#tw mass grave mention

[bipanicoverthegravessiblings]

Art by treein

Haven't seen a pure one-shot from you. Can you make a one-shot of a yandere Ashley who got rejected for prom?

I will certainly try! :D

TW: Mentions of alcohol and spiked punch, Character Death, Depictions of a dead body, Violence, Ashley Graves steps on the reader and not in a hot way, reader is kind of a dick

[One-Shot] Rejecting Ashley Graves’ Prom Invitation

The music echoed throughout the neon lit gymnasium, blaring from speakers you’re sure hadn’t been touched since last year’s prom. You and your peers were packed into the room like sardines in a can, but no one seemed to mind. Any chaperones assigned to make sure the students “saved room for Jesus” when dancing with their dates, were blackout drunk and slumped against the chairs set around the circular tables. It was essentially a free for all.

You stood by the snack table, about two foldout tables with light purple tablecloths draped over them….at least you thought it was purple. The only others provided were various color changing lights, and even then it still made it hard to see. What you could see was the mass of people gathered in the center as the DJ/Janitor played remixes of popular songs on the radio. Your own friends among the mass, dancing with their dates- faces flushed from the spiked punch.

Your smile for them faded slowly as the reminder of your current positioned dawned on you once again. You hadn’t come to prom alone, no- you arrived with your friends and your own date but…you hadn’t seen her since she left to use the bathroom. It wasn’t a very big gym, even with the people….she would’ve eventually found you. Then again it was dark.

You had looked for her earlier, even sneaking behind the bleachers to not find your date- but rather two of your classmates rawdogging it among the dust and cobwebs. You- you could’ve gone a lifetime not needing to see that. Having gone to find your friends after….that….made you discover that they hadn’t seen your date either. It was strange.

Maybe she ditched you. And before you could really do anything to fuck it up badly. You now know how the weird kids felt at prom, standing and observing from the snack table like a freak.

You glance down the lined up tables at the few other kids who decided to show up despite not having a date or friends to go with. It was pitiful really. Why go, you’re just outing yourself at that point. At least you had friends….who abandoned you for grinding against their dates- but you had them!

Against your better judgement, you looked among the dots of freaks for one in particular….wondering if she came.

Ashley Graves, the resident crazy chick. You’re 90% sure she’s an undiagnosed psychopath, with rumors of her doing heinous things floating around. Stabbing a girl’s eye out with a pencil for looking at her wrong, throwing her childhood pet hamster from her four-story balcony, being involved with her brother- that last one you didn’t believe for a couple of reasons. One, her brother was already dating a girl- Julia Lamb. You shared an English class with her and she’s really sweet, Ashley’s brother is lucky. Second reason is because Ashley had asked you to go to prom with her.

She slipped the card into your locker- you don’t know how she found out which one was yours but she did. The handwriting was illegible, with a scribbled drawing of you inside. It was…off putting. Like something a serial killer would make while on death row. You managed to find Ashley and break it to her gently that you wouldn’t be going to prom with her- mostly cause you didn’t have a fucking death wish- but then she went berserk. She took her dumb card and tore it to shreds, throwing them at your feet and shoving you over as she stomped away in a temper tantrum.

You don’t even know why she wanted to go with you, it’s not like you were friends. You had lunch with her one time, and it was mainly out of pity. You took the outburst as dodging a bullet and went with someone you actually liked.

And by hell, you were going to find and spend the night with her.

You moved away from the snack table, making your way to the locker rooms where the bathrooms were. No one was really paying attention, so you went into the girls one. Slowly- the music became muffled, and your eyes were no longer assaulted by neon. No- rather the darkness of the locker room- save for a single overhead light that flickered- giving it an ominous look. Your shoulders tensed, debating whether or not you should really check and see if she was still in the bathroom…but you didn’t want to spend this night alone. You push your fears down along with everything else you choose to ignore, making your way through the maze of lockers.

You preciously stepped over left behind equipment, scrunching your nose at the faint stench of sweat- until you paused. A light. A bright one at that. Turning the corner of a wall of lockers showed you the showers, and the faint sound of one running.

You were hesitant, worried to have another situation like under the bleachers….but you heard no indications of debauchery. The flimsy shower stream wouldn’t have been loud enough to cover it. So- you make your way over to the bright area, like a moth to a flame.

You wished you hadn’t.

You stared wide eyed at the floor. When making your way to the final shower stall, you hadn’t expected to find your date.

Well- at least not like this.

Her face had several lacerations, almost making her unidentifiable. Her blonde hair stained red at the ends with her own blood, as her dress. Her eyes were glazed over, and she looked pale. The sight was gruesome. You wanted to throw up, but you brought your hand to your mouth to hold it back. You supported your weight against the wall, heavy breaths leaving your panicking body as you asked yourself who could do shock a thing.

You learned quickly as you felt a blunt object hit the back of your head, sending you crashing to the wet tiled ground beside your date. Her watered down blood stained your hands and clothes, you stumbled to look behind you- the culprit’s figure being obscured by the bright lights behind them. They wore a slim dress with a ribbon around the waist- tied neatly at the side in a bow. At their side was a knife, though held in a way you could clobber someone with the handle. It didn’t register who this could be until you saw the ponytail.

“A-Ashley?!” You stammered, fearful for your life.

“Bingo-Bongo bitch!” She raised the knife, slashing it across your chest. You hissed in pain, trying to protect your body as she slashed at your back.

“Stop! Stop!” You pleaded, letting out sobs from the pain. She got tired of cutting into you and started digging her heels into your cuts, stomping you into the ground like you were nothing more than a bug.

“So THIS is who you rejected me over?!” She gestured to your date, still dead as a doornail beside you, “Well fuck you! I don’t need a hussy fucking asshole!”

She kicked you against the wall, the tip of her heel winding you over and over again as she let out hell on your abdomen.

“Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!” She screamed over and over and over as she wailed on your body. How was no one coming to help you!? Could they not hear her over their shitty music!??

Blood dripped from your mouth, clutching your abdomen in pain as you looked up at her helplessly.

“Please….I…I didn’t mean to upset you,” you coughed out weakly, “Please….please don’t kill me.” You choked on your tears.

She watched you for a moment, whimpering pathetically for mercy, before she narrowed her eyes in disgust.

“Rot in hell.”

With that, everything went dark as you felt a hot, burning pain in your chest as she plunged her knife directly into your beating heart.

[paigegonerogue]

My Top 5 Shots in Every Episode of TLOU

Episode 3

TW: Mass grave

Number #5

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the shallow depth of field in this show is SO freakin’ pretty. I love how it uses focus to lead your eye and how it creates subtle patterns in the background. I also love the side-profile of Bill and the rim-lighting. It’s just overall a really, really well done shot.

Number #4

I mean what to even say? The lighting. The blocking. The framing. It’s just absolutely incredible. The way this shot showcases emotion through all of those factors is extradorinaiy, it’s just extraordinary. It’s soft and melancholic and beautiful just like episode 3 itself.

Number #3

*sniffle* I’m gonna love you for a-a long *sob* long *wailing intensifies* time…

Number #2

This shot is absolutely breathtaking in the worst (and best) way. The bones in the foreground, Ellie and Joel in the mid ground, and the hills and sky in the background. It’s beautiful, it’s horrifying, it’s incredible—it’s the Last of Us.

Before I reveal my #1, here are some honorable mentions…

This shot is so good. The fallen plane, Ellie and Joel, it’s just so well done.

Once again, the shallow depth of field works so well here. The flames, the lighting, the composition, it just all blends so incredibly well to make a fantastic shot.

*deep inhale* WAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Number #1

This image, two old men pushing each other through the ruins of the world, is so fucking incredible. I could go on about the incredible set design and colors, but really, it’s just beautiful. It’s emotional. It’s gonna stay with me for a long, long time…

Tune in for ep 4 tmrw!

[notyourtoday]

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TW: Death / Mass Graves / Mention of torture

If unavailable full video below.

[innepttia]

@spookyvalentine has FOUR sets of “50 questions about Shepard” list and this is the third!!

Maeve Shepard

First 50 Questions | Second 50 Questions

TW: mentions of alcohol abuse & canon typical death

(Art by tumblr: @/milton-chamberlain)

1. How often does Shepard use the omni-blade?

Omni-blade, not a lot but it’s her favorite weapon to use (ok I know this is contradictory but just go with me). Omni-tool – ALL THE TIME.

2. What does the Virmire Survivor think of Shepard?

Ashley! I think she wishes they were closer, because they really would get along if they both gave it a shot. If Shepard didn’t die, they’d probably have become besties at some point and perhaps Shepard could have still soothed over some of that xenophobic nature of Ashley’s.

3. Top three comfort movies:

Howl’s Moving Castle

Princess Bride

Shallow Grave

4. How many languages can they speak (without the translator)?

Oh, I love that Spooky has asked this in the Mass Effect discord we’re in because I already know the answer now!!

English, ASL (which doesn’t really count for translator-use), and – in my own HC – spacers have a language similar to The Expanse’s Belter Creole.

5. Does Shepard keep a log/journal?

No. Which is a boring answer, but no.

6. What kind of driver is Shepard?

I like to HC that she actually would rather have others drive so she can tinker with something. So, instead of driver, she’s a passenger princess.

7. Shepard witnesses a petty crime. What is their response?

She ignores it! Maeve really cultivates an air of: “If this doesn’t affect me, then I don’t care.”

8. Revenge, or the high road?

REVENGE, BABEEYYYYY – but only in her head because she’s a busy lady and doesn’t have time to really properly act out her revenge.

9. What will always distract them?

Thane, Thane, Thane, Thane, alcohol, Thane, Thane, Joker, Thane, Thane, Thane, etc.

10. Does Shepard ascribe to any sort of faith?

No, but she becomes interested in Thanes.

11. Fondest childhood memory?

By ME2, she isn’t sure her childhood memories are really hers, so she tries to forget them.

12. Most embarrassing adult memory?

In ME2, before Thane’s romance was locked in, she got so drunk one day and drunk-messaged Ashley trying to flirt with her. Then when that was completely rejected, she went straight to Zaeed to try and flirt with him, but she became so distracted in the garbage compactor that she missed her one chance with that old merc. Joker was 100% watching the vid feeds and EDI was monitoring her messages to Ashley.

13. What does Shepard choose to do about Gavin Archer?

THIS mothafuckin guy THIS GUY ohhhhh my god. I think canon choice was “your brother is going to Grissom Academy and you can fuck right off” but the unhinged, more correct choice is: iron pressed against his temple and ending it all then and there for Gavin.

14. Is Shepard the type to gossip?

If it’s gossip with Kasumi, yes, because Kasumi has the best tea and tells the best story. Anyone else, probably not.

15. How does Shepard react to Garrus’s Archangel reveal?

I’m just going to go with the canon-neutral reaction.

16. What was the N7 program like for Shepard?

This was when she was A Good Soldier and A Good Person (pre-ME1), so it went pretty well, all things considered. She was focused and driven and wanted to be the best she could be.

17. Go-to karaoke song?

ANOTHER ONE I CAN ANSWER BECAUSE OF DISCORD thank god. This song because it’s mostly shouting instead of singing:

Fire Woman – The Cult

18. What choice does Shepard make on Rannoch?

Okay so, this one might get me a lot of hate BUT I’ve always accidentally (I’m so serious about this) picked the option here Tali throws herself off the cliff. Like, I’m not joking. It doesn’t matter how many years are between play throughs, or if I’m like, OKAY THIS TIME…!!! I always manage to pick that option. In an AU, I’d really like for the Geth and the Quarians to make peace and build the planet together and I’m just inept at making Good Choices.

19. Which kind of reaper do they think is the ugliest?

That stupid Human-Reaper from ME2.

20. Can they dance?

She can sway to music really well.

21. What is Shepard’s relationship with Hackett?

Mostly annoyed at him. In her eyes, Hackett is up there with TIM.

22. What’s their alignment? Paragon, renegade, a mix…

Renegade all the way. Light up her face with scars.

23. Got any allergies? How bad?

No, because I honestly just won’t remember she has them.

24. When’s their birthday, and how old are they?

Canon birthday and canon age!

25. Trash talk or potty mouth

BOTH!

26. What’s their temper like?

Flares hot, but then it dies down pretty quickly because she’s either smothering it with alcohol or she’s already moved on to the next crisis.

27. What does Shepard think of Bakara?

EVEEEE and not my clone named Eve!!!!! She adores her and will do anything for her.

28. A reoccurring nightmare:

Indoctrination. She can’t shake the feeling that, even after everything, she’s indoctrinated.

And Moon’s Haunted fic.

29. Which news correspondent/journalist does Shepard bring on the Normandy? What’s their relationship like?

Diana Allers and it’s a relationship of: Maeve forgets she’s there until Diana reminds her.

30. Who’s got the biggest crush on Shepard?

Ummm ME!!! Hmm definitely Joker in all 3 games, Garrus in 1 and 2, (and finally a HC) the Geth (and OC) she messages all throughout ME3.

31. What kind of relationship do they have with Dr. Chakwas? Which doctor do they bring her on board for 3, and why?

Good! They’re drinking buddies, except Dr. Chakwas is obviously less unhinged about it.

32. Who has Shepard’s grudging respect?

Javik & Zaeed.

33. Reaction to the window over their sr-2 bed

Kill Bill sirens.

34. Does Shepard want children?

Not just no, but hell no.

35. What does Shepard consider their greatest mistake?

Joining the Alliance.

36. Did Shepard enjoy the heists with Kasumi?

Yes, this was her favorite mission. I think I mentioned this in one of the previous 50 questions, but she was excited for the heist. She was excited to dress up and to have even the slightest potential to not kill anyone.

37. Does Shepard ever play matchmaker?

Ngl, I like Liara and Javik together so I’d like to imagine she helped with that somehow.

38. A silly daydream:

While she was on house arrest after ME2 and before ME3, she daydreamed that Joker would come visit her and they’d rekindle whatever they had before.

Or, she’d imagine Thane would come rescue her like a damsel in distress.

(god these aren’t really “silly” are they?!)

39. What kind of media do they consume the most?

Tech news, but she’s pretty off mainstream media content. She prefers to spend time with her crew in person.

40. Favorite ice cream flavor

Cookies and cream.

41. If Shepard has a LI, what would they say are a couple of Shepard’s flaws? And strengths?

I think we all like to imagine our LI’s being over the moon about our Sheps, and my HCs are no different.

Thane sees her as the spitting image of one of his goddesses. She’s strong, relentless, ruthless, and determined, which are all qualities he admires. In private, she’s soft and a puddle of mush most of the time. I like to think he enjoys taking care of her (e.g. blanket over the shoulders, a good cuddle session, sharing food).

Her flaws come through pretty starkly in all these sets of 50 questions: she can make REALLY poor choices, she can get tunnel vision on certain missions, she can be too brash.

42. Are they quick to laugh, or slow to smile?

Okay, I’m probably going to be annoying with this but I’m going to say both to this one too (like the potty mouth or trash talking one). I think she’s quick to laugh, but it isn’t always genuine. She’ll laugh when she feels like there’s a social cue she needs to meet. She’s slow to smile because those would be her true, genuine feelings.

43. What does it take to earn Shepard’s trust?

Most people have her trust from the beginning. She doesn’t feel like she has time to be untrusting, so her initial trust is easy to get. As long as that isn’t broken, then all’s golden. If the initiate trust is broken then it’s near impossible to get it back.

44. Top three people Shepard thinks are hotties:

Samara

Nyreen

Zaeed

+Thane because he’s her Li so that’s a given

45. What’s the easiest way to gross them out?

Throw up. THAT’S ALL hahahaha but fr gross.

46. What are some of their favorite combo moves with team members out on the field?

Oooohh this is embarrassing for her and me. I always forget team members and Shepard can do combo moves together, so I never do it. So lets go with: she’s a lone wolf who likes to do her own tech combos herself.

47. Can they forgive easily, or are they the type to hold a grudge?

Neither! She’d rather just forget.

48. Does Shepard have a good sense of direction?

She relies solely on her HUD that she doesn’t know anymore!

49. Did they enjoy their party on the Citadel?

Yes, it was nice getting everyone together, but she really missed Thane.

50. What is Shepard’s ending?

Maeve, beloved, goes full destroy ending, which includes destroying herself. I’ve talked about this a lot in the server so I’m not going to get too much in the weeds but… she’s very content with this choice.

+1 …got any kinks?

*looks back at question 33* yes – a choking kink whoops

[bosinclairsgff]

Requests Rules <3

Hey everyone, I want to get back into writing fanfiction and stuff like that! So here are my request rules and other important things to know! (I used to only write on Wattpad so I'm new to using Tumblr pls be nice <3)

Requests: open

Will do

Hurt x comfort

Fluff

Head cannons

Sometimes mentions of abuse, kidnapping, murder or sh (there will be trigger warnings)

Light angst

Drabbles

Characters hurting the reader (there will be a tw)

Reader with depression or anxiety

NSFW

Won't do

Pregnant reader

Child reader

Parent reader

x male, ftm, mtf or poly reader (I am not qualified to write about those as I have no experience involving them)

Some kinks I’m just not gonna do so if I don’t respond to a NSFW request that’s why (not shaming or anything tho)

Reader being a murder or in anyway killing on purpose or for fun

Characters I will write for

Halloween: RZ Micheal Myers, Corey Cunningham

Amusement: The Laugh

The Boy: Brahms Heelshire

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Nubbins Sawyer, Bubba Sawyer(platonic only),Thomas Hewitt, Chop Top Sawyer, Drayton Sawyer, Vilmer Sawyer

Scream: Stu Matcher, Billy Loomis, Amber Freeman, Sydney

Friday The 13th: Jason Voorhees

House Of Wax: Bo Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair

Saw: Amanda Young, Mark Hoffman

House Of 1,000 corpses: Otis Driftwood, Baby Firefly

American Psycho: Patrick Bateman

Child's Play: Tiffany Valentine

The Black Phone: The Grabber/Albert Shaw

The Collector: Arkin

Silent Hilld/DBD: Pyramid Head

Carrie: Carrie White

Ghost Ship: Jack Ferriman

Thirteen Ghosts: Dennis Rafkin

The Shining: Jack Torrance, Wendy Torrance

The Invitation: Walter Deville

Midnight Mass: Father Paul

The funhouse massacre: Doll face

A nightmare on Elm Street (2010) : Quentin Smith

My Bloody Valentine 3-D: Tom Hanniger

Don’t breathe: Norman Nordstrom

The Purge Anarchy: Leo Barnes

Midsommer: Pelle

Thanksgiving: Sheriff Eric Newlon

Leather face (2017) : Jedediah Sawyer

American horror story : Kai Anderson, Kit Walker, Patrick March

Jennifer’s Body : Jennifer Check

Re- animator: Herbert West

Jeepers Creepers: Darry Jenner

Grave Enconters: Lance Preston, Alex Wright

The Dare: Credence, Dominic

31: Doomhead

Longlegs: Dale Kobble, Lee Harker

Trap: Cooper Adams

CREEP: Josef

DO NOT INTERACT WITH MY ACCOUNT IF YOU ARE

Homophobic

Fatphobic

Transphobic

A minor

Racist

[deeptrashwitch]

A Haunting Past (pt.6)

Tw mention and allusion of death, mention and allusion of torture, mention and allusion to mass murder

Taglist: @alypink @stuffireadandenjoy @snootlestheangel @tapioca-milktea1978 @mutantthedark

@islandtarochips @justasmolbard @mctvsh @midnight193 @welldonekhushi

Some days later, inside Black Tomb, Wraith was watching the coordinates on the screen, and it brought her to some years in the past. The point on the map was one of Republic of Congo, one of the old locations, but this one wasn't a map of Brazzaville, it was a map of some cities near its border with Rwanda. It was near that point where the 10th was captured and where old archives mentioned a prision site, one of the principal on that web.

And meanwhile, inside the helicopter, Alicia was worried inside but with a stone face outside, a bit pale. She looked in silence how they landed, with a void on her stomach because of the fear, and soon they were all out. As they moved in silence across the land, Alicia's heart was pounding and slaming againt her ribcage again, but she swallowed her horror and locked down the fears in her mind.

They were there as a rescue team.

And soon they found the place, a large clearing surrounded by enormous trees, without any kind of vehicles. In the center of the place there was a building, seemingly just with one store and few rooms inside, but Origin knew better. It actually had three more stores below earth, a huge complex filled with cells, each one more miserable and dark than the other and with hundreds of rooms as well.

She wanted to puke and felt dizzy looking at that place, mostly when she noticed the big and the enormous pyres extinguished, in a second she was sure of what was done there. Without a word, she walked towards the ashes as she prayed to be wrong...but unfortunately she wasn't. With a grimace she lifted a skull, all covered in ashes and black because of the flames, she hoped that it wasn't anyone from the 10th.

"Origin, what do you have?" Wraith asked through radio

"It's the same, we have pyres and if it's like I think..."

"What?"

"Mass graves"

"Shit..."

"Mhmm, I thought the same" she muttered before looking around "what was doing a reconnaissance team so far from Switzerland?"

"Let me see, I'll be back soon"

While Wraith was looking for the reasons, Alicia coordinated the boys to look for any entrance, this time she wasn't sure if the exits would be the same. Many of them were locked from the inside, which only gave the team a mix of hope, maybe the 10th was still captured and alive. They reunited again, confused as a banging echoed through the oddly silent place, and it ended up coming from a separared building.

In a second they went to look, and inside was almost every member of the team, alive and with some of them hurt because of the withdrawal. Marcus used the ram to break the door, letting them all go outside while Jackson checked them out. But one person was still missing, the Captain Elías Müller, he wasn't there and no one seemed to know where he was.

"Alicia, I have the reason they were there" Dominique said with some worry

"Talk to me, what is it?"

"They were looking for intel...about a weapon cache and some threats to many cities"

"Fuck" Alicia whispered as she remember a situation like that, starting to panic "then this isn't like Angola!"

"You don't think that..."

"They are trying to recreate the incident in Lebanon! I need to find Elías now!"

"I'll send a medic transport to your location now, take Blackwell with you and find Captain Müller as soon as you can" she said with harshness "we don't need another time like that, what substance?"

"Chlorine gas or mustard gas, one of those two, hope for the last to be honest" Alicia answered as she ran to take three gas masks, throwing one to Jackson "Doc! Gotta move and find the Captain before is too late! The rest of you stay here until the medic transport arrives!"

Jackson didn't say anything, just nodded and ran behind her, already adjusting the gas mask in his face. He was a bit surprised that Alicia knew exactly where to go, even taking the fucking ram with her, arriving to a little door near the back. In a second she opened the door with a slam, then they both ran downstairs with Alicia guiding, moving through the hallways and rooms.

For some minutes they ran, until they were on the second basement, where they found everything what happened. In a room were left many bodies, and all of them had such horrid expressions that they both had chills because of it, and when they looked closer...

"That's the tattoo" Jackson muttered with horror "it's White Tiger, and those people were...their minions. They got asphyxiated and judging their expressions..."

"They died because of a chemical attack" Alicia said, looking away and taking all the documents near, putting them into the bag "let's continue, we don't have enough time"

They run for a while until they found the cells, where they saw the yellow gas over the floor. In a second they found Elías, lying unconscious on the floor, inhaling accidentally the gas. Jackson was the one to take the ram and opened the cell door with a slam as the debris jumped to his face, running inside to put the gas mask over Elías face, checking him for any injuries. Once Alicia ran inside as well, she noticed how Jackson was holding back the coughs and when she kneeled beside him, her blood froze.

"Your mask..." she murmured with fear, looking the huge crack in the mask visor "...don't move"

"Wha-?"

In a second, Alicia took off her own mask and changed it quickly with Jackson's, holding back her own cough.

"Go, the same route we came from" she ordered, putting a piece of fabric over her nose and mouth

"But-" Jackson tried to said something, just to shut up when she growled towards him

"It's an order, Sergeant! Go now!"

Doubting, Jackson grabbed Elías and ran away with some regret, leaving Alicia behind. She was coughing before running as well, going for a secondary route, feeling her throat and lungs burn with every breath. For what it felt like hours, she ran through the labyrinthine hallways just following her instincts, her brain was in authomatic.

That hallways were burned as a map inside her head, she was running again the same path than before to escape, but this time was against the clock. When her eyes started to tear up, she cursed down her breath, but sped up trying to find that door. Luckily for her, she found it, using her impulse and weight to open it, getting blind because of the light.

She fell into the ground, coughing and trying to breath correcly, feeling an acute pain in her eyes and throat as she kneeled over the dirt. Once again she was feeling despair, scratching her neck with even more strenght than ever to find a way to breathe, her throat was closing and she was asphyxiating, at the same time...Alicia wondered if this was what those Rangers felt. As she started to loose consciousness, Alicia barely was able to watch how Alexander ran towards her while Francis called someone through radio, then passing out finally.

Fuck, Carabalí was right.

"Do you think we'll go home?" Sean asked her, leaning against the wall

"I hope so" she answered with some bitterness, trying not put weight over a wound

"Don't move, Guardian" Richard murmured, worried "your wounds..."

"Whatever, I'll have more sooner than later"

"Still, you should be careful, you shouldn't be the one dying here"

She looked around for a second without answering, sighing tiredly, time has passed and she wasn't sure what day was now. Then she looked at how Kate was sat on the corner, murmuring to herself, while Jason used Leo as a pillow for a quick nap. Some steps alerted everyone, while Lotus looked outside through the little space between bars, getting paler by the minute.

"Oh shit, not again" Arthur whispered, looking how their jailer walked towards them

"...Go to the back of the cell" she ordered as she stood up with dificulty "I'll be the one leading with this"

"Captain-"

"Blade, you're on charge while I'm back"

When Carabalí's men arrived, they just stared at the wounded Marine with mockery, but she just stared back with tired but seemingly unbreakable eyes. Once the door was open, not a second after, a fist to her diaphragm left Alicia without air as she bowed unwillingly, and soon was dragged outside towards that damned room. They tied her to the chair as usual, but this time Carabalí himself was there, making Alicia look at him.

"People like you seriously fills me of hate" he told her in a growl "you don't know when shut up and go"

"They did something good then" she answered trying to smile "maybe something happened?"

"How funny, Guardian"

Carabalí took a sledgehammer, looking at her with a sick pleasure smile.

"Give the names now, who were sent to my site on Lebanon? I still miss some more to take down"

Many names arrived to her head, but she knew what their destiny would be if she opened her mouth, so she just looked down. Just like she had lost her mind, she started to laugh, loud laughs filled of craziness and despair. Then she looked at that bastard again, now with eyes filled of pure hate.

"So you lost the cache? Ha! The best fucking news of my life" she hissed with a mocking smile "I can't wait to hear the story"

"Tch, I don't understand why can you bear all of this" he said while preparing the sledgehammer "what a weird soldier are you"

"Maybe I am, but I'm stubborn as fuck and it came from before-"

"Not for much, I'm afraid"

In a second, Carabalí used the sledgehammer and hit her on her arm with it, making a loud crack followed by a blood freezing scream. That happened once, twice and more times, all while Alicia felt little but painful punctures on her arm, her whole arm was in an excruciating pain and she knew it was broken. At the same time Alicia wondered what happened to the Rangers in Lebanon, she had no clue except for a burn over Carabalí's hand and a persistent cough.

"If you don't speak, you'll have the same destiny that those soldiers" he said to her with false compassion

"Can't be worst than this"

"You think so? Not even if you died trying to breathe? Or die feeling how your lungs melt inside your body? Not like they'll do, but I've been told that's the sensation"

"W-what did you do to them?" she asked with horror and nervousness, thinking about Captain Smith and that team of hers

"Not much, just giving them something on my end...they were so close that it bothered me"

"There's no way-"

"You should know better than anyone, I can find methods to make people suffer" he said, grabbing her chin as he used an old knife to re-open the cuts on her arms "what I did to them in that few minutes, that despair...is way worse than what I've done to you. Can you imagine that, Guardian?"

[battleangel]

Why I am Antinatalist

TW: mentions & descriptions of r*pe.

Absolutely fucking sickening.

Dude, its motherfucking December.

Its practically freezing temperatures outside, in the 30s.

So, tell me why the fucking humidity is 80%+?

I am 42 and I have never seen humidity levels this high during winter.

Whats the cause?

Climate change endlessly driven by capitalist excess, human greed, zero sum late stage capitalism, consumerism, overconsumption, materialism, corporatism, lobbying and profiteering.

Basically, humanity.

Humanity caused climate change.

Therefore, end humanity.

Its not complicated.

Neither is antinatalism, which is the belief that is morally unjust to create a life.

Why?

The better question is, why is society so endlessly pronatalist?

Why is pronatalism the default stance?

Why?

Because people cant get over their disgusting self-serving obsessive egotistical need to have little mini-mes running around as extensions of their pathetic self-aggrandizing selves and their disgusting myopic need to continue their respective bloodlines, add to their lineages, create their own family trees and create and propagate endless children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and so on because individually if you (universal) have 1 to 2+ kid(s) and those kid(s) go on to have their own kid(s) -- when does it stop?

When does it ever stop?

How many ecocidal, environmentally destroying, climate change causing and contributing, landfill filling, ozone depleting, overconsuming, plastic using, oil guzzling, carbon footprint having, non biodegradable using, GMO consuming, pollutant causing, fast fashion shopping, Amazon Prime Delivery in 1 Day demanding, 1400 pounds of trash a year generating, thousands of gallons of water wasted a year just showering, electricity consuming, excessive indoor temperature control (AC/heat) energy vampire little cunts do you need to personally shit out to feel "complete" and "fulfilled"?

Pronatalism is a motherfucking joke but is the literal default in virtually all human societies.

Humanity is nothing but a self-replicating virus that has caused immeasurable harm to the planet and inexplicably to itself as a species yet still it continues to endlessly self-replicate as mindlessly as the Borg on Star Trek.

Never an independent rational emotionally detached logical reasoned out devoid of societal pressures, rewards and punishments thought, just wombs to be endlessly assimilated by the Pronatalist Borg Masculine Patriarchal Seed Collective.

How many little shits will you generate even from having "just 1 kid" because then how many kid(s) does that "only 1 kid" go on to have?

Just dont have them.

Stop your own personal lineage with yourself.

Stop adding to the human experiment.

It has failed.

Why?

I would think it would be obvious but here we are at this late stage in the game in 2023 with people allowing themselves to become impregnanted and I am endelssly pressured as a woman to immediately say, "Congratulations!"

Congratulations for fucking what?

The human experiment has failed for endless reasons:

Genocides. War crimes. Ethnic cleansings. Chemical warfare. Mass graves. Mass incarceration. Public executions. Lynchings.

Terrorism. Carpet bombings. Civilian slaughter. Bombing schools. Bombing hospitals. Hostage taking. Hostage execution.

Human experimentation. Tuskegee Airmen. Forced sterilizations (Puerto Rican women by the US government).

MK Ultra. Big agriculture. Big pharma. Military industrial complex.

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman & Lockheed Martin company stocks exponentially increasing 300%+ since 20k+ Palestinian civilians have been murdered over the past 2 months.

Endless wars. Endless profiteering. Duopoly. False agendas. Propaganda. Misinformation campaigns.

Burning innocent witches at the stake.

Forced births.

Crack epidemic in the 80s caused by Reagan flooding the Black inner cities with crack cocaine.

Endless exploitation.

Hundreds of millions killed by the death cult known as capitalism via houselessness, poverty, hunger, famine, lack of universal health care and affordable medical insurance, violence stemming from capitalist patriarchal systems held and endlessly reinforced by militarism, police states, toxic masculinity, sexual violence, misogyny, oppression of females and femmes, transphobia and homophobia, policing of women and femmes behavior, dress, mannerisms, sexuality, career choices, life decisions (marriage, motherhood) and personality and a constant demand for women and femmes to be polite, "nice", agreeable, inoffensive, pliant, and especially likeable at all times even and especially when we are being mentally/physically/emotionally/sexually/spiritually/financially abused, manipulated, gaslit, harrassed, assaulted, attacked, controlled, coerced, raped, beaten, isolated, ostracized, humiliated, silenced, repressed, suppressed, oppressed, intimidated, stalked, threatened and even killed.

As a woman and a femme, you are endlessly groomed, societally conditioned, raised, brainwashed and endlessly pressured and rewarded for constantly apologizing, shrinking yourself, making everyone else feel comfortable at the expense of yourself, endlessly justifying yourself, endlessly having to explain yourself and defend yourself, never being confident as it will be misconstrued as cocky, never being assertive because it will be misconstrued as aggressive, never speaking up for yourself because you will wrongly be called a bitch, never taking charge as you will be hated, never being logical by detaching your emotions as you will be accused of being cold and heartless, never deciding your actions and behavior through reasoning and logical deduction as you will be endlessly pilloried for not thinking with your heart instead of your head, endless pressure at all times to perform emotion and to "wear your heart on your sleeve", constant demands at a societal macro level to perform feminity, maternal care and emotional labor at work meetings & functions, holiday parties/dinners/events, performing emotional labor in all situations and environments regardless of personality (having to attend baby showers at work even if you are an antinatalist and/or childfree woman, having to excessively emote if there is a personal tragedy reported at work with no corresponding requirement for male employees -- miscarriage, hospitalization, accident, death, firing, layoff, etc.).

Rapes, sexual trafficking, sexual slavery, slavery, child sex trafficking, child molestation, child abuse, pedophilia, murders, tortures.

Pharmaceutical industrial complex, pathologizing of normal behavior by the psychiatric industrial complex, overmedicalization, misdiagnoses, overprescribing prescription medication, excessive nonsensical harmful medical interventions, extending life beyond all sense and reason to the point where the interventions are needlessly painful, harmful and completely unnecessary versus accepting death as not just a part of life but a beautiful transformation that should be embraced and not feared, contrived forced and constantly pushed and reinforced fear of death, sexual repression.

Women getting a scarlet letter for being a slut, whore, hoe; men getting an "attaboy" for being a player, stud, ladies man for the exact same sexually promiscuous behavior.

Tyranny of motherhood and demands for women to do constant endless unpaid domestic and emotional labor for their children for absolutely zero compensation and very little social reward beyond perfunctory lip service once a year on Mothers Day.

Endless materialism, endless consumption, endless consumerism, capitalist excess, corporatism, lobbying, fake news, us vs them, tribalism, political prisoners.

Child soldiers, child brides.

Famine, poverty, houselessness, lack of clean water, gun crime, gun deaths, drivebys, AK-47s, machine guns, serial killers, serial rapists, Columbines, Sandy Hooks.

False flag events, paid actors, green screens, sound stages, scripted events, rigged elections, Mandela effects, strangers in Moscow.

Gang violence, frat hazings, initiations, kidnappings, abductions.

Religious cults, priests raping altar boys, Eagle Scouts raping Cub Scouts, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, IDF, US military.

Elementary schools, churches and theaters being shot up.

Police brutality, Ahmed Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Say Her Name, Hands Up Dont Shoot, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Its just a bag of Skittles officer.

13 year old boy shot dead, not by the police, but by a Stand Your Ground civilian.

Dont Tread On Me Zionist Proud Boy.

Islamophobia, racism, white supremacy, racially motivated killings, hate crimes.

Donald J. Trump and Elon Musk.

Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook.

Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel.

Roger Goodell and Vince McMahon.

She was asking for it, what was she wearing, was she drinking, why was she out so late, she went upstairs with him what did she expect.

Theres no such thing as marital rape, feminazis invented that term in the 90s.

I dont care if you have a headache.

I dont care if you dont like anal, flip over and stop complaining.

Its not my fault that youre bleeding.

Then stop tensing up and it wont hurt so much.

I bought you the anal numbing cream and youre still complaining? Its lidocaine. Shut up.

I want anal every week so were having it.

I hit you open handed no bruising. Stop complaining.

I want to cum on your face. Theres nothing wrong with facials. Stop complaining. Leave your glasses on. Now take them off. Open your eyes. Keep them open.

Im into golden showers. Stop complaining.

Im into scat. Stop complaining.

Im into spanking. I didnt hit you that hard. Stop complaining.

Im into choking during sex. Its okay to not be able to breathe. Its only for a few seconds. Stop complaining.

I like biting your nipples. Its supposed to hurt. Stop complaining.

I like slapping your cunt. Stop complaining.

I like spitting in your mouth. Stop complaining.

I like roleplaying. Youre going to be 8 years old. Im going to be your uncle. Yes, during sex. Its just a roleplay. Stop complaining.

When can I put one of our videos on stileproject? You'd be good in porn. Why cant I upload them? Why do you say no to everything?

Okay, put your forearms on the floor and your legs on the coach on either side of my waist. No, were going to have anal this way. Im tired of doggy and Im tired of you riding me and Im tired of missionary. Were going to have anal in different positions. Youre tiny and flexible. Do it. Stop complaining.

Then stop gagging and stop throwing up. Theres no reason why you shouldnt be able to deepthroat me. Then work on your gag reflex. Stop complaining.

Get in the bathroom stall. Now. We'll be done in time for the start of Revenge of the Sith. Face away from me. The wall. Stop complaining. Pull your shorts down. Hurry up. No, in the butt. I dont want to wait to get to my house. Hurry up so you can still get your popcorn shrimp. Stay still. Stop moving so I can get it in. Be quiet. Youre not bleeding that much. Stop complaining.

Take your jeans off now. Do it. Im not in the mood for your little girl shit. Take them off. Stop crying. Both pant legs. Now. Hurry up so I can take you home to your fucking father. Stop crying! Be quiet. Hurry up. Its the least you can do after you danced all night at your cousins party.

Dont lie to me. Youve had sex since the restraining order. Shut up. Dont tell me what to do. Nothing hurts. I dont believe you. Hm. It is tight. Youre not hurt. Shut up. Be quiet, let me do this. Stop moving around and stay on top of me. Stay still. Stop shaking. Youre not bruised and youre not swollen. Stop talking. I still dont believe you havent had sex since we stopped dating. Dont talk to me. Leave me alone.

Dark side of private life.

Abusive spouses, murderous spouses.

Respected couple, matriarch and patriach, pillars of the church and community, married for almost 50 years.

Golden anniversary, golden showers.

Dark secrets, dark pasts, hidden criminal pasts, hidden felonies, hidden convictions, hidden prison sentences, lies to daughters, lies to mothers, lies to wives, repressed background check reports.

Might makes right, force, violence, imposing physical will, domination, vanquishing, crushing, destroying.

Humanity has had hundreds of thousands of years to fix these issues.

But we havent.

Were still -- as a species -- murdering, killing, raping, shooting, stabbing, enslaving, ethnic cleansing, erasing, occupying, colonizing, settling, imprisoning, making thousands of animal species extinct, filling thousands of landfills, destroying thousands of acres of rainforests, destroying ecosystems, overfishing, overextracting earths resources, killing indigenous people for diamonds, emeralds, ore, minerals, etc., pillaging, causing climate change, unsustainably raising the planets temperatures, causing wars and genocides, profiting off of and creating jobs for the manufacture and sale of weapons and bombs used to kill civilians mothers daughters grandmothers babies toddlers children teens students hospital patients fathers sons grandfathers teachers doctors nurses volunteers protestors intellectuals conscientious objectors love warriors revolutionaries prophets, AI cloning metaverse social media messaging apps streaming shows endless scroll always on never off, non stop notifications Slack Teams Google Meet Citrix Trello Asana Outlook Gmail corporate slave golden handcuffs modern day plantation.

The solution to all of the above unimaginable suffering is human extinction.

The solution is stop reproducing.

Stop procreating.

Stop pronatalism.

Stop humanity.

Reject societys non-stop endless brainwashing, programming, conditioning, grooming, messaging, demands, pressures and coercion to be pronatalist and reproduce endless bodies for the capitalist Borg machine.

Stop producing workers for them!

Rockefeller invented modern day public education and school systems because he wanted a "docile and obedient" workforce.

Thats all K-12 is because its all it was designed to be -- a feeder system for corporate, nothing more nothing less.

K-12 -- and college -- works exactly the way its designed to.

It breeds endless acquiescence to authoritatian figures.

Coaches, band leaders, music conductors, dance instructors, choir leaders, school counselors, school nurses, teachers, disciplinarians, principal as God figurehead.

Organized religion is the exact same -- endless acquiescence to authoritarian figures (priests, bishops, nuns, ministers, pastors, imams, Catholic pope as ultimate authority and God figurehead).

Corporate is the exact same (supervisor, +1, VP, Officer, CEO as ultimate authority and God figurehead).

Nuclear patriarchal family is the exact same (older siblings, older cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents, mother, father as ulimate authority and God figurehead).

Government is the exact same (local representatives, mayor, governor, Congressmen/women, Senator, Speaker of the House, Supreme Court justices, President & Commander In Chief as ultimate authority and God figurehead; provinical representatives, Prime Minister, princes & princesses, dukes & duchesses, King as ultimate authorities and God figureheads; Queen is ultimate maternal archetype - "God save the Queen!").

Law enforcement is the exact same (beat and traffic cops, detectives, officers, seargants, captains, Chief of Police as precincts ultimate authority and God figurehead).

Military is the exact same (foot soldiers cannon fodder sausage for the sausage factory, squad leaders, corporals, seargents, captains, generals (1 through 5 star), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as ultimate authority and God figurehead).

End the karmic cycle of humanitys universal suffering.

Say no to pronatalism and no to breeding.

Say no to continuing environmental destruction, ecological destruction, ecocide, rainforest destruction, landfills, environmental waste, climate change, ozone depletion, animal species going extinct, wars, genocides, ethnic cleansing, chemical warfare, civilian slaughter, carper bombings, hostage taking, executions, tortures, lynchings, slavery, sexual slavery, sex trafficking, child trafficking, rapes, molestation, abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, murders, shootings, stabbings, drivebys, fatal hazings, kidnappings, abudctions, child soldiers, child brides, political prisoners, civil wars, tribalism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, hate crimes, racialized violence, toxic masculinity, military industrial complex, police states, militarism, empire building, war machines, commodification, profiteering, capitalism, excess, materialism, overconsumption, consumerism, lobbying, duopoly, fake news, agendas, misinformation campaigns, forced births, misdiagnoses, overmedicalizations, pathologizing of normal behavior, CTE, concussions, head impacts, permanent brain damage, violence, misogynoir, terorrism, mass shootings, human experimentation, forced sterilizations, mass incarceration, prison industrial complex, military industrial complex, medical industrial complex, corporate plantation, man as machine, dehumanizations, beatings, objectifications, fetishizations, cheapening of human life, commodifications, globalism, slave labor, slave wages, exploitation, endless wars, death squads, rape rooms, comfort women, profiteering, religious cults, forced baptisms, family secrets, abusive family patriachs and matriarchs, capitalist death cult, dictatorships, cults of personality, strongmen, deceivers, manipulators, gaslighters, thieves in the night...

Stop contributing to the endless cycle of human suffering and do something to end it.

Dont reproduce. Dont procreate. Dont have children.

Abstain from sex and be celibate, masturbate, watch porn, read erotica. Or have sex and use birth control, pills, sponges, patches, injections, surgical implants, spermicide, condoms, tubes tied or lasered, withdrawal, Plan B and/or abortion. Or have sex other than vaginal sex (oral, anal, manual, intercrural, etc.).

Just dont add to the already failed and flailing on its ass 7 billion plus strong current human experiment.

[earth-18104]

Earth-18104 - 1940s

List of events that happened during 1940 on Earth-18104. Most of these events happening here are taken by other medias, like the movies and the comics, but doesn't follow Marvel Canon or the time-line established so faithfully. Some of these events are my own interpretation and also focus on my OCs. This is more for my own entertainment than to anything else.

The (N) after names indicate characters' birth, and the numbers indicate their ages.

List of Events of Earth-18104 (Resume)

Tw: Mentions of death, violence, cannibalism and n*zism (happens during WWII)

1940 -

• In Los Angeles, Howard Stark (23) demonstrates the properties of Vibranium, a metal found by Stark Industries in Africa. Later that night, Stark is attacked by HYDRA assassins.

• He then accepts Colonel Chester Phillips' proposal to join the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

• Far from his creator, Torch began to gain a reputation as a defender of justice.

• After Hitler's rise to power, Max Eisenhardt (7) and his family fled to Poland, where they were captured during the German invasion of Poland and sent to the Ghetto.

• Eventually they managed to escape, only to be betrayed and captured again.

• His family was executed and buried in a mass grave, but Max survived, possibly due to the manifestation of his powers. He ends up being captured once again and sent to Auschwitz.

• At her work in Bletchley Park, England, Peggy Carter's (19) received a letter with a offer to work as an SOE field agent, which she accepted.

• She then enlists in the British counter-intelligence and security agency MI5 and calls off her wedding. As an MI5 agent, Carter is loaned to the American agency Strategic Scientific Reserve, becoming an advisor.

• (November)

• At Castle Kaufmann in the Bavarian Alps, Abraham Erskine injects Johann Schmidt with his Super Soldier Serum, but the serum horribly transforms Schmidt, transforming him into the Red Skull.

• At some point, Abraham Erskine is rescued by Peggy Carter, who has infiltrated the complex disguised as a maid. Carter takes Erskine to the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) so he can produce America's Super Soldier with the help of Howard Stark.

• Fred Raymond's house was invaded by a costumed criminal called the Asbestos Lady and her gang, who intended to force Raymond to develop new means by which she could use asbestos for crime.

• The Torch, who was watching the Raymonds' house, suspecting that the criminal would come into contact with such a notable authority on asbestos, broke in and captured the gang.

• The Asbestos Lady, however, escaped. Learning about Thomas's (10) immunity to fire, Torch set out, deciding to keep an eye on the Raymond family in case they were terrorized by the Asbestos Lady again.

1941 -

• (EVENT - Castle Rock Tower Destruction)

• Johann Schmidt, Discovering that Tønsberg, Norway, is the resting place of the Tesseract, leads a group of soldiers there in search of it. He orders his men to search the city, then arrives at Castle Rock Tower, finding a Church Guardian guarding it.

• Schmidt kills him and orders his men to open fire on the city after finding the Tesseract. He refers to it as "the jewel of Odin's Treasure Room" before taking it for himself.

• In the summer, Nora Jones' health worsened and she died, while Thomas Raymond's (11) powers began to manifest themselves in the ability to generate flames, but the boy had little control.

• When the Torch came to visit them unannounced, Fred Raymomd kicked the Torch before his son could see him and blamed him for being somehow responsible for his son's condition.

• Torch told Raymond that he could teach Thomas how to control his flames and managed to convince him to let Thomas train with him. After that, Torch became the boy's guardian, who was renamed Toro; so the two became a crime-fighting duo.

• While growing up on the streets of London, Eric Brooks (12) encountered veteran American vampire hunter Jamal Afari and saved him from being killed by vampires.

• Afari soon learned about Eric and his origins and decided to take him under his wing, becoming his mentor and adoptive father and helping him control his powers.

• He taught Eric everything he knew about hunting, fighting, and killing vampires.

• December 7 - The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor leads the United States of America to enter World War II.

• President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt declares that the United States will build fifty thousand planes to combat the armies of Hirohito and Adolf Hitler.

• Stark Industries begins producing planes for the war effort after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Howard Stark's innovations earned him a spot on the Manhattan Project.

• Steve Rogers (21) visits the US Recruiting and Induction Center in New York, but is classified 4F and rejected from service. He goes on to be rejected four more times in four different cities.

• The Strategic Scientific Reserve team in New York City completes the Renaissance Chamber Project. Howard Stark comments that it should be called the Brooklyn Project in response to J. Robert Oppenheimer's work at Los Alamos.

• At Camp Lehigh, New Jersey, Abraham Erskine rejects candidates selected by Chester Phillips for the Renaissance Project.

• Clara Creed (121) tells Tereza Márquez (126) OCs about the army recruiting "freaks" and suggests she join. She herself moves into a hidden shelter for mutants, preferring not to get involved in the conflict.

1942 -

• Steve Rogers (22) goes to a recruiting office in New York City but is turned away due to his numerous health problems.

• Tereza Márquez (127), Victor Creed (123) and James Howlett (57) go to the World Exhibition of Tomorrow. Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes (17) are also present. They all witness Howard Stark's presentation about a possible flying car.

• During the performance, Rogers goes to another recruiting office and is witnessed by Abraham Erskine, who asks him if he wants to kill Nazis. Steve responds that he doesn't want to kill anyone and that he doesn't like bullies.

• This impresses Erskine, who offers him a chance at military service through the Renaissance Project.

• Johann Schmidt and Arnim Zola experiment with the Tesseract inside HYDRA headquarters. Zola notes that his discoveries will change the war.

• At Camp Lehigh, New Jersey, Steve Rogers and several other volunteers begin their training under the supervision of Erskine, Peggy Carter (21), and Colonel Chester Phillips.

• Creed, Márquez and Howlett went to war, joining a special division of mutants, or "freaks" as they were called.

• At some point, Tereza was taken away from Creed and Howlett and chosen as a possible candidate for the Rebirth Project because of her powers. However, she was soon discarded because she was a black and hispanic woman.

• Dr. Cornelius Truett decided to keep her and the feral men close, wanting to study their mutations.

• (The first Avenger)

• (June)

• At Camp Lehigh, while Rogers was doing push-ups with the other recruits, Chester Phillips threw a fake grenade at them; Steve threw himself at the grenade, ready to sacrifice his life to save his comrades.

• That night, Erskine explained the effects of the Super Soldier Serum to Rogers, telling him that he was chosen because of his good heart and compassion. Rogers promised Erskine that he will never change who he is and that he will continue to be a good man.

• Steve went through initial tests and met project member Cynthia Glass who was, unbeknownst to him, a Nazi spy. When the Nazis attempted to attack the secret base, Steve was protected by Tereza Márquez, Victor Creed and Dominic Fortune, a soldier of fortune who was originally a candidate for the project but was turned down due to his questionable lifestyle

• July 4th - The mutant Jason Wyngarde, later known as Mastermind, is born. (N)

• A while later, Steve was escorted by Peggy Carter to the Brooklyn Strategic Scientific Reserve Facility in preparation for Project Rebirth.

• He was injected and made to ingest Erskine's formula and was then bathed in Vita Rays, which caused his body to transform into the peak of human perfection.

• By this time, the project had been infiltrated by Nazi agent Heinz Kruger, who fatally shot Erskine, and was himself killed by the newly empowered Steve Rogers.

• With no complete copy of the super-soldier formula available in writing, Steve Rogers was the only man to receive the full treatment at that time, but there would be others eventually. Due to Rogers being the only Super Soldier, Phillips refused to let him serve in the war.

• Phineas Horton (37) was working for the United States government when he was targeted by Hitler, who had the Python broken into Alcatraz to use Horton to destroy or control the Torch.

• To this end, Python forced Horton to lead the Torch into a trap in which the hero was trapped in the cylinder in which he was created. Exposing him to the device caused the Torch to become a huge flame creature loyal to Python.

• Horton helped Torch's sidekick, Toro (12), stop Python and restore the synthezoid to normal.

• Mexico declares war on the Axis powers.

• In August, Brazil declares war on the Axis powers.

• Refusing to be held for research, Steve joined the USO and went on a morale-boosting tour of the United States of America.

• Under the name 'Captain America' he became a national celebrity, appearing in films, comic books and card collections and establishing himself as a symbol of America's participation in the war.

• The Western Allies' bombing offensive scores massive successes as targets in Nazi satellite states are destroyed.

1943 -

• Kriegsmarine U-boats torpedo a ship off the coast of Virginia.

• After a highly successful campaign in North Africa and the invasion of Sicily, the Western Allies landed in mainland Italy.

• American bombers hit Italian warships thirty-five times.

• An RAF attack destroys several vital German dams.

• Wreckage of a submarine is discovered off the east coast of the USA by residents.

• Another wave of bombers targeting Nazi satellite states destroys their objectives.

• At Camp Leigh, Steve Rogers (23) met and quickly became friends with company mascot James "Bucky" Barnes (18).

• When James discovered Steve's dual identity, the military authorized James to be Captain America's costumed sidekick, Bucky, as a foil to the Youth in Nazi Germany.

• Cap was sent on a solo mission to the nation of Madripoor to investigate sightings of Nazi agent Baron Strucker in the area, Captain America stumbled upon a deal being made between Strucker and the group of ninjas known as the Hand. Cap worked closely with the adventurer Canadian Logan (58).

• Soon, Captain America was sent on a mission to Djbera, Africa, in order to see the surrender of Nazi defector Major Hans Guetterez.

• Unknown to him, Bucky has been ordered to investigate sightings of Baron Strucker in the area and assassinate him. His plane was shot down and crashed in the desert, leaving them open to enemy attack.

• They were rescued by a squad of British SAS and accompanied by Logan, who revealed Bucky's true mission and that Logan had come to learn what he could about Captain America to Romulus, who tried to take Cap up on his previous offer of partnership, earning Bucky's ire.

• Attacking the Nazi base on Djbera and accepting Guetterez's surrender, Captain America went after Bucky after he slipped away in battle followed by Logan.

• Working with Logan, Cap tracked down Strucker who had just founded the first incarnation of the terrorist organization known as Hydra. When Bucky was brought in to be executed, he eliminated who he thought was Strucker, prompting Hydra agents to attack. Cap and Logan came to his rescue and were helped by the SAS.

• In the aftermath of the battle, they discovered that the man Bucky had killed was a Strucker impersonator and they all set out to find the real Baron Strucker.

• Logan and Bucky later found Strucker and took him prisoner. Cap was unaware that Logan's orders had changed and he was supposed to make sure Strucker remained free.

• When Bucky tried to warn Cap about this while they were flying, they were shot from the sky by Nazi agents led by Baron Zemo and with Logan's help, helped free Strucker. Furious at this betrayal, Captain America fought Logan until Bucky managed to force the Nazis to retreat with covering fire.

• During the shootout, Logan took a blast to the chest and was left for dead, however, he would eventually survive and cross paths with Captain America many times in the future

• At some point, Cap met with the Human Torch and his partner Toro.

• (Battle of Azzano)

• The 107th Infantry Regiment suffers heavy casualties fighting the German Army and HYDRA, which openly fires at German troops, severing ties with Nazi Germany.

• Uprising at the Austrian HYDRA Weapons Facility: A group of soldiers meet for the first time. As prisoners, they are used to make weapons for HYDRA.

• They come together, at first, to get revenge on one of their captors who violently beat Bucky Barnes.

• In November, Peggy Carter (22) tells Steve Rogers (22) that the 107th Regiment has been captured by HYDRA.

• Determined, Steve leaves for Austria with the help of Carter and Howard Stark (26). At HYDRA headquarters, prisoners of war are forced to begin assembling a large plane, known as the Valkyrie.

• Rogers sneaks into the HYDRA Weapons Facility in search of Allied prisoners. During his search, he memorizes a map of HYDRA facility locations and obtains a sample of the power source HYDRA was using.

• He soon finds the prisoners and frees them; together, the Allies face HYDRA and escape the Facility.

• While trying to evacuate, Barnes and Rogers encounter Schmidt, who notes that he has always been Abraham Erskine's biggest success, removing his prosthetic mask. Schmidt and Zola evacuate the building after initiating the self-destruct sequence.

• Steve Rogers is presumed dead, but soon arrives with hundreds of soldiers he saved from the HYDRA facility. Rogers gathers some of the men he saved at the HYDRA base and creates a team that will eventually be known as the Howling Commandos.

• Howard Stark examines a sample of HYDRA's power, which will help him develop a framework to synthesize a new element. Rogers meets with Stark, being equipped with his new uniform and a Vibranium shield.

• August 29 - Gabrielle Haller is born. (N)

1944 -

• January 1 - Isaiah Bradley, the man who would one day be known as Black Captain America, is born, one of the only survivors of the Super Soldier Project. (N)

• Master Wong Kan, future Sorcerer Supreme, is born. (N)

• Wong was a descendant and lookalike of Kan, a Tibetan monk who lived about a thousand years ago and was a student of the occult. In the ten generations before Wong, the firstborn of her lineage served the Elder.

• A member of the Ten Rings, undercover in London, detonates an explosive planted inside a government building.

• Attack on HYDRA facilities: Captain America and his Howling Commandos (which includes Logan and Marquis) invade and destroy a HYDRA facility in France.

• Maybelle Reilly is born, later she would be Maybelle Parker. (N)

• As her family was very poor, her parents constantly argued and blamed May for their financial problems, always telling her how difficult their lives were because of her. A few years later, her father left home and May was left alone with her abusive mother.

• November 2nd - Dr. Stephen Strange was born in Philadelphia, when his parents were on vacation. (N)

1945 -

• A battalion of troops was immobilized by HYDRA troops due to a blizzard on the outskirts of Stalingrad. Among the soldiers is Tereza Márquez (130) OC.

• During the three months they were imprisoned, Tereza used her fire powers to keep the other soldiers warm; however, the constant use of her mutation, plus the stress she suffered every day due to being in enemy territory, took a lot of energy from her and she was in danger of burning herself alive.

• At some point, when one of the soldiers in her battalion died, Tereza mocked her colleague for trying to "save dead weight", which earned her the distrust of her comrades.

• Three months later, they were rescued by the Howling Commandos led by Steve Rogers (24).

• Upon hearing of Tereza's abilities, Rogers invited her to join the Howling Commandos, even though the other soldiers in his battalion had told him that Tereza was unreliable, calling her "El Diablo".

• Tereza, who was still resentful and angry that Rogers was chosen by Erskine, denied his offer.

• The Howling Commandos board a HYDRA train on a mission to capture Arnim Zola.

• Once inside, the group split up, Rogers and Barnes enter the train and find many HYDRA agents using Tesseract-powered weapons.

• During the conflict, Rogers uses his shield to block an explosion, creating a hole in the side of the train. Before Rogers can grab him, Barnes falls from the train and is presumed dead.

• Jones, who was sneaking around the top of the train, catches up to Zola and captures him.

• Bucky Barnes (19) lands at the bottom of the valley, surviving due to Zola's experiments. He is later found by the Soviet Armed Forces and is imprisoned until 1950.

• Arnim Zola is interrogated in London by Chester Phillips.

• Red Skull promises his HYDRA army that their plan to launch the Valkyrie against the United States of America will end in victory.

• Steve, mourning the death of Bucky Barnes in the ruins of Whip & Fiddle, vows to defeat HYDRA and the Red Skull.

• (The disappearance of Captain America)

• Some time later, Captain America attacks HYDRA headquarters alone on his motorcycle, which he uses to blow up the base's doors. He has a quick fight before being surrounded and captured by HYDRA forces.

• He is taken before the Red Skull, but before he can be executed, members of the Howling Commandos enter through the window while Colonel Chester Phillips attacks the main gate.

• Red Skull retreats to the hangar, followed by Rogers, Phillips and Carter, he boards the Valkyrie, trying to enact his plan. Phillips and Carter drive Schmidt's Coupe, giving Rogers a ride, Carter gives Rogers a kiss, before he jumps into the plane, seconds before takeoff.

• Once aboard the plane, Captain America discovers the bombs and is attacked by several HYDRA agents Rogers quickly dispatches the agents before they can board the bombs and take off with them.

• He confronts the Red Skull in the control room, during the battle, the Valkyrie's controls are damaged.

• Red Skull laments to Rogers that he has seen the future, and it has no flags, Rogers responds that this is not the case in his future. Red Skull takes the Tesseract in an attempt to use its power, but is overpowered by the celestial object and presumed dead.

• Rogers quickly takes control of the plane, calling Carter, telling her that her only option to stop the bombs is to shoot down the plane, due to the autopilot sending it to New York City.

• Carter plans a meeting with Rogers for next Saturday as he puts the plane on the ground, where it would remain frozen for nearly 40 years. Rogers' radio cuts out, which brings Carter to tears.

• The United States Armed Forces begin the invasion of Iwo Jima.

• Logan (60) and the Devil's Brigade were tasked with infiltrating Germany to put an end to the German Super Soldier program, but the entire unit was decimated during an air raid. Only Logan survived.

• During Walpurgis Night, Logan finally infiltrated the Nazi facility and discovered that several soldiers had been transformed into werewolves by General Wolfram. Logan managed to defeat them, but before he could kill Wolfram, he was stopped by Nick Fury Sr. (37).

• Despite Logan's protests against letting Wolfram live after killing his entire unit, Fury explained that Wolfram could be useful in the upcoming war against the USSR.

• He also revealed that both Captain America and Bucky Barnes were killed by Baron Zemo and that the the main scientist in charge of the US Super Soldier program had also died, to that end Fury and the US needed Wolfram as part of this new program they had created: The Weapon Plus Program

• Later, Dr. Abraham Cornelius Hudson (32) met with Nick Fury Sr, in recent months he became interested in Victor Creed and Tereza Márquez's abilities and discovered more about their families.

• They discussed the possibility of the two soldiers being part of the Weapon X project.

• Hudson, knowing it would probably be difficult to get them to cooperate, sends a squad after Creed and Márquez to bring them to the Ravencroft Institute.

• When Hudson's men attacked Márquez alone, she managed to kill more than half of them, before being fatally shot by one of them. She was saved by Creed (128) and they both deserted the army.

• Werner Reinhardt attempts to evacuate the HYDRA Research Center in Austria and escape with several mysterious artifacts that HYDRA has collected over the years.

• His base is attacked by SSR troops led by Peggy Carter, Dum Dum Dugan and Jim Morita. Reinhardt and his men are arrested and all artifacts are confiscated by the SSR.

• Steve Rogers' disappearance is publicly revealed.

• Allied nations celebrate Victory in Europe Day. The Howling Commandos gather to celebrate Captain America's sacrifice.

• German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel signs the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany at Soviet headquarters in Berlin.

• The United States begins Operation Overcast, later renamed Operation Paperclip, an effort to recruit former Nazi scientists to work for the United States.

• An atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

• Soon, an atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

• Japan agrees to surrender after the dropping of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed, formally marking the end of World War II.

• The Tuskegee Airmen return home after fighting in the war.

• Peggy Carter (23) is honored with an SSR medal.

1946 -

• Arnim Zola and some former HYDRA agents track down Bucky Barnes (20) who survived the fall and was taken into custody by the Soviet Armed Forces.

• Since that moment, they have kept Barnes frozen and alive, but without an arm. Once he is found by Zola and his agents, they take him into custody.

• As SHIELD is founded, Zola begins to rebuild HYDRA from within the agency.

• Bucky Barnes' memory is erased and he receives a metal prosthetic and is kept cryogenically frozen, he becomes a HYDRA assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

• Dr. Xavier died in an accident and Sharon moved into her ancestral mansion in Westchester after marrying her late husband's former colleague, Kurt Marko, in hopes of maintaining a well-structured family for Charles.

• However, Marko married her for her wealth and due to Xavier's jealousy.

• Charles (9) faced problems with his new family when Marko brought his teenage son, Cain Marko (15), who constantly bullied him.

• To make matters worse, Dr. Marko violently abused Sharon. With his growing telepathic powers, Charles tried to ease her pain by sharing it with himself.

• However, Charles was unable to prevent his mother's ruin, as she succumbed to alcoholism and died of a broken heart.

• After the war, Logan (61) met and fell in love with Itsu and soon she became pregnant with his son Akihiro.

• Stephen Strange's younger sister, Donna, was born on the family farm in Nebraska. (N)

1947 -

• (March)

• Canada's Department K and the remnants of Operation: Rebirth pooled their resources to become Project: Sentinel, yet another foolish attempt to not only recreate the Super Soldier Serum, but in post-war hubris, amplify its effects a hundred thousand times more.

• (Itsu and Logan)

• Just days before his son was born, Logan (62) was proving himself worthy of being a father in combat, but accidentally stabbed a villager with his claws.

• As a result, he was banished from the village, but before leaving he wanted to say goodbye to Itsu for the last time. Returning to his built home, Logan found Itsu murdered by the Winter Soldier (22), who was following orders from the mysterious Romulus.

• After Itsu's death, Logan disappeared for a month, during that time he went to see the demon Muramasa to help him "kill them all".

• Muramasa accepted and promised to forge him a "mighty blade against which all...even someone as great as you...will fall" using a piece of Wolverine's soul.

• While awaiting further orders, the Winter Soldier saw that Muramasa's subordinates were transporting a still unconscious Logan after Muramasa extracted a piece of his soul.

• Barnes decided to ignore his orders and killed Muramasa's men, Logan was then extracted 8 hours later.

• Unknown to Logan, Romulus took the child from Itsu's womb, and he was born safely and adopted by a Japanese couple. This child was called Akihiro, but ended up adopting the name "Daken", which means "Mestizo".

• Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross is born. (N)

• SHIELD Agent Phill "Cheese" Coulson is born. (N)

• The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948 begins as a result of the confusion left by Britain's decolonization of India.

• Olivia Octavius, future scientist, ​​was born in Schenectady, New York, to a lower-class family. (N)

• An only child, Olivia was raised by a neglectful and alcoholic mother. At school, she was bullied by other students, but excelled academically.

• At some point she befriended Maybelle Reilly; the two became close because they shared the same family problems, which made them best friends.

• Adrian Toomes, the first Vulture, is born. (N)

1948 -

• Stephen Strange's brother, Victor was born. (N)

• When Wong Khan was four years old his father introduced him to the Ancient One and sent him to Kama-Taj, Nepal, to receive training and become a sorcerer.

• Since he as was the firstborn son of Hamir the Hermit, and therefore his life was dedicated to the Ancient One from early childhood.

• Years later he became the librarian of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.

• (Blade)

• Determined to avenge his mother's death, Eric Brooks (19) turned into a vampire hunter and called himself Blade, after the sharp weapons with which he used to kill vampires.

• (Marcus Jonhson)

• CIA Agent Nia Jones worked with Colonel Nick Fury (40) on a mission to take down a Hydra base in Czechoslovakia. They became romantically involved and the affair resulted in Nia's pregnancy.

• Wanting to protect their son from his enemies, Fury convinced Mia to abandon her life as an agent. Although reluctant, Nia agreed to protect her baby and adopted the new identity of Nia Johnson and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

• November 9th - Months later, her son, Nick Fury Jr, was born, who she named Marcus Johnson. (N)

1949 -

• (Cyttorak)

• When Cain Marko tried to extort money from his father, a fight broke out, causing some of the lab equipment to explode. Dr. Marko was mortally wounded, but managed to drag Cain and Charles to safety before dying.

• From then on, orphans Charles (12) and Cain (18) lived as enemies under the same roof when Charles realized the potential of his mutant powers.

• Due to his telepathy, Charles excelled in most of the activities he was involved in, causing Cain's jealousy to increase to the point of causing Charles to get into a car accident, seriously injuring him and causing him to separate from his half-brother.

• Heather McNail Hudson, member of Alpha Fligt known as Vindicator, is born. (N)

• Howard Stark (31) restarts his plans for SHIELD, this time with the help of Chester Phillips. Peggy Carter (27) ends her work at the Scientific Strategy Reserve, and becomes one of the founders of SHIELD.

• Yondu Udonta is born on the planet Centauri-IV. (N)

[ricardian-werewolf]

Chapter 5: A Plea to Fate

Dropping in here to mention a new chapter's been posted, and its summary is thus: Moodboard images:

"The towering spires of the medieval college city of Oxford give one of the ladies of our Dramatis Personae her chance at understanding the wider scope of the chessboard of power.

Or, what can be called: Anne Neville goes to Oxford to have some Girl TimeTM, but actually has an existential crisis."

Word Count: 5.3k

TW and CWs: heavy discussion of post nuclear societies, hospital and medical trauma, brutal depictions of gore, and violence. NSFW.

"England is a sick state, poisoned by nuclear war, starvation, and greed. Its rulers are a queen corrupted by her own power and an exiled husband with a Napoleon complex so great that Anne is shocked that America is not yet burned to ash. It is impossible to describe just how sickly England’s people are. So, Anne instead flits into a newsagent and opens a northern paper - The Manchester Times. The obituaries alone cover 3/4ths of the entire broadsheet.  10-20 million unburied dead. Stuck under rubble and lying in open-air mass graves. Beside the watery autumn sunlight filtering in through the plate-glass window, Anne peers at the headline of the day - VICTORIA LEVIES NEW LAND LAW. For what? We hold all of the coal stocks. The farmland is irradiated and there’s no fertiliser. Tilling the fields is impossible.  Anne’s fingers tremble as she closes the paper neatly and places it back on the stand. She can almost smell the miasmatic stench once more, seeping over the high stone walls. The screams of the wounded. She’d gone to a hospital in Sheffield at Candlemas to give alms and been violently ill at what she’d seen.  Salt and water as an antibiotic. Nurses frantically tearing sheets to let patients have something to bite as they tried to treat the dying and give the dead a merciful burial. The burns were so tender that touching them sloughed off skin, pink and blistering. She can see it now, and knows that it is much worse. Much, much worse. The industrial centres are haemorrhaging under the dead who they cannot bury. Men, women, and children all killed in a firestorm of unimaginable heat. There is no way to win a nuclear war. Only hell follows. There are days, like now, where Anne grips her crucifix chain in her fingers and stares at the sky, wanting to scream at god for denying the people of England a happy century."

[roseofithaca]

Bonded

Set in @idiotwithanipad 's Gore AU, how my ocs Penelope and Aelfwyn met. Tw: mentions of slavery, SA, gore (of course).

-

Albion (Ancient Britain) - 242 BC.

Harodius unclasps the golden collar, slipping it off his slave girl's neck. Though she had gone through many in her life since she was a young girl, the size ever expanding as she grew, it contained the same ruby as the one that had been clamped onto her when she was only five years old, sealing her fate for the next twenty years.

He watches her arm slump back onto the Earth with a heavy thud.

"You are free now, my dearest Pen. You have served me and my fellow citizens well. May the gods of this land treat you kindly." Harodius moves his wrinkled fingers across her face to close her eyes.

Into her hands, he places her wooden flute, curling her fingers around it tight.

They say there is no such thing as a good Master. Even as Penelope watches the almost tender look on the old man's face as he steps out of the rather shallow grave his other slaves have dug for her, she reminds herself of that fact.

No coins are placed on her eyes. There is no fabric to spare for a shroud. The grave will no doubt be dug up by wild dogs within days and her remains torn apart. The fact that Master is going to the effort to bury her at all is an 'honor', she supposes, the same as one would a loyal dog.

There is a weary sadness on Master's old face as he watches them cover her with dirt. He has no children of his own, often remarking to Pen that she often felt like the daughter he never had. And yet he never entertained the thought of freeing her before now. Before it was too late and she was no longer of use as a corpse.

True, he hadn't used her in the ways her previous Masters had, ever since she first got her blood. He didn't make her scrub his floors or cook his meals. That wasn't what bard slaves were for. Penelope was essentially a prize bird, fed well to look plump and healthy, meant to be admired and adorned, always perfectly groomed and dressed in the most beautiful finery. Some might have mistook her for a wealthy lady, a highborn wife or daughter, if not for the collar on her neck. Her main job was to sing, to dance, to laugh at Master's jokes and stroke his ego when he was down. All that had been missing was a cage.

Penelope couldn't remember her father. Out of all the masters she had, she supposed that Harodius was the closest to act as such. Always thanking her and praising her for her service. Though he had no desire to use her body, he would often ask her to sit on his knee and play her flute for him, or on cold nights in the ship he would allow her to share his bed. Purely for warmth and companionship.

But Penelope was no fool. She knew better than to get complacent in such situations. Master was a man, same as the others, and could change his mind on how he wished to use his 'pet' whenever he felt like it.

That was her life. She'd known nothing else.

If Master commanded her to play, she'd play. If Master ordered her to join him in his bed, she came. And if Master asked her to try a berry in this strange land to test it wasn't poisonous, how exactly could she say no?

How funny. The nicest Master she had, the only one who never whipped nor abused her, was also the one who killed her.

"We must go now. They'll be expecting me back at the camp." Harodius said after his minute silence of prayer, clicking his fingers.

The two other slaves nodded and prepared his litter for transport.

Penelope finally snaps out of the shock that kept her paralysed for all this time, watching her own 'funeral'.

"Master? Master, wait..."

Her hands reach up to clasp her throat, feeling the swollen mass within. It's as if she's swollen an entire orange in one gulp.

"Mas-!"

Her voice, once loved for how melodic it was, was barely more than a hoarse whisper.

No matter how hard she tried to scream after the others, little sound left her lips.

Hiking up the pink silk of her dress, she tries to follow after them. Once Harodius is inside his litter and the other slaves have lifted him up, Penelope struggles to keep up. She's not a slave who was bred for running and fetching. Most of her time is spent sat at someone's feet or standing up as a pretty decoration.

"Please...Master, don't leave me here. This land has no sun! No life! Master, please..."

When her hand gets close to the litter, it passes through. She doesn't even stand a chance of climbing inside.

And then as she continues to follow onward, they finally reach an invisible border where Pen attempts to follow, only to be cast back onto the fields. She tries again, and again, to no avail.

Finally, Master's litter and her fellow bondsmen disappear over the horizon. And she's alone.

Alone. For perhaps the first time in her life.

She feels at her swollen neck again. How strange to find it bare, no collar, her constant companion. Her curse. Only a groove of embedded skin remains as a reminder.

Free. Master said...she is free.

All her life she'd tried to imagine what such a word meant. Most of her masters had told her that free women were just as trapped and controlled as she were, only by their husbands or fathers or sons. But she saw the difference. Ruled over as they may be, they were still granted their own rooms, their own possessions, their own homes to run as they pleased...they were, often, loved. Not owned.

She glances around at the land she's been left to enjoy her 'freedom'. Quiet. Far too quiet.

All she's known is the sound of people, of bustling towns and busy ports, of fancy parties, of performances, of ships filled with rowdy sailors and lewd soldiers requesting a song or a dance.

There is only trees and grass, rolling hills of abandoned farmland. The nearest tribal settlement they'd passed had been four miles away.

"Hail? Is anyone here?!" She calls out, though her shattered voice is nearly completely overtaken by the wind.

And so she walks. She looks around. The sandals on her feet are not really built for this unsettled terrain but that doesn't seem to affect her now. Her pedicured toes pass through the rocks and twigs.

No houses, no mills, not even the foul smelling mud huts they'd visited.

The first structure of any kind she comes across is one of the great stone circles they'd seen a few of in this part of the world. Her master had told her of how the natives believed that these stones held ancient, special power. Most of them still used as places of worship. These 'savages' like to worship their gods without a ceiling to seperate them from the heavens above. No grand temples with towering pillars and altars for libations.

Penelope runs her palm across one of the large stones, admiring the strange swirling symbols carved deep. There's a thrum of energy against her skin that makes her pull it back, as if burned.

A low growl rumbles through the air.

She glances around, feeling a set of eyes upon her. Maybe more than one.

Her only weapon on hand, she realises, is the flute she's had nearly as long as her collar. Pathetic thing would probably snap like a twig if she attempted to wack anything with it.

Free. She's free now. No longer will she ever have to play again...

Pen drops the flute. There. That can be her offering to these foreign gods.

Just as she's about to stretch her fingers, the flute vanishes from the ground, then reappears in her hand.

No. Oh, really?!

A few more tests. Each attempt to part from the instrument fails as it returns to her grip after a couple of seconds. Damn it.

Perhaps the gods reject her gift.

Or perhaps...they wish for her to keep it.

One of the stones is low enough for her to sit on. She does so, resting her feet at last. The sun is beginning to set neatly behind the western most stone, casting a perfect beam of light through its hole for a moment.

Another growl. She can't quite place where it's from. Perhaps crouched in the shadows themselves.

"Come feast if you wish, beasts of Albion." She whispers the dare, taking a breath of courage; "You look upon a free woman now. I'll carry on as I wish."

She brings the flute to her lips. For the first time since she was given the instrument, she chooses the piece she wishes to play, rather than having to follow a request.

Miraculously, her crushed throat finds no difficulty in allowing her the breath to blow and create her sweet music.

After she has warmed up, she begins to craft her own tune. This one, she will call 'Unchained'.

-

The creature sits back in the bushes, his eyes fixed on the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on. He thought he was long past having such feelings, but the sight of her sat upon the ancient stones, playing such heavenly music as her long dark curls sway in the breeze, he can't help but wonder if she's even real.

It's a struggle to snap himself out from the spell her hypnotic playing puts him under. How long has it been since he's heard music like that? Something other than drums of those who came to worship at the Stones.

She is not a child. She appears to be as old as he was, if not older. Good. Not a cub. Doesn't have to worry about the claiming law.

However...there are exceptions, as he knows.

For the first couple of days and nights, he watches her from afar. This new spirit. Big pretty lady with the musical stick.

She wanders, she plays, she raises her arms to the sun when it dares to appear and lets it kiss her bronze skin. She doesn't seem maddened yet by the boredom and isolation, merely enjoying being able to go about as she pleases, without having to rush to the side of some wrinkle faced old man with nobbly fingers snapping for her attention.

The man had treated her like pet. And the other two like donkeys. Is that what people did now? Treat others as animals? His tribe would have found such practices disgusting. Always important to remember what seperate human from animal. Tribe from Other.

She is not Cub. But she also is not a threat. Not to any of the weaker animal ghosts he guards. And the larger predators seem as tamed by her music as he is. They do not pounce upon her in the night. They don't attempt to leap at her flesh.

The land seems to have welcomed her. She carries the aura of a Solar priestess.

One day, he does not fully cover himself beneath the bush as he sits and listens. Her music quietens the ringing in his head. It casts as soothing balm across his torn and tattered mind.

"Why, many greetings to you there. Are you enjoying my performance?"

It takes a second for him to realise she's addressing him with her raspy voice. His eyes snap open to see her turned towards him.

Growling, snapping his teeth, he inches back.

No. No, he doesn't want to be seen. Stay back!

She lowers her flute to her lap, tilting her head. The sight of him doesn't seem to make her scream as it does everyone else.

"I knew I wasn't alone here. You don't think I've learned what it feels like to be watched after all these years, hmm?" She smiles, a knowing glint in her brown eyes.

Snarling, he hesitates whether to leave or not.

He was not leering at her for any such reason. Merely inspecting whether she was a danger to His land and those lost souls who dwelled upon it. If he so happened to take pleasure in her music, then...

"Come. Come here." The big lady crouches down and holds out her hand; "I won't hurt you, lovely."

He scoffs. She thinks that HE'S the one who is afraid? If she had any idea what he is...what he's capable of...

She smiles; "If you wanted to hurt me, you'd have done so already."

Correct. He's shown no mercy to those who have gained his ire before. Man or woman. Rich or poor.

Only cubs are spared. Cubs and...the impaired.

"All right, my native friend. You can sit and continue to listen if that's all you want." She says, pulling back her hand and taking her flute again, "I'm happy to have an audience that isn't so demanding. Let me know what you think of this piece..."

She plays, swaying purposefully on her feet as she closes her eyes.

Yes, he could leave. Should leave. The other predators need to be kept in place. Have to check there are no smaller critters being abused or mistreated. Has...job to do...patrol....guard.

Tired. So tired.

A few days later, she catches him nearly falling asleep to her newest, slow but heavenly piece.

"Looks ever so uncomfortable there among that bramble." She whispers, sat upon the dirt. She pats at her knee, covered with her pink dress; "Come rest your head here, lovely creature."

He frowns with suspicion. How could a gorgeous angel like her want something as grotesque as him anywhere near her?

Still, she holds her hand out. She smiles.

And a few seconds later, he finds himself laying down, resting his head on her lap. So soft. So warm. So comfortable that he could cry. Maybe be does. Her fingers caress his haggard, hairy face.

"What a strange savage you are. You must be trapped here as I am." She whispers, stroking her fingers through his mane; "Do you have no family? No...tribe?"

He grunts. No. No tribe, not anymore.

And family...well...

"Your face reminds me of the men on the lower deck of ships I served on. Some of them as old as my master, yet had hardly ever been allowed to see daylight. Worked till death, aged faster than nature allows. Poor old boys, as tortured as they were, they were always sweet to me." She laments.

Lifting her flute back to her lips, she shifts so that he's still comfortable on her as she plays.

"Here's a piece for you dear tired souls. Gods willing, it will help you all rest." She plays.

To her credit, he manages to sleep.

-

She sleeps on the grass, in the centre of the stone circle. There are no beds, no where proper to lay her head. Surprisingly, she isn't bothered too much. She'll take sleeping by herself in a field over having to share a bed with a rich old man who holds her by an invisible leash any day.

Though the sun only rarely comes out beneath that dreary sky, the stars shine wonderfully at night, so many constellations on this part of the world different from Master's land. Not home. She was stolen from her home long ago, she doesn't have any memories of it. A beach, she thinks. Warm sand beneath her toes. A woman holding her hand. Perhaps just dreams.

One of which she is roused from by a furry hand poking her side.

She sits up to find her only other companion and newest 'fan' crouched beside her.

A ghastly, odd looking fellow. All bent and crooked, walking on his knuckles like a beast, face all bumpy and misshapen beneath a head of hair in desperate need of grooming. The first time Pen had spotted him in the corner of her eyes, she'd wanted to scream, before remembering she couldn't.

Then the fear had left the more she'd noticed the man's eyes. Wild, fierce...afraid? She had seen that look in so many broken slaves. Ones left in hanging cages to starve and be pecked by crows. Ones beaten until they lost the will to be human.

The people of this land were all savages, according to Master. They all smelled foul, had strange fashions, almost no distinction between men and women, with the latter as likely to be out hunting or working the mills as their husbands. One young girl of the Belgai tribe had mistaken Penelope for a Queen. Master had nearly laughed himself to death.

This creature wasn't one of them. He made those barbarians seem like the elite of Athens. He was...far older, surely. Lost to time.

Penelope had lived her whole life in fear of men. For whatever reason, her heart told her that there was nothing to fear in this poor beast man, who simply desired to listen to her music in peace.

His haunted eyes blink as she sits up.

"Hello again. I'm afraid I'm not taking requests until sunrise. Or perhaps later." She had to remind herself that she could sleep in as long as she liked now.

The creature waves his paw upward and shuffles back. He tilts his head towards the forest.

Pen frowns; "You wish for me to follow you?"

He nods.

Well, at least it's something new. Perhaps the creature knows of a more comfortable place to sleep.

Flute ever in hand, she picks up the long fabric of her dress with the other and walks with him into the forest.

The pitch darkness of the woodland chills her bones to begin with. The eyes of other, less thoughtful beasts that she'd sensed before are on her, she knows. Steeling herself, she tries to tell herself that nothing they can do would be worse than the lashings given to her by some of her earlier masters. If she can endure that, then...

When something large and furry dares to appraoch, her guide lets out a roar and snaps his jaw, sending it retreating into the shadows.

Penelope looks at the creature, still grizzling, just in case anyone else dares to approach.

"Friends of yours?" She quips, roughly.

He only grunts.

"Thank you. I would rather not go from Athenian Lord's doll to a chew toy for wild dogs." She smiles.

Does he understand her words? Or just the meaning? The beast doesn't seem capable of words himself, not even the strange vowel-heavy language folks here spoke.

She sticks close to the creature's side as they journey deeper into the dense woodland.

Eventually, he points her towards a cave, covered partially over in hanging ivy and a few thorns, possibly to keep out animals.

"Is this your home? Are you offering me xenia, sweet friend?" She beams at him.

He huffs, not understanding her meaning. But he points again. Clearly, he wants her inside.

Could be a trap, Pen. Could be walking into a brand new cage, this one made of ancient stone.

Oh well. It would be an adventure to escape if that be the case.

She has to crouch a little to duck beneath the mouth and enter inside. The inside is scarcely much larger than the huts of the nearby tribes. Enough for two, she supposes.

Except, she quickly notices, it's not two. But three.

"Rogh? Rogh, is that you? Are you back?"

Pen stares at the far back of the cave. Another woman is rising up. One of the locals, judging by her dress and tattoos. A few years younger than herself, reddish brown hair tied in many plaits.

She stares at Penelope.

"By the gods...is it....are you someone new?" The woman blinks in disbelief.

Penelope smiles. Another human. No offense to her guide but...one who could walk upright. And speak.

Master had spent the best part of a year teaching her the common tongue that most of this land shared. Definitely one of the hardest languages she's had to learn in all her travels, but translating has been a vital part of being a bard. Important to overhear any potential gossip or possible threats.

She has to work her tongue to do her best not to butcher her next words.

"Someone not alive? Yes. That would be me. Greetings." She smiles; "My name is Penelope."

The other woman beams, eyes shining, not seemingly bothered by her speech. She rushes forward, trying to reach for Pen's arm.

Her feet seem to trip over each other and Penelope leans forward to catch her.

"Woah, careful there, sweetling!"

"Forgive me! It's just been so long since I've spoken to another woman. My name is..." She frowns; "My name is...Oh dear."

"What's the matter? Did it fall out of your head?" Pen jokes, giggling for a moment.

Then something makes a 'splat' upon the ground.

Penelope glances down at their feet. A dollop of blood and something pink and squishy lays in a heap on the ground. Some sort of...flesh...

"Rogh...it happened again..." the woman says, almost dreamily. One hand reaches up to feel the back of her head.

Penelope glances around. Then she steps back.

A hand flies to her mouth as her stomach drops. Bile rises up but doesn't wish to exit her mouth as she turns to retch.

The back of the woman's skull is...gone. Nothing but a large, gaping hole where someone has caved it in with a heavy blow. Inside, the woman's brain pulses as it continues to work, while exposed to the elements and its host's unsteady steps.

Brushing her aside, the creature moves towards the woman and tugs at her hand.

She blinks; "Rogh? You're back? Where did..." She glances up at Penelope, eyes wide again in surprise; "Oh! Is it someone new?!"

"...Yes. You just saw me. I told you my name and you were about to tell yours." Penelope said.

"Was I? I'm sure I'd remember someone like you." Her cheeks redden.

It's almost cute enough to make Penelope forget about the horrific state of her head.

"I'm Aelfwyn of the Horseli." She introduces herself, before the memory can literelly slip out of her head again, one hand pressed over her breast; "And you are?"

Penelope looks to the creature, who merely nods at her.

Thankfully, she's nothing if not patient.

She takes the hands of the other woman; "Penelope, lovely. You can call me Penelope."

-

The Claiming ceremony was not the only sacred vow his people undertook. There was also one known as the Blood Bond. Some would probably mistake this for marriage but it was far less rigid. Claiming was for a younger person to be guaranteed protection by an elder. The Bond was for those more or less equal in age and status. A promise of mutual care and devotion. It could be between friends, siblings, co parents, partners of any kind.

Rogh had only made one Blood Bond vow in his life, to his sister and mother of most of his children, Riva. Unlike marriage, it didn't stop either of them from doing It with others in their tribes and having cubs outside of their union. But it was a promise of their devotion to each other, which surprisingly had been Riva's idea. A soppy suggestion made one night after drinking too much puddle water.

Over the centuries, he'd watched a few souls trapped here be entwined in a magic similar to that of the Claiming bond. Twin flames tied together, surviving the madness at each other's side. Never him. Trying to fight off feeling affection for cubs is tough enough, let alone friends or platonic partnerships.

As he watches the Big Lady sit with the Horsey Girl with half her head missing, he can almost feel his tribe's ancient magic work its way up again.

Horsey Girl was also not a cub. Shouldn't be his problem. But when her sister struck her head with that rock in a fit of rage, the spirit left behind had lost part of her mind too.

She couldn't walk in a strait line. Often she forgot what she was doing just a short moment before. Anything from little stuff such as what color the bird was that flew by to her own name.

Horsey Girl not cub. But vulnerable. Weak and lost.

What could he do? Just leave her wandering out alone with her brains spilling out down her back?

Surprisingly, she remembered his name when he told her. Horsey Girl sensible at least. Confused and forgetful, sometimes panicking when she forgets too much, but smart when everything in place.

But Horsey Girl have big headaches, just like him.

Big Lady had made headache go away with her lovely songs. Surely, she could do the same for Horsey Girl.

And she does.

He can go back to guarding now. Back to his post. Make sure the wolves and bears keep their distance so Big Lady can care for Horsey Girl better than he can.

A few nights in, he looks in the cave to see Horsey Girl resting against the Big Lady's arm as she plays her wooden stick. Her hand rests upon Big Lady's knee.

Big Lady doesn't even seem to care when Horsey Girl's leaking head stains her pretty dress.

They also barely notice as he seperates himself from them more and more.

Bonded pair can look after each other. Don't need his ugly face intruding. He'll keep guard, keep the other monsters in order, but best he remains alone. There's no place in love for a creature like him.

Big Lady seeks him out often. Checks he's okay. Plays for him, strokes his mane, thanks him for bringing Her Love to her.

He doubts that Horsey Girl remembers him as much, as difficult as it is for her to keep many memories in. Big Lady takes priority with how constant she is being close to her.

And that's fine. Better that way.

If up to him, he'd always be alone anyway.

-

Two thousand years pass since the Big Lady with her lovely music graced this forsaken land.

Her music often visits in his dreams, after all this time. There's few he's allowed himself to be close to since she and Horsey Girl went up to stars.

And those that he did...ended in disaster.

When he meets the Witch, his fellow monster, he feels the shift. Different to the thorns over his heart that the Claiming bond brought. A sensation he's only felt once before. Back when he was alive. Young, stupid, drunk on puddle water...

It's nothing as romantic or intimate as what Big Lady and Horsey Girl had. No closeness and kisses and sweet serenades.

Except the Witch does sometimes sing to him. Not quite as lovely as Big Lady's music...or Lyssie Cub's songs...but still nice. Soft, gentle lullabies that ease his pain.

He feels his blood simmer when close to her. He feels the earth beneath his knuckles thrum.

Bound. Bound.

The Witch is as eager to stay away from the world as him. Little chance of her being attracted to another, as Big Lady had...or else perhaps he'd have been bound to her. Who knows.

She saved him from darkness. Saved him from falling into despair for the umpteenth time. She vows to care for him...and in return he feels, with the most intense compulsion, to obey her every wish.

His friend. His companion. His Mistress.

[assortedsouls]

Bio: Jiāng Zhōngxìn

Birth name: Jiāng Kāng (江康)

Courtesy name: Jiāng Zhōngxìn (江忠信)

Nicknames: Kang'er, A-Kang, A-Xin, Fatty Jiang (江胖子, Jiāng pàngzi), Fatty (胖子, pàngzi), Little Fatty (小胖胖, xiǎopàngpàng)

Age: up to 35+

Birthday: 15 April

Family: Jiāng Sōngliú (江枩流, father, diseased), Grandmother ("nǎinai") (Dài Xièyǒu 戴燮友, diseased)

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Personality: Cheerful and kind-hearted. If he can make someone smile or help them, he will. He's completely loyal to the Jiang Sect. Generally carefree, but not irresponsible, if given a task, he takes it seriously. He's also very curious, both in the way of general knowledge and people, he will indulge in reading as well as gossip. Zhongxin is soft, emotionally and physically, but with a will of iron and he will not stand by and watch injustice happening. He greatly enjoys taking care of others and is definitely a protector. Despite what he might seem, he is not to be underestimated. He might not fully be as good at fighting and cultivating as Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian, but he is good enough to be one of the Jiang top disciples when they were young.

Weapons:Bow and arrows, sword (xǐtuō, 洗脱)

PHYSICAL

Build: Chubby/fat, but muscular & strong.

Height: 182 cm (5'12")

Hair: Black

Eyes: Light brown

Skin: Tanned

Facial features:Round, soft face, plump cheeks, button nose and thick eyebrows. Few would call him handsome, but most would call him cute and he has a pretty smile.

BACKGROUND (tw: mentioning of postpartum psychosis & hurting of a baby)

Jiang Kang was born a healthy, chubby and easy baby, despite that, his mother rejected him and even tried to drown him. Thankfully, he was saved by his grandmother. One day, his mother was just gone. Exactly what happened, no one knows, but the birth of her son changed her (postpartum psychosis). His father, Jiang Songliu, searched for her, but never found her. Except for this, which he of course doesn't remember, his childhood was happy and he got to play with his táng-gē and táng-jiě in Lotus Pier (and later also Wei-shixiong) (his father was first cousin once removed to Jiang Fengmian). Of course, they didn't always play, they had to study and train too, since they were all Jiang Disciples as well.

His life was good. The only hardship being when Yú-fūrén decided to punish him (and the others, which they usually did deserve). And no, she never berated him for being fat, he had always been a chubby kid and continued to be so. To people's surprise, she even defended him once when someone pointed out that it was a bad sight with a fat cultivation disciple, to which Yu-furen declared 'that at least no one could accuse them for not taking care and feed their disciples, unlike some other sects' and Zidian had sparked. Zongxin saw this and was stunned, having never expected her to stand up for him. Fengmian was, as always, very kind to him, having grown up with his father.

Then the Wens decided to change the Cultivation World for all of them. When they arrived at Lotus Pier, he tried his best to defend it, to defend his home, his family and all those he loved, but he failed. Oh, how he failed. Though, he would get a chance for revenge.

Presumed dead, he was thrown into a mass grave with the other killed at the massacre. By some kind of miracle, or rather thanks to his extra padding and a strong golden core, he survived all his injuries and was found by grave robbers. Yes, as despicable as that is, the group of homeless thieves weren't so heartless that they left him for dead. Instead they pulled him away from there (although also taking anything of value he had on him) and eventually managed to find a farmer that let the young disciple stay (he was 15 at the time). (What exactly happens here can change depending on thread and muse interaction)

It took awhile, but eventually, he got reunited with Wanyin, Wuxian and Yanli. Though, the events did change him and he has frequent nightmares and periods of amnesia, but with time, he became more like his old self and he tries to hide the emotional wounds he is still carrying inside him.

He has always stayed loyal to Jiang Wanyin and is helping him training the Jiang disciples and doing other things when needed as well.

Very short and quick timeline

5 yo - Starts cultivation and martial arts training

13 yo - Wanyin and Wuxian go to Gusu. He wants to join them, but he is still too young.

15 yo - Burning of Lotus Pier. He’s assumed to be dead, but survives.

19 yo - Joins the Siege of the Burial Mounds out of loyalty to his Sect, but disagrees with how the situation, and his old friend, is treated.

32 yo - The fall of Jin Guangyao.

[atopvisenyashill]

@muchandmore: do you think tommen will kill himself or is that purely an invention of the show? i’d like to believe they consulted grrm about big character deaths but who knows. plus, without any time jumps, he’s still really young. it seems unlikely for a child under age 10

gonna place a tw for child suicide and discussion of suicide here - child suicide discussion just feels like it deserves a tw lol.

but ooo tommen completely slipped my mind. i will admit i'm very torn on how he dies! you're right that it seems unlikely for a child as young as he is to jump - it's not impossible that this might be one of those things george is struggling around due to the abandoned time jump. because the thing is that i think there is some foreshadowing that tommen at the very least falls or is even pushed the way jaehaera was. cersei remarks about the spikes several times during affc and kevan even mentions the spikes as well, in a very ominous way-

The dry moat surrounding Maegor’s Holdfast was three feet deep in snow, the iron spikes that lined it glistening with frost. The only way in or out of Maegor’s was across the drawbridge that spanned that moat. A knight of the Kingsguard was always posted at its far end. Tonight the duty had fallen to Ser Meryn Trant. With Balon Swann hunting the rogue knight Darkstar down in Dorne, Loras Tyrell gravely wounded on Dragonstone, and Jaime vanished in the riverlands, only four of the White Swords remained in King’s Landing, and Ser Kevan had thrown Osmund Kettleblack (and his brother Osfryd) into the dungeon within hours of Cersei’s confessing that she had taken both men as lovers. That left only Trant, the feeble Boros Blount, and Qyburn’s mute monster Robert Strong to protect the young king and royal family.

I think there's a sort of narrative symmetry there - Jaime and Cersei push Bran from the tower to protect the secret paternity of their children, and their last son dies by being pushed (or jumping) out of Maegor's Holdfast. So while I definitely think the idea that Tommen ultimately dies on the spikes is something D&D got from George...I'm unsure if he meant for it to be suicide (but maybe when Tommen was, idk, 13-15, which seems a more likely age) or if it's left up in the air/is a murder by a character that was cut (say one of the Sand Snakes?) and D&D just chose the suicide route.

IF Tommen were to kill himself...well firstly, he would be only the second we've gotten on page (third if you count qhorin) that does so. That's interesting to me because I wonder if maybe the lack of suicides is foreshadowing in and of itself that a more main character will kill themselves. I mean sure we can argue it's just not something George is really interested in exploring except a) we have mass suicides in the house of black and white so imo there is a stated interest already and b) we also have quite a few pov characters contemplate suicide but wind up not going through with it (tyrion, dany, sansa, theon, i might be forgetting someone).

But secondly, and more importantly, it's difficult to wrap my head around a reason he would kill himself. Like you said, he's so young. There's not a lot of research in child suicide even though in the modern day the rate of child suicides (categorized as ages 5-11) has gone up and is overwhelming male (almost 80% i believe) and those are mostly done at home, usually by hanging/self strangulation (I think like a full 3/4 are hanging), usually with a parent in the home when it happens, and overwhelmingly a child who has experienced more than one traumatic event. Tommen does fit that profile - we know he can be a bit weepy and emotional specifically because of the way joffrey treated him (skinning his pet, for one), and if, say, the trial against Margaery goes badly and the Tyrells go to war with the Faith, that could be enough to push him into killing himself. But I think it's just as likely that someone like Varys or one of the Sand Snakes simply takes advantage of the fact that Tommen is not being watched the way he should and pushes him off the bridge and onto the spikes.

do u think we can discourse about the lack of suicide in this series. the only out and out suicides we really get in the main series ashara dayne. i think you could argue that arys oakheart commits suicide, in a sort of suicide-via-cop way (or well, suicide via bodyguard) as well. possibly you can include qhorin halfhand although thats an interesting case given it’s not the “typical” suicide - he IS effectively killing himself here but it’s to help keep jon alive, who has a real shot at escaping, when qhorin himself does not. and while i think it’s left vague for a reason (reason being george likes several options & the ultimate answer is not important but fun to speculate about) there is the idea that maegor killed himself rather than being murdered. but that’s it iirc. in f&b and twoiaf there are a few more - helaena, gael, aelora, and tess. notable to me that (probably) like ashara, helaena kills herself (probably) over her grief from the loss of her children via jumping. tess & gael both drown themselves, and gael, like ashara & helaena, does so after losing a child. aelora is an unknown. all of these characters added are women. and of the characters - aelora, tess, helaena, gael, ashara, arys, qhorin, maybe maegor - only arys & qhorin are men and they both kill themselves in a fight.

i think that’s just kind of weird & interesting when you think not only about how bleak things get but also the way suicide is almost like, idk, industrialized in the series? there’s the house of black and white, where anyone of any faith and any background can go to kill themselves and then the northern concept of the old and disabled going south to fight that the winter wolves demonstrate. in the house of black and white, there’s set up - it’s a whole operation really, where you can have a final prayer before being given a way to quickly kill your self and know that your body will be disposed of properly (rather than leaving it for your family to find, for instance). and with the winter wolves, it’s part of a custom, practically a policy in the north - when there’s not enough to go around, you find somewhere else to die so your family doesn’t have to bare the burden of caring for you. i think this is interesting when you factor in qhorin - he essentially does just this, kills himself so jon can last and live to fight another day.

two instances of suicide on a rather grand scale and yet actual named characters that kill themselves? you can count them on one hand!

[shadows-over-sunn]

📹 lemme get this straight

📼 unlikely for you

📹 now is not the time for quips. You saw the shadow beast, run like a human on all fours but NOT crawling, hunt anything, stand up like a person, scream turning the sky red, and kill a pregn-

📼 yes! Also sorry for bleeding on you and yeeting you and your laptop

📹 I'm more worried about you bled! This is so much info what the hell.

📼 yeah it's nutty- oh shit we forgot to record what the time it was

📹 that doesn't matter. This thing isn't killing JUST dogs...what if some of the viscera wasn't just dogs...or animals-

📼 screw that I'm gonna hurl

📹 right right. You know for future mortician you have a weak stomach

📼 I'm not exactly used to MASS GRAVES AND MONSTER MURDER! Oh god what have we gotten ourselves into

📹 do you think we can stop?

📼 no this thing knows us...we can't stop now.

📹 what if we buy a bunker?

📼 no....tempting... no!

📹 rats...end recording 9:07 am

[gamerbot-22]

How I Think the Red Plague Works and Presents Itself

DNI

So I mentioned in that HC request that I was going to make basically a fake research paper on the Red Plague and it's effects because there's genuinely like. Little to no information about the symptoms aside from the red eyes and hands in canon. So this is that paper!

CW: Discussion of both irl and fictional pandemics, concept art of the Red Plague, death in general. Also spoilers! For like all of the routes!!!

Overview

So going off of the knowledge we have (came from bugs, the name, the mask Julian wears as a doctor, etc.) the Red Plague is pretty clearly based on the Black Death/Bubonic Plague which ravaged most of Europe in the 1300's (and still exists in other areas of the world but let's not dwell on that part.)

If you want the history of the Black Death in Medieval Europe I would actually recommend Watcher's "Life During the Black Death Pandemic" video which can be found here, but to sum up, the Black Death is a bacterial condition that comes in four different varieties (only three could be diagnosed during the pandemic in the 1300's,) with the most common and survivable type being the titular bubonic variety.

Transmission

So the Black Death has three ways of spreading: Bites from infected fleas (i.e. fleas carrying the bacteria Yersinia pestis,) contact with infected fluid/tissue (the example the CDC gives on their page on Black Death ecology is skinning and eating an infected rabbit,) and contact with infectious droplets caused by the pneumonic variant.

The only two transmission types we see in Arcana canon is bites from the red beetles and contact with the dye that is made from those same beetles. Personally I think that use or exposure to the beetle dye is similar enough to that infected fluid/tissue way of transmission. Like inhalation of the dye itself or wearing fabric that was dyed with it while there's an open wound on the body or using it to rub your face is enough to cause an infection.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the Black Death include:

fever

headache

chills

weakness

painful lymph nodes (buboes) near the infection site

abdominal pain

shock

possible bleeding into the skin and other organs

appendages like fingers, toes, and nose turning septic and dying

cough

bloody/water mucous

and looking at the symptoms of the Red Plague we can start to see even more similarities:

art source: The Arcana fandom wiki page "Red Plague"

As we can see in this image drawn by the developers, similar changes in the physique occur. Instead of septic fingers and puss-filled buboes, we have red pigmentation around joints (fingers, knees, shoulders,) orbital socket, lips and within the sclera. The only thing we know about this pigmentation is that it begins in the eyes and spreads outwards, so seemingly there's no change regarding infection type or method. There's also no explanation as to what the pigmentation is. It can't be blood, as that would just result in extensive bruising which appears black under the skin, not red. There also seems to be no evidence of the eyes being irritated or vision being impaired so it’s probably not a direct eye infection either. This can probably just be chalked up to the fact that this is a ✨magic plague.✨

The infection also seems to ravage any stores of fat or muscle on the patient, causing even a warrior like Lucio to become gaunt and frail. A deep cough is also a symptom Lucio exhibits, but it's unknown if he had that symptom due to his prolonged infection (Lucio had the Red Plague for several months while others died of the plague within days or weeks,) but given the spread of the Red Plague throughout Vesuvia I'm willing to bet that most patients developed a cough.

Doctors

The doctors of the time wore plague masks resembling birds, and these masks have basically become the symbol of the Black Death ever since.

image source: Wikipedia article "Plague doctor costume"

You might remember that Julian Devorak wears a similar mask:

Image source: The Arcana: A Mystic Romance App

This style of dress was thought to be effective in keeping doctors safe from the plague but I couldn't find any evidence to back that up for irl cases. My guess is it was just the covering of almost every inch of the body that kept the infection from spreading, as there was no easy way for a doctor to consume infectious fluids or make direct contact with infected patients. In the game this seemed to be an effective enough style, probably for the same reason.

Both masks are stuffed with a mix of different materials called Theriac (and I highly recommend you look here for a list of all the crazy shit that made up Theriac,) but in-game Julian only mentions that his mask is filled with herbs without listing any specific items. The reason for the Theriac was because of the popular "miasma" theory of the time, which suggested that it was bad air that caused the plague, and not the bite of a flea or eating infected meat.

Although Julian is the only plague doctor we see in his uniform, I think it stands to reason that most of if not all doctors employed by Lucio wore uniforms similar to what Julian wears.

Quaestor Valdemar is also seen wearing a more modern style mask around their nose and mouth. This less extravagant mask makes sense as Valdemar seems much more interested in doing autopsies than actually curing and interacting with a living infected patient that might cough infected droplets on them.

Image credit: The Arcana fandom wiki page "Valdemar" Treatment for the Black Death irl varies wildly, but by far the most popular way to try to cure the plague was a process called bloodletting, which was done by a doctor either cutting a specific part of the body and letting the blood run out or by attaching leaches to buboes and just letting them go at it. We can see references to leeches in The Arcana, as Julian is openly interested in them and often suggest using leeches as a way to tend to infection.

Death and Graves

During the Black Death Pandemic between 1347-51, an estimated total of between 75 to 200 million people died of the infection. It's unknown how many people died of the Red Plague in The Arcana but it clearly was enough as there are several mentions to people just dying in the street before they can make it to quarantine on the Lazaret.

The aforementioned Lazaret is an island in the ocean right outside of Vesuvia that was used specifically as a quarantine hospital, although that was short lived and the place basically turned into one big mass grave where the bodies of the infected were burned and the ashes were spread on the beaches.

In real life, bodies were disposed of in mass graves. Harrowing text from the time describes how no priests or services were provided for these mass graves, and if an entire family was killed by the plague it was extremely difficult to find someone willing to go bring the bodies outside the city for burial.

In Conclusion

So I guess my point here is that the Red Plague in the Arcana behaves very similarly to the Black Death irl, albeit with a few differences in origin, transmission, and symptoms.

I guess this entire post was kind of redundant but the Arcana brainrot is strong and this was the only way I could get rid of it. And it's nice for me to have a recourse to refer back to whenever I end up having to write characters infected with the Red Plague.

[demonboyhalo]

why did i just try and watch Tubbo's stream...to see him watching the Insider video about the oxygen deficit/mass graves in Peru...which is the exact irl stress i oPENED HIS STREAM TO FORGET ABOUT??? 😭 sir your just watching what happened to my great aunt in Peru which is EXACTLY what i opened Twitch to FORGET about??? 😭😭😭 PLEASE??? /nm

[3999isdead]

screw it heres the list:

overall tw below the cut, if you're not down to hear mentions of a shit ton of crimes just scroll on!

Murder, attempted murder, accomplice in murder, abuse of authority, drug dealing, drug possession, theft, shoplifting, fraud, destruction of private property, stalking, trespassing, breaking and entering, gang activity, assault, possession of an illegal weapon, vigilantism, terrorism, harboring a fugitive, slavery encouragement, cannibalism, grave robbing, police brutality, armed robbery, copyright infringements, underage drinking, kidnapping, jaywalking, harassment, sexual harassment, knife crime, child endangerment, mass shooting, coercive control, domestic abuse, human (clone) trafficking, school violence, vandalism, torture, imprisonment, tax evasion, lying to a law official, solicitation, attempted arson, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit torture, tampering with evidence, weapons in school, battery, association with the mafia, destruction of public property, poisoning, terrorism, destruction of a human corpse, armed robbery, assisted suicide.

why did kids watch this 😭

just in case you needed a reason to not like c!sam i guess

me omw to find the list of c!samgladiator's crimes in yhs (i have it if anybody wants it lmao)