#task: 108

[anothermonikan]

Every few sentences I'll look at my work and be like 'man....I have got to stop taking this so seriously' and then I'll continue to take it too seriously (This is affecting my work output greatly)

[floatyflowers]

Part two of Dark! Sauron X Celebrimor's Daughter! Reader.

I really want to know about the baby and surely Sauron will bind her with some spell or something so that she doesn't give him away or do anything, Sauron is undoubtedly one of the characters with the most yandere potential.

Part 1

You kept your pregnancy hidden from your father, and it was an easy task as Celebrimbor is focusing all his attention on the rings.

And you stayed most of your days in your chambers surrounded by a few trusted servants who would keep your pregnancy a secret.

Of course, Sauron is the one who manipulated them to ensure you have a safe delivery.

The problem with pregnancy is that it is spiritually painful for an elf woman as it can last from one year up to 108 years, however you are not a full elleth.

You are half-human half-elf, meaning you will take only nine months to give birth, yet it's still a hard experience.

Your mother left you and your father after giving birth, she suffered severe depression.

Apparently, that's one of the reasons why Celebrimbor doesn't trust humans.

You, on the other hand, don't hate your mother for leaving, however, you want your child to grow up with you by their side.

Sauron, took advantage of your state and implanted happy visions in your mind of you, him, and the baby which is a daughter.

Annatar would come to your bed at the end of the day, only to place his hand on your growing bump, feeling satisfaction that his plan is going well.

But deep down, you knew that it was him trying to manipulate you.

However, it brought you a great sense of comfort even if you despised your baby's father.

It's quite unfortunate that your water broke when the orcs decided to attack your land, Eregion.

"Where is my father, Annatar?" you demanded, refusing to give birth in such horrible circumstances.

"Focus on birthing our daughter, and don't worry yourself, my dear"

Sensing your panic, Sauron begins muttering a few words, using magic to calm you down.

However, instead, you block him out and begin weeping.

You would rather you and your child die then face the horrid war.

"I need to speak with my father, now!" you exclaim, holding your stomach in pain.

Sauron decided on invading your mind to order you, using his deep frightening voice.

His true nature has finally shown itself, and it's too scary for you to disobey or even rebel against.

All you could see in your mind is a figure made of fire, speaking to you.

"If our child does not survive, I will ensure that your father and everyone you know face suffering. Tell me, is that a fate you desire for them, my pet?"

The servants watch in confusion as you shake your head at Annatar before starting to push.

"When I return, I expect to see you holding our daughter"

And like that, Sauron takes his leave to see to Adar's army.

Part 3

[77gigabytes]

The Fox's Den {Sylus x Reader}

This just kinda...spilled out of my brain... It started off as a few paragraphs and then spiraled into this, but uh, enjoy.

FAIR WARNING!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLY LONG, I MIGHT HAVE TO SPLIT IT INTO PARTS ACTUALLY IDK

|| Masterlist ||

-Seven

You’re finishing some paperwork at HQ when Jenna slides a manila folder on your desk.

“Advance tech labs has another mission for you.” She says and crosses her arms over her chest, “Hear them out first. Then go take a look.”

As if on cue, your watch beeps with a notification.

You click on it and the mission’s user interface window pops up.

Client: Unspecified - Investigative mission Status: ACTIVE Authorisation: Approved entry - No Hunt Zones: 105, 106, 107, 108

Task details: High-class Linkon residents have been seen carrying protocores to Fox’s Den, a host club, on the outskirts of Linkon. There are suspicions that the club is being used as a trading venue to sell and modify high-grade protocores into the N109 zone.

Objective: INVESTIGATE Fox’s Den FOR PROTOCORE SMUGGLERS. DO NOT ENGAGE OR ELIMINATE SUSPECTS. THIS IS AN INVESTIGATION ONLY.

As you re-read the objectives, Jenna speaks once more, “Have a look through this folder before heading to the Data Sector. ” She places her hand above the folder, “Nero and Tara are waiting there with some more information for you.”

You give her a small nod, “Yes, Captain. Will do.”

You do as you’re told and flick through the contents of the folder.

“Huh, the address is near the N109 zone?” You whisper.

Sylus has a safe house near there, I think.

It’ll be easier to complete the mission if you could crash there every now and then.

I’ll ask him when I have the chance.

There’s a few photos of the club tucked into the folder and from what you can see, it’s quite luxurious.

Entering the club shouldn’t be a problem with the brooch Sylus gave me. Hmmm. I might need to visit Jeremiah some time soon to forge another identity.

You sift through a few more pages and a photo catches your eye. It’s of a blonde woman with a hunter’s uniform and badge but stamped across the page is the word ‘TENEBRA’ in bold red lettering.

“Hmmm,” You hum as you read the sticky note attached, “If encountered, detain immediately? Who is this?”

What had she done to be labelled a Tenebra?

With that thought in mind, you think to your own situation.

Your involvement with Sylus is more than enough grounds to label you a Tenebra, but you brush that thought aside quickly.

“MC?”

Your head perks up from the sound of your name and you quickly press the folder to your chest, “Oh! Tara… Nero. I was just leaving to see you guys, actually.”

“About the case, right? Isn’t it interesting?” Tara grins, “But, yes we came here instead because Nero thinks that the Data Sector is too noisy.”

“They’re blabbing about all the time, it’s dizzying.” He retorts.

He pulls a nearby chair and motions for the two of you to come around, “Come, we’ve got work to do.”

The three of you discuss the case for a while until you ask, “Why am I being sent alone? Aren’t mission usually done in pairs?”

“Yes, well… Technically, it’s only an investigative mission, so the higher-ups don’t think we should waste resources on a mere investigation.” Nero makes quotation marks with his fingers. “You’ve got orders not to engage where possible.”

Tara leans forward to argue, “But even still, Fox’s Den is surrounded by no hunt zones! Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Yes, that’s true, and speaking of which…” He opens some tabs up on his laptop, “As I’m sure you’ve seen, you’ve been approved access to all no hunt zones surrounding the area.”

You nod, looking back at your watch and also the map that spread across the table.

“But that’s not the problem.” Nero continues, “The problem is getting into the club.”

You furrow your brows, “What?” You tilt you head, “Can’t I just go in as a client?”

He clicks his tongue, “They’ve got a very specific clientele.” He says and then draws a rectangle with his fingers, “Invite only.” He emphasises. “Did you think you could just waltz into the place?Everyday?”

You tense for a moment. I thought… with the brooch...

But you can’t tell them about the brooch; They’ll ask you how you got it. So you settle with, “I- well,” you scratch your temple, “I haven’t really thought that far yet.”

...

Your meeting with the two ended just as the sun dipped completely below the horizon

Somehow, they’ve got you a position as one of the hostesses.

You huff. You don’t know a thing about being a hostess.

To be fair, being a hostess would give you the widest variety of intel.

Never had you thought you’d be going undercover like this, but the job must be done, you suppose.

You harshly tug your helmet on and head to Sylus’ safe house on your 270HM.

If he says no, then you can just scout the area on the way back home. That way, the ride there wouldn’t have been for nothing.

“Oh! There you are, little miss hunter.”

You turn around at the voice of one of the twins. “Luke, Kieran?”

“Mephisto told us you’d be here.” Kieran says pointing to the sky where Mephisto circles above the three of you.

“Is Sylus-”

Luke responds before you can finish your question, “The boss has a important business deal, but,”

“You’re more than welcome to stay with us in the meantime.” Kieran finishes the sentence as he opens the gate.

You can almost see the grin behind his mask.

“How long will he be gone?” You ask as you walk with the twins into the house.

“It might not even be until tomorrow that you’ll see the boss.”

“If you’re lucky--” Luke starts

“--I’ve checked your luck index today, miss, you’re not.”

“Kieran!” You smack him on the shoulder

“Anyway,” Luke starts again, “As I was saying, if you’re lucky, he might be done by midnight.”

…

Well now, it’s way past midnight and the boys have convinced you to play card games as you wait. From old maid, to kitty cards, to Big 2.

Eventually, they pull out another deck of cards with haphazardly drawn crows. - “We’ve invented our own version!”

Your brows furrow.

“Crow Cards!” They say in unison.

You’re speechless. You shake your head with a chuckle, but oblige them regardless.

It isn’t long before Kieran has passed out on the couch and you can tell that Luke isn’t too far either.

“Luke, why don’t we get you and your brother to sleep?” You suggest.

“Yeah,” He yawns and give you a nod, “but Kieran can sleep here on the floor.” He snorts, but goes to haul him up anyways.

“I can use one of the spare rooms, right?” You ask

“Of course. The boss has even gotten spare clothes specifically for you in every house. They should just be in the closet of the en suite.” He points to one of the doors, “That one is your room.”

It didn’t take very long after your head hit the pillows that you drifted off into a shallow sleep

Just as the sunlight begins peaking through the horizon, Sylus enters into the safehouse

Mephisto is cawing at him incessantly.

“What has you so worked up?” He frowns.

“CAW!”

Sylus walks through to the main area and sees cards strewn across the floor.

He examines them, seeing the poorly drawn crows, and looks to Mephisto, “What?” Sylus raises an eyebrow at Mephisto, “You led me here because Luke and Kieran made you look like roadkill on these cards?”

Mephisto shakes his head and pecks the cards out of Sylus’ hand. He pitter-patters to the door of the en suite and lightly pecks at it

Sylus’ frown deepens but he follows after him.

And there you were - laying on your stomach atop the sheets.

He lets out a small chuckle, “Tsk tsk, kitten,” he shakes his head, “You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”

He gently turns you so he can lift you up into his arms.

With his Evol, he untucks the sheets and lays down with you in his arms.

You have your head on his chest and legs entangled with his own.

With all the movement, you lift your head blink your eyes open, “Hi.” You whisper.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, kitten.”

You plop your head back down onto his chest, “Yeah, I wanted-” you yawn, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh? You’re asking me for a favour? How unusual.”

You only hum in response and close your eyes again.

For a moment, he thinks that seeing you in the sunrise makes the sunlight a little more bearable.

“What is it that you need, sweetie?” he asks, brushing his lips against the top of your head.

“The location of my mission is near this house.”

“And?” he shoots you a smug smile, “What is it exactly that you’re asking, Dove?”

You narrow your eyes at him, “I’m asking if I can stay here for a little while.”

He chuckles and gently swipes at the space between your brows, “Do you know what you look like right now?” he asks, “A kitten with a temper.”

You untangle yourself from his grasp, “Screw you.”

It quite futile since you end up in his arms once more.

“What mission is so important that the hunter’s association would send you into the N109 zone?” He asks.

“One,” You put your pointer finger up, “It's near the N109 zone. And two,” You lift another finger, “Apparently, there’s some shady trading of high-grade protocores.”

“Hah, when is there not?” He chuckles.

You quickly brush his question aside, “But you’ll let me stay, won’t you?” You pout for good measure.

“I never trade for a loss, dove.” He taps a finger on his temple. “What are you planning to give me in exchange?”

“Um…” You contemplate on the question. “I'll trade any protocores I find that I think may be of use to you?” Your intonation makes it sound more like a question than a statement.

“What makes you think that I don’t already have access to such protocores, sweetheart?” He shifts to lay on his side with his head propped up by his arm.

That’s true. What could you possibly offer to a man who already has everything in the palm of his hand?

You glance up at him, “Well, then… truthfully, there’s nothing I can give you.”

I guess he won’t let me stay after all.

One of the corners of his lips tilt upwards into a smirk, “There is…” he pauses as he procures a piece of paper with his Evol, “Something you can give me.”

You take the paper and frown as you read the contents, “Isn’t this that restaurant by the river? The one with the orchids?”

“Mmm.” He hums in agreement.

“What could I possibly give you there, Sylus?” You ask

He chuckles, “Well, it’s quite simple, really.” He leans forward to whisper in your ear, “I want you to stay with me… Until the moon is high above our heads”

His voice is so close to your ears that you have to turn away

“I want your time.”

A few days have gone by since your…encounter with Sylus.

Now you’re face-to-face with the owner of the club.

He has his hand grabbing the lower half of your face, turning it side to side.

You grit your teeth. Keep it together for the mission, MC. You say to yourself.

“She’ll fetch a hefty price from the clients, that’s for sure.” He chuckles

He almost throws you towards a woman who has a comb and spray bottle in hand.

“Another?” She asks

“Get her ready.” He says as he begins to walk towards the bar where the guests are, “I want her ready for service by the end of the week, Stella.”

The woman, Stella, as you’ve learned, rolls her eyes and grabs you by the arm.

She drags you across to one of the clothing racks and pulls various clothes up to your body. She takes some off, and others she returns.

Your eyes wander as you stay still, and for a brief moment, you see a blonde woman in a red dress, strutting towards the exit.

“Tenebra?” You mumble

“What?” Stella raises her brow.

“Huh? Oh, I was asking If I’ll need to wear a bra.” You gulp hoping she’ll believe your cover-up

She stares at you for a moment but then continues to find you a dress.

After a while, she’s finished with your make up and has given you a run-down of the rules.

“For tonight, you’ll be staying with me.” She says as she walks towards the exit

You scramble after her. You barely catch yourself from bumping into her as she abruptly turns around to address you.

“Keep close and don’t wander. Do you understand?”

You nod, “Yes.”

She wraps a red band across your wrist with ease, “This bracelet means that you’re off limits for the mean time.” She grips your wrist and squeezes, “So I suggest you keep it on your wrist even if your life depends on it. You won’t have this luxury for long.”

What have I gotten myself into?

You spend that night observing each and every one of the hostesses and clients.

Memorising faces, names, voices. Anything.

As the week ends, you’re back at the safe house trying to piece all the information you have so far.

You’re hunched over the coffee table with papers scattered about. Some of which you’ve scrunched up and have unintentionally made into Mephisto’s playthings.

You huff.

Everything looks normal, but clearly that’s not the case if HA has sent you here. They wouldn’t have sent you here if there wasn’t some concrete evidence of a covert operation.

Sylus stops cleaning his gun and smiles as you frown. The bastard.

You huff once more and rub your temples.

“You look as if you’re going into a grand battle.” He chuckles and leans back into the sofa.

“I feel like I’ve gotten nowhere!” You throw your hands into the air.

He carefully returns the gun to it’s case and settles himself on the floor next to you, “Talk to me.” He pulls the pen from your hands and spreads the papers across the table, “We can figure it out together.” He glances at you with the smallest of smiles.

A couple of weeks have gone by and you’ve gotten better at acting as a hostess.

You find that a lot of these clients have a very loose lips - ever so willing to give information with so little incentive

Today, you’re cozied up with a client, your legs in their lap, and an arm wrapped around one of theirs.

You grin internally as he continues to talk about all the protocores he could offer you.

“Oh?” You say sultrily, drawing circles on his arm.

YUCK

“Oh, I do, baby.”

EUUUGHHH

You’re trying your best to suppress a scowl.

“I could give you all -”

You glance up at him as he stops mid-sentence.

Your gaze shifts from his face to the mirror behind him where your eyes meet Sylus’s intense gaze.

What is he going here?

Sylus nonchalantly walks over to the two of you and the room has gone still.

“And who might this be, sweetie?” He glowers at the man, but his question is directed to you.

You open your mouth to reply, but the man beat you to it, “Mr Sylus, I’m-”

"I didn’t ask you.” He says sharply.

“Sylus, what are you doing here?” Your grip around the man loosens and you quickly shift your legs to plant your heels on the floor.

“Well… Sweetie.” He emphasises the endearment as he pulls you from the other man’s lap, “I’m here for you,” He pulls you to his chest

Without another word, he tugs you into one of the private rooms.

With the momentum, you fall to the loveseat in the middle of the room.

“Sylus!”

“When you said you had a mission here, I assumed you were going in as a client.” He locks the door and makes his way to you, “Not a hostess.” He narrows his eyes as he traps you between his outstretched arms on the loveseat.

“Why does it matter?” You glare back at him, “I’m still getting the information I need.”

“You realise that I could get you all that information in the blink of an eye, right?”

You know that. You do. He never lets you forget. Head of Onychinus. King of the N109 zone.

But what does that say about you?

Always relying on someone else to do things.

Always relying on Xavier on missions. Even Rafayel helped you at The Nest. Zayne’s always taking care of your health, and now Sylus, too.

When had you ever truly done anything yourself?

You grit your teeth, “Look.” You say as you muster up all your courage to glare at him, “I appreciate the help, but I’m not some dove that needs saving.” You push at his chest, “I can do this on my own.”

He yields as you push him until both of you are standing.

“I can’t just rely on you for everything,” You say.

Tenebra - the word plants itself at the forefront of your mind

His chest heaves as he looks at you, but he doesn’t speak.

“What am I supposed to say to the association?” You walk towards the door but look back at him with a soft smile, “They’ll label me a Tenebra for even breathing the same air as you, remember? We can’t have that now, can we?”

He takes a hold of your wrist. “You know I’d never let that happen.”

“Mmm.” You shake your head, “I know, but even then… I want to be able to proudly say that I was able to do a mission with my own strength.”

He doesn’t say anything, so you shrug your hand away from his hold.

“So,” You place you hand on the door knob, “Let me do this on my own, Sylus.”

As you leave, he deflates onto the loveseat with a sigh.

As much as it stings that you don’t want to rely on him, he understands what you’re trying to say.

You’ve gone many days without seeing Sylus, not even at the safe house.

At the host club, you return to your dressing room with the brightest smile, you’d think your face would split in half.

That drunk client spilled all the beans. They are smuggling protocores through this host club. He mentioned a warehouse south from here, in the no hunt zone. Luckily Jenna authorised your entry into that zone. You’ll have to check it out after you leave the club.

As you exit, your watch beeps, “Huh? Wanderers? This far from the no hunt zone?”

Your hands settle at the hilts of your hands guns strapped to either thigh.

With vigilant eyes, you scan your surroundings. Trees upon trees in every direction.

Taking soft and steady steps, you head deeper into the no hunt zone.

Eventually you see lights scattered throughout the tree line.

There’s a large building stood in the centre of the clearing.

As you walk closer, you hear voices. “The warehouse.” you whisper.

Then a truck whizzes past and you duck for fear of getting caught.

It drives far into the warehouse and you follow around to get a clearer view.

They seem like specs from this distance, but they’re unloading the protocores from the truck.

The impatient part of you screams to just sneak into the warehouse.

But that fire is quickly extinguished when you notice a few men patrolling the warehouse.

“I need to come back another time. With a plan.”

The next few days you observe the schedules and their protocol for receiving deliveries

You manage to sneak your way into one of the trucks as your shift ends at the host club.

In the truck, you’re shallowly breathing from the adrenaline coursing through your veins. You close your eyes to take a deep breath as the truck slows to a stop.

“This is the last one for today, boys. Let’s do this quick!” You hear a man shout.

Your hand comes up to press at your sternum. Your heart is beating right out of your chest so much so that blood is thumping in your ears.

“You think we’ve got some aether cores to sell today?”

“Tch, I wish.”

As their footsteps grow louder, you take a slow breath-

BEEP BEEP!

You gasp as your hunter’s watch detects wanderers nearby. You grasp at your wrist to dampen the noise. Hunching over, cradling your arm as it beeps again.

STOP! Please!

“What was that?”

What do I do? I’m going to get caught.

“Check it out.”

Think. Think.

From their footsteps, you can tell one of the men has walked into the truck.

THINK!

You don’t have a choice.

With a grunt, you charge at the man, shooting him in the chest, before hauling his body to cover yours as you exit the vehicle.

“INTRUDER!” the other man yells. “INTRUDER! LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN.”

Sirens blare as shots are fired in your direction. One lodges itself into your thigh. With a scream you dump the body shield and limp as best as you can out of the crossfire.

Another shot whizzes past the side of your arm. Another into your lower abdomen as you turn to shoot at them.

Before you make it to the forest, a loud roar shakes the ground and you stumble onto all fours.

A wanderer. A Hoarfrost Wyrmlord, you recognise.

It stomps it’s way towards the warehouse, likely drawn in by all the noise.

You scramble away as best as you can, but behind you are the men from the warehouse.

Your breaths have become rapid and shallow, “Where…”

The Wyrmlord locks onto you, blowing out gusts of air from it’s nostrils.

You begin shooting at the Wyrmlord but it looks unphased.

You duck for cover as it shoot icicles your way.

Protocores. You think. “You must have a shield somewhere.” you say as you peak over the metal pillar.

“You!” A foreign voice takes your attention.

The man has his gun pointed to you.

Swiftly, you kick your leg out in an attempt to disarm him, but he catches it and kicks at your other leg so that you land face first into the dirt.

For a few moments, you wrestle him until he’s got you in a choke hold.

You elbow him in his side and as his grip loosens you try to swing him over your shoulder.

But he uses the momentum to kick off of the pillar, and the action flings you backwards, and your back hits the ground with a thud.

You grunt and struggle to stand.

Before you can shoot him, a Harte Knave slashes through him.

Just as quickly, your bullets pierce though the Harte Knave and it disintegrates in dust.

Another roar shakes the ground as you and many others are pulled into a protofield.

“No!” You scream.

“Sylus!” You yell into the air.

Hoping, praying that he just might appear out of thin air.

...

“CAW!”

Meanwhile, Sylus is seated in another safehouse.

His leg is bouncing up and down.

You should have returned to the safe house hours ago, but there has been no notification of your arrival from the security system.

For every centimetre the moon rose into the sky, so did his worry.

“I appreciate the help, but I’m not some dove that needs saving.”

Your words echoed around in his mind for the past few hours.

“I can do this on my own.”

He knows that. You’re strong. He’s seen it.

“They’ll label me a Tenebra for even breathing the same air as you, remember?“

Tch.

“I can’t just rely on you for everything,”

But something was wrong.

His intuition never failed him.

“CAW! CAW!”

“Mephisto.” Sylus quickly stands and stretches his hand out for Mephisto to land on.

A holographic video pops up and Sylus sees you dropping the lifeless body and limping away into the tree line.

The screen flickers for a moment as you scream his name before you disappear into the protofield.

Even before the video ends, Sylus is rushing out to his motorcycle. He pulls up the coordinates from Mephisto’s previous location history and speeds away.

Why did I leave her by herself? Near the N109 zone nonetheless. I’m a fool.

In the protofield, the Wyrmlord is the last wanderer.

There are only a few other humans left and luckily, the Wyrmlord is beginning to stagger too.

You’ve managed to break it’s shields but you’re heavily wounded and the Wyrmlord has caused the temperature to drop so rapidly that it’s difficult to even pull the trigger.

Sylus… Please…

You know he can’t just appear into a protofield. But somehow his name on your lips gives you enough strength to continue the fight.

Out of desperation, you’ve managed to resonate with some of the Evolvers.

And with great effort, you and another Evolver deal the final blow to the Wyrmlord and you’re transported back to the warehouse.

Sirens are still blaring and the edges of your vision are fading.

“Sylus.” You whisper walking away from the warehouse.

You grunt as you slump against a sturdy tree.

The shards of ice that were lodged into your stomach have vanished along with the protofield and now your blood has begun to soak through your clothing.

With a few harsh tugs, you rip your sleeve off and press it against your wounds.

Everything hurts, but you try to slow your breathing.

Your watch beeps once more.

The adrenaline causes you to perk up at the thought of more wanderers.

WARNING! Critically low blood pressure - severe blood loss. Coordinates have been sent to the nearest Hunter’s Association field lab.

When you wake next, the room is too bright for your eyes to adjust.

You blink and raise a hand to your face to block the light.

Glancing around, you notice it’s like any other bedroom.

You groan as you sit up.

Looking down at yourself, you see the faint outline of multiple gauze pads from underneath your top.

You limp out of the room, using the wall to take most of your weight.

You flinch as you feel a tap on your shoulder, hands immediately going to where your guns would have been.

“Relax, Kitten.” Sylus says, with both his hands up in the air, “I’m just trying to help you.” He begins to lower his hands.

“Sylus…” You croak from the dryness of your throat.

You could do nothing but stare. Was this real?

You were hyperventilating a little, and he’s never really seen you so high-strung.

“You’re safe.” He says as he slowly cups the side of your face.

“Sylus… I…”

He lowers his forehead to yours and you visibly relax.

“You’re safe with me, sweetheart.” He repeats the phrase as he gathers you into his chest.

“I won’t let you go ever again.” He whispers. “Never again.”

I told you it was long XD. I had fun though. If you guys like it, I don't mind fully fleshing this out into chapters. I really enjoyed writing this one actually.

|| Masterlist ||

-Seven

[greenarrow-core]

THE COMPLETE GREEN ARROW BY DENNIS O'NEIL - READING GUIDE

On The Order:

Reading this chronologically woudn't really work. He retconned his own work(for the better). However, there are notes here that would allow you to easily organize things chronologically.

There are some stories here that don't really have Green Arrow that much. You will know which ones as there will be notes on them pointing that out.

The Retconned Story and The Retcon Story:

To read chronologically without facing contradictions, just skip JLA #75 and DC Super-Stars #17, And instead read Peacemakers and The Arrow and the Bat before JLA #66.

PRE-CRISIS

DENNIS O'NEIL'S RUN ON JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA

This is the run in which everything starts. Anarchist Green Arrow, Black Canary in the League, GA and BC relationship...

He doesn't show up in 3 issues of the run(70, 73-74).

This run is also very important for Black Canary. And their relationship. This is where everything starts. Black Canary on the JLA, anarchist Green Arrow. BC and GA's relationship...

Justice League of America #66, 68-75, 77-83

GA doesn't show up in 3 issues: #70, 73-74

The latter part of this run was released during the beginning of GL/GA

PRE-CRISIS ORDER:

The order here is the DCUGuide order.

JLA #66, 68-75, 77-80

Green Lantern #76-77

JLA #81

Green Lantern #78-79

JLA #82-83

Green Lantern #80-83

Superman #236(b)

Here my bias showing. It's a short story about Krypton. GA and BC are listening to Superman telling this story. I really like this one. It's worth checking out. You get cool moments for GA and BC in the first and last page of this.

Green Lantern #84-86, 89

The Flash #217-219(b stories)

Green Lantern #90-99

DC Super-Stars #17(a)

Origin story in a flashback. The non-flashback part is following up on JLA #75

Green Lantern #102-106, 108-115

World's Finest Comics #256(b)

Team-up with Black Lighting, part of O'Neil's run on BL

Green Lantern #116-122

DC Comics Presents #20

POST-CRISIS

FROM THE QUESTION BY DENNIS O'NEIL

These stories are from O'Neil's Question run.

The Question #17-18

FABLES

Detective Comics Annual #1

Green Arrow Annual #1

The Question Annual #1

LOSING/SAVING FACE

The Question Annual #2

Green Arrow Annual #2

Green Arrow Annual #3

Epilogue of The Question's 1986 series.

THE RING, THE ARROW AND THE BAT

All stories from now on are team-ups with either Batman or Green Lantern.

Batman/Green Arrow: The Poison Tomorrow

Justice League Task Force #5-6

Part of Knightquest: The Search

Not that much Green Arrow

PEACEMAKERS

Legends of the DC Universe #7-9

This is a tale of how GA came to be the character O'Neil made him be. It retcons JLA #75

O'Neil characterize this as a Year One-type story

It works with the post-zero hour continuity. Just doesn't match certain elements of O'Neil's JLA run

It leads to GL/GA

It matches fine with GL/GA

Due to Ollie's characterization, this would have happened before JLA #66

THE ARROW AND THE BAT

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #127-131

Sequel of Peacemakers

It's set before the last scene of Peacemakers.

DC Retroactive: Green Lantern - The '70s

This one ties Peacemakers and The Longbow Hunters.

It would fit right after the next story.

TIME ALONE

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary Super Spectacular(d)

Last published O'Neil work.

I don't know where this would fit. I would guess before Green Lantern #172. For Green Arrow, that would be after DC Comics Presents #20

[queenofsaltinesss]

Expect the unexpected pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female reader

Summary: part two of Expect the unexpected

Warning: none that stand out. mentions of Bucky's repressed emotions

A/N: part one of this actually got some attention which made me so excited i wrote a part two. Thank you to @sebastianstan0813 for actually asking for this. It made my night.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky hadn't expected to feel like this ever again.

For 70 years Bucky had not felt anything at all, hints of confusion, frustration and anger maybe. But not this. Not once.

Therapy had opened up for a lot of emotions.

At first he had been ordered to show up 4 times a week, it was intensive and painfully awkward but they wanted to make sure he was James Buchanan Barnes and not the soldier.

He had dutifully answered each of their questions, with a measured distance to whatever feelings came up with the recounts of various actions.

As the weeks rolled by, they allowed him to see his passive aggressive therapist less each week. Now he is down to twice a week, but he still has these little tasks on the days he dont see her.

His therapist wants Bucky, a 108 year old man, to keep a diary.

Its a journal. She told him.

Bucky had rolled his eyes at that, journal or diary, he was not writing his emotions down in a little book.

It was a plain notebook, the kind you can get from the supermarket with about 100 pages, and a generic pen. They were tucked away in the drawer of his nightstand.

He hadn't used it a single time, only cracked the pages open to stare at the light blue lines and then smacked it together and tossed it in the drawer.

He talked to Steve a lot, and Sam a little bit.

Steve was adamant on getting his best friend back, and Bucky wasn´t going to reject him on that, so they spent a lot of nights together.

Steve would show Bucky the new restaurants he had discovered around town, they would listen to music in Steve´s apartment, and they talked.

Steve didn´t live in the compound so it was nice to get out for a bit, it made it a little easier for Bucky to try and put words to his emotions. Key word here is try.

Bucky hadn´t actually existed in the world for decades upon decades. His brain consistently felt fuzzy, like he had woken up from an afternoon nap and it was suddenly dark outside.

Voicing his thoughts and feelings were confusing, he hadn´t even acknowledged these things for so long that trying to find meaning in them felt like doing a puzzle with the picture side facing the table.

It was exhausting.

But Steve was patient, and Bucky had missed him greatly. Not consciously so of course, but deep down.

Steve had been there when they finally let Bucky move into the compound, until then he had actually lived in some form of cell. It should have upset him more, but Bucky was patient in a way other people would never achieve in a single lifetime.

And Steve had brought, a little friend.

And Bucky's heart had suddenly presented him with a new emotion he had no clue how to place.

He had shook your hand and you had reached for the flesh one. You had smiled, and it had been genuine. It had reached your eyes and pulled the delicate lines around them.

You had kept your eyes on him, but he hadn't felt like you were doing it to control him. For the first time in a long time, someone else's eyes on him wasn't weighing him down.

He had seen you a few times throughout that day, had heard your voice when you asked Steve if they needed help moving him in.

Bucky barely had any personal items, he had the backpack he carried in Romania, an old leather wallet with some cash and very little clothes.

But Sam and Steve had helped him, showed him around the compound. Steve decided to stay and they ordered some pizza for the team.

Bucky had eaten pizza twice before. The amount of flavors that everything had nowadays could be overwhelming but most of the time it was interesting.

The new but small experiences helped him feel more comfortable in this world. They were a safe way to explore and evolve without too much changing.

It was nice, to sit outside on the balcony with the others. They didn´t make him talk, or ask him too many questions. They just allowed him to sit comfortably and observe.

He had caught brief glances of you as you went through the kitchen and back out.

He continued to watch you like that, stolen glances and silent observations when he got the chance to.

You were extremely well liked, it was hard not to notice how people reacted to your company. You easily charmed those you talked to, making them smile like it was second nature.

It was two weeks before the two of you actually interacted. He had spent the last week of the two trying to figure out what to say to you.

He wasn't sure what he wanted out of it. But something about you made him feel safe, your energy was one of a kind.

He hadn't expected for your first interaction to be so soon. But you had arrived back from a mission a day earlier than he thought and suddenly he was alone with you in the kitchen.

You had your back to him and didn´t look like you were going to turn around anytime soon so he allowed himself a moment to look at you.

You were usually dressed in work clothes, tactical gear and the deepest shades of black. Now you were dressed in your pyjamas, and Bucky felt that same flutter again.

You were in these oversized pj pants with little cat heads, Hello Kitty actually, but Bucky wouldn´t know. You had paired the pink pants with a soft cream colored sweater. The neck of your sweater was stretched large and rested on only one of your shoulders, revealing your soft skin.

God why was he staring at your shoulder. What was this? the 1800s?

Despite it being the middle of the night, it looked like you were still working. You had a case file between your hands, flipping through the pages and making little notes with your pink pen. Of course you had a pink pen.

You were waiting for your ice cream to melt a little more and he was surprised to see it was vegan. The concepts of purposefully keeping select items out of your diet seemed so odd to him.

Before he and Steve had been recruited, people had eaten whatever they could get their hands on.

The ice cream container was orange and had little items of chocolate on it.

He tore his eyes away from you, the way your frame was leaned over the counter, the way the subtle muscle moved in your back.

He looked through the fridge, he kept forgetting to go grocery shopping. The shops were all overstimulating, bright lights and music an so many colors.

He picked out a large tub of greek yogurt. Yogurt he knows, yogurt he likes. Theres no post it on it and he knows it means its free for all. He knows the system.

But he sees his opportunity to say something to you and he takes it without hesitating.

He looks at you again for a second, the back of your neck was exposed now that your hair was pulled up in a clip.

“do you know whose this is? its not labeled” he´s surprised at how leveled his voice is.

You turn around, and it takes effort not to gulp as your eyes land on his.

You shrug, and the neckline of your sweater drops further to reveal the smooth skin of your collarbone, Bucky's eyes drop and he prays to god you dont see it.

“i guess if its not labeled its free for all” you tell him, confirming his own conclusion.

He doesn't even think twice to continue the conversation, “you sure? dont want Sam to complain about it for the next week or two”. And you laugh. You actually laughed at something that he had said and his heart swells even further, threatening to melt out of his body.

“well if he didn't label it then too bad”

Bucky looks back at the fridge, needing a break from staring into your eyes.

“besides, i wont tell anyone”

You smile in a way that swells more than his heart and adjust yourself against the counter.

“thanks”

“yeah, no problem”

You move to finish making your bowl of ice cream and his heart almost stops when you graze him to put the ice cream back in the freezer.

He´s lost in though for the rest of the week, replaying the moment over and over again. And then you leave for another mission with Wanda. And he doesn´t see you for another 10 days.

That´s when he pulls out the journal.

[killercursor]

SXF Chapter 108 Spoilers!!!

hi! im gonna try to decipher (?) the reading that melinda gave in the latest chapter. though, im not sure if its accurate as I've only started tarot reading earlier this year. im looking at this from melinda's pov. four of cups (upright) - there has been countless opportunities that have been missed in order for the connection to grow since it always turns out in the way that isn't expected. advice is to be gentle or approach the opportunity with care so it wont be too rickety.

three of wands (reversed) - doing the task alone is risky and the cause for the person's (in this case, anya's) stagnancy in the situation since they're a bit lost on what to do about it. they're looking for answers and they haven't come to a conclusion on what they can do. three of swords (upright) - there's a feeling of self-inflicted disappointment for this stagnancy as anya seems to be carrying the burden/secrets of three people and she thinks that's what's holding her back from being able to make this connection with damian.

the star (reversed) - anya has a lack of faith in herself bc she feels like she's not doing her part properly. she needs to look for motivation or a proper connection with damian without the burden of the mission.

ten of pentacles (upright) - once anya learns to be more trusting or at least be more open to people, it says that there can be more opportunities for her and damian to form a bond. ace of cups (reversed) - there's going to be a time where they can collaborate with one another, a project of some sort. this is gonna be anya's chance to get closer.

death (upright) - a potential transformation will occur, as perspectives may be enlightened or changed.

that's all! i'll be updating this post once i see something else in the reading but this is what i interepreted so far.

[todaysdocument]

Telegram for Ambassador Graham Martin Concerning Interagency Review of State of Play in South Vietnam

Collection GRF-0330: Backchannel Messages (Ford Administration)Series: Backchannel Cable FilesFile Unit: Martin Channel, April 1975 - Outgoing (1)

Digitized from Box 3 of the NSA. Backchannel Messages Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

766 ******* SECRET ******S COPY 20

FLASH

DE WTE #2228 1080330

Z 180338Z APR 75

FM THE WHITE HOUSE

TO AMEMBASSY SAIGON

SECRET SENSITIVE EXCLUSIVELY EYES ONLY VIA MARTIN CHANNELS

WH50717

APRIL 17, 1975

TO: AMBASSADOR MARTIN

FROM: HENRY A. KISSINGER

WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED AN INTERAGENCY REVIEW OF THE

STATE OF PLAY IN SOUTH VIET-NAM. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT

AT THE WSAG MEETING TODAY THERE WAS ALMOST NO SUPPORT

FOR THE EVACUATION OF VIETNAMESE AND FOR THE USE OF

AMERICAN FORCE TO HELP PROTECT ANY EVACUATION. THE

SENTIMENT OF OUR MILITARY, DOD AND CIA COLLEAGUES WAS

TO GET OUT FAST AND NOW.

IN ADDITION, AS I INDICATED IN MY MESSAGE TO

YOU LAST NIGHT, THE CONGRESSIONAL SITUATION IS FAST

GETTING OUT OF HAND. OUR TASK -- YOURS AND MINE -- IS

TO PREVENT PANIC BOTH IN SAIGON AND WASHINGTON, AND

I KNOW THAT YOU RECOGNISE THIS MORE CLEARLY THAN

ALMOST ANYONE IN THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

I APPRECIATE YOUR INDICATION THAT YOU CAN AND

WILL MEET MY REQUEST THAT WE REDUCE TO APPROXIMATELY

TWO THOUSAND OFFICIAL AND NONOFFICIAL AMERICANS BY THE

END OF NEXT WEEK, BUT MUST NOW, IN LIGHT OF THE SITUATION

IN WASHINGTON, ASK THAT THIS SCHEDULE BE ADVANCED. IT

IS ESSENTIAL, DESPITE THE CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE

EXPRESSED AND THAT I ACCEPT, FOR YOU TO SPEED UP THE

MOVEMENT OF AMERICAN CITIZENS OUT OF VIET-NAM. WE

MUST BE AT OR BELOW THE LEVEL OF TWO THOUSAND OFFICIAL

AND UNOFFICIAL U.S. CITIZENS BY TUESDAY, APRIL 22. I

ASK THAT YOU MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS AND

ASSURE YOU THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO DO EVERYTHING WE

CAN TO GIVE YOU ANY ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE YOU NEED.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *WHSR COMMENT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

MCFARLANE,RODMAN

RECALLED

PSN:010403 PAGE 01 TOR:108/03:30Z DTG:180338Z APR 75

******* SECRET ******S COPY

DECLASSIFIED

E.O. 12958, Sec. 3.5

N8C Memo, 11/24/98, State Dept.

By ____, NARA, Date 1/20/00

[boofinator]

can i request your buttons pngs all in a single post?

i fear that post would be HUGE.. definitely a daunting task.

however, i can put a link to every post with a button/badge in it! sorry for being lazy :/ ENJOY!!

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[13eyond13]

Imagine. A death note anime adaptation but with a longer episode count closer to the other classic shonen animes of its era. Let's say, 350ish episodes? How would you pace it? Filler arcs or just painfully/faithfully adapting the manga. How do you think the showrunners would pace it? I would love a tennis tournament arc lol

Hmm... interesting question that I've never contemplated before!

Well, let's think about this a bit. The Death Note manga consists of 108 chapters total (not counting the future bonus one-shots and such). It's a very briskly-paced story that prioritizes keeping a tense and thrilling plot moving over most other things, and normally has very little in the way of filler content or slice-of-life type scenes.

The first 59 chapters of the manga are contained within the first 26 episodes of the anime, which covers both the L arc and the Yotsuba arc. And then chapters 60-108 of the manga make up the last 10 episodes of the anime, which covers the Successor arc.

It roughly breaks down like this:

THE L ARC (chapters 1-32 | episodes 1-14):

• episodes 1-8: Light picks up the Death Note and starts using it. He meets Ryuk and kills Raye and Naomi and the other FBI agents. L starts investigating and pursuing Kira and working with the task force in person as well.

• episodes 9-14: L and Light meet up in person for the first time and start attending school together and working together on the Kira case. Misa shows up and starts working as the second Kira with Light.

THE YOTSUBA ARC (chapters 33-59 | episodes 15-26):

• episodes 15-26: Light and Misa are confined, Light loses his Kira memories, and then everybody works together to catch the new Kira in the Yotsuba Group until Light finally regains his memories again and successfully kills L.

THE SUCCESSOR ARC (chapters 60-108 | episodes 27-37):

• episodes 27-30: Mello kidnaps Sayu and gets a notebook from the task force. Near is working with the SPK to capture Kira. Soichiro dies.

• episodes 31-35: Team Kira assembles a bit more (adds Mikami and Kiyomi) and the task force starts working against Light alongside Near secretly.

• episodes 36-37: The big showdown finale in the warehouse between the two teams goes down.

--

So if the anime was going to be expanded from 37 episodes to 350 episodes then that means it'd have to be stretched into being about 10 times longer than it is, haha. So maybe you'd be dedicating like 150 episodes to the L arc, 100 episodes to the Yotsuba arc, and 100 episodes to the Successor arc?

Here are a few things I wouldn't mind seeing done:

FOR THE L ARC:

I feel like the L arc is almost perfectly paced and very well-structured in the manga and by far my favourite part of the whole thing, but seeing a little more of Light's home life and school life and spending a little more time with his family and friends would be very interesting to me. Same with perhaps learning a little more about the home lives of each of the task force members and Misa and getting a little deeper into why they wanted to do the things they end up doing in the plot. Ohba always deliberately avoids doing flashbacks or diving much into the emotional drama and personal lives of the characters involved, but that's the part that I often want to know more about and wish we got a little more time to explore!

I ESPECIALLY wish that the university portion of the story was expanded and given way more room to breathe. It always felt like these intriguing situations and dynamics would be introduced in this part of the story, only to be immediately whisked away again in favour of something else. I wanted to see Light and L doing things like having awkward pretend study sessions together at the Yagami home so bad...

The one thing I DON'T think I would like to see more of is L's life being fleshed out and explored and having any of the remaining burning questions about him answered for sure, actually. I feel like keeping him mysterious and extremely ambiguous is very important to his purpose in the story and the overall appeal of his character, and that the stuff that we DID get to know about him in the manga was a satisfying amount of stuff to me. He felt human and real enough to me already without ever actually fully getting pinned down and explained and known personally by anybody beyond a shadow of a doubt.

FOR THE YOTSUBA ARC:

I feel like this arc is a part of the story which can start getting a bit more divisive for fans, particularly when you're watching the anime. Light losing his Kira memories and then the gang all suddenly chasing after a bunch of newly-introduced stock villains that don't offer up a ton of value as characters outside of giving us some new baddies to chase together for a while definitely causes some viewers to find it a bit draggier and less entertaining than the previous arc (although OTHER fans find it fascinating and their favourite part of things, due to stuff like Light showing this whole other side of his personality and how awkwardly domestic their living situation gets).

Again, what I always want to see more of than we actually did was all the human drama and little slice-of-life moments and explorations of the emotions and relationships and so on. How the heck did L and Light cope with being handcuffed together 24/7? How did seeing these new sides of each other change how they perceive everything and everybody overall? And how did the fake execution at the hands of Light's father really end up emotionally affecting Light, etc. I'm a big enjoyer of the Yotsuba arc overall personally because of all the interesting new sides of the characters it introduces, how much quality time we spend with L, and how much both the task force and the Kiras end up having to hang out together in close quarters like that. But my biggest gripes with it are that it's pretty boring to be focusing so much on just investigating the Yotsuba Group itself, and that sometimes I wish that Light's amnesia and his underlying scheme was left a little less of a complete mystery the entire time to the audience as well? Because I think it could still be very good and very tense without having to hide so much about it all from the audience. And gimmicky mystery/whodunit kinda stuff that relies on withholding a bunch of information from the viewers in order to stay interesting wears thin for me pretty easily and really isn't my favourite sort of stuff to sit through after a bit.

FOR THE SUCCESSOR ARC:

The main thing I'd want to do for sure is to give the Successor arc the same amount of time and care and attention as the L arc and the Yotsuba arcs received! Because I DO think it's actually a pretty necessary and enjoyable part to the entire story to me in the manga overall, even if I am one of those fans who also greatly prefers the L arc. I think the Successor arc was the part of the story that by far suffered the most and got the most condensed and rushed when translating the manga to the anime. In the manga it takes up nearly as many chapters as the L arc + Yotsuba arc combined, but in the anime it is squeezed into the final 10 episodes and given barely any time to unfold. I think just giving way better of an introduction to the successors and letting the audience warm up to them more would be great. And unlike L's character, which I strongly believe should not ever be explained beyond a shadow of a doubt, I think both Near and Mello's characters could only benefit from stuff like additional backstory given to them both and a little more fleshing out of the details of the rivalry between them and their relationships with the SPK and mafia members and feelings towards L and Kira and everything like that.

My main idea for how to expand on the Successor arc outside of that would be to do a lot more to show the broader impact of Light on the world and on the average person at this point, too. Sometimes I think it was way too easy to lose sight of just how much of an influence Kira was actually having on a global scale at this point. And I wouldn't mind seeing maybe some characters who weren't directly involved in the Team Kira/Team L war over the notebooks introduced in order to fulfill that role.

[lightlessons]

How to Read 108: A Chapter-by-Chapter Death Note Analysis

Hello everyone!! Welcome to my revived Death Note blog. I recently had the opportunity to rewatch the anime (twice) and fell back into my old obsession, so I thought I’d re-read the manga with a more critical eye and share some of my own thoughts as I go for anyone craving more meta and analysis from one of my favorite pieces of media ever.

Mainly I will concentrate myself on analyzing dialogue, narration techniques and characterization, since that’s what I mainly take note of when I consume anything, but I will also try my hand at doing some research on contextual information and artistic choices, dividing my analysis chapter by chapter.  Something to keep in mind is that this analysis is fully made for people who have completed the manga in its entirety and will be riddled with spoilers for further chapters. Sometimes I will break down a chapter analysis into two parts, like in the present case.

Without further ado, let’s go!

Chapter 1: Boredom. Lilith’s Breakdown. Part 1

Key takeaways:

Themes and Parallels: Ryuk and Light

The main antagonistic forces in the story.

Themes and Parallels: Ryuk and Light

We begin our story and the very first thing we are presented with is a parallel between two worlds: The Realm of the Shinigami and our own Human world. Through the juxtaposed dialogues of our initial characters, this exposition directly links their character motivation and narrative arcs. They have a common problem: Their worlds are rotting, and every day seems like and endless, tired routine for them both.

It’s interesting to note the artistic choices to depict this sense of forlornness. We have to keep in mind that Death Note is a Shonen and aimed at young boys from ages 12 to 18, so what better scenario to mirror a dour fictional realm than a packed middle of the day class where all kids wear the same uniform and very few, in any, seem to have any interest on what’s going on in front of them. If you look very closely to all the students in this picture, none of them are actually looking towards whoever is giving this lecture, in the same way that Shinigami are not interested in doing their task.

Light and Ryuk are both non-conformists in their respective realities. Creatures who stand out from the crowd and who, by their acute awareness of what’s wrong in their world, feel boredom more deeply and painfully than the rest. Ryuk is not a shining being of intelligence like Light is, but we will see throughout the story that he’s a pretty self-aware and insightful Shinigami, when compared to every other that we meet.

Ryuk as a choric narrator

In classical Japanese Noh Theater, there is a figure called the jiutai (地謡), sitting at the outskirts of the main plot happening on center stage, they serve as the chorus that helps narrate parts of the story, reveal inner thoughts and emotions of characters, and offer reflections of the unfolding events, much like the classical Chorus in a Greek Tragedy. They, however, do not affect the narrative and serve more as a mediating connection between play and audience.

Although Ryuk’s role is certainly not confined to a mere commentator, seeing as he is the one who instigates the main narrative (and eventually ends it), Ryuk’s status of not only a God, but an apathetic one who is barely physically or emotionally affected by the events of the story, gives him a role above and separate from any of the other characters’.

Clad in skin-tight dark bodysuit meant to highlight his monstruous, lifeless appearance, gothic accessories consisting on spikes, chains and skulls, black, tattered wings and feather accents, Ryuk immediately gives the appearance of a preternatural, terrible bird of death. However, the face paint-like make-up, unmovable grin and feathers reminiscent of a medieval suit also give the impression of a clown or a jester, which Obata, Death Note’s artist, will expertly use to his advantage depending on the role Ryuk will take on at each present moment.

This is Ryuk’s dual nature in the narrative: he is there as an ironic chorus, laughing at every tragedy and obstacle the characters and the world faces, providing comic relief, and breaking the tension in a rather grim and suspenseful story, but he is also there as the Grim Reaper, a constant reminder of the destiny that looms over every character, and specially our main character, for as he first states it:

Ryuk may not have chosen Light, and Light is anything but a man without agency, and yet the series often makes you question how much of Light’s fate was set in stone since the start (We will analyze this tension between chance and destiny through the story) Ryuk, the dark figure literally hovering over Light during his whole time as Kira, emotionally detached from the human drama around him, will often be used to remind us of the irony of this whole story, as well as of the inevitability of death every human has to face.

Which brings me to my next point.

The Antagonistic Forces: L and Light.

There are few instances in Death Note where an extradiegetic narrator appears in the story, so let’s examine this first moment. Immediately after the opening scene in the Shinigami world, when Ryuk makes the first disruption that sets forward the story’s events, the following narrative is introduced as an all-out battle between two chosen people.

Now, with our understanding of what befalls one half of this pair, we will examine how well this premise holds as the story unfolds. For now, however, the narrative presents itself as a man-versus-man conflict between the 選ばれし者 (The Two Chosen Ones), and yet again we are compelled to question the role of fate's hand in shaping their paths.

We could interpret 選ばれし者 in two ways: one tells me that Light and L are two extraordinary individuals whose abilities led them through a certain path since the moment Ryuk dropped the Death Note. However, the use of the word “chosen” invites deeper questions. Chosen by whom? Was their all-out battle an inevitable consequence of their existence—fated from the start? Does a cosmic force guide the events of this world, or were they chosen specifically for this conflict? Alternatively, does the concept of a “Chosen One” imply that they would have remained special, even if the notebook had never entered their lives?

I did some research both online and with Japanese-speaking friends and the consensus seems to be that the phrase carries a dual interpretation to it, suggesting both fate and merit when used in literature. At the same time, the archaic grammar し in 選ばれし gives the phrase a poetic or elevated tone, which strongly suggests a higher, almost divine selection to a first-time reader.

That external narration, and this first panel are all the hints we have about the other half of the "two chosen people" in this first chapter. A man working from the shadows gathering information from the world’s largest international police organization, his identity hidden even from us as readers by obscuring his eyes, exhibiting a weird-ass floor computer set-up for some reason. He’s lean, he’s black-haired. He’s mysterious. As a first impression, you’d probably expect a cool Byronic type of anti-hero. Brooding yet charming, dark and isolated yet wretchedly attractive, with a troubled past, but good intentions at heart. Well! In the following chapters we will see how both L and Light continue to fulfill or challenge our expectations and examine how well L fits the shoes of our protagonist’s antagonist force.

Next up! Chapter 1: Boredom. Lilith’s Breakdown. Part 2

3. Establishing the protagonist:

Light and expectations

Light’s resignation

Light’s cognitive dissonance

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your own thoughts.

[talonabraxas]

Lord Ganesh ॐ

"Om Gajananaya Namah"

The powerful, elephant-headed deity known as Ganesha, is revered as the remover of obstacles and blocked energy. He is also the guardian of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect, wisdom and travel. Ganesha’s presence is invoked when beginning any new endeavor or task. When worshipped, Ganesha is believed to grant success, prosperity and protection against adversity.

Sanskrit Vakratunda Mahakaya Mantra

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा

"I meditate on Sri Ganesha Who has a Curved Trunk, Large Body, and Who has the Brilliance of a Million Suns, O Lord, Please make all my works, free of obstacles, always."

[ohsoromanov]

The First Years of The Russian Imperial Heirs (from the 'Becoming a Romanov' exhibition).

This section was dedicated to the nannies and wet nurses of the Romanovs, including those who took care of OTMA.

In Russian noble families, mothers did not typically breastfeed their children and they did not participate in their education or upbringing very actively - there was a dedicated staff for this end.

However, the young Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia decided in advance that she would breastfeed all her children herself, a controversial decision at the time. You can read more about it here.

That isn't to say that the imperial children did not have wet nurses. In fact, Tsarevich Alexei had as many as four nurses, although only one seems to have formed a closer bond with the imperial family as evidenced by the fact that she appears in several photographs with Alexei (and I believe I've seen quite a few with OTMA as well). Sadly, I haven't been able to find her name.

It must be said that finding a wet nurse for Alexei wasn't an easy feat, even for the imperial family, as he was born during the Russian-Japanese war. It is reported that midwife Sofia Sergeevna Zashchegrinskaya was tasked with finding a suitable wet nurse for the Tsarevich and had to travel across 108 villages in the Tver province from where she selected four women. After a series of tests, only two were deemed suitable.

All the nurses were generously rewarded for their work. In addition to a handsome salary, they received valuable gifts, had extra holidays, their husbands were exempt from military duty, and their children could study wherever they wanted, at the expense of the Emperor.

The wet nurses also had a "household" wardrobe - a sundress and a kokoshnik. At the end of their service, wet nurses were awarded a lifetime pension and given a generous "dowry", which included clothes and household necessities.

Super interesting article in Russian for more details (x).

[the-monkey-ruler]

Hero: 108 (2010)

Director: Trevor Wall / Pongo Kou Screenwriter: Kent Redeker Starring: Andrew Francis / Brian Drummond / Ian James Corlett Genre: Comedy / Animation / Children Country/Region of Production: United Kingdom Language: English Date: 2010 Number of Seasons: 2 Number of episodes: 52 Single episode length: 22 minutes IMDb: tt1674117 Type: Appropriation

Summary:

Many years ago in the Hidden Kingdom, animals and humans lived in perfect harmony until an evil trickster named HighRoller arrived and fooled the animals into thinking humans were their enemies. Chaos reigned in the Hidden Kingdom until Commander ApeTrully formed a task force called Big Green to reunite the animals and humans while fighting the forces of HighRoller and the Zebra Brothers.

The storyline in a typical episode follows a formula, although the formula varies and several episodes depart from it: Commander ApeTrully goes on a mission to the castle of an animal kingdom to make peace and ask its inhabitants to join Big Green, bringing a gift of gold as a token of goodwill. The animals generally dismiss the gift, and usually capture ApeTrully who calls for help from First Squad. Members of First Squad (usually everyone except Mr. No Hands, who does come along on occasion) deploy by descending through a maze of tubes and landing on turtles fitted with tank treads, and then are launched through a tunnel and out over the water. When they arrive where ApeTrully is being held, a battle or contest ensues, during which special talents or abilities of the animals are revealed, often something based on their nature. After the battle or contest, the animals usually concede to First Squad's skills saying through translation by ApeTrully (unless the animal rulers can talk) that they would be honored to join Big Green. After joining, the animals often are assigned a particular duty at Big Green based on their demonstrated skills, which may help solve a problem introduced in a subplot.

The show is very loosely based on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin focusing on the exploits of First Squad and Second Squad.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero:_108

Link: https://www.wcostream.tv/anime/hero-108

[realitythroughthelensoffiction]

Good Omens and its interpretation of the Serpent of Eden

One of the many things I love about Good Omens is how the show takes biblical stories and interpretes them in a way that is different from the common interpretation. By doing so, it even managed to change my perception of one of the most well-known biblical characters: the Serpent of Eden.

I never quite liked the story of Adam and Eve being driven out of Paradise for eating from the Tree of Knowledge, because it depicts curiosity / seeking knowledge as something evil, while I think that the opposite is the case - knowledge is important and helps to understand and make the world better.

However, I still viewed the Serpent as an evil character in this story, as this wily being that tricked Adam and Eve into eating the Forbidden Fruit and then left them to face the consequences.

But Good Omens portrays the Serpent differently. Yes, Crowley's intention was to "make some trouble", but even he thinks that he failed the task: "What if I did the right thing with the whole 'eat the apple' business?" He does not understand "what's so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil".

This may be because Crowley, too, is always contemplating questions of morality, always looking for answers. His character is heavily associated with seeking knowledge, and with encouraging others to do so as well.

And just recently, I found out that this view on the Serpent of Eden actually has is roots in very early times of Christianity. Back then, the so-called gnostics worshipped it as a holy being that gave humans the abilty to tell the difference between good and evil and provided them with knowledge (cf. Kvam, Kristen E. / Schearing, Linda S. / Ziegler, Valarie H. (Eds.) (1999): Eve and Adam. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender. Indiana University Press, pp. 108-155).

So I decided that I like this interpretation of the biblical character way better than the usual one, and from now on I will no longer see the Serpent of Eden as the being that was reponsible for Adam and Eve's expulsion from Paradise, but as the being that freed them from their ignorance and gave them the opportunity to become moral agents of their own. As a symbol of knowledge.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Dion J. Pierre

During Wednesday’s interview with the Algemeiner, Davidai defended his approach as a genuine expression of grief and concern for the welfare of Jewish students.

“People are free to see exactly the videos and see, you know, what did or did not happen and judge for themselves,” he said. “That is why I call this a clear act or retaliation. My lawyers got on a phone call with them on Oct. 7 [of this year] and were told that the university is going to suspend my ability to be on campus. On that day, the university found that the most important thing is to remove me from campus. I am, to the best of my knowledge, the only professor who has been removed from campus since Oct. 7 [2023].”

Davidai went on to point to faculty conduct which has been covered by The Algemeiner, including Columbia professor Joseph Massad publishing in Electronic Intifada an essay cheering Hamas’s atrocities as “awesome” and describing men who paraglided into a music festival to kill young people as “the air force of the Palestinian resistance.”

Davidai continued, “The only person who was removed from campus is the one that exposed the chief operating officer’s antisemitic problem. And I say this, you know, I don’t know if he is or isn’t an antisemite. I do know that he’s awfully comfortable with antisemitism and that he has an antisemitism problem.”

According to Columbia University, the campus ban, which does not affect Davidai’s compensation or employment status, was prompted by “threats of intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior.”

Samantha Slater, a university spokesperson, continued: “Columbia has consistently and continually respected Assistant Professor Davidai’s right to free speech and to express his views. His freedom of speech has not been limited and is not being limited now. Columbia, however, does not tolerate threats of intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior by its employees. Because Assistant Professor Davidai repeatedly harassed and intimidated university employees in violation of university policy, we have temporarily limited his access to campus while he undertakes appropriate training on our policies governing the behavior of our employees.”

This latest clash between Davidai and Columbia University comes during what has been widely described as an unprecedented “crisis” at the school which, since Oct. 7, 2023, has undermined its credibility with the public and drawn the scrutiny of federal lawmakers.

In April, an anti-Zionist group occupied Hamilton Hall, forcing then-university president Minouche Shafik to call on the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for help, a decision she hesitated to make and which led to over 108 arrests. However, according to documents shared in August by the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 18 of the 22 students slapped with disciplinary charges for their role in the incident remain in “good standing” despite the university’s earlier pledge to expel them. Another 31 of 35 who were suspended for illegally occupying the campus with a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” remain in good standing too.

In August, Shafik resigned as president of the university, and just two months prior, in June, its legal counsel reached an out of court settlement with a student who accused administrators of neglecting their obligation to foster a safe learning environment during the final weeks of last spring semester. While stopping short of admitting guilt, the settlement virtually conceded to the plaintiff her argument that the campus was unsafe for Jewish students, agreeing to provide her and others “Safe Passage Liaisons” tasked with protecting them from racist abuse and violence.

Amid this cluster of scandals and conflagrations, Davidai has allegedly received a lion’s share of the university’s attention. Last semester, it launched an investigation of his conduct, which he called a persecution that “reveals the depths of its hostility towards its Jewish community.” He has since retained counsel to guard his rights and prevent being bulldozed by one of the wealthiest and powerful universities in the world. Despite his troubles, however, he told The Algemeiner on Wednesday that Columbia is redeemable.

[sarksarkos]

Wonder Woman '59: Good Stories with Nonsense Plots

Wonder Woman #106 is the story about Wonder Woman temporarily losing her magical powers and getting trapped by a planet of giants. Why did this happen? Because otherwise there wouldn't be a comic. Welcome to the Gutters.

Saying a superhero comic has a "nonsense plot" is something that needs some extraordinary circumstances. This issue already has a story where an ancient greek Amazon gets kidnapped by space giants and put on a massive charm bracelet, and that isn't even the nonsense part.

The story begins when a giant named Tooroo wins the Giant Olympics and claims the planet Earth as his prize. He shows up and starts grabbing all the shiny things he can see as gifts for his giant girlfriend. Wonder Woman tries to stop him but, unfortunately, it's June 19th! AT 10 O'CLOCK!

For some reason, all of Wonder Woman's special equipment - her tiara, lasso, bracelets and invisible jet - lose their magical powers for 24 hours at this specific date and time. It's never explained to the characters or the audience why this happens, and this right here is the nonsense plot. Wonder Woman's whole deal and the planet of asshole giants, that's a wacky premise, but I can accept it. But if a plot introduces an arbitrary restriction on that premise, like Wonder Woman losing her powers because of a superhero service interruption, the story needs to provide at least some explanation as to why that is.

Despite that, the story itself is actually pretty good. Wonder Woman challenges the big dumb man and has to overcome his challenges despite being .1% his size. Without her special equipment, she has to use her skills and intelligence to win, and pulls out a last-second turnaround by using the giant's overwhelming strength to her advantage. At the end, everyone learns a lesson not to pick on people just because you're 100 stories tall.

Second story in the issue is "The Invisible Wonder Girl" which gives up the plot twist right in the preview image. Wonder Girl gets secretly replaced by an alien shapeshifter, and for some reason this new girl doesn't show up in photographs. Like it doesn't show a blur or her true form or anything, she just doesn't show up at all. I think the writers confused aliens with vampires. The Amazons decide no harm done and let her stay on Paradise Island, and she is never seen again.

The first story in Issue #107: "Wonder Woman: Amazon Teenager" has two main throughlines. The first is that Wonder Girl meets a mer-boy named Ronno and starts like a cute teen romance with him. The second is that the Amazons have a time machine that they can use to view the future, and Wonder Girl decides she wants to dress like her future self, and she goes on a quest to get her future costume iconography. Again, kind of a nonsense plot. It doesn't even affect the story because there's any number of reasons why the Amazons could send her on this quest.

As with before, the story itself is pretty good. It's a classic story structure where the hero goes on a dangerous quest, gaining skills, tools, and allies that help them complete their task. It's a formula that's survived into the present day, basically every Zelda game uses this exact structure. Ronno the mer-boy is a pretty fun addition, unclear if he's from the same mermaid civilization as Lori Lemaris, but he shows up a few times in these adventures.

The second story in #107, "Gunslingers of Space", is exactly what it says on the tin. Aliens disguise themselves as old west gunsligners and try to rob airplanes on flying horses. Why are they doing this? Don't ask stupid questions. Wonder Woman beats them by getting a thousand magnets together, smushing them into one massive magnet with her bare hands, and grabbing them by all the metal they're wearing. That's fun, it feels like something that would happen in a tall tale, like Pecos Bill roping the tornado.

Issue #108 features "Wanted - Wonder Woman," with a cover that looks like a prototype of the iconic "Days of Future Past" cover from Uncanny X-Men #141. In my last post I talked about the sequence where Wonder Woman robs a bank and gets chased by the police at night, and it's pretty cool. The reason for that is that aliens are attempting to mind control her so that she will be unable to stop them from invading.

We've seen this kind of plot before, Batman and Superman have all had this happen to them. This issue makes a really significant storytelling decision to show us Wonder Woman's internal monologue as she's being subverted. With Batman or Superman, it's usually played as a mystery, where the audience asks "Why is Superman stealing the jewels?" Here, we see Wonder Woman having to ask herself "Why am I stealing the jewels?" and trying to fight off her own impulses, and that turns it from a mystery story to a horror story.

I also wanna point out I love the alien design. I love aliens that look like bugs, and these guys are gross and cute at the same time. Bring back unnamed aliens from Wonder Woman #108.

Once they get Wonder Woman to rob the bank, as seen last time, they conclude that she's completely dominated and won't put up a fight against them. That's when Wonder Woman reveals that she was only pretending to submit to their mind control and had been building up resistance. The aspect of dominance and submission from the Golden Age Wonder Woman doesn't come up much in the silver age because of COWARDICE, but this is a good way to bring those elements up again. When faced with unwanted domination, Wonder Woman chooses to feign submission while secretly undermining those who would control her. This is going to be more and more relevant as the world gets more and more awful.

The second story in #108 is about some stamp-themed supervillain making special Wonder Woman stamps that grow to massive size and explode and then uses them for military sabotage. It is a completely wild story and nobody in it acts like a person who shares a housing complex with reality. Absolute nonsense plot. I don't even know what to say about it so I am going to move on.

I feel like a lot of these stories weren't written to have aliens in it. To me, these read like they had a more supernatural or fantastic bent and then aliens were plastered on top to make it fit the silver age ethos. For example, the giants could just be magical giants who live in some secret magical kingdom. The shapeshifter who impersonated Wonder Girl makes more sense if she's some kind of ghost or spirit. The Duke of Deception from last time would work just as well if he were working for Mars, the god of War.

The one thing I really wish would have been more fantastic is "Gunslingers of Space." Cowboys and outlaws of the wild west have been described as a kind of American mythology, and it would be really interesting to contrast that with Wonder Woman, a representative of Classical mythology. I could see, for example, the Greek gods trying to take on new personas to rule the modern age, or even the spirits of the old west manifesting as new gods and having to fight the old. Just building up stories for my hypothetical Wonder Woman run.

Until next time!