#its honestly insane that its even an option. even after you lose that event and almost die the game still allows you to stay with him

[jonny-b-meowborn]

look I am fully aware that I'm the weird guy here for being into whatever Jarod has going on but honestly I sometimes wonder. Did the developers do it on purpose. Did they know that they're making him kinda. Y'know. Like I'm sorry for being a lil freak but some of his lines are just like. It feels like they knew what they were doing

[the-odd-job]

Up in Flames chapter 16 - Villain (Ashes Part 2)

Warnings: Major Character Death, Chose Not to Use Category: Other Fandom: Transformers Relationships: Megatron/Sunstreaker, Megatron/Sideswipe, Sideswipe & Sunstreaker Characters: Sunstreaker, Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide Additional Tags: Dubcon, Mechpreg, Sticky Words: 4105

( Previous )

His battle protocols had had the time to activate, and as always when he went under with them running, coming back up wasn’t a slow, peaceful climb into consciousness.

It was a violent whiplash that had every system roaring to life simultaneously, no time wasted on testing if everything even still worked.

Sunstreaker’s optics snapped open to the bright orange ceiling of the Ark, and he shot to sitting immediately after, his frame primed for a fight and very eager to remind him of the circumstances of how he’d lost consciousness.

As it was though, there was no immediate threat around him that he could see. He was… In the brig, the glowing energy bars of that particular cell trapping him inside.

That wasn’t too much of a surprise considering how he’d gotten snatched. The Autobots had rightly assumed that he would not have gone willingly if they’d just asked nicely. 

They had also assumed rightly that he wouldn’t hang around if given the option to leave. That option clearly wasn’t given to him now. For whatever reason—and it could be no reason that would end well for him—they wanted him here, and were ready enough to force the matter by locking him up entirely. 

This couldn’t be good, not for him, and… Not for the sparklet. Maybe especially not for the sparklet. Sunstreaker couldn’t stamp down on his anxiety before the little one had already responded, vibrating in his chamber, next to his own spark, in a way it hadn’t before. These weren’t good emotions, like were really all of the ones it had gotten to experience so far.

Figures it would be the Autobots to provide it with its first negative impressions of life. 

Had his spark felt any calmer, he could have tried to calm it, but pits, he wasn’t exactly calm himself. There was anxiety, some poorly articulated fear, but more than anything, there was his ever familiar anger. This sparkling was no stranger to that after every time Megatron had annoyed him, sometimes some of the other ‘Cons, but this time there was no… Thrill to go with it. No enjoyment under it, like he would have enjoyed Megatron’s attention even if the mech was driving him nuts.

None of the enjoyment of delivering some hurt to whichever ‘Con was aggravating at the time, usually in the training ring.

This was just anger, and fear, and anxiety—and, maybe, helplessness.

How helpless was he, really? A quick scan of his systems at least confirmed they’d locked his subspace, and pits, done who knows what to him while he was under. Sunstreaker quickly pulled up his logs, rubbing at his chest as he did. It wasn’t altogether comfortable to feel the sparkling twist and turn, nervous itself, even if it didn’t really understand what the threat was.

The plating of his chassis wasn’t smooth under his servo, not with the gash Megatron had dug across his insignia. His servo caught on the rough edges of it and made it impossible to forget how much he wasn’t an Autobot anymore. These weren’t friendly hands that had captured him.

And that was what they’d done. Captured him. Kidnapped, really. 

They’d rooted around his systems, too. His physical readings had been looked at, armor shifted around presumably to have a look underneath—his coding hadn’t been tampered with, no fixes had been attempted, but he had more recent logs of diagnostic runs, and traces of the opening of several bits of programming. Not for edits, clearly, but for viewing.

Quite many of those related to the carrier protocols Hook and Ratchet had already looked at. Many other readings that had been viewed belong to the systems keeping tabs on the sparkling.

A medic’s signature had been left behind, too. Sunstreaker feared the worst when he looked at who had rooted around his frame while he was unconscious, but… It wasn’t Ratchet.

First Aid.

Sunstreaker growled to himself. He didn’t know why Ratchet wasn’t the one to have examined him, but some part of him was relieved he hadn’t… Really, breached their trust like that. Maybe he shouldn’t trust Ratchet anymore, but slaggit, he did anyway, at least to an extent. They didn’t belong to the same side anymore, but Ratchet had ethics and a personal code he followed. 

They didn’t belong to the same side anymore. Had they and Sunstreaker would have only considered it natural he’d have taken a look at his systems. That was what medics did.

But now, that consent didn’t exist. Were they enemies? He wasn’t a Decepticon either, so maybe not.

But they were not comrades, or allies. 

First Aid, clearly, hadn’t cared about details like that, although Sunstreaker wondered under whose bidding he’d performed the rather thorough examination on. 

He wasn’t distracted enough by his internal investigation to miss the sound of someone moving to the outside of his cell, and he definitely didn’t miss the shadow cast they cast with the corridor lights behind them. 

Sunstreaker lifted his gaze, glaring even before his optics landed on… Ironhide. The twin threw his legs off the side of the small slab of a berth just as Ironhide brought one servo to the side of his helm. “He’s up.”

Oh, they were waiting on him, were they?

Ironhide’s servo dropped, and so did his optics—landing on Sunstreaker’s servo on his chassis, still trying to ease the physical sensation of the sparkling’s growing distress as his mood only soured further instead of providing relief to the little thing.

Somehow Sunstreaker really didn’t appreciate the scrutiny, and let his arm slip away, doubling his glare. Ironhide didn’t look away right away, though, instead frowning at his chassis—and the insignia he still wore, but only to show he no longer belonged to that side.

“The slag you looking at?” Sunstreaker snapped once he got tired of the staring. Ironhide jerked from whatever trance he’d fallen into and looked up at him, in the optic for a fragging change. He opened his mouth to say something, too, but before he could, there was commotion from outside the main doors to the brig. Even Sunstreaker could hear it.

It wasn’t quite yelling, but it was clear enough there was an argument. He couldn’t make out all of the words, really, none of them—except some of those spoken by a voice that he couldn’t mistake.

Ratchet. The medic was rather vocal right then, as he always was when he was angry. Was he angry now? Sounded like so. Sunstreaker tuned his audials to listen in, but he could still only catch snippets. “–The stress you’re putting him under–!

“No!

“This is insanity–!

“I’m the physician–!

“Slag no!

“–let me–!”

“–Do not have my support!”

Then it ended. Sunstreaker could imagine Ratchet’s angry march as he left. He could definitely hear the stomping that always accompanied that.

The doors to the brig opened after. It wasn’t as if Sunstreaker could see who it was from where he was, but he didn’t need to guess for long because his visitors made their way straight to him.

Ratchet wasn’t among them, of course he wasn’t. Ironhide nodded at the arrivals—at Optimus, at Prowl, at Jazz.

High command then, basically. Sunstreaker got to his pedes, not particularly feeling like being shorter than everyone else. Upright and the only one who still managed to tower over him was the goddamn Prime. “Should I feel honored little old me is getting so important visitors?” he asked oh so sincerely, crossing his arms over his chassis and glaring some more.

But not before he was sure everyone had gotten a real good look at his chassis, his ruined insignia. Yeah yeah, ogle away, what did he care! What the slag were they expecting? That he would’ve no longer had an insignia at all? That he’d have a Decepticon one instead?

Honestly, both were probably fair assumptions, just not very… Megatron.  

And still, despite the fucking fact he hadn’t been an Autobot for quite a few months, still, fragging still both Prowl and Ironhide saw fit to give him a disapproving look. For what? His slagging disrespect? Cry him a river, they all had it coming after this. Sunstreaker revved his engine, angrier by the second—and the sparkling growing ever more restless, until his core was really starting to feel too small for the both of them and he had to fight the urge to go back to rubbing his chestplates, despite the fact that did absolutely no good. 

“I know these circumstances are less than ideal–” Optimus started, ever the diplomat, but Sunstreaker cut him off without fanfare or mercy.

“‘Less than ideal’? You fucking kidnap me and lock me in the goddamn brig,” he hissed, stepping up to the bars and craning his neck back to glare the Prime in the optic. “So would you fucking tell me what the frag is my crime this time?”

“Disregarding all of the events prior to your… Defection,” Prowl said, smooth and cool as ever. Sunstreaker transferred his glare at him, but then Jazz picked up where the SIC left off and that was yet another mech that deserved to be the recipient of his attempt at dropping them dead with his optics alone.

“There’s no crime, Sunstreaker,” was what Jazz had to say, but then he didn’t continue because Optimus spoke up again, and could they just fucking decide who was going to speak instead of transferring the script from one mech to another?

And what did Optimus say? “This is for your own good.”

Red. That was what Sunstreaker saw, besides the shadow creatures blotting out the edges of his vision. He laughed, although there wasn’t much humor behind the sound. “I knew it,” Sunstreaker said, his voice barely more than a guttural growl—words hardly there with the fucking anger that was really starting to get the better of him, and he was quickly losing the will to even try to fight it.

The sparkling flared, hard, and this time Sunstreaker uncrossed his arms to rub at his chest before he could think better of it. He continued all the same, “Optimus Prime, ever the altruist. So what the pit did I need saving from this time?” He was pretty damn sure he fucking knew already, but fragging Prime could spell it out for himself.

“We had reason to think your allegiance to Megatron is forced,” Prowl said, simply enough.

“And why’s that?” Sunstreaker growled, one unpleasant option quickly coming to the forefront. “Did Ratchet talk?”

“No,” Optimus said with feeling, as if he fragging cared how Sunstreaker felt about Ratchet, “Ratchet respected patient confidentiality. If he hadn’t…”

“You already know our concerns are valid, don’t you?” Prowl asked.

Sunstreaker stayed silent, only meeting the tactician’s optics without a waver. So, this was how it was always going to go, no matter what Ratchet had done? He didn’t talk, and they wanted to find out the answers for themselves.

He talked, and they’d have still done something, because their goddamn ‘concerns’ would have gotten validated by Ratchet’s findings.

“First Aid saw your protocols are active,” Optimus said, inclining his helm. There was worry—probably genuine—in his optics when Sunstreaker looked back at him.

“That don’t access my emotional cortex,” Sunstreaker snapped before Optimus could say any more. “I fragging know already.”

He also knew that wasn’t the issue. 

“But they do make you predisposed to the sire,” Prowl confirmed as much. “Even without response from your emotional cortex, that is worrisome.”

Deep breaths. He wanted to fragging explode on the spot like a goddamn star going supernova, but… Oh, what the fuck was he expecting? That they’d listen to anything he’d say at this point?

What good would talking be? “Why didn’t Ratchet examine me?” he ground out anyway, because that was a point of real curiosity.

“Ratch refused,” Jazz responded. “He wanted nothing to do with this.”

Well, at least someone was doing the right thing. One fragging decent Autobot on the whole goddamn planet.

Optimus cleared his vocalizer, bringing everyone’s attention back to him. Sunstreaker cut him off again, though, right as the Prime was about to speak. “It doesn’t matter that I’ve said, several times, that I want to stay with the Decepticons?” he snarled, as much as he already knew the answer.

“We can’t be certain how much your protocols are affecting you,” Optimus said anyway. “I fear it is not truly your choice, but rather forced upon you by your coding—and by Megatron himself.”

“This is not my choice,” Sunstreaker hissed, leaning close enough to the bars that he could feel their heat on his faceplates, “being here. My choice is being with the Decepticons.”

“And Megatron plays no role in that?” Prowl asked, disbelieving.

“Our desires align.” They wouldn’t believe that though, would they?

“Could be that’s just the carrier coding talking,” Jazz pointed out.

Yeah, see, they didn’t believe slag.  

“I find it hard to believe you would stay truly voluntarily, were you unaffected by your coding,” Optimus rumbled. Something about his tone had Sunstreaker focusing on him and frowning a little harder.

The Prime hesitated for a moment before he apparently chose to just bite the bullet and get on with it. “First Aid found many old injuries on your frame.”

And when you read between the lines?

Sunstreaker covered his face with his servos and fought the impulse to scream into them. The urge to not keep it together was real.

“I’ve sparred with the lot of them,” he said, firmly, once he dropped his servos again to give his continued glare an unhindered path. “That racks up some injuries.”

“And none of them are from Megatron?” Prowl again, ever the skeptic.

Sunstreaker growled. “I’ve sparred with him too, if that’s what you’re asking.”

It wasn’t what he was asking and they all knew it. Things lapsed into silence for a moment, apparently none of them really comfortable with the topic. Well, Sunstreaker wasn’t going to try to make it any easier for them. 

Fuck them all.

Prowl’s wings flicked, but he was eventually the one to continue. “That he abuses you is not a mere supposition.” The SIC was too good to let his voice lose its calm, but his doorwings still gave him off with the way they shivered. He did not want to be talking about this.

Looked like Sunstreaker was the only one who didn’t really care. “He took off your valve cover,” Prowl managed to force out anyway. And there it was. Their basis for assuming Megatron got a bit rough with him, which wasn’t a lie to begin with.

They just didn’t get it. “It’s called foreplay,” Sunstreaker kindly informed them, leaning back to cross his arms again. “You should try it sometime.”

“Sunstreaker,” Optimus said, and the twin reluctantly looked up at him. What now?

Nothing good, that’s what. “You don’t have to live under Megatron’s abuse. You don’t need to put up with it. You have other options.”

It sounded like he so very genuinely meant that.

“Like what?” Sunstreaker snapped. “Crawl back to the Autobots and beg for forgiveness? I wouldn’t fragging do that even if he was ‘abusing’ me—which he isn’t.”

“Kid, I know you’ve got your pride, but there ain’t anything shameful in admittin’ you’re sometimes in over yer head,” Ironhide said where he’d been quiet this whole duration. 

That anger? It was quickly rising the same way it did when Megatron disregarded what he said because his his his sparkling, yada yada yada, and they went in circles around that topic until Sunstreaker caved—but this was worse. This wasn’t Megatron acknowledging that he wanted something different, and then overruling that want anyway.

This was the Autobots deciding he didn’t know what the frag he was talking about, that he was lying, that he didn’t know what he wanted– “Are any of you actually listening to me?” Sunstreaker demanded, passing his glare between all four of them, “Because it’s getting really fucking tiresome to get treated like my words don’t mean shit.”  

“The matter of your protocols remains,” Prowl said. He said something more too, but Sunstreaker couldn’t hear it over the noise that fragging roared up in his audials at just that bit. He stumbled back a step, pressed a servo to his helm—blasted hot air from his vents as the shadow folk crept further into his field of vision. And touched him. He could’ve sworn they were there–

But then, as he cycled several ventilations and fought to maintain his control of himself, they receded, disappearing back into the ether they came from. He would’ve said they were gone, but no, they never really were.

Just less numerous, usually.

He ignored the traces of phantom pings on his sensors and lifted his gaze back up to see all four Autobots staring at him. Sunstreaker scowled.

“Your glitch’s worsened too, about since you started your tryst with ol’ Megs,” Jazz pointed out. “That don’t mean anything?”

It meant he had started to reconsider his stance regarding his glitch. Did he want to say that much, though? Talk about how drastically Megatron’s opinion of it differed from the Autobot sentiments? “Yeah, well, trying to keep that whole thing from becoming public knowledge was a bit stressful.”

With how little anyone was listening to him, he didn’t particularly feel like having his explanation regarding his glitch get ignored like everything else he said was getting ignored. Plus he’d probably just get preached at about the dangers of his glitch and how irresponsible it would be to let it out of control and whatever the frag else the Autobots were always so fragging eager to fill his audials with. 

It was as if the Autobots wanted him to be ashamed of himself—of what he was.

He was a little slagging tired of that by now.

“What prompted you to fight Megatron during that one of your encounters?” Optimus asked. Right, how could he forget. The one encounter and the one fight the Autobots could genuinely claim to know of. Did they also know that was the time when he’d told Megatron about the sparkling and promptly gotten into an argument with him?

Getting into arguments with the mech was really the norm. Glitching while at it? Not that far out either. “He was annoying,” Sunstreaker gave his honest to Primus answer. And obviously, Megatron had needed to pay for that, and what better way than to go berserk and bring some unholy smiting into the game through his glitch? Sounded like a good way to him.

“You decided to fight Megatron, because he was annoyin’?” Ironhide asked incredulously. 

Sunstreaker gave him a patronizing look. “Now, ���Hide, you know me better than that. What other fragging reason have I ever needed to fight someone?”

“You had to know you couldn’ win,” Jazz said, like what wasn’t obvious to the whole world.

“Hasn’t really stopped me before, either.” Any more useless statements?

“You didn’t fight him because he was trying to interface with you?” Optimus asked. A slightly less dumb thing to say, considering it was Megatron.

But, “No, I didn’t fight him because he was trying to ‘face me,” Sunstreaker answered in the most mocking tone he could manage. Never let it be forgotten he was here not out of his own free will, but because some ass eaters had decided to snatch him right up and lock him up for good measure. If there weren’t bars between him and them, between him and freedom, he would’ve been gone a long time ago. 

They really couldn’t expect his cooperation, considering the circumstances.

“Did he ignite you on purpose?” Prowl took the turn to ask. The tactician had probably been hard at work considering all of the possible ways things had gone and would go. How lovely it had to be to get some answers to things the Autobots really had had no way of knowing.

Why was he over here telling them this slag though? It was none of their fragging business.

“No. He was as surprised as I was,” Sunstreaker responded anyway. No doubt it wouldn’t make them vilify Megatron any less, but at least they’d know the slagging truth.

If they believed it, anyway. There were good chances they’d just think he didn’t know as well as he thought he did.

But they hadn’t been there to see Megatron’s surprise upon first hearing about it, and everything that had come after that really didn’t sit in line with the theory the tyrant had planned it all along. 

“And you didn’t get ignited on purpose?” Prowl asked next. Sunstreaker rolled his optics as fucking hard as he could manage. 

“No. What would I have even gained by doing that? My life’s a mess because of this whole goddamn accident.” He couldn’t say it hadn’t also improved, but frag, was he somehow supposed to foresee that much? He wasn’t a clairvoyant. 

“Sunstreaker, I want you to understand you can still come back.” Optimus just loved to keep repeating that, without ever listening or accepting all of the reasons why that wasn’t true.

“No, I can’t. And more importantly, I don’t want to,” Sunstreaker said with as much emphasis as he could manage. “So if we’re done here, I’d really love to get back home already.”

Did he consider it home? He wasn’t sure yet, but the word sure had the intended effect of pulling a couple of surprised revs from his captors’ engines. Maybe it would drive the point home.

More likely they’d still go back to the carrier coding to gleefully point all the fingers at it and announce it meant Sunstreaker had no agency separate from the infernal protocols. 

“I can’t let you return,” Optimus said, and oh, he probably really thought he was doing a good thing through whatever wrong and twisted logic he was employing. “I cannot subject either you or the innocent life you’re carrying to Megatron’s evil.”

What the fuck..?

“You fragging think,” Sunstreaker started, leaning back to the bars and keeping Optimus’ stare, “that he’d let anything keep him from it?”

The Prime’s optics hardened with resolve. “I’m willing to press the issue.”

“So’s he,” Sunstreaker pointed out, “and he’s not going to just stop after it separates, either. You ought to know him. He’ll hunt the damn thing to the edges of the world if that’s what it takes. You can’t keep him from it.”

“And you’re fine with all of this?” Prowl asked while Optimus mulled over what he’d said. 

Sunstreaker shifted his gaze to the tactician and shrugged. “It was the deal we came to.”

“Deal? Did you actually have a say at any point?” Of course Jazz would quickly pick on little details like that. Sunstreaker glared at him, but unless he felt like lying, there wasn’t much he could say. He was fine with the conclusion they’d come to with Megatron, but no, he hadn’t really had any other options than to agree to what the warlord wanted.

But if he didn’t think it was an issue, it wasn’t really an issue, was it?

“The young one should have a right to its own freedom,” Optimus said now, apparently having sorted out his thoughts. “I have to protect that right.”

Ugh.

“What about my freedom while we’re at it?” Sunstreaker snarled, hitting the bars with one hand and ignoring the resulting burn. His plating was heat resistant anyway. It wouldn’t damage him severely. “That means nothing?”

“This is for your own good,” Optimus repeated, more firmly this time. “For as long as the carrier coding is active–”

“You’re letting your hatred of Megatron blind you!” Sunstreaker interrupted, hitting the bars caging him with both hands this time. “You can’t fathom that someone could be okay with him, understand him, be understood by him—all you can see is a mech you’ve made the nemesis of your world!”

All was quiet for a moment after his little outburst, four sets of optics staring at him with varying expressions. Surprise, confusion, concern… “What do you see in him, kid?” Ironhide asked, sounding a little wary—like he expected he wouldn’t like the answer very much.

“The sire of my sparkling,” Sunstreaker bit out, “who has the right to it.” As Megatron loved to remind him. Didn’t change it was true, though.

“Considering Megatron’s track record, it would be little short of unethical to let him his way with the sparkling,” Prowl said, frowning now. Right after Sunstreaker had just informed them of the obvious fact that Megatron would have it no other way.

The twin snarled at the lot of them. “Then what do you suggest?”

( Next )

[ask-hunterxhunter]

Scenario question about the yandere adult trio: lets say the s/o and their captor did have sex(reason could be anything from them using it as a tool to escape or Stockholm syndrome) and they manage to escape. What would happen if it turns out that they're pregnant? Would they keep the child or abort it? How woukd the adult trio react to both situations if they ever found out about their pregnancy?

This is one of those delicate subjects that can get heated quite quickly, especially with the wrong kind of people (the “I’m Always Right and Won’t Consider Anything Else” group). I think whether the girl would keep the baby or go with abortion would depend on her.

All I can do is write the possible reactions of the Adult Trio to the three ways one could deal with this: Keeping the child, having the child and giving it to adoption, and aborting.

Illumi

The fact that you escaped at all is already an impressive feat considering the high security and precautions Illumi would place around you once he has kidnapped you. And regarding the sex, there is sadly also the option of you becoming pregnant due to Illumi forcing himself on you, which he might not see as a sexual violence, but rather as him showing his love to you (his thoughts can get that twisted) or thinking that since you’re married/you’re his, there is nothing wrong with this.

After he roams the mansion and its grounds in search of you, growing anxious as he can’t find you and no one else has seen you either, the realization comes: Somehow, you’ve left… His first reaction would be a momentary confusion as he honestly cannot understand this. Not only how you did it, but also why. Why do you keep rejecting him if he took you away from all your previous problems, kept you safe and would give you everything you could want? He is a Zoldyck, there is nothing he cannot give you, so your behaviour makes no sense from his analytical point of view.

He is absolutely unable to accept that you do not love him and that what he did to you is not love. And while he doesn’t comprehend those things to their extent, it also doesn’t even matter as much as him having you.

His next reaction, which comes immediately after he learns of your escape, is set out to get you back. And he won’t spare any sort of effort, sending his most trusted butlers to find you, going after you himself as well and even offering rewards for anyone who has any information about your whereabouts. This man will move Heaven and Hell in order to find you, with a determination that is frankly scary as it serves as a brief window to the level of his obsession.

His “mood” (if it can be called that) during this “mission” changes from angry and hurt to confused and sad, as he feels nothing is right if you’re not there with him (not that anyone would be able to tell) and, surprisingly, he will worry as to whether or not you’re alright. It is not enough to make him understand things from your perspective any better, though. Someone may try to point things out and explain the actual nature of his actions and it will be a waste of time since Illumi has his own twisted logic way of seeing and interpret everything. And it is not as if he doesn’t have some idea. Depending on the level of his obsession, Illumi might not be completely delusional but still believes he knows better, that you’ll love him eventually and that is it. After all, he did feel bad seeing you so unhappy at the Zoldyck estate and his reasoning remained that he could make you happy if you allowed him.

 You’re his. Nothing else matters.

 While he also thinks about the danger of you telling others about certain secrets of the Zoldyck family, this is actually a secondary issue (probably one of the rare times this happens) and there are times when he feels somewhat personally betrayed by your actions.

 You may be careful as much as you can. You may be taking every precaution necessary. You may have changed your name and everything you can.

 And then, one night you suddenly don’t feel safe… There is something amiss…

 You’re in your new home (for the time being, you’re smarter than staying for long in just one place regardless of your situation), just checking to make sure everything is fine… Until you shiver. Before you can tell whether this is your imagination or not, you hear his voice…

 He has found you.

 And it’s likely that the people who might have helped you are dead. And Illumi may also kill others, such as your friends and loved ones even if you didn’t get in contact with them. In his mind, this is not only punishment but by making so that you have no one except him is another way to prevent you from trying to leave again.

 If you’re still pregnant, Illumi would likely know about it even if you’re not showing it yet, picking up the slightest hints of your behaviour that something has happened. If enough time has passed so the baby could be from someone else, Illumi would demand to know the truth, the cold iron in his manners as he asks you enough to make you tremble.

 Not that you would be insane enough to lie about this, knowing how he would react.

 His first reaction is a mix of anger and confusion: What were you thinking, leaving like you did and while pregnant? What if something had happened? What if someone had tried to hurt you or “our child”? And how could you do this to him, not only abandoning him but taking his child away as well?

 What makes this even more frightening is how Illumi can make all those questions while giving so little emotional signals and keeping his voice as controlled as ever. And the few hints of emotions that seep into his aura are only noticeable because of the time you’ve spent with him, making everything all the more disturbing.

 His reaction will be the same if you already had the baby and decided to keep him/her. Against what you may say or do, Illumi will approach the crib (or you, if you’re holding the baby), wanting to see his child.

 And in both cases (well, maybe all of them), your reaction has little to no consequence. You may reach your limit and argue about what he did, even yell at him. You may be too frightened to move. You may stand between him and the crib or hold your baby close, motherly instincts stronger than any fear (which may confuse him). It doesn’t matter in the end, at least no more than your protests have ever mattered to Illumi and he will have the same answers of always to whatever you say.

 It doesn’t mean your actions will be simply ignored, of course. Illumi might decide to keep you locked in the room you share for a few months for running away (and even if he decides to not punish you physically, it doesn’t mean he won’t have other means) and he won’t like the fact that he missed some months of your pregnancy or, in the second case, the birth of his first child.

 But at this precise moment, he will be more focused on how he finally found you and that he is a father. He will hug you close (in the case of pregnancy, touch your belly), whispering the same honeyed poison, of how much he loves you and that now, you’re a family with a child.

 Oh, you shouldn’t cry. You shouldn’t worry. He will take care of you and “our child”.

 And here you go, back to the gilded cage Illumi made for you…

 In the event of you having the child and giving to adoption, the chances of Illumi never finding out are very low even if you were beyond careful and meticulous about the whole ordeal. You can hope, of course… After all, Kikyo has mentioned a few of the “methods” of the Zoldyck Clan when it comes down to raise children and looking at Illumi and his siblings, you can’t bear the idea of subjecting your baby to this life (or worse, risk him/her becoming like Illumi).

 And once Illumi finds you, all you can do is pray in your heart that your child will remain free, even if you won’t…

 And you better pray Illumi never finds out about the adoption as well.

 Since he’ll know about the pregnancy, you may try lying that you suffered a miscarriage or that the baby was stillborn. It’s risky, but if you’re good enough at displaying your pain at being taken by him and the memory of your baby as sorrow for actually losing it, Illumi may fall for it. Again, the chances are low, but they exist. He will be devasted and won’t be above using this as a subtle, guilt-inducing manipulation to try convincing you that you were wrong and shouldn’t ever try leaving him again and so on, but it will be better than him ever knowing the truth.

 The thought of your child being somewhere else, free and, hopefully, with a loving family is what may give you strength to endure being back to the Zoldyck’s home and having to bear with Illumi’s obsessive “love”.

 Should the truth ever come to light, however… Nothing good will come out of it.

 Illumi will be beyond furious that you not only kept this a secret but also actively tried to keep his child away. Once more, he may or may not resort to physical punishments, but he will have ways to make his displeasure known anyway and this man can be creative in his methods. There is no telling for how long this will last, but there will be much guilt-tripping, manipulation attempts and all the while he’ll be whispering how this is for your own good, he is merely teaching you…  

 Don’t worry… He still loves you.

 And he will find your child.

 And you know this is a promise he will fulfil. And if he has to kill those in charge of the orphanage or even the adoptive family, it won’t be anything that keeps him awake at night. It is his child, after all.

 There will be a time (night or day? After weeks, months? Maybe you don’t know anymore) when Illumi enters your (windowless) room carrying the baby and refusing to hand him/her to you for the first minutes, carving a new fear inside you. Depending on how angry he is, Illumi may not allow you to see the child for a while.

 But eventually, he allows you to hold it. And you know what Illumi must have done to get the baby back… And you know what he plans to do, you remember the vicious details you heard of the Zoldyck’s way of raising children…

 As Illumi smiles to you, saying how now his family is united, all you can do is swear to do your best to keep your baby safe…

 In the event of you deciding to abort… Then you should pray all the more that Illumi will never learn of this. If you thought he was “upset” with you for keeping the pregnancy hidden or furious at you for giving the baby away, it won’t be anything compared to how things will be if he ever learns that you aborted it. This has nothing to deal with any stance on the matter of abortion itself but rather the fact that not only you took such a decision without talking to him (not that he would have agreed) and that it was his child.

 It is hard to predict how he will deal with this. This may be enough for Illumi to kill you (many stalkers end up killing their victims, despite how much they claim/believe to love them) or his obsession might still be above it, making him still want to keep you, which doesn’t mean he won’t punish you. And this time, he may be determined to break whatever resistance you might still have if this is what it takes to make you stay and no longer entertaining a similar idea when you get pregnant again. It will take a long time for him to forgive you and as terrible as it sounds, perhaps you should act remorseful, docile, and loving for a while to make your life a little easier.

 He will use the abortion as ammunition for guilt-tripping during those times (and being good at manipulation like he is, regardless of your stance on the subject, he may very well succeed) as he works to have a better control over you.

 But with those thoughts, Illumi may decide to… “Fix” what you did by getting you pregnant again.

 Hisoka

While during the first hours Hisoka may face you escaping as a sort of half-amusing game and be satisfied to see you’re not losing that special spark of yours, it doesn’t mean he will wait much before going after you. And if you manage to elude him for long enough, believe me, said “game” will stop being fun quite soon.

 Cat-and-mouse game aside, this doesn’t mean he will take well to the fact that you escaped. As soon as he realizes what happened, his entire being will be mainly focused on getting you back, no matter what it takes. And while Hisoka remains (or appears to) as composed as ever, truth is, the more time passes the more anxious (for lack of a better term) he becomes. While he hunts you down, he will be mentally revising the methods he employed to keep you and perfecting them so you won’t have another chance, as well as planning how to teach you to never try this again.

 The specifics for how he decides to go with this will depend on his level of obsession and it can get pretty ugly for you, even if he is not at the point of wanting to completely break you into submission. Again, Hisoka likes that you’re still yourself and not a broken doll, but not that you got away.

 Disturbingly, Hisoka may also want to spoil you a bit (after he gets you back and it’s all over and done with), taking some time off the fights to stay with you. It’s like he wants to either make up for the days he wasn’t with you or wanting to show you through such actions how much he missed you. It’s (almost) not so different from the other times he acted like this.

 Hisoka is not one to simply give up or chance focus, so no matter how difficult it may seem to find you, he will not stop. This makes every little precaution you take valuable… Remember that when he wants something, he gets it and this is in a “normal” state of mind. After all, it shouldn’t be easy to find Chrollo, let alone join the Spiders, but he did. And you’ve already seen how he can be when you’re involved.

 You shouldn’t hope that the time apart will make Hisoka grow out of his yandere-ism. It won’t happen so easily (if ever), so you should know better than ever letting your guard down, no matter if it seems everything is fine for the moment. Your past experience with him may help a little with this point.

 Expecting him to regret what he did is more than hopeless: It is nonsense. He may even be already aware of the way he “dealt” with his “feelings” for you, but guess what? Hisoka doesn’t care. Not enough. Oh, he may genuinely want you to be happy and, as he searches for you, be also thinking of ways of making you see that being with him isn’t as bad as you believe and so on, but by the end of the day, he would rather have you unhappy with him than happy without him.  

 He’s already possessive normally. Add a yandere-state and, well…

 One to keep his actual emotions and thoughts to himself, no one can tell what he may be feeling during this time, no better than they would with Illumi (whom, speaking of which, he may contact and ask for a little “help” in finding you). Hisoka’s mood may change depending on what his mind if focusing at the moment… If he finds out exactly how you escaped (whether you just grabbed an opportunity or have been planning it carefully) he may admire your strategy, seeing it as proof that you’re indeed made for him, in a sense, only to become angered that it worked. He may lose his patience with how hard finding you is turning out to be, get somewhat upset (or as close as he can get of sad) as he misses you…  

 And if there is an opportunity of going “all-out” during a fight to let the steam out, you can bet it will be bloody and cruel. It will help to clear his mind a little, but in the end, it will do very little to actually calm him down for more than a few hours top. It’s not like it was when he was preparing to kidnap you and it may make him even more obsessed with you.

 And because you’ve spent enough time with Hisoka to get a better understanding of him than you ever wished for, you know how careful you have to be not only with keeping yourself under the radar but your… “Condition”, as well.

 So, change appearance, name, looks, constant moving… Everything that can be done in those situations, you do.

 Yet… You may wake up in the middle of the night by a certain, deliberate noise… Or come back home a little late and be assaulted by a strange feeling. As soon as you close the door, you know something is different… As much as not a single object has been touched or misplaced, the house in itself doesn’t feel the same… But by the time you stepped in, it was already too late.

 Because there is Hisoka, looking as if nothing had happened, almost as if he is simply a husband waiting for his wife.

 An act that would be more convincing act if it weren’t for his eyes.

 And at once you realize: He knows.

 You won’t ever be able to tell for how long he’s been stalking you (again) if he found out about the pregnancy because he saw you at the doctor or learnt about your exams, and really, does it even matter by this point?

 He will just approach you, asking with a smile how it was at the doctor (if you’re coming back home from a check-up) or if you don’t have something you would like to tell him, his tone at the same time cold and playful, the way he sometimes talk to his enemies when provoking them during a fight that he knows he’s already won. As if his presence alone wasn’t enough to make your blood run cold.

 And if enough time has passed that he might not be the father, Hisoka will ask for the truth (and might want to confirm it once the baby is born, anyway), though he may draw his own conclusions from observing you once he found you anyway.

 If you already had the baby, you may find Hisoka standing next to the crib, watching the child, or even holding it in his arms. And regardless if you react with protective fury or dread at the scene, Hisoka will simply give you that smile of his that means trouble while asking what is the problem of a father being near his child. It’s like he is trying to scare you on purpose (and it is a possibility, this being Hisoka after all).

 Fatherhood is not something Hisoka ever gave much thought about, as it always felt like something that is more likely to happen to others rather than him, but once he learns about it, he is strangely glad… And frankly, anxious for the birth/raise the baby. He is/going to be a father! You are/going to be parents!

 Shouldn’t you be happy as well?

 It should be noted once more that he’s happy about the pregnancy, not that you ran off and once he realizes he likes that he’s going to be a dad, he will be displeased that he missed the first months of pregnancy/life of the baby. And his happiness towards the whole ordeal is like the one of having you back: Twisted at its core. A part of him will see and use this as a chance to make you “understand” how you’re meant to be together and while he may not be at the point of objectifying you or the baby, he will make use of said opportunities offered by the situation.

 Don’t even try to lie that you got scared when you found out you were pregnant and this is why you left him (even if this might have played a role, albeit not in the sense that Hisoka may be inferring) if he asks. And don’t expect him to accept whatever reasoning you give him anyway, either. Not that it would surprise you much since by now, you must be used to how Hisoka doesn’t believe in the “if you love them, let them go” idea. He will just smile and say you should know how he can be… Possessive, right?

 Now, he would much rather prefer to not have to use his Bungee Gum to bring you along, but if you decide to play rough…

 Although he is likely to punish you (the method depending on how obsessed he is and how it is affecting him), Hisoka might not do anything related to the baby, like keeping it away from you and you won’t have to fear him hurting it (though it doesn’t mean you won’t worry anyway), but having him acting as if you’re indeed a happy family might be a torture in itself, especially when he suggests you shouldn’t be so sad. After all, you don’t want your child to worry, right?

 If you gave the baby up for adoption, Hisoka may never find out about it if you’re careful enough, keeping the whole pregnancy a secret or be convincing enough when lying that the baby was stillborn. And, frankly, it will be better this way in a sense. While he’ll take you with him again, at least you may take some solace in knowing your child won’t have to grow up in this sort of situation or with someone like Hisoka as a father.

 If he does find out about it… Well, things will get complicated.

 His emotions regarding the chance of fatherhood aside, the reasons why Hisoka won’t take this well might be more because you not only kept the pregnancy a secret but also outright lied about what happened to the baby. If he’s still unsure of what he thinks of being a father, then his reasons for searching for the child and bringing it back will be more out of selfish reasons than anything else.

 He might not even tell you that he’s searching for the baby, pretending to accept your words about not being ready to be a mother, thinking this was for the best, etc. (if he ever talked to you about it, rather than not reveal he knows you lied). He’ll just come to the hotel’s room (or wherever you’re staying for the moment) with the baby in his arms and a smile. Oh, dear, why do you seem so nervous? Aren’t you happy to be reunited with your child?

 If you decide to abort and Hisoka finds out about it… It is not easy to say exactly what would happen. Hisoka won’t like that you took a decision that should involve him as well (as if you running away wasn’t enough), but with you no longer pregnant and Hisoka having never given much thought about this sort of thing before, his reaction may not be too angry (such as Illumi’s for example) exactly because he wasn’t involved for starters, and didn’t know about it before. It may sound weird but it can be like learning about something that happened too long ago.

 The alternative is also possible: Hisoka may get furious and for more reasons than you doing this without him. While he won’t kill you for this, he will still make his displeasure known, so things will be complicated for you for a good time…

 Chrollo

 The moment Chrollo realizes you escaped, he will contact the Spiders that are with him (or close enough to wherever you both were staying) and order them to search for you. If they have a job that demands full attention (such as the York Shin case) and his presence is needed to get things done, he will stop it (he knows he wouldn’t be able to concentrate and would jeopardize the whole operation). If not, he will tell them to carry on without him and go after you by himself for now.

 While Chrollo keeps a certain line between his personal life and the Troupe (although it’s a very thin one since his life is basically the Spider and its goals), the other members would be warned about the situation and many of them would consider finding you their new mission, either out of loyalty to Chrollo or because they consider this a “breach of security” per say, since you’ve been living so close to their boss. Either way, you have not only Chrollo but also some members of the Troupe (if not all of them) hunting you down as well.

 As for Chrollo, he would focus all of his energies in finding you and bringing you back. While his general behaviour remains the same, there would be a fiery determination that would be quite creepy (if you were there to see it). Remember that he may be fully aware of his actions, but he reasons with himself that he doesn’t want to hurt you and that he can make you happy (besides, being who he is, his moral compass is seriously lacking), so while the leader of the Ryodan may admit that he understand why you escaped, it won’t make him accept he should leave you alone (even if you beg him once he finds you again). Especially after being with you for so long, so he will be thinking of means to teach you to not do this again and also how to perfect his methods of keeping you captive. If it means preventing you from running away again, he won’t care for what he has to do, even if he has to keep you inside a cage or something.

 Like Hisoka, Chrollo may also decide to spend extra time with you afterwards, even taking you to a nice restaurant for example, either as to celebrate having you with him again or as a means to show how much he missed you and how things could be better if you weren’t so stubborn. A twisted line of thought, but maybe not so surprising. Not when Chrollo, on top of being who he already is, becomes a yandere.

 Once he finds your trail, a single clue even, then nothing will stop him. As for you, it feels almost like deja-vu, a revival of back when you knew he was stalking you despite your attempts of getting away.

 You can go to the authorities and tell everything you know, asking for protection. And, due to the Spiders’ reputation, they would likely do everything in their power to keep you safe and yet, it might not be enough. You certainly feel so, having been close to the Troupe and having seen how relentless they can be. Especially Chrollo when it comes down to you… And of course, you have your condition to think about… Which he would find out either upon finding you or (more likely) as he searches for you.

 You might be in a safe house. You might have bodyguards. Top security all around you… And yet, your uncertainty won’t leave you alone… And it will not be unfounded, not when you suddenly wake up and the place is silent… But not a peaceful silence. You may pick a weapon; you may have prepared yourself for this eventuality…

 But when you see Chrollo in a room, bodies lying around and he smiles as he greets you…

 It’s hard to say if Chrollo has ever thought of having children with you (with his lifestyle, it wouldn’t be easy to raise them), but once he learns it has happened anyway, chances are he will be thrilled about it, once he gets over the initial surprise. He can think about the implications or how you’re going to raise the baby later. He will, however, be even more worried and anxious to get you back. The Spiders have many enemies and while he has kept you a secret, how can you be absolutely sure the Mafia wouldn’t have found out about you or the baby?

 Right when he encounters you, he seems to want to touch your belly (regardless if you’re already showing or not) or hold the baby (to your fear), giving a smile when you reject him and acting as if to comfort you. Oh, dear, don’ worry. Sure, he is “upset” with you, but that can wait. Right now, he is just relieved to finally have you again and seeing you’ll have/had his child.

 After all, you don’t think he would hurt his own son/daughter, do you?

 All the while, he may hold you close (the way he would do when he realized you were thinking about your “previous” life or ways of getting away), whispering how much he loves you and how he wishes you would understand it.

 His touch still makes your skin crawl.

 Just as Chrollo wouldn’t hesitate to kill the (possible) bodyguards you have with you (or whoever else is helping), he would also say that he did warn you about this and, therefore, those deaths are on your hands as much as his.

 Of course, being happy for the baby doesn’t mean he will just ignore your “bad behaviour” or how you “dealt” with the pregnancy. And as for punishments, it would depend on how “upset” he would be and also how much the obsession is affecting his behaviour. Since he’s not completely delusional, he might not be as cruel as Illumi for example, but he wouldn’t ignore your actions either.

 There, there, why are you so sad? You should know he’ll take care of his family.

 Giving the child to adoption might work well, but there is no telling what the chances are of Chrollo never finding out. It will be nearly impossible to hide the pregnancy from him (especially if Shalnark is still alive and manages to hack your medical files), so you’ll have to lie about a miscarriage or the baby being stillborn. He won’t use it to manipulate you and it’s better to deal with Chrollo grieving than having him trying to find the child because, believe me, he will.

 And it’s not something he will take well. Any “normal” reaction a person may have to this sort of thing aside, if Chrollo’s obsession is too deep he may fall in the “objectifying the person” category and, seeing you as a thing that belongs to him, it follows that the baby belongs to him as well. Despite being a thief, he doesn’t suffer for his things to be taken away (feel free to call him a hypocrite).

 It will mean an extra punishment for you. As if knowing Chrollo is going after the baby isn’t enough… You may try to prevent this by pointing out how his lifestyle is not one that allows you to properly raise a child, but it’s unlikely it will work.

 His methods to get the baby back are the same used to find you: Relentless and without a care for those he has to kill. And in a sense, this will make Chrollo even more determined to keep you (and the baby) with him. Having a child is bound to affect things, not only in the way one expects due to having a baby (under normal circumstances) but including his “security measures” as well: He will want to be absolutely sure you won’t be able to escape again. If he has to lay low for some months or always leave a member of the Troupe with you when he has a “job”, then so be it.

 The same lie regarding miscarriage or stillborn is also necessary in the event of an abortion. The normal displeasure one may feel when learning their “partner” took such a decision without talking to them will be present, but there is Chrollo’s yanderism to be taken into account.

 Whether or not he’s at the point of objectifying you or truly believe he loves you, the fact remains that he won’t just shrug this abortion off as if it’s nothing.

 If he never finds out, then it’s like it would be with the adoption: There will be grief, but it’s better than the alternative. Like in the other cases, the specifics of his reaction are related to how deep his obsession is and how it affects his behaviour, but there is no denying that Chrollo will be “disappointed”, even angry at you and it may interfere in how he treats you for a while. There is no guarantee he won’t be at the point of using this to try and manipulate you (regardless of where you stand in the matter of abortion, Chrollo will find a way to use this if he deems necessary).

[cr-scribbles]

🔪Children:Rekindled Review Chapter  4🔪

Wow, it’s surely been a while since I’ve posted one of these, right? Well welcome back to my Children: Rekindled Review! I went away from this for a bit due to losing motivation to keep on going with these, but due to Children: Rekindled taking up most of my life again and I can’t escape from it, I’m back!

This time, we are going over chapter 4 which is definitely one of my favorites! I love most of the chapters for many reasons and I hope those are went over well during this. This review is going to be much more of me rambling on about the certain situation they are in now since I just spent an entire day writing this at some point and forgot to post it here. The second part is coming soon as well, although it might take a bit.

Here’s the link to the comic itself if you want to read it!! I highly suggest doing so -> http://children-rekindled.top/?c=1&p=1 <-

And also the three other reviews I did which I suggest checking out if you haven’t already!

https://cr-scribbles.tumblr.com/post/190279246139/cr-incorrect-quotes-hello-welcome-to-my-first

https://cr-scribbles.tumblr.com/post/190281892974/cr-incorrect-quotes-oh-no-whats-this-its

https://cr-scribbles.tumblr.com/post/190287963009/cr-incorrect-quotes-i-need-to-go-to-school Let’s begin again, shall we?

Starting right off, Sammy is already being a heckie! Well sort of. While I understand how he wants Michael to come along to listen, he should also realize that pushing it a bit more would just make things worse! Either way though, surely an interesting way to start a chapter. As someone who has read the original, I already knew what this was going to be about when I read the first line since of course that plan is murder. I just didn't expect it to immediately start off with some interaction between Sammy and Michael? I have been loving their interactions recently and especially the one in Chapter 5.

WONDERFUL THING TO DROP ONTO MICHAEL SO QUICKLY HUH?? It would have been funny to be if it wasn't. Like Sammy just says that and Michael is like 'nah I'm just feeling sad because I blame myself for this' and then it's just awkward. What a turn of events that would be! Either way though, Sammy knows something is up and honestly it makes me wonder how much he really knows. He already knows the fact that they don't care about them so would there be anything else? I wonder if that is gonna be expanded on later, but who knows! Sammy probably does. Thinking about Sammy finding that out and only being six years old is heartbreaking to me as well. If he was alone during the time he was able to see that/wrap his head around it, that must have been a really hard time for him. At this point, I just wanna know more about what Sammy went through in the past, but is my babey heart ready? No.

For one, Sammy yet again shows the fact that he knows a lot more going on than he probably should and honestly that has me quite interested. I wonder if he just listens in to conversations that the others have quite often, although with the more recent chapters, he can't really do that at the moment huh- What Sammy says in the middle panel really makes a strong point! It's sad just knowing that this company will hide the fact that multiple murders have happened there, just to save themselves. It's so understandable as to why Michael doesn't want to believe any of this. Once you realize the fact that the company is really this bad, everything just falls apart. I'm sure he's feeling absolutely awful now! Oh no!

Sammy saying that Michael isn't the only one has me curious. Is he referring to himself not wanting to believe it either in the past or something else like the others? I wonder if he believes it's just a common feeling that someone shouldn't believe this is all going on and that's why he says that Michael isn't the only one. I really just hope Michael is going to be ok since being alone with your own thoughts already isn't that great on it's own, but being alone with all of those thoughts about the fact that you brought your friends to their deaths and also yours on your own birthday? That must be awful. I just wonder how Michael is doing even after this chapter, but after it ends, when we actually see him again, it's a week after.

For the first panel, of course he gIVES EVERYONE THE CREEPS, HIS FIRST INTRODUCTION WAS SO STRANGE?? Like he got out of a puppet and was laughing like a crazy person before going to his friendly little self. Being alone in this place for who knows how long really does something to your head and I'm sure of that. I really wonder how long they even think he had been there before he tells them? Also I find it interesting and even a bit funny how no one even seems happy in the slightest when he comes. I mean of course being dead surely does something, but everyone just seems upset that this isn't going to be as important as he's saying or just nervous. Poor Daniel can't even see what's going on even still which already has me sobbing!

OH GOD OH FUC WHY IS THERE THREE SAMMYS OH NO THEY'RE MULTIPLYING all jokes aside, I really do like the little detail of drawing Sammy three times in the first panel. I know it's most likely supposed to show his emotions throughout each of the lines he says and it surely does it well! A personal favorite of mine has always been the one in the middle. I don't know what it is about it, but it has that expression that just draws me in! Sammy all straightened up an with open eyes,, me and the boys love him! I also adore that smile of his a lot!! He looks so smug when he's saying that, just poking fun at his own wounded heart like it's nothing. We do get some more for Sammy which is nice! I really want to see one day how he was even like when he first came there, but that is for another day! I wonder if the way Sammy is not getting to the point right away is causing the others to get somewhat worried about what he's going to say. I would surely be impatient if someone made me wait all day and then just doesn't get to the point, but then again, maybe him just going over it slowly was good to settle them into the fact that they're going to murder soon. Saying it right away would have been much more of a chaotic time because they would have thought he was joking or something.

We finally find out that Sammy can actually take out his knife! What a wonderful thing, but I wonder how painful it is! It's basically taking apart some wound you had gotten, but I would if the pain that was already there increases any bit when he takes it out. If he has to put it back in later, would that hurt as well? It would surely be painful if anything changed with the position, but then again, his appearance and how he was before he died never really changes so I'm sure it just goes back into place. Either way, the feeling must be surely painful! It's like dying all over again by placing the knife right back into the wound that had killed you before. Everyone also lOOKS SO SCARED AND I WANT TO HUG THEM ALL SFDJGFDS Yet again, poor Daniel can't even see what's happening, but I'm sure from his expression that he knows something is definitely off. Sammy laughing and Bianca putting her arm around Daniel to make sure he's safe could have obviously made him realize that something is definitely not right here. Francis also protects Charlie and honestly I love that so much! Francis is a caring boy to Charlie and my poor babey heart just goes sfjdhgfsd

UHH MR SAMMY??? THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT WHAT THEY WANTED!! PLEASE RECONSIDER YOUR OPTION- I adore how his page looks though! The stab wound detail where his knife would be and also his eyes is just such cool details to add! The white and red also shows the intensity of this page, obviously being like 'this is something that is very important', since that is often what the white pages have been. First it was the deaths, not it was Sammy telling them that they have to kill the guard! Sammy convinces you to start killing guards ASMR I also like how this is how it's introduced that Sammy is insane! It's not like the original where he just ends up talking to himself and we all know immediately that trusting him is not a good idea, but in this, a new reader wouldn't really know fully till this scene which is a great place to reveal it! The hints were there, but this is where it's fully confirmed.

Francis being the first to react is so reasonable to me especially considering his personality already. He is so protective, yet can also be aggressive and not really up for taking what people say. When Sammy is just telling them to murder, I'm sure Francis is showing his shock through absolute anger. Sammy basically just told them that what they need to do is be just like their murderer and go and murder innocent people! That's not good at all! Poor kids need someone to get them out of there, but of course no one is there for them. Also I love how Sammy still has those spiral eyes! I love that detail a lot and adore how it stays throughout his insanity since it really makes him terrifying. I always just imagined that it's either constantly swirling or even pulsating. Either one is terrifying to imagine, but it's also great because it fits him and his evil self so much.

"Until we find the right one" So basically they just plan on killing innocent people for the sake of being free? I really wonder if there is a better way to do that than doing this. If the murderer is even smart, he would see the deaths of the night guards and begin to realize that something is going on. He would avoid taking the night guard shift because he wouldn't want to take that same fate. Even if they're hiding bodies, that is still so many people that they are going to end up murdering and stuffing all because they are attempting to find someone so they can be free. It's so sad to think about all the lives that are destroyed due to these murders, but then again, all of them had to go through the same, merciless fate. It's really sad to think about. Also I still adore how the puppet and even Sammy looks. The puppet has such a eerie and terrifying energy to it, especially with the cracks along the mask that are near it's eyes. The teeth in the mouth are also terrifying as though there is something inside of there. It makes me curious as to how it's moving. Could Sammy just possess it while talking about this conversation? If so then he's fast. I also love how the pictures in the background even changed! They look absolutely terrifying back there, just the puppet's face with those teeth and the eyes. It stares into the soul if you look long enough. Also can't Sammy just possess one of the other animatronics? If he wanted to use something stronger than the puppet, he could have just done that, but who knows.

Something I really quickly wanted to point out is how much denial Charlie has been in so far. First it was her thinking that when Sammy said they were dead, it was all a dream. Now it's her not wanting to believe any of this is real. Honestly I really just want her and the others to be ok. This isn't a good situation at all and seeing them all just completely freak out is so sad to me. Like Bianca looks absolutely in shock that she had really waited all day, only to be given the option that they were going to become murderers to find their own murderer. Before, they thought they would only be there for a week or so, but this is much worse. All it is is chance. They could possibly get the murderer in a week, or they could get the murderer in a couple years. Or never depending on if the murderer ever even becomes a guard in the end. They could just be stuck there, having killed so many people, and never actually find the one that had killed them. While Sammy is reasonable to think that the world is unfair cause yes they did die and they were all innocent, but that does not mean that murder is ok. They should be more open for a choice that isn't just going around and killing innocent people till they find the right one, but in the end, from how the fnaf story goes, that is what they end up doing and it's really sad to me.

oHOHO FRANCIS HAS SNAPPED!! BABEY BOY STARTED SWEARING, LET'S GOOOO Bianca is really not wrong with her statement either. I'm sure it is really horrible to be waiting for something all day and in the end, it's just someone trying to convince you that murdering innocent people to find your murderer is ok. I'm sure especially upon hearing that he has been doing this for around 10 years, everyone is terrified because they thought they would be getting out of this quickly. Back in Chapter 3, it was shown how absolutely exhausted everyone was and how impatient they were with waiting till the night. They're going to have to wait much longer than just one day and that is probably scary. Having to stay with this constant pain for years on end. I wonder how alone Sammy was. Was he really alone for 10 years? I thought at least by then, he would have entirely snapped to no return, but apparently he still has a good hold of himself if he wants to be kind. Also it's even more going along the fact that Sammy is insane cause while they are all yelling at him, he's just trying to balance the knife on his finger! His poor finger that is being stabbed by the point of the knife. I wonder if he's numb to stabbing at this point. Throughout the years, I'm sure he would be by now. aLSO OH NO THIS IS THE SADDEST PART OF THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IM GONNA SOBBB Daniel just beginning to realize that they might be here for a while and Sammy just proceeding to make it worse has my heart. Daniel doesn't deserve any of this! None of them do! But they are still here and the fact that they will probably not leave for so long really is something scary, especially for Daniel. I'm sure for all of them, it's bad, but him being someone who can't see and will have to stay along with that for years to come must really be terrifying. Poor boy needs a hug right now.

This is the second time Daniel has genuinely broke down and it really is a sad sight to see. This time though, it was much worse because he actually fell to the ground since in the last panel, him and Bianca are sitting and he's leaning into her, with his hands covering his face. I wonder exactly why he places his hands in front of his face. Was it a habit he used to do when he was alive where whenever he was about to cry, he would try hiding his face so that no one would see? It would surely be sad since I'm sure putting his hands along his empty eye sockets already hurts enough and is just a constant reminder that he really has nothing in there apart from the blood and flesh that is exposed. Daniel went from doing alright before back in Chapter 3, although he did have some emotional content when thinking about Mina, to him just entirely breaking down over the fact that he is going to have to stay there for so long and he really doesn't want to. Also the others have to understand that if Sammy has been there for 10 years, killing people would definitely just become a normal thing for him which is why it's not 'such a big deal'. Everyone is about to break down into tears and it's so sad to see here. Bianca is the only one that has not shown any sign of being about to break down and honestly I congratulate her for that. Probably one of the reasons for why she is one of my favorite characters is because she is always there for the others when they can't handle the situations going on. I relate to her character or at least my past self does because helping others instead of caring about my own mental health was a habit. I really wonder if we are ever going to get a scene where Bianca genuinely breaks down after she had been there for everyone else in the past and she just gets some comfort from Daniel that time since she had been helping him the most. I really want to either write, draw, or end up seeing that in the comic because that sort of content always has my heart.

Wait a moment- Was Francis actually about to beat up Sammy just then before Bianca stopped him? That would have been really funny if he did, I do want to see someone put some sense into that insane boy. I wonder if Sammy is actually wrong when saying that they don't have a choice. Is there another way they could do this that isn't just going and killing innocent people until they find the right person? They could always try waiting till the murderer comes back to kill and then going after him then, but if that was possible, why wouldn't Sammy have just done that in the first place when the others were dying? I'm sure they were loud enough for him to hear, yet he didn't come to the rescue at all to get them and instead, only appeared when they came out of it. He would want to leave as much as them so of course he would take any opportunity he got to go kill their killer, but he didn't do a thing in the end and now they're all stuck here. I really wonder what happened. I really wonder how Bianca and Daniel are both feeling when hearing them yelling at each other. I'm sure Daniel is not having a nice time at all, especially once hearing what they were saying in the first panel about being stuck there forever. His trembling is just getting worse, poor babey. I'm so glad Bianca is being there for him to give him a protective hug, but apparently it really has done something to her too due to her comforting energy collapsing as she begins to cry. Poor girl also needs a big hug and it makes me so sad that they both just have to sit there and hear this while everyone else is about to beat one another up. Her offering to do it is what Sammy wanted, but I'm sure it's not how he expected this entire thing to go. I don't know what else he expected though, to be completely honest.

Oh the first panel always hurts because you can just see the disbelief for a moment of Charlie's face as she proceeded what she just heard. Sammy also seems pretty surprised which is funny to me because he was the one who wanted to do all of this in the first place. I wonder when that eye effect stopped going over him too since by the time his eyes are shown again, they are gone. Did they leave just now or were they gone by the time he was arguing with Charlie and Francis about everything. I'm so curious as to when it even will show up again, but I love those eyes a lot. What an interesting ghost he is. The blood on Daniel's face looks like it's so much more than before and honestly that hurts a lot. Either it's just more detail on the blood or it's there to show he had been crying before and that made the blood just flow a lot more than it usually did. Either way though, the way he reacts to how Bianca is going to go kill the guard has me so sad. She was the one that was protecting and holding onto him and all she wants is for all of them to be ok, but now she is going and doing exactly what Sammy wanted her to do. Poor Bianca doesn't even realize that it's not going to be ok, especially from what she ends up saying later on in Chapter 5 about this night. It really saddens me how Daniel is just seeing his own best friend go and kill all to make them feel better. I wonder if he feels so helpless at the moment since there isn't much he can do to change Bianca's mind.

I am afraid no one would be joking about the fact that they are going to go murder some possibly innocent person for the sake of their friends being free. I feel so bad for them all since just reading through this page makes me realize how terrified they are of Bianca doing this. Of course no one would believe being murdered on a special day and then coming back as a ghost, only to be told that they need to murder people to actually leave, but what could have prepared them for that either way? Bianca just looks so serious and done with what Sammy had to say. I'm so surprised she is just able to get away those tears so quickly to stand in front of her friends and tell them what she wants to do. She's doing it so that they can have a chance at being free and if it doesn't work, they don't need to worry about it anymore and can just move on to something else that could let them be free. I still don't know exactly what they would try to get that, but either way, it would be a lot better than killing people hopefully. Daniel's small "What if the guy is innocent" is honestly a line I really want to draw because that is most likely something that is on all of their minds. Anyone they harm could be entirely innocent and they are just taking someone else away just like how they were taken. It's so sad knowing how these kids end up getting later on in the story and how they no longer act like this later. I just want to hug all of them and tell them that there is going to be a happy ending..or at least Daniel, Bianca, Sammy, and Francis. I don't think Charlie and Michael could really be hugged anymore.

Oh I absolutely adore this page since we get to see how Sammy goes from being this crazy murderer who is trying to convince everyone to this small child that is afraid Bianca might actually hurt him. Something else I really wanna draw one day is Bianca just looming over Sammy since she is obviously MUCH taller than him, especially in the first panel. If Sammy takes another bad move, he would definitely be hurt by her and that would surely be something interesting to watch. Could ghosts even get hurt? If they have the form they had before they died and it stays like that, I wonder if any of them can actually feel pain or get any more bruises. Is double death real? Honestly I would doubt it since that wouldn't make any sense. You can't just kill something that is already dead. I love how done Bianca is so much. She has been through enough with Sammy and at this point is just not wanting to deal with it anymore and Sammy knows that for sure. Even with the last panel, he looks sO NERVOUS AND IT HAS ME DYING

With the first panel, I love how everyone looks shocked or just sad. Like Francis looks as though he can't believe any of it and the two others just look so distraught that their good friend is going to go kill someone. If I was in this sort of situation, I would probably be either both or just breaking down in tears in the corner of the room because I'm dead and my friends are going insane. I'm still really interested in how there is still those drawings up of the puppet. What causes them to change to be like that? That is obviously too ominous and eerie for it to actually be something around there so do they just change depending on the time? Like if Sammy is going crazy, does the other items around him begin to alter to show that craziness? Either way, both drawings are pretty creepy. Sammy's joyful self surely came back quickly and honestly I love what he says here. He sounds much more happier and less all psycho? Bianca surely isn't having any of it and I'm sure she just wants him to shut up at this point since they both know this person isn't going to be the one. It would be so rare to get it first try, especially after the murder and all, but they are still hoping, I assume. I also wonder how hard it would be if one of the animatronics ended up actually tripping and they needed to get them back up? Like would the one possessing them need to push themselves back up or actually get on the ground as well to do it. I don't really know how possession logic works anymore.

This really makes me curious about if there is a way Bianca can just not possess Bonnie for the time being. Like does she have to be paying attention to be able to possess him? Could she ever do something like what Sammy does where he just gets entirely inside the animatronic, only really coming out when it's necessary? I don't really think that will happen to any of the main five or Sammy anymore due to the story being focused more on them, although it would still be them if they were just possessing the animatronics. Either way though, I wonder how hard it was for Bianca to get rid of those cables attached to the robots and how difficult it's going to be to get those back into place. Do they even put them back into place afterwards or do they let the employees that come around go ahead and do that? That's a question that might never be solved, but hey I'm still curious! Bianca just slamming the guitar on the floor is also pretty funny to me because Sammy seemed to get so upset at first about it just suddenly being dropped, but then he was like 'wait nah i don't even care for this company.' I just want them to mess up with all of the animatronics' stuff, but if that happens, the place would close and they don't want that cause they need more guards!

Not much to say here apart from how I love how they added the shaking to Bonnie. Since Bianca was electrocuted, she would be constantly shaking. It's almost like Bonnie is just a part of her now so her shaking is just transferring over to Bonnie in that way. While it might also just be because it's hard to control such a huge robot with powerful strength, I just love how it's done here. That small detail is really great! Also Sammy still wanting to be on Bianca's good side is really funny to me. He's just trying his best and it's not good due to what he is doing.

Bianca talking about how conflicted she is about this entire situation really pulls at my heartstrings and I entirely believe that it's supposed to be like that. With what she says in the middle panel, she knows well that what she is doing is going to completely harm her relationship with the others, but she also just wants them to be happy. She is conflicted and doesn't know what to do so she's taking the only option she has at the moment which is just follow what Sammy says and get it over with. I feel like through this, she slowly begins to doubt her plan on killing this person because they could be entirely innocent. There is so many difficulties with this risk, but it's the only risk they can really take at the moment because there is nothing else they can really do.

It is really sad to just see Bianca realizing that she doesn't even know what to think anymore. She acted so serious around the others and especially around Sammy, but right when she's actually alone, she just talks to herself about what she should do and what she wants or not. With how she was talking about how she hoped everyone forgave her, I really wanted to see her say 'I hope I can forgive myself' because honestly I feel like that is how she's feeling right now. She knows what she's doing is bad, but is taking the risk for everyone. If it is not the murderer than of course they'll just have to forgive her for what she did, but she would also need to take some time to forgive herself too because that probably stays on her chest for a long while. The fact that she could possibly kill an innocent person and she was really just hoping it was him. Watching these kids slowly fall into what Sammy wants them to do surely scares me for the future because obviously they are going to eventually do it, but it's just going to be so sad to see them go down that path. It's like the path of no return.

~~ fINALLY I GOT THIS DONE!! this took much longer than expected. The next part shall be out soon since I finished it up last night. For now, you have this! Remember to always scream. See y'all next time when I bring the other post!

[7-wonders]

As Above, So Below Ch. 17

Summary: Your average, mundane life as a college student is flipped upside down when the man you thought you knew as your next-door neighbor turns out to be the God of the dead. When Michael lures you down to Hell, everything that you thought you knew about the world is proven wrong.

Word Count: 4387

A/N: Wow, this chapter was incredibly hard to write, and I think that’s because this story’s starting to come to an end. I’m sad, but happy that this has been so well-received. Feedback is always appreciated, and I would love it if you liked and reblogged if you enjoyed!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6| Chapter 7| Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17: Running Out of Time

A child’s imagination is endless, made up of numerous worlds crafted from nothing more than their minds. As a child, you would spend hours upon hours with other neighborhood children, playing as pirates, astronauts, cowboys and cowgirls, time travellers, and royalty. Bike helmets would serve as protection from the lack of oxygen in outer space, fallen branches acted as swords and pistols, daisy chains were crowns, and blankets were capes. These fairy tales, however, were just that: tales, imaginary scenarios that children dreamt up. At least, they were just tales until you fell down a Hellmouth with the God of the Dead. Five-year-old you, if she could see you right at this moment, would be absolutely green with envy.

Zoe, Madison, and Desa dress you, as they have so many times before, but it’s a silent affair this time. The tension in the room is thick and lingering, everybody on edge about the events soon to transpire. The three women are already dressed, and you assume the reason that it’s taking so long for them to get you dressed is a way to get rid of some nerves: by nitpicking about every aspect of your outfit, it allows them to visualize their stress.

The dress that they’ve decided on is off-the-shoulder and accentuates your curves before flowing like a ball gown down the rest of your body. It’s made of some sort of crushed velvet, although the material feels a lot more luxurious than the velvet that you’re used to. What takes some getting used to is the color, a deep burgundy that is darker than anything that you’ve worn since you first arrived in the Underworld. You can’t say that you hate it, mainly because it makes you look elegant in a way that you’ve never looked before. Lighter shades of red lick up the hem of the dress, making it look like you’re trailing flames.

Your makeup’s been done to perfection, but you wouldn’t expect anything else when Madison’s in charge. A silver necklace accented with rubies drips down your neck, and Zoe’s tongue pokes out of her mouth in concentration as she attaches matching ruby earrings to your earlobes. Reaching up to twist the silver ring with a cloudy gray pearl that sits on your index finger, you realize that your hands are shaking.

“Hey,” Madison calls to get your attention, “stop shaking or else you are going to end up sounding like a windchime with your necklace clanking around.” It’s a lame attempt to get you to smile, and the most you can force out is a halfhearted chuckle.

“I’ll try my hardest.”

“Whatever happens, (Y/N), we’re doing this together. Luckily for you, I don’t tolerate losing, so our only option is to win.”

“Ladies, it is time.” A knock sounds a second before the door opens, Thanatos peeking his head in.

“Are you ready?” Desa asks.

“Nope, but that doesn’t really matter since we’re doing this.” You blink away a sudden rush of tears when you smile at Desa for what may be the last time, taking a deep breath and nodding. “Now or never, then.”

Even from outside of the Grand Hall, you can still tell that the regality of this affair is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Just seeing the procession ahead of you of demons, mythical beings, and gods is insanely intimidating. Although you and Michael have gone through how the coronation will go, and what to say and do, you’re still worried that you’ll mess up. Before you can have any more time to worry, however, the large doors open and the orchestral music swells.

Every person, or creature, stands the moment you enter. In this moment, you wish more than ever that Michael was by your side. Madison would absolutely berate you in this moment if she could, the sight of you trying to avoid shaking like a leaf as you walk down the aisle presumably rage-inducing. Everybody’s eyes are glued to you, the train of your dress trailing behind you. It honestly feels like a wedding, and you’re extremely thankful that you’re not actually marrying, or becoming queen, today. You love Michael, but the thought of anything as extravagant as what you’re experiencing right now is nauseating.

Michael stands on a raised altar, wearing his finest black uniform and a red cape with ornate attachments. A sword is sheathed at his side, the bejeweled hilt resting just above his hip. That beautiful black crown, adorned with red rubies, sits perched atop his golden curls; Michael’s ethereally intimidating, and you can see how his quiet demeanor is enough to rule over all of the dead. You smile shakily when you reach him, but he doesn’t break his stern face as he holds out a hand for you to grasp. He helps you sink to your knees, handmaidens fixing your dress behind you.

“Sirs and Madams, I present to you (Y/N) (Y/L/N), your undoubted Queen. Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?” Cassius, a high-ranking demon, has agreed to act as the master of ceremonies for today’s fake coronation and begins the proceedings. The crowd all affirms that they are willing, and Cassius turns to stand next to Michael and face you.

“Will you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the Underworld, and all of its domains, by the respective laws and customs?” Michael looks down at you and asks. Your hands rest in your lap, fingers twisting and turning nervously as you nod.

“I solemnly promise so to do,” you recite with a shaking voice.

“Will you to your power cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?”

“I will.”

“Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of the Underworld and preserve its legacy?”

“I will.”

The handmaidens walk forward at this cue and place a shimmering gold cape that drapes over your shoulders. Michael’s handed a small bowl with an ‘anointing oil’ inside of it. Due to the fact that this is a fake coronation, the oil is actually just water mixed with some lavender extract. Dipping his thumb into the ‘oil,’ he draws a symbol on your forehead while proclaiming something in Latin. You briefly realize that you’re going to have to learn Latin soon enough, a daunting task that you’ll push to the side for now as Michael takes your crown from the pedestal it sits upon.

Zoe had told you that there would be a special crown designed for the event, but you didn’t realize just how beautiful it would be. Delicate silver filigree connects the silver leaves to the base of the crown, creating a tiara that childhood you would have gone absolutely crazy for. Your favorite part, however, is the small flowers crafted out of the black onyx that Michael’s so fond of, small rubies dotting the center of each one. Although this isn’t an actual coronation, you’d be honored to wear a crown as beautiful and as regal as this one.

You hold your breath as the crown is placed on top of your head, sure that Satan’s going to tear the roof off of the building. Based on what you’re expecting, it’s anticlimactic when you’re crowned and nothing happens. Michael, to the outside eye, doesn’t look concerned, but you can see the confusion on his face. Where’s the uproar, the screaming? Nobody was planning on this to actually go off without a hitch. Michael proceeds as if nothing unexpected has happened, taking your hands and pulling you up to your feet.

“Queen (Y/N), ruler of the Underworld. Long may she reign.” Michael formally presents you to the crowd of people, who all stand in recognition.

“Long may she reign,” they repeat before cheering.

“Oh yes, long may she reign,” a mocking voice sounds above the cheering, sending the attendees into silence. A man steps into the aisle, calmly approaching the altar that you and Michael stand on. He’s tall, his unruly black hair somehow manages to look like he styled it that way, and his hazel eyes seem to flicker and crackle with sparks. Guards stand at attention, ready to protect you if the need arises, but a mere flick of the man’s hand sends the guards falling to the ground in a heap. “My son, are you really so naive as to believe that I would not find out about this secret coronation of yours?”

Michael steps ahead, putting a protective arm in front of your body. It’s at this moment that you realize two things: One, that Satan was able to assume a human form in order to sneak into the coronation. While this is frightening, the second thing that you realize assures you that the plan is not completely derailed, and this is that Satan doesn’t realize that this is a fake coronation. He thinks that you’ve just been legitimately crowned queen, which means that Michael’s assumption about his father’s impulsiveness proves correct.

“Oh, I’m not naive at all. In fact, I like to believe that I planned this perfectly. You are, after all, our honored guest this afternoon.” Satan quirks an eyebrow, scoffing at Michael’s vague statement.

“Pardon my bluntness, but what exactly are you getting at?”

“He’s saying that we’ve got you right where we want you, dumbass,” Madison speaks up from amongst the crowd, self-assured voice ringing loud and clear. Satan slowly looks over his shoulder, smiling a smile that, you realize with a pang in your chest, is the exact same feral grin that you’ve seen multiple times on Michael.

“The Goddess of Witchcraft. I was wondering when you would grace us with your presence,” Satan sarcastically retorts. “Let us stop with these games, Michael. You know what I want, and you know that I can and will get it with whatever means necessary.” You hold back a shudder when he turns those cold eyes towards you; if there was ever a time to describe someone as having eyes filled with hellfire, it would be now.

“Then you should also know, Father, that I don’t cater to the whims of those below me.”

“‘Below’ you?” Satan’s impulsiveness strikes once again as he steps closer, standing on the bottom step of the altar while pointing a long finger at Michael. “I created you, boy, and you would do well to remember that.”

“Madison?” Michael calls, the goddess fluidly raising a hand in the air. You watch with bated breath as she draws out the tension before closing her hand into a fist. Like a mirage, the crowd of spectators shimmer before disappearing into thin air. The once-full Grand Hall is now deserted, save for you, Madison, Zoe, Michael, Thanatos, and Satan.

“A clever parlor trick, but I do not see how this factors into your grand plan.”

“It’s simply a way to avoid collateral damage,” Michael smirks.

When Satan goes to question Michael again, his face is frozen in an open-mouthed, angry expression. You’re momentarily confused until you glance over and see Madison and Zoe working together to keep him frozen to his spot.

“The spell won’t keep him like this for too long; we need to transmute now, or else we’ll lose our chance,” Zoe commands in a rare show of dominance. Michael clasps one of your hands as you form a circle around Satan, Zoe grabbing onto your other hand to connect the chain of magic. Once everyone has a hold on someone else’s hand, Madison nods.

“I’m going to release him from his bonds. The second I let go, we need to transmute.” You nod, nerves being overtaken by the desire to defeat this man who, for all intents and purposes, has attempted to make your life a living hell. “Now!”

Even with everyone’s powers being combined, the toll that it takes on your mortal body to help move the Devil through time and space is extremely noticeable. You’re panting, chest heaving as if you’ve just ran a marathon. Your overheated body, however, quickly becomes chilled when the eternal winter air of Cocytus freezes your nerve endings. The sleeveless coronation gown does little to protect you from the elements, and you clench your jaw to keep your teeth from chattering. Satan stumbles forward as he suddenly regains control of his body, synapses trying to catch up to the reflexes that were delayed while he was under Madison’s control. Madison, Zoe, and Thanatos go to work at discreetly heating up the thick layer of ice that lays beneath Satan’s feet, while you and Michael start to distract him.

“I admire your desire to move this little battle of yours to the edge of your domain in an attempt to minimize casualties, Michael. However, this will make it quite difficult for your subjects to recover your bodies after I am done with you five.” Although Satan’s got his eyes locked on Michael’s, shivers still wrack down your spine from the intensity of it all.

“You’ve always been far too cocky for your own good, Father,” Michael says.

“And you have always been too churlish. My problem, though, does not lie with you.”

Satan steps towards you slowly, hair barely rustling even with the icy wind whipping across the flat landscape. Michael attempts to put himself in front of you, offering his body as your shield, but you place your hand on his shoulder to stop him. No words are exchanged between you, but the look in your eyes says it all. You need to do this, need to keep the Devil occupied with the misguided hope that he could take his ‘enemy’ out easily. The ice is too thick for just Madison, Zoe, and Thanatos to melt, and he would figure out the plan immediately if you were to start helping. It needs to be you that captures his attention.

“Look, I never wanted any of this in the first place. You know that I wasn’t originally brought here of my own volition, right?” Your eyes shift quickly from Satan to his son, letting the golden-haired god know to start helping the others.

“I figured as much upon seeing how you reacted to your first few days in the Underworld. Indeed, I had hoped that you would find your way back Above without my intervention. After all, I have never been one for getting my hands dirty. But once you attended that ball with Michael, I knew that I needed to make an appearance in order to…spur everyone into saving the life of their sweet, innocent little human pet,” Satan mocks with a wide grin. “Imagine my surprise and delight when the Underworld attempted to expel you itself.”

“So you didn’t know that the Underworld was slowly killing me?” It’s a dumb question to ask, but it masks the subtle cracking of the ice as the structure starts to weaken.

“I did not, but it certainly worked to my advantage. That is, until you decided to attempt the test of the Seven Wonders with the expectation that, if you passed, your title of Supreme Witch would allow you more time in the Underworld.”

“And now I’m here,” you mutter, flexing your frozen fingers to keep from shaking with nerves. Your life has been full of fears being faced in recent months, but nothing you’ve seen so far compares to the fear you feel from being in front of the embodiment of the antithesis of good.

“And now you are here,” Satan agrees. “I must admit, (Y/N), I admire your fiery tenacity. Your dedication to those that you care about is one of the few positive human traits that I shall miss upon my destruction of humanity.”

“Who says you’ll even get the chance to destroy humanity?” Satan laughs loudly, spreading his arms as if to prove a point.

“How can any of you expect to defeat me, when I have already won? All of the magic in the universe would not be able to kill me; your attempts, while noble, have proven fruitless. And now, you all must die.”

When your lungs start burning for air, it takes your brain a moment to realize what’s happening. It’s ironic that the lack of oxygen is preventing you from registering that your airway is obviously being cut off, and it’s only when you see Satan’s hand flexing at his side that your mind makes the connection that it’s his powers that are suffocating you. A loud gasping noise is the only sound you can make as your hands come up to your throat, fingers clawing at the invisible hands that have you in a vice like grip. He laughs as he lifts his hand, the invisible hand holding you captive forcing your body up in the air. Michael’s attention is drawn away from his task when he senses your distress, and you have to furiously shake your head to let him know that you’ve got things under control.

Black spots dance across your vision as you hold your own hand out, trying to summon the large chunk of ice that you can see laying thirty feet away. You’re pleased to know that, even on the verge of losing consciousness, your powers still remain as potent as they have been since you finished your last wonder. The frozen mass wobbles before propelling forwards, smacking against Satan’s skull before he can comprehend the giant ice ball flying straight at him. It doesn’t knock him out, but it does knock him down and jar his concentration, releasing you from his grasp.

The burning in your lungs is even worse as you hurriedly breathe heavy gasps of air, body trying to make up for the lack of oxygen it’s experienced. You’re on your hands and knees, coughing while you try to blink your vision back into place. The three Satans that keep weaving in and out of your eyesight are slow to get up, and you’re already back on your feet by the time he manages to crawl to his knees.

“It truly is a shame that, after all the trouble your friends went through to save their precious human, you will die at my hand.” Satan morphs from his human body to the being that you first saw him as, with a coal-black body that moves as if it’s made of smoke, raised etchings decorating his ‘skin.’ Those burning embers that constitute his eyes are somehow less terrifying than his piercing human gaze, but they still burn down upon you.

Satan’s transformation into his original form, which he sees as his final show of power before he kills you once and for all, works to your advantage. The ice, slowly yet surely cracking beneath him the entire time, now starts to rupture loudly from the combination of the weakening structure and the sudden extra weight standing on top of it. Satan yells when he looks down to see what’s happening underneath him, stepping back to escape the danger. When you combine your power with theirs, it is the missing link that is needed to fully melt the ice underneath him. A tremendous breaking sound rings through the air, the ice finally giving way to the freezing waters that flow below.

His claws scrabble across the ice as his lower half is submerged, but even Satan is no match to the freezing shock to the nervous system that falling through ice provides. The fire in his eyes is extinguished as he bobs up and down in the water, slowly sinking down into the depths of Cocytus. You watch with bated breath as the once-great creature is reduced to nothing more than a block of ice, his outstretched hand being the last part of him that you see. You all look at each other in disbelief, trying to find the words to accurately describe how you’re feeling.

“Did…did we do it?” Zoe asks, hands on her hips as she tries to gather her breath.

“I think so,” Thanatos replies, peering into the rushing, dark water for any sign of life.

Michael smiles at you, and you start to make your way towards him from across the ice. His face, however, quickly turns into a look of alarm when you hear cracking from under your feet. Whether the ice was overheated from the combination of your powers or Satan’s weight had more of an effect on the surface than any of you realized, it doesn’t matter in this moment.

“Run!” A chorus of voices start screaming, three sets of eyes and one set of empty eye sockets watching as you stumble through the snow to try and get to safety. Ice, unfortunately, is much faster than you. You can barely form a scream before the ice breaks beneath you, plunging you into the freezing waters.

Inadvertently gasping at the shock of suddenly being in the coldest water you’ve ever felt, your lungs become flooded with the water. Everytime your body tries to cough it up, you inhale more. Your arms and legs thrash around you as you try to remember how to swim, but the panic and the shock make it impossible to even think. You don’t even know which way is up, the water so disorienting that every direction seems to be the same.

Up above, Madison screams after you disappear. Michael surges forward, forgetting the apparent danger that comes with unstable ice. He starts to kick at the snow, uncovering the ice to try and see if he can find your body. Zoe looks into the hole where you fell through, tracking the current that moves the water, and your body, downstream.

“The current’s this way!” She yells, gaining the attention of the three others who are furiously kicking snow out of the way.

“Michael, breathe,” Madison touches his shoulders to make him focus on her. “Pinpoint her life force, use your powers.”

Michael nods, hands raking through his hair while he tries to find you. When he does locate your spirit, he runs along the direction of the current, falling to his knees and clearing the snow away from the ice. He starts to pound his fists against the ice, desperately trying to break through before he loses his chance.

It’s funny, you dimly think, how this dying experience is so much different than your last. When you were dying of the fever, your body killing itself as a response to being in the Underworld, you were terrified. You didn’t want to die, and the disorienting blur of events frightened your already-scared self. Now, though, you’re calm. Maybe you’re already dead? After the panic subsided, the only thing left was a serene sense of peace. The current that you’re drifting along with is comforting, wrapping around you like a thick blanket and completely enveloping you.

The last thing that you think about is Michael, but that’s not too surprising. You imagine his smile and how he was never able to understand your millennial jokes. You can almost feel his hands clutching yours, surprisingly warm considering he’s the God of the Dead. You wish you had more time with him, imagining all of the things that you would be able to do if you weren’t going to die in this water. Sure, you would have had to find some way to remain in the Underworld that was more permanent than being the Supreme, but you could handle anything as long as Michael was at your side. “I’m sorry, Michael,” you think.

“Get back!” Madison waits for Thanatos to drag Michael away before muttering an explosion spell. There’s no way that Michael would have been able to smash his way through the thick ice, and his bloodied fists would only become worse if she allowed him to continue his futile pursuit. The spell helps to make some progress, but Madison has to repeat the spell two more times before the ice breaks away and exposes the water.

Michael crawls to the jagged lip of broken ice, jeweled hand reaching into the freezing water to try and fish you out. He searches through the water, your body bumping into him right as he was starting to consider jumping in himself. You’re dead weight, and Michael has to wrap both of his arms around you to drag you back up onto the ice. Your lips are a sickening blue, and Michael panics when he can’t find your pulse.

CPR isn’t something he’s too familiar with, but he knows enough about the process to start pumping at your chest and administering compressions. Zoe clutches onto Madison, tears freezing as they make tracks down her cheeks. Thanatos, so used to being the one to help, can do nothing but watch as Michael tries to resuscitate you. Michael pinches your nose shut and tilts your chin back, breathing into your mouth before starting compressions again. When you cough up buckets of water, chest heaving as your lungs get rid of the water while simultaneously attempting to breathe normally again, Michael sobs. When your eyes blink open and you look around, everybody, even Madison, sobs.

“Hi, darling,” Michael mumbles, rubbing his thumb against your cheek. You smile weakly, Michael stopping you as you try to speak through your coughing. “Shh, it’s okay. You don’t need to say anything.”

Although he tells you not to speak, there’s a million things that you want to say. How grateful you are for being saved, the happiness you feel at Satan being gone, the excitement at what comes next, how tired you are after coming back to life, and especially how cold you are. Michael doesn’t need to hear you say it out loud though, smiling as he hears your inner monologue. He stands with you in his arms, carrying you off of the death trap of a frozen lake so that he can transmute with you and get you warmed up before you go into shock, Madison, Zoe, and Thanatos staying behind to freeze the river back over again to fully trap Satan and his consciousness. There’s a million things that you want to say, but now you have all the time in the world to say it.

//////////////////////

@nana15774 @queencocoakimmie @sammythankyou @girlycakepops @trimbooohgodplsnoooo @lichellaw @sebastianshoe @pastel-cloudz @ultragibbycentralworld @grim-adventures58 @dandycandy75 @dolceandchalamet @everything-is-awesomesauce @langdonslove@ccodyfern @consultingsnowqueen @readsalot73 @jimmlangdon @sloppy-little-witch-bitch26 @hplotrfan @omg-hellgirl @gallxntdean @storminmytwistedmind @venusxxlangdon @langdonsdemon @kahhlo @americanhorrorstudies @antichristwrites @xxxmaterialistic @forgetting5sos @sadsadiesworld @michaelsapostle @izuniias @grippleback-galaxy 

[sparda3g]

Attack on Titan Chapter 118 Review

We can dance around and talk about how utterly amazing the latest anime season has been, but let’s not forget where it came from. The manga content was already incredible, so translating to the anime version is mouth-wateringly blessing. It’s the true Game of Thrones Season 8, only it’s not, because well, look at the title. However, the quality is most certainly true. When they say Sunday hype is over, I say it’s not, until the anime is over. But enough about that, we the manga readers need to look beyond, thinking to ourselves, “Will the future content be as incredible?” While that’s up for debate, I can say it’s looking downright stellar, and this chapter pushed it further.

Zeke may have left the anime (for now), but here he is in the manga, ready to play baseball. I really like that angle shot with Yelena staring to the sky as the blimps are burning and falling. It’s a shot that nailed her character well: a cult follower that praise the God for eliminating the devils. Zeke is a game changer; taking out titans and weapons left and right. Floch the douche and others come in to play as well. Basically, the tide has reversed from the last chapter, though later on, the ground will be on even level; sort of. I like Magath for not giving in to retreat, even when the odds are against him. He wants “justice” against Zeke the traitor. That is soldier’s pride at its core.

The suspense continues to escalate with Eren slowly heading towards Zeke. Honestly, I don’t know if I should be rooting for him or not, but then again, so many good characters are victimized by Zeke’s spinal fluid, so I am more frightened than excited.

A new scenario is created with the objective to save Falco, and this will be the best opportunity to show Gabi and her development payoff. It begins slowly with her wanting to tag along with Colt to save him, because she feels she owe him a lot after many hurdles. That’s admirable of her. It seems natural since she’s a warrior, but it becomes apparent later on. Falco and Nile have a nice and a bit depressing conversation. I’m glad Nile receive more moments, with Falco no less. It’s two genuine good people chatting, and that itself is rare. It’s sad though that Nile is trying to cheer him up, but thinks his time is up; won’t be able to see his family again. I hope Isayama is merciful on him.

The entire jail scene with the main crew is great, filled with plenty of really good insightful character moments. Onyankopon did in fact run off to free Survey Corps to assist Eren. Called it I guess. It could have been a simple path. Unlock the cell, inform about the problem, and ask anything after the battle is over. Instead, these characters unleashed their personal feelings and thoughts that one would say, “It’s long overdue.” Not to say the writing has been lacking, rather how long it has been building up to reach to that certain point.

Take Connie for example. It was expected of him to rage and take it on Onyankopon. However, his anger isn’t solely based on currently. It’s his frustration and experiences since the beginning that have been eating him deep inside. I can’t argue back at him; not when he’s tearing up. You can really tell he’s tired of everything. Come to think of it, he has suffered a lot; losing his best friend Sasha, losing his family, and getting betrayed by his so-called friends. I’m surprised he lasted this long mentally.

Onyankopon is the only guy that I can genuinely trust from the Yeagerists and thankfully, he comes clean. It’s like what I thought; he had no choice but to follow Yelena’s orders. Otherwise, well, brain is served. This is the woman that headshot a guy just for complaining. It’s as if it’s translating the internet world of today; nothing but restriction and ridicule. You can believe his words based on previous chapters. All of his reactions were genuine; not a clue on what’s happening. I felt a bit sorry for him. Thankfully, Armin exist to believe his story. Good boy saves the day, just like in the anime.

The planning procedure is very interesting. The option that would benefit them the most is the rumbling. At least they won’t eradicate the race; just intimidate the world. One of the interesting parts is with Mikasa. She is still conflicted with what Eren told her about Ackerman. As believable that story is, Armin believes Eren has lied. It’s astonishing because Isayama made it very convincing with the past events, including the headache part, and to call it a lie is conflicting. It won’t be against the writing if it is a lie, but then, what is the truth. Perhaps Eren does know, but twist the truth somewhere.

I like the fact Armin picked up the problem with his friends. Everyone easily bought into Eren’s words and can’t think otherwise. This does confirm that Armin lied about crying for the Euthansia Plan because he doesn’t buy it not one bit. Luckily for Eren, Armin is a great best friend you can ask for; defending his action and believing there’s a real agenda behind everything. Plus, his argument is very convincing. It is likely that Eren was ambushed by Yelena with a plan that must not be turned down. We know how insane she is, so this makes sense. Furthermore, Eren is more towards on protecting his friends, rather than wiping out existence. If accept the plan, the rumbling option will be included. It’s a lot of work, let alone to think about, but it’s beginning to add up a lot.

Plenty of characters are getting their moments to input, so it’s Jean’s turn. He’s another character that has been receiving a good amount of developments. Here, it’s about his opinion on Eren. He still maintain the thought that Eren will send everyone straight to hell; he’s not entirely wrong about that. However, the fact is, he actually envied the guy. He’s irritated by him, presenting as a damn cool guy. That’s rather charming of him to say. Who said a horse can’t express love? Connie cools down and go with others as well. Now, it feels like a good uprising moment; encouraging and relieving.

The one part that continues to make me go in circle is why Eren did all of that to his closest friends, Mikasa and Armin. I know he has to stage an act, if Armin’s theory is on-point, but the reasoning, the explanation, and the disconnection weren’t necessary. I still remember that moment and it continues to upset me, like good God, guy. It is perplexing when Armin may have discovered the answer and it ties in to the beach scene, where Eren ask about wiping out the enemy across the ocean. Something tells me Eren wants the rumbling into full effect, rather than partially. Maybe what I thought before may be true after all. By that, I mean his way to sacrifice himself without making his friends worried. It’s complex, but at least Mikasa’s head is in the right place. I hope the real reunion comes really soon.

You got to love Jean for having the kintama to go straight to armed men and belittle them, putting them in their place. He is seriously shining a lot in this arc. All the soldiers in the cell are released, so those crybabies (higher-ups) can stop crying now. You got to respect Shadis for blaming on a bear, obviously shielding the young cadets. He really deserves better. Pixis has always been a badass, and being thrown to the cell did not stop that. It’s a good move to form a group for those who drank the wine, so if the roar occurs, they won’t disrupt others who haven’t.

I really like the symbolism with Mikasa leaving her scarf behind. It really feels like the last arc when she has done something unspeakable; her character that is. It is sad because it is something she holds preciously the whole time. You could see it as a way to address her freedom, acting on her own accord. Part of me thinks this is a death flag, but I believe she will be safe. I don’t know how the scarf will come in play in the long run, but the stepping stone got me moved.

Zeke is seriously turning the tide easily. He’s dominating everything there; titans, blimps, you name it. Reiner has no chance to come close to Eren. It’s just a massacre. Why even have Armin and others? Insurance? Yelena, oh man, talk about her sanity wearing thin. She is undoubtedly sick; enjoying the destruction sight and await for the world to change. Her sitting posture can define her lunacy. Just before Armin and other set off, she has one freakish face that can haunt dreams. Holy crap, my body was shaken with fear. That face, as well as the follow-up, is the face that screams, “Please help my lord and savior. Or else, I will eat you.” I know what I said. I don’t know if she’s on to Armin, but her smile definitely says failure is not an option.

One of my favorite parts of the chapter is the reunion that I didn’t think it would warm my heart. To begin with, Nile is a true gentleman, helping Falco to reunite with his loved ones. Colt, on the other hand, isn’t much because he was getting ready to kill Nile. I don’t blame him, but I was growing worry. Praise the sun, Gabi’s development payoff is kicking into high gear. She stops Colt and instead of unfortunate incident, it all goes smoothly. Falco is reunited. Somewhere, Erwin is smiling. Seriously, please have mercy on Nile, Isayama.

Gabi didn’t understand her action, but it’s a step in the right direction. This proves her heart has changed and her action speaks louder than her mind. First, she reacted as someone who believes in good people. Next, she feels and accepts the pain of her past actions that brought a young unforgiving enemy. Braus Family walks by and while the father believes in Gabi and Falco, Kaya wishes for them to be killed. Cold, but the damage is done. Usually, Gabi would react like, “So what? You’re part of the devils,” but she’s finally accepting the blame and take it all in.

Her development is very solid. It was helped by the slow process, digesting slowly on every part, large or small. It is too little, too late, especially taking the life of a beloved character, but that’s the idea. War can corrupt the mind of a child, whether it’s from manipulation or experience; Gabi is no exception. It’s similar to Reiner, only she has a chance to change and perhaps obtain a better life. She is still young and despite the damage is severe, she admits her faults, so it’s not like she won’t learn anything. I don’t know what Isayama has in mind for her conclusion, but hopefully forgiving.

As for Falco, he finally tells them the truth that he was responsible for the invasion on Marley. I like how very telling Gabi’s reaction is. If it wasn’t for the development, she would definitely pull an Eren from the infamous traitor scene. But now that she has mellowed out, let alone exhausted by this point, she doesn’t react anything but sadness. Those two went through so much hell as kids; it’s damning that they made it this far. As sad this situation has gotten, Falco goes further to the point he has grown up.

He confesses his love to Gabi. That’s right; about to beat the main cast in the race to love. In all seriousness, I’m surprised yet proud like a father to watch him confess like a man. The boy is all grown up. Now, this is a death flag, a classic one at that. However, it was more or less toned down since he did mention the reason for his confession. It’s only adding more to the total of suspense within this battle. It’s not guaranteed, because there are times where happiness prevail, but in here, it’s uncertain. I pray to God that he makes it out okay. I’m fine with this pairing and Gabi isn’t accepting his end to be here. The only hope is if Zeke gives a damn and realize Falco will become a titan if he roars. It all lies on it.

My other favorite part, perhaps the best one, is the last action before the enticing cliffhanger. As you already know, Zeke dominates when far range; no one can’t top him. That is unless you’re Pieck and carrying a powerful cannon shot. At first, I didn’t want to believe that she was killed by Floch and others. That would seriously piss me off. I already hate Floch, so doing this would boil me red hot. It turns out that the Cart Titan’s death was a lie and she fooled everyone. Translation: her MVP streak continues. I demand a figurine for my collection!

It’s damn clever to act defeated and let the titan dissolve slowly to convince everyone. Floch didn’t know who killed her, which led to Marlely soldiers to ambush and actually use the corpse for cover. Who said they ran out of ideas for usefulness? On top of that, the cannon can be used by men, so Magath aims and fires right at Zeke; so close on wiping his human body away. Honorable mention or MVP, Magath is the man. For a normal guy, he sure is a badass. Just like that, the table is balanced (for now).

The stakes are extraordinarily high. The suspense is insane. Zeke is down, but can recover. It’s only matter of time. Magath can’t get a shot from the angle, so that’s no longer an option. Reiner and Porco are still standing. Eren is standing. Falco and others are on their way. Armin and others are approaching. Who will reach to Zeke first? What is the destination? It’s a loose ball to grab to score a victory. It’s mind-numbing just by thinking about it. The possibilities are endless. Clearly and I know you’re going to hate me when I say this, especially if you follow me in other series,

“We’re in the endgame now.” I couldn’t resist. Seriously, it’s very likely that the next chapter is the endpoint.

This chapter was exhilarating, at times unnerving, and suspenseful. There were plenty of character moments that left me awed, proud, terrified, and sympathetic. The action was tensed. Some of the scenery and angle shots are really good, especially that destruction scene. There were plenty of interesting info that I am hunger for answers, but the battle must be dealt with first. So many death flags to worry about, but at least keep Falco alive. For God’s sake, keep one pairing alive, dammit. The suspense is killing me. The next chapter can’t come any sooner…

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 027: The Ol’ Run and Float

Previously on BnHA: Deku won the obstacle course and made All Might proud while pissing everyone else off. Midnight announced that the second event would be a cavalry battle. The kids were told to team up in groups of 2 to 4, and that each team’s captain would wear a headband with a point value based on how that team’s members placed in the obstacle course. Deku found out he was worth ten million fucking points.

Today on BnHA: Midnight explains the rules of the cavalry battle. U.A.’s first years set out to assemble their teams. Bakugou doesn’t fucking know who any of these people are. Iida wants in on this rivalry thing too. Deku gets off to a shaky start, but actually manages to assemble probably the best team out here, thanks in large part to its abundance of girl power, but also because my bird bro Tokoyami decides to get in on this as well.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 51 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

new volume cover!! lots of kids this time! twelve of ‘em!

we’ve even got that steampunk girl. SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE

this is the calmest that Bakugou’s face has been on a cover yet, I think. he’s even letting Kaminari lean all over him. he still doesn’t know how to smile, but at least he’s looking at the camera, unlike Todoroki up there in the corner

and we’ve got Ochako up there in the top left! KICK SOME ASS OCHAKO

Deku looks pretty happy and doesn’t appear to be fearing for his life, so we can confidently assume that this picture wasn’t taken during the sports fest! ahahaha

“the boy born with everything” hmm that sounds like Todoroki to me. could be Bakugou too I suppose, but right now I’m leaning more toward the kid who hasn’t had much development yet and whose mystery dad seems like he might be introduced shortly

I freaking love that... [checks the handy dandy character guide] Hagakure is on the inner cover cheerleading with these two

(ETA: I can’t believe such a cute fucking page was so ruined for me with context.)

okay I skipped past the characters cuz I already know who they are, and definitely skipped past that chapter index. here we go

seems pretty fucked up to me. do they have twists like this every year? if yes, then why do the kids who’ve watched it religiously since childhood (i.e. Deku) not anticipate that and maybe just shoot for top 5 rather than #1?

well Deku, you’re just going to have to continue to be just that damn good, I guess. you’re screwed otherwise

even Ochako omg

he’s still thinking to himself that it was just dumb luck that he came in first. by my reckoning it was actually ridiculously quick and adaptive thinking, more than a little cleverness, no small amount of physical strength and endurance, and a reckless disregard for his own safety bordering on the insane! but sure, call it luck

wonder where all of that GARRRRR energy has gone now. it’s like he was running at 300% for that entire event, and now all of a sudden he’s run out of batteries

okay here we go, some detailed rules

that’s going to be a lot of zeroes for Deku’s team

glad they designed the headbands to fasten with velcro so that these kids don’t go snapping each other’s necks

and apparently once someone grabs your headband, they’ve got to put it on and wear it themselves, so as long as time’s not up, you still have a chance to get it back

so then Deku won’t necessarily be the main target the entire time. ooh, this changes things. I like this game now

that little shithead Mineta might be a problem if his team utilizes his stupid grapes

and Tsuyu could potentially just use her tongue and be snatching up headbands left and right

apparently they’re allowed to use quirks, but not allowed to maliciously attack teams “with the intent of making them fall.” well what are the rules then. is that basically just a “don’t kill each other” rule and aside from that everything still goes? this opens the gates for some inconsistent refereeing. but I suppose these games are just an exhibition match to show off anyway, so as long as everyone gets to do that, it doesn’t matter as much who actually wins or loses

unless your name is Bakugou Katsuki and you went up on stage in front of a hundred thousand people and were all “it’s me I’m the winner”

or if you’re Todoroki “dad is watching and I just made Deku my rival fifteen minutes ago, so I don’t want to lose to him” Shouto

or Midoriya “dad is watching and I promised him I’d tell the world I AM HERE” Izuku

then you’re probably more invested in winning

so should be interesting

(ETA: actually, getting into the round of 16 really did make a difference in terms of who got drafted afterwards.)

time to start forming teams!

Deku already seems to know who he wants!

Tsuyu or Ochako, Deku. either is good. both are even better

Iida’s also fast! and loyal! (ETA: HAHAHAHA) but the second that fucker gets distracted, his weird hand gestures will get you dropped on the floor right quick

Bakugou and Todoroki would NEVER!! so let’s not even bother with that

Sero is another one like Tsuyu that would probably be really good at snatching bands

anyways, enough with the hypotheticals, let’s scroll down and see who this thoughtful young man actually decides on

heyyy. booooooo we’re cutting to the security staff

they don’t seem to be doing a very good job

wow. these guys are kind of the worst

“drag others down.” what a cynical fucking take

now they’re talking about how the cavalry battle teaches cooperation. well no shit, just like literally any team exercise ever

these are the most demotivational superheroes I’ve ever seen. the complete fucking opposite of All Might. no wonder he was so desperate to find someone with the right attitude to be his successor

WOW CHECK OUT MISTER POPULAR OVER HERE

OH NOW Y’ALL LIKE HIM, HUH. I WAS HERE FIRST

he seems to have someone else in mind maybe?

wow

“WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE”

wow Bakugou. wow. I may not know all of their names yet, but at least I know... two of their quirks

-- and actually I do know their names! Sato, Hagakure, and Mina! wow! guys! I did it!!!

meanwhile All Might’s up in the stands with his own hot fresh takes on Bakugou, which mainly consist of “he may be a jerk but he sure is talented and that sure does make him popular.” yep. are you proud. he’s still our son, All Might

Todoroki already picked a team while Bakugou was standing there trying to figure out what everyone else’s quirks even are and what exactly is this mysterious “teamwork” thing anyway

luckily he has a good friend who mysteriously loves him for some reason!

even though Bakugou doesn’t even remember his name sobbbbb

to be fair, I sure took a long hecking time remembering it myself

Kirishima is pointing out that he’s the best fit since his quirk allows him to take whatever explosions Bakugou dishes out

wow they really are compatible. this seriously could take over as my main ship, were it not for the fact that Deku has so plainly been in love with Katsuki since he was three years old

but even so! like, I’ll just nab this little KiriBaku tugboat, maybe, and let it puff along next to my main ride

incidentally, Bakugou doesn’t even know what Kiri’s quirk is

and Kiri DOESN’T EVEN SEEM TO MIND ANY OF IT

“Bakugou who should you ride?” “idk someone with a death wish cuz I sure fucking will blow them up you can be sure of that” “no!! me!!!”

that’s the pure kind of unconditional Yamamoto-esque love that can withstand whatever pain and hardship life decides to dole out. good shit

so who’s he gonna pick as his final teammate then

guess who doesn’t care who Mineta picks. me

Shouji if you agree to team up with Mineta you will be cancelled by association until the end of this challenge. it’s not your fault, it’s just the way things are

DEKU WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING THERE. YOU SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD A PLAN. THAT’LL FUCKING SHOW ME TO ASSUME YOU WOULD EVER TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN LITERALLY ANY KIND OF SOCIAL SITUATION

so then. you’re either stuck with the most desperate peeps, or your loyalest most dedicated besties

eh, I fail to see how punching something really hard one time and then having your body fall apart would inspire faith, though. please note that your fellow classmates, who have seen your quirk, are still avoiding you

oh! I see a “Deku” speech bubble though! only one non-Kacchan person here who calls him that! :D

LOOK AT YOU LUCKING OUT OVER HERE DEKU

this was seriously one of his best prospects to begin with. her quirk would help a lot when it comes to avoiding people, and with him having the highest point value to start with, they don’t really need to go after other people’s points

so if he’s teaming up with her, then Iida is definitely the best choice for a third teammate. they work well together, and I guarantee no one else has offered to team up with him yet lol. just gotta watch out for those hand gestures like I said

but before we get to that let’s just appreciate Deku’s meme face

is this face a meme. if not, my question is how could it not be

yesss. it’s all coming together now. THE OL’ RUN AND FLOAT

now they’re in the huddle and Deku’s explaining the ol’ run and float plan

but interestingly, he doesn’t intend to be the rider? he wants someone physically strong? well there are a few options then, but honestly there isn’t anyone else here who’s actually stronger than you bud

WOW now Iida’s suddenly deciding to be a spoilsport?!

YOU CAN REFUSE MY FOOT IN YOUR ASS YOU TREASONOUS CAD. A POX ON YOU IIDA!!!

apparently he’s decided to make Deku his rival too. EVERYONE, RIVALS. HE HAS ENOUGH RIVALS!!!

“ever since the entrance exam... I’ve been losing to you” well then sure as hell don’t expect it to stop now

he’s teaming up with Todoroki. wow. wow, Iida. you wanna be cancelled too because this is how you get cancelled

I’m not actually mad in all seriousness though, I just gotta protect my sweet Green Tsuna here who apparently has no Gokuderas to fall back on except for Ochako, that beautiful, rule-breaking moth

does the math actually work out so that there’s gotta be at least one person left for him to team up with?

dammit who’s it gonna be

OOOOHH

IT’S THE SMART STEAMPUNK GIRL FROM THE SUPPORT COURSE. I LIKE THIS! SHE’S A WILD CARD. GET IN HERE SUPPORT COURSE GIRL

HATSUME MEI YOU BEAUTIFUL TALENTED BRILLIANT POWERFUL MUSK OX

she says she wants to team up with him so she can be in the spotlight. see, this is what all these kids are forgetting. it’s not really about the points, it’s how well you show off what you’ve got

and she apparently wants to show off “her babies.” her inventions, I’m guessing

PLEASE JOIN US AND BE OUR WINRY ROCKBELL. BE OUR USOPP, MEI

SHE HAS JETPACKS. DEKU!!! DO IT

aww. Ochako don’t be jealous. he needs you, you’re the MVP even if no one else here knows it yet

okay so they’ve got three again. but Deku still seems to think they need one more person

“our formation’s just lacking some power...”

off he goes

who else are you gonna sweet talk into this group Deku

I should probably make a guess so that I can either brag afterwards, or laugh about how wrong I was

he keeps saying power. but most of the obvious 1-A powerhouses are already taken. Sato seems pretty tough, though, and there’s also that rock guy who is like the only guy left in the class who hasn’t done shit. and I think Tsuyu might still be available and she’s a dark horse IMO. my money’s either on her or Rocky Road

okay, this Viktor-looking guy has been making faces and mugging the camera this entire time, and now it looks like he’s actually gonna get a bit of focus here

and he’s acting like class B hung back on purpose. sure, okay. do your thing then; just don’t expect me to learn twenty more names when I only just got done with this first group after 27 fucking chapters

we’d better see who Deku picked before this ends or it’s a waste of a cliffhanger

oh good there’s one last two-page spread

Deku ended up as the rider after all huh

OH

I FORGOT ALL ABOUT HIM! NOW I FEEL DUMB. HE’S FUCKING PERFECT, AND HE ACTUALLY AGREED TO JOIN THEM! TOKOYAMI, FROM THIS POINT ON YOU SHALL BE KNOWN AS “NEW IIDA”

THE SHADOW THING IS GONNA BE SO OP OMG. LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOO

BONUS:

“steampunk-related things” they didn’t even pretend

I’m glad Horikoshi made so many interesting female characters and went against his initial instinct to make several of them guys. class A only has six girls out of 20 people total, so it’s not quite balanced, but it’s better than there being like. four girls. and they’ve all got heaps of skill and talent, and varied and interesting personalities

so the support course peeps are basically the Tony Starks of BnHA

I am so down with this. go on and befriend Deku and make him all sorts of cool shit later on and further enrich the series with your general presence, Mei

[stargazerdaisy]

This is all Kylia's fault

Like seriously.  ALL HER FAULT.  She just had to tag me in this post and then my stupid brain spun off into another dimension and vomited up 1700 words over the course of the day.

THIS IS SO CRACKY I AM ALMOST EMBARRASSED. 

So if you think this is just the stupidest thing you've ever read, blame @kyliafanfiction.  I had no control over this or at all.

Enjoy.  I hope.

Skye is digging through security code for the base, making sure everything is up to snuff.  When she starts noticing some weirdness in the code.  It catches her eye, and let’s face it, it’s new, which makes it interesting.  So she goes digging.  And digging.  And digging.  Because, Skye.  At first it’s just quirked eyebrows.  Then they start to pinch.  Then her brow gets positively furrowed.  By this time, there are mutters escaping intermittently.  Which then turn into sighs, and then, growls.  Finally, she shrieks, “FITZ! GET IN HERE!”

“What now?” he huffs, rolling his eyes at her dramatics.

“I think I found something that honestly, is just completely insane and I’m probably crazy, but I really don’t think I am.  I need you to check it and see if you can tell if it’s real or not.”  Skye steps back from the computer, head tilted, as if reading the code sideways will help it make more sense. 

Fitz slides around her to get a look at the screen, grumbling quietly to himself about how no one can ever do anything without him, and if he wasn’t here, the entire base would collapse under the weight of everyone’s expectations alone, and that’s before we even get to all the structural damage they keep causing.  But as he starts examining the screen, his murmurs slow down and eventually stop mid-sentence.  His mouth hangs open and he can’t even blink.

“No way.  This can’t be…”

“Right?!” Skye screeches.  “You see it too, don’t you?”

“But there’s no way that could be right.  That can’t actually be what’s happening.” Fitz pauses for a moment, then turns to look at his friend.  “Can it?”

“I’m not saying it makes sense, but the code is all there.  I can’t find a flaw with it,” she confirms. 

“Woooooow, I’m going to need to need a minute,” Fitz says, plopping into the chair Skye has just vacated. 

The silence stretches on as they each try to make sense of the information on the computer.  Finally, Skye breaks it.

“So,” she begins, “when and how do we tell them?”

“No, we can’t,” Fitz replies.

“I think we have to,” Skye says.  “Don’t they deserve to know?”

“But will it actually help them?  Will there actually be any value in telling them they have no control over their own lives?”

“Oh Fitz, are you on this again?” Simmons says as she breezes into the room, only having heard the last part of his thought.  “We are not cursed.  We are writing our own destiny, not the other way around.”

Skye and Fitz look at each other in alarm.  Do they set her straight or let her be with her mistaken assumption?

“I don’t know, Jemma,” Elena says, coming in behind her.  “We’ve seen an awful lot of stuff happen that is so crazy, it doesn’t seem like it could have happened without some external force directing it.”

“That doesn’t mean it was pre-destined,” Mack says following his girlfriend.  “If we don’t have power over our own choices, what’s the point?  I’m not about to surrender my agency.  We can change things.”

“But how you would know if you did or did not have agency?  It’s not like characters in a play know that they’re characters in a play.  They think they’re regular people just living their lives.”

“Fitz!” Skye hisses.  “Might that be a little too on the nose?”

Fitz merely shrugs.    

“You’re literally no help,” Skye scowls.  “You tell me we shouldn’t say anything and now we’re having some deep philosophical discussion about free will.”

“Tell us what?” Coulson asks, popping in at an absurdly convenient time, as if it was choreographed. 

“What did you do now?” May pipes in, stern expression as always.

“Oh my gosh, we didn’t do anything!” Skye says exasperatedly.  “I just found some weird stuff when I was going through the security code.”

“And what did you find?” Coulson prompts, when it is clear Skye wasn’t going to elaborate.

She exchanges another look with Fitz.  He shakes his head no, she mouths ‘Please!’ at him, he grimaces and starts gesturing more vehemently to keep quiet, while she gets more animated with her pleas, all the while not a single word is actually spoken. 

Finally, May loses her patience and demands, “Someone better explain what is going on right now.”

Skye swallows guiltily and shoots Fitz one last look.  He throws his hands up in defeat and turns away in frustration. 

“Okay, so, um, you might want to sit down for this,” she starts. 

“Get to the point,” May insists. 

“Fine.  But remember, you asked for it.”  One last deep breath and she launches into her explanation.  “So when I was looking through the code, trying to spot and fix any weak spots, I noticed some weird stuff.  I followed it and well, I’m not sure how to say this, but…  We’re characters in a TV show.”

Stunned silence follows her announcement.  Then, seemingly on cue, the entire group bursts into laughter. 

“Oh Skye, that’s hilarious,” Jemma says.  “As if any of us are interesting enough for a television show.”

Mack guffaws.  “If this was a TV show, people would constantly be making fun of it for how ridiculous it is.”

“Speak for yourself,” Coulson says.  “I am plenty interesting.  Anyone would love to know more about my robot hand and its gadgetry that would make Tony Stark jealous.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Phil,” May says flatly.  But seeing Skye’s irritated expression in response to all the laughter, she asks, “How can you tell, Skye?”

“I know it sounds crazy.  Trust me, I do.  I didn’t believe it either.  I made Fitz come check it with me,” Skye defends herself.  “Tell them Fitz!”

Fitz huffs, but replies.  “It doesn’t make sense.  But the code is there.  I saw what Skye is describing.  She knows code way better than I do, so If I saw and she can describe it, then it’s probably true.”

“So what, this is like the Framework?” Elena asks, her eyes flitting across everyone.  “We’re just simulations?”

“Sort of,” Skye says.  “What’s different is that it’s not running automatically.  In the Framework, Aida had just set up the parameters and algorithms and the program ran itself from there.  This is different.  There is someone, or several someones most likely, intentionally picking and choosing and directing what happens to us.  Like, everything.  For the past 5 or so years.”

The room is quiet once again, but the tension is palpable. 

“You mean someone chose to cut off my arms?” Elena asks angrily.

“Mine too?” Coulson adds, shocked.

“They sent me to space on purpose?! TWICE?!?!” Jemma shrieks.

“And gave me brain damage!” Fitz says.

“And shot me!” Skye cries. 

“And made me dance,” May exclaims, disdain and loathing dripping from every word. 

“So we aren’t real?” Mack says.  “This is making my brain hurt.”

“Like that’s hard, Turtle Man,” Elena snarks. 

“Who are these people that think they can just do this and we’ll have nothing to say?” Coulson demands.

Skye’s mouth twists into a scowl.  “Best I can tell, there are several people involved, but it mostly comes down to two people.  They make all the major decisions and even write a lot of it.  So they’re definitely the ones to blame.”

“Geez, it’s like they get off on torturing people as much as possible,” Simmons complains.  “What the hell is wrong with them?!”

Without warning, Kara, Ward, and Lincoln manifest in the room, as if pulled from beyond the grave.  “WHO DID WHAT NOW?!?!?!” they all scream in unison.

“Ummm…” stammers Skye. 

“Well, that is fucking bullshit,” Kara curses.

“Tell me about it,” Ward glowers.

“I got blown up in a spaceship, just because someone thought it would be entertainment? Are you kidding me?!” Lincoln hisses.

“Look at me!  I basically died three times!” Ward says.

“At least they liked you enough to keep bringing you back,” Lincoln points out. 

“At least they remember you.  They don’t even mention me ever again!” Kara cries.  “I was just a plot point to them, only useful when they needed me to prove something.  And they sucked at that too.”

“As opposed to having you possessed by an alien squid-slug-thing after you have your chest caved in?  -Thanks for that, by the way, Coulson – But, I don’t know.  I probably would have preferred getting forgotten all together.” 

Kara shrugs noncommittally.  Either option seems pretty crappy. 

“Well, this is freaking depressing,” Fitz says.  Everyone nods glumly in agreement.

After a moment, Coulson speaks.  “To think, all of this craziness: Hydra coming out of the shadows – thanks for that, Ward – to Skye’s crazy parents to the Inhumans to Radcliffe and Aida and now going to the future and coming back; none of it was happenstance.  It was all on purpose.  Just…..wow.”

“At least you got brought back to life,” Kara mutters under her breath.  The couple people closest to her, Lincoln and Skye snicker but try to hide it. 

The group lapses into quiet as they each contemplate what this information means for them.  Moments of enlightenment flicker across their faces one by one, as they remember some other event or instance where they had thought it was just luck – good or bad.  How those recognitions built up emotionally varies.  Bewilderment and confusion reign for some, others are angry and seething, more still are somewhere in between.  Fear is a significant factor for all of them.  If all of this had happened already, what will be coming next? 

“It’s even worse, you guys,” Fitz says, realization suddenly dawning on him.  Everyone turns to look at him.  “They kills dogs.”

It is so silent you could hear a pin drop.  No one dares to breathe.  Evocative of a school of fish, they all turn slowly, in perfect synchronization, towards a single point.  Almost like...they were looking at a camera.

“I’ll kill them,” May hisses.

“Not if I get there first!” Ward bellows.

And just like that, they all took off in a charge, scrambling to get to their tormentors and make them regret ever daring to mess with them. 

[atleastputinsomeeffortinuroc]

Rant: My Opinion on Venom the Character --aka-- The Tragedy of Eddie Brock

Let’s talk about Venom for a second.

With his new solo movie coming out starring the always impeccable Tom Hardy, I think it’s time we discuss everybody’s favorite muscle-bound Spidey villain/ruthless anti-hero, because…I well I say everybody loves him, when that’s not entirely true.

I’ve never really been a big fan of Venom. Specifically as an anti-hero.

I agree with the masses when I say Venom (when written in a certain way) is a great, GREAT villain and near prefect counterpart to Spider-Man to truly challenge him as he is very much the embodiment of his failed responsibilities. (Failure to help Eddie, failure to control the suit and just throwing it away rather than truly destroying it.) However, when placed in the morally gray protagonist role like you would put, say, the Punisher, Venom has always come off as just completely and utterly boring to me. I have never seen nor understood the appeal. He’s just a big, muscly, edgy Spider-Man with a creepy smile that goes on about “WE MUST FEED” or some horseshit that lacks any sort of drama and tension, instead relying on blood and gore to satisfy the crowd.

Now, the reason why I believe this is mainly because I think the most interesting aspects of Venom are lost the instant you put him in that anti-hero role. More specifically, you lose Eddie Brock’s tragedy.

What does that mean? Well, it’s…complicated. In order to find out why—you’ve gotta break down Eddie to his fundamentals as a character and find out what makes him work, before you go in and look at what doesn’t.

Spoilers for the character ahead, and also I should mention that this is all MY opinion. If you love Eddie Brock and wanna disagree with me, you’re free to do so. Just know that I’m not saying EVERYONE IS WRONG AND I AM RIGHT. This is my own personal deal with the character that I felt has bugged me and has finally come to a head that I gotta get off my chest. Good? Good.

Alright, let’s start off with the two building blocks of Venom: Eddie Brock and the Symbiote.

The Symbiote is some space-dimensional-parasite thing that is this thing that feeds off of the emotions of its partner, and then gets a small bit of their emotions that becomes a part of them. Each symbiote, according to new lore, has its own personality and ideas—but the symbiote that fell on our character has had…let’s just say a very VERY difficult couple of previous hosts before Peter Parker ever entered the picture. It lost its mind and became this thing that fed off of one emotion more than any—pure, seething rage. That last part, to me anyway, is the most crucial part of what defines Venom and separates him from the other incarnations like Carnage or something. This suit is fueled by the darkest part of the human id, the place where your darkest fantasies and thoughts that you refuse to give the light of day manifest. As long as dark thoughts exist in your mind, it will gravitate towards them and expand them ten-fold. It’s more than just some black goo that gives you powers—this is a living, breathing thing that cannot be negotiated with, and cannot be controlled. It can only be submitted to.

Eddie Brock is another thing entirely. Many different people have many different takes on the dude, but based off of his different origin stories, and how he’s set up, there is one fundamental item that has always defined him before the suit: tragedy. Eddie Brock has always got the short end of the stick in basically every department. He’s either lost his job, or he’s lost his mentor, or he’s lost his girlfriend—hell, he’s even once lost his future when he discovers that he has a tumor. Whether it’s because of these events, or how he was raised before, all of these things happening to him at once garnered two things within Eddie: contempt. Contempt towards those who got to have the life he’s always wanted but could never have because of *insert reason here.* It also doesn’t help that every decision he’s made to fix his life has always blown up in his face as well by trying to take shortcuts that he’s seen others get away with in the past easily, adding to his pain and suffering. He is, essentially, the one person in all the Marvel universe who can never catch a break. It’s that aspect that honestly makes Eddie Brock more interesting than the symbiote in some capacities. He’s more fleshed out, more humanized and shows just how bad things can go for people in the wake of mistakes that superheroes can make.

Now, for me, it’s when you combine these two where things can get…iffy. Mainly because it’s how you interpret or misinterpret either the symbiote, Eddie, or both that can make or break the character. For me personally, there’s one aspect of Venom that works the best, mainly because it makes the most sense with their characters and motivations. It ain’t the suit, it ain’t the symbiote, but instead Eddie himself. If you stop to think about it, there’s a kind of tragedy surrounding him.

Eddie sought solace in life and was refused time and time again by those around him. And then, at his lowest point, there is only one thing that gives it to him: the symbiote. The symbiote gives him the power that he’s always dreamed of, and lets him finally unleash the rage and contempt that has been boiling in his system for years. And it is ONLY THEN when Spider-Man finally tries to lay down an olive branch. He tries to get Eddie to fight it, to beat it, but by then Eddie is too far gone. Hell, I’d argue that the instant Venom starts to refer to himself in plural, that’s when Eddie truly died. They are better now. They have found peace within themselves. And they don’t need your sympathy. The idea of being told that you can be “saved” becomes a joke to those who were forced to save themselves.

Therein lies the tragedy: It isn’t that Venom isn’t given a chance at redemption, but rather that he refuses it.

When writers play into that effect, and show how depraved and demonic Venom is, and then juxtapose it with the shriveled up husk of a man that is Eddie Brock who only finds peace in becoming that terrifying thing—that’s when the character is firing at all cylinders I think. He becomes this horror show who you can’t help but feel the same amount of pity as you do fear of him. It’s almost a kind of Walter White situation in terms of losing oneself to your alter ego. This is why and how I find Venom fascinating.

But, on the contrary, when you try to put Venom in the different role of anti-hero rather than straight up villain, I draw the line in the sand.

Y’see, a fundamental part of what makes Venom so much of a cool villain is because he can’t escape his tragedy. He is literally bound to it. To make him anything other than an antagonist would go against that tragedy and therefore would go against his character, or completely and fundamentally alter the fabric of the character itself.

For example, say you go the direction of having Eddie try to fight the monster and control his powers. Real Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde style. The issue you’ve got there is that, well, it’s already been done. Peter tried that a looooong time ago. Plus, it wouldn’t work for the character as he’s already accepted the symbiote as part of himself. “We” and all that.

Another example, say you have Eddie attempt to find a kind of redemption arc and finally own up to his responsibilities. While yes, you can have this done where Eddie finally controls his anger and rage and can become a hero…but it has to come at a cost. Looking at this narratively, the one way to finally put it all behind him would be to defeat the thing that is keeping him from becoming human again, and there’s only one item in Brock’s past that does so—the Symbiote. For him to do a proper redemption arc that makes sense for the nature of the symbiote and how Eddie would move forward (and, admittedly, would be a good final note for the character,) he would have to destroy the suit or refuse to put it on again. Essentially, Eddie can be redeemed…but not Venom. If this were to be used, this would have to be Eddie’s swan song before leaving Venom proper.

The final option is, of course, why don’t you do a Punisher-type thing with Venom? He brutally takes out the bad guys that the other dudes won’t have the stomach to. While Venom could express his rage and anger against the right (or in this case ‘wrong’) people, and could provide an interesting issue for supporting heroes to tackle since he’s crossing the line for the right reasons, it’s kind of a one-trick pony. Long term it would fall flat on its face. It would get stale because you’d just see him constantly mowing people down with no consequence and no character development save for the occasional time when Eddie is justifying his actions. It would have to start and then, after a killing spree or two, he would get taken down by the heroes who force him back into a cage. This idea DOES fall in line with Eddie Brock’s tragedy, and admittedly could be done…but without that juxtaposition of Venom brutally murdering gangsters and supervillains with your Iron Men and Spider-Folks trying to maintain justice and order and are forced to take Venom down, it’ll all be lost.

You see where I’m going with this? Every time you try and set up Venom as an anti-hero, it just doesn’t work out that well. You either take away a fundamental part of what makes his character interesting, or you end up losing the character forever. He’s not like Punisher. He’s not like Deadpool. He’s not like, well, any other kind of anti-hero. He’s too much of a beast to be contained. It’s like trying to make the Joker out to be an anti-hero. You can’t. He’s done too many horrible things and would have no real reason to do any modicum of good in his entire life.

(Random hot take: I also don’t particularly care for Agent Venom. He just feels…lame. He has the Venom suit without the insanity of the symbiote or the contempt of Eddie, instead vying for a toned-down Flash Thompson who doesn’t have that strong a personality when put next to not only Venom, but Spidey and even Carnage. Also…really with the guns? You have a SYMBIOTE SUIT that can turn into ANYTHING and you choose GUNS?! That’s REEEEEAAALLY lame.)

Now. With ALL OF THIS BEING SAID. Let’s wrap right back around to the Venom movie.

In my eyes, there is only one real way you could feasibly do a Venom movie. It’s Eddie’s fall from grace and descent into madness. It’s a take on the world of bright super-heroes where even the best of them can’t necessarily save everyone, and create this beast out of your darkest nightmares. Perhaps it can even make a commentary on the collateral damage that super-heroes would have on society (not necessarily the death kind as seen in Civil War, but more of the problems they would create for the little people like Vulture from Homecoming—only expounded by constant tragedy rather than lack of a job.) Due to that, it would be less of a bloody slasher movie as much as a dark psychological thriller. Yes it would mean you wouldn’t necessarily see a LOT of Venom throughout the movie, but it would be something that emphasizes his best features while also being something you haven’t seen before from a super-hero movie.

It’s for this reason that I don’t mind that Venom isn’t in he Venom trailer. Hell, I’m happy he isn’t. Venom isn’t the best part of Venom, it’s Eddie Brock. The symbiote plays a part, yeah. But as a character, Eddie defines it. His growing contempt, his initial fear of giving into his “demons,” his tragic fall from grace, and his eventual acceptance of Venom as the only way to become whole which would THEN lead to the much-anticipated bloodbath. That’s why I’m glad it looks like he’s going to be more of the focus than Venom.

That being said, is the film going to go that direction I want it to? I don’t know. If I were a betting man, I’d say that it’s probably not going to be because of how little he connects to any kind of Marvel Universe due to rights, and how it looks like he’s going to be fighting different kinds of symbiotes with some ‘spooky organization’ that’s probably going to recruit him into being a citizen soldier or something. From what I saw in the trailer, that’s what it looks like. But, that being said, the fact that they focused so heavily on Eddie HOPEFULLY means it’ll be more about his aforementioned descent into madness rather than meaningless blood and gore. I don’t care if they completely change his origins—if they can make something interesting and meaningful then by God: DO IT. Look at what Spectacular Spider-Man did. The show altered Eddie COMPLETELY and made what I consider to be the BEST take on Venom’s character. It’s just the right amount of insanity mixed with the perfect amount of tragedy. 

And at the end of the day, that’s what Venom’s all about: Insanity and Tragedy.

(Again, If you disagree with any or all of what I’ve said, feel free. But know I’m not telling you to feel this way, so don’t go bananas because I spoke my piece on a blog that nobody reads. This is just my personal opinion on the character. Nothing more.)

[marvelandponder]

It’s Tin-Foil Hat Time

Happy Applejack day, y’all. Uh, well, happy belated Applejack day. I guess you could say I’m a day late and two parents short.

... I should really be more sorry than this.

But speaking of, in honour of her, I actually wanted to take a step back from AJ and talk about the ponies who matter to her most: her family.

I can understand if some of you are a little miffed on why I wouldn’t just talk about apple horse herself, but Applejack’s family is integral to who she is. Her family is everything to her, and that love only grew stronger when she lost two of the most important members when she was a teenager, some time after the events of Where the Apple Lies.

So, really, I am talking about AJ. In fact, I’m talking about the most defining moment of her life—one a number of us were disappointed not to see direct references to in either Where the Apple Lies or The Perfect Pear.

For me, The Perfect Pear is a perfect episode. Supremely satisfying and honestly almost exactly what I said I wanted to see in my last Applejack editorial (1. Give the audience time to get to know the parents so we can miss them, too, and 2. show the Apple siblings in present day learning a lesson and growing stronger as a family).

But, even I have to admit I’m still curious.

It was confirmed via Twitter that the shooting stars that appear twice in Apple Family Reunion are meant to represent Bright Mac and Buttercup. For I think most of us (that choose to accept that as word of god), that rules out the possibility that they went missing in the jungle Hey Arnold!-style and just couldn’t return. Dead as doorknobs.

The how is still fascinating, though, but after The Perfect Pear, looks like we won’t ever have a canon answer…

… unless we already do.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. Canon is a strong word, and if you ask the show staff they’d laugh at the idea that there’s been secret hints to what actually happened. They can get insanely detailed with the foreshadowing and even subtlety at times, but I don’t see why they would go out of their way to sow the morbid details into a show this light-hearted. Doesn’t sound like their modus operandi.

But, based on the in-universe content we have, there is an answer that I think is more likely than the rest.

Just wanted to make that clear: we’re theorizing based on canon, not authorial intent (Quick! Somebody get Silver Quill! Death of the Author was mentioned, he’s gotta get in on this). 

We cool?

Cool. Let’s kill some sweet little ponies.

The Murder Tragic Accident Weapon

Okay, first things first, we need to rule out a few things. Because when anything is possible, we have to set some ground rules for what could and could logically happen based on what we know.

And remember, anything is theoretically possible, but we’re looking for the most likely. What makes sense given the information we already have.

Disease is out because both Buttercup and Bright Mac died. Of course hereditary diseases wouldn’t make sense for both of them, in the same way number of fatal illnesses like cancer aren’t contagious, anyway. And venereal diseases like AIDS/HIV that could kill two partners would need to be transferred via bodily fluids---and since one of them would have to get it in the first place, our very own Romeo and Juliet are probably safe from most kinds of infection (unless there was a slip-up at Ponyville General, but we don’t know of any reason why one of them would need a blood transfusion anyway).

And here’s the thing: contagious illnesses would’ve likely infected more than just Bright Mac and Buttercup. If this was a deadly plague, more residents of Ponyville would likely be gone, if not more Apples. Especially because it’s a small town, and if some deadly disease managed to reach it, it’d be looking more like 28 Pranks Later than I’m comfortable with.

Child-birth could work for Buttercup, given the timing, but that would mean Bright Mac followed purely out of grief. Given the spirit of MLP, I’m already leaning towards this option being a little too dark—even for this topic. The universe itself is an incredibly hopeful one. Whenever darkness and hard feelings pop up, they tend to either be overcome or be vanquished if it leads them down a dark path.

And speaking of, I would honestly say Bright Mac becoming a Darth Vader type villain is more fitting in the world of MLP because that’s usually what happens with intense negative emotions like depression (Nightmare Moon). Dark magic. It’s stronger in unicorns maybe because they can channel magic directly, but we’ve seen that other ponies have magic of their own. So if Bright Mac was feeling depressed to that level, it’s ironically more realistic for this universe if he became a villain. But that wouldn’t have killed him, and in fact, I imagine the love of his children and his mother would probably bring him back to the light side.

Murder is likely out as well even if it didn’t follow the same rule as the last one because Ponyville is such a small town that—especially for a double-homicide—there would have to be a motive. I just can’t see that happening.

So, *sigh* Applejack isn’t Batman. Although knowing how psychologically tormented that orphan-adopting bat billionaire is, that’s probably a good thing.

So, if natural causes, suicide, and homicide don’t entirely fit, that leads us to accidental death. That always seemed the most fitting to me. Bright Mac and Buttercup loved their family, so it’s the most in-character way for them to pass on. Against their will.

And if this was a tragic accident, we’ve got any number of options, but let’s examine a few off the top of our heads.

Option 1: Ink Rose’s old headcanon/Timber Wolves

Here’s a pretty beloved old theory! While out of date now based on the characters, Ink Rose still made a lovely story with an idea that can be salvaged even after The Perfect Pear defined who the Apple parents were, and that idea is this: Timber wolves from the Everfree forest.

I don’t like arguing against someone else’s headcanons, but for the sake of our theory, I have to say that Applejack is pretty daring with Timber Wolves for someone who lost so much to them---especially if it was a traumatic event she witnessed as a teenager. Her behaviour around them doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary when compared to the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike.

Which is why I also ruled out dangerous places like the Fire Swamp. If Applejack is as experienced with that place as she is, Granny is pretty terrible caretaker.

Again, totally possible, but I know something even simpler than Timber Wolf attack or accidental bridge collapse. Somewhere more familiar, and somehow that’s been staring us in the face this entire time.

Option 2: Barn Fire

Not impressed yet? I understand, but hear me out.

Over the course of the first few seasons, the Sweet Apple Acres barn was cartoonishly destroyed over and over again. Eaten by parasprites, demolished by Rainbow Dash, re-raised in Too Many Pinkie Pies, and of course, Raised (This Barn) again in Apple Family Reunion. A lot of razed barn imagery, basically.

It was a running joke that I don’t think most of us noticed until it started piling up. Sweet Apple Acres gets destroyed a lot. Sometimes by ridiculous means, but always somehow destroyed.

With that in mind, I’d like to take into consideration this scene from On Your Marks.

A nonsensical dream, yes, but as we know from the episode itself, these dreams are based on Applebloom’s subconscious fears. So… answer me this. Why is losing the barn so terrifying if she’s lost it and helped raise it multiple times? Applebloom’s seen it be destroyed in real life with less of a reaction.

Honestly, I would think this would be more terrifying (and could be accomplished by the kinds of pests a pest-pony would have to fight):

They can always raise a new barn, but if something happens to the crops, that can be devastating for a farmer.

I think it has something to do with the way it was destroyed. Electrocuted to a crisp. Burnt.

It’s also fun to note Mayor Mare specifically tells Applebloom she needs to get her family out of town—of course, everyone’s running out of town in this dream, but still. Evacuation is far preferred over staying to try to help, even by Applejack, who Applebloom sees as a hero according to Brotherhooves Social.

Now that’s not a whole lot to go off of on its own—a barn that has a habit of being destroyed, a subconscious fear of it burning down. That can be explained away.

What’s a little more telling is the missing Pear barn that we know for a fact used to be right beside Sweet Apple Acres.

Goldie Delicious says there “used to be” another farm in Ponyville, but the trees are still there, for sure. The barn, however, which we haven’t seen—the thing that would make it a farm (even an abandoned one)—isn’t. Otherwise, the Apple siblings would’ve been able to see it and ask more questions about this mysterious abandoned barn. Applebloom in particular probably would’ve known about the feud with the Pears years ago, if nothing else.

So, if the Pear farm is gone (or was; Grand Pear lives in Ponyville… somewhere. You’d think he’d go back to where his farm used to be, so maybe they’ve since raised him a new one), that means something happened to it.

In fact, it’s possible something happened to both of them, given the bad luck Sweet Apple Acres has. Sweet Apple Acres would be rebuilt, but the Pear barn wouldn’t.

But the reason this answer is so compelling is that it makes sense. It would've been a total accident---no intent to kill or be killed---and explains how both of them could've died without dooming their children or Granny Smith.

Fires take a while to truly get going, but once they do it's instantaneous how fast they spread. Within a matter of seconds. Either of these barns might've been the culprit, here, or both. Both could be deadly for both parents without necessarily killing the rest of the Apple family.

Especially if one of them was trapped inside, and the other went back in after the kids and Granny were out.

Both Buttercup and Bright Mac are the noble type. Buttercup helped Chiffon Swirl pretty tirelessly build up her baking business and would choose Bright Mac over her own father, and Bright Mac's willing to take responsibility for even small accidents like an overturned water silo. He also seems willing to defend Pear Butter pretty instantly when they hear someone (Mrs. Cake/Chiffon Swirl) in the bushes, which tells me he's the kind to act first and ask questions later, especially if it's for someone he cares about. 

I think this death is in-character.

And frankly, makes Applejack's heroics a lot more scary for the family. "Applejack is the hero of the family now," according to Big Mac in Brotherhooves Social, but she wasn't always. It explains where AJ might've inherited that sense of duty when a call to action arises. It's in her nature to try to help---whether that's saving the world from evil, or herding a stampede away from town.

Hell, as early as episode 3, Applejack's being awarded for her daily hero work---and that shirt-off-your-back set of values is certainly something she would've learned from someone, but the hero mode, how she responds in emergency situations, that likely came from her parents based on what we know about them.

So, I think that’s my answer. Barn fire, either the Sweet Apple Acres barn itself, which already has a habit of being destroyed, or the suspiciously missing Pear farm. Both being on fire is... honestly a stretch, since the trees between the Apple farm and Pear farm are still intact (and while forests do grow back within 7-10 years of forest fires, what grows back won’t necessarily resemble what was lost---especially the intertwining trees planted by Buttercup and Bright Mac).

But I think you could make an in-character story from there with that information. You could guess that if there was a fire at the old Pear barn, Buttercup might be the one getting trapped (or, perhaps even going back in to save something near to her heart; which is an extra layer of tragic knowing that she would still risk a lot for her father even when they were apart).

If it’s the Sweet Apple Acres barn, Bright Mac could just as easily have been the one being trapped after saving the kids and/or Granny.

But in both scenarios, as dark as it is, I think this is how MLP would do the Romeo and Juliet story’s ending. The point of the original play was that the two young lovers, who quite frankly didn’t even know what love really was, were so overly passionate about these new feelings that it lead to their demise.

But, Bright Mac and Buttercup aren’t like that. Their love, while passionate and in the beginning inexperienced, doesn’t blind them to reality---and it’s in fact the older generation doing the feuding that has to learn a lesson in the end.

And as time goes on, and their bond strengthens, their love can only deepen. They run a farm together. They end up having three kids. They build a family stronger than any that came before.

What kills them isn’t being in love with the idea of being in love. It’s a real, self-sacrificing love that stood the test of time. In a show about the power of friendship and by some extension different kinds of love, I would think that’s the most fitting way to go.

But, hey, maybe that’s just me. The cool thing about not knowing is that we all still get to make our own theories, and still have a hand in creating the story that we’ve been dying to see for seven seasons. The mystery of who Buttercup and Bright Mac were may be over, and their time with their family done, but their love certainly lives on.

In all of their kids, really, but I think especially in Applejack, who embodies that love of family to heroic degrees. Here’s to you, AJ. They live on through you.

More MLP stuff coming at ya! I do editorials like this and occasionally episode reviews. Check out the last three things I’ve done down here:

Hascon Coverage, Sunset Shimmer, and Pinkie Pie editorials

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t be Possible Without:

Bright Mac and Buttercup by Jhayarr23

Jhayarr23 has tons of vectors for all your vector needs! Go give some love and browse Jhayarr23′s gallery!

Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth The minor fall and the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah

[ts-akhmim]

Episode 14 (Finale) | “All of this and more, but only in Autumn's World” - Autumn

So I figured out that Amir does have the idol and Jakey originally had it that round... damn I wish I looked a little more but I just didn't think Jakey had it. So that probably means that Autumn is going this round, and then I just need to find a way to win this next challenge over Amir. I know Kendall and I will vote together next round regardless, so worst case scenario next round for me is that I am in some kind of fire-making challenge, but I at least see there being a good chance that me and Kendall could be sitting in FTC together, and I'm just hoping at this point that it's Augusto sitting there with us. P.S. In the event that I make FTC... I really hope I'm not seen as a goat. Like, I don't think I am, but I'm not sure how much respect I'll get for my game. I'm hoping people see how savvy I had to be to continuously work my way back up after a couple blindsides and being pushed to the bottom, but you never know with this jury / cast. P.P.S. Please no pressure cooker next round. I'm not ready to have to beat Amir THAT way.

So I'll count that as half of a success. I was at least able to help convince Amir to play the idol he told me about to flush that, and with Autumn safe, the next option was to do Adam. Knowing that if Autumn did have the merge idol, she probably wasn't playing it on Adam, this was the next best option. I need Kendall and Augusto around because those are the two I'd like to bring to FTC if I can make it there. It makes sense to take them to the end as our games are all very similar, so at least we aren't against a winner at the end. Part of me thinks that bringing Amir may not be the worst thing in the world given he has screwed over a decent bit of that jury, but also, I'd rather not take that risk.

So now that that's done and I'm cute and immune, I can confirm it all. Yes I do have the merge idol, yes I've had it since Final 7 but planned not to play it until Final 5, and yes that makes me the most powerful person here. Deadass everyone wants my head on a stick and I don't give a single fuck. I'm chilling all weekend, letting them think they're doing something if/when I lose win immunity, and then I'm sending a man out on one vote Monday night. You think they hate me now? Wait til they find out they can't take a shot at me until Final 4 lmaaaaoo. Be blessed! 

So Amir blames me for playing his idol... I think that's a win for me then, right?

I'm so glad I was able to take this challenge win! I needed to win this to guarantee I wasn't some kind of contingency plan. But now, it's about how can I guarantee a winner goes home. I've already kind of told Autumn she was in trouble (literally 0 point in lying to her about it) and have explained to both Kendall and Augusto that we should find a way to split the votes / guarantee that Autumn and Amir have no shot of working with one another and sending home one of the two people I want with me at FTC. I feel so close, yet so far away from the title of Sole Tumblr Survivor. I want this win so badly. I can't describe how much I want this win. I didn't come back just to have fun; I didn't come back just for maybe an ounce of redemption from Guyana, I came to win this mother-effer. I have at least a 25% shot at the moment, but I want to increase that number. 

Final 5... it's so insane honestly because I never expected this of myself but I've played my ASS off (literally, that's why I'm flatter than a table top) especially these past few rounds. I'm kinda shocked that the clear targets are Autumn/Amir/TJ just given I have been a force in the game (subtly ofc) so its def a gag... but yeah. TJ winning the immunity was WORST case scenario because I wanted to come for that man's neck SO bad but we'll just have to get him next time. Amir having the merge idol isn't a SHOCK but it was interesting to say the least like rip telling me that but both his idol plays are gonna be kinda useless which helps my case! I know that Autumn said me and Kendall have been up Amir's ass but first of all... i'm a bottom so I would never BUT also I feel I've held my own this entire game so it isn't my truth in the slightest but I'll just have to prove her, TJ, and the jurors wrong if I got to. I've gone from flop (16th in Bhutan, 17th in Great Lakes, 12th in Socotra) to the top (6th in Flops, 2nd in Seychelles) but I am trying to WIN and wear my deserved crown, it's time I won something yknow. 

Amir and I when my plan worked and NEITHER of us walked into jury yet again https://twitter.com/abridrakegraham/status/1222552252357005313 The kids HURTIN yall and I will 100% respect their privacy at this time. Like they really thought!!! They really thought they finally killed me and were probably singing ding dong the witch is dead all day and now look at em. They done lost the boy they all wanted to go to the end with, got severely played by me, AND still gotta see my face everyday. Someone check on Jordan Pines I wanna make sure he's not still holding his breath waiting for my demise. And I've teamed up with his other least favorite person? HOES MAD. But it's not just him- Kendall ready to fight Amir in PM's, TJ in his feelings on call during tribal, Augusto couldn't even find the words he was that shocked. It's all so glorious and I truly fucking love wrecking everyone's games. Amir was like I've never felt these emotions before/ this is one of the wildest moves I've ever been apart of and tbh I agree with Amir. This was batshit crazy but you know what the gag is? This is literally just another day in the mind of Autumn Hill Jury mad, the mayos mad, Augusto mad, and I'm literally on top on the world right now. Like I love Augusto yes but that move was the definition of powerful. Like it's not just playing an idol correctly. It's the fact that Amir came to me begging that I forgive him and that we work together again, I then agreed and admitted to having the idol to A WHOLE ASS WINNER, convinced Amir to tell the kids he had the idol, got everyone to feel super comfortable around me all night and day cause I knew "I was going," snapped in the tribe chat at 2:00 because I "just wanted people to be honest about voting me," got the kids to essentially then tell on themselves since they listed all the reasons why they were voting me, and then idoled out their king using his once closest ally. Liiiikkkee?? STIFF WHERE?? DEAD WHERE??? Bitch I'm playing to win ok I hope yall enjoying this master class I've put on cause I'm hanging it up after this. Unless yall get serious about having a TS version of Winners at War, then call me. But otherwise, yes I'm going ham because I have every intention of walking into the 2 time winners chat. I WANT TO ASCEND!!! So PSA: if my funeral is public knowledge, that means I ain't dying hahaha. Apparently everyone has nicknames for me and that might actually be my favorite part. Jakey calling the game Autumn's World all merge to the boys and TJ only referring to me as the Godmother?? iconic! You know I'd hate me too if I wasn't me, which is why I'm flattered by it all. They know damn well they're almost out of time to get rid of me and they've spent the entire fucking game hoping and wishing and praying and still can't pull it off. And them not targeting me out the gate like Jordan wanted has gotten soooo many people killed. But most importantly I have successfully played an idol now TWICE at Final 5.. And I sure did win back to back immunities at Final 4 and Final 3 in Crossroads so finding out this season has a final 2? Perfect let me dust off the blueprint real quick

 https://twitter.com/rcgersnatalia/status/1168071613763342336

okay im going to work my ass of to win this but autumn and tj have both claimed they can do this really well, so like basically, tj cannot win immunity, i need to win or i may be absolutely screwed https://66.media.tumblr.com/583667e85060a36a2cccb8551baa27d5/tumblr_inline_oh5slaYgdO1tr4u58_500.jpg but as of rn, i was going no matter what if i didnt win immunity, i tried to make a story to autumn and we called for like 3 hours and i did my damnest to sell that tj is the problem with everything that happened last round and that i was down to vote augusto for real until tj really sold the plan out to augusto and i didnt want to go to rocks, but i played the idol out of fear that augusto-kendall-tj would 3-2-1 me so she believed there is a true rift in the beauties right now and has more of a reason to hate tj she is so fucking smart so she may have sussed it out and went along with it, but im hoping it worked??? idek but she said if she wins immunity she'll idol me she did admit she has the idol to me but maybe because she knew i already knew

I just... do I even have words anymore? Like, time and time again, I'm getting screwed over and I just... it's a good underdog story now. I just have to win this next challenge. I guess regardless I had to win this next challenge, but also, I was really hoping to not have to have as much concern as I do right now.

What was that?? oh cause I thought the yts who can't successfully kill me had said something https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wux4HnZRY0 Another day, another body bag. THEY WERE SO SURE THEY HAD ME AHHHH I really have to laugh. Kendall was certain this was my funeral and I'm like nah baby it's yours. I'm still screaming that TJ would keep immunity for himself and let Kendall go to firemaking where she would 100% lose that's wild. Only for me to find out after that sis really was THE RAT??? Y'all set her up lmaaaooo. Now I really don't feel bad cause she ran from her karma long enough and if Amir had told me that shit before firemaking I really would've smoked her in the comp. Kendall had no business snitching to Jordan about an airtight unanimous vote and blowing up all her allies' games just to do right by an egom aniac. Then Jordan still died and she falls in love with his bestie boo TJ (he's playing you sis!!) who sensed she could die this round but didn't give a single fuck?? Absolute mess. She really got Devon, TJ, Amir, and Augusto to lie about it the whole game and they agreed because they knew if I ever find out the truth, I'd kill her on sight. Bitch I killed her anyway!!! So was it even worth it? Cause she still walked into jury but she got a better placement and a noble death, which miss Devon and Augusto cannot say. Too busy being lying https://media3.giphy.com/media/6DMfLQEhixGdW/source.gif I feel so affirmed though- every person who has come for me is either sitting in jury or is about to walk in. That's power- that's RANGE! Also I just wanna say to Devon while I'm here:  you really gave me all that grief for considering you could be the rat when you, Amir, and Augusto were in on it and protecting Kendall the whole time??? Fuck outta here. Like whose fault is it really that you died Devon? I wanna know. You mad at me and Amir when you need to be mad at yourself for picking the wrong girl, which is on brand for straight white men but y'all not ready to have that conversation. Anyway! Kendall trying to undermine me the ENTIRE merge and using all these men to do it only to still get killed by me in the end?? Fucking love that shit. All of this and more, but only in Autumn's World

https://66.media.tumblr.com/143402720bb2766ebe14eb1d657e2ca6/tumblr_inline_o8662rxDt11tr4u58_250.gifv

Me before the challenge https://peopletalk.ru/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/tumblr_n49eidw5Zk1rsrbdko1_500.gif 

Me after I went beast mode and embarrassed the men https://twitter.com/intoragnarok/status/1233477557565173762

I'm screaming at Amir asking me after if kept him strategically or out of loyalty and I'm like sis what do you think. I was not about to let the white knights get their way and give TJ the win all because he's a good car salesman. Like y'all should've seen that 1 hr plus discussion of TJ and Amir going back and forth on camera about who I have a better chance of beating and I'm just sitting there IMMUNE taking notes, knowing neither of them wanted this. The power that that has, the intelligence that that has, the clearance that that has, the access that that has. Amir and TJ planning to kill me and then being thwarted once again is arguably my two favorite storylines. TJ wanted to do this the ENTIRE MERGE and I never let him succeed. And Amir wanted to be the one to say he killed me cause he's Mr. Smith when I'm Mrs. Smith and my ass spared him and helped him several times. Now look at em, getting third and second. I made a joke at Final 5 that Amir and I are the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith and it's so true. I adore him as a person and I know he loves me too but we're not above killing each other. Hell we genuinely want to kill each other but time and time again we chose to kill everyone else instead lmao. 

So please enjoy this visual walkthrough of our wild ass partnership

(when we met at merge) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/48/5e/3f485e53a56fb43c62c22c0790e8afd7.gif 

 (when we voted together at Final 11 and Final 10) https://media1.giphy.com/media/l3Ucho9gtq4b7SLok/source.gif 

 (when I caught Amir in a lie and killed Devon as retaliation but still wanted to work with Amir) https://media0.giphy.com/media/l3UcotueAJQAW0zjW/source.gif 

(when Amir killed Ali and Adam to piss me off) https://66.media.tumblr.com/eebc1dc0a509a652ea543aba82bcb1c5/tumblr_ojjk22iVXM1uhcmrao1_250.gifv 

(when Amir tried to get back in my good graces at Final 5) https://66.media.tumblr.com/3b157a36601820370897ace6673af493/tumblr_n17egq7Hdq1r7fawxo4_r3_250.gifv 

(when I agreed to the winners pact and got him to kill Augusto and Kendall with me) https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DefiniteVapidDogwoodtwigborer-size_restricted.gif 

 (when he kept trying me at Final 4 and Final 3/ saying he'd kill me) https://i.gifer.com/3lie.gif 

(when I snapped and took Amir to Final 2, like I said I would, and we both knew he'd lose beside me) https://66.media.tumblr.com/d1f3506fc873a7d2393d705a7f58065d/tumblr_mgooqovRHw1qkdoj2o1_500.gif

mood after everything that's happened and me making FTC again- we out here. Coming out of retirement has been good to me https://twitter.com/emrific/status/1235072497055227907

(final 4) oh dear me this one is a tuffyyyy wuffyyy.... okay okay. so its f4, tj thinks im voting with him and kendall to vote autumn. Autumn thinks im voting with her against kendall to make it firemaking. basically, i was originally gonna vote autumn, and i told autumn and she was like fk no so i told her im convinced but i am STILL UNSURE So if I vote kendall: autumn has to win fire making which like statistically i do not see kendall beating autumn, but then tj takes me to final 2 over autumn, and autumn will take me to final 2 over tj, she also threatened to make jury hate me if I cut her now which doesn’t really scare me tbh if I’m next to kendall anyway, but regardless of that threat, me going with tj and autumn gives me a 66% chance of winning this game. If me or Tj win final immunity, I think I win this game. If Autumn wins, then uhhhhggg she will probs take me but like we will thee i just hope she doesnt win final immunity If I vote autumn: me or kendall have to win final immunity, because if tj wins, then I’m getting third place, and kendall would probably take tj as well, so like, yeah i would beat them both at the end but i would be putting myself in a position where i have to win immunity but idk . i think voting kendall is better as i type dis

final 3 oh my gooooodddd, the fact that i am here is so surreal 2 me, and idk idk this immunity is gonna be the deciding factor of my game and im so nervous but also happy and proud of myself however this game turns out. hoyoyoyooyoy

SO MISSS AUTUMN JUST UHHHHHHHH wooped me arse in immunity and me and Tj had to PLEAD for ourlives but she ended up TAKING MEEEEEEEEE so partyyy Honslee tho, while this is gonna make winning 90x times harder, I am pretty happy to be sitting next to Autumn cuz our end game mr. and mrs. smith alliance is highkey iconic af ewnfewkjfnewkjnf like we killed each others allies and somehow have been aligned since early merge and I lied to her and somehow we always came back and protected each other and if i don't win im happy she will <3 but with that said, i gotta take her DOOOWNNN

AUTUMN WINS 8-1

[flightyrock]

Ectober Day 4: Memories

Summary: The aftermath of the Spirit Event.  Vlad gives a bit more away than what either of them expected.  A direct continuation from Day 3: Spirits

Warnings:  Back to heavy. Depression, isolation, loneliness, dissociation, suicide ideation

Relationships: Platonic Danny and Vlad

Word Count: ~1200

Notes are at the end.  Please mind the tags; believe me, my writing exercises aren’t worth your safety.  Enjoy! (or don’t, this one’s pretty heavy, I’m afraid)

Vlad and Danny stayed, side by side in companionable silence at the spirits’ chasm for an indeterminate amount of time.  It felt fundamentally wrong to leave, the two half-ghosts reluctant to break this strange but comfortable peace that had settled over them.

Humbled in the wake of the vast event, their past squabbles felt embarrassingly petty.

Vlad finally sighed, unwilling to dispel the mood, but knowing if he didn’t make the first move, they would never leave, Daniel clearly awestruck by the spectacle.

“Goodnight, Daniel,” he murmured, as he reluctantly tore his eyes from the chasm and made to leave.

“Wait!”

Vlad jumped.

Daniel’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“It’s just…I don’t…” The boy wrung his hands, eyes casting about as if justification for his outburst would suddenly spring up from the ectoscape.

Luckily, Vlad understood and was feeling merciful tonight.  And a little lonely.

“Come,” he offered, softly.

And, for the second time that night, Danny did.

The odd pair made their way through the ghost zone, until Vlad spotted an isolated spot by a waterfall in neutral territory, and sat down by the edge on a boulder.  After a moment’s hesitation, the younger half ghost did the same.

They sat in silence for a while, staring into the pool that seemed to have no bottom, occupied by bioluminescent organisms, listening to the rush of the fluid hurtling upward from the depths with a mocking disregard for physics that Danny had come to expect from the Ghost Zone.

It was strange.  Danny thought that maybe the atmosphere would change along with the scenery, but Vlad wasn’t projecting hostility, superiority, arrogance, or even discomfort.  He felt, not quite sad?  Maybe a bit wistful?

Melancholy.  

That was the term he was looking for, and without the distraction of the setting, Danny could see it for what it was.  Of course, it helped that he was experiencing the same thing.

He couldn’t exactly identify why he was feeling this way, but he was almost certain it had to do with the spirits earlier.  But now he absolutely had to know.

“Why did you ask me to come with you?”

Vlad turned to look at him, and Danny was struck by the odd impression that this was the first time Vlad had actually seen him, Danny.  Not a prize. Not a tool to be used at leisure as a small but disposable component of an elaborate scheme.  Not a child.  But a person, his equal.

Vlad sighed, finding this question difficult to answer.

“Quite honestly, Daniel, I had no plans to bring you along tonight, not at first.  But when I had completed the predictory calculations, and imagined the scale of the event…I…”

Vlad struggled with himself, looking torn.  It was not as fun as Danny had always imagined it would be, having Vlad at a loss for words.  Of course, Danny had always envisioned rendering Vlad speechless with a show of superior ability, not…whatever this was.  Not that he was complaining!  It was…nice, in a way.  He felt that maybe he was seeing Vlad for the first time too.  With his usual walls down, Danny could see them for what they were. There really was a person underneath all the grandeur.

Vlad turned slowly back to the pool, staring forlornly into the depths, voice barely a whisper.

“I have no idea why I’m telling you this.  I really shouldn’t, but…my tongue is strangely loose tonight, and I feel strangely compelled to share.  The spirit event shakes me to the core, brings up feelings that normally remain buried. Logically, I know that this is a rash decision brought about by a feeling of vulnerability as a result of a significant event.  But I know that you won’t use this against me.”

Vlad chuckled bitterly.

“Foolish, I know.  But the first time I ever stumbled on the event, I can say with certainty and without hint of irony that it changed my life. I was tired, numb, and intimately aware of how utterly alone I was.  I had found that chasm during my explorations, and had idly wondered what it would feel like to lose myself in its depths.  Sometimes I would just stare, for hours on end.”

Danny was taken aback, but didn’t dare to make a sound.  He couldn’t believe that Vlad was telling him this.  He didn’t know what to think, what to say, so he just listened.

“Imagine my surprise when one day the spirits rose from the depths.  It was,”

Vlad paused, his face alight with wonder.

“It was like…I was born again, but also dying, and floating, and…well, you get the idea.  I know you felt it too.  Going through the aftermath, alone…”

Vlad raised a hand, obscuring his eyes.

“I wouldn’t wish the experience on my worst enemy.  Imagine feeling as you are right now, but without the support of family or friends waiting for you at home.  I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world, but I couldn’t trust myself to go through it alone, again.  I can say with complete honesty that I have no idea how I managed it last time.  I mean, the chasm is right--”

Vlad cut himself off, sharply, shaking his head.

“Trust me when I say it wasn’t an option.  But I couldn’t miss it.  And,” he added, looking over at Daniel, “I suppose I wasn’t exactly honest with you earlier.  I’m sure it’s not a surprise.  But I did mean what I said about this being our culture, Daniel, us, as half-ghosts, not our ghost sides.

“I looked into this phenomena quite thoroughly, as you can imagine, when I could bring myself to do so. It was frustrating, to go through such a dynamic change and tell other ghosts about it, only to realize that not a soul felt as I did.  My allies grew very tired of listening me wax poetic about it.  Ghosts don’t think of this display as much more than a mundane occurrence.  They looked at me like I was insane when I spoke so highly of it.  It doesn’t resonate with them, as it does us.

“I believe that it requires both of our aspects to appreciate the magnitude and significance of the event.  I have many theories and no way to test them, but I get the impression that the spirits bridge the gap between the human and ghost dimensions in some way.  Maybe they’re the spirits of the deceased.  Maybe they represent something entirely foreign, but regardless, they make us feel something.  Ghosts and humans alike lack the connection between both worlds. Ghosts fail to register the emotion of the event, and it’s much too alien for humans to form the necessary connection.  We are in the unique position to appreciate this, and it’s hard to know how to feel about it.”

Vlad sighed, before continuing with a thought that would stick with Danny just as much as the spirit event.

“You have no idea how much it meant to me to be able to share this with you.  For the first time in more than twenty years, I don’t feel quite as alone.”

Vlad tensed; clearly, he had revealed more than he had originally planned, and the significance of this seemed to hit him hard, because he looked about ready to bolt. Danny felt compelled to reassure him, and resolved to think about how weird that was later.

“Thank you,” he simply stated.

“I’m glad you did.”

A/N: Sorry for the sad, but it felt wrong to leave the last part without a discussion of the fallout.  And it fit so perfectly with the theme!

Day 5 will be a direct sequel to this part, and should be up in the next couple of hours.  This wasn’t my original intent, but unless otherwise stated, all the parts can be read as belonging to the same universe.  Assume Phantom Planet didn’t happen.  Thanks for reading!

[croissantbae]

My Brother’s Wedding

It was Jimmy’s wedding on Sunday (12/1).  He had his wedding at the same venue that Jason and I got married at, Bel Air Bay Club.  Jason and I were planning on getting an Airbnb in Santa Monica for Saturday because we had to be there for rehearsal and we could then easily make our way over to the venue the next day.  I made plans to see my friend Jess since we were going to be on the west side but we totally pussied out (Jess must think I’m a nutcase at this point because I’ve canceled plans so many times).  Instead Jason stayed at home with her for about 6 hours.  To his credit he did an amazing job.  Since she doesn’t take the bottle he mixed formula with some broccoli mash and she took it like a champ.  They had a great day together and I got to enjoy my brother’s rehearsal.  Originally he planned on having me walk in with my mom but then I got demoted to just sitting in the front row and essentially having no part of the ceremony lol (except I got a hug during the honoring of the family part).  Instead, my mom walked in with Christine’s grandma, which to be honest is more normal.  At the rehearsal I strangely felt emotional.  I told my mom I thought I’d cry and she asked me why.  I said because it’s goodbye, in a sense.  He’s going to have a new primary family unit. On top of that, I felt some grief for them, for the people that should have been in their lives that were missing.  

The next day (aka the wedding day), Jason and I were a team with a plan. We  washed the sheet for the pack and play, packed up the pack and play, books, diapers, toys, clothes, pajamas, the baby monitor, baby head phones (so she wouldn’t be bothered by the loud noise from the speakers).  You name it, we packed it up.  I did some last minute scramble shopping for a new dress because Jason said the dress I was planning on wearing made me look like I was Elsa.  I honestly would’ve still worn it but it was pretty cold so I got a long sleeve dress that was warmer instead - it was a dress I grabbed while in panic mode while waiting in line to pay.  When I got home I rushed to get ready but managed to pull it all together, EXCEPT for my eyelashes.  I got some fake lashes from Sephora.  They looked really long but it was the mildest option they had so I went with it.  When I tried it on, however, I looked insane. I took one of them off and re-did it in the car because we didn’t have time.  When we got to the venue we checked into our hotel room, changed Naya and continued to get ready.  My eyelashes were a disaster so I had to do my make-up all over again since my eye make-up got ruined while trying to put it on and take it off again.  Dayae was there and I had her do my make-up for me instead. She did a much better job and we ended up switching eyelashes to another pair that I had used before.  Overall it was better but whenever I smiled it gave me ssangapool (double eyelids) and I looked freaky.  Literally all of the photos are ruined because of it (see pictures posted separately).  The only way I could look normal is if I tried to relax my eyes so it wouldn’t form (see picture with Dayae where I’m leaning my face back).  I felt super rushed but the ceremony was about to start so we went to our seats. It was also Naya’s nap time so she started getting a bit cranky.  I wasn’t sure how she’d do sitting in the front seat with us but we risked it anyway.  

Ceremony begins and soon enough Christine (the bride) is walking down the aisle.  It was a ridiculously beautiful setting. Since it was December, it was a little overcast but orange and pink hues broke through the clouds, creating a gorgeous scene.  Then as Christine walks down, she’s crying and Jimmy is crying seeing her, and I look over at Jason and he’s crying.  It was all so sweet but I had zero tears.  I was like, alright just wait for the hug when they honor the family. I bet it’ll be water works then.  But even then I had no tears.  And I realized it was because I was purely just happy for them.  I got to hang out with Christine during Thanksgiving and it was really nice seeing them together and being able to get to know her a little more too.  I could see why they fit.  During the ceremony they said their own vows and it was the best part of the whole shebang.  Jimmy said when he decided, in college, to be a pastor, he told her, ‘are you ready to eat ramen everyday for the rest of our lives?’ and she told him, ‘i’m going to be a nurse so i’ll be your sugar mama’ (but then they both became pastors).  I think because they’re both pastors, they’re used to public speaking.  They were funny, touching, interesting.  I honestly felt nothing but happiness for them and excitement for their future.  The second best part of the wedding was the best man speeches.  Jonathan went first and you could tell how much he loved and cherished Jimmy. Adriel went second and it was just SO CUTE.  Those little boys grew up well.  

Anyway, Naya took a 20 minute nap during the cocktail hour and then woke up and never went back to sleep.  We went back to the hotel room trying to sleep her at her bed time but she just wouldn’t go down and we didn’t have the heart to put her in the pack and play.  Jason and I looked at each other “should we just go home?” we asked each other and for a good two minutes we went back and forth.  The hotel room was $375, we made plans to see another one of our friends on the west side the next day, we could manage one night right? WRONG.  We could not.  We had started sleep training her a week prior and we just didn’t want to lose all the work we had put in so we packed up our shit in a minute and rushed on out of there.  Luckily this friend is the number one baby sleep advocate so if anyone was going to get it, she would (and she did).  We went home and we both 100% knew it was the right decision.  Also Jimmy and Christine ended up using the hotel room anyway so it was not a waste.  

This post was a lot of nonsense about how rushed and stressed I was getting ready for the wedding and making sure Naya was sleeping. It doesn’t convey how much love and joy I felt at the wedding for my brother and Christine but it was there.  It was a joyous event.  I am so proud of the person that little Jimmy has become.  I actually wrote him an email after the wedding to tell him how happy I was for him and proud I am of him.  I also told him that I was sorry if it ever felt like I discouraged him from doing the things he really wants to (like pastoring).  I obviously have opinions on what I think he should pursue or at least try but he’s a grown-up now and I fully believe that he is doing what’s best for him (and that its up to him decide what that is).  Also Naya got so much love.  She was passed around to adoring cousins and ajummas/ajushis and it was so sweet (though some wouldn’t let her go lol).  I am so thankful to have a loving community surrounding our family.

People asked if it was weird having their wedding at the same venue as ours but it wasn’t at all.  It was such a different experience.  On our wedding day we were so preoccupied taking photos and greeting people that I didn’t really see a lot of stuff.  This time I could actually enjoy the scenery. I got to partake in passed hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour and see the inside of one of the hotel rooms, etc.  It was nice to be able to come back.  

[joshhutchsource]

Josh Hutcherson AMA Transcript

This is the transcript from Josh’s AMA on Reddit on February 16th, 2017.  All spelling and grammar errors are as written by the original people  This is very long, so the majority is under a read more.

Q:  Do you miss working with the Hunger Games cast?

Josh:  yes... they were the best! family forever. i miss them all dearly... however we still hang now and then and keep in touch.

Q:  Hi! What's your favorite television show to watch?

Josh:  the Bob Ross painting show... i can benge for hours

Q:  Hey Mr. Hutcherson, is there any actor (that you have not yet worked with) that you wish to work with someday?

Josh:  so many.... joaquin phoenix is up there for sure.

Q:  Hi Josh, You got second class treatment from Rosemary Telesco and continued with Katniss Everdeen. Does it hurt your feelings?

Josh:  hahaha.... life imitates art…

Q:  What do you define as your first "big break" into acting and that business?

Josh:  For me my first ever job was personally my big break.. I was 9 and I held a goat in the backgroud for a bible study video in ohio.... everyone starts somewhere…

Q:  How do you go about choosing a script that you want to work on, both for this project and other professional work?

Josh:  I want originality. Characters that are bold and have clear voices. i also want to push the boundaries of what reality is.

Q:  Hey Josh! What is the craziest encounter you've had with a fan?

Josh:  i had two girls and their mom show up at my door a few years ago during christmas with my family..... that was..... awkward. Im not answering the door next time. Haha

Q:  do you think 2017 is going to be a good year?

Josh:  hard to believe it can be... however I feel like so many people are getting involved that werent before... this is a moment when people feel energized.

Q:  If you had not been an actor, what profession would you have done?

Josh:  i like building stuff... and i like photography... maybe building stuff and taking pictures of it... if thats a job

Q:  Because Im sure you get the same questions over and over - what's your favorite day of the week, and why?

Josh:  Thursday... not becuase im here... but because i like how the word looks. and wednesday is finally over.

Q:  JOSH is there anything you couldn't live without?

Josh:  my freedom of speech and gluten

Q:  your favorite song at this moment?

Josh:  Lazarus by David Bowie

Q:  Why were you such a little bitch in the hunger games ?

Josh:  i prefer other words... however this little bitch survived. so... yeah.

Q:  Which country do you think is the safest in a zombie apocalypse?

Josh:  Iceland... no doubt. Zombies hate Byjork

Q:  What's your idea of a successful person. What would make someone successful in your eyes?

Josh:  A person who is comfortable in their skin... I'm defintely not. I have gotten better as time goes on but someone who is and who is genuine is successful for me.

Q:  Do you have any advice for someone dealing with depression?

Josh:  I'm not certified to answer this sort of thing. However I go back to perception. As well as really find what you care about and express it. film, music, walking... whatever it is that you can connect with is what i try to lose myself in.

Q:  i feel like, in my mind, i always associate you with the jungle. Why is that?

Josh:  that really makes me smile. I love the jungle and i feel a part of it often. thank you.

Q:  hi josh, I'm not very good at english so I can't write a good question but do you like mango?

Josh:  yes... im human. never trust someone who doesnt

Q:  What do you think about Darren Aeronosfsky as a director?

Josh:  I think hes great... requiem is on point!!

Q:  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Josh:  here in this ama.

probably isolated somehwere thinking of ideas of things to make movies about. I dont know!!!! cant think that far ahead honestly.

Q:  in ten words can you describe your experience directing "Ape"?

Josh:  BEst experience of my life creatively hello cars cat apples

Q:  What's your favorite food?

Josh:  Skyline Chili... Only available in the greater Cincy area…

Q:  You still here? And if so, what do you think of the Oscar contenders this year?

Josh:  Moonlight!!! That movie was incredible. I also really loved LA LA Land. those two really stood out for me. so many great performances though. Denzel was on point!

Q:  Donald Trump or President Snow ?

Josh:  I mean... one in the same right?

Q:  How are Driver and Manchi?

Josh:  they are the loves of my life.... I worship them. I believe they are quite happy. they get plenty of love and attention!

Q:  ‼️‼️‼️ BERNIE SANDERS !!!! ❗️❗️❗️❗️

now that i got your attention,

Do you watch TV SHOWS ? If yes which one

You are such an inspiration to me. After almost 10 years as a fan, im really proud of you and everything you've achieved! I cant wait to watch ALL your upcomings projects and you are such an AMAZING human being Joshua. Thank you for everything. Seeing you in Paris in 2015 was the best moment of my life, i hope i will see you again and talk with you. Please don't forget your fans, we love you so much. (We missed you so much) Will you ever come back in France? :)

Josh:  THANK YOU!! that made my day=] I love france and would love to come back!

I do watch some tv... not so so much. I really love GIRLS. that show is so perfect in so many ways. Ive never seen a show that feels more flawed and honest like that one. Best characters ever.

Q:  Really wanna know if you'll keep supporting Bernie although the election is over?

Josh:  ABSOLUTELY. we must. things are crazy now but we need to vote in local elections and keep our voices loud. I miss the days when Bernie was a real option…

Q:  Hey Josh! Congrats on your director debut of "Ape." Were there things you did differently as an actor because you were also the director? How did it change your perspective?

Josh:  it was hard... I liked it a lot but it was tough because i couldnt watch the monitors obviously so i had to make notes in my mind while acting in the scene... i realy liked this experience though and i have somehow even more respect for directors than before.

Q:  Do you believe in a real life happy ending? If yes, what would you tell someone who kind of lost hope?

Josh:  I think a happy ending is possible. I really believe its all about perception. If you can learn to manage that then you can find ways to be happy all the time

Q:  HEY JOSH! I'm so glad you have finally done an AMA!

What advice would you give you're teenage self when entering the theatre/acting community?

Josh:  thick skin. actors are the most insecure and insane types of people... with that you need to have thick skin to deflect the dissapointment and let downs and judgements.

Q:  Do you want to repeat the experience as a director??

Josh:  No doubt. I loved it. its extremely addictive and Im feining fo some mo.

Q:  Hi Josh ! How are you ? Will there be a French subtitled version for Ape ? I'm a French fan :) Thank you !

Josh:  oui... i think.

Q:  Yooo RV was a dumpster fire of a movie...that being said, how awesome was it to work with Robin Williams??

Josh:  hahahahah! Robin is a saint... biggest heart in the world and never a dull moment. he was the best.

Q:  What kind of movies would you like to direct in the future?

Josh:  I like stuff that bends reality and questions the human condition... bending the rules. I love films like being john malkovich and eternal sunshine of a spotless mind

Q:  Hey Josh! What's your all time favorite movie or a movie you think everyone needs to see?

Josh:  Two for the Road. 60's film that was way ahead of its time and has inspried so many modern love stories. its great!

Q:  Hello, Josh! As an aspiring filmmaker, I know how tedious making any sort of film can be. What gets you motivated to create? Also, what’s your favorite snack? Cause, duh, snacks are some of the best motivators.

Josh:  Honestly I think i get inspired when i see a dope movie... like when i saw moonlight i just wanted to go out and create something personal and important.

Also sitting in a restaurant looking around and making up stories about the people...

Snack..... kale. Fuk off kale!! frosted flakes

Q:  JOSH. Huge fan, you're awesome, yadda yadda ;)

You're such a strong ally to the LGBT community. How did you get involved with your organization, Straight But Not Narrow? What is your advice to the community in the wake of certain political events?

Josh:  We started SBNN becuase it felt like there was a lack of outreach to bridge communities together... especially in schools where bullying is brutal. I think now more than ever showing your support to your neighbors is paramount in surviving whats going on.

We are all here and human

Q:  What was it like working with Mark Ruffalo?

Josh:  Hes the best guy in the world. I love that human!

Q:  Josh! Favorite 80's movie?

Josh:  Lost Boys

Q:  Do you have any directorial advice?

Josh:  prepare!! Its so important to know what you want to make so when youre there on set you have it all set up.

The script is the absolute base for everything. understad it inside and out.

Q:  Hi Josh!

You and I went to the same school, and you even lived in the same neighborhood as some of my close friends. We’ve never met because you always looked like you wanted privacy and I wanted to respect that, plus I’m a shy person who wouldn’t have known what to say. I’ve always wondered if you felt like you sort of missed out on your high-school experience, and if that impacted you on a social and mental level.

I’m trying to pursue my dream of becoming a published author, but sometimes I just feel like it’s never going to happen and that I’ll never be successful in the only thing that I’m passionate about. What advice would you give to someone who’s been told over and over again to give up their dream and focus on a more practical plan for their life?

Thanks for doing this AMA! It’s really awesome seeing someone from Union doing what they love!

Josh:  I think that going for something different in life is for sure the most important thing to do... FUCK THE HATERS!

Only you can stop yourself from going for it.

that should be on an inspirational cat poster...

Q:  How would you beat up Donald trump?

Josh:  With knowledge.... it seems to be his biggest weakness…

Q:  Would you rather be attacked by 50 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

Josh:  One horse sized duck.... no question... Ive seen some big ass ducks…

Q:  What are the kind of things you learned while working your blockbuster role in "The Hunger Games Trilogy"?

Josh:  TEAMWORK. we had massive crews and it is not possible without all that.

Q:  Josh Do you have any Tips for a Happy life?

Josh:  Inner happiness... you wont find it in anything else in the world. thats the only way to get by and be happy

Q:  what is the number one thing on your bucket list?

Josh:  go to patagonia…

Q:  Was this role challenging for you to play and how do you think you did?

Josh:  It definitely was challenging... its a deep and dark place to go to and I like tapping into that side of myself... I think I did alright... Im my hardest critic

Q:  It's so easy to hack me because all of my passwords are your name, what do you think about that?

Josh:  Its kinda dope,... maybe try changing it for a bit?

Q:  What is your favorite horror movie?

Josh:  I really like It Follows... and classics like the shining of course... some chronenburg stuff too... butchered that spelling

Q:  Is it harder to be an actor or a director?

Have you thought about being in another large franchise such as the hunger games?

Josh:  Hmmm. I would say that directing definitely requires a shit ton more focus and work!!! Id say thats more challenging for sure

Q:  Are you looking forward to doing the full length APE?

Josh:  YES!!! The plan is to fastrack this into production after the short comes out. the feature is even deeper and darker... gonna be weird…

Q:  If Peeta tried to fight you, could real life you take him down?

Josh:  fuck yeah!!! well... maybe not. I have a ferocious side that I can tap into.

Q:  Hi Josh (my brothers name too) What is the most Hollywood thing you have done/seen so far?

Josh:  dont ever come to hollywood for a vacation... its tacky and nothing like they make it seem. Hah.

Q:  There's definitely a theme of dealing with mental health issues in your film. Is this something you've dealt with personally?

Josh:  There have been moments where I've questioned my mental state... haven't gone too far down that road but I think it's beyond interesting to try to empathize and deal with people who are dealing with those.

Q:  hey josh! the other night i was really high and felt like i was you. did you feel it too?

Josh:  Wait... was that monday?? I felt something then…

Q:  Hi,

What is your dream role, if you could have any in the world, and what is your dream directorial role (genre, plot, cast to direct)? If you had to pick one of these, dream role or dream directing opportunity, which would you prefer to do?

Now this is the obligatory thank-you part that I could not pass up the opportunity to post, considering how much your LGBT+ work has meant to me:

I figured this would be a good opportunity to send some well-deserved thanks your way and hope you see it…! This idea of wanting to thank you started in a letter I started writing a good few years ago now… which I still happen to have in my bedside table, because it never got sent. (I don’t think I ever figured out where to send fan-mail to you, which didn’t help my cause.)

I don’t remember, when I was younger, knowing of any out actors. I’m 20 now, but up until my mid-teens, there was a big blank space around the ideas of ‘LGBT+’ and ‘the world’ being connected for me. I’ve known I was gay since I was 11, but the experience was very isolating, not knowing any gay people in real life. I had no foundation to go on, no experience in this, and obviously felt as though I couldn’t talk with anyone about it, even though I remember very few support-type services.

I remember seeing you in Zathura (my Dad loves Jumanji, so it was bound to happen) and ever since then, I think I’ve just sort of stuck with you. I must have seen that movie when I was about 12/13, and I think that’s when I started to hear what it was you were saying, because I noticed it was relevant to me. I followed what you were saying, and as I got older and more aware of myself and the world, it really started to have an impact on me. I felt as though that was my connection, as though that was my way of learning partly about who I was.

Even though you weren’t gay, the fact that you were only a few years older than me and were into the things and the field I also enjoyed really helped me relate to you. Because I related to you and because you actually meant something to me, the message you seemed so passionate about really resonated with me and it gave me a sort of courage and hope I don’t think someone older (or just generally someone whom I didn’t look up to) would have been able to instil. For the first time, someone I liked and someone I respected was talking about this thing I wasn’t able to share with anyone else. And they were a proper force in the ‘wider world.’

I never really struggle with ‘being gay,’ but I struggled with what other people might have thought, and again your dialogue helped with that. It was just so amazing to see someone whom I respected acting in a way that showed me he would treat me and people like me just as he would any other person. Even though it wasn’t a two way conversation between us, I felt that because you were a person with such a big stature who was brave enough to say this in public, that surely you knew people like me were out there and you were at least partially talking to us.

In the big scheme of things, I didn’t have it as hard as some others do, and I never want to take that for granted. My parents are relatively liberal and Australia is an OK climate to LGBT+ in. But I still found that it was hard to relate who I was with something bigger, and it was scary thinking about whether I would have to start a journey of discovery (not just self-discovery, but a discovery of ‘everything LGBT+’ I suppose you could say) on my own. Simply said, you helped me bridge the gap that I think sometimes people forget exists, even for young LGBT+ people in “supportive” environments. Just because they’re supportive doesn’t mean they’re informative or comfortable.

Nowadays, I’m so happy when I see younger celebrities come out, because I know how much that visibility and that platform means to young LGBT+ kids who simply want to see someone like them on television or in the media. Ellen Page, Charlie Carver, Tom Daley, Troye Sivan, Gus Kenworthy, etc, are all fantastic people that I just know will help make all the difference in someone’s life, as you did in mine.

So, all in all, I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for me and everyone else like me! I think it’s fair to say you’re not just an ally, but a friend too. I hope one day I get to shake your hand and thank you in-person for what you’ve done.

(...well this is the most personal thing I've ever written on this website.)

Josh:  Of course! I think its beyond important to give people their voice and fair shot at what they want from life. GET OUT OF THE WAY HATERS!

Only light can drive out dark.

[ediblenapkin-moved]

That's the Thing About Dreams- Chapter 4

A/N: WOOO WE'RE GOING PLACES

YEAH

Anyways, this chapter should wrap up Chapter 1- and then begins everything else! Woo! It's short, but that's because I'm tired. Sorry.

Super special thanks to RainFlight31039 and Dancing-Ink-Demon for reviewing! It makes me unbelieveably happy to see your reviews- all of you. So thanks!

Enjoy.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Joey shoved the cog onto its pedestal, watching the light above it flicker on- the final light.

He'd already gathered the other things- his book had been in the break room, the inkwell had been in the room next to Henry's desk…

The break room had looked the same, thankfully. Upon finding his book, he had flipped it open- and froze, remembering flashes of what he'd written back then. Now, thoughts like the ones he'd written down seemed almost childish. He kept flipping through, but eventually just shut it and tossed it in his bag.

Now, though, all he had to do was turn the valve for the ink pressure- and then the main power for the machine should turn on. He left the room, leaving the crowbar there as he went through the maze of hallways that made up the studio.

Honestly, turning on the machine was a terrible idea- but maybe, just maybe- it might revive the cartoon wolf strapped to the table.. if he'd ever been alive in the first place.

But it was insane- he was completely made of ink. And yet, even…dead, his form still stayed in one piece. What was holding him together?

What had happened while he'd been gone?

As the was walking down the hallway to the ink pressure, a Bendy cutout poked its head around the corner- causing the former animator to freeze- before pulling itself back into place. After waiting a moment, Joey continued walking- and glared at the cutout that was sitting there, innocently.

And then the projector flashed on.

He stopped, watching the little loop animation of the Dancing Demon shine on the wall, whistling ringing through the room, before looking around the projector… but nobody was there.

Now he wasn't certain, but Joey was pretty sure bankruptcy on its own didn't cause weird events like this.

He turned the valve, and ink began pouring into the room. Joey frowned as his shoes got covered, coated in ink… thankfully, they weren't clothes he was fond of or anything.

But the wet shoes thing was going to be a problem.

He shuffled across the room, ink sloshing around as he made his way back onto higher ground. Another recording came to mind, one he'd found while looking for the various items…

"At this point, the company's as good as gone. The animations sure aren't being finished on time anymore, and then there's the machine. It's noisy, it's messy, and who needs that much ink anyway? Also, get this- Henry had each one of us donate something from our workstations. We put them on these little pedestals in the break room. Said it was something to keep…something in one piece. He's been getting more and more stressed out lately- wouldn't be surprised if he's losing it. He's the one writing the checks now, though. But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm outta here."

As Joey made his way back to the main hall, he heard clanging in the distance- banging…

Soon, he was back in front of the switch for the main power- which now had a little flashing READY next to it. Slowly, he pulled the switch.

The lights in the room turned on. The pipes began groaning- and the panel next to the switch read WORKING. After a moment, he headed towards the room with Boris- the pipes in front of the table were leaking, but nothing else had changed… Joey's eye caught the sight of a pipe behind the table, which seemed to be completely off- and he sighed.

Looks like another trip around the inconvenient pipe was in order…

He was soon stepping over it, and turned the corner-

And froze.

The doorway had been halfway boarded up… undoubtedly, that was the banging noises he'd heard earlier. Someone had been putting the boards up- but who? And why?

Curious, Joey walked closer-

And fell on his back with a screech as something, something covered in ink jumped up and clawed at his face.

He sat up, and looked back- but the thing was gone- replaced by a flood of ink that was falling over the doorway, and into the hall.

He found himself tripping over the pipe and down the hall.

He didn't care what was going to happen to the place at the moment- instead, he booked it for the exit. The amount of ink pouring from the pipes and ceiling wasn't just concerning- no, it was practically flooding. The place might be completely under in a few minutes.

And drowning by ink wasn't the way Joey wanted to go.

As he ran, gates began slamming shut- cutting off all other options. Warning bells went off in his head- he was being corralled to the exit. Not a good sign, but if that thing wanted him out, he wasn't going to argue.

He didn't feel much like arguing at the moment anyway.

Boards fell from the ceiling as the ink went from a tiny layer to almost mid-calf in seconds. Joey found himself in the main room, a sign above happily pointing to the EXIT- he turned the corner, the door was open the light shone through-

The little voice managed to whisper-it's too easy, this is a trap-

And then the floor collapsed.

He yelped as his feet sunk through- and then he was falling-

Thud.

Everything flashed white for a minute, as his head clipped the floor. Soon, though, the feeling of ink pouring onto him forced Joey to move- and he stood, moving away from the opening that was filled with ink… ink that was not flooding this area any more than it already had. He looked up- but it was only small streams of ink…

He shook his head. That was an issue he could deal with later, if he had to deal with it at all. He looked around, taking in the room- and seeing a tape sitting on a shelf across the room. He waded through the ink- it was waist high- before pressing play.

"It's dark, and it's cold, and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Whoever thought these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot. But the real worst part about all this… are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs. Make no mistake, this place… this…. machine… heck, this whole darn thing… it just isn't natural."

Slowly, Joey picked his way to the valve across the room and turned it- causing the ink to drain. The room cleared, and soon he found himself walking downstairs. A light on the stairwell flashed over a DANGER- KEEP OUT sign.

Maybe they should have just put one of those on the front door, Joey thought to himself.

He kept turning valves, kept going deeper and deeper… Soon, though, he found himself in a room where the next exit was boarded the wall someone had written THE CREATOR LIED TO US.

Once again, Joey found chills going down his back.

He looked around a little more, finding an axe sitting on a workbench to the left. He took it, looking it over for a moment, and then looked at the boarded up doorway.

Convenient.

Soon he had hacked his way through the numerous boards through the next hall. They were everywhere- scattered, filling the hall. But they weren’t all put up- which led Joey to believe that whoever had started putting the boards up had to stop midway.

Why would they stop?

Finally, he cleared the boards off a door at the end of the hall. He pulled it open-

And gripped the handle as the room shuddered.

Earthquake was the first thing that came to mind- but it didn’t stop. He pulled himself into the room, slowly, noticing the pentagram on the floor, the candles around it, were those really coffins-

He found himself stepping onto the pentagram.

A flash, an image came to mind- the ink machine. He froze, but another image flashed- a chair- and suddenly he found it hard to breathe, and with another flash- the thing-

Everything went black, and Joey collapsed on the pentagram.

llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

A/N: h e h

All changes are deliberate- just want you to know… and for the record, I am already enjoying this immensely.

Yeah, there’s already a few changes- which are gonna snowball as time goes on. Shit’s going out the window, and I’ve got a grand many ideas…

I’ve even got several endings ready, but Chapter 5 is probably gonna make me toss them all out the window.. Don’t worry- this entire story’s probably gonna get re-edited when Chapter 5 comes out. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.

(*cue angry shouts of Junko Enoshima in the distance*)

I am having trouble making this a longer chapter… eugh. time for filler shit i guess. buckle up kiddos we’ve got bullshit coming up ahead

For the record- Joey has a shoulder bag in this story. For ease of explaining things and whatnot. Because I doubt he’d want to shove a ton of hearts in his pockets, or just hold them casually. (hey puppet man if you’re reading this how the hell DOES henry hold all those damn items?? do they just ominously float behind him as he walks???)

Next chapter- We begin the bullshit anew, in Chapter 2! (Ha, that rhymed! I didn’t even mean to do that wow)

Also, something to note! From here on out, formatting is being done on MOBILE. Meaning things may not be correctly formatted all the time... and at about Chapter 7? 6? One of them? On, I'll also be WRITING these on mobile. Probably. So sorry if it turns out to be crap.

Thanks for reading.

[geektalknews]

Helpful Tips If You Are Attending Heroes and Villains, or any convention really.

Photo by Fortress Photography If you are any kind of a fan, no matter the genre, you love attending conventions. This year for the second year in a row, we had the pleasure to attend Heroes and Villians Fan Fest in our hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. This year was a little different tho, they were teamed up with the Walking Dead fan convention Walker Stalker Con, so basically comics on one side and zombies on the other. We at Geek Talk News wanted to make a survival guide to help you out in case this was your first ever con, or just needed a refresher course.

Getting Inside the Convention: 

Photos By: Fortress Photography You will want to hit the floor as soon as the doors open, you will want to arrive early regardless of whether you purchased your tickets online or on site. Side Note: We recommend buying tickets online. And friend them on all the social media sites, because they run sales very often of buy-one-get-one-free tickets. And even a buy-one-get-3-free ticket. So there is no reason to pay full price for a single ticket. There will be signage, Fan Fest staff and volunteers to direct you to where you need to go. There are people designated just to answer your questions, so don’t be afraid to ask. Once your online purchase is complete, you will receive an email confirmation with a QR code. You must present this code via printed email or scanning your smartphone in order to receive your “ticket” at the event. Please note: Heroes and Villians tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. As well, tickets cannot be applied towards future Heroes and Villans Fan Fest Conventions. You will need to exchange your ticket voucher for your pass/lanyard or wristband. We also recommend picking up your lanyard/wristband early if that is an option. Ticketing usually opens up the day prior to the start of the Con. This info will be posted in the Fan Fest app (which I found useless since they did not update it with our particular venue) and on the Heroes And Villians Fan Fest Website.

Photos By: Fortress Photography Picking up your pass is a one time, per con process. Once you have your lanyard you will skip ticketing for the remainder of the con. Do not lose your lanyard or wristband, they can not be replaced.  You will need to make sure your pass is visible at all times to the HVFF Staff, Event staff and HVFF Ambassadors. Once again, it is required for entry into the con as well as which lines you will be directed to for each celebrity. The largest crowds in ticketing are early before the con opens to the public.  Once you arrive you will be put in one line and be taken in groups to the ticketing counter. The lines will seem overwhelming; however, this process goes fairly quickly. If your arrival time is prior to your ticket’s entry time and you already have your lanyard, you will then proceed to another line depending on your ticket level.  Once the doors open for your ticket level you will proceed to security. Security may involve metal detectors and bag checks. If you are a cosplayer with a fake weapon or if you bring a fake weapon to have autographed (i.e. Lucille), then you will have to make sure a con ambassador inspects and zip ties your fake weapon before entry. Please refer to the Heroes and Villians props & cosplay policy on what is/is not allowed inside the convention.  In Nashville, we were not allowed to bring any open beverages, like coffee, through the doors. There are usually separate doors for entry and exit. There is only one point to enter and you must through the security checkpoint each time you enter the con floor. The good folks at HVFF take the safety of their attendees, guests, and staff very seriously. Even tho at one point the fire alarm did go off, and nobody did anything, but that is a discussion for another time. The con floor opens to VIP, Gold, Platinum and Media and hour an half earlier than it does for those holding GA tickets.

Ticket Levels:

Photo by Fortress Photography Heroes and Villians have 4 different ticket levels- Platinum, Gold, VIP & General Admission. Each ticket comes with its own perks so think about which option is the best fit for you before you make your purchase. Platinum & Gold passes have the most perks but they are the most costly and sell out first. A General Admission ticket gets you in the door but there are no perks other than access the Vendor Alley and Panel Discussions. Depending on who you want to see, sometimes buying a GA ticket is better especially if you can get it on sale and split the cost with other people. And then add on the photo ops and autographs, which is what we did. I found that the price of the VIP tickets for some of the celebrities was more than the price of a ticket to the San Diago Comic Con, and to me, that seems a bit much. But that's just me.

Lines, Wait Times and Meet & Greets:

Photos By: Fortress Photography. Crowds Lined Up For John Barrowman Waiting in line is something that you will have to do. There are thousands of people, I mean family members, attending the con with you so waiting is just part of the process. Wait times can vary from one minute to an hour or more depending on the celebrity. Sometimes you get lucky and there is a minimal wait time or no line at all!  Lines are formed by ticket level; Platinum & Gold pass holders go in line together, then VIP followed by General Admission attendees. There is also a line for folks with Disability passes but that line location varies from table to table. If you have an extended wait time, get to know the people around you! We met so many great people, forming friendships over a common bond is what the con is all about. A meet and greet is simply your opportunity to wait in your designated line and meet the celebrity and give them money for and selfie and an autograph. If I sound salty, I am a little, cause I personally think it's a little insane on how much they charge for just an autograph from a working actor. Some celebrities hug and/or shake hands and some do not. Some will come out from behind the table while others do not. It is very important to respect each celebrity’s boundaries and follow the instructions given once you get up to the table. You will be asked to put your phone away at most tables and you will not be allowed to film your interaction with the celebrity guest. If you purchase a selfie (if available) you will be allowed to keep that phone out but you will be asked to hand it to the ambassador taking the photos. It becomes quite costly to purchase something at every table; especially with the average price of a selfie or autograph being around $40. Meet & greets are a great option for those trying to stick to a budget. Other than the celebrity guests offering pre-sales, most are open to meeting a small group of 2-4 people at a time who are purchasing an auto or selfie. So if you and your three friends go in on a $40 selfie at the celebrity’s table, that is only $10 each! (Please note: You will only be able to use one person’s phone or camera). This is also great for couples and families 

Parking at the Convention:

It is important that you allow time for parking. You also need to work this expense into your budget. We advise you to get there as early as you can, the parking garage is your best bet (all day $15) but it fills up fast. Other than that you will have to pay by the hour or all day for $20-25 depending if anything else is going on downtown.

Cold Hard Cash:

Honestly, this is one of the biggest things that many people are taken back by the fact you will need real paper money at a con. While Heroes and Villians Fan Fest takes plastic for ticket sales and vendors may take your card, celebs do not. If you want a selfie or autograph you have to purchase that in line and it is cash only. There are ATMs at the con but fans were told that each time using the ATM at the Nashville con there was a $5 fee (with additional fees from your bank) and the maximum withdrawal per transaction was $120. With the average price of a selfie/autograph combo being $60, you will be standing in line at the ATM after just two celebs! So make sure to take some cash and save it for the celeb tables. We found that most of the tables in the Vendor Alley and Food Court accepted cards. Heroes and Villains Fan Fest is Definitely worth the price just for the experience of being around people like yourself, who enjoy the fandoms, and the quirkiness that makes us geeks.  After all "It's not just fandom...It's Family". Well, that wraps it up for this year, if you have any comment or questions leave it below. And if you went to HVFF this year did you enjoy it? Let us know. Read the full article