#* ⁰ ³ / ' arc‚ evil reigns : heart turns black.

[evl-qn]

After a successful haul of one of the castle's most portly coffers, Robin makes an executive decision that Friar Tuck objects to vehemently, but the arrogant outlaw cares none. He signs a note to its owner  –  something to remember him by. Considering that time had a way of bringing them back together, he figures she could use the reminder now more than ever. He writes it quickly and leaves on the middle of the now criminally empty room with a smirk, then makes his triumphant exit wishing he could've stayed to see her face. R, Shame we keep missing each other. Delightfully, R P.S: Consider this payback for the time you made me fall off that horse.

As if he hadn't already paid her back tenfold for that particular mishap- she recalls with VIVID CLARITY the tree he'd left her stranded in after his own declared challenge, the sound of his then youthful laughter as she hurled insults at his retreating back the likes of which would have made her grandfather proud and her mother FURIOUS. ( And Cora was furious. When she had eventually clambered her way down and arrived to noon tea with twigs in her braid and mud on her skirts. ) This was different though. Then, they were children. At least one of them had grown up. ... Or perhaps NEITHER.

It's some time later that she strikes, a chance encounter with a ruffled bandit she's SURE belongs to his lot. The Queen grants the boy a red stained kiss to his cheek and sends him back DAZED with parchment in hand, secured with an arrow ( how fitting ) through his palm. The ink bleeds. R, It's entirely intentional. Do not steal from me again. Regretfully, R. P.S- Don't blame your awful form on me. Ride better. She'll deny the smile that touched her lips as she sent the boy on his way.

[marsconer]

the very long draft of the atla prequel fic i’ll never write

- title idea: oh, brother were art thou ?

- focuses on : iroh and ozai’s dynamic from childhood to the day he marries ursa. includes extras and dives into the fire nation royal family dynamic but it’s mostly about those two.

- inspirations: cain and abel’s story, the ballad of songbirds and snakes.

- characters included: iroh, ozai, azulon, the firelady ilah, ursa, iroh’s wife, ozai’s mistress. ( they will be named )

- characterizations :

iroh — sometimes we forget that iroh was the general. the warrior. the brother most familiar with blood and violent. iroh’s characterization should not shy away from that but also keep a core of goodness and questioning. he’s the one who should have a more reflexive internal monologue. it should be a growing difference between what he believes is right and what he actually does to the point where it breaks. the breaking point will not be part of the fic but it should be seeds planted yk? inspirations : regulus black, jaime lannister / faceclaim ideas : remy hii

ozai — the make or break character and the easiest to screw up ( i think ), too evil and the heart of the story is gone and iroh just looks stupid for loving his evil brother, not evil enough and it’s not ozai. his arc is not a corruption arc but the story of a man realizing he can get away with any atrocious act he decides to commit, his internal monologue lacks the reflexive nature of iroh’s, ozai never pounders on the right and wrong of an act only on how that could benefit him. as the brother who stayed home, ozai’s battle is mostly weeding out plots and schemes, of court drama and seizing power. inspirations: coriolanus snow, tom riddle, fc ideas: sebastian amoruso ( i know he played jet stfu ), dylan wang

firelord azulon — an absent father, i don’t care how his reign was, he is the definition of trying to rule with only force and falling ( being disliked by both high rankings and the people ), hard power ! he’s more of representation of a fire nation that looks down on weakness ( non-benders, women, children ) inspiration: tywin lannister

firelady ilah — a cruel mother who loves power but can possess none because she’s a woman so she tries to teach her sons her form of strength, manipulations, secrets, blackmail, iroh had more aptitude but he was azulon’s general so she had to make do with ozai ( who refuses to learn but will eventually ), she’s the bitterness of a fascist woman in a fascist man’s world. she’s frustrated in all ways possible and that bitterness turns to wickedness. inspirations: alicent hightower if she was like her haters think she is, morgana, walburga black. fc ideas: michelle yeoh

lady ursa — poor lady ursa, i haven’t read to comics and i don’t buy they are cannon so here’s my characterization of the pookiest of pookies. lady ursa was the daughter of important people, think courtiers, who never really wanted a child, ursa was also raised in palace along with many other high borns. she was also younger than ozai and a talented herbalist. she wanted to marry him and do her duty, he was good looking and a prince and she was barely sixteen. and she wanted out of her parent’s grasp. probably one of the most unlucky people in the story. at first ignored and humiliated before their marriage and after abused and controlled. inspirations: katherine howard / fc claim ideas : ashley liao, lola tung

aliya ( ozai’s mistress ) — this is a very self indulgent character bc i like parallels and the hope that some air nomads survived in secret and had children. aliya is this concept with the addition that she’s a performer on ember island who would really like a bridge to her ancestor’s culture and past but also probably is acutely aware of how she’s not the airbender she should be. she’s a dancer, she’s an acrobat, she’s artist, she’s vain and attached to material desires and smarter than she looks but also still just a girl trying to keep herself alive and her secrets secret. ( yes, ozai lowkey kinda kills her or at least thinks he and erased her and her family from history. snowbaird coded but also worse ) inspirations: lucy gray baird, satine / fc claim ideas : simone ashley

saori ( iroh’s wife ) — very minor character but all that can be said is that she’s no easy woman. she’s demanding of him after they are arranged together because she believes and sees that he can be better. she also grew up in the palace as a courtier and is known for being incredibly opinionated and sharp on her wit. inspirations: beatrice ( much ado about nothing ) / fc claim : jamie chung

[rulcrs]

ARTEM TARGARYEN.  53. Captain of The Blackfyre/Exiled Lord Targaryen. Godspite.

INTERACTIONS | MUSINGS 

im gonna speed run this bio LETS GO SUMMARY: Artem is a Bad Man - an Evil Man. He killed his own wife and her lover after he caught them together in bed. Instead of being executed or sent to the Black, he was exiled because he is still a Targaryen, and Targaryen were so few in those days. He became a proficient sellsword, and later an even more proficient pirate. He has travelled as far as east of Qarth and is the captain of a fleet known as The Blackfyre (named aptly to spite his own family and those who wish him dead). He has been in exile for more than three decades now, and has been a pirate for the most of those years. His fleet raids the lands/islands along the Narrow Sea - very frequently Dorne, and most recently the North. Since Aerys and Lucaerys are dead now, he is hoping to come back from exile and appeal to the good nature of the new Queen Regent. He doesn’t care for the throne - he would sooner see it melted and turned to chamber pots than have anything else to do with it. He simply has unfinished business in the realm - matters close to his heart, you may say. BLACKFYRE ARC: Pentos, Tyrosh, Lys, and Volantis - the Free Cities are not free when they see The Blackfyre flag.  Artem has been a pirate for close to three decades now. He is one of the oldest and most respected men in the trade. Many fear The Blackfyre fleet for its brutal arduousness. They reach waters only mentioned in passing legends. The crew of The Blackfire are explorers first; pity how they have a fondness of exploring towns and cities with swords and violence at hand.

RAIDING ARC: Mouths need to be fed, and the Captain feeds them well. First they hit the Free Cities and take their exotics. When they’ve taken enough of such to no longer find them that exotic at all, Artem hits Westeros. Dorne is his favourite. They claim to be descendants of Queen Nymeria, a seafaring warrior, yet oft they let his sails hit them in the night. They have little trinkets that the rest of Westeros does not have, and what the other Great Houses lack, they always seek to claim. Much of Artem and The Blackfyre’s “operations” were raiding the seaside and riverside towns of Dorne. They are bold enough to oft drive inland and hit roads. Artem knows he has killed a noble here and there during such raids - those are always the most exciting (hehe, hi mors!!! @conqueredcrowns) . Though he has made enemies, he has also made acquaintances. Being friends with pirates is always lucrative business. 

WINTER FAMINE ARC: He’s never had much love for the North. It is ugly and barren and sparse. When the harsh winter hit them, he may have even felt sorry for them. A good man would sooner see trading opportunities to sell the North cheap grain. Artem is not a good man, and he has made himself rich by staying that way. He has an informant - a pretty little bird - that tells him when and where food and aid comes to the North. He raids those routes, take the bounty, and sell them back cheaper elsewhere. Artem may not be a good man, but he is a great man at what he does. (side note: Artem has his fleet doing the raiding in the North. He’s mainly been chilling and exploring shit idk)

CURRENT ARC: When cousin Aerys III exiled him, he was 21. His nephews and nieces were children and the Realm cowered at the Seat of the Dragon. When Aerys died, his nephew Lucaerys became king. Artem would have never known had Lucaerys  not wrote him that he is still exiled and is not welcome to return Westeros under his reign. Well, now, both are dead - and he is not. Artem has been back in Westeros just recently in hopes of being pardoned and removed from exile. He has great hate for his own house and wants nothing to do with them, such is his relief that the Queen Regent is no Targaryen but a Stag. 

BACKGROUND

INSPIRATIONS: euron greyjoy, a lil edward blackbeard from our flag means death, nigel from the necessary death of charlie countryman

artem is a cousin of king aerys from a minor targaryen family members, had a childhood fit for a targaryen. im pretty sure he was given a valyrian dagger or some shit for his 8th birthday - v age appropriate ofc

jousting? hell yeah!! fucking the blooming ladies of the realm?? fuck yEAH!! who wouldn’t wanna be with a targaryen lbr here. he was being seen as one of the great warriors at his prime, but no way in hell would he take the oath of the kingsguard. thats boring af

he ALMOST got that dragon sickness sexiness to him, but he aint really with a dragon so i suppose that just means he is sick

to get rid of him from the red keep, the was promised to marry the only child of the former ruling lord of rykker. he was supposed to tie them even more closer to the targaryens while his wife ruled and managed the house and its lands. great idea, 100% inspired - forcing artem to do smth he does want, what could possibly go wrong??

WELL, AS IT TURNS OUT, A LOT.  artem didn’t necessarily loved lady rykker, but they were MARRIED and they were supposed to br each others’. he learned how to love her and be loyal to her. artem is a scorpio: when he loves, its dangerous. so guess what happens when he comes to their bedroom to find his then-wife of 2 years in bed with another man.

MURDER TW / VIOLENCE TW artem killed them with his own hands. they soiled his bed, they soiled his name. he killed his wife first because he, at the very least, trusted her to be his wife. he made her lover watch - and then he killed half of her lover’s family and made him watch still. he killed his wife’s lover last: stake a valyrian steel rapier through the top his skull and then out through his throat. 

some more sensible men would say “ah, my mind just went blank and rage filled by sights” - oh, but not this man. he remembers it all. he remembers it so well that as soon as he was exiled by the king (ofc aerys wouldn’t actually punish him - there were so few targaryens in the world at the time. they couldn’t possibly risk executing artem or sending him to the wall) he had a skulled pierced with a sword tattooed on his left arm. he wears it with pride. (btw shoutout to akhil, his absolute bestie, for the design xoxo)

sooo there he was, just generally Bing Chilling in the free cities as a sellsword. i mean, he grew up in the red keep and was trained by westeros’ AND essos’ best - he made for a fine warrior. once he started earning more than he can spend on whores and drink, he bought himself a ship - THE BLACKFYRE

how mental is this man to actually name a pirate ship after targaryen bastards exiled to essos and was the general cause of MANY deaths and rebellions back home? pretty mental AND METAL. see, artem, he’s not a good man. he’s petty and he is exacting. first thing he did once he got his ship? asked his bestie akhil to make them a flag that had the skull logo, sailed just by the coast of the crownlands in midday, and made sure that House Rykker sees him. man’s unhinged.

anywaaaay, thats his BG. now lets get to the juicy stuff

PERSONALITY: He’s a Scorpio, sorry.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

FUN FACT:

His two biggest crimes in Westeros are, of course, the murder charges AND the violation of Guest Right. Since he was under House Rykker’s lands and roof, having murdered a member of their family during his stay, he become known as god-spited. The Gods supposedly h8 him, who knows.  

He wears an eye patch over one eye after it was injured in a fight. He can still through both of his eyes, but his left eye has gotten very sensitive to light that it hurts him.

He has very dark purple eyes that almost look like black

His flag/sigil looks like this ( X ) - hot, we know (thank u akhil @crwyn​ <3)

He has about 5 ships in his fleet

His KD ratio is really good - seeing has he’s still alive and most ppl he’s fought have been RIP’d. 

CONNECTIONS: 

Someone who hates him, preferably related to House Rykker or a maritime House his fleet has invaded

Baddie Buddies - we’re bad and we’re good at it yay!

Former Lovers - he’s kind of a h0e, non-gender specific; he loves all

Essosi Connections (h0t & sexc)

“““Trading”““ Associates - your muse needs smth from the literal ends of the word? Aight,  Artem’s gotchu

[buddha-in-disguise]

Weariness and cynicism is deadly.

When we were growing up, I remember my paternal grandfather once said to me: Weariness and cynicism is deadly.

At the time I didn't really understand the comment, but as I got older, it was something that I've kept in the back of my mind, in part because I would hate for me to become weary & cynical in life.

The last few episodes of Supergirl have had this line come roaring to the forefront with me.

Right now, weariness and cynicism within the Supergirl fandom (and not just a ship), has now shown in ratings.

You could argue as to why the ratings have dropped, and there are certainly going to be a few reasons for it. After all, in any season of a show you get peaks and troughs on the figures.

With Supergirl though, it has been a steep hit, then a steady decline afterwards. 

I've been writing this over a few days, and yesterday the synopsis for 5.19 dropped.

Now you can tell this was written before they planned on merging some of 5.20 into 5.19 and it became the finale, and this is given away by the 'penultimate episode,' wording. That is true, so knowing elements of 5.20 will be merged into it, means there is likely a divergence to this synopsis on some level. If there is, once again the marketing has failed to adapt with these changes. 

However, the synopsis also has people absolutely at the end of their tether over Kara and Lena. Why? The 1st segment:

'Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) realizes that in order to stop Lex (guest star Jon Cryer) and Leviathan she must work with the one person she never thought she’d trust again – Lena (Katie McGrath).' 

I have issue with this for more than one reason, but the biggest for me is simply this.

Honestly the situation should be sorted by now in far better ways. If this goes on through to S6 unresolved, then it is beyond a joke.

19 episodes of this is utterly unacceptable. Even if they'd carried on resolution into the 20th episode, that's still far too long. 

I can't speak for other fans, but personally I was hoping (& expecting) that once Crisis was over, Kara and Lena would actually begin to talk. If not Lena and Kara, Lena and Alex. Because remember how Lena spoke to Alex when Alex asked for her help during Crisis? Here are the lines most relevant (I'm including the clip for the whole interaction).

"I am sorry that I lied to you. And not just me. Not just Kara. J'onn, and Brainy, and Nia."

"You know, you actually had me believe that you hated Supergirl."

"I wasn't pretending about that, but that is a long story."

This was 10 episodes ago once 5.19 hits, & has never been broached again, nor looks likely to be. Why even bring it up if you're going to ignore it? Lena & Alex were friends by S4 end. If Kara couldn't talk to Lena, why hasn't Alex tried? Or Brainy? Nia. Even Kelly, who genuinely hadn't lied to Lena - although that could've been awkward if Lena said it was about Kara lying being Supergirl and Kelly didn't know. But you know, I would've loved to have seen it play out that way, because Kelly's surprise wouldn't be faked, and Lena, despite it all, would probably recognise that.

Have Lena working with Lex, but also using Kelly to help her with the lenses, to placate Lex, but to be actively working with the Superfriends (Kelly as the intermediary) to bring Lex down. That way, Kelly gets screen time she deserves, Lena slowly works through her issues, even if it isn't directly with Kara yet. Alex really uses the Tower to investigate and help Kelly and Lena. But we have had nothing of note.

Out of the two Winn episodes, we had one episode of Winn's own psychopathic father getting his redemption, (which sorry, was too far fetched for me). What was the purpose of this? It apparently serves none. This episode should've been a redemption arc starting for Lena in my opinion, even if Kara wasn't involved (so the 100th still could've gone ahead as planned). It could've been Brainy for example tentatively reaching out to Lena. Or as I say, Lena seeing how Lex was working, and reaching out to Kelly. It wouldn't have to be a noticable or big thing, but the beginnings of some reconciliation with someone. 

Yet Lena, who time and time again has tried to do the right thing, has been lied to, has been abused by her family since she was 4, has been left to her own devices for 19 episodes! By people who say they are her friends. This is more than about Kara. This is about a whole group of people who seemingly have washed their hands of Lena. That sure as hell isn't any kind of friendship I know, or agree with. 

This is why as a general audience people are now weary and cynical. When the hard core fans, not ship fans, but the ones who tune in religiously, are screaming enough, then a more general audience will simply drift away. Sadly the viewing figures suggest this is exactly what has happened. 

If they're suddenly best friends again from 5.19, then it will be as bad because nothing is talked about! Even if they carry on the redemption arc into S6, will the general audience - or even the main hard core group of fans - wait potentially 9 to 12 months before it starts again, not knowing if they plan to maintain the push and pull between Lena, Kara and the Superfriends, or actually are going to rebuild the friendships?

We also have the question of why did Kara find the tape that Mxyzptlk left? I'm including a screen capture for this.  

There were a couple of things at the time that I wondered about.

Why make it so obvious that was the video tape left? It then immediately led off to Kara confronting Lena, which while harsh wasn't really too OOC until that last line. No, she didn't call Lena a villain (ugh also continuity in 5.17, hello Kara, you didn't call her a villain). But Kara knows that Lena has always wanted to be seen as being different to her family, but especially Lex. Instead of going to Lena as Supergirl, go to her as Kara! Make her see the person not the cape. Of course being Supergirl is important to Kara, but knowing that Lena has always had a more volatile relationship with Supergirl, it seems utterly inconceivable to me that at some stage Kara wouldn't go to try and talk to her simply as Kara. Or was it Mxy as Supergirl, who hesitated moving from the balcony because he needed to be invited inside by Lena? Supergirl took a step forward, but doesn't appear to actually enter Lena's apartment. 

So yes. That whole scene has always bugged me.

I also always questioned why did Mxy hang around watching through Kara's loft window? What was it he needed to see? By all accounts his mission there was accomplished. Why hang around?

So it begs the question, are we seeing how the tape plays out? Is this the 'nothing is as it seems' and the 'Black mirror season,' they touted before the season began. If this refers to how Lex has played his part, then that is nowhere near good enough.

If it is because of Mxy, it is just an awful way to go about it. It has left most fans weary, jaded and honestly not trusting of how they will carry on writing for the show.

Let's not forget, Kara told the whole world her identity to save Lena. 

Lena tried to save Kara from the Kryptonite in the air, but failed because she was too far away in Metropolis. 

Lena took to heart the pleas from Kara not to use Kryptonite, and so devised another way to subdue Reign, only to die in Kara's arms (and remember Kara literally crumpled as Lena fell into her arms. This is a Kryptonian with Super human strength, but her knees gave way). 

The only time Lena did turn evil was when Supergirl didn't save her. But even then, watch her face carefully as she hits with Kara with the Kryptonite. That stotic mask falls just fractionally. 

However this plays out in the last two episodes, quite honestly I can't see how it is going to be enough to pacify the distrust and anger over vast aspects of the season. How a lot of what has gone on can only be called queerbaiting, and if (& it's a big if) they even lent into Supercorp (I highly doubt it), then it needed to come far quicker. When you lose the trust of a big part of your audience, it is extremely difficult to get that trust back. When you have to try and achieve that with only 2 episodes left? Pretty much impossible. 

When that weariness and cynicism has months to fester in a fandom, it is deadly.

[eirabach]

Interregnum

1 : the time during which a throne is vacant between two successive reigns or regimes. 2 : a period during which the normal functions of government or control are suspended.

This one is for @gumnut-logic‘s final(?) Sensory Sunday challenge “Sixth Sense” AND it’s canon to Savages (a missing scene between chapters five and six, so, chapter 5.5). I’d say you don’t have to know what’s going on to enjoy, but it would probably help? Otherwise just have at some sad kids being starcrossed in a liminal space. Love you all.

The thing about is knowing, is that it’s an art.

Not like music or painting, not a portrait of a lady or a soft serenade, no, nothing so simple nor so easy as that. 

A man can be taught to draw, a child trained to sing, a woman can write ream after ream of nonsense, fill pages with dreams and desires until her fingers bleed and her heart falls into the page an empty husk, her life's work a thing to cast out on the wind. 

Knowing is different. 

Knowing is being four years old, and a man coming to your door in the dead of night.

It had been the door of the manor, not the door to her room, but it was her door even then. Her mother had been long gone, her father already hardly more than a ghost, and she, the Lady of the house, had tucked herself away on the grand staircase, watching as the dirty faced man in the torn jacket had spluttered in a language she didn't understand, a sack of tools at his feet, a crowbar held tight in his grubby fists. The stranger hadn't seen the narrowing of round blue eyes as he'd concentrated on the lock to her father's study. 

He hadn't known, but she had.

She'd known her father would come, known the butler would drag the stranger from her sight, and Nanny would carry her away. 

She'd already known what would happen when her father called her down that morning, that he’d tell her, "This is Parker, he's a friend."

The man had smiled at her then through newly broken teeth, and Penelope had nodded, sure and certain, because she is, was, will always be, because knowing is something you're born with. It's a prickle up your spine. The skipped beat. A hum that no one else hears, and Penelope has always known. Good or evil, friend or foe, love or hate. Always. It’s what makes her so very good at her job, so perfect a hostess, so subtle an interrogator. That well honed ability to look a man in the eye, just once, and be utterly and entirely certain of the content of his soul, and it has never failed her, not once.

Until now.

Now the only thing she knows is that she absolutely cannot be seen to cry. Far too unseemly. Weak. Pathetic. The paparazzi smother her as she leaves the hotel, buzzing like mosquitoes as Parker opens the door and she offers them a media smile -- sweet, coquettish, slight -- that she has no idea if she actually achieves.

"Lady Penelope! Lady Penelope do you have any comment on Jeff Tracy's return? Do you --"

The door slams closed, a sign of Parker's wavering restraint, and cuts the reporter off.

Does she have any comment? Not one fit for publication in a family paper that's for sure.

Family, and just the thought sticks in her throat, makes her chest ache and her eyes burn, because God, but she’d thought she’d known that at least. Pitiful, silly girl. 

"Milady?" Parker's gentle, because he knows her, and she must look frightful all flustered and wet eyed because when he looks in the mirror she sees the way his brows draw low in concern. "Where to?"

And she doesn't know that, either. Doesn't have a clue, only, "Anywhere, Parker. Anywhere but here."

---

Gordon loves his father.

Loves him with a fierceness that pounds through his veins, that thunders his name in time with the rhythmic smack of the duffle against his spine, the thud of feet against asphalt.

Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.

He loves him so much that he hates him.

He hates the way he's so sure, so certain of every damn thing all the goddamn time, and hadn't Gordon been sure? Hadn't Gordon been certain? And then he'd died and then he hadn't --

Two hundred yards ahead of him FAB One merges into New York City traffic, just a pink blur lit by camera flashes with a pull on his heart so hard he feels like it might be torn in two.

Might.

Two just seems kinda restrained, kinda delicate, compared to the crushing, sickening feeling behind his breastbone. Seems like something that might be fixed, somehow, stitched back together when all Gordon's doing is falling apart.

Falling apart and catching the damn car.

Scott's the runner in the family, old skinny legs can eat up the miles like Alan gobbles brownies, but Gordon's no slowcoach. The traffic's on his side, keeping Parker at a crawl, but the pack of salivating paparazzi aren't. They crowd between him and his goal, dark shades and darker grins sharp as shark teeth as he struggles his way through.

"Is that --?"

"Yeah! The one with the rocket?"

"Nah man, the other one, the swimmer."

"What the hell is he --"

He doesn't hang about for the end of that one -- wouldn't know the answer if he did -- instead he barrels through the chattering crowd and launches himself at the back of the car.

He realises, half a second too late, that Parker has ways of dealing with people who are stupid enough to stay on FAB One's tail.

"Aw shit."

---

“What in the blazes?”

She has her compact open, drafting the letter that she absolutely must send to Colonel Casey but has no idea how to write, and the jolt as something slams into the rear of the car sends it skittering to the ground at her feet, the screen cracking as it bounces off the console.

“Parker?”

“Already on it, Milady,” her erstwhile Chauffeur states grimly, his hand moving toward FAB One’s defences as she twists her body round to try and get a better look at whoever has been foolish enough to ram them.

“Oh my -- Parker don’t!”

But it’s too late. She catches a last glimpse of tow-headed blond as thick, dark oil arcs out, and then she’s launching herself at the door of the still-moving car, Parker’s squarks of displeasure blending into the furious clattering of two dozen paparazzos all throwing their cameras up at once.

Gordon lies amongst them, just two huge brown eyes in the pool of filth she’s left in her wake, and, lord above, if that isn’t a thought she doesn’t want to examine too closely.

“Gentlemen,” she says it like she was taught to, like she means it, like she wants all those cameras to turn on her and this time, only this time, she actually does. “Please, do excuse us. Darling?”

It’s a considered choice, the pet name. Chosen because she knows the ways their minds work, can already see the cogs turn into credits in their eyes, already read her name in the headlines, not his. Gordon blinks up at her, perfectly forgotten, and she lets her next smile reach her eyes. 

“Get in.”

---

She feels Parker’s shudder, FAB One shaking under the force of it as Gordon slips and squelches his way into the backseat. He leaves perfect dark hand prints on the cream leatherwork and drips, morosely, onto the merino wool carpets.

“Milady --” 

She cuts him off with a sharp tsk, her own hands coming away hopelessly filthy as she wipes her thumbs across too-damp cheeks where oil and something else have mixed into a horrid black paste. Gordon says nothing, only leans into her touch before backing away, skittish, at Parker’s groan.

“Ignore him,” she assures him, “It’s entirely his own fault.”

Parker makes another, ruder, sound, but neither of them pay much mind. Gordon’s breathing heavily, heavier than he ought to be after such a short sprint, and she finds herself patting at his shoulders, his sides, worried eyes scanning for whatever injury must have spurred him after her.

“Penny?” He’s holding his own hands up, surrender style. “Pen -- you’re getting -- Penelope, stop it!”

“You’re hurt?” It’s a question that isn’t, not really, because Penelope is good at knowing, and she knows that twist to those lips, the shadow in those eyes, knows them as well as she knows her own name. “Let me see.”

Gordon huffs, something that might have been a laugh, once, but now sounds half a beat from a sob. “Nah.”

She rolls her eyes, and makes nimble work of his shirt buttons. He snatches at the edges, head swivelling toward the windows, and hisses a scandalised, “Hey!”

“Oh do relax,” she mutters, slapping at his wrists until he lets her pull the sodden material away from his shoulders. “This is New York, sweetheart. This is nothing.”

“So you say!” But he lets her continue, shifting his weight and kicking his own jeans off, until he’s sat in nothing but his boxers, body streaked with sweat, hair black, surrounded by discarded rags and wearing a smile that makes her heart seize.

“See?” he flings his arms out as far as he can in the confined space. “I'm fine.”

It's an invitation, an opening she doesn't take, and the silence lingers a moment too long -- long enough for him to shiver, to reach for the duffle he'd dragged in after him and pluck something soft from its depths. Long enough to wonder.

"What 'appened?"

They both move to answer, both their jaws snapping shut as they realise, and Gordon pulls a marl hoody over his head, taking his time to work his arms into the sleeves as Parker's eyes narrow in the rear view mirror.

"A misunderstanding," Penelope says breezily, far too breezily. "That's all."

One bushy eyebrow rises out of his reflection.

"Is that so, Master Gordon?"

The hoody is too long, too tight in the shoulders. The sleeves hang over his hands and the hem sits around his mid thigh. He’d clearly left in a hurry, although she should have guessed that by how quickly he caught up to them, and he refuses to meet either of their eyes as he rummages deeper into the bag muttering invectives about stupid lanky brothers.

“Gordon?”

He pauses, his hand leaving marks on the waistband of a pair of NASA sweats. "Yeah -- no. I don't know."

"You didn't 'arf run." Parker says it conversationally, an observation. Penelope only hears the pauses in Gordon’s answer.

"Yeah. Well."

"In fact seems as if we're all running, Milady."

She balks at that, offence at the very notion ingrained into her bones. "Nonsense. I don't run."

Her broken compact has come to rest beneath the duffle, and as he tosses he bag to one side to work the too-long sweats up over his knees Gordon spots it, leaning down to pick it up as he wriggles his backside into them. “Oh Lady Penelope,” he says with something of his usual humour. “Brains is gonna be cross!” 

She snatches it, or tries to, but her hand slips and the cracked screen lights up, reveals immediately what she’d been doing -- what she’d been trying to do -- in the moments before Gordon had thrown himself bodily into her vehicle. 

Colonel Casey,

Despite all my efforts it would appear Mr Tracy has taken against my advice and plans to move TI further in the direction we have previously discussed. I am sorry that I have been unable to convince him of the folly of such choices, and as such I am forced to resign as --

"So this isn't running?" He runs a hand across his face and lets it lie there, covering his eyes. "Jesus, Pen. What's happening to us?"

Carefully, terribly carefully, she peels his fingers away until she can twist her own between them and bring their joined hands to rest in her lap. Her business suit is ruined, but it isn’t as though she hasn’t half a dozen others. There’s only one boy -- one boy with callouses on his palms and oil under his fingernails. One boy that she absolutely cannot keep but oh -- oh --

She doesn’t look at him. Can’t. Because she knows herself, knows the streak of absolute selfish want that runs right through the very core of her, and it’s all she can do to keep her voice steady. 

"Your father will no doubt be arranging further investor meetings, we can drop you at Heathrow. By the time they get back you'll --"

"Whoa, hang on -- I'm not going back!"

"Don't be ridiculous! What are you going to do instead?"

He stares at her.

"I thought -- you and me --"

He thought, but god, she wants.

And wanting makes her mean. Makes her scoff when all she really wants to do is say yes, yes of course.

“You’re going to sit in my house and watch your family save the world? Don’t be obtuse. You’ll go mad.” Then, quieter. Truer. “You’ll hate me.”

“Never.” The vehemence surprises her, though it shouldn’t, not really. She’s never seen Gordon do anything that wasn’t with his whole heart, has she? “I will never regret choosing you.”

“Over everything?”

“Anything.”

At that moment, and only for a moment, she lets herself imagine it. The two of them, and nothing, no-one else. The two of them and their own choices, their own dreams, and she knows -- she knows it will never happen. Can never happen. Gordon covers the hand holding the compact with his other, lifts it and drops a kiss to her knuckles that cracks her heart right down the centre.

"No. No, Gordon. Don't let him be right." Her voice cracks right along with it. “If he thinks I’m trying to steal you away --”

"What, like some kind of pedigree puppy? Forget it, what am I gonna do, let him get away with speaking to you like that? No chance. Never. Not happening okay, so don’t even bother."

"Your brothers --"

There's hesitation there, just as she knew there would be, but it doesn't last, doesn't work the way she'd thought it would.

"Are big enough and ugly enough to cope without me. I'm just the pool boy nowadays anyway it's not like I can do anything useful."

"That's not true."

"It's completely true, and you know it. He wants me to, what? Choose between you and brunch meetings in a penguin suit?" He grimaces. “It’s not you or the job, Penelope. It’s you and the job, or it’s him.”

“We’re on the same side, Gordon,” she says quietly. “We all only want what’s best.”

“Do we?” He shakes his head. “I dunno, Pen. I don’t know anything anymore. Dad’s --” he takes a deep breath. “He’s not the same.”

Parker scoffs at that, breaking the spell that seems to have befallen the two of them before gesturing rudely to a fellow motorist with poor lane discipline. “I’ll say. He’s spent eight years alone in outer space, young Master Gordon. If he was the same man, he’d be a blummin’ mirage.”

“I know that,” Gordon insists. “I do, I get it. But -- people will die? People are dying and we -- my dad, he’d have helped them. He’d have let us help them. I just -- I don’t even know him anymore. I don’t even know if I ever did.”

And Penelope may have lost a little faith, somewhere between Tracy Industries and the oil-slicked backseat of her car, but she hasn’t yet lost her tact.

She knows, still, just enough. Enough to recognise fear in a man’s eyes. Ambition. Dread. Lust. Courage. So she doesn’t tell him, doesn’t dare, that when she looks into his father’s eyes she sees nothing. Nothing at all. Instead she tightens her grip on his hand, on the broken compact, and says;

“Take us home, Parker.”

---

(Gordon loves his father.

He does.

His father is a dead man.)

[the-drunk-game-master]

Norman Osborn wants to be Tony Stark

Spoilers for Spider-Man Far From home ahead! Marvel gets a lot of shit for making all their villians the same. Or at least, they used to. Everyone was a dumb grey monster or an evil businessman that was pissed off at Tony Stark (Or a very similar character, Hank Pym). Obadiah Stane, Justin Hammer, Aldritch Killian. Even Spider-Man's villians are only fighting him because Tony Stark Screwed them over. Adrian Toomes steals from Tony Stark, and tells Spider-Man to stay out of his way. Quentin Beck had his "Glory" stolen by Stark and copies his shtick by flying around in armor and shooting lasers from his hands. 

It would be super easy to make Norman Osborn one of these cookie cutter bad guys. Barely an inconvenience, as a popular youtuber is known to say. He is a chemical weapons manufacturer after all. If I myself were a youtuber, I'd show the scene from Sam Ramey's Spider-Man where Norman Osborn gets screwed over by his shareholders, and edit in Tony Stark at one of the chairs at that table. I don't even need to give him any lines, just have him be on his phone and ignoring William Defoe's great performance. Hell, the special weapon that those bigwigs choose to fund instead of Oscorp looks a lot like an early Iron Man prototype. 

I think it would be more interesting if, instead of hating Stark, Osborn LOOOVES Stark. He wants to be Stark, and copies him. Not the way Quentin Beck copied Stark, just going for the glory of superherodom. Norman Osborn should believe in what Stark believed in. He should believe in protecting Earth, by any means necessary. the only difference is that he should take it too far.

about a decade ago, I was reading spider-man comics, along with some X-Men and other stuff. I wasn't the super nerd that I am now, but I was reading Spidey's arc for civil war. it started with Peter already working with Tony, in his Iron Spider Suit. MJ and Aunt May knew about his life, and even lived safely in Stark Tower. The civil war broke out, and as a show of good faith towards Tony, Peter willingly showed his face and gave his name on national telivision. it showed the reaction of everyone he knew, including his hated enemies. Then Spider-Man realized that Tony Stark (And also Reed Richards) were going way too far in their pursuit to track down and arrest rogue superheroes. Spider-Man realized he was on the wrong side of the war, and had to do the right thing, even though it would put the two women he loved in mortal danger. Shit hit the fan hard, Iron Man's Gauntlets clashed with Cap's shield, and at the end of the day, Peter returned bloody and bruised to a hotel room where his wife and Aunt were staying, ready to leave New York as fugitives. The Civil War story arc for Spider-Man ended with Aunt May getting shot by a mercinary with a sniper rifle, and Peter holding her in his arms.

the next Arc, Back in Black, begins with Peter losing his shit and throwing a jeep throw the third floor wall of a building across the street, trying to kill the man that shot his aunt. Shit gets super dark, with Peter going to Batman or Daredevil lengths of vengeance, and then almost going full Punisher. he even puts on a clothe version of his black suit, to signify that while the red white and blue Spider-Man was a protector, a symbol for justice, the black and white spider-man has nothing but vengeance in his heart. 

The Civil War story also leads into the Secret Invasion storyline, where a shit ton of skrulls impersonate superheroes now that Earth is vulnerable. In Spider-Man Far From Home, we get hints that there may be some kree agents impersonating humans, and perhaps a hint to that Back in Black storyline, although I doubt that would get as dark. the reason I'm bringing Secret Invasion up at all is because it's resolved by Norman Fucking Obsorn shooting the skrull queen in the god damn face. I don't remember how he managed it. the guy dresses up like a skrull all the time, so maybe he just wrinkled the chin on his goblin mask and waltzed on in, figuring Skrulls would never expect someone to impersonate them. but what is super important is that this caused the god damn green goblin to be allowed to run the next friggin set of Avengers.

y'all remember Iron Patriot from Iron Man 3? that was originally Norman Osborn, wanting to merge the styles of the two leaders of the Avengers so that he could be a big dick hero. He had his name run through the mud, and rightly so because he’s an asshole who clones people just for shits and giggles. but he wanted to change how the people perceived him. He got it in his head that he could be a better superhero than Spider-Man. After the Secret Invasion, they had the Dark Reign, where Osborn hired a bunch of supervillians to impersonate the old Avengers team. Wolverine was replaced by his son, Daken, wearing a wolverine suit, while Bullseye got to wear Hawkeye's suit, and venom got to impersonate Spider-Man.

Now, there's also an extra twist in this that connects to the MCU. At the time of the Dark Reign, it wasn't Eddie Brock or Flash Thompson bonded with the Venom Symbiote, it was Mac Gargan. The Scorpion. the guy who got put in jail in Homecoming, and said he had guys on the outside that would kill Spider-Man and his family once they got his name. Well they sure have his name now! I doubt Gargan would become venom just for the Dark Reign storyline, but I can see him getting into the scorpion suit just to go kill Peter. It was originally designed to be an anti-spider-man weapon, and in the Ultimate Comics Scorpion was even a Clone of Peter. So Scorpion being the evil mirror of Spider-Man could work. The suit would give him similiar strength and speed. Osborn could still hire Mac Gargan as his official Spider-Man stand in, and since Spider-Man is labeled as a terrorist, they don't even need to pretend he's Spider-Man, just someone like Spider-Man for theming or branding purposes.

hell, we might have already even seen the Scorpion suit, or at least part of it. Spider-Man keeps his Iron Spider suit in a fancy containment chamber in his house, and never even puts it on in Far From Home. I assume it's an emergency only suit for him. Since the baddies know who he is, it would be pretty easy for someone to break in and steal it, if they know what they're looking for. A few tweaks and a new paint job later,  Spider-Man is fighting a viscious killer who's wearing the suit that helped him fight aliens a short while ago. the spider-legs in the back could be rebuilt into a tail, perhaps by a Doctor Otto Octavious...

Now, that's how the Dark Reign started. you know how the Dark Reign Ended? Thor came back to Earth after Asgard's destruction, with his entire floating city.  Norman framed one of the Asgardians for the destruction of a stadium full of people. Then he led Hammer, which had replaced Shield at the time, on a full on war against New Asgard. 

All the pieces are in place for this storyline to commence. New Asgard is in Norway. The Avengers are mostly either retired or passed on. Spidey's framed. Skrulls and Kree are running around Earth playing Guess Who. Osborn probably already bought Stark Tower during the Blip timeskip.  If they bring Task Master in for Black Widow to fight, he could wear the Hawkeye suit. Although I’d love to see Bullseye in this sort of movie... hell I’d also love to see Taskmaster copy all of Black Widow and Captain America’s moves. Maybe Taskmaster could secretly be a woman who was part of the Red Room stuff? that would be pretty neat for a Black Widow movie...

What I'd especially like to see from the MCU version of Norman Osborn is them introducing him as a guy who wants to be a hero, trying so hard to be both Iron Man and Captain America. It would be a great superhero tragedy if he really believed in Iron Man’s dream of a suit of armor around the Earth, but he became a dictator. Maybe he thinks he's created the next Super Soldier Serum, but it turns out to be the Goblin Serum instead. He could test it on himself, and it could amplify his already present violent tendencies.

[cosmotalia]

The Kitsune

The Kitsune, or "the watchfoxes" as they are fondly called, are a group of 13 powerful beings created by all the Sentinels. They are one of the few creation created by all the Sentinels at once and are said to be powerful as a result. They are seen as primarily guardians but have a reputation as wishmakers.

Previous: Appointment of the Kitsune

Next: The Rescue of the Great Old Ones

The Kitsune, or "the watchfoxes" as they are fondly called, are a group of 13 powerful beings created by all the Sentinels.  They were created to watch Saturnia for evil and alert the Sentinels when they found it. In later times, they'd serve as an alert system for them if a truly destructive evil came to Saturnia. They also serve to be another protection to Saturnians, who they see as family.

Another curious aspect of them is their status as wish granters. It is said each Kitsune rests in a hidden place, asleep yet awake. If someone finds their hiding place and solves the riddle given, the Kitsune will face them and ask their intentions. A creature will good intentions will get their wish granted and may even earn a further boon if they are especially noble. A creature with evil intentions is punished but the exact punishment is unknown. Some suggest it varies, depending on the creature.

The Kitsune all look like foxes with nine tails followed by glowing orbs of "foxfire". Each looks a little different, based on their environment and element. While each is aligned under their respective Sentinel, each has a title. As they are largely mythical, it is unknown what their biology may be like. Due to the nature of their creation, many believe they do not need to eat or anything to sustain themselves.

To help protect Saturnians, they have a variety of abilities:

They can see into someone's heart and find their intentions, such as if their intentions are good or evil. Due to this, they can also sense evil which they have a very keen sense for. It is said if a truly evil creature steps into Saturnia, the Kitsune will instantly know.

They can grant wishes, but only if the asker's heart is pure. If it is not, it is said the asker will be instantly cursed but what this entails varies from tale to tale. Some say they instantly die, some say they are cursed with great misfortune, some say they are blinded and others say different.

They can shapeshift, appearing as anything they'd like to help fellow Saturnians. However, it is said they usually do not do this, as they find it uncomfortable.

They are followed by glowing orbs of light called "foxfire". No one is quite sure the purpose of them but theories hold that they are a source of power or a manifestation of their magic.

All thirteen Kitsune are named and are believed to be associated with a specific Sentinel. A list is below:

Reign is the Heaven Kitsune, aligned under Light. They are depicted as white with rainbow markings, white eyes, and rock protrusions like those at the Rainbow Rocks. It's said they rest somewhere near the Rainbow Rocks.

Hallow is the Void Kitsune, aligned under Darkness. They are depicted as purple-black with black and grey markings, black eyes and rock protrusions like those at the Inkine Rocks. It's said they rest somewhere near the Inkine Rocks.

Sheer is the Wind Kitsune, aligned under Air. They are depicted as silver with grey markings, grey eyes and a cloudy mane. It's said they rest somewhere in the Hymnalayas.

Gleam is the Terra Kitsune, aligned under Earth. They are depicted as light green with leaf green markings, bronze eyes and bamboo growing from their fur. It's said they rest in the Bamboo Forest.

Combust is the Flame Kitsune, aligned under Fire. They are depicted as red with yellow, orange and black markings, orange eyes and a flaming mane. They are said to rest in Spice Peak.

Pelagy is the Ocean Kitsune, aligned under Water. They are depicted as teal with cyan markings, blue-grey eyes, a watery mane, and a shell on their face. It is said they rest under the Keltrick Sea.

Creek is the River Kitsune, aligned under Ice. They are depicted as teal with blue and white markings, cyan eyes and reeds in their fur. It is said they rest under the Hississippi River.

Vert is the Forest Kitsune, aligned under Nature. They are depicted as russet with brown markings, green eyes and trees growing from their back. It is said they rest in the Lairwoods.

Arc is the Mountain Kitsune, aligned under Metal. They are depicted as brown with lighter brown markings, orange eyes and rocks in their fur. It is said they rest in a hidden peak in the Hymnalayas, Secret Peak.

Vanic is the Thunder Kitsune, aligned under Lightning. They are depicted as yellow with blue markings, blue eyes and blue crystal protrusions. It is said they rest under the Cajump Swamp.

Twist is the Spirit Kitsune, aligned under Mind. They are depicted as purple with lavender markings, magenta eyes and gemstones in their fur. It is said they rest in the Heart of Saturnia with their sibling, Turn.

Turn is the Time Kitsune, aligned under Mist. They are depicted as green with light green markings, gold eyes and metal quills in their fur. It is said they rest in the Heart of Saturnia with their sibling, Twist.

Overture is the Music Kitsune, aligned under Sound. They are primarily mulberry with red markings, a flower marking on their back, yellow eyes and flowers in their fur. It is said they rest under the city of Purris in the Purris Highlands.

[killian-whump]

wyntereyez replied to your post: I know this is what writing fanfiction is for,...

YES! I see a lot of posts about how Killian is a mass murderer, probably far worse than Regina since he’s been around for centuries, but we have no way of knowing. And I just want to bang my head on the nearest desk and point out that we DO have proof in the form of his heart, which is BARELY dark.

Honestly, I find the whole “comparison” of Rumple, Regina and Hook’s evil-doings and redemption arcs to be ridiculous and maddening. The three of them are different stories. They’re not meant to be the same.

Killian’s redemption is about someone deciding to follow his “good” heart, even though it’s hard and even though it might lead to him getting hurt, instead of taking the easier (and safer) path of darkness. That’s why his redemption is so much simpler and merely “triggered” by something as banal as a new relationship or a new baby - something to make him decide to be a better man, because he’s always been capable of it and just needed to DO it.

Regina’s presented as a worse case - similar to Killian in the need for revenge and the self-loathing that turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but she internalized the darkness so much more than he did. It literally became part of her and formed much of who she was. That’s why her heart has consistently been shown as a maroon MIX of red and black, and why her redemption arc was so much longer and more meaningful. She didn’t just have to decide to be good like Killian did. She had to make that decision... and then re-learn how to exist in the world, re-form who she was at her core, because she’d built so much of her own self around that darkness. That’s why her ultimate redemption came when she finally faced the fact that both of these personas, the Evil Queen and her new Hero self, were BOTH her... and she made peace with that. Literally and figuratively.

Rumple is presented as the worst of them all, with a black heart with only the tiniest speck of red. He has lost himself so completely to the darkness, he is presented more or less as a worst case scenario to illustrate just how bad things can get. He repeatedly tries to redeem himself and completely fails, falling back into the quagmire of evil and swimming around with great gusto. It’s only until the very end of S6 and S7 that he really tries for actual redemption. And he makes it... but only at the very end, when he makes the ultimate sacrifice and gives up his life for someone else, thus purifying his black heart entirely. True Love alone didn’t do it. Love for his children didn’t do it. His own will didn’t do it. And yet, that tiny spark of light in his heart, that tiny spark of red that still remained buried in all that blackness, still did the right thing at the final moment and ended his own reign of terror. Again, literally and figuratively.

They’re three different stories meant to impart three different lessons. Killian is meant to show the audience that it is never too late to cast aside facades, follow your heart and be who you really are. Regina is meant to show the audience that it is never to late to start over again, to get a second chance to become a better person and live a better life. Rumple is meant to show the audience that it’s never too late, no matter how badly or how consistently you’ve fucked up, to do the right thing when it really counts.

Three different stories. Three different lessons.

Stop comparing them like they’re meant to be equal.

[evl-qn]

* ᵂ ᴵ ᵀ ᴴ / ' @haloclubs, starter.

" And if I say no? " Humour glints in her dark eyes, the pull of her smile foreign in it's sincerity as she backs away from him, maintaining their distance, just out of his reach. In her hands, claimed with the Queen's quick snatch, is a dagger. His, left unattended on the floor of her bedroom among a collection of his things she's left alone, stealing ONLY the knife she now twirls between her fingers. Handle is delicately turned over as the point presses lightly into her fingertip, and Regina grinned wickedly, a brow gracefully risen at his request for it's return. Instead, she moves both her arms behind her, the dagger held at the small of her back. " Mine now. "

[tisfan]

But Not to Me

Chapter One and Two

Chapter Three

Ahch-to - midnight

Tony Stark, the last of the Jedi order, shook himself awake. Even now, decades from his long-ago and wasted youth, the habit remained. He rose every day, across the galaxy, when the first of Tattooine’s binary suns would rise, shedding crimson light over the sands of the desert wastes.

I do not like Tatooine, but I do like saying Tatooine.

Oh, Rhodey, old friend, how I do miss you, Tony thought. He opened the door to the small village hut that he’d chosen for himself. Rocks and stone, the door built from timber the likes of which his limited childhood imagination would never have believed.

He stepped over the boy -- well, man, really, but as guileless as a boy -- who was sleeping, curled up, near the sheltered side of the door. He was shivering, even in his sleep, and Tony viciously suppressed a twinge of sympathy. Hadn’t he, too, been cold, when he first left the sands of home.

And what was it, he wondered, about desert wastelands that they seemed to produce Jedi? Was it a lack of living things, so far between them that the natural habits of man to reach out, to connect, led to firmer, and stronger connections. So used to a lack of water, a lack of life, that once in the larger universe where such things were plentiful, they were powerful?

Bah. Power was useless.

Power was worse than useless. It was dangerous.

He pressed one hand against his arc-reactor.

He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil.

“Yeah, and what does that make me?” Tony demanded of the empty air around him. Only the loth-cats were interested in the question, but they didn’t know the answer.

He trudged all the way down the stairs to the Falcon. Couldn’t Rogers from Nowhere have found a better place to land?

The ship was beautiful, lithe and streamlined and filthy and falling apart, the way it always was. Tony wondered if it had ever been new. He boarded. Nothing, seemingly, had changed. It had fallen into greater disrepair. Even the old Dejarik board was broken. The little monsters that had once had their reign of the concentric circles that made up the gameplay space, were gone.

Tony sat at the bench, feeling the old memories seeped in the duriplas and carbosteel. Little snippets of conversation.

How he had loved this ship.

How he had lived for this ship.

Once. Before he’d come to Ahch-to to die.

There was a faint scrape, wheel against metal.

DUM-E clattered into the lounge, a very old blender in his claw, the fire extinguisher resting against the base of his arm-platform. He made an inquisitive noise and sat the blender down in front of Tony.

“Old friend,” Tony said, running one hand down DUM-E’s support strut. “You’re holding up well.”

DUM-E clawed for the extinguisher.

“Aaaah, uh-uh-uh, yeah, no, buddy,” Tony said. “Nothing’s on fire, here.” There was no fire. There was no spark left in Tony. Nothing remained of that boy, the one who thought hope could fix anything.

DUM-E nudged the blender at him.

“Wish I could make you understand,” Tony said. “It’s all worthless. Good, evil, light, dark. Eventually, entropy takes over, and nothing orderly and good comes out of it. It’s over. The Jedi Order, the Republic, the Rebellion, it’s all just--”

DUM-E knocked the smoothie over into Tony’s lap.

“Cheap move, buddy,” Tony sighed. “It doesn’t matter what you do, or say. I’m staying here. There’s no hope left in the galaxy. There’s no point.” He knew that he was actively trying not to care, that he was forcing everything down in him that wanted to rise up, to help the galaxy. Innocent people would die by the billions with Pierce’s Hydra in charge.

But it was hard to know who to trust, it was hard to extend that hope again, just to watch it all crumble to ash.

DUM-E nudged him again. In his claw -- and the Force only knew where he’d gotten it from -- was the old arc-reactor. The one that Pepper had sealed in clear duriplas. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

Steve woke with a start. He was cold, he was damp, and the ground was hard as stone under him. The ground was stone, under him. He really should have gone back down to the Falcon to sleep.

“Get up. At dawn, you’ll get the first of three lessons and I’ll tell you why the Jedi Order should end. You deserve that much. Fury deserves that much.”

Tony stalked away, his robes swirling around him.

Steve scrambled to his feet, looking this way and that in the pre-light, silver grey and merciless. What had changed his mind?

“What… what about breakfast?”

“Do you cook?”

Steve shrugged. “A little,” he admitted. “I can make coffee.”

“You brought coffee with you?”

Steve nodded. “It’s back on the Falcon,” he said. “Do you--”

“Yes.” Tony slammed the door again, leaving Steve talking to the ancient wood. The loth-cat nearby made a purring, inquisitive noise, and yow’ed a few times, like it was laughing at Steve.

“Oh, shut up,” Steve told it. It didn’t listen. It also didn’t go away. The cat followed Steve all the way down the stairs (dear suns and moons, why why why were there so many stairs?) and into the Falcon, where Steve rummaged through the pods he’d brought.

DUM-E was cleaning the floor, a mop in his claw.

“Are you doing something useful?” Steve asked him. “Did you see him? Did Master Stark come down in the middle of the night to talk to you?”

DUM-E turned, whapped Steve over the head with the broom. Beeped.

Stop asking stupid questions and get what you came for.

“Sacred island, bot,” Steve told him, rubbing his head. That stung. “Watch the language.”

If a bot could look condescending, DUM-E had managed it.

Steve packed the bag and headed back up the stairs. His asthma seemed to leap out of the mist and grass to see how he’d been doing without it, and he had to stop to dig through the bag for the medication the FX-7 had given him before he’d left the fleet. It worked, but like everything, left him dizzy and floaty feeling. And with the inevitable dread that this would not be the last time.

Climb finished, fire started, coffee made. Tony sipped from the mug with no evident delight, but the way his hands curled around the ceramics made Steve smile. Bucky had been like that, too. Hostile to daylight, until the rich liquid worked its way into his system. The smile faded as he remembered that there might be a reason for that. Bucky had been Tony’s student, once.

Before Pierce. Before Hydra.

“Tell me, Steve Rogers from nowhere,” Tony said, when his cup was empty. “What is it you know about the force?”

“Um,” Steve scrambled to get to his feet, to look competent, and eager. A worthy student. “It’s a power the Jedi have that… they can use to control people. And… make rocks float.”

“Wow,” Tony said, eyes widening as if he was impressed. “Every word you just said was wrong.”

Steve scowled. The sarcasm really wasn’t necessary.

“Okay, up here, sit down, close your eyes,” Tony said, patting an old and crumbling stone, covered with moss and bits of broken rock.

Steve obeyed with alacrity. At last! Someone to teach him… something. Anything. He hated being so confused and lost all the time, with everyone looking at him like they expected great things. He was just a kid from Brooklyn.

“Reach out--”

There was nothing, but Steve pushed his hand out into the air. Something tickled against the edge of his fingers. “Do you feel it?”

“Yes, yes, I feel--”

“That’s the Force, right there--”

“Really--”

Something sharp and thin slapped the back of his hand, like an angry teacher at school, scolding him for holding his pencil wrong. “No. Idiot.” There was Tony, hold a green reed and Steve, like the greenest of fools, had…

“Oh,” Steve said, embarrassed. “You mean reach other the other way.”

“With your feelings,” Tony said, eyes rolling.

“I’ll try again,” Steve said. Tony grabbed the hand that was still outstretched, pushed it onto the rock, fingers tented out.

“With your feelings, reach out. What do you see?”

Steve strained. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, right up until it wasn’t.

“The island.”

“And beyond the island?”

“The planet, the galaxy. Green and growing things. Life. Below it, death and decay. That in turn gives way for new life. Me. Bucky… light. Darkness.”

“And between those things?”

“A… balance. An energy. A… a force.” Steve reached. The blackness that was Bucky, standing proud and tall, his hand outstretched to take everything-- “Darkness.”

“Fight it, Steve.”

“It’s calling me,” Steve protested. “Bucky’s calling me. He needs help--”

“The Winter Soldier is beyond help,” Tony said, bitterness cracking his tone. “He’s--”

“He needs me,” Steve insisted. He reached for Bucky, reached--

Darkness grabbed him with cold hands, pulling him down in the planet, promising him answers, ease to his pain, comfort. Home.

“STEVE!”

Steve opened his eyes with a gasp. The ground under him cracked with the strain, a sharp report like a blaster going off.

“The darkness in you,” Tony said, “calls to him. And you don’t even try to fight it.” Disgusted. “The Force isn’t a power the Jedi have. It’s arrogance to think the end of the Jedi would do anything to the Force. It’s just… there. Like gravity and light and inertia and entropy. It no more lifts the rock than a lever does. It’s a tool. And you’re a fool.”

Tony stormed off again and Steve didn’t even have the strength to chase after him.

Chapter Four

Ahch-to - mid-afternoon

Steve wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, now. Master Stark wasn’t speaking to him again, and he was bored and restless.

He took up his weapon and did some practice. If nothing else, he needed to be better. He’d barely beaten back the Winter Soldier last time they’d squared off. While Master Stark might be unwilling to teach him the ways of the Force, Steve knew enough, felt it in his bones, that he would face the Winter Soldier again.

There were many places on the island that seemed designed for Force practice. Each was seeped with lore, deep in the soil and the rocks. Steve placed his feet just so, and seemed to hear voices telling him to move, just a bit, swing from the hips. A flash of children, learning there. The shape of the rock spoke of blows landed on the target.

The lightsaber called to him, and Steve didn’t bother to resist that call either. If Master Stark wanted him to learn control, he’d control the things around him.

He swung, listening to the high pitched buzz, the deep and deadly thrum of the weapon in his hand.

Steve loved it.

He wasn’t sure why, or how. The thing that had frightened him so much the first time he’d ever seen it seemed to become one with the end of his arm, seemed to be his. He practiced as the sun set over the water.

Finally, sweaty and exhausted, he turned to see Master Stark walking away. Had the Jedi been there the whole time? Steve couldn’t feel him with the Force, not the way he could feel everything else. Somehow, Master Stark had cut himself off from the Force, had sealed himself away.

Steve sighed and followed Master Stark up the hill.  (Honestly, what Steve wouldn’t give for a damn hoverbike around here?)

“Lesson two,” Master Stark said, as Steve approached, without even looking around. Stark’s cutting himself off from the Force hadn’t seemed to affect his ability to use it. “Now that they’re almost extinct, they’re romanticized, deified. If you strip away the legend, the few good deeds, and a really good catch-phrase, the legacy of the Jedi is failure, hubris. Hypocrisy.”

“That’s ridiculous, it’s not true,” Steve protested, but he was already doubting. What did he know of the Jedi? What did anyone know of the Jedi.

“It’s absolutely true,” Master Stark said. “At the height of their power, the Jedi allowed the Red Skull to rise, allowed Hydra to be formed, and everything resulted in the extreme sanction of the Jedi and most of their allies. They failed.”

“And you turned the tide,” Steve burst out. “Rebuilding, the futurist. Learning from our mistakes and moving on. Isn’t that the whole point?”

“Maybe,” Master Stark admitted. “The Avengers initiative, a handful of extraordinary people, to fight the battles that the rest of the galaxy never could. A grand idea, and like all grand ideas, doomed to failure as soon as real people got involved. As soon as the Winter Soldier got involved.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, my mistakes, I could count them for a decade and still never run out,” Master Stark said. “The Winter Soldier… he was… well, in those days, he was just Bucky Barnes. Earnest and strong, good arm, good eye. Good heart. I made the worst mistake. I fell in love.”

“What?” Steve’s voice went high and tight on him.

“Legendary Force Master,” Master Stark sneered, but it seemed he was sneering at himself more than Steve. “Too old to begin the training. The Jedi aren’t supposed to love, not individually. Not… not like I loved Bucky. He was beautiful, he was talented. He was funny, and sweet, and dedicated. I didn’t see the harm in it. We were in love. And because we were in love, I couldn’t kill him. And because I couldn’t do that… all of this. This happened. Because I was a fool. Because I didn’t know what I was doing and I thought I did. Because… because I didn’t try hard enough to be what the galaxy needed. Tony Stark, billionaire, genius, Jedi, playboy. Idiot. The whole galaxy is suffering because I had to play god.”

“What happened?”

Master Stark shook his head. “Pierce got to him, somehow. I don’t know. Tempted him. I sensed darkness in him, sometimes, while we were training. Anger. I thought it could be tempered. I was wrong. I went to confront him, had a vision. Terrible things, terrible things that he would do. By the time I said something, it was too late. He was already the Winter Soldier. My Bucky, my love, my life, he was gone. I didn’t know how to save him. He turned on me. Pulled the Temple down around my head. I guess he thought I was dead. Took a handful of my students, slaughtered the rest. Went to join Hydra.”

Stark sighed, sat down on the meditation platform. “I blamed Pierce, at first. Hydra. Everyone, except the one person who was at fault. Me. I failed him. I failed to protect him. I didn’t do enough, and he was vulnerable, and I let it go, because I loved him, and in the end, all I did was drive him away, let someone else turn him into a nightmare. The last time I saw him, he hated me. Hated everything that I was, everything I stood for. Everything we’d been together. The galaxy is where it is because I couldn’t do enough. I couldn’t love him enough to give him a reason to hold on.”

“He failed you,” Steve said, very gently. “But it’s not over. I can feel conflict in him. He wants to come home. He’s drawn to me, to you, to the Light.”

“That’s dangerously arrogant,” Master Stark said. “You think you can bring him back and all he’s doing is pulling you toward him. You see the closeness, how you’re standing near each other, and you fail to realize -- he’s the one with the knife.”

The Winter Soldier stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his hips. “Is privacy not a thing for you?”

The boy, Steve, was there. “Believe me, I’d rather do this at another time.”

The Winter Soldier rolled his eyes and went on with his routine. He had wounds to think of, care to take. His arm vented a few times, letting water drain out onto the floor. The servos whined and twitched as the systems came back online.

“You’re not doing this,” the Winter Soldier said. “You’re not trained well enough, the effort would kill you. It would stop your heart to try to reach halfway across the galaxy, to what? Spy on me when I’m in the bath?” His mouth twitched, a little. Vaguely, he remembered. Gentle hands that cradled his skull, that sifted through his hair. There you are, snowflake. A fond voice. The Winter Soldier thrust it away, he wasn’t that man anymore. If he’d ever been that man to start with.

“I thought you were doing it,” Steve said. He held out one hand. “Why won’t you just come home and let us help you?”

“Us? Who is us?” the Winter Soldier demanded, gnashing his teeth together. Jealousy filled him; Steve was there, with Tony. They were us? “Did he tell you what happened? What he tried to do-- he tried to kill me. He doesn’t care about you, Steve. You should… you should go, before something happens to you.”

“No, no, Bucky. We’re trying to help you, we just--”

“Did he tell you what happened, that night?”

“Yes.”

The Winter Soldier reached, pulled at the connection between them. “No, he didn’t,” he said, finally. “He lied. Trying to protect himself, even now. The truth… depends on our point of view? Is that what he said? That we cling to ideas, reframed and represented… from a certain point of view?”

“He told me enough, he told me you tried to kill him, that you slaughtered your fellows at the Temple. He had a vision, he told me. Of what you would do.”

The Winter Soldier shook his head, let himself laugh. It wasn’t funny, it had never been funny.

“Of what he would drive me to do!” The Winter Soldier burst out. “He didn’t trust me! He came to me, full of rage, full of anger, full of fear! He saw that I would kill his parents, and he tried to stop it. He came to me, his lover, his friend, his beloved… with a weapon in hand, intent on murdering me in my sleep? What was I supposed to do? I fought back, because that’s what you do. You don’t ask why, when someone comes to kill you. You fight back.”

“You’re a liar.”

“And you’re clinging to ideals from the past,” the Winter Soldier said. “Let the past die. It’s over, it’s done. Kill it and put it out of its misery.”

Steve was weeping, and the Winter Soldier wanted to reach for him, to curl himself around that warm body, to find solace in love. He’d missed that, so much. Missed holding another person, caring about them. Having someone else who loved him.

“Let it go,” the Winter Soldier said, “and become what you are meant to be.”

Mine.    

[corellian-smuggler]

The thing is that every single choice made in the movie was a deliberate attempt to obliterate the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker, the hero we all were waiting for and have loved for decades, the man who no matter what never lost hope or faith or gave up on his loved ones or his family or stopped believing in the Light? Whose entire character arc CULMINATED in his statement, “I am a Jedi, like my father before me,” was entirely unrecognizable. Instead we learn that despite the events of the OT, he almost murdered his nephew in his sleep—an act so disgracefully out of character that I literally CRIED. Instead of the hero we all know and love, they wrote that into the script explicitly to give Kylo Ren a more “sympathetic” back story—so they literally cared more about getting the audience to sympathize with and excuse the actions of a fascist murderer than they cared about the legacy of and integrity of Luke Skywalker, without whom they wouldn’t even HAVE a franchise to screw up. In addition to this, Luke has turned his back on his sister—not even willing to help her when she’s begging for him to come back or when he learns that Han Solo is dead, despite the fact that one of his defining qualities in the OT is his outright refusal to abandon Leia and his intense love for and loyalty to her to the extent that it’s the threat against HER—not against the galaxy or against himself—that causes Luke to almost lose control of his anger in ROTJ. They LITERALLY threw away the Skywalker legacy; Luke literally throws away the lightsaber like it’s pathetic, worthless garbage. This moment was not only significant within the context of the film—it had powerful implications for the audience. It was literally saying, “this lightsaber and all it represents is trash.” It was taking something we treasured—Luke’s journey and triumph—and spitting on it in front of our faces. What was the whole point of the original trilogy, of Luke’s story, if this is how the new film treats it? And add to that that he is portrayed as a grumpy, isolated, selfish coward too absorbed in self-disgust and self-absorption (as a result of the WILDLY out of character act of wanting to kill his nephew, by the way) to care about his family, or to try to at least RIGHT HIS WRONGS. He was dedicated to protecting the galaxy and now his own angst matters more to him than the fact that he alone had the power to stop the First Order from blowing up planets and enslaving and everyone, and as a result of his vanity and cowardice, that is exactly what happens. The new republic capital system is obliterated and, as the crawl informs us, “the First Order reigns” and now his nephew has become the next Emperor. Kylo Ren’s corruption just by nature of his existence in the story as a member of the Dark Side is already against the very point of the original trilogy—it’s basically blasphemy—but to try to insinuate that it’s partially Luke’s fault, and then that he doesn’t even try to make it right? There are no words for how disgraceful that is. And our hero whose greatest victory was that moment of becoming a Jedi at last spends a good hour telling the audience how stupid he was, how the Jedi should end, how he’s a failure and how we should not look upon him as a hero or hold dear his journey to our hearts. The film mocks him and does everything in its power to mar the beauty and goodness of the original trilogy, bending over backwards to say, “Luke was a blinded, self-absorbed fool and now look where he is.” This was deliberate. They invalidated the original trilogy on purpose.

And even at the end of the film when Luke finally tries to help, he is still out of character the entire time, telling Leia that there’s no hope, that he won’t try to save her son—even though supposedly (though I will never accept it, it is an Untruth) it’s Luke’s fault that her son fell. And then, after buying time for his sister to escape, Luke dies an old, broken down man who had lost his faith and his purity of spirit and his dedication to his family, alone as a hermit after having spent years in self-imposed exile so he could have a pity party and let the galaxy crumble and his sister suffer. Don’t be fooled. Rian Johnson and Lucasfilm knew that this was not Luke Skywalker. Anyone with half a brain can see that they systematically stripped him of every single thing that made him Luke Skywalker, right down to stating that he could find peace in death finally now that he’s had purpose, indirectly telling us all that he’d been a failure until then and that the events of the original trilogy, which the audience had been told throughout the course of the film were a farce—were inconsequential, and that the only path left to him was to sacrifice himself to just barely try to “redeem” himself for being such a failure and a coward and a piece of shit.

This is all, of course, in conjunction with Han and Leia’s son being a cold-blooded and deranged killer who embraces and represents EVERYTHING that his parents and uncle fought to destroy. This is in addition to Han and Leia’s love story being entirely invalidated, as well, with their marriage ending in estrangement and misery, with JJ Abrams stating in interviews that the two of them were incompatible and never have worked out. This is in addition to Han’s whole arc being ignored and him being reduced to a selfish smuggler again—his son is running around being not only a Space Nazi but basically the right-hand Space Nazi and is singlehandedly murdering countless people in the name of the First Order and his wife is all alone and in constant danger fighting a war with no help and trying to get their son back, and Han Solo just decides to traipse around “swindling people” and reverting to little more than petty crime instead of wanting to help or protect his wife or find Luke or do literally anything about what was happening. This was done despite the fact that Han was selfless and brave at every single turn of the OT, and that his whole story was about devoting himself to his friends and risking his life to save them and admitting that he’s not an apathetic criminal but a hero who is willing to go toe to toe with Vader himself to protect Leia, to save the galaxy, to do what’s right. And they stripped him of that entire arc and painted him as selfish and wrote his relationship with Leia as futile and miserable and resulting in the monster who is destroying the galaxy.

Leia has now lost EVERYTHING. She lost her entire PLANET in the OT, and found a family and solace in the man she loved, in her brother, in her friends, and in the freedom and democracy she almost singlehandedly brought to fruition, and they ripped all that away from her. They destroyed the New Republic and also made it a point to DISCREDIT HER, to let us all know that the no one was even taking her seriously about the First Order anyways. They made Han leave her side even though her safety was his top priority from every single moment in the OT as soon as they met. They cast a black shadow on her marriage to let us all know that they were doomed to fail and suffer, and then they killed Han Solo to serve Kylo Ren’s story just like they sacrificed Luke to that same story, ruining Leia’s life further in the process. They made her son be evil. They made Luke abandon her so that she didn’t even have her brother there by her side, and then they killed him too. So Leia has NOTHING. They made it a point to tell us that not one single person in the galaxy was willing to come to Leia’s aid when she uses her personal code to send a distress signal. They even stripped her of her NAME. No no no, this isn’t Princess Leia. She’s GENERAL ORGANA and you’d better accept it.

Let the past die, because we’re murdering it.

That’s what the sequel trilogy has done. They have deconstructed every single victory the OT had, made the heroes miserable at every chance they got, stripped them of all the best qualities of their characters, systematically undid every single part of their happy ending, and then even took it a step further to not only make it so that they didn’t win, but to make it seem that their actions—what had until now been victories—were actually “vanities” and indirectly blamed them for every single bad thing that’s happened since. Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm did everything in their power to ruin the original trilogy to such an extent that it is IMPOSSIBLE that it wasn’t deliberate.

These movies are not Star Wars.

[kathyprior4200]

Docile

Docile sang a somber soft song as he walked out of his work building.

 “You were the sweet little angel with the bleach blonde hair

Carin’ and sharin’ when I caught your stare

Thought friendship would last, but life went too fast

Confidence in the black, I didn’t look back.”

 “Sang in choirs together and bathed me in light

Helped calm me down when I looked for a fight

You were radiant in your kindness and glow

Now I’m a dry sexless elf with nowhere to go”

 “You loved me like Jesus, yes

Not caring that I wasn’t the best

I wanted to be tough, but it wasn’t enough

I admit I was wrong

 So long.”

 Docile stopped as he spotted a swan princess Quartet singing a happy song.

 “My World Is Shining All Around Me!

My deep joy is what surrounds me, yeah!

The light life

I feel so happy

Free of hate and strife

I love you, dad.

You can always change

You’re honest

It’s never the same

It’s not a phase

It’s not a phase

Mom, I swear it’s not a phase

My World Is Shining All Around Me!

My deep joy is what surrounds me, yeah!”

Docile shrugged and continued on his way.

 He stopped short.

 “Holy spit,” Docile gasped. “Veronica?”

 “Docile,” Veronica replied with a small smile.

 Docile the elf stood still in his usual white work uniform, miniature rainbow grains of sand glinting among his bare feet. The ocean was a vibrant turquoise teal blue with flecks of gold on the surface. It was commonly called the Life Sea. (Rumor had it that beaches in Hell had black asphalt, red skies and blood red waters. The Dead Sea was the most popular.)  Heavenly seagulls with four small white wings squawked overhead while a few dolphins leaped in graceful arcs out of the water, clicking their hellos.

 Veronica was the same as Docile remembered: light blue skin and sparkling light blue eyes. Her hair was long and blonde, trailing almost past her waist. She wore a wavy white dress with gold frills and a few teal Xs and Os on it, along with golden glittery heels on her feet. A pair of white wings were folded behind her and a glowing white spiked halo hovered over her head.

 The two of them stepped closer, looking into each other’s eyes. It wasn’t necessarily romantic, but the feeling was strong. It was the feeling of seeing an old familiar friend for the first time…and wondering if they were really there.

 Veronica waved her hand in front of Docile’s face. “Heaven to Docile, I’m really here.”

 Docile grinned sheepishly, shaking his head a bit. “I…I can’t believe it. You’re really here.”

 Without another word, the two of them embraced. In that moment, both closed their eyes, feeling the warmth and energy of the other. They heard the ambience of the waves crashing onto the shore, the seagulls and a heavenly choir of cherubs in the distance.

 They parted and sat on two lounge chairs nearby. Veronica waved her hand and a sign read “Docile and Veronica: Reserved” on it.

 “You didn’t have to do that,” Docile remarked.

 “Might as well enjoy ourselves,” she replied, settling down in her spot. A large teal and white umbrella appeared behind them, shielding their heads from the sun. Veronica pulled out gold sunglasses and placed them over her eyes, enjoying the summer sun. Palm trees swayed in the breeze, dropping soft coconuts that looked like pom-pom balls.

 “Get out of that stuffy work uniform, won’t you?” Veronica asked. She hummed a tune to a love song. Even her humming would make the hearts of humans swell with adoration and happiness if they ever heard it. But unlike the lustful succubi and sinister sirens, the cherubs sang merely to spread love and joy.

 Docile, normally anxious to do his duties, merely sighed. He then revealed a small grin. “I hope you don’t mean what you may be thinking.” He slowly unbuttoned his white jacket, a wiggle in his eyebrow.

 Veronica laughed. “Goodness no.”

 Docile removed his jacket, teal collar, white gloves and blue undershirt, revealing a dark teal chest with black splotches on various areas. Waving his hands over his dark blue sclera eyes, a pair of sunglasses appeared with the frames shaped like golden harps.

 “My my,” Veronica exclaimed playfully, “The meticulous man actually has a sense of style and suaveness. Don’t make all the girls confess a bunch of new sins. They’ll forget the meaning of temperance seeing your form.”

 “Shut up,” Docile replied with a smile, sitting on the chair next to hers. “You know I’ve never been into any kind of sexual stuff. Plus it’s forbidden.”

 “Not if it’s for procreation and in the name of the Father,” Veronica mentioned. “Unlike sinners in Hell, we are free to enjoy ourselves.”

 “But I don’t want any kids yet,” Docile said. “I have work. Plus…there’s been a lot going on.”

 After a few moments, both of them stared at each other and said simultaneously, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

 Both erupted into giggles.

 “You first,” said Veronica.

 “No, you,” said Docile.

 “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Angel, Demon?”

 “How does that work?” Docile asked.

 “Scissors cut paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes scissors, angel beats demon, demon eats cock…erm, rock…”

 Docile raised an eyebrow and made a hissing noise. “No, no, no, too confusing. You go first.”

 “Okay,” Veronica said. She turned to him. “I…I really have missed you. I’ve been traveling around Heaven, often singing with my older sister, Kiva.”

 Docile grimaced. “Kiva’s your sister?”

 “Yeah,” said Veronica with a roll of her eyes and a look of annoyance. “She’s always been the self-righteous one. We’re both types of cherubs and are known for our singing and fame. But Kiva wants to take her fame to a new level. She’s gotten more attention than I have, and she’s basking in it! No one seems to care about what she has planned. As for me…well, nothing special really. I’ve been going on tour for a while, making new friends and trying to spread goodness to everyone. Not always easy but it’s still fun!”

 She conjured up a white shirt that read:

“Veronica’s Heaven Tour!

March 12 2021: Holy City, Humility.

March 19 2021: La Jophiella, Patience.

March 26 2021: Rapheal, Temperance.

April 2 2021: Donor City, Chasity.

April 9 2021: Ab-sin-ance, Chasity.

April 16 2021: Fidemville, Faith.

April 23 2021: Duty, Diligence.

Oct 28 2021: Fredrick, Maryland.”

 Veronica continued. “I haven’t seen you since…well…”

 “Since I joined the Exorcists via my parents’ request many years ago? Yeah…”

 Docile twiddled his thumbs. “I still regret that decision. I thought it would be a good way to get my foot in the door instead of doing all those mundane jobs all the time. I eventually got fired from it and after that…well, let me tell you what it was like first…”

 Docile still remembered training in the air with harpoons, spears, swords, shields and sometimes rifles decorated with Christian fish and crosses glowing in white. Although he had been a newbie, he had adapted fast. Docile had placed the gray horned smiling mask over his head, instantly growing taller and becoming stronger after pressing a button. Dark wings and a strong suit materialized over his body to fit him perfectly, artificial limbs merging with his own. Through the mask, he could see data, suit stats and heat signatures of all living things around him. There were also messages and a high definition view of his surroundings.

 “We do this every year for the greater good,” Archangel Michael had said to them as they got ready to fly through the portal. Michael paced back and forth in front of the Exorcists standing at attention. Docile nervously gripped his harpoon.

 “This holy crusade is one you have practiced many months for. Now the time has come to embark into the unknown with your brothers and sisters-in arms. Our job is to rid the population of evildoers as much as we can, so our citizens can feel secure and safe. It is our hope that Hell will eventually face its destruction and no more threat to our heavenly nation may loom upon us.”

 He continued with more fervor. “As the angels of death, you shall make your enemies fall and bring justice and righteousness to our land! The murderers, rapists, and heathens of your past will know their fate too late. Your ancestors will have peace and closure, knowing the evil will be cleansed for good. Songs of victory will be in your name. May your faith fly you forward! May the Lord’s Light illuminate your path! And may God be with you.”

 They all saluted and made the signs of the cross over their hearts as Michael waved his hand.

 The portal opened, revealing a hole of black and crimson.

 Docile flew through the portal, instantly seeing a red sky and being hit with a nasty odor. It was the odor of garbage, sulphur, smoke and pollution all in one.

 “So this is what Hell is like,” he thought.

 Docile soon learned that he was very wrong about those in Hell being red skinned vicious horned monsters wanting to corrupt all they saw. As he flew through the smog and the downtrodden meshed up buildings, he heard the discordance of screams. The Exorcists swooped down and started jabbing at the screaming denizens below. He could see traces of humanity and lots of fear in their eyes. The demons appeared strange, but they ran from the Exorcists like prey animals scrambling for their lives. He had been stunned that the Exorcists had mercilessly slaughtered everyone…even hounds, children and infants with no remorse. It had directly gone against “thou shall not kill,” thus questioning everything Docile had been led to believe.

 What was worse, however, was the fact that saints were killing sinners; former human was fighting former human. With psychotic glee, the Exorcists tore demons limb from limb, some dragging out their suffering. One demon was torn in two, while another was chopped into pieces, blood and viscera spraying in every direction.

 Some of his comrades let out mechanical devious laughs and taunts: “See that sinner scum explode!” “Die, devilish fiend!” “In the name of our Savior and all that is good!” “Our Heavenly kingdom shall reign forever!” “Come on, rookie elf! You’ll get left behind!”

 Of course, Docile did get left behind…after a demonic cat had led him to an abandoned theater where he almost met his end from a gang. After he was rescued and taken to a hospital in Heaven, he was instantly fired by Kiva.

 “After being ridiculed and shunned away, I joined a few choirs and even performed with my siblings Mia and Tia at the circus. I then decided to make E.L.F.” Docile explained to Veronica, after telling his story of being an Exorcist.

 “Whoa, you’ve been through a lot,” she mentioned. “I heard that Kiva got arrested on Earth, right?”

 “Yes. She wanted to bring a new Genesis to Earth.”

 “Brings me back to what I need to tell you. Verosika…I mean Kiva’s escaped and has gone back to Hell…I mean Heaven!”

 “Wait, what?” Docile stared in confusion. “You’re saying Kiva escaped?! How do you know?”

 “Archangel Gabriel sent the message. Kiva and her cherub crew are back…and apparently they’re searching for you.”

 Docile shivered inwardly.

 “Are you scared?” she asked.

 “No, just…concerned.”

 “I’ll be here to support you as much as I can. Just…please don’t leave me again.”

 “Okay.”

 “Do your parents still chide you for your choices?”

 “Sometimes. I’ve always wanted to be involved in theater and freedom but they never listen. So to help others and rebel a little, I formed E.L.F. to help heal humans. I want to show to everyone in Heaven that God really is good. It’s just that many angels in both Heavens have corrupted the system, turning Heaven into some elite club that only a few can enter. Everyone else is damned to Hell for the smallest errors.”

 Veronica stared in approval, brushing her long hair back. “Very impressive that you managed to keep hold of your business for so long.”

 Docile lowered his sunglasses, his eyes showing concern. “With Kiva coming back, I don’t know how long it’ll last. I’ve traveled to other worlds at least three or four times now in the past week or so. I’m surprised I haven’t been caught yet. Michael did let me off with a warning but I think it’s because he knows I’m trying hard. I’m one of few willing to travel to other worlds to try and do what’s right. But…”

 Veronica put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “But what?”

 “I d-don’t want to go down there forever.”

 His elf ears drooped as he spilled out one of his primal fears. “I think it’s only a matter of time. I couldn’t even save them. C.H.E.R.U.B. They’re already doomed. I can’t forgive myself.”

 “You have to be careful, Docile,” she said. “Forgiveness is a valuable process, not easy. Remember what Jesus taught us. It’s hard to forgive others but you also have to forgive yourself. This may be hard to hear, but you can’t save everyone. Maybe…not everyone deserves to be saved.”

 A brief silence.

 “I want to, though,” Docile confessed, tears forming. “It’s my duty…our duty to ensure life, liberty and everlasting happiness for everyone. This is paradise for Saint Peter’s sake!”

 “Unfortunately,” Veronica began, “There are things that even the Lord cannot comprehend. The cycle of good and evil has been going on since the dawn of existence. Without the communities of all these different worlds working together…I don’t think anything will ever change. The centuries-old system is designed for most humans to go to Hell and eventually perish by our kind. After humanity dies off in hundreds of years, Heaven will be the only world standing. And God’s review of his treasured creation will be complete. It gives the Exorcists jobs to do and keeps Hell in line via fear. Also, with humanity searching for eternal life and happiness thanks to C.H.E.R.U.B. and guardian angels appearing on Earth, their selfishness and stupidity naturally drags them down. The ultimate test of will and time.”

 “But surely God and Jesus can help us! They have to! They’d never let humans fail at their own games.”

 “No one really knows. Maybe God is too busy,” she said. “And perhaps He wants all of us to help ourselves. Angels, demons, humans…we’re all different yet not completely. He wants to see how we can collaborate together.”

 “Not very well in the grand scheme of things,” Docile admitted. “That’s what I have loved about you, Veronica. You are not afraid to speak your mind when you have to, just like me. It takes lots of courage to do so in such a pacifist society. You have a unique perspective that’s not present by many shallow sugarcoated denizens in Heaven. They get too wrapped up in their pleasures and pursuits to fully know what’s really going on. Not to mention humanity probably doesn’t even know that demons exist!”

 “They will eventually, if not already,” Veronica said. “And when they do, they’ll be quite terrified.”

 “I only hope we can help them before it’s too late.”

 “Same here, God willing.”  

 The two angels sat together in thoughtful tranquility as the world passed them by. What if Heaven, Earth and even Hell denizens were all just brainwashed sheep in the grand order of things?

 Finally Veronica stood up. “It was so wonderful to see you again in person,” she said. “Even though it wasn’t planned.”

 “Fate brought us together,” Docile said, standing up too.

 “Unfortunately, I gotta get back to my home in Chasity. I’m supposed to perform for a stuffy sex abstinence group and also a feminism empowerment group. Guess my music reaches a whole bunch of people. Pray that my sister doesn’t show up.”

 “I wish you the best of luck,” Docile said. “I hope to see you soon.”

 Veronica kissed Docile on the forehead and made a cross sign on his forehead. “Please don’t do anything reckless. May God be with you.”

 “May God be with you,” Docile repeated the gesture. They folded their hands in prayer before going their separate ways.  

 0 0 0

 The nightmares haunted Docile that night. He dreamt that he was being chased by a bunch of hungry figures. One of them was a laughing clown reminiscent of Bio-Rizz. His teeth were sharp and his evil laughter echoed in his ears. His eyes were empty black holes, his body burning in green flame.

 “Does anybody love you, Docileeeee?” he sang, emphasizing an “e” sound. “A prude. A loser. Docileeee!”

 Docile kept running as distorted carnival music blared around him. Metal black tentacles squeezed painfully around his chest and arms, pinning him in place. He felt himself being turned around and exposed by watching glowing eyes. He kept seeing spiral swirls and blinking stripes every which way.

 Free again, Docile saw ghostly white figures of Kiva, Veronica and his mother stand in the darkness. They stared accusingly at him as disfigured flying sheep played bloodstained instruments in the background.

 “You’re nothing but an incompetent failure,” Kiva remarked. “You call yourself a citizen of Heaven…your cowardly nature shouldn’t even be seen on our front steps!”

 “You will always be alone,” Veronica said in a low cold voice. “A clown. An impoverished fool. Searching for a dream that will never come true.”

 “An imp would be a better son than you,” his parents said, as they stepped forward.

 “No stop it!” Docile screamed. “That’s not true!”

 He pushed past them, assaulted by their taunts and jeers.

 Hurrying along, he felt himself drop and land on asphalt. He stood up and spotted Tirred, Timmid and Sunna. They all stood with their arms crossed, wearing glaring expressions.

 “You did this!” Tirred spat at him, mentioning to E.L.F. headquarters…or what was left of it. Flames licked and consumed the exterior, smoke turning the sky black. Several pieces of burning debris crumbled to the ground.

 Timmid was bawling, hands covering her face. “You’re a monster!”

 “No!”

 Docile’s bones turned cold as Sunna stared at him with pure unusual hatred.

 “You were never my dad,” she hissed. “I didn’t need you then and I don’t need you ever again!”

 Sunna took out white adoption papers and promptly tore them up with her claws. Docile tried to stop her, but his hand brushed right through her. On and on the shredding continued until the bits of white paper fell like snow onto the ground. Sunna stomped on the remaining pieces before trotting away.

 “Sunna, wait!” Docile cried, racing after her. But she soon grew farther away until his world filled with smoke.

 “Come and catch us!” cried a shrill voice. A blur darted by him, then another. Evil cackling rang out as bite marks appeared on his body.

 “Catch us if you can, elf man!” sang a figure. It was the face of Erebos. He held a flaming sword in one hand. Devvin held a spiked club and Dammna appeared behind him and burned his ears with a curling iron. Docile shrieked in terror as the Diablos came at him again. Docile felt his body turn to lead as the devils burned him, bit, hit and scratched in a ferocious frenzy. His blood turned red, black and golden as it erupted from him. Docile finally fell down Erebos’ mouth, struggling to breathe.

 Docile was briefly back at Samael’s palace but Samael wasn’t present. Instead, another elf stood with a rifle in his hand, standing before a carnage of corpses that littered the room. The corpses used to belong to the royal Ars Goetia demons. One of them was the main owl Stolas, his eyes blank, a bullet hole in his head.

 “Docile,” Soother said in a calm drawl, not looking at him. “Don’t you ever wish you could be something more? Living a life of no respect, in constant poverty and fear of being alone. No self-respecting elf should have to go through that. As Blitzo is part succubi, you’re part cherub. You have superior skill.”

 “Soother, this madness has to end. I already said…”

 Soother turned to face Docile, his teal face a snake’s face.

 “We could’ve done great things. You should’ve joined me when you had the chance. Now to finish my mission.”

 The snake snapped at Docile several times as he laughed in triumph. Docile plummeted again.  

 Docile landed at Heaven’s golden capital building, the Angelorium (opposite of Pandemonium). Above him and surrounding him was a council of stern white faced angels with golden eyes, paste-white faces and blonde hair, wearing elaborate robes. Some of the angels took on ethereal shapes and stars and galaxies. Others looked like many-eyed aliens with slender metallic eyeless faces and bendy bodies. Standing at a podium wearing a large white top hat was God himself, appearing as a large eye. He read aloud Docile’s sins for all to hear.

 “Disobeying Heaven’s rules about world-traveling. Sneaking out without permission. Almost destroying all worlds. Sympathizing with demon-kind. How do you plead, Docile?”

 “Not guilty!” Docile cried. There was a murmur of disagreement and disgust.

 “Has the heavenly jury reached a verdict?” He mentioned to angels with gravel heads.

 “We have, my Lord. On the account for the aforementioned offences, we find the defendant guilty.”

 “No, I’m not guilty! Listen!” Docile pleaded.

 But his words feel on deaf ears as two strong angels grabbed him by the arms and carried him out the door. He struggled in vain. “Let me go!”

 “I sentence you to eternal damnation for your crimes,” He said.

 “Stop! Stop! Let go of me!” Docile called.

 “Okay,” said one of the angels carrying him toward the edge. “We’ll do just that!”

 Docile was soon thrown harshly into the air, rapidly falling, falling, falling. The clouds vanished above him, while darkness and a red sky appeared. Docile screamed as both his wings caught on fire and crumbled away into ash. As he landed in a lake of fire, he felt himself drowning. Exorcists leered above him, tossing spears down toward him as he hastily tried to dodge. An angelic sword nearly missed his head as it landed in front of him and impaled a rock.

 A black mirror appeared in front of him and Docile could see his terrified expression. “I am forgotten,” was written in blood. A moment later, the reflected face shifted and turned red and white. Long curved striped horns grew and his ears vanished. His eyes and teeth turned yellow. He was soon looking at the face of an imp…an imp that was coping his every move! The imp in the mirror smiled sinisterly with golden teeth and said,

 “Welcome to Hell, fucker. Enjoy your stay.”

 Docile woke up in a cold panting sweat.

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 11/7/17

Happy New Release Day!

In Books --Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Volume 4 by Haruko Kumota “After Sukeroku’s expulsion, Kikuhiko’s path to stardom seems clear, but the idea of inheriting the Yakumo name is a cold comfort. Sukeroku, disgraced, makes the heartbreaking decision to put his art aside and take responsibility for his new relationship with Miyokichi. As years pass and distance grows, Kikuhiko decides it’s up to him to bring his friend back to the theater. His determination takes him to the country, where Sukeroku now lives with his spirited young daughter. Kikuhiko is ready to stay as long as he needs to convince Sukeroku, but old wounds may come back to haunt them both.”

I haven’t had a chance to pick up volume 3 yet because we did not get a copy in where I work. And I haven’t had a chance to order it yet either. 

--Fantastic Beasts Illustrated Edition When I first head about this illustrated edition I thought it was going to be of the movie Fantastic Beasts so I wasn’t very interested in this one. But it turns out it is for all of the creatures mentioned throughout the HP universe. Now I really want this one. Just not sure when I’ll be able to.

--My Hero Academia Volume 10 by Kohei Horikoshi “The League of Villains has kidnapped Bakugo, and the resulting negative publicity has thrown U.A. into a huge uproar. With the public’s trust in heroes threatened, the faculty convenes to figure out what to do. But Midoriya and the students of Class 1-A have plans of their own - an operation to rescue Bakugo that could get them thrown out of school.”

Picking up right where volume 9 ended. Midoriya and his crew try to take back Bakugo but fail. And a few pro heroes are lost in the conflict. After their recovery in the hospital some of Class 1-A devise a plan to legally (meaning without using their powers) to try and save Bakugo. Which sounds like a bad idea all around. 

It’s a really good volume that ends on an evil cliffhanger. I need volume 11 but that won’t be out till 2/6/18.

--Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks “Gaelan Starfire is a careful, quiet, simple farmer. He’s also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he’s worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fit for obscurity.

When Gaelan must take a job hunting down the world’s finest assassins for the beautiful courtesan and crime lord Gwinvere Kirena what he finds may destroy everything he’s ever believed in.”

I HAVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS MOMENT. I love Brent Week’s Night Angel Trilogy so when I heard there was a prequel novella I was pretty excited. Until I noticed it was ebook only; after a brief limited printing run that I found out much later on. But after waiting and waiting, it is back in print. Right when I was about to break down and buy it digitally. I am ecstatic to finally have it to go with the others. Now I just wish I had the trilogy in hardcover. I just have them in the mass market paperback box set. 

It includes the novella Perfect Shadow and a Night Angel short called I, Night Angel. 

--Renegades by Marissa Meyer “The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies - humans with extraordinary abilities - who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice - and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.“

From the author of the Lunar Chronicles series comes a new series. I really like the Lunar Chronicles. I recommend it a lot at work. Though I still need to finish it. Cress (book 3) has been sitting on my shelf for a little while but I’ve been trying to focus on the arcs I have. And have been failing. Anyway, I really like her other series and am excited to try out a new series by her.

--Twinkle Star Volume 4 by Natsuki Takaya “The second semester of school is starting, and Chihiro's kinder attitude toward Sakuya is making her heart race! When he recommends her a book to read, she's positively overjoyed. But on the way home from a night of stargazing with the Star Appreciation Club, Chihiro suddenly approaches her! What does he want to talk about...?”

After this just one more volume of this series should remain. I still haven’t had time to go past volume 1 of this series. I’ve had to put a lot of series on hold while I tried to cut back during the second half of this year. I will pick it back up again someday. Hopefully by next year.

In Movies/TV Shows --Cheer Boys “Catch an exciting new take on the high-flying team sport, inspired by a real all-male squad in Japan. When Haruki Bando and his friend Kazuma leave judo martial arts, no one would have guessed they would turn to cheerleading! Rocking the college campus with a killer routine, these amateurs manage to draw in a crowd and enough new members to compete in regionals.”

I started streaming this on Funimation during its season. I watched about half before I got into another gaming kick and haven’t picked it up again yet. I did like what I saw of it but it probably isn’t my favorite sports series. But I think it is still worth checking out. 

--Project Ito: Genocidal Organ “In Genocidal Organ, while developed countries rely on advanced surveillance to free them from the threat of terrorism, other nations are plagued by genocide within their own borders. Strangely, these massacres all link back to one American by the name of John Paul. Special agent Clavis Shepherd is sent to capture the target, but nothing can prepare this soldier—or the world—for the truth behind humanity’s darkness.”

The third and final Project Ito film. At least for now. I have been waiting on this one ever since the films were announced. I did watch Empire of Corpses and enjoyed it. Though I need to rewatch it soon because when I first watched it I was exhausted from work and kept having to rewind cause I kept nodding off for a few minutes at a time. I finally picked up Harmony a few months back but haven’t had time to start it yet.

--Revolutionary Girl Utena Set 2 “Utena and Anthy have become close during their time as roommates. So when Anthy casually mentions she has a brother, Utena can’t help but feel shocked. She thought she knew Anthy, but the longer she and Anthy are friends, the more she discovers she doesn’t know. What other secrets could Anthy be keeping? However, Utena won’t have time to dwell upon such matters. A new group of duelists has emerged from the shadows. These new challengers wear black rose signets and also seek revolution, but their methods are different than those of Ohtori’s Student Council. They don’t wish to possess Rose Bride. They are want kill her.”

Set 2 of the 20th Anniversary is now out. Contains episodes 13-24 of this great series. I have only seen it once all the way through. It is one of those series that you’ll have to watch over and over to get all the references and to catch all the imagery it contains. 

--Westworld S1 “Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged without consequence.”

Season 1 of this series is out today. I don’t have the channel that it is on so I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. I’ve heard nothing but great things about so I can’t wait to try it out sometime. Though I would like to watch the movie it is based on before I try out the show. I have heard the soundtrack before because we used to have it as an in-store-play where I work. It is an awesome soundtrack. It was a staff favorite and we played it a lot.

--Your Name “Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives until they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This occurrence happens randomly, and they must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection by leaving notes for one another until they wish to finally meet. But something stronger than distance may keep them apart.”

Was very disappointed when this came out in theaters because it never came anywhere close to where I live. I don’t think it played anywhere in my state for that matter. I did pick up a copy because I want to know if it really is worth the hype. I haven’t watched it yet because I decided to wait till my friend and I could get together to watch it together. 

There is a standard version (DVD and a combo pack) as well as an LE. The LE, “contains two-piece double-sided collectible chipboard box with rainbow holographic finish.” Like what they did for Death Parade’s LE. Which both are nice but makes me nervous that it would fall out if I picked it up wrong. It also comes with a 60 page art booklet, an art digipack, and a two disc OST. The second OST is shorter. It has five songs; if I remember correctly, that are sung in English by RADWIMPS.

[valkerymillenia]

Omg there's so much I want to talk about in TLJ that I don't even know where to start!

And my ships 😏 hehe I see what the authors are doing.

Red herrings everywhere.

Spoilers ahead.

These are random disjointed fangirlish thoughts on the movie that I have to spill out before I can become coherent again. Bare with me.

THE HUMOUR! So good and yet so well nuanced that it complemented the seriousness of the  movie very well.

GENERAL HUGS and SALT GUY need to be memes. I mean, c’mon guys, you know I’m right.

LEIA USING THE FORCE TO SAVE HERSELF, IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE! My gods, she always had so much potential and it’s good to see some of it finally being expressed. They built Leia up so well in this movie, so much development, I love it but now I’m so afraid of what they’ll do for ep IX without Carrie...

Billie Lourd having way more protagonism! The legacy continues.

WOMEN EVERYWHERE!  As many as the men and in equal posts! Thank you, gods! Also, POC everywhere! YES, THANK YOU!

Rose is freaking adorable and well written, the viewers form an instant connection with her through her sister and she has that innocent and wonder that we haven’t had since New Hope’s Luke.

Though Rose describing Canto Bight made me laugh because it was a perfect echo of Obi-Wan describing Mos Isley... In fact when she described it as an ugly horrifying place filled with the most despicable people, all I could think was ‘girl, you’ve clearly never been to Mos Isley’. Though in the end Canto Bight is more civilized but morally worse than Mos Isley so she’s not wrong.

Still wondering was the message Rey asked Chewie to give Finn...

Shipping wise... They're baiting us with Finn x Rose AND Finn x Poe AND Finn x Rey all at once. Interesting to see the guy being the center of a love tangle for a change. Anyway, they are clearly letting the audience chose how to interpret each relationship.

Now, I’m trying to analyze this without shipper goggles (yet) so...

Poe's body language is all over Finn who seems clueless, Poe just acts so differently around Finn compared to others, hell, he even acts possessive of Finn (the way he examines all of ‘naked and leaking’ Finn, and, his face when he meets Rose and slightly places himself between her and Finn- “Who’s this?”).

Rose kisses Finn but he doesn't kiss back, it's not even shock he just looks confused and more concerned with saving her. In sum- Rose's body language is all over Finn, even more explicitly than Poe (because heteronormativity and all) but once again Finn looks absolutely clueless of what others feel towards him.

The only times Finn's body language and attitude go beyond more than friendship and admiration are when it's related to Rey... Though then she’s the one whose body language only denotes platonic feelings.

I see what's happening- the authors are showing all these options as red herrings under our noses, which often happens in the middle of trilogies, all so the fans won't be able to guess what's coming. Hell, I could almost feel an asexual vibe from Finn and the Rose x Finn kiss echoes the red herring Leia x Luke kiss in ep V so much...

Personally I still ship stormpilot (though not averse to Rose and Poe sharing Finn but that will never happen and still prefer stormpilot), even though I openly admit that it's clear they wanted to show obvious Finn x Rey chemistry and some Finn x Rose (albeit more one-sided).

Moving on...

ALL THE FUCKING REYLO! My poor shipper heart was exploding!

Topless Kylo! Flustered “please-cover-up-that-distracting-bod” Rey! LMAO!

I'm so happy that reylo is a cannon thing now. Sure, it's in a tragic ship sort of way instead of openly romantic, but damn, that back to back battle against the praetorian guard... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Scarred Kylo! 

Kylo hesitating and refusing to shoot, most likely because Leia was on board the ship...

Rey crying when she touches Kylo and connects to his emotions. 

Official confirmation that Snoke was already manipulating Ben when he was Luke’s apprentice (like what was stated in the novelization of TFA).

Ben turning to the dark because he felt betrayed by Luke (echoing Anakin and the Jedi Council). 

Kylo constantly conflicted and expressing it through anger and obvious emotional vulnerability, even (or even more so) as he becomes “the big baddy”.

Kylo BEGGING to have Rey on his side. And vice-versa.

Kylo killing Snoke, not for power but for Rey, the power was just his ambition and greed bubbling up as Rey denies him.

Pretty sure Kylo will get a redemption arc- I know it doesn't seem like it but the clues are there and I'm a good 90% sure of this, otherwise we'd just have a copy of Anakin's conflict all over again albeit Kylo being more ambiguous and also less determined in about his intentions. Now, if this redemption ends well or not, with love or without it, with grey jedi or otherwise, that is where the mystery lies.

Ok, I admit, Reylo is my otp but objectively in canon I don't know how the ship will end, at this point it can go either way; but imho Kylo will be redeemed somehow. As a writer and someone very much used to deconstructing plots, I can tell that there are enough clues for this, not just in this movie but in the big picture of the whole SW movieverse. 

One thing is for sure- the old dichotomy of jedi and sith as we know it is dead. Luke, Kylo and Yoda give us enough confirmation of this (and admittedly the whole black-white/good-evil extremes thing was getting SO old).

Personally I'm praying with all my might that we get Grey Jedi at last! And that would make both Rey and Kylo’s predictions true- she strays from the light and him from the dark and they meet in a middle term... It would make sense and seems to have been foreshadowed but unfortunately it’s not one of those things I can say I’m certain off. 

Let’s also have in account that the title of the movie is “The Last Jedi” but intended as plural (even here the subtitle was plural) so when Luke says “I will not be the last jedi”, I don’t think he means Rey exclusively.

Kylo was not made for leadership and rule either so I do wonder who will take the reigns of this crumbled government when it’s all said and done.

What else...

POE BEING A HOT-HEADED DAREDEVIL! He had such an aura of competence and poise in TFA but in TLJ we saw so much development, he was so humanized and flawed (but in the best way).

Phasma’s death was... as we say in Portugal “soube-me a pouco”, aka it felt lacking. Don’t get me wrong, it was epic, but they made such a huge deal of her in PR and marketing (especially in TFA) that it feels like she had a bigger role that got edited out in post-production. The fight with Finn was perfect and excellent for his growth but it felt like we needed more on Phasma to make it more meaningful.

HOLDO’S KAMIKAZE MOVE! Goddamn, I had mixed feelings about her through the whole movie but, although I usually dislike the kamikaze martyr trope, at that moment I just adored her. I feel like we could have gotten a bit more personal with her but either way it was tragically perfect.

Luke’s death felt unnecessary. Again, don’t get me wrong- I was afraid I’d hate it but it was a good death, an appropriate and meaningful one; however, it felt anti-climatic and unnecessary in the progression and pacing of the story itself. Perhaps if framed differently... Either way, the only way the manner of his death can be justified to me is if he has an important role (big or small, whatever, but meaningful) as a Force Ghost in ep IX.

Kinda wish we'd have a Luke-Anaking force ghost reunion; the two of them guiding Leia and Rey and even Kylo... But that's just wishful thinking.

The sweet moment between Leia and Luke broke me, I wanted to cry. They deserved so much more time together, hell, WE deserved to see so much more interaction between them as close siblings.

The almost imperceptive glance we get of the Jedi books safely stored in the Falcon! Begging the questions- who and why?

I wanted more Chewie and definitely more Maz! I really, really, REALLY want more Maz as a sassier modern version of Yoda.

Speaking of- loved the Yoda cameo- Mr ‘if you don’t have the balls then I’ll do for you’.

I get a feeling we’ll be seeing DJ again... But, honestly, so many new characters and they COULDN’T BRING BACK LANDO FUCKING CALRISSIAN?!

Please tell me Rey will build her own lightsaber now! And make it a lightsaber pike, it fits her much better than than the Skywalker saber. 

Liked Rey’s parentage reveal, honestly so much better than having her conveniently be the heir of a pre-existing character. Also gives her tragic past much more intensity.

Porgs were cute but screw them, the Vulptex’s were soooooo much better.

I’m conflicted about Snoke’s death... It was brilliant but at the same time it wasn’t as impactful as it could be if his role had been more pronounced in TFA. Still, very good though.

Best of all- HUX BEING TOSSED AROUND LIKE A DOLL. Deflates his ego beautifully. And when Kylo gives the “shoot with all you got” order when Luke pops up and Hux repeats the order word by word but louder to the troops and Kylo just gives him that ‘bitch, I just said that’ face... Priceless.

I loved BB-8 before but now I ADORE HIM! In Poe’s ship trying to fix the circuit board and then just goes “fuck it” and smashes into the whole thing. xD “Finn, wet, leaking” ! And taking out the prison guards! And piloting a damn AT-AT alone to shoot troopers! He’s so fucking smart and resourceful and just as much a daredevil as Poe, not to mention cute AF! 

BB-9E was interesting we didn’t get much more from him than appearance so BB-8 FTW!

Give me BB-8 merch. All the BB-8 merch!  Pillows, plushies, the drone! I’m in love with all things BB-8!

But when it comes to droids, I wanted more from R2, he felt neglected. Though that move of showing the old recording of young Leia’s distress message to push Luke really was genius.

Wondering if the little boy at the end is force sensitive or if he (or other kids) will have any role in the Resistance, there was a lot of foreshadowing there.

OMG the movie was just sooooo good! The spoilers terrified me but it was so good, for a mid-trilogy movie it was just right. Let’s hope IX lives up to it.

Finally, one last question- WHY IS NOBODY ASKING WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER HANDFUL OF PADAWANS (KNIGHTS OF REN) THAT LEFT WITH BEN??????

I got up and practically saluted when the “in memory of” showed up. It got me in tears.

Ok, end of rambles... for now. 

[furederiko]

"A universe without Naga... I can't even imagine it" Can Balance save his BFF, and bring him back into the light? Kyuranger's 31st episode delivers the answer, and it's a tearful one...

- Expecting a utopian present after defeating the real Don Armage proves to be a wishful thinking. According to Hammy, everything remains the same and Jark Matter's reign is still at large. In a way, it also feels that our heroes is losing more winning this war. The team is no longer the 12 members unit as it was with Commander Xiao and Champ being left behind 333 years ago in the past. And they don't only lose one, but seemingly two Orions: the warrior who gave up his life to give Lucky the miracle power-up, and ORION the spaceship that is heavily damaged due to the time travel trip. - Things aren't faring better for the 'Save Naga' team either. Ever since Lucky went to the past, Balance has gone MIA, and both the Blues were captured by Dark-Naga and Akyanba. Dark-Naga is now using Garu and Kotarou as baits to lure out Balance, because he wants to "get rid of him, personally". Ouch! On the opposite side, Echidna is still determined to eliminate Naga. Since this new formation of Kyuranger also refuses to aide her, she decides to do it alone. Which is obviously NOT a wise choice. - The battle between Ophiucus Metal and Echidna is shortlived, but it does get pretty dark. The former now has the ability to take control her body with his freezing ray! Great goodness, he's only mere seconds away from making Echidna kills herself!!! Thankfully the Kyurangers (sans Raptor and Stinger) arrive just in time to prevent that. Pursuing his goal, Ophiucus Metal specifically targets Libra Gold, and unleashes the Black Hole Kyu Globe to eliminate him. Leo Red jumps in to protect Libra Gold... and, the two of them are obliterated. Wait... WHAT? - Well, if you somehow sense the over-the-top "Mamma Miaaaaa!!!" reactions of the other Kyurangers feel... bizarre, then you're totally not alone. And no, it also doesn't mean that the director simply forgot to tell these actors to act. This scene was nothing more than a deliberate ruse! A brilliant one at that. Beside, Kyuranger has pulled off many emotional scenes that were waaaaay better executed than this, so clearly something is amiss. - But seriously, what happens to Leo Red and Libra Gold, then? This is where things get faux-sciency. Turns out, Balance hasn't been sulking or sobbing in a bar, making himself wasted due to the loss of his BFF (unlike... a certain someone I'm familiar with). All these time, he has been actively working for a solution: analyzing the people who were also 'emotionally' affected by Akyanba, and tweaking the Microscopium Kyu Globe as the tool required for his big rescue plan. Last we saw this Skill Kyu Globe in action, Raptor used it to detect the 'microscopical Mothma' affecting ORION's control. With Balance's special add on, the Kyu Globe not only magnifies object, but actually gives its user the ability to SHRINK down into microscopical size! Ladies and gentlemen, Kyuranger had just officially gone "ANT-MAN" on us. Marvel-ous surprise. LOL. Fun fact: the same episode that debuted Microscopium, also had Naga as 'victim' to a supposed-crime incident. In actuality, we all knew he only passed out while practicing expressions in front of the mirror! At the time, it was set as a silly humor. But was that really a coincidence, knowing this episode revisits the same Kyu Globe, while also trying to rescue Naga as a victim? Hmmm... I don't think so. - You see, there's a faux-scientific reason to why Akyanba's victim got emotionally warped. Turns out, she planted microscopic Indavers into their brains, and they messed around with their nerves (remember, emotions are triggered by particular neurons. That's actual science...). Don't get the wrong idea though, Naga DID have his emotions unlocked by the Vice-Shogun. He wasn't mind-controlled, and still accepted Akyanba's offer on his own free will. But at the same time, Akyanba also infected him with the same 'virus' that caused every victims to go berserk, hence the aggressive result. It all made sense! I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner, when the evidence (the civillians? duh...) has always been there in plain sight. That's brilliant writing, I say. - As Lucky and Balance cleans up the Indavers that are twisting Naga's neurons, the other Kyurangers are also able to track their location to free Garu and Kotarou. Now, the 'BRAIN' setting is where things get a bit... surreal and/or metaphorical. When Balance is approaching 'Good Naga' to free him, Malistrate Microtsuyo-Indaver stops him and seemingly summons 'Dark-Naga' to the place. This is NOT actually happening in reality, because the real flesh and blood Dark-Naga is still on the ground, guarding his two captives. Simply put, Balance is fighting the 'virus', or negative conscience that takes the form of 'Dark-Naga', so he can free the body's positive conscience (something like... immunity system, perhaps?) that's taking the form of 'Good Naga'. Get it? - Then again, understanding this tricky metaphor shouldn't really be much an issue. I'm sure any audience would pretty much be carried away by their own emotions, that they don't have time to nitpick or pointlessly analyze (like what I've been doing LOL). Seriously, if you don't feel an inch of pain and sadness or concern as you see Balance taking all the hits, even throwing away his own life to protect 'Good Naga'... then you probably don't have a heart. This scene is heartfelt and moving, and amplified to the optimum when the other Kyurangers (with Hammy as the lead) begin calling out Naga's name to 'come back'. No kidding. Those flowing tears from his eyes? Dang it, the feels. And that flashback of him wanting emotions so he can cry or be angry? Aaaaaw... THE FEELS!!! T_T - Of course the rescue plan would be a success. 'Good Naga' champions over 'Dark-Naga' to protect Balance, winning back the control over his emotions. It's basically a "Persona 4" situation of fighting their own demons/shadows. Naga himself chose to have emotions, so it's him who needs to choose and filter how it would take shape of. But there's one more surprise to the outcome. Naga gets to keep his power-up in tact!!! After the BN Thieves team up to take down Microtsuyo-Indaver (who grows giant... into regular size. Comedy gold. LOL), Ophiucus Silver transforms into benevolent Ophiucus Metal! He then uses the Black Hole Kyu Globe, combining Leo Red Orion's "All Star! In-Finish Blast" with his "Metal Ophiucus Crash" to defeat Akyanba. Other Kyurangers then use their own finishers. Everyone (just 6 members) form Kyutamajin to deal with giant Ophiucus Metal, a manifestation of Dark-Naga's rage that has built up inside Microtsuyo-Indaver's body. The Vice-Shogun walks out alive, but the battle is still won. NOTE: Leo Red Orion's space manipulation to create portals in battle is wicked-awesome to see in action. The scarf/mantle part is really effective to add flare in battles. Even in stage performance, as evidenced by the G-Rosso's theatre footage that was aired during commercial breaks. However, the dearly-missed reunion of Libra Gold and Ophiucus Silver naturally sucks up all the attention and glory. It's just really good to see the BN Thieves together again, am I right? That includes taking the spotlight in that ending sequence. As for Ophiucus Metal, worth noted that it's pretty rare for recent Sentai series to assign power-up to a non-Red member. The last one whom I recall received similar treatment was Super StarNinger who achieved a new poncho thanks to the Gekiatsutou. - The closing scene takes us back to another heartfelt moment. Despite his carefree facade, Balance can no longer hold back his feelings, and cries his heart out for Naga. Such a moving scene. Aaaaw... the feels. Dang it, Kyuranger! Dang it. Echidna witnesses this teary celebration, and attests that everyone is strong because of their emotions. I WAS kind of expecting her to have a more important role, perhaps a twist of her being someone's close to Naga or something. Alas, that turns out not to be the case. I'm definitely not disappointed or anything, but it's still a potential that could've been explored. Then again, before heading home, she decides to let Naga's supposed 'treasons' slide. Since Naga is off the hook, does this mean Echidna has a change of heart? After all, he does prove that having emotion isn't that much of a threat for people from the Ophiucus System... as long as one can contain it to focus only on the positive sides. I wonder if this turn of event will encourage change to their home planet? - Celebration time! Unfortunately, this celebratory mode is not fully shared by everyone in the room. One particular Kyuranger, is firmly setting her sight on another pressing matter: the ORION's condition. That's the story for another day...

Overall: This tearjerker episode had a tough task, coming out after a powerful entry that was last week's episode. Comparison between both episodes, particularly for nitpickers like yours truly, would be inevitable. In general however, I personally call this a success. It had a fine balance of tone shift that wondrously transitioned from emotional moments, to humor and action in between without ever breaking the flow. The 'Evil Ranger' arc was wrapped nicely, and it was crucially tied to the next plot right away. More importantly, the minor/personal arcs of both Balance and Naga that began since their debut, were given a sweet and wonderful closure. The BN Thieves are bounty and treasure hunters, so it's heartwarming to know that the ultimate treasure they have been looking for, has always been close by all along. Balance discovered, realized, and acknowledged that the greatest treasure he could ever wanted, was none other than the BFF he cared and trusted the most. While Naga's desire to acquire true emotions was obtained, fulfilled through darkness, but only made full circle with the selfless love and help of his BFF. The pair complemented and strengthened each other, proving why they were always meant to work as a duo, and not solo. Not unlike Chewbacca, and Han Solo, right? Next week: Story of Raptor & dear uncle ORION PS: TV-Nihon has released their fansub for the first episode of "High School Wars". Word of advice though, you might want to postpone any desire to see it. Do NOT watch it until late October, unless you're okay having the next four episodes (episode 32 to 35) to be potentially spoiled. The mini web-series works as a coupling to V-Cinema "Episode of Stinger", which according to report, takes place around episode 35. So it's probably best to avoid "High School Wars" accordingly as well, at least until episode 35 airs.

Episode 31 Score: 8,2 out of 10

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[oumakokichi]

I think that's very much the intent of the V3 cast really. For every heroic, self-sacrificing and good-hearted individual like Akamatsu, Momota and Chabashira, we still have people like Angie, Shinguuji and Iruma who are varying degrees of unsympathetic, delusional and selfish. I find that moral diversity interesting, and is leagues better than the "perfect cinnamon buns" DR3 turned the SDR2 kids into.

I think you raise a very good point, anon! I’ve said itbefore, but variety in a cast of characters is extremely important, and havinga cast of characters who are all undeniably the best people they can be all thetime, even in a situation as stressful as a killing game would be…well, boring.Characters who are maybe not the best people, or even horrible people, are necessary in a group in order to balancethings out and to add conflict.

Ndrv3 features a pretty good balance and array of charactersalong both of these lines, and I think that’s one reason why there were fewersurvivors than previous DR games this time around. With characters who areintentionally supposed to illuminate either side of the spectrum, their deathsand the brutality of ndrv3’s killing game only highlight the ongoing theme onceagain that extremes are bad. A middle ground has to be found, between lies andtruth, black or white, good and bad.

I don’t want to hate entirely on dr3’s ending because I dokind of get what they were going forwith the ending in Hope Arc, and I understand the time limitations andanimation constraints that probably prevented them from portraying Junko’sbrainwashing in any way other than “look at the magical TV, now you go killpeople because you’re hypnotized and evil like me,” but I definitely agree thatit was a step backwards on fleshing out their characters. If Kodaka couldn’tfind a way to more fully illuminate the brainwashing and make it into thisinsidious, creeping thing that stillallowed for a level of free choice to some degree…well, I think maybe dr3should have been kept to a light novel instead, rather than an anime.

I know the ending was supposed to illuminate the idea thatthe sdr2 kids had finally found a “middle ground” of their own wherein theyrepresented the despair that would prevent others from falling down the samepath like themselves, but also in doing so they were a new kind of “hope” forthose like Mitarai who had only ever blamed himself for their downfall andnever thought anyone could understand what he had gone through and thereforewouldn’t listen to people like Naegi who, for all that he was well-intentioned,really was just speaking “platitudes.”

But the execution was sloppily done, and by the end of dr3overall, it just felt as if the sdr2 kids had been a group of the most perfect, hopeful kids who neverhad bad intentions or flaws a single day in their life, and that they were justso hopeful that that itself was theirdownfall when they were all worried and going to seek Chisa.

The brainwashing itself was so all over the place in dr3that it just left characterization and the question of free will or morals ahuge mess. One moment, it’s this magical hypnosis video of the student councilkilling each other that leaves you no choice of whether or not you even want tokill yourself, another moment it’s a video of Monokuma as a stimulus for traumathat induces suicide, another moment none of these things work at all and itrequires a literal lobotomy that definitely removes any factor of free will orchoice…god, it really was such a mess.

It felt like a huge attempt to backtrack away from the issuethat the sdr2 kids had undeniably killed people, plenty of people, all over the world, including even their own lovedones. Sdr2 was supposed to be about a chance at atonement for these kids whohad done horrible, awful things, and while Junko was definitely the catalystthat led them all into despair, there was always this implication, in theoriginal game at least, that the question was always “How much of a secondchance do these kids deserve after going along with this shit at least somewhatout of their own intentions?”

Ndrv3 and its brainwashing to provide talent, memories, andbackstories was such a better decision from a writing standpoint. You can makeit so that characters might be more inclined to do this or that, but you stillleave an element of free will where it’s undeniably their own choice to carryout any horrible or selfless acts. You can provide people with bullets, but it’sstill their own actions that have to load them into the gun and pull thetrigger.

In the end, even the most selfless, kind, and compassionatecharacters in ndrv3 still had elements of moral ambiguity surrounding them andwere treated as complex characters by the narrative. Kaede, Momota, even Gonta—allthree of these characters had autonomy and in some way or other decided to makea conscious decision to either attempt to take a human life or actually takeone.

Tenko, who never killed anybody and probably would not havetried to, still had flaws by being too overprotective and too dismissive ofHimiko’s ability to do things by herself, and these were address. Kirumi didcare like a mother for the whole group and wanted to take care of them, but wasalso perfectly willing to make the hard, cold decision to sell them all out ifit was “for the greater good.” Angie displayed horrible leadership and letpower go to her head, and her instinct was to save her own skin, but in the endshe really, truly believed what she preached, and that’s precisely what madeher such a dangerous element in the group.

Ndrv3 had such a wonderful, complex cast full of moralambiguity and characters with huge flaws and all of them were given free reignto choose how to act. However closely they followed or strayed away from the “tropes”or “paths” that had been set for them as caricatures on a reality show was upto them, and I really, really likethat.

Thank you for raising this topic, anon! It was really fun totalk about, and while I do sort of get what dr3 was going for with its ending,I feel like its execution was so flawed that it really did do nothing more thanserve as character regression, rather than development.