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pet-genius · 3 years

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The Death Eaters as a Cult - Part 1

This is a very lightly edited old Reddit post, that I'll publish in parts because the whole thing is like 7000 words. Analyzing Voldemort, the DE and their dynamics, Dumbledore and Harry in comparison, and individual Death Eaters. Hope you like it!

Some say Voldemort is a cartoon villain, or wizard Hitler. I think he is very realistic, and that the focus on his political aspirations ignores interesting aspects of him. I cannot prove that JKR had cults in mind when she wrote Voldemort and his followers, but this is how I read them. It’s nearly impossible to define a cult, so, for the purpose hereof, I’m going with “a group dedicated to the worship of a person”. Many cult leaders in real life present themselves merely as “god’s voice” or “the messiah”, but Voldemort specifically didn’t bother to hide behind a power higher than himself.

Tom Riddle comes from humble beginnings, like many cult leaders - he’s raised in an orphanage. He already has delusions of grandeur, only in this case they’re not delusions, because he really is magic, which makes it all the more dangerous. Look how he reacted to discovering he was a wizard, and how Harry did.

Immediately following the revelation that Lily and James did not die in a car crash, and that Harry is famous, and that he survived an attempt at his life by the worst wizard in history:

Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He’d spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn’t they been turned into warty toads every time they’d tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he’d once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?

“Hagrid,” he said quietly, “I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think I can be a wizard.”

Heart-breaking. Harry doesn’t believe he can be special, he blames himself for the way he’s treated.

This is Tom Riddle:

“I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic.”

There was silence. Riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore’s, as though trying to catch one of them lying. “Magic?” he repeated in a whisper.

“That’s right,” said Dumbledore.

“It’s... it’s magic, what I can do?”

“What is it that you can do?”

“All sorts,” breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. “I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.”

His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer.

“I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers. “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”

His megalomania and violent nature are already apparent, as is his preternatural control of his magic. It also hints at rudimentary legilimency.

Dumbledore spells out that young Tom Riddle equated magic with immortality and liked to collect trophies, and that Tom Riddle liked being special, as he resents the name Tom for being too common; he already lives behind a mask and only shows his true face in shock. This, and not Dumbledore’s magical prowess, is what always scared Tom. Voldemort knew Dumbledore knew what he was. That was the only tactical advantage Dumbledore had.

It’s also one of JKR’s strokes of brilliance: Dumbledore saw Tom for what Tom was, and others never did until it was too late, not because he was that clever, but because he knew from experience. Dumbledore had allowed himself to fall for a charismatic but heartless man before, and it took Ariana dying to slap him awake. Dumbledore knows good people can be led astray: It happened to him. It has nothing to do with intelligence or “goodness”. Gellert was able to give Albus exactly what Albus lacked, stuck at home taking care of Ariana: the promise of freedom and a bright future, and the companionship of an equal. Albus fell for it, despite warning signs that should have been obvious.

Later, we know Tom is chosen by a wand of yew and phoenix feather. Both yew and phoenix are associated with immortality; yew trees are very long-lived. Compare this to Harry’s wand, holly and phoenix feather: both these characters will experience death and rebirth, except Tom Riddle’s wand tree is yew, and Harry’s is holly.

From Wikipedia: “The Christian church commonly found it expedient to take over existing pre-Christian sacred sites for churches. It has also been suggested that yews were planted at religious sites as their long life was suggestive of eternity, or because, being toxic when ingested, they were seen as trees of death.” Also from Wikipedia: “Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in the holly tree’s form. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation; and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God's burning love for His people.”

The two orphans’ wildly different views of death are also apparent in their wand trees. Voldemort will murder to attain his goals; Harry will sacrifice himself. That the phoenix feather came from Fawkes is also meaningful - Dumbledore taught both magic in some capacity, but he never could defeat Voldemort, because they’re too alike. One of Harry’s advantages in this battle is the integrity of his soul, which cannot be compromised.

Next, Tom Riddle is sorted into Slytherin. For a child who is already prone to megalomania, the house values bring out the worst in him, and under Slughorn, he grows into a manipulative, cunning, ruthless young man. I’m not blaming Horace for Tom being a psychopath, but some of the particular ways his psychopathy manifested in seem to have been directly due to Slughorn’s influence. Slughorn is a blood-supremacist, who was convinced Tom must come from fine stock. Slughorn tests drinks for poison using house elves; Tom Riddle tests the effectiveness of his Horcrux’s protection on Kreacher. Slughorn emphasizes the importance of connections and outright praises Tom for knowing more than he needs to, and encourages an attitude of “it’s only wrong if you get caught.” But Slughorn, prejudiced and cunning as he is, is not violent - he is academically curious about Horcruxes, but he finds them repugnant. Tom’s heart is not so faint - at the point of asking Slughorn about Horcruxes, the diary is already a horcrux, and Tom has already murdered his father. This is how Dumbledore describes Tom’s original gang, who were the proto-Death Eaters:

As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; I call them that, for want of a better term, although as I have already indicated, Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts. Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrongdoing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl. As you know, Hagrid was wrongly accused of that crime.

Dumbledore explains what motivated people to join Tom: some were afraid, some ambitious, some cruel. He controlled his so-called friends, and already started framing others for his own crimes (Hagrid’s framing was followed by Morfin’s and Hokey the house elf’s).

This is followed by Tom’s attempt to become a teacher (Dumbledore spells out his motivations: He is attached to the school, he wants to study its magic, and he already wants to build himself an army). He is denied, oddly chooses to work for Borgin and Burkes, a choice fueled by the desire to trace down more items to make into Horcruxes. Through the memory of the meeting with Heptzibah Smith, we see that Tom was definitely charming when he needed to be, and knew how to make people feel good. He did not use magic to trick her into showing him her precious locket and cup: he used muggle manipulation - flattery, making an old and forlorn lady feel valuable, perhaps even flirting with her (she’s certainly flirting with him). He was pleasant enough that Ms. Smith eagerly looked forward to his visits - but as she showed him her treasures, he was caught off guard by hearing about his mother and how she sold the locket, and she saw him for what he was, although she quickly fell into denial. Sadly, she was murdered two days later.

Why rely on Horcruxes to gain immortality? Tom must have known about Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Horcruxes require someone else to perform the resurrection ritual. Either making the Stone is so hard that it would deter Tom (unlikely), or he already expected to rely on followers who would find him and revive him - he certainly seems to have expected his followers to have searched for him earlier. Maybe Horcruxes were appealing because they require murder. In any case, this is followed by the memory of Tom asking Dumbledore for the DADA job again, a decade later. Tom has spent a decade gathering followers, and he has already changed his name to Lord Voldemort. This is reminiscent of real life cult leader David Koresh, and the leaders of the Children of God, Aum Shinrikyo, etc. The meeting between Voldemort and Albus is interesting, because it’s clear that Dumbledore had tried to teach Tom about the power of love:

“The old argument,” he said softly. “But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your famous pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore.”

“Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places,” suggested Dumbledore.

This did not help. Tom never learned - how could he? At 16, he was already a murderer - who could love him now for who he was? He could never be truly loved, and he could never truly love another, and he underestimated the power of love for his entire life, leading to his downfall - twice (were that it was so simple in real life).

Voldemort is trying to obfuscate the nature of the relationship, like all cults - they never admit this is what they are.

“I am glad to hear that you consider them friends,” said Dumbledore. “I was under the impression that they are more in the order of servants.”

“You are mistaken,” said Voldemort.

But LV can’t lie to Dumbledore, who changes the subject. He denies him the DADA job again, and the curse is placed on the job. LV’s ascent is due to begin in a few years. Hagrid tells the story:

Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ’em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ’cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn’t know who ter trust, didn’t dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches...

Voldemort isn’t just interested in immortality. He wants complete control. He wants everyone fearing him - even fearing his name. He has people isolated and distrustful, fearing for their lives.

But we know his reign of terror was dreadful - what I’m interested in is the way he treated his own followers. We know little about how he treated them in the first war, but we do have what Sirius had to say about Regulus’s fate:

From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don’t just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It’s a lifetime of service or death.

We know the real story of Regulus’s disappearance, and it’s different. Kreacher tells us that Regulus died in the Horcrux cave - but more telling is that Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling his parents what had happened to him. Why did he feel the need to do that? This suggests that Regulus knew LV destroyed traitors’ families, which is a tactic used in cults and other abusive dynamics. We know LV would leverage Draco’s welfare against Lucius for his failure in the Department of Mysteries, too. We know also that instead of going to Dumbledore, or to his own brother, Regulus chose death – unless he was really dumb, and I don’t think he was, he must have been manipulated into believing that was his only option, or his world made no sense after his faith had shattered. So many people never readjust to life outside the cult.

Voldemort “dies” about two years after that, having successfully recruited about 400 followers (“the death eaters outnumbered us the Order 20:1” - Lupin). We can’t say if all these people were genuine Death Eaters or people who had been Imperiused or otherwise coerced, or allies like Narcissa, but that coercion is used to recruit shows that Voldemort did not take his own followers’ ambitions and wishes into account. People who use outright coercion don't suddenly draw the line at manipulation.

#death eaters #cult #death eater meta #voldemort #voldemort meta #harry potter #meta

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sevensided · 3 years

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how did you get into writing fic? i'd love to start but idk even where to begin! I loved adats so I was wondering do you have any advice?

Oh my goodness! I am so flattered you’ve asked me this. Yes, I can absolutely help. I’ll throw a bunch of rambling under the cut.

I started writing fic probably when I was... sixteen years old? A lot of my early works were oneshots. I couldn’t figure out how to do anything plot heavy for the life of me, so I just stuck to AUs or whatever I felt like. I wasn’t in any particular fandom -- I really wrote whatever I had ideas for. I remember I tried once to do a plot-heavy story and I received a review absolutely ripping it to shreds. Like, it was so cruel I cried lol. I ended up deleting the fic. Years later, I get what they were trying to say (basically, more substance, less style), but at the time it cut to the quick. Really, it was only when I was in my twenties that I started writing work that was longer and/or better.

The fandom that helped me actually write plot heavy work was a historical-based fandom. As I’m a historian, it was perfect. I got to use my research skills and knowledge to create works that, above all, aimed to feel authentic. I mainly read historical fiction, so I was familiar with how that genre worked. Miraculously, people loved my work. I think I wrote about ~200k in the period of a year? These were several short stories (20-40k) and a few oneshot filler fics. While I was part of this fandom I also helped organise a Big Bang which was a lot of hard work but was extremely rewarding. Along with that, I interacted mainly with other fic writers, so I spent a lot of time chatting to people about ideas and encouraging other writers, and it just created a lovely medley where no concept was impossible or any line of dialogue too difficult. We supported each other and it was truly like a little commune. I gradually stepped away from the fandom mainly because it was just a part of my life at a very specific time, and almost as soon as that time was over, my love for that story/ship faded, but I firmly believe I figured out a lot of how/what I do now purely through that experience.

Regarding ADATS

With ADATS, it stemmed entirely from wanting to “explain” three months in canon (at the end of season three). I was interested in the idea of season four setting up Will/Mike in canon, and I wanted to test the source material to see if I could draw from what already existed to create something authentic. I began with that simple idea: what happened from July to October in 1985? Then I thought about the major themes I wanted to hit -- family, friendship, coming of age, sexuality -- and I nested them around the bigger concept: how do I get Mike from being ostensibly straight to realising he is gay? That meant thinking of two steps: Mike discovering his attraction to guys; Mike discovering his attraction to Will. Those two concepts were separate “arcs” that needed addressing in different ways. Balance was key to weaving them together and making the reader feel like they knew what was coming (and that they felt smart for putting the pieces together) without just rushing through and going “now kiss!” That’s partly why ADATS needs a sequel, lol: because it’s not finished!

Writing process

The first thing I do when I start to get an idea is I write it down. Sounds obvious. But when you have a killer line of dialogue come to you in the shower and you think “I’ll remember that” -- reader, you will not remember it. You gotta get it down ASAP! I do that the whole way through, as generally I’ll be thinking of scenes I’m stuck on and then it’ll just come to me and I’ll quickly jot it down.

The next thing -- or what I do in the meantime -- is start structuring. I plan. I try to plan a lot. Sometimes it’s okay to write “and something happens here to get them here”, because you’ll figure it out later, but for the most part I’ve discovered that planning is like gold and you can’t get enough of it. I break my work up into generally 3-4 parts/sections, and I treat each section like a mini story. So each part needs a conflict and resolution, and it needs to flow into the next section. You need to have a feeling of things evolving and maturing. Once I’ve planned those little bits, I start thinking about the bigger plot arc and how I can drop in hints along the way. I’m probably not a subtle or skilled enough writer to yet pull off that sort of gasping twist you get in really excellent books, but I’m trying to get there. It’s hard, is what I’m trying to say, but that’s okay, because we’re all learning.

Then I generally do aesthetic stuff. Sounds stupid, probably. But nothing helps me get more into a mood than doing a Pinterest board or -- most of all -- making a Spotify mix. I start thinking about the vibe and the general atmosphere, and then I almost exclusively listen to that mix when I’m working. Sort of like muscle memory? Just to get the creative juices associated with that particular selection of songs.

Another thing I’ll do along with plot structure is character structure. This is a biggie. I mean, a story is nothing without characters. So I’ll just jot down a bunch of bullet points of characters and particular aspects that I want to highlight or remember. I hate continuity errors in fiction. Like, if someone says they work on Maple Street but later in the fic they’re working on Pine Street. I hate that. So I keep note of specific things that my main character might notice at repeated points in the story (colours, places, smells, names, sounds -- so they’re all consistent even as the narrative evolves). That’s another thing -- your characters’ motivations. Not everyone is going to be a huge player, but they all do serve a purpose. The most important character is obviously your main character. I personally think it’s important to let your M.C. be an arse at times. They’re going to be mean, they’re going to misinterpret things or fly off the handle... just let ‘em. Let them be wretched humans, and then bring them back and make them realise what they’ve done. Let them learn! I love consequences in fiction, lol.

At the same time, I’ll probably start writing. We’ve already written down some snippets of neat dialogue or descriptions, but now we should start the actual process. For me, I used to start at the beginning. Usually this was the most fleshed out anyway: I’ll have a clear idea of the beginning and the end, but nothing in the middle. These days, if I have a scene in mind that I can’t forget, I’ll just write it. It will possibly get scrapped or rewritten, but that’s okay, because at least you’ve got it down and now you can devote your brain power to something useful (like figuring out what the middle is supposed to be). I’ll have half a dozen of totally out of context scenes just littered in my Word document that I’ll add to as I go along. Eventually, though, you’re going to start writing properly, and that’s when you write your opening scene.

Opening scenes: super important. Every time I write a scene I think: what is the point of this? What do I want the reader to learn or takeaway? Sometimes you do have filler scenes, but they also serve a different purpose (perhaps to establish a group dynamic or to explore/describe a character’s surroundings). Mainly, though, every scene should push something forward in some way, whether it’s character development or a plot point. So, with an opening scene, I always think you have to establish: where you are; who you are; what they are doing; where they’ve come from (in a philosophical and practical sense); and where they’re going (ditto). That doesn’t have to happen in the first paragraph -- that would be silly. But if you sprinkle that information in over time it’ll gradually build up a picture of your character and that way the reader can get an idea of who they are. You basically need to give a snapshot of what your story is about. This also goes back to the character creator stuff: where they are at the start should be different to where they end up. How that happens is, of course, because of plot, and because you’ve structured everything to the nth degree, we’ve got a very clear progression of that character’s growth (/s easier said than done lol).

General advice

Write down everything: every idea, a bit of dialogue, a description, whatever. Write it down. Doesn’t have to be neat. Just has to be on paper. You can’t remember everything, so if you’re spending time trying to hold those things in your head, it’s taking up space for new ideas to come along.

Structure, plan, structure, plan. Sometimes it’s boring and I hate it. Other times, when I’ve not written in a few days and I open the Word doc and think wtf is this supposed to be, I am very grateful for Past Me for leaving such detailed notes. Seriously, it helps so much. Oneshots don’t really need planning, in my experience. You just get those out there. But multi-chaptered stories really do, even ones that “just” focus on a relationship.

Whatever you want to write, commit to it. Space goblins invade Hawkins? Do it. Eleven and Max find themselves in a cult akin to Midsommar (2019) and must escape? Yes. Just... whatever you want to do, remember that you’re writing it for you. Write what most interests you, what makes you when you reread it go AHHHHH I LOVE THIS!! Because that makes it a thousand times easier to actually get on with the writing when you enjoy what you’re doing.

Write a lot. Every day, if you can, or at least at designated times. Occasionally I have a very specific headspace/vibe I have to be in, but sometimes it just hits me and I’ll say to my partner “I need to write now” and just disappear, lol. The more you write the more you write. It’s so, so, so true. Cannot emphasise this enough. When I wrote that ~200k in twelve months? It was because I literally wrote every. day. Or near enough. Remember that some days you’ll write 200 words, and other days you’ll write 20k (this happened to me with ADATS -- part of the reason I finished it so quickly was because I had sprints of writing 10k+ at a time that only happened because I was in the rhythm of it). Write, write, write. Who cares if it’s crap! No one will see it until you are ready. In the meantime, just write!

Probably last of all (although I could go on and on) is connect with other writers. If you’re struggling to start, sometimes just talking about it can help a huge amount. I hope it goes without saying that you can message me whenever you want, anon or not, and I will talk to you. We can talk about ideas or I can beta stuff, whatever you want! Find like-minded people and talk to them about what you want to do. Another thing this helps is in advertising your work when you do publish. I see a lot of first time fic writers get super down because they publish their magnum opus on AO3 but no one comments. Honestly, it’s because no one knows you’ve published! You don’t have to be tooting your own horn every which way, but just actively talking about your work and even collaborating with other content creators with get you hyped and other people too (and the input and encouragement other fandom members give is just... out of this world. Anon messages helped me finish ADATS when I was really worried I wouldn’t [that’s the truth]. Seriously, support is everything). When you have people excited about your work, you get excited. It’s really as simple as that.

I could go on but this is already horrendously long. I hope even a bit of this helps! If you want to chat or have any more questions, just hit me up any time.

#writing tips #writing help #writing advice #answered #i really hope this helps/answers your question!#i can do something more structured if you want #otherwise here are just my initial thoughts #Anonymous

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honey-hippie-harper · 3 years

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Winston, my beloved

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY @healing-winston-pratt !!!!!!

I’m not going to write you a huge ass letter because I already did that the entire day <3 but here’s your tumblr gift afghjafgsja it’s very short but I still hope you like it, and I hope you know how important you are to me, and how blessed I feel for having met you :’333333 <3 <3 < 3 <3

There are no words to describe how great of a person you are, and I hope we keep being friends for many, many years :’)

I love you <3

And I hope you like this agaghjaghjs (it’s just our canon divergence version of the Leroy-meeting-Maggie thing).

Doppelgänger

Maybe she would look less similar when Leroy was sober.

That’s what he thought back then.

Maybe the child from the janitorial team would look less similar to Nova once he was sober; because, well, it’s not that he was absolutely wasted the first time he saw her. He was only mildly drunk, to be honest.

But even then, he knew that he couldn’t think straight while in that state. Hence why, when he saw the kid from the janitorial team walking around and she was scarily similar to a younger version of Nova, he just let it pass. After all, back then, he was still thinking that, once he went to jail, it would be the last time he ever saw Nova. Upon being a little drunk, it made sense for him to be seeing Nova in places where she wasn’t.

However, one year later, when he was released from jail and saw her on the street once again, she still looked like a younger version of Nova.

Leroy was in his break from work, which he always used to go out to smoke, as it was a smoke-free building. The kid was coming out of the convenience store across the street, carrying a blue bag, and wearing civilian clothes instead of her Renegade uniform.

Now, Leroy wasn’t the best father figure that had ever existed on Earth. He had never defended he was.

But he was decent enough to recognize Nova when he saw her, and, even if her childhood pictures were embarrassingly scarce, Leroy had done a great part of the parenting and he had seen her.

Had he done it correctly? Probably not, but Nova was still in one piece.

And she was in one piece because not everything had been that awful.

Could’ve been better, definitely. But it had been enough.

Sorta.

The point was…

Leroy remembered the kid version of her. And he remembered it because he had chased after her more times than he could count.

When he thought about little Nova, he often felt a twinge in his stomach, because, basically, they were too fucking stupid when she was younger.

Not that Winston and him weren’t fucking stupid now, but the brain cell Honey, Ingrid, Winston and him used to share was hopeless and it needed a goddamn therapist almost as much as they needed one, individually. When he thought about little Nova, he saw them posing with her like they were in a renaissance painting, that time a mosquito broke into her nostrils and her nose started hemorrhaging like a red waterfall when she was too rough at trying to take it out. Ingrid sat her on her lap, telling her to stop screaming because they were going to think she had punched her. The truth was, Nova wasn’t screaming. Rather, she was breathing so fast she was swallowing her own blood like nose drops and she was fucking choking.

No matter how hard Ingrid tried, the demonic sounds Nova was making ended up summoning the rest of the Anarchists, and that’s when they all gathered around Nova, looking like a cult adoring a bleeding statue.

Usually, when a tragedy happened, they just did dumb shit like that, and they always ended up gathered around her, panicking instead of doing something about it, and that’s why Leroy was pretty confident on the fact he knew what his freaking child looked like.

And she looked like that.

He had spent so many hours of his life staring at Nova, that he knew what that pitch black hair looked like. Her small eyes. The way her face became disfigured when she was mad, and even the weird thing she could do with her hands. That thing, where she would bend the upper part of her fingers, with the exception that, while Nova could do that with all of her fingers, the kid from the janitorial team seemed to only be able to do it with three of them.

She had the same chipmunk cheeks, and while the nose was a little different, Leroy was sure he had seen it somewhere else, in a person that was no longer here. And that nose was also too similar to that person’s not to be the same.

Maybe it was just an awful, scary coincidence, because the chances of this meaning something were extremely low, and it was overall impossible, to say anything.

Yet, when she bent down to tie her shoes, Leroy stared at her with the cigarette still into his mouth, maybe judging or maybe waiting for something that would more likely not happen.

At least, that’s what he thought until the moment something did happen.

Leroy had always been told, by a person who was no longer here either, that he had a pretty heavy stare. Heavy and acid, like the thing that came from his pores. And, apparently, the kid from the janitorial team agreed with that, because, after a while of struggling to try to tie her shoes (she didn’t look like a person who knew how to do such thing. She was improvising), she looked up and across the street, where Leroy was, staring.

And she stared back, frowning.

And for a moment, she didn’t look like her own person, but rather a doppelgänger of the teenager who would be waiting for him at home once his shift was over. And, frowning in that way, she was also victimized by the same phenomenon as Nova.

Because when she frowned –and probably when she cried, too- she looked like she was about to ask Leroy to join her revolution, right before putting on a ridiculous helmet and proceeding to destroy the city.

And that.

That was also too much of a coincidence to him.

Maybe, the next right thing to do would’ve been to help her tie her shoes, but Leroy didn’t, because he was frozen, despite his face being emotionless.

So, solemnly, he just nodded, as a way to greet her even from that distance.

In response, the kid stuck her tongue out towards him and told him to go fuck himself with her finger.

Then, she got up and started storming away.

Not even two seconds later, her shoelaces gave her what she had coming, and she fell on her knees.

Leroy pretended he hadn’t seen that.

He supposed that’s what she would’ve wanted.

#renegades trilogy #marissa meyer #dawnie writes #leroy flinn #cyanide #margaret white #margaret artino #magpie #fun fact mientras escribía estoy escribí L e r y varias veces JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA #pinche quince primaveras me dejó m a l

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mrallnight57-blog · 3 years

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The Crystal of Mordokia

Chapter 4

The street was in chaos as several motorcycles zipped through traffic. None of them cared about stop lights or stop signs. All they wanted to do was get to their destination. A old abandoned hotel. Which was now the headquarters of the Gothic Lights, and the location of tonight's big event.

The group pulled up to the old hotel, and there were a couple of bystanders. A man and a woman. The man started laughing hard. "Hey Denise look at these freaks with their biker outfits and Mohawks. Which decade do they think there in? The 80s."

Denise looked over to her boyfriend. "Fred you should probably keep your mouth shut. They look pretty tough."

Fred started laughing, "Oooh, I'm so scared. There probably all gay. The worst their going to do is style my hair."

One of the bikers heard Fred talking. He was the largest of the group, and his mohawk was taller than everyone else's. On his jean jacket was a picture of a sledgehammer. Sledgehammer was also the name on his jacket. A name given to him, because when he punched someone, it felt like he had hit them with a sledgehammer.

Denise noticed the rather large man walking there way, and she began to panic, she started to pull at her boyfriend's arm. "Hey we need to go, one of them is coming this way."

Fred pulled his arm away from Denise and said, "Settle down babe. I got this."

Fred looked over at Sledgehammer who was walking towards him. "Hey man, I was just playing." Then Fred looked at the building and a sign said, "See The Disciples tonight live, for free." Fred turned his attention back to Sledgehammer. "Hey, there's a free concert tonight!"

"Yeah." Sledgehammer punched Fred right in the gut. Then looked down at him and said. "And we are working security."

Fred fell to his knees, holding his gut, and began coughing up blood. Sledgehammer, barely punched Fred, but it was still hard enough to rupture something inside Fred's body.

Denise bent down to check on her boyfriend. Then she looked up at Sledgehammer. "Hey psycho! "What do you think you're doing!?! I should call the cops!"

Sledgehammer lit a cigar. "Well, if you do that, first I'm going to kill every cop that comes after me, and after I kill those cops. I'm going to find out where you live, and I'm going to kill you, and everyone else that lives at your house. Then I'm going to find your friends and your family, and kill them too."

Denise was shaking in fear. She could take one look at Sledgehammer and could tell he wasn't messing around. In fact he had probably done that before, to someone else. Denise began pleading. "Please don't do that." Denise was trembling as she spoke.

Sledgehammer smiled, as smoke left his mouth. "Well if you don't want that to happen, the best thing for you to do is take your little friend there to the hospital, and tell them he fell down some stairs."

Denise was shaking, she did her best to help Fred to his feet. Then the two of them began walking towards the hospital.

The rest of The Punk Rockers had been watching the event unfold. Pounder, a medium sized man stepped over to where Sledgehammer was standing, smoking a cigar. "Hey dude. Why did you let them go? You should have at least made the girl suck your dick, or something."

Sledgehammer turned his attention to Pounder. "Shut the fuck up Pounder! That's your problem. You always think with your dick. We have more important business right now. We got to go in here and talk to Mister dark and spooky." Sledgehammer took another puff of his cigar. "Where the fuck is Rolo!?!"

Pounder turned away to think, then back to Sledgehammer. "I think he went to go see his daughter."

Sledgehammer was starting to get impatient. "Well he needs to hurry the fuck up and get back here!"

Suddenly another motorcycle pulled up. Once Pounder spotted it, he tapped Sledgehammer on the shoulder. "There's the little bitch now!"

Sledgehammer turned to see Rolo walking towards him. "About fucking time! If you would have made us late. I would have had no problem killing you and leaving your body on the side walk."

Rolo gave Sledgehammer a confused look. "I thought we still had ten minutes."

Sledgehammer grabbed Rolo by his jacket and pulled him close. "It's called being professional. I like being early."

A couple of Punk Rockers began laughing. The thought of them being professional just made them laugh. They couldn't imagine themselves in a suit and tie.

Sledgehammer led the group into the hotel. Once inside they noticed how dimly lit everything was. Along the walls was a ton of gothic imagery, and a few Punk Rockers were beginning to feel uncomfortable. One of them even asked, "how long are we going to be here?"

Sledgehammer turned to the grunt who was speaking. "Stop being a pussy, and shut the fuck up!"

The group walked into the conference room of the hotel. Inside their was a stage. There was also a set of stairs that went up to the second floor, and on that floor you could walk around, and look down at the conference room.

Once all the Punk Rockers got into the room. The doors of the room closed on their own. This made a loud noise.

This caused some of the Punk Rockers to get startled. One of them screamed out. "What the fuck!?!"

Sledgehammer turned to the man. "Hey!!! What did I say about being a pussy?"

Sledgehammer looked up and saw the second floor fill up with people in hoods and robes. There had to be at least twenty or thirty of them. The dimly lit room made it impossible for the Punk Rockers to see any of the hooded men's faces. This took Sledgehammer off guard as well. "Okay, now that's creepy."

"Welcome!!!" A loud voice echoed through the conference room. The Punk Rockers' attention went towards the stage. Standing on the stage was another man in a Robe but his head wasn't covered.

Sledgehammer looked at the man on stage. "You must be Gothic Mirror."

"That's correct." Gothic Mirror stepped down off the stage, and started walking towards them. "I'm glad to see you all found the place okay. So I bet you all are chomping at the bit, to know why you are here."

Sledgehammer lit another cigar and took a drag. "Oh we know why we are here. Our leader got into a tussle with some dumb vigilante, and now he is in prison, and it just so happens the one person who can get him out is very interested in your little cult. So he wants us to be your security for tonight's event. We do that, and he will get our boy out of prison."

Gothic Mirror smiled, "I'm happy you understand your situation. Unfortunately there is something else I need you to do."

One of the other Punk Rockers stepped forward. "No. The Unfortunate thing is we have to be here at all, and if you think we are going to take orders from you. You got another thing coming, because we are running the show now."

Gothic Mirror looked at the name on the man's Jacket. "Buzzsaw? Is that what they call you?"

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

Gothic Mirror smiled, and looked over at Sledgehammer who threw his hands up. Basically without words, letting Gothic Mirror know Buzzsaw was acting on his own. Sledgehammer had heard rumors about Gothic Mirror's abilities, and the last thing he wanted was to have Gothic Mirror fucking with his head.

Gothic Mirror leaned into Buzzsaw and whispered in his ear. One word. "Fear."

Buzzsaw was about to laugh, but then realized he was no longer in the conference room. In fact he was in a very small room. All the walls were white, and there was no door or way out of the room.

As he looked around the room, he realized he was by himself. "All right guys, this isn't funny. Where the fuck is everyone!?!"

Suddenly the walls began moving. Making the room smaller, the room was closing in on him. This caused Buzzsaw to panic. He started screaming, "Come on guys! Let me out of here!!!" Buzzsaw tried to push against one of the walls, to push it back, but it didn't work. Now the walls were getting closer and moving faster.

Buzzsaw began crying. "Look dude. I'm sorry! Please man!!! Let me go!!!" This outburst only seem to make the walls close in faster. Buzzsaw dropped to his knees, and began crying. "Come on man! I don't want to die!"

Buzzsaw closed his eyes, and waited for the walls to crush him. Tears were rolling down his face. He set there crying, waiting for his impending doom, but it never came.

Moments later he could hear his friends laughing at him, and Sledgehammer's voice. "Dude, you cry like a bitch."

Buzzsaw was still on his knees with tears streaming down his face. Gothic Mirror was standing over him. Gothic Mirror squatted down so the two of them could be eye to eye. "Speak that way to me again, and next time those walls will completely close, and you will die. Do you understand me?"

Buzzsaw nodded, and Gothic Mirror smiled. "Good."

Sledgehammer grabbed the back of Buzzsaw jacket, and pulled him to his feet. "Get your ass over there with everyone else, and don't speak until spoken to! Buzzsaw went where he was told, and Sledgehammer shook his head. "What a fucking idiot." Then Sledgehammer looked over to Gothic Mirror. "So what's this favor you need us to do?

Gothic Mirror got back on the stage. "Earlier this week my informant in the FBI filled me in on the whereabouts of an alien artifact. So this morning, a few of my followers and myself, broke into a government lab, and stole it. I also may have accidentally on purpose killed one of the scientist."

Sledgehammer raised an eyebrow. "Accidentally on purpose huh? Well, where is this alien artifact now?"

Gothic Mirror reached into his robe and pulled out a small led case, and opened it up. Inside was a small crystal that was completely dark.

Sledgehammer and the rest of the Punk Rockers began feeling really uneasy, as if the Grim Reaper himself had just entered the room. Sledgehammer took a step back. "What is that thing!?!"

Gothic Mirror, who seemed not to be bothered by the orra of the crystal, looked at the crystal. "It's called the Crystal of Mordokia, but I have no idea what it does, and until Litias tells me what it does. Litias isn't getting it."

Pounder, who was now standing next to Sledgehammer, began scratching his head. "Who is Litias?"

Gothic Mirror closed the case and put it back in his Robe. "Don't worry yourself about that. What I need you to do is, when the FBI gets here, I need you to take care of them."

Sledgehammer stepped forward, "Take care of them how?"

"Kill them of course. Except for one." Gothic Mirror put his hood over his head. "Her name is Jenny Ramirez."

#supernatural #super hero #horror #my writing

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reginaofdoctorwho · 3 years

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weird shit that would probably have something to do with me in a horror movie

no one wanted this but i’m bored and found a bottle so you’re all getting it. yes these are all true. check the tags, if u think i’ve missed something please let me know!

there was a murder (technically, i don’t really count it as a murder) next door when i was four years old on christmas morning

the weird antique glass bottle i found half-buried in the woods in the woods yesterday with living bugs in it that made no attempt to leave it once i uncovered it

there is a local cult in the next town over. this is not the same as the local cult that was in the other town over where my mom grew up

random completed animal skeletons in the woods behind our house, i’m talking prey and predator, both laid out like in a goddamn scientific diagram. for a while there’d be ones in the middle of our yard, always the same type of animal, always just the bones and nothing else, laid out like it was posed. this has been happening for over half a decade and we have no fucking clue how, why, or who is doing it

the screaming from the woods that i’m going to assume is a fox

my sister almost dated a murderer. his niece or something is in my class

there is a house that is now part of a “local ghost tour” that belonged to my great+ grand parents during the civil war where my great+ aunt died allegedly murdered by her husband who is actually blood related to me. family history says she died of childbirth, which given that it was the 1800s... probably is true

there was an actual murderer in our family a few generations back but he married in and killed his wife and her sister. they didn’t find out about it until they read his journals after he died where it apparently told everything he did and they decided. “well, that wouldn’t look good for the family, and they’re already dead anyway” and just kept it hidden??

the fact we have my great great grandmother’s dress from probably 1890s or 1900s. even more so the fact that i fit in it. if this was fantasy horror (vampires, some immortal thing or ghost) i’d be fucking dead or cursed

fairly certain i was possessed by the ghost of a puritan as a kid

my family seems to have a curse with babies and nurses? my great uncle died when he was born because long story short, hospitals were the new hot thing, he was perfectly healthy, then a nurse dropped him and he died instantly. my sister died when she was a toddler and the hospital actively tried to delete her hospital records to cover it up and ended up getting fined by the state for it. the nurses responsible were not arrested or punished in any way.

my family all has fucked up connective tissue, in my brother it was bad enough he had to get a steel bar in his chest so it wouldn’t cave in.

the many times i have almost drowned, sometimes due to intentional actions by humans (my dad, it was my dad)

this in addition to the other fucked up shit he did before the divorce when he still lived here, including but not limited to: killing my mom’s favorite pet goat, hanging its skull in a tree, and leaving the body in the woods. not letting his kids learn how to cook. anytime someone asked him to cook he’d put as much pepper/hot sauce in as he could (even for like, scrambled eggs) and give it to the youngest person, usually a toddler. this was me at times. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening murder. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening burning. purposely locked the basement from the inside so we couldn’t get the gaping hole in the stairs leading to one of three kids rooms fixed. tearing up pictures of the kids whenever my mom did something he didn’t like. i had more here but i tried to cut it down a litttle

people have threatened to murder me before. one time a girl didn’t threaten, and actually acted like she was starting to like me, but her cousin read her diary or something and found out she was planning to commit a lot of murder, and told her parents and she got sent to a psychiatric ward for a couple weeks

my mom lived down the street from a family that got axe-murdered by one of their two sons when she was a kid. the murderer did get out on an insanity plea and is still in the area. also their neighbor’s mom “lost her mind” (how the story was told) when she had to protect their kids while her husband went over to try to protect the non murderer son when he got home from school and ran over screaming about his brother trying to kill him and had killed their parents

also she knew a girl who almost got kidnapped by this really fucked up traveling serial killer that has his own wikipedia page that is,,, lengthy. the girl had [alleged] mafia ties, and the guy ended up dying shot by police despite them being told to bring him in, which sounds kinda suspicious

long story short i’d probably be the sequel where one comes back

apparently i go to the “bad” school, which i found out in a coffee shop when i overheard two girls talking about how one’s dad went there and how horrible and dangerous it is

school fights are weird. either they don’t happen or they come freakishly close to murder. people slam heads into lockers, stomp on bones, drag people by hair along the ground. one time in my brother’s class a 4′9″ girl sent a 6′2″ football player to the hospital. there was video of a fight a couple years ago that’s still around. it was brutal, but also one of the girls fighting was taking one for the team in it and got the other kicked out

we don’t have a ceiling in all of the third floor, and the cafeteria has 2. this is not relevant in any way, but it’s important to me that you know this

also the guys kept ripping the heating vents/radiators/whatever off the walls in their bathrooms and got almost all the bathrooms locked. including the girls’ ones.

also everyone kept punching holes in the walls so on some of them it’s just,,, metal sheeting down the whole hallway

there are so many fucking shootings in the next town over. literally five years ago it was this nice place where kids would go on history tours, i did when my sister worked for that group. now there is pretty much one business that has not been held up at gunpoint, and if u look up to the serial killer bullet point, it is for v similar ties. it’s a pizza place and if u ever stop by u gotta try it

women in my family have weirdly good intuition but every couple generations we get doubtful. my great grandma didn’t want a hospital birth but decided “hey it’s the hot new thing for a reason”, my mom switched churches based on nothing but intuition and it turned out someone was a pedophile there (found out years later), i instantly could tell my friend’s boyfriend was a pos and wasn’t surprised later when he told her he’d murder and dismember me in front of her, and upon meeting him told him he was a fucking coward and couldn’t do it. he broke up with her a month later.

i was really good friends for a while with two guys that burned a building down. yes they were arrested. i was friends before and after the fire. they’re pretty nice, but this girl they used to date (at different times, they were brothers, yes it was fucking weird and uncomfortable for everyone involved except her but that’s it’s own thing) said some fucked up shit and it was the closest i ever got to starting a fight. anyway i’m still friends with both on facebook. one of them shares a lot of king of the hill memes

speaking of that fight, i 100% would’ve tried to kill her in that moment. u know that john mulaney quote like “i didn’t understand how a person could want to kill another person. then i got cheated on, and i was like ‘oh, okay.’”? that was me, but replace “cheated on” with she told me it was good my five year old sister was dead because she was a waste, and told me she hoped i’d die of covid”. it was mainly the sister thing. i couldn’t move because if i did i’d start a fight with the [way] above mentioned shit.

my family has a literal feud with a local farming family. i mean, we keep farm animals (sheep, goats, chickens), these people have that, pigs, and crops too. the feud was because their great uncle (or great grand uncle, i’m a little fuzzy on the details) published an autobiography (despite not being anyone famous/important) and in it talked about when he was friends with my grandfather and how creepy my great grandfather was (this was the one with the dead firstborn son) because he kept newspaper clippings of the Lindbergh baby’s kidnapping and murder pinned to a board on the wall of his office/basement. also because he was a child of german immigrants who wanted to fight against nazis in WW2 (how suspicious [sarcasm]). members of their family are in my grade. they charged my sister for almost half an extra pound of goods, too, which just revitalized it.

i live by corn fields. i am surrounded by cornfields. (joke one)

i was friends for a while with this girl whose baby teeth,,, didn’t really fall out completely? she was 17 the last time i saw her in person, she’s probably 19 now and judging by her facebook pictures they’re still Like That. she had a very symmetrical mouth/teeth, which made it weirder. just to clarify, she had some of her baby teeth pushed forward and up, so they kind pointed out a little? and all her adult teeth. she was literally so pretty.

a teacher who is v sexual with his female students came into my english class (he is a science teacher) to demand why i wasn’t signed up for his class. we then both became increasingly passive aggressive and he told the whole class where i live with specific directions and landmarks. the guy sitting next to me had to try to tone things down despite being obviously confused as to why it was even happening (me too buddy). he lives down the road from my sister. when my niece had her birthday party at our house i was outside setting things up and he slowed his car down and honked at me. fuckin creep

#tw child death #tw animal death #tw arson #i guess?#tw shooting #tw murder #a lot of that one actually #tw child abuse #tw violence #let me know if u think i should tag anything else #no one wanted this #except for me #tw cult

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spacebatisluvd · 4 years

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Summary: Entrapta receives an invitation.

Content Warning: A neurotypical writer attempting to portray an autistic character (with respect, compassion, and love, but I recognize there’s a chance I’ve fumbled here—just know it’s unintentional), Sea Hawk, Hordak’s poor sense of self-worth, cult-typical abuse, veiled references to masturbation, genital discussion, discussion of sex and sexual relationships.

Entrapta looked through the microscope, studying the micro-welds she’d made. Her mouth twisted a little, dissatisfied with the results. She sighed. “Emily, make a note—I need more silver solder. This prototype is a bust.” She tossed it behind her head, hearing it crack against the ground a moment later. One of the little recycling bots would be by to pick it up and take it apart soon enough, making sure nothing went to waste.

She glanced at Emily. “You know, Hordak’s really good with delicate work like this. His hands are so steady, and his welds are so...precise.” She gave a happy little shiver. “I wanted to surprise him with a working prototype, but maybe I should just give him the designs and let him build it. That’s still a surprise, right?”

Emily made a negative-sounding beep. Entrapta winced. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.” She stood, stretching. “I just need to make a working prototype—it doesn’t have to be pretty, just functional!” She used her hair to perform a tight backflip, shaking out her limbs as her feet came to rest on the ground once more. “Okay! Let’s do this—Emily, play recording.”

Emily made a happy whirring sound, the top half of her chassis spinning. Then Hordak’s recorded message began to play. Entrapta shut her eyes, listening to him describe the far-off stars that were normally too dim to see with Etheria’s many moons. She knew he’d probably assumed she would only listen to it while gazing up at those stars, but she’d found herself listening over and over again, lulled by the sound of his voice, even if she’d long since memorized his words.

She sat down and went back to work, adjusting her initial design into something more workable. When Hordak returned, they could refine and revise her work. She just needed to provide proof of concept. S he hoped it would work. She thought it would. The data indicated that it should, but she couldn’t exactly test it. Well. Maybe if she asked Kadroh...but would he guess what it was for? She knew Hordak would prefer to keep this—

“What?” she asked, looking up when Emily insistently butted against her. “What is—?“ Then she realized her communicator had been ringing for quite some time now. “Oh! Answer call!”

Scorpia’s face appeared on-screen, accompanied by Perfuma. “Hey!” she said, waving a claw. “I was getting a little worried there. We called twice, and I didn’t want to bother you—“

“I’m not bothered at all! If I was in the middle of something dangerous, Emily wouldn’t have interrupted me.”

“...dangerous?” Perfuma asked, gripping the front on her shirt more tightly.

“Oh, good!” Scorpia said, while Perfuma frowned. “I just wanted to invite you to the flower festival.”

“Flower festival?”

Perfuma stepped forward, smiling a little. “Yes! Plumeria has an annual flower festival during the week of the summer solstice. It celebrates the transition from a time of renewal and recovery to a time of joy and growth!” Entrapta smiled while Perfuma spoke, waiting for her to finish, but she stopped abruptly. The silence lingered.

Entrapta checked the data pad.

“Hold on, I think there’s a lag. Can you repeat the last part? I missed your explanation.”

“Um.” Scorpia and Perfuma looked at each other.

Clearing her throat, Scorpia said, “It’s uh, basically a big party to celebrate summer. There’s flower crowns and food and music. Perfuma says it’s a lot of fun. I was hoping you, um, might want to come too?”

Entrapta’s hair curled and twisted. “Are a lot of people going to be there?”

“Oh, yes.” Perfuma smiled widely. “People come from all over the region for the festivities. We’re hoping all members of the Princess Alliance—“

“And their partners!” Scorpia added.

“—will be able to attend.”

“Oh.” Her hair knit itself into anxious hands, the psuedo-fingers laced together. “I don’t know....” She looked away, thinking of all the people that would be in attendance. Would it be like the Prom or another formal party? Could she skirt the edges and just observe? (Would that be weird?) On the other hand, they’d specifically called to invite her, and this wasn’t like Princess Prom—they didn’t have to include her at all. Despite her concerns about the crowd, it was hard to pass up what seemed like an obvious overture of friendship. “Can I think about it?”

Scorpia blinked. She looked at Perfuma, scratching the back of her neck. “Um. Sure. Take all the time you need! The party’s in a couple weeks, so you’ve got time.” She smiled. “Hopefully, Mermista will let Hordak take some time off, so he can come too.”

Her hair frizzed. “Hordak’s invited?”

Scorpia nodded. Perfuma looked at Scorpia, who returned her gaze, eyes wide. After a beat of silence, Perfuma said, “Y...yes. If you come, he may...join you. As your guest.”

Entrapta couldn’t help but spin in place, her hair coiling under her to lift her high. She hugged herself, humming giddily. As she dropped back down to the ground, her hair formed a large cushion to catch her. “Really?!”

Scorpia beamed, and Perfuma exhaled slowly, though she too smiled. “Yes. Really,” Perfuma said. She looked to Scorpia, who offered her the Scorpinoid version of a thumbs up.

“Well, that changes things. I don’t think he’s ever been to something like this before. I’d really like to bring him. He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to engage in leisure activities, and I’m trying to get him to explore and experiment with activities he might find enjoyable. This seems like an ideal opportunity.”

Perfuma looked at Scorpia again, and Scorpia slung an arm over her shoulders, shaking her gently. “Yep. This would be perfect for that, right Perfuma?”

The other princess smiled, exhaling again. “Right. It’s definitely the perfect opportunity for the former—“

“My former boss!” Scorpia interrupted, “Yep! Perfect—perfect opportunity to see if my former boss can, um, relax.” She blinked, and withdrew her claw from Perfuma’s shoulders to press it against her chin. “Actually, that’s a good question. Can he?”

“In very specific circumstances,” Entrapta said.

Perfuma looked between Scorpia and Entrapta before saying, “As long as he behaves himself.”

Entrapta cocked her head. “I don’t really know what you mean by that; Hordak is very well-mannered.”

Scorpia was already reassuring her, though. “Of course he will! I’m sure we won’t even notice he’s there.”

“Oh, you’ll probably notice him. His height makes him stand out,” Entrapta said. “If that’s going to be a problem, I’m not sure how to fix it.”

“No! Nope—Hordak’s height is not a problem,” Scorpia said very quickly, watching Perfuma. “Well, anyway, I, um, I hope to see both of you soon. Bye!” She hung up before Perfuma could say goodbye. Entrapta didn’t mind. As soon as the communicator cut out, she called Hordak.

His image resolved a moment later. “Hello, Star—“

“Entrapta!”

Hordak’s ears folded back, and he glared at the back of Sea Hawk’s head. “Hi!” she told them both, waving. “I just got a call from Scorpia—“

“Ooh. What did she say?” Sea Hawk asked.

“Well...” She rolled the word around, bouncing a little on her toes. “Plumeria’s going to have a flower festival during the solstice, and we’re both invited to come!”

Sea Hawk’s eyes widened. “You are?”

She nodded, bouncing a little more. “Mmmh-hmm. Scorpia really seems to want us to come. And Perfuma too! Well.” Her hair deflated a little. “I think she was excited? It’s hard to tell.” Perfuma always seemed so nice...until she suddenly wasn’t.

The data pad twirled as Sea Hawk ran off with it. “You have to go—both of you. It will be the perfect setting for romance . What are you you wearing? Wait, don’t tell me right now. I’ll call you later, and we can plan. Don’t worry about Hordak’s wardrobe; I’ll make sure he dresses appropriately.”

She cocked her head. “There’s a dress code? Scorpia didn’t mention that.”

“Oh, yes. A dress code—for love!”

The data pad was snatched from his hands, and Hordak’s face appeared, though he was glaring off-screen at Sea Hawk. “That is enough.” He shook his head, ears back, then he faced the data pad. “My apologies, Starlight. I believe he is being overly optimistic as well as overly involved. Reconstruction will not be complete by the solstice, and I do not believe Mermista will give me to leave to attend—with travel, I would be gone for nearly ten days, and I doubt she would approve of that.”

“What makes you say so?”

“I conquered her country and essentially destroyed Salineas.”

“You think she’s still upset about that?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

His ears twitched. “I will ask, of course.”

“Okay. I mean...” She looked away, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s all right. Maybe next year?”

“Perhaps.”

Off-screen, Sea Hawk yelled, “No! This is unacceptable! I will not stand by and allow such a travesty.”

Hordak looked at him. “You are being dramatic. This is not—“

“A travesty, I say!” The data pad jerked, then the camera lifted high—from the little she could see, Hordak was holding it overhead to keep it out of Sea Hawk’s reach. “How can you stand by and accept this? Are you not a man?”

“I am a clone, and I do not understand why my gender is important to the conversation.”

Sea Hawk made a wordless sound of mourning. “You aren’t willing to fight for your love?”

“There is nothing to fight! The treaty clearly stipulates I must prioritize the restoration of Etheria above my own personal happiness. Considering the destruction I wrought waging a completely senseless war—considering I brought Prime here, to the very doorstep of this world, I think those terms are more than fair! And considering that you yourself fought in both conflicts, I am stunned you are so determined that I break those terms.”

“It’s just ten days!” Sea Hawk said, “Besides, you haven’t taken a day off since you got here and that cannot be healthy.”

Entrapta blinked. “Hordak, is that true?”

As if abruptly remembering she was still there, he turned the data pad so she could see them again, though he was still scrupulously keeping it out of Sea Hawk’s reach. “Well. Yes. I do not require—“

“Hordak! I know you know that taking breaks is important—the Horde soldiers were allowed time off.”

His ears folded back. “Of course they were—Etherians are not very productive if they aren’t permitted unstructured free time periodically. My Force Captains insisted this was true and research seemed to prove them correct. But I am not Etherian. I do not need—“

“That’s ridiculous!” Sea Hawk said, “Everyone needs to take time off.”

“Clones do not. Even when at rest, we were put into stasis pods and our neural networks were used as relay stations for the hivemind.” He cupped a protective hand over the back of his neck, and Entrapta slammed her welding mask down, trying to keep out the thoughts of Prime and what had been done to Hordak and Kadroh and their brethren. Hordak noticed. “It was not that bad—“

“Don’t.” She exhaled slowly, voice shaking. “Don’t minimize what he did.” Through the mask, everything took on a soft teal tone. It made everything feel distant and ethereal, like she was looking at a world encased in glass. The tension in her chest eased, though the pit in her stomach lingered.

“Fine,” Hordak said, his voice soft. “The fact remains—I do not require time off to maintain productivity.”

With her mask on, she could hear her own breathing, steady and strong, and her voice echoed faintly. “Etherians do not regard time off merely as a necessity. It is considered inhumane to force someone to go without for long periods of time.”

“Yes. Because it is a necessity. I understand that—“

“You clearly don’t.”

He shut his eyes and his ears folded back. He exhaled slowly before saying, “I will ask Mermista.”

She lifted her mask a little. “...I just want you to take better care of yourself.”

“I will ask Mermista, but I don’t want you to be disappointed when she says no.”

“If she says no, then I’m coming over there. And we’ll go to the beach. And get ice cream. And maybe go swimming, if the salt water won’t damage your ports.”

His ears twitched, and his features softened. “Though I am uncertain of the swimming, I would otherwise be amenable to that.”

“Okay. Promise?”

His mouth twitched a little. “If it pleases you, then yes; I promise.”

She pushed the welding mask up the rest of the way. “Excellent. I’ll speak to you later, then. Unless there’s something else?”

“Nothing for now. Goodbye, Starlight. We will speak soon.”

Sea Hawk waved. “Bye, Entrapta! Never fear—I will use my masculine wiles to seduce my lady love, and convince her to release your...um—to release Hordak to you!” Hordak shut his eyes, and though it looked like Sea Hawk had more to say, the feed suddenly cut out.

Entrapta smiled to herself and resumed working on the prototype.

The next morning, a robot delivered a small package with her breakfast. Seeing that it was from Salineas, she made a high-pitched, happy sound and tore it open. Inside, she was surprised to find several sea shells, along with a note that merely said, “The shells are for Kadroh.” Among the shells, she found a data chip that was surely for her.

With a happy hum, she plucked the chip from the package and set the box aside, attaching the chip to her pad to see what he’d sent. It contained two files. One was her research notes. The other was her procedure proposal for their Intimacy Log. Seeing that, she had to get up, pacing and using her hair to flip and twist as she completed a circuit of her suite of rooms—her excitement simply couldn’t be contained, though she cautioned herself aloud, trying to minimize her expectations. After completing a third circuit, she finally felt settled enough to actually read what he’d sent. “Okay. Okay. Let’s do this!” She shook out her hands and settled back on the bed, opening her proposal.

She smiled a little, reading his notes. She wished he was here; she would have loved to demonstrate how she would ‘reward him for good behavior’—and to test out the newly revealed sensitive spot behind his ears. In fact, she could demonstrate the former by showing him how much she appreciated his willingness to reveal the latter to her. She hummed again, reading his response to her question about biting. It wasn’t a ‘no’, and she was eager to see what he might mean by a “strong reaction”, though she would wait until he was ready for such a step, of course.

Then she saw the short paragraph he’d written at the end.

‘I do not think it would be wise to extend your study to my genitals at this time. I have limited knowledge of them myself; I’m not even sure if I am capable of penetrative sex, though I understand that is not necessarily a requirement. I know enough to be certain that my genitals differ from all standard Etherian configurations. I would not want to subject you to anything unusual or surprising without forewarning. For this reason, it would likely be best if I were to conduct some private research first, then we will discuss the possibility of mutual study.’

She leapt to her feet, using her hair to guide herself through a midair somersault. She began pacing her rooms again, punctuating her circuit with various acrobatics and occasionally humming to herself when her thoughts grew too loud. She fumbled for her recorder, talking fast as she said, “Intimacy Log, personal notes, number 12. This is so fascinating! Hordak has revealed that his genitals are not Etherian in nature—which is unsurprising—and that he has limited knowledge of their form or function.” Something unpleasant itched at the back of her mind, but she just started to pace faster, burying those thoughts.

“I cannot begin to speculate on either. I have every reason to believe Hordak is what we would classify as a mammal—the presence of nipples implies his species at one time nursed their young, and he is quite warm, suggesting he does not have to rely on external heat sources to maintain his body temperature—but he is still an alien. These mammalian traits may be evidence of convergent evolution, rather than a common ancestor, though I still believe the bipedal body type suggests that our species are not entirely unrelated. Nonetheless, none of that necessarily implies so-called ‘sexual compatibility’. Hordak already seems to know that penetrative sex is not a necessity for a sexual relationship, but I will also endeavor to reassure him that our genitals do not need to be ‘compatible’ for sex to be satisfying. I should also relay that I am not put off by his confession. If anything, I am excited by the opportunity for discovery!”

She performed another somersault, shaking out her hands as she landed. “This is so exciting!” she hissed under her breath. To the recorder, she added, “He’s said that he would like to experiment on his own so as to avoid surprising me, but I would be very interested in experimenting with him. Query—has Hordak decided to experiment solo primarily out of concern for my comfort or his own? If the former, then he may allow me to at least witness any experiments he performs on himself—though I would welcome a more hands on approach, if he is willing to wait. However, if he is uncomfortable including me because...”

The unpleasant thoughts managed to break through, and she pulled her mask down securely. “While it is possible Hordak wants to experiment on his own in order to sate his curiosity in private—which would be completely understandable—I believe it is more likely that he’s uncomfortable sharing this with me due to shame and prior conditioning from Horde Prime, a suspicion reinforced by his lack of education regarding his own body’s sexual organs.” She flexed her hands, hair coiling around her limbs. “If that is the case, then I am unsure how to proceed. Hordak’s health, safety, and comfort are of primary importance, and I’m worried I’m not well equipped to make sure he isn’t harmed by our experiments. I’ve...never been good with people.”

She shut off the recorder and cycled through her mask’s filters, trying to find a more soothing way of looking at the world. She settled on infrared, gazing at the smear of colors meant to represent variations in temperature. It was comfortably alien, and pleasing to place her hands on the metal wall and watch the colors change—like painting with her own body heat. She traced patterns on the wall and watched them fade as the transferred heat dissipated.

She took a breath and raised her mask when she felt settled enough to proceed, blinking as she readjusted to her surroundings. Clicking the recorder on, she said, “Hordak has consistently proven himself to be unlike anyone I’ve ever known. He seems to understand and respect my need for clear communication. Thus far, we have been able to prevent the kinds of misunderstandings I’ve had in the past simply by talking to each other. I have to assume I can keep him from coming to harm in the same fashion. When we next speak, I will—“ Her data pad signaled an incoming call. “Oh!” She clicked the recorder off, assuming that was him. “Hi, Hordak—wait. Sea Hawk?”

“Greetings, Princess!”

“Hi! Do you need something?”

“No. Not...not exactly.”

“Are you sure? People don’t usually call me unless they need something.”

“I don’t need anything, I just.” He winced. “I...may have...possibly...slightly overestimated my ability to convince my beloved to allow Hordak time off. And...vastly underestimated her vindictiveness.” His gaze grew watery and distant. “She is as magnificent and unforgiving as the sea.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. At least you tried. I’ll just—“

Sea Hawk held up a hand, shushing her. “Entrapta. Are you in a secure location?”

She glanced around her bedroom. “I suppose so.”

“Good, good. Now, tell me...how far are you willing to go to prove your devotion?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Do you want to take Hordak to Plumeria?”

“Well, yes—“

“How far are you willing to go to get him there?”

“What?”

He moaned, as if in pain. Before she could ask if he was okay, he leaned close to the camera and said, “Listen to me. I have a plan to get both you and Hordak safely and happily to Plumeria. But it may possibly be slightly illegal.” Entrapta cocked her head. “And by ‘slightly’, I mean ‘extremely’. So, how far are you willing to go to prove your affections?”

She snorted. “Sea Hawk, don’t be ridiculous; at least three of my current experiments are technically illegal. Breaking a few laws won’t prove anything. With that said—what’s your plan?”

“Well—wait. Technically illegal?”

She gestured dismissively. “Mystacor isn’t really equipped to oversee scientific studies, but my experiments are technically overseen by their ethics committee. Which is guided by a woefully outdated moral system and staffed by technophobes. I stopped asking them to approve my more interesting studies ages ago.”

“Oh. Well. I’m going to assume that’s not at all nefarious—“

“I guess that would depend on your definition.”

“—and tell you my incredible, masterful plan! First—do you by any chance own any strappy high heels? A low cut dress, perhaps? Preferably in black.”

“What?”

“Never mind! We can continue without, but I feel that ignoring the aesthetic shows a lack of commitment.”

She stared at him. “What?”

A/N: As always, I’m extremely grateful for all the comments you guys leave. I read them all, often multiple times. I’m not good about replying, but I am always intensely grateful.Thank you so much. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. ^//^

#entrapta #hordak #entrapdak #sea hawk #scorpia #perfuma #intimacy log

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holymoonlighted · 4 years

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Allant, Amygdalae and You

Spoilers for Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls below:

In Bloodborne’s Alpha test, the Amygdalae were there, but not visible to the player. When re-enabled these familiar Gods have something interesting about them that was removed in the current game. Their eyes. (Images are from here.)

Their eyes are extremely familiar to people who payed attention to Demon’s Souls True King Allant. The eyes are essentially the same, not entirely the same design but, the idea is there.

For those who don’t know, Bloodborne was Demon’s Souls II at one point in development, there are files quite literally classed as “DSII” or “Demon’s Souls II” not Dark Souls II, the team making Bloodborne had nothing to do with DSII, I’m pretty sure. Anyways, the connection is incredibly obvious once you know that. This does clear up one thing, Great Ones are most likely Demons. Or were Demons. This Allant has become a Demon through worshipping the Old One, who is also a Demon. Nevertheless, the Amygdala and Allant share some sort of connection. Allant in this form also look like an early form of the Amygdalae, but not quite. Great Ones in Bloodborne’s story have always been God-like beings, Miyazaki has stated one of the first things written for Bloodborne is that Great Ones cannot have children, meaning Great Ones in some capacity have always been relevant. To get to the point, Amygdala have always most likely been intended with this relation to Demonhood and this connection to Allant. In Demon’s Souls, human-turned Demons have been in the story the whole time, in fact, some of the major bosses are those, see: Tower Knight, Phalanx and Flamelurker. They are all Demons. And now, when in Bloodborne when you take into account that these are also Demons and that most likely have also inhabited the planet, one can wonder if the mist brought them or that they have been placed there like the Old One was. In fact the old names for Amygdala are “False God” and “God’s Fallen Angel” and in the alpha, an unused track associated with Amygdala are called “False God”. Additionally, Amygdala was also the final boss of Bloodborne at one point. If you notice, in the Grand Cathedral on the way to Amelia there are statues lining both sides that depict Amygdalae, no doubt about it.

They have the face and the tentacles. It’s plain and simple; Anyways, it is obvious Amygdalae are still worshipped as Gods. In Bloodborne’s world you can hear characters say “Gods” instead of a singular God. Meaning that Great Ones, in Yharnam, at least, are worshipped in a large capacity. With this, and the assumption that they were Demon’s, it can be said that history is just repeating itself. For those who don’t know, the God referenced in Demon’s Souls is the Old One. It is worshipped, presumably given by Allant the Old One is known and so is its power but only by people who really want to delve into it. Though now, it seems that people fully accept these Demons who live in their city and worship them as Gods, as Boletaria once did. Amygdalae are False Gods under blasphemous worship, the reason there are so many is unknown. Maybe it was explained in an earlier iteration, alas, it is lost or the reason why is gone. So it seems that in Bloodborne the theme of cycles carries true and that was the scene they were trying to push out.

This place here is an interesting point of conjecture, however. At some point in Bloodborne, the plot was that you, as in the hunter, have an incurable disease. This was one of the major plot points too, it wasn’t a side thing. The Doll mentioned it, multiple NPC’s including unused ones did. It was just the entire plot, plus other things. Anyways, this place at one point is called Shrine of the Diseased and Amygdala still occupied this place. The diseased are the name of well, the ones with the disease. Along with some dialogue, it seems that the diseased are almost worshipped in some capacity. And why an Amygdala is here is unknown, this is still DeSII territory so anything goes in terms of relations. The diseased seem to be able to collect madness, early dialogue from the Doll even says as much. This madness, like Blood Echoes are able to be transformed into strength. Madness is not insight, however. Meaning that dead enemies and bosses dropped Madness, or something of that capacity. The Kanji used is “狂気” which is the literal state of Insanity, which suggests that it is the madness that is building inside of someone’s mind. The doll also says:

“ あなたもそうなのでしょう？だから、死してなお悪夢で目覚めるまるでそれこそが、悪夢であったかのように狂気とは、つまりそういうものですから “

Roughly translated(and localized) into:

“You awoke the same as you died, yes? This is why you awake again past death, as if it were a nightmare. This is what madness is, after all.”

This disease seems to be the reason why the Hunter, or in this case, The Diseased, awakens again. It is a disease of madness that prevents death. Now, back to the point. It seems in the Nightmare Frontier, this shrine was used by someone or something to worship the diseased. Amygdala could very well be the keeper of the shrine. Meaning, they are protective demons. Or used as some kind of protecting nature and keep holy things protected from danger. In Yharnam, it is probable they are just surveying and making sure things stay intact. Yharnam is a city like Boletaria, full of religion. With this, an argument can be made that Demons do not need the fog to be summoned and that the Dream and Nightmare realms are their homes and the fog just allows them to come onto the Earth. For Amygdala, it’s hard to say if it was a worshipped then came into existence, but it seems odd that humanity would create this cosmic visage in the first place. For Demon’s Souls, Gods like the Storm King are a viable depiction of a god. Amygdala looks like something that has always been there. Though, in cut enemies of Bloodborne, Demons that resemble something of a traditional Demon.

These things prove somewhat that the fog creates Demons based off of the beliefs of the people around them. At least, that is the only explanation I can come up with. It looks exactly like a Christian Demon someone would depict, fire, brimstone with “terrifying” wings.

The early common depictions of Satan, which matches somewhat with the Demonic depiction of the “Creeper” as it is called. To make a long story short, the Fog still obviously creates Demons out of the beliefs of the people. Amygdala does not seem to be one of those, however. There if no proof that they aren’t, but it seems unlikely.

Going back to my first point, there is no clear way to link Amygdalae to Allant directly. However, given the nature of the Amygdalae in cut content it seems Allant is a madman who through this has become a Demon visually similar to other Demons. This also harkens back to the concept of evolution and becoming a Great One. So in this sense, the point was to become a Demon like them, to become a demon with great power, possibly the goal was to become exactly like the Old One which isn’t surprising. Byrgenwerth was always apart of the story so the evolution part was definitely most likely a thing for a while. Anyhow, Allant in the original plot of Demon’s Souls definitely was not trying to become an Amygdala but in Bloodborne, the Amygdala definitely are something people like they want to become it, most likely. Amygdala still has remnants of its’ worshippers with Patches. He wants to sacrifice you to Amygdala, but can’t. Amygdala definitely has a cult even still which was probably more prominent in earlier iterations.

Speaking of cults, some cut characters suggest something about this. Some figure of “Justice” and influence in the Healing Church: - Louvan - Aragon - Idona These characters are never actually used, they seem to all be a cut minister character. However, they all seem to be related to “Justice”, someone in the Healing Church who decides the worthiness, or something like that. So, this person is in high power. Meaning they are influential, this leads to the fact these people have the influence they most likely tell the Yharnamites to worship these Demons. They most likely keep in touch with the Choir so they know some pretty important knowledge. So, yes, these characters are pretty comparable to religious world leaders who basically make people worship their God. Except, it’s more complex. The Amygdalae probably do not care or possibly do not even know what is going on around them and are just surveying human behavior. So in the end, it’s a ruthless effort to worship something that doesn’t even care about your existence, which is a nice detail story-wise.

To finish this off, there isn’t a strong connection between Allant and the Amygdalae, nevertheless, the Amygdalae have always had an intriguing role. I might edit this post later for some clarity and more information but for now, have my first cut content post, enjoy! Any critique, feedback and or things that can be added upon, please let me know! I’d love to hear.

#Bloodborne #Bloodborne Cut Content #Bloodborne Theory #Amygdala

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where-theres-smoak-2 · 4 years

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Riverdale 4x18 Review, Analysis and Theories

I’ve finally watched the episode and I’ve got alot of thoughts about it. To be honest it went pretty much the way I thought it would, mostly. We’ve been given some more information and a whole lot more questions. There were four plotlines in the episode, two main ones and two sideplots, so I figured we could go through each one and unpack them to see what clues we’ve been left this time. So if you want to read an analysis of the episode and get my opinions and theories then read on below the tag. As always these are just my own opinions you are welcome to disagree also there are spoilers obviously.

Jughead, Charles and the Video Tapes.

So the first plotline I want to talk about is the one where Jughead and Charles are invesitgating the tapes. The episode starts out with Jughead showing Betty, Alice and Charles the newest videotape that he found at the end of the last episode. A couple of sidenotes here which aren’t all that relevant but I figured I’d mention anyway. I love how protective everyone was of Jelly Bean. Even Charles who stood up to block the her view of the tv. But also where was FP? I feel like this is something he should be included in so it was a bit odd that he was missing from the scene. They could have at least mentioned him like said he was investigating it from the station or something. Anyway getting back to it. Jughead asks Betty if she wants to help him look into the tape but Betty says she doesn’t want to get pulled into another mystery. This is when Charles decides to suggest that Jughead and he could investigate it together. I loved that Charles called Jug little brother. I just thought it was really sweet. Also I would like to see more of the Jones/Cooper/Smith family interactions. Whilst we’ve gotten a decent amount of Charles/Betty and Charles/Jughead sibling bonding moments we haven’t gotten as many with Charles and his parents and other than this brief one I don’t think we’ve had any with Jelly Bean and Charles so I wouldn’t object to seeing those relationships developed a little more. Also I would like to point out that while it was really nice that Charles is always offering for Betty and Jughead to help him out with the investigation, I can’t help but think that Charles has an ulterior motive for this. I mentioned in my theory post about Charles and the video tapes (which you can read here if you want) that I think Charles sees Betty and Jughead as loose cannons. When they first meet Charles he says something like ‘I hear you two are quite the detective duo.’ Or something along those lines. I actually think Charles keeps asking for their help so that he can keep an eye on what they’re doing and make sure they don’t do anything to mess up the FBI’s own investigation into the tapes. I mean think about it, if Charles gets them working with him then he knows where they are and what they are doing, so he knows they aren’t gallivanting around town getting themselves into all kinds of mischief, classic big brother move.

Through Charles we learn that there are two drop off boxes where people can turn in the tapes they recieve. One at the Sheriff station and one at the FBI office. They are both monitored with cctv cameras but there are hours upon hours of footage so Jughead and Charles decide to make some popcorn and go through all the footage in the hopes they can find some clue as to who left the murder video tape. Also can I just say that this episode made me remember why I love Jughead there were just so many little moments that were, well I don’t know how else to describe them other than they were very Jughead. Like I don’t know what was funnier that Jughead’s response to facing hours of footage seraching for a potential killer is ‘do you have popcorn?’ or the fact that yes the FBI does have popcorn. Maybe its just me but I just got a chuckle out of that. Anyway while going through the footage Jughead does spot someone he knows and decides to follow the lead alone. Of course we learn that Ethel is the person he sees leaving a tape behind. But before we get into that I want to talk about something else I noticed. When Jug is leaving the camera pans down to show us Charles’ laptop with the cctv footage. Now they had to have done this for a reason there had to have been something in that segment of cctv that is important to the plot. The footage is very grainy and sped up but we see a woman enter the building. She walks down the hall, appears to stop briefly to talk to whoever is at the desk at the end of the hall, This person seems to gesture around the corner. The woman disappears around the corner and then a few moments later reappears, walks back towards the camera and leaves. I managed to grab a couple of screenshots of this footage.

If you’ve read my last theory post where I talk about theories around both Charles and the Voyeur (the one I linked above) then you will know I have a theory that Donna is the one behind the tapes and also the one who is wearing the Betty mask. Now I know the image is really grainy but to me this looks like a female with long dark hair who is wearing a jacket and trousers very similar in style to what Donna wears. Her build also seems very similar to Donna’s aswell. I mean...

I’m just saying the woman in the cctv, the woman in the betty mask and Donna all look real similar to me. As for why Charles didn’t recognise her, well as we can see the image isn’t the best, it was sped up and he could have been distracted by Jug saying he saw someone he knew. We don’t see where he is looking so for all we know he might have been watching Jug leave and not at the computer screen, point is he could have just missed it. Also another thing worth noting is that right before the footage is shown Charles asks ‘do you recognise someone?’ Obviously he is directing the question at Jughead but it could also be the writers way of asking us the same question, do we the viewer recognise someone in this footage.

So Jughead goes off and talks to Ethel about the tapes and she says she was just dropping off the tapes that had been left on her doorstep, that they contained the same as all the others, static footage of her home. She gets upset when Jughead tells her that one of the tapes was different and asks if she knows anything about it. One thing I will say is her line ‘I’m just trying to make it out of Riverdale in one piece.’ really resonated. Like it really makes you think how much crap these kids have gone through with all the murders and cults. It is almost like its more of an achievement for them to reach adulthood than normal because so many of them could have been killed by one of the many serial killers that have rampaged through the town. Also I feel like a lot of the kids in Riverdale see college as being a way to escape from Riverdale.

After talking to Ethel Jughead comes up with the idea that maybe the Voyeur is a film maker, so he and Charles hit the video store. I do love the store owners line when Charles asks if any of his customers were acting suspicious and he replies ‘they all act suspicious.’ I do think the writers might be having a little laugh with us here because its very true for Riverdale as a whole, like every character on this show acts shady as hell most of the time. The store owner gives them their records and they discover that Ethel has rented the horror movie Friday the 13th sixteen times. Charles then tells Jughead that he considers Ethel to be a prime suspect as she has a predilection for horror movies, was seen dropping off a tape and as per Jughead’s admission an obsession with him. But Jughead clearly doesn’t want to upset the progress Ethel seems to have made and points out that he doesn’t think she would have the equipment for it and tells Charles to drop it. When he’s next at school Jughead goes to the office to get info on the AV club, the members of which would have access to the equipment needed to make the video tapes. He not only learns that Ethel is the president of the club but that Charles had already been there asking questions and had already left with Ethel. Jug goes back to the FBI office to find out what happened from Charles and finds out that Ethel had somehow got ahold of the sex tape of him and Betty from Stonewall prep. Now I have seen some comments saying that they think Charles going after Ethel alone was really shady and that it could mean he has something to do with the video tapes. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have something to do with the tapes, its could be a possibilty, but out of all the shady behaviour we’ve seen from Charles in my opinion this wasn’t shady at all. I think because we see everything from Jughead’s point of view its easy to forget that its not a case of Jughead is leading an investigation and Charles is helping out but the other way around. Charles is the lead on the investigation into the tapes, he’s the FBI agent. So if he thinks someone is a suspect he’s not just going to drop that lead just because some teenage kid said he should, even if that kid is his brother. Also can I say that this is such a Jones/Cooper thing to do, they get told not to do something and then the next scene you find out they did the exact thing they were told not to. We see it with Betty and Jughead all the time so it was kinda funny to see the same thing happen to Jughead in a role reversal. It was a good thing he didn’t drop it too as if Charles hadn’t gone and searched Ethel’s home they probably wouldn’t have found out about the Scarlet Room.

So speaking of the Scarlet Room it shows that there is an even darker side to Riverdale if that was even possible, this is a definitely x rated room in the back of the store where they have home made videos. The store owner says sometimes people sell the videos and sometimes they trade them. But these tapes consist of some sex tapes, rougher ones and weirder ones but also more sinister than that snuff films which Jug finds. I was able to catch some of the titles which could be clues as to which other murders might be re-enacted next. The one of Jason Blossom is called a Maple Murder which is pretty self explanatory. There is one called Black Hood Unmasked which I think could be Mr Svensons death. The Blackhood Diaries is another self-explanatory one. There’s another called Carrie the... I can’t make out the rest of the title but that one is clearly Midge’s death. Then there’s one called Pop’s After Hours which I reckon is from the Halloween episode where Veronica kills that serial killer in self defense. The curious thing about Jason Blossom’s murder being there though is that as far as we know there are only three copies of that footage. Betty has one on her laptop and Cheryl has the other on a USB. The third from what I remember was given to the police, I can’t remember what happened to it after that but I think the Blossoms asked for it to be destroyed? Sorry if I’m wrong about that. So if only those copies existed then how did one end up in the store. Well I do have one theory for that. We know that Betty gave Chic one of her old laptops, now I’m going to assume she wouldn’t have been careless enough to leave that footage on the laptop if it was ever on that one but you never know, we also know that Chic was in the house alot when Betty wasn’t there and he liked to sneak into her room. It’s possible that Chic found the video and took a copy to the store to get some extra cash. But the Scarlet room as a whole is a very creepy idea, that people including Students like Ethel are going in there and renting footage of people being brutally murdered, I mean no wonder there are so many serial killers in Riverdale cause that’s just messed up. On a side note I thought it was absolutley hilarious when the store owner came in and told Jughead that only over 18′s were allowed back there. Like dude you are being invesitgated by the FBI and they’ve just found your highly illegal collection of homemade sex and snuff films and you think telling them that only 18 and overs are allowed in this section is going to save you. So anyway the FBI confiscates all the videos so lets just say the FBI have now got a ridiculous amount of video tapes at that office what between these ones and the ones collected from the town residents. But I do feel like the Scarlet Room tapes are going to be important to the plotline in some way like they’ll find some kind of clue in them.

The episode ends with Jughead getting a call from Cheryl who says she just got a tape. When he and Betty go over there they find out its the same kind of thing as the one Jughead found. Two people in masks re-enacting Jason Blossom’s murder. There is something I want to cover quickly before we analyse the tape itself but there does seem to be some confusion over whether these tapes are actually real or just acting. I mean Jughead calls the tape he got a faux snuff film and talks about how whoever filmed it went through the trouble of hiring actors. It also does seem like the person wearing Jason’s mask in the newest video is acting along. If they aren’t real it would also explain why there haven’t been any bodies showing up or missing people reported. Yet I get the feeling that these are real, I mean they look very real to me, particualrly the one with Jason. As to why it looks like the one wearing the Jason mask is acting well they either could be under duress told this is the script play along or else, or it could be that they didn’t know what was actually going to happen, maybe they thought that the gun was fake or that the other person wasn’t going to actually pull the trigger which is why they seem so relaxed and calm right before they are shot. I don’t know though maybe it is all fake? What do you think?

But the discovery of this lastest tape raises some more questions. Once again we have two masked individuals which begs the question who are the people behind the masks? One thing we do know is that its not the same people as the first video. The attacker in the first video was definitely a woman and was much shorter than the attacker in the latest one. Also the murder victims in both are also definitely different people, the one in the first video who was dressed as Jughead was much more muscular than the one in the Jason mask who had a much slimer build. This could also maybe be evidence that its possible these really are murders going on. I mean if the first guy really was killed then obviously he can’t be in the second video. To be honest I don’t have any idea who could behind the Jason mask, at all.

Ok but who do I think is behind the Cliff mask. Well here I do have a theory and it ties in another of the plotlines from this episode. The tickle ring one. I don’t think its a coincidence that its in this episode that Terry, the one who approached Kevin and who films them, suddenly turned violent. I mean up until now he’s come across as a decent guy by Riverdale standards. Now he’s threatening to break peoples fingers and issuing threats. Also it is worth noting that when Jughead says maybe the voyeur is a film maker the very next scene is the one where Terry comes out the room and pays Kevin, Fangs and Reggie. The writers are being very obvious with the message here I mean its like Jughead: Maybe its a film maker? Riverdale: Look its a film maker! I mean they couldn’t be more obvious if they put a neon sign above Terry’s head that said guilty. So is there anymore evidence to suggest Terry is the one in the Cliff mask? Well I grabbed some more screenshots.

So we have that same old problem of the qualtiy of the images in these tapes that are being left aren’t great, it does take me back to the good old days of vcr oh the nostalgia but I’m going off track. Despite the bad quality we can still get some clues from the image. Now it is a little differcult because of the lighting in the video tape is bad but take a look at the top two images in the grid above. As it was with my Donna behind the Betty mask theory its the hair that I think is the biggest clue here. There isn’t really anyone else we’ve seen in the show that has this style of hair where its longer on top and fades at the sides. I mean I don’t know about you guys but I do think the hair of the guy in the Cliff mask is very similar to Terry’s. Now obviously we can’t just convict a man based on his hair style. If we look at the two bottom images. I know it is hard to see the video tape image all that well but I have watched it over and over on slow motion and they do seem to be similar in build and height. The other problem we have comparing the two images is that while its useful that we’ve got a shot of Terry standing next to someone seated like the people in the tape, the sofa that Fangs is sitting on is much lower than the chair the masked Jason is sitting on, plus you have to take the height of the individuals themselves into consideration. But taking all that into consideration lets look at a bigger image...

As I said the difficulty we have is that Fangs is sitting on a much lower surface than the masked Jason. But lets have a bit of fun and do some estimations. Lets say the blue line on the picture on the right is the approximate height the seat of the chair masked Jason is sitting on. The black line is the length of Fang’s torso from his seat to his head. The green line is the height at which the top of his head would be if he was sitting on a higher surface. Now I know this is very much an estimation and not all that accurate its more just to give us an idea. But I think Fangs and the masked Jason seem to be of similar height so when we compare the two images we can see that the height difference between masked Cliff and a seated individual is roughly the same height difference as Terry when standing next to a seated individual. Also something else that could suggest Terry might be involved is that he would be able to get the actors who are playing the victims. He already has a client pool he could pull from. It wouldn’t be that much of a leap to think that he might approach one of his tickle boys and say do you want to get a little extra cash? I’m working on another project if you’re interested.

What if it isn’t Terry though. Who else could it be? Well the other person we are shown acting suspect in this episode is Mr Honey is shown to be someone who visits the Scarlet Room and it seems he does this regularly. I did think there was something about the way the masked Cliff moved that reminded me of Mr Honey but in my opinion I don’t think the hair style or height of the indivdual fits with Mr Honey as well as Terry. Also we know the person in the mask is imitating Cliff and so is mimicing the way Cliff would move which I think just happens to be similar to Mr Honey. However I don’t think that necessarily means Mr Honey is innocent and I’m going to cover my theory on that in a bit. The other person I thought it could potentially be is Bret. As I said in my theory about the Stonies having something to do with the tapes, we don’t know when these tapes were filmed or even where they were filmed. It could be that this was filmed before Bret was arrested. However while I think height wise it could be Bret the hair style is completely different from Bret’s who has much longer hair.

Now going back to my previous theory post where I said I was pretty certain that it would turn out to be Donna behind the tapes, you could say that this newest tape derails that theory as there is no link between Cheryl and Donna. So why would she bother making a re-enactment of Cheryl’s twin brother’s murder? Donna might have had a motive with the previous video depicting Betty and Jughead its no secret she hates them both. But on the contrary I actually would argue that the appearance of this tape further confirms my theory. While it’s true there is no link between Donna and Cheryl there is a link between Donna and the Jason Blossom murder. When Jughead wrote his first draft for the Baxter Brother novel, the one that originally won him the contract it was based on Jason’s murder, it was called The Boy in the River. Later they tell Jughead that they don’t think its good enough after all and he starts writing one based on the Black Hood instead. But he finds his original draft based on Jason in a envelope saying ready for publish. He discovers that it has been rewritten but that it is the same story. Dupont later tells him that all of his classmates had a go at rewriting it, this includes Donna. This means that Donna became real familiar with Jason’s story. The premise of my original theory was that I believed that Donna was upset that she wasn’t able to commit the perfect murder. Especially as she was so close, I mean Jughead says himself that it would have been perfect if it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t actually die. I think Donna then decided to have another go at the perfect murder. A do over so to speak. Like I said we don’t know when that first copy cat murder video was filmed. If it was quite a while ago then its possible that Donna believed she had got away with it and so she looked at other imperfect murders that she could make perfect. I mean if you think about it like Jughead’s attempted murder Jason’s murder was very nearly perfect. Cliff so very nearly got away with it, from killing Jason after he was already reported missing by Cheryl, to having FP clean up and then take the wrap for it. The only reason he didn’t get away with it was because of one tiny detail, the fact that the footage of the actual murder was out there and the USB was found. If my theory is right then I think Donna is only going to continue looking for murders to redo. I think she’s going to become addicted to it and we’ll start to see more and more of these copycat murders. Also I had a thought about why if these are real murders there aren’t any bodies. We’ve been told on a couple of occasions that you can dissolve a body with Lye. As Donna says to Betty ‘No body, No crime.’ It’s possible she’s been dissolving the bodies with lye so there isn’t anything to find. Also if she is picking the victims right then there won’t be any missing person reports espicially if she is choosing people from out of town and then releasing the videos in Riverdale. The authorities might not be making the connection.

So if I’m sticking with my its Donna theory how do I explain that it definitely wasn’t Donna in the latest video. I mean it was without a doubt a male right? Well we know that Donna works with a group. She’s the mastermind but she needs her disciples. I think she started this with the Stonies where they released the videos of peoples houses, most likely this started out as a prank. We know that the Stonies liked to pull some pretty crazy pranks like locking people in coffins overnight, we also know there seemed to be a little bit of a rivalry between Stonewall and Riverdale high schools. We also know that they were filming their fellow classmates, it wasn’t just Betty and Jughead and Moose. There were tons of illegally recorded tapes it seemed like quite the extensive operation. We also know that some of those tapes ended up in the Scarlet Room. But Donna’s got a problem now. Her disciples have either left the country are dead or are in jail. So she needs to find new ones. I think she’s formed a new group and I think this group consists of Terry and Mr Honey. I think Terry helps out by getting the victims. He’s got a wide pool of employee’s who do films for him, he could easily get people from out of town who would sit down in a chair and be tied up and think nothing of it just assuming its part of some weird kink, because I refuse to believe innocent tickle porn is that only kind of video that man shoots. I also think that he was the one in the Cliff mask. As for Mr Honey I’m not as sure on what his role could be. But we do know that Donna has worked with a teacher for nefarious reasons in the past so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that she could be doing it again. He could possibly be the delivery guy. Maybe he’s the one going around putting the tapes on doorsteps now. It would be much less suspicious for someone to see Mr Honey about Riverdale than Donna or Terry. He could also be dropping some off at the Scarlet Room. Speaking of I do think this could be where they all met/ connected. I mean as a film maker it wouldn’t be unusual for Terry to sell some videos to the store. We know Mr Honey visits the Scarlet Room. As for Donna while Jughead assumes the tape of him and Betty was put there by Bret, Donna had admitted to seeing the tape so its just as likely that it could have been her that put it there.

Maple Rum Snoosefest.

So I figured I’d cover Veronica’s and Cheryl’s Maple Rum storyline here as to be honest I don’t have alot to say about it. Unlike the tickle ring stroyline which could potentially have some relevance to the main plot, I just don’t see how this one fits in. To be honest I find the whole thing boring. I mean its just another plotline with Veronica being at war with her Father. Plus the whole Veronica thinks her dad has changed because he spared someone only for us to find out he had murdered someone. Like we get it Hiram is a horrible, manipulative git you don’t need to keep showing us that at this point. I suppose the purpose of it was also to show that Hiram’s illness is really starting to have an effect on him because he never would have been beat up like that before, its this idea that Hiram is finally starting to get weaker so we might be coming up to his downfall. Also I found the whole scene after the thugs break into the Maple Club and Cheryl is all like poor momsie and Veronica is all apologetic to Penelope absolutely hilarious. Like this woman is a murderer, you had her on trial a few episodes ago and then you locked her up and now have her in forced labour as punishment but all of a sudden we’re suppose to be concerned for her. We’re suppose to believe that these two girls are concerned for her? Really? Being brutally honest here I kinda feel the same way about Penelope as I do Hiram which is I just don’t care. I don’t care about the rum storyline, I don’t care that Hiram is ill and I don’t care if Penelope nearly gets beat up by thugs, I just don’t have any sympathy for either of those characters seeing as they’ve been painted as truly terrible people and parents so far so why is the show trying to get me to care about them now. Sorry but its just not going to happen.

Barchie

Ok so the other main plotline and the one I think its the one most people are talking about. Now let me start out by saying that I don’t think for one second that Barchie is over. In fact I think this is just the beginning. The episode in regards to Barchie pretty much went the way we all thought it was going to go with Archie being much more willing to persue something than Betty. So lets go through all their scenes and analyse every little moment of them because you know its fun.

We first see Barchie away from each other. Betty is refusing to get caught up in another mystery and while some of this might be because she’s got too much else on her mind with what happened with Archie, I do think some of it is that she is just tired of it all, she’s going to Yale in a few months and I think she wants to just leave all that murder stuff behind her and focus on her future outside of Riverdale. When we first see Archie we see him playing his guitar and it looks like he might already possibly be working on the song for Betty. While he is playing he flashes back to the kiss. He then walks over and looks at the form for the Naval Academy and then out the window towards Betty’s room. I do think this is suppose to show that Archie is torn. He’s torn about whether to go to the Navy and hes torn about what to do about his feelings for Betty. I also think the two are linked, he unsure of whether to join the Navy because of Betty. Also I think the writers have left another little clue for us in this scene. When Archie picks up the form underneath it are some dominoes. I do think this is symbolic of the situation they find themselves in now. That kiss was the first domino and they’ve knocked it over, now thanks to the domino effect all the others are going to come crashing down too, its only a matter of time.

After Archie looks out his window we switch over to see Betty in her room reading her diary. This entry is talking about the day she first fell in love with Archie and we get a flashback to Mini Barchie waving at each other through their windows so know we’ve got another iconic window scene to add to our gif sets. It’s worth noting that while reading this entry she is smiling so we know she is thinking of the memory fondly. Howver when Alice comes in and they start talking about the future and getting teary eyed, Alice asks what Betty could have to cry about it Betty flashes back to the kiss and gets teary. It shows that while Betty might be looking back on the past fonly she has lot of guilt and uncertainty about the more recent kiss. She’s very confused about her feelings.

The next time we see them is the first Bunker scene. Here we see them laying on the bed together and they start out by telling the other where their significant other is at. Betty tells Archie that Jugead is with Charles and Archie replies that Veronica is with Cheryl. I think in this moment wher ethey are lying close together and its intimate and all these feelings for each other are welling up they bring up Jughead and Veronica to remind each other that there are two other people involved in this, who are going to be affected by this. It’s at this moment that Betty asks what they are doing there? She is trying to figure out her feelings and what all of it means, whether its real, she’s despesrately trying to find the answers. But Archie doesn’t have an answer for her as he as just as confused by situation as she is, there is one thing he is sure of though and that’s this feels nice. Betty then admits that yes it is but that they can’t do anything more than this. This is very telling because it tells us that not only is Betty thinking about doing more with Archie she clearly wants to. It almost like shes saying it as a caution to Archie and herself, she saying this is nice I like this but we have to be careful because it would be far to easy to get lost in each other and go further. I did think Archie’s response to this was kinda funny, he’s like we’re just hanging out. It is a typical Archie/ teenage boy response and again its very telling because it actually shows that one Archie is a little in denial here, there is obviously more going on here than them ‘just hanging out’. It also seems like Archie is trying to find a reason for them to keep doing it by painting it as being more innocent than it actually is. He trying to justify them being alone together by thinking well we’re not doing anything romantic or anything. But while it may seem fairly innocent, I mean they are just laying on a bed, on top of the covers, with their clothes on, the reality is they are both having romantic thoughts about each other and this moment is actually a very intimate moment on an emotional level. The might not be physically cheating but they are being emotionally unfaithful and deep down they both know it. I think this is why Betty says she loves Jughead at this moment. She needs to say it out loud because she’s getting overwhelmed by her feelings for Archie, she needs to remind herself of Jughead who she could really hurt. Archie’s reply is actually really interesting firstly because he pauses for quite a while before answering, his response doesn’t come automatically to him but also because all though he also says he loves Veronica he adds a but. Have you ever heard that saying that nothing a person says before the word but really counts? I think its from Game of thrones. I think that is relevant here Archie says he loves Veronica but this feels nice. So if we’re saying nothing before the word but counts then what Archie is really saying is this feels nice. He also adds a question to the end of it. This feels nice, right? Again this is important because it is telling us that Archie needs that confirmation from Betty. He needs to know she feels the same that he’s not in it alone. Although Betty doesn’t give a verbal response to this I do think we can safely say she does feel the same as we see her turn to look at him and they spend some time staring into each others eyes before taking each others hands. I think in this moment they needed to make some kind of physical contact with each other, their feelings are drowning them but they know that at any moment they could knock some more dominoes and cross the line. But handholding is safe right? I mean they’re just hanging out right?

The next time we see Archie he has gone to his Father’s grave. Like I said I do get this feeling that Archie is just really confused and at a loss. He talks about how he wonders what advice his father would give him. That it would probably something like follow your heart. Archie admits that he doesn’t know which way it is pointing and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He is at a crossroads right now. He’s got several paths in front of him that he could take and he doesn’t know which one is the right one, and even scarier than that he doesn’t know where any of them lead, what could be hidden round the bend? Does he stay with Veronica, something he is familiar with and a person he loves and has a lot of history with? Does he stay in Riverdale after high school and focus on the center and his dad’s business? Does he persue his feelings for Betty another person who he has alot of history with but who he now has new romantic feelings for? Does he join the Naval Academy and get an education? There are so many possibilties in front of him but so many unknowns too. Its no wonder why he’s really missing his dad right now as thats the person he would ordinarily talk this all out with.

And then we were back with Betty. Again she is reading her diary, this time its about the proposal. She describes this day as the happiest day of her life, which is just super adorable. She again flashbacks to Mini Barchie and the proposal and can I just say that red heart ring is so cute and I do think it might pop up at some point again, they did take special effort to give us a close up of it and I can’t help but wonder what happened to it. Did Archie still give it to Betty anyway as a kind of promise ring? Did he keep and its in a draw somewhere? Who knows but I do think itll eventually end up with Betty. Kevin interrupts Betty’s thoughts when he asks if she ok and when she answers yes she was just thinking, he asks if she was thinking about simpler times to which Betty agrees. The thing is if we look at it from Betty’s point of view it really was a simpler time. Back then she was certain about what she wanted. She wrote in her diary ‘I know I want to marry Archie but I know we’re too young.’ Little Betty knew exactly how she felt and exactly what she wanted. There was no boyfriend whose heart she could break, there was no best friend who she could utterly destroy with her betrayal. There was only her and Archie. Fast forward ten years and shes in a very different situation then what her younger self thought. As a child she believed this was the time when she and Archie would be getting engaged, when they were 18 and in high school. Now all those feelings she felt then are back but its far from a simple situation.

I don’t think its at all surprising that when we return to Archie he is working on a song. Archie has always tried to work his feelings out through songwriting and music. We can see him smiling throughout the entire process of wrinting this song. Now I was going to wait and talk about the meaning of the song later when going through the second bunker scene but I actually think we should cover it now. I mean if Archie has written a song for Betty then obviously we need to study every single line in great detail just because what else would we do with it? So lets first start with the title. According to the video I found on youtube its called ‘Carry the Torch’. Now if this is the official title then this is very intersting as the phase means to love something for a long period of time. Us Barchie shippers have been saying all along that Barchie never lost their feelings for each other and I do think this confirms that. The first line of the song is ‘There’s no warning when everything changes’, pretty obvious that Archie is talking about the sudden emergence of their feelings for each other here. I also think its interesting that for Archie everything has changed. Literally nothing is the same for him anymore, not his feelings for Veronica, not his plans for the future, his feelings for Betty, literally everything is up in the air.

‘You let down your guard and I saw something strange, I thought she’s not made for this world and neither am I.’ The part about her letting down her guard I think is in reference to how previously in season 1 after he broke her heart she became more guarded with Archie to the point where when he tried to talk about his feelings with her in the season 1 finale she shut him down. Now though she’s let that guard down, she’s kissed him and she’s met with him in the bunker, she admitted she was feeling something for him. As for the part about seeing something strange and thinking she’s not made for this world I again think this is a throw back to how he used to see her. I’ve said before that I always thought a huge part of the reason why Archie rejected Betty in season 1 is because of how he saw her as this perfect girl next door and so much more than he ever would be. I think he’s now realised thats not true. That she’s not the same person anymore and neither is he. The line about not being made for this world is a little more ambiguos to me but I think he means they aren’t made to fit into a box, they both a little different. I mean I think they have had similar paths, they both have struggled with a dark side that was brought into exisitence by the same man, the black hood. Archie’s anger at the black hood lead him down some pretty dark paths, Betty got the calls from the black hood that also took her down a dark path.They were both manipulated by someone they thought they could trust. Archie was manipulated by Hiram and Betty was manipulated by Chic. They have both lost their Fathers suddenly. I think Archie is trying to say that whereas before he saw them on different levels now he recognises that they are on the same, that they match. It could also mean that they aren’t meant for the world of Riverdale, this world that’s steeped in blood and violence, Archie has always seen their relationship as being something pure, that childhood innocence, maybe he’s saying that their love is being blocked because of this world where they can so easily be corrupted. How he feels for Betty is so pure that it doesn’t belong in this world of evil and corruption its on another level it doesn’t fit in with this world, its just too good if I’m making sense here.

‘Cause you make me wanna be stronger than I am.’ Another fairly obvious one Archie wants to be good enough for Betty he wants to be worthy of her. She inspires him to better himself and again we this alot throughout their relationship. She supports his music and encourages him to persue it, we know that story of how she helped him get caught up as children so he wouldn’t have to repeat a grade, we also know that she helped him with his schoolwork when he got out of prison. She always believes in him and he always listens to her advice and lets her guide him. The next line is ‘Maybe I’m reaching, misplacing a feeling. There’s no way to know but to try.’ This line is really showing Archie’s confusion. But it also tells us alot about how Archie is thinking. He recognises that isn’t certain of his feelings that he just be mistaking nostalgia but he also says the only way they can know is to try. This is kinda what I’ve been saying myself. The only way Barchie are going to get closure is if they explore their relationship otherwise they are always going to wonder, they’ll always be a what if. It seems from these lyrics that Archie thinks this too that he wants to try and see what they could be.

Ok I do want to point something out real quick here. We know that Archie didn’t sit down and write this song all in one session. This song was written over a couple of days and as I said I do think Archie uses music to sort through his feelings. All of the lines above come from the first verse of two. Here’s the thing there is a huge change between the two verses. In the first it is very much about new, tentative and unsure feelings. However as you will see as we go through the second verse it is much more sure and certain. Archie has made up his mind about what he wants and its reflected in this second verse. “So give me tonight, I don’t know much but I knoww this feels right.’ Archie might be a bit clueless most of the time, he might make mistakes and he might not have all the answers but in all that uncertainty one thing he does know, beyond a shadow of doubt that what he feels for Betty is right. I mean if you compare the line ‘maybe I’m reaching mistaking a feeling’ with this line ‘but I know this feels right.’ This is such a huge turn around. Those lines couldn’t be more different. From the line give me tonight it does make me think that the first verse was written sometime after the first bunker visit but before he goes to see Betty and arranges to meet her at the bunker tomorrow evening. I think the second was written the next day when he knew that evening he was going to sing the song for Betty. In that time he had recgnised that his feeling were real and that they felt right.

‘So give me tonight, If you carry the torch, I’d follow the light, I’d follow the light.’ Here again Archie repeats give me tonight. I think he understands that Betty is unsure and so he’s asking her to hear him out, to keep an open mind to come to this conversation he wants to have. It seems to me like Archie very much wants to talk about how they are feeling and have that conversation that lets be honest they should have had the last time they kissed. When he says ‘if you carry the torch I’ll follow the ligh’t this is huge. He is literally saying that if she says that she has feelings for him, if she wants him too then he’s all in. He wants to be with her, its as plain as day in those lyrics. Like without a doubt if she had said she wanted to be with him he would break up with Veronica and be with Betty and does come across as what he wants.

One thing I will say real quick is that I do think Archie needs to break up with Veronica anyway. Irregardless of whether Betty is willing to be in a relationship with him or not if he is having feelings as strong as what he is portraying in this song that its not right for him to continue with Veronica. As much as it would suck for her and as much as I’d hate to see her hurting, I think Veronica is an amazing woman and person and deserves a heck of a lot better than to have someone settle for her.

When we go back to Betty the diary entry of the day is talking about how they used to listen to records together. Again I don’t think its a coincidence that right after we see Archie working on a song Betty flashes back to them listening to music, music has always been a predominant part of their relationship. Again child Betty describes it as the best day ever. Betty seems to be trying to work through her feelings by looking back at old memories everytime we see her shes got one of her diaries in her hand. What I do think is interesting is that while Archie seems to be looking forward, looking to their furture Betty has chosen to look backwards. I kinda get the sense that Betty is frightened of the future and so her tactic for dealing with that is to just not think about all the much. So she’s getting lost in the past. Archie then shows up and can I just say I love Archie he’s so adorable, like he literally spent the entire episode writing songs and trying to think of ways to hang out with Betty. When he says that he’s there to help her with the year book it is so obvious that he is looking for any excuse to be around her. Definitely had th esame vibe about it as ‘we’re just hanging out.’ Bless ya cotton socks Arch. Anyway Betty sees right through Archie and points out that he’s not there for the yearbook. This is when Archie confesses that he can’t stop thinking about her. She says that they can’t do this but then after looking at him for a moment continues with ‘not here’. Naturally Archie gets very excited at this little bit of hope and Betty admits she can’t stop thinking about him either. Now the next couple of lines of dialogue I think are very important. They arrange to meet at the Bunker but Betty doesn’t want to meet that night but the next. The reasoning she gives for this is so that they have time to think about it and ‘make sure this is what we really want.’ The reason why this is such a big deal is because of the implications behind it. Betty is basically saying that in this moment at least she wants to be with Archie, this means that in this moment she had pretty much decided she was going to leave Jughead for Archie. The intersting thing is that she asks for that delay. I think some of it is yes so that she herself can be sure that it is what she wants and that she isn’t going to change her mind. But more than that I think she wants to make sure Archie won’t change is mind. I mean look at it from her perspective he has broken her heart before. Not only that but after they kissed last time when she next sees him after that night he is kissing Veronica and its obvious their back together, we know that Barchie hadn’t talked about the kiss at this point and they shared a look when Archie spotted her and realised she had seen him kiss Veronica. This must have hurt Betty too its possible she hadn’t spoken to Archie yet because she was working up the courage, unfortunately Archie could have seen the fact that she hadn’t tried to talk about it with him as indifference on her part which is part of the reason why he goes back to Veronica. I think Betty is thinking ok he says he can’t stop thinking about me now but lets wait a bit and see if that cools off and it changes because if we start something up for real then not only have they hurt the people they care about for nothing but Betty’s heart will be broken again.

Betty continues to read her diaries in the meantime and the next entry we get is acutally really telling given what comes next. In this entry Betty is talking about how much she hates Cheryl for kissing Archie. This is relevant because unlike the others this isn’t some happy memory of childhood love, in this memory she is remembering what it feels like to see someone you love kiss someone else. I suspect she is then recognising that this feeling is what Jughead and Veronica will go through if she does persue things with Archie. These thoughts and feelings are fresh in her mind when Cheryl comes in. This part of the episode does seem to have split some opinions in the fandom and caused a bit of a stir. Alot of people feel like it was really out of character for Cheryl to say that what Betty feels for Archie isn’t real and that she is in love with the idea of him considering she was the one saying that it looked pretty real to her just a few episodes ago. I agree with that I was very confuse myself by it when I first watched the episode. But since then I’ve gone back and watched the scene again and I’ve got a few things I think we should think about with this scene. Firstly we need to remember that Cheryl unlike the audience, doesn’t have all the facts. She doesn’t know about the kiss, she doesn’t know that Betty fantasized that dance, she doesn’t know about them meeting in the bunker. Betty straight up denied anything had happened between them when Cheryl asks. I think in these instances its really important that we look at it from the character’s pov. We can actually learn alot from studying Cheryl’s facial expressions during this scene. They are very subtle but if you look closely enough it can make you understand Cheryl’s thought process also it gives us an excuse to look at Cheryl’s beautiful face so its win win. This is Cheryl’s face when she first realises that she was right and Betty is having real feelings for Archie.

She is clearly excited and happy at the news. This is much more in line with what you’d expect from Cheryl after her comments about it looking real. However her demenour changes after Betty says she thinks a part of her had been in love with Archie for the last ten years and she suddenly looks alot more sombre and well sad to be honest...

So why the sudden change? Well her expression also seems really sympathetic to me as well as sad and her expression makes alot more sense when you see what she is seeing. She is looking at Betty in this moment and this is how Betty is looking at that moment.

I mean look at her, she is so devastated, she is clearly hurting and struggling. Now again we have to look at this from Cheryl’s pov. While she might put on an act alot of the time and while its true she seems to enjoy chaos, she isn’t a heartless person. In fact on many occasions we have seen a softer side to her an example of this with Betty is when Betty suspected that her dad was a serial killer she went to Cheryl and she was supportive of Betty and gave her some really good advice. Well they might not be bosom buds Betty is still Cheryl’s cousin, her family. Again if we look at it from her point of view not knowing about the kiss or any of that then Cheryl likely sees it as Betty has started to have feelings and the idea of it is really upsetting Betty. If Cheryl did know about the kiss she might have given different advice but she doesn’t. It’s also possible that Cheryl may be feeling some level of responisibilty for Betty feeling upset now because she was the one who put the idea in her head that she had real feelings for Archie. I actually think Cheryl is trying to find a way to cheer Betty up, to comfort her when she gives this explanation that she’s just in love with the idea of Archie.

I went to a body language class once and the guy told us that when a person lies or is trying to tap into their imagination they look up and to the right because its the creative side of our brians. If a person looks up and to the left they are trying to tap into the memory side of their brains. The interesting thing about Cheryl in this scen is she actually does both, her eyes flick from one side to another. Now I’m not an expert in body language I only ever went to the one workshop that covered the basics but to me this would suggest that Cheryl was searching for something to say here whether it comes from her imagination or a memory doesn’t matter she just wants to think of something to say that will cheer Betty up that will make it better.

If you look at Cheryl’s face right before she says false and then goes on to explain that she’s in love with the idea and that what she has with jughead is real, to me it has that lightbulb look. You know the one I mean, when you’ve just had an idea pop into your head? Yeah I think this is Cheryl’s that’s it, that’s the solution to the problem moment. You can see it alot better when you watch the scene you can see the moment where it pops into her head. So I do think this was more Cheryl’s miguided way of cheering Betty up. I mean like I said she doesn’t even have all the information about the situation all she knows is that Betty is feeling hella upset right now. I think Cheryl meant well but that she didn’t give the best advice at this moment. Also there’ another much simpler reason for why Cheryl said this. The writers. I think they want to draw this Barchie storyline out and play on the angst a bit and so they are using Cheryl here to throw a spanner in the works and delay Barchie getting together.

However that doesn’t mean that what Cheryl said doesn’t have some merit. In particular I think the line about being in love with the idea of the perfect romance is important. You know I actually half agree with Cheryl here. Only half though because I think this used to be true in the past. I think back in season 1 when Betty was more innocent and naive she was in love with the idea of the perfect romance with Archie. However now, when you think about it, it’s not possible for her to be. Mostly because she can’t have the perfect romance with Archie. By this point Archie has already broken her heart once, what’s perfect about that? They have already kissed and then hidden it from their significant others while pretending it didn’t happen in season 2, again what’s perfect about that? Now they’ve kissed again only this time its worse because they’ve actually cheated and now they know that if they do decide to be together alot of people are going to get hurt, yeah there’s definitely nothing perfect about that. My point is their relationship is already flawed, its already gone through the wringer and they already bear the scars from it, its not perfect so how can she be in love with the idea of a perfect love story with Archie? It not perfect but it is real. I need to point out as well that in this scene Betty admits that she has been in love with Archie the whole time. Yet when she talks about Jughead she says ‘I love Jughead’ not in love, love. I do think they’ve done this deliberately, this difference between the two phrases but I haven’t figured out what the significance of it is yet.

So now we’ve gotten to the second bunker scene. It starts off with Archie playing the song for Betty. What I do think is significant here is that whilst he is playing she flashes back to that scene where he was playing for them all and she gets overwhelmed and runs off. Like before when she was reading the diary entry about Cheryl she has remembered a time when she felt hurt and in pain because the person she loved had kissed someone else (Veronica in the cupboard this time) again she is thinking about how much that hurt her and how that’s how Jughead and Veronica are going to feel on top of that she’s got everything Cheryl said spinning through her mind and all just overwhelms her and she was to stop Archie. Another thing worth pointing out is when Archie asks if she doesn’t like the song she replies ‘it’s us, it’s us’ again here she is admitting that they are real, they are right because that’s what the song is about, so if she thinks the song is them that she must believe that. Yet I think in the end as she says she doesn’t want to hurt or lose Jughead. Ultimately that’s what it comes down to. It’s not that she doesn’t have feelings for Archie, its not that she doesn’t think they are right for each other, it not even that she doesn’t want to be with Archie, she just doesn’t want to hurt Jughead. She doesn’t want to face the consequences and so instead she just ends instead trying to convince them both that its just nostalgia and fear of things changing.

The immediate scene after shows that Archie is still playing the song and his mother comments how it must have been written for someone special, she assumes that its for Veronica. This is the moment when Archie says that he wants to join the Naval Academy and says he thinks it’ll be best to just have a fresh start. I mean this poor guy is so heartbroken that he’s decided that the only thing left to do is join the Navy. I do think being in the Navy is going to drastically change Archie in some ways it might be good for him as it will give him more control over his emotions and discipline but it also might make him a much harder person. We won’t know for sure until after the time jump but I do feel like we should prepare ourselves for seeing a very different Archie. Again though we are being shown Archie looking forwards to the future as a way of dealing with his current situation.

In contrast Betty is still focussed on the past, mainly on burning it away. But I do think its interesting that while one of them is obsessing over the future as an escape the other is losing themselves in the past in an attempt to deal. The thing is though neither one of them is focussing on the present on what’s going on right in the moment and so I feel like they are missing out. Its obvious that in this scene Betty still trying to convince herself that her feelings for Archie aren’t real. When her mother asks what shes doing she says she’s ‘exorcising her demons’ and then later after Alice points out that they are her childhood memories and that they are precious, Betty replies that they are just memories. I do think she is trying really hard to convince herself that what Cheryl said was true. I do think its interesting that its Alice in this scene that saves the last diary. I do think this diary is going to be an important plot point. I am very curious about whats in it. But I do find it ironic that Alice was the one in 3x01 who was trying to convince Betty to burn all her diaries but now shes the one trying to save them. Also it could be significant that Alice is the one to do this considering her past. When she was Betty’s age she too was in love with someone, FP. She too, like Betty is now, decided to not face these feelings and instead went for the safer option in Hal. As a result alot of bad things happened to her. While her life wasn’t necessarily terrible there was still something missing for her, the same can be said of FP. That decision to not face there feelings for each other had a direct impact on there lives. It had a domino effect. Like Betty and Archie Alice and FP had other opportunities to be honest with themselves and each other but didn’t.

As I said before I don’t think that Barchie’s story is over yet. There are too many things left undone. We still haven’t heard the whole song in the show yet. I do think its possible that Veronica will somehow discover the song, whether because she hears a recording of it, or hears Archie playing it or becuse Mary asks her what she thought about it. Then one of two things will happen. Either Archie will be faced with the awkward situation where he either has to admit the song isn’t about her or pretend it is and play it for her. Or when she hears it Veronica realises right away that it isn’t about her. Maybe Jughead also hears the song and also gets suspicious. I also think that diary is going to come back into it, maybe Betty reads something in it that makes her realise Archie is the one she wants and so she rushes over to see him and tell him only to find that he has already left, she gets to his room and there is a letter for her on his desk. Inside the envelope is an explanation that he’s left for the Navy, a loves confession and the heart ring is in there too. Then we’ll have the 5 year time jump where we find out they’ve been longing for each other the entire time. Oh the angst. The other thing is that Jughead and Veronica still haven’t found out about the kiss and with these video tapes popping up all over the place its only a matter of time before that one comes out. Also its worth saying that technically Archie and Betty still haven’t had a proper conversation about their feelings. While they were better this time around and they did touch on the fact they couldn’t stop thinking about each other their conversations were more about what they didn’t want then what they did. They don’t want to hurt Jughead and Veronica. So at the moment they are kinda at a stalmate.

Well thank you to everyone who read all the way to the end of this. I know it got real long, like I said a lot of thoughts about everything. Again I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. I’m not sure how much information we are going to get from the next episode as its going to be a revenge fantasy from a story Jughead is writing but you never know, either way I’m still excited for the episode. So until next time.

#riverdale #barchie #riverdale theories

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dmsden · 5 years

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The Velvet Mask - Running a campaign based on espionage and intrigue

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week's Question from a Denizen comes to us from purplepie172 who asks, "So I'm running a campaign where my players have to navigate through bureaucracy and social espionage, do you have any advice on running that?"

Why indeed I do!

Every campaign ends up involving a bit of these elements. Perhaps the PCs want to speak to a local lord. They're going to need to weave through the ranks of the local bureaucracy, figuring out how to get into seeing them. Or maybe they're dealing with a hidden cult in a town. They're going to work at infiltrating the cult, or at least investigating until they root out the members.

I think the best way to prep for such a campaign is to make designs similar to a dungeon, but perhaps a bit more in flow-chart mode. You can make "maps" of the social dynamics of a town, showing NPCs attitudes towards one another. This way, if the PCs start trying to pit NPCs against each other, or gather information, you have a sense for what each NPC thinks of the other and roleplay appropriately.

There's an old DMing technique where you write down 3 secrets about any given NPC - one thing some people might know about them, one thing they know but keep to themselves, and one thing they themselves don't know about themselves. By using this technique, you can create a special landscape as complex and interesting as any dungeon and use it to run a campaign.

Obviously in such a campaign, social skills will be more important than combat skills. You can use the rules around Skill Challenges from 4th edition to make social "combats" that the PCs can fight. Let's say the PCs are about to have a debate in a king's court. Assign a social "hit points" to any given PC or NPC in the situation. Each PC who says something in the debate can roll an "attack" using Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. Let PCs "heal" each other using Insight and Persuasion. Then let this "combat" play out. When someone drops to 0 social hit points, they are removed from the debate. Maybe it takes a certain number of days to recover from social combat, so some combatants might withdraw in order to be able to fight in a later debate.

As far as the espionage element goes, I also recommend looking to the fantastic Call of Cthulhu RPG for some inspiration. They describe looking into a CoC mystery like peeling back the layers of an onion. Let's say that you have a local Baron who is consorting with Sahuagin to sell undesirables in his town into slavery. That fact is the core of the mystery "onion". Then you build outwards, coming up with what elements the PCs can investigate and peel away in order to get the root of things.

Maybe they come into town to solve a disappearance of a friend. Investigations reveal that the friend is not the only person who disappeared. They have a chance to speak to the families of the missing people and maybe discover that their friend was looking into the other disappearances. They dig deeper and find that the friend was investigating an abandoned warehouse on the docks. As they explore the warehouse they find that it's rigged to deliver people in it into the water below, where sahuagin attack. They follow the sahuagin to their lair and defeat them, then find evidence which ties the sea devils to the baron. The adventure then concludes with them finding a way to deal with the Baron.

I hope this has given some ideas on how to use social espionage and intrigue to make a campaign as exciting as any dungeon crawl.

#d&d #dungeons and dragons #dungeon master #dungeons & dragons #d&d 5e #dnd #dnd 5e #dnd stuff #d&d 5th edition #dnd shenanigans #dm advice #gm advice #dungeonmaster

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duhragonball · 4 years

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (129/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[18 August, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

"Treekul! I need your help."

Guwar found her in one of the common rooms of the cult's underground complex. He hadn't seen her since they first arrived together on Nagaoka. At first, he had been too occupied with his indoctrination and the rituals that followed. Later, when he rose through the ranks to become one of the cult's Executants, he had greater privileges, but he was too busy with various missions to wonder what had happened to her. But now, when she was the only one on the planet who could help him, he discovered that she was much easier to track down than he expected.

The alien woman looked up from the yellowed parchment she was reading and her eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Guwar!" she cried out. "I was starting to think I'd never see you again."

She met him in the middle of the room and embraced him somewhat awkwardly. They had never exactly been friends to begin with, and their current positions in the cult didn't call for much fraternization. Fortunately, the others in the room were of lower rank, and dared not to question the behavior of a Priestess and an Executant.

"Listen," she said as she pulled him close so no one else could hear. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

"As you command, Priestess," Guwar said immediately, making sure everyone could hear. "Right this way."

He hadn't been expecting her to need anything from him, but it made things simpler that way. When they first came to Nagaoka, Guwar had assumed that Treekul would be executed immediately. She wasn't a Saiyan like the rest of them, after all. Surprisingly, she was allowed to live among them, even receiving the rank of priestess. But instead of robes, she was fitted with a strange dress of red strips of fabric, and he had never known her to provide any counseling. Guwar didn't know what to make of it, but he was more concerned with his own problems instead of figuring out her status.

"If you needed to speak with me so badly, why didn't you just summon me?" Guwar asked in a low voice when they were in an empty hallway.

"I didn't know I could," Treekul said. "You mean it was that easy?"

"You're a priestess," he said. "We're bound to follow your orders."

"Yeah, but I don't want the boss to know what I'm up to," she said.

"The boss?"

"Trismegistus," Treekul said. "I just started calling him that at some point and... Oh, it doesn't matter."

"Well, if anyone asks, you can tell them you're helping me," Guwar said. He led her to his quarters and swung open the door. "I need to understand something and you're the only one who can decipher--"

"We need to get out of this place," she said the moment the door was closed. "Right now."

"You're forbidden to leave, Treekul, everyone knows that. Trismegistus made it very clear."

"Did he tell you why?" Treekul asked.

"You're an alien," he said. "You could betray our secrets."

"Then why did he make me a priestess?" Treekul asked. "Why is he training me in alchemy? Why didn't he just kill me from the start?"

"He has some use for you," Guwar said. "And if you would have preferred execution so badly, I'm sure you could have found a way by now. You still live because you must see the truth in this place. Don't deny it."

"He's insane," Treekul said. "All he cares about is controlling people, and some bizarre plan for the Saiyan species. He's only keeping me around for his own amusement!"

"That's his right!" Guwar said. "You should be honored he's letting you learn from him at all. The Jindan power won't work on you because you're not a Saiyan. If he can impart some of his wisdom to you, then you could become a great help to us--"

"Sure, that'd be great," Treekul said. "The only trouble is that he isn't teaching me anything at all. He's just putting me through pointless exercises to keep me busy, or to test my compliance."

"He's testing your resolve," Guwar said. "You can't learn the deeper secrets unless you've proven your dedication to his teachings. Don't you get it? He could make you so much more than you already are, if you'd just let him."

"All I want," Treekul said, "is to get as far away from this planet as I can."

"Then cooperate," Guwar said. "The Executants and other priests are allowed to come and go as we please, because Trismegistus trusts us to carry out his will." He grabbed a stack of papers from his writing desk and shoved them into Treekul's arms. "You can start by checking my work."

"What is all of this?" Treekul asked.

"Trismegistus ordered me to calculate a mathematical model of the war effort," he explained. "The tactics don't make much sense from a conventional standpoint, but he told me that it was all based on geomantic adjustments."

"He's tampering with galactic ley lines?" Treekul asked. "That's crazy."

"It's brilliant," Guwar said. "Luffa can kill all of our warriors, but it won't do her any good in the long run. Eventually the galactic ley lines running through Federation space will be permanently shifted to ensure our ultimate victory. Trismegistus wants me to refine the calculations to improve the process."

"You can't just move cosmic ley lines," Treekul said. "It would take more power than... No. He could do it, couldn't he?"

"The trouble I'm having is that I keep running into a brick wall on the math," Guwar said. "His methods are based on an algorithm by another alchemist, the first Trismegistus, he said, but that work was for a smaller scale. I'm sure I could adapt it, except the algorithm itself doesn't make any sense. It doesn't look like it would work at all, which means any model I build will also fail. I've gone over it a hundred times, and I think I'm missing something on the geomancy side of things. That's where you come in."

"Me?" Treekul asked. "What good can I do?"

"It's no different from when we collaborated on the search to find this planet," Guwar said. "You used a geomantic compass to triangulate the locations of alchemical artifacts. This is just the same thing on a bigger scale."

"I don't..." she trailed off as she looked at the papers he had given her. For a moment, it was like it was before they found Nagaoka. He was a Saiyan mathematician, and she was an archaeologist specializing in alchemical artifacts. Guwar had come to despise those times, before the Jindan potion increased his strength, and made him a somebody for the first time in his life. And he was certain that she had grown as well. Whatever Trismegistus had taught her, he was sure that it had made her more powerful. She still opposed the cult in her heart, but she couldn't help but improve in this kind of environment. And working together, they could do almost anything...

After a few moments, she shook her head and shut her eyes tightly. "Guwar this is nothing like what we did before. Using the ley lines to find a planet, that's one thing, but what Rehval is proposing is just..."

"All I need is for you to verify the core principles of geomancy," Guwar said. "The algorithm has to work, Treekul, or he wouldn't be using it, but the computer can't make heads or tails of it, so--"

"What computer?" Treekul asked.

"On the ship I'm using. Rehval has one set aside for me to use for my work."

"Then you can take me off the planet," Treekul said. "You Executants can come and go as you like, right? I'll help you with this, but you have to smuggle me out of here, drop me off on some other world. That's my price."

"I can't do that," Guwar insisted. "I have a lot of pull here, but not enough to take you away from the master. He'd remove my Jindan power for sure."

"Would that really be so bad?" Treekul asked.

"Are you kidding?" Guwar said. "I'd be even weaker than I was when you first met me."

"That never mattered to me before," Treekul said. "I... well, I respected you as a scholar. That, and the whole space pirate thing you had going for you. That was pretty cool."

"Well that wasn't enough," Guwar said. "Not for me. I wanted more from you than respect, woman. But I could tell you weren't interested, not the way I was before."

"I didn't think you'd be interested in me," she said. "Besides, Endive was crazy about you, and I didn't want to try to get in the way of that."

"Endive?" he asked. "That's ridiculous. She wants nothing to do with me. Even now, when I've become as powerful as I am."

He wanted to believe her, of course. The truth was, Guwar was interested in them both, but with Endive, it was more of a matter of lust and pride. The idea of such a magnificent specimen at his side was very captivating, but Treekul had Endive beat on personality. He could have conversation with Treekul, and her strange hair and lavender skin had grown on him over the time they had spent together. For a moment, he allowed himself to indulge in the fantasy that strength didn't matter, and that both women were infatuated with him at the same time, and they had just been too intimidated by his brilliance to make a move.

"Rehval has her so brainwashed that she only wants what he tells her to want," Treekul said. "Just like he has you running in circles trying to solve his equations."

And that was the proof Guwar needed, the proof that Treekul was lying to him. For he knew that the cult hadn't brainwashed any of them. It had simply reinforced truths they had all known from the beginning. The supreme value of strength, the importance of ruthlessness. Endive outranked him, so if she was truly in love with Guwar, she could have ordered him to her bed whenever she wanted. But she never did, because she was waiting for him to prove his worth, one way or another. And he would. Rehval Trismegistus had promised Guwar great rewards for completing this model, and Endive would be one of them.

"I don't buy it," Guwar said. "You're a priestess, aren't you? If you wanted me so badly, what's stopping you? I'll do anything you ask, short of taking you off the planet."

"Yeah, well that's not how I like to socialize," Treekul said. "I didn't ask for any of this, and I'm not going to exploit my 'power' over the rest of you like that. And even if I was willing to stoop that low, I wouldn't waste time on you now. I liked the Guwar from before. This guy I'm talking to now.... I... I don't know who you are anymore."

They stood there silently for a minute or two, and then Guwar shook his head and pointed at the door.

"Enough of this," he said. "Work on the equations or don't. I'll give you whatever I can in return, but I still can't take you off the planet. There's no use discussing that."

"Oh, I'll help you, Guwar," Treekul said. "It's not like I have anything better to do with my time, and it seems to be the only way I can get through to you."

Guwar thanked her for her cooperation as she left, but he doubted that she would take the problem seriously. At the very least, he could be certain that she wouldn't tell Rehval that he was having trouble with his assignment. She was so suspicious and paranoid towards the Master that he doubted that she would tell him much of anything. And even if Guwar had no intention of giving her a lift in his ship, he could still use that as a bargaining chip to keep her quiet. He sighed and returned to his notes. He would work in his quarters for a while, then return to the ship to check his figures against the computer. Treekul had helped in one sense, at least. Even if she didn't check his work, she still gave him the motivation to solve this problem, if only to prove to her that Trismegistus truly was the great man he claimed to be. Treekul was a reasonable woman, and once he laid out the calculations for her, she would have no choice but to accept the truth. Even if it took weeks to sort things out, Guwar was certain he could find the answer. The numbers wouldn't lie.

*******

[15 September, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

The numbers just wouldn't add up.

It was all supposed to tie together. The algorithm was supposed to work, and all he would have to do was refine the calculations and build a more robust mathematical model for Rehval's plans. Each battle was supposed to tug on the cosmic ley lines that supposedly governed the currents of fate in the galaxy. It was all supposed to work.

Only it didn't. He had gone over the figures for over a week now, and they simply didn't fit. Guwar had checked and double-checked the numbers, and the results just didn't match up with Rehval's plans. Rehval had boldly predicted victory within months. Guwar couldn't even extrapolate a duration of time that was a real number.

So he checked population growth models and tried to determine if the Jindan cult's population was sustainable. It would be, provided a stable birth rate, and with the cult's emphasis on breeding, that seemed to be a safe assumption. But that only meant the war with the Federation would go on indefinitely. Rehval could keep sending cultists to invade the Federation, and Luffa would continue to kill them, and he would have more to make good the losses.

What did that leave? Luffa wasn't immortal. Eventually she would die of old age, and the stalemate would be broken. But that would eventually happen anyway. If Trismegistus's grand scheme was to wait out the clock, he could do it without squandering his resources. Instead, Rehval had insisted that victory was imminent, and the lives he had sacrificed at the front would not be in vain.

And Guwar believed him. He had believed him before, and he still did now. Rehval was Trismegistus, the Holy Inventor of Jindan, the King of the Saiyans, the One Who Would Transform the Universe. He had transformed Guwar, changing him from a nobody into a great man. It was all true. It had to be true.

Because if it wasn't true, then Trismegistus was a fraud.

If it wasn't true, then Guwar wasn't a great man. Being an Executant was meaningless. He was nothing more than a patsy, no matter how strong the Jindan potion had made him.

He didn't want it to be a lie. And so he checked his figures again. And again. And again. He searched for proofs that would save him from the dilemma. He racked his brain for theorems that could help him escape. In the end, all of his mathematical skill could only offer him a more beautiful expression of the same problem. Rehval's geomantics plans would make perfect sense. The war would end in Jindan victory precisely when he said it would. Beginning with that premise and working backwards, Guwar could solve the equations and find the conditions necessary to support that truth. In the end it boiled down to a simple falsehood:

Two equals three.

This non-answer stared him in the face as he feverishly re-checked his work. It had been staring him in the face the entire time. He had already established that Rehval's strategy was impossible. "Two equals three" was just another way of saying it. Two, of course, did not equal three, and never could.

The contradiction was too awful for him to put into words. It was like being diagnosed with a terminal disease, only Guwar considered this much, much worse. At least a doctor could be wrong, or a patient's body might prove more resilient than anyone imagined. Even the hardest sciences allowed for a slim chance of things turning out differently. The law of gravity was only "true" until someone found a way to prove it false. That was incredibly unlikely, but never impossible.

Two, however, was incapable of being Three. There was no bargaining with this, no semantic argument to be made. A layman or a freshman philosophy student might blithely wonder if numbers really had any meaning after all. But Guwar was a mathematician, and his training forbade him from dismissing this, no matter how badly he wished otherwise.

The numbers didn't lie. They couldn't lie. Worst of all, it had been Trismegistus who told him to consult the numbers in the first place. Trismegistus, the Thrice Blessed, had made a mistake. There could be no new model, because the algorithm is was to be based upon simply couldn't work.

And as his mind raced for a solution to his dilemma, he considered checking with Treekul, to see if she had come up with something he could use to make sense of all of this. It mathematics couldn't save his faith in Rehval, then maybe alchemy would. But first, he remembered what she had said to him in his quarters.

"He's just putting me through pointless exercises to keep me busy, or to test my compliance."

He hadn't taken her words seriously at the time, but now he began to wonder. Was this just another pointless exercise? If Rehval would waste Treekul's time, why wouldn't he do the same to Guwar? Was all of this just a test to see what Guwar would do? Was he supposed to admit that the task was impossible to prove his honesty? Or did Rehval expect him to falsify his results to demonstrate his blind obedience? Or had Rehval gone mad, and he truly had no idea how flawed his plans truly were?

No matter how Guwar looked at it, he had spent the last six weeks in a spacecraft for no good reason.

He would have to come out sometime, and what was he going to do when he finally did?

*******

[16 September, 233 Before Age. Nagaoka.]

He found Treekul in her quarters. It was a violation of protocol to barge in on a priestess without being summoned, but he was past caring about such things. She didn't move from her desk.

"You were right," he said. "You were right about everything. We have to get out of here."

"Who's 'we', Guwar?" Treekul asked. She didn't bother looking up from her work. "I'm getting out of here, on my own terms. Are you asking me to invite you along?"

"Rehval's lying to us," Guwar said. "He asked me to verify his claims... no, he told me to, but I can't. The numbers just don't line up. He doesn't care about winning the war, he just wants me to tell him what he wants to hear."

"Who are you trying to convince here, Guwar?" Treekul asked. "Me or yourself?"

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm on your side now!" he hissed. "I want out. I'll do whatever it takes to get out. If we work together, we'll have a much better chance of--"

She looked up from the grimoire she was reading and smiled distantly at him. "You really think it's that simple?" she asked. "I've had time to think it over, and it just won't work. Twenty minutes after he notices you're gone, he'll withdraw the Jindan power from you. You'll lose all the power you've gained in this place, and then some."

"You... you said you didn't care about that," Guwar asked.

"On a personal level, I don't," Treekul said. She finally rose to her feet and looked him in the eye. "The point is that you'll be no match for whoever they send after us. And they will send someone. Endive, probably. She knows where I live. Hell, Rehval probably extracted all sorts of information from me with his potions, and I don't even know about it. I'll probably never see my home planet again."

"They didn't send anyone after Salziff when he left the cult," Guwar countered. He was a little surprised by the desperation he heard in his voice. Salziff had been their last lead in their search for Nagaoka. It was strange now, to think back to a time when Guwar so badly wanted to find this planet, and now he wanted to leave. He tried not to think about how weak and sick Salziff had been, or how Salziff had warned them to stay away from the cult. All he wanted to remember now was that Salziff had quit the cult and lived to tell about it.

"Salziff didn't quit, he was kicked out," Treekul said. "And losing the Jindan power turned him into an invalid. Is that how you'd want to end up? Don't you get it? They let him go because he was no threat to them. If anything, they used him as free advertising. If he kept his mouth shut, fine, but if he told anyone what he knew, it would only attract other Saiyans curious about how to get stronger. It's how we ended up here in the first place."

She picked up her stylus and poked Guwar's vest with it. "Salziff was a rule-breaker. They made an example out of him. You, on the other hand, Executant Guwar, have an outstanding service record. You're in too deep. You know too much about the cult and how it works. Rehval shared his war plans with you, for pity's sake. He can't let you go."

A chill ran down Guwar's spine, and he felt like something inside his head was collapsing in on itself. "I... I hadn't thought of that," he said.

"Of course not. Why would you? You thought you were on the winning side, right up until you checked his math. That's how he breaks people, Guwar. He gives them everything they thought they wanted, and then, when it's too late to back out, he betrays them somehow. He doesn't want us to trust him. He wants us to serve him even though we don't trust him."

A glimmer of hope suddenly dawned on him. "Then... maybe the plans he asked me to check were a phony," he said. "He was just testing me to see if I'd defy him."

"No," Treekul said, snuffing his idea before he could even consider it. "If the plans were fake, there'd be no test. He wants you to know what he's up to, and that it won't work the way he tells everyone. That way, if you continue to serve him, he'll know he rules you completely, in spite of your better judgment. If you cut and run, then it only proves you weren't worth having in the first place."

"I don't believe this," Guwar said, planting his hands over his face. He turned away from Treekul and lowered his head, as if trying to hide from the truths she was speaking.

"You had the right idea from the start, Guwar," Treekul said. "I can't escape, not the way I am. The only chance I have is to learn from Rehval, until I have enough power to escape him without being hunted down."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Guwar said. "He's not going to teach you how to leave this place!"

"Not directly," Treekul said. "It'll take a while. I'm an alchemical historian, not an alchemist like him. I'll never reach his level, but there's things I can find that he won't know to look for. Take a look at this."

He turned and saw her smiling as she pointed at a page from the grimoire she had been studying. Among the lines of tiny, alien characters and symbols, there was a woodcut image depicting a crude diagram of the galaxy, with various lines criss-crossing it like a spider's web. Surrounding this were various alchemical notations, along with an inscrutable face in the galactic center, which implied that the galaxy itself was a living thing.

"Rehval claims he can manipulate cosmic ley lines," Treekul explained. "I thought that was impossible, and maybe it is, on the scale he's talking about--"

"It is impossible," Guwar insisted. "I wouldn't be talking to you right now if it wasn't!"

"Maybe so," Treekul continued. "But these texts suggest that you can nudge them a little. A primeval Makyan used a spell to camouflage his planet from geomantic triangulation. I'm betting Rehval used something similar to hide this world. If I can learn how to do it myself, I can create a refuge where he'll never find me."

Guwar couldn't believe what he was hearing. "'If'?" he asked. "You don't even know if he can do it. How long will it take you to learn?"

"Like I said," Treekul replied. "It's a long game, but it's the best chance I have. In the meantime, I'll have to figure out how to counterfeit enough precious metals to pay the bills while I'm in hiding."

"We don't have time for that!" Guwar said. "If he learns what we're planning, he'll--"

"He already knows I don't want to be here," Treekul said. "He's toying with me, so the only choice I have is to play along and wait for an opening. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to get back to this..."

She turned to resume her reading, but Guwar grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her out of her chair. "You little fool!" he growled. "You said yourself that this is exactly what he does to control people! All you'll end up doing is entangling yourself even further!"

"What's your point?" Treekul said. "I'm already trapped here. Worst case scenario, I get so drawn into this world of his that I end up enjoying it. You and Endive don't seem to mind."

Guwar's eyes went wide with horror. Treekul was his only ally in this nightmare, and she had practically resigned herself to her fate. He had never felt so alone. Even when he had literally been alone, he had always felt enough confidence in his ability to overcome any obstacles. Now, there was only himself and his power, and these belonged Trismegistus, who surrounded him on all sides.

He lowered Treekul back to her seat, and she returned to her work. There was the chance, however slight, that her plan might be his only salvation, but he doubted it. The look he had seen in her eyes was all too familiar. He had seen it in the faces of all the other Saiyans who had sold their souls to Trismegistus, only to swallow their regret later on. Like them, Treekul would tell herself she was biding her time, and Rehval would just manipulate her into doing his bidding.

The same thing would happen to him, sooner or later. The longer he remained here, the tighter Rehval's grip would become.

And so, Rehval turned and ran. If Treekul realized that they would never see each other again, she didn't bother to react. Guwar himself felt strangely empty about it. It was as though he knew he ought to care, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He supposed that if he made it to safety, he would have plenty of time later to regret leaving her behind.

*******

Leaving Rehval's base of operations was exceedingly simple. As an Executant, Guwar knew where all the ships were kept, and he had license to requisition one at any time, no questions asked. He briefly considered taking steps to cover his tracks, like entering false data into the flight log to throw off any pursuers. He also considered sabotaging the rest of the fleet to slow down the inevitable manhunt. But he dismissed these ideas almost immediately. The longer he delayed his departure, the greater the risk that he would be caught before he could even get off the planet. Like so many of his past adventures in space piracy, his best chance lay in outer space, where the playing field would be somewhat more level. There, he could pit the technology of his own stolen ship against those that followed him. Rehval could remove the Jindan power from him at any moment, but it wouldn't diminish his own skills as a pilot.

And so, he simply returned to the science vessel he had been using for his work, and launched it into orbit. He charted a course towards Mundokuul, then set the ship to proceed along in the opposite direction. There were no inhabited planets along that path, but he planned to alter course several hours later. With any luck, he could throw his pursuers off-balance by heading for nowhere in particular. Eventually, he would find a spaceport, steal another ship, and repeat the process until he was far enough away to breathe a little easier.

But he knew that wouldn't solve anything in the long term. He knew that Rehval had the means to track him down, however long it might take. Treekul's talk of "nudging" cosmic ley lines to create a hiding place seemed far-fetched to him. Still, the very fact that she was seriously considering it meant that Rehval would be very difficult to avoid. He believed that it was best to act immediately and risk the consequences of his haste, but now that he had taken that step, he began to appreciate just how weak his position really was.

As the hours passed, he also found time to second-guess his decision to leave. All he had left was his Executant uniform, which was meaningless in the outside universe. The privileges that came with it-- the food, the women, the authority-- were all behind him now. He was back to being plain old Guwar again. Less than Guwar, really, once the Jindan power was finally removed from his body. If Treekul had come along, it might have made things easier for him. Now, all he had left was abstract solace of mathematics. For however long it lasted, he was free once again to admit that two was not equal to three.

Perhaps mathematics was all that remained for him in life. He had plundered planets to sate his Saiyan craving for battle, but the galaxy had clearly become too intense a place for a small fry like him. The future would be dominated by monsters like Rehval and Luffa, and those who served them. All that remained for men like Guwar was to struggle to stay out of their way.

"At least I've had some practice staying one step ahead of the monsters," Guwar mumbled aloud to himself. "I managed to keep away from Luffa, so how bad can Rehval be...?"

Then it suddenly hit him. Luffa. The only reason the Super Saiyan had ever persecuted him was because she was hunting Rehval. And now, here he was, running away from Rehval because he knew too much about his organization. He had been so worried about Rehval punishing him for treason that he never stopped to consider why it would be so important to Rehval in the first place.

As he consulted the star charts for the distance to Federation space, he considered the risks. Luffa might destroy him on sight, thinking him to be an enemy. The Jindan Saiyans currently attacking the Federation might turn against him as well, assuming Rehval informed them of his betrayal. On the other hand, Guwar knew Rehval's war plans, including when and where he planned to deploy his forces. Surely that intelligence would be enough to get him into Federation territory without being attacked.

And then, even as he began to feel some semblance of confidence in his survival, he felt a strange tingle in his body. It began in his abdomen, and radiated outward. Guwar had never experienced the Withdrawal before, and though he had expected it, he had no idea how it would feel when it finally happened. Acting more on instinct than anything else, he got up from the pilot's seat of his ship, and retreated to the rear cabin, where he sought the relative comfort of the cot mounted to the inner hull. Instead, he was assailed with an intense pain, and he collapsed onto the deck.

As he lay in a fetal position on the floor, he clutched at his stomach with fingers that were so numb that he felt like they belonged to someone else. He saw a purple aura surrounding his body, and it seemed to grow brighter as the pain increased. Guwar was tempted to beg for mercy, but he bit his lower lip instead. There was no one to hear his pleas, even if he made them. At least if he endured this agony in silence, he could preserve some small remnant of his Saiyan pride.

And then, just when it seemed that it would never stop, and he would be unable to endure any more, the pain vanished, leaving him only with the traumatic memory of the suffering it had caused him. Gingerly, Guwar rose to his knees, and as he pulled himself onto the bunk, he sensed his own ki, now purged of the Jindan power, and diminished.

He was surprised by how empty it felt. By his estimate, Guwar figured he was now about as strong as he had been at ten years old. Strangely, he was grateful for this, as he had feared he would lose much more than that. But the true dread he felt was at the absence of Jindan in his body. He felt like an empty vessel, bereft of purpose. In a way, it hurt worse than the physical pain that was still fresh in his mind. Now, at last, he realized why Rehval was so eager to use the Withdrawal to punish his unruly followers. The loss of Jindan, however temporary, was far more terrible than the ecstasy of receiving it.

Guwar lay on the bunk for several hours after that, with only his despair to keep him company while he waited for his ship to reach the next stop on his journey. When the computer finally called out to him to request a new heading, it took him forty-three minutes to pull himself together and return to the controls. He would go to the Federation and find Luffa, no matter the risk, if only for the slim chance of repaying Trismegistus for what Guwar had just endured.

*******

"You could have gone with him," Rehval said. He had just received the report of the stolen starship, and he had completed the mystic ritual he used to withdraw his alchemical power from Guwar. With that task completed, he reclined in the chaise lounge in the middle of his study. "Some would consider it a rather romantic adventure. The two of you together, roaming the galaxy in exile."

"You'd find him eventually," Treekul said. She was sitting on the floor, studying parchments she had arranged in a semicircle around herself. "And you would have him killed, I assume."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Rehval said. "Guwar has served me with distinction up until now. Perhaps he needs some time away to remind him of where his home truly is. He might still be redeemed."

"And if I had gone with him?" Treekul asked.

"Then I would have had you brought back here, alive and unharmed," Rehval said. "So it would be a pointless journey, but I suppose you could have enjoyed it as something of a vacation."

"I'd rather focus on your lessons," she said. "It's a much better use of my time, isn't it?"

"I'm gratified to hear you say that," he said. "With Guwar absent, I'll need everyone to work that much harder to pick up the slack. Now, I believe you asked me to teach you about ley lines."

"The texts you provided me are incomplete," she said. "I've run across this sort of thing before. The ancient masters would encode their greatest secrets using an energy imbalance. Too much sulfurous essence, or not enough, and you can't see the text well enough to read it."

Rehval smiled. "The key is to balance the sulfurous essence with the mercurial," he explained. "An influx of masculine energies to counter the feminine, for example. Any man would suffice, but only I have the expertise to do it properly. Assuming you're interested, of course."

She rose from the floor and approached him. "Well, why not?" she asked. "I've come this far, after all."

He embraced her when she was close enough, and they shared a kiss to begin the process.

NEXT: Luffa's Test.

#dragon ball #fanfiction #super saiyan #lssjluffafic #treekul #guwar #nagaoka

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weight-sled · 3 years

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13 Best Cross Training Shoes: Don't Miss Training Shoes

You never want to think about your feet while you're smashing your new challenging WOD into your CrossFit package. Since the body takes a lot of physical workout preparation for its different modalities, from heavyweight cleansing to box jumps to rope climbs, it can be a struggle to find the best shoes. You can't lace up a pair of Chuck Taylors exactly like a powerlifter or, god forbid, like a complete gym newb, plain running shoes, and expect optimum results.

You'll need a bit extra boots for yourself. For your simple lifts and hard deadlift days, Chucks might do fine, but if you're faced with either hiking, jumping, or climbing, you'll find yourself in trouble. And it's not a smart idea to carry out workouts, cleanses, and other weight-centric activities wearing running shoes, since the plush, cushioned midsoles in most running shoes find it more challenging to lift off the ground and produce power. Any CrossFitters might invest in a pair of lifting shoes for clean and snatch-heavy WODs who like to throw around pretty heavy loads, but those would only be beneficial for particular occasions. If you want just one pair, you're going to need a jack of all trades.

To help you keep upright, the perfect CrossFit shoe would have a small reduction in heel-to-toe-the change in height from the shoe's heel to its toe. Often helpful: a versatile, firm sole that will allow you to push off the ground in all directions to generate strength and travel well. Durability and toughness is also a huge requirement; you would need more support than fancy mesh trainers because of the often erratic nature of CrossFit exercises, which might challenge you to practice explosive weightlifting movements one minute, then clamber up a rope the next.

Have you got a pair of shoes just for the box?

For your next CrossFit workout, here are 13 of the best footwear choices. Your feet would be well-positioned to break your PRs and look amazing as you are doing so if you wear these to the box.

The signature training shoe from Nike is more breathable than ever, which is helpful because the flexible kicks help you to move smoothly from lifting to running. They do well in just about every major category of CrossFit, taking the word of our fitness director for it.

The low-profile training shoes from Puma have a distinctive lockdown fit to go along with a slick build. When you are under high weight, an extra large toe box gives the toes plenty of room to splay, and the rugged upper material can handle any exercise you want to do.

Using Mizuno's C.O.B. technology, which is intended to help improve balance and foot sensitivity, these incredibly comfortable trainers were developed. In theory, that implies better control and stability, while the one-piece bootie construction enables a perfect fit.

In one box, the new version of the long-running, mega popular "Official Shoe of Fitness" has it all. The toe box was redesigned along with the usual considerations for weightlifting, and reebok Crossfit nano Floatride energy return midsole content was used to make it more running friendly.

These cross training shoes feature one of our favourites for hard work in the gym, Under Armour's TriBase structure. To help you get a decent grip, rubber covers the outer sole and under the toe box.

If you are sick of the low-profile styles that other cross training shoes sell, go for the high-top variant of the respected trainers from No Bull. This low-drop shoe features a SuperFabric upper, a robust, abrasion-resistant and breathable material that gives a distinctive look to these kicks (a look that works well outside the box, too, especially given the amazing colorway options of NOBULL).

In CrossFit boxes everywhere, the Nike Metcon line has long been a favorite, but the Swoosh stepped up the game by mashing its stable, robust construction concepts with the more compact and light Free line, which offers a more flexible forefoot for running and agility exercises. The outcome is a flexible trainer that is just as strong as it is with sprints for your range of thrusters.

Grinder Lalo Maximus

Tactical outfitter Lalo partnered to create this beast of a trainer with one of our favorite power trainers, Bobby Maximus. Although the shoes are sturdy enough to take on any task of weightlifting and agile enough to run well, be careful when reaching the rope for climbing exercises.

F-LITE G 300 Inov8 300

The super-tough training shoes of Inov-8 are a cult favorite, and the newest update takes all of the advances of the company to the fore. Inov-8 claims that the sneakers, made of graphene, "the world's toughest material" are so strong that the company promises a 30-day trial period, with refunds for any unsatisfied buyers.

Primeblue Trainer FitBoost

These Adidas sneakers are designed with an explosive competitor in mind, someone who needs to leap without skipping a breath from one station to the next. These kicks would be especially well suited for weightlifting, running, and jumping.

Prevail Minimus

This silhouette in New Equilibrium is intended to fill the gap between barefoot fitness and the super-cushioned runners of the brand. Padding in the upper engineered knit gives way to a sole from Vibram that promises to accommodate the hardest workouts.

SOLSTICE XT MEN'S XT

These trainers are, like Altra's other kicks, designed to imitate the shape of the feet. That means there is an extra-wide toe box and other features to facilitate versatility and movement (great for heavyweight lifts). For extra durability, there's also a lined cage and a complete rubber outsole.

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Such multipurpose trainers from Lane-Eight are not generally designed for the box, but with a utilitarian style with an eye to high fashion, they can work almost anywhere. In your more general WODs, put them to the test, and you might like how they are feeling. Best of all: they are made from products that are renewable.

Top Ratings Best Cross Training Shoes

Shoe Hints and Guides for Cross Training

If you are a cross-training shoe beginner, then this section is for you. We have assembled a lot of cross-training shoe details in general.

Here you can discuss the past of cross trainer styles and features and some fun similarities of cross training trainers and other cross training shoes. Quite importantly, for you, we have planned the definitive purchasing guides.

If you are genuinely serious about the next cross trainer, don't skip these posts.

Why opt for shoes for cross training?

Cross training shoes, engineered especially for elliptical training, are similarly great for low-impact workouts. This shoes are designed to provide the balls of the feet with cushion and padding so that you are not easily weighed down by physical exercise. Cross running trainers, lightweight, offering adequate security and tailored to endure shocks, are a must for those who are regulars at the local gym, go for a run every day, etc. In comparison, the fact that they are very versatile and light ensures that they end up offering a very pleasant environment for the customer.

cross training shoes tend to be flexible and compatible, unlike most coaches. You should keep in mind, though, that a cross-fit training shoe is not going to be a perfect long-distance running choice.

You should select a cross training shoe from a variety of choices, based on the steps and the width of your foot. These shoes will leave you with the sort of happiness that will make your training experience much better than you ever imagined it to be, as the best economic option.

Day of Buy or Shop Review: Best Training Shoes For Men

A running shoe just doesn't cut it. Many men do certain things outside of running. That's when it comes to cross trainers. Unlike cross training shoes, cross trainers are important because they have lateral support, which is a necessity when conducting some kind of court action. To be honest, choosing the vip cross trainers for men can be challenging. If you're looking for the perfect cross training shoe, don't skip the tools below. You'll be able to discover which cross training shoe you need by integrating our best lists, independent scores, and feedback.

For ladies, Cross Training Shoes Buy Reviews

It is important for all women, but particularly for those who like various sports activities, to find the right cross training shoe. It can decrease stress injuries to the muscles by providing a safe and durable cross training foot. But it takes some time to find the right cross training shoe for your needs and budget, but I have put together my best picks that cover everything from "Top 10" to women with different arch styles and different budget suggestions.

Benefits of Shop athletes or best cross training shoes

Running shoes vs shoes for walking

Shoes for running benefits

Running shoes are the only kind of sports cross training shoes on the market to have "Stability & Cushioning" incorporated into the foot, meaning that inside the shoe they have dual-density padding to control any collapse of the feet or overpronation.

This applies to how the foot hits the ground when running. Flex at the arch.

For extra stability, running training shoes usually have flared heels.

Shoes for Walking

Walking requires rolling movement from the heel in the forward direction and stopping with toes as the foot rests on the pavement, so walking shoes are built to flex at the forefoot for this purpose.

Pace is not a major factor in walking, so walking shoes are usually heavier than running shoes.

Shoes for exercise vs. running shoes review

Shoes preparation

Training shoes are meant for multi-directional movements, especially lateral ones.

Training shoe soles are flatter than running shoes, making them more comfortable for a wide variety of weight training and movements.

Versatile for different forms of fitness, such as high-intensity gym athletes courses, programs for weightlifting, strength, and endurance training.

Shoes for running accessories Running shoes are designed for unidirectional heel-to-toe movement, and in running shoes, greater heel drop results from additional protection and cushioning to withstand shocks. Not suitable for workouts of weight lifting. Not made for gestures that are multi-directional or side to side. Good for tracks and long-running marathons.

Running shoes Vs Hiking shoes Hiking shoes Shoes for running It takes relatively little break-in time. Have strong help if you bear less than 25 pounds of weight. Healthy tail traction and also terrain traction. They are not waterproof, but swiftly dry. Wear out easily and there is little protection for the ankle, but particularly with backpacking, there are risks of injury on uneven ground. If soaked, retain water and it takes a lot of time to dry out.

Shoes for camping Hiking shoes are often waterproof, even though they are sunk to ankle height, leaving them dry. They are made with a thick and sturdy sole that protects the feet from uneven terrain. When holding bulky backpacks, hiking shoes are designed for excellent ankle protection. Hard equipment helps stop snake bites.

Running Shoes from Vs Cross Trainers Shoes for running Running shoes are designed and built for heel-to-toe movement, so whether you go for a jog or 5K sprint, always go for running shoes. Three times the weight of your body as you run, your feet touch the ground and running shoes are built to be strong shock absorbers. Flat feet are covered by dense cushion material in the arch section. Not ideal for gym or cross fitness, as while doing weightlifting, the cushioning can compress.

Store of Buying: Shoes from Cross Trainers Activities include aerobics, Zumba, weight lifting or other workout requiring lateral movements on uneven surfaces. Cross trainers in the forefoot area are more cushioned, so they can shield you from toe damage if you fall on your toes. The material used by cross-trainers is new and typically heavier than running shoes, which makes them durable since it would be tough for your shoes to practice cross-training.

Reebok crossfit nano nike or nike metcon

The best cross kids sandals, athletic outlet, construction

Issue Often Asked - FAQ Q: Does high quality guarantee me an expensive pair of shoes? Ans. ANS. If you wear exactly the same pair of shoes each day, then yes. Your feet can get hurt from running or walking in cheap trainers, so don't gamble on durability. It's worth saving a few extra bucks on a durable, stylish and durable pair of sneakers. However, bear in mind that most retail items last one to two seasons, so investing in shoes with durable design and high-quality materials is advised.

Q: If my circumstances (flat feet, overpronation, etc.) do not encourage me to wear regular shoes, what should I do? Ans. ANS. AKA overpronation of flat feet causes more complications than you can know and can be really uncomfortable actually. If you suffer from flat feet, you must wear shoes that give the arch area support and cushioning, and regulate pronation. It is important to check the technical requirements when shopping for the correct shoe to ensure that they have the necessary control, protection and cushioning for the arches.

Q: Are cross-training shoes confined to CrossFit only? Ans. ANS. No, cross-training shoes are primarily designed for aerobic workouts, calisthenics (body weight exercises), and weightlifting in an intensive workout regime. They can be used for sports such as racing, tennis or walking. If you run more than 3 miles, it is not advisable to wear cross-training shoes because they do not have the same amount of cushioning and treading as running shoes.

Q: While racing, how do I breathe? Ans. ANS. With less effort, breathing properly while running will make you run quicker and longer. You ought to: When running,

With the diaphragm, relax. Take deeper breaths and breathe using your lips. Using a respiration pattern, e.g. Inhale for three steps and exhale for two. To see what suits you vip, you may play with multiple breathing habits.

Try to speak to check whether you are adequately breathing. When running without huffing, you should be able to form full sentences.

Q: When investing in cross training shoes, what do I consider? Ans. ANS. Supporting and maintaining the feet is necessary for an intensive cross-training regime. In order to find the vip cross-trainers for your feet, consider the following rules.

ARCH If, during exercise, you experience pressure in your feet, you may have the wrong shoe for the shape of your foot. To decide whether you have high arches or flat feet, have your feet tested. Look for comfort or a neutral foot if you have flat feet. It will preserve the normal location of your foot. And you can adhere to more cushioned soles whether you have regular or more angled arches.

Uppers Of The Shoe A secure, comfortable cover over your feet is an essential feature of cross-training shoes. Look for a pair that has breathable mesh on top when purchasing cross-training shoes and is comfortable throughout. And if you need more grip, consider a leather pair on top.

Brand Brand There are so many choices on the market, that finding out what cross-training shoes to purchase can be a daunting experience. Your own personal brand can not suit your feet perfectly and each brand suits a little differently. When committing to a new pair of cross-trainers, consider more than four to five brands.

Adjustment You run the risk of pain in your toes and feet when your cross-trainers are too short. If they are too wide, during any exercise, the feet may move within the shoe, since there will be no traction and you will suffer from painful blisters. So, anytime you buy sneakers, try them on right away without having your socks on. If your feet aren't happy, just don't buy them or give them back if you buy them online.

Q: What is the meaning of proper shoes being worn? Ans. ANS. Shoes play a very vital role. Our feet are covered, our body weight is cushioned and we feel relaxed and trendy. It is important to find a decent pair of shoes to make sure that they fit. Poorly fitted shoes, including flat feet, corns and more, can cause fractures and different foot issues. People have multiple kinds of sizes of feet, so shoes that may fit for someone else may not work for you. When you find the perfect pair of sneakers, make sure they are in the right place.

They are meant for the tasks you want to do. Have strong houses. Properly suit the foot. They're relaxed. Stand up to make sure the longest toe (usually the second toe) and the end of the shoe are 3/8" or 1/2" between them.

Q: What foot injuries can be related to wearing unsafe shoes? Ans. ANS. Wearing poor shoes can lead to numerous foot issues which can result in serious accidents, even serious injuries.

Maize. Corns. Damaged nails and plates of nails. Fungal questions. The foot of an athlete. Extreme scratching. With inflammation. Arches that collapsed. With back pain. Pressure in the joint.

Q: How much do I replace my shoes for cross training? Ans. ANS. Cross-training shoes have a lifespan of about 6-7 months of daily use. As every other shoe, on the upper, heel and below the shoe, cross-trainers will exhibit signs of wearing. A lot of lateral movement is involved with CrossFit, so you can watch for fraying and ripping. It's time to get rid of them if you see the inner stuff.

Q: How do I make my shoes stretch at home? Ans. ANS. There are various ways to stretch your new shoes at home and they don't normally take a lot of work. Any of the approaches you can use are below.

At home, wear sneakers. Put on a dense sock and put on a shoe. Now, blow dry the area for 20 to 30 seconds where the shoe feels heavy. Remove the sock now and wear the shoe to ensure that it is still secure. If the shoe somehow does not suit, repeat.

Freeze the shoe with a water bag. Place the water bag in your shoe and put the shoe in the freezer for one night. Peel and put the potato in the shoe. The shoe will retain potato moisture and it will stretch. Invest in a stretcher for a foot.

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Additional Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/51292147

#Cross Training Shoes #Training Shoes

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youarejesting · 4 years

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BTS365 Prompts

[Masterlist]

Please tag me in your work if you use my prompts. I want to see your work. Ever your Jester.

Tell me your birthday and I will tag you on your special day!

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April 23rd - 29th

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Kim Seokjin: DNA

You were visiting your friend. She had given you her address as you both had plans next week but you wanted to surprise her so you arrived early driving into the gated community. It was a whole town fenced off. Weird. You passed through security by dropping the name of your friend you were visiting and headed through.

You pulled up in a guest parking lot and walked to her house knocking. She grabbed you pulling you inside, “who knows you are here, did anyone see you?” “No but why is this place so cult-y I mean that rose business is everywhere the flags the buildings it’s even on that damn necklace you are wearing, if this is a cult I have to get you out. Don’t drink the kool aid”

She tried to rush you out the door telling you to get in your car and you both could leave, “look you have to go quickly out the way you came, if they find you I don’t know what will happen”

You were scared because she wasn’t joking there was no ‘haha just kidding’ no ‘April fools’ this was serious. She was serious. You went to race back to your car when you heard a chorus of howls. You were soon surrounded. By wolves? Pausing as they growled around you. A man coming out and leading you across town.

After the regular interrogation who are you, why are you here? You made it to a large building; it looked like a large frat house. You were led inside and to a door, standing there you smelt something pleasant, a soft jasmine, and cedar with a sharp fresh aqua. The moment you stepped inside you felt his presence, lowering your head like everyone else you felt weak. His back was to you and you didn’t know what was happening but the scent was all over the room and instead of being overpowering like axe body spray. This made your head fog up in the most pleasing ways.

“I heard you trespassed on our land sweetheart?” The word wasn’t spoken with endearment, as he pulled your chin up, your eyes caught his seeing a golden spark fill his dark eyes. He had stilled for a moment, your eyes scanned him over he was devilishly handsome and had broad shoulders, strong arms, his waist was thin and his legs firm. Your eyes met his once more realizing how you were blatantly ogling him. “Mine”

Min Yoongi: Pretzel

“Welcome everyone to the weekly CBM meeting, I see a lot of new faces so let's begin with introductions and why you are here?”

”Hello I am Kim Seokjin, I’m a werewolf, I have been coming here for three months because I accidentally shifted one night and my bonds broke, and they found me lying in the park and deemed it inappropriate. So now I spend every Wednesday for the next six months coming to Creature Behavior management”

“Hi I am Jung Hoseok I um saved a girl from drowning and swam her up to the beach but when I pulled her out of the water and shifted back I had no pants and her father beat me and I am here to prove I am good and I mean I get to meet new friends so it can’t be too bad right?” “I am Min Yoongi, a Zombie, strictly vegetarian, I just wanted a pretzel and apparently it’s considered inappropriate to threaten to eat someone if they try to push in line”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that and the zombie looked at you across the room swinging your legs back and forth on the chair. “I would let you eat me” You giggled watching his pale undead cheeks stain a dark grey. “My name is Y/N and apparently refusing to let a guy get you a drink at a house party makes me a tease and when you refuse their advances, they try to take you to the bedroom anyway, Yet when you refuse again publicly they accuse you of using your succubus powers on them. Then when you actually use your powers on them and force them to make out with one another, they don’t seem to like that”

“Ahh... my undead heart, you are my soulmate.” Yoongi laughed along with everyone in the circle muttering under his breath quietly but you still were able to catch it. “Marry me” “Okay bring the documents baby we can get married” You smiled and he lent forward licking his lips eyeing you up and down.

“How's next Wednesday for you?” “I will wear my best dress” You winked at him and he snapped his teeth back at you.

Jung Hoseok: Scale

Your father was a fisherman, and you spent your childhood years on the water. Sitting on the bowsprit legs dangling as you sang songs dreaming of pirates and mermaids and sea monsters. You would sing songs you made up and sometimes when you looked really hard you could see figures moving under the water. It was all the brilliance of a childhood imagination. But here you were years later a young lady home from the city, your father readied the boat some of the fishermen were new and some of their eyes lingered a little too long for your liking.

You sat on the bowsprit singing the old songs from when you were a kid, it was nostalgia and you remembered every word. Arriving at the usual fishing spot you swear you saw something move under the water. You grinned as your childish wonder had obviously come back to greet you.

You continued singing and playing on the ship sticking to the bow you loved looking over. The waves picked up but they did it so often you barely shifted. Your sea legs had long since been of use. “You might want to go in girl if it’s too scary for you”

You rolled your eyes standing and walking down the bowsprit like it was a tightrope grabbing the thick metal cord standing on the very edge. You were happily spinning around the cord when you definitely saw what looked like a torso. You saw it again. “Man overboard” You called across the boat. Everyone scrambled and you jumped in after him.

Just as you reached the area you had seen him he was gone, you turned to face a giant wave taking a deep breath.

You were pushed down hitting the side of the boat you tried to swim but the force of the wave was so strong. Arms wrapped around you and your eyes flew open seeing him the man in the water he looked oddly familiar. He swam quickly to the surface and held you there to breath.

“I never thought I would see you again,” he grinned and you felt the heat in your cheeks. “You used to sing all the time here, oh there is another wave hold your breath or whatever human thing you do” he tucked you against him and swam quickly under the wave.

You felt him rolling his hips against you and you tried to push him away, you had just met what the hell does he think he is doing. Looking down your eyes widened and looked away quickly. He wasn’t trying anything with you, the roll of his hips was how he swam. He was an actual real life mermaid. “Hang in there darling, I will bring you to the surface” he swam you to the boat.

Kim Namjoon: Pin

Watching the streets, the humans were getting smarter, locking themselves away at night, but what was this? A little girl walking the streets no more than four or five calling out for her mummy. Taehyung held his hand up telling his men to wait now wasn’t the time to strike; they had to be patient. “Mummy” she called crying, she tripped the scent of blood filled the air as she had scraped her knee. She cried hysterically and the door opened.

“Darling are you hurt?” The girl nodded, tears pouring down her face, her little heart beating hard from the hysteria. “Come to me okay” she whispered and the little girl got up and walked over. Taehyung signaled to his people and they dropped down from the roof into the shadows.

“They are coming Abigail bring the girl inside” “Where is my mummy?” She cried “please my mummy?” Men came out guns pointed at the red eyes glowing from the shadows, “is she human?” “She is bleeding, vampires don’t bleed” “Come inside sweetheart” the woman said and the vampires started to attack each human was captured and tied, each dragged back to the castle. “We brought dinner sir?”

“Shut that child up” Namjoon waved his hand and Taehyung did just that and the room fell silent as her body fell limp on the floor. “Okay not only did you steal my prey you snapped my neck?” The little girl shouted and with a loud crack her neck sat normally on her shoulders. She stood up, form changing from a child to an adult. “I spent years perfecting my skills of shape shifting to lure people out and you want to steal my kill.”

Namjoon’s eyes widened, “Restrain her” and she was taken to the cells except being a shapeshifter it didn’t last long even if it was bars of silver. Namjoon was in an important meeting when a cat jumped onto his desk and transformed into that woman again. He leaned back in his chair pissed, she talked too much. His hand gripped around her throat tightly and she smiled unaffected despite the little uptick in her artificially beating heart.

“You can’t kill me” she scoffed “I can damn well try”

Park Jimin: Zipper

Running through the forest on your early morning jog, you let your mind wander. The music in your ears takes you away to another world as you put one foot in front of the other. Before long you realized something was wrong you weren’t on the path.

The tree’s were dense, the air cold and your music cut out your phone battery dying, something was seriously wrong. Walking along scared this is when someone either dies or the early morning jogger finds a dead body, it’s always the joggers. What did they ever do?

The sky darkened and it started to rain, an hour lost became two, three, four until the small glow behind the rain clouds disappeared and it rained on through the night. You were cold but you kept stumbling around looking for the path looking for something.

There was a light in the distance and you strode over without hesitation, behind you it sounded as if someone was singing it was beautiful too beautiful for a creepy night in the forest. You continued toward the fire but the singing got louder.

The voice was angelic and it almost pulled you away but the thought of warm fire kept luring you in. It was a camp, there was a fire and a big pot over it, there were people walking around. On closer inspection the people looked unnaturally long and thin and all you could smell was a bitter rotten scent. You almost stepped into the camp when you noticed hoof prints in the mud. All too soon you realized the singing had stopped when a hand covered your mouth you couldn’t move your body frozen.

“Shh, don’t make a sound or they will kill you” the angelic voice whispered gently singing and walking you backwards. You were entranced by the words flooding your mind and making your head spin. The figure behind you tripped and you fell with an audible groan.

“Run” he grabbed your hand taking off through the trees, those things roared and you heard loud hooves and grunts that seemed so close to you.

The man in front of you was wearing a cloak and had such an agile form he moved like a serpent or cat so smooth and graceful. His body Zipping in and out of the trees, unlike you, who stumbled and tripped hitting every branch along the way. The screech behind you sent chills up your spine and you started to turn to look behind you.

“Don’t look at them! just keep moving we are almost there” Wherever there was you were unsure. There was a weird feeling like you had just dived into warm water and you felt safe and he slowed down.

“We are safe here, come inside you are all wet I will get you some clean dry clothes” he returned and you saw just how beautiful he was. “Please don’t look at me, I know I am nothing like the men you are use to, tall, strong, bearded protectors like that with broad shoulders and big muscles, it’s just Fae are smaller with weird features so I am just”

“Beautiful” you whispered your words shocking him.

Kim Taehyung: Honesty

Kim Taehyung had lived in the elven city all his life and was a little odd for an Elf. His features were a little different for any normal elf as well, his ears stuck out a little more and his features weren’t as pointed as the other elves. He had a strange view of the world and didn’t think the same way as everyone else. For one he was too playful for any young adult elf, he was expected to be more mature for his age and two he had a wolf companion. Mind you it was a tiny thing, a runt of its litter and super fluffy with dark fur that shone in the sun. All this wasn’t passable for a common elf but to make matters worse. He was Prince Taehyung, the middle child he had one older brother and one younger sister.

Walking into the city you were confused, Your parents wanted to unite the kingdom’s and have you marry someone of the royal family. You hated it, of course you had been disciplined every day to act like an elf but you didn’t want to live your life stifled by propriety and poise. You reluctantly waved out the window and stepped out in your frankly too big dress, your father greeted the other elven King and you saw the first Prince step forward and kiss your hand like a gentleman but you hated it he was textbook royalty and just as you hid your disdain behind your lace fan another prince ran in his hair a mess of twigs and from his knees down was just mud and grass stains and following his muddy footprints was a tiny fluffy wolf trailing his own paw prints across the marble floor.

“Please forgive my son” the queen turned to her son and gestured for him to leave and he bit his lip looking upset. “How about we adjourn to the dining room for some refreshments?”

“I would like to bide in my room, if you could kindly escort me whilst on your way to your Quarters? I need some time to collect my bearings after such a long journey?” You used your fake princess act and the younger prince nodded looking slightly alarmed at his family, his mother nodding earnestly and he swallowed, gesturing down the hall.

“I deeply apologize for my current disheveled appearance, I was in the garden” “Your hands seem clean?” You said curiously “I was wearing gloves” he grinned “Ah gloves” Once out of sight you bent down “And who is your tiny companion?” The wolf jumped up placing his dirty paws on your dress.

“Princess!” He looked ashamed “Your gown” “Oh well, it is dirty now, what's a little more?” “Princess I must implore” His voice came out more like a deep childish whine and you couldn’t help the elated feeling it brought you. “Implore all you wish, but I will not yield”

“Stubbornness is unbecoming of a Princess” “Do you know much about being a Princess?” “Sadly my knowledge in that area is limited, but, I believe it shan't be different from the wonders of being a prince.” “You too recite somber balladry and compressing yourself into derisory bodices”

“I don’t know what you just said but it sounded fancy” He smiled sheepishly. “Can we drop the act, I feel you hate being royalty as much as I do” “If I am honest there are not enough fanciful words that can express my loathing for being born royal, I am a laughing stock of the village Prince Taehyung thank the stars he is the second brother he is as odd as he is odd looking”

“I think you are handsome, more so than your brother, I would love to bask in your very presence and gaze upon the pleasantness that is your beauty. Perhaps we should switch places and you can be Princess y/n” “Your room Prince Taehyung?” He grinned

“I see Shall I escort you, to your room Princess y/n?” “How kind of you but I am simply at the end of the hall, do not trouble yourself?” “When we have composed ourselves and our outfits, Can I have the pleasure of escorting you around the uh courtyard perhaps?”

“Perhaps the library instead, if I am caught outside once more the queen will have my head” He took your hand and flushed a little as he pressed his lips to your hand softly. “I will be eagerly awaiting?”

Jeon Jungkook: Batman vs Ironman @yungisseesaw

It had been years since Jungkook’s people and the Human’s world became one, it was strange like two alternate timelines crossed over joining into one. The humans were not so welcoming for the first few years and so growing up Jungkook had people stare and judge him for his differences.

Jungkook was now a Young adult and a big time nerd, he spent his time watching superhero movies and playing video games, going to the arcade and funnily enough playing DND with his friends, all of which were human. Jimin and Hoseok were roommates and they had a really cute neighbor who Jungkook had seen only a handful of times over the fence a few times which meant she didn’t know he was a centaur. So while the others went to get pizza and movies Jungkook was home alone. Him and cars didn’t really mix well, not only didn’t he fit, they made him nauseous. You had chosen that moment to invite yourself over, except in a towel. “Hello, Hoseok, Jimin, are you home, I know you said to use the key for emergencies, but my hot water ran out”

“They aren’t here?” Jungkook said hiding behind the couch she turned and squealed “They went to get pizza and movies” “Oh well is it okay if I borrow the shower, I am freezing”

“Of course go ahead?” You went upstairs and he frowned curling up on the couch trying to curl his feet up and cover himself in blankets and pillows to hide his legs from her. “We are home?” Hoseok shouted and they laid out pizza boxes and drinks. “Why do you look so pale?”

“Y/N, is in the shower right now, her hot water ran out and she asked to borrow your shower” “Dude, you finally talked to her face to face, how did she take it?” “Well I was kind of hiding behind the couch?” They looked down at the fort he had made around himself and they smiled sadly.

“Wow that feels better” “Hey, Y/N, what do you think of centaurs?” Jimin grinned dodging Jungkook’s hand as it was swinging with vengeance “Hmm uh I have nothing against them, they are people too” “Would you ever date a centaur?” Yoongi added that any girl for their best friend had to get through them first.

“I mean yeah, I don’t know how the business would work but if I like someone it’s for who they are and not what they look like, any of you could come out right now and tell me you were one of the Cenpeople and I would still love you all just the same.

Yoongi seemed to approve and ripped the blankets off of Jungkook revealing his horse lower half and his weird four legged lounge pants. “Hyung!” Jungkook tried to grab at pillows and the blanket to cover himself back up but resorted to burying his face in a throw cushion sniffling in shame and embarrassment. His ears were bright red.

You looked over at him and sat on the couch across from him, “Do you know what I have a problem with Kookie, that you think that Iron man is the best rich orphan powerless superhero when clearly it is Bruce Wayne”

“You two are still arguing about that?” Namjoon scoffed “They have been going on about it for three weeks now” Jimin grinned “It’s like their odd way of flirting I think it’s cute”

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