#but she is the queen of explosions. we cannot erase this from her

[revvethasmythh]

Can't believe I saw someone claim that Veth would go to Barbie over Oppenheimer. Veth? Veth Brenatto? Co-creator of the Fluffernutter, Master Gunner who mans the cannons on The Ball Eater, Veth stole-a-gun-and-shot-Beau-in-the-ass-with-it Brenatto? Veth who canonically killed a party member with an exploding arrow and never lived it down? Mrs. Brenatto has a front row seat to Oppenheimer actually, to ogle the explosions at the very least

[ragingbookdragon]

Until The Last Star Dies

Jason Todd x Tamaranean!Reader

Word Count: 2.4K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst, Mentions of Past Abuse

Author's Note: Old story I edited and am now posting again! This is technically the start to all those Outlaw x Reader ones. Guess I gotta work on those next! Enjoy! -Thorne

The all knew something was going to happen between the two Tamaranean sisters when the Titans and the Outlaws teamed up for a dual mission. Something usually did when the sisters got together, one of them asking for help for the last of their people, the other completely devoid of and inclination to help. Kory had brought up the conversation once during the mission when she was beside Dick and Jason, but the two had shaken their heads and reminded her not to do personal during a mission—else it risk the best outcome of said mission.

Kory hadn’t been impressed with the answer, but she’d relented at least until they were back in the Titan’s Tower, and the moment she brought it up with her sister, she knew she’d made a mistake.

***

Everyone watched as the two Tamaraneans stood at each other’s throats; Kory pointed a finger at her sister, her voice accusing. “They are our people, (Y/N)! You cannot just turn your back on them!”

(Y/N) scoffed incredulously. “Our people? You mean the people who turned their backs on us? Them?” A bitter laugh echoed throughout the room and most of them shivered at how cruel it sounded. “Damn them all.”

Kory reared back, emerald eyes wide with shock. “How can you say that, (Y/N)!”

“Easy! With my mouth!” She countered, then let out a sigh. “I have no desire or want to help them, Kory.” (Y/N) turned and began walking to the door. “They can die for all I care.”

When Kory spoke, her voice was low with disappointment. “Mother and Father would be ashamed of you, Kiyahnd’r.”

(Y/N) stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, her face and voice etched with disbelief. “What did you just say to me, Koriand’r?”

Kory stood up to her full height, imposing to most but her sister. “You heard me, Kiyahnd’r…they would be ashamed of your attitude and disassociation with our people.”

A crimson haze colored (Y/N)’s vision and she exploded in a fuming rage causing the others to step back in apprehension. “OUR PARENTS SOLD US INTO SLAVERY TO AVOID WAR! THEIR OWN CHILDREN! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO FEEL SYMPATHY FOR OUR PEOPLE?!”

(Y/N) felt an all-powerful energy surge through her, and an ominous white-hot aura surrounded her. “I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR OUR PEOPLE! I HAVE NO SYMPATHY FOR KOMAND’R! OR FOR OUR PARENTS!”

They watched as Kory matched her power, shoulders and back glowing green. “We have a duty to our throne as they did to Tamaran!”

“TO A THRONE THAT TURNED THEIR BACKS ON US BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO AFRAID TO FIGHT!” (Y/N) pointed at her. “HOW DARE YOU TRY AND JUSTIFY THEIR BETRAYAL! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT WE SUFFERED AS A RESULT?! THE EXPERIMENTS?! THE ABUSE?!”

“Of course I have not! But we are heirs to the Tamaranean throne, Kiyahnd’r! We must—”

She was cut off as a bolt of ivory energy flew by her head; it slammed into the wall with a catastrophic explosion, putting a hole through the entire seventeen walls of that particular side of the building.

Kory turned to stare at the gaping hole in the wall before facing her, her eyes narrowed, voice twinging dangerously. “Did you just challenge me, Kiyahnd’r?”

(Y/N) bared her teeth as she took a menacing step forward. “Do not make the mistake of laying your hands upon me, sister. We both know full well who would win that fight,” she promised, then her eyes darted to the members around them, eyes either widened in worry, or narrowed in expectation for a fight.

She inhaled shakily and shut her eyes, and the energy around her began to fizzle away until all that was left was her. She opened her eyes, gazing sadly at Kory, then, she spoke, the words coming out pained. “I do not want to save them, Koriand’r. The day they gave us up was the day I cut my ties with them. You want to play the high and mighty Tamaranean princess? Be my guest.”

She spun on her heel and walked to the door, but as if remembering something, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, affirming, “But do not assume that I will do the same.”

The group watched as she left; Kory sighed and hung her head.

“Kory?”

She looked up at Dick and Jason who each gave her a look of concern; she opted for a reassuring smile. “Do not worry for me, Dick. I am okay.”

Jason stared at the door (Y/N) walked out of, offhandedly mentioning, “I’m more worried for (Y/N).”

Kory nodded at Jason’s words. “As am I.”

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. “What’s been going on?”

She collapsed down in a chair and sighed again. “Though Tamaran was destroyed, our people survived and started over.”

“New-Tamaran right?” Jason asked, though it appeared he knew more than he let on.

She tipped her head side-to-side at Jason’s question, not entirely sure how to answer the question in terms of a plain yes or no. “In a way. Our people are now considered nomads.” She paused. “Komand’r reigns as Queen, but she is not fit for it. I have tried many times to convince Kiyahnd’r to help them. We have a duty to them to do so…but she will never forgive our people or Komand’r for what happened to us.”

“Can you blame her Kory?”

Her head tipped to look at Jason. “What?”

He shrugged. “Can you blame her?” Jason repeated and knelt in front of Kory. “You both were enslaved and experimented on. Memories and feelings like that aren’t exactly erased…or forgiven.”

“I know,” Kory said, reasoning, “But…I just wish she could work towards it.”

“It’s not always that easy.” He answered, then nodded at Dick and rose to his feet. “I’m going to go find (Y/N).” The two of them watched Jason leave the room in search of her.

***

After an hour of searching, Jason eventually found (Y/N) on the roof, staring up at the moon, her legs dangling over the edge.

He walked over and stood beside her. “Mind if I sit next to you, doll?”

(Y/N) didn’t shift her gaze from the glowing, natural satellite. “Do as you wish, Jason.”

There wasn’t heat in her words, and he wasn’t bothered by the indifference as he sat beside her, quietly admiring the moon.

It was quiet until she broke it, murmuring, “Kory wants us to forgive our people and move on…as if nothing happened to us.” She paused and shook her head as if the very idea were incomprehensible. “We are a naturally open species when it comes to emotion, but I do not understand how she can let go of everything so easily…how she can turn aside years of consistent abuse and smile so easily.”

Jason observed her for a moment, mulling the thought on his tongue. “What exactly happened to you, (Y/N)?”

(Y/N)’s face morphed into an anguished expression; she breathed deeply before sighing and speaking. “When my grandmother ruled Tamaran, she gave herself up to appease the Citadel. When my father took the throne, he did the same…but instead of giving himself…he gave Kory and I away.” She swallowed thickly. “We were…tortured…raped and humiliated…for years.”

She rose as she felt the rage flowing through her again. “Then we were given to the Psions…and we were experimented on. Again!” (Y/N) shook with indignation and her hand shot towards the sky, a bolt of energy leaving her palm. “She expects me to let it go! To forgive the very ones who put us in that position!”

Her hand released a succession of star bolts, and Jason watched as she fumed with unadulterated fury. “I will neverforgive them for it! They will never understand what we went through! They will never know what it is like to beg for death because you know it would be better than what was to come!”

Jason’s eyebrows drew in sympathy and (Y/N) clenched her hand into a fist, energy gathering within. His eyes widened, and he worried, “Uh, doll? That’s a big star bolt.”

(Y/N) studied the night sky. “I know.”

She uncurled her fist, and the bolt released, slinging into the sky, then it exploded, and Jason was reminded of fireworks as it shattered into millions of gleaming shards.

(Y/N) sucked in a breath and her shoulders squared as she spoke adamantly. “I will never forget the time I spent within the Citadel’s captivity…or the Psion’s. And I will never forgive Tamaran for putting me there.” She turned to Jason and looked down at him, her fists clenching. “For as long as I breathe, I will never help Tamaran. I would soon rather die.”

Jason rose from his seated position and gently took her hands in his own, uncurling her clenched fists; he smiled sadly at her. “You don’t have to, (Y/N).”

She wasn’t expecting him to say that, and her jaw went slack. “…What?”

His smile widened a fraction, and he squeezed her hands. “You don’t have to forgive them. Not until you want to.” He paused and raised a hand, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Hell, and if you never want to, you don’t.”

(Y/N) gazed at him. “You will not think me ill-disposed and bitter?”

Jason voice took a solemn tone. “If anyone has the right to be bitter, (Y/N), it’s you. You’ve seen and experienced horrors that would break most people…and if it didn’t, it would leave them a shell of what they once were. But you? You’ve come out reining victorious over it.” He paused. “I know it doesn’t do much to alleviate the memories, and this might make me sound like an insensitive ass, but your past doesn’t define you, (Y/N). You aren’t what they made you.”

She dropped her gaze and side-stepped from his grip, her arms wrapping around herself. “…But I am.”

Jason tipped his head and walked with her. “Why do you say that?”

She stopped and turned to him, her hand gently rising into the air; her power flowed up her arm and into the air smoothly. “I am what they made me, Jason. I am literally a walking nuclear reactor.”

(Y/N) stared at him. “Tamarans do not possess the talents that Koriand’r, Komand’r, and I possess. We received them unwillingly at the hands of the Psions. We are different…and it is because of them. We were tainted by their heinous experiments…and my life is scarred from it.”

Jason gazed at her before taking her hand again, his thumb caressing the back of it. “Perhaps…but your past was a lesson, not a life sentence.” He met her eyes. “Don’t let yourself be bound to it, (Y/N).”

She regarded him for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “You speak of moving on, but you still allow your past to haunt you.”

Jason nodded. “I do…but I’m trying to work on it.”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How do you work on it?” She looked at their hands. “You will never forgive him for what he did to you Jason…so how do you move past it to better things?”

“You’re right.” (Y/N)’s gaze moved back to his. “I won’t ever forgive that bastard for what he did to me. And for a very long time, I did not and could not forgive Bruce for letting me die. But I had to come to the realization that I was partly to blame for what happened to me, and that Bruce tried his best to save me…he just wasn’t fast enough. And that wasn’t his fault.”

He paused and brought a hand to her cheek, caressing it. “It’s different for you, (Y/N), because you were forced into those situations by measures beyond your control. But you have the power and ability to say that this isn’t how you are going to be defined.”

(Y/N) took in his words and whispered softly. “Why have you always been so kind to me, Jason? I am underserving of it.”

He smiled. “Because I’m in love you.”

Her eyes widened and she felt the breath leave her lungs. “…What?”

Jason snorted. “I’m in love you, (Y/N).”

“You—I…What?”

Jason chuckled as she floundered. “Why are you so shocked? The Batfamily tends to lean towards Tamaranean women. I mean look at Dickhead and your sister.”

(Y/N) was still in stunned disbelief. “I—no…you—no.”

Jason’s hand let go of hers and wrapped around her waist. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

“You cannot love me.”

He flashed a grin. “I can love you…and I do love you, Kiyahnd’r.”

(Y/N) gazed at him. “…Why?”

“Because you are beautiful and strong and the literal walking definition of goddess.” Blushing slightly, he added, “You’re also badass…so that…certainly factors into it.”

(Y/N) lowered her head and laughed, then looked at him. “You are something else, Jason Todd.”

He cocked a brow. “I hope you mean that in a good way, doll.”

(Y/N) snorted and wrapped her arm around his waist before rising into the sky; Jason’s grip tightened, and she smirked. “Do not be afraid, Jason…I will not drop you.”

Jason grunted. “I wasn’t afraid of you dropping me, (Y/N).”

“So…the steel grip around my waist is just…because?”

“Yep.”

“As you say.”

The two of them rose higher until the sight of the building and ground below them was a shrunken image.

They stared up at the stars. “Beautiful…are they not?” she asked.

Jason nodded in wide-eyed astonishment. “Absolutely.”

(Y/N) glanced at him. “Your eyes reflect the stars so clearly.” Jason’s eyes moved to hers and they gazed at each other; she lowered her head and sighed. “I do not know if I am the best person to love, Jason…I am…damaged.”

A hand curled under her chin and coaxed her up; she met his eyes again and he smiled. “Yeah, you are.” He paused. “But I don’t know a single person who isn’t. You aren’t alone, (Y/N).” Jason leaned forward and pressed his forehead to hers. “You have me. Until every last star in this universe dies. You have me.”

An easy smile grew on her face, and she leaned in, lips stopping just before his. Her eyes narrowed in adoration and she whispered, “Thank you.”

[wolfmage553]

Since the character arcs of two key players in C!Fundy's story (C!Wilbur and C!Tommy) have been confirmed to be coming to a close really soon, a theory came crashing back into my mind.

What if C!Fundy's story in DreamSMP is really Blackrock Chronicle's Rythian's origin story?

What we know about Rythian's past:

1) He was raised by the Enderdragon as a weapon against the Twilight Realm/Dimension

2) He left the End Dimension at some point

3) Sijn and Duncan's war caused his last home/world to be destroyed by nuclear explosion

The first part causes a lot of questions to come up.

Where was Rythian born? Was he born in the End Dimension?

If he was born in the Overworld, did he enter the End Dimension in the expected way or through another means?

How old was Rythian when he entered the End Dimension?

I think C!Fundy's story is going to end on these series of events:

Tommy, scared of Dream, leaves the DreamSMP world to go to the new world. Puffy, now amnesiac, decides to take Tommy in as her son. Dream is utterly pissed that his favorite plaything has got away and so decides to torment someone else. That someone else being Fundy.

He tries to accomplish this by murdering Fundy's father (Wilbur) right in front of him, hoping to break his spirits. When Fundy doesn't break, he tries a different tactic. He takes Fundy to the Syndicate base, activates the End portal, and shoves Fundy through the portal. He hopes that Fundy will be punished by DreamXD for "breaking the one rule" for all eternity.

However, DreamXD saw Dream push Fundy into the portal so he punishes Dream for breaking the one rule by permanently killing him, causing the revive book to fall into either Technoblade or Philiza's hands. However, DreamXD cannot retrieve Fundy from the End Dimension, so he just hopes that Fundy is strong enough to beat the Enderdragon so that he can go home.

Fundy, after adjusting to the fact that he is in the End Dimension, meets the Enderdragon who isn't hostile towards him. She sees a lot of potential in the young man and decides to take him in as her son and future general against the Twilight Realm/Dimension.

To ensure his loyalty to her, she either erases or suppresses his memories, giving him the new name Rythian. Then she suppresses his dream vision powers since she fears that he'll turn on her if he knew her ultimate plan for him. Then she raises him as best she can, teaching him magic as a way of tapping into the potential she saw in him.

However, her teaching him magic would ultimately be her downfall. Perhaps her hold on Rythian's dream vision powers started to fade after she died and perhaps Rythian would've started remembering his past if she suppressed it instead of erased it.

But wouldn't that be a fitting end for C!Fundy's story? Someone who hated being the butt monkey/pawn of everyone else tries and fails to leave his past behind him, then is forcibly taken from everything and everyone he knew and loved and raised to be a weapon in a war, now unaware of his past. He finally leaves the End Dimension where unfortunately, history repeats itself as his home is destroyed by a war. Fortunately, he finally has a true friend (and possible love interest) Zoey and a silent dinosaur companion named Teep so he's no longer truly alone.

Ups and downs happen. Rythian defeats the Enderdragon, Duncan nukes his home (again) but Zoey survived the explosion, they go to the Twilight Realm/Dimension and discover Zoey is in fact the queen of the realm/dimension and they continue on their adventures.

Whom was once the son of L'manburg's founder, the butt monkey of L'manburg who tried and failed to help where he could, who seemingly couldn't catch a break, became a powerful mage, archrivals to one of the most powerful scientists in the world and now best friends with (and probably consort to) the queen of the Twilight Realm/Dimension.

He finally got a happy ending and a freedom from his past that always seemed out of reach.

[lo-55]

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 2

Through a misunderstanding and a poorly read application, Ichigo Kurosaki gets a chance internship at the Chaldeas Security Organization. It changes everything. 

 May. It’s May already, and Ichigo has made it approximately a month and a half without getting himself into some batshit insane situation where he almost dies.

 Then Rukia Kuchiki comes along and all of a sudden he’s not a wizard he’d a fucking Shinigami. Which is cool, and a lot easier if he’s being honest, and the world itself isn’t at stake this time so.

 Cool. Cool cool cool.    

 It does mean that Rukia, stubborn and snappish and almost as brash as he was, will be sleeping in his closet for the foreseeable future.

 At fifteen Ichigo would have flipped out about it. At eighteen he’s spent months at a time bunking down with Mash and whatever other servants there were. Everyone from Asterios to Medusa to Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, crammed together in a tent or settled around campfires.

 So he snatches his sisters pajamas and lends them to her and their life begins.

 And it would be fine, really, he doesn’t mind fighting. He likes fighting by himself than having to rely on the others to do it for him. It eases the bitterness of weakness that’s been festering in his heart for years. So it would be      fine, really    , if it weren’t for the fact that all of these hollows that he’s fighting have started to target his friends, too. They’re not even safe at school.

 Orihime was attacked by her own brother and it makes him sick. How could someone attack their own sister? Even warped and twisted?

 It was worse than Mordred and Artoria. At least they had always had a strained relationship, but Orihime’s brother had      loved    her.

 He sat with her after the fact, his hand on her shoulder while he slept against his leg. Rukia had erased her memory, and his families too. He didn’t like it.

 “Everyone has the right to choose their life. And to remember themselves,” he told her solemnly. “It’s how humans grow and change. It’s how we get stronger. These bonds that we make with other people, and even the ones that we break…”

 Rukie eyed him speculatively. “I never would have pegged you for a philosopher, Ichigo.”

 “I’m not.” But he’s got his ideals, and Ichigo is unbending. War has tempered his spine from bone to steel. Idly, he braids a long strand of Orihime’s hair while Rukia is busy changing Tatsuki’s memories. Maybe it will be easier for them not to remember this, but Ichigo will not take back what he said.

 So many friends have forgotten him, so many have never met him to begin with and only his memories live on of their time together. He really hates this…

 But Rukia is his guide in this case, and there’s nothing he can do for now. “This is how it has to be, Ichigo. There is no other choice,” she says firmly, like it’s an absolute truth.  “This is the life of a shinigami.”

 Ichigo lets Orihime’s hair fall into place and lays her on the floor before he stands and turns to Rukia.

 “      Chacun voit midi à sa porte,”    he says it mostly to himself, but it bewilders Rukia.

 “What?”

 “It’s nothing,” he shakes his head. “Let’s go.

 *

 Ichigo has never been out of the country before he’d signed up for an internship at Chaldea. It was supposed to be two weeks studying with the security organization, and the poster at the bus station by his house hadn’t said anything about mages, or time travel, or masters or servents. Di Vinci tells him later that its spelled so only mages or people with potential to be mages can even see it.

 He shouldn’t have seen it to begin with, totally untrained as he was, but somehow he did. Because he did have magic circuits, even if they weren’t used often or much. So hed loaded onto a plane with a half a dozen other master candidates from all around japan. His dad had agreed, all to easily. And now he stood in a breakroom with Romani and Mash, and Medusa and Cu and Olga Marie all standing around him.

 “I don’t get it,” Medusa says, eying the phantom speculatively. “If she’s dead, how is she here?”

 Ichigo shrugs. “ I have no clue. I’ve always been able to see ghosts but I don’t know anything about them.”

 “H-hey what do you mean by that?” Roman asks, turning towards him. “You can see dead people?!”

 “Well, yeah,” Ichigo sort of shrugs. “That’s not the weirdest thing happening here, ya know.”

 Roman can’t really argue with that.

 “Isn’t it obvious?” Olga Marie crosses her arms over her chest, looking down at the two gingers in front of her. Ichigo, sat on a couch, and Roman next to him. They both look at her, clueless until she rolls her eyes in aggravation.

 “It’s just like what happened with Mash. When the bomb exploded and I-” she falters, her yellow eyes darting around before she gets herself under control. “After the explosion, I found the two of them. At the same time Mash formed her contract with him, I must have done something similar. There’s two types of energy,” she goes on. “The energy of the physical world, Mana, and the energy of the soul. Reitsu. Just as Caster, Rider, and Mash are drawing on his Mana as servants, I am now bound to his Reitsu as a soul-based familiar.”

 “Such a thing is unprecedented,” Roman argued, looking somewhere between stunned and frightened. They were all standing on that blade right now. The world had ended and they, a group nowhere near qualified to save it, were now in charge of stopping it.

 “Ah, nae as much as you’d think,” Cu said, his voice lilting and accented. “My teacher, Scáthach, she ‘ad shades an’ such.”

 “The queen of the shadow lands?” Mash clarified, which meant nothing at all to Ichigo. Cu nodded. “It would make sense for her to have such things…”

 “Ah, does that make the director Ichigo’s servant now too?” Roman asked.

 Olga Marie bristled. “I’m no ones servant! I’m still the director here so you better show me proper respect!”

 Ichigo couldn’t help snickering at her. “Man, you’re so full of yourself.”

 “What did you just say?!”

 “Are you dead and deaf? I said you’re full of yourself,” he grabbed her cheek and pulled it until she shrieked and lashed out at him, beating her fists against his chest. Mash did her best to cover her laughter in the background, hands over her mouth.

 “Even still,” Roman stepped between them, carefully extracting Ichigo from Olga Marie’s fury, “This doesn’t explain everything. When someone ray shifts, it’s their spirit that manifests in the location, while their physical body stays in chaldea. So how can two different energies both manifest like that? I don’t understand…”

 Olga Marie puffed her cheeks out. “The answer to that is much more technical. Even though it’s the spirit that is sent back it's still a physical body that a mage has when they interact with the time period around them. It is… a reversal of the third magic, so to speak. The opposite and the twin of Heaven’s Feel, it is your spirit and your soul and your life, but your body is left behind while Ray Shifting.”

 This must have made sense to Roman, but Ichigo was, to put it mildly, completely lost.

 “What’s the third magic, what’s ‘heavens feel’, and what’s ray shifting?” Ichigo asked. Olga Marie face planted, and started cursing his very existence.

 * *

 “I must say, I didn’t expect you to be this good with a sword already,” Rukia admits, watching Ichigo snap the practice sword around, knocking aside each tennis ball she sends shooting at him through the pitching machine.

 Ichigo stands, light on his feet with a sword roughly the size of a claymore. It was heavy and the reach was long but awkward. He’s used to holding broad swords, mimicries of clarent and excalibur while his Saber’s try to beat their lessons between his ears. It feels strange to hold something so long and so heavy. More than that, it feels like something is missing. Like the sword is a couple inches too short, like it doesn’t fit his hands quite right.

 He has to remind himself that it isn’t his sword at all. This power is Rukia’s, not his own. Was this how Mash felt, their whole time together? Borrowing another person’s power to boost your own. It made his skin crawl minutely.

 “I've been in a few fights,” Ichigo says, looking towards her with a shrug of his shoulder. “I’ve got friends who are in the kendo club.” He works mostly off of instinct. He always has, and it hasn’t failed him yet. He blocks each tennis ball, and those he can’t block he dodges swiftly, until Rukia finally calls it a day.

 “You should get some rest while you can,” she advises. “We’ll be out tonight hunting hollows, no doubt, and you still have school work to do, don’t you?”

 “Well yeah, but school feels so unimportant now…” It has since he’d gotten back. What was a test in the face of someone trying to blow up the whole of human history?

 Rukia smacks him hard over the head, until he yelps in offense.

 “Hey!” He rubbed the bump on his head, glaring balefully at the short shinigami. Rukia is, of course, utterly unaffected by it.

 “School is important! You have a life to get back to after I get my powers back, and you need your grades to do it!”

 “Geez, you’re so rough… And fine,  but you’re gonna help me study for friday. You have to take tests too.”

 Rukia looks startled, but she nods all the same, and they walk home together. Ichigo considers telling his dad what’s happening. There’s a strange girl in the house, and Ichigo is putting himself in pretty serious danger lately, but it barely makes a difference if he does. What will Isshin even do? He can not stop them from fighting, and he cannot help them in this fight. He can’t even see spirits.

 These kind of things, he understood, were hereditary. Being a medium, and being a mage both were things that were handed down from parent to child, though they were kept largely separate. Mages dealt in living energy, and usually had little to no spirit energy, and vice versa. He could see spirits, and so could Karin, and even Yuzu could sense their presence from time to time. Yet despite all three children being sensitive to the supernatural, Isshin had no idea.

 Which meant, more likely than not, his mom had been able to see them too.

 She’d never said anything about it, but Ichigo had been so young, where would she even start?

 And now, there was no way for them to find out. Ichigo has questions, but no one has answers.

 “What are you thinking of?”

 He startles, looking down at Rukia. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts, he’d almost missed the house entirely.

 “I was thinking about my mom,” he admitted. “I was wondering if she could see ghosts like me and Karin can.”

 “Your mother?” Rukia repeated. She touched her chin in thought. “I suppose it’s not unheard of. There used to be quite a few humans who could see spirits. Some could even utilize enough reiryoku to actually combat hollows. But those died out some time ago.”

 “Oh yeah?” Ichigo leads her inside. His sisters were out somewhere, and his dad was upstairs in his room, down the hall from Ichigo’s. They jog up the stairs together, Ichigo’s back thumping hard against his back.

 “Yes. They were called Quincy. They could manifest reitsu into weapons to battle hollows with. But unlike shinigami, they didn’t purify the souls. They destroyed them.”

 “Thats kind of fucked up.”

   * * *  

 Ichigo still can’t tell if he’s here as a spirit or as a physical body, but it’s his living energy, his mana, that Mash is feeding off of when they start their first fight with the locals in domremy. They’re only human, so Ichigo fights too, and runs at Mash’s side when they chase the French soldiers back to their fort.

 It’s there that the monsters attack and Ichigo gets his very first look at a saint.

 She’s barely older than he is, fierce and terrible and humble all at once. She leads with utmost confidence and does not falter, even in the face of terrible odds. She’s… weak, for a servant. Far too weak.

 There is something very wrong with france.

 Ichigo is broken from his thoughts by Roman coming over his wrist communicator.

 “All right, fine job everyone! I was watching with sweaty palms and sweets in my hand! The director is tending to other matters right now, so I’m in the command chair again!”

 “Doctor,” Mash began, looking towards his hologram. “Those were the sweets that I got, right?”

 “Huh? What? ls that right? I found them in the Command Room next to the tea, so I thought…”

 “...I got them as a token of gratitude, for when we return from this Order,” Mash was actually starting to look irritated for the first time since they’d met.  “  Needless to say, they weren't for you, but for Senpai, who no doubt fought bravely on the frontlines!”

 “Mash... you've become such a thoughtful person!” Roman smiled proudly at her and, shamelessly, shoved the rest of the candy into his mouth. “I must say, these are some really tasty sweets. I'm sure Ichigo will be thrilled, too!”

Mash turns towards Ichigo, her mouth drawn in a line. “...Master. When we return to Chaldea, please reserve enough combat resources for one attack. I've registered one more enemy that I'd like to hit with the "back of my blade.".” Which was apparently something a shield had.

 “You’re more violent than I thought you were…”

 Then someone was screaming a ‘dragon witch’, and they retreated again, to the forests outside of vaucouleurs. It takes a while to get their bearings, but Ichigo understands. There’s two Jeanne d’arc’s. The saint that stands before them and a witch that is trying to destroy france. That’s what’s causing the world to fall apart here. So that’s who they have to stop. Only…

 She’s about a hundred times stronger than they are, and she has an army of dragons, and dragon themed servants with her. By the end of the second day Ichigo finds himself with a saint, a queen, a musician, a pop star, and a dragon all following him around like puppies.

 At night he finds himself sitting by the fire, with Jeanne, Ruler, sitting across from him. Kiyohime, a princess out of a story he’d read ages ago is curled up on his lap like a cat instead of a dragon. Her horn pokes at his hip irritatingly, and on his other side Mash has fallen asleep as well.

 He should be more worried about the fact that she’s somehow convinced herself that he’d Anchin, considering the fact that she burned him alive in a bell tower, but thus far all she’s really done is hold onto him a little too tight.

 Jeanne is looking at him too. There’s something about her, a charisma that makes Ichigo want to follow her off a cliff. And he probably would, if he wasn’t so damn stubborn himself.

 “Yeah?” he asks, breaking the silence. “What, is there something on my face?”

 “Oh!” Jeanne turns away, shaking her head. Her strange headpiece glints read in the firelight. “No, it’s only that you seem very close to her.”

 “Who, Kiyo? We just met. She’s the one that latched onto me.”

 “No, not her. Mash.”

 Ichigo looks again at the girl sleeping on his other side. She looks older as a demi-servant, someone halfway possessed by a heroic spirit, but her face is the same. She’s still filled with wonder and innocence.

 “Oh yeah. Well, I’ve got two little sisters at home. Mash reminds me of the youngest one. Yuzu. They even have the same hairstyle…”

 “That explains it, then,” Jeanne’s smile is soft. “I’m the youngest. I had three brothes, and my sister as well. I imagine they’re still in Domremy. Although my two oldest brothers came to fight under my flag, so they might be travelling still.”

 Ichigo tried to think of that. Tried to think of letting anyone in his family get even close to a battlefield and found himself shaking his head. “I couldn't do that. I want to protect my sisters. I wouldn’t be able to put them in danger.”

 Jeanne peered at him over the fire, her smile still somehow serene. It must have to do with being a saint.

 “I wished to protect them too, of course. They are my brothers, and war is a bloody, gruesome hell to walk into. But sometimes we must have faith. In the Lord to guide us, and in the people around us to stand at our sides and watch over us.”

 “Didn’t your people, ya know, burn you alive?”

 “Yes,” she allows, tilting her head towards the sky. “But still… I hold them no ill will.”

 Ichigo decides, then and there, that Saints must be insane.

 The first person they lose, the first person he loses in these wars, is Marie Antoinette. She dies to protect him, and the stinging, bitter taste almost makes him claw out his tongue.

   * * * *  

 “Do you know where you are?”

 Soft fingers run through his hair. Something tickles his nose and he’s assaulted by the smell of roses and daffodils.

 “I’m in a dream,” Ichigo says, huffing irritably. His eyes open slowly, and he finds a deceptively soft smile hovering above him. Ichigo would believe it, if he didn’t know him better. As it is, he tugs at a long strand of off-white hair that falls across the man’s shoulder.

 “Ouch. You’re right, this is a dream. However did you guess? I thought it was a rather good one…”

 Ichigo rolls his eyes at the Caster. He can see his staff, wrapped in ribbons, stuck into the earth beside them. This man was always dramatic.

 “There’s nowhere else I would see you, now is there?” He sits up slowly. His companion doesn’t move back, and in a minute they’re hip to hip, facing eachother.

 “Ah, That is true. You never know, I am a rather famous mage. Mayhaps I teleported you here for my own amusement.”

 “That does sound like you,” Ichigo allows. He paused, squinting. “Did you just say ‘mayhaps’?”

 “You don’t like it? I thought it was eloquent.”

 “Stop acting so weird,” Ichigo scolded, knocking their heads together lightly. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.”

 “On the contrary, it's been over 4,500 years.”

 “You never change,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, and his visitor smiles, soft and fake.

 “Perhaps I don’t. One of the aspects of immortality is that people tend to stay the same, you know,” he teases.

 “I don’t, but I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Ichigo figures it’s easier than trying to fully puzzle out the man. He’s always been bewildering, ‘beyond human comprehension’ or something. Ichigo isn’t totally human anymore now. He sits, dressed in black next to his companion cloaked in white.

 “I thought you were supposed to disappear from my memory,” Ichigo says abruptly. He’s not sure what kind of explanation he’s looking for.

 A shrug is what he gets. “I told you once. That’s one thing I can never get used to. Perhaps it just didn’t work this time.”

 “Right,” Ichigo says dubiously, “it’s got nothing to do with us being friends. “

 The mage says nothing, but his smile thins at the edges. He’s still on about it then. ‘I can never truly close the gap, and be friends with a human’. It’s bullshit, because they’re friends and ichigo knows it, and so does he. He’s just stubborn and stuck on the idea of being the mysterious wise man figure in Ichigo’s ever evolving life story.

 “Where are we?” Ichigo asks, letting the tension drop for now. The sky is the palest blue and there’s flowers as far as the eye can see, pink and blue and yellow. There’s no horizon any way he looks, and he realizes belatedly that they’re sitting on top of a tower.

 “Isn’t it obvious? We are on the reverse side of the world. Where there is no beginning and no end, this is the very edge of paradise.”

 The air tasted like sunlight and hope, but Ichigo isn’t fooled by the prettiness of it all. He knows this man. Better than he wants to be known, certainly.

 “Maybe someday I’ll save you from this tower,      princess    .”

 “That is quite impossible,” still a  warm hand lands on his, a strange kind of thanks.

 “I’ve done impossible things before.”

 And he would do them again.

 * * * *

 Ichigo was starting to think that everyone here was made of tragedy.

 France was bad enough. Between executions, and curses, and people just doing their best for others, Ichigo is starting to wonder how any fairy tale ever had a happy ending, for the figures of myth certainly had none. Not Jeanne, the Saint of Orleans. Not Elizabeth Batharoy, the wannabe pop star and future vampire. Not Kiyohime, who had followed him all the way back to Chaldea and now was stuck waiting for them to return.

 And now, Euryale, and Asterios were the same. They were hardly the monsters out of legend. They were just people. Just people clinging to each other, like wreckage in a storm.

 Ichigo leans forwards against the railing of the      Golden Hind    , watching the moon dance across the water. They’re pretty screwed, he realizes. Heracles has to be killed twelve times for them to succeed, and they’d almost all been killed on just the first try.   They’d only escaped because a labyrinth had sprung up out of nowhere, glowing green and winding their way to the center of safety.

 The heafy thump of footsteps on ship wood brings his attention to his newest servant. Asterios. He towers over all of them, almost ten feet tall if you counted his horns. He should have been terrifying, all hard muscles and hulking power. His long hair is matted like it’s never been brushed out properly, and his eyes are a red that seemed to glow in the starlight.

 “Hey there,” Ichigo waves at him, and he comes to a halt at his side. He looks at him, and shifts from one foot to the other. There’s manacles on his arms, and his ankles as well. “Why don’t you sit?”

 Asterios did as he was bid. When he was sitting, he still came up to Ichigo’s shoulder.

 “It’s a nice night, huh?” It was peaceful, sailing on the endless sea. They have a lot of fights ahead of them but for now… He breaths in the sea salt air, and the cool darkness.

 “Yes… It is…      free    ,” Asterios speaks slowly, like making words is a chore. Has he ever really spoken to humans, before now?

 “Yeah. I guess it is,” that’s what Francis had said. The seas were freedom for her and her men. The King of Storms, the endless oceans bowed to her and the       Golden Hind    .  “Have you been here long, Asterios?”

 He perks up when he hears his name, looking up at Ichigo with the strangest expression. Ichigo has no idea how to place it. Hope? Happiness? Either way he’s smiling now.

 “No… Want to … stay… with euryale and… everyone.”

 “I get it,” Ichigo nods to him. “It’s nice to hang out with friends.”

 “Friends…”

 “That’s what we are, right?”

 Asterios smiles at him, and nods. “Yes… friends.”

 * * * * *

 “Honestly… I thought you were supposed to be helpful,” Ichigo knocks on his own bodies skull, watching his dopple ganger wince away from him. “But all you’ve done is get my body torn up and cause a mess. You’re screwing up my ‘cool guy’ reputation!”

 “Hey! It’s not my fault, I wouldn’t have jumped in if you weren’t so slow! Those kids would have died if I hadn’t jumped in!”

 “Oh yeah, and you kicking that hollow again, to protect ants, what are you a saint?!” Ichigo yanks him into a headlock, roughly shoving his fist into his hair. It was weird to be fighting with himself, but honestly? Not even remotely the weirdest thing to happen.

 “Get off!” The mod soul tries to kick him in the face, but Ichigo takes him to the ground in a rough grappling hold. He’s not too worried about his shoulder. His body is strong enough to handle being roughed up, and he’s taken worse hits than that.

 “Let me go! I’m not gonna let you kill me but-” His voice wavers before growing vicious with conviction.

 “I’ll never sit by and let another creature die!”

 Ichigo is so surprised he lets go, sitting above the trouble maker. He won’t make eye contact, his voice dropping low and rough. His hands are shaking, Ichigo realizes.

 “Right after I was born, the soul society they- they decided that the mod-souls had to go. The day after I was born I was chosen to die! Everyday I watched them kill off my brethren. And even after I escaped I still lived in fear, everyday that I would be discovered and killed… And I decided. That I was born, so I have the right to live and die freely, and so does everything else! So I won’t kill and I won’t let even ants die!”

 This mod soul. A creature made to fight, made to die, made to kill all without a single choice. Ichigo’s hands tighten into fists. Just like Mash. Just like Fran. Just like Mordred. A living weapon. Ichigo lets him sit up, and sits back on his heels. The mod soul grips his shoulder, grimacing. It must hurt. This is the first time he’s ever felt human sensations. He was fast, fast as the wind.

 “So that’s it…”

 Abruptly, the tip of a cane shoves straight through his skull, and the pill that had started this whole debacle comes popping out the other side. Ichigo reacts, snatching it out of the air before anyone else can. They’re not alone anymore.

 Ichigo finds himself looking up at a pair of grey eyes half hidden under the brim of a striped hat. They’re looking right at him, even though he’s no longer in his body. He knows, with great certainty, that this man is not human.

 “I’ll be taking that back now,” he says, holding his hand out expectantly. He looks almost harmless. Almost. But Ichigo can see the calluses on his hands and the hardness in the back of his eyes. Whoever this is, he’s a fighter. Even with the geta sandals, he hadn’t made a sound when he was approaching.

 “Hell no!” Ichigo clutches the pill tighter and straightens up. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

 “He’s just a greedy salesmen,” Rukia comes to stand at his shoulder, her eyes narrowed at the stranger with the unsettling eyes. She'd watched the whole exchange between them, between Ichigo and yet another tragedy.

 “I get it. He’s the one who sells you your supplies here, isn’t he?” Ichigo stands, slowly, keeping his hold on the pill tight. This guy had made a mix up, and if he thought Ichigo was gonna let him take this mod soul away, he had another thing coming.

 “My, my, you’re a perceptive one,” the man pulled a fan out of his sleeve and snapped it open over his mouth. “I’m Kisuke Urahara. And these are my associates.”

 “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,” Ichigo said blandly. “She said you're a salesmen, and she has to get her gadgets from somewhere.”

 “Either way, I should take that product back. If it’s compensation you’re after-”

 “I already said no!” Ichigo snapped, anger rolling under his skin like a fire. “People aren’t products and I’m not giving this one back to you!”

 “Ichigo,” Rukia cut in, her voice cool and firm. It's ice on a bruise and Ichigo let's her step before him, her dark eyes on the salesman. “It’s fine. I’m satisfied with this purchase, and you don’t exactly work legally. So whatever happens, it’s not your responsibility anymore.”

 Even though he remains largely impassive, this Kisuke guy still stares at them, trying to read between lines that don’t exist. Ichigo is honest, and Rukia has his back in this case.

 So he and his associates leave, and Ichigo pops the soul back into his body once their gone. He finds brown eyes staring up at him, his mouth open in confusion.

 “You didn’t… send me back?”

 Ichigo knocks his head again. “Don’t be stupid. If you give me a dumb speech like that, how can I sit by while you get smashed up?”

 “I - you’re kinda crazy.”

 “I know,” he had to be. “So, do you have a name?”

 “A name? No, no ones ever given me one of those…”

 “Alright then,” Ichigo tilts his head, thinking. A mod soul, a kaizo konpaku… He could go with Kai. But that sounded too cool. He was wind fast, and if he remembered right the inca wind was called… “Kon. You’re in charge of my body while I fight hollows. You can explore, and try new things, but don’t go destroying property or getting peoples attention. Or hurting my body! Deal?”

 He held out his hand, and Kon reaches up and grasps it.

 “Deal.”

[always5hineee]

Hell and Back- Chapter 4: Preliminaries (Trials 2-5)

Chapter warnings: Mild language

Word count: 1401

-----

       As they all looked down at their screens, the next trial popped up fairly quickly. As Y/N hit the start button, one thing changed. Rather than the regular space beneath the text, there was a new string of words. Drop-Out Fee: $50. Hmm. So there was the first drop-out fee.

       "That seems like a lot of money for the second trial." Luhan commented idly.

       "Yeah..." Chen agreed. "If it increases by fifty every round, that's like a million dollars."

       "Actually, that'll only be five thousand dollars by the end." Kyungsoo corrected.

       "Whatever, imagine doing math. Anyway, it looks like we're in this for the long run now." Chen continued.

       "Guys, look at the second trial." Kris called their attention, reading it out loud. "Pick a location for trial 3... That's it? That doesn't seem difficult at all."

       "I mean, I expected them to be easy at first, but really?" Baekhyun agreed. "At this rate, we'll have our wish by the end of the day." Shrugging, Y/N tried to get them back on track.

       "So, where do we want to go?"

       "You think they'd tell us what the challenge is before we pick a location." Chanyeol muttered, a bit annoyed with the game. "Who's the limited power?" Looking down, Luhan answered him.

       "Oh... it's me."

       "Telekinesis?" D.O. wondered. "Maybe it involves moving something. We should pick a location that has stuff that's easy to move."

       "Or we just go wherever." Kris muttered.

       "Take this seriously! We don't want to be detrimental to our progress later on!"

       "Who cares? It's literally the second trial-"

       "What about we stay in the practice room?" Suho offered, trying to defuse them both. "Except for some of the speakers, everything's super easy to move, and we're familiar with it. It's not too small, we can all fit comfortably, and there's access to windows and water and everything we might need. Sound good?"

       No one really had an objection, so they chose to move onward with that plan. Looking at the controls, Y/N noted that there was a 'Choose Location' button where the 'Start Round' used to be. Selecting it, a smaller pop-up appeared. Are you sure you'd like to submit your current location for Trial 2? She pressed Accept, watching as the pending trial boasted completion.

       "Well... are we starting trial 3?"

       "I don't see why not." Suho allowed her to press the next button. As she was starting to get used to , the words faded away to give leave to new ones. "Trial 3: Break Items" Underneath, the italics read Each person is required to adequately destroy one item of their choice. You will have thirty minutes to do so. Moving on, it also read, Drop-Out Fee: $50 and Restricted: Luhan

       "So you can get restricted two times in a row?" Luhan asked, waving his hands, a bit annoyed.

       "I guess. It makes sense that they'd choose you, though. Assuming we had picked a more difficult place, you could just lift stuff up and slam it into the ground." Kyungsoo pointed out.

       "Sure,  but you could probably crush stuff up just as easily." He argued.

       "It doesn't matter, it's not like I'm the one picking. Let's focus on completing the trial. We have-" He looked down to check. "Twenty-nine minutes and fourteen seconds left."

       "I don't wanna break anything in here!" Baekhyun panicked. "All our instruments and stuff are valuable, and they have memories!"

       "Do you think it would count if I just set off the explosive and destroyed a bunch of shit?" Kris asked, joking of course.

       "Why are you already trying to blow something up?" Sehun asked, irritated.

       "All of you calm down!" Y/N said putting her hands out as she watched the group go wild separately. "No one has to destroy anything important. And there definitely doesn't need to be any blowing things up. There are definitely plenty of pencils, sheet music, old cups- useless stuff in here."

       "Oh. That's actually a good point." Chen thought. Reaching over to pick up an old napkin, he tore it apart into little pieces, letting it flutter to the floor. A small counter appeared next to the bar. 1/13. This was going to be more simple than even she had expected. They all found something irrelevant to rip apart, from a plastic bag to a pencil with a flat eraser. Kris was still mildly disappointed that he had no opportunity to use an explosive, but at least they had no troubles. They completed the challenge with 24 minutes remaining.

       As it disappeared, she thought about bringing up the ease at which they were continuing, but she didn't want to run it into the ground. She simply pressed the continue button. After all, they had been mentioning it for every trial. She could only hope that the next trial proved just as-

       "Ew!" Kai said in disgust. It had been a while since he'd chimed in, but apparently the new challenge was not to his taste. Looking down in concern, she read it out.

       "Eat a piece of the object you have just destroyed. You do not have to ingest the full object, and it is of no matter whether you swallow it whole or chewed up. You have fifteen minutes." Sure enough, the counter was right there, ticking down. Not only that, but the restricted power was Kai's. He was already complaining about it.

       "What were you gonna do, teleport it into your stomach?" Chen asked laughing, pushing Baekhyun playfully in the shoulder to get him to join in on the joke.

       "For real, as if you could even aim for it properly!" He said back, sending the two into another fit of laughing.

       "Guys, stop." She reprimanded them for what had to have been the millionth time. "We only have thirteen minutes-" She looked down, noting another changed number. "Wait, who already ate theirs??"

       "Me." Luhan said nonchalantly.

       "Are you serious?" Kai asked, looking like he wanted to throw up.

       "Man, it's not that hard. Literally just swallow it like a pill. Tao's the worst off, he had a pencil." As they looked to him, though, he was in the process of swallowing a tiny chip of wood, sending the counter up again.

       "It's not worth the trouble, just do it." Kai, being the drama queen he was, made a fantastic theatrical performance out of having to eat a little piece of the paper he ripped up, but they finally managed to get him to do it. Watching as the trial cleared, she looked to the next one.

       "Trial 5: Switch clothes." She read out loud.

       "Excuse me?" Sehun asked curiously. "With who?" Pointing to the phone, Suho answered his question.

       "It says, 'For each person, each piece of clothing should belong to a different team member, excluding those wearing two undergarments'" Breathing a sigh of relief, Y/N was happy to hear that she wouldn't be put in too awkward a situation.

       "I call Y/N's-" Lay started to ask with a laugh.

       "No!" Suho cut him off, trying to get everyone in order. "We just need to go by size. Everyone who's closest in size should just kind of pass off clothes, okay?" This mostly made sense to them. For instance, Kris and Chanyeol traded pants because they were of similar heights. The shirts didn't matter as much, although Kai had to switch twice due to a size issue. While it was uncomfortable, it was complete.

       "Alright, let's-" Y/N started to say, before looking confused. "Wait... where's the start button?" When she clicked out of the current tab trying to figure out what was wrong, a pop-up banner covered her screen.

       Congratulations! You have completed the preliminary trials. Welcome to Round 2!

       "Round 2?" Tao asked, confused. "It didn't say this was categorized by rounds."

       "Look at the description, though." Suho pointed out. Reading it, they picked up a few important piece of information.

       Round 2 will consist of 26 trials, two for each player. If a player cannot continue or chooses to drop out, the trial will be delegated to another player and the initial failed player will be penalized with the drop-out fee. Other players may help the active player, but one will be restricted as per earlier game rules. Round two will end after trial 31.

Go to Chapter 5

[cjrae]

Dueling Fairytales. Or: Why Lucifer won’t take a Queen.

One of the most popular fan theories is that Chloe will become the Queen of Hell. The appeal is strong on the surface as it does several things;

- It codifies Lucifer and Chloe’s relationship into a formalized, wedded partnership as King and Queen.

- It answers the question “What will happen to Lucifer and Chloe when she eventually dies?”

- It elevates Chloe to a seemingly exalted position, which is coded as a reward.

The trouble with this theory is that if Chloe became the Queen of Hell, that would undermine the major themes of the narrative. To emphasize my point, let me pose a question.

Is the story telling us that Chloe needs to become worthy of Lucifer or that Lucifer needs to become worthy of Chloe?

Actually, let’s flesh this question out a bit more.

Does Chloe need to go through trials that test her commitment to kindness in the face of abuse to be elevated to a higher status in order to receive Lucifer as her reward? Or does Lucifer need to learn restraint, a higher degree of empathy and to be on the receiving end of kindness in order to grow up so that he can learn, not only to give and receive love, but the responsibility that comes with a duty of care?

If these sound like two completely different stories, you’re absolutely right. The first one is Cinderella, the second is Beauty and the Beast. And in regards to the question of the Queen of Hell, they’re both relevant because these two tales are dueling in Season Four with the introduction of Eve.

The Cinderella Story

Cinderella; a girl who has no control over her life, serving a cruel family that takes advantage of her and erases her identity in service of the family’s needs, but whose kindness, compassion and empathy in the face of grief win her friends that help her escape her prison and find freedom.

Fits Eve to a tee, doesn’t it? She’s highly empathic, makes friends at the drop of a hat, even with people who are inclined to dislike her - i.e. Ella and Chloe. She’s kind, but not stupid. She only needs one look at a situation with all the actors in the room before she can pick out what’s going on between Lucifer and Chloe.

What makes Eve’s story highly compelling is watching her abuse her virtues attempting to fulfill the themes of her own story, which ultimately causes her to fail.

The central theme of Cinderella’s story is her commitment to kindness in the face of her family’s abuse. The one thing the Cinderella cannot be, if she is to succeed, is selfish; to allow it would be to invite that poison into her own psyche. That isn’t to say that the Cinderella is doomed to be a doormat either. She rebels by going to the ball (or in Eve’s case, to Earth). However, there is a difference between standing up for yourself, acknowledging your own needs to be valid and worthy of consideration versus prioritizing your needs over the needs of others, irregardless of what they feel.

Which is exactly what Eve does. Her pursuit of Lucifer is highly selfish.

Lucifer is telling Eve “no” in multiple ways, including verbal at the end of 4x04. He doesn’t desire a relationship with her, he’s trying to work through something very painful and he’s not in a good place right now. He is in love with someone else and Eve knows it.

Unfortunately, what Lucifer wants is irrelevant. Eve wants him and she intends to have him because Lucifer is her second chance - Adam couldn’t love her because he was remained in love with Lilith, but this time will be different. This time Eve thinks she can win. So she pushes him into showing her his Devil face and pours balm on the wound inflicted by Chloe when she kisses it.

What Lucifer misses in that moment is that Eve’s easy acceptance of him as the Devil is a giant red flag in and of itself.

The Virtuous Daughter

The Beauty; the member of her materialistic family who prizes practicality, hard work, and making the best of any situation in the face of ruin. The one who will sacrifice herself without hesitation to protect the ones she loves, who puts her needs last.

Chloe is a homicide detective instead of the virtuous, youngest daughter, but the Beauty is often characterized by her devotion to duty - filial duty in particular. Sure enough, who is Chloe emulating? Her beloved father, the cop killed in the line of duty.

Beauty and the Beast is a more interactive tale between the lovers than Cinderella. It is through cohabitation with the Beast and learning about each other that the Beast learns to put others’ needs above his own, rising above his former self absorption while the Beauty learns to accept the goodness within the Beast, not only for his attempts to do better, but for who he is as the Beast.

This is literally the story of Season 4 - of Chloe coming to terms with Lucifer being the Devil and reconciling the fact that she is in love someone she’s been told is the personification of evil.  It takes her the entire season to fall in love with the Devil as opposed to the Lost Prince (echoing the earliest written versions), who she’s been in love with since Season 2, and it comes in stages.

- 4x02, the ax scene when she realizes that Lucifer’s love for her is genuine, soothing her fear that, once again, like with Pierce, she’s been used as a pawn in a game she had no idea was being played.

- 4x05, when she throws herself between Lucifer and the anticipated explosion. The moment they both realize Chloe would sacrifice herself to protect the Devil. 

- 4x07, when Lucifer chooses justice over punishment and brings Tiernan into the station, sacrificing his own need for vengeance and proving to Chloe that the Devil is a good man. Chloe is still bifurcating Lucifer, but she acknowledges that he is both angel and Devil in that critical scene on the balcony. 

- 4x09, the traditional recognition of the Beast and the Prince as the same person, when Chloe realizes that his Devil form is a manifestation of Lucifer’s declared self-hatred.

Chloe’s love is not a redemptive object the way Eve wants her love for Lucifer to be. The transformation from Beast to man requires Lucifer to understand and forgive himself - Chloe can’t do it for him. Chloe’s acceptance can serve as a guide on that path, but Lucifer must do the work himself. He clings blindly to the idea that Chloe’s acceptance will either save or condemn him in a single moment - and when he attempts to force the issue he’s unable to accept Chloe’s “I don’t know” as an answer. 

The Prince Of Darkness

Lucifer ends up caught in the middle of these two stories as each of them casts him in a very different role.  The show frames Lucifer’s struggle between these two opposing visions of who he is as good and evil, but there’s something to be said for the idea that Lucifer would simply like to know which story he’s in, thank you very much!

Is he Eve’s Prince? A static, perfect figure that she will receive as a reward - her vehicle of escape and self-actualization?

Or is he Chloe’s Lost Prince? A man, trapped in a form not his own, battling his own worst impulses in order to regain the original identity he has lost?

And, in a twist, each woman assigns qualities of the other tale to their version of Lucifer - Eve’s Prince is a bestial version - Lucifer as he was in the Beginning. Primal, impulsive and living entirely in the moment with no care for the consequences of his actions. Chloe’s Lost Prince, however, is more of a tragic figure; sundered from himself, split into two - Prince and Beast.

The Beast is a protagonist of his own tale, but both as the Beast and as the Prince he is an object of rescue, which is not something Lucifer needs or wants from Chloe. Lucifer has no desire to be saved - it’s a concept that we’ve watched him actively reject before, when Amenadiel suggests that the return of his wings means he’s been forgiven. Chloe’s role in the tale is to learn to accept the Beast, letting go of the Lost Prince. 

As the Cinderella’s Prince, he’s simply an object, not a man. Lucifer’s role as Eve’s Prince is a vehicle to elevate her to an exalted position that will remove her from the prison she’s lived in most of her life to a place where she will be loved.

It’s only after Lucifer rejects both Eve and Chloe’s objectified visions of him that he’s able to look at himself and get to the core of what has been torturing him since, arguably, the beginning of time. He is neither Prince - instead he is a man in nearly unspeakable pain as he sits in Linda’s office, knuckles white as he finally identifies and articulates the problem - his self hatred.

The King and Queen of Hell

Both Cinderella and the Beauty share the traditional raising of status, but in Lucifer’s case it’s worth asking - is becoming the Queen of Hell a good thing?

I would argue that question actually has nothing to do with either Chloe or Eve and everything to do with Lucifer himself and why he became the King of Hell.

Both Cinderella’s prince and the Beast’s royal status are their original identity. But in Lucifer’s case, becoming the King of Hell is the curse from his Father. However you interpret God’s motive for punishing his son, the bottom line is that Hell is somewhere that Lucifer hates. It is not, nor has it ever been, home to him. It’s not a place that he is proud of, nor does he relish the work he does there. He has enough pride to do the job to the best of his ability, but we know he’s delegated out as much as he could, even if Lucifer’s hands are far from clean.

In short, Hell is nowhere that Lucifer wants to be. He certainly doesn’t want anyone that he actually cares about to be there either.

Eve, however, needs Lucifer to be the King of Hell. The first half of 4x07 is, from Eve’s perspective, the high point of their relationship. Lucifer is the most intimate he’s ever been with Eve when they’re lying in bed after punishing Julian.

Of course Eve wants that back - enough that she’s willing to listen to Kinley when he tells her that, if she wants Lucifer to love her, she needs to convince him to go back to Hell. As much as Eve recognizes that Lucifer doesn’t want to rule Hell, it’s where he could “be a King again,” which is exactly how he was acting when he was closest to Eve. And, of course, ruling Hell would be different “with a Queen by his side.”

So she, once again, succumbs to selfishness - and is called on it by Chloe in the wake of it’s consequences. “How could you be so selfish?! Naive!”

Eve had already lost Lucifer, but her attempt to force her ascension to become Lucifer’s Queen only crystallizes that they’re not right for each other, as she’s faced with losing Lucifer’s friendship and respect. He would have to be the one to elevate her to that exalted position and he’d already told her “I don’t like who I am with you!” rejecting the role of Prince to Eve’s Cinderella.

Lucifer’s desire to be his own man, aligns much more closely with Chloe’s desires. Chloe has no need for pomp and circumstance. She’s always been the practical member of this partnership - sensible shoes, boring sedans, Costco runs and reading a bedtime story to Trixie. There is room in her life for desire, but Lucifer’s presence is enough to fulfill that.

In fact, in the moment when Chloe tells Lucifer she loves him and begs him not to leave, she is finally asking for something for herself. The Beauty has learned to allow herself a healthy dose of desire rather than a complete devotion to duty while Lucifer, as the Beast, has learned the value of love, empathy and a duty of care. Chloe and Lucifer have transformed each other into better, more complete versions of themselves.

Presumably, if Hell can be faced and fought in Season 5 and Lucifer released from the burden of the throne, then having the “curse” lifted might allow him to leave the Devil in the past and simply be Lucifer Morningstar, the identity he’s fought for since the pilot.

But, of course, if that happens, then Lucifer will no longer be the King of Hell. Therefore, he has no need for a Queen.

And They All Lived Happily Ever After? 

The time for despair has passed - neither Lucifer nor Chloe can afford it. Instead, they (and we) are awaiting the reversal; the change in the status quo that will give them the opportunity to challenge Lucifer’s fate. If they are successful, then there may in fact be a new Queen of Hell, if Lilith comes into play.

But if she appears, she will likely not be Lucifer’s Queen, but a new ruler come to usurp the throne.

Long live the Queen.

[atamascolily]

lily liveblogs “terminator: dark fate”, part 3

Sarah Connor knows how to make an entrance.

(parts one and two)

This is in the trailer, and it's just as epic here. The focus on her boots. Then rising up to her face--complete with bulletproof vest, shades, and GIANT GUN as she opens fire. YASSSS, MY QUEEN.

The human-looking part of the Rev-9 runs for Dani but Sarah shoots him off the bridge before he can get her, then drops the gun, switches to AN EVEN BIGGER GUN and fires at the skeleton who is doing that same inhuman back arch to lurch to its feet, and he goes flying in an explosion and lies still. Then she tosses THAT gun away, and goes to peer over the edge for the first half, where the Rev-9 is impaled and twitching and already regenerating. Then she tosses the grenade over the edge, says "I'll be back," in a badass monotone and walks away as Grace registers wtf just happened and pulls Dani away from the explosion, shielding her with her body.

Sarah pulls out YET ANOTHER GUN as the grenade explodes, and keeps on walking without breaking stride. FUCK YEAH.

"Who the fuck is that?" Dani rightly asks.

"I don't know," says Grace, who is hyperventilating and red in the face, and quite deservedly tired. "But we have to move!" And she runs to pick up Sarah's discarded gun and steals her SUV. I’M HOWLING.

Dani is like, "maybe we shouldn't steal this scary woman's car," and Grace is like, "gtfo or die," and they drive away. Sarah is about to dispatch the REV-9, but sees them driving and stalks off in a huff as the REV-9 re-congeals out of the fire.

(I honestly wonder what would have happened if Sarah had taken the time to dispatch the REV-9 ‘properly’ but then this movie would be very, very short, so I’ll give it a pass.)

Grace is dehydrated. Dani's have a breakdown. Grace breaks the news that her father is dead. "It needs physical contact to copy people and they don't survive." Is that an inherent part of the process?? I don't think so, because the T-1000 copied Sarah and she was fine, it's just because they usually KILL THEM AFTERWARDS, it's not a REQUIREMENT or anything. But I give Grace a pass for not going into the details because Dani is already traumatized enough. 

The skeleton stalks down the highway past a dude who looks SO CONFUSED while EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE and the fleshy-looking part starts walking in front of the skeleton and then they MERGE holy SHIT THAT'S CREEPY and there's STILL NO EXPRESSION on his face OH MY GOD.

Grace starts crashing (physically), which is bad because she's driving, so they almost crash for real. Grace faints, so Dani has to drive, oh, wait she can't, yep that ended badly. Dani stalks off to go to the police, while Grace is SO RED and can barely walk, until Grace explains that’s such a bad idea, and all the cops will die. She ends up putting Grace in the back seat and says she'll figure out the driving bit, FUCK YEAH. did I mention I love her?

Grace robs a pharmacy for her meds, much to Dani's surprise and chagrin. Grace collapses, so Dani has to grab the gun before anybody else can and finish the job to get them out. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME DANI HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW REAL AGENCY*, AND SHE MAKES THE CHOICE TO SIDE WITH GRACE INSTEAD OF LETTING THE AUTHORITIES TAKE HER AWAY. The assistant helps her haul Grace out, and Dani makes a split second decision to trust him which turns out to be justified, because he doesn't try to hurt them.

[[*ok, technically, she showed agency before when she made the decision not to go to the cops, but there’s a big difference between that scene and pulling a fucking gun on innocent people during a robbery. And she only has like a second to decide if she’s gonna do it or not, vs. the conscious deliberation in the previous scene. This is the moment where Dani’s all-in, the moment where there’s no going back.]]

Sarah Connor is waiting for them outside. FUCK YEAH. and she is PISSED. She takes Dani's gun -- "give me that before you hurt yourself," as Dani just fucking STARES.LEGEND.

Cut to them driving through town with Grace sprawled in the backseat with her head in Dani's lap as Sarah drives, and her sunglasses are reflected in the rearview mirror. Dani claims she's just Dani... a nobody, and Sarah says she's got to be somebody for them to send whatever Grace is to protect her. Then she asks for Dani's phone and tosses it out the window.I cannot believe Dani didn’t see that one coming, but she’s had a long day.

Cut to a hotel room, dropping ice cubes on Grace, like you do. "We should have done this in the bathtub," Dani complains. "Have you SEEN the bathtub?" Sarah retorts. Also: a fuck-ton of Lay's potato chips.

"I keep my cell phone in a chip bag. The foil blocks the GPS so they can't track me." CHIP BAG. THE PUN HERE.

"I'm wanted in a couple states," Sarah admits. "Fifty, actually." (she means US, I assume, I doubt she's a wanted felon in Mexico, but...).  

"Why ten bags?"

"Because I really like potato chips." I'M HOWLING.

(are there costcos in Mexico? Just saying.)

Dani grieves over how her father and brother will die unmourned and unburied and you can see the blankness on Sarah's face, how that's so far removed from anything she's ever known for decades. "Funerals don't help them and goodbyes don't help you. You just have to learn to live with it."

Which is a) the truest advice Sarah knows, and b) SO FUCKING SAD THAT IT'S COME TO THIS OH MY GOODDDDDDD.

Sarah pumping Grace with meds and just figuring it will all work out is so in character, and also a nice contrast to her first introduction to battlefield medicine under the bridge in T1. How far she’s come...

Time for a flashback from the future while Grace is unconscious and dreaming!!

God the future war scenes are so bleak and awful and barren and boring to me I can't believe people want a whole film like this, especially when we already know that humans win and the Commander can’t die, so there’s not a lot to milk for suspense.

The Rev-7 bursting out of another Rev-7 is so fucking CREEPY I can't even--

Hey, Grace is rescued and I love the medic (a black lady!) and Grace volunteers to be an augment! I legit thought she was going to say "tribute," lol.

...I don't understand how augmentation works, though. How can they have surgery so good and so clean when everything else is rubble? Are they literally cutting apart Terminators and wiring them into Grace? WHERE DO THEY GET THE PARTS?? I WANT TO KNOW and I don't think this movie's going to explain.

Sarah wakes up Grace by pointing a gun at her and gets disarmed, having locked Dani out of the room, but Grace lets her back in. Sarah's look is withering: "Sometimes, mommies and daddies have to have grown-up discussions." I'M HOWLING. EVERYTHING LINDA HAMILTON SAYS IN THIS MOVIE IS GOLD. Also, I like how neither Dani nor Grace denies this. Maybe they’re just too stunned? I know I would be. 

(also notice how Sarah’s not smoking?? I guess potato chips are the new cigarettes)

Sarah explains some things. Her expression when Grace says she's never heard of Skynet--"Good."--is PRICELESS.

"Where's your son now?" OW OW OW OW OH MY HEART

"I hunt Terminators." RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINNNNNNNNNE AAHHHHH "And I drink til I black out."

Oh, Sarah. I'm so sorry. so so so sorry.

I'll have more things to say about the digital trail later, so this is just a placeholder for now.

That moment where Sarah puts her shades on. Hot damn. Interview and openness OVER indeed.

Grace threatens Sarah, who is unimpressed. "Great! I drive." DRIVING AS A METAPHOR, Y'ALL.

"Legion...an AI built for cyber warfare."

I've seen people pissed that Skynet was erased and replaced by a similar-but-different AI and maybe it's because I love parallel universes and AUs so much, or maybe it's because the Terminator movies represent our relationship with and fears of technology, but I think this was a valid choice and I approve. Because, as Sarah points out, "Those assholes never learn." No. No, we don't.

Sarah pulls off her shades to admit she gets texts from someone she doesn't know, WHICH IS FURTHER PROOF THAT THE SUNGLASSES REPRESENT SHIELDING FROM EMOTIONS/VULNERABILITY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Grace hacking Sarah's phone -- "future shit"-- is hilarious, thank you very much, and I love that the PHONE CONTINUES TO BE A TRACKING DEVICE THROUGH ALL THREE FILMS BUT FOR ENTIRELY DIFFERENT REASONS. But won't the gov't/terminator/somebody find her through it now that it's out of the chip bag??? How is she getting texts if her phone is always in a chip bag? When is it safe for her to take it out??

Grace has tattoos on her body - "in case I can't remember shit" AHHAHAHHAHAHA, that's hilarious.

Sarah was on America's Most Wanted?? I bet she was. She should add that to her resume, lol.

Ohhh, that's clever that the same plot device gets them to both Carl and Sarah. I like it.

crossing the border is not this easy, but I don't think American audiences can handle that level of realism, and this isn't that kind of film, so... *shrugs*

The Rev-9 is in the data center and it's so creepy. All he has to do is plunge his hands into the cables, and... facial recognition software does the rest. (I don’t think it’s ever stated directly, but I headcanon that LEGION IS A ROGUE AI MEANT TO CONTROL PEOPLE BASED ON FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE, so it's totally in keeping with its nature.)

On the train, Sarah is eating potato chips. LOVE IT. I don't even like potato chips, per se, but it's a fun character detail and more culturally acceptable than smoking in films these days (the irony!)

flashback to bby!Grace seeing the plane crash and I'm all like I'VE SEEN THE TRAILER, I KNOW THAT'S CHEKHOV'S FLIGHT 3000 TO FORESHADOWING, more plane crashes are definitely coming.

Because the Terminator films reflect our own fears back on us, it's interesting to see how those fears have changed. Now the end of the world is more complex - technology suddenly going dead, then launching nukes and EMPs, THEN world war - fighting over food with humans WHILE being hunted by Legion. It's the same in outline and yet different from Skynet's quick and dirty nuclear war.

Sarah interjects to guess the leader of the Resistance is Dani's son, which is a) a reasonable guess under the circumstances and given the history of this franchise, and b) political commentary about what many Americans fear, namely non-white "Mexican" (as a catch-all term for anybody brown) immigrants and their children coming into their country. It also makes the inevitable subversion--that DANI is the leader, not some man--so much more pointed when it comes, as the franchise critiques ITSELF. still, I kinda wish they dealt with that here, instead of later, though. 

Sarah also makes the "Mother Mary" comparison, which is so funny given the obvious overtones to her own son (his initials are J.C.!) and lampshading the fact this is the first time in-universe that anyone has mentioned the parallels.

Now they're off the train and in a truck, with Dani's head in Grace's lap, yay parallels. Poor Sarah is probably wishing Kyle had been augmented, then maybe he could be there too (why is Michael Biehn not in this movie?? sob).

I'm not sure how the REV-9 just up and assumes they're going to Laredo just because that's where the train goes, especially since they then jump off the train for this... side-quest? What's up with that?? Does the train not go to the border?  

Oh, okay, this is where her uncle lives. Dani tries telling him the truth. It goes poorly. Grace slices a fly in half. Wow.

It's nice to see a black guy and an Asian dude on the border, but my relief lasts for ten seconds because they get sliced up by the Rev-9 posing as a woman of color, oi...

still creepy when he merges with the machine, and how does he know what he's looking for on the panopticon? can drones see faces at that distance? Can he?? I'm so confused.

Of course he tells the Border Patrol that Grace, Dani, and Sarah are members of a drug cartel and sets the authorities after them...

Of course there's a door underneath the wall. of course there is. Random dude goes first, which means he is dead meat. Oh, there was an ambush, but Dani makes the decision they're going to surrender, so I guess no one's dying here?

Sarah is lying to the authorities about being related to Grace, because of her medical condition. Good for her.

Grace senses the drone about to kill Dani and moves to save her! I guess it's going to take the Rev-9 a while to figure out she's not dead?

Dani is in detention and sounds like a crazy person trying to explain the truth. By the way, SETTING THIS SCENE AT THE BORDER CROSSING IS HELL OF A POLITICAL STATEMENT, FYI.

Grace is getting medical care, and they find her drugs. "Nice body search, fellas." Of course, they figure out she's an augment...is this going to influence the future in the same way that Cyberdyne’s discovery of the T1′s head and arm influenced Skynet??

Sarah and the other dude who got picked up with them have a plan. Good.  Let the ass-kicking begin.

[monstcrmade]

Vampiric Lore || (01)

Due to me and my fiancee (@sanguisfulgur) having tied canon amongst many of our muses and Vlad becoming tied in with hers but our vampires being different, this is something of a dual headcanon with her. While her vampires are the first and mine the second on this list, we have decided to create numerous other vampire types in our shared canon that may bleed into other threads/verses.

Brutes - Strain created by the goddess Nyx. Very powerful and destructive. They are the strain with the highest population despite them having great difficulty in conceiving. They make up for it with high turning rates. Outside of the typical vampiric abilities, they are able to dream walk -- but only with those whose blood they have consumed -- and compel others. Rarely a mutation will occur within a Brute that gives them a unique power that stems from the first of their kind, the Progenitors. Hunters - The first vampire to be born for this strain came into being under unknown means, and it is still a mystery today. This strain is nearly as powerful as their Brute counterparts. They have the largest range of powers of any vampire and their specialty is with tracking, having a way to see in the dark that is different from all other strains. They have the second highest population right behind Brutes and while they have no problem reproducing, children are still a rarity. Outside of the typical powers, they are able to change shape into such things as a colony of bats, a wolf, or mist as well as command certain animals and compel others (something they share with Brutes). It is extremely rare for one to be able to command the weather, something only three vampires in their strain have been able to do thus far, one of which has long passed. They were the first strain to come into being.

Oracles - A strain that came to be when a nun blessed with visions drank the blood of a demon. They are not particularly powerful and many prefer to be more pacifist than anything. They have the fourth highest population and due to their nature, they possess a higher birth rate than all other strains and the lowest turning rate. Outside of the typical vampire abilities, Oracles possess the power to see into the future, something that was passed to them from their matriarch. Menders - This strain came from a man who once served as a witch doctor in the literal sense and once he fell ill, a witch blessed him with eternal life by feeding him her blood. They are the fourth strongest strain and much like Oracles they have a higher birth rate than turning rate though their birth rates are just below that of Oracles but their population is slightly higher, making them the strain with the third highest population. Besides the typical powers a vampire possesses, they have the unique ability to heal. While they can close up physical wounds, mental ones they can put a band aid on for a time as long as they are making physical contact with that person. Many Menders tend to go into all kinds of medical fields. Spiritualists - The only strain to have been physically born. Spiritualists came into being when their progenitor was delivered as a stillborn and the midwife took the child to a witch to bring it back. The midwife was told of the steps she should take to bring the child back and the midwife slaughtered the witch to use her blood in the ritual. When the child came to life, it was no longer human but a vampire. Spiritualists are weaker than Menders but stronger than Oracles. They are another strain with difficulty conceiving though they have an easier time of it than Brutes. Many of their numbers also come from turnings and they have the fifth smallest population, just under Nobles. While they have the typical powers all vampires do, they also possess the power of telepathy and astral projection. Bloodletters - A strain born from a blind human consuming the blood of a dead vampire when close to death themselves. They are a powerful strain, nearly matching that of Hunters. Their population is the fourth smallest, their numbers being below that of Spiritualists by at least a good thousand. Most of them are barren and therefore children are extreme rarities so most of their population comes from turning. Besides the typical abilities, Bloodletters have the unique power to control blood, both outside and inside someone, making it possible for Bloodletters to control an individuals movements.

Spiritwalkers - This is a strain that is itself a mutation of the Bloodletter strain. They are nearly as powerful as Bloodletters and have the smallest population amongst the strains, consisting of a singular vampire. Little is known of Spiritwalkers due to this but it is easy to mistake a Spiritwalker for a Bloodletter (and indeed the only one in existence thought he was a Bloodletter for a very long time). On top of the typical vampiric powers, there are moments where Spiritwalkers too can control a person’s movements but it’s more controlling the soul of someone rather than their blood and these moments have a short window. A Spiritwalker is not able to use this ability at will. They can hear the voices of the dead and communicate with them, as well as harness their memories upon touching a dead body. Ravagers - Another strain which came to be due to the dead. Their progenitor was someone who died in the winter due to hunger and a vampire (strain unknown), wanting to test if they could bring the dead back gave the individual their blood. What resulted was a severe mutation that created an entirely new strain. They are very fast and powerful though still under Hunters, Brutes, Bloodletters, and Spiritwalkers. Their population is the second smallest, with fewer than twenty in existence, which is very fortunate. They cannot give birth. Due to the nature of Ravagers, turnings are extremely rare. They are overly violent and territorial even with vampires of their own kind. They seem to have no abilities outside the usual but they are different from the others in another way. Ravagers eat their prey. Typically while it is still alive. Few of this strain try to fight their nature and Ravagers are hated by the other strains. They tend to live far from society.

Moths - This strain was born due to the transmuting of vampiric (strain unknown) and moth blood which was then consumed by the individual who conducted the transmutation to study the effects it might have on the body. The result was quite fascinating and different from other vampires, as the transformation from human to vampire involves the human forming a cocoon around themselves for which they slumber in for a full month. During this time, the cocoon is only vulnerable for the first week, allowing one to potentially kill the transforming vampire inside. Once this grace week is up, however, the cocoon hardens in such a way that not even the sharpest blade can puncture it and explosives and guns are also utterly useless. This cocoon essentially acts as a rebirth, all scarring and deformities are erased whilst undergoing the transformation. Their power is nearly on par with Spiritualists. Moths have no issue conceiving and yet their birth rate is shockingly low, most of their numbers coming from turnings. They have the third smallest population. They have the typical vampiric powers alongside the ability to control their namesake.

Nobles - Another strain that came to be under unknown circumstances, another mystery that will endure due to the progenitors being deceased but is a rather unique one as it involves a mutation within itself to produce a subspecies that has always bore a name even before the strain itself was given one. This strain forms a natural hierarchy, where one falls in said hierarchy is determined by a Queen. Though Nobles are not territorial, they do not often travel away from the country in which their Queen is located, feeling a sort of hive mindlike pull to remain and defend their sovereign. Nobles are sterile and cannot turn anybody. They are powerful, nearly on par with Bloodletters and Spiritwalkers. Their population is surprisingly high, being just under Oracles, making them the fifth highest population. They have all the typical vampiric powers and have a special mental bond with their respective Queen.          ↳Queens - A special mutation of Nobles. There are only ever seven Queens at any given time and should one die a random Nobles strain will mutate into that of a new Queen (it is impossible to know who will mutate or why they do), altering the biology and habits of the vampire. Queens can be both male and female. They are extremely territorial — you will never find two in the same country. Queens are fertile and they are the only ones with the ability to turn. The consumption of their blood can make a Noble fertile for a short amount of time, allowing Queens to take lovers within their own ranks so they might birth children. Even male Queens are able to become pregnant, their biology changing in a way to form a womb though children are delivered surgically rather than naturally. They are more powerful than regular Nobles and are, in fact, never referred to as Nobles, only ever Queens. They have all the typical vampiric powers alongside being able to control the minds of those they have turned.

[missfinefeather]

Conversations with my Screener: Exposition Dump

wakraya

Okay! I think a few clarifications are in order. Because there's a lot to digest in these two flashes for the End of Act 5.

missfinefeather

Okay, go ahead while I finish up!

wakraya

Alright! So, beginning from the very start.

wakraya

The 4 Capsules that were being destroyed, were to erase all trace of SBURB Technology and cut ties before starting to rebuild Earth- Which of course couldn't happen.

In the last moment, AR doesn't blow the last one because he knows the Mayor is inside of the Can capsule.

It's that Hesitation that gives Jack the time to off him and then leave.

It's interesting how the technology to go to the Troll Session has been there in plain sight and also showcased with the dials from the beginning.

Oh! So that’s why... he didn’t want to kill WV... not that it matter, he still died in the end. D:

God, it’s amazing that entire plotline was leading to THAT.

Now, Dave and Rose! They likely didn't know the Quest Beds were inside of the Moon, they were just setting up the Bomb. They had to ensure it got there properly.

Ah! Okay, that makes sense!

Jade cannot get to them, because they're travelling through the Furthest Ring- Non-Euclidean Space, they're beyond the Session. Which, lucky for them? It also means they're beyond the Scratch.

Oh! Also makes sense! They are kind of outside known reality...

I wonder if Rose and Dave is going to go with the trolls to the new world!

As the Tumor opens, it reveals two tubes- Red, showing Earth's Universe, and blue, showing Alternia's Universe.

wakraya

The Red-Blue Duality has been there from a long while, in fact we saw the universe colors for the first time thanks to Sollux's shades.

Oh right! The end of the Act 5 Act 1! It’s been a while!

This is also likely why Snowman has Blue Blood- She's the embodiment of the Universe, so it's all blue.

The White Queen and King, and Jack, all have Red Blood so royalty status likely doesn't mean blue blood.

Is that so? 0.0 Well!

Note that Snowman is the 8-ball. Sinking it ends the game, and the bullet in Scratch's weapon is, in fact, a Cue Ball.

Hehe! That’s been played at before but yeah! The bullet was a cueball in the end! Still wonder if she knew she was going to die or not.

Jade, upon ascension, gets the power to manipulate matter, and shrinks everything...

And so her deal with Echidna is satisfied- She's bringing everything with her.

I didn’t miss that fact! It’s a pretty incredibly way to solve the problem! ^^

Commonly Fans refer to her God Tier as Dog Tier :p

Now, she can reach John because he's on the Session, but Dave and Rose are beyond her reach. She can only bring the Planets and its inhabitants with her, through the 4th Wall.

I hope she still knows they are alright! John’s probably worried they left someone behind on Derse...

PM puts on the Ring, and chases Jack through the same device he went through, escaping the dying Universe.

I hope she wins... though not sure where she’ll go if she does.

wakraya

Now that's a thing not many people realize, as I mentioned before...

A Red and a Blue Universe, dying.

Fuelling a bomb.

Scratch doesn't lie. He said the map would lead them to the location of the Green Sun, and that the bomb had enough strength to blow it up

He never said it would.

And as such, he tells Gamzee, who he's talking with, how they're all S u c k e r s

Lies of ommission.

The Tumor detonates. Twice the Mass of the Universe. The explosion doesn't destroy the Green Sun. It creates it.

They travelled to the spot in the Furthest Ring where the Green Sun WOULD be in the future- And then the detonation made it be. RGB, Red-Green-Blue

It is disheartening they’ve been fooled this whole time! D:

Everything they work towards just to end Jack, and it doesn’t happen...

wakraya

As such, Rose and Dave ascend on the Quest Slabs- And are seen ascending out of the Green Sun.

Makes me wonder if they have a little bit a boost from the sun, too...

Probably not...

The explosion is bright enough that the Trolls can see it, and so Sollux sets route to it... But he overexerts himself like his Ancestor, and starts dying a little bit.

The meteor is heading to the Green Sun, and Rose, Dave, Aradia and that Sollux are waiting for them.

I realize, Rose is going to meet Kanaya before she gets to meet Jade face to face, or get to talk to John in English! xD

God are the trolls in for a hell of a surprise!

Now, however- The Universe has died. And as such, that's the calling card for Lord English into the Universe.

And we see it happen just like Scratch's Code said it would

Tick. Tock. The clock ticks and swirls, in the devastated remnants of the Universe in the Green Sun.

Break Heads, Scratch's body happens to be, as he's always said...

An Excellent HOST.

Just like Tavros' Host Plushes.

... *facepalms*

wakraya

And once the head breaks? Honk, Honk. The prophesized Vast Honk of Gamzee's Religion.

English uses his Cairo Overcoat to travel back in time to when the Universe was still there

Ohh! So Gamzee helped make his religion come true in a sense...

missfinefeather

I have a lot to read here xD

wakraya

And claims the Alternian Universe as his playground

Yeeep X3

I'm done though!

wakraya

Another little detail that's easy to miss...

The thing Hussie was doing with the 4th walls. The ruler on the ground.

Remember how Karkat said their escape depended on a 'Lawn ring', and what Hussie said about intervening into the story in exactly a small space?

A Yard.

A Yellow Yard.

0.0 okay... That’s a bit of a stretch.

[rawring-rainbows]

The Queen’s pajamas

She was woken up by her potential girlfriendand her story is still being worked on if you wanna read the notes and rough draft so far here you are

Our Queen found a living island fixed it up and discovered it travelled different  dimensions and worlds

Queen Eclipse her two orbs floating above her shoulders holds back her true  (as corny as it sounds).. form

Her body and soul is directly connected to the living island when those little marbles fall she forms into this huge beast lays

behind her castle/Huge body of water (I cant decide) She goes to sleep and also so does the island No one knows for sure

what happends during this time besides her royal higher ups During this time its dark and most of the creatures plants etc seem to be put at rest things are dim dark and calm and

normally people can leave the island but no one can it looks almost as if theres a barrier around it During this time the entire kingdom starts this gigantic festival they play games they eat food they meditate they do

mminor rituals but this most import thing is laying your dominant hand on the royal beast and the other on your heart and

telling her that you believe in her and thank her for all that she's done as well as a what you hope for when the sun comes

up again Her form gets smaller and smaller as time goes on but when she wakes up shes happy and rejuvinated like her people who

canot help be filled with an explosive amount of happieness but so does the entire continent harvests are plentiful and

delicious flowers bloom trees are full of fruit the hopeless have hope the sick are healed all sorts of miracles happen

except one the dead cannot be raised and the wicked use this strange phenomenon for one thing.. To Kill without regret

You finally earned your way to the top of the royal hierarchy to get some sort of answer is to what the Queen does while

she sleeps a tall wise looking creature looks down at you with his hands behind his back an expression and peircing eyes

that gave you this feeling he could read u like a book."What would you do if you were a God?" He gives you no time to

answer "One God of many who takes over a world and play with those puppet strings as you please and make your ideal

world..Would you abandon it? Would you get bored? With endless time and power what do you do with this immortal life?" He

finally answers a question "You become atleast a quarter mortal..Taking on the life among your people but! Is it enough?

NO!!" The sudden outburst startles you but he keeps a calm expression "Do you take a small part of an enormous world and

make it your own? What kind of God would make one's self slightly vulnurable  while taking the lives from countless God

Ruling worlds of your very own kind? Is this God planning to make a Utopia for many?......Or To grow strong enough to wage

war and flip that coin calling heads to who will be the ruler of ALL worlds?...And will you be strong enough to live

through to thank the one who ripped off a peice of herself to show you how lucky you are to stand on the grounds of someone

who could erase u from existance with the flick of her wrist..Will you be thankful to the one who allowed you to be a part

of the game that no matter what you do you cannot stop..or will you realize All you can do is attempt to give her the heart

to try her damnest to allow you to survive in an existence where others like herself wont have a smidgen of pity for you?..

"

"You ever hear the term a captain goes down with their ship?" The Queen asks looking up at the stars. You Nod. "You see

those stars up there?.....They're sunken ships... God's are not made of flesh of blood..They're pure energy and each one of

them swimming around up there looks for...hmm...how do i put this...They look for shelter and they feed on energy and when

a God First manifests they're very fragile..and easily consumed its a battle to live on untill they find theyre set

home..Some are stronger then others and build their hearts in several worlds some have dozens some settle with one" her

eyes darted up with a look of pain on her face. "Some dont make it..Their people they work so hard to grow and have their

planet thrive..either destory eachother or destroy their God..If a God dies in their shell its people could thrive for some

time but then..." she pointed to one of the brightest stars in the sky that was soon shut off like a light. "Theyre used to

fuel the next world" You asked which one is she like. She grinned eared to ear. "Im a special kind...the kind that doesnt

like to be tied down..The kind that's deeply afraid not only to lose my own life but the ones who grew with me and

Thrived!" She took a deep excited breath then sighed.  "Though I took a big risk being different from the others..I have no

idea what's in our future..but!..I will work hard enough so that we have a big chance for it to work out in the end..Most

God's abandon their children..Most God's just watch them grow thrive and destroy eachother while sitting back without a

care because they only think about themselves...Me...I want to work together.." She lifted her glass of wine. "If the plan

works smoothly we'll be unstoppable if not well.." She clinked her glass against yours and lifted hers up again. "To an

unexpected future!!"

"When do you feel the most mortal?" You asked the queen who was scratching her chin in thought. "I...How do I put

this...Any sort of pain...emotional,physical,etc I do not feel immidiatly..I feel just enough to settle the situation at

that moment..whether its comfrontation..or a fight i feel about 5 to 25 percent of any sort of negative feeling...untill

later..when theres no one around..when theres no danger my people cant handle..I break down..I cry..my chest hurts..my

heart breaks..I throwup and so on and so fourth...for centuries i would wonder why this happend...then i realized..I use my

immortality as a shield and dont give my mortality a chance to breath..its something ive been trying to work on for a long

time..others who ive told this secret to said they've felt something similiar to that..that its because we hurt for others

and put everything holding us back aside for those including ourselves.. Who are we if we do not protect others while

they're weak as our parents who have provided us with shelter while we were young?.. We're all still young you know...Young

and afraid Unsure of our futures no matter how hard we work for them..Life is tough and brutal as Hell and its nice to have

someone to protect you when you need it most..I dont mind having these moments..Pain isnt so bad when it reminds you that

you're alive.."

God's are very territorial shes nervous Oh my Stars!..Look she's sweating!" You say as you watched her talked to the group

of Gods. "She's fine she's smart but very cautious these are her friends-"  You interupt him. "Ticking time bombs you mean!

any one of them can turn around and attempt to kill her or kill someone else-" "She wouldnt allow that! She would rather

lay down her life then allow them to put us in danger..." You look to the side with uncertainty "What is one life to a God

thats rules over many?" You sighed and clutched your chest trying to still your racing heart.

When two Gods fight it's...Ugh! I'm a journalist! Im risking my life on the surface and i dont even know how to explain this!"  Adrenaline pumped through your veins you were panicking there was two  gargantuan God's standing thousands of feet from you ready to Rip into eachother. "What to do What to do" You say quickly pacing back and fourth Suddenly CRACK BOOM! Heat rushes over you as you fall and eat dirt you look up over the stone you stood behind leaning over and watching it slowly start to disintegrate, but that didnt matter just yet you're writers block was destroyed at this very moment and you had to write this down "Through Mortal eyes this fight looked as if two Colossal flames were trying to engulf eachother-" You start to say but just like that it was almost over the enemy was tossed in your direction as you watched in shock it skid across the ground and stopped 10 feet from you The Goddess who ruled over the ground you stood on seemed to appear on top it then immidiatly looked right into your eyes. "She stared at me..Its like looking into one thousand suns though it doesnt burn.." You say out loud attempting to write it down without looking The monumental beings expression started to change. "Her expression went from pure fury that melted into absolute worry..You look tired.." You said softly it was like talking to an intelligent beast who said nothing but you could tell how it was feeling. The deity suddenly started using her last bit of strength on her enemy pressing her enormous forearm on its throat struggling against her grip. "Stop! Don't worry about me! Fight this guy with a better strategy! You could die!" You braced for impact There was a loud crack and a deafening sound of thunder you soon after looked up. "The Enemy was destroyed in an explosion of pure white..It's snowing diamonds..She's ok..She won....Risking her life for one weak being who stood on her grounds which she ruled....and im in love with her"

[jbuffyangel]

The Wedding: [Olicity] Arrowverse 6x08 Review (Crisis on Earth-X)

Notes:

This will be the first of two reviews. This review covers only Olicity. I will discuss pretty much everything else in the second review. I thought this would be easier for readers to pick and choose what content they are interested in. Stay tuned for Review #2.

This is a gif explosion. It will crash your app. Nothing I can do. Open in a browser.

This is very long. Get comfortable.

IT HAPPENED. THE OLICITY WEDDING TRAIN HAS REACHED ITS DESTINATION. 

I've been talking about Olicity getting married since the Berlanti interview where he said, "... but there aren’t alot of superheroes who are married." I think the opening question was where Olicity goes to dinner. That was his answer. Work on that poker face, Greg.

We have discussed and theorized this day for YEARS. So much emotion and expecation has been poured into it. So, what did I think of the final result? Well...

Let's dig in... 

Olicity (and a little bit of other people)

It may be B*rry and Ir*s’ wedding, but Olicity is the dramatic focus. 

Source: @songbin

Things kick off with a cute start as Ir*s and Felicity talk to their men over the comms. 

None of our superheroes have RSVP’d for the wedding. There is no truer struggle than this when it comes to wedding planning. 

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Oliver is one of the guilty parties, but Felicity gets his act together. Although, if both Oliver and Felicity are in the wedding party there’s really no need to RSVP. Felicity bought a bridesmaid dress. You can never wear those again. She’s coming, Ir*s.

One of the things I appreciate most about this crossover is their commitment to checking off Olicity Wish List. Oliver and Felicity ride the Ducati into Central City together. 

Source: @thatonekimgirl​

OLICITY ON THE MOTORCCYLE. IT’S THE DREAM. Yeah, it’s a far away shot. I don’t care. I’ll take it.

While the ladies are getting their nails done, Ir*s pops the question to Felicity. Hehehe. Not that question, but a vitally important one nonetheless: Are Oliver and Felicity next for a walk down the aisle?

Felicity essentially uses the “it’s not the right time” excuse because of all the crisis:

City is always under attack

Oliver is being indicted

Oliver is focused on spending time with his son who is still mourning the loss of his mother

I love how sensitive Felicity is to William. She doesn’t want to appear like she’s trying to take the place of his mother in any way. Granted, it's a solid list. I will give Felicity that. But there's always a list. They are superheroes in Star City. There's always going to be a thing.

Source: smoak-and-mirrors

However, as Felicity sips her champagne, and the ladies toast Ir*s’ impending nuptials, there is a look on her face. It’s not just about timing. Something else is going on here.

Oliver is getting a tux with B*rry, who is worried about jamming ten years of love into one vow.  He's already at 38 pages single spaced. This pretty much sums up B*rry All*n.

Oliver looks so fine in a tux even B*rry is overcome by the hotness. This pretty much sums up Oliver Queen.

B*rry being forced to acknowledge Oliver's undisputed hotness pretty much sums up their friendship.

Oliver tells B*rry not to worry because Mr. Queen is a cool cucumber. Yeah right, give it ten minutes. Oliver tells B*rry that when he looks into Ir*s’ eyes the words will just come.

Of course, we know Oliver is remembering his failed wedding with Felicity. His impromptu, but profoundly honest and heartfelt vows encapsulated everything Felicity means to Oliver. The wedding may have been a rouse, but the vows were the deepest truth Oliver holds in his heart. A truth that remains to this day. Felicity is Oliver’s always and what he wants, more than anything, is a chance to be hers.

As far as B*rry and Oliver scenes go this one is my favorite. What bonds Oliver and B*rry is a mutual respect and understanding. They each carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. It creates a safe zone for each man to share their thoughts and feelings because they know the other will understand.  

Over the years the primary focus of these talks has become about love. There is a connective thread between these men and their great loves through all the crossovers. 

Source:  westallengifs

It began in the coffee shop with Oliver telling B*rry to let Ir*s go because he had to do the same with Felicity. Now these men are talking marriage. It’s a wonderful bookend to the evolution of both their love stories.

Oliver, of course, is thinking about marrying Felicity. It’s all he’s thought about since he fell in love with her. For so long, Oliver didn’t believe that life was possible. However, if he could attain the impossible then it would be with Felicity. She has always been, and will always be, Oliver’s dream. Felicity is the girl you marry. It’s never been about dating for Oliver.

“Looking at her, he saw marriage, a house, lazy Sundays, date nights, babies, sleepless nights and first steps, little league, dance recitals, spelling tests, family vacations, driver’s licenses, college tuition…grandchildren. Oliver saw A LIFE.

He doesn’t want to die. He wants that life. He just doesn’t know how to have it. He doesn’t know how to live it.” (Arrow 3x02 Review)

Now the dream is a reality. Oliver has the life he never thought possible. It’s not just about survival for him anymore. Oliver knows how to live because Felicity taught him how.  Felicity is the reason... she is all his reasons.

“…I get to be like everybody else. I get to make my own decisions, have my own life, do whatever the damned hell I choose. Now here's the good part, so you listen close. What I choose is you. You're who I want to wake up with and go to bed with and do everything in between with. I get a choice now. I get to choose. I choose you… “ Denny Duquette, Grey’s Anatomy

Oliver chooses Felicity. He will always choose Felicity. She is the only person he wants to live this big, beautiful, complicated, dangerous and exciting life with.

When the time is right. Umm…. WHAT? 

Listen boy, you are on my last nerve. I reject the “right time” excuse completely. THERE IS NO RIGHT TIME. You run around in leather pants, a mask and shoot criminals with arrows, Oliver. Your extracurricular is very... extra. There will always be some crisis these two will face. What matters is today and the future you will build tomorrow. PUT A RING ON IT.

Source: feilcityqueen

B*rry All*n is apparently standing in for me. Thanks for the assist B*rry. This almost makes up for being one of the main causes of the Olicity breakup in Season 4.  It does not in any way make up for erasing Baby Sara. You are still on my shit list for that one Allen. I don't care how much Ir*s likes you.

B*rry asks Oliver a very simple question:

Of course, Oliver cannot contain his smile or the exuberant joy loving Felicity Smoak gives him. This man was once a closed off, brooding, angry and deeply wounded human being. Now he's a rainbow of love, hope and happiness. Oliver Queen is a friggin Care Bear. He wants to shout it from the roof tops.

Source: eka-darville

Love. It’s all that matters. It’s the reason we get out of bed in the morning. It gives us something to fight for. It gives us SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR.  That was a hell of a speech B&rry. John Diggle would be proud.

Source:  valeriemperez

Joe gives a beautiful toast to B&rry and Ir&s at the rehearsal dinner. 

“So, B*rry, Ir*s, thank you for showing me how to love again. For showing me that love is the most important thing we have.”

Source: westallenolicitygifs

As much as the speech was about B*rry and Ir*s, it is also about Oliver and Felicity as the camera not so subtle pans over to them. Oliver is inspired by Joe’s speech and B*rry’s advice, so he decides to propose. Thatta boy Oliver. Go get her.

It does not go well.

Let’s start with the positive? We’re going to look on the bright side friends because that's how I roll. First, there is a beautiful parallel to Oliver asking Felicity out on their first date. 

She told him then to speak from the heart and it gave Oliver the courage to ask her out. Felicity says those words again (in reference to Joe’s speech) and it gives Oliver another shot of courage.

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Second, Oliver is the cutest cute to ever cute with his nervously rambling and hedging around the big question. Gone is his cool and confident, "the words will just come."

Source:  fellicityqueen

He mans up though. Now we're rolling.  You can do it Oliver!!!!  He doesn’t pull Felicity up on stage, with Christmas trees and bended knee, but the second proposal packs emotional punch because this boy loves her so much. 

I understand about the ninjas Oliver and you are forgiven for not kneeling. Mostly because you break out Felicity’s middle name during the proposal and it is romantic as hell. 

The whole tone of the scene is exactly like the first time Oliver asked Felicity out. This is the perfect full circle moment.

Until Oliver gets shot down.  

Source:oliverfelicitygifs

OUCH. 

This is painful to watch, adorable babble notwithstanding.

“I’m not understanding what’s going on here.”

“Are you framing this for a “but?”

“This might come as some surprise, but I’m physically incapable of talking about anything else right now.”

They have switched bodies. Oliver is now the Felicity in the relationship.

Felicity doesn’t feel they need a piece of paper to declare their love and commitment to one another. Oliver agrees, but he wants crab cake and toasts too. He’d also like to declare their commitment to one another in front of all the people they love- legal style.

Felicity’s reversal on the subject of marriage is as surprising to me as it is to Oliver. I wasn’t expecting Oliver to propose this early on in the crossover, but I definitely wasn’t expecting Felicity to say no. Oliver is insistent they talk about it now and it eventually leads to Felicity shouting, “Oliver I don’t want to marry you!” and EVERYONE HEARS. 

Oh God, this is cringe inducing second hand embarrassment. Oliver sort of laugh/cries and it sounds like a strangled puppy. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT STOP.

Felicity makes it absolutely clear she loves Oliver, their life AND WILLIAM. This has nothing to do with not wanting to be part of this family. She absolutely does. Felicity wants to be committed to Oliver, but she rejects the concept of legal documentation.

So, first we get “it’s not the right time” and now it’s “we don’t need a piece of paper.” 

It’s certainly a woman’s prerogative to change her mind and it’s fine if Felicity rejects the institution of marriage – it’s not for everyone.  However, Felicity’s reasons are wildly divergent in nature. “Not the right time” connotes “maybe someday” while “we don’t need a piece of paper” has a forever sound to it. Someday and never is a pretty wide gap. Felicity probably didn't want to discuss with Iri*s the reason she rejects marriage the day before Ir*s' wedding. However, neither of these reasons sound like the truth to me.

“Love is Emotional” by Neil Finn

A face in the crowd is watching me

Don't you forget that love cannot be

Taken for granted you'll have to believe it that's alright

But I never seem to work out how it ends

And I think it's almost never making sense

And it's hard to control

'Cause love is emotional

Supergirl knows how to pick song lyrics. Damn.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Angst city. The writers managed to make B*rry and Ir*s’ “happily ever after” equally about Oliver and Felicity. That's just... neat. Treats for everyone!

Oliver and Felicity cannot hide how they feel about each other despite the angst. The minister’s words apply to Oliver and Felicity as much as they apply to B*rry and Ir*s. Once again, the camera pans over to them as the minister says, “These two people deserve to be together.” The minister wins Walter White.

Oliver “I Have No Chill Please Make All the Babies with Me” Queen stares lovingly at Felicity. 

Source: @songbin

He longs for the moment he can stand up in front of all his friends & family and declare how much he loves this woman. It’s a familiar look. He’s been longing for this for awhile.

Unfortunately, the minister gets zapped incineration style before B*rry and Ir*s can get to the declaration part of the ceremony. Ugh. Nazis ruin everything. I hate them. Ir*s is 100% done. Preach it sister.

All the heroes jump into the fight immediately, except for Oliver. He gets Felicity to safety first. 

Source: teamolicity13

FOREVER OTP.

As the team regroups and tries to formulate a plan, Oliver wants to take a moment to talk to Felicity.  Despite the madness and impending doom of Earth-X Nazis, Oliver wants to face their problems head on. He doesn’t want to wait. THY NAME IS CHARACTER GROWTH. 

Oliver Queen, my son, is so grown it makes me weep.

This is not the Olicity of Season 4 who pretends there isn't any problems between them. This is not the Olicity of Season 5 who pretends they aren’t madly in love with one another. This Olicity faces their issues head on without breaking up. Ya know, like an adult relationship.

What I have always loved about this couple is they talk about what marriage means to them. They discussed it back in Season 4, when Oliver was hesitant to propose. He didn’t know how to be a vigilante and have a functioning relationship. It was Felicity who convinced him otherwise. 

It was Felicity who believed with her whole heart they could have it all. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver reminds Felicity of this fact and desperately wants to know what has changed. Dude, same.

It's not Oliver specific. Felicity doesn’t want marry anyone.

Source: captainheroism

Uhhh... it kind of feels Oliver specific, honey. He agrees with me and immediately reminds Felicity she didn’t feel that way two years ago. Felicity immediately reminds Oliver that after accepting his proposal she was shot. Everything is great now.  Why change it?

Now this feels like the truth. THIS I understand. Felicity Smoak is scared. She is absolutely terrified. She uses a poker analogy with Oliver, “Let’s just stand pat with the cards that we’re holding.” Felicity doesn’t want to risk their relationship. When Felicity looks back on their engagement she views it as an ending, not a beginning. A sentiment she will repeat to Ir*s later.

She is right. When Oliver proposed they were already over. 

They were over the minute he chose to lie about William. 

I know Felicity is saying it’s because she was shot, but actually they handled that pretty well together. What tore them apart was all the lying. Felicity doesn’t want Oliver to feel like this is about William, because it’s not. She loves William. So, she points to the gunshot wound and paralyzation for the "sky is falling" comparison. It doesn't change the fact that the lies, being shot and paralyzed are all one big ball of pain.

To be frank, as much as I love the proposal in 4x09, it has always been tainted because Oliver was lying to Felicity when he proposed. 

Her beautiful and heartfelt speech about what marriage means pretty much fell on Oliver’s deaf ears. (Yeah I know there was an ultimatum. Don’t @ me. We’ve gone over this. It was still wrong.) So, I can’t help but feel that some of the rejection and embarrassment he felt after Felicity said no is warranted? 

If Felicity knew Oliver lied to her about something so monumental as William, she would have never said yes in the first place. As exhibited by Felicity giving back the ring and calling off their engagement when she did find out. No, wait. She did give Oliver some wiggle room to redeem himself, but then he sent his son away without discussing it with her. That sealed his fate. I feel very Obi-Wan about it.

Have Oliver and Felicity worked past all these issues? YES. 5x20 dealt with all of these issues. Oliver faced the darkest parts of his soul to understand why he has significant trust issues. 

Felicity understands why Oliver lied. 

Oliver knows it was wrong to lie. (That vow he has kept.)

They’ve learned from their mistakes and built a stronger, more trusting, foundation. As exhibited by facing their issues head on. However, that doesn’t eliminate the element of fear.

If Felicity was really against the whole concept of marriage she wouldn’t hear a peep from me. However, Felicity is making that decision from fear. She doesn’t want to draw another card because it might ruin everything. She’s playing it safe. Anytime Felicity has something wonderful something awful comes along to ruin it. Well, yeah pumpkin. You are on a TV show. That’s how this works.

So, Felicity has decided not to rock the boat. She’s almost being superstitious. Not marrying Oliver Queen is tantamount to knocking on wood or throwing salt over her left shoulder. If they just keep things the same then she can keep all the wonderful. It’s like Felicity is standing on the edge of a cliff with Oliver. He’s ready to jump, but she is content to stay frozen in that spot forever.

Oliver doesn’t want to remain frozen. He wants to move forward. Marriage is important to him. It does mean something. He knows the future is uncertain and bad things always seem to happen, but that’s even more of a reason to marry Felicity. Oliver is ready to live his life and that means getting married. He wants to stand up in front of all their friends and family and promise always.

Felicity promises always. She promises it then and there on the steps.

Oliver has been hoping for a second chance,  but it’s not coming in the form he expected it to. This is all she can give though. Oliver has her heart, but there’s no legal document declaring it. Felicity asks Oliver to respect her decision and he agrees,

but is it enough for him?

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

No, because he emotionally unloads on B*rry and Ir*s five minutes later. 

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Oliver knows there’s something else behind Felicity’s decision. To be fair, she doesn’t put it her reasoning as eloquently as she does with Ir*s a few moments later. 

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

However, because Oliver is the dumbest oak tree to ever live he decides Felicity doesn't love him as much as he loves her.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Lord boy. You try me.

B*rry and Ir*s, who are standing in for our usual anchor couple Dyla (and doing a solidly awesome job), tell Oliver he’s a bunch of nonsense. 

Unfortunately, Felicity walks in at the exact wrong moment. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oh god. Another cringe inducing moment of second hand embarrassment. My babies. This is so awful. Make it go away.

Felicity wants to do the talking thing again, because apparently the first time didn’t take. 

Source: westallenolicitygifs 

Sadly, Oliver reverts to form. He needs to get his head in the game. No time for discussing their relationship now. Sigh. Season 6 evolved Oliver was nice while he lasted.

So, Oliver leaves for battle thinking Felicity doesn’t love him as much as he loves her (re: oak tree). But Oliver is right about something. There is more to this.

Source: valeriemperez

In one of her greatest speeches ever, Ir*s tells Felicity she also fears the unknown. So much that it gives her nightmares. What helps her get through it is B*rry being next to her.  Ir*s, you are nominated for the #1 Olicity shipper. Diggle is tough competition, but you have a shot. My girl won’t quit until these two are married.

Ir*s is also right. This time it’s different. Oliver and Felicity’s past has built them as much as it has broken them. Felicity’s fear is absolutely understandable as was Oliver’s two years ago. But loss, pain and crisis aren’t without purpose. It teaches us how to lean on one another, trust, compassion, humility, and what is most valuable in life. It makes us hold on to the happy moments and reach for more every chance we get. Crisis shows us what we are living for. It makes us cherish peace. The unknown will always exist. Bad things will continue to happen to Felicity and Oliver, but that’s true for any of us. That’s just life. If they face it together with grace, honesty and trust – they can get through anything.

This is a monumentally large impasse or at least it feels like it. Felicity doesn’t believe in marriage and Oliver does. It’s not unlike Maggie and Alex’s differing opinions on children. So, are we headed for another break up?

No. The writers are just jerking our chain one last time. That said, this storyline isn’t without purpose. It’s simply the last hurdle before Oliver and Felicity say “I do.”

But first, we need to survive some really disturbing imagery. Oliver poses as his evil Earth-X doppelganger to infiltrate the Nazis and find a way home. Earth-X Lance is a Sturmbannführer, a major in the SS, and he decides to test if this is the real Earth-X Oliver. So, he brings in the Earth-X version of Felicity. Oh... it gets worse.

Sturmbannführer Lance tells Oliver to execute Felicity for giving her rations to the work camp children. It’s as horrible as it sounds. I don't love this imagery. I understand why it's triggering for some. I also understand why it may anger others. I will discuss my opinions on the Nazis plot in the second review. For now, I'll just say this. As disturbing as this scene was, it can also serve as a reminder we are one breath away from our greatest loves being our greatest enemy. We enjoy so much freedom in the United States, but it’s fragile. It only takes a moment for hate to separate us from those we love. Thus, we must remain ever vigilante.

It also delivers a pretty emotional scene that propels Oliver to some signficant realizations.There is no universe where Oliver Queen would kill Felicity Smoak. Even though Oliver knows it’s a test, he lets Felicity go and reveals his identity to Sturmbannführer. Luckily, Oliver doesn’t need a weapon. 

Oliver starts kicking some Nazis ass (YES! MY MAN) and finds Felicity hiding once the fight is over. This is a familiar scene. It’s very reminiscent of 2x07 and 3x01,

except Oliver’s face is one Earth-X Felicity has learned to fear. 

Oliver reassures her the same way he would reassure HIS Felicity. 

He finds that quiet, gentle, loving and soft tone. The special voice he uses only for her. Oliver repeats the word that always quells the fear inside Felicity, “hey," and repeats it in a mantra like a lullaby. 

Oliver gives Felicity a gun and tells her to run. Before she goes Felicity asks Oliver why he’s doing this. He tells her, in a very Earth-X Oliver way -

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

However, Oliver is not talking about himself. He’s talking about Felicity. She is the strong and Oliver knows Earth-X needs her.

This is the point in the story I think the lesson starts to dawn on Oliver. He loves Felicity more than life itself. He believes in her fundamental goodness. Yet, here on Earth-X, Oliver is presented with a doppelganger version of Felicity. This version of Felicity is no different than his. She is brave, selfless, kind and strong. The same cannot be said for his doppelganger - or even Laurel's or Tommy's.

That's not to say there isn't an evil Felicity out there somewhere in the 53 earths (Although the writers are going to have to show me actual evidence. I refuse to believe it otherwise.) 

But that doesn't really matter now. Oliver is on Earth-X and on this earth he is a HORRENDOUS person. Yet, Earth-X Oliver is a person who loves deeply. Who is willing to sacrifice anything for the woman he loves. Oliver sees parts of himself in the fuehrer and that is disturbing on many levels.

Oliver Queen recognizes his darkness more than anyone else. Yes, there is innate goodness in this man, but he very easily could have gone another way. If Oliver never met Felicity Smoak (or Diggle) he would have become a monster much like Prometheus. Oliver's entire Season 5 journey was built around this realization and deeply rooted fear.

It becomes blindingly clear to Oliver as he stands in a world consumed by hate. We all have good and evil inside. What separates us are the choices we make and what we do with the gifts we’ve been given. Dark Arrow is corrupted by Overgirl as much as she is corrupted by Dark Arrow. Their mutual darkness feeds one another. It is a grotesque display of “love.” But if Dark Arrow had fallen in love with Earth-X Felicity? Then maybe his soul could have been saved. But he didn't. Dark Arrow chose anger and hatred instead. And a love fueled by it. However, our Oliver did meet Felicity. 

He chose to love her and that has made all the difference in his life.

Felicity and Ir*s are facing off with their own set of Nazis in an attempt to save Supergirl. I would absolutely watch a show just with these two. This is fantastic television.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Reverse Flash (yeah, he's back. AGAIN) 

is about to cut out Supergirl's heart, but the entire lab goes dark. Felicity has locked them out of Star Labs with an encrypted code.

Reverse is going to kill Felicity if she doesn't give up the code. Felicity is a hero down to the marrow and is prepared to die if it means saving Supergirl's life. 

Source: https://twitter.com/caitybettlotz

Iri*s fights and screams against the Nazis guard, desperate to free herself. She's trying to save Felicity before Reverse Flash kills her. It makes me emotionally thinking about it even now.

Supergirl refuses to let anyone die for her. She insists Felicity give up the code. When she does we see that Oliver is in her every thought.

When Felicity comes face to face with Dark Arrow she refuses to hand over Supergirl. This time Felicity doesn't back down and tells Evil Earth-X Oliver, in no uncertain terms, to fuck off.  

Source :sssssssim

It is a GLORIOUS speech given by the hero who inspires us all. Be gone haters. My girl is a QUEEN.

OUR Oliver arrives with an arrow to Overgirl’s throat just before Dark Arrow is about to shoot Felicity. When Overgirl begins to influence Dark Arrow there is a flicker of fear in Oliver's face. He is prepared to kill Overgirl if necessary to save Felicity’s life. Oliver also knows Dark Arrow is prepared to kill Felicity to save his wife. So, Oliver offers him a peaceful solution instead of threats. The team will help save Overgirl's life if Dark Arrow let's Felicity go. In the face of immense hate, Oliver offers compassion. It’s enough to make Dark Arrow hesitate, which gives Reverse Flash the chance to zip in and whisk them away. I hate that guy, but this works in our favor for the time being.

What happens next is straight out of fan fiction. I do mean this literally. I’ve read scenes like this verbatim. The only thing missing was a field for Oliver and Felicity to run through. 

This is the hug to end all hugs.

Felicity immediately apologizes. She’s been afraid from the moment Oliver left that he would die thinking she doesn’t love him. As for Oliver, well our big dumb oak tree, finally removed head from ass and realized Felicity’s issues with marriage have nothing to do with not loving him enough.

Felicity is safe. 

That’s all that matters to him. 

She is all that has ever mattered.

Oliver wants to be with Felicity. He wanted it then

and he wants it now.

Some things never change. But some things do. Oliver was an immovable object in the past. 

He refused to compromise with Felicity and held to his rigid beliefs. It cost him happiness.

It cost Oliver HER. 

Now, Oliver has learned he can have a life with Felicity. More importantly, he’s willing to compromise to get it. Oliver Queen bends.

He’s grateful to do it. It is even more clear to him now what a gift it is that Felicity is in his life. She has made all the difference. Felicity makes him a better man and that's what is important. Oliver doesn’t care about getting married anymore. Being with Felicity is more than enough. It’s everything.

See? Nothing like a little crisis to clarify what’s really important. Also, we get an official “in the hood” kiss. Check that off the list too! IT. IS. EPIC. Thank you Stephen and Emily for not holding back. It’s everything I dreamed and more.

The hood is up and the mask is on. Yet, the man shines through. Oliver is every bit the Green Arrow in this scene. A complete and fully formed hero. It's been a long road, but he's finally found the balance between his two selves. What's more, Oliver knows Felicity was the path to that balance. She helped Oliver find the light in the dark. He has become every bit the man and hero Felicity deserves. And that's why Oliver Queen finally deserves her.

The beauty of the Arrowverse is every show is built on love stories. Whether it’s Oliver and Felicity, B*rry and Ir*s, Kara and Alex, Snart and Mick – the central motivation for each character is love. Not all love stories are romantic in nature, but that doesn’t make their power to influence any less. “Crisis on Earth-X” exemplifies this absolutely perfectly in the relationship between Professor Stein and Jackson.

Stein eventually succumbs to his injuries (to save Jackson’s life). In his final moments, Stein recognizes the fragility of life. Death comes for us all eventually. Life is but a fleeting moment, a blink, in the scope of the universe. Stein uses his last breath to thank Jefferson for their great adventure.

Source:  fatedxdestiny

This is a father saying goodbye to his son. Martin wishes Jefferson a long life filled with love. In the end love is all that matters. Stein is able to go because he knows he lived a good life. He used his time on Earth to create, to help and to love. Professor Stein left the world a better place than he found it. His final gift is to give Jefferson the same opportunity.

There is such beauty in this spontaneous wedding and fulfills so much of what Professor Stein wished. His wish isn't just for Jackson. It is for B*rry & Ir*s and Oliver & Felicity too. It is for all of us.

Source:  valeriemperez

Life is but a blink and all that truly matters is love. Find something to live for and LIVE FOR IT. Grab hold of life with both hands because it’s gone sooner than we can imagine. Don’t wait for the right time because now is all we have. Live a life full of joy, adventure, friendship, selflessness, compassion and love. Don’t let fear control you. You will be a better person for loving and for being loved in return.

The fragility of life is true for all of us, but especially for heroes like W*stallen and Olicity. Each couple tried to plan the perfect day and find the right time. Those things don’t really exist in their world because their lives don’t belong fully to themselves. There is always a crisis. There will always be a reason to wait, which is exactly why they shouldn’t. When the opportunity presents itself they need to seize it.

The way this wedding unfolds is almost symbolic for the journey Olicity went on the last two years. Everything looked perfect on the surface in Season 4, but in reality Oliver and Felicity were not dealing with their issues. Their “fake wedding” was manifestation of what went wrong.  The vows were absolutely real, but they didn’t quite know how to live them yet.

The beauty of this wedding is that it’s spontaneous, even a little messy, and real. Oliver and Felicity's relationship has never been wrapped in a neat little bow. Their road was rocky and even a little messy. It was also real. They’ve dealt with all their issues and know how to live those vows. The image of the wedding may be imperfect, but the reality behind it is not.

Felicity realizes this and it’s why she proposes to Oliver. More importantly, Felicity confesses the fear she’s held in her heart for as long as she's known Oliver Queen. 

This is the fear that controls Felicity. It’s what drives her away from Oliver. It’s the reason she didn’t want to get married. But Felicity isn’t going to let fear control her anymore. It's like she's been holding her breath and finally exhaled.

The ace up Felicity's sleeve is Oliver Queen. She believes in him. Felicity saw something special inside of Oliver from the moment she met him. 

She saw a light. Underneath all the lies, charm and bravado was a beautiful human being too wounded, angry and scared to be seen. 

But Oliver couldn’t hide from Felicity. Her goodness brought out his. Felicity harnessed Oliver’s light 

and what reflected back to her was more wondrous than she could have ever imagined.

Felicity may not know the future, but her belief in Oliver and their love, is what holds her course steady through life. It is a leap of faith, but with Oliver by her side it is one Felicity is ready to make.

Whether you elope or spend a year planning your wedding, there comes a point where every couple just has to… jump. All the planning and promises can’t account for the unknown. There are no guarantees in marriage. It's always a leap of faith in the end. There does come a moment though when you realize this is it. This is the moment you are going to jump. You are going to marry this person come hell or high water.

There was a blizzard on my wedding day. I was in the dress and I remember feeling such relief when I heard my husband arrived at the church. I honestly didn’t know if anyone else was going to make it. My mother said to me, “Does it matter?” And… it didn’t. As much as I love my family and friends, I couldn’t account for the unknown. You have this voice inside your soul telling you,  “No. This is it. I am marrying this person TODAY. “ And you jump.

Keep in mind their life together began with Oliver hesitating. 

Oliver was waiting for life to be perfect and THEN he could be with Felicity. And he lost her. Truth be told, Oliver’s hesitation has cost him Felicity more than once.

It’s different now though. He’s a man who wants to seize life and hold on tight. Oliver doesn’t hesitate. (Well, except for Felicity to clarify her feelings on marriage because he is legitimately confused.) 

There is no question in his mind. The time is now. This is the dream Oliver always wanted 

and he’s not going to let the moment pass him by.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Personally, I am very happy the writers didn’t try to top the vows in 4x16. Oliver and Felicity even reference their perfection. We really only needed to make this official – legal style. After Felicity’s heartfelt proposal and “I’m afraid of losing you” speech, Oliver does feel compelled to offer something in return.

Oliver told B*rry once he’s looking into Ir*s’ eyes the words will come. He was speaking from experience. The words came to Oliver in 4x16 and they come to him now. 

He recalls the most important part of his vows and repeats them to Felicity. 

Their latest crisis proved to Oliver, once again, how true they are. Why are these words so important? Because they encompass the entire show.

Oliver is a better human being, man and mask, for loving Felicity Smoak. That’s the ballgame folks. This is why Oliver Queen becomes a superhero.

He is almost so overcome with emotion that he can barely get the words out and Felicity smiles happily back at him, with tears in her eyes. They know what a miracle their love is and they are going to live that miracle every day.

And the man who saw them through everything; the man who told Oliver the kind of love that lasts forever

and to be on the lookout for;

the man who watched, smiled and waited;

Source:  littlegirlinvisible

the man who encouraged Oliver to grab hold of happiness

and wouldn’t put up with any of his bullshit;

the man who said what we were all thinking;

Source:  littlegirlinvisible

the man who fought Oliver’s stubborness and fear when Felicity was too tired and hurt to;

the man who played referee; 

the man who was always there to listen

or tell Oliver he’s a big, dumb oak tree;

and the man who taught Oliver life is about more than survival;

is the man who marries them.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

It is gorgeously simple, honest and earned moment for these two characters. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs 

This is the wonder of a hero's journey. 

After all the trials, loss, pain, angst and frustration we arrive at a beautiful destination. And then a new story begins. Oliver and Felicity's journey isn't ending. It's only just begun.

Source:  felicitys

“Lives Entwined” by Matthew Mayfield 

Make me a man Show me how to fight Take that woman Make her my bride Show us the new meaning of lives entwined I am in love I am in love I am in love with you But we've got bigger things to do Chase a new life on the heels of a newfound train Take on the world with a girl and a new last name Fight for you This I can do When we've both grown tired and covered in scars I won't give up on your heart Please don't give up on my heart

It took almost 30 years for one of my beloved couples to not only get married, but for me to be able to watch the marriage. It feels longer.

Oliver and Felicity are married and I am filled with a peaceful satisfaction. Stories can truly go anywhere. A smile turns into an EPIC love. A guest star becomes the female lead. The unthinkable evolves into canon. And lightning in the bottle guides the way out of the dark.

We are all Diggle.

Stray Thoughts On the Double Wedding

Source: valeriemperez

Consider this an addendum to the review. It wouldn't be an Arrowverse wedding without a little controversy. This controversy has been brewing for awhile. Some are very angry about the double wedding. Unsurprisingly, I am not. Primarily because of the message the writers are trying to send.

It’s not about a day, or a dress or the cake or the venue. Don't get me wrong, those things are all wonderful and meaningful. I squealed with delight when I saw Ir*s walk down the aisle. There will be extensively more squealing when Olicity eats cake and drinks champagne dressed to the nines.

But what really matters is the MARRIAGE. This is about wanting to spend the rest of their lives together. These couples can always find a reason to delay because there is another crisis. That's what it means to be a hero.

This is why B*rry and Ir*s have absolutely no problem with Oliver and Felicity jumping in on the love fest.

If you want to be upset about the double wedding that's fine. Who am I to tell you otherwise? However, a couple getting married in the FOURTH SEASON is a rare gem. I'm too busying dancing on sunshine for W*stallen to be crabby about how any of this went down.

Primarily because I'm not crabby about how any of this went down, but that's neither here nor there. Let's look at this logistically.

Yes, absolutely the Arrowverse could have married both of these couples in separate ceremonies on their own shows. It makes complete sense. Except, it leads to guest star appearances. Otherwise we'll be wondering why Oliver isn't at B*rry's wedding? Or how come Ir*s isn't a bridesmaid? Stein went to W*stallen's wedding, but he can't make time for Olicity? And so on. 

Inevitably, this means most major cast members in the Arrowverse have to cross over to Arrow and The Fl*sh. I think this crossover requires herculean effort logistically and they aren't going to do it more than once. The actors and crew would strike.

We’re already screaming about Thea, William, Donna, Joe, Cisco, etc. So, they just said the hell with it. Nobody was there except the couples and Diggle. But that’s what elopment/justice of the peace is (B*rry and Ir*s’ plan) and Olicity always wanted a small wedding. 

Could they have split both weddings out over two years? Sure! Except, that's the same crossover storyline two years running. Keeping the storylines fresh and new is all part of the crossover gimmick. 

Even if they did decided to split it out then which couple goes first? Whoever is first immediately casts a light of prioritization and "more importance."

What if only one couple is married in the crossover and the other is married in a regular episode? If they marry Olicity in crossover (the biggest episode for every single show in the Arrowverse FOUR YEARS running) then the W*stallen fans feel slighted. It's like saying Olicity is more important than W*stallen. And vice versus.

So, both it is. One crossover. One time. To me, the focus of this event was about balance.  Everything went down on a (reasonably) even keel.

Both W*stallen and Olicity had their perfect and traditional weddings ruined by outside forces.

Neither couple was married on their own show. Legends of Tomorrow was like Camp David in this scenario or Switzerland if you prefer.  

Each couple had their moment in the sun to say their vows. Olicity already did theirs in 4x16 with a little extra added in for good measure during the ceremony. W*stallen slayed their vows in the park.

Source: westallengifs

Each couple had a spontaneous, Diggle officiated, ceremony.

W*stallen was the solid anchor couple, while Olicity provided the dramatic angst.

BALANCED. No couple was more important than the other. This was like my mother dividing out the chocolate bar with expert precision between me and my two sisters. WHO DO YA LOVE MORE MAMA? NOBODY. I LOVE YOU ALL THE SAME.

Speaking as an Oliciter, since they are my OTP, I especially love the message this ceremony sends. Oliver and Felicity are not the comic book couple. Arrow diverged from "comic canon" and went a different direction because that's what worked best for the show. Lord almighty have they received flak for it.  

Marrying Oliver and Felicity next to the king and queen of comic book canon, B&rry All&n and Ir&s W&st, says both love stories are valid. Both love stories are important. Both love stories are EQUAL.

B*rry and Ir*s chose to get married on the spot because they recognized the fragility of life. They just came from a funeral of a man who used his last words to say, "Life is fragile. LIVE FOR LOVE." You know Jefferson passed that on to his friends. It's a little ridiculous for them to say to Oliver and Felicity, "Hold up! Only our life is fragile! We need to live in the moment, but not you two. You two have to wait. Diggle can marry you tomorrow. Fingers crossed nothing happens until then! Best of luck!" 

Especially when Ir*s and B*rry spent the better part of the crossover focused on convincing Oliver and Felicity to get married. THEY SHIP IT HARDCORE.

Let's talk about the fragility of life. All four characters thought at one time or another they were going to die. Or, even worse, they were going to watch their loved one die. Felicity almost had a hand put through her chest! Oliver and B*rry were almost shot by a Nazis firing squad! Ir*s had bullets flying all around her in a COUTURE WEDDING DRESS. That is Monique Lhuillier for godsake!!!!! Have some respect! They all nearly lost their lives and that's just a regular Tuesday for them.

This is probably my favorite reason why the wedding took place at the same time.  From the moment B*rry All*n became a superhero he has looked to Oliver Queen for guidance. That guidance was never just about tactics. It was about love too. And Oliver... had some pretty spectacularly awful advice in that department.

He needed to learn from B&rry as much as B&rry needed to learn from him. Not just how to be a better superhero, but how to be a better man. 

Each crossover has shown the emotional progression (and missteps) of these two men. They both found a way to let go of their painful past. 

They both found a way to their great loves. 

Source:  dailydcheroes 

In some respects, they did it together. 

At the very least Oliver and B*rry understand each other's lives like no one else. Ir*s and Felicity understand each other's lives like no one else. 

These couples are bonded through heroism. Marrying them together, each couple being equally happy for the other, is a beautiful display of friendship. And friendship is where both of these love stories began.

Thank You

On a personal note, I want to say thank you to everyone who joined in the fun the last few years. You all very patiently read and entertained all my theories on when, where and how this wedding was going to happen. I was pretty much always wrong, but the train kept on chugging. You all made the wait a lot more bearable. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of Olicity's story with you. I will stop screaming, "BUT THE BOUQUET!!!" now.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. Crisis on Earth-X episode gifs credited.

[xtruss]

“Filthy Royal Family” Say Harry, Megan Racism Charges ‘Concerning’

— By Danica Kirka | AP | March 9, 2021

LONDON (AP) — Buckingham Palace said Tuesday that allegations of racism made earlier this week by Prince Harry and Meghan were “concerning” and would be addressed privately by the royal family.

The comments, made in a statement issued on behalf Queen Elizabeth II, are the first from the palace since a two-hour TV interview by Harry and Meghan rocked the royal family. Meghan, who is biracial, said the palace had failed to help her when she had suicidal thoughts and that an unidentified member of the royal family had raised “concerns” about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with her son, Archie.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the palace said. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.’’

The interview, which aired Sunday night in the U.S. and a day later in Britain, has divided people around the world. While many say the allegations demonstrate the need for change inside a palace that hasn’t kept pace with the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, others have criticized Harry and Meghan for dropping their bombshell while Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, remains hospitalized in London after a heart procedure.

While the palace often tries to stay above controversy by remaining silent and riding out the storm, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charges proved so damaging that the family was forced to respond.

The response was likely delayed by the queen’s struggle to balance her sometimes-conflicting roles as monarch and grandmother, said Angela Levin, author of “Harry, a Biography of a Prince.” Yet she said there’s little doubt that ultimately the 94-year-old monarch will make her decision based on what’s best for the 1,000-year-old institution she has led since 1952.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members,’’ the statement said.

During the interview, Meghan described feeling so isolated and miserable inside the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts, yet when she asked for mental health help from the palace’s human resources staff she was told she was not a paid employee. She also said a member of the royal family had expressed “concerns” to Harry about the color of her unborn child’s skin.

Winfrey later said Harry told her off camera that the family member wasn’t Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, sparking a flurry of speculation about who it could be.

Harry also revealed the stresses the couple endured had ruptured relations with his father, Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his brother, Prince William, illuminating the depth of the family divisions that led the couple to step away from royal duties and move to California last year.

Prince Charles didn’t comment on the interview Tuesday during a visit to a vaccine clinic in London.

Harry’s father visited a church to see a temporary vaccine clinic in action and met with health care workers, church staff and people due to receive their vaccine jab. The visit was his first public appearance since the interview aired in the U.S. on Sunday night.

Maziya Marzook, a patient at the event, said “private matters didn’t come up at all” during Charles’ visit.

“He didn’t bring up anything,″ Marzook said. “He was more interested in how the vaccine was and how we feel.”

— Sylvia Hui contributed to this report.

Megan’s Racism Claims Comes as No Surprise to Black Britons

— By Jill Lawless | March 9, 2021 | AP

LONDON (AP) — Explosive allegations by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex that she faced racist attitudes from both the palace and the U.K. press have sent ripples of shock around the world. But they came as no surprise to many Black Britons.

Whether it’s the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color or the lack of non-white faces at the top of British media and politics, ethnic minorities in the U.K. say racist attitudes and structures of discrimination are pervasive — and all too often denied by society at large.

“This is a country that doesn’t want to have an honest conversation about race,” historian David Olusoga, who presented the TV series “Black and British: A Forgotten History,” said Tuesday.

In a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, the former Meghan Markle said isolation and a lack of support from the royal household after her marriage to Prince Harry drove her to thoughts of suicide. She also said an unnamed member of the royal family expressed “concerns” to Harry about the color of her unborn child’s skin — a statement that drew an astonished “What?” from Winfrey.

Tiwa Adebayo, a communications consultant and journalist, said the couple’s revelations in the interview bore out her worst fears.

“When Meghan joined the royal family, every person of color in the U.K. was worried,” she said. “This is an institution that is rooted in colonialism. It’s based on white supremacy. I mean, for me, it kind of seemed like ‘How could this possibly end well?’

“I expected there to always be that undercurrent of racism,” she added. “But to hear it so outright, it’s really scary. It’s very shocking. And it’s hard to see how the royal family is going to come back from this.”

It’s a long way from the optimism that surrounded Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding in 2018. The relationship between a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and a biracial American actress was hailed as evidence that, in modern Britain, skin color and background no longer mattered.

Harold Wilson, a 57-year-old local authority worker in Brixton, a district at the heart of London’s Afro-Caribbean community, said Meghan joining the royal family “should have been an opportunity for them to move forward — but the royal family are not like that.”

“Even before the child has been brought into the world, they are worried about the actual tone of the skin of the baby,” he said. “That tells you everything about them.”

The fairy tale image surrounding the wedding at Windsor Castle faded quickly. Meghan faced tabloid stories about her allegedly demanding behavior and was even criticized for eating avocadoes, which the Daily Mail claimed fuel “human rights abuses, drought and murder.”

Even before the wedding, Harry had complained in 2017 about the “racial undertones” in British media coverage of his then-girlfriend. One tabloid columnist referred to Meghan’s “exotic” DNA. A Daily Mail headline described her Los Angeles roots as ”(almost) straight outta Compton” and claimed she came from a “gang-scarred” neighborhood. A TV host described Meghan as “uppity.”

Meghan and Harry cited the intrusive, racist scrutiny of Britain’s tabloid press as a reason for their decision a year ago to give up their jobs as senior royals and move to North America.

The palace issued a rare public statement on a personal matter, saying the royal family was “saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.”

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” the statement said. “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Like other countries, Britain has faced an uncomfortable reckoning with race since the death of George Floyd, a Black American, at the knee of a U.S. policeman in May 2020 sparked anti-racism protests around the world.

Large Black Lives Matter protests in cities across the U.K. called on the government and institutions to face up to the legacy of the British Empire and the country’s extensive profits from the slave trade.

The toppling of a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in the city of Bristol in June prompted a pointed debate about how to deal with that history. Many felt such statues extol racism and are an affront to Black Britons. Others argued that removing them was erasing a piece of history.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has criticized the removal of statues, saying “we cannot edit our past.” Opponents accuse him of trying to sweep the negative aspects of British history under the carpet.

Olusoga said many Britons like to believe that racism is an American problem, something that takes place elsewhere. He said the U.K. had failed to live up to the story it told itself at the time of Harry and Meghan’s wedding: “that we were this modern multicultural country, a country with a Black princess, a country that was at ease with itself, with its history, with its multiculturalism.”

“We need to look at ourselves more honestly,” he told the BBC. “Now is a moment for self-reflection, not just for the palace, but for the country.

— Hilary Fox and Jo Kearney contributed to this report.

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 040 [Code Names]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,666

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〈“Take a step back when we roll up ’cause I know what. We been loyal, we been fam, we the ones you trust in. Won’t hesitate to go straight to your head like a concussion.” Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic & Ty Dolla $ign, “Sucker for Pain”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“The name you give yourself is important,” Aizawa told us. “It helps reinforce your image and it shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future. A codename tells people exactly what you represent. Take All Might, for example.”

Momo turned in her seat to hand me one of the whiteboards that Aizawa had passed out to the first kid in each row, along with a marker. I hummed thoughtfully, tapping the end of the marker on the board as I propped my cheek up with my left hand. Hero names, huh? Haven’t really thought anything about it.

Aizawa leaned back against the wall and slid down, asleep before his body even touched the ground. That left Midnight in complete charge. “Now students, who among you is ready to share?”

While the rest of the class didn’t seem too happy about presenting their names, Aoyama wasted no time in stepping up to the podium. “Hold your breath,” he proudly displayed the board. “The Shining Hero: I cannot stop twinkling! Mon ami, you can’t deny my sparkle.”

My forehead slammed onto the desk, making Momo jump in surprise. She asked if I was okay, but I could only mutter under my breath. That fucking name… I’m getting war flashbacks from being forced to watch Twilight a few years back. Fucking sparkling vampires, get the fuck out.

“It’ll be better this way,” Midnight took the board from him and started to write. “Take out the ‘I’ and shorten the ‘cannot’ to ‘can’t’.”

“It’s stunning, mademoiselle.”

“She likes it?!” The class chorused in disbelief.

There is no way… in the nine circles of hell… that a fucking pro is gonna call him that. Can you fucking imagine this fucking pro hero decides to be nice and host an internship for U.A. first-years, right, and Aoyama walks in and introduces himself as ‘Can’t stop twinkling’ and the fucking pro just starts to question his entire life choices. Bro, I would fucking retire right then and there.

“You’re not really French, are you? That’s just an act.” Sumo questioned, but Aoyama ignored him and returned to his desk.

“Okie dokie, let me go next!” Ashido stepped up. “My code name? Alien Queen!”

“Hold on!” Midnight’s body started to shake, a look of terror on her face. Just what is she imagining? “Like that horrible monster with the acidic blood?? I don’t think so.”

Ashido pouted, returning to her seat.

“Ribbit,” Tsu raised her hand. “I think I’ve got one. Okay if I go next?”

“Come on up!”

She stepped up to the podium. “I’ve had this name in mind since grade school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy.”

Since grade school? Damn, girl. I think Tsu is the only fucking one taking this seriously, to be completely honest. Not like I have much room to talk.

“That’s delightful!” Midnight cooed. “It makes you sound approachable. What a great example of a name everyone will love.”

A little devil perched on my shoulder, whispering a brilliant idea into my ear. I smirked, messily scrawling the code name onto the board before standing up and heading to the front of the room. Midnight raised a brow when she saw me, “This should be good.”

“Heh~ You have no idea, bruh,” I smirked, locking eyes with Katsuki as I flipped the board around. “LordXplosionMurder.”

“You bitch!” Katsuki slammed his hands on the desk, anger seeping off his shaking body.

“Hey, isn’t that your gaming handle, Bakugo?” Kirishima asked, tilting his head.

“Shut up!”

“Denied!” Midnight smacked the back of my head. “Sit down.”

I clicked my tongue and returned my seat.

“I’ve got mine, too!” Kirishima hopped up. “The Sturdy Hero: my name is Red Riot!”

“Red Riot? Interesting. You’re paying homage to the chivalrous hero, Crimson Riot, yes?”

“That’s right,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “He may be kind of old school, but someday I want to be just like he was. Crimson is my idol!”

“Hmm, if you’re bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up to.” She commented.

“I accept the challenge!”

Paying homage, huh? I erased the board with my fingers, staining them with the ink.

Kyouka stepped up after him. “The Hearing Hero: I’m Earphone Jack.”

“Now that’s a good one!”

Next was Shouji. “Tentacle Hero: Tentacole.”

Why not just go with Hentai Hero?

“Oh, I like what you’re doing with that. A nice portmanteau!”

Then Sero. “The Taping Hero: Cellophane!”

Ain’t that the really thin clear plastic that sticks to literally everything but the food you’re trying to cover?

“That’s on the nose. Good work!”

Ojirou. “Martial Arts Hero: Tailman.”

Sounds like a villain from that TV show that Shin-chan is obsessed with.

“No surprise with that one, I guess!”

Sumo – god, what is his name? “I’m the Sweets Hero: Sugarman!”

That really sounds like someone parents should keep their kids away from… If only his hero costume had a trench coat.

“Perfect!”

Ashido tried again. “Pinky!!”

“Make those looks work for you, girl!”

Are you… are you serious? Her hero name is Pinky? The only fucking way that is cool is if you’re referencing Pinky and the Brain, bro.

Kaminari. “Stungun Hero: I am Chargebolt! Electric, doncha think?”

Damn, that one’s actually kinda cool. Way cooler than he actually is.

“Ooh~ Makes me all tingly!”

Stop being creepy, please. I’m gonna have PTSD.

Floating clot – er, I mean, Toru. “The Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!”

“That really suits you!” She clapped her hands, addressing the rest of the class. “Now come on, who’s gonna step up next?”

I approached the front again with a smirk. “Don’t gimme that look, Midnight. I got the perfect one this time. The Tsundere Dad Hero: Dadzawa Soft Hour – shit!” I scowled down at Aizawa, who had kicked me in the back of the ankle. How the fuck did he even do that in the fucking sleeping bag? “Fucking rude, I’m trying to present here.”

“Can you take anything seriously?” He cracked open an eye to give me a lazy glare.

“Don’t be like that,” I grinned. “Why – so – serious~?”

Midnight smacked me again. “Denied!”

“Che,” I returned to my seat, Momo patting my shoulder as we passed each other.

She stepped up to the podium, looking equal parts nervous and determined. “I hope I can live up to this name. The Everything Hero: I’m Creati.”

“Crea-tive!”

No, stop. You’re not a dad, Midnight.

Next was Todoroki, his face devoid of emotion. “Shouto.”

I sweatdropped. That damn edgelord didn’t even try, bro. Sheesh.

“Just your name?” Midnight asked, raising a brow. “Is that it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Like a wet sponge, that one.

Fumi went next. “Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi!”

I stood up, clapping loudly. When the others turned to look at me, I just said, “That’s my son up there! I’m so proud!”

Fumi’s cheeks went pink but he smiled and nodded his head.

“Ah~” Midnight moaned. “God of the night!”

My eye twitched and I smacked my hands on the desk. “Stop trying to seduce my child, he’s way out of your league!”

“And just what is that supposed to mean, hmm?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Anyone would be overjoyed to have all of this!”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Yeah, totally, because raisins are so attractive, ya know.”

“You little -!” She pulled me into a headlock, my face buried between her two melons. Jesus fuck, I’d hate to see the doctor bill for her back pain…

I waved my hands frantically, unable to see or breathe, until my hand connected with her face. I gave it a hard shove, taking in a gulp of air. “I need to fucking breathe to live, you know! This is sexual harassment!”

“Oh, please harass me, mommy.”

“Shut the fuck up, grape, no one asked you!”

She smirked. “According to your match results against Honenuki, you can hold your breath for fifty-five seconds.”

“That is irrelevant information! I don’t want my tombstone to read, ‘Death by tits‘!”

“That would be so amazing,” Mineta’s drool plopped onto the desk as he blatantly stared at Midnight’s boobs.

My lip curled back in disgust. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, your tombstone is gonna read, ‘Burnt so bad there was no fucking body‘!”

He humphed before hopping down and heading to the podium which he was too fucking small to see over. “I’m the Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juice!!”

“Very catch,” Midnight nodded her head.

Mountain was next – I also need to learn his name, but he doesn’t speak, does he? He nervously held up his board and it read, ‘Petting Hero: Anima‘.

“Yup! All about it!”

Katsuki finally stood up, his aura still seething as his vermillion eyes locked with mine. “King Explosion Murder!”

“I’m gonna say that one’s a little too violent.”

“Hah?! What do you mean?!”

“You could be ‘Explosion Boy’!” Kirishima suggested.

“Or ‘TacoQueen’,” I smirked.

“Both of you, shut up!” He snapped. “Why don’t we go outside and I’ll show you exactly why ‘Murder’ should be in my name!!” He grumbled under his breath, sitting back in his seat and angrily erasing the name.

Ochaco went next. “This is the name I thought of – Uravity!”

“I just love that,” Midnight smiled warmly, pressing her hands together against her cheek.

“Good job, Ocha!” I grinned, sending her a thumbs up as she returned to her desk. She smiled back.

“To be honest, choosing names is going faster than I thought it would.” Midnight commented, stretching her arms above her head. “All we have left is young Bakugo and Winchester, who need to rethink theirs, and~ Iida. Oh yes, and Midoriya, too.”

I grunted, leaning back in my chair and holding up the board.

Her eye twitched. “‘Taco’ has nothing to do with your quirk, Winchester.”

“It’s part of who I am. It’s my soul.”

“Denied!”

“Goddamn it,” I scowled, furiously wiping the ink away from the board.

Iida stood up and approached the front. Like Todoroki, he only wrote down his first name, but that isn’t what made me take pause. No, it was the look on his face and the aura filled with sadness and anger that hovered around him so thickly. Maybe I should attempt talking to him? I doubt he’d open up to me, though, he hates me.

“You’re using your real name, too?” Midnight asked with disappointment lacing her tone.

He didn’t reply.

She shrugged as he returned to his seat. “Well Midoriya, are you ready?”

“Oh, yes.” Zuku shot up, approaching the front. I wonder what he chose. I bet five bucks he chose some kind of homage to Toshi. I swear if he wrote All Might Jr… He showed the board, surprising everyone with what he had written. Fuck, I just lost five bucks… to myself. Score.

“Really, Midoriya?” Mineta questioned, not sounding impressed. Like, bitch, your name is Grape Juice.

“You sure about that?” Kaminari asked.

Kirishima added with concern, “Yeah, remember that could be your name forever.”

“Right…” Zuku lowered his head in thought. “I used to hate it, but then something changed. I guess… someone taught me that it could have a different meaning… and that had a huge impact on how I felt. So now I really like it! Deku… that has to be my code name.”

“Umm, Winchester, your eyes are leaking…” Todoroki commented.

“My baby cinnabon is growing up, guys.” I sobbed, clutching onto the back of Momo’s shirt. She chuckled, creating a handkerchief from her hand and giving it to me. “Thank you, Momo.”

“Of course.”

“You’re so weird,” Todoroki mumbled, turning his head away.

Katsuki huffed as he stomped to the front again. “Lord Explosion Murder!”

“Winchester already tried that,” Midnight sighed. “And it’s basically the same thing as your last one.”

“No, she didn’t have an ‘E’ in ‘Explosion’! It’s totally different!” He protested.

“I mean, the boy got a point,” I added, grinning when she shot me a look.

She smacked her forehead. “The two of you are completely hopeless. Just use your real names!”

I shrugged and Katsuki grumbled under his breath, sitting back down.

Aizawa heaved a tired sigh as he pulled himself to his feet. “Now that everyone’s decided on their hero names, we can go back to talking about your internships. They last for one week. As for who you’ll be working with, those of you who are on the board will choose from among your offers. Everyone else will have a different list.” He held up a stack of papers, but the words were too small for me to see from the back of the feckin’ room. “You have a lot to think about. There are around forty agencies across the country who have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on. Keep that in mind.”

Forty agencies?? And those are only the ones willing to put up with us… Holy salsa dancing Satan, how many agencies are there in this damn country? Forty seems a bit excessive.

“Imagine that you were thirteen.” Midnight held her finger up. “You would want to choose a place that focuses on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?”

“Think carefully before you decide,” Aizawa concluded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Turn in your choices before the weekend.”

“We’ve only got two days?!” Kirishima cried out in surprise.

“Yeah, so you should start now.” Aizawa and Midnight headed out the door. “You’re dismissed.”

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I frowned at the list of offers that had been placed on my desk, scratching my cheek. That’s great and all, but the problem is that I don’t know a single thing about any of these fucks because I ain’t from this world. Oh wait, there’s Endeavor. Like hell I’mma choose flame fuck. I guess I could ask Zuku. He’s a walking talking encyclopedia of hero knowledge. Hmm, yeah, I’ll just make him choose someone for me. Problem solved!

“So guys~ Have you decided what pro agency you wanna go for?” Ashido asked.

“Mt. Lady’s my top choice!” Mineta answered immediately.

“Mineta, are you thinking something perverted?” Tsu inquired.

“Possibly!”

I scoffed, leaning back in my chair. Jokes on him, that bitch is gonna eat him alive and then spit him back up as a glorified slave. Though, knowing that freak, he’d probably enjoy it.

“You made it pretty far in the tournament,” Ojiro commented toward Ashido. “It’s weird you didn’t get any offers.”

“I know~!” she cried, throwing her body over the desk.

“Hey, Deku, who’s on your list?” Ochaco approached the greenette and sweatdropped at the mumbling mess that is Zuku the cinnabon. “There he goes again…”

He snapped out of his trance at her words. “Huh? Oh, sorry, what’d you guys say?”

“You’re really thinking hard about this, aren’t you?” Tsu asked.

“It’ll all work out.” Ochaco smiled. “I’ve already settled on my pick!”

“Already?”

“What agency?”

“The one that the Battle Hero: Gunhead runs!”

“Huh? Gunhead’s a big brawler, though.” Zuku commented in surprise. “Are you sure that’s where you want to intern, Uraraka?”

“Yep! He sent me an offer!”

“Woah, really? But I thought you were trying to be a hero kinda like Thirteen, more into rescuing than fighting.”

“Ultimately, that’s the plan, but I’ve been thinking ever since the festival… well, at least ever since I faced off against Bakugo. The stronger I am, the more possibilities I’ll have! Plus, learning from a battle hero will give me a different perspective, right?”

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. Too fucking precious man. I sighed, letting my head fall onto the desk for the umpteenth time today.

“Are you okay, Winchester?” Momo turned in her chair, voice full of concern.

“I need food,” I groaned. “And my brain may be slightly melted, I’m not sure.”

She chuckled and stood up. “Let’s go to the cafeteria, then.”

“Sure~” I pulled myself up, following the black-haired girl from the room.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

▸ Forward

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[evolutiontale-au]

Name: Asgore Dreemurr, the King of the Underground and Monsterkind.

Nickname: My wife calls me Gorey, sometimes... and Gerson, naturally, likes to call me Fluffybuns.

Age: Adult- I bear two vertical stripes, just as my wife does.

Gender: Male, just in case the deep voice didn't make it clear to you. Oh, you can't hear this? My apologies.

Sexuality: ...? I love my wife.

Species: Monster, of the Boss variety.

Powers: The magic of our family is based within the elements of earth and fire. It is used primarily for destruction, but if one knows how, it can be used for healing as well. Do try not to require either usage...

Weapons: We wield in equal measures a trident and a greatsword; but the trident is saved for more... official occasions.

Weaknesses: If you want to know this, you should ask someone else. We would not share our vulnerabilities so easily.

Appearance:

Height: 8'6"- without counting my horns. With the horns considered, I am closer to 9'4".

Weight: 130lbs- average for my species.

Body Type: Sturdy, with more muscles hidden beneath my fur than you'd think... and also, I have been referred to as being fluffy.

Skin Tone: Hidden by my fur, it is a pale off-white, similar to that of milk.

Eyes: My eyes are a murky yellow, as though they were tainted alongside my soul...

Hair: My fur is the same shade of cream as my wife's. I also have a golden beard and mane; quite fluffy.

Favorite Clothing Style: Black pants, with two grey stripes running down the sides, rest beneath my golden greaves. A black long-sleeved shirt is worn underneath my golden chestplate and bracers. My gold pauldrons secure my deep blue cloak in place; the cloak made to match my wife's favored dress.

Scars/Characteristic Markings: ...the scars I bear rest upon my soul, young ones. Worry not; you shant see them at all.

Personality: I have been told by many that I am a fair ruler, and I would have to agree. I wait to hear all sides of an issue before progressing forward, and the collective needs of my people are generally present in the back of my mind during consideration. Of course, I won't always favor the many over the individual, in certain circumstances. Sometimes there simply comes an individual person who stands out from the rest...

Likes: Gardening. My wife. Most of her adopted children. The sunlight shining through the Barrier. Baking fudge brownies.

Dislikes: Humans. The stacks of paperwork on my desk. The subtle murders present among our people. Humans.

History: When I was born, the War was just about to reach its climax. We had lived in Immortal territory, then. For those not fighting, this was the safest place to live; you see, the Immortals had declared neutrality in the War, and conflict was not allowed on their land. Alas, the Humans that also lived there were becoming subtly hostile, in order to drive us out... Had my parents but known this, they wouldn't have moved us back to the last of Monster territory; back to Mt. Ebbot.

I was only a lad of four horizontal stripes when our race was trapped within our own safe haven. The Seven Mages responsible for this had been coerced into such action by threat to their loved ones; I blame them not. They could have done much worse. They could have, instead, ERASED us all... but they didn't.

I don't blame them... but I do blame the Humans.

As I grew up, the Queen of that time set the foundations for the new era we were entering, and an experimental system of education was developed. So many children numbered against so few adults; it was a necessity for us to be occupied in some way. What better way would there be than education? I'm not complaining- at the first school established, I met Toriel... and fell in love with her.

We graduated together, and after jumping through several hoops for her mother's approval, we were finally free to have our Bonding Ceremony. We were taught many lessons, how to carry ourselves and rule, and then the Queen Fell Down to Rest.

Together, Toriel and I led the Underground for many years following. Our son, Asriel, was born not long after our mother died, and he was so full of life. He used to run around with a... hmm, what was it... a chemistry set? Yes, that sounds right. He'd run around with a chemistry set, and if you looked away from him for a second, off he was getting into trouble and mixing up another explosion! Oh, the joy and satisfaction on his face... I couldn't deny him that, so I pretended not to see him sneaking away a few times.

I wish I hadn't. Stars above, I wish that I hadn't, that last time...

A Human child, with a soul of Patience so pure and bright, Fell into the Underground. Her name was Cheydan, and she was so sweet, so innocent, that Asriel fell in love with her instantly. They were nothing less than adorable, running around the palace and causing mayhem together, playing and enjoying life... but it was all a lie.

That girl, that Human that my son trusted with his life, ended it. She killed my son... my only son... and I can still feel the Hatred I have in my soul for her.

The next thing I recall after finding my son's Dust in the garden, was holding the soul of the girl. It glowed bright, as it always did, and I felt the urge to simply shatter it... but I couldn't. Seven Human Souls to break the Barrier, the Mages had told us. Seven Human Souls, or a thousand years; whichever came about first.

If those Mages were still alive, I'd ask them why they lied. They said that neither Human nor Monster could pass through the Barrier; yet somehow, Humans have been Falling.

...I apologize. I cannot speak anymore. Please, return later if you have any more questions.

Other: Cherish the ones that you have now, for you never know when they'll be ripped away.

[recentanimenews]

The Rising of the Shield Hero – 24 – Fair and Square

With the discovery of the hourglass in the underwater temple, Naofumi now knows another Wave will arrive in 48 hour’s time. Fortunately, that’s enough time for him to teleport back to Melromarc and warn the queen, who quickly mobilizes a fleet of ships.

I’m not sure how she arranged things so quickly—unless such ships are on 24-hour standby—nor do I know how they know the next Wave will be at sea, but it is, and when they all teleport, they find themselves contending with monsters large and small.

The small fry are no problem for the soldiers, and Melty, who still considers herself part of the Shield Hero’s party, does her part, until one of the monsters grabs hold of her and threatens to drown her in the sea or worse. That’s when L’Arc Berg springs into action, demonstrating his impressive offensive power by eliminating scores of the beasts.

The giant leviathan sub-boss is a far tougher nut to crack, but a leveled-up Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo along with their new friends L’Arc and Therese press their attack and manage to kill the thing. There’s some great battle music to accompany their fight, complete with saxophones.

But once the sub-boss is dead and floating in the water, and the other three Heroes come to pick up rare drops (vultures), the mere mention of them being Heroes gets a weird reaction from L’Arc, who says if they’re joking about being Heroes, they’re not funny.

Turns out he and Therese aren’t ordinary elite adventurers from this world, but full-fledged Heroes from another world entirely. In order to save their world, they have to eliminate the heroes in this one, starting with Naofumi. It’s nothing personal—Therese feels horrible having to do it after all of Naofumi’s help—but do it they will.

As predictable a twist it was that L’Arc and Therese would end up powerful new foes of Naofumi & Co., I do appreciate that they’re not evil, nor do they have any petty beef with Naofumi, they’re just doing their duty as protectors of their world; apparently one world cannot be saved without condemning the other.

In any case, the fight between the former allies is appropriately intense and impressive. Not only do L’Arc and Therese not hold back, but Raph and Filo show just how much more powerful they are now that they were finally able to level up.

Also, L’Arc may do what most cliched villains do and explain his tactics to his opponent, but he does it in the name of fighting Naofumi “fair and square,” Naofumi is similarly transparent in the service of playing psychological games with his former buddies.

Ultimately, the fight comes down to a stalemate: blows have been dealt to both sides, but no one’s in terrible shape, and have plenty left in the tank. That’s when Glass makes her second explosive appearance, revealing herself as allied with L’Arc and Therese and a member of their world. Perhaps she’s a Hero as well?

In any case, she accuses her allies of wasting time playing around and launches the same attacks against Naofumi that very nearly did him in in their previous match. She’s pleased to see that his skills have improved since then, but warns him that they still won’t be enough, as those attacks are far from her worst, and she’s totally committed to personally erasing him.

While I thought this season would go out with a whimper, here we not only have a new Wave, but a paradigm shift in the structure of the plot. This isn’t a binary matter of saving or not saving this world; it affects other worlds as well, with other sets of dedicated Heroes whose goals don’t align with theirs.

The final episode is titled simply “Rising of the Shield Hero”, so it’s a good bet Naofumi won’t lose next week (that would be a fall, not a rise), but it will be interesting to see what he and his friends will have to sacrifice in order to fight off Glass, L’Arc, and Therese,  and where they go from there.

By: braverade

[jeneelestrange]

So that Mummy Remake....

While I’m happy to see a female monster, there’s something that’s sticking in my craw about this whole thing. Firstly, the fact that Dracula got a sympathetic first person, and we just get a female monster who suddenly appears because “female ambition.” (yes, I know they’re going to pretend the Drac movie didn’t happen, but let’s be real, I’ll bet my left foot one of the male monsters gets a somewhat sympathetic treatment at some point).

But, like....LISTEN to the backstory they gave Ahmunet.  It sounds like Hatshepsut’s reign as described by sexist douchebags. I would normally try for better sources than Wiki, but I do not have the strength to dig up scores of sources to go over her life and the relevant points for a tumblr post so here we fucking go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut http://www.biography.com/people/hatshepsut-9331094 So Thutmose II is a minor son of the pharoah, and to secure him more being likely to be named pharoah, he marries his sister Hatshepsut(it’s gross, but this is why that Egyptian royal incest shit happened--like European royal cousin-marrying multiplied by 1000). By all accounts, he doesn’t do much as pharoah, and even the accomplishments he does have are theorized to have been influenced by his wife Hatshepsut because they have her later hallmarks all over them.

Thutmose II dies. While Egypt is MUCH less sexist than the rest of the ancient world, when it comes to their kingship, they are as sexist as errrrrybody else. Women cannot be the official ruler outright. Thutmose only has his daughter Neferure, and a baby boy born to a concubine. So baby boy is officially co-regent of Egypt, but since he’s....a baby, it makes sense to make Hatshepsut the other co-regent until he’s old enough. This is what basically happens with ALL the Egyptian female pharoahs--they’re waiting it out until the official male heir can rule.

And Hatshepsut is not slinking back and letting a literal baby take credit for the actual governing good she does. She focused on re-opening trade routes that had been compromised since the Hyksos invasion, instead of conquering like many of her predecessors were obsessed with doing. So Egypt gets RICH, and she builds A BUNCH OF SHIT. She’s one of the most prolific builders of the pharaohs. So her face is memorialized on a bunch of shit, all with her wearing the usual pharaoh beard, etc. It’s just like when women were trying to enter the corporate world in the 80′s and all started wearing business suits with giant ass shoulder pads. When your role is precarious in a profession often associated with males, play up your masculine attributes to assert your authority.

She’s one of the most successful pharoahs. But then she died. Everything goes normally until formerly-baby boy Thutmose III takes power, grows old, and his own son starts to become co-regent with him. Listen to this shit:  “Toward the end of the reign of Thutmose III and into the reign of his son, an attempt was made to remove Hatshepsut from certain historical and pharaonic records. This elimination was carried out in the most literal way possible. Her cartouches and images were chiselled off some stone walls, leaving very obvious Hatshepsut-shaped gaps in the artwork.At the Deir el-Bahari temple, Hatshepsut's numerous statues were torn down and in many cases, smashed or disfigured before being buried in a pit. At Karnak, there even was an attempt to wall up her obelisks. While it is clear that much of this rewriting of Hatshepsut's history occurred only during the close of Thutmose III's reign, it is not clear why it happened, other than the typical pattern of self-promotion that existed among the pharaohs and their administrators, or perhaps saving money by not building new monuments for the burial of Thutmose III and instead, using the grand structures built by Hatshepsut. Amenhotep II, the son of Thutmose III, who became a co-regent toward the end of his father's reign, is suspected by some as being the defacer during the end of the reign of a very old pharaoh. He would have had a motive because his position in the royal lineage was not so strong as to assure his elevation to pharaoh. He is documented, further, as having usurped many of Hatshepsut's accomplishments during his own reign. His reign is marked with attempts to break the royal lineage as well, not recording the names of his queens and eliminating the powerful titles and official roles of royal women, such as God's Wife of Amun.[45]

Look just how fucking hard the archaeological community tries to be like “but it wasn’t sexism you guys!!!!!! sometimes later pharaohs just try to systematically erase your memory from all of history!!!!!!!” Which, to my knowledge, has NEVER happened with the exception of Akhenaten and his family--which is understandable because Akh basically declared the native Egyptian religion heresy, made his own brand of monotheism, and forced everyone to worship it and took funding away from existing temples.  Also remember that the Egyptians believed that one of the five parts of a person’s soul was their NAME--and that this part of their soul would live as long as the name was spoke. This was exactly why cartouches WERE A THING, and grandson DESTROYED THEM. So they’re basically saying its totes normal for the most successful female pharoah--and one of the most successful pharaohs period--to be systematically erased from the archaeological record along with every other important woman of the court, because it once happened to the most hated pharaoh in Egyptian history. OR, Occam’s razor you guys, maybe Hatshepsut’s pseudo-grandson was a sexist dick! SO. Let’s review what The Mummy’s trailer said about Ahmunet. 1.) She was the next in line for the throne(LOL EGYPT WAS NOT THAT WOKE BUT OKAY, THEY WERE SUPER PROGRESSIVE OH SO CONVENIENTLY). 2.) But that wasn’t ENOUGH power for her, and she did messed-up shit to get MORE, like she’s the child of Hilary Clinton and a vampire(which, as an addendum, can I say how common it is while looking for links to find articles saying HEY, Hatshepsut did NOT usurp power, she was doing exactly what was expected of her only??? A fucking lot, and can I say how common when I do research into other female rulers, take a guess, it’s a fuckton).

3.) They try to stop her by putting her tomb in some unknown location that is unlikely to be found--not the Valley of the Kings or anything. Would be shocked if they didn’t destroy any mention of her or where her tomb is, because after all, this is a horror movie and this is some “ancient evil.”

Honestly, I don’t think Universal did any connections to Hatshepsut intentionally--this looks like your typical mindless explosion-fest and I extremely doubt they’d have the insight to do such a thing.

I’m just aggravated that this movie accidentally sounds like the reign of Hatshepsut as described by douchebags. That it’s a bit of a wasted opportunity. And that--as little as the writing made sense in Dracula Untold--we got them trying to do a sensitive portrayal of the weight of rule and responsibility to protect his people....and a ruling female mummy just gets that she is MAD WITH POWER!!!! (Also, WHAT  THE FUCK could she possibly want with Tom Cruise’s character, oh wait, it’s because he’s white man protagonist, nvm) Like, seriously, I would give both of my ovaries to see a movie where the mummy of Hatshepsut has risen and boy is she FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUS WRATH. Maybe I have to pray that this reaches Jordan Peele, idk, that’s the only way a movie that actually fucking says anything gets made in Hollywood

Also, as an aside on even MORE missed opportunities from this, HOW FUCKING COOL would a black Invisible Man movie be, one that references the original Wells work and the book about race with the same name by Ralph Ellison???? But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that would be actually fucking interesting and we can’t have that, so let’s cast Johnny Depp for the same ol’ shit. For fuck’s sake