#flesh requiem

[onlyhurtforaminute]

PAGANIZER-FLESH REQUIEM

[batravatra]

I Love You...

Decided to draw the final moments of J with Tessa from the final chapter of pocketknife's (@nuzipilled) Requiem

Had to re-read the chapter several times for this. Yup, it fucked me up just as much the second and third times as the first time; was a mess for a while

[upsidedownsmore]

Tonatiuh Requiem

I made this Styanax drawing for a contest being ran by @medusacaptures for her 2nd Warframe creator program anniversary!! You can find the link to her post about it here! (though it's ending in like 7 hours as of writing this, oops lol)

You might also perhaps recognize the eyestrain colors from a certain Tennotober piece... :)

(...i was running out of time lmao)

Alternate colors:

Timelapse:

Kind of an unhinged one tbh lol, had a lot of struggles with the initial rough sketches as I tried to figure out what I even wanted this drawing to be. One of the recurring ideas was with something relating the parazon with Requiem mods with Styanax Tonatiuh, but it just felt like too big of a stretch and I couldn't figure out the posing fast enough

WIPs and grayscaled alts below the cut!

god he's so hot

[dreadbornesaint]

Character & verses (2/2)

[amiinkles]

Grief

Alt version below cut

Ok yeah I'm thinking about minos lore again...

Listening to the requiem leitmotif makes me so sad for him everytime...I can just imagine him crying in the flesh prison while knowing that his own corpse is dismantling the very thing he built and treasured, the people he loved too much

My own sort of hc for him as that he weeps a lot after dying by Gabriel's hands, not from being stuck in a prison or dying a painful and unjust death, but because he is imagining how much his people are suffering

In a way I kind of see a bit of a link with the God in Ultrakill, forever haunted by what they have done to their 'children'

But idk maybe I'm just talking out of my ass here lol I just really love adding my own interpretations and such to existing lore, and Ultrakill lore also pokes at my religious trauma a bit

I hope you like my rambling cuz there's gonna be a lot more coming..,.

[creatimations]

Hazbin x Owl House AU!

Tap for better resolution :)

Not sure what to call it but for some reason I love this idea! I only have a few sketches so far for Alastor but I thought I'd share a few rough ideas!

I like the idea of Alastor taking in a 12 year old Charlie who ran away from home. She gives off such Luz energy! Alastor, well.. he takes her in tootally not to further his private agenda an for leverage!

Tap for more doodles and ideas!

In this AU, Alastor is, of course, Eda.

The curse shifts him into a wendigo, and he makes his own elixirs and potions to keep it at bay. He also uses his powers to offer deals and 'favours' for his benefit, siphoning other's magic to replenish his quickly dwindling powers. The main person he uses is, of course, Husk, an ex-coven head.

He mainly uses illusions and potions magic, which are.. less than savoury, and very much banned, and illegal. Rituals that require witch's flesh and bones to perform. Nowadays due to his paranoia and fear of using too much of his magic, he robs graveyards instead of killing them himself.

Loves the radios and other pieces of old timey tech he finds in the human world.

Silly doodle of that one scene in Eda's requiem. Rosie is DEFINITELY Raine, and they both well.. grew apart, after he lashed out and pushed her away.. she's the head of the plant coven, specialising in poisons.

However, while she doesn't agree with covers, she's taken a... sneakier approach to gain her leverage and power. Though much like Alastor, 'saving' or destroying covens is not something that interests her unless it affects her personality.

I have a lot of ideas, doodles, comics and a story, if you guys are interested in something like that, please let me know! Also, I don't have a NAME for this idea so any recommendations would be welcome!

[deus-and-the-machina]

I miss...giorno giovanna.

im thinking a lot about his complex role as a healer. his stand isn't meant to heal, he essentially brute forces it, which fits for the kind of person he is vs Josuke. furthermore, giorno is very self sacrificing in a very literal sense. he loses multiple body parts over the course of part 5 and just has to remake them. there's a ship of Theseus paradox here though I dont think THAT much of him was remade.

after the white album fight, mista tells him that their victory will be all of them surviving together as giorno once again tries to sacrifice himself. he takes this to heart, but soon afterwards its proven that this cannot always happen. His healing isn't enough. he can only give Bruno a little more time. and his reaction when bruno tells him this says everything.

Keeping everyone alive is his role, and he spends the early days of the part being given shit for being a newcomer, so having a solidified sense of usefulness only to have it swiped away so quickly when his stand cannot save his comrades is rough.

golden experience requiem is interesting in this context because its main purpose is protecting him from any and all harm. giorno has again, spent the entire part going through jojo typical levels of body horror, gore, etc, with the added benefit that he can remake limbs and chunks of flesh so they can do a lot worse to the part 5 cast and have them live. so in one sense, GER is a reward of sorts. he endured all that and his reward is never getting hurt again.

But at the same time, it's cruel irony that even with one of the most powerful stands in the world, its capabilities are on protecting him and no other. im sure that his enhanced capabilities make it easier of course, but the idea that he could still be too late will forever remain. whug.

[yanderestarangel]

𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓!𝐁𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐗 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

TW: Sinful context, smut, masturbation, poetic language, angst, poem, priest!lbi han, corruption of values, unreliable narrator, cock warming, dom!reader, extreme worship, bi han's mind is distorted, nsfw, catholic context, inspired by edgar allan poe, angst.

Always following the heavenly orders, written by ancestral men, an ancient prayer said in choir. The collective echoed off the walls of the church Bi Han was accustomed to as a monotonous future and present written by the god he dedicated to his mortality.

But you were anything but ordinary.

For Bi Han, you were perfection, not even in sacred verses did he see such perfection, but not on a carnal level but, yes, in the soul, as if your soul called and cried out the submission of him, the priest without any error in years of priesthood , you made him question his faith in some divine being, an unreachable and implacable being or perhaps, you made him redirect his worship towards you.

The priest struggled with deeply buried desires.

His eyes, once pure, now lingered and yearned, while forbidden flames within him burned.

He was on his knees daily, his sore flesh was proof of Bi Han's failed attempt to divert the sensations of desire for you.

The weight of sin pressed against his chest, what was right or wrong?

Bi Han didn't know what words to say, a sigh and whisper was heard through the piercing stillness of the space once sacred to him, but now, there was no logic shelf.

The only god he wanted to worship was you.

Your eyes, your lips, your face, your body, every imperfection and perfection drawn on you, your mistakes, your sins...

He needed the worst thing he had in you.

With trembling hands, he clutched the rosary, seeking redemption for the sins that kept him captive, nebulous and vivid fantasies entered his mind, the bitter taste of a pleasure denied by ties he himself chose.

Fool, lost in vain.

He wanted you, he wanted to adore you more than he adored everything about the breath of life he had.

Like a glass house, about to break, this was the real Bi Han.

The vows he took, a solemn oath, now he threatened to collapse, because his spirit was torn apart, by the lust you awakened him, and he...

He just wanted to accept all of this.

Through the stained glass windows the moonlight streamed, Enlightening a soul in turmoil, it seemed.

The priest, torn between the call of pure requiem and earthly lust. He looked in the moonlight at the silver bath that entered the dark fortress that should be full, far from iniquity and lasciviousness.

But that was a counterpoint, an illusion.

Bi Han's hand guided itself to his own throbbing member, while he used his other hand to muffle the sounds from his mouth, all of them, coming out your name, like a prayer, a prayer he was used to directing to another lord, but now, his lord... It was you.

Throwing his head behind the messy linen sheets, his black cassock now open between his legs, he shed tears down his face, tracing painterly lines that could be read by someone as some kind of regret.

But not.

He had found his lord, something perfect.

𝐘𝐨𝐮.

The thick, pearly ropes shot out of his thick shaft, making him completely dirty as he fell to his knees, smiling, thinking about you.

If he believes in hope, Oh Lord, he well believes!

His source is most divine, most sacred, you.

He looked at your hands, he wanted to kneel and kiss your feet at that moment, grab your legs and never let you go, spread the veil of power that you had on your head, because the pleasure.

It's the most splendid thing you brought and the thought of serving you was much greater satisfaction than continuing that farce.

Bi Han was madman devoted, but it was for you.

Hands tangled in two sweaty bodies, sculpted by perhaps divine perfection.

He lowered himself to you, his priest's cassock, completely rumpled by your brutal and rough movements on Bi Han's poor hole, skin-to-skin sounds echoed with each passage of time.

𝐁𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐦𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞.

Bi Han's round, pale ass, now marked by your hands, was a worthy tomb.

"-Please, please my lord-"

As he always did on the nights he lamented about being a weak man, and taking pleasure in thinking about your body dominating him.

But there he was... A delicious sin, a sin of Eden.

There was no regret for him, you were everything he needed and if there was a divine being, a delicious chill, with each thrust stronger and stronger, given by you.

He dirty the church floor, the image reflected in the marble was of a submissive Bi Han and a mess, a angelic mess.

"-Don't stop, please, Oh Lord-" He screamed at you, his hands and legs sought some relief from the lack of support in your body, he reached release, staining both bodies moments after begging and worshiping you.

And it was, at your feet, the world, all luxury.

𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈. "𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐤, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧."

[sepublic]

TL;DR at the bottom... Even before the decision to include the Collector, I have to wonder if the writers always intended the backstory of a great war between the Titans and a group of celestial beings that descended from above, who smote each other and left only King behind as the survivor. The Season 1 finale alludes to other Titan corpses, with the Boiling Isles being the only fully intact one discovered; So there’s already that implicit question of What killed the Titans?

Likewise, there’s the angelic imagery surrounding Belos, that we also see introduced in S1. And while this could just be a reference to actual Christianity in-universe, I do recall speculating there having been a war between the Titans and divine beings from above during that time in response to this... Not to mention!

The Elsewhere and Elsewhen storyboards have Philip seeking a Song of Stars instead of the Collector, and we know there originally would’ve been three figures that cornered the Owl Beast in Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door’s storyboards. Sounds like...

I’ve speculated on these three as a motif since S1, with their first appearance being in Young Blood, Old Souls, where we first learned of the other Titans and their butchered state. Obviously, we must keep in mind that the crew changed the story after writing Eda’s Requiem, in response to the show’s shortening (this was told to them the week after Agony of a Witch aired, production takes a while), so K3oHD and EE’s storyboards may not mean much in regards to the pre-shortening plans.

But storyboards could’ve been written concurrently; They may have always intended an Angels vs Demons war between the Titans and visitors from the stars, that resulted in a mutual extinction. And the Collector and their backstory wasn’t totally made up in response to the shortening, either; Dana said they were a character concept the writers always wanted to explore.

So it could be that the shortening convinced the writers to make the Collector the face/representative of that extinct species, rather than a more conventional Archivist. And/or the Collectors would’ve remained purely posthumous characters in the backstory, the way Caleb and Evelyn are. The Collector was suggested as a kid of this celestial species to flesh them out, only to be truncated into just the trio; But with the shortening, the crew chose to actualize them as the lens through which we learn of their people’s genocide against the Titans, since they had so much fun with their concept.

Even before the show was shortened and the story changed, the writers might’ve always intended for the Titans to have been wiped out in a war against some celestial beings from space. They entertained the idea of a kid of that species, just as King is for the Titans; And when the shortening was announced in Summer 2020, Dana went F it and decided to elevate this cosmic child from the backstory and into the main story for our protagonists to actually deal with. Instead of an adult trio being this species’ representatives, the writers settled for the Collector.

Even if we didn’t get the Collector, that trio may have taken their place anyway. The background of their species’ genocide against the Titans would’ve remained; Philip’s plan would’ve been to use a leftover spell from that war, the Song of Stars, to enact a genocide upon witches as it was used for Titans (he may have mistaken the Collectors for literal angels whose mission he was finishing; Not unlike how he gets people to project divinity onto the Titan).

And since S1, he was always intended to be aware of and inspired by these celestial beings, who may have come in the form of a trio; Hence the Petrification statue, with the Owl Beast scroll as another hint. The curse is also red magic, which I compared to Belos’, and since he learned from the Collector...!

TL;DR I don’t think the Collector’s inclusion in the story changed it that much, since they’re just an extension of lore that was always planned, possibly filling a role originally intended for others of their kind anyhow; And it sounds as if Dana always considered the Collector, and thus might’ve gone through with them even if TOH hadn’t been shortened. Not that it really matters, because I find the Collector a legitimately compelling character in their own right, who in addition to their contributions to the themes, story, and other characters’ arcs, has justified their inclusion.

[sneakyfordethklok]

Toki Headcanons

Baby.. baby man baby...

He's 5'8", the second shortest in the band below Pickles.

Toki's weight fluctuates between about 170 and 180, depending on his eating habits and his health. Obviously he is very muscular, but he tends to slim down more unintentionally during the summer, when it's warmer and he feels like he has more time to workout.

He's about 25 now, though he was going on 17 when he joined Dethklok back in the day.

He doesn't exactly exercise a lot, but he definitely tries to. He works with weights sometimes, and counts his anxious rearranging of his room on occasion as a workout.

Charles had a home gymnasium, the size of their dining room, built in one of the wings of Mordhaus for Toki. Though, he really only uses the treadmill and some of the weight machines. He likes rowing.

His bunny tattos are shitty, faded stick-and-poke pieces Murderface and Pickles helped him with. He cried the first two times, but has been pretty strong since.

Aside from the two rabbit tattoos, he has an angel wings and halo piece on his other arm, and the Dethklok logo tattooed on his chest, right under his ribs.

His mustache grows from his top lip like catfish whiskers.

Toki doesn't wear them to concerts or most publicized events, but he likes to wear the featured hair clips and other accessories for his own tastes.

As part of that, he very much enjoys scenecore and early 2000s emo/scene fashion.

His English is noticeably and (arguably) significantly better than Skwisgaar, in large part due to him learning English at a younger age.

His back from between his shoulder blades to the small of his back, and to the edges of his shoulders are covered in welts. The edges are dark flesh-tone, some of the newer-ish ones being a shiny pink. Just the lightest touch will send Toki into a panic.

Generally, he responds negatively to criticism, loud noise (that he wasn't made privy to prior), or anything perceived as aggression. He cries and gets upset easily enough, something his band mates ridicule him for, but in turn he is also the most understanding, gentle, and affectionate member of Dethklok.

Even after being treated poorly or outright mocked by his friends, Toki will be quick to do anything for them. Especially affectionate acts of kindness. (See the episode Dethmas.)

Toki got a nose piercing for aesthetic and symbolic reasons, following a drunken escapade with Murderface, of course. The bassist convinced him to get the piercing, and after paying a visit to a tattoo shop, it happened.

Despite the.. interesting story behind his piercing, he's still quite happy with it. And it's the only one he has.

It's pretty much obvious just by looking at him, but Toki has massive eyes compared to his bandmates. They're big, doe-like pools that make him look at least 5 years younger than he is. His baby-like appearance, especially in the rare times he's shaved his mustache, don't exactly help his appeal to children.

Toki's unfortunate adoration of Rockzo also apply to just about everything else clown-related or clown-themed. He likes carnivals, circus acts, clown music, ICP, clown Halloween masks, etc. You could call it a special interest.

He was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and CPTSD from a psychiatrist at age 21, just a few years after joining Dethklok.

His knife injury from Magnus during Doomstar Requiem did get infected, and left an absolutely ugly scar behind. It's just behind his left shoulder blade, and is a marred, ugly pockmark against his mostly smooth flesh otherwise, even when compared to his welts from the child abuse he endured.

Toki still has nightmares about his father's death, and his treatment while kidnapped with Abigail by Magnus.

Following the events of Requiem, Toki regressed mentally, but not fully. His childish behavior from before didn't change, but his ability to cope with stress and uncomfortable/unfamiliar situations worsened immediately. He can't handle almost any stress or antagonizing without crying or getting very upset, and he wears sensory headphones quite often now.

He enjoys the old My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake cartoons, but won't admit it to Skwisgaar or his other bandmates.

While being in a poly with his bandmates, his predominant partner is Murderface, being the main pairing of mine (Warface).

NSFW BELOW THIS

LAST WARNING

His main kinks are praise kink, breeding, BDSM, body worship, knife-play, and edging.

Very sensitive, needy, and easy to turn on. He'll do anything for approval, and to make his partner feel good. Almost to the point of desperation.

He's a switch, though is mainly a bottom.

That being said, he can snap at a moment's notice and can turn the tables very fast. Never underestimate how being horny and desperate can make him lose his resolve and patience.

With barely any hesitation, he can flip you over or pin you down, whatever is necessary, and make you do whatever he wants. He's certainly strong enough to use force on anyone to get his way, though of course he would never hurt a partner on purpose.

If he's not trying to hold himself back, he can get too excited and cum too quickly.

Big into breeding, with a hyper focus on bodily fluids. He wants you a soaking wet, moaning mess while he fills you with cum. He can be pretty forceful about it too— Toki's the kind of guy that has been wanting to knock up any female partner he gets from probably the first date.

He's big into gentle aftercare. He loves to cuddle, make out, shower/bathe together post coitus, whatever his partner wants. He's the kind of guy to rub your back after and play with your hair while you both coming back down.

[swaps55]

What was the deciding factor that made you write Opus from everyone else’s pov and not Sam’s? Going back and reading it again while waiting (with rabid patience) for Mezzo, I’m truly seeing how fleshed out you’ve made Sam. And is it possible that we see another pov from Hannah? The small piece that was in Mezzo was really eye opening

It was a couple of things!

One is that we spend three games looking through Shepard's eyes, and if I was going to cover canon events in a fanfic, I wanted to look at them through the eyes of someone else to give events we all know about already a fresh perspective.

The second is that one of the things I wanted to do with Opus was really emphasize the 'larger than life' aspect of Shepard's legacy. As the player character of a video game, Shepard by design is the center of the Mass Effect universe. They are the only person who can save the galaxy, the person everyone looks to as a leader, the person through which all decisions flow. But fanfic isn't a video game, and a question I really wanted to answer about Sam specifically was...why him? What makes him the person who saves the galaxy? What makes him a hero? Because "he's the player character" isn't an answer.

Part of answering that question was making him feel larger than life to the reader. And one of the ways I thought I could do that was never letting the reader really see what's going on in his head. His narrative is entirely filtered through the eyes of others, so that all you see is what others think of him. They all offer pieces of the full picture of Sam, but no one has all the pieces. And even the people who love him the most - like Kaidan - still get him wrong sometimes. The reader is the only one who gets the most complete picture of him, but even you are missing one vital piece of the puzzle - Sam's.

It felt like a fun way to add a little mystery to who he is. There is always some part of him that's unknowable, which feels important to a character who exists as a symbol to so many. There's a person underneath the mantle, but you have to work for him, and what you get is a little different depending on whose eyes you're looking through.

It's been an interesting and really fun challenge to develop a main character whose thoughts you never see, but who nevertheless has a lot of depth and compels people rather than frustrates them when you don't know what he's thinking.

As for Hannah Shepard, I am all but certain we will get another POV from her. Her involvement in Mezzo and in the next story, Requiem, continues to evolve in ways I am really pleased with. I'm learning a lot about her, and I hope you will be surprised with the direction I think her character arc is going to go.

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Reworking Requiem and Mulder's Return (Part I)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, Requiem. Dear, sweet, why-you-gotta-do-this-to-me, Requiem.

Here are some old school-y AU fics.

Loose chronological order below~

jeri's (mulderscreek)

Whatever It Takes

The Alien Bounty Hunter came to me in a dream. He told me that he knew I was dying; the abductees from Oregon were victims of the same cancer. He told me that he had offered them a deal, and that he would offer me the same deal: I would be abducted. They would gather some tissue samples for tests. Then they would save me.

Of course, I was skeptical....

He told me Scully was pregnant.

Then I woke up.

Requiem: Mulder went willingly, hoping to be cured of brain cancer for his, Scully's, and the baby's sake.

Forte's (Gossamer) Half an Hour

"What's her chart say?" Mulder demands, oblivious to any need for quiet.

Langly gestures toward the nurse's station and scowls. "They've got her chart back there practically under lock and key," he whispers. "We haven't been able to get a look at it. I hacked into their computer system about an hour ago and there was nothing there for her yet except that she was admitted."

Requiem: Mulder corrals Mulder and TLG into good behavior when Scully is unexpectedly hospitalized.

Namarie's (LJ, mulderscreek)

All I Will Remember (mulderscreek)

I hadn't really worried that he would react to this news with anything but happiness, but it feels wonderful, anyway. I am so glad that he's here right now... wherever here is.

Almost as if he has heard this last thought, Mulder sighs and reluctantly lets go of me. "Well, I think we should try to figure out where we are."

Post Requiem: Mulder and Scully wake in the forest, disoriented.

Livia Balaban's Cunegund's Restoration (or, The Best of All Possible Worlds, Really) (1/2) and Cunegund's Restoration (or, The Best of All Possible Worlds, Really) (2/2)

It was all very dramatic, with the sun going down behind the ship, brilliant and gleaming orange behind the slowly lowering cherrypicker....

I camped out at the base of the apparatus, looking up into the ship, trying to learn as much as I could from the ground, but I couldn't see anything. It wasn't until the bucket lowered again that I saw the top of Mulder's head peek out from one edge of the circular opening. As soon as his eyes met mine, he leaned all the way forward, and flashed the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen. I forgot completely about the press, or the slight hollowing of his cheeks, or the dark circles under his eyes. All I saw was pure joy.

Post Requiem: Scully, TLG, Skinner, Krycek, and Morris Fletcher all rescue Mulder and the Bellefleur captives-- live, on national tv. Mulder has a surprise for Scully, too; but the little family can't catch a break before more Syndicate drama kicks up.

Meredith's (Tumblr) Brave New World

Her hand gravitated toward the Fruit & Fiber, but stalled inches from the box when an old memory surfaced of Mulder joking about her "nuts and twigs" breakfast. What would Mulder choose? She thought hard, but couldn't come up with anything. She'd never seen him eat cereal. He might not even like cereal.

She tamped down a wave of sadness. She knew him so well, and yet not at all. When she pulled him back to this world, their new lives would be uncharted territory, spent either together or apart. She tried not to admit the latter was a possibility.

Post Requiem: Scully stays within 50 miles of Bellefleur where she works and waits for Mulder's return.

aka Jake/aka 'Jake'/aka_Jake's

So This is Agent Mulder... (Gossamer)

Agent Mulder smells...bad. The odor reminds me of a place I visited years ago, back when I was serving warrants -- a torched animal shelter. You don't forget a stench like that. Burnt hair. Cooked flesh. Animal excrement. The whole building reeked. The same terrible air of death clings to Mulder now and the stink sets my teeth on edge.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned 8 weeks later, determined to leave again to help the Rebels. Doggett, more than anyone, gets it.

Widow Orphan (Gossamer)

"Bill was my second husband." She could see this news surprised him. He nodded, eyebrows rising toward his hairline while she continued. "I married a man, a boy actually, named John Parker when I was seventeen. I married him because I was pregnant. Don't look so shocked, Fox. Unmarried girls get caught all the time."

"I'm not judging."

She leveled a glare at him. You better not be, young man. You've got a little surprise of your own waiting back at home.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned to Maggie's house, insisting she go on the run with him. Turns out, she's rather good at duck-and-diving.

Lara Means's (Ao3) Rescue Mission 01 and Rescue Mission 03 - Comrades

She turns back toward the jet's doorway and extends her hand, then he comes out to join her at the top of the stairs.

Mulder.

Now it's real.

He's thin, too thin. And he looks weak. Scully slides an arm around his waist and he drapes his arm around her shoulder -- he has a cane in his other hand. Together they move slowly down the steps, helping each other.

Post Requiem: Krycek and Scully rescue Mulder from Ellen's Airforce Base.

spookycc's At What Price?

"*What* does he need?" she pushed.

"As I said," Cancerman went on calmly, "Something *we* cannot provide him with."

"Tell me," Scully asserted.

"Something only *you* possess."

Post Requiem: Scully sacrifices her baby to save Mulder's life.

Avalon's In Dreams

She shut the drawer, still holding the picture, and set it on top of the dresser, pulling the little stand out from behind it to prop it up. It looked nice, she thought, sitting there next to the picture of Mulder and Samantha. It looked like it belonged.

Post Requiem: Mulder's psychic childhood friend drops in to help Scully find Mulder.

Jen's (mulderscreek) and Lauren's (mulderscreek) Introspection: Return

Her hands turned to ice at that moment as she greedily drank in the message.

"He's at Georgetown Memorial, Scully, I feel it. We sent Byers to check it out. Hope you're awake to hear this."

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned four months later, chipped. Acting on a hunch, Scully takes hers out, realizing it had, somehow, glitched.

Vulpecula (Vulpecula 01 - 08 and Vulpecula 09 -14) and Phoenicia (Phoenicia 01 - 05)

And then, he's there. His head bobs lightly with his familiar gait, and his eyes seem to be searching for something. For someone?

I start walking toward him, and he turns away from me, still looking. I begin running, and I hear my voice calling out his name. He spins around, his eyes wide with surprise, and then our eyes lock. His face splits into an enormous smile, and he starts running towards me with, I'm sure, the same desperation that I'm feeling.

Post Requiem: Scully limps by with the support of her whole family; and runs into Jose Chung, Phoebe Green, and even Gibson Praise before Mulder's return. When he does, happier endings unfold from there.

Mummy Dearest

Slowly but surely, the bandages were removed. Scully was immeasurably relieved to see his legs again; they were still nicely tanned and scar-free. He was even free of the scar from the bullet that got him all those years ago. Scully thought that was a bit odd, but didn't really care too much.

Post Requiem, Crack: Mulder is returned, wrapped up in bandages.

Lolabeegood's (mulderscreek) Five Months Lost (Gossamer)

"Okay, before that…how did you get here?" she said as she looked him over for strange markings.

"Scully, you're starting to scare m…"

"Mulder!" she snapped.

"Here in the bedroom here?"

"Here in my apartment here!" she snapped.

"I have a key, remember?" Mulder looked at her strangely.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned, five months later, with false memories.

T. Griffen's Faith

All I wanted was to be alone, to grieve and feel ill in the solitude of my apartment, but Mom turned this into the event of the year. A large party was planned for December twenty- third, with every Scully and Harper family member known to man in attendance, and then just the immediate family on Christmas Day.

Post Requiem: Scully trudges along, trying to keep up her faith, while finding surprising sources of support and comfort from her family (and Mulder, after his return.)

Ten's (xffics) A Fuller Canvas

The man in the bed felt his breathing and heart quicken, and not just because of the details filling his mind.

Scully.

He knew who he was and he knew who she was.

And she was pregnant.

Mulder was very glad that he was lying down. It saved a shocked collapse.

Requiem: Mulder is returned 6 months later; and takes a peek before Scully can break her news to him.

Ambress's Tidings

Scully thought she would crack in two when, in the car, Mulder put his head down on her shoulder. She had sat in the back with him without thinking about it. At first, she thought he was asleep, but then she caught the flash of light reflecting off his open eyes in the rearview mirror.

He was watchful, prepared for fight or flight.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned, mute and barely responsive, in a park bathroom. Scully helps coax him back to himself.

Lorri's (mulderscreek) Wait Until Your Father Gets Home and Your Father Came Home (MC) and Your Father's Child (MC)

I call Skinner every hour until he can tell me when Mulder will be home. His plane won't arrive until nearly noon, but I am dressed and waiting for him by 6 a.m. At 7:15 my phone rings again. I answer it and hear a long pause, then "Scully it's me." I feel like I am going to pass out. My arm instantly drops to my belly and I cradle you in an unconscious gesture. Mulder tells me he is on the airplane, on his way home. There are so many things to ask him, but they can all wait. Right at this moment all I can do is savor the sound of my name in his voice. "Hurry," I tell him. "Hurry."

Post Requiem: Scully talks to her baby as the months bleed into one another, Mulder flies home, and her due date fast approaches.

Alcott's Exit

Mulder was in tears now, wrapping his arms tightly around his body, retreating deeper.

...There was no response.

"Listen to me," Byers said, with more firmness than he felt. "Are you listening? If you want to see her, you have to get better first. Do you understand?"

Byers was desperate; he had no idea how he'd arrange him to see her. But the spark in Mulder's dead eyes seemed to make the deception worth it.

Post Requiem: TLG are able to intercept and retrieve a wounded Mulder right before Scully goes into labor. Reluctantly, they figure out a way to work him into the secret plan.

Lee Burwasser's (mulderscreek) Quis Custodiet (1/2) and Quis Custodiet (2/2) (mulderscreek)

At last Langly sat back and angled the laptop to give Mulder a view of it. The rest got up to gather behind the two. There was a crude figure in robes and long hair behind a tall rectangle with a shorter one beside it. Langly did something with the cursor that made the robed figure flash. Mulder looked from the flashing figure to Langly, who made a solemn face and mimed banging with a gavel. Mulder nodded.

...Langly sat down and moved the black-circle figure back to its table. Another figure from the opposite table then moved to take its place. Now Byers got to loom over Frohike and do the bridge guardian routine. When Byers sat down, Langly restored the figures to their places and glanced at Mulder, who nodded and punched the blond's shoulder. Then he looked around, finally went over to Scully's desk and brought the desk calendar back to show to Scully. He riffled the sheets and gave her an eloquently questioning look. Scully spread her hands and tapped the judge figure. Mulder nodded again, shrugged resignation and put the calendar down.

Langly flung up his hands. "Ya got it."

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned with aphasia; and Scully fights tooth and nail to prevent his relative from winning caretaker rights in court.

ML/ML_is_me’s (Ao3, Gossamer, DW, Invidiosa) 

Another Gray Morning, Transfigured Night, Comes the Dawn, and Beloved Protector

"HOW IS SHE?" Mulder repeated loudly. When Skinner didn't reply right away, he added, "What aren't you telling me?"

Then all at once, he *knew*. "Scully had a baby, didn't she?" he said slowly, words and images forming in his mind as he spoke.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned a year later, face first in the dirt. Skinner and TLG find him, and decide to surprise Scully without forewarning.

The Secret Language of Babies

I couldn't even be with her during the delivery.... The best I could do was an audio monitor from the delivery room....

When I heard Will's squall for the first time, I cried. In front of Skinner and everything. I think he was crying, too. He took his glasses off and polished them vigorously, turning away from me as he did so.

When they finally brought Scully and the baby to see me, I cried again. But that was in front of Scully, and she's seen me cry before. I wanted to touch them both so badly I would have broken the thick glass separating us with my own hands. But at the time, I could barely lift my head from the pillow.

Post Requiem: Mulder reminisces on his return, slow recovery, and happy reunion.

Age Cannot Wither and Nor Custom Stale

Washington, DC, is one of the last stops they make before their ultimate destination. All of the usual monuments are there, plus more. The Esplanade and all the other open areas display more statuary and symbolic sculptures and fountains than ever before.

The most meaningful monuments to them are the personal ones. Scully directs Mulder to a small park he remembers from years ago. This is where Melissa Scully is buried, and now so is Margaret Scully. The surprise to him is that Walter Skinner also has a stone nearby.

"He could have been buried at Arlington," Mulder says.

"He wanted to be among friends," Scully replies simply. She wordlessly points out another stone, a small obelisk with three names inscribed on it....

It's not until later that it occurs to Mulder that there is no stone for their son, and by then he's unwilling to bring it up. He can see that this trip is already taking a toll on Scully.

Post Requiem: Scully is immortal-- watching her son grow up, live a life like his father's, grow old, and die-- until Mulder suddenly appears, barely aged, in a Bellefleur hospital.

Invisivellum's (Tumblr) Surreal Thing (MC)

I studied him carefully, letting Scully's words settle down like rain upon me. I knew that, if I stayed silent for a moment, she would explain. I chewed on my lower lip and focused on the baby. He was still trying with all his might to drag my hand closer to his open mouth.

I looked at his eyes.

I blinked, put my finger under his chin and tilted his face up so I could have a better look. He raised fine reddish brows at me and clamped his mouth down on the knuckle of my thumb. Something about his eyes...

I think I stopped breathing.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned 15 months later, waking to Scully and a baby that, he assumes, is another Emily.

mrkeller/Mary Ruth Keller's (FFN) Lux Perpetua

"Don't try to move too fast, you've been unconscious for a week now."

She seemed *more* than content. His partner was distinctly at ease. As more memories flooded back, he seemed to know the reason why. "Motherhood suits you, Scully."

"What?" She had cocked her head at him.

Post Requiem: Mulder returned a year later to no baby, an expanded X-Files office, and Scully promoted as its A.D.

Ellie/EllieL's The Rusted Wheel of Things

Scully pulled away, turning to sit between him and the cocoa, handing him his cup just as four girls, all with hair in braids and bows terribly similar to the dog's stylings, marched into the living room, led by Hannah.

"Mommy, where's the Ouija board?"

Mulder did his best to stifle a laugh, unsure of whether he found their hair or the question funnier. 

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned 7 years later to an adoring little ballerina.

Keleka's Heart Turned Inwards 01 and Heart Turned Inwards 02

"Agent Mulder, I'm Dr. Andrew Scully. I'm the doctor who admitted you."

Mulder was confused for a moment and then realized the mistake. "Oh, I meant Dr. Dana Scully. My partner at the FBI. Is she here?"

Dr. Scully said nothing for a moment and then stepped away to pull the curtain around the bed, offering them some privacy. He pulled up a stool and sat down next to the bed.

Post Requiem: Scully waits 30 years for Mulder-- but he's actually found by his son.

Shoshana's Almost Home (4/4)

Ironically, Mulder hadn't ended up in any medical facility they'd been monitoring; he'd hitchhiked his way to Portland, flying home in a comfortable jet. He'd been shell shocked the entire way home, gazing with disbelief at the date on all the newspapers he could muster.

His worries had been far from over, of course. Life had thrown him another curve ball on top of his seemingly extreme case of amnesia--a red-headed partner three months shy of her due date.

Post Requiem: Mulder is returned with a few handicaps and mild amnesia; but other than that, he makes a recovery in time for quick wedding prep and another Syndicate kidnapping.

Thanks for reading~

Enjoy!

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance: A Requiem (End of the Fall, pre-war)

(A/N: A young Arya attends a very important event. This memory is eventually to be used in a future story series. I didn't reread this but I'll probably be doing edits over time.)

~~~

MODERN INHERITANCE: A REQUIEM

The sun was shining. For all things, it was a beautiful day. Golden beams lit the edges of floating forget-me-nots and set the throats of white lilies along the path burning with resplendent fire. 

But the birds did not sing. The insects that buzzed and hummed were silent. The only creature daring to bring noise to the forest was Blagden, a mournful, keening melody rising and falling as he perched atop the Menoa tree.

Mum’s hand was cold. Arya had to keep adjusting her grip, holding tight to limp fingers. She had already cried all she could, eyes wide and gritty despite washing her face three times. The tip of her nose and her cheeks felt raw from hours of trying to clear the tears, sniffling and gasping and hiccuping as the truth kept coming back.

“Evandar was felled on the Plains of Ilirea.” 

‘My Da is dead. He won’t wake up again. He won’t talk again. He won’t hug me again. My Da is dead….’ 

Mum had held her all night, almost too tightly to even breathe, silent, frighteningly silent. Never answering Arya’s sobbed questions of why, why, why.

Arya could not settle on if she preferred the hollow silence to the terrifying, ragged screams that came before. The wails of…of someone torn away. 

She had heard those sounds before. When others had been told. 

But Mum had never made those sounds. Mum had never…she had never needed to, Da was always back, he was always….

Arya looked up. Her mother’s face was white as the lilies. Her golden eyes no longer held the radiance of the sun, only the dim, feeble glow of an ember so dangerously close to sputtering out. 

She squeezed her fingers tighter, tried to rouse the woman walking beside her that felt so unlike the mother she knew. ‘Mum, be strong. Please. Please be strong. Da needs us to be strong, he needs us….’

They had all stopped now. Beneath the Menoa tree. A space between the towering roots, where all past kings and queens lay and gave their bodies to feed the greatest monarch of the forest. The casket holding Da slowed and gently settled to the needle strewn ground, the golden pinewood cradling his body as gentle as a mother with a newborn babe. Not even the clematis blooms draped and curling around the graceful engravings swayed, so soft was the care and reverence the gathered elves took with their fallen king.

He looked peaceful. Like the mornings Arya had crept into her parents quarters and clambered into bed with them, cuddled up to them as she remembered doing when so very small. Or the mornings that she bounced them both awake, proclaiming that the day begin with giggles and gentle bouts of wrestling with Da. A lion and his cub, a dragon with his hatchling. 

They had told her he would not wake. He was not sleeping. He was gone to the void, to the darkness that lies beyond. A few had told her his energy was now a part of the wider world. That he would still give to the forest with his flesh, would still be protecting her through that natural process to feed the Menoa tree, to give his lifeblood to the spells that protected their land. 

They had all told her she could not wake him, no matter how hard she tried.

It did not stop her from trying. It did not stop her from climbing over the curved lip of his funerary dais when no one was there.

She curled up against his side, and if she kept her eyes squeezed shut, her forehead pressed into his ribs, little fists bunched tight in the liquid smooth fabric of his most handsome tunic…she could pretend the crook of his arm was not limp against her back. Pretend that she could feel his heart beating. Could hear his voice as he crooned to her and rocked her to sleep. Pretend that he wasn’t cold, that his chest didn’t rise, that he didn’t move or speak or comfort her as tears leaked past scrunched lids.

Mother had been furious when she found her there. Arya did her best to not remember being yanked away from the deceptive pool of warmth her own body heat had created on her father’s skin, the collar of her tunic tight around her throat as she wailed in protest. Did her best to forget that her mother had screamed at her and shaken her and had dragged her away from the room where Da lay alone and cold before collapsing in the hall. 

Arya forced herself to remember only that Mum broke down in tears and pulled her close, cradled her in her lap as they both sobbed until Mum couldn’t any more. 

The singing was louder now. Sylvian voices rising and falling together through silent crying that streaked the faces all around them. Arya didn’t know the words. 

Blagden alighted upon the rim of the dais, white wings flared. He perched behind the crown of Da’s head, the white silver circlet with diamond and emerald and gold that once was the raven’s favorite thing to nibble and nip to bait his dear friend into focusing on his feathered companion now a reminder of loss. Blagden’s voice keened above them all, the sorrowful song of mourning constant since the battle’s end. 

Many words were said. Memories of her father from many people she did not know. Däthedr wept as he spoke, open and unabashed. So did the others. 

The entire time, Arya watched and listened to them all with wide, red rimmed eyes. So many people knew Da. She hadn’t realized just how many. He was just Da to Arya, not Evandar Könungr, just…Da. The one who tucked her in, taught her to skip stones, carried her on his shoulders, made flowers bloom at a single touch and caught her when she fell.

Then the talking was finished. 

Blagden took flight. The singing began again. 

For the first time that day, Islanzadí’s hand closed around Arya’s, her grip tight and fingers shaking. Arya looked up and saw the tears falling again, dropping to the needles at her mother’s feet as she joined the singing, a pain in her voice that Arya had only heard in her screams the days before. 

She could understand most of what they sang. An acknowledgement of loss, of an end, a new beginning for the elves, and, over all of it, a farewell.

This…this was goodbye? Already? Now?

The earth beneath the dais shifted, flowing away as a column of roots remained, supporting the casket above a gaping maw of darkness. The dais, Da’s body still ensconced so peacefully upon it, began to lower into the earth.

Arya knew he was gone. She knew, she knew that. That he was dead, Da was dead, he couldn’t talk to her anymore or hold her anymore or be him anymore but–

Mum was there, then. Kneeling, still singing her farewell, tears rolling down her cheeks. Hands on Arya’s shoulders, tight, stopping her from running forward. Before she could even suck in a breath to scream for her Da to not go. 

And yet, Islanzadí never looked at her. She kept her eyes fixed on her life-mate’s disappearing body, face white, tremors passing from her fingers to her child’s thin shoulders. 

The last piece he had left her. The only thing of Evandar truly left in this world.

The casket was even with the ground now. Arya saw her father’s face one last time. Peaceful. Cold. 

Arya squeezed her eyes shut. 

And when she opened them again, all that remained of her father was a bed of clematis flowers, lilies and forget-me-nots, sprawled out on the forest floor.

‘Goodbye, Da.’

[gremoria411]

*The following contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance*

This is a follow-up post to my earlier one covering the first two episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance. I’ll link it here but I’ll probably be covering a lot of the same points

I’m also going to completely give the game away right now: I don’t find Requiem for Vengeance to be a good show. Probably the nicest thing I could say is that that the designs are nice. It has some good ideas, it just really mangles the execution.

A lot of these are notes I made as I was watching the episodes, and I specifically rewatched episodes 4 and 6, because I’ve got a lot to say about them relative to everything else.

Characters

Is the only reason they made Iria a mother so they could justify her empathy towards the enemy pilot!? Like motherhood isn’t a necessary component of caring about other humans. You can just do that.

Follow-up: Iria doesn’t really express much affection towards her actual flesh-and-blood child during the show. He’s presumably in Zeon somewhere, but he never appears except in photograph. But her actions at the end of the show….. really don’t help.

Major Ronnay’s odd. Because he kinda feels like the only sensible character/the only character who’s aware of the wider situation - the war’s starting to turn against Zeon, and shifting to shepherding his resources to compensate for disrupted supply lines feels like a good decision at this point, not picking fights with the Earth federation’s newest prototype. Ronnay also marshalls the group’s evacuation from Earth. Yeah, he’s mean to the protagonists, but he’s under a lot of stress and he’s in charge of a worsening was situation. It’s just quite odd to see the only character who indicates a wider understanding of the conflict presented so negatively. That said, it’s not like he’s really immune to the bad acting and dialogue. When talking about dead civilians in episode 4, he sounds more bothered that they died for something so measly, as opposed to the fact that they were innocent people caught up in a war that had nothing to do with them.

I really don’t like Captain Zydoss. He kinda just exists to verbally explain other characters backstories, or to tell other characters that they’re in the right. There’s no real character here. Man straight-up says: “Those soldiers? They were just doing their jobs.” That is not a line I’m really enthused about hearing in a show like this, because it makes me question what the fuck the writers were trying to say here.

I kinda already made a post about this, but I really don’t like Yuri Kellerne in this. The design’s awful, he only shows up to say to the viewers “Yeah, Iria was right, also she’s a cool dude who doesn’t afraid of anything”. He doesn’t really do anything, and it just feels like a “see 08th MS team fans, it’s that character you like!”.

To be honest, I didn’t really have strong opinions on the other characters. There just isn’t a lot there to care about honestly.

Story

Okay, so “War is Hell” just isn’t a theme here. That’s kinda the main problem. There’s no real attempt to humanise the Earth Federation or present them as anything other than largely faceless. I’ve noted before that “War is Hell” is kinda the main thing that makes Gundam work in my opinion, because it’s really noticeable if it isn’t there. It’s just a very by-the-numbers military series. There’s no real “hook” or idea that it’s putting forward. It might’ve helped if Iria’s squad mates had been better characterised, so there’d be a sense of them having actual plans beyond the war. But, ultimately, they die because of the federation’s new mobile suit - not because war is an ultimately horrifying and tragic thing. The presentation just doesn’t line up for me at all.

I do think the emphasis on the watch is good, because it emphasises that time is running out for Zeon. But it never really comes up again after the first two episodes.

The voice work really brings it down, because there’s just no way for the scenes to have any real gravitas or impact when the voices are this poor.

I think another problem is that the opening episode(s) with the Gundam sell it as a threat too well - it effortlessly wiped out Iria’s entire team, as well as numerous other Zaku’s that challenge it while Iria’s scrambling around in recovery. It shrugs off machineguns, bazooka’s, a fuel tanker…… so any attempts by Iria to bring the fight to it just feels utterly stupid, because there’s no real reason it shouldn’t just wipe out another two Zaku’s. The fight in episode 4 is particularly obvious - the Gundam just slowly approaches, it’s doesn’t exhibit any of its trademark speed and never presses the advantage. There’s never a sense that any damage dealt to it is “earned”, it just takes a hit because the plot demands it.

Okay, the dress turning to blood thing was ambitious, and if it had worked would’ve been really cool. But fabric and liquid are hard to animate at the best of times, so one to the other in a show like this was never going to pan out.

You can really tell this was made by former transformers alumni. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, just some of the shots are very transformers-esque.

Wait, doesn’t Iria’s comment about not shooting disembarking pilots directly contradict the actions of the federation forces earlier in the show? Also didn’t she just tell her squadmate to kill him? Oh, getting out of his mobile suit and trying to escape in order to come back in a fresh suit? Oh well, it just wouldn’t be sporting to kill him now, better let him go.

“I wasn’t aiming to take out the pilot! This is our best chance to take out the Gundam!” “At what price, lieutenant?” I dunno, two enemy combatants that were just trying to kill you? And have killed your allies? In a warzone? Seems like an odd time to develop a conscience, Iria. It’s not necessarily off-brand for Gundam, but it’s just so hackneyed. Iria recognises the Gm pilot and later the Gundam pilot as human exclusively, but the infantry and tank gunners were apparently fair game.

Follow-up: Iria also randomly spares a Guntank in episode 6. A Guntank that could very easily shoot down Zeon HLV’s that Iria is currently defending. I feel like that was unwise.

To be clear here, I’m not criticising the decision to have Iria spare characters, I’m criticising the decision to present it in this way - it causes Iria to come off as hypocritical and careless to ignore active threats, and the rationale of why she’s sparing them never comes up.

The URMC guy helps the cast attack the enemy (such as in episode 4). Doesn’t that kinda spit in the face of his neutrality?

Oh hey, I was so busy talking about the poor character writing that I almost forgot to mention the false flag operation. Y’know, that thing that is illegal under wartime law? That the characters commit when they dress up as Federation forces in order to steal the GMs? Yeah, that. Like, I know it’s par for the course in shows like this (like 0080), but it still feels odd to see it presented in such a heroic fashion. It just would’ve felt better if the characters had acknowledged that it was a sketchy/desperate thing to do (like 0080), rather than playing it completely straight.

It kinda feels like they came up with the title first, and then introduced elements to fit with it - Iria being a violinist just feels very vestigial, and vengeance…… either isn’t a theme or it’s badly executed enough that I didn’t notice it (characters talk about it a lot, but not to any real purpose).

Okay, the combination of character animation, voice work dialogue and the fact that Iria probably has a concussion makes the fact that Iria decides to pilot her Zaku in episode 6 (unintentionally) really funny. Because she’s giving this big dramatic speech with swelling music, but it genuinely just feels like this is the shock and concussion talking, so I just expect her to step on to the truck and fall flat on her face.

We can swear now, great, good for us. That isn’t an excuse for the dialogue to be as bad as it is.

Alright, I fully fell off on episode 6. I’m sorry, it crosses the line from plain old regular bad to hilariously bad for me. It’s like the hyper-realistic faces coupled with the absolutely terrible animation and voice acting just blends together into something completely farcical.

“Machineguns are not effective, aim for the treads” *continues firing*. Also, did they just forget that guntanks have missile launchers?

There’s kind of no real sense of flow to the fights either. Everything moves as fast as it needs to. Stopping stock-still in the middle of a combat zone is a death sentence, so it’s really noticeable how frequently Requiem for Vengeance stops fights so its characters can have dramatic conversations. This is very, very noticeable in episode 6.

Wait hang on. Iria: “The Earth Federation’s Won, We’re just trying to retreat, please let us go” Gundam Pilot: “Then surrender, if we let you terrorists go you’ll just attack us again later” Iria then proceeds to not surrender. Furthermore, Zeon is withdrawing military personnel and war material like mobile suits, which they will use against the Earth Federation in the last months of the war. Isn’t the Gundam pilot completely in the right here? But the presentation of the scene seems to be trying to put Iria in the right. But what the Gundam pilot’s saying is correct. Zeon did start the war, and will continue attacking the Earth. So it feels like the narrative is presenting the Gundam pilot as being in the wrong simply by their nature as a child soldier thrust into this war. They didn’t have a choice, they need Iria (who’s a mother, by the way) to tell them they have a choice. The narrative places the fact that they’re a mother and child over the fact that they share a common humanity. It’s such a stupid choice.

“Zeon forces were driven completely out of Europe and Asia” that’s a funny way of saying “we were driven off the entire Earth”.

Other stuff (mostly Setting and Visuals)

I do like the little Zaku ears, they’re nice.

So why is the character covered in highly identifiable Zeon tattoos considered for an infiltration? Just a note.

The mobile suits are pretty dang gorgeous.

The Gundam pilot has a Nintendo switch.

Sooooo…… no mention of why they’re going to Odessa? No reason that might be relevant to anything?

I will probably do a small post on Loum. Because this is gonna annoy me.

Can the Gouf’s fly in this? It’s really throwing me. Because they shouldn’t be able to, but it looks really cool? Maybe they just didn’t want to model Gouf flight types.

Yes, Requiem for Vengeance, I enjoyed the Gouf Custom in 08th MS team as well. Can I please have literally any other mobile suit. (Yeah, it’s cool, but it’s not cool enough to carry your entire show).

Follow-up: it feels like the writers wanted to emphasise that the Gouf Custom in 08th ms team could totally have beaten the Gundam if it had needed to. Like yeah, but that’s not important. The point of that scene (in 08th Ms Team) isn’t some kind of dick-measuring of mobile suits, it’s to emphasise Norris Packard’s character and skill, that he made those decisions in service to the wider objective (and to iterate on Ramba Ral and Amuro’s relationship from 0079). It’s not there to demonstrate how strong the Gouf is. I mean, yeah they want you to buy the models, but come on.

In case the ratio of criticism-to-praise above didn’t give it away, I really didn’t like Requiem for Vengeance. It just fails to engage with the theme I consider central to Gundam: “War is hell”. It also doesn’t really humanise any of the opposing side, which while not a deal-breaker, certainly doesn’t help its position. There just really isn’t a lot of character on display here, so there’s little to distract from the bad dialogue, stiff animation and near-comedically poor line deliveries. The human animation and writing really kill the series for me, since they just cripple the shows ability to deliver any kind of impact on its points. Then again, when its points are “The Earth Federation is just SO MEAN you guys”, it’s probably best the delivery’s as poor as it is. I don’t really know what the shows trying to say but it certainly doesn’t seem to be “War is bad”.

It feels like the writers were able to grasp gundam’s thesis of “child soldiers are bad”, but took that to be “people who use child soldiers are bad”, not “the circumstances that war creates will eventually cause children to take up arms for a cause they don’t fully understand, leaving them to have short miserable live of perpetuating the harm they have suffered upon others, as just one part of the horror that war visits upon its victims”. This is emphasised by the ending, which is pretty shit. Despite the opportunity to return home and retire, like multiple other Zeon aces did. Iria instead fucks off and joins the Zeon remnant in Africa, while stating that many of the other soldiers there “don’t have a home to return to, are consumed by hatred or yearning only for a glorious death on the battlefeild”. THEN WHY ARE YOU THERE. Why are you perpetuating the conflict by throwing in with remnant groups? How the hell is this supposed to prevent child soldiers from happening? Go home.

Plus, the way Zeon’s presented here seems kind of…… dishonest. Like it’s not incorrect or canon-breaking, it just seems to skirt around a lot of details in order to paint Zeon as, for want of a better term, “less evil”. So, we have characters mention The Battle of Loum, without mentioning what Loum was. We have characters note the worsening war situation, without engaging with why Zeon’s on the back foot. The characters retreat back up into space, but it isn’t stated what they’re retreating from. You’d expect someone to mention the actual wider war situation. I know they’re soldiers, and they’re likely fed a steady diet of Zeon propaganda - but then why not let us see that propaganda, note how the characters engage with it. Do they agree, disagree? Do they take it as gospel, accept that the principality is covering up some things or rage that it’s blatant lies? How does Zeon, the nation, its leaders and its governance affect these characters? The choice to completely ignore it seems wrongheaded and, as above, dishonest. There’s no hint of Zeon’s fractious command structure here, that the upper brass are too consumed by infighting to heed the wider war situation. There’s no mention of Garma Zabi, late commander of the Earth Attack Force, who presumably the characters would have a lot of opinions on. Requiem for Vengeance doesn’t exactly paper over Zeon’s failings, it just doesn’t mention them. I find it interesting that of the “big three” Zeon Earth Commanders (Garma Zabi, Yuri Kellerne, and M’Quve) we only see Yuri, who’s arguably the softest of the three. Like, M’Quve is right there, you guys. There’s even a Tony Takezaki illustration that could be used as a basis to adapt his design to the new style:

And M’Quve would have been the perfect opportunity to showcase Zeon’s fractious upper command. So his omission just feels glaring (much like the illustration). Major Ronnay’s perhaps the closest to being a member of Zeon High Command, but he’s essentially the stock “Commander whose orders the protagonist disregards” archetype. I *could* describe him as the most humanised out of the cast, but that feels like I’m reaching. There is Joshua Stein (the commander in the first episode, who originally calls the Red Wolves in), but he feels more genuinely incompetent, rather than saying anything meaningful about Zeon as a whole - his failings are more personal, rather than symptoms of a wider problem with Zeon Command (and in any case he’s only got around three scenes, so it’s difficult to glean anything from him).

Slight follow-up, but we’re also not told anything about the Battle of Odessa. I noted in my posts in the run-up to the release of Requiem for Vengeance that it takes place shortly before the Battle of Odessa, which was the big turnaround for Zeon’s fortunes on Earth, leading to a mass retreat back up into space. This is a *big thing* in the wider war, because it is where the Federation finally gets its momentum (and mobile suits) going and essentially forces Zeon into the back foot, a position they never really recover from. For all the series loves to bang on about Loum, it never mentions Odessa. Part of this is excusable - Zeon would likely downplay its loss as Odessa to keep morale high, and the characters may not have received accurate reports yet, but I’d just like someone to mention it - “seems Odessa didn’t go to plan” or just something like that. Because it’s the whole reason they’re retreating in the last few episodes and no-one says anything.

I’d ordinarily be pretty easy on the whole “Zeon’s War for Independence” thing, since it’s an example of how the populace of Zeon was motivated to fight, but it’s a lie. It’s a lie told to justify the One Year War (and subsequent acts of spacenoid aggression). Like, there’s no problem with the characters believing the lie, but presenting it completely straight feels off. Like, if there was just one instance where it was acknowledged that maybe we shouldn’t trust the motivation of the guys who declared war and dress like space nazi’s, then cool, but the series doubles down on this impression by Iria’s statement at the end that the war didn’t really end as far as she’s concerned. Again, no problem with Iria believing that, by all accounts that’s how a lot of Zeon Remnant Groups saw the situation but it just reads oddly when talking about the One Year War. It kinda makes the series feel like in-universe propaganda or revisionist history, because at no point does it acknowledge that maybe Iria isn’t that reliable of a narrator.

Iria: “and so, to prevent more children from becoming child soldiers, I became a deadbeat mom.”

So yeah, Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance - the mechanical design and opening’s pretty nice, but they really can’t carry the rest of the show and over time the dull plot, uninteresting characters and awful voice acting really just sap away any initial goodwill I possessed. The fact that it seems utterly unwilling to engage with *why* the war happened and *why* Zeon lost is particularly irritating, since (by its nature as a Zeon-focused show) it’s in the perfect position to talk about those questions.

[jolynesmom]

no one asked but I wanna yap a bit about my jujutsu kaisen drs (I have 3), more specifically on my cursed techniques from each one

so in my first dr I’m a first year with nobara, yuji and megumi

the second one is based in 2006 where satoru and the others are students; I’m also a first year there with nanami and haibara because I’ve seen quite a few people shift to be classmates with satoru, suguru and shoko, but I haven’t seen anyone wanting to be classmates with nanami. I really want to get to befriend nanami, and honestly haibara too

I’m my third one I’m a 3rd year at jujutsu tech with hakari and kirara cuz they’re honestly so cool and want to befriend them

all my techniques from all 3 drs are op as hell and YOU CANNOT SHAME ME!!! no offense but you must be stupid to choose a normal or mediocre technique and shift to a reality where sukuna and special grades like mahito exist (unless it’s an au or you’re a healer and won’t fight at all like shoko)

1st dr technique — in my first dr I actually scripted sorcerers can have up to 2 cursed techniques (but it’s EXTREMELY rare) because I couldn’t decide on which technique to have. my first technique is cursed spirit manipulation like suguru’s, and the second one is basically dazai’s ability but for the jjk universe - I can nullify cursed energy and techniques by being in close proximity with the target (skin to skin contact is not necessary!!)

2nd dr technique — I’m actually the most excited to experience the cursed technique I have in my 2nd dr; I also couldn’t decide on a cursed technique so I mixed 3 similar abilities into one and called it “cursed elemental alchemy”. I mixed:

—x-men storm’s weather manipulation

—giorno giovana’s gold experience (not gold experience requiem!!)

—necromantic abilities inspired by hu tao’s aesthetic

-> the last one came on a whim when I was thinking of what my uniform will look like: I have a skirt in one dr and long pants in another, so I wanted to have shorts in this one and hu tao’s outfit suddenly came to my mind because I love it so much!!! so I decided I’ll wear hu tao’s exact clothes (but in dark blue with less details so it will look like an usual uniform) and I kinda wanted her aesthetic so I decided to include some necromancy elements in my technique. given all the abilities mixed into one, I can already control living creatures (animals and plants created from inorganic matter), so it will also kinda make sense to control spirits I imbue with cursed energy - they’re not limited to human spirits, but the spirits of deceased animals and plants as well :)

since I’m going to be satoru’s underclassman, I don’t need him to make fun of me for being weak like he did with poor Ijichi 😭 being seen as weak by present gojo is already pretty humbling, let alone by his highschool self!! I don’t need it

3rd dr technique — I created this dr on a whim specifically for the technique. I was thinking what else I can add to the previous techniques to flesh them out more and I thought “you know what would be a BUSTED ability? being able to control multiple jjba stands!!”. I didn’t have any way to add this ability to the previous ones, so I created a whole new dr for it :))

basically the proper cursed technique is called ‘soul binding’ that is the core ability that allows me to summon and control nine shikigami (I scripted the stands are shikigamis) just like megumi can control the 10 shikigami from the 10 shadows technique. the 9 stands I chosen are:

—crazy diamond (for healing since reversed cursed technique costs too much cursed energy!!)

—star platinum: the world

—gold experience (might change this one, not sure tbh)

—stone free

—wonder of u

—the hand

—diver down

—jail house lock

—heaven’s door

I’ve chosen a few op stands to make sure nobody beats my ass, one with a healing ability and I had fun with the rest — I wanted some supportive elements as well

I also scripted the shikigami/stands can speak as well and all have distinct personalities, so they’ll feel more like allies than mindless pets

I’m very excited to use jail house lock’s ability the most, I think it’s so great to disorientate opponents and it will come in handy especially in the culling game arc, so I won’t be forced to kill anyone 😭

I honestly choose heaven door not because it’s kinda op, but more for intel gathering. I recently read the jjk light novels and they really opened up my eyes on how there’s so much more in the jjk verse than fighting curses; intel gathering is extremely important especially when it comes to curse users since they’re smarter than normal curses - the chapters where nobara and inumaki fought that curse speech user and the one with Ijichi at work really helped me get more insight into the jjk verse

kinda fun fact: wonder of u is my only automatic shikigami. it doesn’t spend time with me and it rarely speaks and I can’t control it to a full extent yet, it only has one duty and it’s to protect me by redirecting misfortunes to the ones that seek to harm me

that’s alllll if you have a jjk dr please please please tell me about it!! also feel free to draw inspiration from my cursed techniques, especially the last one and tell me which stands you’d choose 🫶🏻