#he-man and she-ra: the secret of the sword

[80smovies]

[dreamconsumer]

Twins of Power.

[generic-doomsday-villain]

oh ya when i first watched secret of the sword i made this

[iconuk01]

I Have the Power (Cover)

Tuesday Knight, Daniel Benedict & Johnathan Fan Evans

Originally the theme song to the 1985 animated movie "He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword"

[sunayyyy]

What people seem to forget is that jason should, by all means, kick Bruce's ass any time they truly fight.

You're talking about a child who could see untitled at like 8 years old. Talia al ghul saw potential in him but ultimately decided against taking him in. He survived for a while before being adopted, and even then, he had the balls to steal the tires of the batmobile and then swing at batman with a tire iron at 11. A malnourished kid, at 15, was regularly breaking adults' collar bones. This is a kid that terrorised goons with ease while being shorter than 5 feet (his death certificate stated that he was 4'11).

And this is pre death, pre training. He was in a comatose state, and his body remembered how to fight. At 17, he snuck into Titans Tower and knocked out every member in order to clear the area to fight tim. He planted a bomb under the batmobile and CHOSE not to set it off. Then you get to the murder tour in lost days, where he trained with the best, with the ultimate gial of killing batman. This teenager managed to go through the same regiment bruce went through while learning more, since he wasn't bound by a desire not to kill. He learned more techniques and forms from more people and managed to kill the best of the best.

Ra's al ghul, a centuries old man, called him a plague to earth, and he was also deemed fit for the all caste, who are experts on the soul and magic shit. He's the chosen one of a secret sector of warrior monks with magical flaming swords imbedded into his soul while being too young to drink alcohol. The all mother herself said that he'd brung death and destruction wherever he went.

Additionally, he's a strategic genius who managed to run circles around batman and his team, only revealing what he wanted to, all while taking over the underground and beefing with black mask and other kingpins.

No way in hell does he get beat by dick, or future tim, or damian. The only one who could even give him a fight is cass, and even then, she would struggle. When dick got turned into a juiced up vampire, jason stopped holding back and laid him out immediately. When he was drunk and in mouring and damian came in with the intent to fight, he still kicked his ass.

It fucking sucks that DC decided to turn him into a bitch just to prop the batfam up, this man is a THREAT, stop fucking with the powerscaling it doesn't make any sense.

[elizabethemerald]

Don't Sneak up on People with Swords

@im-totally-not-an-alien-2 made a prompt about Danny sneaking up on Jason Todd and @sky00asara made a comment in the tags about what would happen if Danny did that to Talia. So here is my version of that! Enjoy.

Talia al Ghul watched her beloved from afar. He was out, again patrolling his city for those he considered wrong doers. Her son was by his side. She scowled at how Damian’s fighting style had changed, softened in the company of her beloved. Despite her love for the man under the cowl, he had a tremendous ability to take even the most ruthless of killers and change them to spare the undeserving. He had even tried it with her. 

She was hidden on the roof of an abandoned tower nearby. The tower had succumbed to fire and was now condemned until the city got around to destroying it properly. For now it made the perfect place for her to observe her beloved and her son work undisturbed. 

“Excuse me?” 

Talia whirled, drawing her blade as she spun. Her blade moved fast enough to almost cut the air itself yet the small shape ducked under her stroke and back-pedaled quickly to move out her range. 

“Jeez! Why is everyone in this city so jumpy!” 

The voice more than anything made her realize that the person who had somehow snuck close enough was an actual child. Their black hair and blue eyes made her wonder if this was another of her beloved’s adoptees. Except surely this boy was too young to catch Bruce’s eye? 

“Well maybe you should not sneak up on people?” Talia hissed, her voice soft yet stern. To say nothing of how a child who couldn’t be older than five had snuck up on her at all. 

“Well maybe you shouldn’t brood on the roof of my home!” The child snarked back, just like one of the Bat’s brood would, completely unafraid of the blade still in her hand. Talia raised an eyebrow at him then looked around at the burnt skeleton of the building they were standing on. 

“This building is not fit for human occupation.”

“Neither was the last place I lived.” He said dismissively. “This place hasn’t even killed me yet, so it’s practically a paradise.” 

She was tempted to take the child’s words as sarcasm, yet something in the way he spoke made her think he meant it more truthfully. 

“You’ve died before?” Talia asked. She relaxed her hold on her blade, allowing it to rest at her side. 

“Oh yeah, I die all the time.” He said, then he looked at her curiously tilting his head first one way, then another. “You’ve died too, huh?” 

She nodded, now examining him closely, looking for the signs she would recognize. She could see the hint of a scar on the boy’s palm that might have caused a death. 

“What is it with this town that so many people have died and come back?” The boy asked, apparently rhetorically as he didn’t let her answer. “First the stabby Robin, then the stabby Batgirl, then Batman, and even Red Hood. It’s like everyone I run into is contaminated.” 

Talia’s eyes widened. 

“You can sense those who have utilized the Lazarus Pits?” She would have to inform her father about this child. He could put the entire League of Assassins at risk. The child before her just shrugged. 

“I have no idea what that is. Red Hood mentioned some kind of pit as well, but I’ve never seen anything like that. I just know y’all are contaminated with ectoplasm, though not enough to make a core.” 

“What is this… ectoplasm?” Another name for the Lazarus Waters? Had there perhaps been a Pit outside of League control? In the midwest somewhere based on the boy’s accent. 

“Oh it’s this stuff.” He held his hand out and Talia couldn’t help keep her expression of shock withdrawn despite all her training as his hand filled with the glowing green light of the Pits. He held the Pit Water in his hand then tossed the glowing orb to his other hand in a half juggle as if he weren’t carrying the League's greatest secret and weapon. 

Nevermind telling her father about this child, he could never learn of him. If Ras had the power this child had under his control the world would never survive. There was only one option. She needed to train this child to wield this strength. With the stealth he displayed in sneaking up on her and his power over the Pits themselves he could make an assassin like the world had never seen. He could be the next Head of the Demon under her guidance. She knelt down to the boy’s level, slipping her sword back away as she did so. 

“Tell me, young one. Are you living in this death trap of a building all by yourself?” 

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I’ve got it taken care of. I know I’m little, but that just means people are less likely to notice me. I’m able to steal all the food I need from that big box store down the street.” 

“Oh of that I have no doubt. My name is Talia al Ghul. What’s yours?” 

“Hmm. I’m Danny.” The boy seemed hesitant to trust her, which to be perfectly honest was probably a very smart thing to do, but at least she had a name for this gift of Lazarus. 

“Danny, how would you like to come live with me? You won’t have to steal any more, or worry about food ever again, and I could train you how to fight even better than the Bats.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her, looking her over closely. 

“Would I get a sword?” 

“If a sword is what you want, then once you were trained in its use I would acquire one for you.”

Danny looked like he was about to nod, but then he froze, his head tilting to the side as if he was listening to something. His eyes widened and Talia tensed. 

“Uh-oh. Fruit Loop incoming. I gotta go.” 

Talia half turned as she heard the sound of one of her beloved’s grappling lines catching on the building’s edge. By the time she had turned back to face him, Danny had completely vanished. She hadn’t even heard him leave. She stood and scowled as her beloved landed on the rooftop next to her. 

“Talia.” He grunted at her, glaring all the while. 

“Beloved. Must you ruin every nice thing in my life?” Talia snarled back. The boy, Danny, had the gift of Lazarus at his beck and call and Batman had scared him off. 

Bruce looked momentarily stunned at her fury, but quickly hid it behind his mask. However Talia couldn’t care less about her beloved right now. She just needed to lose him so she could return to find the boy. The boy who would change the world with his power. 

[ghostbsuter]

Twins, minus the Demon (Part 1)

.・゜-: ✧ :-

When Damian and Danyal were created, it was not to become the League's successors, but to be the children for the trio to raise.

It didn't work, eveyrhting shattered when Ra's Al Ghul found out about the heirs.

Their Umi, Talia, went back to the League when the two were taken, Mother and Father none the wiser.

And so, they were trained carefully beneath the watchful eye of their grandfather.

Until they were 10.

Talia, Umi, revolved against the leader of the league and sent her boys to Gotham. She kickstarted a war with a battle cry, holding her sword up and chin never lowered.

Knowing Umi would be back, because she always did come back, they separated and planned.

Damian left with Father, Danyal with Mother.

Neither knew of the other, lest they ruin the suprise after all.

Like cats on a mission, truly.

—

Studying his self-proclaimed blood son, he noticed with sadness that he had Talias eyes, her tan, and walked just like her.

Yet he also reminded him of Selina, with the swiftness of a cat, eyes never straying and only satisfied when succeeded. He mildly notes he had her unruly curls with amusement.

He was a mix of demon and cat, but also with the spice of bat.

Stubborn like him, never backing down and always fighting.

He wonders why Talia left them, hiding a secret child along.

The spot for Robin was free, Tim having renamed himself with a new hero alias and finally flying from the nest.

Bruce should tell Selina, with his new Robin by his side.

—

While the man mourned, Selina had been enlightened when her eyes met his.

It was bittersweet in a way, to know the woman you loved had hidden a child from her and Bruce, but it also brought hope.

Because wherever talia was, this, this proves she didn't leave for nothing.

Selina sees the similarities between her and Danyal, he was quick-witted, let his emotions in the moment lead, and loves just as fierce as Talia does.

She also sees his hair curl just like her own, blue eyes that can only be from Bruce, lighter in shade than Talia is and with the matching paranoia of the bat included.

And she sent her son to her.

Their son.

Because she couldn't take care of him right now, something happened, and it forced her hand and focused on protecting the child first.

It meant one day, she would come back.

To her, to them.

She needs to introduce him to Bruce.

—

While Robin had his fair time as vigilante sidekick, Ragdoll robbed the rich and made sure to tease the other as much as possible.

It wasn't until they met, that the light was flipped and the truth revealed.

(For being such a old guy, Danyal really tips his head to Dick, the guy figured him out in a second, not far behind was Tim.)

(He really should have concealed his eyes, would have been more fun.)

They met on a rooftop, Catwoman leaning on a gargoyle as her little helper stood by her side.

(Catwoman wasn't fooled as easy, it took just a few longer glances that she'd figured out the switch.)

The bat's and birds on the other side, and soon enough, Batman gestures to his Robin, who steps forward.

Mirroring the bird, so did the cat.

"This is Robin." He introduces, and selina bites her laughter back, because–

That's her boy, or apparently, one of her boys.

"Ragdoll." She gives a fleeing smile, tilting her head to her apprentice.

"Okay, so, Nightwing, Red Robin and Black Bat immediately figured it out." Robin speaks up, two firm grips on his costume, and one tug has him dressed as his cat counterpart. He seems sheepish.

(Dick in particular is leaning forward with a wide grin, dragged behind him is Jason, interested but stubborn.)

"Tt," Ragdoll throws his own costume away, revealing Robin. "You need more practice. It took catwoman only 3 hours. I win."

The boy walks forward to his twins side, it seemed to amuse catwoman even more.

"Nuh uh! Technically speaking Batman didn't even know!"

Both pointedly look at the clad in black outfit wearing man, frozen stiff and looking between the two.

"Really, father?" Another 'tt' and Robin grumbles. "Fine, I'll take you to the stupid milkshake cafe."

Cheering, Ragdoll is throwing his arms around Robin's neck, dangling in front of his, the older twin having a secure grip on the black collar, lest Ragdoll fall.

"I get my milkshake!" Robin only seems more exasperated at his behaviour, shaking his head.

With delight and literally vibrating from his spot, Nightwing jumped at the two, staring between them with curiosity.

With his lead, so did the other birds and bats, teasing and playfully giving them head pats.

"Twins?" Batman's gruff voice breaks through the little gathering they have.

"Yes, father." The firstborn easily replies, the second only following behind. "Umi didn't want to overwhelm you and Catwoman when she sent us here. Don't be mad?"

"Now that we're talking about this, neither explained your circumstances nor why now?" She nears them with her cat like dance, slipping next to Batman and leaning into his side.

Both twins share a look.

"Umi was adamant that we'd meet and get along first before bringing in our situation." Robin explains, his voice is steady yet unsure in the way only a child with recent loss could sound.

"It's not that she didn't trust you," Ragdoll explains to Batman when the man looked like he wanted to interject. "Umi knew you'd help us regardless of our blood connection."

They share another look, one fiddles with his hands, the other having a steady grip on his hilt.

"This is no conversation for anyone to hear, we can't risk being found because we slacked off in security."

The twin wearing leather and cat ears snorts, mischief twinkling, and jumping forward to give Red Robin a pat on the chest.

A smile only a cat could wear takes over, and with joy he hollers. "Tag! Your it!"

Not even a second later, he was thrown over Robins shoulder and both skedaddled to the cave.

"Tt, truly experts, to freeze like that on a rooftop. Assassins could have easily killed all of you in that moment."

Robins tease echoes through the comm and causes them all to unfreeze.

With a huff of laughter, Red Hood pushed Nightwing to RR as sacrifice and bolted after the twins.

A yelp and Nightwing was swiftly tagged, RR disappearing with Spoiler in tow.

When he searches for a target, both Batman and Catwoman are already gone.

"Aw man."

—

In the end, Robin comfortably sits at the chair in front of the batcomputer, Ragdoll on the arm rest with his legs tossed out on the others lap.

"You guys are so slow!"

As the other mile around, Damian and Dnyal exchange hushed whispers, only drawn out when Batman urges them by clearing his throat.

"Okay, this won't be easy," Danny drawls the words, fumbling with Damians hair instead.

The other scowls but does nothing else. "First of all, Umi did not leave you willingly." He speaks loud and clear, mask off and staring at Bat and Cat.

"She never planned on leaving, but complications arose with our birth."

Smiling nervous, Danny takes over.

"You're familiar with our grandfather, yes?" At the nods, he grimaces. "When he heard he had potential heirs, he kidnapped us once born. Umi had to follow immediately, lest one of us dies because grandfather wasn't careful."

"She couldn't exactly flee either, with two toddlers, so what she could do, she did. It might not have been the best childhood, but umi did her best!"

While the children of the bat stay mostly silent, Bruce, without cowl, and Selina don't.

"Why now? Why did she send you two at 10?"

Damian drums his fingers on the others legs laid out on him, humming.

"On our 10th birthday, Grandfather gave us a rather... peculiar mission." He winces at the explanation, those words bring no truth of the situation to light.

"What akhi means, we're twins." Dnany holds up two fingers. "Two people, one destiny. Grandfather did not like that two remained, seeing as only one can become the next Demon head."

Someone took a sharp intake of air somewhere, he can't really focus, the memories are not pleasant ones he'd get reminded of.

"Umi didn't let it happen," Damian drawls, massaging Danyal's fingers with bored expression, the forced nonchalance doesn't fool anyone.

"She swung her sword and declared war on grandfather. It was the start of a civil war in the league, dangerous to us for we were still known as heirs."

Danny meets Selinas eyes. "Umi didn't just send us here because of the chance, it was also for protection. With groups joining the civil war for the throne, some might have the idea to kill off the heirs, us in this situation."

A wince and he starts blabbering. "Not that I'd like to die in the next few hours, or days, or weeks, or—"

"You're rambling, daynal."

"Sorry akhi."

With a wave of his hand, Batman nods at the rest of the bat's and birds, they leave to continue patrol.

Silence in the cave, only interrupted by drops of water and the clicks of the bat's above them.

"Thank you." Her voice is soft as she walks to them, heels clicking on the ground. Her gloved hands ruffle the ebony hair of the two and brings them into a hug.

"We will protect you, love you and wait for Umi to come back," Selina declares with careful words, nails running through thick curly hair.

Damian and Danyal can't argue otherwise, the other not as comfortable as his counterpart with the hug, but leaning in neverless.

This will be a journey, neither parents having had twins before and growing back closer with them.

(When talia left, Bruce and Selina grew apart. It brought tension they'd ignore in publics eye, vulnerable moments only for the other to see and so much mourning.)

(Talia is not back, but her children are. Their children. Wonderful twins that will stomp and smash the tension between them and bring back what Talia took.)

(They cannot wait for the day their third will rejoin them.)

[nicos-w101-liveblog]

Firecat Alley Post-Commentary

I got like 11 minutes of ads to earn crowns. Did not know I could get that many before I stopped getting them.

Roberto the Insignificant was so ready for Diego. Had a whole speech going as soon as he heard the trap door only to realize that it was not, infact, his brother.

By the way, Diego's trinket was a "lucky unicornshoe". Which to them would be... just a shoe. Because they're unicorns. This family heirloom is just their great-grandsire's shoe.

Not me completeing the Hallowe'en ghost collecting quest by just standing there, talking to private Quinn.

Not me whisting The Tenth Planet every time there's dead air. It haunts me, even from middle school band.

The fact that i cannot skip Eleanor Abernathy (the crazy cat lady) 's dialogue when she's literally just making kissy noises at the firekittens is so uncomfortable, actually. Sure, I'm exactly the same when I go home on breaks and see my cats, but still.

Her VA's rent was due tho. Applause.

Larry the Blockhead husband <3. Get a divorce, hun. Bernice is a POS and this is emotional abuse. Poor man reminds me of my Uncle Chris. Married to a very... disagreeable woman who happens to also be my aunt.

Hey. Lucky Hookline. Could you maybe give me the fishing luck potion to use in my own time? Instead of just shoving it down my throat and forcing me to keep fishing for rarer fish after I grab the Icecuda and Frost Dekoi? Thanks.

Firecats: The Musical. Downvote. Dislike. No.

Is a literal child voicing the Fire Elves?

Did Lizzo Forespitter just use "cuckoo bananas" unironically?

Shelus Gruffheart reminds me of Clint from Stardew Valley. The uncomfortable family member that asks "where's my hug?". I do not like him.

Seriously the Fire Elf faces make me so uncomfortable. Why are their mouths and smiles so big? Why are their teeth defined? I don't like it.

Gretta Darkkettle my beloved. I'd have loved to have an alchemy teacher in Ravenwood.

I do not blame Bastilla for being bitter towards the elves when they ended up killing her. Very proud of her for her "thriving Underworld theater career".

Seriously I am so mad that the ghouls have abs. Yes the suit and tophat are dapper and you are killing it, but you should not have any muscle definition!

Bastilla doing an evil monologue while I'm just doing a victory jig not 5 feet away.

Gretta casually dropping the Malistaire lore Nico didn't know until now. People casually believing he blew himself up with the Death School.

Also, the exiled alchemist living in Firecat Alley just being an open secret is iconic.

Ironic I got chills reading/hearing the History of Fire Magic

"Juicicle Cat". I may commit death.

Gotta say, whenever I even try to think of any song from Cats, all I get is the spell from Hocus Pocus. "Twist the bones and bend the back..."

Let me keep the sword relic, man. Let me honor the Skeletal Warriors' wishes. Let the blade see battle as it should. I'm sure Diego would love it.

I'm seriously so mad about the literal corpses having muscle definition. If I had artistic skills you bet I'd draw what I think it should be. But I think I wrote it well enough in the live-reaction post lol.

BARTELBY MY FAVORITE!!!

Also, is Colossus Boulevard a side quest? Or is that only until I actually enter it? Bc rn its a side quest and I remember it being more significant.

Seriously how many names have I been pronouncing incorrectly? Sapphyra is "Saf-eye-ra" and not "Saph-ear-a"?

Silly Dialogue:

[happyk44]

Nico was staring at Walt. For the millionth time in his life, he wished he knew what was happening in the other’s head. His eyes were black, emotionless, face neutral.

Walt had met Hades once or twice while spending the day with Anubis, enjoying the strange sensation of fluttering between different realms, different Underworlds, comparing intake and rebirth numbers. The man had a similar look. Unreadable. Calculating.

All until someone else came in, someone permanent in his life like Melinoe or Persephone, and then it shattered and he was smiling, something soft, sweet, pleasant.

Walt was slowly waiting for that day it would appear on Nico.

He wasn’t into Nico.

Gods, he barely understood why Percy was. Nico was cute, yeah, but uncomfortably dirty, always covered in a thin layer of shadows. They clung to him like cobwebs. It was gross.

But they’d been getting closer since Nico first showed up at Anubis’s request. Since he’d started training him. Having never had a host before, Anubis barely knew where to start. His powers were instinctual. He never could explain it the right way.

It caused them both a lot of frustration because he wanted to be more than just a life force and Walt wanted to be more helpful than just manifesting linens. He wanted to be able to assist the others without having to go fully hosted every time.

Nico was helpful. Obviously, despite the fact they both drew godly energy in and out of themselves, there were differences but it was helpful either way.

Walt could unbury the dead, he could send souls back to the Underworld - usually his Underworld, but, sometimes, if he focused enough, he could send them to the right place. Nico had been warming up to him and his jokes.

Then he’d asked about the ghosting thing.

He remembered it so easily. Hot afternoon. She-Ra was playing on TV. He was lounging on Sadie’s lap. Then Nico showed up in a sudden burst of shadows, right in front of the couch. Percy’s sword had slid through his body like he was air.

At first, Walt had just thought he was watching Nico shadow travel out of danger, but when he slapped back into place as though nothing had happened, it hit him.

Incorporeal form.

That was so fucking badass.

He’d begged for days. And just like that everything between them vanished. He didn’t understand why, didn’t realize what it was, figured it was just the suddenness of danger in a place he’d considered safe quaking in on him.

It wasn’t until Percy tugged him aside and explained that he realized why it was a touchy subject.

“They kept him in a jar,” Percy had said quietly. “He survived off these seeds from his step-mom. He realized it wasn’t guaranteed he’d have them if it happened again so he taught himself how to temporarily die without dying. So he wouldn’t need to use them. If he didn’t have them. Or… if someone else was there who needed them too.”

Percy’s eyes had gone faint before he dropped them to the floor. He shook his head. “It’s not something you should be asking about, Walt.”

He stopped asking after that.

It was a touchy subject for Nico, and, when he really thought about it, something touchy for him. And Anubis. Dying, even temporarily, even in a way that wasn’t really death, was in no way something he wanted to do.

And it explained the way Anubis would shift inside him, disgruntled. Of course, the other would never hiss Nico’s secrets without his permission, but he’d never made it out like it was something good. Something Walt should be aiming to do.

Walt had just thought it was cool.

But it was risky. It sounded horrifying to do, something disorienting. Turning yourself into a ghost and trusting you could pull yourself back into human form, into reality before you faded away to be collected. Trusting that he could do it without sending Anubis fully out of him

He was on the verge of death and every second the god was in him was just a slight extension to his sentence. His life - it was like a trick. It reminded him of something he’d read. Technically you can only live for a couple minutes but every time you breathe it resets the clock.

Anubis’s presence was just a constant reset, ongoing without pause.

Even a mere step and the clock would slow it’s ticking. They’d manage to figure out how much he could truly stretch himself away and that had been more of a test to see how much Anubis could disappear before his presence stopped registering to magic wards. The answer was not at all.

He didn’t have to listen in on everything, same as Walt didn’t have to take in everything on his end but he did have to be there.

Or Walt would shatter into a broken down man, pain encompassing his whole body as everything shut off inside him like a checklist.

Access to legs? Check. Kidneys? Check. Liver? Check. Lungs?

Checkity-check-check.

He could still remember the morning he woke up and thought, My heart stopped.

The next day he left home to go join the Nome. He was dying, he knew that. He’d make the best of the time he had left.

And then he was granted more time. It was like the universe was sending out a letter. Here’s some extra time in exchange for helping to defeat Apophis. Thanking you in advance, the Duat.

Walt unwrapped his hands from the linens that had spurred around his skin.

Nico’s sword glittered in the light as he shifted forward.

“I’m working on it,” Walt said, even though he knew it wasn’t an issue to the other. Nico didn’t care so long as it didn’t impede his ability to do anything else. And having his hands wrapped up made him feel safer about touching things when his powers were on.

He’d only just barely gotten over the whole “disintegrate everything into ash” side of his powers. It still had him on edge, itching at the back of his mind every time Sadie dove in for a kiss or one of the anklebiters demanded to be picked up and carried to their next destination.

Nico regarded him. “I know.”

Despite towering over him, Walt always felt so small.

It reminded him of the first time he’d met Sadie. She was so in tune with herself, her skills. She laughed loud and free, full of life and unearned confidence. When she walked into the room, she commanded the attention of everyone in there without a single word.

She was an explosive expression of a person and she knew it. There was no stopping her.

Nico was so vastly different from Sadie from tone to personality to fashion sense, but that was something nobody could deny. They both knew very clearly who they were. And they were both so very confidently settled in their identities, in such a way that it was envious. How could anyone know who they were so easily?

Without question?

Even after years of living with her, of learning her, he couldn’t tell if it was all just a facade or not.

"I'm going to teach you how to make yourself incorporeal."

"I'm going to teach you how to make yourself incorporeal."

A bundle of emotions exploded in him. Most of them were Anubis. Walt only felt cold shock - like a jug of ice water had been directly injected into his nerves. Nico's eyes were still hard to read. He remained unchanged.

As they were just talking about the weather.

"I-"

Please do not.

Walt scanned the training room, trying to find the words. It was so rare that he'd ever find himself speechless and it seemed to happen most around the lanky teen across from him. "I thought you didn't want to teach me that?"

He shook his head. "I changed my mind."

He glanced up at Walt, something painful etched into his face before it vanished. "You might need it one day."

Walt froze where he stood. Nico was a feral cat. He slipped in and out spaces, treated everywhere like it belonged to him. He knew the other pantheons accepted his presence, whether they liked it or not. He knew that Nico had accumulated more knowledge that way than any demigod or magician or whatever other user of godly power that existed had ever could.

He took a step forward, swayed in place.

Uncertainty bubbled in his stomach. "Is something going to happen?" he asked.

Nico squinted at him. "No. Why?"

"Because-" Walt splitters, gesturing widely while Anubis settled, disgruntled and annoyed. "You just said-"

"Your reaction time is slower than everyone else's."

Going quiet, Walt blinked, listening.

"You're not as instinctual. It's fine. That will come with time. But as it stands, you file through what you can and can't do and it slows you down. You're too used to choosing between amulets and you treat your powers the same." Nico cocked his head. "One second can be the difference between life and death. If you don't move fast enough, you'll be caught or killed."

"Oh."

"If you don't want to learn it-"

Uncertainty and fear still rabbled in his chest, a protest to what he was thinking. "I do."

Do not, Anubis begged. It's too risky.

"You don't need to be so worried, Anubis," Nico said before he turned on his heels.

Sadie saw the difference between them so easily. She saw when he was present, even if he wasn't talking. It was body language. Something about the way it looked when two people were in one body, the way Walt walked like he was in constant conversation.

When Anubis was in control, it was different. He held himself taller than Walt was, pulled more inwards.

To Sadie, no matter how slight, the changes were obvious.

To Nico, it was so much more different. It was harder not to feel invaded when he did it, even though he knew it wasn't intentional. He couldn't tell by body language or the way Walt's eyes would flash black instead of brown. He just looked at him and saw two souls instead of one

He analyzed from there.

He said he picked it up from a dead sibling of his, who went blind early in life. The way he talked about it, the slip of his face - Walt had a slight feeling it was more than accidental but he refused to pry.

Maneuvering the world through watching the souls within each person was better than just watching them. It was morally questionable to do that to the living so he admitted he didn't do it much. Just when he had a bad feeling. Or when he was talking to Walt.

It was like cutting into a person for autopsy. The secrets behind them revealed in a small little glowing orb. It made Walt feel like a fish, gutted open. Utterly exposed for consumption. But he didn't say anything against it because it was…

It was strangely pleasant to have someone simply look at him and know what the other mingling inside was saying. Instead of always having to translate, he could just be known.

Sadie just had to watch him.

Nico just had to take a look inside and analyze what he saw. Then the answer laid so easy.

Maybe if it were anyone else, Walt wouldn't feel so okay with it. But it was Nico, who showed up whenever he called and sometimes brought pie and was slowly teaching him what he knew even though there was no real reason for him to do it. He was safe

"I'm allowed to be concerned about my host dying," Anubis said. If Walt listened hard enough, he could hear the changes that Sadie had attuned herself to. The slight lowering of his voice, the subtle change to his accent.

"If he dies, I'll bring him back," Nico said. He put his sword down and took off his coat, folding it neatly onto the floor. "I can move faster than collection."

"Nico-"

"Relax. When have I ever deceived you?"

[sardonic-sprite]

Part 4 of Dad!Tim AU!

(Thanks for reminding me Q /gen)

(Tw for... idk general shitty stone-age misogyny?)

Part 1

They've had Eira for a month now, and honestly... Bruce was wondering when this would happen

He's very glad that Jason's at home with Tim tonight, because otherwise God only knows what would have happened, but there'd have been a lot more blood, Bruce is sure

Instead it's just him and Damian at the very edge of the city limits when a woman, bleeding and disheveled and bruised, nearly past recognition, sprints close, slows to a stagger, and collapses on her knees before them, one hand reaching out to fist in each of their cloaks as she gasps for breath

But Bruce could never not know those green eyes. The ones his smallest son shares with his

"MOTHER!"

"Talia! What the hell-"

But he doesn't wonder for long. And again, he really should have known it would happen by now

A group of assassins steps out of the shadows, weapons raised and still wet with Talia's blood. She drags herself up, beside Bruce, in front of Damian, and raises her own sword, but Bruce steps in the middle, finding that ice-cold place of fury that he's struggled for half a year now to keep hidden from his children because of how ugly it is

"Stay out of my city," he snarls. He reminds them of the piss-poor but completely binding treaty, that the league is forbidden to cross the city limits

"Except to redress grievances, Detective."

"You wanna talk about *grievances?*"

But the assassin just smirks. He starts pontificating about children and fathers and PROPERTY like its still the damn stone age. Then he starts pushing the idea of claiming ownership, as pointed as his weapon, and says, "The boy Lord Ra's is willing to grant you. But you are now harboring two stolen possessions of the Demon's Head, and he wants his property back."

Talia spits out a string of Arabic, all words Bruce has heard, but never in so... creative an order. Behind them both, Damian stifles something that might be either a sob or a giggle. Or a choking on air.

This is why Bruce is glad Jason is at home

What Bruce wants to say - shout - is that Talia is a WOMAN and Eira is a BABY and they are HUMAN PEOPLE not CATTLE and HOW DARE RA'S--

What he says, moving his hand behind his back to signal Damian to turn on his comm, maximum reciever volume, is that Ra's is not in fact the nearest male relative of woman or child

Talia's nearest man? Its Bruce. Yeah. Do they wanna see the marriage license? Talia smirks next to him, because they've had that thing ready for this exact situation for YEARS

He feels shitty claiming "ownership" but he knows Ra's is the shitty one and Talia knows what Bruce really means.

Damian makes another very odd noise.

Anyway, Eira? Did Ra's forget that Tim is her fucking FATHER? They've got birth records RIGHT NOW stating that she belongs to HIM, proving her legal existence and citizenship and EVERYTHING.

The assassins hesitate. Bruce knows they're searching. He prays. Talia's hand finds his and squeezes. The marriage record is there, one hundred percent legal, witnessed, valid, only kept secret because thats what had suited them for so long.

The birth certificate... all those other documents...

Its clear the assassin is suspicious, but Bruce thanks God for Barbara’s speed, because the assassin can't tell him the records aren't there. Can't even prove they were dashed together by one woman in the space of five minutes

"As you can see," Bruce says, grin downright feral, "They are both within my protection. Come one step closer to my family and it will be Ra's who violates the treaty

And I *will not hesitate* to call the entire Justice League to war."

The assassin scowls.

But they all melt away, conceding defeat.

When they're gone, Talia sways and nearly collapses again, but Bruce and Damian catch her and call for the car

They go home

Part 5

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 139- Milestones

Summary: Thranduil informs Legolas of the deathly events at Lestat's on All Hallows Eve that led him to Jareth's. Raven experiences a strange emotion. A theory of a dead man is shut down. Jace and Raven face reality. A war continues with new aid. Thranduil fights his own mind. He has harsh words for some. Raven panics. She and Arwen converse. The riders are all in their thoughts, especially Thranduil. A secret is mentioned. Evil cometh!

*Warnings* Angst, violence, language

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

It was a surreal moment for both Legolas and King Thranduil as they came face to face. Even more so for the Prince in seeing his father alive and well, if one could consider him well after the torture that had been inflicted upon him by Jareth and his brother Harker. For a brief moment, Legolas's mind drifted to you. How would he bring such news? This was something he would have to answer for himself at a later time, for they still had to flee the mountain and realm that was greatly infested with more of it's evil occupants. Jasper and his army of the dead had taken out merely a fraction of them there on the west corner of the Hoarwell and Misty Mountains but others would come from in an on the far-reaching mountain and deep within the wide-ranging dark forest.

Thranduil took a moment to briefly explain how Caroline was mainly responsible for his apparent demise, for his mind was now clear on all of his past memories, but his feelings were still greatly amiss, in which all would be made well aware of that soon enough.

Raven's leg was throbbing in pain from Gollum's bite which luckily enough for her, the injury was on the same leg as her sprained ankle. Jace carried her piggy back style through the narrow pathways as she weakly rested her head on his shoulder. The smitten warlock smiled as he angled his eyes down to glance at her closed ones and whispered to her.

"You're safe now."

Jace could feel the breeze from the outside air and see the light peering around the corner. Freedom was near but an obstacle was even closer. As he rounded the bend, there sat an anxious Gollum crawling around in circles, arguing with his other self. He had beaten them to the small opening leading to the outside world, for the cave dweller knew every inch of the mountain's mazes.

"Raven, wake up!"

Her eyes popped open and Jace set her down on her good leg, then drew his sword.

"Move aside creature, or a head you shall have no more." Jace conditionally compromised.

Gollum growled at him and galloped forward on his hands and feet. "Gives us the precious first!"

Raven swiped the sword from Jace's hand and held it to Gollum's throat.

"Listen here you little shit! I have had it up to my wits end with your bullshit. I should kill you right now for what you did to me! In fact, I think I will."

Gollum's broad eyes became dejected and slightly tearful as they slowly moved over her and Jace. Raven was suddenly overtaken by a feeling that was greatly foreign to her...compassion.

Gollum had a hellish life just as she had endured, trapped inside a world neither wanted, but she couldn't let that deter her from her own path to freedom.

"Or I can just leave you here in your own misery which is worse than death."

She slowly lowered the sword and as she did so, Gollum's eyes changed from sorrowful to sinister as he began to bear his unsightly teeth.

Jace's arm wrapped around her waist and she gasped as they went up into the air of the shallow tunnel, knocking Gollum into a backwards somersault as their low hanging feet hit his head.

Gollum regained his balance to see the two vanish into the light at the end of the tunnel that he would not enter. He then reeled and cursed them both.

"We hates them forever!!!"

Thranduil and Legolas were just getting ready to head out to meet the others Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf, Gimli and Tauriel who all had waited outside to give the King and his son some privacy in their reunion, but then Raven and Jace came around the corner. The look on Legolas's face was staggering, needless to say, when he saw the dhampir and some stranger allowing her to use him as a crutch.

'What are you doing here and whom are you?!" the Prince barked as he raised his bow.

"Oh Leggy, put it down. Why Thrandy, you did not tell your son about me? Not surprising, since you left us for dead in Gollum's lair which I greatly suspect you knew about. That little fucker took a bite out of my leg! After all I have done for you, saving your ass more than once mind you. You said you would take me with you!"

"Adar??" Legolas inquired as his eyes glided to the side where Thranduil stood while maintaining his aim on the witchy vampiress.

"Legolas." Thranduil nodded to him to lower his bow. "Always exaggerated, are you not girl? You have obviously found deliverance with the warlock's aid, as well as mine. Without my help, you would have been left at Jareth's mercy, as would you male witch."

"We have names you know. I am Raven, this is Jace, or is that too difficult for your elven tongue to speak?"

Thranduil's lips pursed as his neck stiffened up, then came towards her in a fury.

Jace stepped in front of her with his sword drawn as Raven's eyes almost rolled from their sockets at Jace's daredevil move against the notorious sprite.

The Elvenking's eyes slitted like a snake as Legolas drew his bow on Jace this time.

"You dare challenge me warlock??! You are a bigger fool than your father."

With that said, a loud ching could be heard as Thranduil's subulate sword lacerated Jace's blade right through it's center, sending the severed pieces clanking to the ground.

Jace's eyes widened briefly and they narrowed, wanting to open fire his magic on him, but he withheld....for you.

Thranduil raised his head in great pride and then turned to Raven.

"You see...Clover, which THAT is your true name, Jareth's sword was dull and useless just as I had assured you it was. Legolas...the unsightly warlock before you is another of Jareth's offspring, as if one was not enough of a thorn in my side."

Thranduil thought of you with disgust as his side literally still stung from the injury he received when his mind betrayed him and his protected secret by projecting himself as the white hart.

"You're...Josie's brother?" Legolas asked in shock as he then lowered his bow.

"What does his relation to that wretched witch have to do with any of this? He's the son of Jareth and drew his weapon on me. Hold your aim!" Thranduil snapped at Legolas who reluctantly resumed his hold on the warlock. His father was right about Jace, for Legolas knew nothing of his true nature. For all he knew, he could be just like the goblin King. His defense of Raven confirmed that thought. But his father was very wrong in the way he spoke of you.

Jace could now see the true damage Jareth and Harker had inflicted upon the King's mind and it worried him over what this would mean for you. Although he had witnessed you in an intimate moment with Garrett, he knew how deep your love for Thranduil went, and when you learned he was alive, Jace knew this new and unimproved version of your King would scar you worse than his supposable death had done.

"Adar, she is your Queen...Why would you speak of her in....."

"Hold your tongue boy, for it shall never speak those words again. That gaffe of a union is now null and void, just as yours and Tauriel's had been. We are now rid of the two nuisances and I will now claim my daughter and another to stand at my side."

Legolas lightly gulped as he also had kept one of his company a secret from his father...Tauriel... and soon, Thranduil would be just as blind sided as Legolas was when he saw Raven.

Thranduil reached his hand out to Raven who hesitated at his shocking words as Legolas was stood in sheer horror, unable to stop the mad King, even if he had tried.

"Come now! You groveled to me to take you with me. Surely you must have known what it would entail just as I surely know this is what you have always desired, is it not?"

It was what Raven always wanted, from the very moment she laid eyes upon the King in Lestat's castle, but that was before Thranduil was mind warped into behaving no better than Jareth...and it was also before she met Jace. And even if Thranduil hadn't had his mind scrambled like eggs, he still would never want her. He had always made that clearly known.

"Adar...are my ears deceiving me?"

"I will be questioned no more! The dhampir will be coming with me as agreed upon. You will pay your debts to me for your partaking in your evil mother's diabolical plan. Although Caroline paid hers with her worthless life, you chose to carry out what she could not and it is upon you for all that occurred after. Shall I continue on about the filthy advantages you took of me while I was severely disadvantaged? Did you think I would never recall such treachery? Now you will suffer the same fate. Besides...you have nowhere else to go that is safe. Nazgul will still hunt you for the slaughter of all those children in Laketown. Is that not why you remained with Jareth in the first place?"

"It is...but Thranduil....Jareth is dead, that is what you told us."

"I assure you, the goblin King is not dead and will return and your only refuge will be under my wing."

"H..how do you know he is still alive?" Raven fearfully squeaked.

"Naive girl. You just informed us he was. You were just bitten by Gollum yes? If Gollum still walks, so does Jareth."

"Raven, Thranduil is right. The spell Jareth placed on Gollum would have broken if Jareth were dead. And if you also have death dealers after you, they will never stop hunting you. There will be no safer place for you than with the Elvenking." Jace confirmed.

"Wait...so you're...telling me to go with him? When you now know of his reasoning for wanting me there? How am I safer with him when he is acting just like your father??? You have NO idea what Jareth did to me!"

"I do not know what he did but I can surely imagine it...and I do not know of your prior dealings with the Elvenking either...but I cannot help you any longer. It's what's best."

Raven was crushed, for she had stupidly became somewhat attached to Jace, for no one had ever made her feel like she mattered and had the potential to change....and she had also stupidly believed that there was some magical connection between them.

"Why did you ever help me in the first place then or be so nice to me huh?? Oh that's right, you needed to be freed so you used me. I've been through that scenario before! Well, why not then. What better and deserving place for a bad seed like me to be then at the side of the infamous Elvenking!" she snapped as her eyes teared up. "How stupid was I to believe you when you said you saw good in me because now that you have just heard of my past indiscretions, you're bailing. Which part was it that put the nail in the coffin? The children massacre that happened when I myself was a child in my newborn phase or my sexcapade with the Elvenking, whom by the way had his way with me of his own will at one time and certainly enjoyed it?? I told you there was no hope for me. I was born to be evil. You were wrong to ever think I could change. Oh wait, that was just a lie."

"No it wasn't. You could have taken Gollum's head clean off back there...but you didn't."

"That's because he will suffer for eternity in his desolation of doom and gloom in which he deserves....just as I do. It's also because I actually believed you...that will never happen again, for you're no better than Jareth, nice at first to get what you want and then turns on me. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it?"

Jace was hating every bit of what was happening and what he had to do. He did care for her, for it had snuck up on him like a thief in the night, but he knew he could not fight for her at this time, not against Thranduil and his company...he also knew he would be back for her....

Raven whipped around before Jace could even speak and walked to Thranduil, then held her hand out to him.

"I will go with you."

As Thranduil took her hand with a triumphant grin at Jace, horns began blaring. Legolas then knew who Tauriel spoke of that would come.

"I galadrim -o Imladris! (The elves of Imladris)" the Prince raved with wide eyes.

They all went to the doorway to see Elrond and his elven army taking on more hideous orcs and goblins that surfaced from within the mountain and more could be seen descending it.

Elrond could then be seen and heard as all hell broke loose.

"Tangado haid! Leithio i philinn!" (Hold [your] positions. Fire the arrows)

The armed elves of copper metal raised their bows and fired into the rushing crowd of mostly orcs.

Legolas and Thranduil ran off to join the fight while Raven stood peeking around the doorway in pure fright. She glanced back to look at Jace but he was gone, just like that. She whimpered and turned her gleaming eyes back to the mosh pit of elves and the enemy. In her eyes, the elves were the enemy too. She now stood alone with her only weapons... her powers and Jareth's useless ring while awaiting to head off to her new life.

As lord Elrond slayed orc after orc and goblin after goblin, he felt the presence of his long time elven friend and stopped to glance over at the raging Elvenking and his twin swords taking the beasts out like a tornado.

Thranduil then caught sight of the Rivendell lord and they both offered a welcoming head bow, then carried on with their mutual mission.

In a matter of less than an hour, the west side docking entrance was cleared of the foul demons and the seven warriors united while Raven watched from her solo post.

"King Thranduil. I must say it is a great pleasure to see you amongst the living." Elrond professed. "Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, Gandalf, Gimli and.....Tauriel." he continued with the greetings, giving a surprised raised brow at the former captain of Thranduil's guard and ex Mrs. Greenleaf.

Thranduil scowled when he saw her and side eyed his son which told Legolas they would soon have a talk about her presence.

"Lord Elrond, your aid is highly appreciated. Was it your foresight that brought you here?" Legolas inquired.

As he went to answer, Arwen came riding up on her glowing white horse with a bloodied sword in hand and perfect untangled long flowing dark strands, as if she had not just battled a raging army.

Aragorn's eyes lit up as she dismounted and they ran into each other's arms with loving smiles and soft kisses.

Thranduil had a sudden flashback of the time he had been shot by Malsin's arrow and he had disappeared to go heal by the Forest River. You had frantically searched for him with Tauriel and when you found him, you leaped off of your horse and ran into Thranduil's arms as Arwen just did with her King. In that moment, the King of Mirkwood could taste your lips.

Legolas saw it, the brief pain in his his father's eyes that abruptly turned to frustration as he stood firm and guarded against his own mind.

"Legolas, as you know, I was in Lorien when you had arrived. After your departure with Aragorn and Gimli, I rode hard to gather the aid of my father and his company, for I feared you would all need it."

"You will all need more. "Elrond continued. "For more will come and will follow. I have a base camp near the Bruinen's edge. We can make it there by nightfall and continue on to Rivendell come dawn. It is the only means of refuge considering our position, unless King Thranduil opposes and desires to trek down the Hoarwell to the east side and carry on into Mirkwood which would add an extra day of treacherous travel with the new spider infestation I have been made aware of...and of course the orcs that will track your paths. With that being said, the journey to the Bruinen will still be dangerous. Arwen has gathered your horses. A choice must be made quickly."

Everyone brought their eyes to King Thranduil, for it would be his decision and whichever he chose, they would faithfully follow.

Thranduil was momentarily silent as he pondered on his options which were precisely two. He surely loved Rivendell and missed the magical city and his refuge of Moonlight deep within the realm's forest. Would it still be a safe haven for him now with the memories of you invading his special place? He scoffed at that thought and decided he would not let your memories plaque him any longer, although that would be easier said than done and he knew it....especially after what happened against his will

"Imladris it shall be. I will add that since my son has brought an unwanted and uninvited guest, I have one of my own that will be traveling at my side."

"That is the gratitude I receive for assisting in your retrieval?" Tauriel retorted.

"We both know as all know, that you did not come here to aid me but in fact to get back in the good graces of my son which will never occur. We all know your love of dwarves. You should take Gimli and be on your merry way."

Gimli stood quietly in shock, for he had forgotten about the King's conditioning that caused Thranduil to despise him all over again.

"Adar!" Legolas snapped in defense of his dwarf friend and even Tauriel. "They both risked their lives regardless of motive. Gimli is my friend and will be joining us in our journey forward, as will Tauriel...it is not safe for them to travel alone. We do not know the whereabouts of Harker and Julian."

"So be it. I have endured far worse in my time here. What is one more day of perdition."

Tauriel glared at the King. "It would seem your anger towards me is misguided due to what you have suffered, but my mind is quite clear of your past misdeeds where I am concerned."

"Misdeed it was!" Thranduil barked as he came towards her. "For your reasonings and my reasonings for the fraught experience are NOT the same. Mine was of grief and over indulgence, yours was merely of revenge and even that was not enough for you in your continued unwanted pursuance of myself...so it would seem that my anger is very well validated. Now...I am done wasting my time here. Raven! Tul- hi!" (Come now)

Raven shook like a leaf at his call to her by her name, not having a clue what he said, for she didn't know elvish. Judging by Thranduil's slight hand toss in the air and everyone's eyes staring in her direction, she figured she was supposed to go to him...and so she grabbed her bag and headed out, feeling like she was going to toss up the contents of her stomach again as she began to hyperventilate.

All the eyes judged her as she neared the King...all but one. Arwen. Her eyes were kind, although she had just witnessed the beautiful she elf mutilate hundreds of orcs all on her own. Raven was a dangerous and natural enemy of the elves but all Arwen saw was a scared little girl trapped in a lion's den.

Once she was at Thranduil's side, her overbearing nerves consumed her as she bent over and vomit showered the Elvenking's boots. Raven's eyes fearfully fluttered up to Thranduil's and the look of repugnance in his eyes sent her passing out cold on the ground.

"Someone tend to that. It is time to go." Thranduil snapped and marched off.

The sun was slowly setting, leaving only a few hours left of daylight as they all traveled west down part of the Hoarwell's banks to avoid the dark forest. Once at it's edge, they would then travel South, making their way to the start of the Bruinen River near the high pass where Elrond's base camp was set up.

Raven began to awaken to a soft bouncing and the smell of roses as her head laid upon something of a satin feel. As her weary eyes traveled up, she saw dark luminous strands of hair and the angelic vision of Arwen's face. Gasping, she sat up to realize she was riding on a horse, seated in front of the she elf.

"Hush now child, you are safe." Arwen sweetly said to the frightened ginger haired girl.

"Wh...what happened? How did I get...here?"

"After the contents of your stomach found King Thranduil's footwear, you suffered a fainting spell. I suppose your fear of his reaction brought that about. Understandably so."

"Oh my god...he...he is going to fucking kill...oh shit...oh...no, I mean...oh my god...I didn't mean to swear...I swear. I'm sure someone such as yourself does not speak in such a manner."

Arwen chuckled. "Do not fret. We are known to express our feelings verbally from time to time in our own way apart from yours...but I would advise you to be cautious of them around my father."

"You..you mean that elf with the dark hair who's eyebrows make him look angry?"

The she elf then giggled. "That would be the one. For your benefit, he would be addressed as Lord Elrond and it would serve you well not to speak of his eyebrows in his presence. I assure you though, he is not angry, just wise, old and somewhat cynical when it comes to outsiders such as yourself, and rightfully so. He does have a kind side under his sullen expression."

"But...you're not? Cynical I mean... I mean..don't get me wrong, you kicked some serious ass...I mean butt back there, but you seem...kind as well. Why am I riding with you and...why are you being so nice to me?"

"It was best you rode with me. I can see who one truly is and I do not believe you to be all of a blackened heart. There is something inside of you that will bring out your true nature, something that you are unaware of."

"Well, that other man elf, Haldy. He sees that too and he certainly didn't say that about me when we met. Verbatim, he said 'you bring great evil with you'. and then I think he cussed me out in elvish or something."

"Yes, Haldir of Lorien. At that time, did you not? It would be understandable of him to believe so, for I am aware of the choices you have made, especially those against your own kin...and vampires as you know, are natural enemies of the elves, more so to Haldir on a personal level."

"Soooo...what is it that you see inside of me then?"

"I think that is a conversation for another time."

Legolas rode on with Gimli at his backside while the others each rode solo. He was extremely unnerved over his father's remarks earlier. Although Thranduil's words to Tauriel rang true, Legolas was still humiliated that all now knew as to why his union with her was divided. The Elvenking was always a force to be reckoned with, but this version of him was a loose cannon and anyone who was in his line of fire be damned.

He tried to silently reach you again while keeping his father in the dark, but again, he had no success in connecting with you and he still didn't understand how it ever even happened in the first place. Could it have only been the evil of the dark forest messing with his mind? Was it his guilt for leaving you? For he had never done so before...or was it simply his heart missing you terribly?

So many thoughts consumed him now that he was able to peacefully think for once, but his next thought was far from peaceful. There was still the issue of Amara and his arrangement with her when he would return to the Woodland realm with his father very much alive and well. This was something he dreaded explaining to Thranduil. Even if the King hadn't had his mind altered, he still would hunt her down and make her pay with her life for coercing his son.

As Aragorn and Boromir trekked along side by side at a distance from the others, the ranger could see that his friend was in deep thought and he had a feeling it was about the reason he truly came there.

"Boromir. We appreciate your assistance, bravery and loyalty my friend. If you need my aid in recommencing your previous journey to Dorwinion, know I will assist if needed be. What you revealed to me in Lorien only days ago will escape my lips to no one. "

"I just may take you up on the offer, for the one I need to speak with does not know me and would have no reason to trust me, but she knows and trusts you. We are not out of danger yet. If for any reason I cannot make it there, I need your word that you will take what you know to her. Only she must be told for the time being."

'You have my solemn vow, but you my friend will tell her yourself very soon." Aragorn assured as they rode on.

Thranduil was also in his own little world of thoughts as he and Elrond led the group. The Rivendell elf lord could see his despair and would later speak to him in private about it, for he knew the conversation would be sensitive to the King now and only anger him further, but Elrond could easily handle him, for he knew the Elvenking better than anyone there.

No matter how hard Thranduil tried to distract his mind from you, there you were, even when he told himself earlier that he would not allow it anymore. He kept seeing you, sitting right there with him, your hair brushing in his face from the breeze, his arm snuggled around your waist as you sang to him. Through his anger and pursed lips, he felt a peace there as he could smell your cherry blossom scent trickle up his flaring nose. He saw you turn to look up at him with your blazing blue eyes that he had given to you. With that thought, he had had enough, for how were you his soul mate when he despised you so? He knew what Jareth did to him, but he still felt how he felt.

Your scent suddenly evolved into another one. A malevolent one. Thranduil swiftly charged ahead on the glorious white horse Elrond had brought for him, and then abruptly halted and turned to the group.

"They have come for the dhampir. Black riders are among us!"

'Wh..WHAT?!!" Raven shrieked as she sprung up, her eyes bulged and racing about the surroundings.

Just then, the sinister screeches of the Nazgul could be heard in the distance, along with the pounding hooves of their horses.

As Raven's head whipped around to the horrifying sounds, the death dealers appeared from the forest.

Aragorn looked at Arwen with a pressing look. "GO! Ride hard!!"

"Cover your head. Do not look at them!" Arwen commanded to Raven and galloped off at racing speed through the forest as the nine death riders pursued at her heels.

Thranduil and company charged off behind them, following them down to the river where Arwen crossed through it as the vampires remained on the bank, seemingly threatened by the water.

"Give up the dhampir she elf." one of the hooded fiends growled.

Arwen faced them and drew her sword. "If you want her, come and get her!"

Raven's eyes snapped up to her. "What?? No. don't come and get me! Are you crazy??!"

"Some might believe so yes." Arwen quipped with a dead stare on evil ones.

Raven swore she peed herself as the dealers came rushing into the river. She burrowed down into Arwen's gut and squished her eyes shut as she trembled profusely at the thought she was about to be ripped apart....but then she peeked out through one eye. Arwen began to speak in an unworldly echoing tone of elvish and the water began to rise.

"Nîn o Chithaeglir lasto beth daer; rimmo nín Hoarwell dan in Ulaer!" (Waters of the Misty Mountains, hear the word of power, rush, waters of Hoarwell, against the Ringwraiths)

A massive tidal wave gushed around the bend and shapeshifted into a stampede of white water wild horses, plowing over the fleeing Nazgul and swallowing them whole.

Just like that, they were gone.

"Holyyyy shit! Bad ass!! What just happened???" Raven asked in astonishment as she surfaced from Arwen's chest.

"Magic. Just as you have, do you not?" Arwen simply stated. "They are gone for now but more will come as they smell your freedom."

"I...I do but...not like that! and...mine is weak right now from silverbane exposure...and...oh god...so is my stomach!"

Raven hauled ass off of the horse and fell to her hands and knees, vomiting again...only this time, it was blood.

Arwen leaned down and laid her hand on Raven's back to comfort her.

"Oh my god, why am I throwing up blood??! This cannot be from the silverbane..." she frantically asked.

"It is not.." Arwen answered and then turned to the others who were now across the river at their side. "We must get her to the camp. She needs food and rest."

Thranduil stared down at Raven with a glare and then trotted off.

"Great...now he's even more pissed off at me for bringing them here. Can...can I sleep in your tent tonight? I swear I fear him more than the dealers."

Arwen smiled as she helped Raven back onto the horse. "The King is not going to harm you or he would not have brought you with him. Rest now while we ride. We have a long ways to go."

@redeemer46

[birindale]

SHE-RA™

PRINCESS OF POWER™

© COPYRIGHT 1984 MATTEL, INC./FILMATION ASSOCIATES

The time for words is past.

It is time for action.

A time for the taking of vows, the forging of alliances against tyranny... a time for leadership.

For over twenty years, the EVIL HORDE have ruled Etheria with an iron fist and cruel calculation. Their rule has gone largely unchallenged — until now. A band of patriots, brought together by their love of freedom, have pledged their lives and their swords to bring down the dark dictators from another world, willing to tackle impossible odds in their quest for an ideal: Freedom.

Leading this band of patriots is SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER!

Twin sister to HE MAN, daughter to King Randor and Queen Marlena, it is she who will lead the assault on the invaders.

07044/100JMS

SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER will burst onto television screens in sixty-five daily installments of high fantasy and adventure brought to life in the long-standing tradition of quality associated with Filmation Studios, creators of the number one rated syndicated children's program, HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.

There will be action tempered by gentleness... adventure mixed with compassion... characters that will appeal to young girls as role models, without losing the interest of boys... rich in the currency of non-violent ideals. And other values — loyalty to friends and country, courage, bravery, honesty — will not be merely given lip service, but vividly displayed, and fiercely fought for.

The war is on at last... and they have barely begun to fight.

THE BATTLE IS JOINED

The story of SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER will debut with a sweeping five-part saga guest starring HE MAN, during which the viewers will learn the secret that could not be told until now. They will discover Adora, twin sister of Prince Adam, son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, who was stolen from her parents by THE HORDE while still an infant.

Taken to the distant planet Etheria, recently conquered by the Horde, Adora was raised in the dark ways of the Horde. Under the evil spell of SHADOW WEAVER, the Horde's dark enchantress, Adora’s sense of right and wrong was reversed, and in time the beautiful Adora grew to become the enforcer of Horde law on Etheria.

But the Horde's evil act of years ago caught up with them at last, when a strange twist of fate brought He Man to Etheria. When the most powerful man in the universe was brought face to face with the Horde's enforcer, each sensed something special about the other, something deep and buried, reaching out, trying to be reborn.

In that instant, the future history of Etheria was to be irrevocably changed.

Breaking through the years of conditioning, Adora was at last reunited with her brother... and when He Man gave Adora the miraculous sword — very much like his own, entrusted to him by the good Sorceress — Adora instinctively held it high and cried out the words she had never before heard: "For the honor of Grayskull!"

And with a brilliant flash, a surge of unparalleled power, where Adora had stood there now stood She-Ra, Princess of Power!

She-Ra, who has seen first-hand the horrors of the Horde, and who now knows that it must be stopped. She-Ra... who not only possesses awesome strength and agility, but has the power to heal, and who has a mystical empathy with man and beast. She-Ra... who deeply feels an obligation to her adopted planet.

And so, rather than return forever to Eternia, she elects to remain on Etheria, there to become leader of a dedicated band of patriots, fighters for freedom. United by their love of liberty, their loyalty to Etheria and to one another, they free their captured Queen and then set about the long task of reclaiming their birthright, their home... Etheria!

They will fight on, knowing that for as long as the fire of freedom burns within them —  an ideal that many of the younger have never enjoyed, and which is only a dim but wonderous memory in the minds of the older — they will find the strength to strike one more blow, seize one more inch, fight one more battle than the enemy can fight off. Like the drops of water that in time can crack a boulder or split a canyon, they will continue until the Horde is driven once and for all from their beloved homeland.

The story of SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER is at once ground breaking and rich in tradition. It is the story of Robin Hood, of the American Revolution; it is the Force behind Star Wars, for it deals with that rare quality we call freedom.

IMPACT

Once launched, the series will draw the attention of young girls across the country — for in SHE-RA they will find all of the qualities they hold close. Since the series also will include those factors that have made HE MAN a success, boys will also be attracted to the show. The series will highlight high fantasy and vivid characters, action and comedy, drama and gentleness — something for everyone. The result: a show with tremendous crossover appeal.

But that is not the full extent of the projected impact of SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER. Recognizing its responsibility to its young audience, Filmation Studios will impart to this new series the same emphasis on morality and justice as is currently being done in HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, which has received critical praise from educators and parents for its success in creating worthy role models for the young audience.

SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER will reinforce the fact that one person can make a difference. Man or woman, boy or girl, you have the potential to make the world a better place.

In addition, each episode will conclude with a supplementary message — variations on the themes of loyalty, courage, honesty, and the other values upon which so great a premium is put.

The variety of ways in which the messages will be imparted, and the different types of messages that can arise from such very different circumstances will serve as an excellent counterpoint to HE MAN. And like HE MAN from first concept to finished product, SHE-RA will involve the work of uniquely qualified advisors who will monitor the program and work with it in the best interests of the young audience. In the words of Educational and Psychological Consultant Donald F. Roberts, Professor at Stanford University:

She-Ra has an excellent chance to garner a new audience of females while retaining the large portion of the male audience He Man has already developed. The series will thus have the opportunity of reaching a new segment of the viewing audience with the kinds of pro-social messages you have been developing for the He Man show, while at the same time reinforcing those ideas among current He Man viewers.

The plan to present the pro-social messages in She-Ra in a novel and challenging way can engender a significant increase in learning among those children who view both shows.

He Man has demonstrated that it is possible to engage in worthwhile values training with no sacrifice of entertainment quality. I think She-Ra will continue the tradition.

Now that we have discussed what this series will strive to achieve, let us turn our attention to those we will be meeting each day in the universe of SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER .

THE WORLD AND PEOPLE OF ETHERIA

Etheria is a vibrant, colorful world rich with enchantment and wonder... a fantasyland of shining rivers, gleaming cities, snow-capped peaks... and surprises waiting behind every tree and hill.

Before the coming of the Horde, it was unspoiled, a place of fantasy and delightful mystery not unlike the world of Middle Earth made so popular in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

With the Horde came their machines — black engines of destruction that leave ruin in their wake.

The consequence is a contradiction. Side by side there exists the gentle world of Etheria, and the technological monstrosities of the Horde.

One of them will have to go.

Embodying the former is the magnificent, spired Palace of Power, dear to the heart of Etherians everywhere, and for the latter there are the vile swamps of the Horde's dreaded Fright Zone, a sight to strike fear in the heart of any but the most courageous Etherian.

The story of Etheria is a story of two worlds, two societies on a collision course... from which only one may emerge.

SHE-RA and her fellow patriots are determined that the survivor will be Etheria and her people.

And in addition to Adora/She-Ra, among the people of Etheria whom we will be seeing most regularly are these brave crusaders of freedom:

GLIMMER

A teenage Princess with limitless enthusiasm, Glimmer was once leader of the Rebellion. Glimmer uses light-based powers — light blasts, light walls, light ropes, etc. She is as brave as they come, though her age tends to make her reckless or gullible at times. Glimmer resides in the Palace of Power with her mother, Queen Angella.

THE TWIGGETS

Twiggets are Munchkin-like little guys and gals who inhabit the Whispering Woods, the site of the rebel camp. Twiggets are rebel allies and a staunch little bunch they are. Twiggets are brimming over with clever tricks which they use to good effect against the Horde nasties. They are very good at blending into forest terrain so as to become virtually invisible. Twiggets love company, and music, and animals. An odd thing about Twiggets is that all their names begin with the letters "SP." Sample Twiggets are Sprig and Sprocket (males,) and Sprinkle (female), but there can be many more as needed.

WILLAWAND

Willawand is a handsome beanpole of a man who is a travelling entertainer. He sings, he tells stories, he works stage magic (not the real McCoy, just sleight of hand tricks). His love of freedom prompted him to join the Rebellion and his ebullient, ham actor personality does much to lighten the load. In a battle, he is reckless and cunning, and he and Bow are good comrades.

BOW

A master archer who likes nothing more than a good donnybrook with Hordesmen, Bow is handsome, reckless, daring — a hero's hero. Bow rides a swift, black stallion named Streak and has a most curious companion, a butterfly-winged owl named:

KOWL

You've heard of the wise old owl. Well, now meet Kowl, the wise-guy owl. This little bird may look cute, but he's got a tongue as sharp as She-Ra's sword. And he uses it constantly. Kowl is always ready to remind Bow and the others of how much he knows and how little they know, and he's got an insufferable habit of being right.

QUEEN ANGELLA

Queen Angella is the monarch of the Kingdom of Bright Moon, the first kingdom to be freed from Horde clutches by the Rebellion. She is a glamorous, blonde woman, with angel wings that unfold from her back so she can fly. Her magic is very powerful, light-based like her daughter Glimmer's, but she has much more control of it. Queen Angella, despite her youthful appearance, is something of a mother figure to the Rebels. She is very wise, very regal, a true Queen of Etheria.

FROSTA

Frosta is the Ice Empress, dressed in gorgeous ice blue attire. She is the ruler of the Kingdom of Snows and can "quick freeze" enemies with the mere pointing of her crystalline arm. Frosta is otherwise a normal human female, with one flesh and blood arm and one crystalline arm.

CASTASPELLA

As her name implies, Castaspella is a worker of magic. Her power comes from a strange, star shaped disk on her back which spins gaily when she weaves one of her magicks. Castaspella can paralyze someone in his or her tracks, create a "window" out of thin air through which faraway places may be viewed, set up a mystic shield which deflects magic bolts and the like, wrap foes in bands of force, and fly through the air like a comet. Castaspella is known as the Wizard Queen and rules the whimiscal Kingdom of Mystacor, a place brimming over with enchantment and magic. She tends to be a bit flighty at times and would rather seek adventure than deal with affairs of state. She is known as Cass or Casta to her friends, Frosta and Queen Angella being her nearest and dearest of these.

MADAME RAZZ*

This lovable old crone is the wackiest worker of magic to ever whip up a spell. Madame is so old she's quite forgotten her age. Her spells are quite effective, though she has a small problem — she tends to say the wrong word, making the results not quite what she expected. For instance, while casting a spell to put some foes to sleep, she said "sheep" instead, and wound up with a whole flock of them. Madame also has a bit of trouble with her eyesight and sense of direction, making every one of her flying landings (Madame flies on a broom. More about that in a minute) an adventure in itself. Madame's best friend and, coincidentally, her mode of transportation is:

*NOTE: Since Madame Razz long predates the arrival of the Horde, she has had a lot of personal experience with pre-Horde Etheria — she has seen kings and empires rise and fall, acts of bravery and treachery — plenty of fodder in this for stories of Old Etheria.

BROOM

Imagine a dilapidated old broomstick with an old duffer face and voice, walking around on his bristles. This is Broom. Broom is Madame Razz's life-long buddy. They've been together for centuries and are very close. Broom prompts Madame when she messes up a spell (usually when it's too late) and flies her wherever she wants to go.

Unfortunately, Broom is just about as nearsighted as Madame, the reason for their often comically disastrous landings.

SPIRIT/SWIFTWIND

Spirit is Adora's horse, a dappled mare. When Adora becomes She-Ra, Spirit transforms into a flying unicorn named Swiftwind. In this guise Spirit can take She-Ra wherever she wishes to go, and communicate with her telepathically.

And arrayed against our heroine freedom-fighters are the massed, technological might of THE HORDE, the most colorful villains ever assembled on one planet, in one series. Elements of the confrontation between the two sides will provide opportunity for light comedy, and the villains will be treated in serio-comic fashion. They are...

HORDAK

Hordak is leader of the Horde, and a rottener, meaner guy never lived. Hordak is a master schemer and has the power to change parts of his heavily-armored body into new shapes and uses. He can turn his hand into a buzz-saw or a battle-axe or a laser pistol. He can switch his legs into tank treads or become a mini-missile if he so chooses. He's happy with his lot as ruler of Etheria and wants to keep it that way, hence he hates nothing more than She-Ra and her outrageous Rebels. He is aided and abetted in his schemes against our Princess of Power by his evil magician:

SHADOW WEAVER

Shadow Weaver is the stuff of which nightmares are made. She is a completely mysterious figure, the only thing we ever see of her being a pair of baleful red eyes peering out from the darkness of a cowled cloak. Shadow Weaver glides around through the air in this cloak, never touching ground, and wisps of shadow constantly waft up around her. She works dark magicks that are extremely powerful and is dreaded by all.

LEECH

As his name implies, Leech is a lizardy creature with sucker discs on his hands and feet and a huge sucker mouth. He can use these discs to climb the sheerest height or attach them to a foe to drain energy. Ooooh, he's scary. And ugly, too .

SCORPIA

Speaking of ugly, this lady takes the prize. Attired in scaly armor and possessed of tremendous strength, Scorpia can use her pincer claws to rip out walls, or employ her stinger tail to paralyze an enemy. Fortunately, she's thick as a brick and thus easily foiled by a foe with some intelligence.

GRIZZLOR

This furry, tusked villain is the Horde's main prison keeper. He's a gruff, toadying type, and thoroughly afraid of Hordak. He has more than his share of bludgeoning power, but is more apt to run from a fight than get into one. Unless, of course, Hordak orders him to. Then he will fight like a berserker if only to stave off his master's wrath.

IMP

You might call Imp the Horde's comic relief. At roughly six inches in height, he's not about to terrorize anyone. However, he can change his normal floppy-earred, devil-tailed shape into any configuration, so he makes a quite effective spy. He can appear as a goblet on a table, the hilt of a sword, the brooch on a Queen's dress, or any other small item. He is also the only Horde member who actually dares to make jokes about Hordak, though Hordak greets such jests with less than enthusiasm.

When these two forces, the very embodiment of good and evil, confront one another, anything can happen. There may be stories of great bravery, of cunning in the face of superior technology, of personal loyalty. There may be excursions into the world of high fantasy, and into the depths of high-tech menace.

Drawing on the diverse backgrounds of the many characters, the many villages, kingdoms, and states that comprise Etheria, and the need for this group to travel from place to place in order to stay one step ahead of the plans of the Horde, the possibilities for story lines are almost without limit.

The stories will, though, be unified by their emphasis on humor and warmth. There will be some personal stories, stories of romance and comedy, adventures of epic scope, and tales of magic. In many situations, She-Ra will not rely on strength alone to accomplish her missions, demonstrating that might doesn't necessarily make right. So while there will be action aplenty, the emphasis will be on the cleverness and charismatic leadership of She-Ra and her followers.

Because of the emphasis on personal stories growing out of our characters' every day lives, feelings, and histories, our audience will have a far greater opportunity to get to know the characters in this series than on any other.

There will also be crossover shows between SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER and HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, further feeding the popularity of each show, and luring audiences from one show to the other.

Here are just a few examples of the types of stories that will comprise SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER:

A little girl idolizes She-Ra, but when the Princess of Power's healing ability fails to save the little girl's pet from a serious disease, the little girl's love turns to hate. She-Ra must show the girl that while we cannot always live up to the expectations of others, there are times when those expectations themselves are false.

Madame Razz's friend Broom is stolen from her. She does everything in her power to find Broom but cannot, and must enlist the aid of She-Ra and the Rebels. Highlighted in the story is the friendship between Madame and Broom and the cooperation of our various characters as they work to bring Madame and Broom together once more.

The Horde is capturing Etherian animals and using their super science to turn them into dangerous monsters. She-Ra and the Rebels must stop this with the added complication of having to battle innocent creatures made savage by the Horde.

Bow wants to enter a horse race competition that is held each year in the Kingdom of Alver. Bow has won this race the past few years and is reigning champion. However, now that he is a known Rebel, to enter the race would not only put him in jeopardy, but the whole Rebellion as well. On the other hand, if Bow does not ride in the race, he will lose his own self-esteem. She-Ra and friends must figure out a way to allow Bow to ride while at the same time keeping the Horde occupied elsewhere.

The Horde imports a diabolical female named Huntara from their home world whose mission is to hunt down Adora and She-Ra (not knowing that they are one and the same). The catch is that Huntara is an old friend of Adora’s — they trained together as little girls when Adora was still under Horde control. Adora does not want to harm her old friend, but neither can she allow her to endanger the Rebellion. In the end, it is their one-time friendship that turns the tide and causes Huntara to give up service to the Horde.

CONCLUSIONS - AND BEGINNINGS

Because it emphasizes entertainment with responsibility, SHE-RA, PRINCESS OF POWER will be one of the most — perhaps the most — dynamic television series for children currently on the air, rivaled only by the phenomenally successful HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.

It will be a series of magic and fantasy, adventure and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

It will entertain...

educate...

elevate.

It is a story that reaches deep into our souls, where our hopes for the underdog, for those who stand against the wind and are determined to fight for the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves, are kept and nurtured.

It is, in short, an attempt to teach the children to recognize the face of personal courage...

... and to realize that it's the same face that looks back at them from the mirror.

SHERA, PRINCESS OF POWER

BACKGROUND INFO

BASIC CONCEPT: "Shera, Princess of Power" is a light-hearted, action-adventure fantasy designed with strong kid appeal. The key words are light-hearted and fantasy, for while action is a necessity, it's those elements that will make the show fly. Stories should have mounds of humor, sentiment, magic, and just a trace of romance. Steer clear of combat-oriented stories, and when combat does occur, take pains to make our heroine's cleverness and dexterity the winning feature rather than sheer strength. Use magic over sword-slinging, and fill your tales with color and wonder.

Women should play a major role in all stories, not only Shera and her super-powered friends and enemies, but women of all kinds. Don't neglect our male characters. They are important too, just don't surrender to the macho-syndrome of many cartoons in which the females are wispy Princesses always in need of rescue. Strive always for a true equality of characters, thinking of our people as just that, people, regardless of sex differences .

06264/107LD

BACKGROUND: "Shera, Princess of Power" is set on a planet known as ETHERIA. As its name implies, Etheria is a beautiful place, very natural, very charming, very enchanted. It is filled with verdant forests, shining rivers, white-capped mountains, gleaming rain forests, ethereal cities, and small, pleasant villages and towns. It has the feel of King Arthur's England melded with a bit of Middle Earth, a touch of Cloud CuckooLand, and a dash of Oz. Its a low-tech world, people don't carry ray guns or flit about in rocket-powered vehicles. Transportation is by horse, by wagon, by sailing ship. If flying transportation is part of a story it will probably consist of some flying beast rather than a high-tech flying ship.

The exception to all of the above is the villains of our show, the collection of slimy nasties known as THE HORDE.

The Horde are the conquerors of Etheria, but are not native to the planet. They came there some twenty-odd years ago from another world (see Character Sketches for more background). The Horde is a high-tech band. They use flyers for travel from place to place and are able to bring to bear such equipment as Destructo Tanks, Bat-Meks (robot planes), Stunner Cannons, Energy Batons (truncheons that fire beams), and anything else you care to create. It is precisely this terrible technology that allowed the Horde to triumph over the kingdoms of Etheria. The Horde controls the planet and their places of operation are always dark and grim and ugly. In essence, think of it as smoking industrial complexes set down in otherwise organic terrain.

In the five part story that introduced Shera and her friends, we saw the Horde's first set-back, the taking of the kingdom of Bright Moon by a group known simply as the Great Rebellion. The seat of power of Bright Moon is a large, gorgeous, enchanted castle known as the PALACE OF POWER. Here dwells Queen Angella and her daughter Glimmer (see Character Sketches). Shera and her brother, He Man, were instrumental in the taking of Bright Moon, but this was only the beginning of our saga. As the show develops, we will see the Great Rebellion spread to the other kingdoms of Etheria even as the Horde tries to stop it once and for all. This back story of the reclaiming of a world is the skeleton of our show, but the flesh that covers this skeleton will take many varied directions. We do not want a heavy hero vs. villain approach in every story, nor do we wish to dwell on the "Horde oppression" in a grim manner. Indeed, many tales may not even deal with the Horde, though they are certainly around when a villain or two is needed.

SOCIAL SET-UP OF ETHERIA: Etheria is divided into numerous small kingdoms, each independent of the other. Bright Moon is one such kingdom, Mystacor (ruled by Castaspella — see Character Sketches) another. Outside of the kingdoms currently part of the Rebellion (Bright Moon, Mystacor, and the Kingdom of Snows), the various kingdoms are nominally under Horde rule. Some have actual Hordesmen governors (e.g. the Kingdom of Woodsedge is ruled by Terrora, a Horde villainess), most are run by native Etherians controlled by the Horde's might. The Horde keeps the kingdoms in line through one major factor, stark fear. As for the Horde itself, its headquarters is a dismal tower located in a dark, brooding region of Etheria known as FRIGHT ZONE. Here Hordak dwells, keeping an eye on his turf.

The various kingdoms do trade with each other and are in the main friendly to each other. Of course it would be against Horde law for a kingdom to have any dealings with the Great Rebellion, so kingdoms won by the rebels are somewhat isolated. Each kingdom would have either a major city or some seat of power, a castle, a tower, etc. They would also have towns and villages.

Etheria is at heart a pastoral world, its major occupations being farming and herding. There are mines as well, all of them controlled by the Horde who are systematically plundering the wealth of Etheria. Fishing is another major occupation, confined, of course, to the seaside kingdoms. There are many islands off the main continent of Etheria that constitute small kingdoms in themselves, or sometimes several islands in a chain will be considered one kingdom. Other occupations include travelling merchants, bards, foresters, jewelers, and of course magicians.

As regards the people of Etheria, consider them a widely varied group made up of many colors and backgrounds. Moreover, since Etheria is a world of faerie, non-human races are certainly possible, e.g. cat-people, insect-people, bear-people, etc. Attire will depend on prevailing terrain and weather (you wouldn't expect to find desert dwellers wearing parkas), but as a general rule people of Etheria will wear very bright, colorful garments made of organic materials. Etherian weapons will be standard medieval melee weapons, swords, spears, maces, bow and arrow, etc., but most Etherians will not carry weapons. Likewise Etherians will seldom go around in any sort of heavy armor, in fact at best chain-mail and shield (usually reserved for guardsmen in the various royal palaces). A light, non-violent look and feel should always be maintained. As there are always exceptions to any rule, there is an exception to the light, non-violent look, namely the Horde. Hordesmen are always bristling with weaponry, usually of the high-tech variety, and always have a dark, foreboding look, whether cloaked in standard Horde Trooper uniforms or in the heavier armor favored by Horde supervillains.

An important factor to keep in mind in the social set-up of Etheria is that the Horde has ruled the planet for a significantly long period of time. What this means in terms of story is that not every Etherian is on the side of the Great Rebellion. Indeed, it's much more logical to assume that rebels make up a small minority at this point in time. In many cases, Etherians may very well support the Horde, either out of fear of reprisal or simply through acceptance of enforced authority. Therefore, in one episode, an Etherian village may welcome rebel forces with open arms, while in another story villagers may actually betray our protagonists. By maintaining this "shades of grey" concept, instead of a black and white approach, we provide our story tellers with more scope.

GEOGRAPHY OF ETHERIA: Etheria is very Earth-like in terms of its geography. In other words, a mixture of mountains, plains, deserts, forests, jungles, ice fields, etc. Stories can be set in any type of terrain, the only exception being outer atmosphere, i.e. space. Though the Horde definitely has interstellar travel capability, stories set exclusively in space should be avoided. This does not mean the Horde could not pose some threat from space, only that the bulk of the story should take place planetside. In dealing with the natural environment of a story, please maintain a respect for the physical laws of nature. Rivers start in mountains and flow to the sea, they don't just crop up where convenient. Swamps do not have cliffs in them, nor do they adjoin steaming deserts. In the LOCALES section of the bible, we will be naming some of the natural sites on Etheria. However, writers are free to contribute new locales to the Etherian map, as needed.

CHARACTERS: There are a large number of characters involved in the show, good guys and bad guys alike. These characters are detailed in the CHARACTER SKETCHES included in this bible. However, keep in mind that not every character need appear in every show. Indeed, shows that follow just a few characters work better. Certainly every story must include Shera (and by logical assumption her alter-ego Adora), but the rest of the cast can and should revolve frequently. You can also feature people in the cast rather heavily, so long as Shera remains involved. This means it's possible to do a story featuring Glimmer, or Bow, or Madame Razz, or any other character, but our heroine must be instrumental in some way. The same applies to our nasty villains. If Catra makes our heroine's life miserable in one show, in another it may be Mantenna or Leech who carries forth the machinations of evil. Our list of "regulars" is certainly extensive enough for writers to choose the character or characters that best fit a story. Writers may create their own characters for the show (at times this will be a necessity, in fact), but we suggest steering clear of coming up with a new supervillain for the Horde or a new superhero for the Rebellion. Let's face it, gang, we’ve got plenty, and until we adequately cover them over the course of a show, there's no reason to haul in another.

LOCALES: Here are some areas of Etheria, useful in planning stories.

THE PALACE OF POWER — This magnificent edifice is the home of Queen Angella and her daughter Glimmer. It is a fantastic bit of real estate, composed of gleaming stone walls with an overriding avian motif. It is a place of powerful magic, good magic. The Palace constitutes the seat of power in the kingdom of Bright Moon. (You might think of the Palace as the capital of Bright Moon.) Its magical force, which only Queen Angella can control to its fullest extent, makes the Palace virtually immune to anything but an all-out Horde attack. The Horde avoids such an attack because of the feeling toward Queen Angella in the other kingdoms of Etheria. Their reasoning is that to attack Angella could urge kingdoms not yet part of the Rebellion to join it, because Angella is popular with other rulers. Therefore, the Horde counts instead on subtle subversion of Angella's realm. Many magical devices and vehicles are housed in the Palace of Power, ready for use by the rebels.

WHISPERING WOODS — The Whispering Woods is a large, enchanted forest in the kingdom of Bright Moon. It is also home to the Great Rebellion. Adora, Madame Razz , Bow, Kowl, the Twiggets, and all the other rebels reside in Whispering Woods. The enchanted nature of the forest makes it impossible for the Horde to locate the rebel camp, for the woods actually twist and turn about anyone entering them who is not a part of the cause of good. The Woods also resist destruction attempts by the Horde (fire bombs, rays, etc.) and the dark, dreadful spells of Horde magic workers like Shadow Weaver. The Whispering Woods is, in fact, the focal point of the lines of magic power which run all over Etheria. Given this fact, it is logical that visitors from other dimensions (such as He Man) will appear either in or very close to the Whispering Woods.

THE VILLAGE OF THAYMOR  — This small, pleasant village is typical of Etherian hamlets. Village social life revolves around the Council Hall and the Laughing Swan Inn. The people of Thaymor are mainly in farm related occupations (farmers, tanners, wheelwrights, etc.). Thaymor is also located in the kingdom of Bright Moon.

THE FRIGHT ZONE — a dual term, it refers to both the sinister tower keep where Hordak resides, and the surrounding land area. One thing characterizes the Fright Zone — it's scary! The tower itself is a massive edifice of dark stone with eerie asymmetrical looks. Inside, there are pictures whose eyes follow people down the hall, spiders and snakes scuttling and slithering around the corridors, chains rattling, mysterious screams, ghostly apparitions, fluttering bats — in short, the tower is like a massive haunted mansion. The tower is surrounded by a huge moat in which dwell the most horrid underwater creatures imaginable. The terrain of Fright Zone is swampy, boggy, fully as horrid as the tower itself. Monsters roam freely, there are dire plants and natural perils, it is ugly in the extreme. Most people would think twice before braving the Zone. While Fright Zone in essence is a kingdom unto itself, it is also bordered and buffered by three evil Kingdoms: DARKEDGE, CRIMSON WASTE, and SKULLPATH. These kingdoms are all ruled by evil Etherians who collaborate wholeheartedly with the Horde.

BEAST ISLAND — Beast Island is a semi-tropical isle far out in the Growling Sea. Many monstrous things walk the island and it is perilous. Beast Island houses one of many Horde prisons, prisons in which valuable captives are incarcerated and interrogated. You can consider the island the Horde's equivalent of a state pen.

THE KINGDOM OF SNOWS — This is another Etherian kingdom, located high in the Dreaming Mountains. The Kingdom of Snows is ruled by Frosta, the Ice Empress (see Character Sketches). As its name implies, it is a kingdom of snow and ice, its people living in large, almost igloo-like structures, the most magnificent of which is Frosta’s own Castle Chill.

THE KINGDOM OF MYSTACOR — Mystacor is a magical kingdom presided over by Castaspella the Wizard Queen (see Character Sketches). The laws of reality have little to do with Mystacor, where everything works in a magical fashion. It is the home of many magical types, not all of them on the up and up.

THE VALLEY OF THE LOST — A dread valley in which prehistoric monsters roam and the terrain is either deadly stark or menacingly primordial. It is located far to the east near the lip of the SIZZLING DESERT. It is not a place you would expect anyone to hang around in (good guys or Hordesmen), but is useful as a locale for stories involving ancient ruins and objects of interest from Etheria's dim past.

SINGING RIVER — Singing River is the chief waterway of Etheria. It snakes the length of the entire main continent before emptying into the Southern Sea. Barges or galleys ply its course frequently, and the various towns dotting its banks are usually lively places where people from many different kingdoms meet.

THE GROWLING SEA — Already mentioned as the spot where Beast Island is located. The Growling Sea to the west of Etheria's main continent is the largest Etherian sea and can be quite rough at times (hence its name). Other seas are the Southern Sea, the mysterious Sea of Sighs (an inland sea), and the Cracking Sea.

STORYLINES

The heart of any show is its stories, and on "Shera, Princess of Power" this is all the more true. As already stated, though the background of the show is the struggle between the Horde and the Great Rebellion, stories need not fall into a constant pattern of "the Rebels do this, the Horde does that." Also to be avoided are shows based on mere MacGuffins or gimmicks, e.g. if Shera can find the Mystic Kazoo of Wazoo, the Rebellion will be able to defeat the Horde decisively. Such stories are possible, but they must have much, much more than that to go. So what do we want? First and foremost, characterization. Study the characters you have to work with, find their appealing or troubling qualities, and build stories around that.

Examples would be:

Shera is idolized by a young girl who then changes her mind about our heroine when Shera's healing power fails to save the young girl's pet from some disease or accident. Shera must then show the little girl that while we do not always live up to the expectations of others, those expectations themselves can sometimes be false.

Madame Razz loses Broom and must get him back. This story works on several levels, i.e it will show the depth of the relationship between Madame and Broom, allow Shera to use her abilities to find Broom, and present a good bit of comedy interaction.

Bow wants to race his stallion Streak in an upcoming horse race in the Kingdom of AIver. However, as an outlaw, Bow would be putting his neck on the line by making such a public appearance. If Bow goes he could also be putting the whole Rebellion in jeopardy. If he doesn't, he loses some of his own self-esteem. He must also disobey direct orders from the Rebellion leaders to do this thing, a further enhancement of the character value in the story.

When you're thinking of tales for the show, think fantasy, not sword and sorcery or science-fiction. Those elements do exist in the show, but we are not going to emphasize them overmuch. A good fairy tale is a better source of inspiration for this show than an episode of Star Wars. Keep those stories simple, accent action but not violence, and make the characters live and breathe, for us and for yourself .

From time to time, we will be doing crossover stories between "Shera, Princess of Power" and "He Man and the Masters of the Universe." In such stories Shera and one or two of her friends may pop into Eternia, or He Man and some of his cronies may wind up on Etheria. Since the two planets are in different dimensions, this is always accomplished through a magic spell (a dimensional gate, for example) rather than by space travel. However, unless the writer is very conversant with both shows, we don't suggest coming up with crossovers, for obvious reasons.

SHERA, PRINCESS OF POWER

CHARACTER SKETCHES

SHERA AND FRIENDS

SHERA — He Man's twin sister. Shera is a beautiful woman with long, wild, golden hair. She is sleeker than He Man (i.e. not as muscular looking), but every bit as powerful. Any stunt He Man could accomplish Shera could do as well. In addition, she has other powers, to wit:

LIMITED HEALING BY TOUCH — Shera can transmit a golden aura that heals. Always works on animals, may work on people.

EMPATHY — she can sense the feelings of people and animals by concentrating. (Note: she cannot "read minds," only pick up sensations of feeling, e.g. this animal is hungry or frightened, that person is sad or angry.)

Shera also has an alter ego...

ADORA — Unlike Prince Adam, Adora is not considered irresponsible or reckless. She is tied strongly to nature, to the trees, the earth, the sky, as indeed Shera is. There is also a strong sympathy and tie with animals.

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BOW — Bow is a handsome, dark haired, roguish sort of chap, a little irresponsible (he and Adam would get along fine). He is a crack shot with bow and arrow, but has no super or magical powers. He rides a stallion named STREAK. He is more than a little fond of Shera/Adora. He also has a companion/pet named...

KOWL — Kowl is a butterfly-winged owl who speaks in pompous tones. He is above action and derring do, but he has the ability to sense danger, figure out complex puzzles and in general use his wise old owl wisdom to the Rebellion's benefit (though he makes a quick exit- during a melee). He is almost like a conscience to Bow, always berating him for one irresponsible action or another. Kowl should be a strong comic figure.

SPIRIT/SWIFT WIND — Spirit is Shera's dappled mare, a steed she has ridden since childhood. But when Adora becomes Shera, she transforms Spirit, just as He Man transforms Cringer into Battlecat. When the transformation is complete, Spirit becomes a winged unicorn with gleaming silver horn and hooves, attired in fashionable battle armor. The name of this unicorn is SWIFT WIND, of course. As an added attraction, Swift Wind is able to communicate with Shera telepathically (in a silvery, fluid female voice). Neither Spirit nor Swift Wind actually speaks.

MADAME RAZZ — Madame Razz is the Witch of the Woods . She has forgotten her age, but reckons it at near one thousand or so. She is about three feet tall, with a double pointed, goofy-looking witch's hat on her head and a pair of square granny glasses, thick as coke bottles, over her eyes. She rides a dilapidated broom that talks, but unfortunately is as nearsighted as she is. The trees shudder when Madame takes off on a flight because she is bound to bounce off a few before she reaches her destination. Madame Razz has probably forgotten more spells than she knows, but she can usually come up with some sort of magic to bail Shera out of a situation. At the same time, her magic can be very unpredictable, a situation helped by the fact that she often throws the wrong word into a spell (e.g. she really did intend to put those villains to sleep, but said sheep instead. So she turned them all to sheep. Worked out, if not quite the way she planned). Madame Razz is a cherry old crone, always looking on the br ight side. And when villain threatens Shera and the Rebels, she can be counted on to supply her own wacky brand of Razzle dazzle.

BROOM — Broom is Madame Razz's friend and transportation Broom is a broom (logical, isn't it?), but he's like no broom you've ever used to sweep your floors with. First of all, he speaks. And he flies. And he walks. Broom’s personality is that of a competent old duffer, someone who’s seen and heard a lot over his many years with the wacky Madame. He has a little face located near the top of his handle, and wears tiny spectacles and sports a beard . He walks on his bristles (like the walking brooms in Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia), but prefers levitating along, using his flying power. Madame Razz always "pilots" broom when they fly, and this generally makes for a comic catastrophe since both Madame and Broom are somewhat nearsighted. Broom is not forgetful like Madame, so he often prompts her on spells or information she's not quite sure of. He also spots her mistakes (unfortunately only after they happen) but at least Broom knows why they happened! Madame and Broom are the best of friends, and their relationship is fertile ground for stories .

THE TWIGGETS — Short, plump, comical little folk who inhabit the woods of Etheria. They are good friends of Madame Razz and thoroughly frightened of the Horde and its villains. They are very good at blending into forest terrain to spy on a villain or pull some trick. And Twiggets are brimming over with tricks. There are Twiggets all over Etheria, and any number can appear as needed. Twiggets LOVE company, so they seldom travel alone. They can be shy with strangers, though generally not for long. As friends of Shera and the Rebels, they add a touch of comedy to the story. Twiggets we have met so far are Sprig, Sprockett (male Twiggets), and Sprinkle (female Twigget).

GLIMMER — This brash, impulsive, terminally cheery young lady is one of the deposed Princesses of Etheria, a fact she never lets anyone forget. Glirmer has light-based powers, enabling her to teleport as a beam of light (range about ten miles), throw stunning light blasts, cause flashes of light to disorient her enemies, and create things out of solidified light (ladders, battering rams, etc.). Glimmer's power comes from a magnificent jewel in her palm, an energy source that is not without limits. She must expose it to bright light for three hours every day to keep it charged and can easily run out of enough power if she does too many things in too short a space of time. GIimmer has multi-colored eyes and hair and breath-taking attire. Her recklessness often causes problems and her age and inexperience make her the perfect dupe for scheming villains. She is a fun character, someone who can laugh through the most dire of circumstances and pass on her good cheer to her comrades.

These characters constitute the "regular cast" of Shera, Princess of Power.

As on He Man, Shera has a band of heroines to help her out as needed, popping into and out of shows exactly as Ram Man, Stratos, Mekaneck, etc., do on He Man. Here are a few of them:

ANGELLA — Queen of the Kingdom of Bright Moon. Angella is Glimmer's mother  She is a sorceress-warrior. Her beautiful, glittering costume contains expanding wings which enable her to fly. A little older than the other rebels, she is a character to whom people often turn for guidance and leadership.

FROSTA — The Ice Empress, dressed in gorgeous ice blue attire. She is the ruler of the Kingdom of Snows and can "quick freeze" enemies with the mere pointing of her crystalline arm. Frosta is otherwise a normal human female, with one flesh-and-blood arm and one crystalline arm.

CASTASPELLA — As her name implies, Castaspella is a worker of magic. Her power comes from a strange, star shaped disk on her back which spins gaily when she weaves one of her magicks. Castaspella can paralyze someone in his or her tracks, create a "window" out of thin air through which faraway places may be viewed, set up a mystic shield which deflects magic bolts and the like, enwrap foes in bands of force, and fly through the air like a comet. Castaspella is known as the Wizard Queen and rules the whimsical kingdom of Mystacor, a place brimming over with enchantment and magic. She tends to be a bit flighty at times and would rather seek adventure than deal with affairs of state. She is known as Cass or Casta to her friends, Frosta and Queen Angella being her nearest and dearest of these. She is the perfect character to be involved in stories dealing with magic items or effects or places.

WILLAWAND — This handsome beanpole of a man is a travelling entertainer whose most prized possession is his freedom. It is because of this that Willawand joined the rebellion (not typical, since he isn't a joiner). Willawand is a teller of tales, a songster, and a stage magician (note that he doesn't do real magic, only sleight-of-hand tricks). He tends to ham it up in the most mundane of situations and is positively florid during crises situations. He is a very creative fighter and reckless enough to be a good friend of Bow's, though Kowl and he have an on-the-edge relationship, constantly trying to one-up each other. Typical of Willawand's tricks is the use of flashpowder to “disappear”from enemy hands or the firing of small knock-out darts from his bard's harp. His dress is outrageously flamboyant, multi-colored tunics and breeks, a floppy hat with a huge plume, etc. He is very acrobatic and not likely to carry weapons, though he is probably better with a sword than most of the rebels.

DOUBLE TROUBLE — Double Trouble is Glimmer's cousin. She comes from the Kingdom of Green Glade and functions as the chief spy of the rebellion. Double's forte is disguise, and she can look like almost anyone with a little time. She is very dextrous and can squeeze herself into almost impossibly tiny spaces or climb the sheerest of walls to carry out her missions. She is not much of a fighter, though her agility makes her a good dodger. No disguise is beyond her. She can look like an aged king one moment, or a Horde villainess the next. She can also change her voice to suit her disguise. Double can fast talk her way out of the tightest spots and is very effective against the Horde, whom she adamantly hates. This stems from the fact that she plays Horde supporter in her normal guise, the better to spy on them when the time comes. She is often mistrusted by Etherians not in the know for this very reason.

SHERA PRINCESS OF POWER

CHARACTER SKETCHES

THE EVIL HORDE

THE EVIL HORDE is a generic term for a collection of bad guys who have totally overwhelmed the planet of Etheria. The Horde are, in effect, the rulers of Etheria and an iron-handed rule it is. The Evil Horde are not natives of Etheria. They come from a strange world known only as HordeWorld. This world is the hub of a vast conquered empire, of which Etheria is only one component. The mysterious ruler of HordeWorld (his identity will remain a secret throughout the show) keeps tabs on all the planets under Horde control and woe betide the appointed ruler of a planet if Horde interests are not served there. In the five part show, we will concentrate on the "regular" cast of Horde villains without too much attention to the Horde’s background. While the regular Horde council membrs will not be vanquished, keep in mind that the Horde can call upon an infinite number of minions. You may beat five of their worst one day, but you can bet the Horde council will send five more on the following day. And now let's take a quick look at the folks you’ll love to hate:

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HORDAK — Encased in heavy black battle armor, HORDAK is the man who rules Etheria in the name of the Evil Horde. As might be expected, he is rotten to the core, thoroughly ruthless, and thoroughly dedicated to keeping Etheria and its residents under his black-gloved thumb. Hordak's philosophy is might makes right, and he takes every opportunity he can to carry this philosophy out. He is a master schemer, cool and calculating, except when his schemes go awry, in which case his temper generally gets the better of him. Hordak is in reality part organic person and part machine. This is emphasized in his modular ability, i.e. he has the power to actually change pieces of his body to any desired configuration. Thus he might turn himself into a mini tank by switching to his tank tread legs and cannon arms, into a flying dreadnaught by attaching a jet pack and glider wings, or he might simply attach various weaponry to himself to succeed in a personal battle. These changes are lightning quick, controlled by Hordak's "on board computer," an integral part of his armor. Hordak totally hates Shera and her friends and constantly seeks to end the threat of the most powerful woman in the universe. Hordak fears nothing, with the single exception of HORDE PRIME, the mysterious figure who rules HordeWorld. Since Hordak is in essence the governor of Etheria, Horde Prime is constantly checking on the job he is doing, via the special monitor in Hordak’s quarters. Thus should Shera destroy a Horde outpost, or prevent a shipment of valuable research material from Etheria to HordeWorld, it is very likely Hordak will be getting a chewing out from his exalted leader.

SHADOW WEAVER — Every Evil Horde needs an evil magician and Shadow Weaver is that. Shadow Weaver is a mysterious cowled figure, a female, whose main feature is a pair of evil red eyes that seem to float in the darkness of her cowl. Shadow Weaver can work rituals that gain the Horde information, and use her magic aggressively, throwing Shadow Blasts, Coils of Shadow (bands of darkness for subduing foes), changing her form into living shadow (like a mist that can move under doors, through cracks, etc.), or becoming the image of some other person. The sight of Shadow Weaver fills most people with a chilling dread. She is very valuable to the Horde since she can sense the workings of magic and to some extent predict the future.

CATRA — A whole lot of evil in a deceptively petite and pretty package. Catra looks like a normal female most of the time, but when she dons her mask of power she becomes a fierce catwoman, complete with sharp claws. In this guise she has all the stealth, agility, and cunning of a feline, which she uses to good effect on behalf of the Evil Horde. She can also control any feline species to do her bidding, even the mighty Battlecat! Definitely not a lady to fool around with. Catra replaced Adora as Horde Force Captain (see Shera character sketches). She will be a major adversary.

MANTENNA — Truly a bizzare figure, this heavily-armored villain's eyes are mounted on retractable stalks that emerge right from the eye sockets in his head. He can use his eyes to peer over things or around corners, and can fire a variety of beams from them (paralysis beams, stun-beams, balance-distortion beams, etc.). Naturally, he can fire in more than one direction at once. He is a basic enforcer type.

GRIZZLOR — This humanoid boar has two tusks and a large shaggy body. He has the strength and ferocity of a wild boar, but is not the greatest in the smarts department. Grizzlor is the Horde's Prison Keeper, presiding over the terrible dungeons on Beast Island.

LEECH — A hideous creature with suction discs instead of hands and feet. Leech can climb even the slickest of surfaces with ease and can use his suction discs to drain energy from his foes with a single touch.

SCORPIA — Scorpia might almost be good looking if it weren't for her armored tail, her pincer claws and a disposition fully in keeping with the insect from which she takes her name. Scorpia's sting can paralyze a foe in seconds and she has the strength to rip out walls. She is not terribly bright, but she makes up for it in sheer meanness.

IMP — Imp is only about six inches tall, but it's all mischief and deviltry. This character has floppy ears, a devil tail, and snaggly, sharp teeth. His basic talent is infiltration, for he can turn himself into most any object with a thought (however he cannot turn into any object much larger than himself). Thus Imp might disguise himself as a goblet and set himself down on a conference table to overhear a plan or become a sparrow to make an escape. Combat wise, he has no power, though he can provide impish diversion, a smoke screen, a hot foot, a trip wire, etc. He too is played more for comedy.

THE PALACE OF POWER/DARKHOPE — ADDENDUM TO BIBLE INFORMATION

The Palace of Power is the most magical spot on all Etheria. In the Palace are gathered all the forgotten secrets of the First Ones (the founders of Etheria, equivalent to Eternia's Ancients). The Palace is located at the very top of the gigantic mountain called SkyDancer. This mountain is at the edge of the Kingdom of Bright Moon. The mountain top is constantly wreathed in clouds that obscure it and even when these clouds are pierced, the Palace is not immediately evident. It takes powerful enchantment or the power of Shera's sword to reveal the magnificent avian facade of the Palace and permit entry.

In the episode in which Shera finds the Palace (PP#67022, "The Palace of Power") she also meets DarkHope, the living spirit of the Palace. DarkHope is a very mysterious being. He appears as a pair of baleful red eyes, floating in a corridor of infinite darkness at the bottom of the palace. This coriddor is behind a very magical-looking door which opens to reveal him. DarkHope sees all that transpires on the planet of Etheria, EXCEPT for what occurs in the Fright Zone and the Shadow Kingdoms around it. The evil of these places prevents even DarkHope from seeing what occurs there. DarkHope also tells Shera that the Palace has long awaited her coming. She is the heroine for which the Palace was constructed, the person on whom the fate of the planet rests. For this reason, Shera is told to treat the Palace as her personal Haven. She comes there to meditate, to ask advice of DarkHope, to explore the myriad secrets contained in the Palace or to undertake some quest or another at the behest of DarkHope .

Like Castle Gray skull the actual extent of the Palace is unfathomable. Its corridors and staircases cover miles of unedning space, its chambers are more numerous than anyone could count.

While Shera will make use of the Palace often, it is not an automatic answer to the problems facing her. Shera will only seek the help of DarkHope and the Palace in the most dire of circumstances, never abusing the great power inherent in its walls.

As for DarkHope he looks forward to the day when the last Hordesman leaves Etheria and the world is once again free. At that moment the Palace will manifest itself to all Etherians and DarkHope's true identity will at last be revealed. Until that day only Shera, Princess of Power will share the secret of the Palace.

SHADOWWEAVER — ADDENDUM TO BIBLE INFORMATION

The Horde's dark Sorceress has her own private sanctuary to which she retires to study her evil spells or merely rest up after a hard day's nasty work. This sanctuary is known as HORROR HALL. Horror Hall is located in the Shadow Kingdom of DARKEDGE, one of the three evil kingdoms surrounding Fright Zone. Horror Hall is set in an active volcano, a mighty belching monster of a mountain. All manner of monster flies, crawls and creeps around this volcano. Entrance to the Hall is through the volcano's crater and this entrance is hidden by the constant flames shooting up from the lava pit and the thick black smoke caused by these flames. There is ALWAYS some sort of guardian monster on the entrance to the Hall and the portal is nothing more than a patch of darkness.

Inside, Horror Hall lives up to its name in grand fashion. Furnishings are eerie, gloomy, bizarre. Dark corridors go in all directions and weird noises abound. The center of the hall is the workshop of ShadowWeaver, a place filled with the trappings of evil magic. There are also dungeon cells, for those unfortunate enough to be the victims of ShadowWeaver's terrible experiments.

Attempting to breach Horror Hall would put even the Princess of Power in dire jeopardy, for it is here that ShadowWeaver is at her most powerful.

SCORPIA — ADDENDUM TO BIBLE INFORMATION

Though its not common knowledge, our pincer-clawed villainess also has her very own hideaway for those moments when evil-doing has taken its toll. It is called SCORPION HILL and is located in the blood-red sands of the Shadow Kingdom known as Crimson Waste. Scorpion Hill is a gigantic sand dune at the base of which is a large rock. Scorpia uses her mighty tail to push this rock aside and gain entrance to the underground passages which lead t o her lair beneath the giant dune. The corridors of the hill are patrolled by Scorpia's "pets", monster scorpions the size of St. Bernards. In her lair Scorpia plans and schemes to make trouble for the Rebellion and prove to Hordak that she and not Catra should be Force Captain of the Horde. Invariably such schemes involve not only the forces of the Rebellion but also the downfall or discrediting of Catra as well. Of course Catra is well aware of the scorpion woman's intentions and is usually prepared for her plots.

Possibility: Scorpia might be given a vehicle with which to cross the treacherous sands of the Crimson Waste. This vehicle would be known as the Scorpion Crawler. It would be a heavily-armored, tank-like vehicle with a scorpion motif and treads. Its tail-like appendage is a heavy-duty blaster and its pincer front can chomp through obstacles or capture foes.

[whydoibe]

Ok context and slight transcription

NAME - Salkai Wrbours Walker

Age 12

Species- serptine hybrid hlaf venmari quater hypnobri and quater fangpyre

Favourite colour -blue

Back story

Abounded at a young age lived a miserable life which got worse with the merg up until he meets a mysterious man with powers like his and starts seeing him as the dad he always deserved the man named jay wouldn't take much notice just telling him he's not his dad until he's kidnapped by a couple crooks causing jay to go revenge quest mode he doesn't take a single life when he saves his son Jay cries so much telling him its ok that he's ok and dads here Salkai would then change his last name to walker to jays amusement and approval

Powers

Elemental power thunder if wyldfyre has heat why not have thunder this is just lighting but a bit more violet.

Short story

Kai once stupidly burned salkias hand by heating up a sword handle and giving it to him kai went missing for a week the ninja found him in that attic chained up with the key In reach but anytime kai reached for it he got zapped kai then will never ever prank salkai ever again or jay will kill him next time.

Nya doesn't realy like salkai much she views him as a constant reminder of a time she'd rather forget salkai likes nya and views her as a mother figure because that what his brain wants a mother nya has grown closer even being caught cottling him when he had anthour nightmare and jay was out of the monstary visting Ed and Edna and explains and catching up nya helped with locking kai in the attic kai doesn't know that and jay won't snitch.

Relationships

Jay -dad like proud ass single father

Nya -step mom kinda it's complicated

Kai- 4th favourite uncle he doesn't hate him has.even apologised for running to jay kai forgave him tries to be favroute uncle kai beliv3s he is he is not

Cole - favourite uncle just that he's a cool dude who don't yell at him when he first called him uncle Cole surprised geo is uncle geo

Geo - favourite uncle equal with Cole they bounded over abandoned and being hybrids

Lloyd- 2nd favourite uncle Lloyd try's to be the favourite sorry Lloyd that always be Cole and geo

ZANE -third favourite uncle Zane nice to him and has fully embraced the name uncle Zane

Spitz- cousins like thier biological cousins they don't know it and never will thier biological families are kinda bad

Fritz-cousin like to hang out

Fraq- act like brothers some times they call them selves the serpints jay has reaptly interrupted thier "secret meeting" to get salkai to go to bed fraq is Coles responsibility.

Sora- sees her as a big sister she thinks he's kinda neat

Arin - he's his brother to both of them jay was thier during dark patches they think he saved them truth is they saved each other salkai will and has fought people to keep arin safe.

Wyldfrye- thinks its cool he can walk through fire pretty easily hand skales are softer that's how kai burned him hes her cousin salkai likes talking to her once they snuck away to see fireworks kai and jay were furious was an undersatment jay telpoterd kai and him to them they spent the next week doing the dishes and constantly traing

Ed and Edna- he's thier grandson he is spioled by them Ed and Edna proud of their son for taking him In like they took him in this was his start to redemption Ed take him to tiker with him Edna takes him in to cook and saw he's made himself a ninja gi

Sensi wu- wu will die for this kid jay is shocked and hwo close they are wu questions if jay cheated on nya with a snake because.how close they act jay says he doesn't think so (he hasnt)

Garmdon- indfrent but when he watchs him train garmdon tells jay he's a good dad and doing good

Pixal- favourite aunt pixel will take this kid on missions in her samuri amour jay doesn't think it's safe diapirte pixel reasiring him

Ras - hates him because he still had plans for walker but this kid helped walker talk arin out of his command and gave him the clearly to deafend him ras wants him dead

Skales- views what the family did to him and vows to bring them to justice

Fangtom/dam - they are impressed by jays willingness to take him in

Skaldor-hates the kids biological parents for aboundement a dishourble diagiustimg act

Acdious- jay and him are close friends to some degree is an uncle to the kid has told jay his son may be general material in the future

Pythor - kinda likes jay for taking in the snake kid and begrudgingly respects him now.

Salkai - loves his uncles and cousins loves his big brother loves his step mom loves jay his dad his guardian knows spinjitzu jay taught him learned it quickly use his power to mess with fraq .

[waterfire1848]

He-Man/She-Ra Swap AU Headcanons? (Motu Brain Rot again and I want to mess around with this au)

What if Adam was taken by Hordak instead and grew up in the Horde and Adora was raised in Eternia?

Thanks for the ask!

This is such a fun AU! MOTU brain rot is always a good time. I'm going off of 2018!She Ra and 2002!He Man

Adam:

Adam would have also been raised as a fighter. Since that's how he's been raised, he's good at it. He and Catra are friends, but Catra, being a lesbian, has no romantic feelings. She just sees him as a good friend.

Adam finds a sword, but it's not the sword of power. I don't know if this would mean he gets She Ra's appearance or if it would still be He Man, but I'm gonna say he's still He Man (change it if you wish). He would still join the rebellion and everything, but he wouldn't get Swift Wind. Instead, he'd get something closer to a cat.

Hordak cares a little more about Adam since he knows Skeletor and knows that he was supposed to get a daughter of Grayskull. Seeing He Man, Hordak thinks that Skeletor gave him the boy on purpose so that he'd have to deal with him.

Bow has a major crush on Adam.

Bow, Glimmer and Adam are still friends and work to bring the rebellion back together, but Catra is a little less friendly. She doesn't have that romantic connection like she did with Adora, so Adam leaving did hurt her, but not as much as it did with Adora. For example, in No Princess Left Behind, Catra doesn't give Adam his sword.

Things would continue on pretty much the same. Even if she doesn't have She Ra, Light Hope still wants to activate the Heart of Etheria so she makes due with who she has. She also tells him about Eternia and his family.

When Prime arrives, he toys with Adam by talking about his sister who's dealing with Snake Men and the Evil Warriors. He's basically trying to make Adam feel like he abandoned her and tells him that he's going to Eternia after he conquers Etheria.

Of course, that never happens. Catra does still change sides because Adam saves her and she realizes she doesn't want to lose another friend. Adam also happens to mention that he has an 8 foot tall warrior sister and Catra is eager to meet her. Prime is defeated in a more conventional way by Adam beating him in a final boss battle. The show ends just as Adam, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Entrapta and Hordak leave to find Eternia.

Adora:

Adora would have grown up as the perfect princess with Randor and Marlena. Since Adam was taken, the two refuse to let her leave the main city. She has Teela, who she has a bit of a crush on, and the Masters but she doesn't have anyone else and grows lonely. One day, she's out on the palace fields and a horse escapes from the stable. She finds him in the corner of the palace walls and is able to calm him down. From that day on, she visits him every day and the two become very close.

Adora gets her sword on her 16th birthday when the Evil Warriors attack. The Sorceress admits that it was meant for someone else, but Adora doesn't really care. She gets to be a strong 8 foot tall demi goddess with incredible hair. Swift Wind isn't far behind. She manages to defeat Skeletor and does have to deal with Teela thinking she's just a princess who hides when there's a battle though.

Adora hates keeping her identity a secret. She constantly asks the Sorceress why she can't tell people and snaps at Duncan whenever he tries to talk to her about it. She wouldn't have grown up with that 'you're a soldier and have to do whatever you're told' mentality so she asks a lot more questions.

Instead of the Sorceress telling her about her brother, she finds out herself and confronts both her and her parents. That night, she takes Swift Wind and flies as high as she can to the stars. Obviously, they don't make it far but she then goes to Skeletor (as She Ra) and demands to know what happened to the prince. Skeletor almost traps her but she gets away knowing that her brother is locked away in a shadow dimension.

When the Snake Men arrive, Adora is ready to beat them and is a little more reluctant to believe Zodak can do much. He does prove her wrong, but she still thinks the Masters and herself could have fixed things.

After the episode where King Hiss turns people into snake men, Adora admits her feelings to Teela, who turns her down. She Ra might act a little differently towards Teela in the next few fights, but only Duncan notices.

After Serpos is defeated, Adora finally reveals to the Masters and her parents who she is. Even though the Sorceress advises against it. Marlena already knew but everyone else is shocked they didn't realize it sooner. Adora also admits that she wants to go find her brother.

The show ends with everyone preparing a space ship for Adora, Teela, Duncan, Swift Wind and Orko to head off and try to find Etheria.

[definitelynotthedarklord]

Kind of want to start writing a DC/Marvel mash up fanfic and put it online but I'm not sure about some of the fusions I've thought up, so I'm putting them on here so I can get some feedback.

Warren Pryce, a.k.a. The Night Spider. Pretty typical Spiderman/Batman fusion. Son of a pair of brilliant scientists who founded a tech company but were murdered by a business rival who wanted them to make super soldiers, and made their deaths look like a lab accident while Warren watched from a cabinet be was hiding in. The only person Warren ever told was his Uncle, who revealed that the day before their deaths, Warren's parents sent him a USB that said "Warren is the key," which led Warren and his uncle to discovering a secret labin the Pryce manor where they find out Warren's parents had, under duress, been working on a ways to make super soldiers, one way being a way to give human spider abilities, but they stopped because they knew that if they had the power to change the world, they had the responsibility to do so for good. Warren spent the next 20 years training his body and mind to do just that, to use the super soldier spider serum to save people, and one day bring justice to the man who killed his parents, if he ever found him.

Also adding fusions of other characters, and yes, realize some of these are fairly redundant, but what can I say, there are parallels

Miles Morales and Dick Grayson

Gwen Stacy and Barbara Gordon

The Penguin and the Kingpin (Mr. Emperor)

Green Goblin and the Joker (The Gremlin Man)

Poison Ivy and Scorpion

Jason Todd and Agent Venom

Ra's Al Ghul and the Symbiotes

Clayface and Sandman

Lizard and killer croc

Scarecrow and Mysterio

Hobgoblin and the Creeper

Dr. Octopus and Mr. Freeze

Vulture and Firefly

Rhino and Bane

Lucius Fox and Aunt May

Batwoman and Spiderwoman

Tim Drake and Iron Spider

Peni Parker and Luke Fox

Spoiler and Silk

MJ Watson and Vicki Vale

Daredevil and Azrael

Damien Wayne and Scarlet Spider

Kraven the Hunter and Huntress

I'm not sure if I want to fuse Electro and Two Face, like half his face is scarred from electricity, or Electro and Harley Quinn, like she was electrocuted into insanity by The Gremlin Man, or fuse Harley with Black Cat, or I saw someone fuse Black Cat and Riddler and I thought that'd be pretty cool, call her Sphinx.

As for other heroes

Captain America + Wonder Woman = Achilles. Cursed for his hubris and attack on Troy, the Judges of the Underworld ordered Achilles to guard the ghost city of Troy, and to never again pick up a sword, only the Aegis. Then when Nazis showed up during ww2 looking for magic, Achilles was granted leave, arguing that the best way to protect Troy was to venture out into the modern world. The Winter Soldier and Falcon are now The Eidolon (who is secretly Achilles boyfriend Patroclus) and a man wielding the wings of Icarus.

Superman + Captain Marvel = ?

Namor + Aquaman = The Pacific Man. Rather than Atlantis, The Pacific Man rules over the city on the back of a giant sea turtle from various mythologies in the Pacific ocean, and instead of a trident, he wields the naginata from Japanese mythology that created Japan.

Black Panther + Hawkman and Woman = The Black Hawks. A pair of winged aliens crash land in the Amazon and using their alien tech and a metal called Vibranianth Steel, they form the city of gold, El Dorado, ruling over it as warrior king and queen, and when they die, they pass on their mantles and memories to worthy successors.

X Men + Green Lanterns = ? Green meteor crashes onto Earth imbueing certain people with powers, Prof X would be like the Guardians. This would also make Magneto Sinestro, and other mutants other lanterns, and the Sentinels like the Manhunters.

Fantastic 4 + Doom Patrol = ?

Dr. Strange + John Constantine = ?

Blue Beetle + Moon Knight = ? Found a piece of alien technology left by the aliens the Egyptians considered gods, this one specifically was built by Khepri, the God with the head of a beetle.

Flash + Hulk = ? Gamma radiation gave him super speed

[divinekangaroo]

Pretty sure I had my sexual awakening at 6 years old watching Secret of the Sword, very specifically the scene where He-Man is deprived of all of his power, trapped in a glass box suffering, while Skeletor stands revelling in He-Man's pain and helplessness, laughing and mocking maniacally; She-Ra eventually comes along and rescues He-Man when he can't even really stand, and he helplessly leans on her as she lifts him from the power-draining glass box/cage*

And yesterday, I went, oh my fucking god, it's the Tommy and Mosley and Lizzie dynamic.