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lovestuckyhatemarvel · 1 year

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Okay, another hour and a half long episode.

1.) Brenner missed the sad CGI and also baby El was very good at sealing the upside down.

2.) Brenner should have been a tattoo artist instead. I mean, a tattoo artist for adults, not kids. He’s got very steady hands and can tattoo numbers very exactly.

3.) THIS IS MUSIC.

4.) Honestly so far the only one who’s been a snob about music is Robin. But also I still don’t think Eddie would like Taylor Swift.

5.) Henry really wants to villain monologue at you, Nancy. Take a seat for this cliche.

6.) Damn, the CGI on those restraints is…bad.

7.) These images are going way too fast.

8.) Damn, Steve. Your arms are nice.

9.).”Written and directed by the Duffer Brothers”. I Know. That’s the Problem.

10.) What’s the point of keeping Yuri quiet at this point?

11.) Hopper, we super had a funeral for you.

12.) El is actually doing really badly.

13.) Why is anyone surprised that demogorgons can climb? Look at those fuck off legs.

14.) DID NONE OF THESE GUARDS PAY ATTENTION TO HOPPER USING FIRE?

15.) Okay the soldiers can unload their clip into a demogorgon and nothing happens but Hopper can shoot a demodog once in the head like Ol Yeller and it works.

16.) Okay but for real, where are the Russians getting all these bastards? Fun tubes, but WHERE ARE THEY FROM? Are they from Hawkins? How did they transfer that shit?

17.) HOW’D THEY GET THE CGI DUST MONSTER TO RUSSIA?

18.) Okay she can lift a thing.

19.) Will, I’m so sorry, but I did not care about your speech to Mike.

20.) I still don’t understand how Henry survived El’s attack or why the upside down didn’t turn into anything for him or what the fuck he did for like a decade floating in a void.

21.) Why is everyone whispering

22.) El got to hear at least some of the plan, at least.

23.) The War Zone is a hilarious name for a shop.

24.) Eddie, you moron. Wearing a mask doesn’t help if you’re wearing a shirt emblazoned with your club.

25.) BIG BOY.

26.) My roommate pointed out the RV would have been hooked up to water and sewage so driving it off like that would have fucked up the ground and the vehicle.

27.) I do not understand why Henry is so powerful or why him killing people would give him their powers when it doesn’t do that for El.

28.) I still don’t want Steve and Nancy together. Also I don’t think he actually said he wanted her there.

29.) that helicopter is hilarious

30.) “The KGB will be listening to this call” Oh what a change. This time it’ll be agents of someone else’s government that will be listening in.

31.) Oh, okay, Steve got the jacket from War Zone. Where’s the vest though?

32.) Ah, the boyfriend reveal.

33.) I still hate Jason Carver. Also, buckshot has a pretty good range, dipshit.

34.) Tire tracks. Ah yes, the plot happened here.

35.) IDK why El told Sam to check Max’s place. The bit she heard did not make it seem like they were staying there. And so Sam asking that woman for that was kind of stupid.

36.) What? Brenner double crossed Sam Owens? Who could have predicted this twist? Surely only the greatest psychics.

37.) I am proud of El for saying to Brenner’s face that he’s a monster.

38.) Baby girl, kill Brenner anyway.

39.) YOU KNOW WHO WOULD LOVE TO KILL BRENNER? KALI. THE GIRL NO ONE IN THIS FACILITY TALKS ABOUT.

40.) Robin and Steve are sweet.

41.) goddamn it, brenner, just remove El’s collar.

42.) I am glad Brenner got shot so many times though.

43.) Oh shit, it’s the script.

44.) oh no the psychic child is using her psychic powers to stop your from badly shooting at her? Who could have predicted this?

45.) oh my god el, do something real already.

46.) the payoff wasn’t worth it.

47.) “Yeah, it’s cool, but it would have been better if it’d happened about 11 seconds earlier.” My roommate is hilarious.

48.) Brenner turned off the collar as a last act. Okay whatever.

49.) BRENNER SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DIE ALREADY.

50.) this heartfelt conversation makes no sense and was not earned.

51.) brenner you were shot like 5 times by a sniper rifle, how are you still talking, let alone alive?

52.) SHould have run over his corpse with the pizza van

53.) god they held on that brenner shot for way too long

54.) WHO’S GONN DIE????? Just say everyone.

55.) moody shots.

56.) LMAO THIS SONG. GOD. DUFFERS, STOP SUCKING YOUR OWN CODCKS FOR FIVE SECONDS.

Oh god I looked ahead and the season 4 finale is 2 and 22 minutes long. I hate the duffers.

#stranger things #stranger things rewatch #stranger things s4e8 #s4e8 #season 4 episode 8

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film-enthusiastt · 3 years

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DO NOT READ UNLESS YOUVE WATCHED THE NEW EPISODE OF TFATWS!!

TFATWS Episode 4 reactions:

OH MY GOD were in Wakanda

six years ago??? OH SHIT OH SHIT

FHSKFKDKAHDH OH MY GOD

my heart. ughh the pain on his face😭

fuck i feel so bad but also happy for bucky

rjskfjjg he can speak their language

fuck that opening was a lot.

(lmao that recent interview with seb talking about getting into an elevator as Daniel was leaving the elevator in a robe like this)

“Donya? No?” 😂

goddammit zemo wtf

what is this man hiding

i- fjskfkhjsk

lmao sam’s *knock it off pat on the back*

damn they keep using Sharon

wtf is that? oh shit it’s the serum

i meannnnn she’s not wrong

OMFG FUCK OFFFFFFF

4 against 1 ha!

oop i think fake cap is losing his shit

see they’re having a good conversation and i know this son of a bitch is going to ruin it

UGHHH I WANT TO PUNCH HIM SO BAD

are you fucking kidding me?? if sam was in trouble i’m sure he’d be yelling

hckskvj fee kdngkfknfndmfjvjgjskdjg

motherfucker he escaped too

i literally gasped wtf zemo?????

ah shit he better not take the serum

i wonder who the power broker is

the fact that i smiled when she said they’d kill captain america😅

mmmmm the arm🤤

ugh this motherfucker again

are you fucking kidding me?

YESS THE DORA MILAJE

ha! he thinks he can take them

oh god i think zemo is going to escape during all this

yup i knew it

cmon just let the dora milaje kill john

FUCK THEY REALLY JUST REMOVED HIS ARM

damn they should’ve taken it

fhskkf that was hot

yeah they weren’t soldiers they’re warriors you really think you can beat them???

wait does that mean Bucky knows about El Chapo lmao

god he’s as good as the captain america’s that you see at disneyland

oh god he’s going to take the serum

she’s contacting sarah??? fuck.

oh shit. she knows everything.

my heart, ugh i love protective!sam

fuck, shits about to go down

i really hope the children and the rest of the people aren’t there

oh fuck

oh my god he took the serum.

“Stay there.” 😂😂

djfkgjg the knife catch🥵

he has such good one liners 😂😂

yess kill him! OH SHIT SHE KILLED LEMAR

fuck. it’s about to get bad.

welp i know what’s about to happen. someone filmed a tiktok of them filming this scene

🎶THIS IS WHY YOURE NOT WORTHY OF BEING THE NEW CAP🎶

Ha! Everyone’s going to fucking see who you are now.

ugh he’s going to say that it’s cuz they killed Lemar😒 yes i think the flag smashers should be reprimanded for killing Lemar and the other people but Steve has never killed anyone like that before

#the falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #the falcon and the winter soldier #bucky barnes #sam wilson #john walker #lemar hoskins #karli morgenthau #helmut zemo #tfatws spoilers #tfatws #enthusiastt reacts

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gokinjeespot · 4 years

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off the rack #1316

Monday, March 8, 2021

Coming up on a year since the pandemic started. I hope you're all healthy and safe. I am hopeful that vaccines will be deployed widely and help us all feel less anxious. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people who is happy as a bug snug in a rug while self isolating. I do really miss my dear friends and family but hugs can wait until we're all vaccinated.

My thanks to Doug for lending me these comic books to read.

Batman Annual #5 - James Tynion IV (writer) James Stokoe (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the origin of Clownhunter and it's not very original. If I had to pay $4.99 US I would have passed on this and lived with leaving a hole in my Batman collection. If you're not familiar with this new vigilante, he's an Asian teenager named Bao who decides he's going to kill the Joker and all of the villain's sycophants. The reason he becomes Clownhunter (and killer) is very mundane. I wish they could have come up with a new motivator. Maybe the philosophical discussion about what to do about the Joker might interest some fans but I found this story quite tedious. I also didn't like the way Bao and his parents were portrayed. Did they really have an Asian saying "Ah, so"? Yes they did on page 8. Shades of Charlie Chan, Batman. I was not offended, just disappointed.

Batman/Catwoman #3 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I was thrilled to see the town of Port Orange, Florida mentioned on the first page. My pal Al lives there. It's also where Selina finally catches up with the Joker and does what Batman never did. I love this Black Label book taking familiar characters and treating them in a new and interesting way. Here's a future where Selina has survived her husband Bruce's death and their daughter Helena is the new Batwoman. Now I wait to see how mother and daughter deal with the Angel of Death.

And now, more Future State books.

Future State: Robin Eternal #2 - Meghan Fitzmartin (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Pat Brosseau (letters). The consequence of Tim Drake/Robin being dunked in Lazarus resin is that now he's immortal. Whoop-dee-doo. Not only is this a boring Robin beats up bad guys issue but the art lacked any logical perspective. This issue takes place on a train but you would think it's in a huge building based on the art. I know it's comic books but I hate when one doesn't make visual sense. I think that's just laziness.

Future State: Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 & #2 - Marguerite Bennett (writer) Marguerite Sauvage (art) Wes Abbott (letters). This 2-issue fairy tale was not meant for old farts like me and Doug. With it's soft pastel colours these books should have included glitter and bubblegum flavoured lip gloss. Maybe young tween girls will like this. The moral of this story is "no one is born wise".

Future State: Dark Detective #3 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). There are not one but two Batmans in this issue. You've got Bruce in his new capeless costume but here he's wearing a trench coat to give that fluttering effect, and then there's the new guy in the Bat suit, cape and all. The "uh-oh" point of the story hits here when the bad guys discover where Bruce is hiding out. The Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters) Grifter story concludes here too with a double cross and a whole lot more of Helena/Huntress. This is my favourite Future State book so far.

Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1 & #2 - Sean Lewis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). If you're wondering how a grown up Jonathan Kent takes over for his dad as Metropolis's protector then these two $5.99 US books will satisfy your curiosity. The villain of the story is an evolved Brainiac who is a big multi-mouthed ball now. Metropolis is shrunk ala the bottle city of Kandor, the citizens go nuts but Jon returns things back to normal in the end with the help of Kara/Supergirl. I don't know why Kara's a girl in this story and a woman elsewhere. Each issue has two back-ups so you get your money's worth. One features Mister Miracle and the other the Guardian. They are both dealing with bad things inside the bottled Metropolis. You won't miss much if you don't read them. The Mister Miracle story "The Metropolis Menagerie" is done my Brandon Easton (writer) Valentine De Landro (art) Marissa Louise (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Guardian story is brought to you by Sean Lewis (writer) Cully Hamner & Michael Avon Oeming (art) Laura Martin (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). This one got me excited because a villain wants to throw Jimmy Olsen off of the Daily Planet building.

Future State: Catwoman #2 - Ram V (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) Tom Napolitano (letters). Read this to find out if Catwoman saves the lives of the people on the train. You will also find out if Bruce is freed from the bad guys. Talia Al-Ghul appearing is the deus ex machina in this story. I like the new Cheshire and Onomatopoeia is always fun.

Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2 - Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). In "The Many Deaths of Superman" the Man of Steel fights in the arena of Warworld where Mongul resurrects him after every death match. It's the typical brutal battle scenes and super villain gloating. What's more compelling is an old newspaper story that Clark Kent wrote that inspired a young woman who travels to Smallville. I was totally confused by the three back-up stories featuring Mister Miracle, Midnighter and the Black Racer because they were not very good. I am a completist and have to finish what I start. I could have stopped reading after the $3.99 US main story in this bloated $7.99 US comic book but my obsessive compulsive nature wouldn't let me. It's a character flaw I wish I could change.

Future State: The Next Batman #1 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). All the teasers for this book hyped the fact that this Batman is black. You won't get the secret identity in this first issue but there are a bunch of likely candidates. Lucas Fox is a possibility but it's confusing because he's a bad guy in another Future State book. This is another $7.99 US book with back-ups. These are more coherent than the ones in Future State: Superman: Worlds of War.

Future State: Outsiders by Brandon Thomas (writer) Sumit Kumar (pencils) Sumit Kumar & Raul Fernandez (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Steve Wands (letters) gathers together some old Batman associates helping Gotham City citizens escape persecution by the Magistrates outside Gotham City's borders. Get it? It was nice seeing Katana in action.

Future State: Arkham Knights by Paul Jenkins (writer) Jack Herbert (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters) gathers together some of Batman's rogues gallery to fight the oppressive Magistrate. Two-Face, Mr. Zsasz, Dr. Phosphorus, Killer Croc and other ex-inmates of Arkham Asylum are being lead by an armoured Astrid Arkham. It's super villains being super heroes.

Future State: The Next Batman #2 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We learn the secret identity of the new caped Batman in this issue. It's Lucas Fox's brother. He has a brother? This also has three new back-up stories.

"Batgirls" is by Vita Ayala (writer) Aneke (art) Trish Mulvihill (colours) & Becca Carey (letters). Batgirl/Orphan Cassandra Cain gets locked up in the Magistrate Detention Facility where both good guys/white hats and bad guys/black coats are incarcerated. She got caught on purpose because her mission is to find Oracle and Batman and free them. She gets help from Spoiler who is queen of the inmates. In this reality Cass is way more articulate than she used to be. I didn't like that. I also didn't like that in the other Future State stories the Magistrate foot soldiers have a shoot to kill order for any masks that they encounter. Why are all of these masks alive? Anyways, this part ends with the white hats and black coats forming an alliance so Cass can get on with her mission.

"Gotham City Sirens: Ladies' Night Out" is by Paula Sevenbergen (writer) Rob Haynes (breakdowns) Emanuela Lupacchino (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Becca Carey (letters). Catwoman and Poison Ivy spring a domestic droid named Dee Dee (get it?) from servitude and they have a night on the town at a bar. The bar is run by Sam Bradley and both super heroes and villains can imbibe in peace. Fans of Sex and the City may like this. Not a lot of drama until the last page when the joint is raided by Magistrate goons and major characters are shot.

Future State: The Next Batman #3 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is the "uh-oh" moment in the story where the hero is felled by the villain. A wounded Batman is attacked by the murderer he's trying to bring to justice. I saw that coming.

I like the change with Black Lightning in the Outsiders back-up.

I like the art in the Arkham Knights back-up even though the dialogue is eye roll inducing.

Future State: The Next Batman #4 - Jace/Batman lives, as if that was in any doubt. This story would have been a lot more interesting if Bruce/Batman was really dead. Even if the Future State line of comics dies out this Next Batman is a cop out. The Batgirls story ends with Cassandra/Orphan saving Barbara/Oracle and the Resistance gaining ground on the Magistrates. The Gotham City Sirens story ends with Catwoman and Poison Ivy helping the Resistance get an advantage in their war with the Cybers thanks to Dee Dee.

I admit that I was sucked in by the hype for this mini. The Next Batman being black intrigued me. The story itself was meh and I would not have missed anything by not reading it. I was not engaged as a mature reader but I think someone in their teens might like all the stories in these four issues.

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wheremytwinwatches · 4 years

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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 51

Last Time: The Bus Came Back, Al really needs to learn Morse Code, and the Golems woke up. Onwards!

Oh snap, new opening. Soft music as Ed and Al stand together in Central, looking at the lit-up castle until Ed looks away to blue pictures of Roy’s Crew wait I just saw Hughes in there. Oooh no. That’s not a good sign. Ok it’s including everyone from Armstrong the Great to General Grumman so unless this show’s heading towards a Total Party Wipe (which is not as unlikely as I’d like) it must just be stylistic. Wait what that was a white Truth outline that looked a heck of a lot like Winry. Please tell me she’s ok. Aaaand now it’s all red and black as someone (Ed?) screams and other flashes of red souls oh it’s the Goths. Aw hell it’s the Goths! And Uncle as well looking annoyed until GAH it’s one of those freaking Golems. Ok back to calming blue pictures of the Good Guys, then Al’s Soul still sitting at the Gate of Truth with his empty armor behind him, and Truth laughing like the jerk he is. Winry! Wi- wait why are you standing in a white dress at the edge of a cliff? Young lady that’s far too close, step back right now. Also stop crying and/or point me in the direction of whoever made you cry. We get a title for this song (“Rain”) as townspeople and villagers look up at the storm clouds in concern, and Military soldiers run out alongside tanks whaaaaat is that? What is that there’s a hunched figure standing in flames, zoomed in to show glowing white eyes and very big teeth. Now it’s Bradley in a bloodied white shirt sitting in the rain acting all calm and collected, switch to complete opposite of Scar tossing aside his jacket ooooh are we gonna get Scar fighting Bradley in this arc? Yeah I know that the trailers always lie but there tends to be elements of truth like the arms that grabbed Al coming up in a later arc. Now it’s the Chimera Army (sadly not under the command of General Al), and the Armstrong Siblings standing alongside each other and Mrs. and Mr. Curtis! Good to see you guys again! Wait Roy why do you look so upset? Riza why are you crying in an alleyway with your dog? And now Ed and Al are standing on opposite sides of a tree damnit are they gonna get separated again? Ok finally the sun’s broken through NOPE NOPE DEAD PERSON ALERT THAT LOOKS LIKE MAMA ELRIC BUT IT PROBABLY ISN’T EITHER RUN OR PUNCH IT ED. Nevermind he was just dreaming. While being watched over by Winry. Kinda cute, but kinda creepy too. Episode 51 - “The Immortal Legion” Oh great, this episode is gonna focus on those creepy Golems. Just what I wanted to start the new year with, yay. So a bunch of pipes are disconnecting from the gasping artificial zombies who land kneeling on the floor, before standing GREAT they’re in that uncanny 3D modeling that Titan!Envy used. Officer laughs at the labcoat’s insistence that they needed more tests, pointing at the undying, obedient, invincible soldiers. [Officer]: “We have our Title Drop, at long last!” Now he’s ordering the Golems (“Papa” NO) to deal with the renegade ele- Uh What So… One of the Golems walked forward and just… tore out his throat with its teeth. And a bunch of other Golems have pounced on the screaming Officer. Who’s no longer screaming. Aaaand now they’ve stopped, and turned with bloody mouths to the labcoat. … … … How fucking stupid are these guys? I mean really. REALLY. How has Amestris lasted as a country this long if this is what its leadership and researchers are like? How could the labcoats have failed so spectacularly to create Zombies when the goal was to create Golems? What kind of shoddy “tests” were they running to not figure out that their supposedly obedient soldiers were mindless killing beasts? Was there no prototype? Did they literally build an army of these things just assuming that they would all work? You fail, my good sirs! You fail at Science! And you, Officer! You completely ignored the guy whose job it is to know things, who told you that the weapon wasn’t ready, and you just set it off? You were so blinded by your arrogance and desire for command over others that you unleashed this army of Zombies without any assurance that they wouldn’t kill you for standing in front of them? Uncle. I get that you’re a bad guy. I get that you view humanity as a lesser species, no better than fuel for yourself and your Goths. And frankly, after seeing this Kimblee level of incompetence, I can see your point. But you have to have seen this coming. You had to have known that your minions were this stupid, this incredible level of dumbfuckery that has me storming around my room, ranting at the utter failure of this Officer and researcher. Clearly this is the reason you made your Goths, because if this was the level of ability you led before you made more competent henchmen? It’s a miracle that the whole country hasn’t gone up in flames without even the slightest effort by the Conspiracy.

Ok. Ok, we need to move on. So while that whole mess is kicking off, Ed’s reached the Door beneath The Third Laboratory. Oh hey, Barry’s still there! Miss you, you were funny when you weren’t killing innocents or trying to flirt with Riza. Giant door, check. Now how to open it. Actually, do we want to open it? Is it connected to the Transmutation Circle, is opening it playing into Uncle’s hands? Ah well, Ed’s gonna try anyway, struggles for a bit pulling at the seam (maybe it’s a push door?) until Scar gets bored and prepares to HoD it oh hey it’s opening CLOSE IT CLOSE IT CLOSE IT ZOMBIES CLOSE IIIIIIIIITTTTTTT Oh hey Armstrong the Great. Still haven’t killed the second General? Yeah he’s more useful as a bullet shield right now, and he’s still a General so he can order the Central Forces to stand down. Only he’s not giving the order? Huh. I’m actually kinda impressed here, guy’s been stabbed multiple times and has a gun to his head but he still gives an order to seal all entrances to Central. Still a bad guy and Armstrong the Great’s absolutely going to kill him now, but still. Ooor instead of Armstrong the Great, it’ll be Sloth literally crushing him. Ouch. Oooh dear, seems Sloth’s been ordered to kill Armstrong the Great for interfering, and she doesn’t have a tank or a snowstorm this time. She’s still laughing though, thanking the Goth for opening up another General seat, and brandishes her blade. [Armstrong the Great]: “This sword was passed through the Armstrong Family for generations. Now I don’t have to sully it with his filthy blood!” Adventure Strings continue as Ed’s fighting the Zombie Horde, the Chimera’s are throwing punches and Scar’s breaking out the HoDs to kill… oh dear. Scar’s One Hit Kill isn’t killing. That’s not good. The Zombies groan and shuffle around them- [Zombie]: “Big Brother!” NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU, WHOEVER WROTE THAT LINE YOU DO NOT TARNISH ONE OF THE SADDEST MOMENTS IN THIS SHOW WITH THESE MONSTERS SCREW. YOU.

Ed’s reacting in shock, realizing that they used human souls to make the Zombies, even somehow poor Nina’s. And for all the Zombies already, more and more come pouring through the door. Scar’s right, if these things escape outside to where civilians are just standing around wondering at all the Military soldiers running around, it’ll be a slaughter… Oh. Ok, I get it. Uncle deliberately set this up so the Officers (who are still IDIOTS) would set off a slaughter of the Central populace, probably to fuel the Transmutation Circle like Kimblee orchestrated the Drachman’s destruction up north. Back inside, Ed seals off the exit to keep the Zombies in ok sorry I have to say something, did the animation budget get cut for this episode to focus on the Zombies? Because for whatever reason Ed just seems off-model today, his face keeps looking rounder and younger. Anyways, the Chimeras are eager to let loose in a fight and transform, the group charges towards the Gate to plow through the horde and reach “that bearded bastard”. Outside Military forces are trying to close off roads and keep the Armory Ice Cream Truck from escaping, until a certain Briggs Officer arrives to express his displeasure. [Central Officer]: “A- a bear! A bear with a mohawk! Aaaa-” So Roy and his Crew are safely out of town, but now they’ll have some trouble getting back in. Although the Military are looking for an ice cream truck specifically. Almost makes me wish Ed was here to Transmute up a disguise for the vehicle. Almost mind you, things aren’t so desperate we need that just yet. Lion’s still at the Dome, wondering how things are going with the others. With nothing better to do he goes to talk to Al, ask what that annoying tapping noise is FINALLY thank you so Al didn’t know but Lion with his military experience was able to identify the dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot and realize that Al needs to shut Pride up, NOW. He’s been broadcasting your loca- Uh oh. Kimblee’s here. And as much as I insult the guy, I think he’s probably strong enough to brush past an injured Lion and break Pride out- Or straight up kill Lion while knocking a hole in the Dome. Damnit. Pride is loose. Mid-ep pictures of Zombies (“Mannequin Soldiers”) doing the See-Speak-Hear No Evil poses, and Alphonse Elric looking pissed. Aw shit May’s getting chased by Zombies in the tunnels! Run May! Run Shao May! Screw Envy, leave him to get eaten by the monsters! She screams at Envy for tricking her while he yells that her source of Immortality is still further inside, then she takes a moment to lay a beautiful if ineffective beatdown on some Zombies before catching oh shit I was joking about Envy getting eaten nobody deserves- Uh oh. [Envy]: “I’m baaaack!” Soooo, Envy’s kind of… melded with the Zombie, who ate another Zombie and then melded with all of the other Zombies to make Titan!Envy, who shrunk down into standard Envy. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Goth back in play. Crap. In the village near the Dome, Yoki’s panicking at the Military presence, trying to persuade Marcoh to stay quiet and not draw attention to themselves. But Marcoh’s upset at not doing anything. Also, what’s that smoke coming from the Dome? Pride’s sauntering out, Kimblee actually sounds a bit unnerved at the news that Pride ate another Goth. Pride’s justifying it as them coming from the same father, they’re just in a combined form again. Oh hey, Lion’s still alive! Kinda. Not looking or sounding too good, though. Al rushes forward damnit he just got grabbed by Pride’s shadows, he’s gonna get possessed again and Ed’ll have to fight him damnit. But Al transmutes the ground for a Big Boom, ok so dust to block out the shadows? Or not, Pride still has Al’s feet… aha! He only has Al’s feet! Al pulled a Lan Fan! Back to Battle Drum music as Armstrong the Great’s fighting Sloth, who’s smashing up the room with his chains. Armstrong the Great, honey, don’t waste your bullets on Sloth, it’s doing nothing. Maybe your sword? Damnit Military grunts, stop bothering Armstrong the Great by threatening to shoot her for treason. See, that’s what you get for threatening Armstrong the Great, she just dodges so you take the hit from Sloth. Thanks for the grenade, btw! So that’s not going to do much to Sloth (besides be funny as he “Huh?”s at the grenade right in his face, but maybe Armstrong the Great can use the smoke to- [Sloth]: “Hey, look! I caught you! And this time, I won’t mess up.” Well that aint good. Sloth’s got her trapped against a pillar and is squeezing her to death, Armstrong the Great’s actually in pain and-

YES [The Mighty Armstrong]: “HEELLLOOO, SISTER! AAAARRREE YOOOOOU ALLLRIGHT?! HAH HAH!” *sparkles and explosion because AWESOME* He’s back! The Mighty Armstrong is back, and after sending Sloth flying with a single punch is ready to fight alongside his snarky sibling! Armstrong the Great updates The Mighty Armstrong on the plot (that’s a Goth, bullets are useless, I want my tanks back). [The Mighty Armstrong]: “You don’t say? *sparkle* Fortunately dear sister, that is my specialty! Why don’t you let your brother have a crack at it! I’ll take this atrocity down! Come on, you monster!” [Sloth]: “Ugh. What a pain.” Hey! Hey hey hey don’t you skip away from the Armstrong Fight! Go back to Best Characters! Ugh, ok fine Al’s current situation of trying to drag a grievously wounded Lion away from the dome while his own legs are stumps is sufficiently dramatic enough I’ll accept the scene switch. This time. But yeah, Al and Lion are in a tough spot. Lion’s even telling Al to leave him behind, which Al is having none of. But really now, Al’s down a few limbs, when the dust clears they’ll be facing Kimblee and Pride together, and Lion’s coughing up blood. Now Al’s knee has blown out and he’s resorting to beating the crap out of it in frustration. [Lion]: “You brothers… are really something else… You’re still determined to help another person, even when you’re falling to pieces yourself.” Now Al’s talking about his promise, to never let anyone else die. So now the show’s going to either force Al to break his promise abandon Lion at the Chimera’s insistence, or he’ll keep trying until the dust fades and Pride walks up and kills Lion before repossessing Al’s armor anyway. This sucks- wait, what’s Lion have in his pocket?

HOLY LETO IT’S THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE! I completely forgot that Lion pocketed it ages ago after Ed’s injury. Has the dude been carrying around one of the setting’s most prized MacGuffin’s in his pocket this whole time? Dude. Also, is this going where I think it’s going?

So they’re discussing the dilemma: with their own Stone they might be able to fight against the other guy armed with one and the ‘kid’ powered by two, but if they use the Stone they’ll be using the souls used in making it. And if I remember, this was Kimblee’s first stone, the one made with Ishvalan Sacrifices. Lion talks about Ed’s conviction to not use Stones on their bodies. Instead, he says to “use it to save the entire world instead”. [Lion]: “You deserve it. Because even if they’ve been put into that Stone, you still recognize them as people. I know… those people… even though they’re trapped in Stone, they still want to fight to protect what matters to them. Let them fight. They deserve the chance!” I’m picturing the Ishvalans in the stone cheering. “Heck yeah let’s kick some ass! That jerk in the tacky suit used us to murder our own people, we want to tear him apart!” Al agrees. They’ll fight together. Thank you. For all my ranting at not using the Stone to heal Ed back then, I can appreciate this take. Using a Stone is Wrong, and it cannot be something that our Protagonists ever truly accept. But when faced with no other options, and using it specifically to help others, not themselves, it is acceptable that Al uses the Stone to fight back. Outside the cloud Kimblee asks if he should blow it away, but Pride’s overconfident and says they’re trapped without Al’s legs- BOOM! Flash of red, Kimblee loses his hat in the windblast, and Al strides out on newly-Transmuted legs. Kimblee smiles. New Outro! We’ve got… I can’t tell if it’s Beardless or Al, going by the stonework I’m going to assume Beardless. Still Beardless, hair blowing in the wind...still Beardless...still Beardless...what is the whole Outro just Beardless never mind it just switched to Mama Elric’s grave, then a crowd of Xerxes folk hey it’s that picture Keaton used to show Xerxians have no black outline to their hair. Then either Beard or Uncle walking through the desert in a white cloak, and the Elric Household complete with the swing that Beard nearly broke his back setting up. Whoop speaking of we have a grumpy Beard surrounded by white light and shattering stone, then Homunculus sulking in his flask. Also, A+ on putting the only credit this screen (Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook) right in front of the one-eyed circle monster.

Ooh, but now we’ve got an orbital view of the planet, with a giant circular shock wave coming off of it. Implying the Nationwide TC is activated? Now Ed looking serious in his red coat, and poor skinny Al’s soul smiling in front of the Gate. Now it’s his armor form standing in front of a sunset (Ending Theme “Ray of Light”), and a final shot of the road leading to the Rockbell home.

#wmtw #where my twin watches #full metal alchemist #full metal alchemist brotherhood #fmab #fmab 51 #ranubis

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snowfall-fanfictions · 4 years

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Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 19- The Finale

Previous Chapter

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

And here we are, the finale of BtFH! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, it means a lot to me!

Eryn’s eyes slowly fluttered open as he stirred from his state of unconsciousness. He lifted his head, racking his brain to remember what happened last night. All he could remember was Elsa and Skyne and…

ELSA!

Eryn shot up before gingerly laying back down. His chest ached like it was on fire. The bullet he took felt like a tender massage compared to this. As his eyes adjusted from his slumber, he soon realized he wasn’t back in the infirmary. Eryn slowly sat up and let out a sigh. He was in a small room of stone, with a wooden door to his left and the only light coming from a barred window at the very end. Eryn slumped his shoulders as he laid back down. He knew exactly where he was: the dungeons. How long had he been knocked out? Judging by the sunlight beaming from the window, a few hours at most. Eryn fell back onto the stone surface he laid upon. He knew that his time was limited here. There was only once place left for someone like him after the dungeons. Eryn wondered what was in store for him. Would he swing from the gallows? Beheaded? At this point Eryn didn’t care. He simply accepted his fate, whatever that would be. Skyne was right: he was born a nobody and now, he’ll die one too.

As Eryn thought about the end, all of his thoughts came back to his father. For the past three years, Eryn dragged his father’s name through the mud and for what? The promise of fame and notoriety? Guess it was all for nothing, then.

Suddenly, he heard a loud jangling noise coming from the door. Eryn carefully sat up to see who was coming to visit. Elsa stepped through the door, her hands folded in front of her, bearing a look of seriousness upon her face.

“Leave us,” she said to what he assumed to be a guard just out of his periphery. The door slammed behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

“El- I mean, your majesty,” Eryn said, “This is, uh, unexpected.”

Elsa took a seat on the stone slab opposite of him. Her face turned into an icy glare. Eryn could feel his spine shiver as her eyes pierced his soul.

“Well,” Elsa said with as much venom as she could muster, “You certainly have a lot to explain, Mr. Odrikson…”

Eryn cringed as she said his actual name. “Y-yes, your majesty.”

“You lied to me, made several attempts on my life, endangered my family, conspired with an enemy of Arendelle, twice, and murdered the highest ranking general in Arendellian history!”

Each deed Elsa listed off felt like a stab in the chest by an icy knife.

“You best have an explanation for your actions, Mr. Odrikson, because what you say will determine your fate.”

Eryn thought long and hard as to what he would say. He felt like nothing he could say would save him from death, so the only option was to be as honest as possible.

“Your right, I did lie. I’m not the son of a noble or anything like that. I’m not even from Weselton. I’m just a nobody from the town of Karnisvarne. My father was a soldier in the Arendellian army when he died in an avalanche, with my mother following soon after. They died without anyone caring about their passing, save for me. I wanted to avoid that fate no matter what.”

“And that meant becoming a killer?”

“At first, that meant becoming a soldier. I enlisted at 18, a few months after Linaeus. I had hoped that military life would get me the notoriety I was after. That was, until I saw General Garrigheim… defile a young woman. After I killed him, I wanted nothing to do with Arendelle.”

“And is that where you encountered Arendolk?” “Yes, the general had it. Skyne promised me that he would make me famous if I helped him. He didn’t say how, just that he needed to find something. I did that for three years before I was contacted to return to Arendelle.”

“By who?”

“According to that letter I gave you, the Duke of Weselton. I had no idea he was the one who hired me, nor did I know about the Westergaard or the governor.”

“You tried to get me alone in Fjellby so you could kill me. You had multiple chances to do so, so why didn’t you?” “At first, I thought you royals were all the same, lethargic snobs who didn’t care about who they stepped on. But now, after getting to know you, I can see that I was wrong.”

Elsa pursed her lips as she processed this information. Eryn could feel his heart race in his chest. It felt like it was ready to burst out of his chest.

“Alight,” Elsa said after what felt like an eternity, “I can believe you were ignorant of the conspiracy at large, and your ignorance of Skyne’s true plans, but accusing General Garrigheim of rape? That’s a serious charge to make against a hero of Arendelle.”

Just then, a knock came upon the large wooden door. Elsa started to say something, but the door swung open, revealing Linaeus holding a strange book.

“Forgive the interruption, your majesty,” he began, “but-”

“Linaeus, can’t this wait?”

“I’m afraid not, Elsa. I… made a trip down to the military archives to verify Eryn’s claims about General Garrigheim and… he was right.”

Eryn and Elsa looked at him with surprise. “Excuse me?” they both said in unison. Linaeus said nothing as he handed Elsa a small black leather book.

“This was the general’s personal diary… you might want to look at some of these entries.”

Elsa flipped open the book and began reading. Her jaw dropped as she flipped through the pages. She slammed the book shut, her face paler than normal, before handing it back to Linaeus. Eryn could only imagine what was written in that journal, causing his stomach to churn.

“I’ve seen enough!” she spat, “Thank you, captain. I’ll deal with this later.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Linaeus bowed and left the two of them alone once again. Elsa returned her attention to Eryn, her scowl returning to her face.

“You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Odrikson,” she said, “It seems that you were indeed correct about the General.” Eryn could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest. It almost felt like it would break his ribs with how fast it was beating. “I believe this, along with your sacrifice and willingness to face Skyne alone, should acquit you of all crimes.”

“I underst- wait, what?!” Eryn gawked, expecting her to sentence him to death. Elsa’s scowl turned into a warm smile.

“Anna and Linaeus put in some good words for you. That may have also swayed me a bit.”

Eryn was at a loss for words. He couldn’t understand how he got this lucky in his entire life. His face lit up as a grin overtook his face.

“Th-thank you, Elsa!” he exclaimed, his heartbeat easing up.

“However, there is one thing you still need to do...”

Eryn’s face went pale as she spoke again.

“What would that be?”

“You need to regain my trust, Mr. Odrikson. I didn’t exactly forget that you lied to me for an entire month.”

Eryn felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach as he went pale.

“How can I do that, Your Majesty?” “I want you to hunt down all of your former allies who had a hand in this assassination attempt. Do this, and you’ll have regained my faith in you.”

Eryn thought about Elsa’s words for a moment. “Alright, it shall be done.” He sat up again, but the pain in his chest forced him back down once more.

“The doctors say you can’t move on your own for a while. I’ll have some guards down here to escort you to your room.” Elsa stood up and walked over to the door. She knocked on the door as it flew open. As she stepped through to the other side, Elsa turned back to Eryn and said, “Arendelle thanks you… Eryn.” With that, the door closed behind her, leaving Eryn all alone.

A thousand thoughts surged through Eryn’s mind at that point. Even after all of this, she was still showing him mercy. He couldn’t remember the last time that happened. Eryn placed his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

I guess you are looking out for me up there, dad. Eryn thought.

A few months later…

Rolond pulled out the bar of heated iron from the furnace. Carefully, he walked it over to the anvil and placed it on the flat surface. Once it was secure, the small man wasted no time hammering the orange molten metal into shape. Rolond was slightly baffled at how three farmers broke all of their plows at the same time, but he wasn’t about to turn down some extra coin. Jobs like this made the day go by that much faster. As he hammered away at the iron, he could overhear his wife, Astrid, shouting.

“ROLOND!”

Rolond groaned as he placed his hammer down. “What is it, ya daft woman?!” he shouted, walking towards the house. Astrid met him at the door, her snow white hair draped over her stout shoulders.

“Ya won’t believe who’s here!” she yelled, her voice weathered by the years. Rolond gave her a confused look as she led him inside. His eyes went wide as he saw Linaeus sitting in his living room.

“Linaeus, lad, is that you?!” he gawked. He walked over and shook the man’s hand, “And here I thought ya went and forgot about us!”

“Hard to forget someone like you, Rolond,” Linnaeus chuckled, “How have things been?”

“Eh, aside from the usual shit we’ve been dealin’ with, not much has changed around here.”

“Any word on Malia? I was told she was here too.”

Rolond shot a look over to Astrid, “I, uh, had no idea ya knew her. The only person who knew her was-”

“-Eryn?” a mysterious voice said behind them. Rolond and Astrid turned around quickly. The queen stood at the entrance of their house. Rolond’s face went stone cold as he eyed her.

“Ah, Yer Majesty…” he said hesitantly, “To what do we owe the… pleasure?”

“I’m here on behalf of both Eryn and General Torvond,” Elsa gestured to Linaeus.

“Wait, if you know Eryn… then does that mean…?” Rolond’s body tensed up.

“Don’t worry, he’s still alive.”

Roland let out a short sigh as he eased the tension out of his body, “What happened to him, then?”

“Official Arendelle business, I’m afraid,” Linnaeus replied.

“Heh, didn’t expect him to turn like that.”

“Well… he’s turned a new leaf, as it were.”

“Alright, but why is the queen here? Didn’t think you’d give ol’ Karnisvarne a visit.”

“I’m here to right some wrongs, Mr. Abhramson. Starting with what happened to you.”

Rolond was stunned into silence by the queen's words. He was unsure if she was telling the truth or not.

“I-I beg yer pardon?”

“I understand you never received the proper compensation for your service to Arendelle under my grandfather.”

The sound of something jingling behind him grabbed Rolond’s attention. Snapping his neck around, he saw Linaeus place a few large bags on the floor. Astrid walked up to one, undid the string, and let out a sharp gasp. She pulled out several gold coins, glistening in the sunlight. Rolond fought back tears as he walked over to the bags. He knelt down to take a fistfull of coins and brought them to his face. A single tear rolled down his face as he faced the queen again.

“Th-thank ye, yer majesty,” he choked, “y’ve done me and m’ wife a great service.”

“It should be me who’s thanking you, Mr. Abhramson. Your duty to Arendelle should be recognized.”

“I’ve been waitn’ near ten years fer this! I had te slave over the anvil te make by!” “Consider this your retirement fund,” Linaeus lifted himself off of the couch as he stepped toward and placed a hand on Rolond’s shoulder, “We’re sorry this took so long, Rolond.”

“Thank ye, lad. And Yer Majesty. Tell Eryn I said thanks as well.”

“We will,” Elsa replied, “And thank you once again for your service.”

Linaeus walked over to Elsa as Rolond and Astrid embraced, both sobbing wildly. The general and queen made their way out the door and back onto the street. Few people stopped to look at them, and those that did either gawked or scoffed at them.

“That was incredibly kind, Elsa,” Linaeus said as they walked down the street, “that man means a lot to me and Eryn.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Elsa replied, focusing on the road ahead of her, “it hurts to see this place in a state like this.”

“At least these issues are being addressed now, that’s all that matters.”

“Well, now that we’re not forced to keep so many soldiers in the north, Søderlund can get some long overdue attention. Now, where to next?” “Ms. Malia, Your Majesty. But, um, if I may, I wish to talk to her alone.”

“Oh?” Elsa raised her eyebrow.

“I feel like I need to apologize to her directly. I denied what happened to her for years and I need to make it right.”

Elsa pondered his request for a moment before saying, “Very well, Linaeus. Send her my regards if you will.”

“Yes ma’am!” Linaeus made his way down the street until he was out of Elsa’s sight. As she wandered through the village, Elsa made several mental notes about what needed to be done. She’d need to discuss things with the governor, some city planners, and quite possibly some engineers. Of course, this also meant more and more meetings and massive amounts of paperwork. Elsa’s head began to hurt simply thinking about the bureaucracy that she’ll be subjected to over the next few months.

Her mind wandered over to Eryn. Part of her felt sympathetic to him, having to grow up in such a dreary and desolate place. The other part of her questioned if pardoning him was the right move. Regardless, she knew that he needed to be under strict supervision if he was to continue working with her.

Then there was what Skyne said all those months ago. What did he mean by a child of Ahtohallan? Was it a real place? Did it have to do with her powers? These questions raced around her head like a swarm of insects. This would require much more research and investigation on her end.

One thing at a time, Elsa, she thought to herself as she walked down the road.

XXXXXX

“YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!” Markus screamed, squirming around as Eryn led him to the soldiers out front of the tavern. His hands were bound behind him with iron shackles as several patrons looked on in horror. Markus’s face was beet red, matching the color of his hair and beard. Eryn simply rolled his eyes and shoved Markus along.

“Oh wow, how original…” Eryn muttered as he kicked the door open. Two fucking weeks he’d been chasing down Markus. Jormund and Fili were easy to grab, but Markus was the problem child as always. Ever since Maldonia, Markus was the biggest pain in the ass, challenging Eryn every step of the way. In a way, Eryn was glad to put this asshole in his place.

“I heard how you killed Twiggy, bastard! And the blood pact you made with that knife of yours. You really think you’re better than us?!”

“It’s called turning a new leaf, smartass. You should’ve tried it.”

“Don’t give me that shit, I know why you're doing this, Odrikson!”

“Don’t even think about it you-” “All of this because you want to fuck the qu-”

Eryn drove his fist into Markus’s face. Markus’s nose let out a loud crack as Eryn’s knuckles stung. When he approached the guards, Eryn threw Markus to them, who fell onto the dirt before them.

“Here’s another bastard.” Eryn spat, “Careful, he’s a bit bitey.”

“FUG YOU,” Markus spat through his broken nose. The guards hoisted him off of the ground and dragged him over to the prison wagon. One of them flew the door open while the other threw Markus in. Markus screamed aloud as the guards slammed the door shut, muffling his screams.

Eryn watched the display with his arms crossed. He was one step closer to his true freedom. Just five more ringleaders and he’d be a free man in Elsa’s eyes. In a way, he should at least be happy about that, so why wasn’t he? His thoughts dwelt on her remarkable kindness. It almost felt like she was setting him up for when he returned with the last man. She didn’t seem like the person to betray him like that. Then again, he would deserve it, given the situation that caused them to meet.

That’s when he felt it again, the congestion clogging his chest. It felt like there was a swarm of bees lodged where his heart should be. Eryn raised his fist to his mouth as he coughed furiously. Whatever it was, Eryn made a mental note to visit some kind of physician about this.

Stay on task, Eryn, he thought as he joined the guards back on the wagon. With the crack of the reigns, the wagon darted down the dirt road as the tavern disappeared out of sight.

#frozen fanfiction #disney frozen #OC #queen elsa #princess anna #olaf #kristoff #duke of weselton #hans #fanfiction #assassination #Eryn Odrikson #blood tw #gore tw #mature

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kassies-take · 5 years

Text

Super Shadowed

Warning: Angst

Danvers sister x b!danvers

Word Count: 2342

Part 1 || Finale

The day Krypton exploded Kal-El was sent to Earth and so was Kara Zor-El. What people didn’t know was that another member from the House of El was also sent to Earth. You were only eight when Krypton exploded, due to your smaller frame you crawled into the leg space as Kara sat in her seat.

When the pod got knocked off course from Krypton’s debris, Kara shielded your eyesight from seeing its destruction. You could tell she was scared too but she was doing her best to be the older sister.

There was only one time you woke up in the Phantom Zone and that was the most alone you’ve ever felt with Kara asleep, then you realized it has always been this way. You didn’t know how long you were awake. It could’ve been minutes, hours, days or even years. All you knew was that Fort Rozz was just out the window and that your life was going to be spent with Kara in a pod.

Earth was a whole different experience. If Kara was quiet you were quieter. This worried Kara, you were always the energetic bubbly kid sister, but she understood after losing a planet full of family and friends, it was difficult. You were both told to keep your powers hidden and only you kept true to those words. When your powers manifested you didn’t use them as much as Kara did.

While Kara was so hell-bent on being a hero you wanted nothing more than to be seen as a regular human. You were always overshadowed on Krypton and the moment Kara came out as Supergirl it all came back to you. How Alura favored Kara, how you were always babied by Eliza, Kara and even Alex, and ultimately how literally empty it felt to be in the Phantom Zone. Only Krypton and Earth were lonelier.

You made it clear to Alex and Kara that you didn’t want to be some hero. But that didn’t stop the three of you from being three peas in a pod. You and Kara fought over food, you and Alex teased Kara with her taste of music and there was never enough room on Kara Danver’s couch when you visited from school.

While Kara followed in Clark’s footsteps to be a journalist and reporter you put your mind to technology. After high school you went to M.I.T and received a job offer by Lena Luthor herself once you graduated.

Kara only managed to convince you to strap on the cape when she fell downhill with the whole I sent Mon-El away and now he’s married. Your suit was the same blue but the yellow and red were white and that was really when Superfriends knew of you at all.

“There’s another Danvers sister!” Winn beamed.

“(Y/N),” you introduced.

“T-that’s very human,” Winn stared at Kara

“(Y/N), abandoned her Kyptonian name. Kasa Zor-El.”

“Because Krypton is not here anymore!” You scoffed at the stares you received before you threw in the towel and flew away from Kara’s apartment.

Kara flew after you as you hovered over the city skyline.

“Kasa,” Kara pleaded with concern.

“Stop Kara, that’s isn’t my name!”

“Yes it is. This is how you keep Krypton alive. I get it, I really do. You had a life there, family, friends. But it’s been fifteen years, and on the way here I lost you.”

“I had no friends or family on Krypton!” You snapped.

“W-What are you talking ab-”

“I-I’m not talking about blood Kara. I had family yes but ieiu (mom) favored you, Aunt Astra loved you, Earth even loves you. I felt and still feel awuhkh (abandoned).” You said it in Kyptonese knowing it had more effect on Kara.

Kara’s face only fell in sorrow as she looked at you with pity. Something you definitely didn’t need.

“Kar, this is why I didn’t tell you. I don’t need your pity, especially after I told you.”

“That doesn’t explain how you got like this. You use to be so bright and cheery.”

“Nice to know I’m dark and moody,” you rolled your eyes and flew off towards the Fortress of Solitude.

“That’s not what I meant (Y/N)!” Kara screamed after you on your tail.

“KARA! YOU WEREN’T AWAKE. YOU DIDN’T SEE WHAT I SAW!” You landed in the snow

“What are you talking about?”

“The Phantom Zone,” you sighed. “I sat in our pod and looked into the empty void. At first I was afraid, but with Kryton’s debris around I realized that the empty void I stared at was just a reflection of my life on Krypton and now on Earth,” You eyes filled with tears and so did Kara’s.

“I didn’t know you felt that way ie (sister).”

“I’ve tried Kara. I’ve tried to go back. Krypton was my planet but it wasn’t my home. I don’t think I can stay here anymore. I’ll help you with your problem but I need to find my home.”

Kara pulled you into a hug, one that if your DNA didn’t hold Kryptonian DNA would surely break your bones.

Apparently Kara and Alex thought it would be a good idea to head to Barry’s Earth for his wedding. Kara thought meeting the whole gang would help you find a home within yourself, Alex just wanted you there cause despite your powers you were still her little sister.

Having seen the way Kara’s friends adored Kara made it worse. During the rehearsal dinner as Kara reconnected with her friends and Alex drank the night away, you were nowhere to be seen.

You sat over the edge of Jitter’s roof with your lead lenses glasses twirled in your hands. Yellow lighting appeared with a gust of wind behind it.

“So how do you know Barry or Iris?” A voice came behind you.

“Barry, when he went to Earth-38 and helped my sister.”

“Ah so you’re the famous Kasa Zor-El,” the voice approached you.

“(Y/N),” you turned to your right side.

“Wally,” he sat next to you. “I know that look, it’s the look of being in the shadows.”

You looked at Wally questionably as he continued.

“You have the same powers or you’re even better than the hero yet people only see you as the sidekick. You have powers yet people still see any threat as something you can’t handle. You try your hardest but will always remain number two a second option if their hero is gone.”

“I relate on a whole different level. I mean my Earth does not need another Super. Supergirl always saves the day,” you mimicked the tabloids.

You and Wally shared a good laugh or two as the person in the shadows. It felt nice to have someone you can relate too but as always the heroes need a babysitter for their hero work. That’s how you found yourself when Nazis stormed the church.

You and Wally were put on guarding duty.

“So what’s the game plan?” Wally asked with you trailing behind him.

“There is none yet. Whoever attacked us knows who we are, so just get Joe and Cecile as far as possible,” Barry explained.

“(Y/N), I want you to go with them,” Kara pleaded from the cortex entrance.

You looked between Kara and Barry.

“No way, we can help out,” you and Wally said together.

“You guys are helping by keeping our family safe,” Barry and Kara said in sync.

“They’re right, until we know what they’re planning, no one is safe,” Joe agreed.

Kara and Barry both gave a head nod as you and Wally sighed in defeat. Wally headed out with Joe first and as you prepared to leave you muttered a word of your feelings.

“Awuhkh, ” you said again before disappearing.

Though being a hero isn’t your forte, after the conversation you had with Wally you were not going to sit idly by while Nazis invaded Central City. It wasn’t your city but you did have the power and the knowledge to figure out what the Nazis wanted.

This was where you had more knowledge with than Kara. Now all you needed was a laptop or computer.

You connected to surveillance cameras of Star Labs to the screen and watched the process. Wally stood behind you as you both watched and pieced together the information given to you.

“Huh,” you laughed as Felicity found a location before a realization hit you that the prism they were after would mimic the red sun. “Oh crap.”

“What, What is wrong?” Wally asked.

“This prism can be altered to mimic the affects of the a red sun,” you explained.

“What does the red sun do?”

“Due to the yellow sun Earth has, Kryptonians are able to have different abilities. And the red sun gets rid of our powers, in short we will be humans.”

“So they’re trying to kill Kara?”

“But something isn’t making sense if they wanted to kill Kara they could just use Kryptonite.”

“Unless they’re making her body weak enough to cut her skin,” you physically snapped at Wally’s prediction and began typing.

The monitor zoomed into Alex with the Kryptonite arrow. Wally raised the volume at the previous recorded message with Earth X Kara having too much radiation

“Oh my god,” you froze.

“They’re using Kara as transplant.”

“And they just walked themselves into a trap.”

“You have to go,” Wally looked at you.

“What?”

“If Kara is going to be fighting herself there may be another version of you, I’ll stay here with Joe and Cecile. They need you more than they need me.”

“Godspeed Wally,” you patted him on the back before he pulled you into a hug.

“Go get em,” he smiled.

As you flew back to Central City what you planned on the way there was definitely a plan Kara Danvers wouldn’t like.

Getting through the Nazi soldiers that was the easy part, getting tthough to Kara X that was a different story. You walked towards Kara’s scared heart beat as you breathed in some confidence with what you were about to do.

You stood on the further side where the “red sun” couldn’t touch, you hid from Nazi soldiers that patrolled between the hallways before you headed towards the red room.

“It’s not going to work, you’re not going to get what you want,” you heard Kara say as you built up enough courage and walked towards the room.

“Really,” Kara X said and hovered over Kara

“Yes, really.” You’re own voice surprised you with how much power it had.

“Kasa,” Kara X stood in shock. “You died on Krypton!”

“In your universe maybe,” you stood your ground.

“And what. You’re going to stop me?” Kara X scoffed.

“No, I came for an offering.”

“(Y/N), you don’t have to do this!” Kara struggled to get out of her restraints.

“And what do you have to offer?”

“My healthy, younger heart in exchange for Kara and my friends freedom.”

You kneeled on your right leg with your right hand above your heart and your head slightly bowed. A Kryptonian promise.

“Kasa Zor-El! Don’t do this!” Kara was on the verge tears.

“Your sister died on Krypton, this way you will always have her with you,” you ignored Kara.

“I have to admit, normally I wouldn’t like such weakness but any warrior who faces their death with no fear is honorable,” Kara X beamed.

“She would’ve done the same for me.”

“Deal!”

As if on cue Thawne rushed in with Führer. Kara X and him shared a kiss before Thawne patted the gurney for Kara X to lay in.

“We’re going to need a new lab, I made a deal with my sister here,” Kara X pointed to you as Oliver and Thawne looked at you. “An exchange of her heart for her older sister’s freedom.”

“We don’t know if she’s a match,” Oliver growled.

“Do you dare defy me my husband?”

“No,” he puffed.

Thawne smiled “Don’t worry Kara Zor-El And Kasa Zor-El are practically twins.”

“Can the procedure be done on the Wellenreiter?” Oliver asked.

“With the prism it can be done anywhere.”

Kara X nodded, picked up Oliver and flew towards their version of the Waverider.

“Kara Zor-El ukiem, :zhalish. (Kara Zor-El I love you as my family, forgive me)”

You followed closely behind as Thawne smirked at Kara before he took the prism and disappeared. Kara still had the effects of the red sun in her system, she struggled harder and harder to release herself from the restraints as the leather dug into skin and drew drops of blood when Iris and Felicity entered the room.

“Kara,” Iris freed the restraints.

“W-where are the Nazis?” Felicity asked.

“Kara!” Alex threw the gun to the side and hugged Kara.

“Alex! They took her,” Kara cried. “They took (Y/N).”

Kara immediately wiped her tears and jumped onto the floor determined to get rid of her culture to save her sister. Only she has never felt as weak as she did at the moment as she collapsed onto her knees. She tried to get back up, the harder she tried the harder her body shook.

“Kara take it easy,” Alex held Kara once again.

“A-alex I c-can’t l-lose h-her,” Kara cried.

“I know, but if you go out there now. You will be killed!”

In that moment Kara finally felt you felt on Krypton, The Phantom Zone and even times on Earth. She hated it, she hated the lonely feeling even when the room was filled with friends and family, and she hated that you felt this way for you while life. A scream that rivaled the Canary erupted from Kara.

The whole room fell silent with goosebumps from Kara’s screams. No one has felt someone else’s pain as they did with Kara’s. It was the type of agonizing scream that puts any other thought on hold and drags everyone in a nearby vicinity into the same agony Kara was feeling. She lost her blood sister and felt guilty that you would never find the home you yearned for.

#supergirl #alex danvers #kara danvers #alex danvers x b!danvers #kara danvers x b!danvers #wally west #overgirl #dark arrow #reverse flash #crisis on earth x #flash #arrow #dc legends of tomorrow #arrorverse #baby danvers #supergirl imagines #supergirl imagine

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spideyy-girl · 5 years

Text

Bulletproof ~ Steve Harrington

Summary: Y/N, a super individual like Eleven, and Steve are captured and interrogated by the Russian soldiers who are working under Starcourt mall and have to find a way to escape before they get killed by the commies…

Fandom: Stranger Things (3)

Warnings: swearing, torture, getting shot, and reader and steve being high as fuck lmao

Word Count: 3223 (9 pages)

A/N: so this was supposed to be uploaded like a week ago but if you follow me you might know that I’ve been having problems with the tag system, and my works never show up on the search engine, so sorry it’s so late! My school starts next Wednesday so updates might be a little slower (or maybe even a little faster) but I still have a Richie headcanon on the way!

~~~

Y/N had no idea how on earth she got herself in this situation.

When her younger friend Dustin told her and Steve Harrington, a close friend of theirs and Y/N’s sort of giant crush, about a secret spy code he had picked up from his homemade radio tower, she was intrigued, to say the least. And you know what they say: curiosity killed the cat. And it sure as hell seemed like she was gonna die, but she didn’t think her life would end tied up to said ice-cream slinger from before while being interrogated by a bunch of evil Communists in a secret Russian lair under the mall where he worked and she visited regularly.

It had been hours, and Y/N continued to scream for help, trying to get anyone’s attention so she and Steve could escape the insane hellhole they got themselves stuck in. Steve grumbled, the loud voice of the girl tied up behind him making his head pound harder and he felt like his ears were about to bleed from all of the noise she was making.

“Hey, could you please stop yelling?” Steve almost whispered, but Y/N still heard it clear as day in the small silent room. She tried to turn around to face him but soon remembered that she was strapped to a chair, so she leaned her head on his shoulder instead.

“Steve? Oh my god, hey. Are-are you okay?” Y/n said, feeling a tsunami of relief hit her. For a while, she truly thought he had gone and died on her. Steve chuckled at her and leaned his head on hers to give her a sense of comfort.

“My ears are ringing and I can’t really breathe, I feel like my eyeballs are about to pop out of my skull, but other than that I’m doing pretty good,” Steve mumbles to her. She couldn’t help but giggle, Steve always knew how to make even the worst situations just a bit more bearable with his humour.

“Well, you don’t look it, my friend,” she pokes back at him. He nudges her with his head, his long hair tickling her cheek in the process.

“Geez, that one hurt, L/N,” he says back, trying to keep the girl’s mind off of the current dilemma they’re in for just a bit. He knew that she gets stressed and scared easily, due to her past trauma at the lab. It made him feel good that he could take that away from her. He tried to rip off the tape that was holding his wrists together, but it wouldn’t seem to budge. “Hey, think your mind tricks could help get us out of these chairs?”

Y/N sighed and raised her head, shaking it. “Can’t move things with my mind like El, remember?” She said, and Steve let out a small “oh” and nodded in understanding. Y/N’s powers we’re slightly different than Eleven’s, where El’s powers consisted more of telekinesis- or moving things with her mind, Y/N’s was more focused on telepathy, or mind manipulation. “So unless I can get into their heads and convince them to let us go, there’s not much I can do…” She trails off, wondering if even that would work considering what the officer said earlier.

“It’s okay, Y/N,” Steve reassured, leaning his head back onto her shoulder. “Besides, I think that could work. Do you think you could, like, get in there?” Y/N laughed slightly, but still felt nervous.

“I-I don’t know if I want to,” she tried to joke, letting out another dry laugh that sounded more uncomfortable. “But, I’m not sure. They already saw the number. They, um, t-they know who I am, Steve,” Y/N’s voice quivered, but she tried to keep herself calm, not wanting to show Steve how scared she really was.

Steve felt his body stiffen, not wanting to think about what those Russian soldiers might do to her, what they might use her for if they know about her abilities. He felt the palms of his hands start to dampen, and he tried just a little harder to pull himself from the belts that kept his wrists held to the arms of the chair he sat in. He let out an unsteady breath, not sure if his next words would be true, but he continued anyway. “Nothing will happen to you, okay? I promise; I swear on my life. We’re both gonna get out of here, alive, and we’re gonna be okay. I promise they won’t hurt you, they’d have to kill me first before they even touch you.” He said boldly, picking his words carefully, but also just spewing any positive things that came to mind. Y/N smiled at Steve, thankful that he was showing how much he cared for her, but his last sentence did admittingly make her uneasy.

“Thanks, Stevey,” she whispered back, and before they could continue to try and hatch up an escape plan, there was a loud buzzing sound that rang through the room before the Russian soldiers and the alleged ‘doctor’ strolled through the heavy metal door. The comrade made eye contact with Y/N, since she was the one facing the door, and gave her a disgusting smirk that made her squirm in her seat. As he moved around her to see Steve, he brushed his hand over her shoulder, making her retract from the contact immediately.

“I see your little boyfriend has finally decided to wake from his beauty sleep and join us,” he said as he faced Steve, the teenage boy giving him a dirty look in return. The officer chuckled, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. “Good thing you did, little boy, or I might’ve taken your girl from you and used her myself.” Steve felt every muscle in his body tense up at just those words.

“Fuck off,” he spat at the officer. “If you touch a single fucking hair on her body, I swear to god I will-” Steve cut himself off as he saw the drill powered by some kind of blue serum the doctor held, his eyes widened. He looked between the machine and the comrade, who’s smirk grew.

“Try telling the truth this time, yes?” He suggested, his hand reaching up to play with Steve’s hair, twirling it around a gloved finger. “It will make your visit with Dr. Zharkov less painful, for the both of you.” The doctor comes closer to Steve as the machine starts whirring.

“Hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing? AH!” Steve yells as the drill is injected into his neck. Y/N is kicking around in her chair, screaming at the doctor to stop and leave him alone. The Russian officer came up to her and stared at her, a creepy smile on his face as he caressed her cheek, Y/N leaning away from the unwanted touch.

“Don’t worry, little slut,” he said to her, smiling wickedly. “You’re next.” And with that, he slapped her harshly, the glove making a sharp noise against her cheek which echoed around the room as he left, the door locking behind him. She heard Steve’s screaming stop and soon the injection was put into her own neck.

~~~

Y/N’s head rested against Steve’s, trying her hardest not to let her sleep deprivation get the best of her, as it didn’t seem like the best moment to take a quick nap. She put her head back on Steve’s shoulder and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck, to which he giggled.

“That-that tickles a little,” Steve giggled. Y/N let out a smile and laughed along, doing it a little more before stopping again and closing her eyes. A little rest wouldn’t hurt, right? Luckily, the drugs hadn’t hit her as hard as they did with Steve since she was used to similar types of torture back when she was trained in the lab. Steve claimed he didn’t feel anything either, but she could tell something was definitely wrong with him, and even she herself felt off.

“I mean, I feel fine!” Steve exclaimed, accidentally bonking his head against the back of Y/N’s. “Oop, sorry. But I think these morons messed up the drug!” Y/N couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips.

“Haha, yeah, stupid morons can’t even drug us!” She said happily, still laughing as her head lolled on top of Steve’s shoulder. Steve laughed along with her, continuing to mock the Commies.

“Hey morons! Morons! Woah-oh!” He yelled as he continued to laugh, Y/N trying to hold back her own giggles but of course, didn’t succeed.

“There is definitely something wrong with us,” she said with another small giggle and Steve nodded.

“Yup, something’s wrong,” he agreed. Then the door buzzed, indicating that the Russian officer was once again entering the room, accompanied by his doctor friend, who was pulling out very sharp and not very doctor-like tools from his lab coat. Y/N stared at him wide-eyed, watching his movements as the officer went back to face Steve, who was biting his lip to try and keep himself from laughing.

“Let’s try this again, yes?” his voice comes out through his thick accent, and Y/N felt Steve nod slightly. The comrade came closer and looked at the boy dead in the eye. “Who do you work for?” he snarled out and Y/N felt herself holding her breath to try and keep herself from losing it, whether that meant a laughing fit or a mental breakdown, she didn’t quite know yet.

“Scoops. Scoops Ahoy,” Steve replied as he chuckled. Y/N found his comment wildly amusing and started wheezing as she threw her head back and hit Steve’s, but he was also too busy laughing to realize. The Russian looks at the teenage girl who was still giggling and red in the face, thinking of what he might have to do to her.

“How did you find us?” He asked, his eyes not averting from the girl who’s back was facing towards him, but the question was still directed at Steve. The boy tried to keep a straight face as he answered, but still to no avail.

“Oh, totally by accident,” Steve said and Y/N started cackling, kicking her feet as her body fell forward and tears started to form in her eyes. The comrade looks back at the doctor and speaks something in Russian that they couldn’t understand. Then the doctor pulled out a pair of plyers and walked towards the pair, the other one nodding his head towards Steve. “What is that shiny little toy you got there?” Steve laughed as the doctor crouched in front of him and went to grab one of Steve’s fingernails with the tool, to which Steve’s smile finally dropped and he started to scream in protest.

“There was a code! We heard a code!” Y/N said when she heard Steve starting to go crazy. The doctor pulled the plyers away and the comrade made his way to stand in front of Y/N now, glaring at her. When he questioned what code she began to giggle again, and honestly that sound alone made Steve forget about his fingernail almost being pulled off. “You know, 'the silver cat feeds, when blue meets yellow in the west, blah blah blah. You broadcast that dumb shit all over town, and we picked it up on our little toy radio, and we cracked it in a day! A fucking day!” She laughed again as she looked up at the officer, who was snarling down at her.

“Who is we? Who else knows we are here?” He demanded, and Steve turned his head a little to talk, much to Y/N trying to tell him to stop.

“Well, uh, Dustin knows we’re here. Dustin Henderson?” Steve said as he started laughing again and Y/N leaned on his shoulder, still giggling as well as he continued. “Yeah, curly hair, small, kind of like a fro. He’s got great hair.” Steve tried looking back at Y/N and she made sounds of agreement with his descriptions.

“Dustin Henderson? Where is he?” He asked Steve, and Steve smirked at him.

“Oh they’re long gone, you big asshole!” He giggled. “And he’s probably calling Hopper, and Hopper is probably calling the US cavalry. They’re gonna come in here commando-style, guns-a-blazing, and kick your sorry asses back to Russia. You'r4e gonna be two pieces of toast.” And Steve lost it after finishing his statement, leaning forward as he wheezed, Y/N leaning back with him as she did the same. And before the comrade could say anything else, an alarm blasts through the air, just on time.

The Russian comrade jolted out of the room to see what the hell had happened while the doctor stayed to keep a watch on the drugged pair of teenagers. Y/N saw this as a perfect opportunity to try and escape. Steve nudged her, trying to silently tell her to use whatever powers she can to get them out of their current situation.

“Um, excuse me, kind sir?” Y/N caught his attention and giggled. The doctor looked at her confused, she could tell he obviously didn’t understand what she was saying but continued. “You wouldn’t mind helping a poor girl like me out, would you?” She flashed him a charming smile and as soon as she locked their gaze her face went straight and she tried to push whatever was in her system aside to concentrate. The doctor fell into a state of oblivion and Y/N giggled a bit, happy that it was working. “It would be awfully nice of you to let us go.” She said, and with that, he walked slowly towards them and unbuckled the belts.

Y/N was so surprised it actually worked so well that she forgot that she was manipulating someone and he fell out. But before he could make a move to get them back, Steve slipped out of his restraints and hit him with the chair, knocking him unconscious. Y/N giggled and clapped as Steve helped her get out of her own chair. “Gotta say, Harrington, that was the hottest shit I’ve ever seen,” she giggled and so did he. He grabbed her face and squished her cheeks.

“No, YOU’RE the hottest thing I’ve ever seen!” he replied quite loudly and they both laughed. Steve grabbed Y/N’s hand and dragged her towards the door. “Let’s get out of here finally!” He said and the girl squealed in excitement as they began to aimlessly run down the hallway. And as you could’ve probably guessed, that was not the best plan.

As they ran down one of the endlessly long hallway, looking for the storage room elevator, they heard a strong voice come down the other side of the hallway in what was presumably Russian, and the sound of a gun cocking. Y/N and Steve looked back and their eyes blew wide as they saw the giant riffle pointed towards them and two more officers joined his side and did the same thing.

“Oh shit! OH, SHIT!” Steve said as he tugged her hand and tried to get Y/N to run along with her. “Y/N, come on! We seriously got to go! Hey, what are you doing?!” They heard the ringing sound of gunshots fly through the air and it was as if everything was going in slow motion. Steve took Y/N’s hand and dragged her into a hallway going a different direction but it was too late, and Y/N had wedged herself between the bullets and Steve.

Steve caught her as she fell, holding her ribs where the bullets had made contact. He felt almost completely sober as he saw the girl squeezing her eyes shut in pain, groaning. Her breathing was heavy and Steve pulled her into a clear room and locked all the doors, rushing over to her and putting her head on his lap, trying to keep himself from crying.

“Oh god, baby, I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he pet her hair. She shook her head, trying to get herself to make words but was still in shock. “No no no no, this wasn’t supposed to happen, oh god, oh shit, I’m sorry I’m so so sorry.” At this point he couldn’t help the water escaping his eyes.

“Steve,” she said as she grabbed him hand. He began to sob as he looked at her and squeezed her hand, using his other hand to push hair away from her face. “Steve, hey, it’s okay.”

“No no it’s not okay! What were you thinking?” He screamed at her, his tears making his vision blurry. “You-you just got shot! You were shot! Please, you can’t die on me, not here.” he continued to ramble so much that he was completely distracted to the lack of blood on the floor.

“Steve, listen to me,” she said a bit more sternly. But Steve just shook his head.

“No, Y/N, you have to listen, okay? You’re gonna be fine. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you as long as I was alive, so I’m gonna make sure we get out. Just please don’t die, Y/N stay with me-”

“Steve!” She shouted as she reached up and grabbed his face. He opened his eyes and wiped his tears to meet her gaze. She looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed and laughed at him, pushing his hair from his face. He then slowly pushed his gaze to her abdomen, which seemed to be fine, as if nothing happened. She saw his gaze shift and lifted her shirt to show where the bullets had hit her had only left a couple of bruises.

Steve gasped as he looked between the purple marks to her beautiful Y/E/C eyes, and smiled, still feeling shocked. “Holy fuck. You-you’re, like, you’re fucking bulletproof! Holy shit!” He smiled at her and she smiled back, nodding excitedly. He felt his laugh die down as he continued to stare at her, a small smile still prominent on his face. “I love you, you know that?”

Y/N was taken aback by his words but smiled back sweetly once she processed the situation and kissed his cheek, pressing her forehead against his. “I sorta love you too,” she whispered. The pair pulled back to look at each other again and leaned forward, their lips brushing against one another. But before they could connect, yelling and gunshots were heard from just outside and they shared looks.

“Maybe we should save this for later and get out of here first,” Steve suggested and Y/N nodded, taking a hand he offered to her as they both got up.

“Yup, good plan,” she agreed and they unlocked the door and prepped themselves to start running. But before they went out, Y/N grabbed Steve’s face and quickly pecked him on the lips. “Just for good luck.” Steve swore he never smiled wider as she winked at him and opened the door for them to escape.

~~~

TAGS:

Permanent: @phonegalhelp @caswinchester2000

Steve Harrington: @irreplaceable-ecstasy @kiara-uwu @layxbubbly @pvachyy

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #st3 #steve the hair harrington #imagine #011 #steve harrington x super!reader

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solarbird · 7 years

Text

Old Soldiers, Chapter 20: you really, really should

I didn't realise I hadn't posted a new chapter since mid-December! Sorry for the late.

This chapter is worksafe. [AO3 link]

«Look, friend, all I'm trying to tell you is that big trouble is coming, and it's aimed straight at your guy. Cut him loose.»

Sombra made a little frustrated noise as Flores didn't answer immediately. He'd been fighting her on Morrison since she first contacted him about it. «Look, Olivia, this isn't...»

«Don't call me that.»

«Sombra, this isn't - you aren't with us anymore. We all know it.»

«But I'm still your friend, friend. Or aren't I?»

He sighed. «No, no, you are... I just... he really, really knows what he's doing. Militarily. We're so much more effective now, we've thrown the Maras completely out of the whole state. The police are starting to think of us as maybe not even so bad.»

«And when he turns on you, like he turned on Laticia and Araceli?»

A moment, and then another moment, silence, over comms. «He didn't... look, we don't know what happened to Araceli...»

«I do. I told you. I've seen it.»

«That - it makes no sense. It's impossible.»

«You want the video? I can see about that.»

«And Laticia, she's turned state's evidence, sold us out to Overwatch! Why shouldn't he...»

«Is that what he says? He's a liar. Well, he was a liar before. Look, have I ever lied to you?»

«Yes!»

«About anything important.»

«...no.»

«And I'm not lying to you now. You heard what Talon did to that Mara cell in El Salvador, right? Do you want that? Because that's what you're going to get.»

She could almost hear him thinking.

«...can you get me that video?»

«I think so. Want to clear it with my source, first. Very delicate, you know? Don't want to alienate them.»

«Sure, sure. Let me know.»

«I will. Sombra out.»

The hacker leaned back in her chair. "Well, how 'bout it? I figure we let him sweat for a day or two, then hand it over."

Lena smiled. "Sounds good. I don't want t' have to tear through Los Muertos to get to that bastard. They're just kids, mostly, and none of this is their fault." She fuzzled Sombra's hair.

"Quit it, rapido! This hair takes time!"

"Make me!" Lena giggled, and, of course, made it worse, as she and the hacker got into a hair-messing competition that the teleporter could only win.

Angela looked on, mildly astonished, from the couch across the room where she sat, surrounded by notebooks. Yesterday's meeting of the minds had run late into the night, followed by a massive exchange of documents in the morning, after breakfast and some more personal catching up with Amélie.

She looked around, again, a little overwhelmed. She'd handed over a data chip, and had not imagined getting stacks of paper to read, in exchange. Dr. Marani wasn't so much old-fashioned in her record-keeping, as prehistoric. It looks like so much more, when it's all physically in front of you, she thought. But it painted a crystalline picture, nonetheless.

A burst of laughter caught her attention, and she looked up. Lena's so relaxed, here, she thought, contemplating what she was seeing. And arguing against killing, rather than reminding us she's an assassin over and over. She gazed intently at the roughhousing Talon agents. It's because... she's just Lena here, isn't she? Not Tracer. Just ... herself, and she doesn't have to insist on anything to remember that. She shook her head, and went back to reading lab reports.

"Agh, you win, stop it!"

"Yeah!" The assassin punched the air. "Venom wins again!"

Sombra got out a hairbrush and began working her hair back into place. "You know, it'd go a long way if he heard it from Laticia himself."

"What, get her sprung, you mean?"

"Something like that. It'd carry a lot of weight."

"Hmf," said the assassin. "Somethin' to consider." She glanced over at the Overwatch doctor. "If we have to. Don't quite want t'be asking favours at the moment. Not 'till we've got everything else sorted out."

"What's Overwatch gonna do with her? They aren't police or courts or anything. They have to hand her over to somebody, eventually - why not us?"

"What would happen to her afterwards?" Angela asked, suddenly.

Lena shrugged. "...let her go, I guess? Back to Los Muertos?"

"With what she'd know, by then? How could that work?" She leaned forward, intently. "You could never let her go. Not with her knowing what she would about Talon, combined with what she does about Overwatch. She'd be a threat." She leaned back, and shook her head. "I cannot risk that."

The assassin frowned. "We wouldn't, but... I get your point, I guess."

"What if we kept her at arm's reach?" suggested the hacker. "Your friend, Gabriel."

Venom grimaced. "He's not really..."

"Fiiiiine, your colleague, whatever. When we decamp to Mexico, he goes too, brings her. We co-ordinate at a distance, he lets her go back to the gang when the job's done."

"That's not bad, luv. Whatcha think, doc?"

Doc, she thought. Well. That's an improvement. "I think... Overwatch could go along with that. Obviously, it is not my final decision, but... I think so."

"It'd help. But... y'seem to have got used to the idea we're gonna finish off Morrison awfully quick."

The doctor leaned forward, face in her hands, elbows on the glass table in front of the couch. "He's my fault," she said, resigned. "At least... partly. And I saw - well, I did not quite see it, but I saw the results when you were tried to bring him in alive." Her hands closed to loosely-held fists, forehead pressed against them, carrying the weight of her head, of her thoughts. "If he is willing to do that to you, or worse, to Mei-Ling... then he is no longer the man I once admired."

"Makes it easier, then?"

"I have always been a field medic, and then a doctor, first. But I have also always been a soldier. Just like him. Just like Fareeha. Just like you. But even with that, I am not on a mission to kill him." She lifted her head, and looked Venom in the eyes. "I am here to do my best to save my mother-in-law. If helping you kill him does that... so be it."

"Wow, this got somber," interjected the hacker. "Where's the fun in that?"

The assassin snickered as Angela frowned, and she swatted at her friend's head. "Right, then! It's late. Go flirt with your girlfriend - didn't you say you'd call her tonight?"

"Ah, she's used to it," Sombra said, nonchalantly - but also packed up her physical kit in one quick swipe.

"You complete reprobate - go call her. Now. She hates it when you're late."

"Don't have to tell me twice. And don't disturb me, we'll probably be verrrry naughty."

"Out!" Lena picked a cushion off one of the chairs and threw it at the Mexican woman as she fled, missing, Angela suspected intentionally.

"So... Lena - may I still call you that? Or is it Venom all the time, here?"

"This is my home, doc. You're at my house. If it's not Lena here, where is it?"

"I think you know what I mean."

Tracer managed a half of a smile. "Yeh. I guess I do." She sighed, retrieved the cushion she'd thrown, put it back on the chair where it belonged, and flumped down on it. "Honestly, I wish you wanted to be here. I'm not in love with you, but... bloody hell, doc. Of all the old crew, you were the one I wanted back. You were... you were the one I trusted. Maybe it was London, maybe it was... I dunno why. I just did."

"I have already made my apologies..."

"I know. I'm not lookin' for another one. I'm just..." She waved her hands around. "I want that trust back."

"But that's not why I'm here."

"No," she admitted, "I guess not."

"So then, Lena - why am I here?"

Lena smirked at the Overwatch doctor. "Helpin' us kill Morrison's not enough?"

"All you need is my field suppression device. I could've handed that to you in Geneva." She didn't pretend it would be any less involvement that way, not to herself - but it didn't require a trip to any secret bases. Or, apparently, homes.

"Fair enough. But with us, you've handy, if things go wrong. And, like you said, maybe y'can help us not have to kill someone else."

"Ana, again."

"Yeh. We take down Morrison, we get any video she might have of that little mistake of yours... she gets to live."

"How would I do that?"

"No idea. That's somethin' for you to figure out with Sombra."

"Lena," she said, leaning forward. "I appreciate that you're trying. But..."

"Again," the assassin stressed. "Trying, again. I hope you get that, luv, 'cause like you just said, last time tryin' it this way got me a hole in my back big enough for Zarya to put her fists through."

"But you would not be trying if you did not have some other reason to bring me here. She'd just be on your kill list. We both know it." She scowled. "Why am I really here? Not my reasons. Yours. You want trust back, between us? Tell me this."

Lena looked around, tapped the surface of the table with one finger, got up, and closed the door.

"All right, then," she said. "Didn't want t'get to this 'till later, but fine." She sat back down. "Remember how you said I didn't look any different, first time y'saw me, back in London?"

The doctor nodded. "You still don't, not really. It's only been a few years, after all - for you."

"Yeh - it's still explainable that way, for me. So far, anyway."

"What is?"

Lena gave Angela a long, thoughtful look. She's not this good a liar, she decided. Not with stuff like this. "Y'really don't know."

"Lena..." the doctor said, confusedly. "Would you please just tell me?"

The Talon assassin bit her lower lip, nodded, and took a deep breath, before continuing. "You're not the only one not gettin' any older, luv."

Dr. Ziegler started, leaning forward. "You're not... Dr. Mariani hasn't talked about work anything like this. If not her, then how...?"

"That's the trick, innit?" She sighed. "We don't know. Somethin' to do with the slipstream, we're pretty sure, but ... no idea what."

"...and Amélie is, isn't she."

"Yep. Nothin' you'd notice yet, particularly not on her - we're both hard to kill, and awfully durable. But... she is."

"I see."

"That time I asked you about Fareeha? Hoped you'd win that argument?"

"You knew, already? About yourself?"

"Sure did."

"That's what you want out of me, really, then, isn't it."

"Yeh," she nodded. "I..." Fear - real fear - flashed across her face. "I... sometimes, when I rewind, I..." She swallowed, hard. "I see things. Other places. Other us. Dunno if it's real, not for sure, but sometimes, sometimes... I see myself... at her grave. It's a hundred years from now, and she's long gone, and I'm still... me. As I am now."

She shuddered, and sniffed a little. Lena reached over, pulling a tissue from her pocket, offering it to her.

"I couldn't take that, doc," she said, taking the tissue. "I won't lose her. I won't. Not to that. Not to anything."

Dr. Ziegler nodded, eyes soft. "That... is something I understand. Fully."

"I still hope y'get it sorted with Fareeha. I like her."

For the second time since arriving at the small Talon base, Angela Ziegler smiled a genuine, broad, reflexive smile. "Then... I have some good news for you."

Lena blinked, and sat up straighter, eyes wide. "She..."

"Yes. Finally."

"And it's worked?"

"As far as I can tell, everything is perfect. Her scars started fading within hours. Not so much that she can see it, yet, but..."

Lena Oxton breathed heavily and deeply. "So ... there's hope. It's not just you anymore."

"No."

"If you can do this for us... t'hell with all of it, luv. I'd forgive you anything. Forever."

"Possibly, literally."

Lena laughed, her old laugh, the kind of laugh that cut straight through to Angela's heart, and the doctor, too, laughed, in kind, so relieved. "I am sorry for what I did, but really, I am not sorry at all," she said, huffing halfway to giggles. "I know what you must have been going through, now, and honesty, it all makes so much more sense..."

"It's been workin' on me, luv, not gonna lie," Lena said, shaking her head, eyes wet, but with a smile. "Maybe... maybe it's made me a little too extra, can't say..."

"Does Amélie know?"

"'Course she does. We don't keep secrets."

"Well. That explains all this," she said, pointing to the stacks of lab notebooks and research notes. "You were so angry that you thought I'd figured you out, then I get here only to have all this thrown at me..."

"In trade. The doc - our doc - has been wanting a colleague for a while."

"Certainly, but still - the dichotomy... well. It is now explained." She shook her head. "My approach will not even have to change. Just the specifics."

"Still killin' Morrison, you know that."

"Don't spoil the moment."

"We don't lie, luv. Not internally. It's somethin' Talon's got over Overwatch."

"...really?"

"Really. It's not just me an Amélie. We are what we are, we don't pretend we're anything else. Secrets, sometimes, sure, y'gotta keep 'em. But not lies."

The doctor let out a little bit of a laugh, a heh sound, almost appreciative. "No wonder you're so... thin, at the upper levels. Well. I suppose there is something to be said for Talon, after all."

"Big step up from the old Overwatch."

"All too true."

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Lena snarked, cheekily.

"You should," the doctor agreed. "You really, really should."

"Oh god, Ange..." She leaned forward, like the doctor had, head in her hands, eyes and smile visible through it. "You'll really do this. You really will."

"If I can."

"Thank you. Oh... I..." She leaned forward, and took Angela's hands, tightly, in her own. "Thank you."

#widowtracer #tracemaker #tracermaker #pharmercy #phamercy #talon!tracer #lena venom oxton #venom #old soldiers #sombra #symmetra #symmbra #deep background symmbra but it's there #angela ziegler #widowmaker #overwatch mercy #overwatch #overwatch au #also on ao3

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thefortyeightlawsofpower-blog · 7 years

Text

LAW # 19 : KNOW WHO YOU’RE DEALING WITH—DO NOT OFFEND THE WRONG PERSON

JUDGEMENT

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then—never of fend or deceive the wrong person.

OPPONENTS, SUCKERS, AND VICTIMS: Preliminary Typology In your rise to power you will come across many breeds of opponent, sucker, and victim. The highest form of the art of power is the ability to distinguish the wolves from the lambs, the foxes from the hares, the hawks from the vultures. If you make this distinction well, you will succeed without needing to coerce anyone too much. But if you deal blindly with whomever crosses your path, you will have a life of constant sorrow, if you even live that long. Being able to recognize types of people, and to act accordingly, is critical. The following are the five most dangerous and difficult types of mark in the jungle, as identified by artists—con and otherwise—of the past.

When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.

FROM A CH’AN BUDDHIST CLASSIC, QUOTED IN THUNDER IN THE SKY, TRANSLATED BY THOMAS CLEARY, 1993

The Arrogant and Proud Man. Although he may initially disguise it, this man’s touchy pride makes him very dangerous. Any perceived slight will lead to a vengeance of overwhelming violence. You may say to yourself, “But I only said such-and-such at a party, where everyone was drunk....” It does not matter. There is no sanity behind his overreaction, so do not waste time trying to figure him out. If at any point in your dealings with a person you sense an oversensitive and overactive pride, flee. Whatever you are hoping for from him isn’t worth it.

THE REVENGE OF LOPE. DE AGUIRRE

[Lope de] Aguirre’s character is amply illustrated in an anecdote from the chronicle of Garcilaso de la Vega, who related that in 1548 Aguirre was a member of a platoon of soldiers escorting Indian slaves from the mines at Potosi [Bolivia] to a royal treasury depot. The Indians were illegally burdened with great quantities of silver, and a local official arrested Aguirre, sentencing him to receive two hundred lashes in lieu of a fine for oppressing the Indians. “The soldier Aguirre, having received a notification of the sentence, besought the alcalde that, instead of flogging him, he would put him to death, for that he was a gentleman by birth.... All this had no effect on the alcalde, who ordered the executioner to bring a beast, and execute the sentence. The executioner came to the prison, and put Aguirre on the beast.... The beast was driven on, and he received the lashes....” When freed, Aguirre announced his intention of killing the official who had sentenced him, the alcalde Esquivel. Esquivel’s term of office expired and he fled to Lima. three hundred twenty leagues away, but within fifteen days Aguirre had tracked him there. The frightened judge journeyed to Quito, a trip of four hundred leagues, and in twenty days Aguirre arrived. “When Esquivel heard of his presence, ” according to Garcilaso, “he made another journey of five hundred leagues to Cuzco; but in a few days Aguirre also arrived, having travelled on foot and without shoes, saying that a whipped man has no business to ride a horse, or to go where he would be seen by others. In this way, Aguirre followed his judge for three years, and four months.” Wearying of the pursuit, Esquivel remained at Cuzco, a city so sternly governed that he felt he would be safe from Aguirre. He took a house near the cathedral and never ventured outdoors without a sword and a dagger. “However, on a certain Monday, at noon, Aguirre entered his house, and having walked all over it, and having traversed a corridor, a saloon, a chamber, and an inner chamber where the judge kept his books, he at last found him asleep over one of his books, and stabbed him to death. The murderer then went out, but when he came to the door of the house, he found that he had forgotten his hat, and had the temerity to return and fetch it, and then walked down the street.”

THE GOLDEN DREAM: SEEKERS OF EL DORADO, WALKER CHAPMAN, 1967

The Hopelessly Insecure Man. This man is related to the proud and arrogant type, but is less violent and harder to spot. His ego is fragile, his sense of self insecure, and if he feels himself deceived or attacked, the hurt will simmer. He will attack you in bites that will take forever to get big enough for you to notice. If you find you have deceived or harmed such a man, disappear for a long time. Do not stay around him or he will nibble you to death.

Mr. Suspicion. Another variant on the breeds above, this is a future Joe Stalin. He sees what he wants to see—usually the worst—in other people, and imagines that everyone is after him. Mr. Suspicion is in fact the least dangerous of the three: Genuinely unbalanced, he is easy to deceive, just as Stalin himself was constantly deceived. Play on his suspicious nature to get him to turn against other people. But if you do become the target of his suspicions, watch out.

The Serpent with a Long Memory. If hurt or deceived, this man will show no anger on the surface; he will calculate and wait. Then, when he is in a position to turn the tables, he will exact a revenge marked by a cold-blooded shrewdness. Recognize this man by his calculation and cunning in the different areas of his life. He is usually cold and unaffectionate. Be doubly careful of this snake, and if you have somehow injured him, either crush him completely or get him out of your sight.

The Plain, Unassuming, and Often Unintelligent Man. Ah, your ears prick up when you find such a tempting victim. But this man is a lot harder to deceive than you imagine. Falling for a ruse often takes intelligence and imagination—a sense of the possible rewards. The blunt man will not take the bait because he does not recognize it. He is that unaware. The danger with this man is not that he will harm you or seek revenge, but merely that he will waste your time, energy, resources, and even your sanity in trying to deceive him. Have a test ready for a mark—a joke, a story. If his reaction is utterly literal, this is the type you are dealing with. Continue at your own risk.

TRANSGRESSIONS OF THE LAW

Transgression I

In the early part of the thirteenth century, Muhammad, the shah of Khwarezm, managed after many wars to forge a huge empire, extending west to present-day Turkey and south to Afghanistan. The empire’s center was the great Asian capital of Samarkand. The shah had a powerful, well-trained army, and could mobilize 200,000 warriors within days.

In 1219 Muhammad received an embassy from a new tribal leader to the east, Genghis Khan. The embassy included all sorts of gifts to the great Muhammad, representing the finest goods from Khan’s small but growing Mongol empire. Genghis Khan wanted to reopen the Silk Route to Europe, and offered to share it with Muhammad, while promising peace between the two empires.

Muhammad did not know this upstart from the east, who, it seemed to him, was extremely arrogant to try to talk as an equal to one so clearly his superior. He ignored Khan’s offer. Khan tried again: This time he sent a caravan of a hundred camels filled with the rarest articles he had plundered from China. Before the caravan reached Muhammad, however, Inalchik, the governor of a region bordering on Samarkand, seized it for himself, and executed its leaders.

Genghis Khan was sure that this was a mistake—that Inalchik had acted without Muhammad’s approval. He sent yet another mission to Muhammad, reiterating his offer and asking that the governor be punished. This time Muhammad himself had one of the ambassadors beheaded, and sent the other two back with shaved heads—a horrifying insult in the Mongol code of honor. Khan sent a message to the shah: “You have chosen war. What will happen will happen, and what it is to be we know not; only God knows.” Mobilizing his forces, in 1220 he attacked Inalchik’s province, where he seized the capital, captured the governor, and ordered him executed by having molten silver poured into his eyes and ears.

Over the next year, Khan led a series of guerrilla-like campaigns against the shah’s much larger army. His method was totally novel for the time—his soldiers could move very fast on horseback, and had mastered the art of firing with bow and arrow while mounted. The speed and flexibility of his forces allowed him to deceive Muhammad as to his intentions and the directions of his movements. Eventually he managed first to surround Samarkand, then to seize it. Muhammad fled, and a year later died, his vast empire broken and destroyed. Genghis Khan was sole master of Samarkand, the Silk Route, and most of northern Asia.

Interpretation

Never assume that the person you are dealing with is weaker or less important than you are. Some men are slow to take offense, which may make you misjudge the thickness of their skin, and fail to worry about insulting them. But should you offend their honor and their pride, they will overwhelm you with a violence that seems sudden and extreme given their slowness to anger. If you want to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully, even if you feel their request is impudent or their offer ridiculous. Never reject them with an insult until you know them better; you may be dealing with a Genghis Khan.

THE CROW AND THE SHEEP

A troublesome Crow seated herself on the back of a Sheep. The Sheep, much against his will, carried her backward and forward for a long time, and at last said, “If you had treated a dog in this way, you would have had your deserts from his sharp teeth.”To this the Crow replied, “I despise the weak, and yield to the strong. I know whom I may bully, and whom I must flatter; and thus I hope to prolong my life to a good old age.

FABLES, AESOP, SIXTH CENTURY B.C.

Transgression II

In the late 1910s some of the best swindlers in America formed a con-artist ring based in Denver, Colorado. In the winter months they would spread across the southern states, plying their trade. In 1920 Joe Furey, a leader of the ring, was working his way through Texas, making hundreds of thousands of dollars with classic con games. In Fort Worth, he met a sucker named J. Frank Norfleet, a cattleman who owned a large ranch. Norfleet fell for the con. Convinced of the riches to come, he emptied his bank account of $45,000 and handed it over to Furey and his confederates. A few days later they gave him his “millions,” which turned out to be a few good dollars wrapped around a packet of newspaper clippings.

Furey and his men had worked such cons a hundred times before, and the sucker was usually so embarrassed by his gullibility that he quietly learned his lesson and accepted the loss. But Norfleet was not like other suckers. He went to the police, who told him there was little they could do. “Then I’ll go after those people myself,” Norfleet told the detectives. “I’ll get them, too, if it takes the rest of my life.” His wife took over the ranch as Norfleet scoured the country, looking for others who had been fleeced in the same game. One such sucker came forward, and the two men identified one of the con artists in San Francisco, and managed to get him locked up. The man committed suicide rather than face a long term in prison.

Norfleet kept going. He tracked down another of the con artists in Montana, roped him like a calf, and dragged him through the muddy streets to the town jail. He traveled not only across the country but to England, Canada, and Mexico in search of Joe Furey, and also of Furey’s right-hand man, W. B. Spencer. Finding Spencer in Montreal, Norfleet chased him through the streets. Spencer escaped but the rancher stayed on his trail and caught up with him in Salt Lake City. Preferring the mercy of the law to Norfleet’s wrath, Spencer turned himself in.

Norfleet found Furey in Jacksonville, Florida, and personally hauled him off to face justice in Texas. But he wouldn’t stop there: He continued on to Denver, determined to break up the entire ring. Spending not only large sums of money but another year of his life in the pursuit, he managed to put all of the con ring’s leaders behind bars. Even some he didn’t catch had grown so terrified of him that they too turned themselves in.

After five years of hunting, Norfleet had single-handedly destroyed the country’s largest confederation of con artists. The effort bankrupted him and ruined his marriage, but he died a satisfied man.

Interpretation

Most men accept the humiliation of being conned with a sense of resignation. They learn their lesson, recognizing that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and that they have usually been brought down by their own greed for easy money. Some, however, refuse to take their medicine. Instead of reflecting on their own gullibility and avarice, they see themselves as totally innocent victims.

Men like this may seem to be crusaders for justice and honesty, but they are actually immoderately insecure. Being fooled, being conned, has activated their self-doubt, and they are desperate to repair the damage. Were the mortgage on Norfleet’s ranch, the collapse of his marriage, and the years of borrowing money and living in cheap hotels worth his revenge over his embarrassment at being fleeced? To the Norfleets of the world, overcoming their embarrassment is worth any price.

All people have insecurities, and often the best way to deceive a sucker is to play upon his insecurities. But in the realm of power, everything is a question of degree, and the person who is decidedly more insecure than the average mortal presents great dangers. Be warned: If you practice deception or trickery of any sort, study your mark well. Some people’s insecurity and ego fragility cannot tolerate the slightest offense. To see if you are dealing with such a type, test them first—make, say, a mild joke at their expense. A confident person will laugh; an overly insecure one will react as if personally insulted. If you suspect you are dealing with this type, find another victim.

Transgression III

In the fifth century B.C., Ch‘ung-erh, the prince of Ch’in (in present-day China), had been forced into exile. He lived modestly—even, sometimes, in poverty—waiting for the time when he could return home and resume his princely life. Once he was passing through the state of Cheng, where the ruler, not knowing who he was, treated him rudely. The ruler’s minister, Shu Chan, saw this and said, “This man is a worthy prince. May Your Highness treat him with great courtesy and thereby place him under an obligation!” But the ruler, able to see only the prince’s lowly station, ignored this advice and insulted the prince again. Shu Chan again warned his master, saying, “If Your Highness cannot treat Ch’ung-erh with courtesy, you should put him to death, to avoid calamity in the future.” The ruler only scoffed.

Years later, the prince was finally able to return home, his circumstances greatly changed. He did not forget who had been kind to him, and who had been insolent, during his years of poverty. Least of all did he forget his treatment at the hands of the ruler of Cheng. At his first opportunity he assembled a vast army and marched on Cheng, taking eight cities, destroying the kingdom, and sending the ruler into an exile of his own. Interpretation

You can never be sure who you are dealing with. A man who is of little importance and means today can be a person of power tomorrow. We forget a lot in our lives, but we rarely forget an insult.

How was the ruler of Cheng to know that Prince Ch’ung-erh was an ambitious, calculating, cunning type, a serpent with a long memory? There was really no way for him to know, you may say—but since there was no way, it would have been better not to tempt the fates by finding out. There is nothing to be gained by insulting a person unnecessarily. Swallow the impulse to offend, even if the other person seems weak. The satisfaction is meager compared to the danger that someday he or she will be in a position to hurt you.

Transgression IV

The year of 1920 had been a particularly bad one for American art dealers. Big buyers—the robber-baron generation of the previous century—were getting to an age where they were dying off like flies, and no new millionaires had emerged to take their place. Things were so bad that a number of the major dealers decided to pool their resources, an unheard-of event, since art dealers usually get along like cats and dogs.

Joseph Duveen, art dealer to the richest tycoons of America, was suffering more than the others that year, so he decided to go along with this alliance. The group now consisted of the five biggest dealers in the country. Looking around for a new client, they decided that their last best hope was Henry Ford, then the wealthiest man in America. Ford had yet to venture into the art market, and he was such a big target that it made sense for them to work together.

The dealers decided to assemble a list, “The 100 Greatest Paintings in the World” (all of which they happened to have in stock), and to offer the lot of them to Ford. With one purchase he could make himself the world’s greatest collector. The consortium worked for weeks to produce a magnificent object: a three-volume set of books containing beautiful reproductions of the paintings, as well as scholarly texts accompanying each picture. Next they made a personal visit to Ford at his home in Dearborn, Michigan. There they were surprised by the simplicity of his house: Mr. Ford was obviously an extremely unaffected man.

Ford received them in his study. Looking through the book, he expressed astonishment and delight. The excited dealers began imagining the millions of dollars that would shortly flow into their coffers. Finally, however, Ford looked up from the book and said, “Gentlemen, beautiful books like these, with beautiful colored pictures like these, must cost an awful lot!” “But Mr. Ford!” exclaimed Duveen, “we don’t expect you to buy these books. We got them up especially for you, to show you the pictures. These books are a present to you.” Ford seemed puzzled. “Gentlemen,” he said, “it is extremely nice of you, but I really don’t see how I can accept a beautiful, expensive present like this from strangers.” Duveen explained to Ford that the reproductions in the books showed paintings they had hoped to sell to him. Ford finally understood. “But gentlemen,” he exclaimed, “what would I want with the original pictures when the ones right here in these books are so beautiful?”

Interpretation

Joseph Duveen prided himself on studying his victims and clients in advance, figuring out their weaknesses and the peculiarities of their tastes before he ever met them. He was driven by desperation to drop this tactic just once, in his assault on Henry Ford. It took him months to recover from his misjudgment, both mentally and monetarily. Ford was the unassuming plain-man type who just isn’t worth the bother. He was the incarnation of those literal-minded folk who do not possess enough imagination to be deceived. From then on, Duveen saved his energies for the Mellons and Morgans of the world—men crafty enough for him to entrap in his snares.

KEYS TO POWER

The ability to measure people and to know who you’re dealing with is the most important skill of all in gathering and conserving power. Without it you are blind: Not only will you offend the wrong people, you will choose the wrong types to work on, and will think you are flattering people when you are actually insulting them. Before embarking on any move, take the measure of your mark or potential opponent. Otherwise you will waste time and make mistakes. Study people’s weaknesses, the chinks in their armor, their areas of both pride and insecurity. Know their ins and outs before you even decide whether or not to deal with them.

Two final words of caution: First, in judging and measuring your opponent, never rely on your instincts. You will make the greatest mistakes of all if you rely on such inexact indicators. Nothing can substitute for gathering concrete knowledge. Study and spy on your opponent for however long it takes; this will pay off in the long run.

Second, never trust appearances. Anyone with a serpent’s heart can use a show of kindness to cloak it; a person who is blustery on the outside is often really a coward. Learn to see through appearances and their contradictions. Never trust the version that people give of themselves—it is utterly unreliable.

Image: The Hunter. He does not lay the same trap for a wolf as for a fox. He does not set bait where no one will take it. He knows his prey thoroughly, its habits and hideaways, and hunts accordingly.

Authority: Be convinced, that there are no persons so insignificant and inconsiderable, but may, some time or other, have it in their power to be of use to you; which they certainly will not, if you have once shown them contempt. Wrongs are often forgiven, but contempt never is. Our pride remembers it for ever. (Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773)

REVERSAL

What possible good can come from ignorance about other people? Learn to tell the lions from the lambs or pay the price. Obey this law to its fullest extent; it has no reversal—do not bother looking for one.

#writing #words #quotes #poetry #books

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captainswaglord500 · 5 years

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Page 35: Reunion, Anyone?

The leader of the army approaches Cletus and says:

Army leader: “How shall we serve you, master?”

Cletus: “‘Master’?”

Army leader: “You defeated Shanaya, and by extension, Tradle was banished back to the underworld, making you our leader.”

Cletus: “Uh, I don’t know. Just enjoy yourselves. Take a vacation.”

Army leader: But we must serve you.”

Cletus: “Well, if you insist, then just keep this mountain safe from more lunatics. Alright?”

Army leader: “You have our word.” The army all arise at once and promptly disperse.

Bob and Vincent: “Yo, what did we miss?”

Jean: “Weren’t they dead a day ago?”

El Diablo Negro: “Who cares? I got my best friend back!”

Vincent: “Get in here, nephew.” Mark approaches Vincent and gives a bearhug. Ike begins to glow.

Ike: “I feel tingly.”

Terrence: “Please don’t ever say that sentence again.” Ike begins to transform into a human. Jean immediately recognizes him as Gene.

Jean: “I thought you sounded familiar.”

Gene: “I’m back, memories and everything!” Gene cheers excitedly before saying: “You know, actually, I liked being a giant chicken thing. Alright. Big guy in the sky or whoever caused me to change, change me back.” Gene begins to morph back into his Ike persona.

Ike: “Now we’re talking.” He looks down and begins to see flowers budding from the ground. A bird flies overhead.

Naku (looking down the mountain): “Look!” Everyone turns to see all the animals migrating back north in one giant group. Up in the sky, a massive bird calls out from the air above. Everyone looks up to see a giant pelagornithid, with its feathers being the color of the blue sky. It swoops down and lands in front of Cletus. It then closed its eyes and bowed its head down to him.

???: “I speak for all of Heaven when I say this: thank you. I am Asuryt, the dawn-bringer bird. Without you, all of our very existences would’ve been threatened by Tradle and Shanaya’s destruction. But you near-singlehandedly defeated both of them, a feat that would be otherwise impossible for a half-mortal like you. Your name shall forever be remembered by the gods as Cletus Creed, the savior of Heaven and Earth.” Everyone nearby applauds and cheers for Cletus. Even the animals down below look up to Cletus and roar, hiss, squeal, trumpet, and buzz with joy. Sauropods raise up on their back legs and bellowed. Mammoths raise their trunks in the air and trumpet. And then everyone, including Asuryt, bow. Asuryt then flies off into the heavens.

Cletus (calling out): “Wait!” Asuryt returned. “What happened to Shanaya and Tradle?”

Asuryt: “Tradle has been cast back down to the underworld. And as for Shanaya? Well, he’s been destroyed for good. The evillest being in all existence has been destroyed.” Asuryt then flies off again.

Maria: “The world is being restored to how it should be.” Dr. Kim and the soldiers approach the group.

Dr. Kim: “Forgive us.”

Henry: “For what?”

Dr. Kim: “We did terrible things under her control.”

Cletus: “We forgive you.”

Dr. Kim: “Thank you.” (To soldiers): “Alright. Let’s pack it up, boys. We’re going home.”

Ike (to Naku): “This is amazing, I gotta say.” Ike takes note of Naku spacing out and says: “Yo. You alright?”

Voice #1: “Naku?”

Voice #2: “Naku?” Two parasaurolophuses approach the group. The first one says:

Parasaurolophus #1: “Have you seen our son?”

Parasaurolophus #2: “Yeah. He probably looks like you, but he has a scar on his back right leg.”

Naku: “Yes, actually. I have.” He stands up on his hind legs for a brief moment to reveal the scar. “You’re looking straight at him.”

Parasaurolophus #1: “I don’t believe it! After twenty-five years of searching, we finally found you!”

Naku: “It’s been that long?”

Parasaurolophus #2: “We thought perhaps you had been killed! But we kept searching, hoping that we’d eventually find you. And we did!”

Parasaurolophus #1: “Come. We have much to talk about.” Naku’s parents turn in the other direction. Naku doesn’t move, however. His parents turn around.

Parasaurolophus #2: “Is something wrong?”

Naku: “Well, I uh… want to go with you guys, but I also want to be around the group I’ve been spending time with.”

Parasaurlophus #2 places her right front leg on Naku’s head.

Parasaurolophus #2: “Hey. It’s okay. We understand. Just come pay us a visit every now and then.”

Parasaurolophus #1: “We’ll be nearby.” Suddenly, a massive light beam shines down upon the entire group except for Naku’s parents.

Parasaurolophus #2: “Oh, no! Ujfur’s taking my only son! No! I just got him back!”

Parasaurolophus #1: “Margaret, it’s okay. Perhaps this is what destiny chose. That perhaps after finding our son, we’d finally be at peace. And now, he can go to live amongst the gods.” The entire group is then suddenly beamed up into the sky. They are now on a massive, alien ship. Small, four-legged, robotic creatures crawl across the floor

Bob (staring out the massive out of the massive windows on the side of the ship): “Hey, look! I can see Earth from here!”

Mark: “What is this place?” He taps on a small screen. A hologram of Earth and several of its native species show up. One of the robotic creatures comes up and presses a button on the controls. The hologram zooms in on Xenogaea.

???: “This is where we monitor humanity,” a deep, regal-sounding voice says from the other direction. The robotic creatures slowly scuttle in the direction of the voice. Everyone turns to see a very tall, humanoid figure with dark skin, brown hair, including a beard, and brown eyes. His clothing consists a long, colorful robe with blue, green, and brown stripes on it. In his hand is a long, high-tec staff of some sort that emitted a blue glow. “I am Ujfur, the leader of the Draconic pantheon.”

Bob: “Ujfur? You mean the sauropod creator god? You look nothing like his picture!” Ujfur looks at him. “Of course, no portrayal of you could ever capture your elegance, o great sky father.” Ujfur smiles and chuckles slightly.

Ujfur: “This one right here is one of my finer creations.” He bends down to pat Bob on the head. Bob smiles.

Bob: “I’m never washing my head again.”

Ujfur: “Indeed, you have all proven yourself to be worthy to live amongst us gods. You have proven to us that, through all that, you managed to have faith in one another and in yourselves. And so, we offer you to join us up here as gods amongst humanity.”

El Diablo Negro: “That offer does sound nice…”

Cletus: “But I think that we are better suited to live amongst humanity as mortals.”

Everyone else except for HW247: “What?”

Vincent: “Are you crazy? Imagine how cool it would be!”

HW247: “Cletus has a point. As much as that offer sounds like a good deal, I believe that I should serve humanity as a mortal myself, as that is what makes my own life worth living, knowing that in the process of saving others, I could put myself at risk, too. If I was a god, then there would be no purpose for any of that. If something happened to humanity, it wouldn’t be my problem. And I feel like I am in this, we are in this together as a group.”

Ujfur: “Are you sure you want to decline such an offer?”

Ike (frantically): “Don’t decline! Don’t decline!”

HW247: “I think that, representing the entire group, I decline.” Everyone else except for Cletus groans in anger.

Naku: “Seriously, man? We could’ve been legends!”

Cletus: “We can still be legends in other ways.”

Ujfur: “Very well. I wish you all luck back on Earth. And remember, if you need something, the big guy in the sky is there for you.”

Nahuoi: “Ah, man! I wanted to be a goddess so badly!” (In a deranged tone): “That way, I could rain death upon everyone who ever crossed me!” she yells in a deranged voice. Everyone backed away a few steps.

Bob: “She’s freaking me out,” Bob said.

Vincent: “You’ll have to get used to it. This is normal for her.”

Ujfur: “Oh. I almost forgot. Please do take one of my maintenance drones with you in case you need something,” One of the robots marches over to the group and waves its “tail” as a form of greeting. “This is Maintenance Drone model 915, or MD-915 for short. Like my other drones, she is a synthetic lifeform that came from another planet long ago. She’s not only capable of long-distance communication, but can also change the atomic arrangement of objects and she comes equipped with a spear-like syphon at the end of her tail. Her armor is waterproof and highly-resistant to extreme conditions. Like a living animal, she requires food, preferably scrap metal but she can also obtain energy from electrical outlets, and she also responds to commands like a dog. If you need to find anything else out about her, there is an owner’s manual stored in her chest compartment. I wish all of you the best of luck back on Earth.” Everyone except Maria is beamed back down to Earth.

Margaret: “Shirley, I don’t think he’s coming back.”

Shirley: “Even if he doesn’t, he’s still up there in good hands. We’re talking about the big guy in the sky, you see.” Suddenly, everyone appears back on the ground.

Margaret: “He’s back!”

Shirley: “The gods have spoken!”

Maria: “Why did you keep me here?”

Ujfur: “Because I have something to show you,” Ujfur said. Suddenly, a middle-aged, dark-skinned man looking to be of Hispanic origin steps out from behind Ujfur. He has a long, unshaved beard, but seems to be healthy and well taken-care of.

Maria: “¿Papá? (Dad?)” Tears well up in her eyes. She rushes up to him and hugs him tightly.

Julian: “Has crecido mucho desde la última vez que te vi. (You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you.) Te pareces a tu madre. (You look like your mother.) How is she?” Her expression becomes a bit more melancholic.

Maria: “She died a few years after we last heard from you. Uncle Rafael says she died of grief He had to take care of me after she passed. But where were you? I thought you were dead.”

Julian: “I was on the verge of death. But little did I know that the gods of the native people’s religions were looking after me. They rescued me and I lived here among them for a while. I guess you could say I was always watching over you.”

Maria: *Pfft* “Whatever you say, dad.” The two of them are beamed back down to Earth.

Terrence: “So what are we gonna do now, savior of Heaven and Earth?” Terrence said. Cletus turned to him and said:

Cletus: “‘Savior of Heaven and Earth’? You really don’t need to be that respectful to me!”

Terrence (jokingly): “Hey, loser! What the hell we gonna do now?” Everyone chuckles a bit.

Cletus: “Well, in all seriousness, we all went through a lot together. Well, I mean except for you, HW247. You kinda just showed up at the end. But that’s fine. It would be a shame if we all went our separate ways. I feel like we make a powerful force when all together.”

Naku: “So what are you implying?” Cletus turn to him and smiles.

Cletus: “I mean we should do this as a profession. We’re gonna protect this land with everything we got. And if anything messes with one of us, they mess with all of us. And you don’t mess with family.”

Terrence: “Now you’re speaking my language!”

Cletus: “Come on, guys. There’s lots more left to do.” The group starts making their trek down the mountain.

El Diablo Negro: “Can we at least stop somewhere? my feet are killing me!”

Nahuoi: “I gotta agree with him on this one. We’re also gonna need a base of operations.”

Cletus: “Like where?”

NahuoI: “Well, we could use my family’s farm. We’d just need to renovate it a bit.”

Cletus: “How long of a walk is that from here?”

Nahuoi: “At least another day if we keep going straight and don’t take any breaks.”

El Diablo Negro: “But I need to rest now!”

Nahuoi: “Suck it up for just another day.”

El Diablo Negro: “do you have any idea how long a day is?”

Nahuoi: “Twenty-four hours.”

El Diablo Negro: “I didn’t mean that literally!”

#scifi #fantasy #speculative evolution #novella

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arealneatguy-blog · 8 years

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Not Dead (And also Uncharted)

Well howdy there all of the 0 people who read this blog, I’m not dead! I don’t really have a reason for not posting, I just didn’t really think to or care enough to. But that’s the good thing about having an unread blog, no expectations! Anyways, as the title implies, I’ve been replaying the original Uncharted trilogy through the remaster on PS4. First off, it’s totally worth buying if you have any kind of interest in action or shooter games, but secondly, the games were really interesting to look back on, especially having played Uncharted 4: A Theif’s End, the finale to the series.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Remastered The first game in the series, it definitely had it’s problems the first time around on PS3. The shooting was kinda iffy, and the whole mechanic of using motion controls to aim where your grenades go was just painful. Thankfully, the gameplay of this game has been sharpened up, I’d even say that it falls in line with the next two games in the series. Unfortunately though, that’s strictly on gameplay terms. The level design is another story. It’s not bad enough to call it awful, but it’s certainly bad enough to say it likely wasn’t thought out all that well or, if it was, the level designers were dicks. There are many times where, while dealing with enemies on one side of you, the game will spawn in enemies on the other side of you. This typically leaves you in a spot where it’s impossible to take cover from all the enemies in the area. While that’s fair, and unarguably more interesting than simply playing through a shooting gallery where you occasionally have to duck, but while playing on the hardest difficulty (Well, the old hardest difficulty, ‘Crushing’. A new ‘Brutal’ mode was added in the remaster of the trilogy, which I haven’t tried.) the layout of the levels leaves little time for switching between cover, if there’s any viable cover to begin with. There’s also the story to the game, which is extremely generic. Adventurer discovers treasure, races Bad Guy to the treasure, treasure is revealed to have supernatural and damning effects, Adventurer beats Bad Guy (Bonus points if they don’t kill Bad Guy directly.) and casts the treasure away to hopefully never be found forever. In this case, the treasure is El Dorado (A statue, not a city), and I honestly don’t remember the bad guy’s name, but he gets backstabbed and replaced by his henchman Navarro, so he’s the real Bad Guy. However, that isn’t to say the story isn’t enjoyable, because the actual narrative isn’t the meat of it. If anything, the Uncharted series is more character-driven than narrative-driven. The character interaction is fun and relatable, and it helps that the voice actors (At least those for the main characters.) all put in a good performance. Overall, good game. If you’re going to play it though, do not cheap out and play it on PS3, the remaster is definitely worth the improvements in brings to the table.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered Ah, Uncharted 2, you little masterpiece you. There’s a reason this game tops so many ‘Best Games of’ lists, and that’s because it’s a blast to play. The original fixed most of the gameplay issues of the first game, removing the motion controls and tightening up the gunplay, as well as the design issues. The level desgin is a bit compact, but I’d say it’s a fair trade off for the mobility it offers in gameplay. If you do get into a tight spot, running and gunning your way to a safer place is viable even on Crushing. Not all the time, of course, but much more than in the previous game. There’s a rewarding feeling everytime you get past a gunfight, especially if you pull it off without dying, and doubly so if it’s during one of the many setpieces in the game. If you know anything about this game, it’s probably something to do with a gun fight that happens on a moving train. Needless to say, things go off the rails from there. In total, I think Nathan Drake takes out about two helicopters, a couple of armored vehicles, and like half a train, not counting the countless people he just shoots the good old-fashioned way. Speaking of shooting the good old-fashioned way, the game puts a spin on that too, introducing enemies that present new challenges. Two, to be precise. There are enemies with shields, who can be easily taken out with grenades. If you don’t have any though, you’re in for a challenge. And then there are armoured enemies, covered in thick metal plating that needs to be shot or blown off before you can kill him. The easy trick is to just grenade them to take out their armor, and then spraying them down to finish them off. But if they’re able to get up close, you’re screwed. The story is also better this time around, mostly because there’s more characters, allowing for more witty dialogue and banter to go on between them. The Bad Guy is also much more of a Bad Guy in this game. He has a scary foreign sounding name, Lazarevic, a complementing accent, a well-defined goal (World domination.), and most importantly, has a whole army of grunts for Nathan Drake to shoot and (barely ever) punch his way through. In this outing, Drake is after Shambala, which turns out to be a real place hidden inside of a mountain, which he then promptly destroys in the process of beating Lazarevic (But bonus points because he lets the natives of Shambala finish him off.) and generally shooting all over the place. So yeah, this is in my opinion the best Uncharted game, but that doesn’t mean the rest are bad.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Remastered For the life of me I couldn’t tell you why this game, of all four games, is called Drake’s Deception. As it turns out, Drake isn’t all that hard of a guy to decieve, and this game isn’t the first time he ever gets duped. That’s besides the point though, because this game is an infernal hell of an experience created by what must be the most sadistic people on the planet. Like the other two games, I played this one on Crushing, but I still remember having trouble with this game the first time I’d played it, and that was on Normal. The gameplay is almost exactly the same as Uncharted 2, with two major differences. The lesser of the two is the ability to throw back grenades. When a grenade lands close enough to Drake, a prompt will show up and, if done correctly, will allow the player to throw the grenade right back at the enemy. Overpowered? Of course, but I’ll get to how that evens out later on. The second, bigger gameplay change is a new focus on melee combat. This is something the first game tried to do, but ultimately it was almost always better to shoot your way out of a situation. Rather than give the melee system a benefit like the first game did (Killing enemies with melee increased the amount of ammo they dropped.), Uncharted 3 adds depth to the melle combat. You can attack, counterattack, and push people. It’s not very deep, but it’s something. It’s only really used when the game forces you to use it, as trying to fight someone hand-to-hand in the middle of a gunfight isn’t a very good idea. There’s also a new enemy type to facilitate this change, the Brute. These guys, who with one exception literally all look the same but with different clothes, are complete bullet sponges, and the only practical way to take them down is by fighting them hand-to-hand. Only once does one of these enemies actually show up alongside other enemies, and even then it’s spaced in a way to make it fair. All in all, the melee system is just meh, it isn’t bad, but it doesn’t really add much. Now, as promised, why the whole grenade throwback mechanic is justified: The level design is harder than ever. I won’t say it’s bad, because it isn’t. It’s clearly designed in a way that gives an advantage to your enemies. Areas are typically large and wide enough that, if you can’t dispatch enemies quick enough, you will eventually be flanked and overrun. Can it get a little rediculous at times? You betcha. In fact, there are some checkpoints where, on Crushing difficulty, if you don’t move immediately you will die before you can make it to cover. It does feel rewarding, but not in the same way as Uncharted 2. The second game makes it feel like you overcame a group of soldiers, this game feels more like solving a difficult puzzle where the pieces just happen to be bullets that need to be placed strategically in holes that haven’t been made yet. Also, this may just be something I noticed specifically in this game, but the enemies seem very unresponsive. As in, you can shoot someone mid-sprint and they’ll keep on running as if nothing happened. It gets pretty annoying, and takes a bit out of the immersion. Man, and I haven’t even gotten to the story yet. This time Bad Guy is actually Bad Girl and her cocky little shit of a right hand man. They’re both members of a secret shadowy organization that wants, you guessed it, world domination! I actually think this game has the worst plot of the series, simply because everything just kind of feels like it comes and goes, like the game’s just looking for an excuse to move us on to the next locale to show us how pretty it is. The character interaction is still top notch though. I’d definitely say it’s better than the first game, but the difficulty can be a bit much.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Uh-oh, did somebody say Uncharted 4? Granted, while this game just came out last March, I figured I’d put in my two cents regarding it, especially in how it compares to the originals. I’ll start off bluntly, Uncharted 4 is a great game, however, Uncharted 4 is one of the worst Uncharted games, and it’s all The Last of Us’s fault. Off of gameplay alone, Uncharted 4 is the best the series has to offer. The stealth mechanics (Which were pretty much just a loose suggestion in the original games) have been overhauled dramatically. Not only that, but it actually allows you to pull off this kind of ‘hide-and-seek’ style of play where you can break stealth, kill a couple guys, and then hide and repeat the process. It’s very fun and is something I’ve been looking for in a stealth game for a long time. While the likes of Metal Gear Solid make it possible to hide after being spotted, it’s pretty tedious to sit around waiting for guards to stand down. Uncharted has the advantage of taking place in exotic locales, though, not in military bases. Unfortunately, you can’t judge Uncharted 4 on gameplay alone. Remember how I said The Last of Us ruined Uncharted 4? Well, I wasn’t talking about stupid fan theories trying to link the two series, the real problem lies in Uncharted 4′s attempt at becoming more focused on the narrative. Remember when I said the narrative aspect of the games wasn’t all that great? It didn’t really improve all that much. In fact, the story just got more generic as the game overall has a much more grounded tone. In this game, Nathan Drake and his brother Sam (Who has not been mentioned at all before this game.) go after a hidden pirate treasure while competing against an old collegue of theirs, Rafe. What is Rafe’s goal? World domination? Unlimited Power? Nah, he just wants to find something. That’s it, he’s pissy because he’s spent his whole life treasure hunting and never found anything while Nathan Drake has found El Dorado, Shambala, and a hidden Desert City. He doesn’t even want the money, in fact he’s already rich. Well surely then the treasure somehow backfires on him, right? Wrong again, hypothetical reader. It’s literally just a bunch of pirate treasure, no strings attached. There’s also a problem I’ve only breifly touched on up until now, and that’s Nathan Drake’s iffy moral code. Sure, he kills hundreds of random grunts per game, but for whatever reason as soon as it’s one of the main antagonists, he gets all heroic and decides to either spare them or let them suffer from their own hubris. It’s passable in the other games because the story isn’t to focus their, but here I’d say it’s totally up for criticism. The stupidly bombastic and simple gameplay and story go hand in hand, and you can’t neuter one without creating a rift between the two. It isn’t just the story that gets hurt either, the gameplay takes a blow as well. On my first playthrough, I felt like just about one third of my time was actually spent fighting enemies, whereas I’d say the other games have abouts two thirds or so of combat. The other third is spent climbing and solving puzzles, and the other third is spent WAITING. Waiting for cutscenes, waiting as you slowly walk through an area, waiting for a character to do something so you can progress, waiting for the game to reload because you got bored and threw yourself off a cliff, or, worst of all, waiting for a charcter that you helped get into one area interact with the one object that will allow you to join them and progress. I suppose it could go with the third thing, but my main gripe with it is that it’s a mechanic from The Last of Us, and I use the word ‘mechanic’ very loosely. It’s exists solely to waste your time, and not even the best damn dialogue in the world could make waiting over and over and over again fun. You see, all of this waiting works in The Last of Us, but why? Well, perhaps it’s because The Last of Us is a action game with survival horror elements and a heavy emphasis on stealth and storytelling? Just a thought. On the other hand, Uncharted is a series of third-person shooting games with a light puzzle-solving mechanics and an emphasis on character interaction, taking notes from the likes of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. In one, it’s okay to take things slow, to wait a bit and take a break. In the other, it’s just boring and noticeably slower than the actual fun parts of the game. In fact, it makes replaying this game a complete bore, and it isn’t helped by the fact that you spend HOURS in the game before you even shoot an actual fucking gun (There’s a little bit where you shoot a toy gun.). So yeah, Uncharted 4 shoots itself in the foot by presenting the player with an excelent gameplay experience, and then making the decision to not capitalize on that, and instead just try to force what made The Last of Us good into Uncharted’s world and gameplay, which just doesn’t work. The story that Naughty Dog tries to hard to make us focus on is, as with the rest of the series, terribly cliched, yet doesn’t hone in on the fun in those cliches and tropes that make the treasure hunter genre fun, sacrificing that for a serious tone that doesn’t hold up, especially not when the characters are spitting out witty remarks every other second. Honestly, the character interaction is the only thing consistent with the series, but with how much of it that’s forced down your throat while you wait to actually play the actual game makes it a bit tiresome. Hell, I don’t really even like Sam Drake as a character, he’s just Nathan Drake but is delibrately an asshole.

I realize I’ve just spent a lot of time thrashing on Uncharted 4, so I’ll make a point of saying this again, it is a good game. It just doesn’t mesh well with the original three Uncharted games. To be fair, I did enjoy it my first time around, but I can’t bring myself to finish my second playthough simply because of all that waiting. My advice, if you want to get into this series, go for it. If you want to play Uncharted 4, go for it, but I’d suggest buying it on sale, it’s not really worth the asking price of $60 to me, I’ve played better games for far cheaper. In fact, if you’re strapped for cash/time/care, you could just not bother with Uncharted 4. Having just beat Uncharted 3 a couple hours ago, I can say that it does end the serious on a positive, if ambiguous ending, compared to Uncharted 4′s slightly less ambiguous ending, the only difference being an epilogue that shows Drake’s life years after Uncharted 4. If you aren’t limited by much, I’d say play Uncharted 4, just keep your hopes in check. If there’s one last positive thing I can say, it’s that The Last of Us Part II probably won’t have Ellie going off to find ancient treasure. You know, probably.

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