#his face is a little funky - he looks like he’s eating his sword but i’m still proud of myself | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bitsandbobsofwriting · 4 years ago

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Merlin goes missing, and they find him in chains, looking blank:

Stories of the great power of Emrys have been spreading. But Merlin is still young, and though powerful, control alludes him, from time to time. What happens when those who crave power for themselves take that control from him? By force?

Part 2(final part)

TW: Graphic ish descriptions of violence/blood.

(This was requested a while ago, mind control being broken by the power of friendship)

Merlin was meant to be on a three day trip to gather some rare herbs for Gaius.

The former manservant thought that it was quite ironic, how “herb picking” had been one of his most often used excuses (after “the tavern”) for where he disappeared to when he was still hiding his magic, but now he was Court Sorcerer, Gaius actually made him do it.

This just meant that no one immediately panicked when he wasn’t back by sundown on the third day.

All knew how capable Merlin was. None of the Druid advisors had been sent a message through the link, and an irate dragon hadn’t shown up asking for help.

Meaning he probably just got lost or distracted; lost track of time. He’d be home by noon the next day, prattling on about something he’d seen, or someone he’d spoken to.

Gaius would give him a raised eyebrow and Arthur would punch him in the arm and he’d be all indignant, insisting that “I can look after myself, and honestly Arthur, I was only gone an extra half day, no need to be so panicked.” with a smirk.

When he still wasn’t back before sundown on the fifth day, The Gang started to really worry. They gather in the council room, just the nine of them (the five knights, Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, Morgana) to try to come up with some sort of explanation, or if needed, a plan.

Morgana speaks first, and the uncertainty on her face heightens the anxiety in everyone:

“I’ve tried looking for him, sensing him, but I can’t feel him at all. Like he’s completely disappeared from the world-”

At that, Arthur interrupts her, panic showing on his face, and his voice shaking:

“You don’t mean?-”

Morgana widens her eyes at the meaning the others had taken from her words:

“NO! No, not that, if he were... dead, I would feel that. I would be able to find his… I would be able to find him, and feel a sort of echo, feel the recent effects he’s had on the world around him. But I don’t, I just feel…. nothing. Like he never existed in the first place.”

Everyone looks extremely troubled at that. Morgana wasn’t nearly as powerful as Merlin, but he had been teaching her, and she was getting stronger. If this feeling of absence worried her, then it worried all of them.

Gaius speaks up after a few moments of silence:

“We could ask the Druids? They have a strong, permanent bond to him. It may help in finding him. If not…”

Arthur nods firmly as he replies to the room:

“If not, we track him down the old fashioned way. We managed before, we might just have to manage again now.”

The others nod at that, determined to not let Merlin down.

(Not let Merlin down again. None of them (other than Gaius, Lancelot, and Morgana of course) had reacted all that well to Merlin’s magic when they first learned the truth. And whilst that was years ago, and Merlin claimed to have forgiven them all immediately, they still felt guilty for the way they’d treated him in those first few hours/days.)

As it turns out, the three Druid advisors were equally worried, and had been in the process of hurrying to the council room to inform The King of the severed tie between themselves and Emrys, just as Arthur had decided to call for their presence.

The whole gang had to quell their panic, and remind themselves of Arthur’s words. They’d managed before, they would manage now.

At first light the next day, Arthur and the knights rode out. Morgana was left with the crown, with Gwen and Gaius as advisors to stay and support her.

The King tried to insist on leaving one or two of the knights behind as well, just in case, but they weren’t having it, and Morgana’s reminder of:

“Merlin is incredibly powerful, Arthur. If someone has been strong enough to subdue or hurt him, then you’ll need all the help you can get.”

-he reluctantly allowed all five of them to come.

Gaius had provided them with the directions, so they could start their search where Merlin was supposed to be, and go from there.

After a full day’s journey, they arrive at the first of two clearings, just before nightfall. After a thorough look around, they found that Merlin had in fact been there, but he left peacefully, and they found no sign that anyone else had travelled through recently.

So he hadn’t been taken from the first clearing. Arthur and Gwaine had wanted to push on through the night, the second of the two clearings was only a few hours away, but Leon gave them a stern look, and with support from the others, insisted that they rest for the night.

They could wake early and continue in the morning, but the horses (and the knights) were starving, and tired, and needed rest. They would be no use to Merlin at all if they turned up dead on their feet.

Elyan tried to volunteer for the first watch, but Arthur insisted he take it. No one really argued with him, they knew he wouldn’t sleep well anyway, not with Merlin missing, and potentially hurt.

Elyan did however wake up a few hours later (a pure coincidence, it definitely wasn’t because he asked Percival to cast a low-level enchantment that would wake him (I like to imagine that once things had settled, Merlin tries to teach the lads a little sorcery. Arthur is hopeless, as are Lancelot and Elyan, but Leon and Gwaine aren’t toooo bad, and Percival is fairly alright)) and insisted that The King get some sleep.

He didn’t like to do it often (Arthur’s head was already big enough) but Elyan did use a little flattery to his advantage:

“Come now, My Lord. You’re the strongest of all of us, and it’s your orders we follow, how can we expect to win if our leader can’t walk or think straight?”

Arthur mumbles something about how “Flattery won’t get you anywhere in court, Sir Elyan.” But dutifully allows himself to slip into a fitful rest.

As promised, they rise and pack up just before first light, choosing to eat whilst they ride out just as the sun rises over the horizon.

The second clearing they reach, tells a much different story to the first. The knights slow their horses down, and stare on in barely concealed horror at the scene laid out before them.

Merlin’s horse lay dead to the side of the clearing. They had clearly killed her deliberately so that Merlin couldn’t escape if he freed himself. That could be the only explanation. She wasn’t wearing her saddle, and was still tied to the tree: Merlin wasn’t riding her when the arrow was fired.

The ground was scorched almost entirely, and a few trees had been uprooted, with the remaining standing ones bearing scorch marks and sword scars higher than naturally possible.

Merlin had obviously fought back, but the small puddle of blood next to his dropped herb bag tells them that he had been injured before the fight even began. Whoever took him? Knew who he was.

After a moment of shocked silence, Arthur starts barking orders:

“Percival, check the horse and the herbs, try and figure out how long ago this happened. Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, have a good look around, try to find anything discarded by his attackers; we need to figure out who took him. See if you can learn how many there were, and how they attacked, we need to know if they themselves are magic, or if they just know how to fight magic. Me and Leon will check the surrounding areas to find out where they went. Leave your horses at the edge, we don’t want to muddy up any tracks.”

Everyone wordlessly nods, and they go about their tasks quickly but thoroughly. No wants to make any mistakes here, Merlin is incredibly important to them, and they couldn’t risk going in to this blind.

They work in silence, and once Arthur and Leon return from their scouting ahead thirty minutes or so later, they gather the horses once more and huddle at the edge of the clearing.

Arthur looks to Percival expectantly, and he reports his findings quickly:

“Going by the carcass and the herbs Merlin had already cut, this happened maybe four or five days ago? Considering he was obviously still picking, and not just dawdling-”

(he gestures to the bag that he had picked up and attached to his saddlebags)

“-I’d say he was taken in the afternoon of the second day.”

Arthur clenches his jaw at that, that was five days ago. Hopefully they hadn’t travelled too far, and weren’t still travelling, otherwise it would take far too long to track them down.

He looks to Lancelot next:

“We found two bodies, average, plain armour, and it didn’t look like anything had been taken from them after they died. One of them did have this in his pocket-”

He looks grim as he says this, and hands over a very crumpled piece of parchment. On it, there was a rough sketch of Merlin’s face, and the Pendragon crest. It was rough, old, clearly drawn from memory, but there could be no mistaking who it was.

Arthur looks angry at that, but tucks it into his saddlebag before gesturing for Lancelot to continue:

“I don’t think they used magic, at least not combative magic-”

He gestures around the clearing, at the scorch marks:

“All of the blows seem to be extending out from the middle, from where Merlin was stood: he fought back with magic, but they used normal weapons.”

Lancelot looks to Gwaine, and he wastes no time in telling the group what he found:

“There was a broken off arrow shaft next to Merlin’s bag, someone shot him. I couldn’t find the head, so it’s still in him most likely, we need to be prepared to clean an infection when we find him-”

Percival interrupts him:

“I had a look through his bag, there’s a lot of useful stuff in here, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

Gwaine nods and lets out a sigh of relief before continuing:

“The arrow shaft stunk, and his blood was funky. I’m guessing they soaked it in mandrake or something to knock him out. Otherwise he would’ve decimated this lot. They would’ve only had to avoid his attacks for two or three minutes at most before he passed out. And even then, he wouldn’t have been all that coordinated.”

Everyone worries at this. Every new bit of information just tells them that whoever took Merlin knew exactly who he was, and what he was capable of.

Elyan speaks up next:

“Going from the tracks, I’d say there was six or seven others, not including our two corpses. They were spread evenly around the clearing so he could only attack at one at a time, all they had to do was aim one good shot, and wait it out. They may not have used magic to attack, but they must have hidden themselves somehow: there’s no way that Merlin wouldn’t have felt them coming, we’re in the middle of a forest, this is his domain.”

Arthur hums thoughtfully and nods, before speaking to the group:

“I agree with your assessment of seven other attackers. Me and Leon found a large group of tracks, from multiple people, coming from the North, but they split up and spread around the clearing about a quarter of a mile out. No has any idea who they were?”

Everyone shakes their heads, and Lancelot speaks once again:

“No. The armour was non-descript, the weapons left behind were nothing special. They had no tattoos, nothing of value on them, no defining marks, sigils, or crests. Nothing. Either they were randomly hired mercenaries, or they were clever enough to not carry anything that could identify them, or their masters.”

Arthur growls in annoyance and nods once again. The Knights all gather their horses and follow Arthur and Leon’s quick pace out of the clearing, towards the tracks they had found.

At Arthur’s instruction, they split into two groups, one following along about 10 feet to the left of the tracks, the other, the same to the right.

They needed to be careful, the group who had taken Merlin were obviously well informed professionals, and would know that it wouldn’t be long before someone came looking. They didn’t want to run into any traps or ambushes by following the exact same path the kidnappers had.

The Knights follow the trail for another couple of days, taking few breaks, and spending the majority of it in silence; not even Gwaine is being talkative.

A few hours into their tracking, there was another battle arena (though much smaller than the last).

They didn’t stick around for long, it was likely that the mandrake had worn off quicker than expected, and Merlin had tried to escape. Once they saw Lancelot turn pale as he picked up a bloody rock, they hurried their horses along the trail even faster than before.

It was around noon on the third day since they left the second clearing, that they notice the tracks getting significantly fresher: the kidnappers (who had been on foot, meaning the knights were making good time anyway) had slowed down; they must almost be there.

That evening, they finally came across what appeared to be a rundown farm. The roof of the house was caved in, and there wasn’t even one fully intact fence in the whole property. A large barn further to the back of the area however, was in good condition.

The tracks went all over the overgrown farm, but focused mainly around the barn (going no further than the edge of the property) and the Knights could see the flickering light of a fire glow through the gaps between planks of woods.

They tied their horses up a few metres in to the treeline. Normally having horses during the attack would be useful, but they were at least a four days journey from the capital (on horses, closer to two weeks on foot), and depending on the state Merlin is in, he may not be able to walk it. They needed to leave the horses undamaged and with energy enough to flee if they had to.

Arthur sends everyone off to scout the area, learn what they could, and they gather once more about five minutes later, hidden behind the rundown house to avoid being spotted.

Leon speaks first:

“I got as close as I could without being seen, there are about twenty-five men in there. I didn’t recognise any of them, and none of them had any identifying marks, but there was one man who was clearly in charge. Larger than the rest, had nicer clothes, a large key on a chain around his neck.”

Arthur perks up at that:

“Might unlock whatever is holding Merlin. Did you see him?”

Leon sighed and shook his head grimly:

“No, but the fire lit only the middle of the room, I couldn’t see in the corners or along the edges.”

Percival speaks next, quickly adding what he had learnt:

“There’s no one else in any of the other buildings, and no fresh tracks leading away from the area. Merlin must be in there with them.”

Leon hums in agreement before continuing:

“They weren’t... drunk. But they are drinking. It might be worth it to wait for a few more hours so we have more of an advantage. There’s only six of us remember, we-.”

Gwaine shakes his head roughly, interrupting:

“We can’t wait. Who knows what they’ve done to Merlin, but if they’re celebrating, and he isn’t fighting back, then it’s bad. We need to get him out of there as quickly as possible.”

Arthur hums thoughtfully as he thought through their options. Both of them had valid points, but the attackers wouldn’t go through all of this trouble just to kill Merlin, so he shouldn’t be in any imminent danger, and as much as he wanted to rescue him as soon as possible, they had to be careful.

He looks up at the group and replies confidently:

“We wait until the sun has disappeared completely. It should be no more than half an hour. That gives us the cover of darkness, and gives them time to lose a little more of their wits.”

Gwaine seems like he wants to argue, but a pointed look from Lancelot calms him, and the group go through the motions of checking their armour and weapons, preparing themselves fully for a difficult fight.

After spending the time preparing, and discussing their options, the group decided that the best plan was for them to split in to two.

Arthur, Elyan, and Gwaine were to rush through the large door at the front, and Leon, Percival, and Lancelot would sneak in through the small door at the back.

There was no way they would be able to hold on to the element of surprise for long, and it would be a difficult fight, but hopefully the first group would be distraction enough to allow the second group to kill at least a few people before they realised what was happening.

That, unfortunately, is not how things go.

After one last firm nod from Arthur, the group splits and heads as quietly as they can to their designated entrance. The King takes a deep breath before gesturing at Elyan, who pushes the door open with force, allowing Gwaine and Arthur to rush in without hesitation.

Elyan joins them, and they make a point to look at the enemy, so as not to draw attention to the other three sneaking in behind them.

It takes only a few seconds before Arthur realises something is wrong. None of the men seem angry, or even worried in the slightest, and as he spies Leon step silently forward to slit the throat of the man closest to him, he understands why.

Leon takes three steps fine, but on his fourth, he hits an invisible barrier, and is thrown back violently. He hits the wall with a crash, and falls to the floor, unconscious from the blow to his head.

The leader of the group glances briefly behind him before looking back to Arthur, amusement on his face. Arthur covers his confusion with anger, but before he can demand an explanation, the leader begins to speak:

“Looky here, boys! Kidnap one sorcerer, get six of Camelot’s finest knights free! That’s a pretty good deal if I do say so myself!”

The rooms breaks out into laughter, and Elyan takes a step forward, speaking in a dangerous tone:

“Well unfortunately, our sorcerer was not for sale. So if you would, we’d like him back.”

The leader chuckles once again, and the knights have to stop themselves going for an attack. Leon was just about starting to stir, and Lancelot stands protectively in front of him, waiting for the knight to right himself again.

“I’m not so sure he wants to be returned, good sir. I think you’ll find that he’s quite enjoying being under my service-”

He raises one hand and grips the ancient looking key that’s hanging around his neck, and looks to a darkened corner of the room before speaking again, louder this time:

“Isn’t that right, oh sorcerer of mine? Come here.”

The knights have to hold in a shudder at what they see.

Merlin, or what looks to be Merlin, judderingly walks out of the dark corner towards the key-holder. His left shoulder hangs oddly, and they can see the blood staining his clothes and dripping from his hand, leaving a trail on the floor. His feet drag across the ground, and his head nods and sways, like he is desperately trying not to collapse into unconsciousness. A wound on his temple still slowly seeps blood, and his hands shake.

He had a thick, metal collar around his neck, and two matching circlets around his wrists. Thick chains, the length of his arms, attach the cuffs to the collar (so that he still had full mobility, but all three circles of iron were connected), and as his body sways, the knights can see the skin beneath the metal has been rubbed raw, to the point of bleeding in some places.

But what was most striking, was the permanent golden glow of Merlin’s eyes, and the blank look on his face.

The golden colour didn’t quite match up to it’s normal hue, and seemed duller, sickly, somehow.

The knights stare on in horror as their friend, clearly not in control of his own actions, finishes his disjointed journey to his new master.

Arthur glares viciously at the man as he growls out:

“What have you done to-”

But before he can finish, a resounding thwack echoes around the room as a gauntleted hand connects with the side of Merlin’s face.

The other bandits laugh as Merlin’s head rocks violently sideways. His head is angled towards the floor for just a moment before he looks back up at the leader, the blank look not having left his face, despite the blood now dribbling from his mouth and the dark bruise already forming on his cheek and jaw.

Gwaine lets out a growl, but before he can take a step forward, the leader speaks once again, a horrid grin on his face:

“Be a dear and subdue our new guests, sorcerer.”

Without hesitation, Merlin sidesteps the leader, giving him a direct line of sight to Lancelot, Leon, and Percival. He waves his hand at them, muttering something under his breath, and the three of them gasp as they lift off the floor, and go flying across the room towards the other knights.

Arthur only manages to widen his eyes in surprise before he’s bowled over by Percival, and before the group can react, they find themselves unarmed, and kneeling side by side; lined up in front of the leader, with Merlin’s hand extended towards them.

The bandits begin laughing once again, the leader the most uproarious of them all, as the knights struggle to break free from Merlin’s grasp.

Arthur is the only one who holds still, not resisting, as he tries to get Merlin to look at him, but the sorcerer isn’t paying any attention. It almost seemed like Merlin just... wasn’t present. His body was stood in the barn, but his mind, his soul, were elsewhere, not even looking upon this earth, let alone stood in it.

Merlin’s blank face looks to the leader, and he doesn’t react at all as Arthur yells at him:

“Merlin! This isn’t you, he’s controlling you! You have to take back con-”

The leader interrupts him, his hand still gripping the slightly glowing key, as he directs himself to Merlin:

“Oh do shut them up, sorcerer.”

Merlin looks to the group once more, twisting his outstretched hand slightly. The knight’s voices are ripped form them suddenly, and silence permeates the barn for only a second before the bandits continue their laughter.

After a few minutes of the knights being unable to move or make any noise, the leader speaks up again:

“You know, sir knights,-”

He smacks Merlin again, in the same place as before, and the knights tense even more at their friend’s non-reaction:

“-I had thought, that the most fun part of having a pet sorcerer, would be the magic, and don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but-”

This time he aims a punch to Merlin’s abdomen. The Warlock bends over slightly, and takes a step back, before righting himself again, and returning to his original position:

“-I have discovered, in fact, that the most fun part is actually having a living punching bag, who can’t die as easy as the normal peasants and commoners I lay my hands on.”

He grins wickedly once more as he takes out a small dagger. The knight’s eyes all widen and they begin struggling even more against their magical bounds, as the leader drags the blade along Merlin’s outstretched arm.

The cut isn’t too deep, but it’s long, and bleeds enough for infection to be a definite worry.

Merlin’s head wavers slightly and his lip twitches, but he otherwise doesn’t move.

The leader looks to an almost tearful Arthur, and slowly, ever so slowly, pushes the blade into Merlin’s uninjured shoulder, as he grins:

“I wonder, sir knights, how much he can take.”

Arthur looks back to Merlin and sees him flinch, his face seeming more strained. Arthur hates himself for thinking it, but the more pain this jackass inflicts... the more aware Merlin seems to be becoming.

The glow in his eyes flickers, but only momentarily, and Arthur feels the ability to speak come back to him. He holds his breath for a moment, hoping that it’s just him (or that the others had the same idea as him). He lets it out a moment later when none of the knights make any noise.

He needs to pick his moment, wait until Merlin is most aware of his surroundings, before he tries to reach out to him.

It’s a difficult situation, a mix of not wanting Merlin to have to suffer, but also knowing that there is no way the knights could take him on. Not even with no other attackers to worry about. Not even with Merlin at partial strength. The only way for them to win this, is to get Merlin to come back to them.

The Knights watch on with horror, glares painted on their faces, as the leader removes the knife and steps away. He wipes the blood off the blade on Merlin’s clothes harshly, the pressure on his wound making the glow of his eyes flicker once again.

The arsehole looks to the rest of the grinning bandits, and yells:

“So, boys! Shall we see what our new pet can do? We have some lovely new test subjects after all!” A cheer goes up around the room, and the knights take in nervous breaths. They know what Merlin is capable of, and though he doesn’t show off his magic regularly, they’ve seen him angry, seen him when he has the least control of his magic; and right now, he has zero control. The only thing they could do is hope that this mercenary didn’t have a very vivid imagination.

At the bandit’s cheer, the leader turns around to sweep an assessing gaze over the knights. He hums thoughtfully, before waving his arm in Percival’s direction:

“He looks like a big guy, looks like he can take a lot. Break his arm for me, sorcerer.”

The others look to Percival in fear, but his only reaction is to take a deep breath, and clench his jaw.

Merlin tilts his head slightly, and moves his outstretched arm to be pointed at Percival. Arthur sees him swallow, and his hand shake slightly. He’s fighting it. The sorcerer stands still for just a moment, staring at a resolute Percival, but at the leader’s yell:

“DO IT!!”

-he closes his fist, quick as lightening, and a snap sounds out. Percival makes a pained face, but makes no noise as his arm hangs at his side.

Arthur casts a quick look at him, and is grateful for the lack of blood and odd angles. Merlin had managed to break his arm in the least damaging way possible.

Percival’s breath evens out, and he shakes the daze from his head before looking right at Merlin and saying:

“It’s alright, Merlin.” Arthur tenses slightly at that, but the bandit’s seem to be too drunk to notice the broken silence.

The leader bellows out again:

“Aw, well that was a little anti-climactic. Hmm... what about him-”

He gestures at Leon, who is now only slightly dazed, before continuing:

“-knock him out. Properly, this time.”

Merlin’s outstretched hand moves once again, pointing at Leon. Merlin hesitates for even longer this time. His hand shakes violently, and the glow in his eyes dulls (only slightly, but permanently this time) as Leon gives him a small smile, and nods at him.

The leader snarls before aiming a violent punch to Merlin’s side, before screaming:

“YOU ARE MINE!! STOP HESITATING YOU BEAST!″

This time, Merlin pulls his hand towards himself quickly, and Leon’s body tips forward. His head smacks off the floor with a sickening thud, and he doesn’t move from his place crumpled on the floor.

The others panic slightly at this, not being able to see Leon properly, but Arthur holds in a grin. He’s seen enough knights be knocked out to know that Leon was still conscious. Merlin had deliberately held back, cushioned his blow. There was no question that if he had really tried, Leon most certainly would have passed out, which means that Merlin is somewhat in control of his strength, if not his actions.

Arthur is grateful that Leon has the sense to lie still and keep his eyes closed. In order to remain convincing, The King plasters a sufficiently horrified look on his face as he looks from Leon to the Leader.

The man gives a satisfied hum, and turns to Lancelot, a loathsome smirk on his face:

“You, my friend, are far too calm for my liking. Let’s change that, shall we?”

The bandits let out yet another cheer (And Arthur is pleased to see that the majority of them are incredibly drunk at this point. He just needs Merlin to focus long enough for Arthur to grab the key) before he continues:

“Choke. Him. Out. I want to watch the life drain from his pathetically noble eyes. I want to see him panic as his breath is stolen from him. DO IT!”

Fear flash across Lancelot’s face, before he schools his features again. Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan do not manage to hide their panic at all, and Leon takes in an unnoticed deep breath from his place on the floor.

Arthur looks a tad worried, but this has got to be it. He knows how close Merlin and Lancelot are, there will be no better chance to try and break him from this pig’s control, he only needs a moment, and he can see Leon subtly preparing to pounce as well.

Merlin moves his arm to be pointed at Lancelot, and the knights can see their Warlock flinch slightly as Lancelot speaks a shaky smile on his face:

“It’s ok, Merlin, it’s not your fault.”

Merlin’s hesitation earns him a smack on the back of the head, and a second later, he turns his open hand to the ceiling. With that motion, Lancelot raises from the floor.

His hands go to his throat and his eyes widen a fraction as his feet kick, looking for purchase, but finding nothing.

Arthur gulps as he looks between Lancelot and Merlin, waiting for the last possible moment before he jumps into action.

The knights, thrash slightly trying to reach Lancelot as he begins to audibly choke. His legs kick more violently, and his face turns red, his eyes shut tight.

He manages to opens his eyes just a fraction, looking to Merlin and letting out a choked, barely audible:

“I... trust you... Merlin.”

Lancelot’s eyes close once again as his thrashing slows and he loses the last of the air in his lungs.

Arthur stares at Merlin intensely, and the moment a tear falls from his eye, he yells:

“Merlin, look at ME!”

The leader lets out an outraged yelp as Merlin drops his hand to his side, whipping his head around to stare at Arthur. Lancelot drops to the floor with a thud, and begins taking in sudden, deep breaths. The glow disappears briefly from Merlin’s eyes, and in that moment, he lifts a hand to his head, whispering “30 seconds”. The moment his fingers touch his temple, he crumples gracelessly to the floor.

Leon finally moves, jumping to catch Merlin before his heads makes contact with the floor and at the same time, Arthur leaps at the outraged Leader, tackling him to the floor roughly.

Percival moves to Lancelot, and quickly drags him, using his good arm, to the side of the room so that he can catch his breath. Gwaine and Elyan tackle the men who had been standing closest to them, and take their weapons, before moving quickly to stand above Arthur and The Arsehole (still wrestling on the floor).

Both of them hold their blades to his throat, and at his momentary hesitation, Arthur finally lands a good punch to his jaw, properly dazing him.

Arthur rips the chain from his neck and staggers back, leaving Gwaine and Elyan in front of him, not moving their weapons from the man’s neck.

All of this had happened in around five seconds, the knights following Arthur’s signal smoothly and in tandem (exactly like he had trusted they would), and the rest of the bandits too drunk to react quick enough.

The bandits had finally gathered themselves, and have their swords out and pointed at the gang, but before they could move forward, Elyan speaks:

“Take another step, and we’ll cut his throat.”

Arthur knew that that wouldn’t hold them for long. No honour among thieves, they didn’t care if he died because it just gave way for a power struggle, allowing one of them to come out on top as the new leader.

He glanced down at Merlin and Leon again before looking behind him to check on Lancelot and Percival. He counted in his head. Twelve seconds to go.

Elyan and Gwaine pulled the stuttering leader up by his clothes and drag him back. Gwaine stands behind him, his sword held across his throat, as Elyan takes his weapons from him and then moves to stand by Gwaine’s side.

Six seconds to go. Arthur isn’t really sure what he’s counting down to, but he trusts Merlin.

The bandits begin taking slow, drunken steps towards the gang once again. They may be pissed, but they also still vastly outnumber the knights, especially with Lancelot coughing his lungs out, Leon with at least a minor concussion, and Percival with a broken arm.

Three seconds... Two... One.

As the Arthur’s mental countdown reaches zero, he turns his head to check on Merlin, at the same time as the sorcerer opens his eyes once again.

His eyes shine bright golden once again (though still not quite normally), so brightly that Leon and Arthur have to shield their eyes for a moment. That moment is all it takes for the bandits to take action, and they surge towards the gang.

Gwaine pushes their leader into them, and his large form knocks two of them over. Gwaine and Elyan are the only ones who have weapons, so they hold off the first of the attackers as best they can. Percival picks up a still struggling Lancelot, and Leon and Arthur grab an arm each of Merlin. The five of them rush outside, and once Arthur yells back at them, Gwaine and Elyan turn and follow them. They shut the door quickly behind them, and Lancelot is dropped the floor, Merlin left standing blankly, as the rest of them throw their collective weight against the door. Percival speaks first, holding his broken arm to his chest, and bracing his shoulder against the middle of the door:

“Why isn’t... ugh... why isn’t he doing anything??”

Lancelot looks up from his place on the floor, and staggers to his feet, leaning on (a still blank) Merlin for support. He taps his face slightly and squeezes his hand, but still the sorcerer doesn’t react. His hand brushes against the cold metal of one of the cuffs, and he looks back to Arthur, still coughing lightly:

“He’s still bound! Please tell me you managed to hold on to that key?!”

Arthur nods, and Lancelot stumbles over, pressing his weight against the door with the others as another shove is felt from the other side. They wouldn’t be able to do this for long, the bandits were becoming more and more coordinated.

Elyan speaks up:

“We don’t have... no time to uncuff him, you’re in control Arthur just tell him to kill them or knock... or knock them out!”

Arthur looks angry at that, and shakes his head violently:

“No, I won’t take that control from him. I won’t.”

Leon yells next, his words slightly slurred, but understandable:

“You have no choice, Arthur. Just something simple!”

Arthur growls, and huffs as another, much harder shove hits the door. The gang almost stumbles back, but they brace themselves against the door once more, and Arthur shouts:

“Fine! Merlin, protect us!”

Without even a second’s hesitation, Merlin raises his hand towards them, and then pulls towards him. The knights all find themselves flying away from the barn, but land on their feet a few feet behind Merlin.

The barn door opens with a crash, the first three men falling forward, but quickly being trampled on by their... co-workers... as they escape the building. Before they can make it far however, Merlin throws up his other hand, muttering something under his breath, and all of them are stopped, frozen in place.

Merlin keeps his hand stretched out towards them, and the knights hear one of them go “oh shit” under their breath, as the realisation crosses their faces.

The Warlock’s face remains blank, and after a few moments of the knights catching their breath, Arthur steps forward hesitatingly:

“Merlin?-”

Merlin tilts his head slightly, but doesn’t turn to look at him and Arthur gulps, and moves around to stand in front of him. He holds the key in one hand, and grips Merlin’s arm with the other, he speaks over Merlin’s shoulder to the others:

“I don’t see a keyhole or anything. How do I get this thing off him?!”

The knights shrug and move forward, examining the iron from a distance. Gwaine speaks first:

“Well, Merlin would know, right? Ask him.”

Arthur frowns slightly, he is really not liking this, but none of them have seen anything even slightly similar to this before:

“Merlin, do you know how to release yourself from this?” as he speaks, he shakes one of the chains, and hears the bandits behind him begin squeaking in fear.

Merlin still doesn’t look directly at him, staring straight ahead, eyes still glowing, one hand still outstretched, but he does give a slow nod.

Arthur gulps once more, and takes Merlin’s lowered hand. He presses the key into his palm, holding his hand over it and quietly says:

“Do it. Take it off.”

Merlin mutters something else, forcing the barrier he had placed around the bandits to stay in place. He closes his hand around the key, and without looking, touches the end of the key to the cuff on his other wrist. A hole opens up in the metal, and he pushes the key in, twisting only slightly before the cuff falls off his wrist entirely, still dangling by the chain attached to the collar.

The glow in his eyes instantly dims a bit, and he takes a staggered step back. He shakes his head slightly, and the key swaps hands. He does the same to the other cuff.

He falls to his knees, shaking, and the knights step forward to support him. He slowly lifts the key to the collar, and the same thing happens a third time. As the collar falls to the floor, the glow in his eyes flashes it’s normal, healthy colour, before disappearing entirely.

His blue eyes find Arthur’s momentarily, just long enough for Arthur to smile at him and nod. That’s all the convincing that “everything is ok” Merlin needs, and he promptly passes out, slumping forward.

Arthur just about catches him, and looks over his own shoulder panicked, thinking that with Merlin unconscious, the barrier would disappear.

It would appear that Merlin had thought of that, even in his state, and the barrier stayed in place, leaving Arthur and the knights to let out breaths of relief.

Now everyone has had time to catch their breath, and Merlin was free, they had a moment to realise how furious they were.

Gwaine looks ready to slaughter every man there, and every person they’ve ever spoken to, and even Lancelot looks pissed.

Arthur gathers Merlin up in his arms, carrying him bridal style and looks to the others:

“Grab our weapons from inside, quickly, we need to get out of here, I don’t know how long that's going to hold, or how long Merlin will be out. We need to get him to Gaius, and bring that... thing.”

He gestures to the set of cuffs still sat in the grass, and Leon steps forward to pick them up. Elyan and Gwaine stand guard in front of Arthur and Merlin, (still being the only ones who are actually armed) and Lancelot and Percival rush around the group of bandits, still frozen in place, and through the door into the barn.

They come out not even a minute later with everyone’s swords, and hand them out. Merlin begins to stir, and Arthur spares him a quick glance before gesturing back towards where they left the horses.

The group huddles together, Arthur with Merlin protected at the back, pointing their weapons at the bandits as they shuffle back, moving as quickly as they could, not daring to move their gazes from the kidnappers.

Merlin stirs once more, but settles quickly, probably still a while from waking up, and the group reaches the treeline before they begin to pick up the pace.

They finally reach their horses, and Gwaine quickly helps Arthur load Merlin up in front of The King, head lolling back to rest against his shoulder.

Leon wraps the cuffs in a spare tunic before shoving them into a saddlebag, and the group takes one last look behind them, before galloping back in the direction of Camelot.

If they went by the crow flies, instead of detouring to those clearings, they could be back in three days, instead of the four and a half it had taken them to get here.

They ride through the night, trying to get as far away as possible, not taking any breaks, and only stopping to make camp a few hours after midnight.

Elyan splints and wraps Percival’s arm, Leon drinks plenty of water and tries not to pass out, and Lancelot coughs the whole journey, but other than that, there seems to be no lasting damage or serious injuries.

They have little food left, but (despite no one being willing to admit it) they were all a little shaken, and none were prepared to leave camp to hunt or forage for anything more substantial.

Merlin had stirred a few more times, and opened his eyes briefly when Arthur laid him on his bedroll, but it didn’t last long, and he was passed out again shortly after.

The King massages some water down his throat, has Elyan help him with digging out the arrowhead, and follows Percival’s instructions on which of the herbs Merlin had gathered would help best with pain, infections, and larger wounds. The arrow and stab wounds were stitched and thoroughly cleaned, before Arthur moved on to the less serious wounds: checking his jaw to see if it was broken (it wasn’t, thank the Gods), and dressing the burns and bruises on his neck and wrists. The head wound wasn’t serious thankfully, only requiring a thorough cleaning, and two stiches.

Leon takes the first watch with Arthur, on account of not being allowed to fall asleep just yet, but there isn’t much conversation as they watch their friends toss and turn, obviously not sleeping too well.

Gwaine takes over from Leon around two hours before sunrise, before informing Arthur that:

“If you don’t go to sleep, I’ll put you to sleep. And then we’d have to double-ride two horses. And that would slow us down even more. So. What’s it gonna be, princess?”

Arthur grumbles minimally, but he knows Gwaine is right. He doesn’t move from his spot however, choosing to lay down right next to Merlin.

Gwaine simply raises an eyebrow, (and wakes him before everyone else in the morning) at The King’s position.

Arthur has one hand gripping Merlin’s wrist, and the other splayed out against Merlin’s chest, his Warlock’s pulse, and breath, just under his fingertips whilst he slept.

They get back to Camelot when expected, around three days later, just before noon.

Leon’s concussion had cleared up completely by the time they had got there, and Lancelot’s throat wasn’t quite so irritated. Percival’s arm was still broken of course, but with the help of some medication they had brought with them, the pain hadn’t been too bad.

Merlin had woken up a few more times across the journey, but was far too exhausted to stay awake for more than an hour at a time, and despite his grumbling, he admitted that it would be best for him to continue sharing a horse.

He managed to get some food in him as well, which the knights were relieved at, and the herbs must’ve been very special, because the infection in the arrow wound was almost gone by the time they got him to Gaius, and they had managed to avoid infection in the stab wound entirely.

Speaking of Gaius, he fussed to the extreme when Merlin hobbled in to the infirmary, supported by The King. After double checking all of his wounds, and forcing a mixture of gross tasting potions down his throat, he had him asleep on one of the patient pallets whilst he checked over the others.

He set Percival’s arm with magic, gave Leon a potion for the headaches he would be having for the next week or so, and gave Lancelot a special tea mix to help with his throat.

The moment Gaius relaxed, Arthur did too, trusting the physicians assessment of his friends. Elyan had scurried off to find Gwen and the Lady Morgana, before joining Gwaine, Percival, Leon, and Lancelot, for much needed naps in their own quarters.

Once everything slowed down a bit, Arthur presented Gaius with the chains and key, and explained to him what had happened.

It was late in the evening at this point, so they spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb Gwen or Morgana, who had both fallen asleep in their chairs at Merlin’s bedside.

“His eyes were bright gold, but they looked... wrong? Like slightly the wrong colour. He was almost completely blank, barely reacted to pain, and just.... stared. Into the distance. Like he had no awareness of his physical surroundings.”

Gaius looked concerned, but not so much so that it worried Arthur:

“Ah. That would explain the severed connections with Morgana and the Druids, his consciousness was locked away, pushed far too deep for anyone to find him. What else?”

Arthur looked uncomfortable and shuffled his feet as he continued, recalling memories from the previous days that he was sure would haunt him as he slept:

“Well... he hesitated a few times, when he was told to... hurt us. Like he was fighting it. But when he was hit or yelled at, it looked like he sort of... re-set? And he would do whatever he was told.”

Gaius nodded:

“Yes. Merlin is incredibly powerful, but so are the enchantments on these chains. He would have fought against it viciously, but the sudden noise, or pain, would’ve have shocked his system into obeying without hesitation. I’m guessing that’s how you broke him free?”

Arthur glanced briefly towards Merlin, before nodding, and replying even quieter than before:

“Hmm. I waited until he looked most... unsure, most hesitant, then yelled at him to look at me. His eyes cleared for just a moment, he whispered “30 seconds” , then knocked himself out somehow. We got the key thing, held off the bandits for 30 seconds, then he woke up and I...-”

He clenches his jaw and looks away at this, letting out a harsh breath at the memory. Gaius pats his hand a few times consolably as he speaks:

“You did what you had to my boy, you didn’t take advantage, or force him to do anything he wouldn’t have willingly done anyway. If anything, from the sounds of it, you were far more merciful and forgiving than Merlin would’ve been.”

Arthur huffs a weak laugh at that, and Gaius smiles, before saying:

“I’m hesitant to analyse these chains until I know more. I’ll talk to the Druids tomorrow, and wait until Merlin’s strength returns before doing anything. You best get some sleep, My Lord.”

Arthur looks up sheepishly, and bites his lip not quite meeting Gaius’ eyes. The old physician raises an eyebrow, prompting him to speak:

“Would you mind if I... stayed here for the night? I can just pull out a pallet but I...-”

Gaius picks up where Arthur hesitates:

“Don’t want to leave him?-”

Gaius smiles once again at Arthur’s infinitesimal nod:

“That’s fine by me, though you’ll have to leave this room to talk to the council eventually.”

Without waiting for a response, Gaius gets up and walks away. He checks Merlin’s bandages briefly before shuffling off to what had been The Court Sorcerer’s previous room, before he had been given his own chambers.

Arthur sighs, and walks over to Merlin, standing above him. The colour has returned to his cheeks, and he looks much healthier now he was no longer covered in his own blood and was wearing clean clothes.

He sweeps the hair away from his forehead, and leans down to place a gentle kiss where his hand had been. He looks up to see Gwen looking at him sleepily, a fond smile on her face as she stares at Arthur’s blushing face.

She stands and stretches, before whispering:

“Why don’t you take my chair, Arthur? I should probably get back to Lancelot anyway, and I doubt you want to leave his side?”

Arthur nods slightly, and whispers his gratitude as Gwen gives him a quick hug, before sneaking out the door.

Arthur settles in the chair, finding a comfortable (or as comfortable as possible in a wooden chair with wonky legs) position, as he once again wraps one hand around Merlin’s wrist, and places the other over his chest.

He falls asleep after only minutes, and rests easier than he had in a week, satisfied with the knowledge that Merlin was safe and on the mend, and returned to the position Arthur thought he belonged in most: next to him.

THE END!

I dunno, I might write a part two, about the psychological effects on Merlin? Of having his magic controlled, AND of having to watch from behind his own eyes as he hurts his friends? Let me know if y’all wanna see something like that :)

EDIT: Part 2 is up! Link at the top

Same as always lads, you wanna write it out properly with paragraphs and descriptions and shit, go for it, but credit and tag me ✌

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thanksjro · 4 years ago

Text

Dark Cybertron Chapter 3: This One’s All About Skywarp. Honest!

It’s a beautiful day during Cybertron’s apocalypse, and Starscream is talking to a corpse to work through his emotions. He goes through a very brief rundown of what happened last issue, I guess because Swerve’s too busy being in space to do the Story So Far, and caps it off with an apology to Metalhawk over killing him. Rattrap watches this go down in the background, because this is Skywarp’s toy tie-in issue.

After this very incriminating conversation, Starscream goes out to see to the massive crowd standing outside, including Scoops’ little Targetmaster buddies.

I don’t care for that man’s beard.

Starscream promises to go talk to the Titan, though he really doesn’t want to, and Rattrap catches up to him to touch base. The two of them go to see Megatron, who’s still trapped in the forcefield hamster ball Wheeljack stuffed inside his chest back in RID. Starscream teases Rattrap about trying to be conniving, comparing it to his own endeavors as the Decepticon SIC, and offers a bit of advice.

Implying that Starscream hasn’t been flying by the seat of his proverbial pants since he became a main character in Phase Two.

Starscream, having met his daily quota of rubbing his success in Megatron’s face, goes off to see what he can do about this Titan situation.

Over at the Titan itself, the Autobots and Decepticons are duking it out, with the man of the hour gracing us with his presence.

Outstanding, you funky little robot.

Arcee tries a little banter, but it falls flat, and instead she just decides to sword fight a cat. Bumblebee asks Soundwave just what the hell he thinks he’s doing, and Soundwave gives a complete non-answer in the form of Decepticon propaganda, because anything else would make things too easy. This is where Starscream shows up and has his little chat with the Titan.

Back over in prison, Rattrap’s getting the skinny on the dark prophecy Scoop introduced into the narrative last issue. Rattrap wants to know just how this information got passed around so well outside of jail, and Scoop suggests that there are people who perhaps have a vetted interest in what may or may not be happening with Starscream. Then Rattrap makes it weird by A) not being terribly concerned about the potential end of the world and B) being impressed by the idea that Starscream somehow planned said end of the world.

This Skywarp issue is really good.

Over with the Lost Light, Ultra Magnus has taken command, and the lads are about to make the quantum jump to chase after Jhiaxus. But wait! Something’s off! The ship’s moving in a way that it shouldn’t be! Very odd, that. Brainstorm calls with answers, asking Magnus to grab Getaway, for some friggin’ reason, and head down to the shuttle bay.

Getaway asks Magnus how it feels to be big man on campus, and Magnus seems to think it’s a bit overrated.

Wow, someone needs to go talk to Xaaron about maybe thinking through his debate topics before he posts them, so he doesn’t get pegged as a space racist. The Universal Killswitch happened, like, last week, my dude.

The two of them get to the shuttle bay to discover that Metroplex’s thumb- which they picked up back in Spotlight: Trailcutter- is floating, and more or less pushing the Lost Light off-course. Getaway is pretty jazzed to see this thing on the ship, sort of missing the bigger picture. Brainstorm hypothesizes that Metroplex is using his severed thumb to guide the Lost Light to him.

Not sure why Getaway needed to be here for this.

Back on Cybertron, Everyone watches as Starscream flies up to the Titan. Arcee is ready to blast him out of the sky with a gun as big as she is, but Bumblebee wants to see where this goes. This pisses Prowl the hell off, and he starts yelling, but Bumblebee tells him to shut up. Bumblebee tells a lot of people to shut up in “Dark Cybertron”.

So we’ve got a team-up going on between the Autobots and the Decepticons- Bumblebee says it isn’t, but it pretty much is. Soundwave and Prowl get into a bit of a scuff, as Starscream lands and asks the Titan to chat.

Yeah, that doesn’t really work out too well.

Starscream manages to escape the Titan death blast in his alt, as the poor bastards on the ground below begin to dissolve into black fizz.

But Skywarp’s okay, so it can’t be all bad!

Yeeeeah, Skywarp.

Prowl starts yelling at Bumblebee again, as if he can’t see that the friggin’ death wave the Titan shot out of its face is still heading for Iacon, Starscream just barely managing to stay ahead of it. He lands as it hits, screaming about how Cybertron is his and he’s not gonna let some murder energy to steal his thunder, bracing his arms out as if that’ll do anything. Everyone watching him do this has about the expression you’d expect from witnessing such madness.

As the Iaconian populace gets dusted, someone else wakes up from the dead. It’s Metalhawk, and it’s time for him to become a tool of the narrative.

Metalhawk launches into the air and lands on top of Starscream, interrupting his personal diatribe to gripe about how he killed him. Still, there are bigger fish to fry, as he kicks Starscream through a wall and walks into the room where they keep Megatron.

Metalhawk releases Megatron from his hamster ball prison and carries him away, despite Starscream maybe insinuating that Megatron is dead somehow? It’s not super clear. Anyway, Metalhawk must do some pretty intense arm exercises, because he carries Megatron out and shoots into the air, holding him one-handed to his side.

Eat your veggies, kids, and you too can kidnap an entire warlord.

As the city falls apart, Rattrap and Scoop enter the scene, the prison likely having collapsed in the aftershocks of the death wave. Good thing they’re giant robots who can’t be killed by mere crushing damage. Rattrap tries to connive, but Scoop is more concerned with the fact that many people are dying, because he’s a somewhat decent person. Some of these people have begun to turn on Starscream, who takes it about as well be you’d expect.

Back on the Lost Light, the lads have decided to go find Metroplex, and to hell with bringing Jhiaxus to justice. At least for now. Of course, Ratchet tries to argue that they should do what Orion wanted them to do, but Orion isn’t here right now, is he? And Orion isn’t the space pope at this present time, now is he? So yeah. Metroplex time. They quantum jump, ending up underwater, with said water swarming with robots. That might be an issue, especially since they don’t seem to be terribly friendly.

Back in the Crystal City with Shockwave, Metalhawk’s dropped off the package, and Shockwave reminds us that he installed a space bridge in Megatron’s torso. Scientists sure do like to shove random bullshit into Megatron’s torso.

Hey.

Let’s talk about the NAILs for a second.

This is Tappet. I’ve been calling him Hat Guy up until this point, but his name is Tappet.

Everything Tappet done in the last 20+ issues of RID can be explained without him being the subject of the sentence:

The Decepticons kicked Tappet’s ass. Prowl sent Tappet to prison. Metalhawk bailed Tappet out of prison. Metalhawk brought Sky-Byte to the trashcan fire to talk to Tappet and some other neutrals. Starscream takes off his top as Tappet watches.

The point I’m trying to make here is that Tappet doesn’t actually do anything. None of the NAILs actually do anything, other than die and fill out crowd shots. Sometimes they bitch about the current situation, but even then, a lot of the time, those more vocal NAILs were actually involved in the war at some point.

This is an issue, because we’ve been presented with this entirely new group that’s in direct opposition of the war caused by every character we’d met prior to The Death of Optimus Prime.

And they have zero agency within the story. Shit just happens around them and they react. In fact, one of the major point points of RID is whether or not the Autobots should let the NAILs have agency within the very government that rules them, and it is such a point of contention that it takes literal in-story months and several disasters for them to reach a consensus. A decision that barely involves input from Metalhawk, the guy who is a NAIL, and is meant to be their advocate. Metalhawk, who is supposed to be on the same level as Bumblebee in terms of sway in the narrative.

At first, he did- he was the subtly conniving bastard who would trip Bumblebee up in front of others to make him look bad, and then deny anything of the sort happened if questioned. It was an interesting dynamic with a character that was new to the continuity. Metalhawk was interesting.

Then Starscream got involved, and Metalhawk’s role was reduced to yes-man and character motivation to both of them, because conniving is Starscream’s thing, and obviously we can’t have two bastards gang up on poor, sweet lil’ Bumblebee.

Who had a remote control that could blow up people’s heads if they pissed him off.

You remember when Bumblebee was the kid appeal character? Because I do.

The point is, the NAILs exist, but their existence isn’t justified within the story. They’re set-dressing, not characters. And now Metalhawk in particular is a prop for Shockwave, and somehow I doubt the other guys are going to be doing a hell of a lot in this story.

I dunno, it just seems like a bit of a waste.

Anyway, Skywarp sure was present in his toy tie-in issue, huh? Remember when he did that thing? And the stuff? Ah man, that was so cool!

Yeah, someone probably crossed their I’s and dotted their T’s on this one, because I’m pretty friggin’ sure this wasn’t meant to be his, even if the exclusive cover says otherwise.

#transformers #jro #dark cybertron #issue 3 #rid #exrid #issue 23 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #comic script writing

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killersolo · 4 years ago

Text

OC ask games but instead if reblogging the asks I answer them myself for Eugene's development

put under a read more cause this is....long [also i couldnt answer all questions oops]

dnd character ask meme by gendermybeloved

what kind of clothing does your character like to wear? do they have a style? anything they avoid wearing? Eugene wears button ups, a lot, with funky little patterns on them. Usually they are blue, turquoise, green and pink. He usually just wears blue denim pants, however if his shirt is blue he tries to avoid wearing blue pants under them. As for shoes he just wears, usually white, sneakers.

what's their current hairstyle? has it changed? do they change it often? Eugene's hair is short, but the long kind of short. He usually wears it with a small crest, but sometimes he lets it down too. During Mann Co. it was a lot shorter because Soldier demanded they'd all keep their hair short. In his mid-teens [15-16] he started off with a bit of a mullet that eventually grew into longer hair that he'd keep in place with a headband, [think Your Worst Nightmare kind of long] he cut it off at around 17.

is your character more articulate in their thoughts than their words? if yes, do they do anything about that? do they care? Eugene is more articulate in his thoughts, he tends to have very rambled thoughts that make sense to him but when he has to out those words it can be a little chaotic/rambly as well. But if he has to prepare text it comes out a lot more structured. He doesn't do anything about it cause he enjoys being a little chaotic like that.

would your character sing along to a vaguely familiar song, even if they messed up the lyrics as they went? No, Eugene will only sing along if he knows the words. If a song is vaguely familiar he'll only hum along with it.

if they wear any, how does your character go about applying makeup? Eugene doesn't wear makeup.

do they usually sleep in a certain pose? does it change? Fetal position is the go to but not a necessity when sleeping.

how would they react to eating something that was spicier than they expected it to be? Tears would form in his eyes and he'd cough a little but he's too stubborn to admit he can't handle it/it's too spicy.

are their hands steady? Yes, absolutely. Thanks to sniper training they got steadier than before.

if someone gave them flowers, what would they do with them? He'd be very confused. Eventually he'll accept them but it's very uncomfortable and awkward for him. If something like this [affection and/or something so confronting and unexpected] happens to him he'll be the type to say no out of discomfort even though he'd want to say yes.

would they sneak out at night to look at the sky? how long would they stay there looking? Absolutely, he'd use his dogs as an excuse to go outside and he'd just stay there for as long as he or his dogs like.

how do they feel about casual endearments? (babe, etc) Uncomfortable, he'd need to get used to them a lot.

what colour would they paint their room? would there be a design on the ceiling? He'd be too undecisive to choose colours or patterns. On the ceiling there are those green and purple glow in the dark stickers.

what helps them fall asleep when they're having trouble doing so? ASMR or watching those YouTube documentaries.

do they tend to run hot or cold? do they do anything to deal with that? xx I'm not sure what this question means

what's a sound they can't stand? The sound [and sight] of people eating.

would they draw patterns in frosted windows/fogged up mirrors? what would they draw? He'd draw smiley faces and dogs [and male genitalia when it's appropriate.]

do they fidget? how and/or with what? A lot! He has multiple fidget. He scratches his neck a lot, he scratches his thumbs a lot too, and he rubs his knuckles over his chest sometimes [ this also because of the scar itching].

would they sing a lullaby, if the opportunity arose? Nah, not a fan of lullabies.

do they see patterns in the world around them? do they point them out to people? All the time, but he barely points them out because more often than not people look at him weird for either not seeing the pattern or confusion.

do they like to keep plants/growing things in their space? His favourites are cacti and succulents, though most of them are fake because he forgets to take care of them a lot.

do they touch or mess with their hair/horns a lot? Usually only the hair on his neck thanks to his neck scratches, and a hand through his hair once in a while but that's it.

when they speak, do they have a default tone of voice? if yes, do they try to change it? why?

do they wrap their arms around their stomach when it hurts?

what kind of bookmarks, if any, do they like to use? No bookmarks, only memory. When it's a book they read in class, he uses colour coded sticky bookmarks for discussions in class.

do they keep books on their person? what kind? Only when he needs to bring them to his job, or when he plans on reading them [for example on a long train ride].

do they write in their books? do they mind other people writing in their books? what do they write? Yes, he writes in his books mainly for things he notices or for discussion points in class [like foreshadowing or patterns or smth similar]

do they write often? why/what about? Not really, Eugene sometimes tries to write down what he feels, because he has troubles expressing emotion and he hopes it may help him.

if they can fly, how do they feel in the moment their feet touch the ground again? n/a

if they wear any, where did they get their jewellery? He has matching sword necklaces with Demoman, but he only rarely wears it. He doesn't like jewellery too much as it feels bothersome to him.

have they ever tried to count their own freckles? do they count other people's? n/a, no freckles.

did they climb all over/onto things as a kid? Only in trees.

can they play darts? would they? He can easily play, and win, darts thanks to his aim as an ex-sniper but he doesn't because he just thinks it boring.

where are they in a group hug? (dead center, outside, etc) Nowhere, group hugs are too overwhelming [too much touching]

what's the first thing they think when they hear an alarm? what's the first thing they do? His ears perk up and he looks around to try and figure out what is going on.

do they sing with their head voice or their chest voice? Chest voice

(if they have hair that needs to be brushed) how often do they do so? do they do it gently? n/a

how would they pass the time on a train? Either reading, listening to music or playing puzzle games [like picross or I Love Hue].

do they bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of their fingers? are they likely to forget it's there and smudge their nose? im not sure how to answer this one

do they keep working even when their wrists start to cramp? if they do, do they give themselves a break when the work is done? He does keep working because, once he's started something and is in the right mindset he doesn't want to stop and once again he's too stubborn to stop as well.

if their mattress became uncomfortable as time passed, would they notice it? would they do anything about it? He wouldn't notice because he already gets barely any sleep anyway.

20 assorted OC asks by pieniharmaakani

Why did you pick their name? I blame Eugene from Animal Crossing.

Why did your character get that name in-universe? I haven't thought about this yet tbh.

How do they talk in a formal situation?

How do they talk with close people?

If they got a tattoo, what kind? If they have tattoos, what would their next one be? He's got an aboriginal kangaroo tattoo on his upper right arm/shoulder. A crocodile tattoo from his lower back to his stomach, and a snake tattoo from his knee, going around his leg and ending at his foot/ankle. For his next tattoo he maybe wants something small on his hip or collarbone, but he isn't sure what.

Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, downhill tobogganing/sledding, or ice skating? Ice skating, as it's most similar to roller-skating.

Their 2020s AU quarantine craft of choice? Music, and trying to cook but failing poorly.

Which era of historical fashion do you think would fit them?

What's their most annoying trait? His stubbornness and struggle to let go [inflexibility].

What makes them nice to be around?

What do they look for first in another person?

What do other people often notice first in them?

Their cliche YA novel scent combo? (Like 'X smelled like rhododendron and dewdrops and the pages of a 100-year-old library book 😩')

Good or bad at math? Bad/average.

Likes studying languages, yes or no? Yes!

Kitchen catastrophe or gourmet home cook? Catastrophe

What's their breakfast like? Boring, just the regular cereal with milk, and if he's late just the nearest thing he can get his hands on.

Do they have a favourite accessory / item of clothing? If yes, why that? Nope not at all.

What cute thing were they into as a tween that they cringe about now? (Let them know I love it!)

What kind of people are their type that they find most attractive? (Either platonic, romantic or sexual attraction.)

Oc Asks Game by inky-duchess

What is your character's reaction to a minor inconvenience? Such as getting their jumper caught on a door handle? Normally he wouldn't mind but when he's having a bad day he'd lose his mind.

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate or other? Tea is the usual hot drink! The other two only in specific situations.

What does their safe space look like?

What do they consider to be an unforgivable action? Why?

Do they have any nicknames or pet names or other aliases?

What kind of books comfort them? What books help them heal after a hard day?

Are they a naturally assertive person or are they painfully shy? Usually a bit assertive but when a situation is unfamiliar he can be a bit taken aback/shy, but he can adapt quite quickly.

Do they consider themselves a friendly person or aloof? He considers himself friendly, but he can come across a bit aloof at certain times.

What is your character's trigger point? What makes them angry, sad or makes them go off?

What kind of jokes make them laugh?

Do they enjoy pranks or do they hate them? Are they likely to fall for a prank? If the prank is harmless he enjoys them. He falls for pranks a lot because of his obliviousness/naiveté/whatever that thing that autistic people have is called.

Are they an overall healthy person? Do they make for a good patient or a terror?

Describe your character's typical wardrobe for the regular day. Button up, jeans and sneakers.

Are they a simple person to please or difficult?

What is the first thing people notice about them?

What do they look for in a friend? A love interest?

Who are they soft for? Do they find being soft easy or difficult?

Describe your character through a Brooklyn 99 gif or line.

What does your character consider to be their lowest point?

Does your character have a comfort item?

What would be one item that they would hate to lose most?

What are their eating habits like? Do they snack throughout the day? Or do they eat sparsely? Sparsely, he forgets to eat quite a lot and even when he does it's not really enjoyable.

What is your character's favourite food and who cooks it best?

What are your character's special skills?

What are somethings they find difficult to do? Or say?

Are they an animal person? Do they have pets? Eugene loves animals more than anything in the world, he absolutely melts at them. He's got 2 dogs himself as well.

What are their opinions on children? Do they view children as sweet angels or evil crotch goblins? He really doesn't like kids,,,at all. He doesn't want kids either.

If your character was in today's world, what social media platforms would they avoid? Or be prominent on? He'd try to avoid facebook, instagram and twitter, though he would post to instagram or twitter just once in a while. He uses discord for friends and even 1 class for the pandemic. WhatsApp is used mainly for contact.

Are they an organised person? Or more laissez-faire? It's organised chaos. He's got everything organized but only in a way that he knows where everything is.

Do they dwell better in chaotic situations or more linear situations? Linear

Your character has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask do they wear?

Your character is having a prom night/debs. What kind of outfit do they wear?

How do they act around people they don't know? Are they shy around strangers or dismissive of them?

Can your character drive? If so, what kind of driver are they? If not what's their preferred manner of transport? He can drive just fine, he's a very relaxed driver but can't focus when other people in the car talk too much.

What attracts your character to another person? What kind of person do they do for?

Tell us something about your OC that doesn't make it onto the page? He's got quite the bit of trauma/ptsd. The reason I haven't talked about this yet is because I'm not sure how to write it accurately, yet.

Your character has been kidnapped. Who has kidnapped them and how do they escape?

How does your character unwind after a long day?

What's your character's guilty pleasure?

Your character's friend has just been mugged. What's their reaction?

Your character has been punched into the face. What's their reaction? He's not a huge fan of violent/physical confrontations, so he'd just get angry with whoever punched them. If they punch a second time, Eugene will gladly return it.

Does your character celebrate their birthday? If not, why? Yeah

What is the DND alignment? Chaotic Neutral

Hogwarts House?

Star Sign? Leo

Does your character believe in anything? Religion? Superstition? He's neutral on it, but he find it fascinating and interesting to talk about.

What is your character's reaction when someone does something nice for them? Discomfort.

Is your character easy to make cry? Or angry? Or annoyed? Not angry or annoyed but frustrated.

What is your character's biggest fear? Most irrational? Being forgotten.

How does your sleep at night? Are they a heavy or light sleeper? Do they dream or have nightmares? Do they find it easy to sleep or are they more a night owl? He's more of a night owl, but when he sleeps he does have nightmares quite often. He only sleeps when he's completely exhausted.

#out of classes #headcanons #//just wanted to do this for fun #:D

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keepyourpantsongohan · 4 years ago

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Ayesha Liveblogs Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card S1

Not to be someone born in the 90s but wow this is a change from the more simple animation style new anime truly likes things shiny, intensely bright and round lmao

Ah I guess the prologue is just a reanimation of the original anime finale? That’s fair it helps you reintegrate if it had been nineteen years for you

“That way, you’ll realize who you consider to be your Number One” Eriol’s advice has gotten less cryptic since he stopped lying

“The person I love the most... is you” Lmao didn’t Syaoran ALREADY do this confession in the final battle this is like in Naruto the Last where Naruto just forgot that Hinata had already said she loved him

Fdshkfjhkjdfhksjhfkjh wow Yukito appearing with a flower background and shine effect and softened face is this a style choice or is this just Toya Vision™

I think Toya’s voice IS different rest in pieces I still respect u bro

“How do I feel about Syaoran” [Pan across Syaoran in floral background] It is a style choice how very shojo manga of you

I’m really very confused by the references to Tokyo Tower bc I’m pretty sure they were battling at Tsukimine Shrine did I miss something??

No I just checked it was definitely at the shrine in the anime did THEY not check or were they like ‘hmmm not enough drama only Tokyo Tower for our battle backdrops pls’

This is the third or fourth flower backdrop in the first ten minutes jkhkdjhg the floral effect artists said ‘I WILL BE SILENT NO LONGER’:

I DO NOT understand the chronology of this the bear exchange was the last scene in the anime is this before or after the finale???? If it’s after then why is Syaoran still in town

Rjhkjhgkj is the entire point of redoing this episode so Sakura could also give Syaoran a bear

“Toya was too embarrassed, so he had me bring it over and went back to his room” Lmao @ Toya sending his boyfriend to be nice to his sister in his place

If this show does not stop the floral cutaways I will not be able to take it seriously it is Ouran High School Host Club levels of intensity jdshfkjshdfkjhsdk

“Will you wait for me?” “Yes! I’ll wait! I’ll be waiting!” I think they threw out all continuity just so they could establish that these feelings were for sure mutual for the setup of the sequel series

That, or the original series so heavily discarded manga continuity that they are trying to walk it back to something more accurate without any real explanation

Rffkghkfghkdfhgkj if they’re referencing the original anime bear scene what was the point of that stupid prologue SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH

“My name is Mike. I’m from Portland” LOL references to Americans in anime are always so funny

“Now I can stay in Tomoeda forever” did u bring ur mom and sisters orrr

Gosh I’m actually quite thrown by how quickly this romance escalated it took them 57 episodes to just use each other’s first names and now it’s taken them one (1) episode to Commit 4Ever At Age 13

HAHAHA do they have smart phones now? Always on the cutting edge

“I Am a Stuffed Animal” some of the quirky captions ARE worth it

“Make sure you tell him... even the smallest things” Yue has become more of a romantic since he got closure and a part-time boyfriend

“I never knew! Thanks for telling me!” “Never change, Li-kun” kjhgkjhdkj STILL MY GULLIBLE BOY some things don’t ever change

Is that a dragon?? They are really expanding this magical universe

It bears repeating the polar opposite levels of pacing from the two shows it’s only episode one and they’ve already established so many new rules and powers

I don’t blame them for it though bc they have to put forward some kind of plot progression

There were so many visual effects in that scene I couldn’t even tell what was happening lmao it’s like reading manga battles

“But why are these things happening in Tomoeda again?” I mean not to point fingers but Syaoran’s arrival is fairly recent

“Did Wei-san come back with you” “No, just me. But he said he’d come to check on me in a while” HE’S 13?? CHILD. WELFARE. LAWS!!!!

“I wish that I could’ve used it as a reference” “For what?” “To make something that would look wonderful on you” LMAO now that Syaoran and Sakura are a thing He is Included in the outfits

“’Great to have you’ so you can do what?” don’t bully ur sister Toya, u r both happy with your respective relationships now

WHAT ARE THE STAKES OF KERO PRETENDING TO BE A PLUSHIE TOYA IS LITERALLY DATING THE MOON

I understood “Gale” but what exactly is a “Siege” card this feels a little abstract

“We managed to keep him in the dark” did u tho? Again. Moon boyfriend

“So it happened in her room” Did u put a protection spell on that bear or something Syaoran

I genuinely do not tire of Syaoran and Sakura’s shared gullibility this couple is morosexual solidarity

How convenient that Sakura’s new key just announces whenever there’s a new clear card to collect lmao

I meant what I said about Toya’s love language being touching Yukito somewhere above the shoulders

“You’ll find out when the time comes” Dfddjhfjkdhf Toya what are you going to DO

Two cards in one episode is quite a bit for ep 3 I guess they’re trying to give her some more fighting options lol

Is the implication of the way Sakura just happens to be coming across magical phenomenon that Clow Reed didn’t make his cards but just harnessed magic that existed in nature

For no reason other than my own suspicion I think that something funky is going on with Syaoran’s powers

“That person was almost the same height as me” I mean so was Eriol

“Sakura and the Lovely Transfer Student” we know by now transfer students mean that shit’s about to get real

“And then you slept with your belly uncovered” “I did not!” Toya’s gentle bullying to distract Sakura is always weirdly sweet

“Your brother is so funny Sakura” CHIHARU’S RIGHT STAN TOYA

SHINOMOTO ARE YOU SHITTING ME JHDFGHDGDFDD WHY DOES IT RHYME

“I hope we can be friends” if I know anything about this show this means she’s going to do something very shady immediately

I wonder if this will be the season that Tomoyo’s filming of everything Sakura does finally becomes plot relevant

I do think it’s weird that Sakura trusted a new key without questioning it

“I’m changing back” LOL @ YUE TRANSFORMING INTO YUKITO JUST TO AVOID PEOPLE I’M STARTING TO REALLY LIKE HIM

DGSJGSJDGDJGSFFSJDHJS YUKITO APOLOGIZING FOR YUE LEAVING RUDELY THAT’S MY POLITE AND HANDSOME MAN WHO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG IN HIS LIFE

I KNEW Syaoran was being suspicious!!! Talking about Sakura with Eriol in secret phone calls

“I came here to be ready for that time, when it comes” current theory is that Syaoran has NO powers and that’s why he is not running out of his classroom for teenage battles with the Forces of Nature

“How much has Yukito-san been eating?” “Not as much as he did when you were in elementary school, but he still eats a lot for his size” This must be a strange conversation for their dad to listen to but I like how this is code for Does Yukito Have Magical Chakra Exhaustion

“Um, I just... Phone call” said Sakura, as she was forcibly moonwalked away right in front of her friends’ eyes

LOL is Tomoyo being unable to film Sakura going to be a recurring joke

“Don’t worry about it” “I have to, when it’s about you” Syaoran really going Full Boyfriend Mode huh

I’ve never questioned it in until precisely this moment but who pays Kero’s phone bill?? Is it Tomoyo? Who is the account holder for this stuffed animal did she establish Kero as a legal person

“Momo-chan, let’s be friends okay?” I feel like this has to be immediate foreshadowing for Momo being alive

[Cucumber cut incorrectly] “Gotta show Yuki” hjkfhksjdhfkjhd rude of Toya but the caption kills me

Ddjkhfkjdhfjkdhfkjh the pure juxtaposition of this energy:

Tomoyo: They have other things to do

Chiharu, thinking that it’s a romance thing: [Winks]

Syaoran and Sakura: [In the shadows while threatening music plays]

“I didn’t feel... anything” oh NO why r their magic senses NOT tingling

I feel like I have been had, they had an episode called the “Song of the Moon” and Yukito didn’t even show up?? Rude

SCREAM this magical FaceTime call is much funnier than I could’ve imagined

“Yukito is in a recitation club, which he takes very seriously” GDGJFGJGJHGDG Yue very respectful of not occupying Yukito’s time with magical shenanigans LMAO

“And we’ll make them the cutest oxygen masks you’ve ever seen” Tomoyo, like the background effects artists in this anime, will not be stopped

Well colour me inaccurate I guess Syaoran can use his powers and he can do a fancy new sword thing

I like this flying scarf it’s the first of the new cards with a personality

Poor Syaoran always so serious to being a Teenage Wizard is hard

Wow I bet there’s NOTHING weird about the fact Akiho lives in Eriol’s house it’s just pure happenstance (said no one)

“Could we um, go out together?” I think this is the first time someone has explicitly scheduled a date in all 80+ episodes

I really do enjoy Toya’s never-ending list of temp jobs lmao

“Still going on, huh?” Toya’s older brother senses are unparalleled

LMAO IS THIS A 15 YEAR OLD BUTLER

Ghgjhfjfjhfjh what is the scale for these heights why is Kaito twice the height of these 13-year-olds

Unsubtle shot of this man’s pocket watch echoing Sakura’s dream

I’ve never seen a more Rich Person Reaction than Akiho getting upset that Katio, a service worker, stated that taking care of her was his job hfkjdhfkjh

“I came to Japan because there was a book I wanted”

1. VERY Rich Person thing to say

2. Wow I wonder which of you has a MAGICAL BOOK that’s been doing weird things lately

“What language is it” “I don’t know, but I’ve learned to read it” me when I hear people speak South Asian languages LMAO

Why does everyone keep referencing the Time That’s Coming? Toya, Syaoran, Eriol... they’ve all caught Mizuki’s affliction of vague and unhelpful prophecies

*One more go to jail Mizuki for the road

I hope that these stupid FaceTime calls with Yue are in EVERY episode from now on

Does the fact that he’s listed as Yue-san in Sakura’s phone mean that there’s a phone for each personality omg

OMG I just realized the ep title (Sakura’s Thrilling Aquarium Visit) must be a throwback to “Sakura’s Heart-Racing First Date” which was not a date but took place at an aquarium. Cute!!

GJHGSHJGFSGH Yue is me whenever people talk about video games:

Kero: Hey, Yue, play an online game with me

Yue: [Hangs up immediately]

“I made you wait” “Nah, I got here too early. It’s still twelve minutes before our meeting time.” I think she and Yukito had this exact exchange in that early ep

“She doesn’t have magical powers, but she’s oddly perceptive” I hope that Meilin’s one and only magical power is precognition lmao

Omg every time someone in this show speaks English I am so thrown

“I wasn’t sure how I should look at him” awww Syaoran trying to re-establish himself in the family

I guess this aquarium HAS changed in that it developed a security system for when the tank breaks [youknowwhathatisgrowth.gif]

LOL I guess it’s convenient to have an invisibility cloak when ur breaking and entering I was wondering how they were going to deal with their criminal behaviour in the age of cameras

Ep 10. Sakura’s Unbelievable Juvenile Detention Centre

Weel weel weel looks like Sakura isn’t the only one with new powers nice ice Syaoran!! I missed their tag team fights

OH MY GOD IF THIS PHOTO ALBUM ACCEPTS THE CONTINUITY OF THE SECOND MOVIE THEN SAKURA AND SYAORAN HAVE ALREADY! DONE! THEIR! CONFESSIONS! WOULD YOU PICK A LANE

“You want the person you like to eat good food” Besides the fact Kaito is twice your height and therefore probably an adult... u should not make advances on people u employ - this is all very bad-vibes-no-jutsu

I am shocked that it took this long for Sakura to notice that her new cards paralleled the old cards

Syaoran is staring at Kaito like he murdered his spouse in a previous life

“So he has Moon magic too?” UHHHH WAS SYAORAN’S MAGIC ALWAYS MOON-BASED I FEEL LIKE THAT’S NOT CLEAR

Also very unclear why Eriol keeps leaving her on read if he’s talking to Syaoran what

I love how Kero has independent friendships and communications with both Yukito and Tomoyo lmao

How many times has Penguin Park been destroyed by now

“Perhaps your dream is gradually progressing” Progressing into what exactly the Battle of the Nice Thirteen-Year-Olds

Why is it that magic in this universe comes with above-average athletic ability LOL

Once again, without a body/personification, these cards seem harsh

Kaito seems like too much of a red herring a la Mizuki so I’m going to assume the other presence we see is someone we either haven’t met yet or smth really fucked up with the rest of the main cast

I’d lose my mind if it was Toya but I genuinely hope not he’s too nice

I honestly missed Meilin ever since she chilled out a bit she’s very fun

“The emoji in her message definitely looked thrilled” [Bob Dylan voice] For the times they are a-changin’.....

“I don’t know when it’ll happen, but when it does you’ll know” Toya.......

Toya’s absolutely nonplussed reaction to his Moon Boyfriend never ceases to amaze

Yukito: [Sighs and floats into the air to wrap in a wing cocoon]

Toya: [Sitting and staring unfazed]

Also am I crazy or was that transformation on purpose bc it really had the energy of ‘Fine if you won’t talk to me maybe you’ll talk to Rude Magical Me!!’

“Did I change again?” GUESS NOT LMAO

Also it’s fun how as different as Yukito and Yue are, their shared brain cell says ‘TOYA COMMUNICATE WITH MEE’

“But ever since Syaoran came back, he’s had something important on his mind” People don’t give Sakura enough credit for her emotional intelligence

Can we take a minute to appreciate Sakura’s outfit fashion ICON

What is this Furry card that makes u dress up in ears and a tail lmao

“I’ll treasure [these cookies]” “I’d rather you ate them” LOL

My Furry card prediction gets more and more accurate with each passing second (even a broken clock’s right twice a day)

Uhhhhh Syaoran what did u sell to the moon devil to be able to cut through the space-time continuum

Sakura: NO THAT’S MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SYAORAN

SCREAM this family and their circle of hair cutting (also if Yukito cuts Toya’s hair, does Toya cut Yukito’s? Or does it not grow bc magic jfhkfh)

“I’m pretty sure that was middle school English” Sakura hearing English is me hearing French LMAO

“Sucks, doesn’t he?” MEILIN PLS

Djhfjkdhkjfhjk Tomoyo’s immediate rage at being the centre of attention

SAKURA DOING MAGIC RIGHT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE OMG

“Surround the entire mansion” Very subtle Sakura I’m sure no one in your whole town will notice

“I hear her father specializes in archaeology, so he might have some interesting books” “Have I mentioned Sakura-san’s father to you before?” [Dramatic cut in music] WELL

Oh my GOD did Kaito just turn back time bc he regretted what he said immediately? Honestly a mood

Also: BITCH

“You’re so alike, and not just because of your names” I have to say I’ve been thinking since her first appearance that Akiho looks like Nadeshiko so if they’re not related I will be surprised

“Sometimes watching good people makes me feel sad” well damn Meilin

I’m going to guess this Teenage Robot is the equivalent of the fight card that Meilin fought upon her introduction

Aw HELL YEAH SAKURA AND MEILIN TAG TEAM FIGHT WOOOO

“Aren’t you and Syaoran doing too much for those you care about, and forgetting to care about yourselves?” WELL DAMN MEILIN U R THE NEW TEENAGE SUPERHERO THERAPIST

“Can I call you ‘Sakura’ from now on, too?” AHHH THESE KIDS

LMAO AMAZING IT TOOK 13 STRAIGHT EPISODES FOR MOMO TO EVEN TWITCH

“We are indeed progressing... toward that time” I feel THREATENED

Once again I cannot stress strongly enough how much I love physical comedy

Sakura: They don’t seem to be causing any harm

The dessert rolls:

GOD the roll cakes eating each other to form one giant monster Babushka doll roll cake jhfjkdhgkdjhgkj incredible

EXCUSE ME MA’AM WHY WAS THERE A DEMON GIRL IN THE REFLECTION OF THIS SHATTERED CARD

“Please laugh again” Akiho is v nice I really hope Kaito isn’t mean

“Once a magical contract is formed, it can’t be broken, unless something really serious happens” [Quirrel voice] Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?

“What do you feel” “I think it’s a card” Very observant Sakura I think they gathered that

When Sakura gets all four of the base elements is Momo going to turn into a 200 pound giant rabbit

I like that every time Toya is concerned about Sakura, Yue appears suddenly to discuss the matter seriously with him [Gay and Wondorous Life of Caleb Gallo voice] He’s in this relationship!!

“When you’re angry or upset, it shows on your face, even if you don’t say it” Yue IS in this relationship woooow

“When humans realize they’re talking to a fox, they won’t sell you mittens. In fact, they’ll catch you and put you in a cage.” UH who is the fox in this metaphor not Sakura I hope???

Years later Syaoran is still winded if Sakura makes too much eye contact khgkghkjg

The fact that Yukito reads at a children’s hospital... truly one of The Nicest Not-Humans On Earth

Well with each passing episode we have less and less reasons to trust these cards and Kaito the Young Magical Butler

Ever since Kaito reversed time, I cannot shake the persistent thought that Akiho IS Nadeshiko. That’d be weird but u know... I’ve seen this show do weirder

“Your sweets look better” “No, yours!” Grandpa witnessing this date

“Also if Sakura-chan goes to college or wants to do something else, he wants to help” TOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“Any further, and you won’t be able to return” NADESHIKO BE MORE SPECIFIC

“It was my robe” Wait what ur family is a magical society or smth and somehow u don’t know Akiho??? How in the whomst

Everyone in this anime is like, ‘Haha Yue looks mad’ as if Yue does not look mad every second that he’s alive

KHKJHKFJHKJFHJ GRANDPA MASAKI REALLY GONNA GIVE SAKURA A HOUSE AND TOYA NOTHING LMAO WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE THE LEAST FAVOURITE GREAT-GRANDCHILD LOL

“Nadeshiko would talk to things that weren’t there, and try to reach an understanding with things that couldn’t talk” 91 EPISODES LATER AND MR. KINOMOTO FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES MAGIC?? OKAY

AND HE KNEW BOTH SAKURA AND TOYA HAVE HAD MAGICAL PROBLEMS FOR 3 YEARS!!! MR. KINOMOTO WHAT KIND OF HANDS-OFF PARENTING

“I want me to tell me [about your pain] too” wow this is the CALL-OUT EPISODE

“The house they live in was once torn down and replaced with an amusement park” were the continuity errors of accepting the second movie... A PLOT POINT?!?!?!

DAMN U KAITO I REALLY WANTED THINGS TO BE OKAY FOR AKIHO

“But I’ve got a great poker face” “Yes you do. But Yue does not” JKHDKJGHKJSHGKJHDKJGHSDJGHKJH BY DIALOGUE ALONE IT’S LIKE WHENEVER ANYONE SEES YUE’S FACE TWITCH IT MEANS HE’S HAVING AN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN

Yue: Evil magic looming overhead is bad for your wifi signal actually

“I will obtain these new cards. So I can use the relic I took from the association to activate that magic spell” Kaito really laying out his motivations out loud in a library. Insensible. Vague and probably misleading. 1/10 villainous monologue

Sakura’s powers are WILD she can duplicate the strength of her magic

“Power that’s too strong will bring unhappiness to its owner” SYAORAN :((

I feel like the only way this can end is Toya giving Sakura magical noogie so she doesn’t have to carry all of her powers like the reverse of what he did for Yue-kito

THERE IS TOO LITTLE TIME LEFT IN THIS SHOW FOR ALL THE ANSWERS I NEED THERE’S ONLY 20 MINUTES AHHHH

THERE ARE 12 MINUTES LEFT AND STILL NO ANSWERS!!! WHAT HAPPENSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I GOT ABSOLUTELY NO ANSWERS OH MY GOD?!?!?!?!

#ayesha talks anime #ayesha liveblog ccs #liveblogging #long post

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ifritini · 5 years ago

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So the prompt was from a conversation that basically went “wait video games are real in FFXV that means I can play my favourite games haha nice” which devolved “haha the lads reacting to you falling for vidy game characters” and going with it. Basically I took a shitpost prompt and ran with it.

Noctis Lucis Caelum

He is OFFENDED the moment you either say it casually or let it slip. After all he's the one who suggested playing the game together to spend time together, only for you to proclaim your love for one of the characters. To think you'd fall for someone that's not him and admit to it just like that? Preposterous.

In his mind he knows it's all fictional and you truly love him. His heart however? It knows a thing or two about jealousy from even one offhand comment about your new fave video game spouse. There are of course doubts here and there over just how much you truly love him but he tries to ignore them. Success varies depending on his current peace of mind. As best as he tries to keep this jealousy up under wraps, it's hard for Noctis to not subconsciously pout over it.

He knows you love him more than that person on the television screen but sometimes knowing for himself isn't enough and you telling him that your love for him is far greater if not entirely incomparable to that of a fictional character. He knows it's petty and childish, but he will be smug about it. Perhaps even a "Take that!" directed at them.

Takes up to teasing you over it. "Oh look, there's your Prince not as charming as me." whenever they appear on screen. No, the pillow to the face won't shut him up no matter how many times you throw it at him.

Prompto Argentum

He is distraught. Shaken. His own chocobae betraying him like this, in his own home no less. He is quickly reduced into a mess faster than you can add onto your passing comment; "Man I think I'm falling for this character.". He believes his entire love life career has ended then and there. Prompto has been trying to play the game of love and he just got a fatality.

He's known jealousy towards characters before, wishing he was as cool or as smart as them in the past but now he's found a new type: your affection for them. He puffs out his chest and attempts to be ten times cooler ten times braver and ten times more badass than his newfound rival and it's hard for him to be subtle about it.

Prompto does need to be told that it's only a passing fictional crush and your love for him outshines the crush for this character, and always will. Sure they're neat but he's the whole cake with a cherry on top.

Apologises weeks later for his crisis because he progressed further in the game and fell in love with a separate character and understands precisely how you feel. You two bond over your fictional crushes and holding their hands while lounging on Prompto's couch holding each other's hands.

Gladiolus Amicitia

He is indifferent. Partially indifferent. The other part is mildly offended he now has competition he can't square up with face to face. Can this character hold you in their arms? Give you kisses? Take you on long hikes? No? Then what's the point of loving them when he's right there ready to do all that and more.

He can't say much though. He plays a ton of fighting games (and mostly got good at them to wipe the floor with Noctis whenever they played against each other) and Astrals know how many times he's felt a little swoon over either lady or man who could snap his spine in half with no effort. Not to count the same crushes with the same standards from the plethora of books he's read. To protest your crush would make him a hypocrite and Gladiolus most certainly isn't one.

Not to say he doesn't slip in "Bet they can't love you as much as I do." and bringing you closer without a warning and smothering you with all the love only he can give. Nope, not jealousy. Not one bit. "You realise I love you more right?" you ask and he just beams like he heard it for the first time again.

Much like Noctis he will relentlessly tease you over this. No you can't shut him up. No he won't stop. No shoving a pillow in his face won't work like with Noctis and he'll dodge it. But Astrals forbid you find out about his own pile of fictional crushes because it works wonders as a counterattack.

Ignis Scientia

Mostly confused over literal pixels managing to get your affection. Not that he blames you considering his schedule offers little free time but he can't help but find himself… Thinking. The day he admits this "thinking" is his cover up for sulking is the day he will die. A small, horrible little thought wonders if you're finally falling out of love with him. Again, he won't blame you due to his work.

As silly as it is Ignis admits he feels jealousy. To himself only of course. He would rather die than let anyone else know that some fictional person has his heart in a twist over you. Him being so in control over his emotions is his triumph, but after it's been eating away at him after a while it becomes his downfall.

"Did you really think I'd legitimately choose anyone over you?" comes your response after he finally decides to open up what's causing his most recent fowl mood. He knows it's silly. He assumes you know he knows it's silly. Yet hearing those words has him beaming. Hiding the self assured smug smile becomes harder with each passing second.

Won't tease you as bad as Noctis and Gladio, but does make a passing comment every now and then. Though instead of teasing you over your crush, it's more in the ilk of "A shame they're not there to hold you like I am."

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

She is FLOORED. What do you mean you love them? And what is she? A worm to you? She will be pouting about this and she will be miffed you can't take her seriously when she looks cute doing anything, including pouting. A shame she is very much so guilty of the same thing. You distinctly remember her talking about some muscle bound sword wielding girl in a television show a day before and how dreamy she was, and a week before about some ditzy male character in a book she found cute. She won't win this.

Jealous? Absolutely. Does she try to hide it? Yes and the keyword is try. You easily tell what's up when she's frowning at the television and that character appears. She'll have her few attempts at denying anything but finally caves in and admits that she does in fact envy your feelings for a bunch of pixels no matter how small the affection.

Knows she shouldn't need reassuring that you love her most but that doesn't stop her from revelling it when you confess your undying love. You can tell by the slight puffing up of her chest that she feels a GREAT sense of victory over this.

It's just back and forth teasing and both your fictional crushes turn into a battlefield. It's all a game who can get the other flustered worse and sadly there are no winners when you both end up a mess. It's all good, and the scores are always settled by cuddles right after the battle is fought.

Ravus Nox Fleuret

Frankly he is offended. Granted you cannot tell by his disgruntled look that seems to be ever prevalent no matter his current internal turmoil. He is right there in the flesh and you're fawning over pixels? He just doesn't get it and refuses to. Immediately takes the leap to conclusions and assumes you truly don't love this mess of a man anymore. Laments over his continuous loss and begins coming to terms with his fate of being unloved.

Tries not to be passive aggressive over it but it turns out it’s something easier said than done. Somehow he manages to perfectly convey it without any words - just glaring an impressive amount of daggers at the television screen. Hasn’t felt this jealous since that time before he could even muster up the courage to confess to you and he found out some random Niflheim soldier was chatting you up. At least then his competition was tangible. How was he to prove himself over some funky colours on the screen?

The cat’s finally out of the bag and your suspicions are confirmed when he makes his first ever direct remark: “What’s so great about them anyways.”. His tone absolutely takes you aback; he sounds like a sibling who received a second less worth of attention from a parent. Ravus has to get affirmation that you do in fact love him a whole lot more. Ravus will revel in this little fun fact - or would smug be a better word?

Cannot tease you without feeling jealousy creeping up and he absolutely hates himself for it. And so instead you get little offhand comments such as “Let them best me in a duel and we will see who wins your hand in marriage.” No varying levels of exasperation in your sigh will deter him, he will refuse to relent.

Ardyn Lucis Caelum

For the most part he is confused. Didn’t really think someone could catch a bad case of the feelings for a fictional character but sometimes it’s best some questions go unanswered. Jealousy? In my Ardyn? It’s… less likely than you think. He knows for a FACT whoever this person is on the screen cannot even begin to compare to what he has. Perhaps their one redeeming factor is not being a walking talking daemon parade and being able to not sting in sunlight but that’s not enough to outshine this package.

Doesn’t stop him from making a big show out of it all. He sees the chance to dramatically drape himself over your lap, lamenting how his one love has been snatched away by this stranger. The antics cannot and will not end.

Doesn’t really need confirmation that you do in fact love him more, but appreciates it when you say it nonetheless. That’s simply proving him right and the only thing he loves more than being right is you. The second bonus is more smugness to throw around. “Oh I pity that poor soul, never knowing what true love feels like. Unlike me, of course.”.

And a pity for you, because he’s found a new weaponised way to tease you with. A whole ten miles farther than Noctis or Gladio could ever wish for, you’d swear he’s writing you some sort of self insert fanfiction on the spot. The pros? He seems to be putting quite a lot of effort into it. The cons? He’s doing it specifically just to fluster you, alongside the things he decides to come up with to achieve that goal.

Aranea Highwind

Her confidence has not wavered since she found out. Or rather, it hasn’t wavered that much. Psh, of course you still love her. Right? Right? Good thing that inner turmoil is kept under wraps. She’d much rather an Astral strike her down where she stands rather than have to admit she has beef with a fictional character you just so happened to take a liking to.

Gets all in a little jealous twist wondering exactly what she’s missing. What does that pixelated rando have that she doesn’t? A physical body for one and that leaves her ever so slightly questioning her lover capabilities. Has she failed? Is this how it ends? You somehow ride off into the sunset with this character somehow materialised? What a life to live and this shall be her legacy.

Her act gets thrown off and while normally concerning, this time you’re grateful so you can pinpoint just what’s on her mind. She may huff all she wants but there’s not much one can do caught red handed. Logically she knows she doesn’t need that affirmation but emotionally? By the Astrals does she wanna hear it. “You do realise… I love you more right…?” Damn right you do. Her confidence has reached astronomical new levels.

There is no grandiose teasing but there is a few smug comments. Her goto is looking at the screen and tutting; “A shame they’ll never be me, huh babe?”. Absolutely takes is as a competition and knows she can win every battle by simply stating that she can do it ten times better, and will do it now given the chance.

#noctis x reader #prompto x reader #gladiolus x reader #ignis x reader #lunafreya x reader #ravus x reader #ardyn x reader #aranea x reader #final fantasy xv #ffxv #noctis lucis caelum #prompto argentum #gladiolous amicitia #ignis scientia #lunafreya nox fleuret #ravus nox fleuret #ardyn lucis caelum #aranea highwind

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phaticserpent · 5 years ago

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Playing with Fire

(Demigod! Reader x Ultron)

Summary: you have a little run in with the Avenger’s temporary recruit

CHAPTER SIX

You, Ultron, and the Maximoff twins decided to take a small relaxing hike. Which was odd, but Ultron insisted on a brief moment of peace. You didn’t argue, you needed a break since your back was hurting. There was an unexpected shift in the air, you could sense the atmosphere stop and the water from a nearby lake rose.

“Fuck.” You cursed as a wave of tsunami was thrown at you and the group. Pietro grabbed his sister just in time to bolt away and you pushed Ultron far from the water. You were drenched in cold water and the cool air didn’t help, you shivered slightly before igniting yourself on fire to dry.

“[Y/N], I thought you were a demigod.” A voice sighed. A figure emerged and you could feel your breath clot in your throat. It was sad to say that you recognized who he was, the best swordsfighter in Camp Half Blood, second to Percy Jackson. His physique was different but there was the same stunning ocean colored eyes.

“Eldoris, surprised to see you here.” You growled. “What brings you away from Camp?”

“Well, the god Thor came to Camp, looking for a new recruit that would best against fire power.” He smirked. “Since Percy Jackson left for California, I was the only one left for that position. Now, why would you help Ultron? Do you know his plan?”

“I don’t care.”

“I think you should.”

“Shut up!” You shouted and charged with your hands ablaze. Eldoris unsheathed his sword and went for the ribs, but you easily dodged his move and managed to punch his face. Leaving a nasty burnt scar. “Now I have to call you Zuko, but I think the scar is on the wrong side.” You joked. Eldoris made no comment as he swung his sword, giving you a cut on the arm. You hissed and leaped down to kick him in the legs, making him loose balance. You grabbed his shoulders and heated your hands. Eldoris screamed in pain and turned around to kick you away. Pietro jumped in to distract the son of Poseidon. But Pietro was thrown off course when Eldoris stuck out his foot.

“Speed? Lame.” Eldoris scoffed. He pointed his sword at you. “Your siblings are very disappointed in you, [Y/N]. You’re not welcomed back to Camp. You are a disgrace to demigods!” You clenched your fist but Ultron punched him, sending Eldoris crippling to the ground.

“Are you okay?” Ultron asked. “Who is he?”

“Another demigod.” You answered. “A child of Poseidon.“

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah. The best swordsman in our Camp, other than his older brother.“ You sighed. Eldoris coughed but Wanda held him down, sending a wisp of red into his head.

“Now he won’t be able to attack for a while.” Wanda exhaled. “I had him see his worst fear.”

“Should we leave him?” You asked. “Or take him as a prisoner?”

“Kill him.” Ultron growled. You looked up at him in concern, he took your hand and bent his head down to kiss you on the forehead. “He tried to hurt you......if we get rid of him, the Avengers won’t have him as an asset. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Ultron, I’m okay.” You all agreed to leave him there, assuming his conscious would return long after they were gone. It took a couple of minutes to persuade Ultron not to kill Eldoris and return back to the base. You were back to welding, tinkering with Ultron’s backup bodies and a few weaponry for yourself. If you were going to see Eldoris again, might as well prepare.

“Do you two have a history?” Ultron asked, causing you to jump.

“Gods of Olympus!......no. We don’t. But our relationship to the Poseidon kids broke after Percy Jackson took Charles Beckendorf to the mission I told you about, and never made it alive. Some of us forgave him and some of us didn’t. That caused tension.”

“Do demigods kill their own?”

“Unfortunately. Like I told you, there are enemies. Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter used to be rivals, Greek and Roman y’know? We eventually formed an alliance but certain people didn’t like that and broke off into their own little gang. Some demigods side with the Titans during times of war since their parents might be a Titan. I would advise all of you to not interfere in my fight with Eldoris. Demigods cause an awful lot of damage.”

“So do humans.”

“True. But I’ve lost many people in my fights. I don’t want to lose anymore.”

“You’ll never lose me.” Ultron leaned in, his head dipping down to brush his lips against your cheek. You glanced up and pressed your lips to his, pulling him closer. Ultron lifted you up, your lips staying connected as your legs wrapped around him. He pushed you against a wall, deepening the kiss.

“Hey Ult—“ you recognized Wanda’s voice.

“Wha?” That would be Pietro. “See? I told you. You owe me 20.”

“No, we agreed on 15.” Wanda scoffed. You let out a laugh and your lips disconnected from his, Ultron let out a soft whine. You were back on the floor but you felt your face heat up, Wanda smirked. “So you two a thing? That’s cute. We just came in here to let you know we were going to grab lunch. What you want?”

“Hm I’m not that hungry.”

“You ate a bar for breakfast.” Pietro pointed out.

“It was a filling bar.”

“I’ll cook her something.” Ultron chimed in. You both watched the twins disappear, your stomach had betrayed you by letting out a loud growl. “A filling bar?”

“Hush.”

“[Y/N], I thought we already talked about your health.”

“Did we? I don’t recall.”

“Why are you avoiding your meals?” When you gave no answer, Ultron placed a hand under your chin, lifting your face to meet his eyes. “Please tell me.”

“I....I don’t know. I don’t have the urge to eat? It’s hard to explain, whenever I look at food, there’s no emptiness in my stomach. I feel satisfied with eating small things like a nutrition bar, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a salad, and so on.”

“At first I thought you were anorexic......I think you’re depressed.”

“Depressed? Nah.” You laughed.

“I read almost every article on depression and the effect of the person’s appetite, what you just explained to me is the basis of every article I just read.” Ultron sighed. “Do you.....please be honest, do you ever think of ending your life?”

“Ultron, everyone thinks of ending their life.” You joked.

“[Y/N].”

“Yes.....on occasions. I just thought it was normal.” You huffed. “I never knew I had depression......if it’s okay with you, I’m going to need some time alone right now.”

“Promise me you’re not going to do anything that would harm yourself.”

“I promise.” You smiled and wandered around the base, your head ready to explode with your thoughts and questions. You once found the silence to be unbearable, but now, it was reassuring. Depression? It would explain some things.......you soon found yourself on the roof, staring at the birds flying by. If only I could fly away from my problems. There was the sound of soft footsteps approaching you. “Ultron, I thought—“

“I’m not Ultron.” A new voice spoke. You turned to face someone you knew too well.

“Lady Aphrodite.” You stood up but she raised her hand to dismiss your bow. “Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”

“I have news for you.”

“Oh no.....you gods always pick the wrong time to deliver messages.”

“Did you wanted me to come tomorrow? Cause I doubt you would be handling the news well then.”

“Fine.”

“The first news is from me and I’m telling you this willingly. Do you recall your tracker?”

“My funky metal detector? Yes. Why? What did you do?”

“I enchanted it the minute you pressed the button. It’s not a metal detector.......it is now, a love detector. Aren’t you suspicious as to why that device can only sense Ultron? Not anything else?”

“Yeah at first, but I thought I did the math wrong.”

“No child, I helped you find your soulmate.”

“Why?”

“That plays a part with the second news, you needed to see who you are.”

“A child of Hephaestus, no more.”

“The eidolons, they called you ‘Carrier of Inferno’ did they not?”

“Yeah, only because I have fire power. How did you know about that? You sent them after me, didn’t you?”

“I admit it, I did. That’s not the point.” You scoffed. “Leo Valdez has firepower but they never called him that. Accept who you are, [Y/N].”

“But who am I?”

“You are to wield the Crown of Inferno when the time comes.”

“And when is that?”

“When you accept yourself.”

“You never make it easy, do you?”

“Why would I?” Aphrodite smiled. “I wish you luck. Oh, and if you ever think of destroying your little ‘metal detector,’ don’t. It’ll come to use in the future.”

“Okay.......” you wondered. “Wait, Lady Aphrodite—“ but she vanished.

“—I.....had a question. Great.” You grumbled as you made your way back to Ultron. “Ultron?” You peered around the corner, where he was talking to the Maximoff twins. You didn’t know what he was saying, but they nodded and returned to their rooms. You lingered in the shadows, trying to find the courage to go up to him.

“[Y/N], are you okay?”

“Yeah yeah, I’m alright.” You nodded. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“I also have something to share with you, but let’s take this somewhere more private.”

“Eh, we’re already in a private place.”

“Okay, Sherlock.” Ultron teased as you cracked a grin. “To be serious, I don’t think you want to be standing for this news.”

#avengers age of ultron #ultron #phaticserpentfanfics #phaticserpent #playing with fire #ultron/reader #ultron fic #ultron x reader #age of ultron #marvel #fanfiction #demigods #pjo crossover #crossover

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fastsalad · 5 years ago

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I just rewatched the Melodramatics production of anb and it’s so iconically 2006 I just had to make a post with every single thing that was iconic. This got really long so most of it is under the cut lol

-Gordon looks like my cousin Cassidy

-The sweater vest pattern

-All the stagehands are dressed as nurses which is really clever and blends really well.

-All of Rhoda’s outfits are so iconic and 2006

-Bungee’s little dance during calamari is the reason I live.

-Nancy D’s hairstyle gives me Tracy Turnblad vibes

-RHODA’S HAIR CLIPS

-Roger legit looks like one of those annoying dumbass boys I went to middle school with who would act out for attention I’m sorry I love him but it’s true

-Lisa is so short compared to everyone which makes everything ten times funnier

-The choreography for Heart and Music is also the reason that I live

-Gordon lowkey also kinda looks like John Mulaney

-The doctors facial expressions are the best thing

-Mimi’s voice is actually my favorite thing

-Mimi is so iconic her PURPLE EYESHADOW AFJLHSDL

-Mimi and Gordon’s interactions during Mother’s Gonna Make Things Fine give me LIFE

-BUNGEE’S FROG WALK I’M DEAD

-The little vocal swing thingies roger does during Sailing? Legit my favorite thing.

-Roger: “Yes iiII’d wanna go sail.” Me, sobbing: yes you go you funky little sailor man

-Richard’s face when Nancy D said she was the thin nurse was the actual funniest thing

-Roger and Bungee were in Gordo’s Law of Genetics and I lowkey loved it like it added another layer to the song especially since they were the only two doing the bass parts and they had different choreography than the rest

-get it minister

-Once again, a+ choreography

-At the beginning of And They’re Off Gordon wheeled himself onto the stage in a wheelchair and then dramatically turned his head to look at the audience on beat with the song and it made me chuckle.

-RHODA’S LOW-RISE PANTS AND LAYERED SWEATERS ITS SO 2006 I CAN’T

-Everyone was pretending to be old at some point? Idk

-Gordon’s voice makes me so happy

-The cast just overall has a very nice sound

-Roger’s dad wallet

-“Looking sharp looking fit” guys he’s not wearing a suit what do we say here

-~LisTeN tO RoGeERr~

-Just Go was just overall very cute and funny

-“He’ll be brave as Zorro” does a weird sword fight dance

-Cause it’s gonna ~scaAaAaAre~ them! (Cue Gordon having a heart attack)

-Bungee is iconic as always

-Sitting Becalmed in the Lee of Cuttyhunk was like a weird fever dream but I lowkey loved it

-Nancy D and the doctor getting so excited over brain surgery is my favorite thing

-Gordon looks so confused and weirded out and honestly? Mood.

-RHODA’S SCARF

-“Maybe we’ll lauuuughtooloud” listen I felt that ‘oh shit I waited too long and now I’m behind the music’ moment.

-Gordon and Roger’s voices go together so nicely

-Mimi is literally my favorite

-“What’re ya, stupid? Go and fly with the man!” Made me feel unexplained emotions.

-Roger looks so sad at the end of the song and it breaks my heart

-“Let’s just go over this. You have a home right? Cause I don’t.” This Lisa is iconic.

-Lisa’s facial expressions = also iconic.

-Mr. Bungee’s glasses

-“The preferred word in any kind of situation is- DON’T TOUCH ME!”

-The waitress nurse’s hat and Nancy D’s glasses

-The waitress nurse holding a copy of the actual script for the show during The Yes Song

-The little hand motion Bungee did for “get into my car”

-The zoom in for affinity

-THE FLIP PHONES

-The lighting for in the middle of the room

-The audience loosing it when Richard started singing

-Mimi struggling to get onstage with the crate

-The pictures on Gordon’s bookshelf

-The way Mimi says “asshole” so casually

-The horse head statue and seashell being used as bookends

-The lighting is back for middle of the room reprise

-Rhoda picking up the books Mimi dropped during the scene change

-Roger’s striped polo shirt that just screams sailor

-The return of Roger’s dad wallet

-Just the way Lisa did the “you love him. Too bad.” bit

-And her belting “when life turns out to be” it was different than most actresses do it and gave me chills

-Roger’s facial expressions

-The end of A Really Lousy Day in the Universe like holy shiT MY EMOTIONS

-Brain Dead was really fast and. Vibes.

-Also the minister and waitress switched costumes for brain dead? Strange.

-The waltz choreo

-The single water glass on the table

-“OH LOVERS START ROMANCING” and just the whole green teeth moment. Yes.

-ROGERS PIROUETTES. HE DID LIKE THREE IN A ROW THAT’S FRICKEN HARD

-RHODA’S RAINBOW SUSPENDERS

-Gordon’s little scoff-gasp thing after “tawdry”

-“Yes it is!”

-Just Gordon and Rhoda’s whole dynamic during Whenever I Dream

-The dramatic reveal that Gordon wasn’t puppeteering her at the end

-Rhoda’s clog dancing

-Richard’s superhero costume

-The fact that the video quality dropped dramatically when the lights came down

-The priest/waiter literally sparkling during Eating Myself Up Alive due to the UV lighting

-Richard’s attempted opera singing

-“YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA”

-The end of eating myself up alive reminded me of the ending of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.

-The pictures on Gordon’s bookshelf that used to be of him and his loved ones being changed to just photos of Gordon’s face from different angles during the music still plays on

-Gordon playing the piano during the music still plays on

-MIMI TURNING OVER THE PICTURES OF GORDON AND THEN PICKING UP THE LAST ONE (which I’m pretty sure used to be of her and him) AND HOLDING IT BEFORE TURNING IT OVER TOO

-The bookshelf being empty except for the horse and seashell bookends is really chilling

-The whole apartment just looks so much more dreary and empty and lifeless than the first time you see it like props to the set and lighting designers

-Just the entirety of the music still plays on

-MIMI PUTTING ON SUNGLASSES AT THE END

-BUNGEES ENTRANCE

-HIS LITTLE SIDEWAYS HOP

-The way the frog eyes just jiggle around

-“okey dokey” (double ok sign)

-“s p a g h e t t i ! “

-(the biggest, funniest smile) “I L I K E S P A G H E T T I ! “

-THE HIGH FIVE

-Just all of bungees little hand gestures and dances

-Gordon’s little smile when he said “I’m ready”

-The fact that them singing “Richards gonna catch some hell for this” is very muted

-The audience slowly and subtly starting to lose it throughout You Boys Are Gonna Get Me in Such Trouble

-Richard’s weird little dance at the end

-THE LITTLE SMOOCH AT THE END OF SAILING REPRISE

-Lisa’s book advertisement

-“MY price? T w o b u c k s.”

-The gay history book

-Lisa having a feather boa for some reason

-THE FROG HAT

-Roger’s striped polo shirt that just screams sailor part 2

-Whatever the hell that shirt Gordon was wearing was

-LISA’S LITTLE SMILE WHEN SHE HOLDS UP TWO FINGERS

-The fact that she’s so short makes this song even funnier

-The little dance she did for “silly picnic”

-“YOU KNOW I REALLY HATE CRAZY PEOPLE”

-Gordon: (snatches a book) “HA. HA.” Lisa: (snatches the book back and throws Gordon’s cane into the corner)

-This Roger has a softer voice than most who have played the role and it just gave some of the lines a different vibe? And I loved it.

-Bungee coming on at the end without his frog head

-The fact that bungee looks about a third of his age with the frog head on? Like he legit looks ten with it on but like 30 with it off.

-Gordon: (dramatically throws the frog hat offstage)

-get it minister part 2

-Just. Every harmony in this show.

-“Finally there’s sun!” GORDON’S VOICE I’M CRYING HES SO GOOD

-The little clump they form at the end like agdlabkglsfkgak family

-Did I already mention the waitress’s sideswept bangs? So 2006.

-Bungee reminds me so much of my friend Phineas it’s scary

-AND GORDON LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE MY COUSIN CASSIDY ITS SCARY

-the frog noises in the credits

#i might do this for some other iconic productions ive watched #like french woods and east street players #is it just me or are all the song titles in this show super duper long #a new brain #gordon schwinn #mimi schwinn #roger delli bovi #rhoda anb #mr bungee #lisa anb #im not tagging the rest of the characters ajuhdskjab

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cam-cat-writer · 6 years ago

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Fictober/Klancetober Continued

Part 23 at long last!

Here on AO3 or under the cut

Pidge skidded down the hall, hopping excitedly to regain her balance before sprinting towards Lance's door and sliding her hand across the panel to open it. It slid open, revealing a startled Lance sitting in the middle of the floor with Hunk, doing face masks.

"Whoa! Pidge, give a guy some warning, geez!"

Pidge bounced up and down, darting inside the room to dance back and forth, words tumbling from her mouth. "This is important, Lance! I figured out almost exactly how long we've been in space for!"

Lance's jaw dropped and he jumped up, grabbing Pidge by her shoulders. "Wait, for real? You funky little genius, how did you manage that?"

Pidge grinned, extracting herself from his grip to pull up her holoscreen. "Blue. Coran was having me help him with some record-keeping and data collection, "For the New Age of Voltron" or something, whatever. Anyway, he was checking Blue over, reading out-"

"Pidge, does this train of thought actually have a caboose?"

Pidge rolled her eyes as Hunk tried to stifle a chuckle. "He could tell how long Blue had been in contact with her new paladin for! Something about her quintessence ebb and flow? I'm not really sure, there was an awful lot of Altean in his explanation when I asked."

Lance waved a hand dismissively. "Sounds overly complicated. So, how long have we been up here? Like, what would the date be if we were on Earth right now?"

Pidge straightened her glasses. "Well, technically speaking, it wouldn't be quite that close to the same, due to how far from Earth we currently are, all the wormholes we've been travelling through, the rippling and distortion of the fabric of space-time-"

"Pidge, I just want to know if I've hit my birthday yet, thanks!" Lance gave her a strained smile, too impatient to look sincere.

"Fine," she huffed. "According to the readings Coran and I took, and the conversion rates between Altean time and Earth time, and the date we left Earth..." Pidge pulled up another window on her holoscreen. "It's about the equivalent of October 22nd, 2 PM if my calculations are correct." She smirked. "And they are."

Lance rubbed his forehead. "October 22nd, hang on." He looked over at Hunk. "Why does that sound sort of familiar?"

Hunk grinned, shrugging and trying to look innocent. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's important? I think you're slightly off though."

Lance snapped his fingers. "You're right, October 23rd is what I was thinking of. Why is that important....?" He trailed off, racking his brain.

Hunk exchanged knowing looks with Pidge.

Suddenly, Lance's cheeks flushed and a look of distinct embarrassment flashed across his features.

Pidge laughed so hard she had to sit down on the floor next to the boys. "Remember now, McClain?"

A small, "Yep" came from Lance's general direction before he quickly started wiping off his face mask. "Well, this has been great, Hunk, but you know I'd better go, I'm sure Coran needs help with something and maybe I can find an airlock to throw myself out of-"

Pidge caught his arm. "Lance, it's fine, calm down. I mean, I'd be embarrassed too, if I knew my "rival's" birthday."

Hunk chimed in. "And after complaining over and over that you really don't care about anything to do with him. Oh, or that you don't know anything about him other than he's stupidly good with a sword and has a mullet."

Pidge smirked. "Oh yeah, I can see how you'd be embarrassed to be caught in such lies, Lance. Looks like you do know a bit more about our little Keithers than we've been lead to believe, huh?"

Lance groaned. "Fine, I admit it. I know... a few things about Keith. How could I not just... pick up on some stuff?"

Hunk raised an eyebrow.

Lance sighed. "... Do I have to say it? Can it just be... like, heavily implied?"

"Lance." Pidge fixed him with a devious smile. "You heard Shiro mention his birthday once at the Garrison and you remember the exact date. It's been heavily implied for a while now, Lance, so what's the harm in just biting the bullet and-"

"FINE I HAVE A CRUSH ON KEITH!" Lance blurted out in one breath.

Hunk put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Good for you, Lance. Now you know what you should do?"

Pidge opened her mouth, and Lance threw up a hand to forestall her. "Whatever you're thinking," he eyed her, "don't." Pidge pouted and crossed her arms indignantly.

Hunk nudged Lance again. "Dude, at least take him breakfast in bed, that's McClain tradition."

Lance wrung his hands together. "I... He's not a McClain though." He mumbled.

Pidge grinned. "He could be." Lance choked and his eyes bulged.

"Pidge! You-you-you can't just... you can't just-!" He buried his face in his hands. "I hate you both."

Pidge chuckled quietly. "No you don't."

"You're right." Lance lifted his gaze slightly. "Just you."

"Hey!"

Lance had been standing outside of Keith's room for almost ten full minutes now. Pidge had told the others that it was Keith's birthday the next day, and Shiro had told him(but not before teasing him for knowing Keith's birthday) that Keith was under orders to enjoy his morning and sleep in, so Lance knew he was in there, but he just couldn't force himself to knock. Just, lift your hand and hit the door, you've done this a million times, just- He screwed his eyes shut and rapped firmly on the door before he could talk himself out of it for the fifth time in a row.

"Come in?" Keith's confused voice came through the door. Thankfully not heavy with sleep, Lance had no idea what he would've done if he'd accidentally woken Keith up. Taking yet another deep breath, Lance put his hand over the control panel and walked into Keith's room.

It was dim, but not dark. Once Lance's eyes adjusted, he saw Keith sitting on the bed, buried in a blanket, and... Okay so maybe he was shirtless but that didn't matter because-

"Lance? Did you need something?"

Right. He hadn't said anything yet. Lance cleared his throat quickly. "I, uh, I just- I brought you breakfast. I mean, it's a McClain thing? I mean, we always did breakfast in bed on birthdays so I thought I'd do it for you. Unless that's weird. Or if you've already eaten. Or if you'd rather not- I can leave-" Lance abruptly stopped rambling when he saw a soft smile cross Keith's face and then watched as he started laughing.

"Lance, are you just going to stand there rambling or are you going to bring me my breakfast?" He was still smiling as he gestured for Lance to come closer, sitting up to accommodate the tray Lance was holding.

Lance swallowed hard and nodded, walking up to the bed and carefully setting the tray over Keith's knees and stepping back. He cleared his throat again and tried to look Keith in the eye, carefully averting his gaze from his bare chest. "I guess I'll... I'll go now. Happy Birthday, Keith." He turned to go.

"Wait, Lance." Lance's heart jumped to his throat. "How did you know it was my birthday? Did Shiro tell you guys?"

Lance flushed and shook his head. "Uh, no." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, I remembered your birthday from the Garrison."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Really? All the way back then?"

Lance nodded, not quite looking at Keith. "Yeah. All the way back then." They were quiet for a minute.

Keith put a hand over Lance's. "Thanks." Lance looked up, finally locking eyes with Keith.

He smiled fondly. "Anytime, Keith."

They fell silent again, and finally Lance cleared his throat and stood up. "I should, ah, let you eat that. I'll see you later?"

Keith nodded, eyes alight with something Lance couldn't identify. "Definitely."

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megamanx1994 · 6 years ago

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Captain Falcon: The First Peacekeeper (Part 2) Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Date (Disclaimer! I own nothing of Nintendo or Inuyasha!) It was 4:00 am and I was dead sleep. The phone rang. I tried to pick it up but picked up an ice bag. “Hello?” I said. I then grabbed the phone. “Hello?” I asked. “Nicholas its Luna,” she said. “What time is it?” I asked. “Early… late…. I don’t know, I’ve been up all night,” said Luna. “Are you alright?” I asked. “Yeah I’m fine,” she said, “I just… detected something.” “What is it?” I asked. “When’s the soonest you can get here?” she asked. “I’m on my way,” I said. Whatever she was talking about it sounded serious. I was in the lab looking at the picture she took. “When I was walking I saw a girl with an arrow and someone else with some kind of giant sword,” said Luna, “And they left this sign.” “Whoa,” I said, “So any leads?” “All I have is this,” said Luna. She played a video of the footage she caught. The person was fighting off criminals. “Based on his fighting style, I can say that he has the power to wipe out more than half the humans in Seattle,” said Luna. “How do we know he’s even a bad guy?” I asked, “He might be a hero.” “Nick, he may be hunting down criminals to steal their souls,” said Luna, “And if there is even a 1% chance that he’s the bad guy, then we gotta take that chance with everything.” “I suppose you’re right,” I said, “If I come in contact with him, I’ll try and reason with him. Its worked before and it’ll work again.” “Be careful dude,” said Luna, “He might be unlike something you faced in your past adventures.” Later I was taking a walk around Seattle. I saw Colleen. “What’s up?” I asked. “You’re coming with me to the store,” said Colleen, “That’s what’s up.” “Why?” I asked. “You’ll see,” she said with a grin. I suddenly realized what it was. “Are you crazy?!?!” I said. “Come on Nick, don’t be so chicken,” said Colleen, “All you gotta do is talk to her.” “But I’m not good enough,” I said, “I’ve lost my spark.” “Come on Nick you look great!” said Colleen. “I don’t know,” I said. “Do it,” said Colleen. “But I….” I said. “Please,” said Colleen, “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease….” “Alright,” I said, “I’ll do it to stop you from doing that.” I went up to the girl. “What’s up,” she said. “Hey,” I said hiding my blush. “So the usual?” she asked. “No, I’m just sprouting,” I said. Colleen gave me the symbol, to keep talking. “Um… I see you here a lot, and I think you’re really pretty, and…” I said, “Would you wanna go out on a date with me? Ever?” There was an awkward silence for a moment. “I think you should go,” she said. “I’m so sorry,” I said as I was about to leave. “I’m just messing with you,” she said laughing. “What?” I asked, “Oh my god! That was really sneaky.” “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” she said, “What’s your name?” We were still laughing. “Oh, Nicholas,” I said, “Nicholas James Cornelius Mikhail Lee Shay. But most people just call me Nick.” “Nick,” she said, “I’m Wendy. Wendy Evans.” “Nice to meet you Wendy,” I said. “Nice to meet you too,” said Wendy, “So you wanna take me out.” “I would love to take you out,” I said. “Where do you wanna go?” asked Wendy. “Well I know this great Italian place,” I said. “I like Italian food,” said Wendy, “When do you wanna go?” “One second,” I said. I went over to Colleen. “She said yes but specifically what time?” I said. “You say ‘how about tonight’,” she said. I went back to Wendy. “How about tonight,” I asked. “Well I get off at 7 tonight,” she said, “Wanna meet here?” “Sure,” I said. “Great,” she said, “Bye.” “Bye,” I said. I left and went outside. “What would you do without me?” asked Colleen. “I’d like to give it a shot and find out,” I said. “Oh come on,” she said. Later she was dragging me into a store. “So why am I here again?” I asked. “You’re kidding right?” asked Colleen, “You can’t hope to go on a date like this.” “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing right now?” I asked. “For starters you look like you just came from a fight,” she said. “That’s cause I just did,” I said. “Bottom line, we gotta get you looking funky fresh for your date,” said Colleen, “And not the splatoon kind of fresh.” She took me to Old Navy to find a new outfit. I came out in different ones and she didn’t approve. “Nope, nope, nope,” she said. I finally came out in one that she liked. “Perfect,” said Colleen, “But…. Aren’t you gonna wear your trademark hat?” “No,” I said, “I haven’t worn that thing since…..” “I know,” said Colleen, “Sorry.” “Its ok,” I said. Her phone rang. “Hold that jazz,” she said, “Hello?” “Colleen, we just got word that there was an explosion at the museum,” said her boss, Captain N. “An explosion?” she asked, “What happened?” “Someone snuck in and stole an artifact,” said Captain N, “We believe it was Mouser.” “Mouser?” asked Colleen, “That guy….. his name sounds familiar. I’ll take the case.” She hung up. “I can see whoever this Captain N is, he’s keepin’ you busy,” I said. “Yeah, but I’m never too busy for my best friend,” said Colleen, “I was just asked to keep a look out for any suspicious characters.” Later I was heading to this restaurant where Wendy was. “Hey dude,” said Wendy. She was wearing a flannel dress and had her hair in a ponytail, but she wasn’t wearing her hat. “Ready to go?” she asked. “Yeah,” I said. I was blushing a little bit. “What’s wrong dude?” she asked. My hand was trembling. “Wanna hold hands?” I asked. “Is that all?” she asked, “Sure man.” She held my hand and we went inside. I made sure I had my wallet and everything. Later we were eating some food. “This is a really good place,” said Wendy. “Yeah,” I said, “The music’s good too.” “I heard you were a music person,” said Wendy, “My old boyfriend was a musician.” “What happened to him?” I asked. “He lied to me saying he wrote a song, but it was someone else,” said Wendy. “Sounds stubborn,” I said. “I know right,” said Wendy, “But that’s all behind me now.” She smiled. “What about you?” she asked. “What about me?” I asked. “What do you do for a living?” she asked. “Well… aside from music I just do anything I can to help others,” I said, “When I was younger I always wanted to help people, and now I got the chance.” “That’s really cool,” said Wendy, “So how do you like Seattle.” “Its home,” I said, “I’m more of a city person, what about you?” “Its new here, but you get use to something sooner or later,” said Wendy. She smiled at me and our feet were touching each other. “Hey guys,” said someone familiar. It was Colleen. “Colleen, what are you….” I said. “Shh,” said Colleen, “Pretend I’m not here.” “Dude, I can’t pretend you’re not here if you’re right here,” I said. She was looking for someone. “Are you expecting someone?” asked Wendy confused. “You could say that,” said Colleen. She saw a man with shades and a strange hairdo. “Who’s that?” I asked. “That’s Mouser,” said Colleen. “That’s Mouser?” I asked, “That’s a midget with a laptop.” “I’ll get backup,” she said. “The guy is 4 feet tall, let’s get him now!” I said. “No,” said Colleen, “He’s a very dangerous man. I’ll be back.” “Colleen…” I said. She was already gone and I sighed. “Excuse me for a minute Wendy,” I said. “Its ok, take your time,” said Wendy drinking. I went over to Mouser. “Mouser,” I said, “Yo French man. Get up, my partner’s looking for you.” “I’m busy at the moment,” he said. “Uh, didn’t you hear what I said?” I asked, “I’m busy too now get on your feet.” He looked at me. “I know you,” he said, “You’re Colleen’s Brooklyn friend, right?” “No, I’m Colleen’s muscle,” I said, “Now don’t let this suit fool you, this is the only color they had left.” I took off the suit. “Now I said get up,” I said, “I ain’t gonna say it again.” He chuckled. “You American are so funny,” he said as he typed on his laptop ignoring me. “And you French don’t hear that well,” I said. I took his laptop and slammed it on the ground. “Little Mouser!” I said as I stepped on it, “Get… your… short… … ass up… outta that chair…. Right… now!!!” Colleen came back and saw everything. You’re messing up my date,” I said, “Now I told you to get up didn’t I?” I went at him but Colleen held me back. “Now I gotta go off on your ass,” I said, “Lemme bust his ass!” “No,” said Colleen.

“Colleen, hello,” said Mouser, “How’s life treating you?” “I gotta talk to you,” said Colleen. “What about?” he asked. “The explosion at the museum,” said Colleen, “Come with us to the police station.” “The police station?” he asked, “If you have any questions, ask me here.” I grabbed him. “Look man you’re comin with….” I said before I saw a bunch of bodyguards, “Oh my god.” I let him go so they wouldn’t hurt me. “Um…. I’d like to pay you for that laptop, I think I should do that,” I said. “No problem,” he said. “I can get you a new one, I seen it on the internet,” I said. “I must excuse myself,” he said, “Have a good day.”

The bodyguards turned to me. “Colleen, why didn’t you tell me this guy rolls like this?!” I said. “I told you!” she said. “Did not,” I said. “I did too,” she said, “I said… thius.” “What the hell does that mean?” I asked. “It means I go left, you go right.” “I go left, you go right?” I asked. “Yeah,” she said winking at me. “Oh yeah,” I said. I punched a guy on the right and she took out the other guy. They kept coming at us but we held our ground. Colleen kicked a guys shades off and saw his eyes. “No wonder you mad,” she said as she kicked him. One of them had Wendy hostage. “Let her go,” I said. “Why don’t you make me,” he said as he sniffed Wendy. “I said let her go!” I said. I did a jumping kick and hit him in the face. Wendy broke free. Her eyes were glowing red for a second but turned back to normal. After a while we took care of all the punks. “I… just brought this suit,” I said. I looked around for Wendy but she was nowhere to be found. “Wendy?” I asked. She ran because she thought I saw what happened. The next day I saw Wendy in a tree. “Hey Nick….” She said. “Um…. I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said. “Yeah…. That was…. Different,” said Wendy, “I’ve never seen anyone fight like that. But you got the moves.” I smiled. “Really?” I asked. “Of course,” said Wendy, “It was really cool how you wasted those guys.” She smiled. “Look, I wanna say something first,” I said, “I wanna apologize right now in case when I start to get talking and say things that sound really weird.” “Weird?” asked Wendy, “If you want weird, try working in a store all day, and then spending your nights reading about historical stuff that happened years ago, and sometimes never hanging around people and being to yourself, I mean that is weird. If you wanna end this right now, I would understand.” “I was gonna ask you the same thing,” I said, “If you wanna end this right now, and you feel bad about that, if you wanna talk to somebody about it you could talk to me.” She held my hand. “Hey…. Nick?” she asked. “Yeah?” I asked. “If I told you something about me…. Would you still wanna… be around me?” asked Wendy. “What do you mean?” I asked curiously, “Of course I would.” “I mean… no matter what it was, how horrible, you’d still like me right?” she asked. “OF course Wendy,” I said, “No matter what.” She was about to speak. “I….” she said before my phone rang. “Hold that thought,” I said. “Hello?” I asked. “I just got word that Mouser is gonna be at some sort of party,” said Colleen, “Can I ask you to be there?” “I guess so,” I said, “I could bring Wendy.” “Just be careful,” said Colleen, “Something’s up.” Later we were racing each other to GSI where the party was being held. “you don’t stand a chance,” I said, “I’m an athlete!” Wendy was running after me laughing. “I won!” I said as I touched the door. Wendy laughed and said, “That’s what you think.” She ran past me. “That was sneaky,” I said. “I know right,” said Wendy. We went to the top and saw a bunch of people. “So glad you could make it,” said Luna, “Thanks for stopping by people.” She saw me and Wendy. “Hey dude,” she said, “Thanks for coming.” “No sweat,” I said. “And who’s this young lady?” asked Luna. “This is Wendy,” I said. “Pleased to meet you,” said Wendy as she shook her hand, “Pardon the look, I’m sort of an emo.” “Emo or not, you’re always welcome here,” said Luna with a smile. “Thanks,” said Wendy. “I’ll go get you some punch,” I said as I went to the punch bar. I heard talk about Powerman from a black haired guy. “And now there’s talk about the half demon,” he said. I decided to get into the convo. “What about the half demon?” I asked. “Is on the news,” he said, “Its in Seattle right now, and people think its killing people. But I think he’s just trying to do the right thing.” “My name’s Nick,” I said as I shook his hand. “Inuyasha,” said Inuyasha, “So what’s your opinion about the half demon.” “I think its more of a vigilante than a hero,” I said, “Hunting down criminals isn’t how people do it in Seattle.” “Well try talking with this…. Alien,” said Inuyasha, “Calling himself Power Man, using a bunch of powers to handle a situation.” “Well how else can he help?” I asked, “If something bad happens he can’t stay away from it.” “I say he should stay out of the way and let the half demon do his job, right Kagome?” asked Inuyasha. “Now now, let’s not get hasty,” said Kagome. “Its probably just me,” I said, “But Seattle has had a bad history with…. Freaks dressed like animals. Some would say he may be above the law.” “I think you should stop right there,” said InuYasha, “Unless you wanna take it outside.” We shot each other a glare. “Boys!” said someone. It was another man from the party. “This is great, Nicholas Shay meets Inuyasha,” he said, “I love bringing people together. My name’s Ghirahim, I’m a new scientist.” He shook our hands. “Its nice to… ow!” he said as he shook my hand, “He’s got a good grip you should… not pick a fight with this person.” “I’ll try to remember that,” said Inuyasha with a fake grin. The party continued. I took a cigarette and smoked it. “I thought you didn’t smoke,” said Luna. “I don’t need to smoke,” I said, “Remember I was experimented on years ago, so stuff like this won’t affect me.” I heard some ticking. “What is that?” I asked. It started getting faster. Acting quickly I pushed Wendy out of the way before the bomb went off. People were running and screaming. Some shy guy thugs surrounded people. I took Wendy’s hand and ran to get her somewhere safe. “What’s going on?” asked Wendy. I found a place. “Stay here, I’m gonna get help,” I said. “Ok,” said Wendy. I snuck out of the building and saw 3 guys guarding the roof. They were armed. “Shit!” I said. I grabbed my communicator. “Nick, what’s the situation?” asked Luna. “Its bad, we got 3 guys all armed securing the area,” I said, “I doubt I’ll stop them all at once. I think its time to bring out the big guns.” “I just sent it to your location,” said Luna, “Did it arrive?” I saw a small ship fall onto a building. “Right on cue,” I said. I went to it and got out the new suit and put it on. “With this new suit, you’ll move faster and hit harder than with the old suit,” said Luna, “I call it, Power-Man 2.0.” “Sweet,” I said. “You think that’s sweet try using the new mask,” said Luna, “You’ll be able to pinpoint an enemy’s location and use strategic moves to take them down.” I used it and found a way. “Time to give this thing a test run,” I said. I saw the guys and snuck behind them. I saw a new item in the matrix called the smoke ball. I used it to distract them, and then acting quickly I took them down. “All too easy,” I said. I jumped in through a window and started fighting the shy guy thugs. “Oh shit its Power Man,” said one of them, “Waste him!” they shot at me and I grabbed my beam sword and deflected the attacks. One of them came at me and I jumped up and grabbed something and threw it at them. Another one kicked me and I fell onto a table. “Ok,” I said. I used my mask to determine my next move. I switched to ice and did a jump. I then shot multiple iceballs at the thugs freezing them in their tracks and then took them down. There were more bombs going off and people evacuated the building. I then fought Mouser while everyone got out. We were continuing at each other until he tripped. "Its over Mouser," I said, "You've lost." "No, its you who's lost Shay," said Mouser. He pressed a button and then blew up chaining a massive explosion. I went to go find Wendy. She was running from thugs who found her. “Oh no you don’t!” I said. I swooped in and caught her and flew out of the building before the bombs went off. She held on tight as I was flying fast. “You’re gonna be ok now we….” I said, “Um…. Ma’am. Whoever you are.” “Thanks,” she said as she gave me a hug, “Nicholas.” “Nicholas?” I asked, “I think you may have me confused with another person.” “Relax, I know its you, I’m not an idiot,” said Wendy, “Colleen tells me everything about you remember? Besides, no one can fight bad guys like Nicholas Shay does.” I took off my mask. “How long have you known?” I asked. “I didn’t!” she said with a smile, “Oh man, but I do now. I can’t believe you’re Power-Man!” “Yep, this is me,” I said, “Now you see why I always disappear.” “You’re incredible,” said Wendy.

#captain falcon #megaman #bayonetta #mouser #FFEU phase 1 #fan fiction extended universe #Inuyasha #thefirstpeacekeeper

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etheshadowlord · 5 years ago

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An unasked for and continued review of every Power Rangers Episode E can get a hold of Pt. 2

The following is a non-professional review of the Power Rangers Series starting from Mighty Morphin and working our way forward. This review Covers Episode 6-10. Note there will be spoilers.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 Episode 6: Food Fight.

Our intrepid young goody goodies are running a cultural food fair. Which gets quickly ruined by Bulk and Skull and their antics.How these two don’t get suspended or expelled is beyond me. Might be a weird luck stat? Regardless. Rita is not feeling so well and decides to use one of Finsters not so stellar monsters for the job of eating everything.

Things look like they’re going to Rita’s benefit until the rangers figure out that porky can’t handle a bit of heat. Rangers get their weapons back and bacon out of the nefarious ham.

Fun: 5 out of 5

Weird monster design: 3 out of 5

Now I’m hungry: 4 out of 5.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 Episode 7: Big Sisters.

Trini and Kimberly Volunteered to be Big Sisters for the Rambunctious Maria for a day. Meanwhile Aunt Rita Repulsa needs a child like Maria for her own plans. To get passed a barrier and get a couple of Power Eggs to gain the power to defeat the power rangers...

*Looks at the script.*

No....that’s what it says... I mean Eggs are full of protein so it tracks but the barrier requiring the touch of an innocent child to open it and the definition of innocent child make little sense to me. Who designs this magic?

Anyway putty patrollers kidnap Maria and get her to open the box while also probably traumatizing the kid with the ugly chicken monster of the week.

Rangers can’t reach communication with alpha and Zordon or even teleport so they instead take Billy’s RADBUG which is an acronym but we’re not going to go into that because it is a supped up Volkswagon beetle. So they take the car and go to the command center and go to save Maria using the radbug. They fight funky chicken for a bit before frying him once and for all with the Megazord.

Maria is saved and Rita has a headache, and the episode ends with Bulk getting doused in Veggie Chilli. Hold up, why is he getting slapsticked on? He’s been on good behaviour. Bulk was just minding his own business for this entire episode....what? Oh, karma for last episode. That makes sense, anyways.

Fun: 3 out of 5

Bad kid voice acting: 4 out of 5.

Com and teleportation outages: 0 out of 5 because they suck.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 Episode 8: I, eye guy.

This is another episode featuring a kid of the week, Willy and his VR game he made, which really just looks like face mounted displays showing video footage of a roller coaster ride. Anyway with the help of billy the kid is entering the science fair competition. Meanwhile ol’ Aunt Rita Repulsa has a new evil plan to kidnap the kid and steal his intelligence for her own?

*Looks at notes.*

So what is she going to use him to create games to win the hearts of the masses and then take over the world legally? Oh nope the monster just saps the kid after absorbing them.

*Looks at notes again.* Hold on I think I need to call the FBI on Rita Repulsa.

Anyway before getting the monster out, Rita has some putties sent down to try and take the kid, worked last time. Well this time it didn’t and the rangers beat the clay faced goons and got Willy to the science fair.

Look before I continue can I just say that whoever wrote the script has no idea about computer electronics. I feel the urge to lambaste them for the term Quasitronic circuitry. I’m willing to let the Radbug slide and all the other ranger tech, but now I’m drawing the line.

And bring in another round of bulk and skull antics as they come to cause havoc and because of these bozos and their antics, WIlly gets disqualified.. Okay so this is what I call plot contrived BS. Willy didn’t even touch those 2 yet the professor decided that since Willy was one of the many people laughing as Bulk and Skull ran after their fashion makeover that he must have been the culprit?

Okay a distraction.before I unleash a world breaker move but can we say that the lady with the funky fashion makeover machine has a brilliant concept going? A machine that can help you change your clothes would be very useful for the disabled or people with limited mobility.

So after the idiot professor denies Willy what he deserves, he’s kidnapped by eye guy and...

jeepers creepers where’d you get those peepers, jeepers creepers where’d you get those eyes... where’d you get those eyes.Sorry had to.

Anyway inside the eyes of eye guy Willy is stuck on a gyroscope and to protect himself eye guy keeps his main separate so the rangers team finisher has no effect on him.

Billy goes to save Willy, Rita super sizes eye guy making him more of an eye sore than he was before, Megazord finishes the monster and Willy is saved and the professor gives Willy’s invention first prize. Thus ends another episode.

Fun: 4 out of 5

Eyes: Too many

Strict professor: Only 1.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 Episode 9: For Whom the Bell Trolls.

Hmmm.....a episode with a bunch of dolls....don’t like that. One of them is going to get possessed by Rita’s machinations isn’t it? Don’t like any of this.

So it’s Hobby Week at Angel Grove High and the main five showcase their hobbies/interests. Trini it’s dolls, Jason it’s martial arts, Zack it’s surfing, Kimberly Gymnasitcs, and Billy it’s a Model.....volcano? Anyway afterwards Bulk and Skull because clearly these two never got enough attention as kids try to pick on Trini and her dolls doing the whole keep away thing only for Bulk to get gooped by the Volcano.

I’m certain it’s non-toxic, right Billy?.... Billy?

Anyway we see Trini’s house and her room.... and all the pretty dolls she has.

Look, I’ll be Frank and I’m not Frank I’m E...but I find something unnerving about some dolls. I like them better than Horses but still.

So Rita sends....what’s his name....squatt? Yep, that’s him. Sends him down to turn Ticklesneezer into the monster of the week. This is a kids show so i’m going to let this plan slide to see where it’s going here.

Oh so she’s going to have him collect things....like a motorcycle, tokyo tower, Trini and BIlly in a car. Okay this plan is already pretty effective I’m surprised.

Meanwhile the others are at the youth center doing a bit of sparring before Jason showcases his martial arts skills by the age old trick of breaking wood.

We also get more bulk and skull antics...with bulk hurting his hand on a cake.

The squad get called in by Zordon to go save Trini and Billy fighting their way through the ever novel Putty squad and Baboo, Squat, and Goldar.

Kimberly saves Mini Trini and Billy from their bottle and from a Train. Hold on giving Kimberly another gold star for good work. And Rita Repulsa makes Ticklesneezer grow as she does with all her monsters.

And we see a Giant asian kid with the Megazord as the rangers attempt to bottle rita and her group. Errors in stock footage....and it turns out it was all a dream....oh okay so it makes more sense for their to be a giant kid there.

We close out the episode with one more instance of Bulk and Skull and their.....flea circus? Okay that’s actually kind of wholesome for a couple bullies....and the teacher ends up getting flea bitten...... instead of those two getting the slapstick over the head...well surprising.

Fun:5 out of 5

Dolls: Creepy

Reality: Questionable.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Season 1 Episode 10: Happy Birthday Zack.

*Puts on a party hat.*

Cake-o-matic, looks like an old toaster oven mixed with a couple filters and two blenders. But who am I to question genius. *Watches Ernie get covered with blue cake foam.* Who am I to question Gremlins.

So the rangers are preparing a surprise party for Zack and Rita is preparing a “Killer” surprise for Zack as well. Ernie is also pretty close to the truth regarding the rangers.....except obviously the Rangers are interdimensional beings....OBVIOUSLY, didn’t hear it from me though.

And Bulk and Skull show up. What are they doing out so late? Also shouldn’t the door be locked, isn’t this trespassing? Ernie gave the kids permission but not them. I’m terribly confused.

Anyway Bulk and Skull make complete fools of themselves while Rita is demanding progress reports regarding the monster of the week. Finster seems kind of annoyed. Already has the monster decided and everything. Dude needs a night off, go have some drinks. Look I know a place near the pits of evil. Nastiest drinks and nastier company but it’s a good time. Call me Finster we’ll hang.

Anyway the kids finish prep and work on keeping Zack in the dark, and in the dark of night we see Finster and Baboo proving that they could really go into the renfaire business as they work on a nasty sword that can cut through just about anything in the known universe. Well except the bonds of friendship and love but those don’t count. Rita summons her nasty knight on this nasty night and the games afoot.

Anyway the kids are trying to act cool for the surprise party, to mixed results which will obviously just make Zack hurt and distracted him from his fight against the Nasty Knight as Zack loses and dies and the Rangers are defeated and Rita wins. Game Over.......

....NAH! The rangers get to Zack and they’re still not beating this guy...huh....not even the Megazord is doing anything...well until they figure out the schict of the situation and break the nasty sword and the knight with the power sword thus ending plan.....10 of Rita’s. The kids then go to the youth center and celebrate Zack’s birthday.

Fun: 5 out of 5

Knights: Out.

Cake: 0 out of 5 it’s undercooked and way to foamy.

Anyway this concludes part 2 of this long and grueling review of every power rangers episode I can get a hold of and affront to professional reviews to the series as a whole. Bah I’m having fun and that’s all that matters.

Anyway stay tuned to more of this nonsense.

#mighty morphin power rangers #Season 1 #Unprofessional reviews #for funsies #part 2

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coolmiddlename · 7 years ago

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I don't think you ever did your final write up on season 8 Kitty, you gonna get back to that?

aww man, i didnt finish it because i think ive done a pretty great job expressing my thoughts on season 8. it was freaking amazing? but im gonna write up some of what i planned for that post here.

favourite episodes:

two swords is good because it introduces us to the more violent fern and shows finn being a doctor for shits and giggles (foreshadowing?). i get good feelings from this ep. and these days, also sad ones.

high strangeness - tree trunks is pretty entertaining by herself but this episode had a glorious combination of comedy, quiet pain, and…. strangeness. seeing tree trunks be ooo’s greatest activist was nothing short of a golden meme factory. and it was a lttle sad seeing pb explain what it was all about, perhaps even questioning her own sanity here… as for the candy attacking the aliens, if you remember all of pen ward’s previous work, you sure do get a Little Pink Best Buds vibe.

jelly beans have power - yknow when they ended pb’s arc w the whole Being A Pragmatic Coldass back in the Cooler, i wondered if she was going to stay interesting or get boring. well, lets just say the AT crew have exceeded my expectations. not to mention season 8 SURE BRINGS UP A LOT OF COMPETITION in the whole “morally questionable science lady” area. after the whole King of Ooo stuff the princess has been trying to rebuild her relationship with her citizens, and to see her hot-headedness make it crumble apart… well it must have been like looking into your soul and seeing something dreadful.

All of Islands - yes this is cheating. do i give a fuck? no. uhhhh what were my fave eps? hide and seek was the part where i went “this is the best adventure time has ever been”. martin and minnie was not only realistic, making minnie my favourite side character to ever get that little screentime, it also hit all the right emotional notes as well as having a dash of humor. the light cloud kinda highlighted the differences between the humans and the oooish people, it made us all appreciate the wacky land of ooo I feel. finn could have had his life as a human and lived with his parents, but he would have possibly died during the plague, and he’d have never had all the amazing adventures that made him who he is. anyway finn’s kinda my second or third favourite character now which is a significant jump from a few years ago.

all of elements because i just dont care. highlights: skyhooks was deeply ominous and had marshmalline humming greensleaves which is pretty gay, bespoken for looked like it was gonna be shitposty but ended up making betty of all people a compelling, sympathetic, and unpredictable character… the third one had the ice kingdom which i think is my second-favourite location… cloudy i didnt like on my first rewatch but on our rewatch i learnt to appreciate it for the heart-to-heart bro chat that it was… slime central had funky skating (slime kingdom ftw) and the BEST humor in the miniseries alongside jake fucking dying, happy warrior is my least favourite of the eps but thats because it was setup for the much more magnificient hero heart which is my favourite… the reason for that is because it’s worth the most analysis and has the heaviest atmosphere. from lsp eating marceline’s face to finn holding back his fear to pb going fucking nuts and all those chilling candy zombies, this was the climax of the miniseries for sure. skyhooks II was a cooldown after the climax and a sort of resolution. it could have been better but the way i think of it, we haven’t seen all the resolution yet. highlights? lsp being the hero (lol) and pb and marcy’s kingdom-takeover song. pb’s actions in elements make me think that the power made her exemplify all her negative, controlling traits. she tried to take over the other kingdoms to make people “happy” and they ended up losing all their individuality. remind you of The Thin Yellow Line? the same sorta goes for FP but not really cos FP’s only negative trait is her awful temper.

abstract because i fucking love jake. i know some people found this ep disappointing but i did not.

ketchup for best filler ep because it looked GORGEOUS, it made me SMILE, it had backstory and the tale of what Marceline did in Elements presented in such a charming way, we even saw BMO spin a tale about her mom… I’m heartbroken that we probably wont be seeing any more guest animated episodes because this is my favourite one yet.

whispers. I TOO AM DOOM. *thunk thak thunk thank splat*

three buckets is the best episode in the best season of adventure time, and i think it beats out The Lich as my favourite season finale. it’s sad, it’s dark, it’s sweet, it’s hilarious, it’s ominous, theres nothing to dislike about it. my favourite part was the last few minutes starting from when fern left finn alone in the cave. he freaks out for a while which makes us wonder if he might actually die in here, then the robot arm in a surprising twist turns out to have a pb-siri that thanks finn for what hes done which is cute. and finn discovers his salvation in the rock drill and fucking weed whacker. then he fights his clone fern now COMPLETELY off the deep end, and just when finn is giving up, well…

“What are you doing?”

“Weed whacking!”

“…What are you?”

“A weed whacker :D”

“It doesn’t have to have this… finnality!”

“F A T A L I T Y”

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

i think the end of this ep is more defined by what isn;t said than what is said. finn is so shocked that he can’t even talk. bmo gives us one final bout of dark humor. then we switch to…. Fern……. finally free of his shell but a mere ghost of what he was…. his look of pure rage as he gets picked up by who we believe could be a scholar of Golb…. uncle fucking gumbald.

What a DEVASTATING finale, and what a fantastic setup for the final arc of Adventure Time!

a comment i had to make about the last few eps is: it’s suspicious that we didnt get a followup for PB after Elements. but even though Peebles wasn’t in these eps, she didn’t feel absent either. especially with Marceline’s story in Ketchup, Fern’s remembering what he did in Whispers, and literally everything in the last 3 minutes of Three Buckets, i feel that there’s something big building up for her. we’ve yet to see the consequences Elements had on PB who was out of everyonne the most dangerous elemental, the one who took her powers to the furthest extreme. considering what happened in Jelly Beans Have Power, iiiii expect this followup to be soon. maybe it’ll be big? maybe it’ll be quiet. either way i look forward. and if i’m disappointed? well it’s happened before.

altogether season 8 is my favourite in the show for obvious reasons. i dont think season 9 has the possibility of topping it but i really cant wait to see what we get next either way, just in case it manages to be even better.

no matter how adventure time ends, though, i think it’s going to hold a place in my heart for a long time.

#adventure time #atimers #finn the human #princess bubblegum #other people too #captain-crookedcloudcollector

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fighttowinfanfic · 8 years ago

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Fight to Win - The Atom Vs Ant -Man

Big ideas can come from little, little men, and today, these two will put their ideals and inventions to the test in a battle where there’s only room for one giant sized champion!

The bigger they are, the harder they fall--and every hero matters, no matter how small!

Ray Palmer, the Atom

And Scott Land, the new Ant-Man

I’m Tommy the Bomb-Y, and it’s my job to pit fiction’s champions against one another in a

FIGHT!

TO!

WIN!

Star City is riddled with crime--and equally as populous, a crowd of heroes seeking to stop them. From the Green Arrow to Black Canary, even the most mild mannered of businessmen could have a double life of extinguishing evil.

A brilliant CEO who wanted in on the action did so by utilizing his brilliant mind and engineering skills. With his size altering exosuit, Ray Palmer would become the Atom.

Name: Ray Palmer Age: 36 Height: 6’2” (187 cm) at base Weight: Variable Race: Human Homeland: Star City Alias: The Atom Superhero Legend of Tomorrow Ray Palmer’s size altering exosuit allows him to change size at will, making him a valuable asset for heroes across the universe and beyond. With his brilliant intellect and valiant nature, he can shrink down and destroy evil from the inside, or grow to stomp it out as he pleases.

As the Atom, Ray can shrink or grow to any size he chooses, and upon his growth, he gains a proportionate power boost. At his height (no pun intended) of power, Ray is capable of hand to hand combat with the Leviathan, Vandal Savage’s giant, humanoid super weapon. Despite being made of 2166 technology, Ray was strong enough to destroy it. When shrunk down, Ray has can fling himself with enough force to break through a foe’s body not unlike a bullet, and can leave dents in concrete by landing on it.

The Atom Exosuit can fly, and offers Ray an increased durability that allows him to shake off impact of an exploding jet plane as if it were nothing. He survived a fall of several thousand stories, and can tank arrows, bullets, and missiles as if they were nothing.

A pair of Photon Cannons make up the Atom’s long range weapon of choice--a fairly straightforward blast of compressed light that can knock most foes off of their feet. Ray can even compress this energy into a beam sword. Although these heavier artillery weapons take a bit of time to recharge and cool down, so Ray can’t use them frequently. Luckily, he has a close up electricity generator that can shock a target with enough force to knock them backwards.

The suit even has an advanced computer system--able to identify anything or anyone in front of Ray.When you have an IQ of 140, it’s good to have an on screen scanner. When a target needs to be reduced, the Atom’s shrinking extends beyond simply himself. When a meteorite of Nth Metal was headed for earth, the Atom’s shrinking ray was enough to reduce it to a harmless size.

Ray survived torture from the powerful Damien Dhark, and has trained his body to physical capacity. He was able to hold his own in a sword battle with a Shogun in feudal Japan, which he only participated in because his value as a hero was recognized by the time traveler Rip Hunter.

Although his suit is impressive, Ray can be a bit too proud of his own creation for his own good. He’s been outdone by the likes of Team Arrow due to his over reliance on this technology, looking down on fisticuffs as a last resort. However, the Atom always gets the job done--his big ideas leading to even bigger changes in Star City and all over space and time...and all from a small suit.

For better or for worse--Hank Pym changed the world of science forever when he created the Pym Particles--sub atomic alterers of matter than can increase or decrease an object’s size--able to make anything gargantuan, or, the size of an ant. With such a great power came great responsibility, one that Hank Pym could not handle.

Many years after his invention caused some of his greatest strifes and regrets, Pym is prepared to take up a new apprentice. He shares his Pym particles with the man he deemed worthy to become the second Ant Man.

Name: Scott Lang Age: Not documented Height: Variable (5’10”/178 cm base) Weight: Variable Race: Human Homeland: USA Alias: Ant-Man Second Pym Particle Superhero Seeing the potential in Scott Lang to be the hero he couldn’t be, Hank Pym trained the professional criminal to save the day as Ant Man, whose change sizing abilities pack a mighty punch on crime, backed by an army of soldier ants.

Pym is a picky fella, and not anybody could be Ant Man. Scott got the chance he did based on his intelligence and ingenuity. If he’s clever enough to break into a millionaire scientists’ safe, he’s clever enough to be a superhero. With the help of his daughter, Hope, Hank trained Scott in self defense to better utilize the powers he would gain…

Using the Pym Particles, Scott can shrink down to the size of an ant. The big plus here is the fact that his strength does not adjust to scale, enhancing his physicality greatly--packing the force of a grown man behind a tiny superhero. According to Hope, Scott can hit someone with the force of a bullet, 2,500 feet per second, and over 450 joules of energy.

In his miniature form, Ant-Man was able to trounce Falcon in battle--his size and speed giving him an excellent mobility. He’s small enough to sneak inside machines, enough so to tamper with the technology worn by the aforementioned Falcon and Iron Man. He also was able to outdo the Yellow Jacket, another user of similar technology.

The Pym Particles go both ways--Scott can use them to grow to be several stories tall (albeit, at the cost of immense strain on him). He becomes clumsy and cumbersome in this state, but can easily throw about trucks weighing several tons and topple buildings. When increased in size his durability does wonders too, able to endure missile fire from War Machine.

Scott also packs a collection of Pym Particle discs, which he can throw and influence the size of anything and anyone they make contact with. He can make objects enlarge with blue discs, and make them shrink with red ones.

Pym’s final tool of choice is a device that allows control over insects. With a bit of radio control of pheromones, Scott has rudimentary control of ants. With an army at his disposal, he can cover a battlefield, and even change the size of his own ants with his Pym Particle discs.

Land proves that big things come in small packages, and he’s one package that blow up in the face of any opponent daring enough to face him.

Ladies and gentlemen, break out the magnifying glasses--let’s see which tiny titan trounces their opponent!

Location: Stark Tower

DJ Funky Freeman’s Music Choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlhbBQIP1TA

“Thanks again for stopping by, Scott.” Tony lead the fellow Avenger into his office. “Can I interest you in a martini?” Before Scott could answer, a plate on which two martini glasses filled with clear liquor extended toward him from a compartment in the Stark Towers wall. “A martini before I navigate the inside of your suit?” Scott chuckled slightly, motioning to the Ant-Man helmet in his hand. Tony shrugged. “More for me.” The philanthropist picked up both glasses himself. “So just what am I looking for again?” Scott urged, looking over at Tony’s suit, which laid on a stand angled against a wall. “JARVIS detected some kind of disruption in my suit. Nothing the naked eye could detect. Could be the smallest of loose bolts.” Tony turned to Scott. “So I figured the smallest of Avengers would be best to take a look!” Scott placed his helmet over his head. “Gee, thanks.” Suited up, Scott immediately reduced his own body down to a point at which Tony could no longer see him. “Ooh, and if you find any crumbs in there, pull them out if you can!” Tony called out. “I gotta stop eating while I’m wearing that thing.” “Want me to polish the jet thrusters too, your majesty?” The microscopic Scott rolled his eyes as he climbed up into the Iron Man suits arm, squeezing into the open ridges of the armor.

Inside the curves and wires within Iron Man’s suit, Ray Palmer stood, recording everything he saw on his tablet. “Interesting stuff...I have to admit I wouldn’t think to use these kinds of materials.” He muttered to himself. ”Hey buddy!” Scott surprised Ray from behind. The Ant-Man believed he found exactly what Tony could not. “You lost? You seem to have wandered into someone else’s armor.” “Guilty as charged.” Ray compacted his tablet, returning it to his utility belt. “I’m not looking for any trouble. I just wanna make sure your Iron friend can’t do anything he might regret with this kind of technology.” “A surprise search?” Scott cracked his knuckles. “Was never a fan of that kind of thing in prison.” “I think I know where this is going…” Ray turned to face Scott straightforward. “Not that I’m complaining.” FIGHT! Ray blasted himself forward with the the thrusters on his suit, his leg pointed forward to land a rushing kick into Scott. Pushed backwards, Scott gripped the steel panels inside the suit, pushing himself forward toward Ray, his elbow pointed out to hit Ray. The two were quickly entangled, catching one another’s blows. Scott grabbed hold of Ray’s head, pulling back his own before exposing his opponent to a powerful headbutt. A bit of blood flew from Ray’s nose, who exasperatingly pressed his hands to Scott’s chest in response. “Sorry, little close for comfort.” Ray released the photon blast from the cannons on his suit, sending Scott flying backwards. Scott grunted as his body hit a wall of iron behind him. “Now you’re really asking for it!” Scott reached for the closest thing to him--a cluster of wires connected to a compartment within the armor, which he yanked out of place. I’ll pay for that later. Scott threw the wires, their sparking end out forward, at Ray, who endured a shock when they made contact. With his foe shaken and paused, Scott threw himself forward, knocking Ray off of his feet and down onto his back, slamming against a thick ground of cables. “Not so tough now, are yAAGH!” Scott quickly found himself tripped off his own footing, knocked down by Ray, who had used his legs to knock him over with a quick maneuver. Ray was fast to roll toward Scott, lifting himself over his opponent. “Let’s see how many watts that suit can take, huh?” Gripping Scott’s wrists, Ray sent a surge of electricity into his foe. Scott yelled in pain, but wasn’t paralyzed. Through the pain running through his body, Scott sent his knee upward into Ray, flipping him over and off of himself. “You’re hard headed!” Ray said between bated breaths, climbing back up. “Lots of prison hazing.” Scott responded with a shrug as he stood back up himself. The two superheroes rushed at one another. Fueled by his suit's thrusters, Ray shot himself at Scott. The two collided, both of their fists crashing into their foes chest. As soon as the collision occurred, the suits of both men made a slight hiss and sputter. Uh-oh. Oh, geez.

Tony lounged back in his recliner, polishing off his second martini, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw the arm of his suit shaking violently. After vibrating eerily for a few seconds too many, Tony’s heart skipped a beat when he saw two fully grown men in red and silver suits suddenly burst out of it. The pieces of the Iron Man suit’s arm fell as Ant-Man and the Atom raged on as they expanded back to their natural size. Scott threw his legs in a circle trying to kick his opponent, only for Ray to grab his foe’s thigh, throwing him over his own shoulder. Scott hit the ground with a great impact, breathing heavily as he rose to one knee. “Alright, buster. Get ready for the cavalry!” Scott pressed a single finger to his helmet’s earpiece. Ray braced himself, prepared for the worst. A chill ran up his spine when a faint buzzing noise entered his field of hearing. Within a few moments, the Stark Tower window behind Scott shattered as a cloud of flying ants rushed inside. Ray yelled in shock as he quickly found that the force of the insects were enough to carry him backwards into the window behind him. The glass broke as he fell out, hurdling over the side of Stark Tower. “This ISN’T OVER!” Scott ran after Ray, jumping off the edge of the floor after him. Left behind, Tony looked down at the empty martini glass before processing everything that had just occurred. “...JARVIS, call window repair.”

((music shift: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToDHGKykPh8 )) Free falling down the many, many stories of the building, Ray regained his composure, aiming his back for the ground, he looked up to see Scott diving after him, small shards of glass raining with him. Scott unlatched a silver disc with a blue, light center. “Ya hear the one about the pancake outside Stark Tower?” Scott threw the disc, which released a blue light when it made contact with one of the pieces of glass, which then suddenly grew to several times its original size. The massive sheet of glass fell toward Ray with great speed. Ray pointed his sidearm at it. “You’re gonna wanna close your eyes!” He said before firing off a photon blast which shattered the enlarged piece, sending it’s smaller fragments up at Scott, to his irritation. “Going up!” Ray said as he activated the jet flames on his suit, allowing him to fly upward, grabbing Scott’s leg during his ascension. Scott quickly found himself helpless, dangled about by the Atom, who quickly spun him around mid air before throwing him down into the street below. Scott flew to the ground with an impact that broke the concrete below. Ray, meanwhile, landed safely with aid of his suits flying function. “Learn your lesson yet?” Ray urged as he approached the crater made by Scott’s crashing body. When the dust from his fall cleared, Scott could still be made out, crouching low, another blue disc in his hand. “I’m told I’m a unique kind of learner, you see.” Scott noticed one of his ants had drifted down toward him from the battle above in the tower. “Sometimes I need a little help!” Scott threw the disc upward, which with another flash, made a behemothic monster out of the ant, which grew to the size of a car, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. “Can’t say I thought I’d see this today…” Ray admitted. “CHARGE!” Scott pointed at his foe, directing the ant to lift off the ground with its wings, hissing as it lunged at Ray. Ray quickly pointed his photon ray at the ant--but it wouldn’t fire. Still cooling down?! Before he knew it, he was floored, the massive ant on top of him and it’s hideous features mere inches from his own face. “Good boy!” Scott smiled. “Don’t let him back up!” This might be my worst nightmare--oh my god. Ray cringed as the giant ant fogged up the visor of his helmet. He arched his ion blaster on the opposite arm of his suit at the ant, releasing a single blast that shrank the insect back down to its original size. “I really should’ve been an exterminator…” Ray dusted himself off, while Scott rushed toward him. Ray turned around, lifting his arms in a martial arts stance. He was surprised to see Scott jump off the ground a few feet away from him and quickly shrink midair. Before Ray even knew it, he was flipped over by the microscopic Ant-Man, who had latched to his chest and pulled him over with all of his full sized strength. “Can’t hit what you can’t see!” Scott smiled as he punched Ray’s body, creating a sensation akin to a bullet. Ray endured several pint sized strikes all over his midsection. “True…” Ray activated his flight thrusters. “But I can shake you off!” Ray lifted himself off into the air, spinning through the air, hoping to get rid of the Ant-Man so he could regroup. Before long, he felt the pressure from his opponent’s blows shake off as Scott fell off of his body. “You aren’t getting away that easy!” Scott urged. In the middle of his fall from Ray’s body back to the earth, he expanded back to his full size, and from that threshold, continued to do so. Ray didn’t realize that behind him while he flew, Scott had grown to be much taller than the tower they were just fighting inside. Scott needed only to extend his massive arm and place his hand in way of the path Ray was flying through to swat Ray hurdling back down to the ground. “Game over, fly boy.” The gigantic Scott’s voice echoed. “I’d stay down if I were you.” Ray climbed back onto his knees. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?” Within a few moments, Ray’s body was surrounded by a blue light, which expanded and caused his own structure to grow taller. Before long, he was just as huge as Scott, both dwarfing the towers that surrounded them. Cars halted in the streets and people gawked from the windows of their office buildings as the giants approached each other. “I’m ready to settle up if you are.” Ray beckoned towards himself with a hand gesture. “Be my guest!” Scott responded before throwing the first punch, connecting with Ray’s jaw and sending a gigantic glob of his spit out of his mouth. Ray promptly returned with a photon blast to Scott’s chest, which pushed the gigantic Ant-Man down the length of the city block. The behemoth superhero had to quickly grab the rooftops of a couple nearby buildings to pull himself back up. The Ant-Man scoped his surroundings once he regained his footing. “What have I got here…” Scott reached down, picking up an empty semi-truck which he tossed in Ray’s direction. Ray quickly fired his Ion blaster at the truck, shrinking it back down. “You’re out of tricks…” Ray said as he stepped forward, grabbing both of Scott’s shoulders. “And out of luck!” With that, Ray sent a surge of electricity into Scott, who endured the full force with a yell of pain. The moment of shock ended, Ray, still holding onto Scott, sent his foot into his stomach, sending him tripping backwards once more. Scott’s clumsy fall was halted when his back collided with the iron bars holding up a water tower. “Oh shit!” Before Ant-Man could move, the water container came crashing down onto him, dousing him with water. Almost immediately, his suit began to short out. “Oh man, there is NO protocol for this!” Electric surges began to dance about Scott’s body as his suit’s fuses broke out in sparks. With each small combustion, Scott began to shrink back to his natural size. Within a few moments, he was suspended in mid air, in a soaked and destroyed suit and reverted to his natural size. “Down came the rain…” Ray chuckled as he watched Scott fall through the air, yelling in horror before the Atom extended his palm beneath him, quickly clasping his fingers shut as soon as he caught his foe. KO “Rip Hunter is gonna want a look at that suit of yours, too.” Ray said before he stomped away from Stark Tower.

((victory circle theme: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzYtahEg0nQ )) Both Ant-Man and the Atom demonstrated brilliant technology and skill, but only one rose to the occasion. Both heroes could counter most of their foe’s tricks--able to shrink and grow to similar proportions and efficiency to undo just about anything inflicted upon them. What really counted was their weaponry and fighting skills. Ant-Man had very little in way of destructive force besides things he could improvise with his Pym Particle discs--but anything he made expand, the Atom could easily reduce. While the vice versa was also true, the Atom had a significantly bigger bag of tricks with his photon blasts and electric shocks--more than enough to outdo Ant-Man’s swarms of insects. Ant-Man may be able to brush off missiles like they’re nothing, but the Atom did the same with an exploding jet plane, and his suit’s capabilities of flight gave him total control over the battlefield. And while Ant-Man has traded blows with the Avengers’ finest, he’s never had a battle as definitive with a foe as powerful as the Leviathan, which the Atom won. Ray also had a much better understanding of his own technology than Scott, who’s still learning to use the suit and Pym Particles. Ray created his own suit from scratch and has accounted for situations where the worst could happen. He was the only fighter that was preparred for anything. The winner...is the Atom

Next time on Fight to Win...

The foe of the Fullmetal Alchemist, Father, is here. Who will stop him from devouring god? Only time will tell. Stick to this blog to be the first to know!

#Fight To Win Fanfic #ant-man #The Atom #Ray Palmer #scott lang

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barddom · 8 years ago

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The Tempest

I started my reading list with The Tempest because it’s the first one in my copy of The Complete Works. It’s also a little bit poignant because Tempest is one of those plays that People believe “means” something about Shakespeare (or, as he will be colloquially referred to on this blog, Billy Shakes). It was probably one of his last plays, and because it’s about an old man giving up his craft, People say that it is about Shakespeare giving up The Theatre.

I don’t know about all that. What I do know that Shakespeare had daughters, and that the way he wrote father-daughter relationships is very particular and interesting. However, using his plays to try and expose truths about the playwright can be really unproductive. I’ve tried it and it’s hard and usually wrong. That being said, the plot is pretty wild.

[what follows is a plot summary. for hasty, last minute thoughts, skip to the end.]

Act One

Surprise! It’s about a tempest! We open in Act 1 with a storm, and a ship caught in the fustercluck.

The Boatswain and Shipmaster are like, “Nooo!” and the passengers are like, “Please God, I don’t want to die at sea! I want to die on land!” (1.1.63-65)

These passengers are: Alonso, the King of Naples, his brother Sebastian, his son Ferdinand, his counsellor Gonzalo, and Antonio, the Duke of Milan. Basically, the who’s who of Italy.

After this expository storm scene, we jump to a nearby island to meet our protagonists, Prospero (old, weird, presumably funky smelling), and his daughter, Miranda (young, nubile). Also, Miranda is the only female character in the play, which means we’re off to a really great start of continually failing the Bechdel test.

“Papa,” Miranda says, probably. “What is up with this freaky storm? Is that a shipwreck over there? Also, who am I?” (1.2)* (See notes at the bottom re: Miranda’s questions, memory, and this entire exchange.)

Here’s the deal: Miranda is fifteen, and has never met anyone other than Prospero, her father, or Caliban, the dude he keeps chained up in a cave for reasons that will become clear (but make that fact no less alarming).

Prospero, on today of all days, decides to be honest with Miranda about his past and her identity. This is a classic Billy Shakes move: exposing the noble lineage of a character to move the plot along. The sad tragic backstory is this: [cue violins]

Prospero used to be the Duke of Milan. Antonio is his evil, scheming, usurping brother. (Gasp!) Back when Miranda was a toddler, Prospero spent all his time reading magic books, and his brother was like, “I should be the duke!” King Alonso was in on it as well, and they shoved Prospero and Miranda on a boat and left them out at sea. Gonzalo gave them food, clothes, and water, but more importantly, the magic books! (Thanks, Gonzalo.) They eventually made it to The Island, where Prospero was like, “Chill,” and set up camp for the rest of time. (1.2.36-173) (It’s a long story.)

So the storm is Prospero’s revenge. He’s gonna really make life hard for the guys on the boat. (1.2.180). Miranda tries to ask another question, but her dad spells her to sleep instead, naturally.

This is where we meet Tempest’s real MVP: the spirit Ariel. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see him in action just yet. Instead we hear his tragic backstory. [Violins again, please.]

Before Prospero came to the island, it was ruled over by an evil witch named Sycorax. (Notice how men who practise magic are good magicians and women who practise magic are evil witches? Yeah, that’s a thing.) Prospero killed Sycorax, freed Ariel from the tree he was captive in, and then immediately enslaved him again. (1.2.257-293)

Prospero has promised Ariel that he will free him, as long as he follows through with the plan to separate, torment, and punish the shipwreck victims. Ariel’s like, “Already on it, boss.” And he flies away. (1.2.300)

When Miranda wakes, they go visit Caliban, Sycorax’s son! Wild. He collects their firewood and complains about it, mostly.

Meanwhile, Ariel has found Prince Ferdinand and is luring him in with sweet music. Miranda, who has never seen a man who is not a) super old or b) horribly disfigured, immediately falls madly in love with him on sight. Too bad, so sad, Prospero locks him up.

Act Two

We open on Antonio and Sebastian, who – I’m not gonna lie – I have always gotten a weird evil lovers vibe from. Is that just me? Probably.

They put their heads together and decide to kill the king, who is super bummed out because he thinks his son is dead. So if he dies, then Sebastian would be the new King of Naples! And Antonio would be the Duke of Milan and they could have slumber parties! Flawless plan. But as they go to behead the sleeping men, Gonzalo wakes up.

“Hey guys, what are those swords for?” he asks.

“Uh… we heard a monster?” they say, you know, like liars.

They don’t know how right they are, as we cut to–

Caliban, who is chopping wood (naturally) and starts to soliloquize on how much he hates Prospero, which is pretty understandable. I mean, a guy comes and kills your mother, steals the land you grew up on and were destined to inherit, and then enslaves you? That’s a huge bummer.

Enter Trinculo, the court jester, who was also in the shipwreck. The scene that follows is slapstick AF, providing a much needed break in the action of Slavery this and Drowned Souls that. He and Caliban end up under the same cloak for shelter from the storm, and Trinculo says, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows!” (2.2.42.)

Too true, Trinculo. Too true.

Another survivor, the butler Stephano, rocks up, only he has a whole lot of wine with him. Get in, buddy. He thinks that Caliban and Trinculo look like a weird beast, and decides the best course of action is to feed it the rest of the wine. Caliban gets smashed, immediately. Then Trinculo pops out and says, “Stephano, buddy! It’s me!” Happy friends are reunited, and now have a drunk, pliable, and desperate Caliban believing that they are gods and that wine is divine nectar, and that they’ll be able to kill Prospero! Sounds logical.

Act Three

Because there’s not much to do on an island populated by three people, Ferdinand is the new Caliban and is in charge of woodcutting. He waxes poetic about how the work is hard, but his love for Miranda makes it all okay. (i.e. “This work is hard, but I am harder, eh-hey!”) (3.1.1-15)

It’s cool though because it’s totally mutual. Prospero isn’t too keen on it, and is spying on them from a distance like the creepy, overprotective father he most certainly is. He’s conflicted because Miranda has never been happier, but also his baby girl is growing up! [violins, again]

The important thing about this scene, I think, is the language about servitude. We’ve seen a whole lot of different kinds of servitude in the play so far - mostly, you know, involuntary. Miranda and Ferdinand exchange willing, voluntary vows, declaring their love for and service to each other. (See, kids? Love is a prison.)

Meanwhile, on another part of the island, Stephano and Trinculo are getting Caliban even drunker.

More importantly, Ariel comes in, invisible to them, and plays them some kickass tunes on his pipe. This is where one of the best known passages from the play comes from.

Caliban

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices, That, if I then had wak’d after a long sleep, Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak’d, I cried to dream again.

(3.2.130-137)

I love this part because this is where we finally start seeing the island for what it is: a haunted fairytale world. Caliban, who’s lived there all his life, doesn’t know what the noises are, or even the spirits that make them. His connection to the island is so innate and deep that he doesn’t question this mystery, just accepts it. It’s *clenches fist* so beautiful.

Back with the merry group of Italian Nobles, shit is about to get real. They’re busy complaining about their feet being sore, or whatever, and then… “solemn and strange music; and PROSPERO on the top, invisible.”

Strange shapes enter the stage with a banquet. Sebastian is like, “Cool, I believe in unicorns and fairies now, this is absolutely nucking futs.” (3.3.22)

Before the nobles can eat, though, the greatest ever stage direction I’ve ever read in my life.

Enter ARIEL, like a harpy; claps his wings upon the table; and, with a quaint device, the banquet vanishes.

First of all: enter Ariel, like a harpy? Can you think of anything more beautiful and terrifying than seeing a giant bird-spirit with an enormous wingspan emerge from the air, slam its fists down in front of your face, and vanish everything there? This is why Ariel is my MVP. He’s just such a drama queen.

I’m also hugely fascinated by the “quaint device” situation, here. There’s a good chance my MA thesis will be on magic/witchcraft on stage. As Tempest is a late play, probably 1610-11, it was written and performed under King James, who was obsessed with witchcraft. Magic tricks weren’t just slight of hand, back in the day, they were fully, completely real. The audience, the actors, and the king all believed in the supernatural.

Anyway, Ariel makes this big speech about how he is a spirit of vengeance who is there to punish them for what they did to Prospero, before vanishing in thunder.

Act Four

“Sorry I, like, imprisoned you, or whatever,” Prospero says to Ferdinand. “But you can totally marry my daughter. As long as you don’t bone her until after the wedding. Or else I’ll do… something. Something magic and weird.” (4.1.1-23)

“Cool,” says Ferdinand.

Ariel, when Prospero asks, brings down the spirits/deities Iris, Ceres, and Juno to bless the union. Then some nymphs, then Reapers. Which reminds Prospero suddenly! Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo were on their way to kill him! Yikes.

With the help of Ariel’s trusty invisibility cloak, they manage to spy on them, and then set dog/hound spirits on them, and scare them away. Too easy.

Act Five

Finally, Ariel is going to be set free! After god knows how many years stuck in a tree stump, and thirteen years at Prospero’s beck and call, he’s going to be set free!

Only no.

What proceeds is a super sad scene where Ariel, telling Prospero how the Merry Italians are faring (spoiler: not well), feels a deep tug on his ol’ sympathy wire. Or, rather, “Mine would, sir, were I human.” (5.1.19)

Who is the monster and who is the man? Huh? HUH?

While Ariel goes off to fetch the shipwreck victims, Prospero makes an awesome speech about how cool and powerful his magic is, and how, alas, he is going to give it up. Because he cannot be a wizard and a Duke, can he? Also, it seems to me that his main power was, you know, enslaving people and spirits who can do his bidding. Not exactly kosher.

Ariel returns with the Italians and Prospero finally confronts them. Of course, they’re like, “Are you real? I’ve seen so much crazy crap today I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a figment of my imagination.”

But no, he has a pulse, and he has aged, and he is real!

He confronts everyone, left and right. Sebastian, Antonio, Alonso - nobody is safe! (Except for Gonzalo who he’s chill with.)

He even gives them a twist by saying, “I’ve lost my daughter…” and while they’re like, “NO!” he says, “PSYCHE! I meant because she married the prince! Booyah!”

Meanwhile, Ariel repairs the ship, fills it with supplies, and sends the captain to pick everyone up.

“FREE ME!!!!” he seems to be screaming, through clenched teeth.

Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano all emerge, in stolen clothes, reeking of wine and, probably, their own piss. Everyone heads back to the ship, bound for Milan.

But first - “My Ariel, chick / That is thy charge. Then to the elements / Be free, and fare thou well!”

Finally. Finally.

Epilogue.

To be fair to those who think Prospero is kinda sorta Billy Shakes himself, Prospero’s epilogue sounds a lot like an old man giving up his trade, there on the stage. In fact, he begs to be set free from it.

Really, it was Prospero who was the slave all along. A slave to his circumstances, his trade, his life. Heavyhanded? Yes. An attitude that maybe diminishes the suffering endured by the actual slaves in the story? Probably. But in the end, it’s Prospero who needs to be freed from the shackles of the play, of magic, of fury, a quest for revenge, and his life on the island.

What makes Prospero’s epilogue sound like a speech being given by Shakespeare is that he asks the audience for permission to step down: “As you from crimes would pardon’d be, / Let your indulgence set me free.” (19-20)

Only can the audience set him free - not the other characters. The epilogue happens for us, not for the sake of the plot on stage. It is our job to pardon Prospero for his crimes. Our job to let Shakespeare put down his pen, I guess.

My real interest in Tempest is, as I said, in the stagecraft of it, and the implications of performing, or re-enacting the supernatural on stage. I’ll likely think about this more when it comes to things like Macbeth, Midsummer, or any play with supernatural elements, like Hamlet.

Other fascinating points:

colonialism/land ownership

colonialism and language - (Caliban: “You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you For learning me your language!”)

that Ariel was freed from the stump implies that he was captive in the land. I’m sure there’s some kind of eco-criticism about this, somewhere, but I don’t know if I care enough about eco-criticism to follow it up

Memory

Antonio has convinced himself that he did not wrongfully usurp his brother, for instance.

Miranda cannot remember… anything? (See Kevin Ohi (2015), ‘Forgetting the Tempest’, in Dead Letters Sent: Queer Literary Transmission (pp. 49-66). University of Minnesota Press.)

The way in which Prospero constantly qualifies the story (1.2), asking her if she’s listening, if she’s paying attention, etc. implies that she might not be listening, that she perhaps can’t pay attention, that she might not remember. Despite knowing that the shipwreck victims are alive and safe, Miranda let’s Ferdinand believe that his father is dead - or, perhaps, she does not remember that Alonso is alive.

Caliban’s memory of his mother, of his island, of his childhood - it leads us to the question of who is the custodian of knowledge, of memory, for a place?

Performances and rituals

magic, marriage, masques (oh, i like the sound of that.)

And yeah. What a plot summary. Catch me never writing one again.

Things to accompany The Tempest:

Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed

The Little Mermaid and/or Pocahontas

Julie Taymor’s The Tempest (2010) where Helen Mirren plays Prospera.

“The Island: Come and See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel the Drowning” by The Decemberists.

#Shakespeare #The Tempest

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urameshiy-blog · 6 years ago

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This post is brought to you by characters with questionable motivations that will never be mentioned again.

Episode 7: Gouki and Kurama and 8: The Three Eyes of Hiei

In these two episodes, Yusuke gets his ass kicked. Hard.

This, along with the Power of Friendship and Love, will be a treasured theme of Togashi’s throughout the series. It’s honestly more of a surprise when Yusuke doesn’t get his ass kicked. Of course, this is a classic shonen anime trope: character gets beat down, picks himself up to get beat down again, and stumbles his way to victory. Watch Naruto: same thing. Bleach. One Piece. My Hero Academia (the... only contemporary shonen anime out of this list). Yet, Yusuke always does it with this odd combination of anger, determination, joy, and most importantly, a snappy one-liner, that I can’t help but love him best.

We pick up where we left off, with Gouki pounding Yusuke. Unfortunately for Yusuke, he used up his one shot of spirit energy earlier that day, and is stuck with only his fists. However, Gouki is much too strong, and knocks Yusuke out completely. It looks like this is the end of Yusuke’s brief second life. But with some quick thinking and deception, Botan saves Yusuke and brings him back home. She presents him with a second item: the concentration ring. Armed properly, and with Botan at his side, Yusuke faces off with Gouki again and promptly defeats him, with a few additional bruises added.

But Yusuke and Botan have no time to celebrate: waiting for them is the next demon, Kurama. Previously, a spirit fox, Kurama merged with the spirit of an unborn infant when he was injured, and has since been in hiding. Though he had planned on returning to the Demon World after recovering, his love for his mother grew, and he decided to stay instead. But when his mother fell ill, Kurama turned to other means to save her: the Forlorn Hope, which will take his life when it grants his request.

Yusuke, however, is a huge softie, and decides that Kurama doesn’t get to die that day. In the middle of Kurama’s request, Yusuke interrupts, and asks the Forlorn Hope to take Yusuke’s life instead (because the boy has zero consideration for his own life still). Luckily, the Forlorn Hope considered that noble, and decides both boys get to live! So Kurama’s mother is saved, Yusuke doesn’t die again, and he’s achieved the Forlorn Hope.

All’s well, end’s well?

and here’s Yusuke contemplating how "sad" Kurama's eyes are, like the protagonist of a YA novel

Wrong. Episode 8 comes crashing in, and Hiei promptly kidnaps Keiko to use as leverage against Yusuke. Yusuke tracks him down to a warehouse, where we find out that Hiei has cut her with the Demon Sword. If Yusuke doesn’t get the antidote from Hiei, Keiko will be turned into a mindless, demonic slave forever. Using her own healing energies, Botan focuses on keeping Keiko stabilized, while Yusuke goes after the antidote. Yusuke and Hiei proceed to fight, and Hiei gains the upper hand. Just as Hiei is about to deliver the finishing blow, Kurama intervenes, and takes the blow meant for Yusuke. Yusuke takes this moment to gather his wits, and faces Hiei again, angry and more determined. With a last ditch effort, Yusuke fires his Spirit Gun at the Forlorn Hope, which reflects the shot and strikes Hiei directly in the back.

Hiei finally defeated, the team heals Keiko, and laugh over Yusuke’s dumb luck, and Kurama’s masochistic tendencies. Just another day in the life of a Spirit Detective!

I decided to attack these two episodes at once, since it neatly wraps up the story arc begun in episode 6. I really appreciate how stream lined it is, and that the fight scenes don't take longer than a single episode. There's actually quite a bit more talking than fighting throughout all three episodes, which I almost find refreshing, since it really lets us spend time with the characters. Action wise, the fight scenes are still pretty slow, and I found myself a little bored during the Hiei/Yusuke fight scene.

Yusuke is on point in these two episodes: he’s determined to get back the artifacts, and he’s once again willing to put his life on the line to save these children’s souls. It’s surprising how consistent character wise Yusuke is in this aspect; as much as he was willing to throw himself in front of a car for a child in episode 1, he’s now willing to get beaten to death for them. And he does it all with a ready punchline. It almost makes me wonder how Spirit World screwed up so much in their reading of Yusuke. It’s not like he started caring for children after he died; this has always been a consistent character trait. Then again, I guess we can’t expect institutions to be correct all the time, amirite? (just go look at the news for reference)

Botan is also a DELIGHT, providing heavy support during the Gouki fight. She's unfortunately relegated to healer status in episode eight, but I'm glad she's still involved. Keiko, sadly, defaults to damsel in distress and the jealous girlfriend, and she will remain in this role for the rest of the series.

In episode 5, I said we would later discuss the evolution of how Togashi depicts demons. With our introduction of our two favorite demon boys, this is the perfect time to do so.

Gouki is a pretty standard stock villain. He’s big, dumb, and wants to eat human souls. Compared to Hiei, he’s actually a better developed than villain, with an understandable motivation, and a character design that outright says “evil.” And when he transforms, he’s undeniably the most demonic out of the three. By combining both his motivation and character design, we know for certain that we’re not to trust him (oddly, we will not see demons actively try to eat humans for another nearly 100 episodes, and it’ll be the subject of some intense discussion).

Kurama, on the other hand, never looks anything other than human during his appearance. With wide green eyes and a human mother to boot, we are subconsciously prepped to sympathize with him.

As for Hiei, he falls somewhere in a gray area between Kurama and Gouki. He’s certainly no ogre creature like Gouki, but he’s most definitely an antagonist. His pupils are smaller than Kurama’s, and his third eye marks him as other. Not to mention, at the height of the battle between him and Yusuke, he transforms into a green goblin like creature, covered in eyes. This form comfortably places him in the “evil” category for viewers and enhances his predatory appearance. In some ways, all three of these demons’ character designs are reinforcing our ideas of what “good” and “evil” looks like. I won’t say that Togashi completely smashes these expectations later on, but we’ll continue to discuss the difference between what “relatable” and “evil” demons look like as the series goes on.

Before going further into their characterization, I do want to note that even during Hiei’s introduction, Togashi was not 100 percent certain how major a character Hiei would be. However, his character and design ended up being so popular, that Hiei ended up as one of our core four characters. As such, there are some funky inconsistencies with Hiei’s motivations and why he would even want to steal the demon sword. However! It’s there, so I’m going to treat his characterization here as canonical (for the time being), rather than a completely separate characterization.

As much as Kuwabara and Yusuke contrast each other (Kuwabara is the emotional and motivated one, Yusuke’s the repressed one), Hiei and Kurama are each others’ contrasts. Even their character design (at least in the anime) is directly in contrast with each other, with Kurama being bright red, feminine, tall, and seemingly trustworthy. Hiei, on the other hand, is clad head to toe in black, with spiky hair, beady demonic red eyes, and 4 feet and 11 inches of pure anger and edgelord punk style.

Their motivations are in direct opposition as well; Kurama’s a reformed demon, and acts a thief one last time to save a human life. Hiei, however, is incredibly cutthroat, and out to… build a demonic army from humans and take over Human World (maybe)? His motives are very unclear, but he’s a starter villain, so we don’t really need to know much. We do know he sees humans as inferior, and this is consistent, even later in the series.

As the series goes on, we will see that the two slide into complementary roles, with Hiei as our Brute Force and Kurama as our Smart Guy. What will be more interesting is when Togashi begins to subvert their tropes, creating more complex and interesting characters as we go. Both characters will undergo immense change later on in the series, and I'm excited to come back to discuss that. However, we'll be saying goodbye to them for now, and instead venturing off into a completely other direction! (Genkai, we're coming for you).

Final Thoughts:

Kurama is the biggest drama queen in the history of the world, matched only by Yusuke Urameshi himself: “Did you know in some species the child eats its mother?” he says, as he proceeds to wax poetic about feeling like one of those “mother devourers.” Just. Chill, Kurama. CHILL.

Favorite line of the two episodes goes to Kurama again, with a 10/10 roast to Yusuke: “All the while we’ve been thinking you’re a brilliant strategist. You’re just a lucky fool… A strategist is a person who uses his brain.”

Yusuke making fun of Hiei monologuing is fantastic.

I never thought I would say this, but I miss Kuwabara? So much?

TL;DR?: These two episodes throws us straight into demon world, and provide some fun action scenes! Kurama and Hiei are startlingly different from their later characterization, but deliver some great moments and insults. However, upon rewatch, I find myself impatient to get to later episodes where the team is working together!

#yyh #yyh rewatch #yyh review #yu yu hakusho #anime review

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