#in which Phantom R dies

[often-daydreaming]

Keep Running

In between one moment and the next reality quakes and for the briefest of moments Jason finds himself standing in the remnants of a destroyed Star City. He knows it's not real, that it's just some magical mumbo jumbo overlaying memory magic nonsense bleeding into their timeline but he can smell the smoke in the air from the fires and hear her tired laughter as the static filled image of a red haired woman sits down beside him. He knows her or at least this version of him does as they talk about the little suicide run they were planning in order to hopefully end things for good and Jason can feel how tired his alternate self is as he takes a seat on the ground beside her. It's all a rush of emotions and faint memories that were getting harder and harder to ignore before he's suddenly back on the Watchtower with every other available hero the League could call in stuck arguing about these stupid visions affecting heroes and villains all over the globe if some of Ra's latest movements were any indication. His men were searching everywhere for answers while others like Luthor were making more subtle inquiries. The only upside to all of this was the reactions coming out of Arkham but that didn't mean he wanted to be up here with the League nearly at each other's throats.

With everything he's managing to piece together through a couple of brief check-ins with Dickie and the girls he could see why B wanted answers.

As morbid as it sounded Dick and the others were a few of the lucky ones who were able to be pulled out of their memories faster since they were at ground zero when the Watchtower was pulled out of orbit. The quicker you died the quicker it was over but neither of them were as lucky.

In those jumbled memories him and Bruce were the only two left after Gotham went up in flames since Phantom went after them first and there were still a few lingering effects clinging to that since he could still remember what the older version of himself felt. It was somewhat muted now but some of it was still there and if he focused hard enough Jason could still see the makeshift doctor's office in his mind. He could feel the phantom pain and see her flowing red hair. She seemed so relieved to find him alive and he wanted his own answers but Impulse was in the wind.

The little speedster was gone before anyone could really recover from the sudden onslaught of memories and while Bruce was doing everything he could to figure out a plan of sorts the others weren't as lucky with Superman stuck bouncing between the moments of his own brutal death and worrying about his family's safety. Whoever or whatever Phantom was, he knew exactly where to hurt them with Jon nearly losing it in public after being forced to live through the memories of his mom dying and the man of steel's own death at the hands of some magical Martian whatever.

Wonder Woman seemed the most put together out of everyone but even she was kind of twitchy, her had never leaving the pummel of her sword as Zatara went over what he could piece together on his own since the bulk of JLD was still out of commission.

His own daughter was comatose from the magical backlash of whatever this was while Constantine was just missing, his home a mess of overturned books and hurried scribbles which left them on the back foot for now since the only solid lead anyone had was Impulse and Young Justice was closing ranks around their missing speedster.

With JLD in shambles and Ra's on the move Replacement was running his own investigation into whatever was going on and shutting everyone else out of his systems after the first attempt at locating Impulse through his tracker backfired horribly.

I blame my cough medicine and a love for Fallout for whatever this is turning into but I felt like adding onto Run a little. I wouldn't even begin to know how to explain it but I just have this image in my head of Bart and Danny in a Fallout like world but the whole memory thing could be anything really. I just like the idea of reality shifting to the left just enough that Bart suddenly remembers details about his past he'd forgotten thanks to time travel/reality resetting and he suddenly remembers Danny while the rest of his team remember bits and pieces of their missing teammate Phantom. Everyone else just gets doomsday memories cause I really don't care and mostly think it's funny so I'm either blaming this on the gauntlet from the movie or Clockwork but anyone could add something else if they want.

[illubean]

can i request a chrollo x reader where reader was one of his childhood friends back in meteor city, but she died (up to you how!) and he still dreams about her? possibly her appearance being grown to what chrollo imagines she’d look like now? only if you’re comfortable with the request ♡ i love your writing so much!

Remembrance

Characters: Chrollo Lucilfer Type: Angst, Oneshot, Fem!Reader

reader is basically Sarasa here...

Warnings: mentions of kidnapping?/death, description of a dead body, spoilers for Chrollo's background

Not a day goes by where Chrollo doesn't think about you.

You two were as thick as thieves, growing up together in the slums of Meteor City. Though you guys had nothing, you always managed to find ways to have fun and stay happy. Your beaming, bright smile is something that's stuck in the back of Chrollo's mind for all of these years. You used to stand up to the bigger kids who liked to pick on him, and in turn Chrollo helped you learn how to read and write.

Once you guys got a little older, Chrollo had started his little acting troupe, you being there to support him every step of the way. Though you weren't formally part of the group, you would tag along with them and managed to become good friends with the rest of them. One of the things Chrollo liked most about you was how kind you were. You were the sweetest girl anyone could possibly have the pleasure of meeting and he loved that about you.

Which is why he was infuriated after finding out what happened to you.

It wasn't unusual for child traffickers to make their way through meteor city, especially considering that none of it's residents have any sort of legal documentation. They just so happened to be passing through while you were exploring on your own. Being the ever naive little girl you were, you didn't think much when some men claiming to be refugees stopped you and asked for directions to the nearest normal city.

Out of the kindness of your heart, you led them to the outskirts of a forest and told them that the fastest way to modern civilization was to cut through it.

Your best quality ended up being your biggest weakness that day.

After catching wind of your disappearance, Chrollo and the troupe split up in order to try and find you. They searched the forest for hours and when they had finally found you, Chrollo's heart dropped to his ass. Your body was laying beneath a large willow tree, nearly mutilated beyond recognition while your lifeless eyes stared back at him, glazed over. Never in his life has Chrollo felt so many emotions at once the way he did in that moment.

In the years following your passing, Chrollo frequently had dreams of you. The pain they brought him left him restless. Even up until he had a hard time sleeping in fear of reliving those memories of you again.

After some time had passed, Chrollo became the renowned leader of the notorious gang The Phantom Troupe. Though the night terrors of you had stopped some time ago, Chrollo never forgot you. How could he? You meant everything to him.

Every so often he would visit your grave with a few of the original troupe members. Other times he would visit alone and tell you all about what has happened since you've been gone.

It wasn't up until recently had the dreams of you resurfaced, but this time they were different. They didn't bring immense pain or remind him of how you looked the day he found you dead, but rather images of what could've been had you survived. You appeared in his dreams all grown up, being much taller than you were before with h/c hair that was longer/shorter than he remembered. Many things about your appearance had changed, but one thing that stayed the same was your bright smile you'd always seemed to wear.

Upon having this dream for the first time Chrollo shot up from his slumber in a cold sweat. He looked around the room before bringing his hands to his face, resting his head in them as he let out a deep sigh. Knowing he couldn't return to sleep any time soon, Chrollo stepped out of the room of the hotel he'd rented onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette and leaning against the railing. He enjoyed the light breeze and sounds of the city beneath him, looking out over all the bright lights and night bustle.

His moment of peace was brief however, being interrupted by a voice he'd never heard before.

"I've missed you, Chrollo."

The addressed man whipped his head around in shock, only to see that there was no one behind him. Letting out another sigh, he rubbed his eyes and put his cigarette out before returning to his room, pondering on how he would spend the rest of his night.

The next few times he had these dreams they had only gotten worse. They would show him what could've been. The life he could've had. What you could've had. Who you could've been.

You, you, you, you, you.

It was driving him mad. Tonight like any other, Chrollo lied restless, staring towards the ceiling. The soft pitter patter of rain soothed him as he started to relax. Until he heard the voice again.

"Look, we're all grown up."

Similar to the first night he shot up from the bed he was in, eyes frantically scanning the room before resting on the image of you his brain had created, standing in the corner of the darkened room. Chrollo rubbed his eyes before staring at you again before you spoke up once more.

"How have you been?"

Chrollo grit his teeth before chucking his pillow at you, only for your image to disappear as it made contact with the wall. Letting out a grunt, his tensed shoulders went slack just to stiffen back up at the sound of you again.

"What is it you're afraid of Chrollo?"

You appeared in the center of the room this time, closer than before.

"Didn't you miss me?"

Tearing the blanket off of himself he reaches to grab you only for you to disappear and reappear again, this time directly behind him. This went on for a few minutes, you appearing, Chrollo trying to hit you, just for you to disappear and move to another part of the room.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

With this demand Chrollo was now in the center of the room, looking towards the floor, distressed. The silence in the room was disrupted by nothing by the sound of his heavy breathing for a few moments, until you appeared before him one last time, being directly in front of him.

"I love you, Chrollo."

The man shot his fist towards where your face would be, only to hit nothing before he stormed out of the room. He ran through the rain for hours, with no destination in mind. He had hoped to escape his own thoughts and hallucinations this way, only for his feet to have managed to lead him back to that same willow tree.

Chrollo dropped to his knees as his tears mixed with the water droplets of the passing storm. In front of him stood a tattered wooden cross that had been stabbed into the dirt, which in messy carvings read

In remembrance of Y/n

[determinedowl23]

ohhhhhmy god oh my god guyssjsjaidbwisjsis IT HAPPENED I SAW IT AND IT WAS AMAZING

Notes:

Act I

I NEED TO MARRY ALFIE BOE SOOOOO BAD BRUH YOU DONT EVEN GET IT

Alfie’s so short I forgot about that lmao he’s so baby

I do really really really love Michael but I can already tell that Javert is not exactly his thing. He’s too whimsical- too Marius. Super glad he gets to do something with Alfie tho <333

Jeremy (I think) rocked the bishop omgggggg

I WAS NOT EXPECTING KATIE HALL TO BE HERE CHAT- soprano Fantine is such a foreign concept to me but she was gorgeous 

THANK YOU BOEBALL VALVERT FOR BEING THERE FOR ME I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND AND HIS BOYFRIEND

THENARDIERS ARE SO FUNNY I’ve never seen funnier thenardiers. He called Cosette Baguette when Valjean took her away

Also at the beginning of the bargain when Alfie started singing Madame T went “oh he’s got a lovely voice tho”

COSETTE NEW PINK DRESS IS SO PRETTY!!!!! It matches Marius’ bow :))))

Ok both Eponine and Cosette were mixed bags for me- I liked them most of the time, but there were a couple times their voices felt a bit… nasally? They were both very pretty tho :)

James D Gish is beautiful. My dad says he’s the second coming of Ramin Karimloo and im inclined to agree

Gavroche is king shit as per usual

They had stars in stars omggg. ALSOOO at the end the lights make it look like he has wings. Probably unintentional but he’s soooooo fallen angelcore 

As much as Michael doesn’t fit Javert, his Stars really is amazing

WE GOT ENJOLTAIRE CRUMBS 👏👏👏 The entire pause between ABC Cafe and Red & Black they were just looking at each other forever

As much as I do love enjoltaire, im an even bigger fan of Gavroche and Grantaire’s dynamic. It was the main thing I noticed about R’s character (even with Kyle Adams playing him) and I’m so happy that it’s in other productions

No Javert barricade outfit in one day more :(

Three flags??? In this economy????

Act II

Okay I did genuinely forget about the barricade outfit but it did come back! It’s different from the Staged Concert, more greenish-black and I think he has his hair down- there’s at least some strands loose on the front

OKAYYYY IM REALLY SURE TGAT BEFORE R STARTED HIS SOLO IN DRINK WITH ME HE WENT AND HELD ENJ’S HAND FOR A BIT- and after he sang and Enj left Gavroche ran over and gave him a hug it was so sweet

Alfie Boe Bring Him Home is still my favoritest thing in the entire world. I owe him my life im so serious he was my top artist for a reason

Enjolras did the Aaron Tveit “until the earth is free” opt up it was amazing

They cut Gavroche’s individual death scene which was either for better or for worse because that’s the one that always gets me crying, so I just teared up at the end

When Javert let valjean and Marius go from the sewers he turned around as if he was gonna follow them, paused, screamed, and put his head and his hand

Dude michael ball does the best suicide scene he’s so unhinged and skdjaidhaisjsj

EMPTY CHAIRS BRO. At “phantom faces” the Amis all stood up in their places in their seats, with Enj, R, and Gavroche on the center balcony right by the conductor. Also at this point he begins to scream with anger at his survival. I’ve never thought about angry Empty Chairs, but it works so well and I need to see it more

Valjean in AHFoL Reprise made me so sad bro. Insert my post about him and Donna Sheridan but add that they’re so attached to their daughter (Amanda Seyfried) and kinda don’t want to let her go to get married

The audience clapped along to Beggars at the Feast. Don’t know if we were allowed to, but we did anyways

When Marius tells Cosette her father is a saint Valjean just shakes his head no oh my god 😭😭

HE DID THE NICK CARTELL NOSE BOOP WITH COSETTE

THE BISHOP COMES UP BEHIND VALJEAN WHEN HE DIES AND VALJEAN GIVES HIM THE BIGGEST HUG EVER OMFGGGGGG

During bows when Michael came up to bow with Alfie they had to switch sides so that Michael could be on the left and Alfie could be on the right. Order has been restored to the world

In summary: Amazing show god I love Les Mis!!!!! Alfie Boe is the only one who can save me <3333

[siri-ike]

Danny's Phanclub

From this prompt

On december 9th, 7 people who were not busy that afternoon gathered in a dimly lit garage on the request of one person.

Angie (15) head of the Danny Phan club's theories division: You're probably all wondering why I asked you here today.

Su-Jin (19) in charge of keeping the websites updated: Yeah, the urgent message with no explanation was kinda jarring.

Jónatan (16) event organizer: couldn't have given a little heads up?

Carmelo (14) treasurer: And I don't believe we needed this many snacks.

Rowan (17) President of the Phanclub: Let's hear her out.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed above them.

Harriet (17) made matching t-shirts: Got the power back on. What are we talking about?

Angie: I'm sure you've all heard that Danny Phantom somehow managed to freeze that giant plant ghost last week?

S,J,C,R,H,D:*murmurs of agreement*

A: And everyone knows ghost poweres are based on how one dies. As was proven last year with that ghost who was perpetually soaking wet and kept spiting up water

She turns dramatically away from the pool conference table.

A: Before now, he could just do the same things as all other ghosts. Invisibility, intangibility, flying. Plus, those blasts, which are probably just concentrated ectoplasm.

She drags in a large corkboard and looks at the others when she flops it around. Revealing newspaper clippings of Danny using each of his powers, a grave yard, some mountains, and... ski resort pamphlets?

A: Now. Let's look at the evidence.

1. The snow. That came out of nowhere, right? - Wrong. Before the Christian version of Hell, there was the Norse Hel. It was where everyone when when they died, provided they didn't die in battle. It was thought to be a vast wasteland covered in ice where you could spend eternity with those who were with you when you died.

2. His appearance. He wears a onesie. There are a few reasons one might wear a onesie. The main reason being, you don't want something getting into your clothes. For example, bees. But he has nothing to do with bees. It would have to be something else, something he is connected to... like snow. Like his hair. *pause for effect* it's snow white. The chances of someone being born with white hair is less than 0.001% or one in 17 to 20 thousand. It can also be caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12 or pituitary or thyroid issues. You can all refer to the group chat for articles on those.

*Angie knows no one ever reads her sorces, but damn it, she did her research, and she's gonna site it.*

Jónatan: When did you have time for this? School only finished yesterday.

A: What I think is more likely is that his haircolor changed post-mortem. But why white?

A: I think he froze to death.

The room went silent. It had crossed each of their minds, but no one had wanted to say it. Enter Angie 'can't read the room to save her life' Sage.

A: Considering the multiple ski resorts in Illinois supporting the theory and how much more aggressive he is in December, probably due to the anniversary of his death. It could also explain why no other ghosts show up in December. Either they're too scared of him or they're giving him space. He has seemed to be somewhat chumy with some of the other ghosts, despite their combative relationship-

Rowan: Angie, stop.

Quiet.

She looks around the room. Four people are looking down, seemingly avoiding eye contact, and two look at her. Rowan, who looks right at her with stern yet sympathetic eyes.

R: Everyone take five. We'll pick it up from here. Angie, a word.

Oh great, she must've offended someone. If only she could remember to look at the faces. Shurely, there must be some signs she could look out for.

R: I know you like theories, Angie. But can you tone it down? You're talking about someone's death. That's not the sort of thing most people are comfortable with.

They're one of the most patient people she's ever met, but sometimes even Rowan doesn't quite make sense.

A: But... he's a ghost. We all know he died.

R: We do. But, I think this whole conversation could be easier if you remove the "post mortem" and the "to death" parts of your presentation.

A: I guess I could change the wording a bit. Leave out the more gruesome parts. But I need someone to hear those out, a second set of ears to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Rowan looks to the corner of the room, where a 12 year old girl sits on a barstool with a wide-eyed grin ear to ear. She nods as though knowing exactly what they want.

Dani can hear you out on those.

Dani (12 (real age 1)) a gremlin, somehow always has time for this: I look forward to working with you.

~~~~~~~~

Angie's articles

Premature gray/white hair

One in 17-20,000

BTW I'm not gonna continue this.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Met Gala Thoughts

Best in "I thought you were someone else"

(L) Sydney Sweeney as not-Billie Eilish (R) Kendall Jenner as not-Kim Kardashian

Honestly, Kendall looks more like Kim than Kim does at this point.

Best in "Live from Broadway"

Usher, giving Phantom. I hope someone asked him about the Drake/Kendrick beef.

Best in "One Outfit, Two Looks"

(L) Rebecca Ferguson (R) Demi Moore

Best in Technology

Ambika Mod. It's a 3D print of a dress on top of a dress.

Best in "You Could've Done Something Really Meta"

Nicholas Galitzine, whose character in his new film "The Idea Of You" is based on Harry Styles.

Best Rihanna 2.0

Cardi B, who needed 9 assistants to lay out her train.

Reminds me of Rihanna's omelet dress.

Best in "New Look, Who Dis"

Zendaya in her second outfit of the night. Very Blake Lively-ish.

Somewhere inside The Met, Jennifer Lopez was screaming at her assistant for not preparing a second look.

Best in "Couples Who Slay Together, Stay Together"

(L) Eddie and Hannah Redmayne (C) No idea (R) Queen Latifah and Eboni Nichols

Best Cinderella

Quannah Chasinghorse

Best in "Get These People a Career Revival"

L-R. Jude Law, Meg Ryan, Charlie Hunnam, and Michelle Williams

Best of the Gents

(L) Jonathan Bailey (C) Barry Keoghan (R) Colman Domingo, in a tribute to Chadwick Boseman and Andre Leon Talley.

Best in "I Don't Know What You Were Going For But I Guess It Works"

(L) Harris Reed. No idea who that is. (R) Uma Thurman

Best in "Better From The Back"

(L) Tommy and Dee Hilfiger (R) Mindy Kaling

Best "Where Can I Get This I NEED One Yesterday"

A relative is obsessed with dachsunds. I would win Christmas if I got my hands on this. Or a cheat knockoff.

Best in "The More I See Them Appear Together Because They're Contractually Obligated, The Less I Want To See Their Movie"

Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Galinda), who've been joined at the hip for the last year to promote Wicked, which comes out in November so there are still six more months of this to go.

Best in "Celebs, They Get Peckish Just Like Us"

Michael Shannon, with a Balenciaga bag. So disappointed it wasn't a party bag of chips. The Balenciaga retails for $1,850 or 115 party-size bags of Lays potato chips from Walmart.

Best in Vintage

(L) Nicole Kidman (R) Lana Del Ray

I was so happy to see a McQueen antler dress show up.

Best in "Oh Dear God Why Are You Here Go Away"

Ben Platt

Kardashians

Jerry Seinfeld and Jimmy Fallon

Lea Michele

Lauren Bezos (though I didn't actually mind her dress)

My Top Looks of the Night

L-R: Karlie Kloss, Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Gwendoline Christie.

Ultimately...

It was an underwhelming red carpet. The Met Gala serves an incredible purpose, but they've moved too far away from fashion and costume. There are too many actors and people-famous-for-being-famous involved now that have really watered down the fashion, the themes, and the cultural significance of the event. It needs to go back to being the New York elite and High Fashion - people who know how to wear clothes instead of posing with their hands on their hips, sticking out their butts, and pouting.

[maze-of-my-design]

persona fun facts :o? can be from any game!

totally not copy-pasted from dms FUN FACTS BRIGADE (also i cut it in half with a readmore bc its. a lot)

Ann is the tallest girl among the Phantom Thieves, santing at 5'5! (In my head she is taller than Ren but shh)

If you take the thieves to darts, the worst player in the gang is surprisingly not Morgana, but Sumire! Don't ask me how she's worse than a cat!

In P5 (including royal), Ann is the only romance option to directly say "I love you" to the protagonist without cutting herself off* (and, i'm half sure, she's one of the few direct kisses a protagonist receives in a persona game) and honestly? good for them ily ann im so gay for her *Sumire says it too, even before being romanced, but it's not a complete "i love you", per se. She stutters through her confession and Ren has to finish it for her because she's so flustered, which is pretty cute i'll be real but in terms of Saying it, it technically doesn't count.

Sho Minazuki (yknow, the guy from the arena games) was originally meant to be the protagonist for P5! This is massively implied in ending dialogue for the Arena games, as well as how similar the two look if you, like, dye his hair black. Also if you recall the original Femc for P5 with the neon red hair…

Sumire lives with her dad, that much is obvious, but the Royal artbook reveals she also lives with her grandma and her mother!

Among all the non-party-member confidants in P5 (including royal), only 5 find out Ren's identity as a Phantom Thief through something else other than a mementos request. These are Maruki, Yoshida, Sojiro, Mishima, and Sae

The Featherman series is a Power Rangers style anime that airs in the inner universe of the series. Contrary to what the Dancing games make us believe, There's always only 5 Feather soldiers that are part of the main crew: Pink Argus, Red Hawk, Black Condor, Yellow Owl, and Blue Swan. These names, however, are sometimes interchanged between "generations" of the show.

Actually lemme go on a tangent (you asked for fun facts you're GETTING fun facts) There are three generations of the Featherman show to date: OG Featherman (persona 2), Featherman R (Persona 3), and Featherman V (P4 and the Arena games). There's actually a change in the naming semantics every new generation of Featherman. For example, take this excerp from the wiki: "Red Eagle (from Featherman), Feather Hawk (from Featherman R and/or Neo Featherman), Feather Red (from Featherman V)" So in P2, the naming convention is "[Color] [Bird name]", in P3 it's "Feather [bird name]" and in P4 it's "Feather [color]"

Ok tangent over don't ask me how i know so much about a fictional series from a fictional game JSVGEFVR more fun facts

Sumire actually has the biggest amount of portrait sprite variations, since it includes her Kasumi and her Sumire sprites. She deserves it tbh, fashion icon

Another Sumire fact! Did you know Maruki "transformed" sumi into her sister on her birthday? I sure did! Fuck you Maruki!! Uninvited from MY birthday party for sure

Sumire, piror to the third semester, is only ever called by her last name, Yoshizawa, by everyone aside from Ren, Morgana and Futaba. This is a very a subtle way to show something's up with her and i gasped when i first found out about it.

Ok fine enough P5 facts have a P3 fact. It's kinda well known im pretty sure but Makoto Yuki's barrage of official names include, also, Sakuya Shiomi from the stageplay. Sakuya means "blossom" or "bloom". Hey do you recall that he dies in March 5th? yknow, when spring starts? Cherry trees. you get it

Back to P5, Tactica reveals that Haru used to indulge in chopping firewood when she was younger. Her dad didn't like that for her, but he never tried to stop her. This probably leads to her having an Axe as part of her Phantom Thief artillery.

Did you know Fuuka and Futaba actually become friends in the Dancing games? They sadly don't remain friends after losing their memories post-game but Fuuka knew her as Alibaba, and Futaba knew her as Lucia :) I hope they became friends online again

In the jazz jin in Royal, Futaba reveals that the retro console you use to play games was hers, and that she'd sold it to the shop in Yongen. Also apparently the busted laptop you buy there was Haru's! (fact also revealed in the Jazz Jin)

[lazerswordweilder]

What, those aren’t in the same universe- yes they are. <<<the thoughts running through my head when I made a crossover of Marvel, Star Wars, Danny Phantom (Dannys stays in Amity and never leaves though, he literally just happens to become a halfa) and DC.

(Its important to note this was written in 2024)

A fact known to Anakin and Anakin alone is that Obi-Wan was reincarnated to take part in Star Wars. He was born in the year 1849 on earth, it was the earth we exist on today, only the future differs. His name was John Kyle, an archeologist who is a retired medic from a long forgotten war but also had unofficial diplomatic and fighting training from various tight spots. Years ago John found a child lying in the desert.

Anakin however has simple been alive all those years. He was born in a desert to a human mother captured by scientists ahead of their times, the experimented on her, and he was born from it. He lay on the desert dying for years, his unwelcome powers keeping him alive and suffering, this sparked his hatred, of the desert, of the sand, of the scientists. The only thing he remembered were his mother’s dying words “Anakin, you’ll- you’ll be so great, you’ll walk the skies.” as she succumbed to her wounds after giving birth, at least he remembers his name Anakin.

Anakin grew up under John, John becoming the father he never had. By the time he was 20 the war had ended but it scarred him, he never forgot the screams. By the time he was 25 he had stopped aging, blaming the scientists and not explaining his past to John out of fear of rejection. By the time he was 34 and John was 52 John thought he had connected the dots, his apprentice had stolen an artifact they’d both been hunting for and it had carried an ancient plage or power that slowed him down from aging! One day while exploring a volcano it turned active, John saw his chance and pushed the boy in and ran.

Anakin burnt alive, his anger roaring up inside of him the same time a natural portal to the ghost zone opened up in the volcano. Anakins eyes turned fire red, the blood in his veins turned to lava, his rage burnt hotter than the lava ever could. Anakin becomes an oxymoron, even beyond the fact he’s half alive half dead, he died in lava yet his weakness is water (guy never learnt how to swim, after being held underwater and nearly drowned he never really got over it), all ghosts hate what killed them and have weaknesses to it, Anakins death is his power. He takes on an apparence which is basically what he looks like normally but with fangs, sometimes his eyes reflect light or glow though, and when he gets mad his skin heats up, turning charred and what should be exposed flesh turns into lava below the charred skin, also his hair starts to turn to flame. Anakins obsession is revenge and his core is permanently stained with rage.

By the time Anakin gets out a grip on his powers World War 1 starts drafting with the year being 1914, Anakin (despite technically being dead) immediately decides that’s a good idea for blowing off steam and also a way to get actually military experience to murder John with. He hacks a comuptor and signs himself up, putting in his photo, his medical stuff, experience, and everything else on the form, then as he stares at the name box he remembers he’s meant to be dead, he choses a fitting name, Achilles. Achilles wrath matched Anakins rage, Achilles heel matched Anakins weakness to water, and hopefully Anakin will be able to bring the name Achilles some more modern glory.

He gets his dog tag and as sits in a cart heading to war with the rest of his team, Anakin runs his finger over the ingraving in it, careful not to melt it, Achilles. As bordom sets in he remembered other stories of ancient greek, more specifically Aphrodite Areia, Areia was an epithet meaning war like and it seperated Aphrodite Areia from her more commenly known version Aphrodite. He supposes he needs one to if there are to be two great Achilles, in his head he starts referring to himself as Anakin Achilles.

After 4 years at war and another year spent wandering the contry Anakin comes back to where he knows John is just to find out he died of old age around the time the war ended at 68, despite this being quite impressive despite modern medican Anakin promptly decides to go jump into another volcano. It is like a warm bath. But it cheered Anakin up- seriously, who knew volcanos were so nice when you weren’t burning alive?

After this he grabs the blackest clothes he can find and knows will be easy to move in, some fabric which he wraps around his face from nose to chin, tucks his dog tag safely into his clothes, and walked into the nearest bar he knew had shady dealing going on. He promptly intoduced himself as an assasin looking for training and gets pointed to a table full of tough looking people.

Two years later he’s been an assasin apprentice for years, under someone he thinks is called Ra Ah Ghoul. Anakin serves the guy for another 4 years despite thinking he’s kind of an asshole, then runs away. He’s learnt enough to avoid most of Ghouls traps and makes it out with a minor stab wound, he doesn’t really have organs anymore so he’s not worried.

He does take a moment to sit on someones roof top and stare at the stars, he thinks back to his first memories and remembers with a small laugh, the one you give when you’re shocked and in awe and a little breathless but happy, he knows his full name now, his birth name, Anakin Skywalker. He thinks fondly about it and feels like a child for the first time in years, staring up the the stars with the last thing his mother gave him, his name, just for a moment Anakins rage is fully forgotten.

Suddenly he feels to small, he looks down a sees the chubby hands of a baby, he actually physically blinks at that. He can work with this, his life is over due for a bit of normal anyways, he stores his dog tag (the only thing he has attachment to) inside his rib cage using a helpful bit of intangibility and floats down to the door step. He can hear a young, kind, childless couple inside.

Anakin- now named William, danced with his wife, Julia Lotis. He was so truely smitten with her and for the first time in so long he loved the domestic life style, Julia had finally quited the rage always simmering in his core, she was his Angel. He brought Julia in for a kiss and admired her, her long chocolate hair, her warm brown eyes that seemed like cozy fires during the winter rather then his uncontrolled rage. He swung her around in a circle and reached out to catch her when her eyes went wide, he caught her lifeless- pulseless- breathless- body and stared.

He stared at her for a long time, trying to hold back the cracks in his core, but it was like reading a book when the ending was so obvious. He conculded he was going to kill everyone within the city once he got out of shock, Anakin dropped his Angel to the floor, moving to the cupboard on autopilot, he grabbed his darkest clothes and put them on, the knifes he had hidden away just in case were quickly hidden in the folds of his outfit, he pulled out his dog tag, letting it’s reasuring weight lay heavy on his chest.

He walked all the way to Gotham, he didn’t even move as it hailed and stormed, as the ground shook and trees collapses. He walked to Metropolis, it was 1975, anyone who knew anything knew the Justice League was looking for new hires, he wasn’t looking for a job but if he could get to one of the interviews then he’d be immediately be recognised as a threat and subdued.

He stormed into the daily planet building where he knew at least Superman was holding interviews, he scared everyone out of the elevator with a death glare and walked straight into the room he could hear Superman talking in, he pushed open the door “Uh, interviews are over.” Superman abruptly paused, probably taking in Anakins disheveled and disassociating self, Anakin ignored the knife that dropped to the ground “Are you- here for an interview?” Superman asked. Anakin glared at him and jumped Superman as red over took his vision.

Anakin woke up in a cell, a wary Superman stood in front of him dripping his lava “If- you could’ve just said you had fire powers.” Superman said, Anakin sagged down into the chains and Superman looked at him for a second before realisation hit him “You weren’t here to show us your powers, you’re here so we could stop you.” Superman was suddenly no longer hesitant “Sounds like a hero to me, I think we’ve got your powers down, but if you want a spot in the League I only need your name.” It doesn’t take him a second to answer “Achilles.”

By 2002 it was doomsday, for the third time this month. The hero thing certainly wasn’t boring, and various other heros had helped Anakin gain an appreciation for technology, he was a technopath. Any

This is getting way too long, also I accidentally queued it so I’ll just reblog with more.

[ink-au-askblog]

Tea Time With An Eldritch

In which there is neither tea nor time, but there is definitely an Eldritch and a child who is one, yet not quite.

TW: Eye, Character Death, Betrayal, Injury

It hurts.

Sans peers coldly through the metal railings as gravity drags you down, down, down. Your chest aches. Aches from the surprise and confusion. Aches from the betrayal of someone you thought to be your friend. Aches from the realization that it is your fault, that you have been hurting him all along, that this so-called friendship and happiness is nothing but a delusion made up by your own selfishness.

It hurts.

Lava burns through your skin, through your bones, through your very core. You scream, but you no longer have a mouth to do so. You cry, but the tears you shed have been swallowed by the scorching heat.

And then-

And then, darkness.

It hurts.

Darkness. Pain. Darkness. The shadow digs its claws into your flesh and rips. You cannot think. You cannot speak. You cannot breathe. Every fiber, every atom of your entire being is torn apart, scattered, rearranged, and then torn apart again. Over and over and over.

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts ithurtsithurtsithurts-

You wake up. You never expected to.

Your body trembles with phantom pains. If you close your eyes, you may even feel that unrelenting, encompassing darkness again. But you don't. You won't. You can't.

(It hurts.)

It takes an embarrassing amount of time for you to realize that you are not as alone as you think.

An eye, wide and unblinking and all-seeing, cradled by gigantic hands that seem less like human limbs and more like the messy drawings of a toddler etched into reality. Distantly, you wonder if you can fit the whole Underground into that majestic pupil, but the thought is drowned out by a panic so deep and intensified that the breath shatters inside your lungs, a handful of glass shards cutting and clawing at your inside.

Funny. You would have believed that your fear had run out.

Before you can- Can what? Fight? Act? Flee? What can you even do against such an unfathomable and incomprehensible creature?- said unfathomable and incomprehensible creature has beaten you to the punch.

OH! It beams, and its voice is the stray idea of someone else, the rumbling change of revolution, the gentle melody of a flute, the ceaseless whispers of a thousand stories, everything and nothing all at once. HELLO, LITTLE ONE <CREATION-OF-MINE, MORTAL CHILD, BEAUTIFUL-AND-FLAWED-AND-PERFECT>! HOW DID YOU GET HERE?

"I," the answer slips out before it can register in your mind, tainted with terror and awe and a strange sort of instinctive reverence. "I think I'm lost."

BUT OF COURSE YOU ARE! AFTER ALL, WHO WOULD WILLINGLY WALK INTO THE VOID <GREAT MOTHER, THE-END-OF-ALL-AND-THE-BEGINNING-OF-NONE>? Yellow tickles at the back of your throat, the echo of a giggle that is not your own. YOUR WEAK, FRAGILE MORTAL MIND WOULD SIMPLY BE TORN TO SHREDS. AH, EXCEPT YOUR MIND ISN'T QUITE SHREDS YET, IS IT?

Its pupil constricts, something peering through the cracks of that endless depth. Something that looks almost like curiosity. Or glee, even.

You feel as if you were Atlas, straining to bear the weight of the world beneath your tiny, brittle shoulders. You feel as if this was the heat death of the universe and you were staring straight into the sun as its flameS consumed you wholly and completely.

(It hurts. But it doesn't. But it does. And you want to weep because you have never been so happy so fearful so small.)

TELL ME, LITTLE ONE <NOT MORTAL CHILD, FASCINATING ONE, YOU-WHO-ARE-LOST-AND-FORGOTTEN>, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

Once again, you open your mouth before you can realize it- the mere idea of not answering has not even crossed your mind- and yet, the words linger upon the tip of your tongue.

The name you used to carry, does it really belong to you now? That name had died the moment Sans's palms touched your back and pushed, the moment your entire body was burnt by molten lava, the moment you died and reborn and died and reborn and died and reborn in the realm between space and time.

No. That name does not belong to you anymore.

So you gently lay it down, as slow and careful as one would lay down a casket, tucked deep beneath the crust of your heart like a gaping wound. With a heavy weight that almost resembles grief, you reply.

"Core Frisk." The words drape over your shoulders like a new coat, clumsy and unfamiliar. "I'm Core Frisk."

HELLO, CORE FRISK <VOID-TOUCHED, VOID-MADE, A-GOD-BUT-NOT-QUITE, SO-GLAD-TO-MEET-YOU>. I'M CALAMITY <VOID-BORN, GUARDIAN OF THE MULTIVERSE, OUTER GOD OF CREATION>. BUT PLEASE, CALL ME INK.

[pentacle-artist]

So I decided to replay Rhythm Thief so I can confidently write fanfiction when the school year starts. Anyways, some thoughts and observations

The festival in the game takes place every 3 years, and Napoleon was resurrected 3 years prior, which means he could've been resurrected around the time of the previous festival

Grace (Rhythm Thief) 🤝 Maddie (Miracle Mask) Finding a renowned criminal's activities art

During Marie's first cutscene, Charles can be spotted in the background

Marie, *how did you read this?*

Vergier has been focusing on the Phantom R case since his wife died, and we know from Finding Fondue that Raphael has only been doing this for 2 years. So Emma's death is still a pretty recent.

It would've been interesting if Raphael had some sort of reaction when overhearing that Vergier has a kid he's been neglecting, but oh well.

Admittedly, I wish there was character flavor text, as it would flesh everyone out a little more, but I can understand why they didn't do that.

I also have thoughts on the special emblem, but I'll make that its own post.

[artheresy]

Okay listen, I got sick while at work so I’m in a bit of a delirium idk the word for it whatever, this is what I get for thinking about Blade. The brainworms impacted by immune system /j

Anyways, I’m wondering again about the extent of his immortality and healing. So we get in his hairpin relic lore that his body is perpetually healing wounds that are far too gone to actually be healed, like his hands. We get this line “sharp and distinct with phantom pain” and then this entire paragraph describing it “Like the incessantly flowing stream of a mountain spring, his long black hair never ceased growing. His flesh twitched and throbbed beneath his skin, like river carps flipping and swarming... Fascinating powers ceaselessly reconstructed his body, bringing an everlasting pain of bones and tendons rupturing and healing. As countless phantom agonies and torments tore through his body, his shattered past was also beginning to come together...”

And yet we still see him like die from injuries so clearly, it’s working very very slowly in his body to repair him. Perhaps when he actually fully dies, that power within his body redirects the focus it uses to just generally keep him alive and heal parts of himself that cannot be fully healed to bring him back to life. Hence why he wakes up so far even if there is a pause, a moment of actual rest and peace before he is alive once more.

Now, again we’ve only seen him die via stab wounds and I have that whole other post wondering the extent to which one of Ren’s body parts would theoretically be cut off and how exactly his body would heal that, whether it heals before the limb is entirely cut off so its at least somewhat connected thus making the entire healing process occur properly even with difficulty or if it would literally grow him a whole new arm like a restoration/regeneration type of situation, or if (this wasn’t in the post but) if the injury is treated so he doesn’t die from blood loss which would be the fatality more som would he just like… be without an arm forever? Until he dies next and his body fixes that? I mean I think in terms of non fatal wounds he seems to have a slower healing like I said and then when he’s actually dead, the body focuses on healing the exact area in which he was fatally wounded. And yeah yeah we won’t get this explored much because Hyv is gonna keep things PG-13 and won’t show us any blood anyways

My actual wondering is, I wonder how poisons specifically affect Blade especially just given how different poisons can act. If it’s a slow acting poison, can his body just filter it out with its already slow healing rate? Would he still die if he was slowly poisoned and only then will his body be cleansed of it? Surely he would actually die from something super fast acting right? I mean we already established that Ren’s body slowly heals him and only speeds up when he’s dead. If he has a poison that acts instantaneously, surely he would die and then come back from it after his body has cleansed it from his system with its whole abundance thing.

Or theoretically, does that Abundance power already cancel out poisons working at all and it has to be an intensely violent way that he dies? Perhaps even in his special case, he’d be an exception where it would affect him and then he’d be healed since we know he’s not like on 100% the same level as the marastruck soldiers we fight due to whatever else is causing his immortality (probably the dragon heart or whatever it is) canceling it out so that they both work in tandem with each other. But anyways yeah like, I need to know so badly the different ways Blade’s power (and in general the power of the Abundance) works when faced with all kinds of different methods of killing him.

Also, I wonder how his body is with substances that aren’t lethal in smaller doses but then can be fatal in bigger amounts, things that when they get to that level are considered poisoning like Alcohol and alcohol poisoning and stuff. Could Ren hypothetically get drunk if he drinks a lot? Would his body just clean it out of him overtime naturally getting him sober, presumably at a faster route than normal people? Would he even be able to get drunk? What I said about his body getting him sober faster, would that even happen if its a non-fatal amount of alcohol or would his tolerance to alcohol be solely based on his build?

I dunno there are stupid questions that will literally never ever ever come up in terms of HSR’s story, we won’t see any of this stuff at least answered on screen but doubtfully at all. I’m just so interested in the way Blade’s healing works and I hope I get some kind of idea in order to explore it at some point.

[crimsonxe]

FF7 Rebirth spoilers below the cut:

I don't have a clue wtf just went on with Cloud deflecting Masamune but also not leading to Aerith's death but not. Its a such a bullshit thing that tries to have its cake and eat it too; but at least the other Aerith is still technically alive waiting to be woken up in one of the multiple worlds. And I guess "ghost Aerith" is technically still around too. Regardless to the "Aerith has to die" crowd: FUCK YOU. The reality is that she didn't actually need to die, there's not a damn thing that required that outside of edgelord incel shitbags that have a death kink. Which ironically fucking enough the ending of Rebirth even backs up cause there's even fucking LESS shown as to why she died. She sure as hell isn't going to be stopping Meteor nor would that require her dying; instead she does so because incel shitbags wanted it & the OG game did it. Interesting originality be fucked, instead stick to the same goddamn bad end route bullshit as the OG game. I'll stick around to see the trilogy finished, but I'm openly stating now that I'm 1/3rd checked the fuck out. Also just going to put this out there: don't even mention Cloti anywhere near me cause that's been thoroughly ruined and I don't look forward to whatever happens in part 3. And just ftr no I'm not a Clerith and actually ship Cloti in OG, but not in the R-trilogy where Aerti has shined far more via their closeness.

Hope it was worth it writers, you had the chance to actually do an interesting alternate route that rewards people that have been hoping for a "good end route" and who liked/loved Remake for its unique interesting new storyline. But instead chose to throw it away in such a bullshit manner to appeal/line up with the same shitheads that bashed Remake for daring to do its own thing; or to repeat the same goddamn story as before rather than forge a new path. And I can't stress enough how the way it was done is such a shitty ass manner. Either Cloud deflects Sephiroth's sword and Aerith lives or he fucking doesn't and she dies; either fate is changeable or its not; either there's a multiverse of unlimited potentials including Aerith living or there isn't; etc. Fuck 5% of Rebirth, the other 95% is great. Such a goddamn waste. If Nomura is the one responsible for Remake's "fuck Fate, let's make our own path" aspect, then plz let him be the main one heading up Part 3 to try to course correct back from the betrayal of the concept that Rebirth's last 5% did. Show the timeline where Cloud did indeed save Aerith and have that Aerith join the team; have them break Fate instead of treating it as some immutable thing cause fuck that; and no more bullshit like having someone block a strike then having the story backhand via shitty ass reality rewrites (a la Masamune stuck in the ground to the side from an unharmed Aerith that suddenly is reality warped to have blood on it and Aerith being hit with a phantom stabbing cause "Fate"). I'll easily take Remake's vision over Rebirth's last 5% (I have to stress this cause 95% of Rebirth is fantastic, its only the last 5% that is incel edgelord nihilistic garbage to justify killing off a character cause "that's what happened in OG".

And let me be clear on this: my anger isn't where it should be which at Sephiroth as the one that did the deed as the villain aka proper narrative writing. My anger instead is aimed at the bullshit method of how it was done, which isn't how a narrative should come across. All I see if the very blatantly check off box that was bent to reach. Remake was 95% good, 5% mindblowing and getting me heavily invested; Rebirth 95% great, 5% bullshit and throwing away an entire section of investment. I really am having to work to give a shit about the remaining characters, cause the writing's failing caused that level of collapse.

Since this is the rant post: While I give credit for mostly shying away from sexist incel tropes in regards to the femme characters; don't even think for a second I didn't notice the little things that are there still. Shiva having jiggle physics; and even Tifa being hit with them during particular side quests. Edit: So from what I've gathered the main case of Tifa having them is a matter of you're expected to have her swimsuit on at that point, instead of her regular one; so while still annoying cause jiggle physic shouldn't be there at all its at least not in defiance of her sports bra that'd be more egregious.

I'm fucking done.

The really infuriating part is that I'd STILL give Rebirth like an 8/10 or even 9/10; cause as I've repeatedly mentioned 95% is just THAT damn good.

[sturmovik]

Elden Ring: my new player experience so far

I finally picked up Elden Ring on sale after all these years. I knew it would be difficult for me as a casual gamer who's never played a FromSoft game before but I've been itching to try it out for years now. Here's what's happened to me so far:

(some early game spoilers btw. for those who want to visualize, my Tarnished is a Vagabond Knight that kinda looks like Saoirse Ronan)

The First Hour:

I struggled hard with the PC controls. Eventually managed to limp my way into a cave where I killed an angry dog man after dying to it like 3 times (skill issue + i'm not comfy with the controls yet). Only after all that did I rest at a grace site outdoors. That's when Melina appeared and said "You suck. Here's a horse."

Wandering:

I spend some time going around aimlessly, killing whatever small fry I run into to get my level up as much as possible. I was feeling confident so I decided to challenge the Tree Sentinel. I was most comfortable using the halberd and I read he drops a good one. As expected, I died multiple times. Eventually, Renna appeared and said "You suck. Here, use summons" (i still couldnt beat the tree sentinel)

WTF:

For the next 2 or so hours I accomplish nothing except killing more small mobs. At one of the ruin sites I massacre some unarmed... people(?) and then deal with some giant rats. A player message said the chest was a trap but I love Frieren and I know she wouldn't let that silly message stop her.

It was a teleport trap to some godsforsaken mine in a hellish death zone. Surprisingly I only died 3 times before I successfully escaped. During those three attempts I followed a phantom I saw jumping up so I also jumped up and followed that path upward (i'm in a mine, and the exits to mines are upwards duh), managing to juke the big monsters and kill one of the smaller ones that got in my way. I made it to a gate which I assumed was the escape/entrance route. I did it. Now I can get away on Torrent with some runes to spare!

To my horror, the gate opened to an isolated chamber, and a health bar appeared on screen with the words "FALLINGSTAR BEAST." I could only watch helplessly while my character was locked in an animation pushing the gate open to meet certain death. Fuck it, we ball. (there's no happy ending here, I suck at this game lol)

Turns out all I had to do was run downstairs a bit to get away.

The Erdtree:

I think there was grace in the mine but I didn't use it because I wanted to see where I ended up. I surveyed the red hellscape before me, and thought, "yeah this sucks I'm going back Limgrave." I mounted Torrent and began taking the scenic route back to greener pastures.

That's when I noticed that the Erdtree was much closer than before. So I decided to go for it. Let's head to the big tree and become Elden Lord! We fell off a cliff and died.

At this point, I have accomplished nothing but the multiplication of my own pain and suffering. Waking at the nearest site of grace, Melina appeared once again and spoke thus: "You're an idiot. Welcome to the Roundtable."

-- In summary, I feel like one of those absolute loser main characters in a fantasy/isekai anime that's stuck killing rats in some ungodly corner of the world trying to build up skills and power to eventually kill God. Idk if I'll ever get there because so far I am horrible at learning attack patterns and can't seem to time movement/dodging to save my life but so far the journey has been hilarious and I want to keep going.

(decided to post here cuz r/EldenRing automatically deletes this there. I read the rules and dont seem to be breaking any of them, even tagged spoilers and all. so fuck 'em. wassup tumblr)

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

Omg its literally been ages since I checked in with you. My favorite Meg x Erik shipper. Some questions for you from a fellow Merik fan.

Do you think we've evolved over the years as shippers? In the sense that maybe our perception of the ship evolved or has it stayed the same.

If Hollywood did a modern remake of the phantom of the Opera musical (like they did with Wicked). Who would be your fancast and would you want some more Merik undertones in the new movie or is it good just as it is?

Do you think Erik and Meg would have a chance if they lived in the modern world? What would that look like?

Ahh hi buddy! Thank you so much for dropping by! The following got super duper long and probably a little off topic, oops!

So first thing, I'm going to answer your second question first:

HOLLYWOOD REMAKE! I'm going to do different eras, because I can:

1920s/1930s -

Meg: Jean Harlow

Erik: Bela Lugosi (RIP Lon)

Christine: Mary Astor

Raoul: Leslie Howard

Madame Giry: Judith Anderson

90s (Aka, closer to the Phantom's original run)

Meg: Brittany Murphy

Erik: Michael Crawford

Christine: Jean Louisa Kelly

Raoul: Ewan McGregor

Madame Giry: Donna Murphy (ooh, same last name as Brittany! Perfect!)

Today:

Meg: Fernanda Muniz

Erik: Lucas Steele

Christine: Denee Benton

Raoul: Leslie Odom Jr

Madame Giry: Tais Viera

I know they're too old now and not famous enough for a Hollywood movie, but down with Hollywood's obsession with extreme youth and established movie stars in every musical role!

Hm, I don't think I would put any Erik/Meg slant per se into the movie, but maybe just put extra emphasis on her picking up his mask at the end, and maybe when she's screaming "He's Here!" We could see her looking into the rafters and staring straight at him. Just little hints there may be something kind of sexy in the fear. (Meg's fucked up like that, poor kid, more on that below.)

As for your evolution question - this gets long.

Very interesting question. I can't speak for the Merik fandom as a whole, but I can definitely answer for me. Yes, I think I've evolved in my perception of Merik. It's easy to spot if you go from my first Merik fic Yellow Rose to my current (somewhat of a trainwreck) fic The First Movie Star.

I've become more compelled by the potential darker shades of the pairing without going down the exact route of Love Never Dies. I'm enamored with the idea of an incredibly resistant Erik, someone who's made his obsession with Christine his identity, so when he feels Meg threaten that by revealing her feelings, he turns against her for a long time before even considering the possibility he might feel something for someone not Christine.

There would also be a fair amount of self-loathing for him to contend with about the very idea of anyone actually developing feelings for him. Even Christine he tried to keep from knowing the true Erik; first there was the guise of the Angel but even when he revealed that falsehood he still hid his face. In the musical specifically, he goes out of his way to wow her into believing him some dangerous but sexy godlike figure, a lustful Hades with her as Persephone. Erik has always been more comfortable in fantasy than in reality, which is very understandable given his past.

Here's how I put it in Ch 6 of TFM:

Many years would pass until a great twentieth century philosopher refused to belong in any club that would have him as a member. Yet that same sentiment of intense self-loathing projecting out on others beat now in Erik’s heart. Although all his life he’d yearned for love, to the point of kidnapping and terrorizing the woman who rejected him, there was something in him that was repulsed by the idea now. He was appalled, disbelieving. He deliberately dismissed Meg the helper, Meg the business associate, Meg the friend. He forgot how vital she was in researching the different beaches at Coney Island when they first arrived, scouting out the perfect location for the Phantasma. He forgot her gathering for him the requested blueprints and designs of nearby theaters, so that he could build the exact opposite. He discarded those memories and in his horror at her confession, constructed a new Meg Giry. Well, several new Meg Girys, that is, as he formulated different theories as to why she would have said what she did.

So whereas once I was definitely more on the fluff side of the Merik fence, I've found myself in a darker but frankly more intriguing place with them. Trope wise, I'm at a weird combo of (Relative) Strangers to Friends, then once Meg confesses her feelings, Friends to Enemies to Eventual Lovers.

Now pair this conflict with a Meg I headcanon fiercely as becoming a 19th century It Girl, the equivalent of Clara Bow or Jean Harlow, and you have a big LND reversal and the potential for Erik to convince himself he hates Meg because she's stolen Christine's rightful place as world famous star. He has to contend with the fact Christine's career goes the same path as Evelyn Nesbit after the strange scandal of the Phantom of the Opera, and it is because of him his protegee, his Galatea, has to flee the spotlight.

(So do I still have a tendency to Mary Sue Meg a little bit? I mean, Clara Bow and Jean Harlow...calm down, me...still, I like to take this opportunity to explore the downsides of that kind of fame, and how it tests Meg's ultimate good character.)

With all this, it might be hard to see how Merik could be endgame, but here's where the unrealistic romantic in me comes out. Detesting Meg from afar is problematic, sure, but Erik is still healing from a lifetime of trauma. He's projected so much onto Christine that any perceived attack on her is a personal attack to him. He never thought he'd fall in love; he never thought he'd be kissed or wept over. Then came Christine. A lifetime of fear and hatred, and then this angel shows him kindness.

It's understandable with the fragile state he's in emotionally, he wouldn't be able to handle another pretty girl showing him the same kindness, and this time out of actual romantic feelings for him. That tarnishes it, in his mind. That's not how his life's opera should end. It should end with the kiss; end in a bittersweet tragedy of lost chances.

And now here's this other girl, who may be pretty and charming in her way, but she is a very human girl. Where Christine was ethereally beautiful, this one is merely very cute. While Christine sang with the voice of an angel, this one squeaks like a mouse. Where Christine was dignified and angelic, this one traipsed around in nothing more than a leotard and occasional tutu, and didn't mind revealing more onstage. She's not the one to make his song take light. So why is she setting the world on fire? Why does the public obsess over someone so...commonplace?

Here's where I crucially differ with Meg going down the LND hole. Meg may adore Erik with all her heart, but she's not going to let his contempt ruin her life. She has plans, ambition, and talent, even though she struggles to find herself with Madame Giry controlling her career (I still worship Madame G, but I've taken to exploring her potential darker shades as a character, as well).

Meg might just well end up in some form of sex work (I explore photography in TFM, but I can also see her as an escort). But Madame Giry, I headcanon, has lived her life trying to shield Meg from that, as she's internalized a lot of anti-sex work bias from her days working in a carnival, having to dodge that reputation to become ballet mistress. And so I actually see that as a potential conflict between mother and daughter, where Madame Giry is firmly opposed to sex work and Meg being like wtf is the big deal, I don't care about going topless, I don't like wearing clothes anyway (Jean Harlow is really influencing my conception of Meg these days).

(I also headcanon Meg as developing Imposter Syndrome when she comes to terms with being a nepo baby at the opera house).

So I don't see her where she is mentally at the end of LND, with that being a version of Meg that Erik merely builds up in his head. Especially as her fame grows and he starts to miss her being a ballet rat frightened of him, he casts her as someone degraded and pathetic at best, and homicidal at worst.

Yet as Erik continues to sort out his personal issues, would he be able to overcome that image, and trust that Meg's love for him is a good thing, a very good thing indeed? That's the dynamic I'm interested in, even if it's far more intense and unhealthy than what I explored in Yellow Rose.

Wow, okay. That went on.

Question three: I absolutely think they would have a much better chance in modern times! The world is far from a perfect place, but we do have better language now and knowledge, and maybe Erik could have had a better life or at least access to mental healthcare. That would definitely make him at a better place mentally for a potential romance, and I think he'd be more accepting of affection if he saw that there were indeed girls out there into him, he'd just never heard of Monster Fuckers in the 19th century.

Meg? She's a monster fucker.

She's like poor Tina Belcher sexually. Her fear of Erik bled into her sexual awakening and so like Tina with zombies, she has the hots for and fear of the Opera Ghost.

[boy-above]

What r ur ocs like!

OHHHHH boy the problem with my ocs is that the story i have for them is really big and unnecessarily complicated so it makes it hard to talk about them rip. ive actually been planning on trying to update their designs (since i haven't drawn most of them in years) and explain the story more yknow. i actually do have recent drawings of my two favorite ocs that i haven't shared yet though so i suppose now is the time to do it

this is wyatt! he is definitely my favorite oc. he's 25, saudi, and a cis gnc gay man. he's 5'2 and is incredibly cute. he's the epitome of the >:3 face and can be mean at times, but is very soft with his boyfriend. he has a tragique past with an abusive father and has some pretty gnarly ptsd. he died once (he's okay now though) by drowning so he's afraid of water. he can see dead people which is fun. his role in the story is a bit of reverse grim reaper, he has the power to bring people back to life, although maintains the reaper aesthetic. he has a big knife and if he pierces a dead person they'll be revived, but if it pierces a living person they'll dissolve into dust and not even their spirit remains. he has powers like being able to float, go through walls, teleport short distances etc. some danny phantom shit.

this is hayden, wyatt's boyfriend. he's a gay trans man, 26 years old, 6'0, indian. he's an engineer and kind of a genius, taught himself calculus kinda shit. he has electric-adjacent powers (purple lightning!) and his role is that of an electrical engineer, performing maintenance on the power structures to keep everyone's powers working. he's also an inventor and has a steampunk-esque workshop where he builds a bunch of cool shit. he used to have an identical twin sister but she kiiiinda died when they were 14 and he has conflicting feelings about it because she wasn't exactly the best person to him. everyone in this story can shapeshift (albeit slowly over time) so he had a nice easy time transitioning. he lifts weight to cope with depression (and so he can pick up his boyfriend, the most importantest reason)

he and wyatt met when they were 15 and 16 and theyre very much in love. maybe a little codependent but shhhhh it's okay the environment they're in kinda calls for it. when wyatt was young he would see the fairytales where a princess would be rescued by a knight or prince and he wished one would save him from his abuse as well (alongside wishing that boys could be princesses, his journey from growing up in an extremely toxically (is that a word even??) house to accepting that he's allowed to like boys and be feminine was a hard one) and hayden was kinda like that dream come true! it was also fun bc hayden was able to give wyatt all his girl stuff from before he transitioned to give it a spin. hayden also really enjoys having a boyfriend thats smaller and daintier than him, makes him feel more masculine. over all they are incredibly in love and i'm obsessed with them and they occupy my thoughts a lot. i'm so sad bc i don't have a recent drawing of them, the last finished drawing i have of them together is from 2019 wtf 😭

[mvndrvke]

M V N D R V K E ; independent selective multimuse written by luna ( 29, they/he )

A STUDY IN : ignoring canon, incoherent opinions on random muses, reimagining myth, musical references, adhd periods of hyperfixation, learning to answer messages consistently, forming complex dynamics between characters, and more.

mythos affiliated with : @apatilcs

mobile muse list under the cut.

muses that contain a significant amount of canon divergence in their portrayal will be marked with an asterisk*, and those bios are worth scanning prior to interaction. most muses have about pages, which can be found in the links below and on my carrd.

ACTIVE MUSES. the favorite kids, the ones that get the most focus and have the most consistent muse.

literature.

mythology. penelope of ithaca & neoptolemus & poseidon pjo. nico di angelo* & cecil markowitz* affiliated with @nosestealer & @zeitkeist thg. effie trinket & haymitch abernathy twilight ( anti-smeyer ). carlisle cullen & bella swan

television / film-based.

got. shireen baratheon* & rickon stark* rickon affiliated with @winterreigned hotd. harwin strong & theldry strong the phantom of the opera. meg giry* star wars. shmi skywalker

LOW-ACTIVITY MUSES. still adored but get less attention.

literature.

mythology. menelaus & hades pjo. grover underwood

television / film-based.

bridgerton. edwina sharma doctor who. martha jones hotd. marin royce shadow & bone. harij ghafa & inej ghafa star wars. satine kryze* & seril jinn & ahsoka tano

ON-REQUEST MUSES. muses that aren't really active but i'd still love to write. we don't need to have discussed it for you to send a meme in for these muses.

literature.

mythology. orpheus pjo. annabeth chase* & paul blofis & mai castellan thg. johanna mason marvel/mcu. peter parker

television / film-based.

avatar film series. kiri augustine doctor who. rose noble

TEST MUSES. new muses i want to try out before i add them to my muse list.

got. arya stark * hotd. joffrey velaryon lotr. celeborn & haldir mythology. achilles *

[shipcestuous]

CAN I WEEP IN YOUR INBOX ABOUT HOTD 2X4 SPOILERS

I’m devastated. So many r cheering Aemond on for burning Aegon but not I.

Aegon’s whole life was destined for nothing but absolute pain.

Alicent attempted to brainwash Aegon into hating Rhaenyra for taking his birthright she herself brainwashed into it by Otto- CURSE U OTTO forced a crown on his head even though he begged an Aemond in pursuit of him to let him run away Was wed to his “weird” sister who he loves? but is not in love with they then had CHILDREN, children who he tried to show love in the way that his father never showed him& in thanks for all that love he showed he lost one to a BEHEADING.

No one takes him seriously, no one loves him except for sunfyre UGH WHICH MAKES IT ALL THAT MUCH SADDER I CAN NOT or shows him any love- even though he desperately craves it& asks for it

&now even (“To be loved or feared?” , “I need to be both.  My mother and grandsire mind me like some helpless duckling.” , “Oh, well, you’re the king.  Who gives a shit what they say?” , “My brother, at least, knows his place.  He’s as loyal as a hound.  I can set him and his dragon on my foes at will.”)AEMOND has betrayed him. 

Horribly scarred from this, he will be.  emotionally…physically +… based on the books it gets much worse for him from here 

So heartbroken.  I don’t think I understood how gigantic of an Aegond shipper I was till this moment.

It’ll be great for Aegond fanfic in terms of angst &as a viewer I am intrigued to see what Aemond will do with his newfound power

..but all the ships in Team Green other than helaemond who may thrive with Aemond in the power position r being held together by very thin string.

Meanwhile Team Black ships are doing… pretty alright I thought youngRhaenyra would be a 1 episode phantom but I think she’s going to be haunting Daemon the whole season which is cool, I like that despite their distance she is always firm in his mind so that at least makes me happy but still MY WEEPING MAY NEVER CEASE!

what r your thoughts about the season so far, I’m assuming your opinions are much different than my own :P but I like hearing your point of view

--

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Anon! 

I have such a weird relationship with House of the Dragon. I have all of these ships, but I know everything is going to hell. Relationships will only become more strained, and presumably almost everyone of note dies within the scope of the story. So instead of enjoying it, except for a scene here and there, I mostly just watch it with dread. 

Tom Glynn-Carney is doing such a fantastic job as Aegon. Everyone is always praising him in the YouTube reviews I watch, because he is doing such a great job of humanizing Aegon, when he might otherwise have been a Joffrey-like character, someone you can’t stand or even love to hate. But I think it’s also in the writing in season 2 in a way that it wasn’t as much in season 1. Those moments with his son, and his grief, and I really feel for him in his moments of insecurity, too. I like him, and care about him, a lot more than I did in season 1. 

I definitely didn’t rejoice when he got burned, and I never like to see siblings not caring whether their siblings live or die.

It does hurt, knowing how betrayed he’ll feel by Aemond, the one he trusted as loyal, the one he invited onto the council because of his loyalty. 

Admittedly, Aemond/Alicent and Aemond/Helaena are some of my top ships for this show, so I am excited about what this change will bring in terms of interactions between them. We’ve had to wait half a season for even a crumb.

I do like that even though Daemon and Rhaenyra are apart, we continue to have Daemon/Rhaenyra scenes.