#he said miles g isn't that different from our miles | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cucumberteapot · 2 years ago

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I feel like people aren't as open to discussing E-42 Prowle because there is so much about the character we don't know or the films haven't explicitly told us yet. However, I'd like to think writers have presented us with enough information that we can make a strong assessment as to not to what kind of role they'll serve (I think it's fair to say Miles G is going to be an antagonist later-turned hero or anti-hero in BSTV), but what kind of character this is and how they challenge Miles as the main character.

I'd like to discuss one crucial aspect of piece of body language and physical characterisation. This right here:

This is our first proper shot of E-42 Prowler and it closely parallels Aaron Davis in then first movie when he's watching Miles run away.

Now I want to pay mind that in deliberately holding off the plot twist of Aaron being the Prowler, the audience is given no key identifiers as to the Prowler's true identity. He doesn't even have any lines of dialogue until Miles is hiding in his apartment and we after we get the reveal. In every sense of the term, Prowler is a gun for hire. Except he doesn't use guns. The point is he is a hitman. He consistently does what he's told by Kingpin - "You can count on me, sir. I don't ever quit." But then when he's confront with the reveal of the kid he's been hunting is his own nephew and he must choose between his identities as Aaron and as Prowler, that loyalty is severed and it costs him his life.

Which leads us to this specific visual of E-42 Prowler dangling from the rafter before dropping down to face Miles. The camera doesn't cut away from how he drops. Instead we're put entirely in Miles' perspective as to this guy's every move. Between us and Miles, the crew don't want us to miss anything. So what are we seeing here?

Well firstly I think it's clear this is something the Prowler we know wouldn't do because this is a merge of personas of Miles as the Prowler and as a 15-year old. This reads to us as something a lanky kid would do on a jungle-gym, and the fact E-42 Prowler doesn't take his eyes off Miles not only demonstrates curiosity but almost an invitation to play. Not literally, but I believe this Prowler is someone who likes to toy with their victims (which he see a bit of towards the end). And in this case, Prowler is definitely testing Miles from the moment he starts talking about ideas counteractive to his reality - That Aaron Davis could be a "good guy" and that the Prowler identity is something detrimental to the E-42 dimensions' existence. Granted, Miles is speaking from the experience of someone who's Prowler didn't provide income for their family and represent a symbol of strength like the Spiderman identity, so it's a no brainer E-42 Prowler views Miles as antithetical to his state of being. Another thing is that this is how Miles hangs from his webs throughout the movie (under the clocktower, before going through the portal to mumbattan, etc.), so it's a nice consistent characterisation between the two.

But that only leads us into what separates them. After keeping their focus directly on the other, they have their first exchange:

Prowler: Your dad is still alive? Miles: What? Prowler: Your father... You said he's still alive. Miles: Yeah. Prowler: Oh.

Okay, let's dissect this. Specifically Miles' confusion at to why Prowler's asking this because the audience is in the same boat but for very different reasons.

Now I don't want to make assumptions but even before Prowler unmasks, Miles already knows it's his counterpart and his question isn't so much as not knowing but a request for confirmation. However the reason why Miles is confused here is because he expected that same curiousity about identity from his counterpart - not about relatives. Prowler doesn't ask who Miles is even though he doesn't really know, and when he gets his answer that, yes, Jefferson is alive in the other universe, his reaction is played off as dismissive, separating his identity and priorities from Miles. Whatever it is, considering it's the first thing he's asks, this is a vital piece of information for Prowler but his reaction removes any possibility he can be negotiated with... which Miles continuously fails at.

Miles: Who are you? Prowler: My name is Miles Morales. But you... You can call me the Prowler. Miles: If I don't get home, our dad is going to die. Prowler: Your dad. Miles: Please... You have to let me go. Prowler: And why would I do that?

That then leads us on to Miles' question because he's not only asking for his kidnapper's name, he's asking for who this person is. And in turn who we see isn't particularly angry or vindictive - we'll get to that. Instead, Prowler's expression is complete desolation.

It's only when Miles further insinuates they are the same by referring to Jefferson as "our dad", does he shoot back with "your dad". It's quick because this Prowler is still separating himself from this version of himself and the idea he could or would've been or had anything like his life. Finally Miles accepts that they are separate and ask Prowler to let him go, but Prowler has another rhetorical question which implies although he considers this Miles separate to himself, he still has use for him somehow. Which honestly if you had this strength-is-all mindset, it might feel rewarding to have captured this part of yourself that you considered weak - which for all Prowler knows, Miles is just this inferior version of himself who got decked in one hit.

And then lastly we have these two shots here where Prowler raises his "claw" beside Miles' head and sizes him up.

If Aaron can scare Miles by punching the sand out of a boxing bag while Prowler only has to put his fist on it, you tell me who's more terrifying?

But truthfully this last non-conversational exchange before Miles stares Prowler back down is evident that not only is Prowler going to beat the shit out of Miles, but that Miles' "flippy, little sassy jokes" as Spot puts it, is not going to help him here. Because if he wants to survive, he's going to have to match Prowler's energy. This film has a bittersweet ending not because Miles is captured but because Miles has internalised what he's been fighting against the whole movie - The emotional desolation of being Spider-man that lets them deal with or appear indifferent to the harm or death of people around them and it's exemplified when he applies Peter's first lesson of being Spider-man:

"Don't watch the mouth. Watch the hands."

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opinated-user · 1 year ago

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SPOILERS for Across The Spider-Verse below, specifically the ending of it, people who have not seen the movie keep scrolling

It's really funny that Lily thinks people wouldn't like Hunter if he was black because fandom has lost their collective minds over Universe 42 Miles Morales aka The Prowler. There's redemption fic, there's fic shipping him with all kinds of people, there's reader x miles 42, there's cosplay, there's angsty fic where people sympathize with him, there's roleplaying blogs, fan made merch, fanart, fan edits, "Miles G. Morales needs a hug" is an AO3 tag, there's fic for him in multiple languages and the movie hasn't even been out for that long, he's got fan-made playlists...

Lily took over a decade to write one black character but that reluctance to sympathize with black people is far, FAR from a universal trait. Most people, upon seeing how dead inside alternate universe Miles is after losing his dad, instantly sympathized with him because it's so obvious that loss has just broken him. The flat affect, the thousand-yard stare, the refusal to empathize with others - this kid is very clearly not coping with loss well. Fandom response has been almost totally positive and caring. He's a teenage boy so adult fans are very "this poor kid" and teenagers are very "you don't understand, he's making bad choices but he's not a bad/irredeemable person". I have rarely seen people this united in wanting a character to be alright but even people who aren't super into him have said that they don't want him to die or get hurt in Beyond The Spider-Verse because, much as he presents a threat to our hero, he's a victim or circumstances and a product of his environment.

Even people who don't want him to have a redemption arc really applaud the ATSV team for writing a black villain with the same complexity, full backstory and depth as they do black heroes. Even people who want to see Spider-Man Miles kick Prowler Miles' ass do not dislike the angsty teen on the wrong side. Being black is not an automatically disliked or unlikeable trait.

Her saying "if Hunter was black, you'd dislike him" is not just wrong, it's the actual opposite of what we're seeing in fandom right now. When handed an angsty black boy we all instantly decided we wanted to protect him even as we gushed over how cool he is.

Lily's statement is projection. It says a lot more about her than it does about fandom, because she says that as if sympathizing with a black character is a rare thing in her mind.

And yeah, Lily, that is rare... for you. The rest of us aren't racist like that.

and you know why that is... simply put, because the spiderverse is a well written movie. it's a movie that treat it's characters with a lot of care and sympathy, so we as the audience can sympathize with them. being able to do that with most of the cast as black characters is not only to be expected, but just the norm. people like complex characters that aren't just one single note. LO literally can't understand that when she wants characters to be like that, she's in the minority. more people will always prefer a character that goes through arcs (both positive and negative), that evolves, that changes, than one that remains static. she absolutely can't grapple with that fact. i already explained before that there would be other issues, thematically speaking, if hunter was black so it was actually a good thing that he isn't and how much better those themes are represented by having Luz to be black too. but if the only difference of him was his race, literally nothing else about how he is written and treated by the narrative, the fandom would love him just the same. the only difference is that LO would then go out of her way to try to argue about how much better the show would be if he were a underage lesbian too. her misconceptions about fandom is what happens when you only have an skewed notion about fandom racism from a singular black person. by only learning through stitch and not any of the other black fans that have spoken about the subject, LO has come out with the idea that fandom is all inherently racist all the time and black characters (because we know she doesn't care about any other race) never receive any kind of attention, ever. so the best way to combat racism... is just to dislike white characters harder. which i hope i don't have to explain how useless that is. if the questions are, does fandom racism exist? have black character being treated unfairly compared with white ones? has fandom gone out of their way to treat not only characters, but also non white cast members, in cruel ways that didn't deserve at all? all of that is yes and that has been ignored for way too long. we also ignored for way too long how many times this racism came from the canon itself, by sidelining POC character with great potential (Finn, Poe and even Rose are example of this) or never given them a chance to shine at all. but things are getting better, precisely because of works like the spiderverse, and because black characters are being put at the front and center for more diverse stories that people are connecting to. this, this is how you actually combat fandom racism.

and all LO has to say is how much she hates this movie tried to be too artistic.

#lily orchard

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xxoxobree · 1 year ago

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Okay, first of all, I want to say that I'm not going to be aggressive about the opinions and headcanons of others in any way, nor am I going to forbid you to support someone's opinion, but I just want to explain where this kind of opinion came from, what might be true with it, what some fans and the authors of the film wanted to convey, and what you, as the author, might not have understood about it.

Okay 🙃

And, secondly, I will be incredibly happy if my child Miles G. has the opportunity to eat 100% healthy and nutritious food, but I also have to look at the official information and why the above information may be true, yes, but only partially.

I never said anything about healthy and nutritious food cause that food is expensive. That doesn’t mean he’s not eating and he’s starving throughout the day.

So, we know unacceptably little about Miles G., and even what we do know was literally plucked with all our efforts from art books, spontaneous phrases of directors, test animations and concept art. So, all I'm saying is that this is more of an assumption based on analyzes and words of people close to the production of the film, rather than a one hundred percent fact.

Yupp!

But one of the things that we know with a 99% probability is the bad financial situation of the Morales family on Earth 42. There were many hints of this in the movie, both verbal and/or clearly shown (look at how Aaron still brings the Morales family money even though Rio works incredibly hard, and how she says she'll take extra shifts to "pay" Aaron back, to the point where he literally has to coax her with the words "we're family") and visually less noticeable details. The older and dusty furniture in the 42 Miles' room, the exterior style of black oiled, sloppy lines, the way 42Rio doesn't have (or no longer wears) any earrings or other gold jewelry, while 1610 Rio wears it almost always, even at work.

We don’t know nothing, Rio could be making enough money to support her and Miles they could be making ends meet and if you really from the struggle yk what I mean. Jeff is dead, Aaron could just be looking out for Miles and Rio by giving them money just to give it to them🤷🏽‍♀️ save it for a rainy day. If Miles wants or needs something she can use the money ect. Taking up extra shift to pay him back doesn’t mean she’s not able to financially take care of her and her child, she could be making enough to do that but not enough to do that and pay back Aaron. He could have older furniture blah blah doesn’t mean they’re food insecure. They’re in a rougher world Why would Rio wear jewelry to get it snatched or robbed ? 👀 y’all don’t be knowing nothing bout the hood fr like I said, y’all are very suburban.

If what the film says isn't enough for you, you can see other official sources saying the same thing, such as this interview with one of the directors, which I recommend to watch for anyone interested in the character of Miles G., wherehe says directly that we "can think of him (Miles G.) as our Miles, who grew up without a father in the crack era in poverty" (paraphrased)

Living in Poverty doesn’t mean you’re starving and you have a food insecurity. (what my whole argument is about btw not about them not being as financially strong as 1610.) they’re just not able to afford some where else to live. You’re validating my point that y’all know nothing about lower income areas and think everyone there is starving and dirt poor. In a clip we also see that Miles G attends Brooklyn Visions too where he is through the week they’re not letting his starve there 👀 and that really should be the end of the argument.

Usually, it was a bit different: more about the difference in eating habits, compared to 1610 Miles and the amount of food, not the complete lack of it.

Bringing up the amount of food is the same thing, y’all are saying he doesn’t eat enough cause of the “finances and his living situation.”

And if this post had been about complete famine, I wouldn't be writing all this now, I absolutely agree, it's an exaggeration. But are you actually saying that a child from a poor family and a child from a normal good (in a money terms) family (e.g. 1610 Miles) eat exactly the same?

I’m not saying that they eat the exact same but that doesn’t mean that he’s not getting enough food to where he’s hungry or if his stomach growls he’s not able to find something. 1610’s dinner could be a 5$ burger and 42’s could be a $2 tuna sandwich it’s different food with different prices but they’re fed 🤷🏽‍♀️. And that’s my whole argument HES FED‼️ HES NOT STARVING.

"Rio wouldn't let Miles starve" Yeah? (Just like she would never let Miles grow a toxic boyfriend as some people write in fanfiction here, lol) But didn't you say above about any food issues? Just like some of the commenters below this post. I'm sure both Aaron and Rio are trying very hard to give 42 Miles everything they can, but there's a difference between "letting him starve" as you saying and "they both eat less than they need or would like because of money problems and are doing everything they can to fix it", which is what I personally and most people whose headcanons I've seen prefer.

Rio could be the best parent in the world to Miles and teach him good he’s still an individual and can make his own decisions so that’s irrelevant in this case 🙃🙃. Again living in a lower income areas or having less money than others doesn’t mean you’re hungry or eating less. Slaves were literally given scraps and made the best meals. Y’all be watching too much tv like I said.

"Aaron helps them". Again, if you take it out of context, it's absolutely correct, because that's what we saw in the movie - Aaron brings Rio a small but still a wad of money. But here again, you forget how little information we have: We don't know how often Aaron is able to bring money to Rio, or how often she is willing to accept it (because, again, she clearly didn't want to accept it as a gift in that scene and promised to return it, which suggests that she is a little uncomfortable and ashamed to take money from her son's uncle), we don't know how much money and in what denominations was in that wad, where Aaron is getting the money from, and when exactly did the 42 Moralese family start having money problems to start doing this.

Rio not having a lot of money doesn’t equal to Her and Miles not having enough to eat 🙃. Aaron giving Rio money doesn’t mean she’s not able to handle her bills ect. Them living in a lower income area doesn’t mean they don’t have what they need.

If you want to hear my opinion on the latter (because everything else is just a blank letter without an answer and this is not the post where I will poke blind guesses) - I think it did not start immediately after Jefferson's death. Rather, it began to slowly and imperceptibly slip away as the villains began to take over the city and people's salary decreased. That's why Miles has the fancy stuff, that's why they're having such a hard time with all this, and that may also be the reason why he has these Nikes you're talking about - once upon a time, once upon a time, they had the money for it, just like the 1610 Morales family.

Or as hood people do they saved for it 🤷🏽‍♀️ and that’s how he got his shoes a gift from his mom she had extra money.

"He has Nikes" Reason. Give me a reason, justify it, tell me your theories, I'm begging you. There are so many options as to where he got them from. Maybe (look at the previous text) they bought them before the situation started to deteriorate, maybe it was an early birthday present from an uncle, for example. There is even a chance that they are not original (okay, a small but also an option) or stolen (although I do not like this one). Or maybe it's just an easter egg on their similarity from designers, which does not have such a basis behind it, who knows.

Why would Miles have brand new fucking Nikes on his feet if they’re starving? Why would Aaron buy Miles some expensive ass shoes if they’re hungry ? They live in a rough neighborhood, ain’t no one giving out Nikes , he ain’t find them no where. They could be a gift like I said or maybe they’re from before his dad died that can be true.

So, Miles G is not starving. But does he get less food than he should? Very possible. He doesn't just look "skinnier than our Miles" or anything, He looks skinnier than any teenager his age should look. Aren't some people here shouting about his "small waist" completely forgetting that the child is 15, and then completely not thinking about the reason for that?

Miles being skinny is a character design 1610 is also very thin despite “living better” and the spider bite. Being skinny doesn’t mean he’s not getting enough to eat. I’m skinny and I eat I’m not starving.

didn't talk about the argument about racism, because I don't have a special right to do so. I have no connection to culture, norms, and even my skin color does not allow me to speak on this topic. I'll just say that I haven't watched any series or movie similar to the ones you described, and I also didn't relate to the color of the character's skin in my text in any way. But if there is someone who can and has the right to advise me on this topic and point out exactly where I am wrong - you're welcome, I'll be very glad.

If you cannot speak to the racism and whatever else I said why would you reblog my post and speak on it. The argument that the idea Miles is starving and not getting enough to eat is RACISM‼️‼️ PERIOD POINT BLANK‼️ it’s racist asf and it’s a stereotype that black people are lesser than and cannot provide for themselves especially in America where black people have been oppressed for so long and have a hard time climbing up the ladder to do better for themselves because of what??? RACISM!!!!! YALL ARE SAYING THAT MILES AND RIO DONT HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT BECAUSE OF THEIR LIVING SITUATION AND THAT IS RACIST!!!! Stop watching fucking tv and be fr. I can speak on shit and see it for what it is cause I’m BLACK AND IM FROM THE HOOD AND IK PEOPLE IN THE HOOD. Everyone in lower income areas are not starving .

Another opinion cause I’m tired of seeing it.

WTF! Are y’all talking bout Miles G starves and doesn’t get enough food 👀 not being very wealthy and living in the hood doesn’t equal food insecurity. Rio would NEVER! Aaron would NEVER!! Let Miles starve. Rio literally gave Miles/Aaron a grocery list 😑. I’m tired of seeing that shit 🙄🙄. Miles literally has fucking Nikes on his feet and he’s starving ? Oh okay!

Update: it be you bitches who never stepped foot in an urban area in your life, who only know what tv & movies brainwashes y’all to believe about BLACK‼️‼️ people and lower income areas. Suburban racist ass yt people

#I rest my case

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huntertales · 8 years ago

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Part Four: You’re Mine. (Free to Be You and Me S05E03)

Useful Links: Last Part | All Episodes Word Count: 3,236. A/N: I've been really excited to write this last part, not only because of who we get to see again, but because this heavily ties into the next episode. (And the rest of the season.) I really hope you guys enjoy. Plus, if you've got any suggestions for the next episode, please let me know! Anyway, enjoy reading!

Your name: submit What is this? // <![CDATA[ function replaceAll(find, replace, str) { return str.replace(new RegExp(find, 'g'), replace); } function myHandler() { var input = document.getElementById("inputTxt").value; document.body.innerHTML = replaceAll('Y/N', document.getElementById("inputTxt").value, document.body.innerHTML); } // ]]>

Clutching the motel sheets closer to your chest, you let out a frustrated sigh as you tossed around in the bed until you were resting on your left side, hoping to find the perfect spot on the mattress that would make sleep come a little faster. You had your eyes closed for all of five seconds before you opened them right up, only to be graced with an empty and dark room, with no chance of sleep to come. For once in these past few weeks you wanted to be by yourself, away from Dean and the constant reminder of what was going on out in the world, and the troubles happening right at home. You thought taking a hot shower and slipping into your favorite pajamas might help the restless mind of yours, but at three a.m., it seemed you were just getting started on deconstructing every little aspect of your life. The endless amount of questions about what you did wrong, what you could have done differently to change the outcome.

You decided to call it quits when you pushed off the comforter from your body and sat up normally in bed, fluffing the pillows just right for comfort. You crossed your legs and settled on the idea of watching something on TV for a few hours until you felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. You leaned over the bed and outstretched your arm, reaching for the remote, but your eyes drifted to your cell phone that was charging. For a moment you contemplated on trying to at least send Sam a text message, wondering what really made him leave, and why it was about you. Maybe you could go the extra mile and track the little brat down, shake the answer right out of him. You were sick and tired of people coddling you like a child. After all these years, all of the things you'd done and seen, people were afraid the truth might be too much for you to handle.

But the thought only remained as what it was, just a thought. You reached for the remote and flung yourself to the pillows, deciding your time would better spent by yourself. You reached up an arm to point the remote at the TV, with your finger on the power button, your gaze was pulled away from the glossy black screen when you heard a knock on the motel door. Furrowing your brow, you kept yourself quiet, wondering for a moment of who was at the door at this ungodly hour. You heard the stranger knock again, this time, louder and more urgent. You slipped out of bed and began making your way to the duffel bag you carelessly dropped to the ground, where you snatched a loaded gun you always kept loaded when you bunked alone. You walked to the door and waited just another moment, wondering if the person would go away on their own.

"Y/N?" You were caught off guard when the stranger spoke up after a moment's silence, and how it sounded a lot like Sam's voice. "Y/N, it's me. Open up the door."

You contemplated for a second, but before you did, you scurried over to your bag, switching out your gun for a flask and a silver knife, deciding you couldn't be too cautious You twisted off the top and made your way back to the door, you unlocked the deadbolt and opened it up, but the chain only made it go just a few inches. The person standing outside looked like Sam; the man standing outside was tall from what you could remember, towering over you with the type of look that read of relief when you finally opened up the door. He was exactly the man you were just thinking about, but you still stared at him with a standoffish expression, knowing the last conversation you had was him telling you to cut off any sort of connection from him until further notice. But here he stood, with a warm smile, as if nothing was wrong.

"Mind letting me in, Y/N? I’m soaked from the rain." Sam asked. His smile widened ever so slightly to see the dents in his cheeks to show off the dimples that gave him the boyish charm you always adored. You nodded your head and closed the door, only to undo the chain and widen the door, stepping out of the way so he could enter the motel room. You turned on the bedside table, allowing the room some light as you closed the door behind Sam.

You notice right away that Sam wasn't lying about being wet, he looks like he was caught in the rain after making his way out from the car he stolen. He shook his head, trying to control his shaggy brown hair as he turned around in his spot to face you. "Damn, it's really coming down out there. I—" Before he could finish his sentence, you make your move. You fling the holy water into his face, expecting a reaction out of him. But when all you see him do is spit out the water to the carpet, you don't waste a second by cutting his forearm with the knife you were hiding behind your back. All he does is flinch and hiss out in pain, his skin doesn't sizzle when you do any of the tests. He's human as the last time you saw him almost a month ago. "What the hell, Y/N?"

"I could ask you the same thing, you idiot. After our little phone call, I have every single right to be afraid you're some monster trying to kill me!" You hissed at him, anger suddenly crossing your mind. You managed to keep your level below a whisper, remembering there were people trying to sleep, including Dean. "You said you wanted your distance. What's with the change of heart?"

Sam came clean for the real reason he was here after making the long journey from Oklahoma. You sat on the bed again with your knees pressed to your chest, watching as Sam used the towel you gave him to dry himself off from the rain and the holy water you soaked him with. He explained to you that he had time to think about being apart from you and his brother. During this troubling times, it wasn't a very smart idea for the three of you to be apart, it was better if all of you remained close together.

"That's what I keep telling the both of you." You said, shaking your head in slight annoyance from how stubborn the boys always liked to act out. Sam looks at you and smiles, he lightly chuckles, nodding his head in agreement. You wrap your arms around your knees and absentmindedly look around the room, all before your gaze falls back on Sam, who sat at the edge of the bed. "Sammy, why did you leave in the first place?"

"I...I had a moment of weakness. But I'm better now." Sam's answer was vague, but you were willing to take it as a start until you figured out what really made him leave. You nodded your head, letting the both of you fall into a moment of silence. He awkwardly fumbled with the towel, rolling it up into a ball and put it next to him on the bed. Sam looked like he was hesitant about bringing up more to his answer, you give him a bit of confidence when you stare at him with a look of curiosity. "That's not it, really. I came back for you, Y/N."

You were caught off guard from what he said, finding it rather out of character. "Excuse me?"

"I had some time to think when I was gone. And I don't think it's safe for you to be around Dean. Not with everything going on." Sam said. He tried to approach the topic with a very slow and cautious demeanor, but you look at him like he just grew a second head through his shoulder. He let out a quiet chuckle, something he did often did when he got nervous. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but think about it, Y/N. Dean's the vessel to Michael. Every angel out there's dying to get his hands on him. And I'm sure they'd do just about anything for him to say yes. Including taking the opportunity to try and hurt you to make him crack.”

"It's crossed my mind." You said, shrugging your shoulders rather nonchalantly. "But don't you think it's best if we stay together?"

“Right now it's not. Just come with me for a little while, Y/N. The two of us together would be a lot safer." Sam tried his hardest to make you change your mind, but you kept staring at him with a skeptical look in your eye. "Come on. Dean's a big boy, he can take care of himself. He's got Cas, too. It'll only be until everything calms down."

You looked at him with an expression of confusion, wondering where this was all coming from, knowing it wasn't that long ago he left because of you. But you push the excuse out of your mind, contemplating the theory that he might be right about getting away for a little while until you could track down a way to stop the apocalypse. Yet the other side quickly pulls you back into reality, telling you the plan is too foolish to think it would work. You let out a sigh and pushed yourself to your feet, thinking you might be better at thinking of you were pacing back and forth with your back turned to the younger Winchester.

"I don't know. Do you really think it's a good idea just to run? There's so much going on. I think it's better to just stick together." You admit with a voice full of hesitance. You think about his words for just a moment, until you found yourself stopping in your tracks, your back still turned to him. "This just isn't—”

"Like me?" Sam speaks, but when you listen to his voice, it doesn't sound like him anymore. You looked over your shoulder to look at the man again, but who you stare at from the corner of your eye isn't Sam Winchester. You quickly spin around in your spot on the floor when you see someone completely different sitting where Sam once was. Your eyes widen in absolute terror from who you see again, the man gives you the type smile that makes your skin crawl. "I told you I'd be back, Y/N."

“Lucifer.” You speak his name for the first time, and it feels like poison in your mouth.

"You and Sam are hard people to find, Y/N. Harder than most humans." Lucifer said, his gaze falling down to the ground for a second or two. You furrowed your brow when you heard Sam's name jump into the conversation. "I suppose you'll tell me where you are?"

"What do you want with Sam?" You question him with a venomous tone.

"Thanks to him, I walk the earth. I want to give him a gift. As I want to the same for you, too." He said. "I want to give you everything."

You scoff at his offer, knowing it was the same stunt he trying pulling from the first time you met him. "I don't want anything from you."

Lucifer fell silent, you watched as his facial expression changed as he let out a heavy sigh, he appeared as if he was pained to speak the truth you never would have seen coming. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Y/N. I really am. But Nick here is just an improvisation. Plan 'B.' He can barely contain me without spontaneously combusting. I need you and Sam together. That’s why I’m here again."

You eyebrows furrowed tightly together as you could feel your breathing becoming heavier in nervousness, you were terrified for what you were about to hear. "What are you talking about?"

The Devil himself stood up from the bed, making you notice right away his vessel, Nick, was much taller than you realized. You nervously swallowed as you automatically moved your right foot back when you noticed he was approaching you. "Why do you think it was the two of you were in that chapel? I need you just as much as I need Sam. He's the one, Y/N." He said. Your eyes glanced down to see that his hands were pressed together and outstretched in front of him, almost like he was about to pray. Your gaze shot up from what you heard him say next. "Sam's my vessel. My true vessel."

"No." You found the response slipping out of your mouth faster than the words could process in your mind. You dragged your gaze away when you felt yourself becoming overwhelmed with the information you never would have expected to come from this situation. "No, that's not possible. But—But—Dean, he's—"

"He's the enemy, that's what he is. Dean will eventually say yes to Michael, as Sam will to me. It's how the way it was meant to be. And when Dean says yes, you'll be good as dead." Lucifer told you the truth of what was going to happen, despite your willingness to listen. "And I need you alive, Y/N. After all, you're the true reason why God allowed me to walk on earth again.”

"What?" You asked, a look of confusion stretched across your face.

"It's a very funny story, really, with a nice little twist that I added. You see, my father wasn't very happy when I refused to bow down to his humans. So he banished me. But I told you that. What I left out was the little part about how I could get free." Lucifer said, he reached up a hand to scratch at his vessel's beard. He was too casual for your personal liking, but he didn't seem to notice as he continued speaking. "You see, God would let me go—only if I could understand why He created humans in the first place. He wanted me to personally create a human for myself, just to see what it was like. Of course I refused. Spent a few more millennials in the cage. But it wasn't that bad, it gave me some time to think. About twenty-eight years ago, I had a change of heart. I wanted to see what it was all about."

Lucifer looked at you, in the darkness of the room, you could see his lips stretch into a smile. "But I wasn't going to be chained to a measly human. No, I wanted something special, something the world has never seen before. Sort of someone like you, Y/N."

Your head felt like it was about to explode from all the information that you were hearing. You try your hardest to turn around in your spot and run away from here fast as you could, but when you face the other side of the room, you quickly stop in your tracks when you see Lucifer is standing right in front of you. You stared at him with a terrified expression as your eyes were beginning to glaze over. "Please," You managed to get yourself to speak after staring at him. "Just leave me alone."

"You're mine, Y/N." Lucifer said. He peered down at you with the type of look that should have made you feel like a coward, knowing the infamous Devil himself is standing in front of you. "You always will be mine."

"I'm nobody's." You hissed at him between clenched teeth. "I'm not your property."

"You're right—you're much better than that. I'm sorry." Lucifer said. He quickly changed his tone, softening it as he looked at you differently, but still, he made you feel like you were just his little prized possession. "You are just so...perfect, better than I could imagine. I want to give you everything your heart desires. Give you power that one like you deserves.” You quickly shut your eyes and look away, suddenly hoping he would disappear from your sight. You flinch in discomfort when you feel his hand cup your cheek, his thumb brushed away a tear that escaped. When you opened your eyes, you see that it wasn't Nick, but Sam. "I wish you would come with me, Y/N."

"No." You whispered with a voice you could barely hear. "Just leave me alone, please.”

The man standing in front of you was supposed to be your best friend, the man who you'd grown to know as your family. Someone who tried to only do good. You remind yourself it's the Devil giving you a glimpse of what might be. "My heart breaks for you, Y/N. The weight on your shoulders, being in the middle of this fight. It is more than anyone could bear. And knowing you're my anchor to this earth. It does comes with its consequences. But it’ll be worth it, I promise. You will come with me, and Sam will say yes to me."

You shook your head, still trying to cling desperately to your last shred of hope. "You're wrong."

"I think I know you two better than you know yourselves." Sam said. You look away when you see him smile, his cheeks showing off his dimples, making you feel scared for what you were looking at. Because you know it's not Sam, but it looks so much like him. You think to yourself why it had to be the both of you, the Devil answers for you not a second later. "Because it had to be you, Y/N. It always had to be you."

You stepped back away from him and turned around on your heels, trying your hardest to keep your vision straight. You inhale a deep breath as you close your eyes for a second, trying your hardest to calm yourself down. After a second of regaining your composure, you decide it's time to face Lucifer again, but when you look over your shoulder, you see the room is empty. You let out a breath and cross your arms over your chest, suddenly paranoid of what might happen next. You made your way back over to the bed and sit down, the silence numbing your mind for a moment. But the precious scene was ruined by the sound of your cell phone going off.

You nearly jumped out of your skin from the noise you weren't expecting to hear. You swallow, gaining the composure to grab the cell phone from the nightstand and look at the name to see who's calling. You feel yourself freeze in nervousness when you notice the name. You wait until the third ring for you to answer, but instead of saying anything, you press the phone to your ear, keeping completely silent.

"Y/N?" The voice over the other end sounded scared as you did. You noticed that it sounded like Sam, but you keep quiet. "Y/N, it's me—Sam. Are you there?"

"Yeah," You answered for him, knowing well enough the man had gotten the same visit not that long ago. "I am, Sammy."

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futeonias-defenders-blog · 7 years ago

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Chapter #6

Read this first: @riftleague ~~~~~~~~~~ Jack, and Present were sitting on the sofa in Luke's "MAN CAVE" playing Halo Combat Evolved on the on the original Xbox. By the looks of it Jack was winning... As usual. "Frik it!" Luke exclaimed as the round ended. The shocking bit was that Present, who hasn't even been playing for much more than 2 hours, beat Luke by a country mile. Luke stood up and walked over to a mini fridge to grabbed a Dr. Pepper. But inside were cans of the Stop and Shop generic brand, Dr. Bob. "Jack!" Luke asked, "What the frikfrik did you do to all my Dr. Peep?" Jack turned to Luke, "You get drunk on Dr. Pauper, so I gave you a safer alternative." Luke grabbed a can. A crack was heard as the can opened. Luke let the can touch his lips, letting the cold liquid slide down his throat. When Luke hopped back onto the couch from the back, Jack and Present quickly scooted away. Luke had no vest on, no sweater, and no t-shirt. He was only wearing jeans and socks. On his chest was Australia shaped chest hair. Luke turned to both Present and Jack, "This tat is so much better than Dr. Popo!" The three laughed, but this quickly stopped. "You hear that?" Present asked, "It's another universal coordinate... Qh116?" "I hear the same." Jack replied. Connor burst through the door wilding a shotgun, "Come on bois, let's go f*** with Luke!" They all stood there In silence. "I meant other Luke." Connor corrected himself. ~~~~~~~~~~ "I assume you guys want some of this too?" Luke said to Jack and Jesse. "Well... Obviously!" Jesse answered, "Why wouldn't we want to throw sh** at Zalzok?" "Stop putting images in our heads!" Jack exclaimed. K.C. chimed up, "Sirs, there are 7 Stones. Maybe you can find the others and see if they do the same to you." "Great idea." Luke replied, "And we better find them before Zalzok does!" There was a security alert in the main garage down on floor 20 (suspended garage). "Great..." Jack moaned. "Come oooooooooon guys!" Jesse said, "Let's go check it out!" Luke nodded, Jack did as well. They walked to the elevator and felt the G forces drop as they plummeted to the desired floor at terminal velocity. ~~~~~~~~~~ There was a whole battalion of soldiers, species ranging from across the universe, surrounding the Intruders. The doors to the elevator opened, and Jesse, Luke, and Jack stepped out. Jesse walked up to the Chief, "Wa-Saaaaaaa dude?" Luke facepalmed. There are 2 unidentified vehicles in your personal garage Luke. Would you like for us to check them out?" Luke stepped forward, "No, let me handle this." Luke passed the holographic police tape and strolled towards the vehicles. One looked like a hybrid of an 80s Corvette and a Delorean, with time machine add-ons. The other was a 3 wheeler, with the same stuff on the back. The windows of both were so tinted it was impossible to see inside. "What do you make of it Luke?" Jack asked. "IDK Jack. It reminds me of that fiction that I made up way before the war." The door twitched. All the officers pulled out focussed beam rifles and shotguns. The door opened upwards, gull wing style, and a teenager stepped out. He was the same hight as Luke, and looked the same as Luke, but wore jeans, high tops, a red t-shirt, grey hoodie, and red bubble vest. The two stood there for a moment, looking at each other. There they were, before each other's eyes were themselves. "Frik this tat!" Both said together. "Are you... Really me?" Emperor Luke asked. "Good question." Rift Luke answered.. Jack had a similar reaction to his double. "Double double, dank meme trouble!" Both Emperor Jack and Rift Jack sang. Present stepped out of the car. All the guards lifted up their focussed beam rifles. Emperor Luke pointed to her, "What the Frik is that?" Rift Luke wrapped his arms around Present, "This is mah GF Present deh Mewthree. She's a bleep." Emperor Luke motioned to the soldiers to lower their weapons, which were quickly raised again as Connor stepped out of the car with his shotgun in hand. "WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!" Rift Luke waved his arms around, "That's Connor! He's a zombie Hunter!" Don't hurt him, and he won't hurt you!" Once again, they lowered their weapons. "We're here for an object of massive power," Rift Luke stated, "It can destroy even the most powerful of enemies if you can channel it's power." Emperor Luke dismissed the battalion, then looked back at Rift Luke, "So are we. Howsabout we make a deal? You help me find my power gem, and we help you find your..." "Time-Space Point. It's like a geometric point, but has enough power to level a city!" "Right... That." Rift Luke stuck out his hand, "Trucy?" Emperor Luke did the same, "Truce." ~~~~~~~~~~ At the Illuminati tower in the Bermuda triangle, Zalzok was summoned to the throne room of Karl Mark. "You called my Lord?" A wheezing came from Mark's resparator, "Yeeeeeeeeees... I called because I have someone who might be able to help us take over the universe..." From the door Zalzok walked in came Luke, but he was different than how the emperor looked. He was wearing excentric clothing, and was inverted in color. He turned to Zalzok and stuck out his hand. "I know everything the emperor is going to do before he even does it..." He paused, "Strange isn't it?!" Zalzok shook his hand, his cold Zephium hand touching Other Luke's warm flesh. "We're both after something powerful, why don't we work together?" other Luke proposed. "NO!" Zalzok raged, "NO WAY! I DON'T NEED HELP!" Other Luke pulled out the Time-Space Point he had from the fight in the world of CupHead against Dr. Pootis. "This orb is more powerful than anything you can imagine. Think of something powerful!" Zalzok opened his mouth. "Forget it. This is better. With it's 6 counterparts, we can rule the world! Wahadya say?" Zalzok nodded, sealing a deal that might end the Futeonian Empire.

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english102-1059-blog · 7 years ago

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Hamilton isn't just looking for Tony awards or good reviews, it's looking for a mind at work.

Fangirls really don’t know how easy they have it, or really fans of anything for that matter. Fangirls all over the world say things like “One Direction is the absolute greatest band ever!” and no one really challenges them on it. They don’t need evidence or supporting facts to back up their claim. They’re just speaking casually in an informal setting expressing how much they love something. But what if you are a fan of something different than a boy band or dreamy actor? Say, something like a hip-hop musical about a dead founding father who became the first U.S. Treasury Secretary. What if beyond just being a big fan of this brilliant thing, you saw it had dynamic potential to impact the American conscious forever? What then?

Then you write an 8-10 page research paper expounding on why everybody, not just teenage, musical theater nerds, should recognize Hamilton: An American Musical and think about the work it’s doing every night as it sells out another show on Broadway.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes the word phenomenon as, something that can be observed and studied and that is typically unusual or difficult to understand or explain fully. This might be one of the better words to describe Hamilton, and particularly the reactions people have had to it. It genuinely is hard for me to explain but I do think it is worth an explanation.

Let’s start with the music. In a CBS interview, the composer Lin-Manuel Miranda said that he couldn’t imagine a better genre of music to tell the story of our nation’s founding than rap. That sounds like a heavy claim to make but that idea in itself is the foundation in which genius is found and however strange it might seem at first, Miranda has a point. You don’t have to listen to albums and albums of rap songs to know that there is often a theme of “rising to success” or “going from a peasant to a prince”. Rappers talk about working and writing and rapping their way out of an impoverished life to the top and that is exactly what Alexander Hamilton’s life was.

For a country that now has a growing sentiment against immigrants it’s funny to learn the origin of Alexander Hamilton, born in on the Caribbean island of Nevis, miles away and completely unaffiliated from the American colonies. He was born in poverty to a father in debt who left when he was young and a mother who died shortly after succumbing to an illness. Hamilton is in this complete destitute state without much hope of ever becoming a man of wealth or power and is probably the farthest thing from the elite title of “founding father” at this point. In fact part of the reason he was even able to make it out of poverty was because of another tragedy he suffered. His island of Nevis was struck by a devastating hurricane. Hamilton survived and write this insanely detailed account describing the horror left after the storm. The other survivors in the small town found the writing and started the collection for Hamilton’s passage to America and tuition there. Hamilton literally wrote his way of a seemingly inescapable circumstance at the age of 17 and that is only the beginning of his story. We arrive at this intersection of colonial history and modern music that no one has ever seriously thought of before. Upon first hearing there was a new musical showing-casing rap to tell a revolutionary war story, I didn’t like the idea. It sounded like it could never work. Maybe that’s something a lot of people feel. However upon hearing it you kind of join Miranda’s on this concept. When it comes to rap there is often a sense that the listener can’t keep up with the music. Rappers spit a word a second and have lyrics are carried by strong, energetic music. Even in the lyrics themselves sometimes rapper talk about “how you can’t keep up with this flow” or kind of poke fun at how audiences can’t handle them. Rap is new, rap is progressive, rap is revolutionary. Just like the idea of American independence and thus the birth of our nation.

It doesn’t stop here though. Musicals aren’t frozen in this vacuum of time when they first surfaced in America in the early 1900s. They evolve with the times, show tunes might always be categorized as show tunes but what a song from a musical might sound like is fluid and as people continue to compose them it’s often a cumulative progress. Keeping this in mind it makes me wonder of Hamilton will be the last of it’s kind or if other composers will turn to rap or even other modern genres of music to tell stories from history and what, not only the future of musicals but the future of telling history will look like. As I write this, I can figuratively hear imaginary people asking “Why does this matter? Hamilton did it, who cares if anyone else does?” It matters because, people now have this really cool choice set by the precedent of Hamilton. Wether they want to read about history and take notes on things like the Italian Renaissance or if they want actually see and hear Michelangelo throw down about how no other chick can compare to his girl Mona Lisa. Hamilton is a space in which art and history equally coexist.

This leads me straight to another question worth exploring which is, what are then rules when recounting history? If any, and how do these rules differ from person to person, from artists to historians, the unchallenged keepers of the historical narrative. It might seem like a dry question but it’s something that has to come up, considering Hamilton is literally, entirely based of of American history. Though there are a lot go things I think have to come up of I want this thesis of Hamilton’s importance to be taken seriously. This is a concept I thought about when reading an article titled “Alexander Hamilton: The Wrong Hero for Our Age” by Billy G. Smith. It’s aligns with this idea of art and history being brought together because this author recognizes that artists should be allowed at least a little bit of artistic license so long as they are completely rewriting history. They deserve this license because its essentially they’re job as artists. He unapologetically points out his opinion that Hamilton wasn’t quite the man the musical sells him as but despite that he still can recognize this musical as a work of artistic genius.

One of the reasons I think this musical is important is because there is literally a whole song, the finale actually, titled “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”. The song asks almost in a rhetorical sense for the audience but within the context of the actual musical you get and answer. “Who tells your story?” the ensemble asks? For Alexander Hamilton it was his wife Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. After his death many other prominent men at the time including other founding fathers tried to slander Hamilton’s name for his wildly passionate, unstoppable vigor when it came to his Federalist ideas, abolitionism and plans for a strong federal form of government as well as for the affair he had with Maria Reynolds. Though his wife Eliza had been the victim of an unfaithful husband, lost her eldest son in a duel partly through Hamilton’s doing and became a premature widow she still lived the rest of her life trying to preserve Hamilton’s legacy. She had been wronged by Hamilton herself but still saw the raw determination and goodness in Hamilton past his faults. She was the one who saved many of his letters and writings and worked to make sure, despite his very real flaws, that the goodness in Hamilton was also remembered. That act in itself, the work of Hamilton’s wife Eliza is why we have Hamilton today.

This song’s message is exactly what the title is, there will be people that you outlive and people who will outlive you and you have no control over who tells your story when you leave this earth. However in another respect its message is more specifically talking about this idea of legacy, what it means for these people who have had instrumental roles in history, wether someone will be forgotten or remembered and if they’re remembered will they be heroes or villains and lastly if they actually deserve those titles or not. It is a lot to unpack but it’s the first time in my life something has made me think more critically about the history I’ve learned. History is important not just by virtue of being the past but because of they way the past is interpreted, the people who get tell the narrative win no matter what side they are on.The most common response people will give when asked why learning history is important is that “if you don’t learn history, you’ll repeat it.” and if that is the case than isn’t in immensely important to make sure these historians are getting the facts right? Who will put historians in their place if they don’t get the facts right? Who is here to make sure that doesn’t happen? Who tells the story? Hamilton asks this question more seriously than any other history class, historical documentary, historical fiction book or movie I’ve ever seen.This song from Hamilton asks this question over and over again until the ensemble’s voices fade and show ends leaving audiences in a darkened to think about it, who tells the story.

-Isabel V.

#submission #student submission

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