#Shadow War Armageddon

[famine-ate-the-blogname]

First draft of War's hounds, 2020. They're all doberman pinschers.

Fun fact to add on: War's smallest hound is named Private. Upon learning this, Famine asked him if he had a hound named "Public". He stared at her for the longest time before rummaging through his quarters for a grenade launcher (Pestilence stopped him last minute).

[quasi-normalcy]

I don't know. This is far too reductive, of course, but I kind of think that there is a very real and notable difference between the way that violence was treated in the 1960s Star Trek, which was written in the shadow of nuclear armageddon twenty years after the bloodiest war in human history (and largely by people who had fought in that war), and in the newer series, where the writers' experience of violence comes primarily from action movies and video games.

Like, I think that there's a tendency of people in the present to imagine that people in the past were naive and...I really don't think that history bears this out. I don't think that subversion is always clever just because a trope can be subverted. I think that imagining that your enemy might be an actual moral actor with whom it's possible to reason is actually a great deal more mature than imagining your enemy as a bloodthirsty monster who will kill by nature.

[pa1nrema1ns]

Two Intertwining Melodies || Sung Jin-woo (Part 2 of 3)

Siren!Jin-woo x Deaf!Omega!reader

A/N: Hello again everyone! Thank you so much for all of your interest and feedback on part one of this series. Due to the sheer enormity of the second chapter, I've decided to expand the siren au into a trilogy rather than a two-parter. My dear friend and beta reader @forbidden-sunlight has been an absolutely incredible source of support in the creation of this story. She also wrote the imagine that inspired this au. Links to the prologue and first chapter are posted below. Do be sure to read them first before continuing. And as always, heed the content warnings that are listed.

╰┈➤ Chapter Index

🦪 Prologue by @forbidden-sunlight 🧜‍♂️ Part 1: Master and Apprentice 🦈 Part 3: In a Sea of Fire

Content warnings: 18+MDNI, canon divergent, graphic descriptions of gore, death, and violence, afab!reader, reader is a makeup artist and hair stylist in the entertainment industry, a/b/o dynamics, heavy mentions of heat cycles, knotting, and breeding, threats of assault/non-con made by Kang Taeshik towards the reader (Jinchul intervenes and protects her), suggestive themes, some sexual descriptors, mythical creatures au, yandere!Jin-woo.

Word count - 9.6k

Summary - You find yourself returning to your childhood home of Jindo Island after receiving the offer of a lifetime. However, you can't shake the feeling that someone or something is watching you.

Dividers by @anitalenia and @firefly-graphics

[Skill: "Monarch’s Domain" Has Been Activated.]

“Come on out!”

A cacophony of deafening blasts, wails, and the clash of steel rings across the crimson-tinged horizon of the one hundredth floor of the Demon’s Castle; a perfect accompaniment to the Armageddon currently taking place. Infantrymen by the hundreds emerge from the shadows to skewer Baran’s forces while Iron, Igris, and Tank slaughter the larger and more formidable combatants with wanton brutality. Issuing a non-verbal command, Jin-woo orders Tusk to incinerate his enemies with ‘Song of Inferno,’ and a calamitous ball of flames bursts forth, eradicating most of the battalion.  

“Amazing… on all the top floors I’ve been with him, I’ve seen nothing quite like this,” Esil whispered in awe. Although she was a demon princess who grew up in this wasteland and had seen many spectacular sights, the power of commanding shadow soldiers was most certainly not one of them.

In contrast to his companion, Jin-woo calmly observes the cataclysmic destruction with a piercing gaze. Despite gaining the upper hand against his troops, Baran remained steadfast in his refusal to engage directly in the ensuing fight. This simply would not do. Jin-woo needed to secure his victory in this decisive battle, and fast.

Jinwoo’s opponent possessed the last ingredient required to craft the Holy Water of Life: The Purified Blood of the Demon Monarch. A fortnight of endless fighting had culminated to this moment, and he was on the precipice of triumph. But the Demon King was unlike any adversary he had ever faced before. Jin-woo could gauge just from the sheer murderous energy emanating from him that Baran was in a league of his own. And his power spoke for itself: endless demon hordes at his beck and call, a wyvern as a mount, and an insurmountable supply of mana that showed no signs of running out. Jin-woo would need to approach his foe strategically lest he lose this war of attrition.

At long last, as if he could sense the siren’s impatience, the Demon King makes his move. He bids his steed to fly at a lower altitude. Once within range, Baran unhinges his jaw and unleashes a massive beam of white lightning. Within seconds, thunder runs rampant throughout the land, devastating everything in its path. However, Jin-woo and his shadow army stand strong regardless of the imminent danger.  The siren even has the audacity to smirk. 

So Baran thought he could defeat him with electricity? Excellent. He really could not have asked for a better opponent. As luck would have it, Jin-woo’s oceanic nature gave him the edge in this situation. The surface of water, acting as a conductor of electricity, causes high voltages and amps to spread rapidly. With this in mind, Jin-woo launches a counterattack.

“Wreak havoc on all who dare to stand in my way, Charybdis!”

Powerful torrents of black seawater manifest from the shadows just before Baran’s attack could hit him. The rushing stream then runs across the land and coalesces into a violent maelstrom in the sky. The raging vortex absorbs most of the lightning in its maw before redirecting its flow towards the Demon King. Baran wills his steed to evade by canting to the left, but Tusk incapacitates him by striking the wyvern’s wing with a blast of fire magic. The Demon King leaps from his mount’s back before it’s forced into the whirlpool and electrocuted. He lands gracefully on his feet and shoots a sinister grin at Jin-woo.

“It was worth it to let Tusk have the sphere,” the siren remarks nonchalantly, as if it was just any other day and not a fight to the death. “I’m glad you’re finally on the ground. Constantly looking up was making me tired.”

With the Demon King grounded, Jin-woo no longer required the aquatic effects of Charybdis. The dark water above evaporates as it returns to the abyssal depths of the ocean, its job now complete. With this hindrance finally gone, Baran doesn’t hesitate to release another beam of white thunder, this one even greater than the last. Tusk attempts to lessen the impact with ‘Song of Protection’, but the force of taking a direct hit ends up obliterating him. Undeterred by his comrade’s demise, Iron bellows at Baran and slashes at his body with his axe. But he proves to be no match for the speed of the Demon King, who ruthlessly splits his head in half. Igris then valiantly joins the fray and swings his great sword at the demon. However, this too is a fruitless endeavor, as Baran swiftly catches his blade and wipes him out with a flick of his wrist.

Just as Igris’s body fades, Jin-woo emerges from the ashes in his true sirenic form, Knight Killer and Baruka’s dagger at the ready. “Scylla!” He snarls a second incantation that brings forth another wave of black water, this time in the shape of a six-headed beast. The aqueous leviathan slams into Baran, crushing his body under its weight and submerging the entire floor of the dungeon in water. The Demon King swiftly breaks free from the tides and springs onto the roof of one of the sole remaining towers. Soaking wet and surrounded by large bodies of water, Baran ends up on the defensive; if he were to use his lightning, he risked electrocuting himself. Jin-woo was also in an environment that favored him, and the Demon King could not pinpoint his whereabouts while he was swimming underwater.

Even with this advantage, the gap in power was still significant between the two. Knowing this, Jin-woo doesn’t allow him a moment of reprieve. He uses his tail to project his body from the currents and launches at the Demon King with his daggers. The demon responds in kind, countering his onslaught with a flurry of strikes from his own weapons. Jin-woo holds his own against the extraordinary speed of Baran’s slashes. But he was low on mana, and fatigue was rapidly building up. While oceanic magic was incredibly effective, it incurred a high cost of mana. This, coupled with an extended exposure to a dry, fiery atmosphere, was having a seriously detrimental effect on his endurance. It was time to end the battle after dragging it out for so long. Jin-woo just needed an opportunity to catch the demon off guard– 

Klang!

A loud noise reverberates in the dungeon as a lance ricochets off Baran’s head. The demon redirects his focus to the sheepish face of Esil. Huh? I thought I told her to head for higher ground. When did she…? Jin-woo ponders briefly before banishing the thought. He requested a distraction, and someone kindly provided him with one. He wasn’t about to squander his only chance.

Using Baran’s hesitation to his advantage, Jin-woo discards his short swords and sinks his fangs into the Demon King’s neck, crushing down on his windpipe. As Baran struggles to throw him off, Jin-woo unsheathes his claws and gouges out chunks of flesh. The demon howls in agony, his pained cries music to the siren’s ears. “How stupid of me,” Jin-woo sneers, his voice deepening in pitch as his actions became more monstrous, “I was fighting you like a man this entire time, when this is who I really am. Heh, I guess being disguised as a human for so long made me forget.”

Summoning all his strength, Jin-woo uses his muscular arms to tear Baran’s torso from his body. The vicious mauling completely eviscerates the demon, with only his entrails being left over in its wake. His victory now secured, Jin-woo exhaustedly slumps to the ground and reverts to his human appearance. The throes of battle destroyed most of his clothes, much to his chagrin. The only apparel that remained intact were his tattered jeans, and those only just spared his modesty. He scoffed in annoyance; he’d need to purchase a new wardrobe soon to make himself more presentable for you …

“Jin-woo, sir!” Esil dashes towards him with a worried look on her cute face. The siren smirks, satisfied despite the many setbacks he faced during this confrontation.

“Esil, tell your father the Radis clan is now the number one family.”

“Jin-woo sir,” the demon girl responds exasperatedly, “Our family name is Radir.”

6:00 AM, on the outskirts of Jindo Island…

Jin-woo deeply inhales the crisp morning air as he soars through the endless skies. Much had transpired in the short time between the conclusion of his showdown with Baran and now. He had gained the Purified Blood of the Demon Monarch, along with the World Tree Fragment, and Spring Water from Echo Forest. With these three components, he was at last able to craft the Holy Water of Life. Once finished, he cradled the precious vial in his palm, as if trying to ascertain proof of its existence. Afterwards, Jin-woo deposited it into his magical inventory for safekeeping.

Of course, the elixir was just one of the many spoils of war he had claimed. Kaisel, the wyvern who now served as his mount, was his for the taking after Baran’s death. The gift of flight had expedited the journey home, much to his joy. A rune stone had also provided him with the skill, ‘Shadow Exchange,' a means of trading places with any of his soldiers scattered throughout land and sea. Thanks to this new ability, he was able to leave that hellish landscape. After being gone for what felt like eons, Jin-woo was desperate to return. To his family. To Ashborn. To you.

He’s relieved when the familiar cityscape of Jindo-gun comes into view. He estimates it would take roughly 15 more minutes for them to arrive over the briny waters. However, before they can make it past the coastline, the spellbinding fragrance of bergamot and vanilla overwhelms Jin-woo’s senses. This could mean only one thing: you were nearby. The headiness of your musk had also gotten more potent in his absence, signifying your fertility.

“Fuck!” Jin-woo’s hisses as desire courses hot and heavy through his veins. He tries to resist the temptation of your pheromones, but you smelt so damn good; so ready and willing for him and his knot –

Jin-woo grunts as he bites down hard enough on his bottom lip to draw blood. The pain causes him to regain some mental clarity, and he wills himself to calm down. But it’s of no use. His thoughts were currently being clouded by lust and the instinctual drive to breed. Those two weeks he endured in the Demon’s Castle had significantly intensified his longing for you, and the pent-up sexual frustration was coming to a head. Jin-woo really had to nip this in the bud. His stamina was at its limit, and he was in no condition to be seen by you. The siren also desperately needed to go home and check in on his mother and Jin-ah. He was the only alpha and protector of their family after the disappearance of his father. He couldn’t afford to waste another—

The wind carries your scent as it blows past Jin-woo’s face a second time. It was as if you were beckoning him like some sort of enchantress. Unable to ignore your maddening aroma, Jin-woo at last gives in. He knew the decision he was about to make was foolish, reckless even. But he must heed the call of his omega.

He silently apologizes to his mother and Jin-ah and asks them to wait just a little longer. “I’ll only introduce myself… maybe I can even get her name,” he tries to reason with himself while slowly succumbing to delirium. His mind made up, Jin-woo commands Kaisel to deliver him to the area where your scent is the strongest. The wyvern then returns to the void shortly thereafter, leaving the worn out siren to his own devices.

Grainy sand molds against his bare feet as stumbles across the beach in search of you. “Shit. If this keeps up, I might not make it back to Mom and Jin-ah.” Jin-woo mumbles softly. He really was in poor form. Maybe it had been a mistake to depart immediately for Jindo island without taking a break in between. Damn. 

As black spots start to obscure his vision, Jin-woo’s gaze finally lands on you. His lips quirk into a tired smile. Even through blurry eyes, you looked absolutely stunning while standing in the sunlight. Like an earthly goddess.

With his consciousness ebbing further and further away, the siren musters up the last of his energy to stagger towards you. He makes it only two steps before his body gives out and he collapses. Rather than hitting the hard ground, a soft and warm embrace met Jin-woo. He blearily cracks open an eye, curious about what broke his fall. It was at that moment your lovely, albeit worried face greeted him. Pretty, he thinks, exhaustion finally taking its toll on him. The last thing Jin-woo remembers before the darkness overtakes him is the soothing smell of bergamot and vanilla.

Two weeks ago, someone or something had been watching you. It was during the first day of filming the mystery-thriller, ‘Murder on the Cerulean Sea’, a passion project by renowned producer, Go Gun-hee. The man had an incredible work ethic, with a career spanning over 40 years and numerous accolades to his name. He had recently come out of retirement, and the entertainment industry was buzzing with anticipation. Known as a cinematic miracle maker, every motion picture Go Gun-hee produced set box office records. Suffice to say, you had been over the moon after finding out you were amongst the few who made the cut for makeup artists hired to work on set. Although the instant you found out where the filming location was to take place, you immediately felt your enthusiasm dampen. Jindo-gun. At one point, this had been your home. Now, it was but a distant memory.

You had spent most of your childhood on the island of Jindo. Its scenic beaches, sprawling forests, and crystalline waters made it ideal for shooting a film based on a luxury yacht charter. There was one major caveat however: the sirens. Several pods of these unpredictable creatures resided off the coast of Jindo, and the alphas were infamous for their aggression, especially during the height of the mating season.

Growing up, your parents warned you time and time again not to walk alone along the shores at night. "Don’t ever go to the beach by yourself after dark," your mother had signed this to you almost every day. A constant reminder to stay safe and vigilant of your surroundings. Townsfolk also gossiped and shared sordid stories about the lost souls who fell victim to the sirens. But this wasn’t just word of mouth, a child’s fairytale, or mere superstition. These deadly apex predators were very much real, and a troublingly high number of homicides were committed by them each year. Unfortunately, this did little to dissuade foolhardy tourists and arrogant fishermen from pouring into the island during the hotter months of spring and summer.

Eager to escape the foreboding atmosphere, you had applied to and been accepted into a 2-year cosmetology program in Busan shortly after finishing high school. Makeup had always been a strong interest of yours and with the support of both your parents you flourished in your craft.

Although you had been nervous about the transition from quaint suburbia to the big city life, you found yourself quickly growing accustomed to the fast-paced environment. Your school had also been very accommodating, providing you with a sign language interpreter and captioning services for your classes. A kindhearted young woman by the name of Lee Joohee had been assigned as your interpreter during your time in Busan. You became fast friends and remained close even after graduation.

After receiving your license, you relocated to a small apartment in Seoul and began working as a hair and makeup artist in stage productions, commercials, and musicals. You greatly enjoyed the creativity and networking opportunities of your profession, often getting to bump shoulders with many well-known actors and actresses. Within a few years, your portfolio grew considerably. This enabled you to broaden your horizons by breaking into the film industry. ‘Murder on the Cerulean Sea,’ would be your first foray into this competitive market and you wanted to prove yourself as a newcomer to the scene. So, despite your reservations, you begrudgingly agreed to board the private jet headed for Jindo island.

If you recall correctly, the mating season for the sirens wouldn’t take place for another four months, so everything should proceed without a hitch… right?  

You began to feel a little more at ease when you found out Cha Hae-In and Yoo Jinho were cast in major roles in the movie. You had first met them when they were both burgeoning stage actors. Cha was surprisingly camera shy and preferred to keep a more subdued profile whereas Jinho was outgoing and incredibly humble despite his privileged background. The bubbly brunet was the youngest son of the chairman of Yoojin Construction Company, a major industrial conglomerate in South Korea.

Although you came from different walks of life, the three of you had hit it off right away, finding common ground in your passions for campy horror films. You even taught them a few signs, and this inspired Jinho to devote himself fully to learning sign language. Cha also practiced her signs with you whenever she had the chance, but her busy schedule often made it difficult for her to find spare time. Nevertheless, you were deeply touched by the efforts made by both of your friends.

While taking a break on set, you felt a pair of eyes boring into you as you were relaxing with Cha and Jinho. At first, you chalked it up to paranoia. It had been years since you visited the island, and you’d nearly forgotten how oppressive the ocean seemed at night. But it was the middle of May. The mating season for the sirens would not take place until September at the earliest. Regardless, the sensation of being watched still lingered even after the mysterious presence had left.

There was also the enthralling scent of lavender and sandalwood thickly permeating the air. It had a distinctly masculine undertone to it that had piqued your interest. It was far too strong to be from a couple spritzes of cologne or perfume, yet more subtle than the pungent smell emanating from many of the alphas who composed the cast and crew onboard the yacht. Their musk was overbearing at best, but this fragrance was entirely different. It was sweet. Delicate. Intoxicating…

You had to find the source of it. Making up an excuse about wanting to get more fresh air, you stay behind on the deck of the ship while your friends return to their accommodations to retire for the evening. As you lean over the railing to scope out the scent, an intense wave of heat suddenly ignites in your lower belly causing you to gasp and buckle at the knees. It briefly lingers in your abdomen before shooting directly to your core. You bite back a moan as your eyes flutter shut from the pleasure spreading throughout your body. Slowly but surely, you were entering into a primal state; one of pure unbridled arousal. You should be concerned. No, you should be horrified. You were so vulnerable, so out of sorts. And yet…

You had never felt so exhilarated. It was as if ecstasy became you. You were ascending higher and higher to parts unknown, all semblance of rationality long since abandoned. The coil in your gut was wound so tight, it was at its breaking point. If this continued, you would inevitably plummet over the edge and succumb to your baser instincts –  

The metallic odor of copper violently infiltrates the air, abruptly bringing you back to your senses. Your eyes bolt open, and you release a shaky breath. You’re surprised to find yourself on your knees. They must’ve given out on you at some point. However, your shock shifts to horror when you catch sight of an unruly mop of purple hair from the corner of your eye.

It could only belong to one individual: Kang Taeshik.

Shit. You’d been acquainted with the man just yesterday, but he terrified you. Taeshik was an up-and-coming actor on the scene; one who excelled in any role he played. In spite of this, the first impression he left on you was enough to make you keep your distance. Although Taeshik’s demeanor was docile, there was a cold and calculating look in his eyes that made you shudder. It reminded you of a predator eyeing its prey. The most off-putting aspect of the man, however, was his stomach-churning scent. He positively reeked of blood.

You could feel panic setting in as he began to saunter towards you, a lascivious smirk spread across his face like a dark promise. You’re unable to rise to your feet, still weakened and lightheaded from the erotic sensations affecting you earlier. Worse yet, you feel a lump in your throat, making it difficult to shout or scream for help should the need arise. You were essentially cornered, defenseless, and alone with a menacing alpha. And if the pungency of his musk was anything to go by, he was on the verge of a rut. You sink back into yourself in fear and begin to tremble uncontrollably.

You can see Taeshik’s mouth moving as he closes in on you. You’d become adept at lip reading over the years, although it was difficult to decipher everything he was saying in the darkness. The only words that you can make out are "little omega" and "whore." Your blood curdles. Someone, anyone, please help me! You silently plead, knowing it was futile. For a moment, you foolishly imagine the owner of that enticing scent coming to your rescue.

Thankfully, just before Taeshik can grab you, a large hand envelops his wrist in a vice grip.

The purple haired nightmare cants his gaze to the side and narrows his eyes. He’s greeted by the furious expression of none other than the film’s director, Woo Jinchul. Relief floods your chest at the sight of him. Thank God, you think.

Taeshik rips his arm away and leaps back, creating some distance between himself and the taller man. Jinchul quickly assumes a protective stance in front of you. His broad back prevented you from seeing your would-be assailant, something you were extremely grateful for. For a few tense moments, you can only sit and stare at Jinchul’s imposing figure as he confronts the other man.

Despite how scared you are, you wish you could partake in the conversation if only to defend yourself. Taeshik may try to manipulate the situation by implicating you as an instigator or seductress, something many male actors in the industry unfortunately got away with due to their connections or wealth. It was despicable and made you seethe with anger at the salacious lies and rumors spread by the press and social media.

After several minutes, Taeshik departs with nary but a shrug of indifference. Apparently Jinchul’s status and power as director did nothing to intimidate him. He waits until Taeshik’s figure disappears before turning to face you. There’s an uncharacteristic warmth in his usually hard gaze, and you’re able to catch a whiff of his natural scent: cardamom and cedarwood, a calming combination.

Jinchul gently offers his hand and effortlessly hoists you to your feet. Your legs are still somewhat stiff but functional now. He permits you to steady yourself by grasping onto his shoulders and it doesn’t escape you how oddly intimate these actions are. As if to further prove this, Jinchul, in a strange display of affection, tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Your breath hitches.

A beat passes before the realization of what he just did hits him. Jinchul’s eyes widen, and he quickly snatches his hand back as if he was scalded. And was it your imagination, or were his ears turning pink? He awkwardly clears his throat before opening his mouth. ‘Are you alright? Did Taeshik harm you in any way?’ You read his lips closely, appreciating the pauses and slow enunciation of his words. Jinchul was aware that you could lip read rather efficiently, and this made it easier to communicate with him since he would not have to always rely on an interpreter.

You shake your head and see him breathing a sigh of relief. ‘He won’t ever be allowed near you again; I will make sure of it.’ Jinchul is back to his usual no-nonsense demeanor it seems. But what had caused him to act so… tender towards you? And Taeshik? The man had always been creepy and taciturn, but he never went out of his way to torment you. If Jinchul hadn’t arrived at just the right time, you could have been assaulted. You feel bile rising to your throat at the thought. Why was this happening? You were always careful and made sure to take your heat suppressants every day. None of the alphas you worked with had ever tried to hurt you before, so why? Unless you were going into heat, but that shouldn’t be possible…

You suddenly break into a sob, overcome with emotion. Your distress causes Jinchul to spring into action. He promptly removes his blazer and drapes it over your shoulders to ward off the chill of the night. Jinchul then produces an embellished handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to you. He hesitates before placing a comforting hand on your shoulder and his lips move again. ‘I’m here for you,’ he mouths. You wipe away the tears with the handkerchief and stifle your cries into its soft fabric. All the while, Jinchul remains by your side and grants you as much time as you need to collect yourself. When the tears finally run their course, you lower the ruined cloth from your face and chance a timid glance at him.

Jinchul regards you with a pensive expression on his sharp features. He withdraws his hand from your shoulder and reaches back into his pocket to pull out his phone. He then begins typing away and once finished with his message, he hands the device over to you, displaying the contents of his notebook app.

"As director of this film, I want you to know that I will always prioritize the wellbeing of our cast and crew. With that being said, the actions I witnessed Kang Taeshik commit tonight were morally reprehensible. I won’t disclose the full details of the discussion I had with him, as I do not wish to cause you any further emotional distress. I will say that I can personally attest to the fact that Kang Taeshik sought to menace and harm you while you were in a vulnerable state of heat."

You feel your heart sink into the pit of your stomach as you skim over the last sentence. So Jinchul knew you had unexpectedly gone into heat? Of course he would; he was an alpha. How could you have been so stupid? The director was most certainly going to see you as a liability now… you may even end up losing your job.

You reluctantly force yourself to continue reading. If this to be the conclusion of your tenure, then at least you would see it through to the bitter end.

"Please do not blame yourself for what has happened. Your disposition as an omega has no bearing on your contract or employment, nor does it offer an excuse for an alpha, or anyone for that matter, to harass you. It is with impartial and sound judgment that I have made the executive decision to terminate Kang Taeshik and remove him from production effective immediately. This will cause some inevitable delays, but an impromptu casting call can be arranged in the meantime. I’m willing to run over schedule if it guarantees everyone’s safety."

You exhale and feel all the tension dissipate from your body. So, you weren’t the one being let go, Taeshik was. You hadn’t known much about Woo Jinchul beforehand, but you were thankful that he was a man of good character. This was becoming exceedingly rare in an industry composed of unscrupulous and morally bankrupt members of the upper echelons.

You type back a response before handing him his phone.

"I am so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I really don’t understand what happened. I’ve been taking suppressants for years, and an alpha has never tried to threaten me before. Thank you for stepping in to protect me. I really don’t know what he was planning to do."

You couldn’t help but apologize even though Jinchul had vindicated you. What leaves you reeling, however, is the reply he gives you when the mobile device is back in your hands.

"I should be the one to apologize, not you. My behavior towards you earlier was incredibly uncouth, and for that, I am deeply sorry. As director, I should be conducting myself in a manner that is more befitting. Instead, I allowed my instincts as an alpha to impair my judgement. I promise this shall not happen again."

Uncouth behavior? Did he mean when he was brushing your hair from your face? How could he be apologetic about something so innocuous?  The implications don’t fully register until you replay that last sentence: My instincts as an alpha. Instincts…alpha…!?!

He was reacting to your pheromones.

That evening, Jinchul insisted on having you treated at the on-site infirmary. Alas, with few medical staff and even less equipment it was difficult to determine what was causing your symptoms. Was it possible your medication was no longer working? Omega suppressants were highly effective, but that didn’t mean they were infallible. A missed dose or interaction with another drug could negate the effects. But you weren’t taking any other medications, and you never missed a dose.

Needing a second opinion, you were transported to the emergency room at a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Jinchul had opted to let Cha and Jinho drive you there after explaining your circumstances to them (minus the issue with Kang Taeshik; he was keeping it under wraps for now). Unlike him, they were both betas which made them immune to your pheromones.

You ended up being kept overnight for observation. After running a series of tests, including labs to assess your hormones and an ultrasound, you were found to be undergoing a pseudo estrus or ‘false heat’ as it’s more commonly referred to.

Unlike a regular heat, a false heat occurs only when a highly compatible alpha is within close vicinity of an omega. This in turn triggers a massive release of pheromones leading to an increase in libido, fever-like symptoms, cramping, and fatigue. Whoever this alpha was, their presence was so virile that your heat suppressants were fully canceled out by them.

You were questioned extensively about your experience by the healthcare team. "Do you have any partners? Are you sexually active? Is there anyone you work with who is an alpha? When did you first start experiencing the signs of your heat?" The list was never-ending. With the help of an interpreter, you answered everything to the best of your ability. And by the end of it all, you were still at a loss.

No one on that yacht had been emitting that scent, you were sure of it. It had to have been someone wholly unrelated. Perhaps a fisherman or a swimmer? But it was late and everyone who was local to the island knew better than to risk the waters at night. Everyone except you and the entourage on board the yacht, that is.

Frustrated, you eventually gave up on trying to figure out the identity of your potential mate. Your physician, a compassionate fellow omega by the name of Min Byung-Gu, strongly recommended an entire week of bed rest for you. This was to serve as a means of letting the heat cycle run its course. You were also provided with prescription medications to alleviate your symptoms.

Resting was crucial. Any physical stress or strain could worsen your condition, and omegas were particularly susceptible to injury or illness while at their sexual peak. In addition to this, your doctor recommended ceasing all contact with alphas, effectively barring you from returning to work. You were crestfallen at this, but you acquiesced knowing it was for the sake of your recovery.

To avoid any mishaps, Jinchul arranged for you to stay in a penthouse for the time being. The lavish suite was situated on the very top floor of a deluxe condominium, affording you all the personal comforts and privacy you would need. You couldn’t help but snort when you opened the door to your new living quarters. It was like you were a goddamn princess trapped in a tower.

As if that wasn’t enough, your boss had also hired two very intimidating bodyguards. Both were betas who had been tasked with protecting you during your heat. The first to be introduced was a hulking beast of a man called Thomas Andre. He was huge, with a herculean frame that looked to be made of steel rather than flesh and blood. A wild mane of blonde hair and intricate patterns of black ink also adorned his chest and arms, making him even more imposing.

The disarming smile he gives you is anything but, however. He’s also surprisingly gentle with you when he shakes your hand.

Your other bodyguard had a physicality that was far less egregious, but his razor-edged gaze, unnervingly calm composure, and the bulging muscles of his arms revealed a powerful aura that was not to be underestimated. This man had gone by the name of Liu Zhigang, a master swordsman of the highest caliber and one of the strongest individuals in China.

He too, had been unexpectedly friendly, even going so far as to ruffle your hair and calling you a “good girl,” in his native language. Your interpreter had been particularly scandalized while signing this to you after you were insistent on finding out what he said. You, on the other hand, thought it was rather cute, especially when juxtaposed with his tough guy image. There had also been no ill intent or malice in his words; he was being genuinely amiable to you, just as Thomas Andre had been.

Perhaps you could make do with this situation. But you could only imagine how hefty of a price tag these two highly skilled warriors could warrant. Jinchul was sparing absolutely no expense on you. He must have felt terribly guilty about your traumatic experience that night…

You make a vow with yourself not to take his generosity for granted.

And so, the next week passes by rather uneventfully. You ended up becoming stir crazy right from the beginning. You had been so accustomed to the fast-paced lifestyle of a makeup artist and hair stylist that the very concept of wasting the day away seemed foreign. Gone were the 12–14-hour shifts that had once encompassed your daily routine. It was maddening, this sudden lack of purpose.

Sleeping, reading, eating, and binge-watching dramas with closed captioning had been your main escape from the dullness of being confined to bed all day. No one, not even your parents, Jinho, or Cha had been permitted to visit you while on bedrest. Jinchul and Min Byung-Gu had advised you to limit all external stimulation while you were in heat. You understood the importance of this, but it did nothing to prepare you for the overwhelming loneliness that awaited you.

Sure, your bodyguards had been cordial to you, but they were preoccupied with keeping watch over the premises and warding off any intruders. Neither one had time to engage with you beyond a simple greeting or farewell. Even your interpreter kept her presence scarce, coming only twice per day to check in with you and to relay messages from your friends, family, and the director.

It was as if you were a bird in a gilded cage. Locked away, out of sight, and out of mind. You hated every second of it. You wanted to curse the cruel hand you were dealt, to resent the alpha who had caused you all this misery in the first place. But…

You couldn’t bring yourself to do it no matter how unbearable the isolation became.

Once those seven agonizingly slow days were over and done, you were given medical clearance to resume your job. You never thought you would be so happy to work again. Of course, you still had some restrictions in place. Jinchul wanted you to take it easy, so he requested that you work no more than 4-6 hours per day. At this point, you were willing to do anything if it kept you out of that forlorn penthouse.

In addition to this, you were prescribed a significantly higher dosage of oral heat suppressants. It was to be used as a prophylactic to ensure you would not enter a second heat. The side-effects had been merciful, with nothing more than the occasional bout of nausea and a loss of appetite to show for.

Jinho and Cha were ecstatic to see you again, although your other colleagues were far less enthusiastic. The attentiveness and apparent favoritism towards you by the director did not go unnoticed. You were predictably met with the cold shoulder by many of your peers upon your return. It didn’t help that Jinchul had kept the confrontation between him and Taeshik confidential. Only executive producer Go and your bodyguards were made aware. This was done to protect you and to prevent the besmirching of your character by the media. The rest of the cast and crew had simply been told that Taeshik had departed from the film due to ‘irreconcilable and creative differences.’ The purple haired man’s PR team, for their part, also appeared to be going with this story.

Frankly, you could care less about what your coworkers thought of you. You were just glad that you never had to be around a horrible psychopath like Taeshik ever again. Cha and Jinho, on the other hand, had taken it upon themselves to act as your newly appointed bodyguards in Thomas’s and Zhigang’s stead. Any nasty gossip or snide remarks were met with a frosty glare from the blonde woman and threats of litigation from the heir apparent of Yoojin Construction.

You couldn’t have asked for better friends or a more considerate boss, but you were starting to find the constant protection and coddling from them to be too much. You were a woman with her own autonomy after all. And yet you were being treated like a piece of glass, as if you would shatter with the slightest gust of wind. It was suffocating and your newly toxic work environment certainly wasn’t making matters any better.

To keep yourself grounded (and from going insane) you had taken to embarking on early morning walks along the beach. The peace and tranquility were a welcome solace from the tumultuous reality of your situation. You could spend hours getting lost in the beauty of the dawning sun.

You should have known this temporary serenity was not to last.

That Sunday had started out much like any other morning. You poured yourself a cup of coffee, changed into a pair of leggings with a matching sports bra, and slid on some comfortable running shoes. It was a little before dawn, and you were hoping to catch the breathtaking sight of the sunrise along the sandy marshes of the island. You weren’t scheduled to work, so you had all the time in the world to explore and enjoy nature. You planned to make the most of it.

You start off by walking to a well-known bakery to purchase some freshly made kkwabaegi. The crispiness of the fried dough complements your coffee perfectly. After eating your sweet treat, you continue your journey, heading southbound for a local beach. The area was usually a tourist trap in the summer, but it was much less populated at this time of day.

The moment your foot connects with the sand, you are instantly hit by the familiar smell of lavender and sandalwood. You begin to panic.

 Shit! It was that alpha from a few weeks ago!

You know the right thing to do, the reasonable thing to do, would be to turn back and run. You were all alone in a secluded area with someone who was potentially dangerous. The last time you were near them, you had been rendered completely helpless just from their pheromones alone. If you got too close to them, you could end up going into another heat.

The other possibilities were more nightmarish. You’d heard horror stories about depraved alphas who would kidnap omegas and force them into becoming their mates against their will. Dominance amongst alphas these days was often synonymous with entitlement, something many of them would use to justify their disgusting actions. If this person nearby was of the same barbaric mindset…

Despite the storm of conflicting emotions raging within you, you remain rooted to the spot. It was just no use; you couldn’t convince yourself to retreat. Curiosity and the need for closure far outweighed your fear and anxiety. You had to find out the identity of this individual, regardless of the risk.

You steel yourself before nervously trudging in the direction of the scent. For whatever reason, the strength of the alpha’s pheromones was nowhere near the same extent as it was on that night. It was soothing this time, like a hot shower at the end of an exhausting day. Had the increased dose of your heat suppressants been responsible for this? Well, no use in questioning it now.

As the aroma grows stronger, you find yourself heading closer towards the sea. The sun was starting to peak over the tussling waves, and you briefly turned your head to avoid receiving an eyeful of blinding light. It’s in the periphery of your vision that you finally see him: the alpha that had been evading you for so long.

Even from a several yards away, you can tell he’s quite tall; standing at a height of around 185 cm. He’s also naked from the waist up, with only a pair of shredded jeans on his figure. But what captivates you most is the feverishness and intensity of his gaze. No one had ever looked at you like this before. It was almost reverent. Like you were some kind of deity.

The man staggers towards you slowly. Had he been hurt? There didn’t appear to be a scratch on him, although his remaining clothes were a mess. You reason that he must be experiencing heat exhaustion. This would explain why he had taken off his shirt. Your hackles lowered, you decide to throw caution to the wind and approach the man.

His body gives out just as you begin to close the distance between the two of you. You immediately pick up the pace, turning your walk into a jog. You’re able to catch him right before he falls face first into the sand. That was a close one, you think, releasing a breath you weren’t even aware you were holding. You’re able to fully take in the man’s appearance now that he was close enough to hold.

He was unspeakably handsome. As a stylist in the entertainment industry, you’ve seen your fair share of gorgeous celebrities. But all of them paled in comparison to the robust beauty of the man before you. Unblemished olive skin that was smooth to the touch. Silken ebony tresses that you were tempted to run your fingers through. And a God-like physique that had your pulse quickening. What you’d give to caress the rippling muscles of his torso...

Just who in the world was this ethereal alpha? And how was he able to sleep so soundly in the arms of a virtual stranger? The man had even nuzzled his face in between the valley of your breasts as if it was the most natural thing on earth! Oddly enough, you weren’t put off by his actions. In fact, you found them to be endearing. Was this what it was like to form a predestined bond with someone?

You briefly consider texting your friends to get help for the man but decide against it once you start weighing your options. If he was transported to the hospital, there was a chance he would be forcibly separated from you. What’s more, if it was found out that he was the one who caused your false heat, there could be far reaching consequences. You were still being monitored on set, and Jinchul might deem this man to be a threat to you.

He didn’t look to be injured, at least not physically, so you rule out the hospital. You deliberate for a few more minutes before ultimately choosing to wait and bide your time until he regained consciousness.

The two of you remain entangled in this strange embrace as stunning shades of orange, red, and yellow paint the sky. The waves shine incandescently in the sunlight, and you find yourself facing the ocean, distracted by its splendor. After a few minutes, you feel something shifting in your arms.

You return your focus to the man. He’s finally started to stir, groggily raising his head from your chest.  You both lock eyes, your wide-eyed gaze contrasting with his half lidded one. You see his chapped lips open and close, mouthing only one word: 'Omega.'

You feel a shiver run down your spine. Alpha, your inner omega silently preens, instinct taking over.

The man attempts to talk to you again, but you hush him with the gentle press of your index finger to his lips. He obeys right away and makes no further efforts to speak. You had many questions that you wanted to ask, but that could wait for just a little longer. Your alph – no, this alpha, was in desperate need of some water. He looked awfully parched.

You unzip the tote bag you brought with you and sift through its contents before producing a canteen filled with water. You open it and push the lid to his mouth, motioning for him to drink. He follows your orders without a second thought, taking several generous gulps. Rivulets of excess water drip from the corner of his mouth, down his Adam’s apple, and you find yourself getting distracted by his body again. You internally curse as you feel yourself growing wet. You discreetly press your thighs together, hoping to dull the ache building between them.

You fail to notice the flare of the man’s nostrils or his blown-out pupils as he watches your actions from the corner of his eye.

When he’s finally had his fill, you cap your canteen and place it to the side. You then reach into your pocket and pull out your phone. The man shoots you an uneasy look when he sees it in your hand. Was he unfamiliar with mobile devices? You type a quick message in your notebook app and turn the screen towards him.

“I’m going to use my phone to communicate with you because I have a hearing impairment. Is that alright? I just want to make sure you aren’t hurt.”

The boyish look of surprise that crosses his face while he reads doesn’t escape you. He must not have been expecting you to be deaf. You anxiously await his response, unsure of what his reaction will be.

His expression morphs into something akin to barely concealed wonder, and he nods his head. You breathe deep and type away on your phone again. Your next message elaborates on your concerns.

"First, can you tell me if you’re in any pain or if you’re injured? If you are, I can get an ambulance for you. My name is Y/N, by the way.”

His eyes quickly flit over your words. In response, he dips one of his fingers into the wet sand. You’re curious at first, until you start to recognize the shapes that he’s drawing as letters. Why was he writing in the sand? Was he not comfortable with using your phone?

Once finished, his message reads:

“I’m unharmed. I do not need help. Thank you for the water.”

Great, so he wasn’t hurt. Now you can finally focus on getting some damn answers!

You start typing furiously, pouring all your heart into unspoken anger. As soon as you’re finished you nearly slam the mobile device into the man’s face. He blinks owlishly, looking adorably confused by your actions. You don’t know whether you want to slap or kiss him.

“Now that I know you’re okay, can you please answer a few questions for me? Tell me, were you sailing near a large yacht a few weeks ago? There was this scent that day, an alpha’s scent. It smelt incredible. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find this person. And then I came across you! You have the exact same smell as them! And you’re obviously an alpha yourself since you recognized me as an omega right away.  Please, just tell me who you are! I ended up going into heat because of that alpha, and I feel like I’ve been losing my mind over them!”

The man’s face flickers from shock to guilt as he reads your explosive words. You regret typing them almost immediately when you see the sadness in his steel gray eyes.

He tries to use your phone to write back, but he’s clumsy and ends up swiping his fingers over a bunch of random characters. He huffs and bites his lip, clearly embarrassed. Crap, now you were feeling even worse about unleashing your tirade on him. You’ve always had a temper on you, and it often led to you lashing out and hurting the people you cherished most. And now you had allowed your mounting frustration to get the better of you in front of this poor man. For all you knew, he could be an innocent bystander who was just trying to get some help after becoming overheated.

You had to set things right.

You gently take the phone from the man’s hands, place it in your lap, and cup his cheek. He nervously glances at you, afraid that you’ll still be mad at him. But he’s greeted by your warm smile instead. Reassured, his shoulders relax, and he leans into your touch. After a few moments, you withdraw your hand, eager to continue the conversation. You can’t help but mourn the loss of contact as you resume your typing, however. Your next message reads:

“I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have taken out all my anger on you, especially when you probably don’t have anything to do with this. Please, allow me to start all over again and explain everything to you. Just so I can confirm if you’re the same person I bumped into several days ago. And don’t worry about having to use my phone. I’ve got a pen and a notebook you can write on.”

His eyes take on a hopeful sheen, and you have to force yourself to part from him in order to get to your bag. He really was too charming for his own good, this strange alpha…

That reminds you, you still hadn’t gotten his name!

Once the writing utensils are given to him, he starts scribbling away. His chicken scratch is barely legible, but it was better than nothing. Your handwriting wasn’t necessarily the best either, if you were being honest. He wrote:

“Omega, you are not at fault for anything. I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most. My name is Sung Jin-woo, an alpha from Jindo-gun. I am the person who was exploring the area around that large boat several nights ago. I became worried when I smelt an omega’s scent. It was you; you were the omega I was seeking that day. I should have shown myself to you sooner. What happened to you after I left? Did any other alphas approach you?"

Sung Jin-woo, huh? It suited him. He had an oddly formal way of writing though, one that clashed with his youthful appearance. This time, you don’t miss the possessiveness in his eyes as he writes that last sentence.

‘Did any other alphas approach you?’

You gulp, reminiscing over the entire ordeal with Kang Taeshik. Should you even tell Jin-woo? By now the problem had been resolved and Taeshik was already fired. There was no reason for you to make Jin-woo feel even worse about causing your heat.

In the end, you choose not to mention Taeshik. He was out of the picture, and you didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

You resume typing in your notebook app, your response stating:

“No, not really. My boss found me on the verge of passing out, though. He’s an alpha so he could tell why I wasn’t feeling well. I was taken to a hospital by my friends since they’re both betas. I had to stay in bed for a week, but as you can already tell I’m alright now. I’m just glad I was finally able to meet you, Jin-woo 😊 You see, I work on that big ship. I’m a makeup artist and hair stylist, and the yacht is the set for a movie that’s being filmed…”

The next few hours pass in companiable silence as you communicate through pen strokes and text messages. Both you and Jin-woo had shared a considerable amount about one another over this time span.

You learn that Jin-woo had grown up on the island, much like you. He lived with his mother and little sister on the outskirts of town and served as the sole provider of the family after his father passed away. When you question what he did for a living, he paused before writing he was a fisherman. This would explain why he was out so early in the morning. The most ideal times to fish were sunset and sunrise. But how had his clothes gotten torn up like that? When you asked, he merely answered that he fell off his boat and had almost gotten swept up in the propellor. Apparently, his shirt and pants had been destroyed by the turning of the blades. You were incredulous at first, given just how dangerous that sounded, but Jin-woo had a way of selling you with his words. You eventually found yourself believing him despite your previous skepticism. He must have also been fishing that night two weeks ago.

Jin-woo had asked you many questions as well. He seemed particularly concerned about your heat cycle. When you disclosed the cause of it was your compatibility with him, his entire body tensed. Jin-woo’s hands then started to shake and you took one of them in your own to calm him. He glances at you, and you’re taken aback by the fire in his eyes. For the briefest of moments, you fear that you might’ve revealed something you shouldn’t have. Before you can compose an apology, Jin-woo releases your hand, picks up his pen, and starts writing again. Once finished, he gives you the notebook with an expression of apprehension on his face.

“Is this something you’re comfortable with? Now that we’ve met, I’m really interested in getting to know you more. But how do you feel about me? Do you want to continue this conversation? I understand if you’d want me to leave after everything you were forced to endure.”

How did you feel about him?

You mull over all that’s occurred since returning to your hometown. You had never expected to encounter so many trials and tribulations. By all accounts, you had every right to cease any further contact with Jin-woo. But you were undeniably intrigued by him. He had been nothing but respectful of your boundaries, and you found yourself being drawn in by his earnest personality. If nothing else came from this meeting between the two of you, then at least you could become friends.

You type an honest response and wait on bated breath as he reads it:

“I’m not sure how I feel about us right now. Honestly, I don’t believe in things like destiny or fate when it comes to finding a soulmate. But I do want to continue seeing you. I also would like to learn more about you as a person. Maybe we can take things slow and figure it out from there. What do you say, Jin-woo😉?”

All the anxiety seems to melt away from Jin-woo’s face. A cute grin tugs at his lips, lighting his darkened visage.

His answer is succinct:

“I’d really like that, Y/N.”

Your heart skips a beat. That was the first time he used your name.

A small part of you starts to wonder if the two of you really are fated to be together. Cheesy as it sounds, you were more than willing to take a chance on this budding relationship with Jin-woo.

Little did you know this meeting would set in motion a series of tragic events that would shatter countless lives and forever leave a stain on the island’s reputation.

🔱 To be continued...

Tag list 1:

🪼 @the-dumber-scaramouche @ghostdoodlen

@skylar896 @phisen @eliciana

Tag list 2:

🐬 @asylrd @mochinon-yah

[lostyesterday]

I made the following graph because I was interested in which words show up most often in the titles of Star Trek episodes and movies:

I included episode titles from all twelve canon TV shows and all thirteen movies. I only counted nouns for the graph to avoid including boring words like “the” or “and”. I also counted plurals of a word as the same word (“stars” counts as “star”) and compound words where the singular word still carried the same meaning (“starship” counts as “star”). A complete list of episode/movie titles for each word listed in the graph is below the cut.

Time:

Amok Time (TOS)

The Time Trap (TAS)

The Naked Time (TNG)

Time Squared (TNG)

A Matter of Time (TNG)

Time’s Arrow (TNG)

Timescape (TNG)

Hard Time (DS9)

Children of Time (DS9)

A Time to Stand (DS9)

Time’s Orphan (DS9)

Time and Again (VOY)

Once Upon a Time (VOY)

Timeless (VOY)

Time Amok (PRO)

The Time Devouring Scavengers (PRO)

Star

Beyond the Furthest Star (TAS)

Starship Mine (TNG)

Starship Down (DS9)

Far Beyond the Stars (DS9)

North Star (ENT)

Battle at the Binary Stars (DIS)

The Brightest Star (Short Treks)

The Girl Who Made the Stars (Short Treks)

The Star Gazer (PIC)

The Stars at Night (Lower Decks)

Starstruck (PRO)

A Moral Star (PRO)

Man

The Man Trap (TOS)

Where No Man Has Gone Before (TOS)

The Schizoid Man (TNG)

The Measure of a Man (TNG)

Manhunt (TNG)

Tin Man (TNG)

Man of the People (TNG)

A Man Alone (DS9)

Our Man Bashir (DS9)

Inside Man (VOY)

Renaissance Man (VOY)

Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad (DIS)

Home

The Voyage Home (movie)

Home Soil (TNG)

Homeward (TNG)

Move Along Home (DS9)

The Homecoming (DS9)

Homefront (DS9)

Homestead (VOY)

Home (ENT)

Far From Home (DIS)

Coming Home (DIS)

Child

Friday’s Child (TOS)

And the Children Shall Lead (TOS)

Plato’s Stepchildren (TOS)

The Child (TNG)

Galaxy’s Child (TNG)

Children of Time (DS9)

Child’s Play (VOY)

Children of the Comet (SNW)

Children of Mars (Short Treks)

Life

Half a Life (TNG)

The Quality of Life (TNG)

Life Support (DS9)

Lifesigns (VOY)

Real Life (VOY)

Life Line (VOY)

Life, Itself (DIS)

Eye

Wink of an Eye (TOS)

The Eye of the Beholder (TAS)

The Mind’s Eye (TNG)

Eye of the Beholder (TNG)

Eye of the Needle (VOY)

Blink of an Eye (VOY)

Kayshon, His Eyes Open (Lower Decks)

Light

The Lights of Zetar (TOS)

The Inner Light (TNG)

The Darkness and the Light (DS9)

By Inferno’s Light (DS9)

In the Pale Moonlight (DS9)

Point of Light (DIS)

Light and Shadows (DIS)

War

A Private Little War (TOS)

The Dogs of War (DS9)

Warlord (VOY)

Warhead (VOY)

The War Within, the War Without (DIS)

Under the Cloak of War (SNW)

Night

Night Terrors (TNG)

Wrongs Darker than Death or Night (DS9)

Night (VOY)

Two Days and Two Nights (ENT)

A Night in Sickbay (ENT)

The Stars at Night (Lower Decks)

Game

The Gamesters of Triskelion (TOS)

The Game (TNG)

Armageddon Game (DS9)

The Killing Game (VOY)

Endgame (VOY)

The Least Dangerous Game (Lower Decks)

Shadow

Shadowplay (DS9)

In Purgatory’s Shadow (DS9)

Shadows and Symbols (DS9)

Shadows of P’Jem (ENT)

Light and Shadows (DIS)

Through the Valley of Shadows (DIS)

Mirror

Mirror Mirror (TOS)

Shattered Mirror (DS9)

In the Mirror, Darkly (ENT)

Mirrors (DIS)

The Mirror Universe (PRO)

Enemy

The Enemy Within (TOS)

The Enemy (TNG)

Face of the Enemy (TNG)

Silent Enemy (ENT)

Behind Enemy Lines (PRO)

Battle

Let that Be Your Last Battlefield (TOS)

The Battle (TNG)

Battle Lines (DS9)

Nor the Battle to the Strong (DS9)

Battle at the Binary Stars (DIS)

Mind

Dagger of the Mind (TOS)

The Mind’s Eye (TNG)

Frame of Mind (TNG)

Mining the Mind’s Mines (Lower Decks)

Mindwalk (PRO)

Blood

Bloodlines (TNG)

Blood Oath (DS9)

Ties of Blood and Water (DS9)

Blood Fever (VOY)

Flesh and Blood (VOY)

World

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (TOS)

The Best of Both Worlds (TNG)

Strange New World (ENT)

All the World’s a Stage (PRO)

Strange New Worlds (SNW)

Ship

Ship in a Bottle (TNG)

Starship Mine (TNG)

Starship Down (DS9)

The Ship (DS9)

One Little Ship (DS9)

Day

Day of the Dove (TOS)

Data’s Day (TNG)

Day of Honor (VOY)

Thirty Days (VOY)

Two Days and Two Nights (ENT)

[annah-kitathryne]

Helena Bertinelli/Huntress Reading List/Completionist Guide

Helena Bertinelli is the Huntress of Prime Earth. She has existed as a character since 1989, and has appeared in her own series as well as multiple other series throughout the years. Most well known for being a Bird of Prey, she has a long history that tends to be hard to track. Instead of hunting down all of the issues, this guide has every one of her appearances in the attempt to follow her chronologically, but where her movements couldn’t be followed the natural passing of time was used to follow the story. 

This is both a reading list and a completionist guide. This means there will be times when the issue only has a cameo of Helena. For a casual reader this list may be a little much. If that is the case click [here] for a shorter list that can get you started on Helena. 

Moving onto Content Warnings. 

There will be mentions and depictions of Sexual Assault of Adults and Minors, Slavery, PTSD, and Murder. These are some of the big Content Warnings. That being said let’s get started. 

[Start Here]

Huntress (1989) #1, #2 

Justice League America (1987-1996) #26 

Huntress (1989) #3 - #6 

Justice League America (1987-1996) #30, #31

Huntress (1989) #7 - #12

Justice League America (198-1996) #35 

Time Masters (1990) #1 

Huntress (1989) #13 - #19 

Justice League International Special (1990) #1

Justice League America (1987-1996) #42

Justice League International Special (1991) #2

Armageddon (1991) #2 

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #652, #653 

Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #1 - #6 

Justice League Europe (1989-1994) #47 - #50 

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #662

Showcase ‘93 (1993)  #9 , #10

Black Canary (1993) # 9 - #12

Green Arrow (1997-1998) #83 

Showcase ‘94 (1994) #5 

Robin (1993-2009) #6 

Showcase ‘94 (1994) #6 

Huntress (1994) #1 - #4

Robin (1993-2009) #17

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #686

The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #1 

Underworld Unleashed (1995) #2 , #3

Batman (1940-2011) #529

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #49

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #698

The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #4

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #53

Batman (1940-2011) #533

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #701

Robin (1993-2009) #33 , #34

Birds of Prey: Manhunt (1996) #1 - #4

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #703

Green Lantern (1990-2004) #81 

Robin (1993-2009) Annual #6 , #45

Genesis (1997) #1 - #4

Catwoman (1993-2001) #51 , #52 

Spectre (1992-1998) #62

JLA (1996-2006) #16 - #19 

Nightwing and Huntress (1998) #1 - #4 

Batman 80-Page Giant (1998/1999) #1 

Green Lantern (1990-2004) #103

Superman: Doomsday Wars (1998-1999) #1 - #3 

DC One Million (1998) #1 , #2 

JLA (1996-2006) #1,000,000 

DC One Million (1998) #3, #4

JLA Secret Files (1997-2000) #2

JLA (1996-2006) #24 - #26 

Hourman (1999-2001) #1

Nightwing (1996-2009) #26 - #29 

JLA (1996-2006) #27 

JLA/Titans (1998/1999) #1 - #3

Batman 80-Page Gaint (1998/1999) #2

The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #19

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #720

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler - Blunt Trauma (1998) #1 

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #721

 The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #14 

Robin (1993-2009) #65

Batman: No Man’s Land (1999) #1 

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #83 

Batman (1940-2011) #563 

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2010) #116 

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #84

Batman (1940-2011) #564

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #731

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2010) #117

Batman (1940-2011) #565

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #732

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #86

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #733

JLA (1996-2006) #28 - #31

Martian Manhunter (1998-2001) #6 - #9

JLA (1996-2006) #32

Martian Manhunter (1998-2001) Annual #2

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2010) #119

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #87

Batman (1940-2011) #567

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2010) #120

Nightwing: Secret Files and Origins (1999) #1

Batman (1940-2011) #568

Catwoman (1993-2001) #72

Batman (1940-2011) #570

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #737

Batman: No Man’s Land - Secret Files & Origins (1999) #1

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #93

The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #18

Nightwing (1996-2009) #38 - #39

Batman: No Man’s Land (1999) #0

Batman (1940-2011) #573

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #740

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989-2010) #126

Batman (1940-2011) #574

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #741

Batman: Shadow of the Bat (1992-1999) #94

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #1

Batman: Gotham City Secret Files and Origins (2000) #1

JLA: Foreign Bodies (1999) #1 

JLA (1996-2006) #34 - #41

JLA: Secret Files and Origins (1997-2000) #3

Azrael: Agent of the Bat (1994-2203) #63 - #65 

Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E (1999/2000) #8

The Batman Chronicles (1995-2000) #15

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #7

Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood #1 - #6 

Batman: Outlaws (2000) #1 - #3

Nightwing (1996-2009) #52

Wonderwoman (1987-2006) #164 - #167

Justice League: Justice League of Amazons (2001) #1

Justice League: JL? (2001) #1

Superman: The Man of Steel (1991-2003) #109

Batman (1940-2011) #586

Batgirl (2000-2006) #18 

Batman (1940-2011) #591 

JLA (1996-2006) #58

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #763

Joker: Last Laugh (2001) #5 

Robin (1993-2009) #95 

Joker: Last Laugh (2001) #6

JLA: Incarnations (2001-2002) #7

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #773

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #34, #35 

Nightwing (1996-2009) #75

JLA: Welcome to the Working Week (2003) #1

Batman: Family (2002-2003) #2, #4, #8 

Batman (1940-2011) #609

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #37 - #40 

Action Comics (1938-2011) #802

Batman (1940-2011) #617 , #619

Bird of Prey: Secret Files and Origins (2003) #1

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #57 - #61

Robin (1993-2009) #120

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #48

Superman/Batman (2003-2011) #5 

Outsiders (2003-2007) #8 - #10

The Adventures of Superman (1987-2004) #623

Gotham Central (2002-2006) #17 , #18 

Batman: Gotham Knights (2000-2006) #50

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #64 - #66

Outsiders (2003-2007) #12

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #67 - #80

Teen Titans (2003-2011) #21

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #81, #82

The OMAC Project (2005) #2

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #83 , #84

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #809

JLA (2005-2008) #117, #119

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #85 - #87

Nightwing (1996-2009) #112

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #86 

JSA: Classified (2005-2008) #3

JLA (2005-2008) #121

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #88 - #91

Infinite Crisis (2005-2006) #5 , #7

Adventures of Superman (1987-2006) #648

Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special (2006) #1

52 (2006-2007) #1 

Robin (1993-2009) #148

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #92 - #99

Nightwing (1996-2009) #127

52 (2006-2007) #34

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #100 - #103

52 (2006-2007) #48 , #52

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #104 - #108

Justice League of America Wedding Special (2007) #1 

Green Arrow / Black Canary Wedding Special (2007) #1 

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #110

Green Arrow and Black Canary (2007-2010) #1

Detective Comics (19337-2011) #837

Gotham Underground (2007/2008) #2 , #7

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #111 - #115

Countdown to Mystery (2007/2008) #6 , #8, #9

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #116

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #117 - #119

Huntress: Year One (2008) #1 - #6

Manhunter (2004-2009) #33 - #36

Trinity (2008-2009) #9, #13 , #14 , #50

Final Crisis: Requiem (2008) #1

Final Crisis (2008/2009) #3

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #120 - #123

DC Universe: Decisions (2008) #3

Secret Six (2008-2011) #1 , #7

Batman and the Outsiders (2007-2011) #13

Birds of Prey (1998-2009) #124 - #127

Batman and the Outsiders (2008/2009) #4 , #5

Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009) #1 , #2 

Batman: Battle for the Cowl: Network (2009) #1

Batman: Battle for the Cowl (2009) #3

Batman: Streets of Gotham (2000-2011)  #3 - #6 , #9, #13

Blackest Night: Batman (2009) #2

Batman (1940-2011) #693 - #695 , #697 

Azrael (2009-2011) #2

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #859 - #663

Justice Society of America (2007-2011) #38

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #864, #865

Red Robin (2009-2011) #12

Batgirl (2009-2011) #10 , 11

Birds of Prey (2010-2011) #1 - #4

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (2010) #3

Birds of Prey (2010-2011) #5 , #6

Superman/Batman (2003-2011) #78

Birds of Prey (2010-2011) #7 - #10

Brightest Day (2010-2011)

Birds of Prey (2010-2011) #11

Batman Incorporated (2011) #6

Secret Six (2008-2011) #36

Birds of Prey (2010-2011) #12 - #15

Batman (1940-2011) #713 

Convergence: The Question (2015) #1, #2

New - 52 

Batwoman (2011-2015) #2

Secret Origins (2014-2015) #8 

Nightwing (2011-2014)  #30

Grayson (2014-2016) #1 - #5 ,Annual #1 , #6 - #11

Batgirl (2011-2016) Annual #3

Midnighter (2015) #3

Harley Quinn (2014-2016) #20

Grayson (2014-2016) Annual #2 

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015/2016) #2 , #3

Titans Hunt (2015-2016) #1 

Grayson (2014-2016) #13 , #14 

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015/2016) #5 

Midnighter (2015) #8 

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015/2016) #17

Grayson (2014-2016) #16 

Midnighter (2015) #9

Batman & Robin Eternal (20115/2016) #18 - #20

Grayson (2014-2016) #17

Midnighter (2015) #10

Batman & Robin Eternal (20115/2016) #23 , #24 

Grayson (2014-2016) #18

Batman & Robin Eternal (20115/2016) #25

Midnighter (2015) #11

Grayson (2014-2016) #19

Midnighter (2015) #12

Grayson (2014-2016) #20 Annual #3

Rebirth 

DC Universe: Rebirth (2016) #1 

Nightwing: Rebirth (2016) #1 

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey: Rebirth (2016) #1 

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016-2018) #1 - #4

Nightwing (2016-) #9 

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016-2018) #5 - #13 

Nightwing (2016-) #26 - #28 

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016-2018) #14

Nightwing (2016-) #30 , #31

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016-2018) #15 - #22

The Hellblazer (2016-2018) #19 - #24 

The Unexpected (2018-2019) #3 , #4 

Green Arrow (2016-2019) #45

Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth (2018) #1 

Detective Comics (2016-) #1000

Batman (2016-) #71 

Action Comics (1938-) #1011

Harley Quinn (2016-2020) #64 

Batgirl (2016-2020) #39 

DC Villains Giant (2019) #1 

Batman (2016-) #81 - #83

Birds of Prey: Sirens of Justice (2020) #1 

Birds of Prey (2020-) #1 

Batgirl (2016-2020) #50

Dark Knights: Death Metal (2020) #5

Infinite Frontier 

Infinite Frontier #0 

Detective Comics (2016-) #1034 - #1039

The Other History of the Dc universe (2021) #5 

Batman Secret Files; Huntress (2021) #1

Detective Comics (2016-) #1041 , #1042 , #1046

Robins (2021-2022) #4, #5

Detective Comics (2016-) #1047. #1049 - #1058 , #1061

Nightwing (2016-) #95

Batman: Dear Detective #1 

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (2022) #5

Batman (2016) #129

Nightwing (2016-) #98

Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate (2023) #1

[Current Present: July 2023]

Else Worlds and Others 

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey (2020) #1 - #4

Superman and Batman: World’s Funniest (2000) #1 

JLA: Act of God (2000-2001) #1

Future State: 

Future State: Dark Detective (2021) #1 , #3

Future State: Nightwing (2021) #1 , #2 

DCeased: 

DCeaased (2019) #3, #4

DCeased: Unkillable: #1

DC vs. Vampires: 

DC vs. Vampires (2021-2023) #2 , #10 , #11

DCAU: 

Superman & Batman Magazine (1993-1995) #1 , #4

The Batman & Robin Adventures (1995-1997) #19 

Justice League Unlimited (2004-2008) #20 , #22 , #27 , #31 , #36

Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two (2021-2022) #3

Injustice: 

Injustice: Year Zero (2020-2021) Chapter #1 , #2 

Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013-2016) #6 , #7 , #9 , #11 , 12

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Two (2013-2016) #3 , #6 , #7 - #11 , Annual #1

Injustice: Gods Among us - Year Three (2013-2016) #2 , #6 , #9 - #12

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Four (2013-2016) #1 

Flashpoint: 

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman (2011) #2 , #3 

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies (2011) #2 , #3

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance (2011) #2

Convergence (2015) #6 , #7 

Tiny Titans:

Tiny Titans (2008-2012) #45

Bombshells: 

DC Comics: Bombshells (2015-2017) #6 , #10 , #16 , #17 , #18 , #26 

Bombshells: United (2017-2018) #36

Batman: The Brave and The Bold:

Batman: The Brave and The Bold (2009-2010) #11 , #14

All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold (2011-202) #4

Lil’Gotham: 

Batman: Lil’Gotham (2013-2014) #3 , #5 , #6 , #8 , #10 , #12

Scooby-Doo: 

Scooby-Doo Team-Up (2018) #34

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries (2021-) #5 , #12

Other Appearances (Crossovers) 

Batman Versus Predator II (1993/1994) # 1 - #4

JLA/Witchblade (2000-2001) #1

Avengers/JLA (2003/2004) #4

Other Characters to hold the name, Huntress: 

Paula Brooks

Helena Wayne

Carol Danvers (Amalgamverse)

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe

>~<>~<>~<>~<

To the Helena Bertinelli fans I hope you enjoy! 

@inkareds​ I finished the complete guide if you want to check it out. 

If I made any mistakes or forgot something leave a comment, or send me a message. I tried to include everything, but I could have messed up. I will also try to update this as new Huntress stuff comes out, so the list may grow. 

[cultofthewyrm]

Shadow War: Armageddon by Igor Sid

[bejeweldskeleton]

Ulzhan - Das vergessene Licht (Schlöndorff, 2007), Shadow and Bone (Bardugo & Heisserer, 2021-2023), House of the Dragon (Martin & Condal, 2022-), Aespa: Armageddon MV (Yoon, 2024)

MMFF Edits: Istorii Sankt‘ya by @bejeweldskeleton

A look passed between them; a silent understanding that this might be the end for them, but not the rebellion. Dizzy with grief, Valeriya turned around and with a last, determined swing, brought the roof of the cave down, burying them all under the endless ice of the Fjerdan sea.

She is known as the patron saint of unexpected revelations and the faithful.

Lol. Ne Woche krank sein und man stöbert schon wieder ganz nostalgisch in Pinterestboards alter Ideen, die höchstwahrscheinlich nie das Licht der Welt erblicken werden. Istorii Sankt‘ya ist eine dieser MMFF-Ideen, die mich damals vor 2 Jahren unglaublich gepackt hat, dass ich sogar @hitching-hiker eine Zeit lang anstecken und zum lesen der Bücher bekommen konnte, bis … ja lol sich dann alles irgendwie unter den Ansprüchen des echten Lebens verlaufen hat und man nie wieder richtig in den Groove gefunden hat. Schade Marmelade.

Aber was war Istorii Sankt‘ya überhaupt? Ganz unschwer zu erkennen, ist die Geschichte im Grishaverse angesetzt und hat etwas mit dem Buch der Heiligen zu tun - ein Plotpunkt, der mir damals in der Serie auch viel zu kurz kam, wo ich die Ansätze von Religion und Volkstum um die Heiligen in den Büchern so spannend fand (minus die KOS-Duologie lol). Jedenfalls war der Grundpitch, den ich @hitching-hiker damals gemacht habe ein simples „Grishaverse meets Rogue One“: eine rag tag Gruppe an Grisha wird vom Darkling auf eine geheime Suchmission nach einem bestimmten wertvollen Artefakt - die reale Istorii Sankt‘ya von Morozova - geschickt, um endlich Freiheit für Grisha zu erlangen und sind dabei schön doomed from the start.

Wir reisen durch die ganze bekannte (und weniger bekannte) Welt des Grishaverse, gehen clues nach, formen uns unter trials and tribulations zu einer richtigen found family und entdecken dabei nach und nach, welche tatsächlichen Intentionen der Darkling mit dem Heiligenbuch verfolgt. Natürlich müssten die Charaktere sich dann entscheiden, was sie tun wollen, wenn sie die Istorii Sankt‘ya endlich in den Händen halten. Die Augen vor dem verschließen, was sie auf ihrer Reise erfahren haben und das Buch zum Darkling zurückbringen, koste es was es wolle? Oder … Hoffnung wählen, auch wenn es das eigene Leben kostet.

Und oh well. Doomed I say. Sie alle sterben und werden im Laufe der Zeit selbst mystifiziert, sodass sich ihre Geschichte, fantastischer und moralisch simpler als es irl je war, nahtlos in die ganzen anderen Heiligensagen der Istorii Sankt‘ya einreihen kann. Ich hatte dafür an so eine framing Struktur gedacht, sodass jeder Akt von jeweils zwei kurzen Mythenerzählungen über Sankta X und Sankt Y, Schutzheilige von XY, eingerahmt wären. Hach ja, große Träume lol.

Die o.g. und im Edit zu sehende Valeriya wäre mein Charakter gewesen, eine Inferni und das Bastardkind eines höheren Adligens, das er kommentarlos aus seiner Zeit in den Grenzkriegen mit Shu Han zurückgebracht hatte. Gläubig aus Überlebensnotwendigkeit in einem Land, das in ihr sowohl das Fremde als auch das Monster sieht, sollte sie einsam und ungeliebt aufwachsen sein und sich dabei stets nach einer höheren Bedeutung gesehnt haben. Diese begegnete ihr in ihrer Jugend in Form des Darklings, der sich ihr, in einer seiner Untertauchen-Phasen befindend, als Privatlehrer annähert, um über sie und vor allem ihre Family ConnectionTM wieder zu alter Macht zurückzufinden. Ergo viel ein wenig klassische, jahrelange Manipulation und voilá, the Darkling and his guard dog, kingmaker, most loyal disciple. Zumindest bis sie anfängt, die Rechtschaffenheit seines Handelns zu hinterfragen.

Zeitlich wäre die Story bis kurz vor den Ereignissen im ersten Band der SaB-Trilogie angesetzt gewesen, so direkt the gang sacrifices themselves for the greater good -> Heiligenbuch kommt irgendwie beim Apparat an -> Alina versucht die Schattenflur zu durchqueren und strahlt heller als LED-Scheinwerfer um Mitternacht.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

1900s futurism

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then SAN FRANCISCO (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

I'm profoundly skeptical of the idea that the future can be predicted, and doubly skeptical that sf writers are any kind of prophet. The former grotesque fatalism (if the future can be predicted, then what we do doesn't matter); the latter is tragicomic hubris.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/07/the-gernsback-continuum/#wheres-my-jetpack

That said, few people have been more consistently useful in understanding and anticipating (and yes, building) the future than my friend and colleague Karl Schroeder, whom I've known since I was 16 years old. Karl was the first person I heard say the world "internet." Also: "fractal," "World Wide Web," "ftp," and numerous other touchstones of the future just over the horizon.

Karl is, in fact, a futurist ("foresight consultant") who approaches the work with the same shrewd insight, wild imagination and humility that he brings to his fiction. In a new essay written with both his futurist and sf writer hats on, he nails down the toxic shadow cast by the 20th century sf, or, as he calls it, "The Science Fiction of the 1900s":

https://kschroeder.substack.com/p/the-science-fiction-of-the-1900s

Karl starts by describing the odd "double vision" of the future of the 1900s. On the one hand, many of us (myself included) were convinced that nuclear armageddon was inevitable. Unlike the unhinged architects of the nuclear arms-race, realists understood that a nuclear war would effectively end the future. As Einstein put it, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

But the flipside of that certainty that the future would end with the first nuclear strike was the belief that if we could just somehow walk the tightrope over the chasm of nuclear holocaust, we'd emerge in a future worth looking forward to: "a new era of peace and prosperity for all."

Contrast that with the existential dread of today's polycrisis: environmental collapse and political decay up to and including fascism. These aren't the binary proposition of nuclear annihilation vs Utopia – rather, they're a continuum of worse-and-better outcomes of every description. As Karl writes: "It’s not that simple. Our future now is an exhausting spectrum of scenarios, each with its own promise, and its own problems."

For Karl, we have entered a new epoch, but we've dragged in the long-expired way of imagining (and hence creating and navigating) the future with us. What makes this a new epoch? For Karl, it's the kind of future on our horizon. He cites Charles C Mann’s 1491, a superb history of the Americas before Columbus:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/107178/1491-second-edition-by-charles-c-mann/9781400032051/readers-guide/

1491 radically reframes "the patchwork of propaganda and inference" that makes up the received narrative of the so-called "New World." It describes a land of flourishing cities, art, science and culture "in the Americas while Rome was just getting its act together." Contact with colonizing Europeans was a disaster for First Nations people, who call this period "The Invasion." It was an epochal break.

Futurism is an inextricably historical discipline. The willingness of some settler-colonialists states to consider this epochal break forces us to reframe our literal place in history, the story of the land under our feet. At its best, this futuro-historical work can begin the long work of reconciliation, as with the Canadian government's promise of $23b in reparations for the First Nations people who were kidnapped as children and sent to murderous "residential schools" before, during and after the Sixties Scoop.

The sf of the 1900s is no longer fit for purpose, if it ever was. It's a literature that was steered by open fascists like John W Campbell, who explicitly saw the literature as a means of inculcating a societal narrative of the triumph of white, corporate technocracy over all other forms of government:

https://locusmag.com/2019/11/cory-doctorow-jeannette-ng-was-right-john-w-campbell-was-a-fascist/

Karl isn't the first sf writer to try to overturn this orthodoxy – indeed, it was continuously challenged by radicals within the field, as with the New Wave, personified by the likes of Samuel Delany and Judith Merril (who both mentored and introduced Karl and me):

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/13/better-to-have-loved/#neofuturians

The cyberpunks took a good hard run at it, too. For plenty of writers (including me), Bruce Sterling and William Gibson's 1981 story "The Gernsback Continuum" was a wake-up call:

http://writing2.richmond.edu/jessid/eng216/gernsback.pdf

Not for nothing, William Gibson has long insisted that his 1984 classic Neuromancer should be read as utopian: after all, it depicts a future in which the inevitable nuclear war only reduces a few cities to radioactive ash, sparing the rest of the planet.

Bruce Sterling once paid me the supreme compliment of describing a 2003 story I wrote about the ways that algorithms will enshittify self-driving cars as "making everybody else in the business look like they live in a dark basement growing on the mulch from old STAR TREK scripts":

https://craphound.com/stories/2005/10/12/human-readable/

Schroeder – along with today's new radical sf writer cohort – wants to fashion a fictional futurism that is fit for this world and its crisis: "in our modern technological society, science fiction tells us what to spend our time and money on." The fact that our mediocre billionaires are mired in the sf of the 1900s means that we're getting some decidedly old-fashioned futures.

For Karl, Musk is a poster-child for this profoundly conservative, backwards-looking vision: "He’s fighting the intellectual battles of the last century, a 1900s hero dropped into the 2000s with an unlimited budget to reshape the future to fit the era he’s from." Musk's obsessions – "Space flight. Settling Mars. Cyberpunk-style brain-computer interfaces. Artificial Intelligence. Self-driving electric cars. Humanoid robots." – are 1900s science fiction.

Ironically, much of this fiction labels itself "hard sf," despite the fact that interstellar travel is utter fantasy – as is mass-scale, near-term interplanetary civilization:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/09/astrobezzle/#send-robots-instead

Karl wants "a future for the 2000s." He points to some efforts to make this happen, like Neal Stephenson's Hieroglyph anthology, edited by Ed Finn and Kathryn Cramer:

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/hieroglyph-ed-finnkathryn-cramer

The "Hieroglyph" is Stephenson's shorthand for a recognizable, tangible, meme-able gizmo or other touchstone for a 2000s-era vision of the future – a replacement for jetpacks and flying cars. Karl's story for the anthology, "Degrees of Freedom," focuses on an abstraction (governance: "the single most important thing humanity can focus its creative energies on right now"), and by Karl's own admission, it's not quite the hieroglyph Stephenson was looking for.

But Karl did come up with a hieroglyph in a later work, the "deodands" of 2019's Stealing Worlds – a software agent "that believes it is some natural system, such as a river or forest, and acts in its own self-interest, that being the preservation and thriving of that natural system":

https://memex.craphound.com/2019/06/18/karl-schroeders-stealing-worlds-visionary-science-fiction-of-a-way-through-the-climate-and-inequality-crises/

(My own contribution to Hieroglyph was very gadget heavy – "The Man Who Sold the Moon," about autonomous lunar 3D printers. It won the Sturgeon Award):

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/05/22/the-man-who-sold-the-moon/

I've been impressed with Karl since the day I met him in 1987. There's no one whose thoughts on the future I'm more interested in hearing. I don't think that's a coincidence, either: Karl is an autodidact who was raised by a Mennonite TV repairman – the first TV repair shop in the Canadian prairies. If you want to understand the future, try being raised by someone who takes that kind of deliberate approach to which technology to adopt, and how.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/07/the-gernsback-continuum/#wheres-my-jetpack

[rollinouttahere-writes]

I would like to propose what I’d call, the Armageddon time line where the news accidentally reported Lucky as dead.

Like there was some mix up in the news room where someone with a similar sounding name/allies got killed and a miscommunication happened (Yucky Luck or something rip to him his death got over shadowed) or there was like a big Straw Hat battle and it looked like Lucky got killed.

Could you imagine the horrors?? There’s shrines going up rapidly in her honour! A man hunt for the person/crew that killed her (they got the biggest bounty ever)! We got Yonko’s and Yonko children teaming up (Cracker and Shanks)! Kid is about to put aside his beef with Shanks for a minute (unheard of)! It’s a MESS and the world has never seen such pirate unity?!? Everyone is terrified Yanderes are teaming up to deal with the bitch that did this!!! (Smokers in the pirate crowd with a very good disguise on and everyone’s to confused to question it! Like what is happening??)

Then a few days later a report comes out about “False alarm!!! Lucky spotted alive and healthy!!! There isn’t even a scratch on her!!!” *photo of Lucky Laughing with the crew* There is a couple scraps and bruises but they gotta defuse this problem as fast as possible emotions are heightened. The world was on fire for a couple of days.

The world government is seriously debating whether having a bounty on Lucky is a good or bad thing. They might even change her poster to say “Please only bring her in alive for the love of GOD!”

RIP to whoever got blamed, they're about to suffer a thousand deaths

I'm imagining that after the battle, whoever the Straw Hats helped approaches them like 'hey there's this remote island over here with a resort built on it, y'all should come over and recuperate' and no one argues because it sounds nice. What's the worst that could happen?

While everyone is have a lovely time, the rest of the world looks like a war zone. Pirates are killing each other, memorials are going up, it's complete chaos.

A marine fleeing from the destruction is passing by the island and spots Lucky sunbathing on the shore without a care in the world. They scramble to get photographic evidence and to get to the nearest publisher in hopes of ending the bloodshed.

It does work, but the whole thing has a severe consequence for Lucky. Now that her suitors have experienced what it would feel like to lose her forever, they're more desperate than ever to have her in their clutches where they can keep her safe and alive.

Lucky will never know a moment of peace ever again and wants to throttle whoever made the false report.

The world government is terrified but intrigued by the level of influence this one random woman somehow has. They do conclude that her bounty poster should be changed to alive only. They don't want to be targeted because they motivated a bounty hunter to kill her

[tgrailwar]

Tumblr Holy Grail War, Another End: Night 1 (ALL SERVANTS)

Team Foreigner got Van Gogh's composure to 0! Something is happening!

-

Laughter.

Echoing laugher. Triumphant laughter. The laughter of a Servant who had lost everything. The laughter of a Servant who had gained everything.

Van Gogh. A patchwork Servant from beyond the void. Laughed.

VAN GOGH: "Ah... my deception ends here. Look upon 'Van Gogh'... the false Servant named Van Gogh... isn't it horrible? Isn't it beautiful? Ahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A pulse emanating from the Servant shattered the bounds of the digital landscape that had been called 'reality'. This was the power of the Foreigner-class. The true power of the Foreigner-class, when deprived of the chains of 'logic' that bound it.

Six other Servants were hit by the pulse, the world around them collapsing, throwing them into hell. Havoc overwhelming. Chaos overflowing. A wave of utter madness, grabbing the minds of the enemy Servants and rending them asunder.

First, the Assassin.

Assassin: "...Where the hell am I... what the hell is that?!"

The Assassin drew his sword, uncharacteristic fear filling his mind and body. A shadow formed, vaguely in the shape of a Servant, unsettlingly enough. It lunged forward, as he stepped back, trying to defend himself as more shadows appeared.

Shadows from his peripheral, shadows that he couldn't see but hear, shadows that he couldn't hear but see.

Shadows that weren't real.

Shadows that were far too real.

Then, the Rider.

Rider: "Back off! Get away from me!"

He yelled, trying to add as much authority as he could as the false illusions patched together by real madness inched closer.

Archer: "...You're not real! You're an illusion, like Caster's Noble Phantasm!"

He yelled, as he tried to lie to himself, fingers rending at the stark white of his clothing, causing it to dye red. His own fingertips rent asunder as the skin on them began to wear down and redden as he scratched and screamed at nothing.

Saber: "Come at me! I'll cut you to pieces!"

She yelled, her sword swiping forward. It drew blood, before she screamed, clutching at her own shoulder as it bled profusely as it was struck in an identical spot.

Lancer: "Heh. You think you're cute, huh? We'll see how cute you think you are when this spear goes right through you!"

...An alliance, formerly airtight, splintered in seconds by the maddened wave of the unleashed Foreigner. Their identities began to crumble, as they engaged in bloody warfare.

Only two Servants stood in the wave unaffected. Perhaps both of them had already reached the crux of their madness to begin with, or perhaps they had already witnessed hell, and so this void was nothing but a reprieve.

Tortured Youth: "...So this is what you can do, Foreigner? I hope you're not plannin' on killin' me like the others?"

Patchwork Servant: "Ehehehe! Play with me, Avenger! Spin with me! Dance with me! Sing with me! Paint with me! Create with me! Don't mind the pain! Thrash and scream! Let's kill each other, and use our blood to repaint the world!"

Tortured Youth: "...Thought so. And here I wasted that mana boosting you up. Well, that's just my luck. Whatever, this little game sounds like fun either way. Let's play, Foreigner!"

EVENT: [ VOID SPACE ARMAGEDDON ]

Reality itself began to unravel, already thin threads snapping apart under the pressure of the Foreigner-class Servant!

Team Foreigner got Van Gogh's composure to 0! Team Foreigner used 'Wave of Madness'! With Van Gogh's composure at 0, she temporarily gains access to all of her skills until the battle ends!

Alliances are temporarily severed within Void Space! It's utter chaos! This is a battle for survival!

If Van Gogh wins first place, she'll inflict 2 wounds on every Servant!

If Van Gogh doesn't get first, then any Servant that scores under Van Gogh will sustain 1 wound!

Any non-Foreigner-class Servant that ends up in last place will sustain 3 wounds and be destroyed instantly!

Any non-Foreigner-class Servant that ends up above Van Gogh will be safe!

If Van Gogh gets last place, she'll sustain 3 wounds, but will lash out and inflict 1 wound on every Servant! if she gets anything other than 1st, she'll simply sustain 1 wound!

Skills such as 'Battle Continuation' or 'Independent Action' are nullified! Servants who perish in Void Space are gone!

Van Gogh's 'Wave of Madness' gives every other Servant a -10% demerit! …Angra Mainyu's been spared from the demerit?!

Angra Mainyu gave Van Gogh a +5% boost!

Musashi and Arjuna have been cursed by 'Soul of the Water Channels'! They have a -3% demerit for this round! This will stack with the current application of 'Soul of the Water Channels', meaning Musashi and Arjuna have -6%, and the others have -3%!

Final Score Augmentations:

Van Gogh: +41% Angra Mainyu: -40% Miyamoto Musashi: -29% Mandricardo: -36% Okada Izou: -36% Cu Chulainn: -21% Arjuna: -39%

Active Servant Skills and Current Statuses:

Van Gogh (Foreigner):

Het Gele Huis (A+) - When winning first place in a Free-for-All, inflict 2 wounds on the bottom Servant, rather than just one. If engaged in a one-on-one, inflict 2 wounds instead of one upon victory. Additionally, reduce Servant bonuses by 10%, and if the gap between scores is greater than 35% when winning, recover from a 'wound'.

Soul of the Water Channels (EX) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain a +10% boost, and inflict a persistent 3% demerit on enemy Servants for this round and the next. When fighting one-on-one, gain a +5% boost, and inflict a -2% demerit to them for this round and the next.

Void Space Fine Arts (B+) - If receiving a demerit from enemies larger than 10%, convert it into a +10% boost. Gain a +5% boost, and add another +3% if going against a Servant who has been cursed by the demerit from 'Soul of the Water Channels'. Gain the ability to sustain one more wound than normal.

Existence Outside the Domain (A) - Gain an immunity from demerits, and also reduce enemy Servant boosts by 5%.

Insanity (C) - Gain a +5% boost.

Item Construction (B-) - Lower the victory gap for the 'recovery effect' of "Het Gule Huis" from 35% to 25%.

Divinity (B+) - Lower enemy boosts by -5%, and increase own buffs by 3%.

Curse of Sunflower (A) - When on her final wound, gain a +7% boost.

Van Gogh has [2/7] wounds!

Angra Mainyu (Avenger)

Zarich: Right Fang Grinder (C) - Reduce enemy Servant boosts by -3%.

Tawrich: Left Fang Grinder (C) - Gain a +3% attack boost.

Annihilation Wish (A) - When fully healed, gain a -20% demerit to his final score. With one wound, the demerit is reduced to -10%. With two wounds, the demerit is changed to a +20% boost.

Grail Curse, All The World's Evils (EX) - When part of a battle that results in a Servant dying, absorb a part of their essence. Take a random one of their combat skills for Avenger's own use and recover one Command Spell. Those are the only effects. ...Probably.

Angra Mainyu is uninjured!

Miyamoto Musashi (Saber)

Heavenly Demonic Thundering Eye (EX) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain +10% to your final score, and reduce their scores by -5%. If fighting a Servant one-on-one, if the gap between scores is above 20%, inflict 2 wounds.

Battle Continuation (EX) - If she loses a confrontation while on her final wound, if there's only a 10% difference between the scores of her and her opponent (non-allied Servant), she can slip out unscathed.

Musashi is on her last wound! 'Battle Continuation EX' is nullified within Void Space!

Mandricardo (Rider)

Brigliadoro's Neigh (A) - Increases the Rider-class trait to +5% rather than +3% in free-for-all brawls.

Armor of the Nine Worthies (A) - When attacked, reduces the amount of the Servant's final combat poll result by 10%.

Mandricardo has [1/3] wounds!

Okada Izou (Assassin)

Man-Slayer (A) - When fighting a Servant that possesses a wound, gain a +3% boost. When fighting a Servant that possesses 2 wounds, gain +5% instead.

Izou has [1/3] wounds!

Cu Chulainn (Lancer)

Rune Magecraft (B) - When fighting in a free-for-all, gain a +5% to combat score results. Additionally, any skills that reduce scores against Lancer will have their effectiveness reduced by 1%.

Battle Continuation (A) - Is able to take 4 'wounds' instead of the normal 3. On his last ‘wound’, gain a permanent +5% boost to final combat poll results.

Protection from Arrows (B) - When going against an Archer, Caster or Assassin-class Servant, gain a +5% to final combat poll results, and reduce their results by 5% as well.

Cu Chulainn has [2/4] wounds!

Arjuna (Archer)

Hero of the Endowed (A) - If fighting an enemy Servant, and the difference between scores is within 3%, take the win.

Mana Burst (Flame) (A) - Gain a +8% boost to combat poll results when attacked during 'playing defensively', rather than +3%. When not ‘playing defensively’, gains a 5% boost to final combat poll results instead.

Independent Action (A) - After receiving his third 'wound', he has one more round to attempt to attack before fading away. (Cannot be healed during this period via Command Spell).

Arjuna is on his final wound! Independent Action is nullified by Void Space!

[halfbakedspuds]

Alright, I see other writing blogs doing this, so here's my writeblr intro. Still needs some work but this'll do for now.

Hi! I'm Logan (Yes, like Wolverine), I'm 18 years old, use He/him pronouns, and I'm from South Africa. My main interests are writing, philosophy, history, binge-reading entire series' at a time and any kind of experimental artistic media. All my characters' sexualities and gender identities are up for interpretation unless explicitly stated.

Despite being an English language writer, English is not actually my first language and thus I do still have my fair share of idiot moments in it. If you notice that I used a word wrong, or if my grammar or a phrase seems little bit off, don't hesitate to let me know.

Below are my current WIP's:

Children of the Stars

Perspective: third person limitted.

Genre: Science fiction political drama and mystery.

Tropes: Slowburn lovers, enemies to friends to lovers (more like mutual annoyances to friends to lovers), a stranger in a stranger land, found family.

Status: Currently being worked on.

First chapter

Lyanni has been condemned and incarcerated, charged with witchcraft under the paranoid reign of her home kingdom. Under the laws of her people, she is offered up to their patron Angel as a gift of thanks for ending a long and bloody war, and to her horror: he accepts.

Soon, however, she learns the shocking truth of the universe. Her people's angels are members of an Alien organisation in service to the Empire of Earth, charged with working from the shadows to foster the upliftment of her people in order to free up the human garrison for the front lines of a star-spanning war, and the same is happening on a thousand other worlds.

This Angel, however- who calls himself Adrian- is about as happy about their new living arrangement as she is, which is to say not at all.

When a ship carrying an experimental superweapon crashes on her world, the two must begrudgingly work together in a desperate race against time to find it, while also holding back the tide of forces that threaten to plunge her world into armageddon.

Children of the Wolves

Perspective: First person limitted

Genre: Sci-fi political drama and heist story with some pulp western and cyberpunk elements.

Tropes: found family, heists, honour among thieves, glorious bastards, a lot of gay, high-tech Low-lifes, class divide, redemption arc.

Status: Scheduled to be written sometime after Children of the Stars.

Four years after Children of the Stars, Adrian Castellan returns to Callisto to make amends with his family and tie up the final loose ends of his early life.

Accompanied by Lyanni Sverik and Wilhelm Freedman, he links up with his siblings: Isabelle and Marcus Castellan, and while the trio catch up and scheme to finally exact vengeance for the deaths of their mother and friends at the hands of a rival clan's lord, Lyanni learns the story of why Adrian left his homeworld in the first place.

Seven years before Adrian became an IUC praetor, he was a member of the Volnur, a gang of six young but promising Callistoan gunslingers who acted as the enforcers of clan Castellan.

After a slightly botched trade negotiation with a rival clan forces them to scatter and regroup at home base, Adrian bumps into a mysterious offworlder running from both civil security and the Solar homeguard themselves, and offers to bring him to his clan's holdings for safety.

With supplies running low and the botching of the deal that was meant to save them, the six gunslingers and their new offworlder tagalong begin plotting to rob a Civil Security supply train.

Yet other forces move in the shadows, snapping at their people and waiting for their eventual fall, and with a young Adrian's ambition growing constantly, fostered by his mother's guidance as the Lady of clan Castellan, he will eventually come to match wits with some of the most powerful people not only on Callisto, but throughout the entirety of the Jupiter Prefecture, he will come to question who can be trusted, and whether his own well-founded ambition has given way to a fatal hubris.

The Tempest prince

Perspective: multiple pov first person.

Genre: YA contemporary fantasy with some elements of eldritch horror.

Tropes: Stranger in a strange land, finding identity, causality loop, found family (to an extent), recruiting teenagers with an attitude.

Status: On the back-burner til I gain a little more experience with certain writing skills that'll be necessary to write a 21 book series.

"Congratulations. You are now dead"

Those were the last words he heard before his normal life came to an end.

It was just a another day in February, the scorching, vampiric heat of the sun beating down on the brothers as they slogged through just another school day. At least it was just another day, at least until they stumbled into another dimension and accidentally brought something back with them.

From then on, Jason and Alex Haliday found themselves caught up in a hidden world, one where Jaegers -a race of magic-capable supersoldiers- contain and hunt that which shouldn't be; where ancient gods and forgotten horrors seep through every crack and crevice right under humanity's collective nose. When the brothers show abilities that no-one -Human or Jaeger- ever have, they are offered a job.

Of course, the pair first need to survive two years of training. Noone wants to send a pair of untrained teens into the longest battle of human history, after all. But between a school rivalry, a bloodsport tournament, and a looming ancient threat, it quickly becomes apparent that even while surrounded the extraordinary, their lives still refuse to fall within the established 'normal'.

When their home is attacked: their mother put into a coma and Alex kidnapped, Jason- accompanied by his new Demihuman friend Helga Ravenscar- goes on a manhunt to find his brother against the express orders of some of the most powerful people in the hunter cities. The pair must balance hiding such a dangerous endeavour with excelling in the taxing student life of a mage and a medical officer in training, while eldritch forces plot and scheme in the backdrop.

Echoes of Shadows

Perspective: multiple pov third person limitted.

Genre: Gritty Fantasy-noir detective story.

Tropes: Five man band, (Dunno what to call this but it's like the world is halfway through a transition that'll change every aspect of daily life. Will edit once I've figured it out)

Status: Scheduled to be the next project I finish. Probably.

First chapter

The city goes by many names: Novya Koroleva, Zuidpunkt, De Gat, but the local Ost-Rietlanders simply call it The Pit: the city that'll swallow you whole and spit out whatever bones may remain, a nature that has been exasperbated by the recent surge in mages, splitting the population almost evenly between regular people and the magic capable.

To Johan Suiderkloof and Anastasia Retvenko, the city offered a new start, free of the horrors of their pasts, and among it's verminous populace, they have carved out work for themselves as a private detective agency.

It's a stable job, with many opportunities to find work in the Sodom. By day: the pair investigate cartels, murders, infidelity, all the worst that society has to offer.

But late at night, when Zuurveldt, Ost-Rietland and the rest of the continent of Sumer sleep soundly, they stalk the shadows for leads, tracking down the fanatic followers of dark gods and puttinh an end to their machinations.

When mysterious murders with occult symbolism surrounding them begin to crop up throughout the city and surrounding countryside, the pair find their lot unceremoniously cast in with complete strangers, caught in the powerplay of cults and dead gods as they try to untangle a growing conspiracy that threatens their world as they know it.

The lonely god

Perspective: First person.

Genre: Science fiction.

Status: In the process of being finished up.

The lonely god is a short story I wrote more than a year ago (Originally titled "The last human) and am currently in the process of remastering. I'll be posting it here when I'm done with it.

Some sixteen millenia in the future, humanity finds itself forceably coalesced into a single, immortal being. This individual, born of a trillion infighting souls, is the last human, a species made into a god, and 'The lonely god' follows their story til the end of the universe and beyond as they seek out revenge for what was done to their people while slowly learning to let go of hate.

What does it mean to be alive when you'll outlive even the sand beneath your feet? How do you cherish or love when everything vanishes in but a blink of the eye? How can the product of trillions ever be an individual?

And when the score has been settled; When every trail has been blazed, and all knowledge learnt; When all that is left is to watch as the stars slowly whimper away: how will you find meaning?

[hyenasnake]

I’d like to talk about how the long term effects of trauma are represented by angels in Good Omens.

Before I begin; I’m aware trauma manifests in many different ways. I have been diagnosed with PTSD by a professional and I am in therapy for that among other things. Please keep in mind nuance as we dive into this as I’m talking about how trauma manifests in a handful of named individuals and not discussing the experience of every single traumatized person ever.

Anyway, here we go.

Looking at Gabriel in Season One and Season Two is such a trip. In season one, though he was fairly naive and kind of a dumbass as people noted, he was far from innocent. He was a complete asshole to everyone he interacted with who wasn’t on his level (on his level meaning people like Michael and Sandalphon). He refuses to show attachment or even attraction to anything that isn’t considered celestial. Even when he says he likes Earth’s clothes, he tries not to show much sadness or disappointment at the fact that they won’t be around much longer because of Armageddon.

But so far in what we’ve seen of Season two, Gabriel still keeps his naive and spacey nature, but to a far greater extent. He’s a total innocent now, fascinated by the world around him and getting distracted at every turn. Again, this is based on sneak peaks and trailers, so we’ll see how things turn out in season 2 once it airs, but this is my analysis for now. The only thing that’s really changed is that he’s lost all his memories.

Memories are an important thing. They make us who we are, for better or for worse. They contain our greatest moments and our lowest points. Pain and laughter carefully woven together to make a living thing. Without memories, a person is as much a blank slate as they were the moment they were born—complete innocence and naivety without really any painful experiences. Think about how young children are before they experience the cruelty of the world. They’re a lot like Gabe, right?

Trauma is scientifically proven to alter our very bodies. Of course, It alters our minds even more. I’ve been traumatized. I’ve seen trauma turn the kindest people into angry individuals who turn on anyone who slights them before they can turn on them. Trauma also gets worse without treatment.

Think about The Fall. Infinitely traumatic for both sides. Nobody trusting each other, friends and family fighting each other, betraying each other, even killing each other. Friends and Family thrown into the Abyss and those who remained in heaven told to forget them, that they are the enemy.

Six thousand years of untreated trauma, only strengthened by the constant premonition of fighting to the death. The war is the only closure either side is going to get. All of these angels and demons have become hardened and jaded by their shared trauma. Beings of Love have become Monsters transformed by their shadow selves.

This is just the ramblings of a traumatized autistic person but I have to applaud @neil-gaiman on this portrayal of long-untreated trauma and what happens when that trauma is suddenly gone.

[ronqueesha]

I finished the Fallout show and absolutely loved it. It nailed the spirit of the games, even the older ones, perfectly. Of course, I loved all of the little easter eggs. Especially the news channel logo that mirrored the Interplay logo from the original games.

Some thoughts on the blatant retcons that a lot of people are upset about. Major spoilers, of course:

While I'm also unhappy that Fallout New Vegas is in a precarious state of being non-canon, Season 1 of the show actually gave me a lot of hope. And I think the showrunners love New Vegas more than people might realize.

The last shot of season 1 is nothing but a major hint that the city of New Vegas is going to play a major role in the future. Not only that, but Season 1 went out of its way to not only mention things like Big MT and other New-Vegas-specific details, but they included a significant cameo from Robert House. Who I thought was extremely well cast given that his original voice actor passed away several years ago.

Season 1 was a big mishmash of plot points and references to the major events of the other games. The vault's water chip failing, the Enclave, the protagonist venturing into the wasteland to find and rescue a parent, even Vault-Tec having a small vault made just for cryo-freezing a select few people.

I would not be surprised at all if season 2 of Fallout incorporates many of the events and locations of New Vegas as Lucy and Coop follow her father east. Maybe the game we experienced isn't canon, but the major events still are, just through their eyes and not the player. House is still alive and scheming to make Vegas his independent kingdom. The Legion is expanding into the territory, and small towns in the desert will need help in one way or another.

So yeah, that's my hope. The Fallout show was always going to be an original story to avoid tiptoeing around the infinite number of decisions a player can make in each game. New Vegas has been retconned not because Todd Howard hates it, but because it gives the showrunners room to display WAY more from that game without having to worry about player agency. We won't get a 1-for-1 remake of New Vegas in season 2, but we could see a lot of familiar faces, places and events. More than in season 1.

There are some people upset that the show confirms that the Great War was explicitly started by Vault Tec and a few interested big corporations. This has always been at the top of the fan theory list of who started the war.

From almost the first game people have suspected Vault Tec. We've known for decades that Vault Tec had contracts with the US Government, which later became the Enclave, in order to build vaults, stir paranoia, and make the public okay with the entire program in the face of inevitable nuclear armageddon.

During the business meeting scene, there was a mysterious shadowy figure watching over the proceedings. While Coop was listening in the waiting room, this shadow figure was looking down at the corpos from his own space above them. This could be that Enclave pressure I mentioned above. Vault Tec didn't start the nuclear exchange just to make money, but because they had to on orders from the Enclave.

[omegaremix]

Autumn 2018 Mixtape.

Origami Girl “After all These Years”

Killing Joke “Follow The Leaders”

Philippe Hallais “Hero / Fall / Angela”

wosX “Armageddon”

Ramadanman “Blimey”

Caroline K “Chearth”

Eomac “Don’t Fear Your Own Heart”

Rapid Tan “Dumbo”

End Of A Year / Self Defense Family “Indoor Wind Chimes”

Errors “Early Nights”

JK Flesh “External Transmission Stage”

Beths, The “Great No One”

Impalers “High Wired”

Glowing Palms “I Don’t Wanna Come Daaan”

Council Estate Electronics “60 Megawatts”

Mean Girls “Summer Bodies”

Vatican Shadow “Tonight Saddam Walks Amidst Ruins”

Pasteur Lappe “Mbale (Face To Face With The Truth)”

Ash Pool “Cremation Is Irreversible”

Heem Stogied X EyeDee X Tha God Fahim ”Drive By”

Reptaliens “If You Want”

Rixe “Infatigables”

Teyas “Jamauba”

Serge Gainsbourg “Je T’aime Moi Non Plus”

Vatican Shadow “Jet Fumes Above The Reflecting Pool”

Powerflo “Less Than A Human”

Death In June “Little Black Angel”

Pop Group, The “(Amnesty Report II)

Erica Eso “Vaccination Free”

Fire Engines “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” (Peel Session)

Heem Stogied X EyeDee X Tha God Fahim ”Drive By”

Young Fathers “Lord”

Kegcharge “Medal Of Honor”

Boy Harsher “Motion”

Council Estate Electronics “Type LK-60YA”

Badlands “Heavy Sighs”

La Secte Du Futur “Hundred Songs Of Love”

Jitwam “I Ain’t Scared Of No Devil”

Russell Haswell “Special Long Version” (demo)

Frankie Cosmos “Outside With The Cuties”

Illuminati Hotties “Pressed 2 Death”

Iceage “Catch It”

clipping. “Something They Don’t Know” (Bad Zu RMX)

Poison Idea “Right”

Sky Ferreira “Voices Carry” (demo)”

Gnarcissists “We All Just Wanna’”

Morbid Angel “Maze Of Torment” (RMX)

Subhumans “Mickey Mouse Is Dead” (live)

Plexi “Roller Rock Cam”

Joan Jett “Shout”

Jesu & Nothing & Prurient “Silver” (rehearsal)

Purling Hiss “My Dreams”

Brian Eno & Kevin Shields “Only Once Away My Son”

Bikini Cops “Midnight”

War On Drugs, The “Up All Night”

Council Estate Electronics “Urals”

Fellony “Whisper Song”

Death In June “13 Years Of Carrion”

Holy Wave “Spooky Fuckin’ Blues”

Paris “The Days Of Old”

Intelligent Hoodlum / Tragedi Khadafi “Grand Groove”

Blackbyrds, The “Mysterious Vibes”

[chronicas]

Letting y’all take a little peak behind the curtain and revealing some inspirations for characters that have them. Most of my characters come to my brain fully formed but I draw from other sources as I flesh them out.

LatB Inspirations:

Sam Griffiths: Venom (Spider-Man), X23 (X-Men), Nemesis (Resident Evil), Eveline (Resident Evil)

Logan Griffiths: Joel Miller (The Last of Us), Jack Backer-Pre Mold (Resident Evil), Lee Everett (TellTale TWD), My Mom (Real Life)

Imani Beaumont: Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk COMICS), All the cool punk girls I’ve met at shows (Real Life)

AoC Inspirations:

Devan Ranim: The Traveler (Journey), Miles Morales (Spider-Man), The Jawa (Star Wars), Many many other hooded little guys I cannot even remember all of, My Friend’s Little Brother (Real Life)

Akira Akamatsu: Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic), Cloud Strife (FFVII), Tifa Lockhart (FFVII), Homura Akemi (PMMM), Undyne (Undertale)

MotA Inspirations:

Asterius: Crow (Destiny 2), Young Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3), Achilles (Iliad)

Alexios: Odysseus (The Odyssey), Osiris (Destiny 2), Saladin Forge (Destiny 2), Barret Wallace (FFVII)

Armageddon: Antigone (..Antigone), Medusa (Too many sources..), Red (Transistor), My Mom (Real Life)

[eclipseofthemoonsmood]

Together Against The Sisters ( TTS Oneshot/ War AU )

So uh yeah I was cleaning and this song came on and I got the idea for this and decided why not write it and post it here too? I'm also on Wattpad as DisneyReferenceQueen :3 Hope you'll enjoy?

Corona was on the verge of eternal darkness. The dark sunlight shone down on the doomed kingdom. Rays etched in shadow light spread across the land. An eclipse was happening in the sky.

Something awful had happened. 

Cassandra, wielder of the moonstone, and Princess Rapunzel, incarnation of the Sundrop, had both been possessed by a great evil against their wills. A demon, Zhan Tiri, had etched herself into their souls, so that they might become her Generals to lead the armageddon against the world.

The rest of Corona, powerless against these possessed wilelders of Godlike powers, were forced to do the one thing that would save them. But also leave an eternal scar on their kingdom. 

They had to kill the Princess, and her half sister. Cassandra. The two possessed sisters were now under the demons control, waging eternal darkness and fire for the world. Corona was forced to wage war against them.

There was no dawn on this eve of war. No sun rose over the horizon to start this battle that would surely be the end. Captain Eugene Fitzherbert and his Lieutenant, who was also the Royal Engineer of Weaponry, Varian, were leading the charge. There they stood with an army of a thousand. Cascades of dark light shone over their gleaming golden armor as they stood at the edge of the palace courtyard.

 A giant black rock potruded from the great wall of the castle, and there stood the two possessed sisters. 

Rapunzel’s golden hair glowed almost a burning bright color, it almost didn’t seem to contain healing powers, it was almost as if the powers had reverted to harmful products. It was like it burned the same heat as the sun. Her once green eyes were now completely black. Reflecting the demon that had a hold on her soul. 

Cassandra stood next to her, her black rock armor and blue hair bright as her pale skin reflected moonlight itself. 

Captain Eugene Fitzherbert and Lieutenant Engineer Varian stood with stone cold gazes on the two girls. The only thing that betrayed their cold eyes was a single tear cascading down their face.

 It seemed as if everyone’s souls, including the tainted, were harmonizing and lamenting over the coming bloodshed.

Varian stepped forward, his eyes showing hurt and sadness and guilt as he looked Rapunzel and Cassandra. His voice rang out against the silent air. “ Moon, enlighten the night,

the dark side of light,

I gave you devotion, my blood and my life.

I trusted your stars,

they were once my guide,

but now they are falling along with the Sun-”

Eugene stepped forward next, his voice raw with emotion against his lover.

“ Keeper of flame,

breaker of day,

I gave you my sword, my heart and my faith.

But now the sky is burning,

And I scream and wonder

when did your fire become so (cold)?

Cold winds will come like a storm,”

Both of the men’s voices harmonized at the demon possessed sisters.

“ destroying everything, everyone we love.

Time has come to recall,

the days of old,

when both, day and night, were bound by the dawn.”

Eugene: “We are the mountains, the woods, the fields” 

Varian: “We are the rivers, the shore and the sea..” 

Eugene: “What's worth fighting for?!”

Varian: “The reason to win?”

Both: “our land, our home, the air we breath!”

Eugene: “May thunder be our voice!”

Varian: “With lightning in our veins!”

Both: “Our hearts our beating power, roaring our claim!”

Eugene: "What lives beneath the sun,”

Varian: “Is written in the stars!".

Eugene: ”Why can't you understand?”

Both: “One by one, we'll fight

Side by side, we'll fight

Together!~”

[GUITAR SOLO]

And so the battle begun. Fleets of royal guards and drafted soldiers stormed up the steps of the kingdom. Rapunzel lassoed two men with her hair, the golden hair burned brighter with evil light and the men groaned. They seemed to be getting burned by the power. Cassandra flicked her hand and a dozen sharp black rocks burst from the ground. 

And so, the war waged. It was not recorded how many hours the battle went on. For the sun and moon did not set or rise throughout the battle. But it felt like hundreds. Perhaps it was. Perhaps it was a thousand. 

Then it happened.

Suddenly the bloodshed stopped. The bodies were buried. The sun and moon separated. And for the first time in what seemed like years, the sun rose and the moon dawned on the kingdom. 

But at what cost?

Varian and Eugene, both scarred and battle beaten and bruised, emerged from the demolished palace, war torn faces grim and broken, but victorious. 

Both Varian and Eugene: 

“A new day shines, 

the storm has gone,

May rain wash away all the pain from our souls…

Time has come for rebirth,

to rise like the sun,

From now, day and night, will be bound by the dawn.”

******************

Anyway yeah that- that could've been better I wrote this in like a span of 20 minutes I swear I can write better.