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measuringbliss · 8 months

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Comics Read-Through: Romeo (2)

We know what we're here for!

Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic (2022) #1-4

Romeo doesn't appear in #3, so we'll see how it goes...

Those issues are intriguing first and foremost by their format.

See what I mean? It feels optimized for smartphones, which I find sad. But it's extremely pretty (and I'm a sucker for cute bears who emote hearts).

Iceman gets his ice melted and here's how he looks now.

MpfPfpf. Yeah, pretty sure the artist (Luciano Vecchio) is a gay dude. That's the kind of face you see in... certain... flash... animations. And also, the aforementioned bear was kind of a dead giveaway. He naturally gets his kiss at the end, and yes, dear folks, I am swooning.

There's a reference to Frozen, of course.

I gasped. Romeo dared to ghost him? That's rich. How convenient for the writers! I do wonder if he ghosted him because he knew Bobby would have to come back to his own time.

Jean and Bobby talk for a bit. Bobby's parents still suck, apparently! Well, I do remember them in X-2 being assholes, hahaha.

The two X-Men go on a mission together, Bobby gets hurt by debris and falls deep in the water, until...

And that's how it ends! I honestly kind of loved it!

#2 starts just as #1 ended. Bobby and Romeo quickly find a bed to have some fun in. Of Romeo's "deep, grown version", Bobby and I both have to say: "Woof!"

Definitely a gay artist.

So Romeo spent a decade dimension-hopping, which explains his ghosting. As they're catching up and rekindling their romance, a kaiju's here because we always need some monster fighting in these youngling things.

Gorgeous art. Romeo's used in combat here, as he helps Bobby focus on the fight. That's good! And they're adorable together.

Turns out the monster's into bondage. Good for it!

After taking care of it, Bobby's at the UN to say to humans that no, he can't solve the climate crisis. And then his dad dies. Didn't expect to see continuity. That's nice! The dad sucked anyway. The mom still sucks, by the way. And to get comfort, Bobby... sleeps with a rando.

AAAAARGH!

#3 (because I'm invested) informs me that it's not a rando, just an ex of Bobby's, Christian Frost. Probably Emma's sibling. They talk together and he seems really nice actually. That's cool!

Then Bobby's summoned by the villain of the issue, who imprisonned Loki. Bobby soon fights a mirage version of his dad and gets some much needed express therapy.

Naturally, we get to see some really cool art.

#4 starts really well, as a whole group of heroes fights a baddie, and Iceman and the Silver Surfer strike a pose.

Iceman has to isolate himself after the fight, but somebody's here to help him.

THE POWER OF LOOOOOOVE!!!!

I'm almost crying, and all's well in the world. Bobby celebrates at Pride with, notably, the bear from the first issue (🥰), and starts dating Romeo again, as if it wasn't obvious they were destined to be one of the greatest love stories EVAH. Oh, and it seems like Bobby and his mom made up! That's nice.

Overall, those four issues are actually quite enjoyable, and I daresay the last one in particular is really excellent. I ended up liking the format, it gave way for nice layouts.

What's in store next time:

X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 & Astonishing Iceman #1! The last of which I've peeked through already, since it introduced me to Romeo in particular.

#comics #comic books #iceman #bobby drake #romeo inhumans #silver surfer #loki

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kindestegg · 1 year

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Collector, Hunter and Caleb: On cycles of violence

Baby titans. Flapjack. Evelyn. What do they all have in common?

If you guessed "they were key components in making a character question what they've been told and pursue a new life, kickstarting major events", you're correct!

Hi, I'm Romeo the local Collector obsessed TOH fan!! And I REALLY need to talk about how Collector's backstory parallels Hunter's and Caleb's. Like I REALLY REALLY do.

Just as a quick disclaimer, if you're still feeling lost on Collector's backstory, I made a quick write up of my analysis for it here.

Now, if you're up to speed, we can start talking about the parallels. You see, I feel Collector's backstory is so fascinating because it really solidifies one of the recurring themes of The Owl House: cycles of violence.

Specifically, I want to talk about cycles of violence that aren't easily changed or broken. Societal ones, ones that worm themselves into the very norms of conduct that inform a certain people's behavior.

For Caleb, that was being a witch hunter, something that not only do we know was part of the local culture of Gravesfield back when he and Philip came to it, but that also apparently by Philip's memories, was even something he looked forward to.

I'm not going to get into how this ties into historical, real life witch hunting, because I feel it's hardly appropriate I, as someone who's not that well versed on such history, go into it in a theory post about a Disney cartoon.

But even in this fantasy world, the fact of that matter is that this witch hunting was enacting a system of organized violence. Children were brought up since early on to act out witch hunts, to understand witches were enemies and should be hunted. The othering of witches, the insistence of them as monstrous and inhuman. All this must have led to the witch hunting culture of Gravesfield.

And Caleb and Philip were deep in it.

Now, we know how the story goes. Both brothers go to the demon realm, meet a witch. Caleb gives it all an earnest chance, resolves himself to learn about how witches really are, and humanizes them, even possibly falling in love with a witch, who we now know as Evelyn. Philip despises it all from the start, refuses to ever see the place as anything but damned and monstrous.

From this, Caleb and Philip become symbols of opposing forces: That of change, a break in the status quo, a shining light of questioning why things are and calling for peace VS That of tradition, the desperate want to keep the cycle going, inability to envision anything different than has ever been, to question the old teachings.

Each fought for what they believed in. But Caleb lost and the cycle continued, evolved.

In the real world it is much of the same. Change happens gradually, but even when it does, the cycle does not break easily, it evolves into something else.

Philip's hunt turns to the entirety of the Boiling Isles. He creates the Coven System, to get rid of all witches, yes, but also to keep them easier to control, predictable. He becomes Emperor, and now there is a new system of control, a new cycle of violence.

The Emperor's Coven is suspiciously the only one allowed to use all kinds of magic, a way to assert this authority as well as making recruiting Coven Scouts easier. Witches who do not conform to the system are captured and petrified en masse, the Coven Scouts ensure all witches and demons must fall in line, or else. The parallels to our world and state forces used to control the population is not something that goes unnoticed.

Hunter is part of the Emperor's Coven, too. He's placed as the Golden Guard, the most important symbol of the Emperor's Coven, a substitute for Lilith once she reforms. As such, Hunter too starts out by enforcing a system of violence, just as Caleb did before.

The cycle even more glaringly becomes a cycle now, as Belos literally keeps making grimwalkers and restarting the cycle of the golden guard. Belos enforces the cycle of violence, and hopes this "new Caleb" will do it too, and every time he attempts to break it, Belos breaks him first. In a way, there are two cycles of violence at play: that of which is systemically mantained over the Isles, and that of which Belos mantains over Hunter and every other grimwalker he's made.

Hunter, of course, eventually defects as well. He meets Luz, Flapjack, and then Willow and Gus and when he knows it, he's got a whole lot of people he cares about and that care about him. And he becomes a little less willing to carry out the system of violence he was placed in every day. Until he defects for good.

So the cycle breaks once more, but this time, Belos doesn't catch up to him, at least not yet. In the present, Hunter is still surrounded by friends and a loving mother figure. He was part of breaking the cycle, of at least helping stop the Day of Unity. Change is starting.

So where does Collector fit into all of this? Well I'd first like to address the elephant in the room. For a character whose backstory also involves breaking cycles of violence he sure was aiding in one, by giving Belos the draining spell and encouraging the creation of the coven system. But that's just another aspect of cycles of violence.

Because cycles of violence don't just imply systemic violence or even violence perpetrated through constant abuse. But also, the cyclical nature of violence. The ability that someone who has grown up with violence normalized and has had violence done unto them can then channel that into violence towards others.

Now, before I am misinterpreted, I'd like to make some things clear: One, I am not of the simple opinion that "abused people turn into abusers", that is an ugly myth. Two, I have been a victim of abuse myself, and am a psychology graduate. I feel confident speaking with authority about this subject. Third, there is a difference between the psychological concept of generational trauma and internalized violence and the idea that being abused will turn someone violent.

What I am implying here is that Collector's behavior of dismissing both the violence done unto the grimwalkers, as well as towards the victims of the draining spell is something that he has learned and internalized as normal due to his life experiences.

Recall if you will that Collector is a member of an alien species that has a high disregard for life. In the same breath that they will say they preserve creatures to study them, they will also attempt to destroy all that opposes them. Collector grew up with this violence being seen as normal. He was brought to meet the titan trappers and taught to wear the titan skulls, following in his family's footsteps.

But... just like Caleb and Hunter before them, they saw a different path they could take when it came to the titans. A way to approach them without violence. They gained an interest for titans, just like Hunter with wild magic, just like Caleb with the demon realm.

Once left alone to do so, they approached the titans, specifically young ones, close to their age. They played and maybe even learned some of their favorite games for the first time there.

They also became horribly traumatized.

Both Caleb and Hunter have suffered greatly as a consequence for their defiance. No system of violence lets itself be broken peacefully. Caleb had his life taken, so did all the grimwalkers. Hunter, while having escaped with a good support system, lost Flapjack.

For Collector, that came in the form of having to watch all the remaining titans he had so happily introduced himself to play with get killed off by his own family. We do not know the full logic of how or why his family did this, but we know it was brutal and we know the end result: King's egg alone and Collector in the disc, imprisoned for centuries.

Collector is a child, and if there was still any doubt in any fan's mind of this, For the Future stomped it out for good. Collector was a child when he had to watch his family kill off his new friends. He was a child when King's Father, likely in the middle of these attacks and motivated by it, sealed him away. He remained in stasis for centuries during this imprisonment.

I can only imagine that would really mess up any kid up. And through that, I think we can begin to understand what the mindset was for Collector when he took Philip up on his offer.

I've seen people be surprised by how friendly and childlike Collector acted in this latest episode when compared to his previous appearances in season 2, and I think we need to remember that Collector was in a much different condition back then. He had lost everything he cared about, got stuck in a prison for centuries with no one to talk to and no hope of anyone ever finding him, and when someone did find him, it was Philip fucking Wittebane.

And something I think most of us have already clocked about Philip is that he prefers the people he collaborates with to be vulnerable. Someone he can easily control, usually through their emotions and attachments.

We see this in Elsewhere and Elsewhen with his tendency to praise and lead Lilith and Luz on to get what he wants, knowing they need something out of this and are desperate.

We see this with Lilith, whom he uses the guilt of her sister being cursed to make her follow his every command and not question his rules.

We see this with every grimwalker including Hunter as they're told he was the one who "saved them and took them in".

We see this with Luz and how he leads her thoughts around in Hollow Mind to twist it in how she helped him unwittingly before.

And though his relationship with Kikimora and her schemes is more of an odd one, with him mostly paying her no mind, Follies at the Coven Day Parade at the very least touched on the fact her mental health at the Emperor's Coven is not doing well. She's also desperate for something and being led around by Belos' promises, even if that thing she's desperate for is... power. But er, we love an evil girlboss.

Look, what I'm trying to say is that Philip saw a child that had been horribly traumatized from seeing his friends die and then getting stuck in fantasy perpetual prison for centuries with no enrichment, no one to talk to, just eternal loneliness and sadness and he absolutely took advantage of it.

He used every single part of Collector's broken psyche to his advantage, including possibly withholding his freedom to interact with the outside world through the disc, shutting him up and cutting his vision whenever he might have wanted to.

And Collector, having grown up in an environment that encouraged killing everything in your way if necessary, having nothing else to lose because everything he could have cared about not killing was to his knowledge gone...

Absolutely took him up on the offer. And so, the cycle of violence is mantained, the one who had to witness such violence, unable to stop it, now carries out the same type of violence against others. Out of anger, maybe, but mostly out of desperation. For Collector, there's nothing left to do but do what Belos says, otherwise it's back to loneliness and darkness. And if Belos says "kill every last witch and demon in the Boiling Isles", he'll get that.

Collector's glee in this is not something that can be excused, however. It must be examined through the lens of understanding this is a bad thing, that this is a case study in how children internalize violence and learn to be not only compliant to it, but also even revel in it. He's gone from victim to perpetrator. Not because of any of the abuse or trauma he faced, but because of his environment creating the perfect conditions for it.

But that's when our heroes come in. The cycle of violence did not complete itself. The draining spell was stopped. And the way it was stopped is also incredibly powerful in its symbolism.

Because it was King who went out of his way to contact Collector and who freed him. King, a titan, the last of a species that was at war with the collectors, now extended a hand for our Collector to be free. Despite everything indicating that they should not find each other, should not be together, they came together to stop the Day of Unity.

In the Day of Unity being stopped by the Collector, so another cycle of violence is broken: that of titans and collectors being at odds with each other. In them is represented the hope for the future: two children who are free of the anger their species would hold for one another, now united in their wish for a better future.

When King decides Collector shouldn't be imprisoned again and insists to Lilith and Eda that they let him talk to them peacefully, that's him taking a step to break the cycle of violence. When King says "it didn't work" he's not just talking about the fact Collector could go free. He's talking about the fact imprisoning Collector was a violence done unto him that only brought about more danger and more violence, did not teach him anything, and doing so again could risk worse things to come.

When he says "it's worth a shot if no more people get hurt" he includes everyone in that equation. He includes Collector. And that's breaking the cycle of violence.

In a way, you could say if Belos and Collector's arcs as villains are both about stopping cycles of violence in different ways.

With Belos, he has spiraled down so deeply he has become the cycle itself, eating everything in the way and infecting everything, unable to live on without creating more violence onto others, and so he must be stopped by force if necessary. In this, The Owl House doesn't shy away from the fact that in the real world, sometimes you need to fight back, you cannot resolve everything peacefully, and breaking the cycle will involve hurting someone before they hurt more people.

But with Collector, another side is shown, one that reminds us that we must have nuance, and sometimes, we will be faced with the difficult reality that those doing violence unto others are also people who are hurting, who are lonely, who are sad. Specially children who have grown in environments where violence and prejudice was normalized. Sometimes children will be violent, will be bigoted, will repeat every little horrible thing the adults in their lives taught them. But they're still children. And they still deserve a chance to learn and a chance to grow.

It's about recognizing the difference between a young person who genuinely wants to learn and hasn't had the opportunity to, and someone who is not interested in this. Collector's backstory tells us he does have an interest in being good, he just needs the opportunity.

Collector isn't an easy character to approach like Hunter or Caleb. They do not have the benefit of starting off the narrative dead and buried, leaving the audience to assume mostly good things out of his deviation. Neither do they have Hunter's rebellious teenage bravado that allows him to show his defiance to Belos or his tragic fate of being a grimwalker binding him. They just are an alien child with immense power who tried once to deviate from the norm and then got the worst luck of the entire universe after them, and procceeded to become bitter and angry and absolutely sadistic afterwards.

But there's still good in them. And just like Caleb and Hunter, their efforts to break the cycle of violence they were raised in, as well as the efforts to denounce their fellow collectors will not go unnoticed.

#the owl house #toh analysis #toh theory #toh spoilers #toh collector #hunter toh #caleb wittebane #the collector #did you know i hit image limit with this post. i was gonna add more.#Commander's orders

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the-admin-but-dumber · 11 days

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"A canvas for you to paint."

I got some new brushes, decided to sketch these guys for the first time in a WHILE. I do like how it turned out, for something so rushed. Small drabble under the cut.

"O' Creator of worlds, master of swords, Romeo. What do we do now?" Romeo lets out a rough snort of amusement of his parnter's fancy language, he tilts his head to the admin beside him who crawls from the in-between beyond the bedrock. Together they stand under starless skies, only the glow of their armour offers light in a new world, untouched, unmoulded.

Romeo feels his muscles twitch, his fingers do as well, eager, planning out how he'd soon shape the world. It would be a fine world, perfect, but bland, colorless, his eyes glance to Wheatley who meets his gaze back. They wait for his response, an inhuman stillness in how they never breathe.

"We shall build a new world, one without flaw, one we will call our own." He responds, his chest wells with pride, Wheatley follows him across the endless valley of bedrock and pitch black skies. Wheatley does not respond, their thoughts filter back to The Underneath, Xara, Fred, could this truly be a world without flaw? Without them, surely not. But it could still be beautiful.

Following Romeo, they flicker between space, appearing and disappearing, chasing each other through barren lands until they stop. Romeo goes ahead, and Wheatley stands at the border, watching dirt form under their talons and grass bloom from the centre of the world. It splashes outward like a drop of water, curling and twisting to bloom life where it could touch. Wheatley takes a step forward, they fly up to not become trapped beneath a sea of stone and dirt, albatross wings growing from their spine to take them higher on a well placed breeze. Briefly, they consider letting themselves fall, so that they may grow into the world, but they do not.

Romeo terraforms and Wheatley watches, a blank canvas of towering mountains and deep oceans, valleys carved by a single blade, but so bland. The red admin meets Wheatley from their perch in the clouds, brazenly drifting circles until they rise to give him attention, Wheatley bows their head for the first time.

"I've carved mountains and valleys from the void," Romeo starts, he speaks with many voices, none his own. "A blank canvas, and one I will not paint myself."

Romeo takes their hand, they rise from the clouds, following Romeo into the open sky, darkness stares down at two traitors. "O' Master Artisan," he addresses, "my first gift to you, paint these skies for me, bring life to the land so this world truly sings with our power."

It's a soft request, and Wheatley accepts it.

In slithering forms their coil through the air like ribbons, Romeo keeps them steady and Wheatley paints the skies with all the colours they could. They create stars from their blood and with their hair, trees bloom across the once empty fields of grass and stone. Romeo carves caverns and caves, Wheatley fills them with light and jewels, they give life to the animals Romeo shapes from pieces of the past.

And then, their people, they create the first people together. Romeo forms their bodies from all the pieces of their world, and Wheatley breathes humanity and the ability to be what they chose to be.

Their first gift to this world, is existence.

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xbraveheartx · 6 months

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Thinking about how... the game shows you the two ways in which a puppet can "awaken" by showcasing NPCs and even the boss battles themselves, even detailing specifically as to how certain puppets awaken as their past lives as opposed to taking on a new ego.

The Parade Master and Fuoco both have their personalities-- they're not mindless puppets. They're following orders, yes, but by choice. They have egos and are rather... inhuman looking.

Polendina and Pulcinella both seem to me as being modeled as more generic in appearance, something that would speak "I'm a Butler" to everyone who sees them. Gentle faces and welcoming postures. They developed egos.

Camille, Geppetto's wife and Carlo's mother, woke up. It is stated specifically "It was God's miracle that Camille was made into a maid puppet" and "Her appearance and identity in living years were similar, so it was probably easier for her to manifest an ego". She specifically tells those who took her "Send. Me. Back. To. My. Child."

Romeo's face was specifically modeled (or was his actual head used? Still debating on that, it's suspicious) after himself. He woke up, recalling memories of his past and recognizing people from his past.

P was modeled specifically after Carlo, and throughout the game, we're shown him as recalling memories of his past. Geppetto says "It seems you inherited his personality instead of his memories", but with how Sophia comments on his physical reaction to mentioning the familiar necklace ("You look ill. Ever since I mentioned the necklace...") and how we're shown a series of memories through the ergo at the Black Seaside-- he does inherit the memories. The bad ending even goes so far to depict "Carlo", who is obviously not a real boy, in such a terrible light that it screams this is not who you really are.

So then with this trend... he...? ✨

Just really neat how they lay out the differences between waking up and developing a new ego.

#Lies of P #Lies of P Spoilers #Revival runs in the Geppetto family it seems but holy fuck let Old Man Geppetto stay dead pleASE LMAO #I know he regretted and apologized before death but we don't need that coming back to bite us in the ass 🤣#But Lady Antonia though-- no no let her rest she's lived a good life and if you choose to give her a peaceful death #she lived a very happy last few moments. Ugh but damn do I want a happy ending for everyone this game makes me so SAD

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jokatsuya · 10 months

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Love and immortality

Part V Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Morpheus x reader

Wordcount: 1704

Warnings: mention violence and death

Summary: (Y/n) has managed to escape from her predicament in life and is now meeting up again with the man she still doesn't know. Just when she should probably finally get an answer to his identity, unexpected events occur.

A/n: Guess who's back! Right, me :D Can we please talk about the leaks of the second season??? AAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAH Anyway, have fun with this part. Yours JoKatsuya

1789 and I'm sitting here again in this pub, the White Horse. For four centuries now I have been meeting this stranger. One would think to have gotten to know each other, at least a little bit. But no, the only one of us who knows something about the other is the mysterious black-haired man who is sitting opposite me again. Always fashionably dressed with a well-groomed appearance. His looks are really not of a bad nature. Every single day of this last century he was more present than ever in my thoughts. Our last meeting had given me the strength to free myself from my, let's say very unfavorable, life situation. I straightened up and managed to succeed on my own, even if it meant pretending to be a man for a few years. I am not quite sure myself how that went well.

>>I heard something funny the other week. Bloke said to me, he said, "If only the French noble had played cricket with their men the way we do they'd never have had this trouble."<<, I say and close my eyes for a short moment to follow the pleasant sounds of the musicians at the other end of the hall.

>>You know, first the colonies, now France. You ask me, this country will be next for a revolution. I've been salting money away all over the world, which I hope can help me if there really is trouble here. In the meantime... I'm in the foreign trade. You just have to know how to use industrialization.<<, I say honestly before bringing the cup of tea to my mouth and taking a thoughtful sip. All the while, I feel his downright silver eyes on me. Silent, as always when I told him about something. After my initial uncertainty towards it, I have to admit to really enjoying it by now. Very few people could listen so attentively and let you talk in peace. For the normal human being the life time races only in such a way past them. Even if it felt for me also partly so, I had however much more time than this and therefore enjoyed such a conversation only too gladly.

His rosy lips slightly pressed together and with an almost indistinct look on his part, we remain silent for a while. His eyes literally bore into me and leave a shiver down my spine when he finally speaks up: >>It's a poor thing, for one man to profit from the suffering of poorer ones.<< His voice is graced by a touch of coldness.

>>I don't like the inhumane conditions in the factories either. However, it is unfortunately not in my hand to change this.<<, I defend myself sadly with lowered eyes. But he is right. Even children are not protected from the work in the factories. >>It's how it's done, sadly.<<

>>But you can do what is in your power. No matter how trivial it seems.<<, he counters with a piercing look and no emotion on his face.

>>You're giving me advice? After 400 years? But yes, I will consider it.<<, I try to cheer up the situation a bit with a small smile, even if the current topic offers nothing to laugh about. Again I take a sip of the tea, at which I must note that it has now cooled down just like the mood. A small, barely noticeable nod on his part. Change of subject!

>>I saw a production of Romeo and Juliet yesterday. I wanted to pay my respects to our mutual acquaintance after all this time. But can you imagine? The idiots had given it a happy ending. Can you believe it? This sacrifice for love's sake, just undone by such a misappropriated glossing over of the ending.<<, I talk myself into a rage angrily over this fact. I take a last sip from the cup and set it down again.

>>That will not last. The great stories will always return to their original forms.<<, the man across from me replies as a barely noticeable smile slips across his lips. It literally drew me under its spell.

>>You made some kind of deal with him, didn't you?<<, I chuckle lightly out of joy for Will and the legacy he left us. One that I hope will last forever.

>>Perhaps.<<, he confesses.

>>What kind of deal? His soul?<<, I joke, unable to suppress a growing smile. It is ironic that even today I am not one hundred percent sure whether I am really paying for my long life only with my information, or with more.

>>Nothing so crude.<<

>>Four hundred years now, I've been meeting you here and there is so much I still don't know. Who are you? Truly? What's your name?<<, I suddenly ask him again full of ambition to finally get an answer. His lips slowly open after a brief thoughtful moment.

Before he makes the slightest sound, however, a female voice behind him snaps me out of my trance-like state: >>I might ask both of you the same question.<< Both of our heads turn towards it and catch sight of a young woman. Admittedly very attractive.

>>Please, please, do not trouble yourselves to rise. These are Michael and Tobias,<< she says as she walks around the small table between the man in black and me and stops in the middle of it. >>Smugglers by trade. Altough, they're only too glad to augment their earnings by slitting thorats. If you move, they'll slit yours.<<

Trembling at her words, I have to swallow and let my eyes wander back and forth between the two men.

>>They tell of a tale in these London parts, that the Devil and the Wandering Jew meet once every century in a tavern.<<

With a quick glance in his direction, I see that my companion is doing the same. A touch of disbelief in both of our faces. She sounded very convinced of herself. As she continues and with a quick movement produces a note, we look back at her. >>Two years past, sewn into the shirt of dead man, I found this.<<, with these words she comes closer and places the note on our table. There are two people pictured at a table, on the left he and on the right...me?

>>Is that meant to be me? Oh, I look terrible, but you look worse.<<, I joke and give him a quick grinning look.

>>You return to this pub every 100 years, striking bargains with men sharing gifts, immortality, which you will now share with me.<<, she demands in a firm tone, fixing her gaze on the stranger. >>Well, have you nothing to say?<<

>>I am no Devil.<<, the stranger corrects her in a triumphant tone, the corners of his mouth slightly bent.

>>And I'm not Jewish.<<, I quickly add and grin mischievously at her.

>>Fie. What manner of creatures are you then?<<

>>Who wants to know?<<, I now want to know, but more interested in her than originally expected.

>>I'm Lady Johanna Constantine. You will both follow me. My coach is without. I can see there is so much you can tell me. So much I can learn.<<, she enthuses with a twinkle in her eye.

>>No.<<, the stranger's voice again pierces the room. Lady Constantine presses her red lips together, her brown eyes boring into him. I match her in a more subtle way with the latter. Did I expect a different answer from him? I am not quite sure.

>>No, I think not.<<, the stranger adds as he returns her gaze through his dark lashes. If he would look at me like that in another situation... I'm sure my legs would betray me. Still not amused by his words, the woman moves behind Michael and Tobias, who are now slowly approaching us. The iron blades approaching our heads.

>>Get up.<<, hisses one of the two.

Afraid that something bad might happen to us, I jump up and smash my cup against the head of one of them. This immediately shatters and causes a rain of shards. At the same time, I grab the back of his head and slam it down on the table. Straight after that I kick the other one in the middle with the heel of my shoe, which makes him groan in pain and forces him to his knees. As I turn to Constantine, I immediately take a step back as again this evening a dagger points at me. A little out of breath, I can't suppress a small gasp and look back and forth between her and the dagger.

>>Wait.<<, the dark voice sounds behind me. The chair scrapes lightly across the floor as the stranger sits up. My eyes still fixed on the blade in front of me, they widen as out of nowhere a...cloud of sand slides into Constantine's face? Her eyes slowly turn upward, her breathing heavy as she whispers: >>No.<< The dagger comes clattering to the ground before she sinks to her knees and continues: >>No, not you. I'm sorry.<<

Confused and frightened, I crouch down and look at her with concern. >>What did you do to her?<<, I confront him as I turn around.

>>She has old ghosts that I've shown to her.<<

Unsure about this whole situation, I stand up and give him a serious look. He briefly glances at the floor. >>You need not have come to my defense.<<, he asserts with the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

>>Clearly.<<, I reply with a smile, >>Still, I didn't want to be drinking alone here in 100 years' time.<< The grin he gives me is indescribable and evokes a lot of different emotions in me.

>>I don't suppose you care to find another pub tonight?<<, I start trying to prolong our unexpectedly interrupted evening together.

>>She may have told others about our meeting. It will not be safe for you.<<

>>I'm perfectly safe. I can't die, remember?<<

>>Aye. But you can be hurt or captured. We must be cautious.<< Do I hear a hint of worry?

>>Always.<<, I take a deep breath, >>A hundred years, then?<<

>>A hundred years.<< And so we part ways again for the time to come.

Strictly do not: copy, claim or translate those stories of mine anywhere else

tags: @mikariell95 @writing-fanics

#Morpheus #Dream #dream of the endless #Morpheus x reader #Dream x reader #Sandman #tom sturridge #tom sturridge x reader #sandman series #sandman x reader

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heckcareoxytwit · 4 months

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A preview of Astonishing Iceman #5

ASTONISHING ICEMAN #5

SHATTERED! ORCHIS has figured out ICEMAN’s secret — and brings the fight to his frozen front door! Can BOBBY DRAKE survive this ultimate showdown?

Written by: Steve Orlando Art by: Vincenzo Carratù, Javier Tartaglia Cover by: Jesús Saíz Page Count: 32 Pages Release Date: December 20, 2023

#Iceman #Bobby Drake #robert drake #X Men #XMen #Romeo the Inhuman #Romeo #Inhumans #Mister Clean #Paul Botham #Orchis #Fall of X #marvel preview #marvel

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katatonicimpression · 2 years

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Iceman and Romeo in Marvel Voices: Iceman - Infinity Comic (2022) #2 & #4

#bobby drake #iceman #romeo the inhuman #lol does he have a surname?#romeo #lgbtincomics #marvel voices #iceman (2022)

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thehollowprince · 9 months

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So Bobby's bringing Romeo as his plus one to the Hellfire Gala. If Orchis harms a hair on his pretty head, so help me...

#bobby drake #romeo (inhuman)#hellfire gala #hellfire gala (2023)#x-tag

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lovecatsys · 1 year

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#bobby drake #st john allerdyce #allerdrake #warren worthingtion iii #iceangel #akihiro #romeo (inhumans)#hank mccoy #christian frost #simon lasker #julio richter #jean paul beaubier #jean-paul beaubier #x men

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creatress-corruption · 22 days

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Some more headcanon type stuff... in a somewhat story-like way... Admin edition!

(I'm still alive!! I just lost my hyperfixation... but I've had this in my drafts since forever, so I decided to publish it now! ... very late)

As an Admin, there were some things one had to know.

When they had been chosen, there had come a day when their mentor, the previous Admin, sat the three of them down and told them a piece of their history. Something which they would inherit upon becoming Admins.

Before, they had not understood just why the previous Admin had been so… vehement about it, but upon becoming Admins, they learned why.

"All powerful it may be, but the Terminal is not perfect. It makes mistakes, miscalculates, makes… failed attempts, from time to time."

Xara had been the first to see Him.

"We, as Admins, govern the Universe as the Terminal sees fit. We rule and create and destroy, are gifted and raised up by it, all because it deems it so." And the Terminal does not interfere, goes unsaid. For all that The Terminal is sentient and powerful and All, it does not feel like them, does not care like they do. When the Terminal makes mistakes, it-

Xara's hair stood on end, her blood pounding in her ear as a low static rang out; whether its cause was her or The Other was unknown, but Xara did know that whatever was there, wanted her dead.

"The first attempt at an Admin was… a failure. The form gifted to it became twisted, its power and mind corrupted, it's heart and soul shattered… the Terminal knew this being would not deal in equality, would only cause destruction and death and chaos, and so, it locked it away."

Xara turned slowly, eyes shining bright like an End Crystal's core. Her nails slid out further from her fingers, lengthening until wicked blades formed similar to an Enderman's paws. Her teeth, layered in thin rows like an Endermites, glimmered faintly as her eyes emitted a powerful glow, lighting up the dark area.

"It was placed in an eternal sleep, as the Terminal could not bring itself to harm its first creation." (Romeo feels haunted by those words, and the ones that followed. "The Terminal is good, the Terminal is kind, the Terminal is-" The one who let him kill Fred and bury an entire world and stood by while Xara begged and pleaded for the release of death and Romeo suffered further and further until there was no going back and-)

A man watches her. His face is solemn, and Xara's hackles rise. White eyes, bright eyes, eyes of light, that is the first sign.

"But the Terminal misjudged how powerful it had made it. For all that the Terminal can give power, taking it is another thing. And after centuries of sleep, He began to wake."

The sudden all consuming Come MeMeMe To Me Now! That envelopes their minds has them freezing, but they snap out of it, and Fred and Romeo teleport and-

"Hatred filled his heart from birth, so when he found he'd been replaced? That there were others, more perfect than he?" (Romeo still remembers the haunted look on their face, as the Admin leaned closer) "He began to hunt."

Snarls, animalistic and beastly, showing just how inhuman Admins truly were, filled the air. Fred's was a deep snarling rumble that shook the earth, like a tsunami or earthquake; Romeo's a sharp noise, draconic and metallic, bird-like, even, a Creeper's hiss mixed with Wither's ghoulish cry; Xara's joined them, equally draconic yet higher pitched, screeching techno-glitch and static buzzing, a sound similar to a Phantom's edging the cry.

"We fought back, but the loses were… many. There were others, similar to… him. We know not why the Terminal made more, perhaps… nevermind, it's not for us to question the Terminal. But it has become custom to pass this tale along, as a warning, a tradition, our history."

The man, plain and dark skinned and wearing normal, human clothes, stares. He utters not a word. And yet the three can feel it, the malice, the hatred, the need to rip and tear and crush and claw and-

(As The Admin, Romeo has a lot of time to think. To reminisce. And his mentor's words haunt him. Because why. If it is so powerful, then why? Why why why whywhywhywhyw- but he knows why)

"So, if you ever come across him, do not hold back. The Terminal does not kill its creations, that is known, but we may carry out this act of justice. So, should there come a day when you are able, end him."

And then he leaves. And the air becomes empty when their snarls quiet. They never see him again (that's a lie).

Fred looks up at their mentor. "What… what is he called?" He whispers, as if afraid the monster will appear if he speaks too loud. The Admin smiles, "We have many names for him, but there is one he refers to himself by." Xara glances at them, "Which is?"

(Romeo knows why. He knows why the Terminal does not interfere, why it creates monsters and yet does nothing about them, knows why it created more and more "glitches", more failures, only for them to be culled and hunted and feared.)

"He calls himself-"

"Herobrine," Romeo tests the name, ears twitching at every minor sound, his eyes trained on the figure before him. The man- the glitch, the failure- nods once, but says nothing. "Why?" He asks the burning question because he doesn't get it. He doesn't understand how someone could be so… hateful and destructive. It doesn't… he doesn't get it.

(He does he does he understands now is that it?? Is that the grand joke the reveal the lesson??! He finally understands!)

Herobrine doesn't say anything. He never does, Romeo reads in the history books in the Terminal Library. And that is the last he sees. He doesn't mention the sighting to Fred or Xara, can't find it in himself to say anything. Not when things are… tense between them. Not when they're arguing. Not when he-

(And Romeo understands. He gets it. He finally finally gets it. Why did he create the Sunshine Institute? Why did he make his mob hybrids? Why imprison people and force them in his challenges and force and push and hurt-)

The Admin, Romeo, will admit he is cruel, needlessly so. As an Admin, in those days when nothing else mattered but him, he'd enjoyed it, feeling that thrill of having power over others, that dismissal of his people and those lower than him. He enjoyed it. Immensely so. Afterall, why not? Who'd stop him? Who could stand up to him? And finally, he understands.

When Jesse lands the final blow with that Golden Gauntlet, Romeo thinks that is where he will die; it would be perfect, the last Admin, dying in the place- the being- that made him an admin. That raised him so high and yet ignored his pleading begs before it was too late. He expects it, waits for it, because The Terminal is cruel enough to make that his fate.

And then he lives. That's the odd thing, because if Romeo had all the powers of the universe like The Terminal, then he'd let him die. He tries to figure it out, mind reeling, as they dodge giant prismarine fists, rush through a portal as lava drips from above and as the Terminal forces them out. It isn't until weeks later when it suddenly comes to him: The Terminal did not care.

If fate is predetermined, or The Terminal determines it or knows it, then did it know? Does it know, from the moment the three are chosen, what will happen? Does it see Romeo, day by day, fall deeper into madness and hatred and corruption? Does it see Fred, blood spilling from his mouth and nostrils and eyes and eyes, staring with petrified, terrified, betrayed eyes? Does it see Xara, crying and screaming and going mad as she fights one friend above another's corpse, only to lose everything that she'd become in one swift move? Did it watch as an entire world was buried?! As Xara and dozens, hundreds of others suffered in a sunless prison for thousands of years, unaging and frozen- as their people were frozen in time, staring up at the bedrock where once a brilliant star shined and coloured the sky a hundred different hues?!

Romeo's life and sins and fate did not matter enough- The Terminal did not care enough to interfere. It watched, as it always did, as someone else decided, someone else cleaned up its mess. The Terminal made them, and it did. Not. Care.

As Romeo fixes up the damage he caused, his mind will go back to their predecessor's words, and he won't be able to stop thinking them over and over until the truth stares him in the face.

The Terminal could, in fact, take power, it just hadn't bothered to. Because if an Admin can take another Admins power, could make a Gauntlet capable of such action, then why couldn't it? But it could. It just… didn't. Just like how Romeo didn't just leave, like how he destroyed Champion City when he could've just left it be, just like things might've, could've been avoided between the three if they had just- if only-

He understands now. The Terminal created a being that swayed more towards destruction and saw possibilities and acted on them; The Terminal created more "failures" to join the first, to be hunted down and killed, created Admins to be their "betters", to do what The Terminal wouldn't. And obviously, the failures- the glitches caught on to that fact, something the Admins didn't.

Romeo… isn't sure how to feel. He almost tells Xara his thoughts, his revelations, but- he can't bring himself to say it. What will it change? It would only make things worse, either by making her think he was lying or that Fred was always meant to die. That there was no other way, no happy ending. It would break her heart.

He sees him, once again alone, when he's at the cabin. Herobrine stares at him with that ever-bright stare of his. Romeo isn't sure what to say. There's always a chance he's wrong, that he actually is dangerous and- "No, you arrived at the right conclusion."

His jaw falls open. The being had never talked before, as far as he was aware. And he- wha- Herobrine chuckled, a deep baritone, "I'm glad at least one of you has a brain. Do you know how many Admins over the millennia I've watched, how many ignored the signs right in front of their eyes?" The glitch tsk's. Romeo isn't sure what to say.

Hours pass and Romeo is in a daze. The bookshelves are in disarray, Herobrine having gone through them as he talked. "I'm actually really glad for this meeting," he confessed, "It's been ages since I've last had a conversation." "What will happen?" Romeo butt's in, "Another Admin will be chosen, right?" Herobrine stares for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, soon enough. Terminal likes its little toys too much to not make more."

It's insulting to be compared to a toy, but hadn't he compared mortals to toys once?

Another book is placed haphazardly, Herobrine glancing through them. Romeo sits on his bed (he hasn't slept in so long, he's kinda missed it) and watches him. "So, what will you do?" The glitch glances at him, "Oh, that- well if I'm being honest… I'll probably stick by you, I've done the whole lone-wolf thing, and I already know all the others like me, so," he closed another book, pages falling out, "instead I'm going to try being an ex-Admin's friend."

It's with hope that Romeo leaves the cabin later on, the (annoying) glitch following him. It still haunts him, what he's realized about The Terminal, knowing it all is… it's something. Maybe he'll have a breakdown later on about it, but now he's… he needs to figure out an explanation, he supposes. He doubts Xara will just accept him, saying he's really good at making friends. Since that's. Not true. At all.

"So, do you have any ideas on who might be selected to become an Admin?" Herobrine hums, avoiding Romeo's eyes. "Well?" "Maybe, but for now I want to forget about potential future-killers and whatnot." It takes a moment for Romeo to remember that, oh yeah, Admins are kinda encouraged to hunt the glitch down. And by then he's being pressed up against said glitch who has thrown his arm around his shoulders, "For now, let's go bother that purple haired Endermin, shall we?"

#mcsm romeo #mcsm admin #mcsm #headcanons #my headcanons #my stuff #mine #writing #text #my writing #mcsm admins #mcsm fred #mcsm xara #herobrine #hi. im still alive #i just lost my hyperfixation on mcsm but figured id post this since i never did :)

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