#he has saved more lives than anyone on the planet. combined

[legendoftherisingtide]

OKAY FUCKING IMAGINE WITH ME

The original concept for the manga comes true; it all comes full circle.

Deku gets support items. They mimic the quirks of ofa. He uses up his embers and continues to be a hero quirkless. He does not falter and continues to grow and improve. His power is never like it was but his experience and determination are what made him a true hero.

He and Bakugou still compete and they do not give up hope on being a hero duo.

They get a hero agency together and Deku is extremely popular as not only the new symbol of peace but as a true embodiment of how anyone can be a hero. He is an inspiration to quirkless kids and normalizes it. Kids who think they have useless quirks or are quirkless realize that they can do and be anything they want to.

Deku becomes the number one hero and competes with Bakugou as to who can maintain that rank the longest (their ranks are constantly shifting and they are always battling for who’s one and two,, Todoroki gets number one for like a month and both of them lose their minds)

It comes out that All Might was also born quirkless and he opens about it in an interview for a retrospect. He explains how proud he is of Midoriya and how he admires how he continues to fight as he, himself, had lost his spirit to keep fighting after he lost his quirk.

Deku continues to be a pillar of hope. Of the belief of good. Of reform and understanding. And under his influence, the world becomes more like what he embodies.

The essence of what a true hero is.

[cha-melodius]

Firstprince, and look don’t ask me why this is what my brain came up with but: meetcute at the STI clinic

(OMG, I love your brain so much. This made me cackle and immediately start writing it. Thanks so much, hope you enjoy!)

chamel's fandom fest info | read all the fics

Getting Clinical

(firstprince, 2k, T; read it below or on AO3)

Alex has to admit that the very last thing that he expected to get upon coming out to his mother was an appointment made in his name at an LGBTQ+ focused sexual health clinic near his apartment. Really, he should have known better, given the PowerPoints that resulted from said coming out, but still. He’s a grown-ass man with a career. He lives on his own in a city in which she does not live. He can take care of himself.

He still goes to the appointment when he gets back to New York. It’s already made, after all, and it’s been a while since he was tested. Since he’s had any sexual partners, in point of fact; he’s been more or less a hermit for the past couple of years, throwing himself into his work and only letting Nora and June drag him out on rare occasion. The whole bisexual revelation had been a slow thing, born of the unexpected feelings evoked in him when one of the senior partners at his law firm came out as gay, in combination with finding himself staring a little too long at the shirtless male leads when he’d put on The Mummy or Indiana Jones on in the background while working late nights at home. He hasn’t actually acted on any of this newfound knowledge save for flirting a bit with the barista at the coffee shop in his building.

He’s gonna, though. He’s determined to get out there and meet someone. A number of someones, maybe—why not have some fun while he’s discovering a bit more about himself? Explore what’s out there. So it makes sense to just go when he gets the email from his mom with a screenshot of the appointment confirmation.

“I wonder if anyone’s done a comparative study of these lubes,” Nora says, too loudly, from where she sits beside him inspecting a selection of samples that she’s collected from a display in the waiting room. More than one person waiting nearby looks over at them, and Alex sinks a little deeper into his chair.

“Ugh, why are you here again?”

“For the moral support,” she chirps with too much glee. “Not like I have any need to be tested right now. Although, June and I did meet this very intriguing guy—”

“All right, enough of that,” he interrupts sharply before she can say any more about her and his sister’s sex life. He already knows far too much about it as it is. “No one asked you to come.”

Nora tips her head at him. “Not in so many words, no. But if I had to listen to one more minute of you hemming and hawing about whether you could make the appointment or whether this was the ‘right place for you’”—she adds the air quotes, annoyingly—“I was gonna start breaking things.” Something softens in her expression, then. “You do belong in these spaces, you know.”

“I know,” he mutters, staring down into his lap. He’s even getting better at believing it.

At that, Nora returns to her lube investigation, and Alex rage-reads some twitter threads until someone steps up to the empty chair next to him and says in a mellifluous British accent, “Pardon me, is this seat taken?”

The waiting room is not that crowded, so Alex doesn’t know why this guy needs to sit directly next to him. He’s in the middle of trying to figure out a polite way to convey this when he finally looks up and right into what he’s pretty sure are the bluest pair of eyes on the planet. Jesus fuck, this man might be the most attractive person he’s ever laid eyes on in person. He doesn’t actually seem like he could be real, but he’s here, looking hopefully at Alex like he wants to be next to him, which is, let’s just say, intriguing—

“It’s only— there’s an outlet on the wall here, and my phone is dying,” Blue Eyes says with an apologetic smile.

Right. So, not particularly interested in sitting next to Alex, then. And that’s definitely not a hollow feeling of disappointment settling into his stomach.

“Yeah, no problem, man,” Alex says, trying to school his expression into something appropriate for conversing with strangers. “It’s all yours.”

Blue Eyes thanks him and takes the seat as he reaches into his bag to pull out a phone cord. The thing is, the outlet is kind of under the chairs and between the two of them, which necessitates some twisting and bending as he tries to blindly reach for it. That definitely doesn’t seem to be working, though, so Alex ends up twisting in his chair too to try to see if he can help.

“A little lower, I think—”

“Oh, thank you, I just can’t quite feel—”

“Fuck, you’re too far now— look, you need to shift to the right, yeah, there—”

“Ah, there it goes,” Blue Eyes murmurs with a pleased hum that brings to mind a very different setting than the one they’re currently in.

This seems to occur to Blue Eyes at the same time as it does Alex, which is approximately when they both look up and realize that their faces have ended up quite close together. Blue Eyes’ cheeks are rapidly turning a lurid pink; Alex quickly replays their previous exchange in his head and yeah, fuck. Suggestive doesn’t seem to begin to cover it. Slowly, Blue Eyes straightens, his posture stiff and eyes fixed on the floor in front of him.

“Er, thank you,” he coughs.

“Don’t mention it,” Alex mumbles in response.

A strained silence settles over them that’s somehow heavier than your usual odd-encounter-with-a-stranger awkwardness. At some point during this encounter, Nora had disappeared to god knows where, so Alex doesn’t even have her company to fall back on. He scrolls on his phone without actually reading anything on it, half hoping one of them will be called into the doctor and half dreading it. Next to him, Blue Eyes is typing furiously with his thumbs.

Alex shouldn’t interrupt him. Just… mind his own business. That would be the reasonable thing to do.

Oh well.

“So, come here often?” he tries to joke, only to realize too late the implications behind asking such a question in a sexual health clinic. He grimaces, hard. “Fuck, I didn’t mean— you don’t have to answer that. I was just— trying to make it not awkward.”

To his relief, Blue Eyes just looks amused. “And made it exceedingly awkward instead?” he replies with a tiny smirk tilting his perfect mouth. There’s a mole right next to the corner of it that Alex would very much like to bite. “I do visit regularly, in fact,” he continues after a moment. “I consider my and my partners’ sexual health to be very important.”

Fuck, that just makes him hotter, which shouldn’t be physically possible. “Lucky person,” Alex hears himself say. “Your partner.”

“Oh, I, uh,” Blue Eyes stammers slightly. “I’m not dating anyone. Currently, that is. I’m just getting out of a relationship, actually.”

“Sorry,” Alex winces.

“Don’t be,” he replies lightly, a flickering smile on his lips. “I’m well shot of him. Anyway, it’s been long enough. Thought I should get back out there.”

“Oh,” Alex says. That’s a good sign, right? Alex could just ask him out. They could have fun if nothing else. That’s all he’s looking for right now. And he’s good at picking people—women, anyway—up. Or was, historically. He just needs to… say something charming. “Well, good luck, then.”

Not that.

He’s really, really hoping he’s not misreading the look of resignation that flickers across Blue Eyes’ face. Before Alex can figure out how to make his big mouth say something useful, though, Blue Eyes’ gaze flickers up behind him. “Ah, your partner’s returned.”

Alex glances back long enough to see Nora flopping down into the chair next to him with more lube samples. “Oh, she’s not my—”

“Alex?” a nurse calls from the other side of the waiting room, leaving him little other choice but to get up and follow her. Blue Eyes shoots him a tight smile and a tiny nod of acknowledgement that they’re probably never going to see each other again before Alex turns and starts walking away.

He’s halfway through the door to the exam rooms when he glances back to see Blue Eyes still watching him, which is frankly more than he can take.

“Sorry, just— forgot something,” he says to the nurse before all but sprinting back to his chair. He plucks Blue Eyes’ phone right out of his slack grip, opens a new contact page, and types in his number. Then, as if he’s in some kind of fever dream, he actually says, “Let me know when you get your results,” and winks.

Alex hurries off again before the nurse can call after him, leaving one extremely stunned Brit in his wake.

~~~~

A week later, Alex’s test results from the clinic show up in his inbox. He’s clean, of course, no surprises there, but the visit itself had been worthwhile—he’d found himself talking to the doctor about aspects related to his health and wellness that went beyond what he might encounter now that he’d be branching out, so to speak—so all in all, not a waste of time.

His phone stays silent, though.

Of course it was always a long shot. That doesn’t change the bitter taste of disappointment on his tongue that not even his endless cups of coffee can cover up. He gets the results on a Friday and lets himself be dragged out to a club on Saturday night to ‘celebrate’, though he ends up politely rebuffing the advances of everyone who hits on him. Nora gives him a look after the third one—a tall, gorgeous brunet with a jaw chiseled out of marble and blue eyes that do give him a half a second of pause—but he shrugs her off.

On Monday morning, he’s in the middle of a conference with a partner and a client when his phone buzzes in his pocket. He assumes it’s Nora or June, so he nearly drops the damned thing on the floor when he finally gets out and swipes open to see a screenshot of an email that looks suspiciously familiar. There’s one key difference, though: under ‘name’ at the top, the text says Henry Fox-Mountchristen.

The screenshot has been sent without comment or followup, just a dry, clinical report, and somehow it’s still one of the sexiest texts he’s ever gotten. Fuck, he’s at work.

Which is exactly what he sends back to Henry. (Henry, he thinks, mulling over the name. It suits him. Alex would very much like to taste it, pressed into his skin.)

Apologies, but you did ask to be informed.

Am I to assume this was an academic interest, or…?

nothing academic about what i want to do to you, sweetheart

Right, then. Jolly good. Are you free this weekend?

Alex wants to say he’s free tonight, actually, so they can put those results to good use, but halfway through writing his reply, he stops. Yes, he wants Henry in his bed, but he also doesn’t want Henry to think he’s only interested in sex. Which is exactly the opposite of what he told himself he was going to do when he started exploring his bisexuality. He shouldn’t be looking for a relationship, and there’s no guarantee Henry is interested in one either. Maybe he’s just busy until then.

Alex thinks another moment, then sends back: what did you have in mind?

~~~~~

(Henry takes him on a date date, all romantic candlelit dinner with a single red rose and a walk in Central Park afterward with their fingers tangled together. And when he finally leans in to kiss Alex, it’s soft and sweet and Alex feels it down to his fucking toes. So, like. That’s a whole thing.

Turns out that they do make good use of their test results that night, thoroughly. And again, the next morning in the shower. And again and again, until they each get a reminder email from the clinic that it’s time for a regular screening.

Which they each promptly delete.)

[witchofthesouls]

Imagine the cyberization process of Earth was a success, and then combined with so many Things either sleeping for endless eternity or sealed away so long that humanity no longer remembers outside of the glimpses in legends, myths, forgotten dreams, and haunting nightmares?

Along with a twist of the Unicron-is-Earth with Earth as a reflection/child/younger sibling of Unicron, the raw creative drive behind Chaos...

None of the Autobots and Decepticons are prepared to handle this. They find themselves upon an Earth that’s been reset to its far more savage, primal state (for what is metal but refined earth?) to a time where humanity shared the planet with Others. A cyberformed planet that still retains its immense biodiversity.

The endless expanse of deserts and wild fields, dense forests that tower over them with the metal trees so massive it rivaled a Titan, the immeasurable Depths of the oceans where none of the probes could even reach the bottom, just going down, down, and down until forcibly stopped-

The Ark, the ship that the Autobots on Earth had to abandon, remains lost to the sea. All tracking results in errors. All saved coordinates leads to landmasses or a layer that cannot be reached. Not even the strongest lights could pierce the dark, sunless waters.

The presence of humanity is still etched into the land. Cites of steel and concrete still stand. Empty and haunting with so many statues of once-humans captured in their last moments. Figures in distorted shapes; amalgamations of many into one massive dump of countless limbs with no beginning and no end. The living will soon learn not to venture into these haunting spaces...

Even the animals are different. A lurking intelligence in their eyes, some sharper than others.

The Autobots meet Raf’s eldest sister in the once state of California where she was studying in university. In the heart of the Mojave Desert. The Equivels are alive. All of them dragons, but Pilar is the most dangerous one of the siblings for she remembers everything-

Earth had been a hot spot of activity, there are ways to open doors and portals to Elsewhere. Some return, fundamentally changed and marked in a way that will never leave them. Many, however, do not.

She didn’t want to Remember. To intrinsically know that the inferno beneath her metal skin, the sigils embedded in her powerful armor, and the plasma hair that flares with the sun is due to the Bargain to return to home.

(The Bargain remains active, but that brings no comfort. The Dragon for Home; she regains her lost powers in a new world for this Earth is not her home.)

She’s grieving. She’s raging. < She’s been baptized by the Sun itself and been reforged from the fury of her pyre once more - > 

Pilar wants to forget her life, all of it, to cast away her memories and return to the scorching sands beyond anyone’s sight, but Raf refuses to leave.

Raf screams, too, lost in his own senses and only a pup, refusing to budge out his alt-mode. The Autobots think it’s a Predacon frame. Yes and no; he has yet to earn his right to become a Dragon. He’s young; far too young to left alone and < there are many that salviate at such a delicious morsel. Little wyrm, lost and alone and so unguarded. > 

The Autobots are left alone by the many Things that hunt in the night when Pilar starts bunking with them. The twisted shadows and insidious croons are held back by the heat of the high desert noon she emits, a pair of blue optics, bright and luminous for miles and miles, has strange shapes flickering in an otherworldly sight as they track the hidden…

The Decepticons don’t handle to the new world very well. It’s not a remade planet  in Cybertron’s image and ready to move in. No, it’s still very much Earth in its old, unrecorded ages. The mines in the Nemesis’ systems are now useless or too unstable.

The Vehicons are being hunted when they leave the Nemesis. Shadows twisting unnaturally and creatures lurking in them. Dragging them down to the ravine and water edges, luring them to the undergrowth of the forests.

The ones found dead have armor plates wretched open, insides completely dry without a hint of Energon leftover, spark chambers pulled apart and empty. 

(No one is there to warn them to beware of the dancing lights, to leave offerings to the trees, to keep to the established pathways, to never to wander into grass that’s taller than them.)

They're being W a t c h e d.

A few return with gazes skittering to the sides and EM fields too burning, blistering hot and Arctic cold; quieter, far more quieter than Before. In the right light, traces of gold, silver, and other rich hues would line their faces in strange, moving patterns. 

Soundwave will be pitted against magical opponents that are delighted by his talents in the Mental Arts. Laughing and howling in abandonment when the mech figures out what is reality versus illusionary as they get a better grip on how Cybertronians perceive the world. They wish to see what is this one is truly capable of when properly nurtured…

Humanity still exists in a way. Remnants of Others still exist in human populations. Diluted yet slivers still active enough to derive certain talents, skills, and traits. Enough to be offered a choice…

The fae welcome their lost brethren and young hybrid descendants with open, hungry hands. Cooing over at the new-blood, so much like clay and ready to be worked into a masterpiece. Memories jumbled and wiped away like gossamer webs, so fragile and easily taken away. Crooning how they retain their short-lived, mortal old loves’ uniqueness: the brimming potential still potent in metal frames.

Less like clay, more like raw ore. Look at their precious treasures, lost like little lambs and stumbling like newborns, star-bright souls weeping at the pitiless world. Those tears are savored like fine wine as they put their little ones to sleep, they will teach how to use those new bodies for they are familiar enough with Clockwork and automatons < shapeshifter, oh shapeshifter; what form shall you take today >, how to rend with those claws and jagged teeth, the etiquette of the various Courts, and one day join the Hunt and feast in the glorious revel.

The sea calls with its haunting, unearthly song and accepts the drowned and cradles its lost children, metal or mud, it matters not to it. Colonies and communities heed their mother’s Call and come to reclaim.

And the world is pitiless being; its kindness can be so cruel. It doesn’t understands how its children can be maddened by grief and hearts so broken for it’s not the first time the cycle has been reset: and history repeats, the world rolls and rolls, again and again. It hums at the potential and heeds its own call: Adapt or Die. And so, monstrosities, from the depths of mortal nightmares and shattered souls, prowl upon the Earth once more.

The planet is Earth. Dirt and dust. Clay and coast. Land that touches the both air and ocean. Merciless and abundant. On this deadly planet, one could die from starvation while surrounded by paradise of food.

Earth has been born by a slumbering Unicron; its magma blood, bountiful seas, and rich veins of Energon, deeply guarded and so well hidden until now, feeds its hungry creations. Chaos calls to the dark god and Chaos courts its inhabitants, etched deep into crust and sediment, lovingly crafted into its wild fauna; the song of Conflict is a lullaby old as time itself. 

It sees these metal interlopers, so foreign yet similar like a distorted mirror for Unicron and Primus are brothers; opposites, yet equals. It sighs and sings out to claim them as well even as Unicron churns beneath. For the Cybertronians had tried to claim it as their own first.

They will have their wish granted...

Of course it leads to a lot of tension with its direct creations, wild with freedom and aching for their Mudmen. Their short-lived, ridiculously adaptable kin made of clay and water.

 < Then you shall replace them. Your people shall replace the Mudmen in all the ways it matters. >

[who-is-muses]

Important Canon Divergence Facts About the Lanterns

[ a quick reference of what's different in my portrayals and what other muses might know to help the Lantern mutuals- and anyone else that might be interested in some rainbow bitches <3 ]

Lady Bleez Yennick

First and foremost, fuck you DC I'm giving her a full name. If she's supposed to be the daughter of a powerful lord and lady and a carrier of the former's royal bloodline, she ought to have a family name. It also makes her more of a character than a plot device.

Bleez is a lesbian (and asexual.) Rankorr is very important to her- but not in any romantic fashion. She finds it difficult to put a label on what they are, and thus vehemently refuses to do so. Guy is a similar story- only she's much more willing to use words like "hate" and "bastard" for him.

Even if she wanted to visit her planet of origin, Havania has long since exiled her and writ her from her royal family's records. As far as the history books are concerned, Bleez was a lowly slave that was sold off to the Sinestro Corps by the Yennick family to bargain for their planet’s safety.

After her battle with Fatality, Bleez developed a stronger resistance to her ring’s influence. Though she is no less filled with rage, Yrra's efforts inadvertently helped Bleez gain more control over it, able to focus it and even learning to create simple constructs. (On the flip side, their encounter restored a lot of Yrra's mind from her ring’s control, but that'll wait to be elaborated on when I add her.)

Her unique Red Lantern power is that she can drain energy off other living things to recharge her own ring. It is possible for a source to charge her willingly, but most often is achieved by biting or otherwise injuring a target and ingesting their blood.

Saint Bro'Dee Walker

He didn't succeed in saving his home planet in my canon. He tried to climb Mt. Helios and lost his family in the process, but was forced back down when traffickers invaded Astonia to abduct the people en masse, knowing "limited" species like theirs sell for more. Bro’Dee was among those taken, and did his best to protect his people while they were all held prisoner on board. (To this day, he isn't certain how long he was held captive.) Ultimately the ship was downed by a combination of attacking Red Lanterns and Mogo’s influence as they passed by, Bro'Dee rallying the survivors of the ensuing crash and helping them to overpower their captives and flee into the jungles. After making sure his people were settled enough, Bro'Dee followed Mogo’s urging to climb yet another mountain where he then received his ring.

There are only a few thousand Astonians left alive. They're not a common species, but not utterly unknown either.

Bro'Dee is from a monosexual species with a much more fluid sense of gender than humans. He isn't male or female, and identifies somewhere in the middle of feminine and masculine- but rarely objects to being called a "man" or anything like that.

I abide by the rule that Blue Lanterns need a Green to do things like constructs and advanced healing (including the rejuvenation of stars thing), but their rings shouldn't be nearly as useless on their own. Bro’Dee by himself is still able to fire energy blasts, heal minor injuries and keep people off the brink of death, create force fields and protective bubbles, and manipulate energy to push or pull things (including people.)

Besides the abilities afforded to him by his ring, Bro'Dee being an Astonian means he can lift things several times his own weight, breathe underwater, travel great distances without requiring a break, and has an innate tele-empathic sense. He respectfully keeps this latter ability significantly under control, but still has a sense for how others are feeling beyond simple empathy.

Also the markings on his face + body glow different colors depending on stimulation (but are much fainter than the light given off by his uniform so they're very easy to miss.)

Salaak tel Ouro

Like Bleez, fuck you DC he gets a full name.

Also like Bleez, he was exiled from his planet of origin- only Salaak was erased entirely, no official records of his existence remaining. Regardless of his actions as a Lantern, he's considered a criminal on Slyggia for defying the societal caste structure and thus breaking a large number of laws.

Salaak was born into the lowest social class, and thus had a future with no education and his occupation predetermined. He was nevertheless drawn to more intellectual matters- technology in particular- and repeatedly disobeyed authority figures to teach himself, discovering a seemingly innate talent for robotics and engineering. He was ultimately exiled as a young teenager to a habitable exoplanet in the space sector with nothing to protect himself. Ganthet himself recruited Salaak into the Green Lantern Corps there on that lonely junkyard planet, finding him attempting to construct a ship from the scrap and wreckages strewn about. It's extremely unlikely any muses would know this full story, but may have put some pieces together.

Slyggians and Korugarans were Space Sector neighbors, and frequently interacted resulting in a strong but (usually) civil rivalry between them before Korugar's sector became off limits to outsiders. Because of this, Salaak was imbued with a dislike for Korugarans, leading him to clash often with Sinestro throughout the entire time they were both Green Lanterns. Though Salaak has since unlearned this baseless prejudice, he maintains a hatred for Thaal which outshines much of his fellow senior Lanterns.

He is extremely loyal to John as Corps Leader, and admires him greatly- but still struggles with the after effects of the original Guardians of the Universe's betrayal. Though he has the utmost faith in John- holding him in high regard before there was even a question of a Corps Leader- Salaak worries that his loyalty to a figurehead may someday again blind him from his loyalty to the Corps as a whole.

Thaal Sinestro

I don't care what nu52 says, his eyes were NOT originally like that. Every other Korugaran had whites in their eyes and a range of iris colors. Thaal's were originally teal, but were permanently changed while captured in the Central Battery with Parallax.

Also he has the white streak in his hair permanently after containing Parallax for so long.

The vast majority of Sinestro Corps members that survived the destruction of Ranx/War World are loyal to Soranik now. The only Lanterns Thaal still has as back up are Arkillo, Dez Trevius, Lyssa Drak, Rigen Kale, Slushh, and Smithwick. All others have been killed, and any rings that are dispatched are not Thaal's doing (unless stated otherwise.)

This isn't something any muse not within his circle would know, but Thaal was born and raised in a small rural town. What any muse could notice, however, is that he has a marginally different accent than the other famous Korugarans.

Realizing now it would've been quicker to just preface that other muses wouldn't know a lot of the points for Thaal, and this is another one djdjdjs. He has a number of health problems that he keeps tight under wraps, only his inner circle of Lanterns (and Hal for some if we're being real) are aware of the extent of. That being said, muses may certainly notice the effects of these issues such as him keeping his eyes closed for extended periods, his back and/or left shoulder pop-snap-crackling, putting his weight on his right leg more, etc.

Again, very private information, but he was in a relationship with both Abin Sur as well as marrying Arin. Everyone was aware of it- Abin purposefully introducing Thaal to Arin- though the siblings kept their respective relationships with him independent of each other. Thaal believes to his core that they both djed hating him, and will likely never be convinced otherwise, but is nevertheless very touchy about their memories.

[superman86to99]

The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special (November 2022)

We take another chronal jump to the future because we CAN'T not talk about this special, which reads like it was specifically made for us. This 80-page book is made out of four stories by each of the creative teams who worked in the original "Death of Superman" saga back in '92 (minus editor Mike Carlin, inkers Denis Rodier and Dennis Janke, letterer John Costanza, and uhhh whoever did the lettercol back then). The stories are:

"The Life of Superman" (by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding)

The first official Jurgens/Breeding joint since... 1999, I think? I didn't realize how much I missed seeing their combined signature in that little circle; you know the one. This is by far the longest story in the book and, while I enjoyed it a lot, I kinda wish they'd made it shorter so that the others could have more breathing space (especially since the plot will continue in an upcoming miniseries written by Jurgens).

This one is set during the ??th anniversary of Superman's death, when a now adult Mitch Anderson (you know, the asshole teen who thought Superman was lame until a monster came crashing into his house and he needed someone to save him) visits little Jon Kent's school to talk about that historic day. This is a cool starting point because it parallels Mitch's first appearance being forced to sit through a televised Superman interview during class at the start of the "Death" storyline. The main differences are that these kids are much more polite than he was and TVs are way bigger now.

Anyway, Mitch's story is a huge shock to Jon, since the fact that his dad died and came back to life just never came up at home. Jon is upset with Lois for not telling him, so she spends a few pages recapping the entire "Death" storyline while walking Jon through Centennial Park, where Superman's empty (or is it????) (yes it is) tomb still stands.

Meanwhile, a mysterious creature has managed to demolish a whole building in Metropolis without anyone seeing it clearly, but reports indicate that it kinda looked like Doomsday. The Kents eventually come face to face with the creature right in front of the Daily Planet building, and it does look a whole lot like Doomsday, only with four arms... and, later on, wings. Jon names it "dOOmbreaker" (that's how they keep spelling it) but I kinda like his earlier suggestion of "Doomerang" better.

Superman is having a pretty tough time facing Doomerang, since not only is it as strong as Doomsday but it can also evolve and adapt while fighting, instead of having to die first like the original. While Superman fights the monster in front of a crowd of people who are standing way too close (do they want to get good phone pics if he dies again?), Lois goes off to use her journalism powers to find out where the hell it came from. She finds out Doomerang is actually a city worker who helped clean the debris left by the original Doomsday and then took one of his broken spiky bones home as a souvenir. Somehow, the bone has been mutating the guy into another Doomsday for years and conveniently finished the job on the day of Superman's deathiversary.

Lois brings the bone over to Superman, who decides to destroy it to prevent Doomerang from mutating even further. Blasting the bone with heat vision doesn't destroy it, but it does turn Doomerang back into a regular person, meaning that Superman manages to end this particular fight without killing the monster OR dying himself. The end! Until that mini I mentioned comes out, I guess, since it'll probably involve the magic Doomsday-duplicating bone wreaking even more havoc.

"Above and Beyond" (by Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett, and Doug Hazlewood)

The sweetest story in the bunch, which is no surprise given that Ordway was always the best at pulling on our heartstrings. This is about Ma and Pa Kent having an understandably tough time watching their son getting pummeled to death on live TV. In order to take Ma's mind off the Doomsday fight, Pa pulls out her old scrapbook of Clark's exploits (which dates back to John Byrne's Man of Steel #1 in 1986) and they go over some other tough fights Superman has managed to survive. These include his tussle with Metallo in Superman #1...

...and the time he brought down Mongul in Warworld during his exile in space. Yes, THE BEARD IS BACK (along with the skimpy space gladiator outfit).

Superman leading a bunch of DC heroes to fight off Brainiac's invasion in "Panic in the Sky" also warrants a mention, which leads to has to be the first Agent Liberty cameo in decades. Side note: all due respect to Brad Anderson, who did a great job coloring the first story, but seeing Glenn Whitmore's colors in this one immediately makes it "feel" more like an authentic '86-'99 comic. (Note: see Don’s section below for a different take on Anderson vs. Whitmore.)

Back to the story, Ma reveals that she had a second, secret stash of Superman-related news clippings where she keeps track of the hundreds lives Clark has saved by quietly transporting donated organs across the country (without even charging for it! Hear that, Flash?). The point is that they reflect on how life can come out of death, unaware that that's literally what's going to happen to their son pretty soon. A beautiful observation illustrated via pictures of Superman punching villains. What more we possibly could ask for in a Superman story? (Other than it lasting more than 10 pages.)

"Standing Guard" (by Roger Stern and Butch Guice)

The Superman/Doomsday fight retold from the perspective of Project Cadmus' Guardian, filling in some of the gaps in the story and answering some questions only a massive Superman nerd could have, like "How long did it take Guardian to drop off Maxima at the hospital?" or "When exactly did he pick up Dubbilex?" Luckily, I am a massive Superman nerd, so I loved it.

So, we see Guardian learning about Doomsday's cross-country rampage and helping Superman in that small town that gets blown up, then in the tree city of Habitat, and then being too late to help him in Metropolis (not that he would have made that much of a difference). The story ends at the morgue where Superman is pronounced dead, when Dubbilex alerts Maggie Sawyer and Dan Turpin that Cadmus' Director Westfield is coming in to take the body for his experiments and Guardian says he's not letting that happen.

It didn't "end there," as you know (or Superboy wouldn't exist), but it's a nice moment. It's cool that, despite how much Guice's artwork has changed, this still feels like an Action issue from back in the day. Part of that is that Stern reuses a lot of old dialogue, but it's also due to his careful attention to detail when it comes to continuity and his knack for keeping characterization consistent -- Guardian, Dubbilex, Maggie, and Turpin are straight out of the '90s. Again: I wish this was longer.

"Time" (by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove)

Finally, this story shows us what John Henry Irons was doing right before and right after Superman's death. This one takes the opposite approach as the previous story: if Stern and Guice made sure to meticulously dovetail their scenes into existing continuity, Simonson and Bog play fast and loose with it to tell the story they wanna tell. In the old comics, we were told that John was buried under a building while trying to help Superman against Doomsday. This one retcons his origin so that John actually gets to see Superman's corpse.

This contradicts John's first appearance in Adventures #500, when he comes out of the rubble days later still thinking he can help Superman stop Doomsday (though he could be excused for being a little confused under the circumstances). However, this retcon provides a pretty strong ending for the story, which is mostly about John trying to reach Doomsday in his single-minded obsession with helping Superman, only to get sidetracked helping people trapped by the destruction in Metropolis. By the time he reaches the front of the Planet building, Superman and Doomsday are already dead. John is devastated, but then he gets up to continue "making a difference" and helping people, setting up the moment when he gets trapped under that rubble.

Yep, that's the psychic lady who later comes up with the whole "Superman's spirit possessed John" story; haven't seen HER in a while. This issue features other long-neglected characters like Keith the unlucky orphan, Myra the orphanage lady, and even Zoid, the kid with the glasses and the camo jacket who gets smoked by a Toastmaster™ in Steel's debut issue.

Overall, this special is like hanging out with old friends, and I love that it doesn't shy away from some aspects of the "Death of Superman" saga that usually get retconned away in all the retellings and adaptations. For instance, when Lois tells little Jon that Doomsday defeated the Justice League, we see the actual 1993 JLA including Bloodwynd, Booster Gold, and yellow ring era Guy Gardner, as opposed to Batman and Wonder Woman or something. One of the pinups even shows up long-haired Aussie Lex Luthor Jr., who is not a character DC seems eager to revisit (just because of how confusing he would be to casual readers, I guess).

This is a great labor of love by all involved and I'm glad it exists. However, I do have one major complaint: no Bibbo. 0/10.

And now, WAY more commentary from the great Don Sparrow after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We start with the cover, and while I grabbed a few different covers, I think the most standard cover was the one with Jonathan Kent gripping Superman’s old cape with an image of Superman grappling with Doomsday set behind him (with further callback scenes on the foldout image).  This centre image is a callback to a couple of famous images—of course, this scene is the very first image in the original Superman #75, but also reminded me of the (excessively airbrushed) cover of the Wizard Magazine Tribute Edition.  Speaking of colouring, the colour throughout this issue is absolutely stunning, and the combination of the 90s style of art with the three-dimensionality of Brent Anderson’s colour is really really appealing.

THE LIFE OF SUPERMAN:

As we move into the story itself, I’m struck with how well the Jurgens/Breeding team can draw these kids looking like actual kids.  We’ve covered it quite a bit in the Byrne era that comic artists can drawn young people as tiny adults, but here, all the students’ dimensions and faces seem accurate.  There’s also a quiet effort at greater diversity among the Metropolis classmates, which is nice to see.

A few pages on, we see the modern Superman for the first time, and it’s wild seeing the Super-team of the 90s drawing the costume of the present age.  Granted, the changes are small, just the movie-style cuffs, the three-dimensional s-shield, and slightly more angular belt-loops, but it’s interesting how familiar and new it feels.  I also think Jurgens is drawing Superman to look a little bit older now that he’s a father.

A few pages after that, we see Lois for the first time, and unsurprisingly, Dan and Brett draw a great looking Lois Lane.  Her outfit in particular says “urban working mom” in a stylish way, and I dig it.  I’ve already mentioned Anderson’s colouring, but I can’t praise it enough—he treads a fine line, by ameliorating the underlying inks, without over-rendering.  He uses largely flat planes of colour, rather than airbrushing every curve, and it’s a really nice marriage, the panel of Lois’ stray hairs leaving a shadow on her cheek is a great example.

As we intercut between Lois’ retelling of the Doomsday storyline, and Superman investigating the new “monster”, the fear in Superman’s eyes as he recognizes his assailant is really well done.  So too is the emotion on Lois’ face as she retells the iconic “cape at half-mast” moment.

It’s a small thing, but I also like the sartorial choices they make for Clark, when he meets up with his family after Doomsday (somehow) scampers away off camera.  Our first glimpse at Doombreaker is a very close recall of a drawing from this same team in the Superman/Doomsday mini (that we should be getting to soon on this very blog!).  Superman taking flight to battle Doombreaker is a poster-worthy image (hurt a little bit in my opinion by the random Superman logo dropped in behind him for no reason).  There’s not a wrong note in this entire portion of the story, so it’s hard—I want to highlight all the art!  But the final panel of Superman flying away is an all-time great.

And to analyze the story a bit—it’s everything I was hoping for.  I was surprised to see the young Jonathan in this book, as the near-adult Jonathan has been so front and centre in the modern stories.  I’ll admit, I missed the dynamic between he and his parents that was done so well by Jurgens, and later Patrick Gleason, so to show this story as a flashback to when Jon learned about what happened to his dad was a really smart way to go.  It also seemed like an antidote to the 1990s that brought us the Death storyline.  This wasn’t a mindless slugfest, and despite the 90s-ness of the name “Doombreaker”, Superman didn’t solve this fight with brute strength.  It took compassion, and investigative reporting on the part of Lois to solve that day’s dilemma.  Right down to the title, it was an uplifting and hopeful story.

ABOVE AND BEYOND:

We are instantly transported back to the original 1993 story as we see the Kents holding each other in front of the television set.  Grummett and Hazlewood certainly have not lost a step, as their art looks as crisp and detailed as all those decades ago.  Glenn Whitmore’s colours are a bit of a comedown after the Brent Anderson chapter, but not distractingly so.  It’s fascinating to see Tom’s interpretation of so many iconic moments of Superman’s career (the Gladiator costume is always a particular highlight because it was such a departure at the time!).

It’s a testament to both Jerry Ordway’s writing, and Tom Grummett’s rendering that this story featuring an elderly couple, and very little non-flashback action threatens to steal the whole book.  The performances on the Kents faces tell a story as compelling as any action-adventure yarn, and it’s wonderful to read, and a very nice little PSA for organ donation, which is a legitimate way we can save lives through our own death, as Superman did.

STANDING GUARD:

Jackson “Butch” Guice inking himself here, and it’s a little scratchier and more textured than we’re used to seeing.  Still has the long limbed, leanly muscled figures we know from his work, but it’s perhaps not as sharp as the work he did on Action Comics, or more recently when he teamed up with Bryan Hitch on a Captain American mini-series, which was some of the best work I’ve ever seen of his.  The faces in particular seem under-drawn a bit, apart from the clearly-based-on-Tommy-Lee-Jones drawing of Dan Turpin.

And as Max pointed out, it seems like an odd choice to leave Bibbo out of a story in which he originally appeared.

TIME:

In a way, this was one of the most essential stories of the book, chronicling the exact first moments after Steel burst out of the ground in the wake of Doomsday’s rampage.  I had always thought he was under the rubble for days, and only emerged after Superman was already dead, but this new story reveals his full actions that day.

The art is a bit inconsistent, but very Bogdanove.  He copies older panels directly, which is effective, but sometimes jarring when they come before and after panels which are inked very differently than Dennis Janke’s hatching would have done.

The linework here reminded me of Kyle Baker, with its thin, precise minimalist line.  As usual with Simonson and Bogdanove, it’s a more ethnically diverse corner of Metropolis, and Bogdanove excels at drawing a variety of facial types.  At times the hulking John Henry looks a little wan, which again can be jarring with what we know of Bog’s version of the character. 

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Jurgens’ story is just about perfect, in the way that it calls back almost every element of the original Doomsday storyline, starting—as it did in the 90s—with a classroom setting, and students arguing about who’s the greatest hero.  And how much do you love that Jon isn’t embarrassed of his dad, but rather argues he’s the greatest?  What a kid.

I love Jurgens’ writing of Superman and Lois as parents.  It’s a great moment when Jon voices his displeasure of having to learn about his own father’s death, even temporarily, in a classroom.  To her credit, Lois immediately cops to the fact that they didn’t handle that properly, and apologizes.  It’s the right move, and it’s great to see.

If I have one quibble about the art in the Jurgens’ story, it would be the lettering.  I found the clearly-computerized font for the word “Doombreaker” to not look great in the panel, especially how often it was repeated, and some sound effects are handled better than others.  The “Brakka-chak!” when Doombreaker shoves Superman into a building looks ok, but the “swit swit swit” earlier in the story where Doombreaker spins Superman by his cape just looks so computer-y and tacked on (besides being an odd transliteration—I kinda want to believe that it’s an excited USO show awaiting MASH star Loretta, chanting in anticipation).  But seriously, I do miss the feel of hand-lettered sound effects.

My personal favourite moment is perhaps a weird one, but I’ll explain!  My son’s name is Donovan, and since he was a little tyke, we have always called him “Dono” for short.  So it was very cool to see Jimmy Olsen calling Jonathan Kent “Jonno” for short.

Not to nerd out, but honestly, what do you expect at this point?—there are a couple factual errors within this issue.  One is in the first story, where Superman says it’s new for Doomsday to “speed-evolve” as Doombreaker does.  But Doomsday did the exact same thing in 1994’s Hunter/Prey mini-series, as he speed-grew new bones to cover his ear canals, and also his knuckle bone spurs became weird ropes at one point.  What gives, man?  Also, in the John Henry Irons story, they erroneously have John giving Lois credit for naming Doomsday. But the first person to call him Doomsday was Booster Gold.  Maybe John means she first used it in print?  [Max: I took it as John simply not knowing Booster used the name first... though, if Lois used it in print and didn’t specifically credit its creator, knowing Booster, she’s got a lawsuit in her hands.]

GODWATCH: Been a while since I’ve focused on the faith elements in these stories, but this issue has plenty.  First, when Lois tries to warn Superman, she invokes prayer.  Then in the story with the Kents, their mention of sacrificial love read to me like a Christian concept, and Lee Weeks pinup literally references the cross.

CLAY MANN PINUP:

Anyone who reads this blog even semi-regularly knows I’m something of a connoisseur of “Lois-looking-great” art.  As he showed in the Tom King Batman run, when Superman and Lois went on a double date with Catwoman and Batman (one of the best comics of the last ten years, if you haven’t read it!), Clay Mann draws a stunning, but realistically proportioned, Lois Lane.  Clark’s tailoring is decidedly 90s, but it’s a corker of an image, and my second favourite of the bunch.

LEE WEEKS PINUP:

An absolute stunner from one of my favourite artists and comic people.   The big red cape reminds me of a Bill Sienkiewicz piece, but it has that naturalistic, brushy feel of all of Lee Weeks work.  Great concept, great layout and great drawing.  My favourite of the bunch, actually.

WALT SIMONSON PINUP:

Unmistakably Simonson’s linework, with Laura Martin’s colours just lending a little bit of extra texture.  While Simonson’s looking a bit looser than other days, it’s still a strong piece, even if I’ve never liked the ram-horned look on Doomsday.

FABIO MOON PINUP:

Naturally, Moon’s quirky style is going to be a departure from the dynamic realism we expect from Superman comics, but the style matches the mood very well, here.  The concept of Jimmy using his signal watch for a Superman who will never come is a great and sad idea.  I do find the unidentified extra Planet staffers a bit distracting, though.  That might be Ron Troupe with his blazer over his shoulder (I guess his ”JAM” sweatshirt was in the laundry), and the mustachioed fellow could be Steve Lombard, as drawn in Superman stories from much later than the death storyline.  The other two ladies?  Not sure.  Maybe Alice and Cat Grant?  Or is it Daphne and Velma.  But the fact that I’m debating about it shows that maybe they could have been left out.  [Max: That’s definitely Alice for me, and therefore Cat next to hear because it’s just be weird to have an extra random person.]

BILL SEINKIWEICZ PINUP:

There’s Bill himself! He is such a master of energetic and photorealistic artwork that I have to wonder if he had someone dress up as Doomsday for this shot. Another interesting artistic take.

GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ PINUP:

A great circular layout, bringing the eye into the centre (and Superman’s face) both with the framing of Doomsday, and also the muted colours at the edges. Managing to include Jimmy and Lois is just the icing on the cake.  Great.

JAMAL CAMPBELL PINUP:

Another powerful, if simple image, with Lois’ grief front and centre, and the “Reign” storyline that followed behind her.  My only quibble is I prefer drawn lettering rather than computer fonts, but that’s a minor one.

CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO PINUP:

I quite like the Superman movie inspired crystals as a motif, and the layout is well designed.  Doomsday looks frightening, which is a strange contrast from the placid expression on Superman’s face.  Buuuuuut, I have a few issues here.  Generally, I think computer artwork can make an artist a bit lazier, and we see that here.  The arms are literal mirrors of each other, which just feels a bit unnecessarily hurried. And one of my major pet peeves of the modern era is artists refusing to draw the actual Superman logo onto the figure.  Here it is slapped on (with at least some colouring to denote his chest muscles) in my opinion too high onto the uniform.  Lastly the planet Earth behind him (another thing modern artists often skip drawing) is not even a high-resolution image, and you can see the jagginess even in print.  

CULLY HAMNER PINUP:

In my top three of these pinups easily, it’s exactly what I want from a pinup—seeing familiar and beloved characters from the story, looking as they did in the original story, but interpreted in the signature style of the artist.  Terrific sense of motion here with unique, blocky colours in that Hamner style.  Love it. On the whole, I was surprised and pleased with how worthwhile the issue was.

[hersterical]

My take on ST characters in SW universe:

Will started off as a Jedi and El started off as a Sith/dark force user but they both end up as Gray Jedis.

Mike is the Han to Will and El’s Luke and Leia, except he has all of Han’s attitude with none of his athletic/gunslinger abilities.

Dustin builds and designs droids. He is constantly butting heads with the ship’s mechanic/ other mean girl Max. (Who is in an “unspoken” power struggle with Mike for the title of ship’s official mean girl)

Lucas is the pilot who actually has his priorities in order and is the only one Max trusts with the ship. He’s usually the voice of reason but has his weaknesses, usually involving taking on passengers who are obviously trouble because “they need help”. Or trying to impress Max with a risky maneuver.

Erica is learning how to be a pilot from Lucas and is insistent that she only wants to learn so she can someday leave all these losers behind but she really wants to learn because of how much she looks up to Lucas. She also enjoys learning about ship mechanics from Max and battle strategies from Mike. She has zero interest in the force. She also enjoys hanging out with the older group and is more willing to be seen in public with them than the members of the younger group. Nancy was separated from her family at a young age and became a Mandalorian foundling. (More like Sabine and Bo-Katan than Din)

Argyle strongly believes in the force and has/had a similar job to Chirrut and Baze and is slightly force sensitive and is aware of this. Jonathan is pretty strongly force sensitive but is unaware of this because he’s used to Will and El levels of force shenanigans.

Steve and Robin are both force sensitive but it manifests itself in unusual ways. Mostly through their force connection with each other. (They can sense each other’s emotions, have silent conversations through sheer vibes and eye contact, etc.) They are both amazing at convincing people of things that they have no right being able to convince anyone of. Steve is also able to sense whenever one of his idiots is in danger (like Luke) while Robin is weirdly good at picking up languages and making impossible leaps in logic that turn out to somehow be correct. Neither of them are aware of their force sensitivity. The only one who does know is Argyle who thinks everyone knows and just doesn’t talk about it for some reason.

Eddie is Some Guy who got way in over his head with some trouble, accidentally saved Mike, Dustin, and Lucas’ lives, and now they can’t get rid of him. (No one except for Hopper tries very hard anymore)

Hopper and Joyce are co-leaders of the town on an outer-rim planet that everyone uses as their base of operations. (They’re usually split up into the older/younger groups but they also mix and match. Such as the Scoops Troop). The kids all think they’re having a much more exciting time with traveling the galaxy than these two stuck in the middle of nowhere. No one is aware of the full extent of mystery solving and bandit catching that these two take part in. All the kids are aware that they won’t narc on them to whoever the ruling government of the galaxy is at the time, but they don’t know the extent that Hop and Joyce go to to keep them out of trouble. Of course Hopper rips into them more than enough to make up for that whenever they make a particularly stupid decision. Joyce’s disappointment and worry is a worse punishment than anything Hopper or the controlling government could come up with combined.

[supergito]

Fusion Revived - CH 6 (Family)

➤ This story is actually complete (finished Sep 2021) over on my Ao3 already; I'm just publishing it here on tumblr too for archival purposes. I hope any and all curious readers enjoy if they haven't checked it out yet!

SUMMARY: Majin Buu has been destroyed, and the Earth has known peace for close to a year now. Life hasn't been too peaceful for the person responsible for saving the world and the entire universe however, but when an ordinary woman meets him one day, things start to change.

RATING: Teen and Up. PAIRING(S): Vegito x OC/Reader, alluded Gochi, alluded Vegebul CONTENT: Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Family Drama CW(s) THIS CHAPTER: None.

It’s funny how different things feel now. It’s like Vegito is an entirely new person to her, having gone from a friendly stranger to someone she truly does consider a friend. A dear friend, even.

He told her all sorts of stories about the adventures he’s had, or rather, what Goku and Vegeta had. While possessing his own mind, he does have their memories, and he was able to talk about them like he himself had been there.

How Goku and Vegeta met one another sounded like something that came right out of a movie. Actually, everything both Saiyans went through sounded so out-of-this-world that you would only see it in fiction. But Vegito had no reason to lie, and she got no impression he was, so she ate up every word. There were some parts that were…awful, namely every heinous act Vegeta committed in the early years of him knowing Goku and his friends, and how he gave his soul to Babidi just for more power, but he finally tried to at least do one good thing. His sacrifice to Majin Buu, though it didn’t work, showed just how far he’s come.

Vegito told her more about the demon, and that they used objects called dragon balls to fix the messes he caused, along with erasing the memories people on Earth had of him. The existence of a magical, wish-granting dragon that emerged from little orbs that you had to gather from around the world was probably the most ridiculous thing out of them all, but she accepted it. She accepted everything, having already come to grips with how Vegito flipped her understanding of the world onto its head.

Nothing would ever be the same again, and she was ok with that.

Vegito went into a little more detail regarding the Saiyans, only divulging that they were a warrior race containing members that were physically stronger than any typical earthling, and that they were virtually extinct now due to their homeworld Planet Vegeta getting destroyed. He seemed to not want to go into what they did on the planet or how the Saiyans lived, but he did go over how Vegeta was their prince and would have eventually become their king.

He touched more upon his relationship between the two Saiyans’ wives, explaining that he didn’t feel comfortable trying to be a husband to either one of them. Goku is Chi Chi’s husband, Vegeta was Bulma’s, and he didn’t want to step anywhere in that kind of territory. She interpreted this as him saying that he was single, which she may or may not have grown especially happy about…

The last thing she was told that her attention clung to, was Vegito’s level of strength. Being a potara fusion, he had Vegeta and Goku’s power combined, and multiplied. He was the strongest person on Earth, and in the entire universe, which makes him the perfect guardian for both. If anything like Majin Buu appeared again, he would be ready.

A consequence to his power however, was that there was no one around who could give him a challenging fight.

He trained his sons Goten and Trunks, and sparred with someone he called Piccolo every now and then, but he couldn’t use his full strength or even a substantial amount because they or anyone else can’t handle it. Unable to experience any thrill in fighting, and demotivated from training regularly since he was already at the top of the universal pyramid, he was left stricken with boredom the majority of the time this past year.

That must’ve been part of the reason why he became so motivated to pester her. She made him feel entertained, more often than he’s felt since he destroyed Buu.

She doubted she has the heart to ever grow genuinely mad at him again. She’s grateful he’s allowed her in like this.

                                                                                                             ༻ ❁ ༺

A day has passed. As the weather was fair, the two of them were outside yards away from her home, getting fresh air.

She was catching up on a novel she was hooked onto, while Vegito sat next to her, resting against the tree with his legs crossed and eyes closed. The tip of his tail was in the grasp of one of her hands, held gingerly as her fingers stroked its fur. He remained still and quiet, but the blush on his face spoke enough on its own.

He trusting her enough to let her touch his tail tickled the woman pink. He did warn her to not squeeze it as it was sensitive, which is why he usually kept it wrapped around his waist, but he was content to let her pet it as much as she pleased. Either he was willing to indulge her, or it must have felt good. Or both.

She managed to go through two chapters of her book before Vegito’s tail twitched abruptly. He was sitting up straighter now, posture stiffened, and eyes open.

“Something up?”

“Goten and Trunks are approaching us.”

He answered, staring to his side, up at the sky.

“…Is that a bad thing?” He looked vigilant, so she couldn’t help but wonder.

“Not inherently.” He popped his neck, rubbing it with a hand before he moved to stand up. She let go of his tail so she wouldn’t accidently pull it, and got up onto her feet as well.

Looking ahead, she could see two blurs of aura steadily growing larger, as the two boys that gave them off drew nearer. They landed smoothly before their father, and for a second, she was envious that two kids were such expert fliers. She has still been thinking about taking that lesson from Vegito…

“What is it boys?” He crossed his arms.

Goten’s eyes were downcast and he was frowning, clearly upset about something. Trunks took the initiative to answer the adult. He too didn’t appear to be thrilled, but unlike Goten, he was more calm overall.

“Our moms need to talk to you. They’re waiting at Capsule Corp.”

He wasn’t even speaking to her, but she flinched. She couldn’t see Vegito’s face from where she was, but she caught how rigid his stance became.

“…Fine.” He answered after a pause, and he placed two of his fingers against his forehead, preparing to use Instant Transmission. The boys took the cue and grasped the fabric of his trousers. He didn’t vanish right away though.

His head rotated until he was looking at her. His expression was neutral, but his eyes told a different story.

“I’ll…see you later, _____.”

“O-Ok…”

He and the boys were gone then. She was left with a sickening feeling of dread, that made her stomach twist and turn.

                                                                                                             ༻ ❁ ༺

When they arrived inside Capsule Corporation’s headquarters and home of the Brief family, Vegito already sensed something was amiss. Goten and Trunks’ moods hinted as such, but he was hoping whatever the women needed him for wasn’t serious.

He noticed them standing before him with similar disgruntled looks, and he steeled himself for another argument that was surely on the horizon.

“Thank you, kids. Go off and play, the adults need to have a discussion.” Chi Chi addressed the two without taking her eyes off of Vegito. They nodded and ran out posthaste…but they did hide in a close room, far too apprehensive to not eavesdrop. They knew what their mothers were going to tell him.

“Let’s not beat around the bush. Bulma and I have come to a decision regarding you, that we hope will repair things for us all.” Chi Chi begun, and immediately, anxiousness made his fists clench. Annoyance also seeped up, as they decided on something involving him without asking him about it first. Of course.

“The boys want their fathers back. We want our husbands back. So…” Bulma’s head tilted upwards, gazing down her nose at him. Like he was someone beneath her.

“Whenever they become active sometime in the next few days, we’ll be gathering the dragon balls and wishing for you to be unfused.”

… … …

It took him a moment to understand.

And the second he did, he was outraged.

“Unfuse? ME? Did I not tell you both that this fusion was PERMANENT?” Vegito snarled, composure utterly gone. The warrior was aware that level-headedness with a key trait to have for one’s character, but…they were technically threatening him with erasure here.

For his state as a fused being, that might as well be death.

“We have faith that won’t stop Shenron.” Neither of the women were deterred by his anger. Which, frankly made him more mad.

“Faith? So you aren’t even sure that the dragon will be capable of granting it?!”

“We won’t know unless we try. Vegito, we’re both TIRED of living like this. Living with you…being here. It isn’t right!” Chi Chi’s temper was also starting to rise.

But, her demeanor had nothing on his. Like in his unpleasant encounter with Bulma before, sparks shot off of Vegito’s form, but with more ferocity now. Faint vibrations passed through the ground. He glowered, and his black irises turned a muted cyan.

“Did you two forget that your husbands created me for you? For you, your children, and this planet you live on? You’re disrespecting them and their sacrifice, for what?”

“We can undo their sacrifice, and bring them back to us. Everything can go back to being truly normal, how it should be.” Bulma disregarded the meat of his questions, solely focusing on their plan.

Their plan to kill him.

“Do I have ANY say in this? Does what I think and feel not matter to either of you?!”

“You can’t change our minds Vegito. We’re not backing away from this. Stop being selfish. Accept your fate.”

Bulma tossed a variation of what he told her before, right back into his face. And, did he feel it burn. His aura intensified, and the vibrations strengthened to the point that the contents in the room they were in trembled. His muscles were tightened, as if he was ready to jump forward to combat the threat before him.

He didn’t. He couldn’t. He couldn’t ever harm them, even if he wanted to.

“FINE! Collect the dragon balls, wish for whatever you like. It won’t work. But if it does…I will never forgive you for taking my life away from me.”

The enraged Saiyan used Instant Transmission and disappeared, with the chaos in the room following.

Chi Chi and Bulma shared a sigh, and spoke with lowered voices with one another. Until the dragon radar was able to detect the signals the dragon balls emitted when active, they had to wait a little longer. In the nearby room, their sons shook off the nerves troubling them. They both can sense ki, and Vegito’s was spiking to overwhelming heights before he left.

“Trunks…do you think this is a good idea?” Goten meekly questioned.

“…Kind of. I miss Dad, and Mom’s been so sad lately. If Shenron can bring him back, that should make her happy again. It’s why I reminded her about the dragon balls.” Trunks appeared sure, but the unsure tone under his words was a strong contrast.

“I dunno…this feels wrong. Did you hear how mad Vegito was?”

“Of course he’d be mad. But it’s whatever. The most important thing is that our dads will be back.” He nodded, dispelling his fears. Goten wasn’t so convinced.

He desired to see his own father again greatly, having the memories of overhearing his mother crying during multiple nights over he being stuck with Vegeta as one person, but the boy wrestled with himself mentally to forget how Vegito felt about all this. He wanted his mother to be happy again too.

This was for the best. It had to be…

                                                                                                             ༻ ❁ ༺

The fusion appeared on the painfully familiar beach that had Kame House upon it, but he wasn’t planning on entering to say hello to Master Roshi and Turtle. He wasted no time in blasting away, flying above the speed of sound through the air. His destination was merely a remote island, devoid of other people on it.

As he touched down, his pent up energy and fury became too strenuous to bare.

“Damn it! DAMN IT!!!”

Vegito screamed, and a column of light surged from his body and enveloped him, blasting away everything around him. The earth shook with the force of a staggering earthquake, and a fierce gale blew up a dirt cloud mixed with smoke. When it faded, he was in a massive crater that sunk down almost a mile into the earth’s crust. He didn’t release all of his energy, as that would’ve blown a hole right down to the planet’s core like a hot knife through butter.

That vent did help him steady himself, but the curbed fury allowed a tidal wave of fear to wash over him. He fell to his knees, and his hands slid up to his golden hair, gripping it tightly.

In his mind, over and over again, did the plea repeat.

‘I don’t want to disappear.’

He honestly didn’t know if Shenron actually could unfuse him, but the possibility being there and the women taking it was enough for his shell to crumble. He knew not what the unfusion process was like, but there would be no question that with Goku and Vegeta separated and regaining their own consciousnesses, his own would cease to exist.

There isn’t an Other World for him. There isn’t a second life waiting. There is only a void, where for all he knew, he would be trapped in for the rest of his creator’s lives in this world and the other. This would be it. The end.

He thought that Bulma and Chi Chi would eventually learn to accept him, some day. The thought of being intimate with either one of them, especially BOTH of them, made him extremely uncomfortable. The Goku in him cared little for Bulma and wanted only Chi Chi, but Vegeta’s essence leaned towards Bulma and coiled in disgust at the image of laying in bed with Chi Chi. There was such a high degree of disharmony in his core over the topic that gave him a migraine if he thought about it for too long, so it felt immensely better to keep away from them both. The women themselves constantly acted as if he repulsed them anyway.

He did still carry love for them regardless, and he used that for fueling himself to be a supportive figure, rather than a husband. And it wasn’t good enough.

Goten and Trunks… The boys were very young and didn’t completely understand just how complicated things were, but they wanted their true fathers back, plain and simple. The same went for Gohan, the fusion knew. He would never suffice. Never be enough.

Would his creators ever need to fuse again? He knew better than anyone else that they probably would refuse to, even if it was necessary. Just like him, they were both prideful and valued their individual strength too much to rely heavily upon another. He was a special occurrence, one born out of adrenaline and desperation. A one-hit wonder. Whenever the dragon balls reactivate, which the women said would be soon, he could leave this universe for good and there was nothing he could do about it.

Everything HE wanted, everything HE was devoted towards and strived towards…

None of it mattered after all.

One of his hands came free to slam into the ground as a punch, creating another but smaller crater. His eyes stung, but he would not let himself cry. He was a warrior, and he would face whatever happens with his dignity upheld.

There was a flash in the pit of his mind. The appearance and voice of a lovely woman he became attached to…

‘_____...’

How was he supposed to tell her this? Could he? Would it be worth it? If the wish was beyond Shenron’s power, then he’d worry her for nothing. But if he kept it secret and found his two halves becoming their original selves, she would be left in the dark, wondering where he was. Unaware of the fact that he left this realm, likely forever.

Why exactly did that make his heart twist? Why was he so…smitten with her…?

The Saiyan was at a lost. He’d much rather be placed in the life-or-death situation of fighting Majin Buu again than deal with any of this.

He fell in a heap to sit, powering down from his Super Saiyan state, exhausted more than he’s ever been.

[respondedinkind]

~ Character Info Sheet

name: Khan Noonien Singh (Ka'anh originally, but no one knows shh secret lore drop more of that further down)

name meaning: Name meaning on earth (human origins): Khan, which is more popular as a surname, is a Turkish boy's name meaning "prince". Khan is a shorter form of Khagan, and was originally a historic title given to military chiefs and rulers. Noonien is of Chinese origin and means "gifted one", though it's unclear whether this is accurate or not. Singh is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह (IAST: siṃha) meaning "lion", and is used in the sense "hero" or "eminent person" Ka'anh (home planet name version): The one who steps; always forward, never backward.

alias/es: John Harrison, created by Admiral Marcus in case he ever needed to transfer Khan to another place. The faked file about him exists, but has never been used.

ethnicity: Confidential information

one picture you like best of your chara:

three h/cs you've never told anyone:

Khan's name is actually spelled differently in his native language: It's Ka'anh, but pronounced very similar to the human version 'Khan'. As he'd been risen away from his family and grown up within a facility turning selective bred offspring into future soldiers, he's never gotten to know his surname; All he remembers is someone once speaking out his full name when he was very young still - said memory stuck with him and, once he'd arrived on earth after being found / captured by Marcus, he'd heard the names 'Noonien Singh' while watching the daily news report (which he was allowed to consume on a regular basis, to 'sharpen his intellect and offer him knowledge about the world'). Noonien Singh sounded eerily similar to what his childhood memory is made of, so he chose them to become his second- and surname. At the same time, he decided to change the spelling of his first name as well - as a symbolism for cutting ties to a society he's never wanting to return to without giving up his origins completely.

Khan has a massive sweet tooth - he loves everything sweet, including (hard-)candies, chocolate or baked items like pastries. He also enjoys the taste of savory & sweet mixed together, but despises the taste of bitterness.

Despite his extremely regulated, limited and purposeful upbringing (and him needing to become what he was always meant to be), without many chances for children like him to ever live a fulfilling, explorative life, Khan did figure out in his late teens that he's very much not hetersexual.

three things your character likes doing in their free time:

Watching. He loves to watch what happens around him; He watches people, vehicles, nature, the sky, everything. He takes in the sight and saves whatever seems interesting to him inside his mind, gaining both joy and knowledge while doing so.

Listening to music. He realized that some music can, somehow, connect to his emotions, in a way - there's no real 'genre' he's the most fond of, a track just has to 'hit the spot' for him. Sometimes he gets goosebumps from the sensation of listening to it or experiences intense feelings, even though he's unsure why that is.

He's not really actively doing it yet, but he's very much interested in dancing - it combines his love for music with the need to be active, to move his body and get rid of excess energy. Dancing for him is made of logic, rhythm, but also of colorful sounds and variable movements.

eight people your character likes / loves: Khan doesn't have specific people he likes or loves; He also didn't have the time to find any on earth or somewhere else yet after having been captured by Marcus. He sometimes thinks fondly of his mother, even though he's never gotten to know her - but a part of him believes that he can, somehow, remember a few syllables spoken by her voice. It doesn't make much sense, because he'd been an infant when he'd been taken away from her... but still, the (possibly made-up) memory of her comforts him.

Other than that, people he loves or likes are thread / verse dependent (so far, he's feeling very close to @sxbaist, and seems to form a friendship with @noblehcart's Liesel though it's still in the beginning stages. All other threads with other muses are also at the beginning stage so far, but I am looking forward to relationships being formed in them!)

two things your character regrets:

He knows he's never really had a choice, yet he regrets that he's followed his kind's orders to try and become an elite soldier with so much enthusiasm and willpower that he burned himself down in the process; He cannot blame himself, as the whole of his species has been brainwashed for thousands of years and guided by the same power-hungry government, but he does, to a certain extend. His only purpose in life was to become said soldier, there simply was no other purpose existing for him - yet even with how much he struggled, he sadly only realized after failing the last test that he simply was not meant to ever become one of them. Perhaps it would have been better for him to give up and die, and therefore spare himself the experience of all the things that haunt him to this day.

Perhaps a part of him also regrets having fled from his own planet; He'd wanted to escape, but then he's got captured by Marcus, ultimately leading him into a prison cell to become a guinea pig. Oh, if he'd only let himself get killed as the consequence of failing to become his purpose - he wouldn't be where he is now, still trying to fight against what seems to be a curse he carries like a burden on his shoulders. Perhaps his enthusiasm and will to fight has been the curse all along.

two phobias your character has:

Athazagoraphobia: The fear of either being forgotten or forgetting someone / something. He doesn't want either to happen; He's always trying to memorize everyone and everything, as he thinks that knowledge is one of the only powers he holds besides of what his body is capable of. Besides that, he fears that all his effort has been for absolutely nothing if he ceases to exist and no one will ever remember his existence in the first place - which is likely to happen, and he knows that much, yet it makes him feel incredibly uneasy.

Thalassophobia: A persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water, such as the sea, oceans and lakes. His fear might consist of two parts: 1). The water itself, even though he's not necessarily afraid of its existence, but of the fact that it can suffocate him easily (memories of his past haunt him, with water having been used in his brutal training sessions to make him become better and successful in his tests), and 2). the depth of said bodies of water; Darkness surrounding him the further down he goes, no way for him to know what's around him or which dangers may lurk in the shadows, trying to eat him whole.

Tagged by: @sxbaist (thank you so much for enabling me ♥)

Tagging: @vulku @fasciinating @noblehcart (bones and Liesel), @darehearts @oceansfirst (whichever muse you feel!) @ensnchekov and YOU.

[vilevileposting]

I'm really enjoying my first reading of Homestuck

I forgor to post this after Homestuck Book Club!

In my notes for Week 3 I talk a little about not really knowing how this blew up and how niche it feels, but I think the picture is forming. WV: Ascend demonstrated that even without really knowing what's going on, Homestuck definitely has the narrative pull to bring me along for the ride. Compared to that, a 13 year old trying to read the thing her friends like probably won't care that she's not picking up on all the references and programmer humor.

My discord status has been RANCOROUS for several weeks. I think the time may be nigh to make a second homestuck reference.

Week 3:

539: Not convinced that John’s dad’s room will be much of anything. Maybe that’ll be the point where John learns his dad doesn’t give a shit about harlequins and the harlequin thing was all a misguided attempt to connect with his son! But if that’s what that is then what John walks in and sees is probably a normal room as opposed to like some FMA shit.

543: The combination of a book whose girth is known to be lethal with a system whose velocity is known to be lethal is interesting.

544:

As a metaphor for the disconnect between you and also you’re the guy who knocked over your grandmother’s ashes and cleaned them up like shit. Where are those ashes now, John, were you careful with them?

554: Lethal momentum through a wall, baby!!! I still get credit for seeing the future even when it’s heavily foreshadowed.

556: Southern colonel? ☹

592: Does this guy have Kamina glases…

614: Based on how I’ve heard Dave’s name more than John’s as a fandom outsider, John really kinda is the other guy.

629: Blood Loss in the Big Easy sounds like a made up nonsense phrase that somehow captures the intended vintage vibe but it turns out New Orleans is actually called the Big Easy.

636: I bet I can annoy Char by incorporating the phrase “that’s really all there is to say on the matter” into my vocabulary.

644: TOBY FOX ARRIVAL

645: I’m constantly struck by how niche this all feels. I haven’t gotten any answers to why homestuck blew up like it did, and I think I won’t until I get to the trolls.

651: I bet that mystery silhuette is GG

672: Damning hole in my “this guy is a shadow demon” theory – no sharp teef

687: Lot of king hatred for a guy who isn’t a shadow demon in a cosmology that literally or metaphorically uses chess pieces…

691: Bro eats green… Me too man.

696: CAR DEPENDENCY!!!

699: Chess board…………………

704: Raising my eyebrow at the ominous planet

708: Me reaching this page marks the first time anyone has thought about Tab since the Tab mine collapse in 2013

713: Hidden message vibes from this page.

714: How could I forget sburb is green. Sburb is green, this guy eats green, think about it!

716: I think Cal sacrificed himself to save Dave, hence the face turn to thinking puppets are awesome and being rancorous. Also – kernelsprite prototyped with dead bird!

756: I don’t even know what a cliffhanger is, Andrew Hussie. I am reading this webcomic five thousand years in the future, cliffhangers are nothing to me. Your world is laid bare for me at my leisure.

757: Coolest shit ever. Whole lot going on. Just want to flex that I noticed the sburb rocket is in the crater of Rose’s house, complete with wizard hand. The next crater we see is John’s house, which bizarrely grows a tree, then a sburb fruit, then we see that sburb fruit is also a weird pod that the (other) other guy seems to be living inside, or emering from. After that we see a crater next to a volcano, and we see the meteor actually hit somewhere that’s clearly uninhabited and explicitly an ocean over. Also with a MASSIVE hole where the volcano used to be. There’s a chance GG is a mountain hermit but no matter how you dice it, with only three meteors they were never all going to be accounted for. John’s dad is a sleeper hit, what a badass. Those fools put him in the trick cuffs and now he’s going to tear through hell doomslayer style. Rose’s mom also seems to have a secret tunnel to the lab, which has a spirograph on it! Dave’s brother in the relative present seems like he might actually be the coolest guy ever between the hat and confirmed kamina glasses, so he might actually be 100% the kind of guy Dave thinks he is. Final note: the symbols for latitude and longitude look like the wandering vagrant’s tattoo.

[firstwatercapital]

Success is sometimes the outcome of a whole string of failures

As an emerging, vibrant, and multifaceted economy, India can boast of several spectacular success stories. We are surrounded by success stories of unicorns, leaders who have disrupted industries with their innovations, young achievers who have blazed a trail in their respective fields. While we see their achievements, we seldom realize the stories of their struggle. Their stumbles, mistakes, and lessons learned.

Many of us, are also experiencing our own J-curves. Perhaps by being part of a start-up that is finding its feet, or in a role where we lack passion or even looking for a job. Sometimes, life is non-linear and doesn’t always go to plan, but we can take inspiration from those who have continued to roll the dice despite experiencing multiple setbacks and challenges.

Think Different

One of the best examples of a brilliant visionary who came back from the brink of failure is the late Steve Jobs. Having been unceremoniously and bitterly forced out of the company that he co-founded, he returned to a struggling Apple, which was no more the innovative force it had once been and on the verge of bankruptcy. However, through a combination of humility, luck, sheer determination, he pulled back the company and set it on course to become what it is today. Jobs set aside his bitter rivalry with Bill Gates and struck a deal for a cash infusion to save his company. He also changed the way he dealt with people, tempering down his approach. Under him, Apple became one of the most successful companies on the planet and went on to create revolutionary products that have changed the way we live.

Believe. Dream. Dare.

One of the most iconic personalities of our generation, Walt Disney, was initially considered to be a failed entrepreneur. What most people don’t know is that the first animation studio that he founded went bankrupt. If that was not enough, his second attempt succeeded but his partner double-crossed the genius producer and took away the IP along with a number of other animators, but that did not stop him from achieving greatness. He always went by, “First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare.” Today, the Walt Disney Studios is one of the most successful animation studios in the world, and it is thanks to Disney’s power of belief in himself and his hard work.

“Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give… it’s about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.”

One of the most iconic actors of our generation, Sylvester Stallone, has faced a ton of adversity before he emerged victorious. Starting as a struggling actor who was homeless for a while and at one point sold his wife’s jewelry and even his dog as he was determined not to get a normal job lest it dampen his ambition of becoming an actor. He went on to star in a number of record-breaking films and much like Rocky Balboa achieved greatness despite being the underdog. If there’s anything that Stallone’s career can teach us is to keep at it, never hold back and how fortune eventually does favor you.

Another example closer home would be none other than the ‘Angry Young Man’ of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan. After having a successful career for decades, the superstar came to the brink of bankruptcy as his company failed miserably. However, phoenix-like, he rose up and starred in one of his most iconic roles on television that took the nation by storm with Kaun Banega Crorepati. Ever since, he resurrected his career in the most spectacular way and went on to star in a slew of hit movies and continues to be the busiest actor among his peers.

In conclusion, while luck does play an important role in anyone’s success, it also takes many other qualities to make it from determination, patience, temperament, mental robustness, optimism, the ability to adapt and the willingness to keep learning.

The views expressed are the authors own. Please consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

To know more information visit us on:

[solidandsound]

FIFTH STRATUM: Untamed Garden

Alphonse’s mind is blown by his first glimpse at the fifth stratum. The lush jungle is beautiful, but the dome above them, along with other artificial elements, suggest that it was grown intentionally; indeed, the entirety of Yggdrasil could have been created by someone for this purpose. That could explain how it is able to support such a diverse range of plant and animal life throughout its strata. The ramifications swirl through Alphonse’s thoughts.

That girl appears before the party once more, urging them to reach the summit, for it is there that her wish can be granted. And, like before, she disappears.

On their return trip, the guild hears from Mirina that the discovery of the fifth stratum has brought some outside attention to the city. Specifically, a group of researchers from Sidonia has come to investigate. “Anyone you know, you think?” Alphonse asks Alex, but the Celestrian brushes the question off: “Nah, not likely.” However, on their way to the council hall to report on some new monster sightings, the group runs into a small group of older Celestrians, one of whom calls out to Alex.

“Oh, hi Dad,” he replies.

Alex’s father makes a series of somewhat rude remarks, first praising the group for “taking care” of his son, then praising his son for “attaching” himself to a strong group, as he would “never have been able to make it this far otherwise”. He advises Alex to study harder so as not to be a drag on the others, and implies that he may be better off heading home. Alex takes it all with his head low.

Finally, Hiro can’t take it anymore and steps up to the man. He asserts that Alex is a valuable member of the team, an extremely powerful Magus who has saved all their lives many times over, and for that he deserves some respect. He seems even more intense than usual, and Alex’s father is clearly unnerved, as are his colleagues. Unused to repudiation, he harrumphs and walks away without even a farewell. Alex gazes at Hiro admiringly.

The guild proceeds through the first floor of the new stratum and are confronted again by the mysterious girl. She calls herself Arken, and claims that she is the one who spread the various myths that got so many explorers from across the world to come to Yggdrasil. This answers a question which has always puzzled Judith, which is why each culture has its own distinct legends tied to the great tree, but she also knows that these have been passed down for generations, so how old is Arken, exactly? The girl reveals little else, simply urging them on to the 25th floor and vanishing once more.

The Untamed Garden is a technological marvel in a way that is difficult for most of the party to wrap their heads around. Judith thinks back on artifacts that have been found in the past, artifacts which have been left without explanation for a long while. This stratum could be the key to all of it.

On the 25th floor, Arken appears before the group at the door to the final room. Finally, she explains that long ago, life on this planet was nearly ended, and a great darkness drew near. Yggdrasil was created to seal the darkness and revitalize the world into what it is today. The Earthlain, Celestrian, Therian, and Brouni societies would not have been able to develop into what they are now without what Yggdrasil did for the entire planet. However, that darkness is still here, still a looming threat that must be stopped once and for all.

This confirms what Alphonse has been thinking, that it is strange for Yggdrasil to support such a large variety of plant life. Indeed, this combination would not have happened naturally. Judith is also gobsmacked by the implications, and has many thoughts on the development of society as driven by an external factor. However, none of that matters to Rachel. If there is some great threat lingering, she wants to stop it. Hiro is down; through exploring the labyrinth he has grown more and more comfortable with his four-sword technique, and this foe could be the ultimate test for it. “You’re in too, right?” he says to Alex, who blushes and confirms. When looked at like that by Hiro, he has no choice but to agree.

With all in agreement, Guild Floralis heads into the dark, final room of the 25th floor to fight the Eternal Tyrant. After a gruelling battle, they emerge victorious. With that, Arken’s task of watching over the tree and the planet is complete, with the people now free to fully control their own destinies.

Before limping back to town, the crew notes another elevator at the deep end of the room.

Etrian Odyssey V: Notes on a Journey

THE FORMING OF A GUILD

(For visuals on the guild members, see this Twitter thread.)

Alphonse, Earthlain Fencer

Alphonse is named for Alphonse Mucha, painter of ‘Language of Flowers’.

Alphonse has been fascinated by Yggdrasil since he was a child, growing up in Iorys, under its shadow. He has always loved plants, and Yggdrasil is the most mysterious plant of all. In his teenage efforts to learn more about the tree, he made multiple attempts to approach it, each time being caught by the city guards. When it was announced that they were opening up Yggdrasil, Alphonse took to sword training with surprising diligence in order to be allowed to enter as an explorer. However, his impatience won out, and he set out for Yggdrasil without having mastered his skills.

Rachel, Earthlain Dragoon

Rachel is named for Rachel Ruysch, painter of numerous flower still lifes.

Rachel and Alphonse have known each other since they were children, both having lived in Iorys their whole lives. Rachel has alternatively considered Alphonse a begrudging friend and a vexatious nuisance. Their parents are friends, so they were often forced to spend time together. As the older one by one year, Rachel was responsible for keeping him out of trouble. Her no-nonsense attitude often did not mesh well with his imaginative whimsy.

Rachel was quick to decide on a career as a city guard. She is not yet quite old enough to be hired, but sees adventuring as a way to prove herself. Plus, she would feel guilty if she allowed Alphonse to enter the labyrinth alone and he ended up dead.

Alphonse recruited Rachel, knowing that she was capable, and not knowing who else to ask. Alphonse chose Floralis as the name of the guild, out of his love for flowers. The pair planned to proceed by themselves, but happened to arrive at the Explorers Guild for registration at the same time as three other would-be adventurers.

Hiroshige, Therian Masurao

Hiroshige is named for Utagawa Hiroshige, ukiyo-e artist of ‘Plum Estate, Kameido’ and other nature scenes.

Hiroshige, or Hiro for short, fully believes in his own strength. This is why he he planned to tackle the labyrinth alone, and became enraged when Egar would not allow him to register. He grumpily accepted his fate and joined Guild Floralis at Egar’s suggestion. He comes from a mountain village, but why he left for Yggdrasil is a mystery. On his off time, he can be seen practicing wielding multiple swords at once, but otherwise he only carries one.

Alex, Celestrian Warlock

Alex is named for Alex Katz, painter of numerous flower paintings.

Alex is younger than he looks or, generally, acts. A prodigy with even greater magical prowess than most Celestrians, he tries to put on an air of maturity. This facade, combined with his genuine skills, has propelled him into a position where he is allowed to venture to Yggdrasil by himself. It is not unusual for a Celestrian to go on a journey to improve their skills and knowledge, but what Alex truly wanted was independence; he does not take the journey itself too seriously. He was ready to shrug and move on when told it would be unwise to enter the labyrinth alone, but when introduced to Alphonse and the others, he kept up his act and agreed to join them... for now.

Judith, Brouni Shaman

Judith is named for Judith Leyster, painter of ‘Flowers in a Vase’ and a book of tulip illustrations.

Judith is a Brouni historian and anthropologist. She came to Yggdrasil to learn more about Arcania’s history, which she believes deeply involves Yggdrasil. She’s a bit scatterbrained, but gains intense focus when something that interests her is brought up. Her family watches livestock, so she also has experience with animals. She was offended to learn that Egar would not allow her to enter the dungeon alone. It didn’t matter to him that she didn’t want to fight, that she only wanted to do her research. He insisted that she be able to protect herself, and suggested that she tag along with a capable group. She waited until she saw an opportunity and asked to join the newly formed Guild Floralis.

FIRST STRATUM: Tutelary Forest

Hiro complains loudly as the guild ventures out for the first time. He does not need to be escorted, he assures them. However, when he is injured after their very first battle, he comes to terms with the fact that he would have died if he were alone. He does not admit this to anyone, opting instead to shut up.

Alex is tempted to abandon the guild and go do something else, something that requires less work. These thoughts leave him, however, when his ability to detect mana comes in handy multiple times. As he deciphers messages obscured by magic, Alphonse and Judith praise him for his talents, and he becomes flushed with pride. Placated by compliments, he quickly forgets that he ever intended to leave.

The Tutelary Forest is an area flush with greenery, and Alphonse is ecstatic. His knowledge, too, comes in handy, as he identifies edible plants and catches fish for the group. He is wowed by the great roots that surround them. For Alphonse, this stratum is paradise.

As Floralis ventures further into the labyrinth, Prince Ramus fills the group in on some of the historical background of the tree. Of course, it is nothing that Judith doesn’t know already. Still, the conversation excites her, and she is eager to continue adventuring to learn even more. The golems and statues scattered throughout the stratum are, to her, important artifacts that she knew about but is excited to examine in person. However, when the party faces the Amalgolem, she is confronted with what it means to be an adventurer, and how the role differs from that of a historian. Part of her mourns as they take it down to proceed, but she knows that it is what must be done if she wishes to proceed further, to see things no one has ever seen, to learn things no one as yet knows. Together, Floralis defeats the massive guardian and proceeds to the second stratum.

[randoauthor]

Secrets (B.B)

Pairings: Rooster x Reader, Platonic!Hangman x Reader

Warnings: the possibility of death, like so much fluff

Word Count: 1.6K

Author's Note: This was one of the prompts I posted a month ago! Here is that link in case you want to request a prompt! @itscheybaby requested this one so I hope you enjoy it! :)

Summary: Jake was supposed to be your confidant. Jake has a big mouth which you tend to forget.

MasterList!

It was a drunken night.

You and Hangman had been hanging out and you had one to many to drink and you let it slip that you were in love with Rooster.

Hangman promised he wouldn't say anything to anyone, swearing to be too drunk to remember it the next morning anyway.

So the look displayed on his face right now combined with the crimson of yours made it blatantly obvious that neither of you had forgotten that night or the secrets that came with it.

This was the third special detachment mission that you guys had been brought in on. At this point you were more like family than anything else, spending more time with each other than your own flesh and blood.

That's probably how you got into this mess.

You had ended up at Hangman's a couple nights back, the two of you downing beers like they were bottles of water, and someone (Hangman) brought up crushes.

He had been trying to get it out of you for a while, pestering you at work mostly.

"Come on," he whined, his words slurring together, "I just wanna know!"

You laughed before giving a sigh, glancing over to find slumped on the floor beer bottle on the table, a stupid smile plastered to his face.

"Fine," you say with a giggle, "but if they ever find out I will end you."

Hangman nodded sharply as you roll your eyes.

"It's Rooster."

How you found yourself here you have no idea. Hangman's eyes grew wide as he realized the words that left his mouth. You were gonna hurt him.

You had all been sitting in the briefing room of the ship. Sweating your asses off as a random admiral droned on and on about the task that you had trained mercifully for the prior month.

Each and every detachment was the same.

The Navy catches word that some evil power somewhere in the world was up to no good and they bring in the best of the best when it comes to their pilots, you all find yourselves on North Island, most of you have just settled down there with the frequency that you were brought back. As previously mentioned you guys spend more time with each other than with your own families.

The detachment however was different. This was a two-person mission, and they expected only one of you to make it home alive. They had written our death sentences four days prior, the night you and Hangman got shitfaced in his living room, the night you let it slip.

Hangman was known for being cocky, he was known for talking back. He was your favorite person on the face of this planet, you went to him for everything and he protected you more than he did with the others. You guys had created a bond that not very many knew about, which is why you went to him after your meeting that morning.

"(Y/n), hey, whatcha doin here it's late?" Hangman seemed surprised to see you standing on his porch at 10 pm. You had been crying, trying your hardest to wrap your mind around the words you had heard a few hours prior.

"We brought all of you back," Admiral Bates said, his head held high. "We knew this mission would be the toughest you guys have dealt with so far."

You already knew that you were one of the two pilots flying, you and Mav had been chosen, they had told you prior to the group meeting to save the breakdown for the privacy of where you were living.

"They picked me." You said softly, tears rolling down your face again.

Hangman knew what that meant. He knew you might not come home. So he gave you a warm smile and once you made it past the threshold of his door he offered you a hug, and then you guys drank until you couldn't feel your faces.

Hangman couldn't shake it though. He knew he might lose his best friend that was the line of work they were in, but he couldn't stand the thought of his best friend not getting their happy ending before they died.

You had first noticed his snippy attitude the next day, you had chalked it up to him being worried about you. You understood why once he got into it with an Admiral, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in one of the hottest rooms on the ship, your death slowly lurking in the corner. Hangman's attitude was particularly bad today and finally, someone had had enough of it, calling him out on it the second his snarky comment left his lips.

"It's just not fair okay," he said, slamming his hands on the table and standing up, this sudden outburst concerned everyone. "You get to send people to their death without a second thought, you have little to no regard for their lives or what they do for you!" He shouted, his finger pointed right at the man in charge.

"Okay," the admiral said with a sigh, "what am I missing?"

You and the other pilots shared nervous glances with each other, Hangman can be cocky yes but this was a new level for him.

"It's not just you," Hangman said, turning his attention to Rooster, "it's you too!"

Rooster shot him a confused glance, every scene where he had recently fucked up running through his head. Hangman continued.

"They are madly in love with you and you don't even care."

Your heart sank, and the room grew quieter.

"Who is in love with me Hangman?" Rooster said, adjusting himself in his seat.

"Oh my god," Hangman groaned, "(Y/n) does!"

Oh shit.

Hangman stood, eyes wide, frozen in his place. Rooster sat, eyes even wider, watching your every move. You sunk, face bright red, hoping, no begging, god to just kill you now.

The attention was on you, Hangman's sorry expression displayed fully on his face as he cleared his throat and sat down, eyes glued to his lap.

"Anyway," you say softly, "I hate to cut this short but I would rather just go get in my plane and hope they get me and not Mav." You stood up, giving what appeared to be the room a sharp nod before turning on your heel and leaving. The room remained silent for a moment more before Hangman grew impatient again.

"Jesus man, go after them!"

Rooster gave a nod before trying his hardest to catch up to you, finding it to be too late because once he reached the deck he found you already in your plane, people helping you with your controls, making sure the plane you were about to fly was safe and all clear.

You never even said goodbye.

Your eyes found him as he stood within the crowd, sadness displaying his entire face as he watched you. You wave him over, watching as he climbs the ladder.

"Hey," he said softly looking you up and down.

You give him a soft smile in response.

"You know you never gave me a chance to respond earlier." Rooster said with a smile, you shook your head slightly before looking at him.

"I don't need to sit there and watch you tell me you don't feel the same." You say, sadness dancing throughout your voice.

"Who said I didn't feel the same?" He said with a smile.

You began to say something, but nerves from multiple simultaneous situations happening at once proved to hinder that ability.

"Hey," He grabbed your attention, his hand placed gently on top of yours, "I can kiss you when you get back, but I don't want you putting your life on the line because you think I don't feel the same."

You laughed slightly before getting the signal that it was time, you looked to Rooster, fear laced in your eyes. He gave your hand a comforting squeeze before having to climb down the ladder watching as you take off, hoping that you make it home.

And you did.

The detachment with as well as it possibly could have, neither you nor Mav had been noticed by enemy aircraft until you were almost home and by then it was too late for them to do anything.

You were flooded by ship hands as you climbed out of your plane, the chaos of 'congratulations' and 'so good to see you again' as they all celebrated yet another successful mission. You frantically searched for Rooster, hoping to continue the conversation from earlier.

A warm hand on your shoulder alerted you to his whereabouts as you turned around to face him, his smile as bright as ever as his hands found your hips, his eyes studying your face. You didn't waste another moment before you grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled his lips to yours. The cheers seemed to get loud by the time you two pulled apart but you only managed to find Hangman, who was smiling like a proud dad with his thumbs up.

You and Rooster chuckled before looking at each other again, you offer Rooster one more smile before he pulls you into another kiss.

"So," Hangman's voice cut the moment you shared short. "I'm sorry, are we okay?"

You laughed, "of course Hangman, that doesn't mean I won't hurt you though."

He smiled.

"I guess that's fair, though I am sure you'll get me back eventually."

You finally pulled him in for a hug, his stature softening as he gripped you even harder back.

"I'm happy to have you home," Hangman said.

"It's good to be home," you replied.

Rooster pulled at you one more time, kissing you again before smiling. You smiled right back at him before glancing around at your friends.

They were more like family to you than your own flesh and blood at this point, and they all watched, beaming joyfully at the situation in front of them.

Taglist!

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[hotwings0203]

How abt dabi w a single parent reader. One day you saw him knocked out in a alley and decided to helped him and then before u know it youre cooking for him while he chilling on the couch and teaching your 4 year old child curse words. since he is a mf with attachment issues he starts liking u. idk it’s the mommy kink in me but not like femdom type mommy kink yk more like milf?

Awww wait this is so cute tho🥺🥺I needed this mushy gushy shit ty anon<3

You’d like to think of dabi as the hero in your life. From the first day you encountered the flame wielder in a dark alley, stars dancing around his head from some kind of knock out, you’ve somehow managed to always catch him at his most vulnerable.

You laugh about it to him frequently while you’re in the kitchen, doing laundry, or filing paperwork, but it drives him crazy.

It drives him crazy because he doesn’t know what to do with that vulnerability.

How could you be so casual about it? When you dragged his moaning frame inside your house and dumped him on the sofa, allowing it to stain with his and others’ blood, did you think he received all those wounds from saving a cat from a tree?

Did your heart beat just as fast when his opened to see yours, your hand never ceasing in slowly addressing his gashes?

And all those times where he began starting a habit of breaking through your window to crash at the only safe space he knew, why didn’t you yell and confront him for colonizing your peaceful home? Why did you start leaving the upper latch unlocked for him to slip in without hurting his hand anymore?

He’s never asked you what he was to you. You’ve never told him either, but when you look at him with those shining eyes, imploring him to taste test your chicken pot pie, he wants to believe he means as much to you as you do to him.

But maybe for a villain who doesn’t hold anyone else to that status, his love doesn’t amount to the kind that you foster in this spacious love that you call home.

You have a baby.

He doesn’t ask who the father is, because the other half is never home.

It stings because the kid has white hair, just like his after you smack his shoulders and back him into the shower, practically hosing him down so he can appreciate his birth-given color.

But the kid also has golden eyes, so he snaps out of that reverie pretty quick.

Dabi isn’t complaining though, after all, he’s the one at the end of the day lifting the squealing toddler into the air like an airplane, he’s the one who gets to teach the kid to say “shit, mommy! Can you say that?” And revel in how you holler from the kitchen to knock it off, because I can hear both of you brats!

And every night, he’s the one who lays on your couch, looking up at the ceiling in the dark while you read stories to your child about heroes who roam the planet, searching for those who need help.

Somebody once told him that villains and heroes were cut from the same cloth.

If he’s going to be around for a little while longer at his own will, if you’re raising your child to live in a better future than the both of them combined have lived through, then he hopes that you can have the strength to cut the threads before he gets too entangled in them.

[furby-junkie]

Chabi Elf’s Story

I’ve put a few question marks and comments where I’m really not sure if something is correct. A majority of this was just Google Translate, and some of this is just paraphrased from the translation.

I’ll post the original story in Chinese later, if anyone else wants to try translating it. In spite of an official image referring to Chabi’s place as “Dream Planet”, this story refers to it as “the Dream World” instead.

Chapter 1

The Dream World is a parallel world, existing on the basis of the real world. The closer one is to nature, and the purer their mind (or heart??), the easier it would be to access the Dream World. Otherwise their dreams are meaningless (?). It is difficult for humans to enter the real Dream World because of their complex minds, but it is easy for children to enter.

Chapter 2

What keeps the Dream World running are the dreams of various creatures in the real world. When dreams are greater than nightmares, the Dream World will remain as itself, however, if nightmares are greater than dreams, the Dream World will become the Nightmare World.

Not sure if this chapter is referring to the number of or influence of dreams and nightmares. It could be referring to the number of them, because of what happens in Chapter 7.

Chapter 3

During long-term prosperity, the Dream World gave birth to its own creatures. They are responsible for maintaining and caring for the Dream World, and preventing it from turning into a nightmare world.

Chapter 4

With the following traits combined: the wisdom of the deer, the courage of the bear, and the adventurous spirit of the eagle, the darling of the Dream World was born. Since the energy of Dream World was already sufficient, more of them would be born.

Chapter 5

The Chabi Elves are conceived in the Dream World. The Chabi Elves were born from nature, before hatching. (??)

Chapter 6

The Chabi Elf with the greatest wisdom, courage and adventurous spirit is the elf king, which protects and leads the rest of the Chabi Elves, to make Dream World a better place.

Chapter 7

Over the long years, the difference between the real world and the Dream World has been getting bigger and bigger. The number of dreams the creatures of the real world have been having has been declining, and the amount of nightmares they have been having has been increasing. This has been transforming the Dream World into more of a nightmare world.

Chapter 8

To stop the transformation of the Dream world, the Chabi Elf king had to sacrifice himself, releasing all the energy inside his body and integrating all of the energy into the Dream World. He was doing this to save the remaining portion of Dream World, so the elves can breathe and find a way to save the Dream World.

Chapter 9

The king’s sacrifice made the inheritance of the wisdom, courage and adventurous spirit he had, incomplete.

Chapter 10

A new elf king had not been born, which made the elves urgently need to find  the greatest amount of wisdom and courage, and an incomparable adventurous spirit to rebirth their king.

Chapter 11

A human scientist who specialized in brain waves accidentally discovered signs of the existence of the Dream World while researching human dreams. However, since there was no way to prove the discovery’s existence to the world, he was ridiculed. Due to the ridicule, scientists continued to research the Dream World silently, and were devoting their lives to discovering and proving the existence of the Dream World.

Chapter 12

The scientist’s granddaughter came to play, but the scientist didn’t have time to play with her. He was still working hard. The scientist invented a device which could amplify human brain waves, establishing a connection with the Dream World. 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to mention that the scientist was deeply distressed because his attempt at creating the device was believed to have been unsuccessful.

Chapter 13

The scientist’s bored daughter fell asleep near the device, accidentally triggering the device. The device began to work, establishing a connection between itself and a certain Chabi Elf and passing it through the device itself. The device caused a gateway between the Dream World and the real world to open up.

Chapter 14

It turns out, only a certain brain wave could establish a connection with a corresponding Chabi Elf, allowing transmigration. Because the mind of an adult is not pure enough, this connection can only occur between children and Chabi Elves.

Chapter 15

This incident made the Chabi Elves see hope. They found their partners using the scientist’s device, bringing happiness and dreams to people, and injecting new energy into the Dream World.

When Google Translated, it also says:

“At the same time, hope is in the process of following human beings. Among them, retrieve the lost wisdom, courage and adventurous spirit with the disappearance of the Elf King”

I’m not sure what this means? I don’t know if the last sentence is saying they were able to retrieve what was lost with the disappearance of their king or??

Chapter 16

Due to how the power that crosses the dream and reality is too great, the Chabi Elves who rely on the scientist’s device to come to the real world will lose their original dream power (?) and memory, leaving only their instincts to find their partners. Only when you find the wisdom, courage, and adventurous spirit belonging to each Chabi Elf, will you wake up and restore their original dream power (I’m uncertain if the meaning of this last sentence is correct?).

Chapter 17

Hurry up and find the Chabi Elf around you, let it accompany you, and save the Dream World together!

Source

[lhs3020b]

“Nona the Ninth” - disorganised thoughts below

OK, I just got to the end of “Nona the Ninth”. Some incoherent thoughts under the cut, with spoilers beyond this point...

(A further break-line here, just in case anyone clicked on the link by accident.)

Now here come the spoilers...

- John Gaius is a mass-murdering, genocidal, sanctimonious egotist and a character I now completely loathe. Even his attempt at self-exculpiation reeks of hypocrisy - note that he feels a need to lie to Harrow during it, several times, never mind the fact that she seems to unquestioningly revere him and is unlikely to call him out on his misdeeds. (Count carefully the number of times his backpack nuke exploded ... unless there are two Melbournes in Australia, it definitely happened more than once. Also, while I might be imagining it, I seem to recall inconsistencies in the times and demises of his former associates. IIRC he kills G. at least twice.)

- He did all the things he claims to dislike in other people - faced with other people attempting to flee the ecological collapse of Earth, he responded by killing everyone, everywhere (except apparently a couple of the ships, who managed to get away just barely in time), and replacing the dead world with one he preferred. Incidentally one where he happened to be in charge. The trillionaires he so disliked, frankly, were trying to do exactly the same thing (abandon the old world without trying to save it, set yourself up somewhere new where you’re personally in charge). And the sick kicker here? They’re arguably somewhat the moral winners here, because their flight didn’t involve personally conducting a solar system-wide genocide.

- The Earth/Alecto herself even specifically calls Gaius out on it - “I gave you this power, and this is how you repaid me?” - and from the text, the criticism just bounces off of his overweening narcissm without him even really registering what he’d been told.

- To top it off, this monster has learnt nothing from what he’s done. After all, during the course of “Harrow the Ninth” he made his Lyctors kill at least 14 other planets. (The scumbag didn’t even have the minimum decency to do his own dirty work. We can add laziness to the charge-sheet here.)

- Actually, interestingly, there’s an implication that even Harrow has had enough of his bullshit by the end. The scene where she turns her back on him and starts walking to the tower felt symbolic.

- I sincerely hope that in the fourth book, Alecto cuts Gaius up into small pieces, fries them over a slow fire, then tosses them into a landfill to rot. Feeding them to dogs, frankly, would be sheer unkindness to canines.

- OK, I could write thousands of words about how much I utterly despise John Gaius, but I think you get the point now, so let’s move onto a new thread. (I will note that I am in awe of how Tamsyn Muir has managed to craft a character who is both utterly-foul and yet queasily-plausible too. Give every scheming self-regarding corporate middle manager you’ve ever met Godlike power, and they might well turn into someone like him.)

- The ecocatastrophe on Earth is oddly off-stage. Some of it seems to be a combination of climate change and collapsing trophic webs, but there’s also a mention at one point of the atmosphere somehow going missing over the Northern Territories? Which is a bit O.o, even by the standards of ecocatastrophe?

- (One thought ... at one point Aim describes living for a time on a planet that was implied to be undergoing a thanergetic conversion. I almost find myself wondering if humanity had inadvertently started off something similar on Earth.)

- Nona. Oh poor Nona, you deserved so much better than you got. I hope something is left of you in Alecto.

- I hope there’s some sort of at least happy-ish ending for the people on New Rho.

- The “re-settlements” - it’s never really explained very clearly what’s involved in these, but it seems to be traumatic in character.

- Varun the Eater; I’m starting to wonder which planet this Resurrection Beast originated from. I think we might be able to take a few guesses - the fact that it’s clearly trailing Nona is interesting, and the fact that it seems to like her is noteworthy too. While it’s Number 7 on Gaius’s typography, that might not mean anything. It’s - or was - the Earth, isn’t it?

- Nine Resurrection Beasts and Nine Houses also feels slightly off given that canonically, we currently have only eight planets. Either the IAU changed their mind about Pluto sometime between now and Gaius’s genocide, or there’s another one lurking outside the orbit of Neptune.

- (Before anyone brings up Mike Brown’s 2016 claims about an extra-Neptunian planet, please note that I’m an extreme sceptic about that claim. If your statistical analysis is based on a sample of precisely seven objects - yes, only seven! - I am going to give you strange looks if you claim this proves anything.)

- Does the Moon count against the nine? (Yes, you have to be me to care about this. I know, I know.) What about the asteroid belt?

- I guess the moons of Mars and the gas giants are a detail in this context, but it’s still a detail that nags me.

- (It would be darkly fucking funny if that egotistical gross creep Gaius accidentally missed out some moons when that crazed narcissistic butcher was busy slaughtering the entire solar system.)

- What the hell is going on with Gideon in this book? She feels and acts completely unlike any of her previous behaviour. I’m seriously wondering if it was even her that we saw? Was someone or something else wearing her body?

- Her suddenly being loyal to the Emperor feels a bit off. Nothing about Gideon before suggested that she had strong feelings toward the imperial system, and she didn’t seem like the type to have “actually being God’s literal daughter” go to her head.

- What the hell is going on on Antioch? What are those creatures, and where did they come from? How did they get to the Ninth House? And the timing is weird too - surely it can’t be coincidence that they manage to turn up just when it’s time to open the Tomb?

- The stoma. It was a massive big deal in “Harrow”, but as I recall wasn’t even mentioned here.

- Who, really, was Aim/the Angel? We sort of have an answer, but it also raises as many questions as it closes.

- I could go on, and I may even have to end up writing a second post at some point, but for now I’ll wrap this one up here.

[blacksunscorpio]

Astro Musings No. 6

Libra Lilith

Makes one have a charm that can be deadly. The type to entice someone effortlessly. They are the types to appear innocent but have a bit of a Machiavellian ace up their sleeves. They can be subtly controlling and hard to resist. If in the 12th House, they can manipulate subconsciously and their prey

the object of their affections might not be able to see what’s going on. This can make this placement even harder to resist than a Lilith in Scorpio Jupiter square Lilith in natally or in synastry will make two people gluttons for sex. Or it will make a native a glutton for sex. Not a bad aspect but just make sure to practice safe sex and wear condoms. Worst that can happen is an STD, pregnancy if you’re not ready for it, or wearing yourself out. Your North Node

Falling into your 7th house makes one’s life direction and goal tied to their relationships. The key in this life is to care for others and be “other” oriented. If it hasn’t appeared in life [yet], you can be sure that it will manifest at some point or another.  This placement calls you to put others' needs before your own. If this happens, the key is to know that in this lifetime, your needs won’t be met until you give selflessly to another.

Advice?

Don’t rescue others. Don’t be a captain save-a-hoe. However, there’s no need to cut others off either. [Scorpios and Taureans with this placement, I know this might be difficult for you ;) ] Empower others. Listen. Help others/the ones you care for discover their own strength.

Asteroid Apollo

In astrology, is where you can take something for granted, and ignore it to your detriment. So if your Apollo is touching your Mercury for example, you can take your mind for granted. However, when you focus on it, you can become a master. in synastry, it can be the aspect that makes one enthralled with another. Kind of like Lilith or Pluto. Remember, Apollo is master of the Sun. The other person can see Apollo as this vibrant light. There can be a Luciferian light almost. Undeniably beautiful [remember the only thing that kept Lucifer from being God is the fact that he was created. Let that sink in.]  Obsessive energy with that planet/point. If harshly aspected there will be imbalance so there’s a constant need for harmony.

If One Half of Your Natal Chart is Empty... This indicates you most likely have a Bowl Chart Pattern. It typically manifests as an individual who is self-contained, has strong core values, and a strong streak of dependability. Most of their energy is within 180 degrees of their chart.

6th House Stelliums

Bring a strong focus on health and work. This house is ruled by Virgo. Indicated that there can be strong obsessive compulsions in the aforementioned subjects. If Mercury is here, this is particularly apparent. If the Sun lives here within a stellium they can be quite self-conscious. They’ll be forever working on how to be “their best selves” but won’t give themselves much grace. This particular configuration creates an excess of energy coming into the activities and affairs of this house. It generates obsessive energy. These people can throw their all into their work. The types to pull long hours and work overtime even if they don’t need the extra cash. If Mars is within said stellium, they’ll be types to binge eat but then work out for 4 hours just to burn off the calories. Trigger warning: I often see those who’ve suffered from Anorexia or Bulimia with this placement. They can have a hard time relaxing. Hypochondriacs live here as well. Advice? Take a break and get away from work and have private time. Mind your health but don’t leave it up to you alone. Seek a licensed professional to aid with recovery if you sense you might have issues that are hard to overcome. On a positive note, these individuals can become very good health gurus or at their best, be the types to excel at work and/or fitness.

Mercury Conjunct Lilith in Synastry

Indicates two people who will be intrigued or turned on by the other's mind. The Lilith person can act like Pluto [but remember synastry can go both ways] and kind of dig into the depths of Mercury’s mind. It may make Mercury feel quite uncomfortable if there are hard aspects. The Lilith person might make Mercury fantasize about some pretty illicit shit. They might obsess over them mentally. On the other hand, Lilith can find Mercury fascinating [especially in harmonious aspect] and will want to know everything about them. They can share very deep secrets with each other. Be careful about mind-games or mental manipulation. If this were to be a Tarot combination I’d see it as the Magician and the 5 of Swords 100%. Pisces Martians hate to fight and will usually be the first person to call for peace when in a quarrel. Libra Mars’ are actually the types to fight for justice and will be feistier than you think. Though Sagittarius and Gemini are Opposites... Their commonalities are their charm. Gemini’s and Sag’s can be among some of the friendliest in the zodiac. If you’re looking for the life of the party, look out for a Solar archer or twin. In addition, both can be rather detached emotionally. Sag’s are always looking outward. Think the 3 of wands in Tarot. They’re expansive. Looking for the next big adventure. Gemini’s are the social butterflies of the Zodiac, so what they’ll seek is a new friend, acquaintance, or new subject to occupy their time with. Both get bored VERY easily. They need massive amounts of mental stimulation to keep them happy. Sag’s mental stimulation has more to do with the higher mind [travel, languages, philosophy, spirituality], while Gemini’s have to do with the lower mind [numbers, words, basic intellect, etc.] Though Pisces and Virgo are Opposites... Their commonalities lie in the fact that both are introverted by nature. As mentioned above, Virgo rules the 6th house which governs work and routine. Virgos can retreat into themselves while they break things down and organize. The same with Pisceans when they get into reverie-mode. When they get into their creative trances. Pisces’ ancient ruler is Jupiter which rules the mind just like Virgo’s Ruler Mercury does. The mutable quality of their signs will allow them to jump from topic to topic, both of them staying interested in the flow and the outcome of their conversations. Sagittarius and Taurus Though fire and earth, both capitalize in the realm of indulgence. Jupiter can rule addictions just as much as Neptune and Pluto can. Venus can be hedonistic by nature as well. Both can have a tendency to overindulge. Both are quite blunt. Sag has 0 filter and Taurus is master of sarcasm and blunt statements. Both are unable to sugarcoat. Remember to be real but a little tact never hurt anyone, lol.  When You Have two signs in one house... It will also depend upon the degree of cusp both the signs make in the house. So, the energy of one sign diminishes slowly and the energy of the next sign rises slowly. For example with Leo and Virgo will play an equal part in the house and the Sun and Mercury will rule equally. If your Midheaven is in Aquarius You find satisfaction in the unordinary. There is a desire to stand out unusually. Ambition can be based in the intellectual realm since Uranus rules this sign. Uranians have the highest forms of analytical intelligence. They can excel in connecting with people. Their reputation can surprise. Many may have heard of the or speak about them. The quintessential individual whose “reputation precedes them”. They may try to shock others on purpose. However, though their public persona can be known for their charitable works they can be very opinionated and stark in their views. When under-developed they may be too stubborn to entertain other modes of thought. It’s the nature of fixed air to never change [fixed] their minds [air]. Traditional vs. non-traditional is a struggle in how they approach the world, others, and the success they wish to achieve.     1st House Venus will wear their heart on their sleeve. If Venus is in Capricorn, they may a bit slower to move in love. Perhaps take a more serious approach to things. If harmonious, it can bless some natives with life partners who may have well-established professions. Other times they show their love outwardly in practical ways. They’ll SHOW you how they love by making sure you feel secure and taken care of financially. They’ll want to leave a legacy for their children with their partner. They’ll want their kids to have generational wealth to past down. I often see this aspect with people who have a suffix in their name. Like John Doe the 3rd or someone who has a father or mother who is a Jr. People with this placement may name their children after a family member. Remember the 1st house is the house of self. If Venus is in Cancer, they may be shy in love or adversely they can be very clingy or possessive to their partner or their partner can depend on them too much-- there may be a “mommy” thing going on.

If you’re looking for “immediate attraction” in synastry...

It’s not Pluto. Surprised? People mistake that love at first sight thing for Plutonic influence, but Pluto is shy by nature. Hades minds his business. His obsession will grow though the longer he studies and spends time getting to know you. That's when he’ll start netting up the web.

Uranus is who hits you with that out of the blue. Uranus/Venus interaspects

Can make people feel that instant attraction from out of nowhere. Asteroid Cupido can inflict this on two people as well. In mythology, Cupid son of Venus; his job was to "wound" the unwary with his arrows of love; awaken a consuming affection directed towards a particular object of desire. In astrology, the asteroid Cupido itself is associated with initial enthrallment and acts of seduction performed in order to obtain the love object, not the sexual act itself. It’s the “look of love.” Examples of an overactive Cupido can include crushes, cultivating romance for the sake of the game, or putting the object of desire up on a pedestal. In the dark sense, romantic enthrallment can originate out of a love for the chase, only to abandon the prey once it is caught. That can happen with love at first sight if there aren’t stable and grounded aspects to lock two people together. Uranus also represents sudden breaks, so there can be on-again-off-again tendencies in relationships like this.

Common placements found in people who are surgeons and physicians are often:

Strong Virgo aspects or earth placements

Mercury rules the hands. Virgo is dissecting and analytical. The 6th house is also about health and service. They love to take things apart and put them back together.

Capricorn

as well is quite grounded so they often have steady hands- something a surgeon needs if they are to stand for 10 hours straight during an open heart procedure.

Plutonians

tend to be quite good with medical/surgeon/mortician occupations. Blood, the raw parts of humanity, death does not scare these people. They like to know how things work from the inside. I also see many Moon-Pluto

people with surgical prowess. This aspect I often see in gynecologists. Last but not least, Strong Mars is not afraid of gore or blood. Mars is often seen in surgeons. Mars is all about blood and broken bones. As a result, those with Mars in Aquarius is often seen in orthopedic surgeons. Mars in Cancer or Mars touching Chiron can be good rehabilitation or out-patient doctors. Physical therapists as well.

Your Elevated Planet at an Anaretic degree

[last degree in a sign] can make one feel like they have to rush to become successful. To reach the pinnacle of their dreams as soon as possible. They may feel like no matter how much success they have it is never enough. There may be constant transformation to this most elevated. The closer to the MC, the more it will display itself in public life. They may build and rebuild their reputation over and over again. Take Robert Downey Jr. whose most elevated planet is Neptune [like most actors]. It is at 29 degrees and we see him go from drug-addled Hollywood bad boy just for that reputation to die [29 degrees] and then be reborn into Sherlock Holmes and our beloved Tony Stark [RIP].

If you find yourself able to adapt to most kinds of music

Check to see if your Mercury [communication] or Venus [what you appreciate] is in a mutable sign, a water sign. Also check to see if your moon is mutable or in a water sign. Jupiter is also the ancient ruler of Pisces and he rules expansion and joy. Music is often considered a source of joy and higher thinking. Strong Jupiterian influence can make someone like different kinds of music. Uranian placements such as Sun/Moon or Venus too, it can also be processed very much by the subconscious, So look for  Strong Neptunian or 12th House influence. Strong Virgo placements too since music is technically a science. Why? Because it can be measured. 

Gemini Moons 

Especially in the 2nd house will feel most secure in an intellectual environment. They may also excel monetarily by using their minds to make money. Writing books or setting up podcasts to get their thoughts [mercury]  and voices [2nd house] out there.

Sugar Babies... Are usually the Venus in a Venus/Saturn situation, the Moon in a Saturn/Moon connections, or the Moon in a Moon/Pluto connection. Lilith in trine aspect to another planet in synastry brings out the best in Lilith... Yes, they can still be intense but you’ll see less of her “demonic” energy and more of her benevolent yet wild seductress aspect. With Venus, she’ll bring out the erotic side between both people. Borderline Hedonism in both people. She’ll make a more austere planet like Saturn open up. Make him comfortable with his depraved side instead of flogging himself like a penitent monk in private over it.

Dangerous Natal Placements Can Be:

Neptune in the 8th [rules drownings, suicides, death by mysterious means]

Gemini 8th House

[Can rule breathing issues]

Aries 8th House

[Rules violent deaths or those who can be prone to violence. Be it dishing it out or receiving it.]

Saturn square Pluto

Can make someone quite cruel.

3 or more malefic aspects to Jupiter is often found in psychopaths.

Jupiter in the chart is where we show the most benevolence. Forgiveness and Kindness. If Jupiter is having a hard time, a person may be emotionally stunted or out of touch with their spiritual side. 

Dominant Nessus

Can make someone an abuser.

Mercury in hard aspect to Uranus or Neptune

can cause mental imbalances or someone who has sudden breaks of the mind. The native will need to take care to make their mental health a priority.

Excessive malefic placements to Mercury

Can make someone a pathological liar or have a difficult time telling the truth. 

Algol in hard aspect to Pluto, Sado, Nessus, Saturn

Can also indicate cruelty but also someone who gets pleasure from it. Yikes.

Underdeveloped Leo placements:

Can make a native only focused on their ego and their ego alone which can make them into quite self-serving and as a result, they can suffer from megalomania. Same with Underdeveloped Arian/Martian placements. Hitler was an Aries and Benito Mussolini was a Leo/Apollonian. I’ll just leave that there.

5th house synastry

Makes two people have fun together. If the moon is there they will know what makes the other person “feel” good. What that person needs to make them laugh.

Your 12th House Planets

Are the Planets that are either hidden or expressed more in secret. The ones that have a harder time expressing or exposing themselves.

A 12th House Leo Planet

may only feel brave when they alone. These are the types to take part in drama or be thespians in school because they are easily able to express themselves when they feel they have the safety net of a mask.

A 12th House Cancerian

Planet will find it harder to express emotion or be a bit shyer.

12th House Plutonian Placements

may be extremely introverted and perhaps find themselves able to express themselves more online/ in secret. They can be good at covert ops or spying. They can even be quite psychic. 

12th House Venus/ Venusian people can find love to feel dreamy or even goes unexpressed. Dreamy romantics. They can be unconditional in love but sometimes they can get carried away with their fantasies OR they can love the fantasy of love more than the reality which may cause them to either project their fantasies on others or never fully commit because no one will ever live up to the fantasy they’ve created in their minds about someone else. Take care to love who you love because of who they are. Don’t force anyone to fit into a mold they’re not made for. Astro Musings No. 1 Astro Musings No. 2  Astro Musings No. 3 Astro Musings No. 4  Astro Musings No. 5 Astro Musings No. 7 Astro Musings No. 8  Astro Musings No. 9  Astro Musings No. 10