#he would be a nemesis ambition person i think

[house-of-mirrors]

hey, I hope this isn't weird to say, but reading about your Fallen London OCs inspired me to start hashing out my own OC's background/personality/etc. If you don't mind - do you have any tips for balancing roleplay/the story of Fallen London with its grind if that makes sense? ty in advance!

Hey there! Yes, I can speak to that.

In summary:

find a friend to exchange letters with in game

have activities to do in between action refreshes that will allow you to be creative and think about your character/the story

design a picrew/draw something/moodboard for your character

write about your character: it doesn't have to be a whole fic, just something to get excited about them with!

use the ambition as an opportunity to explore their fears, why they want what they want, and what lines they won't cross for their goals

do historical reading on the side, if you're so inclined

think about your character's reactions to doing the grind and their emotional investment

don't stress. don't feel like you need to know or finish everything right away. this is a game that takes years to finish, not months. go at your own pace. don't worry about what endgame players are talking about or what a guide says you should be doing. do what you want to do. if you're having a good time, that's all that matters. 8 1/2: the official subreddit is a tense and argumentative place focused on efficiency more than story, go there at your own risk

the game has hundreds of hidden gems. the most impactful stories aren't always the ones that come at the end of long grinds, but little card based things, or something you read in "airs of London," or a niche activity in a certain location. find the ones you love and make them a part of your character's story.

I tried to limit as many spoilers as I could, at least in the early game until my ambition was over, because I found it enhanced the story/roleplay if I reacted in real time with my character.

More detailed answer:

When I first started the game, I went into it totally blind, no wiki and no context except my good friend who got me to start playing. Do what feels right for you in terms of how much outside info to seek, but please, take the game at your own pace and don't overthink the amount of content. There's no rush. The game is grind-y, but there's no need to stress about big things you haven't gotten to yet. One step at a time.

When I ran out of actions on a grind, I wrote letters in game to my friends' character(s). I drew/designed outfits for my oc, and I started writing slice of life fics with them that led to deeper thoughts about character backstory, development, and trials. Since I went in without any outside information about the lore, I felt as if I was discovering stuff alongside my character and was doing my own historical reading on the side to get ideas. The book How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman is a good book about the day to day life of England in the era, though it doesn't touch on super diverse experiences.

The ambition quest gave me lots of thoughts about roleplaying, but the main stories aren't the only opportunity to develop your character's story. There are hundreds of hidden gems in the game! Since this is a horror game, thinking about what my character is afraid of and what lines they won't cross helped me to roleplay.

Giving your character an emotional reaction to the grind can help too. What methods are they using to get what they need, and why do they want it so much? How tired are they. How desperate are they.

Without spoilers, there are a few parts of ambition: nemesis that I got stuck on for weeks at a time because I needed to unlock a certain area or get a certain amount of resources. My character Orsinio had an increasing sense of dread as he grew closer in his preparations to traveling to the new location for the first time, knowing it would be a test of character and his life would not be the same after going there and doing what he meant to do. As the story grew more challenging with grinds, he was forced to wonder how far he'd go for his goals. Later, when a large amount of resources are required to progress the ambition, I gathered them through means Orsinio would have used as a character (ye olde wilmot's end/newspaper carousel). He felt a closer connection to his lost brother by meddling in the great game and doing investigative journalism.

I hope this all helps. Send me a calling card if you want to send letters :) Enjoy the journey, my friend!

[capn-twitchery]

hmmm. at first i thought that the other navy guy (i'll call him. uh. reed) that grace kills to kickstart his nemesis mission should be a friend of grace's, or at least someone he ends up close to by the end of being stranded. but the more i think about it, i think it'd be more interesting if they barely knew eachother...if grace had no real "personal" stake in avenging the murder.

all grace knows, from an "i think we're both going to die here so let's get some regrets off our chest before we do" conversation, is that reed was on the arctic expedition for money to investigate his brother's murder, and that he never got to do that.

grace has no idea what reed would even think about how it turned out. he didn't know him. would he have taken the offer & revived his brother instead? was he looking for revenge, or just answers? would he have gone as far as grace did? would he have murdered to avenge him?

was grace even thinking about that, or was he just so hellbent on getting to the "solution"? at what point does it stop being about finishing reed's goal? was it ever about reed at all? or was it always just a selfish mission for grace to absolve his own guilt over killing him?

there's nothing to do with the information once he finishes his ambition. there's nobody to tell. he's half destroyed himself & it didn't change anything. there's no weight off his chest, the guilt is still there. if anything, it's worse. all that violence carried out in the name of somebody he didn't even know, who might not even have wanted it to happen.

did he do the right thing? he'd never know. he has no way of knowing. he never will

[lord-emerson]

NEMESIS AMBITION SPOILERS

[So I've been thinking of an alternate ending for Oswald's Nemesis quest because while I Do think bringing back your loved one should have horrible consequences, I didn't find the "but they don't remember you" plot twist very satisfying.

I think that after using all that Hesperidean cider, Oswald's father would still come back wrong. More specifically, he would come back bearing the same kind of injuries that Oswald and his accomplices have inflicted upon Cups. Half of his body burnt and marred, suffering from constant pain. He would be scared and confused and surprised to see his little girl, now a young man with blood on his hands and weighed down by a lot more than just the passage of time. But he would understand.

(Better than most, in fact. I always liked the idea of Oswald's father transitioning as an adult, back when they emigrated to England while Oswald was still a baby. It would also make a little more sense that Oswald would be staying with the working class, single parent who gave birth to him. I specifically didn't want Oswald's story to include any kind of tragedy regarding a hypothetical mother. He was exceedingly happy as the child of his single father.)

Anyway, he would try so hard to adjust to this new environment, the chronic pain, the constant worried looks Oswald would be giving him. Eventually though, he would realise that he's living on borrowed time; around the same time that Oswald would realise that this was another one of Cups' cruel lessons. The life he's given back to his father was just a cruel reflection of existence — the same kind of miserable existence he has purposefully left Cups to wallow in.

So I would imagine that on an agreed date (not very far in the future at all) Oswald would escort his father back to the Surface — up until a certain point, at least. There is only so far he could go, after all. And they would stand there and say the kind of goodbyes they never got to say before. And then Oswald would watch the person he loves more than life itself walk into the sunlight and be gone from him, forever.]

[mostly-him]

I love your stuff! The TFP meets G1 is great.

Just out of curiosity, as a fellow Screamer fan…what do you think would make Starscream cry? Any version is fine.

(My personal input: I think G1 cries about Skyfire when no one is looking. I also think he cries alone in his room when Megatron really knocks him around and hurts him badly. He tries to hide the pain from the abuse because he can’t escape and he has to put on a good face as second in command, but deep inside it’s so painful and he can only tolerate so much.

I haven’t watched Prime yet but I think TFP Screamer also cries about the abuse. He cries in bed at night, tears running down his long face, because he doesn’t know when the day will come when Megatron kills him. Also he cried when Breakdown died because he’d gotten close to Knockout and knew how bad KO must have felt-ooops that’s my Knockscream coming out lol)

Be prepare for a long answer (and maybe bad english 🤗)

Well, I think that in the case of G1 universe, Starscream is in a very fair situation. Despite Megatron being the strongest (physically speaking) of the two of them, it is usually Starscream who tends to start the conflict between the two. He is the one who is always plotting against Megatron and who tries to kill him at least once a week (sometimes it just seems like a necessity so as not to lose the habit) even when they seem to be having a good understandment. Starscream is always searching new ways to bully him, and when he finds them, obviously Megatron reacts (you can expect otherwise). But even then, scared and beggin for his life, Starscream still pushes his luck until he has to fly away from the nemesis to avoid being punished or "killed" 😆

So no, I personally don't see G1 Starscream as a victim (maybe a self-victim 🤷🏽‍♀️) but as a piece of a very complex and toxic relationship he obviously likes to feed and maintain (as much as Megatron likes it too), considering all the chances to kill Megatron he purposely missed over the millenia. To me, he is as insane as Megatron is, and they deserve each other as they are their own punishment.

Starscream is cynical and conniving, and a very intelligent character who can manipulate even the toughest of his enemies, besides being the best flier of Cybertron. But he is also very impulsive and emotional at times, and his excessive ambition and selfishness tend to blind him. That is why the decepticons haven't won the war 😆

.

Tf prime is a totally different story 😕 I think the writers took it out of Starscream without a valid argument behind Megatron being so wild with him.

Megatron brutalizes him, most of the time for no valid reasons, and that makes him a sadist who prefers to break his own soldiers than to focus his ire on his true enemies. You can't expect that a character who is always being hurt, insulted and beaten, remain sassy, proud of himself and cynical like G1 Starski does. I cring everytime I see tfp Starscream cower to not only before Megatron, but before every character that approaches him with brusque body language. He is always afraid. He is paranoid. He is terrified of everything! 😐 So I sincerely don't like his portray in the show very much despite I LOVE tfp.

I think tf prime Starscream would be the one who could cry in the solitude of his room 😬

... and G1 would totally bully him for that 😆

.

(Ohhhh, my fav tfp characters are Breakdown and Predaking. I love them so soooo much 😁)

Also, thank you so much!! 😊

[balanceoflightanddark]

That's a cool analysis on Dimitri! I never really considered that perspective before, but it really makes a lot of sense.

Kind of curious what you think about Claude. He's my personal favorite, but a friend of mine doesn't really like him because they think he's too caught up in making sure no one dies that his plans usually stagnate.

Ah. Claude...well I don't have really strong opinions about him. I mean I sort of do, but not as bad as Dimitri's. What I'm trying to say is that I'm kind of coming at this as an Edelstan, so forgive me if I come off as harsh. Which I'm not really trying to be. Honest. Feel free to disagree with me if you want.

Alright.

If Edelgard is the extreme of change and Dimitri is the extreme of tradition, then Claude falls somewhere down the middle of the spectrum. Leader of the Golden Deer House, and the Heir of House Leicester, Claude is not actually a native of Fodlan. In fact, he is the Crown Prince of Almyra and is essentially coming into the conflict as a bit of an outsider. Not well-liked in either country due to his mixed heritage, he was raised in the Leicester Alliance and basically is representative of their policies.

Mainly being secretive, vague, and having a long-term plan to fulfill his ambitions. This is reflected in his character since a good portion of the time, he doesn't share his plans with his allies and often manipulates them in order for them to go along with what he wants. Now in of itself, this isn't inherently bad. Like Dimitri, he's a product of his environment where secrecy and manipulation is essential to one's survival. Particularly since his mixed heritage means he needs to be a bit more cunning and scheming if he wants to stay ahead of the game.

Which comes to a head in the war. When Edelgard declares war on the Church, Claude effectively decides to stay out of it. Mainly, he essentially locks the nobility of Leicester in a bit of a stalemate for 5 years to keep themselves out of the war. His long-term strategy is to get reinforcements from Almyra so they could effectively steamroll the Kingdom and Empire who bloodied themselves from all the fighting.

By all accounts, in a narrative with a very gray and grey narrative (mainly that all sides run the whole gambit of morality), he seems like the best choice. After all his intentions are noble. He wants to repair the strained relationship between Fodlan and Almyra. He pushes for reforms, but not to the extent that it would alienate the old school. Verdant Wind even has him deal directly with TWSITD like Edelgard and even face Nemesis, the one they're trying to resurrect. All in all, he seems like the best choice for a "golden" route should we say.

...except it really isn't.

Don't get me wrong. Claude is NOT Dimitri. But his flaws hamper his cause and bites him in the ass. Him leaning back on his scheming and secrecy means that his allies don't really trust him a lot. Even when logically, he needs their support in order to get stuff done. This leads to disastrous consequences since we have stuff like his subordinates choosing to disobey his orders by standing and fighting instead of making a tactical retreat. And his focus on relying on his Almyran reinforcements isn't even foolproof in of itself since...well, he's relying on foreign troops arriving in a country that hates their guts. Even if the war goes in his favor, that's a bit of a hill to climb.

And while he does succeed in defeating TWSITD, again, he's not focusing on the ones that basically enforced the Crest System which led to this whole mess in the first place. The Church of Seiros. So even if his outcome is not as extreme as Edelgard's, it doesn't really do as much to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Admittedly I can't be too hard on him in this regard since he's not necessarily from Fodlan and he's coming at this from an outsider's perspective. But that doesn't really scream the guy Fodlan needs.

I'd describe him as a deconstruction of the golden route or centrist view. Mainly by trying to please everyone and stay out of things, he gets his people involved. Especially since his habit of playing the long game puts him on Edelgard and Dimitri's radar since they KNOW what he's like and they KNOW they can't exactly afford to let him do what he wants unabated.

That being said, I do think there's a reason why he's the only lord who can potentially survive all the routes through either escape or being spared. I don't think he's a bad guy. Not at all. It's just he's a bit in over his head. And who knows? Maybe even in the routes he loses, he can do some good by repairing relations on the Almyran side of things.

[tobiasdrake]

Villain Breakdown: Xu Wenwu

This movie had one job: Give us an international terrorist villain who threatens the world with conquest and power. It did not do that. It instead gave us an intimate nemesis for an intensely personal story centered around family and heritage. Bold move, but I think it paid off.

Wenwu is a profoundly different character from his comic book counterpart, but he kind of has to be to serve as a villain for a hero as grounded as Shang-Chi. Like. If you were going to make a movie where Hawkeye has to fight Galactus, you're going to have to make some changes to the source material to make that work out.

Trevor Slattery wasn't the Mandarin. Neither was Killian. Not really, though Killian had the spirit. Wenwu isn't really the Mandarin either, but he's an adaptation that works well for what he's needed to be.

The question of the hour is: Is Wenwu a bad man, or is he a broken man? To which I would answer, "Can't it be both?" Wenwu is a man who's been through intense trauma and hasn't come out the other side very well, but Shang-Chi and Xialing experienced that same loss and they turned out differently.

Indeed, Wenwu's actions are a virulent concoction, combining the selfishness and ambition he always had in him with the tragedy of his loss to create something truly destructive, terrible, and prone to rash judgment.

Wenwu loves his family. But his is a hierarchical love. He would do anything for Ying Li, resents but still attempts to build a relationship with Shang-Chi, and can't bear to look at Xialing due to her resemblance to his trauma. Over the course of the movie, he goes to the ends of the earth to try and bring Ying Li back, even over the protests of his children.

Swearing up and down, again and again, that she's still alive. But never able to see the truth before his eyes: That truly, she is. She lives in her children.

[anomalouscorvid]

i know. the two winning fandoms in the poll i did were rw and hk, not rw and fl. but i didn't have any ideas for rw/hk and i like putting creatures in situations and i think 'slugcats, suddenly in the neath' is a fun situation to draw. i had more thoughts, maybe even enot/inv thoughts (secret joke dating sim slugcat... common theme in fl of love stories... it all fits), but i think this is enough for now. it ended up rather slugcat-heavy, maybe i should also consider the opposite situation, just casually dropping fallen london characters into the world of rain world.

sizes... not to scale really

explanation/context for some more specific parts (for both fl and rw stuff) beneath the cut:

rivulet holding karma flower: in rw, your karma increases when you survive another cycle, and decreases when you die. a karma flower keeps your karma level at the same level when you die. could be vaguely relevant to the immortality stuff the evolution story is somewhat about. y'know

"no rain?": fallen london takes place in the neath, which is, surprise surprise, underground. it wouldn't have the frequent lethal rain cycles that rivulet (or any other slugcat) is used to

rivulet biting some guy's hand: the youthful naturalist, an important character in evolution, has shown a fondness for tinned eels. rivulet would probably also enjoy tinned eels. and thus, the BITING YOU BITING YOU BITING YOU

artificer being held: the artificer causes explosions and is on a quest to kill an important figure. april of the calendar council also causes explosions and is also on a quest to kill an important figure. thus, the holding. clearly the artificer is the best possible calendar mascot

arti contemplating a purple knife and her dead slugpups: purple knife image is the image for ambition: nemesis. the ambition where you avenge a loved one

birds on train tracks: there are terror birds on the train tracks usually. that's just a thing in fallen london. miros birds in rain world run over long stretches of land and are, generally speaking, fatal to encounter. i don't think the great hellbound railway in this 'au' would be, uh, particularly useable. the person being eaten is unimportant

saint in the mirror: parabola is, to summarise things too much, a dream world that can sometimes be seen through mirrors. no significance to saint being there i just thought they fitted visually although maybe also thematically. (but parabola is generally warm, not cold)

5p and two masters: i'm not sure there'd be a reason for the masters of the bazaar wanting to make a deal with five pebbles. but anyway there has been at least one time in the history of the neath where someone was turned into an island to prevent death, and five pebbles is a sort-of-organic supercomputer with the rot (self-inflicted, by accident) which is slowly killing him, and also he has a city already on top of his structure so shoving a mountain shard in him would be like... double-living-city??

the others i think are more self-explanatory if you know anything about either game then you can probably guess what's going on

[the-ashenstreaked-doctor]

🥕🥔🧅

🍲😊

Firstly, Doc says “Thank you, Edmund, for the soup.” Now…

🥕 [CARROT] How tough is your OC against certain situations? How weak are they against others?

It takes a lot to phase the Doctor, for better or worse. He can shrug off a lot of turmoil, but ignore a lot of hurt as well. Doc’s a bit.. jaded, for sure, and to some degree the misery of the Neath is just what he’s come to expect from the world. Thus, I think it’d be more telling to speak of situations he is weak to, rather than those he can pass by.

He will stop and shift focus completely if he sees a child in harm’s way. He can’t help but pet the dog that sits by the butcher’s shop, or share secrets with the cats in the alleys. His outer shell will melt if he finds someone in a situation like his own, where they’ve lost everything and are left to grieve alone. A little indulgence is due after a hard week, and he simply has to have a little treat sometimes. He would do anything for his close ones.

🥔 [POTATO] What do they have that others see as a flaw, but they don't care about?

He is steadfast and stubborn, and always looking to the past. Where he sees nostalgia and keeping things to heart, others see a refusal to move on with his life. He sticks to his ways, even if they are wrong, and others find that anywhere from irritatingly bullheaded to downright ignorant.

🧅 [ONION] What is surefire to make your OC cry? Who knows of this information?

Now here’s the thing… It’s really hard to make him cry. He can get close, a little watery-eyed, but almost never has the tears actually fall. In the Neath, the two closest times he got to crying were seeing a dear friend of his again after his own death in the airship explosion of Horticultural Hell, and after one of his.. memory lapses.. where he was afraid his dog might be dead when he got back home (she is fine, completely unharmed!)…

From that, I can surmise that the best way to get him to cry would be to have something happen to a person/creature he really cares about. Which tracks, given one of the only times he’s ever cried in his life was… well… He’s not on Ambition: Nemesis for nothing. As for who knows of this… As far as he knows, no one does in any place that matters. He’ll keep it that way.

[ask meme]

[bronanlynch]

if ur still doing the character meme: reinhard lotgh?

yessss thank u I have many thoughts abt him

Sexuality Headcanon: has never once been attracted to a woman ever in his life. tbf not sure he's ever knowingly been attracted to anyone who isn't kircheis. everything else is just. well he really wants another want to be a worthy rival/nemesis in a way that isn't not kind of erotic but like. it's not Just erotic it is also very much abt wanting to die in battle to a ~worthy opponent Gender Headcanon: so like. in canon I do think he's a cis man especially considering how strictly gendered the empire military is and he doesn't seem to have much space in his brain left over for exploring his gender. however I do sometimes enjoy rotating trans possibilities in my head and I am compelled by the thought of transmasc reinhard bc I think that. given his ambitions he knows that he needs to be in the military, which means he needs to be/pass as a man (and also given what happens to annerose I think he has specific motivation to not want to navigate the world as a women), and I do enjoy stories abt people who crossdress for plot reasons and then decide that they're trans actually A ship I have with said character: he and kircheis sure are in love A BROTP I have with said character: I am obsessed w his weird complicated friendship w hilde, how she's the closest thing he has to a friend but he doesn't fully trust her bc he doesn't fully trust anyone, her going against his orders to save his life at the end of season 2 and him thanking her but not being able to forgive him, their inevitable lavender marriage, their "butch hitting on a twink she thought was a butch" energy, A NOTP I have with said character: uncomplicatedly romantic het4het reinhard/hilda I guess? extremely important to that dynamic to me that they are a gay man and a lesbian. like I can't really see him properly dating anyone other than kircheis but like. I'm certainly not opposed or immune to any of the homoerotic potential of his relationship w like. reuental or whoever A random headcanon: I think it would be fun if he and kircheis used to cut each other's hair. y'know. the intricate rituals of it all. the intimacy & vulnerability, etc etc. trusting someone else to shape ur appearance and therefore ur public image. and that's partially of why he grows it out after kircheis dies General Opinion over said character: he's so beautiful and so sad and so terrible and I want to study him like a bug. love that he's like. not wrong that the aristocracy is bad except unfortunately he's so much a part of the society that created him that he doesn't have any other way of dealing with it except with more militarism & imperialism & autocracy which does not fix anything in the longterm and will lead to his inevitable and tragic downfall. and also I think it's funny when he makes policy decisions that help the people without seeming to actually like. especially care abt that and everyone is like "oh wow maybe dictatorships are good actually." but yeah in general I love it when characters are tragic and gay and fucked up. and also I cannot wait to see the continually unfolding consequences of letting a 24-year old with a death wish become the most powerful person in the galaxy

[thecameronchronicles]

Scavengers Part 1: The Hunt

Scavengers Part 1: The Hunt

TW: Language. Mentions of blood. Situations of peril. 

*THIS CHAPTER DOESN’T HAVE SMUT BUT IT HAS SEXUAL TENSION! I PROMISE IT WILL BE WORTH IT ;) *

SUMMARY: A scavenger hunt leads you and Pope Heyward to cross the most unfortunate (and dangerous) of paths. 

WORD COUNT: 1300

Scavengers Part 1: The Hunt

“You may begin…” The dean’s voice announced as your finger made a swift glide across the lip of the envelope, tearing into your skin enough to draw blood. Taking it to your mouth as you read the first clue of the scavenger hunt, your mind analyzed each letter making up each word as you assessed any potential meaning that could give you a head start. 

Ivory towers look below to the game set afoot, a clue marred by silent embers untouched by soot,

Iron and brass where I’m held halfway to twenty-six, to another instruction, I am transfixed….

You read the phrasing at least half a million times as everyone else making up the chairs and tables of the commons had wore the same bewilderment to the words. But as they whispered potential answers to these words both clever and less than, you couldn’t help but notice HIS eyes on you. 

An academic nemesis that was always separated from you by a single point on any given assignment, you two had been cut from the same ambitious cloth with more in common that you like to admit. Another synonymous attribute had been that in which you were one of the only students accepted into this college on merit and hard-work alone, not a bribe from your parents. For that, you were also excluded from most social groups but also pitted against each other because you had more to lose. But it also acted as a means of motivation as looking to him and the own narrowing of his eyes offered some form of an epiphany. And so you set off on your feet and into the direction of the Dean’s office. 

The campus itself was made up from a former prison that consisted of ‘towers’ or ‘wings’, with access points held beneath the grounds for the aged corridors made up of stone and secrets having run beneath its roots. And your epiphany had come from the idea of accessing the blueprints to learn where “the ivory tower” would be as you were confident a note would be made in the margins of such documentation. But since the office was always locked, you knew there would be means of access that would need to be more cunning than that of a simple twist of a knob. For that, you pulled your bobby pin from your hair and began to shuffle the mechanics until hearing that satisfying clink of entrance. Closing the door quickly behind you, you shuffled throughout the office and beyond cabinets and drawers before hearing the knob attempted at your back. 

“I knew there wasn’t a chance you’d risk losing, but I didn’t think you’d resort to cheating…” His voice taunted at your back as you turned to narrow your eyes to Pope Heyward, the bane of your existence in every sense of the word. This was because just as much as he got under your skin, he made you nervous. Those wide eyes, wondrous and expressive, had kept yours with conviction, always bringing you to battle the descent of your own falling to lips too tempting for someone you were supposed to loathe.

“Ivory tower…the office…” You spoke the words aloud, realizing them on the spot, as he nodded while you were relieved you no longer needed a blueprint. 

“Guess it’s fair to whoever finds it first then?”

You returned to your search before his interruption, failing the fight to analyze him as he was committed to his ambition, which you always found admirable. He was the only person on the entirety of the campus you had managed to hold a conversation with without feeling as if you lost brain cells just talking to them, even if the topics were spoken in sarcasm or tension. It was part of what excited you about him. 

But where you feigned a path of devotion, he seemed to be unsure what he was looking for, only allowed a fraction of the time you had been, before the door was tried again. Only this time, it sent him to your similar hiding spot. The second he witnessed you, his eyes sharpened, before you pulled him into the closet, forcing him against the wall with your weight, with a hand to his mouth. 

“Unless you want us both to get disqualified or expelled, don’t say a word.” You threatened as the door came fully open to the sound of Ward Cameron, a contributor to this hunt, and that of the dean making their way to what they believed to be a safe space for the conversation they were both partaking in. And as much as you wanted to focus and deny yourself the natural reaction of your body roused by the feeling of his against yours, your eyes found his in the sliver of light allowed by the specific grate in the center of the door, finding his eyes to lower to you as well. The usual skepticism altered for arousal as his pupils dilated when feeling your body against him. 

“It’s gonna be fine-”

“FINE? I only agreed to this because of what you promised-” Ward spat as both you and Pope looked at the small slit, approaching it to where you could both make out the physiques of both conversationalists for yourselves. 

“Nobody knows anything-”

“We should have canceled this…it’s going to bring unwanted attention…”

“Nobody knows anything, Ward. And if we were to cancel this, it would drive suspicion to us. To you.”

“That girl is gonna-”

“She won’t say anything. She knows better.”

“Can you be so sure? Because I heard that with the last one…”

‘Nobody looks at the scholarship kids, Ward,” Pope looked at you with wide eyes as you were both here on scholarship alone, unable to afford the tuition, even if the lottery were to show mercy to you. But now it had been a grant you no longer wished to have if it meant being under their thumbs in any context. 

“We’ll do what we do every year….And it’ll be fine.”

“I have a bad feeling about this year…So you make sure you keep that girl’s mouth shut or I’m taking you down with me.” The door slammed as both you and Pope continued to watch the scene before you unfold as the Dean lifted his cell to his ear. 

“Yeah, it’s me…We need to move her…off campus-where we spoke-yes! Because Cameron asked. Do YOU want to ask him? I’m sure he’d love ot have to explain it to you…So do what you’re fucking told and move Carrera off campus before the same thing happens to you.” Your eyes widened to the name. 

Kiara Carrera was a former scholarship kid who went missing the year prior. Someone neither one of you knew well, but well enough to know the name belonged to an unsolved mystery that suddenly altered this innocent scavenger hunt into one of a true race against time. 

“What are you doing?” You asked as Pope made his way from the closet once the office was cleared of anyone else, your arm taking hold of his tense bicep as the realization of how toned he was had caught you off guard. 

“That Carrera girl needs help…”

“And what do you think you’re gonna do? Going up against someone like Ward Cameron? He has even the judges and politicians under his thumb, “ You bowed your head, having known this better than anyone for reasons you wouldn’t offer to someone you could scarcely trust. 

“I can’t just sit here, it sounded bad-”

“You’re right….It does. Which is why we have to win this hunt.”

“Are you really THAT selfish to win that knowing a girl’s life is in danger doesn’t make you exercise even a morsel of humanity or empathy?” You ignored his insult. 

“She won last year. And I would bet anything that’s why she’s missing…So if WE get close to that, we’ll get close to her…” You hesitated. 

“But we have to do it…together…We have a better chance that way…”

He looked to the floor, equally as resistant to the idea, “For Kiara…” He clenched his jaw before slowly nodding. 

“For Kiara…” 

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @sweetestdesire

[eddis-not-eeddis]

Every now and then my parents and the Golden Princess and I will bundle ourselves up into the gas-guzzler and hie unto the Amish produce auction. We always go with great ambitions, but we rarely get there on time (it is nearly a 100 mile drive, and tho my father drives like Jehu son of Nimshi, there is only so much you can get out of our old rust-bucket) and most of us forget our wallets, resulting in a mere 80 dollars scraped together between the four of us. When you want to buy 10 crates of watermelon, 80 dollars doth not suffice.

Tonight we made off with two bushels of peaches at the walloping price of $22 ea. (In context, everyone else got their peaches for about $18 a bushel, but Mama was determined to get those ones, and would not risk it.)

The peaches were our only acquisition, however, and Mama and Papa lost out on every other thing they bid on (except for a few ears of sweetcorn for roasting). Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Plums. Strawberries. Even the peppers my sister so desperately wanted, and the flowers my dad tried to get for my mom.

This wasn't the great tragedy it may seem, for Mom thinks spending more than $5 dollars on flowers is an extravagance bordering on a sin, and we really and truly did not need the tomatoes. Our own are still growing, and we were merely being greedy.

However.

The very last thing my mother had set her sights on was a single basket of broccoli. She wants to make a veggie pizza, and Dad has been pining for broccoli soup. She bid up to four dollars and was outbid by $0.50, and this, dear friends was not to be borne. I had upon my person twenty dollars in ones.

The auctioneer was winding down his spiel "...four-fifty, four-fifty, does anyone bid a five, five-five-five, anyone bid a five...going once, going twice--"

Up shoots my hand.

The Amish man brandishing the broccoli points in my direction. The crowd laughs. (Those broccolis were only worth about $4 to begin with.)

The auctioneer begins droning "Six-six-six."

I am ready to accept my basket of broccoli, when across the crowd, the man my mother was contending with once more raises his hand.

(Keep in mind that I am eating a hamburger throughout this entire scene. Just picture, if you will, myself, hamburger equipped, facing down a balding farmer in overalls. A bandanna is sliding out of his back pocket. The man has outbid my mother several times before. There is blood in the water.)

Before the auctioneer can rattle off his "Seven-seven-seven," my hand is up again.

The auctioneer is a master of his trade, but for all his skill, he cannot keep up with the two of us. Pretty soon my hand is permanently aloft--and so is my opponent's--while the auctioneer rattles off numbers as fast as he can.

The broccoli is nearing my limit. My parents know I only have twenty dollars on me, and my mother digs her elbow into my side and threatens "If you buy that broccoli, you will have to eat it all by yourself!

I do not like broccoli, so my hand falls faster than the millstone which smote Abimelech. The auctioneer keeps going until the Amish man displaying the wares follows my esteemed mother's example and jabs the man in the side with a well-placed elbow.

"SOLD!" The auctioneer shrieks, spitting out the price so fast it breaks the sound barrier and gesturing for his cohort to mark it onto the box before my nemesis can realize how much trouble he is in and stick me with the bill.

Afterwards the farmer came over to shake my hand and offer my mom some broccoli (which she very graciously refused—she felt he earned every bit of that broccoli) and the Amish men thanked me for getting them such a good deal.

I love the produce auction.

[writ-in-violant]

Blake Kearney

Names/Title: Blake Kearney, Chen Xiuying, and many others; the Acrimonious Agent

Pronouns: He/They

Referred to as: Detective, Sir

Profession: Detective & Watcher (Aiming for Midnighter)

Ambition: Nemesis (ongoing)

Closest to: The Great Game

Associated Stats: Watchful, Dangerous, A Player of Chess

Associated Quirks: Ruthless, Steadfast, Subtle

Destiny: Gleam

Background

Blake is uncertain about many of the specifics of his birth. He was born as Chen Xiuying in Shanghai's International Settlement sometime around 1868, and while he knows his mother was Chinese he doesn't know his father's origins. He spent most of his young childhood in the International Settlement; he faintly recalls there being some reason he left his mother's house young, but while he has conjecture he has no solid memory of why he ran away. While living on the street, his talent for languages and the fact that he was easily overlooked caught the eye of a British spy who was stationed there; the man, who went by Reynard Martin, took the young Xiuying (his name, at the time) in and taught them the basics of spycraft, which Xiuying took to like a fish to water.

Martin was something in between a teacher, a handler, and a father to Xiuying. He was accepting of their fondness for wearing male guises and quickly took to introducing the young man as such, and while initially he used Xiuying to gather information and rumor, Blake at least suspects that the other man genuinely cared for them; certainly when Martin was re-assigned away from Shanghai, he gave Xiuying the option to come with him and continue their education, and Xiuying agreed.

Over the next few decades, Blake used many names and played many roles as a member of Britain's spy networks throughout Europe. He was a tool of the government more than he was a person, but he was good at it, and had been inducted so young that he didn't really have moral qualms about what he was doing.

And then, when he was around 23 years old, he was on an assignment in Ireland (I like to think it was figuring out how likely Ireland was to split off from Great Britain. Answer: very) and ended up extremely injured. He was in a small town and a clearly foreign stranger, and most of the town was very wary about helping him, but the assistant to the local doctor stepped in anyway and saved Blake's life, even putting him up in his own rooms while he healed from a seriously broken leg and an abdomen wound.

That doctor's assistant, Blake learned upon regaining consciousness, was named Liam O'Connell, and when he asked Blake's name in return Blake scrambled for a name, ended up with "Blake Kearney," and hasn't stopped using it since. Over the month and a bit it took for Liam to become thoroughly convinced Blake was in fact healed, the two men grew closer, in the end having what both desperately tried to pretend was a one-time fling right before Blake left.

...but neither of them could forget about the other, and the next time Blake had a break from his work, he actually took it and went to visit Liam. The two developed a romance over the next five years, and in the process Blake learned something of how to be a person rather than just a tool -- to the point he realized he'd be happier staying with Liam than he would as a spy. He planned to quit, to go clean, to stay with Liam, to find a dress that still fit and trick some priest into marrying them, just so they both knew they'd promised themselves to each other.

And then, on his last mission, he came back to Liam's funeral in 1896. It took Blake a few months to track down the mysterious name and rose petals, but he descended to the Neath in early 1897.

In the Neath

Much like Vivian, while Blake's ambition is technically ongoing, in-universe he did finish it before 1899(2). Unlike me, he is actually living down there on the day to day and has the death of a loved one driving him. I think he concluded his ambition around late 1989/early 1899(1).

Blake took to the search for the truth behind Liam's death with singleminded dedication, but as with all things in the Neath, he ended up needing connections and assistance to achieve this. One of the first friends he made was the Honey-Addled Detective, who put Blake in touch with many of the resources a sharp-minded young investigator would need in the Neath; Blake remains a friend of the man and they can often be found discussing cases together, as despite his other occupations Blake still does work as a detective, particularly aiding with finding missing people.

During the Horticulture Show, Blake captained the ship The Green Knight and, in the process of attacking the Roof, lost an eye. He replaced with with a Fourth-City eyeball, giving him his distinctive odd-eyed look; it aids his perception considerably. He tries to avoid unnecessary connections, but balances getting along with the Duchess and the Widow -- the latter, through aiding in her business and offering sound advice, and the former, through canny decisions and a mutual love of cats. Blake has several cats of his own; Waterlily, his Lamp-Cat, is most frequently seen with him, but he also has a kitten he affectionately calls Trouble and has been rumored to be seen with a midnight matriarch once in the retinue of the Duchess.

Still, most would characterize Blake as a forbidden, dour man worthy of his title as the acrimonious agent. He is a ruthless man if crossed and capable of great cruelty to achieve his goals -- after all, his gateway to ever being a normal man, and not a tool, is now forever closed in his mind. And a tool doesn't have moral qualms about what it does to achieve its wielder's aims. Unexpectedly for him, he's taken on a ward of his own; Sarantani, (or Sara,) a half-Khaganian pirate's daughter working as a Costermonger at the Docks, proved to be insightful enough to figure out he was a spy and curious enough to follow him, and now he tries to teach her the tools of the trade while sparing her the same level of depersonalization he ended up with. She calls him her dad, but not to his face; he'd be extremely flustered if he ever heard it himself.

As of right now no Exceptional Stories are canon for Blake but I'll probably grab some of the cat ones at some point.

[xiv-wolfram]

Debriefing - Comic Script

A Realm Reborn - Level 50

Wolfram speaks with Raubahn after the Praetorium.

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological List)

This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number.

Shot from the cutscene of everyone standing talking. Narrator - “Wolfram, the Warrior of Light, has just defeated Gaius van Baelsar and the Ultima weapon. Having emerged victorious from the Praetorium, General Raubahn (his former partner and current commanding officer in the Immortal Flames) wishes to have a few words with him. They had a misunderstanding when Wolf joined the Flames leaving them in a sort of limbo, each feeling friendly but believing the other wants to keep things strictly professional."

They’re standing off on their own. Rau beams - "I'm so glad you're alright!" Thought - 'I thought I'd lost him for a moment there.'

Wolf straight face - “Aye, I didn’t lose control or run. You had nothing to worry about. Perhaps next time you’ll have a bit more faith in me?” Dark Thought - 'You just got lucky and you know it.'

Rau scoffs - “Hells Wolf. It’s not about faith, I was simply worried for your safety.” Thought - 'He's in an odd mood for one who should be celebrating.'

Wolf glares, annoyed - “I know I have a bit more to be concerned about than the average soldier - but if you fuss over the rest of them at all like that I pray you stop. Leadership needs to show confidence in their subordinates.” Thought - 'Why am I speaking to him like this? It's not him that I'm upset with…'

Rau, shocked. Thought - ‘He believes I worry about everyone like that?!’ says - “Wolf that’s not what I meant. I'm trying to say I'm glad you survived the ordeal. I care if you live or die, you know…personally. Seven hells, why are you acting so formal with me? Subordinate? I'm aware things were a bit tense the night before our assault on the Castrum but -"

Wolf apologetic - “ - I’m sorry Raubahn, I shouldn’t give you a hard time. Just know that I have things handled when it comes to combat in the future. I'll admit…I may still be a bit on edge after speaking with Baelsar.” Dark Thought - ‘Keep trying to convince yourself of that. I’ll enjoy it when you finally lose control.’

Rau concerned - “Oh? Not a problem with the fight itself? What did he say that bothered you?” Thought - 'That bastard…'

Wolf clenched jaw - “The man is just insufferable. First thing he does is offer Cid a job after rambling about his father. Then the bastard had the nerve to ask me to join his cause. *ME*! I suppose he doesn't do much research on his enemies."

Rau scoffs - "What a fool. He should know what an Ala Mhigan looks like by now. How did you respond?" 

Wolf grins - "I told him he was a dumb cunt to think he had the right to even *speak* to an Ala Mhigan after what he'd done to our country."

Rau laughs - "There's the Wolfram I remember! Would that I'd been there to tell him the same." Thought - ‘I hated having to stay here knowing he was risking his life.’

Wolf smiles. Thought - ‘It would have been nice to fight together again.’ Says - "I wish you had been as well. It was a strange experience. You know I'd sort of built up the man in my head as this imposing nemesis. The source of all my suffering but… he was just a man. A pathetic man at that. The pawn of an Ascian."

Wolf explains enthusiastically but annoyed - "He was spouting a bunch of nonsense about strength. Saying that Eorzea belonged to those strong enough to take it. Only the strong could protect it. As if that were some unique idea when it's the same drivel I've been hearing for years anytime I fought someone seeking to justify their actions born from ambition."

Rau raises an eyebrow knowingly. "So you no longer value strength and power?" Thought - 'He really has grown from his mistakes…how rare.'

Wolf grins - "Aye, the irony is clear to me as well. He was under the impression that I was fit to rule Eorzea - simply for defeating him in battle. I couldn't help but laugh openly. It was hard to keep my composure in the face of such narcissistic ignorance.”

Rau laughs - "Oh gods… you ruling over anything sounds like your idea of hell. I still remember that drunken rant about how Ul'dah should be in the hands of the people. Fortunately your audience was just as deep in their cups as you were."

Wolf explains smugly - "Oh, I still believe that. Not just Ul'dah but everywhere. Those religious nuts in Ishgard. Those beholden to the whims of the Elementals in Gridania. Especially anywhere the damned Garleans occupy."

Wolf thinks, with an amused smile - "Perhaps not Limsa… I take comfort knowing the Admiral keeps those pirates in line." Thought - ‘Hopefully I’m not being too offensive. Nanamo is great as far as monarchs go.’.

Rau chuckles - "You surely do have an interesting view of things. Did Van Baelsar say aught else?" Thought - 'I really missed him… perhaps more than I wanted to acknowledge. Wonderfully strange man.'

Wolf crosses his arms, furrows his brow - “Just repeated the bit from his ultimatum about the Eorzean’s hypocrisy. As if I were somehow blind to it. A refugee from a country they turned their backs on. Thanks to the Echo, able to communicate with the beast tribes enough to know there are two sides to the Primals story. I know not why I was given it but at least I’m using what power I've been granted to try to change things while causing the least harm to others. The Garlean way is the easy way, true systemic change is hard.”

Rau looks off to the side, embarrassed - “Alas, I am in part responsible for that hypocrisy… somewhere along the line I stopped fighting for our people. I was always brushed aside when I brought it up. I’m just… so tired.”

Wolf puts his right hand on Rau’s shoulder comfortingly and smiles - “That you acknowledge your flaws and feel shame for them already makes you a better leader than all the rest combined. You will put things right in time.” Thought - ‘I probably shouldn’t hug him right? Aye, very unprofessional…’

Rau beams, putting his right hand over Wolf’s - “Thank you. I promise I will. I have not forgotten our people, though it may seem that way at times.”

Wolf glances at Rau's hand holding his. Smiles awkwardly. Thought - 'This is confusing. Are we coworkers or are we friends? I can't navigate this …I'll just keep talking.' Says - "So um… then I destroyed the Ultima weapon and that's where shit got weird. Lahabrea attacked."

Rau looks worried and moves his hand away, 'Oh gods, I've made him uncomfortable.' Says - "The Ascian possessing Thancred?"

Wolf nods - "Aye, and then I found myself in a large dark place. Lit only by the bright light of the Mother Crystal. Lahabrea was there - both as Thancred and what I assume was his true form."

Wolf puts his hand to his head in confusion, looking embarrassed - "She bade me make a blade of light and summon my allies. You were there… I'm not sure how I did it but we rushed Lahabrea and destroyed the dark crystal enabling Thancred's possession."

Rau surprised - "I am glad you were able to free your friend from the fiends thrall, but Wolf…the Mother Crystal *spoke* to you? That is quite significant!"

Wolf turning red and smiling awkwardly - "Aye… she has for a while now. Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind but Minfilia called me a Warrior of Light and said others were referring to me by the same title. I'm meant to be "guided by the Crystal's will"… me of all people."

Wolf staring at the ground, worried face - "Out of all Eorzea, why me?" Dark Thought - "There has to have been a mistake. Why would she choose a waste of aether like you?"

Rau smiles and gestures encouragingly - "Why not you?! One who has overcome so much. You've learned from your mistakes, show compassion to your enemies, and have dedicated your life to helping others. On top of all that you're a hell of a fighter. Who better to be her warrior?"

Wolf looks at him, smiling sadly and shrugging - "You know why. I'm simply damaged goods." Rau looks at him worried as someone off frame shouts - "General Aldynn, they’re calling on you to give a speech."

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological List)

[sparingiscaring]

One of my favorite character-building exercises for my FL PC's (ba dum tss) is gauging how Developed and Separate from their strict roles in game is just. Switching their ambitions in my head, and seeing just what would happen. Like, I made each of you with one purpose, and for quite a while, that purpose was all you were. Can you stand on your own, down in the Neath, for another reason all together?

Anyways, under the cut is me rambing about my OC's in AU's as a creative exercise

Damodar Wali - Nemesis PC

Light Fingers - Oh BOY would Dam here ThRIVE in LF proper, but the pre-orphanage stuff? That's... where I struggle. I can see him getting to the Neath after his brother's death (just a NORMAL murder this time :3) in a listless state of depression and "can't be any worse down there and if it is i'm too sad to care" being his mantra, but i think it would take a few YEARS at LEAST to start the hunt for the diamond. Like, he needs to go through his recent "I MUST LIVE FOREVER" arc before he looks at that old note about the diamond, and it CLICKS in his brain that. oho. big diamond. maybe from mountain. I Need It. And he fits so perfectly after that! Already a university man, so he's in with Dr. Vaughn so quickly, basically becoming Dad 2 to the LF crew, and Dad Prime to Kiddo, and absolutely LOVING all the shapeling art stuff. I can't get the image out of my head of him walking out of the nightmare orphanage, covered in blood, and wearing the kiddo in a baby chest carrier. And, even though it pains him, he WILL keep the kiddo free, and decline the diamond. he can always get another one, but he can't get another kid. Also the love thing is fucked up so even if he didn't love kid he would say no, but just with a lot more regrets as soon as the danger was passed. but he loves kid so it's Fine

heart's Desire - Oh Lord You Know Who he's Wishing Would Come Back From The Dead. Fuck You Beechwood Bros Before hoes. he Would Personally hate That Monkey More Than Pages. What Are Your Theories. You Are A Disgrace.

Bag A Legend - .... veils ate his brother and he's going to kill it for that. it's so unlike him. i've got nothing else.

Leigh Corbyn - Light Fingers PC

heart's Desire - Real talk? Light Fingers was a misclick. The smooth-talking former con-man who forgot to finish A Name Whispered in Darkness until post paramount presence was, surprisingly, originally meant to do heart's desire. I procrastinated picking for 4 months, finally decided to pick, was torn between the two, looked at Light Finger's pathway in Spite, decided that just wasn't fun sounding, and accidentally clicked it as i scrolled. In fact, it's baked into Leigh's backstory that he was 100% here for the Marvelous, got too addicted to opium, and woke up with a note about a diamond, and he's just PRETENDING he knows the woman involved, even though he just found it on the floor a few bottles ago. In a slightly soberer world, Leigh would have excelled at hD, but without all the character development specifically tied to the horrors of LF, Leigh would be... insufferable. It would be terrible for everyone around him. he would also make it everyone else's problem by choosing Adoration, and forcing all of London to deal with his BS. this is the worst ending.

Bag A Legend - Gotta get that drug and drink money, baby! he doesn't last a week, because he drinks too much Absinthe and gets eaten.

Nemesis - Once again, I struggle to make this fit! Leigh original characterization was pure hedonism, so it's hard to make him fit into the more somber ambitions, and his later developments only happen because of the horrors he witnessed in LF prompting a complete and utter breakdown mid-roof. I think just maybe that Nemesis might be possible, as the death of the loved one might trigger that breakdown, especially if Leigh can blame their death on his own bravado for a while, but I can't be sure. The con-artist womanizer finally settling down in a quiet home, far from his family and his past, only to come home from the only honest job he's ever had to fine his spouse, dead? Oh. Oh, there is something there...

Eliza Marlow - hearts Desire PC

Bag A Legend - I've been recently thinking a lot about Eliza (as Cardsy), and about it's sadistic murder hobby, and about how, in a couple decades, it will just start hunting and eating people probably. And why not give it another way to that end? Do a cheeky little murder after losing a card game, get sent to New Newgate, and, oh, what's that, flying past the dirigible, with a man in it's jaws? And there's a bounty on its head, you say? And of course, when all aspects are dead, and the head hangs proudly from its hands, it's really not a surprise that they take over the business and place of Mr Veils so easily.

Nemesis - Eliza is going to fucking murder its sister in it's place whenever it gets tired of the human identity. It's literally going to kill her violently and with its teeth. This does not work, it does not really care about anyone enough to Avenge Them. No.

Light Fingers - Eliza bails after it find out there's no actual diamond. Like, immediate tea slurp and turning around and going home. No money, no power? Fuck this, it's out. Which is probably a good thing, because it would pick the Objectively Incorrect Ending. Even if it didn't believe there was a diamond as a reward. It just likes making people feel anguish.

Wadiya Babar - Bag A Legend PC

Nemesis - Interestingly, I can't think of a single reason Wadiya would ever find themselves on the Nemesis path organically, but I can see Wadiya being hired to hunt down the Nemesis after already being in the Neath, and feeling compelled to Finish the Job post-Scathewick would honestly take them all the way through, just straight after the Master. Unfortunately they would kill Mirrors, and would decimate Cups before it even has a chance to explain. All the time it gets between each stab and gunshot and harpoon is enough to, very Funnily, express complete unknowing as to who they are, as Jimmy Johnson from Liverpool was the one who's loved one died, and it would have no reason to even be aware of Wadiya, as her skill as a hunter would make this whole dance take. like. a week, max. It would be very funny and she'd look great in the cloak.

Light Fingers - Wadiya would unfortunately not qualify for this ambiton's starting hook, as they don't have friends, and nobody would ever think she'd go for a heist. Instead, you'd have to be frank about what's happening, and then they'd help! Edward is Dead. Fires is Dead. The Orphanage is on Fire. It's been a day. The baby is here now. Wadiya is teaching it how to hold a spear. Wadiya raises the bab to be a little hunting sidekick, and they do use Mr Fires's head mounted head for target practice. She's too efficient. She scares me.

hearts Desire - Wadiya's hatred of chess may have come as a result of BaL, but I just know in my heart of hearts that they would never, ever, ever consider anything game-like. Ever.

anyways hope you enjoyed :3

[gaunt-and-hungry]

Characters I haven't written about. Don't ask. I use numerous names. But repeat other names a lot because they suit the Hive Mind. So read the eldritch content below. Featuring Two Cosmic Travellers. Nemesis and Erebus. Nemesis: He/Him Erebus: They/Them

If there was such things as evil, they would never count themselves as such. If there was such things as good then they certainly would never count themselves as such. The corrosive liminality of their being itched the flesh of many and left them alone and empty in the wake of their presence. Like a ghost they made many friends but stuck nowhere. That was, after all, the way that they moved through the cosmos.

If there was such things as evil they wouldn’t count themselves as such. That is true. But that did not mean that they did not coax such things out of people. Some people thought them as selfish.

 “Survivalist”. 

“Oh, they just are a skittish wanderer.”

“They think they’re too good.”

“Must be shy.”

“So avoidant. An air of mystery?”

“No friends? Seen that before.”

None of these were accurate. They made friends. Oh yes. Just… not easily. Not readily. It’s not a lack of desire. It’s a… difficult thing. You have to understand that when the entirety of the cosmos is at your disposal there isn’t a need for such things. When it happens it’s… sort of an accident. Accidents happen to everyone. Right?

There’s a creature. It’s a thing so horrific and beguiling. It’s terror and unmistakable essence sends most eldritch forces and beings scurrying. Unmatched by most things that lurk in the twisting nethers of the universes beyond, it wore the most terrible guise that one could in the worlds beyond. That of a man. He has a name. He has a sort of… “identity”. There’s no mistaking the gut churning terror that blossoms in the guts and hearts when he is present. Even the orders of Policing nature give him the widest berth they can muster. It’s not that he’s exempt. It’s just there is nothing more horrific than what he can do to them.

He is charming. Beautiful. He wears a hat. Who doesn’t love hats? It’s a “western earth” sort of hat, brimmed gently. He dresses well. It’s not confidence that he oozes but something far more sinister and uncomfortable. He doesn’t make friends. He was from earth though. So he knows full well what that entails or what the benefits are. He isn’t an ignorant man but he also isn’t human any longer. After so much of fucking around with certain unsavoury forces and consuming enough gods of eldritch origin you sacrifice what would have once been called “humanity”. Instead it’s replaced with cosmic cruelty mutated with the insatiable curiosity and ambitions of humankind and corrupted by the personality of a man that has long since disconnected from the paltry squabbling of moral high grounds. It’s much easier to see everything for what it is once it’s been reduced to atoms.

He has a name but no one dares say it. Instead they call him by his pseudonym - an ode and a mockery of an old epitaph from a different land and a different peoples. He cannot even properly claim it for he is a mockery of anything and everything that the universe has to offer. So instead people call him “Nemesis”. It’s fitting in its own washed ways. His appetites are like a black hole and he upholds the duty of his namesake with some degree of accuracy to the more modern understandings of the Epitaphs. Make no mistake, there is no justice when this creature is around. There will be no sanctuary or safety while he breathes and lives and, unfortunately, he has become quite difficult to get rid of.

How ever those two got along or got to know one another is entirely impossible to fathom. People feared for them. People warned against Nemesis. But it was entirely possible that it was the other way around. Perhaps Nemesis was to be concerned. However it happened, no one dared ask. 

And so it was Erebus, the wayward traveller in all their glory, dark clothes and denim jacket, jeans and boots. Often there was a satchel- no. Always there was a satchel, a bag of sorts far impossibly deep and sacred. Who even knew what they carried with them. Who even knew what they were. Who even knew what they were up to or planning. But somehow the two were thick as thieves and that could either shake the entire galaxy in the most terrible ways. Or it could be the greatest blessing that the universe experienced.

There was no way to know. Ever. They were not always together. No. They parted ways often but always on good terms and unspoken knowledge of one another. Something intimate was between them in a way that made the forces that twisted and moulded the universe shake and shudder with uncertain terror. They were always quiet. They were always knowing. And with each moment and breath the universe would fear that these two unlikely companions knew something that the entirety of the cosmos did not. If they did no one would know. If they didn’t it never showed.

[tobiasdrake]

Villain Breakdown: The (Fake) True Mandarin

Oh, where do we begin with Aldrich Killian? I suppose we should start at unpacking his scheme, which is too commonly boiled down to "He randomly did a bunch of bad things because he hates Tony Stark". Gonna run this down in a bullet list real quick.

Maya invented Extremis, but only Tony was able to crack the formula.

Killian formed a Think Tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) and made a living on military contracts.

Killian hired Maya for A.I.M. and began producing Extremis.

Maya never figured out how to make Extremis stop exploding.

Killian moved ahead with the product anyway and tested it on military veterans.

The veterans started exploding. Because Maya never figured out how to make that stop happening before Killian started injecting people with it. This was so preventable.

Killian invented the Mandarin, a fake terrorist threat to cover up the explosions. His goal was to disguise his product failures as terrorist attacks.

Killian learned that the Vice President's daughter is in a wheelchair due to a lost limb, and reached out to the VP. Presumably, he would use Extremis to heal the daughter in exchange for the Vice President helping him keep his fake terror conflict rolling.

Killian planned a real terrorist attack against the President, for the purpose of installing the Vice President in his office. This would give Killian the ability to stage an entire fake war between the Mandarin and the U.S., keeping the military contracts rolling in.

Also he hates Tony. But that honestly has very little to do with anything and should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Killian is framed like he's an Obadiah Stane or Ivan Vanko. A strictly personal nemesis to challenge Tony's story. But he's actually more akin to the Red Skull. He's an honest-to-Thor megalomaniacal supervillain carrying out an overly complex sinister scheme for selfish ambitions, who the hero runs across in the line of duty and must defeat. His personal connection is extremely thin.

But you wouldn't know that from how hard the movie tries to go with it. They tried so hard to make him a deeply personal nemesis for Tony. And the most they had to work with was shipping nonsense. They clearly put a lot of thought into his plan, and forgot to write the character behind it.

(Probably because the character behind it was supposed to be Maya. But I digress.)

So the movie spends an inordinate amount of time doing, of all things, love rivalries? Oh no, Tony and Maya once had a fling. OH NO, Killian has a crush on Pepper. OH NO, Tony and Killian must fight for Pepper's love!

We traded the Mandarin for a shipping debate. I want a refund.