#Crimson vision

[wwwdlabrie]

Happy Birthday to DLabrie mother! Check Out her Music Video Debut starring MARVALESS in Short Film about Life in Oakland raising a son while also battling serious Health issues

Happy Birthday to DLabrie mother! Check Out her Music Video Debut starring MARVALESS in Short Film about Life in Oakland raising a son while also battling serious Health issues

Happy Birthday to DLabrie mother! Check Out her Music Video Debut in Short Film about Life in Oakland raising a son while also battling serious Health issues + starring Sacramento Hip Hop |Legend “Marvaless” as her in younger years Subscribe & Watch DLabrie’s mother Music Video Debut in Short Film about Life in Oakland raising a son while also battling Health issues Subscribe & Watch DLabrie’s…

[muzsmoux]

I love that Feng Xin and Mu Qing are the exact same height. It has a lot of potential for foolery. Like one of them probably started wearing bigger shoes secretly to establish dominance, and it's slowly escalating into a full on heel measuring contest.

[thefoolandthesaint]

House by the Railroad, 1925

Edward Hopper

[it-happened-one-fic]

Dancing With Visions - Wish to Dance - Slow Waltz - Neuvillette

Author Notes: This is the fourth fic for my "Dancing with Visions" fic series for Genshin Impact! The slow waltz, also called the English waltz, is one of the more famous styles of ballroom dancing. It is, as the name implies, slower than the Viennese Waltz. This fic was largely inspired by the dance scene from the 2015 film "Crimson Peak." I've never actually seen the movie, but I did really like the scene after watching it on Youtube. Just like the rest of this series, reader is female. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more of this series, the fics can be found here: Dancing with Visions Masterlist.

Type: Female reader/ Implied romantic/ fluff/ dance/ sfw

Word Count: 1609

Fontaine was ever a glittering world of drama, comedy, and theatrics. This was true even in their celebrations. Supposedly respectful and filled with the elegance of old as couples swirled amongst each other in rhythmic motions. Dancing through the brightly lit room just like the fish that swam in the sea that surrounded the nation of Justice.

It was a beautiful sight. Like something out of a play or magnificent story where two lovers would meet one another and share their first dance. But then perhaps that was just your more romantic side talking.

It was interesting to see everyone dancing together, though. The knowledge that similar motions occurred to the same song even though there were feelings in each dancer’s heart had a smile appearing on your face as you watched people spiral around the floor.

Off to the side, you could see Furina watching over the spectacle from a wall, much like you were. One of her hands was raised as if she herself were directing the music and bidding people to dance as they felt moved to. And there was a certain longing to dance with the atmosphere that filled the place, even though you hung back in a manner similar to the former archon. Watching in silence instead of joining the people around you, despite any temptation you felt.

Because, for better or worse, despite the glittering lights, beautiful music, and smiling faces, Fontaine was a nation of judgment just as much as it was a nation of justice. 

It wasn’t that you feared others' judgment when dancing was a thing to be enjoyed, but you also didn’t really think you could bear it if you were to mess up in front of so many people.

So you watched, swaying slightly along with the music but holding back and watching as your more talented peers danced across your gaze. Shining brightly as they spiraled through the light cast by the grandiose chandelier overhead.

And it wasn’t as if you and Furina weren’t the only ones not dancing. You could see Charlotte off to the side, taking pictures. Aiming her camera towards where Navia spiraled across the floor in someone’s arms. A bright smile on her face. The perfect choice for the cover of whatever story Charlotte was going to be doing on this evening’s dance that was so filled with the who's-who of Fontaine.

Similarly, Clorinde stood off to the side. No doubt standing guard even as she watched her blonde-haired friend captivate the entire ballroom, including yourself.

So caught were you in the sight of everyone’s beautiful motions, smiling faces, and the glittering spectacle that you almost missed the sight of the man who was crossing the room towards where you stood.

Almost, but not quite.

You felt your eyes widen slightly as you looked towards where Neuvillette was carefully navigating his way through the room to where you stood. He was someone who never seemed to partake in the dancing that occurred at these functions. 

Like you, he seemed satisfied to just watch from where he would stand silently off to the side. And though you had always gotten along fairly well with Neuvillette, he never joined you where you stood. Instead, it seemed more like he preferred to watch in silence on his own, and you respected that.

Which was why you were surprised to see him approaching you and gave him your full attention as he emerged from the crowd to stand before you.  

“Y/n,” He greeted you in that ever-calm tone of his, as if nothing could ever truly sway him. And you smiled slightly, inclining your head respectfully. Because even though you knew he preferred not to have anyone make such a big deal over his position as Iudex, it was best to behave as expected in such public environments.

What he did next startled you, though. Causing you to falter even before you could truly greet him as he held out his hand in a silent request. 

You found yourself glancing around nervously, immediately noticing how Furina’s wide-eyed gaze shifted towards where you and Neuvillette stood. And all at once, people slowly started to notice what was occurring in your once quiet little corner of the ballroom.

“What are you doing?” Your voice was a hushed, uncertain whisper as your gaze flickered back to his, only to find him still looking at you with utter calm. Completely unbothered by the reactions of others.

But he was innately capable of standing apart from others and not letting his thoughts, actions, or judgements be swayed by what anyone else seemed to think. It was what made him so respected as Iudex, and it was one of the things that you admired about him.

“When a couple dances, their motions can become as fluid as those of water itself,” He paused, watching me silently as if waiting for a reaction before sighing slightly. “You always watch others dance, but never join them, and I find myself wondering, do you not wish to dance yourself?”

You blinked at his words, surprisingly on point despite the flowery language that had hid his meaning to start with, “I…. I do not think it would necessarily be wise for me to do so considering I am nowhere near as talented as others.”

You toyed with the skirt of your dress awkwardly as you hesitated before continuing, “Perhaps there is someone better suited to dancing with you. Such as Navia or someone else.” 

You smiled at him carefully, knowing perfectly well how people would react to anyone dancing with Neuvillette. Much less yourself, someone known to stand on the outskirts of balls.

A smile flickered across his face, fast enough that you almost missed it, “Ah, but I did not ask Miss Navia or anyone else. I asked you.”

At his words, your gaze fell once more to his still-outstretched palm, your own hand lifting but hesitating just short of his before you at last let your fingers rest in his. 

His fingers curled over and around yours easily, and he stepped backwards, slowly leading you out onto the dancefloor and completely ignoring the veritable swathe of people who immediately looked towards where you stood together. Slowly slipping into hold as your free hand reached up to his shoulder and his arm wrapped around you so that he could rest his hand on your back.

“Why?” Your voice was beyond hushed, but he still heard you. Tilting his head as he silently pushed you to continue. To explain your question. 

So swallowing, you did. “Why are we doing this?”

His lips twitched as he inclined his head and spoke, “Because you deserve to enjoy these lights just as much as anyone else.”

You smiled at his words, half-amused as you met his gaze, “Even when this will most definitely cause people to talk?”

He stayed silent, and you found yourself frowning once more, “What if they start to talk about you? I know how you prefer to avoid the limelight and-”

Neuvillette shook his head at your words, cutting you off with the simple motion before he ever began to speak, “I’m not doing anything so strange. I am merely doing what any gentleman would. ”

He paused, straightening slightly as other dancers slowly began to take up their positions around the floor, their gazes staying on the two of you even as he continued, “People will talk no matter what I do, so let them talk.”

You smiled again at his words, touched by his meaning but still concerned that he was forcing himself, even as he inclined his head towards you, “Shall we?”

As if you could stop now, as the music began with both of you already in position and the eyes of everyone in the room on us. But you also knew that if you wanted to back out now, Neuvillette would agree. 

You swallowed and nodded, “If you are certain that this is what you wish to do.”

He smiled at your words, a genuine expression that caused your eyes to widen slightly since, even though you’d spoken with him numerous times and had seen him smile before, it was still a surprise to see such an easy expression slip across the face of the man known all over as the respected Iudex.

“It is my honor,” And with only those words, he began to guide you into the motions of a gentle, spiraling dance that everyone in Fontaine knew.

A slow waltz. A simple dance that left room for conversation while still imparting the joys of dancing.

It was a dance that fit Neuvillette and had you relaxing into your interaction with him as you smiled.  Because if there was any dance you were confident in doing, it was this one. Especially if Neuvillette was your partner. You knew he would never lead you astray.

You swirled around the room together, rising and falling to the distinctive tempo of the song like the ebb and flow of the sea itself and never faltering. Not even as you reached the very end and he released you to spin out from him so that you were only attached by one hand still held in his.

And you were surprised to see you weren’t looking at anyone else in the room as the onlookers politely began to applaud for all who had danced. Instead, your eyes were on Neuvillette as you smiled at him, and he held your gaze with a small smile of his own.

And as easily as that you realized that there was no one else you would rather waltz with.

If you would like to read more:

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[burrito-salad]

concept: digimon tamers x precure ✨

[splooosh]

“ever!”

Gil Kane

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #320: UNDERLYING CURRENTS!

August, 1990

The Crossing Line Part 2 of Six VENGEANCE!

I don't know what Vision did that running him over with an underwater jet-ski is considered vengeance. Maybe it's not vengeance at all. Maybe it's just rude.

Also, Underlying Currents just seems like a less pithy way of saying Undercurrents.

Anyway.

The Crossing Line. Which is not the Crossing.

Last time in the Crossing Line: A Russian terrorist group called Peace Corpse (good wordplay) took over a British nuclear submarine called the Waterwind.

The British government called the US government and asked them to do something. So the US government called the Avengers and asked them to do something.

Since Namor wasn't available, what the Avengers did was contact their back-up underwater expert Stingray and fly off to find the Waterwind.

Which they did do but they found their Russian equivalent superhero group the People's Protectorate also trying to stop Peace Corpse. And instead of working together, the two groups got into a big, dumb superhero fight.

Which happened to be too close to Atlantis and aggroed the people still hanging around after it got double destroyed in Atlantis Attacks.

I like putting the cast up on the splash page. It starts strong because Captain America and Red Guardian, Vision and Vostok are pretty much counterparts.

Sersi and Fantasma don't have much in common besides being The Girl of the team.

And then Quasar ends up paired with Crimson Dynamo and Stingray with Perun which just makes you feel like the story is missing an Iron Man and a Thor.

Maybe a mistake there. Being a guy in a technological suit maybe Stingray should have been opposite Crimson Dynamo and Quasar opposite Perun?

Also, Atlanteans. They don't get a cast list on the splash. If they wanted in on that, they should have filled out the paperwork.

Crimson Dynamo: "Uhm... comrades...?" Quasar: "Now we're comrades, Dynamo? A second ago we were fighting over a stolen submarine!"

But be that as it may, Vision points out that it's in their best interest to team-up to prevent the Atlanteans from damaging the Waterwind. Which Vostok agrees to.

I guess we had the misunderstanding fight and now we can get along.

Crimson Dynamo points out that the Atlanteans might be justified since the two groups were having an exciting comic book fight scene right next to their city. But nobody listens to Crimson Dynamo.

His is the saddest lot.

Orka tries swiping at Vision and instead swipes through Vision because intangibility. But Vision also can't do his intangibility fisting trick because Orka is just too girthy.

He's a big whale man. He's got the whale power of blubber. Yes, even though he looks like a weightlifter.

Vostok uses his power over machinery to wrap Orka up in an Atlantean craft, bending and twisting the vehicle around the big, girthy whale man.

And with Orka held in place... uh, in water... Vision is able to dive intangible through his whole body to get to his heart and do the thing where he partially resolidifies and it hurts so much the person passes out.

That's what I mean when I say Vision fists people, by the way. It's his power move.

Vision: "It would seem, Vostok, that the Avengers and the People's Protectorate function more efficiently as allies than opponents!" Vostok: "Then-let-us-work-together-to-deter-the-Atlanteans--and-apprehend-the-Waterwind."

(I can just tell I'm going to avoid quoting Vostok as much as possible.)

Elsewhere in the fight, Sersi uses her matter transmutation to troll the Atlantean soldiers.

Excellent jape, Sersi.

The battle is going so immediately against the Atlanteans that U-Man decides to sneak attack Sersi. He claims that this is not in his character, to attack in a dishonorable manner.

I don't know this man but a quick glance at his marvel wiki shows that he worked with the Nazis so I dunno, man.

Either way, before he gets the chance, Perun hurls his mighty axe and strikes U-Man's underwater gun before he can fire at Sersi.

But, whoops, this causes the gun to misfire and strike the Waterwind.

The Peace Corpse group that hijacked the sub are startled, to put it mildly.

Most of them want to flee from this comic book nonsense as fast and as far as they can. Whatever their goals (still unelaborated on), fighting superheroes doesn't help them accomplish them.

A man with an intense mustache refuses to flee because he's a soldier dammit! But one of the others points out that they need to berth now due to the damage. They need the sub in well enough repair to threaten the United States for their vague plan.

Captain America and Red Guardian notice the Waterwind take damage and start to flee. And they discuss just letting the submarine flee so its out of the way of any more misaimed attacks.

But also, fighting the Atlanteans is pretty much a stupid distraction that they don't have time for.

Atlantean Soldier 1: "For our lost honor!" Atlantean Soldier 2: "For Atlantis!" Quasar: "For crying out loud!"

Stingray sees the sub amscraying and decides to get back to his plan of sneaking onboard. Remember how he was going to try that?

Well, he's going to try that again. He'd rather face a sub full of armed terrorists than bully some Atlanteans who are just protecting the ruins of their home.

Which... fair enough.

I say he'd rather but he's also not too happy about doing that either.

Stingray: "I should be able to get in through the aft torpedo tube without being detected... of course, once I get in, I have no idea what I'm going to do! I'm an oceanographer, not a super hero! I could've stayed at O.M.I.T. when Cap called... told him I had a hangnail or something... but no... If there's a problem under the ocean waves, they call Namor. If he's too busy to answer -- they call me. And noble, caring, altruistic dunce that I am, I always say yes."

It's fun that the Avengers have a superhero on their consultant list that's not a superhero. Just a normal oceanographer guy who built a suit for underwater exploration that unfortunately looks like a superhero outfit so he's constantly getting drawn into superhero stuff. The fact that he hangs out in Namor's general orbit doesn't help. The man is a drama magnet.

Despite the damage to the sub and specifically the radar, Peace Corpse manages to surface not only near land but near a port town. Somewhere in Newfoundland.

Inside the sub, Stingray finds and frees the captured crew from the room they've been locked in. But a member of Peace Corpse spots him.

Back at Atlantis, the Avengers and the People's Protectorate are still fighting Atlanteans.

Quasar starts to worry. Not about losing but that he might get so exhausted from prolonged fighting that he fails to pull his punches and kills a guy.

Ah, the worries of superheroes before the modern age.

There's just so many Atlanteans, that some are getting to the Quinjet and the PP craft and trying to smash the windshields in.

Quasar swoops in, makes a net to wrangle all the Atlanteans on the Quinjet, and then smashes the net full of guys into the guys on the PP craft. Solving that particular issue.

I'm still not sure why the Avengers and People's Proetectorate haven't withdrawn once the sub was clear. This is the very definition of a derailed plot.

But the two hero groups don't need to ever get around to acting on the realization that they don't even need to be here because the Atlanteans withdraw on their own once Perun knocks out Tyrak, the last named guy on the Atlantean side.

Such a weird writing decision for the heroes to constantly go 'wow this is a pointless fight' and then keep fighting until the other side fucks off.

The two teams return to their respective vessels (just in time for the ones who like to breathe air) and decide what to do next.

FOR SOME REASON, despite the constant refrain of how pointless it is to fight the Atlanetans, who are just protecting their ruined home, its a serious consideration whether to pursue the Atlanteans all the way to the ruins and keep kicking their asses.

I have no idea why.

Captain America even says he hates to let the Atlanteans escape but dealing with the Waterwind is more important.

IT IS but why do you hate to let the Atlanteans escape? What is your end goal there? You've already kicked their asses. Have they done anything (recently) that gives you cause to... arrest them? The writing around this plot point is so weird.

Anyway, both groups agree to pursue the Waterwind.

Stingray calls in and reports that he's on the Waterwind and where the Waterwind has surfaced. And since there are berthing and repair facilities, Stingray even narrows the possible location down to the bays of Trinity, Placentia, or Conception.

Not bad for a guy who can't even look out a window.

But the call suddenly cuts off, leading Captain America to fear that Stingray was attacked.

The Avengers and People's Protectorate agree to work together to stop the sub, especially since it is now surfaced near a populated area and has an operational nuclear arsenal.

Captain America: "Let's do it then -- together -- efficiently -- but cautiously!"

And then the narration reveals that the Waterwind is surfaced in Conception Bay in St. John's Newfoundland and that "after today, it will be known as the site of the world's worst nuclear detonation" so my condolences to Conception Bay.

Sucks that you are going to get destroyed in a fill-in arc.

Off-panel, the Peace Corpse member with the fabulous mustache, Strokov, has captured Stingray and recaptured the rest of the hostages. But he let Stingray make his call to the Avengers to force leader Illyich Prokvitch's hand.

According to Strokov, now Prokvitch has no choice but to execute the vague plan.

The Avengers and the People's Protectorate arrive but they can't move right away because of all the hostages.

Captain America tries to see if Sersi can be the Win Button but like I've said, with powers as plot breaking as hers, they can never make things too easy.

He wants her to turn all the terrorists into flies but she says she's too far from them to do it. And she doesn't know enough about how nuclear submarines work to transmute it either.

Oh, so I guess she needs to know a thing before she can transmute a thing. Very Full Metal Alchemist of her and also a logical limit on her powers.

Well written, Fabian Nicieza.

Mr. Illyich Prokvitch, leader of the Peace Corpse, gets on the bullhorn and loudly announces he demands access to St. John's maritime facilities.

Captain America says hell no, release the hostages instead.

Prokvitch says he'll start executing the hostages - starting with poor, sweet Stingray - one every five minutes until his demands are met.

So the heroes take a huddle.

Cold, calculating Vostok points out that the Waterwind can't launch its nuclear arsenal while surfaced. And if they kill all their hostages, then there's nothing to stop the heroes from punching them in the faces in abooooout five hours.

Captain America does not like the suggestion that they just let over a hundred people be murdered.

But Vision offers his own computer-brained opinion that because the hostages are so necessary to keep the heroes from punching Peace Corpse in their faces, logic dictates that Peace Corpse will hesitate to harm their hostages.

Cap decides this does seem logical, thanks computer-brained Vision, and yells at Peace Corpse that he's not going to accept their terms as given. Y'know, leaving the door open for some haggling. Some negotiation. A little diplomacy.

Instead, Prokvitch shoots Stingray in the head.

You might not have a future career as a hostage negotiator, Cap.

(I'm pretty sure Stingray is alive because I've seen him alive in later comics and also there's no blood and also he's wearing a helmet. I'm sure his ears are ringing, though.)

Quasar tries to rush in at seeing Stingray shot, held back by Cap.

Red Guardian argues that at this point they should just call it acceptable casualties and just rush over and punch Peace Corpse.

But suddenly A NEW CHALLENGER!

Guardian: "No citizens and no property will be placed in jeopardy without our say so. In case you've forgotten, you're on Canadian soil, which means jurisdiction of this little mess passes on to -- ALPHA FLIGHT"

So now we have a third superhero team in the mix.

I love it. How many more people can we get involved? A lot, I'd bet. This is a six part story.

Hopefully, someone on Alpha Flight is a better hostage negotiator than Captain America.

To sum up the issue: there's more of the issue to go. Remember that backup story thing? Where Jarvis tormented Jarvis? We're due more of that. Well, more of something like that.

CHANGING of the GUARD

Instead of Jarvis, Michael O'Brien. The Avengers chief of security. And, for some reason, chief of table acquisition.

The original table, which was probably always consistently portrayed don't even bother looking into it, was destroyed when Hydrobase sank.

So O'Brien just spent fifty thousand dollars on a new one. And instead of getting a dolly or an anti-gravity dolly (because this IS a comic book universe), he's getting two dudes to carry it by hand.

Maybe stick to security, O'Brien.

He has the table brought to the room which will become the Avengers' inner sanctum, where only Avengers will be allowed. Like a very exclusive club but instead of drinks and cigars, there will be discussions on the crisis of the month.

After sending the two table carrying guys away, O'Brien spots the flash of a light down a corridor where nobody is supposed to be.

Obviously, he goes to investigate by himself.

Where he is accosted by his dead brother, Kevin, in a set of the Guardsman armor.

There's history here which I don't know very well because I haven't read a lot of olde Iron Man comics. But apparently, Kevin got jealous of Tony's money and girlfriend. So he used the Guardsman armor Tony built him, teamed up with a dude who was trying to steal Tony Stark's stock, and attacked a protest at a Stark Industries plant.

Just going off marvel wiki here.

Tony was forced to fight him as Iron Man and accidentally blew Kevin the fuck up.

His death inspired Michael to put on the Guardsman armor and attack Iron Man but after some plot happenings, Tony was able to convince Michael that his dead brother was nuts.

Which Kevin is not thrilled to hear now.

How dare Michael believe Tony over his own kin? That and not using his brogue probably makes him a traitor to his Irish heritage!

Michael thinks that this Kevin is probably an imposter and tries to unmask him. Only to get flipped.

So he runs off to get a gun.

He finds one of the emergency guns that the Avengers Sub-Basement just has and threatens to shoot Kevin in the head.

Kevin calls his bluff and tells him to do it. What's it matter to a ghost? Turn your back on family, dick.

And Michael can't go through with it.

Michael: "I... can't, Kevin. I did -- do -- love you, no matter what you did. Do with me as you will."

So Kevin blows Michael the hell up.

Geez. Being confronted with his demons ended a lot worse for him than it did for Jarvis.

Is this part of getting rid of everything new Stern wanted to implement before he got fired? Hydrobase got sunk so are the Avengers Support Crew all going to be killed off?

Grim if true. John Jameson is one of the support peeps and he's a tertiary Spider-Man supporting cast member.

I guess I'll see next time. But we pop back over to Avengers West Coast first. There's a dumb Immortus plot to wrap up.

Follow @essential-avengers. Like and reblog. Have a good day.

[stergeon]

at some point i will figure out how to write the post-canon, post-empire edelgard autonomy fic of my dreams. it just feels like a very big task and maybe like with playing the dane, i’m simply not old and traumatized enough to manage it yet.

but my vision is thus: it’s set years (realistically, decades) after the end of crimson flower, when everything has gone as right as it can possibly go. fódlan is thriving. the social reforms have taken effect. the nobility system is nearly eliminated, if not entirely so, with titles made merely symbolic. social mobility, welfare, and prosperity are high. there’s an explosion in arts and culture and technology. brigid and duscur have gained independence; relations with sreng and almyra are much improved; heck, maybe they've even figured it out with dagda. in my most idealistic version, leicester and faerghus would eventually be ceded back to become autonomous regions, essentially disbanding the adrestian empire. rule is no longer hereditary, but merit-based. there's a roadmap for the future, and everything is on track—and more than that, people at all points on the power spectrum have already seen it bear fruit. with or without edelgard, it will be pursued. there's buy-in. they believe.

of course, it's not perfect—nothing can be—but edelgard's vision has been fulfilled. the people are empowered. humanity is free. fódlan has healed.

and somehow, she's had enough time to resolve her goals outside of politics, too. those who slither in the dark have been eradicated. edelgard and lysithea's second crests have been successfully removed, allowing them to live if not full lives, then substantially longer ones than they would have with their twin crests intact. who knows—maybe she finally gets around to having that wedding.

point for point, every item listed in edelgard's manifesto has been checked off. the ghosts of her past have been laid to rest. she can finally take off her crown. she can finally pursue the quiet, humble life she's wanted for so long. she can finally breathe.

... but can she?

edelgard is nothing if not driven. her intelligence, vision, and sheer willpower allowed her to plan and execute a revolution against two countries and the most powerful institution on the continent, all while she was still a teenager. as royalty, her life was never truly hers even before she became heir to the adrestian throne, with all the additional baggage of survivor's guilt and the desire for vengeance and her need to ensure nothing that happened to her can ever happen to anyone else, ever again.

so what happens when that drive has no outlet? what happens when someone who has been constantly in motion, constantly working and planning and preparing every spare second of every day since she was fourteen years old, suddenly has to stand still? what happens when someone whose hands have been bound for so long—first literally in the dungeons of enbarr, then by the weight and responsibilities of her crown—is set free?

being edelgard, she would step away from the throne, no matter how hard it was for her to give up control. she's always been focused on the endgame, and she knows that if she doesn't let go, she'll be setting the wrong tone for fódlan's future. she's too devoted to that endgame to cling to power much longer than she needs to, though i could see her making some excuses and trying to iron out just a few more things to buy herself some more time to mentally prepare before she's done for good.

but who would she be then? who is the woman without the crown? what becomes of a machine once it is no longer needed, when it has made itself obsolete? what about when that machine is a person with legs and arms and an innate unwillingness to gather dust on a shelf?

what happens when you get everything you want? what happens when all your wanting has been for others to thrive, and now you have to want only for yourself? how do you discover who you are when you've spent decades being everything for everyone else? how do you find meaning again? how do you find purpose?

after a lifetime of devotion and passion and movement, how do you learn to sit with yourself, and be quiet, and be still?

gosh, i would love to meet her. i would love to pick her brain. but boy, i do not envy the work that girl has to do.

[the-crimson]

I really want Baghera and Forever to learn about the worker (Ron lemon) bbh has been torturing in his basement and I want it to shatter their relationship.

I want Baghera and Forever to realize just how twisted bbh truly is and I want bbh to refuse to admit he was wrong. I want him to dig in his heels and I want their differing morals to tear the three of them apart.

I want Forever and Baghera to be horrified and disappointed in Bad and I want Bad to refuse to apologize. I want them to see how far he will go - sacrificing and betraying everyone on the island - to find the kids.

I want this to send bbh into a full blown anti villain arc while Forever and Baghera have to decide to try and save him from himself by any means necessary or help him in his mad plan.

I can see Forever sympathizing because he nearly went down that same road but I can also see him trying to bring bbh back from this. A dark reflection of Forever’s own maddening rage

I honestly have no idea how Baghera will react. She was so disappointed when bbh murdered ElQuackity. To discover he’s been torturing a (probably) innocent worker for a whole week and lying to her about it… I honestly have no idea

I doubt it will happen… but I can dream

[queen-daya]

Happy 52nd Birthday Paul Bettany (May 27, 1971)

[general-kalani]

{ @kaiju-crimson-storyandask HERE HAVE A STARTER BECAUSE IT'S RENT FREE IN MY HEAD NOW- }

"Did you really think you could fucking kill me, Deputy? It takes a lot more than a plane crash, a shot to the ear and an arrow to the neck to take me down. Now... Are you ready to atone, Deputy? Because I sure fucking hope so."

[rollercoasterwords]

second arena predictions 😐 @zeppazariel 😐

[phoenixyfriend]

Thinking about older Chloe Bourgeois being on speaking terms only with her half-sister, and once-a-year holiday cards to her dad.

She'd put out an "I'm Glad My Mom Died" book like Jennette McCurdy.

[dandelion-wings]

Tonight's not-so-much-warm-up-as-wind-down presented with absolutely no context, except a warning for non-graphic but extensively discussed domestic violence/child abuse. There's an establishing backstory fic-bit in my head that I have absolutely no time to write any time soon, but this was much shorter and a good mental cooldown, so have a very AU version of teenage Jean being talked into a bit of vigilanteism!

---

Jean catches Kaeya and Rosaria going out the window of one of the storerooms on the cathedral's upper floor.

Rosaria has her spear with her, and Kaeya his sword. That only makes certain what Jean has suspected for a while--that their pretense of hiding away to fondle each other has been exactly that. No matter what they say, she can tell that Kaeya is comfortable with Rosaria in the same way he is with her, different only in degree, not kind. His affection is a false front, overblown, and Rosaria has never sold the lie at all. There's something else they're up to.

"Where are you going?"

Rosaria pauses with one foot on the window, reaching back to grip the haft of her spear where it's strapped to back, though Jean is certain she wouldn't actually draw it. Kaeya looks back and smiles at her, theatrically sheepish.

"We're just looking for a little privacy."

"With your weapons on you?"

"Sister Victoria does say it's dangerous out there at night."

"Kaeya-"

"We're going to put the fear of Barbatos in Gottleib Spitz," Rosaria says shortly, over her shoulder. "You can help, or you can stay out of the way."

Jean frowns. She doesn't have to ask why. "That's something the Knights of Favonius should be taking care of."

"Unfortunately," Kaeya says, "they seem to be falling down on the job."

"If we could just get a report filed-"

"Elsa has lied to them the last three times she's come in here. If it was just her, I wouldn't care." That's a lie and Jean knows it; Rosaria had dug in too determinedly with all her questions about the reporting process and why the Knights couldn't just take the nuns' word over Elsa's, the first time the woman came in with her bruises and her flimsy lies, not to care. "But now that he's putting Clara in the same state, that's not just her business anymore."

She isn't wrong. Jean knows what she'd seen last time, when the senior nuns handed Clara off to her to heal while they tried to badger Elsa into finally reporting her husband to the knights. Kaeya had seen it too, when he sat down to entertain Clara for her while she worked. All Rosaria would have had to do was look at their faces while Clara was distracted to know what kinds of injuries Jean was tending.

"Under other circumstances, the Knights might take the same stance," Kaeya adds, soothing, as if he thinks Jean's objection here is the offense to the Knights. "But given everything that's going on, they must be stretched a little too thin. It only makes sense for the Church to step in while they're overextended."

"By terrorizing Gottleib Spitz in the middle of the night?"

Rosaria rolls her eyes. "By dealing with someone who hurts kids the way he deserves to be dealt with. Isn't that what you got your Vision for, anyway?"

Jean's breath catches at the careless cruelty of Rosaria's words. That isn't what she did--that wasn't what her mother was. Her mother was grieving, and hurt, and had no one giving her (them) the help that she (that they) needed to deal with the weight of all that grief. That things came to a head the way they did wasn't anyone's fault, except maybe Jean's.

"I wouldn't put it that way," Kaeya says, catching something of that protest in her expression before she can find the words to make it. "But you've said yourself that it's your duty to Barbatos to protect the innocent and defend the weak. Leaving the Spitz situation alone won't help anyone."

"Unless you want to wait until Clara ends up in the same position as your sister," Rosaria adds.

"That wasn't necessary," Jean snaps, but already the breath is coming back into her lungs, determination flowing with it. "Just let me get my catalyst. I'll come with you."

[boxwinebaddie]

THE NEW PINTEREST BOARDS..??!?!? OMGGGG NINAAA UR SPOILING USS

long live ( literally ) sexy ginger lavish lestat de lioncourt vampire king succubus jersey and also very sexy emo tortured haunted manic panic red virgin scary vampire hunter raven doing down horrendous homoerotic music video things in front of everyone <3 xx MWAH ;)

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #324: The Crossing Line Part 6: IMAGINARY BORDERS

October, 1990

NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST!

Finally, we reach the end of the Crossing Line. In which at no point is the title the Crossing Line explained. I've heard that the Crossing, that infamous Avengers storyline, also doesn't really explain itself. Maybe both stories are named for making people cross. Who can say?

Anyway, last time in Avengers: Russian terrorist group Peace Corpse hijacked a nuclear submarine to try to cause World War III to fix the world economy.

The Avengers were called in to try to get the sub back. The Russian group, the People's Protectorate also showed up because leader Red Guardian knew Peace Corpse's leader. Due to a lot of dumb fighting, the two groups aggroed a group of Atlanteans. And the action shifted to Canada, so Alpha Flight got involved.

Captain America proceeded to bungle a hostage crisis and fucked up so bad while storming the sub that Canada exploded. Alpha Flight's shaman slurped up the explosion, the city, and an entire chunk of Canada into his magical bag of holding.

Everyone had to get along and cooperate to reunite with the bag dimensions but they found that leaving the bag would instantly kill them with radiation.

Then the Peace Corpse leader and his lieutenant show up as a giant naked radioactive conjoined man, who still wants to cause World War III.

I have all the context and I still don't quite understand why this is happening.

It's all a metaphor for a post-Cold War world, probably.

Vision: "It would appear that their biological link to the Waterwind radically altered them when the submarine's nuclear payload detonated." Captain America: "No need to belabor the obvious, Vision."

The obvious?? The only reason I buy that as an explanation for what happened is because it clearly happened and there's no other explanation offered.

Anyway, the giant naked man is named Combine, because he is two guys Combine-d into one. And he wants to help everyone leave the bag of holding dimension so they can shotgun radioactive fallout all over the world.

He's not here to be helpful.

Box forms some guns and tries shooting at Combine but combine laughs off bullets and then eye lasers Box the fuck unconscious.

A big radioactive conjoined naked man fight floating in a void doesn't give all the characters a way to join the fight. So Puck, Stingray, Red Guardian, Diamond Lil, an unconscious Sersi, an unconscious Box, and Fantasma chill with the civilians.

Vostok uses his technopathy on the Box armor to turn it into a wall to keep the civilians safe from stray shots.

Meanwhile, Fantasma meditates to contact Shaman in the outside world. Just to touch base. Tell him about the giant naked man.

Shaman is not holding up too well. Containing a chunk of Canada and a bunch of people in his mystic satchel of holding is not what it was meant for. And the strain is making him bleed from his face holes, as strain sometimes does to characters whose gifts aren't in the more mental or mystical department.

The long and short and the teal deer is that the People's Avengers Flight need to wrap this up soon or Shaman might be unable to get them out at all.

They also don't really have a plan to wrap it up. Just determination from Captain America that they can't let Combine release all the radiation. If they have to be stuck in the mystic satchel to prevent him from poisoning the planet, well, that's what heroes do.

Perun: "Ho! Have at thee, pontificating buttocks-touching baboons!!"

You're a treat, Perun.

And Combine isn't one of those unstoppable cosmic powers that the Avengers et al are way over their heads with.

As Vision, Perun, Guardian, Crimson Dynamo, and Quasar hammer him, Combine complains that their stupid, ineffectual attacks are wearing down his (their?) supply of radiation.

Combine can absorb more radiation. From the various people trapped in the bag of holding or from the inanimate objects that got hoovered up. But that's not a bad thing either, since once something/someone has been cleansed, they or it can be released from the satchel.

The only problem is the balancing act of making sure Combine doesn't slurp up so much radiation that he murders all of the People's Avengers Flight members fighting him.

Also, now Team Don't Irradiate the World does have a plan.

The other Peace Corpse members who didn't turn into a giant, naked radioactive conjoined man have had a change of heart.

Some guy: "We understand your doubt, Captain, but it is through your own actions -- and those of the others -- that we have seen the error of our ways! Through your efforts, you not only saved your own lives, but those of hundreds of innocents and the very people who threatened you to begin with!"

Feels like the other Peace Corpse members should have gotten more focus to sell this change of heart. But I think we're supposed to view it the same as the Atlanteans coming together to work with everyone.

Whatever.

Anyway, the other Peace Corpse guys suggest that they be merged with Combine so they can out-vote Illyich and Strokov.

Puck: "Democratic principles in a communist villain?! Don't you just love this international thing here?"

Now, you can't just throw Peace Corpse at Combine and expect them to bloop together. Illyich and Strokov were fused because they were wired into the missile computer or whatever nonsense it was.

But Sersi can do it, with her matter transmutation power!

Except she's unconscious from all the strain of using her powers and then getting psychically whammied by Combine!

But Fantasma can just hijack Sersi's powers like she did in the previous issue!

Poor Sersi and Box. Cool stuff is happening with their powers in this issue. But they're both unconscious and someone else is using their stuff.

I guess that's the international cooperation in work.

Fantasma helps Captain America manifest as a giant head to explain the plan to the heroes who are busy fighting Combine.

Captain America: "We have a plan -- but it requires your help -- all of you must continue to pound the Combine relentlessly! Don't let up -- once their resolve is weakened... the remaining members of the Peace Corpse will enter their group mind and force the Combine to absorb our radiation from us!" Perun: "That sounds ridiculous!" Crimson Dynamo: "Of course it does, friend Perun... Which means it will probably work perfectly!"

I can almost imagine the exhaustion in Dynamo's voice. As he grapples in that moment with the insanity of living in a comic book universe where nonsense is just reality.

While Team Fight Combine fights Combine, Fantasma takes Sersi's unconscious body and starts bringing the remainder of Peace Corpse towards Combine.

Meanwhile, Combine has absorbed radiation from enough people and material for Shaman to start bringing people through.

Tyrak: "Avenger! Allow us to go first -- we are perilously close to death as it is. If someone is to be used to test the magician's theories, it may as well be us." U-Man: "After all, what difference if a few Atlanteans die?" Captain America: "All life is precious to us, Meranno, yours included. But if you're volunteering, then let's do it. We don't have much time..."

So Shaman dumps people and stuff out of his bag of holding and huzzah, the radiation is gone.

The Atlanteans are able to hydrate and save the human civilians that landed in the water.

Back in the bag space, Vision puts into motion his secret plan.

... He just does what he always does. He intangibles. In fairness, he doesn't fist. He usually fists. But Combine is just too dang big. So he flies through him instead and does him a distraction.

That lets Guardian do her thing. And her thing is apparently a "gravitational shunt."

She instant transmissions. Even including the POP!

The non-Combine members of Peace Corpse are shoved into Peace Corpse, leading to a discussion as everyone fights for consensus.

"--No! You cannot control us -- our cause is just!" "No, Illyich, my friend -- your actions, your decision to unite the world through war was wrong!" It's true, Illyich! An international enclave of heroes has shown us the way of the future!" "That was is through might! We must use force to further the needs of our country and our planet!" "No, Strokov -- it's not through force of might, or through personal gered. We've learned that now!" "It is through mutual dependency, mutual cooperation, and mutual desire!" "Do you see inside our minds now, Illyich? Strokov?" "I -- I -- see --" "Then we must atone for the error of our ways, comrades."

Outvoted. Democracy in action!

The new Combine absorbs all of the excess radiation and form a giant hand-holding circle of naked people.

And like a lot of throwaway cosmically powerful characters in fill-in stories, the Combine decides to fuck off into (bag) space to explore reality.

We'll never see them again.

But at least they learned that borders aren't real.

Shaman is just about to collapse and the dimensional vortex too so everyone still in the bag dimension books it back through to planet Earth.

Just one entire half hour later, everyone is getting ready to go their separate ways.

The Atlanteans have fucked off. Apparently, Captain America talked with them before they left, telling them that Attuma would be treated fairly in his war crimes trial.

Didn't realize that was a thing.

Anyway, they Atlanteans also expressed interest in getting some humanitarian aid. Considering Atlantis got blown up twice in one event.

The People's Protectorate fuck off, on good terms with the Avengers. And since this is Canada, the Avengers fuck off, leaving Alpha Flight to watch them go.

Guardian: "We did ourselves and our country proud, gang. Funny, to be part of an ideological struggle between the world's super powers, wasn't it?" Puck: "Sort of makes you wonder what the worth of ideology really amounts to, eh? After all, we don't owe the children of tomorrow a bit of our ideologies and foolish way.s We just owe them a world in which they can choose to create their own... for the better, one hopes..."

Is THAT what we learned from all of this?

I thought we learned... something about democracy and working together? Idunno.

Let's just transition into the back-up feature so I don't have to sort out themes.

So we finally learn who has been messing with the Avengers Support Crew and who called them all out to the park last issue.

It is Mother Night!

I haven't heard of her! But she works for the Red Skull and seems to have power over perception.

She's also, maybe, a bit of a doofus. Calling the Avengers Crew for a big dramatic reveal without thinking that construction workers might wander through.

Her powers let her get away with it but she did have to pause her dramatic speech to disguise herself.

Mother Night takes the Avengers Crew outside the grounds to a blood donation truck where Minister Blood and Machinesmith are waiting.

Minister Blood wasn't around when this evil scheme was set into motion so Night Explains It All.

She and Machinesmith have been staking out the Avengers' headquarters for two weeks. Night disguised herself as a lady walking her dog and hypnotized Jarvis as he was on his way to the mansion. Then, she planted a micro-transmitter in his inner ear. And did the same with the rest of the Crew over the next days. With that micro-transmitter, she could trigger a traumatic hallucination.

Which is what was happening in all the back-up stories.

Now, with the Avengers Crew in her power, Mother Night and Minister Blood are going to perform psychic surgery to implant post-hypnotic commands for later.

Which apparently consists of the same traumatic experiences again but this time Mother Night saves them in exchange for them doing favors for her. But the favors will be done subconsciously and the Crew won't remember any of this except as a hazy dream.

Minister Blood: "So how long has the Skull been planning this little venture?" Mother Night: "Johann doesn't know a thing about it, Minister. Using their civilian workers to bug the Avengers' new headquarters was all my idea. When the job's complete, I'm going to give Johann a bank of video monitors to correspond to every bug they plant. I think the Red Skull is going to just adore the birthday present I got him, don't you?"

Making him a birthday gift. First-name basis. This woman I've never heard of and the Red Skull must be close. Like the closest of acquaintances.

So, all those back-up stories were written by Mark Gruenwald, who is also writing the entirety of Avengers #325.

So he's setting something up. We'll see what. Because I'm covering that issue before I head into the Terminus Factor, the linked annuals story for the Avengers.

Stay tuned!

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