#especially this line but also the general *~teenage wasteland~* of it all | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thebrisingamen · 7 months

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ESCAFLOWNE VOICE MEME; Read More for anyone who hasn't watched the series. Tons of spoilers ahead, you've been warned.

Introduce yourself! When did you first watch Escaflowne? What brought you into the fold? Hi, I'm Norse, an internet Elder. My Uncle knew I liked anime from my watching Inuyasha, and he would buy me and my cousins birthday/Christmas presents. He, however, never asked what anime I liked lol. He picked up the Fox VHS tapes and I watched them so much my father started quoting parts of them and the tapes had lines in them. Nothing else truly compared to this story before or since in anime, especially in other Isekai stories; no other story genuinely gives me a feeling that this IS another world; there's no overpowered protagonist, just a teenage girl and the worst powers to have during wartime.

Who is your favorite character and why? Was it love at first sight? Has any of their qualities or quirks swayed you on characters in other series? I like a lot of characters in the series, however, my psychotic boy Dilandau is probably my favorite. On the surface, he is just an insane, pyromaniac child soldier but there is SO MUCH to unpack with his character. Not only is he unstable and insane, when we get the reveal that Dilandau was/is a manipulation of Celena, it's very interesting. How many children were just like him in the Empire? He can't possibly have been the only "success" in the Empire. Aside from Celena, does he have any false memories implanted in him? Was his personality chosen for him or was in the influence of all the manipulation on his body and fate? With the Dragonslayers added in, are all of them also the same age as their commander? Does Zaibach regularly have child soldiers? He's just such a fascinating character to me, in these regards. I wish the transformation between Celena/Dilandau wasn't so thorough, though. Like that there were still some remnants of the Dilandau personality in her. Second favorite character is Folken, solely because of Paul Dobson voicing him, but his personality is also pretty interesting to me. As far as other characters, nah, I tend to like these psychos often, they just seem like they're fun.

Which side are you on? What do you think happens Post-Hitomi when she leaves? Who do you think will be the next opposing power? I think the show does a good job of showing us that there are no good or bad sides; even Zaibach only started conquering because their new leader gave them the knowledge and power to defend themselves at first and they lived in a barren wasteland. I am on Fanelia's side, however and I hope that they are able to restore their Capital City in full and that everyone is able to reach a tenable peace I think a lot of peace talks and treaties and marriages of political convenience end up happening between several of the allied countries and that there will be a pause in the conflict; Zaibach will more than likely pull back and maybe crumble from the loss of leadership and the split in power. Though they were wiped out militarily; I can't imagine General Adelphos spending funds on the Sorcerers anymore. I forsee similar issues that plagued Europe in our history happening to the world of Gaea, but I think that the next opposing power will likely be Basram or Zaibach, potentially Asturia if their influence reaches over to Zaibach.

Least favorite plot point? Was there something you think should have changed? What do you think would have made it better. I hate the love triangle here, as per usual. It makes sense and removing it would be bad because it is critical for our characters' growth, but I still hate the Allen/Hitomi interactions near the later half of the series solely because its there ONLY to delay Van/Hitomi. Which is the point, of course. I also really don't like the REVEAL that 'GASP' Emperor Dornkirk was...SIR ISSAC NEWTON?? All along??/ Like bitch how'd you fuckin' SURVIVE that long.

OTP? What kind of art and fiction would you like to see? What are some head canons you have for them? What is you NoTP OTP; Van/Hitomi; I think their romance is well developed and I like them. They definitely have more of an equal footing with one another and support one another, with believable roadblocks. SOMEONE PLEASE DRAW THEM KISSING WE NEVER GET IT IN THE SERIES. As for fan pairings, I actually liked Folken/Dilandau before some reveals, but honestly Folken getting TWO partners is pretty funny for me, even if it's in the afterlife. NOTP: Allen/Millerna or Allen/Hitomi; gross, he's SO MUCH older than both of them. Dilandau/Van is also a big No from me.

What would you like to see in a figurativ remake/sequel? Would you include more minor characters? Would you want a whole new story that could be a stand alone? Honestly, I'd love a stand alone or if it's a sequel series, mostly focusing on the internal politics of Gaea. Possible focus on Merle, Chid and maybe Dryden and Millerna. Or maybe just references too them, I have questions about the world but I'd like to leave the main story alone.

Movie, Series, Game, or Manga preference? What are things you did/didnt like of each? Series; The manga is awful and the movie is wildly different from the series. I'm most familiar with the series.

Do your favorite impression! Bonus points if you can do a conversation with a scene cut in! LORD VAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

What do you think about the idea of a re-dub? What are your feelings about the current cast selection for Van (and others if more are introduced)? Well since we had the Funimation re-release at the time of doing this, I think a new dub really forgot the deeper charms of the original dub; there's no depth of feeling to most of the voices and the acting feels phoned in, not to mention that several of the characters that are supposed to have a commanding presence and deeper voices don't, and it sounds the same as all current Funimation voice work...Awful and Samey. I find that Aaron Dismuke was actually a good choice for Van, same with Alexis Tipton for Merle, as while Aaron gave a slightly different flavor for Van it was still a good portrayal, and Merle seems to be an easy character for VAs to portray. However, once again Funi ruins things by casting Vic Mignonana (idc how to spell his last name) as Folken, like are you SERIOUS? He can't compare to either Paul Dobson OR Jōji Nakata in terms of rich toned voice, or a commanding sort of voice at all. And my boy, Dilandau, is ruined. My poor little meow meow isn't psychotic enough, isn't funny enough and isn't threatening enough. Joel MacDonald sounds exactly like 30-year-old man reading for a teenager and doesn't understand Dilandau's character at all, even on basic level. Bring back Andrew Francis. Basically the Ocean Dub is superior, if you're gonna watch in dubs imo. I prefer the sub just because Maaya Sakamoto as Hitomi is just BETTER than either English VA imo and both English VAs made me actively hate her for a lonnnng time. But if I watch in Dub its gonna be Ocean Dub.

Recite your top five characters by name. Dilandau, Folken, Van, Hitomi and Dryden

#escaflowne #The Vision of Escaflowne #They massacred my boy #dilandau albatou #is my favorite little psycho #and then Folken Van and Hitomi

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m-y-fandoms · 3 years

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COMMISSION: Joker/Akira/Ren x Reader Part 1

Thank you to the client for commissioning me! This is gonna be a long one! I love Joker and Persona 5 is my second favorite fandom after Danganronpa! Exctied to be working on this.

Around 2.6k words, SFW, SLOW BURN romance friends to lovers, gender neutral reader, anyone can enjoy it and place themselves as the reader! - Admin Myah

Shujin Academy could be silent as the grave in the earliest hours of the morning, and yet seem so deafening. It was almost guaranteed that at least thirty new rumors were spreading throughout the student body at any given time, and the overwhelmingly hostile environment that created made the air heavy. With all the teenage angst, hormones, hatred, circles of venomous malice, it was no wonder so many loners could be spotted on academy grounds. That’s just how it was at Shujin: you either had a clique, or you had no one. It was no surprise, then, that you simply kept your head down, minded your business, and got to know no one. Miraculously, though, gossip abound about you still, at least two or three preposterous examples of hearsay and stories. But hey, what could you do? That was in all actuality, pretty low for a single Shujin student. God help the students who actually did make their opinions known, express themselves through clothing and cosmetics, and dared to swim against the current.

You shuffled through the first floor, the absolute blandness of that April morning perpetuating your usual routine: arrive at Shujin, check your locker, scribble down any notes and ideas that came to you in your dreams last night to put into your next short story, and of course check for new posts in the group chat, where your only friends resided. You wouldn’t be caught dead associating with anyone here at the school, it would simply be mental and social suicide, and quite frankly, you didn’t have the constitution for that.

Peeking up for a split second to avoid any collisions, you quickly slid to the left and ducked into a nearby alcove, successfully escaping the gaze of the oncoming wall of muscle and testosterone that was Coach Kamoshida, the plague of Shujin Academy. It was the best case scenario that Kamoshida remained ignorant to one��s very existence, for even those on his good side suffered the consequences. He strode by, shoulders wide and chest puffed out, scanning the halls for girls to harass or boys to intimidate, and once the coast was clear and he was a safe distance away, his back facing you, you dipped back out of the rather dusty corridor and back into the light, immediately slipping back into an almost mechanical daily ritual. It took mere seconds: phone screen unlocked, group chat opened, notebook slipped snuggly back under armpit.

“C’mon, man!” An obnoxiously loud voice rang out above the typical tinnitus-like buzz of the hallway, and suddenly your shoulder was thrust forward, body flying to the ground with a forceful shove on the shoulder.

“Aaagh!” Your voice cracked as your knees buckled and you collided roughly with the wooden panels below, your smartphone soaring out of your grip and clinking against the floor. Thank goodness your notebook was safe, at the very least. People gasped and turned to look at the spectacle, including Kamoshida himself, who’d just reached the end of the hall.

“Sakamoto! I see you running in the halls again, I’ll write you up!” He just always had to say something, let the general student body know he was in charge. He cared far more about sounding rough and tough than making sure the student who was just steam-rolled was uninjured. He pointed directly at you and the student that had just dashed by, effectively pummeling you to the ground with a shoulder check. You looked up and just ahead of you, Ryuji Sakamoto was pivoting on one foot, ignoring Kamoshida’s threat entirely to catch his breath and look down at his victim, splayed across the floor.

Ryuji Sakamoto, now that was one of those students mentioned earlier, the kind that dyed his hair, customized his uniform, and didn’t take shit from anyone. He was a pariah, pretty much the opposite of the teacher’s pet… teacher’s pest more like. Sakamoto was the subject of many falsehoods and conjectures, and he was sure to be trouble for anyone associated…

You looked him up and down, halting your unflattering and socially-altered thoughts in their tracks. Didn’t wanna become the very thing you hated. There was no reason to judge Ryuji without first-hand proof.

“Woah! My bad, sorry dude!” He held up one hand submissively, but unfortunately, just as with Kamoshida, it seemed that you were not his main concern either. Huffing and puffing from the sprint, he looked past you to another male student who was hot on his trail, but this one looked… different.

You’d gone to Shujin Academy for all of your high-school career. It was your third and final year before graduation, and you knew of Sakamoto well enough, but this kid was a mystery… was he new here? He must’ve been. You knew at least the face of every student here in some way or another just through Shujin’s own little eternal game of telephone, and not by any choice of your own. You actively removed yourself from the local goings-on. Was it his first day here, you wondered. Why hadn’t you heard gossip about him yet, especially looking the way he did?

Beauty was a curse - much like any other feature that stood out - at Shujin Academy. If you were too pretty or handsome, you must be sexually promiscuous. On the other hand, if you were too ugly, too nerdy, too quiet, you probably picked your nose and read hentai on the train. There was no winning in this soul-crushing wasteland. Unfortunately for this new-comer, he was outrageously gorgeous.

“Gah, sorry about that…” he sighed, slowing his pace as he passed you by, plucking your phone up from the ground and offering you his hand. You took it and stood with his help. A quick tug and you were to your feet, dusting off your uniform and thanking him for his assistance. “Yeah, no problem… Ryuji’s just… a bit eager I suppose” he chuckled. “Luckily, no cracks!” He turned your phone around in his hand before placing it back into yours.

“Isn’t that the transfer student??? I heard he nearly killed a man!” One random NPC-esque shithead whispered from behind.

“Oh God, figures that freak would gravitate to the new freak…” another responded.

Ah… and there it was. Why did fate hate you so much that it chose you as Sakamoto’s door mat on this day? You truly must have been fortune’s fool.

“Yeah, good thing…” You eyed the boy before you, taking in what you could of the new student before the short exchange was over, from his face to the delicate yet thick veins protruding from his lithe hands.

He was tall and thin, and would even be considered lanky if not for the lean muscle that lined his frame. He seemed to be better off than the average teen, sporting almost no blemishes or imperfections on his smooth skin. A black, messy mop of hair that looked soft to the touch sat upon his head, falling into his eyes and over the dark frames of his distinct spectacles. These spectacles did nothing to hide the true elegance that gleamed in the eyes behind them. They were a muted, soft grey that was beautifully simple and clean. His uniform was neat and tidy - as opposed to his blonde and brash acquaintance’s - with his pristine white turtleneck gently blanketing a quite prominent Adam’s apple and his school jacket buttoned and ironed perfectly. Lower down, his plaid slacks concealed thighs that strained against the fabric and long legs that ran down into some very - yet again - flawless dress shoes. Yep, that was a brand new uniform, sure enough.

And a brand new student… he just might make a good subject, a new inspiration for your writing, an aura unmarred by the stain this place put on one’s soul. Your opinion of him was fresh, it was new, unaltered, unbiased, and he really was quite beautiful… your mind played with the thought.

“Ah… sorry about this,” he spoke, taking in the whispers all around you, “I probably just ruined your reputation, what with being seen with me an’ all,” he sighed and laughed breathily, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. He must’ve been keen to the ways of Shujin already, which was super sad in its own right. “I’m Akira by the way,” he held out a hand, and you shook it hesitantly.

“Eh, doesn’t really bother me. It’s (Y/N), nice to meet you. Sorry you’re feeling the Shujin warm welcome.” That first part was only partly true, but the last half was genuine.

“Anyway…” his voice shook you back out of your contemplative reverie, and you came back to reality to find him also looking you over. Oh right… you were new to him as well… “I gotta go, Ryuji is kind of impatient, I’ve found.”

“Hey! Am not!” Ryuji retorted, brows furrowing before he ran off. Akira’s eyes rolled playfully, before he smiled, waved, and sped off.

You nodded, and quickly pulled out your phone, rushing to the glass doors leading to the courtyard. Anything to get out of the spotlight and harsh crowd of stares, plus, you had a sparkling new idea filling up your cranium, and artistic inspiration could not be wasted. Finding one of the benches placed for student recreation, you set down your school bag and impatiently scrambled for your favorite pen, throwing open your notebook.

“Oh, shoot!” You’d gotten ahead of yourself in all the excitement. Placing the moleskin down, you picked up your phone, hands trembling just a bit, and messaged you friends before anything else. They just had to hear about this.

＊

(Y/N) 9:55 am: Guys guys guys!!!

Itsuki 9:56 am: What do you want?

Rin 9:56 am: ???

Megumi 9:57 am: Shouldn’t you be in class?

(Y/N) 9:57 am: Shut up I have a free period just listen

You know how I’ve been having writer’s block?

Rin 9:58 am: Ya

(Y/N) 9:58 am: Well I just met this new kid, and ideas just started FLOWING.

Itsuki 9:59 am: Yeah

Megumi 9:59 am: Yeah we remember nerd

Oh that’s great!

Wait what do you mean?

New kid?

Only we can have you 😭 Don’ go switching up on us. Shujin is

toxic anyway.

(Y/N) 10:01 am: No no no It’s not like we’re friends, I just met him is all

You know you’re my one and only bby 😘

Itsuki 10:01 am: New kid???

Megumi 10:01 am: 😎

Itsuki 10:02 am: Gross

Also what about me!!!!

Rin 10:02 am: Me too 😡😡😡

(Y/N) 10:03 am: You two know you’re included in that???? 🤔🙄

Anyway just listen

I think he may be good inspo for my main character!!!

I was stuck looking for a unique look or face claim or something

But he seems nice enough and he’s good looking!

Itsuki 10:05 am: You got a crush? Awww I’m telling 😏😏😏😏

(Y/N) 10:05 am: I swear it’s like we haven’t been friends for years…

You know me, PLEASE don’t be gross

Writing purposes ONLY

Megumi 10:06 am: I thought you were stuck on the CONTENT, not characters and shit

(Y/N) 10:06 am: Both!!!! But he’s perfect for the look of my protag

Itsuki 10:06 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

Megumi 10:07 am: Well I’m happy for you

STOP

Itsuki 10:07 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

Rin 10:07 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

(Y/N) 10:08 am: I can see this conversation isn’t going to be productive

LMAO you’re assholes

＊

You tucked your phone into your pocket and once again picked up your notebook. Scrawling down some of the details you knew about Akria: his looks, the sound of his voice, the way he carried himself, you quickly became aware that you knew far too little… or rather

You wanted to know more.

Standing, you packed your things and set out to find him again…

Not in the creepy way! You thought to yourself, trying to justify this uncharacteristic choice of yours to actually reach out to someone in real life, to maybe… try to make… friends? You stood there, brows furrowed and a small frown on your face, pondering your options.

“Oh well, all artists must suffer for their work!” You resolved a little too promptly to try to force another encounter with the new kid. He seemed to be special, unique. He seemed to be well aware of the social hierarchy of Shujin, and have a distaste of it at least. Maybe he wouldn’t be… so bad?

Making up your mind, you spent your free period not writing of romance and rebellious characters, but searching for that fluffy-headed newfound hero to your story, however ghoulish and greasy that made you appear. You truly were becoming that “reads-hentai-on-the-train” and stalks cute boys freak your peers thought people like you were, weren’t you?

To your surprise (though maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising with the volume of Sakamoto’s voice) you soon found the gaggle of second-years, model-status beauty Ann Takamaki now added to their number, standing next to the stairs on the third floor, looking quite conspicuous to boot. Noting the suspicious air around the three, you pulled back, hiding behind the corner leading down the next hall. They seemed on edge... maybe now wasn’t the best time to make friends…?

You felt something thump in your chest. Your shoulders sank subconsciously. It felt a little disappointing, disheartening in a way you couldn’t explain. It was a bit intimidating: Ryuji the loudmouth with a temper, the hottest girl in the school, and the cute new kid. You sighed, this was why you never tried to make friends in the first place. Why had you even gotten your hopes up?

These irrational feelings of self-doubt clouded your heart, your head knowing better of course. It was hard to fight thoughts like these, especially for someone like you. On the precipice of making up your mind, deciding to give up and scrap the new novel idea altogether, you were jolted to attention by the sound of shoes scuffling and scrambling up the stairs.

Students aren’t really allowed on the rooftop during school hours unless accompanied by a teacher or given express permission, your thoughts swarmed. Maybe they didn’t know? No, there’s no way. There’s a possibility Akira didn’t know, but Ann and Ryuji had been here for two years... What were they up to?

Your nosiness was regrettably getting the better of you, and you slithered over, careful to pad your steps and tread softly. You didn’t even know what you’d do once you’d cornered the trio on the roof, didn’t know what you’d say. What was there to say? You were never too good with words, that is those not written on paper. Your heart beating out of your chest, you climbed the narrow stairwell and threw open the doors to the roof.

“Huh?” You looked around, dumbfounded. “Hello?” The rooftop area was not that large, all parts of it visible from the door.

There was no one to be found.

“What the hell?” You step forward, thinking you must have been the subject of some prank, but no, upon looking around, all three students were gone without a trace. No school bags, no lunch boxes, no uniform pieces, nothing. Akira, Ryuji, and Ann, all vanished into thin air. There were no hiding spots, none big enough for three people at least. It was dead silent, and only the door you currently guarded provided an exit off of the roof. Your mind wanted to wander to darker places, but if they’d have jumped, there surely would’ve been a commotion either during or shortly after. Frantically, you looked around, feeling like you were going crazy.

“What the fuck?” You pressed the palm of one hand to your forehead, sitting on the ground and crossing your legs.

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gay-jesus-probably · 4 years

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So I’ve started watching Sonic SatAM, cause I remember watching Sonic Underground on youtube when I was a kid, and I’ve heard it was very similar to SatAM. I’m only a few episodes deep, but I’ve got a few thoughts already about the show.

For a start, SatAM has made it clear to me that the 90′s were a dark, dark time. Not because of the whole apocalypse thing, that’s fine, but dear fucking lord Sonic is the worst part of the show. I want him to stop talking. Forever. Shut the fuck up. Did people actually talk like that in the 90′s??? Was the word ‘mondo’ a major part of peoples vocabulary? Because listening to Sonic’s dialogue is physically painful, especially since nobody else on the show talks like that. Sonic is the only one who abuses 90′s slang to that extent. ...Fuck, Sonic is the only character that actually uses 90′s slang at all. The only reason anyone else uses 90′s slang is if they are talking directly to Sonic and repeating something he’s said. Also, what’s with the obsession with juice? I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to mean ‘going fast’, but he just keeps fucking talking about it all the time, and I want him to shut the fuck up about juice and just do whatever he’s going to do.

Just generally it’s never a good sign when the opening theme of a cartoon feels the need to mention that the main character has an attitude. That translate to ‘obnoxious dumbass’, and that is one of the worst character archetypes ever made. I feel like cartoons in the 90′s and 00′s were all deliberately aiming for the most unbearable piece of shit protagonists they could possibly make, and I hate it a lot.

Speaking of unbearable, my least favorite character in the entire show is Antoine. But it’s a weird kind of hate, because as a concept, I actually really like Antoine. He seems to be the only member of the main cast that’s actually aware of how much danger they’re in on a constant basis, and despite being rightfully terrified he’s still going on on regular missions. Especially since he’s the only member of the cast with a language barrier, which puts him in more danger than the others (as misunderstanding instructions can very easily be a death sentence, and the others don’t seem very invested in making sure he knows what’s happening). The concept is great. The execution makes me want to hunt the writers and voice actor for sport.

Just... why. Why would you ever think thats a good character. The joke is that he’s french. WE GET IT. The accent is terrible, every single line is mangled, and none of it is funny. He’s such a god awful caricature that I feel insulted by him, and I’m barely even french. I really like the potential of Antoine’s character. I just can’t stand the way they wasted it.

Anyways complaints aside, I am actually really enjoying SatAM. This probably the darkest concept I’ve ever seen in a show. Not just cartoons, not just childrens shows, any show ever. This setting feels grimmer than The Walking Dead. There’s something deeply unsettling about a show where the main antagonist wants nothing more than to be the last thing left alive, and has already killed nearly the entire planet, leaving the protagonists as a small group of survivors using guerilla warfare in a desperate attempt to slow him down. When the show begins, it’s extremely clear that the main characters will never get their peaceful happy ending - even if they defeat Robotnik, the planet is still a hellish poisoned wasteland. It’s going to take centuries for the environment and population to recover. Victory just means that things stop getting worse. That’s some dark shit.

And as for Robotnik, god damn. This might be because I’ve only ever known Robotnik as a giant ham whose evil schemes are doomed to failure, but holy fuck. I was not prepared for Sonic SatAM’s Robotnik. He’s fucking terrifying, and I love it. I’m half a season deep and he’s barely even raised his voice. He’s just got this sinister calm tone the entire time, and it’s extremely unnerving, but works perfectly for such a monstrous character. In his first scene, I didn’t even realize it was Robotnik talking until he turned around; I figured it had to be a bigger scope villain because there was no fucking way Dr. Eggman could sound that intimidating. I don’t know how they made Robotnik so intimidating, but he’s an amazing villain.

Also, I’m extremely into Sally, even if I don’t really like her voice actress. ...There’s nothing specifically wrong with her voice acting, it’s just that every other member of the resistance actually sounds like a kid/teenager, but Sally sounds like she’s in her mid thirties and it’s really distracting. Apart from that though I really like her, although I was... unimpressed with her leaving Sonic to rescue another freedom fighter alone so that she could go running off immediately to search for a clue about someone who has been missing for like a decade. I get that it’s her dad, but there was literally no reason as to why she had to search the swamp right that second. She could have helped Sonic rescue Cat. Fuck, she could have just waited until he was rescued and then gone. But instead she went off right away, which meant Sonic had to leave Cat to go save her and Antoine after they were caught on camera, causing Cat to be tortured to death off screen while the others were busy with shenanigans. And they don’t seem to acknowledge that she was wrong about that.

I’ve already heard that for Season 2 the network executives ordered the writers to chill the fuck out and make the show lighter, so they had to add even more terrible comic relief and flanderize everyone into bland caricatures, so I’m not looking forwards to that. But issues aside, I’m extremely into Sonic SatAM. Even if it’s a few decades late.

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sunny-adorkable · 5 years

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9 FAVORITE CHARACTERS : post nine of your favorite characters and have others identify if you have a “type”.

I’m not exactly sure if I have a definitive type? Then again, that’s the whole point of this, isn’t it? lol Tagged by: malonox [Thanks muchly! ♡ ;u; ] Tagging: Anyone who wants to do this! Starting from the top left: Piper Wright [ Fallout 4 ]: I didn’t start liking her right away, she seemed obnoxious, a brat, or someone who wasn’t to be trusted. Reporters, amiright? The more I gave her a chance, the more Piper grew on me and became one of my favourites. You can tell she cares deeply about people and is willing to lend a hand to anyone that asks. John Hancock [ Fallout 4 ]: I’ve had a fondness for Ghouls since I met Gob in Megaton, Gob was the one to really change my understanding and that Ghouls are indeed still people. Sure, they get a bad rep, especially when compared to their feral cousins but they can be one of the most interesting of characters in the Wasteland. Hancock is a great example of this, he doesn’t put up with the Ghoul-haters, Synths or generally shitty people. He doesn’t hesitate to maintain order in his city and yet he’s a mayor that people could come to for guidance and reassurance in such an uncertain world. Butch DeLoria [ Fallout 3 ]: Butch is a jerk, well, was a jerk. I wasn’t too impressed with the way he treated people while part of his gang, inside the vault. As the story goes on and what he experiences, you realize it’s all an act and you can’t help but feel sorry for the guy. He jumps at the chance to redeem himself and if that’s not character growth.. Alan Wake [ Alan Wake ]: I admire the hell out of Alan’s tenacity, the things he endures in the Dark Place and how he stops at nothing to make his way back to Alice. [ I often felt like if I were put in that situation, I’d have a great degree of difficulty and who knows if I’d even make it that far.. ] Instead of just going with the ‘carbon-copy hero’ designation, he’s much deeper than that. Alan suffers, a lot and yet he handles whatever’s thrown at him, sometimes literally, with a hint of humour. That takes an immeasurable amount of inner strength. Mr.Scratch [ Alan Wake ]: How can you not love Alan’s Doppelgänger? I’m sure there are plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t but I’m not here for that. c; Mr.Scratch has to be one of the most interesting antagonists I’ve seen in a game and that’s rare for me. He’s a simple character, at first glance but if you pay attention there’s plenty more to him than just the old good.vs.evil routine. I’ve loved his character since first seeing him in Departure how many years ago and it’s only grown since playing American Nightmare. No matter what happens in the future, I have a special place for him. Jonas Kahnwald [ Dark ]: Jonas is a recent favourite of mine, I was introduced to the series by a friend and I was hooked. Jonas seems like your typical teenager: quiet, thoughtful and a bit of a loner but that’s just the surface of the metaphorical iceberg. Things get very real-and confusing!-as the series goes on but I figure I’ll let you find out for yourselves on that! Kari Sorjonen [ Sorjonen ]: Also introduced by a friend of mine, I never knew I’d need this series in my life! Kari is best dad but I think the main reasons as to why he’s my favourite are his mannerisms and how he uses his skills in his cases. He comes off as a soft speaker, a little silly and eccentric at times but that’s part of his charm! I’m only in the first season [ c’mon Netflix! ] so I’m looking forward to seeing more of him! Elliot Alderson [ Mr.Robot ]: Elliot’s kind of an Protagonist/Anti-hero, of sorts. He often finds it difficult to relate and assimilate into the world around him and would rather witness his life than live it. He has a genuine distrust for people, even keeping those he knows at an arm’s length. No one is allowed into Elliot’s private world. Despite this, Elliot is a sensitive man with a great fear of loneliness and only wishes to connect the way other people do. Gregory House [ House M.D ]: House is a cynic by nature, [ Kind of a jerk ] a vast contrast considering his line of work. He believes that no one, not even him, is incapable of lying. He’s outspoken, to a fault, catching most of his colleges off-guard with his stinging commentary. [ That’s a defense-mechanism for his true feelings.] He’s impulsive, almost to the point of self-destruction, when it comes to coming up with ways of treating his patients. You would think it would be good grounds to yank the guy’s license but what keeps House around is that he’s very good at what he does, if not the best diagnostician in the country. Definitely a doctor I wouldn’t mind having.

#long post #character meme #maybe im some closet misanthrope

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umbrahighpriestofgiratina · 6 years

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Rude Awakening Chapter 9

Okay! Here's Chapter 9! Do be warned this has what will probably be the goriest scene in the entire fic. Also some characters I was looking forward to introducing! Chapter 9: Teenage Wasteland

It was dark. The clouds rarely let the sun through. It had been this way for years, as had the Risen shambling across the landscape. Somewhere in the ruins of Yilissitol, a small group of these Risen advanced toward what looked to be an enticing target. For their efforts, they were slashed clean in half, the insects that made them move fleeing into the dirt. The one that had done the deed sighed and started moving on. "...Valentina? Is that really you?" Palkia paused. Then turned around. It was Tiki, staring her down. "...Tiki." Palkia said hollowly. "It's been a while." "Yes... But you! You seem to be the only survivor of the Shepherds I could find..." "I'm sure there are... Others..." "I need you, Valentia." "What for?" "Mommy?" said a voice. "Are the Risen gone?" A small child peeked out from behind a brick wall. This seemed to stir up some actual emotion in Palkia. "Is... Is that...?" Tiki sighed. "I... I've decided to take on Grima myself. With my Divine Dragon power I may be the only one who stands a chance. But while I'm gone... and... just in case... I need someone to watch over Morgan. And as far as I know you're the only one I trust left." "You... You can't," said Palkia, stammering. "Taing on Grima, it's suicide, I-" "Valentina, please!" said Tiki. "You're my only hope... You're... her only hope..." Palkia looked between Tiki and Morgan a few times before sighing and nodding. "I'll... Take care of her." "Thank you..." said Tiki. She bent down to adress Morgan. "Sweetie? I'm going to see your father so we can stop the evil dragon." She started tearing up. "Miss... Miss Valentia is going to take good care of you and protect you from Risen until I get back, okay?" "Okay mommy, " said Morgan. She headed over to Palkia. Tiki looked over at Palkia, tears still in her eyes. "...Goodbye." And in an instant, she was gone. Palkia stared numbly in the direction she went for a good few seconds before noticing the child clutching to her leg and promptly panicking. "Oh no... This was a mistake, a huge mistake..." She scooped up Morgan and rushed after Tiki, but stopped when she realized she had no clue where Tiki went. "Not good... If I knew where she was I could just warp there but..." She noticed Morgan clinging very tightly to her chest, bit her tongue, and started navigating the city on foot. She searched every nook and cranny, behind every wall and broken building, even blasted a few Risen lurking in the depths. Still no sign of her. Palkia was starting to get irritated before hearing a loud roar not too far in the distance. "Grima... She's going for Grima!" She looked at Morgan, who by this point was eyeing her oddly. "Brace yourself kid." She immediately warped within view of but a safe distance away from the massive dragon. And realized her mistake as she heard a scream. And saw Grima's jaws crunching down on the flesh and bones of a much smaller dragon, pieces either falling away or being swallowed whole. Morgan screamed. Palkia screamed. --------------- S E V E R A L Y E A R S L A T E R ------------------- Dialga sighed as his time powers vaporized yet more Risen. It seemed he encountered five or seven of them every five feet, and no matter how many even his powers eliminated more kept coming. He turned to Giratina and Hoopa, who were rummaging through a hut. "Anything?" "No sign of life dude," said Giratina. ~Much less any of the Shepherds. Or... Her.~ said Hoopa. Dialga sighed again. They'd found plenty of apocalyptic logs and ruins of old homes, but it'd been literal years since they'd seen any surviving Shepherds aside from the three they rescued. And about as many years since they'd seen Palkia. "Let's... just... go back to the bunker." ------------- "M-Mom?" "Yes Yarne?" said Panne. She turned to another Taguel, one with a nervous look and a shock of dirty blonde hair in his otherwise dark brown locks. "They've taken a while to come back..." "They'll be all right. Dialga, Giratina, and Hoopa can handle Risen better than most of us." "I s-sure hope so because-" Yarne yelped as the door opened and sighed in relief as Dialga, Giratina, and Hoopa entered. Wuzzles perked up from the corner he was sleeping in. "Told you," said Panne. "No sign of them," said Dialga. "As usual." "You know, big scary zombie apocalypse is totally my aesthetic, but this is still getting kind of frustrating," said Gratina. ~Should we ask Virion and Libra if they saw anything?~ said Hoopa. "You can," said Panne. "Even in the end of the world I'm still not asking Virion for anything." "Uh, I'll go then," said Yarne. The other three nodded, and they headed to another room in the bunker. Libra was taking notes in a journal while Virion was fidgeting nervously while also occasionally glancing at Libra and blushing, which stopped when he realized there were other people in the room. ~You guys see anything?~ said Hoopa "You saw nothi-" Virion started to say. "We didn't find anyone in our search, no," said Libra. "...Yes that." Libra gave Virion a look. Virion blushed harder. ~Great.~ said Hoopa. ~Now what?~ "My hand has been forced," said Dialga. "I have to find Naga again." "She's been elusive since Grima reawakened, Not even answering my prayers," said Libra. "I know. But she's our only shot at finding everyone else." "Good luck bro," said Giratina. "We'll hold the line here," said Hoopa. "Wait, r-really?" said Yarne. "What if they like, ambush us while he's gone?" "I can take care of it, kid," said Giratina. ~Hey! Don't leave me out!~ said Hoopa. An insulted bear roar came from Panne's section of the bunker. "...I guess we'll be fine?" said Yarne. "Mom's here too..." "And with that I'm going," said Dialga. And so he exited the bunker, turned into his rabbit form, then zoomed off. ------------- Eventually Dialga reached Naga's lair. No sign of her. Dialga called out. "Naga. It's been a while. We need to talk." Silence. Then, slowly, Naga's figure emerged. "Dialga. Good to see you again. Especially in a time like this." "Same to you. But I need help." He pawed the ground with a bunny paw. "We're looking for survivors among the Shepherds, but of all the ones we've found none were affiliated. Also... My sister, Palkia. She's missing." "Your sister? This is concerning..." "Indeed. She just... Disappeared one day when we were looking for survivors. But the Risen or Grima couldn't have gotten her. Palkia and I are like two sides of the same coin metaphysically; I would have felt it. She's... Distant, but she's there." Naga frowned, then soon after her face lit up. "In that case... Perhaps I can use you to locate her." Dialga's face also lit up. "Please do." Naga reached over and placed a hand on Dialga's head, closing her eyes. All was still. Then she opened her eyes, which glowed briefly, before she spoke. "I found her." "Where?" "The Outrealm Gate, a place able to access other worlds much like you and your siblings can. She's in a dimension there. It's been barely functional since Grima's rise but your powers should jumpstart it. Will it, and you will find her. I also sensed a presence tied to both me and Grima, so keep an eye out for that." "Thank you," said Dialga. He paused. "Why hasn't Grima gone after you? Or you him?" "Grima and I's powers are directly opposed in a strange way. He cannot destroy me, nor I him. So... He's focused on destroying everything I care about instead." "...I see. I will protect what you have left, then." "Thank you. It means so much to me." "I must find Palkia to bring that to fruition, however. So I have to be off." "Farewell, Dialga. Good luck." And they went their separate ways. --------- At the bunker, a table had been decorated with a map and minifigures. Giratina sat at the head behind a screen while the others sat at the sides. "Okay," said Giratina. "The dire Arcanine pack seems wary, but not yet hostile. Same with the orcs, who keep them as pets. The orc general is eyeing you oddly." "We try diplomacy." said Panne. "They are not man-spawn, they are worthy." ~I can offer them goods!~ said Hoopa. "We can try just slowly backing away..." said Yarne. Wuzzles simply growled and pawed at his paladin figure. "We can show them the way of Zekrom," said Libra. "Or-" "I'm rolling to seduce the orc captain!" said Virion. "Roll please," said Giratina. Virion did so. The twenty-sided die landed on a one as everyone groaned. "What?!" Virion said. "These are my lucky dice!" "The orc general is supremely offended at your terrible attempt at flirting and orders the other orcs and dire Arcanine to attack," said Giratina. "Roll initiative." Everyone sighed and prepared to roll when there was a noise at the door. Yarne yelped and scooched back, while everyone else stood at attention. "Is that a Risen?" said Virion. "Sounds and feels... Off for one." said Libra. "Regardless, we must proceed with caution," said Panne. ~So, what's our plan?~ said Hoopa. ~Pounce on it when they think we're not there? Wait until it leaves? Offer it cookies?~ "I'll get it," said Giratina. To everyone's surprise he simply got up and opened the door. He was met by a sword to the face. Said sword was held by not a Risen but a girl, with dark blue hair and eyes and a blue outfit. Giratina raised an eyebrow. "Dudette, if you're a zombie apocalypse survivor you probably have better things to do than interrupt my Dungeons And Druddigon session." "You... You look familiar." said the girl. "Were you a friend of my father's?" "...Lucina?" said Yarne from inside. "...Yarne?" said Lucina back. "Lucina? Chrom's daughter? That's you?" said Panne. "Well this is certainly fortuitous," said Libra. "How'd she find us?" said Virion. ~Hey there Lucina! We could use the help!~ said Hoopa. Lucina turned to respond to Virion when she heard and saw Hoopa, who was in his Confined form, and stared. "What are you?" ~Er, I'm a dijin from another world is all I'll say.~ "...At least you're not a Risen then." ~Hey!~ "So, Lucina, what brings you to our humble... Abode?" said Virion. "I was looking for Yarne, actually." "Huh? M-me? Why?" "I'm organizing a resistance! Of children of the former Shepherds. You were one of only two not accounted for." "Dudette, you know who would be all over that? My sister Palkia," said Giratina. "Will she be able to help?" said Lucina. ~Theoretically,~ said Hoopa. ~Her other brother Dialga is looking for her right now.~ He put a hand to his chin. ~I wonder how he's doing...~ ----------------------- Dialga, in dragon form was standing before the Outrealm Gate. Or at least what's left of it. Bits and pieces were strewn everywhere and the gate was barely still standing. Dialga sighed. His eyes glowed. The Outrealm Gate slowly but surely repaired itself. And he focused his mind on Palkia and entered. When he did he found a sunny forest far different from the one he left behind. Pools of water were everywhere. But it was silent. Dialga looked around and stepped carefully through the wood. Then he heard a roar. He turned his head and was met with flaming breath to the face. When his vision cleared he saw a small Manakete dragon hovering before him, fangs bared. He stared, as this Manakete had traits of both Naga and Grima's dragon forms. ~Who are you? Where is my sister?~ ~This is me and aunt Palkia's turf! Leave now!~ ~That answers part of my question. Can you show me her? I mean no harm.~ ~Are you sure?~ ~Positive.~ ~Aw, OK. You seem fun to mess with. It gets boring around here.~ The dragon landed and shrunk down, revealing her to be a young teenage girl with pointy ears and short, light green hair, with simple peasant clothes. She pocketed a small blue stone and looked up at Dialga. "Your dragon form is cool. Not as cool as mine but then again what is?" ~Keep telling yourself that kid. Where's Palkia?~ "Say please!" Dialga sighed. ~Take me to my sister please.~ The girl snickered."Sure thing! I just wanted to make you squirm." ~Mission successful.~ The girl snickered again and started leading Dialga off. "So, I guess you're that uncle Dialga aunt Palkia keeps mentioning." ~Yes, I am.~ "I'm Morgan! It's actually pretty great to see you. There's no one else here but me and aunt Palkia. And a few wild guinea pigs in the woods, I guess. They're cute!" ~I guess.~ Eventually, Dialga and Morgan reached a rift in space in the middle of the forest. "That's her sulking spot!" said Morgan. "She goes in there a lot." ~Palkia!~ said Dialga. ~Palkia I know you're in there!~ Silence.Then the rift slowly widened and Palkia, in dragon form, stepped out. ~How did you find me?~ ~Naga helped. What are you doing here?~ ~...I failed. The Shepherds died because of me. I need to be alone with Morgan.~ ~No you don't.~ "We're safe in here though!" said Morgan. "Safe from... G-Grima. Grima killed my parents..." ~See? We're better off here,~ said Palkia. ~No you're not,~ said Dialga. ~We still need you. There are still survivors. You can help.~ ~No I can't. I'll... I'll just screw up everything again.~ ~I'll help you. We can do this. We're going to win this time.~ ~Grima is as powerful as we are. We can't.~ ~Grima is nothing compared to us. Please sister. We need your help. There's still hope.~ Palkia paused. She thought deeply to herself before replying, ~...Morgan, we're going.~ "Well, you heard her! Looks like we're staying safe in he- huh?" ~Dialga's right. I can't hide from everything forever. We can't.~ "But Grima-" ~We'll find a way to deal with him. Just stick with me, okay?~ Morgan thought to herself, then shrugged. "Okay then! It was getting pretty boring in here anyway." Dialga smiled despite himself, and the three headed out. -------------- When the three got back to the bunker, Dialga and Palkia back in their disguises, Dialga opened the door, only to be greeted by Lucina. "More of you?" said Lucina. She noticed Morgan. "...You found Morgan!" "Lucina?" said Morgan. "Is that really you?" "Yo, Palkia!" said Giratina. "You're back!" Palkia didn't really listen. She just stared at Lucina intently before breaking into a wide grin. "Oh dear, now this makes things interesting..." ~Something up?~ said Hoopa. "Lucina, I know exactly who you are," said Palkia, "And you give me hope I haven't had in years!" "...I do?" said Lucina. "I know you were kind of a friend of my father's but..." "What's she on to now?" said Virion. "Shh, I'll get to it," said Palkia." "Lucina, what are you here for?" "I'm organizing a resistance of the children of the Shepherds," said Lucina. "Morgan was the last one I needed." "Okay then! Could you take us to your base?" "This bunker's kind of cramped anyway." said Libra. "I will!" said Lucina. "We've probably got a long way..." said Yarne. "Be strong," said Panne. "We have good company. And Virion, I guess." "Hey!" said Virion. ~What do you have planned anyway?~ said Dialga privately to Palkia. ~I know exactly what's going on here,~ said Palkia, ~And instead of derailing it I'm helping it along!~ --------------- Lucina opened the door to an old cathedral, in surprisingly good shape. Inside were several teenagers and young adults, going about various activities, when they all turned to notice their visitors. "...Fathers?" said a young girl with pointed ears in the direction of Virion and Libra. "Father, father, is that you?" said another girl with short hair and a spear. "...Nah? Noire? You're alive?" said Virion. "It's... Been so long..." said Libra. "I thought you two died shortly after your mothers..." The four shared an embrace as a woman in thick armor with blue hair and a young man in yellow with orange hair approached the others. "Sister! You're back! And you found Yarne and Morgan!" "Indeed, Kijelle." said Lucina. "Now we can begin plans to-" "Greetings, travellers!: said the man in yellow. "The mighty Owain Dark beseeches you to look around and take in the sights! Especially his muscular ar-" "Owain," said Lucina, "What did I tell you about showing off to new survivors? You'll scare them off." "I cannot help myself! No more than I can help my sword hand twitching - Oh no.There it goes again!" Lucina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ignore him. Yarne, Morgan, make yourselves at home." The two promptly headed in to do so, while Lucina turned to Palkia. "Now... You said you thought you could help?" Palkia rubbed her hands together. "Well..." She thought a bit. "Let's exchange some ideas. Relying on my own with just a bit of guidance from the others has been too costly; we're all going to have to work together for real on this one." ***

#pokemon #fire emblem #fanfic #fanfiction #rude awakening #yangverse

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nemrut · 7 years

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Web-Series Novel: A Practical Guide to Evil by Erraticerrata

Title: A Practical Guide to Evil Author: Erraticerrata Status: Work in Progress

Link: wordpress

Summary: The Empire stands triumphant.

For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife.

Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.

Words from the author: A Practical Guide to Evil is a YA fantasy novel about a young girl named Catherine Foundling making her way through the world – though, in a departure from the norm, not on the side of the heroes. Is there such a thing as doing bad things for good reasons, or is she just rationalizing her desire for control? Good and Evil are tricky concepts, and the more power you get the blurrier the lines between them become.

Updates every Monday and Wednesday, as of the latest Patreon goal.

So I burned through this in 4 days or so and yeah, there is a lot to love about it. Guess the initial similarities in its premise to Worm can't be denied, what with being a teenage girl who joins the villains in the hopes to do good and is pretty ruthless in order to reach her goal, while she befriends people on the side of the villains where some aren't that unreasonably while the people on the side of good aren't necessarily all nice or good either. Still, make no mistake, it very much does its own thing. The concept with the Names is just fascinating and really, really cool. The way the rules of storytelling influence the world and characters and the different ways the various characters have found to interact with them is really creative and interesting

I love the setting. It's a an awesome fantasy setting with the familiar faces that I want to see, like Roman legions, orcs, goblins, dwarves, gnomes and so on but also given a creative fresh spin that it doesn't feel like an unimaginative D&D or LotR rip-off. The fact that the dwarves and gnomes seem to be by all accounts the heavy hitters of the setting with whom no one dares to fuck with is a nice change, for example. The geopolitical snippets that we see where the different nations, cultures and coalitions clash and unfold has been one of the stories bigger strengths. The racial and cultural clashes between characters hailing from different nations and social classes has also been explored in a rather good manner. It also has a certain anime feel to it, in a good way, that just makes it even more enjoyable to be me. I also love the fact that gender barely plays a role in this. Whatever role, job, class or function, in all facets in nearly all cultures, everything basically has a roughly equal split in terms of genders, with the goblins being the sole exception with their matriarchal society, which in turn was already alien enough, being goblins and all. No token girl or token boy characters in anything and no "you can't because you're a girl" story line either, it's rare to see it like that. Just enjoyment of the journey the character is on. Same with sexuality, it doesn't matter to anyone in the setting which way you swing or if you swing at all, so various things can be explored without taking over the plot. The lead girl is bisexual, btw, with a leaning towards girls. One of my favorite things have got to be the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. They can be hilarious and many of them have this distinct Magic the gathering flavor text feeling to them. I love them. Quotes like “Always mistrust these three: a battle that seems won, a chancellor who smiles and a ruler calling you friend.” – Extract from the personal journals of Dread Emperor Terribilis II

“I’ll be honest, Chancellor – revenge is the motivation for over half the decrees I’ve made.” – Dread Empress Sanguinia II, best known for outlawing cats and being taller than her”

or “Now kneel, fools, and witness my ascension to GODHOOD!” – Last words of Dread Empress Sinistra IV, the Erroneous

They generally crack me up and I am genuinely impressed that the author managed to come up with so many of them that are honestly lough out loud funny, well, at least to me. The dialog and witty banter has been consistently funny and energetic. I have laughed countless times and a lot of the side characters are lovable because of it. The good lines are not reserved for the main character alone but virtually everyone gets at least a few, it's rather balanced on that account. And it never becomes muddled enough that it makes the characters indistinguishable from each other, even if they share the same type of dark humor. By seeing when and on whose accounts they make the jokes, their characters still shine through. The fight scenes are decent, and the quirks and strengths of the setting and the dialog allow them to punch outside their weight-class. The meta aspects of the story itself are worked very well into the scenes and I believe that that is a very difficult thing to do. Here is a scene relatively early on: “We can get to that later,” I dismissed. “Evidently you’re the gritty type, but how far up the antihero scale are you?”

“As far as I need to be,” he responded gravely. I pushed down my urge to make something out of that. Crossbow Tamika had already finished reloading, and the pair of them seemed to be considering their next target. I really wasn’t liking the way Spear Tamika was beginning to angle towards me. “Are you the kind of gritty that works with enemies?” I probed. “You know, for the greater good and such.” A lesser author would have made me hate this but he pulled it off and made this fun.

More after the break but for anyone who wants to avoid even minor spoilers, give it a read, it’s awesome. Not perfect or anything as it does have its weaknesses but very well worth the read.

The side cast is funny and interesting. The 15th legion has some fun characters who are likable and enjoyable throughout. When talking about the Calamities and some others, things become downright amazing. The way they are introduced and then explored in their interludes on how they've built their legends meshes wonderfully with the more intimate and casual moments they share with each other when they just bicker and enjoy their company. I always hated the "if you lose you are dead to me" kinda villains and even though they are all very much villains, they also love and care for each other and generally having a personality allows for characters to have more depth, to have them care for more than just power. The Calamaties are larger than life, fun and epic. Which kinda flows into one of the not so much strengths of the story. Heiress is, as far as villains go...not exactly top notch. It doesn't help that while I do believe that she is a serious threat and annoyance, and that her plans are appropriately “oh shit” level, I still can't respect her because in her core, she is the stupid kind of villain, the short sighted backstabber who, as a character archetype, just isn’t that interesting, at least to me. The clash of ideologies that very much defined books 1 and 2 between the Lone Swordsman, the Heiress and the Squire suffered under the fact that both the Lone Swordsman and the Heiress upheld positions that, well, sucked. It wasn't a matter of who was right because it was abundantly clear who was and that's the main character. The Lone Swordsman was a partly mindfucked/brainwashed zealot with few redeeming qualities and the Heiress just wants to be properly evil and hates all this efficiency, stability and success that the villain faction had for a while now. What is there to ponder? I guess I would have preferred antagonists who also had good paths/plans rather than just being flat-out wrong/evil. Heiress especially, who at all times has been the bigger danger simply because she cares only about being evil in the right way and is unable to prioritize anything else. Still, she isn’t terrible, she has interesting/fun aspects, it is fun to hate her even if I roll my eyes a lot and her dynamic with her father is fun, even if only for the inevitable scene where Cat will do something horrible to him in order to punish the Heiress. Catherine is a character who has some weaknesses but in general she is fun to follow, entertaining and someone who knows how to end a fight. She has good lines, one gets a good feel for her as the story goes along and it’s interesting if a bit frustrating when her own, culturally biased morals shine through. Like her inherent dislike and condemnation of human sacrifice despite the fact that she has about committed nearly every atrocity but since she is from Callow, that kinda thing is a no-no. It’s the arbitrary if not contradictory moral position of a true person. I enjoy her journey and character and appreciate the way she deconstructs several conventions that are typical to the "want to save a society/nation/people" archetype. The story contained several digs at other stories, like this quote when they learn that the Heiress set her slave soldiers free. Nominally granting the Stygian war-slaves their freedom meant absolutely nothing, when they’d been indoctrinated from birth to obey their orders of their owners without fail.

Which is basically the biggest "take that" I've seen in a while, directed at Dany's freeing of the Unsullied who in turn then moved by her actions chose to follow her nonetheless. And of course, Cat is absolutely correct. That one act of liberation probably didn't really mean that much to those who, in her words, had been indoctrinated from birth to obey and fight. Later on, when the Lone Swordsman comes upon them, he is also aware of this dilemma. His solution was to not ask them to fight, to give them that freedom but that more than anything was what convinced them to fight for him anyway, and thus he unwillingly manipulated them into doing it anyway. I really loved that touch, especially since it was a plot point that was well set up in advance, touched upon over several chapters and then had a rather satisfying resolution. Or the general theme of the shonen protag/hero of the story taking umbrage with the lesser methods of his enemies and saying that's not the right way because it's wrong. It's a conversation that that crops up all the time, and that the hero will find a better way, only never saying what that better way is, mainly because he hasn't one until he pulls unlimited power out of his ass. Cat isn't like that and hates people like that and this inherent struggle against story conventions, especially with regards to the Black Knight is fascinating to me. Having the Calamaties and the Empress scheme and work around these inherent story elements is just cool. The romance in the story was rather lowkey which isn't bad per se, but Killian didn't exactly leave a big impact so far but I'm hoping this will change with the recent developments. Either strike out with someone more interesting or have Killian become more interesting and defined. So far, it was pleasant and cute but not exactly much substance. One more minor point of complaint would be the relatively steady amount of typos, missing words and the like, which happen about once or twice per chapter. Nothing tragic but definitely noticeable. Author also uses adverbs a bit too much, especially the "-ly" modifiers for the verbs instead of showing it through action and dialog how they feel but it works for the most part. Think that’s about it. The writing is overall rather good and I enjoy the story format, what with the interludes and all. So yeah, really loving the story. Story got its hooks in me and I powered through and it was a blast from start to the latest available chapter. Supposed to be five books, and we're in the first third of the third one so, this story will be going on for a while and I'm looking forward to it. 4/5

#a practical guide to evil #apgte #quotes #erraticerrata #webseries #webnovel

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madartiste · 7 years

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Interstitial

Tales of Symphonia

Summary: Kratos sells his son to the devil himself.

One-shot/drabblish AU that is mostly compliant with the game's storyline. No pairings. Lloyd & Kratos family, Yuan, Mithos, cameos by Pronyma and sort of Martel, mentions of Lloyd's friends.

Author’s Note: So I played Tales of Symphonia because my roommate is awesome and insisted I should, and now I'm hooked. Since one of my favorite plot line things is weird/twisted family dynamics, I naturally gravitated to Kratos and Lloyd's bizarre relationship. I started digging through some of the other stuff that was produced for it and watched Kratos' scenes for Tales of Fandom Vol. 2. There's an interlude of him convincing Mithos to let Lloyd live so they can study the effects of his exsphere on him and even offers to take Lloyd's keycrest (and apparently leave him a soulless shell) if he refuses to cooperate. My 'what-if' meter flipped my into space, and I ended up with this. Originally it was just going to be the first part with Kratos (and I honestly think that was the most successful bit), but Mithos and Yuan got in on it too so here's the whole thing.

Kratos sells his first born child to the devil himself. It's like one of the fairy stories except instead of spinning gold he's trading Lloyd's soul for the boy's life and there is no clever, last minute ploy to foil the monster. It's just Lloyd and the stone that killed his mother with no keycrest in between.

Are you saying even if he loses his self, so long as he's alive, it's alright?

Carefully, he fusses over his son's hair, not looking into empty eyes and definitely not aching for that bright, carefree smile. He pushes the feathery locks this way and that and thinks that maybe he needs to cut it soon. Lloyd's unruly hair is definitely getting too long, too much like his own. Anna would be appalled (for so many reasons).

Eventually he runs out of strands to manipulate and lets his hand slide down to cup the back of his boy's head. There's a moment of stillness. In Derris-Kharlan there is a lot of stillness, something previously foreign to kinetic Lloyd, and Kratos gives in to yet another impulse. With Lloyd unable to protest there's also a lot of caving in.

He pulls the child up against his chest, ear over his heart, rocking him slowly. This always put his baby boy at ease, and it just feels so nice to touch him. When they'd traveled together on the journey of regeneration, Kratos had to deny himself even the most casual of contact, afraid he'd break apart at his clumsy seams and spill all his secrets into the open. Now he's a pile of splinters and ash, so what does it matter?

"It won't always be like this," he mumbles, knowing that beyond the lifeless veil Lloyd can still hear him, still sense everything that happens. It's viscerally horrifying, and Kratos has to remind himself he's doing this to keep his precious son alive. "It's just for now."

Don't die, Lloyd.

There's a whisper of cloth, barely a sound at all, but Kratos hears it and looks up to see Mithos lurking in the doorway. A flicker of disgust gives way to perverse amusement, and Yggdrasill laughs silently at the domestic spectacle, shoulders shaking and eyes glittering with spite. Kratos privately hopes he'll get his fill of revenge soon and release them, but the boy-god has been finding new cruelties to inflict for four thousand years so the hope isn't strong.

Mithos doesn't linger very long (he never does). It's just enough to satisfy himself before he drifts back to his shining wasteland throne. Maybe he doesn't want to risk growing bored with the Aurions' particular flavor of self-inflicted purgatory, but he'll be back again later, usually around the time Kratos tucks Lloyd into bed with a soft command to sleep. For some reason Yggdrasill seems to find that especially charming.

Kratos leans his chin on the crown of Lloyd's sheltered head and starts to hum an old tune, a little lullaby with gruesome, war-soaked lyrics that was popular back when Tethe'alla was one country and not a whole world. Anna had asked him to sing instead of hum it only once and then wondered how anyone could think it was appropriate for children to fall asleep to. He hadn't the courage to tell her it was his favorite growing up.

Lloyd doesn't respond to the coddling, of course, just rests against him with only enough tension in his limbs to not fall to the floor in a heap. At first the passivity had plagued Kratos, but now it's gnawed all the way through his spine and left him almost as numb and detached as he'd once pretended to be.

This must be what hell feels like, he thinks, but he says, "It won't always be like this" as a promise he has no confidence he can keep.

***

It's a bit of an odd thing, considering how vexing the child had been, but Mithos decides Lloyd makes a very nice ornament. He's taken to having the dull eyed boy sit at his feet, right next to his throne, when Kratos isn't around to monopolize him. Dressed properly (in a Cruxis styled uniform with red accents) he looks almost like he belongs. Almost like he's more than a surprisingly pretty puppet.

Mithos barely pays attention to Pronyma, more interested in watching Lloyd mechanically play with the toy he's been given. It's a deceptively complicated thing that swivels and twists in different ways meant to teach children to match colors and shapes while developing manual dexterity. Even without access to his higher mental functions the boy does reasonably well.

The Desian kneeling on the carpet buzzes about her duties, but Yggdrasill lets his whims direct him and reaches out to play with Lloyd's hair again. The locks are just as baby soft as they look, and he combs them to the side until they fall over the left eye. After a bit more work, the angel pauses and hums curiously.

Pronyma stops talking at the noise.

"What do you think?" he asks her absently. Not that he cares about her opinion. She's just the only one here who can respond.

"I… well…" The Grand Cardinal doesn't like not knowing what he wants from her and hesitates lest she say the wrong thing.

"Doesn't he look just like his father?" he prompts. If the nose was a bit straighter, hair more red, and a bit less of the roundness of youth to his face, Lloyd would practically be a copy of young Kratos. Mithos knows it agonizes the father who would rather strip all of himself out of the child and leave only the mother behind (and what a terrible waste that would be).

"Yes, my Lord. Very much so." There's something in her response that says she doesn't mean it as a compliment, but Mithos lets that slide. He's feeling charitable today.

The Desian finally finishes her report and departs to complete her next assignment, leaving just Lloyd and Mithos (and silent, sleeping Martel) to while away the time. Mithos has come to enjoy these moments. They make for peaceful company.

"It should always be like this," he says out loud to a mute audience, and thinks that being surrounded by his family, real and acquired, for eternity would be such a lovely thing.

***

Yuan had first thought it was just another bit of cruelty Yggdrasill had devised. Keeping Lloyd physically close made for a nice threat and a choking leash on Kratos, but Mithos plays with the child like a doll, and it's almost monstrously familial as well as unsettling. The boy's soul is sealed up like Pandora's box with an exsphere for a lock, and there isn't much chance of prying it open to find any hope at the bottom.

Instead of saying so, the half-elf deliberately drones on about statistics and logistics in a way that makes Mithos' eyes glaze over in boredom. It's one of his small rebellions (unlike the better hidden large ones). Over several millennia Yuan has developed the skill of talking up a very boring storm while letting himself think about other things, so rather than voice his concerns about the teenager slouched emptily next to Mithos' immaculate shoes he quotes another set of percentages.

This whole farce has taken a new, decidedly torturous turn with Lloyd's addition to the cast. It's no longer just the four of them in an eternal spin of superfluous violence and death. Now there's five, and Yuan is struggling to predict just how this is going to change everyone's trajectory. With the Chosen and her friends having managed to flee Welgaia but Lloyd left behind, Yuan had thoroughly expected an explosive fit from Mithos; instead, he shrugged it off and decided to amuse himself with the part of his plan that hadn't been derailed.

They'll come back for him.

Kratos still set out to track them down, desperate to catch some of Yggdrasill's good graces to shield his son. The soldier's fear is at least something that Yuan could count on, but it's quickly overriding better sense and gobbling up any chance to steer the man in a useful direction. Having a family had made Kratos soft, and it also made him afraid like never before.

Yuan is momentarily distracted when Mithos begins petting Lloyd's head (like some kind of prized dog), and he lets his words trail off. It's nauseating to see that wild, energetic kid listlessly submit to his enemy's caress.

"You were saying?" Mithos cues, chin propped up on his idle fist. His eyes stray upward to the great seed that hovers over his head. It's just a habit. Martel isn't going anywhere.

"About the decline in exsphere production capacity due to the lost ranches, yes…" Yuan carries on with his accounting. He knows Martel would have loved Lloyd, doted on him and probably driven Kratos up the wall by spoiling the boy with sweets and anything generous she could lay her hands on. Mithos would have loved him too, once upon a time. He'd very much wanted a niece or nephew and always called Kratos his big brother. How things change.

And they just seem to be getting worse.

It's not long after that Mithos reaches the point where he can't take anymore of the endless numbers and rubs at his eyes. "You seem to have everything accounted for. Why don't you start on the plan you've drafted? Consider whatever resources you need to be at your disposal."

It's exactly what Yuan wants to hear and just the amount of rope he needs to hang a few of his lingering obstacles in regards to the Renegades' activities. I can't let it be like this, Yuan thinks and knows he'll have to make a move soon, but he smiles disarmingly and says, "As you command."

#tos #tales of symphonia #kratos aurion #lloyd irving #mithos yggdrasill #yuan ka fai #angst #drama llama #fanfiction #fanfic #tales of symphonia fanfic #tales of symphonia fanfiction #Is there even anyone in this fandom anymore?#I am so so late to this party

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curds-and-wheyface · 7 years

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Getting involved in all the lovely Thorki Fic Recs that are going around today!

I assume a lot of new fics will get recs today, so I’ve included a few slightly older fics that I love.

You Pull Me Out of Line (Make Me Beg and Make Me Chase by @chrisshemsworth Thor, a Roman general in the Emperor's army, becomes infatuated with Loki, a young pleasure slave. Smut ensues. Naturally.

Resurrection by hermaline75 Edinburgh, 1826. In the depths of alcoholism, Thor finds himself employed by an unusual man.

While You've Been Saving Your Neck I've Been Breaking Mine by @thisdorkyblogthing The first thing Loki notices about Thor is that he seems to never look down at his food or drink, apparently trusting the servants entirely to make sure his cup and plate are never empty for long. It would be almost too easy to poison him...

Love Looks Not With the Eyes by needleyecandy Loki is the youngest of the three princes of the realm, and though he is the sweetest, most innocent, and most beautiful, he can find no mate, for Gaea herself has cursed him in her jealousy. A seer is summoned to court and tells the king and queen that their son's fated mate is a creature so dreadful that he is feared by the gods themselves...

Gone by @fourletterwordsstartingwithl It happened during the summer after he graduated high school. Thor went backpacking through Europe with Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun, and came back to a home that was not the home he remembered. Somehow, in those eight weeks, he had lost his brother.

Chrysallis by @teresa-dances-in-sequins WIP The aging, widowed Allfather has found himself a sweet little pet, and Thor's not jealous. Nope.

Stranded by @thorduna Thor, Loki and a house with a pool. Thor is so busy wondering what their parents' agenda was that he fails to notice Loki's.

In Your Heart Believe What In My Heart I Know by umakoo/@pohjanneito A Jötunn AU set in Utgård where both Thor and Loki are Jötnar, Thor a blacksmith and Loki the jarl's youngest son. Their lives become intertwined through friendship, which time shapes into something deeper.

Links and reviews below the cut.

You Pull Me Out of Line (Make Me Beg and Make Me Chase) Honestly, I just loved this so much. Slave/master is one of those tropes that draws me in every time (especially when Loki is a feisty little thing and Thor can't resist him) and this setting is so perfect for that. I have a real thing for body worship in Thorki fics too (because...that body) so I particularly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Loki rubbing Thor down before his bath. Loki's scheming is so Loki and yet it's also so sweet here, so young and very taken with Thor, so he plots this whole thing thinking maybe it'll work out for him. The smut is so devastatingly good. Seriously. I can't tell you. I read this on a plane and I kept feeling like it must've been obvious on my face that I was reading some hotter than hell sex. One to keep and read again, definitely. LOVED.

Resurrection I read this over a couple of days and every time I was loathe to leave it. The setting is pretty unique for our fandom; a sort of grim, Dickensian bleakness that is so easy to visualise. The plot is really clever and intriguing, with mystery and high stakes, but the real gem here is the slow growth of emotion between Thor and Loki as what starts as a physical connection unfolds into more. I also loved how the switching of POVs between chapters was utilised to keep the reader up-to date even when Thor and Loki were keeping facts and feelings secret from each other. Brilliant.

While You've Been Saving Your Neck I've Been Breaking Mine Arranged marriage is my favourite trope, and one that we’re lucky enough to have a fair bit of in this fandom of ours. This particular story is such a perfect exploration of that theme. There isn’t a part of this fic that I didn’t absolutely adore. Loki is all prepared to end up with an awful, cruel husband and what he gets is...the dream, honestly. Thor is beautiful in this, so caring, so careful. And they can’t keep theirs hands off each other. My god. Go and read this.

Love Looks Not With the Eyes I’ve never read a fic like this. Loki is forbidden from seeing his new husband and so he (and we) have to rely completely on other senses. So much focus here is on how feel and touch and taste. It’s so very lovely. But make no mistake - this fic isn’t short on plot! When Loki’s curiosity gets the better of him he risks losing his beloved husband for good, and the journey he takes to regain that relationship reminds me of the great Greek myths I used to read about in school.

Gone I’ve just about forgiven Sonia for lying to me about how angsty this is. I love this exploration of Thor’s feelings about ‘losing’ Loki, how he battles on with determination despite Loki trying to put up a wall between them. It’s funny because so much of the canon Thorki story is about Thor losing Loki to this place of jealousy and anger, and yet I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that theme explored in an AU like this. Loki being a teenager means that he’s feeling everything on such an extreme level, that his behaviour here is so easily believable and understandable. A really lovely read.

Chrysalis The only WIP on my list, this remains one of the most hurty fics I’ve ever read in this fandom. Loki is wonderful, feisty and lost and unwillingly-dependent on his Asgardian master. Thor is spoiled and impatient and mean - make no mistake, this is not the gentle and empathetic Thor that we know and love, not yet anyway - yet he’s so hot. The plot is full of wonderful twists and turns, Loki’s past is explored in flashbacks which are each more eye-opening that the last and Thor...my baby Thor. His character development so far has been incredibly satisfying, and is my favourite thing about the story. Love this fic.

Stranded I re-read this fic a month or so ago and left Diana a comment which I’ll reiterate here... “Lastly, we both know you've written sex scenes which are way kinkier and subjectively 'hotter' than the sex in this, but I really feel like this is one of the most emotionally satisfying sex scenes I've ever read. I love how there's chapters and chapters of build-up, slow growth of feeling, and then suddenly it's just happening. It's happening right now, there's no stopping it, they're doing this. And it's so intimate and tender, they're both so ready for it, and I got emotional reading it, both times. In a fandom like ours, with a pairing like this, there is a lot of (understandable) angst in the fanfiction, so the fact that in this fic their feelings end up being, at the end of the day, relatively uncomplicated, is just lovely.” Go and re-read this fic.

In Your Heart Believe What In My Heart I Know ...I mean, where to even begin? As with most of Noora’s stories the location is almost a character in itself. This Jotunheim isn’t an icy wasteland, it’s a beautiful and healthy world that (despite still being snowy at all times) has clear seasons and is capable of sustaining its people. It’s so richly explored, such a perfect setting for this epic story. And an epic it is. When the fic starts Thor and Loki are not similar in age or station but their connection is immediate, Thor shows Loki a kindness and his reaction is so lovely that you don’t need Loki’s POV to know that this is a rarety. From there the story just evolves and evolves over time, in small moments, with such beautiful detail, that by the time Thor finally realises he’s in love it’s something we, as readers, have known for some time. It’s so visual, the plot and passage of time are so well-paced it’s hard not to get lost in this story. I lived a life within this fic. And you must check out the art that goes along with it.

So, there you have it! My rather long list of fics you need to read (or re-read) right now. Thank you to all of the authors mentioned for your contributions to this wonderful fandom. <3

#thorki recs #thorki fics #fic rec days #fic rec day

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smallcatwoman · 7 years

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Bruce Wayne outside of Batman

So I saw this:

Bruce Wayne could do a lot more to fight crime in Gotham City by funding youth programs with his immense wealth instead of dressing up like a bat and dishing out vigilante justice. (just-shower-thoughts)

And thought it would be a cool to research Bruce as a philanthropist and Wayne Enterprises as a business. You know, instead of applying to jobs or cleaning.

Basically all Bruce does all night and day is give to charity and help people.

The main organization he uses is the Wayne Foundation, an umbrella company for the Thomas Wayne Foundation and the Martha Wayne Foundation. TWF is for medicine/science and gives awards/money to research/researches, funds the Memorial Clinic in Park Row (ie Crime Alley) where Leslie Thompkins treats anyone and everyone who comes through her door (villains included), and dozens of other clinics around Gotham. The MWF is for the arts/urban revitalization of Gotham, families, and education. It runs orphanages (and built its own orphanage), creates and funds schools, preps teachers for learning disabilities, gives grants to artists, and sponsors Family Finders, which exists to reunite families. Also soo many soup kitchens. It is also the organization that gives money/scholarships to Gotham Academy. It maintains museums in Gotham, exhibits art and film festivals, as well as being a big sponsor of the theater scene.

The Wayne Foundation also funded Victims Inc, which aimed to help victims of violent crimes. Then there’s Neon Knights, which is started by Tamara Fox/Tim Drake and is funded by the Wayne Foundation. The organization basically is geared toward helping at-risk youth and.. former gang members/teenagers likely to join gangs/something about gangs, it’s been a while since I’ve read Red Robin. He also helps Selina Kyle get her own community center in the East End part of Gotham (ie Catwoman territory) using money she stole from Black Mask/a crime boss of Gotham.

And he rebuilt Gotham essentially through Wayne Enterprises after No Man’s Land, pushing Lex Luthor out of Gotham. After a huge earthquake demolishes the city, the Federal government declares Gotham a “no man’s land.” Gotham has a reputation for being a wasteland so they were mostly thinking “eh better off without it, let’s get all the good people out first tho” but a lot of people were left behind, including mostly minorities, homeless, orphaned, disabled, injured, poor, and convicted felons. They gov’t destroyed all the bridges/tunnels/roads that lead into Gotham and set up military blockades to ensure no one/no medical supplies/no food goes in or out (i always thought that was absurd until I saw the federal fumbles post-Katrina but I digress). During No Man’s Land, he worked together with Poison Ivy to feed the city and shelter various orphans.

Bruce lobbied Congress to end the No Man’s Land mandate and helped it eventually pass the Billion Dollar Build-up Federal Works Project which used the Wayne Enterprises, the Wayne Foundation, the US Army Engineers, LexCorp, and STAR Labs to rebuild. It also employs thousands of people in Gotham. Wayne Enterprises also started buying up buildings and forcing architects/engineers to “Earthquake proof” new builds so that they can survive an 8.5 Earthquake. Even before NML, all Wayne buildings (like Oracle’s watchtower) were Earthquake-proof. IN ADDITION, HE MADE SURE EVERY NEW BUILDING/REPAIRED OLD BUILDING WOULD BE MADE HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE (I bolded that because it gives me so many Oracle/Batman family friendship feels).

Bruce also always pays for property damage, especially to individual victims. Catwoman v2 #82 (2008):

He funds troops and the police force. During and after Dick Grayson’s stint as a Bludhaven Police Officer, the department—which was MASSIVELY underfunded—received huge amounts of top-of-the-line equipment, like high tech bullet proof vests and body armor to soldiers abroad. Also, in Black Mirror, the Foundation builds a high-tech, multimillion dollar forensic lab and donates it to the police force.

(sidenote, look how cute— Dick keeps pictures of Bruce, Alfred, and Babs in his locker!!!!)

Red Robin #04:

He also buys the Daily Planet, ie the pulitzer-prize winning newspaper that Lois Lane and Clark Kent work for. I can’t remember all the details but basically, the Planet is one of the few papers in Metropolis not owned by Lex Luthor and thus the only paper that’s printing critical stories of LexCorp and evil Lex/the guy who owns Metropolis. Lois negotiates ownership over to Perry and then Bruce buys it, working to keep the newspaper out of Luthor’s control/keep free press.

Wayne Foundation also funds superhero groups and superheroes like Young Justice, Teen Titans, Outsiders, the Birds of Prey (although Babs does some other things to secure funding too), and the Justice League. He bought much of the equipment Doctor Mid-Nite uses in the Justice Society of America. Then there’s Batman Incorporated, which runs all over the world, and Wayne Enterprises owns Holt Inc ie Michael Holt/Mister Terrific’s business (although you could argue that Holt Inc helps WE out, since the patents on Holt inventions like T-Spheres are extremely lucrative). He does a lot to take care of the families of superheroes, like setting up a college fund for Irey and Jai West (kids of the Flash, Wally West, and Linda Park-West), pays for Supergirl/Kara’s school/apartment/everything, sets up a trust fund for Stephanie Brown’s child which she gives away for adoption and Stephanie Brown’s whole operation as Batgirl/college tuition, arranges for the adoption of Helena Kyle (Selina’s daughter) as well as a trust fund, pays for Tim Drake’s stepmother’s medical care as well as funeral costs for his dad, gave Clark Kent/Lois Lane the apartment they live in as a wedding gift, and covers the medical expenses of various heroes, like Barbara Gordon/Oracle and Wendy Harris/Proxy. Not to mention he adopts/provides for Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Cassandra Cain. Bruce asked Lucius Fox to invest the money Dick Grayson’s parents left him upon their deaths. He turns it into a small fortune and Dick uses it to fund his life/operation as Nightwing initially.

(sidenote: Diana/Wonder Woman sent Wally’s twins ceremonial bracelets and a sword, omg)

He helps people to the point where it’s almost comical how much money he gives out and how readily he employs people, sometimes criticized for being over-simplistic and naive. He invests in random gang bangers, prostitutes, homeless communities, and low level criminals as well as high level criminals who are mostly just victims of their circumstances or show genuine desire to go straight. He carries a whole stack of Wayne Enterprise business cards in his Utility Belt and when he stumbles upon someone he can help, he gives them a card and a job. Most entry-level positions are given to people through Community Outreach programs and they don’t discriminate against ex-cons. Like, Ellie, who goes on to be a receptionist:

and here she is later, in Batman Incorporated, not only employed as a receptionist but being heroic herself:

Not to mention, it certainly PAYS to work for Wayne Enterprises. There’s a corporate scholarship program that covers full tuition for any employee of Wayne Enterprises. Any employee, meaning also entry-level mail room people, which is the specific instance from the comics I can think of.

He also sits on the Arkham Parole board, giving criminals like Harley Quinn a chance to be rehabilitated. In the new 52, he even moves Arkham into Wayne Manor (Arkham Academy— it’s actually a totally bananas concept but I haven’t read the issues yet to really know more).

Then there are the divisions of Wayne Enterprises, which include a healthcare system for Gotham citizens. Wayne Biotech is cutting edge in training people and developing vaccinations and cures for different diseases, like the fight against AIDS and HIV and reconstructive plastic surgery. Wayne Foods focuses on ethical food production, getting rid of additives. Wayne Steel develops technology for the US Navy and WayneYards does the same. Wayne Aerospace builds for NASA and the US military. Wayne Chemicals includes Wayne Oil and Wayne Botanical and search for petrochemicals and alternative fuel sources. They came up with a way to run power generators on algae. Wayne Industries, the main R&D branch, are looking for cleaner energy among many other things. Wayne Medical is more focused on treating illnesses as opposed to researching illnesses (which is what Wayne Biotech does) and maintains/runs hospitals in Gotham through the Thomas Wayne Foundation. Wayne Institute is a thinktank and recruits up-and-coming professionals to plan future development. Wayne Research Institute basically just does research on everything. Wayne Construction built a free railway system around Gotham in the midst of government corruption. Throughout all his business endeavors, Wayne Enterprises aims to practice business ethically, cutting ties with LexCorp when they did some weird robot killer thing and Dr. Pamela Isley (later Poison Ivy) when she wanted to create some toxin that would mind-control people.

I mean, even when Bruce Wayne was being impersonated (long story, read Heart of Hush), the most sinister thing Tommy Elliot did as Bruce Wayne was give away buttloads more money to charity.

sources: my own memory and comic book collection (Batman: Hush is a good one, uhh, Superman, Superman Wedding issue, Catwoman volume 2, Red Robin 04, Nightwing, Son of Batman, Detective Comics, Batman Incorporated, Robin, Batgirl, the Outsiders, Birds of Prey, Supergirl, Flash under Wally West.. okay, there are too many to list), x, x, x, x, x

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