It ripped itself apart in its discontent

And became Vengeance.

Vengeance always hungered.

It began to starve

And eventually went into a deep sleep.

Later, modern cultists unearthed the old worshipping grounds of the otherworldly God

And tried to awaken It

But these cultists did not know the God that they were trying to awaken, all they knew is that it hungered

They called it "The Starving God."

They offered a sacrifice

A child

(Yes, they murdered a child... To a God of Vengeance.)

You can imagine how that turned out for them...

... But what of the child?

Vengeance, feeling itself drifting off into its slumber yet again

Weeped over the corpse of the child that had been slain just so It would wake up for mere minutes.

And with the last of Its power before it again fell into its deep sleep

It Reached out to the child's spirit

And he was brought back.

... But he came back wrong.

Everyone the Child knew was gone, killed or chased off by the Eldritch beast

He wandered for a while

It was after he starved to death the first time that he realized what was wrong

He could not die.

He kept coming back.

And so he wandered. Growing older. Learning. Lurking. Testing the limits of his powers.

He became a vigilante

The spirit of Vengeance inside of him needed to be quelled

He would pretend to be a weak boy, wandering home alone in the dark

And when someone took advantage...

He would get a look at their face before he died

And then he would return for them.

He did this for a while.

He had been an outsider for so long, he didn't quite know how to react when he met some friends

But eventually he grew to tolerate, and even enjoy, their company.

Then there was him...

... Who argued no one deserved to die.

Who argued that the boy was good inside and didn't need to kill.

The Boy would chuckle darkly

"We will try it your way, and you will see it fail."

And the rest

Is history

[flowingleaves]

the end is never the end: an oc web weave

annihilation is the beginning

@lookoflove // circles - marion ethel hamilton // 1st century momento mori mosaic from pompeii // the white book - han kang // immortal - reinaeiry // engraving of a wyvern-type ouroboros - lucas jennis

[sleepyburito]

FTO surname + height h/c's

some of these surnames are inspired by the original Fairy Tail seires and are reference's to the characters

Grimshade 

Leif ‘Allumos’ Alum [5”10]

Mitch ‘Viper’ Cropper [6”1]

Marshie McGarden [5”6]

Patrick O’Conner [5”10]

Colin Rogue [5”10]

Jericho Sterorra [5”10]

Seek Vermillion [5”8]

Divinus Magia 

Inmo Bager [5”9]

Fauran Bauman [6”0]

David Blumental [6”1 ½ ] 

Plant/Echeveria Blumental [4”2]

Saleen Bowman [5”7]

Micheal Cheney [5”6]

Ritchie Diablos [6”2]

Brandon Diablos [6”4]

Lucas Fisker [6”0]

Devin Fernandes [5”9]

Blake Himmler [5”4]

Mario Redfox [6”2] 

Lara Saari [5”10] 

Kit Solberg [5”3]

Tiffy Swift [5”8]

The Protectors 

Bryan Divil [5”11]

Lo’Pho Dreyar [4”0]

Rosey Dreyar [3”9] 

Alex Hummel [5”11] 

Eliore Landau [5”8] 

Mania Sil [5”7]

Kayla ‘Kay’ Todd [5”6] 

La Carnival

Flurrette ‘Flurry’ Balfour [5”1]

Davis Clive [5”11]

Basil Connell [5”2]

Juno Eucliffe [5”6] 

Yamitsu Fujisawa [6”6] 

Cecil Marvell [5”8] 

Devil’s Tongue 

Zaine Albert [5”9] 

Mori Bager [5”7] 

Celeste Bishop [5”5]

Indoles Saari Craig [5”7] 

Nixilis ‘Nix’ Curch [5”10] 

Cassideya Gilchrist [6”3] 

Montavious ‘Monty’ Gilchrist [6”1] 

Biblico/Luca Saari [6”1] 

@leaf-in-a-flower-garden @toffie-the-fox

thank you Toffie for the inspo for Allumos

also David's surname is how mother's maiden name as he refused to use his father's surname

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2 Polls:

(Projected length: 32 days)

(Bonus Rounds: Here)

Day 1:

1. Ogai Mori vs. Pascal

2. The Doctor vs. Franky

Day 2:

3. Madoc vs. Daenerys Targaryen

4. Inspector Barnes vs. Bright Noa

Day 3:

5. August vs. Claude Frollo

6. Cale Henituse vs. Leif

Day 4:

7. Simon Petrikov vs. Chiron

8. Yami Sukehiro vs. Sei Handa

Day 5:

9. Gintoki Sakata vs. Eithan Arelius

10. Dr. Gregory House vs. Maglor

Day 6:

11. Wolverine vs. Izumi Curtis

12. Roy Mustang vs. Abraham van Helsing

Day 7:

13. Askeladd vs. Rune Saint John

14. Guts vs. Jake Sully

Day 8:

15. Sir Reginald Hargreeves vs. Jean Valjean

16. Kohachi Inugami vs. The Fix

Day 9:

17. Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla vs. Gumpa

18. Aphmau vs. Agent Washington

Day 10:

19. Grace vs. Vector the Crocodile

20. Alec Lightwood-Bane vs. Dadan

Day 11:

21. Bobby Nash vs. William Adama

22. Korosensei vs. The Warrior of Light

Day 12:

23. Kaname Date vs. Jack Starbright

24. Satoru Gojo vs. Dutch Van Der Linde

Day 13:

25. Xie Lian vs. Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane

26. Tom and Maddie Wachowski vs. Sakyo Furuichi

Day 14:

27. Welt Yang vs. Herlock Sholmes

28. Carlisle and Esme Cullen vs. Dracule Mihawk

Day 15:

29. Artemy Burakh vs. Barry and Iris West-Allen

30. Kazuma Kiryu vs. Yuugo and Lucas

Day 16:

31. Master Wu vs. Dave Seville

32. Axel vs. Izumi Tachibana

Day 17:

33. Arlecchino/The Knave vs. Sarah Jane Smith

34. Qifrey vs. Bell-Mere

Day 18:

35. Bobby Singer vs. Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish

36. Professor Hershel Layton vs. Donna Hanscum

Day 19:

37. Giovanni Potage vs. Ingo

38. Miles Edgeworth vs. Vil Shoenheit

Day 20:

39. Nick Fury vs. Dalinar Kholin

40. King Dedede and Meta Knight vs. Kavax au Telemanaus

Day 21:

41. Arataka Reigen vs. Jawbone O’Shaughnessey

42. Gol D. Roger vs. Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn

Day 22:

43. Toriel Dreemurr vs. Master Kongo

44. Pongo and Perdita vs. Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik

Day 23:

45. Lance Strongbow vs. Derek Hale

46. Tony Stark vs. Roronoa Zoro

Day 24:

47. Jody Mills vs. Eric Gale

48. “Red-Haired” Shanks vs. Kurogane and Fai D’Flourite

Day 25:

49. Han Muchun vs. Iroh

50. Splinter vs. Lilia Vanrouge

Day 26:

51. Bruce Wayne vs. Thomas O’Malley

52. Jupiter North vs. Keishin Ukai

Day 27:

53. Kim Dokja vs. Roberto de Niro

54. Shōta Aizawa vs. Doctor Carmilla

Day 28:

55. Mendoza vs. Soundwave

56. David Wymack vs. Ash Ketchum

Day 29:

57. Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu vs. Yondu Udonta

58. Eda Clawthorne vs. Gavroche

Day 30:

59. Fukuzawa Yukichi vs. Optimus Prime

60. Camila Noceda vs. QSMP!Philza

Day 31:

61. Phoenix Wright vs. The Dragonborn

62. Bruno Bucciarati vs. Oliver Queen

Day 32:

63. Whitebeard vs. Otose

64. Sojiro Sakura vs. Yukari Yakumo

[canyouhearthelight]

Nihilus Rex, Ch. 32: Sisters and Secrets

This post is dedicated to something that I am more than obsessed with in anything I write: realistic sibling relationships. Yes, siblings can be the bane of your existence during childhood and may still be so when you're an adult.

But it's equally likely that your sibling will be your partner in crime. So if you see shades of Sophia and Tyche in this, know that's because of my own relationship with my youngest sibling.

As always, co-written with the incredible @baelpenrose. Extra shoutout to @lavcircuts who may not realize it but reminded me today is Friday and that means I need to post!

I really hope you get it

And don’t live to regret it…

I hope you’re happy in the end.

I hope you’re happy, my friend” - Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba, “Defying Gravity”

Lash

Once Baba and Mama were asleep for a while, I took advantage and asked Mori to walk to the store with me.  While we were both aware that she had filled the freezer as much as possible with meals, there was an oppressive sort of silence that filled the apartment now that Lucas and the boys were back in Puyallup.  She gladly took up my offer, left notes with our parents, and practically shoved me out into the setting sunlight.

“This way,” I reminded her once we hit the bottom of the stairs. Years of habit told our feet to turn towards Uncle’s shop, but… “There is a market this way with Turkish coffee.”

Forcing herself to be cheerful, she clucked her tongue. “Not as good, but better than American.” 

Her imitation of Baba’s frequent words made a hard stone in my chest.  I reminded myself that Baba was still with us and blinked the tingling from my eyes. “I bet you can’t wait to get home,” I teased, gently bumping her shoulder with mine.

She shoved back with her hips. “I had to beg Lucas to take away the computer when I was looking at properties nearby,” she confessed.  When I gaped at her, she tugged my hair with a grin. “Who is going to cook until Mama is well?”

“Clearly you are,” I announced, thinking on all the food she had made ahead.  “And I know Fatima is waiting until you are home to come visit.  She told me so when I went to check on the girls last wee - Wait.” I stopped in my tracks and pulled Mori’s hand. “You are sending Fatima to check on us??”

Mori smoothed my hair and patted my hand, the way Mama did sometimes. “Fatima needs someone to fuss over, and Mama and Baba need fussing.  Mama won’t hurt for having little girls in the house after my boys, either.”

I groaned in mock-agony. “Again, you outmaneuver me!”  Coming to my senses, I squeezed her hand seriously, stroking her arm. “Thank you. I don’t think I could take care of them both without help, and you always know what to do.”

She tugged me to keep walking, well aware that we didn’t need to go to the store and were just getting out of the house for a talk. “So. Tell me about Nils.  Not what you told me at the hospital, I want the truth.”

There was a small bubble of hesitation, but it was immediately pushed down by a thousand memories of Mori and I chattering away into the night about things Mama and Baba would never understand. “I met him after a funeral,” I told her. “His best friend.  He picked a fight with some people he shouldn’t have, and thought I was going to jump from my bridge.”

Mori clucked again. “You and that bridge. Mama always hated it, but Baba talked her down.”

I grinned, letting a stray breeze hit my face. “Brayden had just screwed me over again, and this time he’d taken the money with him - “

“I never liked Brayden.” She’s never even met Brayden.

I pushed on. “Nils has a way with computers, and he got my money back - “

“And Brayden’s…”

“Am I telling this story, or are you?” I scolded. “Anyway, we decided to work together on some… less than legal things that would help people who had been screwed over.” I bit my lip, hesitant to be more specific.  “Beyond that, he lives on his own in a not-yet-gentrified apartment block, helps the homeless by letting them stay in a building I think he owns, and goes to college. Great relationship with his mom, but - you met his dad.”

“You never did let unfair laws stop you from doing the right thing,” Mori sighed. “And yeah, I would be telling you to run for the hills if he had a good relationship with Doctor Iceblock Godcomplex. I am going to assume the ‘less than legal things’ have to do with Baba’s car suddenly being paid off, and beg you not to confirm that. I already had one interview with the FBI, and I…”  She stopped in her tracks and trailed off, staring in the distance.  I let her sit in silence for a couple minutes until she slowly turned her head toward me and grabbed both my forearms. “Lash,” she hissed. “That wasn’t about the fire at all, was it?”

“I don’t think so,” I answered, slowly but truthfully. “Nils and I had nothing to do with the fire other than being there when it happened,” I swore. “I would never put anyone who was there at risk. Me, yes. Nils, if he was willing - which he probably would be. But our parents? Uncle? Imran?” I scowled and shook my head.  “We really were there to get coffee after a date.”

My sister pressed her fingertips between her eyebrows until the nail beds turned white. “Baba’s car, that was you and Nils?”

“Yes.”

“The men who were shot at the bank?”

“Were volunteers, and we did not ask, tell, or imply that they should pull guns on the police.”

Her fingertips migrated to massage her forehead. “Are Mama and Baba in danger?”

“Not if I can help it, no. I didn’t even want them at the cafe, although it had nothing to do with the rest.”

“Nosy, nosy aunties,” she exhaled, opening her eyes. “I swear, they should be studied as a force of the universe. Quantum mechanics probably hinges on nosy aunties.” Mori dragged me by my arm again, walking briskly for several minutes until we found a bench. Rather than sitting, she had us cross the street. “So the attack, that was real and you didn’t cause it.”

I swore viciously until she pulled me to a stop and levelled a glare that told me to wrap it up. “No, that was something separate that has been escalating despite several police reports,” I promised.

“So, I haven’t lied to a fed, that is nice,” she answered breezily. “Is Nils your boyfriend, or is that a cover?”  My face flushed with heat, and she started laughing. “Ooooo, more than a boyfriend, I see!  So you haven’t been crashing on someone’s couch all those nights you didn’t come home!”

“I will have you know, I did sleep on a couch,” I argued, indignant. “His bed is rock hard, Mori! It’s the worst!”

Her peals of laughter let me know that all was accepted and forgiven. “And the couch is better?”

“Like a marshmallow,” I shook my head. “It’s amazing.”

We walked for another block, elbowing each other in silence and erupting into giggles.  It was when we had stopped in front of a chocolate shop that Mori leaned over to ask the hard question. “How much trouble?”

‘Are you in’ went unsaid. I shrugged and carefully chose my words - for the people walking past, not for my sister. “The FBI haven’t asked directly about anything but the fire, and I didn’t lie to the agent,” I answered truthfully. “But we’re pretty sure that she’s here for more than just a fire.  I had nothing to do with the deaths of those guys connected to the fire.” Slight fib, but technically true from a legal standpoint. “Nils and I are… trying to make things better for people who have been getting the shit end of it all.  I don’t know how far that is going to go, yet, but I needed to make sure that if something happens, someone can tell Mama and Baba.”

My ear stung like fire when she flicked it with one long nail. “You are asking me to tell our parents if you are dead,” she hissed. “That isn’t fair.”

“I’m asking you to tell them if I’m arrested,” I clarified, managing to get my hand up in time that the next thump hit a knuckle. “I know it isn’t fair, but it’s even less fair to let them think I am a missing person if someone is able to let them know I am arrested or dead.”

“And why can your Nils not tell them?”

I raised an eyebrow and glared at her in my best ‘don’t be stupid’ glare.

She relented and held up her hands. “Okay, yeah, even I can tell he would be right there in it with you.  That’s at least somewhat fair.”  She placed one hand on my upper arm and rubbed it briskly. “Just… try to make it as long as possible before I have to make good on that promise?”

“Without a doubt,” I answered, shaking my head.  “Although…” She glared at me and I gave up the joke. “I met Nils’ parents the other night, and his mom wants to do a ladies’ day before you head home. You, Mama, me, and Ms. Katherine Andover.”

“Yay….” Mori cheered with zero enthusiasm. “Rich white lady day…”

I laughed and shook my head. “Oh, oh no. We pick the restaurant, and she’ll pay. I only ask that it isn’t the Ethiopian place, because apparently she eats there often.”

“Are you serious? She’ll pay?”

I nodded. “I can confirm, she is very adventurous with new foods, and the only thing that kept her from eating with her hands was that she didn’t know it was not just permitted but encouraged.”

“Crap,” Mori swore. “Now I don’t know if I want to try an expensive place, or if I want to watch the rich lady eat cheap ethnic food…”

I squeezed Mori’s arm with laughter. “Oh my god, I know, right?”