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kradogsrats · 2 years ago

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ANYWAY thinking about the optics thing, and just kinda speculating on the science-leaning nature of the human kingdoms vs. the role Dark magic plays culturally and politically:

On the optics thing specifically: we see vision correction lenses on both sides of the border, and the science for those likely predate the human expulsion. I’m betting Moonshadow elves pioneered most of lenscrafting and similar, but I would also bet that humans expanded on the science for things like astronomical telescopes pre- or post-expulsion (or both).

There’s definitely the implication of advanced farming techniques--land needs to produce many times over subsistence level in order to a) have population concentrated in cities with an educated middle class, and b) have warfare be the province of the common people as well as the nobility. If your farmland isn’t significantly overproducing already, sending a million people to fight and die who could otherwise be farming is setting yourself up to have everyone starve. The setting simply doesn’t work without farming being highly developed.

We know humans have explosives, and give it a decade or two and there will definitely be firearms. It’s actually kind of shocking that they don’t have cannons already, but I guess when your intent is to shoot a live, fast-moving creature out of the sky a ballista is a better (and more accurate) bet. Cannons are more useful against ground infantry or stationary structures, and with peace between the human kingdoms you’re not gonna see many sieges. That being said, with the high level of machining accuracy and understanding of physics (see the next point), firearms are going to get very accurate, very fast.

The fact that they have explosives indicates a definite culture of chemistry or alchemy somewhere. You don’t accidentally invent gunpowder unless you’re actively messing around mixing things together to see what happens.

Medicine, as well--there are doctors (for both humans and animals!) who are treated as educated experts, not just “the guy who happens to own a bone saw.” Evenere is known for production of advanced prosthetics, meaning people regularly survive traumatic amputations, and there is an advanced enough understanding of both the mechanics of human locomotion and precision craftsmanship of mechanical devices to produce functional, effective replacement limbs.

AND that also applies to the so-called “soft” sciences: the concept of sign language has to be explained to Janai by an expert, but it’s specified that the signs Amaya uses are probably uniquely Katolian. This is not just a language Janai is unfamiliar with, but an entire concept of communication generally unknown to elves that humans have advanced enough to have developed potentially up to 5 regional variations. (Side note: let’s not think too much right now about what both that and what appears in the final trailer to be a culture of punitive amputation says about Sunfire elves and disability lmaooooooooo)

Everyone is literate enough to mean there pretty much has to be printing presses and papermaking. That’s probably also an elven invention adopted during the Elarion era, but I thought I just throw it out there.

The other noteworthy thing is that precisely none of these developments are magical in any way. The explosives aren’t mysterious magical components triggered by a word or sigil--they’re good, old-fashioned, fire-activated gunpowder. The doctors treat patients with similarly mundane processes--splints and bandages, and presumably some degree of herbal/chemical pharmaceutical developments. The animal doctor doesn’t like... scry into Zym’s egg with an enchanted x-ray machine, or something.

So why, when the reason humanity was expelled from a rising golden era into a dark age is literally “they advanced too far with magic,” is the setting of the human kingdoms so emphatically low-magic? To elaborate: in a moderate- to high-magic setting, I would expect anywhere from “magic is a luxury convenience” to “magic is a fundamental fuel of society, which would collapse without it.” This could have been a setting where Dark magic flows like electricity to light cities, where it enables long-distance communication, powers engines and machinery, heals wounds with a poured potion. It could even just have been a setting where like... among the privileges of being king, Harrow has a lamp or fireplace that lights with a touch, or can speak with Amaya at the breach instantly instead of sending birds back and forth. But we don’t even have that. Even enchanted objects of convenience are restricted exclusively to use by Dark mage characters.

(Side note: what we see of Xadia is definitely a moderate- to high-magic setting, as is appropriate. Not even Lux Aurea is lit with flames sparked by flint and steel.)

Why, internally, are the human kingdoms so low-magic when their own magic was such a significant turning point in their history? Well, a couple theories:

Dark magic is a limited resource, which by the point of the series has basically run out in the west. I’m personally of the opinion that the western half of Xadia was originally comparable to the east in terms of magical resources, and the first couple hundred years of chaos put a big dent in it. Partly this would be due to escalating warfare between human subgroups, but also due to basically the large-scale societal collapse of the expulsion--you need to burn magic just to feed and warm people, to prevent very basic diseases and treat wounds. For the first year or more, you have no farms, you have no seed crops, you have literally nothing except thousands of mouths to feed who have grown unused to subsistence farming. It’s little wonder that mages became the de-facto leaders during that period--they were the only dang people who could keep anyone alive. That initial burst of fighting against extinction, followed by decades or centuries of magic-fuelled warfare, effectively depleted the west of natural magic with no way to replenish it.

Dark magic is actually frowned upon politically and/or morally. We know on some level that this is the case: a degree of stigma is attached to Dark magic at the time of the series, and that’s treated as normal. It reads like a cultural debate on something like nuclear power--no one’s getting burned at the stake over their opinion, but there are real ramifications of which side is currently politically dominant. Notably, even after a thousand years, the perception of Dark magic as “too easy (derogatory)” has persisted. I don’t think this is for the same reason as at Dark magic’s inception (that it’s a destructive shortcut for the much more difficult human adoption of primal magic), but possibly that it’s “easier” than doing things in a non-magical, science-based manner. A manner accessible to and shared by all humanity, that doesn’t have a negative history of (probably) war crimes. I’ve also discussed before how, as the Mage Wars wound down due to depletion of magical resource and people generally getting sick of the drama, everyone started looking askance at mixing magical power and political power too much. If Dark mages are meant to lean toward being inherently ambitious and power-hungry, it’s surprising that none of the Pentarchy rulers seem comfortable with a display of magic, and in fact are unnerved by Viren’s illusion at the summit. You’d think Dark mages would consistently be hanging around by the coattails of the powerful, showing off and looking to climb, but apparently not. Possibly whoever is currently on top kicks the rest down? Look, there’s definitely a reason Katolis appears to have exactly two Dark mages, and it’s probably “Viren does not tolerate professional competition,” just saying.

Dark mages prefer not sharing magic with the general populace, because they like being special and secretive. Which... well, just look at them. This is probably more of a symptom of the low-magic setting than a cause, but still.

SO ANYWAY that’s why the sciences are flourishing in the human kingdoms, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Also I had a brief tangent in the middle of writing this where I looked over at my spouse and said, “What the hell kind of linguistics did Kazi study when the entire world appears to speak a single shared language?”

#the dragon prince #dark magic #hey who wants to read a thousand-odd words of rambling about post-expulsion human cultural development #that's what i thought #kradogsmeta

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dreamsclock · 4 years ago

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“WHAT MAKES A MONSTER?” - DSMP ANALYSIS

a c!dream analysis about monstrosity, humanity, and the difference between them

warnings: death, manipulation, prison arc themes (torture/abuse + apologism for both), exile arc themes (abuse/manipulation), discussions of morality, dehumanization, general dark themes.

disclaimer: this analysis is not to detract or excuse c!dream’s wrongdoings and crimes. instead, i’m discussing his supposed monstrosity, what makes him monstrous to us/other characters, and why that is! ALSO, all names refer to characters in the SMP unless specified otherwise.

note: a lot of the books and authors discussed in this are based around old english texts, but still apply overall to ideas of monstrosity - i’ll include them at the bottom in case you want to read them yourselves !!

WORD COUNT: 4980

Monster to us is not a new term. It’s also not new in the Dream SMP - the dichotomy of ‘hero’ / ‘villain’ and ‘human’ / ‘monster’ are so common when describing characters (especially recently) that it’s easy to take those titles at face value. But what is a monster? What is the invisible line between humanity and monstrosity that a character has to cross in order to be one? And why do we see them that way? These are all questions I’m going to talk about in regards to the SMP, namely Dream, but also touching on Ranboo, Wilbur and Tommy too: some in terms of heroism, some in terms of monstrosity, most in terms of both.

So what is a monster? We’ll start there.

Most critics seem to agree that a monster is something… Other. Regardless of its species (alien, human, god, inexplicably, an Egg that corrupts people against themselves - looking at you, weird talking SMP Egg), no monster is ‘human’ in every single way that matters to an audience. We see this time and time again throughout all kinds of media - Frankenstein’s Monster (Frankenstein), Darth Vader (Star Wars), Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest), Voldemort (Harry Potter), the Joker (Batman / DC), It (eponymous), and the list goes on. So many characters we class as ‘monsters’ (or as displaying great monstrous tendencies) are also characterized as being “apart” from general society, be it because they are literally nonhuman, or because they are “missing” a key component of what we consider to be humanity (emotional responses, compassion for others, regard for human life), and interestingly, some of these human monsters also try to cover up their humanity (or have it covered up in some way): clown makeup (Joker), mask (Darth Vader) uniform (Ratched). Monstrosity is something other and unfamiliar to us as a society - and very often rooted in ableist, homophobic, racist or otherwise bigoted thoughts/mindsets (in this analysis, I don’t touch much on that, it’s just something I’ve noticed I thought was interesting).

So monstrous is not human. Not in the way most of us understand humans. Arguably, a monster is one extreme or the other - too inhuman, as is the case with most very stereotypical villains/monsters, or TOO human. We see this in psychological thrillers and in human monsters that do very bad things for the sole reason of giving into human nature to survive (Grendel, Beowulf, perhaps) or avenging their loved one (Grendel’s mother, Beowulf), or even just out of anger and hatred at the world, as is common with heroes-turned-villains. Instead, the monstrous taps into our conscious and unconscious fears stemming from the past all the way into the future, ranging from fear of the technological and scientific advancements (Cyborgs/Doctor Who monsters, Frankenstein) to the evil that lies inside everyone (Voldemort, Joker, any hero turned villain) to even the fear of ourselves and becoming ‘less’ or ‘too’ human (as touched on above) and branching out in numerous ways. This is interesting, because it begins to highlight WHY exactly we see these creatures/people as monsters - we fear them, and subsequently reject them as being human, and call them ‘monsters’ perhaps to distance ourselves from them.

But I still haven’t really answered what a monster actually is! I suppose when it comes down to it there are two main types of monsters people seem to agree upon - the physical (an animal, alien, creature, human) and the abstract (illness, war, death, chaos, human nature, et cetera). However, there is a mix of these two categories, where, like I mentioned above, as soon as a monster falls into becoming a conscious/unconscious fear of ours, we turn it from something concrete (person/creature) to something abstract (Cohen, Monster Theory: Reading Culture). A good example of this, because I’m not very good at explaining, is seen in really classic literature: Frankenstein, that is a physical flesh-and-blood creature that is also an embodiment of the early 19th century’s (when it was written) fear of advancements in technology and science.

A monster can be human and embody something abstract or a concept we fear - Kristeva (Powers Of Horror: An Essay On Abjection) puts it in a really good way: we are confronted “with those fragile states where man strays on the territories of animal” (or, in our case too, a concept). She argues, for Grendel’s mother in Beowulf, that it is this fact that turns her into a monster - she threatens human understanding, her existence does not “respect borders, positions, rules”. I’d like to say that’s part of what pushes it into the ‘monstrous’ category, that sort of undefinable, uncategorizable blend of two known “spheres” that threatens the collapse of those two spheres: a monster, like I mentioned earlier, is something Other, and being undefinable and having your existence be against known spheres of society is nothing if not Other.

Now, how does all this come into play in Dream as a character, and more generally the Dream SMP? For that, I also want to look at Cohen’s book (that I blitzed through in a DAY lmao) Monster Theory: Reading Culture, where in part one he talks very specifically about seven theses of monstrosity:

1. THE MONSTER’S BODY IS A CULTURAL BODY.

We’ve kind of spoken about this already, but monsters are very often embody cultural, national or global fears and anxieties. There are some fears that exist in many parts of the world - the dark, predator animals, et cetera, and monster stories come to use those against us to create monsters we fear. In the same way, more abstract concepts become embodied in villains - corrupt authority/cruelty of psychiatric hospitals in the 50s is highlighted in Ratched (Cuckoo’s Nest), fear of straight white men being fucking awful in the Joker - you get the picture.

Arguably, Dream embodies, to characters and audiences alike, the doom of L’Manburg (as well as almost everything else Bad). Though not responsible for every war and mishap, he does find himself involved in them, by inserting himself in or others dragging him in, and it’s clear from character reactions and our own (remember the sinking feeling in your stomach you used to get when Dream logged on to the server?) that he has sort of come to embody all things dark and evil on the server. That, of course, hasn’t been helped with the fact the characters also feel that way about him - even if it’s not always the case, Dream is accredited with every crime and flaw on the server, further dehumanizing him and turning him into a Big Bad of sorts, a puppet-master monster controlling things behind the scenes (and it is this unknown that worries us). Dream from the start wanted L’Manburg gone, and though ultimately Wilbur and Techno destroyed it first, and then Techno, Philza and Dream, we still all see Dream as the destroyer of L’Manburg. A lot also see him as behind the “fall” of L’Manburg, too (i.e.. when it became Manburg, the corruption of Wilbur, the wreck of a government that was the New L’Manburg Cabinet, etc.) - as L’Manburg was seen almost completely as a force with “good” people who loved it, Dream’s wish to have it destroyed frightened us and the characters, who in turn turned him into an embodiment of that fear.

2. THE MONSTER ALWAYS ESCAPES

You know the moment in a horror movie where the killer or creature comes back for one more jump-scare? Yeah. It’s a cliché in horror when there’s a monster on the loose, and it’s no different with Dream… and we can thank REAL Dream’s manhunt videos for that. Though IRL Dream is not his character, his skills and intelligence carries over into his character, and we see the very peak of these time and time again in every manhunt. We all know how it goes - the hunters have Dream in an impossible situation, and all hope is lost, until he pulls through and kills them in an array or fireworks, or traps them on the roof of the Nether, or leaps off a high ledge in the Nether to ride a Strider, or some other crazy move that leaves us reeling. The fact is, while Dream is the “good guy” in those manhunts and we’re rooting for him to win, when it comes to his character in the Dream SMP, it’s often the opposite.

When it comes to his character in the Dream SMP, we view him as the antagonist (someone in the way of the protagonist’s, in this case Tommy/Tubbo/Ranboo/literally anyone other than Techno at this point’s, goals). And we are also all too aware of the skills, intelligence and impulsivity he possesses - Dream is lethal in Minecraft, and is very very rarely beaten when he’s trying hard. In fact, it is so unbelievable when he IS beaten that many people don’t believe it, instead suggesting he’d let himself lose to lull other characters into a false sense of security, or that he has other plans up his sleeve. This is especially pressing now, where Dream is locked away in prison and every character is a) still absolutely terrified over him and b) certain he is going to break out. Time and time again, we have watched content creator Dream get out of impossible situations in manhunt - now, we’re terrified that his CHARACTER is going to pull the same stunt, we’re waiting breathlessly for that trick up his sleeve, for him to give us one last jump-scare.

3. THE MONSTER IS THE HARBINGER OF CATEGORY CRISIS. // 4. THE MONSTER DWELLS AT THE GATES OF DIFFERENCE.

Okay, this is where things begin to get interesting. A really common sign that someone or something is a monster is how they look - in other words, the less “human” something looks, the easier it is to characterize it as inhuman and monstrous. For Minecraft skins, this begins to get clear when we take a look at Dream’s skin in comparison to our heroes’ skins. For this section I’ll be focusing on Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, Fundy, Bad, Ant, Sam, Techno, Schlatt and Dream.

HUMANS - Self explanatory: these skins look human and their characters are confirmed to be human, and this category covers Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, and Schlatt, the former two being “heroes”, the latter two being “villains”. Despite Schlatt and Wilbur doing awful awful things, it’s very rare you hear them being spoken about as monsters in any sense of the word: bad people, sure, but PEOPLE nonetheless.

NONHUMANS - Also pretty self explanatory: these skins don’t look human and have been confirmed or largely agreed not to be human, and this includes Fundy (fox), Techno (pig), Bad (demon), Ant (cat) and Sam (creeper). These are all known species to us, in real life and Minecraft: we understand what they are and can categorize them as animal, demon, mob, et cetera, and though their morality and general character arcs differ, there is no confusion or speculation that MATTERS as to what they are.

And now, of course, we get to Dream. While CC!Dream has confirmed his character wears a mask, and also that he prefers human fanart (but likes either!), whether or not he is human is WIDELY debated, and indeed it’s a source of argument for two reasons: a) debating whether he is possessed by something (a dreamon) or b) whether he is inhuman for another reason. Fanart of Dream is perhaps the most varied in terms of depictions of him, ranging from a human, to a demon/dreamon, to a straight up dude with an orb head (orb head Dream my beloved LMAO). With very little confirmed by CC!Dream himself or his skin (,,a green blob), the fandom is left to theorize, which falls into that monstrous, frightening category of Unknown and Other. While there are other non-human characters on the SMP, we at least KNOW of them - Dream is an unknown, of unknown species and unknown origin, someone who refuses to “participate in the classincatory "order of things", “a form suspended between forms that threatens to smash distinctions”. Dream is different from the other species and characters on the server, whether he is possessed, dreamon, entirely human, something else, and it is this unknown that leads a lot of people to say he is a monster, in that he hurts humans because he isn’t one, that he can’t experience human feelings, that he is immortal, et cetera.

5. THE MONSTER POLICES THE BORDERS OF THE POSSIBLE.

Cohen’s fifth thesis talks about those who are considered monsters often BECOME them because of this rejection of their humanity - they embrace the “monstrous” and claim it as their identity despite it being assigned by others. I could talk about this forever LMAO: right from the start, we see Dream being cast into the role of the villain - in the L’Manburg War, in the Manburg-Pogtopia War, in every skirmish and every conflict, and by the time season two rolls around, he is undeniably what most would consider to be a “monster”.��

Dream constructs his villainy around what others is already expected of him - going from “I’m NOT god” in the dethronement scene to “I’m basically a GOD!” after bringing Tommy back to life, accepting Tommy’s “you’re a monster” with a simple “okay”, calling himself a “puppet-master” after dozens of characters, and thousands of fans, have called him one… I am not trying to argue Dream became a monster through entirely the actions of others, but he definitely took the monster part to heart - how many names along those lines has he given himself?? How many “evil” lines has he hit out with (“I’m just toying with you, I’m playing with my food” “every hero needs an origin story (...) You can have Tubbo” “if you can’t kill me, what does that make me? Some kind of God?”) over season two? It’s very hard to argue that he hasn’t constructed an identity for himself out of other people’s presumptions of him, regardless of whether they were right or not - and even harder to argue that he hasn’t at least picked up on some of the dehumanizing language he has been referred to over the past two seasons.

6. FEAR OF THE MONSTER IS REALLY A KIND OF DESIRE.

Oscar Wilde (my beloved) argued in his defense of his book The Picture of Dorian Gray that the only sin committed in the book is that which the audience reads into it or sees within themselves. In the same way, the monster, Cohen continues in his sixth thesis, acts as a buffer through which we can live out desires and wants that are socially unacceptable for us to admit, but can be projected instead at the monster. And this is something I think we see a lot of in terms of monstrosity for the SMP - and I’ll be talking about Ranboo as well as Dream in this part!!

So first, a quick example from our man Cohen - he argues it’s possible that sea serpents and monsters were invented to sit along the edges of medieval merchants’ trade routes to discourage exploration and ensure they had power over trading oils and such. In the same way, Dream and Enderwalk Ranboo are created monsters, because certain other characters have desires or wants they see as “unfitting” of them as a person or “morally wrong”, so they project it onto Dream and Enderwalk Ranboo.

We’ll start with Dream. The person who first begins to turn him into something monstrous is Wilbur back in the L’Manburg War, when he claims Dream is a tyrant, and then in the Manburg-Pogtopia war, where he has not yet fully admitted to himself or to Tommy that he is hellbent on blowing Manburg up no matter the cost. In his mind, and in Tommy’s, it is easier to present Dream as the one who wants chaos rather than Wilbur himself - Dream, who very clearly only ever wanted order and peace rather than what Wilbur suggests he does. It could be argued Quackity in season two does the exact same with Dream in his (discontinued) El Rapids arc: he paints Dream as the tyrant when taking power when really it is QUACKITY who wants to be the one taking power, which he soon goes on to do !! Quackity views Techno and Dream as enemies not because he necessarily disagrees with them, but because he wants what they have — power — and arguably projects his own fears/desires of tyranny on to them.

And we can see this same thing between Ranboo and Enderwalk Ranboo. We know Ranboo agrees with a lot of the same ideas as “pre-season two” Dream and goes about his goal of trying to get rid of sides in a similar way to “pre-season two” Dream: by joining the side of his friends / whatever side he thinks is right and fighting for it while trying to convince people NO sides would be better. His Enderwalk side is a side he is scared of - the voice even takes the form of Dream, who we spoke about before as seeming like the embodiment of all things bad and evil on the server, including the destruction of L’Manburg, which Ranboo’s friends cared about immensely - and one he tries to vilify, however indirectly. This is also furthered by a part of the fandom that are convinced a) Enderwalk Ranboo is evil and helping Dream to be Evil ™ (to the extent there’s theories Enderwalk is going to kill his and Tubbo’s son Michael), or b) Enderwalk Ranboo is being manipulated by Dream into being Evil ™. Either way, we see Ranboo as “good” and Enderwalk Ranboo as some form of “evil” or “wrong”.... neither of which have been shown to us as true. For all we know of Enderwalk Ranboo, he is dramatic, he speaks in cryptic riddles, he helped Dream blow up the Community House / visited him in prison because they are “friends”, he has more control over his Ender abilities, and he wants Ranboo to face and know the “Truth”. The fact is, we don’t have a lot to go off of with him, but the fact we immediately associate him as evil despite him very likely being a projection of Ranboo’s unconscious desires for unity and no-sides on the server just because Ranboo is scared of him is valid (we’re liable to experience the same emotions as the protagonist: Noel Carroll brings up that we are liable to fear monsters if the protagonist also dies), but perhaps flawed, considering we know almost nothing of Enderwalk Ranboo.

DISCLAIMER: this was written before Ranboo’s lore stream on the 23rd. Things may change accordingly!!

7. THE MONSTER STANDS AT THE THRESHOLD OF BECOMING.

When Cohen states that the monster stands at the threshold of becoming, he is claiming that the monsters in these texts are on the threshold of becoming human. This is the final thesis I want to touch on, and perhaps the most interesting. Because the monsters are unknown, but perhaps what is most frightening about the “unknown” of monsters is how close they might be to humanity. I’ve mentioned before that monsters can often embody wide scale anxieties, fears or even desires, and it’s the last one that I think scares a lot of characters and people.

With Dream, arguably? He’s right. His overarching thought of “we should be unified, we need order and peace, I want a family and I would do anything to get it” is UNDERSTANDABLE. worse, it’s sympathetic. this is a human want — I spoke about earlier monsters being “not human enough” or “too human” (or indeed a mix of both) and I think Dream leans more towards the second category of TOO human. While on one hand he seems inhuman in his methods and what he says, his goals and what he Accidentally reveals about himself are undeniably, painfully human:

I HAD to lose everything. I had to lose everything to GAIN everything.

The Dream SMP always… This is what I’ve talked to you before, is always the goal has just been that- It’s all one united server that everybody follows the same rules, there’s no countries, there’s no- you know, any of this. It’s just- … One giant like- family, right?

I just wanted to bring the server together. Have it be... a happy family.

I cut my attachment. I blew up my house, I lost my friends, I lost my items, lost my crossbow... everything that was important to me. I cut everything, 'cause that's what gave people power over each other.

And it’s this that’s so painful, right? Because how many characters on the SMP want a family? How many characters on the SMP would kill and die for their family? How many characters have realized the same thing - that attachment has power over people,,, and how many of them, if put into Dream’s shoes, would have done the exact same as him?

It’s terrifying as well as painful, because we realize that in his circumstances, in his mindset, our favorite characters could end up the same. The worrying thing about turning a character into a monster is that it lets us forget how easy it is for anyone to become one. Monsters are monsters because we’re scared of what we don’t know about them, because we’re scared of our own forbidden desires and fears we project into them, but also because we’re scared that if we look at them too closely, with an eye of humanity, we might see ourselves staring back.

And finally, for the final part of this mini (not mini actually) essay: “I had a sudden image of your poetry capturing you like the Minotaur in the labyrinth," Cohen (Monster Theory: Reading Culture) reports someone writing to a writer Nichols, "—and started wondering what is the relationship of someone to the mythology they make up? Anyway. Best, Matt."

Matt, thank you for raising such an interesting point. What IS the relationship of someone to their monster? Let’s get into that, will we?

In short: what is a hero without a monster to fight?

We can’t have one side of the dichotomy without the other. What is peace without chaos to define it? What is good without evil? What is, in our case, a hero without a monster — how do we judge fictional moral standards if we have no evil monster to set heroes apart from them?

In her book, Powell discusses the idea of what a hero is, which is also essential to understanding what a monster is. In terms of medieval society, a monster is needed to mark out “a loosely defined moral boundary that ordinary people” — and heroes — “should not cross”. In a fantasy or historical world without institutionalized laws as such, especially in a world as “free” (in terms of worldbuilding and institutions/laws) as the Dream SMP, the characters need a standard to compare themselves against. Without Dream, Tommy wouldn’t be seen as a hero. Without Dream, none of the characters would necessarily be seen as good. But Dream embodies a moral line which people should not cross. In Old English texts, “the presence of monsters lends to an externalized form of morality to the tales of heroic pagan warriors who are not bound by an internalized moral responsibility to the Christian God”, and I guess it’s sort of the same here, even without the religious part. Without a specific legal system, who is to say what “bad” is unless defined by Dream and other “monsters” of the SMP? There is no (proper) religion to answer to, no authority to say what is good and what is bad. Heroes are turned from men into heroes based on the actions not solely of themselves, but of the monsters they are against, and we can see that so clearly with Tommy and with Dream, who have committed several similar crimes, but Dream’s evil of exile and other Bigger Crimes ultimately are seen as outweighing Tommy’s, rightly or wrongly. We may have been inclined to believe that Tommy deserved to be punished for burning down George’s house had Dream not taken it to the extreme that he did (exile, manipulating Tubbo/New L’Manburg/etc).

WRAPPING UP

In conclusion (and a Very Long Conclusion), monstrosity is a really fucking complicated thing, but is ultimately based in fear, our own (or the characters’ own) unconscious desires they see as monstrous, and also based on our need (or the characters’ needs, in this case) to distance characters we see as “evil” from humanity / characters we see as “good”. It’s much easier to keep your favorite characters “morally good” when you have a monster to compare them against: not to mention, it’s much easier to think of a human “monster” like Dream as deserving of torture and death when he is dehumanized as a monster, instead of as a person who has made bad choices and done shitty things, but is ultimately still a person.

Because, as Mittman and Hensel point out in their book Classic Readings On Monster Theory, we make monsters. We make society and define what “known” and “unknown” is, we bring monsters to life with our fear, hatred and disgust of them, just like Doctor Frankenstein did with Frankenstein. And the danger of forgetting this is that we also forget the true horror of monsters: whether they actually are or not, they are human, because we are the ones who make them.

Dream makes a good point: “evil is in the eye of the beholder”. Monsters are relative to the culture or people that produce them: a witch would not be a monster to the population of Wizarding Britain in the Harry Potter series, but would be seen as a monster to Muggle Britain instead, to put it in that way. It’s important to remember monsters are people, for several reasons: a) it reminds us monsters are our own creation, and that b) in a very cliché sense, the worst “monsters” are just people.

Why is this important to remember? Because it reminds us how easily any one of us (or our favorite characters, in this case) could slip down the path of monstrosity. We see this in Quackity already — his parallels to Dream in the exile arc are scarily close, and this isn’t coincidental or bad repetitive writing. Quackity is a human: we know this, and his story has been incredibly human-based, based on his trauma and goals and how far he’ll go to reach them, and we see him torturing, manipulating and even getting his fiancé blown up to achieve these goals. And yet we see very few people call him a monster. Does that mean he is one? Where is the line we draw of determining what makes someone a monster? And then, can we begin to excuse a monster’s actions based on them being a monster - that is to say, how can we be angry at a monster for acting like a monster?

The best way to treat a monster is to treat them like a person. Not a good person, but a person nonetheless — far from excusing their actions, it only ends up condemning them more, but it also opens the door for compassion or empathy towards those characters. We can study a character as a Person, rather than a Monster, and we can think “you are a bad person who has done bad things, but I can see how you ended up here and I am going to do my utmost best not to end up like you.”

The true horror of Dream as a character is that he IS a person who has still managed to do all these awful awful things: that he was pushed to a point one way or another where he as a person could do those things to another person. Hell, calling him a monster arguably desensitizes us to what he’s done, and in turn desensitizes us to what is being done to him in prison: whether you are an anti of Dream’s character, a fan, an apologist, somewhere in between, it doesn’t pay to think of him as a monster: instead, seeing him as a Person (even if he turns out to be nonhuman, we can treat him like other nonhumans on the SMP like fundy, bad, ant, sam, etc.) makes for a far more interesting, a far more horrific, and far more tragic reading of him.

It’s a hard thing, to view an evil character as human, because it’s not something we want to admit — that any of our favorite characters could have turned out the same or worse had they been in that scenario, that we see how they got there, that we see they are like us (not an unknowable unfamiliar monster, but a human, a person, like us) — but it’s worth trying to do. Mittman and Hensel say it best: “Assertions of monstrosity are not merely insults, but are fundamental denials of the humanity of human beings” — because humanity is not good or evil, and we don’t have to pretend like it is.

tysm for reading !!

REFERENCES USED

each title or brackets next to them has a link to either the full book/article, a link to a summary, or a link to buy the book if you’re interested!!

Classic Readings On Monster Theory - Mittman and Hensel (READ FREE)

Meditating On Men And Monsters: A Reconsideration Of The Thematic Unity Of The Beowulf Manuscript - Powell (LINK TO BUY)

The Nature of Horror - Carroll (SUMMARY) (LINK TO READ)

An Essay On Abjection - Kristeva (FULL ESSAY)

Horror And The Maternal In Beowulf - Acker (FULL ESSAY?)

Monster Culture: Seven Theses - Cohen (FULL ESSAY)

EXTRA NOTES (TBA!)

c!dream and perspective bias (twitter comment thread)

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internalsealpanic · 4 years ago

Text

Love Through the Ages (Jason Todd)

Summary: Love like baggage needs to be declared.

a/n: This is part three of a series that is a fic rec list disguised as a fic. For these fics, most of the characters will be speaking different languages, so unless specified otherwise assume that the characters are speaking in the first language I mention. They’re all vampires with centuries under their belt. Why wouldn’t I make them all polyglots. Also, thank you to the proof reading gang for putting up with my shenanigans. I will have links to the fics I recommend in the fic itself. ALSO, y'all can thank @littleredwing89 for the poem that comes up.

Warnings: Everyone is dramatic.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist.

You tap at your phone screen, planting seeds in a satisfyingly hypnotic rhythm, the sounds of the train vacillating in and out of your periphery. It was soothing having your own compartment, a little world you can isolate yourself in while you anxiously await for the inevitable.

It wasn’t a secret that you found Gotham stressful. It was about as much a secret as Tony Stark’s civilian identity. You pulled your knees up to your chest at the thought. Big cities were stressful but Gotham was a different beast entirely. It was a writhing monster of steel and smoke. You wrinkle your nose deciding to sweep the thought away.

Instead, you concentrate on your plants and your farm. You wince looking at your journal. It looks like you’d forgotten another quest. Pursing your lips, you decide to turn your phone off for a bit and pretend the NPCs can sort it out on their own as you look out the window.

You lean against the wall, pressing your cheek to the cool window. You can’t help but smile to yourself thinking of a sea of black curly hair interrupted by a shock of white, sea green eye perpetually alight with mischief or intelligence (9 times out of 10, you really couldn’t tell which it was.), freckles like star map, and a mouth permanently set in a cocky grin. It’s hard not to smile like an idiot when thinking of Jason Todd.

Your skirt flutters in the wind as you dance your way through the crowd, bobbing up and down on your tiptoes over the sea of humans. Sometimes the smell of them still makes your mouth water but not now, not when the smell of Gotham is so pungent in the air.

You see a gloved hand wave at you on the other side of the crowd. You pin your sunhat against your head as you rush through the crowd, your luggage dragging behind you.

Jason waves a two fingered salute at you in front of a motorcycle, his foot clearly stomping a cigarette. You toss your hat to him. It flutters over the crowd. Jason catches it easily, putting it on his own head.

"Hey Princess, welcome back." Jason greets, the syllables of your native French gliding off of his tongue so easily. Fighting down a blush, you swallow your own greeting. Jason would have been a great ambassador in a different life were he not inclined to murder someone with a desert spoon for being a jackass.

He offers his hat back to you, but you shake your head. "You might freckle too much in Gotham's sunny weather." He gives you a hearty chuckle keeping the hat on.

"Missed you too, princess."

You roll your eyes. Pinching your nose, you look around. "You forgot to tell me to bring a gas mask."

"Every city smells like this."

"Darling, you've been in Gotham for too long."

"And you've been in your French villa for too long." Jason says, putting his sunglasses on you. You glare at him through them.

"First of all, it's a cottage."

Jason snorts, "As if that makes a difference. It's still in the idyllic French countryside, isn't it?"

"I-"

"I rest my case."

You cross your arms. "You're welcome to visit, you know?" It was a hopeful suggestion at best.

"We both know the quiet will drive me crazy."

"I said visit," you say, "besides, I think the train ride alone would drive you up the wall." You remember how Jason is with tight spaces.

"Not with you there." Jason winks.

Your heart presses a bruise into your throat and you hate Jason Peter Todd all over again.

"Ah yes, you plan on driving me mad. Evil. Truly evil of you." You say, grinning back at him.

"Here's a wild idea, how bout we just not listen to Roy? How does that sound?" Jason gently suggests, handing you your offensively pink cup of caffeinated goop. Jason can smell the sickening amount of sweeteners added. He might gag.

"Nope," you say, smiling at him as you slurp your ooze. Jason's stomach rolls. Alfred would have an aneurysm. "He was even nice enough to get us both tickets." You hand him one, fingers brushing against his. They felt calloused as they always did. Jason suppresses any oncoming reaction.

He instead turns his attention to the ticket in his hands. Love Through the Ages: Gotham Museum Exhibition on expressions of love. Jason runs through the numbers. "These are $59 each."

"So sweet of him, isn't it?" You chirp adorably.

Jason makes a mental note to kill both of you. "You're only going along with this cus you want to watch me suffer." Jason says, slumping his chair. His foot kicks out to tap your foot.

"I'm doing it affectionately," you say, tapping his foot with yours. "Besides, it's a universal pass time at this point." You swirl your drink and grin at him. It was your real grin, all bright and eager and stupidly sweet. Something in Jason's chest twists. It's always hard to breathe when you smile at him but really Jason would rather all the oxygen in the atmosphere be burned up than see your smile disappear.

He sounds dramatic and he knows that but still he knows it's true.

"C'mon Jay, it'll be fun."

Shoulders slouched, Jason smiles at you indulgently. "Fun for who?"

"Mainly me but you can have fun too."

"You are so lucky you're adorable when you're being evil."

Your smile brightens and with a tap of his foot against yours, he thinks he'll survive whatever Roy has in store for him.

You and Jason have been walking around the museum for quite a bit with Jason's arm wrapped tightly around your shoulders and homicide radiating off of him every time someone even looks at you funny. He'd said that the arm slung around your shoulder was so that you wouldn't get lost. As for the homicide, he elected to ignore the question entirely.

You flush as Jason quotes another line from 'Master Valentine' back to you. You definitely regret letting him house sit. You regret even more not hiding your books. You squirm as Jason whispers the quote in your ear in a husky drawl. The erotica in the book is amazing and you're normally comfortable with talking to Jason about everything, but this- this was just cruel and unusual punishment. It's what you get for trying to make him suffer.

All the pet names he murmured in your ear crawled up your spine. You shove his face away hiding your own in your sleeve. He laughs into your hand enjoying your sudden bout of shyness.

Jason mumbles a half-hearted apology into your hand, pressing a soft kiss into your palm. You lower your head. You're still clearly avoiding his gaze but you let him press you to his side. Jason Todd is an asshole.

You point to a pair of ice skates so well worn and well loved that you almost miss the little penguins stitched on the side. "Love on the ice? That's so cute!"

Jason glances at them with mild interest. "Sounds like hypothermia." He says, shrugging.

Swatting at his chest, you pout at him. He rolls his eyes nudging your shoulder with his. You scowl at him and stick your tongue out. Jason leans down, unable to stop the urge to press a kiss to your brow. You scowl even harder.

"Admit it, doll. The whole exhibition is just Dickie's favorite fanfiction tropes."

"Professor Todd, be a dear and enlighten my troglodyte ass."

He snorts, "Princess, if I was a professor we both know I'd have the highest attendance rate."

"And the highest failure rate." You say cocking a brow.

"Probably."

"You're terribly humble today."

"I just know I look good."

No, you don't, you think. You shake your head. "That explains the leather jacket."

"You love my leather jacket."

"Well, Biscuit certainly loved your previous one."

Jason wrinkled his nose thinking of the yellow disaster. "That dog was a menace."

"She is the sweetest creature on earth."

"She destroyed my jacket and ate my wallet AND phone."

"I never said she was smart... wait, we're getting off topic."

Jason narrows his eyes at you then points to a crown. It was an intricate lattice of silvers and golds with diamonds that glittered like starlight. "Royal AU," he says simply, "go on read the description."

"A prince and a princess from rival nations are bound by a marriage of convenience. Through a series of missteps. They fell for each other.... that one was pretty easy. Do it again."

He points to a blue feather. "Mythology AU."

You arch a brow at him. He waves at it, urging you to read. "A god descended to earth to be with his mortal lover only for him to lose his memories of her." The feather's glow is incandescent. You can feel the power radiating off of it, a sure sign of divinity.

Once, you would have brushed it off as mere story. You've spent more than twice your lifetime now dipped into the world of myths. You glance at Jason. Simple divinity no longer fazes you.

"See?"

"I- Nope."

"You're just being stubborn."

"Would you have been my friend if I wasn't?" Would you have saved me if I wasn't?

You think Jason hears your unspoken question when he frowns. Instead, he turns on his heel to face the other direction. He points to a bouquet of wilted roses tied together by a green ribbon. They still smell of blood and something you couldn't identify. Your eyes drift down curious. Your eyes trace over the words feeling your stomach tumble.

"Gruesome." Jason vocalizes inanely. He hooks his head on the crown of your head, neatly slotting your body under his. You're safe, surrounded by walls of muscle. The crease in your brow softens. You would think that Jason would be less protective after you'd turned but now that you were a vampire, he was somehow even more protective. Roy always joked you only got Biscuit and your other dogs as lap dogs because you already had Jason. He may not have been too off on his guess.

"This should be in a horror exhibit," you say leaning into Jason's chest, "kind of reminds me of you though." You tilt your head up grinning at him.

"If you make a joke about me being jack the ripper again, I swear I'll-"

"-Bury me alive 6 feet under concrete with a recording of Roy singing Auld Lang Syne in a terrible British accent. Got it. What I meant was... you're just as protective as the man in the story." You say, smiling at him.

For good reason, Jason thinks.

Jason buries half of his face in your hair, hiding his answering smile. You smell like sugar and cinnamon. It's a familiar combination of smells that puts him at ease despite the atrocious amount of people in the museum.

You point to another artifact, afraid that you'd accidentally picked at an old wound.

"Star-crossed lovers." He mumbles into your hair.

"Bullshit!"

"Read it and weep, doll."

You read the plaque and the words 'meet' and 'different world' assault your eyes. You scowl at him. "Fuck you."

The grin on Jason's face is genuine. It makes something in your veins sing knowing how much fun he's having.

Your face softens. "You really love this romance stuff, huh?"

Jason narrows his eyes at you.

"You were the one bawling your eyes out when we binged Spaces Between Us. Who the hell cries during erotica?"

"IT'S TRUE LOVE AND YOU KNOW IT IN YOUR SOUL," you protest, pounding your fist against his chest,"besides, you're the one who was crying nonstop when we watched the IDHY duology."

"I was crying because they were accurate book adaptations."

You blink at him confused. "There's a book?"

"Yes, you illiterate heathen."

"You sound like a conquistador."

“....”

"At least they got their happy ending." You say, changing the subject.

"That's true."

"Still better than Titanic."

He furrows his brow at you. "What's wrong with the Titanic?"

"First of all," You pitch your shoulders like you're about to give him a lecture, "That was 3 hours of my life wasted on a shitty movie. It wasn't even that accurate."

"Princess, not everyone can survive the Arctic."

"And second, the most romantic scene in that romantic movie was the old couple staying together as they sank."

Jason laughs, a deep rumbling sound. It scrambles your brain, almost dissolving your annoyance until he opens his mouth again. "You sound like Damian."

"Jason Peter Todd, take that back." You screech, swiping at him.

He jumps back, his laughter still echoing. "Stop sounding like the demon brat first."

You run after him, telegraphing your murderous intent. Jason walks away faster, sticking his tongue out at you. Your growl and claw at the air. You screech obscenities as Jason continues to evade you. He is having way too much fun with this.

You chase Jason around the exhibition for a solid half hour before you come to a skittering halt.

Your eyes land on a vermillion book, leather bound and carefully crafted by skilled hands. You step closer to admire the swirling, arabesque patterns lining the leather. No title is embossed on the front. It's thick. You would wager it was at least 400 pages.

Your eyes drift down even further, finding a familiar scrawl. Below the book were photocopies of some of the pages. Pablo Neruda's 'If You Forget me', Beethoven's 'Immortal beloved', Ibn Hazm's 'My Heart', and a bunch of other poets you didn't know but recognized as ...

"Jason these are your favorites."

"What?" He says, walking over to you cautiously.

You look back down at the pages and your eyes catch on the one in the middle. From the numbering, it was the last.

Love is such a hard thing to define,

I don’t know if I could ever find,

The words to truly express the complexity of such an emotion.

It is an emotion felt in the heart,

Long before it makes sense to the mind,

illusive and uncertain until suddenly it just clicks.

Like so many things in this world,

we tend to know it when we see it in others,

even if we can’t be sure of it ourselves.

I think I’ve always known how much I love you,

When I look at you,

I see everything I’ve ever wanted.

When I look at you,

I see nothing else but your perfect beauty.

Inside and out.

I'm not a poet, (Y/n), but I will tell you anyway I can how much I love you.

-Jason Peter Todd

Jason is a stone next to you.

His mouth is filled with sand as he looks at the far too familiar handwriting. He knew. He knew the moment he saw the red book what it was. Hell, the moment you told Jason it was Roy who told you to go to the museum, he knew what it was. God, why can't he just turn to ash.

Jason can't make himself turn to you. He can't bear to see what ever disgusted expression you make. He just can't.

He feels a tug on his sleeve. He doesn't move. He feels another tug, this time harder. When he doesn't respond the second time, you lace your fingers in his and spin him around.

You squish his cheeks in your hands. "Jason, you actual sap." You say. You look like you're glowing. You beam at him, all toothy and scrunched faced. Jason's lungs stop working again. His mind can't process what you're saying. All Jason knows is that something warm is crowding his chest, pushing everything else out.

"Wha?"

"Jason, you absolute dork!" You repeat, unfazed by his temporary bout of insanity.

Jason is blushing, looking like a strawberry with his freckles. Jason is more adorable than anyone has any right to be. But that's ok. That's perfectly ok cus he's yours.

In a moment of uncontained affection, you pull Jason to you, pressing a kiss against his lips. It's soft and earnest and exciting. It was a kiss Jason spent lifetimes dreaming about. It was you and completely you.

"Jay, they're beautiful." You say in a breathless laugh.

Jason looked down at his feet. "I-" was never planning on giving it to you, he thinks. Because, why would you ever love someone like Jason? Especially, after what he'd done to you.

As if reading his mind, you press your forehead against his. "I love you too, Jay, and you can't argue me out of it. Sorry bud, you're stuck with me."

Jason can't help the smile as it curls on his lips.

He's happy. He's so stupidly happy and he blames you.

"Plus, I already knew."

"Why didn't you say it first?" He asks, his fingers brushing against his tingling lips.

"Cus," you say, pirouetting away from him, "you wouldn't believe me if I did."

"How-"

You put your hand up. "Trust me, Jay. I've tried before." You tilt your head back looking up at the sky light. The curtain of light fell on you like a spotlight highlighting everything ethereal about you. "Remember in Milan? When I told you I cared about you and you told me I didn't."

Jason remembered that. He was angrier back then. He snarled that to you like some wild animal and threatened to throw you out on your ass if you ever so much as spoke a word of that nonsense again. It was the first time he'd seen you look hurt. You face was wide open with shock. Jason felt something in his chest tear at that look. He stormed off, leaving you in that room.

When he came back, you offered him warm tea and a smile. You were quiet, inconsolably quiet.

It didn't…

He didn't…

It didn't occur to him that look in your eyes was heartbreak.

Jason curses under his breath.

You chortle at him, the mirth in your eyes incandescent.

"Yeah. Exactly." You say, clasping your hands behind your back. Jason would like to be buried six feet under with the only words carved into his gravestone 'I am so sorry (Y/n)'.

You snick seeing the look in his eyes. "Or that time in Paris. The one in the little patisserie when I told you in perfect Catalan that you meant more to me than anything else and do you remember what you told me?"

"I told you you were possessed." Jason's shoulders slump. "Please tell me you don't have a third example."

You smile at him pityingly. "I don't-"

"OH THANK FU-"

"I have 50. Well, 51 but the last one didn't count since I was joking that time."

In Jason's mind, his jaw hits the obsidian floor with an audible 'plop'. It would be loud enough that the entire museum would hear it were it real. He blinks at you. "You tried more than 10 times?"

"I was encouraged." You say shrugging.

"Of course, you were," he grumbles and you laugh. Jason's heart skips a beat but he pushes past the feeling in favor of pleading with you. "Please don't list them."

"Oh, I'm not." You hum.

Jason sighs with relief.

"I'm gonna leave that to Roy."

"Son of a- He knows?"

You look over your shoulder. "Yeah. Who do you think I complain to?"

"Who else knows?" He asks, trailing behind you as you walk to .... Jason doesn't know at this point and he doubts you do too.

"Oh just your family."

"I'm surprised they haven't given me shit about it."

"Oh I bullied them into not doing it."

"Impressive." He whistles and you preen.

"Always," you say smugly. You begin to walk a bit faster, craning your neck. "Now, let's go find out if Dickie installed that bakery I asked for."

"That's what you're after?" Jason laughs.

"It's a noble goal." You protest.

"You don't even need to feed."

"I need to feed my inner sweets monster. She's very fussy and is demanding crepes specifically."

Jason smiles softly at you, amused that of all the human traits you could have retained after being turned was a sweet tooth.

"Sorry to tell you doll face, Dickie still hasn't done it."

You look aghast like he'd slapped you in the face with a large baguette.

"What?!"

"He hasn't put in your suggestion from 10 years ago."

"Where am I supposed to get my fix?"

"Are we still talking about sweets or have you moved on to cocaine?"

"Dunno, have you tried snorting sugar?"

"No. Why- Have you?"

"...my lawyer advised against answering this question."

Jason cackles. "How am I the stupid one?"

"I-" Your scowl turns sickeningly sweet. "Yanno, the third time I tried was when-"

"OK. Stop." Jason's face lights up again. "I give."

"Pfff." You smile, looking far too pleased with yourself.

Jason straightens up, something sly passing through his eyes. You stop. The look in his eyes makes you nervous.

"I think I know where you can get something sweet."

You swallow nervously.

Jason leans in. He’s so close to you. You can feel his breath brush against your lips. Nothing else around you seems to exist at the moment.

You lean in to kiss him but you freeze when you register his voice.

“I’m taking you downtown. There’s a new bakery there and I heard the crepes were to die for.” He chuckles, turning to walk towards the exit.

“What the hell?!” You call out falling into step with him.

He grins down at you, arms folded behind his head. “Something wrong, princess?”

Heat rises in your cheeks and elbow him in the side.

“I want to take you on a proper date and I sure as hell am not starting here.” He says, rubbing his side and conspicuously not looking at you. There’s a dust of peach on his face. Your anger fades away. It gives way to a fluttering in your chest.

“Where?”

He looks at you then, brow furrowed.

“Why don’t I take you to the fair, princess? There’s plenty of sweet treats there that’ll tickle your fancy.”

Your mouth waters when you think about all the cotton candy they have.

“I heard there’s a kissing booth too, so if you’re lucky,” Jason continues, winking at you. Predictably, you blanch at him. You knock your knuckles against his chest. Jason chuckles, rubbing his chest. “Sorry princess, I mean if I’m lucky enough to get a kiss from you.”

The temerity.

The gall.

“As long as you get me something sweet.” You huff, exiting the building.

Jason stops on the steps, turning to you with a sly smile. Crossing your arms, you pause bracing for whatever trick is up his sleeve. Jason tilts his head. He says something but the little noises of the city make the words hard to discern. You lean closer to hear him better. Jason steps closer to close the distance, his lips warm against yours. You’re stunned. Your entire body divided on how to react, some parts stiffen while others turn to jelly.

He pulls away, wolfish grin unwavering. "That sweet enough for you sweetheart?"

@batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @bungunz, @birdy-bat-writes, @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-inkage, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical @glorified-red

#Jason Todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagine #vampire au #food

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crystalrainwing · 4 years ago

Note

hiii do you happen to have umbrella academy fic recs??? I’m just now diving into fic for it and I like your takes on it so I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction :)

heck yeah anon!! so flattered that u asked me actually 💖

i tend to like dark/heavy fics so i have a LOT of those but that might not be what you’re looking for - ill give you a few light fics and a few heavy ones.

starting off with heavier ones!! all are gen unless otherwise specified.

out of the dead land by tomorrowsrain

multi-chapter and a WIP

basically klaus is living in a zombie apocalypse when the canon universe five time travels to klaus’s universe (which did have a five who didn’t disappear, but is dead now). this fic is FANTASTIC and lives in my head tent free always, but it’s also pretty dark in places, so make sure to check tags and notes if you read it!

Fall apart without me by Whatisthiswhatamidoing

completed one-shot

this ones JUST sad. but so good. but so sad. major chapter death warning but i don’t want to spoil who dies.

where only the lost can find by hujwernoo

series, completed

amazing AMAZING series. it’s pretty long but worth the read, if you’re able. QUITE dark though. the basic thing is that klaus’s secondary power is the ability to be possessed and it’s been causing problems since he was a little kid, so he finds a way to solve it and that way is drugs. so so sad. it gets sad, then happy, then sadder, then absolutely devastating. there is a happy ending but it goes through a lot to get there. so many warnings im not even gonna go into them all here, but check the tags if ur gonna read it! all the other TUA works by hujwernoo are amazing as well but i don’t want to put too many here. hugely would recommend them all tho this is the darkest.

From The Brink by @aye-of-newt

series, WIP

i LOVE this series it’s. so good. AU where klaus’s powers are weak until he has to use painkillers after his stairs accident, and then he starts seeing ghosts... and everything goes downhill from there, at least for awhile. it’s a rough ride until you hit the happy bits but it is SO GOOD! all of the other works by this author are also great so check those out too!

Lately My Hands Don’t Feel Like Mine by @veteranklaus and @cowboyklaus

Multi chapter, completed

oh i love this one so much. i really do it just also causes me physical pain to think about. it’s so sad and painful in the best possible way but it’s also like. INCREDIBLY dark. the thing is that klaus gets possessed by the handler pre-season 2 and... no one realizes. so he’s stuck in his body, watching and knowing she’s going to do something terrible to his family. huge recommend, but uh this ones also quite important to check the tags.

black flies on the windowsill by millcrs (remorse)

one of my absolute favourites ever it’s so good! AU where diego’s powers aren’t just throwing things. it’s kind of hard to explain what they are exactly but uh. trust me here when i say it’s amazing.

ok onto some lighter ones!

My Job Is To Take Care Of You by michals

one-shot, completed

luther survives the apocalypse because the moon didn’t blow up originally! so now he and five have to survive the rest of the apocalypse. it’s so nice and makes me very happy. love me some big brother luther content!!

Who You Gonna Call? by @himbohargreeves

multi-chapter, completed, part of a series that is a WIP

diego has to solve an unsolvable murder to keep his job. luckily, he’s got a brother who can see the dead! it’s not as easy as just that though, especially when klaus doesn’t want to see the ghosts. very nice and good and funny story and it made me laugh a lot which happens surprisingly little. it’s part of a series but i haven’t read the other parts yet because i keep forgetting but im sure they’re great too!

as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn by galaxyowl

one-shot, completed

this is the only romance-centric one i will be including bc. it’s patch/lila! how can i not! that is all i am saying for this one idk what else there is to say. it’s a fun one :)

Common Sense by @buildhogwartsthenwewilltalk

multi-chapter, WIP

klaus is clairvoyant which if you’ve been around long enough you know I’m a big fan of clairvoyant!klaus!! it’s been a while since i read this one and i also don’t know how to explain it but it’s VERY VERY good and i like it a lot.

trans diego & child five by iamnotalizard

series, WIP but it feels complete

title says it all! ftm diego and five is his kid. very sweet and nice with a little angst sprinkled in. no powers AU as well.

backstreets back, alright! by Karturtle (karturtle)

one-shot, completed

gonna use the actual fic summary for this one: ‘The Umbrellas address the Sparrows. Klaus addresses Ben. Everyone gives up, quite literally.’ its. very funny

ok ill probably think of more later but i’m not gonna edit the post lol. i will add links in a reblog ASAP!

#ok im so sorry for taking so long anon!#but i hope you like these regardless!! if u feel like it lmk what you think!!#fic recs #tua #asks #anon #my posts #also like. the fact u asked me??? ily anonnn that makes me so happy!!

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lunaslashsea · 4 years ago

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Crossover Fanfic Recs

The Addams Family/Harry Potter

'Family Values' by Ishtar Petunia Dursley discovers that taking care of two small boys is too much for her, so she passes the guardianship of Harry Potter over to a distant relative — Morticia Addams. With Harry growing up in a very different type of Family, Dumbledore desperately tries to get him back. But the Harry Potter who finally arrives at Hogwarts, along with his "cousins" Pugsley and Wednesday, will be nothing like what Dumbledore expects.

The Addams Family/Rise of the Guardians

'Nightmares for Christmas' by Neyiea Not all children are happy that their nightmares have disappeared, and as such North finds himself receiving a very unexpected letter several days before Christmas.

Big Hero 6/The Martian

'Big Hero Martian' by althor42 There would have been no rescue for Mark, if NASA had not noticed he was still alive. Unless of course, a certain Big Hero noticed instead.

Big Hero 6/Marvel

'Magnets for Trouble' by PitViperOfDoom Months after Callaghan's downfall, Hiro receives a surprise in the mail: a special invitation to this year's Stark Expo. With Fred for company, he leaves the protection of the city temporarily in the hands of the rest of the team and flies across the country to meet the man with twice the brains and bank account of Alistair Krei and several times the infamy.

But of course, it can't be that simple, can it? Really, after how his last expo went, he should have seen this coming.

Bleach/Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

'Teamwork for Hire' by junko After the defeat of Aizen, Ichigo has lost his superpowers but not his skills so he's been hiring himself out to any sports team looking for a strong player. When Nagisa Hazuki approaches Ichigo to join the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, something piques Ichigo's interest…

Bleach/Harry Potter

'Crazy=Genius' series by blackkat Minerva McGonagall isn't about to let Harry go back to the Dursleys after his first year. She finds an alternative, and along the way, Bazzard Black finds that he might have more family left than he'd ever thought.

'Lost Boys' by glacis After the Triwizard fiasco, Harry leaves Britain behind for a new life. Uryuu befriends Ichigo at a much younger age. Sirius escapes. Points converge and lost boys find a family. Isshin fails. So does Ryuuken. Kisuke finds a friend. Ukitake covers and cleans up. Fate changes.

'There May Be Some Collateral Damage' by metisket Ichigo's been ordered to go undercover at a magic school to bodyguard a kid named Harry Potter, and this would be fine, except that he's about as good at bodyguarding as he is at magic. And he considers it a good day, magic‐wise, if he hasn't set anything on fire.

Bleach/Hunger Games

'Storm the World with Reckless Abandon' by SSAerial So due to one of Urahara's failed experiments that Ichigo unluckily got a full blast of (because life hates him and trouble is attracted to him like a clingy fangirl he could do without), Ichigo ends up in a dystopian universe where people take perverse pleasure in watching kids fight to the death. Which just, no. So Panem now has to deal with a pissed of Ichigo who's determined to stop the Hunger Games and pummel Snow to the ground. And Panem doesn't have a snowball chance in hell in stopping him.

Bleach/Lord of the Rings

'Behold the Flowing Years' by Straight‐Outta‐Hobbiton Ichigo escapes his dimension to start anew, away from the memories of death and friendships past that he can't seem to put to rest. Rohan is a beautiful country, and Théoden is a good king, but evil only grows stronger within the borders of Mordor, and Ichigo finds himself once more forced to protect those whom he has grown to love.

Bleach/Marvel

'Foreign Recruit' by SSAerial Ichigo doesn't know where to start. He has no friends, no family, no personal attachments to the world he got dumped into. The Soul King never specified what he was supposed to do in a world where technology is ahead of its time and aliens and secret governments exist. As for the people he has to deal with… Well, it isn't like he hasn't dealt with colorful personalities before.

Bleach/Naruto

'All My Ghosts are at Rest' series by Zakad An older Ichigo and Uryu leave Soul Society and all its problems behind to search for the near-mythical homeland of a particular Shiba ancestor. They find the Elemental Countries and one little boy who is desperate need of a family.

'Bite' by blackkat Orochimaru and his sons crash‐land in Karakura. Soul Society is most definitely not prepared for what's coming.

'A New Home' by Rain1701 In an effort to save her life and freedom, Hitsugaya Toshiro winds up landing head‐first in the Naruto universe two months before the start of canon. Not much stays the same after that.

'Soul of Fire' by Zeionia aka Disturbed After being betrayed by Soul Society, Ichigo and his sisters leave Karakura behind to find shelter with the remains of their grandfather's clan in the Land of Fire. Instead of the peaceful life they were hoping for, they reach Konoha just as a new danger appears to threaten the Uzumaki. Heart‐broken and tired of fighting, will Ichigo be able to protect his sisters and his new home?

Bleach/Stargate

'Stardust' by Vathara What if some Alterans found another way to survive the Wraith? Five thousand years before the Stargate opens, contact with creatures of energy changes the way of life for an Alteran colony…

Card Captor Sakura/Harry Potter

'Cardcaptor Harry' by LunaStorm In which both Albus Dumbledore and Clow Reed would have done well to remember that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in any philosophy… or predicted by the most imprecise branch of magic…

Doctor Who/Marvel

'Alien Taskforce' by TheSovereigntyofReality Just because S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers didn't listen to Tony after the Battle of New York, it doesn't mean no one did.

Downton Abbey/Marvel

'Tony Stark Meets an Extremely Unimpressed Time Traveler, or, Thomas Barrow Makes a Surprisingly Good 21st Century Butler' by Alex51324 In which Tony Stark ditches a boring party, makes an addition to the household staff, throws a much better party, and tries not to sexually harass his new butler.

Or, In which Thomas Barrow has a little trouble getting home from the pub, is generally unimpressed with many aspects of the 21st century, never thought of himself as a conservative dresser before, and may or may not be falling in lust with his new employer.

Gilmore Girls/Stargate

'Physics of the Spin' by Mhalachai Rory Gilmore always thought she was Christopher Hayden's daughter, but things are a little more complicated than that…

Good Omens/Supernatural

'Misfire' by VivatRex Crowley finds himself in another universe; Aziraphale goes to fetch him. In the meantime, Team Free Will has to figure out what to do with the 6,000 year old demon that won't stay in a devil's trap and keeps rooting through Dean's vinyl collection. Shenanigans ensue.

Gundam Wing/Naruto

'Worlds Apart' by Mieren Something went horribly wrong and Duo and Naruto are in the wrong worlds. Ninja vs technology. How could this possibly go wrong?

Harry Potter/Marvel

'Behind the Shield' by GeeEs It was a good thing the new scientist, Dr. Harry Evans, was working out so well. Because nothing else was going Fury's way. And that was before Loki made off with the Tesseract and some of his people. Maybe AU to Mortem Cantor by Kyandua.

'How Harry Failed to Conquer New York' by Impossible_Insanity

'I See The Moon' by hctiB‐notsoB While on the run, Bruce meets a young man who speaks to the moon. He's probably not quite the sanest friend Bruce could have made, but, well… beggars can't be choosers.

'Mischief's Heir' series by mad_fairy Mostly Harry Potter with the addition of Loki in the first parts

'Mortem Cantor' by Kyandua After losing everything he holds dear, Harry Potter is thrust into a new world; one with Superheroes and evil Villains that make Voldemort look like a kitten. Struggling to survive in this new world - and, meanwhile, gaining the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. - he attempts to live a NORMAL life. But, he is Harry Potter after all... what could possibly go wrong?

'On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads' by Enigmaris Harry finds out that his dad is alive, has been the whole time. Instead of being overjoyed, Harry's disgusted. His dad left earth and abandoned his friends. Every painful thing he's ever gone through can be traced back to one man. Now Harry's got super strength he can't control and an almost unnecessary amount of magical power. His dad might be living it up with the Avengers now but not for long. With the help of his friends, Harry comes up with a plan for revenge. Get ready Avengers, Harry's out to punch a god.

'Safeguard' by esama The Chitauri invasion launches a whole new age – for everyone.

Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho

'Devoted' by Ookami‐chan Loving someone means seeing to it that they receive nothing but the very best of care. In all things.

'Healing Soul' by Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf Canon, IY slightly alternate ending, BG blend but more manga than anime; YYH boys' last year of school but otherwise through series, anime only.

'By Any Other Name' by Deviant Nature Kagome's return after an unexplained, prolonged absence leaves her family with questions she refuses to answer except to assure that it's over. While she attempts to readapt to the present, Kurama is feeling the pressures of human society's expectations. But the solutions to his troubles aren't as straight‐forward as he had hoped. Note: Unrated version is on MediaMiner.net as 'Par Tout Autre Nom'

Harry Potter/Ranma 1/2

'Harry Hibiki and the Philosopher's Stone' by USA_Tiger On the night Voldemort attacks the Potter's home, a completely different person finds Harry before Sirius Black or Hagrid. Harry is found and adopted by Nerima's very own eternal lost boy Ryoga Hibiki! Soon Harry will be joining his classmates at Hogwarts but how will Hogwarts handle this kind of Harry? And how does it affect the prophecy, what is the 'power he knows not?

Harry Potter/Sherlock

'The Avalon Seven' by sifshadowheart Major Non‐Canon A/U, Harry is treated for abuse and massive injuries by John Watson as a John Doe. To help solve the mystery of the battered boy John calls in his partner Sherlock — whose father has much more information about his patient than John ever thought possible. Turning to an old acquaintance, Siger Holmes contacts the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Wallace…Harry's rightful guardian.

First several chapters will be covering Pre‐Hogwarts years, story starts with Harry at age four so it'll be a while before any sort of slash or real conflict happens. Very political fic with lots of twists and turns. Because the plot‐bunnies won't leave me alone!

'Magnificent' by esama The birth of the Ministry of Magic and his relationship with the British Government.

'Whispers in Corners' by esama Everything started with a stumble — his new life in a new world as well as his surprisingly successful career as a medium.

Harry Potter/Sherlock/Star Trek

'Harder Choices' by sifshadowheart Post‐Avalon Seven A/U…a.k.a. This is what happens when plot‐bunnies start mating and multiplying.

Hadrian saves Earth…at a cost

Hetalia/Naruto

'An Englishman in Konoha' by pupeez4eva Itachi Uchiha is a strange child, who regularly converses with things no one else can see, drinks far too much tea, and has a strong and unyielding obsession with being the best big brother ever (or, in a world where England is reborn into the Naruto universe, Itachi ends up a little…different).

The Hobbit/Sherlock

'All Things Old and New' by teacup_of_doom All around the world, people are remembering past lives. Bilbo Baggins discovers that Tookish streaks can span lifetimes — and can have unintended, hilarious, consequences.

Katekyou Hitman Reborn!/Naruto

'Force of Nature' by Ramabear (RyMagnatar) He had died— honorably, he'd like to think, despite living as a villain and an assassin for over half a century— and that, as far as Xanxus had ever figured, would be the end of that. No heaven. No hell. Just life when you were breathing and nothingness when you stopped.

Except that it didn't, quite, turn out that way. Except he came back as the son of the kindest, sometimes saddest father in the world. In both worlds. A father that he knew, without a doubt, to be his flesh and blood. All at once, Xanxus had everything he'd wanted as a child. A home. A family. Stability. And he was going to fight like hell and beat down anyone who tried to take it from him, no matter what his age.

(In which Sakumo raises a son who speaks multiple languages from birth, all of them gibberish to the poor single father jounin, spits vulgarity with the same ease as he does his praise and burns with an unshakable determination to build himself a family that will not fall, no matter who or what is thrown against it.)

'Uchiha Kyōya' by Tsume_Yuki In a world where Fugaku has three sons, he wishes he'd stopped at the one. There's nothing wrong with the youngest, it's just…

The middle child.

Marvel/Sherlock

'In Which Neither Coulson nor Sherlock are Dead' by TheDullYellowEye … and John sort of joins the Avengers. While Coulson's recovering from being stabbed in the chest by a magical spear, Fury is rapidly running out of Agents willing to play babysitter for the newly founded Avengers. So he calls in Captain John Watson, late of the British Royal Army, and blogger and best friend to the infamously antisocial presumably deceased Sherlock Holmes.

Naruto/One Piece

'Lost Uzumaki' by Silver Dragonfly (lillikira) Shanks was used to strange meetings on the various islands of the Grand Line. However, this one was unusual even for the Grand Line. A Lost Uzumaki is found and Naruto has no plans of not becoming part of his family. (A Series of Snapshots about the finding of lost family.)

Naruto/Pern

'One World's Tragedy is Another World's ...Gain?' by Foodmoon Pern goes to hell in a handbasket. Ir'ca tries to rescue the future of dragonkind by being a thief and somehow ends up in the Land of Fire. It's probably a good thing Kakashi handed over the Hat a while back...

Naruto/Sherlock

'Deduction in Shadows' by GremlinSR Shikaku just wanted to finish his paperwork before lunch so he could squeeze in an afternoon nap. His plans are derailed by a six year old orphan when she sneaks into his office with proof that somebody has been kidnapping the children of Konoha and covering it up.

He never does end up getting that nap.

Or: A Holmes is reborn into the ninja village Konoha. Chaos ensues

Rise of the Guardians/Marvel

'Constellations of Old' by kuroi_atropos When the Man in the Moon recognizes Thor as a representative of Asgard, he decides to send the Guardians of Childhood to ask for help vanquishing the last of shadows, as well as a few other things he could use some help with.

'Winter Gods' by avearia The Guardians discover that, outside of Earth, many races actually worship Jack as a God. Meanwhile, the Avengers deal with the implications that come with an almighty spirit, otherworldly religions, and the revelation that Santa is real.

#fic recs #crossover fic recs

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sourestlemon · 4 years ago

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So. I made a bet with my friend that I could get through Omegaverse Haikyuu fanfiction because he says I can’t so if I read https://archiveofourown.org/works/13330632/chapters/30514041 that I’m going to get free icecream and twenty bucks.

But still, Bokuaka! Bokuaka is beautiful, I should rant about it more actually

This is me talking about this fic as I read, so it’ll be updated until I finish

Note, I’ve finished and it’s very very long. You’ve been warned

There’s my review and meta at the end of this as well as some critiques

Spoilers ahead.

“The Jewel of Seijou”

THE WHAT NOW

IWAOIIII

Bokuaka is so fucking cute dear god.

Oh. It’s sinful now

Ushijima better stop throwing shade at my boi’s

“"I can't believe you all think that you can go against the crown and live!" Ushishima says silencing them all. The alpha was slowly emitting his pheromones wanting to show them all his superiority. No one said a word against him. "Toru! I didn't know you'll be as lowly to use your family name to gather us here!" The alpha seethed to the omega that could have been his wife. Iwazumi hackles raised and bared his lips at the beginning of a growl. "And you!" Ushijima turned to Bokuto full on emitting his pheromones making the rest of the alpha's shoulder hackle cautiously and Oikawa to cling at Iwazumi. But Bokuto meet Ushijima calmly, unfazed by the bloodlust while Akaashi was frozen to his spot but didn't show any emotion.”

So what we get out of this paragraph is

1) Bitchy Ushi. I love Ushijima don’t get me wrong he’s precious but like. This fic Ushijima? Son of a bitch walking up in here like “Toru! How dare you be so lowly—“ and fucking trying to dominate everyone.

2) Protective Iwaizumi. Protect the precious Seijou Jewel. Do it, fight for him, protect him he’s scared.

3) Is Ushijima salty because Oikawa didn’t choose him? Oh god, he is isn’t he.

4) Akaashi’s go to emotion isn’t emotion.

5) Shits about to go down, Bokuto is gonna flip eventually, if Ushi threatens anyone—it’d probably be Oikawa or Akaashi seeing as they’re omega’s—I can see Bokuto and Iwaizumi just flipping their shit.

God I’m way to invested. Why did I read this

USHIJIMA IS A COWARDLY LITTLE BITCH IN THIS FIC, STAB HIM HINATA

D O I T

Awww Kageyama cares, Tsukki cares

OH MY GOD TENDOU!

More people came surrounding them. "What the hell," Akaashi recognized Iwazumi's voice.

Iwaizumi’s reaction is the only respectable reaction.

Wait this has major character death in the tags

Fuck

Everyone has decided that Oikawa and Akaashi must be defended but just once I want them to flip their shit and kill someone. Just once.

Bokuto, Lev and Iwaizumi all want to protect Oikawa but Iwaizumi doesn’t even fucking trust em.

Why does everyone act like Nishinoya not wanting to move on so quickly is a bad thing? It’s perfectly reasonable and I hate how everyone is like “What’s wrong with you, do you not like us?” And getting super standoffish or snappish simply because Nishinoya loves Asahi so much and doesn’t want to feel like they didn’t need him.

I really don’t like how Nishinoya/Tanaka/Ennoshita became a thing in this fic. It would be cute if it didn’t just happen because Nishinoya was desperate and if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have fucked Tanaka.

Oh dear god I don’t want Kenma to die.

Oh thank god it’s okay.

Fuck I forgot they had boobs

Did Bokuto almost name the Kuroken baby Oya but changed last minute?

BO ISN’T COMING BACK IS HE?????????

I’m feelin a little sniffly. I might fucking cry over an Omegaverse fic. Oh how the mighty have fallen

Oh my god the stars. I don’t think Bo is coming back y’all. I’m so nervous

The fuckin royals aren’t getting Keiji. No. Nuh-uh FUCK THAT SHIT

THAT’S BOKUTO’S MATE STAY AWAY FROM HIM

-cue mac worrying about oikawa because seijou is allied with fukurodani and an easy way to tear seijou away from the alliance is to kidnap oikawa and iwaizumi might split to keep him safe and ushi fucking knows this and possibly tendou also oiks is pretty as fuck-

BOKUTO IS OKAY!

Iwaizumi making Bokuto promise to save Oikawa if things went to shit makes me so worried but the same time his lil speech made my IwaOi heart so happy.

Suga bby...

BOKUTO JUST KILLED A FUCKING CHILD

Tendou, Ushijima I never thought I’d say this but I fucking hate them right now. They better not hurt the other best Boi’s.

Ushijima is salty as fuck confirmed.

"You truly are a piece of art," Ushijima said gently ...."But not as beautiful as him," the alpha muttered as he threw the omega to the floor.

So, this little snippet sent disgusting shivers down my spine for two reasons.

1) Ushijima just yeeted Akaashi, my son and

2) Any reader knows who the ‘he’ Ushi is talking about is, the only person in this book who is said to be as beautiful as Akaashi. You guessed it, the boi who rejected Ushi-fucking-jima, Jewel of Seijou himself Oikawa Tooru.

The thing that grosses me out the most about this paragraph just on its own is that Ushijima is either guessing about what Oikawa looks like, or he actually knows which overall just gives me the heebie jeebies because Oikawa definitely didn’t want that. What makes my skin crawl in this little snippet is what Ushijima would do when if he got his angry little hands on Oikawa—or Iwaizumi, but Iwa would probably be killed or used as a bargaining chip.

Hmmmmm, I’m pretty sure Ushi is in love with Tendou but the beauty statement still stands possibly???? Unless specified otherwise, because Akaashi and Oikawa are canonically considered the most beautiful people in the fic.

Also this entire chapter just makes me feel so gross, fuck Ushijima man. Fuck him.

My Ushijima loving heart hurts reading this fic.

I just want Akaashi and Oikawa to straight up kill someone. Please, anyone who I don’t care about

I FUCKING SEE THE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH WARNING AND I DON’T LIKE IT

FUCK

NOT BOKUTO

WAIT IS HE ALIVE

I WANNA SEE MY LITTLE BOY

HERE HE COMES

I WANT TO SEE MY LITTLE BOY

"I came right on time," Bokuto forced out his voice cracking with emotion. "Now I can engulf you in my arms and brighten your days despite the absence of the sun. You will no longer have to endure the cold winters alone. I'll be with you, I be there for you and our child," The alpha vowed his hands itching in need.

"Are you going to leave us again?" Akaashi needed to know. The omega already knew that he wouldn't be able to survive being apart from the alpha. He knew that he wouldn't win the battle with the overwhelming loneliness.

"The seas could dry up, the mountains could turn to pebbles, the trees could die and the whole world could be on fire and I still won't leave your side."

That was all Akashi needed to hear as he leaped into his alphas arm and let go of all the pain he has held in

I’m not crying I swear

They walked together side by side and Akaashi finally faced them. They were both beaten, bloody, and torn butinstead of feeling satisfaction he felt remorse. They both looked at him with soft, wide eyes, and he realized that this was the moment they were waiting for. They wanted to see the child that they both desperately wanted and Akaashi decided to give them a parting gift.

Akaashi had won, he had won from the very beginning and he held his trophy who was a small babe with golden orbs, with mutant white and black hair. He hadn't lied to Tendou when he had said that the baby looked exactly like his father.

OH MY FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOD I’M SOBBING DON’T TOUCH ME

Meta and Review

So I just read A/B/O for the first time and I knew absolutely nothing about the entire trope that Mpreg existed and to stay the hell away from it. Please remember this in the meta and tell me if there way of dividing characters is ever specified or if it’s just decided by top-bottom dynamics.

Wow.

The story was pretty good outside of what I’m about to talk about. I liked the ships and most of the buildup, the worldbuilding seems solid, the war and UshiTens situation was really interesting to me and it made Ushi and Tendou a bit morally gray and could’ve talked about how people could do bad things for what they thought were the right reason and everything was clean cut.

Overall? Eh. Could’ve been done better

Not onto the rest

This doesn’t seem as toxic or inherently bad as most fics I’ve seen, I didn’t really like how Omega’s are always inherently feminine—the dresses, jewels, how they’re seen as inherently weaker and sometimes helpless, how they’re always referred to as “my lady”—and aren’t really given another choice because they might have the ability to reproduce in A/B/O but they aren’t women. It’s okay if a man is really feminine but for all of them to be? It rubbed my the wrong way.

I wish that the power structure was handled different in A/B/O in general. Omega’s seem to be treated like they’re helpless and I just...don’t like it? Omega’s might be submissive but that doesn’t make them physically weaker and if it did, I would’ve thought they would have picked up some other useful skills like diplomacy or strategy.

As usually, my example of how a character could’ve been handled better is Oikawa.

He’s my favorite character and I adored him but he just didn’t really deliver. It felt like he was being treated like a kid throughout this entire fic, it didn’t seem like he was doing anything during the war. Even if Omega’s don’t have a lot of physically prowess and abilities, what happened to Oikawa’s strategic and analytical nature? Why was it never mentioned in any of Bokuto’s POV sections because out all the leaders of the Allied Kingdoms, Oikawa is the best strategist—Kuroo is the exception, not the rule and I thought they should’ve been working together because smort boys—but he was simply hidden away.

Now I have no problems with all the protective IwaOi scenes when they’re in immediate danger—it makes perfect sense if Omega’s are physically weaker but have other usable talents that are taken seriously—and Oikawa simply can’t talk his way out of said problem.

I do however, have a problem with cowering Oikawa. That feels so OOC at the beginning of the first scene I cited, where is all of the quick wit and worthless pride from the show? Now, it makes sense for Oikawa to start getting scared and simply slip behind Iwaizumi once Ushijima tries to dominate everyone and all the Alphas start freaking out if Oikawa is at an actual, physical disadvantage—I feel like the alpha’s their have similar frames, or at least most of them do. Bokuto, Ushijima, Kuroo and Iwaizumi are jacked and beefy, everyone but Iwa is relatively tall too. Now, Oikawa’s tall too but he’s much thinner and leaner. I’d be scared too if everyone could break me like a twig if it came down to it—but no ??? Apparently at the first sign of any conflict he just gets scared??? He doesn’t know what’s going on in his own fucking kingdom ???

This is not Oikawa.

I didn’t like how they treated most of the Omega’s actually, it felt like they were just reverted to helpless damsels in distress. What happened to Kenma’s observation skills? Nishinoya’s everything?

More importantly, what decides Alpha’s and Omega’s? Is it up in the air like gender is? What are Beta’s then? It can’t just be who’s top and who’s bottom, that would mean the alpha-beta-omega- status wouldn’t be decided until you had a mate

From what I’ve seen in the fic, it goes by ship dynamics but what if the characters who had more strategic, cunning, observant traits and weren’t as buff and muscly would be Omega’s and had the brain power while characters who relied more on physical prowess would be Alpha’s and dominant in a purely physical way sometimes while characters who were an odd combination of the two would be Beta’s.

Going by my logic, instead of the top being the alpha and the bottom just being an omega without any personality it would be...

Bokuto- Alpha, like he was in the story. He’s definitely more physically inclined then Akaashi.

Akaashi: Omega, same as in the fic. Not to say he isn’t athletic but he relies more on his mind.

Iwaizumi- Alpha, like in the fic but from a purely physical standpoint and because he can rein Oikawa in when his friend starts going nuts.

Oikawa - Beta, he’s quite powerful but he’s also manipulative, strategic and his mind is scary as fuck.

Kuroo- Beta, he relies on his physical prowess and dorkily perfect brain a lot so he’s also a mixture of both.

Kenma- Omega, physically he’s a twig but his mind is what makes him the brain of Nekoma

Hinata- Alpha, he doesn’t use his brain a lot and has a lot of physical power

Kageyama - Beta, he’s pretty smart when it comes to volleyball and he’s also physically strong

Suga - Omega, he’s quite clever and his brain power out ways his physical prowess by a landslide

Daichi- Beta, he firms strategies and relies on his brain, plus his killer thighs

Tsukishima - Beta, he has his hue fur and athleticism but his brain power is also strong as fuck

Yamaguchi - Beta, he seems to be really people smart and eventually his serves are pretty good.

Can Betas get into a relationship with other Betas? I don’t know or care, we stan Alpha-Alpha, Beta-Beta and Omega-Omega ships here

I DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS HOW IT WORKS THO

do I have to read more

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inkabelledesigns · 6 years ago

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When we were younger roleplayers

So a friend of mine recently uploaded an older comic she did detailing an experience from her youth involving her first time roleplaying. This story really speaks to me, so I’ll link it here for you to see.

https://twitter.com/WolfenWingsShop/status/1135553476526821377

You know, this makes me wanna tell some of my own roleplaying stories, because boy do I have a few. ^^’’’ My nutcracker friends Freckle and Pepper hear be joke about ‘The Night of Angst Mountain’ far too much, but that’s only been within the past year. The story I’d like to tell you today come from when I first came online, back when my only account was on YouTube and we roleplayed in the comments sections of our channels.

Let me tell you the story of dreamerofchaos1 and her first time working as one of the Freedom Fighters.

Let’s set the stage. I was 14 years old, the year was 2011, and I had finally been deemed old enough to get a YouTube account. I’d asked my folks if I could have it for my birthday that year, which is March 29th. On April 2nd, my dad made a YouTube account for himself and then helped me to make mine, just so he could keep an eye on me should I ever need his help, but for the most part he wasn’t watching what I was doing. I had made this account intending to post tribute videos, you know, those fan art slideshows set to a popular song, and that is what I started out doing, but during that summer, I ended up hanging out with a bunch of roleplayers, and sometimes it was hard to distinguish fiction from reality. I’m still not sure how that started or how I ended up meeting these people, but we were an interesting bunch. A lot of this is really fuzzy for me

To start, even though we called ourselves the Freedom Fighters, it wasn’t at all the Freedom Fighters from the Sonic SatAM or Archie comics. We had a Sally, Tails, and Sonic who were barely present, otherwise, it was a lot of fan characters (most of which were recolors of Sonic, Tails, and Amy), along with an emo version of Kirby, Stitch and Angel from the Lilo and Stitch TV series, and a few others that referenced other franchises. We had a lot of fun on fictitious scenarios together, having picnics, fighting the Suppression Squad, it was a good time.

I didn’t stand out a ton among the good guys, but I definitely had my stuff together a little better. I didn’t have a character when I started interacting with everyone, but I developed one around the theme of my username named Dreamer. They were a tanooki that was an imaginary friend abandoned by their creator, a little girl named Ruth, that needed belief from other people in order to exist. Note that I refer to them as a ‘they.’ At that point in time, nobody online knew what my gender was, they all just kind of assumed I was a guy, and I didn’t say anything about it. I specified that my character was genderless, since why would an imaginary friend need to have a gender? But because you basically WERE your character unless you were in YouTube’s Inbox system, everyone thought I was a dude. To be honest...at the point in time, all of my friends outside of the web were dudes with the occasional girl that was super tomboyish. I was the girly one, I could never be “one of the guys,” and more than anything, that’s what I wanted. I’ve grown out of that now as an adult, I’m much happier just being me and not worrying what other people think about my body parts. I never directly lied about my gender, it was more that nobody ever asked, but eventually I did come clean about it. Unfortunately, the minute people found out I was a girl, my PMs (private messages, which are the same as DMs, but there was some amount of respect in actually keeping it private back then) got flooded with boys that wanted cybersex out of me, which was disgusting and utterly embarrassing, but that’s a story for another day.

The Suppression Squad was the main group of enemies, hell, the character you saw causing trouble the most was Miles, aka the Anti-Tails from Moebius/Anti-Mobius. That’s where I found two of my closer friends, Venice and Violet. Venice was the Anti-Silver, a fanmade concept as Silver never officially had an Anti version in the comics, using the concept art of Silver from Sonic 06 back when he was Venice the Mink. Violet was a fan character who was his girlfriend. Venice played a lot of different characters though, including a villain named No-Heart that had some Kingdom Hearts inspired elements. Sadly Venice, or rather Wyatt, dropped off the face of the earth, I never saw him again after YouTube changed its channel layout and everyone gave up our games there, but I do hope he’s doing well wherever he is. Same with Violet, or rather Whitney, I saw her a few times on deviantART, but not much.

There are a few roleplays that stick out to me from that time. No Heart stealing Dreamer’s heart and having them fight for the villains temporarily is one of the finer memories, hell, when I had her betray everyone and join the bad guys for real later on was quite fun. Duking it out with an evil clown and Anti-Guy from Paper Mario was kind of cool too. But the one that really sticks out to me is the one with Albert Wesker. Now, Albert Wesker is a Resident Evil character to my understanding, but I have no idea what his story is, and I wasn’t smart enough to look it up as a kid when this was going down. This guy came out of hecking nowhere, I never did learn who played him in the end. I remember he was going after everyone with needles, and once pricked, they’d be under his control. Dreamer of course had ended up kidnapped and trapped in wherever his domain was. Being the rebellious and narrow-minded child that I was, I had Dreamer go off on a long speech about how Wesker would never win, and good would always prevail over evil, blah blah blah, it had to have sounded so stupid and naive to him.

And then he killed my character. That had never happened before. Another player ended up godmodding them back to life with a “revival seed,” but like? It was so garbage. I felt so bad about it after the fact, like yeah, we beat the bad guy, but I felt like a dirty cheater, and I was! But it dawned on me why it happened later on in time. There was no formal system to how any of this worked, just a set of unspoken boundaries that were never crossed, and therefore a lot of godmodding happened, where people would be defeated who shouldn’t have been, powers were unfair, etc. But the thing is, I was one of the few who ever bothered to get creative with my attacks and have some sort of strategy, which in turn meant that I was often the one doing most of the fighting. During the Wesker stuff, I was the only one online that actually had any of that going on, the rest were content to play damsels in distress, that’s why my character got revived. I think Wesker showed up one more time after that and there was a fair fight before they disappeared, but dang. It was an interesting experience. I think it was the fact that I was the only one doing anything in battle that I opted to join the bad guys for a while, not to mention the good guys weren’t all that great to me. There was a lot of hugging and saying “you’re one of my best friends” all the time, but no one meant it, it was just fluff.

I wasn’t there for fluff, I was there for action, to do something, to challenge myself. Yeah, I wanted to make friends, friends with respectable people who were interested in actual plotlines. But I didn’t find that there, I didn’t find that anywhere in an RP community up until recently. Things have changed with my style over the past eight years. I’m a lot slower to jump to combat nowadays, in fact fighting hardly ever comes up, which is nice, even though I do have times where I miss it. I think I’ve realized that I’m happier being in a smaller group, about three people, where we ask each other about the plot and figure out where its going with a mix of improv and planning. One day though, I’d love to run an RP blog where I invite a bunch of people to participate in the chaos, one where I get to run the story and challenge them to survive. That was the idea behind OATS, maybe one day I’ll be able to run it. For now though, I’ve got some bigger fish to fry than roleplays. ^^’’’ Still, it was fun to reminisce on this, I hadn’t thought about this for a while.

#rambling #roleplay history #life when I was 14

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shadowgast-recs-weekly · 1 year ago

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Older Favorites 4

This week, we have a recurring theme - older favorites! Enjoy eleven fics that were last updated over a year ago - and as ever, don't forget to kudos and comment!

Sangreal (94811, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn, Aftermath of torture

Essek confesses to his crimes and is captured, having his magic taken away and his memories wiped. When he is rescued by the Mighty Nein, he finds himself growing fond of them all over again.

Reccer says: I liked it!

A Reason to Fight by Cers (32427, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn, Discussion of torture

Taking place immediately after "That Carniverous Dark," the Nein are forced to grapple with the consequences of their actions while also picking up the pieces.

Reccer says: It deals with everyone's trauma from the events of the Sanatorium in a very realistic way and I love reading about Essek's healing process.

Only Code It Knows Is Rote Survival by Chrome (12637, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

The Nein return to the Vermas Outpost to find that Ikithon's forces have attacked. Essek has had Feeblemind cast on him and after the fight the Nein don't have the spell slots left to heal him just yet.

Reccer says: This one is very sweet and takes a look at Essek's relationships with the different members of the Mighty Nein.

The Fullness of Time by Cers (162788, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

Things go wrong in the final fight with Lucien, causing Essek to accidentally send himself and Caleb a couple of years into the past.

Reccer says: This is a fic I find myself returning to again and again.

that sadness of mine that you know by mousecookie (2182, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

A small interlude at the end of episode 132, in which Essek is cold and Caleb ponders the properties of fire.

Reccer says: The tension in this fic is absolutely amazing. Great 'staring at each other for five minutes not saying anything while the rest of the Nein look on' energy, I love it.

Hard Mouth by road_rhythm (216151, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn, Sleep deprivation

Trent invades the mind of Caleb while in Aeor through repeated use of the Dream spell, preventing him from getting rest.

Reccer says: Beautifully written, dark, and very unique

horology & chronometry by the_littlest_goblin (3864, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb has a new accessory. Detective Brenatto is on the case (whether or not there is actually a case to solve remains to be seen).

Reccer says: Absolutely cute and sweet with Veth's point of view

The Mind and the Malady by SaltCore (38941, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Vomiting

Essek suffers from Hanahaki disease in Aeor.

Reccer says: I liked it!

the other things that make us by saturdaysky (13642, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: None

Essek leaves Caleb in Rexxentrum, and then comes back.

Reccer says: The TENSION. The unspoken feelings! (that get spoken and acted upon). The complete inability to communicate! They are both sitting there consumed with lust, I tell you. It's fantastic.

then we shall see each other face to face by MarsBar2019 (12417, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek and Caleb have a very sexy wedding night.

Reccer says: It's just really hot, y'all. 10/10, highly recommend.

not weeks, not years by quothhh (1075, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

A series of moments in Essek's life after he leaves the Blooming Grove

Reccer says: It's so soft and aches so much, a wonderful use of second person

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. And hey! Don’t forget to leave comments and kudos for the lovely authors!

Check out the previous Older Favorites Recs Lists here [1] [2][3]

Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week's theme is miscommunication!

#shadowgast #caleb widogast #essek thelyss #critical role #cr fic recs #aeor is for lovers #critical role fan fiction

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atlvntea · 6 years ago

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( COURTNEY EATON, TWENTY, SHE/HER )┊QUINVIDIA "QUIVI" THATCH NEDAKH is the child of MILO & KIDA and they are an ONLY CHILD. they seem to enjoy living in auradon. i’ve heard they’re known to be LOYAL + SKITTISH. we’ll be keeping an eye on them to see how they’ll write their own story.

❝ I have these thoughts so often I ought replace that slot with what I once bought ‘cause somebody stole my C A R R A D I O and now I just sit in silence. ❞ quinvidia thatch. twenty years old. playlist. | pinterest. | to listen as you read.

Hi guys !! I’m HYLIA , and I was here twice - both very briefly , one when I still identified under the name Robin and played a daughter of the Enchantress named Trixie , and another more recently where I wrote a version of this character as the daughter of the Huntsman , but had to leave due to unexpected mental health concerns - I won’t go into it , but it was a really awful time and I’d like to apologize for dipping so quickly. But I’m here to stay for now !! I’m going to try and make this quick since I have work in about an hour - but no promises , since I tend to ramble , so read on and don’t forget to like for a plotting dm once you’ve finished all the way through !!

BACKSTORY & BASICS.

So Quivi is adopted - the only child of Kida & Milo , a baby when he first discovered Atlantis. Her biological parents died shortly after the events of the first movie , and Kida & Milo , unable to conceive a child of their own , didn’t hesitate to take her in.

So she was raised with love & care & all the traditional values taught to the children of Atlantis , while being taught by her father the U.S.’s influence.

So yes this makes Quivi multilingual like her mother but also she can read Atlantean like her father ( since if you remember in the first movie , none of the Atlanteans can read their own language , while Milo can. )

It’s also been a REALLY long time since I’ve watched either of the movies.

She also knows Morse Code - taught to her by Packard , since I’d think Packard would know it since she was the radio operator - and ASL - which I’ll explain why momentarily.

It’s also really important to note that Quivi is selectively mute. She doesn’t speak unless in situations or around people where she’s comfortable doing so , and primarily uses nonverbal methods of communication such as writing , sign , or Morse. I will always specify in rp which method she uses.

But !! Back to the backstory , she heard of her father’s adventures ( since again in Milo’s Return there’s like... a whole sequence in where they go on crazy adventures and stuff and I haven’t seen that movie in a longer time than I’ve seen the first one but yeah ) and wanted to experience them for herself. So she went on a few !! But the most notable one was when she was sixteen , venturing with her father and his comrades into the Siberian tundra.

This was fine , until a turn for the worse rolled around when they discovered Quivi was missing.

It was a month before they found her again ; wandering around and surviving with the training of an Atlantean warrior and hunter she was given as a child. But she was extremely exhausted from her time of surviving alone - although , she did like the the cold a little more than expected.

Quivi’s aesthetic has always been like. Snow and mountains. So I had to find a way to wriggle that in SKSKSKSKSKSKSK

But also during the period of time she was in the tundra , she encountered Siberian hunters that she didn’t get along with and was on the run from them since she was an Atlantean and they hadn’t seen an Atlantean before so. Yeah. They were on her tail.

But yeah !! Tired from her journeys but a little scarred from survival , she went back to Atlantis and sort of . . . cut herself off from everyone else ?? She focused on her training , didn’t really want to go back into the outside world , and was paranoid she’d be hunted again like in Siberia.

UNTIL . . . coming to Auradon.

FACTS & STUFF

Okay I did this last time but I want to do it again bc I think it’s fun to share : Quivi is again an age-old character of mine but I want to share some inspirations since both for this group and in general she’s been developed and edited over the years ,

Harvey Kinkle ( Chilling Adventures of Sabrina )

Jon Snow ( Game of Thrones )

Kida ( Atlantis , duh )

Evie Frye ( Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate )

Link ( The Legend of Zelda )

Mulan ( Mulan )

Ike ( Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance & Radiant Dawn )

So most important fact is that Quivi is 6′4 without heels and a battle expert so jot that down

But for real she stands out in a crow both due to her height and her Atlantean tattoos - like her mother , one is on her face , but runs from her temple to her cheekbone.

She’s an EXPERT in parkour and combat. Love that for her.

Buuuut the thing is , because she’s so . . . outwardly stoic and quiet and closes herself off , she’s a little intimidating to the people who don’t know her. So she SEEMED scary to everyone else in Atlantis , but in truth she’s actually a gentle giant.

Giant because again she’s 6′4.

A little hesitant to tell people about her experience in Siberia since it was again a little too much for her at her age. She’s surprised she even survived.

And for that she has this big cloak ( think Jon Snow ) that’s kind of like... her security blanket. Her comfort.

Also carries around a big sword for that reason and yeah I won’t like she looks like an Atlantean Jon Snow when she carries her cloak and the Sword around.

The influences are high.

LOVES TO READ - she has a mountain of books in her dorm , all mainly fantasy or fiction , and sucks up information like a sponge just like her dad.

When u get close with her she’s ?? A really good ally to have ?? Again , gentle giant and extremely loyal and will care for you. That friend who has the bandaids always except instead of bandaids it’s the crystal around her neck.

Also yeah Quinvidia isn’t a real name but that’s her name in my MV and normally I’d change it to Quinn-Viktoria but... Quinvidia sounds Atlantean so YEEEEEEEE

MORE MAY BE ADDED but tbh I’m blanking and crunched for time rn

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Someone for her to Knight(tm) over... pleathe.... GIMME THAT LINK & ZELDA CONNECTION i love Zelda a lot if u can’t tell

Also just more friends in general ?? Ppl who don’t think she’s scary ??

BUT ALSO PEOPLE WHO DO BC I LOVE ANGST IN THIS HOUSE

People who’re really only trying to get close to her for the riches or w/e of Atlantis tbh give me ppl who want to use her bc of her nation’s stuff and money

Soft reading buddies...

Also again I’ll probs add more but ?? Also the basics

Crushes

Exes

Unrequited crushes

Friends

Enemies

YEAH PROBS ALSO A TBA BUT PLS FEEL FREE TO BRAINSTORM WITH ME TOO

Okay so again I don’t get home until around 5 PM EST today so I won’t be able to do replies until then - but I will draft some starters to reply to in a doc and post later !! Until then I’ll also be following folks and lurking in dms , so please don’t be afraid to say hi or plot with me on here or my discord ( @ bicon austin moon#0329 bc he is a bicon nobody can tell me otherwise ) or again , like this for me to dm you !!

#wickedhqs:intro #* &. about | flaunting your open wounds )#and now here I go 2 follow everyone and adding to this 700+ gif hunt I'm working on bc wow #also s/o to me for making that graphic from scratch tbh i'm surprised i made a template I actually like #it's not even for courtney that's the sad part #trauma tw

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jingjinng · 6 years ago

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Beginner’s guide to get started on PvP and WoE: Gear

When participating in PvP and WoE, it doesn’t necessarily mean that if you have the highest damage, you’re sure to win. What we should focus on gearing up for PvP and WoE should be all about survival!

Note, before you keep reading, you’ll need to understand some basic info:

1. Players are Medium-sized monsters

2. Players are Demi-human

3. HP is multiplied by 4 during PvP and WoE

4. Players build ignore def and ignore m.def so HP and Damage reduction are more valuable stats compared to def and m.def

5. Skills are Neutral unless otherwise specified or are affected by element converters (which players rarely use for PvP and WoE

6. Preferred enchants should be damage reduction like Tenacity but whatever floats your goat

7. I’ve colored the gear names according to rarity.

heirarchy: white < green < blue < violet < orange

8. Slotting: white to blue rarity - 10 pieces. violet - 5 pieces.

9. I won’t be including gacha items

Let’s get started!

GEAR

Off-Hand

•Cheap

Static Shield - Having trouble with pesky meteor storms? How about Dragon Breath and Magnum Break-enhanced bashes? What about Creator Fire-based skills? This cheapo baby will reduce Fore damage taken by 25%.

Estimated price: <400k

Imperial Guard - Not too many wizzies? Having trouble with rangers, bashes, and other skills that aren’t fire? This baby gives damage reduction +10% and a good amount of defense and HP with more tiers.

Estimate price: <400k

•Expensive (End-game)

Stone Buckler - This is currently BIS (best in slot) for all around defense. At Tier IV this gives massive defense, huge HP boost, -5% damage from S and M sized monsters, +1% damage reduction from S and M sized monsters for every refine level gained.

Estimated price: ~1.4m

Armor

This area is relatively flex and if it reduces your damage output to close to tickling or patting your opponents, just go with your regular gear. I will be discussing on how to increase your damage output via other methods while equipped with survival gear. During the mid-game to end-game, it is expected of us to be able to use survival gear while doing decent amounts of damage.

•Cheap

Meteorite Armor - Stun and Freeze resistance +50%. This one’s fairly optional.

Estimated price: <500k

Saphien’s Armor of Ocean and Lucius’ Fierce Armor of Volcano - These two reduce Fire damage by 50% and 25% respectively. These easily drop at ET, boss hunts, and rifts. These two are only good for when there are too many fire skills being thrown around and even then, these have to be slotted, with good enchants, and with a high refine.

Estimated price: <100k

•Expensive (End-game):

Staunch Armor - Perfect for melee + physical attackers. Btw melee and ranged damaged is determined by the weapon you’re equipping. So even if your skill looks ranged (Finger offensive, Sphere parasitism) and is blocked by range nullification spells, it still counts as melee attack. Tiered, this armor gives a perfect balance of Defense, HP, Str and Dex. Refined and Paired with a Staunch ring, this armor also gives a total of +11% atk and +8% matk. Did i mention that it also avoids fear?

Estimated price: ~1.6m

Staunch Clothes - The armor that everyone else should be wearing. End-game. Like, super End-Game. This is Staunch Armor for the other classes but has Dex, Int, HP, and SP. This also pairs with Staunch Ring, Refined and Tiered, this gives a bonus of +5% max HP, +10% atk, and +5% matk.

The reason why this armor is considered end-game is because at max tiers and refines, it also gives +15% damage to Large Monsters. wow.

Estimated price: ~800k and steadily rising. people are starting to buy and refine them to prepare for episode 5.

*If you plan to slot something for WoE, slot your armor first!

Garment

Just like Armor, this is also flex until you can deal decent amount of damage.

•Cheap

Staunch Cape - Neutral Damage Taken -10%. Tiered, it gives -13%. Especially useful against Hell Plants and Arm Cannon.

Estimated price: <300k

•Expensive

Magic Staunch Cape - This is the upgraded form of Staunch cape. It gives even more reduction of neutral damage taken. Raw, you have 15% neutral damage reduction. Refined, you get 25% damage reduction. Paired with High fashion sandals, you get an additional +5% magic reduction.

Estimated Price ~3m

Shoes

•Cheap

Staunch Shoes - HP, Defense, movespeed +12% Max HP + (Base Lvx10). Tiered, Increases Max HP by base level x4

Estimated price: ~200k

•Expensive

High Fashion Sandals - Upgraded from high heels. Movespeed +10%. M.def +10. Magic reduction +8%. Decent amount if defense and HP.

Paired with Magic Staunch Manteau, it gives an additional +5% magic reduction.

High Heels Estimated price: ~100k

High Fashion Sandals Estimated price: ~2.2m

Accessories

Optional. Staunch armor tho, is best paired with a Staunch ring.

Weapon

DOUBLE SLOTTED. This is a no-brainer because efficient farming requires 2 slots ~~and it’s a complete shame for you not to be 2-slotted until now. shame.~~ For specifics classes, you can slide into my DM’s and we can discuss your options.

Head

•Cheap

Feather beret - Def +10. M.def +10, Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +10%. Biggest advantage: slotted.

Estimated price for blueprint: <200k

Feather Beret Estimated price: ~1.5m

•To craft

Beret - Def +5. Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +10%. Unslotted. bisous, why should i craft this? well, it’s relatively cheap and we craft it for it’s juicy craft bonus: Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +4%.

Blueprint price: payon smile assistant at 630eden

Estimated price: don’t even buy it. CRAFT IT. but the total materials you need will amount to ~500k

•Expensive (End-game)

Midgard Helm - Def +35, HP +1000, Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +5%. For refining +1, Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +1%. Slotted.

Price: Guild vending machine, 13,000 Honor proof

*basically, all MIDGARD items from the vending machine are end-game PvP/WoE gear and i don’t recommend prioritizing these unless you’re prepared to dip into your funds to refine them.

Face

•Cheap

Goblin Leader Mask - Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +30%. Def -30 (very negligible). Really good gear. omgsh. really good. I would say this is priority!

Blueprint Estimated price: snapping <100k

GLM Estimated price: <400k

•To craft

Masquerade - Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +8%. Craft unlock reward: Damage TO Demi-Human race +1%. not a priority

Blueprint estimated price: ~250k. Around 1.8m worth of materials to craft.

•Expensive

Midgard Goggles

*bis, why not hockey mask? Well, while hockey mask is excellent for farming because it gives huge Damage to Demi-Human race, it also REDUCES your defense against Demi-Humans, which defeats the purpose.

Mouth

•Cheap

Spiked Scarf - It gives Vit, Def, Damage reduction of Demi-Human race +5% and Damage to Demi-Human race +5%. Too good to pass up!

Blueprints are only available for Thief class jobs

Estimated price: ~700-800k might be snapping

Midgard Military Mask - imo, meh, but ok.

Back and Tail

Midgard gear or whatever you have available

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