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thedo0zyslider · 3 months

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Sacrifice - 3k Words

Donnie was quick to notice his brothers quirks, all of them, but Leo's manner of self-deprecating behavior ends up getting filed away, because everything always turns out okay in the end. Until the Kraang show up.

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Over the years, Donnie ended up noting a lot of things about his dearest brothers. A natural byproduct of his analytical brain, of course. All four of them had their little quirks, some weirder than others, but quirks nonetheless. There was Raph’s rather obvious one of speaking in the third person, which had annoyed his younger self to no end. There was Mikey’s silly litter personas, who were always persistent but strangely helpful. Donatello himself even had his own quicks, ones his brothers would always be quick to point out.

And then there was one of Leo's quirks, one of his more concerning ones. He liked to joke about self sacrifice when the going got rough. Jokes of that manor, that self-hating humor were very common to hear from his twin, so much so that it was normal most of the time.

It was a more….concerning mannerism of Leo's, and Donnie always wondered if he should look into it. Try that feelings stuff Mikey is so big on. But the chance never came up, and the issue went slightly forgotten about for a while.

It was probably fine, and also entirely possibly one of their other siblings would mention it. He didn't know if Raph or Mikey noticed it, but surely they had! Surely they'd tried to talk to Leo about it! Donnie could already count three instances of said self-hating moments happening, ones where Leonardo basically told a villain to kill him instead of his brothers. Because that was perfectly normal behavior.

The first time was in the maze with that living minotaur statue. When Leo said he should take all the punishment because he cheated. Well, it probably wasn’t the first time, just the first time Donnie noticed. He had to wonder how many other times it had happened without any of them noticing. Though Donnie was sure to take note of it nearly every time after, now that he knew the jokes were even occurring.

Leo always acted as if these things were jokes when he made them, not meant to be taken seriously. If there was an sincerity behind it, the sentiment had probably been lost on Donatello and his..…lacking social and emotional conversation skills.

He cracked a joke similar to one of Leo’s own, the day they had gotten stuck in the sewers searching for Raph. They were just jokes, so it was surely okay for him to make a similar comment, surely. It didn’t seem like it was too impactful, so he’d made it and just moved on with his day.

Donnie had been trying to stay calm all day, the sudden change of plans having greatly upset him. So to avoid his whole mood being thrown off, he had acted as if nothing was wrong. It made him seem a little uncaring, and probably annoyed Leo to a certain degree; but it was better than one brother missing and another having a small breakdown at the same time.

Maybe that was what prompted him to make the joke, even if it was a little tasteless with hindsight. But still Leo had done nothing, other than give him an annoyed glance and move on with his day. Mikey, trying to regain his own sense of normalcy, similar to how Donnie was, had said nothing, and went ahead with the mission without any comment on it.

Leo makes the jokes two more times around all of them, in particularly dangerous situations too. And though he would like to, Donnie has only no real record of any other time the jokes were made, even when it was just the two of them. Maybe they were only made when the going got bad, he didn’t know. But boy did he want too.

The third time was on their beloved, yet tragically interrupted, little snow day. Leo had told that dastardly bear to take him, but a plan had been made instead. Like it always was. The fourth, and final time to Donnie’s knowledge, was when their weird fish-sister had worked with Splinter to teach them a lesson. But Leo was never in any real danger that time, so it didn’t register as a red flag. Or anything to be worried about ever, but hey, hindsight is twenty twenty. So the issue went slightly unforgotten once again, like it was always going to, because everything had turned out okay in the end. It always did.

Until the fight with the Kraang.

And here they were, both Donnie and Mikey being flung back in the air by a rather strong hit from the leader Kraang. With one snap, two of the four of them had been set hurtling away from the Technodrome, and their best shot at saving the whole world. Dammit. Though the alien's ship was heading back through the portal, they still needed to shove the leading Kraang and the rest of the army back though as well, a plan that was now thwarted by that stupidly cool suit the alien leader adorned.

Donnie turned in the air best he could, trying and failing to turn on his battle shell’s jetpacks. With how fast they were falling, he wasn't able to get a hold of the activation button. Or any of his shell’s activation buttons for the record, not just the one for the jetpack.

He cursed to himself, and decided to somehow turn his attention to Mikey while they fell. The fight had been pretty high in the air, leaving them with maybe a minute or less before they hit the ground. If his calculations were correct, that is, and hopefully they were. Not a lot of time to work with, but he'd worked with less before. This was fine, it was gonna be fine .

Donatello reached for his younger brother, both of them catching on falling debris in the air next to them. He let out a yelp of pain, arms still reaching for Mikey as god knows what hit and scraped him in the air. Not enough time, they were gonna fall and splat in the ground and both die to the Kraang, shit, shit, shit -

“Don't worry Donnie! This is not a hug, it's a rescue!” Raph’s voice suddenly filled the air, and before he knew it the oldest turtle had caught both of them in his mystic form. Donnie muffled a noise of surprise, not even caring how Raph’s arms wrapped around him. He appreciated the sentiment, but he would really rather a hug than falling to his untimely demise. So the rescue-hug gets a pass, especially because it was a very good barricade when the three of them finally did hit the ground below, and stopped him from going splat.

Raph’s mystic form vanished a few seconds after landing, leaving all three of them safely deposited in a large pile of rubble. Donnie lets out a groan, head and limbs still pounding with pain despite his rescue. Remind him to never fight aliens again. He sat up with a barely stifled grunt, looking around for his siblings. Mikey was beginning to stir himself, shaking a few loose debris away from his limbs. Raph sat in between them, a hand resting on his forehead in pain, and one of his eyes permanently shut. A nasty reminder of the day's previous events, one Donnie had to look away from after a few seconds.

“Where are we? Staten Island?” Raph asked, right as all three of them were taking in their surroundings. And it surely seemed like Staten Island to Donnie, judging by the shoreline's shape and the overall distance from edge to edge, that he could see anyways. Which, woohoo, Staten Island! Best piece of land to ever almost splat on! Not . A few feet away, Mikey made a face, and Donatello was glad to see that their condition didn’t affect any of the brothers' opinion of the island. That it was horrible.

“Oh gross.” He said, slowly but shakily getting to his feet. He needed to collect data fast, it would calm him down. And being panicked in the apocalypse isn’t a great idea per say. “So how would everyone rate that rescue experience? Unsatisfied? Very unsatisfied? Wish Donnie would have done it?” Though his brothers didn’t respond, Raph’s face one of stern unamusement and Mikey looking up at the sky in true horror, at the still receding ship. It seems they had noticed something Donnie hadn’t in his panic.

Unfortunately he couldn’t stay on his feet for long, and felt himself fall back to the ground before he realized what was happening. Either from the pain or what he was told next, Donatello didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out.

“Donnie,” Raph said, his voice more scared and broken than any of them had ever heard it; the sound breaking both his younger brothers in turn. “Leo's still up there.”

Donatello felt his stomach sink, and he quickly tore his gaze back up to the sky. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck . Leo was still up there with that….with that thing . His twin was still up there, all by himself, fighting that thing all by himself and probably getting destroyed. His brother was still up there, fighting to save the world, and Donnie had just left him alone to do it. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He tried to stand again, despite the pain, and a whole whirlwind of thoughts racing through his head. He was the smart one, the analytics guy, and he hadn’t noticed one of his brothers was missing!? Until it was pointed out to him, too!? He was the observant one, that was his whole job! What kind of brother , what kind of teammate , was he if he failed that!?

Before either of them could speak into their communicators, like they all so desperately wanted too, Leo’s voice came through first. The very first emotion was palpable relief, that he was alive and well enough to speak into the device. The second was fear, once the words finally processed in Donnie’s head.

“ Casey? Casey come in. ” Leo's voice was a little static-y over the communicator, but he sounded mostly okay. Maybe a little winded, but okay. For now anyways.

“Sensei, I'm here. And I've got eyes on the key. Just tell me when you're home free, and I'll pull the plug.” Cassy responded, also covered by a similar layer of static. Donnie would really need to fix up these things when they got home, that was for sure.

Leo’s voice came through again, calm and determined. “Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door”

Donnie felt his breath hitch and the words, his mix of guilt and whatever else had formed dissipating quickly. Instead it was replaced by a ball of fear, fear that spread across his whole body and felt strong enough to leave him paralyzed. He could hardly believe it, that Leo was seriously about to sacrifice himself. But unfortunately there was no time to process the words before they were already happening. Casey was also shocked, his next response coming out in a gasp. Beside Donnie, Raph said nothing, just stared down at his wrist in horror. Mikey simply made a muffled sound of what had to be terror.. “What? Sensei, no!”

“Casey, it's the only way. He's too strong. He's not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there.” Leo huffed, sounding like he had just taken another hit. Oh god, he was still up there fighting, while trying to save them all too.

“There has to be another way!” Casey’s voice was full of desperation, unwilling to lose his mentor a second time. And everything in Donnie’s soul was mirroring that feeling. He was not willing to lose his brother, if only he had stayed up there, or gotten Leo out with them…

“We tried everything, Case. This is the only way.” Donnie stared down at his wrist band hopelessly, trying to think of any way to stop this, to change Leo’s plans. There just had to be another way, there just had to be. There was never usually one possible outcome to a situation, not in his world. Donatello ran through all the options in his head faster than he thinks he ever has, desperate to find one thing they didn't try. Maybe the Kraang had a weakness they didn’t know, or had forgotten about. Maybe they could-

Raph’s voice cut into his panicked thoughts, now pleading into the communicator like he never pleaded before. “Leo! Please don’t do this! Leo!”

Leo chuckled, dry and humorless as his final response to his brothers. “You're one to talk, big bro. Hero moves are totally your style.” The communicator fell silent, just as the Kraang leader began to say something, and presumably to attack Donnie’s brother again. The bastard.

Donatello had continued to run through options in his head, barely paying that exchange any mind. And, for once, Leo was right. They had no other options. Leo was right instead of Donnie. And if his brother's life wasn’t in danger, Donnie would be frustrated that he was right in the end. Leo would love that Donnie had been wrong for once, and for the second time today too. His brother would’ve gloated about it and been smug for the next week, reminding Donnie of those two times he’d been wrong whenever he got something right, which was ninety-nine percent of the time.

Donnie was pulled out of his thoughts by Casey’s voice, and turned his attention back to his communicator once again. “Leo, please! I can't lose you again.”

Again. The words hit Donnie like a train. He was losing his brother, Raph and Mikey and April were losing a brother, Splinter was losing a son., and Casey was losing his mentor and father figure for the second time. “ Hey, future me would be real proud of you. I'm proud of you” Donnie wanted to say something, anything as he listened to the exchange, but couldn’t force his mouth to move. Even if it wasn’t really his moment, he wanted to say some last words to his twin. But his tongue tragically remained locked in place.

“Weak words, weak actions. I have forever known what you fail to understand. Strength always prevails.” Donnie’s heart sank in fear all over again as the voice of the leading Kraang could be heard. The creature that tried to kill him, tried to kill his brothers, and it was still up there with one of them. The alien that was trying to kill Leo right then and now, and Donnie wanted to do nothing but tear it limb from limb just at the mere thought of it.

“What you fail to understand is I missed on purpose” Leo remarked, sounding so cocky and sure of himself like he always did. He was the face man, after all. His voice was then directed back at the communicator, urgent. “Casey, close the portal now!”

“ What!?” The Kraang leader snarled, rage barely contained in his voice.The fight was still going on, but the communicator’s sound had gotten more broken up. Meaning the two of them had probably entered the prison dimension already, and it was too late to save Leonardo.

“No! Let go of me!” The Kraang snapped. Donnie had to wonder if the beast had realized what was happening, and was now being held back. Not like he would ever know, but still, a turtle could wonder in his newfound grief.

“Casey, please!” Leo begged, sounding more desperate than he ever had before. Almost like he was pleading, like he wanted this . And the rest of them could only guess that Casey listened, because there was no further response from either side..

That was the last thing Donnie heard before the communicator cut off, and his twin went into the portal forever. He looked up at the sky, and despite it being the logical outcome, watched in dismay as the technodrome went through into the Prison Dimension, and the portal closed, taking his brother with it. He looked at the sky and wished for his twin back so badly, regretting all those stupid little jokes he made before about just this. Even if they seemed so small back then, and now compared to the pain.

Donnie felt everything go numb, like the world had stopped moving just for them. He looked at Raph, part of him hoping to find some sort of comfort from the eldest like he so often did, like he always did when things had gone wrong before today. But Raph already had tears in his eyes, and was crouched on the ground with his fists balled tightly. Mikey was standing to Donnie’s right, seemingly despondent.

Donnie just stared at where the portal had been, not really seeing anything. He felt part of his soul, his very being, was taken through that portal with his brother. Leonardo was gone. He was too late, he couldn't protect his family and keep them safe with his tech and genius mind and Leo was gone. His twin, his other half, was taken away just like that. And he’d gone in willingly, too. Like he had wanted to die.

Donnie blinked a few times, feeling something warm and wet sliding down his cheek. He brought a hand to his face, and stared down numbly at the liquid on his fingers when he pulled it away. Oh . He was crying.

He hadn't cried in years.

And next thing, before he knew it, Mikey was making a damn mystic portal. He was crying his little eyes out, but he was making a portal. He was trying to save Leo, even though their brother should be dead. Mikey shouted something about not giving up on Leo, or any of his family, and strained his powers further. His hands and arms were cracking with dealy, golden light, yet he still made that portal.

Donnie grabbed onto one of Mikey’s shoulders without even thinking, while Raph held onto the other. They both said something, something that was in lost in the moment, and lended their brother the aid he needed.

And by golly it worked .

Leo came through the portal, landing in a heap on top of Mikey, and the portal was closed right in Kraang Primes's stupid ugly face . All four of them flew back a bit from the force of the closing portal, Leo right in the middle of them. He was beaten up pretty bad, but breathing. And that was all that mattered. He probably needed an ungodly amount of medical attention very quickly, but he didn’t die. He was still alive. And that was all that mattered.

Upon seeing his brother was alive, a lot of things lifted off Donnie’s shoulders. Some he didn't even know he'd been carrying. Grief, guilt, anger, and a whole bunch of other things in between. The confusing ball of feelings unknotted themselves, and Donatello thought he would have to hold back more tears.

Leo groaned, lifting his head up. Already, not even five minutes after being saved, there was a stupid grin on his face. “Ew, are we on Staten Island?” He said, head falling back against the ground nearly as fast as he had raised it. None of them could help the giggle that escaped them, and Raph couldn’t resist pulling all three of his brothers into a spine crushing hug.

Donnie huffed, feeling Leo’s presence next to him as they were squashed together in Raph’s arms. He was badly hurt and probably bleeding all over them, but he was alive. And nearly losing him had been the worst feeling ever, Donnie never wanted to feel like that again.

So yeah, no more self sacrifice jokes ever, ever again. Not from either of them.

#last rottmnt fic for a while #I do plan more writing more of them one day!!!#rise of the turtles #rise of the tmnt #rise leo #rise casey #rise donnie #rise mikey #rise raph #rottmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt raph #rottmnt movie #rise of the tmnt movie #ron.fic #ron.writing

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throwingbread · 3 months

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10 fic for International Fanworks Day. Here are some fics from my bookmarks that need more love, in no particular order.

Those Who Come Closest (30325 words) by dagas isa Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: Final Fantasy X Summary: How do ordinary people become Fayth? It takes a certain amount of desire, dedication and desperation. These are their stories. Propaganda: You want worldbuilding? This fic has got worldbuilding out the wazoo.

Apprentice of the Beast (1651 words) by JetBlackKobold Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Summary: On their journey to the Disk of Cauthess, five men stop to rest and, bound in each other's company, talk a little. Ardyn is a strange man with a fondness for old stories, poems, songs, and rhymes. With a little prompting, he shares a story about a Beast and a Soldier whose good intentions are corrupted by power. Propaganda: Backstory, in Ardyn’s own words.

The Endlings (664 words) by TheBrightestNight Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics) Summary: end∙ling /εndlŋg/ n 1 the last known individual of a species or subspecies. Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct. Propaganda: Extinct animal feels.

at the last trumpet (9830 words) by liesmyth Fandom: The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir Summary: the line of the Tomb-keepers demands an heir, no matter the cost. Featuring a small-scale genocide, the breakdown of a marriage, an angry ghost of the MILF persuasion, and a normal amount of bones. Propaganda: Yes more worldbuilding. Glorious cursed necromantic worldbuilding.

freedom so liberating that we call it magic (2566 words) by EtchJetty, FlaringK Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Summary: People don’t talk about Sheik that much. It must have been hell for Zelda, to pretend to be a gender she wasn’t. Especially if she had done it before. (or: what if zelda was a girl?

Propaganda: TRANS GIRL ZELDA

setting sail, coming home (5989 words) by beaufort12 Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018) Summary: In which Zagreus escapes the underworld, keeps running, and never looks back. Propaganda: Shameless fix-it fic.

The Moonstone (21266 words) by Vriah, gisho Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022)

Summary: Morpheus finds a way to avoid killing a vortex - he gives Rose his own heart, forcing her to take his place as Dream. The new Dream has to deal with a life she never expected and try not to repeat her predessor's mistakes. In the waking world, the people she left behind grieve and wonder. And when Roses's little brother Jed is offered the chance to switch from superhero to questing knight, with some help from an old friend, he leaps at the opportunity. Propaganda: My boy Jed!

Lampshades on Fire (5739 words) by ostreatus, stellarators Fandom: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Summary: Or, How Dr. Olivia Octavius Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Morally Unambiguous Nature of her Violent Actions. Summary A review of the scientist-to-supervillian pipeline, based on a longitudinal case study.

Propaganda: The villain origin story we were so cruelly deprived of in canon.

built a lot of castles (12055 words) by basketofnovas Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Summary: In the eighties, Quynh is rescued by a marine archaeologist, and finds herself in an alien world with no easy way to contact Andromache - or even know she's alive. Propaganda: In which Quynh receives some much-needed comfort in the form of random human kindness.

Inferno Seized (14726 words) by MuseofWriting Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018)Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus ( Hades Video Game) Summary: The monster went to Tartarus. The hero went to Elysium. Or, depending which storytellers you asked, and which songs you heard, maybe the Underworld got it backwards. Or maybe neither of them were monsters or heroes. Maybe they were just imperfect beings, tied together, messily, terribly, inescapably. This is the story of how they found each other. Propaganda: Look its the most eloquent Minotaur/Theseus fic I’ve ever seen.

#fic recs #IFD2024 #Final Fantasy X #Final Fantasy XV #The Sandman #The Locked Tomb #The Legend of Zelda #Hades Supergiant #spider man: into the spider verse #The Old Guard

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thecoddaughter · 9 months

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TLT: The Musical (QSMP Edition)

So I was driving two weeks ago and listening to the album, thinking of the eggs. Then this week I found an animatic that I link later that finally made me make this post.

ALBUM BREAKDOWN BELOW THE BREAK <3

Prologue - All the eggs about Mama Dragon

The Day I Got Expelled - Dapper

“It mostly gets you killed in very nasty ways,” this kid has a lot of close calls and 2 nightmares.

Strong - BadBoyHalo & Dapper

I don’t want to just call Dapper Percy but then I relistened to this song. It is Skeppy-core. “Blue food isn't normal, blue food is strange and that's why it's my favorite. I never want to change. To make it boring orange or green. Why be blah? When there's aquamarine?”

The Minotaur/The Weirdest Dream - Chayanne’s Nightmare vibes…

Another Terrible Day - Teacher Quackity

“So don't expect me to be happy to see you. Of course, being alive is temporary” Selina: Forever Katie: Tallulah

Their Sign -

Percy: Tallulah - “The guy didn't need to be "Dad of the Year" but it's clear he could've shown us a sign” Chiron: BadBoyHalo - Vague yet philosophical is his whole shtick Luke: Chayanne - oldest sibling core, “When parents are distant or seem non-existent; Hang on, 'cause you're gonna be fine.” Put You In Your Place - Clarisse: Chayanne, server’s known protector (dad Philza) Annabeth: Pomme, servers most underestimated warrior (dads Etoiles & BadBoyHalo)

Campfire Song -

Luke: Chayanne, eldest egg - “I'd wait by the phone, but the phone never rings” Percy: Pomme, youngest egg - “I hope he shows even a trace 'cause I got some choice words to throw in his face!” Annabeth: Leo - “She's sworn off gluten and she's sworn off guys… my dad works all day so I left Virginia and I ran away” Katie: Dapper - “She gets excited when it starts to rain but planting and planting and planting's a pain.” (I know he likes the farm, shhhhh) Grover: Tallulah - “He went for a hike to explore new frontiers and no one has seen him for thousands of years” Chiron: JuanaFlippa (ghost) - “My father is Kronos… Remember my lecture… He ate his children” Selina: Richarylson - “The goddess of love, my mom's Aphrodite. She tries to be cool but mainly she's flighty.”

The Oracle - Angel and Foolish

“You shall find what was stolen and see it restored… You shall be betrayed by one who calls you friend… And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end”

Good Kid - Richarylson

This poor kid is cursed with disappearing parents who feels its somehow his fault. “Gabe was a world-class jerk. Dad was never there. The only family that really mattered? Well, she vanished into the air and now I finally find a haven. Someplace safe, where I can stay 'till it's "Pack your bags, Percy! Now go, go away!"

Killer Quest -

Percy: Richarylson - “I'm leaving now, I better pack; Hades took my mom, I'm taking her back” Grover: Dapper - “You're my best friend, dude, so don't get mad but I suspect you'll need protecting when things get bad” Annabeth: Pomme - “Five long years stuck at camp underneath Athena's locked down clamp, been waiting for my chance to prove I'm champ!”

Lost! - (go watch the amazing animatic to this song by MeapleTea that I talked about yesterday)

Percy: Tallulah Annabeth: Chayanne Grover: Ramon? (idk, i was trying to think about who they hang out with the most and i’ve seen a few clips of Phil and Fit recently, the wiki about eggs is outdated and i’m not up to date yet)

My Grand Plan - Pomme

“I've always been a tough girl. Always been the one not to run from a fight. Always been a tough girl 'cause most girls never win if they're polite” “Someone will notice me”

Drive - Bobby’s Dungeon :(

Jaiden: “Yo, guys, are you aware we keep surviving every creepy crazy thing” Weather changes: “As you can see, Bob, we've got thunder and flooding and hurricane-level winds. We urge all citizens to stay off the road…” Is Ares Cucurucho??

Weirdest Dream (reprise) - Dapper’s Nightmare vibes…

Tree On The Hill - BadBoyHalo (Alternatively Slime about Tilin)

If Pomme ever asked him about JuannaFlippa. He wanted to take her away from harm so badly. “There's a tree on the hill, up on Half-Blood Hill, that watches over us… Silent and still” “And there on the hill, up on Half-Blood Hill. A cold wind blew, dark and chill. For nothing would slake its wrathful will, we had to make a stand. And maybe if I'd been a little bit braver! Maybe if I'd stayed behind to fight! But "maybe" doesn't let me go back and save her! "Maybe" doesn't make it alright!” “And it's there reminding me of all I failed to be the tree on the hill”

D.O.A - Federation

Reviving eggs: “From heroes to half-bloods, with their pitiful tears thinkin' that they'll save a loved one from below” About working for Fed: “Down here you're D.O.A. and you're here to stay. Yeah, you're stuck forever. Never get away. No hope of survival.” To the Order: “You ain't ever gonna save what matters. You ain't gonna protect your friends. You ain't ever gonna be remembered.”

Son of Poseidon - Leo

IDK Foolish is part shark… Also gives triplet vibes, “We'll take him down, we work well in three.”

Last Day of Summer -

Maxo: “What do you do when the quest has ended? What do you do when the battle's won? So many questions left unanswered. So many things still left undone.” BadBoyHalo: “Do I stay because it's safer? Back to the home I left behind? I could stay and train for a piece of the action but what about peace of mind?” Baghera: “Ugh! What's my deal? Why do I feel there's something left I still need to find?” Pac & Mike: “I thought when I finished my quest, everything would make sense. But it doesn't. It's the last day of summer, but I don't feel like anything's over.” Cellbit: “I get it. My quest was supposed to be the biggest thing in my life. I came back changed. But the rest of camp was exactly the same.” Foolish: “They won't bother to show their face. It's time to make the world our own. Time someone put them in their place.” Forever: “Ares thought we were starting a war between the gods, but it was bigger than that. It's about wiping them out - and taking our turn.” Jaiden: “I've been here since I was a kid. I did everything they ever asked, yeah I did and for what? So I'll do anything.I don't care if I hurt anyone. It doesn't pay to be a good kid.” Etoiles: “The gods were never on our side, so I think it's time we watch them fall and soon you'll see what I did. Soon they'll be no gods at all!”

Bring on the Monsters - Etoiles, Baghera, & Pomme (and the other eggs)

#qsmp #qsmp as songs #qsmp as pjo #qsmp pjo au #qsmpblr #qsmp eggs #i aint tagging anyone else that's too much work

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firefurious · 3 months

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in relation to what we were just talking about , but . how does grace cope with all the bullshit that happens to her in the week the game takes place in ? can she sleep ? does she cry or have any sort of breakdown privately ? or does she sort of just . not let herself stop and think about the trial ( yet at the same time be motivated by it ) and all these petty and spiteful fucks getting in her way ?

for the most part, grace is just pushing through and not letting herself stop. i think she knows there's literally no time for it; she can't give herself the luxury to process everything that's happening to her because each moment wasted on that is a moment less to figure out what happened and prove her innocence.

which means she gets terribly stressed out whenever whoever is helping her tells her to just wait. not only it's time she feels she could be using to act, waiting is when everything threatens to catch up to her and she can't stop. she doesn't wanna risk not being able to pick herself up again.

she sleeps very little, and mostly only because the stress and exhaustion of everything happening in such a short time just knocks her out eventually (i know apollo wanted her to rest but consider: she can't relax). i feel for the most part grace is either acting or considering what to do next. i could say preparing but honestly people keep her in the dark about what she's supposed to do next so often that the most she can prepare is like. preparing herself to face anything jsdnfakjsnd

and so she does! going to a club and facing down a goddess in a song battle? sure. going to the reliquary to find the minotaur? okay. going to a party no one wants to tell her anything about and adapting as she learns? will do. there's no other choice. so she just faces whatever bullshit people throw at her the best she can (as she says in my favorite reply to athena after it's determined there will be a trial, and the one reply i'd keep as canon for my blog: okay, it's unfair but it is what it is. she'll do her best. it's all she can do).

i think the only breakdown she has is very visible and it happens when freddie dies. it's also the one moment i feel she'd falter because to her, her life isn't worth more than freddie's. there's this dialogue option where she says 'it should've been me' that i feel is very fitting with how she'd feel about it. and at least with apollo, his reply ends with something like 'freddie gave you a chance' — that honestly is something i feel would lead her to keep pushing through. freddie died to give her a chance. she won't squander that opportunity, no matter how much she wishes things had been different. it's the least she can do when it's what freddie would've wanted her to do.

other than that, no, she never stops to cry or despair or breakdown even in private. all her energy is dedicated to keep going, no matter what happens. people around her might forget her life is on the line, but she doesn't. they might act like there is time, but she can't, she knows there isn't. it's definitely not stopping to think about it while keeping it as a motivator; a very serious threat that keeps her going but that she won't examine too closely so she won't breakdown.

after the trial, it'd probably take days for the sense of impending danger and the adrenaline and anxiety of being Constantly dealing with something to finally fade. and when it did... well.. that's when i think she'd really start to process it. to cry and feel the weight of it full force and be happy she's alive and be angry she had to go through all that and be devastated about freddie's loss. even then, i'd consider everything that happened pretty traumatic, from calliope dying in her arms to being sentenced to death to having a week to prove her innocence and everything that happens there. it's not like she'd get over it fast. it wouldn't stop haunting her soon after it was done. she can't just forget about it.

she'd definitely be on guard and have trouble sleeping, and i think the restlessness also lingers. i think her keeping herself so busy after the trial is also a means to cope; still not letting herself stop for too long or think too hard about what happened. hoping given time it'll be distant enough she won't have trouble with it anymore.

#we were playing today and some of the dialogue really just. cemented to me she's just on #'have to keep going my life literally depends on it' mode #i don't think she'd stop and take a breath even once the whole week #and i think she only sleeps when she. can't stay awake anymore #also after freddie's death before you talk to apollo/persephone grace is sitting on the couch #just staring at the table where freddie's hat is #and the camera even does this thing to show her view and how unfocused it becomes and i just #think she'd have been like that for a while #that after freddie dies she seriously has a moment of 'what's even the point of this my best friend died bc of me'#and that it's the only moment she really falters and lets things catch up to her a little #but mostly it's just freddie's death that is so. overwhelming and fills her with so much grief and sorrow and guilt she's #close to giving up before being convinced this isn't what freddie wanted #i'm rambling #DSFIASDFJASIDJF #thanks for the ask mars #mwah #* grace: study.

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mytrouvailles · 2 years

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ROTTMNT SPOILERS I WONT EVER GET OVER THIS OK LETS GO

so as a fan of tmnt 2003, 2012, the 2007 movie and rise i have a TON of analysis to get off my chest about the dynamic of these turtles in the rise movie. and first off is leo and raph ofc.

first off in the past versions (especially 2007), leo and raph always seem to be going at it because of some “leader/soldier” vibe going on between them. raph never liked being bossed around, leo was always a sensei’s pet, etc. raphael’s anger has a history of being unnecessary, and leonardo’s responses never helped the situation either, he refuses to admit he’s wrong in some cases. see 2007’s rooftop argument, literally the whole thing lol

rise 100% changes this dynamic from the beginning and i LOVE it! first we’ve got no leader leo, just some goofy 14yr old boy who throws out one-liners in the middle of battle (other leos actually do this too, but their overall demeanors are way more, let’s say pensive, having to deal with their brothers’ lives on their shoulders and the responsibility of leader). the statement that rise leo is basically other leos if they had 0 responsibilities is 100% valid.

so in rise we’ve got a leader in raphael! which i honestly thought was a nice take when i first watched the show in 2018, why not give the famous hothead a crack at being leader? only this time he is also the oldest, the strongest, and has actually controlled (or really never had) his temper. there’s a lot of maturity there that we really haven’t seen in other raphs before and i ATE. IT. UP. but, raph is still a teenager, a teenager who cracks under pressure and believes the entire world falls on his shoulders. he became more of a self-declared leader, as the oldest and biggest, and the others had no problem with it. he carries the weight of leader because he feels that he HAS to, he has to own up to all of this responsibility in order to become his own image of an ideal hero, who does good simply because he can. see Pizza Puffs, you know Red Angel Of Preventing Harm? yeah this guy LOVES being needed by people, going on 100% of their missions and all.

we see the more serious side of leadership in raphael near the end of s2. throughout the series, there were noticeable times that the others (normally leo) would step up as a leader, give raph a break, and save the day with some motivation and a wacky plan that ended up working. see Origami Tsunami. however by the end of the series, we see raphael’s breakdown, his fear of failing his family, and it is here when he realizes that he must trust his family the way they trust him, and allow the team to work equally and carry each other.

then immediately after that we get leader leo! if there’s one thing i wish would’ve been handled better, it’s definitely the pacing to get to splinter’s decision to appoint leo as leader. BUT i do get that the rise crew had to work with what they were given, and honestly it could’ve been done worse so no complaints here.

leo and raph (like in every version) are opposites in many ways. rise raph’s mindset pushes him to do good because he can, and he has a desire to be needed by others and help them in any way he can. he is a caring mother-hen to his brothers, who he just wants to be able to take of themselves when needed. see Hot Soup: The Game and Pizza Puffs.

on the other hand, leonardo is most concerned with his image, whether he’s the best at what he does or not, and has a desire for people to want him. this taps into his insecurities shown throughout the series. see Portal Jacked! and Minotaur Maze. even in the movie, he admits to casey that while he thought his brothers needed him, the reality is that he needs his brothers. leonardo constantly tries to prove his worth to himself, to prove that he is a champion among his brothers. this obsession (more so in the movie) leaves him lacking in team cooperation, but like raph, believing that he must do everything himself. but this is the exact moment when the difference between leader raph and leader leo come out, while raph felt a sense of responsibility and duty to carry everything on his own, leo did so simply in order to prove that he could. he shows the confidence in himself to do things the way he wants, but fails to put that into play when it comes to cooperating with his brothers.

one thing that i love about the movie is that raphael’s anger never originated from any form of resentment or hate for his brother for taking his position. raph was noticing a dangerous pattern in leo’s behavior, one that he believed would harm himself and his brothers, and he was solely focused on getting leonardo to understand that he must take responsibility for his actions. it’s a very familial type of anger, one that comes from worry and love. leo’s response was pretty nonchalant, reading a comic book while raph was trying to talk to him and all. this attitude stuck with him until his talk with casey, who criticized him for acting as arrogant as he was, implying that leonardo was nothing like his future self. and then you know what went down, when he had to fight raph, with donnie and mikey captured in the background. seeing his brothers in the state that they were in was his turning point, he realized that being the leader doesn’t make everything about him, but rather makes it more about what he can do to make sure that they all make it home.

by the end of the movie, it’s obvious that leo’s sacrifice wasn’t made in an attempt for glory (see Minotaur Maze). leo spent the entire movie holding that one photo of his family, at the end he was smiling at it, crumpled in his hand, as krang pounded him into the ground. leo knew that his sacrifice meant that his brothers were safe, and at the end of it all, that’s all he wanted.

#this is just one big blob straight from my prefrontal cortex #i will not be getting over this ever #i pulled an all nighter because of this #I MADE A TUMBLR PAGE BECAUSE OF THIS #but yes anyway live laugh love rottmnt go watch the movie #rottmnt #rottmnt movie #rottmnt movie spoilers #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt leo #rottmnt raph #tmnt 2018

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theliterarywolf · 2 years

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NTR being the acryonym for both netori and netorare can get confusing huh since whlle they are both conjugated from the same verb compound they are very different things. torare being where the story is told from the perspective of a usually sympathetic protag getting cucked whereas tori is from the perspective of the cucker. Side note I actually actively enjoy the subsection of netori where the cuck deserves it especially when there's feels involved

Anonymous asked:

Also I rather enjoy cuckoldry plots where the cuck is an enthusiastic participant in the process though I don't think that qualifies as NTR since there's no taking, the toru in netoru, involved

Huh, the more you know. Usually I have to wait for Zone-tan to come out with an Ecchi-Cation video for a breakdown of hentai terminology like this.

I think I've only seen one hentai where the cuckold was an enthusiastic participant and even then it was more like 'oh... looks like my beautiful wife is getting it from someone else... Good for her'

Personally, while NTR isn't my favorite hentai tag (though, honestly, I'm not sure what my overall favorite would be since the things I like seeing in hentai kind of transcend tags sometimes), I would be lying if I said it doesn't have that good bit of spice you want to see every once in a while. But, like you, I'm more of a fan of when the cuckold had it coming through their own hubris.

On your side-note there, though... The teratophile had some thoughts. Light (?) NSFW under the cut.

Ideal scenario/set-up: Have a douchebag, monster-hating knight constantly trying to bogart his way into the affections of the resident royal/monk (they could be a prince/princess, a priest/priestess; whatever have you) with said royal/monk constantly (though still gently) rejecting their attention and, instead, opting to do charity-work in the nearby monster settlement every evening. After a while of getting rejected, however, the knight decides to try and ambush the royal/monk and coerce them into being with him.

However, after sneaking after the royal/monk and hiding just out of sight, the knight gets to see the real nature of the royal/monk's charity-work: we're talking full-on Kuroinu-style monster-human, messy gangbang shenanigans. We're talking orcs, minotaurs, werewolves, some tentacle-monsters in there for good measure. Though, unlike Kuroinu, this would technically be consensual. But, yeah, you have the knight being shocked and horrified at the royal/monk getting done on all sides, given the good ol' Banana-Slamma special with cream-pie on the side. But, of course, getting a bit turned on by the proceedings.

Of course, the following morning the knight tries to confront the royal/monk about it, but the royal/monk plays embarassed and oblivious to it. Not only that, but after a few evenings of the knight sneaking after the royal/monk, the knight begins to notice how some of the monsters he fights begin jeering him about his 'night-time habits' and even making jokes about his lusting after the royal/monk.

The whole thing would end with one evening, the knight determined to 'save' the royal/monk, the knight gets ambushed by monsters and tied up; forced to watch the royal/monk get ruthlessly railed. All the while the royal/monk tossing aside all decorum and talking about how much they love having sex with monsters and how the knight with his tiny prick could never compare, all the good NTR-quotes.

I know some hentai manga have come close to this set-up, but I can't recall any hentai animations (with decent animation-quality, there's the caveat) that follow this kind of set-up. Oh well.

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sun-stormz · 3 years

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Dream SMP - Long theory and breakdown

So, as we know, yesterday’s stream was a lot.

Disclamer: the dream smp is a roleplay server, most interactions and all conflict are acting and scripted.

After catching up on some of the other streams, I have come up with some theories.

1) The big heartbreak of yesterdays event: Tubbo going to visit tommy and thinking he lost his last life. Now, Since the two are very close and Tubbo now thinks hes dead, I’m pretty sure there is going to be a funeral in L’manburg. Now the thing here is that both ranboo and Philza know where Tommy actually is and that he’s alive, but both would get in a lot of trouble if they say they know where he is. Ranboo part of the the butcher army, and if Quackity even hears a hit of the fact that he was at technos, it’s going to end badly. Philza is in house arrest and would get in a lot of trouble if he were caught leaving. So, either tommy shows face or he will be presumed dead. The later is way more likely due to the Theseus parallel. In the story of theseus, his father thinks he died trying to fight the minotaur due to a small mistake made by the crew of the boat they where on and jumps off a cliff, ending his life. Now in the parallel, Tubbo went to visit tommy and due to the explosions and Pillar thinks Tommy took his life.

I don’t think tubbo will have the same fate as Theseus’ father, but he will definitely be way less active as president or just become cold.

2) Philza is going to act as a spy/ link to L’manburg for Tommy and Techno. After the attempted execution of Techno, which was held right in front of Philzas house, he has lost all respect and trust in L’manburg, even telling Fundy, his grandson, that he’s dead to him. Not many will trust Philza but I think they will grow warm to him again and he will use that to help his sons. Philza is very protective of his sons and will sacrifice a lot to make sure they are safe. What leads me to my next point.

3) Techno might go mad like Wilbur. After having tried to reason with the butcher army that he just wants retirement and failing, he chose blood. He gave in to the voices, the only thing stopping him from killing all of the butcher army being Quackity, who threatened Carl. We know now that the only two confirmed things that will make Techno stop is Carl and philza. I believe that he would do anything to protect Wilbur if he was seriously threatend but Wilbur being a Ghost make it hard to actually harm him. I also think that he will protect Tommy with his life. It may not seem like it but small things like not hitting him with a weapon unless he had eaten a Gapple. He was very loud and indifferent to Tommy apon finding him, but he didn’t kill him, he protected him from mobs and offered to help him. They are brothers after all, and in the end of the day the do care about each other, indifferent? yes but they still care and the small gestures make that clear. I think that techno will either see one of those he cares for get hurt or killed and just lose it or his family will keep him grounded enough to not greet complete insanity with open arms.

4) Quackity will become a worse Schlatt. Now I don’t think that Schlatt possessed him when he ate that heart, but it started the same power greed disease schlatt had. Dream telling him ‘don’t try’ made him fall over the edge. But I believe that is exactly what dream wanted. As we know dream is a big fan of chaos, because where there is chaos and fight, he can stand on top. Quackity falling into power greed fuled insanity makes him easy to play with. He isn’t the president of L’manburg but talks about it like its his. When he lost a canon life to techno, he said he didn’t care about what techno did in the past, what he cares about is that techno can threaten his power and that’s why hes on the hit list. Quackity is causing Chaos, the exact chaos dream wants. I’m not sure if its said anywhere but im sure Quackity was the one to evict Ghostbur from the sewers. Hes doing and saying things without running them by Tubbo and Tubbo is being played a fool, now especially after he thinks Tommy is dead, he will be easy to manipulate.

5) Ranboo plays a bigger role then meets the eye. He has all of technos stuff as far as I’m informed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was Dreams spy. Ranboo is in everyones backpocket. He talks with everyone and knows everyone. Ranboo is half enderman and the other half is unknown, there has been hints that his crown has lore, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason why he feared Dream so much was because dream was using something we don’t know against him, on top of the fact the dream is, matter of fact, rather intimidating.

6) The Prison. Now the Prison is a big one. No one knows who it’s for, but I think its for the people that can threaten dream / the people he can’t control aka Techno & Tommy. Tommy is an obvious one considering the whole disks ordeal and that Tommy has never bent to Dreams will. Techno is one of the only people that can actually go up against Dream and possibly come out on top. Now thanks to one of Ranboos Streams we know that the prison has like 6-8 Cells as of right now. I don’t think Sam would build unnecessary stuff in an already extreme build. I’m rather unsure of my own theory of Techno and Tommy, but I’m very confident with it being for multiple people. That being said, it could very well be that it backfires, and dream ends up in it

Final thoughts?

I think Tommy will see through Dreams plan to make everyone go against everyone. He is good at getting people together and I think he will be able to do it again, he just needs to realize that that is what he needs to do. After now teaming with Techno he might even understand that if they want peace, they will need to have no government or at least a system Techno agrees with cause that man has at least 25 withers on hand and that is a threat.

I hope most of them will realise that the sole problem will and always will be Dreama and Greed for power over the people, what again plays into the Techno thing. If the SMP has a good ending before the likely reset for the cave update, I hope that they realise the threat to peace is Dream and Governments. I hope that Quackity regains his sanity and I hope everyone can be happy.

Worst case scenario? Techno releases all withers he has, and the server goes out with a bang, I’d be ok with that one too.

If you made it to the end, congratulations! This has 1250 words, so I’m impressed, have this derpy Techno gif i found as reward. Do leave your opinion in the comments I would love to talk with people I know no one that watches the SMP. ;-;

p.s: ive have been fighting the urge to write this the entire day while at school, oh its good to have this written down

#dream smp #dreamwastaken #technoblade #wilbur soot #ghost wilbur #quackity #tommyinnit #Tubbo #philza #ranboo #Mcyt #mcyt shitpost #minecraft

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ratcarney · 5 years

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doubt comes in: a complete analysis

first of all, for all intents and purposes, london!orpheus has no rights, and here’s why:

london!orpheus has a self-assured confidence to him. he does not pause before dialogue—he does not need to. “come home with me” is driven solely by confidence that eurydice will definitely, 100% fall for him. hermes mentions that “eurydice knew how to survive,” but “orpheus knew how to live.” orpheus’s drop-to-his-knees, spur-of-the-moment, pseudo-proposal has lively arrogance behind it.

broadway!orpheus, however, is the exact opposite. he is constantly driven by dreaminess and a perpetual, underlying anxiety. there is absolutely no arrogance whatsoever behind his characterization.

while confident london!orpheus is, admittedly, VERY sexy, he is unable to bring the same emotion to songs such as “wait for me,” “if it’s true,” and “doubt comes in” (the latter especially!!). he starts the show very sure of himself and stays that way through act i and most of act ii. while one may think that this makes his total breakdown in doubt comes in more meaningful, it does not. it’s like orpheus has backed himself into a corner emotion- and confidence-wise and it would be uncharacteristic to fall straight to rock bottom after being strong and self-assured for the whole show thus far.

the best part of broadway’s dreamy, distracted orpheus is that the audience gets a chance to watch his belief in himself grow gradually until his turning point songs (“wait for me,” “if it’s true”) cement his newfound confident characterization in their minds. they have come to root for the underdog and are attached to his character. but then, starting at “wait for me ii,” as hermes is warning orpheus about the dangers of his journey with eurydice to the surface world, the audience recognizes a note or two of panic within orpheus akin to those they saw in songs such as “chant” and “a gathering storm.”

without witnessing how far orpheus has come, the audience wouldn’t be as broken up about his eventual failure to get the love of his life back. one could even argue that eurydice was the one that salvaged his confidence (probably during that super sweet part in “all i’ve ever known”) and cultivated it to be what the audience sees in “wait for me,” aka the ultimate declaration of his love. this argument would make it even more painful when she dies and, consequently, all of orpheus’s belief in himself dies with her.

at its core, it’s playing with the audience’s favor. london!orpheus already has the audience’s attraction, but the ever-anxious broadway!orpheus gained the audience’s sympathy throughout his story. london!orpheus’s loss isn’t as great because we know he can function on his own. we’ve seen it in songs like the london version of “livin’ it up on top.”

broadway!orpheus has demonstrated that eurydice is the only thing keeping him together. he literally gets torn nearly to shreds once he enters the underworld and she is separated from him during “papers.” the driving point behind all of his actions is to right his wrongs and get eurydice back. so his loss is MONUMENTAL compared to assertive, flashy, london!orpheus’s because the audience knows that he genuinely cannot handle himself without her.

keeping that in mind, let’s continue into “doubt comes in.”

“doubt comes in,” the penultimate song in the musical, is an illustration of orpheus’s complete mental collapse. it is symbolic of the destruction of all the love and hope for the world that he previously held. let’s get into the details.

the evolution of the beginning of the song is as follows:

a. in the concept album, after a VERY lengthy (but necessary for setting the scene) two-minute intro, orpheus himself starts the song. the opening lyrics are “doubt comes in and strips the paint/ doubt comes in and turns the wine/ doubt comes in and leaves a trace of vinegar and turpentine.” these lyrics are sung with the same otherworldly disconnectedness in which justin vernon’s orpheus sings everything. he continues with “where are you?/ where are you, now?” which is self-explanatory.

b. in the 2016 cast album, the fates start off with the same lyrics. this is attributed to their characterization from early on in the musical: “they [are] always singin’ in the back of your mind.” they function as orpheus’s anxieties and (self-)doubts personified. damon comes in a little later with his trademark wavering tenor singing “doubt comes in and all falls silent/ it’s as though you weren’t there.” this is fleshing orpheus out a little more, voicing his main fear—that eurydice isn’t behind him, that this is all a trick.

c. reeve’s “doubt comes in” is the most dramatically changed. they changed it so that it would fit his character more, and they did so EXPERTLY. reeve’s broadway!orpheus very clearly suffers from severe anxiety. he’s sensitive and jumps at the slightest sound. the way he neglects his relationship with eurydice in favor of working on the song is not malicious, but charged with fear. it’s not intentional, he just has a habit of shutting everything out when working on something important. he’s never been in a relationship before, so he doesn’t consider that maybe, eurydice needs him as much as he needs her. but i digress. reeve’s “doubt comes in” starts with the repetition of his lalala melody—the exact same one that the audience has come to associate with him. he sings this to himself both for comfort and in the feeble hope that eurydice will hear it and know where to follow him (akin to theseus making a trail of ariadne’s thread to help him escape the minotaur’s labyrinth). in the beginning of the show (“come home with me”), orpheus describes the melody as something that “takes what’s broken and makes it whole,” and he’s using his lalalas as just that. while that is heartbreaking enough to begin with, reeve’s trembling, almost-faltering falsetto (reevesetto, if you will) adds a layer of suspense and desperation that damon and justin can only dream of.

the instrumental:

- every version of doubt comes in has a variation of the same instrumental. the haunting strings fill the theatre with a palpable fear, leaving even the people who don’t know the myth filled with a sense of dread.

- the truly striking part about the instrumental, though, is the drumbeat. it’s meant to symbolize orpheus’s heartbeat pounding in his ears, and has the same effect on the audience.

eurydice’s verses:

- eurydice’s first line in both the concept album’s “doubt comes in” and the 2016 one is “orpheus, you’re shivering/ is it cold or fear?” one could argue that these are the most tender lyrics exchanged between the lovers throughout the whole musical. it demonstrates eurydice’s intimate knowledge of her lover whether it’s justin’s determined orpheus, damon’s confident orpheus, or reeve’s fearful orpheus (that is, if they had included it in the broadway version). in some ways, it is a response to the orpheus’s line prior to it: “where are you now?”

justin and anaïs: these two have the energy of a couple that has faced the trials, come out victorious, and will do so again. anaïs’s steady, haunting voice does not serve as an accessory to justin’s layered vocals, her eurydice is as determined as justin’s orpheus. they know that they will be fine as long as everything goes according to plan (spoilers: it doesn’t). when anaïs sings “orpheus, you’re shivering/ is it cold or fear?” it’s like she’s checking up on him, just to be safe. it’s not so much fear in her voice as it is a simple question, as if her next words would be “just checking in. keep going, baby, we’re almost there.”

damon and nabiyah: their relationship is more tentative. it was fractured when eurydice sold her soul, and it’s just starting to be repaired. when nabiyah sings “orpheus, you’re shivering/ is it cold or fear?” there is more lingering anger in it than what anaïs offered. it’s seen in the way she hisses his name, remaining on the last consonant for longer than she used to. however, after a beat, once she realizes that he’s shaking, (implying that either 1. she’s following close enough to see him tremble, or 2. she recognizes the wavering in his voice as a red flag, which is adorable because that means she was intentionally looking for anything that would indicate that orpheus wasn’t feeling as confident as he usually did as a precaution because she knew how fast things could spiral from there) her tone softens. she melts and offers him words of reassurance “just keep singing/ the coldest night/ of the coldest year/ comes right before the spring.”

reeve and eva: i will always (always!) be mad that they omitted that line from the broadway production. it had so much potential considering that eva follows so far behind reeve throughout the song. in her bold, protective voice, the mere singing of orpheus’s name would have 100% knocked me to the ground. and reeve’s orpheus would be most likely to display such symptoms. even the audience member in the farthest seat from the stage could tell that reeve was shaking as he walked forward on the turntable, he just gave off that aura (it’s free real estate good acting). of course eurydice would notice that he was afraid.

lyric changes (in no particular order):

a. in the broadway version, the “where are you now” was changed to “where is she now,” reiterating the fact that eurydice is orpheus’s number one priority (and source of fear)

b. in place of the “you’re shivering” line, broadway!eurydice’s words are more encouraging. had this been earlier in the show, she wouldn’t have been so optimistic. orpheus replenished her hope in the world with “epic iii” and that’s what carried her through “promises,” “wait for me ii,” and, of course, “doubt comes in.” she says “orpheus, are you listening?/ i’m right here/ and i will be ‘til the end” for the first verse and “orpheus, you’re not alone/ i’m right behind you/ and i have been all along” for the second, right before he looks back.

c. orpheus’s inner (sung) monologue fleshes him out more than the concept album and the 2016 recording ever did with their respective orphei. one of the most prominent examples of this is the lyric “who am i to think that she would follow me into the cold and dark again?”

d. this is one of the many callbacks in “doubt comes in.” orpheus means that eurydice took a chance in following him into the “cold and dark,” i.e. poverty. the fact that she does it AGAIN exemplifies great character development. from the first time eurydice was introduced, she was characterized as self-sufficient and unwilling to rely on others. but now, after all she’s been through, she willingly puts her life in someone else’s hands—something she would have never, ever done had she not met orpheus. the fact that orpheus says “again” demonstrates his awareness (something else he has gained since the beginning of the show) that he already let eurydice down once and he does not want to again.

callbacks:

a. “the wind is changing...” this is sung by the fates in the chorus and is reminiscent of “a gathering storm.”

b. “la lala la lala la la...” this is orpheus’s musical motif. it symbolizes togetherness and hope. however, while all other times he is eventually joined by the ensemble, this is different. he is singing his melody into the dark and hoping against hope that someone will answer. no one does.

c. “i used to see the way the world could be/ but now the way it is is all i see...” orpheus is hope personified. he symbolizes all that is good, he never sees the bad in anyone and on the off chance that he does, he doesn’t fixated on it. but here, he’s rethinking his worldview. the darkness has seeped into his soul, rendering him terrified and doubtful.

d. “it’s you/ it’s me/ orpheus/ eurydice” this is a callback to “come home with me ii,” which sucks because it’s uhhhh painful.

conclusion: jo found dead in miami.

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hoesidon · 5 years

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Since I’m never gonna write it here’s some Platonic Pipercy for all of you lmao: (I ran out of space so I’ll do a part 2 for the HoO timeline soon)

Little bit of Piper’s backstory and how she ended up at camp, Piper was a “troubled” child who acted out a lot for her father’s attention

Tristan has just gotten into the movie industry after his father’s death and was just trying to make money to pay off his father’s medical bills and have enough money to support his daughter

And because of that he barely gets to spend time with Piper who he thinks is acting out due to the recent passing of her grandfather and she because she doesn’t have any maternal figures in her life

So he gets an assistant named Jane to help him out with his job and hopefully maybe be a female figure in Piper’s life that she can look up to and go to for girl talk and advice

Piper doesn’t like Jane and continues to act out because she just wants to have her dad back

But as Tristan’s fame grows, the less she sees her father

Piper is 10 when she finally decides to run away, hoping it would get her father’s attention

It doesn’t because he’s out promoting his new movie but she figures being on the streets is better than being with Jane

That is until she runs into some monsters who keep trying to kill her

While trying to hide out from monsters, she meets a Satyr who promises her safety and brings her to Camp Half-Blood

She gets ushered into the Hermes cabin, where all unclaimed kids go she’s told, and it’s where she meets Luke Castellan

He took her under his wing and taught her how to pick locks and how to hot wire a car

“Because you never know when you’re gonna have to steal a car for a easy getaway from monsters, Pipes”

When she asked why he was being so nice to her all he said was “because we’re family, Pipes.”

Luke was like a cool older brother

And to fit the “cursed blade shall reap” I’m gonna go along and say that Luke was the one who gave Piper her knife

Once the summer came to a close, Piper missed her father and wanted to go back home although she would miss Luke and the homey and overcrowded feeling of the Hermes cabin

Things at home didn’t approve

Tristan was still always busy and Jane tried to avoid Piper like the plague but she did ask where Piper ran off to when she ran away

(Chiron informed Jane once Piper arrived at camp that Piper was at a camp for troubled kids with behavioral problems)

Piper returns to Camp Half-Blood the following summer and welcomes the overcrowded feeling of the Hermes Cabin but hoping that maybe this summer will be the summer she gets claimed

A few weeks later she meets Percy Jackson

Percy meets Piper when he’s 12 and she’s 11 to find her standing over his bed in the infirmary after being unconscious for three days

Piper had snuck into the infirmary to look at the new guy who killed the Minotaur

He didn’t look like much, just a scrawny kid who the Ares kids could break in half like a stick if they so pleased

Piper’s first words to him are “you’re not that impressive”

Anyway, Piper shows him around camp and tells him that since he’s an unclaimed kid, just like her, that he’ll be staying in the Hermes cabin and introduces him to Luke

After Percy’s run-in with Clarisse and the bathroom and seeing what he can do, Piper is glad Percy will be on her and Luke’s team for capture the flag

To help Percy feel welcome, and because she knows how it feels to be alone at Camp, Piper and Luke snag some items from the camp store for Percy

It’s honestly one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for him in a long time

Piper is only a tiny bit jealous that Percy got claimed by Poseidon

And then Percy gets issued a quest and Piper knows that she has to go with him on that quest

Piper wants to go on the quest with Percy because she believes that if she helps retrieve Zeus’ master bolt she will make her mother proud and she will finally be claimed

So she just tells Percy (not knowing she’s charmspeaking him) she’s going on the quest with him and he just agrees without any questions

Later Percy wonders why he let an 11 year old talk him into coming along on his dangerous quest

Luke’s betrayal hurt Piper very deeply because he was like an older brother to her

And on top of that, Piper doesn’t get claimed but she does have two new friends: Percy and Grover

After learning of Gabe’s mysterious disappearance, honestly it’s so fucking weird right?, Percy tells Piper that she’s welcome to stop by his place anytime and they exchange emails so they can stay in touch

Piper returns home for the school year and it’s only a bit more tolerable because Percy, true to his promise, keeps in touch

Tristan is still busy but he promises to make time for her soon

Plans with Tristan fall through but what else is new

Jane, at Piper’s request, drops Piper off at Percy’s apartment on the first day of summer

Sally Jackson, Piper learns very quickly in the day that she was there, is an absolute saint and Percy is very fortunate to have her

Sally is the mother Piper always dreamed of having and she’s very sad to leave Percy’s apartment for camp but Sally tells Piper to come back before the summer is over and see her again

Piper instantly agrees

Piper doesn’t know what to make of Percy’s friend Tyson but he seems sweet so a friend of Percy’s is a friend of hers

Camp isn’t what Percy or Piper expected

Turns out Tyson is a cyclops and Percy’s brother, Grover went missing and nearly got married, Thalia’s tree had been poisoned and Chiron was blamed, Luke nearly killed Percy, and Clarisse brought back the Golden Fleece saving Thalia’s tree

Also Thalia was back from the dead after literally being a tree

And on top of it all, Piper still hadn’t been claimed but she did make two new friends: Thalia and Tyson

She also decided to stay and go to a boarding school in New York with Thalia for the school year

Percy doesn’t get to see her that often but whenever they’re both free, he takes her, and occasionally Thalia, around the city

Percy and Thalia don’t get along much but they make an effort to be civil

Thalia also leaves for California one weekend and doesn’t tell Percy or Piper why but returns a few days later in a somber mood

Neither of them question it

Sally absolutely adores Piper and invites her to dinner every weekend

One weekend that they’re all free, Sally takes them to Montauk beach

It makes Piper’s heart ache because before her dad was too busy for her, they used to do stuff like this

But it’s one of the best days Piper’s had in a while

During the winter, way before they’re even scheduled to return to camp, they get a frantic call from Grover

So Percy, Piper, and Thalia go off to help

They meet the siblings Bianca and Nico di Angelo, they run into the Hunters of Artemis, and Piper falls off a cliff on the back of a manticore, Bianca joins the hunt and they meet Apollo who Thalia thinks is hot

(Okay maybe he is but that’s beside the point)

Percy isn’t at all a tad bit jealous that Apollo let Thalia drive his sun chariot

Capture the Flag happens and it’s the whole camp against the Hunters of Artemis and the Aphrodite cabin, for once, is hell bent on winning

It’s one of the few and only times in his life that Percy has witnessed the Aphrodite cabin so angry and determined to be involved in any sort of camp activity besides Pegasus riding

(Well...the only other time was when the Hermes cabin pulled that Valentine’s Day prank the year before when they hijaked all of the love notes the Aphrodite cabin had sent out to everyone and replaced them with ‘hate’ notes

You see, Valentine’s Day is a very huge deal to the Aphrodite cabin and every year they try to play Cupid and try to set couples up because they love love and want everyone to be in love

Silena and Drew didn’t approve of all of their hard work being ruined and they made the Hermes cabin pay accordingly)

Piper would have loved to witness the Aphrodite cabin actually play Capture the Flag, Percy notes sadly

The camp loses and it’s very embarrassing and on second thought Percy is very glad that Piper isn’t here to witness it

Percy tries to speak to the oracle to get a quest to save Piper but the oracle won’t even talk to him

It’s even more annoying when the oracle walks downstairs from the attic and over to Zoë to give a prophecy and it’s up to him and Grover to carry her back up to her attic

He decidedly dislikes the oracle

So he sneaks out of camp, makes a promise to a 10 year old Nico, and joins a quest to save his best friend and little sister

Also the Goddess Artemis

But mainly for Piper

He meets the Goddess of Love who tells him that she’s going to make his love life very interesting

And also that she’s wishes that all of her daughters could break the hearts of guys like him

He breaks a promise to a 10 year old, nearly stabs a red head mortal girl by the name of Rachel, takes on the weight of the world from a Goddess, quite literally, and reunites with his friend

Also nearly has a breakdown because Piper may join the Hunters of Artemis

Piper is his best friend and he loves her and he will hardly ever see her again if she joins

Piper would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it for like a moment because it seemed cool but then she learned that no boys were allowed at all

Piper immediately makes her decision because she could never leave Percy behind because he’s the closest thing she has to a brother and she loves him. He snuck along on this quest to save her and he rescued her

Also she would very much like to date in the future thank you very much

Piper finally gets claimed after the winter solstice

She is horrified

Her claiming, on all accounts, is horrible and embarrassing

Piper didn’t think she would ever miss the Hermes cabin but sitting in the Aphrodite cabin made her miss her old bunk

Silena is sweet and helps her adjust

Drew is...well Drew is blunt but she also offers to do something about the rat nest she calls hair

Drew can be mean at times but Silena keeps her in line most of the time

Overall Piper thinks her siblings are alright but she still misses the Hermes cabin

She goes home back to her dad at the end of summer and argues with herself on whether or not she should tell her father the truth about her mother

Ultimately she decides against it

As a child of Aphrodite, there are a couple of abilities that Piper didn’t know she possessed

One of which is charmspeak, a sort of rare gift that Drew also possesses and teaches her about

Another ability that she actually discovers on complete accident, is that she can create bonds with people

Sort of like Grover’s empathy link with Percy but more intense

Piper gets her very first quest and she’s so excited!!

Until she gets her prophecy

‘And lose a love to worse than death’

Piper doesn’t tell anyone about that last line, especially not Percy

She immediately asks Percy to join her

Piper had a teeny tiny crush on Percy when she was 11 but then it went away when she realized how much of a fucking idiot and dork he was

Her first kiss was nothing like Silena and Drew told her it was going to be

It was meh and very awkward

Mainly because her first kiss was Percy and it was a ‘good luck you better not die’ kiss

Also the timing was shit and Percy was in too much shock to even respond

but on a positive note she got her first kiss out of the way and knew that she didn’t harbor any feelings for him

Percy felt very much the same

Then a volcano erupted

When Percy didn’t immediately return back to camp, everyone wanted to burn his shroud but Piper talked everyone into holding it off for a little while longer

When Percy didn’t return for nearly two weeks Chiron had informed her that it was time

Piper tried to fight it but everyone agreed with Chiron

“And lose a love to worse than death” Piper had her suspicions about Percy but she hoped it was wrong

She had no idea what a fate worse than death was but Percy had to be gone, the last line in the prophecy came to be

And of course, because Percy is a fucking dramatic asshole, he interrupts his own funeral

What a fucking prick Piper wanted to strangle him for worrying her for two weeks

Piper decidedly does not like Calypso

She’s relieved that Percy is back but she still doesn’t know what the last line in her prophecy could mean

Percy didn’t plan on bringing Rachel along for Piper’s first quest but y’know sometimes life happens

He immediately regrets his decision because Piper and Rachel immediately hit it off

Rachel talks about her first meeting with Percy he tried to stab her through with his sword

And Piper, because of course it’s Piper, tells Rachel all of the embarrassing stories Percy has done

Piper loves Rachel, absolutely adores her. She thinks she’s the coolest person Percy has ever met

But since Piper is a daughter of Aphrodite she can get a feel of what relationships are going to work and which ones are just not meant to be

Piper loves Rachel but she knows that she and Percy are just better off as friends

Anyway

The last line of her prophecy finally comes true

Luke, who she loved and looked up to as a brother, was now playing Host to Kronos

She didn’t know how to react. Part of her always hoped Luke would come back to the right side but now she’s lost him for good

Piper also thinks Rachel is pretty badass for throwing a blue hairbrush at a Titan

And at the end of summer, once the battle of Camp Half-Blood is over, Piper accidentally creates an empathy bond with Percy

At the end of the summer, before returning home, she celebrates Percy’s 15th birthday with him, Sally, and Sally’s new fiancé Paul

And Nico who randomly stops by for some reason

Rachel and Piper stay in touch during the school year and actually become really good close friends since they can relate to each other

(And because there’s no underlying jealousy involved)

Their IMs are literally just them shit talking Percy, Rachel keeping Piper updated on all Percy related shenanigans, them ranting about their dads, Rachel’s art ideas and Piper raving about Rachel’s art ideas

They make plans to have a girls day out the next time they’re both in New York and free

Beckendorf’s death hit the camp hard, Piper could feel the guilt through her bond with Percy and in the heaviness of the Aphrodite cabin

While Percy is getting the Mark of Achilles, he uses Piper as his anchor because she is the closest thing he has to a sister and he loves her

And because Percy is her brother and she loves him, Piper takes a poisoned dagger for him

Piper is only a little bit pissed when she finds out about the Mark of Achilles

Luke’s sacrifice was....hard to say the least

And then Percy gets offered to become a God and Piper forgets how to breathe

Silena’s death was hard to cope with

The Aphrodite cabin blamed her death on the Rite of Passage

Following Silena’s death, because Drew is the oldest and has been at camp the longest and has the ability to charmspeak, she becomes the next Head Counselor since no one else dares to challenge her

She becomes cold and a tyrant, creating these ridiculous rules and punishments

Mitchell thinks Silena’s death and her betrayal really hurt her and it’s her way of coping with it

Once the war is over and everyone can breathe again, Percy and Piper sit and hang out on the dock by the lake and talk

After, Percy and Piper spend the rest of the summer with Sally and Paul and Piper contemplates staying in New York for the upcoming school year or going home to her dad

She and Tristan get in a fight and she decides to stay in New York

#pjo #pipercy #percy jackson #piper mcclean #hoo #heroes of olympus

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sepiksredux · 5 years

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The Lore of my Destiny OCs: The Masterpost

Lazarus: My warlock and main girl! Before she was a Guardian she was a corsair named Telanta Volaan stationed in the Dreaming City. She eventually decided to go to Earth to help humanity fight back against the Darkness. Before actually making it to Earth she stopped at Luna to get intel on the Hive, there she was corrupted by Darkness and to this day she hears strange whispers. When she finally made it to Earth she spent most of her time studying the Eliksni in hopes to learn more about their society. She met a Devil Vandal there named Reliks and as a scholar himself, he decided to teach her as much as he could. She learned their language among many other things and she made many friends in the House of Devils, mostly people who didn't actually want to be there and thought fighting humanity wasn't worth it. She was eventually killed by a Captian from House of Kings and mourned by Reliks and her friends.

After being resurrected by her ghost (who she compassionately named "Demon") she remembered next to nothing about her past life. She spent over a month looking for clues to her past, but came up empty handed. She found her way to the Tower, renamed herself Lazarus, and dedicated her life to learning the truth in any way she can. Nowadays she spends her time breaking the quarantine and visiting the Cosmodrome, wanting to learn more about SIVA. Lazarus doesn't care for Faction Rallies, but she'd side with anyone other than New Monarcy if she had to. She sided with the Drifter because she herself was a mix of Darkness and Light, also because he seems to know a lot more than he's letting on, and she wants to learn.

Ezres: My hunter and crime girl! Before she was a Guardian she was a scavenger and rowdy girl. She used to live with her sister Telanta, but later lived in the Reef stealing things and trying to find a way out of the Sol system. She was extremely superstitious and believed that this system wouldn't last much longer. She had no faith in her Queen, believing that hiding in secret cities would only protect them for so long. She eventually stole a ship, but it wasn't good enough to travel as far as she needed to go, so she decided she'd steal a ship from the Cabal on Mars. Her plan would have worked, but she hadn't factored in the Vex and she was struck down by a Minotaur.

When she was finally resurrected by her ghost Cogs (which is short for "Cog in the Machine") she was super pissed off to find that her new job was to protect humanity. She found the job impossible and believed humanity was doomed, but she took up the job because she might get some valuable resources out of it. She would go behind the Vanguard's back all the time, going back to her old habit of stealing that she didn't even remember having. When she first met Lazarus she knew who she was instantly. She would never pledge to any faction other that Dead Orbit and she sided with the Drifter in a heartbeat. Ezres is also my only OC that holds true to the Guardian's trait of never speaking unless to declare she's about to kick someone's ass.

Echo-14: My titan whom I never play. Before they were a Guardian they lived in the Dark Age. A broken machine, rebooted too many times to remember their first life. Despite everything, they held on to their honor and sense of morality. They spent most of their time in small villages, serving as a protector. They lost a lot from countless battles, they were falling apart and there was nothing they could do about it. Echo wanted to die in battle, but in the end, they were just too worn down and too broken to keep going. They were left alone to rust and decay.

When Echo was resurrected by their ghost Terra, they made their way to the City on foot. On their journey, they died a few times, but the promise of humanity united and protected kept them going. They took their job as a Guardian very seriously, protecting humanity was all that mattered. They didn't have time for Factions, they only cared about keeping the people safe. So siding with Aunor was an easy choice for them. To Echo, the Darkness had no place among humanity.

Luminitsa: Not any of my Guardians, she's just a girl I adore! She is from an exceptionally old time, a relic of humanity's Golden Age! At least, she grew up in it. She lived with her father on Venus, her mother having died when she was a baby. Her father was a scientist, who studied the Traveler and the ancient Vex ruins on Venus. She enjoyed spending time with her father, but he was always very busy. Luminitsa had strange visions growing up, mostly of the Traveler, but sometimes they were more of nightmares that showed her a Darkness that would come to destroy humanity. On the day before the Darkness arrived she had a horrible vision of it, she tried to convince her father to leave Venus, that something bad was coming, but her brushed it off as her childlike imagination. But the next day, the Darkness came, and when it did there was no time left to escape.

She was resurrected right after the Traveler woke. (Literally, seconds after) Her poor ghost, Lux, was having a horrible time after realizing that her Guardian was a freaking child. Luminitsa remembered everything about her past, when she learned that the Darkness had come and humanity had been almost completely destroyed, she was devastated. She was able to find a ship and Lux had to figure out how to pilot it herself, because she wasn't about to let a 12 year old pilot a spaceship! When they got back to the Tower, the entire Vanguard shared a mental breakdown because "why is there a CHILD WITH A GHOST?!" Eventually they managed to equip her with the best gear they could to keep her safe and decided she was never going to leave the City unless they were completely sure it was safe. Ikora helped Luminitsa get through her grief, Cayde was the one to keep her entertained and always full of Spicy Ramen, and Zavala made sure she was always kept out of trouble. Everyone else in the Tower helped out too, all the Guardians would bring her little trinkets and gifts from their journeys, Amanda would take her out flying to see the Traveler up close, Shaxx would sometimes let her commentate on Crucible matches (and as soon as the Guardians knew she was watching they'd stop firing at each other and result to non-lethal methods), and the Frames had to constantly deal with stolen brooms. She doesn't do politics, because she's a kid, and having never played Gambit (and never will) she's only met the Drifter like once. (When she met him he ran outside and chucked a bottle at the Traveler because "You don't turn kids into Guardians you giant hunk of trash!")

When Cayde died, Luminitsa was utterly heartbroken. He had come to be like a father to her. (In many ways, she'd reminded him of Ace) Of all people, Ezres was the one to step up and care for her in his place, becoming her new badass and silent older sister. Zavala grew more distant towards her, as every time he saw her, he felt guilty. On the other hand, Ikora was closer than ever, becoming extremely protective of her.

Thaleria Cosaj: She is a corsair in the Dreaming City and she's been there for quite a long time. She was engaged to Telanta Volaan, and the two of them were very close. Until Telanta decided to leave for Earth. Thaleria had begged to go with her, but Telanta insisted on going alone. Her fiancé had made her the promise that she would be home soon, a promise that would go unfulfilled. They kept in contact for a while, but one day all contact ceased and Thaleria had to assume the worst.

Then the Dreaming City as attacked, and the Queen allowed the Guardians in. Personally, Thaleria didn't like Guardians all that much, she wasn't a fan of how they operated, but she wasn't going to deny that having them around sure made things easier. One day she met a Guardian that had many people talking, she was a Hero of the Red War, she'd taken down several Hive Gods, a Guardian of legend. Something about this Guardian was so familiar to Thaleria, maybe her voice or her personality. One day this Guardian passed by where she was stationed to take a quick rest before going back to the fight. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but her curiosity was too tempting, so she asked the Guardian if she could take her helmet off. Lazarus was confused at first, but she decided to comply, and that was how Thaleria found out her fiancé was alive.

Apoltris: She was once a Devil Splicer, maybe even one of the best. In fact, she was even one of the first Splicers to get her hands on SIVA. She had worked closely under Aksis for a short while, but later she went on to do her own experiments in private. She had helped design many weapons, but she didn't care for that, she was much more fascinated with how SIVA could be used for things far more useful than just weapons. Still, she was a target for many Guardians, but she always managed to slip through their fingers. After being attacked by one too many Guardians and coming much closer to death than she'd like, she went into hiding. Eventually Aksis was killed and the Guardians managed to quarantine the Plaguelands. With most of her fellow Splicers dead, Apoltris decided to leave SIVA behind, or at least as behind as it could be now that it was infused with her body.

When the Eliksni united under one house, Apoltris decided she wouldn't join them. She figured she'd be safer on her own. One day she had a run in with the Red Legion that she just barely was able to walk away from. She holed herself up in an abandoned building in the EDZ. At that point, her wounds we at such an unstable condition that she figured this was it. Apoltris laid down and hoped to drift off in her sleep.

Later she woke up to see a human woman arched over her. She had reached for her gun when she realized she was still wounded, but when she looked to the stomach to examine her wounds, she found that they had been patched up. Apoltris didn't speak very much of the human tongue, but she was able to make out that this woman meant no harm. She owed this woman her life and in return she promised to keep her safe. They survived the Red War together and learned more about each other, including their languages. Apoltris found that she had grown to love this human and Apoltris would find that she felt the same.

Janelle: When the Red Legion attacked the City, Janelle was one of the lucky ones. She knew someone who knew a way out of the City. Her and a small group of other people made it to the Farm. However they hardly had any supplies when she got there, so she volunteered to go out with a small group to search for supplies in the EDZ. Her group was overrun by the Eliksni and they got split up. She got lost and had no means to contact anyone for help. Days later she saw a wounded Captian stumble into a building near where she was hiding. She felt so bad for the poor thing, she knew they probably wouldn't make it. Janelle tried to convince herself that it wasn't worth it, that there was probably nothing she could do to help, but she was a medic and if anyone could help it was her. She went into the building to find that the Captian was unconscious. She got to work right away, she didn't know how well she would do tending to an alien who's anatomy she knew next to nothing about, but she made it work.

When the Captian woke up, they reached for their gun, but they hesitated. Janelle didn't know if the Captian would understand her, but she tried to explain that she only wanted to help. The Captian, Apoltris, decided to protect Janelle. Long story short, the gals are dating now.

Janelle decided to decorate Apoltris' armor and it inspired Apoltris to make a new house called the House of Roses.

Reliks: He was a Vandal in the House of Devils and a scholar. He valued knowledge above all else and he desired to educate, but he hardly ever got the chance. Until he met Telanta, an Awoken woman from the Reef. He was going to kill her, but when he first found her she was unarmed, he didn't find it honorable to kill someone who was unarmed. He found himself entranced by the Awoken technology and he wanted to know more. Telanta offered to teach him more, if he promised to do the same in return... and also not kill her. Reliks was more than happy to agree to her terms, he learned plenty of things about her ship, her weapons, and her culture. In return, he taught her to speak his language fluently.

The more time he spent with her, the more curious his brethren became. One day he decided to bring her back to the Devils' hideout in the Cosmodrome allowing her to meet his companions. She held no ill intention to the Eliksni, thinking the war could be ended through better means. Reliks definitely agreed with this, he wanted a better life for his people, but he didn't think they needed the Traveler to achieve that.

When Telanta was killed, Reliks was enraged. He rallied his companions to kill the Kings responsible. During their mission, many of his friends were killed, but in the end, they got their revenge.

Reliks managed to live through many events, but lost many more friends, he saw his brethren killed and Taken, until he was alone. During the SIVA crisis, he worked under a Splicer named Apoltris. He didn't see her as much of a friend, but he respected her ideals. At the beginning of the Red War he stuck with his people, hoping that together they would endure. During this time, he had a run in with a Guardian who had managed to get her Light back. He and his companions managed to shoot her down, but he knew she would be back soon. While his allies fled, Reliks decided to stay behind and wait for the Guardian to revive. He was curious how she had managed to get what almost every Guardian had seem to have lost. When she came back to find Reliks waiting for her, she didn't kill him and when she spoke, Reliks knew who she was. It was good to see an old friend in a time so lonely.

House of Roses: Led by their Kell, Apoltris, the House of Roses searches for a way that Humanity and the Eliksni can find peace. At first it was just an idea that was held by Janelle and Apoltris, but when they met Reliks, they learned that many desired peace. The house consists of Apoltris, Janelle, Reliks, Lazarus, and Ezres. They plan on expanding.

#destiny 2 #destiny #destiny 2 forsaken #destiny ocs #destiny 2 ocs #my ocs #// long post #dnjdjd sorry this is so long

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? The Essential DanMachi Moments

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There are many different genres of anime that have grown in popularity, but isekai series where characters are whisked away to fantasy worlds have become increasingly prevalent. It’s also become a growing trend to pair up the isekai genre with video game tropes to produce unusual hybrids. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, otherwise known as DanMachi, is one such blend of genres.

DanMachi is set in a world where powerful Gods have descended upon Earth to experience the same tribulations that humans do. These humans join various Familia that these Gods represent, many of whom then quest into sprawling dungeons to fight monsters and level up in strength as a tribute to these deities.

The series protagonist, Bell Cranel, finds himself united with the Goddess Hestia as the sole member of her Familia, but over time the two slowly build a powerful team and it’s revealed that Bell may be a prophetic figure who fulfills the role of “the last hero.”

The success of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? has led to a spin-off series, Sword Oratoria, as well as a feature film, video games, and other supplemental materials. The first two seasons detail Bell’s growth as an adventurer and how the Hestia Familia becomes a major player in this larger war.

There’s never been a better time to revisit some of the anime’s very best and most essential moments now that Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? season 3 is on HiDive!

Bell Defeats The Minotaur (Sword Oratoria, Episode 10)

Sword Oratoria is a spin-off of Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? which takes place concurrently with the latter show’s first season. But Sword Oratoria looks at events from the perspective of Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia.

Sword Oratoria works best during the moments when Ais and Bell’s stories overlap with each other and the most exciting example of this is in the episode “The Boy and the Hero.” The episode is the Loki Familia’s version of what’s arguably the original series’ best episode. It depicts Ais’ continued efforts to reach Bell on the 9th floor as he faces off against a minotaur. When Ais finally does reach him, Bell denies Ais’ help and handles the minotaur on his own. It’s a powerful reversal of Bell’s previous encounter with a minotaur and Sword Oratoria really works well when it gets to depict these pivotal moments from a fresh perspective.

War Is Declared Between The Freya And Ishtar Familia (DanMachi, Season 2, Episode 10)

“Longing to Be a Hero (Argonaut)” isn’t the final episode of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? season two, but it contains a tremendous amount of fallout and is one of the most destructive entries in the entire series.

The Ishtar and Freya Familia are locked in all-out warfare at this point and their battle plays out in a crumbling castle that provides the perfect ambiance for how much their plan falls apart. There are some fantastic fights here against Phryne and Aisha, and Bell gets to use Argonaut again.

Most importantly, the status quo seriously changes by the end of the episode after Freya kills Ishtar and comes out the winner.

Bell Destroys The Killing Stone (DanMachi, Season 2, Episode 9)

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? has a lot of fun with the concept of leveling up and how characters can gain access to greater power within the series.

Season two reveals that Ishtar possesses a “Killing Stone” that she plans to use to seal away Haruhime’s soul and use it to artificially boost her own level so that she can defeat Freya. It sets a dangerous precedent for what can be done to gain power in the series.

Thankfully, Bell and company are able to successfully rescue Haruhime, but Bell also destroys Ishtar’s Killing Stone and the looming dangers that it poses.

Lili Joins The Party (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 4)

Bell and Hestia are a strong team, but throughout the course of Bell’s journey he picks up a number of allies who become integral to his success later on, even if they may initially enter the picture under more unscrupulous circumstances.

“The Weak (Supporter)” properly introduces Liliruca Arde, a shapeshifter who takes advantage of Bell’s naivete with the aim of stealing his prized weapon. Of course, the Hestia Knife is useless to Lili, but it marks the start of the complex relationship between Lili and Bell.

Bell also acquires some strong new armor, which is one of the first instances of the anime leaning into the concept of Bell and company needing to update their equipment every so often, just like in a video game.

Lili Proves Herself (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 6)

Lili teams up with Bell a few episodes before “Reason (Liliruca Arde),” but it’s not until this point that she’s able to truly open up to him and they can find understanding in each other.

Lili is still up to her previously scandalous ways and she continues to try to steal Bell’s Hestia Knife. The act causes Lili to break down and come clean to her new ally, but Bell shows compassion instead of abandoning her. It’s the catalyst necessary for Bell and Lili to move forward and it helps her finally value an adventurer after she’s built up a lifetime of resentment towards them.

Hestia Is Reunited With Bell (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 11)

“Labyrinth Utopia (Under Resort)” is the calm before the storm in many ways for the first season. The episode brilliantly recreates the feeling of a “safe zone” from a video game as it provides the same kind of relief for Bell, Lili, and Welf. The team are near exhaustion by the time they reach the 18th Floor, which is exactly where Ais and her Familia are able to heal them up and allow them a chance to rest. While everyone regroups, Hestia and her party are able to catch up with Bell and finally reunite.

It’s a cathartic moment and many characters get the opportunity to bury hatchets and move on as they prepare for a new danger that’s bigger than all of them.

Bell And Ais Finally Get To Talk And Train (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 7)

Part of what makes the structure and character breakdowns of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? so successful is the way it keeps Bell and Ais separated for most of the first season. Bell’s relationship with Hestia is fundamental, but every brief moment that Bell and Ais share together is electric.

This tension comes to a head in a big way in “Sword Princess (Ais Wallenstein)” when Bell and Ais finally get an opportunity to connect and train together. The exercise certainly enrages Hestia, but it’s crucial for how Bell is often at his best whenever he’s around Ais. It’s largely what helps fuel him to beat the minotaur in the following episode.

The War Game Begins Between The Hestia and Apollo Familia (DanMachi, Season 2, Episode 4)

The second season of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? doesn’t reach the same heights as its first, but “War Game (War Game)” becomes the benchmark for these new episodes. While this anime caters to many different sensibilities, this is one of the most purely satisfying episodes from an action standpoint.

The War Game between the Hestia and the Apollo Familia is ignited and it throws Bell and company into what should be an impossible situation. The Hestia Familia’s team of five has to fight against an army of 100, yet Bell and company are successful and win the war. This may come across as a turning point for the anime, but it speaks further to the legend that the series wants to create around Bell. This victory raises his Familia to new levels and Apollo is forced to leave Orario as a consequence.

Mikoto Joins The Party (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 10)

The majority of “Procession of Monsters (Pass Parade)” revolves around Bell and his party getting trapped in the dungeon by earthquakes and forced to move deeper into the intermediate levels, whether they’re ready for the challenge or not. There’s great action here, some bizarre bunny monsters, and it continues to chronicle Bell’s growth as an adventurer.

Bell’s progress is important to this episode as are the intense lengths that Hestia will take to make sure that he remains safe. In this case Hestia’s efforts lead her to Mikoto and the Takemikazuchi Familia, who become very important, especially during season two’s War Game.

Bell Learns The Skill, “Argonaut,” And Reaches Level 2 (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 9)

Episode eight of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?‘s first season is its big climax, but episode nine, “Blacksmith (Welf Crozzo),” is the first episode that really gets to revel in Bell’s success and how he handles his reputation as an infamous adventurer.

The biggest change that Bell experiences is that he actually advances to Level 2 and learns a new skill. This video game-esque sensibility has been present since the start of the series, but this episode is where a lot of the ideas that have been teased get to be executed.

In addition to the progress that Bell experiences, the episode also brings Welf Crozzo into the party. Welf is a fantastic addition right from the start and this episode already manages to make him feel layered, with character beats like his moral stand on not crafting magical weapons.

Hestia’s Love For Bell Grows (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 2)

The core love triangle of the series lies between Bell, Hestia, and Ais. Most of the work done in “Monster Festival (Monsterphilia)” gets paid off in the following episode, but it shows that Hestia’s interest in Bell is genuine and identifies it as one of the series’ tenets. This emotional core to the episode is satisfying, but Monsterphilia itself is also a great excuse to have tons of monsters on display and showcase a lot of action and unique designs.

Bell Obtains The Hestia Knife (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 3)

“The Blade of a God (Hestia Knife)” is a busy episode that does some effective work towards fleshing out Bell’s past and the history of his original family and how he became to be with the Hestia Familia. It also gives us the first tease of Lili and the tragic lot that she’s forced to deal with in life.

However, the biggest element of “The Blade of God” involves Bell receiving his signature weapon, the Hestia Knife. This weapon expands the lore in fun ways and it’s explained that this blade is actually a living weapon that becomes stronger the higher that Bell’s level grows, provided that he’s still a member of the Hestia Familia. He also immediately gets to slice and dice a giant gorilla.

Bell’s Powers Awaken (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 1)

“Adventurer (Bell Cranel)” is the very first episode of the series and while it throws a lot at the audience as it introduces this universe and the premise of gods who walk among humans on Earth, it never feels overwhelming.

Bell’s debut is a fun start for the protagonist and while he’s very much a hapless hero who’s out of his league, he’s awakened in an exciting way when he first meets Ais Wallenstein. Bell’s magical skill, Realis Phrase, becomes activated in tandem with his heavy infatuation with Ais after she saves him. The immediate chemistry between these two characters is palpable, but it’s also genuinely exciting to see Bell’s skills develop and how he begins to increase his level and strength for the first time.

The Goliath Is Defeated And Bell Learns He’s Part Of Zeus’ Familia (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 13)

The final episode of the first season is the perfect celebration and culmination that one hopes for from an anime series of this nature. An overpowered Goliath monster wreaks havoc on the 18th Floor and it easily becomes the biggest threat that’s been encountered all season. It’s extremely gratifying to watch Bell fire off his Argonaut skill against the beast, but the best part about this fight is that all of the Familia work together. Asfi, Ryuu, Mikoto, Ouka, and more all play crucial roles here and even though Bell delivers the finishing blow, it’s a true team effort that demonstrates how strong everyone’s become.

Then, to end the season on an even more suspenseful note, it’s revealed that Bell is in fact Zeus’ “grandson” and a part of his Familia. He’s firmly viewed as this generation’s hero and hope for change, which becomes a major turning point for the character.

The Legend Of Bell Begins (DanMachi, Season 1, Episode 8)

The first season takes its time with Bell’s story and it allows the character and this world to properly grow. “Wanting To Be A Hero (Argonaut)” allows Bell and the Loki Familia to finally go on their dungeon expedition.

This episode is the satisfying payoff of everything that’s come before it and even though the series has still has plenty of great moments after this point, Bell’s defeat of the minotaur stands as both the show and the hero’s finest moment. It’s when the character truly comes into his own and he begins to properly fall into the role of a legendary hero.

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Up until this point it could be argued that Bell is going through the motions, but this is proof that he’s serious and ready to tackle even greater challenges.

You can watch all three seasons of Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? as well as Sword Oratoria on HiDive!

The post Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? The Essential DanMachi Moments appeared first on Den of Geek.

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bubblelliot · 4 years

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Here is my second character for the game "Arkelon"

SiaLea

This drawing was made by my friend Caleb! I also made a drawing which I am pretty proud of, but I really love Caleb's art too much ❤️

Technicalities

SiaLea is half wood-elf, half jaanvar-chi (bird humanoids). Because of technologies in Arkelon, couples that are normally incompatible can have children. In Sia's case though, she is sterile, both because of her parents' races and because she is a post bottom surgery trans person.

She is 36, so rather young considering elves live VERY OLD in Arkelon. She is really weak (-3 strength) but she is very wise, intelligent and charismatic. She is a "Nature's fury" Druid, which are usually damage dealers but can have any role, and she can change into an animal (which is, of course, a bird). She speaks many languages, but she actually is less than 50% hearing.

Equipment

SiaLea doesn't have a lot of equipment: a whip and a rapier. She also possess a diary that she found at the beginning of the campaign and whose previous author she met.

Familiars

Sia has a small dark-feathered dodo named Prometheus. She loves him with all her heart and loves to cuddle him to sleep.

Allies

SiaLea's main allies are Theomir Feyrith, his alter (Theo suffers from DID) Joraslan and Prometheus. She is very slowly starting to trust members of her party, but she is very friendly with the NPCs, mostly Goose (a minotaur child) who loves birds and who is an inspiring Druid. She took kind of a mentor role with Goose and she hopes to be able to teach him to transform into a real goose before crying tears of happiness with him. It's also important to mention that Fey/Jora are a dragonkin (so like a dragonborn) but dragonkins can shapeshift into a specific appearance and Fey is unaware that they are a dragonkin and not an elf.

(This is like the one drawing I did I ever published bruh)

Appearance

Sia has bright blue hair, and orange-reddish eyes. Those unusual features for an elf come from her father's side. She also has wings with feathers the same color as her hair. Sometimes, when she is emotional, blue feathers appear on her body (mostly on her cheeks, her shoulders and her thighs). She has scars on her cheeks and a 6 digit number is also scared on her left shoulder. She is very slim and doesn't really have curves.

Backstory and campaign

SiaLea was born in a lab in a city, but she grew up with her parents in a small house in the woods. She was assigned male at birth, but quickly started saying she was a girl. Her parents then started calling her SiaLea instead, which was her nickname as it means "Little blue bird". Her father thaught her survival and fighting while her mother thought her everything to know for a Druid. It was a peaceful life, until one day her mother got sick. Her father and her left for the nearest city to find someone who could heal her. Sia and her father were splitted and she was taken.

She was chained, her clothes were taken and a number was burned on her shoulder. She was then sold as a male slave, though she was not strong.

She was treated rather well aside from being naked and having a number burned on her, but hell began at that point.

Her owner often abused her physically and mentally. She was forced to work and when she passed out from exhaustion, she was whipped. On one particular occasion, he was drunk and scarred her face "so you can never run away". He then proceeded to beat her up harder than ever.

One day, she was cleaning her owner's shop when a small elf entered. She greeted them like she did to every customer, but this person was not a regular, which was weird. The elf shopped for a bit before asking to talk to the owner. Sia left to bring him and he threw her in a corner, saying he was gonna beat her for not pleasing a customer. She stayed there, frightened, waiting for him to come back. After a while, the door opened and she started crying, saying she was sorry, that she would never do it again, but she was granted with a gentle Pat on her head. The small elf introduced themself as Theomir. "you can call me Fey, though!"

Sia froze, unable to respond to gentleness anymore.

"Are you... My new owner...? Did you buy me..?"

"No I freed you."

Theomir explained to Sia how their God's voice appeared in their head sometimes and that the voice told them to free her.

"And... I saw the fear in your eyes... The fear of a baby bird surrounded by snakes."

They helped Sia gather stuff and prepare to burn the shop and the owner's body. Sia took the whip from the body and spit on him. She investigated the whole place to be sure no other creature was left inside. It was then that she found cages. She found the bodies of different kind of birds whose feathers were probably taken while they were still alive. She heard a small noise and found a small dodo, shaking in a corner of it's cage. She used her Druid abilities to talk to it and reassure it. She learned the other birds has their feathers taken while they were alive, which killed them. She shived, remembering the only occasion she had a feather taken from her wings.

"Mean man understand. Can't take all feathers. Will die. Mean man don't take all my feathers, but take it often."

She understood that this poor dodo was the last one and he had been suffering for weeks having his feathers taken but small patches.

"Do you have a name?"

"no. Only a dodo."

"Well now, I will call you Prometheus. My name is SiaLea and I am here to help. The mean man hurt me too, but he is dead now. We are free."

And so they left with Fey.

Fey wasn't aware of their condition. When Sia found out, she tried saying it to Fey who couldn't remember what happened during blackouts, but she always got cut by Joraslan taking back Fey's body, so she understood it was probably for good reasons.

Fast forward to the campaign: they join an expedition team who are going to a far away village with medical stuff as there is an outbreak of an unknown disease, hoping to earn money for Sia to travel and find her family again. They meet most of the PCs and they start travelling. There is Koz, a tainted shardling (so like, basically a magical rock that lives, but it's not perfect like other shardlings) and Nox, a dark elf. They reach the small village which's name I forgot and there they meet Zallera, another PC Character, as well as Viodra, TiaMira and Goose, three muotan siblings (so like minotaurs kinda) and their father. They are asked to bring the children in another nearby village to Viodra's """""friend""""" *Viodra blushes*. They get there and people are acting REALLY weird. They learn more about the disease from Lirei, Viodra's girlfriend, and they also meet Quartz, ANOTHER PC!

They find the same illness is affecting both villages and that Prometheus is starting to show signs of it which, of course, gave Sia an absolute mental breakdown.

After a fight where everyone was pretty much against Sia cause she was being irrational, (I mean, I would not agree with her either but I know that would be her choice), it is decided that they are going to Eternum, the biggest city nearby. The night before, Koz runs away (hurting Lirei while doing that) and is found not remembering what happened.

Some stuff happened that made Fey aware of Jora too and he fell really into shocker for a while.

Not gonna go into detail, but they also killed the ghost of a little girl, then a giant mushroom thingy and inside they found (apparently) her corpse which Fey and Sia buried.

There was also a bondind moment between Nox, Sia and Fey, and then Sia asked to speak to Fey in private and she confessed to them, also thanking them and Jora again for saving her and Prometheus and it also ended up with Fey sharing a good part of their backstory. And it was really painful, but I think it might be a good thing that poor bebi Fey opens up. ❤️

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mediocremagicman · 7 years

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Thursday night draft!

7 person Hour of Devastation draft (2x HOU, 1x AKH)

This R/B deck is one of the most aggressive decks I’ve built in this format. It’s the first 16 land deck I’ve played that has no ramp, although there is some cycling to make up for that. Fast decks with strong synergy like this are my kind of fun. Getting the trigger on Wretched Camel and reanimating it with Claim//Fame is simply exquisite; the satisfaction amplified even more so when you killed it the first time yourself with Lethal Sting. Ultimately the aggressive nature of the deck was it’s own undoing when I drew insufficient lands round 2. Extended breakdown after the jump.

The Draft (Each pick in order from top to bottom, then left to right)

Pack 1 started off with a difficult decision. Hour of Devastation is a powerful card but the pack also contained Burning-Fist Minotaur. Board wipes like the Hour are great when you are behind, decent when you are at parity, and just dead if you ahead. While on the other hand the Minotaur is not as good when you are behind it’s potential to eat larger things than itself is much more valuable in the other scenarios and can still push you back in the right direction from a bad spot. I actually think the Minotaur would have been a better choice but the Hour is a $5 card I think I might want to play in a deck so in the end I went with that. Sometimes you do what you gotta do. The next few decisions went much easier. Ifnir Deadlands is one of the most powerful uncommons in the set. It does only gets smaller things but it is still removal and you can almost never have too much removal. Plus the fact that it is a land means you don’t have to sacrifice playing another card to get it into your deck; it’s total upside. Under that principle I spent the next few picks grabbing things that kill stuff which quickly settled me into black. I was still unsure about red by the time the green desert came. The pack has a few playable green cards but didn’t have anything worth playing in black or red. I’d seen some decent green go by so I took this on the speculation that the if the green continued to flow I could drop red. It was favorable over the other green cards because it synergized with the Deadlands. The decisions started to get quicker and easier at this point as the pack started to thin of good cards. When the Claim//Fame came around I was feeling pretty good about red/black. I was thin on red but I knew if I was getting cut on red from the right then everyone to my left was even less likely to be in red and I could snap up all the red I needed pack 2.

Pack 2 I started to get fancy. The pack itself contained a Claim//Fame and the Wretched Camel. I felt it was likely the Claim//Fame would wheel given it made it’s way around in the first pack and took the Camel over the other cards as it was a valid target for Claim. Pick 2 I took the only playable card in red or black and pick 3 I was confronted with the same Camel-Claim conundrum as pack 1. I stuck with my logic and took the Camel again. Then came another tricky decision of choosing between a Lethal Sting and the Torment of Scarabs. I ended up with the Torment because while targeted removal is great I already have some decent pieces of it and the Torment has the potential to kill a bunch of creatures or just win the game. Slammed another Deadlands and tried not the drool in excitement. I was disappointed when the first Claim//Fame didn’t wheel but when the second one did I started to feel like the deck was getting really solid. I thought there was a possibility of splashing Striped Riverwinder so I started favoring the blue deserts for the splash mana that also synergizes with the Deadlands.

Pack 3 started off with a pick that had the potential blue splash in mind. Pick 2 I debated with myself for a very long time between Ahn-Crop Crasher and Bone Picker. I went with the Crasher as it’s ability to stop a blocker can end a game on the spot. The Cartouche is not a creature but it is the best common in Amonkhet so I took it over the black Trial that was in the same pack. I can kill something sometimes and that lifelink is just too good at driving your board position up. Final Reward gets rid of anything and is maybe the second best black common. By this point I was really hurting for creatures and was happy to see a creature that trades up followed by more potential reanimation. Wander in Death was a very good pick at this juncture because it allowed me to squeeze the most value out of the few creatures I did have. I started to realize my curve was dropping and was favored the Painful Lesson because when you are aggressive in limited you are likely empty out your hand and suddenly have nothing to do. The next picks I was in creature heaven taking up powerful low cost creatures and even snagging that Bone Picker I’d lamented passing the first time. This final string of creatures really pulled it together. Once the playable cards in the pool were laid out the deck was mostly built. The only cuts I made were the Scrounger of Souls which seemed to expensive compared to the rest of the deck and Vile Manifestation. While the Manifestation can get big, it won’t quickly which didn’t exactly jive with what the rest of the deck was trying to do.

Round 1 (2-0) I played against a mono white deck. They started off strong getting in with Dauntless Aven but I got a desert just in time and was able to use the Camel into Lethal Sting into Claim//Fame to put a stop to that and empty his hand. I also had the other Camel and due to the small nature of his creatures they were able to trade and they were quickly out of things do it while I continued to play cards. Game 2 looked really bad for me but managed to get lucky with a timely Hour of Devastation while I had creatures left in hand and my opponent had none.

Round 2 (1-2) was against a 4 color good stuff deck. Game 1 I only had 1 mountain which stifled me the whole game. I was unable to play more than one creature a turn. Keeping the creatures in my hand wouldn’t have been so bad if I had not also been unable to cast my Hour of Devastation. Game 2 was stupid close with more close calls that I can remember. I played Torment of Scarabs a few turns late after I missed a couple of land drops but ultimately it got the job done. The final game deciding play was when from and empty hand I top decked Thorned Molock, cast the Fame my opponent forgot was in my graveyard, forced them to block with their one untapped creature to avoid dying and making their swing back less than lethal. Game 3 I drew 4 mountains and had 6 black spells and Hour of Devastation in hand when I died.

Round 3 I got that that bye. I know it’s weird to win a get a bye but we had two people drop which made this the only option. Oh well at least it’s a free win.

#mtg #magic the gathering #Magic Draft #limited magic #original #hour of devastation #Ahmonkhet

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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We’re currently in a Stephen King renaissance that shows no sign of stopping. Thanks to the record-breaking success of last year’s remake of It, Hollywood is lining up to dig into the horror master’s massive literary output — starting with a long overdue remake of Pet Sematary, the uneven yet hypnotic 1989 treatment of one of King’s scariest novels.

In the wake of It’s massive success, it’s easy to see why directors (like Guillermo del Toro) are interested in improving upon older King adaptations that may not have lived up to their source material. But there are also plenty of King gems that have yet to be unearthed for movie audiences — some of which have long been stuck in development hell, to hopefully be rescued by this new cultural craving for King adaptations.

Although King stories have traditionally found recurring success as television miniseries, the tremendous payoff to Hollywood’s gamble of releasing It as two separate feature film installments has paved the way for more big-screen adaptations that take similar chances. With that newfound cinematic appetite in mind, here are 10 King novels and short stories, ranging through horror, suspense-thriller, science fiction, and fantasy, that are just waiting to be transformed (or remade) into films for the next generation of moviegoers.

Darek Kocurek

King wrote this story while he was still in college and later compiled it in the 1978 story collection Night Shift. One of his earliest published works, it has all the earmarks of King at his finest: an engrossing plot featuring psychological suspense, a deep sense of nostalgia for a specific time and place, and a complex villain — in this case, a serial killer nicknamed Springheel Jack.

Why it would work: King’s writing throughout this popular story is lush and evocative, just begging for graceful, ever-moodier cinematography that mirrors the story’s encroaching sinister subtext.

The biggest pitfall in adapting “Strawberry Spring” is that the ending, undoubtedly a serious shocker in 1968, would probably be instantly guessed by savvy modern audiences. Still, given audiences’ love for King and his ability to ground his stories in a deep sense of place, this isn’t an insurmountable obstacle, and in the hands of a solid screenwriter, this story could be well-told.

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Another Night Shift short story, “The Boogeyman” tells the classic demon/poltergeist tale of a family pursued by a horrifying supernatural entity that may or may not be murdering children. The tense psychological ambiguity of King’s writing and the grim, terrifying certainty that no child is safe sets this tale apart from innumerable “scary thing in the closet” stories, as the protagonist fights to keep his kids away from the clutches of the Boogeyman. What makes this story stand out from other similar tales is that King’s Boogeyman is corporeal and dangerous, with the kill count to prove it.

Why it could work: Despite being part of King’s most popular short story collection, this story has only ever been adapted into short films. (In fact, a 1982 adaptation was the first of King’s famous ��dollar baby” short films.) But there’s a lot of potential for this story to be absolutely terrifying as a feature film in the right writer’s hands. Like Pet Sematary, there are themes of grieving and parenthood, and like many other King stories, the protagonist’s psychological breakdown muddies the waters. Above all, there’s lots of potential to expand the world of King’s short story into something truly complicated and memorable.

King’s beloved novel of Lovecraftian horror infesting a small modern-day New England town succeeds on multiple levels, serving up memorable characters, loads of action, and a central haunted house setting as creepy as they come. It’s also an analogue for dying rural ways and steadily encroaching sociopolitical shifts that go unnoticed for years until suddenly all hell breaks loose. And you thought it was just about vampires.

Why it could work: Though it’s been made into two television miniseries — a 1979 miniseries directed by Tobe Hooper that hasn’t aged well, and a forgotten 2004 remake — Salem’s Lot has never been given a big-screen adaptation. This is undoubtedly because, like many of King’s best works, it’s sprawling and epic. (A Dracula-esque short story prequel, “Jerusalem’s Lot,” and a sequel, “One for the Road,” add even more background context.)

But as Muschietti’s adaptation of It showed, a somewhat scaled-down version of the story could work elegantly on the big screen. And with its emphasis on nostalgia and the terrors of childhood, it shares many themes with It that could make it a hit with new audiences. Plus, the vampires, easily the most popular part of Hooper’s adaptation, could be made even scarier through modern effects — and we all know, the vampires are the main draw.

King’s most popular novel under the Richard Bachman pseudonym is set in an alternate history in which Germany won World War II. The modern US under fascist rule is a deeply disturbing dystopia where boys compete in a grueling pedestrian marathon — think Speed meets The Hunger Games — that ends in death for all but one winner.

Why it could work: The power of this novel rests in its explication of the deep emotional and physical toll taken on the walk’s participants, all of whom come into the race shouldering the broader social effects of a deeply oppressive government. The book features memorable characters and even more memorable moments along the route of the walk, in which no one is allowed to slow to a speed below 4 miles an hour. It’s tricky, but in the hands of a thoughtful screenwriter and director, an adaptation of this novel could be a brutal, suspenseful, thrilling anti-fascist takedown.

Cujo is a jaunt into two subjects King loves: non-human killers and terrible forces of nature. A story about a St. Bernard that goes rabid and becomes nigh unstoppable in his urge to kill, Cujo brought us one of horror’s most memorable titular villains and is constantly being brought up by King fans as one of his scariest books.

Why it could work: As terrifying as Cujo the book remains, the lackluster 1983 film adaptation suffered from a fatal flaw, which is that it’s hard to make a real dog into a convincing actor, let alone a convincing arbiter of terror. This is one area where modern special effects could be a significant assist — think of Life of Pi’s entirely computer-generated yet terrifying tiger. It helps that dogs are currently enjoying something of a moment in an internet culture long dominated by cats; in an environment where all dogs are good doggos, a new spin on Cujo — who, as noted in a famous line from the novel, had always tried to be a good dog — could easily take the populace by scary surprise.

Full of mythical symbolism and beautiful imagery, Rose Madder is one of King’s many attempts to tackle the subject of domestic violence. It tells the story of a woman who leaves her intensely violent husband and attempts to start over in a new place, with a policeman hell-bent on tracking her down.

Yes, that is the exact plot of Nicholas Sparks’s Safe Haven, but here’s where things get distinctly King-ian: In her new town, Rose impulsively buys a portrait of a woman in a rose madder gown that leads her into an incredible other world, where she meets and befriends a woman named Dorcas. Dorcas sends Rose on a quest in that other world, and through it, Rose becomes a warrior and a fighter and a slayer of minotaurs. Whether any of that will help her free herself from her real-life stalker husband, though, is a more complicated question.

Why it could work: Rose Madder is teeming with solid roles for women, particularly the leads of Rose and Dorcas, whose friendship is the book’s greatest asset. In addition to delivering more of the complex fantasy world building that fans of King’s Dark Tower crave, its interweaving of fantasy and reality is bait for sumptuous cinematography and artistic direction.

Plus, its unusual combination of fantasy and suspense thriller tropes makes it rife for a high-art treatment — a feature that could actually make it an improvement over the book, which, as Grady Hendrix at Tor notes, fails to truly capture the compelling essence of the gorgeous painting at its center. There’s room for a treatment of this story that’s both nuanced and evocative. Please can we have this one yesterday?

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Like both Rose Madder and Duma Key, this short story involves a painting with supernatural or magical properties. And like a multitude of King’s works, it features a writer who could be a stand-in for King himself, this time a famous but weary horror writer who stumbles across a demented painting at a yard sale. Intrigued by the weirdly titled painting and the tragic death of its creator, he buys it, only to discover the details in the painting are subtly changing. The painting, it seems, has a life of its own and is impossible to leave behind or destroy. Things escalate quickly, and while this is all standard horror fare, the combination of weird details, the King traits, and a gripping climax make it one of his more memorable short stories.

Why it could work: This story was already adapted for the small screen, in a 2005 episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes starring Tom Berenger as Richard Kinnell. With the proper treatment, however, this could be an excellent fun horror flick. While the “object in the picture is moving” plot is clichéd, it could be easily juiced up with a lot of world building, an infusion of jump scares, and opportunities for hammy acting. In short, this could be a perfectly enjoyable bit of mainstream horror with the King brand attached.

This short story received critical acclaim when it was published due to its harrowing and exhausting depiction of a woman’s struggle to escape a violent serial killer. The story plays out as a slow-build tale of a woman empowering herself after a traumatic event (think every ’90s Ashley Judd movie). Emily is a grieving mother who finds solace in a grueling physical regimen — which proves to be her only defense when she runs, literally, into the clutches of a serial killer one day on the beach. What follows is a classic cat-and-mouse horror story with plenty of twists and turns.

Why it could work: Emily, the titular Gingerbread Girl, is a juicy role for any actress. No waiflike Final Girl, she’s an adult woman who spends the first part of King’s story reinventing herself mentally and physically — rare stuff for any horror film. Like many of the best horror narratives, this one sets itself up to be about one thing and then abruptly proves to be about something completely different. A good director could easily lull an audience with the seductive beach setting and our empathy with Emily’s quest to rebuild her life — all to make the abrupt about-face and the sudden switch to a grueling slasher/stalker narrative that much more terrifying.

One of King’s most successful “post-sobriety” novels, Duma Key is a rich tapestry of myth, artwork, and terror splayed across a sunny Floridian landscape. After a near-fatal injury, a still-recuperating man moves to a remote Florida Key island, where he and his daughter are soon engulfed in a local mystery involving old secrets, psychics, and strange paintings that seem to have the power to predict and change the future. This is a story that’s bursting with plot, with a powerful and enigmatic villain at its center.

Why it could work: Duma Key is easily one of King’s most unusual and interesting stories. Who doesn’t love a movie set in a sumptuous coastal paradise — especially with an element of horror lurking amid all the local color? Add in the parade of intricate paintings that play key roles in an equally intricate plot, and Duma Key could easily make for a highly successful film adaptation.

(Yes, several of these suggestions involve paintings that exert power over the viewer — but that theme could be a refreshing break from Hollywood’s typical interest in King stories that focus on writing as a creative metaphor, rather than visual arts.)

This underread King novella is a tribute to his love of baseball — but it’s also got an ominous undertone not typically paired with this kind of Americana. Set in 1950s New Jersey, the story focuses on an initially unimposing Rube Waddell-type figure, a quixotic, mysterious new player up from the minor league whose powerful playing style quickly endears him to fans and fellow teammates. But “Blockade Billy” has a secret, and things get dark fast. For a short work of fiction, this story manages to pack in a lot, from rumination on identity to fan mania and the maintenance of cultural rituals at all costs. Oh, and death.

Why it could work: A movie adaptation of Blockade Billy could easily sell itself as a baseball story for fans of baseball — with a twist. It takes a while for the cracks to show through in this entertaining novella, and there’s plenty of room for a good screenwriter to play on the conventions of the baseball movie genre to surprise and upend the audience’s expectations just as King does. Plus, like all of King’s best works, there are plenty of characters here to love and hate, which makes this perfect movie fodder.

Original Source -> 10 great Stephen King stories that are ripe for film adaptation

via The Conservative Brief

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