#if it will help death reunite with his master then sure why not

[mewkwota]

Do you think since the castle at this time was formed through Maxim's will, that Death may have taken form similarly? Well you can call me a wanted outlaw because I sure am reaching for the sky like I always do with these random comics. ( J` O`)J

This was what I was thinking while doodling Death in his various designs. Not to mention, when I see a ribbon, I may accentuate them.

This was also an excuse to touch-up how I draw Juste, as I made the dumb decision of forgetting the little bow on his outfit-- I did not add that onto Death's cloak by the way.

[downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le]

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) - Chapter 3

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader)Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Word Count: 2627 Warnings: death, violence, fighting, bloody wounds, angst, infuriatingly oblivious love interest, slowburn Spoilers: Young Justice Seasons 1-3 plot partially, but it ended in 2022 so catch up.

Y/N Prince - miracle daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor - and Dick Grayson - first adoptive son of the Batman himself - have been best friends since day one. They went to school together, trained together, kept each other's alter ego secret from everyone else, and they founded the Young Justice alongside their friends together. 

But as time progressed, Y/N and Dick grew up and Y/N found herself wanting more than friendship with Dick. But he never seemed to indicate that he reciprocated her feelings. And when Wally died and Dick abandoned the team, Y/N realised he never would. So she heads to the one place she knows will help her become a stronger warrior so that one day she can take her mother's place: Themyscira.

Two years after his leave, Dick reaches out to his old friends to help him with a mission. But when he finds out Y/N left too, he chases after her in the hopes to bring her back.

However, when the two finally reunite, it isn't as warm as he hopes. Not to mention Themyscira becomes under siege as they go to war against Echidna, the Mother of Monsters in Greek Mythology, and her army of monstrous children.

Will Dick and Y/N be able to put their past behind them and save the Amazons' homeland? Or will they fall, unable to tell one another their true feelings?

~~~

'You are five miles from the estimated target, Master Dick,' Alfred said over the intercom of the Bat Wing.

Immediately upon entering Wayne Manor, Dick had rushed to his childhood room - the one he still used on the occasion he worked with Bruce as the Dynamic Duo, or he needed some space from his duties as Bludhaven's hero - and packed a small duffle of clothes and weapons and ran straight for the Bat Cave. As promised, Alfred had the Bat Wing waiting, ready for take off, and Dick barely greeted the old man before leaving Gotham far behind.

Dick had been flying for almost twelve hours and hadn't slept a wink. Sitting at the control panel with only a wide window of open sea to look at, Dick rubbed his tired eyes as the shadows of sleep flickered in the corners of his vision. He had to stay awake, just a little bit longer at least.

And then... Well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

'Is there anything else you need from me, Master Dick?' Alfred asked.

Dick shook his head initially, then remembered Alfred couldn't see him. 'No, thank you, Alfred,' Dick replied, sitting up straighter in his seat. 'I should be fine from here on out.'

It was quiet for a moment, and Dick thought Alfred had signed off accidentally. But then he spoke. 'Are you sure there is something out here? I know you and your friends' findings seem well-supported, but there is only open ocean. There isn't even an under water volcano or ancient mountain range recorded there.'

'Which makes it an even more suspicious place,' Dick countered. 'Trust me Alfred, there is something out here.'

'Let's just hope Miss Y/N is too, or you'll have wasted Master Bruce's fuel. And I will tell you now, he will not be pleased about that.'

The mention of her name caused Dick's heart rate to increase with anxiety. But he quickly recovered as he scoffed. 'I don't know why he's complaining,' Dick said nonchalantly. 'He's the billionaire of the family, after all.'

'Have you seen the price of fuel these days?'

That caused Dick to chuckle slightly, just imagining the singular raised eyebrow Alfred used to ask the silent question of Are you serious? In that moment, he was once again grateful for Alfred. He barely asked any questions as to why Dick needed the Bat Wing, he just trusted Dick that it was for a good reason. Unlike Bruce, where trust needed to be hard earned, Alfred had always given his trust and love unconditionally.

The Bat Wing suddenly jerked as it seemed to hit something. Or, maybe, something hit it.

'Master Dick, what was that?" Alfred asked, worry lacing his words.

Suddenly alert, Dick brought up the different cameras hidden in the ship to try and find what had cause the sudden shift, but sound nothing.

'I'm not sure, Alfred,' Dick answered, running diagnostics over the ship in case of damage. 'There seems to be no damage to the Bat Wing, and there is nothing on the radar indicating another ship or flying creature of sorts.'

The ship rocked again, and Dick gripped tighter to the control handles as he took the ship off autopilot. 'What in the world!'

'Master Di-,' Alfred said, but his words were glitchy and some parts were coming through slowly. 'A-re yo- all rig-' Alfred was cut off before he could finish.

'Alfred? Alfred,' Dick called, but he got no reply. He slammed the control handles in frustration. 'Damnit.' He was on his own now.

However, his annoyance dissipated at the site he'd only ever seen in books he'd borrowed from Y/N when they were children.

To say Themyscira stood atop a mountain would be an inaccurate description. It was more like Themyscira was the mountain, with a long staircase weaving and winding up the entire mountain from the ivory beach and cerulean waters at the base of it. There were small stone huts with woven roofs closer to the beach, but quickly evolved into larger houses and buildings of impressive white columns and marble. As Dick flew closer to the island, he spotted a large coliseum used for sports and physical trials like the ruins in Greece, and a small amphitheatre next door that no doubt was used for the arts.

Atop Themyscira's mountain could only be the royal palace, held up by intricately carved statues of women and marble columns, decorated in plates of gold and held together by green grape vines that covered the palace walls, the statues, the columns.

The bed time stories he'd heard from Wonder Woman when he and Y/N would have sleepovers was more than his imagination could ever conceptualise, and the few descriptions and drawings of the island in the books he'd read were amateur attempts that held no candle to the real deal.

It was, in a word, paradise.

I must've hit the invisible barrier before, Dick deduced as he took in the sight of it all. That's why communications were knocked. That's why he'd felt so anxious and tired the closer he got. Now that he'd passed through, he felt ten times better.

A beeping pulled Dick out his trance, drawing his attention to the radar. Something was coming at him. Fast.

Dick looked up in time to see a large fire ball flying at him and barely dodged it. It was so hot Dick felt its heat through the window as it scraped by.

'Woah!' Dick cried, angling the Bat Wing so Dick could see where the fireball had come from. And, more importantly, who had thrown it. Down on the ivory beach was a line of catapults set up Dick hadn't spotted before, and he could just make out an army milling about around each catapult as they reloaded the catapults.

Before he knew it, he was swerving as another fireball flew at him, this time catching part of the left wing and melting it. Sirens blared, indicating the damage, but Dick didn't have time to worry about that. The Amazons thought he was a threat. He needed to change that, or he'd be a goner.

Crazy an idea as it was, Dick manoeuvred through the line of fireballs the Amazons catapulted at him towards the beach. Once he was close enough, he turned on the speaker so the outside world could hear him. 'Please, Amazons of Themyscira, I mean you no harm,' Dick announced to them, hoping he sounded genuine. 'I am going to land my aircraft on your shore. I just want to ta-'

He didn't have time as a small boulder connected with the left wing, sending the Bat Wing into a spin that Dick couldn't control. Sirens blared in the cockpit, reds light flashed and his front window lit up with the message SYSTEM FAILURE in bright red letters. The steering was shot, his vision was impaired, so Dick just closed his eyes and braced for impact.

The Bat Wing hit the beach hard, knocking the wind out of Dick for a moment. Once he'd regained his breath and the world had stopped spinning, Dick checked his immediate surroundings. He was in one piece still, and the Bat Wing hadn't exploded. Good start.

Before he could unplug himself, a spearhead stabbed through the glass of the front window, shattering it completely as the Amazon wielding it pulled it out. Dick was temporarily blinded by the sudden invasion of sunlight to his senses, but he still put his hands up in surrender in case they still thought him a threat.

'Please,' he begged through laboured breaths. 'Please, I don't mean you any harm. I just need to talk with someone you might know. Please.'

'Síko órthios, pareísaktes,' a strong voice hissed above him, her words whipping out like a delicate snake. She yanked him from his seat, breaking the seatbelt as she did, and threw him onto white, hot sand.

Vision coming back ever so slowly, Dick saw more figures approaching where he laid on the beach, spears and swords and shields in hand. All women, and all wearing brown leather skirts, sandals, and breast plates and bronze helmets of the ancient greeks. A small crowd formed around him, leaving no room for escape.

Realising this, Dick hauled himself to his feet and spun around to survey the group with his hands raised. The women ranged from youthful to mature, but all of them looked capable of killing him should he dare run. Capable, and willing.

'Poios eísai esý?' a woman with long brunette hair asked. She looked slightly older than him, perhaps mid to late 20s. But knowing how old Wonder Woman had lived for already, Dick was almost sure all of the women surrounding him were much older than they appeared.

I really regret not taking those Greek classes with Y/N now, he thought to himself, not having a clue what the woman had asked him. When he didn't reply though, she repeated her question but with more annoyance and aggression, pointing her spear towards his chest.

'I am Dick Grayson,' he said, not sure if they could understand him or not. 'I mean you no harm. Please, I must talk with someone you know... Do you understand me?'

The blank faces he received in return were answer enough. The brunette turned to two other women beside her, whispering to one another. It only lasted a moment, for then the brunette raised her spear higher towards Dick's throat. The rest of the women also raised their weapons, all pointed at him.

'Ánthropos apó to exoterikó,' she announced for all to hear, her delivery final and true, 'edó tha petháneis!'

Just as she raised her spear, Dick threw his hands up again and cried, 'Y/N!'

He waited for pain, for the sensation of falling and then nothing, but it never came. The brunette paused, spear still raised above her, and looked at him curiously.

'Pós gnorízeis tin prinkípissá mas?' she asked, and to Dick's surprise, he recognised one word. Prinkipissá. Princess.

'Yes,' he said, seizing potentially his only chance at surviving. 'She would be your princess. Sorry, your prinkipissá. Daughter of your champion, Diana.'

At the mention of the mighty Wonder Women, the brunette lowered her weapon entirely and turned to the other women as quiet murmurs broke out amongst the group. Dick wasn't sure what he'd started, but he knew they knew of who he spoke of, and what power her name held. Not just anybody could wield her name.

'I came here to speak with Prinkipissá Y/N,' Dick continued, and then he put his hands together as if he were about to pray. 'Please, can you lead me to her? Is she even here?'

The brunette and her two friends looked him up and down for a moment before consulting one another one last time. After what felt like an eternity, the brunette stepped forward and looked him dead in the eyes.

'Piáste ton!' she cried, and two women grabbed both his arms, ensuring he couldn't escape. 'Tha ton páme stin prinkípissá mas.'

She then turned away, and Dick was lead by the arms after her and the rest of the crowd. He managed look over his shoulder to see the wreckage of the Bat Wing. The left wing was one metal sheet away from tearing off completely, and the shattered glass and the many dents in the side of the ship just added to Dick's dismay. Oh yeah, Bruce is going to be pissed.

If the Amazons let him live and he ever got off the island, Bruce would definitely make sure Dick suffered long and hard.

Dick was lead up hundreds and hundreds of steps, walking through the bustling city of women and young girls all going about their daily lives. For some reason, it was off putting to Dick to see women and children doing the washing or playing games in the open street. He wasn't sure why, but he envisioned the whole island as warrior women who all fought and died for each other and their home.

They could probably still whoop my ass, he thought as he was marched by some children who were previously playing a game with some dice and a ceramic cup before he came along and stole their attention. It came to Dick's mind that these young girls probably had never seen a male before, and so he smiled at them as kindly as he could. Some of the children smiled back, others had their mothers nearby collect them and take them inside. Dick couldn't blame them for it. Wouldn't he do the same for his child if the roles were reversed.

Why the hell am I thinking about children right now? he asked himself, but he didn't have time to ponder the question as they quickly walked up a final set of stairs into an open field of green covered in warrior women training. When the whole group stopped, Dick was brought to such a startling halt that he thought his arms were going to pop out of their sockets. Thank God for that, he thought, feeling his legs ache with all the climbing. Or is it Zeus I should thank? Maybe Hera? Athena?

The brunette raised her spear, and those not holding Dick prisoner did the same. 'Prinkipissá,' she called out above the din of all the sparring and training. 'Échoume kápoion gia esás.'

Dick wasn't sure who the brunette was talking to at first, but then his gaze settled on a group of women just ahead of them. It seemed it was a six-versus-one situation, as six women surrounded one young woman with familiar H/C hair. The six women ran at the young woman in the middle, all taking swings with their fists and swords, aiming for her head and legs and mid section. While the young woman took a few punches, she didn't flinch with pain. She would just grab her attacker's wrist and flip her over and slam her into the ground.

The fight only lasted a minute, and ended with the H/C haired pointing a sword at her final opponent's throat as she pressed her to the ground with her foot.

When she flipped her hair as she turned to face their group, only then did Dick fully realise who it was.

'Y/N!' he cried out, the brightest smile spreading across his face. Two years since he'd last seen her, his best friend. After the not-so-very-warm welcome, he was beyond relieved to see a familiar face.

But instead of reciprocating his smile with the one he'd always admired since they were children, Y/N paled as if she had seen a ghost. Her whole body seemed to freeze up as her eyes connected with Dick's, and for a moment Dick feared he had mistaken some poor girl for his best friend.

But her shock melted away, and Dick was met with angry eyes and a stony face. Oh, yeah. That's Y/N. He couldn't recall the amount of times he'd seen that expression before, but there was no mistaking it.

His fear turned towards himself as she suddenly, with sword still in hand, stormed towards him, ignoring the other women around her still training.

'Y/N, it's me Dick,' he said, just in case she hadn't recognised him, but still she came at him, raising the sword to her side. 'Wait, what are you doing?

As she stood a step from him, she changed her grip on the sword's hilt and swung the butt of it at his head.

'Hey! Don't-'

The last thing he saw were Y/N's angry eyes of E/C before pain exploded from his right temple and darkness overcame him.

~~~

Síko órthios, pareísaktes = On your feet, outsider

Poios eísai esý? = Who are you?

Ánthropos apó to exoterikó, edó tha petháneis! = Man from the outside, you will die here!

Pós gnorízeis tin prinkípissá mas? = How do you know our princess?

Piáste ton! = Grab him!

Tha ton páme stin prinkípissá mas = We shall take him to our princess

Échoume kápoion gia esás = We have someone for you

---------------

Tag List:

@valiantbouquetcloud | @epicy0n | @tyrannosaurexrex1300 | @lunaizhere | @nameunknownsthings | @tqrgvryen | @pariahsparadise | @edgycatx | @b4tm4nn

[theskeletonprior]

I left my awful soul-sucking job so my writing commissions are now open! Looking for a brainrot cure? Got a story that won't write itself? There's a way. Drop me a line! I'm especially good at nailing character voices, hurt/comfort, polyamory, and subtle moments of intimacy. While I don’t mind writing intimate scenes, I don’t accept graphic NSFW requests, non-con, or underage. When in doubt, just check in with me first! You can message me here on Tumblr, or email me at theskeletonprior@gmail.com. The hellsite, as I'm sure you know, does eat asks and such sometimes, so if you don't hear back, don't be afraid to reach out again!

Price List (CAD)

1000 words for $20 1500 words for $35 2000 words for $45 Pro rate for writers these days is $0.08 per word, so my commission rates are an absolute steal. Our dollar is also a little bit trash here in the land of maple syrup and poutine or whatever, so if you happen to trade in eagle bux, even better for you! My commissions help me pay for things like sertraline, funding for my ongoing effort to be reunited with my beloved husband, the occasional good meal, and resources for my work as a professional Dungeon Master (I can't believe that one either). So hire a dead guy, and help support a queer creative. I also donate any tips to Gaza Funds.

If you’re looking for a longer work, feel free shoot me an email at theskeletonprior@gmail.com and we’ll chat. Words are what I do.

Work Samples

You can read all my Tav Tales to date here on AO3, but here are some of the highlights.

To Live in Infamy (2k Durgetash)

The morning, Enver is lucky enough to have pants on. The Slayer snaps his chains as it comes screaming into the daylight, barrelling out of the bed. The force of Infamy’s awakening sends Enver rolling onto the floor, narrowly missing being crushed by the bedframe. He’s tangled in their sheets, and already lamenting that they’ll need to be replaced. This silk had come all the way from Waterdeep. That’s his first thought, even with his heart pounding in his ears. He struggles to free himself, but the Slayer isn’t coming for him. There’s the acrid smell of half-cast sorcery, and then the screaming starts. When something warm and wet splashes onto him, soaking through the sheets, Enver hopes it’s blood. The crunching of bones and the smell of bright copper gives him a little hope that it’s not something worse. It wouldn’t be the first time a would be assassin emptied their stomach or their bowels in terror before the Slayer. Enver unrolls himself at last, leaning back on his elbows to enjoy the show, even as the blood—and thank goodness it is blood—soaks through his nice sheets. The mess quite nearly defies description.

Callus (2k Tav/Astarion/Halsin)

“Oh, my dear, what a miserable turn of events.” Astarion kisses Lukan’s hair gently. “I could probably catch up with him, you know. Plenty of good alleyways in this end of town to drag him into, get him acquainted with my nice new boots. Sturdy enough to kick a man entirely to death.” “You got new boots?” Lukan can’t help a watery smile, desperate to redirect the conversation. He doesn’t want Thindulion killed. It had been bad enough to bury his mother, and as much as he wants to hate his father for abandoning them, he hates the thought of being orphaned even more. And now he knows he has a sister, and he couldn’t put her through that. “That’s beside the point,” Astarion says. “I’m asking if a little spot of patricide might cheer you up.” Lukan shakes his head. “It’s not like that,” he says. He wants to try to make light, to play along with Astarion’s flippant turn of phrase, but it’s just too heavy. It doesn’t go unnoticed. “I might have another idea, in that case,” Astarion tells him. “Why don’t you have a sit on the bed, get those boots off, and I’ll be back, having done precisely no murders, I promise.”

In the Spider’s Parlor (3.5k Tav/Kar'niss)

She peers over her shoulder at him and then rolls her head, exposing more of her neck. Suddenly his need, that wretched appetite, is not as hideous as it has been, he feels no disgust for what he wants, for the curse that makes him want it. There’s only this moment. He nips lightly, slipping his arms around her, embracing the warmth. He reaches out with his forelegs, feeling her, holding her securely as he had done that first time. He’s heard the sound she makes when letting blood, and now he knows it for what it is. Pleasure. His purr rumbles low in his chest, but he never bites, lapping softly at the thin rivulet of blood that wells from where he’s nipped her, one delectable drop at a time. Solinore reaches up, one hand tangling in his hair, relaxing in his grip. “What you ask of me, is yours,” Kar’niss says, applying pressure to the nick he’d made to stop what little bleeding he’d caused. “You sure?” she asks, playfully. “I could ask for another ride on your back. Or…” He knows what that smirk implies. “What you ask of me,” he says again, “is yours.”

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digimon Writing Challenge - Mix and Match: Koushirou + Agumon + Friendship

[Yamato] [Takeru] [Hikari] [Sora] [Taichi] [Koushirou] [Mimi] [Jyou]

Summary: After defeating Mugendramon, Taichi's group, finally reunited, gets to have some well-deserved rest - but Koushirou simply can't seem to fall asleep, overthinking his previous quarrels with Taichi and whether or not he had gone too far by calling him out. Koromon, however, leaves him a piece of mind in this regard...

Word count: 951

Koushirou Izumi had always thought of himself as a person capable of controlling his emotions – at least up until the moment he and his camp companions had been thrown into a completely different world.

At some point, he had just stopped keeping track of the number of emergencies, near-death experiences and conflicts. Especially now that the fate of both the Digital and Real World rested on their shoulders, depending on them to beat the Dark Masters, it was tough to clearly remember all their adventures.

However, today had been a new first for Koushirou. This was precisely why he hadn’t been able to fall asleep yet, deep at night at a safe space Andromon had found for them, surrounded by the remnants of greyish debris and with a heavy heart pounding in his chest.

Never before had he opposed Taichi in that manner. Sure, he had disagreed with him on various occasions, had tried to hold him back whenever he did something reckless.

But never before had they gotten into an argument like this. Not really a fight, only close to a punch that was meant to cover up their whereabouts and yet… After everything Koushirou had heard, after everything Taichi had confessed to him, about his past, why he had acted as irritating as before…

It reminded him of his parents, all the suffering they must have gone through. Not even considering his own suffering at this point, because Taichi’s turmoil was all he could think about right now.

“What were you thinking?!”

“It’s my fault, I need to take care of her.”

“If you understand, quit ordering me around!”

Koushirou had tried to soothe him. To help him to take better care of himself. He had raised his voice – and even if he was aware that he had been objectively right to tell him to take a break, he now felt like he had disrespected him. Angered him. And although Taichi had apologized for his behaviour afterwards… It hurt.

And now he couldn’t sleep, dealing with a stubborn sense of guilt in his chest. What if he had permanently damaged their bond? What if Taichi would treat him differently from now on? All he could do was watching Taichi’s back next to him, who, just like Sora, Piyomon, Takeru and Patamon, was fast asleep, cuddled closely to Hikari, Tailmon and…

“Nyaaaaaargh… Koushirou?”

He hadn’t noticed Koromon moving and now, after a biiiiig yawn, the pink blob was sitting right in front of him, ogling him with his big red eyes.

“You’re still awake too? I assumed you would be out for at least a few more hours after defeating Mugendramon”, Koushirou whispered in response, only now noticing the huge scratch on the Digimon’s forehead he obtained by slicing up Mugendramon into a million pieces.

“No worries”, the little monster shook its entire body. “Hikari’s light made me feel all warm and fuzzy, so I didn’t lose that much energy, hehe! Tentomon’s more exhausted though, huh?”

They both turned around towards Tentomon, who had curled up into a ball right next to his human partner, guarding his laptop while snoring quietly and peacefully – which actually made Koushirou smile for the first time in hours. At least he was getting the rest he deserved.

“Did you want something in particular?”, Koushirou finally asked while getting up into a sitting position – only for Koromon to jump right into his lap.

“Mhmh! I wanted to thank you for keeping an eye on Taichi! I wasn’t able to stop him earlier and… By now I know that he does everything he does to protect everyone around him, so… He needs to understand that he has friends to protect him too! That he is not alone!”

Hearing all that, Koushirou just glanced back to Taichi’s backside. It was almost like Koromon had summarized his own thoughts perfectly, even if it still left a small pounding behind.

“Friends to protect him too…”

“I was a bit startled when you two almost punched each other, but… I guess that’s what friends need to do sometimes?” The Digimon looked lost in thought for a moment and Koushirou was certain that Yamato had just come to his mind. Understandably so, as both Taichi and Yamato seemed to be more physical when it came to bringing their points across. “He seemed a lot calmer afterwards, so you did the right thing! He was really sorry too, he didn’t mean to hurt you, so please forgive him, okay?”

Caught off guard once again, Koushirou blinked. Was it really that easy? Did Taichi maybe feel like he could be more physical with him too because they were… Friends?

“I’ve… Forgiven him immediately, Koromon, please do not worry yourself. But… Are you sure?”

“Huh? About what?” Koromon mirrored the blinking. “You’re always taking care of each other and you always help Taichi like only a true friend does! Using your laptop, figuring out places and routes and mysteries when he doesn’t know what to do… I know you care about each other a lot, so… Please make sure Taichi always sees that he can rely on you, okay? He has me, he has everyone, but he needs to know it too.”

Maybe it really was that easy. Maybe he needed to stop overthinking. And maybe their friendship had become much stronger than he had given it credit for – even if it took Taichi’s monster soulmate to help him to realize it.

Despite the pain he had felt, he hadn’t picked the wrong path. And he would continue to stay by Taichi’s side, even if it meant calling him out, bringing him back on track. Like a true friend would.

“I promise I will.”

[sage-nebula]

Just wanna say, I love your tags sm on my post!!! I find it so fun to pull comparisons with both zinnia and volo because they have like. A similar character skeleton. Or whatever that means. They're so different yet their relation to their respective deity definitely feels, as u said, 2 sides of the same coin.

And 100% agree with the last comment- I only started thinking about their similarities when I realized how much of the fandom dislikes zinnia and how much of the fandom likes volo qq

Ahh thank you so much!! I'm so sorry I'm responding to this so late, I am just awful about actually sitting down at a computer lately unless it's for work . . . and my work network doesn't allow me to access tumblr because I'm employed by haters 😔 but I'm glad you appreciated the tags! I remember I was actually a bit hesitant about leaving them because I didn't know if they would be Too Much or not, so I'm glad that wasn't the case, haha.

And yeah, Zinnia and Volo definitely foil each other in many ways. What's really interesting about it as well is that, unlike Volo, Zinnia was actually rebuffed by her deity to her face, when it came to a destiny she was literally raised for, which we know since her flashbacks in her Evolutions episode show that she was training to catch Rayquaza as part of her Lorekeeper destiny since she was a young child:

She could arguably be a little older in that second flashback, but not by much. So Zinnia was raised to be the Lorekeeper since her childhood. Her life's purpose was not only know and be able to pass on the history of her people, but also to be able to mega evolve Rayquaza and, together with it, destroy the meteor that would threaten the planet. She knew that doing this would likely result in her death (indicated at multiple points in her dialogue), but she was so devoted to doing it that she went through it anyway. And she managed part of it; she did manage to summon Rayquaza.

And then . . . Rayquaza rejected her. To her face. In favor of some random (by comparison) kid.

By all accounts, Zinnia had every right to be furious. Her deity has rejected her in favor of some rando when Zinnia devoted her entire life (and was willing to sacrifice her life) to it. But is she furious? Does she take it out on May? No. We know that she's lowkey suicidal (some of her dialogue suggests she's almost hoping she'll die in the effort to stop the meteor so that she can be reunited with the original Aster in the afterlife), but she still takes it in stride because the most important thing is that the meteor is stopped. So she helps the rando as much as she can, and then leaves to figure out what she can do with this life she didn't expect to have.

Then, on the opposite end, there's Volo. Volo, as far as we know, was never raised with any special destiny in mind. To be fair, we really don't know anything about Volo's backstory except that it's heavily implied he's a descendant of the Celestica people. But that's it. We're never told that he had a destiny to fulfill alongside Arceus. Instead, Volo himself decided that he was going to summon and meet Arceus, and Volo himself decided he was going to summon and meet Arceus wholly for his own reasons, and Volo himself never actually came face to face with Arceus, and took that as a rejection, and then tried to murder the random kid Arceus chose over it, as if it's that random kid's fault.

It really is the complete opposite in every way. Zinnia had every reason to believe that Rayquaza would agree to work with her, yet when it refused, she took it in stride and did what she could to help. Volo had no reason to believe that Arceus would want to work with him, and when it refused, he absolutely lost his shit and tried to murder a child. There's a reason why Zinnia got closure by forming a sync pair with Rayquaza in Pokemon Masters and why I'm pretty damn sure Volo is not going to get the same treatment with Arceus, lmao.

And don't get me wrong, I love both characters. Personally, I hope Volo never gets better. Don't get me wrong, if his motivation is supposed to be that he wants to make a world where his people and culture were never lost and where Hisui was never colonized, then I do think that's a sympathetic motivation, and certainly I came away from PLA thinking that Kamado was more despicable than Volo, mostly because the game treated Kamado like a sympathetic, misunderstood man despite his blatant bigotry toward the DP clans. But Volo is at his best when he is absolutely off his shits and I want him to stay that way. Like the fact that he actually tried to murder the player is iconic. Love that energy for him. Keep it coming.

But that doesn't change the fact that, yeah, he is off his shits. And any sympathetic motivations we can give him are headcanon because Game Freak didn't feel the need to elaborate. And more importantly (and to the point of your second paragraph), yeah, it really gets me that people are constantly vilifying Zinnia (including downright calling her a villain) for trying to save two worlds and ultimately bowing out gracefully when her destiny was stolen from her, yet fawn all over Volo or Lusamine. I'm sure the fact that Zinnia is a darker skinned woman (as opposed to the the blonde hair and pale skin of the others) has nothing to do with it. [/heavy sarcasm]

Anyway, this is a very long (and late) reply. I'm a very verbose person, haha. But thanks again, especially for giving me the chance to talk more about this; I appreciate it! 💜

[merrybloomwrites]

You Can Start a Family (Extra: Mitch & "Matilda")

"Well, everybody's crying. I never play that song facing the crowd. One night I thought, 'Why don't I just try it one time facing the crowd?' It was deep into the tour, and all of a sudden I'm paying attention, and I almost stopped playing. I thought, 'God, this is what we've been playing every night?'"

That quote about the song Matilda from an interview Mitch recently did inspired me to write this little story. Very Mitch introspective about his love for Sarah and reader.

Previous Chapters:

Main Story: One ; Two ; Three ; Four ; Five ; Six ; Seven ; Eight ; Nine ; Ten

Sickfic Part 1 ; Part 2

Mitchrry Prequel

Word Count: 1.1K

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The first thing Mitch noticed about the song “Matilda” was how difficult the guitar part was. For weeks that was all he noticed since that’s how long it took him to master it. After practicing over and over he felt confident that he finally had it perfect. This was especially important since he basically was the only instrument playing for the first half of the song. If he hit one sour note, there would be no covering it up. Everyone would know.

He hadn’t given much thought to the lyrics of the song at first. It wasn’t until Sarah brought it up one night over dinner that he realized how focused he had been on his part and hadn’t heard the song as a whole.

It made sense that Sarah was much more invested in the words than he was. Since there was no drum part to Matilda she just had to master her harmony and focus on singing.

From the very first performance after Harry’s House was released, Mitch made it a habit not to look at the audience for Matilda. It started as nerves; he would stare at his fingers on the fret board to make sure they were placed correctly. Then, he just got used to it. Plus, Sarah was always mentioning the emotions in the crowd during it, and Mitch wasn’t sure he could handle seeing the impact the song had on all the fans.

And then, he and Sarah met you. They never expected to add a third person to their relationship, but from the moment they met you, they knew you would be an important person to them. They always thought that they had everything they ever wanted but from the day you agreed to be their girlfriend they felt even more like a true family.

Knowing everything you’d been through, all the pain and suffering in your life, made them even more protective over you. They wished they could wrap you in a bubble and keep you safe and happy, but they knew that wasn’t possible. They just made sure to be there for you whenever life got especially difficult.

One of the worst moments was after Wembly night 2. This was a couple of months into your relationship, and you all had just reunited after weeks apart. It was also the anniversary of the death of your mother and sister and your grief mixed with your anxiety, leading to a very difficult night.

Mitch and Sarah hated to see you in so much pain. They did everything they could think of to comfort you and keep you calm and finally you fell asleep in their arms. It took them a while to fall asleep after that, still worried about you and when they woke the next morning to you panicking they knew their fears were valid.

They again calmed you down and brought you back to reality, helping you shake off the bad dreams from the previous night. They hated having to leave you that day to rehearse for their set at Wembley but trusted that Harry was taking good care of you in their absence.

Thankfully that day ended much better than it started. Mitch was sitting on the couch in their hotel room, Harry by his side. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of his wife holding their sleeping girlfriend in her arms on the bed.

From the moment he woke up the next morning, Mitch was extra stressed, as he was opening at Wembley Stadium with his own music that evening. He was trying to get himself ready while also keeping an eye on his girlfriend after the extra emotional day you had.

His concern for you bleeds into the following day as well. It’s the final night of their 4-show run at Wembley, and the second Mitch walks on stage he sees that you’ve somehow landed a spot front and center in the crowd. He’s relieved that he’ll be able to keep an eye on you whenever he feels worried. He knows you’re doing better, but he can’t shake his extra protective feelings.

For the first time ever, he looks out to the audience during Matilda. All he wanted to do was check on you, but he ends up scanning the crowd and the sight he sees overwhelms him. He sees the emotions on everyone’s faces and hears the lyrics being sung beautifully.

He’s suddenly hit with the realization that this must be happening at every show. Thousands of people connect with these words. It truthfully breaks his heart to know that they’ve all experienced some type of pain that has led to this song meaning so much to them.

Mitch turns back to you and feels his heart break more at the glimmer of tears in your eyes. He might not be the most expressive person, but he loves deeply, and seeing you or Sarah upset will always cause him physical pain.

As soon as they move into the bridge of the song Mitch steps offstage as he always does. He’s grateful for this moment hidden away from everyone so he can recenter himself. He takes a few deeps breaths and blinks the tears out of his eyes before switching guitars for the next song.

He gets back to his spot while Sarah is still walking from the B Stage to her drums. He meets her eyes and reaches out his hand so their fingers can brush as she walks past. It isn’t much, but that little touch grounds him immediately. He looks over to you again and sees you smiling at him, and finally he recovers from the overwhelming wave of emotions.

Later that night you’re all back at the hotel and lying together in bed. Mitch finds himself in the middle, his girls on either side, and pulls you both in close.

He feels you shift next to him and turns to face you. “I love you,” you say and press a kiss to his lips.

“I love you too baby,” he replies when you break apart. He’s about to say more but you lean over him to share an I love you and a kiss with Sarah. His heart warms watching the two of you. A moment later Sarah’s lips are on his.

The light kisses eventually turn into more, and Mitch worships his girls’ bodies, pouring all the love and words he can’t say into his actions. Afterwards you and Sarah are again tucked in close to his side, feeling loved and safe. He stays up for a while after you’ve both fallen asleep, soaking in this moment, and thanking every deity he can think of for bringing you both into his life.

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Thank you for reading! Let me know any requests you have!

@akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @theekyliepage @numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry @ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess @houseofdilfs @shaquille-0atmeal-1 @kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye @n0vaj3an @snwells @drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305

[coraniaid]

This is ... not so much 'headcanon' as it is just blatantly baseless speculation about the internal metaphysics of a show that never bothered with consistent world-building, but. I'm going to be honest with you: it's a fun conceit for fanfiction, but I don't think Jenny or Jesse or Kendra are alive in the Wishverse. Or any other human person who we saw killed on the show before The Wish, for that matter. I think that wouldn't make sense narratively or within the logic of the show.

Within the logic of the show first, such as it is: while it's never made quite explicit, I don't think vengeance demons can actually grant wishes that bring people back to life (at least not human beings who were killed by mundane means). Yes, the Master is very much alive and kicking in the world of The Wish -- or undead and kicking, anyway -- but

it was already established in When She Was Bad that the Master could somehow be brought back to life by his followers; and

it will later be established on Angel that there are spells to resurrect dead vampires who didn't even leave a convenient skeleton behind; and

the show has always been clear in many other ways that the rules of magic as applied to humans aren't the same rules that operate for vampires

If vengeance demons could bring back the dead, why doesn't anyone who knows Anya is a vengeance demon by the end of Season 6 just suggest Willow wishes for Tara back? (Yes, Willow doesn't know about Anya, but other people do. Anya knows, for that matter.) Why does Anya not offer this even as late as the beginning of Season 7? Why doesn't Halfrek appear in Season 5 to try to get Dawn to wish for her mother back?

Of coruse the real answer is pragmatic. Anya doesn't do this because then there would be no story (or there would be a different, inferior story). Halfrek doesn't do this because she didn't actually exist at that point: the writers hadn't invented her yet. But, within the rules of the fictional universe, I think the simplest explanation is: vengeance demons cannot actually undo a human being's death. And if they can't grant a direct wish that a person didn't die, it doesn't quite make sense to me that they could accidently resurrect somebody as a side-effect either. (Otherwise instead of wishing a person was alive, you could just wish things leading up to their death had happened slightly differently.)

I think this is consistent too with the way Anya talks about Buffy and Joyce's death. Again, the show will later retcon that she is friends with a vengeance demon that can grant wishes to children in pain. Why would Anya, as baffled and horrified by Joyce's death as she is, not even suggest asking her friend Hallie for help? (Assuming the writers had had the idea of Halfrek at this point, of course, which they hadn't.)

And narratively, just within the episode itself: though I've sometimes seen people on here claim the opposite, Giles in the Wishverse is surely meant to be right to believe that a better world than his is possible, not just for Buffy and for Sunnydale but for himself as well. There's not meant to be some ironic twist here. The idea that when the alternate Giles breaks Anya's amulet he is unwittingly cursing himself to a "worse" reality is, I think, a very strange subversion of what the show is trying to show (and, frankly, it wouldn't be true even if Jenny did exist in the Wishverse - a Giles reunited with Jenny in a world ruled over by the Master is hardly better off than our Giles). But that means, as well, he can't be unwittinly dooming Jesse or Jenny or Kendra or anyone else to suddenly not exist anymore.

The likelihood is, I admit, that in a world where Buffy hadn't ever come to Sunnydale there would be some people who were alive still who aren't in the show's true reality. For some easy examples: if the Summers never move to Sunnydale, they never invite a foreign exchange student to visit them and so he doesn't get eaten by a mummy; Joyce never befriends Pat at her local reading group so she doesn't get killed by zombies; Angel never loses his soul so he doesn't kill Theresa. Maybe, on the balance of probability, those people should be alive in The Wish.

But I don't think the show would condone Giles making the utilitarian calculation that all those people's lives could be wished away to bring Buffy back, even unknowingly. I think that -- even though it admittedly doesn't make much sense -- we're supposed to assume that (somehow) everybody really is better off in the original reality than they are in the false reality of The Wish. And, within the universe of the show, the simplest way to make that true is to suggest that, whatever happens, no wish a vengeance demon grants can ever bring the dead back to life. For some reason, events transpired in such a way that even the people who we'd think should be alive in a Sunnydale where Buffy never showed up are meant to still be dead in The Wish. (Maybe somebody else invited Ampata over; maybe Pat died in a car crash; maybe Theresa got killed by vampire!Willow instead of Angelus.)

The story just doesn't make sense to me otherwise.

(As ever, usual disclaimer that I don't think the writer of Season 3's The Wish gave so much as the slightest thought to the question of whether Jesse or Kendra or Jenny were alive in thsi reality, that the reason we don't see Jenny is that the actor who played her had already been written out of the show and was only (reluctantly) going to come back for one more episode and that the reason we don't see Jesse among the White Hats is that the writers had already forgotten he ever existed.)

[dp-marvel94]

The Same Type of Ghost- Chapter 1

Summary: Deep in the Infinite Realms, something writhed. And only Clockwork can help.

Word Count: 2136

Chapter 1(Here) -> Chapter 2 -> Chapter 3

Also on AO3

Note: For @everystarstorm @modordracena @five-rivers

For Phic Phight 2023. Welcome to my first entry for phic phight this year! Have some eldritch horror and a bunch of angst for this first chapter. As you'll see from the tags, Clockwork comes next chapter to makes things better. Below are all the prompts I'm using for this, though not all are relvant for this first part.

The clones are back, how are they no longer goop? Kibby | everystarstorm | _ | StarStorm21 | _ (Team Human)

Soft and cozy body horror. (Yes borrowing that phrase from Rivers because it’s good and I always want more.) Modor Dracena | Genevieve#6101 | modordracena | ModorDracena (Team Human)

Horror, but soft and cozy with lots of sensation. Five-rivers | FiveRivers | five-rivers | Marsalias | FiveRivers (Team Ghost)

Clockwork knew about Danielle of course, he knew everything. But knowing about her was not enough to prepare him for the full force of her puppy-eyes when she came to him asking for help. Aedelia | Aedelia#2626 | aedelia | neokid93 | neokid93 (team Ghost)

Clockwork is DEFINITELY not sick, stressed, tired, or overwhelmed. The idea of an incredibly powerful ghost with control over time itself experiencing anything like that is ridiculous! Everything is fine, and anything that implies otherwise is mere coincidence.Lurking | Lurking🕓🍁#5333 | Currentlylurking| currentlylurking | (Team Human)

Also, an important note. This story is canon to my "Life and Death is all Perspective Series" set after Drifters (the story where Prometheus, the muscly frankenstein clone is the main character). It assumes that all the clones have been reunited at some point in the future. A main focus here is Prometheus' experience in Vlad's lab before his death, when he saw a lot of other clones destabilize and as the oldest and most stable, tried very had to make sure none of them were alone as they passed.

Deep in the Infinite Realms, something writhed. 

“Stop! NO! Stop!!” A scream of agony.

Pained whispers. “No. No. Please.” 

“Master? Where’s? Where’s... No. No.” Frantic rambles.

“Why?! Why?! Why?!” Weeping sobs.

So many voices- screaming, crying, whispering, wailing- at once. Too many hands… one, three, fifteen, fifty. Reaching, gasping, touching. 

What was… No…. That’s not…. Why…. Thoughts caught and released, shifting like so many limbs.

Limbs? Two hands touched, combined. Smaller? Smaller! Yes! No. Good…. Bad?! What…. What. Why….

A wet, sunking noise. Black, white, green mass of ectoplasmic flesh undulated. One leg divided into two. Too many limbs. Twisting. Growing. Dwindling. 

Another head budded, rising up from the mass. A new mouth opened, a wordless moan of sorrow.

A flash of memory flickered. Needle in the neck. Knives. Red blood, seeping from a gash. Cracked bones. Green… so much green. Like….

Eyes darted – green, blue, red, black, white -- dozens on every surface. 

Can’t… focus. What… where. NO! NO! 

The surroundings… almost familiar. So much green. But where…

“ Stop! Hurts! Please make stop!” A mouth cried.

Can’t…. Focus. Too much. Too many…. Too many directions. Nothing makes…. Pain!... Why!... We didn’t…. Where is….

A cry in front of-

All eyes darted forward, alert. A cry, not from we-me-us-I but….  

Focus! A tall, muscular figure. Scarred with tears in his green eyes. 

One head tilted in curiously. Then a second…. Wait. We know….

Dozens of memories slotted into place. Strong arms, holding, caressing. Fingers, wiping away tears. A gentle, deep voice. And the words….

“I’m not gonna… not gonna leave you. I’m… I’m right here.” A focused watery smile, a finger moving to whip away the tear. “You’re not alone.”

Recognition. All eyes focused on the face, black tendrils reaching out to touch, to grab. Malformed limbs encased the other, smaller figure.

 All voices spoke as one. “Brother?”

“How much farther, Ellie?” The girl turned at the question, taking in Prometheus’ raised brow as he continued. “We’ve been flying for a long time now.” Nervous eyes flickered around the green atmosphere, dotted with a few floating rocks and distant purple-green clouds, but mostly empty. “I’ve never been out this far.”

“We’re almost there.” Ellie offered her larger clone brother a comforting smile. “Twenty minutes or so. See that chunk of rock.” She pointed. “That’s where we’re going.”

The muscular clone nodded. “Alright.” Some of the tension leaked out of him, the question casual. “What exactly did you want me to see anyway?”

The girl’s smile morphed into a grimace, the memory flickering in her mind. The distant cry of pain, the writhing mass of black and green, all the blinking eyes…. Ellie shook her head, forcing the disturbing image away. “You’ll see….” 

Pro wrinkled his nose, the skeptical look making dread and guilt sink like a stone in her gut.

The smaller clone looked down; she would have shuffled awkwardly, dragging a shoe across the ground if there had been any. “I thought…. I might know what it is… whatever I saw.”

That… creature, if that was what it had been. That thing she’d seen from a distance and fled from, full of fear and dread… There had been something oddly familiar about it. Later, when she’d arrived at their lair, Ellie knew she had to investigate and somehow… Pro had to be the one to go with her. 

The taller clone accepted the statement with a sigh, flying forward to hover at her side. An arm briefly wrapped around her in a side hug. “Let’s get going then.”

The rocky island loomed larger and larger in Ellie’s vision. She still couldn’t see anything yet but… her ear twitched. A noise, quiet under the roaring winds of the Realms. The sound of crying…

The girl swallowed, core heavy in her chest. They still needed to get closer but-

“What’s that?” Pro’s hand on her shoulder paused her flight.

Slowly, he pointed. Ellie’s eyes widened. There, along the bottom of the island, almost completely blocked by the rock…. Something squirmed.

A scream pierced the air.

“Pro! Wait!” The larger ghost dashed in front of her and Ellie cursed herself. She should have told her brother about this; the creature had screamed like that this last time. 

Ellie hurried after Prometheus, quickly approaching the island. He dipped down, curving to the side to approach the source of movement from below. 

Another wail. The smaller ghost covered her ears, eyes focused on her brother. His wide eyes darted, searching for the origin of the sound. 

Where was it? It should have been right in front of them. Ellie’s stomach knotted. This was a horrible idea. But… 

A wet snapping noise sounded.

The girl froze, ears drawn to the sound. She didn’t… she didn’t want to look. Something green and sticky dripped past her. God. She didn’t want to look. That… that couldn’t be….

Slowly, as if by a spell, her head tilted up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prometheus do the same. 

Both clones stared.

Prometheus couldn’t look away. Eyes wide, body frozen, he couldn’t move, couldn’t look away from… from…. He couldn’t describe it. Or maybe, it was too horrible to describe. 

The mass of flesh… constantly moving, fluctuating. It looked… wet. Or gummy. Sticky? So much green…. Arms sprouted, legs, flashes of hair. Eyes blinked, stared, wept. And the noise….

“Make stop! Make stop!” “No. No. Please.” “Master? Where’s? Where’s... No. No.” “Why?! Why?! Why?!”

Blood curdling screams. Crazed rambles. Haunted whisper. Excruciating wailing.

It…. god, this was too much. Too horrible. Nausea rose, tears welling in his eyes. This was… this was horrible. He… he needed to get away. He needed to get his sister way. This was… this was wrong. But…. 

“ Stop! Hurts! Please make stop!”

Prometheus recoiled, a choked sound, part-sob and part-scream exiting his throat. His stomach twisted, a sick sense of familiarity. 

Suddenly, all the monsters' eyes darted forward, focused on him. One head tilted, then another. A breathless pause and…

Black tendrils reach out.

Panikedly, Pro tried to pull away.  “Hey! What are you-”  Slimy, misty, sticky limbs wrapped around his torso.

The larger clone frozen, core locked in blind terror. He shook, mind spinning and blank. Behind him, Ellie screamed. The malformed arms-legs-tails tighten around him. A small, hysterical thought…. He was going to die again.

But… every eye- red, blue, green- fixed on him, the massive body freezing.

“Brother?” The word was gibberish to Prometheus’s ears, mind unable to comprehend. The squeezing lessened into something almost tender….. Like an embrace. “Brother.” Recognition sparked in the hundreds of eyes. A dozen voices speaking at once. “Brother was there. Brother holds. Brother protects. Brother loves.” 

Prometheus trembled, mind crashing to a stop. “Wha…what?” Throat hardly able to form words.

“Shhhh.” The massive creature shushed him, one tendril extending to caress his back. “I’m not gonna… not gonna leave you. I’m… I’m right here.” One face… the painfully familiar face in front of him, forced a watery smile. “You’re not alone.”

Those words…. Prometheus had said those words to… to… The clone’s eyes widened, understanding crashing over him. “No.” The word brimmed with dread.

“Let him go!” An ectoblast slashed into the creature, Ellie finally pulled out of her stupor. 

The monster, the creature let out a cry.

Pro barely registered. “No. No. It can’t…”

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t!

“I said let him go!” Another shot from his sister. 

A confused whine. “Let… go? No.” A head shook. “No! Yes! Let him go. Hurt brother bad!” The grip tightened. “No! Brother stay. Need brother.” 

Prometheus let out a whimper, tear spilling. “No. You’re… you’re not….”

A set of the creatures’ eyes widened in alarm. “We hurt brother. No… accident. Didn’t mean… Bad! Let go.” The being writhed. “We need! No!” The voices echoed, fluctuating. “Yes! Let go.” Tendrils tighten, lossen, tighten.

Another ectoblast from Ellie. “You, listen! Let Pro go!”

Prometheus shook, core in his throat. It hurt. It hurt. The shadowy limbs hurt. But…. but this… this was worse. The truth, what was happening… it wasn’t possible

“No! Yes! What… why? Brother…. Where?” The voices…. So many voices, arguing. “Why?! Why?! Why?!”

The creature shook, movement returning. Heads, limbs sprouting and disappearing. The mass of appendages holding Prometheus twitched…. The abomination less let-go-off, more threw the older clone.

Prometheus tumbled, hand over foot, chest heaving with emotion. 

“Pro!” Ellie darted after him.

The larger clone slammed into a small shelf of rock.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes are wide with worried.

Wobbly, Pro pulled himself to his feet. He felt… felt sick. Head shaking, stomach heaving. “No. Ellie. No. I’m…I’m…” Bending over, he threw up. 

The smaller ghost jumped back. Her eyes popped wider, panicked. “It hurt you.”

Frantically, his head shook in denial. “No. No. That’s not. It… They didn’t… didn’t hurt me. That’s not…” The taller ghost whipped his mouth. “Ellie…” The word came out so pained. “It’s… That’s them…. All the… All the..” Another heave. “All our brothers that die. They’re there. They’re right here. They’re over there. But… But… they’re stuck together.”

Prometheus’ legs wobbled, falling to his knees. “This is… this is so wrong. It’s so wrong. It’s…” In the background, the creature’s argument with itself has devolved back into incomprehensible noise.

This was… this was a nightmare. A nightmare. All the… the brothers he had held as they died, comforted as their bodies failed. The memories flashed in his mind. All the blood and ectoplasm. Deep cuts, scapals, needles, vials of liquid. The cries, the screams, the eerie silence. The begging.

Please make stop! Make stop!  

Pro shook. He’d been there. He’d held, he’d comforted as they died. He’d whispered words of comfort the best he could. And once he’d…. He listened to the begging and with the needle and drugs, put the poor brother out of his misery. He’d died.  They’d all died. They were… they were all dead and gone.

But they were all still here, all right here. In that… that thing, that abomination, that affront to nature. His insides twisted. All those memories, those bodies, those souls forced together. It was… it was wrong. It was sick. It was… it was cruel. It was… bile rose in his throat, eyes falling over the corrupt, twisted, warped mass. This… this terrible unholy conglomeration. 

There were no words for how horrible it was, never enough tears of the injustice, the perversion of how things were supposed to be. He’d already.. He’d already faced this grief. The reality that all those brothers were gone. They were dead, the only solace that they were no longer in pain. Except….

The grotesque amalgamation….  They were weeping-screaming-crying in pain. 

Pro shook his head, his nauseous feeling melting away. “They’re.. They’re in so much pain.” No. No. No. That was worse, so much worse than then just being gone. The wrongness, the affront to nature he could handle -He was a full ghost clone of a half ghost for crying out loud; the definition of what was natural must be much larger than when he was foolish enough to think. But this…. “They’re hurting… hurting so much.” A desperate compassion crowded his core “I need to help them. There.. There has to be a way to help them.”

For a long moment, Ellie stood, a shaking hand covering her mouth. She stared into the distance, her eyes unseeing. Until… “What?” The words finally stirred her back to life.

“I have to help them.” Prometheus repeated, conviction filling his voice.

The girl’s eyes flickered from him to the being, wide and afraid. “How?”

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Head shaking. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have brought us here.”

“No!” Pro suddenly stood. “No! We… we needed to find them. We found them for a reason. They need… need our help.”

An agonizing wail behind the pair… Ellie flinched. “Pro. We can’t… there’s nothing we can do.”

Prometheus’ mind raced, desperate. “There has to be..” Fresh tears spilled down his face.

And at their back…

“Brother! Brother! Where are you?! Where’d he… alone… alone!” A sob. “Hurts! Hurt! Please!”

Pro turned, trembling with emotion. “They… they need me.”

Ellie stared, unable to process as the monstrous abomination half-crawled, half-swam forward. Again, tendrils reached for Pro. But this time, the larger ghost fell into them, weeping and blubbering desperate comforts.

Empty despair. Helplessness. All she could hope was Pro crying himself out and being able to get him away from the creature. She… she needed help. She had to get her brother away from this abomination even if… even if it at one point in time, had been… had been….

It struck like lightning. “Time…” Her eyes widened, an idea catching.  “Clockwork…” She zoomed away. “We need Clockwork. He’ll… he’ll help.”

Note: I hope you enjoyed that angst fest. 😅 Things will get better next chapter, once Clockwork shows up, I promise. I don't know when that chapter will be out though. Next week looks very busy for me, just like this week was. Finding time to get this part out was a struggle. :( But I really wanted to get something posted for this event before too late in the month. As always, feel free to let me know what you think. If you need any clarification about my weird idea, feel free to ask too. 😅

[masterfuldoodler]

Keepers Master-post

Sub-tags:

keepers comic keepers meme keepers q&a

Story sub-tags:

scifi hospital boarding school ageless war

Writing and Comics

Dying moments - comic

Rhyin thinks back on his mother's death

Graveside chat - comic

Rhyin and his father visit his uncle's grave. His father has unhealthy responses to grief

Master plan - writing

Vinni plots out a way to make her friend lighten up and hang out more

Heartbeats - writing

Rhyin wakes up from (experimental) surgery and isn't doing well, but (like an idiot) keeps it to himself. P. S. he's really not doing well.

Only a Nightmare - writing

Rhyin's reoccurring nightmare

Dear Those Far Away - comic

Vinni goes on an apprenticeship and finds herself feeling lonely. So she writes letters!

Stages of Grieving - comic

Further exploring Vinni's grief over Rhyin's death, and how the pain pushes her forward onto a different path.

Do I Know You? - comic

introspection on Haru's mental state when things start going down for him

Homesick - comic

Felix is able to reunite with his family! And Skylar gets unexpectedly angsty about it. The two get to have a bonding moment yay

Wake me Up - comic

Ian gets taken away for another 'treatment' Jules is sure will be the death of him. He summons a friend to help him out

Meeting Vidar - comic

Grace and Vokku get caught sneaking around and get rescued from a disturbing creature of sorts

Homesick? - comic

Benji struggles to catch Vokku, and Vokku is feeling lonely and doubting leaving home.

Crash Course intro - writing

Edmund and Rhyin crashing a spaceship as a character bonding moment

Forget me Not? - comic

Val and Rhyin hang out and talk about Rhyin's friends

Welcome Home I guess - comic

Mitz finds herself back on her home planet walking through the streets she grew up in. And things have really changed while she's been gone

Who am I - comic

Valerie finds out about her past and grapples with the implications

Tell Me Why I Feel This Way - comic

When the dreamrealm and the real world start colliding dreams start coming true, which isn't exciting when you're plagued by nightmares and visions about the world's imminent ruin. Luckily Rhyin has a friend willing to fight through to reach him

End of All - comic

Tehvlar has finally finished his project; recreating his body into chaos. That's when Rhyin comes back from the dead, and he has things to say.

Three's a Crowd - comic (scene concept)

Betty and Skylar set out to tag and investigate a ghost in an abandoned building nearby places people go missing from...

Deleted Scene (the cannibal in the swamp) - comic

Ketsler, Felix, and Skylar go investigating and find an unlikely character in the swamp

Deleted Scene (curiosity killed the cat) - comic/writing

Rhyin finds himself thrown into the future and goes looking for answers but instead stumbles into trouble

Animation

Are You Bored Yet? - animatic

What if you almost fell in love, but the world fell apart first. And when you found each other again you'd changed, and she was almost another person. What if you fell in love all over again?

History Has It's Eyes On You - animatic

I've had this idea for several years now, finally worked up the guts to try doing it. It kinda wraps up and touches on a lot of the aspects of the wizard side of the Keepers plot

To be updated as things are posted and the story changes or morphs.

[measuringbliss]

Reading through His Dark Materials (Book 2) 2/2 (Chapters 10 to 15)

Check the first part if you haven't.

CH10

On one hand I'm still not really interested in Lee Scoresby, but if it means we also get to see Ruta's confrontation with Lord Asriel...

I wonder if Pullman had planned for this whole Grumman plot thingie when he wrote the first book. Is it wise of Lee to tell Grumman everything, though? I thought Asriel was protecting Grumman by faking the latter's death, which would imply they're allies.

So Grumman comes from another world right? He was probably part of John's expedition. I guess we can assume he *is* John. ...Oh, the next line literally says that. Okay. WAIT A SECOND. JOPARI? JOHN PARRY? OH MY GOD HOW COULD I MISS THAT?! Gosh I hope Will gets to reunite with him but I have a feeling he won't. So Lord Asriel was *not* part of the expedition. Huh. SO PARRY *IS* AN ALLY OF ASRIEL. OH MY GOD. PARRY REJECTING THE WITCH MAKES SENSE NOW.

CH11

Dear Mr. Pullman I do not need to see another description about Will's hurt hand.

I appreciate how real Lyra feels; she talks a lot about killing so-and-so and yeah, that's something a child would say. Talking about real, the scene of the children attacking Will and Lyra reminds me a lot of those happy times I was bullied. Masterful.

OMG SERAFINA ;-; Separating the children from the adults vertically is an interesting idea...

CH12

Are the Spectres the manifestation of repressed Dust from our world?

*Of course* he'd want to make military use of their research. Of course. Fuck. I hate this conundrum.

OH MY GOD. THE DUST IS ANGELS?!?!?!?!?!?! OH. SO. THIS MEANS A LOT OF THINGS. WHAT THE HELL. So I was right to think about the alethiometer's goal! It must be on Asriel's side. Wow. WOW. OH WOW. OH MY GOD. THIS IS SO COOL. I'M SO HYPED.

CH13

I'm not sure we (the readers) needed that much recap, it's happened a few times in the book by now and I guess it's also to keep the reader aware of what transpired, but still.

I'm disappointed we didn't get to see Ruta's meeting with Asriel! A summary doesn't satisfy my thirst. So did they fuck? I think it's a central question. An essential question. It's implied but it's weird, isn't it? Why would Ruta do that? We know she had a relationship with him, but she had *business*. With that said, it would explain why Pullman didn't show us the meeting proper...

Will and Lord Asriel are of the same race? Huh. Hmm.

So Mrs Coulter was Asriel's mistress? That's why their union was shameful, then.

CH14

I have ADHD, the Specters would never attack me lmao

See, THIS is a chapter I would have been satisfied seeing summarized. Lee Scoresby and his adventures continually fail to interest me, in part I think because they seem like your typical adventure story. Also, we're almost at the end of the book!!!! Is this really the time? I didn't need an action climax.

Well at least he's dead, so this issue shouldn't be present in the next book. Also, Serafina did fuck all. I thought she was going to help Lee but nope.

CH15

I HATE THIS MOTHERFUCKING APE.

(Mrs. Coulter is protected by The Plot. Lena can't harm her because The Plot dictates that Mrs. Coulter survives. IT'S THE PLOT!!!!!! I'm beginning to think she has a divine protection.)

Seeing ~Marisa~ seduce ~Carlo~ might be the most disgusting thing I've ever read.

Oh. So Æsahættr is just the subtle knife. I was expecting more but alright. I guess it's the only weapon that can harm God.

It's the second time a member of the Church tries to poison someone, I'm beginning to think it's a commentary, but surely the author wouldn't do that...

EVE? LYRA IS GONNA BECOME EVE? WHAT? THE SNAKE??? DIDN'T SOMEONE ASK SOMEONE ELSE TO BE THE SNAKE???? Wait. I thought Lyra would kill God but she's not supposed to?

...IS THIS JOHN? Wait, but Mrs Coulter and the dude both want a different outcome for the war. Is Mrs. Coulter on Asriel's side or not? YES. IT'S JOHN. TELL HIM, JOHN. FUCKING TELL HIM.

NO

FUCK THIS

OH MY GOD THIS WITCH

THIS FUCKING WITCH

I KNEW SHE'D BE TROUBLE. I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!!!!

aaaaaaaah fuckkkkk

OH MY GOD *THIS* IS HOW IT ENDS?! ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh

______________________________________________

I have to let things simmer a bit, but overall I really enjoyed the book. Can't see myself waiting for long before reading the third. What a sudden ending. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!

[nat1vibes]

inspired by @manygalaxiesinone [disgea characters / classes i'd hang out with if they were real]

Nippon ichi verse characters and whether we'd be Friends/Rivals/Enemies if i was a Competently strong demon in the respective game(that was added for the rival/enemy part) (Assume i'd be 2/4 or 3/4 of the mc's power(with exeptions for Soul nomad and makai)

Tis a long one.(SPOILERS FOR ALL GAMES!)

Makai senki disgaea:hour of darkness

Laharl: Like most characters. Frienemy, not Flone but not Etna either. I'd probably be looking for a job at his palace and be kind of a mix of Fenrich but with Etnas playfulness towards him

Etna: Frival. We would tease laharl. But i would get in the way of her plans as much as i could when it came to mess with him too much

Flone: Friends! She would be curious of my morality like she is with any demon, but she could see i wasn't evil

Gordon: Idk, honestly i might kill him

Tsusday: lil buds (not if i kill Gordon)

Jennifer: friends. (not if i kill Gordon)

Kurtis: Warry of me for the most par. Not enough interactions

Mid-Boss: He could probably 4th-wall break and know i 4th-wall break. he doesn't mind me much.

Lamington: Hate him, if the theories for his identity are real. We are NOT buds anymore.

D2 extras

Sicily: I'd just be nice to her. Shes just a kid

Xenolith: Idk what my stance to him would be. But we would be enemies ultimetly.

Disgaea 2: cursed memories

Adell: Friends. We would bud heads. but not enough to be rivals. In setting maybe i could fit as an other pureblood demon like him. He wouldn't like how i don't mind the world turning into more intresting demons.

Rosalin: Wouldn't interact much her, don't wanna be a 3rd wheel

Tink: i'd kill him

Yukimaru: Friends! nin nin!

Fubuki: Enemies but if we fought, maybe with respect

Director: i'd be very annoyed by him

Axel: i'd play as a Dark hero fan. But still beat him up, maybe make up a pretend rivalry. But in Axel mode i'd rl wanna help him with his family

Taro: THE TAR-MASTER. Super cool guy, I'd hype him up

Hanako: Take the demon child away!!!!

Future Demon lord Hanako: We'd vibe

Zenon(fake): i'd call him phony

Masked man and woman: if i heard them in their death quotes i'd be angry they abandoned Adell.

Disgaea 3: absence of justice!

Mao: Enemies but in the same party. Kinda rivals, but i'd hate his guts. We would probably have a history of being gaming rivals.

Raspberyl: I'd be in her delinquent group!

Almaz: BEST BUDS. Ok i'd want that. But friends for sure. I'd like watching him get braver. And be the end a true hero. I'd try to uplift his spirits when everyone around him is too batshit.

Sapphier: Shes too illogical for me. I'd probably just make her mad sometimes

Mr. Champloo: i'd be just as preplexed about him as everyone else

Master Big Star:i'd wanna beat him up more often than not

Salvatore: Friends! more like i'd play along with her orders

Disgaea 4: a promise unforgotten

Valvatorez: i'd probably join his party through the auditions the DLC characters did. Not on good terms, but i don't know why. It would be one sided from my part

Fendrich: He wouldn't like that i don't love his lord.

Fuka: I'd try to make her think her dream is a dating sim more than she already does. Not only with me. I'd try to stage happening with all the other intrests too.

Artina: I wouldn't care what kinda saint she was back then. Now shes an annoying thief!

Desco: Best final boss. i'd hype her up like taro! I'd love to give her magichange a spin if she let anyone else than fuka.

Emizel: My boy. My pure baby, I'd be full mama bird mode

Genjuro: I'd kill him for being a shitty father

Primeminister Hugo: I'd kill him for being a shitty father

Disgaea 5: Allience of Vengeance

Killia:I'd wanna be his Lize until they are reunited. I'd want to make him accept himself. I'd also love his cooking and wanna train in the ultimate demon tech too. And idk, sence all members should be an Overlord(kinda) Idk, i think it would be cool if initially i was the new Cryo Overlord after him that ran away to find him. Damn going full fan boy kinda?

Seraphina: I'd be ''that bitch'' And remind her of her place. And that ''her mans'' ain't her mans at all.

Usalia: Lil trauma kid. I'd wanna be the positive infuence Seraphina wasn't.

Red Magnus: Rivals kinda? Friends? Kinda the same budoffery he has with zeroken.

Zeroken:i'd be pretty dismissive of him at the start. But he would win me over latter.

Christo: Respect the healer. And the OVERLORD OF A CERTAIN GIANT. I'd buy difrent kinds of demon horn tiaras and switch his with them when he is not looking

Lize: Respect to the Lv1 matriarch.

Goldion: We chilling. But i'd have some grudge on him after learning the whole deal. Like i'd expect him to have done more. But then again he was wounded.

Void: I'd be creeped out by his sisconing. And at post game i'd wanna force him to Give Alma ice back to Killia. (we know he can hold more than one overload too, coz he had both Tyrant Revellio and Marjoritas Overload-be we madevoid give it back to her)

Marjorita: I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HER PLIP.

(now for other games i'll just do those i remmember, i've only played phantom brave yet)

Witch and the hundred knight

Metallia: I don't think we would get along. But she'd be a good damn broom

Phantom brave

Marona: You'll go no further. For her sake I will not fail! FR lil girlly needs more people positive to her from the start of the game. I'd probably be an other chroma initially feeling bad for a small child being alone in danger all the time. but then get whraped up in the plot

Ash: We woud get eachother. Marona small, Must protec. be pretty cool if phantoms could actually posses humans. Maybe if a contract or consent was given. a living confine could happen? If so that's a mad cool fusion

Castile: she a good kid

Castiles parents: I get them, but i hate them a little bit.

Canary: I'd kill him

Walnut: I pitty the guy :(

Raphael: he cool... But in a shojou manga type way. So i wouldn't trust him.

Soul Nomad and the world eaters

Revya: I'd be down for whatever route thei'd be

Gig: Best pals. Would bribe him with hotpots all the time

Danette: Idk. Probably she would find me annoying for agreeing with gig so much

Makai Kingdom

Zetta: He is the bad ass overlord. I would probably be nothing more than a peon in his army

Pram: i'd wanna be her friend. But she probably wouldn't see anything fun on my future.

Petta: Shes cool, i'd follow her

La Pucelle: Tactics

Prier: Rival demon hunters

Overlord Priere: I'd be sad to see her like that. I'd wanna be the ''i can fix her'' character but can't

[the-nexus]

Always straddling him, always getting as deep into his personal space as he possibly could. Alastor swears Lucifer would perish if he went more than one day without finding an excuse to end up in his lap, but given Alastor never pushes him off or away, it's obvious he doesn't mind.

Lucifer earns a twitch of one of Alastor's ears, coupled with a sigh. Fuck... there's no running now, he supposes. How... irritating.

"... my mother..." He mumbles, chuckling bitterly as he fought against his wavering control over this, quite frankly, childish problem, "I up and abandoned the poor woman when I was killed, Lulu! What a terrible, TERRIBLE son! Now, that wonderful woman is up in heaven, not even aware you and I were reunited! Is that not tragic!?"

She loved Lucifer so very much... had been elated when they'd gotten married, and had Alastor not talked her out of it, she would have paid for the whole wedding without hesitation.

"She always wanted a family for us... imagine I go and tell her you had a daughter with someone completely different! Why, she'd suddenly gain the ability to slaughter the king of Hell himself, ahaha!!!" Even if Alastor hadn't been in the picture at the time to even prevent everything that had happened between Lucifer and his ex wife.

@tenebriism || Alastor

Lucifer knew he could get his way with Alastor by sealing off his path. Usually, it only took his own body on top of Alastor's. And like it had done many time before, Alastor submitted.

Oh.

His chest ached. Alastor's mother was a wonderful woman. Lucifer's mother-in-law. He'd never had a mother. Until she came into his life, he'd never known a mother's love. She had given him a home, shown him kindness that befitted a queen of Heaven. Lucifer had come to love her so dearly, so quickly. After all, she cared not that her son was with another man, only that he made her child happy. She didn't pry into his past and loved him, like a true mother should.

Lucifer bowed down, wrapping his arms around his demon. "You're not a terrible son, Alastor. You never were! You loved her unconditionally in life and in death. And she knew that very well." And if anyone was to blame for the loss of her son, Lucifer felt it was his own. He'd not been there to protect him.

Some husband he turned out to be.

"I miss her too, my love. She was such a mess after you died, but I made sure she wasn't alone." Lucifer had taken it upon himself to look after her. Where he failed as a husband, he wouldn't repeat as a son-in-law. The years rolled by and they did their best to keep each other's spirits up, but couldn't help falling into depressions, knowing what they'd lost.

Lucifer lay silent, sniffling as he thought about their days with her. How she'd settled his nerves the morning of their wedding, helping him with his suit because his trembling fingers couldn't button his own shirt. The way she always looked at him adoringly, especially when he brought her gifts and flowers to cheer her up. She was, for lack of a better word, an angel. And she'd taken her rightful place in heaven.

He had to chuckle at that. "Oh, I'd hate to see her angry. If you were terrifying, her fury would put me on my knees and make me bow in fear." His fingers brushed against his lover's cheek, his head resting on his shoulder. "I don't know what she'd think when she found you you married the Devil, himself."

It was a worrying thought. He feared losing her as a mother. If she only knew...

"Hopefully, she'd understand that Charlie was from my previous marriage." Oh, he knew she would adore Charlie. He did. And Alastor was good to her. Still, the thought of he and his doe having their own kid made him smile, yet it held a hint of sadness. "I would give her a grandchild if I could...but I don't think we have the ability to have one of our own." At least, he didn't have that power. He was a master of magic, but such a thing he'd never looked into. Not after having lost Alastor.

[cinelitchick]

“I see you managed to track me down,” Strange said in lieu of greeting. He heard Tony heading in his direction, snow crunching underfoot.

“Fat lotta help you were in that department,” Tony growled. “After three hours of trying every trick I could think of tech-wise, I finally headed to the Sanctum. Left Bruce to deal with the city’s pain in the ass environmental initiative to convince Wong to open a portal so I could find your nice, firm ass. He was surprisingly helpful.” 

The Sanctum Santorum, located on Bleeker Street in New York’s Greenwich Village, was where Strange lived as its master. There were two other sanctums, one in London and the other in Hong Kong. As the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong called Kamar Taj home but enjoyed staying with Strange in the New York Sanctum. 

Tony looked around at the lake and the surrounding forest, standing with his hands in the pockets of his black, wool peacoat. “Where the hell are we anyway? Sweden? Norway? Canada? Tell me it’s not the North Pole. And me without my list for Santa.”

Those last two comments lifted the corner of Strange’s mouth. “Tony, it’s December twenty-fourth. Fairly sure you’re a little late on that front.”

“It’s fine. I slid into his DMs last week. We’re tight like that.” He leveled a look at Strange that held an infinite amount of worry. That his boyfriend had gone off the grid with barely a word of warning didn’t sit well with Tony. Something was off with Strange and like hell he was going to be watching helplessly from the sidelines. “Where are we really, Stephen? No bullshit.”

Turning his head so that his eyes met his partner’s, Strange told him. “This is where my sister died. I come every year to pay my respects because I can’t make myself visit her grave.”

No quips. No sly remarks. Instead, Tony joined him on the bench and took a gloved hand of Strange’s in one of his own. “Why didn’t you tell me? It’s not like I wouldn’t have understood.”

Decades later, Tony continued to have some residual guilt over his own parents’ deaths. He and his father had left things unresolved between them at the time Howard Stark died, and Maria Stark had valiantly tried one last time to reunite her husband and son before she and Howard had left for their trip — not that they had ever made it to their destination. Even though Tony now knew the truth behind their murders, the guilt of not making peace with his father would haunt him forever.

Read more on AO3.

[mikeyfu56]

Blog Post #2

Fuchs MIchael

COM 105 Media & Society 

SPRING 2023

02/26/2023

Blog Post #2: African-American Heroes In cinema 

In the movie Django Unchained we follow a slave who was freed by a bounty hunter in order to find two men who he has bounties on. While on their journey the bounty hunter named Dr. Schultz learns of his partner's struggles and the loss of his wife. Django is freed and agrees to assist the Dr. on his journey to get the bounties as long as he has the opportunity to free his wife. Django is an anti-hero in this movie for a few reasons. Although he was looking to free his wife who had ended up on Calvin Candies plantation he could have also helped free other people but his only mission was to free his wife. In order to free his wife he has to act as if he is not a slave but is a partner with doctor schultz. 

In order to figure out why Django is an anti-hero we must first find out his role as the movie would like you to see him. The role Django plays in the movie is the desperado attempting to free his wife from slavery and will do anything he must in order to do this. He picks and chooses his battles in order to free his wife and by doing this he allows other slaves to die. The tough decisions he makes are important to the movie because you see the effect that the death of these slaves has on him. One scene where this is very apparent is in the scene where he is traveling to Candyland. In this scene we find an older slave whose purpose of being on candyland is to fight and fight to the death. He has plenty of battle scars and has been beaten badly but the only concern of the slave owner Calvin Candie is the price of the slave. The slave knows he can no longer win fights and will most likely die in his next bout so he tries to run. He is found and surrounded by dogs when Calvin Candie and the rest of his traveling companions, including Django and Dr. Schultz, come across him. In order for Django to continue his journey to free his wife he allows for the captured slave to be attacked by the dogs and ripped apart. This is telling in the character arc of Django as he could have attempted to save the slave but instead ignored that possibility due to the fact that it could compromise his chances of reuniting with his wife(1:19:00-1:25:30). Django shows in this exchange his motives and his determination to free his wife because we see how it affects him as the camera pans in on his face. This shows that although he does not want this to happen he allows it to because he has to free his wife above all else. 

Django is a very determined and skilled character in the movie. In the scene where Django is brought to his former master's plantation we see him come face to face with the man that had punished and injured him badly. After Django makes the deal with Dr. Schultz, Django makes up his mind that no one will get in his way and he will uphold his end of the deal with Dr. Schultz and will leave him no other choice but to help him on his mission to free his wife(28:00-40:00). When they get to the plantation Django is immediately looked at as a slave and not looked at as a man. They treat him differently until Dr. Schultz assures them that he is not a slave and is his partner. While Dr. Schultz is inside the house Django takes it upon himself to find the two brothers that are on the bounty. When Django comes across the first brother he executes him quickly and with little trouble. As people gather around to see what is going on Dr. Schultz asks Django if he is sure that the man that they are looking for is the man that is on the horse riding away. After assuring him that it is, he proceeds to shoot him while he is riding away on the horse. A very difficult shot but Django makes the shot and shows off his skill and impresses Dr. Schultz. “After the camera tracks to a close up shot of Django, several cut ins are used to show the surroundings and the people around them. These shots further prove Django has taken control as everyone is looking at him and even the slave tied to the tree and facing the wrong direction is watching him through a cleverly placed mirror which is reflecting Django's stance.(Valdez)” This explanation shows not only how skilled Django is but also the growth of his character. He is now a character that is to be respected amongst others and he is no longer going to be controlled by others. This is a really good explanation as to who Django has become. This scene is one that is very important because it shows that he will do anything it takes to free his wife including kill and it also shows how skillful he is and that he will be a very good asset for Dr. Schultz going forward. 

In Django Unchained we see how Django becomes his own character and makes the leap from a slave to a “hero”. “he opening credits present a downtrodden slave marching forward along to someone else’s accord, yet the roaring, almost inciting music in the background argues that the hero “Django” is underneath that individual(Redmond)” This analysis done by flixist.com really explains how we are meant to see Django even from the beginning. Django is a slave originally but the way the scene is shot shows a foreshadowing of the future anti-hero we come to discover. The opening scene is important so that we see the growth that the character has. We can almost feel that he is meant for something more by the scene but it also allows us to know where he comes from and the struggle he has had to go through. Whenever he does something heroic we think back to the beginning of the movie and remember why he does what he does and this scene allows for us to understand all his actions and tough decisions he makes. 

In conclusion the reason I believe Django is an anti-hero is because “Django’s display of revenge leads to another theme: a conflict in morals. What’s “right” isn’t black and white. The constant violence throughout the film results in several murders; however, most of them are white slave owners.(Jones)” A hero is someone that does not only try to save certain people and lets other people die in order to save someone they care about. All the examples shown above show Django's drive to save his wife without attempting to save others when he might have means in which he can do it. I also believe that a hero does not kill out of revenge instead when they are wronged they try to right that wrong by helping others in any capacity in which they can. I do not believe that Django was wrong for making his actions but I do believe that his actions make him an anti-hero and not a hero. 

Works Cited: 

Redmond, Sarah. “Django Unchained.” Afterlives of Slavery, 22 Nov. 2017, afterlivesofslavery.wordpress.com/film/django-unchained/#:~:text=While%20the%20film%20portrays%20some,being%20fairly%20accurate%20to%20history. 

Valdez, Nick. “Deep Analysis: Django Unchained • Flixist.” Flixist, 20 Feb. 2020, www.flixist.com/deep-analysis-django-unchained/. 

Jones, Joe. “Django Unchained - the Brittle Brothers Scene Analysis.” SSC Film Studies, sssfcfilm.blogspot.com/2015/09/django-unchained-brittle-brothers-scene.html. 

[haterishated]

^

REQUESTED BY: anonymous

CATEGORY: angst w/ comfort short story

WARNINGS: blood/gore, kinda angsty

SUMMARY: You are the witness of death itself, and shortly after your master had been exiled to his domain, the cultists came looking for you, to slaughter you and put an end to Narinder's cult once and for all. You manage to escape until thousands of years later, you are caught by a patrol of said cultists. Fortunately, a certain Lamb from a prophecy saves you before the cultists could lay a finger on you.

PAIRING: narinder/reader

SETTING: first half is in Anura, second is in The Lamb’s cult

<>

You dashed through the uncomfortably hot, sweltering, plains of Anura, bleeding from several deep, painful, stab wounds on your back. You sliced the prairie grasses out of your way with your thorn-sharp dagger and continued your sprint through the mainlands. The grasses you sliced away had cut your arms and legs, causing an awful stinging pain that only worsened the condition you were in, but despite it all, you pushed on, determined to survive.

The followers didn't give up either, swinging their weapons and yelling out curses and insults, picking up their pace to match yours. You slid down a dip in the fields and forced yourself up, nearly slipping because of the sweat drenching your hands. You didn't know if you could carry on much longer, your senses were overwhelmed with a gut-wrenching pain that was almost too much to bare.

Several of the cultists dropped down onto the ground because of exhaustion and others lagged behind, giving you a chance to throw them off your tail. You turned your heel and jogged to your left in hopes that they'll stop following you.

You had been on the run for centuries after Narinder had been sealed to his realm, and as his loyal witness, you vowed to him that you would run away and find some way to bring him back so that you two could be reunited once again. Of course, it was going to be a difficult task to slay a bishop, but Narinder wasn't giving up, so why would you?

You ran a corner, and slid to a stop, almost falling off the ledge of one of the many valleys in Anura. Several armed cultists made their way toward you and cornered you, unsheathing their blades and yelling nonsense. You took the time to ready your bloodied blade in case they came any closer. You were confident you weren't going to survive this, when you finally took notice of how many were gathered around you. You were certain this was the end for you and Narinder's gospel.

You glared daggers at the cultists and awaited their attack, spreading your legs to keep balance and slicing the air with your dagger to warn them off and tell them that you weren't to be messed with. Of course, none of them backed off and only came closer, you were cornered and you had no way out. You braced yourself, ready for the final, finishing, blow.

But nothing came.

A flash of fluffy, white, wool was all you could see, slashing and rolling into several of the cultists, wielding a sword, slaying all the followers until none were standing, and in a matter of seconds, every last one of them was gone. Their blade turned into a crown, that sat firmly atop their head as they spread their hand over to shake yours, in which you did.

The crowned lamb must be one of Narinder's vessels, this was yet another chance to finally free the chained god, once and for all.

The Lamb gave you a short tour of their cult, a few of their followers coming up to welcome you into the cult, and upon your indoctrination, you immediately started helping The Lamb out with their various tasks and even offered to assist them in combat ( in response, they declined, in fear that you'll get killed ).

You ended up serving as a second in command for the cult and taking over whenever The Lamb has to go out on a crusade. You made sure nobody was dissenting and disobeying orders while they were gone.

As each bishop fell before The Lamb, the closer you got to seeing Narinder again.

[ririsasy]

The last 30 minutes of Shang chi and the legend of the ten rings was everything.

It start with Wenwu praying at the shrine of his wife, eyes closed, hand clasped, the chaos outside where people fighting and yet he stop and pause to pray to/for her, how high he put her in his heart, then we can sympathize with his motive and understand why he can't listen to reason because he was blinded by his own desire to reunite with her again.

Every fight Wenwu and Shang Chi have just simply mindblowing. It wasn't merely an action sequence but the way they express their grief and frustration through each punch and kick.

Wenwu : "you were there when they came for her, and you did nothing you stood at the window and watch her die!"

Shang chi " She was gone and we needed you, but you choose that damn rings over us. You trained your son to be a killer, is this what you want it?! Even if you could bring her back. What makes you think she wants to do anything with you?"

Both wenwu and shang chi were trying to hurt each other even more with words then they did with punches, because they know where it hurt most, to hear the truth about their own guilt.

Wenwu never told Shang chi when he was young that he blamed Shang chi for his wife death, that there's always be a part of him that whispered what if young Shang chi was strong enough to help his mother, to stop them from killing his wife and wenwu had carried that resentment in his heart for so long.

Then the fight sequence when Shang chi used his mother movement to fight Wenwu, it was so poignant the way that wenwu could see his wife spirit in shang chi as they stare into each other eyes in that slow motion dance, at that moment I am sure wenwu realized, he never actually lost his wife, she was always there with him, in his son, in his daughter.

Tony leung was such a master for making it so easy for people to see what was in his mind through his eyes and expression. The way he expressed anguish and sorrow. Marvel couldn't get a better actor to play Wenwu even if they tried.

Then that last dialogue between wenwu and shang chi was truly heartbreaking.

Wenwu : "I need to save her! She's calling for me."

Shang chi : "I wish that was true."

Wenwu : *shaking his head stubbornly because he didn't want to believe in reality."

Shang chi : "Dad please, your family needs you."

Wenwu came into realization how far he had strayed, abandoned the only things that truly matter in his life, his children. So, when the monster took his soul away, Wenwu could remember each phase in Shang chi's life so clearly from a young man, a teenager, a kid, and a baby in his arms, and realized that his boy has become strong enough to carry the ten rings and let go of that power and be at peace of his own fate.

It's a masterpiece of storytelling, well acted performance by Simu Liu and Tony leung and other strong supporting casts, badass background music, incredible scores, jaw dropping cinematography, and amazingly insane fight sequence throughout the whole movie.....gosh it made you feel so many things. Go watch it everyone if you haven't already.