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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 8 months

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All the Good Girls Go To Hell 20

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsession, power imbalance, injury, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You come home for the summer but your break is not as relaxing as you expect.

Character: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers

Note: Friday! (again)

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

It takes until noon to get yourself together. The world around you feels disconnected and hazy, beyond your reach. You just want to hide from the chaos your life has become, but you know you can't do that. Bucky says as much, telling you to take it all in small steps. The first; get your car.

You slump in the passenger seat of Bucky's range rover, arms folded over your fraught stomach. Never again. It's never worth it, even if it lets you forget. You just have to remember it all the next day, all while feeling shitty as hell.

He pulls up in front of Harry's house and you slowly sit forward to look around him. You gulp and fish out your keys, the jingle making you wince. You blow out a breath and undo your seat belt.

"Should I come with you, doll?" He offers, one hand on the wheel.

You look at him. His long hair is draw back into a ponytail at the back of his head, a few strands dangle loose to his chin. His square jaw is speckled with dark stubble and few patches of silver. His steely blue eyes shine as his plain white tee and blue jeans offer a perfect canvas for his easy allure. The way he looks at you makes it hard not to notice how handsome he is.

"No, no, I'll just go get my car and follow you back to your place. Should be easy."

You pull the door handle before you can lose your nerve. You're grateful for Bucky's help but you need to do this on your own. He can't coddle you and you can't expect everything from him. You don't want to be in this situation ever again; cast out and lost.

You get out and gently shut the door. You round the front of the tall rover and push your glasses up your nose. You cross the street, tucking your hands in your pockets as you keep your shoulders curled and head down. You cross the pavement and head up the tarmac, stopping short as you catch sight of your car.

Your mouth falls open as you gape at the mess strewn across it. Shaving cream streaks the hood and roof, toilet paper draped over it in tangled strips, and eggs smashed into the worn paint. As you get closer, you notice the only blank patch is keyed with the words 'dumb bitch'. You stare stunned at the desecration of your only possession.

You shake your head and don't look up at the house. You can guess it was probably Harry and his friends. This is the type of stuff the got up to in high school and these people made it clear that you're an outsider.

You near the car and grab a few strips of toilet paper, pulling them off and wadding them up as you try to wipe off the yolk and half-melted cream. Some of it's caked on after sitting for at least half the night. You sigh and focus on just tearing the tissue off. You can hit a car wash but you don't know what you'll do about the scratches.

As you scrape off what you can, you hear a door and sense a shadow. Harry's laughter rattles in the afternoon sun and you ignore him as you toss clumps of cream and toilet paper onto the ground. You unlock the door and he catches it from the outside, holding it in place.

"Do you get the hint now?" He asks darkly.

"Leave me alone," you tug on the door and it doesn't budge.

"Naomi is better than you. You're just some stupid nerd who doesn't know her place. The only reason Peter was interested is because he wants to make MJ jealous--"

"I don't care--"

"You're too boring for her," he sneers, "so better go off back to your corner and cry, little girl."

"Frig off," you spit at him, "and let go!"

You try to jerk the door away and he just snickers again. You bear your teeth in frustration and roll your eyes. If he wants you gone, why won't he let you go?

"She helped. The eggs were her idea," he taunts. You don't care if she did or not, her loyalties are clear enough. You saw them last night.

"Hey," Bucky's voice rips through your standoff and you turn as he storms up the driveway. "Back up, jackass."

"Jesus Christ, not this geezer," Harry snarls.

"Yes, this geezer," Bucky barks, "go inside before I show you what an old man can do."

"Whatever, bro."

"Whatever," Bucky stomps past you and stops only inches from Harry, looming over him, "I'm up for whatever you choose, boy."

Harry huffs and curls his lip. He raises his hands and takes a step back, "you're not worth the trouble."

"Sure," Bucky keeps his shoulder in front of you, blocking you in, "go on and run back to your posse of dumbasses."

Harry waves him off and turns on his heel, slides flopping under him as he tramps like a toddler back to the house. You shudder and look at Bucky as he turns to you. He rests his hand on the top of the door.

"You alright, doll?" He softens his tone.

"Yeah, fine, he's just dumb."

"Mm," he looks past you, "assholes. Let's get this thing cleaned up and--" He pauses and shifts away, bending to examine the message etched into the paint, "hmmmmm," he growls, "good thing I know how to buff this stuff out." He stands straight, hands on his hips, his pose accentuating his chest and biceps, "you want me to drive this thing till we get it washed or--"

"No, no, it's okay," you murmur, "I just wanna get out off here."

"Sure thing," he tries to smile but his cheek ticks as his eyes drift angrily to the house, "don't let appearances fool you, there people are trash."

🌞

When you get back to Bucky's, he unfolds a lawn chair and points you to it. There's little argument to be had as his anger has you tongue-tied. You know it's not directed at you but you can feel it steaming off of him. You've never been good at handling that sort of emotion, especially from others.

It's probably for the better. Your head is pounding, even in the shadow of the awning, and you stomach is still wobbly with uncertainty. You rest your chin in your hand as you watch him spraying your car with the nozzle of the hose. As he does, the splash back dampens the front of his tee, the fabric clinging to his stomach as he sneers at his task.

He shut the hose off and grabs the sponge from the bucket, scrubbing at the harder to get patches until has has it mostly clean. He gives it another rinse with hose and rolls it up, dumping the bucket in the grass and dropping the sponge inside. He puts the pail down and sits on the steps, only a foot away from you.

"Sure made a mess of myself," he looks down at his wet shirt, wiping his hands on it before tugging it upwards. He strips it off and shakes it out as you avert your wiley gaze. "I'll buff the side later and it should be fine. Probably have to find somewhere to fix the paint properly, though."

"Thanks, uh, you've really done... enough."

"Shitty," he mutters clutching the shirt in his hand. As he leans an elbow on his knee, your eyes stray to the trim of hair across his broad chest. You hide your wandering gaze and focus on your hands, "I'm sorry she dragged you into all this. Really... and I know I've probably not made it any easier."

"I guess I'm just confused. I don't know what to do with myself. I guess I should keep looking for a job but at this rate, I won't have one until I have to head back to campus. If I even get to go." You exhale shakily, "my parents split tuition but if my mom cuts me off... I don't know what to do."

He nods and gives a thoughtful hum. He sits back and props his elbow on the step behind him, his muscled stomach tugging at your gaze. No, stop.

"I never had kids. Obviously. Always knew I couldn't give them everything I would want to, you know? But if I did, I'd give them everything I could. I just don't get it. I really don't, you're a good girl and they just don't see what's right in front of them," he sucks his teeth, "well, how about..." he stops himself and lets his leg sway one way then the other, "I could offer you a job. You could do some work around the shop. Sweeping up sawdust and stuff but the pay is good."

You nod and chew your lip. It's a nice idea. More than you deserve.

"What... what about..."

"Steve? You let me handle him. Really, he's just a dumbass. Gets carried away. Besides, sounds like he has his hands full with your mom and his wife," he scoffs, "you'll be working with me, not him."

You wiggle your foot, "I don't know..."

"It's your choice but it'll keep you busy and it could help with money problems," he puts his hand flat, "all you have to do is say yes. Oh, and obviously, whatever you decide, you got a place to stay."

You glance up at the house and frown, "I don't... what about Naomi?"

"What about her? If she comes back, same thing for her. She has a room here. I made promises and I don't break those. However she feels about me, I wasn't the one who hit the self-destruct button."

You drop your head, holding it tight as it feels ready to splinter. It's not just your hangover, it's everything else. You squeak and rub your temples with your thumbs.

"You okay?" Bucky leans forward and touches your elbow.

You lift your head gently, "yeah. I just feel awful. That I ever thought you were... bad. After everything, you won't even turn her away."

"She's lost. She's careless but she's young. I only ever wanted to help her, I was just selfish about how," he shrugs and retracts his hand, "but anyway," he stands and touches his lower back, "I think you should go inside, chill out on the couch, and watch some Netflix. I'll get you something nice and greasy to eat for that hangover."

You whimper and give a pathetic smile, "I'm sorry about that," you stand with some effort, "I don't usually drink like that--"

He laughs, "don't apologise," he waves you up the steps ahead of him, "I'm going to start being honest with you so I do need to tell you that it was really cute."

You giggle and shake your head as you reach for the front door. He's fast and extends his arm past you, opening it around you, close, so close you can feel the heat roiling off of him.

"No, it wasn't," you insist.

"It really was," he snorts as he follows you inside, "you get this pout and it's just..." he's quiet as you slip your shoes off, a lull as he weighs his words, "gorgeous."

You chuckle nervously and rub your neck. He clears his throat and toes off his sneakers. He moves around you cautiously, as if fighting not to get any closer.

"I'll go grab my phone and we'll figure out what to order," he mutters, his tone uneven, "you just make yourself at home."

🌞

You feel a bit more stable once you have a good meal in your stomach. Good being a relative term. The greasy cheeseburger and onions rings are hardly nutritious but they are satisfying.

You slurp on your diet coke as you lay with your head up against the armrest and lose yourself in the shallow drama of the reality show personalities. An argument about a dress really is compelling theatre. You put the cup down and hug the cushion to your chest, laughing as a woman storms out, tossing her wine in the process. Wow, and you thought your life was ridiculous.

You yawn and close your eyes. It's getting late. You should probably go to the guest room and try to sleep off the last of your alcoholic regret.

The end of the couch dips and your eyes snap open. Bucky sits just below your feet, tilting his head at the screen. He arches his brow as his eyes search the television. His mouth slants as he looks at you.

"So, why are these women screaming at each other?" He asks.

"Oh, uh, you can change it," you go to sit up but he firmly puts his hand on your ankle.

"No, I'm curious. Genuinely."

"Really, it's just a stupid show--"

"I want to know," he smiles and glances back at the TV, "they are really angry."

"Well, the blonde one borrowed a dress from the brunette and never gave it back but the blonde claims she did and the other woman is lying. And the other blonde is saying she saw the dress in the brunette's closet," you explain and end with a chortle, "it really is nonsense."

He keeps his hand on your ankle, his thumb rubbing through the cotton of your sock. He nods and squints, "the brunette is lying."

"Hmm? How do you know?"

"You can tell," he points with his other hand, his other slipping down your foot. "She keeps looking left."

"Oh?" You look between him and the television, overly aware of his hand. He pushes his thumb into your sole and you groan at the delightful pressure.

"You ticklish?" He wonders as he drags his thumb along your arch, "huh?"

"A little," you confess, "what are you--"

"Just... being nice," he grips your foot as you try to pull away once more, "just lay back. Everyone loves a good foot massage, don't they?"

"I... I wouldn't know," you push yourself up on your elbows and watch him knead your foot, barely withholding a moan. He knows what he's doing. "Never had one before."

"Really? Well, you got a lot of tension right... here," he poke his thumb into you and your squeal. It sends a zing up your leg. "See? I told you, you need to relax. I'm just helping." He grabs your ankle higher up and yanks, just hard enough to have you flat on your back, "sit back and enjoy, doll. You deserve it."

#bucky barnes #dark bucky barnes #dark!bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #au #steve rogers #dark steve rogers #dark!steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #series #mcu #marvel #avengers #captain america #winter soldier #all the good girls go to hell

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seraphiism · 1 year

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❀ ﾟ. ༄ ┊ 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧 ;

( you are a living thing in the family of living things ; the place you belong is here. )

characters : alhaitham • xiao • wanderer • childe • zhongli quote cr : madeleine jubilee saito a/n : for my enemy @micheya for the @favonius-library gift event !! i hope you enjoy this micheya i'll never be mean to you ever again <3

↬ alhaitham ࿐ ࿔

but a scribe does not quite understand the feeling of sanctuary, such sentiments out of sight, out of mind-- until it comes to you, that is. in the morning hours, he wakes at the usual time, today's schedule the first recollection as he ponders the most efficient way to go about his tasks. he opens his eyes, determined to set off in yet another hectic day, but there is something that throws him for a loop, catches him entirely off-guard :

you, who rests comfortably in his arms, the warmth of your body felt against his.

alhaitham blinks once, twice, tries to rid of the haze of exhaustion. he's fortunate you're still sleeping; you surely would have laughed at that flicker of surprise that you so rarely see from him.

ah, he remembers now, remembers how you fell asleep in the peaceful silence as he read his book, free hand idly tracing circles into your skin.

in this moment, he recognizes something like a belonging, so he smiles a gentle smile, presses a kiss to your temple.

at this rate, he may as well ignore his plans, sleep in just a little bit more. perhaps this decision will result in chaos in the long run, but you are very much worth it, after all.

you always are.

↬ xiao ࿐ ࿔

a yaksha knows of his role and what his life is destined for : a protector of liyue, conqueror of demons, a burial site for evils and grief alike. xiao is careful to keep his distance from you, the mortal life something he has never been meant to know of. but you are stubborn and relentless in your endeavors, and so you force your way into a reserved and seemingly cold heart, know that despite the corruption beneath it all, there is still a kindness and innocence that thrives in ways untold.

xiao does not think he understands loneliness. not at first, not until your constant and insistent presence.

it almost feels right, the binding of souls, the string that connects you. it almost feels as if he was meant to be at your side : your guardian, your sword and shield, your forevermore.

"i think," you begin, voice hardly above a whisper as you gaze upon liyuu from wangshu inn, "we are bound somehow, xiao." you cast a glance in his direction, a gentle affection surfacing in his eyes. "that wherever you go, i am meant to go, as well."

and a yaksha who knows only of desolation feels something beat so furiously in his chest, breath hitched and an unfamiliar exhilaration racing through his blood. he forces his gaze away, such words of affection almost too cruel. he laces his fingers with yours, and though you cannot see him when he speaks, you hear the smile in his voice.

"i belong to you." he tells you, squeezing your hand ever so gently. "wherever you go, i will follow."

↬ wanderer ࿐ ࿔

& a wanderer has lost himself in the burials of misery and memory, a bitter existence lost in a forever, reinvigorated and reincarnated into something of sorrows and a spark of redemption. something aches in the depths of a puppet, and he does not think it is the heart -- but he is not sure, in truth -- should he ever have one, would he recognize that pain? the sorrow?

would he recognize anything, he wonders?

( and he knows the answer, he does. because he knows of rage and wrath and ruin, knows what it is like to experience abandon and bitterness and everything horrid. but he cannot fathom the idea of feeling something kind, something akin to joy. peace. love. )

love-- it is not something he quite recognizes, but it is something he is beginning to understand, especially in the midst of your presence. he does not know why the feeling blooms in his chest, fills the hollows of once was, and as much as he tries to fight it, he knows that you have made your way into his newfound life, deems you as someone he cannot bear to lose.

the way his name leaves your lips is both a blessing and curse, he thinks -- the gentleness in your voice, the faint curiosity that lingers because of the flush of pink that adorns his features.

no, perhaps he does not entirely understand love yet-- but in the way your hands cup his face, a smile blooming on the curve of your lips, he knows that he will soon know its true meaning.

↬ childe ࿐ ࿔

ask childe where his home is and he will tell you high tales of his hometown : the bitter coldness, the fondness found in mischievous siblings, and memories of abyss and beyond. ask childe where his home is and he will tell you a thousand things, because truthfully, he feels that he cannot find it, not anymore. but with you, there is a feeling reminiscent of a home away from home.

"do you miss it? your home?"

childe hums, feigns deep thought. should home be defined as somewhere one deeply yearns for, a place where one thrives and feels a connection to, there are many places he deems as such. whether it is the place he grew up or the place where he learned of survivals and bloodlust and a lingering madness, he is unsure.

"often, i do." he admits, throws you a cheeky grin. but there is something in his voice that is genuine and superficial all at once -- you cannot place it, though, and somewhere in your heart, you wonder what he truly thinks and where he is truly thinking about.

he sees that hesitation, that semblance of grief that adorns your features. it's hard to catch, but he knows you all too well, and he knows it isn't because you mourn his longing. it's because you know him just as well, because you know what his answer means.

"don't worry." he tells you, a gentle smile resting on the curve of his lips as he holds your hand. he squeezes it, gentle, smile growing when you squeeze it back. "you're my home too, you know?"

↬ zhongli ࿐ ࿔

oh, how the ages have passed, the days gone by a blur. in the life of a higher being, there is much sorrow to be found and recognized. in the life of a higher being, zhongli understands feelings all too well : how they dwell so deeply in the heart of a dragon, settle in the depths of an old spirit, unable to seek their way out. how he carries a lifetime of memories with him, the remnants of those he has lost and loved a forever in his mind.

zhongli knows of haven, knows it to be many places all at once. his heart belongs everywhere he has ever existed, and in this present time, it knows you to be harbor.

the scent of tea fills a silent air, breaks his focus. you pour it, cautious, place it gently before him and take a seat by his side. many a time you have found him deep in thought, a lingering loneliness in the air ; in these moments, you dare not disrupt him, only seeking his company in silence. you rest your head on his shoulder, hand gently placed over his.

it is a very tranquil thing, this feeling of serenity. he smiles a blithe smile, knows that he will remember the comfort that is you for many lifetimes to come.

( there are many places he recognizes as refuge, zhongli thinks, the floral scent and your warmth enveloping his senses, and you are the most important one. )

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #favoniuslibrary #astronetwrk #alhaitham x reader #xiao x reader #childe x reader #wanderer x reader #zhongli x reader #.: writing #.: multi

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blind-alchemists · 23 days

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sorry, Zagreus, I've had your sister for five hours and I already like her more than you.

anyway! I did treat myself and bought the game early and. it's just very good!

in somewhat chronological order, my thoughts after yesterday's session

the music! the music is even more amazing than in the first game and if I'm done, I need to listen to the whole OST on loop

the art!! also even better than in the first game!!

Melinoë is a great protagonist

it's incredibly funny the first god we encounter is Apollo, because Apollo is the guy people modded into the first game years ago

... boy, I wonder what the speedrunning meta will look like for this game (I have very obscure knowledge about Hades I speedrunning meta)

I love the little backgrounds that pop out with the art

oh, right, I jumped into the Hades I EA late, so I never saw the place holder graphics in-game before

the environments!! beautiful.

I shouldn't have played the first game last week. It's fucking with me. where's my second dash??? Why do we start with 30 HP??? where are my death defiances??? weapon mechanics???

of course there's a fishing mechanic again.

I like Hecate's design.

saluting??? what's the lore behind that?

OH. this tone of the story isn't ... quite what I expected. A lot more serious. a lot more severe.

Melinoë doesn't remember her family??? Hello??? what the fuck???

and she keeps talking about her task with such a dutiful determination ... no, I'm not crying. But. That's such an interesting conflict.

NEMESIS!! She's holding her sword aspect!! her design!! her resentment!! her vengeance!! her rivalry with Mel. how Mel calls her Nem. please. tell me she's a romance option. PLEASE.

oh, hi odysseus.

hey, there's hypnos! ... why's he sleeping??? (funny thing is, I got the Charon dialogue that implies he's more useful this way lol)

I cannot. Take. Skelly serious. It's worse because Mel does.

I like Moros' design. The long hair going over the horns? Yeah, that's good.

Mel gets an AXE??? a heavy, double-bladed axe??? (I love women wielding heavy weapons, and as long as the rail doesn't make a return, I'm good with anything after enough time)

I like the new art sprites for reoccurring characters!

ahhh, the good old "we don't trust Olympus so we're not telling them everything" line. understandable, but I figure that's going to blow up sooner or later.

I love Mel's bond with Artemis and Selene and the implication that both helped raise her.

... and I like the predominantly female cast so far

Nemesis can show up in Erebus???

BABY MELINOË omg

why does every chthonic goddess / titaness sound like they have a thing for Persephone. Nyx already had a few lines like that in the first game. Why does Hecate also have these kinds of lines.

the Hecate fight frustrates me to no end, because I'm very used to more dashes, more health, and more death defiances, and very different weapons :( (I have bet her twice in total so far)

unrelated, but I didn't know I needed a sheep in the Hades art style but it's so damn cute and I want a large art print of it

Archane!! I love how her silks change Mel's avatar

Oceanus is beautiful

... except for the traps. Really not digging the traps. or the maps.

CHAOS??? why are you holding your old form's head??? and why is there an embryo coming out of it??? why do you have wings??? why do you wear a suit??? the new design unfortunately checks all the boxes but upon reflection that is because it fits into that very niche character design trope I've seen in manwha recently and I couldn't put a name on it if I tried

on that note, I also adore Aphrodite's new design!!

not quite sure what I think of the gathering / farming mechanic yet

I do like the incantations, magic, hexes, and arcana though!

HERMES! I also adore his design.

wait, what? Mel's going to Olympus? You're telling me one part of the game is descending into the House of Hades and the other is climbing to Mount Olympus?? (that's my speculation, at least.)

god, I hope the cast of the first game is alright/alive. :(

I hope we also get to see Athena, Ares, and Dionysus at some point :(

on that note, I can't wait for Mel to meet her brother and realize he's the opposite of her lol. I love siblings and mirrors.

#hades 2 #hades 2 spoilers #rambling #i love this game and I'm not sure if I'm crying because it's so good or because I love Mel or because I keep dying to Hecate #btw all questions are rhetorical. I do not want them answered.#i want to experience this game as blind as i can.

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lollytea · 2 years

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Huntlow ft Gus au where they roleplay Cosmic frontier and being O'bailey helps Hunter feel more confident to flirt with Willow? Kinda like in Community when Annie, Troy and Abed roleplay Inspector Spacetime and Abed totally changes when getting into character

OKAY OKAY OKAY But after all this Collector shit is over and everything settles down. Hunter and Gus LARPing in their Cosmic Frontier cosplays and Gus casts an illusion curtain so Camila's basement really does feel like the inside of a futuristic spaceship. They even get Camila on board to join them. (Remember how excited she was to LARP in Yesterday's Lie?? She's never done anything like this before but she would be so into it!!)

Anyway. You KNOW how Gus and Hunter are. Obviously Gus is a born performer and very committed to theatrics but also there's Hunter who is intensely hyperfixated on Cosmic Frontier and not only connects to O'Bailey but also sees him as a fictional role model of sorts. He's cool and smart and kind and confident and basically everything Hunter aspires to be. So O'Bailey is basically Hunter's main blorbo. He WOULD be the type to keep a notebook full of O'Bailey characters analysis. He understands this fictional man inside and out. Everything from his big grand life aspirations and inner turmoil to his little character tics and personal details.

So when he and Gus get into the zone? Oh Hunter would take it so deathly seriously. Gus would too so they're perfect LARPing partners.

I think it definitely fits with Hunter's tendency to lose himself in the roles that he plays, like how his personality altered when he was wearing the Golden Guard uniform. Except, in this case, Hunter's face is on full display and rather than O'Bailey being a character Hunter can hide behind like the GG was, it's more like Hunter is just having fun playing pretend, while using O'Bailey as a bit of an outlet for him to experiment with the person he wants to be. Role-playing as this character he really likes helps with his confidence significantly as with the bonus of being unmasked, it's easier for him to tap into it as Hunter.

Eventually. Eventually.

Because when they first start playing pretend, Hunter believes that he's playing an entirely different person than himself. But he has so much fun with it!!!

Anyway Gus and Hunter get very into their roles, acting out extremely tense and emotionally gripping scenes. Camila is also very enthusiastic, though she has a tendency to break character every once in a while by devolving into squeals because this is just SO cool!!! Why did she and Manny never do this??

Anyway Willow almost always shows up to watch. For the plot. She sits there and she watches Hunter go full cool hero protagonist mode for the plot. She's very interested in....whatever the fuck is going on. There's an asteroid about to hit the ship she thinks. She doesn't know what an asteroid is but she assumes this is a bad thing.

It's Camila that kickstarts the chaos. She notices the scene is waning in regards to cool shit to say and decides to spice things up. As O'Bailey and Avery are engaged in a tense dialogue, she shuffles over to where Willow is sitting and takes her by the hands to hoist her up.

"How about you join us, Mija? :)"

"Oh!" Says Willow, blinking out of the stupor that overcame her when Hunter started a dramatic monologue about the safety of everyone in the galaxy. "Okay...?"

She had never done something like this before. But now that Camila is leading her over to the boys, she thinks to herself...hm. yeah...Yeah!! Yeah, this could be fun!!!

"Captain Avery." Camila says sharply, snapping her posture straight. "Botanist Kumiko O'Bailey has been sent to inspect our vegetation crop and report back to the Nebula Federation."

Gus and Hunter turn to look at them and Willow feels the push to engage.

"Uhh. YES!" She announces, adopting a powerful air as she places her fists on her hips and tips her chin up high. "It's me! Kumiko!! And I'm here to...uh. To do what Camila just said."

"Quando."

"What Quando just said."

"Also...." Camila continues. "She mentioned wanting to see her husband."

"My what now?" Willow blurts out under her breath.

Oh. Right. Kumiko. Kumiko O'Bailey. She had heard that name once or twice. She knows at least a chunk of the lore. Hunter talks about it often.

So. So she's currently playing the role of...

"Kumiko!" Hunter exclaims and rushes to her side. And then suddenly there's hands and they're long and narrow and warm and they are cradling her hands. And though Willow has held Hunter's hands plenty of times, it was always initiated by her. It's his sudden bout of forwardness that stuns her speechless.

Where is this coming from?

"Um..." Willow finds herself mumbling idiotically.

"You weren't answering any of my communications." Hunter says, looking deeply invested in the colour of Willow's eyes. "I was worried..."

Hunter has not acknowledged that this is something he would have been far too shy to do with Willow Park under any other circumstances. Because he is currently Chief Engineer O'Bailey and he is extremely committed to portraying this role faithfully. And if there's one thing he knows about O'Bailey, it's that he loves Kumiko with abandon.

"Aw, well, you know how it is," Willow grins, still a little breathless. She tries to tear her eyes away from their interlaced fingers, a slight blush seeping across her cheeks.

"The communication....thingie...was busted. So I just figured I'd hop on a spaceship and come find ya."

Under the assumption that she's nailing this role, Willow decides to get a little rambunctious with it. She tilts her head to the side, tweaking her smile into something overtly flirty. "I missed you <3" She says in a honey sweet tone that she has used on him on numerous occasions. It usually renders Hunter completely unsure of what to do with himself. It's adorable.

But not this time.

Hunter, completely unruffled, responds with a warm endeared smile that sends Willow's pulse coursing. "I missed you too." He says softly.

And then. One of those accursed hands of his. It settles into a gentle caress against her face.

Willow's eyes are just about about bulging out of their sockets.

"But wooow," Hunter croons, stroking the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. (Her skin is hot and he is gonna notice, which is only making it hotter.) That's when the flirtatious touch to his own smile cracks through. "You traveled all those lightyears? For me?"

Willow does not have a fucking clue what a lightyear is. But she likes the sound of the word when he says it like that.

"You betcha, babe!" Willow responds enthusiastically, trying to regain some handle on this scenario. "You know I'd travel a million lightyears just to see you."

She flirts. Her. Willow.

Hunter unexpectedly taking the lead here is throwing her off. She's floundering.

Is this what she does to him all the time?

Hunter's smile spreads and he takes a step closer.

Willow would have taken an instinctive step back but she is currently frozen to the spot.

Hunter's eyes are very brown.

"Well..." He says musingly. "You've seen me. Will that be everything, Mrs O'Bailey?"

Willow is certain her heart forgot its main functions before promptly bursting into a frenzy.

How has his palm not scalded against her cheek.

Willow is about to say something. Potential responses swirl around in her head.

She isn't quite sure what is about to happen. All she's processing is that Hunter is standing very close and she has some ideas of what she would like to happen right now and she's pretty sure if she just--

"Oooooh. Go Hunter!" Somebody suddenly whoops and Willow gets to see the O'Bailey persona shatter like glass before her very eyes.

Luz has descended the stairs with not an ounce of context of what is going on. All she sees is Hunter cupping Willow's cheek and moving closer and closer.

Camila is observing with a broad beam, while Gus leans against a nearby wall, a little bored.

With that, Hunter is yanked back to the reality of the situation. He's not in space, he's in a basement. He's not Chief Engineer O'Bailey, he's Hunter. And she is not his wife Kumiko. She is Willow Park.

He might have been about to kiss Willow Park.

Heat floods his face and he breaks into a splutter of rapid-fire apologies. The words are spit out so frantically, they begin to tangle together.

And as charmed as Willow tends to be with flustered Hunter, she is quite disappointed that whatever that was is over.

Meanwhile Hunter is dangerously close to the realization that flirting with Willow Park is something as impossible as he originally thought.

#huntlow #if you send me fun little huntlow asks you too might receive some stupid shit like this

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t4tozier · 2 years

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interesting bits from the track commentary:

intro/uranium suite:

- the show started out as a cabaret where the kids sang directly to the audience with their monologue songs but then they connected them all to a plot so that they could take it further

- they initially cut out the uranium suite but then added it back bc it captured the dying town vibe the best

what the world needs:

- ocean had a bunch of different versions of her song, including a “marx gospel” and jazz version

- they listened to a lot of mika and shake it off by taylor swift for what the world needs

noel’s lament:

- noel’s lament was pretty much ready to go off the bat, they cut one verse but that was it

every story’s got a lesson:

- “ocean needs the world to make sense…[these kinds of people] demand order in chaos”

this song is awesome/talia:

- mischa was the most “liquid” character because they kept combining characters into what eventually became him

- “this song is awesome” was supposed to pretty much be only profanity lol, it was originally much sleazier and he was also doing a rap battle against himself in a funhouse mirror to show the two sides of himself

- jacob richmond on talia: “maybe she exists maybe she doesn’t, but it’s what you perceive that’s important”

- brooke maxwell called up the ukranian consulate to ask them how to say i love you in ukranian and recorded it so they could write it phonetically for the lyrics

space age bachelor man:

- the cat planet was based from david bowie’s “cat people” and took inspiration from queen and flash gordon for the music

- it was initially a 10 min song to imitate prog rock but got a little too self-indulgent and you kind of forgot your place in the show so they actually initially completely cut it for a show but then put it back in

- ricky’s the most comfortable in his skin out of the kids

the ballad of jane doe:

- it’s sadder for jane to be completely forgotten because they’re all dead but she’s the one that doesn’t even get remembered or known as an identity

- brooke called her “the queen of the carnival” and said they weren’t originally sure if she was actually on the rollercoaster with the kids or the sort of spirit of the carnival or had died hundreds of years ago and then left it ambiguous—“don’t explain the matrix”

jawbreaker/sugar cloud:

- constance’s monologue was the first thing jacob richmond wrote and it was the opening monologue for the cabaret show

- there was a teddy bear surfing in the middle of the song at one point ?? they described it as an “elvis beach party”

- the recorder solo was kept throughout the entire evolution of the song

- it was being debated about whether or not they should keep it bc ppl were really divided but brooke especially likes the arrangement on the album

- they wanted to find a way to explore a senseless tragedy and loss and not make it feel so heavy because you don’t always need something to make you feel worse and be a bummer, they wanted to energize the audience

- the carnival played into the different genres of music throughout the show bc you can hear so many different genres just walking through the fairground

- they recorded this at the beginning of the pandemic so they all were recording from different studios

- the cast recording features local vocals for the ensemble/background vocals including on be safe be good and a world inside

it’s not a game/it’s a ride:

- the “sailing through space” section of it’s not a game had to be rearranged for the cast recording because it was supposed to be tentative and a capella and they gave the actors a backing track so it sounded too perfect at first

- that section is also inspired by super tramp, they brought it up multiple times

- this was another song that had a ton of versions and the it’s just a ride section was partially based on sgt pepper’s and OKGO’s this too shall pass music video

bonus tracks:

- be safe be good was in the seattle version of the show and it was placed during the penny lamb sequence but they took it out because it took away from the impact of the visuals

- it also was more of a subdued version where the kids were bummed that they didn’t get to go rather than being happy for penny so that was another reason for cutting it

- the rachel in question is director (?) rachel rockwell and she really loved this song so they put that in there for her

- brooke recorded these two himself bc making an album was very expensive and they didn’t have the budget for the whole cast so he just sang them himself and had the local vocals for background

- a world inside was going to replace sugar cloud so there are some similar motifs

- sugar cloud is more uplifting but also more abstract and this one was trying to get more into constance’s head on a less metaphorical level

- this was also being written during rehearsal and they were under the most pressure for this one, it was also the one that had the most outlines and restrictions

- it was in the show for two days and then they realized it didn’t fit with the vibe of the show so they had to scrap it

- the show in canada ended with karnak’s theme but there wasn’t really an end to the song and it wasn’t a satisfying conclusion

- they originally didn’t have jane or any of the kids coming back to life either they basically did their thing and left

#ride the cyclone #rtc #i don’t know all the references to be perfectly honest so if it’s a bit stilted. that’s why

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bonnefeta · 6 months

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I recently saw a tiktok talking about which of the Fallout protagonists people most prefer, in light of the fact the Fallout show is coming out soon ish.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the most popular answer was the courier, which makes sense because New Vegas is a masterpiece, but also a lot of people talked about liking their backstory being less scripted.

Like compared to the lone wanderer or the sole survivor there isn’t like a cut scened backstory about your family or anything, the courier just pops up with a blank slate you can imagine however you want.

I totally get that, don’t get me wrong I love New Vegas, but having thought about it I do find the journey of the sole survivor and the lone wanderer effected me a lot more.

Especially the lone wanderer who I reckon is probably my favourite.

The characters I remember from New Vegas often have very little to do with my character. Like I remember the NPCs I met but the courier is basically just my eyes and ears, a much more blank slate.

With Fallout 3 I remember feeling gut punched by a lot of those moments, leaving the vault for the first time, finding your father and then loosing him, they really hit emotionally because I’m invested in the story of my player character.

But the main one I want to focus on is one of the moments I’ve found most impactful across all the games I’ve played,

Leaving the vault for the 2nd time.

Now not everyone might have done this quest, I’m pretty sure I missed it on my first playthrough, but if you haven’t ever done it you absolutely need too.

After your father dies if you return to Megaton you can pick up a distress frequency from the Vault where you hear Amata (your old bff and one of my favourite minor characters) asking for your help specifically. Something has gone wrong back home and you need to came back to fix it.

So you toddle off back home, and either help (or hinder) the vault get through a mini civil war. For the purposes of this post we’ll go with help.

So you save the vault, Amata is now in charge and everyone is safe and sound again, thanks to you. You’ve managed to save your home.

But you can’t stay.

Amata breaks the news to you that even after everything you’ve done there’s too much bad blood for you to stay. People blame you for the chaos, the change it’s brought. Amata can lead them into a better future but you can’t be at her side while it happens.

So you leave.

You walk out the vault door again, and as it closes behind you and you head back out into the wasteland you’re alone again.

The first time I played it (and honestly every time since) I was hit with such a strange grief. Like a hollow sad feeling I wasn’t expecting. Loosing your father is sad but this felt more impactful to me for some reason.

Maybe it’s the one-two punch of it, like lose your father and lose your home. But I for me it’s always reminds of the quote “you can never go home again” by Thomas Wolfe.

I don’t know exactly why this concept has always stuck with me, like it’s just stuck in my brain and it never really leaves. Maybe it’s from moving inter-state when I was a kid, and a few times since. But that idea of wishing to go back to a place where things were better, where you were happier, only to go there and realise it’s not how you remembered, and that you don’t belong any more, I guess it hits home.

You’ve been cast out into the wasteland, gone from your relatively comfortable and happy home into a world of violence and chaos and horror, only to lose your father. You fail, your defeated by the enclave, you’re starting again after a devastating setback, and when you’re at your lowest you get just a crumb of hope.

You get to go home, back to that place, but it’s not the same. Even when you ‘fix it’, you end the violence, there’s still no place for you there.

You just don’t fit any more.

And so you leave, you’re alone again. There’s no going back to when things were better, and the road ahead is more than hard, it’s probably impossible and even if you do succeed life will still probably never be easy.

But the vault door is sealed behind you, there’s no where to go but forward.

I know this is reading so deeply into a very minor side quest from a game from 15 years ago, but I honestly think it’s some of Bethesda’s best storytelling and kind of criminally overlooked in all the new Fallout talk.

#fallout #fallout 3 #the lone wanderer #fallout show #my brain cannot ever put this quest down #like a rabid dog with a bone #I’m also unbelievably excited about the show #Ella Purnell is a gift to humanity and I’m so excited to see her in it

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straightplayshowdown · 9 months

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Indecent: The story of Sholem Asch’s controversial play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to bring it to the stage. The story—about the daughter of a brothel owner who falls in love with one of her father’s prostitutes—was polarizing even at its first readings, with many of Asch’s fellows arising him to burn it. Nevertheless, it achieved great success on the stages of Europe and in the Yiddish theatre scene of downtown New York City. But when an English-translation was attempted on Broadway, the play—featuring the first kiss between women on a Broadway stage—proved too scandalous for the general public, and the entire cast was arrested and charged with obscenity.

Arcadia: The show takes place in a single room on the Coverly estate in two separate times: the Regency period and the present. 1809 finds a household in transition, where an Arcadian English garden landscape is being uprooted to make way for picturesque Gothic gardens, complete with hermitage. Meanwhile, brilliant thirteen-year-old Lady Thomasina proposes a startling scientific theory that is only starting to be figured out more than 200 years later. In the present day, we find two competing scholars researching the world of the estate in the Regency Era.

Propaganda under the cut!

Indecent:

Best, most emotionally resonant play I have ever seen performed. It recounts the controversy surrounding the play God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch, which was produced on Broadway in 1923, and for which the producer and cast were arrested and convicted on the grounds of obscenity. In God of Vengeance, the brothel owner's daughter falls in love with the female prostitute. Vogel's play goes far beyond recounting the censorship. It's a complex story that follows the show's playwright and performers and how their relationship to the material changes from the plays original run, to the Broadway censorship, to the Holocaust. It focuses on the need for hope and love.

A troupe of ghosts rise to keep alive the story of author Scholem Asch's most controversy play. In three languages & innumerable roles (including a turn by Katarina Lenk in the 2017 Broadway production) the lovers in God of Vengeance preserve for the stages of eternity one rain-soaked & sacred night. Meanwhile Asch, once a passionate defender of the plays love story against intracommunal accusations of fueling antisemitism and well, indecency...he gets quieter as Lemml becomes the stage manager of a story whose ending he will always forget. The play that convinced me that I could & would read Yiddish theater.

A breathtaking play about art, censorship, and Jewish lesbians, by THE Jewish lesbian. "He’s crafted a play that shrouds us in a deep, deep fog of human depravity: then like a lighthouse, those two girls. That’s a beacon I will remember."

Arcadia:

it's the COOLEST. it's an exploration of entropy and how time scrambles popular perception and desire derails supposedly perfect plans and how knowledge makes its way through the years as sources get lost.

it's about math and also lord byron is a character and there's a turtle

This is his best play (and pretty accessible for Stoppard). It’s an exploration of humanities vs. science, chaos theory, the interpretation of history, and also a love story.

This is such a beautiful play about academia and how we do research and understand the past. And it's about love and friendship and biases and egos and so much more.

THOMASINA: Oh, Septimus! -- can you bear it? All the lost plays of the Athenians! Two hundred at least by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides -- thousands of poems -- Aristotle's own library!....How can we sleep for grief?

SEPTIMUS: By counting our stock. Seven plays from Aeschylus, seven from Sophocles, nineteen from Euripides, my lady! You should no more grieve for the rest than for a buckle lost from your first shoe, or for your lesson book which will be lost when you are old. We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language. Ancient cures for diseases will reveal themselves once more. Mathematical discoveries glimpsed and lost to view will have their time again. You do not suppose, my lady, that if all of Archimedes had been hiding in the great library of Alexandria, we would be at a loss for a corkscrew?

#polls #round 1 #indecent #arcadia #the straight play showdown

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noodleofwriting · 7 months

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Blood Upon the Snow

Word count: 6,814

Summary: The full flashback from Before the End of Time (TVA Loki fic I'm wrapping up). Loki and his love go into the forests of Asgard in the dead of winter to find an Asgardian child lost in the mountains. Ending up in a fight for their lives, both reveal their true selves and come together as one in the heat of battle. The myth of how Loki got his horns.

Warnings: Gore, intense fight scene, angst, bookended in fluff

The playlist I made while writing this linked here

Spoilers: The only spoilers are in the Epilogue, so if you haven't seen Loki S2 E6 just don't read that part.

Author's notes: This kind of just ran away from me while writing a fic inspired by Loki S2 E6 (coming soon!) -- but there are no spoilers for most of this. This all takes place before the first Thor film.

For this, I leaned a little more towards Norse myth, where the love interest/reader is heavily inspired by Skadi, goddess of the mountains and hunting (and skiing, interestingly, but that's not represented here). That being said, if you like the reader to "wear the pants" of the relationship, this one is for you!

This was truly my imagination running wild with easily my favorite fictional character of all time, Loki, as a love letter to him and the myth he comes from. I hope you can feel the love as you go on this adventure with me!

ALSO: Thank you all so much for the support for my first fic I posted a few months ago (linked here)! It means so much to me that people enjoyed it. I'm getting more comfortable with posting fanfics, now, so expect to see more in the future. The fact that some of you enjoy my unorthodox approach to fanfic makes my heart so full and grateful.

Loki held her to his chest. Her smell mixed with the freshness of the air coming in through their window — a cool Asgardian summer night. He could feel her relaxing into him.

She looked towards their bed, where he had put his helmet moments before. The long horns coming from it curled away from the bed, white and streaks of brown matching the rich earth tones of the bed, gold contrasting in a way screaming of the old world and power.

“Do you remember when we got those horns?” She asked.

“How could I forget?”

It had been one of the deepest, most harsh winters that Asgard had experienced in centuries — as if a curse had fallen over the land and made it permanently frosted. The snow had gotten so deep that a child had gone missing, running into the forest to play and not home when they should have been — evening beginning to come over the land.

The child’s mother had come begging to her, as most of the Æsir had gone to battle in another realm. It had just been her and Loki at home, helping to move cattle between fields. Or, rather, Loki was there for moral support while she worked her magic, singing to the cattle and them responding like she was speaking their language, butting each other and blowing out steam as they trudged through snow coming up to their withers behind her.

The mother had come right up to her, casting him a wary sideways glance as his love gently grabbed the woman's arms, steadying her. The mother then described her son running into the forest and not coming back, despite her calling for him and being gone longer than he had ever been before.

By the time she had looked over to Loki, he knew they had already said that they would find the boy.

The mother cast another weary look to him, turning to her and worriedly whisper-speaking to her. He was sure she was whispering something about how Loki couldn’t be trusted with something this important, that he always caused chaos wherever he went.

His love calmed the woman then, walking them over to Loki.

“I would trust him with my life.” She gave him a knowing look. “He wouldn’t let anything happen to you boy,” to which she then looked to Loki expectedly, tilting her fur-enrobed head to the mother.

Loki stuttered over himself trying to get the words out. “O-of course. We’ll bring him home to you.”

After settling the cattle, they moved to the stables to grab their horses.

Loki came up beside her, speaking low.

“Are you sure about this?”

To his surprise, she looked to him with foreboding, no admonishment in her voice.

“This could be dangerous, Loki,” she looked ahead and began to take her draft horse out of its stall, absentmindedly rubbing its muzzle. “We can’t not go out there, though.”

He recognized her demeanor — quiet, introspective, serious.

“A premonition?” Half-whispered as they stood between their horses, fully saddled. Ice crystals blew through the barn, making his horse shake its head, pressing into his back.

She cast him a wary glance. “I don’t know yet, for sure. But we need to be exceptionally careful.”

Looking out to the forest on the edge of the city, where spruce was white with snow clinging. She sheathed a long sword into the scabbard on her saddle, the horse adjusting to the sudden weight.

“This is the kind of forest that doesn’t want to be disturbed,” she spoke, “and we’re disturbing it.”

He took the hint and followed suit, sheathing his daggers. She had always refused to take a weapon into the forest outside of a battle, and it made his intuition twitch to see her doing so now.

When they rode out to the edge of the forest it was exceptionally quiet save for the disrupting of the snow, their horses making paths through it. His horse was struggling, a couple hands shorter than hers, which moved through the feet of snow with ease. She never lost that look on her face, though — whole body tense, eyes moving between the trees.

An owl moved from one tree to another, catching a rodent. The small scream reverberated through the trees, stilled only by its echoes fading.

Loki realized he was holding his breath, then, and gasped to breathe normally again. A billow of his breath crystalized in front of him.

Her horse was suddenly next to his, and she reached down to grab his hand. Looking up to her he was met with an intensity that screamed eternal, screamed ancient in a way he had never seen in her before, as if he were looking into the eyes of a wolf.

“I love you,” she spoke, steam billowing from her lips, “stay alive”.

Loki swallowed hard, looking up at her, in all of her beauty and wildness. He reached his hand up and caressed her head, pulling it down to his, lips meeting. The freezing cold left for a minute while they kissed, her lips full and warm against his, fortifying him.

When she pulled away from him, there was a red tinge to her cheeks. Their faces hovered for a split second.

“I love you,” he repeated, “stay alive”.

They moved into the forest, feeling the difference in light like a cloak as the forest enveloped them. He quickly found small footsteps dredging their way through the snow, leading deeper and deeper into the trees. They followed them.

Loki noticed that he had lost count of how many trees they had passed after a while, all looking identical to him save for the occasional gnarled knot or branch that he would duck under.

A quiet so profound it felt like a blanket followed them, making him jump every time a vole or bird would move by them. She, however, never startled, as if she had known they were coming long before an animal would make itself appear. She would twitch her head, cocking it one direction or another, like a dog catching a sound in its soft ears, pinpointing it.

They stopped after making their way close to a mile, where the tracks of the boy stopped.

Snow was kicked up in a several foot radius, like something massive had come from the side and bowled the child over.

She jumped from her horse. Moving to the disturbance cautiously, crouching down, she ran her fingertips over a few drops of blood, moving it to her lips. The bloodied snow stuck to her lips and her tongue darted out, taking it into her mouth.

Loki had never seen her do this before, but didn’t question it. He sat in the saddle with baited breath waiting for her to say something.

When she looked up to him, her face said it all: it was the child’s blood.

“What do we do now?” Loki spoke, breaking the silence that had lasted between them the entire way through the forest.

Standing up, she looked towards a tree to her left, where massive claw marks dug into the bark, revealing the lighter pulp underneath. Her fingertips ran across it. Immediately she jolted as if struck by lighting; she whipped her head up, back stiff, eyes wide as a gasp choked out of her.

Loki leapt off of his horse and came to her side, grabbing her by the shoulders, fingers digging into the fur of her cloak. He spoke her name, shaking her slightly.

She took in a shuddering breath, turning to look at him. Her eyes were wide and crazed, shaken, as if she had seen a ghost. Her voice came out stuttering over itself in a way he had never seen from her before. For her to be this shaken by something could mean Ragnarök itself was in the forest, a great wolf waiting to swallow them.

“Whatever took him was touched by a dark force — something I’ve never felt before.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

“What do we do?” He asked.

She looked to him again with that intense stare, the look of premonition.

“We kill this thing,” she said, “whatever it is, it a scourge on the land. It won’t stop with one life.”

The massive path of whatever this creature was moved onwards from them, towards the sharp black mountains that were a few more miles out from where they were, uphill.

They mounted their horses and made their way up the mountain, a solemn silence between them.

By the time they were approaching the edge of the forest, their horses were breathing heavily, steam coming from their backs. They had made their way into the upper mountains, where trees mostly gave way to rocky cliffs, creased with snow blowing over them. Ice shards blew into his face, no forest left to soften the wind. It was bitterly harsh and cold, the kind of place that only some of the most extreme and terrifying animals and monsters would reside in — or the land of frost giants, Jötunheim, from whence he came. A shiver rang down his skin at the thought of this birthplace.

Soon after they had cleared the trees and were up into the mountain, a boulder came into view — pressed up against the stone was the boy. His clothes were tattered, a large gash across his chest.

“There he is,” Loki gasped.

She immediately hushed him.

“It’s close,” she whispered. “It wouldn’t have left him.”

Just as the words left her mouth, the rustle of something large came from across the mountainside.

At first, Loki couldn’t see anything.

Then it moved, a mass that had looked like the shadows of many trees making its way towards them. An immense beast, with gaping, blood-coated teeth and several pairs of horns jutting from it. It towered at least fifteen feet above them at the shoulder, covered in snow-white and mottled grey scales. Several sets of reptilian eyes set on them, pupils narrowing as it began to circle them. Its eyes glowed red, a black smoke trailing from them.

A bilgesnipe, but not one like Loki had ever seen before. This beast was several hundred pounds more massive than any he had seen, and it reeked of a dark magic that Loki couldn’t place.

Loki looked over to her. She was looking towards the child.

“Protect the child,” she said, voice flat and low.

Before Loki could say anything, she moved back and ripped her blade free — one of the finest of the dwarves’ creations, a large broadsword forged with several metals, a hilt of gold.

He decided to trust her in that moment, his body flowing warm with his magic as he removed his daggers from his steed and sheathed them. He then ran to the child, concealing himself from the beast in the meantime. It felt unnecessary, though, for as Loki turned from his partner, he heard a guttural yell come from her, beckoning the beast over.

Glancing back, Loki saw their horses disappearing to the trees as she growled to the bilgesnipe, making animalistic growling sounds that he couldn’t recognize. It took the bait, bowing its head low before beginning its charge towards her.

Loki forced himself to turn his head away and focus on the child, fallen haphazardly against the rock.

The boy looked worse than he had from a distance. Blood smeared on the rock behind him, like he had been thrown against it. The wound on his chest seeped blood, soaking his soft wool shirt. Loki carefully moved the boy upright, feeling the warm wetness of blood on the back of his head, kneeling down to cradle the child in his arm. Loki bent his ear down by the child’s mouth, watching his chest for any sign of breathing.

Shallow and labored, the child was breathing. Loki gasped in relief, resting his hand on the child’s chest. Swirls of green emitted from his fingertips and into the wound, beginning to heal it ever so slightly. His magic was limited when it came to healing, but it didn’t matter — this boy was hanging on by a thread and Loki was not going to let him die.

Loki whipped his head towards the battle that was unfolding between the bilgesnipe and her. She moved close to the beast, staying just out of reach, forcing it to careen its head faster past its limit. Knowing she couldn’t take it head on, she was coming down on its back where she could, the hide exceedingly rough and difficult to get through. Her blows barely drew any blood. She had shed her outer coats, leaving a thin shirt and hide pants — also leaving her vulnerable to the beast. The smallest miscalculation in her movements and the monster would be on her.

Bilgesnipes were more a thing of legend than of fact — they were rarely seen and feared tremendously, like a dragon without its wings, lurking in the dark mountains and taking cattle that had lost their way as a snack. Their size alone made it almost impossible to take one down unless you had several men and a ton of luck, even with Asgardian warriors. Seeing her take on the creature alone terrified him — one wrong move and she was gone from him forever, the only person he had ever loved.

Her movements were almost unnatural, leaping away right as it would bring its head around to snap at her. She was taking full advantage of its blind spots, occasionally rolling away to avoid its spiked tail whipping around. Growls shook the earth they were on. The cry that would come from her as she struck the beast was guttural and extreme, the muscles in her arms quivering as she would cut into the massive beast.

He needed to join her in battle — but looking down at the child, he was barely coming out of his death throes.

“Come on, child”, said somewhat impatiently, “your time in Valhalla isn’t upon you yet.”

As if he had heard Loki, the boy choked to life, gasping, and clutching his arm like a lifeline. The small sounds he made brought tears to Loki’s eyes, laughing in relief.

Just as the child’s eyes opened, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the cold air.

The bilgesnipe had landed a massive blow across her torso with its claws, sending her tumbling back into the snow.

He screamed her name across the mountain, guttural and piercing, ringing silence following.

She didn’t move.

Loki sat the child against the boulder tenderly, sitting him up and ensuring he could breathe. He cast an illusion over the child, and he disappeared entirely.

The roar of the bilgesnipe barely registered in his peripheral as he ran over to her, knees collapsing in the snow. Loki turned her over so she wouldn’t suffocate.

Three long, deep gashes tore from her lower hip up to her face, slicing across her lips. Blood poured from her, streaming, staining the snow red — like a freshly hunted deer after you had slit its throat in winter.

Her eyes were closed, but he could see her breathing, laboring and shuddering as it was. Her face was torqued in pain, tears streaming down the sides of her face towards her ears.

This wasn’t happening.

He called to her, voice cracking, desperately trying to bring her back from where she was going. Pressing his palm into the largest wound on her chest, he flowed magic into her like a tidal wave, feeling every cell in her body desperate to repair itself. He had never revived someone before, but damn it all if he wasn’t going to do it now.

The moment his magic slammed into her, she shot up, a visceral scream ripping from her that echoed across the jagged mountains. Her eyes were wide, bloodshot and animalistic, pupils slitted and glowing yellow. Her teeth were bared and he saw that her canines were larger and sharpened, and he felt sharpened claws rip through his leather armor where she gripped it. Loki has seen glimpses of this when they had gotten into particularly heated arguments — the slight sharpness of her teeth, the look in her eyes of something untamed — but he had never witnessed her fully in this animalistic, berserker-like state.

When she looked to him, he saw that archaic thing that he had been noticing from her for years, now at its peak. He truly felt like he was looking into the eyes of a god for the first time, power coming from her that took his breath away.

After she had screamed, a deadly silence had fallen over them, and he realized that the wind no longer blew, the forest no longer shaking or making a sound. A pin could drop in the snow and he could have heard it a mile away.

Then the forest moved.

He couldn't explain it, couldn't contort any part of his conscious mind to make sense of what his eyes were seeing. The trees moved, as if they were shifting the forest forward towards them.

A cacophony of howling so loud that it rang in his ears, blurring his thoughts.

Massive streaks of brown, white, grey and black came bounding from the trees, practically ripping the spruce from their roots, backs breaking branches as they moved underneath them.

A dozen or more dire wolves surrounded them then, the same yellow eyes glowing as they looked to him, looked to her, and then immediately took to surrounding the beast, easily standing half as tall as the bilgesnipe themselves. A couple of them broke away, sending massive amounts of snow flying as they bound to the boulder where the child was, surrounding him and standing guard.

Looking back to his love, he could see the resemblance, especially with her massive head of hair knotted and braided all around her face.

He could feel her power emanating from her as she rose, bending to lift the long sword as if it were nothing. Her blood fell freely into the snow, but she never flinched as she growled, twirling the blade in her hands expertly and making her way back towards the beast. As she did so, the dire wolves reformed rank, nipping and growling, barking and tearing at the bilgesnipe at all sides, clearly distressing it. Now it bore seeping teeth and claw marks on its hide, each attack of a wolf adding more.

He noticed that they were behaving precisely the same way lesser wolves take down large prey, like a moose or wisent — surrounding it on all sides, making small attacks on all sides to exhaust it, making it easier to deliver the killing blow.

But the bilgesnipe came to its wits, lashing out and striking one of the massive furred beasts, where it flew and slammed into a tree, falling limp. Its companions cowered then, growling and moving their heads down.

Even now, the fight wasn't even.

She fought as if this wasn't the case — easily standing among the wolves, she ripped at the beast, now tearing away large chunks of flesh, distracting it and weakening it just as the rest of the pack was.

Loki suddenly felt his magic coursing through him, felt the chill of the mountain seeping into his soul, reminding him so much of Jötunheim. It coursed through him, the snow beginning to flurry and manipulate itself to his will; with the snap of his wrist, it turned it to a long shard of ice.

He felt growing pains with this magic, a familiar and suppressed power that gave away his roots that he had let go of in order to be in his place with the Æsir. He was hesitating, not wanting to allow himself to go into that place entirely — to completely yield himself over to his full power. Transforming back into an older version of himself.

Then he looked to her, seeing her in her warrior-state, blood streaming from her wounds. Entirely unyielding and releasing all of her power that she had suppressed for years, exulting cries and bared teeth. He didn't know if she, too, was of a different blood or not, but she was bearing all of her soul to this fight; screaming and howling, lashing and throwing everything into each swing of her sword, joining the wolves.

When the beast lashed her with its tail and she cried out, falling to her knees, all hesitation left his body.

When the creature turned to attack his love, a wall of ice bolted from the ground, shards of ice shoving into the creature’s gaping mouth. It reeled, letting out an earth-shaking howl, stepping back.

Loki saw her look to him with wild eyes, fully see him in his Jötun state. He froze in that moment, terrified of what she would think — would she realize that he was a monster?

She smiled — what?

No, she couldn’t be — but she was, her bleeding lips bearing her bloodied teeth, eyes crinkling with mirth.

Her voice resonated through him, more in his mind than in the air.

“Come and fight with me in our true forms, my love, my heart!” she waved her arm, beckoning him to her. “If we die today, we die as one in our true selves.”

He had never loved her more than in that moment.

By the time Loki had come up next to her, the wolves were in their full frenzy and the bilgesnipe was beginning to grow desperate — throwing its head and crying out, biting at whatever was near it. Another wolf had been knocked unconscious and others bore intense wounds, but they showed no signs of slowing.

Their cries were growing frenzied, heat rising in the air, the prey getting weaker, the time for the killing blow growing imminent.

Loki looked to her, the leader of the pack, asking with his gaze what the next step was.

She looked to him, smiling wide in the thrill of the hunt.

“It’s our time, Loki,” her words flowed from her like poetry, “when the time is right, we finish this monstrosity”.

Taking a deep breath of the frosted air, he felt it settle into his lungs like home.

The dire wolves then changed their behavior, beginning to take more intense bites, dragging the bilgesnipe by the legs, the hips, the back, throwing their weight into each part and dragging it down. The earth shook as its legs collapsed underneath it, causing so much snow to come up that it temporarily looked as if they were in a blizzard.

Loki to the chance, snow in the air, to bring an immense chunk of ice on the withers of the best, bringing it down completely. Its head trapped under the weight of the ice, it thrashed its head, deteriorating.

She didn’t hesitate. Coming down with her sword, she slammed the blade tip-first through the largest eye of the bilgesnipe, ocular liquid and blood flowing following a resounding crack as the blade was buried to its hilt in its skull.

Its body fell still against the snow, quiet settling over the mountains as its final cry rang through. Snowflakes fell and melted on the fresh blood pouring from it. The black smoke slithered from its slacked mouth and eyes, cascading over the ledge of the mountains and down out of sight.

The dire wolves stood then, howling into the dusk that had settled over the land, snow turning purple against the blue of the sky. The brightest stars and planets began to twinkle. Howling resonated in the air, the differential notes clashing and resounding, ringing and echoing in solemn victory across the wind.

She collapsed into him then, Loki grunting and looping his arms under her shoulders to support her. Her breath was ragged, blood continuing to leave her body from the gashes across her, matching the child’s but lager in magnitude — he could see her ribs between the shreds of her skin.

The boy.

Just as Loki whipped his head towards the boulder, he saw a grey wolf gently nudging the child to stand, another of white gently lifting him by the clothes onto the back of the grey. The white kept its muzzle up for the child to grab onto as he adjusted, falling forward and grabbing the grey fur of the wolf’s neck. They began making their way towards them.

Looking back down to his love, he saw that she came back to her normal form, eyes back to normal, teeth blunted and human. Her breath was ragged, crying out when he shifted his weight to support her better. Her face was dangerously pale, showing how much blood she lost. She gasped with every move she made, but she forced herself to turn and face him regardless.

She lifted her hands to caress his face, shaking and smearing blood on his blue-tinged cheeks, fingers ice-cold. Her face was bloodied, raw, and beautiful, looking at him in pure love and reverence.

“You’re so beautiful as your true self, my love,” she spoke.

Loki Laufeyson, adopted child of Odin, held her in his true form, tears streaming down his face. In all of his life, he had never felt love like this — pure and raw, bloodied and glorious, soft and furred. The love of his life looking at him in his true form and smiling filled a hole in his heart that had been aching for centuries, and the relief of it being filled brought tears to his eyes. She wiped his tears as they came down his face.

He smiled, lifting a hand and caressing her cheek in kind.

“I've never felt a love like this,” he confessed, face serious. “I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. I never will.”

Her eyes widened slightly at this; breath baited.

“Will you take me as your husband?” He whispered, looking to her perfect, scarred face.

She smiled wide in that moment, laughing despite the pain she was in.

“You were mine the moment we came together, Loki.” She leaned in, their lips brushing. “Ragnarök itself could never steal you from me.”

He hesitated for a moment, and then began:

“You will be mine and I will be yours until the end of time,

Under the leaves of Yggdrasil, we will be joined,

Two branches intertwined into eternity.”

She continued the vow:

“Of one mind and body,

Souls bound until the end;

I take you as my one true love,

In war and in peace.”

In unison, they spoke:

“The mountains will echo with our song,

The halls of Valhalla will be warmed by our embrace.

The fields will be fertile from our union,

And our love will battle through Hel itself.”

They were both crying, now, the happy tears of a wedding on a lonely mountain where their witnesses were wolves and the monster they had felled together, pouring blood upon the snow.

Their foreheads joined, breath steaming between them. They looked at each other with pure love, mirth at the edges of their eyes.

They came together as one when their lips met, the pain and ache they were both feeling melting away for that moment. The world disappeared from around them. He felt her lips against him and felt home, felt the rest of this life.

When they parted, she cried out, resting her head against his shoulder.

He sobered, looking over her shoulder to the dark mountains, stars shining over them. Her weakened body sent fear jolting through him, and the thought crossed his mind that he might lose her here.

“You’re not leaving me,” Loki said, voice lilting between a question and a statement.

She strained out a laugh under her breath and into his shoulder.

“Not this time, my love. It takes more than this to kill me.”

He held her face to his neck, arms wrapped around her, holding her warm body to him. She was the only thing in the Nine realms that mattered in that moment.

“I’m guessing we’ll need to postpone our lovemaking as newlyweds a few days,” he joked, starting to feel the deep ache of battle coming to him as adrenaline wore off.

That drew another hoarse laugh from her, making him regret it slightly as she dug her fingers into his sides in pain. Her warm breath cascaded over his neck, giving him chills.

Loki felt his body move back into its Asgardian form, the frost suddenly hitting him much harder than before. One of the wolves came up to their side, coming down on one knee and bowing its head towards them.

Despite his knowing, he still felt prickles of fear when regarding the dire wolves — again, a creature that he had been raised to fear, not fight alongside, ride on the back of. Its fur was bloodied in many places, its mouth dripping with fresh blood and scales.

But when he looked back to his wife, all that he saw was love and respect for the beast. She started moving them towards the wolf, moving from supporting herself on him to the side of the wolf. His body felt cold from the absence of her body against his, already missing her. The blood coating his front added to the chill against his skin.

She turned laboredly, gesturing to the fallen bilgesnipe. He looked to her, confused.

“Take a set of its horns, Loki,” she said, “let them serve as a reminder of our union and your true power”.

Loki nodded, cautiously moving over to the bilgesnipe. He grimaced at the grotesque state of the thing, sword still sticking from its head, eyes bulging.

It had a few sets of horns protruding from its skull, larger than Loki could even carry himself. There was one set, though, that appeared to have just started growing — only a little over a foot long and thin, curving elegantly back around, though not touching back.

He reached out to grab one, taking out a hunting knife and carving it out of the scaled head, trying to remove as much of the flesh as possible. Loki held it over for her to see, earning an approving nod.

After removing the other horn, he placed them both under his arm while removing her broadsword from the skull of the bilgesnipe, sneering at the squelching sounds that came as he did so. Both of their horses had returned a few moments prior, and he sheathed the sword after wiping it off with some snow. It gleamed from its hilt, as if exuberant over its victory. He stowed the horns in a saddlebag on his own horse, which turned to sniff at them curiously.

Loki helped move her onto the back of the wolf. He then leaped up behind her, holding her steady as the wolf rose. Her back was pressed against him comfortably, that warmth he had craved coming back to him. His hands were around her waist, grabbing some of the neck fur of the wolf, noting the mixture of coarse and soft hairs that constituted its coat. She leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder, shuddering a sigh of relief as she let some of the tension in her body relax.

He gazed down at her, still trying to figure out what he had done right to be here, with the love of his life in his arms, her warmth against his. Peace settled over him then, in a way he hadn’t felt before — it settled deep in his bones as her breaths rose into the dark sky, stars shining brilliantly, the starkness of the mountains beyond them.

Two ravens circled above them, coming together and moving out from one another in perfect sync.

They made their way back through the forest, the other wolves beginning to dive into their hard-fought feast behind them. The wolves carrying them and the boy seemed to know exactly where to go, and it felt as though they got back in a fraction of the time, their horses trailing behind. Loki flowed his magic into her the entire way, not caring that it made him slightly lightheaded to focus so much of his power for a prolonged time, working to start mending some of her wounds and relieve some of the pain. She sighed in relief as he did this, her face nodding into his neck.

They eventually broke the edge of the forest and entered back to the plains that surrounded Asgard, the full brilliance of the city on display as warm lights flickered from towers through the cold air.

Loki immediately took notice of the small crowd that was ahead of them. Men and women, most armored, were gathered around in groups, torches illuminating their faces as they began moving battle steeds out and were assembling weapons. Townsfolk, with a nervousness to their stares, watched the group. A search party was being formed, he realized, to come and find them. Even the warriors who had just come from a long battle were there, blood and exhaustion all over them. Loki felt his heart swell at this, that they would come out to find them.

Quickly, Loki recognized the armor and faces of several of the soldiers — his brother, Thor, stood out in his silver armor plates, Mjolnir resting anxiously in his left hand.

The moment they were in sight, a silence swept over the group, turning and looking out towards the two dire wolves, which hadn’t been seen this close to Asgard in centuries.

He knew they were about to call to arms, so Loki waved an arm above his head.

“It’s us!” he cried out.

“We have the boy!”

Thor, recognizing Loki’s voice, started out towards them, torch in hand. The rest of the group stood in an uneasy anticipation, unsure of whether to start readying for an attack or not.

Once the wolves and Thor met several paces from each other, a flash of recognition and bewilderment came over Thor, and he waved back to the others, confirming that it was them. Several others started coming over, then, torches in hand.

Thor came up to the side of the wolf. A slight terror that he was trying to underplay made Loki smirk a little.

“How…?” Thor’s voice was bewildered.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but Loki cut him off.

“I assure you, Thor, these are not illusions of my making.” Loki said.

He looked down to his love, who was resting on his shoulder still.

“These are her beasts?” Thor’s confusion only grew, his voice upturning in disbelief.

Loki nodded, reveling for a moment at having something cooler than his brother. It was childish, but he needed this. Just let him have his moment.

“If you’re done ogling, dear brother,” Loki began to shift her, making her gasp in pain, “my wife is injured.”

Triple-kill on Thor’s confusion, but he quickly focused on her, only taking a small step back as the wolf lowered itself and she slid off. Several rich Asgardian curses flurried out of her mouth as she landed, immediately grabbing onto Thor with a vice-like grip, knees buckling under her. He wrapped an arm around to support her. He grimaced at her front, soaked in blood and ripped.

“You’ve fought a great battle, haven’t you?” Thor asked, looking up to her face, echoing blood and scars. He smiled with sorrow in his eyes at her state.

She grimaced, looking up to him. “It would appear that way.”

Loki jumped down, turning to the wolf that had fought beside them. Behind it, he saw some bewildered soldiers take the boy from the back of the other wolf. The boy was weak, but alive, and Loki smiled as the boy’s mother rushed and clutched her child to her chest, tears of relief streaming down her face as she cried.

The wolf they had ridden in on looked down to him patiently, waiting to see what he was going to do. It was waiting for something form him, glancing over to her and then back. Loki reached a hand out to it, landing on its shoulder.

He felt a response come to him, though he didn’t fully understand it.

“Thank you,” he murmured, “for letting me have her.”

The wolf bowed its head towards him for a moment before turning back to the other wolf.

They bounded into the forest, completely silent despite their massive frames. They disappeared into the tree, back to their home.

He turned and rushed back over to her and his brother. He was doing what Thor did best, making his wife laugh to take her mind off of her gaping wounds. They had stopped bleeding for the most part, some of the flesh threading back together, but they still made him nauseous whenever he would look down at them.

“Loki!” His brother called to him, eyes twinkling.

Loki raised an eyebrow, coming over and helping to support his wife, relieve even just a touch of her pain.

Thor reached out to him, grabbing the back of his neck in the way that he did when really trying to communicate with his brother. Loki yielded, his wife leaning against him.

“She told me the smallest part of what you did up there,” he spoke gently, looking up to the mountains.

Loki gave him a confused look. Where was he going with this?

He noticed tears start to come to Thor’s severe blue eyes, dropping Loki’s obstinancy.

“I’m honored to have you as a brother, Loki.”

Loki couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I mean it,” Thor said, putting their foreheads together.

“I will gladly fight with you until the end, brother, and then we will have our places in Valhalla together”.

Tears were stinging at Loki’s eyes, now, making his whole face ache from exhaustion.

“Thank you, brother,” was all Loki could get out.

When he turned back to her, she was smiling up at him. Her face was still pale, though, and he could tell that she was losing strength fast.

“We need to get you to a bed,” Loki remarked, looking to Thor.

They limped her over to the crowd, where Thor immediately started shouting about their glorious battle and the mighty feast that must be arranged for the two in celebration of their love and bravery. Loki was more focused on getting her somewhere where she could be healed, but there was a warmth in his heart that his brother put there, returning him to that serene sense of belonging, of love.

The official wedding was in the Spring, after she had healed and they had caught up on the newlywed traditions they had missed out on previously.

The ceremony was a true Asgardian ceremony, with lavish decorations and bountiful feasts, drinking and dancing that went long into the night and next morning.

When they repeated their vows to each other, Thor walked up to them, a helmet in his hands. It was a rich gold band with the bilgesnipe horns coming from it, curling back in spectacular fashion, polished to their full beauty.

She took the helmet, turning to Loki, tears brimming as she spoke.

“Loki Laufeyson,

This helmet, made from the finest dwarven smiths, bears the horns of the bilgesnipe that we battled on the day that we were married — on the day that we came together as one body, one spirit.”

She lifted it and set it on his head, the helm fitting him perfectly, black hair cascading out from underneath it.

“May it bear the symbol of our union under the loving branches of Yggdrasil, and your true power, for as long as you wear it.”

The cheers echoed for miles as he leaned down and captured her in a kiss, his love for her aching in his heart.

The merriment echoed far into the trees, bouncing through the mountains, where lay the bones of a mighty beast in the everwinter of the mountains.

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

Epilogue (Loki Season 2 Episode 6 Spoiler!)

Loki sat on a throne of shattered obsidian and gold.

Strands of time — of lives, of deaths, of freedom — came from him in all directions, each one tended by him. They ran down to the roots and through to the branches of Yggdrasil, intertwining with each other, branching into the endless cascading possibilities of time, glowing green with his power, his purpose.

His helmet sat on his head, the horns in their full glory, natural and no longer covered in gold.

He looked up at them, framing the intertwining branches of fate that were brought together by him. Now safe, under him. His true self, in a way that he grasped with an intensity and purpose that aged him, settled into his bones with such truth that it made him sigh.

A tear fell off of his cheek, echoing into the void until it landed on a branch, pulsing green.

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secondary-colorentimy · 9 months

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Hello!!! Just found your blog and I’m in love with your characters and art style! Are there previous posts with more info about your OCs?

my ocs!!? you want to know about MY ocs! :0c

tbh most if not all of their info/lore exists entirely in my head as i barely ever write lore down for ANYTHING (i will just remember it all!!) but sureeee

on the left is Decima the jackal: member of the jackal squad (entirely based in my own version of the squad) youngest sister of Zero/Infinite. shes pretty silly and energetic and she loves her family and she loves her friends. she kinda has two canons in my mind, one that does follow the canon story of sonic forces and one that follows my post forces au. :0

in the middle is Enzo the wolf: hes my sonic forces avatar!! (sonic forces is my favorite game!) his story is basically pretty copy paste of the avatar’s lore from forces, including the prequel comics reasoning on how the avatar joins the war. hes my nervous little guy (though he has of course done much growing since the events of sonic forces) another character loyal to his friends and hes best friends with sonic :3

to the right is Lillian the caracal: she was my first ever sonic oc from when i was a kid! (though she obviously has since been redesigned) originally she was a freedom fighter but when i decided to revamp her, i brought her into idw lore, she now works for the resistance, shes a longtime friend of the main cast, mainly team sonic (sonic, tails, knuckles and amy!) shes a bit like jewel at times often focusing on work more but she cares deeply for her friends!

and those are my good guys (decima is a bit more neutral leaning but shes not evil/dark) aligned, on the opposing side we have my bad guy >:3

Nico the hyena! >:3 (i am very very biased in him being my favorite!)

nico works for clutch the opossum, he originally met him at white park chateau and began working for him immediately following the events of chao races and badnik bases! and now working at clean sweep inc (following the new clutch lore were getting!!) nico is pretty work focused and has worked hard for everything hes got. nico is more of a villain out of happenstance. he was just in the right place and right time and jumped at the opportunity to work with clutch (despite him not necessarily knowing clutch’s dark/evil alignment) im a big fan of villains that don’t necessarily have a reason for being villains, they just kinda are!

i honestly talk about my ocs more on my instagram (mainly stories) and have a highlight with little bits and pieces of their lore :3

Oh and here are their main refs

#ask #my ocs #sonic #decima the jackal #enzo the wolf #lillian the caracal #nico the hyena #long post

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iiota · 24 days

Text

my unasked for hades 2 overview for no one that asked

first off im gonna say this game is so much fun and wildly different than the first game which doesnt make it feel as repetitive as i thought. a lot of hades 2 focuses on longer range attacks which definitely will take a while to get used to as someone who replayed hades 1 a bit before playing thinking itd be similar playstylewise

the main new introduced gimmick is charged attacks and a change cast that is a circle placed on the ground over a launcher which i LOVE now but the weapon charge attacks are really hit or miss for me. im also a tad disappointed with the weapons i like the staff and the skull but the axe and twin flames arree kinda difficult to use with how i play. the sickle im neutral on and i think theres one more i dont have unlocked

the environments are gorgeous. end tweet the only time i remember im playing an early access game is coming across placeholder assets.

a bit of the combat feels like itll get rebalanced later but its not the Worst. its not really buggy besides like 3 really minor things most ppl wont notice (my timer turning off when i reopened the game, sometimes damage numbers dont show when i hit hecate, not being able to change my monitor in settings)

i do not like how you cannot trade ur tools once you get into a run..i forget what i have sometimes..the tarot card upgrades are a cool concept and fit the witchy theme

i feel..less attached to a lot of the characters than the first one which is funny bc i didnt really care too much about them in the first bc the story writing in 1 is awful but character interactions were fun sometimes. melinoe's design is. not Bad but its not really great it feels a bit too disconnected from..like everything when it feels like shes supposed to be a mix of hades but with evidence of being raised by hecate but the orange and blonde hair............girl i do not like it are they allergic to giving a woman dark hair (minus like.. nemesis) (in trying to make melinoe the opposite of zagreus they kinda just made her into a very bland Woman she should have been a slob too idk shes kinda just like..perfect)

I DO like nemesis more than i thought. much more fun to have some woman come antagonize you other than just helping. but dora is the best character so far..my weed smoking shade roommate. i feel like my feelings on the designs are obvious but i will give a pass to chaos because i do think its a bit of a slay but i cant help but laugh at the bishounenification

scylla's songs are way better than all the vocal tracks from hades 1 like no contest in the blood sucked

the story is fairly non existent atm mostly bc i havent beaten a run yet..its..fine i guess. better than 1

the nude headshots from the bath cutscenes are so scary they need to back the fuck up

#i havent beaten a run yet but i got like super close so i feel like ive seen quite a bit #ive done like 19 runs? i wanna do a couple above to get materials

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pickypickypeak · 1 month

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The kind of Wish criticisms that annoy the hell out of me are the ones where people unnecessarily compare the film to other movies released at the same time and even Disney's older works. There's nothing wrong with comparisons as a "what to do, what not to do example", the issue I have is that these are often be hella biased.

I like the classical and renaissance Disney movies but I would be lying my ass off saying they don't have problems (the racism, characters of color being played by white actors, outdated stereotypes and gender roles). Some people dismiss these issues because they prioritize on their own nostalgia more than improving them. Hell, they say Snow White was the worst princess but when Disney announces a live action remake, they defend her largely because a mixed race latina actress as casted to play her.

Some of these comparisons can be nonsensical if one were to pay attention. They say Trolls 3's villain song is better, even though Mount Rageous a pop cover mashup while This is the Thanks I Get?! is an original in a poo style. They say Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a better movie about wishes even though TLW's theme is about appreciating life and the family and friends you have while Wish's themes is about encouraging and supporting each others to pursue their dreams. They use Bruce Almighty as a comparable movie yet they let Bruce off the hook despite he misused of his powers out kf laziness and causing the town into brief chaos before fixing it while they villainize Asha for Magnifico's own actions and the non existent "consequences" of returning people their wishes as if Magnifico allowed the non existent "bad wishes" to be in his hoard in the first place (he deemed Sabino's wish as bad because he didn't like knowing people other than him getting attention and he flat out spites Asha and Sabino during the ceremony).

THIS!!! Here’s an example (I probably used it before but it really fits now): some people are like “why have the forbidden book in the first place? It makes no sense the writing for this movie is so bad” well where the hell did the beast get the enchanted mirror?? How does the evil queen have a talking mirror in her castle and no one questions it? Where did the genie’s lamp come from? In frozen we just had to believe elsa was born with ice magic for no reason (they invented lore for the sequel but it wasn’t planned. They were gonna leave it with no explication hadn’t been for the incredible success). Theses are NOT plot holes; they’re just things you’re supposed to not ask questions about in a fairytale. It’s literally not that deep. Or better, you CAN ask questions and maybe imagine scenarios, but a movie isn’t inherently bad for not explaining it all to you. We’re not required to know how the queen got the mirror, or how magnifico got the book. It’s not “bad writing”; you’re just evaluating a disney fairytale movie through average mcu youtuber’s lens (everything needs to be addressed, otherwise it’s poorly written and “it makes no sense” (so what? Does a singing lion and warthog make sense in the first place?)).

Not to talk about the other problems you’ve mentioned; the stereotypes, the gender roles… as much as we love them, ANY movie has its issues. Many things wish gets blamed for, I can find them in other movies too. And actually, some of them aren’t even bad things, or at least they weren’t until wish did it. I’ve seen someone go “asha’s friends are just for the sake of diversity🙄” but like… is that a bad thing? Big hero 6 members were diverse too. Gee, winx are 20 years old and they’re all diverse. How am I supposed to take that criticism seriously? “They’re just forcing diversity on kids” my man I’ll tell you something. Remember when pocahontas (with all its issues) had a whole song about painting with the colors of the wind. Well I know this is shocking news to you but. It wasn’t actually the wind. She was talking about skin colors. The song was about racism. It’s from the 90s.

And the songs comparisons oh my. “Good to be king from journey to bethlehem is a way better villain song than this is the thanks I get” yeah, this is 100% relevant! It totally makes sense to draw a comparison between the guy who killed infants because he was not sure about which one was Jesus, and king magnifico from wish! I’m so surprised king herod’s song sounds so ominous! I’m sure ALL of these people have the journey to bethlehem soundtrack on their playlists and sing the songs out loud because they are SO much better!!❤️

Don’t get me started about the snow white drama, you are absolutely right, people get mad over something they couldn’t care less seconds ago (just like they did for ariel and tinker bell lmao). They’ve been shitting on snow white for years, there’s been ENDLESS youtube parodies and essays about disney princesses and especially snow white being “weak”, “a bad example for girls because she makes chores and settles for a man” and other bullshit but! As soon as the actress playing her (who happens to be not white) says the exact same thing, everyone is like “oh my goddd!!! Disrespect for our snow white!!! A woman can have love dreams!!! Walt disney is turning in his grave!!!” Like wow bro. You suddenly care now. You are so coherent and definitely not racist👍🏻

#I spent way too much writing this answer. but thanks anon I had fun #wish disney #king magnifico #beauty and the beast #snow white

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redhead-reporter · 21 days

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12. what roleplay trends do you remember from the year you started tumblr rp? how did you feel about those trends?

º ✧ 。 @reputahtion had a question for the mun !

oh GOD. talk about ancient history ... i first joined the tumblr rpc back in the early 2010s. in the GLEE fandom of all places (hi @theoriginalbadass icb we found each other again) so i'll preface this answer by saying a LOT of the "trends" i remember were heavily influenced by where on this hellsite i was. and if you can't tell by the tone of my disclaimer? most of them were BAD. but i'll try and be balanced here by giving one negative and one positive 😊

the GOOD: 👏 magic 👏 anons 👏 HELLO ??? i will never forgive the hate filled assholes who forced most people (myself included) to turn off the anon function on their blogs for their own safety because this was the one true JOY of the rpc. i remember having so much fucking fun being on BOTH sides of the equation when silly hours popped off - spamming my mutuals AND being spammed by them. it was deeply UNSERIOUS and led to all kinds of crack filled chaos and i just miss it a lot okay ???

the GROSS: bruh, the whole era of celebrity rp. not VERSES, which are fine (hey i have one). i mean where like, people weren't playing the characters from a show they were playing the actual real life ACTORS. i came across so fucking many rp blogs of the glee cast members where they were shipping with other cast members and. dude. i shouldn't have to tell you that you don't get to write REAL FUCKING PEOPLE in rp ?!?! that's so gross and creepy and i can't imagine how these poor people would feel if they EVER found out about it. i mean it was bad enough that it happened in speculation in the tabloids but people PRETENDING TO BE THEM ON THE INTERNET WRITING SMUT BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR COWORKERS ??? 🤮🤮🤮

fuck, i still see it sometimes and it needs to DIE.

#º ✧ 。 i’m still out but i’ll grab some stuff at the store ooc shit

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teeth-cable · 1 year

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One last note on worldbuilding issues.

If there's a threat of assassination pushing Hellborns to reproduce why is Charlie an only child? Like I remember reading that Lilith can't have kids except in a few weird specific legends where she mothers the succubi or has a kid with Asmodeus in Abrahamic lore but i will need to double check but if that's what Vivziepop is going with that checks out on her end.

But Lucifer in pop culture is meant to be hot and this stems from ancient people trying to decide if Lucifer after he was cast out if god would punish him by taking his beauty or if his beauty remained and that's how he tempts people. The issue with the latter and a source of debate was why would god allow Lucifer to tempt people easily and not punish him?

Lucifer is also seen as a root of all sin if you don't count the forbidden fruit and would probably cause people to violate the 10 commandments.

Like I can't see Lucifer no matter how much he loves Lilith being loyal to her. Like it doesn't make sense for a being who lost everything because if his refusal to accept humanity to have similiar morals especially when he is surrounded by the worst of it for all eternity. Why would Lucifer choose to uphold any of the commandments written by his father and not cheat on Lilith.

Also if Lucifer needs a backup heir in case Charlie dies, is a disappointment or to forge alliances he has an option.

I am still confused about Viv saying sinners are infertile but Lilith and Lucifer had Charlie? To be fair, maybe they didn't make her naturally and she's a doll but Charlie as far as we know is the biological child of Lilith and Lucifer. Another thing I'm confused about is the assassination of royalty Hellborns. I might be nickpicky here but why can angelic weapons kill royalty Hellborns too? Those weapons should only kill sinners because they were tailored for them. I'm having a hard time believing angelic weapons can kill royalty Hellborns too when they are a different rank from sinners and have some sorta of magic power and blood type that would make it hard to kill them with an angelic weapons meant to kill the average sinner. Plus why would Heaven even need weapons to kill royalty Hellborns? As far as we know royalty Hellborns just stay in Hell and only cause chaos in Hell. Also why is there a Hell supply of angelic weapons and who is suppling them? Even if the Arc Goatias are keeping and suppling them, how would they even get the angelic weapons in the first place? I doubt the angels they stole them from wouldn't be protective or can be easily kill or harm to steal from either.

Honestly I don't mind Viv's portraying Lucifer as this loyal husband who loves his wife and daughter. I can understand why people will find this portrayal of him annoying and out of character but Viv's Hellaverse is a reimagining of Hell and the character from those religions and she has made it clear she does not plan to stay faithful to the original source material. Lucifer being this guy is the tamest writing sins she was written. At least you can play with the idea and still make it work with Lucifer's character without breaking the lore and worldbuilding. Lucifer can still be this guy who is the root of all sins but now he has somewhat of a soft spot from when he was an angel in Heaven and struggles to keep it a secret. Maybe that's where Charlie get her kindness from and it's a point of conflict for Lucifer. He has worked all of his life to be known as the ruler of Hell who is rude and malice to separate himself from his heavenly roots but he will alway have a part of him refused that title because he is still the son of God. Charlie is just a reflection of the angel he once was and it's hard from him to deal with because his daughter is the manifestation of that hidden part of himself and they both are opposite in so many ways. Lucifer wants to keep Hell a punishing place for sinners while Charlie wants it to be a second redemption for them. Lucifer wants to protect Charlie because he knows the reality of who Charlie is, Heaven, and Hell will break her but she isn't ready to listen to her father and believe she has a chance.

#But lets be honest here the ideas I gave for Lucifer are deeper and well thought out than what Viv will write for him in the show #꧁rambles꧂#➥Asks #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #helluva critical #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism

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blazehedgehog · 10 months

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Apart from animated shorts, IDW comics and Sonic Frontiers, I don't know Ian Flynn. However, I always hear great things about him. What makes Ian Flynn so special to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise? If you had to rate his work on Sonic out of /100, how would you rate him?

I mean, in my mind, he's one of the few Sonic writers who just... understands how to write. He's great at natural sounding dialog, he understands how to imbue characterization, he knows how to setup and pay off story arcs...

To some degree these are very basic things but when it comes to people who write Sonic the Hedgehog media it can be a surprisingly scarce thing to come by at times.

Like the thing I always come back to is when he started having to do reboots for Archie Sonic. Starting in issue #225, Dr. Eggman, after being away for a long time, suddenly turns up again. (spoilers for what would lead into Archie Sonic's "finale" follow)

But he doesn't just suddenly reappear, he launches a new Death Egg, too. Now, in 2023, you're like, "so what?" because Sonic's proclivity for nostalgiabait has seen some version of the Death Egg relaunch like, six times now. But this story predates Sonic Generations. Bringing the Death Egg back here, now, is a big deal.

The story arc that follows is basically a rewriting of the comicbook's canon. The Death Egg mk.2's big new trick this time is effectively shifting the timeline. Sort of a combination of time travel and multi-dimensional travel. The freedom fighters assault the Death Egg, but Eggman isn't playing around this time. He holds all the cards and there's no time to formulate a plan; all they can really do is storm in there and hope for the best. Sonic and Princess Sally make it to the core of the Death Egg, but before they can do anything, Sonic gets distracted just long enough for a security turret to put several shots into Sally.

Before Sonic can assess whether or not she's even still alive, Eggman activates the Death Egg.

He's won.

The next four or five issues show Sonic meeting the cast of the comics for the first time, but now everyone has been mysteriously transplanted into the universe of the Genesis games. Nobody really knows how they got there, and there's this unshakable feeling they can't really articulate. Sonic is right at home in Green Hill Zone, but everyone else... They're supposed to be here, but they aren't supposed to be here at the same time.

Bits and pieces of their original dimension slowly start to leak back into their memories. Things that used to have happened, but now apparently no longer do. There's a strange melancholy to see characters remember a particularly dramatic moment from this book's long history, even if it's only for one or two panels.

Sonic's dimension has been stretched and twisted, and like rubber, it's trying snap back into place -- but Eggman is trying to take advantage of the confusion to activate the Death Egg mk.2's other new ability: to roboticize the entire planet in a single shot. It's his hope that in doing so, he can solidify this as the new reality and prevent it from going back to normal. The only thing stopping him is, of course, Sonic, who suddenly gets a flash of his own memories and begins putting together what's going on.

Sonic makes it up on to the Death Egg alone and faces off with Eggman in a recreation of the final fight in Sonic 2. In the case of this Archie Sonic story arc, it features a moment that would go on to be referenced in the Sonic movie. (Spoilers)

Something about Super Sonic's presence is causing the old reality to reassert itself faster than ever before, not helped by the fact Sonic himself uses his rapidly returning memories to activate Chaos Control. As reality corrects itself, we're unsure of what world our characters may be returning to or who will survive. Her memories returning to her, Sally shares some comfort in that, no matter what happens, Sonic will make things right.

Everybody re-emerges in the original timeline, and it's clear that things have changed ever so slightly. Sonic and Sally are still storming the interior of the Death Egg, but little things are different. And time appears to have been rewound a few seconds; Sally hasn't been shot yet. Sonic manages to rush in and save her before the turret can get to her. Sally is confused how Sonic could have known about the turret, but he just warns her to be more careful.

The thing is, Sally seems to have some distant, far off memory of being shot. But she shakes it as they work their way deeper in to the core.

There, they meet Eggman. He may not have been able to roboticize his shifted reality, but his planet roboticizer is still primed and ready to fire on the current reality. Sonic and Sally do their best to explain that roboticizing the entire planet all at once may give Eggman a victory by technicality, but it will be an impossible nightmare for him to deal with all the side effects and repercussions. Eggman doesn't care. This is how he wins. All he has to do is give the order.

Sonic obviously won't let that happen, but Eggman has both Metal Sonic and Silver Sonic at his side. One by itself is enough to give Sonic trouble, but both at once might actually kill him. Sonic is too busy fighting for survival to even get close to Eggman.

Eggman turns to gloat at Princess Sally, but she's gone. Crawled into a nearby duct, where she's trying to use her personal computer, Nicole, to find something -- anything -- to shut down the Planet Roboticizer.

Anything Nicole can do here would take days to process. They have seconds. There is but one option: invert the roboticizer. Part of Sonic and Sally's attempt to reason with Eggman was realizing that if the roboticizer tries to convert something that's already mechanical, that thing explodes. Ergo, inverting the roboticizer into the Death Egg will cause it to explode, along with whoever inside of it.

Out of time, out of options, Sally forces Nicole to back up her files somewhere safe and inverts the beam.

The Planet Roboticizer overloads, destroying itself before it can destroy the Death Egg. But the room that Sonic, Eggman, and Sally are in gets caught in the blast.

And though Sonic himself appears to be fine...

Sally is not.

Princess Sally was always "the tactician" of the Freedom Fighters. Her ability to weigh risk and strategize a plan of attack was deeply important to their success rate. Now that mind works for Eggman -- and he quickly sets about upgrading her tech to make her faster and more deadly, turning her into one of the most dangerous threats the book had ever seen. She is cold, calculating, and ruthless beyond anything else. Not only that, but the book has also established that customizing a roboticized person makes it impossible to turn them back -- by modifying Metal Sally, Eggman is ensuring she remains his forever.

The Freedom Fighters, now without their leader, are scattered and confused. Every part of this is a worst case scenario.

It's a wonderful disaster and a hell of a story. Metal Sally stuck around for over a year, but before Ian could finish what he wanted to do with her, the legal battle with Ken Penders got more aggressive, necessitating yet another reboot that ultimately returned the Princess to normal.

If it wasn't for the fact that they did this second reboot inside of the Mega Man crossover comic, it'd probably hurt a lot worse, but that first Mega Man crossover is legit one of the best things Archie Sonic ever did. Using that as a springboard to say "Sally's fine! Orbot and Cubot are here now! Don't worry about it!" is actually totally okay.

All throughout this, the thing to keep in mind is pacing. These stories are action packed, they move quickly, they playing on long standing feelings the reader has developed for these characters over hundreds of issues, and they never feel like they're pulling their punches. Rarely are they confusing or tedious or feel like they're dragging. There's always stakes. Things are always happening for a good reason.

Ian Flynn knows how to write and spin a good yarn, and he's good at understanding the dynamics of these characters and how they all fit together. The fact that his work on Sonic got him jobs all over the comics industry should tell you that much.

He's not perfect, though, and I do wonder if this recent stint on IDW is showing that something in the writing process is getting stretched a little thin. I know IDW has been broadening their writing pool as Ian becomes more busy with things like Sonic Frontiers and other projects, but it's clear something unexpected is causing a dip in quality as of late. I wish only the best for everyone involved and whatever is happening over there.

#questions #Anonymous #ian flynn #sonic comics #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #idw sonic #archie sonic #LONG #LOTS OF IMAGES

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