#lacking control [terra]

[outoftheirdifferences]

Discussed garbage child meetup starter for @talesofourworlds!

"I've got people to see. Amuse yourself here, Apprentice."

Those had been the words Slade had left her with as he departed for his meeting... leaving Terra to honestly wonder why he'd bothered to insist she come along with him in the first place. So this was some sort of dimension-spanning villain convention, attended by major conquerors, destroyers, and otherwise bad guys of any number of worlds... she got that that made it pretty important; and in fact, she'd already passed a number of familiar faces. Some she recognised from a glimpse of a news report about Gotham City's most wanted, while she'd been passing through the area some months back... and others she'd seen in movies, of all places.

But this being somewhere that Slade would attend, and being somewhere that she needed to attend with him were two very different matters.

Maybe he saw her as an up-and-coming villain in her own right, in the future? Something more than just his apprentice. And if that was the case, maybe he expected her to look around at what sort of thing others were doing here, pick up some tips for the future?

It... seemed as good a way as anything else to kill the time while Slade was busy. Drifting through the crowd, she glanced across at a few booths, but nothing in particular caught her eye. Turning away from yet another stall of random supervillain tech (who used half of this stuff...?), she happened to glance across the crowd--

A flash of green hair kicked her heart into her throat. It was gone before Terra could see its owner, and surely there was no way at all that Beast Boy would have come here of all places... even if he really was dead serious about taking her out (one way or another), after all she'd done, he couldn't exactly waltz up in the middle of bad guy central, could he...?

Still, she had to be sure. Her expression setting, Terra pushed her way through the crowd, in pursuit of that flash of green-- with every intention of disposing of it once and for all if it really was who she thought.

[sepublic]

So in Willow’s debut, it’s established that Abominations is considered as having better career opportunities than Plants. And in hindsight, it makes sense now; Abominations are valued by the coven regime in the way Blight Industries does them, as industrial Abomatons that can be controlled, as a means of military power and not magitech medicine as Alador shows in the epilogue. Belos buys them from Odalia, he practically assimilates Blight Industries.

This is because Abomatons don’t think for themselves, they’re servants that can replace covenscouts in areas that would challenge morality, and they lack the sapience to be targeted. They’re beings Belos can control without having to learn more of the magic he despises to do so; All of this is in contrast to how Darius or Amity use Abominations as a reflection of their own skill, the individual.

We see how the Abomatons aid the coven regime, and esp see through the Day of Unity; The Abomatons can be programmed, and do nothing without orders; They’re not going to become witches and demons in their own right, they’ll maintain those walls and then do so for the end of time.

They don’t need to be targeted for genocide as victims of the draining spell who would be incapacitated, so they can do their job while that happens. They keep witches corralled because the closer to the ritual, the faster the covenbound die. Of course, those who haven’t collapsed might try and stop the spell by removing the coven heads, which would place them within weakening proximity anyhow…

But that paranoia over covenbound who aren’t yet unconscious is justified; The Abomatons’ own creator rendered their role in the Day of Unity and the regime as a whole obsolete, because he had the strength away from the ritual to help the kids reach the skull, which allowed King to free the Collector and undo everything.

Plus, Belos is loathe to the isles; He depletes its natural resources, he wants all life to die and devastating the ecosystem is another way to do so. Hunter suggests growing Palistrom wood and he’s furious at the idea. So of course Plant magic is devalued, because it’s focused on life, on sustainability, with keeping others alive.

It’s the exact opposite of the cold industrialism that will make the Day of Unity happen and leave the land barren afterwards because the Abomatons themselves are barren in that sense, lacking magic and with little to contribute to the ecosystem, if anything. Plant magic is half of nature, the other being Beastkeeping, I wonder if that is also devalued by the regime?

Makes sense the Demon Hunters have to resort to menial city jobs instead of their traditional livelihood, forced to assimilate into an urban society if their environment has been depleted by colonialism. Adds to Darius and Eberwolf being rebels. And with Terra, it shows how much she’s willing to throw her fellow witches under the bus for utopia.

I remember speculating it since I was a Teenage Abomination; Abominations really is STEM, down to being used for military applications. Given TOH’s critique of the American education system, you can see how this metaphor extends when the work of creating a sustainable society and environment is secondary to destroying enemies and establishing supremacy and capital (As established with CEO Odalia’s motives).

Because it’s fun and easy to destroy, rather than do the banal yet meaningful work of actually building and healing and feeding people, thinking of how society can be sustainable. It’s easy to talk about how you can destroy witches zombies in an apocalypse, instead of how to keep a community of survivors alive; All that talk about how dudes bored with their lives dream about being an action hero at the expense of society’s collapse, without understanding what the world really needs is builders and not destroyers, and that they’d be nothing without the people who do this ‘boring’ work, is so very Belos.

[shadrell]

Pandora von Valancius. A sanctioned psyker pyromancer from the forge world.

Born on the world of AM, Pandora learned to restrain her emotions and think logically from childhood. Even as a child, her high intellect was noted, and if everything had gone well, she would have become an excellent tech-priest. But in her teens, she had a psykana surge. Fortunately, no one except a couple of servitors was hurt - she scorched herself and the pain returned her control of the situation. Then everything was like everyone else - the isolation ward, the black ship, Terra.

Her sanctioning process went wrong and with particular cruelty, but she endured it. Pandora burned her arms and legs in the process, so for her service in the Astra Militarium, it was necessary to strengthen her limbs with augmentics.

Pandora is a powerful psyker with a high will and intellect, possessing a cold mind that some have blasphemously compared to tech-priests. She had to learn to understand the laity and get used to the lack of advanced technology on most worlds. And to the blatant ignorance of most people around her.

I was absolutely charmed by Adeptus Mechanicus in general and Pasqal in particular. So I made an alternate version of Pandora for Rogue Trader TTRPG. In this variation, she did not have her psykana awakening and became a tech-priest, and then an Magos Explorator in the Rogue Trader's retinue.

[outoftheirdifferences]

"Yeah, of course! Everyone's talking about how you're new on the scene, and how you trussed up that Kingpin guy. Definitely sounds like you're the celebrity of the hour."

Did she... kinda wish she had that sort of attention? Truth be told... not really. It might be nice to be seen positively, for a change; but in her experience, that kind of spotlight was generally only cast on her when things were going wrong. She'd leave it for those who were more comfortable in it.

"That's right." Pushing blonde locks back behind her ear, Terra nodded. "I can do all sorts of stuff with rock and earth, make them fly around and do my bidding. Gets a little wild when I show off, though, so I'll probably keep it on the down-low unless trouble shows up."

She was casual about it... but that casualness also held a small nugget of fear. The truth was that, as much as she boasted, Terra's control of her power was... not great. She could do all that she said she could, sure; but she didn't have a solid grasp on it when she did, and could often cause earthquakes or other catastrophes as a uncontrollable side-effect. Here in the middle of New York, that was really something she'd like to avoid.

She'd also equally like to avoid talking about it. Hiding a wince at Spider-Man's question, she hastily redirected.

"No, no trouble. I just haven't put down roots anywhere yet, you know? The earth's a big place, plenty to see yet before I decide where to settle."

"Oh really? Surely, you've heard good things about me, hopefully?" Miles laughed lightheartedly behind his mask as he did appreciate the fact that there was talk about him although sometimes he does worry about the rumors that may not be true at all.

"Oh another superhero! By earth elemental, I'm assuming you have superpowers of your own, superpowers relating to the ground or earth?" Miles exclaims excitedly with genuine amazement, tilting his head a bit off to the side.

"You don't have to ask me for permission to crash here, but yeah of course! You can crash here for a few days if you're passing through." Miles nodded, curiosity filling his eyes. "If...if you don't mind me asking, are you in any trouble? You don't have to answer at all if you don't want to!" He quickly added, a soft kind smile flashing across his face even if his smile's concealed.

[databoyreekoo]

Kairi and Darkness [speculation thread]

!Find the original thread HERE on my twitter! (Sorry if any of the images are absolutely fried, they were all moved from twt since I didn't have them saved on my pc anymore lmao)

In BBS, we are introduced to Terra, Aqua and Ventus as parallels to Riku, Kairi and Sora, respectively. However, as the story of Kingdom Hearts continues to evolve, parallels between Aqua and Sora, Aqua and Riku, Terra and Sora, and Ventus and Kairi, are established as well.

I'd like to focus on the parallels between Ventus and Kairi, because it's possible that a terrible accident from the distant past may end up happening again.

Kairi and Ventus were both forced into a comatose state due to unfortunate circumstances, with someone close to them fighting to restore their hearts. Both are also associated with sleeping princesses.

Neither one of them remember their past, and they experience immense pain when they try to remember, or when they have a flashback.

Both were originally from another world until they were plucked and moved to another by Xehanort. Kairi was taken in by the mayor of Destiny Islands, while Ventus was taken in by Eraqus, the master of the Land of Departure. These worlds become their new homes.

Kairi's heart and Ventus' heart were required to complete the Keyblade of Heart and the X-blade, respectively, which both have the ability to summon Kingdom Hearts. (The Keyblade of Heart summons the door to Kingdom Hearts).

Both are pure hearts of light that were crystallized/frozen by Xehanort in order to "motivate" another Guardian to fight so the Keyblade War would reach its climax. (Literally in the same spot too, oof).

Oh, hey, this looks familiar! (Below, a demonstration of their light dispelling darkness through will alone).

They were both experimented on by Xehanort.

Xehanort used Kairi as a backup, which led to Sora's disappearance, just as he used Ventus to manipulate Terra into succumbing to darkness (which led to Aqua getting trapped in the Realm of Darkness).

Ah, and then there was this callback in ReMind, meaning the parallels between Kairi and Ventus are still relevant and important. Be sure to keep an eye out. 👀

Now, what does this have to do with Darkness? Well, in khux Ventus is depicted as a loner with a longing for friendship and a hidden desire for power. His complicated emotions attracted Darkness, which led to his "possession." (He was controlled like a puppet, more like).

After deciding that waiting wasn't good enough, Kairi got herself caught in the middle of another one of Sora's adventures. Kairi resolved to joining the fight, and openly expressed her irritation with being left behind.

She actively tried to help in any way she could, but it ultimately led to her getting used and destroyed by Xehanort and his many incarnations. We see this cycle eventually come to a point in Melody of Memory.

Kairi literally trembles with rage as she tells Xehanort, "because of you, my fate is at your mercy -- Sora and everyone got hurt because I wasn't strong enough!" But...her guilt, frustration, fear and lack of confidence causes her to get overpowered by illusion Xehanort.

Constantly getting left behind, not being strong enough to keep up with Sora and Riku, repeatedly getting used to endanger and hurt those she cares about, getting taken from her home world only to have her fate toyed with...

Kairi may be a Princess of Heart, but that doesn't mean she's resilient to trauma and the darkness that comes with it. Even Cinderella, another Princess of Heart, attracted the Unversed with her sorrow. If the emotions are real...darkness will respond to it, no matter who it is.

Kairi being a heart of pure light already puts her at risk of encountering darkness, because darkness is drawn to light and vice versa. And with her desire to become powerful enough to fight alongside Sora and Riku...it's just adding more bait to the trap.

"I really want to go with you... But, I can't do it now. I'd be a liability. I'm going to keep training to get more powerful so I can fight alongside you and Sora!"

And...with Melody of Memory's cover referencing the album art Nomura drew with the premise of "something that makes people want to know what's going to happen next, something that expands the imagination" where every keyword in the commands has a meaning...

"And, as one waits for Utada to perform again, there is a double meaning in this content. What happens if she starts to move again?"

It's implying Utada, as a performer, only has partial control of themselves. That, in this "game" they're in, they're at the mercy of the audience. After they're done recharging, what will happen next? Will they break free? (Of course, this is all up to interpretation).

I think Nomura wanted those same feelings to come across with Melody of Memory's cover; Kairi surrounded by memories of everyone smiling - even though, in reality, some of them weren't smiling - while sitting in Sora's empty throne, sleeping. What will happen when she wakes up?

It's rhetorical. We know what happens when she wakes up, but what we don't know is how she'll handle the guilt of seeing everyone so tired and worn out from searching endlessly for Sora for an entire year.

Would she think "if I was more powerful, I could fix everything"? Or maybe "once I'm strong enough, I'll fix it all since it's my fault"? And with her going to train under Aqua, her getting close Ventus is inevitable. It's the perfect set up.

"But she's a Princess of Heart and has a pure heart of light! She can't fall to darkness!" Yeah. You're right. I'm not saying she'll fall to darkness, but the probability of her being used like a puppet is high and not impossible.

What did Darkness say in ReMind again?

"He is too pure. It's because he's so pure that he has many gaps."

Pure...as in "untainted by darkness," and because darkness is half of everything - even people - it leaves those with hearts of pure light full of "holes" that darkness can easily hide in.

Which is exactly what happened to Ventus.

[finitevoid]

vv roleswap

Vanitas sits cross-legged on his bed, holding Terra’s old practice Keyblade and contemplating the exam’s results. You failed to keep the darkness inside of you in-check. Terra, hesitantly, as if despite himself, had looked at Vanitas, when their master said that. 

Vanitas rubs his gloved hand over his mouth, relishing in the scratchy feeling of leather against his soft skin. His thumb brushes the wood grain of the Keyblade, idly. 

Vanitas ponders the ways of the light and the dark. Terra and Vanitas have always been close; and what is Vanitas, if not ineffably tainted by the dark?

He chokes on the thought, attempting to swallow it and the emotions it conjures. He cannot allow himself to make an Unversed. Vanitas is being foolish; foolhardy, as his Master would say. He has to keep better control of his wandering thoughts; a focused mind leads to a focused heart, and only with focus can Vanitas overcome the darkness inside of him. 

And then there’s a wooden knock on his doorway. Expecting Aqua, or maybe the Master, Vanitas tosses the practice Keyblade onto his bedspread with more force than it probably requires, raising his head somewhat miserably, to look at—

Vanitas goes very, very still.

A boy stands in the open doorway, standing prim and tall. He’s dressed in… some kind of armor, Vanitas decides. It doesn’t look like metal, but it doesn’t look like cloth either. Not quite flesh, though something about it feels… organic. Bright, gleaming white, it hugs the boy’s torso, covering him from the tips of his fingers to the spiked, jagged helmet that covers his face.

He’s standing with one hand behind his back, and he raises the other in a jaunty wave. He bobs excitedly in place, leaning his weight on his heels. 

It sort of reminds Vanitas of when he… no, that can’t be right. But there’s something about this boy, something that has him freezing still like a rabbit standing before a predator. An Unversed tugs itself from his chest, bubbling up from the pooling darkness at Vanitas’ feet. 

A Hareraiser rises from the ground, formless purple turning into a rabbit, red eyes crying, holding onto its own ears. Vanitas feels his fear ebb, halfway to being calm. Swallowing the immediate rush of guilt and regret that tastes like bile, he fixes his gaze on the stranger.

He stands from his bed, falling into a combat position. The masked boy pays this no mind, though. Instead, he bends a little at the waist and coos. “Oh my,” he gasps, reaching out for the Unversed. “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” It flinches away from his outstretched fingers, skittering across the wooden floor. It hides behind Vanitas’ shins, making tiny noises.

“Who are you?” Vanitas snaps, making his voice as authoritative as he doesn’t feel.

The mask tilts, until it's faceless visage is looking at Vanitas, and not the Hareraiser. “So that’s seriously your Negativity? That’s so cool,” he sighs, forlorn and breathless, like he’s genuinely jealous of Vanitas’ Unversed. “Oh, sorry!” He chirps, straightening up suddenly. “Where’re my manners?” He hooks his hands underneath his helmet and pulls it off, revealing—

—something about his face is making Vanitas’ head spin. Spin and spin, like someone’s attached a rope to his heart and is tugging on it, incessantly. Something is making Vanitas’ chest feel hot and his fingers twitch. Viciously, he pushes it down. Shoves it back down and stomps on it, pulling on his memories of his Master’s advice for strength.

“You have to be in control, Vanitas,” Master Eraqus had said, three years ago now, eyes stony with seriousness. “You can never, ever let your heart run wild.”

It helps, a little. It makes him feel more grounded, present in his body. He is the master of his emotions, and one day, he will be free of his darkness. He just has to remember that.

Unbeknownst to Vanitas’ disparate emotions, the boy beams wide. His cheeks are ruddy with a youthful vigor that Vanitas lacks, and his green eyes sparkle like gems. There’s something bright, about his eyes, about his teeth. Like they’re backlit by the setting sun, just enough to make them gleam.

Blonde hair bounces as he sticks his hand out to shake. “I’m Ventus!”

He doesn’t want to touch this boy; something is telling him not to touch him. Something in the heart-pounding fear rattling his chest. Except for— something in him wants nothing more than to touch him. To feel— skin unlike Vanitas’ own. Unperturbed, Ventus drops his hand, grinning wide.

“I can’t believe myself! My master would have my head for being so rude!” He laughs, cheerful and bubbly, shaking his head. He thumps the heel of his hand to his forehead, expression sheepish. “That’s no way to introduce myself, is it? Especially not to someone who could become a friend.”

He drops his hand, and something about his entire cadence changes. His expression sharpens, though it doesn’t change; his smile goes from sheepish to wicked between one blink and the next. “Because we are going to become friends, aren’t we…” there’s something leading in his tone, halfway sweet and halfway… something else. “…Vanitas?”

Vanitas’ fingers go cold, and before he can swallow the feeling, another Hareraiser is rising from an inky puddle at his feet. Then two more, rising into existence as if formed from the shuddering in his chest, the pounding of his heartbeat. 

“How do you know that?” Vanitas asks, sharply. Another Hareraiser, and only then does the fear fade. “Tell me how you know my name.”

Ventus’ eyebrows climb to his hairline, a smile frozen to his face. “I know a lot,” he says, shrugging like this is… like this is nothing, a casual discussion, a joke. He smiles like Vanitas is an idiot, fluttering a hand. “‘Cause, the thing is… I’m not from here.”

Vanitas stares at him, blankly.

Grinning, Ventus extends a finger towards Vanitas’ window. Not just his window; at the sky. The stars. Other worlds. He’s from… he’s from away. He’s from outside. 

Vanitas wasn’t born on the Land of Departure. Nobody is; the Master welcomes those with the aptitude to wield a Keyblade, or he gifts them with the aptitude. Aqua and Terra don’t ever talk much about their life before coming here, but he knows there’s nowhere for them to return to. Why would there be? Their home is here.

Except, Vanitas wasn’t born here. His memory is— infamously— spotty, but he remembers… not a desert so much as just dirt, dirt devoid of life. Scraping against his soft, bare palms; hard dusty rock that spat clouds that made him choke. Flashes of sheer brown cliffaces, and the taste of his own blood.

“You’re from outside…” Vanitas says.

Ventus laughs like that’s just so funny, shoulders shaking and chest shuddering. He laughs like nobody Vanitas has ever met, like his laughter buoys him, elevates him, makes him better. And something burns in Vanitas— something between this boy’s face, and his laugh, and his name. 

Wait. 

The only other Keyblade Master— the man Master Eraqus had called his good friend— who’d come to oversee Aqua and Terra’s exam… he was from outside, too. This boy had joked about a master, maybe even a Master.

Vanitas says, “Master Eraqus said Master Xehanort didn’t have an apprentice.”

Ventus’ expression snaps to Vanitas, and for the first time, something truly ugly flashes across his face. And then it’s smoothed out, turned into something gentle and soft and a little mocking. “Well… if you spend all your time locked up here,” he shrugs a shoulder, giving a gentle smile. “What’dyou know?”

Vanitas doesn’t look down to see whatever Unversed that statement spawns; he just stands there, almost stutters out of his combat stance, and then forces himself to summon his Keyblade. Void Gear is heavy in his hand, and he holds it in front of himself defensively.

Ventus’ eyes fall onto the Keyblade, and then flick back to Vanitas’ face. “Funny,” he says, a wry tilt to his mouth. “Can I give you some advice? Since we’re friends?”

“Since when have we been friends?” Vanitas snaps.

Ventus laughs again. “Since always, silly,” he mimes wiping a tear from his eye. “But, hey. Since you don’t believe me, I’ll tell you anyway! Call it a sign of good faith.” He beams, clasping his hands in front of himself. “You might…” He taps a hand to his cheek, looking up at nothing, theatrical, “…want to check on Terra.”

“What?” Whatever Vanitas was expecting, it wasn’t that.

“I don’t think he’s gonna be feeling like himself,” Ventus says, the sides of his smile curled up sharp. “Not for much longer, anyway.”

Vanitas’ mind is racing, even as more Unversed rise from his feet. The Master will be so disappointed in him… but he can’t think about that. Instead, he thinks about Ventus. About his words, and his mocking smile, and the fact that he knows Vanitas’ name.

“What’s gonna happen to Terra?” Vanitas’ voice is foreign to his ears, a cruel scrape against the otherwise quiet. “What are you going to do to Terra?”

He feels the Unversed looming around the dark corners of the room.

“Me?” Ventus says, pointing to himself. “Nothing.”

“What is your master going to do, then?”

His eyes glow. He seems to gleam. His face… looking at it, Vanitas feels hot. Like claws raking against his heart, rending open his chest from the inside out. Looking at his face makes him feel like Vanitas is oozing something.

“Who are you?” 

“Who cares?" He says, easy as breathing. "Anyway, my master'll be expecting me back. Nice meeting you!” Ventus waves a hand, wiggling his fingers. And then there’s a pop, so loud Vanitas’ ears hurt. A bright, white light flashes, like lightning crashing against the cold ground. Vanitas flinches away, flinging Void Gear in front of his chest protectively.

When he blinks, Ventus is gone. Vanitas is alone.

Well, Vanitas and a horde of Unversed. He rubs at his nose, blowing out a frustrated breath. Another Unversed forms as he does; a Blue Sea Salt hovers in the air next to his head, and it gently headbutts him. 

Vanitas shoves it away, still trying to calm the racing of his heart. A Bruiser noses underneath Vanitas’ arm, and he allows himself to lean against it, lightheaded. He doesn’t know what’s going on— not yet. 

But he needs to find out. He needs to warn the Master, about this boy, and—

Maybe… Maybe he better check on Terra, first. That’s all. It’ll all make sense. Vanitas will make it make sense. With his bare hands and determination clutched in both fists, he’ll make it make sense.

And if he locks the Unversed in his bedroom, trapping them inside… well, nobody needs to know. He has to take precautions. He has to hide the evidence. He has to figure this out.

He needs to focus.

[raccoonfallsharder]

✩࿐࿔ do your damn stretches. [new 6/3]

✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist | take what you need queue fanfiction masterlist | navigation

fluff | gn reader | no use of y/n | anthology one-shot | word count: 1,980. read ✩࿐࿔ do your damn stretches on ao3 excerpt & warnings below the cut.

the captain expects you to take care of your body, like a finicky firearm that needs a little extra daily maintenance. so add your stretches to your daily frickin' schedule and don't skip 'em, or he'll get sic nebs on you.

for @raccoon-coded ♡♡♡♡ i hope this is even a little bit helpful (i know every body is different and so maybe the result of not-doing-your-stretches doesn't line up exactly with the "you" of this scene, but i hope it's at least somewhat relatable). and i hope that when you are tempted to not prioritize your stretches, you can imagine rocket banging on your door at the same time every day to demand you stick to your schedule.

The voice is far too concerned to be the Captain’s. That’s why you don’t clock it at first: too focused on bunching your muscles, then flexing them — trying to be subtle while you’re surrounded by the Knowhere nightlife. It seems like every other cycle brings some new neighborhood-festivities to the city of Exitar. Usually, these parties are pretty chill: laughing couplets and quintets, drifting in and out of the edges of the street and the open-front bars like starfish when the tides come in. Every night here feels like cool summer — at least when the climate control’s not on the fritz, or Rocket hasn’t turned it down for the Christmas party. The shadows are long and lean and purple, singed at the edges with the warm glow of countless tiny plasma-orbs, tinkling and jingling on their strings like little windchimes. Every breath tastes like spices from the orloni vendor’s stall, sweetened by the astringent fruity smash of spilled skullside moonshine, and cut through by the burnt-ozone and hot-metal scent of fireworks. Well, fewer fireworks and more gunfire, probably. But still, nights like this always call up the scent-memory of your first open-air concert on Terra, and how everything had smelled like summer nightskies and booze and pyrotechnics. Which is why you’re here, soaking up the atmosphere like you do every time there’s a celebration. You grin while you watch a few Star Kids bouncing through the streets, playing some sort of game that reminds you of hopscotch. Endless laughing clusters of adults ramble past, too: pausing to ask how you are, offering to bring you drinks. Normally, you’d be with them: weaving your way through the throngs of people garlanding the edges of the streets, bringing the Broker another cocktail because he’s just always adorably surprised whenever someone does something nice for him. Maybe trading playful insults with Howard, till he gets so flustered and annoyed that he quacks at you. But a lack of attention to your body the past few rotations has instead resulted in this: you, alone, perching on the sidelines — lounging on a bone-brick retaining wall while the rest of Exitar’s citizens swirl around you in little eddies and flows. It’s not so bad, you think as you try to surreptitiously flex and stretch your body, smiling and nodding when Steemie strolls by and grins a hello and a crinkle-eyed smile your way. You may not be enjoying your night the way you normally would, but you are still enjoying it. “Kid,” the voice says impatiently, which is when you realize it does belong to the Captain after all, and that he’s talking to you. “I asked you a frickin’ question.” You blink and half-twist so you can peer over your shoulder, surprised to find him close enough to touch, and almost at eye-level thanks to your seated position. “Oh, hi,” you greet, your smile curling your lips happily. It’s always nice to see him — even when he’s being an ass — but it’s especially good on nights like this, when he actually lets himself come down and join in the community that he’s worked so hard to create and protect. “What was the question?” He crosses his arms across the soft blue canvas of his shirt and squints one eye, raking it over you. “I asked if you’re okay.”

read more on ao3 ✩࿐࿔ for nonnie ♡ ✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist | take what you need queue

need more reminders from rocket?

the world is hard, and sometimes it's difficult to complete daily tasks & take care of yourself (aka rocket bullies you for your own damn good).

feel free to ✩ request reminders ✩ via reblogs, asks, and tumblr or ao3 comments if they would be helpful for you. it may take me a hot minute to get to them depending on life n stuff, but i will do my best. ♡ view the take what you need queue to see upcoming installations & the current backlog. SOFT HIATUS: feel free to request things but i am going to take a brief break from twyn. i got a few requests here on tumblr for other things i'd like to take a crack at!

this is about as wholesome as it gets (for me) i think. can be read platonically or romantically. mcu-based anthology, meant to take place post-volume-3, but headcanon however you want ♡

✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist

eat somethin. (wc: 576)

go to frickin bed already. (wc: 737)

get outta bed & get your shit done.(wc: 925)

take a damn bath. (wc: 1,375)

leave your frickin skin alone. (wc: 1,579)

take a fuckin study break.(wc: 1,020)

drink some goddamn water. (wc: 1,209)

stop destroying your frickin clothes. (wc: 1,609)

just buy the damn thing already. (wc: 1,271)

it's frickin laundry day. (wc: 1,923)

get some sunshine, sunshine. (wc: 1,614)

did you take your damn meds today? (wc: 1,288)

schedule your fuckin' appointments.(wc: 1,222)

do your goddamn dishes. (wc: 994)

brush your frickin' teeth. (wc: 1,774)

nobody fuckin hates you (wc: 1,231)

stop biting your goddamn nails (wc: 2,920)

take a frickin' shower (wc: 1,359 )

take care of your fuckin injury (wc: 2,102)

cook some goddamn food. (wc: 2,707)

clean your frickin room. (wc: 2,465)

stop hittin shit. (wc: 1,862)

do your frickin homework. (wc: 2,121 )

chill the fuck out. (wc: 1,499)

i'm damn proud a' you, kid. (wc: 1,639)

fuck heartache. (wc: 1,781)

stop frickin' apologizing. (wc: 1,207)

brush your fuckin' hair. (wc: 1,649)

stop bein' a jerk to yourself. (wc: 1,490)

do your damn stretches. (wc: 1,980)

if you find any of these at all helpful, they're meant for you.

teacup and teal line dividers by @/saradika-graphics | support banner by @/saradika-graphics | raccoon divider by @/thecutestgrotto. total wordcount: 47,160.

[grimwalkerism]

Do Perfect Beings Like Classic Rock?

[Platonic/romantic Quillock ficlet because Peter deserves love and Adam deserves to learn what that is. Ouughh.]

The Star-Lord, Peter Quill, comes back ever so often. Adam assumed he had left entirely, he would know the importance of blood family bonds, but he came back rather shortly, at least for the Sovereign’s lifespan. He says just because the leadership had changed hands didn’t make the Guardians any less family to each-other. Peter visits Knowhere every few moons, for “holidays” (A Terran thing?) he had said, often regaling what sounded like a pleasantly mundane lifestyle and then promptly swinging right into action with the others.

The music comes back in full force when Quill is visiting. Rocket plays it plenty even though he’d never admit how much he likes it, but Quill? He lives and breathes it. Adam believes he has grown fond of it, mostly. It was preferable to silence. Adam thought much of it was frivolous. How could something as small as the device in his pocket and the music within it be of equal worth to his life? Terrans are exceedingly strange, he decides.

More curious to him than the device, or the sounds, though, was how much unbridled joy Quill got from listening to essentially the same few dozen songs on repeat. He hummed them in the kitchen while slapping the “coffee”(?) machine that Rocket had begrudgingly helped Peter figure out and build. He twirled his blasters to a beat only he could hear, tinny notes seeping through headphones hidden under brown curls. He mumbled familiar melodies with his hands steady on the ships controls, fingers tapping to the songs playing over the aircraft’s speakers. He skipped and spun as he walked through the ships halls on good days, soft notes coming from the device on his waist.

It was infectious, he admits, even if he can’t fully grasp it. Adam has known joy and intrigue, most definitely, but Peter’s is different. It demands observation, so Adam does.

Quill is crashing around in the kitchen, the clocks reading early morning. Adam had been up for hours, but that was because sleep was unnecessary. He chose instead to observe the cosmos, drifting past through the windows of the Bowie.

His hearing was excellent, as was the rest of him, so he could very quickly tell a few things: Quill was making coffee. He was listening to his music, of course. Specifically the cassette tucked in his belt, louder and lacking the tinny whispers of his earphones. His boots tapped in rhythm, the metal of the jets clinking against the floor on and off. Adam found that he wasn’t annoyed by the disruption of peace. Perhaps it was improper to tolerate such clamoring when one is living in close quarters at an early hour. The warm smell of the drink wafted from the small kitchen out into the windowed common area where Adam stood and Adam did not feel accosted like he had in the past. He had found the pungent bittersweet aroma indelicate for a perfect being such as himself. Perhaps time with the crew and the visiting of so many places had changed him more than he thought. Perhaps the familiarity of Quill became warm after his absences somewhere down the line. It was simply the nostalgia now tied to his origins with the Guardians. The stars glinted at him, twinkling with mirth. He glared back.

The music got louder as Peter entered the common room, mug in hand, checking drawers for something. He was singing to himself. He never really did that, he just did

everything else to express his love for the music. It was obvious why he abstained, his tune was atrocious and his voice was raspy, but there was something about the clumsy fondness in which he followed along that touched something within him. A piece of understanding. Adam remained still, feeling perfectly comfortable to calmly listen. Drawers opened and closed noisily until Peter let out a barked laugh of victory. Interest piqued, Adam turned around.

Peter was clad in a long-sleeved shirt that had some Terran art form picture on its front, hugging his form and tucked into sweatpants that hung from his hips. He had his boots on, for some reason. If the smears of grease and the tucked earpieces of his mask nestled behind his ears had anything to say about it, he had likely been woken up by a rock hitting something loose and given up on returning to sleep. The man was holding up a spoon triumphantly in his hand, mug now sat delicately on the table below.

They locked eyes.

Peter yelps, dropping the spoon with a clatter, and jumps so bad he triggers a jet on his boot for a split second and thuds with a grunted “-ompf” into the wall behind him, miraculously not falling over entirely.

Regaining his balance, Quill picks up the spoon. “ADAM- You CANNOT keep doing that man—“ He paused to gasp, clutching his chest dramatically. “I’m gonna go into cardiac arrest if you don’t stop acting like a haunted statue.”

“Apologies, I was observing the stars.”

“Cool cool, how uh- how long have you been here?”

“Since late in the evening.”

“Dude… Did you- DO you sleep?“ He paused, hand going to rub the back of his neck, where a red flush had appeared, splotchy and faint. “Like at all? Besides the like, birth pod cocoon thing?”

“…I suppose I could if I wished to. I don’t, though. Why would I miss an opportunity for gaining knowledge?”

Quill sighed, but it didn’t seem hostile.

“You really are a perfect specimen, golden boy. Do you drink coffee? Can you drink things? Have we even seen you do that—?“ He rambled, trailing off and clearing his throat, studiously returning to stirring his coffee.

“It is the same with sustenance. I do not require it, but I indulge. Drax has given me some... ‘Zorg-Nuts’ I think, and they are quite nice.”

Star-lord shoots him a tired look behind mussed up locks.

“Is that a yes?” He asks, and when Adam nods he continues, “Zarg-Nuts, Drax loves them. Genuinely don’t know where he keeps getting them, though.” He shrugs, looping around and waltzing blearily back into the kitchen to fetch another mug, music fading with him. Adam, inexplicably, follows.

“Do you know all of the words to all of your songs?” The Sovereign asks after a beat of silence. Peter’s face scrunches up and the red flush returns.

“Uh- you know? Probably. Sorry you had the hear my melodious voice this early.”

“Its not melodious,” Adam states bluntly, and Peter winces.

“Yee-owch. Let a man have his morning coffee before y—“ he was cut off as Adam continued.

“But it is joyful. Such expression is not common to the Sovereign race. I wish I knew more about it.”

Quill’s mouth closed with a soft click and his eyes changed, softened. It was too subtle, too human, for Adam to fully read. He passed him a steaming mug. “It’s still hot, and its bitter, but you can add cream or sugar to make it less.” He nodded his head toward a handful of packets on the counter next to the machine. Adam raises the mug to his lips and takes a cautionary sip. His nose scrunches at the taste and Peter huffs out a laugh faintly audible above the cassette and hands Adam the packets.

Once Adams drink is doctored to his liking, Quill takes another silent sip of his own before peering over the rim at him. “Joyful, huh. I guess you could say so. Have you felt good here with us? I can’t imagine they’re drinking out of chipped mugs in your golden palaces.”

Adam hums thoughtfully. “I suppose not, but they don’t sing either. I like it here better, despite the… Shabbiness.” He finishes, golden fingers clasped around the mug.

The look on Peter’s face is back again, for a second, and the healthy flush of his cheeks is painfully, imperfectly, real. Nothing like the body of his own, flowing with synthetic ichor.

“Thanks, I guess.” Theres a soft noise as he sets down his finished drink on the counter. “I’ve got a loose panel to get back to. Don’t cramp your godly hammies standing there forever. “ He clicks his tongue and fires finger guns at him as he leaves, clicking his music up a few notches in volume.

Adam has the song in his head for the rest of the day.

—

And heres it posted on AO3.

(my rivals user is toyboxes)

[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

Future Inlaws?

Next in the Severe Miscalculation storyline!

Previous Chapter Here:

Next Chapter Here: coming hopefully soon.

Edit! This Here!

For the madness that started it all click here!

Summary: We see some more of Khopesh's...family for lack of a better term. Another short interlude.

Warning: Swears! Other than that not many Karlsor makes a groaning statement about shoving an icepick in his brain. I guess that counts.

Tags: @kit-williams (Who let me use Anrir so Thank You!) @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan (Who let me use their sweary lad Karlsor, Thank you!)

@bleedingichorhearts @bispecsual @egrets-not-regrets @passionofthesith @sleepyfan-blog @barn-anon

Scrtch scrtch scrtch scratch. The gentle sounds of a stylis on paper filled the dimly lit chamber with one sole inhabitant.

An ancient a terrifying being, with both wit and knowledge that spanned centuries, millenia even.

The Terran born Nightlord known as Anrir reviewed and continued to bonder over his notations. Some where simple paperwork relating to his position as Apothercary, others were more...personal pursuits.

The Nature of Warp Bonds and Their Affects

The top of the page read. Sprawling throughout the documents were testimonies, graphs, data and hypothesese about the strange phenomenon known as bonding.

Even before Anrir had achieved his own bond he'd been endlessly Fascinated with the concept. In a manner he saw it as the main driving force between All interactions that occurred in this bizarre version of Terra's timeline they'd been sent to.

Without bonds, the more...vicious of their brother cousins would have likely converted at least half the native population into bloody pulp for the Skull Throne.

With them, as well as the lack of resources making sustained conflict untenable, the foundation for the greater alliance was made.

And their Appearance. Anrir could not see it himself, but the Librarians and Psychers he had collaborated with told him they often took the appearance of plants and flora. The exact type varied heavily depending on the relationship in question.

Anrir hypothesized the continuity might be due to their minds visualizing the unseeable. A bizarre form of paradolia that gave form to the formless. He continued to review his latest additions to his notes-

CrrrAsh! "Mother fucker I Swea..."

Thud! "...have to Run faster than tha..."

Until a pair of Very Recognizable voices faded in and out of the background as they ran, interrupted his writing.

Anrir sighed, placing his stylus down....next to a cracked picture frame from the Last Time this happened.

The stomping footsteps became louder again. He turned, briefly calculating the distance in his mind.

Thump thump thump thump Thump!

Anrir casually flexed the unmarred digits of his right hand before-

"If I didn't know any better I'd day you're gettin slower Karlsi-EeK!"

Snatch! One Charmingly Taxing Nightlord scout scruffed in his hold. While more frantic (or perhaps furious) footsteps approached.

Thump,thump,thump,thump,thump,thump,thump!

"Mother fucker I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna fucking kill- Fuck..."

Anrir turned his eyes to his Claw's librarian, Karlsor, who'd stopped a few paces away.

"N-now Anrir, we didn't fuckin break anyth-Hurk!"

Two, two little Charmingly-Taxing-Nightlords scruffed.

"What...have I told you two?" Anrir asked, his voice firm yet controlled. "About Running near my Research?"

"Dont fuckin do it?" "Don't?" They said in unison.

"And...What, were you just doing?" He posed further.

"That," "Yeah, but he fuckin Started it!"

"You left the glasses unattended! You're lucky Ghosk didn't decide to snatch em!"

"They're My Sun goggles and How Fuckin Dare You!"

As the two younger Nightlords started bickering back and forth Anrir took a deep steadying breath and gently, but firmly... Knocked their skulls together.

Clack!

"Owwww!" "Fuckin hell that stings!"

"Now..." Anrir began. "Are we ready to discuss things properly?"

"Yes..." "Fine! fuck..."

"Khopesh...return Karlsor's glasses." Anrir commanded.

"Fine." Khopesh grumbled, more at his fun ending than Actually having to give the shades back.

"Hrmph!" Karlsor snatched them back with a growl, before placing them back on his face.

"And What do we say, when we have done something Wrong?"

"...I am sorry for taking your sun glasses." Khopesh aquiesed reluctantly.

"Hmph! Damn right you're sorry!"

"Karlsor..."

"And I accept your apology." Karlsor added quickly.

"Good." Anrir released the youngsters from their scruffing.

Khopesh rubbed the back of his neck. "You gotta Know you don't even Need them in this part of the base, riiiiight Karlsy?" Khopesh teased, gesturing to the Very dim surroundings which were custom suited to the Nightlords dark adapted eyes.

"Don't fuckin call me that ya whelp! And so fuckin what! They're My Shades and I'll wear them where I damn well please!" Karlsor snarled, before turning to stomp away.

"You're going to run into things again if you do that." Khopesh pointed out.

"The fuck I-WoAhAAH!" CRASH! The impact of the armored Nightlord hitting the wall rattled the room. On the worktable the picture frame once again fell over.

Unluckily as Khopesh predicted, Karlsor indeed did run into something. Or rather tripped. Whether that was do to wearing shades in a dark room or him being too mad to notice his surroundings was up for debate.

The grouchy librarian righted himself, before turning back to Khopesh with a seething look. "Not - one - word."

Khopesh smiled. "Okay. I'll just laugh then! BWAHAHAAHAHAHAHAA!"

"You're a FUCKIN DEAD FUCK I SWEAR!"

"ENOUGH!"

Oh shit. Both the younger Nightlords flinched as they remembered exactly Who they were squabbling near.

"Sorry Anrir." "Sorry." They replied hurriedly quieting their tones. The older Nightlord had his back turned, simply righting the framed photo from where it had fallen.

Thankfully, not Off the desk this time. Anrir took a moment to examine it, as he often did throughout the day.

No New cracks, thankfully. But the large one down the middle...no that truly wouldn't do. He did not Enjoy how it stretched between him and his Kitty.

He'd find a new sheet of plastic or glass. He'd prefer to keep the frame. Cutesy and childish as a lesser man would have considered it with its numeral stickers and pom poms and finger paint, courtesy of his darling participating in one of her daycare charges' crafting activities.

Anrir placed the frame back down with careful reverence, before turning back to his Sons.

"Let us but the matter Behind us, shall we?" He questioned. Though there was no room for debate in his tone. "Onto more Important things. Khopesh, you mentioned an announcement over your vox?"

The mood shifted with the change of subject almost immediately. The long haired Nightlord began bouncing in place, practically vibrating.

"Yes yes yes! I have someone Very special to introduce to all of you And! A new Hunt for us to plan!"

Well now That did intrigue Anrir. Khopesh could be very eager to go on Hunts (some would even say too eager). But far be it from Anrir to stifle something that made his son truly happy And generally made the world a safer place.

"You mention these two things at once...are they related?" Anrir questioned.

"If they are it's not much of a hunt if you Bring the fucker to us, dumbass." Karlsor snubbed a bit. Still a bit grouchy about the glasses...and grouchy in general.

"NO!" Khopesh snarled, barring his full teeth to his battle brother.

Karlsor's frustration was replaced with shock. This display wasn't the most frightening he'd seen, but he was stunned to see it come out of Khopesh, at Him.

Given the stunned silence Khopesh seemed to realize he over reacted. "I mean, No no no no No...well Yes technically." Khopesh corrected quickly. "They are not the one to be hunted! They are the one who was Harmed by the one we are going to be hunting. And they'll be here soon! I Just Know you'll Love Them!" Khopesh went from frantic correction to...cooing like a lovesick Lamenter??

"I see..." Anrir paused. "And...may I assume that this person is...Special to you?"

"Very much so! They are my sweet Lullaby! And we'll be sharing our first meal together tonight!" Khopesh said excitedly, quickly pulling up his vox messages and other saved photos. "I want them to meet all of you and your bonded's eventually! I think they'd fit in very well here. See?"

Khopesh showed off a few picts. One was of his Lullaby riding in horse competition. Another was them helping a young child learn to ride a horse. The picts and videos were a selection Khopesh had found from their mother's business' noosphere media.

Originally he'd obtained them as part of his investigation into Lullaby as a person, when he'd first met them. Now he simply kept his favorites, and to have something to show his Claw for reference.

"Rabbit and them both compete in sports, And they have experience in childcare and teaching from their family business like Kitty!" Khopesh explained. "And they're so sweet I'm sure Claude will find them very calming, once he gets past his usual shyness and then-"

Anrir's focus trailed off, but not for lack of interest! One of his sons had found a partner, And yes he Knew it was a partner; the smell he'd walked on base with, the 'glowing' and 'bouncing' energy he seemed filled with, and the presence of the bruising marks known as 'hickies' were enough to tell him that much.

He apparently Really liked and was looking forward to spending time with them. And Anrir would support Khopesh in this endeavor whole heartedly, bond involved or not. Anrir was many things but he was Not an Absent Parent.

No...it was because something about those photos-

Shwoop!

Khopesh's vox pings and a notification pops up covering the screen.

Lullaby: Hey I've arrived...I think? But I'm not sure where to go. Also I'm not sure they'll just let me in?

"Oh whoops! One moment." Khopesh shoots a vox message back.

Khopesh Thing That goes Prank in the Night: You should be able to enter the main lobby as it is open to the public. Wait for me there please! I want to introduce you to my brothers! I'm so excited for you to meet them.

Lullaby: Oh okay...how many am I meeting?

Khopesh: Just the ones in my claw that are here now. Don't worry they're gonna Love You! ;3

Lullaby: Including the one you made angry enough to chase you?? You suuuuure he'll like me? 🤔🤭

Khopesh smiled as he typed his next reply.

Khopesh: I'm Certain of it. He'll probably like how mouthy and sassy you are!

He stopped but then added...

But he can't have you of course! You're mine.

Lullaby: pfft! You've pissed him off that much huh? Well either way I'm making my way into the main lobby. The building is so Biiiiiig. I'm not used to this kinda space.

A photo came in. Showing Lullaby standing next to one of the Astarte sized chairs near the main entrance. It did indeed dwarf them as an average sized human.

"And saved!" Khopesh trilled, doing exactly that with the new photo.

Khopesh: Excellent! I will see you soon!

Anrir and Karlsor watched on with fascination. Well Karlsor was more still stunned to see this range of behavior from his brother.

Anrir, having his own special someone, was more understanding. But Still something itched at his brain.

"I must go greet them now. I will be back soon!" Khopesh stated, turning quickly to leave.

To his credit he did start by walking normally...until his speed picked up and he Launched himself into scrambling running climb throughout the unique architecture of the Nightlord base area.

Again, specially designed for suit their preference for skulking and climbing.

Karlsor stood their bewildered for a moment, before turning to Anrir. "What the Fuck was that about?"

Anrir simply chuckled. "Ah...young love..." He shook his head fondly before returning to his notes. Best sort and put them away for now, after all he'd be greeting a new face soon, best to look Presentable and make a good first impression.

He said much the same to Karlsor. "I'm assuming he'll be bringing his 'Sweet Lullaby' to meet us soon. Best get ready for that."

Karlsor groaned. Baselines were...well they were Frustrating or deal with! They either Weren't scared or were too scared. Sometimes they'd scream way too loud! And worse sometimes they'd giggle and call him...Bleh. Cute.

And Khopesh had apparently found 'someone special'. "If it turns out he's fuckin found someone Just Like Him I'm gonna stab myself with an Ice Pick!"

"I doubt Khopesh could find someone Exactly like himself dear Karlsor." Anrir assured, his desk now clean. He turned back to the Librarian.

"Though...I Must admit I am curious about his... Lullaby." Anrir muttered to himself.

Why couldn't he shake the feeling he was missing something?

"What got you Fuckin stewing suddenly?" Karlsor asked, noting Anrir's change in demeanor.

...

"...Those photos...did you recognize the Baseline in them?"

"...no?? Did you?"

Anrir turned back to Karlsor, his expression was serious. "I'm Certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that I've Never," he emphasized. "Met them before in my Life."

"So why Do I recognize them?"

Next chapter will be Here: (hopefully soon pray for my sanity)

[nozomisumino]

I keep thinking about how similar Cloud Strife and Terra Branford's character arcs are. They're both used as pawns by the main antagonist (Kefka and Sephiroth) and are used to do their bidding while controlled. They both have immense guilt during the times they're controlled.

Both feel like outcasts in society and abnormal, Terra being a half esper while with Cloud it's a bit more complex in the way that he's a more sensitive and awkward person and people made him feel like an outcast growing up. They're both forced into thinking they have to 'change' and be someone they aren't to be liked and accepted. Both of them at the end of their arcs end up finding salvation through looking after orphans who have gone through traumas and it helps them in helping others who have suffered like them.

Obviously Terra and Cloud are different personality wise but i find it interesting how similar their arcs and issues are. It's why i really love their dynamic in Dissidia and other FF spin offs. Especially given Cloud actually discusses Aerith with Terra and is somewhat helped by talking with her and her views on similar loss and lack of a future due to despair.

[magnoliarabbit]

Children and Love Teach Us Humanity – Not Mortality (spoilers for Terra and Anissa)

Saw some discourse about Eve’s immortality (she’s not immortal btw. She can just regenerate under specific conditions) desensitizing Mark from death and therefore from humanity, so I was inspired to write my own take on humanity in Invincible. I just don’t see humanity being defined by mortality at all because immortal/long living/alien characters live out humanity too. Whether it’s Nolan, Mark, Eve, Anissa or Immortal. They all find their humanity through family.

… buckle up. Another long one😞🥀

Nolan:

Nolan’s struggles to understand humanity and sees Earth as a conquest at first, but Debbie teaches him love’s value—something Viltrumite ideology never offered. This is shown in the baseball scene, where Debbie explains humanity to him as they watch Mark.

Nolan thinks of kids playing baseball – or, more specifically, playing family with Debbie and Mark when he could be conquering earth –  as a waste of time. But Debbie says that “our children remind us of what humanity is all about”. Nolan spends his next years pushing off the mission not knowing why until he almost kills Mark. He chose love over conquest and duty the moment he spared Mark.

Losing Debbie and Mark leaves his heart in a void so he adopts Oliver and remarries in an attempt to fill it.

Immortality isn’t what kept Nolan from humanity — it was the lack of love in his life. He needed Debbie and Mark to find humanity. Love is about protection, not conquest. He doesn’t need to be human to understand that; he just needs to reject the values an abusive culture forced upon him. He makes up by his attempt of conquest by protecting the Thraxans instead (I will be using protection as an antithesis for conquest to compare human and viltrumite ideals a lot in this.) Viltrumites weren’t born soulless. They’re all capable of love and feel lonely without it (see Conquest longing for what Mark and Eve have and confessing that his loneliness is due to him embodying everything the Viltrum empire’s ideals stand for.)

Mark (and Eve):

Mark is often put to the same dilemma of having to choose between duty and love, mirroring Nolan’s own struggle. But in his case, he already knows humanity and love. He is driven by protectiveness he feels for his loved ones. We do see that being the result of his wavering between Viltrumite ideals and human ideals a lot. Again, this mirrors Nolan’s own morality shifts caused by his love for his family.

Those Viltrumite ideals that try to rip Mark away from his humanity are about strength and conquest. We see that in Mark growing possessive over Eve, brutally killing Angstrom to protect Debbie and Oliver, killing Conquest after he hurts Eve, threatening Cecil’s life by showing he can overpower him and threatening to kill him if he touches anyone he cares about. A lot of Mark’s bad decisions stem from an obsessive need to make sure his people are safe.

His struggles with humanity don’t stem from immortality. He doesn’t fear that future. He tells Nolan he’ll still have him in 500 years because he loves him. And by the time Eve grows old, he was ready to say goodbye. Whether she lived or died, he still did have Terra; a product of their love. He would still have love in 500 years so he’d be okay.

Eve isn’t mortal like Debbie or Amber, but she still connects Mark to humanity through family, love, patience, understanding and empathy. She calls him out when he’s being selfish (Season 1 and in future events in the comics) and reassures him when he blames himself for things out of his control. A lot of Mark and Eve’s arc is still unfolding and being rewritten for the show, so I won’t talk about them much more here because I am relying more on the show for analysis. But Terra and Eve do often serve as a reminder for Mark to fight against Viltrumite ideals when Mark is being led astray.

Their daughter’s name, Terra—their little piece of Earth even when they’re in space—symbolizes Mark and Eve’s love and humanity. Again, this really shows that humanity isn’t defined by how long someone’s lifespan is compared to humans.

There Is No "One True Love"

The series rejects the idea that a single romantic relationship "saves" Mark. His humanity is shaped by all his bonds: Debbie’s nurturing, Eve’s partnership, and by Amber’s morality. And by his love for Nolan and Oliver. Alternate universes prove this—Other Marks turn evil/turn to Viltrumite ideals without the right influences from Nolan and Debbie. Likely Eve too. (Some of the backstories for the other Marks aren’t clear, but those 3 characters are always around Mark unless they’re dead; this is confirmed by Angstrom in the comics). Love isn’t a magical fix; it’s a collective force.

I personally think it’s beautiful symbolism to have Eve and Terra be there for Mark all his life. It answers the “what will you have in 500 years question”: It’s corny, but Mark will still have the family he fought so hard to protect. He still has love. Unlike other Viltrumites, like Conquest, who are alone and miserable. Having children really serves to break a cycle for Viltrumites. Mark, Nolan, Anissa, and all Viltrumites who choose love and nurturing kids are promoting human ideals and ending a cycle of hatred within Viltrumite culture (I hated including Anissa here. Marky is born from hatred, but she does switch up after he’s born.).

You could see Eve living beside Mark forever as unnecessary because he already has love in Terra. But whether or not she lives, the answer to the 500-year question is still the same: Mark will have love and his family. Mark will treasure Terra and Eve whether they live long lives or not. Terra is non-negotiable though.

Having Eve as a partner doesn’t just tie up Mark’s 500-year question but also ties Eve’s family arc off by giving her a family that actually loves and appreciates her.

I do enjoy Eve being by Mark’s side forever at the end simply because they’re doomed in every other universe. But in this one universe they choose to love and protect each other and work through their issues together, and it finally allows them to have a happy ending. Would be kinda sad to just snatch Eve away again in the end. But that’s my preference only.

Anissa:

Anissa’s arc is the worst reflection of Viltrumite ideology. She r*pes Mark to repopulate the empire—an act of conquest; she’s stronger, so she thinks she’s in the right to do something like that to a weaker person—but unexpectedly, she grows to love Marky. This isn’t about duty; it’s a genuine shift in morality. (I won’t get into her redemption arc too much. It deserves a separate analysis because it’s a very delicate subject and I find some decisions with its execution… interesting.) Even in brutality, love disrupts Viltrumite societal inhumanity. Anissa changes because of Marky. Much like Nolan changed because of Mark. Much like Mark got his shit together because of Terra.

To conclude this long yap sesh:

Invincible argues that humanity isn’t inherited; it’s taught, often through love and loss. Strength and immortality mean nothing without connection. Love and humanity root us, no matter where we are or what we are or who we were born as. Love—imperfect, messy, and enduring—is what makes us human.

Viltrumites are human at their core too. That’s why humans are the best people for them to reproduce with. We’re all born with empathy and love, but Viltrumites stopped having children and loving due to their corrupted societal ideals and they’re so old that they’ve forgotten they were once children who had nothing but innocence and love in them too. That’s why the Viltrum Empire is failing and dwindling in numbers; they need love for survival just like humans do. That’s why people like Anissa and Nolan only live fulfilling lives once they start loving and having children.

Their children had to teach them to love again, because children aren’t corrupted by hate like so many adults are. Mark goes through some corruption too before having Terra and then he lives to protect her.

Side note: That doesn’t mean Invincible’s writing is without flaws, but I can’t tackle every issue and every analysis in one post.

Yay you made it to the end :)

[outoftheirdifferences]

14 for the 20 ask meme. :0

20 QUESTIONS FOR MULTI-MUSE BLOGS! 14. what sort of youtube channel would your muses have?

Ooh, fun question! :D

Vanellope, I've thought of before: in her real-human! verse, she'd have a channel where she streams herself playing video game. Most commonly racing games, but not exclusively; I can also see her playing adventure-platform games, along the lines of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. She wouldn't have a huge following (and she's also aware that she's under-age according to the terms of service so she's careful about drawing too much attention to herself for another four years), but she appreciates having a place where she can virtually hang out and actually be accepted by the few followers who she does have.

Connie has a channel where she posts media reviews, particularly of movies and books. Usually of her favourite franchises - she may have once made a six-hour video essay picking apart her every issue (of which there were MANY) with the anime adaption of the Spirit Morphs saga...! - but she'll also sometimes branch out into other media that her followers recommend to her, looking over it with an analytical eye.

Webby doesn't have much of an online presence; according to The Art of DuckTales she has little care for such things, "she'd rather be out living adventures than watching other people do it", and so she wouldn't naturally think much of creating her own content for it either. That said, spending time around Dewey has rubbed off on her to some degree, and I could imagine her keeping a - very infrequently updated - video journal of her adventures. She'll maybe remember it once every few months and make a video gushing over a bunch of the coolest places she's been and things she's seen during that time, then not check back in again for several weeks...!

Gosalyn of course grew up in the pre-YouTube era; but in a context where her life happened in the modern day, her channel would definitely be full of home-made horror movies, or otherwise pitches for horror movie ideas that she doesn't have the budget to make herself. Among the home movies are about fifty different episodes of Gosalyn Mallard: Zooooombie Slayer!, her own original series made with Honker's assistance, which sees her taking down zombies made using a variety of (very messy) practical effects... about half of which are interrupted mid-episode by Drake yelling and grounding her for the mess she's making. She dabbles a bit here and there in other things too, such as streaming herself playing Whiffle Boy (hey, she was good enough to make it as far as the championship, she's allowed to show off a bit!), and also hosting a fanclub for up-and-coming superhero Quiverwing Quack (who she insists is no relation to her, honest...! Drake can't imagine where she got such an ego...).

Terra has a travelogue YouTube channel. She very deliberately makes no mention of superpowers, instead playing herself off as your average teen wandering the west coast of America, showing off some of the sights she sees. Never mind that most of the places she's filmed herself visiting have not long after been hit by earthquakes or landslides, that's definitely not more than a freak coincidence that has nothing to do with her...

Margo tends to just day-to-day video blog about her life. She tries to downplay the former-supervillain stuff - both so as not to attract attention from any of Gru's old enemies, and because she wants to give the impression of being a fairly normal kid - but this can tend to be easier said than done and hints to Gru's former life of crime inevitably slip in here and there. Still, Margo prefers to talk about the everyday stuff, like school, or shenanigans that her sisters get up to, than anything less-relatable.

Lilo's channel is a big bit of everything, including demonstrations of new hula ideas, guides to dressing up as various monsters, and her and Stitch's slug circus; but the most frequently recurring theme are her videos on how to recognise and prepare for an alien invasion. She has a decent following, although most people assume that she's running a joke channel and she's playing the role of comically serious just because she's that committed to the bit. Lilo is aware of this reputation and considers it the price she has to pay to get this important information out there.

Da Vinci (especially in Bluey! or human!AUs, but even in 101DS canon the dogs are anthropomorphised enough to use technology, so...) has a painting channel; one of her favourite things to upload are Bob Ross-esque painting videos, but she'll also make videos of herself doing other kinds of pictures too. She will sometimes allow viewers to buy paintings after she's finishing them, but is reluctant to let her work become too commercialised after her bad experience with Snowball.

Collette's channel (again speaking in a modern-day Bluey! / anthro! / human! verse) would be a fashion and fur care channel. She'd discuss latest fashion trends, show outfits she liked, give fur / hair styling tips. Sometimes she'd get her sisters on board too, particularly if she wants to model multiple outfits at once to compare them, or to explain hair care tips that she can't easily demonstrate on herself.

Danielle's channel content is pretty sparse; like Webby, she prefers to be out and active than sitting behind a screen making stuff. What she does have are mostly vids of her and Scamp (and Angel, once she joins the family) playing around or getting up to shenanigans. Her single popular video was of an escalating prank war between her and Scamp that ended in a draw with them both unceremoniously getting into trouble with their parents, although Dani likes to still maintain that she won just because she got off very slightly lighter than he did.

To Annette, her channel is a place to show off her common sense; she will make videos about various improbable "life hacks" that she's heard of, with the specific intention of disproving them. No silly misinformation is going to be found on her corner of the internet, thank you very much!

While the question means nothing to her default verse, in her Zootopia (or potential human) AUs, I see Cera having a channel where she tells spooky stories, and then goes on to elaborate on how she apparently has encountered and beaten up each of their respective monsters personally. YouTube is like her new best friend; she likes that in the comments she can reply to anyone who doesn't believe her stories with "yeah, well, you're stupid" and, unlike at school, no-one can stop her!

Even when translating her to a modern verse, I don't see pre-canon Angry as having a channel at all; she sees it as a waste of time, and the only thing she uses YouTube for - on public library computers - is to find videos of the places she and Red are planning to rob next, to scout them out ahead of time. After being adopted by Lance, however (the only piece of season three lore that I will accept into my portrayal!), she does start a channel herself, consisting of her own parkour videos, or otherwise videos of her doing daring (and / or stupid) stunts... she doesn't even much care if anyone watches them, it's mostly just her way of blowing off steam, since otherwise she's doesn't really know how to do that in an actual family environment.

As for Angel... I'm not sure. Speaking of human!verse again, of course; but while she was in Buster's gang I don't see her doing anything of that nature, even assuming their run-down old house next to the junkyard had internet access. I don't think she'd have seen anything in her life as worth making videos of, and the topic she did have a lot to say on - the subject of family - she wouldn't dare make anything about just in case they found their way to Buster's attention. And then after joining Scamp's family...

I still don't really see it for her, honestly. She might take videos of a lot of family moments, but I think that would only be for her own memories, and not to make public. She'd absolutely be there with helping out the girls (or Scamp, assuming he had one too) with stuff for their own channels, spending time with her new family is always the top of her to-do list and she would enjoy being involved, but I think she'd be happy with just that.

[mdhwrites]

My Frustration With Belos

As a presence, Belos is fantastic. He actually has probably some of the best animation in the series and arguably the best voice actor in the entire cast. He sells every line Belos has with a gravity and menace that the emperor might otherwise not have. He sells his anger but also his control and even after I stopped liking the show, I found my attention demanded when he desired it.

Unfortunately, as a character he absolutely fucking sucks and is almost impossible to take seriously.

He only functions as Belos. Not even Emperor Belos because once you bring in that title, you have to tilt your head and ask "Well, what is he as an emperor? How does he use his minions to enact his will? What is his will?" In that order:

He is a kind, stately emperor who only asks for one rule to be obeyed. Even if you stayed out of the fold, if you come to him willingly seeking forgiveness, you will be granted it and absolved of your crimes, like with the wild witch friend in Hollow Mind. He revolutionized the Isles, turning them from seeming small towns to a now interconnected nation (his rise to power is literally impossible with news being able to spread so people can fact check him) and brought safety and regulation to a land that has none (Terra acts like the Safety codes in Them's the Breaks are new or something so beneath a proper witch as to be able to be entirely ignored and no one cares.) No one faces persecution except those who flaunt breaking his one rule but you may be of any race, skin color, belief, etc. and he doesn't care. You are all equal in his eyes.

He uses his minions weakly. They are bumbling fools who are honestly better at party planning than they are at combat (look at... Literally any fight with the EC scouts frankly. The literal only wins they get is raiding an empty, unguarded house and attacking two exhausted, distracted witches who are out of power.) They are seemingly not punished for this though except supposedly at the higher ranks. Even then, they are merely demoted. Those who wish to leave also show no fear in doing so, as proven by the EC scout who says fuck this and goes off to join the cute cat coven. This displays a lack of interest in power or enforcement.

His will appears to be to bring order to a land of chaos. To bring structure and unity to a land that didn't have it. He will go to any length, including manipulation, lying and threats in order to obtain this. He keeps mystique about him, seeming to believe that being feared is stronger than being loved, fitting with his claims that the Titan speaks to him and wishes for a rather extreme societal change. One he will see to no matter what.

These are... Actually interesting. You know, until you remember his actual goal is the genocide of literally every living being on the Isles. Then they come across as incredibly stupid, inept and backwards for what ANY of his goals should be and that's without getting into how his plan explicitly left out the entire child population of the Isles. This means he didn't even actually want to get the job done properly before he fucked off.

That is befitting Philip and Belos though as actual manipulators. They both are on easy street as far as it goes. The one manipulation we see from Philip is by using two people who clearly want something from him and are interested in helping him so so long as he doesn't literally start throwing fists, he's fine. Belos meanwhile leverages Eda's curse against Lilith, an entire fake backstory against Hunter, and just being Kikimora's boss to get what he wants. Anyone not in the EC though he never manages once to actually convince of anything and he is pretty bad at actually keeping up his deceptions.

This is of course made worse by knowing that 400 years ago, that commanding presence that is Belos... Was actually just a whiny British bloke who couldn't even wait until after his victims were dead to gloat about it. I tooooootally still fear him, especially as S3 commits narrative contrivance after narrative contrivance to A: let him be ALIVE and B: to let him win, CONSTANTLY, without also murdering the main characters. Like he literally tells a group of witches and a monster "I'm saving your souls," while he has them all at his mercy, having already shown he was more than capable of beating them all... And leaves. Because he is REALLY bad at his goal.

And honestly, him being so bluntly tied to a movement, time period and ethnicity that all bluntly say he's Christian without saying he's Christian... Actually just kind of makes him worse. Knowing his beliefs makes his behavior BAFFLING. He has none of the actual zeal and fury of a crusader, who were so bloodthirsty as to have peasants march on their own as they screamed Deus Vult, nor does he have the actual politics and methodologies of colonizers. The closest he is is a missionary and that's not even the case because he's not interested in conversion, only genocide. He is just an asshole who has the label "Christian.

It says nothing. Most of his character says nothing. They slam you over the head saying he should be saying something, that his backstory should be deep and that he had grand plans but if you interrogate these claims, no he doesn't. He says nothing except "Christianity bad" and essentially condemns the ENTIRE RELIGION because of how little nuance there is to him, his backstory makes him look pathetic, whiny and potentially sympathetic which makes no sense with the rest of his character, and his grand plan was literally DESIGNED to fail because he never gave it any real thought or else he would have baptized witches into being in covens so they had the sigils from birth and he'd get ALL OF THEM.

He is perhaps the personification of what is wrong with TOH in this way. If you look at any one scene, it seems to promise so much. The animation is correct. The voice acting is correct. You can see what themes he's supposed to be talking about and can make a Twitter post very easily about it. But... These are all surface level and only function as moments.

As a whole story, as a whole character, it falls to tatters as you see there was nothing there except conflicting promises and basic fantasy tropes.

======+++++======

I'm trying to not blog about TOH as much anymore because I'm just kind of tired of it but Belos has always been a thorn in my side because there are so many scenes that are so effective with him but when I think of him as a whole, I have nothing but boredom and annoyance. So I wanted to properly explore that and highlight how little sense his character makes and why just consuming him like popcorn is functional, even good, but if you try to have him for dinner, you'll find only bones.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[staticymaticyyourlifeisatravesty]

Moulting

(In which Mircalla comes across Lilith moulting after not seeing her for awhile and getting worried)

Tags: Night Lords being poetic, Lilith having a bad moult, biting, and feeding on blood. The Emperor being the Emperor, Night Lord x Blood Angel

@jaghatai-khock

"You look like shit, Uthullia, why have you not called for me?" Came the melodic voice of Mircalla, as she slipped inside her lover's chambers. There is a look of worry upon her brow, as the Night Lord approaches "You know you can feed upon if you need to. My veins are always open to you."

Lilith sighs as Mircalla approaches and responds "Mircalla, I'm fine, I swear it. It's...just a bad moult nothing more, there's no reason for me to feed. How did you get past the custodes? I didn't realize Curze allowed Night Lords onto Terra."

"Curze cannot stop me from seeing you, nor can the custodes. You are my reason for being, my life given form." The night lord responds "Now tell me, what bothers you? Your moults have never stopped you before; clearly something is wrong, no?"

"It is nothing" Lilith insisted, her wings ruffling in displeasure at Mircalla's pushing. She was right of course, Lilith wasn't well, she was sick from a lack of blood. She'd been unable to feed as of late, and the Karash, for some reason it wasn't doing anything for her. The Emperor had said that he was making something to help, but the way he looked at her, had suggested otherwise.

Mircalla, on her part merely approaches closer, and reaches out to pet Lilith's wings. In response, Lilith hisses, pulling away from her. She moves closer and begins to gently comb through her lover's feathers, removing loose feathers and slowly trying to get Lilith to calm. "What is the Emperor trying to do to you now? Is the Karash not enough for you? It is fine enough for the others" Mircalla says plainly "Or is He simply trying to gain control over the one thing he did not make?"

Lilith growls at that "He's just trying to help me, Mircalla. Nothing less, nothing more. It's just...not working right" She's largely unable to keep her voice from cracking at the last sentence, her words even to herself sounding false, causing Mircalla to cuddle closer to Lilith, despite the rather large difference in size between the two.

"You are a predator, the creature that Night Lords wish to be, Uthullia, even if you are brighter then the night, you are still the thing we emulate upon becoming clad in midnight" Mircalla tells her taking Lilith's face gently into her hands, looking at her pallid face and unusually dull eyes, "You are hungry. Come, feed and allow my strength to become yours"

"Mir, I-"

Before Lilith can say much more, Mircalla had tilted her head back, bearing her throat and had used a knife to cause a small cut near her jugular to bleed a thin line of crimson, "Feed, my love, for I am  uthullun without you. You are no good to anyone starved"

At those words, Lilith gently took her in her arms, and bit down over the cut, Mircalla's breath hitching as fangs pierced her flesh. It never got old this feeling, the way she could tell Lilith was avoiding any nerves, the sting of pain that quickly faded to a pleasurable pressure. She admired her lover's restraint for she knew how hungry Lilith was. She could feel how Lilith was tentative at first, afraid of hurting, before it strengthens and Mircalla can feel the blood leaving her body.

Eventually, just when Mircalla feared she may have to visit the Apothecary, Lilith pulls back and she's staring into those beautiful blood red irises once more, "There's my Uthullia" Mircalla murmers as she takes Lilith's lips in a stinging kiss, tasting the sweet notes of her own blood upon the Angel's lips. Perhaps her Uthullia would come to her sooner next she needed a drink...

Translator notes for Nostraman:

Uthullun = Cold, Sunless

Uthullia = Sun that warms, warmth

Decided to play with the fact that Nostraman is a very flowery language and considering Mircalla was once a Nostramo Noble, she'd likely be very poetic with her words and how she refers to Lilith.

[radwolf76]

WH40K Homebrew Space Marine Chapter: Stormwolves — Not-An-Update

So, the Astra Militarum Codex is in circulation. And Games Workshop is going to Games Workshop as always; with print errors so bad that they've given various 40K news outlets previews of the "Day 1" digital rules patch and the points the units will be assigned in the next Munitoram Field Manual, to quell the unrest.

Because of this, I have a good idea of what adjustments I'm going to be making to the one sample Astra Militarum armylist for my homebrew chapter that represents their supporting Rogue Trader Fleet Void Trooper allies, with a few Marines peppered in from the Imperial Agents list. But I'm going to wait for the errata document and the new points to get officially published by GW before I make any real changes.

But yes, the new Combat Engineers will probably be added (even at their updated-to-a-nonbroken points cost), as yet another Counts-As rules for my Rogue Trader's elite personal guard. With the 4+ armour save, shotguns, and a separate token mini that goes boom really nice, how could I not? They're almost a perfect match for the Imperial Navy Breachers in my other lists. And since that unit's only special weapon option is a flamer, I had an excuse to make this:

I also finally hit upon just the right color and shading for the metallic "blue steel" that's supposed to be the base of the color scheme for both my "Control" and "Bloodstorm" Marines, as shown on the two marines at the beginning of this post.

But since I don't have any new or updated sample armylists to post about, I figured I'd do some director's commentary about the Homebrew Chapter itself, that I may end up rolling into my "Codex" document at some point.

One of the main inspirations/goals I had in making this Chapter was to do my own take on the "Practical Marines" phenomenon. Hence the Tacticool Bolter Carbines, liberal use of camouflage, and aerial transports for rapid deployment.

Also the large percentage of Phobos and Scout marines helps them feel less like space knights and more like a sensible fighting force. Plus, the distinction of Full Power Armor/Phobos Armor/Scout Armor mirrors another favorite Military SF franchise of mine, Halo, where you have MJOLNIR Armor/Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor/ODST Armor.

However, where I do have the full Space Marine Power Armor, half the time I'm burying it under robes, tabbards, and capes. The Dark Angels and Black Templars may not have contributed any geneseed to my chapter, but I sure as hell am going to gank their fashion sense.

As for strengths and weaknesses of the Stormwolves, as a fighting force, they have a lot of experience with Ship-to-Ship Boarding Actions, Space Hulk Salvage, and Urban Hive fighting, but less experience against a proper mechanized force or on battlefields that are a bit more open. Sometimes it takes a tank to kill a tank, and the Stormwolves have precious few.

They are relatively untested against proper planet-based armies backed by strong logistical chains, and their lack of psykers can be a bit of a blind spot for them.

Their biggest drawback may be the fact that as they were not formally sanctioned by the High Lords of Terra, but instead by an independent Inquisitorial Conclave, they are more of a Science Experiment than a proper Marine Chapter. Since their emergence from the temporal warp storm that kept their homeworld mostly isolated from the rest of the galaxy, they've yet to be called out on it, but it's only a matter of time before their secret is discovered.

Visually, I tried to eschew 40K's abundant use of skull imagery. In the grim darkness of the future, technically everyone should be asking "Are we the Baddies?" but I wanted to tone down that factor somewhat.

The primary power armor configuration for the Firstborn of my Chapter is a mix of Mk.8 torsos with Mk.6 legs — it feels like a nice clean look.

For the Phobos troops, I tried to come up with a unique configuration of camo cloak for each different loadout, based on how much I felt the need to trade off stealth for mobility.

For all the rationality I've tried to bake into this homebrew, I feel they're still a good fit for the setting as a whole, because what better offshoot of a horribly fascist regime then a subfaction obsessed with "Genetic Purity". But also under those helmets there's probably some kemonomimi if not full on furries. Because reasons.

And of course, the whole mad genetic science angle lets me throw in the wonderful heresy of female space marines. A large chunk of the warhammer fandom wants to cling to some lore that was solely crafted because they had a peg-warmer problem with some of their earliest Rogue Trader Era sculpts and so adjusted their story so that they could focus on selling only little mans to their predominately male customer-base. I personally don't see the need to limit my possibilities to appease the late 80s bottom line of a then small company who would only grow and ultimately start charging enough for their minis to be making money hand over fist.

And before anyone questions the shoulder cat, if Patrick Stewart can shamelessly go into battle on Arrakis with a pug strapped to his chest...

... I feel perfectly justified in letting the cat tag along. 40K is like 40% Dune anyways, might as well embrace it.

And even though it's only art updates since the last time I linked to it, here's my google doc with the full lore and multiple sample armylists each showcasing a different facet of the Stormwolves.

[lordbasilsnek]

The Poor Representation of Alinta/Bolt as an Aboriginal Australian

I read Teen Titan Academy recently, the main reason being Alinta. There are not many Australian characters in comics so as an Aussie I was so excited to see her. There’s a lot that can be said about the comic series itself, but generally I’ve seen people love Alinta. I mean what's not to love?

Teen Titian Academy #2

She’s a speedster with below the knee amputations, she’s confident, brave, strong. Amanda Waller even called her one of the fastest metahuman on the planet.

Suicide Squad (2021) #3

Reading through the series, I loved Alinta too. She is truly an incredible character with so much unused potential. However, despite my love for this character she is not perfect. Another aspect of Alinta’s character is she is an Aboriginal Australian, an aspect which is poorly portrayed and utilised. 

There are very few Australian characters in mainstream comics, less of which are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. DC Comics and specifically Teen Titans as a title are incredibly popular in the comic community. Having a character like Alinta could have been a fantastic opportunity to spread awareness of Indigenous Australians to an audience that are primarily non-Australians. 

So, here I am, writing out the poor representation of Alinta aka Bolt as an Aboriginal Australian.

This is not to attack the writers or anyone else who worked on this series, but just to bring awareness to this issue which I find important.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. My information is based on research I have done, conversations I have had with Kaurna people and elders, and generally things I have learnt throughout my life in Australia. If information is wrong I would appreciate being informed of it. I will talk a lot about generalisation and the harm it does for Indigenous Australian, however I will need to generalise myself a fair bit as Alinta does not have a defined mob.

Quick history lesson. (CW: colonisation and it's effects) When Australia was colonised by the British they claimed control over the country through an idea called “terra nullius”, meaning land belonging to nobody. This was and still is incorrect. For more than 60,000 years people had lived in Australia, in many defined nations, and over 250 unique languages. Upon arrival colonisation lead to years of genocide and displacement. Indigenous people were classified as fauna and fauna which enabled people to consistently harm them. The most well known events being the Stolen Generation in which children were kidnapped from their families, moved across the country, and abused in every way in “homes” designed to “eradicate the Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islanders” by removing them from their family and culture. This only officially ended approximately 60 years ago. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander still suffer many lasting effects from this history, including lower average lifespan, higher incarceration, higher poverty rates, and more. While apologises have been made, events organised, and the Native Title act established, there is still a long way to go.

Australia always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.

I encourage you to read more about not only this history but also pre-colonialism history if given the chance.

Back to Alinta.

Language

While reading the comics the thing that stood out to me most was how Alinta spoke. The Teen Titan Academy run was written by Tim Sheridan with an addition suicide squad tie in being written by Robbie Thompson. Throughout all these comics Thompson's writing of Alinta’s dialogue was better in my opinion as she talks like an Australian. Sheridan’s dialogue for her, for some reason, has her use no conjunctions.

Teen Titan Academy #1-2

For any other character this would typically not be an issue. However, Alinta grew up in the Australian outback. From an Aussie perspective, the lack of conjunctions made her speech feel clunky and off-putting. Not every Australian talked like a true blue Aussie of course. There are many factors that go into an Australian accent and dialect, for example your family, where you live, etc. Someone who lived in the middle of Sydney their whole life might use a lot less slang terms or conjunctions as someone living in a country town.

Alinta is shown to have lived in Oodnadatta, South Australia. This town has a population of less than 200 and is about as middle of nowhere as you can get. This makes how she speaks feel really off. 

Teen Titan Academy #3

It’s not like Sheridan can’t write accents either, as in later issues Captain Boomerang appears and speaks with a very obvious Aussie accent.

Teen Titan Academy #13

The way English is spoken in Australia is defined as Standard Australian English (AusE). This is based on how words are pronounced and how the average Australian speaks. However, this is not the only English spoken in Australia as Aboriginal English (AbE) is also widely spoken in Aboriginal groups. It’s important to note AbE is not a branch of AusE but that both dialects evolved from English on their own. So okay, Alinta doesn’t use AusE, that's fine, but she also doesn’t use AbE.

The only example I could find of her using AbE is when she called her friend and roommate “Tidda”. This means sister or close female friend. It is described as “...a word that carries deep meaning and resonates with sisterhood, friendship, and kinship.” She calls Summer this a few times, one of which being when they just become friends.

Teen Titan Academy #1 and #3

This could be used to show the two have a very deep bond with each other but aside from Alinta telling her how she lost her legs, and they don’t have many meaningful interactions. Which is very unfortunate because they could have been a very cute duo.

Aside from calling Summer Tidda, Alinta doesn’t use any other word, phrases, or even speak grammatically with AbE. Even more common words such as calling something “deadly” meaning something cool. 

She also uses the term “nation” (which is not incorrect per say) to refer to her family group instead of what is more commonly used “mob”. This brings me to my next point.

Teen Titan Academy #3

Connection to culture

I can not tell if Alinta is supposed to have a connection to her culture or not. Ignoring the way she is represented and just thinking about the writer's intentions it is almost impossible to tell.

Starting with evidence against having a connection Amanda Waller consistently brings up that she helped Alinta after her parents abandoned her, however says it often in a way implying she did her a favour taking her from her county.

Teen Titan Academy #2-3

Not once does Alinta reject this idea, only speaking out to Waller when she says she owns Alinta. This is an incredible problematic because of Australian history with the stolen generation. The idea that removing Aboriginal children from their families, mob, Country, nation, and culture was saving them, helping them, was a great and honourable thing for them to do. The fact that Alinta doesn’t speak out against Waller words makes it seems like Alinta was disconnected from her culture. Maybe her parents isolated her so she was not able to have a connection to Country or her Mob. That would make sense why she doesn’t speak out.

Except other times, Sheridan seems to try to show she does have a connection to her mob. When training she comments that she “...didn’t leave my home…” implying despite what her parents put her through she still views Oodanatta as a home she is connected to.

Teen Titan Academy #2

Alinta refers to her mob as “good people” implying she was connected to them. But again in the breath says her family is not good. This goes against Aboriginal ways of family connections. In Western Cultures you have your parents, their siblings are your aunts and uncles, their children your cousins, etc etc. Aboriginal kinship has your parents and their siblings are your mums and dads, what would be our aunts and uncles children are your siblings. Your Aunts and Uncles are members of your wider community.  

Teen Titan Academy #3

Generalisation

I mentioned generalisation and how it is negative for Aboriginal communities, I should explain why. Generalisation has been used to erase Aboriginal cultures. By defining everyone as just one group it erases their Lore, language, history, Protocols, practices, knowledge, their very Identity. I apologised for having to generalise throughout this as my main issue with Alinta’s representation is she does not have a defined mob. She has been generalised as just Aboriginal, not even that, as just Indigenous. Whether it is from lack of caring or wanting to not be restricted to one group that is just wrong to do. 

Looking at the Map of Indigenous Australia by AIATSIS, Oodnadatta is located in the Arabana nation. This is also known as Ngarabana meaning land of mound springs, Arabana meaning Sturt Desert Pea, a flower that grows in the desert. This Country has Native Title over 69000 km of their land and unfortunately their language is at a steep decline with only 31 speakers in 2021 down from 250 speakers in 2004. I would have loved to make this post basing Alinta off the Arabana people but even her living in that Country doesn’t mean they are her mob. The displacement caused by the Stolen Generation caused many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to be separated from the Country meaning she may not even know who her mob is. 

To Sum it up

So much more can be said about this but I’m already at 1500+ words.

Any way Sheridan could have gone about making her character, being a girl connected to her culture or not, would have added so much more to her. How is she handling not only losing her legs and parents but also going across the world and being completely disconnected from her Country? Does she know the language? Does she know her mob? Does she want to reconnect with them? Has she already reconnected? 

Alinta being Aboriginal is completely removable from her character. Her ethnicity could be replaced with any other one across the world, and it would not affect her character. Why make an Aboriginal charter and show such little care for her, you don’t make her Aboriginal. She feels like a diversity points character, which is crazy because how her disability is written doesn’t feel like it's to hit a quota.

I understand Teen Titans Academy had a lot of new characters made and minor characters re-introduced to comics. But that doesn’t excuse the poor representation of her Aboriginality. 

Where to go from here

As I’ve said Alinta is an incredible character with so much unused potential. I hope she comes back in comics, in more than just an image. She is not a lost cause in terms of accurately and respectfully portraying her as an Aboriginal Australian. If that is going to happen however, the writers need to care enough about her to actually research and talk to Aboriginal people.