#and the dimensions of conflict are now also in the bag
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3 Dimensions Of Conflict Explained With BCC/JAS
Goal Incompatibility: Both stables want to gather as many championships as possible. Since there's a limited amount of championships, they can't both succeed.
Conflicting Attitudes: The BCC believe in pro wrestling, violence, honor, and being tough. The JAS are all about sports entertainment and putting on a show. They hate what each other stands for.
Behavior: Both stables keep beating each other up to try and make the other back down. But neither will back down.
Ergo, until either the BCC or the JAS decide they don't want championship belts as much as they want something else, their feud will continue
#These posts are helping me study so well you have no idea#like I can remember all the theories now#and the dimensions of conflict are now also in the bag#the midterm is in like 90 minutes#when it's done I'm swearing off homework for the rest of the day and maybe I'll write or something#cause I've got like 15 WIPs#I wanna do more Journey and more Cinnamon Hearts and I have so many AUs that could happen#AEW#BCC#JAS#Adventures In English Major#even though this is for a polisci class
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So they seem to lump Xena in with the sci-fi category.
I wouldn’t call it sci-fi, nor supernatural to be honest.
It’s definitely fantasy and action-adventure but it doesn’t really have sci-fi or supernatural elements to it aside from maybe one or two episodes. It has a fair bit of horror but that’s only because Sam Raimi produces it. It’s a genre show, yes, but that covers a wide range. That can be anything from like a detective/crime/investigation/spy show like X Files or CSI (both are sci-fi dramas) to something like Sliders and Star Trek which are definitely science fiction as they deal with time-travel and inter-dimensions and alt-realities but from a purely technological and philosophical lens.
Xena/Hercules are shows all about ancient mythology (I’d say “Greek” mythology but Xena was all over the map. She went to China and Japan and even India. I would honestly laugh my ass off seeing a layout for it).
They’re Percy Jackson before Percy Jackson existed.
Still a genre show. Still fantasy. But certainly have very little to do with supernatural or science fiction genres. Maybe with Hercules you could get away with that definition. But Xena - Xena is more gods, warlords and kings. Every now and again it deals with otherworldly monsters but otherwise - it’s human conflict/drama.
I’d peg Xena as a fantasy/action-adventure show primarily. I wouldn’t necessarily refer to it as a drama or comedy as it does both and it does well at doing both. I mean back when Xena was airing, it was very normal and common for genres shows to do drama AND comedy simultaneously. To do half-an-half.
Buffy isn’t a straight up drama all the time.
Neither is Charmed.
Neither is Wynonna Earp.
That’s what makes them so damn enjoyable to watch.
I mean I haven’t seen the entirety of it but I’m pretty sure X Files is like this as well because it’s also a genre show. A lot of TV shows back then were genre shows - which meant that what you got was a mixed goody bag of stuff - it was never really just one thing only.
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Drabble
post Battle Grounds Harry meets AU Shiloh because of dimension hopping
just a drabble but hoping to fill it out later
Ever since the Battle of Chicago, it was getting harder for regular civilians to ignore the supernatural. They were also very, very jumpy about it. The Paranetters were kept busy, sorting between the false alarms and actual problems, trying to help before things escalated. Harry helped out when they called, a good break from the higher politics trying to erode his morals.
The situation, as far as he could tell, was that there was some kind of explosion at a local shopping mall at three in the morning. The security guard noticed that something killed the security system and found a mess in the clothing store. He called the cops and they found a teen girl and a horse trying to sneak out.
The teen was in custody. The horse disappeared.
Harry could feel a headache coming on. “How do you lose a horse?”
Reynolds, the officer explaining the situation, grimaced. “Things escalated. The girl threw one of our lads through a window after an attempted pat down. We caught her when she made it to the door but we didn’t see the horse.”
She probably wasn’t human then, maybe a practitioner. The horse had either been an illusion or an assisting fae. Strong but inexperienced, maybe someone desperate in need of guidance. If she wasn’t malicious, he could recommend her to the Paranetters before the Council tried to snatch her.
“Has she said anything since you brought her in?” Harry asked mostly to distract himself from the weirdness of being back in a precinct. He kept expecting to see Murphy around the next corner, a reminder that ached.
Reynolds shrugged. “Gave her name as Shay, insisted she wasn’t an enemy and wanted to speak to you or one of your people, and hasn’t said a word since.”
The sergeant hesitated at the door to the interrogation room. “You have your special cuffs?”
Meaning thorn manacles. There was currently a debate whether Special Investigations should be allowed to carry some around in case they came into conflict with a problem warlock, or if this would just cause more problems. Right now the community leaned towards the latter.
Harry patted his shoulder bag. “Yep, just in case.”
He opened the door and went right in. The girl was sitting with cuffed hands on the table. Strands of black and white hair peaked out from the gray hoodie. She lifted her head at his approach, a flash of a relieved smile. “Have you come to bail me out?”
Harry’s breath caught in his throat. She looked… familiar. Just his mind playing tricks on him, he assured himself. It didn’t mean anything that this teen girl reminded him of Justine. Just his guilt messing with him again.
Bury it, keep moving. Harry tried to keep his voice even. “All right, Cruella, who are you and what were you doing at the mall?”
He saw the switch to hurt confusion, then how it melted to disappointment. She slumped in her seat a little. She was young, maybe fifteen or sixteen, and looked terribly alone.
“Shiloh of House Raith,” she said after a moment. She took a deep breath. “And this is going to take some explaining.”
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May 23, 2023
I’ve found a cute little apartment that suits what I’m looking for, and I’m in the final stages of submitting an application for it. And I know it’s not the absolute best option (tiny kitchen, weird flooring), but it fits the budget, the location, and the most basic of amenities that I’m looking for, plus getting to June with the piece of mind that I wouldn’t be homeless this fall... suffice to say I’m hoping praying it works out. I’ve got a lot of nervous energy right now because of it, but I also have a bit of a good feeling, I think. The housing market there is a beast, but I’ve heard repeatedly that everyone finds something eventually, so I’m counting on that.
Part of me wants to learn how to party, how to flirt, how to just let go for a little bit. But I am unfortunately too full of worries, too rigid, too afraid.
You know that Star Trek quote, “Do not mistake my composure for ease”? Yeah, that.
I’m looking forward to the night on the town (we’ve set a date!!!!!), but I don’t even think I have good clubbing clothes. I mean going to the formal earlier this semester with my photo-friend was nice, I guess, but I don’t really dance or drink (though dessert wines ain’t bad, and I’ve tasted a fruity wine I liked, but I’ve still yet to find a cocktail I really enjoyed). I’m okay being the mom friend, I think. The friend who watches over people’s bags while they do the roller coaster. The friend who helps clean up after a party. The friend who observes. [edit: I think this just means I’m an introvert actually lol]
Anyway, speaking of Star Trek, I was at first really critical of (or maybe confused by) people who don’t like Picard (the show), who say it tarnished the reputation of their favorite captain, of their comfort show. I, personally, felt as though the show added an additional dimension to my favorite captain and the Star Trek world as a whole. But I think I’m beginning to at least understand their position. Gene Roddenberry designed Star Trek Starfleet as a utopia where all of humanity’s current issues have been resolved and we can devote ourselves to arts, humanities, passions, exploration. Picard (and Discovery, from what I’ve heard) deviates from that ideal. As much as I love the idea of Star Trek’s utopia, I’ve never been entirely convinced that we could do away with vices like greed within four hundred years or so, and I was very much aware of how the interspecies conflicts were not entirely absent. Space was still a dangerous place, politically, with the Klingons and the Romulans and whoever else. So seeing that element of danger explicitly was a positive for me, though I can understand how that type of content may not be what older ST fans turn to the franchise for (not to mention how they decry women in power on the newer shows, as if we’ve learned nothing since having Black, White, and Asian senior crew members in TOS (but old fans not recognizing their hypocrisy over how the current ST series confront modern social issues is an old argument that I’ve seen time and time again and doesn’t need repeating)). Maybe Picard does deviate from Roddenberry’s original vision. And that may be unwelcome for some. And that’s okay. I would go so far as to say that the target audiences are a little different. Which is also okay.
I’ve been watching season three with my parents, and while the beginning was dreadfully slow, it’s started to pick up :)
Today I’m thankful that... my mom hasn’t come down too harshly on me for my room being a mess (yet). I’ve almost entirely moved out of my apartment, and I’ve stuffed everything into my teenage bedroom, and I haven’t unpacked it yet because I’m pretty sure most of it will just be going with me when I move out again, and I’m not entirely sure how to handle the two-and-a-half-month interim. I’m thinking about developing a capsule-ish wardrobe for the summer and sticking the other items into storage bins, ready for the move. While I’m glad my mom hasn’t chastised me yet, I’m certainly feeling the negative mental effects of a messy room (seriously, it’s horrific in here). I just need to come through here with dead eyes and a trash bag. Maybe two or three (or four or five) trash bags.
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supernatural s12e13 family feud (w. brad buckner, eugenie ross-leming)
made me laugh in the recap that when prince of hell dude says he doesn't care that "lucifer has a bun in the oven" they cut to the lady with said oven and bun, clarify we're not dealing with a pregnant lucifer situation
still not sure what they're angling at with this whole mary working with the bad british mol people and continuing to lie about it. how very sam and ruby. hope she's not banging mr ketchup
so glad pellegrino is back for lucifer! though keeping my expectations low because i didn't like the plotlines they were working with him with the other actors. maybe his creeping dread charisma can make it work
CROWLEY
I managed to pervert that spell. So your essence wasn't sent back to the cage, but instead, we found your discarded vessel a few years ago…repaired it, improved it, making it a fitting final home for the real you.
haha woohoo for me specifically! handwave some reasons we could get mark back
LUCIFER
Thanks? I mean, all that effort. So you could've had me back in the cage, but no, you needed your sad, little revenge. How do you think this is going to end? Nice new digs, by the way. Cozy.
it's like a combination of delivery and his look and how he uses his face. it's just *chef's kiss*
DEAN
I don't know, I just – I feel like something's going on with her, and she ain't talkin' about it.
SAM
Mom's hunting again. That's a grind. You know that. She just needs a little time, Dean. That's all.
potentially bad times once the cat's out of the bag. sammy givin her the benefit of the doubt
DEAN
So, if you find him, we actually do have something that you'll like. Like, really like.
ROWENA
Who is this eyewitness?
LOL sam and dean are very excited to tell her. (also vaguely looks like they're propositioning her together and everyone is down). they're all jonesing to metaphorically dickpunch crowley
think i blanked out almost all memory of the episode with crowley's son. all i can remember is rowena's son that she had to kill
s12e13 / s12e8
looks like no more bentley badge
very pretty
MR. KETCH
Really? Or is that just what you want to believe? You're different when you talk to them. Softer. Weaker. Not an insult, just an observation. But when you hunt, Mary… you're one of the best I've ever seen. Now you might play at being the good mummy, but when you're in the thick of it, nothing but a blade in your hand and blood in the air, that's the real you, the best you. And I think you know it. And I think that scares the hell out of you.
mr ketchup definitely doesn't have any ulterior motives
(do they call dogan a princess of hell?)
GAVIN
I…was thinking the same thing. I loved her. She loved me. That's the only reason any of this happened. I can spare her the nightmare she's trapped in. I cannae say I ever fit here. Here, I'm alone. Fiona and me, we'll spend eternity together.
reminds me of someone else we know... blonde, gorgeous, dodging advances from condiments
CROWLEY
Just 'cause Dim and Dimmer here can't keep their own family all in the same dimension, doesn't mean they can mess with mine!
LOL harsh but fair
they're playing some sad music like we're supposed to be upset or something about crowley being forced to let his son go but like. you're gonna need to do better than some C plotline from some other season never to be spoken of again except for when we wanted to add some (dubious) stakes and recurring characters into our monster of the week
welp. i'm glad this is out in the open.
the dean not being surprised and immediately shutting down, sam trying to calmly explain why he think it isn't okay. oof. 💔 saving lots of people yes, mary, good! working with the organization that brutally physically and mentally tortured sam and dean and were going to kill them, really not good! irritating because i really want to like mary and this is a stupid plot conflict they plopped her in.
i think this is the mushy music variation (at the very end of this clip)?? that was used when mary was watching a family at some outdoor thing while cas got coffee in 12x1 - but no. it's another variation on the mushy music
ROWENA
It was the right thing. Maybe for Gavin, certainly for me. It allowed me to watch you suffer the loss of a child.
CROWLEY
Payback.
ROWENA
I'm your mother, dear. Who better to crush your shriveled heart?
quite sure crowley would have known that's why she did it, but thanks for the explainer, show :p (also something very funny to me about rowena using a thermos for her hot beverage)
nice music+scene selection (rolling stones too, fancy) feel like i've been transformed into some lucifer stan suddenly. so hyped to have mark back lol. not even mad that crowley made really bad choices keeping him topside :p that is impressive
i do like that they're showing us that they're still arguing about it offscreen-ish
#supernatural#spnwatch#spn 12x13#spn clip#spn mushy music variation#spn musical score#brad buckner#eugenie ross leming#jay gruska
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Thank goodness for Sly. Love my Special Sly.
Idk just this guy is such a huge comfort to me right now. I want to feel bad about hugging a stuffed animal goodnight every time I go to bed who had a 1998 retail price of 300 USD but he's just such an incredible toy.
I know he was made to be loved. That's important.
Still world building for a story inspired by him. I kinda want to come up with a new name for him for the story so I'm not just stealing the character made for the toy. But idk. Sly is just a perfect name for a conniving vicious-servant-esque slithering under the bed monster.
For my story I'm making enough design changes I think to be its own thing also. But man is his design super comfy to me.
I wish I could see a giant version of him. I've already been thinking a lot about making my own quilts. Quilted under bed monster. 🥹 Like the only thing that'd make him a better cuddler was that he was bigger. We're talking Lifesize/sleepingbag sized. Lol imagine one so big you can actually fit inside his pajamas bag tummy.
Idk so positives are Sly. I love my Special Sly. Still been unable to write or draw but with the world based on him world building documents come easily.
I wish I could do art fight. I want to get art I want to draw for friends. But grief and pain is just too much. I'm getting familial trauma and childhood pain dragged up a lot in my brain. I guess that's to be expected when I'm struggling with similar pains. I just wish I could have a relationship with my grandparents without all the baggage. Part of me fears what if they weren't good people like I remember. Because I was so small. Because there's people still around who aren't good people. But I know they were good. I can feel it. Idk. I wish I could start again have a new life be born to new parents and have a childhood that wasn't torn asunder by grief and abuse and trauma, you know? Imagine how I'd grown up if so. I'd actually have grown up for one thing. Not stuck in trauma child limbo.
Idk. Just hugging my Special Sly. Thank you Fishy for helping me get my hands on him.
Apologies as part of this Tumblr ate my gotdang post so I tried to the best of my ability to replace what was lost but it's not going to feel as complete as it should be.
I have been thinking about how wanting to create comes easily with Sly because my world for him to inhabit is simple and childish and a sort of dreamland esque thing. My magnum opus I've been working on since I was little is a gargantuan undertaking tied to my childhood and trauma and it's just so daunting to touch it. And I both want to change it and don't want to change it. It's literally grown up with me and it's become so much an untouchable thing. But with Sly I can go "hehe ho childlore HoDcore under the bed monster dimension go brrrrrrrrr"
My main fictional universe is very much if you didn't already know the result of the mythology esque "constellation creatures high fantasy" world of my earlier years mashed together with the "sci-fi post apocalyptic mutant and/or bionic dogs on what is almost certainly some form of Earth" world of my elementary school years that over the course of time I've been functionally merging the two at times conflicting concepts. And it very much is something I feel I still struggle with the balance of. Sometimes I feel it's way more obvious than others.
I've just put so much into this world that if I go in to change literally anything there's a domino/ripple/butterfly effect that happens where I've gotta extensively go and ensure there's consistency and that "nothing breaks" the established worldbuilding and planned plotlines and such in doing so. Which is pretty fucking exhausting.
But I mean that's what happens when there's over a decade of a child retreating into this fantasy world. A lot of time has passed, a lot of areas for growth and change. In real life I am stunted and didn't grow, but my world sure as hell did. Tired (and weak)
Idk if I'll ever be able to even publish book 1 (pretty much done in draft form except for when I feel compelled to overhaul shit) or book 2 (predominantly done but less than 1 and I have the same problem where I keep wanting to add and change) and I don't want to end up being a George Lucas about it and then not commit to it once I do publish and insist on changing and republishing ad nauseam forever. I'm gonna die before my life's work ever amounts to anything 😔
If you reduce it to the bare bones what has been set in stone is essentially Heart of Darkness but the boy and his dog are natives of the alien planet in question and it's at the point in history where the dark force is attempting to achieve purchase within the world rather than it already having largely taken over and deposed any and all opposition. But of course I have an unkillable Tolkien approach to the whole thing and I just have to have that encyclopedic brand of autism where I have to ensure consistency with everything from the way the world is designed to the way the damn physics works in relation to how physics works in the real universe. I was talking about this to some friends on discord and I joked about how this neuroses of mine could outcompete the entirety of Wookiepedia. Which is not exactly a healthy thing considering that Star Wars EU was the product of many people and Wookiepedia itself is the product of many people. And I'm just one immensely fucked up little boy with a special brain.
Creators, I want you to take your biggest longest worked on specialest project and I want you to seriously narrow down just how big of a world you've made for it. Is it a town? Is it a kingdom? Is it a continent? Is it a planet? Is it a galaxy? Or are you like fucking me and you've got in some capacity at least four goddamn star systems and while you do only largely focus on the one planet you feel compulsively the need to develop it as much as fucking possible and also to worldbuild stuff that you may never even get to in a similar degree with every other fucking planet? Bruh I've got a whole fucking potential universe to work with and my brain absolutely won't let me forget it even though a human brain really isn't equipped to process an entire universe. And I post none of this online because I've had people steal my shit literally since the third grade (Fuck you Jarod) and also where the fuck do I start with the posting? And once I post things god forbid I retcon it because not only do I need to alter things internally but publicly now too.
Yes, the only things I ever share at a bare minimum must be stuff I know isn't going to fucking change six thousand times over the course of the month. The only things I let other people see are the stuff where changing it would be sacrilege. Like Red Spot is always going to be a red eyed doberman with cropped ears and a docked tail and wings and a star collar. Orion is always going to be a little blue-tinted albino emperor penguin boy. And for 99% of people who know anything about my shit that's pretty much all they know, all they're ever going to know, and all I'm ever going to tell them. Because that at this point would never change. (If you knew me in school you may be aware that Red Spot has flip-flopped to some extent in turbulent mistake-ridden points of my life but shut up no he didn't. Forget that. What do you mean he had red-toned constellation coloration at one point rather than the black and rust typical doberman coloration??? Shut the fuck up I am gaslighting you. Forget. Forget. Forget. Forget.) (Also an aside but the whole finsterhund lichthund wing morphology thing only initially was a thing I decided needed to exist because of how the type of wings Red Spot had was inconsistent. I built an entire fuckton of shit that has significant thematic impact and worldbuilding lore and societal connotations and etc. etc. because little baby Andy couldn't decide between dragon or eagle wings. Just to give a small example of why this monster has taken years and years and years and it is STILL FUCKING IN DEVELOPMENT HELL CHRIST MAN WTF SOMEBODY HELP ME)
So I've burned out almost completely with my beloved world. It sucks. I don't even know how to proceed from here. An obvious answer is just to strip away everything save for the bare minimum and start over. But I don't want to abandon my fucking child. And I know I'm just likely to do it all over again even if I managed to commit. Which I wouldn't in the first place. Friends tell me "oh just focus on books 1 and 2 and work with anything else later" but you don't understand I need to make sure that I never contradict myself ever and that even the tiniest thing within books 1 and 2 remain canon compliant permanently and inscrutably. God.
I do not have this problem with my Heart of Darkness headcanons. I feel more restricted with HoD. More restrained. Because I am violently picky about something potentially being an aberration or inconsistency or ruining the canon. I can't just harass Eric or Fred every hour of the day about shit I can't infer from what's present in the game itself so I am on a leash. Which in and of itself is stressful because I do wish there was encyclopedic levels of autistic worldbuilding that was canon that I knew for a fact was what Eric and Fred and Christian intended.
How do I let loose and have fun? Well the answer it turns out is Underbed.
My whole concept of Underbed is that it's some sort of backrooms esque nightmare realm where monsters from under the bed, in the closet, etc. live. And akin to the whole backrooms concept it's not like it's a planet or universe all its own. It's like a parasitic pocket dimension to Earth. Which Earth? It doesn't matter. It's implied to be powered by childlore and childhood dreams, imagination, fear, etc. So it can bend and stretch and fluctuate and I don't have to worry about how quilted patchwork creatures are "alive" or how things can travel between the two spaces or anything. And I haven't yet felt the compulsion to over explain and set compliancy rules in regards to lore, physics, etc.
Of course I do want to do crossover stuff with HoD, but not seeing Underbed as its own distinct planet like where the Darkland is does make this easier. I only have to worry about one of the locations having its "black hole at the heart of the planet how does this dictate how things work there" lore. Underbed gets to be "idk magic quilt lol" about the whole thing. The most I've gone into more realistic concepts is that perhaps it's implied the childhood creatures may have once been flesh and blood but were cursed somehow. Maybe.
I think that acknowledging how creating to me is a tiresome burden because of the state of my brain is a good first step but I don't know where exactly to go from here. I do wish I could just not give a shit but unfortunately my entire childhood has drilled into me that there are consequences for not covering your bases at all times.
I ended up contacting the surviving daughter of the designer of the original Sly, who is also the person who wrote the little beanie babies esque story on the tags to see about officially getting her blessing to make my own story based off of my Special Sly but I'm currently waiting on a response.
I do think that what I want to make is its own distinct thing to the point that I surely have every right to do it. I mean he's not even going to fully look like the original toy design and people make stories based on their childhood toys all the time but I'm so self-conscious and paranoid about the whole thing.
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Dragons & Blades series by Aliette de Bodard
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted June 5, 2020
Edits and Addendum on September 3, 2022
Please note: I reviewed the first title two years ago, but am now combining it with its first sequel, using a different URL. I will eventually delete the older page.
1. Of Dragons, Feast and Murders / 2. Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances
A new novella described as a spin-off from Aliette de Bodard's Dominion of the Fallen series, "Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders" will be published in a little over a month, July 7, 2020. I received an e-ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. At this time Amazon only has a pre-order for Kindle, and B&N only for the Nook. I'm not sure if a print edition is planned for later. [UPDATE July 7: Amazon now has it in paperback (link above), B&N still only for the Nook, but no listing at Bookshop yet (EDIT: still not at Bookshop more than two years later).] The novels were published by ACE, but the shorter works have been either self-published online only, or in the case of these two, through the indie press JABberwocky Literary Agency.
I have the first novel in the series but haven't read it yet, although I've now read four shorter works, and I believe there are at least three others. I think this is set after the third novel, but it's enough of a stand-alone story as long as you are aware of the general premise. Most of the series is set in a post-apocalyptic Paris, with Fallen Angels aligned in various Houses, along with other supernatural beings. This story is about the Fallen Angel Asmodeus, head of House Hawthorn, and his husband Thuan, a dragon from the Celestial City, which I gather is in an alternate dimension, but I could be wrong about that. Thuan can shape-shift and take human form, and Asmodeus can keep his wings in check to appear human too. The Celestial City, based on Vietnamese culture, is home not only to dragons, but also crab/humans and fish/humans, and probably other creatures, but dragons are the dominant class.
Thuan is a member of the royal family but is uninterested in that part of his life. He is a scholar, fond of books. He now lives with Asmodeus in Paris, but they have come back to the palace in anticipation of the Tet Holiday, Lunar New Year. Their visit is interrupted by a murder. Due to his keen ability to smell blood, Asmodeus gets to the body quickly, and the authorities are unaware he finds and keeps a bag of an unknown powder found on the victim's body, which he suspects is a poison. Thuan is invited to aid in the investigation by one of his cousins, a local magistrate. There are other bodies too, one burned beyond recognition, another Thuan suspects was killed by Asmodeus, who is known to be fond of knives. A synopsis of the story includes "…a tale of dragons, and Fallen angels—and also kissing, sarcasm and stabbing." Asmodeus is convinced they are being trapped between rival court factions. He would rather return to Paris, but Thuan reluctantly commits his help. When they determine the purpose of the powder, Thuan races to warn and protect the Empress. This works well on its own, you can forget about the supernatural trappings and read it as a straight mystery, replete with corrupt authorities, arrogant royalty, and underlings presented as scapegoats.
Posted September 3, 2022:
I'm now even more anxious to read the Dominion novels, since things were revealed in this new story that I don't recall from "Dragons." Supposedly Asmodeus and Thuan's marriage was arranged between the Fallen and the Celestial City. They have grown to love and respect each other, but that was not always the case, and they still have occasional quarrels. I won't detail one of their previous conflicts. As with the first story this is a mystery, with another body discovered, but the body comes after they encounter a ghost of a young girl in an abandoned shrine. The ghost, whose name they learn is Lan, apparently witnessed the murder of another. Since I'm averse to violence and am an avid reader, I identify with Thuan the most, but there are aspects of Asmodeus's character that I admire as well. The "Blades" of the stories collective title comes from him, his favorite weapons being knives and swords. He is quick-tempered, sometimes even gleeful in his displays of violence, but he has a very strict moral code, that code being the basis for his belief that violence is necessary in many instances. One of the instances he won't budge on is the protection of children, even if they are a ghost.
Asmodeus takes Lan under his wings, both literally and figuratively, while Thuan is hesitant to even be close to her, especially because they are on a break at the Celestial Palace and caring for two of his nieces, Camille and Ai Nhi. He is plagued with the predominant notion that ghosts feed on the living, sort of like zombies and vampires in other legends. Asmodeus keeps referring to Lan not as a ghost but as a girl who needs their help. Thuan's nieces embrace her as another friend, while Thuan is afraid for himself and everyone else. He has good reason to be afraid. It seems someone has targeted Lan because she had witnessed a murder the perpetrator wants to keep covered up. Another of Thuan's relatives is consulted, who gives them vital information about previous murders in and around the abandoned shrine. On several occasions they are attacked by cut paper figurines imbued with magic, both Thuan and Asmodeus sustaining injuries, the latter being the most severe. Thuan's cousin directs them to the most likely suspect, whom they eventually defeat, but it is not easy. As all of this is happening, Lan becomes more and more substantial. Asmodeus declares her a new part of the family, which delights Camille and Ai Nhi, but it will take a long time for Thuan to overcome his prejudices.
Another intriguing mystery, with significant character development, along with a deeper exploration of Celestial City politics and bureaucracy, not to mention the difficulty of two very different 'people' navigating a serious relationship. Can Thuan and Asmodeus reconcile their different natures, their different outlooks for the future? One benefit for the city as a whole comes about when they determine the likely cause of Lan's death: starvation. Thuan is able to put into place new policies that aid the poor, not just with food, but also better education and preparation for employment. It's too late for Lan, even if she is able to retain her spirit and thrive within a loving family. I hope for more stories featuring Thuan and Asmodeus, whether or not Lan is still around. Recommended.
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I saw on one of your post that said to send you prompts sooo... can I request A childhood friend AU either Felix or Marinette moves away and then reuniting in college in France at age 14 in Felix's school with the Quantic Kids.
It was a pretty normal day, which probably meant something was going to happen. If it wasn’t a normal day, something was bound to happen as well; life in Paris hadn’t been normal in months. It being a normal day meant that Marinette was late. Super late. Way, way, so very late she might as well be early for the next thing kind of late. So late that- (oh, she’s beginning to catch onto why she’s so late.)
She knew even as she was shoving toothpaste into her bag for Tikki and brushing her teeth with frosting (wait, switch that) that she would be late, and her erratic movements were enough to convince her parents to write her an excuse. Not that anyone could blame her; she had to deal with three akumas in one night. Three akumas. Who could blame her, or anyone for that matter, for being late when there were three emotionally-stunted teens each wreaking havoc upon the city? It was a wonder that anyone else got to class on time, except for Alya, who Marinette was pretty sure didn’t sleep.
Marinette kissed both parents goodbye, thanking them again for the excuse note. They shoved a box of pastries into her hands, as was their habit whenever she didn’t leave school fast enough.
They had done it since her first day at her new school, when she was tiny and frightened of new people; having the same best friend since birth would do that. Her father had shoved a box of macaroons in her arms and her mother placed a bracing arm on her back. They told her what to do and she tried her hardest to follow their instructions, standing up straight at the front of the class, introducing herself, and offering cookies. Unfortunately, that was the same day Chloe Bourgeois was joining public school, and compared to cookies, her offer of money to ten year-olds wasn’t all that effective. And Chloe was excellent at holding a grudge.
Of course, she ended up with friends: Alya, Nino, Adrien, and everyone in art class, but it was hard to go about her first couple years of school without anyone in her corner. Becoming Ladybug really gave her the boost of confidence she needed to break out of her shell and make new friends, and now she had a whole class full.
She stopped in the classroom to put her stuff away, pausing for a second to breathe. How was she out of shape? She’s Ladybug, for heavens’ sakes! Those three akumas really took it out of her. Luckily enough, she had gym class up next. (Can you hear the sarcasm?)
“Girl! Where have you been?” Alya smiled up at her from where she was stretching her hamstrings.
“Sorry Alya, slept in too much.” She fell into place beside her, choosing one of the more advanced stretches to accomplish instead. “Three akumas yesterday; couldn’t get much sleep.”
“You need to get over yourself, Mari. Ladybug and Chat Noir always win against the akumas, this fear of yours is ridiculous.” Alya glanced at her with an incredulous look, but when she saw her intense yoga pose, the look shifted and she yelled over her shoulder. “Adrien! Get over here! Marinette’s doing her physics-defying stuff again!”
Adrien joined them, laughing at Alya’s exaggerated despair. “It’s really not that hard. You just have to-” He fell into the position easily and began matching her movements. “There.”
“How on EARTH?” Alya shrieked and threw herself to the right, toppling into Nino, who was in a shaky warrior two. They ended up in a heap on the floor, Alya staring in horror at the two still upright and Nino staring bewildered at his girlfriend. “How are you two doing that?”
“Well, I don’t know about Marinette,” Adrien moved into an upward dog, “but father insisted that I be physically active in some way and my mother used to do yoga. So I picked it up.”
Nino leaned close to Alya’s ear. “I’m not sure whether to add this to the ‘reasons Gabriel sucks’ list or be happy he has this thing with his mom.”
“Both I guess?”
“What about you Marinette?” He moved into a handstand-like position. “Why do you know all this stuff?”
My superhero moonlighting requires me to be as stretchy as a rubber band, so my partner, who is also a furry, taught me yoga. “My first best friend and I learned tai chi, and this just felt like the next step.” Not a lie, just not why she chose yoga.
“Okay, you’re fine.” Alya pointed a finger between them both. “But next time you do something weird, I’m starting a cryptid blog about you.”
“You don’t have the guts.” Marinette leaned in and Adrien flipped down to join her. It felt familiar, like deja vu; not her crush, she killed that with fire once he started dating Kagami.
“Heey!” Nino opened his arms in front of them. “Let’s change the subject, what about that new student?”
“There’s a new student?” Marinette turned to the rest of the class, who were all stretching dutifully. No new faces whatsoever. “Where are they?”
“Not here, he went to the office over a scheduling conflict. Seems like a jerk.” Alya pulled an arm behind her head, glaring with derision in the direction of the office.
“Alya, don’t.” Adrien nudged her with a foot. “First impressions don’t mean anything, right Marinette?” He shot her a playful glance.
“Don’t remind me.”
“That one was a misunderstanding. Mister Ice Cold over there doesn’t even say a word, just nods and walks into the back of the class. At least Adrien did something and he asked for forgiveness afterwards. Frosty doesn’t even look at us.” With that final comment, Alya joined the rest of the class in dodgeball.
“Is she alright?” Adrien side-eyed her.
“Yeah, she just really hates people acting superior to her. Let’s go.” Marinette shrugged it off and joined her in picking teams.
Dodgeball was a mess; it always was. The entirety of the class had been akumatized at one point, and some of the strategic prowess remained. Marinette’s team always won, which everyone attributed to her agility, but it was really that Ladybug had more practice in strategy. The only way the teams could be considered even was if Adrien was against her.
She still won; she always won. When it was all over, each team, sweating and exhausted, gravitated to the center line to shake hands and congratulate one another on a game well played. Adrien met her in the middle with a weary smirk. His hair was disheveled, but there was a spark in his eyes that made him seem more familiar than he already was.
“I almost got you that time.” He gripped her hand tight.
“All that training with Kagami is really upping your game.” She quipped, shaking his hand. “Better luck next time.”
With that promise of another match, everyone vacated the gym to the locker rooms, where Alya continued to warn Marinette against the new student.
“Even Chloe doesn’t like him and he seems like the kind of rich boy that would be right up her alley.”
“Alya, I get it. You aren’t the new guy’s biggest fan.”
“And the feeling’s mutual too.” She griped.
“So just don’t talk to him; it works with Chloe. Why not this guy too?” She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to their desk.
“Fine, but I don’t have to like it.”
“You don’t have to like him either.” She pulled out her notebook and began writing down the date.
Before Alya could make another passive aggressive comment about the mystery new boy, Miss Bustier walked in, the usual skip in her step. “Class, I know I already introduced you to our new student but since some of us weren’t here for the first period,” Marinette ducked her head with a sheepish smile, “I’ve decided there’s nothing better than a redo. So, here’s Mister Culpa, introducing himself again.”
Culpa?
A boy with pale blond hair and paler skin strode into the room. He wore what could only be called business-casual, all monochrome. His eyes were a one-in-a-million breathtaking ice blue.
Culpa?
“Hello.” His eyes scanned the room emotionlessly. “As I previously said, my name is Felix Culpa and I am from-” He stopped when he reached her. “Nette?”
“Felix.” She breathed, barely even daring to say it louder, lest he disappear.
He was a blur, climbing the steps and reaching her in the time it took her to stand. There were no words when they hugged, other than the other’s name. She was on the tips of her toes, pressing her forehead to his collarbone. Felix got tall.
“I missed you.” He whispered, squeezing just a little tighter.
“I missed you too.” She laughed, pulling back to see his face. He was crying. She was crying.
“What in Ladybug’s name is happening?” Alya’s shout broke them from whatever pocket dimension they were inhabiting together. “You two know each other?”
“Alya, this is Felix.” She turned to look at her, hand still on Felix’s shoulder. “He was my best friend from birth to ten.”
“Was?” He bumped her hip with his. “Didn’t know I’ve been replaced, Netta.”
“I couldn’t contact you after I moved! I was ten and your mom never told us what her new number was.” She punched his elbow. “What are you doing here?”
“My family moved. I didn’t know you were in this area too; imagine my surprise when I see what the current events in Paris are and find out that there are superheroes and my best friend is now a borderline celebrity.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair.
“We have to catch up some time.” She grabbed his arm.
“Certainly, maybe not here and now, though.” He gestures to the class around them, avidly watching the exchange.
“Right.” She released his arm and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Coffee and macarons later then? My place?”
“I would like nothing more.” He quirked a smile that would seem tiny to anyone else, but to Marinette was as bright as the sun. “Until then.” Felix squeezed her hand and moved to the back of the class with a little wave.
She returned it, a goofy smile definitely on her face as she sat back down.
“Well,” Miss Bustier coughed, “since Felix has been so thoroughly introduced to everyone else, I suppose I should start the lesson.” And she dove into a spiel about the first World War.
“Dang, girl. Is it just me, or do you have a date after class?” Alya whispered to her from behind her textbook.
“It’s not a date! We’re just catching up.”
“Sure.”
She spared a quick glance at Felix, who was nose-deep in his book, just like when they were kids. He had such sharp features, and upon reconsideration, his eyes looked even more beautiful than she remembered. Felix grew up just fine without her. Really fine, in fact.
It took Marinette a couple seconds to realize she was staring, and when she did, her head turned back to the front of the room so fast she swore she heard a snap.
This was... going to be complicated.
#felinette#ml felix#felix agreste#felix culpa#marinette dupain cheng#ml marinette#ml alya#alya cesaire#ml nino#nino lahiffe#ml adrien#adrien agreste
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#C45052 | BENNETT.
genre | fluff
word count | 1753
warning | mention of injury
note | (ignoring the obvious fact that i did not know how to end this) bennett is a good and underrated boy.
you shivered after your fist came in contact with the ice barrier.
your skin was numbed by the sheer cold to a point where the pain of punching a giant fallen icicle would simply subside into the stinging uncomfortable of your freezing skin. the sheer cold of dragonspine was nothing to make fun of, you realized that now, and you should probably not have agreed to travel here with bennett out of all people.
you never believed in superstition. curling a cord three times around the hairdryer would suffocate you, whistling past midnight would get you kidnapped by witches, looking at the clock when it strikes three brings you to alternate dimension—bennett’s terrible, unexplainable, god-awful bad luck.
you did not believe in it. even after seeing the scars that adorned his young skin, you did not believe it was the result of poor luck but only the product of a teenage boy's aggressive clumsiness during an adventure.
yet, after venturing into dragonspine with bennett, as well as razor and klee who have decided to tag along (razor convinced only after finding out klee is also going, not to watch over her for her safety but the cold mountain's livelihood), you found out you were having a change of mind.
it was very likely that you only wanted somebody to blame, though.
you four got separated after bennett slipped from a cliff, bringing you with him when his leg somehow tipped over your ankles and tripped you as well. klee and razor got distracted, it seemed, as you could hear explosions firing during your fall before your shoulder hit the soft surface of bennett‘s torso.
the two did not come down to find you guys, so you two decided to head up the mountains again in hopes to bump into them somehow. but, during an encounter with some whopperflowers, you two were backed into a cornered cave and, lo and behold, a giant and thick icicle fell atop of the spike-sprouting flowers and, conveniently, the only exit to the cave as well.
that was not mentioning all the tiny misfortunes thrown in between, such as falling into lakes, unable to find fire podiums, and slipping off snows.
therefore, no, you do not believe in superstition, but for the sake of being able to direct your anger toward someone else, you spared yourself the strictness and blamed bennett's bad luck.
"hey, look, i'm sure razor and klee will find us somehow!" bennett exclaimed with a smile after walking to your side. "you won't believe me but razor has a very keen sense of smell!"
you rolled your eyes with a huff, feeling annoyed that he still had it in him to look on the positive side. "what's he gonna do, sniff your bad luck and find his way here?"
his brows raised in curiosity. for a second, he genuinely thought about the question, then he laughed loudly and rubbed the back of his neck. "i don't know! but it would be so cool if he can do that, don't you think?"
"the only thing i am thinking about now is getting out of here," you lightly growled under your breath as you glared at the azure-colored icicle.
archons. you could not be trapped in here for any longer. it was cold, the oxygen was probably draining and bennett never stops talking so he sucks the living hell out of the air, and there was no guarantee you two wouldn't be stuck here for the rest of your lives!
worst of all, you snap at people easily, especially when you were angry at them. whether it was misplaced anger or not, having bennett be near you right now could easily cause a misunderstanding with the words you could spill out of you. you would not mean them, but they could still hurt his feelings, and you did not want to hurt his feelings.
bad luck and badly-timed optimism aside, bennett was the single most selfless person you have ever met.
he still had it in his head to reach out for you in mid-air and use his body as a shield during the fall, for archon's sake. you could count with less than half of your fingers the number of people who would do that voluntarily.
blowing air out of your mouth and sucking back in deeply, trying to breathe properly due to the cold climate freezing up your insides, you turned to look at bennett and he tilted his head at your stare.
"what is it?"
"couldn't you do that swirly thing with your fire?"
he widened his eyes. "oh, you mean my vision?"
"if that is what it's called, sure?"
he pursed his lips together then. that would be the easy way out, of course, but he hasn't thought about it because of how much his body was aching from everything that had happened.
he was sure the soreness around his shoulders and back, which came flooding to him like punches after he took your fall for you, would only amplify with the heat. not to mention the other wounds around his body from the additional mishaps and fights.
he had his fair share of accidents and pain before, and his endurance was built up well, but he would prefer not to take it if he didn't have to.
"i... uh..."
his eyes shifted away from the icicle to you. amid his reluctance, he watched the way you winced at the cold. all he did was watch you flinch and shudder, at the cold and the monsters you two continuously alert.
he remembered you weren't supposed to be here, that you were only here because he asked if you wanted to join him on an adventure to dragonspine of all places, that you were only here because disasters loved him too much.
but he had been so happy when you agreed to join him, happy and accepted like he hasn't been in a long time, like having a new friend to play with, like he finally found someone who wasn't afraid of what he could bring.
the least he could do for you was to try and help, he thought, even if it hurts.
"move aside."
he stepped forward, his brows narrowing in concentration. you did as he told you, your hands clutched together before you as you watched the slight redness of heat emerge from his feet. he brought out his weapon as it traveled up his legs to his torso, spreading to his hands, and suddenly—a quick jump in the air, fire burst through his body and covered his blade, and a loud clank could be heard against the icicle.
the icicle was, unfortunately, not broken, but your concentration was diverted to bennett instead of the result of his action.
he was panting heavily, in a way as if he had just run a mile under a mere minute. his back was hunched so he could support himself by leaning against his knees, attempting to catch his breath and ease the numbing pain of conflicting fire with cooled skin. and, most horrifically, the wound on his left forearm has re-opened from the movement and was bleeding.
“well, that–” he huffed with a soft smile, “–that did not work at all!”
“bennett–bandages, let’s get you some bandages.”
you moved over to him quickly and urged him to sit down near the icicle. you knelt next to him, your face falling quicker into despair when you realized none of you bought sufficient supplies for such an injury. everything was in klee’s backpack with her bombs, and razor was the one who offered to hold the bag so klee could move around easier.
bennett wanted to speak up.
watching you fumble with a concerned expression completely contradicted the reason behind him straining himself to use his vision. he did that to soothe you, not to make you worry even more! but, before he could open his mouth to speak, his face pinked with an immeasurable heat—hotter than fire—when he saw that you had proceeded to rip the hem of your shirt apart.
you wrapped the fabric around his forearm, hoping it would stop the bleeding for now, or at least keep him from injuring it even more. unbeknownst to you, bennett had turned his head and shut his eyes tight so the exposed part of your tummy would be out of his plain sight. his hand gently shook, not from the wound but the touch of your much more delicate hands.
“bennett.”
“i–i–i’m not looking, i swear!”
you furrowed your brows and glanced down at yourself. you held back a laugh; you were barely exposed, it was just the side of your waist, that was all. but his politeness was welcomed, nonetheless.
“i am going to lean on you, is that okay?” you asked then, sitting down on the ground and shifting into a position where you were close enough to him to make him flush even more. “you’re warm.”
“i–i think it’s the fire,” he squeaked, his hands curled into awkward fists that he propped on his knees awkwardly. he nodded to himself, feeling his heartbeat increase. "it's the fire... yeah..."
you smiled to yourself. this might be the first time you thought bennett was cute. if only the circumstance was less staggering and unideal.
“thank you for saving me back there,” you muttered. “i could have died if you hadn’t caught me.”
“ah! that! haha!” he blinked to keep his thoughts somewhere other than the proximity. “i have fallen too many times to let a little slip off a cliff end me!”
you didn't respond. the heat radiating off his body was so satisfying that all you could do was drown yourself in the warmth. sensing your silence, bennett snapped himself out of his shy rage and glanced down at you, and he softened significantly when he saw you huddled up next to his side trying to scrape as much of his body heat as possible.
silently (for the first time in a while), and timidly (also for the first time in a while), he moved his arm around your shoulder and brought you closer to his side.
the blush on his cheeks was furious, the shy boy within him jumping up and down in a frenzy, but he still kept you close for the warmth and stayed silent to let you rest.
and he hoped that the next time he goes on an adventure, you would be willing to tag along again.
#genshin x reader#genshin imagines#genshin impact imagines#genshin x you#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact x you#genshin impact#genshin impact bennett#bennett#genshin bennett#bennett imagines#bennett x reader#genshin scenarios#genshin impact scenarios#genshin
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WinterIron fic rec 2021: Part I
Note: this fic rec consists only of Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark fics. the only Stucky & Stony you might see is as past relationships but that’s it. it’s also complete works ONLY. also - no underage stuff 🔪. if you have any requests for Winteriron fic recs (for e.g non-superpower au, only one shots, series, hardcore smut, post-tws, college au, not team cap friendly fics, bodyguard au etc.) you can send me requests ^^. anyway... enjoy 😉
✨ The Guiding of Death by RayShippouUchiha
“That whole Merchant of Death thing,” someone off to the side faux whispers, “makes a lot more sense now.”
It echoes across the bridge like a gunshot.
Rated M, Hades & Persephone AU, Canon Divergence, always female Tony Stark, not Team Cap friendly. word count: 41391
(note: listen... I know het pairings and/or gender bend is not popular and I never really read those in general BUT this is straight up one of the best fics I have ever read so I NEEDED to share this with y’all...✌️)
✨ Forms of Love by bear_bell
Tony's the bad guy, after all. He's used to it. He's fine with it. He's good at it.
Only now, there's something far worse loitering around the tower - The Winter Soldier. No one notices the guy at first, but when they do, Tony figures that he should have the soldier's back.
Birds of a feather should flock together, and the bad guys should start a book club.
Rated E, Post-CW, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Team Iron Man. word count: 33591
✨ Looking at You by NotEvenCloseToStraight
Bucky looks for so long that now all he wants to do is touch and hold and fix everything. But Tony can barely be in the same room as Bucky, cant even look him in the eye.
So Bucky doesn't know what to do about Tony, but he is determined to do something.
Because all he wants is to look at Tony, and see Tony looking back with a smile.
Rated E, Post-CW, PTSD, team heals, mental healing, forgiveness, angst with a happy ending. word count: 28,168
✨ I'll Be Your Bodyguard (If You'll Be My Security Blanket) by NarutoRox
When one of Loki's pranks gone wrong leaves the team with a young Winter Soldier in their care, they know they're going to have their hands full. Especially since this newer, tinier version of Bucky seems to have a bodyguard complex - and a particular attachment to Tony.
Rated T, kid fic, age regression/de-aging, de-aged Bucky, tiny bodyguard Bucky. word count: 4,993.
(note: finally something CUTE. Im so sorry for being such a slut for angst and heavy stuff 😅)
✨ Fate Strings Not Required by Akira_of_the_Twilight
Tony took the hint.
Tony wrapped his hand around the new guy’s elbow. He kept his touch light and breakable in case he’d misread the cue.
“Just some guy claiming to be my soul mate, babe.”
The new guy’s eyebrows rose to his hairline in surprise. He chuckled and gave the first guy a smirk. “Strange. Last time I checked we were soul mates.”
Rated T, AU - no superpowers, AU - soulmates, Bodyguard Bucky Barnes, age difference. word count: 7,032.
✨ Shameless by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)
Tony isn’t actually sure which of them starts it—he’d like to take credit, but if he’s learned anything it’s that Barnes is by no means a wilting flower. Besides, the start doesn’t matter as much as figuring out who’s going to actually finish it.
rated M, flirting, dirty talk, sexual tension. word count: 2,560
✨ Winter Wooer by salytierra
Winter may not be the most pleasant guy to live or share your body with, but he isn't nearly as destructive as everybody expected him to be either. He likes to brood in the corners, watch British TV, and freak people out. And Tony. He really, really likes Tony Stark.
There's just one problem – Bucky's pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way about the guy.
Rated M, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, team as family. word count: 8,726
✨ Even Darkness Must Pass by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)
“Fake it till you make it,” Bucky whispered to himself, swallowing around his panic. Sam had drilled the idea into him, and it had become a mantra of sorts, something to hold onto when all he wanted to do was blend into the shadows and disappear.
“You’ll be fine.”
Steve placed a warm, strong hand on Bucky’s shoulder and squeezed, his super soldier ears having picked up Bucky uttering the now familiar saying.
Bucky nodded, tried to believe his own words, and followed Steve onto the common floor, a wall of sound hitting them as they entered.
rated M (but mild sexual content), parent Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes recovering, team as family, of love and hobbits 🧝🏻♂️. word count: 15,289
✨ Paths Are Made by Walking by Potrix
The road to recovery is long, winding and a different one for every person walking it. Bucky chooses to help himself the only way he knows how; by doing what he does best.
Or, alternatively; the one in which Tony is a mess and accidentally kick-starts Bucky’s protective mother hen instincts.
rated T, post-TWS, fluff, humour, getting together, idiots in love. word count: 4,744.
✨ Rise In Perfect Light (Be Not Fearful Of The Night) by RayShippouUchiha
At first, the new element singing in his chest, Tony doesn’t understand what he’s done.
Doesn’t understand the full consequences of his actions.
But, to be fair, there’s no way he really could have.
Not even a futurist like him could have ever seen this coming.
rated G, post-CW, past Stony, angst with a happy ending. word count: 3,589.
(note: this fic is SO BEAUTIFUL. lemme just asjkdjnsjkdm)
✨ and amidst the ruins, there was you by TheKitteh
With everything resolved - post the Berlin conflict, Siberia and the rogue Avengers' return - Tony relishes in the clarity of what the team is now. He can finally see the well-defined lines, he can rely on solid rules and the chain of command. He's settled into his life like never before.
That is, until one day, an unhinged sorcerer with no grasp on his magic shatters that new-found balance.
As a result, half of Tony's soul is now gone, but he's willing to do anything to get it back.
rated T, post-CW, canon divergence, au - Dystopia, Dimension Travel, magical accidents, slow burn, getting together. word count: 36,976
✨ and so we unfold by TheKitteh
Senbazuru. Thousand Cranes.
An ancient Japanese legend that promises anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the gods. Some stories believe you are granted happiness and eternal good luck, instead of just one wish, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury.
Bucky’s not big on believing in any legends, not after all that has happened. He just wants to create something for a change, not destroy.
He needs to prove himself that he can be trusted to handle something delicate. He doesn’t need a promise of a wish come true. He just,- needs to do this for himself.
He doesn’t need noticing how sad, tired Stark looks. Doesn’t need to want to do something for the man, when he can barely do anything for himself.
rated T, CACW canon divergence, getting together, reconciliation, POV alternating, Bucky Barnes recovering. word count: 14,449
✨ Spilt on the Ground like Water by tisfan
Tony has been black-bagged and illegally held at the Raft. Steve has no intentions of going to rescue him.
But the Winter Soldier isn't going to leave him behind.
rated E, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, implied/referenced torture, frottage, dub-con, mention of part non-con (HYDRA trash party), not Steve friendly, suicidal thoughts, touch-starved. word count: 10,853
✨ Norns, Save Us (From Ourselves) by phlintandsteel
It’s been ten years since half the universe was dusted.
rated E, post-IW au, A/B/O verse, Omega Tony, Alpha Bucky, Soulmates, Peter & Harley playing matchmaker, still recovering Bucky Barnes, not Steve Rogers Friendly, angst with a happy ending. word count: 37,324.
✨ Change You Like A Remix by ficlicious
No one ever said Avenging would be easy, but Bucky could have really used a memo about the weeks where the hits just didn’t stop coming. He’d probably still have signed his soul away to the gods of spandex and paperwork, but a heads up woulda been nice before he nodded and smiled and took up residence in the house sanity fled when the Avengers moved in.
----
Soulmates, misunderstandings, snark, genderswap and sleep-deprived Avengers abound. Tony's a woman. Must be Friday.
rated E, AU - soulmates, established relationship, temporary gender swap, jealous Bucky Barnes, misunderstanding, miscommunication. word count: 10,494.
✨ Getting to Know You by orbingarrow
It had been an adventure, navigating the sweetly apologetic Bucky Barnes, who haunted the tower most days, and the the Winter Soldier, who occasionally inhabited Barnes’s body. The Winter Soldier was not apologetic; he was scary. And he was currently chilling out, uninvited, in Tony's lab.
“Leave,” Tony said, because Tony was either a dead man or not, and there wasn’t much he could do about it before coffee.
“Or you could give me permission to be here,” the Winter Soldier suggested.
“I don’t let strangers poke around my stuff,” Tony grumbled, as he walked past the Soldier to take a seat at his workbench.
“Easily solved,” the Soldier deflected. “Get to know me.”
-This is what happens when Tony does.
rated G, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are different personalities, fluff, Clint Barton is a good bro. word count: 9,470
✨ Safe House by ali_aliska
For years, Tony had successfully kept his secret. Neither the world nor his team knew he was Iron Man and as far as he was concerned, everyone was better off that way. On his best days, Tony Stark was not someone people liked and trusted, so the last thing Tony wanted was to tarnish Iron Man’s good reputation by revealing the truth.
But then SHIELD falls, the Avengers face disarray, and a stray Hydra assassin forces Tony to go into hiding—and where better than the safe house he had just crafted for the Avengers and their own ex-assassin ready to come in from the cold?
Tony plans to hide away from everyone in his makeshift workshop until the coast is clear and he’s safe to go home. No one would care to spend any time with the reclusive, arrogant billionaire anyways, right? Iron Man is the one everyone wants around.
Bucky Barnes, on his own journey to reclaim his life and identity, seems to disagree with that sentiment.
rated T, post TWS, canon divergence, au - Secret Identity, mutual pining, team as family, slow burn, misunderstandings. word count: 89,533
✨ Versace on the floor by withered
The modern man’s armor is his clothing, and Bucky wants Tony out of his.
rated T, post CW, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Separate Personalities, Barnes & Soldier & their hard-on for Tony, not team cap friendly. word count: 2,127
#winteriron#tony stark#bucky barnes#iron man#winter soldier#avengers#winteriron fic rec#fic rec#mcu#marvel#otp#steve rogers#past stony#past stucky
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Reviewing time for MAG199! ;_;
- That discussion was a lot, and raised a lot of interesting points, but wooftie did the beginning show characters going back to their bad reflexes out of habit and stress. Melanie and Jon were quick to get snappish at each other, and we know from MAG186 that Martin making tea is also his way of avoiding conflict:
(MAG186) ALSO MARTIN: We could. [SIGH] But we both know that loved ones make the worst therapists. They’re too wrapped up in trying to stop you hurting, to actually help. But hey: we know all about that, am I right?
MARTIN: There’s nothing wrong with comforting people.
ALSO MARTIN: A cup of tea isn’t a resolution. At best it’s a… a plaster; at worst… a muzzle.
So the fact that the sequence began with Martin asking about tea?
(MAG199) MELANIE: … So…
ARCHIVIST: … Yeah.
[UNCOMFORTABLE PAUSE]
MARTIN: Anyone want another cup of tea? [SOMETHING WOODEN SCRAPES ACROSS TUNNEL FLOOR] Well, heh, I say “tea”, it’s har–
GEORGIE: We can’t keep putting it off. We need to talk about this. About what we’re going to do.
Aouch. (I wonder where the tea came from: from the London supermarket? Or were those the bags he had packed before leaving the Scotland cabin?)
- Meanwhile, Basira was providing out-of-the-box ideas or possibilities and Georgie acted a bit like a debate mediator, laying options down and trying to keep things on track. I’m especially glad that she was the one to point out that there were actually three options, counting inaction (letting the world slowly die out) as one, since, as she pointed out, she had felt guilty for not having helped Jon back in season 4 – she had told him so, she had to reexplain to Melanie again this episode.
- Although he had begun the season correcting Martin about Elias actually being “Jonah”, Jon mainly used “Elias” to refer to him this season, until they reached London and he was oscillating between the two. But since Jon told Elias Bouchard (the real one)’s statement, it’s been “Jonah” without hesitation, to the point that he corrected Georgie about it:
(MAG193) ARCHIVIST: I could kill his body, sever the link, break The Eye’s power, and… Jonah Magnus would die.
(MAG194) ARCHIVIST: Look. Right, when I said that I would “replace” Jonah in there, that’s not… I m– … That place, the centre of The Eye, i–it’s… it wasn’t made for him.
(MAG197) ARCHIVIST: I see. Destroy the Panopticon, and you release its power. Kill Jonah, and you cut the connection between the Fears and the world.
(MAG198) ARCHIVIST: Had a blazing row?
MARTIN: I, uh… eh… Yeah, that.
BASIRA: What?
ARCHIVIST: About what we should do with Jonah. With… the Panopticon.
BASIRA: Oh, about whether you should, uh…?
(MAG199) GEORGIE: One. We follow Annabelle’s plan. We destroy the Panopticon, kill Elias–
ARCHIVIST: Jonah–
GEORGIE: Whatever–
ARCHIVIST: –Magnus.
It feels like knowing about the real Elias helped Jon distinguish the two, since he could now put a story and a personality on “Elias”?
(I’m still laughing a bit that Jon had to be That Person and interrupt Georgie. Not the point, not the moment, Jon.)
- Overall, I like how we could clearly see what was prioritised by everyone amongst the options they explored and how they approached the problem. Basically, the unknown factors came to whether other worlds were already impacted by the Fears or not, and whether the Fears would contaminate all of them or just a portion, which led to a few scenarios showing what they feared and hoped for the most:
-> Keeping the Fears in their world and sacrificing it in the process: hoping that the Fears were intrinsically tied to this world in particular, that this option would mean their absolute annihilation, and fearing that other worlds getting contaminated by them would lead to these other worlds experiencing their own apocalypse, thus perpetuating a cycle they could have stopped.
-> Throwing the Fears into other worlds to save their own: hoping that the Fears already existed in other worlds, that it would only impact some amongst an infinity of worlds, and fearing that sacrificing their world would be a pointless sacrifice if the Fears happen to exist elsewhere anyway.
Jon was behind the first plan, with a few variations (offering to accelerate the death process if necessary… which, indeed, was chilling, and Basira’s firm opposition against actively contributing to people’s murder was very necessary, but made sense as an option if the scenario was to doom this world). The others federated for the second with various priorities: Basira sounded like she could have accepted the sacrifice of this world if it came with the certainty that it would eradicate the Fears everywhere (but they do not have that certainty), while Melanie insisted on people’s own responsibility when it came to bringing around an apocalypse and the fact that hypotheticals could go both ways, while Georgie seemed more receptive to what would happen to this world for sure vs. the unknown in other universes, while Martin was refusing Jon’s option to take Jonah’s place and was receptive to other ideas. From Georgie&Melanie, there was the additional fact that they had recently witnessed the survivors, who trusted them and were under their protection, getting snatched away without them being able to do anything; from an emotional point of view, it might have pushed them to… do something, anything, that could indeed save people, while they hadn’t been able to be active until now.
* I really like that Basira was the one to point out and reiterate how unfair it was of them to take this decision, that they ultimately were very privileged compared to the main victims, trying to find ways to get people involved in the process. It does feel like she’s learned during the journey…
* Jon’s voice (weary, miserable) when he explained that he already knew what people wanted, and that it was for their suffering “to stop”, broke my heart into pieces ;_;
* Martin’s main argument (“I’d rather live the rest of my life lying awake wondering if I made the right choice, over… lying awake listening to the screams of everyone on Earth being tortured!” really echoed what had happened with Annabelle on their journey to Hill Top Road: that he couldn’t help making additional stops to relieve people’s suffering for a bit, and that he briefly lamented Salesa’s death despite Annabelle pointing out that he had made victims, since Martin “didn’t know them”. Martin reacts more strongly to what’s in front of him, uh…
* Georgie felt very End-touched this episode? “until the end”, “towards the end”, just like Beholding avatars had occasionally been punning about their patron…
* Melanie, sayer of “fuck” /o/
(MAG131) MELANIE: Oooh, fuck off?!
(MAG199) MELANIE: But if you think that’s all I care about here, then frankly you can fuck off out my tunnels on your high horse.
Jon still in the lead with four over the course of the series, we’ll see if anyone else takes the lead with MAG200…
- Overall: what was the most striking was how, at this point, Jon was indeed too disillusioned to hope for any possible positive outcome. They all made good points, about what they knew and didn’t know, about the worst and best cases scenarios – but from Jon’s point of view, it feels like the guilt has been heavy enough already, and that he couldn’t stand to add to it anymore.
(And ;; It’s especially cruel that he stuck to his line of trusting the others, that he shared the information with the others and counted on them to make a collective decision… but that he was the only discordant voice in the end. That was the risk! And it just cruelly (for him) turned out this way.)
- Amongst the points that weren’t mentioned, I’m curious that the followings didn’t come up:
* They barely talked about The Web or Jonah as, well, being the main factors resulting in the current apocalypse – as the people who wanted it to happen and worked for it. They all were ready to take the blame but… the apocalypse wouldn’t have happened if The Web hadn’t wanted to control its escape by backing up Jonah to make it happen, and if Jonah hadn’t worked for it. Yeeting the Fears into other worlds also means yeeting The Web, who now knows for sure how an apocalypse can happen, which means it will search for a crack to widen as its next escape pod as soon as it arrives somewhere else, thus repeating the cycle probably much more faster…?
* They all seem confident that once the Fears leave, they’ll be gone forever. But Gerry had raised the point in front of Jon that nobody can tell really which came first, if the Fears originated from people or caused their fears. What if the problem in the TMA world is that the Fears are produced by people – what if they would be recreated as soon as they leave (especially now that people are left traumatised and hurt)?
* They weren’t sure whether the other worlds would be very similar to theirs (“Assuming time even works the same in different dimensions.”) but… the two examples of people crossing the Hill Top Road line had come from very familiar worlds: Anya’s was almost identical (except that there was no Magnus Institute in hers – maybe no Jonah Magnus at all?) and Eowa was killed by the same army he had tried to flee. The examples both Jon and Martin read about felt really similar to their world; those could be drops in the bucket, but still…
* There was absolutely no mention of the people they lost in the course of the series. It’s a strange feeling, because when it came to it, their conclusions seem pretty disconnected from everything that had happened to them, to the point that Melanie could blurt out “We all lived with monsters in the shadows, and we just got on with it.” without being countered by anyone – although it was the most obvious lie ever (and Melanie had to be aware of it, given how she blinded herself to escape The Eye). Melanie knows in detail how her father suffered because of The Corruption at Ivy Meadows before dying. Georgie lost Alex and her ability to feel fear. Basira had to hunt and kill Daisy after she got lost to The Hunt. Jon was traumatised as kid, witnessed Helen Richardson getting taken by Michael in front of him; Martin was preyed on and groomed for The Lonely for months by Peter; Jon&Martin both lost Tim and Sasha. They know how damaging the Fears can be even at the lurking stage. I wouldn’t have been surprised if, even taking this into account, they’d still have gone with the plan to yeet the Fears (since in the best case scenario, Fears would already be present in other worlds anyway, or whatever inhabits them would be insulated to them), I’m just surprised that the topic of the people they have lost didn’t come up as a potential counter-argument, especially since we’re at the end of this journey.
- Oh gods, Jon leaving for a smoke…
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: Fine. I’m going for a cigarette.
[DEPARTING FOOTSTEPS]
[CLICK.]
… sounded like a very bad omen, given how las time he had left people alone to smoke, it had gone, uh, pipe-murderly:
(MAG080) ARCHIVIST: I’m going to have a cigarette. Don’t… [DOOR OPENS] Don’t.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Surprised that nothing bad happened when he left; if it had been at the end of an episode, I would have panicked for a week about the Watchers coming back for the others while Jon was away.
- It was the first time we’ve heard Jon smoke on tape! We knew he did thanks to a few mentions (him announcing his cigarette break to Leitner in MAG080, the fact that Daisy had found Silk Cuts in his bag in MAG091, when he had tried to give a cigarette to Gerry in MAG111) but we hadn’t heard him taking a smoke.
* … How long has Jon carried these cigarettes? Did they come from before the Change, did Jon restock at Salesa’s, did he get some from Leitner’s stashes of stuff? Or does his own stock never truly deplete, The Web providing an infinite supply of cigarettes just like the recorders keep spawning?
* We could hear the whirring sounds and the drones, Georgie joked about an “indoor smoking ban”, Jon commented he could think better here, we heard Georgie climbing stairs to reach him, so I’m guessing he was at the bottom of the tower? I like how this scene managed to feel nostalgic despite of it, with Jon being somewhere between inside and outside and hiding for a smoke – we don’t know for sure where he used to go to smoke, but Gertrude had mentioned the Institute has a courtyard.
* And just the location highlighted Jon’s situation: not “human” enough anymore to be in the tunnels, but refusing to embrace what is at the top of the tower. So, alone in that in-between.
- Gods, the Georgie and Jon scene began so adorably?
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: [LONG EXHALATION]
GEORGIE: You do know there’s an indoor smoking ban, right?
ARCHIVIST: They’ll make an exception for me…!
GEORGIE: [FAINT CHUCKLE]
ARCHIVIST: Besides, I can’t really think down there. [DRAG ON CIGARETTE] That’s not true, I can, it’s just… exhausting. Puts me in a foul mood. [INHALE] It’s better up here, close to The Eye. Thoughts come quicker.
GEORGIE: … If it’s any consolation, you seemed pretty on the ball earlier.
ARCHIVIST: It isn’t really but… thank you.
Friendly exes! It really took me back to the familiar bantering they shared in season 3 – except that, back then, Jon was trying to hide what was truly happening to him, and this time around, Jon was shown more open and direct about what was on his mind.
- Again, I love and hate what the scene said and showed, reminding us that… even if the plan they have chosen goes accordingly, Jon won’t be okay, as Jon had explained to Martin:
(MAG181) ARCHIVIST: Uh, these last few days I–I’ve been… getting weaker. Dizzy spells, vagueness, you’ve seen it. Being cut off from the Eye, i–it’s not good for me.
MARTIN: Yeah, but if… [INHALE] If you’re that connected, that… dependent, what happens if we actually, y’know, do manage to–
ARCHIVIST: We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I just need us to be moving on.
(MAG191) MARTIN: … Jon. If… When we defeat The Eye, the Fears… What happens to you?
[SILENCE]
ARCHIVIST: Nothing good. I think it depends on what actually happens. […] If, however, we… find a way to destroy or, uh… eliminate the Powers… I’m not going to be okay. There’s… too much of me that’s part of The Eye now. I don’t… know what would be left of me without it. Maybe I just… die. Maybe I survive, but I–I lose… something. My identity? My mind? My… memories? I don’t know.
(MAG197) ANNABELLE: Most would simply lose whatever power they have been gifted. Jon would lose much of himself, the parts of him that are The Eye. But he would survive. And perhaps, more importantly, he would remain who he believes himself to be. [TAPE SQUEALS]
His moment of rest consists of coming up under Beholding’s radar again; but if they succeed, there won’t be that anymore. At best, Jon would be like he was in the tunnels, at worse, he would wither away like he did at Salesa’s, losing grasp on his memory and unable to focus. It wasn’t mentioned as a factor in their discussion (Martin and Jon had already covered this privately earlier in the season, after all), but it’s likely not something Jon has forgotten.
- Oh GODS, Georgie, no!!
(MAG199) GEORGIE: … Can I have a cigarette?
ARCHIVIST: [AMUSED SNORT] … Sure. [PASSING ONE OVER]
(MAG001) ARCHIVIST: “I picked myself up as best I could, checked I hadn’t seriously injured myself, no broken bones or anything, and decided to roll a cigarette to calm myself. That was when I heard it. [STATIC RISES] “Can I have a cigarette?” [STATIC FADES]”
Given Jon’s reaction, he had picked up on it. You either die an Archivist, or you live long enough to see yourself become the Anglerfish’s victim.
- Georgie used to smoke, and Jon knew that about her! They might have been smoking together as students, given Jon’s official chronology regarding smoking?
(MAG080) ARCHIVIST: I’m going to have a cigarette. Don’t… [DOOR OPENS] Don’t. […] Sorry, I’ve been quit for five years now, but th– [STUNNED SILENCE] … Oh. Oh god… I need to… Uh… I need to, um… [TRAILS OF ALMOST INCOHERENTLY]
MAG080 had taken place in February 2017, so five years ago was 2012, which is roughly when Jon joined the Institute (in MAG051, he had mentioned “One of [his] first cases as a researcher for the Institute in 2012”). Although, well. Jon saying that he had “been quit for five years” wasn’t super convincing when he apparently had cigarettes on him at that moment, but it’s a bit difficult to guess when Jon went back to smoking in the series (Elias’s “He’s not smoking again, is he?” in MAG039 could have been referring to him knowing that Jon used to smoke, or to Jon having started again as soon as he got the lighter; and Tim’s “I don’t mean like ‘sneaking a cigarette’ bad” in MAG079 could have been a random example, or referring to the fact that Jon was indeed having cigarette breaks in season 2 and not being super subtle about it).
- Aouch about the theme of shattering illusions and your heroes being people above all:
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: I thought you quit?
GEORGIE: I did! For my health. But… it’s already the apocalypse so… I’ll need a light too.
ARCHIVIST: Yeah.
[LIGHTER SNICKS OPEN]
[GEORGIE LIGHTS UP]
GEORGIE: I tried to avoid it in the tunnels, when we had our, uh… When the others were here.
[…] ARCHIVIST: You didn’t want to tarnish the image of the prophets?
GEORGIE: Just didn’t think they wanted one of their “revered leaders” puffing away in the corner.
ARCHIVIST: [MURMURS AN ASSENT]
GEORGIE: Saw a bishop smoking once when I was a kid, full Easter regalia and all. Really weirded me out.
The comparison hurt a bit by likening the survivors in the tunnels to… children who can’t really tell decorum apart from reality, but there sure was an interesting theme of Georgie being aware of how she was seen, and trying to not hurt the survivors while at the same time indirectly feeding their perception of her as “holy”.
- Okay, so. Probably what felt the biggest, most important thing in this episode was… Georgie taking the lighter, how it happened, and whether or not it will be narratively relevant.
(MAG199) GEORGIE: … Can I have a cigarette?
ARCHIVIST: [AMUSED SNORT] … Sure. [PASSING ONE OVER] I thought you quit?
GEORGIE: I did! For my health. But… it’s already the apocalypse so… I’ll need a light too.
ARCHIVIST: Yeah.
[LIGHTER SNICKS OPEN]
[GEORGIE LIGHTS UP]
GEORGIE: I tried to avoid it in the tunnels, when we had our, uh… When the others were here. [LIGHT METALLIC SOUND] Nice lighter.
[STATIC RISES]
ARCHIVIST: Hmm? [STATIC FADES] […] I should probably quit myself, then.
[LIGHT METALLIC SOUND]
GEORGIE: Then, you won’t mind if I hang onto this?
[STATIC RISES]
ARCHIVIST: [DISTRACTED] Hmm.
[STATIC FADES]
GEORGIE: … I’m sorry.
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
GEORGIE: I know you hate what we’re doing.
* Static when people mention the lighter and Jon not being able to focus on it is far from new:
(MAG111) GERARD: Nice lighter. You a spider freak, then?
ARCHIVIST: What? Oh! Er, n–no. I–I, I never really, uh… I never really thought of it. I–I’m Jon. I’m with the Magnus Institute. … I–I’m the Archivist.
(MAG136) DAISY: [SCOFF] She’s… Web. Spider’s sneaky like that. [PAUSE] Like that lighter you’re always using. Where’d you get that?
ARCHIVIST: Mm. [STATIC RISES] Good point. We should keep our eyes open. [STATIC FADES] Anyway, how’s Basira doing?
(MAG162) MARTIN: You said this place, the–the cabin was… [WOODEN CREAKING SOUND] It, it’s feeding on us, right?
ARCHIVIST: Yes…
MARTIN: … So should we… destroy it, before we go? […] We’re not even gonna try? We, we’ve got your lighter, maybe we could just–
ARCHIVIST: We can’t fight the world, Martin.
(MAG197) ANNABELLE: And it just so happens that the perfect tool was once delivered to you as a token of appreciation. Though you really do need to learn to keep better care of it. Somehow, it always seems to slip your mind, doesn’t it?
ARCHIVIST: What…?
BASIRA: Jon, it’s that stupid lighter of yours.
ARCHIVIST: [INDIGNANT] My what? I… [STATIC RISES] [PULLS THE GOLD LIGHTER WITH EMBOSSED SPIDERWEB FROM POCKET AND FLICKS IT OPEN] Oh? … Oh.
[STATIC FADES]
What is surprising is that it still happened even after Annabelle pointed out the purpose of the lighter. If Jon is supernaturally compelled to not pay attention to it (by The Web, to ensure it stays with Jon? By Beholding, out of self-preservation, like it tried to push Jon away from Eric’s tape that explained how to quit the Archives?), how the heck was Annabelle expecting him to use it in the tunnels to explode the Archives with the gas main?
* At the end of the episode, the others explained how they would proceed, and it’s presented as a given that Jon wouldn’t be in the tunnel team – but rather, that he would go with Martin, despite being unnecessary since Martin would take care of the Jonah murder. It’s rather strange that the others didn’t ask for the lighter directly, but that Georgie took it in the flow of the conversation and in a way Jon barely noticed… as if she wanted to take hold of it sneakily because it was necessary that Jon didn’t really notice. Plus, as was explained, Melanie is supposed to be the last person standing to ignite the gas main: Basira is supposed to be a planned distraction, and Georgie is a back-up distraction in case things go sour. If the point was to get the lighter for the gas main, then Melanie should have been the one to get hold of it.
(* It’s additionally rather strange that Georgie said she had “tried to avoid it in the tunnels” when the survivors were around, implying it was a conscious choice but she might have been smoking outside when patrolling with Melanie… yet had to ask Jon for a cigarette and for a light, as if she didn’t have these things on her.)
Overall, I see three options:
* Total coincidence, red herring, Georgie just didn’t take her own lighter along because she wasn’t planning on smoking.
* Since the beginning of the episode implied that Jon&Martin&Basira had given a complete recap of what had happened to Hill Top Road before the tape recorder clicked on, Georgie took the lighter on purpose to free Jon from The Web’s potential influence. She hasn’t gone back to smoking during the apocalypse; she lied about it to lower Jon’s guard by telling a convincing story, given that Jon knew she used to smoke. Likely meaning that Georgie&Melanie&Martin&Basira have another plan in Jon’s back, but couldn’t share with him due to both the tape recorders and Jon’s connection to Beholding – if Jon knows something, then Beholding might be knowing about it too.
* It’s… actually an End thing. There was a feeling of finality when Georgie took the lighter, as if she might be taking a step that would irrevocably lead to her own death? (“The moment that you die will feel exactly the same as this one.”) She said the exact same thing (“Nice lighter.”) as Gerry, who was dead when he said it; she took the lighter for a dangerous mission; she pointed out her own regrets due to her inaction, and was the one to mention that they had to pay the cost, whatever it was, for this plan to succeed. I don’t know, I got the impression that things might be slotting into place, that her own mechanism had set into motion – that things in the tunnels will go awry, and that she won’t make it out.
- Overall, I like the different approaches characters had about their own guilt and Jon’s in this episode:
(MAG199) GEORGIE: … I’m sorry.
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
GEORGIE: I know you hate what we’re doing.
ARCHIVIST: I hate all the options, I just… It’s all my fault, you know?
GEORGIE: What, because you weren’t able to outsmart the literal embodiment of manipulation and scheming?
ARCHIVIST: Mmm.
GEORGIE: We all make bad choices, Jon. It’s not your fault some eldritch horror decided yours were going–
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
GEORGIE: –to affect the whole world…!
ARCHIVIST: They were still my choices.
GEORGIE: … Yeah. And you live with them. Or you don’t. That’s all there is, really.
ARCHIVIST: Hmm.
For Jon: what was the most apparent is that he was adamant about presenting what happened as his choices. It could be a remnant of Elia’s gaslighting about it (MAG092: “You never wanted this, no. But I’m afraid you absolutely did choose it. In a hundred ways, at a hundred thresholds, you pressed on. You sought knowledge relentlessly, and you always chose to see. Our world is made of choices, Jon, and very rarely do we truly know what any of them mean. But we make them nonetheless.”), but also a sign that Jon had been struggling about (what he perceives to be) The Web’s hold on his life: if The Web had indeed manipulated him all his life, since he was eight, puppetting him like Francis or the kids at Ray’s house, then what is left of Jon? What is his, who is he? Jon clinging to his own guilt, his own responsibility, the idea that he made his own choices at every turn, might be his way to not fall into the other extreme, the idea that he has been nothing but the Web’s marionette all along and that he’s nothing without it.
It’s also striking that the others have told Jon that the apocalypse wasn’t truly his fault, that they knew Jon hadn’t wanted it, but that Jon redirected the blame on him every time anyway. Georgie tried two other approaches in quick succession: taking The Web into account, with the idea that Jon’s particularity was that he was preyed upon by it, that the consequences were only more dramatic than regular “bad choices” because something was planning to use them anyway; and then, something that resonated more strongly with Georgie’s own experience. As she told Jon, she had regrets about not helping him, felt like she had failed him and had contributed to the steps leading to this apocalypse: she knows what it is to carry that sort of guilt, although on a smaller scale. (And her last sentence felt… extremely End-touched, too.)
- The moment of Georgie introducing that Martin (“your next appointment”) was there and that it was her cue to leave was so sweet ;_; Jon’s ex to Jon’s current partner, and both Jon & Georgie being cool about each other’s new partner in their lives…
- And gooods, Jon&Martin’s conversation ;_;
(MAG199) GEORGIE: He’s all yours.
MARTIN: Thanks. [GEORGIE’S FOOTSTEPS DESCEND AND FADE] … You all right?
ARCHIVIST: Yeah. Sorry it got so heated in there.
MARTIN: Don’t be. I’d have been more worried if you were super calm about it.
ARCHIVIST: Yeah.
MARTIN: … I’d understand if you hate me right now.
ARCHIVIST: What? No! No, Martin, I love you. I always will, and I know you love me too, I mean… [SIGH] That’s it, isn’t it? That’s… the real core of it. You want to save me.
MARTIN: I want you to save yourself.
* The fact that Martin was ready and understanding that Jon might hate him for the option Martin defended, that he was expecting Jon to hate him for it, and that he still stuck to it… Oh, Martin… (It’s not the first time a Magnus moment made me think of the When They Cry series but… this one was peak Federika’s poem: “Don’t be sad. The world may not forgive you, but I do. / Don’t be sad. You may not forgive the world, but I forgive you. / Tell me. What must I do to earn your forgiveness?”)
* So many “I love you” coming from Jon this season…
(MAG161) MARTIN: I’m sorry.
ARCHIVIST: No, it’s– [SIGH] I love you, I just… I need more time.
(MAG162) ARCHIVIST: “The screams may linger on the distant breeze, and your eye may wander beyond the curtains from time to time, but you and the one you love are, it seems… safe. […] There within the thing that pretends to be a cabin is the one you love. […] The one you love is always near, so close that refuge sometimes feels a prison.”
(MAG183) MARTIN: … I’m sure I love you.
[FOOTSTEPS]
ARCHIVIST: I love you too. [FABRIC RUSTLES] Let’s go.
(MAG191) MARTIN: … I promise. I love you, Jon.
ARCHIVIST: [FOND HUFF] I love you too.
(MAG199) MARTIN: … I’d understand if you hate me right now.
ARCHIVIST: What? No! No, Martin, I love you. I always will, and I know you love me too, I mean…
I really wasn’t expecting it when season 4 ended, and yet!! Jon has been so soft and open about it with Martin this season…
* I really like the nuance Martin insisted on, that he mostly wished that Jon would want to save “himself” – it’s not necessarily that Martin is right about it but… from his point of view, he might still be suspecting that Jon is still pretty much self-destructive (although in indirect ways), as Daisy had pointed out in season 4, and that his way of engaging in dangerous missions is still tainted with guilt, with the idea that he has to compensate for something:
(MAG142) DAISY: Not like there’s… “normal” trauma, you know? But it’s pretty common. The most important thing becomes control, engaging on your own terms. Even when it’s stupid or dangerous. Anything to not feel helpless.
MARTIN: Oh, god…
DAISY: And of course, for Jon, there’s survivor’s guilt in there, too. He thinks he’s not human. Makes him very… self-destructive.
MARTIN: Yeah, well. We’ve all had trauma.
DAISY: And everyone’s changed.
(And gods. Maybe the problem this season for Jon is that Daisy wasn’t there anymore to at least point out these things. She hadn’t really managed to take Jon’s mind off of it (and he hadn’t opened up enough with her to confess that he had been attacking people) but she might have been able to lay it out, at least, if she had been there…)
- I’m really glad about the contrast between Jon and Martin when thinking about hypothetical scenarios!
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: … Sometimes… I imagine if none of this had happened. If we had just… met. Been together, w–without… all of this.
MARTIN: [SOFTLY] Me too. … But we wouldn’t have, would we? Been together, I mean.
ARCHIVIST: Huh? W–what do you mean?
MARTIN: Well…! We had that, didn’t we? Almost a year of just working a normal job together and… you hated me.
ARCHIVIST: I didn’t “hate” you.
MARTIN: No–no, no, no, I listened to those tapes. At one point, you explicitly said you’d be fine with me being chopped up by that old jigsaw lady.
ARCHIVIST: Oh, god, Angela! Ha! She’s still about, you know? Lording it over a nasty little Flesh domain. Anyway, I didn’t explicitly say it, I… implied it.
MARTIN: Face it, Jon, it took almost two years of crisis and trauma to even make us compatible.
* Jon truly is the romantic in that relationship.
* I’m very glad for Martin pointing out that he remembers how Jon used to treat him, and that he doesn’t really believe that they could have gotten together without the circumstances they experienced. I don’t think we’re meant to take Martin’s words exactly at face value (the circumstances allowed them to open up to each other and get closer, they didn’t necessarily turn them into whole other human beings), but it makes sense that, from his perspective… it’s hard to romanticise the past:
(MAG014) ARCHIVIST: I sent Martin to look into this “Angela” character, not that I want him to get chopped up, of course, but someone had to. Apparently he spent three days looking into every woman named Angela in Bexley over the age of 50. He could not find anyone that matches the admittedly vague description given here, though he informs me that he had some very pleasant chats about jigsaws. Useless ass.
Jon was absolutely awful to him back then, and ranting about him on tapes was textbook workplace bullying since he knew the tapes were semi-public (as in MAG032, Tim reported to him that researchers and students had been pointing out mistakes in his recordings). Off-tape, just from Martin’s point of view, we know that it was so pervasive that he remembered about it when left alone, tormented by his worst memories and feelings:
(MAG170) MARTIN: … Oh, I, I met someone! Did I tell you? He’s… [SHUFFLING] I, I don’t know. I like him. He doesn’t like me, though. Not really. I don’t blame him. I don’t like me sometimes, and I am me! Plus, he’s… he’s my, my boss? Is that right? [CREAKING] Ei–either way. It’s probably for the best? Wouldn’t really be appropriate, eh…!
(MAG186) ALSO MARTIN: Or… does it just keep paralysing us, make us shrink back and wait, hoping things work out? Like with Jon when we thought the worms had got him.
MARTIN: Hey, to be fair, he still kind of hated me back then. I’m really not sure it would have been the best time to take my shot.
ALSO MARTIN: … Fair. He was projecting hard.
Season 1 is not a time Martin would be eager to go back to, because it’s when Jon was at his worst against him (and Martin lived in fear of his fake CV being discovered), while for Jon… it was before Prentiss attacking the Institute, before his scars and before losing Sasha. It makes sense that Martin would want to defend what they got, to defend this world over others, given that from his point of view, it might be the only configuration possible that made his relationship with Jon possible – which, once again: might not be necessarily the truth, but makes sense from Martin’s point of view.
* Though, Martin, sweetie, the “normal job” included you getting besieged by Prentiss for two weeks and having to eat canned peaches. It’s never really been a “normal” job.
- Jon lightening up at the mention of Angela and immediately infodumping about how she was doing was so bittersweet to me, since it emphasised (once again) how deep Jon is in the Fears’ society by now. Those are familiar names, familiar figures, doing terrible things, but it still feels like his own universe when he mentions them, when he explains what he knows about them. Once again, it makes me wonder what will be left of him once all those things are just… gone.
- Martin listened to so many tapes, uh?
(MAG142) MARTIN: I listened to your old statement. Wasn’t your partner down there?
DAISY: Yeah. Didn’t find him.
(MAG188) MARTIN: Plus, I… I was a little bit jealous as, well.
ARCHIVIST: Of what?
MARTIN: Of Helen. Well, the, the real Helen. I found the tape when you were on the run and… I don’t know. Something about the way you two seemed to connect when she came in.
ARCHIVIST: [HUFF] Before she was eaten by a door.
MARTIN: Well, yeah. It certainly seemed to have a pretty deep impact on you.
(MAG199) MARTIN: No–no, no, no, I listened to those tapes. At one point, you explicitly said you’d be fine with me being chopped up by that old jigsaw lady.
He listened to the one involving Angela (MAG014), to Helen’s statement (MAG047), to the events that got Daisy section’d (MAG061) – that last one being even more interesting since it explicitly mentioned that Basira&Daisy were giving Jon the tapes, which means it was from the stash Jon was recording secretly. I’m back to fearing a bit about Martin as a back-up Archivist: he used to read statements and to take a few live ones, Annabelle made him read her statement in MAG197, he’s been listening to tapes… just like Jon.
- Martin has been good at finding loopholes in mutual promises:
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: [INHALE] That’s very sweet of you, Martin. Sort of. … Thank you.
MARTIN: Wherever you go, I go. That’s it.
ARCHIVIST: You promised to let me go, if I had to.
MARTIN: And you promised not to go if there was any other choice. And there is. So that’s the deal.
ARCHIVIST: … That’s the deal.
Martin said that he wouldn’t “doom the world” over Jon: he’s still respecting that in a way by prioritising Jon and this peculiar world (and as the others had pointed out earlier, they weren’t sure whether their actions would doom others or not).
I’m super afraid about that “Wherever you go, I go” which sounds like something that could suddenly come to a stop. Martin had pointed out multiple times that he was “following” Jon (MAG170: “I was following, al–always following, never leading; never leading.”), but recent episodes have operated a bit differently – Jon didn’t follow Martin to his domain, respecting Martin’s wish to confront it alone, and Jon followed him to Hill Top Road. At this point, Jon has been following Martin, too…
- I got a first impression of Martin’s words before understanding that it could actually be referring to multiple things:
(MAG199) MARTIN: I guess that’s why it really bothers me, you know? [SAD CHUCKLING] I try, but I can’t actually imagine… ever making a decision that I knew meant losing you. And it… It hurts to know you can.
At first, I thought Martin was saying that he felt like Jon would be ready to sacrifice Martin or his relationship with him for a greater good, while Martin definitely couldn’t (as he pointed out to Also Martin, his limit would probably be to sacrifice Jon), but… it could also be a reference to Jon’s self-hatred, the fact that Jon would sacrifice himself so easily. In that case, it’s a bit hypocritical of Martin indeed (since he had told Also Martin that he was ready to sacrifice himself too), but I still feel like there might be a difference between the two – Martin would do it to save the world or Jon (or to not live on the pain of his domain’s victims), while Jon… would likely do it out of self-hatred and because he feels like it’s his responsibility to make up for the apocalypse.
- The contrast between Georgie’s scene and this, when Jon finally broke ;_;
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: I hate all the options, I just… It’s all my fault, you know?
GEORGIE: What, because you weren’t able to outsmart the literal embodiment of manipulation and scheming?
ARCHIVIST: Mmm.
GEORGIE: We all make bad choices, Jon. It’s not your fault some eldritch horror decided yours were going–
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH]
GEORGIE: –to affect the whole world…!
ARCHIVIST: They were still my choices.
GEORGIE: … Yeah. And you live with them. Or you don’t. That’s all there is, really.
ARCHIVIST: Hmm. […] You didn’t damn the world, Martin.
MARTIN: [SIGH] We all–
ARCHIVIST: [HARSH] No! “We all” nothing! I… I’m the one who caused all of this, that’s just the truth of it! I’m the one whose whole life has been nothing but one – long – setup – to this.
MARTIN: Jon…
ARCHIVIST: [WITH SADNESS] You didn’t speak the words! You didn’t feel them move through you, vomiting out of you like…! [SHAKY BREATHING] … I did this. It’s my fault. And I don’t want… I can’t let anyone else feel that, that… helpless, enormous guilt. Ever.
Both Georgie and Martin beginning by “We all”, but Jon’s reaction being so hugely different when he heard it for the second time.
* I wanted Jon to have a breakdown, I got the breakdown, I’m still sad about it ;_;
* Jon had been very susceptible to the rhetoric of being “chosen”: he had wondered about it in season 3 and 4, until Jonah had concluded that if Jon had been “chosen” in any way, it was by him when he decided that Jon’s Web mark made him prime for his plan and that it was mostly just due to Jon’s “own rotten luck”. It might have been easier to swallow for a while, technically, until Annabelle reactivated all those fears about being “chosen” but from even longer – since childhood, since he was eight, since he was just a kid who just survived a Fear encounter. I do feel like there was a lot of bullshit in what Annabelle told him, in the way she framed it; she had also told Martin that a web couldn’t be “precious about a single strand” and I feel like it was more likely that there were multiple potential Jons, or that The Web had already tried to get someone (Gertrude? Her assistants, with Emma pushing them into danger?) marked and prime for the final ritual. But Jon has been very vulnerable to the idea that there could be something wrong inherent to him, that things he had no power over had to be his fault somehow, such as not being able to rescue his bully, or Sasha getting killed by the Not!Them, or the apocalypse (while he had more trouble accepting his own blame for things he was directly responsible for).
* I was wondering recently if Jon might have finally accepted that he wasn’t responsible for the apocalypse, that it was Jonah’s fault (since he hadn’t mentioned it for a long while at this point) but… nop. He didn’t really change his mind about it since the start of the season, just got better at hiding it:
(MAG161) MARTIN: Jon, it’s not your fault…
ARCHIVIST: Martin, can we not do this again.
MARTIN: Sorry.
ARCHIVIST: I’m just… I’m mourning a world I killed…!
MARTIN: I know…
ARCHIVIST: And we’re all trapped in its rotting corpse…!
* ;_; My heart broke when Jon recalled the experience of reading Jonah’s letter, and how traumatising the mere action was. We could hear him struggle and try to stop speaking in MAG160, and yet the letter was following its course…
* Just like with The Web’s clutch on him yet Jon still defending that he made those “bad choices”, it’s heartbreaking how Jon seems to be stuck on the paradox of being conscious that he couldn’t stop reading the letter, that something awful was done to him, yet still defends that it’s his fault and his responsibility. Jonah was barely mentioned this episode (and not as the man who chose to unleash that apocalypse), but he was still… very present in the multiple ways he fucked Jon over.
* It’s extremely sad that their current plan requires to trample on precisely the thing Jon didn’t and doesn’t want (to inflict what he experienced over someone else)… and yet, as sad it is, it also needs to be seen in the whole situation. Is guilt the worst thing that someone can experience? What about the people currently being tortured in their domains? (Or is there something coming up, such as Jon’s guilt being one aspect of his “domain” all along?)
* But still. Sobbing over the fact that Jon didn’t even blurt out out that he couldn’t allow anyone else to be hurt and fucked over by another Jonah like he was, but that the worst thing, for him, still was this “helpless, enormous guilt”. Not the pain, not the constant anguish, not the people he lost, but the guilt of having been used to end the world.
- There have been a few mentions revolving around Jon’s voice lately:
(MAG197) ARCHIVIST: As far as I can tell. I–it’s hard to s–… If I look too closely at them, my own voice, things get… recursive. Hard to follow.
[…] ANNABELLE: [CHUCKLING] I am sorry you find them irritating! They’re a side effect of the very specific way this web has been spun. I thought you liked his voice?
MARTIN: I do when it’s his voice. I’ve never liked the statements. It always felt… Yeah.
ANNABELLE: Well… you can trust me when I say you’ll be hearing his real voice very soon. […] We found the one we believed most likely to bring about their manifestation. We marked him young, guided his path as best we could. And then, we took his voice.
ARCHIVIST: No…
ANNABELLE: His, and those he walked with. We inscribed them on shining strands of word and meaning, and used them to weave a web which cast itself out through the gate and beyond our universe. So that when the Fears heard that voice, and came in their terrible glory, they might then travel out along it. [TAPE SQUEALS] Or be dragged.
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: [WITH SADNESS] You didn’t speak the words! You didn’t feel them move through you, vomiting out of you like…! [SHAKY BREATHING] … I did this.
And once again, there was the “For the silence” coin Albrecht discovered in the tomb of what was likely to be an old Archivist. Whatever happens in MAG200, I wonder if Jon won’t lose his voice in the process? Wouldn’t be the worst thing and, anyway, he will lose his voice symbolically with the end of the podcast (even in the case where he wouldn’t be straight up dying) but… I don’t know. The end of the episode had Jon exceptionally withdrawn and silent while the others discussed, so it already felt like he was falling “silent” in a way, and I wonder if he’ll lose his voice in a more literal way during the crisis, especially if the Fears are following “his voice”…
- Martin was so soft… and the Fabric Rustled again.
(MAG158) MARTIN: I see… [INHALE] I see you, Jon. [BREATHLESS CHUCKLE] [PRESENT, ECHO FADES] I see you…!
ARCHIVIST: Oh, Martin…
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
MARTIN: I w–I was on my own…! I was all on my own…
(Season 5 trailer) MARTIN: You know I’m here for you.
ARCHIVIST: [LONG SIGH] … Yes. Yes I do.
[RUSTLING OF CLOTHES]
MARTIN: All right. All right.
ARCHIVIST: Thank you.
(MAG170) ARCHIVIST: [CLOSER] Oh! Martin, hold on, I–I–I’m coming, I just… [STATIC REACHING A PEAK] [FOOTSTEPS] Oh, Martin! Thank god, I, I was… I–I thought you were behind me.
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
MARTIN: I thought you’d left me behind…! Gone on without me.
(MAG177) ARCHIVIST: … I’m sorry.
[SILENCE]
MARTIN: [SIGH] It’s okay. I understand.
[BAG JOSTLING]
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
(MAG183) MARTIN: … I’m sure I love you.
[FOOTSTEPS]
ARCHIVIST: I love you too. [FABRIC RUSTLES] Let’s go.
(MAG187) ARCHIVIST: [GROGGY] Oh. Martin, good!
[BAG JOSTLING]
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
MARTIN: Wh–, wh–wh–what happened? Th–th–there was the hotel and then…
(MAG191) MARTIN: No, I, I know, I know. I’m sorry, it’s okay. [SIGH]
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
ARCHIVIST: … Bad dream? […] Maybe I just… die. Maybe I survive, but I–I lose… something. My identity? My mind? My… memories? I don’t know.
[FABRIC RUSTLES AS THEY EMBRACE]
MARTIN: [LONG EXHALE]
(MAG197) ARCHIVIST: Martin!
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
MARTIN: … Oh god, I’m sorry, I–
ARCHIVIST: It’s fine.
(MAG199) MARTIN: Hey.
ARCHIVIST: [SNIFFS AS IF TEARING UP]
MARTIN: Hey, hey, hey, hey, come here, come here.
[FABRIC RUSTLES]
ARCHIVIST: [SNIFFS]
MARTIN: We’re going to fix it.
ARCHIVIST: No…! [HUFF] … We’re just going to pass it on…!
MARTIN: You don’t know that.
It might have for the last time ever…
- What was that sigh, Martin.
(MAG199) [SILENCE, AS THEY BOTH COMPOSE THEMSELVES]
ARCHIVIST: [INHALE] Come on. The others will be waiting.
[SHUFFLING]
[FOOTSTEPS DESCEND]
MARTIN: [HEAVY SIGH]
[CLICK.]
Was it “just” the sigh of knowing the current plan is making Jon miserable, or is it the sigh of someone who knows that something could comfort Jon, yet can’t share it with him yet…?
- Logistic of things in the next scene was that Jon&Martin came back to Georgie, who explained to them that Basira&Melanie had gone scouting, and the tape recorder clicked on when Basira&Melanie arrived:
(MAG199) [CLICK–]
GEORGIE: I’m not sure, they said they were out– Oh, hey.
[DOOR CREAKS, FOOTSTEPS ENTER]
ARCHIVIST: There you are. I was getting worried.
MELANIE: We were scouting. I was showing Basira where we think the gas mainline is.
MARTIN: And?
BASIRA: Not good. You know those Eye things?
ARCHIVIST: The old Archivists?
BASIRA: Yeah. I think they know something’s up. The place is crawling with them, it’s like they’re looking for something.
MELANIE: Or patrolling.
MARTIN: Hmm.
GEORGIE: That’s why the stairs were unguarded?
BASIRA: It looks that way.
* I’m still not sure what the point of the lighter is in relation to the tape recorders and The Web. Annabelle implied that the lighter had acted as a tracker or would act as a tracker (MAG197: “A little anchor of our power, so that we, and our tapes, may follow wherever you go.”) but we’ve had various examples showing that it wasn’t exclusively the case: the tape recorders had turned on and off in the Archives and in Elias’s office while Jon was away in season 3, they turned up around Martin and in Elias’s cell in season 4, one popped up to record Melanie&Georgie at the end of MAG191 while they were walking in London. What it might be able to do, however, is allow the tape recorders to reach places that should be insulated from other powers (such as within the Coffin, or when Jon was Nikola’s prisoner, or at Upton House)? I’m not sure. Anyway, Georgie took the lighter, has the lighter, and the next scene included Georgie, so I wonder if something will change in the POV of the action next episode, or if the team wasn’t suspecting that The Web still had another use for Jon.
* Why are the Archivists acting up? Is it because Beholding is getting impatient and wants Jon as its pupil? Is it because Beholding is sensing that something is threatening its position? Is it because Jon knows about the plan and the potentiality of Beholding losing its hold over this world, therefore allowing Beholding to know about it and making it react in self-defence? Are Jon’s own feelings about the plan influencing Beholding? Jon said that he didn’t feel like it could think but, if The Eye was indeed behind Jon’s difficulty to listen to Eric’s tape, that showed that it still has instincts and a capacity to try and protect itself.
- As mentioned above, I’m surprised that the last person standing to ignite the tunnels is supposed to be Melanie:
(MAG199) ARCHIVIST: So what’s the plan?
MELANIE: I reckon me and Georgie go for the mainline, and hopefully they won’t notice us.
GEORGIE: I’ll need a torch. They might notice that.
BASIRA: I’ll give a diversion. I’ll try and draw them off.
MELANIE: And if they see Georgie’s torch, we just go to Plan B. She becomes another distraction, and I go solo.
GEORGIE: I don’t like the thought of you going on your own.
MELANIE: And I don’t like the thought of you being chased by manky old archivists, but there it is.
MARTIN: Okay. [EXHALE] So what are you going to do when you find it?
GEORGIE: We’ve got some old tools. I guess we just… mess with it until we smell gas, and then… back off, set something burning and leg it. It can’t be that hard to break a valve.
… since Georgie had been the one to take the lighter, and didn’t present it as an element she would require in their plan. It’s possible that she’s going to give it over to Melanie and just retrieved the lighter for that goal but mmm, I’m still having doubts about it.
* I love Melanie’s “manky old Archivists”, I’m going to miss her so much ;_;
* … screaming a bit because GEORGIE, if you smell gas, it’s TOO LATE to ignite something without getting caught in the middle of an explosion…………. It’s gonna go very wrong, isn’t it.
* Sob, Melanie&Georgie had been resolute about doing something in MAG191, and Georgie still wanted to be careful about the old Archivists at the beginning of MAG192… but now, they’re really ready to risk everything, uh…
- Melanie was way more careful (and less confrontational) with Jon now that they had to establish the plan, and I wonder if Georgie asked her to tone it down or if Melanie made a conscious effort since they needed to pool their resources and collaborate? I’m really curious about Jon’s wording here:
(MAG199) MELANIE: … Jon, you’re sure about this whole gas main thing? It just seems… I don’t know, really mundane.
ARCHIVIST: It’s what Annabelle said. And she wasn’t lying – at least, she didn’t think she was.
BASIRA: Well, it’s a bit late for second-guessing.
Because what Annabelle thinks and the reality of things could be very different things. I’m still having some doubts about Oliver and her explaining how their patrons work and presenting them as Fears-that-can-think – it’s fitting in a way but… we also had examples of older avatars (Simon, Arthur) pointing out that they couldn’t guess what their patrons wanted except for some cravings. Something I could see is about the relation between avatars and their Fears (between humans and fears): the idea that the Fears might be… whatever people project on them, and them modelling themselves in turn. Could The End kill people in this world if Oliver wasn’t convinced that it could do it? Could The Web feel so omnipresent and powerful if Annabelle and Jon weren’t projecting their own fears on it?
- Georgie gave me so many red flags this episode…
(MAG199) GEORGIE: Well, we’ll do what we can but… this is it. Whatever it takes, right? If there’s a price, we pay it. No hesitations.
And that one was especially bad by itself, but it also echoed Gertrude’s last instructions to her potential successor:
(MAG161) GERTRUDE: You are entering a new world, a place I’ve lived for most of my life. A place… [SIGH] A place that will often demand a high price from you. Pay it without hesitation, because one way or another, the world is now on your shoulders.
Basically paraphrasing what Gertrude said? Bad sign. Baaad sign.
- There might have been a small misunderstanding between Melanie and Jon there ;;
(MAG199) MELANIE: Sure he can! Just magic-laser-eye zap him or whatever, same as with all the others.
MARTIN: [SIGH]
MELANIE: Like he did to Helen.
ARCHIVIST: Listen, Melanie, I–
MELANIE: It’s fine. If we all get out of this, we can talk it through, and, if not, well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?
ARCHIVIST: I suppose not.
Since Jon had been unaware that Martin had broken the news to her already, and that Melanie already knew that Helen was bad news… but had learned from Basira that Melanie used to be close to her:
(MAG190) MELANIE: Oh! Oh, I nearly forgot! Careful of Helen, if you see her.
MARTIN: Mm?
MELANIE: Uh, she turned up a while back and tried to eat Celia.
MARTIN: She was here?
MELANIE: Yes… A few times. [INHALE] Looking back, I was so stupid!
MARTIN: Because you kind of liked her?
MELANIE: Yes. Yes… Honestly, I had started to think she was on our side.
MARTIN: Yeah.
MELANIE: [SIGH]
MARTIN: Jon killed her.
MELANIE: [SPLUTTERING] Uh, sorry, what?!
MARTIN: Yeah, she tried to– I wasn’t there, but they got into a standoff and he… he destroyed her.
MELANIE: He can do that?
MARTIN: Mm!
MELANIE: Well! I mean that’s… that’s interesting to know.
(MAG195) ARCHIVIST: … I also killed Helen?
BASIRA: Oh! Right.
ARCHIVIST: Yeah…
[CONSIDERED ROWING]
BASIRA: Didn’t expect that.
ARCHIVIST: She was dangerous. And not like the others out there. It was only going to be a matter of time before–
BASIRA: No, no, I get it. Honestly, it’s kind of a relief. How did Melanie take it?
ARCHIVIST: Melanie?
BASIRA: Yeah, she and… she and Helen were pretty tight back when, uh… Oh…
ARCHIVIST: What?
BASIRA: Back when you were in your coma.
ARCHIVIST: I see…! Well, I haven’t told her yet, so… I suppose I have that to look forward to when we get back.
So: from Melanie’s point of view, she used to be close to Helen but learned independently that Helen wasn’t her friend and was actually dangerous for them. From Jon’s point of view, Melanie used to be close with Helen and might have just learned that he had killed her (and might be sad about it). But Melanie was dry about it and it came as an accusation, which immediately made Jon defensive about it. They can’t really manage to interact without making a conscious effort to not rub the other the wrong way, uh…?
Cries, still, because they’ll never talk it through, uh. ;;
- I am REALLY concerned about Martin being adamant that Jon couldn’t be the one to kill Jonah because of the potential consequences…
(MAG199) MELANIE: And it’s hardly going to be a picnic for you either. You’re going up that tower to kill Elias, and if we muck up the timing, you’ll be up there when it blows.
MARTIN: … Jon can’t do it.
ARCHIVIST: What?
[…] MARTIN: You’re not listening. I mean, if he kills Jonah, then knowing our luck he’s just gonna end up taking his place in the Panopticon, isn’t he?
GEORGIE: [SIGH] Good point.
MARTIN: He can come up with me, but when it actually comes to Jonah…
BASIRA: You’ll have to be the one to do it.
MARTIN: Yeah.
ARCHIVIST: Martin… I don’t–
BASIRA: Have you got this? We can trade if you don’t think you can do it.
MARTIN: No. No, I can do it.
… because it’s not what Jon had said:
(MAG193) MARTIN: So not that then, but… wh–what about something, like… physical?
ARCHIVIST: I… What?
MARTIN: Look, I know it’s all about… dream logic and metaphor and all that… stuff, but, you know, what if we just… what if we just grabbed him and, you know, pulled him down? Or, or just threw something heavy at him?
ARCHIVIST: Uh… […] You were right.
MARTIN: About what?
ARCHIVIST: His body is vulnerable. A–at least to me.
MARTIN: … What’s the catch?
ARCHIVIST: I could kill his body, sever the link, break The Eye’s power, and… Jonah Magnus would die.
MARTIN: Okay, that sounds good but…?
ARCHIVIST: But… that wouldn’t actually harm The Eye itself. And with him gone it would… it would choose a suitable replacement.
MARTIN: Oh.
ARCHIVIST: If we kill Jonah Magnus… I take his place.
MARTIN: Oh, god…
ARCHIVIST: And I think… that’s exactly what it wants…!
Jon said that killing Jonah would lead to Beholding taking a replacement, not necessarily the person who’d kill Jonah… and regarding “suitable replacement”, Martin was emphasised as Eye-aligned this season (and Lonely):
(MAG183) ARCHIVIST: Well, you’re a watcher, Martin. You worked for the Institute, you read statements, The Eye is… fond of you. You’re not getting thrown into your own personal hell, which means…
MARTIN: [QUIETLY] That one of them belongs to me. But that’s… Ho–how can I be a “Watcher”? I, I didn’t even know it existed!
ARCHIVIST: But you’ve suspected for a while now, haven’t you?
MARTIN: Maybe? But that’s not “watching”!
ARCHIVIST: Do you want me to tell you about it?
MARTIN: No. … Yes. N–no, no, I don’t know, I don’t know. [SIGH]
[STATIC RISES]
ARCHIVIST: It’s a small domain. A swirling mix of The Eye and The Lonely.
And was supposed to take Jonah’s place at the end of season 4 precisely thanks to his connection to Beholding:
(MAG158) PETER: I want to use the powers of this place to learn about The Extinction: what it’s doing, where it’s manifesting. Then we can stop it.
MARTIN: And you need me for this?
PETER: Correct! Without a connection to The Eye, any attempt to use it would likely end… very messily indeed! But thankfully, it just so happens that you hold such a connection.
MARTIN: So that’s it… Both “lonely” and “watching”.
PETER: You must admit you’re the perfect candidate. […] You’ll have to dispose of the current occupant.
MARTIN: Curren–… [QUICK FOOTSTEPS] [SHARP BREATHING] … Who is that?
PETER: Jonah Magnus! His… body, at least. Sitting here; watching; binding it all together; growing ever older. If you want to take his place, well…
MARTIN: … I’ll need to kill him.
PETER: Yes. Don’t worry, though. I brought a knife. […] Martin. What are you doing?
MARTIN: I’m… saying no. I refuse! Game over.
[KNIFE CLATTERING ON THE GROUND]
Jon hadn’t mentioned whether Martin would be able to hurt Elias (just that he could), but we’ve seen that dream-logic could be a factor to hurt each other: Basira could kill Daisy, Daisy could hurt Jon through their connection. Given that Martin was once expected to kill Jonah (did Jonah fear that Martin would choose this?), and that Martin has felt guilty all season about the fact that he feels like he could have stopped things if he had just knifed Jonah:
(MAG174) MARTIN: All those lies you told me… You helped to do this, you turned the world into your… your playground!
SIMON: Hum… Not to be a pedant, but if you recall, I was actually doing a favour for Peter. And if Peter had won, none of this would have happened.
(MAG186) MARTIN: [HEAVY SIGH] If we’re glad, why do I feel so…
ALSO MARTIN: Guilty? Because you feel guilty about everything.
MARTIN: That’s… That’s not–
ALSO MARTIN: […] The end of the entire world?
MARTIN: If I’d done what Peter had asked… If, if I’d not chickened out, and just killed Elias when I had the chance…!
ALSO MARTIN: Really? Really, that’s how you’re choosing to remember it? “Chickening out”?
MARTIN: I remember it was the wrong choice…!
ALSO MARTIN: You choose to remember it that way, and so the guilt–
MARTIN: [SIGH] I–I get it, all right? But I need it, I, I choose the guilt, because…
ALSO MARTIN: [LEADING] “Because”?
MARTIN: Because it motivates me to do better!
I could see Martin managing to hurt him thanks to this. But regarding what could come afterwards:
I’m concerned about the fact Jon tried to object during the discussion and that nobody listened to him… as if Jon was already anticipating something to go very badly because he knows something the others don’t. Overall: what if Martin can’t kill Jonah? What if Martin kills Jonah and Beholding takes Jon anyway? What if Martin kills Jonah and Beholding picks Martin as a replacement?
(Mental picture of Jon screaming “Take me, not him!”, since we’ve been in the season 1 nostalgia this episode… ;_;)
- Aouch for Melanie falling back into old habits…
(MAG199) MELANIE: Make sure it hurts.
MARTIN: Oh, I will.
MELANIE: … Good enough for me.
(MAG117) MELANIE: I have my own stuff to take care of, they think they’re giving me a chance to “face my demons”, by helping to take down Elias. They don’t get that the only way to deal with something like him is to watch his eyes go dead with your hands around his throat. [SHAKY INHALE] I’ll… play it their way, for now. But when it comes down to it… I want – to see him – dead. […] [INHALE] So… yes. That’s it. That’s all you’re getting, because it hurt like hell to live through, and I didn’t do it so you could stroke your chin and call it fascinating. … Good luck, Jon. I do hope you win. [INHALE] But I also hope it hurts…!
- So, resting time:
(MAG199) GEORGIE: Okay. Sounds like we’ve got… something like a plan.
MARTIN: [SOUND OF ASSENT]
BASIRA: Makes a nice change.
[VARIOUS SOUNDS OF ASSENT]
MELANIE: [BRIGHTLY] It does, doesn’t it? Eh! Uh… so. When do we actually do it?
GEORGIE: First thing tomorrow. That’ll give us time to prep and rest.
Georgie had already explained how they evaluated “tomorrow” in the tunnels and without any clock:
(MAG190) GEORGIE: Look. We’re all tired, and you still seem a little… disoriented by the tunnels. Let’s get some rest. We can talk about next moves tomorrow.
ARCHIVIST: And how do you know when tomorrow is?
GEORGIE: We generally err on the side of caution and sleep in…!
ARCHIVIST: Sounds good.
So they’ll probably do the same ;;
- Basira thanking Jon for helping her with Daisy (and for helping her personally) made my heart break a bit and really made it sink in that it was likely the last time some (most? all?) of them would talk to each other, or that they won’t be in any state to discuss things like this afterwards. It was also fitting that Jon got his private moments with Georgie, with Martin, with Basira… but not with Melanie. That bridge burned, uh.
- Overall, although with interesting points and heart-wrenching and bittersweet and tender and intimate moments, it was… quite a depressing episode in the whole scale of things?
* The episode gave the impression that it was validating everything about The Web: that Jon had indeed been “Chosen” as the bringer of the apocalypse and had been a right pick for it; that Annabelle had been right when she told Martin that she just needed to tell them the truth for them to do what she wanted; that The Web scheming for centuries to open the crack and prepare its escape, and bringing the apocalypse about just to escape and infest other dimensions… worked. That everyone, regardless of their motivations and feelings, has indeed come to the conclusion that arranged The Web and served its plans, that The Web… is very casually winning just as planned.
* The episode didn’t talk about what would come after, for the characters. Jon briefly explained to Martin what was likely to happen to him, Annabelle confirmed it, but… the episode gave the impression that characters weren’t truly expecting to come out of this alive in the first place.
* Jon’s silences in the last sequences were so sad? He barely managed to sneak in a few words. He couldn’t contribute to the plan. Martin presented him as optional while others are taking care of the action. Yes, it used to be all on Jon but the fact that he couldn’t even contribute and that others ignored him when he tried to object about Martin being the one to kill Jonah was just so heartbreaking, as if he was already silenced and once again not in control of things that would happen…?
- I want to err on the side of caution but, despite it, I can’t help but wonder if some of the Team Archive interactions weren’t… staged a bit for the tape recorders. It’s very suspicious that they apparently got updated on the Hill Top Road situation, but that nobody commented about the tape recorders turning on (although they now know that it means The Web is spying on them and/or that their tapes will be heard by other people in other worlds and associated with the Fears). Melanie and Georgie had taken notice of them when Jon&Martin had arrived in the tunnels for the first time, Melanie was good at hearing the tape recorder turning on… but nothing this time around. Is it possible that they’re planning something else, too, and that it required The Web and The Eye (the tapes and Jon) to not know about it, a bit like how the assistants had put on a show in front of Elias in season 3?
(MAG116) ELIAS: Now! If you’ll excuse me.
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
BASIRA: Do you think he bought it?
MARTIN: We’ll talk about it later.
ARCHIVIST: I doubt we’ll get time, we need to go.
MARTIN: It’s fine. We’ve got this, okay.
ARCHIVIST: [SIGH] … Okay.
Is it why Georgie took the lighter?
I don’t want to bank on it but the fact that nobody has commented about the tape recorders since Annabelle revealed what they were and their purpose has been any nagging at me, so, mmmm…
If MAG200 actually shows the action as it happens, I’m wondering about a few things:
* How are they planning to time up the explosion and the Jonah murder? Jon couldn’t know about the tunnels when he was outside of them, and according to what we’ve heard in MAG192, climbing the tower was a very long process. It’s possible that Jon actually has some awareness of the tunnels as long as he’s in the tower (since both are connected), or that they’ll go for the murder once they hear the explosion coming to them, but how would Georgie&Melanie coordinate to not do anything before Jon&Martin are the top? (When I’m wondering about it, I can think of a few options: Jon&Martin dropping something once they’re at the top, to convey they’ve arrived, or maybe relying on whether a tape recorder clicks on, as a signal that Nothing Interesting Is Happening Up There And It’s Your Turn To Do Something, etc.)
* Will we hear Rosie again? Jon&Martin might have to pass in front of her again to reach Elias. Will they evacuate her, will she stay with them?
* … Surprisingly and yet fittingly: we might hear Jonah/Elias in the last episode. (And funnily enough: it would be the 4th episode where he would talk this season, which means this wouldn’t even be the season with the least amount of Elias appearances! He was in 3 episodes in season 1 (MAG017, MAG039, MAG040) and in 4 episodes in season 2 (MAG048, MAG060, MAG067, MAG080). Season 3 was an outlier that really got us used to hearing him a lot.)
* I’m still squinting about the fact that Annabelle told them to “destroy the Archives” and that they translated it into “destroy the Panopticon” while both Jonah and Oliver designated Jon as the “Archive(s)”…
* If they succeed, and if it all goes accordingly, I am really wondering about the state of the world post-Fears – and it might not be something we’ll get to witness. But mostly, I’m curious/concerned about the complicated cases: if people do remember what happened to them and who were the rulers, wouldn’t it be likely that things turn into chaos as people get back at the people who hurt them? What about the cases Basira mentioned of rulers who hated being in that position? What about, for example, Callum? (Who is currently doing horrible things and… is also a traumatised kid.)
* I wonder if the episode will have an actual date as the case number, and if it would correspond to another world’s timeline or this one. “0181810–B”, as things pick up from the point Jon had read Jonah’s letter (MAG160’s was “0181810”)? “0212503” to play with the release date, since it’s the same release date for everyone for once (no early access for Patreon)? “0111507” to play with the date of Jacob’s statement, heard in the very first trailer? Something beginning with “015” as, in another world, someone (Jon or Sasha or someone else) becomes a new Head Archivist after Gertrude’s death?
* If The Web succeeds and leaves with the tapes, will they be like the Fear Books used to be perceived in this world? Will Jon’s voice be perceived as a bringer of disaster and tragedies? What will happen to Jon’s voice is an interesting question given that this episode ended with… Jon being withdrawn, barely being part of the conversation, trying to object and not being heard, as if his voice was already partially silenced by the others.
* Technically, since the tapes are supposed to leave with The Web, the series might cut off with the tapes leaving, but… other configurations are possible. We could finally hear something without the mediation of the tapes. We could get a new point of view from another world, inheriting the fears. We could be deprived of the action, since the plan was laid out, and have someone (Martin?) recalling what happened, much later, etc.
In previous seasons, the 40th episode was more about the aftermath of the action and posing elements that would be fundamental during the next one: MAG040 explained how Prentiss had died, what had happened to Jon&Tim, but also confirmed (to the audience) that something had replaced Sasha without the others noticing, and revealed that Gertrude’s obviously-murdered-body had been found in the tunnels, leading to Jon’s secret investigations in season 2; MAG080 showed Leitner explaining to Jon who was likely to be Gertrude’s murderer, what the Institute was about, that Jon was now a servant of Beholding and that a Fear ritual was incoming, leading to Jon’s quest to stop the Unknowing; MAG120 confirmed who had come out of the Unknowing alive, revealed what Jon’s dreams were about, had Peter replacing Elias as Head of the Institute and confirmed Peter’s interest in Martin; MAG160 had Jon&Martin running away, Jon receiving Jonah’s letter hidden amongst the statements (and a few tapes likely sent by The Web) and being forced to read his incantation, provoking the current apocalypse.
MAG200’s title has been made public on twitter, so – “Last Words” it is. It sure feels like the series is ending ;; It’s fitting for both the characters and the podcast itself, and I’m screaming that it had appeared in the first episode of this season:
(MAG161) ARCHIVIST: Hang on, have you been recording this?
[RUSTLING OF CLOTHES]
TIM: Oh, yeah! I… just thought it might be nice, you know, something to look back on when we’re all old and sick of each other…! […] Now, all right, all right; fine! Look: I’m turning it off. Any last words for your future selves?
… in the specific context of leaving a message for the future.
#yaayyyy i posted it more than 17h before the ep release! (shhhh that it would be Late if we had gotten an EA release)#i have absolutely no idea how i'll manage to get 200's done given how i had finished the last episodes pre-hiatus#at the end of every hiatus every time. i'll try but. deadlines are my worst enemies and my best friends.#mag199#tma liveblog#tma season 5#long post/#the magnus archives#overall: CRIES CRIES CRIES i'm gonna miss these nerds.............#and WorriedTM.........
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I've finally finished the first set! It's the same kids again tho, lol. But next time will be never before seen characters! So I wanted to get everyone drawn in the Omniverse style so I could visualize it all properly and it also made for a good opportunity to tweak designs as needed. They're all heavily referenced from official art so I could get it perfect and it made for great practice too! Of course I added some personal touches to the art style too cuz if I didn't it would have bothered me too much, lol.
Anyway, below the cut are finally proper profiles for all the kids and some additional info as well!
M'kay, so before we get started on the kids' bios, it's important to specify this is an alternate universe. And I don't mean it's an AU of the Prime Dimension. This is quite literally another universe within the omniverse. It's a mostly untouched one that even Paradox, Eon, and Maltruant have never been to and therefore a lot of things are different while a lot of things are still the same tho. It's unofficially called the Feniverse cuz Fen is the main character, but it does have a more official name. I'm just, uh… not aware of what that name is yet, lol!
Anyway, the Ben in this dimension branches off from the development of Prime Ben. Anybody remember the fact that the very first Ben 10K episode said Ben became the way he did in the future cuz he killed Vilgax by ripping him to pieces? Yep! That's what this Ben did too! But obviously he doesn't end up exactly like that Ben 10K. But so this dimension's Ben is therefore officially labelled Slayer Ben since some people refer to him as 'The Vilgax Slayer'. And that experience did definitely screw him up pretty bad, which is why he's so different from both Prime and 10K.
So from left to right:
Name: Fenrick Fih Rook-Tennyson
Age: 13
Height: 5'1
Voice: Todd Haberkorn
Bio: Fen is Ben and Rook's son. He has always been known for being quiet, surprisingly wise for his age, and quite the troublemaker. In actuality, only two of these things are true. Fen is more calm than he seems and as a young child he wasn't much of a talker, giving people the perception that he's quiet. Unfortunately, Fen also has many great ideas that end up badly. However, his ideas always come from the desire to help someone or solve a problem, but he always gets caught when his plans fall apart, making it look like he causes trouble. Some people even accuse him of trouble he didn't start, not helping his reputation. And as the son of Ben 10 of all people, he tends to be held to higher expectations. His wisdom never ceases to amaze people either. Even Ben and Rook get surprised at the wisdom he recites, wondering where exactly he learned it all. Due to that, he tends to put up a fight whenever himself or someone else gets wronged. He especially defends his friends and fellow alien kids in town. Although his only true friends seem to consist of his childhood friend, Millie, and his cousin, Sven.
At the age of 13, Fen discovered his ability to transform into a couple dozen of Ben's aliens. He quickly aspired to become a hero like his parents, much to Ben's disapproval, who worries about his safety. Despite that, Fen wants to form a hero trio with Sven and Millie and become the next generation of heroes in the galaxy.
Developer's Notes:
Fen's almost always been the same since I first created him, with just a few design and character tweaks done to him. He used to have a talent for jewelry making but that was switched out for him being wise for his age. He was also a bit more generic as far as the upbeat and reckless young male protagonist with famous parents archetype goes, but he's been adjusted enough that he now stands out from that archetype. Or, at least I hope, lol. Also, funny thing to note, Fenrick is not a real name! The closest name there is is Fenwick and iirc, that's a last name! I considered changing it to Fenwick or even Fenick but Fenrick is too special to me. His, uh, unfortunate name even has an impact in-universe with him being embarrassed by it and some using it to make fun of him. Also in-universe, I chalk it up to Ben having a dumb moment by misremembering the name Fenwick and Rook not knowing any better to catch Ben's mistake. Also, if you think his hair style is stupid, good. That's the point. He wanted it like that when he was seven and Ben and Rook were like 'sure' and it's been like that ever since.
Name: Millicent
Age: 13
Height: 5'0
Voice: Jennifer Paz
Bio: Millie is Ester's daughter. Her biological father is a human who decided he didn't want to be a father and Antonio soon stepped up to fill the father role when he and Ester got married. She has been friends with Fen and Sven since they were all babies. Millie is the level-headed one of the group and has been noted as being oddly emotionless. Her tone of voice is almost always flat and she usually keeps a straight face when not looking nervous. She never intends to be rude, but she will bluntly say whatever comes to her mind to her peers. At the same time, she can be nervous about making bold decisions and hates being a part of any decision making. She either refuses to do anything, or apologizes profusely for making a decision even when nothing bad happens.
Due to being more human than Kraaho, Millie is perfectly capable of handling the temperatures of Bellwood. However, she is still a bit sensitive to cold temperatures and needs to bundle up more than others during the winter. She sadly cannot handle the heat in the Hot Spot for very long either. Much to Millie's dismay, she was not born with the Kraaho's stretching ability. No one can figure out why, but it's simply something she can't do. As a result, she considers herself a normal human and has resigned herself to the fact that 'normal' is simply all she will ever be. Despite this, she has taken up quite a big secret that contradicts her decision and expresses who she wishes she really was.
Developer's Notes:
Millie only ever had one design change with her outfit and slight adjustment to the way her hair works and she's been the same ever since. Since the beginning she was always calm and stoic and I've always worried that she doesn't have much of a presence or purpose, but now I feel like she plays off Fen and Sven well enough that she stands out thanks to them. I've always flipped back and forth between Fen and/or Millie having a crush on each other, but I've finally settled on them both just seeing each other as near and dear loyal friends. It ultimately works out better that way and doesn't cause conflict with Millie's personal story or Fen's real love interest(and the one other character with feelings for him). Her name also used to be Mina, but since I've now taken that as one of my own names, it felt really awkward to keep her as that. I used to have a habit of naming characters with names I wanted before realizing I could change my name in the future, lol.
Name: Sven Elijah Levin
Age: 12
Height: 4'8
Voice: Wally Wingert
Bio: Sven is Gwendolyn and Kevin's son and Jenny's older brother. Sven is a rather unfortunate boy. He is constantly terrified of everything to the point of running millions of 'bad ends' through his head. He can barely talk most of the time without being a stuttering mess and always thinks he's going to be in trouble for anything and everything he does. Everyone is certain he either has severe anxiety or paranoia, or likely both. Perhaps even more. Who knows. Sven tends to cling to his cousin, Fen, who he looks to for guidance and advice, most of which isn't anything Sven should actually be following. Because he is a grade below Fen and Millie, he's often left alone to deal with problems in his own classes, or really just panic about them. He does, however, have a close relationship with Zed and likes to be the one to take her out on walks in the afternoon. And not many people know it, but he's actually a pretty decent artist.
Even though he is an Osmosian thanks to being Kevin's son, no one knows what ability he may have. It doesn't really matter though, since he wants to stay out of any potential trouble that having powers could bring him. Regardless of that, he has an interest in magic thanks to Gwendolyn's expertise in it. He even sneaks peeks at her spellbook and the strange bag she keeps in her office that he can hear a voice coming from at night.
Developer's Notes:
Now Sven is a character whose personality has always been pretty much the same while his design was never consistent until reaching his current one. He was originally very anime looking and in a gaudy orange outfit that I regret even thinking about, lol. He looks much better in neutral colors. I guess there's not much to say on him though, which makes me worry he's a tad unremarkable, but perhaps it's just since I'm leaving out the things about him that are better left discovering on your own… if I ever get to finishing that fic that is… ahaha.
Name: Saki Boulais
Age: 13
Height: 4'11
Voice: Stephanie Sheh
Bio: Julie and Hervé's daughter, one of the more popular girls in school, and the most deceptive in town. Saki has gone her whole life, since the first time she told a successful lie, tricking people into thinking she's a completely innocent little girl who's never done anything wrong. This allows her to get away with anything she wants, and she especially enjoys getting Fen in trouble when they butt heads with each other. The two have even been enemies since they first met at age three and Saki pulled Fen's tail, he pulled her hair in return, and she managed to get away with claiming he started it. Their feud has even turned into murderous intent, which Saki refuses to hide.
On a lighter note, Saki always has the company of her two best friends, Rachel and Diane, who will gladly join her in her tormenting of others. Saki even greatly admires the most popular girl in school, Fiona, and whoever the mysterious new hero girl, Miracle-M, is.
Developer's Notes:
Yes, Saki was always meant to be That Bitch in the cast. I feel like it's unrealistic to have all next gen kids be friends and get along with each other. It's perfectly believable to have some of them dislike, and in Saki and Fen's case, even hate each other. It makes it more interesting with them being Ben and Julie's kids respectively too. Adds good drama, lol. But anyway, really the only thing that's changed about Saki is her hairstyle and some other slight design tweaks like her necklace, shorts, and shoes. I also just recently changed her colors from purple and blue-ish purple to just blue so that isn't not all three girls here wearing purple. She also looks better in blue and it contrasts nicely with Julie's pink imo. I suppose I do worry about her being disliked since she's so antagonistic and with her being Julie's daughter, I really hope her character doesn't send the wrong message since I genuinely love Julie a lot. It really is just For The Drama Of It All. I think it's really fun to watch her go into full 'Murder Fen' mode too. Very fun to write, lol. Oh right, also Boulais is my headcanon last name for Herve. I just wanted her to have his last name but he doesn’t have one! So I had to pick one for myself.
Name: Jennifer Elizabeth Levin
Age: 10
Height: 4'6
Voice: Brina Palencia
Bio: Jenny is Gwendolyn and Kevin's daughter and Sven's younger sister. She is surprisingly serious and stoic for her age. She gets annoyed by her family's constant 'abnormal' status and wishes everyone could just act normal with no weird events happening. She throws herself into school work as a means to keep herself out of it and tries to keep her personal life at school with friends far away from her life involving family. She seems to have a quick temper, but really she just acts that way to get what she wants since she knows it works and in the hopes that she can use it as an opportunity to vent her frustrations. She hates getting involved in her brother and cousin Fen's antics, but sometimes her no nonsense attitude is needed to resolve a situation. She has a strange obsession with eating bread, finding it the perfect food and almost always exclusively eating something with bread involved. Gwendolyn definitely worries about her diet, but Kevin finds it harmless.
She may not have the spark like her mother, but she doesn't dare confess that her status as an Osmosian became very apparent just recently. As a result, she has a stash of broken objects stuffed under her bed and cracked floorboards that she covers with her rug.
Developer's Notes:
Jenny went through a decent redesign. Character wise I feel like I still don't have some things etched in stone for her as I still haven't gotten to the point in my writing where she does anything of interest. She could honestly probably end up pretty different from her bio here if I'm not careful, lol. The characters write themselves as they say after all! But I definitely prefer the newer Jenny compared to the previous way I envisioned her character, which was designed to fit a character type I actually hate just cuz I felt it worked for her. Thankfully I can avoid it tho with the big overhaul I did after returning to these characters. And I do like Jenny cuz I like writing her dialogue, but it still feels like her character is still that of a person I would not wanna be around, lol.
Name: Bevel Tennyson
Age: 20
Height: 5'9
Voice: Dee Bradley Baker/Yuri Lowenthal
Bio: Bevel is the youngest of the Big Chill offspring born twenty years ago. They were in an accident involving a passing spaceship on their way to Kylmyys that damaged their right wing to the point they could no longer fly. It's suspected the wing has severe nerve damage, making Bevel unable to unfold it as well. Their siblings helped them make it the rest of the way to Kylmyys, but over the years, the dangers of Kylmyys left the siblings with only Bevel and the eldest two, Emboss and Curve, remaining. As they got older, Bevel could never forget their only memory of their parent, who the others didn't remember. A desire to reunite with their parent caused Bevel to make the lone decision to explore the universe in search of their parent.
Bevel is a very cheerful and sweet person, but their secluded upbringing and lack of knowledge about Earth makes them very naive. They will believe anything they are told and have a very black and white moral view due to not understanding nuance. They have strange habits that appear unnatural in their attempt to act human and have an intense craving for Earth candy. They have also taken up being a mercenary to get by after leaving Kylmyys and once they join the Tennyson family, Rook suggests they use the skills they've picked up to become a Plumber, but that's an idea Ben isn't fully onboard with.
Developer's Notes:
Right off the bat I want to shout out that his old human design used to keep the Necrofriggian antennae. I still think it's a cute design even tho it wasn't canon compliant with the antennae. The only things that have changed about him too are just that, his hair style, and his shoes. Plus I stuck bunny ears on his hoodie recently as a shout out to those antennae he used to have. Otherwise he's always been the same. And I guess I haven't explained why he has a human form, but that's also an answer to discover later. I didn't draw his Necrofriggian form tho cuz we should all know what the UAF design looks like(and yes I am screwing with art style difference bullshit cuz OV Big Chill is not real and you cannot convince me otherwise). And I also just realized his pronouns aren't matching up in this section so I should add his official pronouns are he/they, but characters refer to him by he/him and narration uses they/them. He is still a Necrofriggian and therefore doesn't do the whole gender thing after all. Which is why he's fine with anyone viewing him as whatever they want to too. He just goes with it. That's also why he doesn't get what's weird about him calling Ben 'Mother' after he learned the word, lol.
#staff so help me if this disappears from the tags EVER we will have a problem#ben 10#ben 10 oc#fenrick (oc)#Millie (OC)#Sven (OC)#saki (oc)#jenny (oc)#bevel (oc)#my art#artists on tumblr
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FRENEMIES
I am Arunima (please use Aru to address me). I am thirteen, and I go to school like any normal teen. In 8th grade, it’s like a whirlpool of emotions and thoughts. I feel obligated to cram as much education as I can into my brain and push forward for these last few years of school. But that being said, these are my last few years of school and possibly of my childhood. Every day I’m confused about the way forward, and today was no different.
It was like any usual day. I struggled to wake up and get ready for school. When I boarded my school bus I dozed off as per usual, catching up on last night’s sleep. The assembly was no different with many students yawning and chatting amongst themselves. The first few classes went by in a blur (a rather boring one at that) I struggled to stay awake, let alone consciously pay attention (all courtesy of the late-night binge-watching of stranger things). As I slept the teacher must have yapped about something important because when she questioned me about the lesson, and I, flustered, answered incorrectly, she had a look of heeding malice on her cold and bony face. In homeroom, we discussed our lives’ regrets and satisfactions. At the moment I was bored, and couldn’t care less about what we did in homeroom. I remember my answer being something as general as not picking up a particular hobby.
On the bus ride home, while snacking on kurkures, and doing my homework, I couldn’t focus.
Normally I would finish all the work given on my ride home and laze around in the afternoon, but that day fate was made for me to keep getting distracted. After a few attempts of doing my homework and packing my bag, I just gave up and decided to have dinner and go to bed early. An hour went by and I still couldn’t get myself to close my eyes and get rest for more than ten minutes. There was a cold lump in my throat, and it was not because of the unnaturally low temperature of my thermostat (as put by my beloved mom). After tossing and turning in bed for quite a while, I realized that all this drama was because of the small, insignificant discussion in homeroom.
Without me putting much thought into it, that one question had seeped in and manipulated my whole day. Now that I sleeplessly put more thought into it, I stand corrected. My answer wouldn’t be something as brief and over the top as a missed hobby. It would be something in a completely different dimension. Something many would label as childish. A FRIENDSHIP.
I met Shravya when we were both four, on our first day of kindergarten. I was a timid and observant child, and she was more on the outgoing and vivacious side. It all started when she came up to me and tugged at my braids. I went on to grab hold of her collar and poke her with all my might. That was followed by an obnoxious round of tickling each other and giggling. A bond finally formed over a tiffin exchange at recess and we instantly started to grow close.
Overtime Shravya and I became like two peas in a pod, and by the end of kindergarten, everyone knew us as the two best friends who couldn’t stand a day without talking to each other. Like everything good comes to an end, the blissful phase with Shravya came crashing down as we were separated in first grade.
Those two years with Shravya were eventful, joyous and we both enjoyed them so much that we probably still know every single incident to the last detail. We had a countless number of pool parties, sleepovers, Masterchef challenges, mud fights, and fashion shows just to name a few of our many playdate activities. Our families had also met and come close together. We had even taken a vacation to Agra together. When Shravya’s brother was born and all the spotlight was supposedly stolen from her, she would keep complaining and crying, and I, forever the listener, consoled her and offered comfort with several sleepovers and playdates.
Time passed and my friendship with Shravya remained unwavering. Over time, we did hit some rough patches, but we being best friends, we always made up. Little did I know we would go on a ballistic rollercoaster ride. After being separated from 1st to 4th grade, we were overjoyed to finally come back together in 5th grade. On the first day of class 5, we sat together and chatted a LOT. No one could blame us, because we were two besties catching up on four years of being in separate classes. We shared classwork, helped each other with homework and in general, our time was blissful.
Then musical afternoon made its appearance. In our school, it’s a huge deal where there's a theme each year and all the classes form groups and perform songs in many languages. I remember that year the theme was heartbreak. The moment the theme was announced, everyone started talking about songs and groups to form. I rushed over to Shravya and started talking about a particularly emotional song I had in mind. At the time she blatantly agreed to everything that I said to pacify my racing mind. The next day when I unexpectedly arrived at her house with high hopes, the door was slammed on my face., leaving me confused and heartbroken. The events that occurred in the next phase, which I call the frenemies phase, really matched the musical theme of that year.
From that day Shravya and I were on mutilated terms and she gave treatment worse than ignoring me, aka that silent treatment. Slowly the emotions inside me changed from heartbreak to disbelief and finally anger. I threw a huge tantrum back at home. My mind went into a frenzy.
One minute I would be ripping my hair out and cursing with an astonishing speed, and then, immediately after I’d be a heap on the floor, sobbing my heart out. Days passed like this. As much as I have reluctance admitting this, but life went on, and so did our journey. Shravya was forever the socialite and had no difficulty in moving on and making new friends. I, on the other hand, would much rather keep to myself than be the expected extrovert. In a blink of the eye, Shravya had got herself an arsenal of new friends or what many Indians would recognize as chelas. My abysmal communication skills didn’t make forming friendships any easier. Her grades hiked, whereas mine dipped, she seemed buoyant and carefree, and my emotions took a toll for the worse. In general, her life had seemingly improved, and mine had taken the other path.
This feud of sorts lasted for more than a year, and in that period both of us had changed, developed, and ameliorated. A LOT. But, as the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. One day I ran into the person that I had learned to despise in the past year. Shravya. But there was something wrong with the person who was one of the reasons my life had hit the downward spirals.
As I knocked on the door of an occupied bathroom stall to request the occupant to hurry up, I heard faint sobbing. Knocking harder and more persistently got her to open the door, revealing my former best friend in the most disheveled state imaginable. She was all hunched up, her neat uniform all crumpled up and her perfectly symmetrical make-up smudged. Humanity overtook the petty grudges inside me and I rushed to help her up. After getting her to calm down, she started her recital.
“I’m..I’m..I’m” sorry was what shocked me. The stubbornness Shravya had displayed in all the years of being together, made me ponder on what this girl could want to apologize for?. I, however, was broken out of my train of thought when she started to sob again. “My life looks so good on the exterior, but inside it's just a confused pile of emotions and actions. I don’t know what to do..”
My mind went into a serious conflict mode, with one half of me wanting to keep my distance because of the way I’d been treated in this past year, and the other half, the more humane half of me, wanted to hear her out and comfort the damsel in distress. Both of my sides came to a compromise of sorts when I listened to what she had to say with a sour and displeasing expression.
“After our falling out, my mom and dad were very disappointed in me for treating you like that. I got a whole lot of speeches ‘never going back on your word’, ‘always stay true to what you and loved ones believe in’, and ‘what goes around, comes back’. At this I chuckled, shaking my head. “And yes, what I did to you did come back to bite me hard.” My eyebrows fought back all my brain's warnings and shot up into a surprised expression. “After we stopped talking, I went through many friendships, but everyone would break it off abruptly in some manner.” I wanted to apologize and make things right with you, but I figured you would be mad at me.” “Well, that and your astonishingly high standing ego”. Now it was her turn to chuckle. “Yeah, well that too.”
That got me to smile the brightest I’d smiled since the day we got our not so happily ever after. “It's okay, I understand that, but I’ll never be ready to go back where we had been before you know what.” I pulled Shravya into a hug and whispered, “Like the old days, we’ve made up. AGAIN. But-“We’ll keep our distance.” She completed the sentence for me, knowing what I meant from the bottom of my heart. At that, I tightened the embrace I’d pulled her into.
What goes around, comes back, and the old days came back. The frenemies phase did both of us good.
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Breaking Glass || Evan & Barry
When: Oct 1st
Where: Star City - Dr. Inglo’s Lab
With: Barry Allen @scxrletspeedster
Summary: After discovering prominent physicist Dr. Inglo in Star City has been beating his daughter, Evan decides to take the law into his own hands; Barry arrives to stop him, with deadly results.
TRIGGERS: Child Abuse (Implied), Injury, Death
EVAN: It was all over the papers, the famous Dr. Inglo and his Prismatic refractor. The ability to convert light into pure energy, more so his research into dark matter; if light could craft energy, what could a substance we cannot see or understand do? All very interesting, remarkable, even. Shame a man so gifted with scientific acumen had thought it acceptable to use his daughter as a punching bag. It was only rumours, but rumours spread, and it was amazing what people would do in front of a mirror when they thought they were unseen. Evan wouldn't stand for it. Yes he was a villain, a killer, a monster, but he had his lines, and no one deserved to get away with doing what that man had done. So, the night Dr. Inglo's largest experiment into light and dark matter he'd struck. The man had mirrors set up to reflect beams of charged particles. It should allow mirrors to make energy gates, wormholes or even access new dimensions, similar to his own mirror world experience. They could've been allies, but no. Tonight this man would die. "Say it." he muttered, stepping out of one looking glass, his mirror-gun aimed squarely at the cowering doctor, "Tell me just how ya felt using yer wee one fer target practice. Did ye feel good? Feel strong?" his voice a whisper, "How de ya feel now?"
BARRY: It had taken Barry entirely too long to put two and two together. By the time the stories about Dr. Inglo's refractor technology and dark matter research had hit the presses, the rumors began spreading like wildfire about his abusive tendencies with his daughter. Barry had paid it the normal amount of attention - disgusted that the remarkable man would stoop to something that depraved; if the rumors were to be believed. He had been watching another news report about the man when his mind caught something his eyes couldn't see - the man had given an interview in his home and on display just shy of being off-camera was a large vanity mirror. The twisting in Barry's gut had given him all the indication he needed to check things out. He hadn't heard from Evan in a while - and though that didn't mean the man was up to something, Barry had a bad feeling. Inglo's rumored history was a prime target was Evan to take out some pent up aggression. The speedster bolted across the City, coming to a skidding halt as he whisked into and around the room - quickly moving Inglo behind his desk and out of the sights of Evan's mirror gun for the time being. "That's enough!" His voice was firm and commanding - the tone it came out when he was being serious and not his usual joking self. "I knew my bad feelings were justified..." He sighed, having not wanted them to be.
EVAN: “Flash.” Evan deadpanned. He’d also lost the quiet lightness he’d had in their previous meetings, this wasn’t a semi-dangerous heist. This man deserved to die. And Flash wouldn’t get in his way. “I’m a fair man so I’ll give one wee chance to zip on out the door before I start shooting. This monster’s gonna be put down.” He took a step forward, gaze fixed on the cowering doctor. “Rumours may be all you have but it’s amazing what some people’ll do when tha’ think it’s just em’selves and their reflections.” He spat. “If ye protect him yer fair game.” He took a shot, the concussive light blast shattering a large mirror behind the pair of them, raining down sharp shards. He took the chance to escape into a mirror and step out of another to get a better shot. “This can end with yer in one piece or shattered in bits Flash.” He said, voice raised yet still not quite shouting, he almost never raised his voice. His expression was deadly, completely devoid of anything save burning hatred in his eyes. It was enough to make clear there’d be no negotiating this time. He fired again and missed, but the shot continued to blasted Inglo’s machine, the pressure making in whirl to life.
BARRY: The shattering of the mirror behind them had Barry kicking up a gale as he whirled around Inglo - knocking the falling shards away from them just in case Evan decided to slip a hand up through one of them. He tucked the doctor underneath his desk and regarded him with a firm glare. "Stay put." The words were more of an order than anything. Evan wasn't playing around, which meant that Barry needed to buckle down as well. Standing back up, he quickly scanned the area for the next point the man moved to. A slight hiss and he glanced at his hand where one of the shards had cut a thin line through his glove and into his palm as he swatted it away. A minor inconvenience. "You know I can't do that Evan. I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will. The Justice system will deal with Dr. Inglo if there is anything to deal with -- not you." Barry stated firmly. The blonde checked the remaining reflective surfaces in the room - a couple smaller mirrors on the sides of the room and a giant mirror along the opposite wall. With another spark, Barry quickly turned Inglo's desk around to shield his new hiding spot from view of the mirrors and positioned himself on the other side - standing valiantly as he crackled with electricity; ready to move at a moment's notice.
EVAN: "And how will they do that?" he asked, standing within a mirror, Flash couldn't touch him there. "They'll try'n drag out a wee trail with all tha best lawyers he can buy and nothing'll happen." He'd seen it many times before; he'd taken some jobs like this pro-bono back in his hit-man days. In the end the wheels of justice just couldn't do in months what he could in minutes. And though it all Inglo's child would suffer. No. It wouldn't happen this time. He didn't smirk at the wound to Flash, he didn't want kill him, not really, but he had his own code which wouldn't be denied. Inglo had to die; if Flash got in the way he'd incapacitate him too; it was just business. "Good luck with'that." he vanished and appeared in another mirror, aiming a shot that glanced off the desk leg Inglo hiding behind. Meanwhile his machine was whirling loudly, a beam blasting into the largest mirror of the room to make the surface ripple. Evan shot out of another mirror and grabbed a sharp shard, throwing at Barry like a knife and aiming another few shots of light with his mirror gun.
BARRY: "The system isn't perfect, but it is what we have to use!" Barry stated. He knew the system was flawed, agonizingly slow, and more times than not the people that deserve punishment either got very little or none. Yet, it was what the people had chosen to carry out the law and it was what any true 'by the books hero' would have to accept. For all his speed, however, there were times that Barry just wasn't fast enough. Even he slipped up. The first shot that chipped itself off the desk behind him caught his attention and he moved to engage Evan as he unleashed his assault. Zipping and ducking over the spray of concussive light shots was the easy part, but the mundane shard of glass that had been thrown had been forgotten and as Barry came to a brief halt, the sharp shard burrowed itself deep into the forearm of his right arm. The speedster let out a pained yelp, but bolted straight at Evan. Reaching out to grab him, Barry whirled his body at the same time. In hindsight - Barry knew he should have used his left arm; but it was habit to use his right for most things. As he gripped Evan's clothing firmly and felt the man's body leave the ground in the speed-powered whirl, Barry let out a sharp yell as pain shot through his arm from the shard burrowed in it. The pain brought him to a sudden stop and his grip on Evan's collar slipped. He had been intending on sending even hurtling towards one of the walls in order to put an end to this conflict quickly - but the sudden stop and release of his grip sent the man in a different direction. The blonde could only look in horror - as if time itself seemed to stop around him more so than usual. He had noticed the machine going crazy earlier; noticed the rippling mirror, but he had paid it little attention. It hadn't seemed important enough with Evan being in the room. "Evan!!" Barry cried out, ripping the shard of glass from his forearm so it could begin healing.
EVAN: "The system's a damn toy folks like him know how a play with." He growled back lowly. He'd seen governments get real criminals off scot-free; hell they'd done that with him when he'd been given Scudder's tech. Then he'd been one more tool for them to play with system with; they could just blame their killings on the new Mirror Master who wasn't officially working for the government. He had no doubt someone like Inglo, who was working with this kind of tech, could easily call in that kind of help. It had been years since he'd last fought with Flash properly but it was like riding a bike, misdirection was the goal, he was fast but he still had to think, the blasts did their job of keeping his mind busy while the shard caught him. He was about to use that as a point of entry to get an unmissable shot but Flash, true to his namesake, was too quick and had a hold of him before he could get the shot off. Fuck. He was so close. He let out a wordless cry and tried to get hold of something but in the tempest of Barry spinning he couldn't get a grip, and then he was stumbling back, barely holding his feet steady, unable to stop himself for continuing back, the momentum too great and his arms flailed, trying to grab something, anything to stop him. It wasn't enough. It didn't hurt, but it was cold. So cold. And he yelped, stumbling to the side and falling to his knees as the semi-transparent beam from Inglo's machine hit him. Nothing happened for a few moments and then Evan's body began to ripple like the mirror surface. His feet began to crystallise over, turning to glass that seemed to be made of thousands of tiny shards. He struggled to his feet, he could barely move. "W-what have ye done?" he whispered, now shards of glass up to his waist, "F-flash," his voice trembled, "I-I'm..." he tried to speak but it was difficult, his neck glass, then his chin, "I'm cold." he whispered, his face glassing over.
BARRY: Barry could only look on with horror at the scene playing out before him. The beam had struck Evan and for a moment it looked as if nothing was going to happen, but once the man's body began rippling and crystallizing over with the very same mirror-like glass around them, Barry took a step towards him - unable to will his body to go further. What if he hurt Evan more by trying to touch him? Was it even safe? "Evan, what's happening to you!?" Barry pleaded with him for answers as the glass continued to spread. Another step forward and Evan's words sent chills straight to his bone. I'm Cold. "No, no, no." The word came out in quick, repeated utterances. "Dr. Inglo, what's happening to him!?" He demanded answers from their companion instead - only to find a look of true horror upon the man's lifeless body - a hole burrowed through the desk where one of the stray light bolts had penetrated his flimsy protection. Barry hadn't been able to save him. In all his show and firm statements, Evan had won out in the end and succeeded with what he intended to do all along. Yet, what was happening to him... that didn't seem like a just desserts. No, Barry had done this - whatever this was.
EVAN: Evan couldn't feel anything, he couldn't speak, he couldn't see... he couldn't feel. Everything was quiet. Silent. It should have been frightening but it was, peaceful. But, it was still cold. So cold. His body showed no change, he didn't hear Barry's words. He didn't see Inglo's dead form huddled beneath the desk. Nothing. His body began to fall apart, each shard pulling away from his form and beginning to fall to the floor until there was no form of Evan at all, just a pile of broken glass that continued to break down under the wobbling ray of Inglo's machine. They continued to crumble from shards to dust... to nothing at all. It was only then that the low hum of Inglo's machine quieted and it turned itself off, whirling down into standby mode. The giant mirror ceased it's rippling effect and all was quiet. Just Barry and the dead doctor.
BARRY: Silence. That was what filled the room as the machine quieted down into standby mode and the low thrum of the rippling mirror ceased. Blue eyes were locked onto the pile of shattered glass shards where Evan's body had once stood - wide, tear-laden as the situation sank in. Shakily, a hand went to his cowl-covered ear and he redirected his comm system to dial out to the SCPD. "Flash here. Got a body of Dr. Inglo, the work of Mirror Master. Can't stick around; I need to find him." And just like that the call was ended without giving the officer on the other end time enough to ask any questions. It had been an almost subconscious movement to report the body as his gaze never left the shard pile as it faded into dust and then nothingness. Barry dropped to his knees and sat there as his mind worked through the reality of what had just transpired. Evan was gone. That had been on him - because he slipped up and had gone about engaging him in the wrong way. Another mistake made from a spur-of-the-moment choice of action. That certainly seemed to be his track record. "I'm sorry..." The words came far too late. He had several minutes before SCPD would arrive - and he used them, motionless on the floor as he held his healing forearm in his lap. "I'm so sorry..."
END
#tw: child abuse {Implied}#tw: death#tw: injury#Discord Post#Convos#Convo:Barry#scxrletspeedster#Breaking Glass
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Fic: This isn’t a rom-com (1/?)
Author’s notes: So this was basically the first thing I started writing when I got back to Keanu fandom after Parabellum, but it remained sitting on my files because it still felt weird to write and share rpf. But after so many rewrites, I think I’m finally ready to do it. I’ll be posting new chapters every Monday and I’d love some feedback. The entire thing is set in 2013.
Wordcount: 2174
Warnings: none for this part
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
As Lilah stood outside the address given to her, she took a deep breath and asked herself for the third time what was she thinking when she let Isaac talk her into doing this. She had so much to do.
Sure, she had the morning off since her advisor was out of town for a conference, but Lilah still could have been prepping her Monday class or even reviewing her paper.
But Isaac knew her too well. He argued that it had been ages since she had taken a day to herself and as soon as the words movie set came out of his mouth, she dropped everything else and came running. The prospect of since the cinema magic working up close was too good to pass up.
So, she waited outside the set, waiting until Isaac finally showed up, dark curls sticking to his reddish face, probably from jogging through the building. He flashed the security staff a quick bright smile, before ushering Lilah inside, guiding the way through a maze of corridors, walking so fast Lilah barely had the time to take a proper look at everything.
“Thanks so much for doing this, Lih! You’re a lifesaver,” he commented over his shoulder. “One of our extras just didn’t show up today and we’re behind schedule already.”
“It’s fine,” she said as they stopped by a table where an agitated looking brunette sat with a clipboard and walkie-talkie. She checked Lilah’s ID, before collecting her contact information and telling Isaac to take her to the wardrobe department to change.
Before Lilah could even finish shoving her ID back in her pocket, Isaac was whisking her away.
“So, what kind of movie is this?” Lilah asked as she exchanged her street clothes for the costume, a beautiful red dress, and some killer heels. “It’s not a rom-com, is it? Izzy, I’ll kill you if you’re making me play extra in a rom-com.”
“It’s an action flick, relax,” he replied, and Lilah could actually hear the eye-roll in his tone. “I will never understand your hatred for rom-coms.”
“What’s to like about them?” she asked stepping out of the dressing room. “They sell women unrealistic, almost pathological expectations for love and romance, also…”
“Lih, this isn’t your dissertation. You don’t have to always take it so seriously.” Isaac said cutting her off as he led her to the hair and makeup chair.
“I mean, one can appreciate all the clichés without really thinking it’s gonna happen to them. I mean, how many couples do you know that started as two unlikely people that are perfect for each other having that first meet-cute then moving on to silently pinning over each other. Then having the classic love triangle that might lead to the epic conflict and break up so they can have a heartfelt reunion later, with the grand romantic gesture, the speech and finally their happy ending…”
And even though Isaac’s words pointed out the improbability of it, his dreamy tone told Lilah he still hoped it could happen to him someday.
Lilah rolled her eyes fondly because he was such a hopeless romantic.
She, on the other hand, prided herself on being pragmatic. She believed in love, of course. She wasn’t that jaded at twenty-nine; but to Lilah, love wasn’t something that just happened. You didn’t just stumble on the love of your life by accident someday.
“You look smoking, honey!” Isaac declared, snapping Lilah out of her thoughts. “Come on! Chad and David are already on set and ready to shoot.”
Lilah only had time to grab her bag before he was leading her once again through the maze of corridors to and ample room that looked a lot like a speakeasy, from the jazz band on the stage, to the smoky air, dim lighting and leather booths.
“Now all you have to do is sit still and look pretty.” He flashed her a teasing smile and ignored her eye-roll. “I’ll check on you during lunch break.”
Lilah waved her goodbye and watched as he moved to a pair of men standing by some monitors talking. They exchanged a few words, before Isaac disappeared again, probably off to run another task.
They filmed for around two hours straight. Lilah couldn’t see much of was going on because her table was facing the band and away from the area the camera seemed to be focused on and she couldn’t exactly turn to see, even if she really wanted to, but she managed to sneak a couple of glances whenever they called cut.
“Ok everybody, let’s take 15,” one of the directors announced.
Lilah stood up, stretching her back to work out the kinks of being sitting still for too long in an uncomfortable chair.
She took a few moments to search for Isaac, but he was nowhere around the main room and Lilah didn’t want to risk getting lost in the building. Instead, she picked a water bottle and a protein bar from craft service and looked for a quiet place to wait for filming to resume.
Lilah found a hidden corner in of the set, out of the way from most of the staff and quiet enough that she could pull out her book. She settled on one of the free chairs to read a little. Soon, she was absorbed by the text, shutting off everything else until a passage caught her attention, and Lilah couldn’t help but snort at it and offer a counterargument under her breath.
“Are you pro or against dualism?” Someone asked from just outside her line of vision, probably catching the cover of her book when Lilah held it closed while digging for a pen in her bag.
“Against obviously,” Lilah replied with a small snort as she looked up, her eyes going wide at the sight before her. Shock making her drop her pen and book, which he picked up.
“Really?” He asked with a curious frown. “Why?”
Lilah as she stared at him, she couldn’t get her throat to work.
He was so much taller than he looked on the screen, with broad shoulders and a strong chest. His dark hair was slicked back with gel, the tips touching his nape. He was spotting a well-trimmed beard, some fake bruises, and a black three-piece suit. Lilah didn’t think anyone could be this handsome, but she was obviously wrong.
“Where are my manners…” he said offering a hand. “Hi. I'm Keanu.”
The gestured kickstarted Lilah’s brain again and she shook his hand with a quick, embarrassed laugh.
“I’m sorry! Hi. Lilah,” she rushed to say. “I’m Lilah.”
“Nice to meet you, Lilah,” he said with a warm smile.
“So, you don’t believe in the mind…” he commented, handing her pen and book back and Lilah did her best to smooth the wrinkled edge.
“As an immaterial entity that exists apart from our bodies like Descartes proposed? Not really. I mean, let’s face it, he just gave it a pseudo-scientific look to the idea of a soul.”
Lilah looked up from her book, catching the way he was watching her with a smile.
“Sorry,” she huffed a breath with an embarrassed smile. Was she really babbling about dualism to Keanu Reeves?
“No, no,” he assured, taking a seat next to her. “Go ahead.”
“Uh… well,” she hesitated, glancing at him again. “I mean, it’s been what? A couple of thousand years? Probably more, but we still can figure out what the mind is.”
“I always thought of it as what makes us human. Theoretically, of course.”
“Ok but wouldn’t that be more like what it does than what it is?” she pointed out. “But let’s run with it, anyway. How does a mind make us human?”
“Well, for one, isn’t it supposed to give us a conscience, intelligence, all that…” Keanu trailed off with a hand gesture and Lilah smiled.
“But those brain functions. Are we saying the mind is the brain?” she couldn’t contain the way her smile widening even more. This was fun.
She loved talking philosophy, but Lilah rarely had the chance of doing it outside a classroom. And here she was actually talking dualism with fucking Neo!
“If it was the same thing, why would we need two concepts?” he inquired, brow furrowing in a small thoughtful frown.
“You just made my point for me,” Lilah said, and Keanu chuckled. “And it can’t be part of the brain either, because theories seem to agree that the mind isn’t material and our brains are very material.”
“Maybe there’s another dimension out there,” he offered with a shrug, leaning forward on his elbows which brought him closer to Lilah.
She bit her bottom lip to suppress the urge of making a Matrix joke.
“Ok, but then how is something that is immaterial influences our very material selves?”
Lilah watched as Keanu paused, considering her argument, that thoughtful frown returning, and Lilah took that time to admire him. If her teen self could see her now, she would probably have a heart attack. Keanu had been her movie crush for as far as she could remember, ever since she watched the Matrix for the first time.
And here he was, in the flesh, just talking to her. It was almost surreal. Was this a dream? Was she going to awake any minute in her bed?
“Alright, you got me,” he said with a smile, catching her attention. “I have no idea, but don’t you think there should be something there? Shouldn’t a man be more than just atoms and chemicals? Something more transcendental?”
“What? You’re a Kant man?”
The words were out of her mouth before she could contain herself. Her tongue slipping on the pronunciation, making it sound like a completely different thing and Keanu busted out laughing, turning bright red.
It took a second for Lilah to realize how it sounded, but when she did, she covered her face with her hands, mortified.
“Oh my God! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”
“It’s ok,” he assured, still chuckling. “It’s fine. Really. I am not a Kantian, no but I can see the value in his transcendental man theory.”
Lilah tried to make her mouth work, to say something else but all she managed was an embarrassed chuckle. She could feel her cheeks burning.
“I’m so, so sorry…” she managed, voice coming out muffled. “I just…”
“Sometimes you forget to double-check what are you saying before putting it out there?” He asked with a soft smile and she nodded. “I do that all the time. Don’t worry.”
“Is there a way to fix that?” she asked, finally lowering her hands.
“I’ll let you know when I find it,” he replied with a little smile, before he ducked his head, letting out a small chuckle.
For a moment they just sat there, still chuckling together, cheeks red and awkwardly avoiding each other’s gaze, until someone cleared their throat behind them and making both turn around to look.
Isaac stood there with his hand pressed to the earpiece he wore and a clipboard in hand. Lilah could see he was barely containing his smirk as he looked between her and Keanu and she winced, wondering how much he had heard.
“Sorry to interrupt. Keanu, Chad needs you.”
“Thank you,” Keanu said getting up and turning to look at Lilah. “It was very nice to meet you, Lilah.”
“You too,” she replied with a small smile, watching as he walked away before turning to look at Isaac with wide eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me you worked with Keanu Reeves?”
“I don’t work with him, I work around him,” Isaac pointed out with a frown. “Also, that was the nerdiest flirting I’ve ever seen.”
“What are you talking about? I wasn’t flirting.”
“Yeah, right!” Isaac snorted in disbelief. “Come on. Break’s over.”
Lilah followed Isaac back to the main area of the set and the same table from before. This time, she caught a glimpse of Keanu chatting with one of the directors. She thought his lips quirked into a smile when he saw her, but she was probably just imagining as she sat down again.
“Shit! I should have asked for an autograph. Or is that too weird?” Lilah asked Isaac.
She was doing so well, but that Kant thing threw her off and she went right back to that strange awkwardness she usually had around people she found attractive. Lilah really thought she had outgrown that.
“It’s not weird. Extras ask for autographs all the time,” Isaac said with a shrug. “And maybe while you at it, you can ask him out.”
“Haha.” Lilah rolled her eyes at the way Isaac wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Isaac, no! It’s Keanu Reeves. Are you nuts?”
“Fine,” he replied with a huff, but the glint of amusement in his eyes didn’t fade. “But you do know what that felt like right?”
Lilah frowned in confusion and he flashed her an excited grin.
“It felt straight out of a rom-com.”
tbc
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DARING DO and the ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE! : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 3 of 21
Return to theMaster Story Index
Return to MLP Fan Fiction
DARING DO and the
ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE!
by
De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck) @ask-de-writer
And
Carmen Pondiego @askcarmenpondiego
Cover Art by
Doctor Dimension
52630 words
© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck
Writing begun 08/26/15
All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.
//////////////
Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users
Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge. I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.
All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.
///////////////////////
Steeling herself, she approached the entrance. As the black glass doors opened, they revealed a confidant looking khaki colored unicorn mare dressed in a stylish, near form fitting red outfit. Carmen Pondiego. Her true mother.
Carmen smiled that sideways smile that she always used when she was about to pull Daring Do’s chain by calling her by her birth name. Daring Do beat her to it.
“Adora hasn’t been home in a long time, Mother. Things have changed a lot. You really meant that about hiding in the open, didn’t you?”
Carmen’s mouth dropped open. Feeling behind her for support, Carmen settled into one of the comfortable overstuffed leather chairs in the VILE foyer.
Softly, she replied, “Yes, dear. I did mean it.” She took a shaking breath and added, “You are in time for the lasagna. I remember how much you used to enjoy it, Adora.”
Daring Do nodded and sat on the arm of the chair. “I did, mom. I still do. I don’t order it often … It reminds me of you.
“I am going to admit that I am really conflicted about the name … and you … and VILE. It is hard but I am here.” She reached down and took Carmen’s hoof.
They sat in silence for several minutes. “Mother, I am not going to ask you for forgiveness. There is too much that I have not forgiven yet.”
Carmen patted the hoof of her estranged daughter and said, “I do understand, Adora. At least you are here and letting me call you by the name that I gave you. That is a first step. I hope, one of many.”
Daring Do nodded slowly. In the Chineighese of Cantron she quoted the proverb, “The journey of a thousand Li begins with a single step.”
Without hesitation, Carmen replied in the same language, “Whether the journey be a thousand Li or a thousand of thousands, the welcoming door of home is the best place for it to end.”
Taking a deep breath, Carmen suggested, “Let’s go see if the lasagna is ready! I had it out, cooling.”
“Now that is something that I hoped you would say, mother.”
They wended their way through the maze of the big building. As they made yet another zig, Daring Do reflected that the Canterlot HQ of VILE was not the biggest nor most impressive of her mother’s organizational HQs. The true nerve center of VILE was the enormous floating island.
They finally entered a comfortable common room with a nice but not fancy dining table and chairs. It was pretty big, which made sense. The whole family was there. Daring Do’s biological father, the alicorn Baron Von Nighthoof sat at one end of the table, space for her mother at the OTHER end showed that they were on the “outs” romantically … Again.
She and her step brother Blendin were next to each other at Carmen’s end of the table. Her Uncle Marehem, or M for short, was down at the end by the Baron. Next to him, at Carmen’s end was Kiros. Technically, Kiros was not family, the others were some form of pony, or at least passing themselves off as one. Kiros was a wolf hybrid with wings. M was a changeling even if he was also Daring Do’s uncle.
This was the only part of VILE that Daring Do could accept, even marginally. Family. And she knew what was coming besides lasagna. Snark.
She was just reaching for her first big slab of some of the best lasagna in Canterlot when she felt it. Virtually by reflex, Daring Do slammed an elbow back just above her saddle bag at the same time that she made a grab with her other hoof as she spun about. The move nailed her half brother Blendin, with her map only half out of her bag.
Smiling sweetly she said, “Be glad that you are family, Blendin. I use the hoof of the last pony to try that as a paperweight!”
Ignoring the comment, which Blendin knew to be perfectly true, he finished removing the map. “Why would you have one of these cheap five silver X'ibian site maps?”
He spread it out and his jaw dropped. “This is the original that you made when you were searching for the Darkling’s Tomb!
“Now it really makes no sense at all! Why did you put that red X on top of Hong Wa? Do you want me to remove it? It is a really simple bit of Librarian’s Magic?”
Daring Do laid a gentle hoof over Blendin’s and said, “No, Blendin. Thank you for the offer but that has become a delightful keepsake to the stupidity of ponies. They broke into my office at the RU and STOLE this. They also broke many of the figurines of the Royal Darkling Collection being kept for study in my office.”
Baron Von Nighthoof’s brows almost hit his horn, they went up so far. He clicked on the big Magic Net mirror for the evening news! The story was not hard to locate.
“Agnes Wordspreader here with This Just IN! Three divisions of the the Royal Guards, the Royal Heavy Armored Infantry and the Royal Armored Pegassi were mobilized today in DOWNTOWN Canterlot! They surrounded the building of the lawfirm Robber, Overthrow, and Tyranny for a short while.
“When the Royal Negotiator emerged, she appeared to be none other than the world famous Antiquities Expert, Daring Do. She spoke briefly with the Commander of the Royal Armored Infantry who, along with the rest of the military and Guard units, then withdrew.”
There were many pictures of the action, including Daring Do emerging from the R.O.T building.
Carmen, a bemused look on her face, pointed her horn at Daring Do and asked, “What were they looking for in your office, Adora, Darling?”
Wincing at the name, Daring Do ate a fork full of her mother’s absolutely heavenly lasagna before speaking. “They expected to find the location of the tomb of Im Farst. That X on the map? It is the EXACT location of it!
“All that I have to do is go to the Necropolis,” Daring raised her eyebrows and made a fair imitation of Tyranny’s voice as she added, “That’s like a graveyard, locate the appropriate tomb and dig it up!”
Blendin, like all the others around the table, was giggling so hard that it was difficult to speak. At last he got out, “The only thing that could make that funnier would be if the 'IT’ that they want is the Heart of Discord!”
In a swiftly planned tactical strike, Daring Do said, “It IS! They do want the Heart of Discord!”
As the whole table exploded in laughter, Daring Do craftily snagged the last two pieces of lasagna.
Uncle M was wiping tears from his eyes and commenting, “I blew lasagna out my nose!”
Sounding almost innocent, Daring Do offered, “Uncle M, I have something else here for your amusement!” She hoofed over the folded sheets of R.O.T.’s offer.
M unfolded them and nearly choked. Tears of joy in his eyes, he implored, “May I make a copy of this? At Allstable we make custom policies all the time. Some of this is the finest pure legal worm slime that I have ever read! Really good stuff!
“There is no way that you can win with this. Even if you fulfill all the terms, the whole expedition cost to them is to be deducted from your payment. You could end up owing R.O.T. thousands in gold.”
Daring Do smiled around her latest forkful of lasagna and swallowed. “Feel free to copy it, M. What I need from you is a copy that actually says what this one purports to.”
M grinned and promised, “Piece of Lasagna, Adora … My seconds! You are eating my seconds!”
Carmen smiled. “That gives you more room for the frozen Pomegranate Gelatto that I fixed for dessert.”
Relaxing with a few candied figs to fill up corners, Daring Do asked, “How did the bidding go for the Golden Necklace of Pharow Underrock?”
Carmen leaned back in a comfortably padded chair and steepled her hooves. “We really only had a little time, Adora. we could do better with more time. The best that I could do on short notice was 1.5 million golden bits.”
She pointed an admonitiory hoof and went on, “THAT is BEFORE V.I.L.E.’s 20% cut. That leaves 1.2 million for you. The money can be deposited in your Equestrian National account by noon tomorrow, if that is satisfactory to you?”
Daring Do nodded, “The money is quite satisfactory. Thank you. I did mention that I had a concern about where the necklace was going. What will happen to it?”
Carmen’s grin was huge. “Our buyer has a project that needs a Royal sanction. He will gift the necklace to Princess Luna for immediate permanent display in the Royal Museum with proper provenance and finder’s credit!”
Her own grin almost as wide as her mother’s at the neatly done cutting out of the Acquisition Committee and Count Umber, Daring Do handed over the simple but perfect wooden case of unmistakable Rom workmanship. Carmen opened it reverently. Her drawn breath was ample reward, really. Daring Do knew that sound and expression on her mother’s face since infancy.
Baron Von Nighthoof leaned over to see it and suggested, “We could duplicate that. Honor requires that the original be given as promised. I can think of no neck in all of Equestria that such a copy would grace better than your own, Carmen.”
Daring Do knew that all would be done as promised. Her mother would kill before breaking the trust of her family. She discreetly took her leave.
The next morning, Daring Do emerged from her room at the Adventurer’s Guild and took a refreshing dip in the Guild’s pool and a quick workout in the gym, followed by a few assorted practice workouts in the projectile weapons range.
Her appetite whetted by the light workout, she sat in the Guild’s dining room and ordered a modest breakfast. The waiter who brought it was familiar. She stopped him and said in X'ibian, “Listening to those with whom you disagree is the first step on the journey of understanding.
“I have listened with care to those whom you and I agree are evil. Now I wish to learn all that you will share. It is clear that you know much more than you have said.”
The waiter stared carefully about before he bowed a formal Eastern bow and replied in X'ibian, “You are most observant. You are also correct. Sadly, most of what I wish to tell is proscribed by ancient oaths.
“I will tell you this. We would far sooner trust you to seek that ancient thing than any other. We know that you will treat where it lies with the respect that is due to our ancient land. Not even we know where it lies any longer.
The Chineighese invasion and conquest a thousand years past destroyed many scholars and their libraries. The hidden location of the tomb of Im Farst was lost and has not been refound.”
Daring Do nodded thoughtfully and divided her bowl of mixed fruits with him. “Share with me the meal of friendship.
“I seek no harm to any ancient thing. I try to find what is lost and restore it to living memory. Sadly, some things need to stay lost but NEVER destroyed. I have provision made for that eventuality.”
He sat and ate his portion while Daring Do ate hers. She divided her Alfalfa Waffle with him too.
Now deeply puzzled, she returned to the building of the R.O.T. lawfirm. Greeting Horsetense, she spoke cheerfully, “I have the expedition agreement ready for the signatures of the partners!”
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#DARING DO AND THE ADVENTURE OF THE X'IBIAN VASE#Part 3 of 21#MLP Fan Fiction#Written by De Writer and Carmen Pondiego
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