#like its one thing to put my faves together in a faction and have them hang out now and then! thank u elp for suddenly being so flirty

[ringsidedishes]

not to be dramatic (while on the being-dramatic-website) but despe and elp kissing and lounging together in the corner of the ring and giving a little kiss on the cheek before the match starts makes me so happy

[orionsangel86]

who cares about fandom. it's shows. shows aren't important american

This ask is really confusing to me. Are you calling me American as an insult? If so thats super funny to me since I most certainly am not American!

I know this is just someone being a dick for the sake of being a dick, but I will take this ask sincerely because I have the freedom of choice to do so. Who does care about fandom? Lots of people actually.

You know what is a huge and important fandom to lots of people worldwide? Football. Maybe you don't see it the same way because it's not about some dumb TV show, but its still a fandom. They even have different factions for different teams, and it gets weirdly nationalistic during global competition events. So who cares about fandom? Well, for football fans, I'd say about 5 billion people.

But limiting it to those unimportant shows anon has chosen to sneer at, well, in recent years comic cons around the world have reported a total of 1.8million+ attendees each year. And that is just a fraction of the fans who can afford to attend these conventions (plus these are only the big conventions not including the likes of Creation cons). Regardless of how much you sneer at it, fandom is huge and a huge part of many peoples lives. Fandom has brought people community, support, connection, and a mountain of creativity at its heart.

On a personal note, some of my best friends were met through Supernatural Fandom. We still talk regularly to this day and I try to meet up with them as often as possible even though we are all dotted all over Europe and America. Without Supernatural, a so called unimportant show, I wouldn't have those real life connections which mean so much to me and have made my life better.

Ask any actor from one of those unimportant shows, and they will tell you how they have met with fans who literally found reason to keep living through the shows that they loved, that the struggles and journeys of the characters they are passionate about literally saved their lives. Tell those people that fandom isn't important, that their shows are meaningless eh? Tell that to someone who was thinking of ending their own life but chose to keep living because they saw how important that was to their fave characters.

The Supernatural actors put out an actual crisis hotline to support fans struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. They started campaigns like Always Keep Fighting and You Are Not Alone because they saw how much their fandom relied on them and the fandom they were apart of, because the show was their only escape from a harsh reality. Misha Collins was able to get his Random Acts charity off the ground through the support of fandom, and to this date Random Acts has succeeded in supporting communities worldwide, including providing disaster relief in Haiti and building a school in Nicaragua.

So much for an unimportant show, when its very existance has spurned a crisis network and a charity that continue to support and save lives globally.

And thats JUST Supernatural. There is so much work done by fandoms everywhere, for all different shows. Fandom is Community. And when communities get together they create wonderful things, they support each other, and sometimes, they save lives.

Who are you to say community is unimportant? Who are you anon? a user of Tumblr.com, the fandom website, to make such a bold and wrong claim? Television is storytelling, and storytelling is one of the oldest art forms. It makes us human, connects us with our past and speaks to our hearts and souls. We share our love and joy and passion through storytelling. It is where we find escape from the humdrum of our daily lives, it is where true magic lies. There is nothing unimportant about that.

[kitty-exclamation-point]

Friendly reminder that none of the four sides are completely morally justified. Even though I hate the Church, I can't comfortably say they're indiscriminate evil. It undermines these very complicated characters to force them into black and white morality just to satiate your own ego. I really enjoy having a story where every faction has features and flaws, and your heart picks your choices for you.

Like, it's hard for me to not pick CF bc a) I dislike the church's totalitarian influence, b) I find Edelgard to be the most personally engaging, b+) I can relate to a queer woman struggling to change a religious world while struggling also with very bad influences, and c) I feel like playing whole routes where everyone drives in what a bitch my pet favorite is? That's kiiiiinda hard. Those are personal opinions to the core and I enjoy every shift in thinking the game gives me. And that's the engaging part of 3h.

I think the condemnation of its morally grey storytelling is a) a denial of very harsh events your fave commits, b) sucking all of the intrigue out of it, and c) missing out on the kind of great storytelling we ask for. We all get this idea that morally grey stories celebrate immorality because they're not defined as good vs evil as Awakening was (no one's misunderstanding Gangrel let's be real).

And sure, 3H's plot feels like a patchquilt hastily put together. But it's so much more powerful seeing these sides as similarly flawed yet easy to get on board with, then choosing your favorite AND your identity as a player. Maybe it's me still leaving a traumatic part of life, but honestly with little in my brain due to disease this game has helped me kind of establish myself against this fascinating freedom of choice, and I think it should be appreciated for what it is rather than being derided as a bad (disobedient) influence on players.

I'm not saying never question it. But don't deny people the right to question things in a positive or productive way instead of gaining morality points

[jcmorrigan]

I saw the tag- I am gonna ask you about the crossover universe- (omg I’m literally gushing about this)

OH, IT IS TIME!

 So you can find a lot of this on the “What is the WHAM ARMY?” page on my blog – I’ll try to remember to link it; I’m drafting this in a word processor first so I don’t use it. Essentially, this is the universe I’ve created for my fanfic “Taking Back the Crown,” which is about…basically my favorite villains all moving into the same house and trying to take over the multiverse. And then it got lore. And more lore. Because I cannot write anything normal. The fic is nearing its 150th chapter and I’m nowhere NEAR exhausted of all the ideas I want to put in it – it’s just my big playground for hyperfixation fun. Anyway, here’s a rundown of the major points of it!

 THE CAST

 The main characters are the eight villains who are the founders of the WHAM ARMY. The faction name is an acronym of their first initials. They’re my ultrafaves, the villains I always get fluttery heart for, and probably the biggest collection of losers you can imagine. I’ll put them in order of the acronym and give you some background on how each entered the team.

Wuya (Xiaolin Showdown) – So the connecting factor between these people is that Mozenrath (his name is a few slots down) is their team leader and the one who decided to build a team in the first place. Wuya was recruited when Mozenrath found her puzzle box in an ancient vault. This is set post-series for XS (and Chronicles is not at all canon), so what had happened is in the big Showdown right after Raimundo was named team leader officially in the finale, the Xiaolin Monks won ALL the Shen Gong Wu to their side and stuffed Wuya in the box. So Mozenrath found her and let her out so they could be pals. A magic potion let her regain human form fairly early on, and her power isn’t even nerfed either the way Chase Young would’ve done.

Huntsman (American Dragon: Jake Long) – ADJL is also post-series in this timeline. Mozenrath has the power to resurrect people from the dead at will because he’s memorized an ancient and incredibly complex ritual that he can execute mentally (note that this means you can remove this ability from him by tampering with his memories). The Huntsman was resurrected so as to show Mozenrath around the old Huntsclan vault (which is where they found Wuya’s puzzle box). No other Huntsclan member survived the purge except Rose (and 88 and 89, but they don’t count and aren’t in this story), so the Huntsman is starting from square one.

Ayam Aghoul (Aladdin: The Animated Series): Basically just got sick of losing. He’d teamed up with a few other rando Aladdin rogues to try and pick a fight with Maleficent, and she sent him packing. So he ended up finding one of the few residents of the Seven Deserts who was powerful enough to match him AND had a similar grudge against Maleficent.

Mozenrath (Aladdin: The Animated Series): The man of the hour and the creator of the entire team. He starts the fic by crashing Maleficent’s KH Disney Villain alliance and trying to add himself to it, but…ends up being such a disrespectful nuisance that Hades just drags him straight down to the Underworld. That moment inspired him to get his OWN band of friends and start making a name for himself.

Archibald Snatcher (The Boxtrolls): Met Mozenrath in the Underworld after his death in film canon. Annoyed Hades one too many times by claiming that he wasn’t actually supposed to die, seeing as he isn’t allergic to dairy (he is), so Hades threw him in the same cell as Mozenrath and…

Roman Torchwick (RWBY): I started writing this fic in 2016, immediately post-V3, so it’s canon-divergent after the last episode of V3 (but I got all the later-game characters to show up eventually). Which means Roman is ALSO dead at the start of this fic. He ALSO comes storming up to Hades insisting he’s not even supposed to be dead. At the same time as Snatcher is already pestering him. Which is how Mozenrath, Snatcher, and Roman end up in the same jail cell in Tartarus and get the idea that maybe they should break back into the world of the living and try to build something BETTER than what any of the three had beforehand.

Mad Madam Mim (The Sword in the Stone): Mozenrath, immediately after breaking out of the Underworld, attempted to take over Arthur’s kingdom by just walking in and throwing magic around. It backfired horribly when Merlin showed up. But then Mim showed up to counter Merlin and realized that maybe she had a potential friend here who was as blackhearted as she.

Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove): Post-TENG, no KNG or TENS (but I reference things from TENS every now and again). Merlin turned Mozenrath into a rat, so Mim brought him to Yzma’s Secret Lab to change him back. There, they found Yzma as a cat, and she so desperately wanted out of her living situation that she added herself to the team. She was also restored to human form shortly thereafter.

 There is a potential ninth member of the core in the form of Vexen (Kingdom Hearts). KH is canon-divergent after DDD and basically ignores almost every game that comes out after Fragmentary Passage. Vexen, as Even, was trying to integrate into life as a hero in Radiant Garden, except everyone annoyed him way too much, so he decided to go be with people that would give right back any insults he dished out. And then realized he was much happier being on the evil team and doing mad science with no ethics. However, he will not be promoted to the upper ranks because 1. it would spoil the acronym and 2. he is unanimously agreed-upon to be the biggest wet blanket of the group and nobody wants him at the founder parties.

(Imagine my disbelief when the actual canon arc for Vexen was THE REVERSE ONE IN WHICH HE JUST DECIDES TO GO LIVE AT RADIANT GARDEN AND NOT BE ANNOYED BY ANYTHING and that’s why JC doesn’t like Kingdom Hearts III)

 Anyway, this crew is a bunch of silly friends who enjoy partying, singing, dancing, drag, indulging in vices, causing mayhem, taking over cities, arranging for mass murder, piecing together smear campaigns…but they’re all pretty much ride or die for each other. And that goes double for the ships of the set: Mozenrath/Huntsman, Mim/Aghoul, Wuya/Yzma, and my favorite ship to end all favorites, Roman/Snatcher (RedHatBlackHat is the ship name).

From there, you have a B-Squad of, like, seventy other people based on my faves. Nonnie, I know you saw this because of Vincent Edgeworth, Victor Blake, and Albert Krueger, and they are three of COUNTLESS examples. It’s a found crime family that keeps getting bigger as I get more fave villains and there’s hardly a rhyme or a reason. Currently, they live in a floating fortress designed when they stole Terra Cyclonia (Storm Hawks) and hefted it out into the aether between worlds with crystal technology.

 They have a rival hero faction in the form of the Cinnamons: a gathering of people who they’ve wronged who turned out to make pretty good friends themselves. While the WHAM ARMY are the villain-protag team that you feel slightly bad loving the escapades of, the Cinnamons are the rainbows, fluff, sunshine, (secret crippling depression and anxiety), and pep-talkers of the multiverse. They’re the deuteragonist team as opposed to the “villains” of the story. They also have eight “leaders,” but they were picked up a little less quickly than the WHAM ARMY founders, instead coming together over the span of a much longer quest. These people are:

Sora (Kingdom Hearts): Heart of the team and the person who pulled them all together, because Sora loves everyone. He, Riku, and Kairi witnessed the WHAM ARMY wreaking destruction on both Radiant Garden and Disney Castle, and Sora decided no one gets to treat his homes-away-from-home like that and get away with it! Between Mozenrath and the still-looming threats of Maleficent and Xehanort, he’s now collecting pals from all worlds to fight against evil and do as much good as they can do! (While having sleepovers.)

Ruby Rose (RWBY): Before she, Nora, Ren, and Jaune could get into Mistral, Sora interrupted them on their path and directed them right back around to Vale with the news that Roman Torchwick was back in action. After an incident involving the Destiny Trio and Team RNJR having to team up and actually kill the massive Grimm unleashed in the V3 endgame, they all headed out to Radiant Garden together to continue their mission.

Papyrus (Undertale): Sora found him while exploring worlds and they clicked immediately as pals. Then the WHAM ARMY, who was living in Mt. Ebott at the time, sparked an anti-monster racist sentiment through the town, and Papyrus was advised to leave the world for his own safety, so he went traveling with Sora.

Stork (Storm Hawks): Maleficent, who is also an active player in this game, made a power play by destroying the Condor with the entire Storm Hawks team onboard while they were on the Far Side of Atmos (post-series). Stork, believing himself to be the only survivor, attempted to take his own life – only for Sora to show up just in time and offer him something better: hope that his friends survived, and new friends to tag along with until they could prove either way.

Jasmine (Aladdin): The Cinnamons came looking to Agrabah for more information on Mozenrath. When Jasmine heard he was causing chaos, she decided to get personally involved.

Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender): Post-ATLA, no LoK. Sora made a trip to the Fire Nation to see if he could head off the WHAM ARMY’s latest scheme, and ran into the Gaang along the way. After helping Katara, Aang, and Zuko protect the Fire Nation from a very near miss, Sora invited them to come travel with him. Only Katara accepted at first, the other two wanting to clean things up on their homeworld.

Kazuichi Soda (DanganRonpa): Post-SDR2, no DR3. Xehanort requested Izuru Kamukura be used as a vessel, and Kazuichi went in Izuru/Hajime’s place so his buddy didn’t have to. But the first chance he got, Kazuichi turned and ran from the Castle That Never Was…where Sora had just crash-landed. Kazuichi patched up Sora’s ship, and immediately became part of his crew. (Worth noting: in this AU, the Remnants of Despair were never brainwashed and were completely aware of what they were doing. Kazuichi is basically a redemption story, trying to be a better person to make up for the hell he caused. Also, while on the Despair side, he’d hacked off his leg to sew Junko’s in its place, disabling himself – that leg goes through an arc regarding what prosthesis is in its place.)

Rapunzel (Tangled): After the Vardaros arc of S2 of Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure. Rapunzel was targeted by the WHAM ARMY because she was essentially a living MacGuffin for one of their spells. Sora showed up, and Rapunzel decided to go along with him for safety AND fun, leaving Cassandra to continue the pilgrimage to the Dark Kingdom. (Wrote this before KHIII was out. And before the Evil Cass twist.)

 And just like the WHAM ARMY, these folks have a huge B-squad that lives in the Radiant Garden castle and helps them deal with the various tragedies they have to clean up after. Riku, Kairi, and Jaune Arc in particular get a decent amount of stage time.

 As you can see, Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty/Kingdom Hearts) and her forces are another big set of chess pieces on the board! After she sent Mozenrath to gay baby jail and it didn’t stick, she’s been trying to continue plans for domination as usual but ALSO wipe the WHAM ARMY off the face of the multiverse. She, Jafar (Aladdin), Ursula (The Little Mermaid), and Hades (Hercules) all came straight here from KH. But I’m working to model that team’s inner circle on the team in “Quite a Glittering Assemblage,” the sister fic by gavillain (it’s basically this premise but Maleficent gets a team to start instead, but similarities end there, his is a whole different, fresh, and fun flavor). I’ve just gotten all these characters intro’d instory, but the other biggies are Loki (Marvel – I based him in the Cinematic Universe but he’s kind of just an amalgamation of Lokis), Dr. Doom (Marvel), Captain Hook (Once Upon a Time), Russell Edgington (True Blood), and Fish Mooney (Gotham). Currently, they operate out of the Forbidden Mountain in the Enchanted Dominion.

 There’s also a very new addition as of the 140’s chapters: the Heathens. This is a squad of villains with moral lines in the sand (and some antiheroes or corrupted heroes). Basically, these aren’t your killers for fun. These are the people who steal candy from the gas station and think they’re slick, but the point is they’re enjoying themselves so just let it happen. The four founders of this one are Harley Quinn (DC – based on The Batman but an amalgamation of Harleys that leans sympathetic), Yang Xiao Long (RWBY), Giovanni Potage (Epithet Erased), and Velvet Crowe (Tales of Berseria). Currently, they operate out of the old mansion in Twilight Town.

 The Xehanorts are here, and that team is largely who you think it is – though I stripped away Vexen, Demyx, Marluxia, Larxene, and Luxord in order to replace them ALL with Xaldin. More crossover shenanigans to come on this front. This team isn’t very active – they’re waiting for the Keyblade War – but they’re operating out of the World That Never Was.

 There’s also another side villain faction: the Morbians, led by Mirage (Aladdin: The Animated Series). These are the demons of fear, the stuff that lurks in your nightmares, and…the villains I really like but who I don’t quite think fit in with the WHAM ARMY or any other more prominent group. But to give you an idea of what the flavor of this team is, she’s recruited not one but TWO Boogeymen – Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians) and Oogie Boogie (The Nightmare Before Christmas).

 There will be more villain factions to come, and I kind of want to splinter the Cinnamons to multiple bases as well. Obviously it’s easier to split villains up because they’re fun to write at war with each other – when I have hero teams come up against each other, usually they end up becoming best buddies instead of fighting, and that’s how I like it, but that’s why there’s just ONE BIG HERO TEAM as opposed to the many villain squads rattling around.

 THE SETTING

 So as you have probably gleaned, the multiverse setup is largely based on Kingdom Hearts, which is one of my favorite things (in the KH1 through Fragmentary Passage era anyway). There are many worlds that can be visited either by Gummi Ship or Corridor of Darkness. Basically any evil-aligned sorcerer can use Corridors in this ‘verse – they’ve opened their souls to Darkness and have magic, so they can do so.

 The implication is that every world represents a separate “story” or part of one. As in if it’s a work of fiction HERE, it’s a world THERE. Some characters are actually savvy enough to know they’re fictional (e.g. Megavolt from Darkwing Duck, Xayide from The Neverending Story). Most of them aren’t built to handle the news, though, and just shrug it off if told. (No, really, the cosmic order prevents them from taking that news seriously if they’re not from something that regularly leans on the fourth wall anyway.)

 But sometimes, things get AU’d in without their full worlds. I was inspired by how Final Fantasy is treated in canon KH, and once I started bringing in more FF stuff by the same method, I felt motivated to do that with MORE fandoms if I felt the characters could be divorced from their settings and histories easily. I’ve done it for most Disney Channel non-animated properties as well as Satellite City (ain’t that the worst combo you’ve ever looked at). I’m planning to do it for Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn because I’m coming up on a location I want to delve into the civilization of but don’t have many canon characters for, so guess what, you get the FE cast now.

 Major worlds or relevant locations in play are the Cyclonian warship, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and occasionally the Enchanted Dominion, but we move from plotline to plotline with journeys to many, many, MANY worlds of things I want to play with the settings and casts of. Also, the Cyclonian warship is about to get replaced with another WHAM ARMY base; we’ll get there.

 THE STORY

 For the first major “book” of TBTC, the WHAM ARMY has found a spell that they think will let them conquer the entire multiverse by giving them control over Kingdom Hearts itself. All they have do to is collect a bunch of MacGuffins that correspond to twelve elements: fire, water, earth, air, light, darkness, life, death, time, space, entropy, and aether. In order to do this, they visit the worlds of KH, RWBY, Avatar, Storm Hawks, Okami, Undertale, Wakfu, The Legend of Zelda, The Neverending Story, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and many many more. The Cinnamons catch wind of what they’re doing and start assembling. Meanwhile Maleficent is on the hunt for the Book of Prophecies and starts hiring villains on her team as well. After many madcap adventures and some devastating tragedies near endgame, the Cinnamons accidentally put the Book of Prophecies in Maleficent’s hands at the same time that Maleficent finally captures Mozenrath and gets him under heel. The WHAM ARMY and Cinnamons both launch attacks on Maleficent’s forces, and each walks away with what they came for. This is also the part where we slowburn up to the four major WHAM ARMY ships and many Cinnamon ships. In the end, the WHAM ARMY actually gets all the ingredients for their spell, but what they don’t know is it will actually cause the DESTRUCTION of the worlds. So an outside force intervenes (Discord from MLPFIM, who later joins the WHAM ARMY because he wants friends who actually appreciate him as a villain and won’t make him change) to stop them, and the next thing they know, they’re starting from square one.

 We’re now in the second “book” of this story. The Cinnamons are gathering up all lost friends – the rest of Team RWBY, the Gaang, the Storm Hawks (who did in fact survive the explosion), the lost KH characters. The WHAM ARMY, on the other hand, is gathering up more villains to bolster their forces for a new evil plan: to conquer the worlds one by one, starting with Atlantis (Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire) and using portals to link to other territories of interest. While the WHAM ARMY is essentially working through a to-do list of what they need before they can launch such a massive invasion, the Cinnamons are finding strength in numbers because the writing’s on the wall that between Mozenrath, Maleficent, Mirage, and Xehanort, things are going to get worse before they get better, and as evil builds, good will need to rise to protect the innocent. As for Maleficent, she’s no longer able to chase the Book of Prophecies, and so, because she’s got Hades, Loki, and Salem (RWBY) there and they’re all like “Even though we’re pretty godlike, we are not that happy with how the gods we knew have run things,” Maleficent’s new goal is to slaughter the gods of all pantheons (minus those in her care) and replace them with her allies.

 Anyway, as I had said in the post you saw, Anon – I basically take everything fictional I love and shove it into this AU for daydreams because it lets me imagine my faves having CROSSOVER INTERACTIONS and doing cool epic stuff on a multi-world scale. (But as much as I’ve talked up the epic aspect, a lot of it is just…like…people fucking around and hosting karaoke nights.) Anyway, I hope this gave you a good sense of the madness, and I hope it serves as a reminder to everyone that they can and should just. Make a daydream and/or fanfic universe that’s indulgent as hell. Just do it.

[strangeandforlornbooks]

best books with morally ambiguous narrators!

all y’all’s problematic faves and villains! :) also included are third person narrators but in books with morally ambiguous leads/themes 

Sci-fi

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: in a future free from pain, disease, and war, people can live forever. ‘scythes’ are given the power to decide who lives and who dies to preserve the balance. sad and kinda gives of hunger games vibes, if you like that.

Neuromancer by William Gibson: basically invented the cyberpunk genre. strange and removed protagonists. (a team of computer hackers have to face off against an evil AI). you kind of dislike everyone and suddenly you’re crying over them. one of those trippy sci-fi classics.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut: very beautiful and very very sad (same author as slaughterhouse five). the richest man in america has to face a martian invasion. more about free will and bad people doing good things than a plot that makes any kind of sense.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick: set in an alternate universe where the germans and japanese won world war two. not really like the tv show at all- it’s not an action story, and there’s not really the hope to somehow fix the world that drives a lot of dystopia stories. instead its about how people survive and connect to one another in a hopeless society.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow: a supercomputer convinces the leaders of the world to keep the peace for hundreds of years by taking their children hostage and obliterating any city that disobeys. what happens to the hostage protagonists when war seems inevitable? lots of morally fraught decisions and characters slowly losing their identity. (plus a fun lesbian romance)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: a brilliant mathematician and a dedicated marine fight to keep the ultra secret in world war two. fifty years later,  a tech company discovers what remains of their story. one of the most memorable sequences in the book is a japanese soldier slowly becoming disillusioned with his nation and horrified by the war even as he continues to fight.

Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick: another one of those sci-fi classics that’s not at all like the movie. there is a bounty hunter for robots, though, as well as a weird religion that probably is referencing catholicism and a decaying society with a shortage of pets. kind of a trip.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power: girls trapped in a boarding school on an isolated island must face a creeping rot that affects the animals and plants on the island as well as their own bodies. the protagonists will do anything to survive and keep each other safe. very tense (and bonus lesbian romance whoo)

The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin: three women are gifted with the ability to control the earth’s energy in a world where those who can do so are forced into hiding or slavery. some veryyyy dark choices here but lots of strong female characters.

Historical Fiction

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: two victorian lesbians fall in love as they plot to betray each other in horrific ways. lots of plot twists, plucky thieves, gothic settings, and a great romance.

Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiwicz: a powerful roman soldier in the time of Nero plots to kidnap a young woman after he falls in love with her, only to learn more about the mysterious christian religion she follows. very melodramatic but some terrific prose. 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: a blind girl in France and a brilliant German boy recruited by the military struggle through the chaos of the second world war. ends with a bang (iykyk.) very sad, reads like poetry.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang: graphic novel reveals the story of a young boy fighting in the boxer rebellion in early twentieth century china. the sequel, saints, is also excellent. beautifully and sympathetically shows the protagonist’s descent into evil- the reader really understands each step along the way.

Fantasy

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: three triplets separated at birth, each with their own magical powers, have to fight to the death to gain the throne. lots of fun honestly

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: everyone in these books is highly problematic but you love them all anyway. a ragtag game of criminals plan a heist on a magical fortress. some terrific tragic back stories, repressed feelings, and revenge schemes.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King: idk how to describe these frankly but if you can put up with King’s appalling writing of female characters they’re pretty interesting. fantasy epic about saving the world/universe, sort of. cowboys and prophecies and overlapping dimensions and drug addicts galore.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud: lots of fun! a twelve year old decides to summon a demon for his cute lil revenge scheme. sarcastic demon narrator. lighthearted until s*** gets real suddenly.

Elegy and Swansong by Vale Aida: fantasy epic with machiavellian lesbians and enemies to lovers to enemies to ??? to lovers. charming and exciting and lovely characters.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen: an orphan boy must compete with a few others for the chance to impersonate a dead prince. really dark but very tense and exciting and good twists.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu: fantasy epic. heroes overthrow an evil empire and then struggle as the revolution dissolves into warring factions. interesting world building and three dimensional characters, even if they only have a small part.

Circe by Madeline Miller: the story behind the witch who turns men into pigs in the odyssey. madeline miller really said, i just used my classics degree to write a beautiful gay love story and now im going to write a powerful feminist retelling because i can. queen. an amazing and satisfying book that kills me a lil bit because of the two lines referencing the song of achilles.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer: the tragic backstory for the queen of hearts in alice in wonderland. a little predictable but very fun with a compelling protagonist

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George RR Martin: ok I know we all hate GRRM and rightfully so but admittedly these books do have some great characters and great scenes. they deserve better than GRRM though. also he will probably never finish the books anyway....

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: not really fantasy but not really anything else either. plucky, intelligent, and kind children fight off evil plots for thirteen books until suddenly you realize the world is not nearly as black and white as you thought. 

Classics

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: gothic romance!! a new wife is curious about the mysterious death of her predecessor in a creepy old house in the British countryside...good twists and lovely prose.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles: not really morally ambiguous but one awful decision suddenly has awful consequences and certain people are haunted by guilt forever.... really really really beautiful and really really really sad. boys in a boarding school grow up together under the shadow of world war two.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: while imperial russia slowly decays a beautiful young woman begins a destructive affair. a long book. very russian. the ending is incredibly tense and well written.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I think you know the plot to this one. the prose is better than you remember and the last scene is always exciting.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: one by one, the guests on an island are slowly picked off. one of Christie’s darkest mysteries- no happy ending here! very tense and great twists.

Contemporary

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: inspired the whole dark academia aesthetic. college students get a little too into ancient greece and it does not end very well. lovely prose but I found the characters unlikable.

Honorable Mentions

The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherford: has literally a billion protagonists, but some of them are morally ambiguous ig? follows a few families stories’ from the 400s ad to irish independence in the 20s. beautifully captures the weight and movement of irish history.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer: how morally ambiguous can you be if you’re, like, eleven? a lot if you’re a criminal genius who wants to kidnap a fairy for your evil-ish plan apparently!

Redemption by Leon Uris: literally my favorite novel ever. the sequel to Trinity but can stand alone. various irish families struggle through the horrors of world war one. the hero isn’t really morally ambiguous, but the main theme of the novel is extremely bad people suddenly questioning their choices and eventually redeeming themselves. sweeping themes of love, screwed up families, redemption, and patriotism.

The Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett: heroes redeem themselves/try to get rich/try to save their country in early renaissance Europe. if I actually knew what happened in these books I'm sure it would be morally ambiguous but its too confusing for me. in each book you spend at least a third convinced the protagonist is evil, though. lots of exciting sword fights, tragic romances, plot twists, and kicking english butt.

Bonus: Protagonist is less morally ambiguous and more very screwed up and sad all the time

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: you know this one bc its quoted in all those quote compilations. basically the story of how one horrible event traumatizes a young man and how he develops a connection to a painting. really really really good.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: hard to describe but strange... not an action novel or a dystopia really but sort of along those lines. very hopeless.

[capricornus-rex]

Love’s Mischievous Twin (6 - End)

Gif by @daisyridleys

Cal Kestis x Reader

I’ve finally finished it! I had extra fun writing the fight scene while listening to Duel of the Fates song, of course it perfectly fit with the vibe of that scene! Hope you’ve enjoyed the stories and my other stuff, guys. I really love the support you’ve shown. ❤

Summary: The Imperial troops and Inquisitorius threaten to occupy your home planet, a certain someone from the past gets a little too close for comfort for Cal’s taste.

Prompt: Jealous Cal

Legend: [p/n] = planet name; choose your own fave Star Wars planet ;)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Masterlist

6 of 6

Cal got separated from you in the chaos but you had to continue fighting; left and right, soldiers came running up to you in need of reinforcement. You worry for him but you knew that was strong, you told yourself that you believe in him. He’ll know what to do.

You aided the faction of Captain Osmos’s second-in-command in the marketplace. Very few troopers were stationed there but they had ones armed with heavy artillery like  flametroopers and Purge Troopers. 

“Hold fast!” You cried out, lightsaber gleaming in the night, a beacon in the midst of devastation.

Meanwhile, Cal joined Captain Osmos and Cere in the plaza. The numbers have thinned in the Imperial side. Death wrought an air of silence as the street was strewn with bodies. Out of the blue, there was a sharp jab in his senses—a disturbance in the Force—you felt it too.

He didn’t bother to confirm it with Cere. He just knew and this prompted him to leave.

“I have to find [y/n]!”

Cal sprinted through the city, retracing the path to your last known location: the marketplace. Between the plaza and the marketplace is the residential area—it was a wide area consisting of several blocks between both public areas. He sped through the streets, feeling you through the Force, and trying to hear your voice in the distance. He gasped for breath with every step he took; each one would bring you closer to him.

“[y/n], I’m coming!”

But something stood in his way: Armus. Fully clad in black like the darkness that consumed him, armed with the electrostaff whose indigo sparks crackled like contained lightning—impatient and wild—and the hazel eyes underneath that curtain of black fringes that were once so gentle to the look were now as furious as the inferno.

“Going somewhere, Jedi?” Armus growled.

Cal did not say a word, his thumb searched for the switch on his hilt and then ignited his lightsaber.

Armus’s smirk was smeared with arrogance and blind confidence when the lightsaber buzzed out the blades from both ends. Cal positioned into a defensive stance. Armus sprang from where he stood, screeching with seething hate, his electrostaff met Cal’s lightsaber, both weapons sizzled and spewed sparks on impact. Armus brought down his weight against Cal, but he was staggered away with the Force and Cal regained his composure again.

Cal and Armus have each other trapped in a dance of blades. The fight has brought them to the small residential square. Surprisingly, Armus was as destructive as he was skilled with the electrostaff. His blows were strong, one wrong move and he might overpower Cal.

“You just had to up and ruin everything, don’t you, redhead?”

“Sorry I stole your thunder… not.”

Cal’s snarky comeback provoked Armus. A flurry of slashes and overhead strikes ensues. He was able to put a dent on Armus’s defenses: getting the right timing to stagger the enemy, breaking Armus’s block with continuous strikes until he fumbles and then a straight-on jab, switching between lightsaber styles to deny Armus an opening to strike.

The duel went on for long and it was exhausting, but Cal isn’t allowing himself to falter—not yet, not now, not ever.

Armus landed another strike but Cal parried it hard just in time.

“You’re so persistent,” Armus chortled wickedly as he staggered. “That’s impressive. I wonder if she is just as strong as I think she is, I can’t wait to see for myself!”

“You’ll have to get through me first!”

Armus continued to flail his electrostaff, he doesn’t seem to be tiring out any time soon, but so is Cal.

“What does she see in you, anyway!?” he spat.

His every taunt rooted from his immense envy. Cal didn’t respond to his verbal taunts. But Armus’s anger blinded him, made him lose the grace that he demonstrated in the earlier moments of the duel. Eventually, he has resorted to brute force and recklessness. He continuously struck Cal’s lightsaber until his defense would break.

One… two… three… four strikes.

After the fifth hit, Armus—now overtaken with derangement—chuckled menacingly, “Don’t bother answering. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll deal with her once I’m through with you! I will have my way with her!”

Suddenly, that fueled something within Cal. He Force-pushed Armus away from him to afford a moment to regain himself. Raising his lightsaber to the level of his cheek, the look in his eyes gleamed with determination.

“I won’t let you hurt her!” Cal snarled.

It was Cal’s turn to send a flurry of strikes until Armus could falter, but he pulled away and kicked Cal to the ground.

For a moment, Cal body felt like giving up already—he was exhausted and his body ached, his adrenaline had worn off. He weakly snapped his fingers, signalling BD-1 to toss a stim, but before he could even inject himself, Armus darted toward him and kicked off the stim from his hand.

“No…!” Cal exclaimed even while out of breath, squirming on the ground to reach the stim.

“Aww, so weak and pathetic. I think [y/n] failed to see that,” Armus taunted. “You were so busy pretending to be strong in her eyes. Now look at you—writhing like a worm!”

Armus struck Cal on the leg with the end of his electrostaff, sending thousands of volts forcefully coursing through his weakened body.

“I will have her head and yours rolling at the Inquisitor’s feet!”

“Don’t get too confident, Armus!!”

You entered the duel with a jump attack, Armus blocked it at the last second, completely taking him by surprise. The indigo light from the electricity shone over your face while your eyes flared with an intensity that bested the wild cracks of the staff.

You swung your lightsaber and pushed Armus away from Cal, standing between both of them with the tip of your lightsaber humming threateningly at Armus’s face.

“You’re not laying anything on him ever!” you threatened.

Armus swung back with his electrostaff, he has you exchanging blows and slashes with him this time, he switched to using the electrostaff in a twin-blade mode; dealing with him afforded Cal to reach for the stim and heal himself. When he finally injected himself and let the bacta do its work but it was taking some time before he could actually recover and fight again.

Cal was able to stop an incoming blow from Armus with his Force slow to help you—it was the least he could do. You turned to look at Cal, he was still weak and lying on the ground.

You’ve overpowered Armus in a few things: stamina, speed, skill, and finesse. With the right balance of Force abilities and lightsaber skills, Armus couldn’t pick up the pace, not even with his twin-blade electrostaff.

Finally, you brought Armus to the ground, completely weakened and unable to fight back. You hovered your lightsaber over his nose.

“You’ve lost, Armus,”

Captain Osmos and a handful of his men strode into the scene of your duel, finding Armus lying flat on the ground.

“Take him away,” you commanded.

The squad encircled him, a guard confiscated his electrostaff, and Captain Osmos proceeded to cuff him. You run up to Cal, knelt by his side and shook him lightly on the chest.

You took his hand and placed your fingers on his wrist, feeling for a pulse, you lightly tapped his cheek to wake him up, you press your ear against his chest in search of a heartbeat. There! You felt the slow pounding of his heart.

“Cal? Cal, it’s over… we did it,” you mutter in his ear.

His lids slowly lifted, he blinked until the light in his eyes have adjusted; you were the first thing he sees and he manages a smile.

“Hey,” he softly muttered as he reached for you cheek.

“Hi,” you choked back tears as you happily kiss the palm of his hand.

“You came for me, you saved me,”

“Of course, I did, silly. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I love you…”

“I know,”

BD-1 scampered to Cal’s side, nuzzling on his shoulder, Cal lifts his hand to pat BD’s head and the little droid whistled with great relief.

You helped Cal sit up, supporting his weight with one arm on his back and holding his hand with the other. You let him lean on you while he tries to regain his strength.

Much later, the sun’s rays spill over the roofs of the houses while coloring the edges of the clouds in sunshine gold, at the same time tickling your skin with its mild heat.

Daybreak.

“Good morning,” Cal softly whispered while gazing lovingly at you.

You smiled back, caressing his cheek, “Good morning,”

You and Cal greeted the new morning together with the breeze flying through your hairs and fingers intertwined in a firm clutch. He remained leaning on your shoulder as you nuzzle your cheek on his fine red hair while you watch the sun fill the horizon.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

CYBERVERSE WATCH: S3 Episode 17, 18, 19, 20

Episode 17

Oh nooo Windblade u good??? LASERBEAK AND WINDBLADE OMG!!!

Beaky please don’t peck my girl (that is kinda cute though)

Windblade she isn’t a pest!!!

Laserbeak watches her fly off like “I get no respect and no thanks???”

HECK YEAH GET THEM FLIERS!!! Jetfire please be careful bud, Starscream has some old beef with you

OH NO ALL THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE SOUNDWAVES

The only downside to knowing all these characters and getting excited about cameos is it’s that many times more likely that a character I like will die 8(

YEAHH WAY TO GO LASERBEAK you’re the real MVP

JEEZ HE GOT OPTIMUS RIGHT IN THE CHEST

HEY CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE OPTIMUS

OH SHOOT WHO IS THAT

OH FRICK OH FRICK ITS MEGATRON!!! HELL YEAH

Megatron, a million universes away: My “Optimus is in trouble” and “Starscream is being a menace” senses are tingling, gotta go back to Cybertron

FRICK that was a cool entrance

Oh man what happened to his eye--HOLY FRICK HE LOOKS HOT

AYYYYYY ITS THE OG BLACK HELMET MEGATRON LOOK AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

MAN I FRICKIN LOVE MEGATRON

KUP NOW ISN”T THE TIME FOR YOUR COMMENTARY (that was cute though)

Oh my gosh when Starscream started to say “You’re too late to save your--” for one very frightful minute I thought he was going to say something about Optimus like “partner” or something and I felt every muscle in my body tense up lmao, I should’ve known better but RATS

WHAT

WHAT THE FRICK THAT WAS SO FRICKIN COOL

IS THERE ANYTHING HOTTER THAN WAKING UP TO SEE YOUR OLD FLAME STANDING OVER YOU GLOWING LIKE A VENGEFUL ANGEL ABOUT TO KICK STARSCREAM’S BUTT

POWERS OF CYBERTRON UNITE??!?!?!?!?

EVEN OPTIMUS GOT SOME

BOYFRIENDS PUNCHING STARSCREAM’S ARMY OF QUINTESSONS TOGETHER!!!! SHADOWSTRIKER!!! BEE AND SOUNDWAVE!!!! GOSH THIS IS SO GOOD

WRECK THEIR SHOP SOUNDWAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starscream you’ve sentenced them like five thousand times what’s new about this OH RIGHT I FORGOT ABOUT THAT GLOB STUFF

ASTROTRAIN!?!?!?!?

Starscream: NO ONE CAN STOP ME *CUTS TO WINDBLADE* wanna bet nerd

I LOVE my beautiful girl

Oh that is some nasty looking Quintesson tech

Uh oh u good Windblade???

Croaton can you please slap Starscream out of the sky before you leave it’d save us a lot of time

Aw man I wonder what Megatron saw that made him sorta regret the stuff with Starsc

WH

HE”S BARING HIS SPARK!?!?!? WAIT IS THAT ANOTHER MATRIX

ARE THEY GONNA FUSE????

MEGATRON PRIME

GOSH I REALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO FRICKIN SPARK FUSE THERE FOR A SECOND

*CUE “THE POWER OF LOVE” AT FULL VOLUME*

Ok but what the heck did Astrotrain do???

If you get along with someone you don’t like the universe probably won’t end pfft, thanks Kup

CREEPY BUGS???

Megatron please take his hand :(((

IM LOSING IT MEGATRON REALLY IS A HUGE KID *takes out a piece of chalk and draws a line between them* this is MY side of Cybertron, this is yours

guess galavanting through space didn’t change him TOO much

Guhhh these opposing sides shots always break my heart I WISH THEY COULD OVERCOME THEIR DIFFERENCES AND BE FRIENDS AGAIN SOMEHOW....

Dang Astrotrain is HUGE compared to the rest of the bots, I wonder what he looks like in bot mode

SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THAT EPISODE (and I had to take a break in the middle of it) I FORGOT I STILL HAD THREE LEFT thank the stars

I genuinely can't believe Megatron essentially drew a line between him and Optimus and went "This side of Cybertron is MINE, the other side is yours" 

*cue shenanigans of Autobot and Decepticon buddies trying to secretly cross the line to visit their friends in the other faction* 

gosh fanfic always depicts Megatron and Optimus sneaking around meeting each other for smoochies I'd LOVE to see their subordinates being the ones doing the sneaking around while Megatron and Optimus are just like "GUYS....". Fingers crossed for the next episode!

Episode 18

CYBERTRON LOOKS SO PRETTY....

oh my gosh they actually built a wall

WAIT DID CLOBBER SERIOUSLY SWITCH SIDES OMG SHES AN AUTOBOT NOW

WHAT BEE CAN FLY!?!?!? WHAT!!!

LMAO LOCKDOWN NICE BOARDER PATROLLING

Well it took all of 30 seconds to confirm my theory lmao man I frickin love this show

Man I can’t believe how quickly they beat the Quintessons, I REALLY THOUGHT THE AUTOBOTS AND DECEPTICONS UNITING AGAINST THEM WOULD BE THE BIG SEASON FINALE I’m thrown for a loop now lol

ew those colors remind me of Sentinel Prime I hope that’s not him

OH WAIT IS THAT IACONUS MY BAD

PRIMA???? OH?????

Grand Imperium?????

Omg did Rack’nRuin switch sides too? I thought they were Decepticons

JETFIRE COME ON BUD OPTIMUS IS TRYING TO HAVE HIS MOMENT

Croaton city!!!

LMAO SKYBITE’S SHARING HIS POETRY....CUTE...

But where is Soundwave!!!!!

I’m with you Bee, those insects are creepy

WOW ASTROTRAIN IS HUGE

“And WHO rescued you from that tyrant” OH??? ANOTHER UNIVERSE’S MEGATRON MAYHAPS???

“I must know if the barrier holds!” OH!!!! Oh no is the final battle gonna be against all the other universe’s people who Megatron burned as he gallivanted through the multiverse??? I SURE HOPE SO

Gosh not to be predictable but that new armor looks so frickin good on Megatron

OPTIMUS IS SO STRONG

POOR OPTIMUS....

“During wartime, decision-making came so easily” MAN....THAT HURTS.....

oh he’s looking for Windblade!!!

AW SHADOW STRIKER C’MON, I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE BUDS NOW

“I know better than ANYONE what it’s like to be left broken on the battlefield. I did what I could” MY HEART JUST SWELLED THREE SIZES FOR SHADOW STRIKER....I LOVE HER....(ALSO THAT HURT)

Bee it REALLY seems like you should’ve had a plan / backup team for this!!!

BEE YOU’RE GONNA RESTART THE WAR!!

RODIMUS!!! YOU’RE BACK TO YOUR RED FLAME SELF!!!

WHIRL!!! OMG MY BABY

Wow that wall does a crummy job of keeping out fliers

SOMEONE PLEASE CATCH WINDBLADE

Thank you Whirl

OH JEEZ HERE COMES MEGATRON

SKYWARP!!! (I say while being super scared for my faves)

Whoa Megatron actually backed down

Nice

CHROMIA!!!! SAVE HER PLEASE

Episode 19

Ohhh are we gonna get to see Caminus??????

BEAST MACHINES?????

omg they’re gonna have to collect Windblade’s mind like they collected Bee’s memories

Chromia that doesn’t sound too convincing (you’re super cute though so I forgive you)

MORE BIRDIES!!!

A CYBER HORSE????

IT”S A  JET!?!??!

OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH IT”S CRYSTAL CITY!!!!!!

AGAIN, I WANNA SHAKE HANDS WITH EVERY BACKGROUND DESIGNER WHO WORKED ON THIS SHOW

OHHH mirror selves!!! Scary but pretty!!

OH MY GOSH!!! IS THAT RAVAGE!?!?!?!?

PLEASE LET ME SEE MY LITTLE BOY!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE BE RAVAGE

HOLY FRICK THAT LOOKED AWESOME??? KNIGHT??? A REALLY COOL KNIGHT???? WHO ARE YOU

Thunderhow??

My first thought was “Someone got their Warriors Cat oc into Transformers” and that cracked me up

KNIGHT OF THE PRIMES???

THIS STAINED-GLASS STYLE ANIMATION IS GORGEOUS

I like this dude but something tells me they’re gonna have to fight / kill him later

Bee’s smile is so cute!!

lmao nice lore-speak Chromia

They should just blast through the walls of the maze

“That sounds like a nightmare” “Scrap that!” THEYRE SO CUTE omg way to break the rules you two

CRYSTAL WINDBLADE!!!!

oh shoot many crystal windblades

I love the little “tink tink tink” sounds her feet make

Just her arm???? Jeez louise are the rest of the episodes gonna be about collecting Windblade?

Oh it’s Thunderhound

Optimus is just like “PLEASE leave me alone”

Petition for Optimus Prime to just get a frickin vacation

Episode 20

Man I’m so sad this series is almost over

Everyone in Mac’s bar without Mac..... :( Cute to see Percy as the bartender though

IS...IS THAT WHEELJACK?

OMG WAIT THAT”S THE COSMIC RUST WHEELJACK BACK FROM LIKE EP 2 or 3 IN SEASON 1????

“The Past” I FRICKIN KNEW WE’D SEE YOU AGAIN!!! IT WAS TOO WEIRD HAVING HIM WANDER AROUND IN AN EPISODE WITH NO EXPLANATION LIKE THAT

COWBOY WHEELJACK IS SO GOOD

Man Cyberverse is so frickin weird, I love this cartoon

Oh there’s my boy Soundwave

JEEZ THIS DUDE’S GOT NO FEAR

Megatron looks so cute...

“This is Autobot territory! You can’t--oh guess you can” pfft

I can’t believe Transformers is a western now

Optimus is the sheriff around these parts lol

Aw man Optimus JUST put that thing in there

OPTIMUS IS SO STRONG....I LOVE MY BUFF BOY

WILDWHEEL? Oh my bad, guess that’s not Wheeljack

“No one ever tried to find me” :(((( I wonder how many other bots felt that way

“I was one of the good guys! But you left me on that planet!” OW....

Pretty terrible shot Wild Wheel

OH NO....Innocent civilian got hurt, now Optimus is serious

Wild Wheel Optimus has been through a WAR your cowboy training aint gonna cut it

WELL THAT WAS A. WEIRD EPISODE. ALRIGHTY THEN I can’t wait to see how Wild Wheel is going to pop up in future episodes

Me: haha evil cowboy robot Wild Wheel: I felt abandoned because no one searched for me and I was forced to do horrible things in order to find my way home Me, tears streaming down my face: Haha....cowboy robot

[comicteaparty]

January 6th-January 12th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from January 6th, 2020 to January 12th, 2020.  The chat focused on The Demon Archives by Daniel Sharp (Author) and Sebastian Piriz (Artist).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on The Demon Archives by Daniel Sharp (Author) and Sebastian Piriz (Artist)~! (https://demonarchives.com/)

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

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

QUESTION 2. Who do you think Konstantin Yakovlevich’s benefactor is and what is their goal? Why exactly are they having him build death bots? Overall, do you think Konstantin’s choices to team up with them have done more good or bad for his community?

DaemonDan (The Demon Archives)

(oh hey, this is me)

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 4. Do you think that Viktor will be able to recover from his brain damage as Tenzin did, or is it a lost cause? Regardless of which you deem most likely, how do you think that will affect him and those around him?

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 6. What moment of Tenzin’s PTSD stuck out to you, and why? What do you think this story shows us in regards to PTSD’s affects and the path it takes to heal? Ultimately, do you think Tenzin can overcome his PTSD?

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene is probably when Jane and Viktor forcibly stop Tenzin from going out as the bait. It is a heart wrenching scene watching Tenzin being forced to stand idly by while the others take the risk for him. And I like that there is a mix too in whose side you should be on. Cause on the one hand, Jane and Viktor have logic on their side, but on the other hand I super empathize with Tenzin. And at the end, you wind up feeling angry, sad, and a slew of other emotions, and I think it really helps sell the scene. 2) I don't have enough evidence to make a good theory on who the benefactor is. However, I do feel the factions who are attacking Minerva are involved. It's just a little too convenient that they're suddenly attacking on the eve of Aegis taking a massive hit. Someone there knows something. As for the benefactor's goal, I assume domination. Cause this is really the only reason you build death bots, is when you want to murder a bunch of people and take over. I feel like Konstantin's choices have been more of a mixed bag then one way or another. There's a lot of "what ifs." Like, if he had rejected the offer, what would've happened without the supplies? Or "what if" he had rejected the offer, and everyone was killed because they were going to take things by force? At the end of the day, while I might think his choices have probably done more bad in the long term, there was probably no good that would've come from the situation regardless. Either way would've had bad results, which is really the shit thing about the world sometimes.

3) My favorite character at the moment is probably Tenzin. I really just like how he's this imperfect character. He cares deeply about people, but at the same time can be a major asshole. But at the same time you understand why he's an asshole cause he's dealing with a lot of bullshit and trauma. So all around, he's just this interesting and complicated character that I enjoy exploring. 4) I feel like Viktor's fate may be more bittersweet. Like maybe they'll be able to recover his brain somewhat to a degree that he won't be catatonic. However, I don't feel that he will ever recover as well as Tenzin, and probably be bed/wheel chair ridden for the rest of his days. Not to mention the obvious mental trauma he's gonna have to live through which is a whole other horrible topic. I feel anything less than a full recovery is gonna 1) cause everyone to lose some hope and 2) send Tenzin into a reckless rage where he just wanted to murder the enemy three times overkill. And that attitude will inevitably alienate him until the others can talk sense into him again. However, I think it will really force him to maybe address how he feels personally responsible for Viktor's condition, so maybe he can get some help. Maybe.

RebelVampire

5) My fave illustration is definitely this page https://demonarchives.com/chapter-4-page-18-shattered/ This is just the perfect use of exaggerated, distorted lensing to express both the horror and grief going on. Plus with the beautiful addition of the montage in a circular composition, everything is just tied together really well and puts you in the head space. 6) The moment of Tenzin's PTSD that stuck out to me the most was more just the overall fact/idea that his own reliving of the trauma was slowly killing him. I kind of feel like this was a direct, physical consequence of what trauma feels like it. Cause no matter how many years you put between yourself and certain traumas, you will always remember them clear as day. And if you're not careful, you can get lost in them and relive them over and over and over. So I kind of feel like this representation really caught that. As for whether Tenzin can overcome it, yes. But I think it will take years and not something we will see 100% until like...and epilogue chapter or something. Especially cause Tenzin is in a situation that is only going to bring more and more trauma. I do not expect him to get over anything anytime soon.

snuffysam

All right, a bit of catching up to do. 1) My favorite scene was the one where Jane first inserts herself into Tenzin's mind. It was a big moment that showed that no, she isn't just a cold, calculating machine. She really cares about Tenzin, and she doesn't want to be responsible for any more pain. 2) I think either Oculus is straight-up the benefactor (creating discord to give themselves more power in Minerva), or whoever is the benefactor is also controlling Oculus. Like, there's clearly something fishy going on there. 3) My favorite character is Jane. I just really like how... human she feels, and how she cares for others. Sometimes, I'm not sure if she's actually calculating all of the tactics she says, or if she's making some of the numbers up so she can act like she isn't clouded by emotions (e.g. giving higher priority to protecting Tenzin).

RebelVampire

@snuffysam I'm more in the line that Oculus is in control of the benefactor. Cause your henchmen don't have such menacing and vague replies unless they're working for someone else and using you. https://demonarchives.com/chapter-12-after-credits-4/

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 8. What do you think Commander Kubek of Aegis and President Smith of Oculus are up to (if anything)? What role do either of them have with the current attack and sabotage going on with Minerva?

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 10. What do you think the attack on Minerva has to do with the APERs? Also, why do you think Jane and Tenzin are now deemed the biggest threat, and how will that affect the people around them?

RebelVampire

7) I probably enjoy seeing Tenzin and Jane interact the most of the characters. I feel they have the most interesting relationship since its this weird mix of being close and being antagonistic towards each other. But I also like seeing how the two kind of challenge each other in different ways and force each other to grow as people. So everytime they interact, I know one of them is gonna change in some small way, and who doesn't love character growth? 8) While I don't think President Smith is the big bad behind everything, I do think he helped the enemy in some regard and potentially manipulated things to make Aegis look even worse than they did. All in an effort to gain more power and steer diplomacy in a way he thinks is best. Meanwhile, I feel the Commander is using Tenzin somehow to ruin Smith's attempts at power. However, I also think he could care less about the actual stakes. I really think he's being driven by his own desire of power and keeping things squarely with Aegis. So in the end, I think together they're making everything worse because neither cares about protecting Minerva as much as they should, and that the attack and sabotage are made worse because they're solely focused on their own duel for influence.

9) I've really enjoyed all the little details in the world building. Like how people are getting essential things like food and water, how technology has adapted to suit the needs of the current state of the world, and even the small spiritual touches because of how dire everything is. Overall, there's just a lot of thought put both into the designs and additions here that really make the world feel all encompassing and like it's an actual place where people exist. 10) I do think the benefactor of the APERs has the factions under their thumb. So I think it was all an orchestrated thing to make sure Minerva's defenses were basically in shambles, thus vulnerable to attack. And the APERs were created to make domination easier since so far Tenzin and Jane have been the only effective force against them. As for why Tenzin and Jane are the biggest threat now, it's cause they're basic killing machines, but Tenzin and Jane have shown they can adapt as well to them. So of course, even if it's only two people, they're a threat to an easy path to takeover. Which sadly, I think they're gonna get people around them hurt and killed, cause collateral damage is a thing.

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 12. What do you think the story shows us about the dangers of AIs? What about the potential humanity in AIs? In general, do you think AIs like Jane and SOPKA are more useful or more dangerous, and what is your reasoning?

Comic Tea Party

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

QUESTION 14. With Minerva behind them, what do you think Tenzin, Jane, and everyone else will ultimately do? Or, in other words, what do you think will happen to them on their journey for answers? Also, how will events in Minerva continue to affect them?

RebelVampire

11) I think this comic's strength is a combination of the tone and character writing. As I mentioned in an earlier answer regarding Tenzin not being all good or all bad, I kind of feel this is present throughout the story. Characters are forced to make difficult choices because of the circumstances, and in general, none of these choices are really that optimal. Someone is always going to get the short end of the stick, someone is always going to be mad, and so forth. However, I think this makes the setting feel uber real, because when it comes to survival situations like this, there usually aren't good choices. So in the end, the consequences in the story have real weight, both on a character level and on a political scale, and it just makes for a worthwhile read since bad stuff can and does generally happen. 12) I think the story shows us that AIs or any similar program aren't a universal bad or a universal good. In the end, the scenario in the society is one I feel is the most likely. Some AIs will go rogue, some will find a way to understand humanity and even respect and emulate human traits, and others will remain machines focused on the purpose they were programmed for. In the end, though, I think Jane kind of reminds us maybe its worth the risk, since AIs can be our allies if we respect them.

13) I am looking forward to Konstantin actually. Especially cause at this point, he surely feels like things are his fault. And when people feel like things are their fault, they tend to do desperate things to make up for it. So I'm interested to see how that situation plays out. 14) I think Tenzin, Jane, and everyone else will first find the source of the APERs i.e. SOPKA but then change motivations to find the benefactor when they learn the thread of corruption runs even deeper. Obviously, the whole way they're going to be fighting death machines, but I also think Oculus might get more and more involved. I feel like ultimately, their journey is going to make them question if Minerva is worth saving a bit. It's kind of easy to forget a place, whether it be a country, city, or even a village, is more than just the people in charge - especially when you aren't there any more. So murdering a specific person become synonymous with killing the whole place. Granted, I do feel eventually they'll remember the people, but I think at the very least, their eyes will forever be opened to how easily corruption springs up.

Comic Tea Party

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about The Demon Archives this week! Please also give a special thank you to Daniel Sharp (Author) and Sebastian Piriz (Artist) for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked The Demon Archives, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

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[matan4il]

“He who was burned by hot water becomes very cautious around lukewarm water, too.” - Hebrew proverb I heard the spoilers and since at the time I, too, was one of the people who didn’t think Iain would have Robert cheat with R just 3 weeks after the wedding, I feel like @josephtate with this post summed up my feelings perfectly (that noose metaphor is on point). I can imagine already what some people on my dash will say and how angry/disappointed they’ll be, I can also already see how others on my dash would be cross with the first group because they won’t stop making R so important when she’s not. Personally, I hate this already, that there is going to be a shrine to R (wow, we pointed out they’re turning her into a saint, ignoring all she had done wrong, and ED is literally going “yep” in response and building her a shrine... which they would have to, because no villager on the show knows or cares about her enough to build a shrine other than Rob, who’ll be destroying the one they’re gonna have), that Robert becomes ill over R (and it’s implied he’ll be rude to Aaron because of it), but I’m also not gonna freak out until I see those scenes play out, because we can’t yet know what that would look like and because I know once the scenes air, I’m probably just gonna do my best to focus on the good Robron content that they’ll have to give us together with the R related BS (think of the engagement party as a comparison... most of it was Rob obsessing over R, but we had good Robron content as well, like it’s canon that Aaron gets hard just from kissing Robert, or the cute scene where Robron ask their sisters to be their best people for the wedding, with the non-verbal, married couple communication between Robert and Aaron in that scene). Whatever your reaction, the thing is to me that ED did this. Because I shouldn’t have to work so hard to enjoy my fave couple, especially not when it happens to be the show’s most popular pairing. And I’d prefer we all put the blame where it belongs, which is not on other fans. Let’s remember that Iain did this, created these responses in fandom, in that faction that was burned by hot water and wants nothing to do now with even lukewarm water on screen, and in the other parts of fandom that deal differently with R and struggle to do so given this reaction from the first group of fans. Iain’s words were essentially that you have to know what people want and give it to them, but in a roundabout way. Then he proceeded with the ONS to show us all that he doesn’t understand what people want. Worse, he built Robert’s cheating to be harder to accept on the night it happened than it might have been (the context being three weeks after the wedding, the bisexuality angle that wasn’t handled well by the show, the fact that he built up R for months before to be perceived as a possible threat to Aaron and Robron... that canon now tells us R never meant anything to Robert doesn’t mean the show didn’t spend months making us intentionally worry that there might be some real attraction there). And after that, R continued to be shoved into Robron’s SL. It’s been two years now of this basic lack of understanding or caring that this is the opposite of what people want. So now there’s a real mistrust between at least some of the fans and the show. And the current spoilers tell us that even though Iain is gone, a real insight into what we want and what we don’t want as Robron fans has not hit home yet, and that it’s possible it never will. So let people be angry by how let down they’ve been for too long by the show. Two years of disappointment is a lot to take. You don’t have to agree with them. Just remember that if we’re gonna point an accusing finger at anyone, it should be at the higher ups who brought the fandom to its current state of bitterness, mistrust and disappointment experienced by some, that divides us when we should be united. Let’s not fall into that pit and at least avoid the in fighting since we can’t avoid the rest of it.

[lonevampirelord-blog]

Just like any boys, I grew up reading comics. I was a little boy when my dad taught me how to draw stick figures and I knew then that my passion is drawing. I am not so interested with books but my dad bought me lots of local comic books. I saw how it was made, the way the writers wrote their ideas and the artists put those words into actions thru their maginificent works of art. I got interested so I tried to make one for myself. My dad cannot afford to buy foreign comic books back then so I told myself that I will just make my own comics so I can do what I want, my rules and my style.

During my years in elementary education, I met classmates who have the same passion as mine and they introduce me to foreign comic books and I can still remember that the first comic book I saw was Marvel’s X-men which was drawn by Jim Lee, one of my comic book influences.

  Xmen Cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

Another Jim Lee Cover

Xmen, XFactor and XForce combined

  My most favorite female Xmen member, Psylocke

Jim Lee, the man

It is his works that made me love comic books and my first experience with Marvel is still one of my favorite stories, the Xmen. Back then, I have no idea that there are other factions in the marvel comics like Fantastic Four and the Avengers, even the Alpha Flight, etc.

I just cannot remember the exact year I was in elementary years that I first heard about the Infinity War and Thanos. I just heard that many superheroes unite and combined their fighting skills and abilities and also their superhuman powers to fight this one man enemy that wiped out almost everyone if not for Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock, this Thanos might have wiped out the entire Marvel universe.

I wondered how this one man powerful being can take all the combined forces of some of my fave super heroes and defeat them. I thought this Thanos is no ordinary foe. Too bad, I haven’t got or seen a copy of the Infinity War  back then. And there’s no internet before so I cannot do my research. So I haven’t got too much idea on how the story of the Infinity War went but all I know is that this is one of the most difficult battles Marvel heroes have ever faced.

Thanos the Mad Titan

Thanos strangled the Hulk

Cap and Thanos face to face

  With the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos is like a demi god that is almost unbeatable

After my elementary days and reaching high school, arcade games were the thing back then. There’s not so much gaming consoles as you see today. You really have to go to malls or any place where there are arcades. After the success of Capcom and Marvel’s collaboration, X-Men Children of the Atom, they followed that up with another fighting game which I didn’t know was based on the story of the Infinity Wars. It was entitled Marvel Super Heroes. Like the Street Fighter games, you have to choose from the list of superheroes like the Hulk, Captain America, spiderman, Ironman, wolverine, and Psylocke; and villains like Magneto, Shuma Gorath, Juggernaut and Black Heart. There are two final bosses which are Doctor Doom and once again, the ultimate villain of Infinity Wars, Thanos. This is where I was introduced to the weapon he wields the Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity stones.

Marvel Super Heroes

Final Stage where you meet the Final Boss, Thanos who dons the Infinity Gauntlet

Let’s talk about a little bit about the Infinity Gauntlet, As we all know, the Infinity Gauntlet is the metal glove that Thanos wears that bears the six infinity stones that holds the circle of life in the whole universe (as the comic book says). When one possess it and completes the infinity stones, it has an unimaginable power that turns the bearer into something like a demi-god. Now, what are the names of those six infinity stones? Well here they are as follows:

The six Infinity stones and who possessed them according to MCU. In regards to the Soul Stone, we all know how Thanos obtained it in the movie and it is a one heartbreaking moment.

The names of the Infinity Stones and it’s powers and owners. It’s kind of different in the MCU and Marvel Comics

Realizing how powerful the bearer of the Infinity gauntlet, no wonder Thanos is one of the most dangerous villains our heroes have ever faced.

Now recently, the Avengers Infinity War movie was shown and it is a blockbuster hit. Despite the spoiler alerts that I have got, I still wanted to see the movie. I thought I was not going to see the movie due to I am penniless now and we are still recuperating from problems in our financial matters but to my surprise, my dad told me that I can watch the movie. So I told him that I’ll see it last Sunday after I served the mass.

Sunday came, and since that morning the excitement is unexplainable. After I served the church, I went back home and changed clothes and checked the net if it is stil shown at Cinema 2 here in SM BF Homes. It still was and I set up to watch it. I hurriedly bought my ticket at the cinema lounge. Good thing there are no more big crowds coz I hate crowded places. I’m a little agoraphobic.

The Avengers Infinity War Stand Up

My Captain America Shirt

Feeling excited

Post with one of my favorite superhero

    The cinema ticket I kept as remembrance for the one of a kind experience.

When my timeslot was near, I went to the usher to show my ticket and ent for my seat. I wanted to take photos of myself before the movie starts but decided not to do to avoid problems of being mistakened of taking videos of the film. Piracy is a very serious offense. Watching the movie and from the beginning, you could feel the dark and heartbreaking atmosphere.

Seeing Thor helpless as he sees his people and his brother murdered by Thanos and his Black Order henchmen will make you wonder, where is the power of Thor? Hulk came to the rescue but even he cannot match the strength of the mad Titan. Most of the Asgardians are dead so you could feel Thor’s pain both physically and emotionally.

Loki surrounded by the Black Order

Thor battered and bruised held by Thanos

Loki killed by Thanos

Back to Earth, Hulk was sent by Heimdall before he met his end in the hands of one of Thanos’ men. He landed on Dr. Strange turf and because of his disturbing message, Strange contacted Tony stark aka Ironman and told this incoming genocide. Banner urged tony to contact the rest of Avengers only to find out that the team were torn apart and not in good terms especially Stark and Rogers aka Captain America

But later they felt a different presence and true enough the Black Order has arrived on Earth to search for the Time stone held by Dr. Strange. It was an inevitable battle and Banner is having a hard time to change into his Hulk form so the battle went to Ironman, Dr. Strange and his assistant.

Hulk/Banner lands in Dr Strange’s house

A different aura

The Avengers prepare to do battle

Tony Stark ready to suit up

Another heartbreaking moment in the movie was when Thanos discovered what to do to obtain the Soul Stone. Sacrificing the one he loves the most and it is her adopted daughter, Gamora, whom he abducted from her team, the Guardians of Galaxy. Gamora thought Thanos has no ability to love due to the genocidal and mass murder acts he did but his tears shows that he really did love Gamora as his own child and though he regrets killing her, he chose to throw her off the cliff to obtain the precious Soul Stone. His ambition matters more.

Gamora’s Death Scene

With all the deaths, let’s skip to the climax where the Avengers headed by Captain America, with him were Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Banner, who don the HulkBuster armor due to his inability to transform to Hulk, Black Panther and the Wakanda tribe, Bucky or Winter Soldier, Falcon and War Machine prepare to meet the oncoming force ot the other Black Order members and their army of monsters.

It was a climactic battle and although the Avengers are doing their best to protect Wakanda and Vision, who’s also Thanos’ target due to his Mind Stone on his forehead, they are slowly being overwhelmed by the Black Order and its minions, Thor suddenly appeared and wiped out most of the monster army. Now the Avengers have the upper hand.

Captain America and the team are ready

Black Panther and the Wakanda prepares

The battle begins. But this scene is not used in the movie

Banner in HulkBuster armor

Falcon attacks from above

Thor regains a new weapon, the Stone Breaker

A renewed Thor

Just in time to join the party. Thor, Groot Jr. and Rocket Raccoon

Back in Nowhere, Ironman, Spiderman, Dr. Strange, the newly arrived Nebula and the Guardians of Galaxy were locked in battle with Thanos. With Quill’s plan, they almost succeeded in defeating Thanos when Starlordd knew that Gamora is dead in the hands of Thanos. He lost his control and attack Thanos but it paved the way for the mad Titan to regain his Infinity Gauntlet and launched a massive counter attack. with Ironman as the last man standing, he did all he can but was stabbed by Thanos in the end. Dr. Strange pleaded to Thanos to let Tony lived in exchange for the Time Stone, Thanos lets go of Tony and he regained the Time Stone and went to Earth to get his final Infinity Stone the Mind Stone.

Give me the Time Stone

Ironman and Spiderman together with the Guardians of Galaxy

Here comes the rubble!!

Spidey take on the mad Titan

Last man standing

Bruised and Battered

Having destroyed their enemies, Captain America and his team suddenly felt a strong presence and it was Thanos. He finally arrived on Earth and despite the efforts of the team, Thanos defeated them all and managed to get the Mind Stone despite Vision having killed by Scarlet Witch, in Vision’s request. Thor managed to launched a final blow but Thanos told him, “You should have hit the head.” And he snapped his finger then chaos arrived. One by one people were crumbling into dust and even Spidey’s clinging to Tony Stark’s arms can’t save him to fall victim in the power of the Infinity Stones. Captain America sees the dead body of Vision and he knew it was a big defeat. They failed.

Cap tries to fought back Thanos

Vision asked Scarlet Witch to kill him to prevent Thanos having the Mind Stone

Having resurrected by Thanos, Vision tasted the second death when the mad TItan plucked the Mind Stone out of his head, himself

Thor landed a fatal blow

You should have hit the head

Bucky was the first to crumble to dust

Scaret Witch death scene

Spiderman’s death scene

Ironman mourns

The death scenes in the end is truly heart breaking. I ain’t a fan of Tom Holland but his death scene is truly tear jerking. Thanks to the spoilers, it didn’t hurt as much but I still am affected seeing my childhood heroes defeated and some of them lost their lives.

But at the post ending scene where Maria Hill and Nick Fury also succumbed to the Infinity Stone’s power, Nick managed to sent a distress message to an enforcer with a blue and red color. And reading comics, it was the symbol of Captain Marvel which is something I am looking forward to see in the next part of the Infinity War movie.

Nick Fury’s death scene

Who is this?

All in all, I enjoyed the movie despite of the sorrow I felt when I saw some of my childhood superheroes got their death spell from the power of that Infinity Stones. There are differences from what I read and saw in the movie. For instance, where are the other factions of the Marvel Comic universe like the Xmen, Fantastic Four, Inhumans and also the other members of Avengers like Antman, Wasp and Hawkeye? Another thing is that some characters are missing too like Silver Surfer and Adam Warlock which in the comic held their own against the Mad Titan. When I saw the post credit scene, it might be that Captain Marvel might take the role of being the key to defeat Thanos? What will happen now that most of the heroes were extinguished? How will they hold on against an opponent with a demi-god power? And is there a way to bring back the heroes and civilians who got succumbed by the Infinity Stone’s power? Something to think of and look forward in the next part of the movie where the final battle will happen. But I have to wait for that next experience. I am happy to be part of the ultimate battle of the Avengers. And I want to be there when they rise up from the ashes. As I close my blog, I will leave you with the familiar quote of Steve Rogers aka Captain America, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!

Mixed emotions after seeing the movie

Will wait for the next part of the movie

  My Avengers Infinity War Experience Just like any boys, I grew up reading comics. I was a little boy when my dad taught me how to draw stick figures and I knew then that my passion is drawing.