#unless they had him make magically switch sides and joins the hero in this war

[arabian-batboy]

So would it be asking for too much for Eri to somehow use her Quirk on Dabi and rewind his body all the way back to before his body got burned?

That way: 1- he will no longer be a threat to anyone in this war 2- he wouldn’t have any of his memories/trauma that made him hate his father + Shouto so much 3- it will be a good excuse to why he can’t be arrested for all his crimes because technically you can’t arrest a child for crimes he hadn’t commit yet 4- he will get a 2nd chance to have a happy childhood and his parents will have a 2nd chance to be better parents toward him.

Or would that be too sappy and I have to mentally prepare for his death instead?

[imperiuswrecked]

A fanfic idea I don't have enough plot to make work is Namor and Spock swap places in time and space. So Jim Hammond finds himself with a completely different pointy-eared, black-haired, half-human. And Kirk is completely baffled when what appears to be Spock's buff shirtless cousin is running around loudly bellowing "Jim! Jim! Where are you?"

(art by Nick Perks)

The Trouble with Transporters (and Sorcerer Supremes) 

Jim Kirk turns to his first officer after Jim finished materializing on the deck of the transporter room aboard the Enterprise, his mouth already partway open to ask a question but instead of the cool Vulcan science officer in his blue uniform Kirk is surprised to find a man, with dark hair, pointed ears, and unusually impressive eyebrows. Oh the man was also nearly naked, his well muscled body showed off a strong body and glistening abs as though he had just popped out of the nearest ocean. Only the small green scaled swim trunks preserved any modestly. The other difference between his Vulcan and this near look alike was the sheer unrestrained anger on the man’s face.

“STRANGE. YOU SON OF A- the universal translator was unable properly reference the language the man’s tongue slipped into, it sounded like a siren shrieking with the bass rumble of whale sounds aiding by clicks like a dolphin would use. It seemed the man knew English as well as this foreign language. Kirk reasoned that the words were insults but he was more concerned with where Spock was and who this man was. The man in question stopped his angry speech and gesticulating to finally noticed his surroundings.

“You are not Strange.”

Jim gives Scotty a look and then turns back to the man, “No, but it would seem you are... very strange. Tell me, who are you and where is Spock?”

The man ignores him and instead looks around, “Jim!”

Startled that the man knew his name though he could swear that he had never seen him before Jim responds, “How-”

Too late, the man was walking away, calling out “Jim” over and over again, Kirk hurries after him followed by Scotty and it’s only then that he notices the small white wings on the strangers ankles. Catching up to him in the halls Jim puts his hand on the man’s shoulder, “Say just wait-” the next thing Jim knows he is looking up at Scotty’s face from the floor of the hallway, stunned he wheezes a bit before taking Scotty’s hand and standing up to find the almost naked alien, for surely he must be one with those features, ranting at him.

“You would DARE to touch a Prince of the Blood?!”

“I would dare that and a lot more if you don’t tell me where Spock is you pointy eared bastard.” Jim yells back at him, his blood racing. 

The alien was strong and could probably snap him like a twig but if Spock was in danger then Jim would do anything to find him and bring him home. Jim rushes the alien, intending to give him a quick punch in the face but Namor meets him and they fight. Bones arrives on sight and stuns the both of them. Jim goes down, but Namor roars “Imperius Rex!” before turning to face the new threat to his person.

- Meanwhile on Earth, some distant time in the past -

“Fascinating. You say that your magic, the magic that has brought me here through time and space, was intended for another? Somehow the Enterprise’s transporter and you drawing on the energies of the universe have collided and yielded unexpected results.” Spock contemplates his tea and the two men he was sitting with, one called Strange, a doctor and a magician, and the other called Jim, an Android and a hero. The similarities between this Jim and his own were their names and that they both had fair hair, yet their demeanors were entirely different. He was in a place called the  Sanctum Sanctorum, where Jim had come to find Namor after Stephen was supposed to have magically transported him to the Sanctum from Jim’s side.

“Very much so,” Stephen Strange replies, “Oh the studies I could do with this. Learning how to switch others’s places could come in handy when dealing with the dark forces of the multiiverse.” The Doctor sips his own cup of tea.

“As intriguing as this is, don’t you think we should work on switching them back?” Jim says, the slightest unease hinting his words, worried about what mess Namor would have gotten into during the time they were puzzling this out.

“I suppose I must work now to return you Mr. Spock, to your place and Namor to his, he won’t be very happy about this.” Stephen sighed, “It will take a few hours for my magical strength to return.”

“Indeed, I would imagine that my Jim would not be welcoming to what he would perceive as an intruder aboard the Enterprise.”

- Meanwhile aboard the Enterprise some distant time in the future -

War raged on as Jim and Namor fought over the captains chair.

“I say that I should sit here, I am a Prince!” Namor crosses his arms and stays sitting in the chair.

“Prince or pauper, that is the captains chair and you are not the captain, nor are you one of my officers, so move before I-.”

Bones pulls Kirk aside, “Jim for once in your life THINK, we need his cooperation. You saw what happened when we tried to stun him it only made him angrier. If Uhura had not calmed him down and spoken to Namor in his language then we might still be trying to patch holes in the ships hull. We’ll find Spock and get this sorted out, so what if he wants to sit in the chair!”

“Principle of the matter Bones, its the principle of the matter!” Jim hissed. Bones gives him a look and Jim presses his lips together before turning back and speaking to Namor, “Since you are our... guest, I suppose you may have the chair.”

Namor smirks, Kirk calculates how many ways Namor could hurt him if Jim were to haul the smug sea bastard from his chair to the nearest airlock. Chekov groans and hands over some units to Sulu, losing the bet they had made. Uhura rolls her eyes before returning to her console trying to find a way to get a message to Spock. Bones sighed, wishing he had a drink. 

After the pair had been calmed down from their earlier fight, and taken to the medical bay to be checked over Bones had found that while Prince Namor wasn’t human, he was not fully alien either, or rather Atlantean, he was a half of both much like how Spock was a hybrid of Vulcans and Humans. He wished he could have studied Namor more but the Prince’s patience was short and Uhura was needed on the command deck. Namor followed her here and now he sits in Jim’s chair and flirts with Uhura, she seemed to be flattered by the Prince’s words, the man wasn’t hard to look at either. Uhura intercepts a message from Doctor Strange claiming that he had Spock and was going to attempt to switch them back, Strange’s voice was verified by Namor and a few moments later Scotty’s voice crackles on the intercoms, “Captain! Something is happening in the transporter room, I would suggest you all get down here.” 

In the transporter room Uhura bids a farewell to Prince Namor, whom had already pledged his undying love to her with promises of her becoming his Princess in Atlantis with a marriage proposal and promises of all the riches in the sea, she refuses politely and his dejection is clear. Namor presses her hand to his lips in a gentlemanly manner, brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles, “My Lady, if you should ever find yourself in my time then do not hesitate to come find me, and if you should ever find yourself in any peril merely call upon me and I shall come to your aid.”

“I can take of myself, my star crossed Prince, but do take care of yourself.” Her voice stern but not unkind.

“My lady, I apologize if you feel I have offended you. I can see you are a very capable and beautiful woman. However it is the time for me to leave... alone, unless I can convince you to join-”.

Jim cuts in and steers Namor towards the teleporters, “Yes, yes, yes, good bye Prince Namor, let’s hope you never have issues with teleportation again.” He shoves Namor into the shifting lights, unspoken is the words “good bye and good riddance”.

As Namor’s form is replaces with Spock’s, Jim breathes a sigh of relief, then throws his arms around the Vulcan in a hug, “SPOCK.”

Spock’s eyebrows rose with surprise, “I was barely gone a few hours, I would not think my presence would be that missed.”

The crew laughs, Kirk’s voice is muffled against Spock’s shirt, “You have no idea.”

[illegiblewords]

FOR CONFUSED BYSTANDERS

I know that I have a lot of followers who have been (very patiently) witnessing a stream of pictures, commentary, and general posts related to Final Fantasy XIV. This is going to be my attempt to present the game and its story with context for you guys who have no idea what’s going on.

I’m doing this for two reasons, the first being I LOVE THIS GAME. If I can share the positive experience I’ve had with other people, I’d like to do that. The second reason is, for people who still follow but aren’t necessarily going to play themselves--it might offer enough background info to make posts that go up more entertaining at least. I know I don’t personally mind seeing bloggers, writers, artists, etc. share something I’m unfamiliar with, but it gets more fun when I have some clue what it’s about.

Parts of this post will be just about my own subjective experience, some will be recapping the story, some will be going over different ways I’ve seen people play in case that appeals. So on and so forth. I’m aiming to offer an honest reflection on whatever seems important.

Putting this under a cut because really, this is fucking long. Not as long as it looks because pictures are included but even still. For anyone who reads, I hope you enjoy and if you have questions don’t hesitate to hit me up! :)

BACKGROUND - NON-MMO PLAYER LOVES THIS MMO

I have never played an MMO before this. I’m pretty apathetic about them for the most part. When I play games I like to design things, get good pictures, and kill baddies for stress relief. I'm here to immerse in an exciting world and story, meet characters I can invest in. Stuff in that vein. So far as gaming goes I’m pretty simple.

There are people who put heavy emphasis on the social elements of FFXIV. They’ll play with their friends specifically, either because they’re focused on fighting together or because they want to roleplay or just to hang out. I’m not really in that category.

I entered knowing no one, and while I’ve made some friends through FFXIV I mostly interact with them outside the game itself. This can happen on tumblr, on forums, on the official blog platform, etc. In-game, I encounter other players all the time but it is generally something like “I was running around the city doing stuff and other people were also running around the city doing stuff”. You can approach people. You can message them and do little emotes like waving or hugging or slapping or whatever. You can do these emotes directed at nobody and just see your character go through the animations, which can be fun for taking pictures.

More detailed encounters with other players happen in dungeons, trials, and raids. These are called registered duties. Guildhests and PVP (player versus player) exist too, but I haven’t done them. I’ll elaborate later, but the gist you need to know here is that you are grouped in with a fixed number of additional players and then placed in a setting with a pre-set encounter or encounters to overcome. Some of these are straightforward, some require strategy.

In FFXIV, people usually chat to varying degrees during duties. Most are polite, pleasant, and focused on gameplay. At least where I am, which I’ll also go into later. Occasionally there are people who are jerks in the sense that they are inconsiderate or rude to other players. Also occasionally, people are incompetent. More often though I’ll encounter someone with a great sense of humor or people who have helpful tips to improve.

This is a game where, if you see a player marked as new struggling with low level monsters, a more experienced player might pause to oneshot that monster so the newbie can escape. People are casually nice most of the time.

Since I’d normally be doing single-player anyway, for me this is very refreshing. I get to do all the things I’d be doing in a single-player video game, but I also get light exchanges with other fans in ways that aren’t disruptive. There’s enough meat to the Main Quest Scenario (MSQ) and side quests that I don’t feel bored or lonely at all.

FFXIV does cost money to play and has a subscription. This can be paid in varying increments. I personally think it’s worth it because 1) the developers are adding new content on a pretty regular basis 2) the developers actually care about quality and having happy fans 3) the game keeps getting better over time 4) there is SO MUCH you can do in the game. It is truly expansive beyond anything else I’ve seen. I might not be ready to do a subscription with every game, but for this one absolutely.

This essentially plays like a normal final fantasy game in most respects. You might run around solo by-and-large, but there is an NPC supporting cast. They and the villains get fleshed out very well. Same goes for civilians and other background characters. The biggest difference off the top of my head is the story’s beginning...

OBSTACLES

I’m going to get this out of the way early, but in essence I think there are two main obstacles as a beginner. The first and most notable of these is that the game’s entry point, called “A Realm Reborn”, is less well-written and EXTREMELY LONG.

Seriously. I’ve only gotten one character past this point and it took me a stupid amount of time. Some of the quests at this stage are things like “my dad doesn’t like the stinky chocobo please spray it with perfume so it is less stinky”.  Or “jump through all these stupid hoops so you can fight the exciting boss you’ve been waiting for”.

However, the length at least is slotted to be fixed in the future. I’ll probably announce that when it happens in case that’s the deal changer for anyone.

On writing quality, it starts off mediocre. However, later writing is so strong that it actually manages to make past scenes WAY more interesting. The initial setup also kind of lures you into a false sense of security, at which point shit gets real very fast.

The second obstacle for beginners involves a degree of not knowing what you don’t know. For example, there is an extremely powerful attack that can be used in registered duties called “Limit Break”. Initially I didn’t even know where to find it to put in my move hotbar. Then I didn’t know that using it would take limit break away from other players in the group. Then I didn’t know that the limit breaks of different jobs needed to be used under different circumstances. An example of this would be that spellcaster SHOULD use a limit break attack on freakishly large groups of enemies, but SHOULD NOT use limit break on a lone boss unless there is literally no other damage class (DPS) available to do it. This is because the overall impact of caster limit break is comparatively low, but effects more enemies at the same time. Using limit break inappropriately can frustrate people.

There are other things similar to this, such as when you use Duty Finder (a roulette that sets you up with completely random people interested in the same registered duty) and when you use Party Finder (where you announce what registered duty you want to do with what circumstances, then people volunteer to join), or being aware of which moves are supposed to be used in which order for top efficiency. That said, if you tell people you’re completely new they’ll usually be willing to explain.

If it’s something like “how do I use the glamour plates to switch into designs I made easily” or “how does crafting even work”, youtube is very helpful too! Overall just take initiative and communicate to people your experience level while in groups and things tend to work out.

THE STORY

Disclaimer: Recaps get less detailed over time to avoid spoiling too hard.

SHORT VERSION

You are a god-slayer, or more precisely the slayer of false-gods. False-gods drain the land to make it lifeless and are prone to brainwashing people. You also regularly fight the rough equivalent of angels who believe the world as you know it has gone horribly wrong and are trying to force things back into their natural forms. Excessive death ensues anytime they are successful, so high stakes. Meanwhile, an authoritarian and technologically advanced nation is causing issues on the regular and has to be stopped.

PRELUDE/LEGACY

Final Fantasy XIV had a rocky start with patch section 1.0/the true beginning, which I did not play. While there are videos online of what it was like for those curious, the gist is that five years before the current opening the world was stricken by a terrible calamity. The nation of Eorzea (an allied collection of city states) was at war with the Garlean Empire--otherwise known as Garlemald. During this war, one of Garlemald’s scientists implemented a genocidal strategy against the Eorzeans by dragging the lesser of two moons down upon their heads. This moon was called Dalamud. However, what took this situation from bad to worse was that Dalamud wasn’t actually a moon but a prison.

Thousands of years prior, the technologically advanced nation of Allag had been performing experiments using dragons and entities known as primals. Primals are summoned into being using a combination of aether (life energy, the source of magic), ritual, and the belief of their summoners. One of Allag’s experiments involved murdering a powerful dragon then using the tortured prayers of his lover and his kin to summon a warped, primal imitation of him. This primal was then trapped as a power source and left to fester in rage and insanity.

The dragon’s primal is Bahamut. Dalamud was his cage.

When Dalamud burst open above Eorzea, Bahamut was released in all his apocalyptic glory. A collection of heroes, allied to an organization called the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (dedicated to eliminating primals for the toll they take on the land and its people) stood against Bahamut. A man named Louisoix Levellieur, leader of the Scions, cast a powerful spell by summoning the Twelve Eorzean gods to stop Bahamut. This spell cast the primal, Louisoix, and the heroes five years into the future. It also wiped the heroes, known thereafter as the Warriors of Light, from memory.

Part of what makes 1.0 really cool looking back--when the developers saw how many problems existed in the MMO, they knew they would need to reboot it. There was a date set for that to happen, which would involve taking Final Fantasy XIV offline until an improved version could be released. Players knew the real world reasons behind all this. What they didn’t know was how the hiatus and reboot would be presented within the narrative.

People who were up-to-date in the storyline knew that war had erupted and that the moon was falling. They also knew that a particular time, the game would be taken offline.

This is what they saw.

A REALM REBORN

The average player, and likely anyone reading this, will not have played patch 1.0. For us, Final Fantasy XIV begins five years after Bahamut’s calamity. The world is still recovering and has been irrevocably scarred in the dragon’s wake. Refugees from both that event and Garlemald’s conquered territories pour in even as the empire bides its time for another invasion.

The player is a fledgling adventurer endowed with a gift called The Echo. The Echo is an ability that first, prevents them from being brainwashed (or “Tempered”) by primals. This is important because like I said before, one of the things that gives primals their power is belief. This extends to prayer. If a person is tempered, they will worship and empower the primal responsible until they die. This means most people can’t even approach primals safely, much less fight them. More than one character (including NPCs) possess The Echo, but it remains a rare ability.

Another aspect of this gift is that it allows someone (without any deliberate control) to see into the memories of others, superimposing emotions and perspectives of the event over the witnessing Echo-user. It also translates all direct speech into an understandable form to the Echo-user. There are additional abilities that become unveiled over the course of the story, but these are most important and consistent going in.

The player initially is just one of many such adventurers, a guild of independent mercenaries willing to undertake odd jobs using their skill in combat. After coming into conflict with a mysterious, masked organization, however, it becomes clear that the player has been chosen as champion to Hydaelyn herself.

Because you see, Hydaelyn isn’t just the name of the planet. This is also a sentient mothercrystal claiming the role of protector to all life on Her surface.

The masked organization consists of spirits with varying degrees of immortality. They also have the ability to body snatch. These are called Ascians. Ascians argue that the world was split into fourteen pieces thousands of years ago by Hydaelyn, and that their dark crystal god--Zodiark--is the true will of the star and represents a natural state of being that must be reclaimed. Their way of pursuing this objective requires causing a series of apocalypses or near-apocalypses, always coming with innumerable casualties.

As Hydaelyn’s champion the player joins the Scions of the Seventh Dawn in combating primals, fights against lingering threats from Garlemald, and thwarts Ascian plans to continue rejoining the world through calamities.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

HEAVENSWARD

Shit goes pear shaped in a big way and you have to flee territories held by the Eorzean Alliance--city states including Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Gridania. Ishgard, now a frozen, mountainous landscape ruled by a religion dedicated to the goddess Halone, takes your character in.

Ishgard has been at war with the draconic nation of Dravania for thousands of years. Dragons are immortal by natural means, but can be slain. Ishgard no longer remembers, by and large, why the war even started except that they have been losing loved ones in horrifying ways for as long as they can remember. They refused to send aid during the struggle against Garlemald specifically because they couldn’t spare forces from their war with Dravania. They have a reputation for being hostile to outsiders, having extreme class divides, and inquisition-style zealotry. Nonetheless, there are good people here and over the course of A Realm Reborn the player manages to befriend some of them.

This arc delves into Ishgard’s war, and involves the player taking part while clearing their name in the Alliance. Toward the end, it is also extremely important to note that the player encounters a group calling themselves “Warriors of Darkness”, who are in-league with the Ascians. It comes to light that they hail from one of the divided worlds, that their world is in terrible danger, and they believe the path to survival comes from confronting you.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

STORMBLOOD

One of the antagonists we encounter forces the Alliance to involve itself in freeing Garlemald’s conquered territories, namely the nations of Ala Mhigo (largely Middle Eastern) and Doma (East Asian). In undertaking this task, the hero comes into repeated conflict with Garlemald’s crown prince, Zenos yae Galvus. Zenos is basically a serial killer with the resources of a prince but no actual investment in being a prince. It’s pretty wild.

A lot of this plot focuses on the consequences of Garlean rule. Over time though, it comes to light that the founder of Garlemald was a high-ranked Ascian and is still very much alive.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

SHADOWBRINGERS

The plot set into motion with the Warriors of Darkness resumes as the player is forced to travel to their home world. Dealing with a setting on the brink of Armageddon, this current arc has a ton to do with examining different perspectives while getting much clearer insight on lore metaphysics. Most notably, we finally learn why the Ascians act the way they do and discover more about the nature of the player character and Hydaelyn.

I’m aware this is vague, but honestly this is my favorite of all the expansions/arcs so far. Seriously it is fucking killer.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

YOUR PROTAGONIST/THE CHARACTER CREATOR

The main character of Final Fantasy XIV is known as the Warrior of Light, regardless of whether you play from the Legacy version of the game or A Realm Reborn. Similar to the Dragon Age games, in Final Fantasy XIV you get to design your own main character and shape their identity to varying degrees through the story. Some people like to imagine their protagonist as existing within a completely different role in the world of Hydaelyn for roleplay purposes (so not a Warrior of Light), but that involves essentially disregarding the main quest scenario narrative provided. It’s fine to do that of course, but I’m going to be explaining things that essentially fit within the canon approach.

There are currently eight playable races for the Warrior of Light. These include hyur (human stand-ins), elezen (elf stand-ins), roegadyns (orc or giant stand-ins), miqo’te (cat people), lalafells (dwarf or gnome stand-ins), au ra (tiefling or draeni stand-ins), viera (female-only bunny people at the moment), and hrothgar (male-only lion people, the beast race).

Each race option has two subraces attached. The most dramatic differences between subraces come up for hyur, where there are Midlanders (shorter and slighter frames) and Highlanders (taller and beefier/curvier). Otherwise it’s more minor differences.

It is common for players to develop their own personal interpretations of who their Warrior of Light character was before the story begins and how that impacts progression. This can be shaped by what race they belong to and what lore is attached to that race according to region. It is also possible to shape things according to which of the Twelve (Eorzea’s pantheon) the Warrior of Light worships. These deities are loosely described and made available for selection at the beginning of the game.

It isn’t unusual for people to pick names in-keeping with lore. A good site to turn to for this is over here, although there are also spots that go into what different names actually translate to. Other people just go with whatever they feel like. I think I saw someone named Cheese Whiz once.

Stat variation is pretty negligible between races, and it’s mainly an aesthetic/tonal choice. Currently there is some pressure on game developers to make Viera and Hrothgar playable for male and female gender options both, and it seems likely that at some point this will happen. Currently there are indications that the release for Viera and Hrothgar was somewhat rushed due to some behind-the-scenes circumstances, so while they are less versatile than other options this is likely to change at some point.

As someone who is a sucker for character customization, I want to mention that while it might be easier to get some of the fantasy races to fit a particular ethnicity--Final Fantasy actually does a great job in terms of visual versatility and has made it possible to hit a wide range of options well. For example, it might be easier to make an East Asian au ra or a French elezen, but you can easily break with that in totally believable ways. You might not have the precision adjustments of Dragon Age: Inquisition or Bloodborne, but the options presented are pretty flexible.

In terms of how the Warrior of Light works through the game, again while there is some wiggle room there are certain aspects to their identity that stay pretty consistent. They get jaded and worn out by the narrative as time goes on, they experience loss, they become increasingly chatty and sarcastic. They have powerful neck muscles from years of communication by nodding. Commonly, the personality of the Warrior of Light is also influenced by the job they choose.

THE JOBS

Something I wish got explained to me early--you only get certain jobs as options starting out, and any others you hear about getting added are only accessible at higher levels. In Final Fantasy XIV, basically when it comes to combat you start with a very basic class, which graduates to a job (better versions of the class) when you fulfill certain requirements.

There are notably three main roles a combat class or job can fall into. These include tanks, healers, and DPS. Tanks are responsible for leading the charge, provoking aggression, directing mobs, and enduring attacks in groups. They don’t deal the most damage but have the highest defense and are generally right in the thick of the action. Healers can deal damage but their main purpose is to keep themselves and everyone around them from dying, especially in groups. At the moment all of the healer jobs use magic. DPS (Damage Per Second) are the jobs that are mainly responsible for taking chunks out of the enemy’s health. Within DPS there are additionally three subcategories, these being Melee DPS (non-magical and close-range), Physical Ranged DPS (non-magical and fighting from a distance), and Magic Ranged DPS (magical and fighting from a distance). There is also a limited job and Crafter/Gatherer classes, but I’ll get to those later.

Some DPS jobs, additionally, focus more on playing support to other party members while others are geared toward boosting their own damage output.

The classes you can choose from in the character creator include:

Gladiator (Tank, Sword and Shield)

Marauder (Tank, Axe)

Lancer (Melee DPS, Lance)

Pugilist (Melee DPS, Fists)

Archer (Physical Ranged DPS, Bow)

Conjurer (Healer, Wand)

Thaumaturge (Magical Ranged DPS, Staff)

Arcanist (Magical Ranged DPS, Tome)

At level 10, if your armory system is unlocked (you need to complete a quest for your starting class NPC mentor to do this) you can approach an NPC in Limsa Lominsa to unlock the Rogue class as well. This is a Melee DPS class and uses twin daggers. If your character starts with Marauder or Arcanist this takes less time.

To graduate each of these early classes into a job, the following requirements need to be met:

Paladin (Sword and Shield): Requires Gladiator level 30, Conjurer level 15.

Warrior (Axe): Requires Marauder level 30, Gladiator level 15.

Dragoon (Lance): Requires Lancer level 30, Marauder level 15.

Monk (Fists): Requires Pugilist level 30, Lancer level 15.

Bard (Bow): Requires Archer level 30, Pugilist level 15.

White Mage (Wand): Requires Conjurer level 30, Arcanist level 15.

Scholar (Tome): Requires Arcanist level 30, Conjurer level 15.

Black Mage (Staff): Requires Thaumaturge level 30, Archer level 15.

Summoner (Tome): Requires Arcanist level 30, Thaumaturge level 15.

Ninja (Daggers): Requires Rogue level 30 and completion of quests Sylph-Management and Cloying Victory.

I’ll describe these in more detail in a bit, but there are waaaay more combat jobs than this. Currently the others are:

Dark Knight (Tank, Greatsword): Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Gunbreaker (Tank, Gunblade): Requires having purchased the Shadowbringers expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 60. This job starts at level 60.

Astrologian (Healer, Star Globe): Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Samurai (Melee DPS, Katana): Requires having purchased the Stormblood expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 50. This job starts at level 50.

Machinist (Physical Ranged DPS, Firearm) Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Dancer (Physical Ranged DPS, Chakrams): Requires having purchased the Shadowbringers expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 60. This job starts at level 60.

Red Mage (Magical Ranged DPS, Rapier): Requires having purchased the Stormblood expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 50. This job starts at level 50.

So total, right now the jobs include 4 Tanks (Paladin, Warrior, Dark Knight, Gunbreaker), 3 Healers (White Mage, Scholar, Astrologian), 4 Melee DPS (Dragoon, Monk, Ninja, Samurai), 3 Physical Ranged DPS (Bard, Machinist, Dancer), and 3 Magical Ranged DPS (Black Mage, Summoner, Red Mage). Total is 17 jobs. When I describe these combat based jobs, I’m not going to focus on the actual gameplay aspect because frankly I don’t know how to play all of the jobs. This is gonna be a quick and dirty explanation based on the scientific approach of “idk that’s just my impression”.

Paladin: You are a holy knight and you can heal a little sometimes maybe (???) and you are very good and noble with great defense.

Warrior: You are a beserker who loves to release your inner beast and kill shit in really violent ways and are kind of a badass and do the most damage of the tanks.

Dark Knight: Super super edgy and kind of magical but also straight up crazy, you hate corrupt authority figures and are willing to get your hands dirty and darken your name in order to protect others. One of the most beloved job questlines.

Gunbreaker: You have a sword that is also a gun and you can shoot people with it, soldier style. Basically if you have ever fantasized about having a knifegun this is like that but better.

White Mage: Very pure, focused on nature and communing with elemental beings, all about that land/sea/sky thing with ties to the elements earth, water, and air. One of three magic traditions that got involved in a next level magic fight, this one stemming from the city of Amdapor. Amdapor is full of fungus and poison spores now.

Scholar: Takes a highly intellectual spin on magic with ties to weird geometries and so forth, figured out how to summon fairy familiars from aether. Does a lot with shields and preventing people from taking as much damage in the first place. One of three magic traditions that got involved in a next level magic fight, this one stemming from the city of Nym. Nym is a floating city and is basically hovering in ruins now, with any surviving residents having been transformed into tonberries. Tonberries are little green creatures that like to stab people.

Astrologian: A fortuneteller take on magic that combines tarot cards, astrology, and crystal balls. The idea here is that Astrologians are messing with fate and time in order to heal you, sort of undoing damage. Snazzy dressers, intimidating moveset.

Dragoon: Jumpy people with spears who struggle to live down their legacy of animation lag-related deaths, my understanding is that today’s Dragoons do solid damage and are decent at survival. Their reputation, however, is that if someone is going to die in a fight it’s probably them. They are very broody and like to hang out in high places with capes billowing in the wind. They also wear spiky armor and fight dragons and have the soul of a dragon. People make jokes at their expense a lot but with affection.

Monk: You punch people to death and get gauntlets of varying levels of sharp. You also get to master chakras and go through forms associated with different animals. In a series like Final Fantasy where people carry swords bigger than they are, you’re the job that said lol who needs that and made your body the weapon.

Ninja: Very very sneaky, used to be sort of a state-sanctioned criminal. If anybody is a spy it’s you. You are very fast and can basically turn invisible and sometimes smoke bombs go off. Mudras are used and I don’t understand.

Samurai: Deal a solid amount of damage and are very flashy and cool, probably one of the highest damage outputs for Melee DPS. Very neat and fancy katanas.

Bard: Draws a connection between the strings of a harp and the strings of a bow, is able to both shoot the crap out of enemies, make enemies more vulnerable with some songs, and make allies more powerful with other songs. I think Bards are very pretty and fancy.

Machinist: These are tech nerds who realized that guns are an option. So are flamethrowers. So are robots. This job has a reputation for being ungodly complicated to play but this has apparently been rectified recently.

Dancer: Similar to Bard in that they do a lot to boost allies in a fight, do lower damage as a result but damn do they boost their allies. Also have ridiculously swanky outfits and are super flashy in fights.

Black Mage: The edgy magic users, they are disciples of Eorzea’s death god and all of their magic ties into destruction. If you wanna make the biggest explosions Black Mage is where you go. Magic ties to fire, ice, and electricity but primarily puts focus on the shift between fire and ice. Black Mages also have a reputation for being involved in demon summoning because they were kind of the assholes in that magic war against White Mages and Scholars. Black Magic as a discipline has ancestry in Mhach, which is of course now crawling with demons. Black Mage is the DPS king in the sense that if you want the biggest numbers of damage dealt, this is where you go. They are however tragically slow and squishy so expect the Black Mage to be somewhere between standing right where an attack will land or dodging frantically between spells.

Summoner: Has the ability to summon small familiars in the form of defeated primals, these being namely Ifrit (fire-based), Titan (earth-based), Garuda (air-based), Bahamut, and Phoenix. Apparently their questline is covered in Ascians too. One of two DPS capable of raising fallen allies.

Red Mage: Very fancy, fast-moving swordsmen covered in ruffles. The founders of Red Magic were Black and White Mages who came together in the wake of that magic war mentioned above. They essentially work to balance Black Magic and White Magic alongside physical attacks. They don’t get the numbers of some DPS but are again extremely fast and are also capable of raising allies. Versatile.

The limited job is called Blue Mage, currently being lamented because it’s unable to fight in dungeons or main quest situations to the extent of other jobs. Blue Mage gets abilities by fighting monsters and learning magical abilities from them. They use a cane and are massive dandies who will hopefully get the opportunity to do more in the future.

If you want to actually make in-game money without blood sacrifice, you want to get involved in a Crafter or Gatherer job. These don’t deal with combat but instead let you acquire, develop, and sell in-demand resources to other players.

Gatherer jobs include Fishers, Botanists, and Miners. Crafter jobs include Carpenters, Blacksmiths, Armorers, Goldsmiths, Leatherworkers, Weavers, Alchemists, and Culinarians. I am not good at these and so can’t explain them properly, but some people do play the game exclusively so they can level these jobs. I think that besides getting mad cash, this is probably because Crafters and Gatherers also get to make really fancy houses and get very pretty clothes with their vast amounts of wealth, skill, and resources.

THE SETTING

There are three city states that, at the start of A Realm Reborn, comprise the Eorzean Alliance. Your character becomes a hero to the Eorzean Alliance before any other nation. The three nations are Ul’dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa. Ul’dah is a desert city (someone mentioned it being Byzantine), ruled by a Sultana, and watched over by the dual-aspected god of death and commerce. Gridania is a forest city (to me it looks Western European but unsure?), ruled by a spiritual Elder Seedseer, and is watched over by the nature goddess Nophica--her will embodied in the form of spirits called Elementals. Limsa Lominsa is an ocean city (Greek influenced, although some territories read Caribbean), ruled over by an Admiral, and is watched over by a sea-goddess.

Ul’dah is a major trade center and known for having a solid amount of crime and corruption, harsh wealth divides, huge reverence for the dead, and general canniness. Gridania is super spiritual and has massive reverence for the forest and maintaining both it and the boundaries necessary to co-exist peacefully with Elementals. Limsa Lominsa is literally pirate town and have the most kickass military/naval fleet ever.

Depending on what job you choose in the character creator will effect which of these three cities you start out in. It’s ambiguous where the Warrior of Light comes from so conceivably you could be a native to that city state or a foreigner from somewhere else. It mainly matters in terms of if you’re making a story up for your character or not.

Another city state is Ishgard (technically Eorzean but isolationist), which has parallels to Norse mythology, France, and the Catholic church. It is covered in snow and full of mountains. Ala Mhigo is also a city state, and while like Ul’dah it is also a desert environment this one seems to place higher emphasis on different regions within the Middle East and India. One part looks strongly reminiscent of the Dead Sea, for example. Idyllshire was formerly a territory of the nation Sharlayan, which dedicates itself to the scholar-god. However, Sharlayan up and bailed when Garlemald showed up so that whole city got evacuated.

Those city states are all based on the continent Aldenard. Garlemald comes from a continent called Ilsabard that we haven’t gotten to see yet. It’s supposed to be cold and shitty there. Also worth mentioning, Garleans are on the one hand atheists and on the other hand borderline worship their emperor.

Othard is the Far Eastern continent and represents Asia. The two main city states we’ve seen there are Kugane (Japan) and Doma (China). There are other nations in the surrounding areas that we know about as well but haven’t explored. Both Kugane and Doma worship entities known as kami, omnipresent spirits who appreciate treasure and sometimes play a role in manipulating the fates of mortals. There are also animal spirits who through wisdom and longevity gain power and the ability to change form. These are called auspices. Special shout out to the Azim Steppe of Othard as well for representing Mongolian tribes and a plains environment.

There at least two other continents around but we don’t know a lot about them yet. One is The New World and draws from pre-Columbian North America. The other once housed a nation called Meracydia that opposed the ancient Allagan empire.

Shadowbringers takes place on a world called The First, which is one of the fragmented realities split by Hydaelyn. This world is called Norvrandt. It parallels Hydaelyn in some ways but not others. The desert environment of Ahm Areng geographically resembles the red deserts of the Southwestern US, but the architecture doesn’t match. The Rak’tika Greatwood is an A+ perfect jungle setting and heavily modeled after Mayan civilization. Eulmore kind of reminds me of the idea of pre-French Revolution excesses surrounded by poverty but with almost neon circus aesthetics married in. Il Mheg is rainbow fields and glassy lakes and fae creatures fucking with you 24/7. Very pretty and art nouveau.

The Tempest is full of secrets.

THE COMMUNITY

People focus on different things in this game. It’s huge enough to make that extremely doable.

One group involves the combat-focused players. These are people who just want to take on content labeled Extreme or Savage and beat it as smoothly as possible. Very talented bunch but tend to be short tempered sometimes, also often can’t wrap their heads around people playing any other way.

Glamour hounds are people who are in this for the A E S T H E T I C S. They want their characters to look a very specific way with certain gear in certain colors and god damn it if they have to run savage to achieve their goals they are going to do it. Often also are very into exciting mounts and housing, will frequently do artsy screencaps and share them online.

Lore hounds are people who focus mainly on the main quest scenario, overall storytelling, NPCs, setting, metaphysics, etc. Some of these people just want to analyze and make predictions. Some are independent fan creators. Some are roleplayers.

Worth noting--the most active roleplay communities are on the Crystal server, on the worlds Balmung and Mateus. My understanding is that these worlds are pretty packed and come with their own collection of pluses and minuses. More drama and a high likelihood of being ambushed for erotic RP, but fun community storytelling too. You can absolutely join servers outside your geographic location, by the way.

I’m on Primal server. It’s pretty chill.

Crafters, gatherers, and gamblers as far as I can tell are out to get top tier gil and fabulous prizes. I think some just honestly like the process too tbh and it happens to pay swimmingly. By the by, yes there is an in-game casino.

Last major group off the top of my head is the people who are mainly, specifically there to hang with friends and otherwise socialize with the game as a medium for that.

OKAY BUT I FOLLOW YOU SPECIFICALLY, WHO THE HELL ARE THOSE CHARACTERS YOU KEEP REBLOGGING?

EMET-SELCH

He is an Ascian who showed up fashionably late, would rather be napping than villaining around. Massive troll and also responsible for single-handedly making the fandom care about Ascians after four arcs of apathy. Secret sad boi. I am omitting a bunch because he’s basically a walking spoiler, but someone once described him as having absolutely relentless theater kid energy and I have yet to see it put better than that.

ELIDIBUS

Another Ascian known as the Emissary. Talks more about balance than ZODIARK!!!??!!!?11111!! and sometimes tries to have conversations instead of fistfights. Is not as good at having conversations instead of fistfights as Emet-Selch but is significantly better at it than Lahabrea, who will be described next. Elidibus is notable for spontaneously adopting a child and then passing that child off to the heroes as discreetly as he could.

LAHABREA

The third major Ascian and the first recurring one players meet in A Realm Reborn. Lahabrea seems like he is probably a few screws loose, fucking loves to blow shit up, embarrasses all of the interns who get stuck with him, and spent years in charge of PR before his colleagues realized that was a mistake. Makes very poor life choices. Apparently he used to be a fantastic orator and was praised for his imagination but these talents have since been replaced by ZODIARK!!!??!!!?11111!! and explosions. Has been described as an idiot by Emet-Selch and “unique” by Elidibus, who needed to take a very long pause before saying so.

G’RAHA TIA/THE CRYSTAL EXARCH

Honestly this is only pseudo spoilers, basically everyone figured out who he was well before Shadowbringers got released. Catman is currently doing battle with another character called Haurchefant for the position of #1 fan to the Warrior of Light. Has some wild misadventures with you that involve exploring ancient ruins, excessively long fetch quests, clones, and getting sucked into a demon world. Later runs across time and space to save your life but kind of almost gets you killed in the attempt. Says he is very sorry for this later. Just doing his best.

NERO TOL SCAEVA

A scientist who fights with a massive hammer, formerly worked for Garlemald but finds himself unemployed later. Is better than the engineer Cid, who gives you all your tech. He is also a troll, an egomaniac, and fucking hilarious. It takes a while for the extent of this to be revealed because A Realm Reborn still had some issues.

AYMERIC DE BOREL

Basically in charge of Ishgard, for a while literally but now only mostly. A very reasonable authority figure, runs the the Warrior of Light across several countries when you get injured in battle then chills at your bedside. Thinks you should relax sometimes. Encourages this by taking you to dinner once.

ESTINIEN WYRMBLOOD

Broody Dragoon McAngst of Ishgard, fucking hated dragons for the longest time because they murdered his whole family. Goes on an extended journey with you and in the process reveals he also hates moogles with a burning passion. Chills out a lot later, has demonstrated he is in fact a real bro.

YSAYLE DANGOULAIN/ICEHEART/LADY SHIVA

Delusions of grandeur and good intentions, also chosen by Hydaelyn and possessing The Echo. Figured out she could use her possession of The Echo to literally become a primal without losing her mind or body. Wants peace at any cost and will kill shitloads of people in the name of peace. Morally questionable but an interesting lady. Disagrees strongly with Estinien about moogles.

HAURCHEFANT GREYSTONE

Name sounds like a sneeze, is currently fighting G’raha Tia for the title of #1 fan to the Warrior of Light. Apparently there was an event where he said he wants the Warrior of Light to be his pony, as in he wants to ride you. Has shirtless men doing squats in his office. Saves your ass when shit gets real for Heavensward and then saves your ass again when the Pope’s bodyguard tries to murder you. It does not go well.

ZENOS YAE GALVUS

Absolute serial killer who feels like you complete him and give his life meaning and are his BFF. Probably wants you to fuck him. Also the crown prince of Garlemald and has spent years trying to engineer situations that will produce someone who can actually fight him as an equal. Doesn’t give a fuck about most things but jesus does he go yandere.

FRAY

If you become a Dark Knight, Fray becomes your NPC mentor and basically takes the Warrior of Light on a journey in becoming batshit insane. 10/10 Best teacher hands down.

SOPHIA THE GODDESS

A primal who I love to pieces, basically shows that the only way you can have perfect balance forever is if you are literally dead. We know this because the song that plays during her fight is about her murdering an entire family because they were unstable.

SRI LAKSHMI

Another primal who I love to pieces, just full throttle lotus eater in action where she encourages you to go fuck everything and be happy. Super pretty.

SEPHIROT THE FIEND

One of my top fav primals, pure id and distorted Kabbalah. I have a lot of feelings about him and have analyzed his fight to pieces.

CENRIC ASHER

Lol he just my Warrior of Light. I have a story for him but it is not official or anything.

THE FIVE BILLION OTHERS

Probably other people’s characters! I just really love seeing what people come up with, whether it’s their version of the Warrior of Light or going full-throttle into OC territory. It’s really refreshing to me, seeing how passionate and inventive people get. ^^ There are plenty of other important NPC characters, some I would even consider favorites of mine, but I just don’t post them as much.

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR JESUS CHRIST GET YOURSELF A COOKIE OR SOMETHING. GOD DAMN.

[smokedcapybara]

looks like my exhausted rambling isn’t over yet but this time I’m gonna talk about Tony Stark and why I hate the direction the MCU went (aside from Black Panther, Gaurdians of the Galaxy, and Ragnarok - but why they’re exceptions might also be touched on)

so, a long while ago I talked about how Young Justice and Teen Titans has been exactly what I needed when I first moved to Bellevue - I would imagine the heroes watching over me, making sure I was safe, or coming to whisk me away so I could join them and become a hero myself

I started watching the MCU movies around the end of middle school/beginning of high school and Iron Man, for me, couldn’t have come into my life at a better time

firstly, my first introduction to superhero movies was the Batman Beyond trilogy which was exactly the opposite of what I needed and almost enough to turn me off superhero movies entirely

and then I saw Iron Man, which was so completely different - it was funny and hopeful and bright - but also... well

around that time I’d constructed a mask to hide all my negative emotions - all my pain and anger and fear, everything caused by the abuse I’d suffered in Texas and my mom and brother starting to lash out more and more - and this mask, well to me it looked an awful lot like Tony Stark’s

and that was what I needed, I needed to see myself in him, to have the reassurance that I could move on from my past and become a better person, that I could have happiness, that no matter what others might think or see neither my mask and what was under it made me an irredeemable person

for the whole first half of the MCU I latched on to Tony, him and Loki were my favorite characters because they represented the two possibilities of what I could become - the positive and the negative, and even the negative didn’t look all that bad once you scaled it down to a small, disabled human from the powerful, magically talented god

(I also liked Loki because it was like they’d taken all my own family issues and lain them out in a way that anywhere I looked in the fandom I’d see people indirectly supporting me through their support of him)

I also liked Bruce, Clint, and Natasha, and all the side characters, they were all relatable in small human ways that I was very fond of

Thor and Steve I struggled with though

for about three years - the three years I lived in Texas - my mother was married to a bodybuilder name James, he was abusive and because of this I was traumatized and spent up until recently automatically scared of any large muscular man

sort of a ‘they have to prove they’re not to be scared of instead of the other way around’ kinda thing, and unfortunately Steve and Thor did not do that in those first few movies

so I projected heavily on Tony and tried not to let my trauma color my opinion of Steve and Thor too much and trusted that Marvel would handle their main characters as well as I was used to from things like, for example, Teen Titans or Young Justice

Age of Ultron was difficult but it had some good Clint moments and the ‘language!’ running joke was fun - I was torn up at the loss of Jarvis, of course

and then Civil War came out

they took the character I projected on and one of the characters my trauma made me somewhat distrustful of and pitted them against each other and somehow, miraculously, I sided with Steve

of course I sided more with healthy communication and talking things out amongst themselves before they take sides and start splitting up but unfortunately there wouldn’t have been much of a movie if they’d done that, would there?

and then

and then, Steve admitted to knowing who killed Tony’s parents and not telling him sooner and got upset at him for being upset

I’d managed to get past my trauma enough to recognize that he was mostly dedicated to being a good person, I’d even managed to get past it enough to side with him over Tony for the better part of that movie

but watching that fight, especially the end where Tony was laying there defenseless, was almost like being retraumatized - having the association of large muscular men as violent and dangerous rebranded into my brain - and the letter he sent at the end pulled up all the less physical aspects of James’s abuse

and so Steve was firmly associated in my head with all of that stuff from my past, and it made it so hard to participate in fandom where suddenly everyone was picking a side and declaring one or the other completely in the wrong

and those who like Steve or believed his side was right decided anyone who liked Tony, or disapproved of how Steve handled the whole situation with Tony’s parents having been murdered, was a terrible person and should be torn down for liking him, they reduced Tony to his mask and declared that he’d never be able to make up for his past - called him heartless and more

and those who supported Tony were just as bad

and there was no room for someone who supported Steve’s argument against the accords but was against his actions in the Hydra base(I don’t remember where it was, I watched the movie once and refused to ever watch it again cause it was too triggering for me)

and while the rift in the fandom has softened, its still there - everyone seems to either hate Tony or hate Steve

and those who dislike Tony have had more and more good reason to as the series has gone on and it hurts

because at some point he stopped being a beacon of hope for me while still being too connected to me

in fact, it’s almost like him and Loki switched places with Ragnarok and everything

(here’s where we touch on why Ragnarok is so much better than most of the rest of the MCU, and is in fact my #1 favorite MCU movie)

by the time Ragnarok came out I had lost my main fictional source of hope for myself - I’d only ever found two characters I related to in that way and on that level: Tony and Loki (there have been many other fictional characters I’ve related to but all either on much smaller scale or just in wildly different directions)

and Tony was quickly becoming worse than what Loki had represented for me, my hope turned sour, my mask indistinguishable from the truth, I was a little lost

I distanced myself somewhat from the MCU fandom, I just couldn’t handle it, it hurt too much

and then I watched Ragnarok

Thor was goofy and ridiculous and silly and a definite hero but in an almost washed up way - like his time had come and gone and come again and he was gonna grab it with both hands while it was there but not take it too seriously this time cause he knew better, y’know?

and that was exactly what I needed to get past the ‘big muscular man’ trigger to see him as a whole Good Person and absolutely love him

and him and Loki’s interactions were exactly what I needed right at the cusp of a change for the better in my relationship with my own brother

and by the end of the movie Loki was happy and accepted and understood (and gay, can’t forget the gay subtext) - while still being himself - and that was definitely what I needed

and then Infinity War and Endgame came out and I still haven’t watched either of them yet but I don’t need to and I don’t want to because I’ve had enough spoiled for me to know that nothing good would come of it

and it makes me so sad and angry

Marvel took this series, these characters, that was so important to me at such a difficult part of my life, that I was so dedicated to for so long, and essentially threw it all away, trashed it, ran it into the ground so thoroughly that I decided not to watch any more unless it’s, like, a Black Panther sequel - and that mostly because black superhero movies need to be supported so more will get made cause they’re important (and because Black Panther was good but, I mean, I feel like the rest of this post does a good job explaining that one movie being good doesn’t mean it’s sequel will be or that you should watch the sequel so the representation aspect makes more of a difference for me rn)

and all because... what?... cause they decided drama and conflict was more important than their main team being a team? cause they didn’t want any spoilers leaked so they lied to their actors? because they were more motivated by making money than telling a satisfying story? cause they forgot not all their watchers are cookie cutter carbon copies of each other and all relate to different aspects of different characters for different reasons?

because they forgot that because this series might be a child’s first introduction to the concept of superheroes they have a responsibility to protect and nurture that child’s faith in the world? that’s the responsibility you take upon yourself when working with those characters, any superhero characters unless your story is undeniably adult oriented, and you need to remember that

superheroes are supposed to be our hope that maybe things can be better, maybe we can make a difference, that’s what got Marvel and DC big and they need to do better to remember it

(I liked Black Panther because it was very emotionally impactful and visually stunning and had great characters and representation - so many different important woman characters as well as most the characters being black! - and just overall was, like, the ideal movie)

(I liked Guardians of the Galaxy 1&2 because it was easily separated from the rest of the MCU in my head and it was fun and funny and leaned very heavily into found family which is my jam and it had an A+ soundtrack and Groot was adorable and amazing and Drax was very autistic coded in a Good way, also Gamora and Nebula gave me similar sibling feels to Thor and Loki which is important to me)

[cheesebongdynasty]

Food for Fanfic/Fanart

Orphans/Partial Orphans:

Thor: Watched each family member and best friend die in front of him, one by one. 

Is kind of reckless with rage, but mostly holds it together surprisingly well. Tony Stark: Loses parents in college, spends decades thinking it was a car crash (and likely blaming dad for it), then watches footage of their murder with the apparent killer right next to him, and in the same instance, learns the comrade also next to him admit with no visible remorse that he knew. 

20 minute violent meltdown, then makes no further attempt to go after Bucky.

Next time we see him, Tony is helping Rhodey with his legs. Afterward, Tony puts all effort into mentoring and protecting Peter Parker and defending the Earth from Thanos. Improved personality implies that the Siberia incident also inspired him to seek sought long overdue mental help. 

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff: As children, saw parents killed by missiles with Stark’s name on them, spent days looking at one “Stark” nuke waiting for it to kill them. “Recruited” by Hydra shortly after. 

Committed a number of atrocities while working for Hydra... but they were “recruited” as traumatized kids, switched sides relativity quickly in “Ultron,” Pietro gave his life to save Clint and a kid, and Wanda expressed visible guilt over her past. She also had no ill words for Tony after “Ultron” save “You locked me in my room!”, which she was fine with until Hawkeye convinced her not to be

Also, she joined the Avengers despite Tony being a constant reminder of her parents’ deaths, and as mentioned above, she’s stopped giving him shit for that. 

Steve Rogers: Dad died before he was born, mom died when he was a teenager/young man, apparently no next of kin able or willing to take him in, just Bucky.

Took questionable measures trying to follow in war-hero parents’ footsteps, at an age when young men are most vulnerable to testosterone-fulled stupidity, nad in a time period with some limited ideas about masculinity, and with his medical conditions and always getting bullied for them. 

Bucky Barnes: Unless one of his parents has lived to be VERY very old 

Everything bad he did was under mind control, so.....if you wanna blame Buck for that then go fuck yourself. With a cactus. 

Black Panther: Saw dad killed by bomb

"I didn’t kill your father!” “Then why did you run?” Tried to murder Bucky based on shaky evidence, for at least one full day, not listening to Buck the one time he said he was innocent, it’s not like anyone was making much of an effort to convey Bucky’s innocence to BP. In any case, T’Challa learns the truth, stops letting revenge consume him, defeats Zemo, and saves the shit out of our Buck-muffin. 

Princess Shuri: Dad murdered. 

Does nothing bad.

Erik Killmonger: Found dad’s murdered body. Abandoned by Wakandan relatives. Mom somehow out of the picture. Grew up seeking revenge, and the power to “save” his culture, as he saw it. Willing to murder own relatives and countless innocent children to do so. We feel for him but let’s face it, he’s a bad guy. As Okoye said, “Your heart is so filled with hate, it is not worthy to sit on that throne!” Peter Parker: And Uncle Ben, but we’ll get to that later. 

Peter Quill: Mom dying of cancer in the hospital, while he was a child, was his last experience on Earth. Years later, dad admits directly to Peter that he put the tumor in her head, with no genuine guilt. Also, there’s a graveyard of mountains of the skeletons of Peter’s half-siblings killed by his dad as well (though this oddly isn’t brought up much) Kills his evil dad, with a bit of poetic justice (puts a “tumor” of sorts in Ego’s “head”)

Gamora and Nebula: Parents murdered by Thanos; raised and brainwashed by parents murderer.

Worked for the most evil man in the universe, after growing up brainwashed by him, and both still managed to see the error in this and turn against him

The rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Very likely, but can’t say for sure 

Did a ton of questionable stuff, because they’re a ragtag bunch of antiheroes with shitty pasts. 

Hope Van Dyne: Mom “died” when she was a kid, relationship with dad crumbled as a result 

Ava Starr/”Ghost:” Saw parents killed in lab accident

Gradually turned evil after Shield (or Hydra?) manipulated her to be their assassin, and living in constant physical pain all her life. 

Loki: Orphaned as a blue baby, didn’t learn the truth for hundreds of years. Then saw adopted mother die.

Did a ton of evil stuff, killed Phil, but...... he’s such a ham, does anyone take him as a serious villain anymore? He’s basically Plankton from “Spongebob,” just looks better in chains. Love or hate him as you see fit, I don’t really care. 

Other Dead Relatives/Surrogate Relatives:

Thor:

Saw adopted brother die, more than once; had to kill his own sister 

Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes:

Unless all of their relatives are very, very old. 

Steve Rogers:

Saw BFF/surrogate brother Bucky “die,” twice, right in front of him

Wanda Maximoff:

Saw brother die, and works with the man who her brother died to save, a regular reminder of Pietro’s death

Peter Parker: Uncle Ben

Tony Stark:

Surrogate son dusted in his arms, while begging not to go and then saying “I’m sorry,” leaving Tony coated in his remains

Black Panther:

Forced to kill own cousin

Shuri:

Brother was forced to kill their cousin 

Dr. Strange: 

Dead little sister he couldn’t save 

Peter Quill:

Mountains of skeletons of his half-siblings killed by his dad; also, saw adoptive father die in his arms, giving his life to save his  

Nebula:

Adopted sister murdered by evil “dad” (who also probably killed her parents and possibly siblings) 

Rocket:

Loses entire surrogate family, the one he’s closest to right in front of him, as a kid 

Dead Lovers:

Peter Quill: Was willing to keep his promise and kill Gamora--his last living loved one after losing literally his whole family--to save the universe. Fails. Thinks he can rescue Gamora after all. Learns of her murder with the murderer inches away from him.

Loses it for, at most, one minute. Then gets right back into the fray. Only real question is why the others didn’t anticipate this, and restrain him with their super-strength/magic 

Wanda Maximoff: Was willing to kill Vision, her last living loved one after losing her whole family--to save the universe. Thanos steals this sacrifice, and murders Vision right in front of her. 

Gets dusted right after 

Steve Rogers: Saw his first love dying of old age, and had to bury her 

Hank Pym: Or so he thought for enough decades, it may as well count 

Valkyrie: Saw comrade and lover killed in battle (behind scenes info confirms this was her lover) 

Lost hope in her duties as a Valkyrie, helped the Grandmaster capture and kill innocents... but then turned against him and helped Thor save the world from Hela

Carol Danvers: Probably, according to her backstory

Deaths They Thought They Were Witnessing:

Steve Rogers:

Saw Bucky fall to his “death,” thought he was dead for years

Tony Stark:

Saw Pepper “die” after failing to catch her (and seeing her tortured) 

Peter Quill: Fired to kill Gamora, only for the blast to become bubbles  Everyone in “Black Panther:” Thought they saw T’Challa killed by Killmonger

Hank Pym: Thought he saw wife die before him, spent decades thinking she was dead and losing relationship with his daughter for it  

All Survivors of the Snappening:

Probably 

Physical Torture:

Tony Stark: Water-boarded in a cave, after heart surgery with no anesthesia  Pepper Potts: Roasted alive  Bucky Barnes: Hydra guinea pig for 70 years  Gamora: Part of her indoctrination as a child Nebula: Pulled apart by Thanos to get info from Gamora Dr. Strange: Squidward’s pin cushion  Rocket Raccoon: “Taken apart and put back together” 

Ava Starr: Childhood accident left her in nonstop pain all growing up 

Thor: Electrocuted while restarting that artificial planet to get Stormbreaker 

Physically-Modified Without Consent:

Rocket Raccoon:

See above

  Bucky Barnes:

Winter Soldier transformation

  Tony Stark:

Car-battery in chest 

Gamora and Nebula:

Part of being “adopted” by Thanos

Bruce Banner: Lab accident

Ava Starr: Dad’s lab accident 

Guilt Complexes:

Tony Stark:

Shut down weapons company and became Iron Man after seeing how his weapons were being misused, confessed guilt at public press conference while seated down under the podium; worst fear is teammates and world dead because he couldn’t save them; built Ultron to prevent this from happening; donated huge sums of money to college kids and signed Accords over Ultron guilt; “...and if you died, I feel like that’s on me. I don’t need that on my conscience.” 

Guilt about trying to kill Bucky not directly addressed, but as he’s made no further attempt to go after Bucky, it’s highly likely that Tony has learned more about Bucky’s situation and, having seen Hawkeye mind-controlled and having personal experience with mental illness, probably doesn’t feel great about Siberia. 

Wanda Maximoff:

 “This is all because of me!” at destruction caused by Ultron: visibly horrified by her misfire in CW; says “I’ve caused enough trouble” when Hawkeye is first trying to recruit her; tells Vision he should keep his word to Tony Stark in IW; and is visibly upset at news of Tony going missing on the spaceship (bear in mind, she has seen Tony’s worst fear, and heightened it) 

Bucky Barnes:

 “But it was still me.” “I remember them all.” 

Steve Rogers:

Blames self for Bucky’s first “death” in CA:TFA. Questionable “apology” letter to Tony at least includes phone, and promise to be there for anything, risking capture. Steve probably does feel bad, even if he’s not that great at expressing it with words. 

Bruce Banner:

Need I say more? 

Thor:

Survivor’s guilt is pretty obvious. Also, guilt and humility were requirements for being able to lift the Hammer in his first movie. 

Natasha Romanoff: 

“You think you’re the only monster here?” 

Dr. Strange: Failed to save little sister, and then the Ancient One 

Scott Lang: Feels like a failure to his daughter, more so after “Civil War,” clearly has at least mixed feelings if not outright regret about his role in CW

Hank Pym: Blames self for wife’s “death” 

Ava Starr: ....maybe? We’ll have to wait and see.

Everyone else:

Survivor’s guilt to some degree is clear every time a comrade, mentor or civilian dies. 

I’ll probably update this as I think of more. 

[novasunriseturtle]

So how about that What If AU aka if Voltron was made for adults

Out of order but an idea for me to remember

Story idea - Shiro doesn’t come back until the final season revealing he’s in fact Keith’s uncle/older brother (whichever works) and did not die “I live bitch!”. Or better yet, he forms a team he finds on a planet he got teleported and saving other lives from the other side of the universe. Even though he’s no longer the Black Paladin as he entrusted Black to Keith, the people they saved still saw him as one and a hero. They also made like paintings of him or a statue. So it does switch between the main story and Shiro’s side story unless that’s bad writing. Cuz I was planning on adding more story to Shiro with his new rag tag team since I decided not to kill him off or use him as plot device.

Then it all comes together when Shiro sees Voltron and best reunion ever between his teammates he saw as family. Tears will be spilled.

They did discover the Blue Lion like the show so it stayed that way for like 13 chapters. So after Shiro is now stuck in the astral world (or his rag tag team adventures) lion switch happen, there’s an exchange between the leader and right hand man. Bayard exchange.

So they don’t work along at first leading to frustrations between members, yeah there’s a point even Lance got irritated but after some bonding and vulnerability they finally synchronized. So same thing like the show, just them being more open about it.

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be leader. I’m not calm like Shiro, I’m not as graceful as Allura, and I’m certainly not as good of tech like Hunk and Pidge. And you... Black made a terrible mistake of choosing me as its new paladin” Keith

“Honestly I was jealous you were chosen as the Black Paladin since you’re always the best out of everyone else. And that fact still stands even if I was forced to admit it. But to be frank with you, since the lion switch. I don’t think you’re as bad as you make it out to be. Sure you made an irrational decision and almost costed our lives but not everyone is perfect. Well maybe Shiro but the point is, you are a good leader and the lions never make mistakes. Black chose you for a reason and whatever it is, I will respect it. Besides, you’re not alone anymore. We’ll find Shiro. If it means risking and maybe not destroy everything in our path, I’ll gladly follow you and do this; together. Now let’s go fix this mess.” Lance

I’m taking the concept of Voltron only forming by bonds between lions and paladins into consideration by also having them not able to form Voltron because of dispute. This will also transfer negatively now they joined the Galra side since Lotor killed his father. That’s something I like seeing. Not to mention Lotor and Haggar being the main source to cause tension between teammates.

Do I keep Shiro clone? Nope. Gonna use the generals as double agents.

Do the Blades stay? Yeah. Also make tension between the Blades and Empire Galras cuz why should I trust them?

Does Hunk make food jokes? Not really, he’s a passionate cook sure but majority speaks science, math, and logic. Unlike the show shoving Pidge is the only smart one of the group.

Do I keep the Holts? Let them have death like I wanted.

Does Pidge stop being a dick? Yes

Is Lance reduced to comedy relief? Fuck no

Does Coran have more purpose and gives his insights to his past not to mention I’m bringing his son back for drama and betrayal and reunited? Yes

Does Keith get pissed at Krolia for leaving him despite she did it so he’s safe? Yes

More insight on Krolias relationship with his dad. And yes they had a dog.

Wow romance in the AU? Pining Keith is still happening with a dash of oblivious Lance. Established Hunk and Shay. Unfortunately I’m gonna do Lotor and Allura. Except she realizes Lotor isn’t who she thought he has and final battle between them. Just let me have that. I want her duking it out against Lotor.

Oh yeah have Lance comment on an alien guy that’s he’s cute or flirt with him. Boom established bi. I’ve always liked the idea of Lance knowing he’s bi but hasn’t come to terms yet. Probably denying. I don’t know how to describe it. Or Keith is the only guy he’s ever truly fall in love with like Jenny but he’s like I’m not emotionally ready to love again. Cuz his heart has been broken many times before. Personally I think he stopped believing in love after experience cuz he’s always second never first. And the day Keith confesses he loves him is like, probably laughing bitterly “I don’t believe you” or something.

Does it end with Keith heartbroken and Lance realizing he does love him and done fucked up to the point they make up when he saves his ass? Yes. Does Lance die like in the show where Keith felt his bond with Red cut off and panicked? Allura revives him.

This is indulgment but when Krolia sees Lance? “He reminds me of your father.” And then sees Shiro. “Is this your father’s brother he never told me?” She also may have adopted Hunk.

Who does Shiro end up with? He becomes Kakashi and gets a pet cat when returning home.

More of them getting a break and having fun. Like Space Mall and D&D. Also dimension adventures meeting their alternate selves.

Also give the parents trying to fight their way to Garrison about their children’s whereabouts. We need to know dammit. Have them refuse to believe their children are dead.

Nyma, Rolo, and that robot I forgot his name return as allies.

More Alteans they find. Romelle (like the originals) is her cousin

Bring back Queen Merla ugh my bi heart

Haggar being the true villain because yes and she has magic

Epic battle ensues, war ends, peace finally sets in the universe and everyone goes home.

Plot twist, they return to space. I know they all miss home but something tells me their parents will understand and encourage them to go. “But always visit us again. Send pictures to let me know you’re okay.”

Would it be bad there’s a massive time span where their families grow old once they return home? Cuz you know how time doesn’t exist in space.

Also references of GoLion and DouT. Watching a show Beast King GoLion or meeting the OG paladins. “So Voltron was a sentient being?!”

Because I’m a hoe for Tokusastu. Meet space Godzilla and becomes an ally to Voltron.

Chapters will be referred as episodes so why not

[dcmarvelverse-blog]

Bound to the Multiverse

The DC Universe

Aquaman

Arthur Curry

Location: Atlantis - the Entire Ocean

Active: Status

The King of Atlantis. Arthur stands as a strong fighter and combat capable. His body can withstand extreme damage and pressure, due to his biology of being able to live in the depths of the ocean. On top of that, Arthur is seemingly fearless, when it comes down to facing down his enemies. No matter where they come from.

Captain Cold

Leonard Snart

Location: Central City

Status: Active

Leonard Snart was raised by his criminal father. As a result, he took on the family business becoming a skilled bank robber until the Flash came into his life. As a result, Snart took it upon himself to edge up his game and become Captain Cold. He and Mick Rory (Heatwave) brought a new level of threat to Central City but he maintained a code, which he and the Flash both honor. Though he’s found a new purpose in life with the Legends.

Deathstroke

Slade Wilson

Location: Global

Status: Active

Slade Wilson. A seemingly unbeatable merc for hire, who runs into constant competition with the likes of the superhero community. Despite his body count, Slade stands by his family and on occasion sides with “the good guys”. Even if they don’t see eye-to-eye.

Green Arrow

Oliver Jonas Queen.

Location: Starling/Star City

Status: Active.

After being stranded on an island for Five Years, Oliver Queen has once more returned to the fold as a son trying to regain his father’s company back and restore the city to it’s former glory.

James Olsen

Location: National City

Status: Active

James Olsen is a life long friend of Clark Kent/Superman and moved to National City upon his request. As a result, he’s found himself working with Kara Danvers/Supergirl in her quest to make a difference in the world. All the while trying to make a difference himself. A far cry from the former photographer that he was in Metropolis.

John Constantine

Location: Global

Status: Active

If there’s one person, who can lurk in the darkness and find peace with the chaos, it’s John Constantine. Despite the fact that he chooses not to acknowledge his history, John’s bloodline runs deep within the magical circles. On the surface, he may look like some street urchin but John is more than capable of handling himself against the odds. He’s not a fan of dealing with the superhero community unless circumstances dictate otherwise. He would much rather sit down, enjoy a pint and be left alone. Even if life chooses not to allow such a fate.

The Joker

Location: Gotham City

Status: Active

The King of Gotham City.  Batman’s polar opposite and ongoing nightmare. His real identity remains a mystery but he remains an active threat in the Gotham City underworld. Despite Batman’s constant intervention.

Lucifer Morningstar

Location: Los Angeles

Status: Active

The former King of Hell. Lucifer Morningstar has removed his wings and settled down in Los Angeles, heading up his own club: The Lux. Though as fate would have it. Life isn’t ever that easy.

Rick Flagg

Location: Global

Status: Active

Under the supervision of Amanda Waller, Rick Flagg heads up the Suicide Squad. Though military trained, Flagg finds an odd alliance in the team that he has been presented with. Even if he does hold the switch between life and death for his teammates.

Superman

Clark Joseph Kent // Kal-El.

Location: Metropolis (Global and Space)

Status: Active

The Last Son of Krypton. Raised on a farm in Smallville, Kansas. Clark Kent is a never do’well reporter for the Daily Planet, who maintains his daily life in the big city, while taking out planetary threats.

The Flash

Barry Allen

Location: Central City

Status: Active

After witnessing his mother’s death, Barry Allen put himself on a life long quest to make the world a better place. First as a C.S.I. within the Central City police department. Then when fate intervened, giving him the ability to be the Fastest Man Alive. Barry took on the mantel of the Flash and has not let off course.

Vibe

Cisco Ramon

Location: Central City

Status: Active

A bright and upcoming tech genius, who works along side CaitlinSnow at S.T.A.R. Labs. Cisco is creative about making tools in the moment to aid the Flash against on going threats. As well, using his own abilities to jump across the multiverse and become his own kind hero.

The Marvel Universe

Captain America

Steve Rogers

Location: Global

Status: Active

On the surface, Steve Rogers was once a weak and scrawny individual but he had bigger ambitions. As World War Two surfaced, Steve proved himself and became a part of the Secret Soldier program becoming Captain America. Despite his efforts, fate would intervene and leave him frozen in time until he was brought back into the modern age. Despite still maintaining his out look of the past, Steve is adaptable and determined to make a difference. Even if it’s against his own friends.

Daredevil

Matt Murdock

Location: Hell’s Kitchen, New York City

Status: Active

Born the son of a boxer, Matt Murdock was always taught to make a better life for himself. At an early age, Matt was blinded by chemicals which caused him to be blind. As a result, Matt found himself discovering a new perspective on things. After his father’s death, Matt began to learn martial arts under the hand of Stick, who enabled him to become an even more perceptive individual. After graduating law school, Matt operates out of Hell’s Kitchen as a public defender for those seeking his aid.

Deadpool

Wade Wilson

Location: Global

Status: Active

Wade Wilson was a merc for hire, who had done numerous tours in his past. It wasn’t until he was hit with the reality of having the Big C did fate take a second hand in his life. After joining the Weapon X program, Wade’s life was changed yet again. This time -- not for the better. His entire body became scarred but it allowed him to have a healing factor. Similar to that of James Howlett’s (Wolverine). As a result, he’s also kicked up his insanity and humor more than normal. ((This muse has zero issue breaking the fourth wall. Just ask the voices in his head.))

Doctor Strange

Doctor Stephen Strange

Location: Global (Base of Operations: New York City)

Status: Active

Doctor Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon. He’s extremely knowledgeable and operates with a photographic memory. After surviving, a car crash and the loss of his ability to use his hands. Stephen set out upon a quest in order to regain control of his hands. In hopes, of healing them. Instead, he found himself in a battle for the state of the universe. By choice, he has decided to stand guard and watch all over the magical threats that present themselves within our realm.

Hawkeye

Clint Barton

Location: Global (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent)

Status: Active

From a young age Clint Barton was trained as an archer. As an adult and through military experience, Clint was brought aboard S.H.I.E.L.D., where he remains an active agent and a member of the Avengers. Despite not having any superhuman abilities or armor, Barton remains an ally of his team and trusted partner, Natasha Romanov (Black Widow). 

Loki

Location: The Nine Realms (Asgard)

Status: Active

The adopted half brother of Thor Odinson, Loki has always been in competition with his brother. Hoping to one day rule over Asgard. Despite his multiple failed attempts, Loki maintains his status as a Trickster. Even if it means being confined to various different prison cells. Thor often confines him and stands his ground with him. Even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye.

Magneto

Erik Lehnsherr

Location: Global

Status: Active

An outcast since youth, Erik was raised during World War Two. As a result of his own heritage, he was condemned to a Concentration Camp for a long duration. Losing both his mother and father in the process. This particular venture, also triggered his mutation. As he grow older, he became the Master of Magnetism and leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Professor X

Charles Francis Xavier

Location: New York though operates on a global scale.

Status: Active

Charles Xavier was born into wealth. From a young age, he discovered he was a mutant. Having the ability to use telepathic means to hear people and telekinesis to manipulate and move things with his mind. As a result, Charles endeavored to find others like himself and develop a school to help them with their abilities. He also found the X-Men, who are among many of his students.

The Punisher

Frank Castle

Location: Global (Base of Operations Formerly: New York City)

Status: Active

After serving multiple tours, Frank Castle returned home to focus on family life but it was short lived as he watched his family being gunned down in front of his very eyes. After they passed, Frank put it upon himself to be the line in the sand, when the situation dictated necessary. For those whoever cross Frank’s path are likely to end up in a casket.

Thor

Location: Midgard by the way of Asgard

Status: Active

The God of Thunder. After electing to disobey, his father’s orders, Thor was condemned to Midgard as a human. There he found himself, rediscovering who he was and what humility offered him. Despite his status as a God of Thunder, Thor often finds himself at peace on Midgard. Despite the constant threats that emerge from his realm. No matter what he chooses to stand in their way. 

The Winter Soldier

James “Bucky” Barnes

Location: Global

Status: Active

James Barnes was a life long friend of Steve Rogers, who joined his side as Hydra continued to impact the status of World War Two. Despite thinking that he was dead, the Soviets and Hydra turned him into the Winter Soldier. It wasn’t until much later in life was he and Steve reunited. Bucky’s memory no longer clouded from Hyrda’s hands. Bucky found himself looking for a second chance. Even if the odds were against him.

Wolverine

James “Logan” Howlett

Location: Global

Status: Active

Born in the 1800′s, James “Logan” Howlett has lived a long life. Due to upgrades with Weapon X’s aid, Logan is continually on a quest to discover, who he was and is. As a mutant, he has a healing factor and bone claws. Through Weapon X, his entire skeleton is laced with adamantium. An indestructible material that allows him to do even more damage.

DOCTOR WHO

The 11th Doctor

Location: The T.A.R.D.I.S. Travelling through Time and Space.

Status: Active

The Last of the Time Lords. The Doctor has been active within time and space for an unknown amount of time. Helping and saving species, whenever needed. He has a high preference for Earth and is currently in his 11th incarnation.

IZOMBIE

Lowell Tracey

Location: Seattle

Status: Active

A musician that moved to Seattle under the Max Rager record label, who came from London. Lowell is just like Liv. A zombie. Prior to meeting Liv, he was prety much focused on himself but Liv has made him a better man. What he believes to be a hero in his own mind.

RIVERDALE

Archie Andrews

Location: Riverdale

Status: Active

Archie Andrews has spent most of his life focusing on following in his father’s stead. Excepting to one day take over his company. Then one day, he decided to change it all. He found himself writing music, growing into himself and seeing the world anew. Though he does his best to maintain a balance between playing his own music, working with his father and football.

Jughead Jones

Location: Riverdale

Status: Active

Life long best friend of Archie Andrews. Jughead finds himself living out of a hotel in city limits and investigating the local happenings. All the while channeling his inner writer and fulfilling his love of all things hamburgers.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Prince Charming

Location: Storybrooke, Maine

Status: Active

The former Prince Charming had once lived a life on his mother’s farm, maintaining her sheep until it was revealed to him that his brother had been killed in battle. Upon finding out about his father, Charming accepted the role and found himself involved in an unexpected role and world. Despite all the odds, he did manage to become a King. Though not without enemies.

In our reality, he is a King, no longer. Merely a Sheriff of Storybrooke going by the name David Nolan. 

STAR WARS

Kylo Ren

Status: Active

The son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, Ben Solo attempted to be trained by his Uncle, Luke Skywalker. Life offered him a different path. Under a new teacher, Ben became Kylo Ren and has taken a new lease on his life.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Status: Active

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi maintains his role and status during the Clone Wars. Aiding those who need it, when the Council calls upon him and his padawan Anakin Skywalker.

TRUE BLOOD

Eric Northman

Location: Bon Tempes

Status: Active

The owner of Fangtasia and Sheriff of Area 5. Eric has been active since his former youth as a Viking.Eric, by his nature, is blunt and to the point, when it comes down to what he wants. No matter what sort of trouble it may cause. Though manipulation and secrets are often used in his favor as the situation dictates.

[clairelutra]

MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HANUKAH/HAPPY HOLIDAYS @edendaphne! i’m your backup filler for the @mlsecretsanta this holiday season ♥

i was flailing a bit for an idea of what you might like, and then i remembered this fantastic piece of ladrien you drew (and the awesome idea that came with it :D) so i thought i’d write something based off of that. i hope you enjoy! ♥♥♥

(@mirthaculous went above and beyond to make this readable, and at 1am, no less ;A; one day i will pay her back, this i swear (9′-’)9)

EDIT: SHIT I FORGOT TO CREDIT @sixsaltysweets / @howdoyousix she helped out a ton with early stage flow betaing god bless ♥♥♥ THANK YOU RUX ;O; 

It figured that the one day Chat had begged out of the signings was the one day an akuma crashed the con.

"All this," Plagg complained in his ear as Adrien helped direct the panicking crowd. "All this just for a piece of paper someone scribbled on."

Adrien's own 'piece of paper' burned in his pocket, warm with the memory of Ladybug's fingers brushing his as she handed it to him, so he didn't comment. Instead he nudged his grumpy kwami back into his shirt and continued to usher the out-of-town con-goers from towards the exit, wincing at the cacophony.

It was amazing how much three years of constant attacks could desensitize a person to surprise supervillains --- and how much panic they could instill in someone who wasn't desensitized.

This supervillain, surprisingly enough, seemed to be a fan of his. One who'd been terribly sad and upset that Chat Noir hadn't been at the con on the one day she'd gotten tickets, and who was now angrily ripping up the venue with her 'Love Ray' --- which Adrien was still kind of confused about, because the rest of her ensemble was very much Ladybug-themed, and Ladybug certainly didn't have any sort of ray weapon.

(There were a few other things he was confused about, like what on earth had Ladybug said to make one of his fans that jealous --- and it was definitely jealousy of Ladybug that had akumatized Lovebug, if the tearful shouts of give him up, Ladybug, he's mine! were anything to go by.

For that matter, how on earth had Chat inspired that kind of obsessive adoration in anyone? He was under the impression that his media image was that of the dorky sidekick.

This akuma was a puzzle from start to finish.)

Thankfully, confusing or not, Ladybug was doing a good job of keeping the akuma distracted away from the fleeing crowds, both of them engaged in the closest thing either of them could get to a full aerial battle while Adrien helped a costumed boy his age carry an overstuffed swag bag to the gates.

"Mer-merçi," the boy stuttered in heavily accented French as they passed the decorative statues that marked one of the entrances.

Adrien switched to his own accented English. "No problem. Go that way." He paused as he pointed, internally scrambling for his particles, and then added, "There are akuma shelters there."

The boy heaved a massive sigh of relief, sagging under the weight of his cosplay. "Thanks, man."

Any further commentary was lost under a new wave of screams from inside the gates. Concerned, Adrien left the boy with a pat on his least-armored shoulder and plunged back into the fray.

The screams were apparently caused by Lovebug's attempts to tear an arch down on the fleeing crowd, which Ladybug was now holding steady while the akuma zipped away to terrorize another group.

Adrien looked up at the dangling arch and winced, wishing for his staff. If he had it, he could prop up the arch or occupy Lovebug while Ladybug put things back in order --- or, if he'd had his suit, he could have helped keep things in order so Ladybug would be free to chase the akuma down.

Both were sadly out of his reach right now --- transforming in this chaos would only lead to disaster --- but he could help in other ways.

It only took ten seconds of hurried instruction to some of the calmer folks (locals, probably) to gather a group of people to support and lower the arch. Ladybug caught his eye as he joined in, flashing him a grateful little smile that made his heart leap.

He risked taking one of his hands away from the twisted metal frame long enough to snap off a salute, flustered delight bubbling in his stomach when she took a moment to return it before she leapt off.

Someone across from him clicked their tongue while he ducked to hide his overheated face, grumbling, "Lucky," just loud enough for him to hear. Adrien resisted the urge to chuckle.

You have no idea...

It didn't take long at all to settle the arch on the ground. By the time it was done, the square was mostly clear, with only a few stragglers beelining for the gates. Both hero and akuma were nowhere to be seen.

Right, thought Adrien, looking around as the helpers dispersed, now to find a place to--- whose kid is that?

It was hard to tell with little kids, but Adrien was pretty sure the girl couldn't have been more than six. She was huddling at the edge of the square and looking around with the most heartbreakingly worried look he'd ever seen.

He was moving before he thought about it, following the wall (he didn't want to get caught out in the open when the battle came back around) in a power walk that was half-run, not wanting to scare the girl but moving quick in his own worry.

He'd barely cleared half the distance when Lovebug appeared over the far side of the square, a sliver of baby pink against the clear blue sky approaching at high speed.

Adrien broke into a run.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the akuma land in the middle of the abandoned square. It had been divested of its ray gun, and was holding its yo-yo like a throwing stone, looking around for a new advantage.

Adrien could sense the moment it spotted the child, and swore his heart stopped.

One frantic scan revealed an abandoned flagpole in his path. Adrien barely stopped to scoop it up before he was breaking into a full sprint, holding the bare end over his shoulder like a baseball bat.

He got there just in time.

The yo-yo was thrown to capture, not harm, but he still managed to track it well enough to hit it like a ball. The shock travelled up his unprotected arms to the shoulder as the weapon whirled back to its owner.

Keeping the pole high, Adrien put himself between the child (who'd been knocked down by the clash and was now sniffling quietly, staring up at the two of them with large, teary eyes) and the akuma, who was clutching its pink-and-white weapon to its pink-and-white chest and snarling.

"Oh man," he panted, forcing a smile and taunting out of pure habit. "Chat Noir likes kidnappers now? That's really ap-paw-ling."

He was just Adrien, weak and human and civilian with only his wit and a flagpole to protect this kid from a supervillain who'd given every indication that it was hellbent on taking his partner out of the game --- who may have already taken his partner out of the game --- but there was no way Chat could turn up here, not unless he wanted to blow his identity right out of the stratosphere.

...He really hoped the akuma hadn't taken Ladybug out of the game.

Lovebug curled its lip at him. "And who are you supposed to be, wannabe?"

Adrien, dressed in his everyday clothes, let the tip of the flagpole dip in spite of himself. "Are you really taking shots about fashion at a con?"

This, oddly, seemed to infuriate it. It wound back its throw with a twitching motion and snapped, "Who cares about clothes, copycat?" before firing it off.

Adrien had the time to realize, oh oops, it was the cat puns, before he was tangling the yo-yo with his flagpole and engaging in a game of tug of war with a magically enhanced fangirl.

...It was, perhaps, not the best decision he'd ever made.

"Are you saying you don't judge a cat by its fur?" he said, ignoring the pesky little voice of his self-preservation. It was a lot louder when he wasn't transformed. "Be-claws that what it sounds like you're doing to me. I could totally be that kitten you're smitten with, for all mew know."

Right, said the voice of self-preservation, which sometimes it sounded like Ladybug and sometimes like Nathalie, but usually just sounded like Plagg. Because antagonizing the magically enhanced fangirl sounds like a better idea.

Even so, the spasm that crossed the akuma's face was incredibly satisfying --- like a very small, very contained detonation of pure rage.

"You little---!!"

Yyyep, Adrien was still dead.

"Adrien?!"

---or not?

Adrien looked up.

Ladybug was perched on one of the gates, yo-yo held at the ready and a very strange look on her face as she stared at the tableau.

Adrien, dressed in just his blue jeans and t-shirt and playing tug of war with a magically enhanced fangirl to protect a small child, had nothing to say for himself. It was only a small comfort that the akuma, who was on a jealous rampage over a certified bumbling dork who was very publicly in love with someone else, while playing tug of war with a civilian over a child, probably didn't have much to say for itself either.

The child, the only truly blameless one there, lit up at the sight of the heroine.

"Ladybug!" she squeaked, incidentally giving voice to Adrien's exact reaction whenever he saw said heroine.

His own (voiced), "Ladybug," was both far more reserved and far more relieved, but given that he'd already embarrassed himself pretty hard asking for her autograph earlier, he figured he was entitled to a little dignity.

Lovebug looked rather like it wished nobody had any dignity. "...Ladybug."

"Hey, Ladybug!" said the little girl, who had perked right up at her arrival and was now hiding behind Adrien's leg. "Where's Chat?"

"Yeah, Ladybug," Lovebug mocked bitterly, glove creaking around its yo-yo line. "Where's Chat?"

Ladybug's gaze flitted from the young child's look of expectant hopefulness to the akuma's look of condensed hatred and landed on Adrien most-definitely-not-Chat-Noir Agreste, who was holding a metal pole and pretending to be a hero like an idiot.

Ladybug then smiled uncomfortably and said, "Well, I'm not really sure, but don't worry. I can take care of this."

(The fanboy in Adrien squealed.

Ladybug was just really cool, okay?)

The akuma, shockingly, was not of the same opinion. It detangled its weapon from Adrien's makeshift staff, murder in its eyes.

Jumping to the ground behind it, Ladybug dropped into a battle pose. She caught Adrien's eye over the villain's shoulder and mouthed run!

Adrien didn't need to be told twice.

Dropping down on one knee, he scooped an arm under the little girl, hoisted her onto his hip, and took off running.

It was much, much easier to get to the gate than it had been before; with Lovebug distracted and Love-Ray-less, and no shifting, fleeing crowds, the path was clear.

But carrying a child as he ran was more of a drag than Adrien had thought it would be, in the most literal sense. Levering buses and carrying large stone statues as Chat had been far easier than this. His thighs burned, ankles straining under the weight, and he was completely out of breath by the time he delivered her to the gate. He set the girl down and was barely able to usher her through before he had to stagger back, hands on his knees.

Gasping, Adrien turned, intending to do one more sweep of the makeshift fighting ring to make sure nobody had accidentally been left behind. But just as he did, the decorative gate statues --- seven-meter-tall crying angels --- tilted behind him, silently enough to be unnoticed until they collapsed in an ear-splitting crash.

Adrien yelped, ducked, and covered, waiting until bits of cement shrapnel stopped stinging his back before he surveyed the damage with trepidation.

His way out was completely blocked.

Lovebug had somehow toppled the statues one on top of the other. If Adrien wanted to get out, he'd have to spend a worrying amount of time helpless and exposed as he crawled over them.

Which wasn't too bad, actually --- he didn't need to exit through the gate. All he needed to do was avoid the akuma for long enough to find a nook and transform.

That was easy enough, right?

Wrong, said the magically indestructible string winding tight around his middle.

Adrien was knocked clean off his feet.

What happened next was a confusing clatter of snapshots: Lovebug's scrapbook hole-punch eyes glittering as it held him off the ground by his shirt collar, Ladybug's wordless noise of fury, the ancient wad of gum stuck to the cracks of the cobblestone he landed on, 'Bug and 'Bug locked in something that may have been battle, but could also have been especially furious interpretive dance...

Adrien rolled, head spinning (vertigo was among the things Plagg protected him from, apparently), and managed to get his feet under him, intent on making his getaway.

Building 14 looked like a good place --- big, already a little banged up, had a back door he could say Chat made it in through --- and Adrien managed to actually take a few steps before getting arrested again.

Lovebug didn't even have the grace to announce its presence; it just wrapped its hands around his neck and used him as a meat shield.

Scrabbling at its grip, Adrien choked, the world greying in the corners of his eyes and pressure building in the base of his skull, very much not in any nook where he could safely transform.

He pried his heavy eyelids open just in time to catch Ladybug's furious snarl as she dodged around him, and then he was free, on his knees on the ground rubbing his burning throat and trying to blink the stars out of his eyes, unsure if he dared to get up and run again.

When he finally looked up, his decision was made: Ladybug was now also on the ground, trussed up with Lovebug murmuring to her as it reached for her earrings.

One split second of tunnelling vision and white-hot panic, and Adrien decided that the nook could wait.

His lady needed him now.

Body-slamming Lovebug was kind of startling because he hadn't realized he'd started to move until he was already there. But then Ladybug was tumbling out of her binds and grabbing his arm, hissing at him to stay behind her, and Adrien rolled with it as best he could.

Fighting without Plagg's help wasn't ideal, but he didn't have any alternative. Gripping the flagpole in both hands, he widened his stance and settled in for the long haul.

Just Adrien would have to do.

To his utter surprise, Just-Adrien, armed with only a flagpole and his wit, actually did do.

It was hard --- punishingly so, he'd never had more appreciation for what Plagg did for him --- but he did it. He kept his lady safe. He kept Ladybug safe, and even managed to be a help instead of a hindrance. For all the times he'd needed saving, more than once during that battle he'd saved her life in turn.

It was a funny realization to come to, and an intense satisfaction.

He felt like he'd proved himself worthy somehow.

Adrien watched the white butterfly escape into the sunset and sighed explosively, bracing his hands on his knees and shaking as the adrenaline started to fade.

His entire body hurt from head to toe, a mixture of bruises and scrapes and overexertion. He'd sweated through his shirt, too-soft materials turned cloyingly clingy on his back and stomach, his hairline and forehead itchy with the strands of hair plastered to his skin. He felt both too hot and too cold, the itch under his skin as well as on top of it, and...

He felt good.

He'd helped.

Adrien Agreste had helped.

Even without his powers, even without his mask, Adrien Agreste had still helped.

He dragged a hand through his hair, unsticking it from his sweaty forehead, contemplating sitting down for a bit before he had to go face the music with Gorilla, and looked up to find Ladybug just... staring at him.

Staring at him with a very strange look on her face, yo-yo forgotten in her hand and the de-akumatized fan regaining her feet behind her.

"...What?" he asked when the odd look in her eye and her blank stare finally got to him.

(Didn't they need to be looking after the victim right now...?)

Ladybug twitched like he'd startled her out of a trance. Her hand raised like she wanted to rub the back of her neck, but she gave up halfway there, still staring at him wide-eyed. "...Thank... thank you."

Adrien actually did rub the back of his head, fingers slipping on the sweat, and felt his face heat a bit more. "Oh, uh, no problem."

"You were... uh..." Ladybug trailed off, fidgeting with her yo-yo. Her voice dropped and a shy little grin flitted across her face. "You were really cool."

...Had Adrien said he was hot and cold? Sorry, that was a mistake; he was just hot --- flushed glowing red with embarrassed pleasure from his scalp to his belly.

Ladybug said he was cool.

The fanboy in Adrien was on the verge of a dead faint.

"Me? O-oh, I... Uh." He squeezed the back of his neck, feeling the skin under his fingers burn, and found that he couldn't look at her at all. "I mean, you're way cooler."

Ladybug was still looking at him, and he managed to glance up in time to see her eyes flash.

Adrien's mouth went bone dry.

"Cooler than you... hot stuff?"

Adrien sort of registered that she'd cocked her head and winked and flashed him a dorky smile that would've given him heart failure on a regular day, but he was mostly busy feeling every single one of his mental processes coming to a screeching, crashing, clattering halt.

Holy shit.

Her voice.

(Thick and purring and... and... He didn't have words for what it sounded like, except that his hormones were pretty happy to paint all sorts of other scenarios where she might sound like that.)

He swallowed enough saliva back into his mouth to answer, "Of course. No---no one is cooler than you," and then was right back to square one, panting and trembling and much, much too hot.

At least he couldn't feel the burn in his legs any more. He couldn't really feel them at all.

"I don't know..." Ladybug murmured, leaning into him. Her eyes flicked down to his mouth, tracking his tongue when it ran across his lips. "I think you could give me a run for it."

...Holy shit.

Hello, you have reached the residence of Adrien Agreste. I'm not able to take your call at the moment; would you like to leave a message?

Yes, Ladybug wanted to leave a message --- but she didn't bother with a tidy little request summary with her number tacked on at the end, no.

She just caught him by the back of his neck and crashed her mouth into his.

Adrien made a strangled noise of not-protest and leaned into it, fire racing up his spine and pins-and-needles prickling his limbs, mind stuck in a broken feedback loop of holy shit holy shit Ladybug holy shit that's Ladybug holy shit.

It was Ladybug's thumb digging into his cheek as she kept him right where she wanted him, and it was Ladybug who kissed him with bruising force as he sluggishly responded. It was Ladybug's breath stuttering against his cheek and Ladybug's lips sliding between his own. It was Ladybug who was sighing something high and breathy and heated, Ladybug who hummed, and Ladybug who was taking every bit of Adrien and turning him inside out.

And then her earrings beeped.

As suddenly as she'd kissed him, she ripped herself away, dark eyes huge and lips flushed bright red. She did a double take as soon as she focused in on him, clamping her mouth shut and swallowing visibly.

...Adrien kind of wanted to know what he looked like, to make her look like that.

"A-a-a-anyway," she rasped, gaze firmly fixed on his mouth as she staggered back. "Thanks for your help, Ah-Adrien. I couldn't---" She gulped. "Couldn't have done it without you."

Adrien, jaw somewhere in the vicinity of his knees, managed to nod.

"Right!" said Ladybug, staggering less and stumbling more. "I will. Go. Because... Because I gotta." She waved at her ears.

Adrien nodded again.

Ladybug flailed for a few more seconds and then squeaked, "Bye!" and fled.

Adrien waited until she was out of sight to drop to his knees.

...Holy shit.

Behind him, the akuma's victim groaned.

"You too?" the girl snapped. "She's not all that!"

And then she actually looked at him, and groaned again. "Why does no one listen to me."

Adrien didn't have much of an answer for her, sadly; his ears were still ringing, and he was finding it pretty hard to think around the excited heat in his lips.

The girl gave up in disgust, getting up and wandering back into the con crowd that was slowly returning through the seams of the square.

Plagg took this as a signal that it was safe to poke his head out.

"...If you keep yammering on about how you got her autograph after this, I'm gonna judge you so hard."

Adrien tried to say Haha, very funny, and produced an incomprehensible croak instead.

Holy shit.