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thebubblesareevil · 2 years

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Accidental acquisition of an eldritch older brother pt 1

Inspired by @cloudielight s post about summoning

Zatanna was exhausted, her dad had put her to work organizing all of his props and magical texts after one little kiss at a birthday party. Seriously! She’s 13 now! Her dad was definitely overreacting. Now she’s grounded and cleaning up dusty tomes, but at least she’s almost done.

Zatanna was putting away the last of the props when she felt a small tug at the back of her mind. She stopped what she was doing and slowly made her way through the room, running her hand across the magic tomes as she went before coming to a sudden stop, her hand resting on a tome dedicated to ‘the spirits of the infinite realms?’ She wasn’t sure what drew her to the tome but when her father called her for dinner, the book went with her. She didn’t hide it, in fact she showed it to her dad when she got to the dinner table. He took the book and looked inside.

“There’s no need to worry, the fatal flaw of summoning from the infinite realms is that anything worth summoning has the ability to ignore it. The most you’d be able to do with this is summon a some whisps. If you’d like, you can use it to practice your summoning circles, with supervision! We just have to be sure to send anything you summon back.” Zatanna gave her father a wide grin “You mean it?!” She immediately jumps up hoping to get started “AFTER dinner!” Zatanna pouted but sat back down. She kept looking over at the tome as she quickly ate her dinner, when she was done with her dishes and immediately began looking through the tome as her father took his sweet, sweet time eating. By the time he finished eating she had found exactly which spirit she would try to summon, the king himself. There’s no way he would show up, but the circle was beautifully intricate and she wanted to try it out. She showed her dad, and with his permission they set to work, making sure to put up protective spells just to be safe. Who knew what might come through?

Once the last of the circle was drawn Zatanna looked to her father to confirm everything was good and she began her spell.

“deen fo emit ruo siht ni dia sih rof gniksa ylbmuh smlaer etinifni eht fo gnik hgih eht nopu llac I” her face lit up when the circle began to glow. The swirling energy started to fill the room, bathing it in a toxic green light, before it all converged on the center of the circle sending out a blinding light. Her dad jumped in front her to shield her from the light, when I died down she looked over her dads shoulder,

And screamed.

There, at the center of the circle, was no whisp. She wasn’t even sure it was a spirit, it looked to be a teenage boy, but that’s not what made her scream. No, it was the fact that the boy was laying on his back staring directly at her, his blood a mix of red and green spilling from his opened chest. He let out a wheezing breath before whispering in a voice, soar from screaming “please, help me”

When Giovanni heard his daughter scream he immediately jumped to defend them, he doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t what he found. Even still he jumped into action, he told his daughter to fetch the medical supplies and blankets and the immediately began casting any spell he could think of to help him. Some worked, he managed to at least clean him up and pull the wound together, however he would need to stitch the wound himself. He was only a third of the when the boy passed out, tears trailing down his face. Once he was done he levitated the boy (he’s just a child, he can’t be much older than his daughter) and set him In his bed, he didn’t foresee much sleep in his future. Once that was done he went to take of his daughter, she was sitting on the couch shaking with silent tears. She looked at her father.

“Who would do something like that? Why?” He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her back and forth, soothing her just as he did when she was small (she still is). “I don’t know, but he’s safe now.” He pulls back to look her in the eye, wiping away a tear. “He is safe because of you, you performed that summons beautifully, allowing him to come through. I’m so proud.” He pulls he back into the hug. They stay like that until Zatanna falls asleep. Giovanni finds no rest that night.

———————

It was while he was making breakfast the next morning that their guest woke. He nearly missed it, the sound of soft sobs coming from his room. Giovanni set aside the food and grabbed the bandages and water before heading to check on their guest. When he entered the room the boy jumped, desperately trying to push himself further away, stopped only by the wall, starting at him with a terrified look in his eyes. Giovanni put his hands in front of him, motioning that he was unarmed,and slowly approaching his guest.

“I have no intention of harming you, I only want to talk. I also need to change your bandages, if you’ll let me?” He stared for a moment before slowly nodding.

Giovanni slowly approached, handing the teen the bottle of water, he got to work changing the bandages. It appeared as though the injury was almost fully healed, though it would leave a scar. As he worked he began talking, trying to keep his patient relaxed.

“I must admit, you were quite the surprise! When we formed that circle we weren’t expecting much more than a whisp or a blob, instead we got you! I’ll tell you a secret, I went through that book when I was about your age. I tried every summons in the book, not once did anything more than a blob appear. Honestly I thought the circles were fake and that’s why nothing worked. But don’t tell Zatanna, I wanted her to get some practice in and thought she might benefit from trying them out.” He sat there and talked about anything and everything, he spoke of his daughter and her studies, about his life as a magician, anything to keep him calm as he redressed his chest. When he was done he pulled up a chair and looked at the teen. “Now I know this next part may be hard but I need to ask some questions.” The boy hesitated but eventually nodded. “Okay, first thing is I was hoping i could get your name.”

“Danny” the boy, Danny, said looking away.

“Alright Danny, do you know how you were summoned?” He nodded “okay, do you mind explaining?” He gave him a frustrated scowl.and snapped in a hoarse voice

“You’re the one who did the spell. I felt the pull, needed to get away so I grabbed hold and now I’m here. What exactly is there to explain!”

“I understand, my only confusion about the summoning is that according to the text that circle was meant to summon the king of the infinite realms.”

“And that’s who you got! What’s your point?!” Giovanni sat in shock.

“ I don’t understand, how…how is that possible? You’re alive.”

Danny looked away “only half, and I’m king cus I beat up the old one, simple as that.” His eyes started to droop as he held back a yawn.

“You need your rest so I’ll only ask one more question, if you were strong enough to defeat the king, what exactly managed to do this to you? Should I be worried about you being followed?”

Danny gripped the blankets tight “It wasn’t a what, it was a who, and they didn’t beat me, I just… after they caught me I tried to explain, I swear I tried” his voice desperate “they just wouldn’t believe me.. no matter what I said the refused to believe me!” He cried closing his eyes trying to hold back tears

“Who-”

“I tried to get away, I did but their shields have improved a lot since last time. I couldn’t get away” Danny started to shake. Giovanni did his best to steady him.

“Danny I need to know, who did this to you? Are they going to follow you here? Do I need to get ready for a fight?” Danny looked at him with haunted eyes and whispered

“My parents”

———

It was half an hour before he managed to get Danny to calm down, he held him as he broke down, petting his hair trying his best to sooth him, just as he did for Zatanna the night before. When he finally left the room, he just stood there for a minute, just trying to absorb all the information he was given.

His name is Danny, he’s somehow half-dead, he is the new king of the infinite realms, his parents are the ones who did THAT to him.

He’s not going back.

Giovanni nods to himself, satisfied with his decision, he rolls up his sleeves and gets back to work cooking breakfast. He has two teens to feed after all. He’ll figure out living arrangements later, and of course they will have to find a way to include Danny in their act somehow, perhaps as an escape artist? ‘We’ll have to find out what he can do first.’ He thought

Danny should fit into some of his more casual clothes, conjured clothes can be so uncomfortable when one is wounded, he’ll have to make a run to pick up some clothes for him later. He’ll also have to working on setting up schooling for Danny, first he needs to see what level he’s at. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice when his daughter walked in.

“Hey dad, how’s he holding up!” She asked startling the older magician

“Not good. On another note, how would you feel about a big brother?”

“What?!?”

#danny phantom #zatanna zatara #giovanni zatara #big brother danny #angst #vivisection #dc x dp #ghost king danny #summoning #eldrich horror #Danny x Kaldur #eventually #gonna make a part 2 #this is happening #my brain won’t shut up

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liamnottherose · 3 days

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We need to talk about Noel's lament.

I've always perceived this performance as a way for Noel to express his queerness, it's a beautiful expression of his identity and the passion for his interests through cabaret. It's a performance, yes, but the feeling it expresses it's real. And as queer myself I could not help but connect with this way of expressing one-self. This doesn't mean every queer person will be able to see themself in any of Noel's lament performance but rather that I do because of my queerness.

I've always appreciated this segment of rtc because it doesn't actually mock Noel for it, it allows him to express himself all out as an amazing thing. Sure they laugh at the absurdity of it, but just as much as everything else on the musical. That is rare to find, a canon queer character that, although a bit stereotypical in his manners and thoughts, is allowed to be passionate without that being considered a flaw. And I thought those were the writers intentions too.

Now, I've found a different performance, almost same cast but different actor for Noel (not going to name, this is no hate to this actor, just me thinking). This performance felt like it was making fun of Noel, instead of feeling the performance, it felt like it was daring the audience to see how far would it go. And of course the audience laughed.

It is not the first time I've seen a performance of Noel's lament were people laugh because "haha boy wearing lingerie so funny" but most of the time I could play it as the audience flaw, the performer was giving it their all and it made me connect (more or less) with it.

This was the first time I genuinely felt like the performer was instigating this behavior and it felt wrong. It was genuinely hard to watch because then I started to think that, maybe, the writers did intended this as a joke. The gay passionate teenage boy with manners that does any kind of performance as "a woman". And started to spiral because, do we really know anything about Noel except the fact he's gay, he hasn't had sex and he likes queer coded pieces of media related to sexual/sensual content? I mean, it is information and it is not like we know that much about the rest of the characters either.

Even though his performance allowed me to find my queer identity represented in an allegorical sense, at the end of the day, it can also be enjoyed by homophobic audiences. Not all of them but more "subtle" ones. The behavior of Constance still bugs me to this day as "fujoshi behavior", which is generally problematic in itself. At the end of the day, is Noel written to be enjoyed by queer audiences? A character can intend to represent a minority and still not be created for that minority, which can be really problematic too.

I don't have a conclusion I'm just spiraling because I LOVE Ride the Cyclone but each time I find myself finding more and more problems with it.

Of course this doesn't mean I won't like it anymore, it doesn't mean I cannot find myself in Noel's lament, I do, this won't change that. It doesn't mean you have to agree with me, maybe there's nothing wrong with this performance, maybe it's me overthinking this. But I do like enjoying theater responsibly, enjoying but being aware of it's "flaws". Idk, I wanted to say it.

//also idk English, if something is misspelled don't go after me

#ride the cyclone #rtc musical #noel's lament #noel gruber #rtc noel #noel rtc #help i should be sleeping but i can't stop thinking about this #if not sleeping i should be studying someone help

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duhragonball · 1 month

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So now that you've finished the Eva TV series, is there any character in the cast who you'd call a favorite?

Misato Katsuragi, easily.

It took me a while to realize it, but in a cast full of traumatized children, amoral scientists, and big-rigged mahoneys, she's the only one who really feels like a hero in an sci-fi adventure story. She supports her team, taking charge and boosting morale wherever she can. She never despairs in the face of danger. She takes responsibility for the kids when no one else will, and she doesn't just shrug and accept NERV's bullshit as a "necessary evil".

Oh, and she's constantly struggling to find out what the hell is going on in this show. She asks questions, gets answers, and follows up on Kaji's investigation after he dies. It's not clear that she was looking to betray NERV; she just wanted to know all the facts so that she could do the right thing as effectively as possible.

I think the only negative for the character is this fan theory I found on one of the wikis that suggests she was going to have sex with Shinji to console him after the apparent death of Rei in Episode 23, which I find ridiculous. The reasoning seems to be based on the way Misato is regarded as some sort of nymphomaniac, and so that's her default way of dealing with loneliness and grief, and... no, that's stupid.

Both endings of NGE seem determined to assert that Misato is some sort of sex addict, and that this is a terrible character flaw. Meanwhile, the only person we know she's had sex with is Kaji. They dated in 2007, and then they got back together over the course of the show. I despise Kaji and his punchable face, but I don't think having sex with him is some sort of crime. It's not like she was cheating on someone else while she was doing it.

Evangelion seems determined to demonize Misato for being too sexy, which is pretty rich considering she seems pretty monogamous and professional throughout. Meanwhile, the rest of Evangelion seems obsessed with the idea of putting teenagers in suggestive poses and minimal clothing.

For a time, I considered using this ask to make a whole list of characters I liked, but no, Misato is too far ahead of the others to bother with runners-up. I can appreciate Shinji, Asuka, and Rei as protagonists, but they're so friggin' childish that it gets on my nerves. You can't even get that mad at them, because they're children.

I liked Ritsuko, but her character arc is almost nonexistent. She mostly typed a lot and ran tests, and then she finally got pushed too far and turned on Gendo and... it didn't really affect anything.

Gendo Ikari is pretty fascinating, and I suspect he may be the model of this trend I've seen in American comic books, where fans and writers act like Batman, Professor X, and Mister Fantastic are actually ruthless, manipulative monsters instead of well-meaning hero types. Blame it on pop culture's intolerance for nuance, but I suspect that Evangelion came along and people started to try to fit their favorite characters into Gendo-shaped holes. It's refreshing to see the real thing, though. But he's still kind of a dick.

The unseen gunman who murdered Kaji is pretty cool, I suppose.

#ask duhragonball #neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #misato katsuragi

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totaleclipse573 · 8 months

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Lo and behold

A Terios Lore Post (LONG POST WARNING!)

REASON FOR CREATION

Terios was first made back when I was ten (maybe 11?) I knew the trend of people giving Shadow a brother through the whole “he was created, not born” thing was common, but I didn’t like how it was always done. People kept making Shadow’s “brother” into the most boring, over-powered edge lords with absolutely no flaws or weaknesses whatsoever, their only character was simply to be evil. So I wanted to use the concept, but change it in a good way. I decided Terios would instead be a sort of shy and sweet character who doesn’t have much confidence (and a small fear of heights,) his traits being mostly the opposite of Shadow’s. Though, I didn’t want to make his past or backstory EXACTLY the same as Shadow, so I decided to change things up a bit with his side of the story.

Also, making your own canon is FUN AS HELL, I LOVE THIS

Before I start, I’ll just put these details in here in case you haven’t seen the original post :

Species : Darkhog (I should explain this one. It’s sort of a mutated combination of a hedgehog, and a darkling, which from what I’ve gathered due to Eclipse, are extremely young, full-blooded Black Arms ‘superiors.’ That part is also based a bit off of personal headcanon though, for context. So he’s a hybrid! Because…it's cool.)

Age : Like Shadow and Eclipse, Terios is ageless, but mentally I feel like he’d be 17 or so.

Personality : Shy, lacking in confidence, intelligent, very boyfail

Weaknesses : Letting his past get the better of him, loss of control over his emotions (it ends up as a ‘power overload’,) his naivete, low resistance against mental manipulation/overpowering

Fears : Heights, being used for evil, accidentally hurting the people he’s closest to

Sexuality : 24/7 Bisexual Panic

People he’s closest to/feels closest to : Shadow (twin,) Eclipse (half-brother,) Rouge, Tails, Silver (best friend.)

CREATION ERA

(Note here : I know Shadow and Terios technically shouldn’t be “young” per say, but I’ve seen a few people portray Shadow as a little kid in this stage of his life regardless sooo…why not? It’s cute. They stop growing when they look the same as the rest of the teenage cast, AKA their present looks.)

Terios was created by Gerald Robotnik along with Shadow. The original intent of the project was only to create one Ultimate Lifeform, but something went wrong in the process involving their DNA + Chaos Energy, cloning the project in its early stage.

Doleon (in case you don’t remember or haven’t seen, he’s a sort of AU version I created a while back of Doom, now being a part of a strange alien species with his own lore to be discussed at some point,) was aware of the project from the beginning because of his involvement in their creation (due to his DNA being used, he would be the biological father of both Shadow and Terios,) knew of the accidental cloning, and decided it would be beneficial to him to create a pact. Once both projects were completed, the pact stated that Doleon was entitled to at least one of them as his own, since they were both his biologically.

Before Doleon arrived, Shadow and Terios spent a bit of time together before they were to actually meet Maria, and got along well. Shadow was a bit more confident and outgoing, while Terios seemed to be quite the opposite, typically even hiding behind his twin when they were spoken to. They were basically each other's best friend at that point. BUUUUUUT…

When the time came, Doleon arrived, a large green gem in hand (we’ll get to that later.) Directing it towards the twins, he stated he felt an odd, but nevertheless powerful presence coming from “the grey-eyed one.” The young Terios himself even seemed to have a different reaction to it than Shadow, seemingly more focused on and attentive of the shard. So, Terios was the one he took. Shadow remained with Gerald and Maria, while Doleon decided he would raise Terios and the power he seemingly had to aid him in his own efforts.

EXPERIMENTATION ERA

(Quick note here, Terios DID grow up on the Black Comet. This is probably the most lore heavy of all the eras for Terios.)

Doleon has Terios for his future plans now, but the downside on his end is that he now actually has to care for this small child until he’s old enough to begin his training. He needs to teach the hybrid the basics of what his powers and abilities are, and after a while, simple ways he can use them. Typically while Terios is asleep, though, he’s being unknowingly experimented on, in a way, (its mainly exposure, taking note of reactions to certain exposures, and repeat,) and it’s being done by Doleon and certain gems known as “The Shards of Chaos.”

The Shards of Chaos, as the same suggests, are a bit like the Chaos Emeralds, gems filled to the brim with a special sort of energy. Only, where the Chaos Emeralds are positive, the Shards of Chaos are extremely negative, using their energy to corrupt their users with their addictive power, turning the users into hosts. And the longer the user has been exposed to their power, the worse the corruption (which is more so mental than physical, but it can be both) becomes. And Doleon had a connection to them from the start (was technically his choice, but the point being, he’s been being corrupted for centuries, leading to who he is now. They also used to have individual guardians for the shards, who were Doleon’s siblings, but that's another backstory for another day.)

This goes on until Terios is mentally about five. It's then that Doleon finally introduces Terios to the Shards of Chaos consciously. He summons them by his side, capturing Terios’ attention immensely. Doleon explains that the shards have been with him for centuries, and carry a great source of power. He is their guardian at the moment, but soon enough, the honor will be passed down to Terios, and he will gain their power as well (keep in mind he has to paint these things in a better light so that Terios will go along with practically anything relating to them. He even calls them a part of his destiny, something Terios has always believed highly of.) He then goes on to explain that in order to someday become their guardian, Terios must first form a connection to the energy the shards emit. It's his first time, though, and he’s still mentally a small child, so naturally, he’s still a bit nervous and hesitant.

Soon enough, he was convinced. When Terios was younger, being exposed to the energy of the shards was quite visibly painful for him, and he did everything in his power to try and get Doleon to stop whenever he had to do all this. As he grew older though, the shards' power started to feel strangely calming and natural. It even started to sound nice for a little while, just letting them take over. All he had to do was shut his eyes, let them drown out his conscious thoughts, then everything would be okay.

He would be safe. And he was really starting to believe that too.

These experiments caused the negative energy of the Shards of Chaos to clash with the positive chaos energy in his system, and his powers to henceforth become unstable and hard to control, a downside on Doleon’s part. This instability soon became evident when he started to spark green bolts of energy all over his body when he felt any sort of strong emotion (ex. Rage, sadness, or if he’s just straight up flustered,) as well as his eyes and stripes glowing green to match.

Soon enough though, guess who arrived? None other than Tikal’s spirit. (I was…I was ten okay. This comes from back then. The idea of Tikal being able to KNOW Doleon and the other shard guardians due to them being alive a few thousand years after her time seemed cool at the time. And I’m keeping it.) Since she already knew Doleon and what he had done in the past, she knew he had no good intentions. While he was away from Terios, she went to him, alerting and telling him of what the shards really were, and what they could do to a person. After that, all the fear and paranoia Terios once had of the shards came right back, and he started to panic. Was he being corrupted right now? Was he ALREADY corrupted? He needed to escape. But how? There was no escape.

Luckily for Terios, Tikal’s spirit was able to transport him back to where he was created, the ARK (not without Doleon putting up a fight of course. He even managed to make Terios completely forget who Tikal was through the overwhelming amount of power he had over him with the hivemind.) Unluckily, however, at the time he was transported there, the whole ARK fiasco was going on, and Maria had already sent Shadow down to Earth and stuff. Now there were only G.U.N. soldiers, and they spotted him, calling him “the second project.” So he tries to run from them, but can’t, and they catch up to him. Soon enough, they lock him up in a facility, putting him into cryostasis.

AWAKENED ERA

(This one isn’t really that fleshed out yet, so here I’ll just describe the things that happened in a summarized sort of way.)

Terios has now been in the facility for, let's say 54 years? (4 years after SA2,) and guess who was the one to find him? None other than Doleon, who had broken in and planned to reawaken Terios to have his power on the side of the Black Arms.

Terios awoke very much confused, not remembering where he was, who he was, or who the hedgehog standing before him was. After Doleon reminded Terios of both their names, he explained that he was the one to “release him from the prison humans had kept him in.” for the past fifty years or so. He had also told Terios about his past, but twisted it to his own benefit, labeling someone named “Shadow” as a traitor to him, and an ally to the humans who tried to keep Terios in the facility. Saying he himself was working for the greater good, Doleon managed to manipulate Terios and get him on his side.

So Terios is now an ally to the Black Arms, and he’s ordered to go after Shadow and kill him (on a previous ask post I explained that Terios exists in an oc universe au, where Shadow was able to regain his memories through the help of the others.) He goes to fight him, but fails. Terios ends up meeting people like Rouge and Tails a bit afterwards. He meets Rouge on the streets while she's on one of her missions, and he REALLY doesn’t like her at first. They go around with each other for a bit though (Terios got sidetracked from his main goal and he didn’t even realize it. The power of Rouge was too much XD) and Terios’ opinion starts to change, forming a sort of small bond with her (and even finding himself weirdly flustered at times.)

After receiving a lecture from Doleon on how he shouldn’t socialize with allies of the enemy, Terios happens to run into Tails. (Lol lecture down the drain.) Tails is excessively curious about Terios. What’s his name? He LOOKS like Shadow…but he’s pretty different too…why is that? He’s never seen this guy before…are he and Shadow related somehow? Shadow’s never SAID anything about having any relatives. Why is his tail so long? Can he use it in battle? Does he have any powers? He could ask questions all day if it weren’t for Terios starting to look overwhelmed by them all. All the sudden, a fleet of Black Arms start raiding the area Tails and Terios are in, so Tails grabs Terios by the hand and tells him he knows a safe place. It's his lab. But eventually Terios says he needs to go, saying he has someone he needs to find. But he certainly won’t forget about that kid…he was actually pretty nice, for an enemy ally.

Come to think of it, Rouge wasn’t so bad either. Plus, he hadn’t seen either one of them working with any humans at all. And Shadow…it was more like he wanted to help Terios. He told him Doleon was up to nothing good. He said something about…going in the wrong direction before? Being misled? Then things start to click.

He starts to remember more accurate details about his past, and becomes angry with Doleon for manipulating him. Terios goes to Doleon and confronts him on the manner, only for Doleon to reveal his mental power over him, and cause him to forget everything all over again. Except this time, Terios kind of gets his free will taken away from him, being dragged into the hivemind and reduced to a silent obedient. But don’t worry! Somehow in a way I haven’t figured out yet, he gets his free will and those memories back, he and Shadow find out from Doleon himself about his involvement in both their creations, they go super together, and defeat the guy. (There's a crippling feeling of betrayal throughout all of this)

And after all that, Terios can finally learn to be himself with his new allies, which leads to the redemption era.

REDEMPTION ERA

This part of his story moreso revolves around Terios learning to break free from what had happened before, taking place not too long after the awakened era, and learn to better himself with the help of others. He also needs to learn some decent self care (whether it be simple things like taking better care of his fur, or more complex things like learning to accept help with his current mental state.)

At first, he’s still a bit paranoid about everything that happened. He’s worried Doleon could somehow come back at any moment, that the Black Arms could return along with him, that he would be forcibly dragged back in again, even after his life had only just started getting better. Luckily for him, though, now he has people that can actually help with these fears, and he eventually does decide to move on. It’s here that Terios’ current personality starts to form too. He doesn’t feel like he needs to hide or fake or lie about his emotions or thoughts anymore, and it honestly brings him a lot of relief. Then he feels comfortable enough to start meeting people, and interacts with more of the cast!

This is also the era where he meets Eclipse and the Dark Arms! And Terios wants to do a Steven Universe and help Eclipse the way all the others helped him. Terios just kinda randomly stumbled into him while he was out one day and got VERY much lost. Eclipse doesn't like him and his sappy “I can help you bc power of friendship!” attitude at first, but then he's able to sense Terios' connection to the hivemind. It feels a bit different than Shadow. So now he's pretty curious as to why and starts asking Terios questions. Eventually Eclipse kinda grows to like Terios, this hybrid is actually nice to him, for some reason. But then Shadow finds them. You can probably tell where that goes (It’s bad for a long while, but it eventually ends with Shadow, Eclipse and Terios all living together bc it’s my own little canon and I can do as I wish XD)

DOOM ERA

(This technically doesn’t count as his past, but it is most DEFINITELY lore. This part is still actually a WIP and has been for a long time, so there could be random updates or ideas on this era over time. I’m open to ideas BTW XD There are gaps in the story, plus it being somewhat jumbled and confusing as of now because of it being a WIP. But for now, I’ll badly summarize it so far)

Bad things keep happening in the dead of night, with some mysterious figure causing it all, one who has still failed to be caught on any sort of photo or recording. Only silhouette.

The silhouette figure noticeably wears a scarf, and is typically seen with a strange glowing gem, lately two at times. It is assumed the figure is trying to find more of these, based on their actions. And finally, despite it being a pure silhouette figure, there have been times where it was reported being seen with “three glowing red and yellow eyes”

G.U.N. is accusing either Shadow, Terios or Eclipse of being the silhouette after examining evidence. None of them have any memory of ever doing any of those things, and thus it couldn’t have been them. But humanity hates them now anyways. And thus we get ✨outlaws ✨

They know they need to leave immediately, but Rouge promises to give them the heads up on anything regarding the situation, as she still firmly believes in them. (Also I apologize if I make it seem like Omega is just non-existent, I can just never find the right places to mention him) She’s not the only one, though, Sonic and Tails are also alerted of this, and are perfectly willing to help out too. (Eclipse also reluctantly decides it would be best given the situation at hand for the Dark Arms to stay with the two for the time being, in case the worse comes to pass.)

Both Shadow and Eclipse start noticing changes going on with Terios. He’s tired all the time, pretty jumpy and shaky, and strangely impatient in a way unlike his own. But Eclipse individually swears he can somehow sense a strange presence in Terios’ mind through their mental link.

It couldn’t have been any of them, huh? WRONG. It was Terios, actually, and Eclipse is the one to find out after a little while of the three brothers being on the run, when he finally gets tired of being accused of crimes he didn’t commit, and sets off late in the night in hopes of finding the actual culprit.

Remember when I said the Shards of Chaos would be relevant later? Well this is later, when the negative energy is beginning to corrupt him the same way it corrupted Doleon. Only, Terios is having a different reaction, with the shards slowly starting to create a form of their own through Terios so they have a proper host (so yes it's basically possession but slower, more painful, and with magic gems with conscious thought.)

Terios starts apologizing and panicking like crazy once Eclipse somehow manages to snap him out of it. He never meant to do any of this, he didn’t WANT to do any of this. Something made him…there were too many voices screaming in his ear all at once to not listen. He couldn’t even remember getting here, nor waking up at all. Now he was worried about what Shadow or Rouge or anyone else would think of him if they knew…what did Eclipse think now? But Eclipse…he wants to help figure all this out. After all, its only fair, he says, after Terios helped him before.

Eventually, after a while of Terios and Eclipse trying to figure everything out with the form and the Shards of Chaos returning and all that, Terios decides he needs to come clean to Shadow and the others about it all. (They have to find a safe place to gather, probably Tails’ lab.) Terios starts apologizing and panicking again, but Rouge steps up first to assure him they can help find a way to stop it, giving him the comfort and confidence in the situation he needed.

The Shards of Chaos used their energy and connection to him to revive Doleon. And he’s after the shards, planning on gathering all seven again.

At some point later on the others all find Doleon again once he finally has the seven shards, and the shards can finally complete their full transformation of Terios and take full control of him. This is his Doom!Terios form (I need to talk about it more in depth eventually, but I think the concept of it is pretty clear. This form isn’t always active, nor are its effects, but it will always lie dormant within Terios after this.)

There's a fight and after that the shards decide they need to leave Terios for their own good, exiting him and scattering all over Mobius once more. Doleon immediately takes notice of this, and sets off once again to re-find them for himself before the others could even think of it. And once again Terios descends into paranoia about himself and his powers. Hooray!

Now his powers are even more out of control, so Espio is called in to get involved, being the one to train Terios to find a way to be able to control them and becoming a mentor to him in the process.

Tikal is also back, as a sort of moral guide to Terios to try and help him stay away and resist whatever corruption the Shards of Chaos are bringing upon him.

Even if Terios is being actively affected by them, he suggests to the others that they need to find the shards before Doleon can.

Soooo…if you were interested enough in my little scrimblo and made it all the way down here, congrats! And thank you! It's all pretty messy right now, probably not even halfway done with this part. I’m REALLY hoping Terios didn’t come off as OP or annoyingly typical or anything, because I can assure you that wasn’t my intention, I simply cannot write small sentences while describing things I like XD (Also, if things feel a bit too Terios centered it's mainly because this is a post just for him, so I talked about him the most. Not trying to steal the spotlight from any other characters.)

Regardless, I finally got his lore written down and I hope I was able to explain what I have in a way that makes sense. If I didn’t do that well at it though and it leads to any confusion, or just general curiosity, feel free to ask me about it, and I’ll be willing to answer.

(I love how my other Sonic oc’s are normal with no lore at all, they just kinda exist for fun, BUT TERIOS HAS ALL THIS TO GO THROUGH. Very fun.)

#sonic the hedgehog #sth #sonic fandom #sonic oc #sonic original character #sonic fan oc #sonic fancharacter #sonic fan character #terios the darkhog #terios lore #PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T LET THIS FLOP

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peakyblinders1919 · 1 year

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Haddie Harrington Pt. 9

“I… Steve, I had no idea.” You said, exasperation laced in your voice. Your coffee was cold, halfway gone, and somewhat forgotten as he finished telling his side of the story. Your hand had that precarious way of finding his again, having sought it out for comfort- his or yours, or this time perhaps both- and still, your fingers were interwoven, locked, with no sense of urgency to pull away.

“It’s ok, you couldn’t have.” He shrugged, all nonchalant like he didn’t care when in actuality he cared so much that thinking about it made his stomach twist into knots. Even with your sincere, genuine reaction- though shocked you were, quietly taking in the news- he felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach. Almost like he was breaking his promise to you again. “I didn’t leave because I wanted to leave you, any of you, I wanted to leave this place… this… hell hole. Literally. I finally had one thing too many taken away from me, I thought maybe by leaving I wouldn’t lose anything else, but I was wrong.”

His mug now sat untouched too, his free hand flexing and unflexing in a fist against the tight fabric of his trousers on his thigh. The other rested comfortably in yours, and though you couldn’t see it, you could always read Steve Harrington like a book.

Your brows knit together, worry lines he wished to reach over and brush away with the pad of his thumb.

“What is it?”

“I just don’t understand how you think you lost me…” Though it was daring to assume that’s what he had meant, the way he slowly iced you out when he was gone from Hawkins, the way his eye had barely met yours as he explained it all. Painful enough to relive it twice, it was painful to have to feel like you were losing everything for a second time.

You found yourself being pulled back into his orbit, sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for his response. It was like you two were teenagers again, no one else around you mattered, certainly not the other lone couple in the low-lit cafe and the less-than-pleased worker behind the counter who was ready to close up for the night.

He sighed. Maybe it was better this way, you not wholly remembering how he had broken your heart, having to break his own in turn to do the heroic thing, crumbling under the stressors of everything you’d been plagued with.

“Remember what I told you before we split up?” He asked. Of course you remembered, suddenly he felt like the old Steve, stupid for asking a question he already knew the answer to. But this new Steve, he went on slowly, hoping to ease you back into that day, reliving that moment, filling in gaps that he feared you might still have from it. Gaps that he knew could reopen old wounds. Wounds you never had. His fears were confirmed by the confused look on your face.

“Before we split up? Yeah, yeah you told me…”

“I promise I’ll come back for you.”

“Don’t go doing anything stupid Steve.”

“You mean like jump into a lake looking for another portal to hell? Too late, already did.”

Now wasn’t a time for flirting, but as Robin and your other friends so obviously liked to point out, there was never a time where you and Steve weren’t flirting. Your love for him went deeper than a few funny, flirty exchanges and questionable touches; you loved his heart, his flaws, the skeletons in his closet. You knew him inside and out and still you loved him unconditionally. And you were sure he harboed at least some of the same feelings based on the way he always offered a home and a shoulder to cry on when you were upset, how he always forgave you when you weren’t at your best.

It was something that always existed among you two, among the party, written in the stars, confirmed by drunken make-outs that were waved off as mistakes. It always existed but it was never talked about. That’s just the way it was. Until now.

The sun had set, Hawkins nearly asleep, flashlights aglow, everyone cast in blue lights huddled around the stolen Winnebago going over the plan one final time before splitting up.

You’ll never forget the staleness in the air, the tingling feeling of something so amazing about to happen, something life changing. It was adrenaline mixed with fear, paranoia, and a dash of excitement. You were positive you were all viably insane for what you were about to do.

The stares from Steve didn’t help to ease any tension, only made it worse because you weren’t going with him and the other older teens into the Upside down. You were staying as the “adult” on ground, on the other side, much to his displeasure.

So when the everything was solidided and everyone was beginning to go their separate ways, a light tug of your wrist had your back pushed up against the trailer, Steve’s chest and height hovering over you, both of you protected under the disguise of darkness.

“You know there’s still time, Nance can stay back-”

“Steve, she’s already prepared with her rifle,” you laughed.

“Ok, so how about Robin…”

“You know she’s a clutz, you’ll have to watch over her down there and she’d be even more frantic up here on her own with the kids…” Even now she was pacing nervously, mouth moving a mile a minute going over the plan again and again with Nancy and Eddie and Dustin. Just as Steve was going to protest again, you clamed him with a warm hand prest to his chest. Over his heart. “It’s alright. It’s won’t be that long. You protect them down there, I’ll protect these ruggrats up here, and then we’ll put our monster hunting days behind us.” Laughing again, a nervous tick to find humor in the darkest of times, a poor attempt at lightening the mood, Steve’s face was a bundle of nerves. So unlike the hero you knew him to be.

“I wouldn’t forget myself if you got hurt.”

“Steve, I’ll be ok… you can’t always protect me.”

“But I want to. I wish I could because… because I couldn’t live with myself in anything happened to you.”

“Steve…”

“Y/N, I love you.”

You swore he was saying it because of the adrenaline, but the look in his eyes suggested anything but.

“You do?”

Without another word, he leaned into your pace, taking all the air from you as his lips crashed against yours. Hot, desparate, needy, saying everything he wanted to.

“Steve… now is probably not the best time to confess your love for me,” you said, voice just a whisper against his lips.

“No? If not at the end of the world, when?”

“Not whe I’m vulnerable,” you pushed against his chest, trying to clear your head, trying to turn from him and the reality settling around you at his confession and what lie ahead, but in the heat of the moment all you found yourself doing was pulling him back into your space the fabric of his shirt, lips slow and meaningful.

“I love you too Steve Harrington.”

“Come with me.” He pleaded one last time. He begged. Your heart broke. You wanted to be with him, to protect him just as much as he wanted to protect you. The feeling was mutual. But…

“I can’t. I’ve promised them, Steve. Max is scared as hell, Lucas and Erica they’re just kids, I can’t let them do this alone.”

And though he wanted to, there was nothing he could say to convince you. Because he knew deep down, you were right.

“I know, I know,” he assured you, comforting kisses pressed against your temple because with tears setting on his lashline, he couldn’t bare to look down at you too, eyes like his.

“I’m coming back for you.” You nodded? Burrowing your head into his chest and taking in the feel of him, the taste of his lips, his woodsy signature smell for the first, and hopefully not the last time,

“We’ll be ok. Promise me, we’ll all be ok?”

You felt sickness creeping upon you as the final moments with him tick, tick, ticked away.

“I promise. I promise we’ll be ok, I promise I’ll be safe. I promise I’ll come back for you.”

Everyone was not ok, but there was too much going on around you to realize- or even care- that already one of Steve’s promises to you was broken. In reality, you never believed him to keep them, it was enough that he said it so surely in the moment to keep your bones from shaking under the pressure of the fire coming battle. His words, so strong and sure like he was? We’re enough to get you through the dark night.

But the hiccup in your plan stood in front of you in a Hawkins’ green and gold letterman jacket, not unlike the one Steve used to wear before you were… whatever you eere, when you were just another admirer from afar.

You all seemed to be the target of his revenge story, Lucas at the center of it with a bullseye on his chest. And that’s why you were here, shoving Lucas behind you to keep eyes on Max.

“Jason… you don’t want to do this…”

Rage filled his eyes. He looked through you, gun still held high and straight

“Jason… Jason, listen to me. It wasn’t Eddie’s fault, it wasn’t Lucas’s there’s-“ you wanted to tell him the truth but there were two used with that 1) he would never believe it and 2) it was already too late.

He wasn’t going to listen to you, a measly obstacle in his way. He clicked the safety on the gun, pointed at you before shifting its sun at Lucas. You wouldn’t stand for it, lunging at Jason and nearly knocking him to the ground, the gun slightly out of both your reaches.

“Where’s your boy Harrington? Shouldn’t he be here?”

“Steve’s got more important things to deal with right now than your sorry ass.”

It was the attitude that probably out did him in, kicks and punches knocking you off your feet. Aches and pains like you never felt, leaving your vision blurry and nothing but white light towards the end. You fought back as hard as you could yet slowly the energy drained from you to the point where you could only sit against the wall and watch. It finally stopped when Max seemed to hang in the air, knowing one way or another, especially in your condition, now there was nothing you could do for your friends. And one way or another, it was all coming to an end.

“You know Steve, in those moments leading up until you came, I thought there was a chance you weren’t… you weren’t going to make it. And I didn’t want to have to face my failure either; I didn’t keep those kids safe. I wish I could have… but… but it was you showing up that made me find what little I had left to fight on.”

“I never should have left you alone. I should have been with you.”

“Should have, would have, could have. It’s over. It’s the last. Doesn’t still really explain why you left…”

“I froze Y/N. I was so close to losing you, and I had just gotten you, we’d just professed our love. And I.. I promised you the world, I wanted to be able to promise you the world but I failed you… I couldn’t deal with that for the rest of my life. I guess it was easier to leave than disappoint you every day.”

Chewing on your bottom lip, the taste of coffee lingering there, and the reminiscent flavor of Steve’s too sweet chapstick, you fought back tears. Wrestling with yourself about the next words you were about to say.

“Steve, I was never disappointed-“

The lights were dim, the music was soft, barely playing over the speakers now, the girl behind the counter wiping away the day's work with a sigh, and something started beeping. Loudly.

“Would… would you hold that thought for just a second?” He fumbled with something on the wristband of his trousers, finally stopping the beeping as he read the pager before the air spring you two was filled with the scraping of his chair against hardwood. Those worry lines you knew all too well set themselves between his big town eyes, and you nearly reached out to rub them away before thinking better of it. “I’ve got to take this.”

You smiled, a forced wide smile, as he exited in a hurry, leaving you alone to finish your thoughts.

I was never disappointed… until the day you left.

But you thought better of finishing it when he returned to the table, what felt like ten minutes or more later, and it was obvious something was wrong as he was aligning on his jacket.

And suddenly it wasn’t just two teenagers reliving their tragic love story, but a man, a father worried about his daughter and the friend he was on a date with, unsure if there’d be another one.

“Robin called and said Haddie’s having a tantrum. Like throwing books, stomping feet, wailing, type of tantrum because she didn’t tuck her in right and she won’t do the voices in the story like I do so she can’t go to sleep… and uh, I’m sorry. I interrupted you. Care to finish this over a drink? At my place? Come with me, it’ll be quick to settle her, Robin could probably use some reassurance too..”

“Steve Harrington, you just don’t want the night to end, do you?” You didn’t even hesitate. King Steve would have asked to take you home for one thing and one thing only, but by the face of the worker it seemed your time here was up anyway.

“Not if I can help it.” He smirked, the tone and air about you two light again.

You were happy for the break in conversation, there wasn’t much more that could be said, there was nothing left you wanted to relieve from the summer of 1986. You’d gotten your answer; written on his face, written in the stars, confirmed by his hand in yours leading you to the parking lot and him holding the BMW door open for you like old times.

He’d left because he needed to. He left with good intentions. He left because he thought it’d hurt him, and you, less than him staying ever could.

And maybe you’d soon see that he was right. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Distance gives people time to grow.

And this Steve Harrington, the version you got to see spring into action that night with his daughter, was the one you were happy to have waited for.

#stranger things fic #stranger things imagine #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagines #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington #steve harrington and robin buckley #steve harrington fic #dad!steve harrington

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aurora-313 · 6 months

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Re-reading the final "battle" for Bleach again, because I'm a masochist avoiding writing my own projects like the plague.

I have to ask: Yhwach... why don't you just kill them?!

Legitimately kill them all. Ichigo and Orihime, Rukia and Renji - all of them.

What frustrates me in those final chapters is the fact Yhwach's IQ took a several thousand point hit. For a being that supposedly contains eons of Quincy power and knowledge harvested from his victims (IE. his "children"), why does he make such remarkably painfully foolish decisions in that final battle?

Yhwach has an established track record of killing minions and enemies when they have no further value to him. His own army frequently lives in fear they're next. This behavior was the action we witness during his debut where he killed two affiliated Arrancar over a minor disagreement and it persisted after he became the Soul King 2.0.

So my question is; why the sudden shift in gears? Why has this pragmatist uncharacteristically changed his mind at the eleventh hour and decided to allow the single person who stood a ghost of a chance of killing him live?

Following the final battle in the Soul King's throne room, Ichigo is on the ground exhausted, slashed to pieces and quite literally drained of energy. Boy can barely keep his head up. Yet Yhwach's previously character-defining pragmatism is suddenly evaporates. He had zero qualms stabbing Ichigo through the throat in their first encounter, has zero compunction slaughtering his own men to empower his personal guard or himself, yet now he finds it appropriate to walk away monologuing a cliché speech about wallowing in despair while declaring his children hold no further value.

Emphasizing his statement, Yhwach casts Auswählen to take the remaining Sternritter's powers, killing them in the process. Yet Ichigo - powerless, defenseless and served practically on a silver platter - gets a pass?

(side question: Why wasn't Ichigo affected by the Auswählen as a child? Why didn't he die from the silver clot like Katagiri did? He might be a mongrel of all species but he's still got Quincy blood. More over, why hasn't he died after he got Auswählened again as a teenager?).

Yhwach had the perfect opportunity to permanently remove Ichigo from play; either destroy him so completely his very soul ceased to exist meaning even Orihime can't bring him back, or absorb his soul completely into Yhwach's being, imprisoning him forever because the only person who could've stood a chance at breaking out a powerless Ichigo out is another fully-powered Ichigo.

The mindboggling stupidity extends to the battle itself too.

If Yhwach remained the pragmatist he was during the rest of the arc, he would see Ichigo is clearly relying on his pocket healer for his strategy. Yhwach would snaps his fingers - oops! Pocket healer's dead. Would you look at that? Ichigo's strategy just went up in smoke. As added bonus he's once again plunged into psychological turmoil because A: He's lost another ally, quite possibly the girl he likes, B: He's led another woman he cherishes to her death, this time knowingly, and while he's dealing with that traumatic realization, Yhwach would destroy him, steal his powers then kill him.

(Side question round two: Hollows are anathema to Quincy. They literally cannot survive around them. Why didn't the Hollow act as a poison to Yhwach and kill him? Or play a role in killing him?)

Admittedly, this is my issue with Shounen in general, but why do the antagonists suddenly make the dumbest most confounding decisions in their entire screen time when faced with the main character?

When this happens, I don't the character's flaws - I see the writer saying 'Oh shit, I made them too strong now I have to make them stupid to give my MC a chance.'

Then again, this is Bleach. More over, the Thousand Year Blood War. Asking for consistency is like politely asking Mount Everest to rise up and dance the macarena.

Edit: People can argue that Yhwach 'wanted to see what Ichigo would do' but what would be the point? With the Almighty Yhwach's basically omniscient. He already knows what's going to happen.

#bleach #anti bleach ending #anti tybw #yhwach #ichigo kurosaki #rant #seriously #my head hurts trying to logic this out #aizen fell to the same trap too #Hand of the Author anyone?#people

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sassylittlecanary · 1 year

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Cynicism and God Complexes: Thoughts on Batman v Superman

There’s good stuff about this movie. Clark and Bruce are especially well cast, some of the costumes are pretty, Wonder Woman is there, etc. But as for the rest? I just rewatched this film, and here’s my two cents.

Bruce's Characterization

I appreciate how the beginning shows Bruce’s compassion for people (especially kids), but then it’s … not really relevant ever again? What Batman does to the sex traffickers is certainly satisfying, but it's also more in line with Huntress or Red Hood’s tactics (which comics!Bruce hates). So, by making him more like Frank Miller’s Batman (aka the Punisher in a cape -- seriously, The Dark Knight Returns had horrendous characterization and we should not be basing movies on it), it erases everything about his character that defines him as Batman, which is VERY relevant in comics batfam dynamics. Furthermore, there's the moment when the media is criticizing the bat brand, and Bruce says, "They’re criminals, Alfred — they’ve always been criminals. Nothing’s changed.” This is not who Bruce is! This is not his mindset! Where is the Bruce Wayne who gets a former villain a job at Wayne Enterprises and works toward reform and doesn't see anyone as a lost cause?

There's also the question of the dead Robin (not that you can really tell it’s a Robin costume because it's freaking BROWN) who is probably Jason Todd, which makes Bruce's characterization here even more implausible. Bruce didn’t kill his arch nemesis (who’s still alive and played by Jared Leto) who tortured and murdered his teenage son, but sure, he’ll kill Superman happily!! I call BS.

Clark's Characterization

This film is all about fear of Superman, and this is best personified by Bruce and Alfred's perspective — that Kal-El is a god coming down from the sky who could reign terror on the earth and answers to no one. Sure, they’re unreliable narrators, but this narrative still ruined many people’s perceptions of Superman. Despite scenes showing Clark’s kindness, fear of Superman (plus the idea that we SHOULD be afraid of him) is woven throughout the entire film. The entire point of the Knightmare sequences is fear of Superman. Even if they’re simply meant to demonstrate Bruce’s paranoia, they still serve to instill fear of Superman in the audience as well. (Also the Knightmare sequences are literally just Injustice ripoffs and I HATE IT. Literally the worst thing to take inspiration from for a Superman movie.) It's noteworthy that Superman's first appearance shows him looking scary and imposing. That's the image many people remembered.

Also, the core of Clark's character is that he cares about people. He does literally everything in his power to protect them. The idea of him allowing (or causing) destruction to befall innocents just so he can save Lois is ludicrous. Actually, the (heavily Injustice inspired) idea throughout the DCEU that Clark prioritizes Lois over other innocent people is awful. Clark cares about all of humanity — whom he lives among and is not isolated from — not just Lois. (Also, while I love the tenderness in their relationship, it's just not a Lois & Clark relationship. Where is the banter? The flirtation? These two are cute together, but they were also made into a very generic couple.)

Additionally, I hate Superman as a Christ figure, and I hate the "he's a god among mortals!!" narrative. Y'all. This is post-Crisis. John Byrne got rid of that. We've moved past this.

The Villain

I hate Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I get that he’s Luthor Jr, but still. He’s kinda just playing the Joker without makeup. He’s just pathetic and annoying and I cringe when he’s on screen. It's honestly embarrassing that every other actor who has played Lex Luthor was both more menacing and more compelling.

The Tone

Beyond a doubt, this movie's fatal flaw is how bleak and cynical it is. The tone, the characterization, the very premise, and even the color scheme are so cynical. It takes all the fun and meaning out of the genre. Thanks for turning these inspiring and beloved characters into another sad soulless action movie!! Love you Zack 😘

Also, the beginning bothers me. Bruce doesn't like Clark because of all the violence he causes -- except comics!Clark cares about protecting civilians. It's just that Zack Snyder followed the 2010s action flick trend of adding tons of gratuitous, gritty violence, and now BvS is reckoning not with the characters' actions, but with Snyder's directorial choices from Man of Steel. Which is lame and I hate it.

Snyder's choices in general just bother me. He literally took one of the brightest, most colorful, most fun genres ever and was like “Actually, what if everything was DARK and BROWN and SAD.” And you know what? I do not vibe with that. Not everything has to be Game of Thrones.

Honestly, all this cynicism and moralizing would've been more suited to an Authority film than one about the DC Trinity. I don’t WANT a dark and realistic take on Superman and how people might view him. I don’t want a movie where Superman is put on trial or burned in effigy! I want a movie where Superman saves people and brings joy and hope to the world. I want my kind and inspirational beacon of hope. I want the hero whom children adore and adults admire. Give me a real superhero movie, not a hopeless grimdark action movie with superhero characters.

#so anyway I loathe bvs #dceu #batman v superman dawn of justice #bvs dawn of justice #dc #dcu #batman #superman #bruce wayne #clark kent #lex luthor #zack snyder #snyderverse #superheroes #media analysis #meta

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mogwai-movie-house · 11 months

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Asteroid City (2023)

Visually, compositionally, Wes Anderson is without peer, and any individual shot out of his latest film will make practically every other movie released this year look like a provincial teenager's first TikTok video. Everywhere you look the details are never-endingly exquisite and hilarious, and my eyes haven't experienced so much pleasure since the last Wes Anderson flick. He's the only director left standing that I will still pay to go to a cinema to see.

The downside is that the story itself is awkward, convoluted, flimsy and whimsical - flimsical, if you will - and it's often hard to follow or care about what is going on, especially in the larger story arc, which flits between a black & white 1950s TV production and the glorious technicolor of the main story. I would have been perfectly happy to have lost the needlessly distracting B&W sections, as they add very little in the long run, and sap the energy and pace of the rest. The clever story Anderson is trying to tell here could work, but he doesn't have a strong enough grip on all the narrative and character elements to convey it in a clear and emotionally engaging way, so there are parts that feel more of a private joke or a personal fancy than a work made for the wider world. It could be I'll think differently about that on further viewings, but I would still expect to find this is what weakens the film the most.

The ridiculously stellar cast is dazzling, but there's just too many famous faces here for one film to do them justice: newcomer Tom Hanks is a great fit but woefully underused, and something similar could be said for Steve Carell, Tilda Swinton, Matt Dillon, Jeff Goldblum, Margot Robbie, Hope Davis, Bob Balaban and Willem Dafoe, all of whom are most welcome sights, but simply aren't onscreen long enough to convey anything of real substance, and they all deserved more fleshed-out roles they could get their teeth into.

For the first time in a Wes Anderson movie there is some rather obvious diversity hiring in the casting department (presumably in order to meet the new qualifications for an Oscar), some of whom work better than others, but the returning Jeffrey Wright and Tony Revolori are both excellent, and Ethan Josh Lee is a good new addition to the family.

Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton get more screen-time than most, but the first feels like a walk-on guest spot in a TV sketch show and the other looks somewhat lost in the confusing shuffle. Jason Schwartzman is, of course, the perfect Anderson avatar, and Scarlet Johansson is, for the most part, very dependable too. Liev Schreiber fits in surprisingly well, and the running gags with his son Aristou Meehan are perhaps the funniest high points of the film.

-----

All in all, it's hard to know how to rate this: it's definitely one of the weakest Wes Anderson movies, but for all the undeniable flaws in narrative it still gives me more joy to watch than just about anything else modern cinema has to offer, and I think by December I might still regard it the best thing I've seen all year. So that's odd.

★★★★★★½✰✰✰

#film reviews #asteroid city #wes anderson

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constantviewings · 4 months

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A (Not So) Weekly Wrap-Up

Saltburn

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

From what I've seen, the opinions of this film are pretty hot and cold and I fall somewhere right in the middle. I had a lot of fun watching it, but it still has it's flaws. Starting off, I love the look of this film, the warm lighting and the film grain just makes me think of a home tape from the 2000s. Also, the cast are great, Barry Keoghan is an obvious standout but doesn't overshadow the great performances from the rest of the cast. I know people read this as a class commentary, but I think it's more about obsession than class as somewhat proven by the reveal at the midway point. My only gripe is that the montage at the end showing Oliver's perspective feels like it's overcompensating, maybe most of those shots could have been left where they take place and we just get to see the monologue?

Rating: 4

Final Destination (all movies)

After a teenager has a terrifying vision of him and his friends dying in a plane crash, he prevents the accident only to have Death hunt them down, one by one.

I'm not reviewing these movies one-by-one because, as we all know, they're basically all the same movie. I'm only going to point out two in particular, Final Destination 3 and The Final Destination. The third installment of this franchise is my personal favourite, I like that the mystery changes from the order of death to how each person will die; it helps it feel fresh even though it's the same movie three times over. The Final Destination is my, and most people's, least favourite: the effects are so fake looking and none of the deaths are really that memorable. At least with the others you can remember 'the train one' and 'the eye one' the only half decent death is the guy who dies in the pool, but only because it's so dumb.

Rating: -4

Ghosts (UK)

A cash-strapped young couple inherits a grand country house, only to find it is both falling apart and teeming with the ghosts of former inhabitants.

I binged this entire series in maybe a week (?) after realising I'd spent years putting off watching for whatever reason. Honestly, I love this show, I laughed and I cried. What a great little show and I can't wait to see what the team do next.

Rating: 3

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Since I'll never see the tour live, I guess this is the next best thing! 2023 saw me re-entering my 'Taylor Swift Era' and this movie is the perfect nostalgia trip while also introducing me to the music I hadn't listened to in the meanwhile.

Hell Camp

Out-of-control teens across America were sent to a therapy camp in the harsh Utah desert. The conditions were brutal, but the staff were even worse.

Holy crap, this is actually fucked. Like, I understand the organisers were sugar coating it to the parents, but the fact they didn't believe their own kids is insane...wow.

#Film Reviews #Saltburn #Final Destination #BBC Ghosts #The Eras Tour #Hell Camp

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tlcartist · 1 year

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Couple of people have pointed out on my Giorno post that part of the issue with people misrepresenting his character is due to how young he is and I definitely agree. Don't get me wrong I love pt 5 but I think one of it's flaws is how young the core cast is because they often act older than they actually are. Sure you've got Josuke who was also young in pt 4 but the tone of pt 4 is much lighter for the first half while pt 5 gets serious pretty early on. Josuke had the opportunity to be goofy and irresponsible and act like, you know, an actual teenager. Giorno immediately stepped into the world of the mafia and while, yes, everyone else was also pretty young, it's much harder to maintain that levity with his character because the overall subject is a lot more heavy.

It's genuinely easy to forget that he's only 15. That's not to say that I'm excusing his choices or the choices of anyone else in VA, I guess I just wish they'd been even a few years older. It's something I really liked about Stone Ocean and it's also part of what I'm liking about pt 9. Jodio actually feels like a teen as does the rest of the main cast. I think it's a testament to Araki's growth and shows that he's really gotten better at character representation over the years.

#jjba #b talks jojo #character analysis #giorno giovanna

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emc2beans · 8 months

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#FFXIVWrite2023 Day 23: Suit

Time for some more of my vague future semi-au.

Llewellyn stared at his reflection, inspecting his hair for some invisible flaw for the umpteenth time. Around him, his younger brothers and sisters were putting the finishing touches on their own attire.

“If your vanity makes us all late to the ceremony, I’m going to kick your arse.” Gwynedd shook her head with a smile on her face.

“I’m not being vain! I- I just want everything to be perfect, and that includes me.” Llewellyn frowned at his sister. Their mother chuckled at the both of them.

“Let’s not squabble today, aye?” Angharad brushed down her eldest son’s lapel with her hand, smoothing out the blue-black fabric and admiring the subtle embroidery. “You look so handsome, Welly. My little lad, all grown up and getting married. Feels like just yesterday you were a babe in arms.” She began to tear up. “I am so proud of you.”

“Mu-um, stop! You’re going to make me start crying already!” Llewellyn sniffled. He took a deep breath. “Alright. No more mushy stuff until after the ceremony.”

“Aye, we’ll keep it together.” Rhodri took his wife’s place in front of Llewellyn, pinning a boutonniere to his son’s lapel. The small flowers had been cast in steel taken from the prow of The Hullripper and it was a replica of the one Rhodri had worn to marry Angharad. “Now we wait for the signal, I suppose.”

As if on cue, Gwynedd’s linkpearl chimed in her ear. It was Tataru, asking if they were nearly ready. The rest of her family watched with bated breath.

“Aye, ready when you are.” A pause. “Of course she’s not answering her linkpearl, she’s as bad as Estinien. Don’t tell her I said that.” Another pause, Gwynedd sighed. “I’ll go check on them. Calm yourself, Tataru, we still have a full bell. Alright. Bye.” She released the pearl in her ear and looked at her parents and brother. “Alisaie won’t answer Tataru’s calls, so I’ve got to go make sure everything is progressing smoothly. Be back soon.” Gwynedd explained as she quickly ducked out of her family’s dressing suite.

~~~

“Just breathe, my dear, or you’ll pass out.” Ameliance put reassuring hands on her son’s shoulders, watching him in the mirror as he took a deep breath in and out. “It’s alright to be nervous. I certainly was when I was in your position.” She looked over her shoulder at Fourchenault, who was sitting in a nearby chair and looking taciturn as ever.

“I know. Thank you, mother.” Alphinaud straightened the bottom of his ornate suitcoat, the cerulean and white fabrics shimmering faintly like the inside of a seashell. Tataru had truly outdone herself. “The waiting is the hardest part. Where is Alisaie?”

“I’m right here, don’t worry.” Alisaie emerged from behind one of the dressing screens, smoothing down the crimson silk of her dress. “Do you really think this suits me?”

“It does. You look lovely.” Ameliance switched to adjusting little things on her daughter’s outfit, content now with Alphinaud’s appearance. “Fourchenault, don’t you have something to say to our son?” She fixed her husband with a subtle glare. Fourchenault sighed and got up to stand next to Alphinaud. It was a little jarring how his son was now just as tall as himself, rather than the bumbling toddler or diminutive teenager that still lived in his memories.

“You have… certainly undergone much change in these last few years.” He began tentatively. “You are truly a man in your own right, able to make decisions for yourself, even if they are not necessarily decisions I would approve of.” Alphinaud purposefully kept his expression at a pleasant neutral. He knew full well that his father did not approve of Llewellyn for a variety of reasons, each more exasperating than the last. “Regardless of my opinions,” Fourchenault continued. “What matters most is that you are happy. That is all I have ever truly wanted for you and your sister, and I hope that you are happy.”

“I am happy, father, I can promise you that.” Alphinaud reassured him. A silence fell over the room for a moment, then a knock came at the door. “I’ll get that.” He hurried over to find Gwynedd on the other side of the door.

“Oh my gods, look at you!” She exclaimed when she saw Alphinaud. “You look incredible!”

“Thank you, Gwyn.” He smiled sheepishly, then his expression shifted to that of mild concern. “Is aught amiss? Shouldn’t you be helping Llewellyn get dressed?”

“Everything is fine, don’t you worry. Only here because someone,” She looked around Alphinaud to frown at Alisaie. “Doesn’t answer her linkpearl.”

“I took it out to get dressed!” Alisaie shouted back, flipping off the Warrior of Light from across the room.

“Aye, sure, make your excuses. You’re not the one with Tataru on your arse.” Gwynedd rolled her eyes. “Just let her know that you’re ready, alright?”

“Fine, fine, whatever.” Alisaie waves a dismissive hand. “Are we running short on time?”

“We have about three quarters of a bell. Now, I have to get back to help herd the little ones, so call Tataru. See you soon.” Gwynedd ducked out and walked quickly back towards where her family were waiting. Alisaie grabbed her linkpearl and stuck it in her ear.

#I'll probs continue this but I felt it was getting a little long #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv oc stuff #wolphinaud #oc x canon #writing stuff

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multimetaverse · 2 years

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HSMTMTS 3x08 Review

Let it Go was a decent ending for S3 and charts a course for the rest of the series. Let’s dig in!

Well congrats Rina stans. I don’t ship them but the rest of the series is now intertwined with Rina so I hope they are well written. Given Tim’s track record with main couples the fact that Rina got together in 3x08 means they’ll have a breakup in S4. It’s noteworthy that all of Gina’s callbacks are from like two eps in S1; it’s time for a proper story line for them, no more love triangles or emotional cheating. I’ve always held that Tim shouldn’t do both Rina and Portwell but now that the damage is done it’s time to stick with Rina and move the show forward

As I said back when the Portwell off screen first kiss happened, it was done that way to deliberately undercut Portwell and not take away from Rina hence the show treating this much more like Gina’s first kiss

Well they allowed EJ a flash of realistic anger towards Ricky but then he calls him his brother which is just not how people, let alone teenagers, would act. Certainly Ricky has been a malign influence on EJ’s life the past year in universe. I hope no one reading this ever has a brother like Ricky!

Cash Caswell wins the coveted Lynne Bowen prize for worst parent of the season. At least Val was there to comfort EJ, god knows where Ashlyn’s been this season

Dara killed it as Elsa. Kourtney has come such a long way from Nini’s sassy black friend and I’m glad she’s getting the chance to shine. Her anxiety story line has been fairly well handled for a Disney show

Big Red being interviewed for some reason and coming out as bi felt like a fever dream. This season has certainly been a huge step forward for lgbtq rep on Disney. And to be honest it’s a wise move, Big Red was never believable as someone who was exclusively interested in the charms of women. This should set up some interesting story lines for Big Red and Ashlyn in S4

End of an era as Nini departs. It was poignant farewell to Olivia Rodrigo who was such a big reason why the show took off as it did. Her giving the lotto ticket to Ricky was a sweet touch and her farewell to Miss Jenn hit hard

It’s darkly funny that the casting directors did too good of a job of casting Ricky and Nini as they were the couple the series was built around and their chemistry turned out to be so good that Olivia and Joshua dated in real life which led to an extremely messy and bitter breakup which was the inspiration for the songs which launched Olivia into pop superstardom and irrevocably changed the course of the show

Looking Ahead:

One of the biggest flaws of this show is how little continuity there from season to season. Years from now when the series is long over I can’t imagine many people re-watching and making it all the way through since so much of what has happened in these first three seasons, in particular the first two seasons, has been rendered completely meaningless.

S2 in particular seems like a total fuck up and I think a lot of people in the future who might check out the series without knowing anything about it will tap out after S2.

It’s clear that Tim is trying to set up a Glee like route where younger kids like Emmy get introduced and we follow them through High School even as the original wildcats begin to depart. But that should have begun in S2 which is when characters like Jet and Maddox should have been introduce but instead all the new S2 characters were purged. On one level its simply a question of time, the first two seasons comprise 22 eps and the remaining two seasons the mains are contracted for will only amount to 16-18 eps depending on whether S4 is 8 or 10 eps. The first two seasons will likely be the bulk of the entire series yet they bear almost no resemblance to what the series has and will become

S3 marks the final end of the core 4 inasmuch as it even existed past S1. EJ seems to be recurring in S4 with Tim making it clear that he won’t be involved at East High though I suspect he’s involved in the HSM 4 production at some point. Sounds like Jet and Maddox don’t show up immediately at East High since Tim says they need to clear things up in California. Emmy seems likely to enroll as a freshman at East High as Tim hinted. He’s also made clear that he views Ricky, Gina, Kourtney, Ashlyn, and Carlos as the core characters so we should expect the rest of the series to have a heavy focus on them

They seem to have 8-10 eps for S4. If it’s 8 it’s going to be extremely difficult to balance all the new and old characters. Kylie Catrall joins and Big Red, Seb, and Miss Jenn are back as mains. Are Mike Bowen and Mazarra back? And whoever from the OG cast returns though without Zac and Vanessa it will be a flop imo

I’m not looking forward to the kids getting famous. This show was such a hit because it was always grounded. I also worry that they’re going to go way too meta in S4. At least Tim has promised that they’ll return to the acoustic songs that made S1 so fun

S4 is when the cast contracts end. Tim clearly wants to do more but how many seasons would Disney be willing to greenlight, just one more to bring the series to Ricky’s graduation? There’s a very good chance that Disney just calls it quits after S4. Did Tim fuck up the logical series ending point of Ricky, Big Red, and Kourtney graduating by having a summer season? He very well could have. Ending the series in December of Ricky’s senior year would be very lame but that’s what we might be facing. Certainly it’s bizarre to do HSM S3 as the winter musical when it’s so focused on graduation and it will extremely hard to top having an og cast reunion while the kids get famous from the frozen documentary

We’ll probably have to wait for spring 2023 for S4 to premiere. In the meantime there are quite a few good shows to watch. There’s Di4ries on Netflix, a very charming Italian show. Young Royals S2 comes out in the fall, the first of the Owl House ‘S3′ specials comes out in October with the remaining two airing sometime in 2023. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers S2 comes out later this month and hopefully Doogie Kamealoha MD S2 comes out sometime this year. There’s also Chucky S2 coming out in October which I know will make Jevon stans very happy. Secrets of Sulphur Springs S3 likely comes out early in 2023 as well

For any American readers, I urge you to vote in November. The democrats at least have a good chance to hold the Senate and it’s vital that they control as much of the Federal government as possible for as long as possible if America is to stand any chance of warding off fascism or civil war

Stay safe out there Wildcats and I’ll see you next season

#HSMTMTS #Rina #Portwell #Gina Porter #Ricky Bowen #EJ Caswell #Ashlyn Caswell #Big Red #Carlos Rodriguez #Olivia Rodrigo #HSMTMTS Reviews

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misslavenderlady · 2 years

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Lucy the Ex-Hippie - Ch. 4: Wedding Day

Summary: It's time for Lucy to go home and get back into her wedding plans. She's ready for the next step, but are the boys willing to say goodbye?

I hope y'all are ready 'cause it's gonna get bittersweet in here.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

It felt good going back home with a clear head and a better mood. Lucy rode her bike on the path she had left on the night before, this time being focused enough to enjoy the journey. The first rays of the sun were starting to bleed into the sky, casting out the darkness of the night. Despite its flaws, the sky in Santa Carla was always so breathtakingly beautiful.

By the time she had pulled up to the end of the driveway at her parent's house, daylight had completely taken over. It was a new morning and a new start for her to take on when she saw her family. Lucy dismounted from her bike and pushed it up the rest of the way. When she reached the top she put it back where it was the night before.

There was no more delaying the inevitable. It was time to fix things with Lance.

Lucy tried to enter the house as quietly as she could. She expected everyone to either still be asleep or at the very least see her father having a cup of coffee by himself in the kitchen. To her surprise, that wasn’t the case at all.

Her parents and her fiancé were together in the living room. They all looked frantic and exhausted, still dressed in the same clothes they had on last night during dinner. When Lucy made her appearance, it was like a switch was flipped. Everyone’s faces went from frazzled to relieved as they ran from their spots to embrace her.

“Oh thank god, my baby’s home!” her mother exclaimed, hugging her first. Lucy felt like she was going to burst from how hard she was being squeezed.

“Lucy, we’ve been scared to death about you all night! We’ve been calling neighbors and local police asking if they’ve seen you!” her father explained. If she was still a teenager he’d ground her for a month, but seeing as she was a grown woman, he would just let her know how worried they’d been.

It wasn’t easy seeing everyone so upset, but all Lucy could do at the moment was hug her family and express her remorse.

“I’m sorry! I just had to get out. I…”

Her words were cut off when her eyes were locked with Lance’s. Not once in all the time they were dating had she seen him show any kind of sadness, and now he was standing before her with tears in his eyes. He clearly had been feeling the worst of it all night, and it made Lucy’s heart ache with guilt seeing this man become so vulnerable.

Her parents finally released her so that Lance could pull her into his arms. He was shaking terribly, scared of what would happen if he let her go.

“God, Lucy, I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry…” he began, voice cracking as he spoke. “This was all my fault. I should never have yelled at you. I was so frustrated because I wanted us to get married and have a life together without any issues, and I lost my cool in the process. You didn’t deserve that and I shouldn’t have scared you off like I did”

It made her feel a bit better knowing Lance was remorseful for his actions. Still, even if he learned his lesson, there was still guilt for running off and not coming home all night. Her family beckoned her further into the living room so that she could sit down and talk in more detail with them. Her mother gave her a warm cup of tea and her father put a wool blanket over her lap. Lance chose to sit next to her, holding the hand that didn’t have the drink.

“At first we weren’t sure if we should have gone after you, but we all ultimately decided to give you some space while things cooled down,” Lucy’s mother explained.

“When it started getting later and we didn’t hear anything from you, we got really worried,” her father added. “Lance and I….we decided to settle our differences and make up so that we could all work together to find you”

Lucy would have thought pigs would start flying before her father and partner ever got along enough to talk things out in a reasonable manner. If the two of them put aside their differences for her, then perhaps it really was a serious problem that she was out for so long.

Then again, if she hadn’t been out, then she wouldn’t have made such good new friends.

“Yeah. I explained that I was offered a really good job in Phoenix and I want to work hard to take care of you, Lucy. That’s all I want, not to take you away from your family,” Lance said. Her father nodded, seemingly content with such an explanation.

“I’ll admit, I understand where the boy’s coming from. When I met your mother I wanted to give her everything. Even the moon and the stars in the sky,” her father sighed, reaching over to squeeze his wife’s hand. “It’s not easy being away from the family you’ve known all your life, but people grow and change and life goes on. I’ve got to accept that the same is happening for my little girl, and I want you to know that my support is there, even if I’ll miss you”

Lance put his arm around Lucy, pulling her back in for a hug. This was all she wanted in the first place, just her loved ones getting along and celebrating her next chapter in life. It put her mind at ease.

“I’ll do whatever I can to keep my temper in check, honey,” Lance promised her. “That really wasn’t right of me, and I’m sorry”

“Apology accepted. I love you, Lance,” she said, returning the hug. Everything was getting a whole lot better.

Once the tension had settled down, things started falling back into place. Lucy’s mother offered to cook everyone a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon to start the new day off right. Nobody was opposed to that idea.

The only point in the day that her disappearance was brought up again was when Lucy and Lance were setting the table for breakfast together.

“So where did you end up staying all night, honey?” Lance asked.

Lucy really did want to tell him about the four biker boys that took her in the night before. How they had fun with smokes, drinks and dancing. But she didn’t want Lance to feel any kind of jealousy, even if everything that happened was innocent. It was better to just simplify things for Lance.

“Oh, I spent some time at Hudson’s Bluff. It’s not as scary as I thought it was. It’s actually quite lovely”

The next couple of weeks were quite busy for the happy couple. Their wedding plans were coming together, and they would be more than ready for their big day. Lucy’s mother was happy to take on the task of making their wedding cake. Her father made some calls to florist shops and even found a band that one of his work friends knew about. Seeing as Santa Carla was right by the water, they ultimately decided on a private section on the beach for the wedding.

Neither Lucy nor Lance had big families, meaning their guest list was quite small. Just each set of parents, Lance’s sister, and a few local friends. While it was easy to get everyone to RSVP, there was still one last set of people Lucy wanted to invite.

She couldn’t help but want to find David and the others again so she could offer them an invitation. Even if they had interacted with her for such a short period of time, it was the least she could do as a ‘thank you’ for their kindness. After all, David did wish her a happy life with Lance before she left for home that night they all hung out.

It wasn’t easy tracking those boys down. They must have been truthful when they told her that they slept all day because whenever Lucy went out during daylight hours, she never once saw them. While the crowds were slowly getting bigger for the summer, there were still plenty of locals in the mix. Whether she was running errands with her mother or getting wedding plans done with Lance, she tried to keep an eye out for the four boys.

If she had a car or a motorcycle she would have gone to Hudson’s Bluff herself to look for them, but that wasn’t an option.

Nighttime was even trickier. Ever since she took off, her family was much more protective over her, not wanting her to be out too late. Not to mention how busy she was during the day, Lucy tended to turn in early for the night to get some rest.

She was getting anxious. The wedding would happen very soon, and she wanted to ask her friends to come along. Even if they couldn’t go, at least she could see them for a bit.

It wasn’t until three days before her wedding date that she was finally able to go out for a while to look for them during the night. Lance was out at the bar with a few friends as a more casual bachelor party, and Lucy was out on her own since she had gone out with a few friends of her own earlier that day. She decided to take her search to the boardwalk, finding it would be safer than being on the empty beach in the dark again.

It was a good thing that the boys had treated her so nicely because Lucy could have been picked up by a creep instead.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets as she made her way down the wooden path of the boardwalk. Flashes of colors from nearby games and rides illuminated her way as she searched through the crowd for a familiar face. It was hard to keep positive when her quest was growing more and more hopeless. After all, it was getting quite late and she felt the urge to go to bed growing stronger.

“Hey, little miss stranger~”

Lucy’s head quickly turned in the direction of the voice, immediately recognizing that nickname. It was them.

“Boys!” she grinned, finding her friends all hanging out by the railing of the boardwalk. Paul and Marko were sitting on top of the ledge with their legs dangling off the side. Dwayne was enjoying a soda from one of the nearby snack stands. David was unsurprisingly smoking a cigarette. They all met her with eager grins as she made her way over to them.

“I’ve been looking around for you all for the past several days! Where have you been?” she asked. The four of them exchanged playful looks with one another as if they were all in on some fun secret.

“We told ya, Lucy. When the sun is up, we’re not,” David said with a smirk. He kept his icy blue eyes locked with hers as he blew smoke off to the side. “We were wondering where you were too. You been busy with your groom-to-be?”

She nodded, clearly in a much better mood at the mention of Lance than the last time they saw her.

“As a matter of fact, I have! Our wedding is this weekend, and almost everything is ready. That’s actually why I wanted to find you four,” she explained.

Lucy went fishing for something in her bag. The boys perked up in curiosity as she pulled out a crisp-looking piece of paper. It was David that she chose to hand it to, and as he studied the elegant writing across it, he understood why she was so urgent in her mission to see them all again as soon as possible.

It was an invitation.

“I know it’s a little bit much to ask, especially after we only hung out one time,” Lucy said sheepishly. “But you all were so nice to me, and I wanted to see if you could come before I leave Santa Carla. It’s going to be a small celebration, so nothing crazy or extravagant to worry about”

David would be lying if he said he was enthusiastic about the idea. It was a bit intimidating to go to a formal event, even if she promised it wouldn’t be too fancy. He and the Lost Boys weren’t exactly the best with manners and formalities around humans. Even if he could straighten up, he seriously doubted that Marko, Dwayne, and Paul would be on their best behavior.

Part of him hoped it would be a daytime wedding so he wouldn’t feel so bad about declining the offer. After all, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight seeing four wedding guests burn alive in the sunlight while Lucy was trying to enjoy her special day.

However, it would have seemed that excuse wouldn’t work because the time of her wedding on the invitation was listed to be at sundown, meaning her reception would be at the start of the night. No matter how David looked at this problem, it seemed that the universe was pushing him and the other boys to go.

It would hurt to say goodbye to Lucy, but the hopeful look in her eyes was nearly impossible to look past.

“Will you guys be there? Please?”

David glanced over at the others, sharing mental thoughts of how it would go. They all weren’t looking forward to saying farewell either, but at the very least they could enjoy a celebration and spend a little time with her. The blond tapped the side of the invitation with his gloved finger and smiled warmly at the redhead girl.

“We’ll be there. Count on it”

Time went by much faster after that. Lucy was getting more and more eager for her wedding with every passing day. When it finally came, the world around her was bursting with newfound energy. Everyone was rushing to get their own tasks ready for the ceremony, eager to make the day go off without a hitch.

Lucy was enjoying herself in the process of getting ready as well. Her red hair was shining and silky in the style she did. The makeup she did was simple, just enough to highlight her natural beauty. The wedding dress she had picked out with her mother was a lovely, floor-length sheath style in a cream color. The reflection of herself in the mirror showed a gorgeous young woman who was ready for a momentous occasion.

The day passed by and everything was falling into place. The spot on the beach she and Lance picked out was decorated with white roses and small tealight candles, a simple, yet romantic setting for their ceremony. Sunset was taking over the sky above, and warm colors reflected over the ocean. It was a beautiful evening for a wedding.

Lance was dressed in a tan-colored suit with a black bowtie, his wavy, brown hair slicked back for a more formal appearance. He stood at the altar while the small crowd of guests waited on either side of the stretch of sand for the bride.

Lucy squeezed her father’s arm tight, eager for the signal from her mother to start her big entrance. His eyes were already starting to flood with tears at the idea of giving his only daughter away. If Lucy wasn’t careful, she would start crying too. She wanted this all to be perfect for her, Lance, and all their loved ones.

There was just one thing she wanted to check.

She strained to peak around the corner, scanning over the area to see if the boys had truly kept her promise and arrived at the wedding. The sun was fading out, and she didn’t see any of them among the guests. At least, not at first.

They weren’t in the crowd, but as she squinted and looked beyond the area, she caught a pair of eyes staring back at her from a darkened corner of the beach. It startled her at first, but with a closer look, she recognized those eyes.

Icy blue. They were David’s. He was hidden away from the guests with the other three boys by his side. Her heart raced faster, the joy of knowing they had come to see her get married growing higher. She lifted her free hand up, giving a little wave to let David know she could see them. As her father began the walk to give her away to Lance, Lucy saw David give a wave of his own back.

Everything was ready.

“I gotta say, I don’t usually cry at weddings, but seeing our honorary group member get married really brought a tear to my eye,” Paul said in a joking manner, hanging out with the others in their hiding spot while the wedding guests mingled in the main area.

“One, you’ve never attended a wedding before this one. Two, pretty sure that was just your eyes bugging out from all that shit you smoked before we got here,” Marko teased. He got him a rude gesture from his buddy, making Dwayne and David both chuckle in amusement.

Despite their joking, it was a nice ceremony. Loving words between the bride and groom were shared, vows were made and the kiss they shared after their ‘I do’s was quite romantic. Now everyone could be together to celebrate their newfound marriage.

David thought it was in Lucy’s best interest to keep his boys hidden away from her guests, not wanting to risk any screw-ups that would upset her. Even if he did want to make more of an appearance, he couldn’t really explain who he was or how he knew the bride. It was just easier to hide off in the shadows. It was in his nature as a vampire to do so.

Still, that didn’t stop Lucy from seeking them out.

“I’m so glad you made it!” Lucy called to them. She had slipped away from her guests to say hello to the friends she had been so excited to see.

“There she is!” David said. Dwayne, Paul, and Marko all greeted her with bright smiles and open arms as they brought her in for a group hug. They laughed as they squeezed her tight, practically lifting her off that ground.

“Easy! Watch the dress!” Lucy giggled, not wanting to mess up the beautiful piece before the reception ended. The boys put her down, letting her get more comfortable.

“Of course! You gotta keep that thing looking pretty,” Paul chimed. “At least for now, anyway. Now on the other hand with the honeymo-”

Dwayne jabbed him in the arm before he could make some lewd joke that would surely leave Lucy flustered. She laughed at their antics, still amused as ever.

“David, I see why you were hesitant about bringing them along,” she teased. “They’re quite the handful”

The leader of the Lost Boys smirked and shook his head, a bit embarrassed by how correct she was with that statement, even if it was in a lighthearted manner.

“Oh, you have no idea. At the ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ line I had to stop Marko from jokingly stopping your wedding and whisking you away from Lance”

That earned him a playful shove from the curly-haired boy as well. Everyone was feeling lighthearted and joyful as they joked together. It all put a happy expression on Lucy’s face, allowing her even more joy to go with her day.

“Why don’t I get you some drinks? There are some glasses of wine set up at the main table,” Lucy offered. She motioned to the largest table set up on the beach with a white tablecloth and plenty of goodies lined up for guests to enjoy.

While Dwayne, Paul, and Marko all looked eager to take on her offer, David held them back, keeping a more serious tone in place so they would behave.

“Actually, it’s probably for the best that we stay back here,” he said. “After all, we gotta have some peace if we’re gonna give you the wedding gifts we got”

Lucy perked up even more at the sound of that. She hadn’t told them to bring anything, as she didn’t want to ask that of them on such short notice. However, it was still something she’d accept with gratitude. David motioned for her to join her further into their hiding spot, grabbing a few items they had hidden away in the dark corner.

Paul had gotten her a bottle of champagne. It was a simple, cheap brand you could get at the local liquor store, but she still thanked him for the bubbly. The others told her not to, as Paul had used the five-finger discount to get it. He was quite pouty at such an accusation, even if it was technically true.

Marko had gotten her a small box of gourmet chocolates, explaining he put in a good word with a local candy shop owner. His friends embarrassed him by adding the fact that he had gotten some lollipops and candy bars to enjoy for himself too.

Dwayne gave her two pink carnations, one for her and one for Lance. He explained that they could either turn the petals into potpourri or press them into paper so they would be enjoyed even when the flowers wilted. He tucked one of them behind her ear so that it would stand out in her red hair.

“Dammit, Dwayne, why do you always have to show off with romantic stuff? You’re making the rest of us look like idiots,” Paul whined.

“I don’t have to do anything for you to come off as an idiot,” he shot back, smirking at the upset reaction he got in return.

Even if they were small tokens from the boys, Lucy was incredibly grateful for all of them. They were lovely gifts and she was so happy they had been kind enough to do this just for her.

“Boys,” David spoke up. “Why don’t you go get some of that wine Lucy offered? I’d prefer to give my gift without an audience”

As much as the three of them wanted to tease him for being shy, they knew better than to press their luck. David had been the most nervous about coming here tonight and they weren’t about to risk spoiling the moment with Lucy. Each of them gave him a knowing look before running off to the food and drinks. The redhead waved them off, happy to let them go enjoy the festivities.

When she turned her attention back to David, she could clearly see there was a bit of bashfulness on his face. He always seemed so cool and collected, but now it was as if he was struggling to find the right words to say.

Instead of saying anything, the blond found it best to simply just give her the gift and let it speak for itself. He pulled a small package out of the inner pocket of his jacket, holding it out for her. It wasn’t anything fancy, just wrapped in the lining of a paper grocery bag and some twine, but it made Lucy happy as it was. She was more than grateful to accept it.

As she tore open the paper, her eyes widened and her smile grew brighter as she recognized the item on the inside.

It was a recent edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The very book David mentioned the night they had met. Even with the joyous expression on her face, the boy still looked a bit uncertain about how she felt about the gift.

“I figured you could use some good reading material for your long drive outta Santa Carla,” he explained, scratching the back of his head. “Take a look on the inside”

She did as he asked, and found a message written to her on the inside. In black ink, David had written:

Lucy,

Have fun, enjoy life, and don’t be scared of vampires. They’re your friends.

- D

After reading his message, Lucy looked up at David with a soft smile. It really was a thoughtful gift, and she admired him for his generosity and kindness to her. Even if he was embarrassed, she thought he was a real friend for doing this. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him in a nice, heartfelt hug. He was so tense and on edge, but it was hard not to soften up with how warm her hugs were.

“Thank you for this, David,” she simply said, giving him a squeeze. “You really are a sweet guy”

He couldn’t help but snort at that. He wasn’t used to being constantly referred to in a nice way before she came around.

“That’s not what I’ve been told. Hell, my si - uh…my father doesn’t even like me,” he said, almost slipping up with reference to Max.

“Your father doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Anyone would be lucky to call you their family, David”

“Maybe, but nobody would be lucky to have HIM for family. God help the woman he ever decides to settle down with because she’s in for a lifetime of dorkiness and snobbery”

Lucy’s head fell back as she laughed, clearly amused by his words. Even if his home life sounded rough, she was glad he could both confide in her and make some lighthearted jokes about it.

“Well then let’s hope that doesn’t happen. I’m sure your father will live if he’s perpetually single,” Lucy joked. It was so difficult for David to fight the smile that she so easily put on his face. She really did know how to make others feel good. No wonder she made a good friend.

David pulled away from the embrace after a moment, looking carefully at her own blue eyes. This was all a lot harder than he anticipated. She had been so good to him and his companions. There was a connection of friendship that he just didn’t want to lose. It was a lot like how he met the other boys and what it was like turning them into creatures of the night like him.

It would have all been so much easier if she had drunk his blood. But it didn’t work that way. David could be cocky, obnoxious, and an outright bully in his worst moments. Lucy didn’t bring out that side of him. He felt the urge to be kinder and welcoming, not wanting her to feel like she didn’t belong with them. She loved her human life too much to let it go, and his gut was telling him she couldn’t be a killer. He tried to picture her with blood splatter and aggression after her first hunt, but it just didn’t feel right.

Lucy brought out the conscience he thought he had lost decades ago, and as she looked at him with kind eyes, he felt a wave of guilt for even considering that in the first place.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to check one last time before he lost the chance for good. With the influence of his powers, David reached out to Lucy’s mind. His vampiric influence would coax out any honest thoughts she had without her realizing what he was doing.

“Lucy, listen to me, ” he said, taking hold of her free hand with both of his. The leather of his gloves was cold from the sensation of his skin inside. Lucy shivered from the contrast between the temperature of his hands and that of the warm, summer air around them.

“I know you made up with Lance, but it’s not too late if you don’t want this. If you don’t want to leave Santa Carla, grow old, and have a life with him, you need to tell me now. It’s your last chance ”

She had no idea that David was controlling her mind. To her, he was just asking if she was certain about things with Lance, which was a perfectly harmless question. Even with her eyes glazed over and mind slightly hazy from the power David was using, she still gave him a genuine smile.

“David, I love Lance. I want to go to Phoenix with him. I want to have children. Maybe even grandchildren one day. What I truly want is to live my life in a way that makes me happy, and this will help me do that,” she answered honestly.

He was afraid she would say that. It was all said and done now. She would leave with her new husband, and the Lost Boys wouldn’t gain a new member of their family. David’s heart would break if it hadn’t stopped beating long ago.

Dwayne, Marko, and Paul were making their way back to the spot, feeling giddy and slightly tipsy from the good wine Lucy’s family served to the guests. They were ready to say something silly to lighten the mood, but David shot that down fast before any of them had a chance to say anything.

“No more jokes, boys. I just checked and her mind is still made up. Tonight we say goodbye for good,” he let them know through their telepathic connection.

They had expected such, but it wasn’t easy to accept. They all wanted Lucy to be their sister, but she would be leaving. Even if they did see her again one day, they would have to hide away so she wouldn’t see that she was getting older, but they weren’t. Vampires and humans couldn’t be in a good friendship with this imbalance in mortality. It was one of the very first things they were taught when they turned.

Reluctantly, David let Lucy go, freeing her mind in the process. She was none the wiser about the experience, simply shaking her head since she assumed she zoned out for a second. When she came to, she was delighted to see that Marko, Dwayne, and Paul had joined them again. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be staying any logner.

“I’m sorry, Lucy, but we have to get going,” David explained, nodding towards his friends so they knew to join him. “You enjoy your night before your big move, okay?”

Now it was Lucy’s turn to be sad. She was having such fun with them all, and she hated that this would be goodbye before she and Lance headed off to Phoenix. With the exception of visits around the holidays, she wouldn’t be seeing much of Santa Carla in the foreseeable future. That meant giving a proper goodbye was absolutely necessary right now.

“I will. I really can’t thank you all enough. You guys really are true friends, y’know that?” Lucy told them. The four of them exchanged pouts and frowns as they brought her back in for another group hug, albeit a less energetic and happy one than before.

“Thanks for the invite,” Dwayne said.

“We’ll miss you, Lucy,” Paul pouted.

“Don’t forget us,” Marko requested.

When the hug was over and the boys let her go, they looked to their leader for the signal to go. David knew that delaying things would only make it worse for his gang. The sooner they left, the better.

“Goodbye, Lucy”

With that, they were gone. David led the others down the beach, trudging through the sand and far away from the wedding reception. The redheaded bride looked on in melancholy, sad to say goodbye, but still so happy they got to be here for her.

It wasn’t until Lance called her name to have a couple’s dance with her that she finally looked away. Time to be with her new husband and enjoy the start of her marriage.

When they had made enough distance, the boys were able to speak up again.

“David? Are you alright?” Paul asked, feeling rather uncertain of things. Judging by the looks on their faces, Dwayne and Marko felt that way too.

Their leader was silent. He was brooding.

David was cycling between sadness, anger, and confusion about everything. The more he thought about it, the more upset he got. This wasn’t supposed to hurt. He was an immortal killer who thought of humans as mere sources of food that would live a fraction of the time that the Earth stood. It was pointless to make relationships with them as they were because you either had to change them into a vampire or make them your meal. C'est la vie.

It was so cruel to have this situation be so hard. He could only say one thing as he tramped through the sand dunes of the beach.

“We’re not taking in any more humans. Not for a very long time”

Nobody questioned him. If it hurt this much, then that decision was for the best.

#Babys first heartbreak :c #the lost boys #my fic #prequel fic #ao3 fic #tlb #tlb 1987 #dwayne the lost boys #marko the lost boys #paul the lost boys #david the lost boys #lucy emerson

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