#arkons thoughts

[everyfandomever]

am not having a good day

[asheepinhellsclothing]

Trading Favors

Continued from here with @singulos

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“I just have too many of these from my digging and expanding my cave. You can have more if you so wish.” Arkon set the gemstones into their makeshift pouch, not really understanding their excitement with the stones. He knew humans were also obsessive about it, but mostly for what they called merchants. Some sort of Mermaid variant?

Soris was quick to close his skirts around the gems, lest his new benefactor decide to rescind his offer. Greed was no his particular circle, but it was a tendency all imps carried. And it would be a shame for such beautiful things to sit under a rock forever.

His eyes light up as Arkon offered even more, ears swiveling forward. "Are you certain?" He asked in disbelief. "It almost doesn't seem fair..."

[hazard-15]

Ria and Leta are just precious whenever I see them. I just needed to tell ya. :)

I have a question for the two.

Do they ever wish they could go back and change their decisions?

@milolov3nutella Aaaaa Ria and Leta are gonna get all flustered with being called precious 🥺🥺🥺💖💖💖💖 But let’s answer that question shall we?

Now, this was a bit of a toughie only cuz I can see both girls having that mindset of it’s in the past and there’s not much they could do to change it. BUT! I do think there would be some choices they would probably do differently if they had the chance.

For Leta, I think one of the biggest decisions she would go back and change would be not trying her hardest to stay in touch with her sister, Mercy, as much. Mercy left her with their abusive father and Leta held a lot of resentment towards her for it. It wasn’t until they had a talk about it when she was older that both sisters shared their regrets and Mercy telling Leta that she was so sorry for not being a better sister to Leta that the latter let go of some of that resentment. Hoping that now they could be better and repair their sisterhood but ofc, we know that Mercy died not too long afterwards. Leaving Leta with so much guilt.

Ria, I think, would want to change her decision of not leaving her abusive father sooner. She'd also regret not having the confidence to confide in her brother as much as she should have.

[ranger-kellyn]

I feel you on the games. I haven't been able to play BOTW since AOC came out. The loneliness and the ruin and desolation just hit so much harder once I saw what Hyrule looked like when it was thriving. And now every time I see the last cutscene with the ghosts looking down on Link and Zelda and just vanishing before the two turned around to see them... I just get this awful ache in my chest.

genuinely, it's kind of incredible that basically just a spin-off/au game can add so much to the original game.

i just finished freeing ruta, and mipha's ghost was enough to make me feel the same way, so i can only imagine how i'm going to feel during that cutscene as well ;~;

i never played the original hyrule warriors but i really do believe age of calamity was a brilliant

[x-ref]

Uncanny X-Men Giant-Size Annual #9 by Chris Claremont and Art Adams.

Off to Asgard to save the New Mutants. I think these annuals were my first introduction to the New Mutants? My friend had a trade that collected all of the X-Men in Asgard stuff -- Alpha Flight, New Mutants, annuals, maybe something else. Proper summer reading.

Anyway, I've always found the secret identity stories to be frustrating -- and Rachel really suffers from keeping her past a secret from Cyclops. She doesn't want to hurt the guy but she also needs to let herself heal. At the same time -- c'mon, Scott. Figure it out. You've been wondering why Rachel is so interested in you -- and you know she's from a super-shitty future. Now she's dressed like Phoenix and told you to mind your own business? Aren't you the guy with the magic space pirate for a dad? Weird shit happens. C'mon.

And Kitty, "Oh Ray, why are you making Scott feel bad about his dead girlfriend in front of his pregnant wife?" One thing I always liked about Kitty, though, is she's allowed to have bad/naive takes because she often learns from them and changes her opinion -- like with accepting Storm's changes. Punk rock storm was a protective shell Ororo created when she lost her powers to help feel safe, which Kitty eventually understood. Is Rachel trying to hurt Scott? It's not about Scott!

But also, poor Maddie. "Why all of a sudden am I so afraid I'll never see him... we'll never be happy together ever again?!" Because, yeah.

I feel like this was when Claremont was trying to show that Cyclops could retire and return when needed -- but the strain of it on his family would be an interesting dynamic and not a precursor to Scott becoming an asshole. There's not much he's doing right at the moment, and it was a difficult era to like the guy.

I love how on this page almost everyone gets either a thought bubble or a speech bubble to mutter aloud about how everybody is bringing in too much drama. Meanwhile, the current team leader Nightcrawler is making himself almost invisible in contrast to Scott who just assumes leadership. I love the shifting leadership during this era where everybody gets a shot and kinda fucks it up.

The callback to Arkon's arrows is a deep cut from annual #3. I guess at some point Arkon (I've read that annual and I also don't know who Arkon is) instructed Scott how to use the arrows to visit Asgard. Reasonable.

[kimberlyannharts]

misc thoughts on Issue #110 -

= My overall thoughts on this issue are basically the same as ML had in his review - the entire thing is clearly trying to show off how big things have gotten and how dire the stakes are already, but all together it just feels like padding so Dark Specter arriving can be the big last-page cliffhanger. And considering it's still mostly just fighting, with most of the character stuff going to Grace and Rita, there's not much else to say about it

= We got the first of Aisha's "here's a detail of my life that we won't elaborate on but we'll just throw in to justify my role here" bits when she brings up her parents fighting at home to break up Tommy and Kim before they get into another argument. It just hurts more knowing the main series is about to end and this is all Aisha, Rocky, and Adam will end up getting; especially when this issue really focuses more on the Omegas and Grace and how M*tt has ~such a good heart~ and ~he'll feel sooooooooooooooo bad about what he's done~

= speaking of "what he's done" it really is unclear if Grace died or not. I know she'll be confirmed dead in the next issue but the ambiguity here hurts the reveal. Especially when I don't even know.....why M*tt killed her

= This is where Death Ranger and Dayne first show up and yeah, not much to say about it. They joined Rita out of self-preservation and the benefits (like Spa'ark getting their body back.) Also Wild Force. I guess them being here is supposed to be the foreshadowing of how Rangers will be turning evil this event and Taylor will be a major character but like.......where we are now, Taylor will end up being the weakest of the major characters kjjdk

= And hey, Arkon DID show up to fight with his big suit of armor! So where did he go after this

= Serpentera Megazord (or whatever they call it, it just kind of shows up here with no introduction)'s design is bad, as we've said many times

[bookishtheaterlover7]

Random Realization and thought...

So, I've been rewatching the X-Men 97 series(felt like it😆), and I realized a few things now that I'm older...

Wolverine is awesome! - he's got lots of issues to work through but he cares for the X-Men, and not just himself. (Several episodes can attest to that. And here's to hoping they won't change that when the series revival comes🥂)

Cyclops and Jean are goals - come on! Are y'all gonna dispute that? And I honestly cannot imagine Emma being the side-chic, to that power couple (y'all can explain to me how that happened 😅)

By Season 2, there is a slight change in art style, but the stories are just as awesome

Jubilee is definitely a kid with a big heart - girl wants to be included, do some action, fix broken relationships... I can go on🥹

Gambit and Rogue are also one of the best pairings - she loves him but hates him, he loves her, and that's why he riles her up on purpose, and enjoys it like the little shit he is. Why didn't I notice that when I was younger?!😅 (And she takes his name in an episode in Season 5 when undercover to protect a young mutant in a small town🫶)

Beast deserves to be with his family, and Carly😭😭😭😭😭 'nough said...

And other Marvel characters really do make cameos in this series

X-Women are badass😍 - some of my fave superheroines growing up

But what is with them somehow getting manipulated by red flags🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 - I ain't kidding! Let me list:

Jean = Jason Wyngarde (I get that he manipulated Jean's mind to get to Phoenix, point is dude "married" Jean and used basically mind control on her)

Rogue = Cody (he was shit, and the definition of young love)

Storm = Arkon (right now, he's definitely a red flag when he first meets Storm. And his overly dramatic way of speaking makes me go🤢)

I need to see Storm meet T'Challa and rule Wakanda, even for a few episodes 🥺- I've wanted to know since I found out she married and divorced our King, plus being queen suits Storm

Well, I've nerdily ranted, and I feel much better 😁 and as usual happy to discuss more and basically nerd/geek hangout with y'all. I may have more, when I do, I might make another post. Let me know if I should make this a recurring thing😊

I honestly can't be the only one who adores X-Men 97 OG, right?😃

[positivelybeastly]

I understand if you don’t want to answer this question but I feel like you should just be truthful. Do you actually like Simon’s movies and shows?

Silence.

"Well, I - can't say that I thought the most highly of Beach Volleyball Bros Part II. If I'm being honest. And truthful. The, ahm, action scenes, were quite, quite good. Quite good. But the plot was. Lacking. And the characterisation was . . . thin."

Hank tugs nervously at his chin fur, looking towards the doors to the bedroom, bedroom and office, just waiting for them to lurch open.

"He was very good in Arkon IV: The Goblin Pit! The way the VFX artists touched up the ionic effect around his eyes to make him look like he had flames billowing out of his eye sockets was amazing, and his performance was good! It was genuinely good!"

Think, Hank, think - !

"Return of the Living Colossus! That was a great flick! Simon's always been great at the action hero with pathos, he's got that 90s Brendan Fraser sort of thing going for him - when he can shake the accent, of course, the whole Transatlantic thing, that holds him back something fierce."

"Tombstone Terminator! That one's a real - !" He stops. Actually. Uhh. "Corker."

Maybe not that one.

". . . Look. I'm . . . going to level with you. Simon's - not the greatest actor in the world. All right? And he picks . . . strange projects. Bad projects a lot of the time. But he . . . he likes it. He enjoys it. It's something that has nothing to do with anything else in his life. It's something normal, and . . . speaking as someone who's struggled with normal in the past, it almost doesn't matter if you're good at being normal, sometimes all that matters is that you try. So, it doesn't really matter if the projects are good. He likes doing them, so I like them."

Hank leans back and thinks for a moment.

". . . I really wanted to see him do Macbeth. You know? He was so excited. I saw him film some of it, and it was. It was going to be really good. He would have killed that role."

"Hopefully he gets another chance."

[tyanis]

Shared voice actors between Resident Evil and X-Men: The Animated Series.

So, something I used to do ages ago was look up voice actors for my favorite games or animated shows to see who else they voiced. Mostly just out of curiosity and also to look smart in front of my friends.

Anyway, something I noticed back then was some of the OG Resident Evil voice actors also were a part of the X-Men: The Animated Series cast.

Having recently remembered this, I thought I'd share. So let's get started! Also, these are in no particular order.

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Catherine Disher

That's right! The voice actress for OG re3's Jill freakin' Valentine also played Jean freakin' Grey!

...also Dazzler lol.

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2. Alyson Court

We all know and love Alyson. Hell, she's played most versions of Claire Redfield. And yeah, she was Jubilee (depicted here in a very blurry screen shot).

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3. Paul Haddad

Leon Kennedy and Quicksilver (also played by Adrian Egan) looking disapprovingly at Arkon. He knows what he did.

Not gonna lie guys... I still get teary-eyed whenever I see a picture of Paul. He seemed like such a sweetheart and he left us way too soon. In fact, while doing research for this I found out that he and I share a birthday. And uh yeah... I fucking cried.

Rest in peace man.

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4. Rod Wilson

The voice of Ben Bertolucci also voiced Gorgeous George and Longshot (who looks like he's about to have a very bad time in front of a brick wall. Pretty on brand for Bertolucci lol).

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5. Jennifer Dale

Annette Birkin and Mystique ready to shoot a bitch. Also this is Mystique from season three and on as she was played by Randall Carpenter for the first two seasons.

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Welp, that's all the ones I know of. If I missed any or got anything wrong please let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Also, I'm expecting a lot of crossover fan fics and fan art from you guys now so... get to it. <3

[becrystalamazed]

Incoherent Cybele Thoughts

Thinking about Mission: 2110 again. Mainly about the multi-identitied entity that is Laura Gant/Cybele/Neuros. Cybele in particular, because I can never figure her out.

Is she a good mum? A bad one? Is she a wise mentor or the secret villian of the piece? Is she complex or is she inconsistantly written?

It's hard to tell. All the promotional material, press releases etc, make it seem like she should be sympathetic, a victim and a definite Good Guy. Yet her actions in the show just make her seem manipulative nearly to the point of villainy.

She withholds crutial information from Caleb, claiming she doesn't have all the answers, when she clearly does, as she has them later on. She lies to Caleb, such as when she told him his mother was killed by the Roboidz, which is only really partially true. Yes, the body died when the Roboidz took her brain, but her brain survived. I also think the virus did most of the leg work, and even then she, Cybele, still exists. So can you say Laura Gant is dead? What's more, when he finds out information by himself, she sounds borderline angry, my main case being 'How do you know about Neuros' (especially when she earlier claimed not to know what Neuros was) .

And when she does tell the truth and reveal she's his mother, it's only to distract him when he starts to question the extend to what she'd sacrifice to save humanity (Yes, as many recruits as it takes, but also him? The last (known) human? I'm chalking that down to a plot hole) .

But, she is helpful. Her advice is sound, even when her decisions are not (e.g. not telling Caleb about Neuros, not telling Caleb about Arkon until he's a threat, and specifically not telling him Neuros is his mother, leaving him to find out from Neuros herself at the critical point in the fight, shortly before he has to kill her. Because that was always going to go well(!)). And while her methods of keeping him focused aren't always the most ethical (see telling-him-his-mother-was-killed-by-the-roboidz above) they are effective and they are needed. The wording Angel's transmissions indicate they were obviously broadcasted at the beginning of the Roboidz rebellion, and therefore was definitely a trap from Nueros, and Cybele was right to disuade to him from chasing them. And I do think that she must genuinely love Caleb.

All together, it's hard to balance. A character that is both helpful and illogically withholds helpful information. A character that loves her son, yet is harsh on him, manipulates him and uses his amnesia to save herself from the emotional consequences of her actions. A character who wants the desruction of the roboidz, and takes steps that both aid the cause, as well as hindering it. Maybe she's just human with all the contradictions that come with it.

You know what would make this easier? If I could remember anything important from the Cycon Archives. Curse child me for being a child and having a child’s memory, and also being bad at video games and therefore unable to progress past the first few levels and gain access to any important lore!

I think, if I had to make a judgement, I would say her crimes outweigh her virtues. But I don't have to, and I'm trying to avoid my patterns of black-and-white thinking, so let's leave it here.

There were rumours that a series 3 was planned at some point. Part of me doubts it, due to the fact that recruits would no longer be from 100 years in the past. Unless they planned to rename it Mission: 2111. And nobody ever confirmed those rumours. But another part of me feels like there had to have been a third series planned, both because the ending was left open to the potential of another series, and because I didn't like the ending we got. It wasn't narratively satisfying as Caleb is still the last human, as far as we know, meaning humanity waasn't really saved. And it wasn't emotionally satisfying, as Caleb never gets the oppertunity to process and come to terms with killing his mother, his mother trying to kill him and the fact the other half of his mother lied to him about everything.

I think if I could have told the story of Mission: 2110, I would have told it in three parts. And I would have made Cybele a villain. A twist villain. Series one would have been the recruits verses Arkon, with the ending revealing to the Caleb the existance of Neuros (although the mysteries of N lab could still be mentioned, and the end credits would still have her, as a form of clumsy foreshadowing). Then series two would be against Neuros as normal, with the ending being the same as the one we had, but with on extra scene: Caleb confronting Cybele about her lies. And this would go one of two ways: Firstly, she reveals that she only wanted Neuros out the way so she could take control of the Roboidz all along. This would require some character tweaking, and is kinda cliché.

Alternatively, Caleb would say that he’s had enough, and he’s going to leave Futuregate, and her, to search for the rest of humanity. Maybe he’ll return maybe he won’t. The idea of Caleb leaving her causes Cybele to snap, and she seizes control of the Roboidz, this time to force Caleb to stay with her on Futuregate to fight them. This feels a lot more in character. After all, she’s gone to desperate measures to keep her child with her before, and certainly in unhealthy ways. I really want to play into her manipulative side. Maybe she reveals this in the series 2 finale, maybe the audience knows but Caleb doesn’t find out until halfway through series 3. That could be fun.

But regardless, the series ends with Cybele being shut down, at which point Caleb is bombarded with broadcasts from members of the resistance. It’s revealed that they have been trying to contact him the whole time but Cybele was blocking them, at first to keep him focused, but over the course of series two, it changed to stop him leaving and keep him dependent on her. Anyway, my point is actually there is humanity out there, all over the world. They’ve been listening and cheering him on the whole time. And he’s saved them! Happy(er), and complete ending.

I don’t know, I still don’t really know what to think, I just really struggle to see Cybele as a Good Guy, I guess. If you have any ideas share them, and do you like my version of the story?

[darka-art]

Kabal of the Blood Diamonds- Act ch1

The Kabal of blood Diamond : Act 1

The Gladiator from DownWegg.

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Note: Plz note that I havn't planed to publish the full story, but I plan to write at last 3-5 chapter. If people seems interested enought, I may end up continuting at last the full arc.

The Kabal of blood Diamond : Act 1

The Gladiator from DownWegg.

���⁚⁛PLZ BEWARE : The fic contains gore, killing in very crude way, swore and sexuall theme. It is not a lecture for younger viewer and I recommend that you perhaps should read something els if these theme make you uncomfortable.⁛ ⁚ •

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The loft that had been given to the Scourge and her team was pathetically colored. The ceiling was relatively low, and none of the furniture were made of human leather, but of dark metal. Although luxurious, the apartment was too dated. Shame in Cormmorragh. 

But oh well. El-Shay would go with it. And at least each member of her team had their own apartment, except Veex who insisted on staying in a room full of computers and strange devices that she didn't really understand. 

Evra and her husband Haemonculi, Berbeduale, had built a little corner near the Torture wing. As usual, Berbedual was well organized and had already installed his surgical instruments in the room. 

Savyle was a slightly messier young assassin. No sooner had she settled into the room near Veex that she had already transformed the place into a barracks filled with weapons and armor that covered the floor. She was a somewhat chaotic young woman, but she shouldn't be underestimated.

And El-Shay was there, in the big room far back, where even those big windows seemed closed away from the rest of the world. 

It was perfect like that. She liked to have a quiet room away from the others where she could watch them. She had been Arkon of the prestigious Blood Diamond Kabal for years. She knew very well that anyone could become… Jealous. 

However this time the jealousy came from outside. Indeed, dozens of her precious cargo ships that made the glory of her Kabal had been attacked or simply disappeared overnight, and it had started to titillate the Scourge’s business. 

After an investigation led by his right hand, Evra, the face of the prime suspect had finally come to light: Evisive Lekk. An arena master renowned for his gladiator slaves and lavish parties that entertained the great Elites of the Dark city. 

And that's where she was. 

In a building attached to the home of this great arena master, quietly setting up this little spy mission with his 4 henchmen on the bus quietly showing this bastard that he shouldn't have attacked the Kabal blood diamonds. The Scourge was so close to its prey.

On the other hand, she still had to be patient: Murdering such a popular Noble would have to require a lot of discretion so as not to attract too much attention. Commorragh was merciless. 

Before she could gut that idiot, she had to wait a bit and used a lot of manipulation skills. 

But it was fine. 

She was very good at playing blood chess. 

Suddenly, someone knocked on her bedroom door, snapping her out of her conspiratorial thoughts. 

"It's Evra, may I come in ma'am?" I have heard from our contact.” 

Oh. That, she hoped, was good news.

 " Yes. The Scourge replied. 

Evra entered with her beautiful pale blue hair. His long bat wings were still quite straight. Her round porcelain face still gave her an innocent look, but El-Shay knew her too well to let that fool her. 

Evra was patient and smart. That's why she made the Scourge her right hand. 

The blue-haired Scourge walked over to her mistress and sat down on a chair she had provided for her. 

"Lerro arrived a little early and therefore decided to go and have fun in a bar with two or three newly acquired slaves..." 

And shit. This Reaver was an excellent hunter of information, but he could never help wasting his time in glasses and blade competitions. 

The Arkon sighed and clenched her iron claws.

Her black wings had tensed. 

“I am surrounded by fools. When's that paunchy idiot bringing his butt here? » 

Eve sighed. " Tomorrow morning. If you want my opinion, maybe around noon if he doesn't have too many injuries. And I have a very bad feeling about all this." 

She always shay that, but this time, El-shay shared her feelings.

El-Shay got up fiercely from his chair to serve a drink on one of the cabinets in front of his bed. She opened a bottle filled with red liquid then filled her glass. 

"If he doesn't hurry up, I'm the one who will hurt him. She said, drinking the red liquid in her glass.

___________

Lerro had just finished half his bottle. He already didn't remember when he walked into that bar. The smell of narcotics didn't help. He just remembered that he had sold one of his slaves. It was... What was it called, the all blue? Ah! Yes, a T'au. This one had allowed him to enter this chic little club. 

Small was maybe a little weak as words: In the background there stood three Reaver who had fun ripping off a human's finger with a knife, in the center a player was playing his instrument made of human organ and Eldar and at the bar, of the Succubi spoke of their murderous exploit on civilians whom they had killed while they slept. 

His last slave was a young human also with him at the counter. He was shaking. 

The pale, thin face turned towards his master. He looked at him with his big brown eyes which were already beginning to lose their colors. 

The human was terrified. Lerro turned his eyes slightly toward his slaves. He smirked.

 "And why would I do that, Mon-kheig?" he said in an amused tone. 

"Please... I have two children waiting for me... Please, I'm afraid for them and..." 

"Oh, but it's true that it's all very sad." he said, slowly approaching the chained human. 

"...too bad I don't give a fuck." 

He took the bottle and smashed it in his slave's face. This one fell on the ground and this mis wept. The Blood Diamond spy couldn't help but laugh a good laugh. 

The Waitress didn't seem to have so much fun. 

“I hope you will pay for the bottle. By the way, you still haven't paid for the two bottles... I have an idea: pay now as well as the bottle you just broke, and you can order a new bottle. » 

"Oh LADY, give another bottle for an old mercenary..." 

She held up a bottle. She shook it like a toy you shake in front of a baby. He raised a hand to grab the bottle, but the waitress lifted it higher so he couldn't reach it. 

She looked at him with a big smile on her lips. 

“He, he, he, pay first!” She said with a wavering voice. 

Lerro looked at her darkly. Nobody had the right to make fun of him like that. 

He stood up looking her straight in the eyes. 

He took the chair where his slave was sitting. Lerro tried to hit the waitress with it, but she dodged the chair which instead hit the back of one of the Succubi. The victim of the chair fell to the ground and her friends were obviously unhappy that their discussions were uninterrupted. 

They threw themselves at him, and by reflex, he used his slave as a shield of flesh. 

The warriors threw themselves on the slave, and with their sharp knives, covered him with wounds and cut off his limbs while he was still breathing. The poor human was only the first victim of the decadence that continues in this small bar. 

The three Reavers who were in the background had rushed to the center and fought with the crowd, the player who just a moment earlier had been playing on top of everyone, was now on the ground, a knife in his throat. 

The Succubis were fighting against one of the bar waiters. 

Three Kabalists had entered armed with their guns to participate in the bloodbath and the manager of the bar sent his henchmen to try to regain control of his establishment. 

Lerro came out behind an overturned table, crawling. He was only a short walk from the exit. 

But he just had to wait for one of the Kabalists to walk away. 

Whoever was blocking his exit fired a few shots. 

The warrior turned his head slightly in the direction of where Lerro was hiding. The Blood Diamonds spy stayed hidden, hoping not to be seen. 

The Kabalist remained motionless, then headed into the center to find a new victim. This was the moment Lerro had been waiting for. 

He then crawled. 

A freshly severed hand fell on his face. He almost screamed in surprise, but he restrained himself. He was too close to fail. 

He was only a few centimeters away… and YES! He successfully passed through the exit door and finally came out alive. 

He turned his head to see the bar which was now chaotic, and gave a good laugh. 

As he turned to run, his smile disappeared: The waitress at the table stood in front of him, a gun in her hand. 

She smiled and then exclaimed, "It's time to pay your debts." Then she pulled the trigger. 

And just like that, the Kabal of the Blood Diamonds lost Lerro as well as the valuable information he held.

_______

⛔

© 2022warhammer 40000K belong to Game Workshop

Characters belong to me and @rowscara

[everyfandomever]

do you ever find some so unnerving that it makes you think yourself out of doing something

[augment-techs]

Canvas Dyed in Colour for the Title.

Title: Canvas Dyed in Colour Rating: M Relationships: Billy Cranston/Eugene Skullovitch; Jason Lee Scott/Farkas Bulkmeier/Tommy Oliver/Kimberly Hart; Characters: Billy Cranston; Eugene Skullovitch; Jason Scott; Farkas Bulkmeier; Tommy Oliver; Kimberly Hart; Kevor Vrin; Arkon; Kiya; Zhane; Andros; etc. Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmate AU; Future Fic; Intergalactic Travel; Once Bitten, Twice Shy; Hurt/Comfort; Billy Cranston Needs a Hug; Eugene Skullovitch Needs a Hug. Summary: Here's the thing that most people don't ever think could happen among Power Rangers: maintaining the Power for longer than five years, and finding love with "civilians".

When Billy was given the opportunity to still work for Promethea while traveling as an envoy to other planets and maintain his status as a Blue Ranger, he jumped at the chance and barely took more than a moment to set up a line of communication so he could still speak with his parents. And then he left Earth and didn't step foot on it again, only really speaking with his Ranger friends and his parents through video chat, for more than eight years. By the time he even thought about the kind of damage that could do to other people in his life, he was visiting Safehaven as a layover before heading to Earth for a sabbatical and found himself amongst Tommy, Jason, and Kim, having set up house at Eternity Point...with a pair of unexpected faces. Apparently the Power had introduced them to the fact that Soulmates were more than just a fantasy amongst other worlds. Once touched by the Power, even for just a moment, it does not forget and does its very best to get its people to where they need to be. Which seemed to mean that when Bulk left for Mirinoi, the Power was EXTREMELY irritated and started bugging his three soulmates with his Color. Splashing their world in flashes and brushes of Purple where it wasn't meant to be; and helping Bulk get into construction on the new planet, which got him in contact with the Astro Rangers, which got him pinging around the galaxy until he ended up on Safehaven at the same time the Red, White, and Pink Rangers were. Just in time for all of them to see Bulk without a shirt on his break after bricklaying for a large chunk of the day. This little stroll down memory lane for the Rangers actually nagged at the back of Billy's mind, reminding him of times he was on another planet and his vision was suddenly struck with every shade of Orange imaginable, or he was hearing music in his head that was nowhere to be found in his waking life. So, imagine his great surprise when Arkon took him to speak with the younger inhabitants of the planet, once refugees now on their way to becoming Rangers in their own right once they were a little more up-to-date on other cultures and manners and honing their abilities: he should be introduced by the Kestrel to their Professor of Humanities. And there was Skull, looking much more adult than Billy ever thought he could, while also looking like a washed out husk at half the weight Billy remembered him with and grey in his hair. AND THEY WEREN'T EVEN THIRTY YET. The Power was apparently pissed at one of them, there was just no way of telling whom...unless Billy stuck around.

[asknarashikari]

Aruto: *Busy worshipping his lover's birthday-suited, muscular, restrained, and blindfolded form without a care of the world*

Yaiba: at the floor below dissuading anyone outside of Hiden Intelligence who would try to enter the top floor for business

Yaiba: sees Amatsu

Amatsu: Is Hiden upstairs?

Yaiba: He is.

Amatsu: Where are the people who are supposed to be here?

Yaiba: Shesta sent them on an errand.

Yaiba: Shachou is upstairs, go on.

----later----

Yaiba: How was the view?

Amatsu: You knew.

Yaiba: I thought your brain worked at 1000%?

Yaiba: it was easy to figure out too.

Yaiba: You've known of this system

Amatsu: and the board is okay with this?

Yaiba: We are talking about the boy you ruined, destroyed, sabotaged.

Yaiba: He lost almost everything because of you.

Amatsu: They're afraid he'd go Ark One on them, aren't they.

Yaiba: Which was also thanks to you.

Yaiba: The Ark shouldnt had that much influence on him, even if Azu looked at lot like Izu.

Yaiba: things started because of the metal cluster hopper you forced on him.

Yaiba: In any case, Fuwa makes him happy, and no one wants a repeat of ArkOne.

Yaiba: we'll call you once they're done with their business.

Yaiba: But no

Yaiba: They're completely onboard with this.

Yaiba: THey know if they have urgent concerns, that Shachou would drop everything.

Amatsu: And Izu's the one judging the level of urgency each concern has.

Yaiba: Maybe.

Yaiba: I could also be lying.

Amatsu: Wha-

Yaiba: Figure it out with your 1000% brain

Sucks to be him I guess :P Go die in a ditch

[squireofgeekdom]

Me? Crying specifically at the presence and impact of a single D20 as a continuing thread over years of character’s lives as it connects to their identity and relationships? Yes. The Spider-Gwen creative team was on another level, and the ‘one last roll’ moment in issue 20 owns my whole heart. (You can see little bits of the dialogue leading up to it if you squint really hard at Harry and Gwen’s notebooks.) Eternally emotional about the Earth 65 DnD nerds trio. 

The full view of Harry’s phone background, plus commentary, under the cut

Based on the heartbreaking glimpse we see of what is still Harry’s phone background while he’s on the run in Spider-Gwen issue 20 

he loves them so much no one touch me 

Other miscellaneous details: We see a gold D20 fall out of Gwen’s hand (landing on a 2, as I have it here) when Harry unmasks her as Spider-Woman back in vol 1, so I put the gold set of ttrpg dice as hers. We see Harry scrabbling to find an orange D20 when he’s on the run in issue 20 (vol 4), so he has an orange set of dice. I used hints of gold and orange throughout for their respective characters and notebooks. A very minor but intentional detail, the dice have rolled or have visible a lot of twos and threes, since this is a trio that ends up as two.

The figurine offscreen to the left is the Green Goblin figurine for the character Peter initially wanted Harry to play as, playing on/reclaiming the rude nickname kids called Harry, and what Peter thought was ‘cooler’ than the ‘generic hero’ Harry wanted to play - and ended up claiming - ‘Arkon, Thunder King of Polemechus’, who is the figurine Harry actually has on the board. He and Gwen’s character are facing off against a group of shadowy menacing figures surrounding them - as they are in issue 20 - led by a distant rooftop figure all in red - much like the Earth 65 Kingpin at the time. 

I didn’t have much to go on with regards to what kind of character Gwen would play, so I left most of the design vague, covered with a cloak and with her back to the viewer - though there’s a little nod to the Spider-Gwen look with the blue on the soles of her shoes, which also matches Harry’s character’s shield. I’m assuming both Peter and Gwen would have some input into the design, so I went with a magic using character - thus the little glowy flame in the figurine’s hand - who could do fun things and have fun with her powers. Thinking about Peter’s influence, how he pitched the ‘Green Goblin’ struggling with a curse as something cooler than a generic hero, and the way he speculates about Spider-Woman’s superheroing having strong Batman vibes (batarang equivalents, a butler driving her around, etc) I figured he’d go for something that’s a little bit on the darker side, and has some inherent struggle or curse built in, so I pictured her playing some sort of warlock, where there may be some sort of conflict with the nature or desires of her patron or of other groups or interests serving or influencing her patron - having a dangerous patron she’s in conflict with, of course, nicely paralleling where Spider-Gwen is by issue 20. It’s so tiny I doubt anyone can see it, but there’s a bit of bright green at the veeery bottom edge of Gwen’s character’s glowy flame, that matches the very small green glow around the orb in the shadowy figure in red’s hand, just a subtle note that her magic might be linked with the mastermind antagonist, in the way that her power-ups were being controlled at this time.

Oh, and it’s very silly, but the time on Harry’s phone is 6:53 pm because they’re on Earth 65. *fingerguns*

[chloristoflora]

The process of bidding farewell to the Narcheska's father proceeded grudgingly after that. The formal farewells involved the Hetgurd men, Chade, the Prince, Peottre, and the Narcheska. The rest of us were left standing as informal witnesses. Thick was wandering idly about on the beach, overturning rocks and poking at the tiny crabs he disturbed there. I pretended to be maneuvering to keep an eye on him as I edged closer and closer to the Fool. He appeared to be aware of my efforts, for he walked a little apart from Swift and Cockle. When I stood within hearing distance of a soft word, I said quietly, "So. Despite all my efforts, you contrived to get here. How did you do it?"

Although we are of a height, he still somehow managed to look down coolly on me. There was stillness in his face that bespoke a great anger. I thought he was not going to speak to me. Then, "I flew," he said coldly. He stood, not looking at me, breathing quietly. I felt somewhat encouraged that he had not stalked away but wondered if that was merely because he did not wish to call attention to our speaking. I ignored his mockery of my question.

"How can you be angry at me? You know why I did it. You said that if you came here you would die here. So I arranged that you would not come here."

For a time, he was silent. We both watched Arkon Bloodblade pushed off in a small boat. Two of his Boar warriors took the oars and leaned into them heartily. Their expressions proclaimed that they were happy to be leaving this island. The Fool gave me a sideways glance. His eyes had darkened to the color of strong tea in a glass. Clean of powder and paint, his face was a smooth golden brown. "You should have respected that I knew what I had to do," he rebuked me.

"If you knew that I was going to my death, would not you try to stop me?"

It was the wrong question to ask him, and I knew that almost as soon as I had asked it. He stared out at the ship in the harbor where sailors labored with the anchor chain and the sails and spoke in a low voice, his lips scarcely moving. "On the contrary. Many times I have known that faith or your own stubbornness would endanger your life, but I have always respected your decisions to do so."

Then he turned and walked slowly away from me. Swift sent me an odd glance, then hurried off to follow him. I noticed Civil looking after them with an expression of distaste. I heard the crunch of footsteps on beach gravel, and turned to find Web approaching me. It was hard for me to meet his eyes. I still felt oddly guilty, as if I had insulted him by refusing his offer of lessons. If he felt anything of the kind, he concealed it well. He gestured after the Fool and Swift with his chin. "You know him, don't you?"

"Of course." The question surprised me. "He's Lord Golden, from Buckkeep. Didn't you recognize him?"

"No, I didn't. Not at first. It wasn't until Lord Chade called him ��Lord Golden' that I perceived any similarity. But even when I was told his name, I felt that I did not truly know him at all. Yet I think that you do. He is an odd creature. Can you sense him?"

I knew what he meant. The Fool had never left any impression on my Wit-sense. "No. And he has no scent."

"Ah." That was all he said, but I suspected that I had given him much to ponder.

Fool's Fate, by Robin Hobb (Tawny Man Trilogy #3)