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wolfgirlfloof · 5 months

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Something I appreciate about Hortus de Escapismo is how it portrays the Laterans and non-Laterans, especially in contrast to each other. Guide Ahead already gave us the angel ethnostate vs multi-racial heretics, which made for a pretty effective if blatant commentary on Laterano. And while it might seem Hortus is kind of repeating the same formula, I think it's got something subtler going on with interesting implications.

On one side we have the abbey's inhabitants: sankta, sarkaz and all other races--hell, even a seaborn for a moment. Are there cracks here and there? Of course, that's a whole plot point. But it can't be denied there is genuine camaraderie and self-sacrifice going on between these people who are simply trying to survive together (which is what makes those cracks all the more volatile).

Contrast this with the Laterans, who are dysfunctional as hell. Lemuen, Oren, Richele, and Spuria; I can't say I fully parsed everything happening between them on a moment-to-moment basis, but it was overall apparent that none of these people trust each other. Even though they're friends and classmates and colleagues, even though they're working for the good of the same state, even though they're sankta who can literally read each other's minds. There's just this constant mess of cahoots and conspiracy and treachery and bitter friction, and it takes the threat of an Innsmouth-Jonestown crossover event to get them to finally work together.

I thought it was a nice way to show more of Laterano's flaws. It's one of their core themes that they aren't as great as they say they are, but you'd think they would, at the least, have blessed harmony thanks to their literal hivemind. But evidently that isn't true either. And again, these are agents at the highest levels of the government. If they're this dysfunctional, what does that say for Laterano as a whole?

Which leads me into thinking about what the future of Laterano might have in store. I've seen some folks point out how these events have these greatly compelling premises that don't actually resolve any of the issues they bring up. Laterano only remains Laterano. And this is true! But I think it's intentional, setting up a slow burn of a regional conflict. The Lateran state is holding together, the status quo remains unchanged, the Law is content. But for how much longer? Guiding Ahead introduced us to the divide in Laterano on a broad level, the state vs heretics. Hortus de Escapismo shows the cracks within the state, narrowing in on individuals who nominally should be on the same side but aren't. The next logical narrative step would be seeing the state finally cracking apart from whatever looming danger the Law sainted Federico to deal with.

Some sort of schism, perhaps; that seems like the sort of existential threat that would directly threaten the Law's directive of preserving the Sankta. Law's awareness of it would also imply it's an internal threat, something festering in the hearts and minds of Sankta and thus one It's able to sense (at least that's what makes sense to me. We don't actually know how the Law works, so it could very well just have random magic prophetic abilities). And especially with the constant background pressure of trying to legitimize their Summit of Nations, what better way to drive that issue to the forefront by throwing Laterano into utter political chaos?

#arknights #a genuine schism would probably result in. so many fallen huh. would be interesting seeing laterano's community struggle with that #maybe the threat has something to do with the iberian church and seaborn? considering those were elements that appeared in hortus #and they were discussing a potential reconciliation between laterano and iberia too. reads like setup to me.#reaching out to iberia would be ripe for a widescale collision of ideologies that could lead to another schism #and for iberia it'd also be thematically relevant given their other estranged relationship w another glorious near mythical country #also i want to see the sankta face the seaborn. they're not so different if you think about it.#precursor tech hiveminds dedicated to the group's survival. one is hyperadaptive and ever spreading the other is conservative and insular.#so the ideological threat of a schism and the physical threat of the seaborn #...or maybe also the ideological threat of seaborn? they have their own church too after all #PAPAL SCHISM ARKNIGHTS EDITION. 3 POPES 3 POPES. LATERANO IBERIA WE MANY #oh uh and again a schism would result in so many fallen which could tie in the whole. yknow. thousand year race war w the sarkaz.#that's kinda super duper really important for laterano's themes #sorry i'm just writing a whole other post in these tags :P

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artdecosupernova-writing · 8 months

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WASTE

sci-fi ▼ cyberpunk ▼ synthwave/neo-80s queer rep ▼ disability ▼ mental illness abuse ▼ addiction/recovery Darkspace Portent Series spin-off ▼ takes place before Thriving: Rebirth

▷ Guetry Sympa is a livewire and an adrenaline junkie, a musically talented hero with lawful blindness, so having a government-funded AI implanted in his brain to control most of his bodily systems after nearly dying isn't exactly an easy adjustment to make.

▷ Of course, there's no better way to cope with a hard breakup and recover from a five-month-long coma than by being forced by the Consortium to enlist a team of fellow contract agents for a covert operation...

▷ ...To solve a centuries-old cold case involving the mysterious disappearance of the Milky Way's enigmatic savior.

Playlist: Precious Gems and Reaver Rock

GUETRY DANON SYMPA ▼ French-American ▼ scorpio ▼ human ▼ Earth ▼ a gifted musician and elite member of a special forces task unit working for the Consortium, aided by an AI in his brain that keeps his quality of life ideal after an overdose that left him otherwise brain-dead for five months. wise-cracking smartass unafraid to tear the system apart for what's right.

SUBCUTANEOUS OPERATIONAL and TACTICAL SYSTEM (SCOT) ▼ "Scotty" ▼ artificial intelligence ▼ NodeSource ▼ prototype embedded in Guetry's brain to undo most of the damage from his overdose and keep him functional. added benefits of enhancing his eyesight and aim, providing intel on missions, and overall companionship.

ALECTURA WU ▼ Chinese ▼ aquarius(?) ▼ human ▼ Consortium Node ▼ talented spaceship mechanic and other half of the band Skywaste, co-founded by Guetry when both were in high school. doesn't like going out into the field, will also fight tooth and nail for justice where there is none.

OREN ALTAVIAN ▼ capricorn ▼ human ▼ the Himalaya ▼ self-proclaimed "entrepreneur of seedydom" and known around the Milky Way as the "Kingpin of the Node." slings the hard stuff around the galaxy and gets paid handsomely for it. endlessly charming but willfully manipulative. tends to get his way no matter what, especially at the expense of those around him who think they care for him.

ADAM "MERCURY'' LYONS ▼ scorpio ▼ human ▼ Earth ▼ also an operative for the Consortium with his identical twin sister Quincy "Mars" Lyons. a bit more by the book, but willing to do what's right even if it means risking his job. a fiery complement and challenge for Guetry both personally and professionally.

TUXTH ▼ Rotangan ▼ Logoryt ▼ a child of a Rotangan and a biracial Rontangan/Morrite, born on the seedy planet of Logoryt. in order to combat the rough upbringing she endured, she makes a name for herself by taking on missions for the Consortium, doing her part to chip away at the Morrite Blue Prince Hyret's goal to completely overrun the Milky Way.

DAZIA FOURTEEN ▼ sagittarius(?) ▼ human ▼ Consortium Node ▼ it's unknown what Dazia's origins are other than her birthplace of the Node, though it's alleged that she's of Hispanic, Slavic, and Middle Eastern descent. used to work for Consortium security until she witnessed corrupt activity within the ranks. tough as nails but all heart.

A soft tone swirling in the waves of dark gray and flashes I couldn't decipher. Purple pulsing light. A haze, more flashing images. White lights, gloves, whirring, thumping, squashing. Hot white stars. Burnt umber pain. Scorching pink fire. Numbness in muted blue. Sparking stings. Another soft tone. A smooth yet mechanical voice right inside both of my ears at once. Hello, Guetry. I am your Subcutaneous Operational and Tactical system. What. You have suffered a great deal of neurological damage and I am going to attempt to repair as much as I can. Your next of kin has given full consent to this procedure. The fuck. I am only a prototype as of yet so I must be transparent...there may be some functions I cannot fully restore, but I will do my best to make sure you are healed well enough to wake up and are able to do the remaining recovery yourself. Is this.

#tw flashing #wip intro #WASTE

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ravioliet · 27 days

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It's fun to think that oren in the mlp au oren used to insult olive and todd a lot for being blank flanks and she turns this against todd sometimes in the present. that stupid doodle on your flank isn't fooling anyone buddy boy!

also ms. o uh-oh was the result of oscar having an accident with a time travel spell. that happened once before and it's why he knows the horrors of timetastrophe. also just before olive says "we're all reasonable foals here!" she does a small pulse of magic, not too strong but just strong enough to stun everyone for a few seconds.

yeah yeah!! i think that Oren definitely bullied Otto before he got his cutie mark as well, despite the fact that Otto was at a perfectly reasonable age to be a blank flank. it just seems in character for him

Todd though is kind of an interesting case i think, because i don't feel like he'd necessarily hide his blank flank (in my mind he's kinda given up a bit at this point, like when he starts off as Odd Todd he's still searching for his cutie mark like he was as an agent but he gets frustrated with it pretty easily so eventually he kind of gives up and switches to being like "well if i'm not gonna find my talent i might as well just do whatever i want!" like some sort of coping mechanism i suppose. he pretends like he doesn't care and distracts himself from it but in reality he does i think. if that makes sense) but i can also see him putting something on there like a 43 since it's his trademark or something, so maybe he just puts it on one flank and leaves the other one blank. i can definitely see Olive saying something to him about how he's not going to find his talent like this and that it's pointless and he just laughs at her like "oh Scribbles i know that! gave up on it a long time ago!"

Oscar is very silly to me actually, so gadgets still exist here and despite the fact that Oscar is a unicorn and has unicorn magic telekinesis and everything he still manages to drop them. his magic isn't weak or anything, in fact he knows a lot of magic for a non-magic talent eleven year old (Olive does too, it just kinda comes with being an agent i think. but that's off topic), it's just really easy for him to break his focus when using magic sometimes and it usually happens at the worst possible moments for that. lots of dropped gadgets and spells gone wrong. i can totally see him knowing time magic though yeah, maybe he uses it in building time travel gadgets? i think it would be interesting if some gadgets had a bit of magic in them. you've got me thinking about gadget lore now hmm..

#odd squad #mlp au #mlp #answered asks #odd squad mlp au

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ascendancy-echoes · 2 months

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Chapter 18: The Flame

As Oren predicted, there were merchants who tried to cross into Alastori’s waters within days of the embargo, but they were stopped in the ports before they could reach the open sea. Many of those were angry and argued at their trials that they had done trade with the northern town of Auestad and encountered no overt animosity from its citizens. Crono and Marle hoped that some fines would dissuade their citizens from continuing trade with the Mystics, but they had come to a similar conclusion as Oren. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped past the patrols and made landfall on Alastori’s shores. Weeks went by and while there was news of people being unhappy with the sudden lack of lambic beers and lumin silks amongst other luxury goods that the Mystics had to offer, most people were content to move on and let the Mystics isolate themselves from the world.

Most, but not all…

~o~O~o~

Russ stood in the dark beside the other agents. It was a moonless night, made darker by the area of unnatural darkness created by the agent known as Shadow. Mirror told them they were there to catch some reported human smugglers and deal with the problem by any means necessary. It was Russ’s first assignment in the two months he had been part of the Order and test to see if he was truly loyal.

“What about the Mystics that are trading with the humans?” Russ asked after they were briefed on the assignment.

“Your concern for your fellow Mystics is commendable,” Mirror replied. “But we’re dealing with Daemon from Auestad. Only thing you can truly trust them for is to make lumin silk.”

Russ nodded in silent understanding. He had learned early on of how Daemon lived apart from other Mystics, thanks to the failure of General Slash and the treachery of General Flea. Ozzie II had argued that if the two most trusted Daemon in the army couldn’t be counted on, then no Daemon could be trusted. The only reason, Mirror claimed, that Daemon were tolerated on the island was because many of their kind had learned to cultivate crops with magic to create certain lambic beers and lumin silk as well as much of the produce the rest of the island used.

Soon enough, the sound of a boat approaching the shore could be heard. The rhythmic sound of the oars hitting the water grew louder until the sound of splashing replaced it. Mirror held out a spyglass and quietly confirmed the arrival of a boat.

A small group of Daemon climbed out of the boat, unloading small crates and bags. There was whispered chatter amongst them that Russ could barely make out. What little he could hear told Russ the Daemon were afraid of being caught. They knew what they were doing was wrong but one of the older Daemon argued they had no choice. Before Russ could hear the reason was, Mirror threw something in their direction and the area around the boat erupted into a cloud of smoke. Russ was surprised with how fast the other agents moved in and detained the Daemon.

As the smoke began to disperse, Russ saw movement towards the treeline. One of the Daemon was escaping. Knowing he couldn’t fail Mirror, Russ gave chase the moment she called for him to capture the escaping Daemon.

It didn’t take Russ long to catch up to the Daemon and grab him by the arm. Unfortunately in his haste to catch the Daemon and the Daemon’s own efforts to flee the scene, neither of them saw the tree root. The two of them tripped over the root and crashed into each other. Russ landed on top of the Daemon, coming face to face with a green-haired young Daemon maybe a few years younger than him.

The kid looked absolutely terrified as Russ was over him. Russ found himself frozen as well. This was just a kid, someone who didn’t want to be here. In his hesitation, Russ got a blast of wind to the face that knocked him back as the Daemon conjured a small whirlwind and scrambled to his feet.

Russ could have sprung to his feet and caught the boy, but he couldn’t bring himself to act fast enough. Something held him back. He watched as the Daemon disappeared into the darkness of the forest and out of his sight. He silently chastised himself as he got to his feet. Mirror was surely going to punish him for his failure.

As he emerged from the forest and onto the rocky shore, Russ saw the three other Daemons were tied up, surrounded by the other agents. Mirror turned to him and asked where the other Daemon was.

Russ wiped the dirt off his robes. If there was one thing he had learned from Mirror, it was you could bury a lie in the truth. He sighed and said, “It was dark in the forest… The kid knew the woods better than me and I tripped on a tree root. He got away before I could get up. I’m sorry.”

“Hmmm, a shame,” Mirror hummed, clacking her beak. “But not an issue…. With the right persuasion, his friends will tell us who he is.”

Turning to the others, she told Russ to help take the captive Daemon to the wagon so they could take them to a nearby base to question. While the others interrogated the Daemon, she and he would return to the manor to report to Nocturna.

~o~

Alone in his room, Russ couldn’t shake the image of the Daemon boy’s face from his mind. The look of fear he had seen in the boy’s eyes felt terrifyingly familiar. He had known someone in his past that had looked at him with that same look of fear, but not anyone in Medina. At least not yet. In his attempt to stop thinking about the young Daemon, Russ found himself worrying about Ismene and his friends back in town. How long had he been under Mirror’s watch? Did they know where he was or why? Would they trust him as they had before?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. Mirror called out from behind the door and told Russ to head to Nocturna’s office on the second floor as soon as he was able. Nocturna had been pleased with his efforts as she had predicted.

“Aren’t you coming too?” Russ asked as he opened the door.

Mirror sighed, “I’d love to but Nocturna asked me to go report to the Elder. I’ll see you later.”

Russ nodded and started to wish Mirror good luck but she waved her hand and said, “I’m sure he’ll be happy that our mission was a success.”

After making sure he was presentable, Russ went to Nocturna’s office. He felt nervous but he reminded himself that Mirror wasn’t afraid so he had no reason to be either. The halls of the second floor looked the same as the first. A finely furnished home yet devoid of any decor indicating the identities of Nocturna or any agents. Russ found himself before a wooden door with the Order’s symbol engraved on the doorknob. He knocked but didn’t have to wait long before Nocturna called him in.

Nocturna was dressed in robes of blue ombre. She had her signature silver mask on her face. In some ways, it reminded Russ of the moon. He stood silently and at attention as Nocturna walked around her desk to approach him.

“You’ve done well Russ,” she remarked. “Efficient, loyal… finally in control of your magic. You’re ready to join the Order.”

“Th-thank you,” Russ answered.

Nocturna nodded slightly. “When Mirror returns, you are to go with her to complete one more task.”

Russ looked confused. “Another assignment?”

“No, this time you are to collect your reward.”

~o~O~o~

“Where are we going?” Russ asked as he followed Mirror through the thickets and forest north of the manor. It felt like they had been wandering the forest north of Medina for over an hour. The mid-morning light was burning through the fog as they hiked forward through the thick underbrush.

“To the Forest Ruins,” Mirror explained. She reminded him of the books and lessons she had given him about Noctis Arbitra’s history. “The Mystic that would go on to found Noctis Arbitra discovered the ruins during the war.”

After some hiking, they came across a worn down dirt path that led to a large clearing with a stone platform. Mirror walked up to the moss-covered stone platform. To Russ, it looked like an abandoned plaza, nothing noteworthy. There were glass spheres at each corner of the platform.

“After the Demon King failed to summon Lavos, there were some who felt it could be done again.” Mirror explained. “Each generation, that hope was passed on.”

Russ thought for a moment before remarking, “If it’s possible… Why hasn’t Lavos been summoned yet?”

“The ritual needs a large piece of a stone known as Dreamstone but the last piece of it was destroyed when the summoning failed,” Mirror replied. “There’s smaller pieces in these ruins, but there’s not enough…”

Mirror walked over to the middle of the plaza. From Russ’s perspective she seemed to be examining the stone tiles that made up the middle of the plaza. He waited while she tapped her foot against a tile here and there. Suddenly, there was a slight shudder and Mirror stepped back as the tiles rose to reveal a metal box the size of a linen closet.

“Good, the entrance still works,” Mirror said. She turned to Russ and motioned for him to come over. “Let’s get down to the main part of the ruins.”

Russ, while unsure of what was going on, approached Mirror and stepped onto the platform. No sooner had he stepped foot upon the platform with Mirror than it began to descend. A single amber light illuminated the space they occupied. He looked to Mirror for some reassurance that this was normal.

“It’ll take a moment or so to reach the bottom,” Mirror said. “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe.”

“What is this place? Why are we here?”

“Some think it belonged to an ancient magical civilization… As for why we are here… To remember the Order’s ultimate goal of ensuring a world for Mystics, each of us carry a small shard of this dreamstone,” she explained, revealing a small reddish-orange stone polished into a pendant that she had tucked into her robes. “We’re here to get you your own piece of the flame.”

“Flame?” Russ asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

“That’s what we call the stone we take pieces from,” Mirror laughed. “It certainly looks like a flame, like a small campfire.”

The movement of the platform came to an end with a slight shudder. Mirror seemed unfazed by it while Russ thought for a moment that they were going to plummet into the unknown depths.

“You get used to it,” she assured as one of the walls slid open. “Follow me.”

Russ followed Mirror down corridor after corridor. The halls seemed to be illuminated from below the grated floors by a luminescent liquid and there was the same odd symbol on the walls that repeated. Down some steps and another hall, Mirror kept a brisk pace. Russ assumed she had the route to their destination memorized as she didn’t pause once in her steps.

She stopped at the end of the hall and gestured for Russ to follow her in. The room beyond the door had several empty shelves. There were tables along the wall where glass beakers and flasks not unlike the kind that Ismene owned lay filled with dust of varying colors.

There, on the center table was a large stone, the size and shape of a campfire. Spikes and tendrils of red-orange ombre rose from a ruby-red base. It truly looked like a fire frozen in time. Maybe it was Russ’s imagination, but it almost looked like the stone itself was glowing, the inner light shifting about. It felt like it was looking at him and Mirror.

While he eyed the stone with a growing sense of unease, Mirror leaned on the table and admired the stone, resting her head in her hands.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said. “It almost looks alive. Like a real fire. I swear it hasn’t changed a bit since I first saw it.”

Russ nodded. Outwardly he kept a calm facade but he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. His voice was caught in his throat before he coughed and managed to stammer out, “W-what do I need to do?”

Mirror replied, “Simple, break off a piece and I’ll make it into a pendant for you.”

“Break off a piece? Is it really that fragile?”

“Not really, no… It's made of several shards and those come loose easily,” Mirror hummed. “Hurry, Nocturna is expecting us back soon.”

Russ could feel his body shaking as he reached across the table and towards the crystalline fire. His heart seemed to pound louder and louder in his ears. He silently chastised himself for feeling fear over a rock. It wasn’t a fire and it wasn’t going to burn him. A rock couldn’t hurt him. He wrapped his fingers around a crystal shard that seemed to twist and curl like a flame rising from a candle and pulled. It came off with surprising ease. Russ had expected that he would have needed to wiggle the piece loose. Instead it came off as easily as plucking a mushroom from the ground.

“Oh that’s a lovely piece!” Mirror declared. “I’m almost jealous.”

Russ looked over the crystal in his hand. It definitely had an odd luster to it, sparkling like a diamond yet the light seemed to move around independently. There was something… familiar about it. Maybe it was Russ’s imagination but the stone felt warm, almost alive. The fear he felt before was gone, replaced with a sense of comfort.

“Let’s get back and I’ll have that pendant done for you by the morning,” Mirror said, placing a hand on Russ’s shoulder.

~o~O~o~

The next morning, after breakfast, Mirror handed Russ a small satin bag. Russ took the bag and opened it, pouring out its contents into his palm. There was the crystal, intertwined in shining brass wire that complimented the curved shape of the stone. It hung on a simple yet beautiful brass chain made of delicate, tiny links.

“I think it’s my best work yet,” Mirror preened. “Do you like it?”

Russ nodded and immediately slipped the pendant on. He found himself staring at the gem in awe. His thoughts were interrupted by Mirror.

“Now, if you are ready, you can go home.”

“Go home? Back to Izzy?” Russ suddenly felt unsure about going back to Ismene. “W-what do I even tell her? You’ve said before that I can’t tell her that I’m in the Order… but I’ve been gone so long.”

“It’s only been two months,” Mirror replied. “We can tell her a partial truth. You paid for your crime of hurting those agents, you had to do some hard labor for us… Now your debt is paid and you’re free to go as long as you don’t break any more laws.”

Russ frowned and sighed. “What if she doesn’t believe me?”

“Dear Russ, you and her are best of friends, why would she ever doubt you?”

“But… I’ve only ever seen other agents at the Demon King’s night or the night that Nocturna took Izzy and I away,” Russ replied. “Who can I talk to about the Order if it must be a secret?”

Mirror tapped her mask thoughtfully before looking up at Russ.

“I trust you Russ,” she said. “Do you trust me?”

Russ nodded. “I do.”

“And you trust that I had to keep secrets to protect you until you were ready?”

Again, Russ nodded.

“Now that you’re going back home to Ismene, you will need a confidant in which to discuss matters of Noctis Arbitra,” Mirror said, taking off her mask. Her voice changed to a more familiar tone. “Naturally, it should be me.”

Russ sat there speechless as Mirror put the mask down on the table. Before him was a Kotengu he knew well. Someone he had seen as a friend for years. Someone he would never have expected in a million years of being in Noctis Arbitra.

“Bel?!” he finally exclaimed. He was truly at a loss for words at this revelation. “This whole time- How could you- You let-“

“I did as I was ordered by Nocturna and for that I am truly sorry I caused you so much pain,” Mirror, or rather Belinay, said solemnly.

“I was the one that suggested you join the Order,” she continued. “The Elder and I are childhood friends. If I had not intervened and suggested you join me in the Order, Ismene would have had to pay for her treason.“

She reached out and held Russ’s hand firmly. “I brought you here to save you both. You know I see Ismene as a friend as much as you do.”

“I am sorry for the deception but Nocturna thought it best that you didn’t know the truth until you were officially initiated,” she continued as Russ silently stared down at his hands and hers. “Do you forgive me?”

Russ was quiet for a long moment. Two months ago, he wouldn’t have understood the mission of Noctis Arbitra. He would have been angry and felt betrayed but he understood the need for secrets now. It was for everyone’s protection. He let out a breath.

“I do, Bel.”

#chrono trigger au #echoes in time #chrono trigger #zeal ascendancy

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starkdirewolflove · 1 year

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National Treasure Edge of History

I’ve been watching National Treasure EoH and it’s been a really fun show and good to watch something week to week and form theories about the next episode. So obviously Jess’s dad isn’t really dead and he’s the guy that was in the Mexican prison at the end of episode one and has been following Jess and the gang since they went to Graceland.

They’re planting seeds that Liam might be secretly working for Billie and her organisation with the leaked audio recording of Elvis being sent to her and the book that was sent to Liam at his granda’s house with the name Cras Est Nostrum on the cover but I think it’s a red herring.

I actually think Ethan is informing Billie or one of her agents about the treasure hunt but with good intentions, he thinks he’s protecting Jess from getting caught breaking the law on the treasure hunt and being deported. He’s been very secretive about his own personal life but he was very quick to tell Liam that Jess was undocumented even though that’s her personal business to tell and while that could be seen as a jealousy thing since he obviously fancies Jess and sees the chemistry between her and Liam I think it was to try and get her off the treasure hunt so only Liam was involved.

I didn’t really like Oren at the start but he’s grown on me and I love Tasha as the tech expert and best friend to Jess she’s amazing.

#national treasure edge of history #jess valenzuela #tasha rivers #billie pearce #liam sadusky #ethan chow #oren bradley #riley poole

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duhragonball · 11 months

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Super Dragon Ball Heroes 7-12

These two might be my favorite characters in this whole thing.

This is the “Universal Conflict” arc of SDBH, although as far as I’m concerned, this is just a continuation of the Prison Planet arc we were in before. I mean, the Prison Planet exploded, but Fu and Cumber are still in play, and nothing really got settled, so this just proves that calling it “The Prison Planet Arc” was a bad idea.

At the end of Episode 6, Universe 6 was under attack, so Vegeta and Future Trunks headed there to assist. Episode 7 opens with Hit, Caulifla and Kale fighting aliens on some unidentified planet. Cabba’s also involved, but he’s been taken out of the fight, I guess.

These two bad guys are basically eating Universe 6′s lunch. I mean, Hit’s a pretty big deal, and they’re taking turns fighting him for their own amusement.

Here’s Kale doing the Tails-gets-trolled face.

Then Vegeta and Trunks arrive, and this is presented like some game-changing moment, even though Hit has defeated Vegeta in his Super Saiyan Blue form before. So I’m not sure why Vanilla Super Saiyan Vegeta and Trunks is supposed to matter.

From his secret base, the bad guys’ leader watches this development and seems to approve. Also Zamasu is with him, and apparently taking orders from the guy. The boss says that he has to wait to resume his Zero Mortals Plan until after Grand Zeno has been defeated. Okay...

Back at the fight, the two aliens suddenly turn into clouds of sparkles and enter the bodies of Caulifla and Kale, possessing them. That’s right, these two are Tuffle Machine Mutants like Baby from Dragon Ball GT. Of course, no one in this show is aware of the events of Dragon Ball GT, so the two Tuffles, Kamin (the girl) and Oren (the boy) have to explain what they are.

For some reason, I thought these two were from Universe 6, which may be true, but this episode doesn’t confirm it. I mean, we’re in U6 right now, but that doesn’t mean these two couldn’t have come from one of the others. Anyway, I know they’re not from U7, since those Tuffles were wiped out by the Saiyans. Wherever Kamin and Oren are from, they were created by Tuffle technology to be the perfect weapons, but then the Tuffles began to fear them, and tried to destroy them. I’m pretty sure Kamin and Oren then wiped out the Tuffles in turn, so we can think of them as something like a Tuffle version of 17 and 18.

Anyway, I like these two because they take the stuff that made Baby interesting and carry it forward, without a lot of the dumb stuff that GT saddled Baby with. And these two characters actually get a minute to tell their origin and share their motivation, which is more than most characters get in SDBH.

So now Vegeta and Co. have to free the gals, which turns out to be pretty quick and clever. Trunks and Hit attack them and get them in holds, and then Vegeta launches a Final Flash at them. Kamin and Oren panic and abandon their hosts, and I guess Vegeta’s shot misses? Or Trunks and Hit dodge in time? It’s not really clear.

Then the gang’s leader shows up and uses a gravity technique to force all the good guys to the ground. He introduces himself as Hearts, and says he’ll defeat Grand Zeno, and eliminate all the other deities as well.

Let’s just get this out of the way, Hearts is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who plays Dio in the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure anime. It’s good casting, but it’s also just Koyasu doing his Dio voice on a different character, which is pretty distracting if you’ve watched JJBA like I have. Also, his goggles and the lines on his face keep reminding me of Agent X, Marvel Comics’ short-lived Deadpool spin-off character.

Hearts threatens to use the defeated heroes’ energy to fuel the “Universe Seed” which is the thing he plans to use to defeat the gods, but then Kamin and Oren protest, saying they want to toy with these guys some more. Hearts agrees to let them have their way, which seems kind of stupid. I mean, does he want to charge up this Universe Seed or not?

Hearts asks Zamasu to come with them as they withdraw to some other Universe to absorb their energy for a while, and Zamasu gets all indignant about a mortal giving him orders. Okay, but how did these guys get together in the first place? That’s what I want to know.

Hearts reads Hit’s mind and discovers that Hit considers Jiren of Universe 11 to be the strongest mortal, so they go to U11 to check him out. And this leads to Cumber vs. Jiren, because Cumber is part of Hearts’ team too, remember? Goku defeated Cumber on the Prison Planet, and then Hearts’ team showed up and took Cumber before it exploded. Say, whatever happened to Goku, anyway?

For some reason, he’s at Grand Zeno’s palace, and the Grand Minister is... doing something with him. My guess is that he trained Goku to fight Hearts, because he went to the trouble of dressing Goku up in the same clothes he wears, but this is never actually stated.

Meanwhile, Vegeta and Trunks follow the bad guys to Universe 11 (how?), and Vegeta gets possessed by Kamin. This time, Kamin transforms Vegeta’s body more than he did Caulifla’s. I get that this is their special power, but to have them use it again so soon after the last time is kind of weak.

So while Trunks has to fight his possessed dad, Jiren and Cumber have a hoss battle. Big meaty men slappin’ meat!

Then Hearts tells Cumber to go to Universe 3 for some reason. Cumber doesn’t like that but he still plays along. So was he on Hearts’ team before Fu captured him, or did Hearts convince him to join the team after he rescued him?

So this leads to Zamasu fighting Jiren which is... pretty fun actually. Jiren just clobbers the shit out of the guy, but none of it works because Zamasu is indestructible.

And Kamin Vegeta beats up Trunks, who is basically useless in this show. Then, suddenly, the Grand Minister brings Goku to the battlefield.

This is so fucking stupid. The Grand Minister actually pulls off that Dorito uniform really well. He just makes it work, I don’t know how. But when you have a guy standing next to him in the exact same outfit, they both look like idiots. Fortunately, the Grand Minister leaves right away, allowing Goku to handle things as he sees fit.

So Goku goes Ultra Instinct and cleans house, and he hits Kami Vegeta so hard that Kami gets knocked clean out of Vegeta’s body. Cool!

Kamin and Oren can’t stop Goku, so they join together to become Kamioren. Trunks is shocked that they can do this, as if he hasn’t already seen several characters combine like this before.

But Kamioren can’t stop Goku either, so Hearts brings in another teammate, Lagss. Lagss has a technique where she shoots broken glass as Goku, and it’s very effective, even though it never actually cuts him. I guess it’s like magic glass that only inflicts pain without injury?

So Vegeta goes after Kamioren instead, since he wants revenge for how they made a fool of him earlier. He uses his Super Saiyan Blue 2 Royal Evolution (Evolved) ~Sign~ Level B, and hits Kamioren so hard they separate.

Then Hearts decides to step in and fight Goku, since he’s intrigued by Goku’s UI power. He can tell that it isn’t complete, so he plans to force Goku to improve his mastery of UI, then defeat him.

That all sounds very high and mighty, but all Hearts actually does is that same cheap gravity field thing he did before. As Goku struggles, the Supreme Kai of U7 shows up and they teleport back home.

Hearts then decides that Universe 7 should be their next target, but they have to go pick up Cumber from Universe 3, I guess. Also, they put Jiren in a box. I dunno what for.

Meanwhile, Fu is watching all of this from some other laboratory he has. He seems very pleased with everything that’s been happening, as if he and Hearts are on the same side. I mean, he seemed to anticipate Hearts’ arrival into the story, so maybe they’re in cahoots, or he’s just letting Hearts do his thing because they happen to share a similar goal.

In Universe 7, Goku has assembled a posse to defend it from Hearts’ crew. I’m not sure why he picked Piccolo and 17 but didn’t invite Gohan or 18 to this party, or any of the other Z fighters. Mostly, I’m just grateful that this show skipped the obligatory “Buu would help but he’s asleep” scene.

Here’s Oren doing some liquid metal stuff. I like Oren a lot.

Meanwhile, I think Cumber is still in Universe 3? I’m not sure, but he runs into a new foe arranged by Fu. It’s... Cooler. Again. Well, this time Fu turned him into Meta Cooler, so he’s stronger this way! Wait, Cooler hated Fu when they last met, and now they’re on the same side?

Then Meta Cooler transforms, becoming Golden. He dubs this form-- you might want to sit down for this-- Golden Metal Cooler. Shocking.

Cooler actually gets the upper hand in their fight, and he powers up a big finishing attack, but then the left side of his head starts to break down, so he has to withdraw.

Cumber calls him a coward, but he passes out from Cooler’s parting attack, so I guess this is a draw. Which... is pretty good for Cooler, except I have no idea why these two were fighting. How did Cooler turn into a machine? You’d think that Fu arranged it, except he says Cooler was transformed by the Big Gete Star, just like in Movie 6, where Metal Cooler was first introduced. But it’s the same Cooler we met in this series, right?

I mean, was Cooler trying to stop Cumber or help Fu, or both, or neither? Was he just out to prove he could stand up to Cumber? Seriously, why is Cooler even in this thing? I think SDBH might be the third best Cooler story by default, but it makes no sense.

Back on Earth, Hearts does the same cheap gravity thing he always uses.

Then he powers up, and says the Universe Seed is nearly ready. I don’t know if one has something to do with the other, or if it’s just a coincidence. Anyway, Goku will have to fight him, but we’ll cover that next time.

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kateeorg · 1 year

Text

National Treasure Edge of History - Positives (And Some Minor Gripes) Up to 1x06

Okay, so here's the thing.

I've really been liking this show so far. I think a lot of the jokes are funny and the main mystery is fascinating, and I love that we are tackling more of the Americas (although... that does in a way subvert the title "National Treasure"... but I'll let it slide).

Also, I mean, we got Riley back. Do you see me complaining about more Riley?

But...

At this point, I think the series should have been shorter.

Now maybe this is just me being an adult who saw the first National Treasure as a kid, but I think this style of family-friendly mystery action adventure works better in the short-form than the long-form, at least when adult characters are in the lead.

In the short form of a 2+ hour movie, it's easy to get swept up in the adventure and the mystery, with just enough character development to want to root for the good guys and against the bad guys. You're maybe one step ahead of the characters, but only just. It's easier to overlook how overly simple some of the clues are for the adult characters to figure out, because this is made for viewers of all ages.

But in the long form of the series, I'm finding it harder to overlook some of these flaws.

Like, how could Agent Ross not look into the male nurse first thing after she realized Sadusky may have been murdered?! I called that early on. And the love triangle really feels unnecessary at this point, though I'm happy to be proven wrong later on. Oren and Tasha encouraging Ethan and Jess to do the dance in a place where they weren't supposed to be drawing attention to themselves?! Why??? And how could Jess go from having learned her lesson about jumping to conclusions... to almost immediately jumping to conclusions again. About the same guy. When she was the one who was running late because she was dancing?

It's all manufactured to increase the tension across a longer run. But it means the audience (or at least I myself, as an audience member) is quite a few more steps ahead of the characters in terms of tropey plots, which can get frustrating to watch.

The saving grace here is them fleshing out the villains and using a mystery that doesn't draw on commonly-known history for most American audiences (Because "Valley Forge" as a passcode in the super secure National Archive in the first film is, in retrospect, a bit on the nose). And that wouldn't have happened if this was just a movie.

I also do like the vibe that our main group, save Liam, all have a shared history. Ben and Riley were great, but they only got to know each other through the job, they didn't grow up together. That vibe gives us some nice moments and chemistry between characters, which with the performances fleshes out these broadly-drawn characters. And I like that we're exploring what it means to be an American from other perspectives than in the original series - Ben is an idealist and we love that for him, but people like Jess and Tasha have different experiences, and that colors how they approach the treasure hunt.

I'm also exicted to see Jess and Agent Ross to meet again, once everything is on the table. There are some fascinating parallels between the two: young, intelligent women with something to prove. Agent Ross is what Jess likely would have been if her background wasn't in the way: An FBI agent. But Ross is still a fresh recruit with her own struggles to overcome. Ross didn't take Jess seriously when they first met, only to follow Jess's tracks and uncover what happened to Sadusky. And considering how much Sadusky looked out for Ben in the films, it'd be nice to see Ross take that role for Jess, maybe pull some strings to get Jess a citizenship.

It doesn't feel like a carbon-copy of the films, and I like that. There's enough of a similar vibe that they are clearly related, but still feel like their own things. I just wish they'd tone down on some of the "hip modern" dialogue and the character drama a bit, drop certain plot bombs a bit sooner so the audience isn't too far ahead of the characters.

Thoughts?

#national treasure #national treasure edge of history #edge of history

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painsandconfusion · 2 years

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Unforgettable

With You - Part Nine

(tw: alcohol consumption (no drunkenness), language, hospitals, informed of a loved one's death, car accident, gore mention, obsession, depression, generally just very doom and gloomy)[Previous | Masterpost | Next]

Six years ago...

Oren glared across the room, absentmindedly condemning the loquacious patrons. This was a coffee shop. A place for focus and quiet chatter. It wasn’t a fucking zoo.

Well, today it was, he supposed.

He grit his teeth, shoving earbuds in and pulling up the first song on his playlist. Fella With an Umbrella. Good enough. He cranked it up, drawing out most of the shuffling and laughter around him.

The noise didn’t fit. He liked this place because it was dark. Quiet. Everything in dark stained woods and brick. Brass lamps. Dark carpet. The baristas actually knew how to make black coffee well - not just the modern hogwash of ‘frappes’ and ‘macchiatos’. This place appreciated the simple things. Timeless things.

But not today, apparently. Not on the one day he actually needed to focus. Needed some kind of anchor to get this done.

Finally.

Oren considered leaving, but he hadn’t even gotten his coffee yet. He would have to depend on the music to get him through.

He pulled his laptop open, staring at the blank application website.

Time to try again. Move the fuck on already.

That was harsh. Even Oren realized that was harsh.

But what else was he supposed to do? He could just keep spending mindless days in a dark, empty house. He couldn’t keep wallowing. Money was running out. He had to try again.

Med school had always been his drive. His purpose.

His parents were so proud. His brother and sister teased him, but he knew they were proud too. It was the first good thing he’d ever done, getting that white coat.

The whole family came. Of course they did. That’s what you do when your son gets into medical school. You show up. You take pictures. You make social media posts. You go out to a classy restaurant after and sip on old fashioneds and martinis as if you actually belong there.

You pretend.

Pretend everything is right and good and this isn’t the most fucking unnatural thing that has ever happened. As if Oren could ever be a part of a world with old fashioneds and martinis.

He never got the chance, either way. It didn’t matter how good his grades were. Didn’t matter how much they smiled and cheered or drank. He only got that one good day.

Oren hadn’t even gone to bed yet when he got the call.

They didn’t…even have a chance. Only his sister even made it to the hospital.

The doctors told him her heart gave out just minutes before he arrived.

He sat in the waiting room for hours before eventually forcing himself back to his shitty new apartment.

He stared at the perfectly white coat hanging perfectly on its perfect fucking hanger.

Would they still be proud? Would they still be fuckign proud of him if they had known that white coat would be the reason they stayed out so late? Drove so far? Drifted into the wrong lane and got crushed by a semi?

His dad was buried in three fucking pieces - would they still be proud of him??

He’d burned the coat.

He took back the boxes from his new apartment. Left without notice. Without paying. Without calling.

He just went home.

And sat.

He ignored the calls. Ate the shitty fucking caseroles that landed on his porch after he didn’t answer the door. The only thing he did was make sure the funerals were arranged. He talked to the lawyers and to the bank. To the insurance agents and the pastor. He got it done.

He didn’t do anything else.

For two years, he did nothing but sit in that house. Mindless. Silent.

And now when he finally worked up the energy to try to re-apply to the wretched school, his one safe haven was bustling and noisy and wrong.

He hadn’t even gotten through the contact page before ripping the ear buds out and glaring across the room again.

He turned to the table next to him. “Is there a reason it’s so fucking loud in here today?!”

The woman looked a little shocked, blinking at him. “I - it’s…there’s supposed to be live music.”

Oren’s face corkscrewed. “They never do music.”

“Well no, but someone just donated the piano, so they found someone to play and sing.”

Oren let out a long, agitated breath. “When is it going to be ov-”

The music in the shop faded, replaced with something far more natural weaving and prickling its way through the crowd - silencing them.

Oren prickled too.

Not like he normally did. Not…bristling at the sounds or the people. Not raising his hackles or pulling back.

He just….prickled. The sensation spread over him. Down his neck, over his scalp, down his arms. His spine. Goosebumps pulling up and pulling agitated flesh into tentative anticipation.

The air left his lungs as their voice took its place. It swelled inside him. The patrons stilled and fell silent, but…it was more than that.

The world stopped.

If there’d been wind, it would have fallen into a stupor to watch.

The sun would have stopped shining had it been day.

The air thinned and thickened around him, pulling him to his feet to see over the heads of the crowd.

They were so much smaller than he’d imagined.

And so…white.

Like an angel. A dove. A beacon in the dark room with its dark floors. The ebony and ivory of the piano striking against their flesh and their clothes - both sparkling under the cheap can lights that pinned down on them at the front of the room.

Their eyes were closed as they sang. Their fingers almost danced over the piano, brushing the keys more than pressing - a spectacle even without the music that followed.

But that music. The life. The………..Oren didn’t have words to describe it. Their voice sucked the life straight out of him, ripping open a gash in his heart and filling it with ice and warmth and breathlessness that sent him spinning.

Everything about them was…transcendent. Serene. Otherworldly.

Their skin almost melded into their silver hair, white and clear and wholly impossible. Not a fleck of color or darkness on them - nothing but a strike of ink-black lipstick that outlined each word that dripped like honey from their lips. The tremor of the pitch pulled at their throat, straining and wavering it in the gentlest, almost imperceptible way. Oren couldn’t pull his eyes away as the gentle, warm tones of Unforgettable permeated the room. Somehow so much richer and more intimate that Nat King Cole could ever have hoped to perform it.

Oren was transfixed. Suspended in time.

He didn’t fall back down to his seat. He didn’t look at the barista as his coffee came - nor as it went cold. He didn’t notice or care as the crowd lost interest, falling back into idle chitchat.

He just stared.

Several numb, impossible hours later, the keyboard cover slid carefully back down over the ivory keys. The little dove stood, gathering their music to go, offering the smallest smile as the crowd clapped. Their face flushed red.

Any of that enchanting, mindless confidence they’d had while they were lost in the music slipped away at the attention, curving their shoulders up as they pulled the folder of music in front of them. Hiding behind it.

Oren was more than happy to spend the rest of his life making sure they never felt the need to hide again.

His fingertips traced numbly across the top of his laptop, folding it shut.

He had a new dream.

And he needed to go introduce himself to it.

[Previous | Masterpost | Next]

(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @heathenwhump @jadeocean46910 @paleassprince @distinctlywhumpthing @kesskirata @tropes-for-my-md-daydreams @wormwriting @batfacedliar-yetagain @paranoiaxagent @siren-of-agony @yells-in-lowercase @thecitythatdoesntsleep @whumpworld @bandages-andobsessions @rose-pinkie @whumpasaurus101 @shameless-dumbass @cryptidhongo @darlingwhump @cursedscribbles)

As always, just lmk if you want to be added or removed from any tag lists!

#with you #ida and oren #ida #oren #origin story #alcohol consumption (no drunkenness)#language #hospitals #informed of a loved one's death #car accident #gore mention #obsession #depression #generally just very doom and gloomy #alcohol use #alcohol consumption

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