#im not sure what they did. maybe they caused damage to the ocean in some way and that caused the team aqua stuff?

[vaugarde]

i'm using these as building blocks where they can easily be switched up tbh. none of these are set in stone. i say this cause i always forget how many hoenn pokemon i like and i was torn on some of these. milotic may get replaced with walrein cause i love those two pokemon about equally... depends on which ones translate well into anthro designs i like

[dainty-fingertips]

hail 2 u! ||polnareff x fem! reader

HEY HI so im just kinda dumping stuff from google docs onto here to kind of establish myself so anyway heres my french bb wjhged;; also minor spoilers if you haven’t finished stardust crusaders!!

word count: 2449

summary: you and polnareff were teamed by dio himself and saved by jotaro in hong kong. polnareff is hit with a wave of guilt as you and the crusaders reach what joseph has said to be avdol’s father’s island. you follow him out onto the beach to try and comfort him, and while it seems to work, the enemy stand hiding nearby inside an old middle-eastern kerosene lamp has no intention of giving you both time alone. that is, until the frenchman makes a certain wish.

trigger warnings: none :)

||

          He sat down on the chopped stump of a palm tree, his head in the palm of his hand. She had followed after him when he walked away, she knew he wouldn’t stop blaming himself for the death of Avdol. She approached him from behind with a worried look on her face. “Polnareff…” She said, softly. He turned around. “Oh, [y,n].” He said. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Mr Joestar and the others?” She stayed silent. She calmly walked toward the Frenchman and rested on a large rock to his right. “I couldn’t just let you go on your own.” She muttered, her face growing warm. “You know what happens when you’re left by yourself, anyway.” She smiled somberly, trying to lighten the mood.

          He chuckled dryly. “Yeah, yeah.” He turned toward her a bit. Thankfully her weak attempt at humor had worked, as his expression seemed less dull. The wind picked up a bit, causing the afternoon sun to beam down a bit more harshly on the beach. He turned his head, and she followed suit. He squinted his eyes. “Hey, is that…?” She tilted her head. “It looks like…” He stood up and approached the shiny object, a dull gold hue peppering through a barnacle clad shell. She raised herself off of the rock and took a few steps forward, glancing around his side. “It’s pretty.” He said, his eyebrows raised.

          He picked it up and examined it. “I wonder if it came from a shipwreck. Look at all of those barnacles.” She added, moving around and picking at it with her fingernails. “Hey, hey! Careful! You might scratch the gold underneath!” He said, holding it above his head and significantly out of her reach. “H-Hey! No fair, Pol!” She cried with furrowed eyebrows. He laughed at her futile attempts. “Yeah, right!” The two of them went through a solid minute of teasing, insulting, jumping, and punching (Three of those four were brought upon by [y,n], that is), it seemed that the strange object had been rubbing around in his hand quite a bit.

          A sudden burst of blinding light beamed out through what was left of the barnacles and caused Polnareff and [y,n] both to panic, and him to drop it. They both stepped back, [y,n] opposite to him. An odd smoke rose out of the tip of what was now seen to be a kerosene lamp of sorts; similar to the one from Aladdin. Though, the smoke disappeared just as quickly as it had come, causing the two of them to look around confused. The light and smoke both were gone, but the lamp remained. Polnareff sighed after a moment. “Man! That was weird. Must’ve been pressurized air from inside.” He said, a hand on his forehead. [y,n] nodded looking to the left. “Would’ve been cooler if there were a genie, but, you’re right. Probably just gas.”

          When she looked back, however, she panicked and pointed behind him. “P-Polnareff, look out! A Stand!” He jumped, his eyes widening. He took long strides toward her and whipped his head around. “What the hell?!” A peculiar looking Stand, one which appeared to be more industrial than some of the previous that the group had encountered. “Three wishes!” The Stand called, holding up an arm-like appendage; though it had only three fingers on each hand. “I will grant you three wishes! Whatever you wish is my command, master!” The Stand was gigantic, standing a solid 10 feet tall. “My name is Cameo. Thank you for letting me out of my lamp.” [y,n] glanced around, sweat sliding down her cheek. “Uhh, n-no problem.”

          Though, it didn’t seem that Polnareff was ready to initiate conversation with the entity. “Another Stand user! [y,n], back me up!” She looked at him and nodded her head. Blossom Samurai and Silver Chariot, both sword wielding Stands, got into a sort of formation, with Samurai behind Chariot. They battered Cameo with their swords, but they barely did any damage. Chariots rapier was too weak, and Blossom’s attacks were only a mere second too slow causing Cameo to dodge with ease. “Son of a…” Breathed them both in unison. “You’re pretty strong!” Said Polnareff. “Your user must be close. Where is he?” Cameo crossed its arms. “Again, I’m here only to grant wishes. Do you want your first wish to be a lame one like that?” He groaned.

          Polnareff granted. “Yeah, yeah, what is it with you and wishes, huh? Are you saying you can make me rich right now?” Cameo’s voice was unwavering. “Is that your first wish?” Polnareff relaxed a small bit, but was still on edge. “You know what? Sure, dumbo. Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is.” Cameo’s arms uncrossed. [y,n] squinted. “Fine, then. Your wish shall be granted.” The two of them raised their eyebrows. “Huh?” Mumbled [y,n]. Cameo put its arms in an odd position, like a puppeteer would do, and raised its voice. “Hail 2 U!” 

          It immediately disappeared, causing them to blink a few times and watch the leftover smoke dissipate. Polnareff reached down and pulled the half buried lamp from the sand. Night had nearly fallen by now, but it was still visible. “What was all that about?” Polnareff asked in a confused tone. He sighed. “So…” she muttered. “What was that thing? Was it a Stand, or wasn’t it?” He shrugged. “If it is, what a weird Stand to send after someone.” He noted with a chuckle. She nodded her head. Damn these Stand users; she just wanted a chance to be with Polnareff. She excused the thought from her head with a bite of her lip. “Do you think maybe it’s got something to do with Avdol’s dad?” He shrugged his shoulders, the sunlight caressing his face in a way that would make anyone melt. 

          Her face got hot again. This stupid Frenchman has no idea what he’s doing, sending soft gazes her way. Every time he laughed, she felt like melting butter. She couldn’t help but look away from him with a coy grin. Polnareff chuckled. “Hey, what’s that look for? Come on, you don’t have to force yourself to look away. I know you think I’m hot.” He teased nonchalantly. She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Hah! As if, stupid.” She sent him a playful grin and stuck her tongue out. She was really hoping he didn’t actually know.

          It was then in that moment, both of them smiling goofily at each other, that a noise was heard. “Hey, what was that?” He asked, turning around. “Sounded like metal.” She said, walking in the direction of the noise. It was near; maybe just in the grass 6 feet away. Polnareff followed suit, and lo and behold. “W-Whoa!” She cried, leaning in. “No way!” He yelled afterward. The two of them crowded around what appeared to be a half buried chest of doubloons, jewelry, and bejeweled goldware. “T-That’s real buried treasure!” He called, scooping a few coins out. “But how?” She asked, tuning her fingers through it. “Hell if I know! But this is all mine!” He laughed chaotically. 

          “You little—! I helped you find this, I get half! 50/50!” He snorted. “As if, stupid!” He retorted, mocking her previous statement. “Ooooh, I’m gonna kick your--!” Directly before she went for his money, Cameo’s booming voice echoed from above. “Now, what is your second wish? I shall grant it.” The two of them shot their gazes up to the Stand. Polnareff freaked and dropped the coins, to which [y,n] then picked up and stuffed in her pocket. “Y-You! Why are you doing this?! Whatever you have up your sleeve, I’m not falling for it!” He yelled up at the genie, perched in a palm tree. “I am keeping the gold though.” He added shortly after.

          Cameo stayed silent for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was the wind blowing and the ocean rocking. “Is the answer to that question your second wish? As thanks for my freedom, I’ll give you anything,  including such a stupid answer.” [y,n] huffed and nudged Polnareff. He looked down at her and his expression softened. “F-Fine, then.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I want to be a comic artist!” He exclaimed. The answer threw [y,n] for a loop completely. A comic artist? She had never known he was interested in art. In fact, the only interest he’d shown was when he’d watch her draw.

          “I’ve always wanted to be one! And not just some starving artist, either! I want to be more popular than Walt Disney!” She furrowed her eyebrows with a stunned expression. “Huh?” She whispered. “Pol, I don’t think—“ he cut her off. “I want to create Polnareff Land!” He stood with his arms out in a comically dramatic stance, [y,n] in a stunned (and slightly embarrassed) silence at his side. “... Is this your wish?” Polnareff lowered his arms. “Actually, no, wait,” Oh thank God. She wiped metaphorical sweat from her forehead. Maybe he’d think of something more rational.

          “I want a girlfriend!”

          The phrase made her freeze in place. Her eyes were wide and her throat closed. He wanted a girlfriend, did he? He really must have just thought of her as a friend, then. She kept her mouth shut and kept her eyes on Cameo. What was she supposed to say to that? The words echoed in her mind. She wanted to love him like that so badly, but Polnareff seemed to feel otherwise. “Love is better than money or fame.” He said with a grin. At least he was sincere about that, she could tell. “She’s got to be really cute. I want a girl who’s my perfect match! Our pinkies entwined with the red string of love!” He held up his right pinkie finger for emphasis. 

          Polnareff had never made her feel so conflicted before. Her insecurities began to softly gnaw at her. Was she not cute enough? She felt like they were perfect for each other. She’d liked him since Hong Kong. Was this really happening? She simply kept her gaze on Cameo. She stared at it. What was it going to do? She thought genies couldn’t make people fall in love. “You want me to find the perfect match for you?” It asked him. “Yeah! Try that, bastard!” Cameo sat still for a moment. As she was staring, she noticed it turn its head slightly in her direction. It was looking at her.

          She inhaled sharply. What was it doing? Cameo was completely silent for several seconds until it finally decided to pipe up. “Very well.” It turned its head back to Polnareff slowly. “Hail 2 U!” The Stand once again dissolved into smoke. Polnareff looked at his finger expectantly, and sure enough, there it was. She saw it too. The red string of fate. He grinned. “Oh, wow! I finally get to have my perfect girl!” He beamed. She stayed silent. He looked down at her curiously. “Hey, you okay? You’d usually have made fun of me or something by now.” She looked ahead and nodded. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m good. I’m happy for you, man.” Though she never once looked at him. Polnareff sighed. “Thanks, I’m glad too! Let’s see, where does it lead?” He held the string and noticed it went to his right. He looked in growing surprise to see [y,n] standing there, staring into the ocean with the most flat look he’d seen her sport, and a growing lump in her throat. Was she about to cry?

          He wasn’t really sure what prompted him to do it. What made him want to look down first before pressing her on how she felt. Though he was sure glad he did; in fact, it was arguably the best decision he made during that 50 day trip. If he hadn’t taken a mere half second to glance down below her waist, Polnareff wouldn’t have caught the crimson string tied around her finger until a much later, possibly much more awkward time during their interaction. He felt his heart swell inside of his chest, sheer ecstasy causing blood to rush to his cheeks and make his face burn as if he himself were a bonfire of sheer emotion.

          “H-Hey…” he began, reaching out with a shaky left hand. “Hm?” She looked over. She hoped the darkness of night would hide the tear that had dropped from her right eye and down her cheek. “[y,n], you, uh… your hand.” She slowly held up her left hand and stared in shock at the string around her pinkie. “That’s— that’s the-“ she quickly turned to look at his hand. Sure enough, the two were bound. Polnareff soon grew a stupid grin. “Well, well. Look at that.” The utter euphoria she experienced in that moment went unmatched with anything else she’d ever felt. “We-“ she choked back another sob as more tears fell. She covered her mouth and shut her eyes. 

          Polnareff freaked out. “H-Hey!! You okay? [y,n], c’mon! I’m not that bad!” He joked. “You idiot!” She called, throwing her arms around him. “You scared me!” She heaved into his shoulder. “I thought- I thought you didn’t—“ she shakily said. He chuckled. “Hey, hey! Calm down! If you’re wondering if I didn’t like you, you’re not just wrong. You’re stupid.” He grinned softly. She giggled like a little kid on Christmas. “I was so afraid when you said you wanted a girlfriend.” She said, pulling away. Polnareff put his arms around her waist. 

          “I thought I wasn’t good enough.” She laughed awkwardly. “I only said it because I thought you didn’t like me.” She noticed a glimmer in Polnareff’s eye; he was crying too. “O-Oh, Pol, you-“ before she could say another word he pressed his full lips against hers in a brief kiss. “Shut up.” He laughed, tears smeared on her face. She snorted and wiped his cheek. “I’ve liked you for so long. Ever since Hong Kong.” He scoffed playfully. “Ever since Dio paired us, you little snail. Did you just ignore all my little attempts to go on dates with you?” She giggled. “I didn’t wanna take it the wrong way. You never actually asked, idiot.” 

“Well, how about this.” He cleared his throat and laughed again. “Do you want to go on a date with me?” She nodded with a dumb grin. “Yes, yes, of course, dumbass.” She leaned up for a kiss and he returned the gesture. “Let’s beat the hell outta this guy and regroup, okay?” He smiled. “My pleasure.”

[jhan-jy]

Dream SMP War; Thoughts

Well its finally time for me to write this, after collecting all the events in my head and finishing my classes. Let me just start of with congratulations to the creators for making an exciting and memorable story of a simple smp, especially Wilbur who might as well be the director of the roleplay.  I loved the direction and the way the smp was made to be a glorified roleplay center. The stories were in different categories of amazing, we got angst, comedy, filler episodes and more. Everyone had fun, even the viewers had fun with the journey in the smp. I love Wilbur and I hope he comes back after his well deserved break. Also for viewers to watch his streams even if its not smp related >:0 

TLDR: I LOVED ALL OF IT and I wouldn’t ask for more from the creators, but I’m just suggesting a better route for the story? Kinda like a divergence au?

Okay, am I done with the praise? Yes.

TW: Mentions of Abuse, Suicide, Bombing, Killing and Dying in general.

(PS. This is for the characters not the ccs, I know they chill)

Now heres some of the things I didn’t like about the finale. Don’t get me wrong, Schlatt’s death had a poetic ring to it, but it didn’t have any support to hold as emotionally impactful to the audience. For the most part, I love Schlatt’s acting! He really gave emotion when he had his last ramble before dying, thinking Fundy was still with him before realizing he also switched sides and he just, beats him up in rage.

I mean, Schlatt actually had a very convincing sob story of an elected tyrant who has no one left, drinking away his problems until he died of a miserable death. It made you feel bad for him, but only just for that one minute.

We know Schlatt’s character had always been a drinker, that was one of his traits.

We also see him being manipulative and straight up abusive, but you know what?

Even with all characteristics Schlatt had shown to the audience, I still don’t get his depressing state of defeat. Its opposite to someone who was able to make Tubbo decorate his funeral or how Schlatt was able to make Quackity stay before the divorce. 

Like come on- He just DRINKS?!!?? No plan at all? 

Gear was given to him, people were trying to protect him, literally he was being an idiot according to Dream. 

He could’ve had a better purpose on his final days before dying. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about Pogtopia being rigged with tnt. Schlatt could’ve hidden in Pogtopia while the battle begins outside, with troops looking for him.

He could’ve pushed the button to blow up Pogtopia.

HECK EVEN BETTER IDEA; Schlatt could have just stayed there until they come looking for him in Pogtopia, did his ramble about being left alone and all the shit to stall them. 

Notice how they didn’t immediately kill him? He could’ve taken advantage of that, as they get cooped up in Pogtopia, where a push of a button could detonate the tnt. SUICIDE BOMBING everyone near. No one kills him, he was miserable until the end but this time, he actually fucking did something.

We know Wilbur would’ve pushed the button to blow up Manburg anyway, he could still do it. Give a speech about forgetting the horrors of the past, finally gaining freedom or some shit. Everything would still go according to what happened in the stream, except Schlatt had purpose and closure. 

I’m sorry, I went on a ramble of what ifs and what could’ve happened for Schlatt because as good as a villain he is, his final moments were just anti-climatic in general, even with the poetic death.

Another thing I would like to include is that Schlatt didn’t die of a heart attack maybe? His drinking could’ve poisoned him or something, him being totally careless and drinking a potion of poison would be much better than a heart attack. 

Another thing:

No one questions the abuse Fundy gets from everybody, and thats another issue.People have little to no respect for Fundy. This guy grew up in L’manburg, the place his father built to protect him. Now its gone, blown to smithereens by his own father, who not only said he despised Fundy but also left without saying goodbye. His “fiance”, Dream, sided with the enemy and has almost no care for Fundy. Dream was the one to provide tnt to blow up Manburg. Keep in mind, Manburg wad supposed to blow up during the festival, where Fundy was still acting as a spy. Which means he would have died, his “fiance” would be the indirect cause of his death. And dont even get me started with the last Schaltt scene where he repeated smashes his bottle to Fundy, damaging him even with netherite armor. This man needs to feel happiness and warmth for once, or else he’s gonna become another antagonist in the story. (Which would actually be great tbh ^^)  Theres also Eret’s situation. He gained power and kingship through betraying L’manburg. That was his reward for betraying L’manburg guys.. now its been stripped away, leaving him with nothing at all. Pogtopians dont trust him a lot, they still see him as the first traitor. The Cain to the Abel in this story.  The betrayal he committed is now pointless and dull, he gained nothing in siding back with Pogtopia. His “friends” dont welcome him like they used to, and he knows why. Right now, he’s on a path to redemption. Eret just got recently given the redemption arc pass and is now trying to do good. I hope he succeeds in his endeavors. Other characters should be given their chance to shine. I feel like with Wilbur gone, people are gonna depend on Tommy and Tubbo for a new plot. And as much as I love them, more people should be given the spotlight. Remember the little Dreamon hunters thing? Ya that but with other people doing other plots! I feel like people need to be recognized outside the stereotype the viewers place on them. An idea would be having Niki Nihachu train with other people, Techno perhaps? Or maybe just chill times of building and redstone. Dont forget the draining the ocean thing, Im sure they’re gonna come back to that. I dont really have any other nitpick of how the story went. The only thing that bothered me was Schlatt’s death and how fast it went. Anyways- This is just my opinion! I still loved the war and the storyline! This is just me nitpicking on stuff- 

[theradioghost]

tma as  @wolfpupy

jon: people say “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” when in factuality i don’t know anything and am constantly being seriously injured and hurt

tim: hey kids, i know youre struggling right now but im here to tell you, everything gets worse forever

martin: i'm sure i'm going to ruffle some feathers with this but given the choice between good times and bad times i would like to have the good times

sasha: i was too beautiful for this world [closes eyes with own hand]

not!sasha: hell i've caused my share of problems, accidentally set fire to important documents, destroyed countless priceless artifacts, and other things

melanie: sometimes the people that hurt us the most are the ones swinging big knives around while screaming and trying to cut us

basira: i did the best with the resources i was given, which was nothing

daisy: have to stop saying "how am i going to kill my way out of this one" everytime there is trouble going on, at least not out loud

georgie: the world continues to spiral out of control and i am just sitting here like a bad bitch

elias: i'll tell you one thing, just because it is the least amount of thing i can tell

gertrude: if we do this we do it my way [cut to a bunch of explosions. corpses and debris fly through the air] okay maybe i should be more open to ideas

leitner: the best way to solve problems is to create more problems until you are dead

gerry: me: [wearing my cool goth clothes]

:some guy yelling from a car: halloween was yesterday

:me: halloween is forever bitch

jane prentiss: the insect world works for me now. trash the place boys [ants slowly dismantle the room over several years]

nikola orsinov: i don't say this to everyone but i will barn shuffle dance on your grave.

michael: let the door hit you on the way out, it would give me a good laugh and i would probably forget why i was angry

helen: some people change, some people stay the same, and some people do a third other thing

peter lukas: a good captain goes down with the ship, i personally don’t need a professional obligation to sink to the bottom of the ocean, i just do it

mike crew: had a falling out with a window, basically what happened was i fell out of the window

simon fairchild: my disregard for gravity was the true cause of my downfall

jude perry: in a relationship you have to make sacrifices.... thats why for our anniversary i got you this bloody altar

annabelle cain: i guess its up to me now to take care of these baby spiders i found in the shed. the biting means they think im their mom.

mary kaey: only the good die young? phew good thing that i am so incredibly awful

manuela dominguez: i will jump out of this space ship and use wrestling moves to destroy the sun just you wait

oliver banks: my whole life has lead up to this moment, being dead in a grave

agnes montague: watching everything go up in flames has made me rethink everything i thought i knew about lighting things on fire

julia montauk: you can save money on hair cuts by running a hunting knife through your hair, then you have some extra cash to spend on hospital bills

trevor herbert: if i could shoot anything with a gun i would probably shoot another gun, the hunter become the hunted

robert smirke: to everyone who said this would never work, sorry about the huge amount of damage and all of the fires

jonah magnus: reached the limit of what you can do with imagination? why not try occult dark magic

[analyzingadventure]

Oh boy have I not watched Psi for a long time, oh man have I missed out on Some Stuff (I’ve only heard the names of like three Digimon mentioned but oh man did those names alone come with Some Package)

Let’s watch episodes 25-31 then and catch up!

So just to recap, last time Agumon evolved to Mugendramon, fucked some shit up because Taichi totally 100% legit died, temporary evolved to WarGreymon I think (I can’t remember man lmao) and beat the shit outta DoneDevimon

25! Dive to the Next Ocean!

Uhhh who the fuck yeeted ElDoradimon into the sky

This is so bad

They should die so hard

OHHH CLOUD CONTINENT IS IN THE SKYYY YESSS I LOVE THAT

Have I mentioned how much I love seeing the kids interact with their non-partner Digimon (and vice versa)? Because I do, I love this a lot (even if it ain’t much)

Ohhh Mugendramon was so sexy... I wanna rewatch episode 24 but I really need to catch up on this first

ElDoradimon’s gonna die from that fall, right? His joints are gonna get pulverized

Zurumon! :D I love these lemon jelly goops

HIKARI!!!!!! Baby!!

I wish Taichi and co would be like, trying to even think about how they’re gonna survive the fall- like I know Leomon saved them but they couldn’t like plan to just Get Saved, IDK it’s kinda off-putting how they’re so calm

Leomon to the rescue tho! Finally!

Patamon is so chumby, v good

Holy shit Leomon punches HARD, a single punch just straightened out ElDoradimon in one go, holy fuck

Finally they’re worried about dying from the fall

What happened to the Agu and Gabu being too exhausted to fight (I’m sorry this is just a massive pet peeve for me, ‘esp cause there’s like no reprecussions for the Digimon for pushing themselves here)

(Like it’d be one thing if they managed to evolve out of desperation but this ended up being like bad for them and force them to take longer rests later or IDK kill them, but when you’re just like “I’m too tired to fight- oh wait my friend is slightly in more danger now than before, I guess I can fight again”)

(This is an issue with most MotW shows and even some shounen series (I’m looking at you Bleach) so it’s not unique to Psi, p sure Adventure had this issue to some degree too, but still man, it’s a massive pet peeve and bothers me so much)

26! Break through the sea monster barricade!

God I love that the Cloud Continent is actually in the sky

Quality content (slightly cursed maybe)

Seadramon! Honestly I really love Seadramon?? Like it’s such a simple, minimalistic design but... IDK man I love Seadramon, it’s such a cool Digimon

OH SHIT IT EVOLVED! :O

I’m sorry I am just so not interested in the real world crisis (in the show), it’s... I’m sorry it’s so Mundane and I’m here for the Fantastical

WARUSEADRAMON! THE SLIGHTLY MORE GOTH SEADRAMON!! YEAAHHHHH

God I wish Psi just had perma-evolution, so many of my issues would be solved with perma-evolution

Aweeee yeah, MegaSeadramon’s here too, now we got both of them, yeeeeee

I love how Hikari is just quietly judging the other kids

Y’all okay with talking about Taichi being in a different world right in front of Hikari? I mean She Knows Things and they all just got taken to back to that world but still like, should you try to be more inconspicuous maybe

Oh my god how many times have they used that clip of Falcomon throwing bombs in this episode- four? That’s a lot yo

Taichi’s gonna get vored again, press F for him

The water is so deep how is Zudomon standing- oh I need to stop asking these things

HIKARIIIIII SHE’S HEEEREEE YEEEEEE

27! To the New Continent!

"Hikari, who called you?” “I don’t know :)” Honey that is so ominous I love you

AGUMON COMFORTING HIKARI AAAAAA I LOVE THAAAT

YESSSSS I LOVE THIS

This image has heavy Digimon Kaiser energy in it

I love how Psi!Jyou is like a try-hard in trying to help (while OG!Jyou was always struggling with figuring out what the right thing to do was etc)

Is... is the enemy a Tortamon? Oh yeah it’s Tortamons

OH WOW THERE’S A LOT OF THEM

OH SHIT IT’S AN GROUNDDRAMON! OH GOD THIS IS GRUESOME

Ikkakumon’s gonna get vored, F

You know I never thought Grounddramon would be so chomby based on the Bandai art but I guess Groundramon’s a real chomper

“Everyone, give Angewomon your power!”

GIGA DESTROYER AAAAAAAAAA

OH IT’S THE BASTARD!! DARK KNIGHTMON!!! THE SEXY BASTARD!! The one I’ve heard an interesting theory about... But I ain’t saying anything fornow

PATAMON EVOLVES??? (On command which is kinda bs)

ANGEMOOOOOON YEAAAAAHHHHHH

NEW ENDING TOO, YAY

Ohhh this ending has such nice, soft but jolly energy c: Also yay Tailmon

28! The Children’s Fight for Survival!

BTW Patamon with angel wings was a lowkey hilarious visual, 10/10 would laugh again

Still don’t like how we just got Angemon on demand like that

Oh yeah, out-of-context I heard a theory that DarkKnightmon is Tailmon and hearing Dark Knightmon’s voice, yeah I can see that (not to mention their facination with Hikari)

Oh man those are some Big Wings

Whu happen, did the kids get yeeted back to the Human World?? Oh no they’re still here

I bet Angemon’s dead again lmao

LMFAO JYOU FINALLY GETS TO CATCH A BREAK--

NANIMON NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh Patamon’s okay- REALLY TIRED (thank you Psi) but okay

I NEVER DISLIKED NANIMON UNTIL THIS VERY MOMENT

I AM SO UNCOMFORTABLE

PLEASE GO AT LEAST 500 METERS FURTHER AWAY FROM JYOU, PLEASE

Hikari being worried for MetalGreymon ;__;

Aweee yeah HIkari’s special Evolution Powers are still here! GET ‘IM WARGREYMON!!

Whoop Hikari got spirited away, F (she’ll be fine, SkullKnightmon ain’t gonna do shit to her, I’m sure)

Hikari volunteered to go... ;_;

29! Escape the Burning Jungle!

THERE’S MORE OF THEM

I mean at least they’re all just chillin’ and enjoying the bath instead of just staring at Jyou. I’ll considder that an improvement

YEAHHHH MEGADRAMONS!!

Ooooo a single lil Lopmon, I wonder if this will be an important character later

I like Woodmon, Woodmon are cool and chill

YEAH, DEFEND THE SMALL AND INNOCENT!

WOODMON NOOOOOOO ;A;

NOOOOOO A BUDMON DIED!!! NOT THE BABIES!!!

What do you mean MetalGreymon hurt when the tiny Allomon bit him ON HIS METAL ARM

I- I need to stay quiet or else I’m gonna end up with too many questions. I mean I already have too many but the less I question it the better

Woodmon, Budmon, I love your energy, please aim for Tankdramon’s eye, you could blind that fucker with ease

PARROTMON?!

30! WARGREYMON AAAAAAA

Man I have been quiet through this entire episode so far lmao

ANYWAY CROSSMON! HELL YEAH have we seen Crossmon animated before?

GIGA DESTROYER AAAAAAAAAAA anyways I think this is the first tme we’re seeing Crossmon animated (unless my memory is garbage, which it might just be)

Aaaand Taichi is dead

OH, HIS CREST IS THERE

WHAT’S THIS

WHAT’S THIS

Agumon....... I love you..........

Man this animator is making Crossmon look vaguely too humanoid for my taste.... And MetalGreymon’s super fucking jacked yo

NEW SONG YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

OH THAT’S SOME SEXY SEXY ANIMATION

OH WARGREYMON’S HUUUGE BRO

HOLY FUCK GAIA FORCE ANNIHILATED ALL OF THEM (but didn’t cause any environmental damage? Handy!)

Lopmon’s totally like Cherubimon or something, right? Reborn Cherubimon, right?

31. MILLENNIUMON

HERE IT IS, THE HEAVY PACKAGE I MENTIONED, THE EPISODE TITLE THAT MADE PEOPLE LOSE THEIR MINDS WHEN IT GOT ANNOUNCED

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING PSIIIII where the fuck are you going yoooooo

God WarGreymon’s so fucking big holy shit

OH YEAH LOPMON’S TOTALLY LIKE CHERUBIMON OR SOMETHING (I mean it’s not a plottwist by anymeans lmao)

LMAO Skull Knightmon looked away when Hikari noticed them looking at her lmao tsundere ass fucker

Wait the temple was also on Cloud Continent??? Like that whole area was still a part of Cloud Continent?????????? The geography of this world confuses me yo

BAKEMON!!! THERE’S BAKEMON!!! I LOVE BAKEMON SO MUCH!!! GIMME THE GHOSTIES!!!

NOOO MILLE WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY BAKEMON BABIES!! FUCK YOU LEAVE MY GHOST BUDDIES ALONE

YESSSS CHERUBIMON

OH IT WAS MILLE WHO STARTED THIS ENTIRE FUCKING MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE, HUH

WAIT FUCK MILLE IS BEHIND THE ENTIRE BS IN PSI

...AGUMON CAN EVOLVE TO MUGENDRAMON, WHO IS LIKE, KEY COMPONENT #1 TO MILLE

OH GOD WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

AGUMON EVOLVING TO MUGENDRAMON WASN’T JUST A CUTE REFERENCE TO THE DARK MASTERS, IS THERE GONNA BE THING WHERE AGUMON IS USED TO RECREATE MILLENIUMON??? (And they have to get Agumon Out Of There like they had to extract Tailmon (and Meicoomon until they gave up) out of Ordinemon in tri.???)

ANGEWOMON!!! THERE SHE IS!!

PSI SAYS OFANIMON RIGHTS

Oooo we’re on Eternal/Mugen Continent... Oooo :oc

I like how Sora is the Dedicated Character who will be there when we get like Backstory lmao

METALFANTOMON?! :O YEEAAAHHHH (Ngl when I saw the pink scythe for a moment I was hoping for Jokermon.......)

Oh wow that’s a lot of MetalFantomons

Man Kabuterimon sure is flying quietly (I mean adding the flying sound effect probbaly wouldn’t add much here but... It’s so quiet)

OH SHIT WE’RE GOING TO ULTIMATE ALREADY

I am gonna say, because Psi is constantly moving, like there’s constantly an oncoming threat and the characters never get to take a fucking break (that’s longer than 5 minutes), it just... Because there’s no contrast between danger and peace, it makes the non-stop danger feel far less dangerous imo

DOGGO DIGIMON!!

KOMONDOMON!!

OH SKULL KNIGHTMON HAS MILLE

OH FUCK DUDE

There is one more episode out but sadly I can’t watch it yet because region lock. I do know there’s an interesting, familiar face in there tho and I’m excited for that!

I... I... I can’t believe he actually said that...

“They’re cool pants!” KOUSHIROU LMAO

Anyways, episode preview!

Aaaand nothing of value was seen there. I mean I do know what Patamon probably evolves into because I do follow the Digimon Twitter so like, I saw the relevant art they shared but ye

Anyways  a lot of these episodes were dull as usual, I didn’t feel like I missed out on much tbh aside from the sexy animation and the lore

This really drives it home to me how not having a villian of somekind just constantly present and active really makes a story so much more flat for me... Like I ain’t gonna argue Devimon or MetalSeadramon were interesting villians, but even just seeing them planning their next moves outloud and talking to their minions drove home what kind of people they were, and they weren’t even the most Packed-With-Personality villians in Adventure.    And while SkullKnightmon is there... they’re just kinda standing around. I don’t know much about them really and it makes me sad

(Look I’m sorry I’m a filthy villian-stan and not having interesting villians to stan makes me sad)

Anyways, as always, I am definitely looking forward to whatever the fuck Psi is planning on doing because 1. Holy Shit It’s Milleniummon and 2. Holy fuck we got WarGreymon and it’s only episode 31, what the fuck are they planning on doing with the rest of the series and indeed 3. Patamon evolves into what

[nightphans]

bicci outed, and it’s rowans fault (kinda)

{ read here on ao3 !!}

{read other chapters here }

it was all bliss’s fault.

bliss, the fucker, had convinced rowan to do a live stream.

rowan hated live-streams.

but well, bliss had been going on and on about how ‘content deprived’ the fans were during the hiatus. how desperate they were for anything at all really.

rowan thought it was pathetic; but he ended up doing the live stream, just to make bliss stop nagging.

if he hadn’t live streamed, this never would’ve happened.and he wouldn’t have live-streamed if not for bliss. therefore this was 100% bliss’s fault.right?

~

it was around 7 in the evening when rowan omandi tweeted he would be going live shortly, and it was at 7:15 when he actually started up. he was situated at his desk, sitting in front of his laptop. see, the layout of his room here is important. with his desk in one corner of the room facing the door that led into the corridor.

rowan always left his room door open, something everyone found pretty strange. a lot of people {{the author included!!}} had some weird obsession with keeping their bedroom door closed. well, rowan was the opposite.

rowan’s room was at the end of the hallway. jimmy’s room was located at the right wall with the bathroom facing it; on rowans left. lister’s room was further up the hall

he hadn’t mentioned to either jimmy or lister that he would be going live, since they were watching a movie together.and he didn’t want to interrupt their weird not date ‘date’.

rowan just wished they’d ask each other out already. he knew they were hooking up, but that was all at the moment apparently. which was fucking dumb, because the romantic tension between the two was driving rowan insane.

sure, this relationship could ruin the band.yes, it would be kinda weird. but dear god, that’d be much better than watching the two eyefucking all the time and being all nervous and shy around each other. it was sickening to say the least.

the fans asked questions about the hiatus,about whether this meant they were ‘breaking up’, about how long the hiatus would be for. they pestered about jimmy’s disappearance 2 months ago, about his ex-girlfriend bliss and what it meant for ‘jowan’ (he tried not to make the -_- face irl), about lister’s hospital visit. then they asked about jowan again, and he tried not to roll his eyes.

rowan answered some questions and avoided others for obvious reasons. when someone asked if he’d listened to the latest harry styles song, he read the question out loud and shook his head casually.

apparently, this was outrageous.and fans demanded he listened to it ‘right this instance’ because it was ‘ almost good as [his] own music !! (but not as good, of course)’

and so that’s how rowan ended up putting on the music video for harry styles’ latest song on his ipad. he tore his attention away from the live chat and his face on the screen for a moment to watch; he was fully aware the fans would be analysing his every facial expression in reaction. usually that’d annoy him, and it did, but he was too caught up in the music video to care.

he was too caught up in the video to notice jimmy and lister stumbling down the hall, limbs entangled and lips pressed together as they moved into jimmy’s room. jimmy’s arms wrapped around listers neck and lister’s hands roaming jimmy’s torso, pushing him back into his room and then closing the door behind them.

he was too caught up to notice the camera had caught all of that, and he was too caught up to notice the comments screaming in the chat.

‘ OHMYGEODUNDJDB NO WAY’

‘ AM I SEEING SHIT? WTF ????’

‘ WTF’

‘ AHHHH’

‘ CAN ABYONE CONFIRM THAT WAS JIMMY AND LISTER MAKING OUT W H A T’

‘ IM IN LITERAL SHOCK HWTFFFD’

‘ CAN CONFIRM’

‘ WHAT ABOYT JOWAN IM GONNA CRU😭😭😭’

‘ SO ITS BESN JISTER THIS WHOLE TIME??? LIMMY??? BICCI???’

‘ SOMEONE HAD THAT RECORDED ROFHT????’

‘ the way rowan is still watching the video and just VIBING oh my g o d what 😭😭’

‘ I KNEW IT !!!!’

‘ they hella gay...good for them. good for them’

rowan finally looked up at the laptop screen, looking back at his reflection. he was streaming on his laptop, but had the chat open on his phone.

“ that was awesome! everything was so visually aesthetic!” he smiled, pushing his glasses up. he then proceeded to babble about it. he didn’t glance at the chat until he heard a loud moan, causing him to temporarily freeze, before going to normal.

fuck, he hoped no one had heard that.he hadn’t even heard lister and jimmy make their way to the bedroom.he waited a moment before checking the chat, not to draw attention to the moan by immediately checking. fans would speculate shit.

his heart jumped out of his chest when he read the chat.

“ I JUST HEARD A MOAN OH M Y GODSDDD LISTER AND JIMMY ARE FUCJINH WTFFFF’

‘ IM LITERALLY GONNA COMBIST WHAT IS HAPPENINHGGGGGG’

‘ omg jimmy gettin that dicc bahsahahsh’

rowan looked back up at the screen, trying not to freak out. fuck fuck fuck fuck.

this happened lister, not him. lister was the one who always managed to leak their secrets, even if it was by accident. this did not happen to rowan, ever.

he tried to play it off, starting to talk about how this hiatus had given him a lot of room for creativity and writing new songs; hopefully it would take their attention away from the moan.

it didn’t.

it might have, if the noises hadn’t continued. but they did, and dear god, they were much louder. jimmy’s bed was beside the wall that separated their rooms, he knew that. but he didn’t think the walls carried sound so easily. he could hear jimmy, his childhood best friend, fucking whining listers name. it was more than disturbing, to say the least. it was more disturbing that the fans in the chat were fucking fangirling over this, or expressing disappointment because their precious ship was finally proven to not be real. if rowan could hear this, they probably could too.it was sickening, how involved they felt in his friends’,and his own, personal lives.it was sickening, how involved they felt in his friends’,and his own, personal lives. it was sickening, how involved they felt in his friends’,and his own, personal lives.

ihis stomach churned thinking about how lister and jimmy were having a private moment, and it was being exposed by the internet.

and it was his fault.

well, not really. but he still felt guilty.

he pretended to check his phone.

“ oh shit! my friend uh, my friend just texted me. she needs me to come over stat. so we’ll have to cut this short, sorry everyone! see you later!” he rushed, looking up at the camera.

that was a mistake, they’d probably be able to read the lies in his eyes. the guilt written all over his face.

he ended the stream with a click of a button, letting out a heavy sigh.

fuck.

should he tell them now? or wait for them to finish?

ugh, it was so gross thinking about how his two best friends were currently doing it in the room next door. he tried not to dwell on it, but he could still fucking hear them.

he put on his headphones and crawled into his bed, which luckily wasn’t against the wall next to jimmy’s room. he squeezed his eyes shut and put on some music, trying not to overthink ( that was jimmy’s expertise,not his,thank you very much). trying not to dwell on the consequences he’d be facing sooner than later.

fuck, this was such a mess.

people were probably tweeting about it now, it would most likely be trending in less than an hour.

he didn’t want to check yet, not before he had too. this was the calm before the storm, and no way was he letting it go to waste.

nope.

the panicking and damage control could wait, for now he was just in bed listening to frank ocean and laying on his bed on your typical Sunday night.

maybe if he locked his room and stayed here forever he wouldn’t have to deal with jimmy’s inevitable breakdown, the fans’ theories and invasive questions, cecily trying not to murder him (and lister and jimmy for being horny shits)

this was such a damn mess. but he could deal with it later, right?

[hvlfwygod]

SALTWATER, FRESHWATER

summary: a bad omen goes unseen, a plan is in motion, a journey is made, someone comes home tw: drowning mention, electrocution, blood, murder, it's a little gross

PART I

He missed surfing. Really surfing. Major had never been fantastic at it (he wiped out more often than he cared to admit) but he loved the battering saltwater air, the roaring waves. The flip in his stomach when he knew the momentum was taking him, those suspended seconds between him and the water, was probably his favorite. Even if it meant he was toppling over, he’d just break the surface and go for it again.

He almost didn’t break the surface, once. When he was ten, he’d lost his balance and the ocean took that as an invitation to eagerly enter his lungs. The crash twisted him over himself and over himself and over himself, the water rushed in his ears. His senses flattened out into white-clad nothing as he tumbled against the sand. He’d opened his eyes again several minutes later, on the shore with a crowd around him, a broken board and a throbbing leg and an inconsolable mother clutching his face. 

“I thought I’d lost you,” she’d kept saying. “You weren’t breathing and I thought you were gone.” A week later he was back out there.

To his left, a bird circled in the sky. Wings flared open as it wound around and around and around. Major squinted, as if he could get a better look from his place on the ground. Vulture, he decided. Probably eyeing some prey out in the forest.

This beach was nice, but the waves couldn’t compare. They didn’t have the same bite of danger, and there were hardly enough to scratch the itch that had been forming for the past few weeks. Body surfing wasn’t cutting it anymore. Maybe he should ask Sefa if he could stir up some bombs and outshine him here on Long Island Sound. 

His towel hung around his neck and his shirt stuck to his still-wet torso. The afternoon was dipping into a glittering orange evening, and— fuck, he had dinner plans. He’d completely forgotten. Major checked the time on his phone and, prompted by the number he saw there, picked up his pace back to his cabin.

Hindsight was something else. Major wasn’t sure why he thought back to that day; he hardly liked to recall the sound of his mom weeping over his battered form. That day had been lost inside his memory for years, unlocked for some strange reason at the sight of his hands in the swirl of seawater. The sphinx and all that came after had been tucked away, too. He didn’t like to think about difficult things, but just be happy that they were over, that he was here. But hindsight gave him a lot, including the knowledge that the roof hadn’t been a one time thing.

He wasn’t going to think about that now.

Major was already crafting his apology to Ime while he jogged, racing against the last hour or so of sunshine. Slowing him down was the sight of a young woman, hovering near the cabins, visibly distressed. She seemed to be lost, or confused, moving around and around and around, looking for something in an almost aimless circle. And then, she saw him, and her focus snapped back into place.

“Hey!” she called. Major could see her eyes lighting up from several feet away. “Help me, please!”

“Wh... What’s wrong?” he asked as she approached. Once she met him on the path, she grasped his hand like a vice. Major glanced around quickly for any signs of danger, then settled his gaze back onto the woman.

“Can you help me? Please help me,” she begged, tugging his hand, already retracing her steps and pulling him along with her. “My brother is hurt, we were hiking and he fell and I need help carrying him back, please.”

Major blinked, his mind shifting gears as he processed this. “Hang on,” he said despite not slowing down. “We should get a doctor or something if he’s that—”

“There’s no time!” she snapped, sounding almost annoyed with him. “It’s almost dark.” It looked to him like she was about to start crying. “I don’t want to leave him out there in the dark.”

How could he turn her down? Major swallowed. “Okay.”

He let her drag him into the forest. The temperature started to drop the deeper they wove through the trees, the further the sun started to sink. Major felt the chill along his arms, but his hand must have been warm, because he woman didn’t let go. That, or she was just scared and needed something to hold onto. He quickened his pace so he was walking alongside her. “Were you two far?”

Her face was stony, unreadable, and she dropped her hold on him. “Yes.”

Major frowned, not sure what to make of this. She seemed to be shaking, her voice waved with an emotion he couldn’t place but the look on her face was... determined? 

“He’s gonna be okay,” he reassured her. “I’m guessing it’s his leg if he can’t get back?”

She was staring straight ahead, squinting into the sunset. “Yeah.”

“Alright. I can carry him, no sweat. Don’t worry.”

“Let’s just hurry,” was all she mumbled in return, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. Her strides became longer, quicker, pushing her slightly ahead of him again. Major just nodded mutely (though she wasn’t looking at him) and continued, this time staying a few steps behind.

A small part of him always knew, he was pretty sure. He didn’t have the words for it, the acceptance for it, but he knew. Bruises sank down to nothing in a matter of hours. Breaks, sprains, scraped knees, they were all the same. It went a step beyond the gifts of being a demigod. Knowing now in concrete terms, if this were him, stuck in a forest of expanding shadows, would he even be scared?

Major thought again about his mom, her arms tangled around his shoulders. He thought about the way his heart seemed to scramble back into beating while the ocean spilled out of him as he coughed and coughed and coughed. He thought about waking up on that roof, the rush of water pouring from his ears, how it felt like he was ten, all over again. Such different ways to die, but his throat had burned all the same.

Major thought, too late, about texting Ime.

Dammit. He really needed to get his head on straight. He pulled out his phone with a sigh. At least he had a better excuse for being late.

I’m soooooo sorry, I’m helping someone out. will be late :(

His service was spotty this far into the woods, so his text took almost a full minute to send. And it took while for him to get Ime’s reply: major bummer, but only a minor offense (:

Despite the stiff, serious air between him and this stranger, Major smiled. 

They walked, for a long time. Major checked— it’d been nearly twenty minutes of walking. How far had they gone, and why had it seemed like she’d slowed down? Major realized he was looking back at her now, just slightly, to make sure he was going in the right direction.

She refused to look at him, but he noticed a nervous twitch in her hands every time he turned his eyes onto her.

Finally, finally, she pulled ahead. “It’s right up here.” Major followed eagerly. The sun still had a half hour of brilliance left, but under such a thick canopy of leaves it hardly mattered. He wanted to get out of here before the darkness made it impossible.

But when they turned into the clearing, there was nothing. A stream curled past them and forked in two, populated with tiny fish, a squirrel bolted up a tree, but otherwise, it was just them and the darkening sky.

“Shit,” he breathed out. “Shit, mate, you think he moved on his own?”

“Must have,” she replied, her voice stiff. She walked ahead and stepped over the stream, her shoulders squaring, as if something bad was on the other side. Major trailed behind, yanking his phone back out and turning on the flashlight. Deep red light illuminated the bark, and his additional light did not bring much else.

A terrible quiet seemed to come over them. Major knew he was reading too much into it, but it sounded as though even the water had stopped gurgling as loudly.

The woman pulled a cassette player out of her jacket, taking a deep, slow breath. Major thought that was supremely odd, but he didn’t pause to ask about it. “I’m gonna search downstream a bit. Want to meet back in ten?”

“There’s no... You don’t have to,” she said as she turned to face him, walking to the edge of the water, holding the player out like she was giving it to him. Major frowned, staring at it, then at her hand, pressing play—

A shock erupted at his abdomen and spread across his torso, down his arms and his legs. Major was too stunned to do anything more than grunt before his jaw locked and his muscles went rigid, his heart crashing out of rhythm. It hurt in an awful, indescribable way, and it burned, and when he crumpled to the dirt it felt as though he was going to vibrate out of his own body. Major felt the impulse to scream and thrash, nerves sparking through his brain and limbs, but it was like he forgot how, like everything stopped working all at once.

His last coherent thought was that it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter. He wanted to shout to the woman that it didn’t matter, please stop, he couldn’t die. But as the shockwave screamed through to his bone, the world seemed to melt away. All he saw was a monster’s jaw snapping open, all he felt was a wave swallowing him, all he heard was a rush of water in his ears.

PART II

Up to this point, Linnaea had been very surgical in her approach to murder. What were the exact biological functions she would need to cease in order to turn off the brain, and how quickly could she get there? The procedure was purely biological, almost mechanical in nature, and had nothing to do with the character of the person inhabiting the body. 

In fact, she had been very careful to avoid thinking of him as being a person at all. In all her notes, Linnaea had referred to it as the “body” or the “vessel” or other things of that nature. 

How can I cause minimal damage to the body? How can I ensure that the vessel is completely shut down?

Linnaea gripped her fingers tightly around the cassette player in her hand. She could feel the vibrations of the weapon pulsing in her palm. It was a special commission, unlike any other weapon here in New Athens—a concealed stun gun with a barbed tips capable of delivering 1,000 milliamps of electricity. Linnaea had hoped for higher. A more powerful current would mean a more definitive result. She wasn’t trying to torture the body after all, she only needed to create a vacancy. But any higher, Fionn explained, and they’d have to switch to a much bigger weapon. Linnaea couldn’t afford to lose the advantage of surprise. Keep it small, she instructed, and I’ll hope for the best.

Linnaea released her finger from the trigger and held her breath. For a moment, she only heard the babble of the streams that forked around her. 

She waited.

Then, a murmur. 

Linnaea hissed. The moaning started to evolve into a pleading whine, a half-hearted please… Pl… 

Linnaea tuned it out. There’s no good in listening, she reminded herself. Just lead the cattle to the slaughter.

Linnaea pushed the button again. In her head, she started counting down slowly from thirty. She focused only on the numbers and not the gurgling sounds erupting from his throat.

Twenty-five, twenty-four...

Somewhere miles beneath her feet, her brother was drowning in a river. So soon, he would taste sweet reprieve.

Nineteen, eighteen...

A sharp crack rang out from the ground in front of her. It sounded like something bent way out of place. That would need to be fixed later. Fuck.

Twelve, eleven...

Linnaea had made every effort to learn as little about this person as she could. She made no note of the people he sat next to when he ate. She kept her headphones on when she eavesdropped on his conversations so she wouldn’t have to hear him laugh. She kept a hazy account of what buildings he entered and exited for the last few weeks, only holding onto a general idea of the roads he took and when. Linnaea was so good at disposing of anything that wasn’t absolutely critical that she had gotten overconfident in the days leading up to this moment and let her guard down.

Five, four...

Linnaea bumped into him on the way to the forest. He didn’t even look her way, just kept on walking after a nonchalant apology. The moment was brief, but lasted long enough for Linnaea to get an earful of his friend call out, “Hey, Major, look at this...”

Two, one.

Linnaea held her breath. That had to be enough.

She waited.

And waited.

A gurgling whimper.

Linnaea let out her breath as a tear fell onto her cheek. How was he still alive? How could anybody hold on this long?

Before Fionn had started making the weapon, he had asked Linnaea about her fighting style. “Medium range,” she explained. “I’m good with throwing daggers and I’m fine with a sword. But I don’t like it when they get too close. I’m not so great with close combat.”

“Don’t worry. I have an idea,” Fionn responded with a grin.

A few days later, when Linnaea came to pick up the weapon, he pointed at the big red record button. For close combat, he explained. When you want it to end.

Linnaea stepped forward, the crunch of dead leaves underfoot echoing the sound of Major’s bone breaking just a moment ago. Linnaea shivered. She knelt to the ground in front of him, trying her best to avoid his gaze and tune out his weak sobs. She pressed the big red button and two prongs shot out of the bottom of the cassette player. 

Linnaea wanted it to end.

With both hands clutched around the little metal box, she plunged the prongs into Major’s chest. 1,000 milliamps straight to his heart.

Linnaea didn’t bother counting down. She just knelt there with her finger pressed down on the button and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

PART III

The smell of burnt flesh greeted Jordan before Linnaea did, and he pressed the sleeve of his sweatshirt into his mouth to keep from gagging. His eyes watered as they found Linnaea, and he made sure to breathe through his mouth as he looked down at the body on the ground. Another wave of nausea rolled through him as his mind connected the sight, the smell, and the sound of Linnaea crying, and his hands shook as the blood rushing through his veins felt like an electric current. Run, his body coaxed him, get away while you can. He tilted his head back, looking up at the trees as he took a few grounding breaths, whispering a few “fuck”s with each exhale.

He continued to breathe out of his mouth, focusing on the sound of the river rather than the fact that he was now probably an accomplice to whatever had taken place before he arrived. He dropped his basket and ran his hands through his hair, almost dizzy as he tried to muscle memory his way through the ritual.

This was different from chalking things out on his floor, and different still from carving sigils into the ground for a bird. There was no sparrow to place in the center of the circle, but a body to teleport into it. He didn’t look at his face, not wanting to know.

He told Crinitus to find north as he had before, told him to dig, poured out water, lit incense. As the circle was cast, he wondered if the smell was gone, but didn’t chance a breath. It was close to dark now, and he looked at Linnaea once more, wondering if he was as pallid as she was. If he didn’t do this, he told himself, there would be a dead body with no spirit in it at all. This man would have died for nothing. Out loud, he said, “I need your blood. Just a drop. From your finger or something. I can use the shit I have, but yours is…” He trailed off since she was already agreeing.

From the basket he had brought with him, he pulled out a jar where he’d drained a steak before his roommate was going to eat it, and as he held it out to Linnaea, he felt very stupid for not considering that this entire event was probably going to make him nauseous. He looked away as she contributed to the concoction of blood, honey, other herbs and oils, then poured the entire thing out at the dead man’s feet. He crouched, then dropped to his knees before the body as he bowed his head and prayed to Hekate Chthonia, Hegemonen, Empylios, and Pammetor, opening the gate to a world beyond their own.

Jordan didn’t seem to notice that the lines he’d etched into the ground around the body were glowing a dark purple, or the fact that black drool dripped from his dog’s mouth. In fact, he didn’t seem to notice anything happening around him at all as he leaned forward, pressing his hands into the mix of blood and earth.

It felt as though he was sinking into the earth, some invisible weight pulling at his knees, and then he was standing, his dog’s leash in his hand. Linnaea was no longer beside him, but the image of the dead man flickered at his feet for a moment. He hadn’t learned his name, hadn’t even looked at him; he wouldn’t be able to find him. Besides, there was someone else he was looking for.

Lucien. He called out, pulling open the ground as though there was a cellar door there. Lucien. He was walking down stairs, the way illuminated by a purple glow coming from Crinitus, and soundtracked by the bell that he had attached to the dog’s collar. Lucien. Things were beginning to stir now. He realized that his hands were coated in the blood mixture when drops of it slid from his fingers and turned to wisps that evaporated into the air. Lucien. Spirits reached for him as he called out, but Crinitus kept them from making contact, snapping at them with jagged black teeth and glowing eyes. Lucien, Lucien, Lucien.

Jordan wished that he knew what Lucien looked like past the description Linnaea had given him. This shortcut to the underworld was much longer than he remembered it being. The bird had been right there, ready for him to pluck up and guide back to its body. He was afraid of being down here for too long. He knew he wasn’t actually in the underworld, or at least, not physically, but some part of him had to be, and that part was growing cold, exhaling breaths that he could see, being reached out to by spirits that weren’t the one he had been asked to retrieve. Lucien, where are you?

He called out once more, and was pulled forward violently by Crinitus, who was barreling towards water that Jordan knew he should go in. His dog knew who they were looking for, and when he reached the bank of the river, he realized that it didn’t matter that he didn’t know what Lucien looked like, because the massacred eidolon was barely recognizable at all. His stomach finally gave in, and he doubled over as he retched, dirt pouring from his mouth instead of bile. He was down here for far too long, but he wasn’t going to give up now.

“Lucien!” He screamed over the river, and the spirit seemed somewhat responsive to this. Jordan dropped to his knees, ripping away at the weeds coating his arms. He tugged at him, trying to pull him from with water without letting the lapping waves splash him. “Lucien, we have to go,” he said urgently, kicking at the spirits that were tugging at his jeans, his dog too busy tugging at the man’s shirt to ward them off. Some laughed at his attempts, taunting him, telling him that he was too far gone, he ignored them. Others pulled at his hair and clothes, still jeering, or asking them if they could tag along. When they touched him, it was like ice on skin, and he flinched, desperate as he pleaded with Lucien, daring to move further into the mud. “Linnaea is waiting for you.” 

Finally, this seemed to mobilize Lucien, and he was out of the water, staggering to his feet, and Jordan retched again as his legs, bloated and black, bowed under his weight. Lucien took a step forward, and Jordan took his hand to guide him, convincing himself that it was not skin sliding off under his touch, that this was all metaphysical, that none of this was real, that the body was in the ground, but he was doubled over again, spitting up more dirt. He pulled him away despite this, almost frenzied as he followed the sound of the bell, now distant, relying on the pull of his dog’s leash as his eyes began to cloud over. And then Jordan was on his hands and knees, in the woods, Linnaea at his side, a cadaver in front of him. He was shaking, unsure if the spell had worked at all, but all he could do was hope as he dropped to the earth, cold, caked in mud and sweat and blood, out of power, unconscious.

PART IV

Lucien didn’t know what he was waiting for. He was in a pool of bloody river water, his legs submerged, his arms overgrown with damp weeds, his ruined stomach a home for worms and rot. Ghosts from upstream passed him by, curious, crawling onto the banks beside him and watching as he sank into the mud. How much time had passed since he saw her last, since he moved last? Being dead made it so hard to tell.

Lucien didn’t know what he was looking for. Perhaps she had already come. (He was too dead to remember her name, but he grasped onto the memory of her voice saying I’ll make this right.) Maybe he missed it. The current slowly ate him, but still he waited, hoping he wasn’t too far gone to make it back.

Lucien!

Something alive said his name. Lucien’s eyes— hazy, half-opened, coated in a layer of film— flickered around in his soft skull. Weeds fell away in clumps.

A pull on his arms, sliding him forward and out of the water. Cold hands gripped at his face, his cave of a torso, wrapped themselves around his legs. Lucien, we have to go. Linnaea is waiting for you.

A flash of heat went across his back, like the name injected the smallest scrap of life into him, and he fumbled into standing. A hand that felt more solid than the rest pulled away at his skin, and his legs were too ruined to walk, but he moved anyway. A spray of dirt came out of his guide’s mouth, and then they were going, away from the river. In a few short seconds they had gone farther than he ever managed alone, back when he was still a fresh spirit and not decomposing.

The path illuminated in front of him, as if it had been there all along, just out of reach. Before Lucien’s eyes was a tunnel of roots, a staircase, an unfamiliar forest. Ghosts were at his heels, his shoulders, pulling him backward, but as he got closer he shed more pieces of the river. It formed a little stream in his wake, like the water had forked off into a new current, about to flood out into the land of the living.

Then, he saw her, and it was like seeing the moon peek over the crest of a hill— his sister was right there, his sister— and Lucien ran, suddenly desperate, suddenly remembering why he had waited for so long. With every step, he felt a little more alive. His stomach knit itself back together, his bones took on a weight. Ghosts still clung to him as he passed the threshold, only halfway evaporating—and then, all at once, a painful, awful crash into flesh. Lucien felt himself thrashing inside a body that was not his, scrambling for an anchor, grappling off a desperate, shoving force that was trying to push him out.

Nerves turned on like little starbursts across his skin. A name that was not his came to him, and this body hurt. A burn flared over this chest, a broken shoulder blade, the heart groaning inside a trembling ribcage. The jaw clicked as Lucien forced it open.

He was here, but it was wrong. There were fractured spirits inside this body with him, carried in on Lucien’s back and stuffed inside the bones. Pieces of hands, eyes, heads, kneecaps, teeth, an assortment of parts all shuffling in here with him. 

And another singular, whole spirit, the one who never fully died, fighting to take back control. A life that was not his flashed before his eyes, like dying in reverse.

Lucien?

He opened his eyes— these were his eyes now— and saw her. Major’s voice creaked out of him. “Linn… aea.” It sounded wrong, and the spirit inside him wept.

Linnaea.

A horrible pressure built inside his skull, and for a split second, all he could hear was a distant plea. Get out, get out, I’m not dead. 

Lucien tried to sit, but being alive was too much all at once. He couldn’t move, not yet. His body shuddered, and when he turned his head and coughed, worms spilled from his lips. A creek babbled by, to his left. Linnaea, he repeated, the thought coming out like a sob— he wasn’t sure who it was that was crying.

Lucien.

But it hardly mattered. None of the flaws of this vessel mattered, not when he could hear his sister’s voice, ringing in his mind, saying his name back.

[angstalottle]

Altea Cove

Keith of course knew the legends, everyone that grew up around these parts had them drilled into them from the day they were born.

He knew that this cove realistically was only warned against because of the coral and sharks that made even a small capsize a matter of life or death.

The warnings of mermaids that pulled sailors down to their deaths were just stories they told children so they didn't swim out into the dangerous waters.

Keith was too old to fear such things anymore and too hungry to not take the risk of the Altea cove.

It was summer when the big ships came.

Filled with men from the mainland that wanted their fish and trees.

In only a few months the once beautiful island had been decimated all to file a war of a people they never even heard of until they landed and claimed their resources their own.

Keith was the best fisherman on the island, but even he couldn't find fish in their waters anymore. They had either been caught or killed by the pollution of the visitors.

The island would starve if he didnt take action so Keith did what he had to do. Even if it did involve stealing a boat in the middle of the night to come to the cove.

The water was still beneath him as he dropped anchor and as many nets and traps that he had been able to bring.

It was too dark to makeout any fish beneath the waves but the occasional tug he would get on one of his nets would tell him something was down their and it was going for his bait.

It was all about instinct when a person decides to pull in their nets. Too soon and the catch would be pitiful and not worth the bait waisted. Too long and the net could over fill and even break losing the catch and a perfectly good net.

Keith never had either of those happen to him. It was like a 6th sense on when to pull on the rope. It was just a small shift in the way the ropes moved, or a ripple of the water that told him it was time.

He grabbed the rope of the closet net and began to pull.

It was surprisingly heavy, a grin spread across his face at the thought of coming home with enough food to feed everyone and save the island from starvation.

He could be a hero instead of the unwanted orphan that washed ashore all those years ago.

The strain caused him to close his eyes and grit his teeth all his concentration on pulling in his catch. It was so much heavier than any other catch before and for a moment Keith worried he had bitten off more than he could chew.

Then he heard the net rise from the water and quickly worked to secure the rope before turning to pull it abord.

He was greeted with the sight of blood dripping down into the water, a long blue tail half stuck out of the nets mesh and cut in multiple places from where the twine dug into the flesh. The tail was connected to a slender tanned torso and the face of a human that stared back at him in terror.

The two looked at each other in nothing short of shock. Neither knowing what to do but look the other up and down.

Keith had never believed the stories thinking it was just that, stories… yet here he was face to face with a mermaid.

Or rather a merman considering the flat chest but still that didn't stop Keith’s brain from questioning every fact he had ever believed to be absolute.

The merman suddenly began to thrash about pulling at the net and making the rigging groan from the stress.

In a moment of panic Keith did what he was sure he would later come to have Shiro berate him over. But rather then the smart idea of cutting the magical creature free and releasing him into the ocean while Keith made a hasty exit. Keith instead pulled the net over to the boats tank and dropped the merman in.

The tank was supposed to hold any pregnant rare fish you found so that they could be protected from being poached, so the tank was more than a little snug with the bloody tail trailing along the floor.

“Shit… shit” Keith swore running his hands through his hair.

Why did he just do that?!

What if it used its magic to turn him into a sea slug for this?!

As Keith began to panic the merman watched him. He slowly pulled himself up wincing at the moment of his tail until it was in the water and he was sat up leaning an arm over the edge of the tank.

“You know for a hunter you really suck at this.”

Keith spun to him so fast he nearly slipped on the wet decking “y-you can talk!”

“Of course i can talk i'm not a guppy.” he pouted flicking water at Keith “what this your first time here? Hate to break it to you but the rest of the pod moved on weeks ago so your not going to find anyone else”

“Wait hang on a second” Keith held up his hands “im not a hunter i'm a fisherman, i didn't mean to catch you, hell i didn't even know you were real.”

The merman cocked his head to the side “so let me get this straight… you come to the mermaid coast and didn’t want to catch a mermaid. Nice try buddy”

“No really! The fish are all gone and we were getting desperate for food so I came to try and find some here” Keith said quickly.

The merman’s expression turned sad “sorry but you won’t find any fish here either. The hunters in the big boats took them all and… and the others.”

Keith frowned in confusion “the others?”

He nodded “the other mers, their ruler thinks we have magic and wanted to use us to win his war but we can’t do anything like what he wants. So he started killing us and throwing our bodies into the water. I’m the only one left.

Keith stares in horror at the thought of a whole people being whipped out for nothing. “H-how come hey didn’t get you?”

He shrugged “I’m smaller than the others, I could hide between rocks but now I guess starving to death or being sold by you is my punishment.”

Keith felt a pang of guilt, his eyes trailing across the damage done to the tail “Is it true what the stories say about mers? That you can become human if you kiss one and live on land?”

He nodded “yeah but I don’t know what that ha-“

He was cut off my Keith pressing their lips together.

It was like a bolt of electricity went through them and a small moan escaped the merman’s mouth as his tail slowly became a pair of legs.

Keith blushed as he turned away listening as the water sloshed about.

Hangs grabbed onto his shoulder for support as he fell forwards into Keith’s arms.

“W-why did you do that?” He asked and Keith couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of those blue eyes.

“Your hurt and it’s my fault. The least I could do is look after you until your healed up.” Keith shrugged as he placed a arm under his knees and carried him to a bench where he offered him his coat “I don’t have much but I can offer a warm bed and some company. Maybe even fish if I can find them. What do you say?”

“And what do you want in return?” He asked raising an eyebrow as he pulled the coat on.

“To know your name.”

The merman began to laugh long and hard, finally he replied with “Lance.”

No one was particularly happy with Keith bringing Lance back to the island.

He lied saying he found him floating on a piece of driftwood likely lost from a shipwreck. He was hurt and weak not remembering anything but his name.

People had been hesitant right until they got to talk to Lance when they fell in love with him.

He was so sweet and hoe stay kind that he made everyone want to be better.

Even with limited resources someone would always bring extra food round to Keith’s little shack just so the two would have something to eat.

It took a few weeks for Lance’s wound to heal. The moment it was he went back into the ocean and Keith thought he would never see him again.

He cried that night, realising he wouldn’t get to laugh or feel the way he did when he was around Lance ever again.

Then Lance came back the following morning, his hair dripping wet and nets filled with marlin.

“What’s the matter miss me?” He jokes after Keith tackled him to the ground in a hug.

“Shut up…” Keith mumbled smiling softly.

After that they got into a routine of Lance slipping out to the deeper waters the boats couldn’t get to during the night and returning the next morning with fish for everyone.

They spent their days pretending to fish in the cove where Keith found him, Lance usually relaxing in his true form and showing Keith around when he was brave enough in the water.

Keith had wanted to save the island by going to the cove that night… but he never imagined he would fall in love.

But he knew that he could never be happier then the day the two stood at the altar and said

“I do”

[drsilverfish]

The Riddle of the Sphinx: 14x12 Prophet and Loss

First, thanks to @verobatto-angelxhunter  @gneisscastiel @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks  @mrsaquaman187  for inviting me to guest this week, as part of their ongoing SPN #Metafest project @metafest  

along with several other guests:  @bluephoenixrises  @poorreputation @agusvedder @amwritingmeta   @savannadarkbaby @prairiedust  and

@norahastuff 

I’m going to guest meta about the Riddle of the Sphinx.

Here is creepy Tony Alvarez drowning his first victim. 

Despite an opening dose of Bucklemming torture-porn (ugh - although tbf there was a narrative point, as the drowned girl was a mirror for Dean, just like the slain first-born son and the dude who almost got barbecued were - more on that later...)... So, yeah, despite that, I was thrilled to see this in the visual narrative architecture - the Sphinx Machine Shop, where Tony does his mangled prophecy induced killing.

The Sphinx, as you know, is a fearsome part-woman, part winged-lion beastie, in Greek mythology, who was famous for guarding the entrance to Thebes and asking travellers to solve the answer to a riddle in order to gain safe passage to the city. If they failed, she devoured them.

She is tied in mythology not just to puzzles and their solutions, but to fate...

Here is the Sphynx of Naxos, from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi (560 BCE)

Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_of_Naxos 

The Temple of Delphi was the site of the Oracle of Delphi, who was the High Priestess Pythia (a transferrable role) famous for her prophesies, which came to her in trance-states, supposedly from the God Apollo.

You see the link to SPN’s own Prophet role here.... 

The Sphinx also, famously, appears in Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex, which became the basis for Freud’s also famous (and relevant a bit later) “Oedipus complex”. Sophocles didn’t invent the myth, but his telling is its most famous rendition. 

Despite his other misfortunes, Oedipus doesn’t get devoured by the Sphinx, because he solves her riddle, a popular rendition of which is: 

“What goes on four legs, on two legs, on three, and the more legs it goes on, the weaker it be?” 

The answer, is - a human (baby, adult, old person with a stick).

Oedipus’ story is a classic story about fate, just like Appointment in Samara (re-worked in an SPN episode, 6x11, but originally an old Mesopotamian tale) which @mittensmorgul  and I were talking about just recently, in relation to themes of fate vs free will in SPN (specifically in relation to the role played by Death - see here for the discussion:

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/182454009599/mittensmorgul-drsilverfish-mittensmorgul  )

Oedipus’ story is a (f-d up) family drama - rather relevant to our very own Family Winchester [no, NOT because this is all about either of the boys wanting to sleep with Mary Winchester - thanks Dr. Freud - although, come to think of it, Dean did say she was hot in 4x03 In The Beginning :-)]  

14x13 Lebanon promo shot 

When baby Oedipus is born, his father King Laius receives a prophecy that his son will grow up to kill him, and so, he sends a shepherd to expose the baby on the mountainside to die, before that can happen. The shepherd however, not being an asshole, saves the baby, and raises him secretly as his own.  

Oedipus grows up, and he eventually learns from the Oracle at Delphi herself (see above) that he is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Believing the shepherd and his wife are his true mother and father, whom he loves, he leaves his home in the mountains for the city of Thebes, determined to defy the prophecy.

On the way, he meets a quarrelsome old man on the road, they fight, and Oedipus kills him:

When he gets to Thebes, he finds the King has been slain, by persons unknown, and the town is at the mercy of the Sphinx. Oedipus, by guessing the Sphinx’s riddle, obtains safety for the town and is, in gratitude, appointed King himself and given the widowed Queen, Jocasta’s, hand in marriage.

All is well for a bit, until a plague descends on Thebes, and Oedipus is told that to save the city, he must avenge King Laius’ death. So, he goes sleuthing, with the extremely relucant help of his seer Tiresius, and to his horror, discovers that he is the one who killed the King (that old dude on the road to Thebes all those years ago), that he is the King’s true son, and has, therefore, killed his father and, in marrying Queen Jocasta, married his mother and committed incest, fulfilling the prophecy he set out to escape from. He promptly blinds himself in horror. Poor ancient Greek dude. 

The Chorus laments the power of fate

O heavy hand of fate!          Who now more desolate, Whose tale more sad than thine, whose lot more dire?          O Oedipus, discrowned head,          Thy cradle was thy marriage bed;

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31/31-h/31-h.htm  - Project Gutenberg translation of Oedipus Rex. 

A reference to the story of Oedipus and the Sphinx is extremely pregnant right now in the SPN narrative, for two reasons:

1) Fate vs Free Will

2) The Ghost of John Winchester

1) Fate vs Free Will

Dean thinks his interpretation of the book Billie handed him in 14x10 Nihilism - apparently the only death of his in which AU!Michael doesn’t take over his meat-suit and burn the world - means he has to sink himself to the bottom of the ocean, in the Ma’lak (angel) box and that’s “fate”. 

Like Oedipus, there is no escape. 

However, 14x12 tells us two things. Firstly, by analogy - the prophecy is wrong. Alvarez thinks he is carrying out the prophetic Word of God TM by recreating a twisted version of the Plagues of Egypt sent by God in Exodus:

1) The slaughter of a first-born son

2) Drowning in the Red Sea

3) Fire out of Heaven

(all of which are mirrors for what Dean thinks is his “fate” right now: death of a first born son; being drowned forever at the bottom of the ocean in the Ma’lak box; being consumed by the AU Archangel Michael’s Heavenly grace/fire).

But it’s a garbled message, received as a result of Prophet Donatello’s comatose scramblings. 

Secondly, screw prophecy - against the odds, Dr. Sexy of the Lord (yeah - you know Dean thought it) is able to revive Donatello, thus preventing further scramblings (aka wrong prophesies). 

CASTIEL: “Dean - if there is a spark, a hope, then I have to try.... you taught me that!” 

I loved that line, with its resonance all the way back, like a skein of blue grace, to the Apocalypse Mark One, when Dean convinced Castiel, in Zacharia’s (also due to return in 14x13 Lebanon) “green room” in 4x22 Lucifer Rising, to disobey Heaven for the sake of humanity (Yes, Dean, an angel did fall for you...). 

In other words, just as the Winchesters beat their “fate” to be “angel condoms” for Michael and Lucifer last time around, by “tearing up the script” and “making it up as they go” (4x22 Lucifer Rising) thanks to the help of rebel angel Castiel, so they can do so again.   

2) The Ghost of John Winchester

In the SPN world’s worst kept spoiler, we know John will return next week in 14x13 Lebanon. We’ve been meta’ing about the ghost of John Winchester haunting the SPN narrative for... forever.  

Here is some meta of mine on the subject from S12:

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/158388550099/john-winchesters-ghost-and-the-haunting-of-s12 

John is explicitly recalled, during the brothers’ (beautifully rendered) car conversation in 14x12:

DEAN: “You ever think about when we were kids?”

SAM: “Maybe, yeah, sure, sometimes, why?”

DEAN: “I know I wasn’t always the greatest brother to you.”

SAM: “Dean, you were the one who was always there for me. The only one. I mean, you practically raised me.”

DEAN: “I know things got dicey, you know with Dad, the way he was... and I just.... I didn’t always look out for you the way that I should of. I mean, I had my own stuff, y’know, and in order to keep the peace, it probably looked like I took his side quite a bit. Sometimes, when I was away, you know it wasn’t cos I just ran out, right? Dad would, he would send me away, when I really pissed him off. I think you knew that.”

SAM: “Man I left that behind a long time ago, I had to.”  

AU!Michael, I’ve been arguing since the start of the season, is a mirror for Dean’s self-repression and for John Winchester. See:

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/179463975289/shirtlesssammy-14x03the-scar-meta-writers

John was one of the major causes of Dean’s self-repression, as illustrated in the convo above, where it’s clear Dean had to grow up too fast to become a substitute-parent to Sam, where he was often obedient to their father to “keep the peace”, and where he was also often, unreasonably, punished by his father in the process (such as, as we already know, when he was sent to Sonny’s after stealing food for Sam in 9x07 Bad Boys). 

According to psychoanalysis, we always internalise psychological constructs of our parents - Freud calls them imagos. So the Riddle of the Sphinx, for Dean, is how to kill (or rather, lay to rest) the ghost of his father (whom AU! Michael is a mirror for) and with it, the self-repression which has wounded him so much, psychically, since childhood, without letting it kill him too.  

Nick, of course (general shudder) also serves as a John Winchester mirror in the episode - his obsessive revenge quest for the slaughter of his wife (aka mirror Mary Winchester) by Abraxas, led to something she never wanted - damage to innocents along the way (aka mirror innocents, Sam and Dean). 

To Conclude

The answer to the Sphinx’s riddle, the one that helped Oedipus avoid being devoured by her was.... humanity.

Light Sphinx, 2015-2016, Mixed media (inc. foam, hand stitched fabrics, LEDs, beads, synthetic hair), 74 x 32 x 54 cm by Tarryn Gill

https://tarryngill.com/Light-Sphinx-Shadow-Sphinx-2015-16 

Dean IS the symbolic representation of humanity (which is why Amara was so fascinated by him, and let’s not forget Metatron’s words about Castiel in 9x22 Stairway to Heaven  - “He’s in love with.... humanity”).  

Our first-born Winchester son just has to believe what this episode showed him -  prophecy can be wrong.

His “fate” - to die, to drown forever, to be consumed by holy grace/fire, to remain trapped by the ghost of his father, by his own self-repression, by AU!Michael, by the Ma’lak box (aka, in subtext, the closet) is NOT the “Word of God”.

And killing one’s father doesn’t (as it did for Oedipus) have to mean damnation, if, the way one does it, is symbolically, by laying his ghost to rest in one’s heart and mind (hello upcoming SPN 300 14x13 Lebanon).

Freud believed the resolution of the Oedipus complex (for boys) was identification with the father (and no, we don’t have to concur with Dr. Freud). Dean has actually been on an oppositve journey, to get out from under his father’s shadow.   

The Jungian solution, which the S14 narrative is offering to the metaphorical Riddle of the Sphinx, is, to turn around and embrace the Shadow-self (the parts of oneself one has repressed) and in so doing, to evolve - to become more fully human.

So, a final salute to Jerry Wanek and team, and the ever wonderful SPN set dressing narrative, for The Sphinx Machine shop!

NB:

You can read my Jungian Meta series here, if you’re interested:

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/180906003584/the-shadow-14x08

http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/181122764984/14x09-the-spear-jungian-decoder-ring-edition

 http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/182299438269/jung-and-deans-journey-towards-self-integration

And if, you want to read more of my SPN meta in general, go visit my blog and look under the “Meta” sidebar tag: http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/tagged/Meta 

Plus, if you want to read lots of other people’s fabulous SPN meta, go check out the “SPN Meta” sidebar tag: http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/tagged/SPN%20Meta 

Thanks for having me @metafest !

DrSphinx out.  

[sebeth]

Fantastic Four # 4 - 6

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

 Brief Summary: The return of Namor, the debut of Doctor Doom, and the first Namor-Doom team-up.

Debuts:

·         Doctor Doom

·         Baxter Building

·         Yancy Street Gang

Favorite Cover: #4 – I love the image of Namor escaping into the ocean with Susan.

Points of Interest:

·         Ben’s very indecisive on Johnny’s leaving the team. He starts with “He’s nothin’ but a spoiled brat of a teenager! What do we need him for?” to “When I find ‘im, I’ll team him to run off on us that way!” So do you want Johnny gone or not?

·         Sue once again causes panic in a public setting by using her powers for ordinary tasks. Why do you need to be invisible to drink soda in a café?

·         The amount of time Johnny has been away from the team isn’t specified. If it’s only been a few hours, the team is panicking over nothing. Johnny wouldn’t be the first teen to storm off for a few hours, cool down, and then return home. If it has been over a day, Johnny owes Sue a huge apology.

·         Reed yanks a passing motorcyclist off his bike to see if he’s seen Johnny.  Reed tells the man “But if you don’t know where Johnny Storm is, I’ve no more time to waste with you!”Reed’s rather rude.  I mean, Reed was the one who yanked the poor man off of his motorcycle – possibly damaging the bike in the process.

·         Reed thinks “I’ve got to keep trying!  Sooner or later I’ll find some teen-ager who’s seen him!” Yep, that’s Reed’s solution to the missing Johnny problem – question every teenager in New York City on Johnny’s whereabouts.  I was expecting more from the world’s smartest man – maybe a device that would sense Johnny’s elevated temperature or energy output but nope, instead he’s going to interrogate all of New York’s thousands upon thousands of teenagers.

·         It’s revealed that Johnny is at Swanson’s Garage working on cars and hanging with his pals. The same Swanson’s Garage we saw Johnny at during the first issue of the Fantastic Four.  I can understand Reed not being aware of the garage – he becomes so absorbed in his experiments he forgets the outside world – but are you telling me that Sue didn’t check out the place?  Sue wouldn’t be fooled by the “tell her I’m not here” game – one invisible drop-in later and Johnny’s busted.

·         Johnny uses his powers to weld the engine.  He also shows off by flaming on – while near cans of gasoline!  Johnny explains: “Notice how I can control my flame!  By not moving, it doesn’t go near the gasoline!” Way to scare the crap out of your friends!  

·         Ben enters the garage by breaking through the wall.  The team is racking up the collateral damage for a simple search mission – Swanson’s garage wall, the man’s motorcycle, and who knows if Sue paid for that soda!

·         Ben warns Johnny: “And now I’ll teach you what happens to deserters!  And your flame doesn’t scare me!  I know you can’t move while you’re burning, because there’s gasoline all over here!  One spark and your pals are done for!”

·         Reading Ben’s early appearances are rather jarring compared to his later personality. I understand Ben’s anger, frustration and bitterness.  I’m also sure his transformation caused a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder but casually dismissing the safety of innocent bystanders?  Not the Ben we know and love.  

·         Johnny, acting as the mature one, immediately flames off and attempts to defuse the situation.  Ben proceeds to throw a car through the other wall of the garage.  Ben takes a swing at Johnny: “You’ve always laughed at me because I was ugly!  Well? Why aren’t you laughing now? Don’t worry, sonny boy…I’m not gonna spoil your pretty features!  I’ll just rough you up a little…teach you who’s boss, once and for all!”

·         Ben turns back to human mid-rant.  Johnny takes the opportunity to flame on and retreat.  Ben’s calls after Johnny: “Go on, Torch!  Fly off!  What do I care!  Ha Ha! I’m human again!  Fly away, you flaming freak!!”

·         A flying Johnny thinks to himself: “The poor fool!  He should know by now his change is only temporary!” Sure enough, Ben changes back into the Thing seconds later.

·         Johnny’s often portrayed as the immature one but he was the exact opposite in this scene – he stayed calm, attempted to defuse the situation, prevented innocent bystanders from being harmed, and retreated at the first opportunity instead of being dragged into a senseless fight.

·         The scene nicely shows that Ben’s rage is caused by the transformation – as soon as Ben regained his human form, he lost all interest in the fight.  “The flaming freak” comment was interesting – did Ben feel that he was removed from that category since he regained his human form. Would Ben consider Sue a freak? Does Ben call Johnny a freak because he resents Johnny’s attractiveness?

·         Johnny decides to retreat to the Bowery and hang with the derelicts.  Johnny finds a comic from the 1940’s about the Sub-Mariner.  A derelict tells Johnny that they have “a stumble-bum right here who’s supposed to be as strong as that Joker was supposed to be!”

·         The derelicts harass the stumble-bum until a brawl breaks out and the bodies hit the floor! “Wham!  Pow!  Bam!”

·         The derelicts gear up for round two but Johnny intervenes: “Hold on!  Let him alone!  Can’t you see, he’s ill?  He’s got amnesia!  A loss of memory!  He doesn’t even know who he is!!”  Johnny decides to shave off the amnesiac man’s beard and cut his hair with his flame abilities.  Johnny proclaims: “Wait!! His face! No – it – can’t be!  It is!  It is!! He – He’s the Sub-Mariner!”

·         Johnny has clearly been working hard on controlling his powers as evidenced by this scene and the previous scene at the garage.  He seems to have done this without any prompting by Reed or Sue.  It makes sense as Johnny’s powers are clearly the most destructive of the Four.  

·         I highly recommend this issue for Johnny fans – he has many shining moments and it’s a nice, subtle look at his character.  

·         Reed’s continues his quest of randomly harassing random citizens on Johnny’s whereabouts – the latest being a helicopter crew (while in the sky) and travelers in the subway.   This amuses me way more than it should – maybe Reed really needed social time?

·         An invisible Sue enters the Bowery: “I can’t believe that Johnny would ever come here!” Sue proceeds to walk right past Johnny and Namor!  Seriously, is Ben the only observant member of this team? I guess Johnny gets points too for recognizing Namor

·         Johnny flies Namor to the ocean and drops him in!  Thankfully the bum is Namor and not some homeless man that Johnny terrorized for no reason.  

·         Namor returns to Atlantis to find that “It’s destroyed!!  It’s all destroyed!!  That glow in the water – it’s radioactivity!  Now I know what happened!  The humans did it, unthinkingly with their cursed atomic tests!”

·         Sadly, this issue is from 1962 but the “human unthinkingly destroy” plot is still relevant today – for example, the bleaching of the coral reefs and the tons of plastic found in the ocean.  

·         Namor returns to New York City with vengeance on his mind: “I am the mightiest living mortal on earth!!  And now, mankind shall feel that might…as it is turned against you all!”

·         Namor’s been able to make that claim – unchallenged in the Marvel Universe – since World War II.  He had to be really annoyed when the Thing, the Hulk, and Thor all debuted within months of each other.  Namor being Namor, I’m sure was still telling everyone that he was “the mightiest mortal living on earth!”

·         Namor uses a monster-controlling horn to summon Giganto from the depths of the ocean. Ben defeats Giganto by hauling a bomb into the monster’s abdomen. Poor Giganto!

·         Sue adds another name to the list of men infatuated with her. Namor declares: “Well! Here is a prize worth catching! You’re the loveliest human I’ve ever seen!  If you will be my bride, I might show mercy to the rest of your pitiful race!”

·         Namor’s not one to beat around the bush!  We now know Namor’s true weakness – it’s not lack of water, it’s beautiful women.  We can’t even justify that he’s attracted to Sue’s personality – Namor glanced at Sue and was all “Whoa, mamma!”

·         We now begin the longest running triangle in all of comics – Namor, Sue, and Reed.  I don’t count Superman-Lois-Clark as that triangle only involves two individuals.

·         Namor’s the epitome of mercurial mood swings so he changes from “Now I’ll have the girl, and my revenge!”  to annoyance that Sue isn’t properly impressed by his manly manliness.

·         Issue 5 opens with Doctor Doom playing with chess pieces modeled after the Fantastic Four. First Doom and later the Puppet Master – do all of the FF’s enemies act out their upcoming fights with action figures?

·         Doom’s lair contains a stuffed vulture and reference books labeled “Demons” and “Science and Sorcery” on the table. The books nicely foreshadow Doom’s later affinity with magic.

·         Johnny’s reading the “Hulk” comic back at the Fantastic Four headquarters. Marvel was really pushing the debut of the Hulk title – the previous issue had multiple “who is the Hulk” statements at the bottom of the pages.

·         “Fantastic Four!! Heed my words!  This is Doctor Doom!”

·         Sue: “Who?” I wish Sue had been able to say that to Doom’s face.  I don’t think his ego could handle it.

·         Reed: “That voice!  I recognize it!  But I thought he was dead!”  Reed has quite the talent for voice recognition since Doom is speaking through a metal mask from a helicopter.

·         I’m loving campy, over-the-top Doctor Doom.  Can you imagine if this was your first exposure to Doom in modern years?  You’d seriously question how Doom became the top villain in the Marvel Universe!  The crossover I want to see:  First-appearance Doctor Doom versus Batman from the 1966 tv series!

·         Flashback time: Reed and Victor Von Doom were college roommates.  Doom, a brilliant science student, was fascinated with sorcery and black magic: “One night, the evil genius went too far, as he brought forth powers which even he could not control!”  Cue explosion, facial disfigurement, and school expulsion.

·         The extent of Doom’s scarring/disfigurement caused much debate throughout the years – was it a small scar that Doom’s ego couldn’t tolerate or was it massive disfigurement?  The panel shows Doom’s entire head wrapped mummy-style so I’m going with the massive disfigurement option.

·         Reed tells the group that Victor left the school and when he was last heard of “he was prowling the wastelands of Tibet, still seeking the forbidden secrets of black magic and sorcery”.

·         Doom demands the Four send Sue to him as a hostage.  Sue:  Girl Hostage happens a lot in the early comics.  Sue insists it’s the only way and Reed agrees.  Seriously?  The net only covers the exterior of the building – Ben and Johnny have the strength to tunnel underneath the building and exit elsewhere.  Shouldn’t that be an option instead of handing Sue over to some ranting psycho?  Reed’s definitely not earning “the world’s smartest man” title during the early adventures of the Four.  Doom opens a section of the net so Sue can enter his helicopter.

·         Doom demands the rest of the team “board my plane, and you must swear you will not attack me!”  The team agrees.  What?! Seriously, Reed, this is why you can’t hang with Captain America and Cyclops when it comes to strategic planning.

·         Doom sends the male members of the Four back in time: “: “Gone to bring me the gems which, unknown to them, will make Doctor Doom the ruler of the earth!”

·         The boys disguise themselves as pirates.  Ben tells Reed to “Take it easy, Bub!” Ben was using “Bub” decades before Wolverine!

·         Ben’s having a blast playing the role of pirate: “Ahoy, matey!  Let’s see if we can date one of these pretty barmaids!  Heh Heh!”  It’s nice to see Ben enjoying himself as he’s been miserable throughout the series.

·         Johnny’s also having fun: “This is keen!  I feel like Errol Flynn!”  

·         Reed’s a fuddy-duddy: “Knock it off!”

·         Ben has a moment where he refuses to return to the present: “Why can’t I stay?  The future holds nothing for me!  In the Twentieth Century I’m nothing but a monster…a freak!  But here I’m somebody!  I’m a leader of men!  I’m a captain!  I’m the guy who started the legend of Blackbeard!  The kids will read about me in school some day!  I ain’t never giving this up…never!” Ben, you’ve been in the past for 30 minutes, calm down!

·         The trio returns to the present only for Doom to escape.

·         A total campy, ridiculous and fun issue.  Despite the goofiness, a few of Doom’s defining characteristics – the intelligence, the sorcery, the Doom-bots, the ego, the grudge with Richards – were clearly established in this issue.

·         “Have the Fantastic Four at last met their match when Mighty Sub-Mariner and Evil Doctor Doom team up??  Don’t miss the Diabolical Duo join forces!”

·         Johnny blazes across the sky.  An onlooker gasps “The Torch!! A living legend!  And I thought I’d never see him with my own eyes!” The onlooker seems to be mixing Johnny up with the World War II era Human Torch (Jim Hammond).  Johnny hasn’t been the Torch for long. Definitely not enough time to be considered a “living legend”.  Would the general public even realize there was a difference between Johnny and Jim?   Issue 6 was published in the early 1960s.  The original Human Torch operated in the 1940s – the older citizens of the Marvel Universe would assume it was the original making a comeback after a long sabbatical.  After all, how many blonde men can set themselves on fire, fly, and call themselves the “Human Torch”?

·         The same citizens gawking at Johnny are pushed aside by an invisible Sue.  Sue turns visible to apologize and enter the Baxter Building.  We’ve seen Sue use her powers multiple times to scare or push through people.  She’s either a big fan of the “jump-scare” or using her powers to let out her frustrations by shoving people. Seriously, it would be easier – and more polite – to stay visible and skirt around people as opposed to moving around unseen and shoving people out of the way.

·         Sue notes that “The Torch has been scouting for signs of Doctor Doom.”  Isn’t Sue better suited for the task?  She is the “Invisible Girl”!  Johnny’s a human-sized ball of fire – Doom will see him coming from a mile away!

·         We receive our first detailed glimpse of the Baxter Building.  The Fantastic Four’s headquarters are located on the 34th to the 37th stories of the building.  The members of the Four take the express elevator to the 34th floor.  The elevator operates via a signal that is sent from the belt buckle of the members’ uniforms.  The 34th floor clearly belongs to Reed – it consists of labs and computers. The 35th floor are living quarters, the recreation room, and the gymnasium.  The 36th floor are conference rooms.  The 37th floor holds the team’s vehicles.

·         Reed catches up on the team’s mail.  He discovers a letter sent from a child at Harmon General Hospital.  The hospital is located across the street so Reed stretches across to have a long chat with the child.  A sweet moment for Reed who is too often characterized as obsessed with science and oblivious to social mores.

·         Johnny and Ben continue reading the mail.  We receive the first mention of the Yancy Street Gang: “…and if the Thing will meet us on the corner of Ashby and Main Street, we’ll knock that chip off his shoulder and make him like it!  Signed, the Yancy Street Gang!”

·         Ben is not amused: “I’ve heard from those mealy-mouthed braggarts before!  They get their kicks out of tryin’ to rile me!” Ben decides to answer the challenge: “This block is titanium steel – six inches thick and the strongest metal known to man!  I’ll just roll it by hand into a from acceptable for mailing – I wouldn’t want the Yancy Gang to think I wasn’t neat – Here!  Send this to them!  And on the day they manage to unroll it, I’ll personally congratulate ‘em!” Clearly, adamantium wasn’t known to the Marvel Universe at this point.

·         The Fantastic Four – secret identities or publicly known?  The writers in the Fantastic Four and Strange Tales titles go back and forth on this point in the early issues. A few issues ago, the identities were stated to be a “secret”?  If so, how does the Yancy Gang recognize Ben?  He looks significantly different post-transformation!  If the identities are still a secret at this point and the Yancy Gang still realize the Thing is Ben Grimm…well, Batman will have to forfeit the “World’s Greatest Detective” title!

·         Ben’s itching to fight someone worthy of him, “a foe like Doctor Doom…or a Submariner!”

·         Sue defends her crush: “Submariner is hostile because he’s hurt and bitter!”

·         Yeah, Namor has man-pain!  The fact that he looks damn good in a speedo has nothing to do with Sue’s defense of him!

·         We switch to the ocean where the “hurt and bitter” Namor instructs porpoises in swimming maneuvers.

·         Doctor Doom travels to Namor’s location, proposes an alliance, and brags up his credentials: “ I am strong – strong enough to join the powers of science to those of darkness!  Show me the puny mortal who does not tremble at the name of Doctor Doom!”

·         Let’s recap Sue’s reaction upon hearing the name of Doctor Doom: “Who?”

·         Doom notes “It would appear that you’ve taken a holiday from your campaign against the surface world!  Men no longer speak your name in fear!”

·         Well, playing with dolphins doesn’t exactly reinforce an angry and vengeance-driven persona.

·         Doctor Doom notes a framed photo of Susan Storm.

·         Namor warns “Take care!  That female is no concern of yours!”

·         How did Namor get the photo?  Did Sue give it to him?  Did he take the picture while he held her hostage a few issues ago?  Clip it out of a newspaper?

·         Doom taunts Namor into assisting him: “What happened to your thirst for revenge? Have you forgot the glistening towers of your once great civilization?  The culture and comfort enjoyed by your happy subjects…imagine your great and proud people struggling for thousands of years, defeating all the terrors of the deep to build a civilization, superb and beautiful…yes, beautiful and glowing with life until that last terrifying moment when that monster of a bomb lodged in the midst of that beauty…gone! All that glorious history gone in one brief instant! Replaced by an ugly crater in the ocean floor…littered with fused masonry and bitter memories that cry out…revenge! Revenge! Revenge upon the surface world which did this in its ignorance! Revenge upon humanity’s defenders! Death to the Fantastic Four!”

·         Namor agrees: “I cannot harm the girl! But I will aid you in defeating the others!”

·         Dr. Doom is a large ham.

·         Namor is easily manipulated.

·         I want to see a “What If?” where Namor’s all “Nah, I’m gonna keep playing with the dolphins”.

·         Wouldn’t it be easier for Namor to simply ask Reed for assistance in locating the lost Atlanteans instead of trusting some random dude in armor?

·         Namor leaves to pursue his part of the plan and plays “chicken” with an airplane along the way: “No time to dodge! It’s going to hit us head on!” “Bah! That’s enough horseplay!  I mustn’t forget the mission!”

·         Back to the Baxter Building where Johnny snoops around Sue’s possessions. Why is Johnny snooping in Sue’s room? Typical younger sibling nosiness? Johnny’s around 16-17 years old at this time.  Sue raised Johnny – I’ve always felt that she was 10 – 12 years older than him.  The dual mother-sister role makes it even odder that Johnny is nosing around her room.

·         Johnny finds a photo of Namor and isn’t happy about it: “So! You’ve gone soft on Submariner – our arch-enemy!” The Four have only fought Namor once. I don’t think that’s enough to qualify him as an “arch-enemy”. Of course, the other options are: a short man who lives underground, aliens who were outsmarted by “B” horror movies, a maybe-maybe not hypnotist, and an egotistical man in armor whose master plan was throwing a net over a skyscraper.  I can see why Johnny chose Namor for the arch-enemy role.

·         Sue is not amused: “Give me that photo, you insolent brat!” When did this photo exchange between Namor and Sue take place?  Were they taking pictures of each other during issue #4?

·         Namor arrives at the Baxter Building and all hell breaks loose as Ben and Johnny brawl with the Sub-Mariner.

·         Namor advises Sue to get out of the way: “He’s too angry to listen to reason! You’d best stay out of the way! I do not fear the Torch!”  Yeah, Namor has had plenty of experience battling Human Torches.

·         It’s curious that Johnny is so angry over Sue’s crush on Namor. Does he dislike Namor so much or is he afraid it would cause the breakup of the Four which is his home, family, and a large part of his identity?

·         Namor states he’s come in peace and doesn’t mention the devices he’s rigged to the Baxter Building.

·         Crack! The Baxter Building is launched into space for the first but not the only time!

·         Namor rages: “The double-crossing dog is in a rocket plane above pulling this building into space!” And yet Namor will continue to ally with Doom after this betrayal.

·         Namor’s not in much danger – he can simply jump out and fly away.  Johnny would normally be able to escape but he “exhausted his flame” during his fight with Namor.  Johnny didn’t have much stamina in the early issues. The Four’s planes were damaged in the launching of the building.

·         Reed insists “our only hope of ever getting down is to seize control of that plane!”

·         Does Doom ever recall his earliest attacks on the four and face-palm?  They were so ridiculous and over-the-top!

·         Reed stretches after Doom’s plane: “Somehow, conditions in space tend to weaken my powers!” Was this ever mentioned again? The Four spend a lot of time in space.

·         Namor decides enough is enough: “That jackal Doctor Doom still has Prince Namor to reckon with!” Namor dives into a water storage, amps up to full strength, launches himself to Doom’s ship, evicts Doom from the ship, assumes control of the ship, and returns the Baxter Building to earth.  Doom hitches a ride to earth on a meteor.

·         Ben: “How do you thank an enemy? Submariner’s above us in that confounded ship.  And if I could reach him I still don’t know if I’d shake his hand or try to smash him!”

·         Sue: “Oh, he isn’t our enemy! I just know it! He’s so full of pain and bitterness that it blinds his better instincts! Submariner needs time…time to heal!” Sue, dear, I think the boys are over your continued defense of Namor.

·         Namor: “So shall I return to the sea! Perhaps someday when I am no longer haunted by bitter memories of my lost people, I may return…but, until then, this is where I belong! In the sea which is my home!”

·         So ends the first super-villain team-up in the Marvel Universe and the beginning of one of Marvel’s longest running love-hate relationships.

[comicteaparty]

May 27th-June 2nd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from May 27th, 2019 to June 2nd, 2019.  The chat focused on SUPERPOSE by Joe (or Seosamh) and Anka.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on SUPERPOSE by Joe (or Seosamh) and Anka~! (https://superposecomic.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until June 2nd to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. When it comes to the themes of feeling lost and finding your place in life, which character do you connect with the most? What moment of their internal struggle regarding this topic really captured your imagination and why?

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

Only a couple scenes in at this point, but wow, I can't let the coloring technique go uncommented on. It's gorgeous. Changes for every environment and every time of day, presenting them with rich palettes and exquisite lighting.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Do you think Kas will eventually adjust to life in Port City and get out more? If so, how might that change them? Overall, how do you think the nature of Port City will shape the characters as the story continues?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. How do you think Royal’s father will react to Royal’s plans with the company? How will this personally affect Royal? Further, will Royal’s father be as cool about who Rafael is related to? Also, how will Rafael’s relationship with his father affect the story?

RebelVampire

1) that scene where Royal is in the arcade teaching the kids the glitch in the game. this was the first time where i felt like we really got to see royal's soul. previously he just felt like kind of a smart air-head, but this scene made me see him in an entirely new light. there deep thoughts and grave ambition hidden under there, and the way he explained the glitch really just made me want to play glitchy games and marvel at them. plus, for comedic reasons i like the juxtaposition of the kids basically just not giving any damns about what royal is talking about. they just wanna win their game https://superpose.superposecomic.com/post/161303418270 2) its a tough choice between royal and rafael, but im gonna go with rafael. i think my favorite scenes with him in regards to being lost are when we see him in the ocean. to me those scenes are physical manifestations of what hes feeling internally, which is like a small speck alone in a vast ocean trying not to drown in everything. and honestly, what a great way to put feeling lost, because sometimes that is exactly what it feels like. plus, for me personally, i can connect with rafael's seeming lack of ambition a bit more than i connect with royal. since it's not like rafael doesn't have skills, rafael just doesnt seem to know what to do with those skills.

RebelVampire

3) Royal. I love how hyper excited Royal is about everything and just the sheer amount of ambition he has. Like, I can't not admire someone who is so sure of their own damn idea that they pursue it like their life is on the line. That being said, I also like that Royal can be a bit of a doofus and also that he still has internal struggles of his own. Like trying to find a place in the world with his dad being pretty stern and detached emotionally. 4) I do think Kas is gonna get out in Port City more, mostly probably cause Royal and Rafael will drag them around whether Kas likes it or not. Which I'm sure there will be an adjustment period, but I think eventually Kas will kind of get used to everything if only out of necessity. Plus, I think Rafael will show Kas the good spots where Kas doesn't have to be bothered by jerks. I do worry though that in the long run, the city is kind of going to continue to amplify all their internal struggles and will continue to bring those to the forefront of the story. Port City strikes me as sort of a backwater city. Like the sort of city that isn't cool enough to intense tourism but is large enough that it devours everyone into the crowd. And that's the exact sort of environment that can breed feeling lost. Plus, a lot of the random people we've seen have been kind of shitty, like drug dealers.

5) I've gotta give it to the beam https://superpose.superposecomic.com/post/183664963457 the lighting on this page takes my breath away, and the pacing leading up to the illustration is really perfect too. Especially, though, I like the little intense beam of blue at the top. Not only does it visually show off the intensity of the power, but it add that nice level of contrast that draws your eye to it. plus, great composition for this page in my opinion and a well-chosen angle. 6) Royal's father is gonna be super, duper pissed unless it makes him a lot of money. I assume he will find out before it reaches that point and immediately pull Royal out and fire everyone. Cause I do not believe Royal's father has enough faith in Royal. Which this would obviously damage their relationship, and I think Royal will have to confront the feelings of insecurity he has because of his dad and how his dad has a lot of faults. Thankfully for Rafael, I don't think the dad will care about his dad. At most, I think there will be snide remarks. As for Rafael and his dad, I think their relationship is gonna drive a wedge at some point in Rafael's plans and kind of make him have to take a step back from the project maybe. I think Rafael is taking on a lot of guilt for what his dad has done, and I think he'll need to work through that before he can truly be happy.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. What do you feel the comic has to say about family relationships and how they help define who we are? What moment in the comic stuck out to you where this theme was at the forefront?

varethane

Royal and Rafael's interactions are always engaging, though I find them also very tense most of the time haha-- they're both very intense people

RebelVampire

as much as i like Royal, I would probably be more like Kas when interacting with him. where im just kind of internally like "royal slow your roll dude"

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Given how different Rafael, Royal, and Kas are, what obstacles do you foresee in the three getting along? How will their personal lives affect their professional lives in this regard? Alternatively, what ways have their relationships improved that you liked?

RebelVampire

7) Probably Royal and Kas. They have such opposite personalities that I'm always interested to see how they make their relationship work, both professionally and personally. There's also just something deeply relateable I find in their struggles to communicate while both being immensely self aware that they are ill-matched in regards to their socialization styles. 8) I think the comic shows both the good and bad ways our parents morph who we are. Like Rafael is a great dude, but he clearly has some deep-seated issues that I think are largely tied into the crimes of his father and feeling like he cants escape them. But I think that is something else this comic is saying as well. That regardless of what our relationships with our families is, sometimes we need to escape and forge our own path in spite of them. For me the largest moment where this stuck out was when Royal was in the meeting in the beginning and voicing his opinion. Cause Royal seemed to understand he was in the shadow of his father, yet at the same time was desperate to break free

RebelVampire

9) I'm gonna second @ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP) and say the lighting for this question. there is just so much damn atmosphere is every scene. especially when its dark. i find a lot of comic's get really scared of making scenes too dark and worry if its not bright enough people wont see. but i feel this comic just boldly says nope and does it anyway, creating some really beautiful night scenes with dynamic light sources. <3 10) I think theres gonna be a lot more conflict with Royal in regards to Royal just being so energetic. I think Rafael and Kas will find him exhausting after a point. not to mention I get the impression Rafael and Kas are getting closer, and I think there's a point where Royal will feel like a third wheel. The largest conflict I see them having though is what to do with their project if they succeed and what to do with themselves after. Cause while at the moment they have a joint goal to focus on, once that goal is gone i think the feelings of lostness will return. As for relationship improvements, I really like Kas was able to tell Royal that Royal's friends were asshole and Royal apologized. I was sure Royal was gonna kind of try to write it off. But nope, the two came to a mutual understanding, and Royal got to grow as a person.

varethane

I love that the lighting approach is derived from film compositing and photography techniques, it gives it a richness of value and saturation that's very intense but still feels realistic

RebelVampire

thats a super eloquent way to put, @varethane

varethane

I, uhhhh, am very nervous about what's going to happen when Royal finds out that Raf stole his dog.

RebelVampire

oh good its not just me then

although im worried whats gonna happen to Royal when Raf finds out Royal's dad was responsible for why the dog was in such bad shape

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Ultimately, do you think Royal, Rafael, and Kas will manage to bring Royal’s project to fruition? Whether success or failure, what do you think it will mean for the three of them, for the future of the company, and for the world?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Do you think any of Rafael or Royal’s past actions seen throughout the comic before they officially meet will have future consequences? If so, how will they affect their working relationship, and how might the two find a way to work past them?

RebelVampire

11) Once again, definitely the lighting and also probably the composition. These aspects together give the comic this really unique, movie-like tone. And again, there's just so much atmosphere with these illustration techniques that it really works for what's going on with the story. 12) I think it's gonna be a partial success. I don't think they'll manage a true teleporter, but I think they'll manage something close enough that they can use it to revolutionize something? Cause what I forsee happening is that they'll run into a kink and Royal's dad will find out and say "no my dudes make this profitable." i think regardless of success or failure, the experience will still teach them all about themselves, and I think that's more important than any affect they might on a more global scale. 13) Seeing Royal and Rafael hang out more. We've seen Kas with both of them a lot, and I'd like to see those two together more. Cause I feel there's a lot of misconceptions both can work through and apologies to be had. And I think it'll be real interesting. Also, the issue of Royal's stolen doggo. 14) Yes. There is no way that doggo is not gonna be a thing. That's gonna be a hell of a confrontation. Not just cause it's understandable Royal would be mad, but I think Royal is gonna have to face some hard truths about how his dad might be an asshole. I think inevitably the two will work things out, but each is gonna have to accept that some of the people they know are assholes.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about SUPERPOSE this week! Please also give a special thank you to Joe (or Seosamh) and Anka for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked SUPERPOSE, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://superposecomic.com/

Joe and Anka’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/superpose

Joe and Anka’s Store: http://superpose.storenvy.com/

[sockpansy]

Lost At Sea

Hey! This is a fic based off of two drawings done by the amazing @thelazyblueshipper who gave me permission to write a fic!

Warnings: blood mention, ghosts, kidnapping (its too a mermaid) and let me know if I need to tag anything else!

_______

Roman had wanted to do it for years, ever since the pirates found out about them. Ever since they started to take, kill, sell their kind.

Roman wanted to stop them.

But Logan wouldnt let him.

"Its too dangerous Roman! As long as we stay farther down and away from nets, we can be safe."

"But then we have no freedom! We are confined to the deep waters only! We have to watch how fast we go, we can even float on the surface to sunbath!"

"But if they catch us, we die." Logan spat. "If we go after them, we Will get caught, then what do you suggest we do?"

Roman fell silent, not able to make a reasonable agrument.

"There are ships we could fix up easily and-"

"No Roman."

That had been the end of that argument.

_____

"Help! Help!" Patton sped through the water in search of someone, anyone who could help.

He found Roman and Logan, who had heard him and came as fast as they could.

"Patton! Calm down padre, what's wrong? Predator? Underwater volcano?"

"Virgil!" Pattin cried.

Logan looked around."where....is Virgil? Patton what happened?"

Patton's tears floated in thw water. "I just wanted to go above for a little bit, i didnt know they were so close! I didnt know there net was so close!"

The rest was lost in cries, but it was obvious what happened. Virgil had saved Patton but got caught by pirates instead.

"Roman." Logan starred at the water above them.

"We need a ship."

_____

Luckily, Roman knew were a ship was in...ok condition and not filled with water completely.

"How did you even find this?" Patton asked as they arrived at a small islabd with an old ship on it. It had a hole in the side and a broken mast,but was rather alright.

"Before we started to stay under, I found it."

"We better get to work if we want to get Virgil back before they reach a port then." Logan was still unsure, but...they couldnt just leave Virgil,to be sold or...killed, if he wasnt already.

_____

It took a few days to fix the ship, but they found swords, and old clothes they could wear when they transform in homaniod forms. Roman was the self proclaimed captain, with logan as the firdt mate who has some common since. Patton was the one incharge of leading the way to Virgil right now.

But logan still worried. They only had three people, a small, barely afloat ship, and they are all secretly mermaids. They were up agianst a full pirate crew, on a big ship, who catch mermaids.

They needed a plan.

"We need a plan." Logan said one night. "We can't just attack, we will be killed or captured."

Patton looked down."if I just stayed away..."

"Patton, we have been over this, it isnt your fault, and we sre gdtting virgil back." Roman said, tilting his captain's hat up.

Patton sniffled but nods, pushing his new glasses up. (He put on a random pair and found out that he can see a lot better with them, same with Logan)

Logan,nods as he thought."we could go under the cover of night, but even then they will have people awake and ready to fight..."

"What about during a storm?" Roman suggested.

"What?"

"Well they will be busy with the storm right? We can show hi in mermaid form, get in, pretend to be part of the crew, get virgil out and only have the fight if we get caught." Roman suggested.

Patton lit up."that could work! Its dark during storms, and...and if they see our patched up ship, they can think its a ghost ship!"

Logan nods along as he listened. "It...could work...that we need some way to have our clothes when we are in the water so we can change quickly..."

Roman hummed."we could...get dressed on there ship?"

Logan shook his head."too wierd and supious."

"We could pretend to be crew members who fell over?" Patton suggested.

Logan nods, "yes...but only one of us, it will be easier to get one then...and other two will stay on the ship and act as ghosts." He grinned ad the plan started to come together.

_____

Virgil didnt know how much time past. He remembered pushing Patton away from a net, just cor his tall to get caught, he remmebered being hauled up over the ocean. He remembered being out in a barrel filled with water, and a lid being put on with holes so he could breath. But he lpst count of the days and nights he spent in there.

He had given up after day two, accepting his fate.

He could feel a few rain drops through the holes in the lid, and couls hear yelljng do the ship didnt get blown off course.

Then he heard screams for help.

A scream from the water.

That sounds way to familiar.

Pattin was screaming for help. They caught him.

Virgil started to fight inside the barrel, knowing full well that it was tied up so he coulsnt move it or knock it over, but he ahd to try. Patton was in danger. Why wasn't Roman or Logan with him!

He could hear pattin on the ship.

"Thank you, i fell off in the storm."

Wait, what?

He couldnt hear much after that, because there was yelling about a...ghost...ship?

It wasnt long before his barrel was opened and Patton stared st hin in human form. He,smiled and held a finger to hus mouth to tell Virgil to stay quiet. Held helped Virgil out of the barrel and threw him over into the ocean, and Patton jumped in after him, transforming once he was in the water and gathering up his clothes.

"Hey Virgil, long story short, we need to get to the pirate ship."

"But we just got off it!" Virgil said, before coughing. He hasn't used his voice in a while. Patton just grabbed his hand and swam to a different, smaller boat.

Patton helped viegil onto the boat and Virgil saw Roman and Logan standing and facing the other boat in human forms, as if daring them to attack in thus storm.

Patton put on his clothes as he got out some for Virgil. "Ok, short story longer, im so sorry I got you captured! We fixed up an old boat Roman found and came up with a plan to save you. I pretend to have fallen overboard in a storm, they gwt me up, i fins you, Roman and Logan pretend to be pirates on a ghost ship, and we are all free!" By the time he finished talking, Virgil was dressed and then hugged tightly.

"Im sorry i wasnt more careful Virgil...you could have been..could have..could...could have..." Patton sniffles aa he held virgil tight.

Virgil hugged back."im right here pat, i promise, id do it agian to save you in a heartbeat."

_____

The ship turned away from the other and left the storm. Once a safe distance away, Virgil was covered in hugs.

Virgil smiled as he stood and loked st his pirate clothes, "ya know guys...why dont we do this all the time?"

"Uh Virgil, I dont think getting caught is something id like to makw a habit." Roman suggested.

"No, i mean...saving mermaids. You guys have a plan that worked. And with an extra person, you have a bigger crew. Why cant we save more of our kind before we are the only ones left?"

"I agree with Virgil." Patton smiled. "And i like being in the sun." He giggled.

Roman tipped his hat grinning. "And ive been wanting to do this forever!"

They all looked st Logan. The first mate. The logical one. The one who fixes plot holes and makes sure everyone is safe.

He gave a smile. "Well, we have to name the ship first, dont we?"

____

It took a while, but soon, a legend was born for the small crew.

Legends that say that if you are a pirate crew transporting mermaids, avoid storms.

For in a storm, you will come across a ship called 'the Siren' with ghosts on it.

No one knows how many are on the ship. They only know that there are always four who will always be seen at one point.

There is a boy with square glasses and a dark blue bandana around hus forehead. If you see him in the ship, watch him, for if he gets into the water, your ship will sink.

Then there is a boy with round glasses, and a light blue scarf around his waist. He seems sweet, but it will be too late when you realize it is him. He is a spy who boards your ships as crew. He is the reason you get caught.

There is a boy with purple hair and eyes. Much like dark blue, beg that he stays on the ghost ship. If you don't see him, then you must fear everything around you. You never know what he will take. Food, gold, your life, maybe all three.

Then there is the captain, who stands at the end of the bowsprit, sword held at his side. It is said that his eyes are red with the blood of those who he has fought, and if you get close enough to see the color, he will add your blood to his eyes as well.

The legends warns you to be wary of boys with light blue eyes on on your ship. To stay clean of storms. To release mermaids when you see the ship, so many you will live to tell about the encounter.

Legend says that it is safer to let mermaids be free.

____________________

Yes i was tempted to name the ship lamp.

And done! First off, i know i kinda skipped around, but in happy with how thiz this turned out!

Bowsprit: the poll thingy at the front of a ship

Also! Some things i wanted to to say! The crew does get bigger. Some mermaids they save decide to,join, others will stay until they heal if they are injured then leave. Others stay to repay a debt, so the amount of crew members change.

At the end, the legend talks about each side a bit, and i wsnt to explain why i chose to do that the way i did!

Logan is logic. He is smart and you can do a lot of damage (probably) to the bottom of a boat if you know what your doing. He breaks boats (with help from other crew members) to make them sink. But only some.

Patton is morality. He is cute and sweet and he volunteered to be the spy. He joins crews and finds out how many mermaids are on board and finds a way to get the ship into a storm. Sometimes he will disappear from a crew ship a few days ans reappear like he never left. He swims right under it and will go inform the sides about the boat by leaving at night.

Virgil as Aniexty. He causes fear. Patton will tell him were gold is, food rations, and on occasion, jerks who need to be taught a permanent lesson. He sneaks on and steals, throws overboard, does anything to inconvence the pirates.and because well...they are pirates,too, they need money!

Roman is creativity. And he is the captain. And what js scarier than the red eyss he has? He started the rumoe about his eyes himself, and does sword fight on occasion. I just feel it fits him to stand dramatically xD

Part 2:

https://sockpansy.tumblr.com/post/179462778629/gaining-a-crew

[divinecuriosity]

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode-- BOG!!!! Al

ALL? is that what this is supposed to say. bc im gonna do All 

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with? He’s an only child! Maybe a few cousins his age, he probably was close with them before he went away!

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like? Good, his moms really supported him to the point where he couldn’t do anything wrong in their eyes. Mom #1 was raised in a temple of Ioun, and is a half orc half elf. She works in the temple she and Bog’s other mom founded and tried to teach him to become a cleric like her, but once he voiced his desire to pursure the arcane she was happy to support that

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father  mother #2 like? Mom #2 was less ready to support the arcane, having converted to worshiping Ioun after meeting mom #1 and never really having a knack for magic. Both Bog’s moms see him as the perfect blessing he was intended to be and dont see any faults in him, and though they are hurt by his leaving they trust in their god and in him that it will be ok (not that he’s had contact with them to know that...)

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know? YEs! He first stumbled upon magic when he started to just be able to Do Things, but there was a wizard to came to his town when he was a child and showed the kids magic tricks, and Bog came up to him one day and basically said “i can do that too! my mom doesnt know this bc im scared to tell her but here let me show you” and this like, seven year old half orc kid does some medium level spell and the Wizard was just like. damn we gotta teach u. 

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets? Uhh, not much tbh? maybe some jerkey, a rag for sweat/cleaning things off, whatever coin he has on him? But he always has his drum on a sling over his shoulder, his flute on a chain around his neck, and in a trunk on the lower deck he has his spellbooks and Violin!

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams? haahhhh he gets periodic visions from Ioun being like,,,, hello my Blessing hows the Doing God’s Work going?? oh youre still on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean? thats chill like ur moms i think you are Perfect and fully believe you will get back to it eventually, go find some new Knowledge and fill up that brain of yours thanks ok bye

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares? He doesn’t really get them I think? hes a happy guy

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target? Do guns exist anna???

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up? UHH hes a pirate now so. probably less consistent access to money ? he wasn’t rich at all like, medium middle class at best, but now its probably a lot more sporadic access to like , a lot more money

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing? Uhh he wears the same thing like all the time just loose shirt and flowy pants and drum. if he doesnt have his drum he might as well be naked. But he probably hates having to dress in fancy clothes/layers bc Tactile Bad 

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been? Uh he’s pretty Freaked Out now tbh, but probably the first storm they had at sea, or the night before he left Bard School

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been? Hmmm, thats tough idk? Every time he plays music for a group of people and they chime in/dance/just pay attention he feels  p calm and good

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way? Not really, he doesn’t like seeing people hurt but he isnt grossed out by it

Does your character remember names or faces easier? Names, they get confused when people change their hair or outfit rip

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not? They arent usually, but since being a pirate he kinda,,, goes along w it and has the mentality of “this is nice!” but its not rlly his end all

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success? Happiness

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child? Hmmm, probably drums

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others? Wisdom

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before? They get crushes rlly easily and then get distant if the feelings arent returned bc they dont wanna talk about Hard Emotions bc they never...had too

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism? They don’t compare themselves to others past like, oh they have more x than me and i wish i had more of that? More jealousy than him actually putting value to differences

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others? Uhh nothing rlly, tragic happened but his whole thing is he has a destiny he doesnt feel like he earned and is running from it but also feels Immense guilt for doing that so, lots of self blame in this buddy

What does your character like in other people? They like people with passion for something

What does your character dislike in other people? Uhhh being rude to others (like more than a joke, when its obviously upseting them)

How quick is your character to trust someone else? Fairly quick, he needs more friends

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person? Uhh idk tbh?

How does your character behave around children? He’s great with them for short periods but once he’s run out of little songs to play/sing and funny jokes he. gets anxious and gets out of there.

How does your character normally deal with confrontation? If its an authority figure? ANXIOUS! if its someone he sees as an equal / he has power over, hes more level headed

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation? Uhh hes weak and slow so, p slow. even spell wise hes more about protecting his friends than damage

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true? He’s pretty much always wanted to study magic and be a bard. maybe early early five yr old Bog dreamed of working at the temple

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting? Uhh, standard icky stuff like x-phobias 

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable. Playing for an Audience

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable. Talking about feelings, especially ~romance~

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve? A mix of willing to improve and self-deprecating, depending on whos doing the criticism

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method? They move from solution to solution pretty fast, they arent super patient

How does your character behave around people they like? Trying to impress them and also not look dumb

How does your character behave around people they dislike? Glare glare glare

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status? Honor ig?

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat? Remove the problem

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)? Uhh probably not? hes good w animals

How does your character treat people in service jobs? As well as he can!! 

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first? EARN EARN EARN

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them? Hmm, not really? 

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them? nah

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it? They say it really quickly and usually mean it, they just get close to people fast

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them? He’s pretty sure if he manages not to Fuck it Up he’ll go to Ioun’s realm or whatever, but hes not sure hes gonna,,, not fuck it up,,, or that he even wants that? death scares him so he just doesnt think about it if he can manage

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

Intel

My Uncle Dad drove me to the spine doctor once. And we have to drive by Intel to get there.

And he said "bad stuff happens in there"

I was all wtf!?!

"Well really under the ground in there"

I'm all what the Hell are you talking about?!

So he tells me how when they first opened business was booming and the Parking lots were all full and im looking cause its huge. Like a mile long And I'm seeing the parking lot is empty...

And so he's going on about a shuttle they had to use for parking cause so many people would go to work and leave.

And "they said they had to lay off a lot of people but didn't"

"So they had to lay off people because they didn't make money"

"They make alot more now then they ever did. And i bet every chair in that office building has a butt planted in it"

Im like what the fuck is he talking about? Hes telling me there's no people working because there's no cars in the parking lot and now hes telling me there's people inside??!

I didn't know shit about Human trafficking.

And a lot of shit I do know, like the tunnels and such is because he would randomly talk about it. Then we would work and my memories would return but it would because he anchored it.

So the Pentagon better pick up his ass and mine and my kids and Chris.

My Uncle Dad will know Hawaii, Haiti, Cuba, the gulf of Mexico, NYC. some Atlantic Ocean ones, from the Texas panhandle to the entire South coast of Texas, plenty in between. Much of New Mexico, Oregon, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, some West Virgina... A lot more than me qnd how to get into them. From,memory. Where i just use my intuition and then memories during or after. Which isn't bad. But a sure thing is a sure thing because I haven't spent my life looking at maps at factories and shit. I quit a long time ago. He never did.

I just use sleazy tips and tricks to extract information like 31200 factories from factory owners by "playing a game" and being stupid. Literally. Jesse James and I did a game where he named one human trafficking company and i had to guess 5 more based off that brand. Like Boboli -- Bobo, bimbo, Bilbo, boli, Bolivian cream pie.

Bolivian cream pie Matt would me "good now which company"

And they would play it with Alexis and Saint Luches, Tom, Dan. Even the little kids

All we had to do was promise we were into what they were doing, found it interesting and it made us happy.

Which was all true. We weren't going to be like them and human traffic -- which is what they thought.

But we we're delighted to find out where all our victims were. And we were very into that.

We never lied once. They just weren't smart enough to know how to listen because they were filled with arrogance.

Matt was sweet tho... At least with me. He would help me excell, made the game easier. Just gave me a list at one point. Of all his factories.

He used to be like me. Us. Wanting world peace. But he just gave up. We don't know why. I guess people just knew how to get under his skin.

Allot of bad things happened. Like Nathaniel started raping allot of boys from school and the neighborhood and the factories.

Maybe that was it, Idk.

Or maybe it was killing my soulmate.

I don't know. And it's not my job to care.

There's millions more that need to be cared about. I've spent many years on him and Jesse and Barbarian and Nathaniel.

And they Just in front of me under my nose where i couldn't see damaged the World, willingly.

So anyways. Intel. Other places like those that were booming and then did a bunch of lay offs.

[belandjake-blog]

this is very long but it felt important...

Dear Jake,

I’m currently on a 2 hour bus ride to kochi from the airport and I’ve been reading “the art of travel by Alain de Botton. It is truly an incredible book and I think you would very much enjoy it.

The chapter I last finished inspired me to write you. I’ve been feeling conflicted about the idea of exclusivity for a number of reasons. Earlier I was writing I’m my diary about it and how my desire for it may at times be born from the wrong place. How me asking you to say goodbye to someone feels so wrong. because I want you and I want to be with you and I have certainly never before felt for anyone what I feel for you…but I can’t help but feel like I must retain the perspective of not trying to control you. I must internalize the idea that true love is born out of total freedom… From the mindset that you  and I could be with anyone without judging one another but we choose to just be with each other regardless of our permissions, because it is a loyalty born within ourselves to each other, not from each other’s attempt to control one another….and if we aren’t totally loyal then this is still great, just not the same thing that I romanticize it being.

What if we were to stop only wanting each other?Then I guess that would mean it wasn’t right after all - and in that case aren’t you also afraid for believing that this is SO right?

At the same time, if we are open and with other people will it create distance or lessen our connection to one another? I’m not sure. Maybe not. I was going to tell you to forget all of the pressure, to forget saying goodbye to Ruby, that we should really just remain open and let go of any notions of control, because I want to be able to love and accept you and the choices you make, but I could only do that if I have other distractions to validate me when your actions don’t… Because maybe it’s easier to call it quits before it even has a chance to blossom and weather the storm.

But then I start reading this beautiful chapter and Botton talks about the importance of traveling outside of the city and about the poet Wordsworth. Wordsworth believed that "cities foster a family of life-destroying emotions: anxiety about our position in the social hierarchy, envy at success of others, pride and a desire to shine in the eyes of strangers. ” he thought that city dwellers had no perspective and that “however well provided for, they had a relentless desire for new things which they did not genuinely lack and on which their happiness did not depend. And in this crowded, anxious sphere,it seemed so much harder than it did on an isolated homestead to begin sincere and happy relationships with others.”

So that paragraph hit me hard because what he’s saying is that in the natural world we revel in the magic and love ourselves and others too and feel satisfied. We’re capable of loving unconditionally by choice because those negative emotions are gone and we stop trying to outdo our happiness when it’s already there and sustainable. We don’t compare ourselves or others when in nature when things are truly good, we just admire and feel all things positive. In the city I fear that you will out of pride or a desire to succeed and achieve, go hook up with people. But I have felt that same desire, I feel like I’m shining when a handsome or interesting guy is fixated and fascinated by me. I feel powerful and I know my beauty and charm. Yet I’m never satisfied and this desire is fleeting and vain. Yet in nature I never need such validation, because my self love is infinite when I’m by a roaring ocean or tucked away in the woods with a book… you make me feel like I'm in nature and I'm hopeful that the feeling will last. You make me better. I used to think I needed so much time, all of my twenties really to be single and to have experiences. Yet most of the experiences of being single that I’ve had, regardless of how good they seemed on the surface, were infinitely less satisfactory than every experience with you. So while maybe openness could work for us I fear we’d put the root cause of our pursuit of others (resent, desiring attention, validation, achievement, pride) into this very pure thing we share and maybe it would get dirty and create distance and at that point I don’t think damage could be undone. Or could it?

According to Wordsworth and as mentioned in the art of travel, nature inspires us to locate and enforce the good within ourselves, which is what I aspire to do. I want to be my best self and shine, to fill every room I enter with the kind of energy that makes people feel comfortable and safe and happy. In loving you I aspire to do so honestly, selflessly, purely. I want no darkness In this love, none of those family of negative and destructive emotions.  I don’t want to feel anxiety or jealousy or pride. I don’t want to act out of those emotions. (Maybe you see why your action in welcoming ruby hurt me, why I am adamant about you dealing with that choice before we can talk about being exclusive) maybe this is  why I romanticize nature so much. It is good and pure. I think I’d like to live by an ocean, somewhere in nature. I used to think the city was the only place for me but I think I’m opening my eyes and my heart and learning more about myself.

The thing is Jake, the challenge for me, is remaining true to myself and these values that I really believe are so integral to a happy existence  throughout loving you. I can do it, but not if Im feeling those things. So I fear that maybe you see being true to yourself, and as a result, me in a different way. So I’m just gonna ask you, how do you see being true to yourself? I don’t want to fill in the blanks for you anymore. For me, I’m realizing that I don’t need hookups to grow anymore. It’s some thing that I would gladly sacrifice for you. Honestly. What do you think of these things? What do you think of us and how do you see things progressing and what do you see as a perfect scenario between us? I won’t be hurt no matter what your answer is as long as you promise that it’s the truth. If you take anything from me, I want it to be that the truth is the most important thing. I’m in nature right now and it’ll help me accept you and what you honestly want, no matter what It is. I hope it aligns but if not I’ll accept it anyways. Our personal growth should come before our relationship to each other in order to ensure that the relationship works and that our foundation is strong.  What do you think of my perspective and what is yours?

I know this is long, I had two hours and I wanted to spend them writing to you…

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bel

[pirategf]

tma as  @wolfpupy

jon: people say “what you don’t know won’t hurt you” when in factuality i don’t know anything and am constantly being seriously injured and hurt

tim: hey kids, i know youre struggling right now but im here to tell you, everything gets worse forever

martin: i'm sure i'm going to ruffle some feathers with this but given the choice between good times and bad times i would like to have the good times

sasha: i was too beautiful for this world [closes eyes with own hand]

not!sasha: hell i've caused my share of problems, accidentally set fire to important documents, destroyed countless priceless artifacts, and other things

melanie: sometimes the people that hurt us the most are the ones swinging big knives around while screaming and trying to cut us

basira: i did the best with the resources i was given, which was nothing

daisy: have to stop saying "how am i going to kill my way out of this one" everytime there is trouble going on, at least not out loud

georgie: the world continues to spiral out of control and i am just sitting here like a bad bitch

elias: i'll tell you one thing, just because it is the least amount of thing i can tell

gertrude: if we do this we do it my way [cut to a bunch of explosions. corpses and debris fly through the air] okay maybe i should be more open to ideas

leitner: the best way to solve problems is to create more problems until you are dead

gerry: me: [wearing my cool goth clothes]

:some guy yelling from a car: halloween was yesterday

:me: halloween is forever bitch

jane prentiss: the insect world works for me now. trash the place boys [ants slowly dismantle the room over several years]

nikola orsinov: i don't say this to everyone but i will barn shuffle dance on your grave.

michael: let the door hit you on the way out, it would give me a good laugh and i would probably forget why i was angry

helen: some people change, some people stay the same, and some people do a third other thing

peter lukas: a good captain goes down with the ship, i personally don’t need a professional obligation to sink to the bottom of the ocean, i just do it

mike crew: had a falling out with a window, basically what happened was i fell out of the window

simon fairchild: my disregard for gravity was the true cause of my downfall

jude perry: in a relationship you have to make sacrifices.... thats why for our anniversary i got you this bloody altar

annabelle cain: i guess its up to me now to take care of these baby spiders i found in the shed. the biting means they think im their mom.

mary kaey: only the good die young? phew good thing that i am so incredibly awful

manuela dominguez: i will jump out of this space ship and use wrestling moves to destroy the sun just you wait

oliver banks: my whole life has lead up to this moment, being dead in a grave

agnes montague: watching everything go up in flames has made me rethink everything i thought i knew about lighting things on fire

julia montauk: you can save money on hair cuts by running a hunting knife through your hair, then you have some extra cash to spend on hospital bills

trevor herbert: if i could shoot anything with a gun i would probably shoot another gun, the hunter become the hunted

robert smirke: to everyone who said this would never work, sorry about the huge amount of damage and all of the fires

jonah magnus: reached the limit of what you can do with imagination? why not try occult dark magic