#yes the future was saved but so was somebody destined to destroy it

[energeticpoltergeist]

FE Secret Santa (10/10)

Robin(male) for @silversongmsp

My final submission of the year for the @feshippingpolls secret santa event

[supercorp-hosie]

My thoughts for Legacies 316: (here we go again😂)

(I’m combining after thoughts with live thoughts)

1) The soundtracks for this episode are amazing, they fit very well even for Finsie that I heard that a lot of people were complaining on Reddit.

2) I finally get my team Sowanby! I just feel so much from them! They kind of make a great team, but please, do not go on another heist again. You both sucks at that! The holes are, the museum don’t have a fucking alarm for Leonardo DaVinci’s work? Are you kidding me? And Landon beating the shit out of the guard but not putting him out first is so dumb. The worst is Cleo calling Landon’s name so loud, I can’t😂😂😂😂😂😂 you don’t want people to be on your back when you have the Malivore threat going on guys! And ha! You guys are on the headline! That’s why I really feel like these supernaturals are so outdated and solidified from modern technology, even in 2030! Are you going to tell me everything technology will still be the same like now?? Come on, there’ll be cameras watching everywhere. Like they can see Cleo using magic! I need my Trimini (or bridge) coven and Hope starting to integrate the supernatural world with the modern world. About Trimini and Hope future career, click here.

3) the line about “many who shaped it are never acknowledged” I stand! After that, about the key card my random thoughts were about Landon being the one that stole the key card😂 just out of the blue and I’m proven wrong though.

4) Landon bonding with Cleo!!!! They thought the same way, and “I can promise that anyone that have to get to you, they have to get to me” is so strong! But the scene after, is the moment I started really doubting Landon, the look is too alarming. But there are still Sowanby scenes😭😭😭 and the melted heart mud... I mean I genuinely believed that the spell didn’t work because Landon is also mud himself. But in hindsight it is horrific, like the serial killer is just standing next to you but and the signs are right in front of you.

5) Malivore mud being artistically friendly! I can’t haha! Oh and when Holarke walked on Sowanby inspiring moment🤣🤣🤣I can’t, they act like both of them are cheating on one another it’s hilarious. Thank you for acknowledging each other Holarke and Sowanby🤣. By now, I should have known that’s MaliLandon. It’s humiliating because Holarke and Sowanby got me so happy that I didn’t see the clues lmao! Because there’s this line: “Following the footstep of the Renaissance greatest man? ” but this thing, Cleo only did it with Leonardo, with whom she slept with......

6) And damn, after that, I felt like a FOOL, CLOWN, WHATEVER after that! All I have for team Sowanby is fake 🙃🙃🙃🤡🤡🤡 Anyway we still have to admit that the promise still stand true right, cuz it’s literal.🤣🤣🤣 MaliLandon fulfills his promise by eating Cleo. TYPICAL.

7) Holarke! Clarke is still handsome as ever😍. We can see his presence is clearly affecting Josie and making Hope giving him information. Can we talk about how cute is he sleeping soundly here?

8) Lizzie being the only unaffected queen here. AND IT’S FINALLY LIZZIE’S TURN FOR “AD SONNUM” I can totally see her pleasantness in doing that to somebody after being on the receiving end🤣🤣🤣 Josie and Hope had done it before so now we actually see her doing it. I somehow feel completed.

9) The look Hope and Josie shared. Hosie!

10) Josie is going to be the death of me! I like her look. And how the camera moving upward gosh! And I’m totally digressing here, what is a razzleberry? And what is a slush? I have no idea what they are, I just feel like tasting what she tasting now. Lizzie’s line, crashing and splashing😂 Am I colour blind? Cuz I really can’t tell whether Hope is wearing dark blue or dark green 😅 if it’s green, then the traffic lights colour are back again lol. If blue, then Hosie matching clothes! Did Finsie ever have matching colours? I’m just wondering.

11) Hosie scene! They talked about how seeing Clarke traumatised Josie~~ damn and Josie says traumatised is her permanent resting state. I mean even on her birthday she was buried alive lmao. And Hope wants to help Josie stop the traumas by sacrificing herself to defeat Malivore, like by literally dying. Which she didn’t want because she didn’t want to live forever.

12) Holarke scene again! I love all those banters and their dynamics😂😂 how Hope is the only one that trusts Clarke now. The mimic spell! It’s their thing😍😍. Oh it totally surprised me that Clarke isn’t mud man anymore. I’m really happy for him, because he finally break himself out of the abuse! It seems like triad is totally gone?? But I still kind of think that there may be something more? And Clarke’s reaction to Hope opening the artefact! 🤣🤣🤣 and the way that Clarke sensed the familiarity with Cleo! Yea boy, she’s the inspiration to the creation of you.

13) Clarke keeps calling Hope and Landon kids🤣 how’s the feeling of getting kid!Hope kicking your ass and saving you😂😂😂 oh she’s totally your equal. Frenemies at best! YES! I love Holarke bonding. And the fact that Clarke being Hope inspiration to believe in friendship and her family now can help her to defeat Malivore, I Stan! Don’t lose sight of the corner! Josie! Lizzie! Clarke! Yes you have them! I’m glad that Clarke didn’t die, I’ll be so mad because the writer would be bringing him back for nothing. Oh the incendia is painful, affecting me more than the fake looking MaliLandon eating Cleo. The height difference again🤣 with Holarke this time.

14) I love Maleb clothes, not really shipping them just short form for their bromance😂 but I do enjoy if there suggests shipping cuz it’s fun! Love that them being supportive of each other, superheroing, and the hero name🤣🤣they’re clueless too. Poor Kaleb and Cleo. I really need his backstory 😫

15) about hero names, I’m still having playback of “blursome and essential” in my mind. MG is looking at the mask longer than Kaleb, I feel like he’s missing Ethan, like a lot. Another thing is, since we see the effect of someone else being compelled so clearly, but we never seen Ethan’s compelling effects. Or it’s a budget matter? They must be kidding right? So maybe Ethan is really faking it? So that leads us to Lethan....

16) if my suspicion is true, then damn, Ethan is using Lizzie to get into SBS? I’m worried for Lizzie’s wellbeing. Also the look on Josie when Ethan drives near tight after she said like some eligible will fall out of the sky🤣🤣🤣 the timing is impeccable lmao. For real, Lizzie wanting Ethan to be Hope’s rebound after her kiss with him in the trio imagination, is ....so the trio is now sharing guys now? Jandon is still there in the history! It’ll be like a very messing love multi-triangle😌😌���

17) the way Lizzie talked about how Hope is perfect the whole way and judging by the day when they arrived at SBS? That’s very long! Lmao, Lizzie are you sure you’re not in love with Hope? Hizzie rights! (I don’t even know when I started to ship Hizzie, it’s a mystery🤣) I think I can only talk like that about my love. Why don’t you make you and your sister Hope’s rebound? I’ll be happy with what I get🤣

18) The decision to bring Ethan on a tour, is so bad. What if ethan ended up enrolling SBS and Alaric can’t deny the application? Did she ever think of that?? And Josie and Mg is going to face the consequences in the near future🤣 dreadful! From there I already felt the cliche sweetness that when you’re trying to be a wingwoman and ended up “selling” yourself out🤣🤣 fuck CW for cutting the scenes of Lizzie’s epic facial expression when she was slapped with her own words😂😂😂anyway, it’s no way she can refuse the ask out after 315 where Lizzie still thinks that she can’t be the chosen one when Hope is there, but someone actually chooses her even after all the Hope is perfect speech. As much as I mourn for Methan and Mizzie, I’m happy that she got someone to tell her that. But I think they’re destined to backfire😅

19) so does the Mizzie “will they won’t they?” officially end here? I’m confused. Btw it’s really a way to mention Sebastian’s death being relocated permanently 🤣 oh wait...she knew that that prison world is destroyed forever right????? Someone save me.

20) okay I have to go back before Ethan picked the twins up: while Lizzie is actually worrying about themselves being stranded, Josie is just more concerned about Hope? Hosie! Poor Josie, she never sees that she is Hope soft spot and can totally make Hope happy too. Look at your dumb joke at 103, Hope’s laugh is magnificent too. It’s because of you. And yes I’m with Josie, I just ship Hope with herself and her axe right now, don’t put her with anyone for at least 5 more episode please.

21) The one that doesn’t dissolve into goo! Now is Clarke! And the both of you my dear twins. Btw, the dna thing, where Clarke confirms that dna is still toxic... so it applies to Landon too right? And it’s now just more overwhelmingly apparent that handon sex is without protection. Yea so much for epic love. And this is about the possibility where (hopefully) it’s not MaliLandon when the sex scene happened.

22) Finsie time! I got to say, it’s really improving. Their scene is beautiful, finally. That feeling that they’re nice together is now going on continuous for me. I’m happy for them! They are now stepping up on Hosie, not derogatory, I’m just seeing some parallels from hosie here. The disclose of Ethan broken arm, where Hosie has done, before that there’s Clarke’s traumatising Josie thing with Hosie. Next, the focus on the hand holding, I’m thinking of 207 and others. The “me being here with you”, with hosie 308 “then I’ll be here with you”. The whole thing is very comforting for Josie. The hug is good too. We can see that they finally have some nice scene and the bgm is good for them.

23) I have no idea what is magical agronomy, so I look it up. Again, that shows how Josie love plants, like someone in Reddit said they observed that Josie’s side of room has several plants. And in 307, the herbs, that she remembers. I think it can help a lot if Hope is starting a magical technology company. Josie’s interest in that can come in handy. They’ll make a great team. About TRIMINI INDUSTRIES tap here.

24) we are still missing Jed here. Justice for Jed. We need Jed real first name. Did anyone notice when the super squad faces MaliLandon there’s no werewolf present? They’re really downplaying that huh? But maybe I can be satisfied that they are not making Finch being there but not Jed.

25) We need to address this thing about Handon. It’s like one and a half time that Hope couldn’t recognise that Landon is not Landon right? We still have to give credits to her memories shared with Cleo actually make Cleo kind of recognise the difference? So half a time. I agree with Josie’s words that Landon makes Hope happy. I mean, yes, most of the time they failed in working but there’s still sweet scenes between them. So that’s actually what makes Handon tolerable. They are what makes me only do facepalm rather than skipping them. So yes of course Hope has happy moments with Landon. Just that it doesn’t mean that they’re good together.

26) it’s always Landon’s bros that first find out Landon wasn’t Landon😂 this time is Clarke. It’s Clarke that tell Hope, “Landon will never leave you”. That’s the inconsistency of the writers, not counting MaliLandon’s time, it’s still two times. And there’s time that some will argue that Landon’s feet literally walk away from Hope. So...that’s not true, do not stuff that in our throat anymore. “I always thought you two are destined to be together” is this the writer way of saying they’re not doing Handon anymore or otherwise? Cuz “thought” is past tense and “are” is present tense. I’m tired. It’s normal that Hope still wants Landon to be happy and still love him. But after the breakup, when she still doesn’t know that it’s MaliLandon, the “still dying to get Landon again” is obsession. Girl, it’s derogatory to your self-esteem. “If a mud man like me can beat his fate, maybe you kids can too” yea that’s Handon going on.

27) we shouldn’t need to be told that Handon is epic love multiple times. We should be able to feel them, see them ourselves. Why did I start approving Finsie now, because instead of them being only all talking and no showing, now we see them working well (until now). I have been widely accepting to any other legacies ships and why I never ship Handon? So really these multiple telling us that how good is Landon to Hope, is not working. I’ve never been so frustrated.

28) Let’s appreciate the Handon parallel with 101. It’s interesting that how Landon is inside the cage and Hope is outside the cage again. The meaning of the cage has deep meaning here. Handon first kiss is in the cage, that kind of mean that their love is trapped there. Like how their relationship being so troublesome and bound by these fateful encounters. The lights are quite similar, handon always has this blue lighting for them, which sometimes it’s kind of weird. The first time it is Hope decorating the ceiling with stars for Landon. It’s sweet, but also implying that what Handon has is the false beauty of them and not keeping the cage symbolism in mind. In other way of interpreting it, this is the writer foreshadowing their endgame. Cuz they’re trapped there, no way in no way out.

29) I think I’m not the only one bothered by the mostly lack of real Landon appearance in s3. As we can see how MaliLandon words sits so right about, Landon not belonging to SBS if it weren’t Hope. Then he leaves with Cleo, that’s a thing for Sowanby too, they still don’t have roots with the school, and it’s a great bonding between them, friendship or not. It’s the bond between them that matter. In 314 315, we always see that the students were totally fine without Landon. Like the three trios paralleling? It’s sad that Landon is like bouncing here and there in SBS but never really belong. And now the writers kind of ripped his personal development. So now he has neither his pheonix powers nor fighting skills, great? And even Hope’s growth too. We are seeing her moving to a good direction and the writers have to drag her back in the hell hole. Hope needs to not always looking at Landon for her happiness, it’s not good for the both of them. Like MG said, be your own person.

30) THEORIES regarding Landon: a) It’s MaliLandon all the way? I hope not, it’s reminding me of Lost Girl that one of the characters slept with the father personating the person she loves, and got pregnant. Tell you what was more alarming? When the episode ended, I was recommended to move on to Lost Girl on CW seed. It’s disgusting! Why do you want to help make me hate Handon? I don’t even hate them initially! I’m like struggling to be logical and lean on the positive side here. Why I can’t move on from this possibility: first, I’ve always headcannon that Malivore has partial control over Landon. Like how Landon actually wasn’t lying in 102 103? That’s Malivore. And Handon, as genius as always, doesn’t talk about it. Second, the way that Landon dissolved, he was human back then, but he turns into goo? how does it even work? If he is human, toxic to dna will make him die, not become goo, right? Even if that wasn’t a problem, it can also be MaliLandon trying his luck. Third, Malivore purpose is to make the perfect legacy, he will totally give it a try to make tribrid-Malivore babies. Fourth, during the inspiration from Cleo, MaliLandon has Landon’s memories, enhancing the theories that Malivore has partial control over Landon, so even if it wasn’t MaliLandon, it’s still partial-MaliLandon. Fifth, after the inspiration, MaliLandon said that he doesn’t need Hope to tackle his problem or for his purposes, which means he initially wanted Hope, thinking getting to Hope can help with his purposes. It’s really not a far-fetched.

31) THEORIES regarding Landon: b) it’s real Landon during sex, but Malivore got him in the prison world. While having Landon’s personal growth ripped and Handon still dragging out are not pleasant at all, this is still a more pleasant theory for me. At least Landon did start fighting for himself after sometime, and while the sex is still partial-MaliLandon, at least it’s not MaliLandon. (I’m always using at least for Handon 🙃) maybe we can still have Landon fighting skills? Cuz I was happy for him about this though. But I just don’t think so. The evidence for this theory is, my feeling about Landon in 306 is that it kind of fits Landon personality, but he did start his violence there. Another thing is the letter. There’s care in “to whom it may concern”. However, that can be just me being simp. And there’s also possibilities that the partial control from Malivore is cultivating Landon’s behaviour starting there and slowly taking control. Because making a deal with the devil always has its consequences. It’s either that or Landon was taken after the letter.

32) regarding the picture above, i just want to point out about another interesting point about the structure of the scene, if you scroll back and see sowanby picture with the door and another bonding talk, you can se that there’s always pillar and frames that’s framing or trapping them together. Like Handon. I mean that’s totally MaliLandon, so this pointing out is not mean to be romantic. It’s just a thought about how devastating that Cleo is stuck in something her whole life, especially the picture structure that implies that she’s stuck with MaliLandon again.

33) overall I’m thinking this is a good and disgusting episode. With all the unexpected twist, it’s really good, there’s actually layers in showing us that Landon is not Landon every time. Then those bonding. The soundtrack, the scenes. Disgusting, is about the theory, and how we are all tangled back to Handon again after we finally have some fresh air. Not to mention the always surprisingly convenient that Landon always has an excuse when we see Landon did something bad to Hope. Like he can never be making big mistake while only having little questionable doings that can’t possible tarnish him being the perfect person in the show. The first time he lies, Malivore controlled him. During the pageant competition, he is justified to walk away when he totally chose the wrong timing to ask that question, leaving Hope alone breaking in front of such important event. 207, monsters are coming for him, he’s protecting people by leaving. Musical episode, he needs to cross boundaries because it’s bound to be, without further reasoning it with Hope, when Hope specifically was very respectful of him in 111 about his songs. And now, this. That’s not him, we can’t blame him. He will never be blame for something big because the writers is biased. Very biased in making that Landon is better than anyone else in the show, so he’s the perfect guy for Hope. Like no one can compare with him. He’s almost perfect. Perfect than Hope.

34) Reflect on what Hope did in 308, MG is kind of right, she shouldn’t have touched it without fully prepared. Because it totally let Malivore running out free instead of him being an originally contained problem. It’s for the good view in whole. Heroes make hard decisions. There’s still the hair thing cut from Hope and Golem!Landon.

These pictures is my work, while it’s easy to get it yourself, and not that I’m professional in doing this. But I still did screenshot them one by one and did some editing. So please like or label the sources when you save or use it. ♥️

[bigskydreaming]

thehollowprince said: And I also stand by the opinion that they could have just done a solo run of the O5 X-Men starting a new timeline with the information they got from the future.

thehollowprince said: Its not like Marvel doesn’t constantly do AUs and retcons

OMG Josh you have no idea how bad I wanted this. They could’ve done SO MUCH with that concept. Letting the 05 keep their foreknowledge and the world they could have created with that?

They could’ve averted the initial Krakoan mission and saved Darwin, Gabe, Petra and Sway in the first place. They could have all been X-Men from their Day One, Scott and Alex would have actually gotten to KNOW their brother and Gabe quite possibly would never have gone full Dark Side despite the writers apparently now seeming obsessed with the idea there’s just something innately bad within Gabe that’s always destined to bear fruit at some point, ugh, whatever, like who do you think you are, Kant?

They could’ve recruited the Giant Size X-Men lineup earlier, and saved John Proudstar, who side by side with his brother Jamie, are a force to be reckoned with. 

They could have convinced Pietro and Wanda to join them instead of the Avengers and been like no but seriously that way lies nothing but shitty storylines and bad decisions that will be blamed on you by your teammates despite the fact that any and all of the bad decisions that were ACTUALLY yours could have been averted if any of your teammates were capable of functioning as an actual support system. Come join us. We have actual support systems, except for the times when we don’t, but we recruited Deadpool to break the fourth wall and he and Logan are currently cutting through the ranks of every writer who would write as hating and fighting each other instead of being a loving fucking family goddammit.

Jean could have faced the Phoenix head-on when the time for that came, using her knowledge of the future not to fear an inevitable death, but rather to know she had nothing TO fear, that the power to not control this force, but just be ONE with it, with no NEED to control it or be controlled by it, a symbiotic union, two beings in harmony deciding on courses of action together. The Phoenix’s innate powers and prerogative of rebirth and destruction tempered by Jean’s mercy, aimed and focused by Jean’s reason, the double-edged sword that is fire capable of warming homes or destroying them completely combined with Jean’s conscience guiding it to use its power for the former rather than the latter.

They could have stopped the Legacy Virus from getting out and killing millions as well as spared us from migraines induced by an AIDS metaphor so shitty at being a metaphor most people forget it was literally written to be an AIDS metaphor.

The body swap would never have happened and Kwannon could have joined the X-Men as a full member from the time she was introduced, rather than dragged along in the wake of Betsy’s tangled storylines for a couple decades.

They could have stopped Fitzroy from killing the Hellions. Hell, if they train Illyana early enough and have her mentored by Wanda who is perfectly fucking competent when left to her own devices, then like, maybe they can even take a jaunt to the future to save Fitzroy from dying in the first place and being resurrected with no soul. Not gonna lie, ever since then I’ve kinda been seriously interested in what the hell would a hero version of Trevor freaking Fitzroy even BE like, y’know? Call it morbid fascination, but like. I kinda want it, guys. LOL.

Add to that note, they could have taken another jaunt to the future and rescued Rachel from being made into a Hound by Ahab. Through the power of some convoluted plot tangle I just made up for convenience, Scott still ends up in a relationship with Maddy briefly, in one of those self-fulfilling prophecy type things where he went into it with the full intention of just averting the future and saving Maddy from her fate as the Goblyn Queen, but somehow ended up in a love triangle with a very alive Jean and Maddy who is fully informed of Sinister’s shenanigans and quite displeased with that asshole, and look, I don’t know how all of this goes exactly, but let’s cut to the chase, my only real endgame with this is making sure that Nate’s born properly, saved from Apocalypse and the techno-virus by the combined efforts of Scott, Maddy and Jean as well as Uncles Warren, Bobby and Hank, and Jean calls up the Phoenix through some psychic bond or whatever and is like hey girl, can I hit you up for a loan real quick? Got some losers that need toasting. 

And in this AU the Phoenix totally has her back, and one brief cosmic power-up and gratuitous Sailor Moon transformation later, Jean glows and intones some epic one-liners with appropriate gravitas, and then just punts both Apocalypse and Sinister to the far side of the universe, never to be seen or heard from again. They like, hit a black hole on the way there I guess. It was very sad. Violin strings may commence with the requiem. Okay that’s enough, they can stop now.

So then through the plot contrivances of fuck you, I said so, Scott and Maddy ultimately part amicably and Scott and Jean get back together and the three of them civilly co-parent both baby Nate and Rachel, as Maddy keeps the healing powers she gained as Anodine and stays with the X-Men for her own reasons.

The telepaths are all better trained by the expertise Jean gained in her powers while in the future, so the next time the Shadow King comes bumming around looking to cause chaos, Betsy, Emma and Jean just look at each other and laugh and say nuh-uh before psychically squishing him into a marble.

Warren never becomes Archangel. Onslaught isn’t a thing. They make nice with Magneto and say okay you may have a couple points, let’s discuss. Bishop arrives in the past for reasons totally unrelated to his original story, has no traitor to seek out among the X-Men, and thus he and Gambit end up besties in complete defiance of that stupid fucking story and because I just think they’re neat together. Yes I said neat. Gambit and Bishop are just neat. Deal with it. 

Bishop still hates that Fitzroy guy though, he’s like, I don’t even know what it is about that guy, he just rubs me the wrong way, even though Fitzroy is not evil here and has always done good with his powers, which are channeled through a device Forge made him that lets him just absorb life force from a wide range around him, spread out and diluted enough that its like, the grass feels weird for a second, like whoa what even was that, and then its over. Actually, y’know what, scratch that. Fitzroy’s powers are stupid and unnecessary the way they are now anyway, so fuck it, this Fitzroy doesn’t need life force or whatever, he’s just a dude who makes time portals. He’s like Illyana with green hair and that ugly goatee. Hey I said this Fitzroy was non-evil, not that he was perfect.

Bobby’s out and proud since he was sixteen, and with actual competence and proficiency with his powers, which make him a Literal Unkillable Gay Icon, he’s an inspiration to LGBTQ+ teens everywhere and inspires other gay, bi and trans heroes to come out. He’s a big brother figure to all the baby gays that later join the X-Men, like, Rictor comes to him for advice back during the time equivalent to early X-Factor, when Rictor’s a trying-too-hard sixteen year old who thought college age Bobby was like the coolest, which is valid, because X-Factor Bobby was like A+ Bobby characterization and deserves more reads. 

So Rictor comes out earlier as well, and by the time they even meet Shatterstar, instead of a slow burn friends to roommates to lovers scenario, Rictor takes one look at the love of his life and wastes no time coming out swinging with an absolutely terrible pick up line. Look, I said his big brother figure Bobby was out and proud in this AU, not that he magically had a better sense of humor. Some things just don’t change, y’know? Luckily, Shatterstar is a weirdo, and thus he finds terrible pick-up lines charming. At least when its Rictor saying them. They walk off for a first date, already practically hand in hand, voices fading into the distance as Rictor asks “By the way, have you met Dazzler yet? According to Bobby, apparently she’s your mom. That Longshot dude with the mullet over there is your dad I guess. We should go say hi.”

Hank gets an assistant hand-picked by the rest of the original X-Men, and who has one job and one job only. To follow him around and observe all his experiments, and he has veto power over experiments that People With IQs As High As Yours Should Know Better But I Guess You’ve Got Reed Richards Syndrome.

Hank’s like, “Hmm, if I built a time machine I could go back to the Jurassic Period and observe whether my theory of - “

Hank’s assistant: “Veto.”

“Damn. Okay I was also thinking of making a deep space communicator that can reach into the farthest reaches of space beyond any known civilization and just say hi, y’know? See if anyone’s out there.”

“Veto.”

“If I combine these genetically modified antibodies here with this strain of of DNA from - “

“Veto.”

“Well Forge built this device that does this to mutant powers but I think I can make it do - “

“Veto.”

“These nanobots I - “

“VETO,”

“Honestly, at this point I think you’re just saying that just because you like saying it.”

“Dr. McCoy, I promise you, I’m really, really not.”

Logan finds out about his future clan of stabby children, and seeks them out. He rescues Daken from Romulus, somebody stabs that loser with the immortal-killing sword, I don’t even care who, and after a few tense months of Logan trying too hard, he and Daken eventually bond over how hockey just isn’t violent enough. If you’re going to make a sport all about hitting each other, just really go for it or don’t even bother, y’know? Logan claps him on the shoulder and sniffs. That’s my boy. Then they find and rescue Laura and Gabby and take a road trip to Earth 1610 to pick up Jimmy. They have a house on campus, and new students walking by it are used to hearing loud growling and even howls. They were assured during orientation that that’s nothing to worry about, it just means the House of Snikt are watching a game and are rooting for opposing sides. 

Emma’s recruited practically the day they get back. She’s only just started at the Hellfire Club and has only done a tiny bit of Evil when Warren schedules an appointment with her, and then he, Scott and Jean make a better pitch than Shaw and his ilk could ever match. They’ve been to the future. Come join with us and we’ll give you an all access pass to memories detailing exactly what’s going to happen in these particular areas and many more. All you have to do is ask. Oh and also please don’t seduce any married teammates. Its bad form. To be honest, I don’t think it’ll be an issue because Deadpool assures us Morrison has been taken care of, and don’t worry if that makes no sense to you, its a head-scratcher for us to. Just roll with it. 

Nate ages normally here so its not like he ends up besties with forty year old Wade, but the latter having his own plot-contrived knowledge of the future because He’s Just Like That, decides that he won’t be denied at least SOME kind of bond with The Bestie That Wasn’t. He becomes Nate’s official babysitter. Well, not official, seeing as how Scott, Jean and Maddy don’t hire him and are very clear that their son is not to be left alone with this man at any time, he is a terrible influence and he keeps giving our kid guns. But then Wade just shows up anytime they’re out because he just has a sixth sense for Making Trouble, and he terrifies away whatever babysitter’s there and greets the returning and exasperated parents with a cheery wave. 

“I know what you’re going to say, but don’t worry, we didn’t do anything dangerous or against the law. All we did today was I taught him to make bombs, but we were very careful, we wore safety goggles and really, they were very little bombs. Not even anything atomic. I honestly don’t think any of them could have even blown up this whole house, and I’ve been meaning to say, I’m not impressed with the structural integrity of this place. Couldn’t you have picked something with a sturdier foundation? Its like you don’t even expect random space mercenaries to attack your place out of the blue every other month. Have any of you even read a single issue of your own comics?”

Scott’s jaw twitches Ominously. Wade starts gathering up his things. Jean rubs her forehead wearily.

“Wade, what do you even think ‘dangerous’ means?”

Wade pauses and cocks his head. Gives it a solid twenty seconds of thought. Then he shrugs. 

“I don’t know actually. Don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it. I always figured it was just one of those things people just say. Like, ‘oh, it looks like rain today,’ even if they’re not a forecaster and have no real meteorological credentials to speak of. ‘Oh, this mission will be dangerous,’ and I don’t even have to use up all my ammo and I only get shot twice. Y’know?”

“Leave,” Scott says. More like intones. House shakes a little bit but that might just be Wade’s imagination. Its very active.

“Leaving!” He says hastily. He jumps through the closed window and then teleports away amid the falling shower of broken glass. Why didn’t he do that while he was still inside the room? No one knows. Not even Wade knows. Why did the chicken cross the road? Who the fuck cares, now is it Original Recipe or Crispy?

Scott, Jean and Maddy search the house while Nate angelically claims they won’t find anything, Wade doesn’t even bring him cool stuff anymore cuz he knows you’ll just take it.

Maddy finds a high-tech laser space gun under a floorboard in the closet. She holds it up with one eyebrow raised pointedly. Scott and Jean flank her and their own eyebrows raise in solidarity. Well Jean’s does. Scott’s probably does but its hard to tell sometimes. Depends on what glasses or visor he’s wearing.

“That was already there,” Nate tries. Most powerful telepath and telekinetic in the world, but the kid can’t lie for shit. There’s not much point in trying when one of your moms is the freaking Phoenix, and that’s a skill that takes practice he just doesn’t have. 

The three sets of parental eyebrows make a V, judgingly.

“One month of no video games or TV?” Okay, so terrible liar but quick on his feet. At least he knows when he’s beat and jumps straight to trying to shape his own punishment proactively.

“Two months. And no flying lessons either,” Jean says. “And don’t pout at me, young man. You know the rules. No weapons inside the house unless your grandpa Corsair is visitng and we’re too tired to fight him on keeping knives under his pillow. This is a Do As We Say, Not As We Do house. Deal with it. Now, this is going with the others and you can have it back when you’re eighteen.”

It would have been three months, but Jean and Maddy caught a telepathic sniff from Scott. He’s just so proud of his kid thinking so tactically. He’s growing up so fast. Both women mentally roll their eyes. Why is he like this.

“I don’t see what the big deal is anyway,” Nate sulks. “Its just a stupid laser gun. I mean, Uncle Gabe blew up our last house with his brain.” 

“Yes and it was an accident and he feels absolutely terrible about that which is why we’re not going to bring it up when he and Armando come visit this weekend, right?”

“You can have my full compliance for two weeks off my sentence.”

“Or we can have your full compliance or two weeks will be added to your sentence,” Maddy says.

“You guys suck,” declares the ten year old vessel of near unlimited psychic might. He goes to his room, stomping all the way up the stairs so his grievances can be heard even by the House of Snikt next door. Course, they’ve already been listening to the whole thing with their enhanced hearing. There was nothing good on TV. Jimmy made popcorn and chewed with his mouth open just to piss off Daken. 

‘The second Father leaves the room, I am going to stab you in such a slow healing place you’ll still be bleeding at bed time.’ Daken mouths at his little brother from another universe. Jimmy scrunches his face in confusion. 

‘What?’ He mouths back. He’s terrible at reading lips. Or anything that isn’t skateboarding, really. And yet Father’s so happy that ‘at least one of my kids is content with stupid normal stuff and doesn’t go around drawing cover fire just because a mission is going so well its boring and they haven’t even gotten to pop their claws out yet.’

“That’s only because you’ve coddled him. He’s barely ever even been shot at. Just the one time on vacation in Majipoor and he wasn’t even the target, the assassin was aiming for me. If you would just let me take him on a proper outing to gain some real experience - “

“Not gonna happen.” Logan shuts that down real quick.

“Really Father, just look at him. He has zero situational awareness. I’ve been glaring a hole in the back of his head for a full minute now and he has no idea. That could just as easily be an actual laser scope, you know. He’s a disgrace to the whole family.”

“Daken, we’ve been over this,” Logan says firmly. “You have your sisters to bond with over gratuitous violence. Leave your brother alone. I don’t want anyone traumatizing him until trauma finds him all on its own. It’ll happen sooner or later, he’s as much a part of this family as anyone and that means its as good as done already, so there’s no need to hurry it along. If later on he decides he’s got a taste for it, you can take him on all the outings to get shot at that you want. But he’s gotta figure it out for himself first, and he doesn’t need his big brother being the one who introduces him to all that. He idolizes you, you know.”

Daken scoffs. He can’t even get the brat to chew with his mouth closed.

“He cut his hair from that style he liked so much, just because you hated it so much,” Logan says obliviously. Daken nods like he’s conceding the argument and hastens from the room while he can still keep his mouth shut. It won’t benefit anyone at this point to tell their father that Jimmy really only cut his hair because Daken told him he would set it on fire if he didn’t. 

Ugh, families are the worst. Don’t even get him started on Laura stealing some of his clothes to wear without asking. And then has the gall to yell back at him when he yells “Silk! Its the finest cut of silk! Does that mean nothing to you?” at her.

“Oh get over it. Its not like I asked for killer robots to interrupt my date.”

“Of course they were going to interrupt your date with that Julian boy. I keep telling you, he’s a magnet for trouble. I can tell. I’m one too, remember?”

“Fine, whatever, you’re right and I should just expect every date with Julian from now until the end of time to end with fire and disaster.”

“Well now you’re being melodramatic. There’s no way that boy makes it past twenty five. He doesn’t even have a healing factor.”

“Why do you hate him so much anyway? If you���d just give him a chance - “

“What are you talking about? I give him a chance every single time he’s here and I don’t kill him.”

“Ugh, I can’t even talk to you when you’re like this. You always do this, you just decide on something and then you commit to that like the fate of the world depends on you standing firm on what’s usually a completely arbitrary decision in the first place!”

Daken sniffs. “I can assure you, there’s absolutely nothing arbitrary about my disdain for the Keller boy.”

“His name is Julian,” Laura enunciates with a glare.

“I don’t care,” Daken enunciates with an expression of lofty superiority.

“You two are so dumb,” Gabby says from the end of the hallway. They both turn identical glares on her. They’d noticed her arrive several minutes ago but they weren’t about to be distracted from their battle of wills. “Laura, you know Daken isn’t actually going to kill Julian. He doesn’t do that anymore except for really bad people sometimes and he just talks about stabbing people or killing them cuz he thinks he’s funny and then he gets all pissy because nobody ever gets that he doesn’t really mean it. He doesn’t even hate Julian and he used to be fine with him before he started dating you, its just he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you.”

Daken frowns at the petite would-be peacemaker. Meddlesome toddler. “What are you even babbling about? None of that is remotely true.”

Gabby rolls her eyes up at her brother from her much lower height. She taps the side of her nose with emphasis. “You do know we all have the same abilities to smell and analyze scents as you do, right? And you know everything you can tell from peoples’ scent, right? Of course I’m right, I can smell it as clear as anything and so can Jimmy and Dad and we actually all know this and talk about it all the time, and its why Dad never actually gets mad at you for talking about killing people because he can smell you’re saying it just cuz you’re used to saying it but really you’re too marshmallowy on the inside now to do half the stuff you claim you’re gonna do. Hate to break it to you bro, but you’re a closet softie and you’ve been made. The nose doesn’t lie. Only reason Laura doesn’t know it is because you piss her off like its your favorite hobby and its probably impossible for her to smell anything beyond her own scent of Royally Pissed Off.”

Ugh. Meddlesome insightful toddler. Who asked for her intervention anyway? Daken crosses his arms in a way that’s decidedly aloof and not at all sulking.

Laura’s staring at their sister assessingly. “That’s really what you think is going on? And Jimmy and Dad think so too? You’re not just saying all that?”

Gabby bats her eyes up at them. “Would I lie to you?”

“Yes,” Laura says without missing a beat.

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Daken says dryly, right on her heels.

“For the sake of a candy bar,” Laura adds, because that really did happen.

“Or just boredom, because god forbid you pick up another hobby that isn’t just Chaos.”

“This from the guy who only has fun when there’s blood and bullets flying about,” Gabby fires back from a position of petite petulance.

Daken smirks down at her. “Didn’t you just say I don’t really mean it when I say all of that?”

Gabby narrows her eyes. “Touché. My own words thrown back at me. I am undone.”

“Yes, well - “

Daken’s cut off as Jimmy chooses that moment to walk past them down the hallway to the bathroom. He’s laughing and shaking his head.

“You guys are both so dumb. She plays you like this all the time, and you never see it.”

“Silence, mortal!” Gabby thunders at their brother menacingly. The effect is somewhat diminished by the fact that she can’t hit a baritone note to save her life.

“No, I’m interested in hearing what he has to say,” Daken says coolly. “For once. This is a moment without precedent and one unlikely to occur again, so let’s explore it a bit.”

Jimmy sighs and shakes his head without ever losing that amused smirk. “Had to tack on that last part, didn’t you. Just couldn’t help yourself.”

“I am a faithful student of the Truth,” Daken says, matching his brother smirk for smirk.

“The point, Jimmy?” Laura prods aggressively before that can erupt into a wholly separate thing she wants no part of.

“Oh, right.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “Its kinda her thing with you two when you get like this. You pick a fight with Laura, Laura gets pissed off and succumbs to the family curse of Tunnel Vision at the Worst Possible Time, and you both go back and forth endlessly and like you have all the time in the world for your stupid tete a tete, because on account of you both being practically unkillable and immortal, you kinda do and you know it. And then whenever she gets bored of listening to you two, Gabby swoops in and draws both of your attention until you’re both so focused on being annoyed with her you don’t even realize you’re actually side by side agreeing with each other, and she keeps it up just long enough til she’s sure she can just say she’s bored now and just leave the room, leaving you both annoyed and frustrated by a fight you can’t even claim to have won because she really just kinda...left, in the middle of it, and you’re so focused on that, you’ve totally forgotten to be pissed at each other. And by the time you do remember, like, the moment has passed and peace has been returned to the kingdom. Or at least as peaceful as this place ever gets.”

Daken stares at his mistake of a brother in the hopes that if he stalled long enough, his senses would arrive at a different conclusion. But nope. Scents don’t lie, unlike baby sis, apparently. He’s telling the truth. And Daken really does not....care for that conclusion.

Gabby stamps her foot and glares up at their brother.

“You are such a tattletale. I am providing a service, by keeping this family free of these two constantly at each others throats, and how is that service repaid? With betrayal! I hate you, you’re dead to me. Never speak to me again or at least not until I’ve stopped being mad at you, but that could be like ten years or something, I don’t even know right now.”

She draws up to her full height and squares her shoulders as she thunders this Mighty Mouse style at the still laughing Jimmy. Then, seeing she’d yet to make a dent in his armor of amusement and he was failing to take her pronouncement seriously, she punctuated her declaration by spitting on their brother’s shoe. Daken’s eyebrows shoot up again, this time in amusement of his own. Gabby then spins around on her heel and stalks off down the hallway, muttering more dire threats under her breath as she goes, the sound of them nonetheless carrying clearly to three siblings with enhanced hearing of their own. And apparently, little sis could be quite creative. Who knew she’d been hiding such talent?

Jimmy barely even notices; he’s still staring down at his shoe.

“Dude, you spit on me! That’s so not cool.”

“Some things need to be expressed so strongly, mere words will not suffice,” Daken says loftily, savoring a slightly renewed sense of superiority.

One quickly dashed, of course, because apparently he just can’t have anything.

“Bold words from the seventy year old who needed the sixteen year old to clue him in he’s being regularly manipulated by the twelve year old,” Jimmy fires back. As a return volley, its obnoxiously effective, and Daken’s still grinding his teeth and searching for an adequate rejoinder as Jimmy just grins even wider and then strolls off down the hallway as well. Whistling either an absolutely hideous song or else proof that he’s absolutely hideous at whistling. Tough call. With him it could be either.

Daken and Laura both stare after him in silence as he rounds the corner and disappears, leaving only the lingering scent of smugness in his wake. Daken hates the scent of smugness. It has a particularly....cloying feel to it. Well not his of course. But everyone else’s, especially little brothers? Acrid is the only word adequate for that.

“Sometimes I really do want to stab him. Just a little bit. And I’m not even lying,” Daken says. Laura just nods, her own nose scrunched up in distaste as well.

“Honestly? Me too.”

Brother and sister enjoy the rare moment of solidarity.

“You know what’s really bugging me?” Laura says suddenly, still staring off down the hallway. Daken turns an inquiring eye on her, prompting elucidation. She frowns.

“Where the hell did he learn a phrase like tete a tete? I mean. Its Jimmy.”

Daken does know what she means, and frowns as the nagging awareness of that leaps from his sister to himself like memetic chain lightning.

“And he used it correctly. That’s....unexpected.”

“Sometimes I wonder if maybe he’s not as completely airheaded as he pretends, and the fact that he’s got everyone so convinced of that actually means he’s running circles around the rest of us,” Laura says. She shrugs. “Of course, then I have to question everything and who has that kind of time and also the very idea of genius mastermind Jimmy disturbs me on a deeply visceral level. So then I just. Stop doing that.”

Daken nods and sighs. “Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

“Okay, this is annoying. I kinda still want to fight, but now fighting with you feels kinda anticlimactic. Ugh, siblings are the worst,” Laura declares with a glower. “They ruin everything.”

“On that, we can agree. With allowances for temporary occasions of some of them being bearable,” Daken says. “Some.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve never said to me, big brother,” Laura says lightly. Daken swiftly scowls but she holds up a hand to forestall any rebuttal. “Sorry, don’t mean to ruin the moment. I’m thinking about how else we can put all that frustrated energy to good use. Wanna go pick a fight with the Summers’ kids?”

A slow smile spreads across Daken’s face. “Well now. Finally, a family outing I can get behind. I believe that’s precisely what we need right now. Care to lead the way?”

He still hates her boyfriend, of course, but he supposes he can let that be. 

For now, at least.

[scottishoctopus]

Not So Heartless After All. Chapter 5: Complicated feelings and angry glares. ~ ~ ~ A few days later... Davy Jones was stood on the front of the Flying Dutchman, smoking his pipe whilst he stared off into the foggy distance. A puff of smoke escaped his siphon on the left side of his face, and faded into the grey fog that surrounded the cursed ship. It was early morning, the sun hidden in the ghostly pale atmosphere. The tentacled man watched the smoke float out from his mouth and then directed his pale milky blue eyes down below at the trickling water as it allowed the ship to pass. It's destination was to locate the wreckage of Diana's ship. Why was Davy Jones searching for it? Well for one thing, he wanted to salvage some clothing for her seeing as the child's current clothes were very close to being unable to wear. Her shirt was stained with dirt and seemingly dried blood, and was far too large for her anyway. And her trousers were again, too big for her and would rip even if you pulled one of the threads lightly.

Diana didn't even wear any footwear either! Davy Jones wasn't sure what to do with her after he hopefully managed to find clothing that hadn't been destroyed or ripped to shreds for her to wear. He had thought at first of abandoning her at a port and leaving the girl to fend for herself, but her friend had his soul enslaved on the Flying Dutchman already. And it seemed like Michael was her only friend at the moment. If Jones left her, then she would probably perish in a few days due to her body's state as well. With nobody to care for her. The now frustrated Captain shut down his ideas that simply wouldn't work in his head. The only outcome led to Diana staying abroad his ship to heal. There were no waves below, just the silence except from Jones' quiet breathing as he thought of more ideas, the noises of the ship groaning and the fire in his pipe crackling steadily. The crew were below deck, their voices were thundering underneath the wooden floors, probably playing Liar's Dice together as usual, betting their souls because it was the only thing they had to give. No personal belongings, just the souls that they already sold to begin with. Sold to Davy Jones, the most feared being in the seas. That might of been an exaggeration though. As Diana, who was a small child, was on board his cursed ship that gave every soul nightmares if they were to even step foot on it. But she didn't fear him as much as he thought she would. Diana was definitely a distraction. Ever since she arrived on his ship, Davy Jones later realised that he had not been his usual self. He had been distant from his crew, when they would come to him asking if he was feeling his best, he would dismiss their ridiculous concerns with a snarl. Davy Jones was perfectly fine, of course he was. Why wouldn't he? And that was the other problem, his feelings was in a jumble that was sure. Usually he was an expert in hiding his feelings but from the past few days Davy Jones was admitting to himself that Diana was the reason why he was having a crisis with himself at the minute. He certainly didn't hate her, she was the least annoying person on the ship besides from that other child who was called Michael. The cursed Captain sighed as he lowered his pipe to his left crab claw with one of his dominant tentacles and emptied it against the hard shell, the ash staining the top of the claw and the soft flame vanishing in an instant. Jones had then placed his pipe in his coat pocket and began to leave. Having thought of Michael, he decided that it would be best to question the small boy of how long Diana had been staying with her uncle, as he couldn't ask her anyway because she was resting. He was in need of answers. Davy Jones left the front of the ship and began to make his way below deck in search of the young boy. He hoped the crew didn't start bombarding him with questions about Diana again. ~ ~ ~ Below the floor where most of the crew were playing Liar's Dice; a game that he didn't understand and was too scared to ask one of the crewmembers how to play it. Michael was laying in his own hammock staring at the ceiling, watching droplets of water fall to the floor. He felt his bed rock gently with the ship as he tried to get comfortable in his new home. It wasn't that his hammock was not letting him sleep, it was because his skin was really bothering him. Michael felt like invisible insects were crawling over his arms and legs, not that he was afraid of them, insects just annoyed him. Not only that, every night he had attempted to rid his face of the dirt that he had received that day, and his face was actually pretty clean for once when he had drifted off to slumber. But the morning had come and he was filthy as a rat again! It was like somebody was secretly messing with him by throwing filth on him whilst he slept. Michael's smooth brown hair became even more greasy and long as the days went by and his hygiene was decreasing rapidly! He felt like he were a decaying corpse! Something was certainly off. Maybe it was because he was on board a cursed ship perhaps? He had overheard some crewmembers a couple nights before, and their conversation had been fixed in his head since that night. Michael hadn't forgotten their words. "What do ye think of the new people on board?" A scratchy voice whispered out in the darkness and Michael couldn't tell if it was Jimmylegs or Kolenkio. They both sounded the same! "I don't think anythin' of them. They're useless bilgerats, I doubt they'll last long." Another spoke back quietly to the other, chuckling darkly at the last words that came out of his mouth. "When do ye reckon they'll start turnin'?" The second voice asked the first, a tone of interest in his voice. "Few days maybe? It will be interestin' to watch the transformation." Their conversation was cut short by another crew member hissing at them to be quiet, and that was the only explanation as to why Michael's body was itching so bad. It was because he was turning into one of them! Michael did not sleep that night. Or any other night for that matter, not only because of the itchiness of his skin and the dry hair on his head, but because of the nightmare that had shortly followed after that shocking revelation. He would dream of being one of them, his body completely transformed into a monster, looking as terrifying and grotesque as the crew, but that wasn't the only thing that scared him to his beating heart. His best friend was in the nightmare, but she wasn't herself. She was older and taller like Michael was and her body was thin and curved, but she was one of the monsters too. Her fiery red hair had transformed into orange writhing tentacles each with individual minds of their own, tied up in a loose ponytail with small tentacles curling at the sides of her face. Her skin had become pale orange too like her tentacles but was wet with slime. Her teal blue eyes pierced in the darkness, and lit up her face, her cheekbones were high and thin, and her scars were still scattered around her face. She turned her head and a cold smile grew onto her lips when Davy Jones also emerged from the darkness and stood next to her, placing his right tentacled hand on her shoulder as he glared furiously at Michael. She looked nearly as monstrously hideous as Davy Jones, and Michael knew from that nightmare, that this was most likely going to be the future if he didn't rescue her from this ship. She would become one of them and her soul would be gone forever. Just an empty shell of her former self. He had to do something. And so, as he laid in his hammock, skin itching like a harsh burn to the skin. Michael vowed to himself that he would rescue her from this ship at any cost. He would not allow Davy Jones to make her part of the crew, abuse her exactly the same way that the Captain of the Darkened Thorn did. Michael would save her, even if it meant losing his own damn life! Though his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard nearby footsteps, which he quickly identified as the Captain. He knew how to tell it was Jones from his right leg, he would definitely fail if he was trying to walk quietly. What perfect timing he had. Michael quickly sat up from his hammock and spotted the harsh face of Davy Jones as he crept down the steps and turn towards him. The small boy swallowed as Jones walked forward to him and stood a few feet away. "Stephenson- ah." The image of Jones stood next to his friend flashed in his eyes, and the young boy clenched his fists angrily in response to that. His dirty nails digging into the palm of his hands. "Yes sir?" Michael replied whilst lifting himself out of his hammock, he faced the cursed Captain with a determined stance. He felt the urge to spill out all his frustrations from his mouth, he wanted to demand where his friend was, what he had done to her and what he had planned for her. But he kept his jaw firmly shut as he did not want to lose his tongue. "Your friend is resting, yeh do not need to worry. But she does not seem to have a name, Ah was wondering if yeh knew it- ah?" Davy Jones asked, and he had seemed to read Michael's mind which surprised the young boy. Obviously his face probably looked angry now that he had thought of it, which prompted the cursed Captain to tell that his best friend was alright. However, Michael didn't want to trust him, he never would after that horrifying nightmare. And that was when Michael shockingly realised, that he never made any effort to find out what his friend's real name was! Of course he never accepted to call her Worthless, because he never thought and never will, that she was worthless anyway. All this time he had called her his friend and that was it, he never even asked Spencer what her real name was! Michael stared at the floor in shock and confusion, for a very long time he was silent, forgetting that the Captain was still with him. "Ah take tha' as a no then- uh. Ah have decided tah give her a new name since she does not have one," Michael instantly looked up. Who was he to decide on what name she would have? Davy Jones only knew her for a couple days and Michael had known her longer than he did. He had no right! "So she will be called Diana from now on- ah." Jones had slightly smiled as he revealed the name to the small boy. And Michael had to admit, it was a good name for her and he hated that he liked it! It was certainly better than something he would come up with. Diana definitely suited her, he couldn't argue with that. The anger burning inside the young boy had softened, but the flame hadn't been put out just yet. Davy Jones, who was frowning hard at Michael, had began to leave, but the small boy had quickly panicked. He desperately needed to see her, he hadn't talked to her since the brig and he wanted to tell her that he was thinking of a plan to get them both off the ship! Without thinking, he ran in front of the Captain and stopped him in his tracks. "Can I see her, sir? Please!" Jones had stared at him with little more than mild fascination, and Michael could swear there was a shift in the cursed man's eyes and for a split second he thought Jones was going to throw him aside with that horrible claw. But he didn't. He just tilted his head slightly, tentacles writhing calmly. "Very well. Follow me- uh." The Captain growled, annoyed and walked past Michael and began to go up the stairs, his right crab leg thumping against the wooden ground loudly. The small boy trailed on after him, surprised that Davy Jones had allowed him to come to the Captain's cabin to see his friend, who was now called Diana instead of that other god awful name. ~ ~ ~ Davy Jones and Michael, after a short (not really interesting because the boy would not stop staring angrily at him) conversation, both now entered the cabin now. The small boy following the tall cursed Captain behind. Michael's chestnut eyes glanced around the room as if he was searching for something, and he quickly spotted Diana on the right and quite literally dashed to her, attempting to gently wake her up by shaking her shoulders. It seemed he found what he was looking for. Jones was irritated by his movements, the girl was clearly resting and looked like she had seen better days and Michael was trying to wake her up! The boy was definitely not smart as he looked. Davy Jones was previously going to leave Michael where he was down below deck, because of the whole glaring he was doing and he probably didn't even realise he was doing it. The stare Michael was giving to him as Jones spoke was really irritating him, it was like the small boy wanted to get something off his chest but also insult Davy Jones at the same time. The cursed Captain had decided then to ask about Diana another day, but Michael had wanted to desperately see his friend and Jones' knew from the way he had looked for her and run towards her sleeping self, that the boy really cared for her. As Davy Jones used to care for Calypso... The cursed Captain sighed, frustrated now as he walked towards his pipe organ and sat down, facing Michael. He coughed in his throat and that got the young boy's attention, who had stopped his attempts of waking Diana up. Michael glanced at Jones, and the Captain gestured for him to come closer. Davy Jones watched as a not so visible gulp trailed down the small boy's throat and walked towards him. That boy was still giving him that annoying angry look on his face. "Ah did not tell yeh to try and wake her up- uh. She needs plenty rest and it will not help if she wakes now- ah. How long has she been looking like an abused pup?" Davy Jones spat, his scottish accent thickening as his annoyance grew. Michael didn't seem fazed by the water flying out from Jones' slimy mouth as he finished his sentence, if anything, the boy looked disgusted. He didn't try to hide that from Jones either. "Ever since I met her, sir. I was brought on her uncle's ship as a cabin boy when I discovered her like that below deck." Michael stared down at the floor, remembering how he felt when he first met her. That was the same day he had met Spencer too, who was definitely the only person who cared for her then. Michael wondered what had happened to him prior to Diana being lost at sea, and if he would ever meet the kind man again. "The only family she had was her uncle, who treated her like she was a diseased being." Michael's chestnut eyes glanced behind him. Davy Jones watched as the young boy stared at Diana for a split second before meeting Jones' eyes once more, the angry look on his face relaxing slightly. "Do yeh know what exactly happened to her parents- uh?" The cursed Captain pressed on, of course he remembered Diana telling him in the brig that they in fact did died, but he wondered if Michael possibly knew how they did perish. How she came to be in the hands of her twisted uncle. "From what I know, they were travelling on a ship when Diana's mother had given birth to her that day, but unfortunately she had lost her life during it, I remember it was due to a disease she caught. Her father looked after Diana for a couple months but he eventually died at sea too." Michael slowly explained, he watched as Jones lifted one eyebrow towards him. The young boy could feel his feet beginning to ache as he continued to stand in front of his Captain. He really needed a long sleep after this. "How did he die?" The cursed Captain questioned again. Poor Diana never had the chance to grow up with her father or mother, instead, she was treated with no care. She had no love or respect. No family. "I'm not sure, I think it was something to do with the ship he was sailing on, had come into contact with a hurricane and the small ship had tipped over due to the large waves, the survivors said that he had drowned." Spencer had been the one to tell Michael that. The man had served with Diana's uncle since she was born, and Michael wondered how he had even put up with that evil man in the first place. "Diana's uncle loathed his brother because of how rich and successful he was before he died, they never got along with each other. So when Diana was passed into his care, he despised her too and forced his first mate to look after her. He was the only person beside from her father who actually loved her." Diana's uncle was an extremely greedy man, at often times he would show off his expensive clothing at his crew and complain about how much money he had or wanted. Sometimes he would brag to his first mate of the luxurious dinner parties he attended with one of his acquaintances that he would never stop talking about which was some pompous man called Beckett? Even though he loathed this ship he was currently living on, it was still better than being on board the Darkened Thorn. Having to listen to that horrid filth of a man and the disgusting words that flew out of his mouth. Davy Jones was silent now, he had been unnaturally quiet for the past few minutes, as he processed the words being spoken in his mind. The cursed Captain stood himself up and faced the organ, his back turned to the boy. Davy Jones could feel Michael glaring daggers at him behind. So that was the reason why Diana was so poorly treated. Because of her uncle hating the guts of her father. It was a very good thing that Jones had decided to not return her to her uncle's care then, but what would he do with her now? Make sure she would recover and be in good health? But what would happen to her after? Life would be even more difficult for her living abroad the Flying Dutchman, she probably wouldn't last even for a few days! Diana never even swore an oath to be on his cursed ship in the first place. Not to mention, she would soon start transforming and turn into a hideous being like the crew. Davy Jones couldn't just abandon her, neither give her back to her uncle. There wasn't anybody besides from Michael to look after her, the boy was just a child too. Both of them would not last long by themselves in the streets. Michael already sworn to serve the mast and by the state of him now, was certainly transforming into part of his crew. Davy Jones definitely could not dump him and Diana to a random port too. All of those were definitely bad ideas. But the old cursed Captain had only one left. One that certainly terrified him to his core. And not many things could scare him this much. What if, Captain Davy Jones of the Flying Dutchman, the master of the kraken and the devil of the sea, took Diana as his own? He could care for her, he could teach her to defend herself and handle a sword, to become strong and as powerful as he is. There was one problem though. He had no idea how to be a father. "Yeh are dismissed, Stephenson- uh" Jones sighed, still with his back turned on the young boy. He had almost forgotten that the boy was still in the room with him. "Sir. Could I visit Diana later please?" Michael asked, the tone of his voice sounded like he desperately didn't want this to be the last time he got to see Diana. Love was a dreadful bond. But he couldn't keep that whelp away from Diana forever. "Yeh may visit her when she is back on her feet." Davy Jones turned around to face the boy, and quickly noticed a trace of fury on Michael's face before it vanished. "Thank you, Captain." Michael bowed which really wasn't necessary and began to exit the cabin, he stopped in his tracks to take one more look at Diana and then immediately left, closing the door tight. Davy Jones allowed a quiet sigh escape from his cold lips and sat down in front of the organ, rubbing his hand across his slick forehead as his thoughts screamed and fought at him. Was he even certain of the idea of parenting?! It had been so many decades since he last saw a child of her age and even then he didn't know how he would cope of taking care of a child! How would the crew react upon seeing him look after Diana? Would they take advantage of him and pull a mutiny upon him? But they had served him for centuries, and they would never dare think upon the idea of mutiny. He was the most feared being on the seas, and if they saw him with a small child then they would probably think less of him. Wait. What was he even talking about? If he was the most feared being on the seas, then he would use that to his advantage! So be it if they saw him with a child, if they thought less of him then he would make sure that they wouldn't think that ever again in their tiny rotten heads! He was then interrupted from his angry thoughts about his crew from a knock at his cabin door. Frowning, he turned around in his seat and faced the doors. Was the Stephenson child back already? "Enter." Jones growled. The wooden doors opened to reveal Maccus who was still stood on the other side for some reason. "Sir. We have finally reached the wreckage." His rough voice finally revealed, his expression looking pleased with himself. ~ ~ ~ Davy Jones and Maccus both stepped onto the front of the ship to see a devastating wreck of a ship dug into sharp pointed rocks. The back of the ship was sticking out on the top of the waves, and black thick smoke was emerging from deep within the ship. The mast of the ship had snapped and had fallen into the ocean. Broken pieces of the ship was scattered and floating around the wreck. There definitely would not be any survivors. But at least Jones could try to find some clothing for Diana. Or more like Jones would certainly order his crew to do the job instead of him. His crew were all behind him, awaiting for orders but also sneering at the sight of the ship. They definitely were hoping for fresh blood indeed. "Orders sir?" Maccus asked, staring at the cursed Captain who was deep in thought. "Search the ship- ah." Jones ordered. And his crew quickly obeyed and began to leave the ship, but before Maccus could follow, Davy Jones had stopped him by grabbing onto his arm. "And find any clothing tha' hasn't been burnt teh ashes for Diana." Maccus nodded, and he thankfully didn't give the Captain a questioning look because Jones had been dealing with those annoying stares for the past couple days, the pale man had just quickly followed the crew as Jones turned back to face the destroyed ship. Good. I'd rather not tell him why he needs to search for clothes for Diana. ~ ~ ~ Maccus arrived on the main deck of the Darkened Thorn, his fellow crewmembers instantly searching every possible place a dying man could be hiding. The pale man's eyes gazed around the wreck and decided to search the Captain's cabin. Walking towards it, he noticed that the doors had been blown off and were just laying upon the floor right by his feet. Maybe there would be clothing in there? Maccus wasn't entirely sure why Davy Jones tasked him to only find clothing. Obviously his reason was Diana, her clothing was ruined so she needed new ones. The first mate felt like the Captain he had served for so many years was changing. Jones was acting differently around the crew, he wasn't as harsh and cold as he usually was, and he sometimes would be  smoking his pipe on the front of the ship, demanding to be alone if one would come up to him. Maccus was the only one who hadn't been yelled at. Whenever he tried to question whether the old Captain was his best, he was rewarded with a glare from Jones that suggested that he not bother him. Which the first mate quickly left, not wanting furious spit flown at his face. Maccus had now entered the ruined cabin, which was a complete mess. Burnt papers were tossed about around the blackened wood, and the windows at the back were all shattered, the glass shards all scattered across the floor. The scene looked like if Davy Jones had released the kraken upon this ship, except there were no dead bodies across the decks. He walked around the room and attempted to move the broken desk aside to see if there was anything hidden. Unfortunately there wasn't, but in the corner of the room was a large wooden chest which was tipped over on it's side. Maccus immediately went towards it and crouched down, grabbing onto the chest and moving it to face him. He wondered how the chest was still intact after facing such devastation. His bony thin fingers opened the wooden lid and he was pleased to see some clothing resting at the bottom of the chest! There was at least two pairs of boots and enough clothing to fit two people. This would definitely please Davy Jones. The first mate quickly left the cabin, holding the chest with both of his arms, and he was quickly met with the sight of Kolenkio, who looked unsurprisingly annoyed. His eyebrows rose on his forehead as he spotted the first mate leaving the cabin. "Whatcha got there, Maccus?" His scratchy voice asked, his sharp eyes staring at the chest in the pale man's arms. "It's for the Cap'n. He asked me to gather some things for him," Maccus grumbled, he hoped Kolenkio didn't press on the matter of the chest. "Find anything useful?" Kolenkio growled and shook his head. "Nothin'. No people beggin' for mercy, nobody dying here." His eyes looked at the chest once more and turned to face Maccus, a questioning look grew on his face. "What did the good Cap'n ask fer ye to look?" He snarled, spitting when he mentioned Davy Jones. Maccus would rather not say. He knew how Kolenkio would react if he told him what was in the chest. Some of the crew did not like the fact that there was a girl on board their cursed ship, if a woman was on a ship then that would mean bad luck to every soul abroad said ship. Especially a red headed one too. Of course, not everybody on the Flying Dutchman believed in that. Some of the crew members on board loathed her just because she was making the Captain not seem threatening and cold-blooded as he usually would be. Maccus thought differently, yes the Captain wasn't himself but he was still harsh and would try to hide the fact that he was growing to care for Diana. The first mate was silent, he didn't want to answer the question, and he thought it was quite obvious was Davy Jones had sent him to do. Kolenkio frowned hard and stepped in front of the pale man. "This is fer that girl isn' it?" He snarled and pointed a sharp finger at Maccus' chest. He spat violently, and stomped away angrily. Maccus had expected that to happen, and he knew Kolenkio was probably going to tell the other crewmembers about this little scene. He rolled his eyes and made his exit from the ship. He squeezed through one of the walls and found himself back on the Flying Dutchman. Chest in hand, he began to walk to the front of the ship to Davy Jones. Unsurprisingly, the Captain was still stood there coldly, his tentacles writhing slowly. His crab claw twitched and he turned himself around to face Maccus. One eye brow raised on his forehead. "Well- ah?" The Captain eyed the chest Maccus held. The first mate placed it on the deck and opened it, revealing it's contents to Jones, who's eyes looked surprised and pleased. Maccus felt a smile creep onto his lips, he had never saw the Captain look so satisfied before. "It's not the best clothing for her, but it will do- uh." Davy Jones nodded and shut the chest. "Well done, Maccus." The cursed Captain picked up the chest with his right hand and held it against his side as he walked off, probably to find Diana. Maccus smiled, he rarely got praised by Davy Jones so this moment would certainly make him feel pretty pleased for the next few days. The pale man was about to leave too, but he noticed something laying on top of the waves below. Frowning, he looked over and saw that there was a navy blue hat with a white trim floating in the water. There wasn't a reason why he had gone down to retrieve it at first, but then he had thought of the child again. If she were to be staying abroad the Flying Dutchman, then she might want a hat on top of her head. Maccus looked over the hat with his thin fingers, turning it around so he could look at every angle. Strange. Why did he have this feeling that it belonged to Diana? ~ ~ ~ The first thing Diana felt after waking up from her not so deserved nap, was an intense nausea that completely stopped her from trying to get up onto her feet. She'd been like this many times which didn't surprise her, but she had never had it this bad before. Diana's pale skin was extremely itchy as well, especially around her face, like somebody was lightly pinching her arm or she was wearing some very uncomfortable clothing that caused her arms to squirm underneath. She had thought at first that maybe she had a rash or an infection, but then her stomach growled furiously at her, demanding food. She knew she had not eaten since two days ago, when Spencer had came below deck to give her some bread and water and to check up on her. She had remembered that he had told her that she looked pale as death and needed to see a doctor, but she ignored him, assuring him that she was fine and she didn't need to be taken care of. Spencer. Her first real friend who never had hurt her. She really missed him, but did he feel the same way about her? What had even happened to him after she had fell off the Darkened Thorn? Did he even look for her? Diana quickly silenced those thoughts as she attempted to raise herself from the hammock she had been sleeping in, ignoring the uncomfortable feelings in her arms and face. Diana's determination getting the best of her. But her body would still not allow her to get up. Diana groaned from the new bruises she had acquired from all that running and falling she did the day before. They weren't any different from the yellow and purple blotches scattered around her skinny body, covered by her large stained clothing. She gripped onto the hammock and pulled with all the strength she had left, to lift her body forward and lean out from the hammock. Diana had expected to gently get back on her feet, but that was not the case. Her legs could barely move themselves which then caused her to fall out of the hammock, and land on top of her stomach. Her limbs roughly making contact against the wooden floor when she had landed, a horrific sound echoed in the cabin as the bones in her legs knocked against the wood. Diana instantly gritted her teeth and hissed when a shockwave of fire and pain struck throughout her body. Her eyes glistening with salty tears as she closed them tight. The pain completely took over her senses as she dug her chipped nails into her palms in agony. Diana turned herself over onto her side and lay there trying to control the fire in her body, for she couldn't raise her own arms and legs anymore, she could not even lift her neck to examine what state her body looked like. What would she do now?! She couldn't work like this! She would definitely be punished for her actions for sure, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Why did she have to be such a worthless, pathetic being? Painfully curling herself into a ball, she rested her head against the wooden floor and hid her face as the tears uncontrollably protruded from her teal blue eyes. Quiet sobs escaping dry chapped lips. The thoughts she had silenced earlier had returned and invaded her mind once more as she cried. "Why the tears, Worthless? You don't deserve to feel anything." She heard her uncle's cold voice speak out to her in a venomous tone, and she opened her eyes to see him stood in front of her, looking down upon her thin and malnourished body with a furious glare. He clenched a belt in his left hand, his knuckles turning white as his snarl on his rat like face quickly became a hungry smile as he raised his arm that held the belt upwards. And Diana quickly shut her eyes once again, hiding her face in her hands as she prepared for the harsh sting of pain to come. But it never came. Instead there was a voice calling out to her softly now. "Diana." The red headed girl recognised the voice of the Captain of the Flying Dutchman that was trying to talk to her, however, she still hid her face away. It didn't matter if it was her uncle or not, she knew she was going to get the punishment for being a disappointment, and she could not bare to see the hungry grin on the Jones' tentacled face. Except she had now remembered that Davy Jones had firmly told her earlier that he did not plan to harm her or order her around the ship. And that sentence he told her was very familiar to Diana's ears. Because Spencer and Michael both had said the same exact words to her, and they never had betrayed her. And aside from that, she heard that sentence escape from the mouth of a man who was probably the most feared being that roamed the seas. A man who was cursed to sail a ship for an eternity and every living person knew that he was heartless. Could it be possible that Davy Jones had no intentions to hurt Diana after all? Slowly she opened her eyes and removed her trembling hands from her face and looked to see the face of the cursed Captain staring down upon her, his tentacled face looked remorseful and shocked at the sight of her. If this was the man that so many people feared, why did his eyes look so old? Why did he look like a person who had lost everything he once possessed? Out of all the people who lived in this world, why would a man who was supposedly heartless and could never feel love again or love anybody for that matter, looked so contrite at a small child like Diana? Diana watched as he kneeled down towards again and examined her with his piercing pale blue eyes, tentacles writhing gently and slowly. His eyes studying her face as he watched silent tears trickle down her thin cheek and across her bruised dirt covered face. His right hand slowly reached towards Diana's small face, and she surprisingly feels lukewarm fingers gently resting on the left side of her face, rubbing gently on her bruised jawline. For the first time since maybe weeks ago, Diana feels warmth in her cheeks, like the sun shining upon her face as she looked upon the horizon of the deep blue ocean. She closed her eyes and felt the long tentacled finger move below her eye and wiped away a single tear that fell down her dirtied cheek. She was certainly surprised by that, she expected Davy Jones' cursed skin to be cold and wet, but it wasn't. It was soft, yes a little damp but it was soothing and Diana didn't want it to go away. She couldn't help herself now as she used the rest of her strength to lift herself into a sitting position and then quite literally collapse into the cursed Captain's chest, not caring about the beard of tentacles writing slowly on top of her head, nor the state of his decrepit clothing. The small child wrapped her arms around the thin form of Davy Jones and quietly sobbed in his chest, not caring if the man even returned the hug. Unexpectedly he did, placing his right hand on her back, patting it softly to calm her down. "It's alright. I'm here- ah." His voice was soothing to her ears and she felt her shaking body becoming calmer, the pain in her arms and legs fading away gently. Pain replaced with warmth in her body. Davy Jones would not hurt her, she told herself in her head. Her eyes now becoming dry from the tears that had trickled down her cheeks. The salty tears burning the wounds on her face, but she held back the pain, focusing on her breathing and the movement of Jones' hand moving on her back. And the growing warmth that she was now feeling in her chest. A growing warmth that also was felt by Davy Jones.

[hawkesvarric]

Masterlist of my D&D Characters

⚗️ ARTIFICER ⚗️

Breena Boddynock. Forest Gnome. Alchemist. Criminal. Twin sister to Brocc, a monk. She’s an inventor who sells her creations to the highest bidder, not terribly concerned with “morals” or the “law”. Currently traveling through the Underdark to return a magical hammer back to the duergar clan it rightfully belongs to. (After she stole the hammer in the first place, but let’s not split hairs here, shall we?)

🪓 BARBARIAN 🪓

Cormyn. Human. Ancestral Guardian. Archaeologist. Grew up in the wilds among a tribe of barbarians, though among the clan there were also healers and magic users. He loves learning about ancient histories and digging through the abandoned ruins lost in the mountainside. The spirits of his ancestors speak to him, telling him of the past. He has a wife, another human barbarian named Galatea, and they have a son together named Tiran. A mysterious illness overtook a large portion of their clan, including Galatea, and now Cormyn seeks a remedy to bring home to his people.

📯 BARD 📯

Bonejangles. Skeleton. Whispers. Charlatan. He woke up in his own grave and had to claw his way to the surface. No tombstone, no memories, and no name. People either feared him or tried to kill him, so he learned how to disguise his skeletal features and how to forge fake identities for business purposes. In his past life, he was a powerful warlock named Romero Marivaldi who had struck a deal for eternal life. However, one should be very careful what they wish for when striking a bargain with a fey. Has (had?) a wife named Damiana, who had her own twisted part to play in Romero’s unfortunate fate.

Altair. Human? Lore. Entertainer. Once, Altair was a half-orc named Kash. He was the son of the chieftain, training to one day take his fathers’ place. Then a dragon attacked, slaughtering most of his clan including his father. Including him. Barely managing to escape, his fathers’ adviser Grimon drug Kash’s body away from the carnage, using the last of his magic to return the boy back to life. Only the spell had unintended consequences. For now Kash was in a completely different body, that of a human. He fled once he learned of the clan’s fate, leaving Grimon behind. He took on a new persona, Altair the Wanderer, hoping to leave his past behind him.

🩸 BLOODHUNTER 🩸

Red. Human. Lycan. Haunted One. Unwilling test subject in an experiment performed by wizards on behest of the king to try and create more powerful soldiers for his armies. It worked, though perhaps better than they anticipated. Red managed to break her chains on the night of the full moon when she transformed and slaughtered everyone in sight before escaping. Now she seeks to find any others like her so they may unite and kill the king. Maybe blow the whole kingdom up while she’s at it, she hasn’t decided yet.

⚕️ CLERIC ⚕️

Keothi Ogolakanu, the Wolfkiller. Goliath. Life. Outlander. Grew up high in the mountains, longing to discover the rest of the world. But Keothi’s role was to be the clan’s healer. She had all but accepted her fate when a pack of winter wolves attacked. The goliaths fought back, but were overwhelmed by the wolves’ numbers and ferocity. They began to corner a child, teeth gnashing violently, when Keothi heard a whisper in her ear: “Protect.” She used a magic she never had before, killing the wolves single-handedly. The spirit that spoke to her was that of the Pathfinder, one of the old gods her people still worshiped. It was now her destiny to leave her clan behind, following wherever the Pathfinder’s path might take her.

🌿 DRUID 🌿

George “Pebble” Pebbleton. Half-elf. Moon. Hermit. As a child, she wandered into the woods all by herself. She has no memory of where she came from or what her name once was. A pair of bears found her and, perhaps because they could sense the magical energy inherent in her or maybe because they had just lost a cub of their own, they took her in. Of course, she still interacted with people from time to time. Travelers and adventurers, the occasional bandit, etc. It was from one of them that she heard about a local tournament being ran in a nearby town. So she decided she was ready to leave, though her bear guardians still follow her around to make sure she’s safe. On the tournament registry, she made-up the name George Pebbleton on the fly, hoping it sounded normal enough.

⚔️ FIGHTER ⚔️

Kimbatuul Sora. Dragonborn. Champion. Outlander. Sora was always a braggart, a show-off, and a ham for attention. But for good reason - she really was the best fighter in the Kimbatuul clan. Her father had a seat on the council while her mother ran the market. Life was great. Until her adulthood celebration, that is. Sometime during the night of revelry, a council member was murdered with her trademark halberd engraved with her name. Sora tried to defend herself, but the evidence against her was overwhelming. The punishment was traditionally a battle in which the accused could “prove” their innocence by withstanding a barrage of attacks from the council. However, her father couldn’t stand the idea of raising his sword against his own daughter, nor could he idly stand by and watch the others do so, so he managed to convince them to banish her instead by forfeiting his own council seat. Though alive, she was now disgraced by her own people, being deemed guilty and dishonorable for not fighting. She was banished into the neighboring woods, becoming a sellsword in order to provide for herself.

Seymour Quincy. Warforged. Eldritch Knight. City Watch. On the fringes of a magical college dedicated to cutting edge education, a team of dwarven wizards were tasked with studying the mysterious entity we call the soul. They had performed many experiments with little to no success. Either the souls wouldn’t bind to the objects chosen or they would go on a murderous rampage after being untethered to their own humanity. Just as their research grant was about to be taken back, one of them suggested using a younger soul. Hence Experiment #57 was born--er, created. After a short observational period, it was deemed a success. No unbinding, no stabbing. The experiment even seemed to possess a personality. Perhaps a bit more personality than the dwarves would’ve liked. #57 didn’t like being called a number. In fact, #57 didn’t like being referred to as ‘it’ either. He decided he ought to have a proper name--Seymour Quincy. The research team indulged him at first, still glowing from their success, but it was quickly made clear that #57--Seymour wouldn’t function the way they had hoped. They couldn’t sell him to the military as a soldier. He was physically strong, even capable of performing magic, but he was more interested in searching the woods for stray bunnies. The only times Seymour would fight were when he believed somebody innocent to be in harm’s way. For now, he has a “job” with the local city guard so the researchers can continue to observe his soul’s development and hopefully find a way of making some sort of financial returns off of him. If only he’d stop wandering off because he thought he saw a kitten.

👊 MONK 👊

Rikeo Sepret. Human. Open Hand. Gladiator. Born in the gladiator ring, Rikeo was forced from childhood to fight for nobles’ entertainment. These fights were not only brutal but to the death. He learned early on how to use his body as a weapon so as not to rely too heavily on swords and such. Rikeo also learned how to put on a show. If he was forced to have blood on his hands, then he was determined to be the best at it. His grandiose personality combined with his over-the-top combat maneuvers and his undefeated track record granted him a bit of freedom. Just enough for him to knock out the guards and escape. Now he travels, armed with only his fists and his wit.

🛡️ PALADIN 🛡️

Giselle Baldric. Human. Ancients. Folk Hero. When her hometown was destroyed by a dragon, the Baldrics took up residence in a neighboring city as humble workers. Giselle worked on the docks which required much heavy lifting, though she never minded. She loved listening to people’s stories and the docks had all sorts of interesting folk coming and going. And she loved to help others, always doing little odd tasks here and there. Locals began spreading the word that if you needed help, just look for the red-headed woman on the docks. One night, as she was about to head home for the evening, a mermaid appeared in the water. The mermaid claimed to have heard of Giselle’s heroic nature and decided that she must be the one destined to wield this sword called the Storm Breaker. Giselle took the sword from the mermaid and vowed to protect all that is naturally good in this world.

Kraven. Tiefling. Oathbreaker. Mercenary Veteran. As a mercenary, Kraven did a lot of bad things in the name of conquest. She looked out for her own interests and betrayed people along the way, even allies. None of it mattered to her, so long as she came out on top. But one day, she was hired to bring in a smuggler alive so her client could have a “talk”. She found where the halfling lived and told him to come outside. He refused. Kraven decided a little fire ought to motivate him, so she set his house on fire. Only she was shocked to discover there was an infant there. She had done terrible things, yes, but to other assholes who deserved it. This was too far. She ran inside, seeing the halfling man dead from severe burns, and recovered the child. Kraven took the baby to a local temple to be looked after, but her client was furious. Not only was his man dead, but his mercenary went in to save a child instead of her target. He placed a bounty on her head and Kraven fled into the night. To make matters worse, now she had all these...feelings. That maybe she had been a bad person before, but it wasn’t too late to change. Her magic even began to change too, her previous oath broken. Now she was lost, caught between her past and her uncertain future.

🏹 RANGER 🏹

Don’t have one who is very developed yet :(

🗡️ ROGUE 🗡️

Arkade Vrago. Tiefling. Inquisitive. Investigator. Worked with the local city watch, solving crimes and catching criminals, before opening his own private investigative business. Arkade wishes to retire peacefully on a beach somewhere, but keeps getting dragged into cases. Grumbly, but secretly nice.

🔮 SORCERER 🔮

Jono. Human. Draconic. Inheritor. Slowly morphing into a dragon, no big deal. Jono is very laid-back and chill about most things, but even he is a big concerned that one day he might not be a human anymore. He has a mysterious amulet in his possession that he is hoping is the key to stopping the progression. Oh, and he kinda accidentally got married to the Fey King’s daughter, so the Feywild’s sort of out to get him. No worries, brah!

🌀 WARLOCK 🌀

Andella “Andy” Wroth-Mooncairn. Half-elf. Raven Queen. Noble. Rich, spoiled, and bratty were the best words to describe Andy. Not that she cared what others thought. She considered herself above everyone else. Growing up in a castle named after you tends to do that. Her parents arranged a marriage for her to a neighboring lord’s son, a real nerd. But Andy had little choice in the matter if she wanted to continue living off mommy and daddy’s money. At the wedding, an undead horde led by a powerful lich attacked. It turned out that Andy’s groom-to-be had stolen a cursed spellbook per his own ambitions, but had neglected to take into consideration that the wizard might not be so much ‘dead’ after all. Before he was ruthlessly ripped apart by zombies, he passed Andy the spellbook and told her to keep it away from the lich. She barely managed to escape the carnage, running out of the castle in her bloody wedding dress and clutching the spellbook to her chest. Having witnessed so much bloodshed, she vowed to personally send every undead abomination straight back to Hell where they belonged. And that’s when a mysterious raven landed in front of her with an interesting proposal...

✨ WIZARD ✨

Mialee Zolerii. Eladrin. Evocation. Acolyte. Attends the most prestigious academy, but couldn’t exactly afford to pay for it herself. So she also works at the school as the beastkeeper’s assistant. Her ex-gf may or may not be a dragon. (Although, in Mialee’s defense, she wasn’t in her dragon form at the time, okay!) Always tries her best, but things still tend to explode around her. Currently on a semester abroad, studying any new creatures she happens to come across in her travels. Will she wrestle any of them? Probably!

Bartok Abbadon. Drow. Invention. Guild Merchant. Bartok knows he grew up in the Underdark. He remembers being a weak child who was picked on constantly until he began to show real promise in his eldritch studies. Then he was sent to Menzoberranzan with a small handful of other promising candidates to work and study in the city’s largest library. But that’s where things start to get a little fuzzy. He knows his memory has been manipulated, but still he cannot fully recall his time at the library. Small flashes of things come to him and then they are gone as quickly as they came. If he tries too hard to grab on to the memory, his nose begins to bleed. So, at some point, he decided to stop trying. Especially because his last clear memory of the Underdark was rather horrifying. The library was on fire, bodies everywhere, and when Bartok looked down at his hands, they were covered in blood. It haunted his nightmares for some time after he fled to the surface. What happened there? What were they all doing there that had to be protected so badly they needed to alter his memories? And, worst of all, what if all that flame and death was his fault? Bartok tries not to think of it now, as he has a shop to run where he sells various herbs and inventions of his own creation. His homunculus familiar, Batty, keeps him company. And that’s that, right? No way his past can come back to haunt him all the way up here...right?

[storychecker-blog]

The Fatal Flaws of Avengers: Endgame

No doubt, Endgame will be a financial success for Disney, and people are quick to sing praises to the (latest) swan song of the MCU. Is it an emotional good-bye? Sure. But it is also a movie that severely influences the reading of the MCU in its entirety. This essay focuses on two major narrative flaws introduced by Avengers: Endgame, and on how they undo important character development from the previous phases.

Here be spoilers.

1. Crushing Tony Stark’s Character Arc

The biggest issue I have with Endgame is Tony Stark’s death. There was always a good chance that Stark would die, especially since Downey’s contract was up, the Iron Man trilogy was finished some time ago, and his character arc was nearly complete. This particular death, though, just screams “economically driven” rather than natural conclusion.

Tony Stark started out as an egocentric billionaire who lived day to day, because he had no motivation and no vision. His pastimes were without a clear goal, without focus. As Yinsen puts it, the original Tony Stark is “a man who has everything and nothing.” As a billionaire, he has the money to finance every imaginable project: Yet, he is stumbling through life, drunk aimless, and ultimately, too scared to face the past or the future. This is a man without plans for the future.

Then, Afghanistan happens. The close encounter with death and the realization that he wants to live triggers his development arc: He yearns to find “loved ones” and to not waste his second chance, knowing that he has cheated death. This drives his relationship with Pepper, and later on, Peter Parker and his daughter. The secondary goal is to atone for his past negligence that hurt so many people: Now that Tony appreciates life, he internally struggles with the realisation that his careless behaviour had lasting, sometimes fatal consequences for others. This secondary struggle is about identity. Tony has to come to terms with his own past. Iron Man allows him to save the people in Gulmira, and it allows him to save the world from future threats. The suit does not allow him to go back to undo his mistakes. He also cannot find penance, because dead people cannot “forgive” anybody, even if they would. Therefore, Tony has to forgive himself, otherwise he cannot learn to let go of the nagging guilt that forces him into the armor again and again. Iron Man is a curse to him, because this superhero identity was born out of the desire to make up for his past actions. The culmination of his story, therefore, would be to retire for good, preferably to become a family man.

Now, Endgame does offer this as a solution for Tony Stark. However, he willingly decides to go back into battle, risk his future for the past, and subsequently dies. This destroys his character development, because it is exactly what happened in Civil War. As Tony pointed out to Steve, he had promised to give up the suit, to retire, but then another fight happened, and then another one, and he just didn’t settle down. Tony Stark, and that is what Endgame is saying, failed those that he loved. He leaves Pepper to fend for herself, breaking the one promise that she sought from him. Pepper did not want to have a child, unless he truly stayed and concentrated on the future rather than the past. He also failed his daughter, because he is an absentee father who merely leaves a message. Ultimately, he does not break away from his own father’s path: Howard also was absent from his son’s life by choice, and he left him a message, too little, too late.

Is it selfish to choose individuals over half of the universe? Yes. But it was not his duty to do so. It is a bleak picture indeed, to see him haunted by his past without redemption, forced to die to break the curse that being a hero was for him. Overall, it begs the question: Wasn’t Tony Stark happier without his conscience? If so, it was cruel to offer him a second chance, seeing as that he was cursed to have a bad ending without happiness, even if he ticked all the right boxes and made an effort to be better.

As it stands, his second chance was pointless. He had no choice to not waste his life, because his life was not his own. He was destined to die anyway.

 Going back to save half the universe, that was a heroic thing to do. Him dying for that half of the universe, that is a good end for Endgame. But turning his back on those that he had a responsibility for, Pepper and Morgan, that just makes him into somebody who is still too afraid to face the future. He ran away from his family duties. And that is a terrible, a stunted ending for his character development.

2. Steve Rogers’ is a Greedy and Selfish Man

Steve Rogers’ Happy End is an incredibly selfish and disturbing development. First, it goes against everything that his trilogy was about. Steve had to come to terms with loss, he had to adapt to the “future” and to find purpose in said future. The reunion with his friend Bucky Barnes is the turning point of this character development, because they are both men out of their time, perpetually changed, and forced to face a new life. Essentially, following their reunion, there were two paths available, from a narrative point of view. The bad development has him become stuck in memories, in the past, with Bucky as a perpetual reminder of not belonging into the future. He would break and not cope with his grief. The good development would have him find closure now that he was able to speak to Bucky, the only person able to share his pain. He becomes the master of his grief.

Sending him back is a cheap way to deal with Steve Rogers. It does not resolve his arc, because we were denied the answer whether somebody can find happiness after such a dramatic loss or not. The movie evades the answer by throwing him into the past. It renders all previous installments pointless. Why have him adapt to the future anyway? It’s not a skill he really needed. It just goes down the drain: We are not shown that he struggled to adapt the past, either. And, most importantly, his relationship with Peggy Carter is incredibly selfish. She “had a good life”, according to herself, and she had found love in Daniel Sousa. Maybe it was not her first choice, but she was content. Steve decides to rob her of the decision what kind of future she prefers. He robs Daniel Sousa of his love, of his family. With which right? It makes Peggy into a prize to be won rather than a woman who made a life for herself.Did she deserve the pain of losing Steve Rogers in the first place? Certainly not. But she deserves to not have her fate be toyed with in such a way. He knows that Peggy was happy. The decision to approach her, to meddle with her future to satisfy his own emotional needs is incredibly selfish. The Cap I know would have pined from the sidelines.

And yes, some may claim that the time loop means Cap was the original husband. Well, he was not. I highly doubt Sharon would have made out with him if she knew they were related. Besides, Peggy’s speech about how “her only regret is that he didn’t get to live his life”, makes no sense whatsoever. Just like her comment on how “the world has changed and none of us can go back.” Peggy is telling him to live in the future, to let go of the past. I am sorry, but Civil War did not set up Steve as Peggy’s husband. This was retconned, and it takes away any sort of agency from Peggy. Worst of all, it is Steve who claims her like some sort of prize.

3. Conclusion

The infuriating, the frustrating thing is that there were easy solutions to resolve the narrative flaws. Assuming they wanted Steve to be an aged-up Cap and Tony dead, then just have Steve watch from the sidelines, and have Tony take the gauntlet from Pepper, thus “protecting the future” rather than the past. The current end, for both of the heavy hitters, is just disturbing and stupid and it takes away so much joy and character development from the MCU.

I am so done with the MCU right now. And both ends are not fixable. They screwed it up, like literally any of the big cinematic franchises that go down the time travel road. Yeah, Endgame may be a good movie, but as an installment to the MCU, it is sore disappointment. It just works against everything that has been established, and it tears it down. For what? For nothing, because both characters will not have another chance to get a satisfying conclusion to their character development.

[33eastlondonstreet]

20th May 1969, London

Sometimes you think that it won’t be worse and God have a lot of fun looking at you. Everthing is against you, the hole fucking world against you… The worst day in your life. But even the worst day in your life can have the one small glimmer, which can change your life forever.

 - What the hell… - the tall brunette girl tried use the tap, which didn’t want give for her water. She tried several times, but she still hadn’t water.

- No, no, you can’t do it for me, not now… please…

- What are you doing? – the small girl with hazel hair stood and started looking behind her.

- I’m tring fix our tap… – she snaped at her. -..or…- she looked at her…- Lucy, you can check water in the kitchen?

- Ok. – Lucy turned on one’s heel and went to the kitchen. She turn on the nap and… - There’s no water!

And suddenly the ring started ringing very loud. The girls went to the doors and opened. In front of they, stood one man, who wore dirty dungarees and red hat.

- Good morning. The pipes in your bulding are too old to use them. We’ve got the regulation to change it. You won’t have the water, mabye by three or four days…

- YOU’RE KIDDING ME?! – Lucy exploded. – How can I live without water? Without washing? Without tea or coffee? Without…

- But you’ve got the bad pipes, we must do it. – the man tired settle down the smaller girl.

- We can’t do it anything. They’ve got the regulation. – Cynthia looked at her friend.

- And how will we wash and…

- Next to your block of flats we opened the water extraction. You will can charge water from it or move to your boyfriends.

- We haven’t got… - Lucy started but Cynthia ceased her.

- Ok, thank you and goodbye. – she smiled diplomatically and locked the door. – They haven’t to hear that we haven’t got boyfriends.

- Why? – the brunette looked at her.

- Because we can do it without any help and any boys my darling. – she smiled to herself and went to her room.

Cynthia is specific case of girls. She has never been in someone. She isn’t ugly or stiupid, she’s not mean (mabye somtimes) or creepy. Nobody know why she has never got a boyfriend, even her but she feels very good being endless single (at least she thinks that). Mabye certain people must be alone, mabye it’s their destination…

Cyn looked at her messy brown hair and did a ponytail. She didn’t have any idea for her outfit, so she wore t-shirt with sign: „Make love not war”, blue jeans and old white convers shoes.

- Show must go on. – she said to herself and left her room.

  Lucy had to sit down on her chair and calm down. That situation destroyed completely her day and mood. Her hands were shaking. She looked through the window. All long morning London streets were crowded. A lot of students were runing to their univesities. A lot of busy people were driving to their jobes. A lot of children were going to their schools… Even Cyn were going between that people, joining to this morinig race. Lucy took the cup of tea and looked at her friend, uptil she disapeared in the crowd. The more of the same dull day. She looked at herself in the mirror and twisted her face, whe she saw her dirty hair. She started thinkig where she can took a shower, of course for free. Suddenly she looked at the London newspaper and wrote the sign: Try for free the new modern swimmingpool. Children and stundents for free! „This is it!” she thought.

 The sun peeped through the window and wind tuged slightly white curtain. She felt pleasant chill on her face. The high girl with marine eyes and pale skin stand up and looked at her messy room. She didn’t hear her friends. Did they leave the house, indeed? She went to the kitchen, which was empty. The toilet was empty too. Cyn had the talk for sure but where was Lucy? She had free day and she never wakes up early. What the hell? Suddenly she saw the piece of paper and took it:

Hi Maureen

Cyn is in the University and I went to the new swimmingpool, because we don’t have the water. We can’t use the toilet and the sink in the kitchen. We won’t have the water for 3 or more days. Have a nice day!

                                        Lucy

- No, no, no… It’s not real… I must use the toilet! – she said to herself.

She started looking for solution. Oh god, thinking is very hard when you want very hard pee. She took random clothes and ran to the near resteurant.

- Good morning lady… - the waiter looked suspiciously at her. – Could I help you?

- Yes, where is the toilet? – Maureen thwarted legs. She wanted really pee so hard…

- The toilet is for our clients. You must buy something if you want…

- Ok, I want buy a cup of water…

-20 pounds please…

-What? Are you kidding me? – she shouted.

- Please, don’t shout. This is luxury resteurant for…

- But 20 pounds for normal water?! – she tried calm down.

- This is not normal water…

- I don’t care your water, please I must go to the toilet.

- That’s not my problem. – the waiter avoided eye contact with Maureen, who felt like the last idiot in the whole earth.

- But…

- I’m really sorry madam. – he lowered his head.

She musted leave resteurant. Longe since she didn’t feel as foolishly like at that moment. But now she had more difficult problem. Where is the nearest toilet? She wandered in the street, looking for toilet… Suddenly she saw a huge building, which belonged to an aeronautical corporation. She ran to the revolving door and looked for the lift. She almost was in the lift when a pretty woman, who was  a receptionist asked her:

-Excuses me but you’ve got the employer’s card.- and looked at her.

Maureen tried act that she wasn’t nervous and looked for the card in her bag. The woman made impatient and other employers looked at this situation. She felt like make more red. Why has she always all bad adventures? What's she ever done this should happen to her? Is this the end of her world?

- Sorry, she’s with me. – the young man with hairy beard and dark eyes said and took fot the women his card.

She looked at him little confused but said:

- Ok, but in the future, please don’t forget the card. – she smiled and got back to her desk.

Maureen was very shocked so that she stand in te silent and looked at this tall man, who saved her.

- What are you doing in this office? – the unknown man asked her.

- Emmm… - she scratched her head. – I must use the toilet.

He started laughed but suddenly stoped when he saw her really embarassed and red face.

- I don’t know why I say that but you’re really looking good when you’re ashamed. – he smiled.- The toilet is in the second floor.

-Thanks. – she smiled.

The lift was arrived and she took it, looking at the man, who was looking at her. When the lift’s door was closing, she suddenly shouted:

- Thank you for your help my unknown hero!

- I’m Jack, it was the pleasure! – he smiled and the doors closed.

  Lucy looked at herself in the swimming pool mirror and thought about morining situation. She was already less anger but her hands still were shaking. The room smelt chlorine, which was jaring swimmers noses. Around her, woman with diffrent beauty were changing clothes or dring hair.

The swimming pool was very crowded. Children were driving down in helter-skelters, old woman were sunbathing outside and young people were swimming in new place. Lucy liked this place, especially she made a hit with a pool among exotic flowers. She could feel like a tourist in a tropic island. Immidietly she went towards this pool. Suddenly somebody flicked her and she felt like landed painfully on the floor. Her knee started bleeding, because she cuted during the fall.

- I’m really sorry. I don’t want… - somebody started apologising but Lucy didn’t listen. She felt like nerves flood all her boody. She stood up in the silence, without looking at the maker. But he took her hand gently:

- Oh my godness, you’re bleeding. – and now she raised her eye’s at him. He was tall handsome brunet with nutty eyes. Dark soft curls were slopping on his forehead. He had clear foregin accent. She was so shocked. For a very long time she didn’t met so handsome men like him. She felt butterflies in her stomach but suddenly she reminded about her accident and she felt angry again.

- Could you don’t touch me?! – she snaped.

- I’m reallly sorry…

- No! – she shouted. – I had really bad morning and I went to this pool for relax but you destroyed this.

- I understand but I haven’t to be so angry. – he looked at her angry face, which was red like tomatto.

- No you don’t understand! You destroy good time for people because you’re so fucking careless idiot! – and now she thought that she carried with it to excess but she said what she felt.

The man made big eyes and looked upset at her:

- You’re crazy! – he started laughing. – You’re exaggerate.I didn’t hurt you heavily. You’re idiot.

- Really? No, I don’t want talk with you. Leave me alone. ENJOY SWIMMING! – Lucy turned on her heel and went to the changing room, feeling as her knee was bleeding.

Really good time in the swimming pool…

 It was really boring talk about calculus of probality, which Cyn hates. She was almost sleeping, sitting among students. Her messy and dirty hair was hidden in knot but soft strands were slopping on her forehead. Instructor finished the talk and she stand up when suddenly her friend sttopped her…

- Hi Cyn, you looked reallly tried. Are you ok? – he said.

- Yeah Phil… Don’t worry. Now my flat has the problem with water and probably I won’t have water for a few days. Hence I look like I look. – and she pointed and her hair and messy clothes.

- If you want, you can move to me for this few days… - he looked at her.

- No, I don’t want make a problem to you and your girlfriend.

- Already, I don’t have a girlfriend. We broke up yesterday. – he said expressionlessly.

- What? Why? You’re so happy and…

- She played about with guy, who is barman in close studnets club.

- Bitch. She dosen’t know what she lost. – Cyn huged Phil, who nestled up to her. He needed somebody’s intimacy.

She broke hug and looked at him:

- In this case I can live in your flat for few days. I can’t leave you in this condition.  – and she gave for him kiss on forehead.

Phil was her close friend, who born in the same small village near by London. He was older than Cyn. He had beed studing in London from two years. Phil was low boy with funny eyes and blonde hair. He had amazing sense of humor and a huge talent. When he was a child he started playing on drums and singing. Recently he joined in new band, which their name was Genesis.

- Ok, now I must come back to my flat and pack my stuff. – she smiled.

- No problem. See you later. – and he huged her for goodbye.

Cynthia choosed to go back to her flat on foot. The weather was amazing and she needed some fresh air. She felt sun on her pale face, it was really nice. She closed her eyes and tried feel this moment. But unfortunately she closed her eyes in the bad moment and she didn’t see the man, who was riding on the bike. He catched her sleeve on steering wheel and she chucked oneself down. She bumped her head against the floor. She felt a huge pain and for the moment Cynthia didn’t know what’s going on. She wiped eyes with hands, forgetting about that her hands were in sand.

- Oh fuck. – she shouted. – What am I doing?! – she tried opened watery eyes. It was really searing.

- I’ll help you. – she heard male voice. She known this voice but she couldn’t remind who was the owner.

- Thanks. God I’m a huge idiot. I could kill you and myself and now I killed my eyes and…

-… and killed your arm. It’s bleeding. – he said.

- Oh really? – she tried open eyes but she couldn’t. – I can’t see. – she smiled…

- I guess. – he laughed. – Ok, you’re a women in the picke and gentlemans help for the woman in picke. You’re a lucky girl because I’m the gentleman. – and he took her hand and helped her stand up.

His hands was soft, he didn’t do a hard work. Probably he studied like her.

- You’re eyes are watering… - unknown man said.

- Yeah… I feel this. – she laughed. – Ok, thanks for your help and sorry for this situation…

- You want come back to home without sight? – she heard his surprise. – You’ve got a bleeding hand and you’re blind.

-No, this is not problem for me. – she tried run from this man. She couldn’t see him. Cynthia always has luck to strange people. She saw like he took her to unkown place and killed her because he was the psychokiller or pervert. No, no she couldn’t go with him.

- I took you to the hospital. – he said.

- No. You’ve got other things to do. I don’t want to be a problem for you…

„Fuck, why I always have a problem with creepy men… Mabye he isn’t prevent, but I don’t want go with unknow man. Hello in my world…”

- I can’t leave you without help. – he said with assumption. – I’ll take you to the hospital.

-But… - in that moment she felt panic. She wanted run away but she couldn’t. – Eh, ok. – she gave up.

Again she felt his soft hand, which guided Cyn towards supposedly hospital…

[queenlymusings]

ed sheeran ÷ lyric starters

as usual, pronouns etc can be adjusted and lines can be mixed as needed. 

tw for death, drug / alcohol mention. 

Eraser

❛ I was born inside a small town. ❜

❛ I lost that state of mind. ❜

❛ So blame it on the pain that blessed me with the life. ❜

❛ And when the world's against me, is when I really come alive. ❜

❛ And every day that Satan tempts me, I try to take it in my stride. ❜

❛ You know that I've got whisky with white lies, and smoke in my lungs. ❜

❛ I'm well aware of certain things that can destroy a man like me. ❜

❛ But with that said give me one more. ❜

❛ I need another one to take the sting away. ❜

❛ I am happy on my own so here I'll stay. ❜

❛ Save your loving arms for a rainy day. ❜

❛ And I'll find comfort in my pain eraser. ❜

❛ I used to think that nothing could be better than touring the world with my songs. ❜

❛ I chased the picture perfect life, I think they painted it wrong. ❜

❛ I'm well aware of certain things that will befall a man like me. ❜

Castle On The Hill

❛ When I was six years old I broke my leg. ❜

❛ I was younger then. ❜

❛ Take me back to when I found my heart and broke it here. ❜

❛ I made friends and lost them through the years. ❜

❛ I know I've grown, but I can't wait to go home. ❜

❛ I'm on my way. ❜

❛ And I miss the way you make me feel. ❜

❛ And it was real when we watched the sunset over the castle on the hill. ❜

❛ I had my first kiss on a Friday night. ❜

❛ I don't reckon that I did it right. ❜

❛ I was younger then so take me back to then. ❜

❛ Oh, how we've grown. ❜

❛ But I can't wait to go home. ❜

Dive

❛ Maybe I came on too strong. ❜

❛ Maybe I waited too long. ❜

❛ Maybe I played my cards wrong, oh just a little bit wrong. ❜

❛ Baby, I apologise for it. ❜

❛ I could fall or I could fly. ❜

❛ And I could live, I could die, hanging on the words you say. ❜

❛ I've been known to give my all. ❜

❛ So don't call me baby unless you mean it. ❜

❛ And don't tell me you need me if you don't believe it. ❜

❛ So let me know the truth before I dive right into you. ❜

❛ You're a mystery. ❜

❛ I have travelled the world, and there's no other girl like you, no one. ❜

❛ What's your history? ❜

❛ Do you have a tendency to lead some people on? ❜

❛ Do you have a tendency to lead some people on? Cause I heard you do. ❜

❛ Sitting back, looking at every mess that I made. ❜

Shape Of You

❛ The club isn't the best place to find a lover so the bar is where I go. ❜

❛ We're drinking fast and then we talk slow. ❜

❛ And trust me I'll give it a chance now. ❜

❛ Girl, you know I want your love. ❜

❛ Your love was handmade for somebody like me. ❜

❛ Come on now, follow my lead. ❜

❛ I may be crazy, don't mind me. ❜

❛ Boy, let's not talk too much. ❜

❛ Grab on my waist and put that body on me. ❜

❛ We push and pull like magnets do. ❜

❛ Although my heart is falling too, I'm in love with your body. ❜

❛ We talk for hours and hours about the sweet and the sour. ❜

❛ Your family is doing okay. ❜

❛ Every day, discovering something brand new. ❜

Perfect

❛ I found a love for me. ❜

❛ Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead. ❜

❛ Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet. ❜

❛ Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me. ❜

❛ We were just kids when we fell in love. ❜

❛ I will not give you up this time. ❜

❛ Darling, you look perfect tonight. ❜

❛ I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know. ❜

❛ We are still kids but we're so in love, fighting against all odds. ❜

❛ I know we'll be alright this time. ❜

❛ I see my future in your eyes. ❜

❛ I have faith in what I see. ❜

❛ Now I know I have met an angel in person. ❜

❛ I don't deserve this. ❜

❛ You look perfect tonight. ❜

Galway Girl

❛ I kissed you on the neck and then I took you by the hand. ❜

❛ Baby, I just want to dance. ❜

❛ What does it mean, the ink on your arm? ❜

❛ You know she beat me at darts and then she beat me at pool. ❜

❛ And then you kissed me like there was nobody else in the room. ❜

❛ We've outstayed our welcome and it's closing time. ❜

❛ I was holding your hand, your hand was holding mine. ❜

❛ I swear I'm going to put you in a song that I write. ❜

Happier

❛ You look happier. ❜

❛ I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours. ❜

❛ Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you. ❜

❛ Ain't nobody love you like I do. ❜

❛ And until then I'll smile to hide the truth. ❜

❛ Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you, but ain't nobody need you like I do. ❜

❛ I know that there's others that deserve you. ❜

❛ My darling, I am still in love with you. ❜

❛ I know that there's others that deserve you, but my darling, I am still in love with you. ❜

❛ But if he breaks your heart like lovers do... ❜

❛ Just know that I'll be waiting here for you. ❜

New Man

❛ I heard he spent five hundred pounds on jeans. ❜

❛ He goes to the gym at least six times a week and he wears boat shoes with no socks on his feet. ❜

❛ But I heard he makes you happy so that's fine by me. ❜

❛ I'm just keeping it real. ❜

❛ Let me remind you of the days when you used to hold my hand. ❜

❛ I know you're missing all this kind of love. ❜

❛ I'm kind of jealous. ❜

❛ You were the type of girl that sat beside the water reading. ❜

❛ Ok you need to be alone. ❜ 

❛ And if you wanna talk about it you can call my phone. ❜

❛ I'm not trying to ruin your week, but you act so differently. ❜

❛ Please, remember you're still free, to make the choice and leave. ❜

❛ I don't wanna know about your new man. ❜

Hearts Don't Break Around Here

❛ She is the sweetest thing that I know. ❜

❛ You are the sweetest thing that I know. ❜

❛ She took my heart upon a one way trip, guess she went wandering off with it. ❜

❛ Unlike most women I know, you'll bring my heart back whole. ❜

❛ Oh we're in love aren't we? ❜

❛ I feel safe when you're holding me near. ❜

❛ You know hearts don't break around here. ❜

❛ I love the way that you conquer your fear. ❜

❛ She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home. ❜

❛ You're the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home. ❜

What Do I Know?

❛ Don't you get involved in politics, religions, other peoples' quarrels. ❜

❛ I'll paint the picture, let me set the scene. ❜

❛ And I'll pass on these things my family's given to me, just love and understanding, positivity. ❜

❛ Love could change the world in a moment, but what do I know? ❜

❛ Love can change the world in a moment. ❜

❛ But what do I know? ❜

❛ The revolution's coming, it's a minute away. ❜

❛ You know we are made up of love and hate, but both of them are balanced on a razor blade. ❜

❛ I know, I'm all for people following their dreams. ❜

❛ You know the future's in the hands of you and me. ❜

❛ So let's all get together, we can all be free. ❜

How Would You Feel (Paean)

❛ You are the one girl and you know that it's true. ❜

❛ I'm feeling younger every time that I'm alone with you. ❜

❛ We got questions we should not ask but... ❜

❛ How would you feel, if I told you I loved you? ❜

❛ It's just something that I want to do. ❜

❛ I'll be taking my time, spending my life falling deeper in love with you. ❜

❛ Tell me that you love me too. ��

Supermarket Flowers

❛ Memories of a life that's been loved. ❜

❛ Don't you cry when you're down. ❜

❛ But there's a tear every time that I blink. ❜

❛ I'm in pieces. It's tearing me up but I know a heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved. ❜

❛ You are an angel in the shape of my _____. ❜

❛ I hope that I see the world as you did 'cause I know a life with love is a life that's been lived. ❜

Barcelona

❛ Well get up up on the dancefloor tonight. ❜

❛ I've got two left feet and a bottle of red wine. ❜

❛ I don't care what the DJ chooses. ❜

❛ We're going somewhere where the sun is shining bright. ❜

❛ Just close your eyes, and let's pretend we're dancing in the street. ❜

❛ Well get up up on the dancefloor, move, it's a Saturday night. ❜

❛ I fell in love with the sparkle in the moonlight reflected in your beautiful eyes. ❜

❛ I guess that is destiny doing it right. ❜

❛ Spin you around me again and again and again. ❜

❛ You're like something that God has sent me. ❜

❛ So let's pretend we're dancing in the street in Barcelona. ❜

Bibia Be Ye Ye

❛ I lost my shoes last night. ❜

❛ I don't know where I put my keys. ❜

❛ I bet my mother's proud of me from each scar upon my knuckle and each graze upon my knee. ❜

❛ I tell myself in every way I won't be doing this again. ❜

❛ I am only being honest with you, I get lonely and make mistakes from time to time. ❜

❛ I remember less and less, and mostly things that I regret. ❜

❛ My heart is breaking at the seams and I'm coming apart now. ❜

❛ And I am only being honest with you, I get lonely. ❜

❛ I make mistakes from time to time. ❜

Nancy Mulligan

❛ I was twenty four years old when I met the woman I would call my own. ❜

❛ And I asked her father but her daddy said, "No, you can't marry my daughter" ❜

❛ I'm gonna marry the woman I love. ❜

❛ Never had I seen such beauty before. ❜

❛ The moment that I saw her, ____ was my yellow rose. ❜

❛ You know, _____, I adore ya. ❜

❛ I never worried about the king and crown. ❜

❛ I found my heart upon the southern ground. ❜

Save Myself

❛ I gave all my oxygen to people that could breathe. ❜

❛ Oh, honestly? ❜

❛ They gave me the heartache and in return I gave a song ... it goes on and on. ❜

❛ Life can get you down so I just numb the way it feels. ❜

❛ I drown it with a drink and out of date prescription pills. ❜

❛ Human beings are destined to radiate or drain. ❜

❛ Only scars remain. ❜

❛ I'm here again, between the devil and the danger. ❜

❛ I guess it's just my nature. ❜

❛ So before I save someone else, I've got to save myself. ❜

❛ Before I blame someone else, I've got to save myself. ❜

❛ Before I love someone else, I've got to love myself. ❜

[secondchanceda-blog]

ed sheeran’s divide | sentence meme.

eraser.

❛ i was born into a small town. i lost that state of mind. ❜

❛ so blame it on the pain that blessed me with the life. ❜

❛ friends and family filled with envy when they should be filled with pride. ❜

❛ when the world’s against me is when i really come alive. ❜

❛ you know that i’ve got whisky with white lies and smoke in my lungs. ❜

❛ i need to get in the right mind and clear myself up. ❜

❛ i look in the mirror, questioning what i’ve become. ❜

❛ i’m well aware of certain things that can destroy a person like me. ❜

❛ i am happy on my own so here i’ll stay. ❜

❛ save your loving arms for a rainy day. ❜

❛ i’ll find comfort in my pain eraser. ❜

❛ i chased the picture perfect life. i think they painted it wrong. ❜

❛ i beg you, don’t be disappointed with the person i’ve become. ❜

❛ the world may be filled with hate, but keep erasing it now, somehow. ❜

castle on the hill.

❛ i was younger then. ❜

❛ i found my heart and broke it here. ❜

❛ i know i’ve grown. i can’t wait to go home. ❜

❛ i miss the way you make me feel. ❜

❛ we watched the sun set over the castle on the hill. ❜

❛ had my first kiss on a friday day. i don’t reckon i did it right. ❜

dive.

❛ maybe i came on too strong. maybe i waited too long. ❜

❛ maybe i played my cards wrong. oh, just a little bit wrong. ❜

❛ i could live, i could die, hanging on the words you say. ❜

❛ i’ve been known to give my all. ❜

❛ so don’t call me, baby, unless you mean it. ❜

❛ don’t tell me you need me if you don’t believe it. ❜

❛ so let me know the truth before i dive right into you. ❜

❛ do you have a tendency to lead some people on? ‘cuz i heard you do. ❜

shape of you. 

❛ the club isn’t the best place to find a lover, so the bar is where i go. ❜

❛ your love was handmade for somebody like me. ❜

❛ i’m in love with the shape of you. we push and pull like a magnet do. ❜

❛ although my heart is falling too, i’m in love with your body. ❜

❛ last night you were in my room, and now my bed sheets smell like you. ❜

❛ we talk for hours and hours about the sweet and the sour. ❜

perfect.

❛ i found a love for me. ❜

❛ darling, just dive right in and follow my lead. ❜

❛ i never knew you were the someone waiting for me. ❜

❛ we were just kids when we fell in love, not knowing what it was. ❜

❛ you look perfect tonight. ❜

❛ they share my dreams. i hope that someday i’ll share their home. ❜

❛ i found a love to carry more than just my secrets. ❜

❛ we are still kids, but we’re so in love, fighting against all odds. ❜

❛ i see my future in your eyes. ❜

❛ now i know i have met an angel in person. ❜

galway girl.

❛ baby, i just want to dance. ❜

❛ i met them on the street right outside of the bar. ❜

❛ they kissed me like there was nobody else in the room. ❜

❛ i could have had that voice playing on repeat for a week. ❜

❛ now we’ve overstayed our welcome and it’s closing time. ❜

❛ i was holding their hand, their hand was holding mine. ❜

❛ our coats both smell of smoke, whisky, and wine. ❜

❛ i walked them home, then they took me inside. ❜

happier.

❛ i saw you in another’s arms, only a month we’ve been apart. you look happier. ❜

❛ i saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours. ❜

❛ ain’t nobody hurt you like i hurt you, but ain’t nobody love you like i do. ❜

❛ promise that i will not take it personal, baby, if you’re moving on with someone new. ❜

❛ i know i was happier with you. ❜

❛ everything’s reminding me of you. ❜

❛ but, my darling, i am still in love with you. ❜

❛ i could try to smile to hide the truth. ❜

❛ i knew one day you’d fall for someone new. ❜

❛ if they break your heart like lovers do, just know i’ll be waiting here for you. ❜

hearts don’t break around here.

❛ they are the sweetest thing that i know. ❜

❛ you should see the way they hold me when the lights go low. ❜

❛ oh, we’re in love, aren’t we? ❜

❛ i feel safe when you’re holding me near. ❜

❛ you know hearts don’t break around here. ❜

❛ they are the flint that sparks the lighter and the fuel that will hold the flame. ❜

what do i know?

❛ my daddy told me, ‘ don’t you get involved in politics, religions, or other people’s quotes. ‘ ❜

❛ i’ll paint the picture, let me set the scene. ❜

❛ we could change this whole world with a piano. ❜

❛ sing, love could change the world in a moment. but what do i know? ❜

❛ the revolution’s coming, it’s a minute away. ❜

❛ we are made up of love and hate, but both of them are balanced on a razor blade. ❜

❛ i’m all for people following their dreams. ❜

❛ just remember life is more than fittin’ in your jeans. it’s love and understanding, positivity. ❜

❛ you know, the future’s in the hands of you and me. ❜

❛ so let’s all get together, we can all be free. ❜

how would you feel (paean).

❛ i’m feeling younger every time that i’m alone with you. ❜

❛ how would you feel if i told you i loved you? ❜

❛ it’s just something that i want to do. ❜

❛ i’ll be taking my time, spending my life falling deeper in love with you. ❜

❛ so tell me that you love me too. ❜

❛ in the summer, as the lilacs bloom, love flows deeper than the river. ❜

supermarket flowers.

❛ dad always told me ‘ don’t you cry when you’re down. ‘ ❜

❛ i’m in pieces, it’s tearing me up. ❜

❛ but i know a heart that’s broke is a heart that’s been loved. ❜

❛ when i fell down, you’d be there holding me up. ❜

❛ ‘cuz i know a life with love is a life that’s been lived. ❜

❛ you got to see the person that i have become. ❜

barcelona.

❛ i’ve got two left feet and a bottle of red wine. ❜

❛ get lost in the rhythm of me. ❜

❛ place don’t close until we wanna leave it. ❜

❛ i fell in love with the sparkle in the moonlight reflected in your beautiful eyes. ❜

❛ i guess that is destiny doing it right. ❜

❛ you’re like something that god has sent me. ❜

bibia be ye ye.

❛ i lose my shoes last night. i don’t know where i put my keys. ❜ 

❛ i was tired and fell asleep beneath an oak tree. ❜

❛ i bet my mother’s proud of me from each scar upon my knuckle. ❜

❛ someone told me, ‘ always say what’s on your mind. ‘ ❜

❛ i am only being honest with you. ❜

❛ i get lonely and make mistakes from time to time. ❜

❛ if things aren’t working out, everything will be alright. ❜

❛ i remember less and less, and mostly things that i regret. ❜

❛ in the picket of my jeans are only coins and broken dreams. ❜

❛ my heart is breaking at the seams and i’m coming apart now. ❜

nancy mulligan.

❛ never had i seen such beauty before the moment that i saw them. ❜

❛ i never worried about the king and crown ‘cuz i found my heart upon the southern ground. ❜

save myself.

❛ i gave all my oxygen to people that could breathe. ❜

❛ i gave away my money and now we don’t even speak. ❜

❛ i drove miles and miles, but would you do the same for me? ❜

❛ they gave me heartache and in return i gave a song. ❜

❛ it goes on and on and on. ❜

❛ life can get down so i just numb the way it feels. ❜

❛ i drown it with a drink and out of date prescription pills. ❜

❛ all the ones that love me, they just left me on the shelf, no farewell. ❜

❛ so before i save someone else, i’ve got to save myself. ❜

❛ i gave you all my energy and i took away your pain. ❜

❛ ‘cuz human beings are destined to radiate or drain. ❜

❛ what line do we stand upon? ‘cuz from here it looks the same. ❜

❛ then i’ll go back to where i’m rescuing a stranger just because they needed saving. ❜

❛ i’m here again, between the devil and the danger. ❜

❛ but i guess it’s just my nature. ❜

❛ my dad was wrong ‘cuz i’m not like my mom. ❜

[johnnypalmer]

1. (Otto)

I never thought that I was old

until some time ago.

I found myself

behind a window

with old antiques on show.

 And though nobody could have guessed

the changes I’d lived through,

they sometimes stopped and looked at me

as if they somehow knew.

And so the days went by,

the long, long days passed by.

 My story started long ago

with a lady sewing toys

in a factory in Germany

where big machines made loads of noise.

 And as she carefully stitched me together

and as her eyes and mine met,

I still remember a pretty face,

a face I can’t forget.

a long, long time ago.

A long, long time ago…

 2. (Seamstress)

Some people say the future’s dim,

in need of a new direction;

most people think the outlook’s grim,

but meanwhile, life goes on.

 Some people seek a lucky star,

and hang their hopes upon it;

some say it’s all gone far too far,

but somehow, life goes on.

 And children must keep on singing,

and children must dance and play,

and people must keep believing

that somehow we’ll keep the bad at bay.

 Some people fail to understand

the outcome of their actions;

some say things are getting out of hand,

but somehow life goes on.

 Some people say the cloud’s are grey

and can’t see a silver lining.

Some can only pray for a better day

but meanwhile, life goes on.

 For after the storm comes sunshine,

and after the dark comes dawn,

and children must sing and dance and play,

in only this way new hope is born.

And when people fear the future

and when they sow seeds of doubt,

then children must sing and dance and play,

if not, what on earth’s life all about?

 Some people say the forecast’s bleak,

and can’t bear to face the future;

some think the whole world’s up the creak,

but somehow, life goes on.

 mmmm…

And meanwhile life goes on.

 3. (Otto)

She wrapped me up inside a box

and sealed it with a bow.

I waited inside and tried to hide

my fear of the unknown.

Until I felt the box undone

and heard a laughing boy.

I looked at him,

he looked at me

and he held me in his arms.

I’d found myself a home.

I’d found myself a home!

 4. (Otto)

My new found friend could hardly wait

his name was David

and we got on great.

His best friend was Oskar

and we all became mates,

and they told me their stories and jokes.

They wanted to teach me how to read and to write,

but my arms were too clumsy so things didn't go right

and when I knocked the ink over

I got splashed in the eye

and you can still see the stain there today.

  5. (David)

You’re the only friend I’ll ever need,

When times are good or times are hard

I’m by your side and standing guard.

If I’ve got you, and you’ve got me, then we’ll succeed.

 (Oskar)

You know I'm always here to lean upon.

And if you're struggling down a road

I'll be right there to share the load.

We'll help each other out when problems come along.

 (David and Oskar)

I'll always back you up and stand by you.

It's good to know you're someone who

will stick around and pull me through.

Don’t fade away the way that people sometimes do.

I’ll count on you, I’ll count on you.

I’ll count on you, I’ll count on you.

 6. (Men in coats)

Get out quick and come outside.

You've got nowhere to run and you’ve got nowhere to hide.

You've got 2 minutes flat or else we’ll have to decide

to break down the door, yes we'll break down the door.

Bring out your children, your husbands and wives

before we count up to five, before we count up to five.

Out! 2, 3, 4, Out! 2, 3,

before we count up to five, before we count up to five.

 (Jewish families)

Help us! Somebody somewhere please help us,

What have we done to deserve this?

Don’t let them take us, please save us!

Show us some mercy, please!

 (Men in coats)

Get out quick and come outside.

You've got nowhere to run and you’ve got nowhere to hide.

Bring out your children, your husbands and wives

before we count up to five, before we count up to five,

Out! 2, 3, 4, Out! 2, 3, 4.

Out! 2, 3, 4, Out! 2, 3, 4.

Out! 2, 3, 4, Out! 2, 3,

before we count up to five, before we count up to five.

 (Jewish families)

Help us! Somebody somewhere protect us!

Can anyone help us?

We’re ordinary people and we’ve done nothing wrong

so don’t take us away from the homes where we live.

 7. (David)

I’ve no idea about the reason why,

I only know they’re moving us away.

The soldiers say we’ve got to go today.

I’ve just got time to come and say goodbye.

 (Otto)

I didn't understand the reason they were taking him.

I felt so helpless as I watched him say goodbye to us.

But there was nothing I could do.

 (David)

They haven’t told us where we’re going to.

I only know it’s time for us to go.

Don’t want to leave a friend like you alone.

I think that Otto’s better off with you.

 (Otto)

I didn't want to have to stay behind, with David gone.

I felt annoyed because he wouldn't let me go with him.

But now I realise he was right.

 8. (Otto)

From the top of the balcony

just Oskar and me

could see a whole load of people

with the same star as David

who were pushed into lorries

and were taken away

to destinations unknown.

 And we both felt afraid…

and alone.

 9. (Oskar)

Why do people leave you? Why’s the room so cold?

Why is it so difficult to keep my self-control?

Who’ll be there to help us? Why don’t people stay?

What can people say to you to make you feel okay

when friends you’ve had for ever go away?

 Why’s it feel so scary? Why’s it been so long?

Why are all the plans that we were making going wrong?

Why does no one answer? Why will no one hear?

Why do walls start closing in at night when no one’s near

when friends you’ve had for ever disappear?

 (Otto)

And if I could have answered, I think I might have said

at least we had each other and to get back into bed.

But I just listened silently instead.

 (Oskar)

Why do friends desert you? Why is it allowed?

Why do people vanish like the sun behind a cloud?

Why’s the house so lonely, where do people go?

They say it may be over soon, but time drags by so slow.

Tell me where he’s gone to if you know.

 10. (Otto)

Then just when things seemed bad enough,

we had more gloomy news.

Oskar’s dad was forced to go to war.

 And at the station to see him off,

were loads of families and friends,

and as he left, we waved goodbye,

and when he had to go,

tears began to flow.

 11. (Papa)

I know how hard it is to say the word goodbye,

and I’d do anything to stay,

but I’ll be back within a flicker of an eye,

you’ll hardly know I’ve been away.

And dry your eyes and think of happy days ahead,

I hate to see you look so sad.

Just say goodbye, get it over,

You know I’ll miss you when I’m there;

just say goodbye, turn away, and take care.

 (Mutti)

I can’t find words to say exactly what I feel,

I’m just so empty and bereft.

I only wish that what is happening wasn’t real;

we’ll miss you so much when you’ve left.

And any moment of the day you think of us,

we’ll both be thinking of you too;

just say goodbye, get it over,

and think of us while you’re there;

just say goodbye, come home safe, and take care.

 Mutti & Papa

just say goodbye, get it over,

and think of us while you’re there;

just say goodbye…

 12. (Otto)

The next thing we knew was that bombs started falling,

as sirens blared out, and families were calling

to run to the underground shelters they'd built,

to keep us all safe at night.

 And Oskar held on to me tight.

 13. (Oskar)

This was not the way it’s meant to be.

It’s all gone dark and all gone quiet,

except when bombs explode at night,

and people hide and soldiers fight.

 We’re going to have to try hard to be strong.

When all the days are half as bright,

when all the nights are twice as long,

you’ll need a friend to give you strength to carry on,

so count on me.

 14. (G.I.s)

You better pay attention GI Joe.

You keep your heads down and your bodies low.

We got the upper hand and won't let go

and the fight goes on till the battle's won.

 We're in position where the two sides meet.

We're pushing forward and they're in retreat.

We know who's winning and we know who's beat

so the fight goes on till the battle's won.

 We got all night to fight the enemy.

We're gonna keep them on the run.

 We're pushing forward on the battle lines.

Detonating bombs and clearing mines,

sending shivers up and down their spines.

They'll be on the run till the battle's won.

 We're in position where the two sides meet.

We're pushing forward and they're in retreat.

We know who's winning and we know who's beat

and the fight goes on till the battle's won.

 How much longer, how much longer?

How much longer, how much longer?

How much longer, how much longer

Till the battle’s won, till the battle’s won?

 15. (Otto)

After the pilots had dropped their bombs,

after the dust settled down,

after the aftershocks ebbed away,

after the planes had left town,

 the neighbourhood was destroyed.

The bombs had blown it to bits.

With dead and injured surrounding me I was frightened out of my wits.

 But my eyes kept on seeing,

my ears kept on hearing,

my mind kept on coping,

my soul kept on hoping.

but I've never felt so scared before or since.

 16. (nurse)

Sleep soundly as a baby, be peaceful and be calm,

you’re far away from danger now, there’s no cause for alarm.

Rest your aching body, calm your weary brow,

and feel your strength return to you, you’ll get it back somehow.

 But soldiers keep enlisting, and no one’s keeping score,

yet still they keep insisting going back for more and more,

and more replace the men who fell before;

and curse this wretched war.

 Relax your trembling muscles and rest your sleepy head,

the nightmares are behind you now, so dream sweet dreams instead.

Away with fearful visions, and shell-shocked signs of stress,

and dangers lurking out of sight that haunt you nonetheless.

 Enough of broken families, of widows dressed in black,

enough of mothers grieving for their sons who won’t come back.

Enough of senseless killing, enough of settling scores,

enough of soldiers willing to go back for more and more,

and more replace the men who fell before;

and curse this wretched war.

 17. (Otto)

It took us some time to recover our strength

and the soldier told everyone:

 (Charlie)

this guy's a hero,

he sheltered me from the full force of the bullet

which probably saved me my life!

 (Otto)

'Charlie' was the G.I's name.

and I had my first taste of fame

when they gave him a medal and photographers came,

and we made the front page of the press.

 He made me the mascot of the whole regiment,

and he lent me his medal that he pinned to my chest,

and I felt really proud to stand out from the crowd.

Then at long last the war was over.

 18. (Charlie)

Today’s the first day of the next part of my life,

I see the future as a friend.

Today I look at life without the pain, without the strife

and live as though my life’s begun again.

 I never thought that fate would be there smiling down on me.

I thought that I was well and truly stuck.

Then just as I was thinking things were bad as they could be,

suddenly I can’t believe my luck.

 Today I’ve turned a page and boy, I like the book,

and I can’t wait to read the happy ending.

I know the way it’s heading ‘cause I jumped ahead and took a look,

it’s just as though my life’s begun again.

 (Soldiers)

We're setting sail again, we're finally heading home.

Farewell to exile overseas.

Another day away from home would be too long.

There's no one here who disagrees.

 We often wondered if we'd live to see this day.

Hip hip hooray!

Because we're heading home to the US of A.

The irresistible pull of home is so strong.

We're homeward bound for the US of A.

We're heading back to the only place we belong.

 The years and months and days passed by and dragged us down,

We spent them slowly killing time.

The only thing we want to do is quit this town,

and kiss the whole darn place goodbye.

 We've learned how absence makes the heart grow mighty fond.

We're heading cross the pond

and setting sail for the US of A.

The irresistible pull of home is so strong.

We're homeward bound for the US of A.

We're heading back to the only place we belong. Yeah!

 (Charlie)

No one would have guessed that I was born a lucky guy,

I never thought that luck was on my side.

But what d’ya know, my guardian angel’s smiling down on me,

and suddenly my eyes are open wide.

 This is the greatest day I’ve known, you’d better bet,

I see that I’m the luckiest of men;

and one thing that I can’t forget’s the best of it ain’t happened yet,

it’s just as though my life’s begun again.

 19. (Jasmine)

I don’t suppose I’ll get to know what sad times you’ve lived through,

but if you think it never ends, well sometimes dreams come true;

I’ll make this place a special home for you.

 I made a list for Santa Claus, but didn’t get a lot,

but you’re the only gift I want, the best I ever got;

I’ll make this place a special home for you.

 20. (Otto)

One thing I've noticed, when life’s looking great,

you never can tell what the next thing that fate

has in store for you when you're least expecting it,

and things turned for the worse the next day.

Some bullies started chasing us.

I sensed the danger that was facing us.

They caught us up and they blocked our path.

But we couldn't get away!

 21. (bullies)

Catch her, stop her, block her way!

Look at who’s come out to play!

What’s she holding? What’s she got?

Head her off and make her stop.

 Look who’s crying, look who’s scared!

Look who’s brought her teddy bear.

Hand it over, nice and slow,

and once you do you’re free to go.

 And here it comes, and if you’re ready or you’re not,

and if you want it, then you got it,

here comes trouble.

Get out the way or else we’ll show you what we got,

and here it comes, here it comes, here it comes.

 So you tried to get away, well that's too bad because we caught ya'.

And you thought you’d come and play, well somebody shoulda taught ya'

it's our turf and you're not wanted here, it’s time you learned respect,

‘cause it’s us that rules this neighborhood, and no one can protect ya’.

 Throw the teddy to me steady, pick it up and try and pitch it,

and then better yet already, rip it open and unstitch it.

And she's all upset and crying, like she's sad and broken-hearted.

Well we wasn't even trying and we've hardly even started.

 And here it comes, and if you’re ready or you’re not,

and if you want it, then you got it,

here comes trouble.

Get out the way or else we’ll show you what we got,

and here it comes, here it comes, here it comes.

 Throw it like a baseball and I'll see how far I hit it,

and I'll smash it even harder just to see if I can split it.

And pitch it in the ditch again and try and send it flying.

And if you go and snitch on us we'll say that you was lying.

 And here it comes, and if you’re ready or you’re not,

and if you want it, then you got it,

here comes trouble.

There’s just one thing in all the world we like a lot,

and here it comes, here it comes, here it comes.

 22. (Jasmine)

Has no one seen my teddy bear?

I've searched all day and all night.

I don't know what's become of him.

I pray that he's all right.

If anybody sees him

can you let me know at once.

The house is not a home when he's not there.

 I've asked around the neighborhood,

They say my chances are slim.

I'm worried that he misses me

as much as I miss him.

If anyone should see him

just be sure to let me know.

The house is not a home when he's not there.

 (Otto)

I heard her crying,

but it wasn't worth my trying

finding ways to move around or make a sound.

No need to mention

that I couldn't grab attention

So I simply stayed there hoping I'd be found.

 (Jasmine)

I've asked around from door to door

but still got nothing to show.

Has no one got some news for me?

I've hunted high and low.

I'm missing him so badly

and it's getting hard to bear.

The house is not a home when he's not there.

The house is not a home without him there.

 23. (Otto)

I didn't know what would become of me.

My mind filled with worry and doubt.

I needed somebody to rescue me.

It looked like my luck had run out.

 My prospects seemed very dim.

I worried that this was the end.

I knew that my chances were slim

of me making a safe return to my friend.

 But my eyes kept on seeing,

my ears kept on hearing,

my mind kept on coping,

my soul kept on hoping.

 I didn’t even know if I’d survive.

I stayed there simply keeping hope alive.

  24. (old woman)

When nothing much matters and your life’s torn to tatters,

and it’s falling apart at the seams;

when things are more squalid and getting more horrid

than anything you’ve ever seen;

it’s hard, so hard, it’s hard, so hard.

 When people laugh at you because your things that you

possess have been found in the trash;

when people ignore you and they do nothing for you

but they just look away in a flash;

it’s hard, so hard, it’s hard, so hard.

 Nothing’s going to get you down, you’re saying,

nothing’s going to bring you down,

but no one wants to hang around to help you out.

No one’s got the time of day to give you,

no one wants to lend a hand,

there’s no one there to share a care or understand.

 When life is more sordid than ever recorded

with stories you wouldn’t believe;

when your future’s behind you and the people remind you

of all that you didn’t achieve;

it’s hard, so hard, it’s hard, so hard.

It’s hard, so hard.

 25. (antiques seller) Who knows the places that you’ve been, the changes that you’ve seen, the people who you’ve known, emotions that they’ve shown.

If I could know them well, I’d write a book and sell the stories you could tell.

 I see it’s clear that someone cared but times have been quite tough, and though your life’s been shared, the going has been rough. I’ve known some heartache too, I only wish I knew the stories you’ve lived through.

 There’s something in your history, there’s stories to be told. If I could solve the mystery I’d tell the world,

 and sometimes you can’t believe the tales, but one thing never fails; if I look in your eyes they’ll never tell me lies. If I could break the spell I’d penetrate the shell of stories you could tell.

If I could break the spell I’d penetrate the shell of stories you could tell.

 26. (Otto)

Day after day after day passed by,

but no happy outcome appears.

Days turned to weeks and then months went by,

months started turning to years.

 I sat there all on my own.

I grew resigned to my fate

'cause no one gave any thought to me

in my sad and pitiful state.

 But my eyes kept on seeing,

my ears kept on hearing,

my soul kept on yearning

the world kept on turning.

 I watched the passers-by pass by for years!

 27. (Oskar)

Can it really be true what I’m seeing?

Strange how a moment can roll back the years.

Strange how my heart skips a beat but it keeps on pounding,

and strange how the smallest things move you to tears.

 Strange how the smallest things knock you off-balance;

strange how you couldn’t hold back if you tried.

Strange that despite all the heartache and long, long, suffering,

it’s usually the small things that stir you inside.

 Stone cold sober in the cold, dark night,

you contemplate your image that’s reflected in the light.

You’re on the straight and narrow, but your life’s stuck in a rut,

you think the ghosts and memories have been long forgotten,

 but it’s strange how you’re suddenly whisked back to childhood.

It’s weird how the small things bring tears to the eyes.

Strange how life can move forward so slowly till you

find that years and years of your life have passed by.

 Strange how the small things remind you of long lost friendships,

and strange how the smallest things keep hope alive.

 28. (Otto) So off we both went reunited at last celebrating the way an incredible chance brought the two of us finally together again, and we soon became news around town. And there we were, celebrities, they interviewed Oskar and they photographed me. The news hit the papers spontaneously and I was famous all over again. The journalists wrote about an elderly German man who'd once lost his teddy bear during the war, and had found me again by amazing good luck in a faraway antiques store. And just before leaving to go back home, somebody rang through to his telephone, a stranger's voice that he didn't know, and this is what I heard:

 29 (Oskar and David) I can’t believe it’s really you, I can’t believe how time flies. I’d hardly know you, you’ve changed so much, but I remember those eyes. I was wandering around and was passing through, now I’m stood here with you and I hardly dare to think it’s really true. Can this be true and really you, my long lost friend from the past? I can't believe it's happening, we're reunited at last. I was biding my time, in the way you do, now I look up at you and I pinch myself to check it’s really true. I thought it was over, I feared the worst, I thought that I’d lost my best friend. I thought we were blighted, I thought we were cursed, but now we’re together again. I was passing the time and was muddling through; now you’re back here again and I rub my eyes and can’t believe it’s true, together again and so overdue, as I look at you now I just rub my eyes and can’t believe it’s true. Do you remember back to when we met as children and happy moments that we spent? I said I’d care for you, as though you were my brother And every word I said, I meant. Do you recall ? Yes I recall. I still recall, I still recall, I still recall… And who’d have thought that we’d be here to tell the story or that we’d ever meet again? We kept on keeping hope alive though, yes, we were keeping hope alive. Remember how we used to talk with one another of plans we’d never carry through? And when the days grew dark, we’d run and duck for cover Do you remember like I do? Oh yes I do, oh yes I do, oh how I do, indeed I do, oh yes I do… And when we shouted out, but no one gave an answer, and when we didn’t think we’d cope, we kept on keeping hope alive though, we never ever gave up hope. And when we shouted out, but no one gave an answer, or even feared we’d not survive, we kept on keeping hope alive though, yes, we were keeping hope alive. we kept on keeping hope alive though, yes, we were keeping hope alive. we kept on keeping hope alive though, yes, we were keeping hope alive.

 30. (Otto) The things that I heard were profoundly sad, as sad as a story can get. Life for my friends had been truly bad, and I've not told the worst of it yet. David and his parents had been sent to an enormous prison camp. His parents never returned. David had survived, ill and starving. Oskar’s father had died in the war. Oskar and his mother had been crushed by the ruins of their house when it was bombed. His mother didn’t escape, but Oskar had survived. But we'd all kept on coping, our souls kept on hoping. The world had grown colder, we'd all grown much older. And since we'd all been living on our own we both moved in with David in his home.

 31. (David & Oskar) This is where we're both supposed to be, me for you and you for me, through thick and thin, through sun and rain, Let's set our course and chose our path, and walk it again. This is how it always should have been, despite the sadness that we’ve seen, despite the cost, despite the loss, all that I’ve got, I’ll share the lot, my friend, with you. And somehow we survived it in the end, I don't know why, I don't know how, but all that matters to me now is I've found you and you've found me again, my friend. I’ll count on you, I’ll count on you. (the entire cast) And always tell the story like it is, and when it's far too sad for words, and if you grieve for what occurred, that’s why the story must be heard. And shine a light on shadows that are cast by painful memories, almost lost, at such a monumental cost, in darkest corners of the past. And history must be constantly explored. Don't let your children tell you that you swept it underneath the mat. Don't let the story be forgotten or ignored, I’ll count on you, I’ll count on you, I’ll count on you.

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

Star Wars Rebels Just Delivered A Devastating Twist That Changes Everything

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Star Wars Rebels Just Delivered A Devastating Twist That Changes Everything

3 hours ago

Warning: major spoilers ahead for Episodes 10 and 11 of Star Wars Rebels Season 4, “Jedi Night” and “DUME.”

The final season of Star Wars Rebels is quickly coming to an end, and there simply aren’t many episodes remaining. Rebels finally returned to the airwaves after several months of hiatus with a midseason premiere event that will change everything for the characters in the remaining episodes. A member of the Ghost family is no more. Kanan was killed in the final moments of “Jedi Knight,” and “DUME” featured the rest of the characters attempting to deal with his death.

On the one hand, Kanan’s death probably doesn’t come as a huge shock to longtime Star Wars fans. After all, Star Wars Rebels is fast-approaching the timeline of the original Star Wars trilogy, and the only Jedi who turned up in the original trilogy were Obi-Wan, Yoda, Luke, and technically Anakin by the end of Return of the Jedi. Nowhere was another Jedi knight mentioned, and surely somebody would have introduced Kanan to Luke. Yes, Kanan was always likely to die before the end of Rebels.

On the other hand, the manner of his death in “Jedi Night” may have come as a big surprise to many. There are still several episodes left in the series, and Kanan is one of the lead characters. If he was going to die, viewers might have expected his death to come closer to the very end of the series. Alternately, many of us probably thought that Kanan would be killed by Thrawn or Rukh or even a surprise appearance from Vader courtesy of the Emperor. Instead, Kanan was killed in an explosion.

Now, death via explosion might sound kind of underwhelming for the character who has been the protagonist of some of the most impactful arcs of the series to date, and fans would have had a lot to be upset about if Kanan was killed off in some anticlimactic way. Fortunately, Star Wars Rebels gave Kanan a worthy sendoff that should help us deal with his absence in the rest of the remaining episodes. Here’s what happened.

It was pretty evident from the beginning of the episode that something was up with Kanan, and not just because the previous episode ended his story on a distinct feeling of doom. After meditating alone and then telling Ezra to taking a leadership role, Kanan cut off his hair and shaved his beard with a knife, which… is really one of the biggest signs that Kanan is powerful with the Force. Only a deeply Force-sensitive man could shave his face with a knife without the use of his eyes.

On a more serious note, Kanan was playing things close to the chest, and he got a special final moment with each Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine before setting out on his mission to rescue Hera. He was ultimately successful in rescuing Hera (and her Kalikori), although he lost his lightsaber to Rukh. If the lost lightsaber wasn’t enough of a sign that Kanan’s time was running out, he tried to tell Hera something that was probably along the lines of “Hey, I’m totally going to die soon.” Arguably the final nail in the figurative coffin for Kanan came when Hera confessed her love and kissed him on top of one of the fuel pods at the TIE Defender factory just as Ezra and Sabine flew in to save the day. It was very sweet… until Governor Pryce ordered her men to fire on the containers, blowing up the fuel inside.

The good news is that Kanan sensed the impending disaster with just enough time to jump in front of the explosion and hold the flames back with the Force. The bad news is that there was no way he could hold the flames back and escape with his life. Panicking, Hera tried to jump out of the ship and return to him, but Kanan used the Force to hold her back. His final act was to use the Force to move the ship safely away from the blast. Kanan was killed in the act of saving his family and destroying the fuel depot.

It was heartbreaking to see a man who survived so much die so close to the victory we know is coming in the not-too-distant future with the destruction of the Death Star. Kanan was a Jedi who managed to do what Anakin could not: fall in love and build a family without turning to the dark side. He grew from a guy who could could barely handle a lightsaber with any form in the beginning of Season 1 into a Jedi who could use the Force to hold back an explosion and stop Hera from running to him. Surely he deserved to live, original trilogy continuity be damned!

That said, Kanan’s death was also a pretty perfect end to his story. He gave up his life to save others just as his master gave up her life to save him, and he clearly went into the situation expecting — or at least guessing — that he wouldn’t be coming back. Besides, his death via explosion means that he was able to heroically sacrifice himself without falling victim to Rukh or Thrawn or anybody else. We didn’t have to watch him struck down or even see his body. He died with dignity.

For a character whose journey on Rebels always seemed destined to end with death, Kanan got as good a sendoff as we could have hoped. It was never likely that he was going to get a happily-ever-after. At least he got one of the best deaths of the Star Wars saga to date. The quick glimpse of his eyes turning green again for the first time since he was blinded is worth a rewatch on its own! He got to see Hera one last time.

We’ll have to wait and see how his family on the Ghost carries on without him. Hera wasn’t able to contribute to the mission in “DUME” due to her grief at Kanan’s death, but adding him to her Kalikori seemed to give her some degree of closure. We do know that she has quite a while to live without him.

Zeb and Sabine were all about avenging Kanan for most of “DUME,” and Zeb was well on his way to beating Rukh to death to send a message before Sabine stopped him. Revenge is not the Jedi way; to honor Kanan, the Ghost crew may not actively try to avenge him. Ezra hasn’t had much time to really absorb the fact that his master is dead, mostly due to the fact that he got lost in the Lothal wilderness and ended up on a spiritual journey with those mysterious loth-wolves. The only thing we can really be sure of is that the rebels are lacking one of their most powerful assets with the death of Kanan. His final act did help wreak a lot of havoc on the Imperial forces on Lothal, so the rebels have that going for them.

For more on the events of “Jedi Night” and “DUME,” check out our rundown ofbig ways Rebels just set up Rogue One. The midseason trailer for Rebels reveals that there’s a whole lot still in store, and we’re still waiting on Ahsoka. New episodes of Star Wars Rebels air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Disney XD. For more viewing options, take a look at our 2018 midseason TV premiere guide. Don’t forget to swing by our picks of Star Wars TV characters that need to appear in the movies. Now that Kanan is dead, we can only hope that he’ll pop up somewhere else.

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Logan’s Run

Set in a dystopian world where the remaining humans are locked in a domed society surrounding by the ruins of the outside world, Logan's Run is ultimately a mixed bag. With everybody in this society being forced to die at age 30, it really sets the film up nicely for some strong religious and societal commentary, while also setting up stakes perfectly. Logan 5 (Michael York), a man employed to stop "runners" aka escapees, is tasked with finding out where the runners go when they get out of the dome and to find and destroy "sanctuary", which is the assumed destination of the runners. To do so, however, he must escape and does it with the help of Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter). In this dystopic world, Logan's Run questions blind following of those in charge and the value of knowledge provided by the elderly, while using both to provide great critiques of the world at the time of its release. Unfortunately, bad dialogue and a silly conclusion only serve to hold the film back from actually being good.

In this futuristic world, the people kept inside this dome are told that there is nothing but barren wasteland outside, so there is no point to escape. Unfortunately, staying inside is hardly prosperous as all of them have a crystal time clock embedded into their hands. Changing colors or flashing to indicate when it is their time to die, the citizens of this world believe they will be renewed and come back in another body. In a ceremony that feels oddly religious or occultist, the citizens in this dome gather around and celebrate the renewal of their fellow citizens as they watch them rise to the top of the dime and get incinerated. As Logan 5 comes out and says, the citizens in this world clearly do this out of fear. If there is no renewal, then what is the point of dying at 30 and why are we here? Accepting this obvious fabrication is far easier than accepting the fact that, once they die, nothing is waiting for them. There is no other world, there is no renewal, and even if they escape the dome, there is no heavenly sanctuary awaiting them.

Hitting its religious critique on-the-nose, Logan's Run clearly seeks to point out various things about religion. For one, the cultish behavior of even the most docile religions. With various religious leaders being prominent in the 1970s and the politics of America slowly becoming accessible to religious leaders, the world of the 1970s was being far more ingrained with the way preachers see the world and less focused upon how the founding fathers envisioned the world. For Logan's Run, it posits this as the foundation for what is occurring in 2274. Now, people willingly die and blindly believe that they will be renewed and can go to a mythical sanctuary. With both being institutionalized lies - the computer system that seems to oversee the place even refuses to accept there is no sanctuary - they lead to a society that is under the thumb of somebody very powerful, while believing their lives mean something to a higher power. While I am religious myself, it is hard not to appreciate Logan's Run depiction of the unquestioning believer who just assumes because they are told something, it is absolutely true. The film uses religion to showcase this, but the sheepish behavior is certainly obvious.

That said, the religion the film is critiquing may not necessarily be Christianity. When Logan 5 and Jessica 6 meet the old man (Peter Ustinov) in the outside world, his clothing is unmistakable. With an all-white beard and hair, a sash over his long dress-like clothing, and a wooden walking stick, the old man looks like a shepherd. While perhaps not Jesus himself, shepherds have always been seen in a very Biblical sense, especially when they are in this manner of dress. It is an unmistakable attribute of the old man's character that is certainly purposeful on the part of director Michael Anderson. At the end of the film, with everybody from the world in the dome gathering around the old man on a mountain, it is hard to not feel some Biblical parallels with this shepherd commanding a large crowd and here to spread the good news: they have life beyond what they previously imagined to be true.

The film similarly critiques the youth movements of the time via the character of the old man. With everybody in the dome dying at the age of 30, the young people in the dome are violent and lack in any kind of knowledge. When Logan 5 and Jessica 6 meet the old man, they have no idea about relationships or cats. While perhaps a snide remark on the loose morals of the hippy movement, it also underscores the wealth of knowledge of everyday things that the elderly can possess. By having the old man live in the old library of Congress - the supposed absolute of knowledge - Logan's Run further underscores this man as being a keeper of knowledge. Thus, Logan's Run's dystopic world is not necessarily just one derived from the fact that they all die at age 30 and are blind followers of whomever. It is derived from the fact that they lack the elderly to teach them. Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, which is exactly what is occurring in Logan's Run. With no older members of society to guide the youth and tell them what is going on, the youths are forced to feel their way out in an anarchist/structured society that allows no room for questioning the world around them. As a result, they are not just ignorant but they have no way of increasing their knowledge to fight against the injustice of the world in which they reside.

The film is also greatly benefited from a few elements. For one, its production design is excellent. While its special effects are deeply 1970s, the world outside the dome is begging to be explored. Seeing the Lincoln Memorial covered in weeds and the Capitol building in ruins is captivating and begs for a prequel depicting the end of the outside world that forced people into this dome. The production design in the dome is similarly excellent and, given more time, could be explored to a greater degree. Yet, the bits sprinkled into the film are always engaging with so many corners of this dystopia being mentioned, described, and being compelling in their own right.

Unfortunately, what the film does with its locales is rather unfortunate. While in the dome, the crushing weight of the world around these poor people is always felt. Outside, the need to go back and save them is obvious but the world is never explored. Logan 5 and Jessica 6 just walk around together and look at things. It feels rather flat, never really giving too much meat beyond the two of them being like children learning everything for the first time from the old man. By the end of the film, they learn there is no sanctuary in the outside world, but that is a conclusion that could have been reached far sooner. Otherwise, it feels as though this is a bridge and a neck-snapping smash on the brakes right before the film's climax. While director Michael Anderson builds great anticipation about the world outside and the chilling frozen air managed by a robot named Box is a nice touch, the film's refusal to do anything in the outside world of substance is crushingly disappointing.

Furthermore, the film leaves far too many questions by the end. Yes, they leave the dome, but what happens? How did they get there in the first place? Who organized this dome? Are they still alive? Why the shoehorned romance? What is the point of the sex orgies? Is there beaming technology and for what purpose? Why is the cathedral in ruins? Where are the runners? Were they really all frozen, because I never saw Logan 5 do inventory? So the fish are dead. Have they really been eating people or what the heck do they eat? If the former, why did the computer still think they were unaccounted for? How can this computer read Logan's internal thoughts but not know he was telling the truth? Did it really just overheat and that is the big climax? How did the old man get there? Is he the last person ever? Are there more people out there? If so, why are they not there too? How are there so many cats? Did dogs die out? If the fish died and every other animal seem to die, why are there still cats? Why were old people all killed? Why do the youths stay in the cathedral? Why are they so violent? What is the point of the mask in the ceremony? Again, why do they insist on getting naked every five seconds? The sex orgy was way too much of this movie even at just two minutes or something. What is the point? Why is Box there? Who put him there? How is this part of the world just frozen like this? Is it a freezer or something? How is the resistance simultaneously organized via the locks but seems so scattershot otherwise? What does the old man eat if nothing can be eaten outside? How did the fish die? Is it the same reason the outside world was abandoned? In essence, did Logan's Run actually explore its word or just provide cursory introductions to it? If the latter, which is likely the case, boy did this film leave a lot hanging out to flap in the wind.

Begging to be remade into a film that actually explored the world and told a compelling story or a television series that was able to actually explore the past and present of the world in equal measure, Logan's Run is a middling film that just feels incomplete. Clunky dialogue and iffy performances from the cast hardly help matters as Michael York just never really sells as the charismatic male action hero in Logan's Run. Honestly, in watching this film sputter, fail to captivate, and clunk around for two hours, it is hard not to see parallels to Luc Besson's recent Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Ambitious, set in the future, with great production design, and similarly plagued by iffy leads and a bad script that has worse dialogue and refuses to explore the world beyond cursory introductions, Logan's Run is entirely a mixed bag that could have been so much better.