#guy who has mind control and ''i was made as a weapon'' trauma realizes he can't even rely on the fact that superman could always stop him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

trincketbox · 6 months

Text

Jason Todd as a Trans (ftm) allegory

Written by me, a trans man

[this edit was made by me, original picture it's Dan Mora's sketch]

TW gender disphoria, (implied) transphobia.

Im not saying his story was written with this perspective in mind, Im saying *death of the author (*the reinterpretation of artistic creations by the public both as a community and aa individuals, and how this goes far beyond the creator's original message on mind) is a very real thing.

This narrative resonated with me, a trans man, and my experience as such. Maybe out there is another transmasc person who caught themselves invested in this character the same way as I, and maybe they'll read this post and be happy to found out they're not alone on these feelings.

Without further addue, let's begin.

The second Robin, and the feeling of not fitting

Every trans person first memory of perceiving oneself as somehow different (and how) it's particular to each.

Some realize pretty young, some older. Some always have this lingering feeling of not belonging but become conscious of it later in life.

This feeling its present trough all of Jason's life. First, when he first arrives at the Manor. Later, when he starts operating as Robin. Then when Tim "replaces him", and so on.

Usually labelled as the black lamb of the family.

Tragedy is always, first, born off love

Jason's death and resurrection is written as a tragedy (no shit, Sherlock). But there, to be a tragedy, there has to be hope first. There has to be love.

Now, this varies from version to version, but a general consence is that Jason Todd was loved by Bruce Wayne, regardless of how much their relationship might change and twist on the future; Jason Todd was a good kid, regardless of how he might be portrayed as recless. He was a traumatized, angry kid who wanted to make things better. Who wished for bad guys to not hurt people anymore. Who wished to change the system for better, and took the matter on his own hands both as a child and as a young adult.

This

This right here

Was a loved, brave, bold, sensitive, mischievous, smart child who would latter come back like this:

Demanding justice, demanding damnation for al the pain he went through, demanding retaliation to the monster that set him off this world.

And all these requests fell to the ears of Bruce Wayne, Batman. The man who took him in as a scared, bold litte child that beated him in the cold of the night in the alley where his parents died. He stole his car tires, he's a child and he stole his car tires and he made Batman laugh.

That Perception doesn't change with his rise from the dead.

What changes is Bruce's view of him now.

Now, this depends on the writer, but on the start of Jason's "coming back to Gotham to fight Bruce" arc, there is the accusation of him coming back wrong.

Of him being better before

Of something being wrong with him since the start.

The implications of his physical change as wrong in comparation to his younger self.

I find Jason's body dismorphia due to The Lazarus Pit™ very interesting,but in this case Im not referring to it as a comparation with body disphoria (even through, he does get the feeling of your body changing in ways out of your control and the trauma that surrounds it).

Im talking about Bruce's view on all of this.

Luckily, if you're trans and had supportive parents, you won't know these things by first hand experience, but many, many people do.

And Jason gets it.

Jason Todd its womanhood™ coded

This is, partially, one of th main reasons why his fanbase consists on a large part of fangirls.

Repressed rage upon the injustices you go through all your life, and once the last drop falls, said rage is weaponized. Seen as dirty, as over the top, as dangerous.

Your older self being compared to your younger self, being asked (directly or indirectly) where that sweet child™ went.

Being striped away from your body autonomy (murder, torture, resurrection against his will, whatever is going on in Batman Gotham War).

Being labeled as the most sensitive. Sometimes in a good light, sometimes not.

The burning weight of still loving parental figures that hurted you.

Topping it all, it's implied through many instances he's a feminist (yes, Im aware this is also heavily influenced by fanon interpretations of the character, but you can't deny it's still heavily implied).

All of these issues almost universal (however not exclusive) to AFAB people life experience.

There is this recognition in these wounds. "He gets it", you feel, he gets it.

He gets it in a similar way transmasc individual have an undeniable insight of these issues. He gets it in a way that feels genuine, familiar, personal.

Lastly but nor least important,

He gives me gender™ vibes. That's it, that's the argument

Over all, Jason Todd its a multifaceted, complex character. He's morally grey, his temperament ranging and mutating with each reinterpretation. Some core issues stick, others don't.

I do not hold the one and only right interpretation of this character.

We can al agree, nevertheless, that even through he's not canonically trans,

Jason todd would be a great trans ally, fighting by our side, in name of our rights, our pain but also our pride.

For that's what heroes do.

210 notes · View notes

anyon-else · 1 year

Text

𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔯𝔬𝔬𝔪 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

summary | kakashi just wants to have all of his kids back under one roof, and you just want to make sure you can stay with sakura long enough to ensure her safety. you and kakashi end up accidentally bonding over your shared concern for the girl (marvel au).

pairings | kakashi hatake x black widow!reader + sakura haruno, sasuke uchiha, naruto uzumaki, orochimaru, kabuto yakushi, ino yamanaka, might guy, hiruzen sarutobi, shikamaru nara, dosu kinuta, hinata hyuga

warnings | angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, slow burn, allusion to suicide, descriptions of scars, threats of death, abuse, choking (non-sexual), violence, mind control, torture, paranoia, weapons, dissociation, descriptions of injuries, discussion of themes present in naruto and black widow

status | ongoing ➣ next: give me a fight, i can't resist

— father, save me! i, the traitor (part 1) | your life has existed in one setting. one complex of training rooms, poorly designed bedrooms, and labs. you’ve had one mentor, one trainer, and one friend.

— i'm in ruins, but it's what I wanted all along (part 2) | sakura is desperate for kakashi to see that you’re not a threat, but you’re not making it very easy for him to believe her. still, as much as he distrusts you, he trusts sakura more.

— this fire of devotion (it burns me) (part 3) | you and kakashi had let your guards down too soon after getting sakura out of the red room. you should’ve known that this kind of peace and safety was too good to last very long.

— i fought time; it won in a landslide (part 4) | you knew that orochimaru wasn't an ethical man, but you had never considered that his training methods would result in trauma. kakashi begged to differ.

— skin-scarred and buried deep (part 5) | the mission had seemed much simpler in theory, but facing a past that you hadn't even known existed created unexpected roadblocks.

— i know you're a man-made fortress (part 6) | the mission comes to an end, and you and kakashi both fear that it may not have been enough to uncover the truth. on top of that, an old friend puts a bit of a wrench in your attempts to return back home.

— my struggling form, my willing soul (part 7) | sakura is adamant that you stay in the compound permanently, and you're trying to think of any reason why that's a bad idea. you don't expect kakashi to be the one who convinces you to stay.

— will you let me come closer to you? (part 8) | you know that staying is a bad idea. deep down, you know that it will only lead to more pain and loss. but for some reason, it's becoming harder and harder to tear yourself away from this new home.

— i set a fire to my soul (i hope it ate 'till it was full) (part 9) | you realize after spending two weeks at the compound that existing peacefully actually seems like a plausible way of spending your life. it makes you feel free, a feeling that you're wholly unfamiliar with. it's something you want to get used to.

— will you remember me as i am now? (part 10) | for the first time in your life, you understand what true happiness feels like, and it's both exciting and terrifying. you know now that you have to hold onto it before it's ripped away.

— they lose their minds for us (part 11) | orochimaru had been waiting very patiently to get his hands on you. now that he has, he sees no reason to delay his plans further than he already has.

— of humble origins and born of the cursed sex (part 12) | after seven months, kakashi and naruto finally find you in an abandoned HYDRA outpost. however, you're not the same person that they remember.

— yes, these new walls are pretty hard to crack (part 13) | despite ino's reassurances, believing that kakashi is good is easier said than done. however, he's making it very hard for you to be afraid of him.

— i’m sorry i’m the one you love (part 14) | things are beginning to change—you're feeling less wary of kakashi and his students, and slowly but surely, you begin to believe the things that they're telling you about your past. unfortunately, old enemies aren't always so easy to get rid of.

extras | read on ao3 | spotify playist | inspo | main masterlist

#kakashi #kakashi x reader #kakashi x you #kakashi x y/n #kakashi imagine #kakashi hatake #kakashi hatake x reader #kakashi hatake x you #kakashi hatake x y/n #kakashi hatake imagine #trr #naruto #masterlist #navi #emwrites

185 notes · View notes

that-bi-bitch-writes · 3 years

Text

A Cursed Reality-JJK x M!Reader (Ch.2)

Question: Do you guys prefer longer chapters or shorter chapters? I’ve been making an effort to write longer chapters but if you hate reading them I’ll write them less.

Warnings: fluff, comparison of Inumaki’s speech to a disability/handicap, cursing. Dislike of Maki (Not me. wrong bitch. I love her)

Previous || Next

Chapter Two:

[Name] actively dislikes hanging out with the second years. Not that they’re bad people in any way, it’s just he’s anxious and awkward, and even after spending a year familiarizing himself with the school and the people in it, there’s like a small group of people he would invite to his birthday party.

That and he just doesn’t care for Maki Zen’in. And it is most definitely mutual. To him, she’s just pretty. She also won’t die in a battle between her and a curse below first grade. But that’s about the end of her appeal. Of course, Panda is fun to tease but he typically plays the peacemaker between the second years. [Name] would rather not care about people in peace.

There’s no dramatic reason to it all, it’s just [Name] didn’t really come to Jujutsu Tech by choice so he hadn’t intended on making friends. He obviously failed considering he befriended Inumaki within his first day and they have some homoromantic vibes going on in their friendship.

That’s not to say you can’t platonic cuddle with your best friend but when you longingly gaze into each other’s eyes and he’s the only friend you’ve made besides an annoyingly hyper 30-year-old because no one else understands you like he does… And it kind of goes both ways considering you’re the only person he trusts himself enough to have a full-on conversation with.

Yeah, it’s not looking very good for the argument that they’re not gay. They’re not though. At least not now.

“[Name]”

“Yeah toge?”

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind” Inumaki responded. And although he had plenty of experience saying words, having a conversation without using safe words felt a little weird. It was an aspect of who he was now and [Name] being immune to the cursed speech wouldn’t erase the problems he had with talking and it didn’t make [Name] his savior or soulmate.

Luckily [Name] was both lonely and not a complete asshole because he had no problems adapting to the switch between Toge’s ‘onigiri glossary’. Learning it was actually a really fun experience because it turns out Inumaki did not have the exact translation of all his safe words. He would just say an ingredient and [Name] had to fill in the blanks. There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of [Name] smiling down at Inumaki’s concentrated face.

“I was just thinking.” [Name] broke the contemplative silence.

“Hmm”

“You know” [Name] started again “... They say it was believed people kept their souls in their throats” and as Inumaki gave a confused denial (“fish flakes”) [Name] was internally panicking on whether or not he should keep going with this specific train of thought or make a joke to deflect from the very real and emotional but corny statement he was about to utter.

“Ah fuck it. I want to exercise the curses in the world or at least enough to keep you safe so you don’t keep damaging your soul when you use your cursed technique”

“Sujiko”

[Name] looked at Inumaki. And as if breaking off pieces of his soul didn’t matter to him, Inumaki spoke, a short sentence that stunned [Name] into silence

“I love you”

If Gojo hadn’t come in, they might’ve kissed.

“[Name]-kun!!!”

Aaaand [Name]’s sentimental mood was gone. Don’t get him wrong, Gojo definitely would get an invite to [Name]’s birthday party, but the man was like 30 running around being overly cheerful and with that teasing nature he was definitely repressing some trauma. He also definitely had some of the worst timing

“What is it Gojo?”

“No sensei at the end? So mean!

“Fushiguro was sent out to find a cursed object but he’s been out all day with no calls back home or anything. Of course I plan on going to check on my beloved student, but I am busy for the next hour or so. Can you please check on him? For your favorite sensei?”

“My favorite sensei is actually Nanami and he’s not even a sensei but yeah I’ll check on the emo kid”

‘You’re pretty emo yourself dude’ Gojo thought to himself

“Ah Thank you [Name]-kun. You’re a lifesaver” Gojo called out behind him as he left to do whatever it is crazy white haired ‘old’ men do.

‘He’s/I’m totally not doing this for free’ both [Name] and Inumaki thought at the same time.

[Name] got up suddenly and started getting ready to leave paying no attention to Inumaki who watched him get ready with a casual interest. Before [Name] headed out, he turned to look at Inumaki with a serious and concentrated expression.

“Toge.”

“I love you”

“What the hell happened here?”

“....”

“Fushiguro-kun, if you please”

“Well I only know half of the story so it’s best if we hear it from Itadori”

All eyes whipped to the shirtless Yuji who had just gotten control of his body back from Sukuna, the apparent king of curses.

“I’d say it started when I went to school this morning but I think it started a little earlier for Fushiguro. Right Fushiguro?” Yuji asked

‘I swear I’m going to explode if someone doesn’t tell me the how we got this far I mean Fushiguro is bleeding from his head, this pink haired enthusiastic kid is possessed and I can’t tell if he’s too sweet to care or if he lost a few of his brain cells when he and the little emo first year wrecked this building’ [Name] thought to himself.

Clearing his throat he began “Well okay Fushiguro has a lot of really bad injuries so is it okay with you if he just quickly shares his part and then you take over?”

“Ohh Yeah that makes sense” Itadori awed and both he and [Name] turned their attention to poor Megumi who was bleeding from his forehead.

“Yesterday I was sent to retrieve a special grade cursed object and when I got there it was gone. Gojo sensei told me I couldn’t go home until it was recovered. The next day I stalked around the school and investigated when I saw Yuji for the first time.”

“Oh I remember that. It’s my turn to take over now. Uhh. I was in the occult club with my senpais Sasaki and Iguchi and we were asking the spirits about which animal the Student Council President was weaker than ( a fish) and then he burst in the room because he didn’t approve of our club-”

“Fast forward please” [Name] interrupted

“Fushiguro found me after my grandpa died and told me Iguchi and Sasaki were in danger because of the finger so I led him to the school where they said they were going to peel off the seal”

“And that’s why we’re here” [Name] surmised

“So what’s the situation”

“Gojo-sensei”/ “Old Man what are you doing here?” Megumi and [Name] called out

“I wasn’t gonna come but the higher ups got involved. I knew you’d all be fine though, I sent [Name] here to deal with it.”

“That’s true” Fushiguo mumbled

“I’m glad you all have faith in me” [Name] started “But that means I came here for absolutely nothing”

“... So did you find it?” Gojo asked

“Um sorry.... I ate it”

Gojo who didn’t hear the whole introduction and [Name] who didn’t quite get to the eating of the finger part in the story turned to Yuji in shock

“For real”

“Haha you’re not kidding. They’re combined. How does your body feel?” Gojo asked Yuji

“Okay”

“Can you switch to Sukuna?”

“Sukuna?” Yuji asked

“The curse object you ate”

“Oh yeah. Probably”

“Ten seconds” gojo said “Take control again after ten seconds”

“I dunno about this”

“Don’t worry. I’m the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer”

Megumi looked to [Name] after hearing a curious “hmm” but [Name]’s face showed no anger or displeasure.

“Megumi hold onto this will ya” Gojo’s voice bled through Megumi’s thoughts of who would win between [Name] and Gojo. Give it a year or two and it might actually be [Name].

“What’s this?” Megumi asked

‘It better be a fucking weapon’ [Name] thought ‘Because if he sent me out because his important business was shopping he’s gonna regret it’

“Kikufuku Mochi” Gojo replied casually before feeling bloodlust leaking from [Name]. He’ll just have to make it up to the second year somehow

“Behind you” Fushiguro called out and [Name] sucked his teeth hoping Gojo would get hit at least once. He did not get his wish once

“I’ve got a student watching so..I hope you don’t mind if I show off a little bit” . And after that Gojo commenced kicking Sukuna’s ass. Sukuna tried to monologue a little as he sent out a powerful attack, but he missed Gojo on account of Gojo’s infinity dispelling the attack. By the time Sukuna realized Gojo was unharmed it was time for Yuji to switch back.

“Oh was everything okay?” Yuji asked as he came to his senses.

“Oh what a surprise” Gojo responded “You really can control it”

“Yeah, but he’s kind of annoying”

“It’s a miracle that’s the only side effect” Gojo said right before knocking Yuji out with one finger

“If he wakes up and isn't possessed, he might have potential as a vessel. Okay question for you two. What do I do with him?”

“Even if he is a potential vessel… He must be executed under jujutsu regulations…

“But I don’t want to let him die”

“Is that a personal opinion? Gojo asked

“Yes, a personal opinion. Please do something about it.

Gojo smiled and the two of them turned their attention towards [Name] who had been silent throughout the whole experience.

‘Besides being a little too excitable, he’s not bad. Like a puppy. I’d keep him as a pet.’ [Name] thought

“Don’t kill him” he said

“A precious student's request. And one from my favorite second year? Of course. Leave it to me!” Gojo said before lifting Yuji up.

[Name] still a little upset he was called away for nothing, raised his hand in front of his mouth so gojo couldn’t see what he was doing and whispered

“Fall over”

“Aak! [Name]-kunnn”

Fushiguro was shocked to see Gojo faceplant on the ground with Yuji on his shoulder. If the combination of Fushiguro’s wide eyed expression and the sight of Gojo in pain made [Name] giggle a little, he’d never admit it.

#x male reader #male reader #male reader insert #x reader #reader insert #jjk x male reader #jujutsu kaisen x male reader #m!reader #male!reader #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #that-bi-bitch-writes #a cursed reality

186 notes · View notes

vidavalor · 3 years

Text

Bucky and Isaiah headcanon

This thought is killing me so I'm bringing you all into the darkness with me, muahahahaha...

I'm probably not the first person to think of this but I had this thought about Bucky and Isaiah during the Korean War that gave me pause. So, we know that the U.S. was aware of The Winter Soldier and had sent people after him for years (which is already horrible because it means that Bucky killed fellow American soldiers as The Winter Soldier). We know that Winter killed all of them, prompting the U.S. government to eventually send their supersoldier Isaiah, right? But now think about the fact that Bucky and Isaiah are *both still alive* in the present. What happened in this fight to make that be the end result?

We know that Isaiah took part of Bucky's then-arm in the fight but this also would have been a hell of a fight for The Winter Soldier, who wasn't used to finding another supersoldier in the field. Yet, his mission would have been to survive. He would have been *programmed* to survive. The Winter Soldier is unyielding. He's a machine. He just keeps going. Isaiah is absolutely no slouch either and especially wouldn't have been back then. An entire crop of Avengers couldn't collectively do to The Winter Soldier the damage we heard Isaiah inflicted back when they met... which made me realize that there is absolutely no way that they are both still alive without The Winter Soldier's programming having been disrupted during the fight-- which is entirely possible, considering how elite a fighter Isaiah was.

There probably was no one more capable of surprising The Winter Soldier enough to get close enough to him to land the right type of hit. We know that Isaiah got the drop on Winter enough to take half his arm-- I'm willing to bet that, in the course of the fight, The Winter Soldier got his bell rung and Bucky Barnes showed up.

Consider that Bucky and Isaiah met in 1951, which was only a few years after Bucky was captured by Hydra and turned into The Winter Soldier. Bucky was disoriented and somewhat amnesiac in more recent years when his programming was disrupted but that was after having been The Winter Soldier for *seventy years* and having been subjected to that mind-erasing electroshock countless times. Bucky is badass and I can completely see him fighting like hell to preserve a sense of himself as much as he could every time he was zapped with those things in the early days. In other words: if The Winter Soldier's programming was disrupted by getting hit in the head in 1951, it's entirely possible that the man who would show up wouldn't be so much the disoriented split self of later years but just Bucky Barnes.

Now, imagine what would have happened if, suddenly, in the midst of the fight, The Winter Soldier that was trying to kill Isaiah gets hit in the head and suddenly surrenders. He puts his hands up, he isn't fighting anymore. His eyes and demeanor change. It's not the *same guy*. The shock of that would give Isaiah pause and Isaiah's not John Walker-- he wouldn't just kill a surrendering man, even one considered an enemy. He'd stop fighting. That's how I think they both survived this fight.

Now, imagine what would have happened when Bucky found his voice and spoke and Isaiah heard that The Kremlin's killing machine was *American*.

I am convinced that the reason why Bucky told Isaiah's grandson in the present to tell Isaiah at the door was "the man from the bar in Goyang" wasn't because the fight happened at a bar so much as the aftermath of it did. Isaiah would have been horrified to learn what happened to Bucky and want to help him. He would have told Bucky he'd take him home and meant it. They had a drink at the bar. They talked for awhile. Bucky would have asked about Steve and learned he crashed into the ice six years earlier and felt grief and guilt over that, even as he would also be happy to learn that there was now a Black Captain America and then horrified again when he learned that Isaiah was too much like Bucky himself-- experimented upon against his will, being used in ways he didn't always approve of by people he couldn't trust.

I think these guys tried to save one another and they both failed.

Bucky tried to escape back to America with Isaiah but Hydra found them and there were too many of them. Isaiah and Bucky were overwhelmed-- worse, Winter's controller at the time could have read the trigger words and turned Bucky back into The Winter Soldier and made him fight Isaiah again, forcing Isaiah to leave Bucky behind to escape back to his men as even he wasn't a match for Winter plus a Hydra strike team.

Isaiah would have told the U.S. government in his mission report that The Winter Soldier was the presumed deceased Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes and what happened after that?

It wasn't long after that that Isaiah pulled the same move as Steve did in The First Avenger and rescued his men and wound up in prison for thirty years. I can't help but wonder if one of the reasons why they sought to shut Isaiah up so much was to keep him from exposing that the Russians' secret weapon was a brainwashed American soldier they failed to properly recover.

I also would not be surprised if The Winter Soldier never wore that signature muzzle until after 1951, when the Russians realized that the Americans now had supersoldiers, too, and the odds of The Winter Soldier losing his programming in the field and Bucky trying to escape would have increased.

Bucky couldn't save Isaiah and Isaiah couldn't save Bucky.

When Bucky came back from being The Winter Soldier, he found Isaiah and we know he knew where he lived but he didn't talk to him before he brought Sam to meet him. He clearly didn't want to harm him. He doesn't blame him for being left behind again-- quite the opposite, he reveres him for trying to help him. He sought out what had happened to him and I think it's because Bucky wanted to make sure that this good man who had tried to help him was okay. He had found out in his research what had happened to Isaiah and realized that it had ended up so much worse for this man who had been kind to him than Bucky could have imagined. Isaiah had wound up with a life of pain to rival Bucky's own and that was heartbreaking. He just kept watch from a distance a bit but didn't really know how to talk to him or if he should. He's forced into making a decision about it when the plot means that he needs to go to Isaiah to ask questions that could save lives and Isaiah making the decision to let Bucky in the house, especially with his grandson present, means that he had to have some fundamental sense that Bucky wasn't a danger to them. Bucky also never says his name in front of Isaiah. He doesn't have to do the whole "my name is James Bucky Barnes and I used to be The Winter Soldier but I'm not anymore" explanation... likely because Isaiah already knows what his name is.

Isaiah says he wanted to see if Bucky had come to kill him or whatever but it's fairly clear that he wasn't all that afraid of him, especially when Bucky had shown up with another man and was in possession of his own mind. Isaiah was curious about what had become of Bucky in the same way that Bucky was curious about him. The questions for sure (and understandably) triggered Isaiah's trauma and Sam and Bucky ended up having to leave but it's not out of the question that in the future, since Sam has now formed a bond with Isaiah, that Isaiah and Bucky could have more scenes together as well. I hope their story is something like this headcanon. I think it'd be interesting if they explored these two helping one another through the pain of what they've both been through and getting to have the friendship they didn't think they'd have.*

*It also would be really funny if Sam was a little jealous of Bucky's crush on Sam's adopted dad. Bucky is a total menace about it. He's gone so far as to casually mention how attractive Isaiah was back in the day and-- the real blow-- how well he wore that Cap suit, prompting Sam to tell him that he's sleeping on the couch for the rest of their damn lives.

#sambucky #bucky barnes #sam wilson #isaiah bradley #tfatws

30 notes · View notes

anagentinwriting · 3 years

Text

Lifeline - Part 4

Summary: (First Responders!AU) Moving to Los Angeles and living with your brother, Thor, was never part of your plan nor was being a 9-1-1 dispatcher, but plans change when you are faced with your own emergencies. In your case, it was leaving behind a relationship that wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. Will this be the fresh start you were hoping for or will your past find a way to catch up with you?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Odinson!Sister Reader

Word Count: 2700+

Warnings: Angst, language, relationship abuse, domestic violence, trauma, mental/physical abuse

Lifeline Masterlist / Main Masterlist

After dropping off cookies at the firehouse, you were ready to tackle another twelve-hour shift. Your morning was off to a good start, and you hoped it would stay that way.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I am at the JCPenney in the Westfield Culver City mall, and this employee is refusing to honor my coupon.”

“Do you really think this is an emergency, ma’am?

“Yes, I want to use my coupon, but this high school dude, who calls himself Brad, says he won’t give me the deal.”

“That’s because it’s expired, ma’am,” Brad stated loud enough for you to hear.

“Sounds like your coupon is expired. You should probably take this up with the company and not complain to dispatchers, who are trying to save people from life and death situations. Goodbye, and good luck with the coupon.” You hung up the phone, covering your hands over your eyes and shaking your head.

“Bad call?” You looked over at the voice to see Bruce smirking at you.

“More like a ridiculous call about an expired coupon.”

“People can be terrible sometimes.”

“You got that right,” you replied, earning a chuckle from Bruce as he continued to make rounds to the booths.

Bruce was in charge of your call center, having been promoted from a dispatcher, but he still took calls from time to time. He was the one that offered you a job after Thor talked to him, and you were on the other end listening to the entire conversation, similar to when a parent would call and ask someone if they were hiring because you were too scared to do it yourself. During your training, you got to listen to a few calls he took, and it was crazy how calm and reassuring he was in such a high-stress situation. How did he do it? You still have no idea.

Nearing the end of your shift, you were excited about going home, eating a hot meal, and heading off to bed. Twelve-hour shifts were long and exhausting, but it’s what came with the job. You stretched your hands over your head when an incoming call popped up on one of your computer screens.

“911, what’s your emergency?” The line remained silent, but you could hear breathing. “Is everything okay? Hello.”

“My--my ex...,” she whispered, mumbling something you couldn’t quite understand.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to speak up? Where are you?”

“My--my ex. He’s trying to break into my apartment,” her voice cracked. “He’s not allowed to come around me anymore. I have a restraining order against him.”

You gulped, trying to stay focused and calm. “Can you tell me where you are?”

“1170 Chip Avenue in Torrance. I’m in the Seascape Apartments room 507.”

You contacted a squad unit in the area, and they were in route. “I have units on the way. Everything is going to be fine.”

“How do you know? He wasn’t even supposed to be able to find me,” she cried. “I don’t even know what to do if….” A loud banging noise interrupted her, and she screamed.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay? What’s your name?”

“Krista...Krista Dumont.”

“Krista, my name is YN. Now, I want you to go into your bedroom, lock the door, and find something to barricade it. Then, wait for the police to arrive.”

“Okay,” she sniffled, shuffling around. “Door is locked and….” A loud noise broke out over the line, and Krista’s breathing increased.

“Krista, what happened?”

“He’s um...Jimbo’s in my apartment. What if--” her voice cracked “--what if he gets into my room, and he...he….”

“Authorities are close.” You glanced at one of the screens, recognizing the squad car number to be Clint and Natasha. “Remain calm for me, okay?”

“I don’t know...he’s gonna….he’s gonna hurt me like before.”

“OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR, KRISTA,” Jimbo shouted, pounding hard on the door. “I just want to talk to you.”

You gulped, letting out a shaky breath. “Don’t listen to him. Keep the door closed, and stay where you are. Help is almost there.”

“GO AWAY, JIMBO,” she yelled, hearing his name crack in her voice.

“FINE, if you don’t want to do this the easy way, I guess I'll have to do it the hard way.” You heard a loud bashing sound and grunts.

Krista sobbed over the line. “I can’t...I can’t keep doing this.”

“Don’t give up. Hang in there. Everything will be okay.” You heard sirens over the phone, but you couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. A big crashing sound came over the phone, and you knew he got to her.

“GET AWAY FROM ME,” she pleaded with him as you heard different objects crashing to the floor in all the commotion. The other line became static almost like the call was breaking up, but it cleared up, realizing she must have dropped her phone.

“COME HERE, YOU DUMB BITCH,” he grunted, and she screamed again, forcing goosebumps to your skin. “You think you can just leave me. Did you not think I would find you? I know you better than you know yourself.”

“Police, drop the weapon and let the young lady go,” Clint stated in his police voice. No one was holding the phone or even knew you were there. You were like a fly on the wall, and all you could do was listen.

“If you take one more step, I will slice her throat. If I’m going down, she is coming with me.”

“Whoa, whoa, big guy. No need to hurt anyone here.” You paged an ambulance to the scene in case something did happen. “How about we try and come to an understanding?”

“Hell no, she’s mine and will always be.” You could hear Krista crying, and then in one quick moment, you heard a gunshot, glass breaking, and a high pitched scream before the line cut off. You squeezed your eyes shut, taking off your headset, and walking to the nearest exit. This call hit too close to home, and you couldn’t handle it.

It’s only been three months, but at times, it still feels like you haven’t made any progress. Little details would remind you of him every single day: hearing a certain song, smelling his favorite food, or walking past someone that smelled like him. No matter how much time and effort you put into leaving the past behind, memories of him lurked in the shadows. Everyone tells you everything will get better with time. It was always about time, time to recover, time to forget, and time to start over. No one has ever given you a straight answer about how much time it takes, and there were days you wish they knew.

You leaned against the brick wall outside your building, trying to slow your racing heart. You took a deep breath hoping it would calm your mind, but it offered little to no reassurance. Scenarios started to play out over and over in your head of what would happen when he finds you. You got out like Krista. You escaped his controlling and abusive behavior, but right now, it felt like it didn't matter.

A hand on your shoulder makes you jump away from it and turn around to find Bruce. “I’m sorry. Are you doing okay, YN?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You waved it off. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all. You're doing a great job, but I'm concerned. You seem almost skittish after that last call,” he observed, furrowing his brows together. “This job can be stressful, and I want you to know we have resources available if you’re having a hard time dealing with the stress. There is no shame in asking for help.”

“I know. It’s not the job per se, well right now it is, but…” you sniffled, taking a seat on the bench right next to the building.

Bruce stood still, contemplating what to do before sitting down next to you. “Call hit close to home?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” you breathed, wringing your hands together.

“I'm not sure if you're aware, but Thor told me why you left New York. I didn’t need an explanation when he called asking if I had a job opening, but he blurted it out. It was private information that he didn’t need to share, so I’m sorry about that, but I want you to know I understand.”

“Thanks, but it’s okay, Bruce.” You nodded at him. “Do you know what happened to her…to Krista?”

“Do you want to know?” Bruce asked, worry etching his features.

“Yes and no.”

Bruce sighed, biting his lip as he thought it over. “During the struggle, Natasha was able to get a shot off and get Jimbo in the neck, but it wasn’t enough, and he ended up pulling her with him out the window. They both hit the ground and were pronounced dead at the scene.” He placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“I tried, right?” You teared up, wiping at your nose. “It’s all a part of the job.”

Bruce wasn’t much of the sentimental type, but you were okay with that. He always seemed unsure of himself, but every time he put on that headset, he became a whole different person. He could be playing Tetrix and tell a person how to give CPR in extreme detail and save a life. He's an amazing dispatcher on the phone, but in person, it was like he didn’t know how to assure someone it would be okay.

“I’ll be okay, Bruce,” you smirked at him.

“I know you will, but why don’t you leave a little early today.” You nodded at him, standing up to leave. “YN, one more thing, you should talk to someone about what you went through. Trust me, it will help you more than you think.”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks, Bruce.”

_________

You have never been able to confide in someone you barely knew, like a therapist or a support group, so that’s how you ended up at your brother’s firehouse. You sat in your car, waiting for the tears to dry up and your eyes to brighten up.

Thor could always find a way to make you feel better, but unlike Loki, he was one of those people that didn’t believe you at first when you told him about what your husband did to you. It’s not like Thor didn’t confront him about it, but your husband was persuasive and manipulative. To the outside world looking in, we were the perfect couple, and he was a good man that supported his wife. But on the inside, we were anything but perfect.

Thor defended him when you mentioned it to him again and insisted it must’ve been an accident. After that, you never asked him for anything until you showed up at his apartment three months ago with a busted lip, black eye, and bruised ribs. On the other hand, Loki wanted you out of that relationship right from the start, but like any good girlfriend or wife, I believed him when he said he would change, but he never did.

You closed your eyes, letting out a deep breath. “Fuck it.” You grabbed your hat from the backseat, slipping it on, and walked through the back door of the firehouse. You heard a booming laugh and right away, knew it belonged to your brother. You made your way up the steps, seeing everyone sitting around the living room, watching Carol and Thor play a racing video game.

Steve lifted his coffee cup with a smirk on his face that quickly disappeared upon noticing you from the far side of the room. Whether it was the puffiness of your cheeks or your tear-filled eyes, he could tell something was off. He cleared his throat, tapping Thor on the arm.

“Steve, stop, I’m finally going to beat Ace,” he growled, earning another nudge from Steve. He pressed pause, shooting Steve a harsh glare. “WHAT?” Steve nodded his head to you.

Thor looked over his shoulder, and his expression instantly changed. You gave everyone a small wave, rubbing your lips together while Thor stepped over Carol's legs, rushing over to you and pulling you in for a hug. You squeezed your eyes shut, silently crying into his chest.

“Shhh...Shhh, it’s okay.” He patted your head. “Let’s talk downstairs.” You nodded, feeling eyes on you.

Thor rested his arm across the back of your shoulders as you both walked down the stairs together. Once we reached the bottom, he pulled you in for another one of his bear hugs, resting his chin on top of your head. You bit your lip to hold back the tears, but it did nothing to keep them from falling.

He pulled away, holding you at arm's length, while you wiped away the tear-stained residue from your cheeks with your sleeve. “What happened? Did he find you? Call you again? Threaten you?” His voice was full of concern and hate, but his eyes were filled with worry.

“No, no. Nothing like that,” you croaked, clearing your throat. “I took a call with a woman, and her ex was--” you paused, shaking your head “--her ex was trying to break into her apartment. I told her everything was going to be okay. I told her to lock herself in her room and wait for the police, but…” your voice drifted off not wanting to remember it.

“I bet you did what you would’ve done. You helped her the best you could.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t help her. She left him, but he still found her,” you confessed, staring at the ground. “Where...where does that leave me when he finds me? Am I going to end up like...like her? Dead?"

“No,” Thor reassured, making you look up at him. “She doesn’t have a six-foot-three handsome older brother that has no problem kicking his ass. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

“Promise is a strong word, Thor.”

“I know. Why do you think I said it,” he smirked, squeezing your shoulder. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t know...I’m confused, and I don’t know if I will ever get over it. Is he going to hold me back forever? Am I ever going to get to move on and be happy?” You rub your forehead, readjusting your hat. “It’s like this one call...this one call allowed everything to rush back to me. All the memories, the pain, the fear. I feel like he’s always going to be looming over my life, and I will never get away from him.”

“It’s..um...it’s always going to be hard. It’s a day to day progress. I know you hear it all the time, and it sounds redundant, but it’s time. It’s a waiting game, but with time it will get easier, and memories of him will fade as you make new memories. Better memories. Don’t let this moron ruin your future when he already ruined your past.”

Thor wasn’t always great with words, but sometimes he surprised you. He did have a point, your husband did ruin your past, but maybe it was time to start making a better life for yourself and learn to live without him.

“Hey, I’m here for you, no matter how long it takes. I’m not going to push you aside like I did before. I was an idiot back then for not believing you.”

“You were,” you smirked, earning a silent chuckle from him. “But, he was manipulative and persuasive, and I already forgave you, Thor, so stop blaming yourself.” He nodded with a closed mouth smile.

“Have you called Loki?”

“He has a big rehearsal for his show tonight. I didn’t want him worrying about that and me,” you mumbled, not missing the left corner of Thor’s mouth twerk up. It was always a competition with your brothers. Who were you going to confide in first?

“Do you want to hang out for a bit,” he asked, pointing to the balcony. “Feast on some takeout, play some video games? Then after my shift tonight, we could go do something?”

“Sounds fun,” you nodded. “Is NoobMaster69 at you again?”

“Bastard always is,” he chuckled, making you crack a small smile.

“It’s probably Loki, pulling a fast one on you?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him.” He narrowed his eyes at you. “Wait, do you know something?”

“I know nothing, big guy,” You pressed your lips together, locking it with an invisible key, and tossing it over your shoulder.

“I will find out sooner or later,” he smirked, putting his arm across your shoulders, and walked back up the stairs together.

_______

AN: Thanks for reading part 4. We finally got to learn a bit more about her past, but does anyone have any idea who her husband might be? The answer may surprise you! Also, did you like the cameos with Krista Dumont and Jimbo from The Punisher and Brad from Spiderman! It was definitely a heavy chapter with the angst and all I can say is expect more of that. Again thanks for reading, comments, likes, and reblogs always welcome! They can be a good motivator! 😉

142 notes · View notes

metanoiamorii · 3 years

Text

❛Peace through Power; Faith through Fire.❜

♧ Title: War of Wrath [WoW]

♧ Status: Brainstorming and Drafting

♧ Point of View: Third Person

♧ Genre: Fantasy, Action, Drama, Epic

♧ Warnings: Violence, War, Death, Nudity, Racism, Past Abuse, Generational Healing, Generational Trauma, Vengeance, Genocide, Colonialism, ethics vs morals, history erasure, history repeats itself, humans are the bad guys really.

♧ Featuring: Dragons, Dragons in themselves deserve recognition; found family, diverse LGBTQ+ characters, complex and complicated characters, fantasy religions, plenty of symbolism, complex world building, ethics vs morals, a whole lot of moral grey can be fit into this bad boy, there is some enemies to friends to lovers going on, and some enemies to friends to family too.

♧ Setting: there will be encompass of territories and areas explored. Few inspirations are Mongolia, The Incan Empire, Viking Scandinavia, Ancient Greece.

♧ Synopsis:

In Gri'lian, the gods have vanished and the mortals overstep their boundaries.

Long have been the years of war between human and dragekind. Humans kill the dragons for territory and control; the drage kill the humans in self defense. As time goes on, history proves the humans will not stop. They revel in the war they have instigated, they thrive on the power and authority they have taken by force.

It has been proven the gods have abandoned their creation, they are nowhere to be found. If they will not stop the humans... who will? Who will place the world back into natural balance?

What happens when a single dragon decides enough is enough? He makes the call, if the gods will not intervene, new gods need to be bore. He alone begins a collection of misfits, the most qualified to end the terror of humans and reinstate the drages; those he can trust to bring a new era.

They make their peace and take on their new role. They carve into their skin their sacred oath and adorn themself in the paint of their ancestors. Together, they go to war against the human. They go to war and fight like no one has before. They turn the tides of war and make a name for themself.

They have won every battle, but the war isn't won.

The only way to win the war, they come to realize in time, is not through violence, but through peace. By living in harmony with the human, not in war. They have to learn to live with the humans, to share the world and their lives with one another.

♧ Tease:

Faith through fire, peace through power; our souls bear written this vernacular. Our intentions we laid bare, yet all still cower in fear. To absent gods you make your prayers.... when we answer, you acclaim we give scare? If the help you wish to shun, why should we give chance upon chance to you anymore?

We fight for family, for it is our duty and sacred honor; with blood and fire, we will show you the price of war.

A battle you wished for, know a war you shall now pay for. The natural order we shall restore. Know, although bound to be ignore, our actions are only sincere. This war, by your hand, was it made so severe... For pride, a glut of greed, you were made a whore. Nay, your life we will not spare.

Why?

Why of your lives will we not spare?

Perhaps reminder is require.

The waters have turned red, from the blood we have bled. Of you, we pled, yet our mothers and fathers and our brothers and our sisters you behead. Of daughters and sons you have killed.

Your acts you dare to justify, lacking a shred of dignity?!

You have denied us as your friend, with caution you should have tread... for now? You are dead.

A warning:

They say, the red sun marks death, signal bloodshed beneath the light of its brothers and sisters in the passing darkness... know, for you it is coming.

♧ Excerpt:

"... Father." With only respect, Svihar greeted.

Violkoa shifted his hold onto his fan, blowing a light gust with it. "Svihar." He greets back, in a tone less than kind. "You are a rare one to come, what is it?"

It was no lie. He paid more respect to Kallai, sharing in her beliefs. But still... Here he was, kneeling before his father. "I seek your blessings, Father."

That scowl so neatly woven upon Violkoa's features nearly lightened. Bemused. He cocked an eyebrow and closed his fan. "What do you seek blessings for?"

"An honour battle." Svihar drew his head forward, daring his eyes from the floor to meet Violkoa's.

Now that scowl faltered, the rare smirk pulled onto that stoic and weathered face. "An honour battle?" Violkoa's repeated. "With whom?"

"Whomever I desire." It is a bite, with fangs drawn. Realizing his mistake, Svihar lowers his head and draws in a breath through his nose. "All that have broken their oaths to you, those that cannot adhere to order, the ones who know no law..."

Violkoa unfurled his fan. He shifts the arm he holds around himself and stands, fanning himself.

Silence.

Svihar keeps his head low, awaiting a response. He knows better than to raise his head and tempt a response. He waits. He waits.

He waits until the fan snaps shut in harshness, a gust of wind sent through the chambers. The fan disappears into Violkoa's sleeve as his arm raises, he plucks the center spine from the bun he wears and strides forward. He does not drop to his knees, but he lowers himself so he may spin his son's hair into a similar bun and tuck the spine into it.

To his feet, Violkoa rises. He turns upon his heels, his quilled tail dragging behind him as he disappears back into the temple. He gives a simple command, as Svihar rises to his feet, only when Violkoa no longer is in sight: "Go to war, My Son."

♧ Characters:

— The Lovers

Kaithrine Eve Flora; The First Dragonlord

Female • She/Her • Human • Pansexual • Demiromantic

The young woman that rules Virta'Niliq. Ruler from a young age, Kaithrine has matured faster than she should have. She understands the way of the world more than the adults around her do. As she ages, she meets her future husband, and she becomes the heroine of a story as old as time when she joins forces with the league of dragons that plague the humans. She leads by example and creates history as its known.

Eoin'fynil Sirenheart; The Blood Taint

Amab • Agender • He/They • Water Dragon • Pansexual • Demiromantic

A man with a legacy to uphold: his grandmother is the refined ruler of a sea with a ruthless reputation, his father is an enigma with a merciless reputation.... Eoin'fynil is a nomad, trying to put a distance with his family to raise his son. He puts distance with his family, but he can't outrun a young girl with high ambitions, and his role in history.

— The Order

Svihar Hopebringer; The Father of the Order

Intersex • Genderqueer • He/They • Rainbow Dragon • Asexual • Aromantic

The drage who has brought on a revolution. Although he carries a ruthless reputation to his name, demonized by the humans, he's a very compassionate man. He cares immensely and expresses deeply. He's faithful till the end to his kindred and protective of the family he has created.

Ryltar Flametongue; The Cinder King

Transmasc • Agender • He/They • Fire Dragon • Grey-Asexual • Demi-Homoromantic

The one Svihar trusts the must, and the drage all know stand as his favorite child. He's a drage without compassion that will raze everything before his eyes to ashes, if it means winning the war. He is one the humans fear, as they know he has no mercy to give to them for their crimes.

Dyiare Seawraith; The Wraith of the Sea

Transfem • She/Her • Water Drage • Grey-Asexual • Demi-Homoromantic

The grandmother of Eoin'fynil, known as one of the Sages of the Sea. She's a woman that doesn't smile, her mind fixed only on her responsibilities. She's serious and stern, she has no room to relax and laugh.

Syvtnr Venomtongue; The Enchantress of Reckoning

Afab • Nonbinary • She/They • Nature Dragon • Polyamorous Pansexual • Aromatic

A drage known to masquerade as a human. Famed for her beauty, she is a seductress who uses that weapon to bring humans to their knees. Apathetic, she does not regret using her tacts of manipulation to secure victory for her kindred. And yet, it's her price to bear few see beyond her beauty, she's not seen as a individual, but often only as a tool.

Ayros Golden-Father; The Heart of the Order

Amab • Agender • He/They • Light Dragon • Polyamorous Pansexual • Polyamorous Demiromantic

The trusted advisor, the one Svihar will most frequently turn to when he needs the truth, or advice. A quiet man, Ayros will keep to himself and not offer his unsolicited advice. He will most frequently stand back and observe; he will make himself known, his authority acknowledged, when necessary.

My'fel Frigidbane; The White Shadow

Amab • Demiboy • He/They • Snow Dragon • Bisexual • Aromantic

Simple-minded compared to the rest, My'fel is a drage with a one-track mind. He cares for his basic needs: food, sleep, reproduction, and the art of hunting. He's ill-tempered and reclusive, he doesn't care for companionship, and nothing seems to be able to make him change his ways.

Nyhmar Bronze-Heart; The Righteousheart

Afab • Nonbinary • They/Them • Earth Dragon • Demisexual • Demiromantic

Viewed as Benevolent, Nyhmar is anything as. Perhaps the most bloodthirsty of their family, they have earned a reputation for being amicable and approachable. History forgets how they reigned as a warlord before they joined Svihar, and they demand the blood of all humans, deeming no one innocent of their ancestors' crimes.

Rauor Savage-Heart; The Heartless Beast

Amab • Agender • They/He • Fang Dragon • Pansexual • Aromantic

The youngest of the family and it shows. He follows closely in the footsteps of his more heartless siblings, particularly My'fel. Known for his sadistic streak and apathetic nature, Rauor is an individual that never quite learned that you don't play with your food.

Za-Ylviar Nightstalker; The Eternal Nightmare

Afab • Agender • They/Them • Energy Dragon • Asexual • Aromantic

The most revered of their family by the humans. They favor the terror Rauor instills, the flavor of death Ryltar enjoys, and the dread Zivaryz embodies. They are brutal, erratic, dangerous. No one believes they are capable of compassion and thread with caution when their name is evoked.

Clyte Starforger; He Who Lights The Way

Male • He/Him • Star Dragon • Asexual • Aromantic

Compared to his siblings, Clyte is harmless. He's not violent, nor does he care for blood. He enjoys mischief, causing problems and reveling in watching others trip over their own feet. He's a trickster, to put it plain.

Zivaryz Endbringer; He Who Will Destroy The World

Intersex • Agender • They/He • Bone Dragon • Asexual • Aromantic

Viewed as an object, a weapon, Zivaryz is not viewed as a living and breathing individual. Although a dragon, both human and dragekind will vy to possess the weapon that is Zivaryz. Known to destory everything they touch, they will wither and drain the life of all things they can. A valuable weapon to have in a war.

L'ymra Spiritwalker; They Who Know All

Afab • Genderfluid • They/She/He • Spirit Dragon • Asexual • Aromantic

Perhaps the most soft of their family, L'myra is not a fighter, they do not care for blood and war. They desire peace, harmony. They wish to see the land heal, and the mistakes and crimes of the past be acknowledged. There is a long way to recovery, but they are adamant it will happen one day.

Blym Serenescales; The Guardian Beneath the Skies

Intersex • Genderqueer • They/Them • Air Dragon • Demisexual • Demiromantic

The most akin to their father, Blym puts family and responsibilities before all else. They hold the goals Svihar has set out for them. They aspire to be honorable and never be swayed, no matter the trouble they face for keeping a positive outlook on life.

♧ Taglists:

WOW: @lend-your-lungs-to-me, @wannabeauthorzofija, @northernrosewritings, @shadeshadow234, @necros-writings, @rhikasa

GENERAL: @endlesshourglass, @writerray, @poore-choice-of-words, @primusesgiantmetalballbearings

BOTH: @notugalan, @cecilsstorycorner, @little-boats-on-a-lake, @hazard-writes, @aligned-stars-writing

42 notes · View notes

davidmann95 · 3 years

Note

So you've talked a lot about Darkseid, but what about the other New Gods?

SO THIS HAS BEEN IN MY INBOX FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS THIS BLOG’S BEEN AROUND AND I JUST FINALLY FINISHED FOURTH WORLD

Well that sure was something. My musings on some major players that I either have substantial thoughts on, or where I especially think the majority consensus/interpretation has subsequently gotten them wrong (a state Kirby is well aware of, because a HUGE part of “Even Gods Can Die!” is him being frustrated at subsequent handlings of the characters even by 1984 mucking things up):

Orion: Perhaps the most hard-done by as a result of Kirby never being able to fully finish Fourth World as he had imagined it, as his character arc ends on a cliffhanger for a decade and is forced into a rapid completion later. When he emerges, while a warrior born he’s also every bit the classical, magnificent hero you expect to see in a superhero comic to try and overshadow his inner demons, while by the end of New Gods he’s embraced not only his true face (the OTHER face, as his father would put it) in the fight against Apokolips but the murderous, sadistic rage that is his birthright, reveling in inflicting agony and very much the berserker others have since portrayed him as. Surely as much a product of his trauma from a childhood on Apokolips (a detail frequently glossed over) and a sense of being unwanted as anything genetic, it’s ultimately unconditional love for him as he truly is in Hunger Dogs that lets him overcome his fear that he can’t be anything but a monstrous tool in service of better people than himself, and embrace ‘the tomorrow overture’. Even his anger has its righteous if tragic place as a primal force of upheaval: “It defies time! It stands firm against the hammers of change! It mocks life and defies death!” I won’t get to it for awhile yet, but very curious what Simonson does with him.

Lightray: Rules! He’s the closest the New Gods have to a traditional superhero, and it’s in that capacity that while a lousy warrior next to Orion (Kalibak thinks little of his attempt at fighting him, mockingly deeming him a “callow little killer”), his strength is in transformation: he makes himself light, he turns a tormented weapon into the glory boat, a machine armed against the New Gods into a weapon against Darkseid, Orion from a man alone into a friend. He’s not a warrior, but he’s the one who makes a better world worth waging war for and who might one day make such war unnecessary. Also he and Orion have definitely fucked.

Mister Miracle: Not WILDLY off the mark since, but it’s interesting that as I expect a result of JLI he’s been written so often since as an everymanish, relatable, bordering-on-comedic figure, when under Kirby he was very much the archetypal good guy. One often committed to freeing others as he had been freed himself, in the likes of Ted Brown and Shilo Norman, an avenue I’m surprised hasn’t been explored more often from what I’ve seen. Also worth noting: Darkseid declared the moment he got his hands on the kid that Granny would be twice as hard on him as others, and that it would eventually drive the boy away and let the war resume. Which not only indicates Darkseid’s understanding of the subtlety needed in control, but would seem to take Scott’s rebellion out of his own hands…except that at the moment of his escape Darkseid still offered him a choice, implored the boy to allow him to “complete the destruction of Scott Free – so you may live with the majesty that is the power of DARKSEID!” And instead he turned his back on his god and chose to be what he is.

Barda: Shockingly, great as she’s been since, her background is often severely mischaracterized. The shorthand is “love saved her and turned her from a servant of evil to a champion of good!”, but that’s…while not entirely wrong, a bad way of presenting it. When she leaves Apokolips initially, even after she starts hanging out with Scott Free and Oberson after having helped the former escape years earlier, she still believes in Darkseid. She fights and hates her former allies not because she’s turned against his vision of the universe (this is in fact a major aspect often overlooked - under Kirby Darkseid’s agents don’t simply fear him, they sincerely believe in him and his vision of how the universe works) but because she sees them as loathsome, brutish executors of his grand design. In short, she doesn’t think it’s the system that’s the problem, but a bunch of bad apples. It’s her experience with freedom and simple pleasures and life on Earth, her lingering guilt over the death of her friend Auralie as eventually manifested in her protection and training of Shiloh Norman, and yes, her eventual realized love for Scott, that brings her around to realizing she truly desires a life beyond what Darkseid can offer.

Forever People: Okay I actually don’t have a ton to say about the Forever People, though I do think they’re underrated and underutilized. Naive and in over their heads as the frequently are they’re also the best of their peers, believing in freedom and transformation and the potential of those around them to become better - their defining moment for me is when they reassure Sonny Sumo that having the power of the Anti-Life Equation doesn’t make him a monster. “Where we come from the Anti-Life Equation is one of many others–almost as awesome!! But they merely exist!! It’s we who live!!”

Metron: The big figure I haven’t really been able to crack. Machinery as not necessarily cold mechanization but extensions of ourselves and our souls, and able to nourish them in turn, is a big aspect of Fourth World, but Metron as the embodiment of mechanization and knowledge feels like not just an outsider as he’s framed but one who never quite became whatever Kirby had in mind for him, making his crucial role at the end of Hunger Dogs a bit of a non-sequitur for me. I’d be curious to hear what other people think.

Desaad: God Desaad’s been made boring. Not that he isn’t fairly one-dimensional under Kirby too, but his craft and awful glee as the god of torture isn’t just in strapping people to tables and poking them with unpleasant tools, it’s in manipulating their emotions and agonies to a fever pitch - he should be such an unsettling figure, and instead he’s a simpering helpless toady.

Highfather: Not a perfect figure, given how he’s framed with the likes of Fastbak, and the Forever People, and the Pact, willing to deploy fear as a weapon in the name of peace as Darkseid will use chaos in the name of a larger order, but always trying - as with Darkseid, an imperfect vessel of what he represents, but capable of growth and realization as a leader.

Steppenwolf/Heggra: Essential to understanding The Pact, they’re the old ways of the world and war, petty despots and warrior-kings, supplanted by fascism in Darkseid.

Darkseid: So I’ve discussed Darkseid before in terms of his broad use and ideas, but the very specific ways Kirby presented him have their own dimensions. In the world of superheroes he’s larger-than-life and often such in here too, but in rare moments, and by the end entirely as all artifice is stripped away? Kirby’s Darkseid is a profoundly human figure. He recognizes the irony that the Forever People believe in letting all be who they are, for that very need to fulfill himself is why he must pursue conquest (“And of course - that’s the pity of it!”). While he thinks to himself “Oh, how heroes LOVE to flaunt their nobility in the face of death! Yet THEY know better than most that war is but the COLD game of the BUTCHER!” he too believes in “Boldness! Risk! The raw meat of existence!” even as he consigns himself to the role of puppetmaster rather than warrior. He does or so he tells himself “no more than what HAS to be done!!” rather than indulging in cruelty for its own sake. He dresses up in ridiculous costumes for his schemes, he gets sarcastic, he recognizes honor and respects worthy foes, he feels love, he craves the laughter of a friend, he fears the obsolesce of his preferred way of doing things, he tells himself that should he achieve omnipotence others will find “eternal shelter”. He’s a person, one capable of a range of emotions, but he is the TIGER FORCE AT THE CORE OF ALL THINGS regardless…not because he is a mythic unstoppable force, but because every day he rises and believes in himself over all others, because there is a black hole within him that he can only hope dominance might fill regardless of what pain he finds in the process. But as Mister Miracle’s battle with the Lump foretold, when left truly alone over a world that is himself he will be only within “a self-made prison”, reflections of his own fear and agony.

#New Gods #Fourth World #Kirby #Orion #Lightray #Mister Miracle #Barda #Forever People #Metron #Desaad #Highfather #Darkseid #Opinion

81 notes · View notes

honkster · 3 years

Text

Okay so I did miss a few things

Mainly stuff that either I didn’t think were important enough to address or I just didn’t think of.

Let’s get to it.

1. Techno betraying Tommy.

2. Ghosty bois coming back.

3. Tommy and Quackity as ab*se survivors.

<_><_><_>

I try to be as un-biased as I can whenever I say “From a writing perspective”, I kind of disassociate and look at the story how I would write it if I had to. You know, purely analysing the characters without the attachment I feel for them as a viewer.

But I don’t have to do that to say that Techno is not going to betray Tommy.

I get the angst – oh do I get the angst. I’m a fan of angst, I used to write only it for a while.

But Dream. You know how much Techno cares about Dream?

He’d rather read his donations than not risk Dream’s wrath at avoiding the admittance of Tommy in his house.

Techno has shown that he cares more for Tommy than he fears Dream (Fear is probably the wrong word here. Neutrality as he bides his time until he can strike – much more Blade. Because no matter what, Dream is just a temporary ally to Techno, much like what he started to view Pogtopia as.) He is shielding Tommy from him, he is reluctantly reminded the he owes Dream a favor, he dismisses his role as Lycomedes in this myth that’s so accurate to the story. Not even once in the streams Tommy and Techno did together (and the subsequent Techno or Tommy solo streams) did it seem that Techno was even considering a Tommy and Dream meetup. Yes, the favor is looking to be another Chekhov's gun, much like the TNT under L’manburg, but whoever said it means that Techno will succumb to Dream?

When did we decide that Dream cashing in his favor with Techno doesn’t mean that the pig will take that chance to betray Dream?

When did we decide that Dream cashing in his favor with Techno means that Dream trusts Techno unconditionally and won’t try to betray Techno?

Dream and Techno are in a unique stalemate currently. Techno can’t harm Dream, not when he has creative mode, and for Dream Techno is far more useful as an ally. That favor that Dream is holding over his head? That is the one-up he has on Techno. Until, perhaps, Techno pulls a Spirit and decides that Dream doesn’t control him…

Is this better anxiety than angsting over Techno potentially turning Tommy in? :)

(Bonus: I’m pretty sure that Techno and Tommy are even when talking about betrayals. Tommy established a new government in front of Techno, Techno blew the government up. Techno isn’t going to betray Tommy because he’s still salty. Tommy was slightly petty when he huddled under Techno’s house, but he seems to have gotten over that and now it’s just sibling banter.

They betrayed each other and then were angry at each for it. They’re even, stop the angst.)

<_><_><_>

Another thing I keep seeing despite everything…

The Ghosty bois returning.

Schlatt through possession, Wilbur through some method Philza may find months after the moment he first wrote it in a book.

My answer is… What’s the point?

Okay, you bring back Schlatt. What’s he gonna do, re-establish Manburg?

As if.

So he possessed Quackity/Tubbo. Again, what’s he gonna do? L’manburg is not the same thing that it was before, when Schlatt and Wilbur first found their power. It’s not a place where words mean more than weapons, where no armor is worn yet wars are won. Since L’manburg’s pacifist dictators have died/been changed to more violent ways, L’manburg has adapted to the landscape of the server and become just like every other faction – fighting wars with weapons.

So again, what would happen if Schlatt returned, in one form or another? The moment someone realizes what happened, he gets taken down. No one likes Schlatt, no one is on his side, everyone would stab him in his weak heart and twist the blade to “just make sure” he is truly dead. No one will rally behind him, he will have no power. You don’t gotta worry about that ghosty boi.

Wilbur? Well, if we dive into meta and what the cc himself has said, it’s going to take more than just a totem of undying to bring him back. And from a writing perspective, Ghostbur needs to come to terms with himself. Him just forgetting the things that he did, the people he harmed and just being wholesome – that’s not the end of his arc. It’s not even the middle. Ghostbur has a long way to go to be at peace with himself and stop haunting the server, to move on to the afterlife.

Him being brought back to life, to return to what he tried to forget, and then most definitely being killed again, quickly or after he’s able to do more damage, returning to his Ghostbur form… Well, that can do two things.

1. It could, possibly help him come to terms with Alivebur’s actions, being so suddenly dropped into his life again and forced to confront the trauma of it all. It could, possibly, maybe, slightly start him on the path to being at peace again.

2. It resets his progress so far.

I know which option is more interesting, more… character-developing.

Sadly, that one is the less likely option.

More trauma doesn’t help deal with previous trauma. Things would have to go a very specific way for Ghostbur being brought back to life to be actually helpful to him. Ghostbur isn’t an amnesiac, not in the way where his memories were just given a soft reset and his only job is to find things that would help him unlock them again. He’s a ghost, no one can fully understand how he works and what he needs, and how he may act if he is brought back to life after being dead for so long.

Not even another ghost.

Who’s to say that Schlatt, if he ever appeared in-character, in ghost form, isn’t just as confused as Ghostbur? Who’s to say he isn’t “traumatized enough” for selective memory? Who’s to say that Schlatt hasn’t moved on like Ghostbur hasn’t been able to?

Wilbur’s not gonna come back soon, if at all. His arc, coming to terms with making L’manburg the way it is now, has relevance to the current events happening (especially since L’manburg’s death seems to be inching closer and closer, and Ghostbur seems to be only related to it, out of all the things in the server.) but it has very little plot-changing importance. Who’s going to listen to the ghost of the man that made this mess happen in the first place? Definitely not the people making similar mistakes to him!

<_><_><_>

Oh I don’t like talking about ab*se. I’ve had enough of Dream and his manipulation of Tommy, it’s why I hated the bastard so much.

But this? Quackity and Tommy having the same mixed feelings towards their manipulator, a deep hatred and also a deep attachment, resulting in just a lot of confusion whenever the bad guy in question is brought up?

Yeah I got nothing.

Mainly because Tommy and Quackity haven’t interacted in that way just yet. Most people, in-character, don’t realize what Quackity went through (that’s a problem for a lot of the characters though, how their trauma is almost invisible, but very loud in terms of their actions.) or at least don’t realize that Quackity wants Schlatt back. Cause no one wants Schlatt back – what are you, crazy?

It is definitely an interesting parallel. How both of them were manipulated, then suddenly left the manipulator, how both of them were introduced to different ways of coping. Tommy with Techno, someone who cares about him and is determined to get revenge on their behalf, someone who is just sensitive enough to realize that you shouldn’t do certain things when talking to the traumatized person. Quackity with The Butcher Army and El Rapids, being given an outlet for his anger and confusion, a way to hide the pain he feels and focus on something entirely else, something he can actually understand and not question endlessly as he slowly goes insane. A way to do good, to try and do good things for other people, or at least fight the bad ones, even though you are utterly baffled at what is going on inside you.

...I’ve been dancing around this for a long time but uh… From experience, both of those ways are valid.

Listen, listen. Facing your trauma, going on the tough path of healing from it and coming out a different person, one not affected by whatever was done to you – that’s good. That is a good recipe for moving on to bigger and better things, this should be the path taken.

But (not) realizing your trauma, and instead deciding to flourish in spite of your manipulator, becoming stronger than them or even fighting them (or whoever you blame for your trauma) head on and WINNNING, purely out of spite and anger that you were actually that weak or that you didn’t notice what they were doing to you, remembering the things that you thought were normal and now being horrified at what your life was like…

The whole SMP needs therapy. They all need to have a sit-down, and a talk, and come to certain conclusions about themselves and whoever wronged them, and repeat that for a few days (weeks, months maybe). They all need to learn healthy ways to cope.

But this is the Curse. The Author’s Curse.

Therapy is boring.

Yes, we love these characters. Because we love them, we would much rather see them healthy and well-adjusted, and ending the cycle of ab*se.

...But the SMP isn’t peaceful enough for that.

More from the writing perspective – the foundation of the server right now is violence. Endless, gruesome violence, it has become the number one way to deal with whatever is plaguing you. Talking has worked once (The Pet War (?) ending), but even then it was after extreme violence. And this will continue, because any other way of dealing with things has just become… irrelevant. Some people can only speak one language, and it’s not one that is healthy.

So not only do all of the people on the server need to be shouted at for being so violent, bullied into considering more peaceful options for things, but also the people who cannot or will not change their mind, because they have become delusional with their power and only believe in that singular language, must be eliminated.

It all comes back to Dream. It all comes back to more violence. The Curse cannot be broken.

But… It can be, if used properly, a way to at least eliminate most of the evil in the server.

You’d need a whole guidebook for that though.

And the problem wouldn’t be fixed.

That server reset’s gonna be a huge part of the lore!

<_><_><_>

And I know I may be coming off as aggressive here like “Oh stop making up headcanons that will never happen” but that’s not my intention because if I truly took that standpoint I would be incredibly hypocritical. I thought Techno was going to be this battle-hardened warrior, able to detach himself from everything in this world to focus on war – mans turns out to be the most secretly caring person in the server. I sometimes dismiss characters that turn out to be actually really powerful (Ranboo, for one. BBH and Puffy for three.), I’m wrong on a lot of things.

So honestly, if you have an AU for Ghostinnit or Ghostbo (Toast) or Dadschlatt or Dream redemption arc, or just irl AU, Harry Potter AU, Starinnit – fucking amazing. You play out your canon-divergent dreams you funky little writers/artists. I’ll stay over-analyzing stuff over here, don’t mind me! Your ideas are super cool, and you can bully me for not having any hcs and never thinking of an AU of my own. /gen

#dream smp #dream smp analysis #dream smp theory #honkmeta #dream smp meta #gotta start using those tags #and as always #tell me im wrong on something!#debate!#i put this stuff out here to be ridiculed dont worry about hurting my feelings im too smol to bully you /lh

18 notes · View notes

calumance · 3 years

Note

okay hear me out..... an fbi 5sos au.... no? okay i’ll see myself out 😔

Oh fuck, okay this was actually quite a challenge for me. I do love me some true crime stories though, however I’m afraid this turned out to sound like an episode of Criminal Minds. That could be good or bad however you want to interpret that. Anyway, here’s some FBI!sos. 👀👀👀 Please note that this has sensitive subjects in it, please read at your own discretion!!!

Calum sat in the van, lights flashing as he watched as the officers escorted the assailant into the police car, ducking his head and then slamming the door. The case that his team had been working on for months, although solved, came to a crashing halt when they were notified of a hostage situation in the town next to theirs. Immediately, his team jumped into the fleet vehicles and sped to the location of the hostage situation. While Calum sat in the back of the van, he ran through the months and months of research that they had been doing.

Normally cases such as this one wouldn’t become and FBI problem, but as soon as the crimes started to cross state lines, the case caught the FBI’s attention. Almost thirty people had been reported missing during the time the assailant had been active, and nearly half of those people had gone missing within the past few months.

The first objective the team was given was to identify the assailant’s profile. Calum walked into the conference room with a cup of fresh coffee, something he thought was only done on TV shows, but after working for the FBI for ten years now, he’s come to realize that life can’t go on without coffee. There was a white board at the front of the room with pictures of all the victims, something that always made Calum’s stomach turn, no matter how many cases he’s worked on. He gulped and smiled down at his colleague Luke as he sat down. Luke has been on the same team as Calum for about five years. Luke worked for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service before he moved to the United States. After he moved he went through all of the American training to be a part of the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Calum and Luke bonded over their Australian heritage, although Calum didn’t get into the service until he moved to America over fifteen years ago. Although Luke and Calum both knew Luke was smarter and more experienced, neither of them would admit it out loud. “Is there anything new I missed?” Calum asked after sitting down and taking a sip of the gloriously bitter liquid in his paper cup.

Luke shook his head and leaned his head into his hand, resting his elbow on the table. “Dude went silent a month ago. Think he’s about to strike again, but not sure where.” Luke licked his lips and leaned towards Calum, pointing to the white board at the front of the room. “I’ve been trying to see if there’s a pattern with where he’s choosing his victims. Maybe if there’s a shape, or a commonality between the cities.” Luke shook his head and dropped his hand, “But I’ve got nothing.”

Calum stared at the whiteboard. The victims the assailant has chosen all have something in common, the most obvious is the fact they are all women. Maybe the assailant has something against women, maybe a childhood trauma, maybe some Norman Bates thing where he’s obsessed with his mother now he’s killing women. Calum raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his coffee again, he would need more fingers and toes to count how many times he’s crossed men like that.

The rest of their team made their way into the room, sitting around the table while the team director came last, shutting the door behind him. Calum nodded to the rest of the team, Ashton joined the team about three years ago after transferring from another branch. Michael joined the team four years ago after making his way up from the local police department, his previous title being a detective. Ava, who has a doctorate in psychology, has been working for the FBI longer than Calum has been in America. Ava was incredibly smart and knew everything there was when it came to the human mind, especially serial killers. Ava and Calum were put on the same team six years ago, Calum would never admit it out loud, but Ava was one of his favorite people to sit down and have a conversation with. Greyson was the newest member of their team, he joined about a year ago, and Calum honestly didn’t even know where he came from. The only thing he knew about the guy was that he was ridiculously smart with electronics, a critical component to the team in such a technologically advanced age.

The director of the team was a gentleman named Henry. He had a good fifteen years on the oldest member of the team, but somehow he managed to get along with every single one of the members of the team, and was able to connect with them on a personal level. Henry began to break down everything they knew, recapping to see if it could jog any type of “ah-ha” moment. Calum leaned back in his chair and pressed the lips of the paper coffee cup to his lips. His eyes danced from picture to picture, collecting all of his thoughts and hypotheses. Although Calum chuckled to himself for his crazy thoughts, something suddenly made sense.

As he leaned forward he set his coffee cup on the table next to him. He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. Again, his eyes danced across the whiteboard, gathering every ounce of information he could. His thoughts became solidified and he sat back, scratching one finger over his cheek before he raised his hand. Henry stopped in the middle of his thought and motioned for Calum to speak. Calum cleared his throat, “Aside from the obvious fact that all of the assailant’s victims are female, and they all have brunette hair and blue eyes, something that I think we’ve been skipping over is the fact that they all came from the same city.” Everyone stayed silent and Calum stood and made his way to the whiteboard to point out his thoughts. “Victim number one, although he lived in New York City, she was originally born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Same with all the victims afterwards. The assailant is travelling across the country, seemingly killing all the women with this physical description and come from Grand Rapids.”

Henry sat down and leaned against the table, giving Calum the floor to continue his thoughts and ideas. “We know that the assailant has been seen driving some beat up Volvo with no license plates. Maybe the Volvo is still registered in Michigan, we can narrow down the registrations in Grand Rapids and see if that can get us some names. Maybe the assailant went to school with all of these women, being brunette and blue eyed isn’t exactly uncommon. I think we should find out where these women went to school, and if there is an open registration on Volvo’s in the Grand Rapids area.” Calum was nearly out of breath trying to explain his thoughts, the excitement of figuring something out making his heart race.

Henry slapped his hand down on the table and nodded, “You all heard the man, start doing some research.” With that, the team scattered. Within a few days they narrowed down the list of names from hundreds, to just a handful. It wasn’t until they released the assailants profile to the press that everything spiraled out of control.

It took about a week and a half for the profile to spread across all media sources, and it was within hours of the team watching a press release that they got the call of the hostage. The guy who made the call was frantic, he was the owner of the local liquor store. The assailant grabbed the woman and clutched her to his chest as he pointed a gun at the owner. As he held the gun, it gently shook with how hard he was holding it. The assailant told him to leave the store, walk five miles and then call the cops. When the cops asked for a description of the woman, he answered, “She has brown hair, blue eyes, I had just checked her ID, she was from Michigan, and she had told me she was there on vacation.” After hearing that, the description was immediately sent to the FBI and the team scrambled their way to the cars.

Calum sat next to Luke in the van, and together they put on their bullet proof vests. Greyson frantically typed away at the computer, trying to tap into the security cameras. Ava, Michael and Ashton all strapped on their vest and took a deep breath, trying to ready themselves for whatever was going to happen when they finally got to this liquor store.

The van came to a screeching halt. Outside the fan was hordes of flashing lights, and multiple policeman perched on their car doors with their weapons pointed at the store. Henry got an update from the chief of police and Calum stood there, eyes scanning the entire front of the store. “He won’t come out knowing there’s so many weapons pointed at him.” Luke said with a sigh, tucking his golden curls behind his ear. Calum turned to him and Luke’s eyes widened. “He’s never done anything drastic in broad daylight. Sure, it’s night time, but there are so many eyes on him that he won’t do anything.” Luke was right, Calum knew he was right, but Calum didn’t know what to do next.

In one swift movement, Calum stripped out of his bullet proof vest, tossed it at Luke and ducked under the crime scene tape, sauntering his way towards the store front. Behind him, he could here Henry yelling at him, but before Henry could blow everything, Calum turned and shot him a look. Henry immediately became quiet, the only sound being the wind, and the heartbeats of all the nervous officers behind him. Calum raised his hands above his head as he stopped a few feet in front of the front door. “My name’s Calum, do you mind if we have a chat for a moment?” The silence was terrifying, Calum would never deny that, but silence all meant that nothing life threatening was happening. Calum kept his hands above his head as he closed the distance between him and the front door. All of the windows of the liquor store were mirrored, it was a common way for stores to combat the Los Angeles sun. As Calum reached down and rested his hand on the door handle, all he could was himself, and the flashing lights behind him. “I just want to talk, do you mind opening the door for me?” Calum said, waiting patiently for the click of the lock.

His heart dropped to his feet when he heard the click. Before making his way inside, he gulped. When he opened the door, the woman who was being held was sitting on the floor. Her ankles were tied with rope, and so were her wrists. Over her mouth was a strip of duct tape, mascara flowing down her porcelain cheeks, terror washed over her blue eyes. Calum rushed to her aide and untied her restraints as quickly as possible to ensure her safety. “As soon as I untie you, you run, don’t stop until someone on the other side of the caution tape grabs you, understand?” She nodded, sobbing still out of terror. The second she was free, she followed Calum’s instructions, running until Luke grabbed her, ushering her to the Ambulance and out of sight.

From behind Calum, he heard the gun cock. Slowly, he raised his hands above his head and turned to face the assailant. The guy was around the same age as him, but looked as if life had run over him more than a few times. His teeth were stained a blackish-green color for the amount of drugs he has injected into his body. His eyes were sunken into his head, his hair unwashed and matted. His clothes were dirty and stiff from the lack of washing. Calum looked into his glossy eyes and could tell how high he was based on the size of his pupils. Again, Calum repeated himself, “My name is Calum, why don’t we put the gun down and have a chat?”

“No!” the guy blurted out, holding the gun even tighter causing the weapon to shake. Calum has handled many guns throughout his career, but the way this guy was clutching the gun made him nervous. “You don’t even know what I’ve been through!” The assailant yelled at Calum.

“Oh, but I do, man.” Calum dropped his hands to be shoulder level. “I know that you were outcasted the second you got into high school. On top of that your mom passed away at a very young age. She was a beautiful woman, wasn’t she?” The guy gulped and nodded, tears filling his eyes. “Your dad was never around, so once your mom passed you had no one, isn’t that right?” The guy gulped again and frantically ran his hand under his eyes then clutched the gun even harder. “All of these women, you didn’t even know them, but they look just like your mother, don’t they?” Calum knew that’s what was going on, he didn’t need the assailant to confirm that. “If you drop the gun and come with me, I can help you.” It was such a cliché line, but most of the people who commit these kind of crimes just want help.

Calum took a step closer to him but the assailant took a step towards him, shaking the gun in his face. He gulped realizing that if he got any closer, Calum might end up swallowing the barrel of the gun. “I don’t need anyone’s help!” The assailant cried out, and in a split second he shut his eyes and pulled the trigger.

Thinking quickly, Calum lunged at the gun, causing the gun to motion upwards, the bullet going through the ceiling. Within seconds of the assailant landing on the floor and the gun sliding three feet away from him, Luke and the other police officers busted through the front door. As Calum locked the handcuffs around the assailant’s wrists, Luke slapped Calum’s shoulder. The local police officers took him out the front door and Luke wrapped his arms around Calum, “I heard the shot and thought he got you. You’re a crazy son of a bitch aren’t you?” Together Luke and Calum laughed. You have to be a special kind of crazy to have a career in their field, but Calum loved being that special kind of crazy.

************

Tag list: @mantlereid @notinthesameguey @viiirg0 @wheniminouterspace @thinkofmehlgh @another-lonely-heart @limer-encia @itsmytimetoodream @babyoria @treatallwithkindness @karajaynetoday @talkfastromance4

**If your URL has a strike through it’s because it won't let me tag you ☹️

Ko-fi

26 notes · View notes

meggannn · 4 years

Note

thank god im not the only other asian girl who came to realize how weirdly orientalist atla/lok is.

i hope you don’t mind me using this ask as a springboard to get some of my thoughts down (i edited this once and that fucked up the read more, so i tried several times to put this behind a cut again but tumblr hates me so i guess now everyone has to read my beef ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

my friend said last night that ATLA is like the new harry potter with the way people talk about it and..... yknow she’s not entirely wrong.....

like, not to keep pulling this card, but ~as a half-asian~, i have been struggling with this show a lot over the past few months; before even the show came to netflix, i was seeing a resurgence of ATLA stan culture. the hype of the live-action series and the release of the kyoshi novels have also amplified this. i reblog posts because i do still enjoy it, but i have been abstaining from reblogging commentary that so obviously glorifies it.

part of this burst-bubble effect is my problem, because i strongly dislike how people talk about certain characters and ships (and i admit that frustration is seeping through what ATLA did right) and observing fandom favorites makes me think that a lot of points were missed: people love toph, but hate korra (even people who think they love korra only because she’s one half of korrasami, actually do hate korra lmfao); people love zuko but completely ignore aang; don’t get me started on the fandom’s embracing of korrasami/subsequent forgiving of the patronizing, disrespectful, borderline racist way bryke did it. that is fan behavior, and it all bothers me and is no doubt coloring my judgment of the actual show, but beyond that, i also do want people to realize and accept “wait a minute, plenty of the things we criticize other media for also exist in ATLA, and it shouldn’t be different just because this show is full of asians.”

part of me wants to — and does — celebrate that a pan-asian show, in which NO white characters and NO trace of western culture exists, was a critical and commercial success in 2005! and had full network support and resonated with kids of different backgrounds. i can appreciate and be happy of that. but “no western culture” doesn’t mean “no western influence”: it’s an asian fantasy world created by non-asians, so the staff still ultimately wrote a pretty western story. the treatment of the fire lord imperialist dynasty is the big one (iroh was a war criminal who only left the warfront because his actions affected him/his family but now he’s a old friendly Good Guy and never acknowledges the lives he’s ruined! everything is ok now that zuko is fire lord! not like his new friends will have any direct trauma or conflicting feelings with how he is now heading a nation that burned two out of three of their homelands to the ground and tried to burn the third too! now here are all our headcanons about katara/sokka being fire lord/lady, toph being a fire lord advisor, and aang being an air nation rep to the fire nation! perfect ending!!), but also the themes of a pretty straightforward good kids v evil conqueror story, watered-down concepts of buddhism/taoism/others for child consumption — some of these are not strictly bad things, but they don’t make it the best story in the world. they are not worth saying “stop watching x problematic cartoon, watch ATLA, the BEST cartoon with the BEST diversity!!!!”

side note, my friend looked it up last night and there was a total of one asian writer on the staff, May Chan, who according to wiki, just wrote the Boiling Rock episodes. (at this juncture i want to keep in mind that someone in the writer’s or developer’s room might be in my situation, possibly mixed race but white-passing in both face and name... it’d be hypocritical of me to not consider that possibility, but as far as i know that’s not the case, and in any respect i think it’s important to have visible diversity, not because i think mixed people don’t have anything to say or shouldn’t be counted, but in the sense that poc who don’t get the luxury of being white-passing should be allowed control of depicting people who look like them. but that’s another discussion.)

honestly, i can look over some aspects of this show because i still do enjoy it. i like the use of martial arts as a fantastical magic device because it was used consistently and clearly they did their research, even if it does kind represent this idea of Asia, the Land of Magic Powers; i don’t mind because not everyone has the magic powers, the magic powers are deconstructed, people without the magic powers are still treated respectfully, the magic powers are diverse, and they are treated both practically and spiritually (so not everyone, like sokka, has the same awe-inspiring respect of them, which is realistic characterization to this world, and though he’s sometimes portrayed as incorrect in his disbelief of the spiritual, he’s never portrayed as wrong for being practical and realistic). honestly, i don’t mind the oohs and aahs of these magic powers because i still think the magic powers are pretty fuckin cool; it’s likely we’ve all pretended to be a bender at some point lol. and as a kid, i didn’t mind that ATLA nations blended cultures; i thought it was fun to look up later and see which sorts of things were made up and which were influenced by real things (i liked that not a lot if it was made up). i don’t mind that Lake Laogai was named after a real, horrifying place, though i understand and completely respect that plenty of others find the name disturbing and tasteless.

that said, as an adult coming to ATLA for the first time, I would probably not go this hard for a show that blends a bunch of real ethnicities together in a hodgepodge of culture clashes, at least not one spearheaded by a white developer team. i would be less willing to ignore the northern air temple episode, where aang, victim of a genocide, forgives a bunch of strangers who disrespected and destroyed his home (including the guy who was NOW INVENTING WAR WEAPONS FOR THE VERY NATION THAT DESTROYED HIS PEOPLE). i can mostly look over these things because of nostalgia. but the way people outright stan the whole avatar series (including LOK but i won’t get into that right now) without acknowledging ATLA is, ultimately, still a story with a pretty western handling of its themes just with asian faces, is..... frustrating.

a new coworker of mine, also an asian woman who was too old to watch ATLA at the time it was airing, has said that the more she learns about ATLA as an adult the weirder she feels about it and less inclined she is to watch it, which makes me think that maybe i’m not crazy.

#avatar commentary #Anonymous #askbox #ok to reblog #megan talks about avatar

104 notes · View notes

mageglory · 3 years

Text

And here we go with the last two episodes of

Dragon Age Redemption (Of a Plot).

My baby Josmael finally gets to flip off Tallis -I don't hate Tallis, but this movie has her at her worst attitude- and Cairn and gets a reaver friend. We start with episode 5. Are you ready? Let's go.

-The episode starts with our protagonists fighting in the inn, where we left them and oh Maker did I said how I love the guy with the hammer? Not only he has a gigantic rubber hammer, he's also bald, grinning and with a dark beard. He's the perfect evil enchnman clichè and I want 20 of them thank you very much. He even says "GRAAAWL!" before starting the fight. I love you, random evil hammer guy.

-The fights goes more or less the same, the only thing I'm gonna change is that the innkeeper does not randomly knocks out Josmael because I find not very realistic that a civilian would throw herself in a fight. She still gets angry at the gang for fucking up the inn and takes their money, but she spends the fight hiding to safety behind the table and immediately after the fight and them buying informations from the innkeeper. If we have to add something, I would not mind Josmael or someone else asking what Nyree did, so we can throw some informations about Reaver abitilities to the viewer instead of just assuming I know.

-Ok it's a specific DA movie, so if you are watching you probably know about reavers and lore already, but a good rule of storytelling is to never assume the player/viewer already knows, and I study games.

-Anyway the gang is now in the dark (it was daylight in the previous scene why is now dark? what did they waste time on?? That's a mystery between them and the script) or still daylight if we want to be more realistic. They are talking about how those guys were waiting for them and how did Sarebaas knew they were gonna enter that inn, since Sarebaas is obviously behind this?

-Tallis is like "Josmael told us about the shortcut I don't trust him" and knocks him against the stone. But since we are less than 20 minutes from the end, Josmael is tired of being harrassed by his "allies" and having to take it for the sake of the mission so he hits Tallis with a mind blast and tells her to get her hands off him. Cairn takes out his sword, but he feels cold against his neck and realizes Nyree is keeping her weapon on him, estabilishing sides officially.

-Josmael explains how he followed the instructions on a message for the person he loved, NOT to betray them and Craig snaps towards him yelling "deceitful little apostate!" but is once again stopped by Nyree who growls at him "Don't Try It, Anakin torturer!" since it's a stalemate, Craig does his "I know nothing good could come of you" but Josmael is defiant, not scared (well ok maybe he is scared too but he's not gonna take this from Meredith little boy). At the "You're tainted!" Josmael snaps that the dalish have heard the stories about the Knight Commander of Kirkwall and if he's tainted at the eyes of someone who was hurting elders in chains then he's proud. Cairn tries to surpass Nyree to kill him and is knocked down instead.

-Nyree does her reveal, telling that the boy is right and even if he wasn't Cairn is way worse than a lie out of love, for he caused Sarebaas escape by trying to kill him. Tallis interrogates Cairn about it and Cairn admits how he tried to kill the mage but was overpowered. (Nice to see Templars are usless as always).

-Blablabla Sarebaas killed Cairn family after his village near Kirkwall took pity of him? Ehh no. We are not doing Sten 2.0 on the simple basis that Sten had a (wrong but still logical) motivation.

-Instead when asked "why" Cairn will tell that his family did took pity on Sarebaas but he did not trusted him. Then one night he entered the barn where Sarebaas was being let sleep (since the family did not had enough room for him) and caught him doing bloodmagic and summoning demons. Cairn, as a Templar who was visiting his family, realized the qunari wasn't "simple" a qunari, but a mage and a maleficar and when he tried to arrest him as is his duty Sarebaas killed his family trying to escape.

-Some of you could say "but this still makes Sarebaas the cartoon villain evil mage?" and I say, in Mickey Mouse voice, "This is a plot point that will serve us later". For now, like the Hinterlands, bear with me. (Yes I know my jokes are great).

-Anyway in the fight and after seeing his little sister die in his arms, Cairn was stopped from killing Sarebaas by the Chantry (specifing they stopped him only because they wanted to "experiment" on him not because murdering mages is wrong), tried to kill him later and messed up.

-Instead of framing Josmael and making Cairn looks #angsthero we have Josmael in the right and Cairn in a "yeah he caused this and I dont like him but I can understand the trauma" (for now) situation.

-Then Nyree realizes Josmael legged out to reach Sundermount alone and Tallis says some curse in qunlat instead of "Andraste's Ass" because if she can curse in qunlat during Mark of the Assassin she can do it now too.

-We start with episode 6, the last episode, with Josmael getting close to the altar (thankfully my Hawke never looted the elven graves lmao. The last thing this boy needs is an horde of angry ravenants).

-Behind him Nyree shows up and says she prefers to help him than help Tallis and Cairn. Josmael points out he has no money and Nyree answers something along the lines of "I already have the money kid. But you know we mercenaries, we have no honor and it's better than a fake one".

-Tallis and Cairn reach them and Cairn wants to fight but Tallis intervenes doing her "we all want to defeat Sarebaas let's keep working more or less together and we can solve this later" so each party goes hiding behind some rocks, waiting for the enemy.

-While Tallis and Cairn talk (with NO romantic music thank you very much) Cairn admits Meredith didn't allowed the mission and says that he thinks he will not be able to go back. "The Knight-Commander is not the kind of woman who forgives lack of control"

-They are very pompous about it but it's made clear to the viewer that one side wants to murder a mage and the other wants to enslave him. Since we think Cairn wants revenge for his family and we have previously seen Sarebaas look of horror towards his collar, we are like "well I hope the bastard Templar kills Sarebaas seems the more justified of the two options and probably Sarebaas would rather die than return to the Qun"

-They still try to recruit each other, but there is no kiss or romance, only two zealots trying to recruit the other in their creed.

-We entirely skip that scene with Nyree and Josmael. You know the one. ENTIRELY I SAID.

-They instead talk about how Nyree has seen Templars harrass mages in Nevarra when they could and throw dirty look at Mortalitasi and Josmael thanks her for siding with him in the past.

-Sarebaas and the bad guys arrive with Fina (Josmael beloved in case I didn't specified already) and a battle plan is made, with the four protagonists reunited on the same rock.

-I take a moment to appreciate how Sarebaas long nails are pained black and way better than Voldemort dirty ones. Remember kids, being an evil mage hell bent on conquering the land with a demon army is no reason to look dirty.

-Sarebaas start the ritual and when Josmael tries to put Fina to safety she tells Sarebaas the enemy is here. Josmael is shocked but then he realizes that Fina is controlled by blood magic. Because that makes at least more sense than "being kidnapped by the villain of the story makes me feel special I so love being a sacrifice"

-I clap at Sarebaas calling the dead to him because necromancy is always cool, even on low budget.

-Fina still gets Stabbed because Sarebaas magic pushed Josmael against her while he was struggling to take the knife away from her without hurting her and the blood activates the ritual. Instead of being immediately defeated, Sarebaas and Josmael are locked into a magic duel until the mask doesn't power up Sarebaas, then Josmael is throwed away.

-As in canon, Sarebaas magically blocks Cairn and thanks him and Cairn yells at him he's a monster but Sarebaas reveals the truth. He never did bloodmagic to kill Cairn family. Cairn killed his family.

-The true story is that yes Sarebaas, being Sarebaas/a mage was using his powers in the barn, but he was doing enthropic magic. Cairn, already blinded by hate and rage because of the difficulties with th Qun in Kirkwall and his own racism (fueled by Petrice, altought she's not directly mentioned because he couldn't know this, but we know), assumed entropy was blood magic without taking a second to check/ask and tried to kill Sarebaas.

-In the fight, the family and others ran in to see what was going on, Cairn tried to kill Sarebaas and instead stabbed his sister who was trying to stop it and a flying spell set the barn on fire. After being arrested and taken to Kirkwall, Sarebaas -enslaved by the Qun all his life and now an attempt to a new life destroyed by racism- decided that it's better to be feared than a weapon in other people hands and so when Cairn tried to kill him again, making him escape, Sarebaas seized the occasion to chase the mask and exact revenge on everyone.

-Still a villain, but a villain caused by Cairn himself and by the Qun treatment of people. It's a very "Luke I'm your father" "That's not true! That's impossible!" moment, except Luke is the bad guy who caused everything and Vader is still the bad guy but he's spilling the beans.

-So Sarebaas thanks Cairn for "showing him the truth of the world" and the fight goes on.

-Josmael asks Tallis to pass him a knife and cuts himself on the hand, using blood magic to stop the bloodmagic. While the rest of the group keeps Sarebaas busy, Josmael calls the blood out of the mask. No blood, no mask power, no mask power, no ritual. The Fade rift that was forming closes. Cairn gets ellectrocuted by magic but Tallis manages to put the qun control collar on Sarebaas, making him powerless.

-Cairn dies *world smallest violin plays* and when Tallis asks why he didn't tried to live his life Sarebaas tells her "You heard me talking to your Templar. I try and failed. Then I had the means to do harm... So I took them." and his "Qunari made me this way" bit, making the audience realize that while this doesn't justify Sarebaas actions, Thedas denied his attempts to be something that wasn't a weapon at every turn.

-Since there is no romance nobody particularly cares for Cairn, so Tallis is still intentioned to bring Sarebass back in chains.

-Sarebaas and Tallis are stopped by Josmael, who tells him he can't forgive him, but he knows part of his struggles, since the same people who denied a new life to him are the people who try to kidnap dalish kids with magic.

-Josmael looks at Sarebaas who nods and two spells make two things happen: his collar is broken and the second spell turns him into ice, breaking him in pieces and killing him. Sarebaas dies, but he dies free.

-Instead of having Josmael randomly hug Tallis in the end after she stabbed him, stole from his clan and treathened him, she argues with Josmael because she wanted to bring the prisoner to the Qun, but then she realizes that she is alone against two and angrily leaves.

-But first, Nyree throws the money of her payment (who were the clan stolen money) to Josmael, then takes Tallis money for herself.

-Nyree tells Josmael he is a great First and will one day be a great Keeper too and Josmael gives her an elven token of friendship so that other clans she could meet will recognize her as a friend of the People. He tells her it's not guaranteed that all clans will accept her, but still.

-They bury Fina together.

-Camera shows the sunset on Soundermount.

-The End.

Also yes, it is possible to interact with Josmael the First in Dragon Age 2 at the Sabrae camp in my mind. Because Merrill needs her people tp support her.

#dragon age redemption #dragon age #tallis #rewrite #i hope it's decent #this was fun to write #and i managed to put an horrible bear pun in it

5 notes · View notes

shima-draws · 4 years

Note

Different anon but I would LOVE an SAO recap if you don't mind!

Oh HELL YEAH

Alright kiddies buckle up it’s ~RECAP TIME~

Season 1: Sword Art Online/Aincrad Arc

Kirito and 10,000 other players are trapped inside SAO, a game made by Kayaba Akihiko, and are ordered to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad. There’s one catch: if they die in the game, they die in real life. Kirito meets Asuna, Klein, Agil, Silica, and Liz (#Mainsquad). Over the two years of being trapped in the game, Kirito solves some murders, rescues a lot of people, loses a lot of people (RIP Sachi you will be missed) beats up some floor bosses, goes head to head with a murder guild called Laughing Coffin, falls in love with and gets married to Asuna, buys a house, and adopts an AI daughter named Yui. Wow this kid is busy. On the 75th floor Kirito realizes that Heathcliff, the Commander of Asuna's guild, is actually Kayaba Akihiko. Kayaba offers him the option to duel, and if he wins, he will end the game early and allow everybody to log out. Kirito fights Kayaba and, after Asuna intercepts a fatal blow and dies in his arms, is able to defeat him. The game is cleared, and everyone is able to log out!! Kirito and Asuna meet up one last time as Aincrad collapses below them.

Season 1: ALfheim Online/Fairy Dance Arc

Fast forward to several months later. Kirito is on the road to recovery! Except Asuna is still asleep, and nobody can figure out why. Kirito visits the hospital only to discover that Asuna is getting married off to a nasty pedo named Sugou, who controls Rect, a company that runs VRMMORPGs. The wedding is in a week. Kirito panics and is cheered up by his younger sister Suguha. Agil sends Kirito some sketchy screenshots of what appears to be Asuna, inside of a game called ALfheim Online, which is, surprise surprise, run by Rect. Kirito dives into ALO and begins a new adventure! He teams up with Leafa (who is actually Suguha) and the two of them race towards the World Tree, where Asuna is supposedly being kept. We find out that it's Sugou who has trapped Asuna within ALO (because he pretty much runs the game. Asswipe) and is trying to manipulate her into marrying him (ew). Some minor stuff happens with the leaders of some of the fairy races but that's not too important. Eventually the truth comes out and Kirito and Leafa realize who the other is in real life and it's kind of a mess but then they make up and it's...fine? After that, Kirito makes it to the top of the World Tree with the help of all of his new fairy friends. He valiantly rescues Asuna (after some difficulty but then Kayaba's ghost shows up and gives him God Powers) and beats up Sugou who is a disgusting rapist! Kirito logs Asuna out and reunites with her in the real world. After that he distributes a special gift Kayaba had given to him called "The Seed", basically a tutorial kit to create your own VRMMORPGs. The gang logs into ALO to find out that Aincrad has been brought back as part of The Seed's release and get hyped to clear all 100 floors this time.

Season 2: Gun Gale Online/Phantom Bullet Arc

We're introduced to a new game called GGO, which is a lot darker and grungy than SAO/ALO. The star of this season is a girl named Sinon, who is a pro sniper in GGO but has an intense fear of guns in real life because of an incident years ago where she shot a robber and killed him out of self defense (poor, sweet child). She has a close friend named Shinkawa who cares about her a lot who she leans on for support. Scary shit is happening in GGO because famous players are getting shot in game by a guy named Death Gun, which apparently kills them in real life, a repeat of SAO. Kirito is brought in to investigate! He meets Sinon in-game and they sign up for a big tournament to decide who is the most top class gunner. Kirito makes a name for himself by using a laser sword in a game meant for guns (typical protag behavior), and is spooked by Death Gun because it turns out he's a formal Laughing Coffin member from SAO. During the tournament, Sinon is revealed to be one of Death Gun's next targets, so she and Kirito team up and form a bond! Eventually Kirito manages to defeat Death Gun, and he and Sinon win the tournament together (by setting off a present grenade so they die at the same time LMAO). Sinon logs out and meets up with Shinkawa, who reveals that he is one of the people running the Death Gun persona, and tries to kill her by drugging her. Kirito bursts into her apartment at the last second and rescues her. Several days later Kirito helps Sinon come to terms with her trauma, allowing her to finally heal and move on from it.

Season 2: Calibur Arc

Kirito catches word of a new quest in ALO that will allow players to chase after the legendary weapon, Excalibur. Kirito throws together a party (Asuna, Liz, Silica, Sinon, Klein, and Leafa) and aboard a giant elephant jellyfish that Leafa befriended before. The party is greeted by Urd, an NPC and the Lady of the Lake, and she asks them to retrieve Excalibur from the bottom of a frozen lake dungeon. Kirito's like hell yeah we will and so they set off for the dungeon! There they face a pair of really difficult bosses, but are able to defeat them due to the power of friendship and also stabbing them until they die. Deeper into the dungeon they run into a trapped NPC named Freyja, who Klein immediately gets heart eyes for, and although he's repeatedly informed that letting her join their party is a trap (by literally everyone in the group, go figure), decides against his better judgement that he's going to follow his samurai avatar's honor and rescue the fair maiden. Freyja actually gives them some crazy stat boosts so it was #worthit. At the bottom of the dungeon they run into the boss, Thrym, and when Kirito finds the legendary hammer Mjolnir, Freyja takes it and transforms into the god Thor (which crushes Klein beyond repair). Thrym is defeated! At the bottom of the dungeon, Kirito pulls out Excalibur, causing the dungeon to collapse, and is then rescued by Leafa's monster friend. Urd returns and gifts Kirito with Excalibur as his reward for defeating Thrym.

Season 2: Mother's Rosario Arc

Asuna is told rumors about a player in ALO named Zekken, who is so extremely powerful that they have a perfect winning streak, and has even defeated Kirito in a duel. Zekken apparently duels players every day with the promise of gifting them a phenomenal 11-hit sword skill if they can win. Asuna decides to try her chances, and although she loses, Zekken, revealed to be a young girl named Yuuki, decides Asuna is perfect to help her out on her mission. This is to defeat a floor boss with just her guild, the Sleeping Knights, in order to get all of their party's names on the Monument of Swordsmen. After several tries the guild manages to beat the floor boss all on their own. Yuuki accidentally calls Asuna "sis" and panics, logging out and not coming back. Asuna finds out that Yuuki is actually a patient at a hospital and is terminally ill--which is why she was so desperate to defeat the guild boss as a sort of last hurrah and to have her name engraved somewhere in history. Yuuki's been in a full dive machine called the Medicuboid which lets her play games virtually and helps block out her pain. Asuna gets inspired and with Kirito's help, is able to set up a probe that Yuuki can look through in order to see what school life is like in the real world. Several months pass, and the Sleeping Knights spend as much time together as they can. Finally Yuuki's health begins to decline and she logs into ALO one last time to say goodbye and to give Asuna her 11-hit sword skill, Mother's Rosario. Hundreds of other ALO players all join Yuuki to give her a proper send off and pay their respects. As Yuuki dies in Asuna's arms (it's so FUCKING SAD I cry every time I watch this scene), she tells Asuna how grateful she is to have been able to meet her and spend the past few months with her and the guild. After Yuuki's funeral, Asuna and Kirito find out that the Medicuboid she was using was created by Kayaba Akihiko, surprise!! And this leads right into season 3.

So there you go, your recap of both seasons!! Hopefully it was short enough lol I cut out a lot of less important stuff so ;)

#Claps my hands #SAO #Sword Art Online #Shima answers questions #Long post #Recap #Anonymous

70 notes · View notes

unmotivated-cosmere-nerd · 4 years

Text

Why Worm is the Perfect Gateway from YA to Fantasy/Sci-fi

I’m going to start off by saying I first read worm when I was 14 and while I thought it was cool I didn’t read past the leviathan arc and I didn’t go back until I was 17 where I started reading it again and loved every second of it. There’s a reason for this, I think, and because worms start off as a YA thing before becoming so much more with a solid foundation.

I was originally going to make a post that basically said: “Hot take: The thing that stops worm from being YA is the fact that characters “Good or Badness” is not determined by whether they agree with the main character or not” but its more than that and so I’m Going to make this post.

1. It starts off as a YA

Worm begins by giving the reader a lot of YA tropes, bullied at school, oppressive system, having a secret you are keeping from the rest of the group, Hypocritical authority figures(I’m coming back to this one), Not being handsome or pretty, Low Self-esteem, Characters called bad by the system being cool or secretly good and misunderstood(Coming back to this as well).

These tropes work because a lot of young adults see themselves in these charters because a lot of people feel like outsiders in these years see themselves as misunderstood and it's great, I'm not disparaging YA but YA isn’t made to challenge a reader (past Levi I felt legitimate anxiety reading Worm) it's made to entertain a reader and it does that by making truly care about characters. However, in Worm, it makes a character based off of those tropes and that is Taylor this doesn't mean much till we get past Levi but it is noticeable on rereads where you see her go out un-ready because, as it seems to me, she wants to go down in a blaze of glory, not some heroic ideal

Point is Worm starts off by being really appealing to YA readers.

2. Levi Arc / A break from YA / Violence in YA

Worms Un-YA-vacation actually starts a chapter before Levi. This is the point where a YA begins its conclusion, Threats have been faced they have grown together as a team and think they've got through the worst of it, now the true villain is revealed, there's a betrayal a twist happens and the heroes rally to prove themselves over whatever weird morality the villain has(Coming back to this as well)

In Worm, the Twist is Dinah Alcott, however, there is no betrayal, no secret villain, just villains doing villain things, only now Taylor (and by extension the reader) sees the victims to her crimes and the secret villain was Taylor. At this point, Tayor and her friends would come together and save Dinah and prove they were the real good guys all along except they don't the rest of the Undersiders are ok with it and that's a big break from YA plot. The character and her friends are supposed to be, unless they were deceiving the protagonist, “good.” Taylor freaks and runs but before we can deal with that (and we will) Levi attacks.

These days a lot of YA is “edgy” but that death is used for a reason, A Lot of times you'll hear something like “All these people died except him” or “She’s an elite assassin who killed all these people” another use of death in YA is to set stakes killing a whole bunch of named characters during the aforementioned betrayal to set stakes or to cause a character to unlock a new ability through grief. In either scenario, the Protag either avenges these deaths or is a main player in a battle the protagonist. In Worm, Taylor plays damage control, takes a stab and leviathan and Phoom! Broken spine. She is insignificant and that made me so afraid that I'd hear the words “Grue - deceased” that I put down the book for three years. It's real and it's scary.

Violence and Death aren’t trivialised or given lip service, it's real, it's respected and it's a theme and it makes you take it seriously. Fighting stops seeming cool.

3.Ensamble and Morality.

In my mind, you can split a YA protag into two types: A brave idealist in a world of cruel realists or in more edgy YA smart realist in a world where others are idiotic Idealists, in either the protags world view is the right one. Now It's hardly a groundbreaking idea that Taylor isn’t justified in doing bad things but I'm going to address how this idea is given to the audience.

I think it's fair to describe Taylor as a member of group two, In her mind, she's doing what should be done whilst her antagonists are trying to uphold a system that does not work, at least as far as she thinks. In a YA this would make those who are on her side good and those who oppose her bad, that's not the case in the Worm. A lot of the Undersiders are arguably bad people; they aren’t sanitised. More so the people who oppose Taylor are legitimately heroic and you know this because you got to see through the eyes of the BB Wards and you know they aren’t fake. You buy into the idea of them being Heros which makes you question it when Taylor opposes them but more so you feel conflicted. In YA you might feel bad for the antagonist who had a sad backstory which is why they are doing a “bad” thing but you don't in Worm (Because those are our protagonists) instead you're conflicted because the antagonist has a Solid argument for why they oppose Taylor that can’t be written off.

Basically, a YA would decide a character's Morality by whether they are on Taylor's side or not and worm takes a good look and subverts that specific trope in a way that's hard to ignore

It's worth noting that whilst other fantasy/sci-fi novels don’t really work with these tropes Worm takes them and morphs them to a point where you the reader become conflicted and unsure on what you think about Taylor by using established YA tropes you would only really buy into if you read a lot of YA (Which I did)

4. Fighting the System

The idea of an oppressive system and unfair authority is a big theme in YA and that's because it's relatable. Here's a quick sketch of a regime in YA it's full of hypocrites(Armsmaster) and Unfair and Malicious leaders who are either incapable if the MC is a realist or too brutal if the MC is an idealist (Alexandria and Eidolon) and when the organization is overturned (normally by the protag) the good members(Miss Militia, Chevalier, Legend) come into control and say that the MC was right the whole time and change their policies to suit the MC.

There's a problem however both Taylor and the System are Realists and Utilitarians, they have the same moral code. Not a new idea, but it challenges that specific Idea of what an Antagonistic organization is supposed to be.

The Hypocrite (Armsmaster) takes stock, and in a YA would realize he's been criticizing the MC for doing the same stuff he is and then stop criticizing and supporting the MC, but here he takes a good look at himself realizes he's been a hypocrite and changes his behaviour! Armsmaster straight up criticizes the way he behaves in the past, becomes a better person and that makes him even more of an antagonist for Taylor which makes you question her even more.

Finally, When The good guys get in charge of the organization they remain Taylors antagonists Chev and MM still have an issue with the way Taylor operates and tell her if she doesn't comply she gets prison

5.Conclusion

I used to read a lot of YA back in the and I think it's worth noting Worms interaction with YA because it takes YA tropes and dynamics that someone who reads YA automatically assumes and then twists them breaking your assumed ideas about things in a way that makes you question things. And the reason I think this is important is because as I said Earlier YA exists to entertain it is safe, comfortable and fun. But Literature can be more engaging if you want it to be.

The best works of Fantasy/ Sci-fi Drag of those comfort zones. The Way of Kings makes you think about coping with depression and dealing with systems that keep the disadvantaged and exploited docile, I-Robot makes you question what defines personhood, except those works can be daunting. Worm takes a YA reader and gives them what they want for a bit until things start to descend into the groundwork of morality and make you look at it. In a YA novel, utilitarianism and trauma would be character traits used to define a character. In Worm you are forced to question it, to examine it and then come to your own decision, yes the world was ultimately saved through utilitarianism but it could have been done better. Trauma was weaponized, but it was a trauma Taylor had too.

When I reached the end of Worm, I found that YA just wasn't as engaging, and I went looking for a book that felt more real and had real themes, stuff that Worm showed me and that's why I think is a great gateway into Fantasy and Sci-Fi

#parahumans #worm #wildbow #worm spoilers #taylor hebert #armsmaster #defiant #leviathan #ya #young adult #young adult novels #literature #fantasy #Scifi #sci-fi

91 notes · View notes

marjansmarwani · 4 years

Text

Trouble Will Come - Chapter 2

Chapter 2/4

Characters: Carlos Reyes, Owen Strand

Word Count: 1920

[Read on Ao3]

[Chapter 1]

Ever since TK had been caught up in Austin's latest serial bomber's attack, Carlos has thrown himself into looking for the mysterious bomber. He had watched his boyfriend almost die at the hands of this maniac, and he needed to do everything he could to make sure that never happened again. It makes him feel better, helps to counteract the helplessness he felt in that moment.

What he didn't expect was to actually find him, and to be trapped with him and a bomb in another abandoned factory. Now he just wants to make it out alive, because he is pretty sure TK will find a way to kill him if he doesn't.

Chapter Summary: A look at what is happening outside as the 126 shows up and Owen is beginning to wonder who is going to give him gray hair first: TK or Carlos. So far it seems like it might be a tie.

--------

The 126 ladder truck pulled up at the scene of an abandoned factory to find controlled chaos. Owen Strand jumped out of the truck and looked around, trying to find someone who could tell them what was going on. All dispatch had told them was that there was an ongoing hostage situation and that their presence was required for support, just in case.

It didn’t sound that much different from a normal day, but something about this scene, this building told him it was so much more. This location, the police presence; it was all sending him back to a day and a time a few weeks before when a bomb almost killed his son. To say this put him on edge would be an understatement.

He looked around, hoping to find someone he could talk to, someone to give him information. Carlos would be ideal but there was no sign of him. He did spot Carlos’s partner, Mya, at the edge of the barricade and walked toward her. As he grew closer, he saw that she was in the midst of a heated conversation.

“You want me to do what? Just wait here? That’s my partner in there, and I’m supposed to just sit here like some scared rookie?!”

Her voice was shaking with badly suppressed rage.

The man she was speaking to sighed, “Esquilin,” he started, but she cut him off.

“No,” she said fiercely, “No. Find me something to do. I am going to help. End of discussion.”

The man locked eyes with her, but she did not budge. He heaved a sigh before glancing over her shoulder to where Owen hovered. “Fine,” he relented, “why don’t you liaise with AFD so we can make sure emergency response is ready if needed.”

She looked like she was about to argue but when she followed her superior’s gaze and found Owen, her demeanor softened. “I will. Thank you, Captain.”

The captain waved her off and shot Owen a look that was clearly meant to say she’s your problem now , but Owen didn’t have any issue with that. He walked to her side, “Mya,” he said by way of greeting, “is it…?”

An understanding borne from too many uncertain hours in a hospital waiting room prevented him from having to finish the sentence. She nodded grimly, “yeah, it’s the guy. And Carlos is with him.”

Owen swore. Mya nodded in agreement, expression dark. Owen took a brief moment to be thankful that TK was still on medical leave - he didn't need to be here at the barricade, waiting for the worst. Owen supposed he could do that just fine for the both of them anyways.

“How’s he doing? Do we have a line of communication established?”

She shook her head, “No. The last contact we - I - had was his radio, but the line when dead. The working theory is that the radio was destroyed, probably by the suspect.”

Owen nodded, his mind racing as he tried to process all the information; calculate all the possible outcomes. “What did you find out before you lost comms?”

“Just that he’s in there, with the suspect. We don’t know what else is happening, but it is probably safe to assume there is some sort of threat present if Carlos hasn’t already brought the guy out. What we don’t know is if he had some sort of weapon or…”

“Or if there’s another bomb,” Owen finished grimly. He sighed and ran a weary hand through his hair. He had always thought it would be TK who would give him gray hair; turns out his boyfriend was just as strong a contender.

Mya nodded; her stoic expression slipping to show fear for the slightest moment.

“He’s smart and one of the most level-headed people I’ve ever met,” Owen told her, “he’ll be fine.” The words were just as much to quell his own anxieties as they were Mya’s, but thankfully the did the trick. She took a deep breath and nodded, “You’re right, obviously. I’m just frustrated. I should be in there with him, he shouldn’t be alone.”

“You may not like it, but it may be better this way. If you were both in there the suspect could use you as leverage against each other.”

Mya raised an eyebrow, “that’s a pretty logical thought for a fireman.”

Owen let out a short laugh, “They don’t make just anyone captain, you know.”

She smiled, but the moment of levity was gone just as quickly as it had arrived. “I know you’re right,” she said eventually, “but I still hate it.”

Owen nodded, “That’s because you’re a good partner, and an even better friend.”

She looked sharply at him, but he simply nodded. He may not have known her long, but he had seen more than enough to know that Mya Esquilin cared deeply for people; especially her partner. He had seen it in the hours and days spent sitting by Carlos’s side as they waited for word on TK, in all the times she had dropped by to check on his son.

She gave him a small smile before schooling her features back into the appearance of stoic professionalism. “What we need is a way to communicate. I doubt the brass is going to okay anyone heading in there to drop off a phone or radio, so we’re going to have to come up with another option.”

Owen considered their options silently, before shaking his head; “I can’t think of anything that would give us two-way communication.” He looked at Mya only to see her eyes widen.

“But I’m guessing you have.”

She nodded, letting out a short laugh, “I think I did and it’s so simple I can’t believe we never thought of it before.” Owen looked at her skeptically and she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone in response, “Carlos has his phone on him.”

------

A few minutes later it had been all sorted. The hostage negotiator would call Carlos’s cell phone and they would hope that someone would answer so they could get negotiations moving. It was simple but Owen didn’t care as long as it was one step closer to getting Carlos out of there safely. The young officer might be his son’s boyfriend, and while Owen was certainly invested on TK’s behalf there was no denying that he was fond of the young officer as well. They had spent more time together in the past few weeks than ever before and while Carlos’s obvious love for his son was more than enough to win him over, there was so much more that had endeared him to Owen. It had been no time at all before Owen realized that he had come to see Carlos Reyes as a second son.

(Of course, he knew it was likely only a matter of time before the boy joined the family more formally, but as far as Owen was concerned it was a done deal.)

Mya was going to stay by the hostage negotiator to listen in but promised to update Owen as any new information came in. He nodded his thanks and looked over towards the ladder truck, where the rest of his crew was gathered. He needed to tell them. Carlos might wear a different uniform but he was absolutely still a member of their team. Between his friendship with Michelle, his relationship with TK, and just being who he was, Carlos Reyes had made himself just as much a member of the 126 as any of them who did wear it on their helmets. If anything the weeks since the attack and the endless hours immediately after had cemented that. He had waited and hoped and rejoiced with them when TK survived; he had been with them in one of their most vulnerable moments, and every moment since. They all deserved to know.

He sighed heavily, nodded again to Mya, and crossed over towards his team.

“Cap, what do we know?” Judd asked as soon as Owen was within earshot.

“The bomber is here, and he has a hostage. We are going to be on standby in case of any collapse, but we are not to cross the perimeter until given the go-ahead from PD.”

All eyes flicked to Marjan - the other victim of the first bomb - who had visibly paled but showed no more outward signs of being affected by the news. Owen was sure she was feeling more than she was letting on but he allowed her her privacy; she was allowed to handle her trauma in her own way. He would just make sure to keep an eye on her.

The rest of the crew accepted his update without question, but Paul was giving him that look: “What aren’t you telling us, Cap?”

Sometimes, Owen cursed the day he hired a human lie detector.

But the rest of the team was now looking at him expectantly; there was no getting out of this now. He sighed, “APD was here sweeping the building. It was on a list of possible targets and they’ve been trying to get a jump on this guy. One of the officers found him, and he is now the hostage.”

The expressions on his team’s faces told him they already knew what he was about to say, but he still had to say it: “that officer was Carlos. It’s been over an hour and there has been no communication. The last communication was to his partner on his radio before it cut off. They haven’t been able to reach him since.”

The reaction was immediate. Judd swore loudly and the rest looked towards the building in fear. Owen understood all too well. It had only been a few weeks since they had stood in an eerily similar situation, on the outside of a dangerous situation; waiting and praying for the safe return of a teammate. Carlos had been there for the team both then, and in the aftermath.

Now they had to be there for him.

“Carlos is smart and good at what he does. I’m confident he’ll get himself and all of us out of this in one piece. I mean c’mon,” Owen added lightly, trying to infuse some humor, “who else would you rather have trying to talk down a crazed bomber?”

It seemed to work, because a few smiles appeared and some of the tension seemed to fade. Carlos Reyes was a smart man; he would do what he needed to do to get out of this. They were not going to watch another member of their team nearly die; it was going to be fine.

Owen had even psyched himself up, he could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. It involved him making sure Carlos came over for dinner tonight and Owen getting a good night’s sleep knowing that his two boys were safe under his roof. It was going to be fine.

Or it was, until a deafening crack! split through the air.

They all spun to face the building, excerpt for Owen, who turned to find Mya. She was standing at the shoulder of the negotiator, and all the color had drained from her face. He pushed his way through the crowd until he was at her side.

“Mya?” he asked tentatively, both needing to know and dreading the confirmation.

Her voice was shaky as she answered; never tearing her eyes off of the building before them, “that was a gunshot.”

[Find the entire thing on Ao3]

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #tarlos #carlos reyes #reposting because tumblr ate the first one #thanks tumblr

31 notes · View notes

euphoric-melancholyy · 4 years

Text

Manual Override

A/N: Written for the wonderful @blondsak for the irondad fic exchange!! She actually gave me this idea and I like to think I twisted it and made it my own. Angst and fluff ahead friends.

Also on Ao3

“FRIDAY has already scanned the area. There’s no civilians. Give me the mission rundown.” Tony says. He’s hovering above a rooftop with Peter, surrounded by dusty warehouses that look like they haven’t been visited in at least two decades. It’s a low grade mission for Iron Man, but he’s been trying to train Peter more. He’d been tipped off that more of Toomes weapons were being sold here, and Peter has seemed to make it his personal responsibility to keep them off the streets since The Vulture fiasco.

“Okay I swing in while you stand guard out here. The tracker said the computer that we want to hack into is somewhere in the middle of the building. We just have to get to it first. So, we take out the guys, or girls - girls can be super villains too! - guarding it, and then have FRIDAY or Karen download all the info. And then, get out and bust the bad guys. Easy peasy.” Peter smiles, fingers drumming against his leg in anticipation.

“I think you’ve got it. Let’s go. You’re gonna do great, kid,” he says, trying to encourage Peter in a way he never was as a child. Or even an adult. He really doesn’t want to mess this up, whatever this is.

Pepper had immediately coined it as co-parenting over dinner one night, much to Tony's denial.

("So you're co-parenting the kid now?" she’d quipped, her brow raising as she suppressed a laugh.

"No. I'm not a parent. A co-parent or a co--"

"You spent dinner last night telling me about his chemistry project and academic decathlon meets. The only other person you talk about more is yourself."

"Not true."

Her amused smile turned smug as she cast her gaze to the ceiling. "FRIDAY?"

There was a pause as the A.I. gathered her data. "In the past 5 months, you have talked about Peter 40% more than anyone else. Most of your conversations with Happy Hogan revolve around Peter Parker as well."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"You picked him up from school, Tony. Because he was sick."

"I was being a responsible mentor. "

"Parent."

"Mentor."

"Fine, live in denial. Tell May I said hi at your monthly dinner where you talk about your kid.")

Tony smiles at the memory. And yes, maybe he had bought back the tower on impulse after Karen called him while Spider-Man was half out of his mind with pain and a knife wedged six inches into his leg. And if he thought the sight of blood seeping profusely from the wound was awful, it was nothing compared to his mentee's muffled cries as he held him against his chest during the flight over. After that, Tony had upped his training. Which brings them here. He’s brought out of his reverie with the sound of said kid quietly singing “Private Eyes” to himself. Under his mask, Tony smiles as he sighs.

“How stealthy of you, Spider-Man.”

Peter mutters an apology, but continues to hum the song at a lower volume. A few minutes pass before he speaks up. “I found it! It’s not even guarded. Okay, Karen, just do your thing.” A beat. “Okay, Mr. Stark. It’s downloading. I’ll just...wait here.”

"Boss. I think -" FRIDAY stops mid sentence, her constant, faint humming silencing completely. He calls out for her, and nothing happens. He calls for Peter and Spider-Man. Nothing. His stomach drops, a panic coiling it’s way up his throat, constricting his airwaves and he has to get out, has to help Peter, Peter --

"Confused, Stark?" A voice taunts into his comm. It’s an older, male voice, raspy and definitely not the voice he was wanting to hear. "Just consider me an old friend.”

“You’re not FRIDAY,” Tony bites. It’s not, and as he says it he realizes shit, FRIDAY is gone. He racks his brain for anything, any sort of recognition or plan. This voice, it’s not entirely foreign. He’s heard it before somewhere, he knows. He’s had to. He’s --

“I always knew arrogance would be your downfall, Anthony. Thinking no one could ever replicate or hack your tech. Though I gotta admit, this suit is incredibly impressive. Who knew I’d have this much fun watching your vitals? The way your panic is increasing every time I speak, it’s just pure joy. I mean, I didn’t plan to take you out via heart attack, but can you imagine the headlines? Scaring Iron Man to death. Now that’s a feat.”

“How the fuck did you even hack my suit?”

“It was easy as soon as you hacked into my system. Getting you here was laughably easy, too. I can’t believe you fell for that whole Toomes weapon bullshit. And now, I own you.”

“Like hell you do,” Tony spits. But as soon as he says it, he realizes he can’t leave the suit. He’s trapped, a powerlessness seeping in that he hasn’t felt since Obie ripped his arc reactor out or since he watched Pepper fall into a fiery explosion. He swallows past the lump in his throat, breathing in and out twice, praying to whatever god or gods that Peter stays hidden. As if mocking him, the voice says.

“It's a pity that Spider nuisance has to suffer too. Seems smart, young. Is that how you like them, Stark?"

Dread pools in his gut, burning hot and wrathful. He tries to move, but the suit remains still. Stuck. Trapped in his own creation.

"You touch him and I'll gut you from the inside out," Tony spits.

"Oh I wouldn't dare. You will though."

Tony's blood runs cold. Against his will, he flies through the window, shattering it. Spider-Man is a few rooms over. Tony stares, terrified, as his screen outlines his figure in neon red, underlined with the word TARGET.

The Iron Man suit fires, and Spider-Man dodges, the eyes of the mask widening.

“Woah, Mr. Stark! I know -”

The gauntlet fires again, this time grazing Peter’s arm. Tony can see angry red blisters that rival the color of his suit. The younger hero stumbles and falls back, shooting a web at Iron Man’s extended arm.

“I’m so sorry I can’t control it!” Tony pleads. He was wrong, and in this moment he knows it more fiercely than he has ever known anything. He cares for Peter, feels it deep in his bones as the metal around his hand makes contact with Peter’s mask. He hears a crack and a curse muffled by red spandex.

Tony’s own nerves are fraying, the earlier panic threatening to spill over into a full blown attack.

He, the suit he tells himself, not me, the hacker, yanks Peter up, repulsors burning angry through the suit and into his skin. Tony thinks of all the times he’s picked him up to protect and rescue him. He thinks he might puke as he throws him across the room, denting the wall.

It was only a month ago that he gave Peter the-worlds-most-awkward-talk on panic attacks in existence.

("Pete - you know," he stops, running a hand down his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm the world's worst example of how to handle emotions and um," he swallows down the urge to divert the conversation. "Trauma. But it unfortunately comes with the job. The wormhole might have looked cool, but it really fucked with my head - sorry I shouldn't say fucked, but - dammit." He sighs, finally directing his gaze to Peter. He's curious, face reddened with embarrassment, but he's hanging on Tony's every word. So he barrels on. "My therapist tells me it's good, to you know, talk about this shit. And it is - I've learned. I was having panic attacks nearly every day, but the last straw was when I nearly killed Pep after waking up from a nightmare. After that, I knew I needed help. Anyway, it's actually been really good and I can set you up with a therapist, which I think you should see because panic attacks suck. You can also talk to me, if you want. You aren't alone and I care about you and all that jazz." Tony claps his hands together before placing one on Peter's shoulder. "Okay, great talk." He pats his shoulder, looking away from the sheen in Peter's eyes.)

A hysterical laugh bubbles to the surface at the memory. Some fucking mentor he is. Parent, he clarifies, Pepper’s accusation ringing more true with each second. Peter’s finally defending himself against Tony’s advances. Still not fighting back, even as he screams at him to.

Peter himself has been uncharacteristically quiet as he fights, and Tony feels a rush of guilt. He can’t do anything, trapped. Peter, Tony realizes with horrifying clarity, is probably afraid of hurting him.

“I swear to god, kid, if you don’t start fighting back I’m going to-”

The fist to his stomach has him seeing white. It’s the most welcomed pain he’s ever felt in his life. His head falls against the concrete, and Tony smiles, tasting metal. Spider-Man looms over him, head tilted to the side in worry. “I’m so so sorry, Mr. Stark. Are you okay?”

Tony grunts. The voice comes back.

“I wonder what electrocution will do to your heart,” it teases. He thinks this is already the worst thing that could happen to his heart, but he protests against the suggestion anyway.

“Now wait a second!” He hears the suit charge up.

Everything goes dark.

Peter watches, as the suit jerks, and then slumps, an unfamiliar voice speaking. “Tony Stark isn’t here anymore.”

-/-/-/-

“Mr. Stark!” Peter screams. It’s guttural, the crack of his voice echoing off the empty walls. He drops to his knees in front of his mentor, hands and lips trembling. “No, no, no. Mr. Stark. I’m so sorry, please be okay. Please be okay, sir. You’ve gotta - Mr. Stark,”

The air around him tastes stale and his breaths come in short, shallows gasps. There’s a deep, piercing throbbing in his head, like fingernails engraving their crescents into his scalp. He focuses on the pain, on the taste of salt and blood on his lips. His fingers tremble as he reaches for the suit, gently at first. The red metal is smooth and warm from battle. He caresses it, whispering a prayer.

Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead. Tony I need you. -

Mr. Stark had told him he was strong once, but he can feel himself crumbling now. He shuts his eyes tight, scrunching his face as the memory resurfaces.

(Peter sits on the kitchen island at the penthouse, legs dangling back in forth, a bowl of Frosted Flakes in his hands. “So who do you think is the strongest Avenger?” he asked. “And you can’t say Iron Man. That’s cheating.” Tony raises a brow.

“Well that’s just no fun. But just between you and me? Bruce. If you tell him I said so, I’m stealing your baby pictures from May and sending them to the team.”

Peter drops his spoon. “You wouldn’t.”

“Is that a bet you wanna take? You know what, actually. There is someone who gives him a run for his money.”

“Thor. Obviously Thor.”

“What is it with you and Point Break, kid? No. It’s you. You - savor this moment Pete. I will deny if asked, but kid? Saving Toomes after he repeatedly tried to kill you? After everything he did...I...That’s strength. Not to mention the whole lifting a building that collapsed on top of you too. In your underoos suit.”

Peter ignores the last bit, lets disbelief and pride mingle together as he considers his response. “Thank you,” he whispers just loud enough for him to hear.)

Peter swallows down the lump in his throat, opens his eyes and looks at the unresponsive suit in front of him. The eyes of the Iron Man mask are black. Peter grips the metal around the suits abdomen and pulls. It rips, pulls crimson from the skin of his finger. Underneath the metal, he sees one of Tony’s workout shirts stretched over his stomach, slightly torn. He pulls more. Again

The offbeat thump thump of Tony’s heartbeat and gasp for air as Peter carefully removes the mask, sends relief flooding Peter so fast he practically falls into Tony.

“I thought you were -” Peter stops on a sob. “You weren’t responding. Mr. Stark and the voice--” Peter buries his still masked head in Tony’s neck.

“I’m okay, kid.” Tony’s hand cradles Peter’s head and he melts into the touch. They sit like that for a minute, relishing in the others aliveness. “Hey, Peter? Can you look at me for a sec?" Reluctantly, Peter sits up, pulls away just enough for Tony to reach out and remove Peter's mask. Tony curses at the sight of his face, blotchy red rimmed eyes. Blood trickles down his temple, cheekbone a mixture of purple and yellow. His nose is crooked, broken. “Peter, I’m so so sorry--”

“You’re sorry? No, I’m sorry. I had, I had this feeling but I just thought, I don’t know what I thought. I should have known something was wrong sooner-”

“Nope. No we aren’t playing this game. In no universe was this your fault.”

“Well then it wasn’t yours either.”

“Kid…”

“I heard him, the dude who Pod personed you. I know you’d never try to hurt me like that. Besides, I’ve had worse face planting into a brick building while swinging and making a tik tok. It’s fine, Mr. Stark.” They both know the latter part is a lie, but Tony’s lips quirk into an almost smile at the memory.

“But I-”

“No. Can we just...go home?” Peter’s thumb circles on the pulse point at Tony’s wrist, and he exhales on a deep breath. His whole body aches.

“Yeah, Pete. I just gotta do something real quick.”

Tony calls Rhodey, has him track the hacker down. They later find it was a former SI employee, William Riva, whom Obie had fired over not being able to replicate the arc reactor. It only intensifies Tony’s guilt, but he stirs in it quietly. Peter’s enhancement leaves no scars for Tony to ruminate over. And though Tony had expected Peter to distance himself, quite the opposite happens.

A week later, after spending every other afternoon at the Tower, Peter finds himself with a real, official internship with SI. He’s more of Tony’s personal assistant than any of the other interns, but it gives him a chance to work in the labs with Tony. To Doomsday plan suits and run codes to prevent any sort of future hacking. Briefly thinking his mentor might have died, had solidified a scary thought, but when Tony wraps Peter in a hug like it’s the most natural thing in the world, he accepts it. Mr. Stark is a friend and a teammate and a mentor. But more than that, Peter sees him as the closest thing he’s had to a father figure since Ben. He’s pretty sure Tony feels the same, with all of his mother-henning and safety protocols, but he’s not going to be the one to bring it up. When it comes down to it, Peter will do anything to protect that, no matter where it takes him.

#irondad fic #irondad and spiderson #spiderson fic #iron dad & spiderson #my writing #what are the tags #Iron Man #tony stark #peter parker #I'm actually kind of proud of this one #I worked really hard on it #and owe a bunch of thanks to a bunch of people I pestered with it #and the entirety of my discord group #I love them so much

109 notes · View notes