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autisticsupervillain · 10 months ago

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FTF: Classpect Clash

The show where we take two characters, make them fully realized God-Tiers, and make them fight!

This Week's Players...

Cole MacGrath vs Alex Mercer!

Knight of Hope vs Prince of Life!

Cole MacGrath, Knight of Hope

Many years in the future, human civilization would meet its grim end at the hands of a monster known only as The Beast. Humanity’s last survivor, a man calling himself Kessler, would use his fantastical powers to travel back in time and prevent the apocalypse. Taking over a secret society called the First Sons, Kessler would use their research to amplify the powers of Conduits, humans with special powers, with an explosive device called the Ray Sphere. Setting the Ray Sphere in the middle of Empire City, one man would survive it’s blast and go one to become the world’s savior. The name of that survivor, of the man who would slay The Beast, is Cole MacGrath.

Even before awakening his extraordinary powers, Cole MacGrath was an impressive young man. A parkour prodigy, Cole has the streets, rooftops, and sewer systems of both Empire City and New Marias memorized like the back of his hand, even capable of outrunning police with his skills. He was an incredibly intelligent man as well, smart enough that his parents can easily pass him off as a teacher. He was a straight-A student during his four years of college prep, only dropping out when one of his professors began tormenting his friend Zeke. But, after the blast, he became something more…

Now gifted with extraordinary electric abilities, Cole became a living battery, capable of absorbing and manipulating electricity to an extraordinary degree. With his newfound powers, he can create a wide variety of bolts, missiles, grenades, and blades out of his electric powers, ranging from homing missiles to sticky grenades. He can also create Arc Restraints, electric chains designed to pin his opponents down.

In regards to his defensive abilities, Cole has a huge moveset to draw from. He can create shields that convert bullets into energy for him to absorb, glide through the air and telekinetically throw heavy objects by manipulating magnetism, regenerate from being riddled with projectiles, can fully heal himself and restore his stamina by absorbing electricity, and even restart his heart to come back from the dead.

This wide variety of powers is only scratching the surface of what Cole can do, which comes as a result of how his powers work. See, Cole can develop new powers in a wide variety of ways, such as by absorbing large quantities of energy, or even just by using his powers in creative ways during a fight. Throw these methods, he has developed and mastered both the above powers as well as the following ones. He can:

Create thunderstorms.

Throw tornados.

Drain electricity from storms.

Absorb ions from killed opponents to enhance his powers.

Amplify his speed immensely via Precision, causing foes who were previously only a blur in his view to move in slow motion.

Give himself unlimited energy and stamina briefly via Karmic Overload.

Heal crippling wounds with his healing pulse, an electric zap that amplifies the body’s natural healing abilities.

Can see visions upon getting new powers, teaching him how to use them.

Can see how a person was killed by touching their corpse, as well as see a path leading to their killer.

And suck the bio-electricity from a person’s body with bio-leech, a technique that requires he grip their face.

Can create electric grappling hooks.

And many, many more.

Of particular note is his Radar Sense, a sixth sense that operates independently of his other senses in an omnidirectional way, allowing him to see electrical sources, people included, as well as outline those with hostile intent towards him in red.

Keep in mind, these are all just his electricity powers. Upon reaching New Marias, Cole was able to use a device to transfer some of Lucy Kuo’s powers into himself, after which he gains additional ice based powers, allowing him to create ice missile, ice grenades, and ice spikes roughly the size of buildings, even using his ice powers to launch him skyward to create distance from his opponent.

Speaking of distance, he’s probably going to need it, as he isn’t a great melee fighter. He’s a skilled user of the Amp, yes, and he can hurt people as strong as he is, but he lacks any kind of martial arts training. Cole is a ranged fighter through and through. Thankfully, Cole has a wide variety of resistances to aide him against anyone who manages to get in close. Cole has repeatedly shrugged off ice and fire attacks, taking no damage when getting ragdolled by The Beast, who is a giant monster made of magma. He has successfully endured Sasha’s mind control, which was powerful enough to take control of all of Empire City even while weakened. He has survived being doused with acids and resisted being ripped apart by The Beast’s Black Holes, which break down and absorb matter on an atomic level. He, like all Conduits, are resistant to most forms of radiation and all forms of disease, including the Plague that would’ve wiped out the human race had it not been stopped. His powers can even ignore the resistances of others, such as where Cole killed Kessler and David Warner, two people who can absorb electricity on contact, with his electric attacks.

Even with all this though, he does have one major weakness: water. Large quantities of water will short circuit is body, killing him in a way he likely can't resurrect from. Even standing in neck deep water for 30 seconds will kill him, being able to withstand being drenched only for brief periods of time. Furthermore, cutting out the electricity in the areas around him will make him nauseous and give him a headache and he can’t touch most electronics or fire arms without making them explode.

Overall, Cole is a remarkably powerful master of electrokinesis and he’s remembered as one of the most powerful Conduits of all time for good reason. Respect the Patron Saint of Empire City.

God-Tier

So, how does Cole's Classpect influence his abilities?

Cole is a Knight of Hope because he undergoes a fairly typical hero's journey. He starts off relatively cynical and self centered, only help out out of mutual gain and convenience before eventually growing into a hero that would sacrifice himself to save the world. That's all very standard Knight fare. Hope comes into it when he ends up becoming an inspiration to the people around them, motivating them to fight back against oppression even after his death.

In classpecting terms, he serves Hope to others and serves others through Hope.

Scaling wise, this would make a hypothetical God-Tier Cole roughlh equal in speed and strength to someone like Dave, who can fend off two First Guardian fused characters simultaneously and who is fast enough to keep up with Rose, who can cross the infinite area of the Green Sun's surface in seconds.

In terms of power set, Cole's pre-existing abilities would be amplified. Karmic Overload would work functionally the same, but the self sustaining nature of Hope would make its effects ever lasting so long as Cole has faith in himself and continues to inspire others. Depending on the morality of whoever he's fighting, Cole may even get constantly stronger just from the heroic and inspiring act of fighting someone evil.

Look at it this way. Eridan's latent Hope powers were able to enhance an ordinary stick into a magic wand capable of blowing Sollux away just because he was told it was magic. And that was without him being God-Tier and even being aware that he was doing it. Cole MacGrath, someone who already has powers that are influenced by doing good things and being heroic in canon, has the potential to build himself up into an unstoppable juggernaut if given access to the same effect.

The downside there, of course, is that using his powers in such a way would guarantee his death is rulled Just should he be killed, preventing him from reaping the usual immortality benefits.

Furthermore, Cole's status as a Hope Player would mean that his powers would be influenced by his beliefs, regardless of how truthful they may be. It's difficult to say how this would influence his powers, as Cole is considerably more of a realist than most Hope players, but it does have the potential to make Cole's lightning and abilities even more versatile due to him already "knowing" he can control electricity, thereby making his belief super conduct into making him more powerful.

Alex Mercer, Prince of Life

It's the early 21st century and the apocalypse is here. A viral pandemic has engulfed New York city and begun assimilating all in It's wake. The government is powerless to stop the fleshy monstrosities that roam the streets. It seems that the end is here. And the man responsible is none other than Alex Mercer.

Fortunately, that is not who we're talking about today. Let's take it from the top.

Alex Mercer was a scientist who worked for the pharmaceutical company known as GENTEK. He was a brilliant virologist, a progidy even among GENTEK's most intelligent minds. As such, he was made head researcher on the Blacklight Virus, a powerful bio-weapon that promised to make the company rich. When his research was shut down by Blackwatch, a Government squad designed to contain viral epidemics, Mercer refused to go down quietly. He spitefully unleashed Blacklight onto New York as he was shot dead, the virus consuming and copying his body perfectly as it was freed.

Alex Mercer died that day and the Blacklight Virus woke up wearing his skin.

Believing itself to be Alex Mercer, the Blacklight Virus escaped from the morgue and set out to uncover his past and discover who he was. This doesn't go do well, as it results in him unleashing another sentient bioweapon known as the Redlight Virus, who swiftly begins causing chaos across New York. "Mercer" teams up with Mercer's sister Dana to both bring down GENTEK and stop the Redlight Virus, putting Blacklight into position to put together the pieces of his past by assimilating GENTEK staff.

The revelation that he isn't the real Akex Mercer shakes the virus to his core, giving him an existential crisis that follows him for the rest of his life. This causes him to eventually become disillusioned with humanity, motivating to try assimilating it into his own personal "superior race". This backfires when Mercer tries to assimilate Sgt. James Heller, whose "stuborn DNA" allows him to resist Mercer's influence after being transformed. Heller eventually grows strong enough to assimilate Mercer straight back, ending his spree for good.

From here on out, I'll be referring to the Blacklight Virus as Alex Mercer just for simplicity's sake, even if they are technically different characters.

Alex Mercer is effectively John Carpenter's The Thing on steroids. He's a sentient hunk of biomass capable of absorbing and shape-shifting into nearly anyone he so much as touches. While Mercer may technically be a "virus" he's shown to be capable of absorbing and infecting inorganic material, implying he attacks not on the cellular level, but the atomic one. This is what allows him to absorb and replicate clothing, as well as immitate the functions of some minor forms of technology, such as handheld radios. He also gains the memories of the people he absorbs, allowing him to use their identity to the fullest while undercover. He can even evade sensors designed specifically to detect viruses like himself and fool other shapeshifters.

Having said that, he still has plenty of combative powers at his disposal for when stealth isn't an option. His complete control over his own body grants him monstrous versatility, allowing him to turn his limbs into hammers that can smash tanks and whips that can pull helicopters out of the sky. He can create pseudo-wings to glide through the sky, can alter his eyes to see in the infrared spectrum and detect infected people, can run up walls, and can cover himself in steel-like armor to shrug off damage from powerful foes.

As if his offensive capabilities weren't enough, he's nigh unkillable to boot. He can shrug off the radioactive fallout of a nuke, can stop the Redlight Virus from trying to take over his mind, can endure explosions that reach up to several thousand degrees, and can adapt to being infected with every virus known to mankind. What's more his absurd levels of regeneration allow him to come back from being flat out liquified.

Anyone whom Mercer doesn't assimilate, he infects, granting him complete control over their mind and body. He's led an army thousands strong and nearly conquered the world with it. What's more, he gets stronger with every person he assimilates. Mercer as absorbed the Redlight Virus and the Supreme Hunter, two bioweapons even stronger than he himself was at the time, as he has the combined strength abd experience of thousands of soldiers, making him a force to be reckoned with in combat.

With all that being said, he still has one major flaw. Alex Mercer has a limited supply of biomass inside his body, which he must maintain by constantly absorbing other people. As such, his regeneration can fail if he takes enough constant damage and even on a full tank he has limits. When Mercer was obliterated by a nuke at the end of Prototype 1, only one small chunk of him remained. It was only after absorbing a crow that came to feed on him that Mercer came back.

Alex Mercer is an unstoppable, insatiable monster with apocalyptic ambitions... and the virus he made is pretty nasty too.

God-Tier:

Alex Mercer is someone who uses Life to destroy Life for himself. He is evolution incarnate, the physical manifestation of the deadliest virus in the world. As a God, Mercer's already existing versatility would be amplified tenfold. The building blocks of Life itself would bend to his will. He'd effectively become Kars from JJBA (...more than he already is, thinking about it.) with every method through which a lifeform can hurt you now at his disposal. The Blacklight Virus would have all the lethality and symptoms of every other virus in the world combined, his shapeshifting would allow him to turn into nearly any animal, he'd be nigh unstoppable.

Scaling wise, Alex should be comparable to fellow God-Tier Prince Dirk. Dirk is comparable to Dave who etc. See above for that scaling chain.

Alex would become the ultimate living weapon, almost unrecognizable from the Doom Players he stands as opposite to. Life finds a way. No matter the threat, Alex will adapt, evolve, and overcome.

Throwdown Breakdown:

The interesting thing about this matchup to me is how closely it mirrors baseline Cole vs Alex. With the major difference being that both fighters start out as relative equals to each other.

Baseline Cole vs Alex is a massive stat stomp in Cole's favor, due to him being millions of times faster and stronger. Due to the very act of Cole heroically fighting a villain as vile as Mercer inspiring Hope and making Cole stronger, Cole's exponential growth in strength could very well mirror that same situation if he's given enough time.

In my Stats Equalized of Cole vs Alex, I gave Cole the win due to his inherent counters and resistances against Alex's best tools, but the way Alex's God-Tier status would change those tools might effect that. Radar Pulse allowing Cole to see through Alex's disguises shouldn't change as its likely not something their Classpects would effect, but what about Alex's diseases.

In baseline, Cole is immune to a plague that would've extinguished all of humanity, making him likely immune to the effects of Blacklight. However, Alex's God-Tier status supercharges it to the extent that Cole's old resistances likely wouldn't be enough anymore. So could Alex infect or assimilate Cole for an easy win now?

I find that unlikely for one major reason. The way Hope reinforces beliefs. Cole already knows he's effectively immune to disease, meaning he'd likely believe he's immune to anything Alex could infect him with. Given Hope's proven ability to work off of even passive beliefs like that, Cole's Hope bound status would likely make him immune to the Super Blacklight simply because he already believes he is.

The massive rate at which Cole grows in strength would likely outpace the rate at which Mercer's life powers can allow him to evolve to adapt. It's difficult to reap the full benefits of your Aspect when you're actively destroying it for your own benefit. I'd compare this dynamic with their Classpects in this fight to Karkat as Cole and Eridan as Mercer. Cole's personality hamstrings him from fully embracing the power of his Aspect due his cynical and self centered initial outlook, much like how Karkat's shortcomings could often be detrimental to his own team, but ultimately he gets through this with character development and his actual actions prove he's very effective as a Knight of Hope. Mercer is like Eridan in that destroying his own Aspect ultimately dooms him in the long term, as it leaves him with nothing left in his tank after he has no one to fall back on.

If anything, I see this as playing out similar to how Death Battle depicted Cole vs Alex. Cole's heroic actions keep amping him up until Alex runs out of tricks to pull and biomass to heal from. By the end, Cole will still be amping up and Alex will have nothing left to give.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Cole MacGrath!

#fictional throwdown fridays #classpect clash #cole macgrath #alex mercer #infamous #prototype

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tumblingxelian · 2 years ago

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Sienna and Adam's Semblances are ironic in how they utterly contrast their respective personalities. But it's also very telling in how it reflects the choices they've made, and how it panned out for them in many aspects.

Sienna's Semblance, Grudge, would activate on foes that have their Aura weakened or broken, making her stronger, faster and more vicious when going in for the kill. Which tells me that she likely was the type of person who'd go for the kill if she'd could in the past, possibly in response to bigotry.

And yet, Sienna never seems to use it in any of her fights, or at least minimizing its usage to robots. I think this is possibly due to a combination of her pragmatism as a leader, and also in part because she's actively trying to focus on only doing harm where it's absolutely necessary, and nowhere else. She's basically restraining her "grudge" for the sake of the bigger picture.

However, it can also be seen as alluding to her character's basis, Shere Khan. A major quality of his character is that he's got a bad leg, essentially crippling him and reducing his ability to properly hunt. In that sense, Sienna restraining her grudge in general can be interpreted by someone like Adam as effectively crippling herself.

Adam's Moonslice was able to absorb or block the energy from an enemy attack and throw it back at his enemies. It strikes me as a very guardian-type sort of semblance, which is pretty unusual given Adam's typical demeanor that we've seen in the show. While it can be interpreted as him having once been a decent man driven to his current state by his darker feelings and bloodlust, it's also easy to interpret it as him taking the power of others and lashing out with it in a way that doesn't require him to be vulnerable, paralleling Yang's Burn requiring her to be vulnerable to do a similar thing.

Going back to Moonslice's guardian-like qualities, it also opposes how Adam actually uses it, since despite being a Semblance that is fitting for someone trying to defend others, especially since the damage would be absorbed into his weapon instead of hurting him, Adam very rarely actually used it in that manner. Other than defending Ilia during the SDC raid in his short (and that was the scene where it becomes increasingly evident how his desire for bloodshed was starting to outweigh whatever good was still left in him), he tends to primarily use it as a means to do extreme levels of damage only after the enemy has been weakened by other people (Blake vs the SDC spider drone), which highlights how Adam has arguably perverted a possibly beneficial use for his Semblance into little more than a tool to lash out against his enemies, even if it meant disregarding the people he claims to protect.

The irony is that Sienna would probably be more capable of using Adam's Semblance in a productive, guardian-like manner, while Sienna's Grudge would be more fitting to someone as cruel as Adam.

The opening alone is super intriguing to me, I like where this ask is going! (Also I saw the second ask & addition)

Mhm, I always took her Semblance as a sort of strike first, strike hard, gain momentum kind of thing. Like her foe doesn't need to be seriously weakened or weak, but she needs to get the first blow in or otherwise cause more damage in order to trigger Grudge.

Yeah I definitely think Sienna comes off as someone who is deeply angry at injustice and bigotry in the world, but who has iron clad control of her emotions and how they influence her.

Huh interesting, I always kind of HC-ed that Sienna had some injury that made her slow to call up her Aura as an explanation for why Adam got his strike in, guess there's some thematic resonance. But also yeah Adam would 100% love a Semblance like Grudge and see not using it as a sign of weakness.

Yeah I always considered it the latter, IE Adam doesn't put himself in harms way, uses others and turns people's strength against them. But its a very easy Semblance to make look heroic too.

Good insights there on how Adam has perverted the potentially noble use of his Semblance to instead use it as a means of execution and power projection. Very nice thematic leanings there with the prince, it fits so well!

Its an excellent insight and contrast, really shows how regardless of base personality, or skills we are still responsible for how we behave. IE, Sienna's Semblance is more 'evil' but we never see signs she used it as such, Adam's is more 'heroic' but he was the fucking worst.

#RWBY #Sienna Khan #Sienna 'The Hero Queen' Khan #Adam Taurus #Meta

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sarenhale · 4 years ago

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im really curious, could u tell us more abt arihel's (and by extension, nergaal's) voidsent infection? I always thought the concept was neat when u mentioned it <:3

Ooh thank you, I'm always happy when people are interested and ask things about my characters :) T_T

It's gonna be a bit of a long answer because to explain the corruption, it makes sense to also explain the history they have together and the Echo abilities they share, it's all very much connected! So strap yourself in for a long explanation:

Nergaal has the Echo. This, coupled with his incredible ability in fighting, made him one of the strongest individuals in the Steppe, and a menace to every other Clan or inhabitant of the territory.

Nergaal's Echo is the same as Arihel's, a very quick and strong healing regeneration (think about the warrior's self healing abilities, but much more enhanced, where you can regrow limbs and istantly close big mortal wounds), which allowed him for years to heal himself from what would have been mortal wounds, and get through fights and wars that would othwerise have killed him. (He once received a Garlean cannon blast in the chest, and lived. Very funny. I should illustrate that)

This freaky ability gained him a certain reputation, people started calling him 'the demon of the steppe', tales started circulating about this demon that couldn't be killed, and always came back from the dead. Nergaal wasn't satisfied by the power the Echo granted him, and always wanted more, during his years as khagan he began destroying other clans and settlements to try to find particularly strong warriors that could give him a good fight, add to his abilities and bloodlust.

It was during one of the Buduga raids that he found Arihel, a kid that he felt an istant kinship and connection with: he grabbed him and brought him back to his clan, still unsure why he felt so connected to him considering he had never displayed any interest or human connection with anyone else before. In the years Arihel stayed with the Buduga, he was in close connection with Nergaal, and this allowed both xaela to influence eachother's abilities, and more specifically, their Echoes. Arihel was born with something of a 'rough affinity' to an Echo, that then developed while being near Nergaal for years, almost like a natural influence over eachother. (This is exactly what Nergaal felt as istant kinship and connection, the presence of a similar Echo.)

This is also kind of the 'base theory' I use for their connection and Echoes, the fact that it's an type of Echo that can be influenced/channelled in someone else that already has a 'base' for being a recipient for it, like how the Conduits in the Infamous franchise work, as in they pass down powers and 'influence' eachother, for example.

At some point Arihel left the clan and the Steppe, but his Echo stayed with him and developed during the years due to fighting and adventuring (and finding himself on the brink of death more than a couple of times).

When Arihel decides to come back to Nergaal to finally face him (after the fight with Zenos and the event of base stormblood), he understands that the 'incredible ability' Nergaal possesses is in fact a form of Echo, and akin to what he also has. They fight, Arihel manages to overpower him, and then kills him. When Nergaal dies, his body radiates a wave of corrupt energy, that hits Arihel right in the face. Nergaal have been consuming (yes, eating) voidsents for the past decades, feasting on them to get stronger and gain more power, kinda ignoring and not giving too much of a fuck about the corrosive effects on his life-span and body/mind health.

Not knowing what the fuck to do with this voidsent radiation and afraid that it could spread to other people in the nearest vicinity or infect the land/become ungovernable, Arihel absorbs it all in himself.

And thus he now has the voidsent corruption that Nergaal had inside him before!!!! It's of course damaging to him, and causes moderate health issues, but Arihel's thoughts is that if Nergaal managed to contain it for a while inside of him, he should be able to do that as well, using his healing Echo to combat the corruption from the inside. (which kinda works... and kinda... not...)

Another feature is that the corruption manifests by changing his appearance, making part of his hair white, and turning his eyes red, which were both some very distinct feature of Nergaal's.

So it's also a bit of a 'poetic' change in him as well, in which Arihel changes to become more similar to Nergaal physically and also psycologically. (Psycologically, Arihel loses a bit of his candor and innocence due to what he goes through, and also finds himself more prone to anger and bloodlust, which is a mix of a BIG YIKES and BIG EYES EMOJI)

It all ends in the passing on of 'Nergaal's legacy', even if Arihel of course doesn't want that, or to be connected with him anymore.

It's a sort of ideological dilemma I see in Arihel as well, in which he made the choice to be better than him years ago when he left the Clan, and not become a violent menace and find a better life, but he also can't escape what he is at the core, and the fact that he never got over the primal hate he feels for Nergaal.

So in the end, Nergaal loses... but he also wins. His corruption (both in ideology and physical form) reaches Arihel, and changes him.

Arihel is forever changed after this event, and I like to see it as a sort of a 'end of innocence' turning point for him, when he realizes that he can choose his own path in life and decide who he wants to be, but there are also some things he can't get over, and some strongs feelings like anger, and hatred, that he kinda HAS to accept in himself, that will always be there, and he cannot just pretend do not exist. He needs to accept the deepest, rawest parts of himself, even if he's scared. He always refused to be connected to Nergaal, always refused him when the older xaela said they were equal and monsters all the same, but the way their story ends proves that Nergaal is partially right. There ARE some raw, deep parts of Arihel that are similar to Nergaal's, the only difference is that one chose to live through them unapologetically, and one tried to hide them his whole life.

Because despite wanting to be the better person, Arihel made his choice when he decided to kill Nergaal instead of sparing him or finding a different way to handle the situation. Sure, maybe he could have used a different approach, but in the end, both him and Neergal knew that it was meant to be, and that it couldn't have ended in a different way.

It's basically my way of seeing Arihel finding out that there are some times where you can be the better person and escape the cycle, and some where you just have to go along with it and fullfill your path, what you are. It's the kind of character development I see in ffxiv's story too, when the story shows you that there are some time where being a hero isn't exactly what the world needs, or what you need. Sometimes you need to dirty your hands and handle things your way.

I also like to think about the end of this cycle as Arihel realizing vengeance truly has no meaning, or use, and doesn't solve anything.

(A lesson ffxiv teaches you as well, and a principle that's handled in the story in a very efficient manner)

Killing Nergaal might have eliminated a threath in the world, and rid the Steppe of a monster, but it didn't heal or patch up anything in Arihel, it didn't undo all the things he had done to him, all the trauma. On the opposite side, it made him realize he had more in common with Nergaal that what he would have wanted to admit.

So basically:

So yeah, this was a LONG response AHAH but I felt like explaining everything there's behind Arihel's arc!! :) The voidsent corruption is but a part of the consequences of his and Nergaal's saga.

I like to see both the Echo and the corruption, in their unique case, as something more than simply 'magical', and more like something that can affect the way someone thinks, acts and also the biology of the body (in which: Arihel's physical mutations), and the way they influence eachother by growing side to side.-

The physical and psycological effects of Nergaal's infestation are also meant to be like... the effects of the choice Arihel made in killing him, and accepting that there ARE some parts in which he's similar to him, in which he also feels the same hate, anger, desire for vengeance and carnage that Nergaal felt. And all of this manifests in a very POETIC JUSTICE (or injustice) way by making part of his hair white, and his eyes red, aka turning him more into Neergal.

Perhaps it could be a thing that can be cured or changed, I haven't decided yet AHAH I think Shb's storyline will inspire me to see how this could evolve, considering that he embarks on the expansions's story with all of these changes going on inside of him.

The corruption he carries is the result of the end of his cycle with Nergaal, but there's still the matter of Arihel's own cycle, and finding out how he turns out in the story, and how HIS story now develops and ends.

Thanks for asking!! I hope my writing is decent and I made sense in the explanation AHAH, my mind often works faster than my words and hands.

#i really love arihel's story and in an IDEAL world where i have infinite time i would love to illustrate it #alas i have not the time and skill to illustrate all of it... but perhaps some parts will come out in drawing form!#arihel #ffxiv #answered #nergaal #myoc #myocs

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inkweaver22-blr · 3 years ago

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Welcome to chapter nine! This one was meant to just be another filler with one of my own AU’s, but Tang just had to be introspective and have a moment of character growth. Hope you enjoy!

EDIT: This chapter has been edited to include some new info dropped on the same day I originally posted this! More info in the End Notes!

AO3 Link

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Nine: Rocks and Roles

Tang knows how to act. That doesn't mean he likes to play every part.

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Tang liked to think of himself as a decent actor, at least back in the original timeline. He had been part of the theater class in high school and telling stories required a bit of a dramatic flair if you wanted to keep your audience entertained. Convincing Pigsy he was a popular food critic hadn’t been too hard back then.

The many cycles he had been through had certainly helped polish his skill into a genuine talent. That one time where he and everyone else had been professional actors playing the roles of themselves from the original timeline as part of a show had especially allowed him to hone himself to a greater degree than before.

Being stuck jumping through time had practically made it a necessity.

It wasn’t that Tang enjoyed what was essentially lying to his family. It was more for their protection. He had almost broken the “No Interference” rule a few times when he hadn’t properly reacted to events that, while shocking or upsetting to his family, were simply part of his routine by now. He couldn’t allow the repetitive nature of the cycles to make him slip up and potentially cause more harm by being confronted by his lack of surprise or fear.

So he acted. He gasped at all the right moments or screamed in fear when in danger. Every laugh, every sigh of exasperation, every freak out over something related to Wukong was perfectly performed so as to not to raise suspicion. So long as the proper reaction occurred in response to the correct effect, everything went smoothly.

It wasn’t too hard or taxing as he never needed to fake his enjoyment of being around his family. Luckily for him, he also didn’t have to act exactly as he had been in the original timeline, or he may have gone insane from the monotony of it.

The cycles where his background was entirely rewritten were blessings in disguise, really. They were new. Fresh experiences for Tang to have and not have to work as hard to realistically react to.

He treated them like a method acting exercise. The new memories as part of Tang’s new backstory was the motivation for the ‘character’ he was playing. He didn’t have to fully adhere to them, but they certainly helped him play the role provided to him for the cycle.

He still disliked playing the villain however.

It happened a few times before already. The most notable had been when Zhu Bajie was in the role of Sun Wukong as MK’s mentor.

Tang shuddered at the memory of that timeline.

Saying that version of him had been unhinged was severely downplaying the many atrocities he had performed on both himself and others. Committing suicide to erase his name from the books of the dead, killing demons to absorb their lifeforce, and cutting open his own chest to manually insert the gem holding that lifeforce into himself for power were simply the tamer actions he had committed.

He supposed that heartbreak, jealousy, and internalized insecurities could drive even the most benign people to madness so long as they properly justified their actions to themselves.

It had been the first time in quite a while that Tang seriously considered intentionally breaking the interference rule and just running off to live in solitude for the entire cycle. Getting “redeemed” had been one of the most difficult things he had tried to pull off.

Tang dodged a swipe from the Monkey King’s staff as he was brought back into the present.

He was the villain once again this cycle. Luckily though, he was much less of a threat to his family this time around.

He was replacing Red Son as the demon child of Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang, Son of the Earth.

He wasn’t the only one who was switched around. Pigsy, who went by Bajie, was a human who had become Wukong’s successor. MK was a boar demon who ran the noodle shop. Red Son was a scientist and engineer who frequented the restaurant.

It was almost an opposite reflection of the cycle he had just been musing about.

“You’ll have to do better than that, noodle boy,” Tang taunted as he swung his arms to pull chunks of stone from the ground, his hands and the Earth he controlled both glowing with a golden-yellow light.

He supposed that it made sense for him to have some sort of elemental power if he was this timeline’s Red Son. Earth fit as he had certainly mellowed out over the course of the cycles, becoming more focused and self assured. His original self would have most certainly been associated with air with how flighty he had been.

Tang made sure to keep his full concentration as he attacked Bajie. Earth may be the element of the sturdy, but it had the potential to be much more volatile than fire. It was easy to let loose and cause a catastrophic earthquake. It took precision to control smaller pieces of rock without causing too much collateral damage.

Bajie batted away the earthen projectiles with ease and rushed into an opening Tang had intentionally left. He had to do his best to not rely on the fighting skills he had from previous cycles and use only what his memories knew when playing a villain. Otherwise he’d easily beat the fledgling hero and that certainly would be treated as interfering.

Tang winced as the staff connected with his ribs and sent him flying. He coughed as he pulled himself up, holding his injured side as he glared at the now smirking Bajie.

“How’s that for better!”

“This isn’t over,” Tang cried out dramatically. He activated his powers, this time summoning a whirlwind of sand to teleport away.

Another scene as the villain successfully played out.

----------

Tang sat in his workshop, calculating the specific size of a rune circle he would need.

It seemed that similarly to how Red Son was a genius that incorporated magic into science, this version of Tang was one who incorporated science into magic. Not a big distinction, but important in how the process worked. It still took an impressive amount of knowledge on both subjects to work them together in the end.

Setting his pen down to take a break, Tang looked around as he stretched. He caught his reflection in a nearby piece of metal machinery he had been fiddling with and examined himself once again.

He didn’t look too different from his human self, his face remaining the same. His hair was now a dark brown with yellow highlights and his glasses were much smaller. The biggest difference were the bull horns sticking out of the side of his head.

He didn’t mind them too much, but having to give up any pull over shirt for button downs was a hassle.

Looking at his horns lead the demon scholar to think about his parents in this timeline.

Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan.

Tang frowned as he recalled the less than comforting welcome he had received after returning from his defeat. The disapproving dismissal from his father and scathing taunts from his mother had been demoralizing. It would have hurt more if he hadn't had the years of time jumping behind him.

If this was how Red Son was commonly treated, it was no wonder he worked hard in everything he did just to gain a scrap of approval and praise.

And yet he knew they loved each other. The moments he noticed didn’t happen often, but he could tell that his parents held some affection for him, and he obviously cared for them. He just didn’t understand why they acted so cruelly to one another.

Was it a demon thing? Were they afraid that by showing their love they were showing weakness?

That was certainly possible, but Tang disagreed with the sentiment. He had been through enough cycles to see that love made one stronger. It wasn’t the weakness their enemies thought it was.

Tang was already planning on becoming redeemed in this cycle. It hurt to think his parents would disown him, but what if that didn’t have to happen?

He thought about that one specific cycle and how he had become so twisted. All of it could have been avoided had his past self simply let go of his long held beliefs and went with Bajie.

Now he just had to make two powerful demons do just that.

Tang was an amazing actor.

He also had many years of watching the people around him and knew most of them almost better than they knew themselves.

His current parents were no exception.

He could see the potential for a loving and healthy family, buried just beneath the surface.

It would take some work, but he was sure he could unearth it and polish that potential until it shined.

With renewed energy, Tang pulled out a blank scroll and began planning.

He had a family to save.

----------

Welcome to what I’m calling the Noodle Swap AU! It is named that way because the only change is that the pairs that make up the two most popular noodle ships (SpicyNoodles and FreeNoodles) swap places!

Shout out to @winterpower98 for their amazing Actor AU and Dad Swap AU mentioned in this chapter! Go check them out!

Yes, yes, I know I’ve basically made Tang here Terra from Teen Titans. Most people would give him Air as an element, but 1) we already have an Air user in Princess Iron Fan and 2) Tang has changed quite a bit since the start of this Time Hopping experience, as he states himself in the chapter.

I do genuinely believe there’s a loving family hidden somewhere underneath all the cruelty the DBK crew throw at each other. It’s already been hinted that Red Son will get a redemption arc in the show, but I want one for his parents too.

That’s all for now! See you in the next chapter!

:IMPORTANT EDIT!!!!:

There's been a few paragraphs changed and added to include the new canon lore for Tang in the Dad Swap AU! Go check out @kitkat1003's absolutely ASTOUNDING work, When the Tide Pulls Away and the Earth Sharpens to Steel! It is INCREDIBLE and if it was finished, you'd absolutely know there would be an entire chapter dedicated to it here.

#Ink Writes #Scattered Cicadas #Monkie Kid #Tang #Tang Monkie KId #Pigsy #Zhu Bajie #Red Son #MK #Demon Bull King #Princess Iron Fan #Sun Wukong #winterpower98 #kitkat1003 #When the Tide Pulls Away and the Earth Sharpens to Steel #Dad Swap AU #Actor AU #Noodle Swap AU #LEGO Monkie Kid

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dailycharacteroption · 3 years ago

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Worldbuilding Journal 1: part 5

Baphon Playable Ancestry

The symbology of Baphomet, the goat-headed, hermaphroditic demon, has always been something that fascinated me. Originally the name was used to accuse the Knight Templars of blasphemy and devil-worship, but the image of Baphomet, and indeed the sabbatical goat, were later adapted by Eliphas Levi into a symbol of balance in all things. Human and beast, man and woman, and so on.

The history of being something the inquisition literally made up to have a reason to arrest and kill all the knight templars has all but been forgotten in the modern era, of course, and many lay-persons believe that the figure is a form of the capital-D Devil, or at the very least one of his minions. To those more knowledgeable, it has become something of a symbol of the occult in it’s various forms, with several different interpretations.

Like many such figures, the name was borrowed for D&D and later Pathfinder, though the D&D version is more of a brutal demigod of minotaurs, with little goat symbolism at all. The pathfinder version attempted to rectify this, citing a story of Baphomet being imprisoned by Asmodeus, wasting away and taking on a more goat-like form before escaping and taking the pentagram and the very maze he was imprisoned in as his own. Still lacking in the occult symbolism of the real-world version, but at least the aesthetics are closer, though he does gain a secretive, conspiratorial edge in this version too, no doubt a reference to occult secret societies.

In any case, I told you all that so I could then tell you this: fiendish-goat-headed beings are definitely cool enough to be playable. As such, I have set out to make a playable ancestry (just first edition rules for now) out of them. Admittedly, one could use a tiefling or even an aasimar, but I wanted to try my hand at creating a unique species and integrating them into my world.

Originally an isolationist folk from the mountains of the island of High Myran off the western coast of Dothmund, the people that would come to be known as the Baphon were targeted by a bestial demon lord, who believed they could be raised into an army to help conquer the world of Lagun. As such, he sent his cult to corrupt them to his worship.

While they did make excellent soldiers, the baphon were much more interested in the body of mystical knowledge that the cult brought with them, which the cult permitted them access to in the hopes that such dark knowledge would corrupt them further. However, while some did become wicked servants of the cult, others simply absorbed their knowledge, and in the dark of night, set upon the cultists, killing most and driving away the rest.

The baphon did not come out of this unscathed, for while they were free and not bound to the will of a demon lord, occult energies from the rituals they had practiced had seeped into their bones, making them something more, and less, than mortal. However, they also could see that the time of isolation was at an end, for in their ignorance they had nearly become slaves. So while the elders and leaders of their kind still remain on High Myran and other settlements they have established, the young are often struck by wanderlust, seeking to explore and learn from the world, bringing back worldly and otherworldly knowledge to their kin.

Appearance-wise, baphons resemble humanoid goat people with shaggy fur, though some baphon living in warmer climes have shorter or nonexistent fur on their torso. They also tend to have towering, outward-pointing horns, though some have short or curling horns. Many also possess birthmarks in the shape of occult symbols, or manifest tiny motes of flame or other supernatural phenomena when feeling intense emotions.

Understanding is key to baphon culture as they collect and absorb information, however, their appearance and mild demonic taint makes establishing bonds with other races difficult sometimes, though they share a special kinship with changelings and tieflings, and to a lesser extend other planar scions and half-blooded peoples.

Though they share a connection with demons, only a small but significant fraction of baphons actually revere the dark powers, with most others instead turning specifically to divinities that rule over knowledge, magic, and the occult. That being said, they are unafraid to delve into forbidden knowledge when the need arises.

Given the large number of their kind that feel the need to go out and seek new knowledge, it only makes sense that there are many baphon that become adventurers, but not all do so. Baphon tend to favor classes with at least some amount of spellcasting or mystical secrets, but exceptions do exist.

Baphon Racial Traits:

+2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Con. Baphon are agile and cunning, but the corruption in their blood has an effect on their health.

Type: Outsider (native)

Size: Medium

Normal Speed: Baphon have a speed of 30 ft.

Darkvision 60ft.

Fiendish Resistance: Baphon gain resistance 5 to cold, electricity, and fire

Mountain-Born: Baphon gain a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to cross narrow ledges and on saving throws against altitude fatigue and sickness.

Occult Focus: Baphon gain a +2 bonus to concentration checks to cast psychic spells defensively, and to skill checks to cast occult rituals.

Spell-Like Ability: Baphon gain the ability to cast greater detect magic once per day.

Languages: Bapon begin play speaking Baphon and Common. Baphon with high intelligence score can choose from the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Draconic, Infernal, Protean, and Sylvan.

#pathfinder #worldbuilding #Lagun Setting #race #ancestry #My creations

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jeongyunhoed · 3 years ago

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Past-Present-Future Black Dahlia

Two major tragedies bring Lee Mirae closer to the edge as she goes through the stages of grief in a more violent manner that would affect not only her relationships with her boyfriend Jeong Yunho and her half-brother Choi San, but also has her becoming closer with the immortal mutant Kang Yeosang. Fueled by rage, grief, and pain, along with a very rude awakening that has Mirae spiraling out of control and questioning everything she holds dear.

Group: ATEEZ Member: Yunho Pairing: Jeong Yunho / OC Genre: Action, adventure, angst, fantasy

Watch Out! : Violence, blood, death, grief and loss, major character deaths, use of weapons

Anything else? : Mentions of other idols of course as well as other characters. SuperM, Dean, Chanyeol, Zelo, soloist Park Jihoon to name a few.

Author’s Note: And we’re here in the third or second to the last chapter of the fic. Things are happening! Also, I’m sorry the fight scenes might not be as entertaining. It can be hard writing fight scenes. So, enjoy.

Masterlist

Chapter 9

Mirae and San were gaining the upper hand as they tackled Baekhyun and Jongin, Mingi putting in all of his strength to aim the fire from his lighter towards the robot, only for Taemin to redirect the flames back to him. Wooyoung transformed into his shadow form, knocking Ten off his feet. Hongjoong sped by, punching and kicking him, while circling the robot that looked like it was about to move.

“You took away so many people that I love, you should be grateful your family is still alive and well,” Mirae kept her grip on Jongin’s jacket as they were teleporting all over the warehouse.

“Thanks, I am,” Jongin continued to teleport them all over the warehouse, knocking over Yunho and Lucas, who were also teleporting all over the area in their scuffle.

A powerful wave of energy soon came from Mirae, sending the rest of them in different directions of the warehouse while the robot toppled over, accidentally activating the machine. She saw Taemin’s eyes begin to glow red as he kept his gaze on the robot that was coming alive, getting on its feet.

“Well, crap,” Hongjoong sped past Taemin, knocking him over with a forearm to his neck, breaking his gaze until Lucas pushed him, knocking him off his balance and sending him crashing into the old machines nearby.

Mirae brought on another powerful wave of energy, Seonghwa being quick enough to break the falls of everyone close to him while she targeted the robot. The impact toppled the robot over again, the machine starting to glow from the heat of the energy that it was absorbing. “Go to the streets!” She yelled, concentrating on taking down the robot. She could see Baekhyun, Lucas, Ten, and Jongin scramble to their feet. “Not so fast,” She sent a wave of energy towards them, wounding them as they fell to their feet.

Taemin got back up, his eyes glowing the same as hers again, only for the energy he put out to hit San, who seemed unfazed. “You’re not powerful enough to do that,” He said, engaging in another tussle with the male.

“Junhong, you better keep yourself safe,” Mirae said, her form almost glowing as the robot also began to glow as if it was being burned. “Go into the city, save as many as you can, there’s no telling what the robot that’s already out there is doing.”

“Got it!” Junhong gestured to Jongho, Yunho, Hongjoong, and Wooyoung. “I know a way out of here,” He said, and they ran towards another entrance.

Mingi flicked his lighter again, concentrating as he directed the flames towards the machine, pouring all his energy into making the flame strong enough to burn. The machine only turned red, absorbing the heat from the flames.

Yeosang sent another round of hexes while Seonghwa was engaged in a telekinetic battle against Taemin, who kept mimicking every move he made until Mirae knocked him over with a kick. “You think you’re the only ones who can fight?” Lucas got to her with a few kicks and punches, Mirae effortlessly dodging each one, matching his movements as the two of them were in a deadlock.

“Oh, this hardly seems fair,” Mirae muttered, headbutting the demonic-looking mutant to catch him off-guard, the two of them teleporting in every corner of the warehouse, each time they were reappearing, one of them having the upper hand.

“Come on, soul-taker, let me see the monster inside you,” Lucas purred.

“With pleasure,” Mirae’s eyes turned black, and the two of them fell over on the floor in the midst of the scuffle. She was straddling him, her eyes pitch black as she felt the male’s soul getting drained from under her, Lucas squirming and staring at her in horror.

“Not so fast!” Baekhyun hit her on the head with a broken piece of metal, Mirae’s eyes turning back to normal as she grabbed him by the ankle. Lucas crawled away, coughing as he stared at her.

“You’re-”

“That’s right,” Mirae’s eyes glowed red. “You want it, come get it,” She charged towards Baekhyun. “You and I have unfinished business.”

Baekhyun tried to blast a beam of light towards Mirae, only for her to block it off. “Could you really kill me, Mirae? Do you still have it in you? That killer instinct?” He taunted, both of them alternating in a headlock. “You and I are now even, you know. I killed your loved ones, just as you killed me to mine.”

“We are not the same,” Mirae groaned, sucker punching him only for the two of them to fly backwards as Baekhyun did not let go of her.

“Right, like you didn’t just throw a hissy fit earlier,” Baekhyun grunted, the center of his palm lighting up, and the lights in the warehouse flickering and the machine began to move, its eyes glowing red and blasting through the ground, the rest of them scrambling away in time.

“Someone’s losing their touch,” Mirae flipped him over, his back breaking when he hit her knee, making Baekhyun growl in pain.

“Hyung!” Jongin called out, limping his way towards them, only for Mirae to push him back. Jongin disappeared and reappeared next to Baekhyun again, touching Baekhyun’s wrist and the two of them disappearing before Mirae could make another move.

Lucas had also disappeared, and Ten ran up to Taemin, the two of them disappearing in a portal as well. “To be fair, we were up against a few teleporters,” Mingi kept his lighter. “But what do we do with this?”

“If there was a way to control this,” San looked up at the machine in front of them.

“There is a way-” Mirae replied, only for the five of them to scramble out of the way when the robot began to move forward, sending blasts of flames as it broke through the warehouse, bursting through the layer of dirt and rubble from above. The machine flew out of the place.

“Hold on, where are we?” Seonghwa asked.

“We’re in the place the Center used to be,” Mirae approached the broken down entrance. “We’re underground. They’re up there now.”

There was chaos. Roads were blocked, and cars were stuck as Junhong, Yunho, Hongjoong, Jongho, and Wooyoung looked at the mess caused by the giant robot that was practically destroying everything in its path while people scrambled for safety. “What do we do about that?” Hongjoong asked as they watched the robot wreak havoc.

“What Mirae said, get everyone to safety, then we’ll take it down,” Yunho said.

“I’ll do it, the rest of you figure out how to take that thing down before the other one comes out,” Hongjoong suggested, speeding away.

“The other one has come out,” Wooyoung said. “If we take that down, we’ll know how to get the other one, let’s go,” He transformed into his shadow form, almost slithering on the ground towards the machine.

“They just really had to leave us behind, huh,” Jongho looked annoyed, groaning as the spikes came out of his arms and legs again.

“We’ve been able to put everything back together after the Seoul attack. This time, I’m not so sure,” Junhong looked concerned.

“By the time this is over, we’d all be exposed,” Jongho said quietly.

“It’s not like this hasn’t happened before, but from the way things are going, none of you will be able to live quietly anymore,” Junhong warned. “Unless somehow things can go back and no one else gets killed.”

“It has to go back, as much as possible it has to,” Yunho said, seeing Wooyoung from the distance, his shadow slithering up to the machine, as if trying to strangle it. “Junhong hyung, help Hongjoong get everyone to safety, hack into computers or something, we’ll handle the robot.”

“Got it,” Junhong ran to the nearest internet cafe.

Yunho and Jongho ran down the road, catching up to Wooyoung who was already trying to tackle the machine in his shadow form. “You know, having abilities like Hongjoong hyung or yours would’ve made our job so much easier,” Jongho frowned.

“We never really had a choice, did we?” Yunho said.

“Nope. Lift me up,” Jongho walked a few feet back and Yunho got the idea. He ran towards the robot again, Yunho lifting the shorter male upon catching his step to lift him up. Jongho pierced through the shoulder of the machine only to get thrown off, crashing into a nearby car.

“Tsk tsk,” Lucas appeared, standing on the shoulder of the robot that now had a hole. “You know this had to be done,” He said, eliciting screams and gasps from people who had now seen him in his true appearance: Red skin, slicked back dark hair, fangs glinting in the sunlight, and a tail.

“Speak of the devil,” Jongho stepped on a few cars that were overturned to get to the robot again, Lucas reappearing and yanking him back in mid-air before teleporting away in a flame.

“You really can’t kill me, whoever you are,” Lucas looked down at him with a smirk on his face. He turned around, seeing Yunho already on the back of the robot.

“But I can,” Yunho climbed up on the other shoulder, both of them trying to maintain their balance as the robot moved around. “Let’s settle this, from one immortal to another, shall we?”

“In the words of your beloved,” Lucas took out a dagger from under his blazer. “With pleasure,” He said, and disappeared.

Yunho sensed where Lucas would reappear while eyeing Jongho, who was already climbing up, and climbed to the other side, using the arm of the robot to swing out of the way, dodging every strike Lucas made towards him in mid-air with his blade. “We could do this all day,” He said, kicking the demonic looking mutant away before climbing on top again.

Jongho pierced the head of the robot as hard as he could, feeling wires get cut from the impact of his strike. He saw Wooyoung’s shadow form slithering into the robot. “I’ll try and control this,” He heard the older male say.

“Good-” Jongho covered his eyes, almost falling over from the beam of light that almost hit his face. Baekhyun had appeared behind them, beams of light flashing from his palms, narrowing down as if it had turned into a laser. Jongho groaned as he felt the laser hit the spikes from his arm, and jumped down to charge towards him. Baekhyun blocked every strike Jongho made with a smirk on his face. “You’re not going to succeed.”

“Oh but we have,” Baekhyun broke the spike on his arm. “Try getting that fixed.”

Meanwhile, Hongjoong ran as fast as he could all around the closed-off city, moving men, women, and children away from the damage. “Please stay here, all of you, we’ll solve this,” He said to them.

“Are you going to save us?” A little girl said.

“We’ll try, but keep yourselves safe, run to the borders, we’ll take it from here,” Hongjoong nodded as he sped away, almost running around to protect those who were already walking towards the borders with the assistance of the police, who were guiding them to leave. He saw military tanks enter the area, followed by men whom he knew were completing their military service and holding guns.

Every step the robot took, Hongjoong felt a tremor on the ground, the tremors increasing when he saw from a distance the other robot from the warehouse, that was walking towards the one being beaten down by the rest of his group. He could see the figures of Ten and Taemin, summoning the second machine from their places in the middle of it all.

He could see one car getting overturned, as if a shockwave was coursing through the road, electric advertisements short-circuiting. Hongjoong spotted one car about to hit the family at the very back, and moved in time to kick it away, the impact sending the vehicle back in its place albeit with a very visible dent on the hood.

As he went back to running in circles to protect the citizens from getting hurt, Hongjoong stumbled and fell, getting up to see Taemin standing by. He got up to his feet quickly, racing against Taemin, who stuck close to him. In the midst of the two of them trying to outrun each other, Hongjoong ran past him, making Taemin stumble and fall to the ground. Hongjoong stopped, adjusting the blade that had emerged from his sleeve that had some blood.

Taemin looked down at his side. There was a cut. “You’re going to regret that,” He said.

“You didn’t see that coming,” Hongjoong muttered, speeding away to continue protecting the citizens that were already moving out.

Mirae, San, Yeosang, Mingi, and Seonghwa climbed out of the ruins and ran out, following the robot as it marched through the trees that surrounded the ruins and into the city. “Looks like the rest of the guys caught up with it, Wooyoung’s controlling the robot from the inside for sure,” Mirae observed the actions of the first.

“Jongho must have busted it open, but they should’ve taken it down by now,” San glanced at his sister.

“They’re there. All of them,” Yeosang pointed out, seeing Yunho trying to kick someone away while Jongho was fighting Baekhyun.

“Remember, take the rest of them, but leave Baekhyun and Jongin to me,” Mirae said quietly, staring at the male who was trying to blind Jongho.

“That was the idea. We wouldn’t let you miss out on the privilege, my dear,” Yeosang turned to her, then created a portal that brought them directly into the fray. They stepped out into the middle of the street where the robots were.

Mingi, sensing Taemin was near, took out his lighter, trying to fight off the robot. The flames somehow grew larger the more he concentrated, and he made sure to fend off Taemin with another flame that grew. Seonghwa’s eyes glowed green and he tried to concentrate, getting the robot a few feet off the ground.

“You think you can destroy that kind of machine just like that,” Taemin snickered as he got up, stifling a groan as the blood stain on his side was spreading out even more. “It’ll take more than that to get rid of what keeps it going.”

“And you just gave us the answer, tsk tsk,” Mingi shook his head, taking out his shurikens and throwing them towards the machine as hard as he could. The shurikens pierced through the legs and he jumped up, hanging onto its legs. Mingi climbed up and San did the same. “If only I could heat this up we could bust in and end it.”

“We can,” San’s eyes and fingertips glowed and he punched through the leg of the machine as the two of them climbed even further. He punched the leg again, putting all his energy into breaking through the surface until he noticed the machine giving off an unusual glow that only he knew. “We need to get off!” He yelled, the two of them jumping off as the upper half of the machine exploded.

San and Mingi covered themselves from the bits of metal debris that came from the explosion. “What’s that? Something else is inside… Shit,” Mingi frowned, seeing the machine put itself back together, as if it was being pulled together by a glowing gem. “It’s like a diamond.”

“Diamond? Mirae told me about that,” San looked up, seeing how the gem pulled the machine back, as if it had never exploded. “It’s the diamond, the diamond from that tree of life story Mirae told me, it’s real!”

Mirae had also seen the gem pulling the machine back together. “It can’t be. It really can’t-” She said quietly.

“The diamond of the tree of life. It does exist,” Yeosang looked stunned as they followed the robot, seeing Seonghwa, San, and Mingi run with them. “What would be our next move, my dear?”

“We take them down. I remember something about that gem. It’s sentient, it’s going to-” Mirae stumbled when she saw Baekhyun close by, as if chasing her. “Go! Take the machines down!” She yelled at them.

“My dear, you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Yeosang sent a hex towards the light-bender, who staggered back.

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” Mirae got to her feet as Baekhyun quickly did the same.

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you, and I need you to die first,” Baekhyun charged towards her, a beam of light coming from his palms.

Mirae’s eyes and fingertips glowed, the two of them caught in a tussle until she felt someone kick her. It was Jongin, who kept appearing and disappearing. “I’ve been dead before, but you?” She managed to knock away both males, sending them flying towards the other side of the road and crashing into cars. “You don’t know what it feels like.”

Jongin teleported away and reappeared in front of her. “Soon enough, you will be known as the one who caused that explosion at the Center five years ago, your face will be everywhere, do you really want that?” He said.

Mirae seemed unfazed. “You’re one to talk, causing this much damage,” In a few moves, she kept her hold on Jongin. “You try and teleport, I’m teleporting with you,” She said, kicking him some more until he was on his knees. She took out a deck of cards in her pocket, charging them as she could see Baekhyun run towards them through her peripheral vision. “Goodbye, Baekhyun,” She muttered, throwing the entire deck towards him.

The deck exploded upon contact, and Jongin looked up at her in horror. “You won’t be able to stop what Ino has planned. The diamond of the tree of life is in those machines and there’s nothing that can be done to reverse the process,” He said, almost in a whisper. “Baekhyun’s death is now on your conscience.”

“But the deaths of Jihoon, of Hyuk, and of Chanyeol are on yours, and I can live with that” Mirae stared at him, her eyes turning black. “I wonder what it would be like to see you as an empty shell of a human being,” She hissed. Jongin was staring at her, noticing that she took out a card from her pocket. “What would your own family think? Their son, their brother, their uncle, an empty shell of a person without a soul.”

“Do it then, soul-taker,” Jongin muttered, a look of horror evident on his face.

“You missed me,” Baekhyun had emerged from the smoke with a gash on his side, almost limping towards him. Mirae glanced at him, then let go of Jongin. “You think you could get me so easily.”

“I already have,” Mirae charged towards him, the two of them tumbling over on the road. Both of them matched each other’s moves, with Mirae hitting Baekhyun’s wounded side repeatedly. Her eyes and fingertips glowed red again and she headbutted him down, the road cracking under Baekhyun as he struggled to move.

As if sensing something was coming, Mirae pushed Jongin, who reappeared in front of her, in time, only for him to go back to her. Mirae’s eyes and fingertips were still glowing as she took him on, grabbing him by the leg and kicking it down, the bones cracking once again and making him cry out in pain.

“Tsk, tsk. Looks like I got both of you,” Mirae watched them squirm in their places. She sensed Yunho’s thoughts. She ran towards the road that had the two robots.

The males were unsuccessful in taking down the machines that were still wreaking havoc in the city, Hongjoong running around in circles to protect the citizens from getting caught in the crossfire of the chaos. Seonghwa was struggling to control each machine even though his eyes and hands were glowing the brightest it had ever been in the few months she had seen his powers manifest.

The rest of them were trying to bring down not only the machines, but also Ten, Taemin, and Lucas, who were gaining the upper hand. Mirae spotted Junhong, who was running out of the internet cafe, looking around for a sign of anyone he could approach. “Mirae!” He called out, having seen her.

“The diamond of the tree of life is powering those robots,” Mirae said. “San tried to blow it up but the diamond is putting everything back together. Is there a way to get rid of that gem?”

“I remember Ino telling me that the diamond is a sentient gem. It disappears whenever it wants to,” Junhong explained. “If Ino hyung created these robots with the power of the diamond, there should be a way for it to disappear now, if we can use it to repair everything else here when all is said and done, we’ll have control of it.”

“But now Ino has the control,” Mirae said, and he nodded. She looked back at the machines that Wooyoung and Mingi were trying to take down. “I am going to try something, there must be a way to take these apart.”

“From the inside, maybe, but good luck trying to bust into that,” Junhong said.

Mirae nodded, coming to the realization that she knew exactly what to do. She turned to Junhong. “Once we take these down, by some miracle, Ino would hopefully stop this.”

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I’m not holding my breath at the same time,” Junhong frowned at the thought.

Mirae ran back to the middle of the road, seeing the machines on both sides. Her eyes glowed red, and she concentrated on the two machines that were still moving. Yunho, I’m about to break these things from the inside, she thought, in the hopes that he would hear her. The more she concentrated, she was slowly glowing, and they could see, in the middle of their fighting, that she was transforming into a bright, white spirit made out of energy.

“Mirae’s reached her full potential,” Junhong muttered, looking at her in awe as her energy form seeped into the machine that Wooyoung and Jongho were trying to take apart, the machine soon glowing red as Wooyoung and Jongho ran away, while Yeosang conjured a shield as the machine began to burst, the diamond inside disappearing.

The three males stared at Mirae’s energy form that flew through the air and entered into the other machine that San and Mingi were trying to take apart. San and Mingi jumped off, landing on top of some cars as the machine exploded and the gem disappeared.

“This is impossible,” Ten stared at the being that emerged from the explosion, watching it materialize back into Mirae, whose eyes were still glowing. He glanced at Lucas and Taemin, creating a portal before she could reach them, the three of them heading inside and vanishing. The portal reappeared before Baekhyun and Jongin’s incapacitated forms, Lucas grabbing onto the two of them before vanishing as well.

“Where the hell did they go?” Seonghwa looked around, seeing the ruins caused by the robots.

“They knew they would lose, so they left,” Yunho said, seeing a gem roll up against his feet. He picked it up. “If only there was a way to repair everything.”

The gem in his hand suddenly lit up and all of a sudden everything around them began to go back to the way it was. The windows that were smashed were brought back together, the dents in the cars disappeared, the rest of the damages, including the cracks in the roads were also brought back together as if nothing happened. “That’s a dangerous gem, Yunho,” Yeosang said, noticing what was in his hand, as the rest of them ran up to him.

“Mirae, where is she?” San looked around for a sign of his sister, until he saw a bright being fly above the buildings and into one skyscraper. “What building is that?” He pointed.

Yeosang looked over to where he pointed. “Lee Technologies. Ino must be there, and Mirae must be looking for him now,” He said. A disk appeared in front of them, expanding to fit them all. From the other side, they saw that it was an empty office and they went through.

The window shattered as Mirae went through, her bright energy form face to face with Ino’s astounded expression. “You have caused me guilt this whole time,” She said. “I have you to thank for me tapping into this part of myself again, but I can’t say things will go back to the way it was.”

“Lee Mirae, do you really think you can kill me?” Ino questioned. “I found you when you were working for your adoptive parents, fixed that trigger from your head, is that how you repay me?”

“I never said I wasn’t grateful, but I will say that you have done more damage to me because you knew where to hit me the most,” Mirae replied. “Your machines are gone, the rest of those people you were with have deserted you, it’s time to give up or I will have to make you.”

Ino shook his head. “Try me.”

Before Mirae could make another move, Ino had disappeared.

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dingoat · 3 years ago

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The Boy in the Temple

[Guess I’m in some sort of writing zone? This came out of absolutely nowhere and features a whole lot of Sithy business that I don’t normally go anywhere near and a character that’s still waiting to be properly defined and backstory for the worst boy rather than the best girl, hahaha. Sometimes when the plot bunnies strike you’ve just gotta run with it, and apparently I just did for nearly 2k words.]

---

It was the last thing the Sith expected to encounter scurrying about the edges of the Dark Temple, a furious little presence of cold rage and purpose completely untainted by the madness that otherwise permeated the area. Even more surprising to discover was that the being was not only a perfectly ordinary human, but young and Force-blind to boot.

Immediately curious, he shifted the focus of his hunt to the boy instead, a wave of his hand directing his bogwing to tighten her wings and wheel higher into the soft drizzle of the sky, a perfectly unassuming silhouette against the Temple’s stone peaks. Dropping back a comfortable distance, the Sith allowed the Force to do all his work for him, observing the boy’s passage under arches and over jutting walls, stealthy as a hunting cat. He was… very plainly here for a reason, driven by something that ran deep and swirled passionately at his core. Intensely focused, but with a sort of callous disregard for his own self; the boy didn’t know if he would come away from this excursion alive, and didn’t quite seem to care.

He carried things, things that no regular human boy should be carrying, a scroll and a blade that glittered so brightly through the Force with ancient energy and carefully honed power that the Sith could read the engravings on the knife and almost make out the strokes of ink on the carefully rolled parchment. The boy treated them with care; unrolling the map only for brief consultations and guarding it against the rain with his body. He picked his way around a curved section of wall, textured with glyphs carved in glossy obsidian, ran his fingers along the scored stone until he found what he was after.

Then he uttered words that no regular human boy should know, and the stone shifted.

The Sith’s curiosity deepend exponentially.

He raised his hand and seized the stone, forcing the doorway to remain open even after the boy had slipped inside. He sensed the way the boy waited, first impatient, clearly expecting it to close, then no longer caring as he pressed on inside. The Sith followed, summoning his pet down to ground level to perch by the carved wall, swiftly weaving threads of the Force between the bogwing and the doorway and forming an easy anchor that he could access to let himself out again from the inside.

If it proved necessary. You never really could tell, with places like this.

The boy moved on, down a winding passageway with only a small handful of forks, pausing only once to consult his map, and being very sparing with his use of a small electronic torch to light his way. All the while, anger flowed from him, cold white anger stemming from a whorl of grief that filled the whole of him, making plain the shape of his body through the Force. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen years, lean and fit but still gangly with youth, and yet there was so much tension in his shoulders, in the clench of his jaw. If the boy knew anything of what slithered along the walls or crawled over his head, he gave no indication that he was bothered; he was either not remotely squeamish, or utterly oblivious.

The Sith was certainly not bothered, as he felt something with far too many legs crawl across his chest and carry on its way as he took a moment to lean against the wall, waiting for the boy to fuss his way over a selection of doorways.

The Sith didn’t bother to follow him into the chamber that eventually yawned in front of him; his vision through the Force let him know all he needed about the ancient text inscribed across the walls, the smooth stone chalice that sat on an ornate pedestal in front of the towering altar that took up most of the room, crowned with a shimmering obelisk. He also knew, plain as day, that the boy now trembled with something new. Nerves. Anticipation. And was that… a delicious little glimmer of hope?

He had wondered, at one point, if this were some new Intelligence recruit, set on some impossible training task. But that thought was cast aside as he realised this boy’s mission was intensely personal, and terribly private.

He judged that the boy must be a terribly resourceful individual, to have gained possession of the artifacts he held. Particularly the knife, which he now brandished, brimming with tension, over his outstretched left hand.

The Sith tipped his head thoughtfully, listening as the boy spoke, his lips and tongue rapidly forming unfamiliar words, a little clunky with his lack of true grasp of the language, but still… impressive. Very impressive, for such a superficially ordinary little being.

The Sith decided he’d seen enough, and pulled himself to his feet, stepping forward while clearing his throat before the blade managed to nick the boy’s skin.

The boy startled with a shout, and the ancient blade clattered to the ground. Yet his shock was rapidly replaced with blind fury, and after a split second of sizing up the Sith he launched, recklessly, ferociously, fists raised.

The Sith let him come almost within arm’s reach before twitching his fingers and catching up the boy around the throat, lifting him into the air without actually laying a hand on him.

“Who are you?” The boy shouted through his struggles, deliciously furious. “You’re not meant to be here, what are you doing here?”

The Sith couldn’t help but laugh. “I think of the two of us, it’s the one with his legs dangling in the air that has less claim to any right to be here. Who are you, skulking about a cursed temple with stolen items? I have to assume you have some idea of what you were about to do, but truly, do you have any idea what you were about to do?”

The indignation that soared through the boy was delightful.

“Leave me alone! I don’t care what you think, just leave me alone. I know what I’m doing.”

The Sith sifted gently through the Force and tutted softly. “You don’t care, do you? You’re not afraid of me. You’re not afraid of losing your own life here, are you?”

The boy glowered, and somehow came across decades older than he aught. But his silence stretched long, simmering with grief.

The Sith observed him thoughtfully. “You won’t succeed. Whoever it is you’re trying to bring back…”

The boy shouted again, something that was almost a wild animal snarl, and thrashed savagely in the constricting grip of the Force. He twisted and bucked, utterly heedless of the pressure around his throat, he kicked out and so very, very nearly clipped the Sith across the chin.

“A more volatile being than I might choose to kill you know, just for that. Or perhaps for your trespass, or your blatant theft.”

“So do it then,” the boy spat back with an acid tone, flushed with absolute disregard for his precarious situation, and an impressive wall guarding his thoughts, for one unable to manipulate the Force.

But it did little to protect against someone as skilled as the Sith. Pressing through that barrier was as easy as drawing breath, and the image that the boy held in his mind was breathtaking in its contrast to the ferocity and willfulness he projected outward. “She’s young, isn’t she? Younger than you. Or is that… oh, I see. That’s as old as she ever reached, isn’t it?”

The boy shrieked a wordless rage, jolting so savagely against the Sith’s grasp that he almost considered letting go just to see how far the boy would go. It seemed a pity, almost, that such a vibrant being should have to suffer a complete inability to perceive the lifeblood of the universe. That a boy filled with such passion and fury should be blind to his true shape in the world.

He waited until the tantrum died down before speaking again. He was in no hurry.

“Your little ritual would have attracted the attention of spirits quite happy to claim you and use you, with no intention of delivering what you seek.”

“So why don’t you help me instead? Why don’t you do something decent with your stupid magic, what the kriff is even the point of being able to do what you people can do if you don’t-” his words were cut short with a sharp choking sound and a gasp for air.

The Sith saw little value in even entertaining the boy’s sad little fantasy. But what he did enjoy was the boy’s spirit. His fury and his cunning, his resourcefulness and courage. What a useful life, this boy could have. What a career.

He summoned the blade to his free hand, pocketing it before gently prying the scroll from the boy’s belt. “You will leave this temple, and you will turn your thoughts away from this absurd ritual. You want nothing to do with the stuffy old dead beings that would rather turn your mind than deliver a glimpse of your lost sister.” He spoke the words with a sliver of influential pressure, but the boy’s manner remained fierce; no fog came to his mind to absorb the suggestion. It was unsurprising, really, that the boy was far too strong willed for a simple mind trick; so be it. The words would be offered as plain advice. “And one day, you’ll be grateful that I spared your life, and gave you the opportunity to find a way to seek out true compensation for those who brought her to harm. There is a great deal of solace to be found in artful vengeance. Death comes to us all, boy, there’s no need to invite it early.”

The boy seemed to be taking in what he said, and had calmed his struggles somewhat. But the moment the Sith let his feet touch the ground again, he launched once more, utterly foolish but still, in his own way, admirable.

The Sith flicked his hand and sent the boy crashing against the far wall of the chamber. “You possess the sort of tenacity and ruthlessness that could get you far in the Empire. I’m curious to see where this will take you in life.”

And what you might be able to deliver when I decide to cash in on the debt you now owe me.

He smiled to himself as he turned and left the boy to find his own way out. If he was truly resourceful, he’d find a way, and if not… then perhaps the loss would not be so great after all.

---

Some decades later, Keeper took in the caller ID on his buzzing comm, and permitted himself a long sigh before responding.

“Intelligence headquarters, how are we able to serve?”

The voice on the other end was young, fresh, and a little bit nervous. An assistant of some sort, then, or an apprentice? “My Lord requests the presence of your Watcher Five at his earliest convenience, sir.”

“Watcher Five is currently on a rather well deserved leave of absence. I can arrange a meeting for him on his return, unless the matter is of some urgency? Might I request the nature of the appointment?”

A pause. “My Lord wishes to collect on a debt owed to him.”

Keeper drew his lips tight. He had a bad feeling about this. “I will be sure to inform the Watcher. If there is anything else we may be able to do…?”

“That is all. My Lord looks forward to the Watcher’s return.”

Keeper stared at his comm for a short while after the call ended, feeling an uncomfortable coldness in his guts. And then he began to dial out, suspecting that this might just be a matter that Five would appreciate some time to prepare for.

#dingoat writes #swtor fic #sith #MYSTERY SITH that is hahaha #and a wee little #watcher five #guest appearance by #keeper

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all-the-names-are-taken-aaaaa · 5 years ago

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Marinette had seen a lot of things. Marinette had done a lot of things. None of those things could have prepared her for this.

"Mama?" Marinette asked as she looked at her birth certificate, her real one. It has the names her mama's, her papa's, and a third persons "You were in danger. we all were. There was a war. It ended just this year. It is up too you but he wants to meet you." Sabine struggle to figure out how to explain. "How is this even possible? Is papa actually my dad or is this person" Marinette says still looking at the paper. "Both are. This is going to sound crazy. It was magic. There is a long process for the heir to find their mate or mates. We are not exactly sure what that is. Only the heir knows. We were not natives eather so we really couldn't know that family secret." Sabine explains.

Marinette was at least relieved that her parents were infact her parents. Magic was involved though. She is going to have a talk with the kwamis. "So I have a third parent that happens to be from a very important family in a foreign land. Said parent wants to meet me and left a present for my 17 birthday should I not get too meet them before then. And my 17 birthday is in three weeks" Marinette would normally have a panic attack now but honestly the current need to absorb as much information as possible was preventing that.

Sabine hesitated "Yes. Your papa is meeting with him right now since he had to come to Paris for a last minute meeting. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I understand why before ladybug and Chat that would sound pretty unbelievable and it was to protect me. Just overwhelmed" Marinette saying looking at her mama.

"I'll give you some space. Just call if you need me" Sabine is worried. She greatly missed him but any contact would have put Marinette in danger. Marinette came first before anything else they all agree to that. She really hopes Marinette will take everything well.

Marinette sighed "Tikki do you know anything about this?" The tiny god comes out of her hiding spot "Yes. I do. I did not realize you are the heir. It has to do with before the Miraculouses were created. A mortal who kept up our temples was rewarded and the reward was passed down from generation to generation." Tikki explained "the gift is to find our mate or mates?" Marinette responds. "Yes but not all mates have to be romantic. There are some platonic and some enemies. Some people don't have any." Tikki explains hesitantly "you would have gained the ability to see it as guardian eventually. It may help with your training."

The next day Marinette goes to school as usual. That day Miss. Bustier gives a presentation on how a 17 year war had just ended between two very important nations. She also explains how many children were sent away for protection including the princess of the winning nation. An old and powerful nation. It did explain some of the stuff her mama didn't have time too. Lila imminently took to telling stories about actually being on of the children and how she secretly visited her father. Marinette simply rolls her eyes. Her classmates pushed her away little by little. Sure she was sad but it gave her the chance to reevaluate her choices in heros and get more commissions done.

Sure enough by lunch the Ladyblog had a story about Ladybug's best friend being of of the children sent away for protection. Lila made sure she was the center of attention as always.

Marinette was pretty good at ignoring Lila by this point. And she did just fine for two weeks but it's pretty hard to miss people whispering princesse and pointing at Lila. Apparently the Kings refused to tell anyone who the princess is deciding a normal childhood was best for her. So Lila decided to claim it.

People in the class were treating Lila like a princess while glaring at anyone who didn't. The rest of the school seemed to ignore it much like Marinette wanted too. Today was the day she is meeting her father so she couldn't let this get too her.

Anything Lila claimed they believed so now they believed Marinette bullied Lila, soon to be Queen. Them ignoring her turned to them defending the princesse. Some like Juleka and Nino were ignoring the situation or unaware of it. The class would randomly mention something Marinette "did" to their princess. A few times she was tripped. Marinette could see Lila's smirk too bad the rest of the class didn't.

When it was finally time to leave Marinette was confronted by Lila and her sheep just beside the stairs. Marinette tried to show know emotion but when people are yelling false accusations and yelling about how they wish they were never your friends it hurts. Then suddenly Alya said "hey Lila didn't she push you down the stairs yesterday." Lila came closer as Alya said "an eye for an eye" Marinette processed the fact both of them had pushed her. Marinette also processed the screams of horror from other students. She faintly remembers Alya proclaiming protection of Lila. But Marinette never processed the pain.

The next day Marinette wakes up in a hospital. "Think God. Sabine! Tom! She's awake" an unfamiliar woman in a suit yells. Her parents rush in to hug her. "We just went out to talk to the doctors." Sabine explains and moves to give the girl a box of pastries. A doctor comes in "Miss. Marinette Dupain-Cheng what's the past thing you remember?"

Marinette sits up. "I was pushed. I remember screams." The doctor nods "You were knocked out from the fall but seem to have only some heavy bruising. You will have to give a statement given the severity of the action taken against you."

After the doctors left and she had given her statement and prevented everyone in the room from being akumatized, Marinette is left a lone to rest. Except the women in the suit. Marinette begins to panic because she needs to check on Tikki. "Miss? I am your bodyguard. My name is Wellstone. Your kwami is alright. She is resting with an energy Stone in your purse. No your parents do not know. I only know because she needed the stone and I had it." The woman explains to the now panicking teen "I am also partly magical. Your father hired me because of that. He sent me here as soon as he realized there was a threat. He didn't know if you would be comfortable seeing him yet."

Marinette took a minute to calm down. She remembers Tikki explaining energy stones. They were used to worship gods away from temples and kwamis can use them to regain energy if they are charged. "Was she hurt?" Marinette could forgive herself if Tikki was hurt because of her. "No she did heal you some though." Miss Wellstone explains. "You are magical?" Marinette asks. "Yes I can sense energy stones and identify if something is magical."

This could be useful in finding hawkmoth. Tikki choose to come out at that moment to hand the stone back and then check over Marinette.

*the day before not long after the confrontation*

Alya and Lila were both arrested. They are allowed visitors but not allowed to leave witch they are both having a fit about. Everyone had given statements and the police were stressed enough with one girl claiming to be the daughter of a imbasiter and a King. It most definitely did not help when it was revealed to them that the girl they attacked was actually the princesses and this was definitely an international issue. The parents had yet to make it to see their daughters given that they had to have the situation explained to them and it did not look good. Apparently the Lila girl had lied a lot and convinced the other girl, Alya too post everything she lied about on her formerly highly credible blog. Now Miss. Rossi, Marlena Césaire, and Otis Césaire are being warned of possible defamation cases against their daughters. A team is going over the security footage of the school to see if any of the claims against one Marinette Dupain-Cheng is true. Though all that has been found is Lila threading Marinette and trying to frame her for things. Only one person came in other than the families. A boy Named Nino came to see or rather end things with Alya Césaire.

"ALYA SHUT UP" the boy bellowed. "How the hell could Lila have walked away without a scratch from being pushed down the stairs?"

Alya simply said "good luck from ladybug duh"

"Even if that was possible. It wouldn't have been an eye for an eye. Marinette could die. That is attempted murder." The boy us trying to get her to understand

"She did it first."

"No Alya she didn't. I'm done. Alya did you even look at Marinette? You never talked to me about these outlandish claims. Lila never made or said any of these things around me. Don't you think that's suspicious? You can not just play with someone's life. Even if she did what Lila said. You should have turned her in not took revenge that could kill her."

"But Lila is a princess-"

"No she isn't and if she was she would have just caused an international problem. I'm done Alya goodbye"

The girl was unstoped by this. Loudly proclaming he would be back when she was proven right.

Eventually the parents got to see their kids. Miss. Rossi looked down at her child. "Why did you go after her?" Lila started to cry "she was so horrible mom-" Miss Rossi slammed her hands on the table "cut the crap. WHY DID YOU GO AFTER HER" Lila shrunk back "she didn't believe you did she? That's it. You attacked her because she wouldn't let you live this fantasy life created through lies. In pretending to be a princess and connected to all these celebrities you attacked an actual princesses whose actually connected to celebrities you lied about. You caused an international problem and have had your diplomatic immunity revoked. And more and more just keeps coming to light. I brought you here to get away from your father not become him." Miss Rossi left the room a minutes later. Lila continuously mutters they were harmless lies.

Alya's parents try to explain the situation but she won't listen to them. Anything they say Alya says not to listen to Marinette's lies. Alyas mom finally snaps "we haven't see Marinette. We haven't heard anything other than she was knocked out from the fall. For all we know she could be dead. Everything we are telling you came from Lila's mom, the police, or the Kings personal lawyer. Marinette is the princesses. You did not protect a princesses you nearly if not killed on." They left but Alya still looked unconvinced.

*back to present*

"Your father said he could meet for lunch if you would like." Miss Wellstone states guiding the girl to the car with her parents. "Yes that would be nice After everything I would like something other than hospital food." Marinette say. Wellstone giggles.

Marinette wasn't surprised by the expensive restaurant. She was surprised by the extra security. "Hi" she she said nervously. "It's a pleasure to finally get to see you. I'm sorry about everything." He states sitting across from her. "It was for my safety so I understand" kwami knows the amount of things she did for others safety.

"Yes but I should have sent a body hard at the very least. You are royalty and you could have died" He explains. "I'm what now?" Marinette explains before even realizing it. He shifts uncomfortably "I thought someone would have told you since you were attacked. I'm the king. You are the princess."

Marinette nods in the I know what you are saying and I understand but it will be a while before reality hits way. "The gift from the kwamis?" Marinette eventually asks. "Yes. Just pit the necklace on on your birthday and you'll be able to see your soulmate color. It's different for each of us."

Unknown to them someone had gotten a picture of them. As the day went on several questions were answered. Like Marinette is not required to take the thrown.

Marinette returns to school the next week with a necklace with a key on it. She is also accompanied by Miss. Wellstone. Many people in her class try to apologize but are blocked by Miss Wellstone. Marinette is not ready to talk to anyone she says repeatedly. Nino walls up and Miss Wellstone is about to enterup "chill not here to talk. Just gonna had you this and be on my way." He hands her two boxes and a card. Birthday presents from him and Juleka. Before opening then she takes a look at the two. Both Nino and Juleka are family. Miss Wellstone looks at Marinette who simply nods. Opening the boxes she finds new sketchbooks and other drawing supplies. The card is an apology, a happy birthday and their new numbers. They changed them while she was out. Adrian does end up talking to her at lunch. He tries to get her to have her father drop the charges. "Adrien I could have died." Marinette snaps. "But you didn't so there's no reason to ruin their lives" Adrien said. "Adrien even if I was to drop the charges. It is still international. They are still facing decimation lawsuits." Marinette tried to explain. "Couldn't you-" Adrien starts. "What? Beg people not to sue? Do you honestly still not see the damage she caused?" Marinette tries to hold her voice even. Adrien just looks at her "Fine I'll show you."

Marinette stood up and shouts "Adrien knew she was lieing the entire time because ladybug called her out when she tried to lie to him about being a hero. He just tried to guilt me into dropping the charges. He also kept telling me while she was bullying me to take the high road." Adrien looks at her helplessly as classmates begin talking loudly and she walks away leaving him to face the music.

Marinette looks down suddenly realizing she has gained a peace of jewelry. She ducks into an empty classroom. "Hello plag. Do you have someone you would like to go too?" Marinette asks. "Kagami seems good" Marinette nods before suiting up to give Kagami the ring. As it turns out Kagami is family as will. Chloe is family. Luka has the potential to be a mate. Apparently mates aren't set in stone soulmate bounds can change over time. Jagged and Penny are family. Lila is an enemy and shockingly Gabriel Agrest is an enemy.

#alya salt #lila salt #marinette #miraculous ladybug #miraculous lb #mlb salt #secret #secret princess #adrien salt #lila

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thebibliomancer · 4 years ago

Text

Essential Avengers: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #7-9

November, 1984

BERSERKER!

The death of an Avenger! The X-Men’s greatest battle! And, introducing the all-new SPIDER-WOMAN!

The cover sure isn’t burying the lede. This comic sure does introduce an All-New (presumably All-Different) Spider-Woman! Jessica Drew, move over! For now. You’ll be the Spider-Woman that endures in the long run.

Last times on Secret Wars: Some amazingly powerful being from Beyond the universe called the Beyonder kidnaps a bunch of heroes, villains, shades thereof, and chunks of random planets to put on a big toy commercial where action figures can bonk off each other.

The X-Men ditched the other heroes to do their own thing, as they’re wont to do. The villains storm the hero base and drop a mountain on them. The heroes take refuge at a small village where Johnny Storm finds a new girlfriend but there’s also a Galactus.

Galactus starts preparing a device to eat Battleworld, which would let him win the toy commercial in one fell swoop.

Oh, and Wasp was kidnapped by Magneto, escaped, crashed her escape ship, found the Lizard, and then got lasered to death by the Wrecking Crew. It was a Bad Time and I am sad, even though we know Wasp will be okay by the time they get back from Battleworld.

This time: Further not burying the lede.

The cover promised a new Spider-Woman and dammit, here’s one right away, first page. Truth in advertising!

Spider-Woman herself wastes no time introducing herself to everyone, that she comes from a chunk of Denver that got raptured by the Beyonder (still want that miniseries), that she came to help when she saw evidence of super fighting, and that she can pick up and throw large rocks so clearly she’d be able to help.

Captain America is hesitant about all this and Spider-Woman assumes that he thinks she’s a spy but as Captain America points out, why would Doom need to mess around with spies when he’s got so much power at his disposal.

Spider-Man is also hesitant at this new character. For different reasons.

Spider-Man: “She tossed that boulder as easily as I could have... at least! I wonder if she sticks to walls, too! And I wonder if I can sue her for infringing on my shticks! I should have gotten a patent or trademark or something...”

Cap tries to settle on the argument that a Secret War is too dangerous but Spider-Woman has the exceptional point “I suspect that it’s no less dangerous for the spectators, Captain America -- I might as well pitch in!”

And then the obvious toy pitch vehicle that the Wrecking Crew was driving in the swamp yesterday drives through the village blowing shit up, restarting the fires that the heroes just put out, and most insultingly of all, throwing Wasp van Dyne’s dead deceased corpse out the hatch before driving off.

Those dicks.

The heroes rush to Wasp and take her to Zsaji. That cool lady tries to heal Wasp but Jan has no pulse and isn’t breathing and might be beyond Cura. This may take Phoenix Down.

But since she went and got herself disintegrated on the Moon, Wasp is clearly dead forever.

-Looks over at Avengers #243- Hush, you!

The assembled heroes want to rush Doombase and kick the shit out of the villains and specifically the Wrecking Crew but Captain America tells them no.

Captain America: “Now, listen to me -- ! While we’re off getting even, what if Galactus starts to use that world-eating machine he’s building up on that mountain? Then every living thing on this world -- including these innocent villagers and all those people from that suburb of Denver will die! We’ve got to stay right here, ready to attack him! We may have only seconds to react when it begins!”

She-Hulk storms off while the other heroes debate the Galactus situation.

I’m sure this is fine.

Meanwhile, on the more volcano-y side of the planet, Xavier orders Cyclops, Rogue, and Wolverine to pursue Doom’s Four villains Molecule Man, Titania, Absorbing Man, and Doctor Octopus to try to capture them before they can return to Doom.

Back over at Doombase, Titania sees that her “little Owie” has been badly hurt and begs Enchantress to help.

Volcana: “Enchantress! You’re a sorceress! You could use your magic to transport me to my Owen!”

Enchantress -busy getting drunk-: “Yes... but why would I, mortal?”

Volcana: “Well... because... because I need you to! I can’t fly a ship! I -- I don’t even have a driver’s license for a car! Ultron won’t help me -- ! He only takes orders from Doom!”

Enchantress: “It takes much energy to transport a body as bloated as yours! I cannot be bothered!”

Wow! You’re a dick!

Volcana catches a lot of fat jokes and she’s not depicted as looking any different from Standard Comic Book Body Type. But also, don’t fatshame at all, Enchantress.

Anyway, Volcana promises anything to Enchantress if she helps.

Enchantress: “Rash words, mortal wench... and later, you shall deeply regret them!”

Its very handy for the villains that Volcana just showed up because their airship almost immediately gets show down by the X-Men. So even with Molecule Man out of commission, their numbers are back to Doom’s Four. And Volcana calls dibs on beating up Wolverine.

The X-Men have numbers but they’re not doing super well. Professor X is on the scene trying to be the field leader but the chaos of the battle and the villains’ minds being blocked by Enchantress’ magic makes it hard for him to coordinate.

Magneto even gets smack-talked by Absorbing Man.

Absorbing Man: “Tell me, Magneto. What’s scum like you doin’ hangin’ around with the X-Men? Sure, they’re outlaws -- but I thought you was big time! You got mass murder raps, manslaughter, terrorism, what else? Probably everything! You’re one of us! On second thought, a creampuff like you belongs with them losers!”

I can’t believe Magneto has to take that from a man who constantly carries a large metal orb with him everywhere.

Wolverine manages to slice off Absorbing Man’s arm, although the guy was made of rock at the time so it wasn’t as gory as it could have been.

Absorbing Man just. Picks up his arm and runs off to hit someone with it.

Amazing.

The villains manage to pin down the heroes with some Volcana blast and then steal one of the X-Men’s ships and get away.

Professor X declares that this is Totally a victory.

Xavier: “We lost nothing, save one of our ships -- which matters little -- and we gained much! We coalesced as a fighting unit passing our greatest test to date and I think we proved ourselves -- beyond a doubt!”

Like, you had a scuffle with some villains that ended inconclusively even though you had the advantage of a sneak attack, the villains stole one of your ships, and there was no major damage to either side.

It was largely pointless. But I guess Xavier has a vested interest in declaring it a huge success since it was his inaugural go at being field commander.

Meanwhile, skulking around Galactus’ ship, DOOM complains about doing that.

Doom: “Doctor Doom - a burglar! Rummaging about in another being’s home, seeking to steal some priceless thing! Bah! What choice do I have? I need a key, a way -- ! My armor’s sensors have led me to prize after prize -- hundreds, thousands of devices which, in the hands of a man as brilliant as myself could provide power to conquer entire galaxies -- ! Yet, all of them combined are not enough to defeat Galactus -- let alone the Beyonder! There must be a way! Doom must be supreme!”

Unfortunately for Doom, despite the volcano distraction making Galactus sigh and have to spend time fixing the planet so he can eat it, he senses something amiss in his house and mentally yeets Doom back to Battleworld.

The villains return back to Doombase but Doctor Octopus can’t help Molecule Man because dammit he’s a nuclear physicist, not a medical doctor! Ultron tells Volcana that there are medical devices that could fix Molecule Man up nicely but since he doesn’t have any relevant orders from Doom, he’s just going to stand here and look pretty. And Enchantress says she could heal him with a wave of her hand but refuses to because Volcana already gave her a blank check.

Absorbing Man returns and reattaches his arm by basically hoping like hell it’ll just be better if he holds it in place when he reverts to skin flesh.

And the Wrecking Crew have to throw the Lizard into a cell because he hasn’t stopped trying to eat their faces for killing Wasp, his new best friend.

The Wrecking Crew doesn’t get a chance to enjoy being back at base because She-Hulk has broken in and beats the crap out of them off-screen.

Titania comes in and starts fighting She-Hulk STARTING AN ENDURING RIVALRY.

Its fun how much got its start in Secret Wars.

The two fight more or less evenly from what I can tell but uh Doctor Octopus joins in as does the Absorbing Man and the Wrecking Crew once they catch their breath.

And She-Hulk is strong but this is a stomp.

In another part of Doombase where the Enchantress is sitting in “sullen reverie” refusing to get involved in the fight she can here, instead thinking about how much she’s going to seduce the crap out of Thor.

Doom arrives at Himbase after being expelled from Galactus’ ship and refuses to explain anything to Enchantress. He just stumbles over to his sweet bed and collapses in it.

Doom: “It is over... Finished...”

Back over at Zsaji’s Village, the heroes realize that She-Hulk took off. Hawkeye figures that she went after the villains and asks to go after her.

Hawkeye: “She can’t take ‘em alone, Cap! She needs us!”

Huh! When the chips are down even though they fought, Clint and Jen sure are coworkers.

Hulk also asks to go after her since she’s his cousin. The acknowledgement of which is what I’ve been wanting all along.

But Cap tells them no.

Hulk: “I don’t suppose you’d consider putting it to a vote?”

Trying to appeal to his love of democracy. How wily.

Captain America: “My heart would vote ‘yes’ in a minute... Too many innocent lives are at stake here, though! Many more than the few people on this planet -- we’ve got a universe depending on what we do here! We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of making decisions with our hearts!”

But Cap receives a psychic skype from Professor X who tells him that the X-Men can take Galactus watching duty for a bit so run along and save your teammate, you scamp.

Cap accepts.

Its fun how the tide of battle has shifted back and forth.

Now the heroes are largely fresh, having been sitting on their ass staring at Galactus, and the villains are bloodied from several fights with the X-Men and She-Hulk. Plus, their big gun Molecule Man got Wolverine’d.

But next issue is something so big that it overshadows basically everything else in Secret Wars.

December, 1984

INVASION!

YEAH ITS VENOM

OR WILL BE

Also, a bunch of other stuff happens. The cover is kind of funny for maybe unintentionally presaging what would happen where the black costume being more remembered than everything else in Secret Wars in general but definitely this issue specifically.

There’s actually a lot of really cool stuff happening in this issue.

Cap(tain America)’s group of heroes storms Doom’s Doombase, lucking out that Doom is too stunned by being expelled from Galactus’ ship to attempt any kind of defense and nobody else on his team has the braincells to be watching out for an attack.

Enchantress hears the heroes breaking in but she’s well and truly drunk by this point.

And bemoans her secret god meeting with Thor. That she was going to try to cast a spell on him to bend him to her will but is aware that she might have flipped good for him instead. And even now wonders what she’ll do if Thor shows up in front of her.

The villains still beating She-Hulk to her death hear the heroes breaking into the base and run off to ambush them, Doc Ock slamming She-Hulk against some wreckage as a coup de grace.

Wrecker gets the jump on Iron Man and Doc Ock dumps a convenient tank of water on Human Torch but Spider-Man jumps in and drops Bulldozer with one punch before he can pulp an extinguished Johnny.

The Thing tries fighting Absorbing Man but wouldn’t you know it, the Thing’s thingness fades at the worst time again, leaving him powerless.

Spider-Woman jumps in to save him.

She didn’t get to really do much in her actual introductory issue, despite being on the cover and splash. She just kinda shows up and goes ‘i can definitely help!’

She makes a much better second impression this time. Almost like she’s aware that she needs to sell herself.

Spider-Woman: “A clean knockout -- ! Of the awesome Absorbing Man -- ! And it’s only the fifth time I’ve ever been in a fight! The new Spider-Woman wins again!”

Marvel really wants you to like this non-Jessica Drew.

Piledriver charges Hawkeye, mocking him for missing with his arrows and gloating that arrows are useless to a guy who’s immune to bullets.

Piledriver: “Hawkeye the Archer! Hah! Boy you gonna need Hawkeye the M.A.S.H. doctor in a minute -- ‘cause I reckon this good ol’ boy is gonna ‘mash’ you!”

Good one, Piledriver. Good banter.

Hawkeye: “Those shots were just warnings, dummy! I don’t want to have to hit you! From my bow, at this range, an arrow hits a lot harder than any bullet! Back off... please...”

We did learn in the Hawkeye mini that Hawkeye’s bow has a ridiculous draw strength.

This is a pretty good Hawkeye moment people don’t really point to a lot.

Also, I do love when an invincible or durable person who isn’t used to getting hurt gets hurt once and goes ‘NOPE! I DO NOT CARE FOR THIS!’

Hulk busts into Enchantress’ drinking room and unfortunately falls for her “I am but a helpless female!” routine. She gets all up in his business, magically puts him to sleep, and then pours herself another drink.

It could have been a good day for Enchantress if Captain America hadn’t come in right after.

Captain America: “What have you done to the Hulk?”

Enchantress: “For the moment, he is merely asleep. Doubtless dreaming dreams of me! But, alas, he can never truly have me, for I am yours, my handsome captain! Am I not beautiful? Come to me...”

Points for audacity but Captain America is a champion of not thinking with his dick. Blah blah willpower is legendary, socked Prometheus in the noggin. You get it.

Anyway, he socks Enchantress in the noggin with his shield and knocks her out.

Hawkeye and unthinged Ben try to find the rest of the heroes but run into Klaw and Lizard, who Klaw let out of his cell because he didn’t like to see anyone imprisoned but also because he liked the way Lizard talks. What an audiophile.

Ben Grimm: “Uh... any ideas, Hawk?”

Hawkeye: “Well... I guess we’ll have to outwit ‘em!”

Ben Grimm: “Us?!”

Hah.

Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Woman, and Mr Fantastic find Volcana and Molecule Man.

Iron Man makes the dubious tactical decision to charge right into Volcana’s plasma burst and burns out his armor.

Mr Fantastic pulls him out of the way and the other heroes try to get through Molecule Man’s fused air molecules invisible shield. They fail until Captain Marvel just lightbeams right through it. Because its transparent.

Love it. Love that her power works like that. Because it should.

Captain Marvel grabbing Molecule Man pulls open his Wolverine wounds and he passes out. Volcana surrenders to spare her boyfriend more pain.

Not that Monica intended that or knew he was wounded. This is still early Monica before Nextwave hardened her outlook. This is the Monica who was horrified when Blackout and Moonstone got pulled through a singularity.

Titania tried to drop a forty-ton beam on the heroes’ heads but is interrupted by Spider-Man thanks to his spectacular spider-sense.

She out-muscles him by a lot but she can’t actually lay a hit on him because he’s got superior spider agility. Maybe if she had more experience it’d be different but she’s basically in the angry flailing stage of her skill tree so far.

Spidey brags “With a little room to operate, no one can lay a glove on me -- not the X-Men, not the Absorbing Man, and not you!”

Titania: “When I get you I’ll -- AGGH!”

Spider-Man: “All you’re going to get is frustrated... and, eventually, trashed!”

Titania: “No! It’s not fair! *UHH!*”

Spider-Man: “But, if we were fighting in a broom closet, that’d be fair, right?”

Titania: “Stop it! Stop it! Stop -- !”

Spider-Man: “You ought to be happy, cuddles! You aspired to be a bully, and, man, you’re a classic! You talk tough and nasty when you’ve got the upper hand -- but when you’re losing -- well, that’s when the whining little wimp-ette inside comes spilling out!”

And then he defenestrates her without a window.

Fun fact: she apparently developed a Spider-Man phobia from this.

Understandably.

Y’know, in terms of embarrassing and traumatizing people, Spider-Man is having a good run in this story.

Captain American and Human Torch find a passed out Piledriver who fainted from blood loss after staggering away. And they find Ultron, standing between them and Doom.

Ultron is an Avengers-tier stomper who takes down entire teams and there’s just two heroes who coincidentally were both portrayed by Chris Evans. And the Human Torch’s fire is ineffective as Ultron gloats.

Ultron: “The core of the hottest star could not melt my adamantium body, human! Nothing can harm me! I am invincible! I am mechanically precise and computer-swift! I am perfect!”

When Ultron grapples Human Torch and starts throttling him, Cap tells him to use his nova-flame. Then hides behind his shield.

The flame melts a good portion of the room and the air being superheated somehow doesn’t make Cap crispy. And when the nova flare of the nova flame fades, Ultron’s chassis is still intact.

But the heat damaged something inside and Ultron is down. Johnny is also down, spent from the nova.

I like that the Fantastic Four would have their own way to deal with Ultron should that ever come up. Has it? You’d think it would.

Captain America proceeds to Doom alone but Doom is non-responsive from being Galactus’d.

And Reed, Spider-Man, and Hulk finds Hawkeye and Ben Grimm, where they have outwitted Klaw and Lizard.

Lizard: “Disssturb our gamess-s and the Lizard will dessstroy you! Once we finissh, we will do as you s-ssay!”

Well, whatever works!

With the fighting done, Captain Marvel finds She-Hulk, barely alive. The heroes jam her into a healing tube saving her in the nick of time.

The heroes also jam the villains into healing tubes because they’re heroes and are nice like that.

Considering the heroes were fighting to take prisoners and the villains very much weren’t, it’s lucky that the heroes won the majority of conflicts and got away from the one they didn’t.

The villains that didn’t need bacta treatments - or whatever is in those tubes - got shoved into cells. Also, Doom, because he might need the healing juice but it would require peeling him out of his armor and its probably booby-trapped.

Hawkeye and Captain Marvel return to the village to bring Wasp’s body to DoomHerobase for a funeral but they’re in for a surprise.

It turns out that Zsaji WAS able to heal Wasp who wasn’t dead just in a laser-induced death-like stasis. AS YA DO. It nearly killed Zsaji to bring Wasp back from such grievous injuries.

Colossus learns this by getting into her exposition drugs while she’s passed out and mind-melding with her.

Of course, it just makes the big lug fall deeper in love with her.

The important takeaway is that Wasp is alive. Just like we knew that she would be. The universe has been set right.

Over at Herobase, Reed Richards fixes the Iron Man armor after Rhodey got it a little melted.

Iron Man, James Rhodes: “I’m curious... were you surprised there was a black man under the metal?”

Reed Richards: “Hmm... No, I never gave it a thought! I knew there was a man under there...”

Its a nice exchange.

Its kinda ruined retroactively by Illuminati revealing that Reed knew Tony was Iron Man and would have known about Tony having to step down due to his alcoholism and likely knew about Rhodey taking over.

Dammit, Illuminati!

Elsewhere in the base, Spider-Man spots Hulk and Thor coming out of a room with Thor sporting a brand new cape and helmet. They tell Spidey that there’s a device in there that will make any clothes you want.

Except Spider-Man doesn’t bother asking which device and they don’t bother specifying so Spidey just picks the likeliest one and gets a black glob.

An important black glob.

To eventually be revealed to be an alien goo symbiote and later eventually tied to a dark god that predates the universe.

But for right now, its a way to incorporate a new costume design that a fan submitted. And Spider-Man handwaves it not looking like his old costume by assuming he was thinking of the new Spider-Woman.

So that’s how it is, Pete? She ‘ripped’ you off so you’re gonna rip her off?

You know whats really funny?

A month before this came out, in Spider-Man’s own book, he had learned that the costume was a living symbiote and had gotten rid of it.

It be like that with Secret Wars but its still funny that we’re finally seeing him get the costume just as he’s getting rid of it.

Anyway, Spider-Man’s new costume buzz is interrupted by the planet shaking and someone yelling in his brain.

Professor X: “CAPTAIN AMERICA! COME AT ONCE! IT HAS BEGUN! GALACTUS IS DEVOURING THE PLANET!”

It’s nice that the crises are waiting their turn.

January, 1985

ASSAULT ON GALACTUS!

The issue titles for this story are all so excited.

The X-Men were left on Galactus watching duty so when the big lug starts trying to eat the planet, the X-Men charge in to attack him.

Hm.

Y’know, I sometimes wonder what iconic storylines would have been like if a different set of characters handled it. This used to be great What If fodder. I know there was one where the Avengers tackled Galactus’ first appearance. And because it was the tone of What If at the time to viciously shoot down any divergence of the 616 timeline, THINGS WENT HORRIBLY WRONG.

Think of it like the Turn Left episode of Doctor Who.

POINT BEING, I wonder how the X-Men would have handled Galactus’ first appearance. Of course, this would be the O5 roster so they’d have their work cut out for them.

Heck, even with Storm on the team, the X-Men are over their heads with Galactus.

She hits him with two massive lightning bolts and Galactus keeps working like he didn’t even notice.

The X-Men seem to realize how out of their depth they are (especially sans Phoenixes, their usual Galactus-fighting go-to) but at Professor Xavier’s command they charge in anyway.

Galactus sends out a defensive drone so he can continue not paying the X-Men any mind and the mutants find themselves completely bogged down in fighting the drone while Galactus does his thing.

And from Zsaji’s sweet village, Captain Marvel, Wasp, and Hawkeye see a massive explosion where the X-Men were.

I guess they’re totally dead forever.

Wasp: “Should we head up there now?”

Hawkeye: “No! We’d better wait for Cap... and strike as a unit!”

Hah.

Its the expression, really. Like Hawkeye thinking to himself ‘oh I want no part of that.’

The non-X-Men assemble at Herobase to rush to the fight.

Mr. Fantastic: “Hurry! No telling how long the X-Men can hold out!”

Spider-Man: “Yeah! Where’s the rest of the alphabet when you need it?”

HAH!

Oh, Spider-Man, you are a delight.

In the airship over, Thor notices that Hulk looks glum and tries to cheer him up.

Thor: “If ‘tis that you do not fit in these chairs that depresses you, count yourself fortunate! They were made, I think, for insect men... or by trolls, for torture! If ‘tis the impending battle troubling thee -- just think! What greater chance for glory has man or god e’er known? More even than Ragnarok, this is the battle I was born millennia ago to fight! You, too, are a warrior born, Hulk! A taste of battle and the berserker battle-lust shall rise in thy soul!”

Hulk: “I doubt it! I lost that when I gained the intelligence of my human side -- Bruce Banner! And now I’m slowly losing that, too! I’m not savage enough... or smart enough to be a relevant factor!”

Well, You Tried, Thor.

Johnny Torch is trying to cheer up Ben Grimm who is as grim as his name over his powers popping in and out as they please.

And then the rocks pop back on just as Ben is dramatically bemoaning that he can’t control them.

The Thing: “Whoopie! I’m the Thing again! I’m so happy, I even like you!”

Human Torch: “Yeow! You lummox! Put me down! Jeez, I can see the headlines -- ‘affectionate hug slays Human Torch en route to battle -- universe destroyed as a result’!’“

This book has some decent lines.

Iron Man ogles Spider-Woman under the pretense of not trusting her but then goes a little ‘I’ll show them all!’

Iron Man: “A lot of guys have worked with Iron Man before -- but that was when Tony Stark was in this suit! I think they’ve started to realize there’s a different guy in here, now... an’ they got their doubts! They’re keepin’ their distance -- don’t quite trust me yet! Don’t matter! As long as I got this armor, I’m one ba-ad dude -- especially since Richards souped it up! As soon as that fight starts, I’ll show ‘em -- show ‘em I’m Iron Man! The real Iron Man! James Rhodes is Iron Man -- now and forever!”

Rhodey pls.

Also meanwhile, because this is a long flight, Spider-Man starts hopping all around the interior of the airship overexcited because he’s just discovered that the totally benign goo suit he got has webshooters!

And he squirts Johnny in the face to prove it because that’s just how Spider-Man is sometimes.

Johnny complains that this webbing is even harder to burn than his old stuff which will turn itself into a bit of a plot hole down the line when its revealed that symbiotes are weak to fire.

Whoops.

Its fine though. Pre-modern Venom has always had sloppy writing around it.

He also demonstrates the goo suit’s ability to change shape.

I can’t believe that Marvel were cowards and never had Peter go around in the Summer Variant suit.

Reed lets himself go down a melancholic musing rabbit hole and starts poking holes in the story logic.

Mr. Fantastic: “At face value, the whole thing is absurd! Why would a being so far removed from us and so powerful as the Beyonder bring us across the universe for a stupid, simplistic ‘good-versus-evil’ gladiatorial contest? Is he a mad god? A cosmic idiot? And why us? Why this odd collection of beings, mostly from Earth? And why Galactus? He doesn’t fit! Human beings and even gods may be tempted, but Galactus is a force of nature -- no more capable of having enemies than a hurricane or an earthquake! Why is he here? There must be more to this... but what possible purpose could there be?”

Credit where its due, these are things I’ve been wondering!

But Reed is so busy pondering this that he runs the airship into the energy discharge from Galactus’ machine and crashes the ship on top of Colossus.

Smooth move, absent minded professor.

With only seconds before the world starts to burn, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and assorted leap into battle against Galactus.

Iron Man manages to get past Galactus’ defense drones and punch his world eating engine, thanks to the upgrades done to the armor.

But now that they’re being successful, Reed interjects and tells them to stop winning so hard. Yes, really.

Mr. Fantastic: “Ben, we can’t go through with this! At last I see a purpose here -- a meaning to the universe for this insane conflict! WE MUST NOT STOP GALACTUS!’

Then Galactus effortlessly blasts the heroes away.

Which, if nothing else, gives Reed a chance to catch his breath to EXPOSIT MORE.

Mr. Fantastic: “For the first time this whole thing makes seom sense to me! I see a possible purpose in it! This is a chance to rid our universe of the threat of Galactus! All we have to do is let him win this contest! If the Beyonder indeed, grants hsi wish, he’ll be freed of his planet-consuming hunger at long last!”

The Thing: “And if the Beyonder reneges?”

Mr. Fantastic: “Re-energized by consuming this world, Galactuc will attack -- I know it! And force the Beyonder to pay up -- or be destroyed in the attempt. Any way you look at it... the universe wins! Countless billions who would have eventually fallen prey to Galactus -- will live in peace!”

Spider-Man: “Yeah, but why us? Why were we picked to decide the fate of the universe?”

Mr. Fantastic: “Why not us? We picked ourselves, remember? Besides... we beings of Earth seem to have a knack for being pivotal in the cosmic scheme of things.”

Reed, some offense but you’re the last person who should be speaking on this.

Galactus is only alive now because you had a hunch that he had some Big Important Role in the cosmic order and saved his life.

You may remember that because THE ENTIRETY OF SPACE PUT YOU ON TRIAL FOR IT.

Turning around on that because now you have a different hunch that everything will be a-okay if the Beyonder kills Galactus, is just such a classic Reed move.

Anyway, the discussion ends because Galactus raptures Reed and the entire mountaintop his machine was sitting on.

Since the suspects of Reed rapturing were Galactus or the Beyonder, its not very surprising that its Galactus forcibly inviting Reed up to his solar-system sized apartment.

What, you thought that the Beyonder would be more present in this story that it initiated? Fool.

Anyway, Galactus wants to have a friendly talk at Reed. Because Galactus is one of the few people that can talk down at Reed and he just has to sit tight and listen.

Meanwhile, over at the former Doombase, locked in a Doomcell, its Doom. Still in his catatonia OR IS IT?

Doom: “THE WORLD SHIP IS THE WAY! Galactus’s home itself is the way I seek! At last, I see!”

He activates the get-out-of-jail-free button hidden in his ankle which activates a point-singularity power supply that busts the door off his cell.

He ignores all of the other imprisoned villains to free Klaw.

Doom: “You, yourself, Klaw, are a ‘recording’ of sorts, due to the time you spent as a wave of vibratory energy coursing through the walls of Galactus’s homeworld! Come with me!”

Klaw: “Where to? Toodle-oo, toodle-oo!”

Doom: “To the lab! I’m going to dissect you!”

Klaw: “Oh, good!”

If it were anyone else that would read as sarcastic.

Its also revealed that Doom talks to himself because he is constantly recording.

Doom: “Every utterance of Doom must be recorded for posterity!”

How on-brand.

Meanwhile, back over at where the fight was, Cyclops OPTIC BLASTS out of the hole Magneto buried the X-Men in to save them from Galactus’ exploding drone.

Good job, Magneto.

Buuut. The fight is over so the X-Men just vaguely wander over to Zsaji’s village to catch up with Captain America’s group.

Zsaji wakes up from her Wasp-healing coma and runs over... right past Colossus to embrace Johnny. To make Colossus sad in the background.

But Johnny is too worried about Reed being raptured to make out with his new space girlfriend right now.

The heroes debate what to do.

Cap(tain America) wants to just stand ready until Galactus comes back and Cap(tain Marvel) suggests finding some spaceships at former Doombase and mounting an assault on Galactus’ imagination-ruiningly huge homeship.

The Thing offers the daring option of ‘hey Reed said not to fight Galactus and dangit what Reed says goes!’

He’s as bad as the Inhumans, I swear.

Reed reappears right about when Iron Man and the Thing are about to come to blows over the ‘do whatever Reed says’ plan.

The Thing: “Stretch! What happened?”

Mr. Fantastic: “Not much! We had tea...”

NOW I KNOW that Galactus likely has some robot servant or device that makes tea for him. But I can’t get the image out of my head of Galactus holding a tiny teapot and serving Reed tea.

How dare this comic cut away and let that happen off-panel!

Anyway, their big OFF-PANEL talk?

Mr. Fantastic: “He told me that I was a ‘force of the universe’ just as he is -- ! That I’m a ‘universal champion of life’ just as he is an instrument of death!”

Now. Nooooow. Champion slash Avatar of Life is a legitimate thing in Marvel, once filled by, uh, Captain Marvel. The Kree guy version. So the position is open.

I just find it easier to believe that Galactus was saying random nonsense to try to befuddle Reed into doing what Galactus wants rather than it being official.

The Avatar of Life page on marvel wiki doesn’t seem to credit it. It only has two versions of Adam Warlock, Drax, and Cancerverse Mar-Vell.

Anyway.

Mr. Fantastic: “I don’t what to say! I’m more convinced than ever that it’s right to let Galactus do what he must! And if I’m a ‘Champion of Life’ does it not make sense to allow Galactus to slay us so that countless billions will live? Or was he telling me that I must fight to serve even these relatively few lives here? I just don’t know...”

Yeeeeah. More convinced than ever that Galactus was filling Reed’s brain with cognitive chaff so to speak.

But Ben “Thing” Grimm is like ‘hey if Reed tells me I gotta die for the good of the universe then I’m ready to die so we’re not fighting unless Reed says so.’

Hawkeye: “This is a real crock! We’ve got to fight! Quitters! Cowards!”

I rarely say this but I think Hawkeye has a point.

Anyway, Galactus reappears the mountaintop, his machine, and himself to get back to snacking on the planet.

Far be it from me to tell Galactus how to ‘mortals are beneath my notice’ but maybe he’d get better results relocating his machine to the other side of the planet. Get some element of surprise, a head start.

No? Fine.

Captain America: “All right, listen up! I’m going to fight! The rest of you come or not as your conscience dictates!”

Wasp: “We’re with you, Cap!”

Captain America: “Good! But first... I just want to tell you, Professor Xavier, that despite our differences, you and your people did us -- and the universe, as far as I’m concerned -- a great service, earlier!”

Professor Xavier: “It was an honor!”

Captain America: “I hope you, the X-Men... and Magneto will come and fight side by side with us now! No one here will deny you’ve earned that much!”

Think about all the grief that could have been saved if people were willing to give Magneto the benefit of the doubt at the beginning of the story! Womp womp!

Meanwhile at Doombase (because the heroes are all off doing stuff and when the heroes are away Doom gets his base back), Doom observes the battle against Galactus starting AND that the Beyonder has cracked open his portal to watch the fight.

But more importantly, Doom cut Klaw into slices.

Back over at the heroes fighting Galactus, the heroes are fighting Galactus.

As in, directly. No drones.

Its a sign that they’re making some sort of progress.

He’s still batting them around like leaves in the wind.

But the Terrific Three show up to actually help.

Mr. Fantastic: “Galactus used enormous amounts of energy transporting his homeworld here -- and I’m sure he hasn’t fed for months! His power is almost depleted! We can take him!”

Captain America: “Richards, I -- I’m glad you’re here -- but what made you change your mind?”

Mr. Fantastic: “I... thought about what Galactus said -- and I’m still not certain that, in the cosmic scheme of things, what we’re doing is right -- but I realized just how badly I want to see my baby born, Cap! I want that more than anything -- ! And I’m going to fight for it!”

Aww.

He’s going to be waiting a long time for that baby though.

Not because of comic book time but because of intense drama reasons.

The heroes manage to reach the top of the mountain and start trashing Galactus’ machine despite Reed insisting that they ignore it and prevent Galactus from escaping.

And Galactus just animation-cell-slides-up ‘I must return to my homeworld’ style.

And as Reed explains how badly they done fucked up, Galactus takes a last look around his homeworld/spaceship. Because he doesn’t need his machine to eat planets. It just makes the process more efficient. So if the heroes are going to be annoying about him eating Battleworld, he’s just going to eat his own dang home!

Mr. Fantastic: “He’s devouring his own living world -- perhaps the greatest energy source in the universe! Moments after he’s finished, this godforsaken planet will be next! We won’t be able to stop him this time! Then he’ll probably consume the sun too! He’ll want every iota of energy available in case he must do battle with the Beyonder! We’re dead men!”

Wow. Is that the most kirby krackle we’ve ever seen?

But as Galactus converts his home into POWER COSMIC, Doom is ready with his own plan to steal that power, aided by a series of lenses he’s turned Klaw into.

As ya do?

You’ll have to tune in to the last quarter of Secret Wars to see if Doom succeeds in doing that thing that he always tries to do.

My thought is: maybe.

Follow @essential-avengers for the good job I’m doing with these Secret Warses. Like and reblog maybe.

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godsofhumanity · 4 years ago

Text

GODHUNTER by AMY SUMIDA | REVIEW

okiee this was recommended to me by @inkleaves ^-^ uhmm so i have a LOT to say about this book. spoilers under cut.

OVERVIEW: “Godhunter” is the epithet given to a young woman named Vervain who uses witchcraft and magic to go around committing deicide in order to save humanity from gods who drain their energy to gain immortality and other godly attributes. However, when Vervain is recruited by the Norse god Thor, she finds herself in an alliance with the people she originally considered her enemies, as they work together to save the world from the maliciousness of the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli.

RATING: 2/10. i’m giving it a low rating because it doesn’t really have too much to do with mythology, but i did like its general portrayal of most deities even though this book was insanely cringey and dumb.. now, even though under the cut, i’ve kinda bashed the book quite a bit, i still have to admit that i’d be lying if i said i didn’t have fun reading it. i stayed up to 1 AM trying to finish it because i had to find out what the protag’s next stupid decision would be,, all in all, if you like trash/cringe fiction- this is for you.

WARNING: even though this book is a YA novel, I’d say there’s a definite emphasis on the adult part of “young adult”... Certain scenes and themes are inappropriate for minors.

AVAILABLE ON: pdf link here ^-^ ((i think it downloads immediately if you click))

THINGS I LIKED:

the book is cringe.

great diversity in terms of the god cast. i learned about some new deities that i was previously unfamiliar with, so that was cool

Brahma (Hindu deity) wears a Gucci belt as part of his attire ^-^

whatever Estsanatlehi and Tsohanoai (Native American deities) had going on.... they were really cute and wholesome

THOR-HORUS BROTP AGENDA!!!!!!!! everyone who follows me already knows how keen i am about this idea of all the war deities hanging out together (fite club), and this novel served up exactly that. disappointing that Huitzilopochtli wasn’t a part of it, but i am settling for Thor and Horus’ several centuries old friendship.

Horus’ falcon tattoo detail.. i LOVE the idea of the gods having their sacred animals tattooed,, it’s so awesome!!!

Pan... i liked the way he still had his little horns, and he was kinda chaotic and fun.

in general, the descriptions of the gods were so pleasant and so cool.. i really liked the way that pretty much all the gods were beautiful,, this is very much in line with my own idea of how the gods look, and i think it makes sense, because they’re meant to be charismatic, compelling beings- beings that you worship, beings that you praise- why would they be anything but beautiful? and even if they were considered ugly by other gods, that’s only in comparison to other deities.. from a human perspective,, i just can’t see how any mortal could consider a god to be anything less than perfection,, idk

in particular- i really enjoyed the descriptions of Huitzilopochtli in his debut. i know he’s a piece of shit in the novel, but i LOVED the way he was described with his war-frenzy being triggered by blood, and the way, as god of the sun, his body almost glows, and heats up as though you’re looking into the sun itself, and the only way he can cool it down is by bathing in blood... WOWOWOWOW it’s just such a neat and fantastic visual description. his physical appearance really paid tribute to Huitzilopochtli’s original domain and attributes.

i also liked the linking between Huitzilopochtli being the Father of Vampires.. links between Aztec culture and vampirism is a trope that i didn’t originally suspect, but have become exposed to quite a bit as of late,, and i think that it’s quite a clever little plot. i liked that Huitzilopochtli also debunks superstitions about the sun, garlic, crosses, holy water etc.

Huitzilopochtli as the villain. the man makes a BRILLIANT villain- his motives are very clear and also, i thought, justified, albeit unoriginal. his presence is quite terrifying, and the reader does worry for Vervain’s safety whenever she’s with him- which is good! this means that he fills out his role as a villain well. tbh,, i did love Huitzilopochtli from the moment of his debut, but he got knocked out of my books during a certain temple scene and i have some thoughts about that in the next section.

when Vervain wakes up after the temple dream with Huitzilo, and she relaxes because it was just a dream, but then she looks into the mirror and sees bite marks on her neck!!! CHILLS! now THAT was good writing- it was unexpected, and served well to navigate into the next part of the plot.

Odin and Huitzilopochtli holding a ted talk on “how to create panic and discord among the humans”, and the gods having to bring certain meals depending on what the first letter of their names were.

Vervain’s pop-culture references, and her weaponry- especially the gloves that have blades in them that get released when she swings her hand downwards. very cool, i want them.

casual appearances from Vladimir Putin (yes, i said Vladimir Putin)... i couldn’t stop laughing when i read that Huitzilo was trying to kill Putin’s daughter to instigate a war...... asdhshajdhasdjfhjdhf insane

also i know Vervain was trying to mock Huitzilo when she nicknamed him “Blue”,, but like.. that’s a really cute name and it wasn’t even insulting.. yeah, that one backfired on you Vervain... if anything, that just made it seem like she actually had affections for him and i feel like probably in part is the reason why he felt encouraged to pursue her.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE/THINGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE AND/OR CONFUSED ME:

the book is cringe.

it reads like a 15 year old’s fantasy AU where she’s a humble young woman, unextraordinary- yet somehow, she is the muse of every man’s desire. handsome, ripped gods who never wear clothes are laying themselves down at her feet,, and she is just overwhelmed by the choices before her; and all the while, she has to balance a complicated love life with her duty to save the world (since she’s the only one who can).

Vervain as a protagonist. idk how old she’s meant to be, but since the book is in first-person, and the reader is exposed to her innermost thoughts,, i’ve gotta say- she’s incredibly immature. as a protagonist, i just feel like she’s rude, pretentious, snobby.. she has no idea what “respect” even means. in every scene, she’s either fighting someone, or lusting after them (when Teharon told her off for having lascivious thoughts about him, and she simply responded with “well stop being so sexy then” i wanted to die.... WHAT is wrong with her)

i hate the way she looks down on the gods- even if you didn’t worship them, or even believed in their existence, surely you wouldn’t have the gall to lecture Hades and Persephone on how to be a good couple (especially when your advice is shit). surely you wouldn’t have the gall to say to Thor what Vervain says to him on pg 227, 4th line from the bottom, that i will not repeat here. Vervain is just too self-absorbed. i don’t hate her, but i definitely think her character is a bit,,, iffy.

relating to Vervain as the protagonist- everything just seems to happen to her.. and i know that she’s the protag, and things are meant to happen to her, but it all happens to her one after the other in succession, no breaks. it’s so easy for her... oh? Huitzilopochtli is going to kill Putin’s daughter? no worries, Vervain can read Huitzilopochtli’s thoughts! oh? the gods have never been able to transform more than half their body into their animal form? no worries, Vervain is so powerful she can force a god to change against their will! oh? Vervain is being attacked by blood-thirsty wolves? no worries, she saved the life of one werewolf and now he’s indebted to her and will literally kill himself in order to protect her! everything is easy, and nothing is a problem.

the way every male deity ever sees Vervain once and immediately wants to take her to bed. why was that a necessary aspect of her character? and also, why are the gods portrayed as such lustful beings?? it really wasn’t necessary.

Horus throwing a fit about how December 25 is his birthday and that it was stolen from him by Jesus... to quote:

“No big deal?” Horus puffed up. “I was called the Lamb of God. I had twelve apostles, and my myths spoke of my crucifixion and consequent resurrection in three days. His stories were my stories first!”

it’s fine that Horus is angry about his birthday which was i think, historically celebrated around this date- but the rest of it isn’t even true???? Horus didn’t have 12 apostles, i’m pretty sure he was also not called “Lamb of God”, and he wasn’t crucified!!! aghhhh even Thor says “It’s been so long that even you don’t remember things accurately.”

anyways.. my beef with this is the way it’s phrased so as to imply that “oh christianity just stole everything from the pagans” when this is so incredibly false and sounds like something an ill-informed person would say. you can read more about christianity, paganism and christmas here

kinda related to the previous point- the jokes about Jesus’ skin colour. i quote:

“... when Christ first became a god, he looked Jewish because those were the people he chose to align himself with. However, the Jews didn’t want him, and when Christianity spread, the white people wanted Jesus to look more like them. With the change in belief, Christ’s appearance changed. ... We used to tease him about how he looked whiter every time we saw him... Kind of like Michael Jackson...”

what the FUCK??????? seems like Sumida doesn’t understand that various ethnic groups illustrate Jesus as appearing as the local people do. Yes, obviously in a Western country, Jesus is going to look European, he’s going to look white. If you go to Japan, you will see Jesus and the rest of the gang looking pretty fucking Japanese. the point of this is NOT to erase Jesus’ Jewish ethnicity, and it is certainly not because of something like “the Jews didn’t want him”- it is because it is a way for followers to better relate to the Divine. including Christ in this story isn’t the problem- i’ve seen others do it very well. the problem is how uneducated her writing comes across.

all the gods have human jobs so that they can earn money and stuff,, which is fine- Thor, for example, owns a line of boats, which makes sense. but Pan? his job is making p*rn. now even though it’s true that everyone associates Pan with sexuality and stuff,,, this isn’t his primary role, and making Pan out to be just a playboy who has his mind in the gutter 24/7 i think is a bit of a mockery. Pan is, first and foremost, a god of the Wild. why Sumida elected to make him a p*rn manufacturer and not a wildlife conservationist is beyond me... i’m not even pagan, and i thought this creative decision was distasteful and stupid, especially because his character is actually quite light-hearted and cool.

the temple scene with Huitzilopochtli and Vervain. as i said previously, i really really liked Huitzilo’s character. he made an excellent villain. but this part?? i understand why it was done, but i HATED that it had to happen... not just because it was horrible for Vervain, but Huitzilo seemed so powerful and godly right up to that point- after which he seemed pretty pathetic- going back after Vervain after she’s rejected him countless times. she is JUST a mortal!!! c’mon Huitzilo, give it up!!! you are degrading yourself at the expense of achieving one mortal’s “love”.. the fact that he had to hypnotise her to get what he wanted AND had to achieve it through her dreams (when’s she can’t protect herself) was sooooo pathetic and disgraceful.. IMO, he committed the worst sin any person could ever commit and i just... AGHHHHHHHHH SMH WHY?!

speaking of morons- Thor. Thor just comes across to me as extremely possessive, and over-protective,, and idk how Vervain was NOT creeped out by the fact that Thor had literally been stalking her for two years before she even met him. wtf? god or not- that’s creepy. actually, i think it’s creepier because he is a god.

Sif. i am still waiting for good media representation of thunder god Thor and his beautiful golden-haired wife Sif- i want them to be HAPPY, and i want them to be in love the way they should be!

Persephone. i like the idea of Persephone being sweet-tempered, and kind- but in this book, she’s such a wimp??????? she totally just lets Vervain be rude to her, a goddess who’s name means “Bringer of Destruction”. also- her relationship with Hades seems toxic.. i mean,, he like tracks her? she starts stuttering when she talks to him, and gets nervous when people so much as mention his name. not to mention the fact that Persephone says that when she does go back to him, all he demands from her is a certain horizontal dance so much so that she is “sore” (<- quoting from the book here) every time she returns??????? WHAT IS HAPPENING?????????? and no one even questions it. Vervain doesn’t even question it! instead she suggests that Persephone MOVES IN with Hades permanently???? and that Hades should just start verbally saying how much he loves Persephone instead of “showing” her how much he “loves” her.....??? there are SO many issues with this.. i can’t even- *screams*

the Aphrodite-is-madly-in-love-with-Huitzilopochtli side plot. it could have been really good, but then it ends so abruptly,,, i mean.. why’d Aphrodite get done so dirty like that? Also summary of Hephaestus’ first and final scenes:

Hephaestus, entering the room: Right, what’s all this then? Vervain: Your wife is cheating on you (again) Hephaestus: Aight, i’m out *leaves and never comes back for the rest of the book*

what the HECK was the ending with Trevor?? i hate Vervain so much i can’t... okay first of all- WHY did Trevor decide to have a wolf-marriage with Vervain?? he kept on going on about how she’s so beautiful, and kind, and caring... NO SHE ISN’T TREVOR!!! i’m so mad that he would pledge himself for all eternity to this girl who doesn’t even like him in that way!!! you played yourself son

also- Thor accepts the fact that Trevor is going to have to be close by to Vervain because the terms of the marriage state that Trevor will literally die without her touch, which is VERY GENEROUS of Thor... but Vervain?? ooooh i HATE her.. she has the audacity to look at Trevor with her lecherous eyes thinking about lustful things IN THOR’S OWN BED!!!!! and then she thinks to herself “oh whoops i shouldn’t be thinking that”- yeah you’re darn right you shouldn’t be thinking that!!!! whatttt is wrong with her.............

also- where tf did Huitzilo go??? he just gave up on trying to instigate a war and vanished?? the plot was so unresolved?????? AGH!

#also- i forgot but- the Brad Pitt looking guy on the front cover.. i thought maybe that was meant to be Ull because he's blonde but i guess #it really was Thor in the end?? but Thor in the novel has red hair so what's up with that? how disappointing #person who reviewed this and said ''Vervain's one of the best female heroines today!''- can i have some of whatever you're smoking?#she's so horrible!!! aghhhhh #review #godhunter by amy sumida #long post

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lordbloodysoul · 4 years ago

Text

Name:

Rift Doorman

Title:

“The Layer Breaker” – “Usurper” – “Ever Hunger”

Nicknames:

Rifty / Riff Raff / Tele-Broski (Fresh)

Freak of Nature / Parasite / Anomaly Animus (Error Sans)

Paperworm / Layer Breaker / Clown Vomit (Ink)

Age:

[REDACTED]

Height / Weight:

Varies

Soul Type

“Collective Soul”

// - A Collective Soul shows trades of all known Soul Types and is shielded by a thin membrane of Void. It looks like a blank Soul with a black outline, that has a small pitch dot in its center from which a vibration rolls across the surface of the Soul. Those waves appear in different colors and strokes. To those who are very sensible to Soul Energy, the vibration will sound like an endless army of different voices breathing simultaneously in sync. The rhythm changes with Rift’s state of emotion. It has an aroma/flavour that could be described as “Retro and vibrant”. The feeling it would induces is more reminiscent of Allure and vivid Chaos. Like a puzzle started, but left unsolved. With every piece just raining passed fields of endless colors, trapped within a pool of blackness. - //

STATS:

[REDACTED] // It will show the “ : P “ Emoji //

[REDACTED] // It will show the “ >:] “ Emoji //

ATTACK

[REDACTED] // Just spells out “YOLO” in painfully bright colors //

DEFENSE

[REDACTED] // Just spells out “LMAO” in painfully bright colors//

Doorman-Tier:

Tier A—Strength Level is not readable, due to its current activity behavior.

History:

Rift Doorman was born outside a Universe of the Undertale Multiverse. Its behavior is unusual compared to other Doorman. Rift traverses the Layers of the Timelines in search of something, but without a Universe to akin to, both its Power and Ambition were altered in a dangerous manner. Throughout its travels, this Doorman has eaten itself through various Timelines and Multiverses. However, these places didn’t just disappear, like usually when things are being destroyed through Outcodes or beings from the Anti-Void. They stay mostly intact. Broken like shattered glass, but still existing. Each piece would then connect with another part. A puzzle, that was willingly done wrong, with Timelines and places in Space just overlapping in chaotic patterns. Strings missing, but not forgotten, rules shifted, players removed and entire areas shifted incoherently.

When Rift gained conscious it felt nothing. Devoid of anything, it just drifted. This state changed when it fell into a Genocide Timeline by accident. Within it, Rift faced the Fallen Human in the Judgment Hall together with Sans. As it wasn’t able to feel pain, watching Sans Dust became its first experience with Death. It amused it. Thus it smashed the human child. Seeing as the child’s death was different from Sans’s, curiosity began building up. More so as Sans returned from the dead when the Timeline reset. The battle broke apart, literally, when Rift tried mimicking voices and speech patterns, causing a ear ripping shriek that splintered the very fabric and Layers of the Universe it was visiting. Sans, slain once more begged the creature to stop the child’s madness. Still incapable of understanding why, it understood that this Fallen Human had caused the Skeleton grievance. He understood the visualization of agony and hopelessness, but couldn’t comprehend the feeling itself. Amused by the concept of FIGHT and MERCY, they decided to experiment with it in this broken place. Trapping the Human Child in a never-ending loop of Resets they had no control over. Dying as plaything to the anomalous creature. Rift bored itself over the course of 17.589 Resets, ending the Human Child by eating first their upper body and disintegrating their Soul for absorption. This act loaded the Fallen Human’s Timeline Data Layers into its own being, giving it a broader view on what’s been happening. Still not able to comprehend things, however, Rift left the splintered Timeline and returned to the Layers between.

More travels were its answer. Further down its path, this Doorman entered a Rampage, experiencing many Emotions from interacting with various worlds in different ways. However, it couldn’t feel them at all. It understood. It could see them. Could comprehend what actions would lead to what reaction, but not why it was necessary. Hollow. It was hollow. Like a Black Hole. Just ripping everything apart and consuming it, but nothing could look back or return it. Within it grew a terrible Hunger, which it satisfied by devouring various portions of the visited Timelines and Multiverses. Places, Sections, Memories, People. All fell to its strife to understand. To engage. To be part of something. It began building a sort of pocket dimension in the Layers between the Multiverse, where it gathered things from various Timelines that kept intriguing it. In one already destroyed Universe, Rift recovered a monitor of round shape, still functional. It had the shape of a face, much like all the other creatures it met had. Thus it connected with the screen and used it as a makeshift face-mask, ensuring its actual form wouldn’t freak out too many people.

While striding through the Timelines, absorbing information, energy, magic and various other stimuli into its form, Rift discovered that it was possible to READ these Data and use it. Shaping its attacks in combat into Patterns and Styles unlike anything this Multiverse had ever witnessed. But not only that, it began to hunt and kill other Doorman instinctively, absorbing them into its form as well, leaving their Timelines defenseless. Rift became a true threat to many, just through its curiosity and yearning for understanding. It also began leaving pieces of itself behind in various distorted Worlds, hidden from view. Small Homunculi, holding enough Data and energy to reincarnate it. Rift slowly devolved into a Parasite that endangered the delicate balance of the Multiverse. A thorn in the side of both the protectors of the Multiverse as well as the Vanguards of the Anti-Void. As its shattering of Timelines caused multiple Universes to intertwine with one another. Rift became a target for eradication, even though no one knew about its existence yet.

It was during another stride into another Timeline that it encountered the parasitic entity known as “Fresh”. Their interaction was quite different than what it was used to. And something began to stir within it. Rift felt something. Something that was unfamiliar and strong. It played with Fresh, before that one disappeared to safety, as the creature seemingly grew too attached to them. That escape started it all. A chase that both were not prepared for nor understood. Rift’s conscious was completely fixated on Fresh. It didn’t understand why, but knew it was important. For days, weeks and months it kept chasing them. However, the Parasite didn’t need or wants anyone following them, so they kept fleeing and hiding. Despite their best efforts, though, Rift finds them every single time.

[!!!SPOILERS WARNING!!! - for those who wish to Read the FanFiction or wait till I get around to making the Comic, since the LITERATURE SUBMIT on DA doesn’t allow much creative Freedom, so I have to do a lot of Re-Spacing and Editing on those Parts. This Section will spoil some of the Plot in exchange for Character Build - If you don't want that spoiled, please proceed to the APPEARANCE Section - !!!SPOILER WARNING!!!]

Fresh found himself in a skirmish with Error and Ink, as they both tried tracking him down. They misjudged and thought they were responsible for several Holes within the Multiverse. With no secure escape Route, they were forced into battle, holding their own well. Up until the Anti-Void’s Enforcer, C0D35 Doorman, stepped onto the field. His entire presence alone began to erase the Universe he’s chosen as a battleground. Manipulating Space was practically useless against this foe, as one of C0D35 special abilities was to block all types of magics. Before the fight could harm Fresh, however, Rift shattered the Universe into several pieces. It took Fresh with it and delved through several Layers of broken Code, Timelines and hid them in a small Space it had created from the leftover scraps of Multiverses long forgotten. A Null Space of sorts. Due to the strenuous battle with Error and Ink, the body Fresh had chosen was slowly failing. They had to let go of the host body and seek out another. Rift, even though unable to talk and acting more like an excited puppy, willingly helped the Parasite. It took them to another Timeline to gain a new host body. Fresh, unable to understand or comprehend the motivation of this anomalous creature, decided to experiment how far its warped sense of loyalty would go. Curiosity getting the better of them. Since they couldn’t escape from it for long anyway. Thus the duo began their journey to try and understand what this drive was, where it was coming from and what it all meant. But Fresh already has the slight suspicion that something was off with Rift. Something huge was brewing.

Appearance:

Rift Doorman has no corporeal form. It’s a mass of black noise, free floating energy and magic. The almost cloud-like, dense column attached itself to an egg-shaped monitor. A remnant of a long forgotten Timeline. Due to the vapor form of its body, Rift can change its density and size at will, ranging from grasp-less like fog and air to solid and unmovable like a wall of steel and stone. This Doorman is holding its form together through sound wave. The magic and energy flooding its form gives these waves color and form, embracing its shape and fueling every movement of the mass. This special way of mass control makes it possible for Rift to even split itself into multiple smaller versions of itself. The Energy and Magic coursing through its vapor shape glows in various colors, like a swarm of bugs and fireflies. The ones that are mostly present range from neon-pinkish to eye-stinging green lights. The color of the Emoji faces on its screen are similarly bright and colorful, while the biggest mass of the body is a pitch-black buzzing fog.

Rift uses the screen it found as a makeshift face. By sending energy and magic through it, it channels different words and expressive Emojis, which it uses for communication, since it cannot speak. It developed this form of talking, which is accented with Retro musical tunes and sound effects, due to its own lack of actual vocal cords. Rift can only mimic various words through pitching and dipping sounds and tunes.

Underneath the screen is a distorted black orb-shaped head, with a bright, monstrous white jaw and eyes. The magic, energy and sound waves, which course through the body are accentuated here, pulsing through the big eyes that stare empty into the world. As the delight of murder and fighting was presented with a smile by both his first encountered Sans and Fallen Child, Rift has adopted that same expression into its own. Empty of empathy, reason or guilt. Hollow.

Personality:

Rift is a peculiar Doorman. Even though highly intelligent and fast learning, it prefers to act like an excited puppy or curious child. Devoid of any real emotion to drive its actions, it only acts upon what other people think is the “good thing” to do in a situation. Leaving trails of Chaos and destruction in its wake. Rift’s first real emotion was “a sense of joy” which emerged from killing the Fallen Human in their first ever visited Timeline. After loosing that, it was filled with a Hunger to learn more, experience more and discover why it was unable to understand or hold emotions like other beings do. It likes being lout and giddy, causing confusion and messes all around.

Rift learned from its travels that violence is considered bad, thus it only acts upon it when given a cause or being asked of. Through Fresh’s company, it grew found of their way of speaking, censoring and general demeanor, which they try to imitate. Not always successful. Rift lacks empathy and basic moralities. Doing the right things as much as they can, but never getting appreciation, feelings of guilt or delight out of any of its actions.

It is a slight hoarder, liking to collect various things from visited Timelines and just storing them in their own little Null Space.

Likes:

Fresh

Eating

making music through its distorted Retro Voice (which would probably sound much like the music you can hear in the “Just Shapes & Beats” Video Game – example here )

helping people

playing with Fresh

exploring and learning / education

collecting stuff for its Null Space

cuddling and hugs

dancing

Fighting, when allowed to do so

people laughing and smiling

inducing Fear into ‘evil’ people (it doesn’t understand it, but their expressions give it a sense of ‘delight’, which it can’t comprehend)

Dislikes:

pointless violence

swearing

anyone who tries to harm Fresh

disrespectful and rude behavior

the other Parasites spawned from Fresh

seeing other people go through loss, sadness and hopelessness (it doesn’t understand, but it dislikes their expressions during these moments)

Capabilities:

Rift is a special Doorman. Unlike any other it can and can’t do various things that are unlike its species. Since Doorman are shaped by what their Timeline / Universe needs, their abilities will be manifested into something they can use as an exploit to reach their goal. Rift, however, has neither a goal nor a world for that to work. Being born outside the Multiverse, Void and such, beneath the Layers of the In between, corrupted its whole existence. Thus it learned an ability so variable, loose and dangerous, that Rift managed to break its own power limitations. That ability is ADAPTATION. Through it, the anomalous entity can learn anything that it finds. This ability is limited only by its corrupted special skill, ARCHIVE, which extents its own Data Volume by absorbing that of other objects, Worlds and people. Through these two abilities, Rift extended its repertoire of skills by taking those of others into its own. By devouring other Timeline versions of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Napstablook and various other monsters, it learned their magics, attack patterns, strengths and weaknesses, accumulating them into its own form and using them against various aggressors along the way. Taking the Souls of the Fallen Children, it enhanced its own Soul Power, HP and influence over various aspects within the Timeline Layers. Even though unable to cause REWRITE or OVERWRITE, its Determination rivals the power output of such abilities, nullifying their affects on its own self. By devouring various Doormen, Rift added their special abilities into its own arsenal. But not only these are something to worry about, since they also absorbed the (apparently) infamous “COLOR PUZZLE”, which appeared in various Timelines. Through absorption of its information, Rift learned to utilize the principle in its own combat patterns, making for, probably, the worst experience of a FIGHT for any genocidal maniac. During a FIGHT Rift delights itself by causing its opponent as much headache and frustration as possible. All its patterns are a mix of things it accumulated from various Timelines, objects and people. The difference to its style is that every pattern follows a rhythm it deliberately switches to cause as much distress as it can. Their own original patterns appears as orbs, bars and string lines, which move in a sort of symphonic flow. It likes to abuse the rules of the infamous “COLOR PUZZLE” into each of their attacks. Goal during these fights are to keep itself busy till its bored. It will reset its opponent back into battle till it can’t get enjoyment out of it anymore. Than the most common outcome is for Rift to grab its foe and devour it (or part of it), just to satisfy its hunger for a bit.

// Attack Patterns for this Character would look like a mix between Undertale and “Just Shapes & Beats Style //

Rift’s voice is a powerful instrument of destruction, as its wavelength and pitch can shatter and fragment entire worlds, when threatened. Most of the time, though its a tool for amusement and distraction as they can’t use it to speak, but make totes rad Retro music and sounds with it.

Due to their body being so fluid, Rift tends to shape-shift a lot. Switching sizes being one of the more common transformations, however, it is capable of turning into practically anything it has a rough understanding off. From people to buildings and even entire landscapes. The greater the scope, thought, the higher the risk of its Soul overloading and damaging it. This skill it uses often to entertain Fresh’s curiosity and help them fight their boredom.

The Doorman is capable of using the Data collected to create completely new Multiverses out of them, which it does by filtering the most intriguing information into its “Null Space”. A collective widespread anomalous space in the Layers in between. Much like the Core Universe, it is a hidden pocket dimension that is unreachable unless you’ve been there once or are aware of its existence. As the Null Space grows, so does Rift’s power, which is connected to it. Would this secluded fragment in the Layers in between be destroyed, the damage to Rift itself would be tremendous. Rift is capable of creating “BACK UP FILES” for itself. So called Homunculi, which it scatters across the various splintered Timelines, hiding them in various objects. Through those Back up Data pieces, killing the Doorman has become nearly impossible. For its adversaries it is even unclear if this anomaly can ever truly be completely killed, since normal, widespread magic and fighting abilities are completely wasted on it. However, Rift is not completely invulnerable. All of its outstanding skills require huge amounts of magic, which it needs to store by devouring and absorbing Energy, Magic and Entities from other Timelines. Starvation is a realistic issue to it, since their moral compass started to change with the appearance of Fresh. Survival becoming an “optional goal” to its primary instinct fixating on the Parasite and its well-being. Rift can be harmed by beings from the Anti-Void as well as Ink, which is why it tries to stay hundreds of paces away from them. Especially C0D35, as his ability, ANNIHILATION, exceeds its coded protection by a margin. When Rift’s Soul reaches critical its body becomes fully corporeal and eats at its own mass till burn-out. The energy and magic from its body will slowly dissolve the very fabric of Reality, Time and Space as it goes on, till everything just becomes absolute Chaos. This meltdown can cause any nearby organism to be entrapped in a cascade of pain and maddening delirium, slowly eating at their very existence. It would cause an unseen apocalypse of shier Madness, but also cause the very Death of Rift, if the burn-out isn’t stopped.

Relations:

Rift has no great attachment to anyone besides Fresh. And even that “affection” is a level of understanding it can’t comprehend. For it, its something that it was born for, but doesn’t know why or what it is supposed to do with it. Finding the answer to this riddle is the only ‘purpose’ it got and after wandering aimless for so long, it decided not to let go of it till it knows.

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

Trivia:

The first word Rift ever spoke was “YOLO”, when it read the glasses of Fresh at their first meeting.

There is a Momma CQ version of Rift.

Kid!Rift entire backstory is goign to make people wanna stab me to death. I am sure of that.

Rift’s musical Battle Patterns are inspired by the game “Just Shapes and Beats”

Yes, I am aware that I messed up the Color Patterns of both of my Fresh Designs there. They were both drawn separately before placed in the same picture together. It has bugged me to no end!

Yes, there will be a Momma CQ version of this one coming (probably soon, since I don’t want to loose my shin. It’s not worth making Rifty mad)

Fresh Sans belongs to @loverofpiggies

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

#Rift #Doorman #LordBloodySoul #Horrorpuppets #Darktale #Undertale #Underfresh #Fresh #Sans

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timeguardiansarchive · 4 years ago

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Rescued from the Depths:

@makesownluck continued from X

(Please don’t kill me for taking creative license with this or the fact that I continued it. I will also apologize heavily for Rose. She got super carried away. Hope the reply makes some miniscule amount of sense. There is absolutely never any pressure to match length or anything!)

Pure pandemonium had erupted upon the once leisure-filled decks and Rose, feeling more observer than participant in it, found herself clinging to Jack as tightly as she dared. Her exhaustion riddled orbs fixate on witnessing an emotional father bidding adieu to his bawling, petrified daughters. He had adorned himself with a brave face and spun a silvery tale in parting. While she was only being vaguely attentive in her eavesdropping, his words lodge in her cranium. “It’s goodbye for a little while,” the man professes. Nevertheless, she could see the truth laid bare in his eyes. With that thought, remained the knowledge of the conversation she had held with Mr. Andrews about the number of lifeboats the Titanic housed. Mr. Andrews’s words wage war on her already dismal dwellings. “There aren’t enough lifeboats even by half.” If what he claimed was true, and she had little doubt that it was having done the math herself and checked it by Mr. Andrews, her mind raced through countless more calculations until panic begins to inspire her to protest the offered spot on one of the lifeboats. This night would end with many innocent lives being lost.

Whatever insistence she made was quickly overridden by the adamant and unrelenting persuasions of Jack and Cal. They had made an arrangement. Or at least Hockley claimed, that he had one with a ship’s officer to escape safely. Why he would offer such salvation to Jack, she is uncertain. Doubtful, she observes them both but allows herself to be ushered into the waiting lifeboat. She turns her back to the ocean and finds Jack’s outstretched hand, clutching his fingers with all her might willing him to come. Why couldn’t he just forget chivalry and join her? Why did he have to be as valiant and selfless as he had been the moment they first met?!

All too soon, the warmth of his contact is wrenched away, and she is pushed towards the back of the tiny wooden vessel to make room for more. Eerie traces of dimly illuminated indigo waters etched and ebbed across the side of the massive, struggling ‘Ship of Dreams.’ Oh, how that bestowed title torments her in that very moment. It was no longer a palace of celestial imaginings. It was a full-blown nightmare straight from the pit of hell!

While Rose was outwardly skillful in concealing her terror, it continued to bubble up inside of her chest. The force of which, battered heavily against her ribcages as her gaze shoots upwards, seeking, till they find Jack. He and Cal have a deal. She kept reminding herself. However, if they had a deal with an officer on the other side of the ship, why would they remain so stagnant in nearly the same place she had taken her leave of them? Conscience whispers, there is no deal. Is there? There is no grand reunion coming later on. Was there?! This was going to be their final goodbyes. The longer she ruminates upon these thoughts the more the internalized panic began to claw its way to the surface.

In the glow of the lone bursting flare, Rose could see the intolerable grief etched upon Jack’s handsome countenance. With that glimpse alone, she realizes, she can’t do this! She can’t abandon him now!!! She loves him more dearly, more ardently than her own life. She pictures where this road to supposed salvation will lead and it is the same hideous path she’d been set upon with Cal. A road that led her to near self-destruction.

She rallies courage around herself like a cloak, rises to her feet and she lunges quite forcefully forwards across the lifeboat to make the biggest leap of faith she can muster. However, sheer will alone does not propel her far enough towards her end-goal. Whilst her arms were outstretched and the ship had been briefly in reach, Rose finds herself plunging helplessly into the glassy indigo waters below.

There is little Rose can do to prepare herself or brace for the pending harsh impact. It’s all happening far too fast for actual cognition to fully ignite.

The connection with the frigid water below is punishing, forcing her to let out a terrible gasp. Following that gasp comes an influx of salted water that burns down every inch of her esophagus. Choking, she scrambles to suck in another breath of air, but the effort is futile. This inhale is also tainted with water. Lungs heave out a final ratty cough expelling as much as she could before she’s pulled below.

Rose begins to kick furiously, her legs tangling precariously with her skirts. She desperately grapples with her cold-numbed hands, clawing for the surface. Yet, she finds herself being dragged farther downwards. Weighted as if her pockets, correction- Cal’s pockets, were lined with bricks rather than luxurious fabrics. With every second, the adorned articles of clothing seem to be growing heavier and heavier as the water absorbs into the once dry material. It does not occur to her panicking mind to shrug the dress-jacket off. Instead, her focus remains on getting back to the surface despite her rapidly waning energy.

Rose had desperately wished for this horrific fate. Not more than a night or so ago, she had stood on the Titanic’s stern. She peered into churning waters that beckoned with the promises of eternal liberation and prepared herself to take the readily offered exit. That alluring promise had been nothing more than a mere mirage which, Jack Dawson helped to expose. He rescued her and gave her life purpose again!!!

Jack had also been right about the water feeling like ‘a thousand knives all over one’s body.’ The chill is suffocating, snatching the breath straight out of one’s lungs. Something Rose was now experiencing with terrifying, miserable clarity thanks to the miscalculation.

The auburn-haired young woman is jarred from thoughts of her own death by a sudden forceful tug that propels her upwards till she resurfaces. A powerful arm coils around her middle and draws her nearer. Sputtering out water, Rose turns her alarmed orbs towards the source. There is an immediate, grateful softening to the cerulean hues as she discovers Jack beside her in the water. Hoarse vocal cords rasp out, “J...J...Jack? Wh...wh... what are y... y... you doing ... he... here? Y... you we....were safe! You ha....had... had that deal. Did ... didn’t y... you?” Rose prods, with great effort. Guilt adds to the crimson stains stealing across her porcelain skin. It was her fault that he ended up in the water!

She shivers fiercely against the night’s unforgiving chill as it winds through sopping curls and weaves itself into the drenched fabrics surrounding her slender frame. Rose allows herself to be drawn closer to Jack’s sturdier build knowing full well that she can hardly rely on her own strength anymore. Stiff fingers clumsily attempt to curl around his deeply saturated shirt until the wooden lifeboat begins to gain on them.

It took a good deal of effort on the ladies behalves to hoist both bitterly cold unintentional swimmers to ‘relative’ safety. Rose stiffly pauses near the ledge of the wooden raft and clumsily attempts to help with Jack’s rescue until the indomitable force she recognized as Molly Brown slung a blanket over her shoulders and ushered her towards an empty space away from the edges. “Well ain’t you two a sight for sore eyes,” Molly exclaims, in a purely materialized way. “Sure glad we made room for you. Thought we nearly lost you both.” She confides, taking up a seat near-by.

The air is torturous, hardly tolerable against her already numb skin. Every subtle strike of a breeze feels more like a slap than a caress. Rose allows her violently quivering limbs to be maneuvered closer to the familiar comfort of Jack’s. Gnashing teeth attempt to emit a strained sound of words, “God, I’m ... I’m s.... sorry, Jack. I... I couldn’t... I... I cou... couldn’t ... leave you.“ She confides, her tired eyes flooding with hot tears. The contrast between the tears and the cold was uncomfortably significant though, Rose actively elects to ignore it in favor of Jack’s comforting words.

Cerulean orbs linger, fixating on drinking in every inch of Jack’s beloved countenance. Her own tired mind is dogged with unrelenting doubts that are compounded by the soundtrack of horrific screams, calls for lost loved ones, and the sound of twisting and groaning metal. She briefly pries her gaze away to examine the endless horizons but she could discern no warm lights from responding vessels.

Internally, Rose did not relish boarding another ship of any kind. Still, she is far too keenly aware that they are thousands of miles off their intended destination and that if they did not receive help soon, the disastrous fate of the others, would also become their own.

Rose knew that if she let herself focus on any more of the sufferings playing out all around them, she might drown in something more deadly than the depths of the North Atlantic. Shifting her attention, she whispers in question, “th... thi... think we’ll ev ... ever see New York?” Right now, the thought of dry land itself felt like a pipedream, a fleeting, hopeless imagining. An imagining that was infinitely safer than reflecting on the fact that many of the people she had brushed shoulders with, locked eyes with, shared a laugh or smile with, or even saw milling around the various decks, would never reach the final destination. Was it selfish of her to want to fixate on something sanguine than death? Perhaps. But Rose was beyond the point of caring.

There is something about Jack’s claims that bids her to believe, dares her to dream, that this nightmare would cease with the awakening of dawn's first light. His words offer a salve to her troubled soul and she melts into it as eagerly as she does his proffered embrace.

“You...you’re.... you’re shivering.” Rose blandly states, pointing out the obvious when her attention returns fully to Jack. She instinctively moves to shuffle more of the drier parts of her damp blankets around him and she nestles tighter against his side. While she didn’t have much warmth to share, she would gift him what she could. Feeling a renewed sense of gratitude for Jack, she breathes, “you ... you could have le... left me behind...” There is no chastisement in the shallows of her syllables but rather curiosity and relief. If he had left her, she would have surely died without his intervention but his health wouldn’t have been potentially jeopardized.

#makesownluck #timeguardians #Can I say I love this concept so soo soo much?#muse: rose dewitt bukater #titanic verse #tw: death #tw: drowning #tw: near drowning #tw: vague references to depression #tw: long reply #half novelization #I also apologize for hijacking Molly Brown here #rescued from the depths #Also thank you for the follow. Your writing is absolutely lovely!!!#I'm so excited to write with you #Please don't panic about length. Rose wanted to fill in some of the blanks.#And I don't typically write this much every reply. I promise.#If I let this sit in my drafts I'm going to probably write like six more chapters to this thing #angst

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sociopath-analysis · 4 years ago

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Sociopath Profile: Sebastian Shaw (film)

Full name: Sebastian Hiram Shaw Alias: Dr. Klaus Schmidt From the 2011 film X-Men: First Class Played by Kevin Bacon Requested by @jem12901 and an anon

Shaw is the leader of the Hellfire club and one of Erik’s most hated enemies. A former Nazi scientist who has no problem performing inhumane experiments on others for the sake of finding mutants for his plans to wipe out humans. Throughout the film, he ramps up his plans for mutant supremacy.

[SPOILERS BELOW; SPOILER-FREE VERSION HERE]

For one, he shows superficial charm throughout the film. While his actions tend to be absolutely reprehensible, his demeanor remains suave and collected. Even when talking to Colonel Hendry to get the nuclear codes. Shaw calmly calls his bluff about dropping the grenade and takes it himself to absorb it. Shaw tends to have a smug smirk on his face quite often, even when he’s about to kill a bunch of people. He had a smile just before murdering Erik’s mother, and it only grows as he watches Erik’s powers finally reveal themselves.

He also manipulates others into his schemes. He talks about mutant supremacy to take in the Hellfire Club, and does this to the young mutant recruits that Charles and Erik have collected. In a world where mutants are treated as a blight upon it, a proposal to get rid of the oppressive non-mutants is something any young or vengeful mutant would want to hear. In addition, he also manipulates the U.S. and Soviets into his scheme of nuclear wars to gain energy to wipe out the humans. Not to mention, when talking fails, he will fall back on intimidation. With the grenade scenario, he tells Hendry he could blow up the boat and would be fine if he wanted to. Hendry on the other hand, not so much.

Shaw claims to be working for the mutants, but it’s mostly a power grab for himself. He knows that once the ashes settle, he’ll be the one on top and only those who are with him will survive the fallout. He does put up the front of caring for mutants. He chides Emma for shoving Erik off the yacht since they shouldn’t hurt their own. However, he tells the mutant trainees that they should join him or perish, implying that he would kill them if they didn’t join his side. This is explicitly what happens to Darwin, simply to make an example out of him.

"We are the children of the atom. Radiation gave birth to mutants. What will kill the humans will only make us stronger."

His lack of empathy and remorse is clear in everything he does. Shaw is incredibly callous to humans and will slaughter them without a second thought. When Charles reads Emma’s mind to find out Shaw’s plans, it is all fire and destruction, suggesting this is exactly what he told his subordinates would be in store. And while he preaches for mutants, he doesn’t seem to have much concern for any individual mutants as evidenced by Darwin. He’s only about himself and his ideals of mutant-supremacy seem to also be fueled by a grandiose sense of self-worth.

See more profiles here.

#Sebastian Shaw #Kevin Bacon #X Men First Class #X Men films #Marvel Comics #requests #jem12901 #anon #character analysis #spoiler profile

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multiverseforger · 4 years ago

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Unliving is shrouded in mystery, with rumors circulating that Nekron is darkness itself, existing before life entirely, or that he was created by the darkness as its protector. Another claim is that the Guardians of the Universe clashed with Nekron close to the beginning of the universe and were the ones to imprison him in the Land of the Unliving.

Krona War

Nekron gloats

Trapped in his own realm throughout most of eternity, Nekron first became aware of the world of the living through the deceased cosmic villain Krona. A rift was opened in the continuum between dimensions, caused by the death of an immortal. And Nekron looked upon the universe and saw all that was life itself, and determined that he would become its master. So that he might escape his prison, he resurrected and empowered Krona, with an army of the undead at his disposal, to slaughter the Guardians of the Universe and widen the rift.[2] It took the combined might of the entire Green Lantern Corps to defeat them, in a colossal battle that resulted in literally hundreds of casualties. Hal Jordan entered the Land of the Unliving on a suicide mission, and harnessed the souls of his fallen Lanterns to fight back against the great evil. Their combined willpower overcame Nekron long enough for the Guardians to seal up the rift, and Hal escaped, leaving the Lord of the Unliving once more condemned to his lifeless prison.[3]

Further Appearances

The Ultimate Opponent

Although largely confined, Nekron has made several more breaches into our world and had interactions with superheroes. After Captain Atom died briefly, he was introduced to several incarnations of Death, including Death of the Endless and the Black Racer. They were each presented as a component of death... and Nekron represented the concept as a cosmic certainty, death as the ultimate opponent.[1] In an attempt to gain control of the Quantum Field life energy of the planet, he had carefully engineered the hero's death. Although he absorbed a great deal of the power, Captain Atom used his connection to steal energy from Nekron's own personal field, and depower him enough to defeat him in physical combat.[4]

Underworld Unleashed allowed him another opportunity to gain entrance to the physical plane. Destruction of the Tower of Fate created another rift into our dimension, and Nekron fought Nebiros for the privilege of conquering the world. He won the battle, and the undead souls of the damned surged across the Earth as Hell literally broke loose.[5]Alan Scott and Fate teamed up against him. Nekron almost gained full access to our world, but fighting against him with the great supernatural strength of Fate gave Green Lantern enough time to demolish the portal with his green flame.[6]

Through the Rift

He was able to return to our world once more during Ghosts. An outside supernatural force brought a number of dead Green Lanterns back to life, calling themselves the Green Lantern Corpse. This created another crack in his realm, but still not one large enough for him to squeeze through. Taking control of the undead Lanterns, he sent them to capture the last remaining descendant of his original nemeses... Kyle Rayner. If Nekron had killed him and harnessed his powers, then he would finally have been able to leave his prison, but Kyle escaped back out through the crack and personally put each and every one of the rogue Lanterns down in single combat. Although it was a long and difficult battle, putting them back to rest sealed the portal and ended Nekron's threat once more.[7]

Nekron was accidentally summoned onto our plane by the supernatural hero Witchfire, who used his incantation without realizing the consequences it would have. She teamed up with Wonder Woman to prevent him from sucking the life-force out of any more innocents, while he was feeding. The combination of mystical energies and godlike blows was sufficient to drive him back into his own realm on that occasion.[8]

Blackest Night

Main article: Blackest Night

Black Lantern Corps

Following the Final Crisis, Nekron makes his triumphant return during the Blackest Night, where he forms the Black Lantern Corps composed entirely of his zombies equipped with power rings to wreak havoc upon the universe. His plans for this stretched back toward the Sinestro Corps War, when he killed the Anti-Monitor and absorbed him to energize his own Central Power Battery on the planet Ryut in Sector 666.[9] The battery wouldn't become completely active until it was discovered and disturbed by Lanterns Ash and Saarek, his first new victims.[10] He has taken the fallen Guardian named Scar as one of his servants, for she was burned by the Anti-Monitor and poisoned by his touch, causing her to slowly die and come under his influence.[11] There is also evidence that he has been influencing William Hand, the criminal known as Black Hand, his entire life. His control over Black Hand was solidified when Hand killed himself and his family, with Nekron taking him as his herald.[12]

As his influence spreads throughout the universe, the dead rise and return to take revenge on the living, building his power by literally devouring the hearts and emotions of all those who still breathe.[13] Only those with emotional ties to superheroes and villains are resurrected, to achieve the maximum potential. The sheer quantity of death caused by his Black Lantern Rings charges the Central Battery to full power. At this climax, he transports himself and his forces down to Earth to personally command his army. Landing in the middle of Coast City, he turns every single dead citizen into a Black Lantern, announces that all owe their lives to him, and he has come to collect.[14] Many of Earth's mightiest heroes rally to defeat him, and representatives from all seven Lantern Corps. Atrocitus, Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan, Indigo, Larfleeze, Saint Walker and Sinestro pour their combined beams into his Power Battery, hoping to obliterate it with the full life-force energies of creation. This only makes him stronger, and he seems to have planned this. Nekron resurrects Batman as one of his most powerful agents, who then kills and revives Animal Man, Donna Troy, Green Arrow, Ice, Kid Flash, Superboy, Superman and Wonder Woman as Black Lanterns. These are all people who have come back from the dead at some point in their lives, and he claims they only escaped because he let them... to further his own goals. He plans to use his army to uncover a dark secret of the Guardians... and then return the universe to a state of quiet order.[15]

Nekron's goal is revealed to wanting to find and destroy the embodiment of life itself: the white Entity. He kills one of the Guardians and uses their blood to draw the Entity out of hiding, then attempts to kill it and with it, which will in turn kill all of life in the universe. Sinestro bonds with the Entity and attempts to battle Nekron.[16] Despite Sinestro destroying his physical form, another Black Lantern simply picks up his weapon, becoming Nekron's new physical form. Nekron then manages to take the Entity out of Sinestro. Hal Jordan bonds with the Entity and uses its power to restore the living heroes transformed into Black Lanterns to their normal selves. Hal uses the Entity to transform the heroes into White Lanterns, together they defeat Nekron by resurrecting Black Hand thus destroying Nekron's link to the living plane. The Entity resurrects the Anti-Monitor which destroys the Black Lantern Battery. With his link to the earthly plane severed Nekron's body is destroyed, ending the Blackest Night.[17]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Unique Physiology: Nekron is a the personification of the absence of life and existence or the void before anything was. This gives him tremendous power as he is able to draw strength from the infinite abyss of darkness that predates existence along with the energy released at the time of death by beings he or his Black Lanterns kills. He is so powerful he can withstand an attack from the Anti-Monitor while sending him back to the anti-matter universe.

Immortality: Since he is not alive in the sense that we understand it, Nekron is technically incapable of being killed. As such, defeating him is extremely difficult; if defeated he will simply return to the Land of the Unliving.

Necromancy:Nekron's position as the Lord of the Unliving gave him a great number of powers that related to death itself.

Dark Lightning: He has the ability to fire bolts of a force called dark lightning from his hands, powerful enough to hurt and even kill the Guardians of the Universe. Despite being immensely powerful, it is not unstoppable. Wonder Woman was able to block it with her bracelets, although the force still threw her across the room.

Necrotic Empowerment: Nekron gains physical strength from the deaths he causes.

Reanimation: As the Lord of the Unliving, Nekron can reanimate corpses into fully functioning zombies working entirely under his control, and retaining semblance of their past personality.

Fatal Touch: The sustained touch of Nekron's hand can chill any mortal being to death, through supernatural means.

Reality Manipulation

Weaknesses

Dependency: For all his power, Nekron holds one great weakness: he cannot exist in this universe. In order to properly interact with the living, Nekron requires a link between between New Earth and the Land of the Unliving, such as a tear in space-time, or a mortal link such as Black Hand.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Black Lantern Central Power Battery (Formerly)

Notes

Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

There is an unrelated monster named Nekron who fought the original Justice League of America.[18]

Trivia

It has been confirmed in official sources that his name is pronounced NEHK-Ron.[19]

35 Appearances of Nekron (New Earth)

25 Images featuring Nekron (New Earth)

4 Quotations by or about Nekron (New Earth)

Character Gallery: Nekron (New Earth)

Footnotes

↑ 1.01.1 Captain Atom (Volume 2) #42

↑ Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #2

↑ Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #3

↑ Captain Atom (Volume 2) #43

↑ Fate #12

↑ Fate #13

↑ Green Lantern Annual (Volume 3) #7

↑ The Power Company: Witchfire #1

↑ Green Lantern (Volume 4) #25

↑ Green Lantern (Volume 4) #42

↑ Green Lantern (Volume 4) #44

↑ Green Lantern (Volume 4) #43

↑ Blackest Night #1

↑ Blackest Night #4

↑ Blackest Night #5

↑ Blackest Night #7

↑ Blackest Night #8

↑ Justice League of America #128-129

↑ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #16

Green Lantern Villain(s)

This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains."

Black Lantern Corps member

This character is or was a member of the Black Lantern Corps. Those who have died may wield the Black Power Ring, symbolizing their lack of both life and emotion.

This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Black Lantern Corps members category."

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