#Ten Doomed Sons Theory

[kats-fic-recs]

The Best Daredevil Fics I read in 2022

How to Make a Family by Matt Murdock

Step 1. Have a dad.

Step 2. Lose your dad. Be miserable. Great job, everyone. We’re doing amazing so far.

(Matt's arduous journey towards being a functional person, with many stops and starts along the way.)

Candy Land

Matt is having fun with this, at least in some way. Sucking on Life Savers and smirking, and no guilt at all. If Matt could feel guilt, none of this would be happening. Things might be okay again.

But he doesn’t, and this is what Foggy is left with: a candy-stained mouth and a creature that’s more devil than man.

And Foggy still loves him

Invisible Ink

“Hello, welcome to Josie’s, I’m Foggy, what are you looking for?”

“Uh, nothing,” the guy replies, and Foggy is nonplussed for the nanosecond it takes to put together glasses, cane, and the way Hottie McHotFace is gazing absently over his shoulder.

“Oh, oh, you’re blind, dude, sorry. But, uh, this is a tattoo parlour?”

“I know.” The guy sighs. “I lost a bet?”

Or: The One Where Foggy Is A Tattoo Artist And Matt Is The Worst

Just to Listen to Your Breath

After the events of Season 2, Matt and Foggy aren't speaking. But that doesn't mean Matt's not hanging around.

Knock Three Times (On the Ceiling If You Want Me)

Matt's downstairs neighbor sings showtunes (badly) at all hours, eats weird-smelling food, and never stops talking.

Matt falls in love long before they actually meet.

Rowan and Red Oak

Foggy meets a man with a red oak wand and a sweet smile. Over the next eight years, Foggy makes a lot of coffee, reads a lot of tea leaves, breaks a lot of rules and casts a lot of charms. He also spends a good amount of his time pining over his perfect partner and trying to keep his wild outbursts of emotional magic to a minimum.

Stupid Cupid

Foggy plays karma bingo and wins a cupid.

His cupid is possibly the worst matchmaker in the world.

Other People's Blood

Foggy finds himself reminiscing on the ten years he's known Matt Murdock - son of and assassin for the Kingpin. The things they've learned about each other and the violence they've wrought together. Something sharp, and twisted, and beautiful.

A love story written in other people's blood.

The Constellation of Touch

Months after Fisk is put away, nothing's right between the partners at Nelson and Murdock. But Christmas is here, and Matt is still expected at the Nelson house.

darling you're stars

Matt wanted only Foggy’s purple flannel and if he could not have that, then he would have nothing. He would go cold.

(Foggy tries to understand the underlying causes of Matt's bizarre relationship with clothes.)

just meant to smile

“So we agree that Matt is still an Elle, though?” Foggy said.

The current working theory among their cohort was that there were Elles, Emmetts, Vivians, and Warners and if you weren’t one of them you were an extra and you were doomed to fail.

“Yeah, no. He’s still an Elle.”

“Okay, so at the risk of sounding desperate, does this make me an Emmett yet?” Marci gave him a pitying look. She reached over and squeezed his shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, Vivian,” she promised. “The plot will go on once we get our internships.”

(The Legally Blonde AU that no one asked for.)

Take All The Courage

When what should have been a straight forward mission in Hell's Kitchen goes pear shaped due to lack of communication, teaching his teammates sign language seems like a logical step to Clint. Communication when their comms are down - great plan! And including the local vigilante, who's been working closely with them on this, is a real no-brainer.

Until it turns out said vigilante is an asshole that thinks sign language is beneath him, judging by the way he's stubbornly refusing to learn it.

(Conversely - Matt's trying, he really is but damn it, those two signs are exactly the same... what do you mean they mean completely different things?!)

None So Blind

They say when you assume you make an ass of you and me.

Matt wishes that the Avenger's assumptions about his seeming inability to read the written word did something as benign as making an ass of him and them. Being called illiterate shouldn't hurt, not when he knows he's not, and it's not like he can tell them the truth.

Not that the truth would make much difference. He's just going to have to grin and bear it.

If he can.

Speyeria Cybele

Matthew's not the first Murdock to tell Father Lantom he had the Devil in him. Only Jack's Devil was nothing like the one Matthew sees in himself.

Jack's Devil was magic. Literally.

(Or a history of Father Lantom's relationship with magic, the Devil and the Murdock boys)

anthropomorphism

Matthew Michael Murdock was a person who had been taken, killed or next to killed, and turned into a droid.

Foggy sobbed as quietly as he could into the toilet.

Like a Handprint on My Heart

The day Foggy’s supposed to start working at Hogarth, Chao, and Benowitz, he wakes up, walks into the bathroom, starts to take a leak, glances down to check his aim, and freezes when he sees black letters on the inside of his right elbow.

His bladder forgotten, he brings his arm up, closer to his face and horizontal, as if he couldn't tell what the word was immediately. As if he'd somehow misread it, even though it's only four letters.

Matt.

Look Around, It's You I Can't Replace

Matt handles his separation from Foggy after the breakup of Nelson and Murdock a bit less well than he anticipated. As in he doesn't really handle it at all.

What All This Time Was For

On the rare occasions he reminisces about high school Foggy kind of wonders if he isn't just filling in the worst parts of teen comedies.

Foggy goes to his high school reunion.

[horizon-verizon]

What do you think about the deaths of Laenor, Harwin and Lyonel? I myself am convinced, thanks to Preston Jacobs, that Laenor was simply killed in a skirmish with people to whom Qarl owed money. On the other hand, I do not necessarily agree with about Harwin and Lyonel - Preston claims it was most likely an accident, which is possible, but I am more inclined towards Daemon setting the fire out of jealousy (maybe to prevent Rhaenyra from getting back together with him, now that her husband is dead?). I am mostly thinking of parallels between this scenario and Blood&Cheese incident, where Daemon is motivated by emotional reasons to order a hit on someone, which results in unintended collateral damage (in the case of Harwin's murder Lyonel).

@minetteskvareninova

I still have yet to watch a vid from Preston Jacobs.

This is the account of Harwin and Lyonel's deaths plus the speculations of people in-world about them:

The cause of the fire was never determined. Some put it down to simple mischance, whilst others muttered that Black Harren’s seat was cursed and brought only doom to any man who held it. Many suspected the blaze was set intentionally. Mushroom suggests that the Sea Snake was behind it, as an act of vengeance against the man who had cuckolded his son. Septon Eustace, more plausibly, suspects Prince Daemon, removing a rival for Princess Rhaenyra’s affections. Others have put forth the notion that Larys Clubfoot might have been responsible; with his father and elder brother dead, Larys Strong became the Lord of Harrenhal. The most disturbing possibility was advanced by none other than Grand Maester Mellos, who muses that the king himself might have given the command. If Viserys had come to accept that the rumors about the parentage of Rhaenyra’s children were true, he might well have wished to remove the man who had dishonored his daughter, lest he somehow reveal the bastardy of her sons. Were that so, Lyonel Strong’s death was an unfortunate accident, for his lordship’s decision to see his son back to Harrenhal had been unforeseen. ("A Question of Succession")

And this is the quote for Laenor's death:

The Lord of the Tides and his lady were still in mourning for their beloved daughter when the Stranger came again, to carry off their son. Ser Laenor Velaryon, husband to the Princess Rhaenyra and the putative father of her children, was slain whilst attending a fair in Spicetown, stabbed to death by his friend and companion Ser Qarl Correy. The two men had been quarreling loudly before blades were drawn, merchants at the fair told Lord Velaryon when he came to collect his son’s body. Correy had fled by then, wounding several men who tried to hinder him. Some claimed a ship had been waiting for him offshore. He was never seen again.

The circumstances of the murder remain a mystery to this day. Grand Maester Mellos writes only that Ser Laenor was killed by one of his own household knights after a quarrel. Septon Eustace provides us with the killer’s name and declares jealousy the motive for the slaying; Laenor Velaryon had grown weary of Ser Qarl’s companionship and had grown enamored of a new favorite, a handsome young squire of six-and-ten. Mushroom, as always, favors the most sinister theory, suggesting that Prince Daemon paid Qarl Correy to dispose of Princess Rhaenyra’s husband, arranged for a ship to carry him away, then cut his throat and fed him to the sea. A household knight of relatively low birth, Correy was known to have a lord’s tastes and a peasant’s purse, and was given to extravagant wagering besides, which lends a certain credence to the fool’s version of events. Yet there was no shred of proof, then or now, though the Sea Snake offered a reward of ten thousand golden dragons for any man who could lead him to Ser Qarl Correy, or deliver the killer to a father’s vengeance. ("A Question of Succession")

I don't think Harwin and Lyonel's deaths were accidents. Felt too convenient.

List of Suspects for the Strongs' Deaths and My Conclusion

Corlys:

gains nothing guaranteed by killing Harwin and Lyonel--maybe the Hand position for either himself or Rhaenys but Laenor died BEFORE Harwin & Lyonel. Wasn't him.

knew Laenor was gay, and he was very willing to just let Rhaenyra’s sons live as Laenor’s trueborn sons for his own ends. He cared for and loved Jacaerys

Viserys:

was not very violent (unless publicly pushed to affirm his authority, like with Vaemon's relatives after Vaemond's death).

was not a very proactive person in comparison to people like Daemon or Rhaenyra or Alicent or Larys

was not a person given towards underhanded schemes, preferring open partying, feats, and as little conflict as possible except when Vaemond’s relatives mention bastardry again after he already ruled it forbidden, preferring to be open and aboveboard as much as conventionally possible.

very much loved his grandchildren and never resented their presence or the fact that they weren't Laenor's.

could have killed Harwin much earlier before even Rhaenyra birthed her second son if he actually cared so much about Harwin "ruining" his daughter. If for anything for his father, Lyonel’s, continued service. Viserys, even though later reinstating him, didn’t want Otto to have an easier time coming back after already dismissing him for questioning Rhaenyra.

knew what he was getting Rhaenyra into by marrying her to Laenor, a gay man, for the sake of political "peace" with Corlys. You can read why Viserys accepted Rhaenyra's kids HERE. Wasn't him.

Daemon:

had far more to gain and was more willing to kill Harwin and Lyonel since I very much believe he was in love w/Rhaenyra AND wanted to be a direct ancestor of any and all Targ rulers after her. Or responsible for their training, make a name for himself in history.

HOWEVER -- Viserys would have never allowed Rhaenyra to marry Harwin Strong after Laenor's death so he could protect the secrets of the V boys' parentage. Viserys put the Strongs out of court, so Daemon had no reason to see Harwin as a legitimate rival for her hand in marriage. As for romance alone, still, Harwin was exiled from the court and no longer a rival.

If Daemon wanted to kill Harwin, again, he would have done it much earlier -- if he loved & desired Rhaneyra -- at least sometime after Lucerys' birth.

Larys:

was allied with the greens nearly from the jump, knew that Viserys would go for familiarity above all and avoid Rhaenyra and Daemon as candidates for the Hand position, thus opening the Hand position for Otto

killing Harwin/Lyonel opens up the seat of Harrenhal for himself AND allows a strategic location for the war definitely coming (even without Lucerys' or Jaehaerys' deaths) -- which is why Daemon himself even went there later

during the Dance, proved nearly invaluable to the greens while being the very sneaky, calculating/shadowy, deceptive manipulator willing to betray anyone for his own goals and was the person in the shadows spreading those rumors about Rhaenyra -- even his own family

Both Rhaenys and Corlys, again, lived close to Daemon when he was with Laena and moved her and their twins to Driftmark for 3 years. They would have witnessed his habits, etc. It's possible that they were too grief-stricken to actually be able to discern his involvement or lack of involvement, but to be so unobservant after the worst of the grief (from shock) went...eh, unlikely.

Harwin and Lyonel's deaths benefit Larys and the greens most of all. Larys is the best suspect, and I personally think he killed Harwin and Lyonel. Ironically, I agree with HotD on how those deaths turned out.

List of Suspects for the Laenor's Death and My Conclusion

Laenor's death is a dicier thing.

Debt Collectors:

accidentally -- in them trying to get Qarl OR to get Laenor to pay for his debts OR in the streetfight

Qarl:

Qarl had no characterizations or described traits in the account I could point out other than:

being gay/queer

had "low" birth

being Laenor's second-known lover

was a gambler with huge & many debts

Qarl argued with Laenor, and I personally think it had something to do with his debts. Perhaps Laenor refused to pay them off and Qarl got angry, feeling jilted and rejected. It's a possibility, but I don't think that this is 100% exclusionary from Qarl also under someone's else pay OR promise of escape.

Daemon:

like Harwin, removing Laenor opens up the path to Rhaenyra's hand, whether or not he loved her or not (personally, I believe he did love her)

and he marries Rhaenyra mere months after Laenor's death

Qarl Correy managed to evade capture despite Corlys putting out alerts and Driftmark being smaller than other regions -- not many places to hide ... unless you know your way around or have capable people hiding and guiding you to safety

Qarl had debts to pay and wasn't rich despite being Laenor's lover

HOWEVER -- also lived with Laena and their daughters in Driftmark with the Velaryons for 3 years or so BEFORE Laenor died. He still seems to live close to or with them, after Laena dies, so Corlys would have had a better sense of whether or not Daemon killed his son and take some action against him BUT he never does. It would have been beyond stupid for Daemon to try to kill Laenor being so close and knowing that people will suspect him. Corlys sent out rewards for Qarl’s capture, with no indication of suspecting Daemon.

he and Rhaenyra married 4-5 months after Laenor and Laena die and even that time was too little for everyone else. In this context, the idea that Daemon killed Laenor to get to Rhaenyra is less likely. Because if he didn’t care about the “appropriate” time to wait to marry his target, why would he wait 4-5 months after killing Laenor?

has a cousin, called Princess Rhaenys, mother to Laenor. There’s no indication that she ever actually liked Daemon, yet we hear nothing of her suspecting Daemon. With her personality, if she ever suspected Daemon, she'd never let him go.

still needs the Velaryons for Rhaenyra's claim. Even if he only wanted Rhaenyra for power, the risk of the Velaryons finding out he killed their son would remove Velaryons' support for Rhaenyra-Daemon and any of their kids or at least significantly reduce it and open up the path to retribution. Simply not worth it.

Septon Eustace (who disliked Daemon and wasn't given towards elaborate or detailed descriptions unless he detested a person [Rhaenyra and her cut from the throne]) maintains that Qarl was responsible for Laenor's death

Daemon is the only person ever suspected of having Laenor killed apart from those who were after Qarl for his debts (by Mushroom, who though given to embellishment, also was still close to nobles to hear their whispers and understand quiet implications BUT he also wasn't there and there is the stuff I already speculated). But I can't put all my faith in the possibility of him being responsible for Laenor's death with the information we do have AND those I've speculated above. I'm given to thinking that Laenor was just killed by Qarl in a passionate confrontation.

[samsrowena]

moogs!!! I saw in your poll that you had ~unpopular~ thoughts about Rowena’s ending being becoming the queen of hell and I would be really interested to hear them if you wanted to elaborate!!! <333 if you’ve already talked about it somewhere then ignore me, I must’ve missed it, just link me to that maybe? love hearing your thoughts bestie - jo

HIII i'd be happy to!!! apologies in advance if this gets kind of rambly or incoherent lol

but okay so my main problem with it is that it just feels really reductive (which is on par with everyone else's ending but i digress). in theory i guess i get how it could feel like a full circle moment; she was introduced wanting the throne for selfish, evil purposes and then her story ends with her having the throne and using it for good. but in execution, i was not a fan. to start with, in 15x08 she seemed to revert to season ten rowena (but this is buckleming writing her so i shouldn't be surprised), bragging about everyone being afraid of her and then saying she wished she died a long time ago, as if all of her character development up until that point meant nothing

because i honestly just don't see any scenario in which she'd ever even want to become ruler of hell after season thirteen. she didn't care about power anymore. she'd been completely broken by lucifer and all she wanted was redemption. and i really despise the idea that sacrificing herself to save the world but then still being condemned to hell anyway was her being redeemed (of course she's not the only character they do this with; the message that you have to die for redemption/forgiveness runs rampant in the show and it sucks)

then there's the whole destiny thing. which is just like. i'm sorry but why in the hell would a group of people who literally call themselves "team free will" just accept that someone they care about is destined to die??? the only time they even allude at attempting to change her fate is at the end of funeralia but then they never even try. and in a season where their whole goal is to free themselves from thee biblical god's control, you would think they'd push back on the idea that her fate is set in stone a whole lot harder than they did (which is basically not at all). i just know in my heart that is so so so unlike them, especially sam after finding out he was the one who would kill her. this is the same guy who spent a whole season trying to save dean from certain doom (not to mention the countless other examples of him obsessing over saving people he cares about), so there is NO doubt in my mind he would've did the same for rowena

but i don't know, i mean i definitely understand the appeal of her becoming queen and maybe i'd be more open to it if they ended up doing more with it (and to their credit they apparently planned to, ruthie said at a con she was signed on for more episodes but covid ruined that) but at the end of day i just truly think she deserved so much more than being relegated to an eternity of doing a job that even her own son despised at the end

[kingjasnah]

Oh idk if you meant inbox like messages or asks so I’m doing both lol. Anyway what if odium chooses Gavinor as his champion (he was basically raised by a fused) and Dalinar has to choose between killing Elhokar’s only son or dooming Roshar

no worries :) and i think ive seen something like this theory floating around the tags....i mean it is an option and it would provide the necessary emotional whiplash that the ten day duel will absolutely have lots of....i am becoming convinced gavinor is gonna play a role in the second half of the series so.....if this is how it happens 👀

[butterflies-dragons]

The further away from Westeros’s accepted archetype of a romantic heroine the female characters get, the more traditionally romantic their story lines become is an argument that I see by antis that Sansa will never get a romantic storyline .

Oh I have read that argument somewhere, but I’m not sure if it was before or after the show’s last season with Brienne and Arya, two “warrior women” having their romance and first sexual experience with their hot crushes...

But those readers tend to ignore that GRRM is a hopeless romantic that got married with the girl that told him she cried while reading the story he wrote when he was broken hearted (A Song for Lya).

GRRM has projected his romantic nature on Sansa Stark

GRRM has projected his love for medieval tourneys, heraldry, pageantry, knights and chivalry on Sansa Stark

Look at him and his wife cosplaying a knight with his lady love

Look at him fighting a dragon (like Saint George slaying the dragon and rescuing Princess Sabra)

And my last two findings:

Ice and Fire seems linked to a medieval time. Do you like the art of that period?

Medieval-period art is a little too crude for my tastes. I mean, these days, it looks very stylised. In terms of classic art I respond more to the later period – the Dutch masters and the Flemish masters, and the Pre-Raphaelites.

I went to a show about the Pre-Raphaelites that was going around the US in 2013 and it was amazing – all of that lush, romantic stuff, and a lot of it drawing on Romantic themes, though it wasn't painted in medieval times. You know, knights and ladies and all of that. That stuff’s gorgeous. I like that movement in general.

When we talk about artistic movements of the past, some of them are just scholars looking at people and grouping artists together and saying, 'they were doing a movement'.

But with the Pre-Raphaelites they actually were a movement, they all knew each other, they hung out together and they said, 'we are the Pre-Raphaelites'.

—Game of Thrones author reveals his favourite art

Read more in this post: GRRM, Sansa Stark & The Pre-Raphaelites

There's something about the castles, and the knights, and the age of heroes, that has always appealed to me, particularly about knighthood, I mean, I always thought that was an interesting issue to explore, I talk a lot about it in these books. If you look at human history, the code of chivalry, as was promulgated in the middle ages, is one of the most idealistic codes ever, ever put forward for a warrior. The whole idea of that using your might to defend the weak and protect the innocent, you were more, supposedly, in theory, you were more than just a soldier, you were a champion, but that was a theory, in practice of course, knights were bloodthirsty killers, and they were the great warrior in their age, and in the contradiction between the ideals and the reality, I think there's immense drama, and that's one of the things that drove me through it.

—A Dance With Dragons: George R. R. Martin - July 12, 2011

Read more in this interview and listen the audio for even more: A Dance With Dragons: George R. R. Martin

There is doom and gloom is GRRM's works, yes it's true:

“A great battle is a terrible thing,” the old knight said, “but in the midst of blood and carnage, there is sometimes also beauty, beauty that could break your heart. I will never forget the way the sun looked when it set upon the Redgrass Field…ten thousand men had died, and the air was thick with moans and lamentations, but above us the sky turned gold and red and orange, so beautiful it made me weep to know that my sons would never see it.”

—THE SWORN SWORD

NG: Looking back at the space operas you produced early in your career, two related features stand out: intense Romanticism, and melancholy Gothicism. What influences, what artistic and personal considerations, impelled you in these literary directions?

GRRM: I was always intensely Romantic, even when I was too young to understand what that meant. But Romanticism has its dark side, as any Romantic soon discovers… which is where the melancholy comes in, I suppose. I don’t know if this is a matter of artistic influences so much as it is of temperament. But there’s always been something in a twilight that moves me, and a sunset speaks to me in a way that no sunrise ever has.

—Sunsets of High Renown - An Interview with George R. R. Martin by Nick Gevers

But there is also hope:

And Santa Fe was where Parris was too, holding down the fort. We’d met at a convention in 1975, a few months before I entered into my ill-considered marriage. I knew I liked her the moment she told me that ‘A Song for Lya’ made her cry (well, she was a stone fox too, and we were both naked when we met, but never mind about that, it’s none of your business). Parris and I stayed in touch after that con, exchanging occasional letters through all the years when I was teaching Catholic girls and she was selling sno-cones and shoveling elephant dung for Ringling Brothers. In 1981 we got together at another convention, and she came to Santa Fe to stay with me a while. That ‘while’ will have lasted twenty-two years by the time you read this. Now and again one of my readers will ask me why I don’t write sad stories of unrequited love any longer, the way I did so often in the ‘70s. Parris is to blame for that. You can only write that stuff when your heart is broken.

—DOING THE WILD CARD SHUFFLE, Dreamsongs - Volume II

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[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #247

Tue Dec 22 2020 [10:46 PM] Wack'd: So according to Doom when he was in charge Latveria was "the most prosperous [nation] in all Europe" [10:46 PM] Bocaj: *Cough* [10:46 PM] Bocaj: I have follow up questions like what were they exporting [10:46 PM] maxwellelvis: The Gift of Doom [10:47 PM] Bocaj: So is this like when Doom created his own programming language? He has his own economic theory Doomnomics [10:47 PM] Wack'd: Johnny points out times are tough all over, which--yeah, this is late 1982, America is currently in the grips of the worst economic depression since the 1930s [10:47 PM] Umbramatic: oh wow [10:47 PM] Wack'd: And Ben points out that, uh, at least the country isn't still fascist, which seems like the more pressing point [10:47 PM] Bocaj: *sigh* times are tough [10:48 PM] Wack'd: Doom thinks these arguments are colored by the Four's hatred of him and that he never did anything bad to his people [10:49 PM] Umbramatic: suuuuuuuuure [10:49 PM] Wack'd: Then a small child runs into him while barreling down the street and Doom starts threatening him [10:49 PM] Umbramatic: f [10:50 PM] Wack'd: The boy's mother shows up and begs this stranger to spare her son, but is relieved when it turns out to be Doom back from the dead--and so is the boy even though his beloved "master" was just threatening him two seconds ago [10:50 PM] Bocaj: You think Doom would find it easier to keep the mask on [10:51 PM] Wack'd: 🥁 [10:51 PM] Bocaj: Thank ye, thank ye [10:52 PM] Wack'd: So this random lady decides to exposit to the Four the situation [10:53 PM] Wack'd: She claims Latveria was happy and free of strife and people would call out thanks to Doom as he walked down the streets [10:54 PM] Phantom: hmm [10:54 PM] Wack'd: Under Zorba however, without the threat of punishment, crime became a problem. We see stores being robbed and, uh, the aftermath of a scantily clad woman being assaulted [10:54 PM] Umbramatic: oh [10:54 PM] Bocaj: Wow it sure is fortuitous that this lady who'll shill for Doom happened to encounter the Four to give this testimony [10:55 PM] Wack'd: To rectify the situation Zorba instituted martial law, declared himself king, and used Doom's minion robots as "secret police" [10:56 PM] Wack'd: Oh also, uh, "prices rose without reason and stocks were depleted without replacement", which...not really any cause and effect here. Kind of a throwaway line [10:56 PM] maxwellelvis: "Over the past five years, Doctor Doom has thrown over ten thousand bums in jail. Zorba? None." "Criminals support Zorba; should YOU?!" "Vote Doom on Election Day! (or else)" [10:56 PM] Bocaj: oh my god [10:56 PM] Wack'd: As the lady finishes her testimony she is assassinated in broad daylight by the "secret police" [10:57 PM] Wack'd: According to the robots Zorba is still in charge which, again, doesn't square, but he was previously deposed in a backup story in an annual so it's an understandable oversight [10:58 PM] Wack'd: It's fight fight fight against the robots and Doom waits until the last minute to reveal he can immediately shut them down with an "electronic scrambler", which Reed finds curious [10:59 PM] Wack'd: And while he doesn't necessarily believe the rose-glasses version of Doom's reign, he feels like if robots are running around killing people something probably needs to be done [11:01 PM] Wack'd: More political discussion as a hoard of townsfolks approach Doom and rejoice. One speculates Zorba turned evil because he just couldn't handle the job [11:01 PM] Wack'd: Doom claims "all [he] ever took from the people was a single freedom--the freedom to commit evil" which, uh. Most countries can manage this without outright fascism I feel like [11:02 PM] Umbramatic: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVIL [11:03 PM] Bocaj: DOOOOM [11:03 PM] Wack'd: Cutaway to Zorba. He's frustrated the people are turning on him even though he gave them freedom, "forcing me to bring upon their heads punishment more terrible than any [Doom] conceived" [11:03 PM] Bocaj: Ok so Zorba is back [11:04 PM] Bocaj: Saved by backupinannual syndrome [11:04 PM] Wack'd: An advisor points out Doom rarely punished anyone and threats were good enough. (Sure.) Zorba rejects this line of thinking

[11:05 PM] Wack'd: Okay look [11:05 PM] Wack'd: Doom can't have been a great guy and also had a big red button that will unleash giant robots that indiscriminately murder all in their path [11:05 PM] Wack'd: That's not how that works [11:07 PM] Wack'd: Fight fight fight [11:07 PM] Wack'd: A running theme I should point out is members of the Four ruminating to themselves about Doom's natural charisma and trying to keep themselves being convinced by his arguments [11:09 PM] Wack'd: The robot fight ends. Reed decides they need to depose Zorba and Sue is like "can we even do that, legally" [11:09 PM] Wack'd: Which. She's right! But also it's not like that has ever mattered before [11:09 PM] Bocaj: I'm sure its fine for americans to do foreign coups [11:10 PM] Bocaj: I'm sure its fine for that to be portrayed as a good and heroic thing [11:10 PM] Bocaj: Ha ha ha [11:10 PM] Wack'd: Sure but the government needs to approve it first probably. I feel like if random private citizens go off and do coups it's a much bigger problem [11:10 PM] maxwellelvis: Especially if the American is Christopher Walken, @Bocaj [11:11 PM] Wack'd: Anyway it turns out to be a moot point [11:11 PM] Wack'd: Doom takes care of it himself [11:12 PM] Wack'd: Zorba tries to do a divine-right-of-kings thing and, uh, yeah, this isn't a retcon, he was always the brother of Latveria's original king and it kinda stank, even if he was planning on doing a democracy regardless [11:12 PM] Wack'd: Doom is unpersuaded and tosses Zorba off a balcony [11:13 PM] Umbramatic: TOSS HIM [11:14 PM] Bocaj: "I have the divine right of kings to not be a king!" "DOOM AGREES" -yeet- [11:14 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Doom reunites with the Four and Johnny and Ben are like "well okay if Zorba's taken care of you're next on our shit list" [11:22 PM] Wack'd: Doom refuses to fight the Four because it'd be petty, and he's never petty [11:22 PM] Wack'd: Sure Doom hates Richard because he showed him up once in college but he's never petty [11:24 PM] Bocaj: I feel like sometimes Doom does not have an accurate view of himself [11:24 PM] Wack'd: And Reed agrees to leave on the condition that he actually be someone worthy of the stories Latveria tells of him, which Doom refuses to commit to because, y'know, inhibitor ray, the Four literally cannot beat him up [11:24 PM] Wack'd: End of issue [11:24 PM] Umbramatic: f [11:25 PM] maxwellelvis: "Be better than this, Victor!" "No." [11:25 PM] Bocaj: Reed: "I claim that as a moral victory"

[arcanafools]

Template from @arcana-resources

“This world holds little that interests me. I think more on what comes after.”

Bio under the cut!

Physical traits:

Stands at a height of 6″2 and if you’re counting his headpiece, 6″8. He stands with an air of nobility and authority and wears extremely fine clothes and jewels. His gold eyes are almost always covered by his bangs. Loves to wear makeup and will do yours if you ask.

Personality:

Despite coming from wealth, Livius is much gentler and mild mannered than one might expect. He often has a sense of melancholy and doom looming over him, even though he tries is best to remain polite. Many people find his interest in the dead to be unsettling so he’s developed a thick skin to people giving him odd looks and it takes a fair bit of work to get him riled up. 

Hobbies:

Book binding, archaeology, classical ballroom dance. He would like to take up travelling but doesn’t want to leave his research behind.

Background:

Livius was the first born son to noble parents in Vesuvia. His mother was the Grand Court Enchanter to the previous Count and his father was distantly related to a foreign king. His family was distant from him, leaving him mostly in the care of nannies and tutors in an attempt to raise the perfect heir.

Around ten years old his magical aptitude became obvious and his mother stepped in to teach him to be powerful. Most of his young life was spent like that, with rigorous lessons from his mother and being paraded in front of other members of the nobility to show off his talent.

Without his parents knowing, he found a book on the theory of necromancy and secretly began to study it. Livius spent much of limited free time theorizing on necromancy and the possibility of an afterlife and was frustrated by there not being more research into it. He took it upon himself to theorize and cataloged his ideas. One day brought them to his parents, asking for permission to launch a formal study to prove his theory that death was a reversible state in the hands of magicians.

His parents were instead horrified by what their son was doing and burned his research, calling it evil. Livius’ family began to distance themselves even further from him and stopped bringing their disgrace of an heir to see company an after the birth of his sister, even if it wasn’t said out loud, Livius’ was no longer the heir to his family.

At his lowest point, his paternal aunt stepped in, a black sheep of their family and offered to take Livius on as a ward. His parents were glad to be rid of him and threw him out into the care of his aunt. With his aunt Livius began to thrive and was allowed to continue his study regardless of what his parents thought of it. He never had any intention of raising the dead, he simply wanted to understand the science of it. After years of work he was ready to bring his research to the new count of Vesuvia and show his parents just what an “evil witch” was worth.

[metaphorical-love-for-a-car]

Sleep Is For The Weak-- Malcolm Bright x Reader

Prompts; “If you’re staring at me like that, I can only assume I did something unintentionally embarrassing.” // “Why do I watch scary things late at night? I’ve doomed myself doing this.” (from the lovely @witterprompts)

Warnings; tiniest bit of swearing, but that’s about it

Word Count; 1.6k

    Malcolm sat on his couch with a warm mug of tea in his hands. His eyes quickly bounced back and forth between the papers and pictures scattered across his coffee table. The recent case had been confusing. Many twists and turns made it difficult for him to pin an exact identification on the murderer, unlike what he had done with many in the past. This criminal, however, didn’t match any of his usual profiles. Each murder was different. There were no connections. It was driving him insane. 

    The detective practically leapt at his phone when it buzzed, desperately hoping it was a member of the team informing him with a new piece of the increasingly difficult puzzle they were all trying to solve. His brows furrowed when he read your name on the screen.

(Y/N) 3:15AM: sup bitch

     Malcolm rolled his eyes and tossed his phone back to the opposite end of the couch. He was rereading the case file for the millionth time when his phone buzzed again. 

(Y/N) 3:18AM: I know you’re awake, and it’s rude to ignore people ya know

     He sighed, turning his phone on silent. Malcolm pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to clear his mind. You had known Malcolm since childhood, and you were with him through thick and thin. But he had guidelines on personal relationships, not allowing himself to get close to anyone. You understood. The man had been through hell and back, and you usually gave him the space he needed. You were used to not hearing from him for weeks on end, especially when he was working on a case. Tonight, though? That’s a different story. 

    Malcolm tensed when he heard another tink! come from the opposite end of his apartment. The noise had relentlessly interrupted his train of thought for the past ten minutes, and he was growing tired of it. He pushed himself away from the couch, carefully listening for the source of the sound. Malcolm frowned as he crept his way into his bedroom. The sound was caused by something repetitively hitting the large window. His brows knitted together. 

     Were those... coins? He stepped closer to the glass, peering down to the sidewalk below. Your face lit up when you realized that your plan had worked. Waving your arms around, you could practically feel the daggers Malcolm was glaring at you with. He disappeared from the window, and you scurried over to the door. 

    You wasted no time when he snatched the door open, bounding up the stairs and into his apartment. “Are you out of your mind? How long have you been standing out there?” Malcolm called after you. After trudging up the stairs and making sure the door was locked, he found you already rummaging through his pantry. You froze like a deer in headlights and flashed him a sheepish smile. “Bottom cabinet to the left of the stove,” he answered your unspoken question.

     “Ah! So, you did some reorganizing?” you teased. Pulling open the cabinet, you couldn’t help the warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart when you realized that he had dedicated a little place for all of the snacks you had left with him. You grabbed the box of hot chocolate mix and set to work. “To answer your questions... Yes, and I think about thirty minutes? Don’t know, my phone died after about fifteen minutes of trying to get you to answer. Then I just stood there for a while. I think people assumed I was homeless or something because they started giving me loose change, which I used to get your attention.” Malcolm raised a brow. He was obviously biting back a wise-ass comment. “Go ahead, let me have it,” you sighed. A light laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head. Malcolm crossed his arms, leaning back against the counter.

     “No, it’s nothing... I was just going to point out that it’s a likely assumption, considering you’re in your pajamas and look like you were attacked by a flock of pigeons-- again-- though, without the feathers.” You gasped, punching his shoulder.

     “Those things are little demons, and you know it!” His head tilted back with laughter, and your annoyance disappeared at the sight. Malcom caught your gaze. You quickly looked away, returning your attention to the hot chocolate. He hummed, and a playful grin crossed his features.

     “If you’re staring at me like that, I can only assume I did something unintentionally embarrassing.” You scoffed. Pushing a mug of hot chocolate into his hands, you took a sip of your own.

     “No, it’s just...” You paused, shaking your head. “It makes me happy when you’re happy.” Awkward tension filled the room as you avoided his gaze. Malcolm bit the inside of his cheek, unsure of how to respond. He sucked in a breath and took a few steps toward the living room, motioning you to follow.

     “So, tell me, what are you doing out this late?” Your shoulders relaxed at the subject change. You plopped on the couch, snickering as he shot you a warning glare. You knew very well how expensive everything in his apartment was, and you would never do anything to mess something up... but you liked to tread along the thin ice just to elicit a reaction out of him. ‘I really should be more careful. I don’t think he’s noticed the wine stain on the corner of his Neiman Marcus blanket. I mean, it’s not that bad. Just a small little splotch..” You blinked rapidly, dismissing the thoughts. Malcolm raised a brow but didn’t mention it. You took another sip of your hot chocolate.

     “I had a Freddy Krueger marathon. Watched all eight movies. I mean, why do I watch scary things late at night? I’ve doomed myself doing this,” you groaned, rubbing your face. “Won’t be able to sleep for a week.” Malcolm snorted.

     “If I remember correctly, you always claimed that ‘sleep is for the weak.’”

     “And I am very, very weak,” you muttered, loudly sipping your drink to aggravate Malcolm. He rolled his eyes at your antics. You asked how the case was coming along, occasionally nodding as Malcolm ranted about it. You scooted toward the edge of the couch and peered at the photographs. You grimaced at the gore before knitting your brows together. You were beyond confused. They seemed... oddly familiar. A few moments passed before you started laughing. You gave Malcolm an incredulous look. “Ok, seriously, how did you know?” It was his turn to look confused. You rolled your eyes. “How did you know that I had watched Nightmare on Elm Street before I came over here?” When he didn’t reply, you leaned back into the couch with a groan. “Come on, Malcolm! I caught your prank. Admit it already. These pictures aren’t from your case, they’re from the movie.” Malcolm’s face paled as a dozen emotions flashed across his features. He grabbed your wrist, urgency running rampant in his wide eyes. 

     “Tell me what you mean. Now.” Your jaw slacked, but you quickly nodded and set your hot chocolate aside. The playful atmosphere quickly gave way to dread. You had him arrange them in order of who had been killed first. Your stomach sank as he rearranged them, not wanting your silly theory to turn into reality. When he gave you a nod, you cleared your throat and pointed at each one as you spoke.

     “Everyone highly resembles the characters from the movie. She looks Tina, who was killed by Freddy slashing her with his knife-glove-thing. He looks like Rod, who was hung by Freddy. He looks like Glen. Glen got killed because Freddy flung him up in a fountain of blood? I don’t know. It was weird.” You paused, brows knitting together. You had Malcolm unlock his phone since yours was dead, and you began Googling a picture. “This was the last victim of the movie, Marge Thompson. She got smothered after Freddy was set on fire.” Malcolm snatched his phone from you, jumping to his feet. He paced through the living room. Everything was falling into place, and he was finally able to set a profile. He suddenly stopped pacing and laughed. It wasn’t out of humor, but out of victory. Malcolm looked to you with a bright smile, pulling you up from the couch.

     “You’re a genius!” He pulled you into a hug, and you couldn’t help the laugh that was bubbling in your chest. You were about to make a quip about him saying you were out of your mind earlier that night but got interrupted before you had the chance. Malcolm had broken the embrace, only to press his lips to yours. You hardly registered it was happening before you melted into his touch. He pulled away and held his breath, eyes searching your face. You smiled and cupped his cheek.

     “As much as I’d love for this moment to last longer, I think you should probably call Gil before somebody gets fired-- literally.” Malcolm’s eyes widened as he nodded. He grabbed his phone on his way towards the door. He paused, standing in the doorway. 

     “Will you be here when I get back?” A smirk quirked the corner of your lips.

     “Where else am I gonna go? My phone’s dead, so I can’t exactly call an Uber.” Malcolm snorted, shaking his head. He glanced at you from over his shoulder. Your gaze softened. You had known Malcolm long enough to read his expressions. He wasn’t just nervous about getting rejected. He was afraid that he might be loosing your friendship because of your actions, and he had already lost enough in his lifetime. “I’ll be here.” You caught Malcolm’s face brightening before he disappeared down the stairs. 

~*~*~

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Prodigal Son Tag List: 

@ourfracturedomens

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[palettepainter]

Can you tell us more about your big 3

Sure!

Oruka - Second child to Gang Orca and Shurui (yeah I know the name is typical been thinking of changing it but not sure what to). He has an older sister Mizu who was previously a big three member when she was at UA and a younger brother Umi who's in preschool. Oruka has the same quirk as his father, his strongest attack being his natural built in stun gun, he can produce hypersonic waves that instantly paralyze anyone hit by it. He's the only child of Gang Orca's to inherit his quirk - his sister Mizu has a water based quirk and his younger brother Umi has a paralysis quirk (basically like a mini version of Gang Orca's hyper sonic wave. Being little tho Umi's quirk affects only last about three minutes)

Oruka is basically the strongest out of his siblings and thus is a power house basically, his quirk can be pretty destructive so he's spent a lot of time mastering it with his parents guidance. Since his hypersonic wave is a bit much (its more powerful then gang orca's, going off the quirk dooms day theory) he's also very skilled on combat. He only uses his hyper-sonic wave as a last resort sort of thing

Shosha - Son to Hawks and Miruko. Since his parents are both equally famous and - just gonna guess here - probably have a large collective group of fangirls combined in cannon the birth of their son was a big hit. The two didn't plan to exactly have kids but after much discussion they decided to keep the kid. Shosha spends most of his time with his dad since the two share the same quirk. Shosha's wings are a bit smaller then his dads, due to this he can't fly as long - max 7 minutes before he needs to land. Like Oruka he's very skilled in physical combat and being tatical, mostly using his wings to glide on a breeze. He's got some pretty bad anxiety due to both his parents being pretty famous and good looking, furthermore since his mother doesn't like teaming up with other hereos he always feels awkward bringing up the fact he's apart of the big three at UA

Rumi tries to bond with him but Shosha just isn't as passionate as her when it comes to training, he prefers to spend more time with his dad who he feels less pressure around.

Hana - Daughter to Snipe and Midnight. Her quirk is Homing, the same as Snipes, however whatever bullet she touches she can turn into a mini smoke bomb that will emit the same sleep inducing smoke her mother can produce. This will only work if Hana touches a bullet. Hana sometimes feel out of place amoung Oruka and Shosha, her parents weren't top ten hereos, her quirk was nothing flashy like theres. She's not calm and collected like Oruka and she's not handsome like Shosha. Due to her quirk involving guns she had to go through training mostly with her dad, who was the only other person who knew how to handle a gun. She's very skilled with her aim thanks to her dads advice, and once again due to her quirk being gun related, she's limited to what training she can do when at UA (She has a protoype gun that shoots fake bullets made by the design studio, but in order to train with her real gun she needs to get permission from her teacher, Aizawa, and her dad to practice.)

Due to all her hard work she was able to improve greatly, and so Shosha and Oruka asked her to become apart of the big three with them (Midnight didn't stop bragging for like a week straight-)

[horizon-verizon]

I once came across a person saying that having Larys kill his brother and his father didn't make sense because he seemed to like them (book or series) and that it was a demonization of the character, while next the series cleared Daemon of the murder of Laenor... Yes. What a headache. Already, Larys is among the options among the suspects, in addition to being the most probable, with perhaps the direct complicity of the Greens. And Daemon isn't the only one proposed for Laenor's death.

One, there is no indication that Show!Larys liked or disliked his father or brother. The one scene where we actually see him with either of them is at Rhaenyra’s wedding feast where Larys tells Harwin green is the color of the light of the tower of Oldtown. And there is absolutely no scene where he interacts with Lyonel. So  this idea that Larys liked his brother and father comes from nowhere even in the show and is a wish fulfilling thing.

Two, there is also no indication -- overt or subtle -- that Larys felt strongly either way for his family in Fire & Blood. So again, where is this idea coming from? Why can’t Larys truly want power and kill his family to get it? It’s possible that people, maybe including his family, ignored, mocked, historical underestimated, were disgusted with him since childhood due to their own ableism or Lyonel frequently passed him over, but there is nothing that shows Lyonel interacting with Larys negatively even when Larys is master of whispers. Since Larys served this role during his father’s service as Hand.

Three, here is what Gyldayn says are our options for who killed Harwin & Lyonel:

The cause of the fire was never determined. Some put it down to simple mischance, whilst others muttered that Black Harren’s seat was cursed and brought only doom to any man who held it. Many suspected the blaze was set intentionally. Mushroom suggests that the Sea Snake was behind it, as an act of vengeance against the man who had cuckolded his son. Septon Eustace, more plausibly, suspects Prince Daemon, removing a rival for Princess Rhaenyra’s affections. Others have put forth the notion that Larys Clubfoot might have been responsible; with his father and elder brother dead, Larys Strong became the Lord of Harrenhal. The most disturbing possibility was advanced by none other than Grand Maester Mellos, who muses that the king himself might have given the command. If Viserys had come to accept that the rumors about the parentage of Rhaenyra’s children were true, he might well have wished to remove the man who had dishonored his daughter, lest he somehow reveal the bastardy of her sons. Were that so, Lyonel Strong’s death was an unfortunate accident, for his lordship’s decision to see his son back to Harrenhal had been unforeseen.

(A Question of Succession)

And Laenor’s death:

The circumstances of the murder remain a mystery to this day. Grand Maester Mellos writes only that Ser Laenor was killed by one of his own household knights after a quarrel. Septon Eustace provides us with the killer’s name and declares jealousy the motive for the slaying; Laenor Velaryon had grown weary of Ser Qarl’s companionship and had grown enamored of a new favorite, a handsome young squire of six-and-ten. Mushroom, as always, favors the most sinister theory, suggesting that Prince Daemon paid Qarl Correy to dispose of Princess Rhaenyra’s husband, arranged for a ship to carry him away, then cut his throat and fed him to the sea. A household knight of relatively low birth, Correy was known to have a lord’s tastes and a peasant’s purse, and was given to extravagant wagering besides, which lends a certain credence to the fool’s version of events. Yet there was no shred of proof, then or now, though the Sea Snake offered a reward of ten thousand golden dragons for any man who could lead him to Ser Qarl Correy, or deliver the killer to a father’s vengeance.

Viserys

Viserys couldn’t have killed the Strongs because he would/could have killed Harwin much earlier before even Rhaenyra birthed her second son and he obviously tolerated his presence, if for anything for his father, Lyonel’s, continued service. Viserys, even though later reinstating him, didn’t want Otto to have an easier time coming back after already dismissing him for questioning Rhaenyra. Viserys has also long accepted Rhaenyra’s sons though seemingly knowing they aren’t Laenor’s (as he also knows Laenor was gay). Viserys also was not a person given towards underhanded schemes, preferring open partying, feats, and as little conflict as possible except when Vaemond’s relatives mention bastardry again after he already ruled it forbidden. 

Same for Corlys. He knew Laenor was gay, and he was very willing to just let Rhaenyra’s sons live as Laenor’s trueborn sons. We never hear of any protests from him and after Laenor dies, we hear nothing of him blaming Daemon or Rhaenyra.

Finally, Daemon lived with Laena and their daughters in Driftmark with the Velaryons for 3 years or so before Laenor dies. He still seems to live close or with them after Laena dies, so Corlys would have had a better sense of whether or not Daemon killed his son. It would have been beyond stupid for Daemon to try to kil Laenor being so close and knowing that people will suspect him. And Corlys sent out rewards for Qarl’s capture, with no indication of suspecting Daemon. Rhaenys, with her personality, would not have let Daemon pass, and there’s no indication that she ever actually liked Daemon, yet we hear nothing of her suspecting Daemon. Daemon and Rhaenyra married 4-5 months after Laenor and Laena die and even that time was too little to everyone else. In this context, the idea that Daemon killed Laenor to get to Rhaenyra is ridiculous because if he didn’t care about the “appropriate” time to wait to marry his target, why would he wait 4-5 months after killing Laenor?!

Annoying as hell.

[euaxel]

heyyy, eonia. i’m reid, i’m twenty-three, still can’t read, and all i know about pjo is that it fucking rocks and the protag has the same learning disabilities that i do! also, i picked hypnos for this punk mainly to be mean to him and because in the hades game hypnos bullies me every time i die and i’m kiiiinda into it. hmu on discord one on one for the best plotting experience, but i’ll be around plenty to bug y’all in the gc too. you can read about bastard boy number one right here and under the cut we’ll get down to business. 

⟨ ELLIOT FLETCHER. TRANS MALE. HE/HIM. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, AXEL EVERETT is actually a descendent of H Y P N O S. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-TWO year old VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT & COMBAT TACTICS MAJOR from BROOKLYN, USA has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite WITTY & SELF-DEPRICATING.

be advised, axel’s a pretty heavy character.  i’m gonna keep it brief for the bio & need-to-knows, tag around the parts with bold applicable triggers so you can skip around as needed, and tag this post accordingly, but just let me know if i miss anything and i’ll fix it & be safe reading. godspeed and i apologize in advance for bringing you all my personal punching bag as my first muse. 

the main triggers that are gonna come up are: parental abuse, alcoholism * major, mentions of bullying, drowning * major, religious trauma, and drug abuse with some harder drugs ( particularly, weed, pills and cocaine / nothing with needles. )

general stats. 

— full name ,  axel harley everett.  — nicknames/alias ,  axe, ax, wolverine jr, tyler durden jr, trouble, Who? - every professor he’s ever had. — house,  hypnos and mad about it.  — age, 22, as of today. also mad about it.  — gender,  trans male.    — pronouns,  he/him.  — sexual orientation, bisexual with a somewhat heavy masc lean.  — d.o.b, january 1st, 1999. ( generally unknown to anyone but maybe siblings, he will probably lie and say Nobody Knows... I Just Am unless he really fucks with you. ) — hometown,

phys. 

— height,  5′0ft even. furious about it. — eyes,  brown. — hair, brown.  — face claim, elliot fletcher.

misc.

— zodiac,  capricorn. — alignment,  chaotic good. — character inspo,  lip gallagher, steve rogers ( young ), ellie from tlou1, logan howlett, stiles stilinski ( if anyone says shit i will scream ), probably someone from euphoria but i’m too scared to watch that, peter parker ( andrew garfield ), shinsou hitoshi, finn mertens, marceline the vampire queen, dipper pines, this is all over the place but it’s there.  — most played spotify songs, passion for publication by anarbor, sober haha jk unless by hospital bracelet, nobody by mitski, class of 2013 by mitski, king princess’ cover of monster from adventure time, way too much phoebe bridgers, in love or whatever by future teens, and the entire front bottoms discography but especially in sickness & in flames with the hard way & bus beat well at the top of his loop.  — aesthetics,   bloody knuckles, left open and tipped over prescription bottles, walking on the carpet with socks to get that tingly feeling, skateboarding inside, dozing off at the bar, tangled legs in messy sheets, ten pillows on a twin sized mattress, laying down in the shower, brian sella’s cracky singing voice. 

bio. 

— axel was born and raised in brooklyn, new york, and he was claimed at thirteen, on his thirteenth birthday, by hypnos. — the day he was claimed, axel ceased contact with his human mother and his step-dad, and he attended a camp for half-bloods that wasn’t far from home. he spent his adolescence there year round for safety from monsters at home and abroad, then moved on to eonia.  — ( parental abuse tw, drowning tw begin ) i don’t want to be too graphic here so i’m going to plainly say that axel’s mother was a very, very bad person, and the man she married was absent at his best, physically abusive at worst. axel’s powers (  hypnokinesis, namely )  were potent and difficult to control at a young age, and as a deeply religious catholic woman, this scared his mother and influenced most of the animosity in their relationship. she was convinced that the defensive visions he created and his ability to put her to sleep ( an attempt to help her, on his end; insomnia plagued her and later, it would him, too ) were of demonic origin, and tried to drown him more than once; cleansing, she claimed. the worst instance was the day he was claimed, actually — new years day, 2012; his life was saved by hypnos, and that was the last he saw of her.   ( parental abuse tw, drowning tw end. )  —  that said, he’s a little ( very ) hydrophobic. poseidon kids do NOT fucking interact ( i’m kidding. kind of. he Will avoid a little though ) —  anyway! moving on. all of this aside, axel did his best to put his past behind him, and he was actually super stoked to learn that his powers came from somewhere good and that there was places out there for kids like him; to learn he wasn’t any kind of monster. ( still working on believing that, though.. marcelines monster.mp3 right here )  — he’s less stoked when he starts having trouble falling asleep, and really, it feels like a more cruel twist than any other fate has thrown at him ( his upbringing was chock full of mean twists, so that’s saying something ); and really, it’s more like insomnia just full on kicks in, but he can put other people to sleep. great, right? whatever, though — combat classes are kickass and he’s surrounded by babes that think he’s hilarious so things could be totally, way worse.  — ( bullying tw (brief) ) for the most part, axel was pretty well liked among his peers. he was bullied as a young kid (pre-claim), but he bit back and he bit back hard, and sure, some of that followed him into his teen years but he’s more confident by then; less fun to poke at, and absolutely unhinged when provoked, so people learn better of it. the only real lasting effect was one instant that hit him a little too deep in the inferiority, when he was seventeen — he fell in love with a girl, told her that, and found himself at the end of a very mean spirited prank. he shook it off like he did anything else, or at least — he told himself he did, even if the hurt hit him somewhere a little too deep rooted ( ie. being god’s most unlovable son would naturally land him here, right? ) love’s kinda stupid anyways, so what the hell, right?  (bullying tw end.)

— ( alcoholism tw, drug use tw begin ) this is already obscenely long so i’m just going to keep it to the point here and say he began drinking when he was sneaking booze in to camp at fifteen, and it just never stopped there. he’s also a massive stoner, which is all well, harmless and good for the most part; he’s always grinning, half-lidded, and has a room full of smoke at any given time. it’s the pills that do him in, and he did them at first just so he could get some shut eye, and... well. after that, because he’s dependent on them. but he keeps this part under wraps for the most part; it doesn’t have to be anyone’s problem but his, and it’s not a problem until it is one. partying’s fun, so is coke; so is taking a few too many xan’s, mdma.   ( alcoholism tw, drug use tw end )

FUN FACTS!!! 

— i swear he is not as doom and gloom as he sounds from the bio, and yeah, writing that made me so sad i feel like we absolutely must hone in on the fun and cute things about him!?!  — he loves dnd. he can talk about it for HOURS and if you let him, he absolutely will. — adventure time makes him cry. he’s a baby don’t let him fool you.  — very into cryptids, aliens, horror stories, conspiracy theories, in love with ryan from watcher, wanna be shane medej.  — he loves to draw! the one thing he loves about his power is what it’s done for his imagination, and sure, he mostly draws horror things, but it’s why he went into video game development. he wants to be a concept artist.  — his double major is in combat tactics because he loves fighting. he thinks it’s so fun. he’s a little nuts, actually — i mean, get hit in the face and come up grinning. all he’s ever wanted is to run a fight club and be the shortest, baddest little bitch on the planet.  — he tends to nod off in weird places because he doesn’t sleep enough at night, which is sad, but; he can seriously fall asleep anywhere. standing up, in a tree, you name it.  — he’s a hobby musician! he loves singing and playing guitar.  — he’s a huge flirt.  — loves to scare people. he’s harmless, though. like, honestly. he might make you think you’re seeing a walking toadstool but he’ll probably apologize later.  — he’s very much a singing in the shower type?  — clothes thief. friends and significant others beware.  — actually, just kind of a thief? but of weird, little things. like, just the left shoe. puts them in a little corner in his room that he has set up like an exhibit. “things you thought you lost lol” is written on the whiteboard on the wall above it. he likes collecting rocks too. he’s a little freak!!  — he’s better at the memory retrieval part of his power than the rest. naturally, as this mostly applies for other people. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS. im literally so tired of hearing myself talk... 

friends/squad. self explanatory!!!  he’s friendly, a class clown, and a loyal friend through and through; he’s also adaptable, and his demeanor is very relaxed and inviting. he’s probably gonna have 2-3 people that he’s really close with, and he’d do quite literally anything for them. seriously, don’t tempt him.  a best friend.  so this is kind of vague but. i’d really love for him to have one person that is just a tier above the rest? they’d know things about him that are like pulling teeth to find out ( aka, anything deeper than his most recommended podcasts and loudmouth opinions on non important things ), someone who will call him on his shit, and maybe take care of his stupid little self when he gets too fucked up, because they’d be someone he trusts enough to let them.   enemies?    he probably gets along with most people until given a reason not to? but he is a loud mouth and if one of his friends gets into drama, he will stick his nose where it doesn’t belong and he will throw hands, so it could happen.

harmless rivalries. maybe even steamy ones. he’s a little shit and he likes banter so, so, so much? if given the opportunity and if someone rubs him a certain type of way, he’s so not above being a menace, although never super maliciously. just, you know, annoying the shit out of them on purpose, for fun. he’s also not above blowing a few kisses their way.

current hookups. self explanatory too. he’s a little harlot. HFBHVFNJ. it’s gonna be kinda hard to go beyond sex with him because he’s very deep in his own insecurity but he does catch feelings, he’s just mad about it when he does. i’m mostly gonna go off chem for that though! an ex. could be on friendly terms? but, it should be noted that he could’ve ghosted someone too; or pulled from the relationship when things got serious and he couldn’t choke out that ‘i love you’, even if he felt it. worse, if he did choke it out, but they didn’t feel the same way.  siblings. hypnos kids he is gonna be so protective of all of u... family is hard for axel, i’m ngl, but he really wants one is the tragedy of it all, i guess? so he just really wants to be a good brother. he thinks hypnos is kind of a dick for making him but he tries not to fault him for his existence. fuck u dad i dont wanna be alive feels a little unfair. HDBHFDSJ. anyways he’s a good brother even if he is absolutely so reckless and terrifying in regards to himself but his siblings. his siblings he will do anything for. ALSO!!! FOUND FAMILY!!!! it would be kinda nice if he bonded with someone a little older maybe, could be outside of the hypnos house even, someone he’s kind of a bratty-little-brother type with.... or bratty older brother that takes your things and makes you laugh, y’know. 

PERSONALITY.  just tacking this part of the app on at the end too to highlight parts that i think are important for understanding who he is, and just so it’s all in one place!

toothy grins, half-lidded eyes, and keepin’ them laughing is what it’s all about, baby. axel walks with more confidence in his posture than he’s earned ( or claimed, for that matter ), and it’s the backbone of what gets him by. he’s a glowing example of the fake it ‘til you make it mentality, and he knows what he wants, usually how to get it, and doesn’t mind letting you know that. there’s an ever present mischievous glint in his eyes that says more about what to expect from him than he does, and that’s still not much? he likes to have fun, and there isn’t a whole lot of regard for righteousness or responsibility on his end, but hey! it’s usually only ever at his own expense, so what’s the damage? he’s an absolute clown and he knows it.

axel loves people. he does — you might not guess that with how elusive he is, but it’s true. there’s nothing he likes more than a good conversation with someone interesting, or maybe not even then; if there’s a sparkle in you, he’ll see it. ( might even draw it, not that you’d ever know. ) he’s warm, loyal, compassionate, relaxed, and understanding; and none of that is at the cost of being passive, or lacking passion. 

as long as the vibes are right, he’s happy to just be; though, he’s known to have a fuse for certain provocations, and will jump readily at chance to fight in someone else’s honor. also, it’s not unlike him to spar for the sake of sparring; but that’s all in good fun, no worries.

there’s no way to sugarcoat it — axel has an inferiority complex. where that stems from is something he’s more self-aware of than he’s willing to admit, but he doesn’t have the patience or the will to dissect it; much less do anything about it, and he’s as bull-headed as they come — especially regarding anything related to the psyche. how much this impacts his demeanor and relationships with others varies on the situation, but one constant is that he’s going to retreat before things get bad; even if ‘things are getting bad’ exists only as his own paranoia-born hypothetical.

things can’t go bad if you don’t let them, and he’s content to keep it that way; even if it means being stuck in the stasis of missed opportunities. it’s when he’s retreating into himself that he can get irritable, anxious, jumpy; secretive, defensive, even. he’s personable until he isn’t, essentially.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #469

Top Ten Crazy WandaVision Theories

So all the while I was watching The Mandalorian I kept thinking, blimey, they’ve nailed this. There’s an oft-repeated problem with modern serial dramas, which is that they tend to tread water a little bit; despite being shorn of the network requirement of episodes being a certain length, or having a certain number of episodes in a season, there’s this in-built compulsion to make about a dozen 45-minute episodes. This is what scuppered the Marvel Netflix series in particular; there simply wasn’t enough story to cover the seasons, and as a result there was a lot of treading of water. This has also affected the recent Star Trek shows, although Discovery does show signs of pulling out of this “twelve-hour movie” mindset. Mando totally transcends this in a superlative way: each episode is basically an “adventure of the week” type thing (Mando versus spiders, Mando goes to the fish planet, Mando meets a Jedi, etc). But each episode also builds on the arc; he’s always on the same quest, and everything he does week by week furthers this quest. As much as I was looking forward to WandaVision, I kept reminding myself, there’s no way they can do this; no way these two shows – my most-anticipated shows from two of my most-beloved franchises – can hit the bar so successfully, back-to-back.

Well.

I’m not sure if WandaVision is quite the overall triumph The Mandalorian is, but they’re both pretty tremendous achievements in slightly different ways. Wanda manages to tell a rather unsettling story in the MCU whilst also doing a terrific job of parodying sitcom tropes; it works on a meta level as well as a practical one. Also, as far as puzzle-box type programmes go, this one has been doing an excellent job; week by week, you’re further intrigued by what’s going on in Westview; what’s real? Who’s behind it? is Vision still dead? Will Darcy get her own show? It’s a fantastic exercise in drip-feeding information, maintaining a degree of unease and suspense, and offering a compelling mystery. Will they keep it up until the end? I’ve no idea; the reveal at the end of episode seven wasn’t quite a jaw-on-the-floor moment but it was exquisitely done, with a theme song and everything. Even if the most obvious predictions end up being true and the finale becomes a relatively straightforward goodies-versus-baddies barney, I’ve got faith in everyone involved to at least give us something utterly compelling and thoroughly entertaining.

But what if there really is at least one huge surprise left up the show’s vibranium sleeve? Certainly, the reveal of Evan Peters as Pietro Maximoff – being, visually if not in character at least, the Fox/X-Men universe version of Wanda’s brother, rather than the Adam Taylor-Johnson version we knew from Age of Ultron – was a hell of a moment, seemingly bridging the gap between the MCU as we knew it and the previously Fox-controlled properties. Since then, there’s been this bubbling rumour (which I’ve tried not to read too much into by literally not reading too much; this is something I’ve divined from headlines or stray tweets, because I want to keep forging my way through WandaVision without a map) that there is another epic cameo approaching, on the level of Luke Skywalker popping up in the finale of The Mandalorian. That moment was something of a surprise, even though I had it rather spoiled by Twitter; despite muting as many words as possible to do with the show, “Luke Skywalker” still popped up in trending topics. I’ve learned my lesson, and I essentially forgo any social media (and a lot of other sites too) until I’ve seen the most recent episode. Anyway, what if this is true; what if there’s another character or moment that will rock the Marvel world to an even greater extent than The Other Pietro? If we’d be as surprised and delighted by something as much as we were by Luke making short work of those Dark Troopers? With this in mind, and being aware of the encroaching WandaVision finale, here are some predictions. What could happen? Who could we see? Which long-dormant plot thread will get resurrected? Read on to find out! And – spoiler warning – this has been revisited following the most recent episode; we are officially in the endgame now.

And I’m sure all of these are realistic and serious suggestions.

I Am Your Father: We have actually met Wanda’s parents at last; ordinary decent Sarkovian folk, it seems. But from where did her nascent witchy powers appear? What if, in a shocking last-minute twist, we discover her real father, and he’s played by… Ian McKellen! It was Eric all along!

SWORD versus Skrulls: a post-credit sting will reveal that – shock! – Tyler Hayward is, in fact, a SKRULL! Yes, finally, the shape-shifting buggers will get to be the baddies from the comics, as an up-to-no-good splinter faction of the beleaguered race makes its presence felt on the MCU, having successfully infiltrated world governments over the past thirty years. This will set up Samuel L. Jackson’s Secret Invasion series.

The Ultron of it All: there have been more mentions of Ultron in WandaVision than in any MCU property since, well, Age of Ultron. And now we have a custom-built all-white model of Vision, big as life and twice as creepy. What if – what if – shorn of his own psyche (his own soul?) and without an Infinity Stone to keep him upright, there remains in the hardware some remnant of everyone’s favourite sarky, genocidal mechanoid? Ultron returns! Screw you, planet Earth!

The Sorcerer Supreme is Not Happy: we know magic exists in the MCU because of Doctor Strange, so seeing Agatha and her family get their Hocus Pocus on in old Salem wasn’t too much of a surprise. But isn’t the Sorcerer Supreme supposed to keep an eye on magic use in the multiverse? I was half expecting Tilda Swinton to pop up in the flashback and bind Agatha with the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. But now, with all the chaos magic Wanda is using in Westview, coupled with Agatha’s own spelling bee? Surely this has drawn the attention of somebody? Anybody? I mean, New York isn’t that far from Jersey, especially if you’ve got a sling ring, y’know?

No More Avengers: so Benedict Cumberbatch popping up wouldn’t be that much of a surprise (especially as Wanda is in the next Doctor Strange movie) but even if he’s not on Magic Police duty, wouldn’t an enhanced situation of this size draw the attention of one of the Avengers? Except – shock horror! – there are no Avengers! In a revelation that will set up the status quo of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, since the events of Endgame the Avengers literally don’t exist. So who will unite to save the world, not just from Wanda or Agatha, but also from the likes of SWORD? Well, right now, no one; but maybe that’ll change when the real villains appear…

No More Mutants: in the “House of M” storyline, Wanda very famously said “no more mutants” and it was so (more or less). Mutants don’t (seem to) exist in the MCU. But what if, at one point, they did? I don’t think this could have been Wanda’s doing, but what if in the past someone else had used magic to de-power/de-mutify the existing mutant population of Earth, and – basically – made everyone forget about it? And in the climax of WandaVision, well, “no more” is undone and – boom! – X-genes abound. This could even maybe set up some events in The Eternals, who I believe have some history with mutants in the comics (I’m really not very well-versed in Eternals lore)

Soul Stealer: so Wanda’s the Scarlet Witch, and a chaos magician, and super-enhanced courtesy of an Infinity Stone, but still: how did she create not one but three super-powered lifeforms? Where did they come from? Did she steal their souls? Is she leeching her own life-force to maintain them? I think we’ll discover a bit more about her powers and reveal that she’s drawing energy mutliversally, maybe from the Dark Dimension – maybe from Mephisto? I’d actually put money on Mephisto not showing up at all, despite his comic book connections to Agatha and Wanda.

Multiversal Madness: why that Pietro? He’s just a fake, just an automaton – right? But he’s still out and about spooking Monica whilst Agatha’s dealing with Wanda… yeah? And he looks like another Pietro from another universe (even if he doesn’t act like that). So… why? And who? I really, really think there’s some kind of multiversal craziness going on here, some force beyond Wanda (and Agatha!). Maybe it’s to do with Wanda pulling power from across the multiverse, maybe it’s… something else. Maybe we’ll get cameos from Lou Ferringo, Bruce Campbell, Spider-Ham and ROM the Space Knight. Hey, don’t forget: Transformers was a Marvel comic once! And they do have a Chaos-Bringer…

Wanda Did It: one of the prevailing theories/queries about WandaVision has been who’s behind it all. Wanda’s not powerful enough (or villainous enough), so who exactly did create TV Westview? Who brought Vision back, gave Wanda her sons? Well, the latest ep sure seemed to show that it really was Wanda All Along. The explanation being that she’s “the Scarlet Witch”, a presumably hella-powerful sorcerer and also (let’s not forget) imbued with Infinity Stoniness. But is she on her own really that strong, and would she – even in her despair – alter so many minds? What if there’s another Wanda, a Wanda prepared to go all-out, a Wanda who – after losing everything on her Earth is trying to recreate it by pooling her powers will another Wanda? An alternate universe, more damaged, more villainous Wanda – a Wanda who’s already said “no more mutants”, maybe; maybe even the Wanda from the Fox X-Men films (who AFAIK we’ve only seen as a little girl in her brother’s arms). That’s why Pietro looks like that, because she’s trying to rebuild her own life using the powers of this other Wanda. Two Wandas; two Witches. Dukin’ it out. And who can come to save the day, but the X-Men?

We’re All Doomed: giving credit to my brother for pointing me in this direction when he said “if there’s a big bad in WandaVision it either has to be someone very good at magic or very good at science”. Or… both? Think about it. Which character, if they cameoed in an MCU property, could possibly generate as much excitement as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian? No actor from the MCU; not even Downey. From another Marvel property? We’ve had a Fox actor already and with the rumours about Spider-Man: No Way Home, whether we saw Hugh Jackman or Tobey Maguire, I think that would be exciting but not as exciting. So I think it’s a character, not an actor. A character big and exciting enough to make us all squee. And which character from Marvel has never been seen in the MCU, is not necessarily expected any time soon, is very good at magic and very good at science? One. I’d say only one. Bring it on.

This actually became a lot more sensible than I’d intended! I was gonna go all-out, rolling in Muppet Babies, MODOK, HERBIE, the Phoenix Force, and basically the entire Patton Oswalt speech from Parks and Recreation. And whilst I think virtually none of these will (or should?!) happen, just imagine… man, I can’t believe we have to wait a week!

[jupitermelichios]

Jupiter’s Top 10 Fic Series of the Decade

In no particular order (and belonging to no particular fandom)

Honourable Mentions: Of Hunters & Hellblazers by KittyAug - Self Help by maskedfangirl - Bad Jokes by hahaharley - Doubtful Sanity by DustToDust - Wilton’s Bakery ‘Verse by machine_dove & sproings -  Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc by etothepii - New Favourite F Word by Polaris - little beasts by noctiphany & likewinning

drawn into something by Nonymos (Venom, Eddie/Venom, Dan/Anne, Eddie/Venom/Dan/Anne)

“Eddie, you… and him.”

“Yeah.” Eddie stares at the floor. “And… and look, Annie, I know it’s weird, but I can explain, I…”

His voice breaks, he’s damn near tearing up, panic rising again—and he jumps when Anne cups his face.

“Hey, it’s—it’s all right, Eddie.” She’s making a valiant effort to smile. “Don’t get so worked up. I’m not gonna run screaming.”

“No?” He laughs and sniffs. “Damn. Starting to wonder what it’s gonna take, at this point.”

This is not Nonymos’s only entry on this list. In fact they may just be my favourite fanfic author of all time. Drawn into something is everything everything I want from a Venom sequel, emotional, kinky, romantic, and poly.

OTP: Fight Club by MorganOfTheFey (Detroit: Become Human, RK900/Gavin)

"One hundred. Ten X," Nines says, voice flat enough it almost doesn't sound like bragging. "I would have been decommissioned otherwise."

"Ohhhh. Aw, that's sad. Just," She tries to snap her fingers and gets distracted for a moment when she can't. "Jus'like that?"

"Yeah RK, that's so sad," Gavin echoes. "Can you play yourself despacito?"

His own phone blares the song barely a second later. Gavin drops a few f-bombs fumbling to get it out of his jacket pocket and turn it off. Then as soon as he puts it back in his pocket, it starts up again.

"Thank you for the suggestion, detective," RK900 says. "This is making me feel better."

The fourth part of this is still coming out, and it’s the highlight of my week when the new chapter drops.

Dreams of the Waking Man by Lex_Munroe (Marvel Comics, Wade/Cable, Daken/Bullseye, Wade & Hope)

All at once, it hurts.  It hurts worse than the day Nate died (because Wade couldn’t accept it back then, insisted that Nate had managed to timeslide out, that the busted old telemetry circuit would only let him go forward and he was just lost for a little while).

He sits in the middle of the floor, ducks his head, cries.

She was smarter than he was—than he is.  She’d known all along.  Brave girl.

Timesliding doesn’t work right on Wade, never has, and their cobbled-together sliding module barely had power to take one stringy teenager for one jump.

She’d known she was leaving her parents, that she certainly wouldn’t see one of them again and quite possibly wouldn’t see the other.

Wade allows himself a moment more for grief and shame and humility.  Then he clears his throat and wipes his eyes and gets back to work.

This may be the cleverest fic I’ve ever read. Crossovers, theoretical physics, and the best love story Marvel never wrote.

The Mountains Are The Same by bonehandledknife & Primarybufferpanel (Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa/Max, Furiosa/Ace, Everyone & Healthy Coping Mechanisms)

“'Real isn’t how you are made’” Gilly said with the air of a quote, of a Remembering, “'It’s a thing that happens to you.’”

Rotor closed his eyes in a long blink, “A thing that hurts, innit it right?”

“Sometimes,” Gilly agreed, squeezing his hand, “That’s life though, when you are Real. We all become it bit by bit. But it doesn’t happen if you’re not strong, if you’re not soft, if you’re not sturdy.”

“ But how can y'be all of those at once ?” he wheezed out. It’s getting hard to catch his breath.

“You are all that right now, aren’t you?” Gilly asked him with piercing eyes, “No one else of all these Boys has had the strength to ask for me. And I will Witness you as I have kept all those of my sisters who’ve fallen these past days.”

This series is not always easy, it doesn’t shy away from the hard or the dark or the painful, but it is always worth reading.

The Unspoken Truth by Nonymos (MCU, Clint/Loki)

Barton glared at him like he was trying to decide whether he was being mocked or not, but the next second, his shoulders slumped. Loki was familiar with the feeling – that dreadful feeling of discovering something repulsive in one's own nature.

And then, he waited. He waited for Barton to think and connect the dots, to realize that an obvious solution was standing just before him, to remember how he had felt when waking up tied down, or being forced to drink down the water. The demi-god just stood there, hoping – almost praying for the first time in his life – that his enemy would look up at him with something else than hatred in his eyes.

No one writes kink quite like Nonymos writes kink, and this series is the perfect encapsulation of that.

The Stone Gryphon by rthstewart (Narnia, primarily Gen)

"Tools!" Richard was so shocked he was near speechless. He sat down heavily on the bench and began writing frantically in that strange code. "You are saying that you have observed ordinary crows use tools? Peter, that is… remarkable."

"Well, I've seen Beavers use fishing tackle and sewing machines, so it didn't seem that unusual at the time."

I’m not going to lie, this may not be to everyone’s taste. But, amateur theologian, lover of weird animal facts, and history nerd that I am, there are very few fics more exactly tailored to my interests.

Republic of Heaven Community Radio by ErinPtah (WtNV x His Dark Materials, Cecil/Carlos)

The greeting catches both her and Carlos off-guard. It's not wrong to talk directly to another person's daemon, but it's still a little weird. "Likewise," she stammers.

They're both waiting for the obvious next step, which is for Cecil to introduce his daemon. The fact that Carlos hasn't spotted her yet is understandable — a big community gathering in a small space, you get plenty of daemons breaking away from their humans to socialize directly with each other. Any of the dozen animal shapes currently within ten feet of them could be Cecil's. If his daemon has an unusually high range, there are even more possibilities.

What Cecil says instead is, "If you ever have any important experimental-theology news that you need to share with the town, call me any time! Everyone listens to my show." There's a touch of what Carlos hopes is nothing more sinister than smugness when he adds, "Everyone."

He steps out of the way to let someone else interrogate Carlos, and vanishes into the crowd. Carlos doesn't get a chance to see what daemon he leaves with.

This may be the most carefully thought out crossover I’ve ever read, and I’m a little in awe of ErinPtah’s skills.

The Soul in the Machine by missdreawrites & Troodon (Dishonoured, Corvo/Outsider)

“... Outsider?” Corvo asked, sitting down on the filthy floor. “In the published list of the people who died of the Plague… how many were registered Augments?”

<There have been a total of 231 dead in the past year. Of that group, 100% were Augmented individuals. This number has increased exponentially under Hiram Burrows’ “The Boldest Moves Are The Safest” law, allowing the execution of any individual infected by the Plague.>

“Son of a bitch, ” Corvo swore with feeling. “This is… look at this waste. We aren't even people to them, are we?” He looked down at the body next to him. “And I killed the one person who could help. I did this. I doomed an entire people to plague, and murder and…”

The cyberpunk Dishonoured AU I desperately wish I’d thought of, because it works so very well.

In Which Tony Stark Builds Himself Some Friends (But His Family Was Assigned by Nick Fury) by scifigrl47 (MCU, Steve/Tony)

“Do you know what the difference between a villain and a super villain is, Stark?” Coulson said, leaning his palms on the tabletop, looming over everything like a very snappily dressed gargoyle.

“Style?” Tony asked, pointing both index fingers in Coulson's direction like the gunslinger that he was. He added a wide grin to the gesture, but Coulson didn't seem to notice.

“A villain has a giant mass of robotic vacuum cleaners that he can sic on his enemies. A super villain gives them the ability to fly.”

“In my defense, I do not actually remember installing repulsor technology in the Roombas,” Tony said, choosing his words carefully. It had been a working theory, sure, but he still wasn't quite sure when he implemented it. Maybe sometime on Tuesday night... That one was a blur. “It was a very long couple of days. So I was as surprised by that as everyone else.”

This doesn’t really count as a rec, since everyone in the fandom has read it already, but it really wouldn’t be fair to draw up a ‘best of the 2010s’ list and not include this.

A Great and Gruesome Height by mokuyoubi (Hannibal, Will/Hannibal)

Bedelia lashes out but Will is quicker. He grabs her wrist, pressing hard between the delicate bones with his thumb, until she makes a soft noise of distress and drops the fork.

Hannibal purses his lips and leans in close to her ear. “Now that is disappointing,” he whispers, and Bedelia has the good sense to be afraid with that mouth so near her skin. He inhales her scent deeply and straightens. “I thought you and I were beyond such petty jabs.”

“Were it not for the fact that you required medical attention, I have no doubt I would have met a similarly crass ending at the hands of your pet,” she says, lip curling in disgust.

Hannibal smiles serenely and says, “Will is a creature entirely of his own making. It is not to me to guide his hand. Merely to share in the sublime perfection of his vision, when he allows it.”

There are many dark!Will stories out there, and most of them are a lot of fun, but few are quite at believable as this one.

[reflectionsofacreator]

I tried to puzzle out how I was going to cover the ending, but like. I honest to god feel like I can’t break this up easily, and to break it up would lose the emotional inertia behind it all. This is the end for the Ezio trilogy, as well as the end of Altair’s story, and there’s a lot of emotional weight that comes with it. This isn’t as simple as just throwing up a couple screens, though I could do that. Another reason why it’s hard to break into bits is because there’s sections of this that are gameplay, with others that are cutscenes, and it’s just a really good mesh of all of it together, and trying to pick it apart would be very hard.

I’ve cried at least three times over this, and I’ll probably cry again. 

Ezio opens the door to the Library and walks inside, lighting the lanterns as he does, only to find that the bookshelves are all empty. There’s nothing inside, save for cobwebs and a ring of chairs, and the one farthest away seems to have a person sitting inside. 

Ezio: No books.... no wisdom... Just you, fratello mio. 

Ezio gets closer, and finds Altair’s skeleton, sitting in the chair, dressed in his robes of the Mentor. In his hand is a final Key, which glows with light as Ezio approaches. 

Ezio: Requiescat in pace, Altair. 

The last key lights up, and we are pulled into the memory of Altair speaking to his son, Darim. Masyaf is about to be abandoned, just as Altair said it would, and he is sending Darim away. Darim looks older, so I had initially thought this took place another ten years after the last key, but this isn’t more than a few months after. I guess Darim’s older model wasn’t used for the last Key, though I can’t say why. 

The Mongols are coming to destroy the castle and the people inside it, so Altair bids Darim to take his books away to the Library at Alexandria. Darim expresses confusion over Altair sending his Library away, only to realize that it’s not a library at all, but a vault for Altair’s Apple, and the secrets it contains. Darim asks, but Altair tells him not to worry, and to go be with his family instead. Darim hugs his father, and then speaks one last time. 

Darim: All that is good in me, began with you, father. 

The Vault door slides shut, and you guide Altair down the same path that Ezio just walked, and you put out the torches that you had just lit as Ezio. Along the way you hear several snippets of conversation between Altair and Maria, a couple of lines from Al Mualim, and some from Darim. After hiding the Apple, then comes the thing that broke me

You guide Altair over to the chair, with the knowledge that this is the last time you’ll ever get to control him, that this is his end. Fuck I’m tearing up just writing about it. It’s so like, visceral, because you know that this is the only place it can lead, but the game won’t advance until you do so. And so you guide him to sit, and on shaking knees and hands he settles himself down. Never to be seen again, until Ezio finds him two hundred and fifty-five years later. 

As you regain control of Ezio, the room gets filled with strange lights from Altair’s Apple, and you’re prompted to walk over to it. It begins to glow, prompting Ezio to take it, only for him to realize no, and say that he “Has seen enough for one life.” He begins to strip off his armor, his bracers, all the while talking to Desmond, as the room around him glows brighter and brighter. 

“Desmond?” “I heard your name once before, Desmond, a long time ago. And now it lingers in my mind like an image from an old dream. I do not know where you are, or by what means you can hear me. But I know you are listening.” “I have lived my life as best I could, not knowing it’s purpose, but drawn forward like a moth to a distant moon. And here, at last, I discover a strange truth. I am only a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding.” “Who are we, who have been so blessed to share our stories like this? To speak across centuries?  Maybe you will answer all the questions I have asked. Maybe you will be the one to make all this suffering worth something in the end.”  “For now... Listen...” 

Got it hurts so much for Ezio to admit that his life just... doesn’t mean anything in the grander scheme. That everything about his life was engineered and manufactured so he could be Desmond’s Prophet, and simply pass along a message. Ezio is the kind of character that craves a purpose in his life, that needs a directive, a higher calling, and yet his ‘higher calling’ was simply to give a warning that would come only into effect some five hundred years later. It’s the same shit that Altair faced, where he was building a message for someone, but never knowing who. 

Ngl I started just. Bawling. At this point. Because like -- that purpose he craved? Amounted to nothing, it wasn’t him that was important, just what he would pass on. Merely a link in a chain, who’s whole story would only be known by Desmond. How lonely that must be, to look at his life and accomplishments, and realize that none of it really mattered, that it was all some grand plan, just for him to be the conduit of a message. He’s been serving as Desmond’s Prophet all his life, only to be pushed out of the way so Desmond can speak with the person who summoned him. 

We are pulled into a strange, glowing place, with an old man speaking directly to Desmond, via Ezio, calling him “Cipher”. The man speaks of Minerva, of the Nexus of Time, and just... God there’s so much. This is finally getting some answers to what the hell kind of warning Minerva talked about at the end of ac2, with the sun flaring up and killing everyone. 

The man, named Jupiter, says that there were several different methods considered, and that it was his, Minerva’s, and Juno’s purpose to try and save the world from the impending doom. None of it worked, and we are treated to a cinematic of the destruction that is coming for Earth. 

It’s, quite simply put, horrific. Earth quakes, lightning strikes, fire and blood that tears apart the entire world. And it’s coming again. 

Jupiter says that once the earth quelled, and the fires were put out, “Less than ten thousand of your kind still lived... and far fewer of ours.” This is a reference to the Toba Catastrophe theory, which posits that 75,000 years ago, there was a massive calamity that reduced the number of human breeding pairs to less than 10k, and that all humans are descended from those that were left. The actual theory is controversial, and doesn’t really work in real life, but it works for the purposes of this story. 

Jupiter tells Desmond that he has to go to where they “labored and lost”, and find the way to stop this from happening all again. But he warns that he does not know how exactly this will all end, because he is peering though the Nexus of Time, and so therefore Desmond will have to be careful. 

The game pulls back to Rebecca saying that Desmond’s moving, and he slowly, slowly wakes up, to William hovering over him, asking if he can hear. Instead of responding, Desmond looks to his right hand, which glows Precursor blue, and says quite simply, “I know what we need to do.” 

Aaaaaand credits. 

God I’m still not okay. I think this is one of the more emotional endings to a story that I’ve seen, and I’ve played Shadowbringers. While I have a lot of issues with how Revelations is set up, and the narrative plays out, this is ... whoof this ending took a lot out of me. I was pretty inconsolable for a day or two. 

This is like, and Ending. It’s not just a continuation from one game to the next, the way that ac2 or Brotherhood were, this is like, closure and and wrapping up threads in a satisfying way. It hurts that Ezio’s been used like this, sure, but there’s still threads of a happy life ahead of him with Sofia. Adding in Altair’s story, while short and sometimes questionable, undoubtedly helped the entire narrative, and made everything tie together. It hurts, but it’s a good kind of hurt, a sort of good bye to everything that has happened so far. 

Revelations might be the one of Ezio’s trilogy that I have the most issues with, but it also I think is my favorite just for the sheer emotion that it pulled from me. 

Sorry I know this is a massive bit, and a hell of an ending to lump together, but I honestly didn’t know how else I was going to talk about it. 

[bluewatsons]

Katherine Sugg, The Walking Dead: Late Liberalism and Masculine Subjection in Apocalypse Fictions, 49 J Am Stud 793 (2015)

Abstract

From The Road to The Walking Dead, contemporary apocalyptic fictions narrativize the conjunction of two central “crises”: late liberal capitalism and twenty-first-century masculinity. This conjunction underlines the insights of a variety of scholars and cultural critics who analyze the “crisis” of contemporary masculinity, often specifically white masculinity, as a product of recent economic and social transformations, including the perceived disempowering of white male authority in a neoliberal era of affective labor, joblessness and multiculturalism. But the apocalypse, especially as a television series, is a rather peculiar narrative vehicle for the articulation of a transformative future for – or a nostalgic return to – masculine agency and authority. Focussing on questions of subjection and agency in the late liberal/neoliberal moment, I suggest that zombie apocalypse stages a debate on the status of masculine agency that has roots extending deep into the foundations of liberal modernity and the gendered selfhood it produces – roots that are ironically exposed by the popular cultural referent that dominates The Walking Dead: the frontier myth. The frontier and the apocalypse both draw from Hobbesian prognostications of a state of nature as relentless competition and a war of “all against all” that are foundational to modern liberal political theory and questions of sovereignty, self-interest, and collective governance. But they also index a narrative antidote to the erasure of political agency as traditionally enshrined in liberal democratic norms and traditions. Like the western, the zombie apocalypse speculates about possible ways in which masculine agency in liberal modernity might be reimagined and/or reinvigorated. In the place of a tired, automated neo-“official man”, the apocalypse in The Walking Dead promises an opportunity to “finally start living” – reminding us that white masculinity figures precisely the Enlightenment liberal subject-citizen and the authoritative, if highly fictional, agency which has been notoriously crushed within regimes of late capitalist biopower. And yet, even as the zombie apocalypse engages foundational myths of liberal modernity, it elaborates them in surprisingly nihilistic set pieces and an apparently doomed, serial narrative loop (there is no end to the zombie apocalypse and life in it is remarkably unpleasant). The eruption of haptic elements in the television show – especially in the visual and aural technologies that allow representations of bodies, suffering, dismemberment, mutability, disgust – further counters the apparent trajectory of apocalyptic allegory and opens it to alternative logics and directions. The narrative options of the zombie apocalypse thus seem to be moving “back” to a brutal settler colonial logic or “forward” to an alternative, perhaps more ethical, “zombie logic,” but without humans. This essay is interested in what these two trajectories have to say to each other and what that dialogue, and dialectic, indicate about contemporary economic governance as it is experienced and translated affectively into popular narrative and cultural product. That is, to what extent is the racist and economic logic of settler colonialism already infected by the specter of another logic of abjection and otherness, one that is figured both by the zombies and by the nonnarrative function of spectacles of embodied male suffering? And what does that slippage between logics and directions tell us about the internal workings of settler colonialism and economic liberalism that have always been lodged within mythic fantasies of the frontier?

From The Road to The Walking Dead, contemporary apocalyptic fictions narrativize the con- junction of two central “crises”: late liberal capitalism and twenty-first-century masculinity. This conjunction underlines the insights of a variety of scholars and cultural critics who analyze the “crisis” of contemporary masculinity, often specifically white masculinity, as a product of recent economic and social transformations, including the perceived disempowering of white male authority in a neoliberal era of affective labor, joblessness and multiculturalism. But the apocalypse, especially as a television series, is a rather peculiar narrative vehicle for the articulation of a transformative future for – or a nostalgic return to – masculine agency and authority. Focussing on questions of subjection and agency in the late liberal/neoliberal moment, I suggest that zombie apocalypse stages a debate on the status of masculine agency that has roots extending deep into the foundations of liberal modernity and the gendered selfhood it produces – roots that are ironically exposed by the popular cultural referent that dominates The Walking Dead: the frontier myth. The frontier and the apocalypse both draw from Hobbesian prognostications of a state of nature as relentless competition and a war of “all against all” that are foundational to modern liberal political theory and questions of sovereignty, self-interest, and collective governance. But they also index a narrative antidote to the erasure of political agency as traditionally enshrined in liberal democratic norms and traditions. Like the western, the zombie apocalypse speculates about possible ways in which masculine agency in liberal modernity might be reimagined and/or reinvigorated. In the place of a tired, automated neo-“official man”, the apocalypse in The Walking Dead promises an opportunity to “finally start living” – reminding us that white masculinity figures precisely the Enlightenment liberal subject-citizen and the authoritative, if highly fictional, agency which has been notoriously crushed within regimes of late capitalist biopower. And yet, even as the zombie apocalypse engages foundational myths of liberal modernity, it elaborates them in surprisingly nihilistic set pieces and an apparently doomed, serial narrative loop (there is no end to the zombie apocalypse and life in it is remarkably unpleasant). The eruption of haptic elements in the television show – especially in the visual and aural technologies that allow representations of bodies, suffering, dismemberment, mutability, disgust – further counters the apparent trajectory of apocalyptic allegory and opens it to alternative logics and directions. The narrative options of the zombie apocalypse thus seem to be moving “back” to a brutal settler colonial logic or “forward” to an alternative, perhaps more ethical, “zombie logic,” but without humans. This essay is interested in what these two trajectories have to say to each other and what that dialogue, and dialectic, indicate about contemporary economic governance as it is experienced and translated affectively into popular narrative and cultural product. That is, to what extent is the racist and economic logic of settler colonialism already infected by the specter of another logic of abjection and otherness, one that is figured both by the zombies and by the nonnarrative function of spectacles of embodied male suffering? And what does that slippage between logics and directions tell us about the internal workings of settler colonialism and economic liberalism that have always been lodged within mythic fantasies of the frontier?

A post-apocalyptic genre can’t exist without the possibility of hope. — Colson Whitehead1 

I. Masculinity and Neoliberal Crisis: Generic Genealogies for The Walking Dead 

In the episode “18 Miles Out” during Season  of the blockbuster television series The Walking Dead, we find the main character and ostensible hero of the series, a haggard Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln), agonizing that his best friend Shane thinks he is “too soft” and that because he wants to be “the good guy,” Rick won’t be able to do what is necessary to keep their group alive amid the horrors of the zombie apocalypse. By this point, viewers of the show are familiar with Rick and his group’s plight, their struggle to find ways to survive while also avoiding being bitten and infected by the “walking dead.” About five months before this episode, in narrative time, the “walkers” appeared in all their ambling glory and caused a total breakdown of society, including the apparent destruction of any government or technology infrastructure. Apart from Shane, Rick’s group includes his ten-year-old son Carl and wife Lori. Through flashbacks, viewers learn that before the zombie apocalypse, in addition to being close friends, Rick and Shane (Jon Bernthal) were partners as deputy sheriffs in a small town in rural Georgia. Ostensibly, his “natural” authority and previous career as a cop explain why so many characters, including Lori in this episode, insist, “We need Rick.” The narrative begins with Rick waking from a coma and locating, rather miraculously, his wife and son, and Shane, who have joined a small group of survivors in the very early days of the zombie event. From the first episodes, Rick’s fitness to lead this group is both a foregone conclusion and an ongoing question.

That persistent question of who should lead suggests particular assumptions about the requirements of collective survival, as well as a preoccupation with problems of governance. Though familiar from a long history of disaster and end-of-the world movies, these assumptions depend on conventional and deeply embedded notions about what enables a “society” to function, what makes a “strong” leader, and why that leader is needed. The focus on Rick also reflects The Walking Dead’s regressive conception of gender: Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) expresses her nurturing and protective nature while Rick is shown to be level-headed, quick-acting, and good at perceiving and planning for dangers. How the group naturally turns to Rick for guidance and decision-making is the main focus of the first episodes. The show’s stereotyping extends to its racial coding as well: in the first three seasons, non-white characters largely play supporting, and usually disposable, roles. A plethora of memes (Figures 1 and 2) using images from The Walking Dead mockingly observe that “Whether the civil War or a zombie apocalypse, Mammy gonna take care of Miss Scarlett,” and “Black guy living in a world with no police or government ... Still dies in prison.”

Figure 1. Theodore “T Dog” Douglas (Iron ESingleton), “Still Dies in Prison” meme, 2012.

This reactionary element in The Walking Dead indicates how – in a move familiar from other post-apocalypse movies, tv shows, and video games – the plot provides a narrative return to what are described as “basic” conditions of survival as indicated by social life, technological resources, and skills needed. These are conditions that not coincidentally seem to require a parallel return to social norms of gender and racial difference that are foundational to the dominance of white men in collective life. Such norms are grounded in classical liberal conceptions of individual agency and responsibility as well as the histories of conquest, settlement, and dominance known as “settler colonialism.” Or, put another way, the show’s survival plot and its nostalgic return to premodern conditions offer settings and plot elements that are central to both the zombie apocalypse of The Walking Dead and one of its key generic forebears, the Hollywood western. Emphasizing that generic resonance underlines The Walking Dead’s preoccupation with nostalgic regressions but also raises the question of what this connection between zombie horror and frontier myth might tell us about a genealogy of “public feelings” and their relations to economic and social conditions as captured in popular culture.

Figure 2. Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Andrea (Laurie Holden) in “Mammy” meme, 2012.

In contrast to the backward-looking settings and plots of classic westerns, The Walking Dead takes place in a contemporary near-future that clearly mirrors the actual present, albeit with the radical transformation of the social and material landscape caused by the zombie virus. Two aspects of this mimetic presentation of a contemporary setting and its implied links to a settler colonial past are particularly relevant to the dramas of masculine leadership and collective crisis that unfold: one is the legacy of liberal and neoliberal economic structuring of social formations and subjective experience (often known as biopolitics and/or governmentality, following Foucault) and the other is the function of white masculinity in that liberal legacy. Anna McCarthy defines neoliberalism as an economic and political regime “in which state policies synchronize with cultural practices to apply market-based individualism as a governmental rationale across the institutions and practices of everyday life.” Likewise, Eva Cherniavksy emphasizes the impact of neoliberalism on understandings of the responsibilities of citizens and the state, in which the neoliberal state “abdicates” its collective function in favor of the expanding imperative to “secure private property.”3 Both definitions indicate the rise of what sociologist Nikolas Rose calls “responsibilization,” marking the neoliberal shift of both public life and subjective states to individual control and responsibility.4 That is, the conditions depicted in The Walking Dead’s survivalist narrative and the questions its plot raises about leadership and collectivity can be understood as a fantasy template for social and individual action after neoliberalism’s destruction of the welfare state – presented here as the work of the zombie virus. Although the western’s “frontier” conditions (in which the mettle of individual men is tested by the crucible of wilderness environments and hostile “savages”) pre-date this neo-liberal abandonment of the public sphere, the resonance between the two scenarios indicates how discourses of individual agency and responsibility in both eras emerge from a shared understanding of moral and political values, a conception of the “good” that not coincidentally supports the interests of capital.

But while emphasizing the success (and superiority) of entrepreneurial, self- managing individuals, the present moment is also one in which the traditional dominance of men is increasingly in question – or crisis, depending on the political leanings of the commentator. The historical confluence of feminist and multicultural challenges to white male supremacy and neoliberal transformations of everyday practices of governance, labor, identity, and citizenship have undermined the privileges and economic assumptions associated with normative white masculinity. As implied in media terms such as “mancession” and “he-cession,” the economic decline of 2008 has been widely characterized by its particular hardship for men, who held more than  percent of the jobs lost in the US between 2008 and 2010.5 What others have called the “proletarianization” of the US middle class, and of society as a whole, describing wide-scale demotion of relatively autonomous professionals to underpaid and over-supervised wage labor, points to a general experience of impotence, the logics of which may be economic but which is experienced as affective malaise and psychic pain.6 Such humiliations and losses confirm the sense that, subject to increasingly powerful apparatus of control, individuals and identities do not “matter” like they used to. Or at least that is a conclusion shared by both right-wing media commentators and leftist political and cultural theorists of late capitalism, together echoing a long-standing fear in US popular culture that Timothy Melley encapsulates in the term “agency panic.”

Tracing popular expressions of anxiety about liberal subjectivity and individual sovereignty (i.e. the “self-directed individual”) from World War II to the present, Melley defines agency panic as “an attempt to conserve the integrity of the liberal, rational self” – often in the face of “new ideas about subjectivity,” including theories from consumer research, social psychology, science fiction, cybernetics, and post-structural theory.7 The literary narratives (and sociological studies and policy discourses) that Melley analyzes mark a long- standing “crisis” of liberal individualism and indicate a key sociocultural genealogy for the narrative preoccupations of The Walking Dead and the fan- \\tasies it feeds, particularly when it presents a world transformed by the zombies into a place with “no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV.”8 These challenging conditions offer a dramatic antidote to the passivity of everyday life familiar to viewers, especially men such as the subject in a recent study by masculinities researcher Michael Kimmel, who “considered himself a victim of the impersonal forces that wreak havoc with the lives and the futures of America’s middle and working classes.”9 Echoing numerous other critics and researchers, Kimmel’s work emphasizes the specific impact on men and traditional notions of masculinity created by economic decline and thus participates in a public discourse that implicitly privileges male hegemony as a key marker of what is being “lost” and/or transformed in the neoliberal present.

The emasculation and crisis of white masculinity, as well as other forms of agency in collective life, are therefore “problems” that The Walking Dead places at the center of the drama of Rick and the group and the conditions and challenges they face. The show initially presents audiences with a general scenario in which individual agency is reinvigorated by the zombie apocalypse: or as the back cover of each issue of The Walking Dead comics series admonishes the reader,

How many hours are in a day when you don’t spend half of them watching television? When is the last time any of us REALLY worked to get something we wanted? The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility ... In a matter of months society has crumbled, no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living.10

Opposing a world of “frivolous necessity” in “our” consumerist society to its replacement by a “world of survival and responsibility” specifies the promise of these “new” conditions: they can give “you” a life worth living. How this worth is ascertained relies on a gesture that pairs individual responsibility with modes of necessity that are assumed to be more rewarding, even if “forced.” Choices now matter and actions have consequences. Commerce and its “frivolous” activities and a nanny state that exists to promote more consumption are coded as a kind of living death which is transformed by apocalypse into a (compulsory) opportunity to “finally start living.”

This survivalist scenario confirms the axiom of neoliberal governmentality, as described by McCarthy, “that individuals are sovereign beings best ruled under circumstances in which they are encouraged to self-manage, taking on responsibilities for their welfare, growth, and security that might otherwise be assumed by the state.”11 And thus the ostensible opportunity for liberal subjects offered by The Walking Dead involves a stark ideological complicity with the dictates of neoliberalism. Both the back cover’s “promise” and the show’s premise seem to affirm a strong version of liberal sovereign individuality that in a sense “teaches” the benefits of responsibilization. Likewise, the development of its agential, self-reliant survivor characters further demonstrates how television genres can provide “templates” and an arena for the development of subjectivities that “complement the privatization of public life.”12 And yet the forcing of these conditions indexes a less celebratory affective response and a more critical understanding of what it means to have to “REALLY” work to get something you want (or, in the case of this show, actually need to survive).

Jane Elliott coins the term “suffering agency” to articulate the shift in subjectivity generated by the work of “self-preservation” under neoliberalism, in which the imperative of self-interest leads characters in popular narratives to take increasingly drastic, often abhorrent, action in order to survive under conditions that are imposed by distant, unseen forces: a scenario that describes both horror film franchises such as the Saw movies and survivalist memoirs including Alive and  Hours. By their very nature, Elliott suggests, survivalist narratives conscript characters into situations that register the real problem, and the real horror, of individual responsibility and agency under neoliberal- ism: “As we witness the frenzied, desperate, and at times appalling actions humans undertake to preserve themselves in survival tales, we see behavior so driven that it seems on the boundary of the voluntary and involuntary.” For Elliott, the question raised by survival narratives indexes a large-scale perception that might also be usefully applied to The Walking Dead and its popularity: viewers’ compelling if unpleasant fascination with the show’s horrific no-win situations reflects “something of the inescapable, obligatory cast of interest under neoliberalism.”

Wiping out large-scale markers of contemporary modernity in The Walking Dead therefore does two things: () it re-creates scenarios that mimic expernces of neoliberal governmentality as a series of “crises” that force subjects into self-directed, highly consequential action, and () it dramatizes processes of community formation and individual psychic and physical adaptation that have to take place under these conditions of survival. The tasks of forming human groups into functioning defensive communities – and living rather than the dying – compel a recourse to “premodern” ways of life and skills that include scavenging, living off the land, and defending oneself against aggressors, both the hordes of the undead and other humans. As underlined in episode titles such as “Triggerfinger,” “Nebraska,” and “Cherokee Rose,” both of these threats – the “walkers” and violent and competing groups of living humans – are understood through a series of tropes and plotlines that invoke the frontier West and Hollywood westerns.

The clean slate of the show’s post-apocalypse thus renders quite vividly, and with explicit visual and narrative cues, a frontier setting in which individuals and groups must learn to make their own rules and preserve a fledgling and isolated community located in a hostile landscape. Both the western and The Walking Dead present audiences with an explicitly white masculinist survival narrative whose apparent goal is to uphold the mythologies of liberal ideology and individualism. However, what also become clear are the foreboding implications of both the classical and neoliberal logics of collective and individual agency that are elaborated in The Walking Dead: there is no end to the zombie virus and life in the post-apocalypse is remarkably unpleasant. In its nihilistic set pieces and doomed, serial narrative arc, the thwarted options available to the main characters and the horrors of its “post-frontier” setting problematize The Walking Dead’s seeming nostalgia. These contradictions and the ambivalences they reflect constitute a pop-culture index of responses and expectations regarding liberal capitalism and neoliberal governance that are more complex and critical than they might first appear.

For one thing, as a “crisis,” the zombie apocalypse of The Walking Dead is never-ending and, to all intents and purposes, hopeless: by the end of Season , viewers learn that “everyone” is infected and, regardless of whether they are bitten by a “walker” or not, will reanimate upon death unless their brains are smashed or shot. Furthermore, each episode emphasizes how the zombies always return to the scene to bite, maim, or dismember someone, often a main character.14 Indeed, up to the current moment in its dual narration (the television series began Season 5 in October 2014 and the comic book series continues to be published with Volume 22 released in November 2014), every newly formed, functioning human collective and safe haven established by Rick and his friends is destroyed by “roamers,” and/or other humans, after which the various survivors are left to scatter and figure out a way to start over. This seemingly endless cycle of painful effort followed by the destruction and loss of all that the characters have “worked for” creates a serial narrative in the shape of a static holding pattern; the seriality ensures a cyclical return that brings no change and no movement forward. This pattern literalizes what Lauren Berlant describes as the stasis and “exhaustion” of political, social, and psychic – as well as economic – expectations in neoliberalism’s current “time of dithering” and “wandering.”15 Coinciding with the zombie apocalypse’s narrative temporality of “crisis” (of apocalypse, emergency, etc.) that registers contemporary worries about the end of capitalism, “our” way of life, and the collapse of faith in any path forward, The Walking Dead installs a temporality of “impasse” in which the impotence and stasis of late neoliberal capitalist subjectivity is built into its narrative structure.

In his influential reading of the iconic zombie films of George Romero, Steven Shaviro emphasizes that identification with the films’ ostensible protagonists is often interrupted by the zombies themselves, whose “peculiar fascination” and charisma come to dominate audiences’ affective responses to what happens on-screen.16 The narrative temporality of wandering and failure, the narrative stasis of The Walking Dead, can be understood as another element “that undermines our nominal involvement with the films’ active protagonists” and thwarts audiences’ complacent internalization of the characters as “templates” for responsibilization or self-directed agency. And yet, in The Walking Dead’s updating of the zombie narrative, the character-driven plots and development of specific storylines are what critics and audiences most emphasize when accounting for the show’s immense audience share. Even with the growing contradiction between its nostalgic, even regressive, characterizations and a larger narrative structure that refuses progress, resolution, or heroism, Rick and his “family,” along with other key individual (mostly male) characters, are the main focus of discussion.17 These audiences persist as The Walking Dead’s drama of embattled white masculinity is relentlessly twisted back on itself, particularly by Season 4, when Rick has abdicated his position as an increasingly dictatorial (and brutal) leader and attempts to live peacefully and democratically among his fellow survivors.

Still, it is Rick who continues to occupy the narrative’s central position, along with the rather unpopular character of his son Carl (Chandler Riggs). Lori has been done away with – dying in childbirth, no less – toward the end of Season 3 of the television show. Considering the deaths of both Lori and her baby daughter in the comic book series, Gerry Canavan observes that this “is the moment that basically all hope is lost in The Walking Dead.”18 And yet readers and television audiences have stayed with Rick and his son Carl, following their increasingly grim and painful track through the show’s post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled landscape. Although the sword-wielding warrior Michonne (Danai Gurira) is a possible exception, most female characters in The Walking Dead’s first three seasons adhere to this gendered division of narrative grammar in which identification and agency are investments in male characters, and female characters are there to expand, comment, or inform on the success or failure of the men. However, these men are placed in an increasingly untenable position, both because the world of the zombie apocalypse is a quintessential “no-win” situation and because Rick and Carl, and other newer male characters, are so often shown to be questionable, if not awful, people who make horrific, if not stupid, decisions. Given the stasis and despair of the plot and the often repellant nature of its main characters, the popularity of the show contravenes traditional dynamics of narrative identification.

What The Walking Dead does do, though, is offer a television template for the “suffering agency” described by Elliott in which neoliberal models of agency (distilled in mircroeconomic and choice theory into the elements of interest, choice, agential action) are taken to their logical conclusion, with the result that “the usually invisible suffering that accompanies the unfolding of this logic” is exposed and dramatized.19 The tensions undermining narrative identification demonstrate that although some sort of “nominal investment” in specific characters is key to the progression of the television and comic book narratives of The Walking Dead, something else is also going on, something that emerges from the very ambivalence of the audience’s identification with the show’s protagonists. Rick’s character, for example, articulates a cycical dynamic in which the male hero, whose leadership is seemingly design to embody the audience’s nostalgic and persistent investment in such a figure, is exposed as a serious problem, inevitably leading the group toward the destruction of all that he is supposed to “save.”

Interestingly, a similar thwarting of identification and undermining of male heroism are important elements in the generic history of the Hollywood western, particularly during its more “critical” phase in the 1950s and 1960s and exemplified in the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and John Sturges, among others. The long history of the “problem” of male heroism in classic westerns indicates that the narrative structure of The Walking Dead draws on more than just nostalgia when it references the genre of the western and the history of settler colonialism. Richard Slotkin’s three-volume study of the western traces the specific economic and social shifts and crises that gave rise to the US myth of the frontier from its inception

in the seventeenth century to the late twentieth century. And Canavan’s penetrating essays on zombie narratives further argue that the genre’s references to western tropes articulate a vivid critique of settler colonial histories of genocide and conquest, which are manifested in the brutality and violence of Rick Grimes and the others in their Hobbesian struggle for survival in the post-apocalypse.

I agree with Canavan that, among other things, the series signals the bankruptcy, and horror, of these colonial logics of race war, of a “war of all against all,” or in Slotkin’s terms a “savage war.” In addition, though, I want to track what the two trajectories have to say to each other – what is articulated by the zombie temporality of reverting backwards into settler colonial history in order to articulate the futurity of liberal capitalism. The question for this essay becomes, to what extent was the racist and patriarchal logic of settler colonialism always already infected by the spectre of abjection and failure now being figured by the zombies of The Walking Dead and its narrative structure of impasse and wandering? And what does that slippage between logics and directions tell us about the internal dynamics and tensions within settler colonialism and the liberal capitalism it served?

II. The Horror: Liberalism, Agency, and Abjection in in the West and The Walking Dead

So Rick Grimes, who appears to be a figure for masculine (and thus liberal individualist) resistance to experiences of impotence and irrelevance within neoliberal systems of corporate and state control comes to embody a potential critique of liberal individual agency and masculine leadership. This agency and its notions of “leadership” are surreptitiously presented as a trap and an illusion for Rick and his followers. From the earliest episodes, Rick establishes his leadership by anticipating and preparing for violent attacks by the zombies and other human groups and responding fiercely with equal violence: as when he cuts off the leg of a young man impaled on a fence rather than leave him for the walkers to get. In some sense, his ruthless capacity for such acts serves as the clearest sign of Rick’s natural leadership – even though we also see how that capacity is often in question, undermined by his desire to preserve community norms of justice, ethics, and sentimental attachment. For instance, although Rick did not want to abandon him to the zombies, the young man, Randall (Michael Zegen), had just attacked Rick and his friends. The rescued Randall, now lame, becomes a prisoner who is kept blindfolded and is later tortured for information and ultimately killed by Shane. As viewers and fellow survivors alike witness the futility of the group’s actions and efforts to create a safe haven, the nature of Rick’s leadership becomes more ambiguous– underlining links between this very mode of leadership and the horrific consequences of the group’s “savage war” against both the undead and other humans.

Binding the western’s liberal individualist drama of white male leadership to the zombie apocalypse was never an accident. The show has morphed since its first two seasons into one that emphasizes (visually and plotwise) the line from settler colonial violence to contemporary political regimes of the prison, the detention center (and the Nazi concentration camp), and endless war. Its critical interrogation of “white male” leadership also recalls the dramas of masculinity that predominate Hollywood westerns and that genre’s preoccupation with questions of both masculinity and governance. Patrick McGee suggests that the western’s conservative reputation rests on two key pillars: its stress on “extreme versions of masculinity and individualism” and its status as “one of the principle narratives in the discourse of mass culture on the right to wealth and the legitimacy of class.” But as McGee and others have noted, the social tensions and logical contradictions that uphold the western’s mythical bundle of liberal individualism and masculine agency are often the very target of its later, more critical, generic elaborations.

Likewise, in its first seasons, The Walking Dead’s own rhetorics of survival, savage war, and white male leadership pointedly re-create Western generic scenarios: saloon shoot-outs, armed confrontations on deserted roads, sheriffs, savages, and mercenary gunfighters. In the television show’s second episode, Rick literally rides a horse, wearing his sheriff’s uniform and a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, into a crowd of zombies, shooting his rifle indiscriminately (and futilely) at the hoard of rotting bodies enclosing him on the deserted city streets. Such iconic images of male heroism as a thing associated with “the West” are presented in a double-voiced narration that both emphasizes their echo of the “remembered” history of the West – including the figure of the lone, heroic sheriff – and yet also indicates an irony that undercuts those associations and their meaning. Rick’s horse is quickly over- come by zombies and then eaten – on-screen and with emphatic sound effects of gnawing, tearing, and chewing flesh – while Rick barely escapes. So even in its earliest episodes, The Walking Dead undermines the very capacities that its survivalist story would seem to promote: the main characters’ actions sometimes do “save” the lives of their companions but just as often those actions are futile or even counterproductive. As in many key westerns, the violent acts and dubious motivations of the ostensible hero call into question the ethics and values of masculinity and leadership seemingly espoused and help uncover a history of imagining hegemonic white masculinity that is much more ambivalent and potentially “horrific” than is usually appreciated.

To this end, Richard Slotkin explicates the special function of the rhetoric of a “savage war” or “race war” in the economic enterprise of western expasion, an enterprise justified by depicting Native Americans as nonhuman others whose behaviors and interior subjectivities were understood as “simply the rage of a wild beast against the cage: visceral, unreasoning, an expression of a nature innately incapable of civilization.”23 The inhuman other as horrific and thus as justifiably “killable” is reiterated in The Walking Dead’s portrayal of Rick’s commonsense approach to the zombies: he assumes a mandate to kill or be killed and expresses a total lack of concern for the former humanity of the now undead. However as Canavan notes, the series contrasts Rick’s attitude to other characters’ more humane (though often femininized as “weak”) attitudes towards the zombies. This contrast makes visible and explicit the reliance on a logic of race war, an operation of expulsion and necessary violence, which Rick, and most of the others in his group, presume justifies their recourse to the rhetoric and methods of “savage war.”

But there is also a generic and political history of understanding that these states of emergency are dangerous and ultimately unsustainable, in terms of both human psychic experience and community political norms. In particular, the rhetoric of “savage war” in the nineteenth century generated another dis- course of the frontier as a “fatal environment” that produces “dangerous classes” (or a “peculiar race” of people known as frontiersmen). Slotkin details how the extreme acts of violence and the suspension of “civilized” norms of ethical and legal behaviors that were apparently required for survival in the frontier (and success in the western expansion) were in fact regarded with concern and alarm, as well as celebration and vindication, in the cosmopolitan centers of the nineteenth-century United States. This ambivalence expressed itself in cautionary tales detailing how the savagery of the frontier experience made “frontiersmen” – the first wave of adventurers and explorers (and mercenaries and outlaws) who were responsible for the elimination of the Indians – unfit to function in civilized society. In many great westerns, including The Searchers and Shane, the ambivalence regarding the male hero culminates with his departure at the story’s end, when he returns back into the wilderness from which he came. In these classic films, the iconic frontier anti- hero (also known as the gunfighter or “Indian-killer” figure) illustrates how the masculine subjectivities produced by classical liberalism have always been a problem.

As in the zombie apocalypse, the environment of the frontier, and the vio- lence that is apparently necessary to survive there, combine in narratives that both assert the value of the protagonist’s leadership, skills, and capacity for horrific acts and then question those acts – and the sort of person who commits them. In John Ford’s The Searchers, the discourse of race war against Native Americans unravels in the character of Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) to expose the ambivalent trajectories of savagery and dangerous classes. On the one hand, the film shows Ethan to be a man who has the capacity to do what would cause others to shrink away in horror and impotence: such as in the famous scene in which Ethan alone confronts the unspeakable violence the Commanche have wrought on their women and insists, “Don’t ever ask me. Long as you live, don’t ever ask me more.” These are scenes that establish Native Americans as enemies capable of inhuman barbarity, of acts that can neither be shown nor spoken. Though sometimes considered a racist apology for settler colonialism’s genocidal war on Native Americans, McGee and others have argued that the real resolution offered in The Searchers occurs near the end of the film, when, in an act of vicious and gratuitous violence, Ethan scalps his enemy, the already dead Comanche chief Scar. By showing Ethan “becoming the savage,” the film justifies Ethan’s exclusion from the do- mestic and civil society that he has helped restore – showing how he is now one of the “dangerous classes,” having sacrificed himself to the “fatal environment” of the frontier in order that others may come to live in relative peace and prosperity.

This is the futurity of the frontier, where the simultaneous triumph and expulsion of the Indian-killer/frontiersman is a price paid by society in order to clear the way (literally) for that society’s future. This foundational violence at the core of modern liberal democracy has been explored by political philosphers such as Giorgio Agamben and Achille Mbembe as a genealogy of power and capital that moves, necessarily, through colonial conquest, settlement, and slavery – and which is likewise foundational to the modes of govenrment that administer the concentration camp, the occupied territories, the detention center, the prison, etc. While transposed to the fantasy of the zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead emphasizes its links to those historical foundations by underlining of the generic concordance between the zombie apocalypse and the western. However, the television show also deploys another key genre of capitalism, horror, to introduce a specifically neoliberal twist on its fantasy of the frontier and futurity.

In his excellent chapter on zombie cinema, Evan Calder Williams describes the central affect of zombie horror films as one of “anxiety.” But, echoing Berlant, Williams notes that “anxiety is never about the radically new but rather about the horrible possibility of the same persisting.” Resonating with the critiques of Shaviro and Canavan, Williams insists that the double edge of the zombie narrative is located in the zombies themselves, who figure the condition (and threat) of labor in capitalism, particularly given the zombie myth’s generic and genealogical origins in Haitian plantation slave society. For Williams, the “horror” of the best zombie films begins with their stripping of “everyday relations” to expose “the brutality beneath.” But this horror is shadowed by impotent rage in Williams’s view: “the seething anger at the prospect of not having a choice. The true underbelly of ‘freely selling one’s labor,’ the realization that it has been a non-choice from the start.” This characterization offers a pathway that connects the established critical understanding of zombies as “uncanny” and as figures of a compelling, even “ecstatic,” abjection to the questions of agency and white masculinity that begin this essay.

The Walking Dead is known for its spectacularly grotesque special effects and the use of visual and aural technology to convey the disgust and horror, the “gore,” that punctuate the experiences in this transformed landscape. The show consistently uses intense sound effects, as well as visuals, to make the bodily experiences of being bitten, chewed, and ripped apart inescapable and visceral for audiences. After the first three seasons, the horror of the zombie chronotope becomes familiar in ways that the show thematizes as a version of late capitalist horror. The premier episode of Season  opens with various characters doing their perimeter “patrol” along the chain-link fence that encloses the community (in a former prison), in which they use knives to loudly and grotesquely, but quite easily, “re-kill” the “roamers” that push and huddle against the enclosure. This management of the hoards of the undead is rendered in explicit camera close-ups and accompanied by sound effects that emphasize the experience of blade going through the skin, bone, soft organs, etc. of the zombie faces. After this initial scene, one of the newer male characters asks to go out on a supply search in order to avoid this job of routine-maintenance violence (saying he “doesn’t like it much”). His under- statement ironically emphasizes that his character is “choosing” to risk his life in a direct and exposed situation rather than participate in the management of the walkers (and yes, he dies horrifically in the mission). Although Rick and the others maintain the rhetoric of “savage war” to justify and explain their violence, the actual “war” with the undead is shown here to be a relentlessly awful form of labor.

Figure3. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) escape disguised as “walkers,” Episode 2 (“Guts”), Season 1, 2010.

Problems of choice and hard decisions in The Walking Dead are presented so insistently as to feel almost ironic, but this insistence also makes clear how the show’s preoccupation with “non-choice” is foregrounded from the start. The awful necessities imposed by the zombie apocalypse are dramatized as early as the second episode, when Rick and Glenn must escape from a building in downtown Atlanta that is being overrun by zombies. Glenn (Steven Yeun) is an Asian American former pizza delivery boy whose own, occasional, crises of masculinity in the first two seasons are presented as a counterpoint to Rick’s capacities for action and self-sacrifice. From the opening shots, the viewpoint of the camera alternates between panoptic images of zombie hordes and close- ups of the frantic efforts of Rick and Glenn to devise some sort of escape. In this scene, the porous line between living survivors and zombies is made material when Rick and Glenn smear themselves with zombie body gore, taken off bodies they’ve recently “killed,” in order to camouflage their humanity by trying to smell and look like zombies (Figure . A generic set piece of zombie films, this “passing” in order to escape literalizes the ambivalence of survival and the precariousness of being “human,” while foregrounding experiences of disgust and abjection. The requirement to overcome disgust in order to survive is shown here to involve overcoming the self’s natural responses to the threat of defilement, rupturing self-defenses against any boundary-protecting “line not to be crossed.” The scene also signals the new extremes of doing what must be done: the self-inflicted horror involved in their camouflage will expand into the world they now inhabit, where characters must become more and more like the undead and the savage other, even if that transformation is in a sense against their will, compelled by the conditions of survival.

In The Walking Dead, even actions that appear autonomous or “chosen” are “forced” by the logics of survival and self-interest, to the extent that the horrific and otherwise indefensible act of cutting off your new girlfriend’s arm and leaving her to die is a reasonable thing to do – and is what Rick does in the comic book series in order to save Carl from the approaching zombies. Rick’s agency, like that of the Indian-killer Ethan Edwards, is thus constrained and locked within the field of relations, affective modes, and political imagination produced in the conditions of his experience, i.e. through his subjection as a neoliberal survivor (and a protagonist in a zombie-apocalypse- genre narrative). The role of white male hero is shown to be a trap within a logic that the protagonist cannot escape. Tortured and isolated by this logic, the “hero” is always in the process of “becoming a savage,” of collapsing the distance between the self and the expelled, inhuman other. Psychoanalytic theory insists on the pivotal function of sexual difference in the logic of abjection: the ecstatic collapsing of boundaries between self and other is gendered exclusively as female, or feminine.27 In a sense, the loss of self threatened by abjection is precisely a loss of perceived agency, of capacity to act separately and autonomously.

Therefore a long genealogy of a specific mode of capitalist abjection is figured in the anguish and ambivalence of the white masculinity portrayed in The Walking Dead. Anna McCarthy asserts that “suffering is essentially an instructive public affect – it demarcates the limits of liberal and neoliberal rationality and exposes the forms of socioeconomic inequality and disenfranchisement that reside within the democratic experience.”28 Confronting, through fantasy, liberalism’s impossible demands for agency, The Walking Dead could be said to impose a critical form of suffering on viewers who are propelled into the story by their “interest” in either the characters or the thought experiment of the apocalypse/survivalist situation and then find themselves entrapped, much as the characters are. Viewers’ relation to the deterioration of the protagonists, and especially the “hero” and the seemingly “necessary” atrocities and horrors he commits, reflects the ambivalence installed in the character of Rick Grimes, and elaborated in the show’s paradoxical temporality of “impasse.”

Perhaps, though, is what looks like futility, an endless circling around the edges of previous towns and suburban enclaves, also an instructive form of suffering? In its distinct narrativity, one that is abject and vicarious but also forceful in the intensity of its anxiety, disgust, and boredom, The Walking Dead confronts the viewer with his, and her, “anxiety of the same” as well as a “seething anger” – the dual affective remainders of a growing proletarianization under neoliberal economic governance. Even further, The Walking Dead underlines the affective genealogies of liberal capitalism by revealing what happens in the afterward of the frontier, after the wandering and the genocides of The Searchers. Here, though, the survival narrative has fully turned on the characters, exposing a suffering that is self-perpetuating and zombified: a serial cycle that cannot be interrupted, survival without hope or choice. As Andrea says to Rick in Volume 28, “We don’t die. You and me. That’s the rule. We don’t die” – and their undead state persists no matter what atrocities they commit, what horrors they experience.29 In this sense, The Walking Dead offers the frontier as the permanent landscape of late capitalism, and it will never end.

References

Nick Romeo. “Colson Whitehead: I had Zombie Anxiety Dreams for Years,” Salon.com, May 31 2014, at http://TheWalkingDead.salon.com/2014/05/31/colson_whitehead_i_had_zombie_anxiety_dreams_for_years/?source=newsletter.

McCarthy, Anna, “Reality Television: A Neoliberal Theatre of Suffering,” Social Text 93, 25, 4 (Winter 2007), 17–41, 20–21CrossRef | Google Scholar, explains governmentality as a key concept in Foucault's understanding of “the technique of dispersed government,” which “provides a powerful model for understanding the cultural and political manifestations of neoliberalism.”

Cherniavsky, Eva, “Neocitizenship and Critique,” Social Text 99, 27, 2 (Summer 2009), 1–23, 4CrossRef | Google Scholar.

Nikolas Rose, Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).

Michael Kimmel, Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era (New York: Nation Books, 2013).

Jodi Dean cites Žižek's call for an expansion of Marx's definition of proletarianization to include modes of existence and subjectivity beyond the purely economic and labor sectors to better account for the psychic and social impacts of neoliberalism. Indicating the gendered aspect of proletarianization, Dean also refers to economists David Autor and David Dorn on employment trends over the past 30 years: decreasing numbers of jobs in mining, assembling, operating, and transporting and substantially increasing (53% between 1980 and 2005) jobs in child care, hairdressing, food service, home health care, cleaning, and gardening. Jodi Dean, The Communist Horizon (New York: Verso, 2012), 106, 108.

Timothy Melley, Empire of Conspiracy: The Culture of Paranoia in Postwar America (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000), 37.

Robert Kirkman (writer), Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, and Rus Wooton, The Walking Dead: Compendium One (Berkeley, CA: Image Comics, 2010), back cover (also of each issue of the comic series).

Kimmel, 201. Kimmel's assertion that men feel particularly victimized by neoliberal, or global, capitalism echoes an emphasis on the gendering of economic crisis in analyses by Melley; Susan Faludi, Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man (New York: Harper Perennial, 2000); Hamilton Carroll, Affirmative Reaction: New Formations of White Masculinity (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011). Carroll specifically notes how the transformation of economic conditions into gendered and racialized narratives is a recuperative move on behalf of hegemonic white masculinity.

Kirkman et al., back cover.

McCarthy, 25.

Laurie Ouellette, “Take Responsibility for Yourself: Judge Judy and the Neoliberal Citizen,” in Laurie Ouellette and Susan Murray, eds., Reality TV: Remaking TV Culture (New York: New York University Press, 2004), 223–42, 231.

Elliot, Jane, “Suffering Agency: Imagining Neoliberal Personhood in North America and Britain,” Social Text 115, 32, 1 (Summer 2013), 83–101CrossRef | Google Scholar, 92.

This is known as the “Anyone Can Die” trope in online fan publications: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/TheWalkingDead. Steven Shaviro's influential work on zombie film narratives emphasizes the wish-fulfillment aspect of such scenes depicting the brutal, grotesque deaths of loved ones and neighbors. Steven Shaviro, The Cinematic Body (Minneapolis: Minnesota University Press, 1993).

Lauren Berlant, Cruel Optimism (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2011), 4.

Shaviro, 96.

The premiere episode of The Walking Dead broke records for AMC viewership (over 5 million), while that of Season 2 had 11 million views and the Seasons 3 and 4 premiers each had more than 15 million. Glowing reviews across the Web include those from the entertainment site Rotten Tomatoes, which wrote, “The second season of The Walking Dead fleshes out the characters while maintaining the grueling tension and gore that made the show a hit,” indicating here and elsewhere that the combination of “gore” and a “deeper sense of the people” constitutes the show's winning formula.

Canavan, Gerry, “‘We Are the Walking Dead’: Race, Time, and Survival in Zombie Narrative, Extrapolation, 51, 3 (2010), 431–53CrossRef | Google Scholar, 444. Canavan criticizes The Walking Dead's “uncriticial relationship” with its apparently “pre-feminist” view of women's role, which is “to code the ending as ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ based on their continued availability to bear the male protagonist's children.” I suggest this sex–gender coding may be quite intentional and strategic in the show's elaboration of neoliberal agency and suffering.

Elliott, 94.

Richard Slotkin, Regeneration through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600–1890 (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1973); Slotkin, The Fatal Environment: The Myth of the Frontier in the Age of Industrialization, 1800–1890 (New York: Antheneum, 1985); Slotkin, Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America (New York: Antheneum, 1992).

Patrick McGee, From Shane to Kill Bill: Rethinking the Western (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007), xiv, xvii.

See Mikhail Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination, ed. Michael Holquist, trans. Caryl Emerson and Michael Holquist (Austin: University of Texas, 1981), 279, 284, on double-voiced narration as key narrative technique indicating a temporal or ideological shift, and also on the uses of irony in speech utterances that convey the coexistence of generic discourses in a parodic or dialogic relationship.

Slotkin, The Fatal Environment, 128.

McGee, 99.

Evan Calder Williams, Combined and Uneven Apocalypse (Winchester: Zero Books, 2011), 101.

Ibid., 115.

Julia Kristeva, Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982), cautions that abjection is the source of jouissance (passion, pleasure, art, beauty, etc.) but is also “psychotic” and threatening to all subjective experience of oneself as a “bounded” subject.

McCarthy, “Reality Television,” 37–38.

The Walking Dead, Volume XIX, March to War (Berkeley, CA: Image Comics, 2013).

[aurorarose]

a true king;;

F E A T U R I N G : stefan capulet (with guest appearances from his parents who don’t have a name (lol) and leah capulet)

T I M E F R A M E : 1991 - 2011

S Y N O P S I S : try as he does to be the king his kingdom needs, stefan forever struggles with what that truly means.

T R I G G E R S : implied verbal abuse

N O T E S : i’m sorry for this but these family trees really got me MESSED UP OVER HERE

According to your father, a true king is one that makes the right decisions even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

You’re sixteen at the time. ‘Just a boy,’ as your mother insists whilst scolding him from across the table, and while you’d usually be the the first one to whine and insist that she stop treating you like a child, you feel like a child in that moment. He towers above you, pacing back and forth across the length of the dining hall and clearly incensed after having to witness his son being brought home by the scruff of his neck by the head of his guard and hear the stories of how he’d been found trying to sneak off into the Moors in the early hours of the morning. Every little bit of scolding and shouting and anger hurled your way feels like a new shot of ice right in your veins, and even in spite of your pride you find yourself flinching and wincing each and every time. She’s right - you’re nothing but a child in that moment, reduced to a shivering mass sunk into cushioned back of your seat. 

He tells you this sage piece of advice after nearly twenty minutes of verbal barraging have passed, his wide, ring-encrusted hands slamming against the glossy mahogany of the table separating the two of you as he leans menacingly closer. There’s a glint in his eyes that you’ve never seen before - one of an almost manic excitement shrouded by fury - and those very words seem to reverberate in the air in the long silence that follows his statement.

It’s obvious to you then that he knows exactly what you’ve been doing in the Moors. Fraternizing with those beasts - the fairies and pixies and golems and everything that your entire kingdom seemed to despise with such a passion. With Maleficent, foreign and menacing and yet beautiful in a way you’ve never known before. It’s been years that you’ve known her, but even you can’t help but wish you’d never met her while under the weight of your father’s gaze. 

It feels like a decade has passed before he speaks again, but when he does, his voice lowers into a near murmur, his weight shifting forward to ensure that the two of you are eye-to-eye. “It’s time for you to make the right decision, son.”

You find yourself alone ten minutes later with the weight of an ultimatum sitting heavy on your shoulders. In theory, it should be an easy decision: Maleficent or the crown. And yet, no matter how you try, you can’t seem to reconcile it. On one hand, you know that choosing to follow the orders laid down by your father would mean hurting the one person who’d always loved you without conditions. She didn’t care about any of it - the fineries, crown, or title - but about you, and you know without a shadow of a doubt that doing such a deed would inevitably turn her from you for the rest of time itself. Then again, you also knew that there was nothing more important to you than your father’s approval, and with the threat of disownment hanging over your head you’ve found your mind thrown into a sort of blind panic to do whatever he wants.

You debate over it for weeks, sick to your stomach with the possibilities juggling around your skull. You’re not sure you’ve made the right decision even after the deed is done and the threat of the Moors is practically made extinct in one swift power move, but your one comfort is that it has won you the ultimate protection - the crown. At the end of the day, you’d long since decided that power was worth any sacrifice, and no matter how much it hurt, you’d continue to chase it for as long as you live.

                                                                         ⚜⚜⚜

According to your wife, a true king is one that knows how to show weakness.

It’s stated at the point of pure exasperation, her face twisted in frustration and illuminated by the dim light shining from the opposite side of the room as she pushes herself off of the bed. The way she glowers at you once she’s whirled around to face you once more from a safe few strides away speaks volumes of her state of mind; she’s mad, and you’re the reason for it.

You’ve not been married for more than a month, and yet your marriage already seems to be in shambles. It’s would be funny were you not on the receiving end of her ire, and even so you can’t help but find it foolish of her to have expected any differently out of you. This was no more than a political union, after all - as most royal marriages had been for centuries - and yet she persisted in a hopeless, endless battle to soften you to the idea of her.

You would be lying if you said you expected any less of her. Leah Montaigne, after all, had quite the reputation of her own before she’d ever been named yours. Beautiful, intelligent, and charming... she was everything expected of a queen and more, but you also knew that there was an undercurrent of cunning that ran under it all and a willingness to use her charms to get ahead. It was smart, even you could admit that. Women, after all, were so often seen as weak and emotionally driven, so for her to play right into that stereotype and act the part of the demure ingenue as an act of manipulation was brilliant. You can’t even say it wouldn’t work on you if you’d not been wise to her ways and unwavered by the prospect of romantic love. That concept had been dead to you for years now, and so try as she did to win you over piece by piece, she’d been met with nothing with resistance just as she had just moments ago. Her games weren’t working, and now here she was espousing the values of weakness as if it would somehow sway you.

Leah stands there for a moment, silent as her figure framed by the dimming light of day shining from the window behind her. Her mouth opens as if she’s ready to say something else only to clamp shut once more, and it happens once again, then twice more before she finally finds her words. “You don’t have to love me,” she deadpans, the usually soft timbre of her voice colored with a new intensity he’d never quite heard from her before, “And honestly? You don’t even have to like me if you don’t want to. But you do have to work with me - whether you like it or not.”

Your first instinct is to brush her words off, even as she whisks herself out of the room in the type of hurry that practically screamed that she was more than unhappy with you. That being said, those very thoughts linger in your mind, playing on a feedback loop as if it were some sort of mantra, and slowly but surely the realization dawns on you that you may know your wife, but you don’t know her - not really, at least. You don’t know her hopes and dreams, nor do you know her intentions. Hell, she could be just as averse to the idea of this marriage as you are, and yet she’d done just as she said you needed to... she worked with you. 

The change isn’t instant, but slowly but surely the relationship between the two of you develops. It’s not love, nor will it ever be, but it is a partnership and you couldn’t ask for a better woman to be by your side throughout it all. The very same woman is the one who gives you an heir just a few short years later - a beautiful baby girl who shared her mother’s golden hair and your blue eyes - and it’s only when your daughter is born that you finally find enough inner peace to begin to come around to the idea of allowing yourself a little bit of joy. 

And then Maleficent came, all fury and flames and fully determined to tear that joy apart piece by piece. 

You would’ve been fine with accepting the consequences. The nightmares of what you’d done to her had haunted you for years, leaving you in a constant state of unrest where guilt threatened to eat you alive at any moment. If anything, you’d expected her to strike you dead as soon as you saw that achingly familiar face emerge from the crowd, and you supposed that you deserved what was coming to you. Ultimately, though, she chose a fate worse than death as her personal form of vengeance; instead of taking you as recompense, her attention was turned to something far, far more precious. 

The gasps of despair were audible as Maleficent’s curse became fully actualized. Your child - the innocent little babe fast asleep no more than a few feet away from him - would be the one to pay the price for her father’s actions with her own life. For as long as you’d worn the crown, you’d never felt anything more than invincible, but here and now, staring into the eyes of the woman who was singlehandedly able to take everything you loved from you without so much of an afterthought, you felt truly powerless for the first time. Your wife’s words from years prior echo in your mind as if some sort of belated reminder, and without another thought, you do the only thing you can do in that moment: you beg.

It’s humiliating. Here you are, on your knees before your subjects and contemporaries and before her in particular, pleading with her to spare your daughter’s laugh. And god, the look of joy on her face at the vision before her and her concession to take your thoughts into consideration gives you a sense of false hope for a mere moment... until she begins to speak once more. A loophole of sorts - the one thing that could wake his daughter from that century-long sleep was true love’s kiss. The crowd around you seems relieved, but you’re no more comforted than you were before; looking into the wicked glee gleaming in her eyes, you know that she knows as well as you do that true love doesn’t exist and that all efforts were ultimately for nothing. Aurora was doomed, and there was nothing you could do to stop it.

Weakness ultimately fails you in that moment. And with that, you vowed you’d never allow yourself to be weak - not again.

                                                                           ⚜⚜⚜

According to your advisors, a true king is one that will go to no ends to win a war, no matter the cost. 

They’ve witnessed every single moment of the past hour, from the arrival of one of the three faeries he’d entrusted his daughter with sixteen years prior to the moment she broke the news that transferring the girl over to his care that evening was simply impossible - not when the signs of Maleficent’s handiwork remained so evident and unavoidable. They’d also witnessed the aftermath of that very message, his irrational, intense fury that had reduced you to a screaming, red-faced mess as he stormed about the room and insisted that you refused to let the damned woman win after all these years. She’d kept your daughter from you for sixteen years and was now threatening to keep her from you even longer, and that was simply something you wouldn’t stand for. 

The faerie had told you plenty of other inconvenient things. For one, the girl remained apparently devastated by the news of her lineage and had been practically inconsolable for hours. It was indicated to you that most of it had to do with some boy she’d met - a peasant, though there was no other real information that could be provided about him - but that ultimately, the girl was still at the cottage, sick with grief as the other two faeries tried in vain to bring her around to the idea. She allegedly didn’t want to come home, which you still find to be completely egregious, if not weak-minded of the girl. She’s sixteen, after all, and practically a woman at this point - she should know better.

Ultimately, however, you don’t care what she wants, nor what she feels. She can cry and wail and bemoan her royal status as a cruel twist of fate for all you care; so long as you could be victorious in keeping Maleficent from having the final laugh, her mental state is of little to no concern. 

It’s cruel of you. One advisor tells you as much after voicing such to the faerie and ordering her off to fetch the girl and bring her back to you. The old you would’ve thought so, too - a twenty year old boy-king with the world at his feet and some fatherly obligation to protect an innocent child from facing undue wrath - but after sixteen years spent tracking and calculating Maleficent’s every move, this is no longer a moral fight for you. It’s a war in the form of a chess game, with each person watching and waiting to make the move that would eventually blow the other off the board. Aurora is nothing more than the final pawn in that game, a trophy for you to seize and wave in Maleficent’s face as if boasting that you got her first, and that is a victory you want more than anything else.

It’s a long, terse few minutes spent pacing circles about the room and muttering angrily to yourself before another advisor dares to speak up. The point he brings up is a good one - what good would having the child here do if she was still at risk with every passing moment? Could they feasibly protect her when Maleficent was only growing stronger with every passing moment? It takes plenty of reasoning before he so much as manages to get through with you, but it finally sticks after he utters that phrase to you. After all, she could win this battle all she wants, but you were in it to win the war.

And so, begrudging at best, you make the call. Aurora wouldn’t be returning home that evening, nor would she be staying within the kingdom; instead, she’d be going elsewhere - far enough away that it would be nearly impossible to find her - until he could figure out a way to get rid of that damned faerie once and for all. Granted, the decision comes with some sticky points between making sure the word got to the faeries before they set out to the castle and arranging something with King Hubert to get an extension on the political arrangement that they’d planned sixteen years prior with their own children right at the center, but at the end of it, you know there’s no other real choice for you to make. 

Your plans have been dashed, and in spite of your best efforts, Maleficent has managed to gain the upper hand on you. That being said, you know full and well that you won’t rest until she’s gone for good, and you’re willing to do just about anything to ensure you’re the one to get their revenge in the very end.