#riddle is mostly immune to mind control though

[sleepyorchidmonster]

Do you ever wonder if Riddle's UM puts a target on his back?

I mean, Azul definetely wants to steal Off With Your Head, not to mention STYX has a gadget that does the same thing...

I once joked that, whenever there is an assassination plot or something against NRC, the first thing the assailants do is put Riddle out of comission, to the point that Crowley even said that "There's no assassins in the school, they would've attacked Riddle by now!"

But what if the attackers decided to brainwash him instead? If you're going to challenge some of the strongest mages in the world, having their classmate with a broken UM under mind control is a good advantage.

Except that Riddle is INCREDIBLY stubborn, and the sight of an emotionless Riddle blindly following orders and almost overblotting from trying to fight the spell just made the students angrier (they won't say they're worried, since they're NRC students. Well, aside from Kalim and Silver).

The assassins then decided that it's better to just fight with magic than try to cancel their opponent's powers. Malleus and Leona throwing punches was already bad enough, but then Floyd came in for the squeeze and HERE COMES CATER WITH THE STELL CHAIR!!!!

The scariest one was Kalim, though. He does not appreciate people hurting his friends (also the whole Book 4 thing kinda traumatised him, even if he forgave Jamil).

[soulmate-game]

Upon further consideration. Even though it is entirely the wrong ecosystem and I know I already said that Merman!Adrien was born in the coral reefs. But. He totally looks like a betta fish. This guy is colorful and has long, beautiful fins and he totally has little neck fins that pop out when he’s angry (but just make him look even more adorable to everyone else). Like, if the mer-community cared at all about photography, he would still be an underwater model. Does everyone forget the fact that he’s one of the fastest swimmers in the School and definitely a vicious fighter when he needs to be? Yes. Yes they do.

Meanwhile, I don’t know you guys caught my little Easter egg before. But I totally want to make the Gotham Sirens all actual sirens in this AU. Because it works, and it’s funny. So here’s the rundown;

Selina Kyle: I want her based on an iridescent shark— which isn’t a shark, it’s a species of catfish. Which is... maybe partly why I chose it. Because of this, her tail is all her black, but in the right light some of her body is iridescent and shines with soft blues and purples. This isn’t bioluminescence like with a deep sea mermaid, it’s just the color of her skin shifting in the right light like glitter. I say skin, because she doesn’t have scales (iridescent sharks have no scales). So her tail is smooth and slippery. Great for escapes. Being a siren, some of her features are exaggerated even on her fish half. So, her tail fin is more flowy and feathery, almost like a beta fish’s but not nearly as long, and the edges of the tail fin are extra thin, so that they shine and are extra iridescent even in dim lighting. She doesn’t have whiskers, but she does have minor control over her hair. She can control how it floats or falls in order to evoke a certain aesthetic, and the tips of her hair do act as weak sensors. She can’t grab anything with it though, it’s kind of like if you can wiggle your ears. You can move it, but you can’t really... do much with that.

Harley Quinn: totally based off a Mandarinfish/ mandarin dragonet. She has a shorter tail than most mermaids, but it’s much wider and rounder. She has a long torso though, with a decently large, rounded dorsal fin on the middle of her spine. She is very, very colorful. You can tell she is meant to be a siren that captivates immediately, whereas Selina is more of a siren that was meant to allure with mystery. Harley is all bright blues and reds and the occasional dash of pink, supplemented by a few black spots and outlines to bring the other colors into sharper focus. She isn’t fast like Selina, but she is small and agile and very hard to grab ahold of. Her fins are very thin and delicate, but soft and incredibly flexible so they are almost impossible to grab and keep hold of. She is also scaleless like Selina, and her tail naturally produces a mucus that is enhanced by her Siren genes. Instead of being a smelly deterrent, Harley’s natural mucus is actually a quick-acting toxin that can be absorbed by the skin and induces hallucinations. She can control when she does or doesn’t produce it. She still keeps her hair up in pigtails (her hair is mostly blonde, but her fish half does color the tips of each side of her hair so she still has the split blue-and-pink look. Only natural this time). Don’t underestimate her just because she is much more compact in size than a normal siren/mer-person. She has a surprising amount of strength in her upper body to compensate for her lack of easily maneuverable tail.

Poison Ivy: I couldn’t quite decide which species I wanted most, but I knew immediately she had to be an eel mermaid. She’s still very environmentalist and all about protecting the oceans, she will straight up terrify to death anyone she catches dumping in the ocean. Litterbugs, beware. But we’re gonna go with a mix of a dragon moray eel and a snowflake moray. Her main body is dark green, but she has black-and-orange spots down her body and tail. Some look like leaves, others look like skulls. Really, it’s like an ink blot test so it mostly depends on whether or not she’s trying to intimidate the people who see her. Scared people will see skulls, people who are on her good side will usually fondly pick out leaf-patterns (Harley). And she still lives up to the nickname Poison Ivy (humans have this name to her, and she liked it) because she entire body is riddled with different toxins. Like Harley, her body can produce a toxic mucus— but Ivy’s mucus-toxin just makes the victim very drowsy and uncoordinated. Her kiss is also toxic, and is boosted by her Siren powers. Anyone she kisses, as long as she wills it, is temporarily mindlessly in love with her and will work to please her even without her having to say anything. This can be as simple as saving her from a tough situation to... more. Ivy is also the largest of the three infamous Sirens, clocking in at right about ten feet long from head to the tip of her tail, and she is the most physically strong. She suffers a bit in the mobility department purely because of how big her body is, but she is still extremely agile and quick-striking. She often hides amongst kept forests and dense seaweed because she likes plants more than people, but also because her body easily camouflages amongst the similar shapes and colors. Both a captivator and a mysterious beauty in her own right, she has skills that match both Selina and Harley in the Siren department, but it’s tempered by the fact that Ivy is the most quick to attack. Harley enjoys playing with her prey much more, Ivy just does what she needs to be able to get to the violent part. She is picky in her prey, however, in that she really prefers only preying on those who harm the ocean.

General siren information for this AU (or my take on it, anyway). Sirens do have a few common traits that solidify them as one distinct race of Mer-people even with each one usually taking on very different fish-traits. The most well known is a siren’s Charm ability, in which they can use their voice to captivate an audience and perform minor hypnosis. This can be done through both singing and regular speech, as long as their voice is in use and they are putting care into the types of tones they are using. The Charm ability becomes entirely ineffective on other mer-people once they realize that a Siren is not a normal mer-person and even if they don’t know, other mer-people are resistant to the Charm effect. It can only be as potent as social manipulation on other sea dwellers, and cannot make a mermaid or merman do something too far out of their normal character. For humans, knowing they are being Charmed allows them to slowly build up a resistance to the charm’s effect. If they build up enough resistance, then they become effectively immune unless caught off guard. A Charmed human will do almost anything the siren demands, as long as it is not drastic enough to shock the human out of the mind control (i.e telling them to kill a loved one or jump to their death knowingly).

Sirens are largely carnivores, where normal mer-people are omnivores. Some sirens (Ivy) do participate in eating humans, but it is known to be fairly unhealthy (like eating junk food) so it is now done mostly in moderation. Sirens have two sets of teeth, but unlike Deep Sea mermaids, neither set is retractable. The set that is visible is human-like, while behind those human teeth hides a set of needle-like teeth that can slightly extend further out of the gums when necessary for hunting but cannot be completely hidden. These teeth are backward’s curving, like giant snake teeth, and it is notoriously difficult to escape a Siren’s bite.

Sirens, unlike other mer-people, actually do have a need for air and cannot breathe under water. They can hold their breath for hours at a time and speak under water, much like dolphins, but they need to break the surface for air at least once or twice a day. This, of course, leads to more contact with humans.

Sirens are the only mer-people who can develop legs. This happens when they let themselves completely dry out, and if they desire to they can morph their tail into two legs. Their legs will never look human however, as their toes will be webbed and everything below their bellybutton will still be the same colors and pattern as when it is a tail, along with any scales or armor plates they might have remaining. A siren can only maintain this shape for a maximum of forty-eight hours before their skin dries out too much and they start to get dehydrated. Immediately upon contact with water over three inches deep, their legs will begin to re-morph into a tail. Splashing the skin with small amounts of water will only delay dehydration for a maximum of an extra twenty-four hours, as the body consumes water faster than it can be replaced by splashing or small amounts of rain.

That’s what I got :) hope you like it!

[badwolf-winchester]

Ancient Bloodlines

Pairing: Loki x Emy Nightstar (OC)

OC Summary: Emy is the newest Avenger. She specializes in Magic and close range attacks/ weapons. Her heritage is unknown to her as she was left at an orphanage door step when she was a young girl with only the memory of her name. She goes by her nickname Emy but has never told anyone her full name as its a reminder of her being abandoned. Emy can see through any illusion and Magic no matter how powerful they are or how strong the magic is and is unaware of this. Her powers include Telekinesis, Elemental Control, True Sight (as stated above) Enhanced healing and Shifting (she wont discover this till much later in the story). She loves to read, listen to music, play violin, sing, and draw.

Story Info: Takes place after infinity wars. Tony and Natasha are alive Steven comes back from the future after giving back the infinity stones. Vision is alive and living with Wanda in the tower. Thor and Loki live in the tower with the rest of the Avengers and for the sake of the story Himedall is alive and living with the rest of the Asgardians on earth in New Asgard (you will find out why later)

One last thing: Please do not repost my work on any other site or social media, however reblogging on here is fine. I work hard on all of my fanfics and it’s disappointing when people take my work as their own. I am the creater of all my OCs such as Sora Nightstar, Emy Nightstar, and Lithium Nightstar. My inbox is open for any and all requests as i am a multi fandom writer. Let me know how you like the story and i will do my best to answer any and all questions. As always i encourage any and all feedback as it helps with my writing. I hope you all like it!

The Beginning

They say that your parents are there to teach you the rules of the world, but what happens when you have no parents? Who will teach you then? The world is cruel but people are crueler. Ive learned this first hand when the person i trusted most in this world left me on the door step of the St. Trinity’s Orphanage. I was 9 when my mother told me she didn’t want me anymore and i guess I couldn’t really blame her. I mean who could love someone who couldn’t control the powers that grew with each passing year. Someone who started fires out of thin air when they had nightmares, conjured whirlwinds when startled, unfurled earthquakes when angered, spring forth rain showers when sad, and levitate objects when riddled with anxiety. I will never forget that day for its seared into my mind like its own person brand echoing with every beat of my heart. A monster thats what she called me, her own flesh and blood was a monster in her eyes, and i could see the relief when she ran from the solid oak door finally rid of the burden she had to put up with throughout the years. An abomination she cried as she reached the cobblestone sidewalk eager to be rid of me and by the pace she was going at i could tell she had more spring in her step than on the walk over from the bus we exited from. Unnatural she bellowed as she disappeared around the corner a ghost of a smile springing from her lips as she disappeared. These where the last words i would ever hear from my mother, if thats what you would call her.

Emy’s POV

Tonight was just like any other. Crisp cold air submerged the city in a blanket of dark and silence while it settled into your bones. I never minded the cold in fact I welcomed it, it reminded me of the cabin i found one year after running away from one of the many abusive foster homes i was forced to stay with. I’ll admit it was one of the times I was able to avoid the social workers for longer than a week and the happiest I had ever been in my life up until i was captured by Hydra. When I had a flair up with my powers, which usually ended up being fire, i would immediately get sent back to St. Trinity’s but this time i ran before they had the chance to toss me aside. The staff there used to place bets on how long i would stay with a family, they would joke saying i was cursed or jinxed but i knew the truth, no one wanted me. Once the parents found out about my abilities I was sent packing. I was labeled as a flight risk and a danger to others which only deepened my anti socialism.

Walking through the streets of New York i pull my dark purple jacket on and my dark brown hair in a pony tail as I get closer to my destination. Because i don’t feel the effects of the cold weather Tony, being such the dad figure he is, has made it his priority to make sure i still wear one just incase so here i was walking home in black ripped up jeans, a black v neck T-shirt, black and purple checkered vans and a light weight dark purple jacket. With my headphones in my ears and “I like it heavy” by Halestorm blasting I make my way to the place i call home, Stark Tower. Walking through the front doors i make my way past the receptionist who always greets me with a bright smile. As I walk towards the elevator I give her a small smile back and a head nod. After entering the elevator and pressing the button for the penthouse I start to reflect on how i got here.

By the time i was 15 Hydra found me in that cabin and took me away. I went from hopping from family to family to being used as a science experiment, constantly being poked and prodded just so they could get a reaction out of me. As a child my powers where very unstable mostly flaring up with my emotions, its no wonder that Hydra caught wind of me its not like i was hiding it very well or more so that i couldn’t hide it. They tried to wipe my memory to gain control of me “a blank slate” is what they wanted, but for some reason, they failed as I wasn’t susceptible to their conditioning methods no matter how much time i spent in the chair. However, I could tell they were scared of me I could see it in their eyes. This didn’t last long though as they used what they called their perfect weapon code name Winter Soldier to beat me into submission. After that first meeting that left me with a broken arm and a fractured ankle i started to obey, since then Ive met the Soldier a couple of times but if he remembers me he dosent let on and I dont blame him, he has been in that chair so many times Im genuinely surprised he can even remember how to walk. He is stronger than the others as most of the other test subjects had turned to vegetables after the 4th mind wipe, he was on his 10th the last time i saw him with Hydra.

Another test was done on me and this one was different. They used a teseract? If thats what they called it I can’t be sure nor did I care all I could feel was pain like as if someone injected lava in my veins. After they injected me I started screaming after a while I couldn’t even hear myself anymore, my throat was so sore and horse from the constant roar of my agony I just wanted it to end. How long was I out for? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Years? They didn’t keep clocks there or at least not in the dungeon like cell they had me in. When the fire faded i was left with this numbness and after further tests I realized that I was immune to fire. I can literally stick my hand in fire and i will be left untouched and unscorched. They did the same test with freezing temperatures to see if they could subdue me at least in some way. I must have been out longer than just a couple of days as during the tests i didn’t recognize any of the Doctors. In that moment I realized something, if they were trying to contain me then something must have happened to the soldier. It was time to plan my escape.

Back in my cell i could hear footsteps approaching me and then stop short. One of the scientists frantically trying to talk some sense into someone just out of my line of sight. “She is immune to anything we throw at her sir. We have done every test we could there is nothing left for us to do.” One of the goons in a lab coat stated to what i assumed is a higher up. “Bolden If her powers keep growing at the rate they are it could be days in which she will be unstoppable and with the soldier gone we dont have anything that can keep her in line. She broke Mandy and Rays arms the last time we tested her. She is getting too strong.” Brining a hand up to his chin the higher up Bolden stepped out of the shadows and looked at me with deep interest before he turned to looked at the man and scoffed. As he walked away i felt a cold chill ran down my back as I anticipated what was to become of me; I knew it was nothing good i had already broken their rules. His next words only confirmed what I feared. “ Its simple. Break her spirit or kill her Doctor. And when i say break her i mean in anyway means necessary.” His sadistic laugh is the last thing i remember before everything went black.

Its been 2 years since i have escaped and now I’m living in the avengers tower. I don’t remember what happened after that night in my cell its all a blur of red, screams, and gunshots. When i woke up next i was in a 6ft crater where I was being held captive without a scratch on me. Trees were uprooted and fallen over as if a bomb went off. Luckily the Avengers showed up not long after me waking up and took me to their base where i met Directer Fury. With his permission and 24/7 surveillance provided by Tony Stark via FRIDAY and training sessions to get my powers under control i was allowed to join the Avengers and fight for good. Little did i know that by agreeing to this I would end up in the path of a certain God or Gods who were also taking residence at the tower.

With the sound of a *ding* the elevator shook me out of my mind and back to the present. As i exited the elevator I pulled my head phones out of my ears and was instantly met with the sound of Tony losing his mind. “Where did she go? She knows she can’t be out this late. She could be taken again! Its 5 minutes past her curfew!” Rolling my eyes I roll my headphones up and shove them in my pocket and round the corner. “Tony it takes 5 minutes to get from the lobby to the penthouse calm down. I bet she will walk through that door anytime now.” Came the sweet voice of reason of none other than Pepper Potts. “I’m Home.” I said in a deadpan voice as i walked by the couple only for Tony to stand up and intercept me by placing a hand on my upper arm. “Where did you go and why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” I looked at him and raised an eyebrow pushing his hand off me. “Tony its Wednesday. I have training with Strange on Wednesdays and I had Friday alert you as I was leaving but you were in the lab with Bruce.” Not sure what to say next Tony mumbled a small apology. “Sorry I was just worried about you. I know you are grown enough to make your own choices as you are 25 but I just want to make sure you are safe. How was the training with The Wizard?” Sighing and shaking my head just wanting to go the library and read I decided to just let it go. “Strange is a hard ass that much you already know. It wasnt bad actually I think I’m warming up to him. I didn’t spontaneously throw him to the wall when he snuck up behind me as i was going over the ancient texts so i call that improvement.” I said sheepishly while side stepping around him. “I’m gonna go to the library now and grab some light reading before bed you guys have a good night.” With out waiting for a response I quickly made my way towards my new destination only to have Tony saying something about guests in the house but I ignored him.

Pushing open the library door I make my way to the poetry section to grab my usual copy of Edgar Allen Poe that I read before bed. As my had reached for the spot i knew i put the book in i find that its not there. “Wait what? Where is my book? I know I put it back here before I left for training so where did it go?” Frustrated I stomp back over to the entrance and rip open the door ready to go on a murder spree while shouting down the hallway. “CLINT! You better give me back my night time book or I’m breaking all your arrows again! No one reads in this tower but me! How stupid do you think I am!?” Straining my ears I listen for any type of movement but was met with dead silence. After a minute I finally hear movement through the vents coming from the west part of the tower and I take off sprinting. Sliding around a corner I barely miss colliding with Steve and Bucky who look like they were on their way back from a mission. Offering a quick apology before I continue my pursuit I hear Steve yell “Hey! No running in the tower!” Not faltering in my hot pursuit of the Hawk thief I continue to zip through the tower ignoring the Captains words until i was almost to the vent that lead to the 2 level family room. Using the railing for the steps leading down to the family area to give me more height i jumped as close to the vent as possible and conjured my signature Scythe to slice through it while twisting in the air kicking the vent free and off its track. A shocked and terrified scream resonates from the vent as the culprit falls to the ground with a thud and a grunt. I landed in a crouched position and slowly straightened to my full hight. “What the hell Emy?! When did you learn to do that?!” Clint yells as he sits up rubbing his left shoulder that he landed on. I started stalking towards him with the blade of my scythe scrapping across the ground as i went while giving him a death glare. “Give me back my book Barton.” At the mention of his last name his head snapped up to me fear replacing the pain from his fall. “Oh shit last name not good.” Scrambling up on his feet he turns and runs towards the common room that connects to the elevator with me hot on his tail and my scythe trailing behind me in my right hand.

“Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!!” He yells as he makes it fully to the room only to fling forward as i jump and kick his back tired of all the running. Twirling my weapon around I place it at his neck sneering at him. “I will not ask you again.” I said placing pressure on his neck with my blade. Sensing a fast moving object coming from my left from the kitchen I move my head back 3 inches as what looked like a hammer flew by me embedding itself in the wall. Turning my head slowly in the direction of the flying object, I confirmed it was indeed a hammer that was thrown at me. Irritation flared through me as i released Clint from the end of my scythe and turned fully to the kitchen to face my attacker. There stood 2 men that i did not recognize, one tall oak of a man with blond short hair, blue eyes and tan skin in blue jeans, a red T-shirt ,and grey jacket. the other shorter man made me stare at him and faultier for a second as he was so different from anyone i have ever seen, dark blue skin covered his entire body with darker almost black symbols and piercing red eyes, long black hair with black jeans, a green dress shirt and black jacket. Tearing my gaze away from his own curious one i looked between both men before i clenched my jaw letting my irritation settle back in. “Which one of you threw that hammer.” I said venom dripping with every word. “Whoa its ok Emy thats just Thor and Loki they are the asgardian Gods that live here in the tower part time when they are not in Norway.” Clint said standing up quickly. Not moving from my position i narrowed my eyes and flicked them over in Clint’s direction. The ground started to shake as my irritation and annoyance grew to anger remembering what i was doing before being interrupted by the Gods. Throwing his hands up in surrender he then quickly reached into his back pocket and retrieved my book. “Ok ok dont blow a fuse Em.” He said while tossing me my possession stopping me from causing an earthquake. Catching it in the air with my left had I inspected the book to make sure it wasn’t damaged before I let go of my scythe, with a wave of my hand it disappeared back to the pocket dimension I keep it in then looked back at Clint as the tremors stopped. “Touch my things again and i will be wearing your guts like my mom’s pashmina.” I said to the thief before walking out of the room and disappeared down the hallway not giving the Gods a second glance. As I entered my room i could hear a silky voice ring out from the kitchen. “Well isnt she interesting.”

Part 2 coming soon

@nickkie1129

[thelostguardianau]

The Lost Guardian- Chapter Eight

“Heed the Silenced”

(Authors note: aha.. yknow I should probably stop making promises for this fic. Months later, w/ a chapter that doesn’t have Thomas in it, three different outlines down and i’m really just at the mercy of this fic at this point xD considering midway through writing this chapter I had to cut and rewrite an entire scene i’d spent a month on bc I’d decided that Dee had a chance at redemtion that added an actual direction and a tangable end goal to this story. So. Yeah. And!! A loud Thank You!! to @bumblebeekitten for helping me bounce ideas back & forth for this au and being my beta for this chapter!!)

Character Info & Art:

Patton | Logan | Roman | Virgil | Remy | Deceit | ??? | ???

Chapter Seven | Chapter Nine

Fandom: Thomas Sanders Sides

Pairings: Eventual Polyamsanders (LAMPR/CALMR-a.k.a LAMP/CALM + Remy ‘Sleep’ Sanders)

Warnings: THIS CHAPTER IS KINDA DIALOG HEAVY!(sorry) Currently depicted as morally grey Deceit(subject to change in future chapters), though the side of Deceit from his first appearance doesnt make an appearance in this chapter and it is explained why, mentions of past betrayal and dark descriptions of bodily concepts, curses, limitations, and changes only really explained as possible through the lore of this au. Deceit speaks in riddles because he has to, ominous warnings. Virgil still isn’t okay mentally. Mentions of indifference to death, lack of selfworth or self preservation. (Let me know if I need to add anything!)

[[MORE]]

Brown eyes flutter open at the chilly breeze of a fan, and the ravenette’s mind comes to realize that he’s been moved from resting on his stomach to laying on his back. Groggy from his much too short nap, it takes a few moments to realize there are no warm bodies near him or under him, no breathing or chatter of familiar voices to sooth him.

The room, he realizes, is empty.

The room itself is, in fact, not Remy’s bedroom at all.

Shooting straight up, Virgil’s first clear thought is that he’s back at home. At his apartment, this time in his hoodie yet still roughed up from his latest ‘adventure’. The scene is eerily familiar, and yet he knows this time that work is not where he needs to be. It’s already daylight and his mind now knows this familiar scene, he should feel alone. Yet, this time he can hear the sound of honking cars and people, his loud neighbor from upstairs stomping around.

It doesn’t make sense as he walks to his window and peers out to see vague cars and people, he can’t even seem to make out any individual faces. It’s grey and raining outside, but there is no pattering sound against the foggy window. ‘What’s happening?’ Virgil wonders.

“Life seemed so simple a week ago, even months ago, did it not..?” A familiar voice drifts from behind him. Ice cold fear shoots down the ravenette’s spine as he recognizes the voice.

“I can hardly believe you were able to leave it, your routine. It was your everything, back when you came to terms with what you had left. Am I wrong, Virgil?” Whirling around to face the voice, Virgil finds the terrifying ex-Guardian sitting on his couch looking quite at home, if a little sheepish.

“What do you care?” He spat back, stepping back against his window.

“I am only looking out for you, you know. I have been protecting you all your life. Of all people I think I would know what is best for you, don't you think? We are connected after all, you and I.” The man sighed, making a surrendering motion with his hands.

“Why would I trust you?! You tried to kill me yesterday!” Virgil growled. “Why--h-how are you even here!?”

“False, my dear Virgil. I tried to warn you. Sure,” The guardian rolled his hand as he spoke, “I am forced to have a round-about way of speaking my truths, it is just part of my consequences it seems. But how else was I going to get you to listen to me after the others fed you lies about me? I do sincerely apologize for my other half being rough, though. I cannot quite.. Control.. Him.” The guardian tilted his bowler hat down to guiltily hide his eyes, regret briefly twisting his expression.

Finally the Guardian stood, dusting himself off as if his immaculate attire had acquired dust from just existing in his apartment. “I needed my physical body to reach yours and make our soul connection strong again, so that my soul could reach yours. However.. The pain I caused you was far from my intention. I am deeply regretful that it came down to.. That awful encounter.

“To answer your question though, Virgil, I am here because I created ‘here’. A realm made to form this illusion of being home, sweet home, just on the corner of the little street you had come to live on for the past year. It is all my doing. Where you stand is simply an illusion only you and I can access, a manipulation of your dreams and memories. The only place where the real me can talk to you mostly unhindered.” The guardian gestured to his surroundings.

“It takes only one person to flip your life on it’s head, a matter of hours to make the decision of a lifetime, and a matter of days to have completely changed your life’s direction,” He turned to Virgil, and looked him straight in the eyes, feeling distant and lost.

“And only a matter of years to succumb to the depression of the lonely consequences..”

Virgil blinked at that. The sad, longing tone had him thrown for a loop; it almost felt like the Guardian wasn't even quite talking to Virgil. “I-What..? I.. I don’t understand.”

The Guardian shook his head, snapping out of it and refocusing himself. "Nevermind that. It is time I talked to you for real, if you will have me?" The Guardian held out a hand politely, though there was no real expectation for Virgil to take it.

After a pause, Virgil gave a slight nod, still suspicious of the other's intent. The Guardian returned the nod, and his hand fell to his side.

“I am limited to the time that you rest and for now I will not be able to explain myself thoroughly, so, I ask you to understand that I do not expect you to trust me when I am done. I honestly do not expect you to ever trust me. With the mistakes I have made, I firmly believe I would not deserve it.”

Virgil blinked in surprise, not having expected his captor to admit to his faults straight off the bat.

“Okay.. Well, we’re here, might as well hear your side of the story. So.. Shoot.” Virgil said lightly, distrust and suspicion still evident in his tone and stance.

“I would assume at this point you are well aware of how the story you have been told paints me as the villain, a mastermind seeking power, immortality, and revenge? At least, that is what I am led to believe is still the story, it has been many years since I have heard the tale first hand… And... Well. Would that not be so lovely?” Virgil made a face, eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I am serious. Life would be so much easier if it was all black and white, true or false, good and bad, would it not? If those who meant well knew everything and those malicious few could not corrupt anything?” The Guardian frowned a bit, frustrated with his words that couldn’t seem to cooperate with him.

“Would it not be lovely if I could talk to you without fighting to keep from turning every honest thought into a question or theoretical statement just to let it be said? That my words could hold a meaning not forcibly disguised in the forms of fables and riddles?” The Guardian looked down lamely, his words tapering off in agitation. For a moment, Virgil waited as the Guardian was silent, contemplative. Then, the next moment the Guardian’s face scrunched up in sadness and his words were soft as he placed a hand over his golden wrist markings.

“My story is complicated, and twisted with shades of grey. One could say what I did was an attempt to keep you safe, another could say that what I did was outlandish and impulsive, and stupid. But no one will be able to tell you that what I did went according to the plan I had... at first. No one will tell you that my intention was to save you, to keep your fate safe. No one will tell you that my plan was ruined. Because there is no longer anyone who remembers what happened that night except for me,”

The Guardian’s eyes flicked up to meet the ravenette’s, a hurt look passing over his face as he continued. His steady voice now just barely trembled with uncertainty as he continued.

“No one but me and the soul who wants so desperately for everyone to forget. The soul who ripped my own in two to bury the secret, and ruin you and I both.”

“My final warning is this: Beware of the man who carries the world on his shoulders unflinchingly, he will be watching you closely. You have immunity to his power thanks to our connection, you might use this knowledge well to find the truth that lies in plain sight. However, your fate lies in the decisions you chose to make with this knowledge, I can only warn you of what might come.” The Guardian nodded solemnly, choosing to finish his cryptic warning there.

Virgil stood there, reeling with the information. Sure, he definitely wasn’t completely convinced he could trust this cryptic stranger, Guardian? Foe? Friend? Virgil wasn’t really sure what to call him anymore. But damn, his life was already so fucking crazy, this was all just fucking crazy! He could just be dreaming for all he knew.

But… Deep inside, he was hoping he wasn’t.

This was, well. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear when facing the man whose, er, body? Had originally tried to strangle him? Now he’d heard his sob story and, well, Virgil wasn’t that easy to fool, but he’d also been told that it wasn’t expected that he’d trust the guy even in the end and he didn’t really want to.

He’d been on the path to death for so long, and then just two days ago everything had changed. So much was happening, it was frankly exhausting. What the fuck was he, some book protagonist? Couldn’t he get a little time to think about all this before he went crazy?

Still, something under all his incredulity begged to hear the guardian out. He vaguely wondered how Stockholm Syndrome worked before he gave in a little. What difference did a little more crazy make in his life at this point?

“Fine, I’ll heed your warning, or whatever the fuck. But only if you can tell me what you mean when you said that this guy ripped your, uh, soul? In two.” Virgil huffed, partially relaxing. It was odd how comforting he found it to be, floating in this weird feeling imaginary world, where he could interact with objects that weren’t real. It felt like he was really standing in his home, and yet it was just built from memory.

The guardian’s solemn expression formed into a grim smile, eyes distant once more before nodding. “I will do the best that my words will allow.” Virgil nodded, and waited for the now very familiar stranger to gather his words and take a breath. Then he began, his markings lightly flashing gold.

“You find yourself whole one day, as you have always been. To be whole of body, whole of mind, both human and guardian in nature. To have conscious thought and control over your whole physical being and soul..

“You find that yourself and others of the winged variety are capable of separating your soul from your being, though only the most Elite can do it well. You find out the family you made would soon be in danger. You then find yourself lost and alone when you once had a home to call your own.

“You find yourself knowing a truth, a perilous truth. Your home is in shambles now that you are gone, yet they do not know it. This truth is at fault, but the blame is not fully your own in a world built on lies.

“The source of truth tucks itself into blankets of grey, drawing itself further from discovery with each passing day. Now only you know the truth. The source of the truth finds you, it seeks to hide you too.

“You find yourself split one day, as you have never been before. Forced apart from the body, trapped within the mind. Guardian in nature, to have conscious thought and your dying soul trapped within, a false mind piloting the puppeteered confines of a broken body with a blind goal.”

“You find you cannot control what you used to, you are a prisoner to a body that is no longer your own, mostly unconscious to the world around it. Crazed by the false emotions that fuel it.”

“The you that used to be is no longer, and has not been for over a hundred years. The world that knew you knows not of what you’ve become. Knows not of the shackles that bind you.

“The you that used to be is no longer, and will never be again.” The Guardian finished, hesitant yellow eyes meeting Virgil’s carefully. Phantom goosebumps trail down Virgil's arms as the final sentence strikes a cord in him.

Virgil found he really wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, the rawness in the other’s tone spoke volumes of the sore spot they’d reached.

“Your body rests, but your mind also needs time to process today. I shall see you when you next rest, though only if you wish to seek me. Rest well knowing that you will not be scooped from your safety once more, as I hope I’m never to do so again. And...” The guardian paused, considering their next words very carefully.

“I know it is selfish to ask... but, I hope and wish that Thomas is alright, after all this time... Do take care of him, would you?”

Virgil paused and stared, finding only concern and longing in the guardian’s expression. And, well, fuck. What a way to pull at a guy’s heartstrings.

“Er, yes. Yeah. I’ll try my best.” Virgil gave his signature mock salute, the Guardian tipping his hat in return.

“Trying is all I could ever ask of you, Virgil. Rest well, you will need it.” And with that final sentence, the world around Virgil gently grew dark, and he sunk into the comforting arms of sleep.

Despite it all, Virgil still found his mind vaguely conscious. Sluggish at best, but awake nonetheless.

He figured it was likely some lingering effect from the Guardian’s dream realm, but didn’t dwell on it. His life had way too much else going on to be debating the side effects gained from Guardian powers.

First, he’d been pretty damn convinced two days ago that he was going to be a goner by the end of the month. Completely resigned to die believing that his very existence was scorned by the world he’d been unwillingly born into.

Then Patton had stumbled onto his shitty apartment’s roof, found him in all of his resigned and depressed glory, and changed his life forever.

They’d mostly skipped the whole ‘Human nature is a series of life, death, and rebirth’ spiel that guardians were known to give in these situations because... Well, It wasn’t like they’d really had time to address it before the truth about his soul had come out. That he wasn’t exactly human to begin with.

Virgil didn’t think that Guardians had ever had a situation like his before. There wasn’t a protocol for comforting a kidnapped guardian soul. It’d never been a possibility before!

So it wasn’t surprising then, that Virgil didn’t have any better of a time processing it.

His whole life, all that he’d known to be true, all that he’d believed in? Everything had been uprooted and turned on its head. He’d apparently been living a life that was not supposed to be.

Perhaps for the first time in two days, Virgil realized that the thought of his death at the end of the month had not been consistently worming into his brain. It had once been something he could never seem to stop thinking about.

The death indicated by his soul timer was now perhaps the farthest thing from his mind.

Perhaps the strangest thing so far was that he wasn’t alone anymore. He’d possibly had more physical contact with other people in the short two(three?) days since this adventure started then he’d had in the past 16 years.

And wasn’t it just the cherry on top that he’d also gotten nearly choked out by the very guardian accused of kidnapping his soul in the first place? And now he was considering trusting the damn guy.

Virgil hollowly wondered why he even cared.

Why did he care about staying alive now when he’s spent his whole life believing he never would? Up until two days ago, that belief had still been true. But now? Avoiding death was the goal, Logan had stated as much.

Really, would Virgil lose anything by trusting the banished guardian? Even if the guardian was trying to trick Virgil and got him killed, what difference would it make? That’d always been the goal before. What did he, Virgil, really have to lose?

If it happened that Virgil lived past his twentieth birthday, if he became a guardian like he was supposed to be in the first place. Would he want that? Did he want that?

He wasn’t sure. Didn’t know if he ever had been.

His life had been built on resignation to the inevitable. Nothing seemed to motivate him towards liking or hating that possibility. He was just that.

Indifferent.

And wasn’t that just the greatest revelation of the night? Finding out that you’re indifferent to living or dying.

Once this was all over, if Virgil lived that long, he would make a note to see a therapist. He knew very well that this kind of mindset was unhealthy to keep. It just couldn’t be helped that the nineteen years he’d lived with this particular affliction couldn’t be fixed by a few extra hugs and comforting words.

Even if he didn’t like the fact that death sounded like the more peaceful option.

His thoughts paused, mentally sighing at the downward spiral he’d caught himself in. It was tiring, and going nowhere.

‘For now,’ he decided, ‘I’m just going to see how this plays out. The Guardian said that none of the others remember the truth, or whatever. So, It’s a ‘he said-they said’ situation right now...’

‘I’ll have to keep an eye out for the guy that he warned me about, then. Who knows if he's as dangerous as The Guardian made him out to be. It’s hard to tell with the weird way he has to talk..’

Virgil paused again, a realization striking him. If he could have groaned, he would have. Not once had he been given or even remembered to ask for the name of said Guardian. What was he supposed to call the rogue Guardian now? He couldn’t just keep calling him The Guardian!

Amidst the disbelief of such a slip up, a foreign yet familiar feeling prodded questioningly at his conscious mind. Adding confusion into the mix of emotions, he returned the feeling with a questioning thought of his own.

He briefly heard the Guardian’s whispy voice once more, now acting with permission.

“You may call me Janus”

Then all at once, Virgil woke up.

.

.

.

Chapter Nine

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #15: Euryale

Welcome back to Fate and Phantasms, where we’re bringing every single servant in FGO to life in D&D 5e! Today we’re building the middlest gorgon sister, Euryale! For this build, we have three goals in mind:

Siren Song- You’ve got to have plenty of options for controlling and charming your enemies.

Core of the Goddess- You need to be able to avoid being charmed yourself.

Eye of the Euryale- You need to be able to fire arrows that not only deal a lot of damage, but can debuff the enemy when the party needs it.

As usual, we’ll be going into detail about this build below the cut, but if you want a faster rundown you can check out the spreadsheet over here.

Race and Background

You’re straight up divinity; none of this “half” or “two thirds” nonsense. Unfortunately, D&D doesn’t have a goddess option, but they do have one better- let’s make you a Yuan-Ti Pureblood. This option gives you many, many bonuses, including +2 to Charisma, +1 to Intelligence, Magic Resistance, which means you have advantage on all saving throws involving spells, 60′ of Darkvision, Poison Immunity, the Poison Spray cantrip, and the ability to cast Animal Friendship at will for no cost, but only on snakes.

Sadly D&D also failed to include a goddess background, so we’ll go with Charlatan. It doesn’t really match up with your actual background, but it is generally how you operate, so it’s not far off the mark. This gives you proficiencies with Deception, Sleight of Hand, and the Disguise and Forgery Kits.

Stats

For this build we’re using the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), but feel free to roll, as long as you keep multiclassing in mind. With that being said, put your highest stat into Charisma, for obvious reasons, then Intelligence, because you’re good at scheming.”. Next is Dexterity, which needs to be at least a 13 immediately for multiclassing, accept no substitutions. After that is Wisdom, which is this high mostly because we need to keep your physical stats low to fit your status as “one of the weakest beings in the entire world”. After that is Constitution because we’re not evil, and dump Strength since we won’t need that anyway.

Class Levels

1. Bard 1: Starting out as a bard gives you proficiency in Dexterity and Charisma saves, as well as three skills of your choice. Grab Insight, Persuasion and Perception to make reading the room a bit easier. At first level you also get Bardic Inspiration, letting you give d6s to your friends to add a bit to a save, check, or attack roll of their choosing. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your charisma modifier between long rests. You also also get your first spells. Grab Friends and Vicious Mockery as your cantrips. The only thing you’re better at than making people think you like them is making people think you don’t like them. For first level spells, grab Charm Person and Sense Emotion to add a magical flair to your soft skills, Heroism to help out your knight(s) in shining armor, and Sleep in case that knight thing doesn’t work out.

2. Bard 2: You become a Jack of All Trades, so you can add half your proficiency to ability checks you aren’t proficient in. You also gain a Song of Rest, adding 1d6 more healing to anyone using their hit dice. In the interest of healing, also pick up Healing Word as this level’s spell. Make sure you pick really insulting words, so your party isn’t sure whether they should thank you or not.

3. Bard 3: You gain Expertise, doubling your proficiency bonus for two skills. Pick Deception and Persuasion to help you wrap men around your finger, even without magic. You also graduate from the College of Glamour, giving you a Mantle of Inspiration and an Enthralling Performance. The former lets you spend an Inspiration as a bonus action to make yourself even more beautiful. This gives a number of creatures up to your charisma modifier 5 temporary hit points, and they can each react to move up to their speed without provoking opportunity attacks. The HP gained increases to eight HP at five levels of bard, 11 HP at 10 levels, and 14 HP at 15 levels. Enthralling Performance makes your performances, well, more enthralling. After performing for at least a minute, you can force any number of creatures who witnessed your entire performance to make a wisdom save or be charmed by you. Those charmed idolize you and are willing to hinder those who oppose you, though they won’t become violent if they weren’t willing to fight for you before. The charm wears off after an hour, the charmed creature takes damage, or you attack it or one of its allies. There is no sign you tried to charm anyone if they succeed on their save, and you can use this feature once per short rest.

4. Fighter 1: Now that you’re well on your way to charming everything around you, lets focus on your bowplay. First level fighters have proficiency with Martial Weapons, so you can upgrade from a shortbow to a longbow if you want. You also gain Second Wind, which lets you use a bonus action to heal yourself equal to 1d10 + your fighter level once per short rest. You also gain a Fighting Style, pick Archery for +2 to ranged weapon attacks.

5. Fighter 2: You get an Action Surge; now you can get an additional action once per short rest.

6. Fighter 3: You become an Arcane Archer, giving you access to Arcane Archer Lore (proficiency in Arcana and Prestidigitation) and some Arcane Shot options, grab Beguiling Arrow and Enfeebling Arrow to mimic the effects of your noble phantasm, kinda. The former adds some Psychic damage and can charm the target with a wisdom save, while the latter adds Necrotic damage and halves the target’s weapon attacks with a constitution save. You can only use arcane shots once per turn, so you can’t stack them and get the full effect, and also don’t expect to be able to spam your NP, because you only get two uses per short rest.

7. Fighter 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to round out your Dexterity for harder hits and Charisma for tougher saves.

8. Fighter 5: You gain an Extra Attack, giving you a second shot when you use the attack action.

9. Bard 4: Use your Ability Score Increase to max out your Charisma. For this level’s cantrip, grab Minor Illusion, and Suggestion for your spell. A build all about controlling people just got another charm spell, what a surprise.

10. Bard 5: Your inspiration dice become d8s, and you become a Font of Inspiration. Now your dice refill on short rests as well. For your spell, grab Hypnotic Pattern. You’re more of a audial charmer than a visual one, but a charm’s a charm.

11. Bard 6: You gain Countercharm, an ability nobody really uses which uses your action to give all friendly creatures within 30′ of you advantage against being charmed or frightened until the end of your next turn. I guess you could use an action surge to pop this and then immediately use an area of effect charm like hypnotic pattern. As a glamour bard you also gain a Mantle of Majesty, letting your cast Command for free as a bonus action, and making you appear as an unearthly beauty for a minute or until you lose concentration. During that minute you can continue to cast Command as a bonus action on each turn. Any creature you’ve charmed automatically fails the save for these Commands, and you can only use this feature once per long rest. You have a really high spell save and a lot of charms, so this shouldn’t be an issue, beyond concentration.

For your spell this turn, grab Dispel Magic for more protection from magical effects beyond charms and being frightened.

12. Bard 7: Not much happens at this level besides getting a 4th level spell. Grab Compulsion to keep the flow of battle from reaching you by literally forcing everyone you’re fighting to stay as far away from you as possible.

13. Bard 8: Use your Ability Score Improvement to power up your Dexterity for more damage. For your spell, grab Confusion. It’s kind of like compulsion if you want to roll more dice.

14. Bard 9: At this level your song of rest die becomes a d8, and you get 5th level spells. Grab Dominate Person for even more charming options.

15. Bard 10: At this level you get a inspiration buff, your dice becoming d10s, Expertise in two more skills (Insight for manipulation and Arcana because you’re literally a goddess),  a new cantrip (Message), and Magical Secrets, two spells from any spell list. You’re the daughter of sea gods, so it’s time you acted like it. Grab Watery Sphere and Wall of Water for a bit of elemental flavoring and crowd control.

16. Bard 11: Not much happens here except for 6th level spells opening up for you. Grab Mass Suggestion for when you need to hold a crowd’s attention.

17. Bard 12: Use your last Ability Score Improvement to buff your Dexterity one last time.

18. Bard 13: Your song of rest becomes a d10. Grab Regenerate so you can grow back the rest of your body if you get chopped in half. (It’s snakes that can do that, right?)

19. Bard 14: As a glamour bard you gain Unbreakable Majesty, making you permanently more beautiful, and on the mechanical side gives you another minute long beauty buff as a bonus action, forcing any creature attacking you to make a charisma save against your spell save. On a failed save, it has to attack someone else within or waste its action. On a success, it can attack you that turn, but has disadvantage on any saves it makes against you next turn. Either it can’t hit you, or it will almost certainly be charmed by you next turn. Win win! This feature works once per short rest. You also gain more Magical Secrets. You’re a goddess and a gorgon, and it’s time you started acting like one. Grab Divine Word to riddle weaker creatures with status effects and force extraplanar threats back to their own world, and Flesh to Stone, because duh.

20. Bard 15: Your inspiration dice become d12s, and you gain 8th level spells! Grab Feeblemind to absolutely shatter some poor fool’s psyche. On a failed intelligence save, the target’s intelligence and charisma scores become 1. They can’t cast any spells, use magic items, or speak languages. Every 30 days the target can repeat its saving throw, but they have 1 int now and your spell save is maxed out, so it’s not going to happen.

Pros: This build has great social skills, and even if it didn’t you have plenty of spells to back yourself up. You don’t have a lot of health or AC, but you don’t need to be on the front lines to do damage, and have a great deal of control over battle position thanks to spells like Compulsion, Wall of Water and Watery Sphere.

Cons: A lot of your spells need concentration, and so does your Mantle of Majesty. Not only will this limit your ability to throw spells around, but your constitution isn’t great either, so you can lose your spells pretty easily. Your arcane arrows also aren’t as powerful as the rest of your build since their saves are based on your intelligence rather than charisma.

Just keep those townsfolk at your beck and call, stick to the background if a fight breaks out, maybe call for Asterios if things get too spicy, and you’ll be fine.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The 30 Minute Experiment: Fear

Probably the hardest part of doing this experiment is that I consciously have to ignore everything else going on around me to make 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to write, so we’ll see how that works out, knowing how bad my ADHD can be at times. That said, let’s do this...

So anyway... today’s topic is “FEAR” and it’s actually the topic I wanted to write about that started this whole project experiment since I wanted to write something titled, “How to Overcome Fear,” because I felt that it was something I could handle to maybe help others out there.  You see, I have a lot of people I know and love, as well as good friends, people who I admire for their strength and ability to handle anything, succumbing to the worst possible fears that anyone could possibly deal with. It’s surprised and shocked me and even saddened me a bit, because suddenly I find myself being one of the most calm and reasonable people in my immediate circles... and yes, THAT is something that people should be fearing.

I’m sure some people think that i’m taking far too cavalier attitude about this pandemic, but in fact, I’m always super-careful about germs and stuff since I spent most of 2013-2014 being in that exact same place where I was so worried about getting germs or getting sick since in that case, I literally could have ended up back in the hospital or even dead. I won’t get too much into my diagnosis with leukemia in 2013 or the stem cell transplant or my year back in New York City in 2014. Some of you already know about it. Some of you don’t. It’s a topic I can cover in full sometime down the road, even though it’s something I’ve written about a lot. But it’s very much related to this FEAR I talk about and that i’m seeing all around me right now. You see, after I got my stem cell transplant in October 2013, my immune system was reset back to zero. I literally could catch any possible disease I encountered from polio to measles to anything that anyone someone may have an immunity to due to vaccines we’re supposed to get as children. I didn’t get my new vaccines until October 2015. Even though I was in this state and was already dealing with the possibility of getting sick while being treated in Columbus, Ohio, I was hell bent on getting back to my life and apartment in NYC. (And if you saw my apartment then and even now and realized that part of my leukemia may have been brought on by the conditions I was living in for 20 years, YOU would have been fearful of LETTING me come back to that apartment let alone lived there yourself under similar circumstances.) I had to come back to New York. Living in Ohio with my mother (mostly being sequestered as most of us are now) was driving me crazy as was my lack of independence and inability to go out to do the things I loved so much. If I was my doctor, I probably wouldn’t allow it, but we made a deal and that was that I would spend 100 days after my transplant before even asking about returning to NYC.

Knowing what I knew about my condition, I relented and though my planned return was sidelined by a week, I came back to NYC at almost 107 day and while I didn’t come into my apartment (my brother and a couple hired hands spent a couple days cleaning it up and putting things in boxes, etc.) I was absolutely PETRIFIED of getting sick while being in NYC. I was wearing a mask and gloves everywhere but I was also worried that I might forget something and I had lists that I was checking and double-checking regularly. God bless my brother for putting up with me cause every time we left the very small hotel room that I had rented for our stay, I was taking forever to make sure I was ready as I checked and double checked everything, made sure i was being safe, etc. etc. I should also mention that in the week when I returned, my brother and I went to see the Pixies out in Newark, and I’m pretty sure we took a busy rush hour train to get out there and I probably wore my mask for a lot of it. Mind you, I hadn’t seen a concert in over 10 months and that was part of what was driving me crazy.

But the point is that I had this incredible fear that had been put into me from the doctors and everything I read, and that fear was much about having to go back into the hospital as it was of getting sick. I spent so much of 2013 in hospitals and for someone who had spent 20 years avoiding doctors and hospitals, it was not a fun experience.  Sure, I did get sick a few times in the couple years since I got back and I did have to go to the ER for a few less-than-fun experiences, but the important thing is that A.) I pushed myself to overcome my fears and B.) I allowed my new immune system to do what it was meant to do... build up its immunities and the anbibodies needed to take on any germ or virus or disease that was thrown at me. 

Part of this may have seemed reckless to some and maybe still does, but you know what? IT WAS NECESSARY. Because the only thing worse than actual death is FEAR.

Think about it. What is the worst thing that can happen to you if you get COVID? Yes, you will die. What is the second worst thing? You will get very sick and be miserable, maybe you’ll have to go the hospital and spend some time in a ventilator and the... you will die. Or maybe you’ll contract it, not know it, not get any symptoms, and then give it to someone you like or love and then they’ll give it to someone they like or love and then maybe they’ll be put through it. Those are all viable fears to a point.

A little bit of fear is good, but what’s bad is the completely out-of-control and unreasoning fear of everything and everyone that has become even more contagious than the virus that everyone is afraid of. The stuff I’ve heard and read in the last couple weeks from people I consider reasonable, logical and yes, STRONG, makes me wonder whether FEAR really has won.

Let’s think back. Remember when 9/11 happened and everyone was suddenly afraid of terrorists and every time there’s been a mass shooting and everyone was afraid to go to movie theaters, concerts, etc? But somehow, we got over those fears and we went back to movie theaters and concerts and trust me, getting blown up in a high-rise building or being riddled with AR-15 bullets would probably be a LOT worse than suffering from fevers, the inability to breathe, hacking cough and some of the worst aspects of COVID (and I say this only to those of you who are healthy and young... not my older friends and those who are currently fighting other conditions or immuno-compromised). Being in or around the World Trade Center on 9/11 meant a much faster death and for the 3,000 people who did die that day, they probably had no time or warning to prepare at all. They were just going about their everyday lives when the first plane hit and then the second... and you probably know or have heard the rest. 

Make no mistake. It was a horrible day and so have been all the other days when people died from senseless violence, and in most of those cases, they didn’t have a way to prepare or fight back. 

With COVID, we KNOW how to defeat it, we have the tools. We have the weapons, and we have the knowledge. Sure, there are still many unknown aspects to it that scientists and doctors with bigger brains than you or I are figuring out, but ... and I’m going to try to put this as nicely as possible... WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU FEARING THE UNKNOWN?

That is exactly what is going on right now. People aren’t sure of what is happening right now, what is going to happen tomorrow or a month from now, so they’re spending all their time worrying and fretting to a point where they’re unable to function. I’m not saying that I’m better than that, but I’m also being a realist here. The chances of me walking out my front door after taking all sorts of precautions and contracting COVID are probably less chances than me actually winning the Powerball the few times I’ve played it over the years. The chances of me having a pizza delivered and the COVID-infected delivery guy passing it onto me are only slightly higher.

I live in New York City... in CHINATOWN, no less... and I was doing a lot of stuff just before the governor closed the valve that totally should have had me infected but other than a small cough that lasted maybe an hour and some dry eyes, I haven’t shown a single symptom in the three weeks I have now been quarantined.  But when I need something from outside, I either go out to get it or I order it (in terms of food delivery), because the other option is sitting in my own filth like Howard Hughes (without his money) and worrying and fretting and being fearful of the unknown.  (Heck, New Yorkers generally do this every day ANYWAY, so this time should be no different than any others.)

The thing is that if I chose to live my life in fear, I would still be living in Columbus, Ohio with my mother, not being able to get out and do the things I love to do. I wouldn’t be able to read comics or go to concerts, let alone the movies that I like to watch and write about. 

As I end today’s 30 minute experiment, which I hope hasn’t come across more like a 30 minute lecture, think abut this for yourself. (Yes, there will be some home work for those who choose to read this far.)

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? WHAT IS THE FEAR THAT IS OVERWHELMING YOU?

Are you afraid to die? Fair. Are you afraid to get someone else sick or possibly kill them? Also fair. Are you afraid of getting yourself sick? Sure, that’s also fair.

But don’t let that FEAR rule your ilfe and every decision you make because the reality is that as long as you’re not going out and hanging out with hundreds of people you don’t know or going out and randomly French kissing anyone you meet on the street. (I wouldn’t put that past some of you!!!)  Then guess what? You’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine as long as we’re careful. Don’t let the FEAR of whatever you’re afraid of be worse than the actual virus.  My time is up now (I actually forgot to set my time) so until tomorrow.... 

This has been today’s 30 Minute Experiment.

[aion-rsa]

Got Wood: 15 Plant-Based Comic Book Characters

In the regular world, plants don’t amount to much to us. They decorate our houses and gardens, clean the air, grow food, and occasionally get chopped up to make our furniture. They certainly don’t fight crime or try to take over the world. That’s where comic books come in.

RELATED: Men of Steel: 15 Superheroes That Are Metal AF

In the comic world, plants can become powerful weapons or even superhuman beings, fighting for heroes and villains. From Marvel to DC to independent comics, the plant world is one of danger and mystery. With the adorable Baby Groot set to return in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” it’s time for CBR to review 15 plant-based characters in the world of superheroes. We won’t be talking about characters who have power over plants, but ones who actually have plants in them or are made of plants.

TUMBLEWEED

The superhero Tumbleweed first appeared in 2008’s “Number of the Beast” #1, written by Scott Beatty and penciled by Chris Sprouse. Edward Dane was caught in the detonation of the Trinity atomic bomb test in the New Mexico desert, turning him into a collection of desert plants in the shape of a human being. Tumbleweed is made of desert fauna (mostly tumbleweeds and cactus) and has the power to control the flowers and branches inside him. He can adjust his shape by changing the way the plants are arranged, and also grow new ones inside himself.

With his new powers, Dane became Tumbleweed, a member of the World War II-era superhero group, the Paladins. Along with the other Paladins, he was kept inside a virtual reality simulation to keep him under control, but escaped in modern days. After the apocalyptic events of “Number of the Beast,” Tumbleweed used his powers to make an oasis in the Nevada desert in the post-apocalyptic world.

GOLDENROD

In 1984’s “Firestorm” #19 (written by Gerry Conway and Carla Conway, and penciled by Gene Colan), a broke lawyer named Frederick Delmar agreed to become a test subject for an experimental antihistamine drug called Nuvafed. The drug was just supposed to be harmless, but it caused a violent reaction in Delmar that killed him. Not wanting to admit the drug was a failure, Delmar’s body was dumped in a deserted field, where the body combined with the plants around him, bringing him back to life as a monster nicknamed Goldenrod.

Goldenrod went on a rampage to try to track down the people responsible for his transformation, but went up against the nuclear man himself, Firestorm. Goldenrod was made of plants and had the power to shoot concentrated pollen at his enemies, triggering fatal allergic reactions, and could also pollinate the area around him to grow plants that he could control. When he got out of control, Goldenrod realized he had gone too far and killed himself by dissolving into a cloud of pollen. A supervillain who kills with hay fever? Only in the comics.

BLACKBRIAR THORN

Created by Len Wein and Joe Kubert in 1984’s “DC Comics Presents” #66, Blackbriar Thorn was a Druid high priest whose sect was attacked by Roman soldiers. In order to escape, Thorn used his power to turn himself into wood so that he could hide in the forest. He intended to revert to normal upon being exposed to moonlight, but an earthquake buried him underground before that could happen. Thousands of years later, an archaeologist dug him up and put him on display in a Gotham City museum, where the moon’s light brought him back to life.

As a druid, Thorn has mystical power over the elements, able to cause wind and storms, even indoors. He also has power over plants, causing them to grow and move however he wanted, including the growth and shape of his own wooden body. Since his inception, Thorn has been a part of the DC Universe as one of the most powerful members of the magic community, often fighting heroes like the Justice League Dark, but also helping to stop the “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

LADY WEEDS

2013’s “Swamp Thing Annual” #2 by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz introduced the cruel and sadistic Lady Weeds. In the Victorian Era, Lady Weeds was an avatar of the Green, another dimension where all plant life is connected. It’s also the source of Swamp Thing’s power. Lady Weeds abused her power, though, deliberately causing the Great Potato Famine in Ireland that led to the deaths of millions, in order to convince the members of the Parliament of Trees (the Parliament helped other Green avatars like Swamp Thing) never to challenge her claim as an avatar of the Green.

Lady Weeds had all the power of Swamp Thing with none of the conscience. She could manipulate and control plants both within and outside of herself, was basically immortal as long as plants existed in the world, and could draw upon power from the Green to make herself superhumanly strong. She ended up becoming expelled from the Green and paralyzed, but reborn as an avatar of the Metal.

EL SEED

In 1992, the animated TV show “The Tick” aired “The Tick vs. El Seed,” written by Ben Edlund and Richard Liebmann-Smith with storyboards by Christopher McCulloch and Stuart Yellin. In the episode, the superhero Tick faced a humanoid flower turned revolutionary named El Seed. No one knows where El Seed came from before he went to school for agriculture, but in the process he developed a chemical “vitilizer” to make plants grow arms and legs, and rise up against humans.

El Seed wanted to raise an army of plant soldiers to overthrow humanity and have plants take over the world, and his chemical concoctions almost let him do it. He tended to avoid fighting himself, but had two female insectoids called the Bee Twins to do his dirty work for him. Fortunately, the Tick and Arthur managed to get the drop on him by infiltrating the plant army as “kernels.” El Seed should have branched out to helping people instead of overthrowing them.

TIMBERIUS

Timberius first appeared in “Incredible Hulk Annual” #1 in 1968, written by Gary Friedrich and penciled by Marie Severin. A member of the Inhumans, Black Bolt found him guilty of treason and banished Timberius to another dimension along with other rebels. When the Hulk was transported to their dimension, Timberius worked with Maximus the Mad to escape. They also tried to take over the Inhuman city of Attilan. As a member of Maximus’ guard, Timberius continued to wreak havoc as part of the leader’s mad schemes.

Like all Inhumans, Timberius was exposed to the Terrigen Mists, but the combination of plant DNA gave him a wooden appearance and control over plants. He can grow plant life and make it move, much like the other entries on this list, although he’s much more ambitious. Over the years, he’s fought the Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, but keeps on going.

FLORONIC MAN

Written by Gardner Fox and pencilers Gil Kane, 1962’s “Atom” #1 introduced Jason Woodrue as the Plant Master, who used inter-dimensional technology to grow plants in order to take over the world. However, an experimental formula later turned him into a plant humanoid and he changed his name to the Floronic Man. He later became a villain of Swamp Thing, and at one point, the Floronic Man even became a hero when he joined the Global Guardians who formed after the events of the “Millennium” storyline. However, he since went back to the side of evil.

Even as Woodrue, he was dangerous because of his knowledge of plants, but as the Floronic Man, Woodrue gained the ability to control and combine his body with plant life. His powers increased when he ate parts of Swamp Thing and connected with the Green, making him able to control plants all over the world. In the New 52 reboot, Woodrue became the Seeder, fighting Swamp Thing for the right to be the avatar of the Green.

POISON IVY

“Batman” #181 (1966), created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, introduced the supervillain Poison Ivy to the DC universe. Poison Ivy was a botanist injected with experimental poisons by Woodrue that transformed her into a toxic woman who could control plants. Obsessed with plant life over human beings, Poison Ivy became an eco-terrorist who fought, robbed and even killed in order to fund her attempts at destroying humanity and saving the natural world. That’s made her one of Batman’s deadliest enemies.

Poison Ivy can control plants, making them grow and move wherever and however she likes. She can also connect to plants with her mind, communicate with them over long distances and is immune to all forms of poisons and toxins. Poison Ivy herself is riddled with poisons, able to kill someone with a kiss alone, and can also produce pheromones to control people’s minds (particularly men). She tends to fall on the side of evil, but isn’t above working with Batman on the side of the heroes every now and then.

BUSHROOT

In the 1990s Disney superhero TV series “Darkwing Duck,” Darkwing fought a lot of weird villains, but one of the strangest was Reginald Bushroot. In the 1991 episode “Beauty and the Beet” (created by John Behnke, Rob Humphrey and Jim Peterson), we met the mild-mannered scientist named Reginald Bushroot who experimented on himself and became a half-duck, half-plant hybrid.

In his new form, Bushroot could control all plants around him, making them steal and fight for him. He’s also still a genius and uses his knowledge to breed new plants for different purposes. Though Bushroot has a lot of power, he’s not really a bad guy. He just wants to help the world and find love, even going so far as to try to create a female plant for companionship. He can also regrow parts of his body that are injured, making him immortal. He’s always a thorn in Darkwing Duck’s side.

KRAKOA

Written by Len Wein and penciled by Dave Cockrum, 1975’s “Giant Size X-Men” #1 introduced a new team of X-Men assembled from mutants around the world. Cyclops explained that they needed to find the original team of X-Men, who had gone missing on a remote island named Krakoa while looking for a powerful mutant. When they arrived on Krakoa, the new X-Men discovered that the island itself was the mutant they had been looking for.

When an atomic bomb had detonated near the island of Krakoa, the radiation caused the entire island to mutate into a single conscious entity. All the trees, flowers and plants on the island could work together to fight the X-Men and drain their life energy for Krakoa’s purposes. Though the story was later retconned to say Krakoa was just a hallucination caused by Xavier, it was one of the X-Men’s most bizarre adventures, fighting piles of rocks and tree branches trying to kill them.

SEQUOIA

Sequoia first appeared in “Fantastic Four” #325 (1988), written by Steve Englehart and penciled by Rich Buckler, as the result of years of plotting and development for the character Mantis. Created by Steve Englehart and Don Heck in “The Avengers” #112 (1973), Mantis is a half-Vietnamese martial artist who was raised by a sect of the alien Kree. She joined the Avengers, and began a journey to become the Celestial Madonna, a legendary woman prophesied to give birth to the most important being in the universe.

She finally mated with a Cotati tree in human form and gave birth to Sequoia, who has the power to absorb and control energy, using it to create energy beams and heal himself. Sequoia (who also goes by Quoi) also gained incredible psychic powers on the level of Thanos and can survive without food or air, thanks to his plant-based biology. He’s become one of the most powerful beings in the universe, which is pretty impressive for a tree.

PLANTMAN

Making his debut in “Strange Tales” #113 (1951, written by Stan Lee and Joe Carter with pencils by Dick Ayers), Samuel Smithers was an orphaned British botanist who become convinced that he could give intelligence to and communicate with plants. He invented a gun designed to bring plants to life called the “vege-ray,” and used it to become the supervillain Plantman. Over time, Plantman developed plant-based versions of himself called “simuloids,” which he used to do his bidding. Some of them have been programmed with his mental pattern to the point that they are essentially Plantman. Over time, his body mutated from exposure to the vege-ray energy, and allowed him to merge with the Earth’s biosphere.

Plantman can animate and control any form of plant life. In his simuloid form, Plantman has superhuman strength and resistance, as well as the ability to control and change form. He’s living proof that plants are out to get us.

MAN-THING

“Whatever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing.” That’s the slogan of one of the most powerful monsters in the Marvel Universe, who first appeared in 1971’s “Savage Tales” #1, created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow. Dr. Ted Sallis was a scientist working on a variation of Captain America’s super-soldier serum when he was attacked by thugs trying to get his formula. Sallis was hurt and injected himself with the serum in order to try to save himself, but instead mutated into a monster made from the swamp.

The Man-Thing is a terrifying creature, made even more fearsome by his powers. Man-Thing is superhumanly strong and fast, thanks to his huge plant-based body, and can heal and regenerate from any injury, but also has empathic powers that let him sense fear and evil intentions. Those emotions make him seek out the source, excrete an acidic compound, and burn whatever causes it. So if you see Man-Thing lumbering towards you in the middle of the night, try not to be scared…if that’s possible.

SWAMP THING

A scientist working in a swamp on a secret formula gets attacked and his own formula mutates him to become a plant-based monster. No, this isn’t a repeat of the last entry. This is Swamp Thing, created for DC in “House of Secrets” #92 (1971) and later rebooted in “Swamp Thing” #1 by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Whether Swamp Thing was developed independently of Man-Thing is a matter of debate, but the two characters diverged wildly after their origin.

Unlike Man-Thing, Swamp Thing retained his intelligence and identity as Alec Holland, living as an exile in the swamps of Louisiana. He has incredible strength and power in his vegetable form, and can grow himself into different shapes. He can also disassemble himself and create new bodies from any plant matter, allowing him to go anywhere and live forever, as well as control other plants that aren’t part of him.

Alan Moore’s run in the 1980s made him a more monstrous and philosophical character, questioning his existence and identity. It would later be revealed that he wasn’t actually Alec Holland turned into a swamp creature, but rather that he was the swamp itself transformed into thinking he was the scientist.

GROOT

Groot first appeared in 1960’s “Tales to Astonish” #13 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers as an alien plant monster who wanted to try to conquer the world. He’s obviously changed a lot since then, beginning in 2006 as a captive and later a member of Nick Fury’s Howling Commandos. From there, Groot joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and became a true hero.

Groot is made of a wood-like structure that allows him to change shape, growing and shrinking all or parts of his body at will. He can also change his body to become covered in thorns, perfectly smooth or any other texture in between. Whenever he’s damaged, he can grow himself back from any individual part, even able to survive being almost completely destroyed and growing back from just a twig to full sized, which he’s done several times. Though it seems like he’s a simpleton who can only say “I am Groot,” he’s actually very smart. He’s also extremely loyal, especially to his best buddy, Rocket Raccoon.

Which is your favorite plant-based character? Let us know in the comments!

The post Got Wood: 15 Plant-Based Comic Book Characters appeared first on CBR.com.

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