#maybe i need to go to the flesh route... which would combine well with the gluttony poll from yesterday.......

[autism-corner]

hmmmhm

[lionguarded]

❝  mine.  ❞ (Good old growl+red eyes combo we love)

@ofwings-andclaws (uhhhh like trigger warnings if anybody else wants to read? like, just all the bad stuff, non-con etc.)

silas had rules. it wasn't a lot of rules, most were common sense for self-preservation. well, they all aimed at self-preservation. some more than others, but one - that one was very important. keep track of heat. his heat always was on time - it came like fuckin' clockwork even now, after forty fuckin' years of it & countless pregnancies interruptions. it still came on time, always, which made everything that happened today even worse.

he'd been feeling the early effects of it. restlessness, uneasiness, dante smelling even better than usual & .....silas feeling somewhat..... really clingy & searching body contact throughout the day - if able. work was a bit of an issue when it came to that, because he really didn't want to rub up to hal.... who might be getting a wrong idea if he did. he blamed dante for that, clearly. he'd never felt the urge to touch, had spent most of his life afraid of it.

he'd excused himself from work for the next week, handed his uniform in for cleaning & was on his way home when... something inside of him clicked & decided to go see dante. maybe he could hang out at the shop with him & they could go home together. he didn't want to be alone with the kids when all he could think about was dante's arms around him.

the route from the station to the garage dante worked at was quite familiar, he took it often as he preferred driving home together with the alpha & it was on their way home anyway.

[text:dumbass 💜] finish up early? i'm outside. need you. [text:dumbass 💜] i meant like, i'm waiting for you to finish up but everything's okay. [text:dumbass 💜] i mean... not okay. we should really get home. [text:dumbass 💜] don't really wanna be out here when

silas had been so busy typing into his phone he did not see it coming. he was looking for a fire emoji, because... he was ..well, enjoying the little pictures & then everything went dark. when he woke, the first thing he noticed was the sting. next came the cuffs. his own fucking cuffs. on him. tight enough to cut into the flesh of his wrists. eyes snapped open, a growl on his lips & anger rumbled in his chest.

three guys.

they had him on the ground, on his back, undressed down to his shirt, which was torn, surprisingly enough. they really didn't like his layers, did they? one held his hands down, another his legs. the third was watching him, closely. "you're gonna fuckin' regret this." silas all but spat. he got his legs free, kicking at the one holding them - violently & he was quite sure he heard him whimper when he got his chin. omega or not, he was far from helpless in a fair fight. unfair fights like this... he could at least make them work for it.

dante, upon leaving the garage due to silas' unfinished messages would find two things. one; silas' dropped phone & secondly; blood. both in combination with the sweet, lingering scent of heat should give dante enough to go on.

meanwhile, in a small shed not far from the car shop, silas was giving the little alphas hell. they'd given up the ground & had hauled him to his feet, which got one of them a black eye. he knew what they came for & he'd rather die than bend over & take it. if they had been any less than three, silas would've had a much easier time, but alas... he was thrashing & raging while they tried quite desperately to hold him down, with his chest against the brick wall. the third, who'd mostly been watching, made sure to kick his legs apart when they had him somewhat secure - the other two used their body weight to hold him in place.

fuck. fucking bastards. he didn't think this was even a thing anymore, thought that mentality stayed in willowshire. he'd been wrong & he'd be paying the price for letting his guard down. the third pressed against his back & silas growled, trying again to pull free, but to no avail. fuckin' shit. fuck. third guy's hand dared placing itself against his mouth & the yell silas got out of him when he clamped down on his fingers was fuckin' music to his ears. he'd make them regret ever having been born - whatever happened.

the angry one lashed out in anger & pain, kneeing silas in the side, smacking his head into the wall, but oh the look on the guy's face. silas could revel in it forever. the other two were clearly ...worried. they were both looking like hell already. their faces bruises, scraped, scratched, bloody. their own fault, really.

yet they didn't learn their lesson yet. angry one was back against him, fingers wrapping around silas' throat instead this time, nowhere near his fangs & he squeezed. his jeans came down & that little voice in the back of his head whispered defeat, but silas would be fuckin' damned if he gave up already. claws raked down his chest, leaving light red marks behind, little hum into his ear - sounding dangerously close to a purr, but .. it wasn't. or he didn't accept it to be. only one fuckin' dumbass got to purr at him.

his vision was blurring... the lack of oxygen making his legs buckle & give in, but they held him up regardless, both idiots firmly lodged in their somewhat steadfast positions. angry guy seemingly had no intention to offer peace in the form of a breath for silas, no mercy & silas knew it was his own damn fault. one last push got him what he needed, though, finding enough force to hit angry guy in the face with the back of his head, which - in return got him to let go.

oh, good old air. angry guy had a bleeding nose now, which did amuse silas a little despite the grim circumstances. the other two scrambled to grab him again & resume their position, angry guy was back at it with that hand around silas' throat & for a moment he wondered if angry was even still thinking about fucking him. probably not. good. at least he went down with a fuckin' fight.

he wasn't done yet, though.

dante had impeccable timing as per usual. he'd followed silas' scent to the shed, although silas didn't think he'd quite been prepared for the sight when he kicked that door down. he felt like dante had never quite seen the dark side of the moon .. like the side of the world silas grew up in. regardless of that... oxygen or not, silas could see the anger on his alpha's face & that growl in combination with crimson?

best fuckin' sight silas had ever seen. "mine." yes. their eyes met & silas let golden shine. yours.

usually, he wouldn't have trusted dante to fight versus three other alphas, but one; they'd been sparring for a little over a year now, so... yeah. second; silas had done half the job already, so dante just had to finish them off, really. the omega gasped in relief when angry guy pulled away, the other two following suit.

the fight was, as expected, not long.

dante ...looked at him in silence for a good minute, like he was .. like his mind was running wild with maybe's. silas couldn't blame him. but he'd really like to get out of those cuffs. "back pocket. key. dante. key." they came off with a click & silas sighed in relief, rubbing his sore wrists. his struggles had chaffed the skin... quite a lot. he'd deal with that at home. for now though... jeans back up, belt in place & he froze momentarily when dante put his jacket on him, followed by an arm. "...thanks."

"alpha's got you."

[maxwell-grant]

On Final Crisis: Secret Files, Grant Morrison describes Doc Fate as part of the Society of Super-Heroes, and says that amoung it's members is, sometimes, "the mysterious Bat-Man". Obviously, this Bat-Man haven't appeard in Multiversity. But how do you think this pulp version of Batman should be? It thought of him as Kirk Langstrom, the Man-Bat.

It being Kirk Langstrom could work. Maybe Bruce Wayne could exist in this world but he's not really Batman, maybe Batman's agent or secret identity or the source of Langstrom's money. I'm not particularly interested in Man-Bat as a character but the idea of him being this world's Bat-Man, or at least "a" Bat-Man, could be a good idea.

I find most versions of "Batman but he's pulp" to be generally really boring because they largely just go by the painfully standard route of "Batman but his outfit looks shabby and he's got a gun" and it often seems like it just amounts to a Batman that now kills and is less of a character than just an amalgam of pulp cliches (which is what Batman used to be before they created Robin and the iconic villains and the no-kill rule and started fleshing him out as a more unique character).

In fact I'm gonna just go ahead and stipulate that "Pulp" Batman should at least adhere to the main dude's policy of no guns. Whether he's killing or not, or how effectively he can manage himself, is up to debate, but let's get the obvious out of the way. Bill Finger described once that he envisioned Batman as combining traits from Douglas Fairbanks, Sherlock Holmes, The Shadow and Doc Savage, so we're gonna use these as some of the basis to work with.

Personally the best take on a Batman redesign schewing closer to pulp that I've ever seen would be "The Batman Investigations" by Imson on Deviantart, you can read more about it's respective designs there but I'll post it's idea for Batman below

Bruce Wayne was born with high sensitivity to sunlight, keeping him indoors most of the day, and forcing him to wear tinted glasses when not. When his parents were killed by a mugger, the blast from the gunfire damaged his hearing, forcing him to wear hearing aid from an early age.

Bruce had a knack for mechanics, and living off the remaining funds left by his parents, he developed a few surveillance gadgets for police use. While trying to market them for the local police, he was hired by commissioner Gordon as a freelance detective. As his involvement with the force continued, he got the nickname The Batman from his striking appearance.

As a hired gun, his role grew to take on undercover investigations. He could use his equipment to take the cases further than regular detectives could risk, and the police would turn a blind eye to these acts, provided Bruce denied any involvement with the police should he get caught.

His most useful gadget is his mechanic surveillance bird dubbed Robin, used to keep watch on suspects without gathering attention.

This one I think works particularly well for a take on Batman that's more centered around street-level detective work, and I mean actual detective work. A Batman who's strong, but not much of a fighter, and his hearing disability doesn't lend itself to superpowers, it's something he has to work around through allies and gadgets and quick-thinking once he starts getting further into trouble. More of a Sherlockian Batman who contends with the kind of darkness that doesn't come with a status quo to sort itself out.

Now, if we wanna go more along the route of gritty pulp Batman, a more traditional Batman who's actually gonna out there in the night suplexing crime into the sidewalk, what comes to my mind design-wise is something of a cross between Denis Medri's Rockability Batman and Francesco Francavilla's Batman 1972

A Batman who's not exactly wearing a skintight superhero outfit full of gadgets but instead a coat of surprises, who's only really got a mask and goggles to protect his identity and also protect his face. A Batman who's smart and can do detective work, but really he's going out there every night to get the shit kicked out of him until he figures out what he needs to know to solve the case, no police involved. Sort of closer to how Denny Colt or The Moon Man operate, more in the Robin Hood and Zorro molds. This one is also somewhat in line with Golden Age pre-Robin Batman where his main distinguishing feature as a character was how utterly reckless and prone to jumping into a fight he was even by usual comic book/pulp hero standards.

The third option I'm thinking of is to take Batman closer to the superhero he is but still mired in enough pulp ingredients remixed differently to be recognizably different from his ordinary self. So instead I'm thinking to play up respectively the parts of Batman that are The Shadow + Doc Savage, to create Dark Science Batman. This one I think is a better answer as to the question "What would a fusion between The Shadow and Doc Savage look like" than my initial response of a depowered Black Terror, and this Batman would be considerably more inhuman and grandiose in scope than the other two, this would be a Batman who could dominate Justice League meetings by force of personality and create moon bases and contend with dimension-warping supervillains and whatnot.

This one is inspired by a redesign by Arryn Diaz and Dan Schkade's Jack Kirby Batman:

“In a WORLD gone MAD, this lone DETECTO-SCIENTIST must operate OUTSIDE the laws of society in order to defend its FUTURE!! BEWARE — THE BAT-MAN!!!” - Alternate Universe Jack Kirby, 1972

So these are three different directions as to how I think you could do a "Pulp Batman" well, although maybe not necessarily operating by how Earth 20 works. DC already has a billion zillion Batmen as is so I'm sure all these may have already been done at some point in Batman's history.

Of course, realistically speaking if Batman was a long-running and successful pulp hero he could have gone through variations of these depending on the decade, or the country (see: the many global variations of characters attached to the name Fantomas or Zigomar), if not the same narrative arc outright. Pulp heroes are shapeshifters by nature.

[masterhandss]

Who do you think katarina will end up with?

Anonymous asked: Who do you ship katarina the most with ?

I got these two questions consecutively, I'm assuming they are coming from the same person so I'll combine them to a single reply, if that's okay.

People who have been following me since the first season can probably tell that I really like Geordo x Katarina (GeoKata) the most out of all ships. At first it was mostly just because I have an unintentional biases towards characters with blonde hair, which is why favorites were GeoKata and MariaKata, but then when I slowly got into the series more, my biases permanently shifted to the G-boy.

I'm not really a fan of laying out why I like certain ships through test to be honest. I usually get super frustrated when zine mods ask contributors to explain why they like a character or ship for contributor spotlight graphics because I can never really say everything I feel correctly hgdsjsdgfj, which is a good thing someone had already asked me a similar question before so I'll just copy paste my response here if that's okay :DD

TLDR; I ship Katarina with Geordo (Maria, Sora and Cezar behind him), and I think Katarina will end up with Geordo :))

You didn't really ask why but I'll give it anyways :)) -> major light novel spoilers, by the way <-

I'm not really the most deep person, if a ship has the bare minimum of something that I like (a trope or a hair color combination) then I stan it hard. That's why I used to be so equally adoring to both Maria and Geordo, because hurrdurr blonde hair hurrdurr. But the more I read the books and got into the community, I eventually liked him more than Maria. I didn't understand how or why at first, since Geordo and Maria are undergoing a very similar character arc: both characters wants to become better people in order to become worthy of Katarina (Geordo emotionally, and Maria physically? magically? in terms of her position/social status? I can't think of a right word but you get it). Again, Maria and Geordo's struggles are similarly written but one of them is more compelling to me. I feel like Maria's problems are easier to solve (her inability to rely on people, her attention seeking and her desire to be more magically powerful) imo, since she's already a well-liked figure in the Ministry and she's already a high-level magic user. Geordo's though; the series doesn't put too much attention on it, but despite the fact that Katarina gave his life color, he still somewhat sees the world in a desaturated light even post-childhood according to the novels and his lack of empathy still prevents him from completely absorbing all the colors. He's still learning how to see and he is happy that Katarina is always there to help him learn how.

I just love the irony that Katarina sees Geordo as a Perfect Prince and feels that she is inferior and unworthy of him, but then Geordo also seems himself as flawed, inferior and unworthy of Katarina and sees her as someone perfect. Geordo constantly wants to be better for Katarina (and for the people around him), and in time, maybe he could become a motivation for Katarina to be better too (on Katarina's side though, because on Geordo's she doesn't have to because she's already perfect the way she is). Geordo, while being self-centered and aggressive in his pursuits, isn't always selfish and thinks about what Katarina wants too. He'd fight tooth and nail for her and will do whatever he can so that Katarina will love him in the same way, but that doesn't mean he wont respect her decision if she falls in love with someone else, he just wont lose without a fight that's all (and fight, he'll give that's for sure).

Geordo is crazy in love with her; wants to protect her happiness, keep her safe whenever he can, and is even willing to both fight to become king and throw away the life he currently knows if it means he can live a life where he and Katarina can be together wherever she is most content and happy. He wouldn't lock her up in the castle like a caged bird like what Keith and some fans of the series thinks, whenever he does have thoughts like that like in Volume 6, its his internal response to the lack time they can have together alone, rather than being indicative of how he wants to treat her (like in his desire in Book of Desires, he conjured up a literal honeymoon because a honeymoon is the only time where he can spend it with her alone without someone butting in! It's weird and exaggerated, but his desire is simply to just be able to spend a day with her and be able to pursue her romantically without the threat of people like Keith and Mary).

Katarina sees him for himself, and she extends her hand of friendship to him despite all her fears of her bad ends involving him. She knows he's a "sadistic prince" but doesn't always tie him to that title. Out of everyone, Katarina has just as bad, if not worse, initial impression of Geordo compared to almost everyone around him (Others sees him as a Perfect Prince while she sees him as a Sadistic Prince and Future Murderer), and yet she accepts him and wants to learn more about him. She supports him and wants him to find happiness in love with Maria, even if it means she'll get exiled to another country or to a far off farm! (i'll edit this with citations later)

I can't help but want that for him, someone who there for you through thick and thin, who supports him despite everything she knows about her future involving him. Katarina is everything he would ever want in a partner: someone who isn't disturbed by his past, can see through his fake smiles, constantly cares for him, sees him beyond his princely façade, is one of his first friends who has helped him create friendships with other as well that prevented him to wallow in isolation and hate of the version of himself that society created for him, is genuinely interested in him as a person, is endlessly fun to be around and unpredictable, and is overall beautiful inside and out.

Again, a lot of Maria and Geordo's struggles are very similar to each other, but I'm more interested in Geordo's side. I find it more compelling. Geordo's scenes always almost provides something new, we get to see him angry, flustered & embarrassed, scheming/conniving, possessive, grateful, sad & frustrated and so much more. Maria has that too (we get to see her sad and thankful), but this might be my own perspective of reading the novels, but Maria's scenes kinda feel the same to me. It almost always starts with Katarina helping her and her realizing time and time again how much she loves her and become more motivated to be a better version of herself. I mean its unfair to say that they are all the same but that might just be me. (Maria: wow I'm so grateful for everything Katarina has given me, I want to be with her forever (rinse and repeat for the next 5 books))

Yes I know it's beautiful to see Maria falling deeper and deeper in love with Maria, but I'd rather see moments of someone who is trying to advance on those feelings rather than someone who is still trying to understand what they feel. Declarations and descriptions of love are beautiful in literary works and it always gets my heart fluttering, but I can read fanfics if I want to see that be written in 8 or more ways. Give me some action, some internal conflict!

It also doesn't help that it makes me really really happy for Geordo that he's made a dent in Katarina's baka shield? Katarina's heart skipped and fluttered for a second when Geordo was patting her head, and it makes me want to root for him even more! (Yes, go break the bubble! You can do it!!)

It's not even the same doki-doki as when she gets charmed at how pretty Maria is, to me its different in a way that my small vocabulary can't explain.

And besides, it really is just a battle between the protagonist that almost ruined her life (Maria) and the love interest that almost ruined her life (Geordo). Keith is part of that equation too, but he was never a threat after they became close (narratively, its seriously just Maria vs Geordo vs Keith, ignoring the changes to that narrative by FL2). It's always about Geordo (and Maria), everything she's doing in the Fortune Lover 1 Arc is because of Geordo (and arguably, Maria & Keith too) and the consequences of where he decides her future to would lead to.

It has to be Geordo, in my opinion, to show her that things aren't the same as the game (and he already kinda has, just a dent though) (If not Geordo, it should be Maria). He, who she feared and yet cared for so much

(I know Fortune Lover 2 basically removes that importance of Geordo and Maria specifically to Katarina's narrative by making her an active problem in all routes, finally becoming loyal to the title "All Routes Lead to Doom", but its not like the story is digging into Katarina's brain that she's sword training for the purpose of fighting back against all the boys, its still just Geordo, so idk I still count that in my shipper brain)

It also also helps that Geordo is basically the poor bullied animal in the hamefura community's eyes, regardless of how far he is into the battle (like in the reddit discord lmao). Yeah he has the best chances which is why many people both in and out of the series find it so fun to drag him under because of his unfair advantage, which is fair, but just like how you feel when you see a small wounded animal, you can't help but want to help someone who has the whole world against him (there's literally a canon manga page with that joke lmao), which is how I eventually felt over time. He's so misunderstood and bullied by people despite the authors dedication to flesh him out more beyond being a possessive prince fiancé of Katarina because of the anime's adaption, so I'd rather give my biases to someone who needs (and deserves it) rather than other contenders who are already overflowing with love and support. Also who doesn't love a perfect guy who breaks when his beloved is harm/who opens up to the person he cares about most?

I know people will read this and find it unfair that Katarina is giving so much to Geordo, but he isn't really giving anything to her. One thing I'll agree that Maria has over Geordo is that Maria makes Katarina want to try and work hard. Seeing Maria improve her magic wants Katarina to do the same, and whether or not it's from motivation or fear of getting left out depends on the reader. So far we don't really have anything like that for Katarina with Geordo because most things involving Geordo intimidates her, compared to Maria who is surrounded by mysteries and adventure (though arguably it's Katarina and not her lmao, but Kat doesn't know that).

Katarina is already the most well-adjusted character in the story even as a child so the only thing to really explore from her is mostly just her relationships and skewed sense of reality. That's why I hope that Geordo will not only help her realize that she can be loved by her peers romantically despite her self-perceived position/role, but also be one of the persons to make her completely realize that she isn't living inside a game. I mean like I said a few paragraphs ago, he's already kinda doing it by constantly confessing his feelings to her, reminding her that he is a person with his own feelings and not a character programmed to fall for a heroine.

So yeah, I ship Katarina with Geordo for those reasons and believe they should end up together for those reasons.

If you ask me who I think would she end up with objectively, I'd still say Geordo. The author's focus jumps between Geordo and Maria so that really depends on who you're asking. It also doesn't help that Geordo is always in the marketing with Katarina in the books and games, which pretty much cements his Male Lead status to Katarina's Female Lead status lmao

Thank you for the ask lmao, I'll be updating this with more thoughts and possibly citations later :))

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Covenant: Love Note

GIF by imaginethesonsofipswich

Tyler Simms x Reader

Word Count: 1,168

Summary: Reader confesses their feelings for Tyler through a note. 

Passing time was always a chaotic in the halls of Spencer Academy. There was an allotted ten minutes in between periods to get to your next class, which could be difficult to navigate between the throngs of loitering bodies clogging up the halls and having multiple floors to climb. But the passing time after third period wasn’t too bad.

Well, if you were being honest with yourself, it was a great part of your day.

Hiding behind your locker door, you peered out of the corner of your eye to watch him. Him being Tyler Simms. Brunette, blue-eyed Adonis and adored academy student.

He was also your long-time crush.

It started during sophomore year, second semester when the two of you were assigned to be biology lab partners. Spending consistent time with him, you learned how smart he was, how sweet, how loyal. He was also one of the most non-judgmental people you’d ever met, a quality which was harder to come by at a private, prep academy like Spencer.

Several semesters later and you were still pining. Tyler hadn’t had anymore shared classes with you since sophomore biology but he still smiled and waved when you saw each other around, which was more than enough to keep the flame of your affections burning.

After today, your feelings wouldn’t be a secret anymore. You fingered the piece of paper in your hands, folded into a neat square. The note had undergone several drafts before it was deemed perfect and now all that was left was to deliver it.

Confessing outright was too much pressure. Not because Tyler was intimidating but because his status as a Son of Ipswich put him leagues above you in the social hierarchy of the school. Word of you confessing would spread and public opinion likely wouldn’t be kind to you. And speaking of Sons…

A blonde boy put his arm around Tyler with a laugh that traveled down the hallway. Reid Garwin was his best friend and wherever the blonde went, Tyler was quick to follow. You didn’t have a problem with Reid, on the contrary, you appreciated his wit and creativity.

But you weren’t keen on confessing with an audience, even if it was an audience of one and was your crush’s friend. Hence why you decided to go the route of writing out your feelings.

When the locker slammed shut and the boys walked away, you inhaled deeply to steel yourself. Time to be brave. Closing your own locker, you waded through traffic until you got in range of Tyler’s.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, you slid the note through one of the slanted slots near the top of the door. With a little push, the note disappeared without a trace.

Love note officially dropped off, you continued onto to class as normal, no one but you aware of what was waiting for Tyler. It happened swiftly and without fanfare, unlike what you had pictured in your mind. Now all that was left to do was wait and see what would happen.

You found it near impossible to focus during your class, your mind a foggy haze of anticipation and anxiety, and, before you knew it, it was lunch. 

A flick reverberated off of your forehead and you smacked the offending hand away from your face with a grimace, your friend giving you an expecting look, the two of you eating in your usual spot.

“Well?” they prompted. “How is Operation John Keats going?”

“Why did you decide on Operation John Keats again?” you asked, pushing your food around with a fork.

“Because it’s just all so ‘Bright Star.’ Tyler is obviously the Fanny Brawne to your yearning John Keats.”

Cutting off their argument with a roll of your eyes, you maintained that you were very much not like Keats. For one, you weren’t suffering from consumption and second, you could only wish to have that poet’s talent for words.

“Whatever, I’m still keeping the name. But really, have you heard anything from him?”

“No, nothing yet,” you lamented with a sigh. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but whichever it is, I’m freaking out at this point.”

They split off some of their cookie with a supportive smile and handed it over to share with you. “Keep positive. You’re great and he’d be lucky to go out with you. And if he ends up being a jerk, it would be an awful shame if something were to happen to his Hummer…”

Appreciating the sentiment, you talked them down, hiding your laughs behind your hand. Yes, it would be disappointing if your crush was unrequited, but he really was a nice guy and you would feel guilty if anything were to actually happen to his beloved car.

* * *

The next day started and still no word from Tyler, or even a sign that he had received the note. Maybe it fell on the floor when you pushed it into his locker, or it got stuck behind something.

That line of reasoning was better than the alternative which was that he was so uninterested, he didn’t know how to approach you. Your heart clenching at the mere thought, you went to your locker after third period as usual, determined not to look in his direction.

Turning the lock combination with well-practiced twists of your wrist, you opened the door to get the books you needed. Maybe it was time to accept the rejection and focus on classes again. After all, there was an essay due next week—

A folded piece of paper fluttered down suddenly when you pulled out one of the textbooks, taking you by surprise. What in the world? Your head immediately snapped toward Tyler’s locker by instinct but he wasn’t there.

Jitters had your hand shaking as you unfolded the unassuming scrap of lined notebook paper with bated breath. Familiar scrawling handwriting stood out immediately and you scanned it over quickly. So quickly that you had to read it twice to make sure you understood it correctly.

Y/N,

Wow. That’s the only way I can describe it.

Sorry for blowing you off yesterday, but I didn’t know what to say without seeming like an idiot: I crushed on you back in sophomore year but you never made a move and I didn’t want to push. 

So I was very surprised by your note, in a good way!

To get straight to the point, do you want to out this Friday? There’s a concert in the square that night, if you’re game. Let me know, I’d love to spend more time with you.

Tyler

“I see you got my note.” The voice ruffled your hair and you spun around to see Tyler in the flesh, rubbing his pants legs nervously but still wearing a smile. “So, what do you say?”

A loud squeak passed through your lips before you could stop it. “I mean, yes. I would love to go out with you, Tyler Simms.”  

_______________

Haven’t written for my favorite witch in a while! I think Tyler would be too awkward to confess in-person as well and would appreciate a note instead. Also, I love John Keats. And you know Reid totally ragged on him when he found the note haha. 

Thanks for reading! :) 

[republictrooper]

So. This episode, huh? I think I may call this the first time SNW genuinely misstepped for me. While I appreciate a good bit of scifi horror. I feel like the main plot especially fell into the trap of just... not trying to be Star Trek like other episodes have. Like, it’s hard to articulate. Maybe the best way I can put it is, It felt like they leaned way too hard on the worst aspects of Nu Trek: Brainless action, irredeemable villains, characters acting to what the plot needed rather than staying true to their characters.

The Good:

Pike cooking breakfast for the crew will FOREVER be my favorite thing. Just... that sense of family and togetherness that has always been Starfleet at its best, combined with Pike’s IMMACULATE Dad energy? I mean, come on.

It is a little silly that he knows about station wagons and family roadtrips when we dont even make station wagons anymore in 2022 AFAIK, but again. IMMACULATE Dad Energy, so I’ll let it pass.

Hemmer’s advice to Uhura, and Spock dealing with his Human side were both excellent set-pieces I imagine will pay off in spades in future seasons. I appreciated how it deepened Spock’s struggle with his humanity and his and Christine’s relationship on the one hand (I cried when they hugged at the end, ngl), and revealed more about Uhura and why she stayed in Starfleet after all.

---

The... Eh?

I think in the end though I loved Hemmer and would have liked to see him stay, I appreciate that his character arc was clear and well defined. We got his talks with Uhura that offered insight into his character, into what he believed and why he stayed in Starfleet, and understood how his ending was used both to demonstrate that facet of his character as well as move forward development for other characters, especially Uhura and Spock.

---

The Bad

I understand Sam Kirk wasnt necessarily really fleshed out before now, but like, previous appearances in this season at least showed him kind, adventurous, and brave. So making him the guy who breaks down and gets angry seems like a weird choice. Maybe getting knocked out by the egg affected him more than they showed us? Besides, getting angry and weirded out by Spock’s lack of emotion is MCCOY’S job.

Maybe this is why Spock never let on he knew about George? Just kinda didnt like the guy after he was a jerk on that one Gorn planet? If nothing else between getting knocked out by the egg and letting his emotions run wild here, he seems pretty obviously better suited for lab work, that’s for sure.

I’m also not completely sure I buy the way La’an was. Just went from angry to angrier, then suddenly “gotta help this girl,” I really didn’t follow her? If I didn’t know any better, it almost felt like an excuse to get off the show by making Oriana an easy excuse. Which seems weird, because Chong is a great actress and La’an, despite being burdened by a bit too much “LOOK SHES CONNECTED TO THAT BELOVED CHARACTER” type backstory, had potential. Hopefully we see her back sooner rather than later in  Season 2?

And then, whew. The Gorn, huh?

I mean, on one hand, I appreciate alien races that are more... alien. How would a Parasitic race that must lay multiple eggs in a living host, and apparently mutates to “egglaying” age in mere weeks, survive and propagate the race once they became sapient? What traditions, cultures, and ethical considerations would arise around that, and how would that differ from a more humanoid style race that has live birth with young that need decades to mature?

Unfortunately, theyre going the kind of easy route it feels like - turn them into the villains, like a combination of the Krogans and the Xenomorphs, angry, evil predators who believe in kill or be killed, survival of the fittest, thinking nothing of killing fellow sapients by the bushel. I mean, you’re telling me they deliberately seek out and use other sapients rather than just like, farming some type of non-sapient cattle or even figuring out a tech solution?

I know you can argue these specific Gorn are kind of “feral,” in theory, but that doesn’t explain away the breeding planet La’an’s family died on.

I guess we’ll see how they develop them in other seasons. We could get some sort of strange flip in perspectives. Maybe it turns out the “Breeding Planets” are places where Gorn have gone feral without the guidance of the rest of the race and they DO generally lay their eggs in non-sapient hosts and have more organized and civilized nurseries instead of this weird “LEAVE THEM TO KILL EACH OTHER AND FIGHT FOR ALPHA” thing that has never been great and, assuming it comes from the “Alpha Wolf” theory, is based on a faulty scientific study that the author repented of later in his life?

I dunno. Star Trek is always best when its about building bridges, and this just seems like a race tailored made to just be the faceless evil enemy.

It’s a good sci-fi horror story, but it’s not necessarily Star Trek in my mind, you know?

I mean, I guess killing a bunch of redshirts is technically pretty classic Star Trek, but not sure about their angle on the Gorn tbqh.

Also, the number of “main” cast members who were kind of written off the show this episode???? It kind of uncomfortably reminds me of writing off Tasha Yar or Jadzia Dax, and I REALLY hope it wasnt a case of that.

Like I said, I understand why they killed Hemmer and felt he had a decent arc, though its a bummer they killed off such great disabled rep.

Writing off La’an and Uhura so soon is kind of weird though. Uhura makes a little more sense, she was always just on a temp assignment, so maybe this is just them resolving that so she can be back as an ensign and they can continue that storyline without worrying about the cadet weirdness. La’an, a little less so. It doesn’t seem like it should be so important she finishes her story off-ship. My guess is both will be back within a few episodes of Season 2, unless we find out this is another Dax/Yar sitch, which I dearly, dearly hope not.

---

EVEN WITH ALL OF THAT, THOUGH, I still appreciated the little vignettes at the beginning and end, and weird slipups with Kirk and La’an aside, there was some great character development.

Here’s to SNW recovering next season, with another set of EPISODIC Episodes that focus on office pals in space gettin’ into weird jams but trying their best to be good people.

[marvel-and-mischief]

Field of Surprises

This is my Secret Santa that I've also combined into a birthday fic for @lilkermit14 Happy Birthday!! I really hope you like this and are having a fantastic 19th birthday!!💓

Title: Field of Surprises Pairing: Pero Tovar x F!Reader Summary: Pero takes reader to a beautiful field of flowers for a birthday picnic, but the pollen has an unusual effect on the two of them Warnings: PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS!! This is the dirtiest thing I've ever written, SEX POLLEN so dubcon naturally but there is a conversation about consent, p in v heterosexual sex, graphic sexual imagery, swear words, rough sex, hand job, breeding kink if you squint, cockwarming, unprotected sex (but it’s the times) Words: 2884

Your day of birth was particularly special this year as it was the first year you could celebrate it with Pero as your husband. He woke you up with sleepy kisses and passionate lovemaking, before insisting you let him bring you breakfast as you relaxed in bed. It was the perfect start to the morning, being treated as the special woman you were to Pero. 

The rest of the day saw Pero hurrying to take over the chores from you, instead ushering you into the chair in front of the fireplace.

“Let me do that, mi amore,” Pero would whisper and leave you with your feet up on a cushion covered stool as he carried on with whatever you were attempting to do around the house. 

All that relaxing sent you into a peaceful slumber, from which Pero gently woke you up in the early evening.

“Mi amor, wake up for me, I have one more surprise for you this day,” Pero’s fingertips softly tickled the side of your neck whilst he pressed sweet kisses to your forehead. You woke up refreshed and feeling good from your sleep. 

“You have already done so much for me today,” you smiled, stretching out your limbs and standing from your chair. Pero moved to grab your cloak, wrapping it around your shoulders and tying the string at the front for you. 

“Just one more. I took a different route back from market the other day and found a field with these beautiful flowers I have never seen in all my travels,” Pero picked up a wooden basket from the table, and you spied that the napkin on top covered a heaping pile of what you could only assume was food for your trip, “it is not far, we can sit and eat as the sun goes down over the hill. What do you say?”

Your beaming grin was response enough as you leaned over to place a hungry kiss on your husband’s lips. 

“You treat me so well,” you breathed, grin back in place as Pero hurried you through the door.

It didn’t take long to reach the field Pero spoke about. It was off the beaten track, hidden behind overgrown hedges and tall trees at the edge of the forest. The sight of the flowers took your breath away. They seemed to positively glow in the setting sun, shades of oranges and reds and yellows like the flames of a fire. The smaller flowers were around the size of a strawberry, the petals closed up to a sharp point at the top. The larger flowers had bloomed to the size of a round loaf of bread, the petals spread wide to reveal long stamen thick with powder the same color as the flower. 

“It is like walking through a dream, isn’t it?” Pero observed, coming up behind you and resting his chin on your shoulder.

“I have never seen anything like it,” you replied, in awe of your surprise. You could see over the other side of the field was the hill to sit and watch the sun going down over the town, so you took Pero’s free hand in yours and stepped into the field.

The sweet, floral smells hit your nostrils as you walked through, and you found yourself raking your hand along beside you, fingertips sliding over the silky petals and catching on the powder inside. Next to you, you saw Pero was just as enraptured with your surroundings, head tilted down to smell them as he passed by. 

You plucked a flower, heavy and yellow and put it to your nose. It smelled like a sweetbread and was so bright it shone against your skin like a flaming torch. You turned and held it up to Pero’s nose for him to smell, and he replied with a hum and a pleasant smile. 

“This is all so perfect, Pero,” you sighed happily as you came to a patch of grass clear of flowers and saw Pero set down the basket at your feet. 

“Sit, get comfortable,” Pero instructed, and pulled you down next to him on the grass. He leaned into you as you opened the basket, setting down a piece of cloth to place the food upon. 

From your place on the hill you could see the town a little walk away, a few guards were scattered around keeping everyone who had stayed to frequent the taverns in order, others were lighting the torches along the town wall. You could hear the trickling of the river in the distance and birds tweeting in the trees. Otherwise, you were completely alone in the quiet of the prettiest, most peaceful field you had ever seen. 

“Eat, mi esposa,” Pero placed something in your hand whilst you were observing, a broken off piece of cheese on a chunk of cut bread and urged you to eat. As you bit down, you noticed Pero wasn’t eating, instead he was scratching at the back of his neck as though irritated by something. 

“What is wrong?” You asked, concerned by the agitation on Pero’s face. He rolled his shoulders back to try and alleviate the ache and sat up straight, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

“Maybe I’m allergic,” he grumbled, trying to ignore what felt like a thousand insects creeping along his neck. 

“We can leave-“

“No, mi amor, I will feel better when I have eaten,” he insisted through gritted teeth. Now that he really thought about it, it wasn’t an irritation he was feeling but more of a burning heat running along his skin. He felt it travel over his shoulders and down his chest, spreading lower until it reached his cock, making him glance over in your direction.

You were struggling with your own problems as you took the last bite of your food and tried to swallow it over the lump in your throat. You felt yourself getting slick between your legs when you had been staring at Pero’s neck. Of course you often felt attracted to him, his lean body with muscle built from years of wielding a sword, his handsome features, strong body, even the scar across his eye did things to you. But the attraction had never been as strong as this. 

You needed him. Like you needed air to breathe and food in your belly. You felt greedy, for his hungry eyes on you, for his deft fingers to work their magic on your body, for his mouth on your breast and his cock thrust to the hilt until he breached your womb. 

Your mind was a fog of images of all the times Pero had taken you in the heat of passion. You wanted to rip his clothes off with your bare hands and run them all over lean muscle and soft flesh and through silky hair and coarse hair. You needed to taste his skin, his sweat, his cock, his seed. 

You felt yourself growing hot with embarrassment then. You were thinking like a common whore, not that you thought Pero would mind. He enjoyed your confidence in your shared bed, his eyes always lit up with desire when you asked, no demanded, what you wanted from him. He encouraged you. But this seemed inappropriate.

Pero had brought you to this wonderful field to be romantic. To be slow and to show his love, not his lust, for you on your special day. And it made you feel dirty that all you wanted to do was shed him of his clothes and impale yourself on his fat cock. 

“Mi amor, is something wrong?” Pero’s voice was strained from trying to keep himself together for your sake. He saw a distant look in your eyes despite the fact you were staring directly at him. He knew something wasn’t right, and maybe it was the same something he was feeling. That itch that needed scratching, but could only be cured by fucking you senseless in the middle of this field. 

“I don’t… I erm…” words weren’t coming easily to you as you fixated on Pero’s curved lips. You couldn’t hold yourself back and before you knew what you were doing, you had launched yourself into his lap and began licking desperately into his mouth, moaning obscenely at the taste of salty cheese on his tongue and the smell of smoked wood on his skin. 

Pero’s arms pulled you flush against his chest, feeling the swell of your breasts against him. Your hands painfully gripped handfuls of his hair, the sensations making Pero groan from the back of his throat. You could feel his cock, hard and hot against your clothed core and all you could think about was the too many layers between your skin and his. 

You pulled back reluctantly, chest heaving with breathlessness and saw Pero in the exact same state as you. His eyes were cloudy with passion, his jaw tense with restraint as thoughts of ravaging you like a wild animal overwhelmed him. 

“I don’t know what has come over me, mi amor,” Pero’s gravelly voice made you whimper with want, rubbing your core against his cock to feel some kind of friction. His hands held your hips still against his thigh, away from where he wanted you most. Something was happening that he couldn’t explain, and he didn’t want you fucking him where anybody could walk by if you were going to regret it afterwards.

“Listen to me,” Pero growled, waiting for you to make eye contact with him before he continued, “I want you, and you want me, but are you sure you want to do this here?”

His stern tone cleared your head for a moment as you took in your surroundings. The sounds of the town had disappeared to almost nothing, and the sun was setting low enough that nobody would be walking through a field at this time of evening. 

“I want to. I need you Pero, please,” you leaned forward to kiss sloppily down the slope of his neck to a spot beneath his ear that made Pero buck up into you when you sucked there, “fuck me, husband.”

With a moan, Pero ripped at the ties that held your bodice together, pulling it free enough that he could pull down the front of your dress and free your breasts. You gasped as he took the nipple of one breast into his mouth, sucking and nibbling at the pliant skin whilst roughly massaging your other breast. The vibrations from his mouth and the roughness of his calloused hand brought you embarrassingly closer to your first orgasm as you rubbed your clothed crotch against his thigh. With a final cry of his name you shuddered under his touch as a rush of wetness flooded over Pero’s breeches. 

Pero pulled away from you to frantically loosen the front of his breeches and release his aching cock. It sprung up, the tip an angry red like the flowers that surrounded you, and hit his stomach, Pero sighing in relief at the cold air soothing its heat.

“I need it,” was all you could say, eyes trained on the cock you knew so well. You wrapped your hand around it, earning you a hiss from your lover, as you used the precum to aid in pumping up and down, from base to tip. 

That desperation that had been temporarily sated from your release was quickly rising up once more, your breath hitching, your core clenching in need. Pero could see the conflict in your eyes, his own need to feel you around his cock almost overwhelming as he grabbed your hips and moved to hover you over him.

“If we do this, I will not be able to stop myself, mi esposa,” Pero warned, but it was what you wanted, for him to drill into you until all of your senses were Pero and nothing else. You responded by lowering yourself suddenly onto him, a loud cry of relief leaving you as Pero bottomed out in you making him cry out your name. 

Pero pulled you tightly against his chest as he swiftly switched your positions, laying you on the ground to hover above you. You moved your legs to wrap high around his waist, chanting his name urgently. Pero didn’t need telling twice, immediately assuming a rough rhythm that had you clawing at the grass beneath you. You could barely make any sound at all, only silently gasping into the air as you received exactly what your body craved. 

Pero’s face was hid in the crook of your neck and he chased his release, the only thoughts in his mind of you and how warm and tight you felt around him, how he needed to thrust deeper and deeper, to fill you up so much his seed had no choice but to spill out of you, and even then he wanted to fill you more. 

His heart was beating harder than he thought possible, the sound in his ears and the panting of his breaths louder than the sounds you were making. But he knew you were enjoying this just as much as he was when your legs on his back urged him impossibly closer and your fingers dug into the skin of his ass, leaving red and white marks that would be there for many days to come. 

Pero dared to raise his head to see the state of bliss on your face, your bottom lip caught between your teeth, your eyes scrunched closed as you chased another orgasm. He found your wrists and held them above your head, making you look up at him with dark, lustful eyes.

“You fuck me so good, Pero,” you whined, and without breaking the rhythm of his hips Pero bit down on the soft skin of you neck, sucking a bruising kiss there. 

He kept your wrists in a tight grip with one hand, and slipped his other hand between you to find your clit. You cried out when he started rubbing circles just how you like it to bring you closer to the edge.

“Come for me, come and I promise I will fill you up better than I ever have. I will spill so deep inside you, you will feel me for weeks, hermosa,” Pero groaned into your ear, and that was the final straw to have you clenching hard around his cock, arching your back off the ground and whimpering through your release. You saw white behind your eyelids as you shook through the best orgasm of your life. 

Pero continued to rut into you a few more times before one final thrust saw him spilling his seed deep within you whilst biting down on the thick flesh of your shoulder. His body relaxed on top of you whilst he caught his breath. After a few moments he rolled you both over, laying your body on top of his with his cock still seated comfortably inside you. 

You could have fallen asleep like this, mind soft with love, body pliant and deliciously used, Pero surrounding you inside and out. You were completely sated, exhausted in the best way.

“Mi amor, talk to me,” Pero urged, your silence not at all comforting him. 

“I feel wonderful,” you lifted your head and showed him your goofy, tired smile, making him chuckle. 

Pero took the time to sweep the area, the mercenary in him wanting to ensure you were both safe in your surroundings. The field was empty except the two of you, the tall flowers creating an ominous, intimidating sight in the rapid darkening of the sky. It was then Pero frowned and thought of the beginning of the evening and how sudden your attractions had been to one another. 

“I think we should go home and clean up, maybe continue this in the safety of our marriage bed,” Pero whispered, eyeing the flowers suspiciously. 

You hummed in agreement, the promise of more activities encouraging you to pull yourself off Pero’s cock with a soft mewl and make yourself presentable. 

When Pero had packed up the basket and taken your hand he paused to kiss you tenderly, a stark contrast to how rough you had both been moments before.

“I hope your special day has been just that.”

You smiled, a warmth fluttering in your breast as you took in the love in your husband’s eyes.

“It has,” you assured him with a nod. You attempted to lead him back through the field towards your cottage but he stood rooted to the spot.

“No,” Pero tugged you in the opposite direction, “let us go down the hill.”

“That is the long way round,” you said confused, watching as Pero shot a frown towards the beautiful flowers behind you. 

“Trust me, I think it would be wise to stay clear of this field from now on.”

You laughed and shook your head at his quirkiness. Maybe he just wanted more time with you, to prolong this day. 

Now the strangeness of the evening had left, in its place was love and adoration for the man you called your husband, and you saw those same feelings towards you in the soft curve of a smile and the sweet looks he was shooting your way. 

[jackoshadows]

Stark Sibling reunions.

So there was some discussion on this in another forum and I thought I would jot down some of my long rambling speculations on which siblings will meet up and reunite first in the next book.

Jon and Rickon

Up north, I think there is a very strong chance that Jon and Rickon will be the first Starks to meet each other again. GRRM has stressed a couple of times that he has important things planned for Rickon, Davos has gone to Skagos to fetch him, Rickon has the backing of the most powerful Northern house in Manderly and in Bran’s absence, Rickon is Lord of Winterfell.

We know that GRRM is writing Rickon for the next book. He has mentioned how his Osha is becoming more similar to Natalie Tena’s version on the show. He has outright stated that Rickon will be in the next book. And how the books are different to the show because Rickon is still alive in the books.

Now, two things about the battle against the Boltons:

1. There will be a different Stark Vs Boltons battle in the next book. We have this note from GRRM:

Speaking of which: Martin leaves a little note for the producers when writing about Ramsay’s flesh-eating hounds, whom we see hunting down a girl for sport.

[N.B. A note for future reference. A season or two down the line Ramsay’s pack of wolfhounds are going to be sent against the Stark direwolves, so we should build up the dogs as much as possible in this and subsequent episodes.]

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/12/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-last-script-the-lion-and-the-rose

Notice the plural - as in direwolves, not direwolf. And the only two Starks with direwolves currently in the North are Jon and Rickon. We may see Jon come down from the Wall with a Wildling army and the North rallying behind Rickon and they combine forces to attack the Boltons. If Stannis is still alive and has an army at this point, it could be that everyone else joins him in battle.

Rickon could travel to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea which is closest to Skagos, or White Harbor or to Stannis’ camp. Either way, Jon and Rickon are now the closest siblings and have maximum potential to reunite since their plots look to be colliding soon as well.

2. Theon will be important to the resolution of the Bolton storyline.

What inspired him to create Ramsay Snow? GRRM said, and I quote, that he needed something “to bite Theon in the ass”. Ramsay was created for Theon’s storyline, and he is first presented as a prisoner and a servant and then rises to a high position while Theon becomes his prisoner and servant.

https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/6uwfb0/spoilers_extended_notestranslation_of_grrm_qa_in/

Theon is currently with Stannis who is preparing for battle against the Boltons. I doubt his story ends there - without meeting up again with either Bran or Jon. We know Bran is trying to communicate with Theon through the Weirwoods and Theon feels an immense guilt for what he did to Bran and Rickon. Jon and Theon have a lot of parallels and some of the same identity issues.

It’s possible therefore that Theon survives the battle of Ice with Stannis Vs Boltons to meet up with Jon and Rickon for the later battle of the bastards.

Arya

Lets examine Arya’s travel options from Braavos:

1. There’s plot and route that can take her to the North via Justin Massey and Jeyne Poole. The prevailing speculation being that once Massey lands in Braavos along with Jeyne, the real Arya meets up with fake Arya and decides to leave behind the FM and travel to the wall to take down some mutineers.

I think that plotwise for Arya’s character this makes sense. She has pretty much finished her FM training - time for plot progression and for her to move on to the North and get mixed up in both the political shenanigans and the army of the dead plot.

And if she does go North, she will finally reunite with Jon Snow - something she’s been trying to do since book one.

But there are some issues with Justin Massey getting to Braavos. In the first place, winter and storms have come to the North making travel hard. And in the second, Massey needs Stannis’ ships at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to travel to Braavos - those ships are currently being overwhelmed by both storms and wights at Hardhome. So without transport, it’s hard to see how Massey gets to Braavos and Jeyne meets Arya.

It’s also possible that Arya just hears about what is happening in the North, gets on a ship and sails to White Harbor. She could meet up with Rickon and Jon that way.

But if Arya is not going North, where will she go to?

Travel-wise it would be easier for her to sail to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea or the port at White Harbor - traveling for a single person is always easy and Arya is an old hand at this.

But there is also speculation that Arya will travel to the Riverlands and meet up with her mother, Lady Stoneheart and the Brotherhood without Banners again. I am not fond of this theory, since in my opinion it will be once again a retread of her Riverlands story in books 2/3.  She’s done with that part of Westeros. Yes, she did see her dead mother be dragged out of the water and a resolution and closure with her mother would be nice, but I am not sure how Arya in the Riverlands will progress the plot.

So if Arya does manage to reach the Riverlands and Lady Stoneheart, is there a sibling that she will meet up with?

Sansa

Let’s take a look at Sansa.

Sansa is busy in the Eyrie, embroiled in LF’s plot to snare Harry the Heir. Winter has come to the Vale and it’s pretty much snowed in. So it may very well be Sansa’s plot is limited to the game playing and political goings on in the Vale. If Sansa does indeed step outside the Vale, the logical place that she can travel to is the Riverlands.

I have often seen it argued (By a certain section of fans) that Arya’s story is in the Riverlands because she is just as revenge obsessed as Lady Stoneheart and her story is about giving up revenge while Sansa will travel North and reunite with Jon and win battles and become Lady of Winterfell.  But in actuality, Sansa is far closer to the Riverlands (Much closer and easier for Sansa to get to the Riverlands than Arya) and has actual plot reasons to be there.

What plot reasons? So a recent thread on asoiaf reddit brought up a 2012 comment from GRRM on Littlefinger:

That said, back in 2002, here's what a fan recounted with George:

Who is over lord of the Riverlands? (Since the Freys have Riverrun yet Littlefinger was named Lord Paramount). George says that Littlefinger is the Lord of the Riverlands but that he is going to run into trouble. I commented that Littlefinger is really powerful now that he has the Riverlands and supposed control of the Eyrie. GRRM laughed and said that I need to remember that for all his power Littlefinger has no army. (I thought that was interesting). GRRM also commented that (I forget which Frey, Emmon?) the Frey given Riverrun really wants to be Lord of the Riverlands and has dreams of having his father be his vassel. (I thought that was interesting also)

https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/itw5wd/spoilers_extended_a_deeper_look_at_three/

So it looks like Littlefinger is going to run into trouble in the Riverlands - where LadyStoneheart and the brotherhood  have set up their base - and it looks like the Freys want control. All LF needs to assert his authority is a Vale army. The Lannisters are pretty much done in the Riverlands, the Blackfish is still around and Edmure is a prisoner.

LF could get support in the Riverlands with Sansa - a Tully. Remember LF, his vale army and Sansa being responsible for defeating the Boltons and avenging the red wedding on the show? What if we get LF, Sansa and his vale army taking on and getting rid of Walder Frey, avenging the Red Wedding and winning favor in the Riverlands and the North that way?

I suspect that Lady Stoneheart is a part of the Vale/LF plot in the books and that’s why it disappeared on the show with the rest of the Vale while D&D combined plots and transferred LF and Sansa to the North to take on the Boltons.

I think a LF/Lady Stoneheart confrontation will be very interesting and possible - given their history and given LF’s current infatuation with Sansa. We have this from GRRM:

 My Littlefinger would have never turned Sansa over to Ramsay. Never. He’s obsessed with her. Half the time he thinks she’s the daughter he never had—that he wishes he had, if he’d married Catelyn. And half the time he thinks she is Catelyn, and he wants her for himself. He’s not going to give her to somebody who would do bad things to her. That’s going to be very different in the books.

LF, Sansa and Lady Stoneheart meeting again is almost certain in my opinion.

So if Arya is heading down south to the Riverlands for closure with her mother and if Sansa is heading there with LF to help solve his Riverland issues, is it possible for them to meet up? Will we get a Sansa-Arya reunion in the Riverlands? Remember, GRRM has assured us that these two will meet again and have ‘deep issues to work out’. Maybe this happens in the Riverlands with Sansa and Arya and Lady Stoneheart?

Anyways, if Sansa is uniting with a sibling it’s most probably going to be Arya. Everyone else is far up North and currently Arya is the only sibling truly free to move around to any destination. Will Sansa go North? Hell No.

Jonsa Stans think that Sansa is somehow going to travel all alone, all the way from the Eyrie to the Wall in harsh snowstorms.

Which, lol. By the time Sansa gets there, the books will probably be over and everyone would be chilling in Winterfell.

No army is currently getting North with the snowstorms. The Vale doesn’t even have a fleet to sail to White harbor from the Sisters. Littlefinger would have to hire a fleet from Essos and from Dany’s predicaments there we know how hard this is. After sailing to White Harbor, the Vale army would then have to march 400 miles to Winterfell in harsh snows that have stalled Stannis’ army and covered the walls of Winterfell.

Can Sansa, by herself, escape, catch a ship and sail from the Sisters to White Harbor? Possible, if she can get down the Eyrie, get to the Sisters and get a ride aboard a ship. I can’t see Sansa doing al; this. Plus, I still think with LF in the Vale and Riverlands, there is still a lot of plot for her down south. Plus, LF likely will clash with Varys as well:

Littlefinger and Varys are adversaries, both know a lot about the others' plans, so they're at a stalemate. LF knows more about Varys's motives than Varys does about LF

https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/5g7vef/spoilers_extended_grrms_second_talk_at_the/

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

So  we have Jon and Rickon reuniting in the North and Arya and Sansa maybe reuniting in the South if Arya travels to the Riverlands instead of the North.

As for Bran? I think he will be busy exploring the Lands of Always Winter and learning more about the Others in the next book. No reunions for him yet. I think he will meet up with his siblings in the last book.

[lizacstuff]

Sen Çal Kapımı / Edser  Anon asks for Episode 42

Good asks again for this episode and I got very wordy when answering.

Find asks and answers under the cut...

Anonymous asked: Hey, Liza! How did you like the ep? I loved that Eda was the one to tell him the truth and and also liked how they kept us intrigued about who will tell Serkan, Eda or our private investigators Aydan, Engin and co (although they should have gone to Eda first, it's not their secret after all). I wish, of course, that the writers would show us the scene where Serkan was telling Kiraz those sweet things she mentioned to Eda, but I guess it was done on purpose for the dramatic end of the ep. Why do you think Serkan didn't pick up any clues about his daughter? I mean, Ayse always wrote him as a smart guy. Perhaps, he felt that Kiraz is his but was afraid to face the truth? What do you think? I just hope that we hear Serkan's pov in the next ep!! and they taaaaalk!

I did like a lot of things about the episode, but some parts were a bit frustrating to watch. Not frustrating like the amnesia times where I felt sick and just wanted the episode over, nothing like that. I still enjoyed watching and the time moved quickly, but it was frustrating to watch them both be so DENSE.  

Serkan. Come on, the obvious is staring him in the face. As you say, he’s a smart dude, so why isn’t he putting this together? And it was frustrating that we still don’t know anything from his perspective. Why is he the way that he is when it comes to children!?!? That is the question. IF (a big if) they go the route of him not thinking he can have children after his treatments that would go a long way to explaining why it never occurs to him that he’s her father. However, we don’t know if they’re going to go that way or not, if they don’t I guess we’re just supposed to believe he’s so distracted by Eda that he can’t see what’s blatantly obvious to everyone else?

What was even more frustrating, though, was that Eda was so obtuse when it came to Serkan  Look, from Eda’s perspective I get the notion of wanting to make sure Serkan would be open to a child before telling him. However, the only thing worse than Serkan finding out about Kiraz and outright rejecting her is Serkan finding out and him being angry at what he’s lost and proving Eda wrong by embracing Kiraz as his own. In that scenario Eda has to face how wrong she’s been and how she’s deprived both Serkan and Kiraz (and herself) of a vitally important relationship. That’s A LOT. So I can see why Eda was invested in Option C: the secret remains intact.

So I think in this episode she was seeing what she wanted to see. Or what the worst version of herself wanted to see. Eda is a very good person, but I think she wanted to find reasons not to tell him in order to justify the lies she’s told. Also I think there was part of her that just couldn’t handle hoping that he would want to be a part of their lives. She wanted to shut it down before he could get any further under her skin.

Any way you slice it, though, her unwillingness to see Serkan and Kiraz’s growing bond is a bit selfish. On the other hand she��s not really thinking straight. She has Serkan back in her life, discombobulating her, engaging her heart, confusing her, bringing up all those old powerful feelings. She has Kiraz pining for her father while forming an attachment with a man who happens to be said father. She has Ayfer, Melo, Burak and even Kerem pressuring her in different ways and Ayfer full on judging her. Plus she has Aydan sniffing around.

With all of that I think we can forgive her for not thinking straight, she must be pretty stressed out. However, that still doesn’t really excuse her actions this ep.

Which brings us to her testing him. Seriously? Putting aside the fact that she’s making the man unwittingly prove to her that he deserves to know something that is his unalienable right to know, what was that test?  Let me get this straight, when Eda, who is an experienced single mother, has to take an important call she sends Kiraz away, but when Serkan,  who is not experienced with children and not used to them, is on an important call he’s supposed to gracefully navigate having a 5-year-old he barely knows climb all over him?  And that’s the litmus test for whether he gets to know he’s a father? A test Eda wouldn’t even take herself? WTF?

So bizarre. So Serkan didn’t pass that test, but Eda also either doesn’t see or refuses to see "good” moments. Serkan is at the pool, pretty much at Kiraz’s command, blowing up her floaties, attempting to fix her hair. The guy doesn’t know what’s going on but he’s still willing to sit there and humor this kid and that should have been enough for Eda.  Then she walks up when they’re sitting in the garden and it doesn’t occur to her that for quite some time Serkan Bolat has been successfully entertaining a 5-year-old girl he thinks belongs to Melo. When Eda arrives they are seated together, Kiraz is in good spirits, she’s sitting on an extra cushion, which she clearly didn’t get herself, but this very unSerkan-like moment doesn’t count in Serkan’s favor?  Could she have ever imagined Serkan spending that kind of time with a random child? Why is this not registering with her! Oh because she doesn’t want it to. 

 And again at the end of the episode Eda walked up to find Serkan crouching down on Kiraz’s level having a full conversation with their daughter while no one else was around. But that interaction also doesn’t weigh with her?

So what exactly was Eda wanting to see? Is there even a way Serkan could have unwittingly proven himself? Did he need to say, “Golly gee, Eda, I wish Kiraz was our daughter” in order to unlock the secret level that lets him know he’s a father?

And for this nonsense we must blame the writers. They clearly wanted the dramatic 11th hour reveal from Kiraz that Serkan had been bonding with her and for Eda to make the decision at the last minute to turn back and tell him.  But her leaving at all was incomprehensible to me. At the point that she decided to go, Piril had told her that Aydan and Engin were onto her and knew that Kiraz was Serkan’s daughter. Her excuse that if she left maybe they’d forget about it? Has the character of Eda ever uttered a dumber line? No seriously? She thinks Aydan is going to figure out she has a granddaughter, that Serkan’s flesh and blood is out there and she’s going to let it go? Engin too? Good grief, Eda is not that clueless to think her moronic plan would work out. This episode asked for a lot of suspension of disbelief, too much when it came to Eda’s actions.

However, I must say running away is entirely in Eda’s character, she’s done that many times. So, having said all that, I do feel for Eda. She’s raised Kiraz as a single mother and done all of this by herself for a long time. And I can only imagine how disheartening it was to have Serkan aggressively pursuing her all episode, but when they have a real moment on the pier after reading the message in a bottle, he immediately dismisses the idea of having children. In light of what was on her mind, I can see why that was devastating to her and made her want to flee. 

The thing is there has to be a reason why Serkan is so adamant. He’s now past whatever depression and PTSD he might have been suffering from after the treatments, and he also now knows what it’s like to actually lose Eda and he knows he wants her back... so why is he still so adamant that he doesn’t want children after wanting them before?  We are in desperate need of his perspective on this, and I hope both the audience, and Eda, get it.  It’s too cruel to her not knowing why and just thinking he hates the idea of kids with her that much.

Thank goodness Eda got to him to tell him before Engin or Aydan. I’m not sure what either one of them thought they were doing, just going to spring the news on him without putting any thought into it, I guess.  Yes, they shouldn’t hide it from him, but the reveal can wait until morning until they can figure out a plan to confront Eda and force her hand or whatever else they need to do. 

Those final moments were intense, the dramatic effect they were clearly going for was there.  It was such a relief to hear Kiraz tell her mother how she had bonded with Serkan and gotten to know him.  That girl is smarter than the rest of them combined, I wouldn't be surprised if she knows. Or at least hopes; there’s a reason she’s so attached to him and that she wanted him to be able to find them. However, it would have been much more impactful if we’d actually seen those moments. Either in real time or as flashbacks when Kiraz is talking. I’m not sure why they didn’t do that. 

The final scene struck the right emotional chord for such a heavy confession, and I’m very anxious to see what happens next! 

Anonymous asked: Hello, Liza:) What are the things you liked most and least in the episode?

Let’s see...

LIKED

Scenery - The visuals of this season are stunning.

Hande & Kerem - They both continue to delivery great performance and their chemistry is always on fire. They transform every scene given to them to a winner. They were particularly good in the bottle scene. 

Edser - I watch this show for their scenes and even when there’s a huge lie and secret between them, their scene are always fun to watch.  Loved Serkan suddenly playing aloof after the kiss and loved that Eda couldn’t leave him alone. 

Kiraz/Maya - What a joy she is to watch. This could have gone so wrong with an overly precocious child, but she’s so cute and she plays so well off not only Hande and Kerem, but everyone she works with. 

Kiraz/Serkan - Every second they’re on screen together is wonderful.  PS -  All I want from this show is after Kiraz finds out is for her to fasten herself to Serkan koala-hug style and just refuse to let go. 

The paternity hijinks -I know, I know, there was too much time spent on supporting characters this episode, but there was some funny stuff when it came to Engin, Erdem, Aydan and Seyfi trying to sleuth their way to the truth. I actually found the mistaken toothbrush to be funny. Come on, Engin, you don’t know your own kid’s toothbrush? I also enjoyed the little nod to shattering gender stereotypes. The melodrama of them believing Engin was the father and accusing him of betraying both Piril and Serkan was dumb but hilarious. Then it got even better with the four of them wrestling each other in slow mo to try to get to the lock of hair first... I laughed out loud. 

Pina/Kerem - Cuties. Poor things, they’ll also have to overcome meddling relatives, misunderstandings and miscommunication.  I also liked Pina figuring out that Serkan is in love with Eda. 

Liked... less

Screen time - I felt the lack of Edser screen time this week. We need more Edser! Much more.  It feels like they are not taking the opportunity to let their scenes breath. Each interaction is so short. Hopefully, once we’re past the secret keeping portion they can elongate some of their scenes and not always have one of them rushing away. 

Production quality - While there were some beautiful shots this episode, there were a few scenes that were lackluster when it comes to the efforts of the crew. The pool scene is one. I get that they probably planned to shoot that outside in Sile, but  weather got in the way and they ended up shooting at an interior in Istanbul, but still, the angles were cramped and they did not make the most of having both Hande and Kerem in the water. Plus they cut the shot of Serkan walking towards her, shirtless and smirking. WHY?  

Additionally, the camera angles and editing on the fainting scene were pretty subpar.  We got a better view of that scene from the fan hiding behind a wall with an iphone! From said fan we can see that the crew would have had plenty of room to move and to get proper angles, but instead we got a 30 second scene where they didn’t make use of the setting, the camera was so zoomed in you couldn’t see anything and still their faces were pretty obscured.  Not Altan, Hakan and crew’s best work, that’s for sure.

Eda’s lies, tests and leaving - I chronicled this above, but the show isn’t doing her any favors. I think the writers think they are making her sympathetic (they are to a certain degree) but it’s not enough to justify her behavior. I’m really excited to get past this phase and hopefully to one where she’s not trapped in lies to the people she loves most.

Ayfer - Can she stay in Sile when the action moves back to Istanbul? Or better yet go back to Italy? She is absolutely insufferable and when she was smugly smiling and telling Serkan he’d missed Eda I wanted to slap her across the face. At least Eda finally got tetchy with her when she was continuously pushing her towards Burak. Eda was right! Burak can see that Eda isn’t interested in him, why can’t Ayfer and Melo see it?

Burak - Seriously this dude has the charisma of a paper weight. I still can’t wrap my head around him thinking he has a shot with someone like Eda. And what was his little squirmish with Serkan? Like, dude, you have no idea of the history and dynamics at work, you also have no idea who you’re dealing with, but if you’re going to start something at least see it through. Instead he slinks away after making a few haughty remarks under his breath. Real tough. So far he’s not good enough for Melo, so I don’t know how they’re going to make him interesting enough for her. 

Anonymous asked: hi! do you like how Serkan's character shown this season? tbh I expected at least some of his pov explained, not just "we don't need to have kids, Eda," "my work is my only responsibility," etc. As to his "infamous" line in the fragman, I hope it is taken out of context and will lead to a meaningful conversation between EdSer about Serkan's genuine fears (cause c'mon, finding out that you have a 5-year-old kid is kinda overwhelming), but I don't trust writers anymore lol. They keep picturing Serkan as a bad guy. How do you think he will react and act in the next epi?

I don’t think they are depicting him as the bad guy. I mean are you walking away from the episodes thinking he’s the bad guy? I’m not. In the flashbacks, there were some when he was upset and angry and clearly they’ve let us know he’s the reason they separated, but it’s also been clear that there’s more to the story we just haven’t heard it yet. 

Agreed that we’re over due for his POV and an explanation of why he did what he did, but I have to assume it’s coming in the next episode. In that episode he’s going to be grappling with a pretty huge thing, he’s just learned a secret that will turn his life upside down. And as anxious as we’ve been to find out why he broke up with Eda, learning he’s a father is probably the perfect time to flashback and tell us why he abruptly decided he didn’t want a family with her all those years ago and set all of this in motion.

There has to be a reason, and I think we’ll find out this week. If we don’t, then the writers will have pushed it too far. However, Ayse answered a tweet a few weeks ago saying that she loved Serkan as much as Eda and that he has reasons too. So fingers crossed we find out what those reasons are sooner rather than later. 

Anonymous asked: so I've really tried to remain neutral here because I know they both had their reasons during the breakup but in this last episode, Eda kinda rubbed me the wrong way and while sure it was her right to tell Serkan the secret, I was rooting for Aydan and Engin to do it by the end because she really was about to escape town without saying anything until our sweet Kiraz spilled last minute. I didn't care who told him at that point, I just needed SOMEONE to!

This is an understandable reaction.  The writers really did Eda no favors this episode.  I guess this episode was her journey to accepting the fact that Serkan is back in her life and will need to know about their daughter. And her daughter deserves to know about Serkan. She’s been living a huge lie for 5 years, so it’s a bit understandable that she’s having trouble letting it go. They just got a little clumsy telling that story. 

But we love Eda, we won’t hold it against her, will we?

Anonymous asked: Can we talk about how this 5-yr-old girl is the one who understands Serkan the most? and they just met? and they don't know they're related? she wanted him to find her?!?!! and when Eda tried to tell her that Serkan didn't care about her, she gave the best clapback and defended her dad. 👏 She is the true hero of this love!

She is the true hero of their family!  Leaving her shoe for him to find, being able to articulate to her mother how he really did take an interest in her, got to know her, and even confided in her. Smart girl. She was able to see what her mother could or would not. 

Kiraz does seem to understand him and his gruffness doesn’t faze her at all, on the contrary she just stands up to him and gives the sass back to him. Like I said last week, he challenges her in a way she’s not used to because all the adults in her life just let her run wild with little discipline or accountability and just give her whatever she wants. But she also challenges him in a big way, and in the next episode I think we’ll see him facing her existence as the biggest challenge of his life. 

The scene when Serkan teaches her how to apologize (the irony!) and make amends was especially great. As we saw in the season premiere when Burak was dismissive and haughty with a customer rather than rightly reminding Kiraz to apologize for knocking over Serkan’s water, Kiraz, as I said above, is surrounded by adults that dote, but think she does no wrong so they don’t always model proper behavior. What a relief to see a contrite Kiraz and Serkan being patient and taking the time with her. And the hug! Awwww. “Are we really strangers, Serkan Bolat?” was a perfect line.

Anonymous asked: Heey! What are your thoughts on the fragman? Cause now I'm a bit afraid to watch the next ep... but I think Serkan can be understood; like day ago he told Eda that they didn't need kids, so I guess it would be weird if he was all excited to know that they have a daughter. But idk... I just want Kiraz to have her dad back with her, she wants him so much!!! and the girl is so smart, like I know that is unlikely, but I think she figured it out on her own that Serkan might be her dad! Offf, I love her. I just hope Serkan's "I'm not ready to be a dad" is in the first half of the epi, and then it is him being afraid but doing his best to get close to Kiraz cause we already saw how he liked her. After all, it seems like the end of the epi will be Kiraz's b-day, and Nesli said that the end will be very sweet and emotional.

I think the next episode is Serkan’s story of becoming a father, and by the end of the episode we’ll see him stepping up and accepting his role and hopefully fully embracing it. 

We’ll see how he reacts but at some point he obviously says, “I’m not ready to be a father.”  I just hope it’s more, “I’m not ready to be a father, so let’s hold off on telling Kiraz for now” and not “I’m not ready to be a father, so I’m planning on ghosting the both of you.”  My guess is that scene is maybe midway through the episode? Like maybe he finds out, freaks out, then he decides it’s too much right now, and says that to Eda, but by the end he figures out his business and thus the sweet and emotional ending. I mean what else could a sweet and emotional ending be for an episode about Serkan finding out he’s a father?

We also know from the IG live on premiere day that Kerem was out of sorts and in a bad mood after filming an “intense” scene for this episode, and that Hande’s hair in that live matches her hair in the “I’m not ready to be a father scene.” So that’s either the scene or a scene probably before or after it on the same day, so I think we’ll need to emotionally prepare to be put through the wringer. However, I don’t think there’s anything to fear in watching it. This season’s storyline is about them becoming a family, so just remember that’s what’s going to happen

As for Serkan’s mindset, it’s understandable if at first he feels overwhelmed and not up to the job. This is a man who did not have a good father role model, doesn't think he’s worthy of love, and finding out Eda had their child and didn’t tell him is going to make him think that Eda doesn’t think he’s worthy either. Think of that from his perspective, he might have pushed her away and said he didn’t want children, but she is the one who decided that their daughter would be better off not knowing him. At least that’s how he’s probably going to take her secrecy, and I can’t really blame him for that. That would be a blow to anyone, but Serkan Bolat will take it especially hard. After all she actually loved him and knew him best, so if that person doesn’t think he’s fit, that’s not going to help his confidence or allow him to think he has anything to offer a child. 

Obviously he’ll come around and quickly in the scheme of things, it’s just going to take approximately 2 hours for him to do it. 

[toushindai]

sometimes a fic you’re very proud of gets unceremoniously booted out of canon compliance by something that........ really does not earn the right to evict your fic from canon compliance, and your only recourse is to

Decide that in your own headcanon, what you must begrudgingly call the “canon scene” was merely a dream, and

Remind yourself why you wrote what you wrote.

Anyway I still love “The Diamond” because it does a lot of character work that I really wanted to see done, and although no one asked I’m gonna talk a little bit this is fifteen hundred words long so a lot bit actually about that out of a combination of sincere enthusiasm and very poorly hidden spite.

Within twenty-four hours of completing the Meg route and learning that both relationships were fully above-board, I concluded that Zagreus would want a threesome, and shortly thereafter I concluded that if he got one, it would be a disaster. I’m speaking literally, this is not an exaggeration. Within forty-eight hours I had a rough outline of what would become “The Diamond” written up, and the structure of the encounter is basically what it is in the final draft: Zag suggests it, Meg and Than are less enthused but decide to go along with it, Than is persistently awkward about the experience that Zagreus and Megaera seem to have with navigating each other, though he makes a gallant effort anyway which is interrupted by a reminder that Meg is still there, watching all of this, and the encounter falls apart.

As I began to flesh the idea out, I really became interested in exploring just... a number of different complications, a number of different tensions that to tell the truth I had expected to be present in the relationships based on the antagonism displayed by both Meg and Than early on. It’s clear that, canonically, they sorted out their differences somewhere out of Zag’s sight. And I have no objection to this, really. But “The Diamond” became about forcing the two of them to face their permissiveness towards the other relationship in close quarters, and to experience tension and discomfort that they may have shrugged off originally. They are each different things to Zagreus—this is a canon line, I just wanna emphasize that that’s a canon line, not something I came up with in a dream once—and in “Diamond,” I wanted to bump those two things up against each other and have them clash in ways that were awkward for everyone involved. Not wrong, not even unnavigable in the end, but awkward in a way that should be faced rather than looked away from. Thanatos, not just an uncomfortable outsider to the D/s dynamics that are so natural and inherent to Megaera’s relationship with Zagreus, but also watching the two of them follow familiar steps and feeling inadequate compared to how well they know each other. Megaera deciding that she is best suited to lead the encounter but in the process of giving Than space to play along shunting herself off into a corner, from where she feels awkwardly left out, and in her attempt to reintegrate herself into the scene by trying to take charge as comes naturally to her, shattering the entire encounter. Because the fic was strictly from Thanatos’s POV, I didn’t get to highlight this quite commeasurately to how strongly I felt it, but both Meg and Than saw glimpses of the shape of the other relationship and wondered, is that something Zagreus needs? Is that something he can’t get from me, does that make my relationship with him lesser? I saw a failed threesome as a perfect encounter to force them to have these thoughts.

(The answer to these questions is of course that neither relationship is lesser; they’re just wildly different, and for Zagreus, with his heart so full of love that it constantly overflows, to have both is beneficial to all involved. Maybe more strictly canonical iterations of the characters can understand that more easily, without having to question it. But where’s the fun in that? I want to see them working through it.)

The other big tension I wanted to put these characters through is... eh, it’s a combination of communication and respect issues. Like I’ve said and will keep saying, it’s pretty cute that Meg and Than sorted themselves out, and certainly that’s preferable to either relationship being secret or even just having to clear surprise polyamory with them after the fact, but at the same time... it is a little weird to me that Zagreus was excluded from the conversation. And so “Diamond” became about how Megaera and Thanatos think about Zagreus, and how they need to do better about that. Zagreus thinks, sincerely, that this will be great fun for everyone involved!. Neither Megaera nor Thanatos agrees, but how is Zagreus supposed to know that when they gripe amongst themselves and agree to go along with it? He gives Thanatos really a number of opportunities to back out, but Thanatos just grits his teeth and treats it as here Zag goes, being unreasonable again, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. Megaera’s attitude is similar. They both fail to show Zagreus the respect of communicating their actual opinions to him. He’s right to be hurt by that, at the end of the main chapter.

And I wanted to show Than and Meg making this mistake, together, because I feel that even canonically, even with both romances complete, both of them take the attitude that they are reasonable and he is unreasonable. Their adherence to the order of the Underworld and the House is something they are doing that is morally good, and his defiance is something that is morally bad, and they’ll both permit it because of his circumstances and because, mortifyingly, they’ve both come to care for him, but even so that is taking the attitude that they are in a position to permit, to allow, and that his actions are the aberrance. And you know what? That’s a shitty attitude to take with anyone, let alone your boyfriend. I wanted them to face this hurting Zag, and moreover making things wildly uncomfortable for them, too—so that they could see the truth of what a negative stance that is, and repent of it. Decide, consciously, to do better.

And then the last thing I wanted to touch on was an idea that, bluntly speaking, Zagreus is better and more practiced at wanting things. Megaera and Thanatos have been living and working for aeons in this environment where what they sincerely want is the last thing they’re able to take into consideration when it comes to what they must do. Zagreus... lives and has worked in this same environment, but because of whatever quirk of personality, he refuses to sublimate himself. Prior to the game, it seems, this mostly took the shape of just not doing what he wasn’t motivated to do; but now, during canon, Zagreus is going after what he wants no matter how many times he fails. No matter how many times his father or the fates themselves tell him no, he is going to keep trying. And I wanted to look at how this is foreign and overwhelming to Meg and Than, how they might even reject it at first because it’s so foreign—but also how they are drawn to it. How it’s something liberating, how they might learn from it and become more fully themselves. More honest, more relaxed, happier. If only they take the step of admitting that they are in the wrong here, and that they’ve been stifling and harming themselves for a long, long time and calling it justified.

(That post about what your favorite Hades ship says about you has my number so thoroughly; why, yes, I am bisexual, and yes, I do live and breathe for repressed characters letting down their guard for exactly one person; and yes, I am a fan of men getting p—wait, that last bit’s not relevant here.)

I’m ready for 1.0, I think. There’s been a lot of post-clear content integrated into the game without the ramifications of a true clear—one that doesn’t involve the storyteller killing you in increasingly aggravated ways, whatever that’s going to look like—actually being incorporated. And I’m hoping a true clear involves a little more tension. Not permanently, not in a way that breaks some of the happy endings that are already in place. But in a way that makes the characters work for them a little more, in transition. Who clings harder to the status quo, which is broken but has been stable? Who fights a little more against the good that Zagreus is doing by pushing back? What prices are paid for breaking things so that they must be rebuilt better? I want to see these tensions. The game starts in an untenable place and asks hard questions, and I hope that the mechanical difficulty of the escape process isn’t considered enough to have earned emotionally easy answers. Because complication is what I’m interested in. Complication, and characters deciding that it’s worth it to put in the effort needed to address that complication. That’s why I wrote “The Diamond” and that’s why I’m proud of it.

[cutegirlmayra]

Sonamy Prompt - Treat

Hello! Before I open my prompts back up, I wanted to write more of my own original prompt ideas! Please enjoy, and Commissions will open March 17th for all! (Not prompts! These are paid!)

Enjoy~

Prompt:

Amy’s hands lifted her up from her desk, the rebellion forces were still cleaning up the area from Eggman’s left behind robot trash, but Sonic’s cheery face on the screen made her even more anxious about joining them!

“OooOOOooohh,” she let out her iconic whimper as she shook her cute, bundled hands in small wiggles of envy, “But why can’t I go out and fight too?!”

“There, there, Amy! I promise you, you’ll have your time in the spotlight.” Sonic’s encouragement never failed to please her as his face shone on the communication line. He smiled down to her, clearing seeing how much she missed the battlefield. “Ever since we took down Eggman, you’ve been itching to get out of that dark, blocky room, right?”

“More than you know~” Amy sluggishly sank back down into her office chair, surrounded by metal and rock, she just wished to be useful on the other side of the screen, this time around! “Can’t you convince Knuckles to let me out?”

“Haha! No problem! I won’t even break a sweat.” he gave her a thumbs up. “But we really need you on communication lines right now. You’re a good organizer. Without you, I don’t think Knuckles would remember his lefts from his rights!”

She sighed as her head slumped against the cool steel where her control panel was. Her eyes batted slightly in her weariness, but she didn’t think he could see her that well, so she didn’t mind emoting just a tiny bit~<3

“Huh? Amy? You still there?”

Just as she assumed, she was out of sight from the camera and looked fondly up at him.

“...Just a little while ago...” she began, “I kept a silent dream in my heart... that you were still alive and well. Fighting the good fight, just somewhere far away from us...”

His expression changed and he held a more serious look, “Silent, huh..?” he then broke it and chuckled. “I was always fighting in my heart, Amy. Infinite just gave me a bit of a farther fight then I wanted.” he was mentioning his entrapment on the moon, which still stung at Amy’s core.

“Chaining you up? That’s like... a crime against nature.” She hugged her arms, sitting up again as her face came back into view for Sonic’s camera.

His face lit up at seeing her again, he seemed to not like that she was out of the shot for so long. “Yeah... It bit. Pretty hard. But I never worried about you all. I knew you could do it... even without me, I never once stopped believing in my team.”

Amy looked up as though melting at his gaze and swooning at his words as her body swayed a bit down, relaxing with a gentle glide into a new state of being.

She had missed this~ his calming presence and his kind, unbreakable spirit.

“Now, who does that remind me of?” She teased, wanting a little personal praise from her hero.

Her eyes darted away in a sneaky way, and Sonic gave her a sly look in return.

“Well, you’re not half bad yourself at keeping some faith and hope in these dark times, huh, Amy?” He played along, giving her jitters that sent a swarm of butterflies lose in her stomach. They seemed to migrate northward up to her chest, before fluttering to land on her cheeks, giving her a honey glow.

“I can’t resist you~” she admitted, placing her hands up to attempt to hide her blushing cheeks.

Sonic gave her a big grin, but his shyness got the better of him and he looked away, “Aw, come on, Amy... You make this too easy...” he seemed a little embarrassed now but that only made Amy even more overjoyed at his return.

“Ever since you got back, you’ve been really grateful for your friends... You even went so far as to spend individual time with everyone.” she ducked her chin down slightly, a desperate plea in her eyes for him to remember. “I’ve been kinda wondering... if I go out on the battlefield again... will I also receive that special, limited Sonic time?”

“Huh?” Sonic refocused himself back to the screen, having scratched his nose with an awkward look of giddy pride in making her day, but now he seemed to be pleasantly surprised by her statement. “I hadn’t really noticed I’ve been doing that... Guess I just missed everyone and our adventures together.” He gave her a wink, “Sure thing, Amy! I think your time with me is far past overdue!”

She covered her mouth, “You mean it..? Really!?” she was overwhelmed with springtime in her heart, feeling the butterflies suddenly launch off again and this time, fly over fast winds as flowers bloomed all along the insides of her skin. It was a warm sun, her heart, and it was all thanks to Sonic’s sunshine.

He seemed to notice this, a sudden, unconditional joy in her. “Gosh, Amy. You really do make me feel like-...” He stopped himself, but then huffed a bit through his nose to look down from the camera, closing his eyes. “Ah, nevermind. That’s just the hero-worship talking, right?” He looked back up, “Don’t get too excited, it’s not a date or anything...” he looked away, “Yet...” he muttered, “Knowing you, I suppose you would count it as ‘alone time’ away.” he sighed. “Alright, call it what you want, but I can’t help and be a little excited to see ya. In the flesh again, this time.” he cut off the communication.

Her eyes blinked as her hands came down from her head leaning on them in doting pleasure. But now... it seemed that his words weren’t adding up. “Hero Worship? Oh, Sonic... It’s you I can’t help but want to marry... poor guy~” she spun in her chair, leaning back in it. “He thinks its because he’s such a hotshot hero that I can’t resist him... But this next time we’re alone together-!” she jumped from her chair, looking more determined than ever. “I’ll prove to him with my love that no matter what hedgehog he chooses to be! I’ll stand by his side no matter what!” she punched the air a few times, then summoned her hammer and started swinging wildly, “Hyah! H’up! Hyahhh!” she seemed overly jazzed about the idea of fighting alongside Sonic, getting time for just them two~<3

Daydreams occupied most of her mind that day... but the day dragged on... and soon, she became overly exhausted and that beautiful, wonderful springtime slowly drifted into the late hours of the night.

The butterflies became slow-moving fireflies against the dark landscape of her inner-emotions. They flickered, like her fleeting moments of energy where she’d find herself dozing off and having to slap her cheeks twice to keep herself awake. They gently grazed against the flowers who once shook in mighty winds of ecstasy. But the moonlight coming from her eyes watching Sonic’s communication line streamed down a blue hue that gave her some hope.

“Soon, Amy Rose. Don’t fear.” she comforted herself, realizing she hadn’t heard from Sonic in hours. She leaned back up, checking the other lines and seeing everyone was still on their calculated routes and missions, doing fine and not needing her instruction or to be the middle man in their planning.

“Sonic’s here now~” she cooed, lightly skimming the buttons before reaching her own hand.

Another daydream... what if her hand was Sonic’s hand? What if... ever so gently he...

She lifted her hand and tried to hold it, then smiled weakly and squeezed it. She laughed, kicking up her feet in her excitement and getting a rush of energy again, like a frog leaping into the stream of her nerves.

“Ahh, haha! Okay! Just work through the night! You’ll be out on the field with Sonic in no time!” she once again pressed the palm of her hands against her cheeks, light pats, and then narrowed her sights upon the dull work schedule she had for herself... currently, anyway.

The next day.....

A flat line on Sonic’s communication channel.

Amy was fast asleep at the wheel, so to speak.

However, Sonic was striding into base with a howl of cheers for him. The forces were stoked to have their trademark hero back, and better than ever! He was planning to leave the base soon in search of where Eggman had gone, but until then, he continued down the building of praising fans, hopeful recruits, and squealing girls.

He waved a bit, just living it up, before Knuckles shook his head beside him. “You really let the fame get to your head, don’t’cha, Sonic?”

“Fame? Fortune? What are we talking about?” Pretending to be spacey about it, he noticed a young child run out of the crowd and hand Sonic a piece of paper and pen. The poor thing huffed and puffed, probably having fought through the whole crowd to get to him, and clearly had been rescued from some of the surviving towns and cities.

He smiled warmly and took the items, combining them to create his unique signature, and ruffled the kid’s head before handing him back the new treasure. The child gasped, as though amazed his plan had actually worked, hugged the piece of paper with Sonic’s name scribbled carefully onto it, and took off back into the crowd.

Knuckles couldn’t complain at that, he just watched with a frown, knowing he shouldn’t give Sonic such a hard time after being tortured and gone for so long.

Sonic just watched after the kid, then seemed to nod about a hidden thought.

‘I might be okay having a kid.’ He thought to himself before stretching, ‘Eh, some day.’ he seemed to be shrugging the thought off as quickly as it came, disregarding it as he turned to look back at Knuckles.

“Ah, speaking of which... Hey, Knuckles? Think Amy deserves a bit of a vacation?”

Knuckles seemed shocked by his words, “Speaking of? You didn’t say anything!”

“Ah, I was meaning too.” He kid, putting a hand up to his chin and acting up, “I vaguely remember you saying it was about time she got back into the sunshine. Looking a little pale, maybe?”

“Did I say that..?” Knuckles looked off to the side, doubting himself as Sonic’s ear twitched and a mischievous, trickster grin replaced his once ‘contemplative’ expression.

“Well, sure!” Sonic slung an arm around him, “You even mentioned you felt bad about keeping her cooped up in that underground bunker, working night and day on a computer, for so many long... strenuous... hard hours...”

The acting should have won Sonic an award. At least an Xbox achievement: Duped the Knuckles, yet again.

“Yeah... yeah, she has been working overtime!” Knuckles was easily convinced this was his own words, straight from his own--not oblivious, but totally considerate and aware of people’s needs--heart.

Bless him, he just didn’t know.

“She’s usually so cheery, I should have known better.” Knuckles seemed a bit down about it, so Sonic cheered him up.

He lightly nudged his side, “You did know better...” He winked in his sly deceptions.

“Oh yeah! I did!” Knuckles instantly beefed up his chest and stood tall and proud, “I mean, as the leader, I have to think of everything! Ah, but... who will lead communications if I let Amy go? And where would I send her too..? Hmm...” he put himself into a ‘thinking’ stance, but Sonic smiled fondly to his friend, leaning behind his head so he didn’t see his mouth move.

“I should let Amy go with Sonic.” Sonic whispered, then pretended to whistle in front of Knuckles.

“Ah! I should let her go out on the field, with you, Sonic!” he punched Sonic’s side, moving his looped arm off of him as Sonic looked around as though amazed by this statement.

“Who? Me?” He gestured to himself. “I guess... with you at communications... I’ll be down one man...”

“That’s right! I’ll work communications, and Sonic-” He put a hand to his shoulder, as Sonic continued his innocent game face. “...Give Amy the time she needs. She deserves it.”

Sonic formed an ‘o’ with his mouth, “Gee, Captain Knuckles, I’ll try.” he put his hand to his chest, crossing it over his heart. “I-I won’t let you down, sir!”

“That’s the spirit!” Knuckles patted his back, boasting a hard-hitting laugh. “I’m a genius! That only took a second to figure out!”

“You’re the cleverest man I know, besides Tails, Sonic.” Sonic smirked off to the side.

“Huh?”

“What? I said Knuckles? Didn’t you hear me?” He lightly patted Knuckles’s head, confusing him, before he took off towards the communication room, still waving for the public.

When he opened the door, he could barely contain his excitement, “Long time no actual see, Amy!”

His face then dropped.

Her limp body suddenly rose in a steady beat of a breath, before descending even deeper into her slumber. Her arm dropped off the side and dangled as she was almost close to falling off the chair and counter too.

His eyes scanned her a moment, then the screen, seeing it completely silent on his channel.

His huge grin softened to an empathic smile, and he slowly moved the door to open wider, not bothering to shut it behind him as he was going to daringly rescue her from this awful fate.

He walked up to her with purpose, but as softly as a prince, began to lift her up and carry her bridal style.

“Emm...” She began to stir, and he just politely waited on held breath for her to recognize him.

She blinked her eyes wearily open, and a restrained gasp of awe came out delicately from her tired being. “Sonic..?” Her features fawned in quiet longing. “Am I dreaming again?”

“Only every minute of every hour that ticks by that cruel clock’s glow.” He gently shook his head in a teasing manner, then looked with a bit of a harsh coldness towards the office clock that glowed bright red letters to show the time. “...How long have you been trapped in here, Amy..?” He seemed to get antsy himself, just standing in the dull, lifeless room.

“Sonic..! I missed you... You promised...” Her hand lightly moved up to his cheek, which pulled his momentary distraction back to her, giving her his complete and full attention. “You have to... keep those...”

“At all cost.” his eyes lowered as his head tilt, trying to hold on to her slipping hand as she fell back to sleep. “Oh... Amy...” He sighed out, looking around and getting more and more upset at how long she must have been doomed to work in here.

“...Let’s blow this joint, before I start getting angry.” Sonic joked, but there was a bit of a grumble in his voice that spoke some truth to that comment.

When Amy woke up, she amazed to see that everyone was gathered in the meeting room. She lazily looked up to see that Sonic had placed her ontop of where he sat, letting her lean on his shoulder and chest as she must have taken a well-needed nap on accident.

She blushed as she noticed they were in front of everyone, and Sonic nonchalantly kept up the conversation while having her placed there in his chair.

His arms flopped around, as was his usual style when talking, and when Silver seemed to notice her awake, he smiled to her with a light smile and nod.

Her face like flushed with the red wings of butterflies.

This was... bold for Sonic.

“Then it’s settled.” Knuckles clasped his hands together, wiggling them tighter into place as he seemed to be settling on something she had missed in the conversation. “Tails and I will handle things here. He’s still trying to find out more about alternative dimensions like the one Other Sonic came through. Shadow and Silver will meet up at Blaze’s portal, try and get a reading on how she got here for Tails. Sonic and Amy will lead the Forces and search for Eggman.”

“Not for long, though.” Sonic chimed in, making her slightly turn her head, but trying to disguise the fact that she was awake and attentive now. “I think I’m gonna split after this.”

Her heart dropped. Like the last note at an opera where the chandelier falls onto the stage...

He can’t mean that.

Knuckles dropped his head a moment, “Alright. Last mission then.” Knuckles looked off to the side, then flicked his nose with a slight sniff. “But we could really use you here, pal.”

“I know. But you can use me better with what I naturally do.” Sonic instinctively moved a hand that had been helping hold Amy up beside him and wagged it around like his signature style. “Saving the world my own way. Don’t forget that now, Captain Knuckles.” He lightly joked.

Shadow scolded Sonic a moment but left it at that since Sonic kept cracking out smart-aleck comments and not taking anything seriously anymore.

He raced out of the room with Amy in his arms still and headed for the craft that would hold their men in it.

“...What about... your promise?” She knew he probably had seen that her eyes were open and she was awake, but she was too torn up inside to really have said anything until now.

He looked down as though without a worry in the world, “You act as though this is goodbye. You know I hate those.” He kid again, moving his head up to hers a moment to get her spirits back.

It was a light touch of their cheeks meeting briefly, but it was still enough to get her to smile and giggle again.

“So... I can still be with you? When you leave?”

He didn’t say anything, just jumped from a high place and seemed to glide through the air to the top of the craft.

Once onboard, he headed to the ship’s main control room and noticed Tails fast at the wheel.

He set her down on a couch behind, since the room was modeled to be a captain’s courters as well, and began small talk with him.

Annoyed that they weren’t ‘alone’ like she thought Knuckles had said, she placed her shoulders square, hands in her lap, and pouted in silence. Seeping with fury, she was surprised to see Sonic not even look at her as he came over to the couch.

“-which is why I feel you weren’t meant for ground-control, Tails.” He suddenly sat down and put an arm around Amy.

‘...Hold up.’ She narrowed her eyes at his actions. ‘Is he really thinking this is enough?’ she nudged him away, flicking her head away from his stuck-up being and huffed angrily.

She didn’t know how he was reacting to it until she felt something flop across her lap.

Gasping, she saw him carrying on the conversation with Tails, a hand up to hold up his head, and his body laid out across her lap.

Her face exploded with red lava upon her cheeks, but he acted as though nothing was wrong.

One hand was relaxing on his hip, angling his elbow up, and one leg was also up as though his typical ‘I’m just chilling here’ expression.

When she continued to battle against his ridiculous idea of ‘being together’ he finally stopped his conversation with Tails and scooted down, laying his quills to the side so his head was now on her lap, staring up at her without poking holes into her.

“And as for Amy and me-” he began, this time, giving her a straight look right through her eyes and into her soul. “We’ll be out and about for a while. Sound good, Tails?”

Tails just sighed, “You’re being inconsiderate of her feelings, Sonic... She clearly doesn’t want you toying with her like this.”

Amy puffed up her cheeks. That was the word! Toying with!

If he intended to keep his promise, he should just take her on a real date! Of course, she wanted to swing her hammer again, enjoy the nice warm air and help the rebellion fix up the place... but at least do it like you mean it!

She shoved him off her lap, causing him to tumble before getting up and huffing away.

“Ouch...” Sonic rubbed his chest a second, getting up before tapping his head where he felt a slight ‘bump’ coming through. “I thought she’d think of it as a treat.”

He dusted himself off, hearing her slam the door. It made him flinch, but he rolled his eyes and got up. “What’d I do this time?”

“Well, your actions were what she’s wanting, Sonic... but your timing couldn’t be more off.”

Amy clasped her hands together outside the door again, mimicking her daydream of them holding hands.

‘You’re not meaning it.’ she told herself, leaning against the door with a sorrow that seemed to make her inner spring rain. ‘If you do something like that... do it because you want to be with me, not because you’re planning to leave me... not again... I don’t wnat to be alone!’

She suddenly glared and turned around, about to swing the door open but Sonic had already done so, making her stumble into his arms.

He smiled at the pleasant surprise.

She looked up from her face being squished against his chest, blinking innocently.

“You’re totally right, Tails,” Sonic called back, though Tails was unaware of the situation as he drove the large ship.

“Huh?”

“She does deserve more of me.” he gave her a mischievous grin. “I’ll just Amy to the location where the abandoned Eggman fleet is attacking myself. Don’t wait up!”

He scooped her up with one arm, draping her over his shoulder in one fell swoop, and jumped off towards the ground in seconds flat.

While screaming on the way down, she felt Sonic grab one of her flailing hands, intertwine their fingers together, and land with her in a charming dip.

“Shall we save the rest of the world?” It was enough of an apology to get that he really just wanted to make her happy, and didn’t realize how it was coming off to her.

The gushing of affection for him flowed like a dam breaking loose, and she leaned up to embrace him from the dip, holding on tightly this time.

Even if he was going to leave soon... it wasn’t forever, and this time... he was making time for her and her alone.

“I really can’t resist you... Sonic The Hedgehog!!!”

“Oh good! Cause you’re a lot cuter when you’re happily swooning over me than being mad at me.” he lightly returned the hug the best he could, but there was some awkwardness to him again.

Shy? Already?

And she had hoped those days were gone but...

She giggled, moving away but lifting her arms to be around his neck.

“And you’re cute when you’re shy, too. Sonic~ But-!” she quickly put her fingers to his mouth, “Maaaaybe keep the ‘bold new Sonic’ just between us two~” she flicked his nose as rascally as she could and with a wink, she confidently trailblazed ahead of him.

He was left blinking and looking after her.

“Wow!” he shook his head and smiled, racing to scoop her up and carry her off again. “You don’t change!” he laughed.

(this is between the ending of Forces and before the beginning of IDW comics ;)b where he leaves and then they reunite again)

[warlock-enthusiast]

Toss a coin to your Blood Hunter

the ever generous @kasiael bought far too many coffees on ko-fi :P and will receive some stories during this year and probably the next.

She asked for the first meeting of two D&D npcs!

Fandom: Dungeons&Dragons homebrew campaign / Hella x Zaos

Rating: M (light gore, strong language)

------

She was in deep shit.

Really, really deep, supernatural shit.

Hella hid behind some debris, hoping that the ghouls wouldn’t catch her scent.

Why had she managed to maneuver herself into such a tight corner? She should’ve waited for reinforcements. Some more members of their Blood Hunter order, ready to fight at her side. 

Of course, she was young, barely 20, and a bit too arrogant, and she knew about that, but she also showed remarkable skills and control of her growing powers, so this should have been a standard job. 

Her mentor Alarik surely would yell at her for acting brash and without thinking and make her read through volumes of monster lore with the idea of boring her to death.

Well, if she survived.

Death by ghouls or by books. Well, tough choice. 

Right now the group of ghouls had followed her scent through some old, elven ruins. Lush and overgrown with greenery and flowers it seemed like a relic of better times. Nowadays frost covered most of her homeland. Was this place an old temple? Hella had sketched some of the runes and statues earlier, hoping that a wiser Bloodhunter could make sense of them. 

All Hella understood were words about a forgotten, smaller deity granting blessings for a good hunt.

How ironic.

But some rich merchant had paid them a handsome sum to keep his business routes safe. Hella guessed that that guy wasn’t the brightest or most experienced. Dertona itself offered less safety and more snow, ice and gruesome nature combined with ancient monstrosities. Any merchant would be advised to settle down in the south, maybe near Ebrus. 

Dertona never rewarded the soft or weak.

A ghoul growled and grunted right next to her. 

“Fuck.” 

Hella closed her eyes, wondering if she should let go and unleash her inner beast. Trust her inner monster to defeat other monsters. She’d been bitten two years ago and still faced problems controlling herself in wolf form, indulging a lust for blood and flesh. If everything went wrong, she’d slaughter the nearby village men by men. 

She couldn’t risk hurting innocent people.

No. Hella pressed her lips together, suppressing another memory of slain people. 

“Concentrate, breathe.”

Fleeing didn’t appear to be an option, neither did wolfing out. That left some bottles of alchemistic fire and her trusty swords. 

Better fight them then. Night would soon cover everything in darkness, which only granted them more of an advantage. 

“Need help?” A smooth voice cut through her thoughts and Hella flinched, cursing herself for not monitoring her surroundings. Quickly, she drew one of her swords and craned her neck to find an … elf?

Standing just above her, seemingly not a care in the world, features handsome and delicate. “What? Who… what?” “Just a simple elf, wandering around and helping ladies in dire need.” He inched closer and Hella smelled herbs and salt on his clothing and skin. Elves were known for their sneaking skills, though it still amazed Hella how he’d manage to get close to her without alarming some ghouls. 

Hella threw a bottle of holy water into his general direction.

It exploded against his chest, covering him in pieces of glass.

“Eh?” “Just making sure you’re not one of them.”

He had the audacity to smile. “I’m not.”

“Fantastic. Then help me please.”

The strange elf nodded and grabbed her hand. He seemed stronger than his lithe build implied and pulled her to her feet. Never say no to a potential ally, as Alarik would say. Not to mention her own desperation at her less than stellar prospects. 

Their combined motions attracted their enemies. A whole pack of fleshy, undead beasts, ready to tore their throats out and to eat their guts. 

“Here they come.” Hella raised her swords, closed her eyes and concentrated on keeping her heartbeat slow and steady. Every mistake meant certain death and failure. 

And she wasn’t born for failure. 

The first attacker died quickly, sliced in half by her blade.

Her new ally preferred using a bow and killed the second with two arrows. He showed fantastic marksmanship and took position on some old stones. His steady aim helped keep some of the ghouls at a distance. 

Hella never lost footing but pushed and sliced and relied on her years of training. Blood soaked the ground. 

With him at her back, Hella found new confidence, a new focus flowing through her veins. Almost as if magic surrounded them both, vanquishing all her tiredness and somber thoughts. 

She caught the elf’s gaze. “Only a few left.”

“After you!”

Hella used her own blood to further strengthen her strikes, cutting her skin above her wrists. Drops of blood danced on her swords as she killed another one. 

One of them broke through. He collided with Hella, sending her straight on her backside, while moving far too close to the elf. Claws cut through leather and skin and the elf used a hidden knife to push it through its skull.

He patted the dead ghoul’s head. “Ouch. Not nice.”

“You’re okay?” “I think so. Just a nasty scratch.”

“And your back?” “It’s fine.”

The elf raised the corners of his mouth and inspected their fallen attackers. Some of his arrows seemed to be intact and he started to collect them. 

With their enemies dead, Hella took a moment to inspect her unlikely saviour. Tall and slender with dark, longish hair and very grey eyes he looked so out of place and more suited to the crystal city down south. Not to mention that his tan skin spoke of other regions too. 

Hella coughed to hide her staring and offered him a handshake. “Ah, thank the Gods. What is your name?” “Zaos.” Unfathed by her inspection, he nodded and took her hand in his. 

“Glad to have met you.”

Zaos laughed and it echoed through the ruins. “I’m sure it’s a pleasure.” 

What an arrogant prick. Hella moved a few steps away to clean her swords, trying to sound casual, while also luring him into sharing information. “And you from around here?” “Yeah, here and there. I don’t exactly have a home?” His eyes wandered to the sky. “Not any more, so I prefer the road to actually settling down. I keep meeting interesting people.” “I see.” Hella furrowed her brow. “A mystery then.”

Zaos smiled, eyes too bright. “A riddle, if you will.”

So, he wouldn’t share his story yet. Maybe he belonged to the forest and was a hidden beast as well? Or a part of the Feywild, which bled into her world from time to time. 

Would alcohol loosen his tongue? Trying to get more information couldn’t hurt and he wasn’t hard to look at, which came as a bonus.  

Hella patted his shoulder. “Care for some wine?” “Is this an invitation?” “Yes, follow me to my camp and have some wine with me. I can take a look at that scratch mark and hopefully you won’t murder me in my sleep.”

“I’d be grateful and don’t worry. In general, I don’t murder people in their sleep. I wait for them to wake up.”

Hella snorted. “Haha.” “Lead the way.” Zaos bowed and something in his eyes reminded her of a wolf. 

[joyhigh]

Smoke (:

This one ended up being a longer than my usual drabble, but I had some interesting imagery in mind and went where it took me!

(Warning for gore, usual joy mutant grossness, and things getting burned alive)

She was inspired by a campfire. It was something Buddy often gazed into when the scavenging was done and there was nothing else to do. A small flickering piece of destruction, the wall of rocks surrounding it and preventing it from moving any further, keeping the flame’s focus on destroying what was below it at that moment. 

She thought of a plan, then practiced her trumpet.

It took some time to figure out how to get any semblance of a proper sound out of the instrument, and even once she did it wasn’t much compared to the haunting tones she recalled from her confrontation with the throne of flesh and the pathetic man who sat atop it. Still, after hours of tedious experimentation and a few close calls with mutants accidentally provoked by the sound, Buddy finally established what notes got the reactions she needed from the mindless mounds of meat. 

She kept Brad tied to a rock formation in one of the many caverns snaking through the looming precipices of Olathe, it was the only thing strong enough to withstand his efforts to follow her when she left. The craggy walls were deep underground enough to protect him from the sound, Buddy had no desire for him to get caught up in her plan. Whichever way Brad ended up perishing, she didn’t want it to be like that. 

The next step was finding a location, which didn’t give her much difficulty. The wasteland was full of precarious ravines and it was just a matter of finding one closed off to escape and big enough for her purposes. Eventually Buddy pinpointed the perfect spot, a sheer drop between two cliff edges with the space below filled with jagged stones. To fall from there would mean certain injury or worse. 

It was a place she’d been to before and gave her no joy to return to. Rusty stains still marked up the stones, scraps of polka-dot fabric tied to stakes made makeshift flags in the wind. Among the many piles of bones and flesh nearly picked clean by animals, two larger corpses stood out. She recognized the remains of the mutant Yado sent to attack her, the encounter it had with Buzzo leaving its arms torn off from its body as well as its head, the decaying limbs still sticking up off the ground like bony trees. 

Buzzo himself was a little further up ahead. Buddy had left his body there, his bloated form was much too large for any sort of reasonable burial. She doubted he deserved that kind of dignity anyway, but he did offer some aid in the end. As such, when she came across his dented, bloody helmet amongst the carnage, she buried it as a small symbolic grave. 

It was an area full of rot, and more than fitting for her purposes. Olathe was dying, disemboweled by Buddy’s own blade, and she intended to finish what she started. 

She began a far distance from it, however. Buddy wanted to draw in as many mutants she could before their final destination. Once she set foot on her established path, she raised the trumpet to her chapped lips and began to play. 

Come here. 

It was a shrill, piercing call whose sound bounced around the rocks in a ringing echo. Once finished with the melody she’d created Buddy repeated it, eye scanning her surroundings for any signs of movement. Soon enough they arrived. Worming their way out of caverns and stumbling down cliffs, the mutants lurched and groaned in their approach. After eyeing them warily for a moment, Buddy turned heel and briskly marched away with the sounds of the trumpet streaming behind her. The mutants followed. 

It was difficult to figure out a straightforward route to lead them in, the terrain uneven and made up of steep angles. Occasionally Buddy would have to pause playing to use her hands to climb a rope or particularly daunting hill, but she tried to keep the music going as much as possible to keep the creatures completely ensnared by it. Some of the bigger ones struggled to maneuver themselves up the cliffs, but her call was persistent and they eventually managed.

As the absurd parade went on, Buddy could hear more and more mutants behind her, the music she made now mixed with gurgling groans and rumbles as an ominous accompaniment. She tried not to look at them, instead just being mindful of her peripheral vision to make sure none were getting too close. 

The noise was starting to make her head throb, the combination of constant playing and moving leaving Buddy more winded than she was used to. However with every step there was a swirl of rage in her chest that kept her going. This was the human race that everyone told her she was responsible for, had to keep alive. This was the future she ended up suffering for. It wasn’t fair. She missed the numbness of the Joy, now every emotion inside her felt too sharp, twisting up her insides. 

Buddy couldn’t quite tell how long she had been going, passing The List, the emptied out settlements, but after what felt like ages the polka dot flags at last came into view. As she grew close to the cliffside she climbed up onto a taller rock formation, high up enough to have a view over the ravine. The hollow sockets of nearby skulls watched her all the while. 

When Buddy finally turned to look at her followers, her breath caught in her throat. 

It was a sea of flesh, plain and simple. A writhing, breathing assemblage of bodies extending far back to the edge of the territory, lurching and twisting over each other and impossible to count. Buddy had seen her fair share of horror but something about the sight before her made bile rise in the back of her throat. But it was too late to stop now.

Quickly she raised the trumpet once more, steely determination in her eyes as she cast her gaze back to the pit. When she played again, the tune was changed.

Move forward. 

And so the creatures did. With no thought left in their rotted brains for self-preservation they scrambled forward and around the rock Buddy stood upon, an island among the waves of former men. When the front lines of the mutants reached the edge of the cliff they fell without any fuss, quickly followed by the others pushing behind them. A part of Buddy even more spiteful than the rest wished Yado was still alive down there so he could die terrified, crushed to death by the things he seemed to love so much. But then again, maybe that sick freak would enjoy it.

Buddy played the trumpet with renewed vigor. If that man truly made her in order to have a hand in the creation of these monsters, it would be all the more satisfying to spit in his face and destroy them. It was all the better for the mutants, in her opinion, she’d be putting them out of their misery. A cruel mercy. 

Her music only stopped when she found herself alone. Immediately the distant screams and moans reached her ears, but for now Buddy ignored them. She never expected them to all die right away. This next step was to handle that. She now approached an unassuming crate she had filled with what she needed prior, setting her trumpet on the ground and peering inside. 

There was a group of empty beer bottles, filled with gasoline and oil and plugged with pieces of cloth. She’d seen such firebombs used by others before, it didn’t take much for her to figure out how to make them. Objects of destruction were easy to find in the wasteland whether it be cigarettes and booze, which caused decay from the inside, or something less subtle. Dustin and Brad may have been able to throw fire but Buddy, even with her abilities in combat, had to get creative.

She took four of the firebombs and returned to the edge of the cliff, placing all but one by her feet as she rummaged into her pocket. Buddy withdrew a lighter, a smudged and scratched up metal box she found off a body while scavenging, then flicked it open to ignite the rag. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she turned her gaze to the pit, lifting a steady hand to aim before hurling the bottle into the ravine. 

With a sharp crack it shattered against rock, fire blossoming like a glowing, terrible flower. The dazed sounds of the mutants began to be intermingled with screams. Most of the fire dissipated after a few seconds but Buddy was satisfied by the sight of some scraps of clothing still attached to the mutants catching alight. It was a start. 

Thus began the process: light, throw, and repeat. Buddy tried to do it as fast as she could, she wanted this over with. Soon smoke began to rise and the smell of burning flesh assaulted Buddy’s noise, making her lightheaded. By the time there weren’t any bottles to throw it was a thick cloud, partly obscuring the bodies below. The sounds of pain coming from them intermingled with the roar of fire that sent a stifling heat up into Buddy’s face. She slowly backed away, breathing shakily as her trembling hands clutched the lighter. It was done. 

At first Buddy tried to imagine it in a different light. The flame purging these mounds of filth from the earth, letting whatever humanity was left in them rise up along with the smoke to somewhere different, somewhere better. She remembered Uncle Rick mentioned a place called heaven once, somewhere people went to after they died where they’d be happy forever.

But as Buddy stared at the screaming inferno below, lungs and eyes stinging, she couldn’t believe that.

[daydreamingfics]

Pairing: Taeyong x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1,056

From the time you woke up, you felt off. As if a storm cloud had hovered directly above you, poised to cast a downpour at any given moment. From your hair to your attire, nothing cooperated and had only further solidified that it was going to be one of those days. Despite the mornings series of unfortunate events, you'd remained hopeful. Concluding that maybe, just maybe, the universe would shine a little light upon your gloomy day if you forged ahead optimistically.

Oh, how wrong you were.

Your usual café was closed for renovations, meaning that you had to get your fix from someplace else that wasn't nearly as satisfying and double the price. Although said café was expensive as hell, it still garnered large crowds, which lead to you missing your train. An occurrence that wouldn't have been the end of the world had it not been the last morning train en route to your office. With a frustrated sigh, you ventured back out into the street to hail your last resort, a taxi. You stood under the half-covered train station awning, as unforeseen rain droplets began to scatter along the paved roads. Of course, you didn't have an umbrella. So a maximum effort was required to remain dry but also visible to any approaching cabbie. 

With the weather now mirroring your internal mood, you felt all traces of optimism vanish as you sulked in silence.

Yep, the day was going to be crap from beginning to end.

Much later than intended, but still on-time, you scurried through the halls of SM Entertainment, attempting to remain incognito. Sitting through a mandatory meeting on truancy and the importance of arriving on time, wasn't high on your to-do list. Your supervisor's patented, 'five minutes early is on time, and on-time is late' playing on a loop in your head as you reach your department. As fate would have it, your supervisor waltzed out of her office the moment you were inches away from your workspace. You inwardly groaned as the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end as she beckoned you into her office with a blatant scowl grazing her features.

Well, shit.

For being 'late,' you were assigned the mundane and undesired task of reorganizing the main wardrobe closet. A job that genuinely required more than one person, yet you were expected to somehow make sense of the slightly organized chaos all on your own. 

You were hoisting a rubber tote above your head in an attempt to pivot it onto a shelf when a faint knock caught you by surprise. Gathering your nerves, you refocused on the task at hand.

"I'm just organizing in here. Did you need help finding anything in particular?" you inquired with your back to the door.

"No, already found exactly what I was looking for," the voice let out calmly.

You froze on the spot, instantly knowing who the voice belonged to as a swarm of butterflies began dancing in your stomach. 

There, standing meters away looking sexy as sin stood Taeyong. 

The feel of his eyes electrified your senses as he thoroughly scanned your body from head to toe. Your eyes raked over every inch of his lithe frame— neither of your stares the least bit subtle. When your eyes finally met, heat pooled low in your belly and caused you to forget how to breathe momentarily. 

"Alone?" Taeyong mouthed with one eyebrow raised, to which you nodded. 

He held your gaze with a boyish smile prominently displayed as he sauntered toward you. It'd been weeks since you'd seen each other in the flesh, as Taeyong had been away on the North American leg of SuperM's, We Are The Future Tour. Despite keeping in consistent contact, nothing compared to the feeling of the boy finally being within arms reach. 

"I missed you so much, Y/N," Taeyong cooed as he leaned forward and whispered the sentiment directly into your ear, cementing his words with a tender kiss pressed onto your ear lobe.

His fingers reached up to raise your chin slightly, pulling you into his magnetic gaze. The simple action caused your heart to beat so fast you thought it'd pop out of your chest at any minute as Taeyong cupped your cheek. His thumb rubbed gently along your soft skin before he snuggled you into his broad chest. You savored his embrace, reveling in how incredible it felt to be this close to him again before Taeyong pulled back slightly to admire you once more. His intense stare fell to your lips as your arms locked around his neck. His hands dropping to your waist as he finally leaned in and gave you what you'd been longing for. 

The kiss started gentle and got a little more daring as you allowed Taeyong's tongue to part your lips. When you finally pulled away for air, nothing but the sound of your combined heavy breathing echoed throughout the space. For obvious reasons, your relationship with Taeyong was very secret, and the last thing either of you needed was to be caught in a compromising position by an onlooker. Especially within the walls of the office.

With one last lingering kiss pressed to your awaiting lips, Taeyong begrudgingly unglued himself from you. Unhurriedly taking backward steps toward the door, he had come in. 

"I'm taking you on a date tonight," Taeyong said matter-of-factly with a devilish grin.

"Tae, you just got back. We don't have to do anything tonight, it's fine, really," you proclaimed in a reassuring tone. Truthfully, you yearned for private time with Taeyong, but you knew just how much was on his plate and never wanted to be a burden.

"Do you know what kept me going when every muscle in my body wanted to give up on tour? You, Y/N. Knowing that I would get to come home to you at the end of it. So please... spend some time with me tonight? I'm fine, I promise. Being with you heals me." Taeyong stated, his voice soft with affection.

It was at that moment you realized that even the most disastrous of days could have a perfect ending if spent with the right person. And Lee Taeyong, without a shadow of a doubt, was your person.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming DC Movies: Complete Release Calendar

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The DC Extended Universe is in full swing! With a healthy schedule of upcoming DC movies in development, the DCEU isn’t going away anytime soon, and there’s still lots to look forward to.

So, it’s time to take a look at all of the DCEU superhero movies that will be released over the next few years. And trust us, there are a ton of them on the way, and we expect more details will be announced as we go forward. We have all the release dates for every one of ’em right here, as well as official details, the most interesting rumors, and suggestions for further reading where appropriate.

Thanks to HBO Max, Suicide Squad 2 is on schedule for August 2021, with The Batman, Shazam 2, Aquaman 2, and more due in 2022. There’s a bright future for the newly revitalized DCEU movies!

Here’s how this works, because the schedule is getting a little weird. We’re starting with the DCEU movies that officially have release dates attached to them. Then we’ll get into the stuff that we know for 100% certain is in development, but that don’t have release dates yet. Then we’ll get into some of the long shots, the projects that are announced but quiet or seemingly dead, at the bottom.

Keep in mind that many of these are the CURRENT release dates as of this update, and all of these are subject to change. We’ll keep updating this with more information as we get it…

Our first trailer. Warning: gore & adult language & supervillains & adventure & heart. Can't wait to see it in a theater with all of you on August 6. #TheSuicideSquad pic.twitter.com/HdqlGVP0lB

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 26, 2021

Suicide Squad 2

Aug. 6, 2021

David Ayer going to be too busy with other projects until further notice, and none other than James Gunn (of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) has stepped in to write and direct Suicide Squad 2. This is now called The Suicide Squad, which indicates something of a soft reboot, but expect this to remain a DCEU movie.

The cast is positively bonkers.

Returning from the first film we have Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, and of course Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn Scheduling issues forced Will Smith to bow out of the project as Deadshot.

But then that new cast is wild! John Cena is Peacemaker, with Idris Elba as Bloodsport, David Dastmalchian will play Polka Dot Man. Daniela Melchor will play a genderswapped version of Batman villain Ratcatcher…and there’s more, including Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark! We have a full breakdown of the cast right here.

Pandemic be damned, this one arrives on HBO Max AND in theaters simultaneously, so that August release date isn’t going anywhere.

The Batman

March 4, 2022

So, speaking of movies that had their release dates shifted because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Batman recently had to move from June to October of 2021 after its filming was put on hold fairly early on, and now it has had to vacate its October release slot for March of the following year, thanks to the aforementioned Dune reschedule, and also another production halt after star Robert Pattinson was diagnosed with Covid-19. Fortunately, principal photography has wrapped and this is now well on its way to meeting that release date!

The Batman solo movie has Matt Reeves as director. Robert Pattinson is the new Batman. Not only that, this movie will likely kick off a brand new trilogy of Batman movies. Expect a more low-key, detective focused approach to the Dark Knight than we’ve seen in previous movies.

Read more

Movies

New Batmobile Revealed for The Batman Movie

By Joseph Baxter

TV

The Actors Who Have Played Batman

By James Aquilone and 1 other

In addition to Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner Gordon. Jayme Lawson has a mystery role. Andy Serkis is Alfred Pennyworth. And then there are the villains to contend with! The Batman will feature an all-star rogues’ gallery of villains, with Paul Dano as the Riddler, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Colin Farrell as the Penguin.

DC Super Pets

May 20, 2022

OK, fine, this isn’t a DCEU movie project, and it’s an animated movie. But unless you have no soul, how can you resist Krypto, Streaky, Ace, Comet, and the rest of the amazing super pets? They had better be fighting the Brain Globes of Rambat in this movie, otherwise, we riot.

You can read more about DC Super Pets here.

Black Adam

July 29, 2022

Originally slated to be the villain of Shazam, Black Adam will instead be played by Dwayne Johnson in a solo movie. The character is certainly strong enough to sustain his own movie. Adam Sztykiel (Due Date, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul) is writing with Jaume Collet-Serra set to direct. 

Read more

Movies

Shazam: Who is Black Adam?

By Marc Buxton

Movies

Black Adam Powers and Abilities Explained

By Mike Cecchini

This is the kind of thing that could work as a nifty prequel to further flesh out the mystical world of Shazam if they choose to go that route. More importantly, this movie will feature the DCEU introduction of the Justice Society of America, including Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher!

We’re currently on the lookout for more info, but Black Adam is supposed to start filming in early 2021, which seems unlikely at this time because of the global coronavirus pandemic. This film had been scheduled for December of 2021, but lost that date with all of WB’s recent release date shuffles. It’ll happen, it’s just a question of when.

You can read a little more about the Black Adam movie here.

The Flash

Nov. 4, 2022

Andy Muschietti (of Warner Bros’ IT movies) is the latest director to try and get The Flash movie to the screen. This project has had a really rough road. Christina Hodson, who clearly made the studio happy with her Birds of Prey script, is writing.

Read more

Movies

Why James Wan Turned Down The Flash Movie to Make Aquaman

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Crisis On Infinite Earths Confirms DCEU Movies With Ezra Miller Cameo

By Kayti Burt

Ezra Miller will reprise his Justice League role as Barry Allen. Kiersey Clemons is Iris West. Ron Livingston will play Barry’s father, Dr. Henry Allen (replacing Billy Crudup who played the role in Justice League). But here’s where things get crazy…Ben Affleck will return to the role of Batman for this movie. And Michael Keaton will ALSO return to the role of Batman for this movie!

How is this possible? Because it’s based on the DC Comics Flashpoint story, which for the purposes of the movies will be used to create a big screen multiverse. Wow.

Oh, and it that’s not enough, this movie will introduce Supergirl to the DCEU, played by Sarah Calle!

This movie has had an extraordinary amount of trouble getting off the ground, so let’s see if the combination of Muschietti and Hodson keep this one on schedule for that release date. Or any release date. But pre-production is well underway, so it looks like Ezra Miller’s Barry will finally get his day in the sun.

Aquaman 2

Dec. 16, 2022

After it made a billion dollars at the box office, you bet your trident that Aquaman 2 is happening! Right now the plan is for James Wan to remain involved and start developing the movie, but he won’t decide whether or not to direct it until there’s a script in place. Fair enough. Patrick Wilson seems set to return, though, and of course, Jason Momoa will be back.

You can keep up with all our Aquaman 2 news right here.

Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods

June 2, 2023

Shazam 2 is now officially called Shazam: Fury of the Gods and…that’s about all we know about it right now.

One thing is for sure, though, this movie will retain the look, feel, and charm that made the first one so successful, since both director David F. Sandberg and writer Henry Gayden are returning. And this time we’ll have an entire Shazam family to help out!

Wait…did we mention the Sinbad cameo? No, really!

Now, let’s get into the projects that are in the works, but don’t have release dates yet. We’ve grouped these roughly in the order we expect to see them based on how far along they are.

Blue Beetle

There’s a Blue Beetle movie in the works. And unlike the character potentially appearing in the Booster Gold movie (more on that down below), this one would focus on Jaime Reyes, the magical tech powered teenage hero who wields the scarab of original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala) is writing the script, with Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) directing.

There’s no release date yet, but this is scheduled to begin production in fall 2021, so maybe we can pencil in a 2023 release date.

Read more about the Blue Beetle movie here.

Untitled Superman Project

Ta-Nehisi Coates is working on a Superman feature film with J.J. Abrams producing. No other info is currently available, but it appears to be a reboot.

“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” Coates told Shadow and Act when the news was announced. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America’s most iconic mythic hero.”

Will this continue Henry Cavill’s time in the role, or will it take a new approach? Will this be a completely different take on the Man of Steel altogether? Time will tell!

Zatanna

One of the most powerful magicians in the DC Universe is getting her own film, with a powerful writer attached. Emerald Fennell, who wrote and directed the brilliant Promising Young Woman has signed on to write a Zatanna movie for Warner Bros. No other details are available at this time, but you don’t sign an Oscar hopeful for a movie like this unless you’re serious about getting it moving.

The New Gods

Ava DuVernay will direct a movie based on Jack Kirby‘s New Gods. It’s not clear yet whether this will fit into the continuity of the other DCEU movies, but really, it doesn’t need to. The New Gods is a cosmic story of such incredible scale that there’s no reason to try and connect this to earthbound concerns. Tom King, the DC Comics writer who has made waves with his work on the New Gods-centric (and Eisner Award-winning) Mister Miracle series, is co-writing the screenplay with DuVernay.

The New Gods is the story of two worlds, the warlike Apokolips and the peaceful New Genesis, each populated by immensely powerful beings with fantastic technology. Darkseid is the evil dictator of Apokolips, and he swaps sons with Highfather, the leader of New Genesis, and each child is raised on the opposite world. Darkseid’s son, Orion, becomes a troubled champion of New Genesis, while Highfather’s son (raised by Darkseid) revolts and becomes the super escape artist, Mister Miracle. This barely scratches the surface of what this movie is about. We tried to get into more detail about it here.

The Trench

Aquaman director James Wan and producer Peter Safran are working on developing other corners of Arthur’s world in addition to Aquaman 2. The Trench will focus on the terrifying piranha-like beasts seen briefly in the first film, and will be a smaller-scale, more horror-focused movie, and one that won’t feature any of the main characters from Aquaman. A different approach to superhero movie worldbuilding, for sure. Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald are writing.

Read more about The Trench here.

Supergirl

Oren Uziel is working on a script for a Supergirl movie. It’s not clear what kind of ties this will have to the currently dead Man of Steel franchise, especially given the uncertain state of Henry Cavill’s future as Superman.

But one thing is for sure, the DCEU does have their Supergirl! Sasha Calle will be introduced as Kara in The Flash movie, and presumably she’ll lead this one, as well.

Green Lantern Corps

Fairly or unfairly, Green Lantern has the most working against him. The 2011 film failed to kickstart the DC Universe as planned, and received a lukewarm (at best) critical and box-office reception. There are, of course, ways around this.

Read more

Comics

The Secret Origin of Green Lantern: Far Sector

By Kayti Burt

Comics

New Green Lantern Series Expands Cosmic DC Universe

By Jim Dandy

One way is to simply not make Hal Jordan the central Green Lantern of the movie. Thisone may focus on as many as three Green Lanterns, with the main focus on a kind of buddy/cop movie with John Stewart and Hal Jordan. Geoff Johns is writing the script, but there’s no director in place yet, however Johns should be turning in his script soon and that will allow the director search to kick off in earnest. There’s also the recent announcement of an HBO Max Green Lantern TV show to consider. It remains to be seen what (if any) connection that will have to this movie.

We have more details on the Green Lantern Corps movie right here.

Plastic Man

This one is a little further off in the future as all they’ve done is hire a writer. But there is definitely a Plastic Man movie in the works, with Amanda Idoko (ABC’s The Mayor) working on a screenplay. We have some more details on it right here.

Blackhawk

Steven Spielberg has long wanted to make a Blackhawk movie, and he’s finally going to get his wish. And if it was your wish to see Steven Spielberg direct a DC movie, you’re also in luck. David Koepp is writing the screenplay. We have more details on this one here.

Batgirl

Joss Whedon was originally supposed to write, direct, and produce the Batgirl movie, one that was reportedly based on Gail Simone’s recent New 52 take on the character. He has exited the project and now Christina Hodson is writing. There is no director at the time of this writing, and rumor has it that this will be a project set to go direct to HBO Max.

Deathstroke

Joe Manganiello has long been cast as Slade Wilson, known to DC fans as Deathstroke. He even made a cameo in one of the Justice League theatrical post-credits scenes back when that was supposed to set up a Justice League 2 that never happened. But it turns out that the original version of that cameo in Zack Snyder’s Justice League was meant to set him up as the villain of The Batman solo movie (that is no longer the case), 

Deathstroke was also once set to get a solo film, written and directed by The Raid‘s Gareth Evans. Despite Manganiello returning for a brief scene as Deathstroke in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it doesn’t seem likely that his solo film is happening anymore, which is a real shame as he would have been great in the role.

Justice League 2

Justice League 2 isn’t likely to happen at the moment given how the first film underperformed at the box office. It once had a release date, but that long since evaporated. Still, “The Snyder Cut” generated considerable buzz on HBO Max, and featured a teaser scene that was very much meant as a preview for what the director was looking for in his dark vision of Justice League 2.

Nightwing

The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay has been tapped to direct a Nightwing movie. Bill Dubuque (The Accountant) is working on a script. No other details are currently available, and this one doesn’t have a release date yet.

Justice League Dark

At one time this was called Dark Universe, until Universal came along and ruined that name with their failed horror movie shared franchise. This one will feature the supernatural characters from the DC Universe. Characters like Swamp Thing, Demon, Deadman, Zatanna, and even John Constantine.

Guillermo del Toro was attached to this one for quite some time, but had to leave the project. Then it was Doug Liman. Now J.J. Abrams is involved as producer for what will likely be an HBO Max series.

And now for the long shots…projects mentioned, rumored, or that haven’t had any movement in a while.

Man of Steel 2

Never officially announced, with no director or writer ever attached…another solo Superman movie starring Henry Cavill seems pretty unlikely at the moment. Especially considering that Henry Cavill appears to be finished as Superman, there’s an excellent Superman & Lois TV series on the air, and the aforementioned movie in the works from Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Cyborg

OK, to be perfectly honest, the Cyborg movie almost certainly isn’t happening. Ray Fisher made his first (very brief) appearance as Vic Stone/Cyborg in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and played a crucial role in Justice League. At one point he was supposed to feature in The Flash solo movie, too, but it’s not clear if that’s still the case.

Read more

Comics

New DC Universe History Begins in May

By Mike Cecchini

TV

Crisis on Infinite Earths Ending Reveals New DC Multiverse

By Mike Cecchini

Basically, though…let’s be completely real: this movie isn’t happening. There hasn’t been any movement on it in years, despite once having been assigned an April 3, 2020 release date. As far as we can tell there has been no additional movement on this movie in years. It’s probably dead. Too bad, since Ray Fisher was great in the role.

Harley Quinn

Yes, there’s also another Harley Quinn movie in development! Well, at least there was at one point. Whether this is a solo project or something else remains to be seen. Keep in mind that while very good, Birds of Prey didn’t set the world on fire at the box office, which means that Warner Bros. might be a little more wary than before about additional solo projects for Harley, even with Margot Robbie’s star power. As for what shape this movie was supposed to take in the first place, your guess is as good as ours!

Gotham City Sirens

David Ayer is looking to direct a Harley Quinn and friends “girl gang” movie. Geneva Robertson-Dworet is writing, with Margot Robbie producing. It’s not clear where this stands on anybody’s priority list these days. Ayer has moved on to other projects, and as mentioned above, Birds of Prey wasn’t quite the financial success that Warner Bros. had hoped for. It’s possible that Gotham City Sirens has been put in a drawer for the time being.

Booster Gold

Flash and Arrow executive producer Greg Berlanti is going to executive produce and possibly direct a Booster Gold movie. Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class) will write the script.

Read more

Movies

Men of Steel: 11 Actors Who Have Played Superman

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

Joker: 6 Actors Who Have Played the Clown Prince of Crime

By David Crow

Early reports described this as a “superhero buddy cop movie” that would involve Blue Beetle. We’ll get you more updates on this as they become available, but keep in mind there hasn’t been any movement on this in a long time, and the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle movie is probably taking priority for the studio.

Deadshot

Warner Bros. knows they have one of the biggest stars in the world already in costume, so they’re reportedly considering a Deadshot solo movie, as well. But with Smith now having left Suicide Squad 2 this project seems like it may not ever materialize. Unless, of course, switching Idris Elba’s role (he was originally intended as Smith’s replacement as Floyd) means they’re keeping the door open for him down the road.

Lobo

The Lobo movie may attempt to be the DCEU movies’ equivalent of Deadpool. Jason Fuchs must have impressed Warner Bros. with his work on Wonder Woman, because he’s on board to write the script for this one. Michael Bay might direct. But with Lobo appearing on Krypton season 2 and a TV series for the character that had once been put into development (but is probably dead), this might be less of a priority for the studio now.

We have some more info on the project here.

Joker & Harley Quinn Movie

At one point there was yet another Joker-centric flick in the works. This one, a Joker and Harley Quinn movie is absolutely part of the DCEU movie continuity would pick up where Suicide Squad left off. There are currently no additional details available on this one, either. This probably won’t happen, however.

Warner Bros. is very happy with how their R-rated, out of continuity Joker movie performed both critically and commercially, and with Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar win, it’s a safe bet that they’re at least quietly hoping to make him their definitive Clown Prince of Crime for the foreseeable future…even though Joker was never intended to be part of the DCEU.

Not to be confused with…

Jared Leto Joker Movie

Honestly, we’re having trouble keeping track of all these, but yes, there was also yet another Joker solo movie in development focusing on Jared Leto’s version of the character in the works at one point. Apparently, this has long been canceled, but we’re keeping it here to be safe for a little longer.

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We’ll keep updating this with more information about upcoming DC superhero movies as they get announced and information becomes available.

The post Upcoming DC Movies: Complete Release Calendar appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[crystalelemental]

I know it's way too early for this kind of speculation, but what do you think FE17 will be? the Genealogy remake would be interesting, but that'd possibly damn FE18 into a Thracia remake, much like Shadow Dragon/New Mystery. unless they decide to make it into 1 game, which doesn't sound probable to me. maybe they'll make a new story, with less, uh, questionable morals to keep the new 3H fans interested into the franchise? will they keep the calendar, the instruction stuff, or go back to the laid back way of Awakening/Fates/Echoes? you don't have to give a long answer if you don't want, I'm just musing a bit here

“You don’t have to give a long answer,” as if that’s ever stopped me.

What do I think it will be?  I have no idea.  But given its popularity, they could be considering it like a Tellius situation, with a prequel game.  I don't think they can go sequel (more on that in the other response), but prequel with Seiros as the focus, going from the Red Canyon Massacre to the end of the War of Heroes?  Sign me up.  I would love more on that.  And I adore games that focus on side stories (Thracia, Blazing Blade), so I'm super on board for a fleshed-out side story about that period in Fodlan.

I can't say what they'd try to do with gameplay, but I do think they'd keep a sort of "home base" kinda thing at a minimum.  The instruction aspect of Three Houses was very specific to that game, and truthfully, I don't know if it will maintain.  Not to be how I am constantly, but I hope it doesn't.  I really feel like the monastery exploration and having to fine-tune instruction for students was more tedious than anything, and ultimately didn't add much to the gameplay experience.  I also feel like the calendar was kind of a bad call too.  A lot of events, as they're laid out, feel like they should be happening back to back.  But because of the calendar focus, you have situations where it implies you traveled far off to engage in a big battle, but then just walked back to the monastery for a whole month before marching out the same direction.  I don't think it blends events together all that nicely.  Frankly I think Fates' decision to have a pocket dimension where you can take care of your bullshit was a better way to hand-waive the question of how you're able to backpedal and stock up in the midst of a campaign.

That said, any non-remake game, and possibly even the remake game, will take inspiration from Three Houses in the same way Fates and Echoes did from Awakening.  The massive success of Three Houses is guaranteed to be an anomaly to them.  They still don't know why Awakening worked, I doubt they'll know why this one worked.  So I anticipate a lot of character tropes and storytelling angles will be reused in future games.  They'll try to mess with perspective and the idea of hidden history muddying the morality of things for sure.  I don't think there's any benefit for them to go back to more clear-cut morality.  Even if there's a lot of fan argument about it (Edelgard and Dimitri fans), that's never a bad thing.  That's still attention being drawn to your game.  That's still discussion around it.  No press is bad press, and this game is still more popular than the rest of the series ever had been.  So they'll keep characters like Lysithea, and Bernadetta, and have that attempt at a complex plot, and a bunch of mysteries that never get answered, and oh god every MU is going to be like Byleth now oh god oh fuck.

But personally, I want the next game to be a Genealogy remake.  I have issues with Genealogy as a whole, both gameplay and story-wise, and a remake could salvage at least some of that.  Support conversations definitely could, and a changing of certain story elements would be nice, although Fallen Julia's already in FEH so like...there goes my greatest hope.

That said, I don't really want them to do too much?  Like, Echoes added a few characters, and while those are some of the best in the game, a lot of that I feel like was to add any sort of significance to Alm's journey beyond the end goal.  Alm's route would be boring as all hell without Berkut, so his inclusion was a massive benefit to the game.  But I can't think of a situation where my qualms with Genealogy is "This just isn't engaging enough, we don't have enough people."  Genealogy almost has too many characters.  If anything their bigger problem is that characters and themes they set up are never utilized.  So it's more about reworking the narrative a bit rather than needing to include things to make a blander game stand out, you know?

I definitely don't think they'd combine Genealogy and Thracia.  I mean they could, but I don't think it's a good idea.  Genealogy, again, has too many characters already.  Combining the games leads to the question of where the hell Leif's army is, and that's adding like 50 characters to the roster.  Since you deploy every unit you have in Genealogy, that's...way too much.  They'd have to completely rebalance the game.  Not to mention Thracia doesn't play at all like Genealogy, and is way too long to be a brief side-story or DLC exclusive.  There's just no effective way to integrate the two.  I think it would be better to just make the game after that the Thracia remake, which...honestly is the best possible outcome as far as I'm concerned.

Binding Blade may not have come to the west, but people know Roy, and this series started over here with Blazing Blade.  We know a lot of Binding Blade information, by virtue of dedicated fans being upset the logical continuation of their starting point never got translated.  Comparatively, Genealogy and Thracia are pretty damn isolated, and it shows in their CYL placements.   They're not well known games at all, and gameplay-wise, they're really awkward and (in my humble opinion), not actually fun to play at all.  A remake is ideal for those games, because it gives them a chance to gain more attention and popularity in the general public's eyes.  Which is good!  Genealogy does have a worthwhile story to tell despite my gripes about its problems, and I honest to god thing Thracia's one of the best stories in the series, with one of the best protagonists in the series.  These games deserve more recognition than they get, and they're not gonna get it until they get remade to be more accessible.

It also dawns on me that the "less questionable morals" may have been about Genealogy's whole incest thing.  Listen, I get it, but they can't take it out.  I don't say this lightly, but that is like...the central point of Genealogy.  The awakening of Loptous is a matter of converging its bloodline, which had only one surviving member.  You really cannot work around this one, without making things either too confusing or too stupid.  If they really felt the need for that, they might back off of the remake entirely, which would be to their detriment.  But considering the Byleth/Rhea situation, I don't think they'll have much trouble.  And besides, it's pretty clear that an act of incest was the catalyst for almost destroying the continent, so I think it's safe to say the game doesn't agree with the practice.