#she loves her little zombie daughters very much

[lacm-ac]

۞There is beauty in the rotten and the lost۞

۞Come forth and join, children of the wicked۞

۞This eternal life, now long forgotten, comes at a cost۞

۞You shall find your peace once your task is completed۞

⭒Nancy the Necromancer, the Daughters of the Swamp⭒

*partially inspired by Rusalkas of Russian folklore

[thepunkranger]

So I was thinking about Claire Redfield (as you do) and how much of an insane badass she is for not only holding her own in Raccoon City, but also protecting a child throughout the entire nightmare, and specifically how, for all intents and purposes, Claire in Resident Evil 2 during Raccoon City and Ashley in Resident Evil 4 are the closest thing to peers that they have.

Both of them are college-aged girls with zero combat/survival experience who've been dropped into a zombie-infested hellhole and have to find their way out, but Ashley is so starkly different of a character to Claire.

From a writing standpoint, Ashley is a very literal damsel in distress character. She's young, she's inexperienced, and she does, in fact, need a man to save her (no shade, I'd probably need Leon and his rippling abs to save me too). Now, she does grow significantly as a character throughout the events of the fourth game, and even gets to save Leon a couple of times, but she's still very much a young girl in need of help

Now, in comparison, Claire Redfield is a damsel in distress in the same way Meg from Hercules is

Claire is actually canonically younger in Resident Evil 2 than Ashley is in 4, being only 19, but goddamn is this girl not going to let that stop her. And while Claire does have a bit more skill with self-defense, all that really adds up to is forcing Chris to teach her knife fighting and probably going to the shooting range with him a couple of times. Claire is very confident in herself, but she doesn't have much real world experience to back that up. Girl rode her motorcycle into a zombie-infested city with nothing but a gun (where did she get this gun? We don't know) to do a welfare check on her brother and came out less scathed than the literal cop she made friends with.

And then, there's Sherry. Claire finds a random child hiding in the police station, saying that she's looking for her mom, and makes it her personal mission to protect her at all costs. And when said girl gets taken by the literal chief of police? Claire grabs her grenade launcher and decides that's gonna be his problem because by god is she taking care of that little girl.

By the time they make it out of the city Sherry might as well be Claire's biological daughter, and she is not about to let anything happen to her (forthcoming events out of her control notwithstanding)

Which, in a way, honestly I think makes 19-year-old Claire Redfield actually a closer peer to Ethan Winters.

Ethan is a nearly 30-year-old man who works an office job (I think he's IT?) and whose wife went missing a few years ago. When he finds out she's actually alive he grabs a flashlight and hops in his car to drive to Louisiana to bring her home.

This man finds out that his wife has been possessed, and he doesn't give a shit. He loves her. He made a vow to care for and protect her, and by god is he going to test the limits of 'til death do us part. He takes on an entire family of fucked up hillbillies and literal mold demons to bring her home. And when he does? They have a daughter, and Ethan is ready to sacrifice the world for her too.

All of Resident Evil 8 is just him fighting a pantheon of demons to save his baby girl armed with nothing but a gun he grabbed off a dead guy (he's from Texas, so I'm not gonna question it) and his innate knowledge of how to make life-saving elixirs. And yes, he does save both his wife and his daughter

Idk, I just think it's interesting that Claire and Ashley are so similar in age and life experience, but Claire winds up having the most in common with the Awkward Suburban Dad in the end

[faeriekit]

The Firstborn Son

dp x dc | Batman 👻 tw for: dead body, brief reference to human trafficking

(Part II available now!)

****

Once upon a time, there is a boy who dies forever...mostly.

****

Once upon a time, there is a man who wants to live forever.

He does.

****

Once upon a time, there is a daughter born to an immortal man.

"I need an heir," her father commands.

She gives him one.

****

Once upon a time, there is a King.

(He is a dead boy.)

(Most do not know that.)

"My heir, for a hundred years of your power," the immortal offers; the King accepts.

****

Once upon a time, there was a family of acrobats.

There isn't, not anymore, but the son still loves his mother and father, and gravity cannot steal his wings forever.

He sleeps restlessly, and rarely in his own bed. The allure of flying is too much to resist. At night, when the world is quiet, the acrobat joins the black darkness of an endless sky, and claims it as his own.

His guardian is one with the night.

The petit Robin is bright light and spectacle, no matter how well he hides his colors. He is spotted first.

****

Dick didn't really remember waking up from his nap. Alfred had put him down for a cold; his head hurt, and he was sleepy all the time, so B was out without him and Dick was stuck in a too-big bed in a giant, dark mansion, all alone.

Except. At some point, Dick must have gotten out of bed. Because now he's in the chandelier.

Dick doesn't remember jumping to the chandelier. And jumping to the chandelier is hard work; it's not something he could have done in his sleep. It requires weight, heft; the shirking of gravity. The night is dark around him; there are no street lights outside of their windows to light up the hallway. The darkness makes the grand persian carpet so much farther away than it is in the daytime-- entirely, unfathomably far below him. Pale moonlight flickers across cut shards of crystal. It's Dick's own little bird's nest.

Dick and the chandelier gently sway. He doesn't notice the-- the ghost, the illusion-- for a whole minute. It just looks like moonlight, until it doesn't.

It's a body. A boy's body-- not much older than Dick. Suspended, midair.

His heart drops. But Dick doesn't scream.

For a second, there are two boys midair, silent and still in the morning moonlight.

The body raises its head. Hello, Richard.

Dick doesn't move.

I have a question for you. The body blinks sightless eyes. Does your guardian treat you well?

Dick...doesn't know what that means. He rolls his weight forward, careful, so careful not to tip himself over the edge and send him plummeting.

"...Why are you asking?"

I need something looked after, the body says. Its limbs sway in wind that isn't here. It is very precious to me.

"Oh." Well, B is Batman, sometimes. And when he's not Batman, he's Bruce Wayne, and he is in charge of a lot of people. "Yeah, he's respons- reponsbile- he does a good job. Can I see it?" Dick's interest is piqued.

The body stills. And then-- like a zombie clawing its way out of its grave, it reaches through the rotting skin of its own stomach and removes. Something.

It's a baby.

Dick leans so far forward that he almost does go toppling but he's gripping the silver of the chandelier so that he doesn't, and, look! It's a baby! It's so small and tiny and it's still purple!

"He's so new!" Dick gasps, and releases one arm from its death grip to make a grabby hand. The body only floats close enough that Dick can pet the baby's cheek with a careful finger, can feel the softness of the baby's hair.

He is my charge, the body explains. As such, he is precious to me.

The baby is so small. Dick wants to bounce him, like he's seen mamas and papas do with their little ones. "Can I hold him?"

The baby disappears back into the body. It looks like a maggot burrowing back into the corpse it's eating, and Dick is heartbroken and sick about it. No. Not until I know it's safe.

Dick pouts. Also, he needs to know how to get the baby away from the...body. Babies need a lot of light and warmth. A dead body monster can't give him that.

Your guardian played his part in making the little heir, the body says. This baby was given to me by his grandfather. His mother passed him onto her own father, and her father sold him to me.

"Oh no!" Dick gasps. That is one of the things B has had to explain to Dick, one of hundreds of terrible things that happens to people in Gotham. And it happened to B's baby?

Yes. The body floats sightlessly, thin skin sliding over too-pale eyes. I must know if he is safe before I leave the baby in his care. Will you help me?

Dick...doesn't know what that means. He bites down on the soft presence of his lip. (He tastes blood.) "How?"

The body and the baby inside it are still. Quiet. Dick is two stories off the ground, midair, and any wrong motion could be his-- his-- Dick can't even see the ground. It would hurt so much. He's so high up from the distant hardwood floor and with only ghosts to keep him company.

...It would be very scary.

Dick swallows.

Do you trust that he would come get you, if you were in danger?

Dick knows so. He nods.

Do you trust he would be smart enough to find you? Mean enough to defend you? Care enough to comfort you? the body asks.

Dick nods.

The body floats closer. Closer. Until they are almost touching-- limp limbs entangling on the crystalline arms of the chandelier. It would be very scary, if you said yes, the body admits, as heavily weighted as any corpse that cannot help you hold it. But you would be in no danger. Should your guardian succeed, I will entrust him with this precious thing.

One circus boy's fears for the safety of B's baby. It's an easy choice. Dick is Robin. He is always going to pick helping people over maybe getting hurt.

His pinky touches the cold, dead flesh of the body's.

And then Dick wakes up sweating and heaving in bed.

[child0feden]

VOCAL COACHING 101

pelle “ dead ” ohlin x reader x ( platonic! ) oc daughter

♡ general headcanons for pelle teaching his daughter how to do his vocal work!

୨୧ this anon submission was so cute, it infected me with the worst brainrot known to man… i hope this did your thought some justice, anon! i mentioned in a post earlier today that the oc daughter is named calliope to me but i do not name her in the works so you can give her any name you want <3

♡ requested by anon | view my metal masterlist here

reading music recommendations: clementine suite by jared emerson johnson - i love you by daniel lanois

୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧

୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧♡୨୧

♡ to start off, pelle is most certainly no real stranger to admiration for his vocal work!

୨୧ he has gotten a whole lot of compliments on it from strangers and friends in the scene and he is very well aware of how much people like or appreciate his vocal work…

♡ though he never really took much from said compliments though, they just never really did a whole lot for him at all!

୨୧ but when it comes to your daughter?

♡ when she starts really looking up to him, truly admiring him and giving little toddler babbles about how she wants to be as awesome as him when she grows up?

୨୧ it just completely breaks him apart

♡ he is so soft on her and is just so glad she is not afraid of him, she does not see him as strange or scary, like most other children and people in general do, not that he cares all that much at all but still!

୨୧ he is just so… genuinely happy that his little girl looks up to him and wants to be like him when she grows up

♡ even if the thought of her growing up and possibly going through the same terrible things he went through absolutely terrifies him and you have to assure him all the time that you guys won’t let that happen

୨୧ when she actually tries to replicate his vocals after hearing him practice or listening to a mayhem tape or even an old morbid tape in the car, he is so softly and gently supportive

♡ because she is a toddler, she very obviously cannot even reach anywhere near his level but he loves how hard she tries to be like her papa

୨୧ often times, he will hold her up in front of the bedroom mirror as he crouches behind her small frame, both of their faces coated in a layer of corpse paint, his chin resting atop her head as she growls and does strange hand gestures that she probably saw him doing in pictures, all while you record the events from the doorway with a little handheld camcorder, letting out small chuckles at how hard she is trying to sound like pelle

♡ her vocals just consist of a lot of growling, noises that sound more like an audition for a zombie role in a movie or maybe even some kind of dinosaur

୨୧ and to be honest, the hand gestures do not help! she just looks like a really tiny t-rex…

♡ pelle will not talk much but he might just give a very quiet laugh as he looks down at her in the reflection of the mirror, giving quiet mumbles of praise as she continues her attempt

“ good… you’re doing very good, now you’re better than me, yes? ” ( she absolutely will not take that though, tilting her head back and giving a smile that’s missing a couple tiny teeth before telling him that “ no! no one is better than you, papa, not even me! ” is it enough to nearly get pelle to tear up? absolutely! but he chokes it back and nods softly, mumbling a quiet “ thank you ” back to her )

୨୧ if she ever starts coughing just a little, he will be really protective of her but not in an overbearing way, he is very good with handling things and remaining calm when things happen, at least in front of her because he never wants her to get freaked out

♡ pelle will usually just pat her back softly, rubbing his hand in large circular motions as her little lungs catch up, picking her up from the bedroom floor and balancing her on his hip as stands up from his crouching position, his pale fingers brushing some stray blonde hairs from her face

“ oh, come here… just a little too harsh, hm? you need a drink, water? juice box, maybe? ” ( he is incredibly attentive to her every need, you and your daughter are the only people he will ever treat like this, he opened his heart to you two and does not regret it one bit )

୨୧ when taking her to go and grab a drink to soothe her slightly sore throat, pelle will always slip her some kind of sweet treat like a swedish cinnamon roll or something similar from the kitchen cupboards whilst she sips from a juice box

♡ well, he really tries to secretly slip it to her but your motherly eagle eyes always catch the exchange, giving him a shake of the head and an eye roll as their little vocal coach sessions are almost always in the morning before breakfast or in the afternoon before dinner and you do not want her eating sweet snacks before a meal… but you never say anything, you just let them have their moment

୨୧ pelle is probably so tempted to sample a recording of her growling or even just use a redording of her growling in a song because he is just really proud of her and wants her to know it

♡ you know how hellripper featured his parents that one time? kind of a lot like that! he is her number one supporter and really has no problem showing it, even if he is a little awkward and shy

୨୧ you guys did not take her to watch pelle perform live until she was just a little bit older than a toddler and he does not harm himself on stage since she was born so you do not even have to worry about that now

♡ he will either silently or very quietly dedicate a song to her, i cannot quite decide on which…

୨୧ if he dedicates it to her quietly, he will just mumble something into the microphone that most likely cannot even be heard over the instruments loudly playing the intro the song around him

“ if you will… i play this song for my partner… and my daughter, this is her favourite one… some light in the darkness can be good! ” ( he will definitely be saying the last part very quietly, he is still pretty shy about finding his lights in the darkness, his true happiness )

♡ of course, you guys maker her wear some little fluffy ear protectors too! pelle most likely customised them a bit for her to make them look like devil horns

୨୧ the whole time pelle was up on stage, her little doe eyes were just stuck on him like glue, the stage lights shining on her face as she became entranced by the extremely muffled sound of her fathers vocals emanating from the large stage speakers…

♡ yeah, i think it is very safe to say a career as a vocalist may very well be in her future, you and pelle would support her the whole way <3

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for not wanting to lay my zombie daughter to rest?

I (30s M) have adopted a little zombie girl (??? F). It sort of happened by accident, but I love her as if she were my own. She's very forgetful, but has a talent for healing, so she sometimes helps out at my medical practice. I'm very proud of her.

However, a local funeral parlor owner (20s F) has taken issue with me keeping her... alive? She claims that to do so "violates the natural order of life and death." She's gone so far as to kidnap my daughter to try and lay her to rest, on multiple occasions.

I don't see it that way; as a doctor, I consider it to be my job to preserve life wherever possible, and I've never cared much for the "natural order." Life is precious, and must be protected.

But... sometimes I do wonder if I'm doing the right thing for my daughter. Would she be happier if she were allowed to move on to whatever lies beyond this life? Am I truly doing what's best for her?

[prismatica-the-strange]

Out of this selection of my fictional daughters...

Basic info on each under the cut!

*for 3-6 hours

Maggie - 11/12-years-olds, Bradey's younger cousin who they adopted. She plays soccer, has a dog named Perdita, and loves space! Her favorite weekend activities include: Going to Disney or playing on the beach!

Walker - 3/4-years-old and a hybrid human/android of the ai Kronos and the clone Cleon xiii. They live on a planet far from Empire's purview and a good distance from the locals. Walker loves exploring the nearby forests and quarries of their home and listening to her mother tell the stories of the long-lost homeworld of humanity, Earth.

Rowan - 14-years old, Rowan is Adeline's youngest sister who She and Hector have taken custody of. She likes video games, spending time with her friends after school, playing with her dog, and hanging out with her sister and Hector. She looks forward to joining the drama club in high school, and trying out for the Cheersquad in her sophomore year.

Evelyn - 5-years-old. After losing her family in the tragic sinking of the Titanic, she was taken in by the man who saved her, Caledon Hockley. She now lives in a lavish with her father and nanny-turned-mother, Miranda. She likes horse riding, playing with her mother, going for car rides, and eating chocolates cake.

Vivian - 4-years-old. So much like her parents, Eddie and Mika, Vivy loves using her imagination and playing knights on the playground with her best friend Ethan. When the two aren't there or at pre-school, they're at ballet class together. She loves playing with Eddie's old dnd minis and watching Mika's old theater club recordings, her favorite is Beauty and the Beast because both her parents play the lead. And she's very excited for her little brother to be born.

Amelia - 10/11-years-old. Shenandoah her brother Michael were infected with the Zombie virus during the vaccination scandal and abandoned by their parents. They were taken in by Cori and Blaine when Cor found them outside the Scratching Post, going through the dumpster for brains. Amy doesn't talk much, and once she gets comfortable with someone she gets clingy, so she can usually be found being carried around by Blaine or coloring near her brother. She likes playgrounds, especially swings.

[rushtoprove]

as long as we're together

aemond targaryen x reader /// the last of us au

summary: with a virus quickly spreading and violence taking over, aemond tries to move your little family to a safer place. he didn't expect to lose you all so quickly.

word count: 4349

part one : and then there was nothing

it was meant to be your daughter's first day of school, not the start of the apocalypse.

warnings: : horror themes and course language.

i had so many half written stories but the moment i finished that damn the last of us episode my laptop was open and i was off. this is very loosely based off the show, and could probably be more just apocalyptic au.

“…major reports of violent attacks across the city. The continued disturbance has many leaders growing uneasy, and they are requesting citizens to remain away from the area until the violence subsides. Mayor Borros Baratheon promises swift action on the matter. The cause of these outbursts is unknown to those outside the city. Our reporter…”

“Aemond, I love you but if Elia sneaks into our bed from nightmares again, I will blame you.” You rushed past your partner, who was scooping cereal into his mouth on the couch, and hurriedly began pulling the array of pencils scattered on the table into their correct case. Aemond simply shrugged as your daughter braided his hair behind him. You could not understand how they were so calm when you were going to be late for Elia’s first day of school.

“She doesn’t understand she’s only six. Did you see this? We were only just in Storm’s End! Aegon thinks it’s a terrorist attack.” He frowned, without taking his eyes away from the television screen. He had been following the story all week, not that there was much known about it. They simply kept repeating that the population was experiencing violent outbursts and it was becoming hard to control. You hadn’t paid much attention but something about it had struck Aemond.

“It just sounds like they are rioting against the government. Your brother thinks everything is some big conspiracy and darling, our trip to Storm’s End was two years ago. I know you’re interested but we really have to get moving. Also! Six years old is enough to remember something scary on the television. Remember when you watched that zombie show while she was in the room? She had to sleep with us for two weeks!” Reaching forward for the remote, you quickly turned it off before moving to zip up Ellia’s school bag, while ignoring the noise of protest Aemond huffed through his mouth full of cereal.

“I don’t have nightmares! I’m a big girl now!” Straightening her back with a huff, Elia stood tall behind her father, and you were once again stuck by their resemblance. You were jealous of their silver hair and bright blue eyes, but it was also their headstrong personality and dominating presence that reflected one another. Your heart swelled as you looked at them.

“Come. We don’t want you to be late for your first day. I’m glad you are fixing your father’s hair because I want some photo’s of my big girl before we go.” You placed a kiss upon your daughter’s head, and quickly moved to do the same to Aemond, but he quickly tilted his head back and caught your lips with his own.

“I’m not having plats in for the photos.” He whispered against your lips, and you couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you, and in turn your daughter too.

“You look ravishing my love.” You pressed one more kiss upon him, before straightening up and handing your daughter her bag.

“Come on big girl. It’s time we get you to class.” She gripped the handle tightly, trying to figure out what she wanted to say, but the words seemingly escaped her, so she dug herself into your torso and buried her head into you.

“What if everyone hates me?” Her little voice was muffled, but you and Aemond both heard her words clearly, sharing the same look of concern.

“There is no chance my baby! Everyone will love you. You are kind and smart and I’m sure everyone will see that, and you will have no problems making friends! Also, Jaehaerys is going to be in your class, so you won’t be alone.” You bent down to pull her away, while brushing the hair from her face. Aemond placed a comforting hand upon her head and smiled lovingly at his only daughter.

“Yes, you shall have your cousin and you will make many friends. And if those little kids are mean to you, they shall have to deal with me. I can promise you that.” Your daughter giggled at her father’s threat, before twisting her little arms around his neck. He instantly reacted by pulling her up into the air and allowing her to wrap her legs around his hip. Elia reached for you, and you found yourself being tugged tightly into your husband’s side, and you all sighed at the feeling of being close to one another.

“I love you both.” She whispered, leaning her cheek into Aemond’s face.

“I am the luckiest man alive. How did I end up with such a perfect little family?” You let your eyes shut as you let yourself be overwhelmed with the comfort of having the two most important people in your life safety tucked into your arms.

“My loves.” You whispered as they both moved to pat down your hair. You could have stayed in that moment forever.

How were you to know that soon you would spend your nights cursing yourself for being the one who moved away first?

“Come on you two. Photo time.” Clapping your hands together, the two groaned in protest at your sudden change.

“OH! I can use the camera Aunt Helaena bought me!” Elia squealed in realisation before running off down the house you shared with your husband. Aemond began pulling the braids away so that his shoulder length hair could flow freely. You let your hands wrap around his waist and he quickly lent down to kiss the tip of your nose.

“You’re holding it together really well.” He whispered making you let out a tiny laugh.

“I couldn’t stop crying in the shower. It feels like yesterday we were looking over her cot in the hospital ward. She’s growing too fast.” Aemond hummed in agreement at your confession and let himself rest his head upon yours.

“Much too fast. Usually, I spend my days off playing dragons and princesses with her but now I don’t know how I shall spend my time.”

“I’m sure we will find something to do.” You giggled and he instantly grabbed your hips, pulling you tightly into him.

“Oh, I have my plans.”

“FOUND IT!” Elia’s scream ruined the moment and her heavy footfalls echoed through your small house as she neared. Swinging around the corner happily carrying the polaroid camera her aunt gifted her, Elia’s face instantly dropped in realisation.

“Dad… your braids!?” The hurt was evident, and you could not stifle the laughter that erupted upon seeing your husband’s devastated face.

“I had to. They were giving me a terrible headache. But I promise I will wear them tonight.” Your daughter let her bottom lip tremble, before quickly shaking it off and seemingly forgetting what had upset her in the first place.

“We need three so everyone has one! Mum, you have to take it because you’re the best at photos. When dad was setting it up, he took a photo of up his nose.” Reaching up, she let herself be lifted back into her father’s arms and handed you the camera.

“You swore you would never tell anyone.” Aemond faked a gasp of shock, and you quickly turned your widened eyes to your daughter.

“Do you still have the photo?” You grinned devilishly towards Elia, who returned the smile with the same energy.

“It’s gone. I burned it.” Aemond protested the two girls, but his daughter betrayed him as she giggled and shook her head.

“It’s in my diary.” The sound of her father spluttering out traitor made her scream in delight, and you found yourself laughing along with her. Aemond tried his hardest to keep a straight face, but he could not stop the corners of his mouth turning up. The noise seemed to catch the attention of someone else, and the sound of heavy footsteps and quick breaths quickly soured your mood.

“Vaghar no!” But it was too late, as your large dog raced around the corner and jumped up on you. Many said she was the largest dog they had ever seen, and every time she jumped up to reach on to your shoulders, you swore it to be true.

“Remember when they said this beast would only grow into a medium sized dog." You grunted out as you pushed her off you, trying hard not to buckle under the weight, while ignoring the laughter of your very amused family. Shuffling in, you held up the camera for your daughter, and took three photos. Elia made sure to judge who got each one. You had the one that showed Elia pressing her cheek to Aemond’s as you all grinned widely at the camera, whereas Elia got the photo of both her parent’s placing a kiss her cheeks. Aemond was quick to snatch the last photo, where your daughter and you were smiling with one another as Aemond gazed upon you both. Half his face was cut from the photo.

“I don’t want my nose taking up the photo. I just wanna see my girls.” He tucked the photo inside his pocket, while you placed yours in your wallet and Elia placed it in the small pocket of her bag.

“Oh god we’re late!” You gasped as you noticed the time before gripping your daughter and ushering her forward. Aemond quickly grabbed the keys for the car and began locking up your tiny cottage-esk house as you strapped your daughter in.

“Can Vaghar come? Please?” She whined as Vaghar tried her hardest to jump through the door you were blocking while you buckled up Elia’s seat belt.

“No Vaghar cannot come. She will scare the children and I don’t think your father will be able to bare being separated from you AND Vaghar at the same time.” You closed the door on her protests before hurriedly guiding Vaghar to the back gate and locking her in the yard.

“We will be back soon.” You promised, giving her a quick pat, then turning and running back to the passenger seat of the car.

“Vaghar is my best-friend!” You reached in only to hear the two arguing over the giant dog, which you chose to ignore and settled into the car seat. Aemond began backing out of the driveway but stopped when a distant vibrating noise started to grow closer.

“What is that?” Elia craned her neck to see, while you and Aemond tried to find the source of the noise through the windshield of the car. Soon the noise grew so loud it was deafening, making Elia scream and cover her ears. You reached your arm back towards her in fright as Aemond jumped out to get a better look.

“WHAT IS IT?” You cried out but there was no way he would have heard you. Soon you got your answer as three fighter jets raced lowly over your house, so low you thought they might hit the trees that covered your property. You and your daughter both screamed and ducked as the trees blew over so hard you swore, they would snap and fall on both the house and the car, but the moment was over, and the noise seemed to fade off into the distance.

“Why were they so low?” You gasped at your husband as he climbed back into the car. You reached a comforting hand to Elia’s knee and gave it a squeeze as Aemond began cursing under his breath.

“To be that close! I will be sending in a complaint! If I find out it’s a fucking training exercise for the army!” You could hear Vaghar’s roar-like barking, and the sound of your daughter’s panicked breath led you to calm yourself, and smile at everyone.

“It’s okay. It’s all over now. C’mon, let’s get to school. Everything is fine.” Aemond was still swearing under his breath as he began reversing again. Just as he began to let the car back on to the road, two police cars came racing past at unimaginable speed, making him smash his foot on the break and the whole car lurched forward. You cried out in shock, grasping on to his biceps as you both watched the red and blue flashing lights disappear just as quick as they came. Aemond stilled, before quickly swinging around to face you in incredulity.

“What the fuck is going on with the world today!?” He asked in disbelief. You shushed his language but could not still your beating heart.

“Are you alright Elia?” You both turned back to face your daughter who had paled dramatically. She simply nodded and looked out the window. She never liked to admit when she was scared, but the silence from her usual talk was enough for you to know she was shaken by the events of this morning.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you to school my little princess. I’ll just have to be extra weary because apparently everyone is a moron today.” You hit Aemond lightly as he once again swore in front of your daughter, then braced yourself as the car edged back on to the street. Aemond kept one hand on the wheel, but reached his other hand to your knee and gave it a squeeze.

“Are you alright?” He mumbled. You turned the radio up to mask the voice of your husband and you talking from your daughter.

“A bit shaken. Do you think something’s happened?” You murmured. He inhaled, deep in thought, and you could tell he too was on edge. Another cop car weaved around yours, and you all turned to gaze after it.

“I’ll check the news.” You quickly grabbed your phone, and a part of you was scared you would have a bunch of missed calls from people trying to reach you. Instead, it was just a couple of work emails and a text from Adidas telling you it had a 20% off sale this weekend. You chuckled at yourself, and at the way you always imagining the worst possible situation.

“Nothing’s coming up.” You mumbled as you tried different news outlets and google searches. Aemond hummed, but you could tell the uneasiness was yet to fade. Grasping his hand tightly, you pulled it to your lips, and watched as he relaxed into your touch. His soft demeanour did not last long before you felt him clench beneath your fingertips. The quick spike of tension made you look up to see the road ahead had been barricaded off by police and cars were being turned around.

“Maybe there was a crash?” You whispered as Aemond edged the vehicle closer. You watched in suspense as the cop stopped talking to the car in front and began walking towards yours. Aemond allowed the window to wind down and you leaned across the divider to get a better listen.

“Sorry guys but you won’t be able to get into the city today. We’ve had to block it off.” The cop yawned making you screw your eyebrows together. How could he corner of an entire city and not be concerned?

“Has something happened?” Aemond questioned, frustrated that there was to be no explanation on why he couldn’t get in.

“All I know is something has happened, and we need to block of all incoming traffic.” The cop shrugged and gave no time for any reply before he turned and walked towards the car behind yours. Yourself and Aemond both let out a growl of disbelief.

“What about school?” Elia cried out, clutching her backpack tightly. Aemond began turning the car around while you spun in your seat to face her.

“No school today I guess sweetie. Maybe tomorrow they will let us drive in?” She let out a long whine, but it was obvious she was not truly upset.

“Fine. I GUESS we will have to play princesses and dragons then dad.” She sighed out in fake exasperation, and you let out a small laugh at your daughter’s antics. Aemond, however, clenched the wheel tightly and did not break his gaze from the road ahead. It was then you realised you were turning into the almost empty parking lot of your local grocery store.

“Oh, darling I went shopping two days ago. We have enough for a week.” He did not listen as he parked the car, before turning and pulling your hands towards his lips. He did not break eye contact as he stared at you, and a sense of uneasiness grew.

“Something is happening my love.” He whispered. You stared at him a moment longer, before shaking your head.

“Aemond I…”

“Please. Just humour me on this. Worst comes to worse I will refund all the cans of soup next week. I promise.” He began unbuckling his seat belt while you tried to comprehend his words. Elia eagerly followed her father, while you struggled to follow.

“What cans of soup?” You ran up to Elia and swept her up in your arms, while Aemond pulled out a trolley and rushed inside the store. He moved straight past the fresh produce and meat aisles, and instead pulled up infront of all the non-perishable foods and began sweeping them off the shelf and into the cart like a mad man.

“Dad what are you doing?” Elia giggled, while you pulled her closer into your body.

“Aemond I think you are being a bit ridiculous. It’s because Aegon is always telling you all those stupid stories he reads on the internet. I’m sure there was just an accident, and they are trying to clean it up, so they must rope it off.” His phone began ringing halfway through your speal and he quickly brought it to his ear with an apologetic look.

“Grandfather.” He greeted Otto cooly, as he does most of his family. He began moving forward, grabbing more tins as he walked, while Elia and you listened to him explain everything that happened this morning.

“Is something bad going to happen?” She whispered, moving your hair so she could get a look at your nervous face. You tried to tell yourself it was fine, but you did not lie to her.

“I’m not sure sweetie. But as long as we are all together, we will be okay.”

“We are at the store now. Yes, I’m filling up the cart. What is everyone else doing?” You were only catching phrases of what was being said in Aemond’s conversation, but you could tell Otto was nervous too. If Otto Hightower was feeling scared, you knew whatever was about to happen would be frightening. Within minutes Aemond had already filled the cart and moved so you could push it, leaving him free to grab another.

“Jesus Aemond.” You muttered, but turning around you noticed the almost empty store was filling up with people… quickly. You nudged Aemond for his attention and watched him breathe deep as he too noticed the way everyone was speed walking around the store. He quickly threw three first-aid kits into the trolley before you all moved to the counter’s conveyer belt. The teenager behind it couldn’t help but groan at the two trolleys full of groceries.

“I’m sorry. I’ll pack it just pass it down.” You apologised before putting Elia down and moving to the end of the desk with her quickly following.

“I’ll help Mumma.” She murmured, making you cup her head and kiss it. Aemond was quick as he unpacked the trollies so they could be scanned, while skilfully letting the phone sit between his ear and his shoulder.

“It will take us two weeks. I have some gas stored at home and it might be enough to get us there. Of course I know the way! I spent my childhood there. Just promise you will keep mother and Helaena safe. Yes, yes, Aegon too obviously. Are you sure you need to pick him up, I’m sure he can drive himself?”

“That will be $748.60.” The cashier’s voice tore you away and you couldn’t help the curses that fell from your mouth.

“Oh fuck! Aemond I don’t think we need…” It was too late as Aemond slid his credit card into the machine and began punching in his pin.

“When the fuck did he lose his license!? God do we even need to bring him, he will only slow us down? No, jesus Otto do not pick up his new girlfriend too!” He growled down the phone before quickly moving to help you fit the bags into the trolley. He pressed a quick kiss a top your forehead and moved to guide you out by the placing a hand on the small of your back.

“IT’S MINE YOU BASTARD!” You jumped in fright as a voiced bellowed from across the store. You turned to see two men hoisting each other around by their shirts until one gained enough power to throw the other into one of the shelves, leaving everyone to cry out and move from the falling debris.

“Come on.” Aemond whispered in your ear as he pulled Elia up and pushed you forward. You heard more shouting begin but Aemond was too quick for you to see what happened next. Elia turned her wide eyes towards you, and you tried to smile and calm her, but your eyes were full of fear.

“Alright. We will try and keep in contact. Two weeks hopefully. You keep them all safe so help me God. Yes, I will do the same with my lot. We will take the backroads. Yes. Yes. Alright. Alright I will see you all in two weeks. Where the fuck do I find a gun? What do you mean in my shed!?” You spun in shock, but Aemond just moved his hands around to convey that he didn’t know. He said goodbye once more, before throwing his phone into the cup holder and speeding out of the car park without delay.

“There better not be a gun in your fucking shed Aemond.” You growled. Aemond heaved out a sigh and began shaking his head nervously.

“Apparently he left it there because he feels unsafe when he visits.” You cried out in frustration and began nervously running your hand through your hair.

“What if Elia had of found it!? God he is a crazy old man! Why are you listening to him Aemond!?”

“I wouldn’t go in the shed it has spiders.” Elia quipped up from the back, trying to stop her parents from fighting too much.

“I don’t know! But the government has been told it’s some kind of virus. They haven’t been told much but apparently; it’s spreading fast.” You felt the car pick up speed as Aemond talked and you felt yourself clutch on to the door handle.

“Dad!” Elia squeaked, but Aemond was committed to getting home. The twenty-minute journey only took ten minutes.

“What is wrong with you!?” You cried out as he finally parked in front of your home. He rushed to Elia’s door and bundled her up in his arms, before opening your door and pulling you with him. He rushed you all inside, before quickly opening the gate and allowing Vaghar to follow you all in.

“Elia take Vaghar and go and play with her. I’m sure she has missed you.” You could not look at her as you began nervously running your fingers through your hair, while Aemond began making sure everything was locked with in the house. He quickly moved to the TV and you both stood as the breaking news played out.

“Authorities have declared a national emergency and have ordered all civilians to stay indoors. They say the sickness is fast spreading and that violent attacks have begun within the city. The army has moved in to attend but authorities repeat that it is crucial everyone stays indoors.” You felt your body still as the news reported whatever this was. Your vision blurred as you tried to centre yourself, but the horror you were hearing was frightening you more than you ever thought possible.

“They are saying it’s lethal. That the moment you get it you’re dead. We will go to my family's cabin in Harrenhal. Otto is hoping the fresh air and isolation will help us stay safe. He’s already picked up my mother and they are going to pick up Helaena and her children then they will get Aegon. We will meet them there. Pack some bags and we will leave at dawn.” The entire morning seemed to hit you suddenly, and the overwhelming fear made you buckle over and clutch the couch for support. Instantly Aemond was by your side. The sound of your daughter’s laughter, and Vaghar’s barking, quickly brought on the tears and you felt yourself being pulled into Aemond’s tight embrace as you crumbled under the pressure of it all.

“Elia. We have to make sure she’s okay. We have to look after her. She's so young Aemond. What are we going to do?” You wept. You felt him dig his nose into your hair and you felt his grip tighten even more as he began kissing you wherever he could reach.

“Always. We will always keep her safe. And I will keep you safe. I promise you that I will keep you both safe. As long as we are together, that is all that matters.” He murmured.

The sound of a piercing scream from outside silenced you both.

“Get the curtains closed.” Aemond whispered cautiously.

Another scream tore through the neighbourhood.

“We have an urgent update from the authorities. Stay away from the infected. The violent attacks are not looters, it is those who have the sickness. The virus seems to be taking control of the host’s bodies and controlling them to act out horrific acts of savagery. Even if it is your loved ones. You must stay away.” The news reporter could not finish before he began horrifically coughing.

“Michael?” Someone behind the camera whispered. You watched in horror as his body began twitching on the screen, and then the sound of the news staff rushing around before the camera fell to the floor.

There was a piercing scream.

And then there was nothing.

[theicarusconstellation]

TELL ME ABOUT DUNE ALIA ATREIDES DUNE just anything I just need to read more about it I'm brainhungry

OH MY GOD OKAY OKAY OKAY FJSJSKNDNF

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT DUNE ANY TIME THAT GOES FOR EVERYBODY

SO. ALIA.

my poor girl was doomed from the START from CONCEPTION😭😭😭😭once jessica drank the water of life, alia’s fate was pretty much sealed.

it’s so fucking tragic to think about her relationship to jessica and paul. jessica loved her kids, truly, she did, and we see it in how she cares for paul and alia throughout the first book, even after paul thinks, my mother has become my enemy. and yet. even before paul was born, jessica has been motivated by selfishness. she defied the bene gesserit and bore a son instead of a daughter to make leto (and herself) happy, thus damning paul to the fate of the kwisatz haderach. she drank the water of life and took on the role of the fremen reverend mother while pregnant to help implement the bg’s plans (and her own plans) even though she knew what it would do to her unborn daughter. from that point on, alia was sentient. she had the memories of billions within her fighting to gain control.

for the first few years of her life, she had a very distinct sense of self. she and paul, despite their age difference, loved each other SO MUCH😭😭😭😭there’s this one quote from dune messiah where reverend mother mohaim says, “who could understand but the sister?” in reference to paul’s struggles, and yeah. they understood one another in a way no one else could.

she had a sweet family dynamic with harah, jamis’ wife and paul’s eventual servant. their moment together in the first book is honestly the most open declaration of familial love we ever see in the books (“i love you, harah.” FUCKING RUINS ME), and right after that, alia snuggles up to jessica and takes comfort in her mother (she was so young she just wanted her MOM😭). like yeah she has many different memories within her that are not the memories of a child, but she, alia atreides, was still a child. and i know brian herbert and kevin j. anderson’s books are…certainly something😐but there’s a moment between alia and irulan in paul of dune where irulan tells alia, “you deserve to have a childhood too” and that just BREAKS ME because she never got one. since birth, she was treated like a freak and knew it. she literally said, “i know i’m a freak.” (she was like TWO when she said this MY BABY😭). when paul’s jihad was going on, she was running arrakis in his place as a CHILD. she had so much wisdom and knowledge and did an amazing job, but underneath that, you do see that she was a literal baby.

once she hit about four years old, jessica left her on arrakis. jessica went back to caladan and reverted back to her old bene gesserit ways, living in fear and disgust of the children she created. the children she once loved so. much. are now her biggest regrets, and we see this when she visits alia in children of dune and literally hesitates to call her “daughter.” once she admits it, there’s an understanding between alia and jessica that they are still family, but the “…daughter” DOESNT HURT ANY LESS.

then dune messiah comes around. she’s ≈ sixteen and already regarded as a demigoddess by the people of arrakis and has a little mini-cult surrounding her. she is paul’s closest confidante (some may argue that it’s chani, but i say again, “who could understand but the sister?”). she’s “saint alia of the knife” for a reason too. her fremen upbringing + her genetics make her incredibly skilled, so much so that breaking records is second-nature to her. however, as paul’s state declines, so does hers.

(WHO. COULD. UNDERSTAND. BUT. THE. SISTER.)

she starts slipping into spice trance, letting ancestors converse with her for longer periods of time. she’s argumentative and so, so lost. when duncan idaho’s ghola is given to paul, this 35+ year-old zombie man sees this 16 year-old and is like “yeah i’m gonna get up on that,” so he and alia get into a “relationship” that my poor girl didn’t know any better than to accept.

i think the start of her breaking point came when paul lost his sight. up until then, they had understood one another as easily as breathing, like those saplings that grow next to each other and end up twisting around one another (or turning into one tree). but when paul comes back blind yet still able to see, he knows she’s scared of him, and an irreparable rift develops right then and there (i pretend this doesn’t happen for my mental health).

once paul wandered into the desert, alia was gone. her sense of self and grasp on reality went right with him. he was the only one who didn’t live in fear of her, the only one who she ever felt truly loved by, who didn’t put her on a divine pedestal she didn’t want, who she could TRUST😭

this fucking monologue from messiah guts me inside:

“i wish i could burn this thing out of me…but i’m sister to an emperor who is worshipped as a god. people fear me. i never wanted to be feared. i don’t want to be part of history; i just want to be loved. and love.”

WHO!! COULD!! UNDERSTAND!! BUT!! THE!! SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!

the (almost) last things we hear her say in messiah are literally, “duncan, duncan, he’s [paul’s] gone! i need you duncan, love me!”

then, children of dune occurs. it’s nine years after paul wandered into the desert, AND ALIA STILL WEARS YELLOW, THE FREMEN COLOR OF MOURNING. she hates him and loves him and hates him and loves him and can’t stay out of a possessed trance for more than five minutes. rather than help her as the people around her notice her falling victim to the voices inside her, they ice her out, even her former lover, and call her abomination, trying to send her to her death and looking upon her with disgust. leto ii and ghanima, who she raised since birth, have no sympathy for her.

the only person we really see her close with is irulan tbh. which like. oh i love their dynamic. they went from being curt and uncaring with one another in messiah to being one another’s only comfort in children (for irulan loved paul too). still, irulan distances herself the more wrapped up in her own head alia becomes. when jessica returns to arrakis, she does nothing but stand by (and encourage alia’s execution) as she watches her daughter slip away as a result of her selfish choices!!

after alia finds out paul is alive, god there is so much conflict going on within her. the last time she saw him, they loved one another with a love that was more than love, but now, he’s preaching that everything they’ve built is a blasphemy and alia should be overthrown. she wants him dead but she wants him alive but she wants him dead but she wants him alive and she wants to see him but she hopes it isn’t him but she wants to see him. her big brother.

when she finally does see him, he looks her in the eyes and calls her a blasphemy.

then, paul is stabbed. alia watches him die, and to me, that is when the last string within her finally snaps. she turns to jessica and shouts, “that was paul they just killed!”

so many voices fight to overtake her, including her grandfather, baron harkonnen, who had been possessing her up until this point, but she is just so, so tired and so hurt and so unloved that she can’t do it anymore. she doesn’t even bother to fight. she jumps to her death and does not scream on the way down.

and this is what gets me too. we know it was her decision, the last decision she ever got to make of her own volition, and it was one of self-destruction. the baron was screaming at her not to do it — everyone else watched as it happened — but she did it anyway, and honestly, she found more peace in death than she ever did in life.

god i could talk about her for hours i love her so much she’s my girl my love i need to wrap her (and paul) up in little blankets and hold them so close.

also there is just…something about jessica watching both her children die in front of her. and the comparison she made in the first book when alia walks into her room and she thinks, “she reminds me of paul at that age” with both their big, curious eyes and quiet mannerisms and OH😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

Parental Dukexiety who stick to their aesthetics.

For simplicity's sake, I'm gonna say they adopted a little girl and her name is Olivia.

The little nicknames. "Little rockstar" "lil ass kicker" "baby bat" all those sweet things. Bonus points if you can guess what lil ass kicker references.

Parent teacher conferences. Teachers expect "normal" parents and in walk an emo and punk fully dedicated to their aesthetics, each other, and their daughter. And they're very nice and Olivia is so so so excited about her parents.

Family outings to the zoo. Nothing really alt about that but I think they'd really like seeing the bats.

The first song Olivia learns fully is Dragula by Rob Zombie because that is a core memory for so many people and therefore must be carried on.

She learns way too many cuss words too early — cough Remus cough — but she's also sassy (*looks directly at Virgil*) so they just have a fantastic little combo there.

She grows up to be a teen and decides her own aesthetic. They stick to theirs. It's fantastic. Imagine she is drawn to cottage core and so their family outings are just two stormy nights and a ray of sunshine. Them buying her sunflower earrings. Or she follows in her parents footsteps and goes to an alt subculture they get to help teach her out.

Them helping her pick a prom dress and she goes for whatever style she likes but Remus and Virgil definitely don't cry a little bit because omg their little girl is all grown up she's going to prom.

She gets piercings and Virgil goes with her for support because he has more experience with that, or she gets tattoos and Remus goes along because that's his jam. Or both. Definitely both.

Dads :3

— 👑

Dadmus and Dadgil my fucking beloveds oml I L O V E this <3!!! Olivia sounds like such a sweet and cool kid and it's S O fucking heartwarming how much she loves her spooky dads and how much they love her <3 Bonus: They go all out every year on Halloween either throwing kickass spooky themed parties or taking her to houses that give the best candies (Always the haunted ones) and she absolutely L O V E S it <3

[gaylittlerichie]

FINISHED READING CHRISTINE HERE IS MY REVIEW!!!!! 🚘❤️

pros:

* the kills in this were FANTASTIQUE. the final showdown especially and i am notorious for always tuning out during a final showdown. i loooove how relentless christine is and how she keeps regenerating it’s so much fun to read

* the way arnie and christine r high key In Love with each other is so good and camp. obsessed w the way he sweet talks her when he’s fixing her up or starting the engine

* love love love dennis and arnie’s love for each other. i find relationships where they set out to Protect one another (exhibit a the losers club) so endearing and dennis’ loyalty to the very end is SWEET. did indeed shed a tear over the ant farm passage

* further to that i will say this is the gayest king novel ive read yet lol

* arnie is such a tragic character. the repetition of the idea that he’s just a loser and just Needed something to survive (which just so happened to be christine) is fucking heartbreaking. loved his slow descent

* so many good eerie details w the car….the smell of rot, the way she always flips back to the oldies channel, the way her handles feel like warm skin. although i have some issues with the roland d lebay of it all i did also find the image of Decomposing Zombie Driving Car really fun

* i love the time that was given to the issues in the cunningham house and how christinegate bled out to effect all of them. like amongst all the crazy corky car murder i really enjoyed just watching regina and michael struggling to cope w their perfect son deciding he’s not going to college. king is so good at that (thinking of herb and vera in the dead zone my beloved)

* the metaphor i kind of got from it all was to do w childhood best friends growing apart and losing each other and as u can probably guess. broke me

* I LOVED BUDDY REPPERTON…

cons:

* starting this book in dennis pov really put me off. i don’t love 1st person generally but this was also just so….especially dude-y. listening to dennis rant on about how girls’ll never understand the pain of whacking ur balls and the Epic Highs And Lows Of Navigating The High School Hierarchy was just like. straight up annoying

* listen. i have read a lot of early king now i am not trying to retrospectively cancel a 1980s book and know that this comes w the territory. however. the misogyny in this one was almost too much to an uncomfortable degree. again going back to how this is a very DudeCore novel in parts

* she’s only a small part but the way elaine guilder was written was so insanely groanworthy. every single FREAKING line about this freshly 15yo girl is about her Just Budding Breasts and how hyper aware of them her big brother is

* similar issues w leigh. her character truly does not go beyond love interest beautiful girl to me. in general these are all definitely some of king’s weaker characters but leigh especially

* i mentioned it above but i didn’t really like how christine is kind of her own entity but the ghost(?) of lebay is also what’s animating her??? some of the Lore around him was very fun and creepy but i would’ve preferred christine to just be the big bad

TLDR:

in general this took a while to grow on me but grow on me it sure the fuck did. like this book is like my beautiful daughter that i kind of hate a little bit. it’s kidnapping and torturing me but i’ve got an intense case of stockholm syndrome and have fallen in love. super fucking excited to watch the movie

[sapphire-weapon]

I’m about to vomit out a bunch of thoughts, and I’m not sure any of this is going to make sense by the end, but. I’ve been thinking a LOT about these three lines in RE4make:

“You haven’t changed. You just think you have.”

“You can’t save her. You can’t save anyone.”

“This time, it has to be different...”

I’ve seen people focus in on that Krauser line and tie it directly back to Sherry, which is cool! Even as recently as five years ago, people completely glossed over Sherry’s impact on Leon’s life, and it’s cool that the remakes have had people digging into his character and realizing “oh shit, literally everything that happens to him after RE2 is because of his paternal love for Sherry.”

But... Krauser’s line is about more than just her.

With the remake turning Krauser into Leon’s combat trainer, chances are he knows about everything that happened in Raccoon City. And I don’t mean, like. He read a government file. Leon probably told him.

In OG, Krauser and Leon have this exchange of dialogue:

Krauser: “What is it that you fight for, comrade?” Leon: “My past, I suppose.” Krauser: “Hmph. Umbrella.”

It was axed completely from the remake, because it doesn’t make sense for it to happen in the remake. If Krauser was Leon’s trainer, that question was probably asked very early in their relationship. And since they weren’t currently in a fight to the death, and because they weren’t already six years removed from Raccoon City, chances are, Leon’s answer was a bit more involved than just “my past.”

So, let’s back up a little bit. In RE2make, they basically turned Kendo into a completely different character. OG Kendo was literally just there to point a shotgun at Leon and/or Claire and then go “oh my bad you’re not a zombie” and hook them up with some guns before he gets eaten. In RE2make, he’s a desperate and terrified father just trying to spend his last few moments with his infected 6 or 7 year old daughter before she turns. After he shuts the door on Leon and Ada, Leon turns to Ada and says, “Protecting people like that is why I joined the force.”

But Leon doesn’t protect or save Kendo or his daughter. He doesn’t protect or save... anyone. Every single person that Leon comes into contact with and tries to save dies horrifically -- and some, he even has to kill, himself (Marvin Branaugh). The only people who make it out of Raccoon City alive are people who saved themselves (Claire and Ada).

Of course, there is Sherry. But Leon didn’t save Sherry; Claire did. ESPECIALLY in remake canon, since nearly all of Leon’s scenes with Sherry got severely shortened or removed completely in RE2make.

But then, when Claire entrusts Sherry to Leon’s care (on his own insistence, per her RE3 epilogue), he goes and fucks that up, too. Gets her kidnapped and held hostage indefinitely by the federal government, and the only thing he can do about it is do exactly as they say and just hope they keep their end of the bargain and not hurt her.

So, when Krauser says “You can’t save anyone,” he means anyone. Ever. And even up to that point in RE4... Leon got the two officers who drove him into town killed, and he watched Luis die a slow, agonizing death right in front of him. And then, past that point, Leon has to kill Krauser with his own hands. Then he watches Mike die.

Ashley is literally Leon’s first and only success story, up to this point in canon. (And even when you go all the way up to current-day canon, Ashley is one of... three? People? I can think of? Total? Who Leon actually saves?)

So, Leon saying, “This time, it has to be different,” he doesn’t just mean Sherry. He means Ada. He means Kendo. He means Marvin. He means the entirety of Raccoon City. He’s staring down a repeat of what happened back then, not in terms of the bioterror situation, but in terms of his own personal failures. His survivor’s guilt. He can’t handle the thought that he’ll be the only person to walk away again -- and he refuses to be.

And that’s why Ada’s line bothers me so fucking much.

I mean, first of all -- Ada, you haven’t seen this man in six years, and you’ve spent a total of like five minutes with him since meeting up with him again here, so how the fuck would you even know -- but even aside from that...

To be clear: she’s right.

But she’s also wrong.

Leon has changed -- to an extent. In RE2 (OG or remake), Leon honestly believed that if it was lawful, then it was also morally right. He doesn’t believe that anymore. There’s no more “letting the law sort it out” or trusting in the power of authority for him anymore. His moral compass has been boiled down to: “If you hurt or murder innocent people, you’re a fucking asshole, and I don’t really care who you are, I’ll kill you myself.”

RE2 Leon was willing to hear people out and give them an honest benefit of the doubt -- even Annette Birkin. RE4 Leon just tells people to shut the fuck up before opening fire.

RE2 Leon was honest and trusting to a fault, and he felt stronger as part of a team. RE4 Leon is suspicious almost to the point of paranoia, and he just wants to be left the fuck alone to do his job.

These are all things that were really important to who Leon was in Raccoon City, and they’re reasons why things turned out the way they did for him, back then.

But at the same time, Ada’s right in saying that, at the core of it all, Leon is still that kind-hearted, decent guy who just wants the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose. That’s why it hits him somewhere sensitive when Krauser says: “You can’t save anyone.” 

It’s just that, now, the way he approaches it is different. His outlook on life in terms of his goals is different. His expectations for it have changed.

So, if Leon had been smarter/wittier, he absolutely could have turned it around on her and said: “No, I’ve definitely changed. You just think I haven’t.”

And not only would that sound threatening as fuck, he’d also be right. They both would be, at that point.

And for all of those major parts of him to have changed and still be facing down the possibility of failing every single person he comes across, especially Ashley...

"This time, it has to be different.”

And this time, it was.

[hoyotournament]

Round 1: Lisa vs Sirin

(Propaganda under the cut)

Sirin:

MY GIRL WHO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG IN HER LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HER SO SO BAD. sirin has seen the horrors of all time. she watched her mom die in hospice and was thus left an orphan. she was taken by shicksal for human experimentation to improve valkyries (soldiers with artificial stigmata which allow them to fight against the honkai and not turn into zombies). SHE WAS TOLD THE EXPERIMENTATION (which was painful and often led to death) WAS FOR A "DIVINE PURPOSE". during one of the experiments, she watched as all her friends slowly died around her, leaving her as the only survivor!!! the scientist overseeing the experiment believed she had died too and planned to dump all of their bodies and sirin used this as an opportunity to break out and attack them for revenge. amazed at her survival, they quickly overpowered her and took her back to her cell. she would be subjected to experiments after this, furthering her want for revenge. eventually she gained enough power to literally kill 322 scientist in the facility she was imprisoned at all in one night :3, escaping and becoming the second herrscher of the current era :3 who's new mission, alongside seeking revenge by killing all of schicksal, was to kill all of humanity :3. see what's so so endearing about sirin is that at her very core, she's so painfully lonely and part of her still leans towards any compassion displayed to her even though the larger part of her sees any display of kindess towards her as a guise intended to harm her. sirin attempts to recruit theresa (THE FIRST PERSON FROM SCHICKSAL WHO SHOWS HER KINDNESS) and then vows to kill her when theresa doesn't accept!! sirin "resurrects" her friends (naming beings she drew up after her dead friends) and mourned them when they each died. sirin pledged herself to an unknown god who promised to help her and was so visibly distressed when they eventually abandoned her too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sirin can't help but play along in cecilia and siegfried's dream of her being their daughter because she wants the parental affection they provide, even though she feels as if its fake!! as sirin dies in cecilia's arms (cecilia who recognizes that sirin is just a little girl and needs someone on her side) and in the weakness of her own death, finds herself missing cecilia (even though she literally tried to kill her and her husband :3). sirin is ultimately a kid who experienced so much wrong in the world and in an attempt to protect herself, clung to the belief that any kindness shown towards her was fake, even though she herself could not help but lean into tender kindness :'''')

[krikeymate]

Blood Runs Thick

Readers can have a little cannibalism as a treat. As requested, hope you like it!

Often in her life, Sam’s wondered if she’s cursed. If God doesn’t have some plan for her that she keeps sidestepping and avoiding. Why else would these insane things continue to happen?

Or maybe it’s just destiny. Her fate to fall.

Billy.

Richie.

Christina.

…Tara.

Everyone around her, everyone she touches… it’s like she’s some corrupting influence, a rot spreading from her soul to theirs.

She doesn’t know.

All she knows is that Tara’s staring at her with glazed hungry eyes, blood and flesh dripping from her mouth.

And that she’s fucked.

It’s probably stupid that the first thought that goes through her mind is zombies.

Then it’s probably not what it looks like.

Tara eating her boyfriend isn’t really a thing she’d ever think – well except that one time kneeling before Danny where her mind flashed to her sister doing the same to Chad, and thoroughly ruined her evening. And Danny’s. And Tara’s. And if Chad had actually been there, you best believe she’d have ruined his evening too. Especially his evening.

From the look of things, Sam doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“Tara?”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

Sam stares at her sister in disbelief.

“It looks like you’re eating Chad!”

There’s a pause as Tara stares back at her, eyes wide. Sam thinks she can see the very moment the realisation of what she’s been doing hits her.

“Oh… it’s exactly what it looks like.”

“WHAT THE FUCK TARA?!”

The sorry and puppy dog eyes she sends her would have sounded more sincere if the girl hadn’t been licking blood off her fingers at the same time.

Sam closes the door.

Apparently, it starts like this:

Her mother’s in a cult. A flesh-eating cult.

She’s a god damned cannibal.

It sounds crazy to say. To think about. To even comprehend.

But crazy is just kinda how Sam’s life seems to be going so far, so why the fuck not, right?

And maybe Sam could have ignored it and left it for someone else to deal with, if the bitch hadn’t kidnapped her sister. You’d think by now that people would have learnt never to fucking touch Tara Carpenter, because she has a psycho ass sister who will cut down anyone who gets in between them.

But apparently her mother hadn’t gotten the memo.

Sam’s had a lot of regrets in her life, pretty much all of them centred around Tara. Leaving her at the mercy of their delusional mother for several days was just another one to add to the list.

Christina bends down on one knee, robes flowing around her, and strokes a hand along her daughter’s cheek. “Hello darling,” she coos, voice full of adoration. The sound of a loving mother. “I’ve missed you.” Tara jolts, pulling her head back as far as she can. The chair she’s tied to doesn’t allow much movement at all, and soft fingers turn harsh, digging into her cheek and chin, turning her head to face her captor once again. It causes her mother’s mask to slip, the visible anger so much more familiar than the façade she’d been parading. “Look at people when they’re talking to you baby, or have you lost all your manners while in your sister’s care?” Tara clenches her jaw and slips her eyes to the side. She won’t give her the satisfaction. Christina scoffs, standing up. “She always was a terrible influence. It’s all that infected blood inside her.” Tara does her best not to react, but her mother’s next words make a chill run down her spine. She doesn’t know what she means, but she knows it’s nothing good. “But don’t worry dear, we can cleanse her, together. Then we can be a family again. …Now, are you hungry?”

Sam doesn’t take her eyes off her sister as she makes her way over to the bed.

For all that Tara had seemed confident from afar, the closer she gets, the more she seems to curl into herself. Is it shame, Sam wonders? Horror? Fear?

The thought makes her stomach twist painfully.

She never wants her sister to be scared of her. Of herself.

There’s nothing Tara could do that Sam wouldn’t protect her from, that could make her stop loving her. Somehow the thought that she hadn’t made that clear already feels so much more alarming than the cooling body atop the sheets.

Standing over her, Sam can see the way her sister’s hands shake.

All she wants is to make it stop.

So she does.

Taking Tara’s head in her hands, she pulls her forward and holds her close, one arm wrapping around her shoulder and the other cradling her head to her stomach.

Sam’s lost for words, so she says the only thing she can say.

“It’s gonna be okay, I’ll fix this.”

It makes her sister break, sticky hands clutching at Sam’s shirt and tears beginning to soak the cotton.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I didn’t. I was just so hungry.”

Tara doesn’t want anything from her mother – unless it’s her deciding to Let. Her. Go. – But Christina doesn’t give her much of a choice. Someone – robed and masked and entirely unidentifiable – holds her head still, while her mother leans in close and spoon feeds her. At first, Tara had resisted, refusing to open her mouth, but that only led to it being hinged open painfully as they forced it down her throat. At least this way she has some semblance of control, she can feign fullness and beg for no more. So long as she eats something, it keeps her mother happy. It makes the woman feel like she’s winning. Silently, Tara begs for Sam to hurry up, to come and find her. She’s looking, she knows she’s looking. Sam would never leave her here, no matter what poison her mother whispers in her ear. She hopes it’s soon; she’s starting to lose track of time in this endlessly lit room, and the food that had at first left her nauseous and retching, is beginning to taste… good. It lingers on her tongue and sits heavy in her stomach, but with every meal she cares less and less; she takes more and more. They’ve done something to it, she knows, if only by the way her mother’s grin widens the more she takes. But she doesn’t have a choice. Tara will do what it takes to survive.

Sam sits on the floor, leaning against the bedroom wall with Tara curled up in her lap, and runs her fingers through her hair.

Her sister is calm and content now, as cuddly as a sleepy kitten.

It feels an apt comparison; watching Tara slice skin from a boy she’d known since diapers felt a lot like watching the neighbours cat scale the tree in their childhood backyard to devour the nest of baby sparrows that had been living there.

Sam had been upset; inconsolable, and angry. She remembers the way Tara, not even a year old, had crawled into her lap then, like she is now, and babbled at her until she’d stopped crying.

It’s funny to think about, how similar the two events are, how different.

She winces as teeth scrape against her shoulder.

Yeah, nothing’s really changed. She’s still being used as a teething toy.

She’s still a big sister.

“Why are you doing this?!”

Sam would like to say that she’s not enjoying this, that it’s purely practical. A hunter killing for food out of necessity.

But that would be a lie.

She feels like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be – with a knife in her hand, and prey at her feet.

The man cowers on the floor, one leg bleeding profusely where she’d sliced along his calf. Hamstringing and hobbling him.

He’s not going anywhere; she can take her time. She can have fun.

She walks towards him slowly, enjoying the frantic way he tries to crawl away, his pitiful cries for help that he sobs out between tears are music to her ears.

It feels so good to be free, to not have to hold back anymore.

To be herself.

To be unmasked.

She slips it from her face, dropping it to the floor, feral grin liberated.

“Are you clean?” she asks softly. She knows he can’t hear her, but that’s part of the little game she likes to play.

“Wh-what?”

“Are. You. Clean?”

She creeps ever closer, kneeling down before him and rests her knife against his neck.

“Your blood, your body,” she clarifies, looking directly into his fear-filled eyes.

“M-my blood? Yes, yes! I’m clean! Please, whatever it is you think I’ve done- I haven’t- I haven’t infected anyone or- or- whatever it is you’re thinking!”

She tilts her head to the side, pretending to ponder his words.

He takes this false hope and clings to it.

“Please, you’ve clearly mistaken me for someone else. I won’t tell anyone, I promise, just please let me go.”

She grins and backs away, rising to her feet. “Good. Good,” she murmurs, holding out a hand.

The man damn near pisses himself, but takes it anyway, thanking her profusely. Up until the moment she jams the knife into the side of his neck.

“I just wanted to make sure,” she says to the gurgling body as it slumps against her. “You can never be too careful after all.”

Sam knows he’s clean, she’d read his blood test results herself.

She’d never risk Tara’s health.

Sam feels a lot like a wolf as she drags the carcass home, ready to feed her pack of one.

Their current den, an old farmhouse – in poor condition and cheap for it, but crucially, isolated – is the perfect place for them in the next chapter of their lives.

The way Tara’s eyes light up as Sam beholds her gift never fail to make her heart swell with pride and love.

Sam’s a provider, and as she moves through the house to drop her catch off in the workshop, her sister sings her praises the entire way, barely a step behind.

There’s something so undeniably addicting to being needed, to being the one person who can make another’s world keep turning.

And as history has shown, Sam is, undeniably, an addict.

She wonders what 13-year-old her would think of her now. At the time, learning that she had a killer’s blood in her veins had seemed like the worst thing in the world.

She’d been so scared she would turn out just like him.

Maybe knowing that she’d do it for Tara would have made all the difference. Maybe they could have avoided so much pain, so much shame. So much hurt.

But she can’t change the past, only embrace the future. Their future. Together.

Sam grins over at her sister as she makes herself comfortable at the other side of the table.

Tara doesn’t have the strength of the size to deal with the body, much to her irritation, so the next best thing is to watch Sam carve it up instead. Anticipation of the meal she’ll get later.

While Tara is fascinated with watching Sam’s process, Sam is fascinated with hers. Her eyes will slip from the knife to watch her sister’s hands as they run over cold dead skin. She’ll analyse her hungry eyes and the way she chews her lip, and wonder.

She’s thought a hundred times about trying it for herself, but never bought herself to ask.

Tara wouldn’t say no, she’d be thrilled even, Sam knows. To share this, to forge another chain linking them together.

But somehow, she thinks, sliding a treat across the table, it won’t ever be as satisfying as the enjoyment on her sister’s face as the flesh meets her tongue.

[hallowedbe]

a gust of wind makes you pull your jacket closed; notes of baked bread, vanilla, old books, and blackberries fill your nose. you think you hear zombie by the cranberries playing in another room. ah — it must be pearl.

BASICS

name: pearl sierra becker nicknames: none age: fifty-two gender: cis woman pronouns: she/her sexuality: biromantic & bisexual date & place of birth: november 10th in bearhold, wa faceclaim: winona ryder occupation: former slayer / owner of once upon a thyme bookshop & bakery notable characteristics: glasses (switches between black, red, and purple frames), a near constant tremor in her hands, a scar that runs through her right eyebrow to the corner of her eye from an attack when she was younger traits: altruistic, neurotic, scatterbrained, maternal, awkward, eccentric similar to: laurie strode, lorelai gilmore, wanda maximoff, sally jackson, abby sciuto, jody mills, mary winchester

BULLET POINTS — * TW FOR SIBLING LOSS, SPOUSAL LOSS, AND GENERAL THEMES OF DEATH & VIOLENCE

- grew up in bearhold, born into a long line of slayers and a family of hunters ( on her father's side ). her mother was a slayer and she was taught to fight tooth and nail to protect their town as soon as she could pick up a blade. - the second eldest daughter of four children, pearl worked hard to become the slayer her parents wanted her to be. succeeded for most of her life & lived a relatively normal life in bearhold — she helped out at the family shop (once upon a thyme), did patrols on the weekends, and made a name for herself as a kooky but lovable young woman. was content to live her life in bearhold and follow in the family lineage. - when pearl was 16, her older sister, lilith, died. it rocked the becker family and tensions began to arise — pearl could not be lilith, the perfect slayer and daughter, could never dream of it, but she tried. hard. her faults became more apparent without her role model in the picture and pearl began to become disillusioned with the slayer lifestyle. could killing be that noble when they were in it so young? - met her late husband, damien, when she was 21. a hunter himself, he was kind, patient, and benevolent. a whirlwind romance, pearl believes he was her soulmate; soon, pearl was pregnant, and the two were married (in part due to pressure from her parents). they may not have had much but they were happy, the picture of a loving little family. - damien died when pearl was 32 and manon ten years old; pearl had been going after a vampire, a very cunning & very elusive one. it was a game of cat and mouse and pearl, for once in her life, was the one being hunted. her husband paid the price; she killed the vampire and swore off slaying forever. for her — and for her daughter — she would be normal. - began to work full time at once upon a thyme after, inheriting it after her father'sdeath. pearl and her parents never quite repaired their relationship, but they were cordial, which pearl supposes is all she could have asked for. she still talks to her mother, though it's strained. shame and guilt fill her with every step, and she began to become accustomed to the now-heavy boots. - known now as the local kooky, neurotic, and eccentric bookstore owner; loves talking to her customers. very involved in town proceedings; even if she isn't a slayer anymore, she has a lot of experience and her expertise is valued. she lives in a decently sized apartment directly above once upon a thyme and owns a plethora of cats. - constantly anxious about exposing manon to the life that she had growing up, and made it a point not to "indoctrinate" her the way her own mother did. is it working? find out later! - once upon a thyme has become a beacon for her to give a bit back to her community — she transformed it from just the shop and cafe to include various settings for studying, board games, and reading. they also sell records & occasionally a few cds. everything in the store is secondhand, from the decorations to the games to the books. loves her employees like they're her own kids. - once upon a thyme also has bookstore cats — a black cat, a calico, a snow white cat, an orange cat, and a gray tabby. they wander the store and like to say hi quite often. there's currently a poll on the chalkboard voting for names for each of the cats. stay tuned to see what wins <3

[flintsilvers]

i think the reason re8 wasn't as well executed as re7 is because they tried to convey too many things at once.

in re7 the main villain is a 10 year old girl abused by a secret corporation that wants to turn her into a bioweapon when all she wants is a normal family. however she has only ever known authority and hierarchy, not the love and affection that should exist within an actual family, therefore she is only able to create a toxic home with a strict hierarchy where every new member is at the bottom of the food chain. jack is the abusive father who delights in torturing his children, marguerite is reduced to her reproductive organs, as her role is solely that of the mother who bears new children, and is otherwise just a very disguting annoyance. lucas is the product of this toxic home, showing that it isn't genetics that play the biggest role in the child's education (he has been cured of the mold and is acting solely of his own free will) and that cycles of violence and abuse are not easily broken. however they can be broken, and we see that in zoe, who goes out of her way and risks her own life to help ethan. mia, while technically the "younger sibling", is probably just a step above lucas in the hierarchy because of her bond with eveline and her ability to adapt. when ethan "joins" the little family unit, he is nothing but the scared little kid who's just trying to run and hide from his father, a practically impossible task in the claustrophobic house.

this all works because this is all the game is about. it's not trying to be anything else or to make bigger statements or commentary. the first re game was about the collapse and moral corruption of modern society (with the cannibal zombies) as well as the obsession with modernizing warfare by developing bioweapons to be used arbitrarily on the civilian population, who become mere test subjects for the military industrial complex.

re7 focuses on the moral decay of the family unit as a sort of case study for the larger aforementioned collapse of modern society, as it is both a direct result of a human-made biochemical disaster and the sum of every toxic and abusive ideal of patriarchal society.

re8 at its core is about pollution, with moreau being the most self explainatory case. however, the problem with re8 is that every one of the four lords represents a different thing, and the player doesnt really get enough time with any of them to really unpack anything. re8 tries to recreate the family unit we had in re7 but at the same time it wants to talk about how the nobility is nothing but a very pretty looking blood sucking parasite, and also about how pollution is bad for the fish, and about how technological advancement requires the utter annihilation of the natural landscape to make way for factories that produce machine-human hybrids, but it's also about family.

mother miranda tries to make a family for herself, but she fails miserably as she isn't interested in any of her "children", instead focused on exploiting them to create the perfect child. alcina, the nobility, has some pretty evident issues with authority; she's used to being the ruling class, the one with all the power and who exploits those below her; she also has daughters of her own, so she clearly isn't interested in miranda's plans. moreau is the most pathetic and also most obvious Lord Of Pollution, as there is nothing else really going on with him. he is a poisonous creature the spreads disease at his every breath. heisenberg is the rebellious son who wants to break away from his overbearing mother's control, the mother who put him on earth without his permission, who changed him without his permission, but he is the worst kind of pollution that exists: war. he cannot break the cycle and is not interested in doing so.

donna is the one that stands out the most to me, as she doesnt really represent any kind of physical pollution, but rather something that is plaguing our modern society on a much larger scale than ever before: metal illness. she is also the one who, more than any other lord, personifies the theme of the sick and twisted family; she taunts ethan with his insecurities about being a parent, about his own body and his own "wrongs" that his child might have inherited from him (scary giant fetus). she also makes him to take apart a mannequin modeled after mia, his dead wife, forcing him to deal with his grief and and fear to lose the only family he has left: rose.

it's not a bad game at all, and every lord is a very compelling villain (except maybe moreau) but the game doesnt give any of them nearly enough time to be developed fully and to be truly, undeniably monstrous. not to mention mother miranda, who barely feels like a villain by the end of the game, she's just annoying.

tl;dr: it's a good game, i realy liked it, but it could have benefited from having less characters and from focusing more on the horror than on the action doom-like style of gameplay

[opheliajupiter99]

Dr. Sawbones Pt. 2 (OUAW Horror Fanfic)

*As the adventurers continued through these blighted woods, unaware of the tormentors just below their feet that watched their every move, the woods seemed to work against them. The trees around them, blackened and gnarled, with pulsing veins of magenta entangled in their bark, seemed to shift as they moved forward, finding themselves going in circles or losing track of each other when moments ago they'd been side by side*

*Despite their attempts to stay close, soon enough the adventurers began to be split apart, all lost in their own corners of the shifting landscape. Dr. Grimestone and his daughter watched from a bank of monitors on a large, complex device that took up an entire wall of the doctor's lab as slowly but surely, each member was left alone. While Witchlight was a tricky and curious thing, he'd worked with it far long enough to be able to work around its nature*

"Our friends should be up there to greet em real soon." *He said with a hearty chuckle. His daughter's gaze was focused on one monitor in particular, that displayed the large Genasi's whereabouts, currently wandering around crying out for where the others had gone; noticing especially the chains that dangled from his wrists*

*She pointed towards them* "Did you lose two toys, papa?" *She asked, him looking towards the monitor as well, chuckling* "Nah, just the one. Somebody else must've lost their toy." *She pouts* "Oh. Should we take him too? I bet his owner's must really miss him." *He offers her a warm smile* "Aw, that's sweet of ya. Sure, why not."

*Back up top, two misshapen horrors entered the forest. They were only vaguely humanoid at this point, one of them tall and hairless, with sunken eyes that glowed a bright magenta from deep in their sockets, their body gangly and so thin one could see his ribs even through his prisoner's uniform. The other was more average height, and in contrast, quite bloated, not just his eyes glowing magenta, but his chest and midsection as well, with a jaw that hung open loosely, drool spilling from the sides of his mouth as he groaned, the sound akin to the living dead*

*The men were very much alive, but at this point, likely deeply wished they weren't. Regardless, the doctors rang in both of their heads, their brains warped and twisted with Witchlight to the point they were little more than puppets to the doctor's whims* "New orders for the two of ya; bring in the Genasi too." *He said simply, and the two horrors proceeded. They didn't need to worry about the shifting nature of the forest, as they'd been specifically engineered to traverse it, along with other areas of the land above the city; the land which had grown tainted due to the corruption of that very city*

*The two split up, one to find Gideon, the other to find Torbek, dipping and weaving through the magic to avoid encountering any of the others. On occasion, as the pair wandered, past memories would echo through their minds, like brief hiccups of consciousness before returning to a zombie-like state; a memory of a birthday party here, a memory of a child's birth there, snippets of voices of presumably loved ones sparking in and out of their broken brains. But the thoughts would go just as quickly as they had come, and their orders once again became the only matter of importance*