#been unable to draw due to the horrors for a while and this is the first thing i can spit back out. eva my friend eva.

[meirimerens]

just smile and nod y'all

[yawnderu]

Living Dead Man - Zombie!Simon ''Ghost'' Riley x Reader

What is a husband but a man with a rotting body you can barely recognize?

CW: body horror, gore, tongue kiss with a dead man(?), is she wrong? morally, angst with a happy ending.

You examine the man as if he was under a microscope, milky white eyes staring back at you with the same intensity they always did. His balaclava was ripped off halfway, revealing a dislocated jaw, the bits of skin you could see while he was wearing his uniform were now all mangled up and pale, a contrast to the surprisingly soft skin Simon had before.

''Don't bite me.'' You warn and the zombie simply lets out a grunt in response. It has been a week since he turned, and it took hours of convincing the rest of the 141 to let you keep him— with the pretext that you could use him to try and find a cure, and maybe that was true. There was nothing you wanted more than to find a cure and turn your husband back to who he used to be. So far, nothing was working.

''I'm going to draw some blood, okay? It might sting a little bit.'' Your tone is gentle and so are your hands, carefully lifting off his uniform sleeve to reveal his forearm, needle penetrating one of his protruding veins until the blood collection tube was full of his dark, purple blood. You removed the needle, grabbing a cotton ball and taping it with medical adhesive tape. You sigh as you put down the materials, sitting down in front of your former husband... does it count as former if he's not completely dead?

''I miss you a lot...'' You start, speaking to him the same way you have been doing ever since he went nonverbal, unable to speak due to the zombification and broken jaw. Based on the grunts and the way he looks at you, you convinced yourself he can understand and knows who you are.

''I'm trying hard to find a cure. I mean, I like to believe I'm sort of close... but I don't know if it'll do much since the necessary organs are already decomposing. I'm sorry, I feel like I failed you.'' Your voice is strained as your gloved hands hold his, tears rolling down your cheeks as you silently sob, bringing his hands to your face and giving his knuckles soft kisses, the same way you did back when he was alive.

''I don't think I can go on without you, Si... I don't want a life without you.'' Your heart breaks more when you hear a soft grunt, a noise you became familiar with, the same sound he made before, comforting you when he knew you were down. Your head snaps up and you can see a small tear roll down his pale cheek, your eyes open wide as you bask in on the discovering.

''So you are sentient to some degree.'' Fuck Element 115 and fuck the zombie who bit your husband, the bastard is sentient! A scoff of disbelief escapes your lips as you smile up at him. You may not have a cure yet, but at the very least, he's not fully gone. Your hands gently caress his decomposing cheeks, testing the waters as you slowly lean closer.

Closer...

Closer, until your lips are touching his bloodied, decomposing mouth, the broken jaw forcing you to have an awkward angle to make it work. His mouth parts slightly and you take the chance to slip your tongue inside, holding in your breath to not throw up at the smell of his rot. Surprisingly, you feel his cold tongue wrap around yours weakly, his poor attempt to kiss you with the little control he has of his motor skills. You break away for a second to take a deep breath, hands cupping his cheeks while you look deep into his eyes.

''I love you. I wish... things were different. I heard they'll bomb the entire country to get rid of the evidence of the virus.'' A small chuckle escapes your lips as he simply stares at you, tears blurring your sight while you lean your head on his shoulder, tears rolling down your cheeks while you try to stay quiet.

''I don't know what to do, Si... There's really no hope. Even if I found a cure for you, we don't have access to any planes to get out of here, and any neighboring country would kill you if they see you.'' You feel cold hands attempting to hold your waist and you look up just to find he was already looking down at you. Perhaps you're that delusional, but you could swear his milky white eyes softened. You try your best to put on a small smile, even if it doesn't reach your eyes.

''At the very least... we're together. I'll see you in the next life, my love.'' He grunts softly in response and you let out a soft laugh. You ignore the panicked screams ringing through the base, closing your eyes as your forehead rests against Ghost's, one last display of love before the bomb hits, wiping out of everything you ever loved.

''Hey.'' You call out softly to your colleague, holding a skull glove that slipped out of his uniform. He turns to look at you for a few seconds, his expression unreadable even when he remains unmasked.

''Earth to Simon?'' You tease, waving the glove around for a few seconds before he gently takes it from you.

''Thank you... Stray, was it?'' He asks, one of his thin blond eyebrows raising slightly as he looks down at you. You nod your head, offering him a warm smile. You were just introduced by Captain Price, yet it feels like...

''Do I know you? You look familiar.'' A small smile is seen on his lips before he looks away, trying to keep his emotions in check. He thinks about his answer for a few seconds before it all hits you. He's...

''Ghost?'' You ask, tears rimming your eyes as soon as he nods, his arms wrapping around you tightly while he holds a hand on the back of your head, not wanting to let you see the tears escaping his eyes as well.

''Found you, love.'' A second chance at life with him.

[autistichalsin]

Do you ever think about the fact that Halsin's life, for at least the last 200 years if not longer, has been bouncing from one trauma to another,

From being kidnapped and made a sex slave by a Drow matriarch, for three years, while being taunted with the corpses of his fellow elves made into decorations, as a warning of what would happen to him if he stepped a toe out of line,

To losing his ENTIRE family,

To being a soldier and winning a difficult battle only to witness a curse unleashed that nearly killed his first friend who inspired him to become a Druid to begin with AND turned everyone he had fought alongside with into essentially zombies, while he had to leave many survivors to their fates there to evacuate those who COULD leave, and he had to kill the reanimated version of his mentor and former Archdruid to boot AND was the only one working to undo the curse instead of abandoning the land, all leaving him with survivor's guilt,

To being forced into a leadership role he had never asked for, wanted, or been trained for, knowing how high the stakes were for his beloved Grove, and having to try- and fail- to ward off a psyop by the Shadow Druids against his Grove, with many of the Druids he himself trained being ultimately poisoned against him and finding him weak for showing kindness to refugees,

To being attacked by a parasite-infected Drow, dissecting the corpse, and being horrified at what he found and having to hide the implications from those under him for fear of answers being demanded of him,

To getting the false hope that he could break the Shadow Curse and solve the parasite mystery, only to then be abandoned by his traveling companions, kidnapped, tortured, and threatened with murder by goblins,

To coming back to learn that his second in command tried to imprison a child and many of his Druids have become so deeply racist to Tieflings that they wanted to remove the refugees,

To witnessing countless horrors traveling with the player, including a battle with the God of Death himself,

To being overwhelmed at the harsh realities of city life and the pain it causes, especially to the young children he meets, with no viable way to help them until the Absolute is defeated,

To fighting a Nether Brain directly, being threatened with being turned into a thrall the entire time,

(All that ignoring the "non canon" paths, like his second in command being responsible for a child's death, or all his Druids dying, or the Grove being sealed off forever, or him being unable to break the Shadow Curse and vowing that he will now stay in the Shadow Cursed Lands until he draws his last, or he gets kidnapped by the Chosen of the God of Murder, or he watches the orphan girl the team bonded with die due to a sadistic gambit by said Chosen, or the person he trusted with his life decides to go evil, conquer the world, and turn him and his friends into mindless thralls...)

Because, yeah, I think about that a LOT

[winterchildd]

"My heart is split in half..."

Title: My heart is split in half...

Word Count: 1,663

Pairing: Kili x fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, tears, a little angry reader, sad reader and sad Kili, fluff, fluff, fluff, happy ending *w*

Request: Nop, I wrote this during my last influence to cheer me up a little, 'cause I was really in a bad mood, hopefully it will cheer you guys up too😚

Author's note: Don't have much to say about it to be honest, I just wanted it to be something simple, something sweet whit a little bit of angst and a lot of fluff to cheer up whoever needed it, plus Kili is the swetest of boys, we all deserve our little moment whit him 😗💕

Hope you guys will like it, and please always remember to take care of yourselves, your mental health matter as much as your physical health

Love you guys🌻

Masterlist

Y/N snorted throwing a disappointed look in Kili's direction, at the disgusted grimace that had taken place on his face as soon as he had swallowed the first bite of the stew she had prepared for dinner that evening, and that still, even though both had practically pretended to eat, made no sign of wanting to leave his lips. Absurd, she thought, looking at him grimly, she had spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen taking care of that stew, preparing it as he liked, following the recipe that Dìs had kindly passed her, she had taken care of every little detail, tasted constantly to be sure of the flavor, that she hadn't overdone the spices, and after all that effort she thought she deserved something more than a couple of tight smiles and grimaces full of disgust.

"Kili ..." she suddenly called him back, letting the spoon slip into her plate with an unnerved sigh, among what still remained of her meal, unable to bear that situation any longer

"I know I'm not the best cook in the world" she sighed again, finally drawing his attention to herself "That what I prepare for you has nothing to do with your mother's cooking, but this stew doesn't seem so terrible to me" she said nervously tasting another bite and throwing the spoon back into the bowl, this time badly "Not so much as to deserve that disgusted expression, not after all the time I wasted preparing it!" she spat angrily at him crossing her arms to her chest while as if to emphasize the anger that was boiling in her veins, she started rocking in her chair manteining balance with her heels.

"It's not the stew ..." Kili muttered with difficulty in a hoarse, almost dry voice, looking at her confused and a little incredulous, as if he didn't expect a similar reaction, not from her, not after the months in which, due to his work in the Blue Mountains, they had not been able to see each other, not when they were about to say goodbye again and for much longer "That's delicious, as always" he mumbled again, letting out a couple of coughs as he barely maneged to swallow up a sip of water "It's my throat" he resumed then massaging his neck with a grimace full of pain and discomfort "It hurts and…"

"And you struggle to swallow ...!" Y/N finished for him with wide eyes, inevitably feeling a fool for having yelled at him in that way and for such a stupid reason. Kili didn't answer her, at least not whit his voice, he just stretched his lips into a thin smile, nod his head and mimic a simple "I'm sorry" with his lips.

"No" Y/N replied immediately, waving her hands in front of her face in horror as she sat back down with embarrassment, with her hands placed on the table and her feet firmly planted on the ground "You don't have to apologize" she said getting up from her seat to reach him at the other side of the table

"I'm the one who has to apologize, I yelled at you for no reason" she continued "I wanted this dinner to be perfect, I wanted to welcome you with something special after all these weeks of distance, to make you feel at home before your leaving for Erebor, and the thought of having ruined everything has made me nervous, forgive me my love..." she added, looking down with embarrassment at the tip of her toes while with apprehension and a delicacy that, at that moment, to kili seemed from another world, she placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature

"It doesn't matter" Kili replied, narrowing his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief as soon as Y/N's cool hand was on his forehead.

"You have a fever ..." Y/N mumbled with concern and surprise, throwing her hand away from his forehead, almost as if she had burned herself. A little annoyed, he wished he could have enjoied the pleasant coolness of her hand for a little longer, Kili let out a grunt.

"You need rest" Y/N told him, gently pulling away his hair from his sweaty forehead

"No" Kili mumbled in response, shaking his head "I don't feel like it" he added grabbing her hand and starting to absently fiddle with her fingers before leaving her a series of small kisses on the knuckles made rough by the years of work behind her. Y/N giggled shaking her head with feigned exasperation, softened and amused at the same time by the little pout that had curled his lips and that more than a fearsome dwarven warrior made him look like a capricious little child.

"You're sick" she told him "And in a couple of weeks you'll have to leave with your uncle for Erebor, if you don't take care of your cold now it will turn into something more serious, you risk to not being able to take part in the expedition" she pointed out then, passing with distraction and a sort of melancholy her hand in his hair, pausing for a few moments on the thin braid that dangled near his neck, identical to the one she too was hiding in her hair and which symbolized their story, the promise of a life together

"Erebor is your dream" she suddenly resumed, emerging from the trance in which she had fallen "It always has been" she said, decisively and melancholy intertwining her gaze with his "You can't put it at risk for such a stupid thing"

"I know ..." Kili sighed wile grabbing her softly by the waist, pulling her close to him "But at the moment my heart is split in half ..." he said, returning her gaze with lucid eyes, red and swollen with tears that were waiting for nothing but to streak his tanned face “I don't want to leave you…. Not for this long… ” he finally confessed to her with a strangled sob, sinking his face against her chest, holding her to him as if he didn't want to let her go. Struck by his words, with her heart thigt in a grip of pain mixed with despair and something similar, but much more melancholy than happiness, Y/N hugged him, kissing his head with affection while finally, just like him who had collapsed as soon as he had hided his face in the soft folds of her shirt, she allowed herself to shed all those tears she had forced herself to hold back in those days, in a desperate attempt to be strong and not let herself be devoured by despair.

What worried them, what anguished them so much, was not the thought of not being able to bear the distance that would separate them - both, for work, had always traveled a lot and for long periods - but the awareness that this time, unlike the others, they did not have the security that they could see each other again, that they could hug each other again and keep the promise that they had made to eachother. Erebor was a long way off, and the road to it was studded with dangers, dangers that no matter how skilled they might be in combat, none of Thorin's company was sure they could overcome. The thought of Smaug then, of his violence, of his wickedness, gave her chills, and yet, despite this, aware that those who were about to live could have been their last days together, as much as she really wanted to be selfish and begging him to stay safe next to her, Y/N did not feel like asking him to give up what had been his dream since childhood.

"I don't want you to leave ..." she suddenly said through tears, breaking the silence that had surrounded them with her own voice "I'm afraid that something could happen to you, I'm afraid of never seeing you again" she added moving away from him just enough to be able to look into his eyes, gently grasping his face in her hands "But I can't ask you to give up everything for me. You never did such thing whit me, you have always let me free to follow my heart" she continued, wiping the tears from under his eyes "I want to do the same for you, I want you to feel free to follow your heart, to fight for what you believe in" she finished, giving him a sad but equally sure smile.

"Thank you ..." Kili answered gently caressing her face "Thank you" he repeated again holding her close to him "Thank you for the freedom you leave me, for the understanding you show me and for your support" he said while his eyes turned lucid again for the emotion he was feeling "I'll come back" he resumed then looking at her with decision "I'll come back to you and we will get married, we will live the life we have always dreamed of and then there will be nothing to divide us" he promised, giving her a radiant smile full of hope.

"I believe you" Y/N replied smiling at him through her tears "I know you will come back to me" she added again drying her tears with the sleeve of her shirt, letting out a little tremulous laugh "But now come and rest" she continued happily kissing his forehead "You have to rest to recover, otherwise the disease will prevent you from leaving" she giggled, holding out her hands and beckoning him to follow her.

This time, unlike the previous one, Kili did not protest, he firmly grabbed her hands and, staggering a little, he allowed her to escort him to his room. He let Y/N help him settle under the blankets, let her place a cool cloth on his forehead and then, exhausted, lulled by the gentle sound of her heartbeat, he fell asleep.

[yanderes-galore]

I don’t think this has been requested yet.. ~

Can I request a small concept where Jack Krauser (RE4) is threatening darling because they tried to leave for a while? The darling gets very scared after that and stuff. Just for the horror and dark theme especially.

Sure! I don't mind writing some sadistic stuff :) You said concept so that's what I did, although this sounds like it could be a short too.

Yandere! Jack Krauser with Darling who tried to leave him.

Short Concept/Reaction

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Punishment, Torture, Blood, Biting, Cutting with a knife, Threats, Isolation, Really disturbing themes, Intimate contact implied, Forced relationship, Manipulation, Sadism.

Jack Krauser is a yandere who doesn't skimp on discipline towards his darling.

When given 'romantic' intentions, he's even sadistic about it.

He's manipulative and prefers to isolate you to 'protect' you.

Due to his background he feels he is unable to have a normal relationship with you.

He is in no way domestic.

He's a beast hellbent on keeping you his, no matter the cost.

So when you threaten to leave him.

When you try to step away and say you need a break.

Krauser doesn't take it well.

He'd hunt you down to the ends of the Earth to take you back.

Doesn't matter if you're kicking and screaming at his strong arms to let you go.

To forget about you and go your separate ways.

He isn't allowing that to happen-

And that's if you even manage to get away from him.

Once he catches wind you could leave him, he acts like an animal.

You're pushed harshly to the ground, him stradling your waist with a combat knife to your neck.

The blade is just barely drawing blood.

Fear courses through your veins and your breath is shaking.

Krauser, however, never takes his cold gaze off you.

"You're going to tell me everything... you better not be lying, either."

Krauser is a very strong and intimidating man.

He can also be rather sadistic during punishments.

He'd pin you to the wall or floor, knife threatening to cut your flesh to ribbons.

If you bleed, he doesn't care.

It only gets the point across.

He'll belittle you about your behavior, scolding you with disappointment and anger.

His punishments range from sadistic desires, such as cutting you, to harming your emotions.

To more intimate actions... where he marks you and intimidates you that way.

His punishments involve a lot of threats and fear.

A warning for you to reconsider your actions and go back to being his little darling.

It would be a shame to plunge his knife into your stomach, twisting it to really show how much you've hurt him.

Once he feels he's done and you've learned your lesson... he'll lock you away.

You're left covered in cuts, bites, and blood.

All marks to show you're his.

Then he leave you to isolation, hoping to break your mind.

You'll only ever see him.

He'll be mad about you trying to leave for a long while after.

He's great at tracking, did you really not expect him to find you?

Once Krauser feels up to it again, he'll be more gentle.

You don't trust it, of course.

Not after what he's done.

But atleast he's talking to you again, all with false proclamations of love.

"Learn your lesson, right? You can't leave me... I won't allow it."

[thescions]

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? What about blackouts or other gaps in your memory? An intrusive physical interaction? Combine all those horrors and you'll understand a tiny bit of what it was like for Thancred to be possessed by Lahabrea!

In truth, Thancred cannot remember when exactly he fell under Lahabrea's control. He can remember, however, the feeling of when it first happened: like something sharp digging into his temples while a wave of paralysis took over, making him unable to even draw breath. And then -- a push. A force that was not solid, and yet it weighed down on him like an intense cast of a Gravity spell.

He was smothered. It was like drowning in one's own aether. He didn't know what was happening and he was terrified, unable to even scream --

Flickers of recognition. Of shapes. He couldn't remember returning to the Waking Sands. He was speaking with Urianger, with Minfilia, and yet the conversation felt so far away. He didn't know the words being said and he still could not seem to draw breath. His limbs would move on their own and gods, it hurt because at first, he attempted to resist their movement, try to force them in any other direction to indicate something was wrong. All it took was one attempt, though, and he was promptly smothered once more, choked and forced silent. The Ascian did not allow him to attempt that again and casually blamed ‘his’ brief muscle spasm on not landing properly in a past sparring session.

For much of the time, Thancred was “asleep” in a sense. But there were several other occasions when his spirit would ‘wake’ -- conscious, but fully deaf and blind. Just walking or moving his lips to the words of his Ascian puppet master. He had no idea what he was doing – nor what or who he may have been touching. The unknown and lack of control of it all was intensely violating. This would contribute greatly to Thancred’s preexisting dissociative habits.

And on top of all that, Thancred would occasionally find himself able to sense the thoughts Lahabrea kept to himself. It wasn’t quite an inner monologue, but it was sense of observation – and moreover, of judgment.

How easy it is to infiltrate them. To persuade his closest friends with only a handful of memories at my disposal. Choosing so duplicitous a target has served me well.

No one suspected anything. If Thancred appeared to act off, Lahabrea was easily able to dismiss or dodge suspicions that could have been raised by individuals that knew him for years. On one hand, Lahabrea was an admittedly nigh-omnipotent Unsundered Ancient, powerful and effective. Yet on the other, Thancred could not help but feel pangs of disappointment in those that knew him the longest – even Minfilia herself. Not that he would ever bring that up with any of them, of course.

(Thancred will have just recently met the WOL in most canon-abiding cases, so he is not generally put out that they did not recognize a difference in this behavior. He primarily was disheartened by his colleagues who had been in the Circle of Knowing with him.)

But finally, finally, Thancred found himself freed of of the Ascian’s grasp.  Coming out of it was wonderful, but it hurt almost thrice as much if only due to the beating the Warrior of Light had to give him when Lahabrea fought back! For all that and more, Thancred was confined to bedrest and needed extensive healing and rehabilitation for weeks after the defeat of the Ultima Weapon. It took even longer for him to build up his physical stamina and endurance again to what it once had been, and sharp, painful migraines persisted on and off for nearly a year afterward.

For this reason, Thancred is not fond of feeling suffocated or being put into tight spaces -- but he will do so, without complaint, if his role requires it. He'd really rather just avoid those sensations as much as possible. When fighting Ranjit, he was placed in a similar position where he couldn't breathe. It was a traumatizing situation he had to put himself through repeatedly during that battle, but at the very least, he was in control of the situation...sort of.

Similarly, Thancred would be less inclined to use physical intimacy as a means of gaining information for some time after ARR. It wouldn't be a permanent aversion, and of course like the Ranjit fight, sometimes he'd have to be uncomfortable in order to "win" a situation. But again, in reference to the intrusive and violating feelings associated with the possession, Thancred would be less likely to let folks into his personal bubble as he worked through regaining ownership (and working through that temporarily loss of it) of his physical body.

If the Warrior of Light ever were to, post-Pandaemonium, praise or otherwise insist that Lahebrea was a good person at his core, Thancred would...respect his friend's opinion by leaving the room and avoiding the subject. Even if he can understand and perhaps even sympathize with the Ancients' plight, there are certain situations and traumas that one cannot (and does not have to) forgive. Thancred will hold many of his grudges to the grave, even in light of new information in most cases. Especially if he or someone he loves suffered at the hands of certain individuals.

An additional sidenote: Although it was likely an oversight/scrapped idea from the writing team, we will posit that Lahabrea had to use the choker to possess Thancred because that was the only way to keep Thancred alive while also taking control of him. And he needed Thancred alive to pull memories from him so that his disguise was believable.

[internetho]

Park Walk (more like Chase)

This was supposed to be finished last YEAR. I got stuck in Mexico so I had the minimum amount of braincells to finish this at 2 in the morning. Posted it to Ao3 too

Reader gets chased through the park by Flock that’s all lol

Fic under the line + Art (I finally updated it please look at it)

‘That’s a weird looking bird’ - thought as they stood 10 feet from the tree said bird was lounging in.

This is the second time they’ve come across one of those things and this time there was no door to hide behind. This time it was purple instead of orange from what they could see under the dim lights of the park lamps. It looked pretty goopy which is kind of goofy for a bird (wonder what that feels like, would be terrifying if it could fly), it also has SYTHES FOR ARMS????

Luckily, it didn’t seem to notice - yet so they began to back away from it slowly.

The thing is though…

It’s autumn, and in autumn what falls from trees?

Leaves

Extremely crunchy leaves

All coherent Thoughts had left -‘s head as soon as they saw the bird and not a single new one had come into it in the five minutes they had been standing there, monster watching.

So like an absolute idiot, (and without looking back to check) - stepped backwards directly off the path and onto a pile of leaves.

• C R O N C H •

‘Ah shit’

The bird snapped it’s head to look at them and (to -‘s horror) began to Screech. They covered their ears but could still hear faint ringing as they turned and began to sprint back down the path.

“It is official this county is FUCKING CURSED” - half shouted to themself- head raised to the sky as they felt a thump on the ground and several smaller vibrations on the ground behind them.

‘And the Bird is giving chase…Awesome’

- just wanted to go outside for once but here they were getting chased down by Big Bird’s smaller and more violent cousin. Their first time out in ages was going great. They’d rather have stayed inside doing nothing if they knew going out would’ve ended this way.

During their little monkey brain moment the path had progressively gotten more and more rocky. While this would normally slow anything like a bike down, this wasn’t a bike. This was a mass of slime that began gaining purchase as the stones of the path got larger and more cobbly.

‘Think THINK THINK IT LOOKS LIKE A BIRD HOW DO YOU PACIFY A BIRD’

‘The chicken video’

‘THE CHICKEN VIDEO’

How could they forget that one chicken video with a guy and a finger and- SOMETHIGN ELSE BUT THATS NOT IMPORTANT A DEMON is CHASING YOU

‘There’

An opening between two trees big enough for one person to squeeze through, and half a monster.

Perfect

Taking as deep of a breath as possible while one is running for their life, - put a burst of speed and miraculously didn’t trip or get stuck in the space between the two trees as the bird gave chase.

The impact from this giant goop ball managed the shake the trees quite a bit but they held fast.

Big bird was now (read: for the time being) trapped and squawking loudly again, unable to register the small space it would now have to have to back out of somehow. It also began flapping(?) it’s goopy appendages, spraying some liquid onto -‘s arms as they were still backing away.

Not even giving the thought to put their fingers anywhere NEAR this giant flailing bird thing, - -huffing and puffing due the the amount of running they just did- set about finding the nearest, decently sized stick and began waving it slowly in front of the thing’s face.

Focusing on the new thing in front of it, the bird stared as - guided its gaze towards the ground where upon reaching it, began to draw a line in between its eyes. It was like a little bubble formed around the two, no noise coming in or out, not even normal background park noises one would expect.

Just

Silence

Once the bird was thoroughly not present in this plain, feeling a bit dizzy; - stood up from their crouched position with some difficulty. When did their breath get so short? Why do their arms sting so much??

‘Oh Those are clouds. I’m on my back everything is swirling arou-’

They passed out

——

“Flooockkkk?”

“Pspspspspsps”

“FLOOOCKKKK???”

It’d been 10 minutes since Simon had come back and as soon as he saw the empty tree that was not so empty when he last saw it he’d been looking all around the area for his missing partner.

Thankfully nobody came around these parts of the park at this hour or he wouldn’t have be able to look for them as freely. Now walking down the path to a more forested area, Simon called out again.

“Flockkkk?!!!”

A faint trill answered from just a few feet off of the path.

‘Oh thank Six’

Rushing over, Simon was greeted with the sight of his partner and the reason he hadn’t found them earlier was now clear.

The Flock was stuck in between two tree trunks with a line drawn in the dirt. Said line led from the trip of their beak to a stick which led to a-

‘Ah shiiiiit’

A very much passed out human laying sprawled on the ground barely a few feet from the pair of veldigun.

Panic back in full force, Simon rushed over to his partner and began checking them over for signs of change.

Legs? No. Change in behavior? No, they are weirdly calm though.

Okay then, looks like the human would be relatively fine until the morning.

Walking behind the tree The Flock was still stuck in, he began making beckoning noises again.

Which was mainly just- “Pspspspspspsss” but that was the one that worked the most. That seemed to do the trick, the purple blob’s head shot up and it began slowly backing out of the space with little difficulty -now that it knows where to go-chirping and squawking all the while.

With that hiccup dealt with, Simon begins the task of getting the still passed out human where other humans can find them(said task just consisted of Simon half dragging - half carrying the human to the path while trying his very best not to touch any exposed skin as to not cause them any unnecessary damage). The Flock remains calm throughout this little process and with Simon around, there was a lot less chance of them attacking the human so it goes relatively quickly.

Now that the human is as safe as can be, Simon takes the Flock into his arms and begins the trek back to their home before the sun rises.

Old ver.

New ver.

[yeet-mcgee]

Haven't been able to post much due to irl issues, BUT, have some traditional sketches of a Multiverse Frank variant I've come up with!!

Meet Sacrificial Lamb! Frank

Not gonna lie, he was kind of a spur-of-the-moment character, and I don't have much of him yet, because I quite literally came up with him yesterday, LOL

So, while I'd love to show and draw more of him, I am unable to do so because of life difficulties.

Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy this funny lil guy!

Because I'm going to put him through unimaginable horrors whenever I get the chance, :3

[bluebunnyears-08]

I’d like to ask if I can give a writing prompt?

Its a sequel to the story of where Nine has replaced Tails in his Prime universe. I don’t know if you are already working on one but I have an idea with a few little prompts.

1). Sonic is unable to really speak after a shock like that being unable to express anything as his heads a mess.

2). Nine goes on about what they can do together and today, showing what he has already invented on the table. - it can be what you want it to be he invents maybe something fun or it could be a weapon he shows off like a kid showing off a drawing to a dad or brother.

3). Sonic collects himself for only a little and shakes himself a little to reality. “Saying thats great buddy I-I need to just go for a run toooo clear my head”

4). Nine is sad of course but he thinks he’s got all the time in the world to hang out and he can enjoy his isolation for a little while longer and the more serene surroundings and fresh air. He’ll say something like “ok later bro” or “alright but lets catch up I want to know everything else about this world” with a lot of pep like the old tails.

5). Sonic immediately makes a break for it to an isolated location and gets all he’s feeling out in a kind cry scream that sags out at the end and he tries to collect himself after trying to keep himself together.

6). Back to Nine he’s happily sitting in his metal tails made chair when Amy drops in wondering why sonic left. How Nine acts towards her is up to you.

I hope that it wasn’t too long or irritating

Of course, it's ok! I'm sorry it took a while to see this answered, I've been going through some stuff and my mind has been in a fog. However, I don't plan on writing a sequel or a continuation to that fic, I wanted to leave what happens next to you readers, and it seems from what you've written it worked!

I'm very happy you liked that fic, and even more glad it left what happens next in your mind. Another thing is that I didn't originally come up with the fic, as it was a prompt request I merely fleshed out. So I can't really claim ownership of it.

So I can't expand on that fic due to those two reasons, but I can respond if you want to what you think would happen next.

And don't ever worry about a prompt being too long or irritating, send whatever prompt you have no matter how long it is. The only catch is that it'll take a longer time to write, but other than that, there's nothing wrong with any request.

Yes, I can see Sonic being shocked, mainly because the person in front of him is technically his brother, so he wouldn't know how to go about it. I slightly disagree with Sonic being angry or furious, he'd be more shocked and conflicted than anything, and while he will be horrified and against what Nine did, he wouldn't really yell or scream or antagonize Nine. Due to Sonic's interactions with Nine and knowledge of Nine's past and his probable emotional maturity, he wouldn't understand, but he could never truly hate or yell at Nine. A concerned scolding or a disappointed stare is probably the worst that'll happen.

And yeah, Nine is too happy and blissful to notice Sonic's shock and horror, just happy to be with Sonic and in a world he dreamed of. And he'd probably show off a gun or something that'll help Sonic with Eggman, very reminiscent of a child showing a parent their drawing. Nine is still a kid after all. A broken, emotionally exhausted, and traumatized kid, but a kid nonetheless.

Yeah, I can see Sonic understanding not just the situation, but he takes note of Nine's fragilely joyful state, so he's careful, not wanting Nine to be upset or angry, so he'd just make up an excuse to go out for a run.

Nine would be disappointed, but he'd never force Sonic to do anything, as seen when he allows Sonic to go back and help the rebels despite clearly wanting Sonic to stay. Not to mention now nothing can separate them, and they have all the time in the world in this paradise of a world. And I can see him retaining the pep and cheerfulness of the original Tails, now that he doesn't have anything to worry or be pained about. He is still a Tails after all.

And Sonic would be heartbroken and horrified at what Nine did, reducing his baby bro into nothing but a mere trait, what Nine was. I don't think he'd scream, not really, he'd most likely just shut down and focus on his swarming thoughts silently as various flickies wonder what's wrong.

Nine would be indifferent to Amy like he was to the others. She'd come in to find him sitting on a makeshift chair he used his tails to make. He'd tell her Sonic went for a run, mentioning Sonic's habit of 'running around everywhere'. Amy would then ask what he was doing which Nine would be short and blunt, explaining what he was building, not having the same shine in his eyes as when he was explaining it to Sonic and his voice being rather flat and bored. Amy would notice this and ask if he's ok, to which Nine would simply tell her he was fine, getting annoyed when Amy asks if he's sure. He then snarks back at her in annoyance, which would take her aback, then Nine would catch himself and apologize, stating that he has a lot going on in his head about inventions he needs to finish and work on and just needs some time alone, asking Amy to leave him alone to work. Amy would still be concerned but would comply, leaving the fox to tinker with his work as he fantasized about all of the things he could do now that he managed to follow Sonic back to Green Hill, his tails wagged behind him in excitement and joy.

[tgmsunmontue]

🌿 ⇢ (give some advice on writer's block and low creativity) and  🏜️ ⇢ (what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?) <3

Hi! 😊

🌿 ⇢ (give some advice on writer's block and low creativity)

Oof. As someone who has taken years of writing breaks here and there due to being unable to create/write this hits hard. I didn't find a magic cure or anything, I was just suddenly inspired by a weird ass film (i.e. TG:M).

While I haven't been writing, I was creating in other ways (patchwork, drawing/painting and paper crafts). I think it works in peaks and troughs. I know I am much happier when creating something. In terms of feeling a lack of creativity, that is normal. We aren't machines. Our brains need time to mull over ideas - I will go and do something else and then come back to the thing.

My biggest barriers are procrastination and indecision (and then using my indecision to procrastinate).

My weekly 'tell me what write weekends' stop me from dithering and trying to figure out WHAT to write. I know I want to write, I just can't decide which WIP to do. I also manage many of my day-to-day tasks/chores like this by writing them all down, numbering them 1-20 and then rolling a dice to again force me into action rather than wasting away with indecision. This works for me. It may or may not work for other people (I have several friends for whom this idea makes them recoil in horror).

I have two fics I have no motivation to finish (not sure if that counts as writers block and/or lack of creativity?) In my head I know how they finish. However all the people subscribed to them DO NOT. So a thing which I will be trialling this weekend, as I attempt to finish these two DECADE OLD Glee AU WIPs, is re-read the fic, makes notes, read through what I have already written for both fics, and then make myself write at least 250 words on Friday night, Saturday and again on Sunday. I find 250 words generally easy to bang out in 15-20 minutes (30+ minutes if I am really struggling or am getting easily distracted). Will it be sequential to the story? Probably not. But just the act of forcing myself to write a little means the creativity starts flowing... again 250 words often ends up closer to 400, and 750-1,200 words toward a fic is great progress!

I'm not happy with about 30-40% of the stuff I share, I'm outright despairing of some of my older stuff, but for every fic I put out there, there is usually 1-10k of off-cuts/notes that never see the light of day.

I have a "PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION" sign to remind myself that I am my own worst critic as well.

🏜️ ⇢ (what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?)

The cliched but true 'all types', but FAVOURITE is nearly always questions - ones where I can answer and ramble and share my weird little head canons for that particular little fic. I like engaging with other people in fandom and spit-balling ideas back and forth, creating something organic that grows. It happens less and less now as people don't engage with WIPs as much due to fear of it never being finished (*cough cough* see above 10-year old WIPs), not realising that they could be the driving force behind it getting finished (or taking it in a whole other direction).

[crash-channel]

BODIES BODIES BODIES

PARANOIA FEAR SUSPENSION

2022 drama/thriller/horror

First and foremost I am a huge fan of A24 films. They typically tend to be some of my favorite movies released when movies are out. So sometimes it can sound like I have biased opinions. In all honesty though not even all A24 film are the cream of the crop. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this movie it's not to say it's without its faults.

When a group of 20 somethings (although I'd like to note at the end of the film it really feels like they're 15-16) gather at a friend's mansion for a hurricane party. Friend being David (Pete Davidson) to drink, do drugs, i.e. mushrooms, cocaine etc and play games. Drama ensues when David during a few games starts showing his jealousy and abusive behaviors. Later when the power cuts out due to the storm the group separates and a dead body is found. Sparking paranoia among the party goers to the likes of John Carpenter's the thing. Having been isolated, trapped in a building unable to escape due to the storm. Not knowing who to trust or whose the killer or killers? The movie ramps up from there in a most teen A24 fashion.

Spoilers from this point on so if you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend seeing it. It is worth the watch, as for buying it for collection I will leave that up for you to decide once you've viewed it. It deserves a viewing for the judgement of that at the very least.

With that out of the way, Alice (Rachel Sennott) while looking for the generator after the power outage finds David (Pete Davidson) bleeding from his neck. The others soon arrive and everyone begins to panic as to wonder who killed David? As earlier David and Greg (Lee Pace) had beef since David was showing his jealousy during the game and punched him. The girls not knowing Greg well, since he was only met recently prior to the party. Suspecting him and confronting him, Greg amongst this gets killed by Alice. This whole thing however doesn't leave them to comfort but instead leads them further down the rabbit hole of paranoia and distrust of each other. The mayhem ensues drawing out the internal drama each girl had with each other leading to death until the last two close friends who were lovers. As the storm ended of course fight over the last evidence to see who's the killer between them. A cell phone from David and thus revealing all along. DAVID killed himself in an accident playing with a sword trying to open a bottle of champagne.

The irony of this movie really drives the message that we always look for someone to blame. Our own paranoia that somebody must be responsible for, is what destroys us at the end of the day. We ruin more friendships and family relationships over the fact that something as simple as an accident. For crying out loud people will turn to blaming ghosts when the wind blows knocking over something. Literally in the movie a girl fell down the stairs and died and they jumped to somebody had pushed her without reason to believe it. You may walk away mad that the ending was stupid, there was no killer. It was an accident, but think about it. Millions of people die of accidents all the time and there are paranoid people who believe somebody was responsible for that.

[terrible-twst-oc-ideas]

Character Bio: Landon Ophis

"Lionel's older stepbrother. He's a cunning security guard with a talent for illusions."

Age: 22 Gender/ Pronouns: CisMale, He/Him Height: 6'2" (189cm) Handedness: Right Species: Snake Beastman Homeland: Isle of Myth Birthday: October 3rd Zodiac: Libra Twisted From: Ladon (Hercules/Greek Mythology)

Likes: Dark Roast Coffee Dislikes: Wrestling Favorite Food: Roast Fish Least Favorite Food: Onions Hobby: Gardening Talent: Letting People's Guards Down

Unique Magic: "Thousand-Headed Serpent”- When activated, this UM creates auditory and/or visual hallucinations of Landon, making him appear in several places at once.

Bio: Lionel's older stepbrother, who works a security job guarding rare and powerful magical artifacts for a museum. While not the strongest physically, he relies mostly on his sharp eye, cunning, and unique magic to scare off any would-be thieves. He's an aggressive workaholic that usually works long night-shift hours, to the point that his co-workers often joke that he "never sleeps." He's always been an over-achiever, and while this has produced a lot of praise and pride in his parents, it's led to him feeling unable to be anything less than the best in everything he does.

Fun Facts: -Being a snake beastman, his diet tends to be very snakelike, to the point where I will spare you the details in describing it. Let's just say he tends to like his food... raw. His jaw can also stretch like a snake's, so, that's fun! -He is one inch taller than Lionel, if you don't count ears. This drives Lionel nuts. -He found the golden apple charms in the museum gift shop and got one for himself and Lionel as good luck charms.

~~~ At long last, a relative ref! Decided to start with Landon first, since I really wanted to draw a snake guy.

Additional design sketches below the cut, due to bare chest art and mild body horror:

[responsetostimuli]

first introduction - as of now i have three creative projects. two of which are related, in the sense they take place in similar scenarios/global circumstances.

open eye signal - after the fall of the soviet union, an isolated guerrilla fighter(aibek saipov) contemplates what he thinks is an oncoming death as his life becomes stagnant. after a run-in with a vampire novelist(mirsad gujić) and his glorified associates(the vampires durga and taiwo). several impulsive and violent decisions lead to him relinquishing his withdrawn lifestyle and enter a gruesome transitional phase. this is the work i mention, or at least draw the most. you've seen taiwo a fair amount of times enjoying herself. i'd like to dedicate more care into this work as it's become something i've slowly disregarded due to my personal life. it is meant to progress in a nonlinear style, where after one extremity- the story redirects itself abruptly.

primitive and abandoned - aysel, the youngest daughter of 6, has an abundance of unfortunate encounters. whilst it navigates vile social circles(those family, school and business oriented), his body furthers in a process of self mutilation. allowing for a curious tie into ultraviolence. this work is difficult for me to talk about for many reasons, and i can imagine i'll be talking about it the most here. for starters it's an ecological horror, a lot of it's aspects surround the fact this world is populated by a suborder of giant carnivorous birds. this has shaped the significance of architecture, it's evolution, and how it plays into a characters psychology(an oppressive and absurd structure, the likes you've probably seen in gothic literature). violence is an integral facet. how people are unable to recognize a concept considered "true death", which is another idea which varies depending on character(generally, it's how a characters suffering is observed by others and how that impedes their memory or autonomy... sometimes). baseline, there's too much shit for me to organize and i'm having trouble starting. doesn't help that i barely draw anything for this work. in terms of story progression it can be separated into two general points. the edifice, and the departure from it.

in the style of demons/spitoon thud/title pending - two students, nunuka zhuan and jair patrimonio, go on to hunt and kill a broxa which has been terrorizing their rural town. on their journey they are forced to cope with an insufferable nihilistic presence left behind by their fathers, and develop a strong kind of fear towards what could come after the broxa's death. all of this is intensified by surreal experiences they'd have while camping out in an array of abandoned buildings. this story is similar to primitive and abandoned, both due to the role of family bonds and how children try to cope with brutality that they can't really identify. it has a more fantastical aspect... yeah i don't know what else i can say. i've mentioned this work only once and it needs a lot more development than i cared to think about. it is that one work which relates directly to the world/global circumstance of primitive and abandoned. but aysel doesn't come into this by any means.

[briankeene]

An Open Letter to Pete Kahle of Bloodshot Books

Dear Pete,

I was supposed to be writing about the dangers Artificial Intelligence presents to the gainful employment of full-time authors, but instead, I’m having to write this because of your bullshit. So you’ll forgive me if I’m less-than-fucking-polite.

Mary SanGiovanni, Cynthia Pelayo, Sonora Taylor and others who know me like to tell people: “Leave Brian alone. He’s retired, and spends his days caring for cats and playing with his ham radio station.” And they’re not wrong, Pete. I’ve worked very hard to get to the point where I am — a place where there’s enough of a backlist that I can count on it providing an income when I’m no longer able to write due to the forthcoming infirmities of old age, and I don’t have to deal with anyone’s bullshit anymore.

When I retired, Pete? When I killed off The Horror Show and stepped out of the spotlight and quit fighting the horror genre’’s battles for it? I did so with the knowledge that there was a whole new generation of writers, artists and filmmakers who were now empowered to do that for themselves and for the genre as a whole. And it’s been delightful watching them do just that over and over again these last three years. Sure, they check in with me once in a while — asking my advice or guidance on dealing with the nitwits and threats, and I’m happy to offer that advice and guidance, but make no mistake, Pete. They step up all on their own, and take the bull by the fucking horns.

Case in point is Todd Keisling putting you on blast yesterday evening on Twitter.

Which brings me to the point of this letter.

Now, I don’t know Adam Millard. To the best of my knowledge I’ve never met him (although it’s possible he’s come through my line at a signing or bought me a drink at a convention). But despite my not knowing him, I have no problem believing his allegations, Pete, because they’re the same allegations many other authors have been making about you for several years now, both publicly and in private. And I do know some of those other people. And I’ve seen your communications with them. Twice now, over the last two years, I was going to get involved in this (despite retirement) but both times I was asked to wait, and to give you a chance to rectify the situation. But you are either unwilling or unable to do so, so allow me to briefly step out of retirement and say hello.

Hello.

If your first reaction to this is to offer apologies and share whatever is going on in your personal life — don’t. You’ve done that repeatedly in the past, when other authors in your stable have raised these allegations. Personal problems — be they health, a loved one, depression, day job, etc — are all perfectly valid, but they lose that validity as months turn into years and you still haven’t rectified the problems. So don’t apologize. Don’t make excuses. We’re beyond that now, Pete.

What can you do to rectify the situation? What can you do to help the genre at a time when we’re seeing publishers begin to use A.I. to do the writing and drawing, and the global economy slides into recession, and a worldwide paper shortage plays havoc on release schedule, and Amazon seems intent on making it impossible for people to easily find or purchase our books, and we compete for the attention of an ever-increasingly distracted populace that has more entertainment choices than ever before?

Well, I’ll tell you what you can do, Pete. Here’s my advice, freely and earnestly given.

Step 1: Immediately send each and every one of your authors a royalty statement, accounting not only for online sales, but direct sales at places like the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival and Camp Necon. If you can’t immediately provide each of them with a royalty statement, then immediately revert their rights, take their books out of print and out of distribution, and shut down Bloodshot Books.

Step 2. Pay them what you owe them. If you can’t pay them what you owe them, then immediately revert their rights, take their books out of print and out of distribution, and shut down Bloodshot Books.

Step 3: Once you’ve paid them what you owe them, immediately revert their rights, take their books out of print and out of distribution, and shut down Bloodshot Books.

Step 4: Shut down Bloodshot Books. If you can’t do that, then know that these people won’t be quiet any longer. And neither will I, Pete. I’ve got some free time, in between playing with my cats and my ham radio. Know that the next time you set up a table at a convention, there will be someone watching and taking note of every copy of every author’s book that you sold in real time, so that those authors can then be informed.

If you give a shit about this genre, about your own writing, or about your peers and the folks you call friends, then do the right thing, Pete. Because being a publisher? This is not for you.

— Brian Keene PS: As we’ve seen time and time again over the last 25 years, whenever there’s trouble like this with a publisher, there are always one or two authors who say “Well I haven’t had a problem” and rush to the publisher’s defense. In advance of that, know that your peers see you, and will remember that you only care about yourself.

[celentriateam]

Hello! My name is Will S. And I'm here to tell you about Celentria!

I have made this account to document my story, Celentria. I have been working on Celentria since 2018 and I have finally gotten to the point where I can start making something of it. My ultimate goal is for my story to be a animated show but I'm nowhere near close to that being reality at the moment (but i can hope haha) . But i am putting in the work and effort to get there. I have nearly completed the 4th draft of my story and will be working on some concept art soon. Unfortunately due to personal struggles, i took 2 years away from art so at the moment i am having to focus on regaining my art skills. When i have accomplished that, its concept art time!

More about me

My name is Will S. I'm 20 years old and I'm from Britain. I have been writing since I was 9 and drawing since I was 8. I started writing my first story when I was 9 and finished it at age 13. Although I am very proud of it, I was a child when it was written so it definitely could do with some touch ups.

Ever since then I have written a plethora of drafts (57 to be exact) . Of course, the majority of them are an unfinished mess but I'm still proud of them nonetheless. I have 27 completed final drafts that I just have to go over ooone last time to confirm whether they really need to be rewritten for the 700th time.

As I've said I've been drawing since the age of 8. of course most of my drawings at a young age where just 2000s anime girls with unrealistic boobs but I was AMAZING at drawing those large boobed anime girls haha. The art I (hope) to draw now is very whimsical. I have taken a liking to fantasy (a genre I used to avoid) in recent years. My story Celentria is a mix of Whimsical Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Realistic Romance and a hint of Sci-Fi.

BUT anyway this isn't about the 50+ stories that I've written or my recent liking of fantasy art. This is about Celentria, the story that I have been working on for 6 years.

About Celentria

Celentria is a story that I have been working on for the past 6 years (on and off) . Now, I believe I am good at writing. I don't believe that I am the best because if I believed i was the best then I'd never improve. BUT the one thing I historically struggle with is writing blurbs. So for anyone who happens to see this, you're going to have to wait a bit for some story info. My apologies. I will have a dedicated post in the future that will contain an understandable and concise blurb.

(I proceeded to spend the next 30 minuets trying to write a blub and as you can tell from the lack of blurb in this post, I failed)

At the moment It is just me on the team. I did have other people on the team a few years back but due to our ages we where very busy with school so we where unable to continue working with each other. I will tag and end all posts made by me with -WS. If more people join the team then they will do the same but with their initials.

The story of Celentria can be very dark in places so, If I continue to post here, I will put detailed trigger warnings on posts that require them.

I am currently not looking for other team members as I cannot afford it and I do not believe I am at the level where I can start hiring people yet. I would love to make money of off my art but at the moment I am just a cleaner so I definitely do not make enough to sustain a team. But I hope I will in the future.

If everything goes as hoped, then Celentria will be a fully animated show that will be on video based website for free or paid (it really depends on money , as most things do unfortunately) I have even considered making a visual novel game that takes place 2 weeks before the main story starts, as promotion. But of course that is something that I cannot do at the moment so I wont speak too much on it.

I don't believe I have anything else to say, and I have been writing for a a while now. And on top of that its currently 02:53am so I best be getting some sleep.

Questions are always welcome and I will try my best to answer :)

Thank you for reading

-WS

[kurt-wagner-official]

Post #108: UXM issues 225-227

Finally, we've reached the flagship of the Fall storyline. We open with Peter, who's only recently been released from the hospital on Muir Island and is visiting Scotland. He's sitting near the site of the recent Juggernaut battle, drawing the X-Men while some local kids reenact the battle. Most of the kids are rooting for the X-Men, which lifts Peter's spirits a little, but there's one little asshole talking about how X-Factor are cooler (this is before the big identity reveal). Peter breaks up the fight and sends them all on their way, and is approached by a mysterious woman, who offers to read his palms in exchange for a sketch. He accepts, and after drawing a picture of her, she gives a scary accurate reading of his past. When he asks her how she knows, she vanishes, leaving behind a statue of Colossus and the sketch, which has transformed into a similar but clearly different face. Then, the asshole kid throws a firecracker at him, which startles him into transforming. The kids who liked the X-Men see and are terrified of the hero they were role-playing as just before. So basically these kids are performative liberals. The weird lady, meanwhile, has teleported back to her home, and place beyond dimensions where she lives as the Lady Roma, a goddess of order and life. She watches over a chess board covered in pieces that look like the X-Men and Freedom Force, which match the one she left Peter. The board is overturned by the sudden appearance of the Adversary, who tells her he's removed Ororo and Forge from the board and won the game. Back on Earth, a melancholy Peter wanders around outside the city, unable to change back to human form due to his injuries. He flirts with the idea of giving up, but can't bring himself to abandon a world that still needs the X-Men. This is, I think, what makes Peter unique amongst his friends; He doesn't do the job for the adventure, or the fulfillment, or even for the family, although he does love them. He had all of those things back in Russia. He does this because he can't bear to not save people as long as they need saving. He's only been able to walk for a couple hours, and already he's ready to go back to work, so he calls Illyana, who says she can scry for the team and bring him to them. The X-Men are in Dallas, searching Forge's home, Eagle Plaza, for clues to Ororo's location, when they're attacked by Freedom Force. Mystique came to save the X-Men, but before she can do anything a fight breaks out. Longshot is thrown by Spiral, who seems vaguely familiar and also really hates him. Peter arrives in the middle of the battle and joins right in. Anna, Betsy, and Ali are all KOed in the battle, but so is Mystique, and the remaining X-Men take her hostage and retreat into the building. As they enter, Destiny is overcome with horror. All timelines are ending, and the only thing she knows for sure is that at dawn, anyone in Eagle Plaza will die. As if on cue, a hole rips open in the sky above Dallas, covering the city in sinister light.

The teams are at an impasse. Mystique begs the X-Men to surrender and survive, but they refuse, while Freedom Force waits outside for them, too scared to enter. The building starts to collapse, and the X-Men are suddenly busy surviving that while their captive teammates wake up and continue the brawl. Elsewhere, Ororo and Forge wake up in a serene and peaceful landscape, and Forge tells her that the Adversary has imprisoned them in an alternate Earth of his own making. Back in Dallas, the X-Men and Freedom Force call a truce when time starts melting. The white hole in the sky is shining over the middle of the city, and everywhere it touches timelines are bleeding together, bringing things from the future and the past to cause chaos. Mostly dinosaurs, cause they're cool and artists like them. The two teams spread throughout the city to save lives. My favorite team-up is Longshot and Pyro. I really love Pyro and I don't think I've talked about it that much. He puts on a jackass front to fit in with the team but when he's not with them he's a pretty friendly guy, genuinely trying to save people and being chummy with Longshot while doing it. Claremont doesn't do much with him but eventually he gets a cool backstory and a great death. Reporters follow the mutants through the city, broadcasting their battles to the world that's still debating if they deserve to live. Back on other Earth, Ororo and Forge travel to Forge's mountain where he was battling the Adversary, and find it's been reduced to rubble. Forge tells her it was a dimensional nexus, and the Adversary wants it out of the picture for now. The only reason the two of them are still alive is that the Adversary thinks this is all a game, and he's constantly changing the rules to make it more challenging and fun. Forge tells Ororo that there's no way back, and that he still loves her, but she won't turn her back on the world they left, and goes off on her own. On the original Earth, the mutants continue fighting to save lives, while on Ororo's Earth, months have past, and she's somehow walked to Kenya? I really do not understand. Even without her powers, she felt connected to the world when she was there last time, but this time she feels nothing. This world is empty of all life energy save for hers and Forge. So she just. Walks back to him, and finds that in the year that has passed he's invented solar energy. They kiss and decide to work together to find their next step. On Earth, meanwhile, some of Forge's tribe have arrived in Dallas to help him and are immediately murdered by some racist Dallas natives. This was clearly intended as a parallel to how the mutants are fighting for people that hate them, but Jesus Christ it was so tone deaf. Destiny tells Peter that she never saw his presence here, and it offers a small hope for the future of the world, but not of the X-Men. Betsy scans his mind and is shocked to find that he met Roma, who she knows from her Captain Britain adventures. She tells the team that Roma is the guardian of the omniverse, and she must have sent Peter here to give them a chance. Peter says he's been feeling drawn to Eagle Plaza's penthouse since they arrived, so the mutants head inside to find the whole building has been timeshifted to the Vietnam War. In their own personal Earth, Ororo and Forge are rekindling their relationship, but she says she can't leave their old world behind. He tells her he's spent the last year coming up with a plan in case she said that. In Eagle Plaza, Logan sends Freedom Force outside, telling Mystique that someone needs to protect civilians and Freedom Force will have their trust. Even the racist reporters start to cry a little at how willing the X-Men are to die for them. Logan tells his team one more time that this is volunteer only, and all of them, including Maddy, stand with him. Anna and Mystique bid farewell, calling each other mom and daughter in their heads but keeping things professional on the outside.

(Continuing) In the other world, Forge tells Ororo that he's found a way to reverse his power cancelling machine, and with Ororo's lightning, she can activate his mystical portal back to Earth. He asks her one more time if she truly wants this, because they could also stay here and be happy, and though she loves him, she tells him she loves him for his heroism, so return they must. He zaps her, and she soars into the air once again. As a hurricane suddenly manifests over Dallas, the Adversary smiles at how worthy his enemies are and blows up Eagle Plaza.

The other two Fall stories climaxed in the double sized part 2 with the third as an epilogue, but this one still hasn't peaked. We start from the perspective of the one reporter still in Eagle Plaza, which although it blew up on the outside is still full of Vietnam on the inside. The Viet Cong are under attack not from Americans, but from demons, which the X-Men are fighting off. Maddy, unable to contribute, retreats into the jungle, where she sees a young Forge on a pile of bodies, casting a spell. He summoning demons to avenge his fallen comrades, but he reaches too close to the sun and brings forth the Adversary, consuming the souls of the fallen. In a moment of clarity from his blind rage, he calls in an air strike to try to clean up his mess, but the damage is done. In the present, Forge and Ororo find themselves in Roma's Starlight Citadel, where the Adversary holds Roma captive and delights in what he sees as a sure victory. He mashes the dimensions of Eagle Plaza and the Citadel together, and the X-Men see it appear above their heads. The Adversary has turned Ororo's newly returned powers against her, and is surrounding the Citadel with winds that the X-Men can't penetrate. Ali has an idea- throw Longshot into the wind like a kite and hope that his luck and hollow bones can lead the team through. Ali, by the way, is currently blind; Spiral did a spell on her before the truce and was unable to reverse it due to all the chaos energy. So this kind of trust really is a big deal for her. The plan works, and the X-Men ride the wave up to the Adversary. Since he's partially in the physical realm, he's kept Naze as his avatar- an avatar weak to metal and vulnerable to Anna's touch. This is why Roma chose Peter as the trump card; his attack is able to destroy Naze and leave the Adversary as a spirit. Anna, who absorbed some of his magic, opens a portal to cast him out, but is unable to seal him there. Forge says the only way is to recreate the original spell and consume nine souls- the X-Men and Maddy. Nobody protests, and Forge kisses Ororo goodbye while Maddy delivers a goodbye to Scott through the reporter still with them. He pulls the lifeforce from the heroes and merges it into a tiny star, which he throws at the Adversary, balancing his sins and returning Dallas to normal. He takes the reporter back to Earth, where he tells the story of the X-Men's sacrifice. Across the world, Kitty and Kurt, who has just now woken from his coma, watch the news in horror. Mystique calls Forge a murderer, to which he has no response. But up in the Starlight Citadel, Roma resurrects the X-Men, telling them they've saved reality and earned another chance. She says she can send them to any world and any life they want, including their own, but Logan and Ororo decide that this is the opportunity they were looking for to fake their own deaths and find the Marauders from the shadows, free of the Mutant Registration Act. The team agrees, and Roma accepts their request, sending them back to Earth secretly. This issue was a little disappointing, to be honest. Tying into the event meant there were only three issues, one double sized, for probably like 5 normal issues of story. The first two were very well paced but this one was pretty rushed. I wish Ororo getting her powers back was a bigger moment for her, I hate that such a huge part of her story was a one page excerpt in a huge event. And also at the end none of the X-Men got any page time to grapple with their sacrifice before they did it and got resurrected, and the decision to go back as undercover dead people and never see their families was just an instant agree from everyone. If this had been double sized I think it would have been perfect.

All that aside, it was a great story. Probably my least favorite of the three prongs of the Fall though. This one was a fantasy epic, and a fun, exciting one, but the new Mutants one had a lot of time for character moments that this one didn't. And somehow the X-Factor story did both perfectly. There's definitely a tragedy to the fact that the first time the X-Men's heroics were fully on camera for the world to see and root for, they died and went into hiding immediately after. Especially since their friends in X-Factor are finally embracing happiness and light. This story does set up an amazing status quo for the team, it's just a little heavy handed in getting there. It's nice to have Peter back in the book, I didn't realize how much his presence was missed. And Ororo has her powers back! Like I said, I wish we had seen more of how that moment affected her, but we'll see how she feels about the change over the next few issues. I'm also glad she and Forge were able to come to terms with their feelings for each other and set the animosity behind them. That said, I don't think their relationship should have continued beyond this story. Forge does love Ororo, and in an empty, peaceful world, they can be happy together, but he can't handle life with her in her own world, and I wish they had realized that here instead of down the line when they have a messy reunion and breakup. Nobody else really had anything new character wise, just more chances to prove to the world what we already know- that they're the greatest heroes on the planet.