#Five sacrificing everything to save his siblings

[golden-redhead]

You see, the biggest problem with this is that Five HAD a love story all along.

His love for his family has been THE very foundation of the show and what kickstarted the entire chain of events.

He spent 45 years in the apocalyptic wasteland because he loved them too much to give up.

He found them in every possible timeline.

He reversed time for them.

He became an assassin to get a shot, however small, at coming back to them.

He’s been through countless timelines, doing his best to save and protect them in every single one of them.

No matter how dire the situation, he always pushed to find a way to save his family. His devotion was stronger than anything and there was no line he wouldn’t cross for his siblings. No matter how self-destructive the cost, he sacrificed himself again and again just for a chance at reuniting with them and saving the world so they could live.

It was a destructive kind of love, yes, but also inspiring. I think it resonated with many people because love can be intense, we love and want to be loved with this kind of intensity and dedication.

So, to throw it all away for a romantic subplot that no one asked for is not only a huge disservice to Five’s character but also goes against everything he represents. We already knew he’s capable of love and that he loves deeply.

I don’t understand how the showrunner who worked on the series for 5+ years can say that Five had to have an arc like this. It doesn’t make sense. He already had a love story. Arguably, the most beautiful and deepest of them all. He didn’t need more, what he needed was to have it returned and to finally settle down after multiple lifetimes of putting his life on the line to keep his loved ones safe.

To say otherwise means that the writers fundamentally misunderstood what made Five a great character and what fans loved most about the show. It feels like a betrayal, because it is one. It proves that the creators not only misunderstood the core character of the show but also never paid attention to the fandom and its preferences.

There’s a difference between catering to the audience and what they ended up doing, which is a character assassination at its worst. And it’s not just the character who was ruined but also the entire premise of the show, the reason why fans loved it in the first place. There’s no coming back from something like this.

[3njoythesil3nce]

Plot holes/crappy writing in TUA 4

• Five, the guy who spent 45 years in an apocalypse and went back specifically to save his siblings from the same fate, ended up betraying Diego with such lightness and unjustified hatred and almost left the whole family because he got rejected by Lila?

• Five and Lila together just because Five needed a love interest when up until a season ago they had a sibling dynamic and Lila was madly in love with Diego

• In the end they decide to sacrifice themselves to destroy the Marigold but then they all reincarnate as Marigold flowers? and there is literally half a bottle of Marigold left intact in Diego's van?

•why in the hell was Lila shooting laser from her eyes? where did that power come from?

• Luther regains his powers and gets his monkey body back even though it has NOTHING to do with his powers since he morphed into that after Reggie saved his life by injecting him with a serum in season one

• in the end, all the past villains are shown together in the correct timeline when they all should be from completely different times

• Five feels like a COMPLETELY different person, the decharacterization was unreal.

• Klaus' new powers are shown for a second and then for the rest of the season he's basically reduced to a prostitute, ruining all the anticipation of seeing his true strength that has been building up since season 2 and nullifying all of his self improvement

• why was Jennifer in a fucking squid?

• in the end how are the children alive if their parents never existed?

• Ben and Jennifer were completely USELESS. and they were supposed to be key characters of the season

• Abigail's storyline made NO sense at all, she was supposed to be one of the most important characters in the series since the foreshadowing of her presence starts in season 1 and then she is reduced to two scenes in which she basically goes "fuck you Reggie for destroying the world, now I'll destroy it too as punishment" ???

• when Five meets the other Fives in the diner he doesn't show any symptoms of Paradox Psychosis

• Ray and Sloane are cut out of the show with two lines without explaining anything

• Diego dies without saying goodbye to his children

• Jean and Gene barely have a role in the whole season

• Allison sacrificed everything and everyone for Claire and their relationship is reduced to 3 scenes?

[yukiwhitetm]

Fanstory Prompt

Short prompt:

Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth is Peter Parker's great-uncle and, after Tony Stark and May Parker pass away in the aftermath of Endgame, Peter is sent to be under Alfred's care.

Peter Parker's Genealogy:

Alfred Pennyworth & Peggy Carter (marries Steve Rogers) - Howard Stark (marries Maria Stark née Carbonell)

|

Tony Stark (marries Pepper Stark née Potts) - Mary Parker née Fitzpatrick (marries Richard Parker) & Ben Parker (brother-in-law, through Richard Parker) - May Parker née Reilly

|

Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (half-siblings, different mothers)

Long prompt:

Seventeen-year-old Peter Parker, secretly the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man of Queens, New York, has lost family and had to restart his life more times than the average kid (even one with superpowers!).

His parents Richard and Mary Parker died in an aeroplane crash when he was five. His Uncle Ben, who - along with his Aunt May - had taken him under his wing in the aftermath of his parents' abrupt passing, was shot and killed right in front of him when he was only fourteen. His Aunt May had a young stroke and passed away during the five year gap where Peter was busy being dusted (thanks Thanos!). And Tony Stark, who had only just found out he was Peter's biological father the year before Thanos attacked, when Peter was sixteen, but hadn't wanted to disrupt Peter's civilian life so had left him with his aunt, sacrificed himself to save the world, but more importantly Peter, in the final endgame battle against Thanos.

Now, Peter has blipped back into being five years after being dusted only to find he has lost family and has to restart his life all over again. This time with a great-uncle he hadn't even known existed! (Most likely due his not knowing Tony was his father and so Peggy was his grandmother until a year - six years? - beforehand.) Worse still, Peter has to move away from his friends and everything he's ever known to the world's most dangerous and crime-ridden city, Gotham. Who is Alfred Pennyworth and how has he ended up as a butler slash pseudo-grandfather to so many young people? Why do those very same young people keep on disappearing and then reappearing hours later from inside Wayne manor? What's up with those vigilantes hanging around Peter so much?

And why does everyone say that Batman has such a problem with mutants (also lesser known as metahumans) like Peter? He can't not be Spider-Man, even in a new and dangerous place like Gotham, so is Batman's prejudice going to be a problem... Or will Peter find himself an unlikely new family in the shape of bat and bird themed heroes as he builds himself a new life in Gotham city?

Prompter's note:

Lately, I have read a lot of Spider-Man&Batman crossover stories where Peter ends up in the DC universe - even ones where Dick Grayson was Richard Parker (adopted into the Parker family) in the Marvel universe before dying - which is fun but I wondered what would happen if it was somehow the same universe? Let's say the Justice League existed longer but were quieter than the Avengers and then the Avengers came crashing in, loud and proud as can be, and they refused to have anything to do with the Justice League, who they saw as nothing more than vigilantes. That's why the Justice League has never involved themselves in Avengers battles. Only now, my thought process went, the prompts above start pushing the Avengers-Justice League status quo when Spider-Man starts superheroing in Batman's city (particularly because a lot of the Avengers are gone). And the batfam find themselves unwittingly adopting a lost and lonely Spiderling.

P.S. I think Tim/Peter would be cute! They're both smart, compassionate, overly hardworking heroes; I think they're a perfect besties-to-boyfriends couple. Or an aged up! Damian/Peter could be a fun enemies or rivals-to-lovers storyline. If neither of those work, go ahead and do what inspires you instead, just don't couple him with up with Dick or Jason (which I have seen) because minor/adult couples are never cool. A better idea would be to ship Peter with no one at all!

I know I set a lot of this story prompt up for you already but that's just because I had a lot of thoughts on it. Feel free to make it your own!

[trulytiredhermit]

Hold up, HOLD UP.

What if the chain was in a really heated battle with a bunch of enemies, they aren't letting the reader even five meters away, so the reader is just watching, you know?

But then the reader just sees a Link was about to get attacked, shit.

So the reader ran headfirst in the middle of the battlefield, not paying attention to any of the Links' yells at them to retreat, no, they are way too focused in saving one of them.

The Link looks at them in confusion until the reader pushed them away, and then they got hit in the head by an enemy, losing consciousness.

They had sacrificed themselves. They pushed that Link away a split second before he was supposed to be hit in the head, but no.

The reader took the blow.

*Angst city

Angst city

ANGST CITY!!

No but for real, imagine the things that could happen after the hit. I mean, Reader could fall into a coma, get seriously hurt from the hit, get amnesia and NOT remember anything about the Chain or their adventure with them!

Could you imagine if Reader actually got comfortable with the Chain and finally accepted their yandere tendencies and began to love them back only to develop amnesia and the Chain has to start back at square one?!?!

Like… I gotta make a little snippet for this now I swear.

Also I hope you don’t mind, I know you’ve kinda lost interest in LU but I really like you ask ideas so I’m still going to answer them. I hope that’s okay Chrom!*

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Wind could only stare down in shock, the person he viewed as his older sibling, someone he would give his life for, was laying at his feet unresponsive with a bleeding wound on their head that just kept getting more and more red as the green grass was dyed a more brownish and rusted copper color.

He wanted to throw up.

He was used to fights, contrary to the chain’s forgetfulness. He had gotten wounds and injuries of his own that he alone had to patch up on his journey to save his own home.

But he was 12 and this was different.

This time he hadn’t been the one to get hurt, instead he had to watch someone dear to him be struck down.

It felt like when he had watched Aryll be taken away that day long ago, but even worse because Aryll was alive and…

He couldn’t even bear the thought of it.

He just continued to stare down at your crumbled form in shock.

The others quickly took note of what had happened, all with ranging emotions at the forefront of their minds.

But one thing was similar.

They were pissed and they wanted revenge.

All hell broke loose on the battlefield.

Time’s hands itched, reaching instinctively to the ominous mask on his hip. Why shouldn’t he let the Deity out to enact vengeance upon those who had dared to hurt one he held so dear.

Warriors cut through the monsters with a brutal finesse and he did so efficiently and effortlessly, making his way across the battlefield with a cold and hard gaze that any soldier would have in a war. He didn’t care if the monsters would have a slow, agonizing death. Only that they would be incapacitated and that they would die.

Four split without a second thought, if the chain didn’t already know about his ability and of the colors then they did now. The four colors working together to take down the onslaught of monsters more quickly, each with their own style. Needless to say Blue was the most brutal and impulsive out of the colors, not caring a thought about any injury he may have or did sustain during his rampage.

Hyrule and Legend didn’t waste a second and we’re next to your body and Wind as everything went down. Hyrule worked on checking out the head injury and using any and all healing items along with his own magic to help stop the bleeding and heal the wound.

Legend, meanwhile, was the defense. He had his sword at the ready on his hip while his fire rod was in his hand, ready to go full on scorched earth at any monster that even thought to try and get close.

Wild , Twilight, and Sky teamed up. Wild would use his Sheikah slate abilities to freeze the monsters in time, allowing Sky and Twilight to wail on the monster before they moved onto the next. Meanwhile, Wild continued to shoot down more monsters with his bow and assortment of arrows, he even used up many of his ancient arrows to get rid of them quicker.

With all of their combined efforts the hoard didn’t last even a whole two minutes. And when everything was said and done, the rest chain converged on where you lay; either talking to Hyrule about your condition or checking in on Wind.

The days after the attack are spent in an inn, under Time’s order. It doesn’t matter if Hyrule healed everything up, you’re resting and being pampered and that’s final.

Wind stays next to your side like a leech, not leaving you alone even for a second. Well really they all do, but Wind does NOT leave you alone. You guys are roomies now too, doesn’t matter if there isn’t a second bed in your inn room. He’s either gonna sleep in the same bed or (if the others tell him he can’t due to your injuries) he’s dragging his mattress from his room to yours.

[marymary-diva17]

Switch places

female lo'ak and big brother neteyam

Death was something that everyone was told about at very young age on pandora, but even due learning about death was something about life experience the death of loved one is always hurtful. The sully family had always been strong and fortress as they always had each other, a family ski but it soon become a family of five. The death of eldest sully child who had sacrificed everything for the well-being of his siblings doing what all older siblings had done. The death of the eldest had greatly effected everyone and his lost never, made anything the same.

lani " neteyam I'm sorry so sorry" it had been a month since her older brother death and it still didn't feel like it was real. Her family hadn't been the same and either was the clan as well, neteyam was loved by everyone and now he was gone.

lani " payakan why does it still hurt after all this long" lani had been with payakan as life at home and the village was very uncomfortable, lani had a feeling everyone blamed her. She had went out to go save payakan from danger and in the ended she lost her brother, and now her family is not the same and is no longer a fortress.

payakan " because he is your brother you will always miss him, and love him no matter what happens"

lani " yes but I wish he was still alive and here with us I miss him and I want him back"

payakan " oh lani"

lani " I feel like everyone blames me not only neteyam life had been lost many other as well, and I put so many lives on the line as well I have always been selfish"

payakan " you are not selfish lani you are just a child no one should be blaming you, and your brother did what he did along with other to save you and many other from the evil humans"

lani " I know but just wish he was here I really need him right now" lani had spent the rest of the day with payakan, she was feeling a bit better but she still felt sad about everything.

later on that night

lani " ......" lani had finally arrived back home and it seems like everyone expect warriors were at home right now or the healer hut.

navi women " there the demon girl she finally come home to curse the village"

navi women 2 " it all because of her we lost our future leader and that many lives have been lost"

navi men " she dont has only be the result of many death but many people lives have been ruined"

navi men 2 " she a shame to her family and clan she shame to be a child of eywa"

lani " ....." nai was not going to say the last time she didn't a fight had started and she got scolded by Jake. She soon arrived home her parents and sisters seem to be happy and laughing, but that all ended when she came into the home.

lani " hello sorry for being late I didn't mean to interrupt anything"

tuk " welcome home lani"

lani " thank you" lani soon joined her family at the meal but it had become very quite in the home.

Jake " where have you been all day young lady"

y/n " I was with payakan dad ... I mean sir"

Jake " with the outcast again hasn't there been enough damage done"

y/n " I just want to see him as I haven't seen him after the battle that much, and we talked"

tuk " what did you talk about"

y/n " we talked about neteyam"

The sound of bowl breaking had gotten everyone attention, as they looked at neytiri.

Neytiri “ don’t you dare speak of him with the creature, your brother dead chasing after you for the dangerous creature”

Lani “ mom I …..”

Neytiri “ my son is dead my precious son is gone all because of those demons, and many other lives as well why couldn’t it be anyone else why did it have to be him”

Lani “ mom I’m sorry I didn’t”

Neytiri “ don’t touch me” neytiri soon got up and left the room, storming into the room she shared with Jake.

Jake “ young lady you have a lot to think about”

Lani “ dad”

Jake “ sir remember”

Lani “ yes sir”Jake soon ran after his wife leaving the kids alone.

Kiri “ why do you alway have to speak before your talk”

Lani “ Kiri”

Kiri “ you know spider blames himself for all of this but none of this would of happened, because of you all because of you”

Lani “ sister I’m sorry”

Kiri “ I don’t care for you sorry I’m leaving to go have dinner with spider and his family, why did you have to be come home”Kiri soon left leaving the two sister alone. 

Tuk “ Kiri … lani …”

Lani “ go be with her Tuk I will be okay” 

tuk " I love you lani" tuk had hugged lani before running after kiri lani was standing there by herself.

neytiri " ever time I look at her I remember that day of losing neteyam... I blame her at times as she killed him"

Jake " neytiri we all think about that day and chose could, of been made better by her but ... I don't know I miss him do he was so special to the family he was our fortress" lani soon left the home and started wondering around.

????? " lani"

lani " oh hey tsireyo"

tsireyo " hey I was going to check on you and your family ... oh lani what the mater"

lani " I miss my brother my family hasn't been the same without him, we are no longer the sully or fortress" tsireyo soon brought lani into a hug as she cried on his shoulder.

tsireyo " I'm sorry lani for everything"

????? " tsireyo" the teens had broke apart as they looked and saw ronal coming their way.

ronal " get your demon blood hands off my son you awful girl"

tsireyo " mother"

ronal " no I will no longer have you defending her she is to blame for all the misery within our clans and lands, she the reason her clan had to leave their home and come here ... she had ruined many lives and now many lives have been lost because of her"

tsireyo " mother"

ronal " she to blame for this all she is to blame for everything"

????? " what going on her" aonung and rotxo soon shown themselves as they walked over to the tiro.

aonung " how dare you upset my mother during this time"

lani " i didn't mean to"

ronal " children stay away form her you can be with her sister but stay away from her"

aonung " come on mom lets get you home" the group soon left tsreyo had looked back but was soon dragged off by his brother, lani could feel all eyes on her from the others. She soon ran off towards a far away beach to be alone.

lani " i will give anythin to switch places with my brother great mother... I will do anything and give up anything to have my brother home with my family .... I need him no the need him everyone needs him I will make any type of sacrifice" tears were falling down lani face, she had decided to stand in the water a bit. She was looking out to where neteyam was bared and soon swam out there, she was looking at the sport. Tears falling down her face and she reach out her hand she would switch places him in heart beat, she will do anything to have her big brother live again.

lani " ......" soon a bright glower bright then the glow that was already there, had soon over come lani when she opened her eyes she was laying in rock.

lani " oh it day time how long was I asleep did I sleep here last night"

lani " I should get home and prep myself for lectures and the cold shoulder, maybe I can ask grandma if I can stay with her for long time" lani had swam back to the shore she was stretching and minding her own business.

????? " hey lani there you are"

lani " neteyam" lani ahd heard neteyam voice when she looked to where the voice was coming from, she saw him walking over to her.

lani " neteyam brother"

neteyam " yes that me I came to see where my little sister had gotten off to" lani had soon hugged neteyam when he got closer she was happy to see him, how was this possible it had to be dream right.

neteyam " hey I love your hugs is everything okay" lani soon felt neteyam hug her back, making her realize that is true her brother was really here.

neteyam " hey you are crying what the matter I swear if aonung said anything to you ...."

lani " no I just happy to see you that all"

neteyam " well I'm happy to see you as well now come on the others are waiting"

lani " yes" lani had followed neteyam to where everyone else was at the moment.

kiri " hey sis there you are ... hey have you been crying aonung what did you do"

tsireyo " aonung"

aonung " it was not me"

lani " yes I'm just happy to see you all it been hard lately"

tuk " well we are happy to see you"

rotox " come on let have some fun" the group had fun lani had learned she was in the future for some reason, that means her prays had been heard. Soon in a couple days she will be losing her brother again and she didn't want that to happen.

days later

lani " payakan do you believe in second chances in life or having time to redo mistakes made"

payakan " well yes you helped me gain my second chance with the tulkun had have helped us, with the rda"

lani " well I think you might think I'm crazy but I was given a second chance, in one future my brother is dead but he alive here but I might lose him again and I don't want to do that"

payakan " I had a feeling you have a new glow to you"

lani " payakan whatever happens tomorrow please help my sibling, friends, and the clans here please keep up the good fight for me if I'm no here"

payakan " yes I will I will spreed the words and we will be waiting for you when and if you come back to us ... lani"

lani " yes"

payakan " what you are doing is every mature of you and te great mother has blessed you"

lani " thank you my friend" soon lani heard warrior calls. she got off payakan fast.

lani '" you need to leave fast of they will be mad at you I will be okay this needs to be done"

payakan " okay" payakan soon dove under water and swam away leaving the girl alone, as she soon came face to face with some warriors and by the looks on their faces it was bad new. She was soon brought home and towards a gather of olo'eythans and her father.

tonowari " lani you have been called here for a special reason"

lani " yes sir"

tonowari : reports have told me and your father along with others, that you have disobey me and kept on see the outcast and now you and outcast are helping the tulkun fight back"

olo'eythan " disobey our rules by being near the outcast"

olo'eythan 2 " is a a daughter of toruk makto but acts of shameful being friends with an outcast and breaking our clans rules, is also bring shame to her clan and the other forest clans"

tonowari " enough let the girl speak so lani is true"

lani " yes it true sir I have been socialize with payakan"

Jake " young lady what have I told you"

lani " i not ashamed of my actions he saved my life and became my friend I see the truth about him, and it breaks my heart I will not let anymore tulkun become prey to the RDA ... these old rules at times need to be changed and looked over the tulkun and everyone else here has a right to live and we have to help them"

tonowari " Herę I thought you were like your father and mother"

lani " I'm their daughter I fight for what right and this what I'm fighting for with all respect to you tonowari and everyone here, but I wont flee and leave innocent lives in danger"

olo'eythan 3 " you girl have put out lives in danger by getting the rda attention and having us come and hide here, now we all endanger more lives because of you ... shameful girl you are no navi and will never be navi"

lani " I'm navi even due I don't act like you all or look that same I still navi"

olo'eythan 4 " toruk makto you allowed this of your daughter to speak to us in this tone"

Jake " no I don't sir and she bring shame to my family and myself, I thought I raised you to be better then you but I seems like I was wrong ... at times I wonder where I and her mother went wrong ... there are times when I wish she was like her siblings or other kids"

lani " i will never be like them dad"

Jake " why are you like this I said enough of breaking the rules but you can't seem to that now it effecting everyone life here, you are so selfish lani and many other things ... now you are rubbing off on your sibling and other kids around you, sometime I wonder if I should call you my daughter"

lani " ....."

Jake " once again you bring shame to my and your mother for once in your life can you make us proud"

lani " when you see me"

Jake " the wya you are going I might never see you now or ever"

lani " can I go sir do I have to stay here"

Jake " just leave you have done enough damage to our family and our clan" lani didn't say anything else as she soon left saying nothing else, this was not the first time hearing she was shame or disappointment to her family and clan. it still found ways to hurt her when she heard towards words.

lani " ....." lani had been crying alone what she had sone soon speed around the village, and now she was more in trouble with everyone.

???? " hey may I sit here with you"

lani " neteyam shouldn't you be with dad and all the other future leaders, and other talking"

neteyam " yes but I came for more important matter you I heard what happened"

lani " I'm guessing you are ashamed of me as well now join the team I have more spots open"

neteyam " No I'm proud of you for what you have been doing, you are alway doing stuff that unlike everyone else"

lani " thank you"

neteyam " I see you lanI and I will always be proud of you no matter what happens"

lani " ......" lani soon started crying as she soon was brought into a hug by her brother. She was so happy to have neteyam back and she will make sure the dark future that happen will not take place.

lani " hey I need to talk with you all" everyone looked at lani as she got their attention.

tisreyo " sure"

lani " I need you all to give payakan a chance there more to him then you know"

kiri " okay"

lani " thank you" she had made a group hug with them everyone was laughing and smiling. Lani only knew of what will be coming for them tomorrow but she had a plan.

the day of the battle

lani " ........" Tension had risen the day of the battle all the ocean and reef navi were done with the RDA, had almsot killed some tulkun and burned down to many village along with destroy enough stuff as well.

neteyam " don't worry everyone everything will be fine" the group had bene caught all of them and now they were being, held hostage on rda ship.

tuk " dad" soon the parents had come along with help from many other oloeythans and their warriors. In a matter of second the battle had began everyone was fighting. While the solider had been distracted lani had freed herself.

lani " ahhh" she had attack some soliders knocking them down to the metal floor.

neteyam " lani"

lani "I'm good ..... payakan " payakan had jumped out form the water and landed on some of the rda. Lani had started freeing everyone from their cuffs.

aonung " nice move there"

lani " thanks but we can talk and praise each other later we need to get off of this ship"

spider " on it come on everyone we can jump from here"

lani " someone stay with tuk"

kiri " okay" everyone was moving when the recoms came along with the rda.

lani " get out of here everyone now" everyone was jumping into the water with all the chaos.

spider " hey let me go" lani had seen one of mecsuits grab him she soon stabbed the suit in the robot arm.

rda " hey your blue brat"

lani " keeping going and if payakan not fighting go to him and he will help"

Lyle " hey stop there right now" it was lyle the man who or had killed her brother, he was firing off his weapon as the kids ran to jump off the ship.

lani " keeping going we will be okay"

neteyam " on it" a the remaining of the group jumped off lani had made sure no one else was hit, but she soon did feel the sharp pain as she was hit.She had made eye contact with the rda and recoms dead silence had bene heard, but lani didactic give up she ran the rets of the way and jumped off into the water.

neteyam " great we are all everyone else went to the village we can follow after"

aonung " that was amazing and scary"

spider ' lani are you okay"

lani " I' .... I'm good" the four boys soon saw blood in the water and looked at each other and soon themselves and saw, they are good but lani was not.

neteyam " no no no"

aonung " my IIu"

neteyam " here we got you we are here"

lani " okay it will be okay it will be okay" the boys had gotten onto aonung and rotxo Iiu heaidng toward the rocks where everyone was wait.

neteyam " dad dad do you hear me something bad has happened we need your help"

Jake " neteyam what happened"

neteyam " someone is hurt and we need your help we are going towards the rocks"

Jake " I will be there with everyone shortly" the group soon reach the area as the brought lani body onto the rocks.

spider "I will call my dads for help as well"

neteyam " good where are the others" soon the sound of IIu had gotten everyone attention as the other three and shown up, seeing lani hurt like that.

Kiri “ lani no please no"

tuk " lani" the two sisters gather around lani as kiri and neteyam started doing what their dad taught them.

tsireyo " lani we are here we are going to make sure nothing bad happens"

lani " it okay I don't fear see the great mother I'm not scared"

kiri " don't speak like that"

neteyam " yes it will be good we are going to save you my sister, you save us and we are going to help you"

rotxo " where could they be where could they be"

spider " it hard to tell"

lani " it okay..... I need to protect ....my family and friends"

lani " I wanted to keep our family, friends, and clans ... safe so we can go home so we can all go home"

neteyam " we are all going home okay mom and dad are going to come and save you ... they will be here to save us and you then it will be good"

lani " I .... love dad and I .... love mom as well ... and all my siblings"

neteyam " we love you too"

kiri " yes we do sister we are going to head home"

tuk " then we can make flower crowns again"

lani " promise to make one ... for me please" her sister had nodded her head.

spider " lani I''m sorry if I didn't ...."

lani " you are one of people ... spider and my best friend I need to save you as you had saved others as well"

tsireyo " please don't go we still need you ....you can't just yet"

aonoung " please lani stay we are going to make sure everything okay"

rotox " yes maybe if we go out there and find someone ..."

lani " no it ... not safe it still danger and the rda mad even more now, we cant ... have any lives lost here today" the kids are near lani as they had a bad feeling.

lani " thank you all for ... making life so fun and enjoyable ... I love you all"

neteyam " we love you too lani"

lani " tell mom and ... dad along with grandmother that I love them and I'm sorry"

kiri " you can tell them when you are better .. lani okay"

tuk " yeah"

lani " home ... I wish to go home one last time ... I miss home"

neteyam " we will go home all of us I promises"

lani " I'm ...going home I love you ... all see you at home ..." lani soon stopped moving at all as she laid there, her siblings held her tight as they started crying she wad gone lani was gone. The metkayian kids and spider joined them, as they all watched lani leave them she had saved them but couldn't make it back home. She had done what she need to make sure her family and clan are safe and sound, they didn't need the dark future that she had come from and she had made sure that didn't happen. Lani had thought is was the end of her chapter as she did everything, to rewrite so many wrongs that had been done to her family and her people she will do it again for them over and over just to make sure everyone was happy in the end.

[thecrenellations]

me running around in circles about the parallels that come together at the end of Checkmate:

(yeah)

what it says on the tin, below. Contains maximum spoilers.

(also contains references to themes of suicide, sexual violence, live chess, etc, because everything is connected.)

and because everything is connected, this is something like how it flows together in my brain. I’m not sure if it makes sense outside of it, and it’s certainly not exhaustive. I was mostly thinking about Marthe and Francis vs Kuzúm and Khaireddin. Bringing Sybilla, for example, more directly into it is a whole other spiral…

anyway:

As Francis decides whether Khaireddin or Kuzúm will die, Jerott asks, Which? The one who had experienced love and a modicum of happiness, or the one who had not.

Lymond said, “Marthe.” Marthe is the piece that takes Khaireddin. I think about Khaireddin as Marthe, sacrificed, while Francis and Kuzúm, loved by Philippa, are saved. Strangers switched as infants; siblings switched at death. In Amiens, Marthe convinces Sybilla to bully her son back to life. In Edinburgh, Philippa convinces Francis to spare Gabriel in order to save the son he has just learned exists. “I will not fail you, ever.”

Which child? The one whose life had been innocent, or the one who had been earliest corrupted and whose first uncertain steps had just been taken towards his birthright of friendship and joy?

Philippa rides to St. Mary’s with information that will destroy Joleta and Gabriel. Francis lets Gabriel kill Joleta when he could have died in her place, and I think about it as a sacrifice of his sixteen-year-old, vilified self. Like how Francis lets Khaireddin die to finally kill Gabriel. Khaireddin is Marthe, but he’s also another version of Francis, whether or not he’s his son. And the knight was the child who had not yet known happiness; the child Lymond had drawn to himself. Who is corrupted, and who is innocent? Who gets to know happiness?

“Then allow me to take the child’s place. I have no objections.” Roxelana and Güzel refuse, Khaireddin dies, and Philippa makes Francis promise to live. Marthe has told her he will not want to and told her brother that Philippa will not be thinking of herself. The marriage holds longer than the promise, but he still lives.

When Güzel is dead and Francis has made a new promise to his mother to live and return home, Marthe rides to Philippa’s home with news that would destroy Richard. Richard tries to save Marthe, but Austin destroys her, and they both do so thinking she is Francis. Depending how you count, there are four Crawford siblings and two of them are bastards. “Your father’s two sons will never meet again.”

“Like your son, I am a bastard.” “No, my dear. Forgive me, but I think you are a bastard like nobody else.” Marthe comes to England and dies before reaching Scotland. Francis tries to leave Scotland forever, to keep his brother safe. He fails. “Richard will be safe.” For the sake of someone he is just beginning to love, he does not let himself drown. The irony of “not yet.” He fails that Richard, too. It is an impossible task. The Crawford brothers take turns riding through the night to find each other alive and fracture again. Richard can never learn why Francis left, because that is the truth that would destroy him. And the sacrifice Francis made was unnecessary.

"Five years—even five such as these—can’t tear me drop by drop from your blood." Francis thinks of 1547-8 as the year he fought his brother. Richard’s sole, desperate purpose is to kill Francis, and he saves him instead. Francis’s purpose is to save Richard, and he tries, so hard, to kill himself. “I’m here to help you. You’re going to be free.” What can ten years tear apart?

Ten years later, Marthe says, “I am going to move the pieces. I am going to direct the end of the game.” Nostradamus tells her her part is still to come. In Constantinople, Francis is king and Marthe is queen. But Roxelana watches, and Güzel watches, making sacrifice necessary. In Dumbarton, the father of one pawn finds the mother of the second in his room. Adam watches, and then Richard finds them both. “So this is the outcome of it all. This is why Tom Erskine preserved you; why Christian Stewart died and Gabriel has worked to redeem you … for this. Francis, I would sooner have discovered you dead.” Richard doesn’t mention what he did that year, himself. The year he saved his brother. “Francis! I can’t let you take your own life.”

Lymond screamed once with agony, and then screamed and screamed again.

Joleta screamed three times, a thin, breathy kind of scream, with her hands spread rigid, like shining, flesh-eating plants before her.

In Volos, Francis will not let himself scream. He recites, and Marthe joins him. “I called you sister. Was I right?” “Yes. What made you sure?” “The luggage of poetry you carry.” In the sweet summer’s dell north of Hexham, Richard tells stories of everything but their father and does not want Francis to explain about Eloise. But, before that, it’s Richard who brings her up minutes before Francis stabs himself with his brother’s knife. God, Francis had screamed.

"My sister … Who will speak for her? ... Are you so short of rods that you must despoil young trees: so short of stones that you need to walk the very graveyards for them...?"

It’s a series bookended by dead sisters, dead by powder. Francis asks those questions when his own trial drags up rumors. If they were about Gabriel’s abuse of Joleta, they would be true. In Moscow, the night Francis comes to her room, Güzel says, “I too have had my Margaret Lennox and my Agha Morat and my child-whore Joleta Reid Malett.” But who is she? I think of Joleta, Míkál, and Philippa in his rooms in Dumbarton, Thessalonika, Constantinople, and Paris. Those are four very different nights. On one, he calls out to Eloise.

“I am going to call on Philippa, when we get to London. What will you do if I take her straight to my lodging and rape her?” Austin was very white. “Kill you,” he said. “If I can.”

Is Joleta innocent or corrupted when her brother kills her on the stairs? How much does it change the meaning of what Francis did to her at Dumbarton? That year, Philippa’s moves in the game are to tell Trotty Luckup’s version of Joleta’s story and to spare Gabriel to save Khaireddin. Which child?

Two great women who play with fate steer Philippa towards Kuzúm and towards Francis. In Algiers, a pawn’s mother dies and Oonagh turns to fire. Lymond was dedicated. And she…she was the sacrifice. He doesn’t know she is alive, and then he doesn’t know that he will find her dead. To Francis Crawford, this unknown son was a tragedy of which he must never learn. But he does learn. He sees her, but she will never see him again.

There were other children, and nothing to tell her whether the bubbling purr she heard at night, of a baby full and content, was his. … She did not know Khaireddin’s scream, or the sound Francis Crawford might have made when once he too was branded for the galleys.

This child; this unknown son of his blood, was worth one life: his own. … This, one felt of one’s son. Was it not also true of Gabriel’s?

In the chess game, who knows whose child is whose? Who makes sure they are there? Kiaya Khátún, with her whims, switches children and lovers. Marthe and Jerott marry each other as substitutes for Güzel and Francis. Philippa marries Francis because he promises to preserve his own one life. Francis believes that to live and return would be to kill his brother. Forced to go home, he believes he will return to Güzel.

Güzel, who was dead.

Francis reminds Archie that Philippa has released him from his promise. Archie has saved him so many times before. So has Jerott, who knocks the opium out of Francis’s hands and turns it to powder. So Francis decides to die joyfully, in fire and flood, ground by a burning mill on a river. Jerott pulls him from the river anyway, and holds him in his arms as he faces his mother and comes back to life, surrounded by love and tapers burning like Oonagh’s. "My life has a rudimentary value in that you were moved to preserve it." In Amboise and Blois, Oonagh leaves his survival to chance, but she also saves him.

“No. Oh Christ, no. It should have happened long ago.” Jerott knows that he has taken away a death Francis wanted. He stops Richard from intervening and lets Austin kill the rider none of them know is Marthe. “Don’t stop it. No one else could do it for him.” Jerott kills Austin without knowing whose death he’s avenging. It is the death of Marthe, who wanted her own life. The words from the garden in Djerba come to Jerott once he knows, as Francis and Philippa embrace. My beloved is dead. 

As he aims, Austin is so sure he’s the only one who sees the real Francis Crawford, rotten and arrogant and undeserving of life. “Is it for this thou wast created?” thinks Philippa, who first saw Marthe as a shadow and a voice and mistook her for Francis. For Marthe, the answer to that question is yes. “Poor sister. A pawn more helpless even than…”

They had used a knife, so the child’s face was not distorted.

He aimed into the fair, weary, rancourless face, and then at the heart, and both balls found their mark and brought death in the end.

“Consider: who — stretching the imagination, of course, to its most grotesque outer limits — might be taken for my younger brother.”

Acting and not acting, Marthe speaks with the voice of the woman who created both of them, a dead chessmaster who won’t be silent. “You will harm her,” Francis warns Camille. Marthe tells Jerott, “I enjoy acting, as he does. The human scene is well rid of us both.” Many agree. Richard says to his brother, “My dear, you are only a boy. You have all your life still before you.”

“God damn you both. You summon and you throw away. You treat love like a bird for the table… Like a pawn, now in frankincense, now discarded and thrown in the dirt. You don’t know what love is, either of you. And God help us and you, if you ever find out.”

“Whatever made you think you were free? But because of you there will be something, I promise you, by which men will know Francis Crawford has been.”

“There’s an unnatural conspiracy to keep me alive, that’s all.”

“How do you take leave, for all time, of a brother?”

They set off that evening to take Marthe Crawford to the home of her fathers, which she had never known.

And they bury her in the dirt of Midculter, which her brother owns and will never own, where Kuzúm knows happiness.

[itsclydebitches]

clyde help, apparently the 'don't come back' scene from winter was supposed to be directed at RWBYJ telling them not to come back because the people they 'sacrificed their lives to save' were turning on each other and 'wasting that opportunity' so she doesn't want them to see how the people they saved were failing them and somehow that's even more dumb than when i thought it was supposed to be directed at ironwood 😭😭😭

https://twitter.com/dontyoudarryn/status/1677868440437104640

I saw the tweet (a day after I’d written up my thoughts on it being about Ironwood ofc lol) and god, idek what to do with this. On the one hand yay, I’m legitimately glad they didn’t include Ironwood just so Winter could desecrate his portion of the grave like that, with the added implication that he might come back in Volume 10. It’s a good thing the epilogue hasn’t opened that can of worms. On the other hand... literally what the fuck, Winter? That’s SUCH a crazy thing to do! I get that she’s disappointed in how people are treating one another after getting a second chance at life—even though there’s a boatload of context there like, “It’s the heroes who put them in this position in the first place” and “That position is being indefinite refugees at the end of the world. Of COURSE people are stressed and fighting each other”—but who expresses their frustration like that? At least, I always want to clarify, without the story itself calling her out on it. That’s a memorial to the fallen! Unless there are a number of different graves that we’re just not shown (doesn’t look that way) Winter is using her super special protect-the-world powers to desecrate a communal grave. She’s not even doing that out of hatred for her abusive father, or the turned-villain former boss she helped kill... she’s saying “Don’t come back” to her sister.

“But Clyde, she means it in a nice way because there’s nothing good to return to—” no. Stop. It’s just straight up weird and insulting. This message implies that Winter straight up cannot understand human nature and the peoples’ need to acclimate to their new circumstances, especially when they're still in grave danger (she wouldn’t last five minutes with Ozpin’s quest lol). It implies that she cares more about her reputation as a successful hero than her sister and her sister’s friends’ lives. If given the choice, her message is saying, “Better that you be dead than see that things aren’t perfect”—and isn’t that just a summary of everything post-Volume 5. The message implies that Winter cares more about her own selfish need to vent in a permanent, insulting way than being respectful of the, again, implied to be communal memorial.

Imagine for a moment that irl someone’s sibling died in battle, a battle that didn’t decide the war. Mere minutes after the community established a grave for everyone that died, they take a chisel to it and write “Don’t come back,” then try to play that off as a good, loving thing to do because don't you see? They'd be ashamed of us as we imperfectly struggle to survive! It's better for our loved ones to stay dead than see us lash out at one another during the most stressful moment in Remnant history!

If RWBY has any sort of self-awareness the group would arrive in Vacuo, see that message, very understandably assume it was written by an angry civilian, and Winter would be all “Uh....😬" If RWBY were even slightly better written, that message would have been put there by an angry civilian, rather than all these supposedly fallible people treating Ruby like a messiah. After all, it’s very convenient that Winter is so disgusted with their behavior she does this, but their behavior, of course, doesn’t extend to questioning whether the teenager who dropped them here after terrifying the world with a vague, manipulative message did a good job. The refugees are so ashamedly angry... but none of that anger is directed toward the huntresses that dropped them in the middle of a grimm sandstorm outside a Kingdom that hates them. So Ruby has a "Remember her message" memorial created by ignorant strangers and Weiss has her memorial desecrated by her in-the-loop sister. RWBY... you've got it backwards again...

[incomingalbatross]

Unprovoked writer’s commentary on “In the Darkest Hour”

I don’t remember how I came up with this concept I just remember “what if Stan was already dead in 1982 and Ford had to slam the reset button” as a full-fledged premise. And then I wrote it in like five days, which is nice.

I put very little thought into the exact manner of Stan’s death, I just knew it had to be banal and meaningless

(Also the Mailbox didn’t care enough about Driving the Point Home to mention it but. Stan definitely died alone)

Mailbox interrogation, otherwise known as “Ford discovers the frustrations of search engine research decades early”

Me speedrunning the whole time-travel/Globnar process and all logistics involved: “My POV character explicitly doesn’t care about any of these details and THAT’S why we’re not describing or talking about them. For sure.”

Also, Time Baby DEFINITELY rigged Globnar a little here. Just to be clear.

I am operating on the assumption that Time Baby knows a timeline with more living Pineses in it is a timeline with increased chances of Bill Cipher not living long enough to be Time Baby’s problem; thus, Ford gets a sci-fi energy drink and a D&D final round, just like the kiddos later get laser tag.

(Same reason he said saving Stan was probably for the best - Ford negating his Bill deal would keep the dimension safe for a while, but a timeline with Stan in it keeps the door open for the Ideal Ending of killing Bill for good.)

“Crypt of Terrors” is a very slightly rebranded “Tomb of Horrors,” the apparently infamous trap-loaded module Gary Gygax created specifically to murder his players’ high-level characters. I read about it on Wikipedia and thought it was fun.

Also, Time Baby and Jheselbraum are drinking buddies. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

After all this Bill DOES find out what happened. He’s briefly infuriated by the knowledge that his puppet was HOLDING A TIME WISH and he, Bill, got nothing out of it. but then he decides it’s actually hilarious that Ford didn’t get anything out of it either (in terms of their ongoing battle).

“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR YOUR DUMB SIBLING! YOU DON’T EVEN LIKE THE GUY!”

Ford, defensive for all the wrong reasons and determined to insist Bill’s victory is not inevitable: “I sacrificed nothing for him, because I don’t even need a Time Wish to defeat you! I’ll do it myself!”

(...At least he’s still feeding Bill misinformation about how human relationships work. Even if it’s not at all on purpose.)

[my-adhd-gremlin-blog]

Sorry, I'm not done ranting.

Five Hargreeves would not have done his family like that. So, I have an idea about how the season could have ended without completely destroying his character.

If the cleanse happens because of the marigold and durango particles coming together, then how else can they do that without erasing themselves? Well, Abigail said herself, she should not be alive. Her death was her punishment for creating something so dangerous.

(*Sidenote, where the fuck did Abigail even come from? For a character so vitally important to the plot, she was not mentioned much early on/had much mention at all. And her existence makes Grace's character kinda questionable, too. What do you mean Reginald had a wife, whom he supposedly adored, but made a robot nanny for his children in the image of some woman he had a fling with in the sixties? Am I missing some context? Because wtf. Does anyone else not find that kind of creepy?)

If the particles need a living host to bring on the cleanse, why not Abigail? Unless there is a valid reason why she can't (not being human, maybe. I can't remember if her cause of death was mentioned, but if it was the marigold/durango particles, then perhaps that may also change the effect the particles have on her). But I see no reason why it shouldn't have been her. It was her own mistake to fix.

And how would the particles find their way into her system? Viktor. He knows how to extract the particles from a person because he did it to Harlan. But he was the reason Harlan got infected with the particles to begin with. Yes, it was an accident, but if anyone had made this connection sooner, he could have spent some time learning how to share the particles, as well as extracting them. In doing so, he could've extracted the marigold from his siblings and then passed them on to Abigail. Then, either Abigail and Jennifer could form the cleanse, or Viktor could've extracted the durango from Jennifer (after releasing all the marigold particles from his own body first, ofc), and then passed them on to Abigail, too, so she could bare the burden alone. (I know that way would probably be more dangerous and unlikely, as the second Viktor made contact with Abigail, the reaction would start. But to counter that, it took a while for the reaction to completely take hold for Ben and Jennifer, and if Viktor is only passing it along, he should have time to do it before it starts having lasting consequences for him).

And if Abigail, for whatever reason, could not start the reaction to begin the cleanse, then Five should have been the sacrifice. Same process, different host. That would be more in character for him and would probably make for a better conclusion. He originally lost his family because of his own hubris, overestimating his abilities. When he reunites with them, instead of being humble and admitting his mistake, he doubles down in his belief that he is better, and stronger, than them, but at least this time his stubbornness and pride are focused on keeping his family alive. He still truly believes that his power (and knowledge) alone is the answer to their problems. It would be poetic for him to save his family one last time by giving up his life and his power. To let go of his pride and admit he was wrong, he doesn't know everything, and the answer was never using his powers, it was about sacrificing them.

Basically, what I'm saying is that Viktor's ability to transfer these particles from people was most definitely underutilised. There's definitely a better ending that uses that ability. And also Five is a bitch.

There are times when an enormous sacrifice at the end of a story works, even if it does make the ending feel a little less "happy" (the only other example I can think of right now is Star Vs The Forces Of Evil, but I'm not sure if that IS a good example 😅🤣). That being said, this is not one of those times. The ending sucked.

[nysocboy]

Gemstones Episode 3.9, Continued: Five plot resolutions and a funeral

The tv taping is interrupted by a swarm of locusts!

Locusts are not unheard-of in South Carolina. In fact, every 13 years, a swarm of the similar cicadas emerges. Ecologists consider them beneficial, since many animals and birds eat them.  And they do not sting or bite.

But these are not ordinary locusts.  The swarm flies directly through the service entrance and into the tv studio, crashing and smashing everything.  They may not sting or bite, but having dozens of buzzing, crawling things splat into your body, hitting your hair and face, must be  disorienting and painful.  People stumble in every direction, crashing into each other. Some are hit by falling lights and sound equipment.  A round image of Baby Billy smashes someone's head.

You can tell who actually cares about their family by who runs away (the Simpkins) and who looks for them (the Gemstones). Jesse saves not only his family, but Eli and Dusty.  The Montgomerys and BJ/Judy save each other.   

The Kelvin/Keefe rescue is the most dramatic:  Looking for Kelvin backstage, Keefe is overcome by the locusts and collapses, coincidentally just behind a girl who has been killed by a falling spotlight.  When Kelvin finds him, he yells "Leave!",  as in "Save yourself!", but Kelvin spreads his heavy woolen coat over the two of them and yells "I got you!"

Intimacy alert: Keefe holds on to Kelvin's hand and thigh.

Green is Kelvin's preferred color, but the Attico with the long green fringes was chosen deliberately to look like grass.  The guys are dead and buried.  Keefe has a symbolic death and resurrection in every season, but this is the first for Kelvin.  Maybe this is his final expiation, burning away the last of his guilt and shame over being gay.

The family stumbles out onto the loading dock.  Everyone else has scattered.  

Intimacy alert: Kelvin keeps his arm on Keefe's back to guide him out of the studio.  

Femme alert: look at Keefe.  Hour glass figure, large pearl necklace. past-shoulder length hair: with a different face, you would mistake him for a lady. This is the second time that he has dressed as a minister's wife. So, Mrs. Lincoln, other than that, how did you like the show?

Resolution 1: Uncle Peter. Uh-oh, one of the locusts has crashed into Peter's fitbit trigger, destroying it, so the van will blow up in one minute.  Run away!

Peter jumps into the van and drives it to safety. 

Everyone gasps as they see the explosion.  He has sacrificed his life to save them, thus earning his redemption.  

The Funeral: Cut to Dusty Daniels' funeral, an unspecified amount of time later.  Like no other funeral ever, the siblings sit in the front row, and their partners behind, but seated so that we can see them all in one shot.   

Femme alert: Again a stereotypic minister's wife, Keefe wears weird feminine rose-colored glasses.

Resolution #2: The System.  Remember their long-standing feud?  We see BJ and Judy filming a commercial  for Amber's marital System, and then the two women have a reconciliation.  They're still not best friends, but they vow to get along.

Resolution #3: Smut Busters.  Remember Kelvin taking his job at the church back?   We cut to the guys waiting for other Smut Busters outside a porno store. Apparently it was re-instated, no doubt with changes: no vandalism or assault, just lawful protest on public property.  Keefe relishes the idea of the protest, "Let them know we're watching.  Judging their lifestyle." Hey, you were using some of those sex toys, you hypocrite!

Kelvin adds: "What people do in their bedrooms, behind closed doors."  Suddenly he sees the connection to what he and Keefe do "behind closed doors."  

Keefe frowns, seeing the connection, too. 

 "Or...we could give this one a miss."  They could "live and let live," and find some other way to serve the Lord.

In case you still doubt that they have a sexual relationship, they admit it here.  Who still has that doubt? But why don't they come out with the proper terms: "We're gay. People will judge the fucking and sucking we do in the bedroom."  Maybe because homophobes object to the actual word "gay" rather than the identity.  I've seen several programs where people start sentences like "I'm...." and "I thought you were....", only to be cut off before The Word.

Apparently Kelvin and Keefe are no longer youth ministers, or they couldn't just leave.  They would have no choice but to stick around and lead the others.  Maybe they are adult volunteers?  There must be other adult volunteers, too, to drive the teens to the protest. The Smut Busters may not be a teen project at all, anymore.

So, what new way to serve the Lord will they find?  In the HBO photo archive, there are two photos from a cut scene. First, Keefe is at the Gemstone teen center, looking angry, wearing what looks like a Renaissance courtier costume. Next Kelvin, the director of a play, is holding his hand while giving instructions to an actor off stage.  Maybe the scene will be re-used, giving the guys a new mission in the theater.

Resolution #4: Pontius: Remember that Jesse promised to enroll Pontius at The Citadel, the South Carolina military college? Cut to him dropping Pontius off. He was rejected by every college he applied to, but The Citadel has a 99% acceptance rate, plus Jesse probably promised to build them a new football stadium.

Resolution #5: Gideon: Remember, Gideon can't do stunt work anymore, but he doesn't want to be Eli's driver forever. What else is there? He's been reading Eli's autobiographies all season, and while they are fishing, he tells Eli, "I want to do what you do." "You want to preach?"

"I think so." Presumably this means that he's off to college, then seminary.

Eli tears up with pride. The end.

The full review is on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

[thelilbish]

@beavasilva and I have come up with a theory.

We are going to discuss the following questions:

1. Reya. What is she?

2. The symbolism of white dressing.

3. A weeping woman. Her possible connection to the series.

4. Adriel. The savior?

5. Duretti and Father Vincent. The trope.

Well, let’s being with Rhea. According to Wiki, « she is a mother goddess in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Titaness daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus, himself a son of Gaia. She is the older sister of Cronus, who was also her consort, and the mother of the five eldest Olympian gods Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon and Zeus, and the king of the Underworld, Hades. But Cronus learnt that he was destined to be overthrown by one of his children like his father was before him, so he swallowed all the children Rhea bore as soon as they were born. When Rhea had her sixth and final child, Zeus, she spirited him away and hid him in Crete, giving Cronus a rock to swallow instead, thus saving her youngest son who would go on to challenge his father's rule and rescue the rest of his siblings ».

Nothing. And her name gives us nothing too but her white dressing is kinda symbolic. According to different sources, woman in white legends are found in many countries around the world. Common to many of these legends is an accidental death, murder, or suicide, and the theme of loss, betrayed by a husband or fiancé, and unrequited love.

There are no husbands in the series but this legend is strongly connected to another one which is interesting. A lady who cried over her children death was the Weeping Woman or La Llorona. Again. Where is the connection? Yes, Reya cried twice: when she met Ava for the first time in her realm and when “thanking her” for her fight in the finale.

While looking for something specific about her, we found out this: «The first mention of the Weeping Woman is found in the chronicles of the Franciscan priest Bernardino de Sahagún in the XVI century ("The Weeping woman" is the Sixth omen of the fall of the Aztec Empire)».

Though the theory is about a woman mourning her children, I decided to dig deeper and that’s what I found: « La Llorona is one of the most dramatic legends of Mexican folklore. La Yorona is a mourner, a weeping female character rooted in pre—Hispanic Mexico.

It is said that even before the arrival of the Spaniards, people heard and saw at night a woman in a white robe with black loose hair, who wandered alone through the empty streets crying "Oh my children, soon we will all perish!" According to the monks who first recorded this legend, it was Cihuacóatl — "snake woman", the goddess of war and births in Aztec mythology, mourning the imminent death of her people and her impotence in the face of an impending thunderstorm... The interpretation of this legend gave rise to a completely new legend - about a mother who killed her own children ». (It was translated from my native language, sry for mistakes)

Well, it’s still nothing but do you remember what Lilith said?

This

Adriel definitely had told her everything. He definitely had filled her in on the details. She knows more than the OCS. A terrible thing is coming. That woman was the omen of the Aztec Empire fall.

I partly believe Adriel and I don’t trust Reya at all. Here’s why.

Adriel’s actions were violent, he sought power but the way he talked about being on the same side as Ava made us question him.

Bonus

What if he was right about Reya? The Reya who forced Michael to think that sacrificing himself was the only way to defeat Adriel. She did the same with Ava. We know absolutely nothing about her but her first possible prototype is pure, but her second which is La Llorona is the omen of fall.

Warrior Nun writers have big brains. It’s another reason to believe that Adriel was not a liar. There is nothing specific about him but take a look at this.

How is that so? The meaning of his name literally means that God is on his side. If God himself is his help, how can he be evil?

When it comes to Warrior Nun nothing is that simple, it’s all about details. I don’t think they chose that name because it was beautiful or something. They did it on purpose. Keep that in mind.

Besides, no one believed Lilith when she tried to warn the OCS in S1 about Adriel's tomb. She betrayed them once so they had no reason to trust her. But Lilith was right. It's a cliche but I think the same goes with Adriel.

Simon said that Ava and the Halo share a special bound since it was the Halo who made Ava alive but I think there is more to it. Probably the Halo possess more power than it has been shown or it is Ava who makes its much more powerful.

Well, the last thing is Duretti or Father Vincent. We see a trope here. In storytelling it’s quite common of the main character to easily defeat their enemies. But as soon as it has happened, they realize they have been chasing the wrong one. We can see that in S1. Duretti was the enemy they easily defeated, Father Vincent was the one who supported Ava the most. He was kind and understanding. They forced us to think that Vincent was a good guy. And I believed him. I think a lot of us did. It’s a manipulation. We knew about his past which he was remorseful of. He didn't even hide it as if trying to make everyone feel sympathy for him. He succeed in this. Duretti's actions were unclear. But he tried to protect the world in his way. No one saw it.

Vincent was a hero but Duretti ended up sacrificing himself in order to give the OCS a chance to defeat Adriel. He was not afraid of him even knowing what Adriel was capable of. So, Adriel is bad and Reya is not?

Let’s sum it up. Reya is evil, she is the omen of fall, she will be the cause of the fall. She will definitely use Ava to achieve her goals as she did before with Michael and Ava. Her tears were a sign for us. Adriel was not a savior but he tried to warn us about the terrible coming. You can never be sure about the WN characters. Question their actions. They are much more complicated than they seem to be.

Hope you like it, guys. Feel free to share your thoughts with us!

[heavensbeehall]

"Catching Fire", Chapter 19

Part 3: The Enemy

Chapter 19: Let the 75th Hunger Games Begin! Katniss swims to the Cornucopia and gets there first, but is joined by Finnick who has Haymitch's Effie!bangle and says they are allies. They retrieve Peeta and Mags before heading into the jungle as what I consider to be an adorable foursome. Katniss, however, is uneasy with this alliance. Particularly the Finnick part of it. But then Peeta hits a forcefield with his knife, and his heart stops.

Thoughts:

-- At this moment, many of the tributes are going in here with the intention of sacrificing themself, not of surviving. Yet six people will survive these Games, topping last year's record of two which is somewhat good. But I can't help thinking that more should be able to make it since these games only go for three days (spoilers?). We know now that the 10th Games lasted five days. Before that they were over quickly but it's most likely this last Hunger Games was both the shortest of the Snow era, and the last.

-- I have seen people wondering why District 1, 2, 5, 9 and 10 (particularly 1 since Cashmere is mentioned as being trafficked as Finnick was) were not included in the Alliance. Honestly I think that having 12 victors (3,4,6,7,8 and 11) with "varying" knowledge of the plan is already a lot of people and I'm surprised a Totalitarian Dictatorship didn't catch on. At the very least, that's a lot of conversations that could've been overheard. I also wonder, in the particular case of D1, if the fact that they were siblings meant either would've happily reported on the Rebels to save their sibling.

Heroes of the Rebellion! The following Victors were known to be part of the rebel alliance: Unnamed District 6 male Tribute (Morphling), Woof, Cecelia, and Seeder. (please play respectuful music for them in your own head.)

Quotes:

I can't think straight. The image of Cinna, beaten and bloody, consumes me. Where is he now? What are they doing to him? Torturing him? Killing him? Turning him into an Avox? Obviously his assault was staged to unhinge me, the same way Darius's presence in my quarters was. And it has unhinged me. All I want to do is collapse on my metal plate. But I can hardly do that after what I just witnessed. I must be strong. I owe it to Cinna, who risked everything by undermining President Snow and turning my bridal silk into mockingjay plumage. And I owe it to the rebels who, emboldened by Cinna's example, might be fighting to bring down the Capitol at this moment.

I think it's worth noting how Snow uses all the people, including Darius and Cinna, as pawns in the Game. (The whole world is an arena, afterall.) Both of these men will die off the page, with few short lines given to their ends. Darius will again be used as a pawn in an attempt to unhinge Peeta. While Cinna is said to have died while being tortured because he refused to give answers to his captors.

Someone asked me "what did Cinna give to the rebellion?" when I was mad about Gale not wanting Cinna's gloves. That kind of unhinged me, if you haven't noticed by my harping on him. He gave his life, obviously. And his talents. And while his early life was probably much easier than any district kid, I don't think that it's fair to say he had a platform because of the Capitol. He had a platform because of his abilities. It doesn't seem like all Capitol citizens get to be on TV. He had more access, I concede. I don't think that makes his sacrifice lesser though.

Anyway did you guys know Francis Lawrence considered having Lenny Kravitz being executed in the montage of executions in Mockingjay Part 1? ("The concept for the scene was that President Snow's speech would have been delivered during a series of grim executions that were broadcast live, with Cinna's execution being carried out last along with a specific message to Katniss." here)

I'm going to have to cut for length and I've only gotten through the first two paragraphs of this chapter.

[ashleyeveerson]

The thing is: the sparrow’s are co-workers, whereas the umbrella’s are family. Yes, a disfuncional, weird, fucked up, strange family… but a family nonetheless.

[fictionandescapism]

No one does season wide character development like the umbrella academy.

Luther went from locking up his sister because he thought she was dangerous and fulfilling the role he thought his father gave him with everything he had, to genuinely apologizing to his sister for not getting her the help she needed and focusing on being there for his siblings in the way they needed him to be.

Diego went from saying he would sleep well only after killing Patch's murderers and telling his siblings he would see them in ten years, to forgiving his little sister in less than a minute and encouraging his siblings to break away from the roles their father gave them ( and being supportive to the brother who pissed him off the most last season)

Allison went from getting everything she wanted and subsequently losing it because of her powers and using them to keep herself happy, to finding and being part of a relationship with mutual love and respect and being a huge part of an important movement that she believed in, all on her own merit, without the use of her powers.

Klaus went from using drugs to numb the pain he felt to starting a cult (okay this one's a little shaky, but he was sober and we should appreciate that) (Also his dynamic with Allison and his little sister who ended the world??? The cutest)

Five went from tormenting himself about being unable to save his siblings to finally being able to use his powers to single-handedly save them all.

Ben went from being scared to walk into the light to sacrificing himself for Vanya. (he also got to hug two of his siblings like he deserved)

Vanya went from ending the world because of her inability to control her powers, to being able to help a little boy control his, and save his life.

Honestly I can't wait to watch Lila's character arc in season 3.

[rebelumbrella46]

Theory time: Why Sparrow Ben seems so different to Umbrella Ben?

(Apologies for my grammar. English is not my native language)

Physical differences aside; hair style, clothes, scars... According to Justin H Min’s interviews and the promotional photos we have seen so far from S3. It's clear that Sparrow Ben is different in personality to our beloved sweet sassy ghost Ben.

But if they are (possibly) the same person, just a reincarnation due to messing up the timeline back in the 60s, why is he so different now?

1.      The childhood upbringing: According to showrunner Steve Blackman, the Sparrows were raised to be a team rather than a family. We know that our Ben was one of the most affectionate and kind siblings among the Hargreeves. He even sacrificed himself a second time to save Viktor (and the entire world). I could imagine a young Sparrow Ben trying to protect his siblings only to later be reprimanded by Reginald for not putting the mission first.

2.      Different Siblings: I'm not saying the Sparrow children are bad people, but because of the way they were raised, they may not had bonded like the Umbrella children did. They probably weren't allowed to show vulnerability, and therefore there was no one Ben could had rely on growing up. The same way he and Klaus were close, even before he died. And i don't know but for me, the powers of both of them are the most difficult to bear, the most traumatic for children to have, so it was not a surprise that they had bonded over that. With the difference that Ben always strove to be a hero while Klaus never wanted to be one.

3.      The Umbrella Siblings: We know that all of the Umbrella kids had strong personalities growing up; Luther was the leader and the golden child, Diego was the rebellious one, Allison was the only girl on the team, Klaus was the troublemaker (And Klaus in general), Five was always trying to be the best in everything, powers, intelligence and combat. So, being last (in the team, not in the family where Viktor was number seven), Ben's personality developed to be quieter and more introverted, a counterpart to the rest of them.

Perhaps the Sparrows weren't as chaotic as the Umbrella's as children, so Ben's personality developed in a different way. 

(I'd love to see Sparrow Ben as the chaotic brother, that fits in better with the Umbrella Academy and then the Sparrows being like "Oh no wonder he's always been so weird" once they find out Ben was part of the Umbrella Academy)

[paperpocalypse]

white rabbit.

50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You”: 2. Tucking the sheets around them when they stir during the night.

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1,874 words

Warnings: Swearing, panic attack

His idiot siblings are going to give him a goddamn aneurysm.

The hum of the Commission briefcase – which is now in 2019 without a single person attached to it – rings in Five’s ears, mocking. He resists the urge to scream and tear all of his hair out. All that work – wasted!

“Now what?” Luther asks as Five paces up and down the alley.

What do you think, you doorknob? “Now nothing, Luther, all right? Make your peace with God.”

“What? What about Allison and Vanya?”

“Screw them both. They should have been here.” Five’s irritated pacing turns into a run, and he furiously kicks a cardboard box. God, the alley smells like vomit and shit. Everything is shit! “Ugh!”

“What about Diego?” Klaus slurs out his two cents from his place on the ground. Useless puke bag. “He's quite a responsible young man, no?”

“Something must’ve happened to them,” says Luther.

Fuck that. Wherever they are, they’ll be dead soon enough. Does nobody understand that? Dead! Dead! Dead!

“Screw Diego, all right? Screw everybody!” Five seethes. “[Y/n] and I were better off in the apocalypse.”

He turns on his heel, trying to suppress the rising panic in his bones. Something catches his arm.

Your brow is furrowed when he meets your gaze, mouth set in a thin, worried line. “Five,” you murmur, voice soft.

A tiny sting of regret worms its way into his chest at your expression. But then he thinks of the briefcase, and the Handler, and he quickly looks away.

“Five!” Luther admonishes, casting you a concerned glance. “Come on.”

His brother’s tone grates on the last of Five’s nerves. Gritting his teeth, he advances on the large man. Your hand slips away.

“You know what, Luther? It's every sibling for himself now.” Five throws his arms out in a grand gesture, then makes his way over to the door. “How ’bout that?”

Yanking the door open, he storms into the building.

Five tries to think as he stomps up staircase after staircase, but he can’t hold onto a thought for more than a few seconds before it disappears into a muddle of static. Concentrate. He just needs to get to the flat and think of a new plan, yeah, again, and try to save the world for the millionth fucking time – he stumbles over a step and then rights himself, legs numb. His chest feels tight. Come on. Keep moving. Think, think! God!

You’re calling his name. He doesn’t answer.

There is another way. A Hail Mary. But what if they waste that last chance too?

He swears underneath his breath, heart pounding. Blood roars in his ears. He tightens his grip on the railing and tries to even out his breathing.

Shit. Now is not the time. He needs to get out of this stairwell. Everything is so cramped and it’s not helping at all –

“… Five.”

You’re behind him, and then you’re in front of him, and Five meets a blurry set of eyes for the second time. Breathe. Breathe.

“Do you want to go back outside?” you ask softly.

No more stairs. “Flat,” he manages to reply, gesturing messily at the door a few feet away. Just somewhere with some space. In. Out.

You nod.

Several minutes later, he’s sitting on the bed in the room that Elliott had given him, blazer folded over the footboard, face damp with sweat and tucked into the crook of your neck as he completely breaks down.

Your hands treat him gently, rubbing circles into his back and wiping his face. He grips your shirt until his knuckles are white.

“You can get through this,” you say to him. “Just breathe with me, okay?”

Five tries. He really does. A shudder wracks his body. You inhale. He inhales. Exhale. Exhale.

“Good job.”

Something wet runs down his cheek. Fuck.

Both relief and shame fill him when you dry his cheek with your sleeve.

It’s absolute shit, however long it lasts – Five doesn’t know how long. Too long. But you’re there the whole time, holding him like you’ve done before, and it helps even though he’s too embarrassed to admit as much. You help a lot.

As the hammering in his chest finally slows to dull thuds, he takes in another deep, slow breath, and loosens his grip.

“I’ll get you some water?” you ask. He moves his head in some semblance of a nod. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Carefully, you detach yourself from him; the mattress creaks as you stand up and leave. Five swallows, staring down at his hands. The air feels slightly chilly on the side of his face that had been pressed against you, and he uses the comforter to quickly scrub away the dampness. His eyes ache.

You return soon enough with a glass of cold water. He sips slowly at first, then gulps the rest of it down. You put the empty glass onto the nightstand and brush his hair away from his eyes.

“You need to rest.”

The word brings a brief wave of longing. Then stress follows soon after, and Five steels himself. “I need to come up with another plan,” he mutters.

Even though he’s not looking at you, he feels the sudden burn of your gaze as you put your hands on his shoulders. “After you rest.”

“The apocalypse –”

“Is still a few days from now.” Your words take on a honeyed, coaxing tone. “There’s not much else we can do today, so sleep. Please. I’ll take care of things while you’re away.”

You press down, and despite his previous protest, Five doesn’t resist.

“… Thanks,” he vaguely hears himself mumble.

When his head touches the pillow, it feels as if all his muscles give way. His eyelids immediately feel heavy.

The last thing he’s aware of is you taking off his shoes.

—

Five is thoroughly conked out by the time you pull the blankets over him, and after giving his forehead a tender peck, you tiptoe out of the bedroom and shut the door with a quiet sigh.

Now on to business.

The rest of the Hargreeves siblings, as well as Sissy and Harlan Cooper, sit up slightly as you stride into the living room. You make a point of looking at each one of them individually, cross your arms, and then speak.

“I believe explanations are in order.”

Diego is the one who speaks first. “I ran into Lila,” he says, maintaining eye contact with you. “She tried to drag me to the Commission while I was burying Elliott.”

“I see,” is all you say. “Allison?”

“Some men came in and attacked Ray and me at the house,” she explained. “Otherwise, I would have been on time.”

“Did you kill them?”

“I made them leave.”

“All right. Vanya?”

“Carl called the police to stop us on the way here. I had to deal with them.”

Sissy and Harlan are not supposed to be here. Based on the hard look Vanya is giving you, she knows that. You close your eyes and breathe out softly.

“All right. Well, I can’t change the past, and the briefcase is already lost, so I’m not going to shout about how everything should’ve gone,” you eventually tell them, eyebrows drawn. “I just want to talk to you about Five.”

“What's wrong with him?” Diego asks.

Klaus answers for you. “He’s pissed.”

Luther agrees solemnly. You frown.

“He’s stressed. Yes, he’s angry, but he’s mostly stressed and worried sick.” You uncross your arms. “Do you know what he did to get that briefcase?”

The siblings blink at you.

“He assassinated the board of directors,” you say. “I know you don’t know much about the Commission, but what he did was a big deal and very dangerous. And he did it for you. He does everything for you, because you’re his family, and he cares about you.”

“He has a hard time showing us,” Diego mutters.

“And you guys seem to have a hard time showing him,” you return. “It just … it feels like you see the apocalypse as Five’s problem. And maybe mine as well, but not yours. I understand that you’ve had to adapt and make a life here, but none of you except for Sissy and Harlan belong in this time. Whatever we’ll have to do from now on will require all of us to stay together. We can’t risk another doomsday.”

“Doomsday?” Sissy speaks up, alarmed. “What’s this about a doomsday?”

Vanya shifts. “It’s …” She touches Sissy’s hand gently. “It’s kind of a long story. I’ll tell you later, okay? You and Harlan don’t have to worry about it. We’ll fix it.”

“We will,” you confirm, nodding at the pair. “As long as everyone does what they’re supposed to.”

Luther looks at you curiously. “Why are you telling us all of this and not Five?”

Why, indeed. Glancing back in the direction of the bedroom, you think of Five tucked away in bed for the first time since he landed in Dallas. Hopefully, he hasn’t snuck out. You’ll have to check on him soon.

“He’d be too stubborn to admit it. It took me a long time to find out how much he sacrificed to help me in the apocalypse. And the Commission.” You smile frankly. “What’s more, he’s resting now. It’s been a long two weeks.”

“Shit,” Klaus mutters. “I forgot about the time thing. The old man must be one apocalypse away from a heart attack.”

“Yes. He’s not invincible.”

Everyone looks down awkwardly.

“We’re sorry for not making it. We didn't know. And we’ll tell him that.” Allison folds her hands tightly in her lap. “So what do we do now?”

Again, not much. Shrugging, you gesture to the couches and chairs that they’re sitting on. “Rest. Get cleaned up. Five and I will need to explore our options once he’s awake.”

With that, you turn and start making your way back to the guest room.

Vanya’s tentative voice stops you when you’re halfway through the kitchen. “Let us know when he wakes up?”

The other siblings voice their agreement. A genuine smile touches your lips. “I will,” you answer, pleased.

The murmuring in the living room fades as you continue walking. When you reach the bedroom, you gingerly open the door and poke your head inside.

Five is exactly where you had left him, tucked in with the blankets up to his chin and dead to the world. Soft snores reach your ears as you creep closer. Good. Seating yourself at the edge of the mattress, you run your fingers through his hair.

For the rest of the evening and most of the night, you watch over Five, keeping quiet and re-tucking the sheets around him whenever he stirs. He doesn’t open his eyes once. His siblings drift in occasionally, individually or in pairs, each of them looking every bit like they’re entering a lion’s den until you smile and beckon them closer. None of them speak, but they don’t need to. You can only hope that Five won’t be too angry with them in the morning.

A lot of work will need to be done then. But for now, your partner needs to sleep.