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wangxianficfinder · 2 years

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In the mood for a Fic...

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1. Hello!! May I request some fake/pretend relationship fics for wangxian? Preferably under 70k :)

we don't need to talk about it by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 48k, Fake dating to get an apartment, Fake Dating, the slimmest of premises there was only one bedroom, There Was Only One Bed, kissing to prove you're dating being idiots to prove you're dating, they're idiots your honor, Pining while fucking)

💖save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae (E, 33k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Single Parent WWX, Homophobia, LQR’s A+ Parenting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Idiots to lovers)

hot for teacher by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (M, 8k, WangXian, Modern AU, Kid fic, Teacher LWJ, Single parent WWX, Fluff, Getting together, different first meeting)

Wei Wuxian, Who's That? by bumbledees (T, 48k, wangxian, crossdressing, pining, sibling feels)

My Leaves Reach Ever for the Sun by nonplussed (T, 26k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fix-It, Crossdressing, Idiots in Love, Sharing a Bed, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining)

The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental baby acquisition, Kid fic, Green card marriage (but not really), Slow Burn, Endless Pining, Happy ending, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer, Translation into Русский: Самый Простой Путь Вперёд (The Simplest Way Forward) by grand_R, Spanish Translation, Turkish translation )

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2. Hello! I'm in the mood for fics where Xiao Xingchen gets a happy ending. No Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen, thank you!

Myopia by rustycol (M, 67k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, WQ Lives) Water Margin crossover; canon divergence; WWX and WN intervene at Baixue Temple, with the result that Songxiao never fall out; unfortunately hasn’t been updated in three years

💖The Book’s Cover by Eudoxia for MojoFlower (E, 49k, WangXian, Canon retelling, Canon Divergence, Genderbending, Female WWX, Genderqueer WWX, Body dysphoria, Rough sex, Reverse Big Bang 2022; Mojo’s post) the whole Yi City tragedy was prevented by a canon divergence / WWX’s Sacrifice donor’s assignment, some years earlier than the canon timeline, was to kill XY; that accomplished, XXC and SL continue happily together with their First Disciple AQ.

MDZS Work For Your Happy Ending Series by JustAWanderingBabbit (T, 118k, 3Zun, SongXiao, Mostly Canon compliant, Angst with a happy ending, Night hunt schools, Family ties, Ghost hunt, Mystery haunting, Undead Investigation Team) sapient fierce corpses SL and WN and ghosts XXC and AQ wind up founding a training Sect

Different Paths to the Same Route by JustAWanderingBabbit (T, 184k, 3Zun, Canon Divergence, What-if, Magical genetic testing, Family Feels) the Yi City battle plays out quite differently

Comfort Food / 有可能的夜晚 by Irrelevancy (G, 3k, SongXiao, Modern AU, First meetings, Street food, Taiwan, Food Porn; diasporic identity issues) is a modern AU where they’re untroubled by XY; bartender SL mentors diasporic tourist XXC into the world of Taiwanese street food

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3. hey so this isn't our main ship obvs but mods, have you come across this? bc yeah @xiaokuer-schmetterling

I swear I’ve read at least one fic with this in it but I can’t remember where OTL ~Mod L

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4. in the mood for some post-apocalyptic wangxian. can be any sort of apocalypse, happy or sad ending, any rating (but if it gets explicit, pls warn for vers wangxian or straight up bottomji 🙏)

💖the best good thing by almostsophie1 (T, 13k, wangxian, space au, post-apocalypse, touch-starved, non-sexual intimacy, hurt/comfort, might make you cry)

❤️A Corpse Called By Name by jaemyun (Not rated, 60k, wangxian, angst w/ happy ending, zombie apocalypse, zombie WWX, yunmeng trio)

💖Fated Meeting by LtLJ (G, 6k, wangxian, canon divergence, arranged marriage, post apocalypse, hurt/comfort, happy ending, YLLZ WWX, BAMF LWJ)

When the Sky Settles and I'm Still Here by celerydragon (E, 19k, wangxian, ABO, post-apocalypse, omega WWX, alpha LWJ, starvation, age difference, nesting, mating bites, smut)

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5. hi! i was wondering if you have any fic recs A) enemies to lovers wangxian or B) exes to lovers wangxian, please? thank you 💖

5A)

Caffeine, Small Talk by mistergoblin (E, 124k, wangxian, modern, friends w/ benefits, enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, smut, slow burn, touch-starved LWJ, misunderstandings, switching, bottom LWJ, sub LWJ, happy ending, WIP Ch 10/11)

mountains,we met by fruitys (E, 79k, wangxian, historical au, the handmaiden fusion, enemies to lovers, misunderstandings, secret identity, touch-starved, pining, angst w/ happy ending, suicide attempt, emotional manipulation)

💖doing the wrong thing wholeheartedly by isabilightwood (E, 19k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, case fic, enemies to lovers, meet-ugly, there was only one bed, fakeout makeout, fluff & smut, bottom LWJ)

💖varied my velocities by fantasiavii (E, 58k, wangxian, modern, ballet au, ballet dancer LWJ, footballer WWX, internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity, enemies to lovers, dom/sub, sub LWJ, bottom LWJ, dom WWX, anxiety attacks, angst w/ happy ending, smut)

no certainty of door between us by betts (T, 6k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, roommates, drunken confessions, enemies to lovers, sharing clothes, hurt/comfort, fluff)

5B)

The Right to Care by travelingneuritis (E, 61k, wangxian, modern, mood whiplash, musician LWJ, nanny WWX, developing relationship, breakup, pining, angst w/ happy ending, adoption, child abuse, miscommunication)

🧡Life as a House by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 55k, WangXian, Modern AU, Post-Divorce, Father-Son Relationship, Reconciliation, Therapy, Angst with a happy ending)

Tempo Rubato by Spodumene (E, 108k, wangxian, modern, angst w/ happy ending, romance, persuasion au, separations, pining, miscommunication, depression, self-harm, reconciliation, smut, Mojo’s post)

no balance by silverclaw (G, 20k, wangxian, JC/LXC, modern, post-divorce)

Same River, New Me by Winglesss (M, 7k, wangxian, modern, angst w/ happy ending, rock star WWX, post-divorce, kid fic, suicide attempt, past drug abuse & addiction, adultery, hospitalization, reconciliation, self-worth issues, fluff, non-explicit sex)

after divorce, you still kept my ribbon by Lanwangjibottom (M, 4k, wangxian, modern, post-divorce, reunions, angst w/ happy ending, implied/referenced homophobia, bottom LWJ, age difference, older WWX)

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6. Hello!! I love reading all the recs you mods gather here 💕 thanks a lot for your hard work! For the next in the mood post, I'd like some recs that focus on wwx's reaction to lwj having taken a-yuan in the Lan sect 🥺

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7. Hey mods! I appreciate all the work you do to help us out, many many thanks. Now, i was wondering if you guys could recommend some fics were wangxian are parents to both Sizhui and Jingyi? Doesn’t need to have papapa, but if it does then I would appreciate TopLwj + BottomWwx only.

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8. hello!!! do u guys have any lesser known monster aus? thank youuuu

💖Fairy Dust by Zer0Two (M, 6k, wangxian, fantasy au, BAMF WWX, moth WWX, with side of eltritch, witch LWJ, non-sexy macro/micro, kidnapping, comedy, wing kink, bathing/washing, non-explicit sex)

Howling by MimiSpearmint (E, 40k, wangxian, modern w/ magic, mortal instruments fusion, horror, eldritch, fluff, witchcraft, shifter LWJ, celtic mythology & folklore, angst w/ happy ending, smut, switching)

The Gardener by tunnelOFdawn (T, 1k, wangxian, dark LWJ, eldritch horror)

pale, glittering sea by Sanguis (E, 8k, wangxian, bloodborne fusion, body horror, eldritch horror, smut)

You are what you eat by deliciousblizzardshark (E, 17k, wangxian, major character death, canon divergence, eldritch WWX, horny LWJ, body horror, possession, cannibalism, fluff & humor, smut, switching)

💖Mirage by mondengel (Not rated, 1k, wangxian, eldritch, fluff)

hollow voices ringing in your ears by LunaChi_KuroShihone (G, 5k, wangxian, LSZ & LWJ, angst & feels, fluff, eldritch lans, family feels, horror, family secrets, cuddling & snuggling)

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9. Sorry for bothering all of u mods of this blessed blog, but do any of you have a recommendation on fics where wei ying is sickly, like perhaps sickly (the long lasting stuff) because of his time in the street or even burial mounds. I mean I've found plenty of sickfic but they're just not it. So I'm sorry i think I'm going to need some help with this. Thank u very much.

silt, or scurvy by astronicht (M, 11k, wangxian, series in progress) WWX is suffering (and concealing) the effects of demonic cultivation as a chronic illness.

a small change Series by celialoves_lwj (T, 92k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Sick fic, Somebody Lives/Not everyone dies, Golden Core Reveal, Angst, Fix-It of Sorts)

the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 70k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Golden Core Reveal, Chronic pain, Switching, Good sibling JC, Panic attacks, PTSD, LWJ stays at the Burial Mounds)

🧡Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Pre-canon, Dying WWX, Getting Together, Light angst, Happy ending, Fluff, Good uncle LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Everybody Lives, Not YZY Friendly)

❤️ A Burning Cold by MountainRose (G, 29k, no ships, Chronic Illness, Pre-Canon, Nirvana in Fire Fusion, Character Study, Wen Bullshit, Suibian, Snow Beetle Poison, Mojo's bookmark)

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10. Thank you so much for all your hard work Mods!! I'm the mood for some semi-dark Lan clan fics where they 'steal' wwx away from the Jiang clan. Bonus if they acknowledge that the Jiang siblings truly love wwx but sometimes siblings love doesn't make a situation okay. Hoping for something similar to "Hoards and treasures" by apathyinreverie

Like stones on an unseen board by Vir_Abelasan (Not rated, 11k, wangxian, age difference, dark lwj, manipulation, implied abuse, corporal punishment, happy ending, not jiang friendly) not a precise match but it fits the overall mood of the request

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11. hello!! do you know any good mpreg fics with wwx pregnant and lwj as the father? thanks!! <3

💖Until The End by abCEE (M, 365k, wangxian, canon divergence, communication, established relationship, sunshot campaign, mpreg, canon typical violence, WWX has new golden core, canonical character death, happy ending, fix-it of sorts)

Many Lan babies Series by LuckyMoonly (Varied, 391k, WIP, WangXian, Story collection, Mpreg, Pregnant WWX only, Family Fluff, Found Family, Kid fics)

On The Way Home by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 58k, WangXian, Modern AU, Mpreg, Non-a/b/o mpreg, Unprotected Sex, Unexpected Pregnancy, Friends With Benefits, Getting Together, Pining while fucking)

Born to Blossom, Bloom to Perish by LadyMithiel (M, 110k, WIP, WangXian, A/B/O, Mpreg, Angst, Mostly Canon compliant)

🧡Like Rabbits by Setari (T, 41k, Kid fic, Canon rewrite, Mpreg, Miscarriage scare, Crack treated seriously, Hopeful ending)

🧡Don't Wanna Fall by nekojita (M, 111k, Mpreg, A/B/O, Fix-it, Lots of pining, Angst with a happy ending, Canon Divergence, Child thief WN)

Accidents Will Happen by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 45k WangXian, Post Canon, Mpreg, Fluff, Light angst)

🧡Brilliant Mistake by brooklinegirl (E, 53k, WangXian, Modern AU, Sex Pollen, Mpreg, dubcon, Modern Cultivators, Dubious Medical Science)

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12. Hii was hoping you could recommend some wangxian time travel fics- but where modern day wwx ends up in the past in canonverse (preferably with chaotic wwx moments ✨️)

Wrong Turn, Right Place by diamondbruise (E, 71k, WangXian, Time Travel, kind of, it’s more reality travel but there’s modern wwx and cultivator lwj, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jealousy, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Misunderstandings, Cultural Differences)

Crazy Little Thing Called Time by kippalittlefox (T, 11k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, getting together, angst w/ happy ending)

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13. Do you have any junior quartet shenanigans???

Ouyang Zizhen and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day by huxiyi (G, 16k, wangxian, OYZZ & juniors, modern w/ magic, humor, crack, coming of age, highschool au)

Hanguang-Jun's Flawless Taste In Men by Elhana (T, 6k, wangxian, canon compliant, OC POV however Junior quarter centric, reunion)

live from new york by varnes (E, 87k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, This is a SNL AU, however the juniors are featured and there are lots of shenanigans!, slow burn, friends to lovers, pining, getting together, happy ending)

Battle Chefs by sami (T, 25k, WangXian, QingLiSu, Modern AU, Reality Show AU, Cooking show AU, Recap format, QS POV, Humor, [Podfic] Cold read of Battle Chefs by kisahawklin)

if you ever feel alone, don’t by livinginaworldofnoise (G, 25k, wangxian, modern, college/university au, texting, group chat au, fluff & crack, pining, miscommunication, bad matchmaking)

❤️grow by cafecliche (T, 14k, wangxian, Mojo’s post) - de-aged wwx with big-brother juniors

💖green flame, black flute, red ribbon by Fleetling (T, 3k, pre-wangxian, LJY pov, BAMF WWX, people will die violently for kidnapping the babies, hurt/comfort)

Dad’s got a Date With a Vampire by PaPaYa_Bites (T, 7k, LXC/NMJ, modern, wangxian, vampire au, vampire LWJ, teacher LWJ, humor, getting together, family feels, meet-cute)

💖A Dramatic Reading by pupeez4eva (Not rated, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, humor, public confessions, curses, getting together)

The Full Form of Press by Vamillepudding (G, 12k, wangxian, post-canon, comedy, wherein the juniors found a newspaper)

Life is Very Long by Vamillepudding (T, 12k, wangxian, JC & WWX, JL & WWX, post-canon, comedy, misunderstandings, protective JC, protective JL, oblivious WWX, protective LWJ)

❤️The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts by aubreyli (T, 20k, wangxian, Mojo’s post)

❤️The One-Body Problem by metisket (T, 29k, LJY & WWX, LJY & LSZ, wangxian, possession, cohabitation, Mojo’s bookmark)

Silent Rules by SherlocksHound (G, 700, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff and Humor) the ultraclassified Secret Rules of the Gusu Lan ducklings’ Wei Wuxian Protection Squad: “Remember this list does not officially exist and you are not lying by not mentioning it. Therefore do not speak of (it) in the presence of anyone else but your group leader, the book keepers or Lan Jingyi."

When We Go Away by LiterallyThePresident (T, 5k, JL/LJY/LSZ/OYZZ, power reveal, mutant au, fluff & humor, OYZZ has precognitive abilities)

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14. I made an ask before and I thank the mods greatly for the reccs!!!! They were all wonderful!!! I have returned once again to ask for the next IITMF, can I see some Accidental Marriage fics this time? I hope the mods have a wonderful day!!!

swiss cheese theory by varnes (M, 18k, WangXian, Modern AU, SNL AU, Secret Marriage, Accidental Marriage)

Take Me to the Chapel, Love! by wayward_winga (T, 3k, wangxian, fluff, accidental marriage, drunken shenanigans, drunk LWJ, older WWX)

long time coming by syriala (G, 2k, wangxian, getting together, fluff, accidental marriage, pining)

Only Fools Rush In by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 27k, wangxian, modern, woke up married, pining, getting together, no sex happen under alcohol influence)

Something Kind of Normal by phnelt (T, 12k, wangxian, post-canon, accidental marriage, JC & WWX reconciliation, getting together, secret marriage)

forces of attraction by bleuett (M, 21k, wangxian, romantic comedy, WWX raised by BSSR au, developing relationship, accidental marriage, fluff, no war au, happy ending)

That Time Wei Wuxian Fell In Love With His First Officer And Didn't Even Realize by seungchxn (E, 9k, wangxian, star trek fusion, captain WWX, first officer LWJ, vulcans, fluff & smut, pining, accidental marriage)

Dare to Weave by quoth_the_ravenclaw (T, 3k, wangxian, accidental marriage, getting together)

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15. Hi! I've been in the mood for modern!dadxian fics. Wangxian pls, preferably where wwx and lwj meet or remeet in the fic? Absolutely No ABO or mpreg pls its a big squick for me. Any recs from mods or followers? Thank you very much!!

(You might enjoy some of the fic recs in 5A on this post - Mod C)

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16. I would also like if you find any wangxian time travel fix it's fic or any watching the show or reading the book anything is fine

Til Death Do Us Part by Fuck_It_Up_Kenneth (Not Rated, 55k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Soft WangXian, Fluff, Angst with a happy ending, Fix-It of Sorts)

Sacrifices Made with Blood by NocturnalFriend (M, 80k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Angst, Hurt/comfort, Trauma, Trust issues, español Translation)

Alternate by Hanashi_o_suru (M, 37k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Canon Divergence, Spanish Translation)

Another chance by lightsfillthesky (G, 41k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Hurt/comfort)

in case of fire, break glass by Jenrose (T, 65k, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship, Hurt/comfort, Everyone loves/nobody dies)

It is a serious thing just to be alive by Itgoeson (E, 57k, WangXian, Time Travel, Trans WWX, Established Relationship, Angst with a happy ending)

No, Lan Wangji, You Cannot Marry Someone You Just Met! by soulmateenthusiast (T, 40k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Established Relationship)

Here With Me by iamwish (T, 42k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel Fix-It, No war AU, Not YZY Friendly, Somebody Lives/Not everyone dies, Established Relationship)

The Wild Geese's Tomb by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (T, 66k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fix-it, Temporary Character Death)

Characters React compilation post

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL THE SUGGESTIONS!

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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travllingbunny · 3 years

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What is an Endgame Ship?

I recently got tagged in one of those fandom asks posts, with questions about ships, which included "Ship(s) You Wish Had Been Endgame" and "Favorite Ship(s) That's Endgame"... and I'm still not sure how to answer this. It made me think about the fact that I've never been clear on what exactly consitutes an "Endgame Ship". Do

Does it necessarily mean that the characters are in a happy relationship at the end of the story? If so, it sounds like the expression is based on the assumption that every character will be alive and in a relationship at the end of the story, as in classic romcoms - but that doesn't always happen, at least not in non-romcom stories. (As it happens, a lot of my favorite ships don't get a happy ending, even if they are the main romance for their characters. I should probably watch more comedies and fewer angsty SciF/post-apocalyptic dramas, angsty contemporary dramas, angsty period dramas, angsty supernatural dramas, etc.)

What if a show ends with a character rebounding with someone just met after the love of their life has died - does it feel right to call tht other ship "endgame" and award it the same status as something like FitzSimmons on Agents of SHIELD, I dunno, Booth and Brennan on Bones? What if a ship is a main romance of the story but the story is a tragedy ends with both characters dying? (Even Romeo and Juliet wuld not be considered an Endgame Ship if a happy ending is a requirement for that.) What if the endgame is for the main couple to sacrifice themselves in a big romantic moment together? What if they are a main romantic couple but break up/go separate ways and are single but are still in love with each other and there's a vague hope might try again someday?

I went and asked that question on Twitter and I got some interesting replies. Some people said that an Endgame Ship is one where the love and connection between the two is shown to be stronger than any other that they have had, even if one of them dies; that it is

a ship portrayed as soulmates, so to speak, that should end up together, regardless if they really do or not. On the other hand, one person said that a ship cannot be endgame unless they are together at the end, but with the caveat that there are some exceptions... such as those rare cases when the characters are somehow "together" in a virtual reality or implied to be together as ghosts etc. But after a brief discussion of some examples, they said that a ship can also be a clear endgame without a happily ever after, even if they are not together at the end, but it is implied that it will always come back to this person for both of them. And that (spoiler for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, if you happen to be one of the rare people unaware of what happens in the last two seasons regarding Willow's love life) no one would argue Kennedy was Willow's Endgame Ship even if they ended up the show together after Willow lost the love of her life, Tara. They concluded that the whole "Endgame" thing is subjective as it means the "love of your life" for many people regardless of whether a couple technically ends up together (or alive).

What do you think?

#ships #endgame ship #what is an endgame ship #buffy the vampire slayer #willow and tara

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thepointoftheneedle · 3 years

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Thank you for the tag @nightskiye.

How many works do you have on AO3? 53

What’s your total AO3 word count? Hmmm, guesstimate about 700k words- ish. I have a toxic relationship with the stats page so I can't check that.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? Only Riverdale although something like My Heart's An Autoclave is totally a songfic so maybe some could count as The Mountain Goats crossovers.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The Lightning, I’ll Dance With The One That Brought Me, Sunlight Held Together With Water, Dazed With Moonlight, Hey Pixie Dream Girl, I'm Coming For Your Man!

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I try to respond to all of them. I really enjoy comments and, because of my toxic relationship with stats, they are the only feedback that I get, so they mean even more. Even something as simple as a ♥️ means such a lot but when someone really engages with the story, well that’s just a gift.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I have only written one story with a sad ending and I have subsequently taken it down from AO3. Life Seems Sweetest is, I suppose, ambiguous but even in that there’s hope that all will be well. I like my angst to be resolved in a satisfying way. While Time Serves is a bit melancholy but it ends happily for our OTP (and Toffee.)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? I always write a happy ending but I really like the end of The Forty Miler, everyone is living their best lives in that one.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? I wrote a post apocalyptic story inspired by a song which might qualify. The World Shines has a road trip where the magnetic poles have reversed. It’s inspired by the song Going to Georgia by TMG.

Have you ever received hate on a fic ? No

Do you write smut? If so what kind? I suppose I do, I tag for it at least. Not in every story but when it’s called for like in A Feather . I find I’m writing less and less graphically recently, more impressionistically (smut adjacent?) I did this whole pathetic fallacy thing in Chapter 6 of Miscellany - By Moonlight - which was a lot of fun to write- a metaphorical deflowering through descriptions of flowers, titter.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge but I don’t think I’d know if I had. I don't use any site except AO3 and I'm not on twitter or anything so I guess I'd never find out. (Yes I am a social media hermit).

Have you ever had a fic translated? I have given permission for a few but I don’t know if they have actually been translated.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I wrote a fic from a prompt and got a lot of helpful suggestions from @arsenicpanda once. It’s called Never No Locomotive.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? I know it’s “problematic” as hell but I’m a Heathcliff and Cathy girl, with an unhealthy side order of Hamlet and Ophelia and a, just plain wrong, dash of Raskolnikov/ Sonya. Believe me when I say that it is important to keep fiction and real life in very separate boxes (so many bitter life lessons there).

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Oh I always finish, that is both my superpower and my tragedy.

What are your writing strengths? I think I’m decent at conveying a sense of place.

What are your writing weaknesses? Pace, I gallop. It’s why I so admire writers like @sullypants and @heavy-lies-the-crown whose pacing is always immaculate.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? Love it, do it often, like in In the Mist of a Memory or The Lightning, I don’t know why it’s something to have thoughts about. I read for work in German and Italian a fair bit and converse in French and Slovak so it doesn’t occur to me to think of that as a big thing.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Riverdale

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? It changes all the time. Recently Pale Green Things was something that I really enjoyed writing.

I think everyone who wants to do this has already been tagged but if anyone wants to have a go consider yourself tagged.

#tag game

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unlackeyed · 3 years

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For new followers: Snively’s entire backstory explained, so it’s as compatible with games canon as possible! \o

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THE PROFILE:

Snively, born Colin Kintobor, Jr, is a prominent antagonist-turned-antihero in the Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM and Pre-Wave Archie Sonic Comics franchises. I write him as a canon-divergent portrayal that mingles cartoon, comic, and games canon, a morally gray character who joined and remained on the side of the Freedom Fighters (or, in games canon, the Resistance/ Restoration). He is a computer and mechanical engineering genius and a logistical whiz kid, but perilously bad at things like being extraverted and social, or a charismatic leader.

Bottom line: He’s a human, an ex-aristocrat, and an ex-evil geek.

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THE PAST:

Snively is the only son of a prominent magistrate in the human government of earth circa 2200: an earth that had become an apocalyptic wasteland far past sparing from an oncoming mass-extinction event. His mother died in his childbirth, earning him undeserved contempt from his father, Colin Sr., and sending him on a trajectory to become a social outcast and apprentice to Colin’s unconventional younger brother, scientist Julian Kintobor.

Colin Sr. and Julian were forever at odds; Julian’s intelligence rendered him the favored son, despite his repeated illegal experiments on citizens using proto-roboticization technology, allegedly intended to help the elderly and disabled cope better with earth’s toxic environment. By the time Snively was an adolescent, Colin Sr. machinated Julian’s exile, by sending him on a hopeless mission into space with a team of unconventional scientists, to locate a habitable planet elsewhere in the galaxy. Julian–Snively’s sole advocate in the family, who was truly grooming him to be a loyal lackey–courted his nephew to join him in his exile. Snively went willingly.

Julian schemed to overthrow the space station for his own ends. His coup, and the larger mission, failed, and he and Snively were the sole mission survivors, who escaped before the station and all other ships exploded. However, when they returned to earth, calculations remiss, they discovered that they had traveled through time to an earth of the 3200s, now called “Mobius.“ Mobius, they learned, was populated by intelligent bipedal animals called "Mobians." The only humans remaining, called "Overlanders” by the Mobians, were governed by a sinister organization known as “G.U.N.” Unbekownst (as of yet) to them, their own relatives, a Dr. Gerald and Maria Robotnik had once been members, before tragedy befell Maria.

Julian and Snively shortly found themselves at the mercy of King Maxmillian Acorn, father of Sally Acorn, who took mercy on them and used Julian’s inside knowledge of the Overlands to win the ongoing war with the Overlanders. The king knighted Julian and nominated him the new Minister of Science, only to be thanked with a coup, the roboticization of 90% of the population of Mobius (including Sonic’s uncle, Sir Charles “Chuck” Hedgehog), and the king’s exile to an empty dimensional pocket called “The Void” (Sonic SatAM canon). Snively, ambivalent but cowardly and without options, assisted Julian in his coup.

Not a month passed before Snively realized he had been duped and betrayed by his uncle, who renamed himself Ivo Robotnik. Though granted the title of Second-in-Command of Robotropolis, and soon feared by the robot “Badniks” and remaining Mobians for his own far more diligent style of terror, Snively realized he was little more than the lackey Robotnik had always planned him to become. He suffered the brunt of Robotnik’s legendary temper and deranged egomania more than once, both physically and psychologically. He was made to shave his head (his hair had been first lost in a freak encounter with Sonic, but the act of keeping it buzzed short soon became a way to keep him ridiculed and submissive), wear a uniform with Robotnik’s military insignia, and keep 24-hour surveillance of the “Robotropolis” mainframe system. Within years, Snively was a passive slave to his uncle, though by the time he was nearing thirty, that complacency turned into resentment: and resentment into hatred. And hatred into something that was less and less whiny and passive-aggressive. And at last, into revenge.

Snively bided his time and stepped out of the way on Doomsday (referred to, alternately, in Archie comics pre-wave canon, as the “Endgame,”) when Sonic and Sally used the legendary Power Stones to send Robotnik to the Void alongside Robotnik’s former ally, the sorcerer Ixis Naugus. Briefly, drunk on his sudden newfound power, Snively tried to run Robotropolis himself, but was quickly defeated, accidentally freeing Robotnik, Naugus, and the long-exiled King Acorn, instead. Naugus, a force to be reckoned with, became Robotnik’s master, and cast Snively out of Robotropolis. From there, Snively wandered the Great Forest and threw himself at Princess Sally’s mercy.

Surprisingly, despite having a sardonic and abrasive personality, he soon proved himself an excellent double-agent, strategist, and tech wizard, frequently collaborating with Chuck and Rotor.

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THE PRESENT:

Naugus was defeated, but during the final battle, the Void was again opened, and Snively was one of its victims. He was transported to a parallel dimension, in which some of his old frienemies exist, and some don't. G.U.N. remains, there is a version of the Freedom Fighters called “The Resistance,” and of course, Sonic remains.

Snively meets the Sonic of this universe: just as blue, brash, and heroic. He learns that the Robotnik of this universe has rechristened himself “Dr. Eggman." Back to square one, but Snively is good at surviving.

Snively travels to do IT and mechanical engineering work for several resistance cells of Mobians, including Team Dark, Team Rose, Team Chaotix, Team Sonic, and The Resistance (all games canon). He goes by the name of Snively Kintobor, but occasionally finds himself called by his long forgotten birthname (Colin) due to the unremitting kindness of his new friends.

He feels guilty, because many of these friends don’t know the terrible things he did to them in a parallel life and universe. It’s hard to forgive himself, he’s finding, and permit himself to break his own patterns of caution, self-isolation, and loneliness. Twice now he’s been torn from the home he knows and forced to begin again. Will it turn out better this time?

Frankly, he’ll do anything anyone asks if it means getting a crack at giving Uncle Eggman his just-desserts.

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This is the continuity of my mainverse and all duplicate verses unless otherwise specified <3 This blog is AU. This blog DOES NOT contain the Archie plot arc that leads to Snively’s romance with Regina Ferrum or his defeat and incarceration by Dr. Eggman.

I use SatAM screenshots and a faceclaim (Freddy Carter) interchangeably.

#reference #ooc #Snively Robotnik #Sonic the Hedgehog #long post cw #Sonic SatAM #Archie Sonic #Colin Kintobor jr #Snively Kintobor

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nuklearis-sutotok · 3 years

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I should stop.

1) You go to Chernobyl to activate your true form/DNA, how do you come back? 2) You've been arrested by the Spanish Inquisition, why? 3) If you had to guess why you'd be arrested for a past life, why do you think? 4) Pick a layer of Hell? 5) Pick an ominous theme song? 6) The first five questions could make a wild film. Fill in the gaps to your story? 7) What's the dumbest dream you've ever had? 8) You've been pulled over by a pirate ship. Yes. On land. Something causes them to panic and yeet you overboard. What is it? 9) Rant about a possession you absolutely hate? 10) In a twisted turn of events you are forced to take up some form of dance. What is your form of choice? 11) Describe your favourite cleaner without actually calling it by name? (We can't afford that kind of copyright.) 12) Go forth to the internet and look up weird laws throughout history. Tell us about one or two? 13) Your favourite rock? 14) Your favourite type of fish? 15) Your favourite constellation? 16) Create a catch phrase if you don't have one already. What is it? 17) What's a song you absolutely hate? 18) Talk about something you love? 19) Writing anything? Care to talk about it? 20) Name a profession you would hate to be in? 21) Have you ever taken part in a play? (Cast or crew.) 22) If you could raise your ancestors like the Addams Family, what would that look like for you? 23) Do you sing? 24) What song, if any, is stuck in your head? 25) What kinds of things do you like to create? 26) What kinds of things would you like to create? (Go do it!) 27) How do you think parallel you is doing right now? 28) What do you do for mindfulness activities? 29) Do you dance? 30) Can you read music? 31) What are you hiding under your desk for? 32) Pick a weapon of choice. Now... Write a ridiculous scenario you have to use it in? 33) Write a short paragraph or two about an alternate world where a major event of your choice did not happen? 34) Talk about something that fascinates you? 35) What is something you would like to learn more about? 36) Create a new word. What does it mean? 37) What's the moral of the story? 38) A pet peeve? 39) Write a post-apocalyptic scenario for yourself, what happened? Will you survive? Is it a comedy or tragedy? 40) How do you feel in graveyards/cemeteries? 41) Talk about your favourite cup/mug/glass? 42) Share a fantasy/desire? 43) Name a comfort thing? 44) Favourite type of material? (Microfiber, leather, building materials, Idk?) 45) Favourite thing to do when the power goes out? 46) Ever given a speech? 47) Do you own a snowglobe? 48) A meme you love? 49) Some favourite childhood films? 50) Insert your own question here!

#asks #ask memes #ask #questions #question lists #ask list

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ninjastormhawkkat · 3 years

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Wordgirl Au: Alliance Swap Au

Note: This au is a combination of Becky Boxleitner au and my half human/half alien Becky au. Another thing if anyone out there is a fan of the characters: Scoops, Violet Heaslip, Professor Robert Tubing, Captain Huggy Face/Bob, and Kid Math; then I am sorry. You will DEFINITELY not like this au. I am not kind to these characters in this au for a reason.

In this au, Wordgirl is still the same hero we all know, but her allies are swapped.

Becky Hope Boxleitner: In this au, Becky is a hybrid alien. She is half Inventeran and half Lexiconian. She was born on the planet Inventra which was a planet that neighbored Lexicon. In this au, Becky’s mother is Amirana Trese, a Lexiconian, and her father is Stevnen (pronounced: Stev-nen) Bauxlite (pronounced: Bow-cks-light). (Yep. I made Steven Boxleitner an alien in this au.) Inventerans are were-animal hybrids. In their were-animal form, they have a mix of human and animal features with a little more animalistic characters. They are also able to shift to a human appearance. Becky has the same abilities as her dad along with her Lexiconian powers.

Background: This Alliance Swap Au is also an au of my half human/half alien Becky au with a twist. If any of you read my bio outline of Becky’s biological mother and my headcanon, it is basically the same in this au with a few twists.

1. Amirana Trese came to Invetra on a diplomatic mission to help the Aviary Inventra scientists. Everyone on Inventra is a pursuer of knowledge. They have no military, just high defense systems. They relied on Lexicon for combat and war protection. (This ends up being their downfall.)

2. Amirana is still engaged to her awful fiancee. On this mission, she encounters Stevnen and it was true love.

3. In this au, Amirana is able to stay longer based on her diplomatic mission. (The Aviary Inventra scientists are designing and building crafts for long distance travel. Amirana is helping to test each one and offer advisory input.) She stays with Stevnen for two years, get secretly married, and have Hope (Becky).

4. The awful fiancee somehow finds out and goes into an apocalyptic rage. He convinces the other Lexicons that the Inventerans have committed a grievous mistake for getting one of their high, noble, Lexiconians impregnated by an inferior (physically inferior) Inventerans. The fiancee argues that to make up for this error, Amirana should be sent home and Stevnen should be sent to Lexicon to be punished (by death according to the fiancee.) The people and government of Inventra are more than aware, and are not blinded, to the fiancee’s corrupt nature so they refuse. They also try to get other Lexiconians to recognize that the corrupt fiancee needs to be stopped. They unfortunately fail and this causes a massive war between the two planets. The people of Inventra are quickly defeated and the corrupt fiancee leader orders that all Inventerans are to be taken from their home planet and either be killed, kept as prisoners, or low workforce.

5. Amirana’s good friend (from Amirana’s bio outline) warns her and Stevnen that the friend’s evil brother is coming to Inventra to personally punish the family. Stevnen and Amirana attempt to escape with hope to a ship. Amirana is unfortunately shot and greatly wounded by her fiancee. She urges Stevnen to still escape with their child, and with a heavy and painful heart he does. (Stevnen knows how to fly a ship from reading and from Amirana.) It is a painful, tearful departure between the lovers. Stevnen is able to escape the planet before Amirana’s fiancee and his armada catches him. Amirana is unfortunately killed and her fiancee makes her death justifiable in the eyes of Lexicon. Another note about Inventerans is that they develop a empathetic link with their mates, no matter if they are the same species. So Stevnen definitely feels Amirana’s death. Hope is only 1 1/2 years old when this happens.

6. Stevnen crashes on Earth. (He is a good pilot, not the best.) He gets out of the ship with his daughter tucked close to him. He soon spots the Botsfords on a picnic in a woods. Hungry and desperate, Stevnen shifts to his human form and meets them face to face. The Botsfords take pity on this single father and let them stay at their house for a while until Stevnen gets a job as a scientist.

Character Outlines:

Stevnen Bauxlite (Steven Boxleitner) - Steven changed his daughter’s name to Becky Hope Boxleitner as a part of his plan to erase any traces of themselves to make sure no one from Lexicon can find them. Steven is a bit more serious than his human canon character (This guy suffered a lot of tragedy and is a single father now!) His human form is looks exactly like canon Steven. His Inventeran form is Dr. Two Brains, but without the mouse brain and more mouse features such as a tail and mouse ears. Steven can’t speak the human language (he can understand). He uses sign language or writing words to communicate. When Steven slips to his native tongue, he tells everyone he has a speech problem. Becky and Amirana can understand him because I have this theory that Lexiconians have a great vocabulary as a superpower because this ability allows them to understand any language of a dominant species (not subspecies like animals unless they are from Lexicon, like Bob. Becky is able to understand General Smoochington because of Bob). (I think this is some type of mental, telepathic power, which is why Becky has a great memory.) Steven’s native language sounds like mouse squeaks. (Other Inventerans sound like their were-animal forms but with a mix of other languages that counts as communication on Inventra. Steven does not have the ability that Becky and Amirana have with words. He is knowledgeable, not very bilingual.) Steven still loves Becky and supports her. He is worried about her heroic works so, in his were-form, he joins her heroic escapades as her partner. (A gag throughout this au is that everyone assumes he is her sidekick. Becky has repeatedly pointed out that her dad is her partner. Becky as Wordgirl does not call Steven her dad in public to protect their secret identities. Steven’s hero form is Mouse Ace (I may change the name later, that’s the best I got for now). (Steven was just a scientist with no military rank. I chose this name because he is a good pilot, just not as good as Amirana or Huggy). Steven uses his were-mouse abilities for battle, but mostly relies on self-made gadgets. He acts like a mentor to Wordgirl for her battles, but still behaves as her father (just not openly.) Steven’s Two Brains appearance can look similar to canon or he chooses to wear a ponytail. Steven’s outfit is a black jumpsuit with an orange belt that holds the gadgets. His jumpsuit has orange line accents. Steven has an Inventeran logo on the front of his jumpsuit (it is shiny silver in color and looks like shooting star.) He still has his canon goggles and silver armbands that act as shields for defense. He is afraid of clowns and spiders. He is not afraid of cats. He and Becky just don’t like them. Becky’s Inventeran form is similar to Two Brains but she does not have red/pink eyes and her hair color is the same. (Becky’s eye color is a mix of her mother’s and her dad’s brown in human form. She does have some red flakes in her eye color in her were-animal form.)

Squeaky - On Inventra, there were regular animals that were used by Inventerans as minor assistants and protectors. Squeaky was Stevnen’s Squeaky also escaped to earth with Stevnen and Becky. In this au Squeaky is still a jerk, but tolerable. Has grown a desire to devour earth cheese only. (There was no cheese on Lexicon or Inventra.) He cares for Stevnen and Becky, but its subtle. Stevnen and Becky can understand what Squeaky is saying. (For Stevnen it is because he is part mouse.) They do not like to always understand what Squeaky is saying. (PS. He swears, though not in front of Becky.) Squeaky may accompany them on hero stuff.(He says he is bored, but he does not like being left alone a lot.) Squeaky wears a mask to hid his identity (idk what color, maybe black or silver), but he is often referred to as Nibbles (Squeaky did not want a hero name so what was Becky supposed to say.) Squeaky is called that because he bites, a lot. (Hates the nickname anyway.) Squeaky is vicious, just not sadistic and evil in this au. Is still afraid of cats in this au.

Here is a smaller outline of my ideas for the swap au. Note: this is also a power swap.

Steven Boxleitner - Professor Robert Tubing

Tobey - Scoops

Victoria Best - Violet Heaslip

Eileen - Kid Math (Rex)

Rose Franklin - Katy (She’s from the episode “It’s Your Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To”)

Squeaky - Bob/Captain Huggy Face

I did not intend to make a lot for this first post. I was intending to do all in one. I do the characterizations of others later.

#wordgirl au #alliance swap au #hybrid becky #alien Steven Boxleitner #intense au

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revchainsaw · 3 years

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Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Prayers and Salutations Cult Members! I am your mysterious minister Reverend Chainsaw and this is another nights revival service at the Cult Film Tent Revival. I bring you a special word tonight. Tonight's word is about a person who roamed the earth, in a time where people were backward and warlike. A leader emerged into a kingdom full of eschatological expectation. This leader came preaching peace, and was killed for the sins of the world, but was resurrected. In that resurrection a new hope was brought to the planet, and true healing through the power of love in the face of violence is made possible. I am talking of course about Princess Nausicaa from the Valley of the Wind.

The Message

Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is the film that put studio Ghibli and Hayoa Miyazaki on the map. No animated feature this grandiose and epic had been achieved by 1984, as much as Disney may beg to differ. The tale may be simple, and it may feel super 80s to us today, but Nausicaa is a masterpiece, and the fact that Howl's Moving Castle is brought up alongside Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away more often than Nausicaa is a farce and a tragedy.

The film takes place on a fantastic planet that seems to have suffered the ravages of an apocalyptic war. A war that involved gigantic warriors with powers so devastating they about made the entire planet inhospitable if not uninhabitable; save for a few areas. The fall out of this ancient war has left the earth in a state of repair, where the natural processes of a planet healing has creating giant toxic jungles.

Beyond these jungles lie two imperialistic factions, they seem almost to be city-states but it's not terribly clear. The Kingdom of Tolmekia, a militaristic proto-fascist society of almost Spartan sensibilities. Tolmekia is governed by the ambitious and cynical Princess Kushana, But I like to call her Furiosa. Just like Furiosa, Kushana is physically missing parts of herself, a visual metaphor for her metaphysical lacking and the parts of her humanity she has cut away. Kushana's world view is one of fear, a fear that can only be quelled by waging a genocidal campaign against her enemies.

Speaking of enemies, the Athens to Tolmekias Sparta would be the Pejite Kingdom. The Pejites might like to view themselves as simply responding to Tolmekian aggression, but the narrative of the film, and the story told quite visibly on the body of Kushana, is quite different. The Pejites are just as bloodthirsty if not more palettable in their approach, but like the Tolmekians, they believe only their own lives have any value. And thus, in this theatre of war, a Giant Warrior from the ages before is unearthed by the Pejite Kingdom, Stolen by the Tolmekians, before the forces of nature themselves, seem to conspire to drop the Giant Warriors "egg" right into the Valley of the Wind.

The Valley of the Wind is populated like the world of Avatar the Last Airbender, that is mostly of children and the elderly. The people of the Valley have been able to remain untouched by the ravages of war and the toxic jungles of the damaged world primarily due to geographic luck that's explained in minor exposition in the film. They are ruled by a King, and they are all deeply enamored by their beloved Princess Nausicaa.

Nausicaa is a gentle soul. She is kind to animals, she is empathetic, unreasonably patient, and bears pain and grief inflicted on her out of cruelty with a saintly understanding. She really is a thinly veiled Christ figure, scratch that. There is no veil. But she's also my favorite Christ figure. She does not preach a message, as much as she tries to save everyone from their own short sighted goals. She is not perfect, she does lash out and do some fantasy sword fight murder, but she regrets her actions so deeply that it seems to have played a part in motivating her to become even more compassionate and patient with the evils of the world.

Nausicaa discovers yet another plot by the Pejites, who are afraid of the possibility of the Tolmekians awakening the Giant Warrior, to use animal cruelty to enrage a group of almost invincible giant insects known as the Ohm. By luring the Ohm into the Valley of the Wind where the Tolmekians have become an occupying force, they hope to completely wipe out everything that threatens them. The Tolmekians DO awaken the Giant Warrior and pure pandemonium ensues. Nausicaa manages to save the Baby Ohm and calm the rage of the bloodthirsty Ohm swarm, and to defeat the warlike tendencies of both the Pejites and the Tolmekians. All the while fulfilling a prophecy fortold about a messianic savior figure called the Man in Blue.

Now that you have heard the Gospel of Nausicaa, please stand to receive The Benediction.

Best Character: Half a Person

Now that I've spent the better part of this review gushing about our Lord and savior Nausicaa. I have to admit, she's at times a bit too perfect, a bit too saccharin. Even her flaw, or her one weakness and her failing to be perfect, just adds to the perfection. I can't even say she never makes mistakes cuz she made one, and that's infuriating. It's even more infuriating that I still think she's a great character. Normally this kind of thing really kills a hero. Most Chosen Ones are the most boring and least likeable characters in their narratives. I don't know how Nausicaa avoids this trap, but she does. I'll have to do some meditating on that.

However, just like in your typical Chosen One fantasy narrative, the hero is a lot less fun than the villain. I'm going to say the best character in Nausicaa is Kushana. I want to be like Nausicaa, but I don't understand her. She's almost alien, even though we learn all about her. Kushana is mysterious, secretive, and enigmatic, yet I understand her. She barely has an arc, she doesn't really change. She's cold and cynical to the bone, but I don't need to see much of her situation to completely understand why she is the way she is. I usually hate totalitarian bad guys, but Kushana I like. Sue Me.

Also fun fact, did you that Nausicaa means 'Sinker of Ships'. That's kinda fun.

Best Scene: Spoiled for Choice

I'm going to be lazy and say take your pick. There is really not a bad seen in this movie. If the action isn't going, then there's intriguing dialogue. If there's no dialogue then you may be about to get hit with a forceful burst of whimsy. There's horror, there's swordfights and aerial dogfights. The only thing in Nausicaa I don't like to see, is the bloody tortured Ohm Baby. It's like a god damned Sarah Mclachlan commercial.

Best Creature: Foxy Shazam!

The Ohm are so simplistic yet so detailed. The number of eyes is alien, but the way they are used is expertly expressive. Who'd think you could get me to love what basically amounts to a silverfish with the intensity that I love a kitten. How did Miyazaki pull an Okja with a creature that should be haunting our dreams? I don't know.

And what about the Giant Warrior! If you are an Evangelion fan then you probably already know that Hideaki Anno designed and animated the melting goopy biomechanical beast. Surely a sight that would make both H.R. Giger and Clive Barker giddy with excitement. Just the image of the silhouettes marching amidst the desolation of the old world is burned into my brain.

So which of these is the best creature from Ghibli's first outing? It's fucking Teto. It was always gonna be Teto you idiot. Just look at Teto, he's adorable. He's too cute to exist. I'm so alone. I need a pet.

Best Character Design: Tolmekian Regalia

I originally included this category to talk some about Kushana, however, at that time I also thought I was going to say Nausicaa was the best character. I thought hard about deleting it, but I think it's a different category and you can't accuse me of playing favorites because my favorite character is clearly Teto. Just to keep it simple. It's the two costume shift from full military regalia in white and gold, to the one metal arm, warrior princess get up. It's a great costume and a great look. Get on this shit cosplay nerds. It's great for Cons in Canada, you have to think about layers, and you can't keep going as Mr. Plow. It's lazy.

Best Excuse to Talk About Patrick Stewart's Character: Lord Yupa

I just realized that I was about to write this whole review without talking about Lord Yupa. Lord Yupa is a sword saint and all around badass I think a lot of entertainment, especially in the west is lacking bad ass old men. Lord Yupa particularly shines in the early half of the film as a warrior and as a wise council to Nausicaa. If she's Jesus then Yupa is John the Baptist. He is also voiced by the elegant and eloquent Patrick Stewart. He also comes with 2 chocobos!

Worst Character: For Whom Asbel Tolls

This might also be the worst actor category as well. Actual Cannibal (haha meme) and actual monster (haha real life) Shia Labeouf doesn't so much act in the role as he read the lines and it was recorded. The good news it doesn't effect the film too much because Asbel is completely forgettable. He is a catalyst to some of the action, but besides that I don't really care for him.

Worst Aspect: To Be Fair ...

It would be unfair to completely ignore anything negative about Nausicaa. I have already mentioned in many places that there are some pretty corny, or pretty predictable tropes to this movie. But what I can't capture in words is exactly why it feels fresh when it's done in this movie. I suppose that's what makes it good. It's just so good that it's weak points are lifted up by it's strengths. Some people may bored of Nausicaa's unyielding goodness, or that she very rarely chooses to take action as much as she chases and pleads with her surroundings, but I mean, she does pay for that eventually. It's a fantasy story and it hits a lot of timeless themes that have been hit in stories for as long as human beings have been telling stories. Some people may feel that it doesn't do enough to stand out.

Summary

I have defined the S tier for myself as "near perfect and personal favorite" films. I like to think that Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is near perfect. Some may say that it looks like it might just be a personal favorite. In the case of Nausicaa, I'm having a very hard time telling the difference. I think it would be overly simple to claim that Nausicaa is just an ancient archetypal heroes journey with an 80s anime coat of paint. I think it's doing quite a few new and interesting things with that formula, those things are just playing out all around that narrative as opposed to being at it's center. For a first full length outing by the studio, you can really see Miyazaki's heart and the values he holds close to. I'll repeat myself so that we are completely clear on the matter. I think Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind is a near perfect movie.

Overall Grade: S

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years

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June 17: 1x23 The Omega Glory

Watched the very uneven episode “The Omega Glory” today. Upon some reflection.. I think I have seen it? But I think my last rewatch ended abruptly after “By Any Other Name” so it might have been some time ago.

Anyway, it was... something. Decent, I might even say good, until the last 10-15 minutes and then it just went off a cliff? That’s how I’d summarize it.

Sulu, my beloved. I’ve missed you.

Kirk knows where all the ships are. I mean, obviously, but I love to hear it.

Phasers on heavy stun huh?

It’s so weird to be on a different ship. That looks like the same ship. It’s so empty and haunted looking.

With creepy crystal remains of bodies everywhere.

“These white crystals... are the crew.”

Something was thirsty!! Perhaps... a water vampire? Perhaps... a former McCoy girlfriend?

(Honestly having watched the whole ep...they could have expanded this intro longer. It was creepy and mysterious. Then cut the last act.)

Oh no, they’ve been infected and now must quarantine. Sort of. I guess.

...Oh no, is this Vietnam? Again?

“Our old enemy, Vietnam.”

My mother suggested the disease might be communism and I don’t think that metaphor tracks through the whole episode but you know what.. anything’s possible.

I don’t like this whole “you can’t leave the planet or you’ll get sick and die” thing. Too familiar.

"I may never be able to leave this planet but I have a worse problem: a colleague may be breaking a rule."

Says the man who has frequently violated a directive that has never been referred to as Prime before.

Kirk is getting very mumbly. That’s his serious voice.... bu it’s also his Denny Crane voice lol.

Like bio warfare in the 90s? TOS really thought the 90s was going to be the dark ages, didn’t it?

Only 90s kids remember...

Spock bursting in with a wounded man, just bringing the drama, as he does.

He’s not even listening to McCoy. Rude.

Spock absolutely 100% would have killed Captain Tracey on instinct as soon as Kirk is threatened.

Sulu’s in command? I love Captain Sulu but where is Scotty?

Kirk is so good. Clever, strong, smart. Knows all the regulations.

Tracey’s so dumb. “They’ve eradicated disease and live for hundreds of years!” Man, have you considered that they are...aliens? And their life spans are simply.... naturally longer than human life spans? And even if you could isolate the serum, it might not work on humans?

And his master plan is to isolate their immunity and bottle it for profit. It’s our old enemy... capitalism and the exploitation of intellectual property.

A fight scene!

“The pointy-eared one stays.”

Another fight scene!

Spock is watching all of this, and you know what, I feel like he’s not upset about it. It’s just like Pre-Reform Vulcan. Perhaps some... Amok Time flashbacks? “Damn, I wish that was me.”

Peanut gallery Spock.

“I wish you could teach me that.” / “I have tried.” Omg where is my scene of Spock trying to teach Kirk the nerve pinch?

And then that look Kirk gives him.

I don’t get the point of this scene but it amuses me that as soon as McCoy sees the pretty girl, he feels better.

A post-apocalyptic alien world... a very interesting concept. Like you could do a lot with that idea imo.

“That’s our worship word [freedom too.” Umm.... questionable.

Damn bitch, that was cold. Just knocking him out like that.

Damn yankee.

...Yankee and Communist dammit.

McCoy’s not even surprised to see Kirk and Spock out of jail.

Nature created a natural counterbalance to the biological disease. Where is OUR natural counterbalance, I ask?

McCoy sounds extra Southern rn. It’s all the stress.

I really don’t think Shatner gets enough credit for his subtlety. His face when McCoy explains the whole situation...

Oh he's mad now. "You've hurt Spock for nothing! Oh yeah and also killed thousands but MOSTLY THE SPOCK THING!”

Whereas Tracey really doesn’t seem to care about anything but war for its own sake. He knows now that his master plan for immortality was nothing the whole time...but he still needs to call those Yangs.

In other words, another once-reputable figure of authority now gone mad.

Kirk’s voice is so casual when he’s talking to Uhura and Sulu, you feel like he’s gotta have something up his sleeve. He can never hide when he’s really upset about something.

...Apparently what he had up his sleeve was his crew knowing regulations and then another full body tackle. Fight scene 3!

"My need for attention is vital.” Same, Spock.

This is a very attenuated and unbelievable connection Kirk is making but he’s Kirk so I’ll assume it makes sense that he’s putting it all together so fast.

Alternate Universe: Vietnam canon-divergence lol.

For anyone keeping track, this is right about the point where the episode goes off the rails.

YOU’RE A ROMANTIC, JIM. Well he’s right about that at least and he should say it.

Oh no, an American flag.

Cloud William, chief and the son of chiefs. That’s continuity of government for you.

(Also pretty hilarious that this society is supposedly So American with our exact flag and Constitution and everything... but they’re not a democracy.)

I really don’t want to believe that “under God” is still in the pledge 200 years from now.

"You're confusing the stars with heaven." Kirk thinks he's being called an angel.

The absolute mishmash of meaningless, referent-free words here. America. Native Americans. Communists. The flag, the Constitution. God. Angels. Devils. What???

Like how can they both be flag worshippers AND...believers in God? Who is their God? Alien George Washington?

So rude to call Spock Kirk’s “servant.” That’s his space husband!

Is that a literal picture of Spock as a demon in their.. Bible?

I can’t even follow this anymore.

“You command him.” I mean...yes, that’s how the military works.

“He has no heart.” Wow, rude.

“His heart is different!” I stan one (1) Southern Doctor.

I feel like Spock is just... not having this at all. His face loos like he’s thinking what I’m thinking.

Oh no is that the CONSTITUTION??!

“Kill his servant” wow Tracey is obsessed with Spock, isn’t he? I guess everyone in the Fleet knows about them and their special relationship.

Spock is even amused by the knife at his throat. His eyes say "I am distressed--but fascinated!"

A FOURTH fight scene? And here I thought Kirk was going to recite the Constitution.

“I’m open to suggestions.” He’s just as worried about Kirk as McCoy is, bu the doesn’t show it.

...Yep, he’s being telepathic again. Not really in line with his usual telepathy but okay. Alien magic is flexible.

Okay I have a JD and I can confidently say there is nothing about good defeating evil in the Constitution.

And now this alien guy is immediately ready to make himself a “slave.” That seems problematic. What happened to the holy word “Freedom”?

Wow, Kirk's in a bad mood. "You can't pronounce your own holy words worth shit."

“This is only for the eyes of a Chief,” he says and Kirk just pushes him away.

Spock literally turns Tracey around for Kirk’s big final speech like “Listen up, bitch, my boyfriend’s talking.”

Is this the 4th of July episode?? Feels like there should be canons and fireworks going off behind him rn.

Idk, the words of the Constitution can't be so unique and unprecedented if a WHOLE OTHER ALIEN CIVILIZATION just came up with them, too, on their own, like monkeys typing Hamlet. (Given the timelines here... they probably did it first too lol.)

"Liberty and freedom need to be more than just words." Like what does that even mean in this context? Sounds nice but it’s very hard to put into the context of all the rest of this.

“And uh be nice to the Kohms,” after most of them (?) were probably just killed.

I really was into this until the last 10-15 minutes and I think there were under-explored concepts that could have taken the fever dream of whatever that bizarre-o fever dream at the end was. The abandoned ship. The leftovers of bio warfare. The whole weird and under-explained concept of immunity. The tragedy that so much was destroyed,, including but not limited to the whole Exeter crew, for no reason. What happened to Tracey to so destroy him--was it just greed? What about the “Prime” Directive? Is it important or not. They just leave at the end after (as Spock pointed out) doing quite a bit of their own meddling, even though meddling is allegedly the worst. Also, we know almost nothing about the Kohms at all. The “American” society clearly wasn’t democratic. Were the Kohms literally Communist?

I’m willing to accept a certain degree of alternate Earth scenarios--like Miri (though imo that was not a necessary component of that story) or Bread and Circuses, but this was too much. TOO unbelievable. And frankly unnecessary. You could do an allegory for alternate-Vietnam, and it would be just as clear but even more effective. There wouldn’t be any distraction in the form of “what the fuck is that flag doing here?”

There is a potentially incendiary concept here, which is the same one I thought of reading about actual COG plans--certain aspects of the Yanks’ culture survives, but with absolutely no meaning attached. They have a Constitution but they mispronounce all the words. They have this tattered flag but it has no other meaning. They’ve turned the symbols of the government into a religion, but they don’t practice any of the civil aspects of it--they have chiefs, not democratically appointed leaders, for example. Like, COG asks “what IS the country, and how do you make sure the country endures no matter what?” This was an opportunity to show the worst of that: the country continues to exist as symbology only--incredibly strong symbology, but only that--and all of the actual values that were supposed to be stored with that symbology have disappeared. Similarly, their hatred of their enemies endures. It’s lauded in the ep as their attempt to get “their land” back but what if it’s just war for its own sake, as Tracey seems to be engaging in? To tell that story, especially in the 60s, against the backdrop of Vietnam, and with the references to bio warfare and nuclear warfare, could be powerful. And I know TOS can work in metaphor and comparison. It doesn’t need to bring out a literal fucking flag.

Honestly, it was like they had one good, classic, sci fi story but it didn't fill 52 minutes so they tacked on the American Pride 4th of July Propaganda Extravaganza at the end.

It really felt like the lesson was “America good” lol.

I liked the concept of the post apocalyptic society in the aftermath of bio warfare as a cautionary tale for 1960s America, and I'd be up for crazed snake oil salesman Starfleet Captain (or...whatever his rank was) if it were a bit better explained. But the rest of it....

It also... could have been kinda incendiary with the idea that the Constitution and flag are religious symbols... I mean some people do treat them that way and I've always found that, first, blasphemous, and second, bizarre in such a hyper-Christian country. But I feel like instead of digging ito that, they just tempered it with "But also they're Christian, as you can tell by their drawing of devil!Spock, for some reason."

Idk, this story could have been complete with out the whole weird “Vietnam AU” back story or alternately it could have been a biting commentary about what defines America, and about whether or not our symbols might be more enduring--or even more important to people today??--than the laudable but more complex and difficult ideals that underpin the country’s founding. Are the words of the Constitution just gobbledy gook? They are if you don’t live by them, and America has always struggled to do that. It definitely would struggle even more in the aftermath of an apocalypse.

...I’m more annoyed now, thinking about the possible sci fi story that could have been...

Anyway next is an ep I’m fairly sure I haven’t seen, so that should be fun.

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #star trek tos

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a-student-out-of-time · 4 years

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Connections Review Part 1

Happy 2021 everyone! Well…the year’s off to a terrible start due to how bad last year was but I hope that most of 2021 will be good and not be 2020 Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. But enough of that, another arc ended, another review due. Now I am quite conscious of length here and I’ll try to make these reviews a bit easier to read, it will still be split into 3 parts as there I can cover the main themes which are; Time Travel, Harems and Maverick ‘Motherfucker Hellspawn’ Storm. My initial plan was to have a quick lightening recap of everything that doesn’t fit into these categories and then review the Time Travelling and Harems but Storm became so big he needed his own part. Oh, and it should go without saying, but I will not cover the Mistletoe Asks. They are not relevant to the arc and are basically shipping fluff. No in-depth analysis required there. And with that said and done, let’s get right into it.

Its Recap time

So, as I mentioned before we get into the 3 big themes of this arc, I’ll cover really quick, and I promise it will be really quick here, anything that doesn’t fit into those categories. So firstly, we see that Kazuichi went around the Void Warehouse and helped fix their lights. Now that all of Class 77-B are aware of Void’s existence, they can help out with any problems they might have in their living quarters, which leads to a funny scene of Kazuichi getting attacked by a crow. This could be random but given what has happened with another seemly random event (more on that later) and the fact that Monocrow exists, this could be sinister foreshadowing for things yet to come. We also see Kazuichi getting ideas to build a robot with Chihiro as that’s his way of romance. Given Chihiro’s crossdressing tendencies, I wonder when the truth comes out and how confused our shark boy would be. But yeah, Kazuichi out all of the new Class 77-B members seems to have the most focus in this arc, not that I’m complaining as he was the most ‘pointless’ survivor from DR2 so him getting actual character development and focus I’m more then welcome for! There’s also Yoruko rekindling her relationship with her mentor Minako. This went better than expected then again it happened years ago, both Yoruko and Minako had time to reflect on it and both wanted to make up, but thought the other wouldn’t accept it. We also see some parallels here with Hiroko from UDG as Kizuna is revealed to be the result of a teenage pregnancy. As I mentioned in an ask, not to bog you down with personal details but teenage pregnancy is a serious problem where I live and too many people I know fucked as teens, didn’t use protection, and boom! Babies! Good thing I have a passion for Danganronpa so I DON’T get wrapped up in that kind of stuff eh? So, I completely understand Minako’s rational here, and Kizuna’s more troublesome behaviour as one of my RL friends was also the result of a teen pregnancy, and this led to her having…issues. And yeah, Kizuna shamelessly flirts with the Anons and talks about Josuke, no not THAT Josuke, simping hard for her. Naturally we have bigger problems to content with but once the weather calms down, we need to sort out Kizuna, especially now that Yoruko and Minako have made up. And that’s the two things that happened which weren’t relevant to the main themes. Now they are out of the way, time to move onto Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey Stuff. Hey, Emma made a Doctor Who joke already, so it’s okay!

Back to the Visions

Despite Time Travel being one of the main themes of this blog, not a lot of research has gone into it at the moment, so in this wind down time, it’s the perfect time for Umeko to do some experiments into time travel. Last Arc dropped the reveal that Mikako has being getting dreams of the future, and as Koroko and Umeko pull up at the Kisurugi household, we see that Mikako just had a dream of the Tragedy, which understandably horrified her. Because of this Umeko and Koroko were forced to tell Mikako, Yamato and his father the truth about the future. They omitted Kasugano and him changing the timelines as its not needed but well…when one dreams of an apocalyptic future you know is coming, there’s no sense in lying about it. Umeko then explains about the time travel and basically that since the brain surgery, Mikako’s brain has become a tachyon receiver that can pick up tachyon from different timelines, not just the one you are on. But it goes beyond being able to see the future via her dreams as if Mikako focuses, and someone touches Mikako during this time, they are hit with a vision of the future that involves them. The first vision was with Koroko and she caught a glimpse into a future much more distant then the 2017 that Hajime, Yoruko, Sora and the other 2 time travellers came from, as it seems to be from the Year 2020-2022 so pretty close to our time then. Here Koroko and Kanata, who not only went through a growth spurt like Hiyoko (Poor Hibiki, she is forever going to be the short one) and has married Nagito, are giving vaccinations to a young girl named Sayuri Hinata. Sayuri herself is very familiar to some people as during the last Arc when Akane was trying to comfort Nikei, one Anon asked about a timeline where she and Ayame had a child. This was a reference to Nextgenronpa which is a Nextgen AU on Instagram created by Mikwithnoando, if you happen to have an Instagram account, I highly recommend reading it, it’s really good! The character in question is called Sayuri Otonokoji the Ultimate Sculptor and in Nextgenronpa she’s the child of Hibiki and Iroha. Koroko looking through her medical records noticed her mother’s name is Hibiki Hinata so Hibiki obviously changed her last name, makes sense as she wants to probably be as far away from Otonokoji as possible now but no mention of the father and yes Sayuri looks a lot like Iroha. This has a few possibilities.

The first theory is that Sayuri is Hibiki and Hajime’s child, but both are very busy. Hibiki would have very likely restarted her musical career around this time and we don’t know what Hajime would be doing but he would be very busy as well, and thus not a lot of time to raise Sayuri. Now Iroha would have a very sedimentary lifestyle and given she is looking after Jataro at the moment, this would probably make Iroha one of the more experienced caretakers/mothers of the cast, so maybe Sayuri was often babysat by Iroha, and if Sayuri was spending a lot of time with Iroha at a young age, she would start to view Iroha as a second mother and start copying her behaviour and mannerisms. But that doesn’t evade the fact that Sayuri PHYSICALLY looks like Iroha as well. The second theory is something happens to Hibiki or Hajime and they are unable to reproduce but want kids. With Kyoji, making kids would not be an issue, but a surrogate mother would be required and maybe Iroha volunteered to be a surrogate. However, the big issue there is that Iroha is much younger than the Goodbye Despair cast, and as Mikan later points out legally, you need to be 21 to be eligible. Sayuri looking to be 8-10 years old means Hibiki and Hajime must have banged around now-2014 and Iroha won’t turn 21 until 2017 and Sayuri looks way older than 3-5 years old. But there is one more theory and the one I believe in. Just because Mikako can see the future, doesn’t mean it’s the timeline we are currently on, and you guys remember that awful, awful period during Oncoming Storm when Iroha was crushing on Hajime and wanted to join the Cuddle Puddle despite there being a significant age gap between him and Iroha? In our timeline, Yoruko was able to slap some sense into Hajime, he was able to see he was developing a Saviour’s complex and was able to grow and develop, and it also system shocked Iroha as well as she learnt that she needed to grow up as well. But what if that didn’t happen? I think that timeline is from one when the sense slapping didn’t happen and Iroha did wind up being part of the Cuddle Puddle, and Sayuri was the result of science from Kyoji and Iroha and Hibiki wanting kids. In addition to this we also see Kotoko in her teen years and she looks brilliant all grown up and the way she talked about ‘our mothers’ and Sayuri referring to Kotoko as a big sister, makes one believe that Mikan is successful in adopting Kotoko. Overall, while Sayuri is going to be a headache to decode, that future was nice and sweet, even if it gave Mikako mild seizures.

After Mikako recovered, Yamato wanted to see the future as well, and thus we get the second vision which is from the OG Timeline in 2014, as it shows some Class 79 tomfoolery with Haruhiko ‘testing’ Yamato’s jetpack and crashing into a tree, and Teruya being concerned for his bro. I know its 2014 because Class 79 was formed then and they didn’t bond for long before Utsuro showed up with an army of Monokumas and was like ‘Knock knock, it’s the upupupu train’ and we get the Proto Killing Game. At least Yamato gets to see his future friends for the first time. And Mikako doesn’t get that much of a headache this time so it seems that the further in time she looks, the bigger the side effects. The first vision was a decade into the future so the side effects were quite big but the second one was only a couple of years so the effects were reduced. It remains uncertain if Mikako has to trust the person in question for the vision link to be done because as much of a force of good this seer ability is, it can also be used for evil. Overall, lots of discoveries on Mikako’s abilities and some hope that not every future out there is filled with despair and there exists a timeline where the Quantum Crew do win. Now it’s a case of seeing if that’s the timeline they are on or not.

That summarizes part 1 with the recapping of minor details and the time travelling science! It’s a longer part then I wanted but with the recap at the beginning it cannot be helped. When we come back, I’ll talk about the Harems and the events surrounding them and hopefully that would be the new length I wish to aim for because this is more of my old length. Stay tuned people! - Review Anon

#danganronpa #a student out of time #submission

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troped-fanfic-challenge · 4 years

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AUTHOR REVEAL of the Chopped Choice: Horror Fics!

guess we’re alike that way (Rated T) [Murphy/Octavia] by @probably-voldemort

Theme: Angst || Tropes: 1)Mythical Creature(s), 2)Based on a TV show, 3)Character cradling their significant other's face while they kiss, and 4)Reunion

Summary: Octavia died 25 years ago. The answer, by the way, is ghosts. Just ghosts. Yeah, it’s just as bad as it sounds. Especially Murphy. Why did the only living person who could see her have to be fucking Murphy?

The Haunting of Kane Manor (Rated M) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @sparklyfairymira

Theme: Modern || Tropes: 1)Haunted Building, 2)It was a dark and stormy night..., 3)grabbing their hand in the dark for comfort, and 4)witching hour

Summary: When Roan offers Clarke and Bellamy a hundred grand to stay at a fake haunted house for a night for his new reality TV show, they jump at the chance. But what happens when it turns out to actually be haunted?

cause i know in the morning you’ll be gone (how am i supposed to carry on?) (Rated T) [Echo/Wells] by @probably-voldemort

Theme: Canon Divergent || Tropes: 1)The Adjectival Man, 2)Road Trip AU, 3)Forbidden Relationship, and 4)Arranged Marriage

Summary: Wells liked things to make sense.

Allying themselves with Azgeda when the opportunity came up made sense. Doing whatever it took to make that alliance stick made sense. Entering an arranged marriage with a woman he’d never met for the sake of his people made sense.

The butterflies in his gut whenever he locked eyes with the Azgedan ambassador who was decidedly not his fiancée made no sense at all.

Imitation (Rated M) [Murphy/Emori] *Major Character Death* by @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold

Theme: Horror || Tropes: 1)Someone is is a shapeshifter and the other characters/readers can’t be sure who, 2)Dead Communication Device, 3)Final Girl AU, and 4)Poorly Timed Confession

Summary: In a remote research station on the planet Nakara, Emori is just starting to get into a rhythm with her work when things take a turn for the worse. It starts off with a dog bite but it leads into a desperate race to survive, as the infection spreads and it turns out that her fellow teammates aren’t all who they appear to be. The race against time will involve keeping emotions and personal feelings in check while trying to stop the creatures from picking them all off one by one.

you can stand under my umbrella (Rated T) [Clarke/Murphy] by @probably-voldemort

Theme: Modern || Tropes: 1)Corn Maze, 2)Almost kiss/interrupted before kissing, 3)Caught in a storm, and 4)Teacher!Character

Summary: Abandoning the children was definitely a no-no on field trips. But does it really count when you’re just completely, genuinely lost in a corn maze?

After six years of working with him, Clarke still doesn’t know Murphy’s first name, and at this point its definitely too late to ask.

Mad Women (Rated T) [Gen Fic] by @kinetic-elaboration

Theme: Science Fiction || Tropes: 1)Possession, 2)Mad Scientist, 3)Dead communication device, and 4)Cliffhanger

Summary: Four-hundred-and-twenty-three days in the never-ending darkness of the uncharted universe, and Murphy’s starting to wonder if space madness really is setting in. At least he’s not as far-gone as Raven, hidden away in her laboratory, fiddling with alien tech; or Clarke, who is steering them steadfastly into the deep unknown of ‘haunted space.’

Something isn’t right here, even if Bellamy and Octavia don’t want to see it.

When their little ship receives a distress call from an old friend, the tensions between captain and crew finally come to a head, and Murphy faces more than one unpleasant truth.

Bury a Friend (Rated M) [Murphy/Emori, Bellamy/Clarke, Raven/Shaw] by @excuseyouclarke

Theme: Modern || Tropes: 1)Found Family, 2)POV switch, 3)Cliffhanger, and 4)Haunted building

Summary: As part of their Halloween tradition of trying to scare themselves, Emori, Murphy, Bellamy, Clarke, Raven and Shaw decide to step it up this year by exploring an abandoned Asylum - only, it’s not as abandoned as they once thought.

it was only a dream? (Rated T) [Spacekru] by @spacekrulesbians

Theme: Canon Speculation || Tropes: 1)out of place intro, 2)grabbing hand in the dark for comfort, 3)haunted building, and 4)English damnit

Summary: It’s just another ordinary day on the Ring until someone points out that it’s Halloween. That’s when things get weird.

the ghost in you, she don’t fade (Rated E) [Bellamy/Clarke] by @justbecauseyoubelievesomething

Theme: Horror || Tropes: 1)Friends with Benefits AU, 2)Based on a TV Show, 3)Non-linear story, and 4)Characters hug after they've been through hell

Summary: The wooded area behind the Collins’ property stretches for about nine square miles with the highway into town bordering the far side and the Blake property guarding the southernmost corner. Nine square miles.

It might as well be a million.

Clarke takes another fortifying breath.

It does no good to think about Bellamy. He’s no longer part of the equation. He’s made that abundantly clear.

The Wanheda Tape (Rated T) [Gen Fic] by @kinetic-elaboration

Theme: Historical || Tropes: 1)exes, 2)urban legends, 3)found footage, and 4)abandoned building

Summary: “It’s the Wanheda Tape. You gotta remember this. It happened like five or six years ago. Those dumbass college kids went into the woods out past the auto shop and got lost and never came back… Seriously, what were you two doing in the fourth grade, living under a rock?”

de omnibus dubitandum (Rated M) [Lexa/Echo/Josephine] by @spacekrulesbians

Theme: Post-Apocalyptic || Tropes: 1)Hunter AU, 2)Mythical Creature, 3)Strangers to Lovers, and 4)“give up all your weapons” and that one person that spends the entire evening taking their weights worth out of their pockets

Summary: After vampires took over the world, the Hunter Association was the only thing that stood between the creatures of the night and the rest of humanity. Lexa, commander of the association, was determined to bring the world to a better place, no matter the cost.

And then she met Josephine Lightbourne.

slay your demons (Not Rated) [Jasper & Monty] @skaifayax

Theme: Science Fiction || Tropes: 1)Hitchhiker AU, 2)Creepy Child, 3)Road Trip, and 4)Based on a TV show

Summary: He doesn’t like this. He never has. There is a reason he self medicates with booze and drugs: It’s to stop seeing people like her - dead people.

Umbrella Academy AU but make it Monty and Jasper.

More Than I Do (Rated T) [Gen Fic] by @wwjacksparrowd

Theme: Modern Horror Mystery || Tropes: 1)Found Family, 2)Protectiveness, 3)Based on a song, and 4)Creepy music interrupting silence

Summary: Mysterious circumstances surround the sudden tragedies afflicting Clarke’s loved ones. Can she figure out why before she loses everyone she cares about? Maybe not, but she’s willing to die trying.

———

Honorable Mention of this submission to the Non-Anon Collection:

I’m Demon Proof, Baby (Rated T) [Murphy/Emori] by Anonymous

Theme: Thriller || Tropes: 1)Haunted building, 2)Doppelgänger, and 3)Based on a TV show

Summary: Arcadia Investigates is well into its fifth or sixth season, depending on how you count it, and Wilmington Hospital has been just begging for a visit.

Clarke thinks it’s very scary. Murphy thinks it’s very fake.

Bellamy and Emori are mostly just there to make sure someone gets some usable footage.

———

All the Winners can be found here.

Thank you all so much for participating in this challenge! Now that winners and authors have been revealed feel free to blog about your fics and don’t forget to tag us!

We hope you all will join us again for our next Chopped Challenge: The Chopped Holiday Trope Exchange, which starts in December! Sign-ups will begin in November!

#chopped choice: horror #chopped choice 3.0 #author reveal #masterlist

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sometimesrosy · 4 years

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i know what kind of the show the 100 is, but i really expect at least a good ending for bellarke and i hope your spec is right and we get some kind of that with them, in the past years shows did end in dissapointment, so i hope jason is in the group of 12 monkeys, bones, castle, shadowhunters, OUAT....

okay. but are you SURE you know what kind of show The 100 is?

What kind is it?

Yes, it’s the post apocalyptic sci fi action tragedy, but there are actually two kinds of post apocalyptic stories, the kind where there’s no hope and humanity is doomed and the kind where there IS hope and humanity can be saved.

This one is DEFINITELY the later. Hope is important in this show. THIS kind of pos apocalyptic story CAN have a happy ending, or at least a happy ending that costs a price, a bittersweet happy ending. JR has told us that there would be a “The 100 style” happy ending, and the last time he said that would happen was with one couple in s5, which we now know was Marper, who got to live their lives on their own terms, alone and without people, but in love and happiness and peace while guiding their people towards a new future. I suspect the ending of the series will *match* that description of a happy ending, but with Bellarke, who was HIGHLY mirrored with Marper in the finale of s5.

And seeing as our heroes have had a happy ending with a cost every single season, what we’re watching is a story where there is hope. And *probably* hope for Bellarke.

But. I see that you aren’t really concerned with the story, you’re concerned with if Clarke and Bellamy get together, and this, to you is what’s in doubt, because you’re looking for a romance novel, or bellarke fic or something.

For you, the story ending in disappointment is the story not ending with Bellarke romantically together with a kiss/confession/sex. Or at least that’s what is seems to me, because as I’m watching, I have not felt denied bellarke since season 2. S1 I didn’t ship them yet, not really. S2 gutted me when she left because of bellarke. S3 they were together and closer than ever, S4 okay i was gutted when she was left behind, but had hope for bellarke with the 2199 radio calls. S5 I was not disappointed with bellarke because of that last part of the finale. S6 was so freaking romantic and ended, for all intents and purposes, with that romantic, intimate bellarke hug in the sunrise, so to me, it was clearly romantic bellarke, even without an official kiss(apparently kiss of life doesn’t count)/confess (apparently all the conversation of love and care and pledges not to leave or let each other die, or the confession that he needs her don’t count)/sex.

This is why I ask if you do know what kind of story this is. Because you are acting like my spec about bellarke is based in my personal feelings and not the development of the narrative that I’ve been following, but I don’t know if you have, or you’d see that bellarke is already a romantic story, and has been since AT LEAST season 5, when bellarke shippers abandoned the show because b/e existed, instead of recognizing a canon love triangle when they see one. (I will admit that this has been what has made me most frustrated with the Bellarke fandom. They’re giving us what we want and we’re acting like it’s not happening in canon on screen.)

Like my “spec” is pretending there’s a love triangle, or the love triangle is just an interpretation rather than written in the script, the direction, the cinematography and the acting.

I cannot tell you if JR will back out of the bellarke love story or not, because I am not in control of what another person creates, but I can tell you that the story of The 100 has been an epic love story, truly from season 1, because it has been about GROWTH, but as a main plot line from season 5, or the end of s4 when he left her behind.

If you say you know what kind of story The 100 is and you don’t recognize the actual romantic story of Bellarke, then you don’t know what the story is.

This is not fanon. This is canon. It’s not my speculation. It’s the narrative. JR has called it an epic love story. He has told us it would happen eventually. He has said they were soul mates. He has said they love each other. And the story he is telling has them revolving around each other closer and closer until they connect.

When I speculate that the story might be following the structure of The Divine Comedy, with the Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, giving us the darkest moments in the beginning and ending up NOT a tragedy, that’s a speculation that is based on a remarkable similarity to the narrative and also literal allusions to the text and a painting we stared at in TWO seasons to point out the connection and character names like Dante and Blake to make the connections. So yeah. I’m speculating on the theme of the story that won’t, perhaps, be clear until the end, but it’s less a speculation and more a theory-- a theory has evidence to support it while a speculation doesn’t necessarily.

There IS a point to the story, though. He’s told us there is. And it will be clear at the end. What I’m saying is that in order to tell a good story, he needs to incorporate that point into the whole story so we can follow along and it will all add up at the end. So I’ve been looking for those breadcrumbs that tell us where it’s going. This is what I do, and I’m pretty good at it. Finding those clues. I know not everyone knows how to do that, and I know a lot of people have been gaslighted by those who have been telling us Bellarke is not romantic or not the central relationship, or not the heroes, or are actually the bad guys, or are unimportant etc.

Back in season 3 after Hakeldama, I wrote a meta theorizing that this whole story was about Clarke and Bellamy coming together. That in order to succeed, they must be together. It was based on some significant evidence from the first 2.5 seasons, but it has been proven correct in the following 3.5 seasons. This show is DEFINITELY about bellarke, the head and the heart, being TOGETHER and saving the world. There were points where it could have been a sun/moon story, never getting together. There were points where it could have remained platonic with no romantic connection. Those points have all been passed now, and they MUST be together and it is ALREADY romantic, so the eventual COMPLETE union of Bellarke is going to be romantic. They are already married, imo, committed, pledged, intimate, loving, devoted, respecting, trusting, and the ONLY thing separating them from what fandom wants is the physical. Because it has already moved into the romantic (EVERY love triangle is a romantic story, even for the losing couple, it’s still a romantic story, therefore, in the IMPOSSIBLE event that bellamy choses Echo over Clarke, it’s still romantic, just a broken hearted romance without the necessary genre happy ending,) it is no longer a platonic relationship.

What I CAN’T do is tell you how it’s going to end. If Bellarke will live or die. They might die and that’s always been a possibility that I’ve said for the end of the series. Here are the possibilities i can see for a Bellarke ending. In all but one (very unlikely possibility) Bellarke are kiss/confess/sex canon romantic, even if they don’t get a happy ever after.

Bellarke alive, together, romantically, married, raise a family and a peaceful society with their friends. (Happy Ever After ending common in the romance genre.)

Bellarke alive, together, romantically, married, have a family and life with their friends but there are more struggles coming, like maybe another apocalypse or political upheaval or violence. (Happy For Now ending also common in the more ‘realistic’ romance genre or romantic stories.)

Bellarke alive, together, romantically, married, have a family.... but not with their friends who are left behind to create the peaceful society. (Marper ending, The 100 Style Happy Ending, as described by JR. Bittersweet. This is the one I think is most likely in some ways.)

Bellarke dead, together romantically before they die, their family and friends go on without them to create a peaceful society. (Happy Ever After for humanity, but not for Bellarke. Bittersweet. A Romeo and Juliet ending, and though Bellarke has never been framed as R&J it’s possible. This could happen. The sooner they get together romantically in season 7 the more likely they won’t get a happy ending.)

Bellarke together romantically, but Clarke dies saving them, and Bellamy carries on in her absence, broken, perhaps eventually settling for Echo, or perhaps not. He creates a peaceful society for their friends in her name. (this is Happy Ever After for humanity, but a tragedy for Bellarke. I believe this was the ending of s4, and I think it’s developed past that so I don’t think it will happen.)

Bellarke together romantically, but Bellamy dies saving them, and Clarke carries on in his absence. The only way I think this could happen is if she has his baby, so carries him with her. She creates a peaceful society for their friends and her children in his name. (Happy Ever After for humanity, but a tragedy for Bellarke. This was the ending of s4 for Clarke with Madi as the substitute child. I believe we’ve developed past that so I don’t think it will happen.)

Bellarke together platonically... i do not think this can happen, it would have to RETURN to platonic partnership, because we’ve left platonic, but let me explore it. Clarke would need to give up Bellamy to Echo because it was “the right thing to do” and Bellamy would need to stay with Echo because it was “the right thing to do,” and neither of them would make the claim on the other. But I believe part of the journey of s6 was about Bellamy CHOOSING Clarke because he loves her. It’s part of the narrative. So he’s already chosen her, so something would have to happen to reverse that decision and I don’t know what it could be. Clarke looks like she’s ready to wait for him. I don’t think this story would have them together platonically with Bellamy sacrificing his happiness being with Echo, who is Ash and doesn’t want to be king/spy anymore, and leaving Clarke pining for her soulmate. That’s a bad story because there’s no reason for them to not admit they love each other. Staying with Echo because he promised is a bad reason and disrespectful to all involved. But okay. Bellamy chooses Echo and Clarke eventually finds someone else and they lead a peaceful society without fully engaging the heart. Oh that doesn’t make sense. They’re the head and the heart. That would not be living up to what Monty asked of them. No it doesn’t work. This ending is already off the table, sorry. Unless JR really is the asshole that you all think he is. If it happens, I’ll admit that you were right and he’s a dick as bad as D&D. But if it doesn’t happen, then y’all need to go apologize to JR for doubting him and hating him and calling him evil and a bad writer.

Where I am now, I think the most likely is a mix of the above. I think the bittersweet ending will include a happy ever after for Bellarke, like Marper, as they are separated from their friends and family and assumed dead. So Bellarke will die together saving their people, but they won’t die, rather they will be separated from them so they can have their happy ending although it is alone and they’ve lost everyone they love, except each other. It fits the narrative, the circular storytelling, the bellarke mythos, the breaking of the cycle, clarke and bellamy’s characters, the sacrifice theme, the head and the heart, the marper foreshadowing, “together,” wanheda, the survival plot twists where we think they’re dead but they’re not, soulmates, the bittersweet endings, the victory but with a price, etc.

#the 100 #the 100 style happy ending #bittersweet #series finale spec #bellarke #together

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arlingtonpark · 4 years

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SNK 130 Review

For the first time, thanks to this chapter, SNK is more popular than Domestic Na Kanojo, a manga about a love triangle between a dude and his step-sisters, one of whom is his teacher.

We did it fam. Mission accomplished.

I feel like the scenario where the outside world and Paradis are kept apart with Paradis threatening to rumble the world if there’s any interference is something of an equilibrium point.

They say that nature has a balance to it. A natural rhythm that it follows on its own.

Predators hunt prey, so naturally there are less predators than prey, lest the prey population be wiped out. When predators are too many and prey is too few, the lack of food causes predators to leave the area or die off, which prompts the prey population to rebound.

So there’s a certain point at which things balance out. This is an equilibrium.

Social situations are like that too.

People have desires and preferences, and in a social situation, a dynamic will form that satisfies as much of those desires as possible.

Because the equilibrium point is the state of affairs at which as many people as possible are satisfied, in the long term any disruption to that equilibrium will be corrected.

Not because of magic or anything, but just because it’s the scenario that most people prefer, so the state of affairs will trend towards it over time.

This is a really long way of saying that I think that some variation on the King Fritz scenario is the best outcome everyone can hope for.

Everyone gets to live and go about their lives.

The downside is that there’ll always be an undercurrent of resentment. And, oh yeah, becoming titans and eating children is necessary to make the wall titans work as a threat. That’s bad, but a natural balance isn’t a utopia.

It’s a testament to how much the SNK world sucks that *this* is the outcome that allows the most people to be happy.

Rape, parents eating children, all of it indefinitely.

That’s one of the most frustrating things about this chapter.

Just…what even is the message of this story anymore?

Attack on Titan is a series about freedom and striving for freedom. Eren has embodied that struggle the whole time.

But now?

Eren is a lunatic who’s about to crush the whole world.

The Cringevengers are fighting for freedom, but not their own. Stopping Eren will only open a pathway for the world to retaliate against Paradis for the failed rumbling. Their mission is one of self-destruction.

That’s noble, but it’s looking more and more like the cringevengers are going to lose. They’re physically and mentally exhausted, and they don’t really have much personal stake in this anymore.

So I guess we’re heading for an ending where Eren destroys the world.

If that’s the case, then…what’s the message?

Is this a tragedy?

Tragedies are about characters failing to rise above their flaws, but they’re also supposed to be constructive.

Tragedies work when they show the audience that a happy ending could have happened but for the character’s flaws.

Romeo and Juliet could have lived if it weren’t for their feuding families, for example. The story ended sadly, but there was a clear path to a happy ending.

What is the path forward in Attack on Titan?

The Marleyans are shit. They’re racist colonialists out to dominate the world. They coral Eldians into camps, use them as weapons, and want to build a global empire. Their long term motivation is to preserve their global dominance.

Eren is a lunatic. ‘Nuff said.

The Cringevengers have the moral high ground, but…if they win, the Eldians still die. So…go Cringevengers?

Who is the hero of this story right now?

Which path is the right one?

What is even the message anymore?

The answer is that there is none.

The situation is clearly designed to make this outcome inevitable.

The world is going down this bad path because almost everyone has the same flaw: they are willing to kill people for the sake of their own prejudices.

If only a couple of characters had that flaw, this would be fine, but making this flaw so widespread makes it seem that humans in general are like this, and that’s wrong.

Most people are not like this.

I think the fact that humanity has not self-immolated yet speaks for itself.

I don’t know what’s going on in Isayama’s mind, but I wonder if maybe he’s a bit paranoid about tensions between Japan, and China, and the Koreas.

The possible social commentary in SNK is always interesting to think about, but I’m just going to skip over that here.

…

Ugh, I guess I have to talk about the pregnancy now.

So first off, my starting point when thinking about the pregnancy is that whatever happened, it didn’t involve rape.

That’s maybe something we shouldn’t assume, but I don’t think Isayama will cross that line. Having Historia go through that trauma for basically no reason is viscerally disgusting and I trust that Isayama knows that.

Attack on Titan is ostensibly about freedom; being forced to carry a child to term is not that.

Clearly.

So I take it as a given that there was no rape.

Once you do that, thinking about the pregnancy becomes much simpler.

There are really only two possible explanations:

1. That Historia fell in love with a man, decided to have a family…and that Isayama is playing up the possibility of rape for shock value.

Or.

2. The pregnancy is somehow fake.

So which is more believable?

Honestly, I lean towards (1), though I’d prefer it be fake.

Before this chapter came out, I never felt it was likely the pregnancy was fake. There was an aura of suspicion around it, but that doesn’t prove much.

We know the pregnancy was inexplicably advantageous to Zeke, and we know that Eren and Historia were up to something right before Eren disappeared.

Isayama is clearly hiding something, but a fake pregnancy specifically?

I see no reason why it would be that and not, say, a secret romance.

That’s what really scares me though.

Most people can explain why callous depictions of rape are bad. The number of people who can explain why callous depictions of queer people are bad is much smaller.

I ship yumikuri. In fact, it’s one of the few pairs I ship.

So call me biased if you want, but the bottom line is that Ymir explicitly loved Historia, and most people would at least say Historia might have reciprocated. I personally would say she definitely did.

Ymir loved Historia.

She loved her enough to reach out to her and try to save her from her own fate.

Enough to jump from the tower and fight off the titans.

Enough to make Bertolt and Reiner turn back to get her.

Ymir did all this because she loved Historia.

But Isayama, it seems, wrote it into his story that Ymir loved Historia just to move the plot forward.

And once Ymir’s purpose as a character was fulfilled, she was removed from the story and killed off screen.

That’s a really shitty thing to do.

Establishing a queer romance just so the characters have motivation to go from Point A to B and nothing more is fucking low.

It’s cheap as hell.

It’s offensive.

But, I have to point out, not as offensive as a rape victim carrying their child to term.

I think that’s important to keep in mind.

People have written about women’s rights for centuries. Those principles are well established, if not always followed.

Gay rights just aren’t.

Most people can tell you why reducing rape to cheap drama is bad; most people cannot tell you why reducing lesbian romance to a plot device is bad.

(The answer is that they both trivialize their subjects, albeit in slightly different ways.)

I bring this up because I think people underestimate the chances that in-universe Historia is pregnant because she wants to be pregnant.

We can infer from what we know that Historia is pregnant because it’s part of a plan to help Zeke or Paradis, but we can also infer that this is not exactly the case.

It’s not directly established that Historia is pregnant because of Paradis’ or Zeke’s machinations. All we know is that these people were plotting to use her to make babies. We haven’t seen the point where she was roped into those schemes.

So I don’t think it can be discounted that Isayama plans to pair Historia up with a guy, most likely either Eren or Farm boy. Unfortunately.

Gay people don’t have many allies in this world. Unfortunately, that means Isayama is likely to *not* be one of those allies.

SNK’s record of depicting gay relationships speaks for itself.

That was all what I thought before this chapter came out.

I still think that.

So.

Now I guess I have to talk about Historia in this chapter now.

So Historia’s scene opens with her having resigned herself to a future of rape and Eren telling her she’s a human being who has rights.

…

……

I almost can’t bring myself to talk about this.

You know, back when Attack on Titan first become popular, it got a lot of praise for how feminist it was.

It was a post-apocalyptic survival horror show, and it really stood out how many prominent women there were.

Hange, Annie, Mikasa, Sasha, Historia, Rico. These people saw real action and had real characters, and a lot of people appreciated that.

Yep.

Good times. Good times.

How did we get here?

What happened?

Historia’s character is all about agency.

She wanted to end her life because she thought she was a burden. In the cavern she was prepared to take on the same burden she’s taking on right now, but she chose to live for herself.

She saved herself from that fate.

She rejected her family’s burden and chose to forge her own path.

Now it’s like that never happened.

She’s back to killing herself for everyone else’s sake, except now she’s also a damsel who needs Eren to save her.

So Eren reveals his plan to her, and she’s totally distraught over it. She tries to reason with him, and Eren just glares at her like she’s Reiner or something.

Finally we get to the most eyebrow raising moment in this exchange: when Historia invokes Ymir to justify opposing Eren.

I think Ymir is supposed to be seen as a tragic figure in Attack on Titan.

She didn’t have to take the fall for those Eldian cultists. They plucked her out of nowhere and randomly decided to worship her. She didn’t ask for any of this trouble.

But regardless, she took the fall for them.

When she got a new lease on life, she chose to live for herself. She’d put herself before everyone else for a change. She’d let no one else’s fate decide her’s.

But it never turned out that way.

I think Ymir’s tragic flaw is that she cares too much for her own good.

She was always going out of her way for others and doing more than she needed to. Helping Connie, helping Historia, helping Reiner and Bertolt.

Her enemies.

Ymir is a good person at heart, and that’s not bad, but according to Attack on Titan’s morality, being “good” to the point of self-sacrifice is bad.

I think one of the morals of Attack on Titan is that if you sacrifice yourself for other people’s sake……you end up sacrificing yourself.

Ymir could have left Reiner and Bertolt to their fates and returned to the walls. She could have lived a happy life with her friends and the girl she loved.

But she didn’t.

She knew that returning to Marley would mean death for her, and guessed what happened?

She did the thing that would likely kill her and she was killed.

Ymir couldn’t help but be a “good girl” and for that she was punished.

Thus endeth the tragedy of Ymir.

Now we come to Historia.

“If I don’t do everything in my power to stop you, I can’t live with my head held high!”

Historia is using Ymir’s words, but she’s actually betraying Ymir right now.

Ymir meant those words in the sense of living for yourself and not others. In the sense of not being self-sacrificial.

As far as Historia is concerned, in her current situation, she only has two options.

Let them rape her for the sake of her people, or let Eren destroy the world.

That’s it.

As far as Historia is concerned, to oppose Eren is to tacitly support the rape option.

So Historia is using Ymir’s words, but really it’s an insult because she’s using them to defend what Ymir would have hated.

Her self-sacrifice.

One thing that’s interesting about Attack on Titan is what it says about standing up for yourself.

In the story, not being self-sacrificial ironically requires you to make sacrifices.

If Ymir had not helped Reiner and Bertolt, they would have been in a lot more trouble with Marley. In a way, if she had not gone with them, she would have been sacrificing them, in the sense that she would have been throwing them under the bus.

When Historia chooses to live for herself in the cavern, she screams about how she’ll happily throw humanity under the bus if it means saving herself.

That’s why she calls herself “the worst girl in history.”

As opposed to Krista, who is a “good girl.”

I think that’s what Isayama is going for here.

Krista is the “good girl” who’ll gladly take a bullet for you.

Historia is the “bad girl” who’ll gladly throw you overboard if it meant she didn’t have to debase herself.

Yeah, Historia later claimed she was in the moment when she said that, but that doesn’t mean much.

When you’re in the heat of the moment, and you’re acting on pure instinct, you’re likelier to reveal parts of yourself you wouldn’t otherwise.

Being in the moment doesn’t mean Historia doesn’t identify with what she said, it means she was speaking her mind with no filter.

In 130, Historia and Eren are superficially at odds with each other, but deep down Historia thinks Eren is right.

She doesn’t want to sacrifice herself, and I’m sure she feels she shouldn’t have to, just on principle.

The only reason she accepts this fate is because she feels she has to.

So when Eren asks Historia to not oppose him, and she refuses, he tells her she has it in her to do it because she’s “the worst girl in history.”

I think Historia is the kind of person who’d throw you under the bus if she knew it’d save what she values most: her friends, yes, but also herself.

But Historia is acting more like Krista, someone who’d throw their life away to save yours.

Eren is saying she needs to start acting like herself again.

He’s trying to remind Historia of who she is and what she used to think was most important to her.

(This scene is *so* misogynistic. I’m going to puke.)

The flashbacks in this chapter were presented as vignettes, so it’s hard to say how Eren’s scene with Historia ended.

One thing that stood out to me though was the clear through line that connected all the various scenes.

The first one is Eren talking to Yelena about Zeke’s plan.

Next scene is Eren and Floch talking about the real plan.

Then it’s Eren and Historia talking about the plan.

Then back to Eren and Floch for Eren’s reveal of what he’s really doing.

Back to Historia as Eren tries to win her over.

Then we cut to Zeke and Eren talking about Mikasa.

Finally, we go back to Historia.

This flow is important because we don’t know much about Eren’s talk with Historia, but I think we can tease out some clues based on what scenes we see when.

Historia is put on the spot. Eren has revealed his plan, and she opposes it. They argue back and forth, and we reach a point where Historia is at a loss for words, and doesn’t seem to know what to do.

Then we inexplicably cut to a conversation between Zeke and Eren.

A conversation about loyalty, affection, and standing by your friends.

The implications for what this hints at are huge.

Eren asks Zeke if Mikasa cares about him so much because of some Ackermann genetics.

Zeke replies there’s no proof of that, and Mikasa probably just loves him.

Finally, Historia speaks, and she asks Eren about getting pregnant.

She doesn’t go to such great lengths for Eren because she’s a slave!

She doesn’t subject herself to this because she’s being coerced!!

It’s because she L O V E S him ! ! !

Fuck this! Fuck me! Fuck everything!

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk 130 #snk spoilers #snk chapter 130 #eren jeager #Historia Reiss

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lilacmoon83 · 4 years

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Finding You Always

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 218: The Splendor of Cibola

As they arrived back at the Jolly Roger, they found the two agents. Unfortunately, Agent Brooks was long dead, but Agent Green was hanging on by a thread, as Eva quickly went to work.

"Can you save her?" Emma asked.

"She's lost too much blood. I can heal the wound, but she needs a transfusion," Eva replied.

"Agent Green...do you know your blood type?" Eva asked. The woman swallowed thickly and rasped an answer.

"B positive," she uttered weakly.

"Aunt Regina...can you use a little magic? I need at least two pints. I can magically infuse it into her," Eva said. Regina summoned what she needed from the hospital back in Storybrooke. Eva used her magic to heal and seal the wound, before magically infusing the blood transfusion into the woman. She felt exhausted when she was finished, but didn't collapse.

"She needs rest and she should be fine then," Eva said. Leo picked the agent up and carried her down to the Captain's quarters to rest.

"I'll get us underway for that island," Killian said, as he took to the helm.

~*~

Snow and David were led up the gangplank of a ship that looked like it was a luxury ocean liner and were relieved to see Bobby waiting there with Dr. LaGuerra, Malina, Thalia, and Johnny.

"Mom! Dad!" he called, as he rushed to them and they hugged him between them, as Queen Omaru boarded as well, with her two elite commanders, Louda and Kiyun.

"Oh baby...did they hurt you?" Snow asked.

"No...they just took some blood and they were analyzing it. And they've figured out the magic cuff thing," Bobby replied, as Snow and David saw the needle marks on his arm and the black cuff on his wrist. Seething, David started toward the sick doctor, but Kiyun held up a glowing blaster.

"Another step and I discharge an electromagnetic pulse from this gun that will incapacitate you for the foreseeable future," he warned. David stopped, glaring at them, as Snow put her hand on his arm.

"Charming no...we need you," she pleaded with him and he reluctantly retreated and slipped his arm around her waist. Dr. LaGuerra smirked smugly and David sent him another glare.

"Keep smirking, Doctor...because next time I get my hands on you and I will…" he warned.

"Next time, I won't be breaking your nose. Next time...it's going to be your neck," he threatened. The Doctor tried to seem unbothered by his threat, but it was clearly making him squirm. David hugged Snow close with one arm, while he put the other one around their son.

"It's going to be okay...the others are still out there," Bobby whispered to them and they both gave him a reassuring smile. He was right and they knew their older children and other family wouldn't be far behind them.

~*~

Flashback

Zeus gazed down over the Earth solemnly. His daughter was in love again and it should have brought him joy. But it didn't, for he knew their love, though true and strong, was cursed to end in tragedy. And there was nothing he could do to stop it or save her the pain.

"At least she is happy again, even if only for a little while," Athena mentioned.

"How can you say that? You know the pain that is ahead of her again," he said in frustration.

"Because of this curse, she cannot recognize that Adonis is identical to Anchises. He feels drawn to her, for he is Anchises reincarnated into a new life that will ultimately be cut short in violence as well," he continued.

"She will be crushed by her grief again and I, the supreme God, can do nothing but watch it all unfold!" he ranted.

"Father…" Athena tried to soothe him.

"We watched her mourn Anchises for almost a thousand years and we will soon watch her mourn Adonis," he said.

"If she had just listened to me and stayed here on Olympus...she wouldn't have to go through this!" he lamented.

"Father...nothing can keep her from her soulmate, not even you," Athena warned.

"She never listens…" he complained and Athena chuckled.

"Wonder where she gets that," the Goddess teased.

"I am in no mood, daughter," he warned.

"If she had just married Hephaestus as I implored her to, then she would have been safe from all this pain," he said.

"Safe and unhappy. I know my baby sister...she will choose happiness a thousand times, even if it's only for a handful of moments in her life," she replied. He sighed.

"I have failed my lovely Dione. She would be horrified if she knew the terrible curse placed upon our daughter and the hardships she has and will endure," he said.

"Dione is always with her in spirit...she will look after her from Elysian as much as she can. She knows her daughter is strong and would never deny her love," Athena reasoned.

"Fine...but remind me again why you encouraged me not to smite that fool Collector, like I did his father, with one of my lightning bolts?" he asked irritably.

"Father...you cannot just smite every mortal that gets your toga in a twist. The mortals already think you're...not very nice," Athena said delicately.

"Ooohhh...that's putting it mildly," Hermes deadpanned, as she appeared.

"Very funny, sister. Any luck?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. I have searched countless realms for centuries and Eros is nowhere to be found," she replied sadly.

"Damn the Black Fairy...she continues to elude us," Zeus cursed. He felt helpless and that was not something that the supreme God took well at all.

~*~

Prince Adonis bowed to the visiting dignitaries, as they filed by his mother's Throne at another ball. He detested these balls, but as his eyes met Aphrodite's across the room, he didn't mind them so much anymore, since he knew he would spend much of the evening with her in his arms.

His relationship with the Goddess was considered scandalous and the nobility in his mother's court was livid at their courtship. They were protesting it with his mother, stating that they would refuse to accept Aphrodite as his Queen one day, due to her immortal status. He didn't care though and his mother, thankfully, only wanted his happiness.

"Prince Adonis, I am Tao Xang Li, advisor to the Dragon Prince, Esteban Zhu Ling, of the great Dragon Empire," the dark haired man said, as he bowed. Adonis followed suit as a show of respect.

Welcome to my Kingdom...though I must say I am a bit surprised that you've traveled so far," Adonis said.

"Forgive my advisor, but we are simply passing through on our way to the Kingdoms to the west," Esteban replied, as he bowed again.

"Ah...you've heard the rumors about El Dorado. I've heard it is but a myth and possibly not even of this land at all, but another entirely," Adonis said.

"And who, pray-tell, told you that little fairy tale?" another voice questioned.

"I did…" Aphrodite said, as she sided up to her love and he put an arm around her waist, glaring at the brutish man before them. She looked stunning, as usual, in a glittering pink gown.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Uh...forgive him, Goddess. He is but our Navigator and has forgotten his place," Tao hissed.

"Navigator? I am the greatest Navigator in all the realms," he boasted, as he bowed to her.

"Antonio de Mendoza...and may I say, you truly are the Goddess of Beauty," he complimented, as he kissed the back of her hand, which she quickly recoiled.

"But forgive me, Goddess, the rumors of El Dorado being in a land to the west is very credible," he argued.

"Of course," she placated, as she looked at her beloved.

"Gentlemen...if you'll excuse me, I owe my beautiful future Queen a dance," Adonis said, as he led her onto the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.

"So…El Dorado? Are they on a wild goose chase?" he asked.

"According to Hermes...it's real, but they call it Cibola. But yes, they'll never find it without a magic bean to take them to a far off realm, reportedly one where magic as we know it is quite scarce," she replied.

"Sounds like an intriguing place," he mentioned, as he kissed her tenderly.

~*~

"Do you think the Goddess knows the location of El Dorado?" Mendoza wondered.

"It does not matter...she is the daughter of Zeus and if she is not offering us the information, then we do not want to press it," Tao refuted.

"Tao is wise and we will heed this advice. If the rumors are true, then Zeus killed the last mortal that wronged his daughter," Esteban said. But Mendoza's gaze on the Goddess told him that he was not done pressing the issue.

~*~

"I understand that, General, but forcing this issue could be an act of war," Major Donovan argued.

"I am receiving a lot of pressure from the people truly in power in this world and they do not tolerate what they cannot control. They want all your Intel and everything you inherited from the one known as the Collector," the General said sternly.

"And if I cannot or will not deliver that?" Patricia asked.

"Then you will be court-martialed," he threatened, as the line went dead and she pocketed her phone, before going up on deck. She knew keeping her superiors out of this wouldn't be possible for long. She had never had torn loyalties before. She had always been eager and willing to serve her country. But she also knew that there was an underbelly in the world and the country of people that really ran things. People that had no loyalty to anything other than money and power. It was why she had chosen to bring David on board to take on Clayton's underground. Because she knew a lot of them were connected to the powerful bloodlines that actually ran the world.

She had also gotten close to David and his family during the two year curse in Boston and she had grown to care about them. Betraying them and unleashing these people on the United Realms didn't sit well with her. It would be a definite war with certain casualties and the thought of some of these evil people that were pushing the General for this power getting access to magic was unsettling to say the least. They already did terrible things with their money and power. If they got possession of the magic within the United Realms, it could have apocalyptic consequences.

She knew her loyalty with them was already in question and she didn't want to say anything to anyone without Snow and David there. She knew that they might be the only ones that would fully believe her that her loyalty might be swaying toward them and away from her once loved, but now corrupt globalist minded government.

~*~

The General took the video call and stared into the room of about a dozen people. They were not well known or known at all really. But they were all descendants of this world's oldest and most powerful bloodlines. They controlled almost everything that happened in this world. Those well known public figures were mere puppets on strings for those really in control.

They had looked unhappy, which wasn't unusual. Today seemed worse though, but he wasn't surprised. There wasn't much that this elite group didn't know about so when they had found out there had been a secretive town, full of magic and mysterious, gifted people in this country, hidden right under their noses, they were livid to say the least.

"General Mendoza...have you spoken to Major Donovan?" one woman asked. Though he was far from a good man, these people even made him shiver. Most of it was their eyes. While they were human, their eyes were all soulless and empty, filled with disdain and hatred for the masses of people they ruled over and often referred to as cattle. Millions of them could die and none of them would bat an eye or shed a tear. In fact, they would probably celebrate the thinning of the herd.

"I have, Madam Stavros...but she seems reluctant," he reported.

"That's unfortunate…" a man said.

"We must have access to the United Realms," Madam Stavros insisted.

"Major Donovan seems to think that they are not a threat to us," General Mendoza interjected.

"That's because she intends to use them to bring us down and dismantle everything our families have built for over a thousand years!" the man roared.

"Mr. Crane is right…" Madam Stavros agreed in an even tone.

"Do whatever you must to intercept the Major when she returns and take control of that magical family," she added. He had no idea how they expected him to do that, but he didn't dare voice this, as the screen went blank.

"You know...I've taken on the Charmings, as they are affectionately called, and they are formidable," a new voice said. The General turned and found a familiar man standing there.

"You…I've seen you. You attacked the museum a few nights ago," General Mendoza said.

"I am Mephisto...and I can help you with your Charming little problem," he said.

"How?" he asked.

"I can get into the United Realms with my unique abilities and there may be someone that can help us break through the magical barrier protecting it," he replied.

"And what would you want in return?" the General asked.

"Just the locations of the fools you were just talking to. They are the most powerful people in this world and by making them blackhearts...then I will easily control everything in one fell swoop," he replied.

"Blackhearts?" Mendoza asked.

"My minions...they have powers bestowed upon them by me, but they are enslaved to me and would be under my complete control," Mephisto replied.

"I am not privy to their locations...but I can promise to get them into the United Realms, then they might foolishly all come to the same place. I know them...they mean to infiltrate and destroy from within. It's what they do to all countries," Mendoza responded.

"I'll get that barrier down...then we'll proceed," Mephisto agreed, as the deal was struck between them.

~*~

Half Moon Island was within view, as the grand vessel approached the mysterious place. The fog was thick and there was something ominous in the air. In response to their new atmosphere, the chalice began to pulse with energy.

"Yeah...that definitely means something," David mentioned.

"We are close to the gates of Cibola…" the Queen interjected.

"And if we open the gates...what then?" Snow questioned.

"The gold will stabilize our power and we will take our place as true rulers of this world," she said.

"Seriously? That's your plan? The old generic rule the world bit?" Bobby commented with an eye roll.

"We are one of the oldest races in existence, boy. It is our place to rule!" Omaru snapped.

"Someone who thinks they are entitled to rule over others are always unfit to do so," Snow argued.

"You and your husband will open those gates," she ordered, as the ship docked. They were forced to disembark and looked at the mossy jungle before them.

"Where are these gates?" Bobby asked.

"On the other side of the island. Move," Kiyun ordered, as they made their way into the thick jungle.

"We need a plan," David whispered to her.

"If I could get this stupid cuff off, I'd have one," Bobby murmured.

"That has to be part of our plan. We can use the chalice for that, but it is still a risk and that's not a risk your father and I are willing to take with your life, honey," Snow whispered.

"Your mother is right," David agreed, as a bird flew by and landed on Snow's shoulder.

"And...we may not have to," she whispered, as she looked at her husband. He saw the bird and realized exactly what was going on. It meant that Leo was near, which meant the rest of their family was as well. He nodded and squeezed his son's shoulder, as they reached the center of the crescent edge of the island.

"There's another island out there," Snow said.

"Yes and upon that small island are the gates of Cibola. We will take these small boats," the Queen said, indicating the small boats that looked like they were made out of some kind of tightly woven reed.

"Yeah...cause those look stable," Bobby commented, as they were ushered into one of the boats with Kiyun and the Queen, while the others manned the other boats.

~*~

"Man...what's with this fog?" Leo asked, as they arrived on Half Moon island.

"I don't know, but we need to catch up to them quickly. Who knows what will happen once Mom and Dad open those gates," Emma said.

"Are there any animals around?" Summer asked. Leo smiled.

"That's brilliant," he said, smiling at his baby sister, as he whistled. A blue bird emerged from the trees and landed on Leo's finger.

"A blue bird?" JJ asked.

"That's my question...how does a blue bird help us?" Zia asked.

"Leo can speak to all animals, but our Mom can speak to birds. He's going to send a message to Mom," Summer explained.

"Wow...your family is something," JJ said, as he smiled at her.

"In a good way," he assured her, as she smiled in return.

"Find my mother, Snow White, and give her our message," he imported to the tiny creature. It chirped at him, before flying off into the sky to deliver their message.

"Let's get moving...we may not have much time," Rumple said, as they began their trek into the jungle.

"You must be excited…" Eva said to Natalie, as they walked.

"You probably think that's silly," Natalie replied, but Eva shook her head.

"Not at all. It's easy to see that you're passionate about artifacts from other cultures and exploring the findings. I feel the same way about medicine," Eva mentioned. Natalie smiled.

"I guess so...I've been looking for Cibola most of my adult life and it's not really about the gold. It's about the find," she said.

"I get that," Eva said.

"Why are you talking to me?" Natalie asked suspiciously.

"Well...you're my Aunt, aren't you?" Eva replied.

"Uh yeah, I guess, but I'm not sure your Dad wants to claim me as his sister," she said.

"You don't know him like we do. Trust me...family is everything to him. He's going to come around sooner rather than later," Eva promised.

"What makes you think I want him to?" Natalie asked.

"Reading people is something I'm pretty good at and I have a feeling that you secretly think that being a part of a big, warm family might not be so bad," Eva replied, as she was silent and left her new Aunt to ponder those thoughts.

~*~

The liquid boiled in the beakers on the Bunsen burner, as Jekyll worked tirelessly in the lab on various experiments. He was frustrated, because wherever Snow currently was, even his nano surveillance technology didn't have access to it. He didn't like being out of the loop and he could feel the fire in his veins burning at being denied seeing her. He had observed all the events in Boston and even those in South America. But after that, the Jolly Roger disappeared from surveillance in the Pacific Ocean. This mysterious place called Mu was protected, even against his technologies. And he didn't like that at all.

To occupy his time, he worked tirelessly on new creations and lately, he had been studying the footage of the battle in Seattle. He had become recently fascinated with the star gems that the Charmings were in possession of. He had done much research and had stolen the book on star gems from Rose's library.

There was a soft sobbing that caught his attention, as his captive was awake at last.

"Ah...you're awake," he said, as he approached her.

"What...what are you going to do to me?" the dark haired woman asked.

"Oh...this is nothing personal, just an experiment. We had a lot of fun, but you were always a pale substitute for the real thing," he replied.

"You paid for my services...and I did what you wanted," she said.

"Yes...you paid the part in my little fantasy, but it was very unsatisfying. I should have known that a whore could never capture the magnificence of the real Snow White though. Some dark hair and red lipstick is hardly enough to be convincing," he replied.

"Fine...just let me go. You can even have your money back," she offered.

"Oh this was never just about sex. You're pretty enough, but hardly the vision that Snow White is. You took the edge off, but also made me realize that nothing but the real article will do for me," he hissed in her ear.

"However, all is not lost, because I have use for you in an experiment," he said, as a machine whined to life and she screamed, as he flipped a switch. A laser went into her chest and burned through her skin, as she wailed in excruciating pain. There was a glow, as the machine did it's part and her star gem floated in front of her dead body. His machine had extracted the gem from her heart, but in the process, burned her heart up.

"So...this is what makes the hearts of people from Misthaven glow when they are extracted," he said curiously. In his reading, he had discovered that all persons from magical realms had these gems within their hearts. But like this gem, most were powerless and insignificant. But the Charmings...they possessed magical ones that could be weaponized. However, his method of extraction would have to be improved.

He used a pair of pliers to carefully take the star gem and put it inside a case for later study.

"I see you're hard at work, as usual, doctor," Mephisto observed, as he slithered into his lab.

"Ah…I see you have obtained a new skin suit. It's as ugly as the last one," Jekyll commented. Mephisto chuckled.

"You're nothing to look at either, doctor. Just ask Snow White...you disgust her," he jabbed.

"What do you want?" Jekyll snapped.

"I have severed my connection to you and kept the power you bestowed upon me. I am not beholden to you," the doctor said.

"Yes…I'll admit, that angered me at first. None of my dark hearts have ever broken free of my control before. It is impressive," he complimented. Jekyll smirked.

"Complimenting me? That means you need my help," he goaded.

"There is a barrier around the United Realms. I want you to use your talents to find a way to nullify it," he said.

"That barrier was created by the Chalice...that won't be easy. It might actually be impossible," Jekyll countered.

"Oh, but not for you, Doctor. I've seen your work," Mephisto said.

"What's in it for me?" Jekyll asked.

"It's a long game...but in the end, Snow White will be in your grasp," Mephisto promised.

"I will see what I can do," Jekyll replied, as he looked at her image, which he kept upon the wall of his lab.

~*~

Flashback

A tear slipped down Adonis' cheek, as he lay flowers on his mother's coffin. The Queen had died in her sleep and the healers had determined that her heart had given out in her advanced age. The Kingdom mourned and Aphrodite was beside her beloved in every moment.

"I knew this would come someday...but I'm not ready for it. I'm not ready to be King," he lamented sadly.

"I know, my love...no one is ever ready to lose someone they love. But I know that you will be a wonderful King," Aphrodite promised.

"Sire...the scribes are here," one of the servants announced. He nodded.

"Of course," he said, as they approached.

"King Adonis...I am Aesop and have come to record your mother's story for the Archives at the library of Andresia," he said, as he bowed deeply.

"These are my assistants...the Grimm brothers," he introduced, as the pair bowed as well.

"Thank you...I trust you'll do justice to my mother's history," he said.

"We only hope that someday we can be permitted to record your extraordinary story as well, Your Majesty, and your courtship of the Goddess Aphrodite. You are the envy of many men in all the lands," one of the Grimms stated.

"Jacob...that is inappropriate," Aesop hissed, but Adonis put his hand up.

"It's okay, Aesop...I am never one to miss an opportunity to tell someone how much I love my future Queen or how beautiful she is," he said, as he kissed her cheek.

"If you'll excuse us," he said, as they walked away arm in arm. She leaned her head against his arm and they were unaware of the Queen's court's disapproving eye upon them.

~*~

They arrived at the massive, golden colored gates, which were adorned with a giant depiction of the sun on them.

"At last...we will finally have everything we need. Open them," Omaru ordered.

"I'm getting really tired of these people," David grumbled, as they joined hands and approached the gates, while Bobby held Snow's hand and went with them. The chalice glowed in response to the proximity of the gates and a pulse of power washed over the giant doors. They glowed brightly, blinding everyone present, as they opened. The sight before them was truly stunning, as an expanse city made entirely of gold was before them. The structures were reminiscent of the pyramids commonly found that had been left behind by ancient civilizations such as the Incas and Mayans. Even the streets were paved in gold and in the center was a very tall tower, glowing like a beacon and the chalice seemed to glow with it.

"Fine...you have your gold. Now you'll let us go," David said.

"That will not be the case, Your Highness. The gold will provide the energy we needed, but it is in conjunction with the chalice that will stabilize our reactor. That means you and your wife will remain our prisoners indefinitely and you will use it to do our bidding," Omaru responded.

"There's no way in hell that's happening," Regina said, as they arrived, encased in one of Summer's bubbles, bypassing the need for a boat.

"Guess we'll see about that," Johnny said, as he stepped forward, armed with his steel skin device. But Summer was ready for him and encased him in a bubble. Regina smirked, as he started beating against the bubble with his steel skin in an attempt to break through. Regina sided up to Summer and put a hand on her shoulder. She released a fireball and gave the bubble an extra layer of protection.

"The only place you're going, Junior, is a lovely cell in the United Realms prison," she said, as Emma dueled Kiyun and Leo fought Louda.

"Stop them!" Omaru ordered, as Killian used his hook to release Bobby from his magical cuff.

"Thanks," Bobby said.

"NO!" Omaru cried, as the power pulsed from the youngest Charming and the ground beneath her was unearthed. Seeing that the control was shifting, not unsurprisingly, Dr. LaGuerra and Malina tried to make a run for it back to the boats, but suddenly felt themselves frozen in place.

"We have prison cells for you too," Rumple said. Bobby raised his hands and vines emerged from the ground, trapping them effectively. Snow stepped forward and punched the doctor right in the mouth.

"Ow! You broke my tooth!" he cried, as blood leaked from his mouth.

"That's for putting needles in one of my babies," she hissed.

Kiyun and Louda stood ready with their army and motioned for them to attack. David joined Emma and Leo, as they charged them. They were outnumbered, but ready for the attack this time. David unleashed the full power of the chalice sword and with two expert swipes, he decimated most of their army. The pure power hit the soldiers and disintegrated them. He didn't like using such devastating power, but he had learned a lot from his darker half. These people had nothing but evil in their hearts and were a very real and direct threat to Snow and his children. And he was done letting people like that get a pass.

Louda sparred vigorously with Leo and managed to get a hand around his neck. She smirked deviously, as she squeezed and he began to choke.

"I'd snap your neck with ease, young one. You're just lucky that our Queen has need of your magical blood," she hissed, but then dropped him, as his body became alive with electricity. He shocked her and the force of the attack threw her into a tree. Rumple waved his hand and binding appeared on her as well.

"Down to one it seems," he said, as Emma dueled Kiyun furiously.

"We have waited too long for this moment! We are on the edge of greatness and not even you will stop us, Savior!" he claimed.

"Look around genius...we've already won," she replied, as their blades clashed.

"Your family has many adversaries...and is still haunted by demons," he said.

"If you're trying to get into my head, then forget it," Emma replied dismissively, as she matched him move for move.

"True love has saved your family...but far too many have designs on all of you, especially your parents. Those demons won't go away...they already plague your mother in the form of panic attacks," he goaded.

"There is nothing that my parents can't handle, because they have each other. My parents are none of your concern," Emma growled.

"Oh, but they are. Among many things, my Queen is a seer. She foretold the demise of the Dragon Queen and her King," he claimed.

"She warned her...but they did not heed her warning and then suffered the consequences," he continued.

"Yeah...screw your prophecy. My parents have faced death before and they always beat it. The evil they have faced has always fallen and always will," Emma refuted, as she used her magic to disarm the warrior and end the fight. Rumple secured him with bindings as well and only the Queen and Thalia remained. Her father was putting Omaru in handcuffs, while Xander approached Thalia with a pair of zip ties in his hand.

"So...you're going to lock me up again in front of our daughter?" she asked.

"I don't want to do that. But you're the one that's choosing Junior over her," he replied.

"Clayton looked out for us...unlike you," she spat back.

"I didn't know! You hid her from me!" he snapped.

"Because I knew you'd walk out on her just the way you walked out on your twin boys!" she argued.

"You don't know that! Clayton manipulated me for years! And looks like he did it to you too. He told you to hide her from me...didn't?" Xander growled.

"Mom?" Natalie prodded.

"It...it was for the best, honey," Thalia said. Xander scoffed.

"For the best? Seriously? Why? What does he get from that?" Natalie asked, as she looked at Johnny, who smirked at her.

"You know what he wanted...the Chalice and he would have done anything to get to it. Xander running off with Thalia and you didn't fit his purposes. Waking up Charming too early didn't fit his plan either," Johnny said, as he chuckled.

"Even dead...my father is still manipulating all of you! He was a master at it and still he worms his way deeply into this family," he continued.

"He hoped to sire his heir with the Goddess Aphrodite," Johnny said.

"There is no way you're Aphrodite's son…" Snow refuted, as David put his arm around her.

"You're right...he, unfortunately, was unable to seal that deal," he replied.

"Instead...he found another bloodline that was suitable. Not an immortal bloodline, but one that hated Aphrodite and everything she stood for. She was only too happy to sire me with my father when she learned that he was going to bring down Aphrodite's champions," he explained.

"Well, that didn't happen," Emma refuted.

"Yet…" he leered.

"And you're not a part of this family," Leo added.

"Oh...but I am, because of her," Johnny said, looking toward Natalie.

"Yeah...no you're not, because we are done," she refuted. He smirked.

"We'll see," he said.

"Can someone please put him on mute?" David asked. Emma waved her hand and he found himself unable to speak.

"You can have your volume back once we get back to Storybrooke and you're in prison," she said, as she joined her parents and they looked at the sprawling golden city before them.

"It's your choice now, Mom. Are you choosing Clayton over me again?" Natalie asked, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I've never chosen him over you," Thalia responded.

"And I'll prove it to you, if given the chance," she said, as she and Xander locked eyes.

"Guess we'll find out in time," he replied, as he didn't arrest her.

"So what now?" Leo asked.

"Yeah...this is an amazing place. It has to be protected," Eva agreed.

"How do we do that? I mean, it belongs to Zia's people, but it would hardly be safe if we moved it to the Andes Mountains. No offense," Summer said.

"None taken...this would attract every greed filled person in the world and people would suffer," Zia agreed.

"Then what about moving it to the United Realms? Is it possible?" Bobby asked, as he watched his parents exchange a glance.

"With the chalice...I think it's more than possible," Snow said. David smiled at her and kissed her tenderly. It was time to prepare to return home.

~*~

Flashback

"Request denied…" Esteban said, as Mendoza's face fell.

"Sire?" he questioned.

"We have allowed many resources to be wasted on your quest for Cibola and it is time we come to the realization that it does not exist," he said, as his new Queen sat by his side, with their adviser, Lord Tao, there as well.

"Your own adviser has spun the tales of his people's guard of this grand treasure!" Mendoza claimed.

"The final writings of the people of Hiva are mere myth and legend, Navigator," Tao replied.

"No...this is her doing! She is keeping the treasure from us!" Mendoza claimed.

"You will not speak to my Queen in that manner, lest you wish to find a new home in prison," Esteban warned. Mendoza bowed.

"Forgive me, My Lord," he apologized, before leaving quietly, where he met up outside with his new ally, John Clayton.

"So now they claim it's not real," Mendoza said.

"They are lying...I've shown you the ruins of Atlantis and Tao is a descendant of the Mu. Trust me, Cibola is real too and she knows all about it," John said.

"It does not matter if we cannot find it," Mendoza replied.

"Perhaps we can. If we cannot implore them, then we will compel the Goddess to tell us. We are leaving for Cyprus," John said.

"How can we compel the Goddess to help us?" Mendoza asked. He smirked.

"By holding the life of her beloved Adonis over her head," John replied deviously.

~*~

The people of the United Realms gathered at the Harbor, having been summoned there by Queen Rose Red and Fandral. Apparently, the buzz was that Snow White and Prince David were returning from their journey had a grand surprise for all to witness.

A spiraling orange portal appeared in the ocean and the Jolly Roger sailed through it into United Realms waters, before docking at the Harbor.

Eva hurried off the ship and hugged Paul tightly, who enveloped her in his arms and they shared a kiss.

"I missed you, but I have a patient. One of the agents from Boston. She's stable, but we should get her to the hospital," Eva said. Paul smiled.

"So that's where those missing pints of B positive blood went," he realized, with a chuckle.

"I missed you too and I'll call us an ambulance for her," he replied

Leo wasn't far behind her and picked Elsa up, spinning her around. Killian and Emma followed, as they were eager to reunite with their daughter.

"Thanks for watching her for us," Emma said, as she held Hope.

"Please...we loved it," Joe replied.

Summer and Bobby followed their parents and the others off the ship, along with Zia and her parents, whom they had picked up on the way.

"So...what's this big surprise?" Rose asked, as she and Snow shared a hug.

"We found it and now, we're about to present the newest realm to everyone," Snow replied, as she showed her a small snow globe. David sided up to her and pointed out into the water.

"That seems like a good place," he said. She nodded in agreement, as they grasped the chalice together. The snow globe disappeared and the island of Mu appeared before them in the water. Most notably though, the burning mountain was gone. Snow and David had used the chalice to obliterate that threat, before encasing the whole place in a snow globe to be transported. And just behind it was Half Moon island and the incredible splendor of Cibola for all to see.

"Whoa...you did it. This is definitely my next story," Henry said, with a wide grin.

"We cannot thank you enough for preserving our ancestor's legacy," Santo said.

"It's our honor and with the amount of magic beans we have, you'll have enough of a supply to come here any time if you want," Snow replied. Santo looked at his wife.

"That is something we have been discussing and now that we have met the Queen of Hiva, it is clear that she and her people are our direct relation," Irina said.

"We have decided to relocate to Mu. Queen Nubia says that our daughter is extremely gifted and is the rightful heir to Cibola. There is much she must learn though if she is to be Queen of Mu and Cibola someday," Santo said.

"So you're moving here?" Bobby asked with hope in his voice. Zia nodded.

"We are," she confirmed, bringing a smile to his face.

"We do have a few prisoners to relocate though," David said.

"I can help with that," Fandral said, as he went to help escort them to their new home behind bars.

~*~

"So...does this place have a hotel or something?" Natalie asked.

"It does, but that won't be necessary. Our castle has plenty of rooms. Xander stays with us and you and your mother are welcome too," Snow replied. Natalie scoffed.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

"You're David's sister, which makes you family," Snow replied.

"So it's that simple?" Natalie asked.

"Actually yes...people have accused me of being too soft on adversaries and some of them have a point. But I know someone with a good heart when I see one," Snow replied, as they exchanged a glance.

"And I also know unfinished business between two people," she added, as they glanced at Thalia and Xander. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Then tomorrow, I'm sure that the Ramos family would welcome your architectural expertise and allow you to explore to your heart's content," Snow replied. Natalie looked at her skeptically.

"Really?" she asked. Snow shrugged.

"Why not? I mean, they're going to need a liaison between Cibola and the Atlantis museum, which has been looking for a curator with your kind of experience," Snow replied. Natalie was floored.

"Did you just offer me a job?" she asked.

"Well…Milo and Kida have the final say, but considering your background, expertise, and relation to my husband, you'll be a shoe in, if you want it," Snow replied, leaving her stunned and speechless. Snow smiled and walked away, as David returned from seeing the prison van off.

"It's good to be home," he said, as she slipped his arms around his waist.

"I'll say…" she replied, as they shared a tender kiss.

"Granny's...and then maybe a moonlight walk on the beach?" he asked.

"That sounds wonderful," she agreed, as they shared another kiss.

"And then...home to bed to not sleep," he whispered to her in a husky tone. She bit her bottom lip in excitement.

"No…I don't think we'll be getting much sleep tonight at all, handsome," she agreed, as she hooked her hand on his elbow and leaned her head against his arm. He put his arm around her waist and headed to Granny's to celebrate with their family.

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #OC Charmings #AU #original season 9 storyline #Rose Red #Fandral the Dashing #Dashing Rose #Prince James #Aphrodite #Prince Goddess #Regina Mills #Rumplestiltskin #romance #adventure #family #finding you always #the epic continues

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