#and just smart enough to aid them in their chaos and destruction

[thedawningofthehour]

I was thinking more about how Yokai life stages are so different from ours and what kind of effect that would have on everything else. Like, if we assume their life cycles is similar to that of a human, just on a much longer scale, then a Yokai could be in their 'child-bearing years' for literally centuries. (I mean, it all depends on the Yokai and the life cycle of their source DNA and how much they inherited from that, but assuming most of them are more human-like) And their kids do take slightly longer to mature, but not by that much.

I've already figured that there's much less of a push to get people having babies as soon as they can-they've got so much time, and especially since Yokai are generally healthier and less susceptible to disease they're expecting most of those kids to survive to adulthood. That would just be a lot of babies, and rapid population growth would really put a strain on resources. So even though Yokai are legal adults at 20 and probably reach sexual maturity around the same time as humans, having kids before you're a century old is considered super early. Like, Bella is 45, and she would practically be considered a teen mother if she had a kid now. "You're not even fifty yet, oh my god, you haven't lived! You need time on your own to figure out who you are!" (ironically, there are kids she went to school with who are grandparents now)

But anyway, considering the baby-having window is so wide and Yokai kids don't take that long to grow up, I feel like it would be the norm to have one, maybe two kids and then raise them to adulthood before having the next. That way you're not splitting your attention between a bunch of kids and can devote all your energy and resources into the one you're working on right now. Then once the kid is a young adult and doesn't really need to be actively parented anymore, then they can move onto the next one.

This also makes Draxum's decision to mutate and raise four mutant children at once even more unhinged.

[me1ancho1y-b1iss]

Her Robin and His Little Ladybug Ch. 2

 Ao3                  Chapter 1          Chapter 2 

As soon as Marinette spoke it set off absolute chaos, everyone started talking at once, asking questions and demanding answers from the small girl. Eventually Bruce, now as Batman, spoke up. 

“ENOUGH.”  Bruce demanded of everyone in the room. 

Silence was all that remained where if a pin was dropped it could be heard. Both parties, Marinette and the bats stared at each other, until Bruce finally spoke again. 

“Who are you?” he asked Marinette. 

“I believe I asked a question first” Marinette smarted back. Jason snorted as Damian glared at her. 

“Answer our questions harlot.” Damian spoke as he glared at her. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” 

Dick or rather Nightwing now, spoke next. “Come on baby bird, be nice, we don't know her and she doesn’t look like she knows us.” 

“That’s exactly the point Grayson! We don’t know her, or how she appeared in the cave!” Damian grimaced as he glanced back at Dick. 

“Codenames, baby bird.” Dick muttered 

Hi! I’m Nightwing! OMG, you're so cute and tiny! You're in the batcave, this is Robin, that's Red Hood, over there is Red Robin, standing there with the death glare is Batman, and finally sitting at the batcomputer in the wheelchair is Oracle!”  

“Uhh… Hi.” Marinette waved. Dick visibly cooed at her while the rest of the bats just stood there. 

“I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m from Paris, France.” She said as if that would answer all their  questions. 

Realization spread on Bruce's face as he realized what happened. He realized that this must be the work of the Akumas the league was investigating. 

“You said you’re from Paris, correct? Batman asked Marinette. At her nod he continued. “So this must be the work of an Akuma” 

Marinette nodded. “The last thing I heard before I was transported here was a loud voice yelling, that people should treasure their relationships and that people should be able to have soulmates… or something like that, I don't really know, I wasn’t really paying attention as I was suddenly transported here with no warning.” she muttered the last part under breath but the bats still heard her. 

After around five seconds of total silence, Jason started cackling loudly. “You, tiny little pixie is apparently Demon Spawn’s soulmate. Yeah, I doubt that…” Jason spoke, and started laughing again. 

After Jason said that, all of the rest of the bats realized what she said and started snickering, except for Bruce and Damian, who just stood in front of Marinette with his mouth wide open gaping at her. 

Dick asked a question next. “Wait, what’s an Akuma, and if it's powerful enough to actually locate someone’s soulmate and send them here, Why doesn’t the league know about this? Dick asked, looking back at Bruce. 

“The league is aware of the situation. It’s on a need to know basis, and only certain members are aware. Wonder Women, Superman, Aqua Man and myself are the ones aware as the situation is extremely delicate and dangerous. 

Paris has their own heros, that have been handling the situation extremely well and there has been no need to interfere. Wonder Woman has gone out and has spoken to the heroes. They are aware that if they need any help that can contact the justice league and we will send out a member to help aid them.” 

When Bruce was done speaking, the rest of the bats were sort of shocked they weren’t aware of anything happening Paris this year or any year at all. 

Barbara immediately put it into the Batcomputer and pulled up one of Marinette’s old fights. As Marinette watched the fight with the rest of the bat’s, she cringed. She remembered the fight, perhaps she remembered it too well. It was her third battle with Evillustrator. Nathaniel managed to remember that he could draw whatever he wanted. 

He turned all of Paris into a war zone. He managed to draw himself an all powerful army with a stock supply of weapons. The battle lasted almost a full day and was one of the most lethal with over 1 million dead. The second deadliest behind Syren. 

As the video ended all the people in the room turned to marinette with a shocked look on their faces. 

Dick was the first to speak. “You deal with this all the time?” he whispered in a scared tone 

“Usually they’re not that bad. That was the second deadliest attack Paris ever had, the first being Syren. All of the effects of the damage is reversed by the ‘miraculous ladybug,’ Ladybug, the main hero announces that after she broke the object where the akuma was hidden. As soon as she throws up her ‘lucky charm’ and says that phrase all damage from the attack gets reversed.” 

“What a Lucky charm? You said it helps clear all the damage, so what does it do?” Tim spoke next. 

Marinette nodded as she said, “ The Lucky Charm is something that Ladybug calls on during the battle. It’s usually just a seemingly random object, but as soon as she calls on it the battle usually doesn’t last any longer than three minutes.” 

“What are the other heroes' powers?” Tim asked again. 

“Chat Noir has the power of destruction, just as ladybug has the power of creation. All Chat Noir has to do is simply say ‘cataclysm’ and he's able to destroy anything he touches.” 

Again all the bats, except for Batman himself, started at Marinette, with wide eyes. 

“How old are the heroes’ because to me they don’t look to be any older than the demon spawn’s age. Also how long has this been going on? Jason asked of Marinette, in a demanding tone. 

“All anyone can do is speculate the ages, due to the magic, but many say they have to be around 18 - 20 years old.” Marinette said in a rather confident voice

“And how long has this been happening?” Jason asked again in a tone that made Marinette take an unconscious step back. 

“A-about four years.” Marinette said, with her voice trembling a little bit. 

“So the heroes would have been about 13- 15 give or take when they first started given the assumptions are correct…?” 

At her nod, Jason started pacing back and forth yelling, “FUCKING HELL, what the fuck they’re kids, they were babies when they started and they have to deal with the saving the fucking world every fucking week. I admit I was young too when I started, but it was my own choice and I got FUCKING killed for it!” 

‘That’s why he has such a tainted soul, it absolutely reeks of destruction and creation magic, I’ll have to talk to Tikki later to see if we can get rid of it’ Marinette thought wisely. 

“B, why in the everloving hell did you let fucking kids fight in a goddamn war alone?!” Jason yelled at Bruce while still pacing the floor of the batcave. 

“Hood, they are only one able to fight in these battle, no matter what we do, we would not be able to fight, the best we do is investigate the villain. 

Hawkmoth, the super terrorist, is the one creating the akamus. We find him, we stop the akumas.”

“You mean we just sit here while these kids are out fighting and there’s absolutely nothing we can do?” Tim spoke up, finally finding the courage to speak. 

Batman simply shook his head.

A/N: ok, so like I have five chapters of this posted on ao3 if you want to read it there, (im taking a minute to post it on tumblr bc im lazy. ok) Also I swear I’m working on chapter 6, i'm just stuck on a particular scene and its taking a minute to figure out how I want to transition. on a side note this fic is honestly just something that my brain decided it would be a good idea to write at 2am so like don't expect too much.  (sorry for the rant)

Taglist: (people asked in the last chapter to add them, so if you want to be added just ask. I probably wont respond, maybe, but I will definitely add you) 

@alyssadeliv @yannowhatigiveup @sekhmet5

[maiuowrites]

Story Time.

                                           Let me tell you a Story... 

   A Story of a young Monster that was created by Greed and Hunger for Power.

             ...But Refused to Bend & Lose To Cruelty That It Ruled By...

It all started when Monsters were thrown and tossed into their new World of Hell, due to losing the War with Humans and Mages alike. 

As Life Underground got used to how their new World was coming, the first Homeground coming to a finish after many months of chaos and havoc, there came a Mysterious Monster who was more than odd. 

The Monster was made of Bone, had an image of Human Anatomy, and the dark color of Green like a forest in the dim moonlight. Despite the suspicions, able to deter any information of himself of where he may have come from, able to talk in a strange language of what others would call ‘Other Worldly’ as his main language, he proved himself worthy of not only being that of a Being of Pure Magic; But becoming that of Royalty Aid for the Scientist.

This Monster had deemed himself; W. D. Gaster.

Though Gaster was not able to completely pass by one Monsters ingenious, who called himself Dr. River, he was able to pass all the others and become that of a Professor, a Second hand in command. 

The Professor didn’t enjoy this, no… His greed and hunger for power carved him to work hours within the weeks, months, and slowly within the Years to try and best this Monster. Though, no matter what the Professor did, it had failed… 

Until he got the brilliant idea to not just sit and wait for a Soul to come; But to Create them, instead...

It took years of trying; Putting more and more of his own Magic in along with many others, the Professor had gone practically Insane to create Life. The issue was though, within the years of research and constantly trying, he had the conclusion…

Why Not Create A Life To Help Him Achieve His Glory?... 

The Glory of taking over the Royal Scientist, and then; The whole Kingdom.

With the information at his disposal, he set forth to creating a Souling of a dull white. For a True child to form, all Monsters knew you had to have these components; 

Love, Hope, Compassion

But The Professor was able to gather something similar in secret from those who fell into their World through all the years... And in secret, he had gained similar ingredients from the bodies;

Fascination, Dream, Apprehension

Success followed as these essences formed, having a Young Monster grow within secrecy, while also growing faster than normal Soulings of the Monster community once fully formed. The Professor watched as his experiment was showing signs of being more intelligent than those of his age, quickly becoming talented of who he was fated to become. 

Professor Gaster had HoPe rising due to the positive outlook he was seeing in such a quick time, needing what the Creature could do to gain what the Insane Professor had deemed his from years ago. With this, he had begun to teach him how to do a few simple tasks around the Labs, but saw the Creature was quickly picking up things even he was doing…

Dials, mixing certain vials, calculating, and even going to the point of processing the right outcomes came swiftly to this Young Being...

Due to being a creation of Science, the Insane Professor was aiming for an instrument of Destruction, not what he was seeing, and didn't desire a ‘Helper’...

When the time came to take the Creature out to test his killing ability, they started out strongly. Incredible powers the Creature held within his Soul as he fought stronger ones, paired with a smart ability to Think, To Act, To Fight.

Though the Creature had a fault, which royally annoyed the Professor...

Many Monsters that were in front of The Young Monster were older to the point they were slowly dusting, Souls barely holding on by mere threads of DT that put them in agonizing pain. Those, he quickly figured killing them quickly and as painlessly as he could. 

When paired with younger ones... He wouldn’t. Couldn’t...   

Looking at the eyes of those who were innocent before him; How fearful, how they trembled before both him and who he called ‘Father’, the Young Monster felt something within. 

Yes… What he felt was Mercy.

To give Mercy would be a good ordeal, to give them freedom of this place, but their eyes... Their eyes showed so much Spark, a Spark he never seen before that was missing from the older ones who he easily gave peace to. 

The Young Monster couldn’t force himself to do a single thing to these others... Couldn’t give them Mercy, his ability slowly making his Soul wrench in pain. 

But in a world of Kill Or Be Killed...                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                          ...That Would Kill Him.

In the end, the Young Monster refused for the younger ones. The Professor thought nothing much of this at first... Until it became a growing habit.

After much planning, time quickly passing by that he couldn’t give much of, the Professor made a hasty decision. To create a fake creature, using it as a Kin to the Younger Monster... He used manipulation to give HoPe that if he was ‘Good’, that he ‘Passed’ his tests, he would in turn give the Young Monster all he desired...

                                                       A Family.

What the Insane Professor didn’t expect was that the Fake Creature had begun to take a true form thanks to a Certain Being... 

For months, the Professor didn’t realize the mistake, but the Young Monster quickly took notice… 

At first, the Young Monster never had the courage to walk out of his cell before, the room he was always forced to stay in being his prison yet safe place. It was the place where he could be him, enjoy what little freedom he had before the Professor came to collect. 

That was, until something started to call to him… For him. 

Or rather for anything, anyone. 

Curiosity followed soon after, the Young Monster gaining courage the more something tugged with no signs of stopping.

When the Young Monster finally had enough courage to sneak out, he used the darkness to his advantage as trained, following the sound? No, feeling? The Young Monster couldn’t place his fingers on it, but he was led to the Experimentation Room. 

There within, was a smaller creature; Who looked like him… 

A Small Skeleton Monster; No bigger than his chest; Curled and wrapped with its own limbs.

When the small Creature looked from the tube, when pure white eye lights glanced at the Young Monster; It Smiled… 

The Tugging the Young Monster felt soon after, was the Bond as it only strengthened as the child reached for him, before slowly going back to sleep.

In that moment…

The Young Monster felt as if the Bond had almost broken instantly as the reading on the machines began to go, the young Soul slowly fading before him. 

Quickly, the Young Monster rushed to view the unreadable status of the Child. Desperate, he skimmed through it all quickly, noticing certain levels were downas he blindlessly pressed all he could to get them to stabilize the Child. 

Trial and error, the Young Monster was able to finally help the Child, who in his very being; Knew that he was his Brother… 

He had one, a younger Sibling… 

Nearby on a work table laid papers… On one in bold letters held the name; Sans. 

There was another file, which he took and looked through, only to slowly deflate before outright turning horror stricken at the information he found…

This Child-... 

                                                                             Wasn’t meant to be.

[faelune-home]

FFXIV Write #7: Speculate

(a/n: Both me and a friend that I’ve been musing about ffxiv write stuffs with both agreed that this prompt felt like a Scion prompt XD very scholarly and thinky feeling for this prompt.

For this one, I went with a more npc focused fic, showing Alisaie doing her pre-Coils research. I know she’s less of the scholarly type nowadays to differentiate her more from her brother, but I still like to appreciate that she still went to the Studium and graduated highly as well. She’s still a very smart person that managed to sus out the Bahamut stuff on her own. It’d be nice to see it acknowledged again. ^-^

I worry this got a bit over wordy in some places, but I still feel confident in what I wrote. ^-^ I just very much like the twins and want to write them more, so I’m glad I managed to do a piece for Ali here at least.

Word count: 1106)

Alisaie was never fond of the aether reading goggles. Too big and unwieldy, but unfortunately, as every aetherology teacher at the Studium would insist and press upon her, they were the best tool for the job of viewing the surrounding aether levels. And loath as she was to admit it, they had a point, and Eorzea was a fine place to witness such changes, with the vast quantities that swarmed in the air and exuded from the earth.

She could almost imagine that the many sages and scholars of Old Sharlayan would be dying to study these lands, even more so after the Calamity struck five years prior, if they hadn’t long left it behind, too stubborn to return.

It was the Calamity itself she had decided to study, alone, wishing to avoid being associated with the Scions, at least officially. She kept in touch with Urianger for updates, and Minfilia was kind enough to call Alisaie a Scion all the same, allowing her access to whatever resources they would have if so needed. Although for her own pride, she had stuck to her own self thus far in her research, nothing more than some clunky goggles and her school teachings from home to guide her.

It was widely known that after the Calamity - the great moon Dalamud shattering into a million pieces during its descent, letting loose the mighty primal Bahamut, while the moon’s remnants tumbled to the land below - the already aether rich Eorzea became even more abundant with the clusters of corrupted crystals that rained upon the continent. Mayhap even Bahamut’s spirit upon his destruction added to the now plentiful aether that suffused the world.

Mayhap even her grandfather-

That would be the other reason Alisaie wanted to work alone. Five years ago, her grandfather had disappeared into the thick of the chaos, and not a single word was heard from him after. Barely anyone seemed to talk about him either, for all he must’ve been one of the key players in protecting Eorzea from Bahamut’s onslaught. What few reports she had heard from his Archons placed him on the frontlines at least. He must’ve been there, yet no other word of where he went.

Well, she could do that then. The mystery of his disappearance, of what occured during Bahamut’s fall. Alisaie wasn’t one to call herself a scholar, but she had plenty of knowledge and the desire to learn the truth, and she would use whatever scholarly puzzling she had at her disposal to do so. After all, she had graduated from the Studium as well, even if her brother liked to flaunt his oh so esteemed teachings more.

She would receive a breakthrough soon enough, not long after news began to spread across the land as a so-called Warrior of Light came to be lauded for stopping the 14th Legion alongside the Scions. Word from Urianger told her that it was the miqo’te woman she and Alphinaud had met at those showy memorial ceremonies hosted by the city states. An unassuming if cheery person, from what Alisaie could recall of her. And apparently a busy one since then, given the acclaim.

Initially, Alisaie didn’t give the woman much more thought, given that they hadn’t crossed paths yet and had no reason to do so. She continued on with her aetheric measurements, dull as it had grown with little changes across the land. Summonings and despawnings were noted, however only in small quantities, nothing that matched what few readings were taken of Bahamut’s awakening. The only suspicious measurement she had noticed was an odd surge in the aether sometime after the defeat of the Ultima Weapon, one that did come close to the readings taken that fateful day.

Then one day, while she was taking readings in the Sagolii Desert, beginning as another normal day with the same unchanging records, there was a spike. Fluctuations and variations that were so abnormal, compared to the monotony she’d seen thus far for days on end - with the exception of that one reading, which the new figures matched almost completely.

In a linkpearl call to Urianger to inform him of the readings, she also learned that that same day, most likely around the same time even, the Warrior of Light had been sent to fight off a newly summoned Ifrit. Maybe it was a coincidence or perhaps…

Alisaie had a theory now. Some few days later, she made for Coerthas, hearing from Urianger that Garuda had been summoned as well. Briefly passing through the Shroud on her way, she made a note of a smaller summoning, no doubt the errant Moogle problem that had also come up. However the pompous King couldn’t compare to the flurry of aether currents brought forth after Garuda’s defeat. Another shift similar to the great roar from before.

The final re-summoning took her to La Noscea, and gave her stronger proof to her speculations, as well as opening up another avenue for her to explore. For the defeat of Titan once again brought about the same patterns in the aether, matching the previous primals, and the readings from that one day. And along with it, a revelation pointing toward an unassuming Castrum tucked away just near Wineport.

A check with Y’shtola via Urianger informed her that it was Castrum Occidens, a research facility commissioned by Van Baelsar. One connected to a series of caverns deep beneath the earth, opened up by a great shard of Dalamud embedded into the land. With that, she had it; her link to the Calamity.

Perhaps she finally had a lead that could explain what happened five years ago. It would be difficult to gain access to the base on her own, as accomplished in combat as she was, being the one thing she had over her brother. And even after the Empire’s guards, there would also be traversing the deep caverns and whatever roamed within them. As much as Alisaie wished to continue working alone, she wasn’t a fool to ignore when she would need an extra hand. 

But Urianger could employ someone for that task. Meanwhile Alisaie could begin getting in touch with any family aids she knew were based in Eorzea. A large-scale expedition would need many hands on deck, but preferably ones easily sworn to secrecy. The city states only needed to know the basics, and even then when all the information had been collected.

The most important thing that mattered was that she could finally begin her search in full. The secret of the Calamity and of Bahamut’s sudden appearance that day.

And the mystery of her grandfather’s disappearance.

[nobodyfamousposts]

Miraculous Death Note

Now before I begin, the only real thing carrying over from Death Note is the Death Note itself.

Oh. And it’s going to be kind of dark. Which is a given, considering it DOES involve a Death Note.

DARKNESS LIES BEYOND THIS POINT!

It turns out that at some point shortly before the whole “Hawk Moth” conflict, Plagg got a little petty at one point. Maybe he was jealous of all the attention Tikki was getting. Maybe he was annoyed with her attitude? Maybe they got into an argument and someone threw out an off-handed comment that Plagg can’t actually create anything except chaos and destruction?

To which Plagg replies: “WATCH ME!”

And thus Plagg, the kwami of destruction and bad luck managed to actually create something.

His creation just happened to be a Death Note. Which is naturally a source of chaos and destruction.

“Oops.”

He would never hear the end of it from Tikki or the others if they found out, so Plagg took it upon himself to quietly get rid of the cursed item.

But it’s Plagg, so he just sort of looks around briefly for anything that stands out before seeing a nearby river. He figures that’s about as good a place as any to ditch it. After all, the book is useless if it gets wet, right?

Now to be fair, it was a good idea. In theory. There were just a few minor details Plagg failed to take into account.

For one, they are already in Paris by this point, so the “river” in question happens to be the Seine. Which is a fairly popular and thus populated area.

For another, Plagg just dropped the Death Note from a height and flew off without checking to see where exactly the book landed.

In any other universe, the Death Note WOULD have landed in the Seine so this would all be a non-issue and thus much less interesting. But in THIS particular universe, a rather unlucky burst of wind hit at the right time and from the right direction just enough to send the Death Note landing on concrete instead of water.

“What’s this?”

And in front of an as of yet unaware soon to be owner of what might very well be the most dangerous artifact the world may never know.

Luka Couffaine was a normal teen. And an all around good guy. Certainly not someone with a god complex like another certain someone we could mention. Or two. Or three, if you count Kira.

As such, given that he is most certainly NOT a complete monster, when Luka found the Death Note and read through the rules, he did the relatively smart thing and promptly decided he was NOT messing with that. Nope. Not even going to test it “just to be sure”.

Of course, the word “relatively” is used because he doesn’t outright throw it in the Seine. To be fair, he wasn’t sure it could be destroyed and he was rather worried about what might happen if he should try. All the same, he wasn’t about to see it be used and possibly cause harm, even if by accident.

So instead, he put the thing in a box and hid it in his room, fully intent on ignoring its existence until he could find a more permanent place to hide it where it would never be used.

...that wasn’t to say he wasn’t tempted at times, though.

Like say, finding out his sister had been locked in a bathroom and cheated out of her place in her class picture because of a certain bully.

Or learning that said bully stole a Miraculous and almost crashed a train in order to show off.

Or dealing with his father in a more permanent fashion in case he ever tries to show his sorry face again.

Then there was this new girl who appeared. Lila Rossi.

He knew she was lying. Manipulating and enthralling everyone around her, including his own sister.

But every time, he held back. Always reminding himself of what was right or wrong. And in each instance, he always felt he made the right choice not to act, regardless of whether or not the Death Note would actually work.

The closest he had ever come to fully WANTING to use it was during the whole scandal with Bob Roth. Seeing XY taking credit for his music was bad enough. Seeing them also steal Marinette’s designs was somehow worse. But it was threatening her that made him see red and changed the melodies in his life into a discordant screech.

It was fortunate, perhaps, that he had been akumatized at that time. And it had all worked out, with everyone safe and the truth made known. He had even been able to confess his feelings to Marinette, something he had been wanting to do.

And he told himself that this was proof that things could work out. It was a sign that no Death Note was necessary. And furthermore that it should never be used.

...Then Miracle Queen happened.

That brat of a mayor’s daughter betrayed everyone. She agreed to help the madman terrorizing their city and willingly took on an akuma. She took control of everyone in the city, including himself. He only hoped Marinette had been spared, as what Miracle Queen had inflicted on him was not something he ever wanted her to have to experience.

But the worst part? Despite the chances Ladybug had given her, she had turned her back on the hero for her own selfish gain. And furthermore, she revealed every single Miraculous user Ladybug had ever called on for aid, forced them to fight for her, and had nearly gotten people killed. All for the sake of her own ego.

And not once had she shown any remorse.

He was angry, certainly.

He was tempted, yes.

And given how things turned out all right with Ladybug and Chat Noir winning in the end, he could very well have let it go just as he had with every other instance.

Except...

There was Marinette, breaking down in front of him. Looking lost and oh so pained by burdens she couldn’t share.

Except...

There was Marinette, sad and grieving after the events of that day, but unable to talk to him or anyone else about it.

Except...

There was Marinette, who right before his eyes disappeared in a burst of pink light only to be replaced with none other than Ladybug.

The hero of Paris who had put herself on the line for them all.

Who was so burdened by her role and responsibilities.

Who had lost what little support she’d had and now felt truly alone.

Marinette. Who was Ladybug. Who was Marinette. Who he loved.

Who was suffering because of that damn brat!

It was enough to break even the greatest of patience.

She betrayed everyone, he thought as he went to his room.

She stole the Miraculous twice, he thought as he reached his bed.

She’d created more akumas than any other person, he thought as he pulled out a simple-looking shoebox.

She willingly let herself be akumatized and tried to do it again, he thought as he opened the box.

She agreed to work with the one terrorizing the city, he thought as he took out the precious artifact inside.

She revealed the other Miraculous users and forced them to do her bidding, he thought as he took the book to his desk.

She had been tormenting everyone for years, he thought as he opened the book.

She hurt his sister, he thought as he grabbed a pen.

She hurt Marinette, he thought as he placed the pen to paper, marring the once clear and pristine page.

Honestly, he would be doing the world a favor.

She deserved this. If there was any justice...if ever he needed justification, surely this was more than enough.

And it would be for the best...it would be better for everyone...

...wouldn’t it?

He paused.

Could he really do this?

Real or not...could he live with himself if he actually tried this?

...

A single thought formed.

She made him hurt Marinette.

Within seconds, the first name was written in the book.

CHLOE BOURGEOIS

Little bumble bee, little bumble bee

Buzzing around, causing such a buzz

Let's see you be crushed by your dreams

He releases a breath, feeling a strange sense of relief.

Of course nothing happens.

Of course it was just a normal book.

Of course it doesn’t actually kill people.

Of course...

But at the very least, Luka no longer felt the rage.

He was still upset with Chloe, certainly. She was a vile person who had done horrible things. Hurt the city. Hurt Marinette. Time and time again. And despite all the second chances she had been offered and all the people who truly tried to help her, even defend her...even as she only hurt them in return.

It was such a waste.

At the very least, he’d gotten the feelings out and avoided being made into an akuma himself. It was too dangerous, especially with Hawk Moth being aware of his identity and even moreso with what he now knew about Ladybug.

About Marinette...

It was just a normal book. Nothing more. His writing a name and method of death hadn’t done anything. It just allowed him to vent and work out the stress. That was all, and that was even enough. But perhaps he should stick to music from here on out though.

Because a book couldn’t kill people. That was just silly.

And when Luka learned a few days later that Chloe Bourgeois suddenly died when that stupid bee signal of hers was to be replaced with a fancier version by her demand, and that new one accidentally fell on her?

Surely it was just coincidence.

[sebastianshaw]

RP meme from "Chapter Four: Aspects and Renown" in The World of Darkness Ratkin Breedbook

"What you can actually do is far more important."

"The experience is little more than a challenging contract to prove one’s mettle."

"Not everyone can stand so much isolation and seclusion."

"Along the way, they work whatever scams and schemes they can to survive."

"After all, mavericks are known just as much for their quick wits as their stealth and subterfuge."

"Some do this to escape lives they cannot stand; others quest for ideals they may never achieve."

"If there’s a great place nearby to find food, adventure, or perils that threaten the young, a wise scout or spy will find them quickly."

"Relationships on the road are temporary and superficial."

" A scout or wanderer who hasn’t seen an old friend or lover in years immediately picks up the relationship exactly where it left off."

"Each year, they move from city to city, use and discard temp jobs like old clothes, and evolve a series of personas for different situations."

"Not all of them are impoverished and homeless; as long as you know where to find crash space, you’re never really helpless."

"They are fascinated by places inhabited by other creatures, especially humans."

"Some are smart enough to emulate the people they live near; others come up with bizarre explanations to explain human activity."

"Instead of a straightforward military report on the strength of predators in the area, the data must be condensed into a format even a small child could understand."

"When problems with the physical world grow too great, it’s tempting to just vanish into the ephemeral realms for a while."

"These alternate identities aren’t very flashy, just the sort of quiet identity that no one questions."

"It can also draw attention from police officers, irate merchants, and hostile humans."

"This isn’t my world. I just hide in it. If you’re looking for a place to run, talk to me."

"This isn’t my world. I just hide in it."

"If you’re looking for a place to run, talk to me."

"Seers are the keepers of ancient secrets."

"A human is still a human, and can never be trusted."

"Just because they’re victims doesn’t mean they’re virtuous; they’ll still rip you off when you least expect it."

"They seek wisdom the human race has discarded or left behind."

"They make their lairs in areas where the police fear to go, where the only law in both physical and spirit worlds is survival."

"Her body remains in the physical world; her spirit watches what transpires around it in the spirit world."

"You worry about fighting what you can see. I’ll worry about fighting what you can’t see."

"If they feel strongly enough, they will enforce their beliefs as they best see fit."

"Unfortunately, when passing judgment on their own kind, they have restraints placed on their activities."

"These harsh practices have millennia of precedent."

"They reason that it’s better to have a few small, secure ratholes to hide your equipment and yourself than to go to the trouble of defending a larger turf."

"Many secretly enjoy “pronouncing sentence” on anyone who offends them thoroughly enough."

" Justice is far more important. . . and unfortunately, far more subjective."

"Most know they can’t change the world by openly practicing violence; if anything, they’ve got to be really secretive about their revenge."

"Epic carnage is best left to less sophisticated creatures."

"The threat of one of the local politicians getting killed is usually enough to dissuade them from disagreeing any further."

"They do not disguise themselves when pursuing an assassination, as they will not apologize for what they do best."

"We had a contract. You broke it. Now I’m going to make your life a living hell."

"When rage flows freely, violence reigns."

"Some have the wisdom to choose their battles carefully; others don’t care who dies when battle lust seizes them."

"Peace is nothing more than a temporary cessation of the ways of war."

"Developing martial skill involves far more than just killing things — sometimes it involves crippling them, weakening them, or demoralizing them.

"These soldiers don’t just slay; they also use their knowledge of chaos to confuse their enemies, striking in the night when madness reigns."

"All of them pride themselves on discipline and composure. . . until rage overwhelms reason."

"Warriors of both sexes are mildly insecure, and feel the need to show off their martial prowess."

"What? Just because you’ve got an army surplus jacket and a pipe bomb, that makes you a man?"

"Any fool can pull a trigger."

"Saving the world requires true warriors."

"Technology isn’t evil, after all. It’s just in the wrong paws."

"Many are convinced that if they don’t watch their actions carefully, someone from a local laboratory will capture them and experiment on them to find out why they’re so smart."

"Wherever technology thrives, these rats will move in to scavenge it."

"Humans have a fetish about continually acquiring more stuff, newer stuff and cutting-edge state-of-the-art tech."

"The struggle begins with fierce discussions about technological innovations, and rapidly breaks down into name calling and slander."

"Two machines enter; one machine leaves."

"Whether they tinker with ancient computers or rusting cars, they have an insatiable need to fix anything that’s considered unsalvageable."

"Sometimes, she’ll spend the whole day collecting knickknacks just to see what she can build out of them that evening."

"Genius has its price."

"Each one has a physiological trait that identifies him as the gene freak he is."

"Dark powers tutor them in forgotten arts of destruction."

"He’ll be deposed by forces he’s summoned up, but can’t put down."

"Turn your head and cough. Oooh! I’ve never seen it that color before."

"Not all of them are swashbuckling heroes, but all of them are delusional about their origins and their heroic prowess."

"The conflict of egos can become so intense that bystanders get hurt from the fallout."

"Dueling etiquette demands satisfaction."

"Anyone who hears this tale will swear that it is true."

"My good sir, adventure is my middle name!"

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Keep her pointed in the right direction, and she’ll masterfully eliminate your enemies."

"If you’re not careful, she’ll blow up right in your face."

"Any place populated by the desperate, frustrated or down-and-out is another good choice — not only does it make for a good place to hide, but it has its share of potential allies seeking vengeance. . . or potential victims at which to vent your anger."

"They’ll need a really powerful common enemy to unite them; otherwise, each will suspect the other of conspiracy."

"Many come from criminal backgrounds, broken homes, abject poverty or the sort of banal borderline existence that breeds cynicism and contempt for just about everyone."

"Each one has a surprising degree of truth to it."

"It controls all forces of order."

"The balance of the world will not be restored until we destroy everything that smells of stasis, stability or the status quo."

"Hey, nobody saw me do anything. Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off. What? You talking to me? You talking to me?"

"Hey, nobody saw me do anything. Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off."

"Hey, nobody saw me do anything."

"Besides, he had it coming. . . he pissed me off."

"What? You talking to me? You talking to me?"

"You want a piece of me?"

"Chant the creed, kid, and learn. . ."

"I shall seek revenge against those who prey upon my kind."

"I will survive so that I may breed."

"I must respect strength and exploit weakness."

"I shall grow stronger through conflict."

"I will learn from the mysteries of the spirit world."

"I will revel in the visions the spirits grant me."

"I shall nurture, instruct and aid the young."

"I will trust my own kind before I trust outsiders."

"When someone is responsible for injustice, I will make sure someone pays."

"Legality is a subjective concept at best."

"Fighting to survive is difficult enough."

"What else could heal the world?"

"They’re doomed to self-destruct."

"The day that the buildings come crashing down, I’ll dance in the streets."

"Survival comes first."

"Mankind’s days are numbered."

"The strong breed. The weak die. Does that sound harsh? That’s evolution."

"Instinct will tell you when to kill, so follow it."

"We need an army to overwhelm our enemies."

"I still do not know if this is wise."

"If only the strong breed, then you must prove your strength before you can reproduce."

"Don’t be some addle-witted wharf rat who breeds with any half-dead body in the sewers. You, soldier, are the paragon of your race."

"Such egotism!"

"That is nature's way."

"That is nature’s way. If the population of creatures in any one area is too high, a few can be killed or a great number will starve."

“Property is relative. If I can take it, it’s mine. If you can’t defend it, you don’t deserve to have it."

"They buy far more than they need, go to great lengths to defend what they have, and insist that they have the right to determine who owns what."

"If you own more than you can carry, you’re wasting what others can use."

"Betray others before you betray your own kind."

"We’re running into the world together, kid, so we’ve got

to stick together. You ready to go? Um. . . you first. . .”

"You ready to go? Um. . . you first. . .”

"We’re running into the world together, kid, so we’ve got

to stick together."

"I just feel this rage in my blood that’s been there since the dawn of time. And I just feel like acting on it."

"Show me your true face, and it’s my call whether I want to slash it off."

[lurkingleighbee]

Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good Chapter 23 - Chapter 26

Chapter 23 

Apros calls up Lakinda with Thrawn tagging in 

Apros and Thrawn: A bit weird how three families are on this “emergency” thing amirite? 

Lakinda: Now that you mention it...

Thrawn lays out the obvious, with help from Apros

the whole thing is a scam. Sunrise is being mined and destroyed for nyix

and the Agbui likely incited a civil war 

Lakinda manages to put it together: “Three of the Great Forty Families are preparing to fight to the death,” with Apros pointing out that because “each of the three is allied to one of the Ruling Families,” a civil war would likely break out 

Lakinda realizes the seriousness of the situation and tells Thrawn and Apros that “if accomplishing the mission requires the destruction of my two ships, understand that we - and I - are expendable.” 

Haplif is just about to leave, convinced he has gotten everything wrapped up and tried in a bow when LAKPHRO!!!!!

*air horns gif*

and he is ready to fight

Lakphro lets on that he knows what is going on (and that he has been communicating with other Chiss about this) and Haplif just decides that he is gunna have to k i l l him

Lakphro is smart, gotta give him credit

Haplif thinks he can strangle Lakphro out, but he ends up killing himself when a dog grips onto his arm, biting down hard. Haplif tries to stun the dog and kills it, but the dog ends up clenching down (I think in a death grip) so hard that Haplif’s arm is torn apart and he succumbs to his injuries

The last thing he sees is Lakphro staring down at him as Shimkif escapes in the ship

Shimkif is coooooold  

Chapter 24

Lakynm is very distraught at the thought of firing on his own family

and that his family is allied with certain families while the Mitth family is allied with other families

Samakro offers him cold comfort

and that is: “I have never - never - seen anyone as utterly incompetent as politics as he is” and that “when Thrawn comes up with a plan, it’s strictly military. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Lakinda manages to get to Sunrise first, with the Erighal and Pommrio right behind her

and they managed to send in two haughty idiots

and the Erighal seem itchy for a fight

so Thrawn’s plan is to make the other families think that the Springhawk is under attack by enemies to focus their attention not on the mines but on helping other Chiss

Lakinda assumes command

when the two douche-canoes attempt to pull rank, Lakinda puts her foot down

one of them makes the point he is blood and she isn’t

okay, you inbred snob, Lakinda still outranks you. suck the suck 

Thrawn managed to figure out that by assigning certain fleet warriors to certain ships, (i.e. family members to family ships) they would know where to attack “with a maximum of ferocity and a minimum of actual damage.”

the Chiss warriors assigned to each gunboat (safely inside the Vigilant) are picked off one by one

if nothing else, good target practice

Chapter 25

Lakinda discovers a fatal flaw within Thrawn’s plan and sends him a message:

the Erighal and Pommrio will want to investigate the mines and will subsequently become outraged and look for someone to blame

Lakinda suggests taking down the Watith freighter into the fake mine

Her subordinates - whose name she cannot remember (and I feel like Zahn may have cut some names out, Lord knows there are enough already!) - hear the message and remove her from Command 

Thrawn gets the message

and needs to destroy the mine so no evidence is found 

and the Grayshrike pops into the battle!

This is such a whack-a-doodle process, but if I had to sum it down:

Thrawn has to explain to the two ladies - Thalias and Che’ri - that the battle is being recorded and will be analyzed by future analysts. Every move counts.

basically, Che’ri is being asked to see “something that isn’t going to happen” and make it happen

she is literally backseat driving!  

Chapter 26

So this ending is very abrupt and takes place weeks after Chapter 25

Lakphro is being question by Lakooni:

and he lies when asked if he knew where the jewelry ended up

he lies and says he doesn’t

and I am assuming the jewelry is still with Thrawn

Samakro may talk a little - s h i t - on Thrawn, but he ain’t no snitch

and the Families involved are not talking either

Samakro still doesn’t trust Thalias

assume that the story he sold he is being sat on because no one has spread it yet?

or maybe she did not tell anyone?

dude? 

You need to get laid too, dude 

Jixtus isn’t particularly upset with the outcome

which is like.... weird? not even a small temper tantrum? 

anyway he is confirmed to be a Grysk 

and he is hanging out with the purple robes navigators, the same ones that hung out with Snoke

Jixtus has a plan for Thrawn: “Defeat isn’t always necessary. Isolation and neutralization can be equally effective.”

and Qilori is assigned to learn “how exactly the Chiss navigate through the Chaos”

I am already thinking ahead to the little kids from Thrawn: Alliances

No one from the incident over Sunrise is talking about what actually happened

It is arranged in a way to make it look like Thrawn was attacked but the three families saved his life

if you want someone to keep a secret, trust the Chiss I guess

and everyone just buys this stupid premise? That Thrawn would ever let someone get the upper hand on him and these three families just happened to be nearby to help him?

pfffffffft... 

Lakinda is on the outs with the Xoldak family, to the point that family members are calling for her expulsion

and no one leaked her conversation with Thrawn?

Zistalmu offers to make Lakinda a Trial-born Irizi

and if she passes, her name would be Ziinda

I wanna know what the Irizi Family Trials would look like

Thurfian receives the call that the Patriarch has died

off-screen?!!?!?!?!

we didn’t get to see him again?!!?!?

I legit forgot his name too (its Thooraki)

Thurfian is made Patriarch outta nowhere

this would have been nice to know about, Zahn!

Thivik, a Senior Aide, drops by who lets him know that he’s going to be given access to two things:

(1) the true, ancient, and suppressed history of the Mitth

(2) and about the terrible Alien weapon is known as the Starflash  

Sooo... I immediately thought it was the Death Star

BUT - this takes place in 18 BBY and the Death Star was not fully functional until 0 BBY

If you look up a screenrant.com article on this very topic, they propose the theory that the Ancient Sith could have caused the Chaos in a power grab, to defend themselves against enemy fleets, or as a hiding place 

I wanna see Sith!!!! 

I wanna learn the answers to these mysteries!!

[c-is-for-circinate]

Who wants a little Cinderbrush AU on this quarantine evening?

A while ago, @brightandshinynewstories and I were chatting about what would happen if the Cinderbrush four lived in Exandria (and also relatedly, if the M9 were Monsterhearts characters, but that is a digression y’all should take up with her).  We figured it would start, at least, a little like this:

There’s a phrase Sasha's history tutor used once, when she was thirteen or fourteen and didn’t have a way to stop her parents hiring all her tutors and arranging her schedule for her.  Her history tutor was a stuttery little halfling man fresh out of Vasselheim, and half of what he said was deadly boring, but he was less brutally awful than her etiquette and protocol tutor, which was probably why he got fired before she turned fifteen.  That one conversation, though, has stuck with her for all these years.

“Everyone thinks they live at the end of history,” he’d said.  They’d been talking about the end of the reign of Uriel Tal’dorei at the time, how his decision to abdicate five minutes before he unexpectedly died in a massive dragon attack hadn’t accomplished much of anything except for making life massively difficult for his son fifteen years later.  “This is it, the final form of the world.  All the aeons of existence have led up to this moment right now, and finally we’re living in the future.”

“Isn’t everybody always living at the end of history, then?” Sasha had asked.  “If you look at it that way?”

“Not...not quite,” Kempler had stammered, a little off-balance the way he always was when she asked questions she actually wanted to know the answers to.  “Usually it means more like..the idea that everything, societal structures, social mores, everything has fallen into place in such a way that it doesn’t need to change any more.  Does that make sense?”

“Of course,” Sasha had said, and let him go on talking about dragons and heroes and the politics of non-existent emperors and kings.  She’d thought about it all afternoon.

This isn’t quite the end of history, Sasha figures now, half a dozen years later.  If it were, there’d be a better way to work her way up in the government of Emon besides playing personal aide to Arbiter Ethna for the next ten years in hopes of getting appointed to a magistrate’s position someday.  Some kind of school for barristers and politicians, at least, instead of everything coming down to her parents’ names and polite tolerance for her existence.  Her advancement wouldn’t depend so much on this awkward noble apprenticeship system where she’s more tied to Ethna’s reputation than her own skills.

It’s got to be getting pretty close, though.  It’s 853 PD.  Emon’s a miracle of government and engineering.  Uriel Tal’dorei’s been dead for forty years, there haven’t been dragons around to ravage anything since Sasha’s parents were children, and every day law, order, and the modern age prove a little more how they triumph over chaos.

It’s good to live at this end of history, Sasha tends to think.  There’s just enough still to do in the world to give her a chance to do something really special about it.  Just enough wiggle room left to let her...bend the rules.  Just a little.

Nobody says arbiters and politicians can’t have a little magic on their side to...smooth things along, just a little.  Nobody says aides like Sasha can’t spend their free time however they like.  Nobody tells Sir Murasaki’s daughter she can’t go where she wants, besides Sir Murasaki himself.  If she likes to sit auditing classes in the back of the room at the Alabaster Lyceum--if she happens to enjoy practicing classical violin or running vocal exercises in her tiny little office behind Arbiter Ethna’s courtroom--well.  The bardic arts might be a relic of the past, when people had to go out slaying monsters and dealing with dragons every other day, but history hasn’t quite left them useless yet.  Anything can be a tool if you’re clever and charming enough to use it right.

Living at very-nearly-the-end of history might be the best tool there is.  The best thing about it, Sasha thinks, is the chance to make sure she’s the one who decides how it ends.

.

Sasha told Cam about her end-of-history theory once, some starlit evening on the rooftop balcony of his parents’ townhouse, looking out over the sparkling lights of the Cloudtop District and enjoying the quiet.  He’s not sure he’s smart enough to really understand it, but that’s Sasha for you.  There’s a reason she’s going to be on the Tal’Dorei Council someday, while Cam’s going to be...whatever Cam’s going to be, by then.

Probably running the family business, one way or another, if his dad hasn’t actually killed him instead of letting him inherit.  It’s basically fine, as life plans go.  Parts of it don’t suck.  That’s something.

It’s why everyone was so in favor of him courting around with Sasha in the first place, anyway.  The Murasakis are nobility and all, but they’re from some island in the middle of the Lucidian Ocean on the other side of Exandria.  The Solomons were nobodies, until they just happened to own the only still-operating stone quarry in a hundred miles in the wake of the destruction of Emon forty years ago.  Sasha’s parents have influence, Cam’s have money.  Even Cam knows putting that combination together is a recipe for power.

Real power, probably, not the magic kind.  Fewer rules.  Fewer restrictions.  Fewer demons, whispering in the back of your ear when you’re trying to sleep.

If this is really the perfect future that everything’s always been trying to lead to, then shouldn’t they have wizard magic or some shit that would just get the stone out of the ground without needing miners and overseers and crap like that?  And then, like, nobody would send some stupid human kid with no darkvision into the back end of the quarry just because he’s the boss’s son and some fucker thinks he needs to be hazed for “company morale” or whatever.  Just for example.

So maybe the world’s not getting better, it’s just that the bullshit that piles up a little deeper every year has just about reached a critical maximum.  That’s fine.  No wonder Sasha’s looking forward to the future so much, gets along with the world so well.  He used to watch her weave her own web of total crap every time she worked a room, catching eyes and shaking hands and making everybody fall in love with her as soon as they met.  It’s kind of the most impressive thing Cam’s ever seen.  He kind of hates her for it, right at this moment.

Cam’s just not built for that much shit.  He's charming, sure, people trust him, people like him, but he can’t talk his way out of any- and everything like Sasha can.  Probably that’s a nobility thing.  The Solomons aren’t nobility, everybody knows that, especially Cam’s dad, and he’s never let Cam forget it for two seconds in a row his whole life, so right, no wonder Cam’s useless in Sasha’s kind of world.  No wonder he lets himself get into such shitty situations sometimes.  No wonder he can’t get Anukirai to leave him--to leave Sasha--alone.

If that’s what he wants.  Which--it is, of course, it should be, it has to be, it’s just.  Hard, sometimes, when Cam’s father decides if he can’t be the normal born kind of nobility, he’d better just prove he’s the High Lord of All Assholes.  When Cam’s trying not to be the kind of guy who just up and punches his problems in the face.  When Anukirai starts making promises, and Cam--when Cam can feel the power behind them, the weight of thousands of years of lurking underground, lying in wait, full of so much more patience than Cam’s ever had himself.

He’s pretty sure he could Command his dad to do just about anything, once.  Just once.  So far he hasn’t tried.

The worst thing about living this close to the end of history, Cam knows for damn sure, is feeling the weight of all of it crushing down on top of you all the time.

.

Jamie’s heard about it, too, somewhere along the way.  Lunch with Sasha at the Lyceum is always interesting, one way or another.

It’s bullshit, of course, but it’s the sort of bullshit that always appeals to people like Sasha.  As though there are other people in the world like Sasha Murasaki.  Things don’t end, they just die occasionally, and leave stinking corpses of whatever they used to be there to entertain passers-by.  Witness the inside of poor Cameron Solomon’s head these days after that particular breakup, case in point.

But of course it’s enticing to picture the world as just half a step short of perfection, all the for pretty, perfect people who think they might just be that last piece of perfection Exandria’s waiting for.  That, at least, isn’t exactly an uncommon attitude around the Alabaster Lyceum.  Everybody thinks they’re going to be the next Allura Vysoren, or whoever it is they’re all idolizing these days.  Everybody thinks they need just that little bit of extra edge to get there.

Jamie’s done with that particular race, which doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy spectating it.  There’s a lot of benefits that come from staying enrolled as a student of the arcane arts at the Alabaster Lyceum of Emon.  Greg Wrenly keeps paying tuition, room, and board, for one.  There’s a handful of cantrips and a couple of halfway decent wizard spells in Jamie’s back pocket now, too, which is never a bad thing.  It’s always good to have options.

For instance: now the desperate, overachieving would-be wizards of the Lyceum don’t have to fight their way through years of arduous study and spend enormous reserves of magical energy to cast True Seeing.  A little bit of druidcraft, a couple of exactly the right mushrooms, and for a handful of gold coins Jamie can provide a direct line of sight to the Ethereal Plane with negligible side effects to follow.  Options.  They’re practically a public service.

Jamie prefers to keep as many options open as possible; gods know nobody in this fucking city seem to realize they have any.  That’s what needing to be the best will do to you.  If a quarter of their classmates realized how much power the average archdruid has at their command, there’d be a mass exodus of ex-arcanists desperate to be the next fucking Voice of the Tempest, every one of them desperate to live up to thousands of years of legends and heroes and complete fairytales.  Every single one of them would miss the entire point.

Jamie doesn’t need to be the best.  They just need to maintain their own, extremely specific skill set, market it in the right way to the right people, and not get caught up in everyone else’s everything.  Stay a minimum safe distance away from Sasha.  Enjoy Cam’s company without getting too invested in the pretty and the trauma.  Enough wizardry to mess with peoples’ heads and not be too bound to the whims of nature, enough druidry to keep in good supply and not be too bound to some fucking hand-scribed spellbook.  Enough alchemy to keep in business.  Enough business to make sure they don’t completely lose touch with reality, the way so many mages tend to do.

Of course it’s not exactly traditional, or historical, or Respectful of the Great Arts, or whatever the fucking line is.  What the hell would be the point of that?

The best thing about living on this end of history, whatever the fuck that means to anyone, is getting to pick and choose exactly which parts of it you want to keep.

.

Aff gets the whole history thing in pieces, in passing at first, but it makes more sense the more they think about it.  You can learn a lot slinging pints of ale in your dad’s tavern on a regular old Grissen weeknight.

It’s not like they’re friends with Sasha Murasaki of all people.  Aff hadn’t even known who she was until Amanda from the livery stable down the street explained it, and apparently there’s an actual member of a titled noble family on her way up the ranks in the Watchful Hall who comes out to Aff’s dad’s tavern, like, a lot, which is just crazy.  It’s just that sometimes when Sasha’s waiting for somebody, or she and her trio of Emon’s Who’s Who are bored or whatever, they invite Aff to sit down and talk for a while.  Cameron Solomon’s... whatever, he’s cool, Aff’s mom doesn’t live too far from his dad’s mine these days, so maybe they’d helped him out while he was puking in an alleyway once or twice before even moving to Emon, out in the countryside where being a super-rich merchant prince didn’t matter that much.  And Jamie...Aff doesn’t really get Jamie, but they’re in here a lot, alone at a table where a whole rotation of people sit down to join them and then leave ten minutes later.  You learn a lot about someone when they drink by themselves while they’re doing some kind of weird shady business in your bar at least once a week.  That’s all.

Aff doesn’t even really think any of them are friends with each other, either, anyway.  Sasha and Cameron used to come in on dates, a couple of kids from the Cloudtop slumming it in Diamond Liquor out in the Central District, but they don’t really do that any more.  The one time Sasha showed up when Cam was already here, he got up and left.  Sometimes Sasha goes and sits at Jamie’s table in the corner, and she’s usually there for a lot longer than ten minutes when she does, but she still always goes back to the rest of her crew and Jamie goes back to drinking alone.  Jamie and Cam have come in together a couple of times, and it seems like Jamie doesn’t even do business on those nights, but like, who even knows what’s up with that, right?

Not that Aff’s being creepy or anything.  They’re the bar...not-maid.  Bartender?  No, that’s their dad, ruling over the land of kegs behind the actual physical bar.  Bar...server?  Is that a thing?  Whatever, it is now.  Aff’s the bar-server, they hear things.  They notice things.  That’s all.

Like Sasha talking about the end of history, which, it took Aff a couple of different conversations to realize she didn’t mean the end of the world, which is probably good.  Aff’s pretty sure she means the fact that they live now, in modern times, which don’t really have dragon attacks or cool heroes or crazy adventures any more, because all the cool heroes already went on all the crazy adventures and killed the dragons so that modern times could happen in the first place.  Which is great!  Right, that’s totally for the best, dragons are definitely bad news.  Aff’s seen a couple of places where Emon got rebuilt forty or fifty years ago after half the city...melted, they guess?  So like, it’s good that that’s not happening nowadays.  That’s a good thing.

It’s just...

Look, Aff’s a good bar-server, or whatever you want to call it, and they like living here with their dad, and Emon’s not a bad place to be, it’s just.  Hard, sometimes.  It’s hard, when they get so angry they just want to hit something, again.  Like, a lot.  Again.

If there were still adventurers and dragons and shit, then maybe Aff would have a use for all that pent-up aggression or whatever.  Maybe they could, y’know, kill monsters or whatever, and it would make them a hero instead of a fuckup.  If it were still the old days like that, maybe Aff would be good for something.

If this really is the end of history or whatever, Aff thinks that maybe the hardest part is feeling like they got smacked down in the wrong part of it.

.

The trouble, of course, is that history is nowhere near through with them.  Or with its own twists and turns, which is how history tends to work, really, even when you think it’s all just about settled down.

The third week of Fessuran is...confusing, more than anything.  Everything happens so fucking fast, in a blur of blood and fear and sleep-deprivation, washed over with a little extra haze from Jamie’s very good berries, and a couple of days go by in either about two hours or two weeks, and this is never going to make a good story to tell any kids they ever have, if they ever survive long enough to have kids.

Half a dozen people are very dead, that’s very clear, well beyond the help of any cleric or reasonably-ethical necromancer.  Amanda from the livery stable down the street from Diamond Liquor was pale and streaked in blood, breathing shallowly and barely alive, last time they saw her.  That might be worth something, if they could figure out or agree on what.

The four of them are not dead.  They are not under arrest.  They’re not in Emon any more, either, but since staying away might be the only chance they have to keep being not-dead and not-arrested, that’s probably a win, too.

They look at each other, hollow-eyed and dazed, across the table at the only inn in the tiny nowhere town of Cinder Hills, where they didn’t dare sleep last night and had better leave the minute they finish breakfast and also decide what the hell comes next.

“What,” Cam says, speaking for them all, “the fuck?”

.

“Look,” Sasha says.  “It’s fine.  We just…go to another city, and wait for things to die down.  Come back when it’s all over and pretend none of it ever happened.  Nothing to do with us at all.”

It’s fine.  It has to be fine, because if it’s not then Sasha’s lost everything.  Jail isn’t the only way to be trapped.  Freedom costs so much.

“You cannot possibly think that’s going to work,” Jamie says scathingly.  “You think there’s anybody in Emon who doesn’t know who the great Sasha Murasaki is?  We run, and we do not come back.”

Fuck Jamie, fuck them, just…fuck.

She’s spent years building herself a future in Emon.  Years, fighting to make herself a place in history.  Scrounging for every fucking scrap her parents would let her have, every fraction of respect or freedom that couldn’t just be taken away on a whim because she didn’t lower her eyes enough on any random night.  And now she’s going to lose it to this?

“Um,” Aff says.  “I have family in Emon?  I’m not just going to disappear on my dad.  And like, what about Cam’s dad, or Sasha’s family, or–”

“I can’t see my dad right now,” Cam interrupts quickly.  “Leaving actually maybe sounds good.”

“Oh, and leaving where, Jamie?” Sasha demands, because she’s ignoring Cameron right now until she can handle looking at him.  “Are we all going to stay with your little forest friends?  Sleep on leaf mattresses and learn to be druids, then?”

Jamie snorts.  “I’m not taking any of you within ten fucking miles of any druid circle I’ve ever met.  You, they’d eat alive,” and he gestures dismissively at Aff, “and you, they’d never forgive me for.  Luckily the world’s pretty fucking big.”

“So, what, you just want to–what, get on a ship and go to Wildemount?” Cam asks, interrupting Sasha again before she can get started on what even she knows is going to come out sharp and bitter and useless.  “Never come home?”

“You can do whatever the fuck you want.  I’m going to Kymal as soon as I can get on the fucking road, to see if I can rebuild even a third of what I just left behind.” Jamie says, like it’s just…that easy.  “Maybe Westruun, eventually, depending on how that goes.”

Sasha cannot start over in fucking Kymal.  She can’t.  She’s going home.  She’ll get this straightened out.

Everybody knows who her parents are.  They could smooth the whole thing over, probably, if she went down on her knees and begged hard enough.  If she agreed to let them ship her off to whatever cloister or rich husband they chose, and lost everything to spending the rest of her life under her mother’s thumb and her father’s commands anyway.

Fuck.  Fuck.  It feels like the walls of this tiny shitty tavern room are closing in on her already.  Sasha is so fucked.

It was supposed to be perfect.  She was almost done.  She was on her way.  It was going to be perfect.

“We should probably stay together,” Cameron says worriedly, looking between Sasha and his precious Aff and Jamie fucking Wrenly.

“Westruun,” Sasha says.  It’s too small to build anything worth having and it’s too far away from everything she’s ever built so far and it’s too big for her to matter at all and it’s too close for her to really be safe.  Westruun’s nothing.  But at least it’s better than fucking Kymal.  “We can go to Westruun.”

Or Vasselheim.  Or Rexxentrum.  Or Ank’harel.  Or Port Damali.  Sasha’s a little afraid to start running.  She’s a little afraid that once she gets going, she won’t be able to stop.

.

Notes on Level 2:

Sasha, human bard 2 Cantrips: Message, Prestidigitation L1 spells (3/day): Charm Person, Sense Emotions, Disguise Self, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic

Cameron, human warlock 2 Patron: Fiend Cantrips: Mage Hand, Friends L1 spells (2/day): Command, Charm Person, Hex Invocations: Beguiling Influence, Devil’s Sight

Jamie, human wizard 1 druid 1 Cantrips: Friends, Mind Sliver, Minor Illusion, Druidcraft, Infestation L1 spells (3/day) : Cause Fear, Color Spray, Silent Image, Charm Person, Sleep, Identify, plus any druid spells prepared that day

Aff, human barbarian 2 Rage (2/day): +2 damage

[crimsondelphi]

( tristin mays, 27, cis female, she/her/hers, april 13th ) Was that DELPHINE DESCHAMPS ? I heard a rumor they work for the FAUST family, but who knows for sure ? They can be a bit RESENTFUL & DESTRUCTIVE, but I also heard they can be RESOURCEFUL & VENTURSOME. You’ll usually find them at THE DEN in their spare time, when they’re not being the OWNER OF TONY’S GUNS & SPORTING GOODS/CARCANOS. You may want to keep an eye on that one !

guess who’s back? back again? it’s me! baz! and i’m so sorry lmfao. delphi is a brand spankin’ new muse, so bear with while i flesh her out! and i could ramble for days, so i’m going to try to not do that and just hit y’all with the facts so !!! here we goooooo!

pinterest. stats. someday a wanted connections page will be up, but today is not that day.

quick facts

full name: delphine odette deschamps. nicknames: del or delphi. anything else gets you shot. hometown: new orleans, louisiana. family: raimond & celeste deschamps - deceased, paternal uncle - deceased, an unknown half sibling - living. zodiac: aries sun, capricorn moon, sagittarius rising.  sexuality: pansexual. education: community college in new york - unfinished associates in arts. two year tattoo artist apprenticeship completed. 

that good ish ( death/murder mention tw, general spooky tw, violence tw, guns/weapons tw. )

born and raised in new orleans, delphine was raised on bourbon street. her father was a jazz musician and her mother owned and ran a voodoo shop.

her mother actively practiced voodoo while she was growing up, but stopped shortly after her parents’ deaths.

because of their unique lifestyles, del was the definition of street rat. she was well known within the community and almost every shop keeper and street musician kept an eye on her for her parents. she was v much raised by the community and she loved it. 

despite the turn her life would later take, delphine has only happy memories of her childhood. her parents, unconventional as they were, filled her life with nothing but love and adventure. 

( death/murder tw ) at the age of 13, both of delphine’s parents were killed on their way home from one of her father’s gigs.

it was later discovered that he’d developed a gambling addiction and it’s assumed that they were targeted for that reason. the case has never officially been closed and is considered a cold case. 

after the death’s of her parents, del became a ward of the state and bounced from foster home to foster home until her only blood relative was found.

( violence & gun/weapon tw ) a paternal uncle in new york that delphine had only met a handful of times was now her full time guardian and oh boY. 

shady was this man’s middle name. he owned a furniture company that operated as a front for his arms dealing operation. 

also v openly violent - got into a lot of fights and hid exactly none of it from delphine. 

not shockingly, mans had zero clue how to raise a teenager so kid gloves were nonexistent and a v impressionable and grieving delphine was thrust into a life of violence and crime that quickly became her new normal. 

del had always been smart and, because her uncle wasn’t super stellar at the healthy parenting thing, she quickly picked up on the family business and anything and everything involving firearms and weapons. 

ofc this meant her uncle was thrilled ( bc he’d be able to use her ) and that positive reinforcement was all she needed to dive head first into anything she thought would earn her that same positive reinforcement.

spoiler alert: none of those things were good. all bad. v bad. but delphine is a pro at figuring out what people want/expect from her and using it to her advantage. aka living with her uncle brought out literally the worst side of her and amplified it.

as soon as delphine was old enough to legally start working for the furniture store, she did. that meant she also got a closer look at the arms dealing her uncle was doing. by the time she graduated high school, delphi was her uncle’s right hand in the family business - helping him make major decisions and aiding in making new and more lucrative deals.

delphine did enroll in a local community college, where she studied art history for about a year before dropping out. during that time, she also started apprenticing at a local tattoo shop, mostly for fun and a way to take a break from the violence and guns of it all. even after she dropped out of college, del continued and finished her apprenticeship, continuing to tattoo part time until she moved to chicago.

( death/violence tw ) during a gun trade gone bad, delphine’s uncle was killed. to say she was devastated was an unbelievable understatement. as toxic as their relationship may have been, her uncle was the last of her biological family that delphine had. losing him felt like a finality she wasn’t ready to accept and, honestly, probably never really has.

it was 6 months before delphine was back to normal and, in that time, her uncle’s arms business had descended into chaos. as much as she dreaded staying in new york a second longer than she needed to, delphine couldn’t let that be her uncle’s legacy. so, del stuck around long enough to get the business back up and running with more competent and willing people running it. 

it was during that time that she encountered the faust family. after that, she learned everything she could about the family and their operations running out of chicago. at that point, her mind was made up.

as soon as she was able, delphine packed her meager belongings and moved to chicago with the intentions of joining the fausts. 

for the past two-ish years, delphine has worked her ass off to get to where she is now and she is thriving. dysfunctional as they may be, del considers the fausts her family, despite her gruff, prickly demeanor. she’s putting down roots, hopefully for the last time, but it is chicago, so who knows.

personality

okay okay, so del is 100% grumpy cat ( rip ). the rbf is strong and she takes exactly zero shit from anyone ( unless you’re her boss. she’s a v selective people pleaser? don’t ask me, i just work here ). she’s sarcastic and rude and generally an asshole even if she does like you. the only difference between how she treats people she likes and people she doesn’t is she threatens the people she likes with violence slightly less frequently.

possible connections

lord help us all - i’m the worst as these but !!! 

all the faust connections. pls and thank. bonus points if you get her even a little squishy. idk if it’s possible but let’s try. it’ll be a fun game.

employees at tony’s, pls and thank.

sparring buds! pls let her kick someone’s ass the reg. she needs to let out her aggression.

den buddies! has she been betting on fights? mayhaps. gimmie some friendly ( can she do friendly idk we’ll find out ) rivalry.

past hook-ups/flings. del is not someone who does serious, so she’s probably got a string of one night stands and fwbs all over the place. she’s a unabashed hoe and she ain’t sorry.

uuuuhhh, and literally anything else??? i’m open to absolutely everything always, so pls don’t be afraid to chuck any and all ideas my way!

[imagine-lcorp]

To Be a Hero (Part II)

A/N: Hello guys, how is everybody doing? how’s work? school? the family? Doing good i hope, because in this imagine...Lena is definetly not okay...Sorry I turned this into an angsty fic, but you know sometimes you get ideas...Anyway please forgive the long wait! but i hope you like it and sorry again for the looooooong wait, i have a couple of request still pending but we are getting there! kudos to y’all beautiful beans <3<3<3

Lena Luthor & Metahuman Daugther R//Word Count: 1,717

- Part I - Part II - Part III -

The first time Lena ever held you in her arms she knew a few things right away. One, you were a pretty tiny thing, so fragile, that she couldn't fathom how it was possible for humans to be this little at the start of their lives. Two, you were going to be loved. After all, there was already a long line of uncles and aunts ready to fill you up with affection and she was, of course, already in love with you. Three, she would do anything in her power to make sure you were safe and sound, no matter what it took, and you were going to grow up a strong and fierce child. However, she never imagined just how strong and fierce her little girl would be, ready to take on the world, and she never imagined it was going to be the world the one to take on you. It was not the way your life was supposed to be.

Lena knew that much as she read the reports over your last mission, over and over again. The words slowly losing all meaning the more she stared at them trying to understand what had happened and why it was you the one disappearing from the face of the earth. The reports, however, were as clear as they could be.

She had received a call from the DEO while you were still having breakfast. You were trying to convince her to take you to the office since you had heard somewhere she was working on some old project involving nanotechnology you didn't want to miss it. She refused at first, not wanting you to miss school, but you complained saying the educational system in the country didn't work for you and you could learn more in her lab. Lena almost gave up as you displayed a pout she was sure Kara had taught you, even though she had denied it. But Lena didn't have time to yield at your adorable face when the sound of several explosions around the city made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Mom!" You shouted and ran towards her as the blast of a close explosion shattered the kitchen windows.

Lena barely had time to notice she was standing in the DEO bullpen with you by her side and it took her another moment to shake off her initial stupor.

"(Y/N)? Are you okay?" She turned quickly to look at you.

"I'm fine, mom." You said and turned your head to look around. "But what is going on?"

The whole department was already on the move, Alex and Winn were over the control room, giving orders and mobilizing unities around the city.

"Let's find out, sweetheart." Lena said as she moved towards the control room with you closely following her every step. "Alex?"

Alex seemed to be on edge, looking at the DEO screens and talking with someone over her comms, but she turned at the sound of her voice. "Oh, thank god you're here. I was about to call you. Are you okay?"

After assuring her you both were fine, Alex didn't waste any time and explained briefly that a threat from an unknown source had been made public. Winn displayed a video on his screen. Somebody, wearing a golden mask over their face and with a distorted voice, called upon the citizens in National City, they who let the city get infected for too long with the alien disease that put in danger the human existence. They proclaimed a bomb that would destroy the whole city had been placed in the hopes people would learn from their mistakes. Lena heard you said you recognized them as a Lost Son of Liberty.

Kara and Alex had told you about them when you joined the DEO and they were finally able talk to you about their jobs. Lena recognized them too, although she had knew them as the Sons of liberty and meet their number one fan. It had been a long time ago, before you had been even born. But even when the organization had been dismantled, those who still believed on that hateful speech were lurking in the shadows, not with the strength or numbers fear had given them before but a few they were still around and their message was clear. They wanted the city destroyed.

"...like the gardener, we will burn the field infested by briers and thorns, and false gods, so it will be healed and made anew-" The voice claimed solemnly.

"After the video was over seven bombs went off around the city." Winn stopped the video and showed a map of the city instead, marking the points where an explosion had been registered.  

Lena and you watched in horror as one by one the points appeared on the screen. Those were locations Lena knew by heart as they were all schools, clinics and shelters with a large majority of alien population. Lena had organized and attended several charity events to help them and you had volunteered at some of them during summer.

"How can we help?" You asked. The determination in your voice, the serious expression in your face and the concern in your eyes, it all seemed to Lena like you had grown a little bit older.    

Alex then continued to explain they had reason to believe they were hiding a much bigger bomb around the city. The destruction of those locations had been only to instigate chaos. If the Lost Sons of Liberty wanted to destroy the city, they would do it one way or another.  

So their action plan was simple. Winn showed you another city map divided into several quadrants. They were trying to scan those areas as fast as possible with the help of J'onn and Supergirl to search for the bomb, as James and Maggie were already aiding the police department, keeping people from hurting each other on their own panic.  

Lena teamed up with Winn in the control room, exploring every possible plan they could fathom to keep the people and the city safe. Finding the bomb before it exploded was first on the list and you were needed to help with that. You went to suit up and appeared a minute later, ready to go out.

"(Y/N), Kara and J'onn are done with these areas but we need a hand to do it faster." Winn explained.  

"Alright. Do we know how much time we have?"

"No." Alex said plainly as she handed you your ear comms. "We don't have any clues as to when the bomb will go off so we need you to search as best as you can. Once you find it, we will be guiding you so you can dismantle it safely."

"Okay." You said trying not to let your worry show at the idea.

"Remember we're here looking for it too. If anything happens, you won't be alone out there." Lena reassured you.

"Don't worry, tootsie-wootsie." Said Winn with a grin. "We got your back."

Lena saw you take a deep breath and smile shyly at the silly nickname Winn had been using for you since you were a baby. She smiled too as she wrapped her arms around you and placed a kiss your forehead. "We got you, sweetheart." "I know, mom."  Your mom's words helped you regain confidence and you took a moment before disappearing within an aura of energy, knowing she would be there with you whatever happened like she always did.

If only she had known that was the last time she would get to see you, she would have held you tighter and never let go.

Lena put herself on sentinel mood the second you left the building, rushing towards the panels and screens. Winn and the rest of the team were scanning the whole city in search of any clue that could lead to the bomb's location. She put herself to work too, pulling her own resources to speed up the search and following your every move around the city. She watched you on radar, passing from section to section in the blink of an eye.

However, as the minutes passed, Lena realized they had a ratter complicated task at hand. The Lost Sons of Liberty had been cautious and smart enough to hide their tracks that it was taking all of their efforts. This was a race against time and they had to be faster and smarter, and as it turned out, you were the fastest.

"Guys?" Your voice came over the comms.

"(Y/N)" Lena responded immediately, stopping everything she was doing at the sound of your voice. She looked for you on the radar but your signal was gone. "Where are you?"

Alex got closer to the screens. "We can't see you on the radar. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm downtown, uh, underground." Lena thought you started to sound tired. "I think...I think I found it."

"What exactly did you find?" Lena asked.

The bomb exploded about 1600 feet below sea-level across the Pacific Ocean. After the moment of detonation followed a shock wave of whitened sea water of approximately 800 feet in height. No damage was reported near any city or coast as the blast occurred at a distance beyond the reach of the 20-kiloton nuclear bomb, the report read.

"Lena?" She heard Kara's voice call her from her home office's door. "It is time."

Lena raised her head and nodded slowly. She stepped out of her chair, leaving the files reports above her desk with one last glance. No damage but one casualty, Lena thought with unshed tears.

As she walked with the procession towards the cemetery, she tried to put her feelings in little boxes like she used to. Otherwise, it would have been too much for her to bear. The soft wind so out of place, the silence filled with the sound of the bagpipe and its solemn and sad tune, the color black dressing every of her friends around, the empty casket she had to follow and watch as it was being buried. Only then a box opened without her permission. It was not the way your life was supposed to be. That much she knew, and she finally let the tear come down her face.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Glabrezu

CR 13

Chaotic Evil Huge Outsider

Pathfinder Bestiary 1, pg. 61

It’s not easy luring souls into the Abyss. People who were inclined to purely selfish and hedonistic Evil were likely already on their way, while mortals of most Neutral and Good shades are very difficult to give the push they need to fall all the way into Evil. And, perhaps more importantly, a great many demons would prefer to frolic and rampage than actually tempt anyone to do so in the first place, with only the Demon Lords really making an effort.

The Glabrezu are the solution to this conundrum.

Appearing as little more than enormous, bestial brutes, the Glabrezu are among the most intelligent and cunning breed of demon. Their melee prowess is nothing to sneeze at, mind, because their full attack is scary; their bite deals 1d8+10 damage, their huge pincers 2d8+10, and even the diminutive arms on their chest capable of delivering nasty slashes for 1d6+10 damage. Where a lot of their flexibility lays, however, is their enormous magical potential, which few other creatures in the Abyss even come close to matching.

For starters, they can use the confounding Reverse Gravity at will to flip the entire battlefield on its head. With Greater Teleport at will, as well, they can pop out of their own area of effect before the inverted gravity pancakes them against the ceiling or flings them hundreds of feet into the air. What I like most about having the power at will is that they can cast it in succession to repeatedly slam everyone in the area into the ground. They also possess both Chaos Hammer and Unholy Blight at will to punish both the Lawful and the Good, Unholy Blight in general capable of poisoning entire groups of foes and sending them to their knees and Chaos Hammer delivering a severe debuff (Slow) to whatever it hits.

The Glabrezu’s other at-will spells are Veil to hide themselves from prying mortal eyes, Mirror Image to make themselves more difficult to actually strike with the few attack types that pass their rainbow of resistances, and most annoyingly, Confusion at-will to assure any party fighting it is just as likely to strike each other. These spell-likes make it very easy for them to close in on their foes and get into lethal melee range which, by the by, is 15ft, making it difficult to get away once they’ve closed in. At 1/day, they can use Power Word Stun to lock a single foe out of the game for a few rounds, and before battle they can also Summon a pair of Vrocks to aid them... or potentially another Glabrezu, if the party is especially unlucky.

While this power is all very impressive, though, it’s not what they truly use to tempt mortals into the Abyss. That belongs to their 1/month Wish spell, which they can ONLY use for a mortal humanoid. While a devil may give you what you want in a way you want it in exchange for your soul after you die (especially if you’re a good negotiator) and their bargains can be argued with in diabolic courts, the demonic Glabrezu has no such compulsions or restrictions, and will ignore all your careful wish precautions to gleefully and imaginatively twist your wishes into whatever form is most destructive, cruel, and damning to assure no Boneyard judge will touch your carcass before booting you into the Abyss. The Glabrezu will often use these wishes to kill as many people as they can in the fallout, as well, both to assure any Chaotic Evil souls in the background have no chance to redeem themselves and because it’s hysterical. Their reputation precedes them, though, so a party of high enough level will likely be smart enough to know bargaining with a Glabrezu will lead to nothing but tragedy...

... but they do have Veil at will to disguise themselves as something more amicable and less destruction-prone. I wonder how many sinister wish-twisting genies were actually these demons in disguise...?

You can read more about them here.

[imababblekat]

Imagine The Tfp Bots/Tfa Blitzwing Reacting To Their Half Demon S/O And Their Demon Parent

Characters For Ask:

Tfp Ratchet/Tfp Soundwave/Tfa Blitzwing

~

Tfp Ratchet:

Ratchet's optics look you up and down before he scoffs and turns back to whatever it is he was currently working on

whatever it is you were trying to do, he doesn't have time for your shenanigans s/o!

it doesn't matter if it's Cybertronian demons or human demons, the old medic believes in neither and will continue to deny your claims about being exactly that no matter how many times you argue back

eventually it leads to you having to actually prove to the grumpy Autobot what you are, even if partly, for him to even believe you by the tiniest amount

Ratchet wants to say something smart, like you're just using some sort of light trick, or give a scientific explanation, but he really can't

he sighs with helm in his servos as you continue to stand there doing or showing some demonic part of yourself; he's really too old for this stuff

he wants to ask why you hadn't told him before, but when he thinks about the way he acted when you literally just had, he can see why you didn't

Ratchet actually steps away from his work to talk more in depth with you about what you are, who you are, and where you come from, because even though he'll take this to the grave with him Ratchet is very much curious

you tell him everything, but what catches his interest and has him pausing you before you move onto another thing to say, is the mention of your full fledged demon parent who's trapped in a statue

by the hesitant expression on your face, Ratchet deduces that you were trying to brush by without having to explain, but he's not going to let you

this may very well put you in even more danger than you already were with just being with him and his team; imagine what the Decepticons would do to get their servos on you for such information as the location of an all powerful, other worldly being of pure chaos

after you explain everything about your demonic parent to the doc, he can see how much the topic has drained you and decides that’s enough for tonight before ushering you off to get some rest or fresh air

before you completely leave the vicinity though, Ratchet lets you know that he thinks nothing ill of you now knowing what you are; in fact he makes sure to tell you how happy it makes him that you did come to him

he know's he can be a very hard bot to talk to, even as an s/o, so it means a lot to him that you still came to him anyways with knowing how he'd react

he feels his spark flutter at the bright smile that takes over your face as you leave, and returns back to his work, but not before comming Optimus(the only person he knows who can keep a secret) about your monstrous parent and the concerns he has about them and your safety 

Tfp Soundwave:

Soundwave knew looooong before you even think about telling him about your other half, the only thing is that he doesn't know what your other half is

what I mean is that Soundwave knew something was off about you; you looked human, acted human, but there was just something about you that said you were anything but; he just couldn't figure out what

when you do pull him aside and tell him you're half demon you get as about as much of a reaction as you thought you would from the silent mech; a silent, gleaming visor stare

you get that ominous expression for a few seconds longer before Soundwave walks over to his large monitor, types something in, and points at a picture of Hell Boy when it suddenly pops up

you giggle and tell him no, proceeding to explain further about actual demons and their lore

truth is, Soundwave knows about real demons, or at least the mythical and religious information about them; he just did what he did to make you feel more at ease

if there's one sure thing about the silent con is his abilities to detect the smallest of details, and your very uncomfortable body language when confessing to him what/who you are did not go unnoticed by his observant self

after all is said, you two just sit there, Soundwave staring at you and you staring at the floor as silence takes over

the Con picks up on the way your fingers fidget, and your eyes flitter about instead of at him, and he knows you're still hiding something

he taps you lightly with a slim digit to get your attention, and when you look up there's a question mark glowing on his visor

you sigh before telling him something that’s been weighing down on you more then just being half demon; it's about your demonic parent who's been trapped in a statue for centuries

Soundwave once again sits still and silent as ever as you tell him more about your parent

they're nothing like you, where you're sweet and kind, they're down right evil and sickly twisted

you finally finish and watch for any sort of reaction from him, not the big gasp emoji or arms failing or anything like that, no, you watch for the subtle finger twitch, the glint to his visor, or the very very minuscule movement of his arm wings

after sitting there silently for sometime Soundwave suddenly stands and gently takes you in his servo

a small heart pops on his visor before he gently bonks his helm to your forehead and he proceeds to go back to his station while opening a comforting sub space just for you to rest in

for the rest of the night, the only sounds are the clacking of keys and your light snores from with in Soundwave, and the Decepticon is left to probably the most difficult decision he's ever had to make; should he tell Megatron about your true self and your parent, or keep a secret from the leader he's always been so devoted to?

Tfa Blitzwing:

you get three types of reactions; skeptical disbelief, demands to unleash hell across Detroit, and cooing while being called "tiny lil demon baby"

it was clear you weren't going to get a single type of reaction from Blitzwing, but with the three different personas it was all slightly over whelming

you decide to indulge the first two in a way that doesn't involve destroying a whole city

with wide optics watching you perform a small magic act, but one still powerful enough to prove this isn't some kind of fancy joke, Blitz is left speechless

this whole time he thought you were just another ordinary organic, well his ordinary organic if that makes you feel any better, but no, instead you've secretly been only half of what he imagined you to be

he questions why you never thought to bring this up, and you state you were fearful of him telling Megatron who would in turn use you as a means of destruction

Blitzwing understands your concern and doesn't hold it against you, or at least two parts of him don't; Hot Head can be a pouty shit baby but he won't stay mad for long only because it's you

Blitzwing doesn't know much about human lore(or anything about humanity really); the Con's never had the need or want to invest in the culture of your race, even after you two had gotten together

now though, he's very much curious, especially since this seems to be a big deal regarding you

he spends the next hour or two asking you questions about demons and yourself, and is quietly surprised by how different you are compared to the insights you're giving him about your other half

during that time you slip out about having a demon parent, and he ask you about them

the sudden paleness of your face tells him he just popped open a very bad topic and quickly apologizes, but you're just as quick to tell him he's done nothing wrong and you should probably tell him about them anyways

he is astounded to hear your descriptions of this person who aided in your creation; sure the Decepticons have taken many lives as a whole, but from what you shakily tell your parent has taken just as many all on their own

Blitzwing feels a wave of relief wash over him as he learns that this monster of an entity is trapped somewhere in a statue in a place you're not even sure of

while the chaos they've wrought among the world does somewhat leave him in a state of awe, he's also keenly aware of how much of a danger they are

you two go about your ways, either sticking together or off to take care of your own responsibilities, but either way two of Blitzwings persona's are very much concerned about your safety and are debating on whether or not to tell Megatron in case a certain seeker finds out about your demon parent and decides to mistakenly use them as a weapon

the last persona is concerned too, but at the moment he's too preoccupied with making adorable demon horns for you(if you secretly have horns already and reveal them, Random will die from gushing over you)

~xXx~

[symphonic--chaos]

Empires of Brick and Blood Chapter 2 - Vēnor Rating: PG-13 This chapter is set to the song: Kill of the Night - Gin Wigmore

Also posted on AO3

Alexander Lightwood- Alec, as most called him to his preference, was what some could possibly call… Neurotic. If you asked him, it was an understatement, what with the amount of stress he’d accrued seeing the state of Brooklyn once the Largo’s had lost their last clawed grip on it. Chaos caused in city’s across the country due to Repo men that hadn’t been reigned in and let their power get to their heads, by greed within the Largo family that had only grown as the line went on. At the same time, he would correct you because, while falling into this seeming leadership position his parents placed on him had been unexpected and daunting, his stumble had turned into stride. Now, if he was truly labeled by those who knew him best, they would find authoritative fit Alexander Lightwood the best. The great grandson of the Largo heiress Amber Sweet, who started the line of destruction after passing the business to her one-night stands bastard child from the man known as Graverobber, had followed on in his family’s footsteps. Keeping the business going, though with what Alec found through articles and paperwork from the labs, the man was surprisingly trying to turn things around. Maybe even had a better head on his shoulders than the rest of them, which no doubt had to come from the side of whomever married into the Largo family. 

Though he married, they never bore a child into the line, as their only pregnancy ended with a miscarriage. With a wheeze and a groan at a ripe age of 97, the eldest and last remaining member of the tyrant family had croaked their last order to whomever became their predecessor:  Find him. He is your key. What they had failed to mention was who ‘him’ was, why he needed to be found and, Alec didn’t know, maybe a hint to where he was. It seemed his sister, Isabelle, was more interested in the nightlife around the city more than actually helping him go through mountains of neglected paperwork or to find him, and his mother was busy recruiting guards and tossing money at previously corrupted repo men to get them to join their forces. Robert… Was somewhere, as always, causing mayhem and anxiety in anyone near him. It had been his money that elbowed them into the large secondary headquarters of the Largo’s, currently in the heart of New York, whereas the original having been in California. The youngest of the Lightwoods, Max, was away at some elite boarding school, always out of the way of his parents and their work-induced, steamrolling habits. Once their parents had taken over the colossal task of taking on the Largo estate, his father’s words were simple as he headed out the door: ‘The bills are stacking high and unpaid organ repossession is, and now will always be, the key. I’ll be back once I’m done.’ ~ “Split up. Two men together at all times, you all know Bane fights back.” Alec gave a pointed look at a nearby guard sporting a black eye and busted lip to accentuate his words. Pointing to the alleys he wanted covered on a map of areas they’d swept and had yet to, they were all soon on their way to their respectively given locations. Handing the map to the driver that would wait in the car, Alec ran his hands along his belt, nodding to himself as he confirmed he had all of his gear, his boots crunching on a broken bottle on the sidewalk as he headed for his own alley. “No, I go alone. It’s personal at this point.” The two guards that went to follow Alec looked shocked by the command, hesitant, but they soon split to go down the adjacent alley, quietly conversing with each other that they weren’t sure what made him feel so invincible. Truth be told, nothing made him feel invincible. What fueled him to believe he could go alone after this little rat that continuously slipped between their fingers was nothing but pure rage and a will to win. It had been five months since he’d proclaimed his hunting party on the drug dealer, five months of trying to get anonymous tips on where he was, five months of dropping everything to rush to a location where guards swore up and down that they had him only to have some random junkie that looked nothing like him. Five. Fucking. Months of seeing that smug face, that little wave of polished fingers as he paused on a buildings fire escape ladder, fifty feet above Alec, mid-rush to get away from him. There had been times, of course, when he’d had him. Truly had him in his grip, an arm or his jacket between his fingers, knuckles white from his hold. Once time he’d even been in a fist fight with him, the one time Alec had learned just how much of a fighter Bane was, as though he’d been trained to fight this way. It made sense considering he was a street urchin, all that lived on these streets at the threat of being robbed or jumped, or even at risk of a repossession, they had all found ways that worked best for them to protect themselves. While most used weapons, Bane was certainly no exception here, though his weapons were certainly his fists and smart. Security was crucial, what with the amount of Zydrate and money he likely carried on himself to appease the 'children’ of the alleys, poisoning them, yet aiding the Lightwood’s in slowing them down fast enough to repossess what was theirs according to the books. That likely wasn’t part of his plans, but finders keepers as Robert said. A long sigh was released when he was finally alone, his steps pausing at the beginning of the alleyway, his neck rolling slowly from side to side as he tried to mentally prepare himself. He was sure that after so long, tonight would be just as rage inducing as every night had been, though parts of him hoped for another one of those fights since it would at least be more entertaining than staring at junkies and dirty alleyways full of empty Zydrate vials and trash. “Get a quote on a cleaner for these alleys and the sidewalks.” Alec sent the voice memo from his phone to Izzy as he walked, kicking a vial out of his way and making a face as a large rat ran by in the distance. All hopes of it being a cat were shot after the plague had gone through, one that strangely enough only affected cats with something akin to rabies, and could only be passed to humans the same way. While it made simple strays slowly turn vicious, striking out and even chasing down people that so much as looked at them wrong, it did something wholly different to the people that were attacked. Rabid was something vaguely simple of a term. It made them almost…superhuman. Some people gained strength that no one should have possessed, able to rip people limb to limb or tear doors off cars to get to those inside. There had been cases of people who gained a chameleon like affect, their skin could change to blend into their surroundings- something Alec had seen first hand when driving through a city during the height of it. Other people had, what they could only refer to as 'magic’. It was the closest thing possible, it was like the people could harness the air and the energy around them and use it to cause sheer chaos, inciting break-ins, deaths. All they had learned was that nothing good came from this plague, and it was treated as such. All cats found outdoors were killed. Everyone that owned a cat was immediately to register and bring it to a nearby clinic for it to be inspected for the disease, then given a shot that would prevent (or they hoped would) the disease from affecting them. If you were rich, you were lucky to keep your cat. Most of the lower class families weren’t as lucky, as most of their cats were outdoor permitted. It wasn’t unlikely to see them trotting alongside their owners in the alleys, or lounging in sunspots on the cars. The humans that carried the disease were easy to spot, their eyes, ironically, all became colored with a slit pupil just like the cats that had infected them. Many of them drooled or struck out when approached too closely. Many had been captured and attempts to give them an antidote failed, so, just like their feline counterparts, they were put down as well. To see a mass culling of people had been traumatizing to many of the kids their age, putting fear into them of being next on that list. It had been ten years since the incident and there hadn’t been any cases in the past seven, something Alec was grateful for as he’d grown rather fond of his and his sisters cats, twin Maine Coon’s that Robert had threatened to toss out to the vets to be euthanized far too many times. In reality, they just hated the man and hissed at him every time he passed due to the vile energy he put off, and the kids had learned to do whatever he ordered out of fear of his words. This had stuck even as they’d grown older, even at 26 and 24, to a point where they generally just avoided all eye contact with him and kept their eyes on the floor as they agreed to their duties. A shuffle to Alec’s left had his attention turning from the giant rat, grown from years of a lack of upper food chain predators, to the billow of a trench coat disappearing behind the connected alley. Heavy boots stopped abruptly as his ears strained to listen for a voice or any hint of someone running, but the girls and guys that frequently passed through or sold themselves in the alley were too loud and drowning out everything he actually wanted to hear. His steps were quick to turn down the short connector between the two, the rancid smell of the dumpster filling the small area sided by two tall buildings and nearly making him gag. A look to his left confirmed what he’d seen, the long overcoat swaying behind the figure that hummed and walked nonchalantly away from him, a half eaten apple in hand. “BANE!” With that shout, the other figure paused mid-step, the apple slipping in his fingers despite the attempt to catch it, the thud of the fruit on the ground minimal against the echo of Alec’s yell. “My apple!” Came the whine as the long-haired dealer looked down at it sadly, then turned to look at Alec. “You owe me an apple.” Alec was speechless. He… owed him an apple? A fucking apple? “I owe you shit, now get over here and come with me peacefully so you can finally go to trial and we can clean the streets of trash like you.” “First, Mr. Lightwood, that apple cost me thirteen credits, not that a rich asshole like you would get how much that is. Second, I’ll come with you,” His eyes traveled up and down Alec’s body as his wicked smile proved their words meant two completely different things, “but I do nothing peacefully. And finally, I’m not trash. If anything I like to consider myself like a fine, vintage shop.” Alec merely stared, knowing his eyes were wide in disbelief that Bane was seriously… flirting with him? While he was warning of an arrest? His lips parted as he began to form the words his mind was stewing together, but they soon shut as he inhaled deeply through his nose instead. Gods, that dumpster, bad decision. Alec stepped forward to get away from the mid-alley entrance before he vomited all over the ground in front of him and, with every step forward, Bane took one back with brief, forlorn looks given to his apple, as if giving it a silent goodbye. “I… You’re dead. I’m just going to kill you and no one’s going to know.” Alec’s threat seemed nonchalant, that disbelief still lingering in his tone. Much to Alec’s dismay, it brought a bright smile to Bane’s face as his cuff-gloved hand rose, his fingers adorned with rings and nails painted as black as his jacket. Those fingers curled in towards his palm one by one, then out, and back in, beckoning him tauntingly. “Come on, Mr. Lightwood. I love a challenge. You’re my favorite so far. Who else is blessed enough to have a hot guy so infatuated with them?” “You son of a–” Alec dashed towards Bane as a delighted laughter rang through out the alley, the dealers feet carrying him along the dirt and asphalt. It was a chase that would end fruitless after just five short minutes, lost into an alleyway with an open door and a hand reaching out and motioning for Bane to hurry and run in. Alec panted as he stopped suddenly at the now locked door, his fist slamming on the cool metal as if the three little piggies would let in the wolf. Backing up, he gathered his energy and rushed the door with a frustrated yell, throwing his shoulder into it and successfully getting it to open, slamming against the wall of the hall within. “Apartments, corner of East 63rd and 1st.” Alec’s watch beeped after he passed along his whereabouts to the guards patrolling the nearby alleys. The black cylinder at his waist was removed from its clip, the button extending the weapon into its full length, the tip sparking briefly with electricity. A cattle prod, only adjusted to be more human tolerant. His favorite weapon he owned outside of his bow, much better for close range attacks, though he was considering taking to the roof’s from now on and using the bow to hunt Bane down. This fight had ceased to be a potential win now that Bane was hidden away, since knowing his ways through months of studying, Bane was either on the roof, or in one of the hundreds of apartments and going out through a window. “Keep an eye out all around the building out there, he won’t be able to get far. Call in the backup, have them check every apartment. Feel free to bring a couple of the Repo guys, see if they match anyone they’re missing on their lists. Check with Raphael, first, though. He’ll let you know who he’ll spare of the group.” Alec paced the hallway for a moment or two, listening for any sign of Bane’s voice even though he knew the other would be remaining silent and waiting him out. That, more than anything else, frustrated Alec to no end. He sniffled and ran a hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself down, but another moment passed and soon his fist met the drywall of the hallway as a frustrated “FUCK!” rang through it. The door swung open as he pulled the knob and flung it aside, walking outside and shoving past the guards there. “I’ll be back at the office. Let me know if you find anything. Permission for no mercy.” Moments like these he knew he sounded like Robert, but time after time Izzy tried to assure him it was only because they were their own worst critics. That it was something ingrained in them by their father. But, if so, why was she always so carefree and sweet? Alec found himself like his father more than he liked, and he hoped that he didn’t pay for it some day.

[multiverseforger]

Edit

Dr. Walter Langkowski is a member of Alpha Flight, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada of Polish Jewish origin and a renowned physicist, and a professor of both physics and biophysics at McGill University.[volume & issue needed] He is also a former football player for the Green Bay Packers.[volume & issue needed] In the 1993 miniseries The Infinity Crusade it is revealed that Sasquatch is Jewish.[volume & issue needed]

He possesses the ability to transform into a super-strong, orange-haired beast resembling the legendary Sasquatch. This transformation is triggered by willpower. In his transformed state, Langkowski has increased strength, stamina, and resistance to injury. He also has sharp claws and is able to leap incredible distances.

These powers were a result of Langkowski's self-experimentation with gamma radiation. In an attempt to become like the Hulk, Langkowski bombarded himself with a gamma ray projector at his laboratory near the Arctic Circle. As a proposed explanation for why he transformed into an orange instead of green behemoth (as gamma-irradiated persons are usually affected), Langkowski assumed it had something to do with the Aurora Borealis.

However, unknown to Langkowski, it was not the gamma rays that turned him into Sasquatch, but the fact that his lab equipment opened a doorway between our world and the "Realm of Great Beasts." When this portal was opened, a mystical beast called Tanaraq invaded Langkowski's body and granted him his powers. Langkowski had to learn to maintain his own personality and intelligence when in the form of Sasquatch, and was very successful for a time.

Alpha FlightEdit

As a member of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, Sasquatch battled the X-Men in an attempt to capture Wolverine.[2] He later battled the Hulk,[3] and then, alongside the Hulk, battled the Wendigo.[4] Alongside Alpha Flight again, he battled the Great Beast Tundra.[5] With Alpha Flight, Namor, and the Invisible Woman, he first encountered the Master of the World.[6] He then battled the Super-Skrull.[7] With Alpha Flight, he battled Omega Flight.[8] Alongside Rom and Alpha Flight, he battled the Dire Wraiths.[9] With Alpha Flight, he went on a mission with the X-Men and clashed with Loki.[10] Sasquatch was becoming increasingly prone to feral rages, making him reluctant to function in a fight.[volume & issue needed] His Sasquatch form was eventually revealed as an incarnation of Tanaraq, who took control of Sasquatch, forcing Snowbird to slay Langkowski.[11]

New body and identityEdit

After his death, Langkowski's teammates traveled to the realm of the Great Beasts to recover his soul, that is being preserved in what is called a "Phistash-Hasrak", but a preservation spell cast by Alpha Flight's resident sorcerer Shaman failed to prevent Langkowski's body from crumbling to dust. Once there, they were attacked by the Great Beast Somon, who summoned the Great Beasts Tundra, Kariooq, and Tolomaq against them. Snowbird battled Somon, eventually forcing him to relinquish control of the other Great Beasts and causing them to battle one another. Forcing the now-weakened Somon to reveal to them the location of Walter Langkowski's spirit, Alpha Flight ventured to the Pit of Ultimate Sadness, located beneath the Great Glow-Globe of Phistash-Hasrak, where Somon explained that the souls of those who once inhabited the realm laid in torture. Within the Pit, Somon explained to Alpha Flight that, in order to enter the Pit's Well of Sorrows, they must sacrifice love, hate and power. Sending Aurora (representing love), Northstar (representing hate) and Talisman (representing power) into the Well, Alpha Flight soon realized the Well was a trap set by Somon. Snowbird quickly killed Somon and three trapped Alphans were reunited with the rest of the team. Shaman soon deduced from Somon's trap that no actual souls still remained within the Well of Sorrows but rather, the only wandering soul (Walter's) resided above the Well, within the Glow-Globe of Phistash-Hasrak.[12] Containing Walter's soul within a globe of its own from his pouch, Shaman then transported Alpha Flight back to Earth, where they met with Heather Hudson and Box. In desperation, Shaman projected the soul into the robot exoskeleton of Box, who had arrived just as the Alphans returned to Earth.[12] After some searching for an alternate form, Langkowski and Box's creator, Roger Bochs, eventually scanned a humanoid, nearly mindless body trapped in another dimension. However, when the pair projected Langkowski's soul towards this body across an interdimensional "fishing line", it turned out to be the Hulk, and Langkowski, unwilling to displace his colleague and friend Bruce Banner (despite Banner's pleas to the contrary), let his soul dissipate into the interdimensional void.[13]

Sasquatch is subsequently brought back to life first by temporarily inhabiting the miniaturized body of Smart Alec,[14] then by inhabiting the body of the then-deceased Snowbird.[15] At first limited to transforming between Snowbird's (female) human form and a white-furred version of his Sasquatch form,[volume & issue needed] he called himself "Wanda Langkowski",[volume & issue needed] and fought to be recognized as legally alive.[16] This body was later mystically altered to be identical to his original body by Snowbird's spirit.[17] After this, his Sasquatch form returned to its original orange hue. With Alpha Flight, he first battled Llan the Sorcerer.[18] With Alpha Flight, alongside the Avengers, and the People's Protectorate, he battled the Atlantean army, the Peace Corpse, and the Combine.[19] Alongside Alpha Flight, he defended Her against the Consortium.[20]

2000sEdit

In 2005, Sasquatch assembles another incarnation of Alpha Flight[21] in order to rescue the original team from an alien race known as the Plodex. Sales were poor and the series was canceled with issue #12.

Along with Major Mapleleaf, Puck (both Eugene Judd and Zuzha Yu), Vindicator, Shaman, and Guardian, Sasquatch fights The Collective.[22] He is later revealed to be the only member of Alpha Flight to survive the attack. Following the events of the 2006 "Civil War" storyline, Langkowski is recruited by the Canadian government to form a new team called Omega Flight. He goes out of control possessed by the Great Beast, Tanaraq, but manages to recover. He also forgives Michael Pointer for the indirect role he played in the destruction of Alpha Flight and apologized for forcing him into the role of Guardian. Sasquatch has gone to Wakanda, along with Wolfsbane, Thornn, and Feral. The group offers their assistance to Wolverine against Sabretooth. Feral is killed by Sabretooth and in the meantime, the villain Romulus forms plans of his own involving the group.[volume & issue needed]

During the 2010 "Chaos War" storyline, Sasquatch makes a deal with the Great Beasts, bringing them to Earth so they can kill Amatusu-Mikaboshi. He alongside Snowbird, Northstar, and Aurora are reunited with a resurrected Guardian, Vindicator, Shaman, and Marrina Smallwood.[23]

During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Sasquatch was seen helping Alpha Flight fight Attuma (in the form of Nerkodd: Breaker of Oceans) while saving people from the flood caused by Nerkodd. Once Nerkodd is defeated and repelled, Alpha Flight returns to their headquarters, only to end up betrayed by Gary Cody and his newly elected Unity Party.[24] When in the custody of the Unity Party, Sasquatch's gamma energy is drained enough for him to revert to his human form of Walter Langkowski.[25] At Parliament Hill, Walter is informed by Agent Jeff Brown that the concussions he had when he played football will cause him to act less human when he changes back into Sasquatch. Jeff also tells Walter that he will soon achieve Unity. Walter is later freed by Shaman who knocks out Agent Jeff Brown.[26]

As part of the 2015 All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, Sasquatch appears as part of the Alpha Flight space program.[27]

Immortal HulkEdit

While taking time off from the Alpha Flight space program, Walter met a reporter named Jackie McGee and agreed to aid her in her search for Bruce Banner. After Walter was stabbed breaking up a fight between two men, he wound up in the hospital where he turned into Sasquatch at night. After killing some doctors that were treating him, Sasquatch encounters Hulk who found that he is possessed by Brian Banner's ghost. Hulk was able to free Sasquatch from Brian's possession by draining the gamma energy out of him enough to depower Walter.[28] It was revealed that Brian Banner's possession of Sasquatch was caused by the One Below All.[29]

General Reginald Fortean nearly charged Walter for the deaths he caused and changed his mind when he decided to have Captain Marvel call the Avengers to go after Hulk and have him save Walter.[30] After Hulk escaped from General Fortean's custody, Walter formed a new version of Gamma Flight to go after Hulk by starting with Puck as its first member.[31]

Walter and Gamma Flight arrived at the area where the gamma bomb first turned Bruce Banner into Hulk. As Hulk fought Gamma Flight, Absorbing Man absorbed the leftover gamma radiation that enabled the One-Below-All to plunge New Mexico into its Below-Place.[32] After Hulk defeated the One-Below-All, Walter and Gamma Flight were returned to Earth where Absorbing Man joined the group.[33]

With Titania as its latest member, Walter and Gamma Flight ran into Doc Samson who reveals to them Hulk's plans to wipe out the human civilization.[34]

Arriving in Reno, Nevada, Walter and Gamma Flight found the Subject B husk that the U.S. Hulk Operations placed Rick Jones' body in. They take it to the Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station for study.[35] Wearing the Redeemer armor, General Fortean raided the Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station to reclaim the Subject B husk. While taking out the Gamma Flight members, Fortean also shoots Walter to make him pay for the deaths his Sasquatch form caused before making off with the Subject B husk.[36]

Due to his door in the Below-Place being meddled, Doc Samson was able to revive himself in the body of Walter Langkowski on the Alpha Flight Low Orbit Space Station causing the body to turn into a green-haired version of Sasquatch. While reuniting with Gamma Flight and Jackie McGee, Samson told them about Leader's meddling and called this form of his Doc Sasqautch. Leading Gamma Flight to confront Hulk's Joe Fixit persona, Doc Sasquatch prevented everyone from getting sucked out when Joe Fixit punched a hole in the space station.[37

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s WandaVision: Vision’s Avengers and MCU History Recap

https://ift.tt/39G2kG6

WandaVision has been considered one of the more unique concepts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new Disney+ show takes two members of the Avengers and puts them in a new setting with a sitcom motif that is intended to be a comforting status quo but is anything but. As the layers begin to peel back on reality, this story of a wise android and his magic-wielding wife is more of a bonkers horror mystery than anything else.

To have this as the first step in the long-awaited Phase 4 of the MCU is a ballsy move. A move forced because of the worldwide COVID situation, but a ballsy move regardless. How do you even explain the concept of the show to someone who is taken in by the commercials or sees the icon on the Disney+ menu? Avengers: Infinity War also had a lot of baggage going in, but even that was easily explained as, “all the heroes team up to stop the big villain from gathering all the special power-ups before it’s too late.”

To help you prepare for WandaVision, I’m going to focus on the MCU history of Vision, as played by Paul Bettany.

THE JARVIS LEGACY

To understand Vision, you have to go back nearly a century to the life of Edwin Jarvis. A member of the British Armed Forces, Jarvis eventually left the battlefield to work as a butler for millionaire inventor Howard Stark. A loyal friend, Jarvis worked for the Stark family for roughly 50 years. Howard and Maria died in the early ’90s, leaving Jarvis to act as a father figure to the orphaned Tony Stark.

While the details of Edwin Jarvis’ death are unknown, Tony would ensure that his name, wisdom, and work ethic would live on. Tony invented an artificial intelligence called Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, otherwise known as JARVIS. With a voice and personality similar to Edwin Jarvis, JARVIS acted as a disembodied security system and information hub for Tony Stark.

This proved especially helpful when Tony Stark created the second incarnation of the Iron Man armor and installed JARVIS as his co-pilot, offering advice and information when necessary. JARVIS aided Iron Man in Iron Man’s trilogy of solo films, as well as the first Avengers movie.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

The first Avengers movie involved the team fighting off an alien invasion led by the mad god Loki. Despite winning, Tony Stark retained a lingering fear that there would be bigger and more destructive aliens on the way eventually. Earth would never be truly safe. As he was in the process of leaving his Iron Man duties behind, Stark felt that Earth needed its own worldwide security system. As he put it, a suit of armor around the planet.

The Avengers defeated the terrorist cell HYDRA and, in doing so, obtained the Mind Stone. Previously, in Loki’s hands, the Mind Stone was a tool to conquer the minds of enemies and turn them into allies. In HYDRA’s hands, it was a tool to awaken latent abilities in those who survived intense exposure to it, such as twin siblings Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner decided to play God by creating a brand-new and incredibly advanced AI out of the Mind Stone that would have the capacity to protect the entire human race and fight off any potential invaders.

While Stark and Banner were gone, the Ultron AI awakened. JARVIS attempted to coax it, but Ultron’s tabula rasa form being bombarded with so much information was too overwhelming. The Ultron AI immediately went mad and tore apart JARVIS’ programming. Ultron created a series of bodies, attacked the Avengers, and declared war on the world.

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Avengers: Age of Ultron – Marvel Universe Easter Eggs and Comic References Guide

By Mike Cecchini

Since Ultron was able to extend his consciousness to various robotic bodies, he intended to create the ultimate android body to make himself truly unbeatable. This host body, which included the special metal vibranium, synthetic tissue, and the Mind Stone, was stolen away from the Avengers.

What Ultron didn’t realize was that pieces of JARVIS’ programming still existed and were able to keep Ultron from spreading his AI to the internet or government nuclear programs. Stark chose to upload what was left of JARVIS into the android body and Thor gave it life with a blast of lightning.

A red, flying humanoid sprung to life, calling himself Vision. Other than flight, he could fire lasers out of his forehead and alter his mass so that he could phase through matter or turn himself so dense that he was borderline unbreakable.

While he had JARVIS’ voice and demeanor, he was not quite JARVIS…albeit not quite Ultron either. Explaining that he was on “the side of life,” he offered his assistance to the Avengers and proved himself noble and pure-hearted by picking up Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, a feat only possible to those considered worthy.

Then again, Captain America and Iron Man would later argue that Vision wasn’t so much “worthy” as his machine biology allowed him to bypass that magic (ie. an elevator could theoretically “lift” Mjolnir despite its lack of sentience). Thor refused to agree with their logic.

Thor also realized the true meaning behind the Mind Stone on Vision’s forehead and how it was part of the six Infinity Stones, which were otherwise scattered across the galaxy. Due to his powers and proven worthiness, Thor felt the Mind Stone was in safe hands.

Vision helped the Avengers defeat Ultron in the final battle in Sokovia. Ultron’s main body, as well as countless drones, were completely destroyed. Vision tracked down the final, mangled Ultron drone. This drone, the last home to Ultron’s consciousness, debated with Vision about the fate of mankind. Annoyed by Vision’s optimism, Ultron charged and was quickly vaporized. The Age of Ultron was over before it could truly begin.

In the aftermath, a new Avengers team was put together. Vision joined Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, War Machine, and – most importantly – the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

An Avengers mission, that Vision is for some reason not part of, went horribly wrong when Scarlet Witch tried to move a suicide bomber away from the area with her telekinesis. The explosion went off before she could clear it from the area, causing many deaths. This controversy helped create the Sokovia Accords, which decreed that the government had oversight in the Avengers’ duties, else they would be considered criminals.

The various heroes had differing thoughts on the matter. Vision felt that the increase of superheroes and supervillains meant that the chaos would also increase and that government oversight was the right way to go. He also agreed that it was in Wanda’s best interests to remain at Avengers Headquarters and refrain from appearing in public until everything blew over. The two bonded during this time, but Wanda was not entirely comfortable with the pressure to stay in the complex, guilty feelings or not.

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The Marvel Movies Debrief – Captain America: Civil War Recap, Legacy, and MCU Connections

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The split over the Sokovia Accords led to everyone taking a side with either Captain America or Iron Man. Hawkeye entered Avengers Headquarters to get Wanda to join Cap’s side. Vision easily defeated Hawkeye in combat, but Wanda was able to overpower him with ease. She had enough of living in fear and wanted out.

The two met again on the battlefield as the two warring sides fought it out at an airport. Vision was indeed a heavy hitter for Iron Man’s side, but he wasn’t without fault. His feelings for Wanda muddied his robotic sense of accuracy. As he tried to blast a laser at Falcon, he missed and instead hit his ally War Machine, accidentally causing him to crash and lose the use of his legs.

Regardless, Iron Man’s side won. Wanda and some of the others on Captain America’s team were put in a special prison. Soon enough, they were sprung free by Captain America himself, now a fugitive.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Even though Wanda was part of Captain America’s covert team (existing in spite of the government’s wishes), she still found time to be with Vision. The two became romantically involved and Vision even figured out how to morph his appearance into something more human-looking. As they vacationed in Scotland, they quickly discovered that Vision was in the crosshairs of a major plot to annihilate half the universe.

The sinister alien villain Thanos had wanted to bring together all six Infinity Stones so he could wish away half of all life and therefore – in his twisted logic – prevent overpopulation. Having just discovered a lead on the Soul Stone, he then knew the whereabouts of all six and prepared and all-out blitz to capture them all over the course of a couple days.

That meant that Thanos wanted Vision’s Mind Stone.

A few of Thanos’ most powerful soldiers ambushed Vision and Scarlet Witch and came very close to removing the gem from Vision’s head. Luckily, Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon arrived to ward them off.

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At first glance, the answer was simple: if Thanos needed all six Infinity Stones to succeed, then they could just destroy the Mind Stone. Scarlet Witch’s powers were linked to it, so she presumably had the ability to break it. Considering that would kill the love of her life, she refused. Instead, they would go to the advanced African country of Wakanda, where the super-smart princess Shuri would be able to remove the Mind Stone from Vision’s head without killing him. Then Wanda could trash the gem and Thanos would be thwarted.

Thanos’ forces raided Wakanda, as expected. Eventually, Scarlet Witch and Vision had to take part in the battle rather than wait for Vision to get the gem removed. Although badly wounded in the process, Vision was able to kill Thanos’ henchman Corvus Glaive thanks to Captain America’s help.

Vision begged Wanda to destroy the Mind Stone, even if it would cost his own life. Reluctantly, Wanda did so while Thanos (armed with the other five Infinity Stones) arrived and easily dispatched the other heroes. Wanda succeeded in blowing up the Mind Stone. Vision was dead and Wanda broke down.

Thanos showed compassion for her sacrifice, but it meant nothing in the end. Thanos had the Time Stone, which allowed him to rewind the clock and bring the Mind Stone back. Thanos brutally tore it from Vision’s head and left the lifeless husk behind.

At first, Thanos succeeded in his mission and erased half of all life from existence. This included Wanda Maximoff. Five years later, the Avengers were able to bring everyone back and Wanda even meted out some form of vengeance against Thanos for a moment.

While all those snapped away returned, Vision was not so lucky. Not only was he still dead, but the Infinity Stones had been destroyed and there was virtually no way to rebuild him.

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So then…what’s he doing in WandaVision?

The post Marvel’s WandaVision: Vision’s Avengers and MCU History Recap appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/35HGalO

[warsofasoiaf]

Since now you’ve covered Nurgles primarch, care to cover Magnus the Red and the Thousand Sons?

Magnus is a tragic story of hubris and raises the question of fate and destiny in the 40K universe.

Magnus, more than any other Primarch, is defined by his use of sorcery. On a planet of outcasts feared for their sorcery, a red-skinned giant was easy to fit in, and this cemented Magnus’s understanding and familiarity of the Warp, as it is a thing that is both a familial comfort as well as an appeal to his innate curiosity and drive to learn. His early endeavors with Warp-craft taught him much, but he believed that due to his great psychic might, the warnings of Amon could go unheeded. His psychic might was phenomenal, the Great Ocean offered nothing that could harm him. And thus, Magnus began the path of pride that would lead to his ruination.

Interestingly enough, Magnus retained a psychic connection with the Emperor, but his actions were very similar to the other Primarchs pre-Emperor, uniting the various factions on his home planet, taking out monsters, rising to the top because of ability and intelligence, so while it is possible that knowledge of the Emperor and his creation influenced him, I do not believe it is the case, he seemed to carry the instincts of his fellow Primarchs. When the Emperor showed up, he and the Emperor were old friends and allies. Magnus saw a fellow scholar devoted to the advancement of knowledge.

The first big crisis for Magnus was how to handle the Thousand Sons gene-seed, as next to the Emperor’s Children, the Thousand Sons had one of the lowest-strength legions thanks to defects within it. His legionnaires were succumbing to the horrid Flesh Change, which transformed them violently and painfully into mindless Chaos Spawn. While some in the Imperium thought euthanizing the Thousand Sons was the merciful thing to do, Magnus pleaded for the Emperor to give him a chance to cure it using his sorcery. This he was able to do, though he was tricked by Tzeentch. Magnus believed he lost his eye for the power to stop the Change, though apparently their cure was temporary in exchange for their doom later on. What Tzeentch was really after though was to continue to stoke Magnus’s pride. The warning about the Warp were for lesser minds with less power, ability, and knowledge than Magnus. By believing that his sorcery saved his sons, Tzeentch was leading Magnus to continue to ignore the warnings that others were giving him. Magnus and the Sons soldiered on, distrusted by many of their fellow Astartes.

There is no discussing Magnus without taking a look at the Council of Nikaea. First off, I’m not doing the Council of Nikaea any justice, you really should go read McNeill’s depiction of it in A Thousand Sons, it’s a great read. Mortarion and Russ, among other detractors to include Space Wolf Othier Wyrdmake, who betrayed Ahriman’s trust to divulge Thousand Sons secrets to the Council, finally had enough of psychic powers thanks to many of the psychic threats they faced in the Crusade and the psykers in the Age of Strife. Mortarion offers a stinging rebuke couched in concern for his brother, others offered tales of psychic monsters, and Magnus offers a spirited defense of warpcraft, and Yesugei (awesome character BTW) offered the third option that would eventually lead to Sanctioned Psykers. You can see Magnus’s real strengths and shortcomings, as his pride has him gloss over much of the psychic dangers while speaking of the real benefits, whereas Yesugei, by his own admission, bumbles the proposal thanks to his poor command of High Gothic. You can actually really see the whole Thousand Son’s strengths and weaknesses on display here, since they are the ones who notice all the seven’s around the Death Guard (Nurgle’s number), but do not recognize the nine’s of Tzeentch. It’s a great chapter even for novices to 40K lore, though I will admit the blend of politics and intrigue really are enhanced by setting knowledge.

The interception of Horus’s visions and Magnus’s Folly highlight Magnus’s greatest strengths and flaws as a sorcerer and person. No one else could have intercepted the vision, and it takes a sorcerer of no small skill to hijack the vision. But Magnus never understood Horus’s deep-seated pride and resentment, that was why Magnus couldn’t persuade Horus the way Erebus could. Erebus could needle on Horus’s fear of being forgotten with the vision of the grimdark future, Magnus could only offer empty promises that thinks weren’t necessarily going to be the way that Horus envisioned. The Folly though, was borne out of Magnus’s desire to prove once and for all that sorcery could be a boon. If he could warn the Emperor using sorcery, the Emperor would have to accept that sorcery saved the Imperium. Russ and Mortarion would choke on their scoffs, they didn’t stop the civil war.

And just then, Magnus was hooked. Magnus was so convinced that he couldn’t be wrong, that nothing in the Warp could threaten him, that he never conceived of the fact that he could be wrong. So when Magnus breaks through the Webway, he finds that he inadvertently did Chaos’s bidding, and Magnus was blindsided. He was not the genius he thought he was, and Tzeentch was laughing his ass off. This put him into a great depression, as his very sense of self was challenged. Originally, he sent many of his sons away, he hid knowledge of the Space Wolves, because he wanted to not aid Chaos any further. The psychic connection to his Sons, combined with the knowledge that he would die for nothing, eventually got him to take the field. He fought in a defiant rejection of Fate, and when all was done, Tzeentch came to him with one more offer: your soul to save your sons. Magnus cared for his sons and felt betrayed by the Emperor. And so he took the deal, and damned himself for his sons.

The Thousand Sons themselves were sent to the Planet of Sorcerors, lost and adrift, needing to place their gene-father back together from the shards left behind. Ahriman in particular is the quinessential Thousand Son, convinced of his power and correctness. He would work to rebuild Magnus into the Crimson King, the daemon-primarch seeking vengeance against an Imperium which spurned and betrayed him. Ahriman himself would cast the Rubric, which stopped the Flesh-Change at the cost of obliterating the non-psyker Thousand Sons into dust sealed within their power armor. When Magnus angrily confronted Ahriman over the Rubric, Tzeentch stopped him from killing him, as it turned out it was another one of his schemes. Magnus, used by the Emperor, used by Tzeentch, was now confronted with the ultimate refutation, just like Mortarion. He wasn’t as smart as he thought, he couldn’t see the Emperor’s plan, he couldn’t see Tzeentch’s manipulations that led him to become a Daemon, and he couldn’t even stop Tzeentch from using the Rubric. Magnus, confronted with the reality of his hubris, and left speechless.

Of course, that was not the whole of Magnus. Notably, one shard of Magnus’s drive to serve the Imperium would be fused to Revuel to become Janus, and other shards would be subsumed by the new persona of Magnus, the Crimson King. The only other shard of note would be “Magnus,” the father of his sons. Now, this is most interesting, as “Magnus” had a plan for Ahriman to use the Rubric, fail, have him build a new Rubric with more knowledge, and this would fix the Flesh Change and allow Magnus to become whole once more, with “Magnus” at the head of the fragments. In this, “Magnus” still exhibits his notable pride, and the Rubric is pretty awful stuff (though the Flesh Change is no picnic either, and it has stabilized and freed the Thousand Sons from Tzeentch though Ahriman just ended up serving him willingly anyway). The Crimson King though, through his own plans, would end up absorbing most of the other fragments and thus the plan would have resulted only in Magnus’s destruction. Ultimately, “Magnus” decided to cease to exist rather than be absorbed by the Crimson King. Magnus as he exists now is the Crimson King, the one who enthusiastically declared for Horus, the one who craves vengeance. He is Magnus without his nobler self, that Magnus chose to die rather than become the monster of his worse nature. The greatness in Magnus is long gone, only the Crimson King exists now.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King