#Wesley Approves
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spoopieere-the-second · 2 years ago
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I drew more collectkin… having fun.
See the full thing HERE (spice)
(Edit: the link works now lol)| (Edit 2: For fuck's sake the link keeps getting defunct- my twitter is @/BloodCitruses)
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Bonus hehe :3
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They just woke up <3
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spoopieere · 2 years ago
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What happened at the hotel after the first movie (canon)
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wilwheaton · 1 year ago
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Hey Wil- I ironically love that stupid Wesley Crusher gnome figurine in my local discount store…but I don’t know if it’s ok to buy it. Is this something that you profit from? Or did someone steal a (poorly executed) likeness of your beloved visage? I will happily smash all the offending ceramic doppelgängers if you command it! Or…I will take one home and lovingly tend to his needs and desires in my garden with your approval. Please help me decide!!??!!
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I own one of these, myself, and I love it. If you have an opportunity to get your own, grab it. They are VERY hard to find.
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stonesense · 2 years ago
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why the kirkwall chantry is dedicated to hessarian, and why that gives us more than just a cooler name for it with a sexy accusatory nickname for anders in there somewhere: an illustrated guide!
(wait, wait, please remind me who hessarian even is, i hear you ask. hessarian was the tevinter archon who ordered andraste’s execution on the pyre. but struck with guilt at the last minute, he mercifully (i GUESS) killed andraste with a sword rather than let her suffer in the fire. he converted to andrastianism a decade later and took the rest of the imperium with him. he’s really popular in tevinter because, you know, he kind of improves their whole role in the story, and the chantry there likes to think he’s the most important disciple. you may recognise him from being one of the spirits in the urn of sacred ashes gauntlet, from the lore behind the blade of mercy gift for fenris, and the ‘blades of hessarian’ group on the storm coast in inquisition.)
okay, let’s first get the basics down: why do i think the kirkwall chantry is dedicated to hessarian? merrill, our glamorous tour guide to andrastian nonsense, is going to show us why
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here’s merrill examing the architecture of the kirkwall chantry. and it’s covered in this guy!
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how do we know this guy is hessarian? let’s compare it to some other, canonical andrastion depictions of the latecomer disciple. hessarian is typically depicted with some type of crown or headwear to demonstrate his status in tevinter, robes to denote him as a mage, a long beard probably also symbolic of tevinter culture at the time, and, of course, his blade of mercy. we can see all of these on the figure repeatedly shown in and outside the kirkwall chantry, as well as a certain similarity in the face to the other depictions.
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here’s another variant of how the kirkwall chantry depicts the blade of mercy! these are Everywhere, including right over the doors.
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and here’s more variants of the same figure inside. he’s carrying some kind of incense burner instead of a sword here, but it’s clearly the same face with the same crown and that classic hessarian beard. note his position of power flanking the enormous andraste figure.
so... why does that matter? isn’t it just a repeated asset?
no, it’s CRAZY actually. and here’s a couple reasons why!
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(fascinated by genitivi’s word choice of glitzy mansions, btw.)
firstly, the kirkwall chantry’s dedication to hessarian’s figure is one of the biggest markers that it, along with the gallows and the darkspawn, is a legacy of tevinter. as i said, he’s the favourite there. kirkwall was once emerius under tevinter’s rule, and from the moment we see the weeping twins that welcome you into the city, we’re supposed to remember that the city of chains has not changed all that much. just as emerius’ prisons now incarcerate mages, its industry is now powered by refugees, and the worst parts of its lowtown hold elves probably just as they once did, its magisters’ estates continue to hold the most powerful voices in the city: in this case, that of the chantry and grand cleric elthina. the hessarian statues that demonstrate the chantry’s wealth and power are inarguably either tevinter made or at least made in their style, with such similarity to the statues of slaves that terrorise the gallows courtyard. hightown is no more free of that inheritance than the circle.
secondly, the focus on hessarian can’t be an accident in dragon age 2, a game obsessed with the mercy kill. “without an end, there can be no peace,” says flemeth. somebody has to kill wesley rather than watch him turn into a ghoul. anders has to kill karl. hawke possibly has to kill their other sibling if they catch the taint in the deep roads. varric can kill bartrand when he goes insane. killing the serial killer of elven children rather than letting his madness continue is one of the most universally approved decisions in the game. in her last words, leandra thanks you for ending the mage keeping her alive with twisted necromancy, even if, and especially because, it means the end of her suffering in death. merrill has to kill a possessed keeper marethari. many more can be killed for being “too dangerous” to live, like the blood mage idunna. orsino is slain by hawke after transforming into a monster he would never have wanted to be. there’s probably a dozen more examples i can think of. and of course, in one of the most game-defining decisions hawke has to make, there’s the option to kill anders after the destruction of the kirkwall chantry. merciful is not the word i would use for that, but it has certainly been framed that way. i suppose that’s the same as what i think of hessarian’s actions, isn’t it? (we’re focusing on the andrastian relevance here and not the godawful treatment of mentally ill people in this game, btw, although. yikes.)
“don’t compare yourself to andraste,” says sebastian to anders. he could try telling the game that. hawke gets cast into a lot of roles, but when anders believes they will kill him, he’s casting himself as the martyred andraste, dying to burn rebellion into the face of thedas, and hawke as his hessarian, quick with the merciful blade. i suppose it’s fitting that the kirkwall chantry should be consecrated in the image of its champion. and that the chantry covered in that image gets destroyed moments before hawke makes their choice, if they decide to make a different one. it’s also worth mentioning that meredith is a mimic of andraste, too, with her stolen crown, making anders and meredith obvious combatants for andraste’s legacy in the game. hawke doesn’t get much command of the narrative, but maybe they can at least dodge being anders’ hessarian, if they choose.
idk i think it’s really fucking cool and we should talk about it more, basically! there’s a lot of other angles to take. hessarian is such a fun lore figure to explore. for example, i didn’t even get into the prominence of an andrastian mage figure here, or that the blade of mercy is the symbol of the templar order and was invoked even earlier, in dao, as the “blade of mercy” by traumatised mages who desperately sought to be purified by the templars’ judgement.
also, i think ‘the chantry of hessarian’s mercy’ sounds good. maybe ‘the chantry of our lady’s spilled blood’? that could be sexy. whatever. i’m workshopping it
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coraniaid · 1 year ago
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There's an interesting symmetry in the pattern of Faith and the Watcher's Council appearances on Buffy.
It's perhaps worth noting that neither Faith not the Council are ever quite as integral to the show as fandom likes to suggest.
Faith only appears in twenty episodes across the entire show (plus six more in Angel), and is only mentioned in just over a dozen more. That means she appears in fewer episodes of Buffy than Daniel Osbourne, Riley Finn, Jonathan Levinson or Andrew Wells, all of whom can also boast of having somthing something Faith never had during her time on the show: a last name. ('Lehane' is a post-Chosen reveal to support a tie-in RPG.) She never appears in the opening credits, suggesting she has less of a claim to be a major character than any of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Spike, Anya, Dawn, Angel, Cordelia, Riley, Tara or Oz. Faith isn't the first Slayer other than Buffy we meet, and she isn't the last. There is a run of over forty episodes in a row (starting from Blood Ties in Season 5) in which Faith's name is simply not spoken by anybody on screen.
It would be very easy for a casual fan of the show to completely forget that Faith ever existed. Pick a random episode of the show and there's a more than 75% chance she won't be mentioned in it.
The Watcher's Council are first mentioned by name in Season 3's Faith, Hope & Trick (the first episode in which Faith herself appears), though there were occasional references to Watchers other than Giles before that. We hear about Giles's father and grandmother having been Watchers before him in Season 1's Never Kill A Boy On The First Date; we're told about Kendra's Watcher Sam Zabuto in Season 2's What's My Line?; and we briefly see Buffy's unnamed first Wacher during a flashback in the same season's Becoming.  (Perhaps most notably, when she hears the prophecy of her own imminent death in Season 1’s Prophecy Girl, Buffy wonders what the Slayer after her will be like and asks Giles: “will you train her, or will they send someone else?”.) But the Council themselves, as a group capable of giving Giles orders, are only mentioned in a total of twenty episodes, and (other than Watchers like Giles and Wesley), representatives of the Council only appears in six of those twenty episodes. Buffy quits the Council in Graduation Day (the same time that she tries to kill Faith), and they never really feature much in her life after that.
It would be very easy for a casual fan of the show to completely forget that the Council ever existed. Pick a random episode of the show and there's a more than 85% chance they won't be mentioned in it.
And yet, if you pick an episode with Faith in it, the odds of the Council being mentioned increase from less than 14% to exactly 60%. If you pick an episode with the Council in it, the odds of Faith being mentioned jump from under 23% to over 83% (the only episode to feature the Council which doesn't mention Faith is their last appearance in Never Leave Me). This isn't just because both of them feature heavily in Season 3, either.
Giles refers to the Watchers' Council by name for the first time when he tells Buffy that "the Council has approved our request" for Faith to stay in Sunnydale. Faith does not appear in Helpless (she couldn't, or the episode wouldn't work) but unlike in previous episodes where she isn't around her absence is noted. Giles convinces Buffy in part to spend time staring at the crystals he will use to hypnotize her and drug her by favorably comparing her to Faith: "since Faith is not interested in proper training, I must rely on you to keep up with yours". The Council come to Sunnydale in Consequences and This Year's Girl and Who Are You? to abduct Faith and either kill her or take her away to England. The one time Buffy says Faith's name in Season 5 -- the one reason that run of forty episodes I mentioned earlier isn't a run of fifty-two episodes -- comes when the Council visit again in Checkpoint and she remembers that "when I was Faith" the Council tried to kill her. (Buffy also brings up the Cruciamentum for the first time since Helpless in this episode; another time that the Council tried to kill her.) The Council's last ever mention on the show comes in Dirty Girls, which is also the episode in which Faith returns to the show.
None of which, of course, is a coincidence. While the show doesn't care about Faith or the Council as much as the fandom does, they do both have a very clear and deliberate metaphorical meaning. Faith is Buffy: the Buffy we see in When She Was Bad and in Anne and the Buffy we later see clawing her way out of the grave in Season 6. A Buffy with no friends or family, a Buffy who desperately wants some sort of parental figure in her life but refuses to listen to anyone who she thinks might be trying to control her or stop her enjoying being a Slayer. And the Council are an embodiment of all the worst parts of Giles we see in the first two seasons: Watchers who only see Buffy as a weapon and refuse to let her have an ordinary life, who risk her life and her mother's life for no good reason, who give her orders and offer scraps of information but are revealed ultimately to be hollow and powerless.
(I've complained a lot before about fandom trying to pretend there isn't this sort of complexity to Buffy and Giles's relationships in the early season -- that Buffy doesn't have nightmares about her Watcher secretly being one of the monsters who wants to kill her, or that he doesn't make unjustified and hypocritical attempts to contol her personal life while shutting her firmly out of his, or that Joyce isn't justified in being angry at Giles for what he's been putting her daughter through for years -- but it's only fair to note that this is something the writers do too. The Cruciamentum of Helpless becomes, in Buffy's later retelling in Helpless, something that "the Council" did to Buffy, as if it wasn't Giles who drugged her and lied to her face about it; as if Giles really had made the conscious decision to choose Buffy over his career as a Watcher and not been forced into it by being fired. But remember what Giles says in Helpless: how he justifies the need for Buffy to study the crystals he shows her -- to undergo the preparation for the Cruciamentum in other words. This is a part of a Slayer's "proper training", and since Faith is "not interested" in that he has to rely on Buffy.)
Faith is the part of Buffy who stubbornly rebels against all authority and the Council exist to be an authority that Buffy is justified in cutting all ties with. No wonder then that the Council spend so much time trying to capture or kill Faith. No wonder that their fates are intertwined so thoroughly.
No wonder that Buffy's early Season 2 nightmare of being murdered by her Watcher ("I mean, I've killed you once: it shouldn't be too difficult to do it again") becomes, by Season 5, a memory that "when [she] was Faith" (or When She Was Bad, you might say...) "the Council" tried to kill her. No wonder we never see Faith go through the Cruciamentum: Faith does not have anyone in her life she trusts enough to be betrayed like that. No wonder that, since Faith is the part of Buffy who refuses "proper training" from the start, Buffy is forced by the Council -- and by Giles -- to symbolically undergo the Cruciamentum in her place.
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justafriendofxanders · 1 year ago
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wesley and willow were truly wonderful executions of teacher's pets. like they really captured the duality of the superiority/inferiority complex and that relationship to authority where they want its approval and appeal to it when they know it can benefit them, but at the same time consider themselves the smartest person in the room and also the most qualified to make decisions for other people <3
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brokehorrorfan · 10 months ago
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Demolition Man will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on December 17 via Arrow Video. Laurie Greasley designed a new cover for the 1993 sci-fi action film; the original artwork is on the reverse side.
Marco Brambilla directs from a script by Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau, and Peter M. Lenkov. Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, and Nigel Hawthorne star.
The film has been newly restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative, approved by Brambilla, with Dolby Vision. Both the the domestic "Taco Bell" and international "Pizza Hut" versions are included via seamless branching.
Special features and limited edition contents are listed below, where you can also see more of the packaging.
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Special features:
Audio commentary by director Marco Brambilla and screenwriter Daniel Waters (new)
Audio commentary by film historian Mike White of the Projection Booth podcast (new)
Audio commentary by Marco Brambilla and producer Joel Silver
Interview with production designer David L. Snyder (new)
Interview with stunt coordinator Charles Percini (new)
Interview with special make-up effects artist Chris Biggs (new)
Interview with body effects set coordinator Jeff Farley(new)
Somewhere Over the Rambo - Visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson (new)
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Also included:
60-page book featuring new writing by film critics Clem Bastow, William Bibbiani, Priscilla Page, and Martyn Pedler
Double-sided fold-out poster with original and new art by Laurie Greasley
6 art cards
Three Seashells and Edgar Friendly Graffiti stickers
In 2032, arch criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) awakens from a 35-year deep freeze in CryoPrison to find a world where crime is almost non-existent – a serene utopia ripe for the taking. With the police no longer equipped to deal with his 90s-style brutality, they revive ‘Demolition Man’ Sgt. John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), the no-holds-barred police officer unjustly sentenced to CryoPrison who originally took Phoenix down. Old-school cop against old-school criminal, settling their scores on the streets of San Angeles? The future won’t know what’s hit it.
Pre-order Demolition Man.
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allthecanadianpolitics · 1 year ago
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Proposed voter ID restrictions will not only stop many Albertans from participating in local elections, but taken in the context of other "democratically questionable moves in Bill 20 and Bill 18" it is a sign of growing threats to "core democratic values" in the province, says University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley.
Alberta's election guidelines allow voters who don't have identification to be vouched for by someone in the same voting area who has approved ID and signs a declaration stating they personally know the other voter and can verify their eligibility and address.
Changes to the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) introduced in Bill 20 would prohibit the use of vouching in municipal elections except to verify an address, such as cases where a driver's license lists a post office box instead of a home address.
Wesley said the move is concerning from a democratic inclusiveness standpoint, because the people who don't have voter ID are usually the most marginalized in our community. [...]
Continue Reading.
Tagging: @newsfromstolenland, @abpoli
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favouritesarefalling · 5 months ago
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Fisk was the first person to give her a sense family, Wesley and Maya. He was the first person to give her a home. To, in his twisted way, care for her. He was the first person who seemed to accept her, powers and all, that however turned out to be wrong. He used her for his own gain. A tool to his disposal. A weapon in his arsenal.
All June ever wanted was his love and his approval. In a sick way he was her father. He raised her. He's all she's ever known since she was 11. To find out he betrayed her, used her, manipulated her, it broke her.
this edit is very s1 - s2 transition coded 🙂‍↕️ I'll bet money that during that time June still tries to convince him to be better and tries to see the good in him, the man who once read her bedtime stories, the man who would cook an omelet whenever she had a bad day or the man who let her have play dates with Maya.
@petertingle-yipyip 😊
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whumpsoda · 1 year ago
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We Search For Stolen Personhood - Graham
Masterlist
cw: pet whump, box boy universe/bbu adjacent, Institutionalized slavery, conditioned whumpees, recovering whumpees
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Mutt lied against the bed frame, gnawing at his lower lip as he pulled the bedding up to his lap, fists clenched over the fluffiest of blankets he’d never before used. Wesley slept on the top bunk now, so Mutt could sleep on the bottom one. He’d refused at first, but after Wesley’s insistence on him using a bed he had warily given in.
It was very comfortable, he thought, much better than his crate. Too comfortable. Soon enough he was going to forget his place and step out of line. He already had, sitting on the furniture like that. Like the person that he couldn’t be.
Then again, he recalled what Wesley had explained to him. About all the rescue stuff. These people - they weren’t owners at all, Wesley had said - didn’t want him to be a pet anymore.
Did he?
He’d gotten good at using Wesley’s new name. It came to him with ease, as if Prince had never been right. That made him think maybe… Mutt wasn’t right either.
He swallowed, hard. “G- Graham. Graham.” He blurted from below, just before Wesley could completely drift off to sleep, words cracking in the middle.
Wesley soon replied back, deep drowsiness dripping from his croaking voice. “Huh?”
“You said…,” he was doing it. He was doing it. “Pick a name. Graham.”
Wesley was quiet for a moment, the sound of the two’s breathing all that filled the space as his tired brain processed. “That's… I like it. You look like a Graham.”
Graham breathed out, trembling almost, in relief. “Really?” The idea that he could ever look like he had a name at all was mind blowing.
“Yeah.” Graham heard him let out a little giggle, low and gravely with sleepiness. “Do… do I look like a Wesley?”
“Yes! Yes. Really.” He stumbled, holding his face in his hands with excitement. He shoved down the overwhelming urge to kick his feet and laugh, to dance around the room until he was too tired to move. To act completely unlike himself, overcome with giddiness.
Him. Giddy. His master would have never allowed it. Oh, he was being so bad.
Your master isn’t here, though.
He could hear the nod in Wesley’s voice. “Graham and Wesley. That’s good.” Wesley’s approval only squashed more of the butterflies in his belly, bringing on a swirling warmth of honeydew sweetness instead.
“Do you think… everyone will like it?”
“Who cares if they don’t?” He whispered faintly. “It only matters if you like it. That’s what Isaac said.”
“Oh.” He digested that for a beat, hesitating. Did he like it? Could he? “I like it. A lot.”
“Good.” Wesley shuffled around in bed, getting comfortable again. “Goodnight… Graham.”
He desperately hoped he wasn’t dreaming. That he could wake up tomorrow with a real name for himself, and he would never have to let it go. “Goodnight, Wesley.”
——————
Masterlist
Taglist - @softvampirewhump @ivymyers @taterswhump @octopus-reactivated @tippytappytyping
@distracted-obsessions @starfields08000 @bitchaknso @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @scoundrelwithboba
If anyone wants to be removed or added to the taglist, please let me know! :)
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spoopieere · 2 years ago
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“They both get to sleep-in today”
(Click for better quality)
(WOW TUMBLR FUCKED UP THE QUALITY SO BAD WTH)
This is literally just an excuse for me to draw their bedroom.
Headcannons below 👇
-Clean and simple- Asa doesn’t like clutter.
-There’s a walk-in closet on the right of the mirror (you just can’t see it in my drawing lmao)
-Asa wakes up first to pull the curtains, letting the sun in. ( Not on weekends though, so Arkin does it instead )
-Random books Asa keeps stacked on the drawer are for a convenient selection to read before bed.
-Asa uses melatonin gummies to fall asleep easier.
-Arkin keeps post-it notes on his side of the bed to remind him of things to do, he also convinced Asa to put a plant in the room to make it a bit more interesting.
-Arkin is also the only one who needs an alarm clock to wake up.
-Arkin protests keeping *the tooth* on display so publicly, but Asa thinks it goes hand-in-hand with the Mantis.
-Pretty sure Asa vacuums their bedroom once every two days.
-The bottom drawer of their dresser is a collection of broken bed frames… due to their . . . activities (Wesley approves)
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hiswordsarekisses · 4 months ago
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“Study to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2nd Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬
I found these awesome quotes this morning and wanted to share - I absolutely love this first quote most of all!
“Swords are meant to cut and hack, and wound, and kill with, and the word of truth is for pricking men in the heart and killing their sins. The word of God is not committed to God’s ministers to amuse men with its glitter, nor to charm them with the jewels in its hilt, but to conquer their souls for Jesus.” (Spurgeon)
“A workman that needeth not to be ashamed - Either of unfaithfulness or unskilfulness. Rightly dividing the word of truth with knowledge and training, the way one would rightly handle a sword. Duly explaining and applying the whole scripture, so as to give each hearer his due portion.” John Wesley
“The allusion here may be to a steward who makes a proper distribution to each one under his care - like a carver distributing food to the guests at a feast. Making a proper distribution of the word, adapting his instructions to the circumstances and needs of his hearers, correctly teaching the Word, and giving to each that which will be fitted to nourish the soul.” Albert Barnes
“We must hold a straight course in the word of truth. Our testimony should resemble an undeviating furrow. Let us construct in our life something which will be a permanent addition to the well-being of the world, so that at the last the Master may say that He is satisfied.” F. B. Meyer
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featheredenby · 6 months ago
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Have some information for both.
-Hero AU-
This will be my second superhero AU, The first one is called Show Your Fangs and is complete on Ao3 along with every chapter being posted on Tumblr. The heroes are Bdubs, Scott, Joel, Grian, Gem, Tango, and Ren. The vigilantes are Etho, Impulse, Martyn, Pearl, and Cleo. The Villains are Lizzie, Scar, Jimmy, and BigB. Seablings, Shadowbeans, Renchanting Duo, Desert Duo, and Boat Boys are all big parts of it.
-Princess Bride AU-
Joel is Buttercup and Lizzie is Wesley/The Dread Pirate Roberts. Lizzie and Joel were teenage sweethearts. Since Joel’s parents didn’t approve of Lizzie they ordered for her to be executed. Lizzie ran off as soon as she heard and joined her siblings on the boat The Enigma where she took her long promised role as captain. The beginning doesn’t follow much of the original plot but the end follows more of it.
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amaretigris · 6 months ago
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Friction
Taglist: @hopeisrising @luna2034 @notagreekgal28 @mylittlemermaid221 @justagirlthatlovedtoread @freyagallileaevans @jonahmermaid23 @jonahhauer-kingg
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Ch. 9 | 2.6k words | Angst & fluff
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Vanessa is relentless. It feels like every time Eric turns around, she's there. He tries to avoid her around the palace, even resorting to taking the less known routes. After all, she is still relatively new. She can't know all of them yet. Eric wishes it were the old days when he could just load up for a long voyage with Max and his crew. He'd love an escape from the unwanted attention right about now.
Then there's you. You help him to avoid her the best you can, and he's more grateful than he can convey. Vanessa seems to bother you as much as she bothers him. The fact makes him feel a little better about the situation. It's another common ground between the two of you. That counts for something, right?
He walks in on Vanessa snapping at you one afternoon, and he opens his mouth to reprimand her, but holds his tongue when you immediately snap back. Eric loves the fact that you don't let anyone walk all over you. He supposes you've had to stand up for yourself for most of your adult life. He still doesn't know much of your upbringing, but you'd shared the fact that you'd been orphaned. His heart breaks for you. Dealing with the loss of his father has been enough torment to last a lifetime; he can't imagine losing his mother, too.
You put in a request to help out in the garden once a week. When Lashana conveys this to him, Eric approves it instantly. In fact, he doubles it.
"She can even spend two days a week in the garden if she wants."
Lashana smiles at him. "Okay, I'll let her know."
Eric's curiosity gets the better of him.
"I wonder, does she like being by the water? She said that awful night terror she had was of drowning."
Lashana frowns with a shrug. "She told me no such thing. I have no idea."
Eric's heart skips a beat. You'd confided in him about something you hadn't even told Lashana. He doesn't know why that's such a revelation, but it makes him feel good.
"Maybe you should ask her," Lashana continues.
Eric's eyes shoot to hers again.
"No, I shouldn't."
She crosses her arms, but her expression remains curious. "Why not?"
"I don't want to bring up a painful memory."
Lashana gives him a sympathetic smile, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder.
"You've always been compassionate and kind, Eric. Please never lose that."
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All you hear about now is Eric. Vanessa talks about him constantly. It makes you want to avoid him. She's given you so much grief for conversing with him in the hallway that day. You're aware that Eric is an objectively handsome prince with many good qualities, but you don't enjoy him being the only topic of conversation. That's why when Lashana's weekly supply run rolls around, you beg her to let you tag along. Luckily, she takes sympathy on you.
The two of you return to the market. You look for Wesley's stall. He might not be the man you'll spend the rest of your life with, but he's not Eric. You could use a change of scenery. When you finally spot the flower bouquets, you catch sight of him. You're struck once again with admiration for his height and rugged look. He's talking to a customer, and you patiently wait for them to leave.
Wesley turns to you with his eyes cast down at first looking at the sheers in his hand.
"What can I do for you?"
When he lifts them, his eyes sparkle with recognition.
"Ah, (Y/N). I was hoping I'd see you again."
He reaches across the counter for your hand, and kisses it gently. He's so effortlessly charming, and you feel the annoying butterflies return to your gut.
"It's good to see you," you respond. "How has business been?"
"Better than ever," he smiles. "In fact, I've earned more than enough this week to take you on a date."
Your breath catches in your throat. Do you really want to go on a date with this man? Your head supplies plenty of reasons to decline his offer, but you'd like to ignore logic for once. Besides, the thought of being pursued by a man as handsome as him thrills you a little.
"Okay," you answer. "I'd like that."
Wesley gives you a pearly smile, and while it's beautiful, you can't help but notice the absence of dimples.
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Two days later, you twist your hair up in a bun, making sure to leave loose tendrils to frame your face. You turn in the mirror for the tenth time, making sure that the small bow at the back of your dress is tied perfectly. You sigh, smoothing your hands over the material. This light blue gown is one of the nicest dresses that you own. You hope Wesley likes it. Your gaze shifts to your neck. Your fingers ghost over the almost completely healed skin there. Thankfully it seems that you won't have any scarring.
Your gaze lifts back to your face. You look at your eyelashes, and the blush on your cheeks. You even put something on your lips. You don't know how you'll react if Wesley tries to kiss you, but what would it hurt? Your (e/c) eyes shift further up, and stare into themselves. You wonder if you always look this sad and pouty. Deciding that you've done enough of an assessment, you turn from the mirror. You grab your coat, and head down the stairs to the courtyard.
You walk to the gate, and softly open one of its doors to let yourself out. You have no reason to sneak around, but you still prefer to be as quiet as possible. You turn from the gate to see Wesley. He smiles, and you can still see his white teeth even though the sun is setting over the horizon.
"(Y/N), you look beautiful," he compliments.
You feel heat creep up your neck. He comes to stand at your side, and holds eye contact with you as he kisses your hand.
"Come now, I've got a lovely evening planned for us."
He folds your arm over his, and guides you down the path leaving the palace. You converse about your days on the walk to town. When you arrive at the familiar marketplace, he takes you down a side street to a local restaurant. The flyers advertise spaghetti, lasagna, and other popular Italian dishes. The two of you settle at a candle lit table, and Wesley pulls out a chair for you. Once you're seated, he helps you remove your coat, and drape it over the back of the cushion. He then sits across from you with a devilish smile.
"I've got you where I want you now," he laughs.
You give a weak chuckle of acknowledgement, letting your eyes drop down to your hands in your lap.
"How lucky am I to have the most beautiful woman at the castle with me tonight?"
You blush with a meek reply.
"I can't say we agree on that."
You nervously pick at your fingers. In the nick of time, your host comes to set waters on the table. Wesley perks up.
"Are the two of you ready to order?"
Wesley nods to you. "The lady can go first."
You lick your lips. "I'd like the spaghetti, please."
The man nods, and looks back to Wesley.
"I'll have the same," Wesley smiles.
The host leaves the table, and an awkward beat of silence passes over you. You aren't sure what to talk to Wesley about. Truthfully, you hardly know each other.
"So, pray tell, what does a lady like you do in her free time?" Wesley fills the silence.
"Oh," you swallow nervously. "Well, I like to read. I draw occasionally, though I'm not as good as I used to be."
"I'm sure your drawings are wonderful," he supplies.
"What about you?" You're quick to change the subject.
"I like to play cards," he shrugs.
"Like gambling?" You don't mean to be so blunt, but you tend to speak without a filter when you're nervous.
Wesley laughs, patting the table. "I occasionally indulge."
"Well, I have no right to judge," you admit. "I haven't ever played cards to know what it's like."
Wesley's lips quirk up in a smile. "I'll have to show you how sometime."
The host comes to the table with your plates then. You don't talk much after that. You do, however, make sure to tuck a napkin into your collar to protect your pretty dress. After you finish your plate, you sit back with a sigh. Wesley looks amused.
"I was going to ask if it was as delicious as you'd hoped, but I'm assuming it was since you finished your plate."
"You finished yours, too," you point out.
He laughs. "Yes. I love the spaghetti here."
After the two of you leave the cafe, Wesley loops your arms again, and takes you toward the beach.
"I was hoping we could walk along the beach. It's beautiful at night."
Your heart thunders in your chest. "Oh, um, that sounds lovely, but can we stay up on the path? I'd like to admire it from here."
Wesley eyes you curiously, but caves to your whim.
"Sure. I only thought a walk on the beach would be romantic."
You give him a tight smile. "It can still be romantic. We can talk about the moon and the stars."
Wesley looks up with a laugh. "What about them? They're always there."
You ignore the urge to huff a breath.
"Yes, but look how beautiful they are. Most people don't even give them a second glance. Do you know any of the constellations?"
Wesley shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't."
You spend the rest of the walk back to the castle telling him the stories you remember from your childhood. Your dad often spoke about the constellations. He was enamored with them. By the time the two of you approach the castle gate, you turn to Wesley nervously.
"Thank you for tonight. I had a great time."
Wesley locks his eyes on yours, and grabs your arms to urge you back against the stone wall to the side of the gate. Your breath hitches in your throat. This is how people look when they're about to kiss someone, right?
"I've wanted to do this all night," Wesley speaks.
Then, suddenly, he's mashing his lips on yours. You aren't exactly sure how to reciprocate, but you try to purse your lips against his as best you can. You expect to feel sparks, or magic - something...anything, really. And yet you feel absolutely nothing with Wesley's mouth pressed over yours. Is he feeling something right now? A few seconds pass, and you blink, waiting for him to pull away. He finally does, and you wipe your lips.
"Tonight was wonderful, (Y/N). I hope you'll come see me again soon in the market. Maybe we can go dancing sometime."
You give him a small smile as Wesley picks your hand up to kiss it again before he leaves. You awkwardly wave, squeezing yourself through the gate as soon as he turns around. The whole walk back to your room, you touch your lips. Still nothing. Absolutely nothing. It saddens you to an extent. Isn't every woman's first kiss supposed to be unforgettable?
You toss and turn in bed that night. You think about the meaningless kiss, and how you wasted it on Wesley. You see images of waves when you fall asleep, but luckily you view them from the beach this time in your dream. The next morning, you're buzzing with the need to tell someone about the lackluster kiss. Vanessa isn't an option since she's not someone you consider a friend. The closest thing to a friend you have here is Lashana. You seek her out, and eventually find her in the kitchen.
"Good morning. Can I ask you something?" You start.
"Of course," Lashana smiles.
You wring your hands in front of you. "Isn't a woman's first kiss supposed to be, I don't know, special?"
Lashana takes on a puzzled expression, and she stops wiping down the counter with the towel in her hand.
"Um, yes, I suppose so. Why do you ask?"
Your eyes cut away from hers. "It's nothing, really. I- I just went on a date last night, and I had my first kiss, and it was... disappointing."
Lashana's eyes are wide when you meet them again.
"Really? Aw, you poor girl. Was it that Wesley?"
You nod.
"Now, he didn't force you into anything, right?" Her hands settle on her hips in a protective posture. It makes you smile.
"No, nothing like that," you shake your head. "It just wasn't...what I thought it would be."
Lashana laughs. "It has to be the right person."
You scrunch your brow, and cross your arms over your chest. "What do you mean?"
Lashana keeps her smile, shaking her head. "If it's not the right person, there won't be any fireworks."
You think for a second. "Well, how do I know if they're the right person?"
Lashana releases a whimsical sigh. She turns her head to stare out the window at the waves. "It's a feeling you get when you're with them. It's impossible to explain, but when you feel it, you'll know."
"Okay." You simply resign yourself to not knowing for now. You still don't fully understand it, but you believe Lashana.
In the hallway, Eric is pressed against the wall with sweat beading on his forehead. He's suddenly much too hot, and he quietly steals away to his room.
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Of all the things Eric expected to feel upon hearing about your first kiss, anger was not one of them. He's not angry about the fact that you kissed Wesley. You're a beautiful young woman who deserves to explore your wants and needs; god knows he certainly does. His anger stems from the fact that the kiss was terrible (maybe he's assuming here), and that it was your first.
Wesley had to know that, right? Sure, Eric doesn't exactly like the guy, but he should at least deliver if he's going to pursue you. You deserve a love filled with passion and desire. You should accept nothing less. The fact that you opened yourself up to Wesley, and he likely didn't give it his all is what Eric finds himself hung up on. Wesley had no problem leaving you completely unsatisfied.
You aren't just another woman to chase for the thrill of the hunt. In fact, there's no other woman like you. In all his years and travels across the globe, Eric has never met someone so witty, brave, compassionate, and kind. He's sure of it. You've experienced more heartache than most in your life, yet you remain a bright light in others'. You wrestle with your own demons every day, but you readily come to the aid of the people around you.
Your joy may not always be directed at him, but there have been moments that it was before. Eric realizes that he's happy to have experienced you like that; he realizes that he feels so light when your smile does shine on him. Somehow, you help carry the weight that drags him down every day. Somehow, your ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds. Eric muses how that's even possible. How have you affected him so much in the few months that you've been here?
He shakes his head. When did his thoughts of you become so personal and intimate? It's inappropriate to think of staff members in this way, but he feels you understand him more than anyone he's ever met. The two of you don't always get along, but maybe with time, Eric can earn your friendship. He realizes that he would give anything to see you smile at him again. He'll do anything to make you happy, and that thought is more than a little disconcerting.
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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 4 months ago
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In March of 2023, the recently formed Global Methodist Church (GMC) announced that Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS), located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, was approved as a seminary entrusted to prepare future ministry leaders for the new and rapidly growing denomination.
Although it had been faithfully training and equipping ministry leaders in the Wesleyan tradition for nearly 50 years, WBS had never been an approved institution by the largest Wesleyan denomination in the world, the United Methodist Church (UMC). That exclusion was not because of a lack of fidelity to Scripture or weakened doctrinal standards. Dr. Andy Miller III, the newly elected president of WBS, stated that…
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mad-hunts · 8 months ago
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you know... now that i think about it? winslow not approving of what barton is doing currently and telling his surrogate son that, if/when he decides to come over to visit him, to not talk about it with him is something that i think has contributed to him feeling this desire to punish himself — though i'm not saying that winslow is a bad person for wanting barton to do and BE better, OFC, which is exactly the motivation behind this. i was just thinking about the complexity of their relationship today because to say that its totally different from the relationship barton had with his abusive bio father, wesley, wouldn't even be enough.
i mean, it's like WAYYY on the other side of the spectrum... and so i think that barton found the father figure he always really wanted in winslow. which definitely isn't a bad thing, but to him, it's like a double-edged sword. and i say that while presenting it to y'all like this. so, imagine growing up with a father that was cruel, instead of nurturing and the only way to get his approval seemed to be to participate in some pretty... well, horrible stuff, to put it bluntly of your 'own free will.'
(and i put that in quotations because of course barton was forced to join his bio father on those 'hunting trips' he went on + was manipulated into doing things he didn't want to every step of the way on them by wesley. because he ruled by fear, and barton feared that if he even took one little step out of line, that he'd get verbally berated / yelled at or quite possibly emotionally abused in some other terrible way). but then this father is shot and you happen to stumble upon another person who took you in + would eventually become a father figure to you as well. and all of the things that you learned from the father you had previously are still set in deep in you, even though this father (winslow) seems to want the best for you, so you're kind of confused when he doesn't reward bad behavior.
even though you know that it's not 'normal,' and that's where the self-punishment part comes in. because barton had already lost one father, though the nature of that relationship was absolutely horrendous, he feels an even bigger need to get winslow's approval. but the things in which he learned from wesley, which were all the wrong thing's (things like you rule by fear, and it's okay to hurt people, because they were born 'imperfect') still apply to him now so he's not getting it.
and this results in this perpetual cycle of barton being resentful that he's not able to obtain it from him, but also have this underlying feeling of dread inside of him because he doesn't know if he can change to get it? it's... yeah, upsetting, because although winslow is trying to push barton like this with good intentions; he kind of takes it in a similar way that he used to when he 'failed' wesley. or barton feels like he's broken for not being able to fulfill this image that winslow envisions of him, in other words. and that's also a reason why i think why he so scarcely talks to his own surrogate father figure now too
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