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bylertruther · 1 year

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BYLER SPACE OPERA AU MOODBOARD

MIKE WHEELER is a senator's son that fell from grace soon after the forced disappearance of his best friend, Will Byers. All too aware that there would be no justice for his friend, or for any of the other missing persons, Mike eventually took it upon himself to find him, wherever he may be. Having fled with a ship he helped modify for off-the-radar travel, he sails the starry seas tirelessly, year after year, trading his hard-earned skills for any information that may lead him back to the light. And though his mission is to find his friend, he's managed to earn himself quite the reputation in the bounty hunting world, too. Mike may come from a high-seated and affluent family, but make no mistake: he cuts the rot from the rind of every village he passes through, and has an uncanny ability to sniff out all that isn't right. It isn't within him to turn a blind eye to evil or those in need of help. What drives him to search for Will is exactly what drives him to aid others: his heart, his undying belief in a better galaxy, and his contempt for the great many that do nothing. He's allied himself with what remains of the now-disbanded Hellfire Club, but mostly travels alone with only his repurposed astromech droid, DST-1N, to keep him company. It's lonely—this life that he's made for himself. So much so that sometimes he thinks he can hear Will come through on the radio, humming a tune from their childhood to soothe his aching heart. Will never responds, not ever, but that's okay, because Mike's coming. He doesn't care what DST-1N, or Lucas, or anyone says. Will is out there—alive. He just has to find him.

WILL BYERS was the first of many forced disappearances in Hokkins, targeted for reasons that still remain unclear. He doesn't remember much of his home-planet, or that ill-fated night. In fact, he doesn't remember much of anything. The life he'd once had, and what recollection of it may have survived, slips through his fingers like little grains of sand—the same sand that makes up his new home now, and wedges itself into every nook and cranny of his existence. All that Will knows is the blistering sun overhead, the strange girl that begs him in that stern, but endlessly wide-eyed way of hers to not question this life they share, and the rules they're to follow if they wish to see another day. Eleven, he soon finds out, won't tell him the origin of his scars, or even the origin of him himself, but she does tell him about other things—about how to listen to the world around him, how to harness the light that lives within him, and how to keep the dark of night from creeping in (even if, sometimes, she looks at him like he's the dark they need to look out for). In turn, he teaches her how to create things, about the joys of music, and how to make a life of what they've been given. Most days, it's enough. He tells himself that when they manage to barter enough scraps for a piece of fruit to share, or come across a particularly fiery redhead and her much-adored hoverboard. He tells himself that when their shack becomes a home, and when scared strangers become friends, become siblings. Still, he dreams. Somewhere out beyond his reach is a world full of luscious green and bountiful life. A world where there's someone to ruffle his hair and fuss over him; to make room when he climbs into their bed after a nightmare, and encourage him when no one else will; to play and learn and grow with him, and make hushed promises that they never wanted to break. He sees them in the flames sometimes—those someones. Most of the time it's a woman with a worn face and trilling voice, begging him to please talk to her. Other times… it's a man. Freckle-faced, with a dark, unruly mane and a fierce gaze—a gaze that softens and turns watery whenever he feels as time and space bend to bring them together, and their hearts beat in sync to play the same wild drumming song. His sister tells him that it isn't real—that these are illusions meant to trick him and tempt him back to the hell she plucked him from, but—but Will knows them. He knows with heart-shattering clarity that his dreams and the light do not deceive him. He knows that man, and he knows in some inexplicable way that he would never hurt him—that the woman, too, would never in her life hurt him. He knows them, and yet… he hides. Because he knows, too, that there's a reason his sister keeps him hidden from the world. There's a reason she keeps him close to the flames at night, why he remembers nothing, and why it is so important that it stays that way. So, no, Will doesn't reveal himself. Instead, he listens. He hums, and he tugs on the strings which connect them all, and hopes that they'll hear him. I'm here, he says. I'm right here.

#byler #byleredit #byler moodboard #byler au #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #mine #my edit #long post #mb

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cursegirlrabbit · 18 days

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Wish review cause I've got stuff to say

Do not read if you have not seen the movie and don't want spoilers. Also you don't have to read if you uncared about my opinion I just have words to say about this movie but I am not saying anyone has to have the same opinions as me.

So first point. Storyline.

I felt it was to...rushed like everything happened so fast from Asha finding out the truth to her wishing on star, revolting and then the ending. It felt very rushed and it was hard to feel any stakes or tension, didn't even get a real feel for the characters. Like Enchanto gave us the slow stake of the house and the magic slowly fading and breaking. Same with coco and him finding his relative that will wish him home while letting him play music.

Even little mermaid did a better job of storyline of Showing Ariel and her interests, her meeting Eric, saving Erica, meeting Ursula and then the whole three days to make Eric fall for her.

A rushed storyline brings me to the second point. Characters. Now I liked Asha but I didn't really get to KNOW her. All I know of ashamed is she's caring, can draw and has alot of faith in people and their wishes. Which is wonderful...but that's all I got from her. With Miguel we know he's mischief, loves to play music, fast runner, overly friendly and stubborn. With rapunzel we learned she was innocent, naive, artistic, a jack of all trades, curious and anxious.

Asha kind of felt like snow white or Aurora, there just wasn't much to her.

I also felt magnifico revealed his true colours really quickly to a girl he didn't know very well and didn't trust. I mean she wasn't even his apprentice yet and he outright told her that not all the wishes got granted and majority of them float around. Like...why? Why did he tell her that when she didn't even work for him yet or show any reason for him to trust her with this information. Hell the whole movie wouldn't have happened if he HADNT said anything

Speaking of Magnifico, I didn't mind him as a villain. He reminded me of Ernesto from coco and maleficent. And I understood what he represented, at least in my eyes this movie showed alot of toxic relationship and toxic manipulation method and techniques. Such as magnifico telling and expecting the people to just listen and follow him blindly just because he does his duty as their king

'I let you live here for free and don't charge rent, I clean up your messes, I give and give and give and all I ask for is respect' sounds alot like how toxic parents manipulate their young children as well as toxic spouses.

Ashas friends were also not very flushed out as characters, I barely remember their names except for dahlia. The other friends I only remember from their main trait, guy who sneezes, the quiet girl, the chill out guy, the short angry one, sad Simon and one more girl I don't remember. The friends only showed up for short times and we just didn't learn much about them

And one more thing, the MUSIC. Like...Disney.. come on. I found none of those songs or music pieces as catching my attention. This is a company that gave us hellfire, part of your world, let it go, every song of coco, we don't talk about Bruno, we are the three caballeros, kiss the girl, be a man, son of man, two worlds!

Also, the ENDING! I took two morals from this movie. How to spot toxic relationships and when to leave (this from the people and especially the queen who once she realises he is no longer the man she loves and he won't change and is hurting people. Stands up to him even though she LOVES him) and the second being 'don't rely on others to make your dreams and wishes come true' wonderful! Yes accept help to make your dreams come true but don't rely on others or give up.

But then...THEY GIVE ASHA A WAND?!! so that SHE can grant wishes?!! WHAT DID WE JUST LEARN!!?! yes I know asha would do a fairer and better job but...but COME ON!!

But now the GOOD POINTS

I liked the animation at first it was odd but that's because I'm not used to the style. But it was still lovely and the effects with the magic especially the wishes and the forbidden magic was fantastic.

The concept. The idea of someone realising that their beloved King is actually misusing and betraying them is a very nice idea and I love the idea of showing kids how to spot this kind of manipulation from adults they are supposed to trust.

I also loved the concepts of Wishes. Of the people feeling joy and wonder and love when they got their wishes back into their hearts and them feeling a horrible feeling when the wishes were crushed.

All in all. I feel the movie was rushed, and they should have waited longer and put more time into it rather then rush it out for the 100 years of Disney.

But that's just my view, would love to hear yours ^.^ (but no hate on anyones views or ideas)

#Wish #disneys wish #rant #movie rant #i just watched it #cursegirlrabbit

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racefortheironthrone · 2 months

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I have come to realize, I don't quite understand what a back-up story is? Like, do some comic issues just sometimes have too much space for the main story so they include another, smaller comic at the back?

No, it's usually the reverse: the creators have a story they like, but that's too short to make up a full comic, so they attach it as a bonus feature after the A-story.

To me, the acme of how to do backup stories are Chris Claremont's Classic X-Men. In an era before trade paperback and omnibus collections were common, in an era before there were digital comics libraries where you could access the entire back catalogue of entire companies on demand, Classic X-Men reprinted everything from the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams Silver Age through to the big hits of the first hundred or so issues of the Claremont run with edited captions and dialogue and interstitial panels and pages of new art.

However, Chris Claremont wasn't satisfied with tinkering around the edges, so the first 44 issues of Classic X-Men included backup stories by him and Ann Nocenti. These short (usually ~8 page) stories included a lot of "deleted scenes" - so you get to see how things that are alluded to but not shown in the main narrative, like the beginning of Logan and Jean's attraction in the immediate wake of Giant-Size #1, or Emma Frost's Hellfire Club scheming against Jason Wyngarde or Selene during the Dark Phoenix Saga, or Jean Grey wrestling with what it means to be the Phoenix with the help of Storm and Misty Knight, or why Nightcrawler stopped using his image inducer and came out of the closet as a mutant, etc. These scenes "danced between the raindrops" of canon, where they added richness and flavor to the main story without being essential reading.

But more and more, Claremont and Nocenti used these backup stories to fill out backstories through "period pieces." It is in these stories that we see Max Eisenhardt escape Auschwitz and tragically lose his daughter Anya, or go from being a Nazi hunter in South America to a mutant separatist terrorist when he learns the truth about Operation Paperclip. It is in these stories that we see Jean Grey's psychic powers awaken when she experiences the tragic death of her childhood friend Annie Richardson from inside Annie's mind, and how that shaped her understanding of life and death and what it means to be a mutant.

I would argue that these stories are essential reading, because they're often where Claremont (and Nocenti) found the emotional core of his characters, the motivational drives that make them who they are.

Alternatively, backup stories are where creators could take advantage of free "real estate" in anthology books, team-up books, and annuals to tell more fantastical and imaginative B-stories that wouldn't have fit within an overarching narrative. So we get weird stuff like Margali Szardos casting her adopted son Kurt Wagner into the literal Inferno of Dante Alighieri, or straight-edge Harlan County miner's son Sam Guthrie romantically abducted by an intergalactic cat burglar who also happens to be a cockney Joan Jett, and so on.

And that's what I like about backup stories - they're like miniature paintings, where the artists get to stretch their creative muscles free of the burden and pressure of the magnum opus.

#comics #comics meta #xmen #xmen meta #claremont run #chris claremont #ann nocenti

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docgold13 · 1 year

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365 Marvel Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

November 16th - The White Queen

Emma Frost was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the wealthy Winston and Hazel Frost. Emma had been the third of four children and her father was a cold, ruthless, and domineering parent who imposed impossibly high standards on his children. Emma’s mother, meanwhile, turned to prescription drugs to cope with the tensions of her household and was largely uninvolved in her children’s lives.

Emma’s Mutant telepathic abilities manifested in early adolescence. She found that she could read minds and alter the thoughts, attitudes and beliefs of others. She ultimately used this power to blackmail her father. Her father was actually impressed by his daughter’s actions and he offered to make her his sole heir to the family fortune. Emma rejected the offer, left home and decided to make her own way in the world.

Following misadventures on the street, Emma became a student at Empire State University and met the fellow Mutant telepath, Astrid Bloom. Bloom was more apt at using her psychic abilities and she helped to train Emma to further hone her skills. Some time thereafter, Emma was invited to the Hellfire Club, an underground elite society. Whist involved with this society, Frost discovered the plans of Edward Buckman and Steven Lang to destroy all Mutants. Alongside Sebastian Shaw, Lourdes Chantel, and Harry Leland, Emma battled Lang's Sentinels. She killed Buckman and the Council of the Chosen and then, alongside Shaw, took control of the Hellfire Club. Shaw became the society’s ‘Black King’ and Emma took the role of the ‘White Queen.’

During her time with the Hellfire Club, Frost created the Massachusetts Academy, an educational institute for training young Mutants. Her best students formed a tactical team known as ‘The Hellions’ who would go on to have multiple run-ins with the New Mutants squad of the Xavier School. Sadly, many of The Hellions were killed during a confrontation with the time-traveling villain known as Trevor Fitzroy.

Taking time to recover from this terrible loss, Emma ended up aligned with The X-Men in battling the Phalanx. Emma agreed to help train the young Mutants the Phalanx had targeted and, alongside the X-Man Banshee, she led the Generation X team. This squad eventually disbanded and Emma relocated to the island haven of Genosha. Emma taught at a school on Genosha until a genocidal Sentinel attack killed most of the island's inhabitants. Frost survived due to the sudden manifestation of her secondary mutation: the power to transform herself into a flexible, near-invulnerable, diamond-like substance.

After being rescued, Frost joined the X-Men and took on a teaching position at The Xavier Institute. She mentored a group of telepathic quintuplets, the Stepford Cuckoos, who quickly became her prized pupils. Frost and the Cuckoos proved themselves when they thwarted the schemes of the villainous Cassandra Nova.

Frost continued on as a member of The X-Men and became lovers with Cyclops. She would later be possessed by the Phoenix Force during the Avengers versus X-Men event.

More recently, Emma has reclaimed her title as The White Queen, only now as chief executive officer of the Hellfire Trading Company. This company is responsible for legally exporting the miracle drugs produced on the Mutant nation of Krakoa. As White Queen, Emma Frost has a seat on the Quiet Council, the ruling body of Krakoa. In addition, she created the Marauders, a team led by Kitty Pryde and responsible for handling the black market for the miracle drugs, among other concerns.

Emma Frost has appeared in a number of the Fox Films X-Men movies, portrayed by actresses January Jones and Tahyna MacManus. The villain turned heroine first appeared in the pages of X-men Vol. 1 #129 (1979).

#365 Marvel Comics Heroes #White Queen #Emma Frost #X-Men #Hellfire Club #January Jones #Tahyna MacManus #cut-out #paper art

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ofelia-dumb-nerd · 6 months

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Hola gente. A guide to where to begin reading Emma Frost. The White Queen of the Hellfire Club and Hellfire Trading Company. From evil mistress to benevolent mistress, and always a teacher.

Maybe that horse deserved it

#emma frost #white queen #marvel #comic books #comics #marvel comics #comic reading #uncanny xmen #xmen #xmen comics

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paso-liati · 8 months

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What if Crowley isn’t actually a demon? (Or really more like, what if it doesn’t mean anything to be a demon - or an angel come to that - if you just stop being a company man. and just. be you)?

There is a line in the book about Crowley doing a long dive into a lake of boiling sulfur, as if he remembers Lucifer and the guys and the process of Damnation from guilt by association or whatever. But maybe it’s half memory, half guesswork. And idk if that’s still canon in TV version. If so, then he’s a demon (for whatever that’s worth) and maybe breaks this meta. or, maaaaybe not.

Anyway, we know angels can lie, like it’s physically possible for a lie to escape their mouth holes (Az, not that infrequently). We know angels can be sinister (The Metatron), callous (all the archangels except maaaybe Saraqael - I sense there may be hope for them from how they were acting when the metatron showed up). And we know demons can feel love and speak truth (Beez w Gabe, and Hastur was p fuckin blisting mad about Ligur’s eradication, so maybe it IS a funny old world where demons trust each other. And just don’t admit it).

Angels and demons are practically the same thing or at least some of them. A distinction without (much more than) aesthetic difference.

Angels and demons cooperate. Michael brings holy water to Hell. Eric (?) the disposable demon brings hellfire to Heaven. Crowley hot foots it in a church like someone barefoot on hot asphalt. But he and Eric walked thru heaven just fine. Crowley plays in Heaven like he owns the fuckin place. Is Heaven itself not consecrated ground?? Michael also walked thru hell no problems.

Aziraphale and Crowley fucking soul-slid past or through each other to switch corporations.

No problem. No exploding. Like changing clothes. Almost like the ethereal beings sliding past or through one another aren’t actually meaningfully different. I mean, maybe it's just them, but when Beez and Gabe faded away together, I don't get the impression it as separate unlinked entities. They just. shed their corporations and went of ethereally. togoether

More similarities: Demons and Angels all have magic and it’s p similar.

They look different but how much of that reflects True Form we never see. And anyway, they mostly all look funny to a human. They're basically cosplaying humans without really knowing what "humans" are. When you get a corporation, it's prob like trying to pick the shirt you like best when you've never actually. seen. a real shirt?

It’s like a different style of looking funny for angels and for demons but it’s like if you’re an angel you kit is beige. (Except notice the notable clothes-horse Gabriel always preferred grey and I think didn’t have any visible gold scars (from the war? Idk)). Demons go for darker hues in their kit but it’s all very teamish and I swear it feels like they just get traded and don’t get a choice of contract.

More more similarities: Every last one of them is an old soldier and it seems like when the conflict is arch-demon v arch-angel they try to xmas truce that shit and sing kumbaya as fast as they fucking can. Demon v demon or angel v angel over personal beef seems to be the conflicts they’re actually resolved to put some sweat into. Even doing armageddon just seemed like something to do because it was on the roster.

So, what if Crowley was mind wiped, exiled to hell with a change of his external presentation of clothes (wings + ability to shape shift) and… not really much else, and told he’s a demon. He’d prob believe it and adopt the stereotypical presentation the way Jim adopted a mild-mannered assistant shop-keeper aesthetic or the way Beez changed their face. Except for Gabriel being vain af, it doesn't seem like any of them are overly attached to how they look (to us). In fact I don't even think they recognise each other by that. Crowley makes himself look all sorts of ways and Aziraphale recognises him immediately. Az haunts a human woman and Crowley just knows it's him.

More, more, more suggestions of similarities; Muriel doesn't even seem to know Crowley is a demon until the archangels tell them (the line is something like, "that explains the grumpiness"). Muriel must have known Crowley was some kind of not-human, but just... nothing screamed "here there be demons."

SO:

I wonder, are some demons in hell actually just exiled, amnesiac angels who woke up there and were handed some kind facsimile/stereotype of an identity to kind of do something with somehow, and the job of apparently more or less just milling around the office looking busy?

I mean c’mon, is Eric really demonic? All the little fucker does is ask A Lot of annoying (but not entirely worthless) questions. Same for Beez’s concerned, loquacious adjutant who gets threatened with torture. Furfur’s great villainy seems to be ambition. Shax's as well, unless incompetence is a high sin

So anyway, I keep wondering if they're actually fundamentally different, or if they've just been kept in these rigid structures and conditioned to think they're different, and build up this whole mythos of being hereditary enemies and all that, and really they just live on different floors of the same building, and have different tastes in music

One thing against my theory is it seemed like the arch-angels in S1 could smell Crowley having been in the shop. Maybe? But then they seemed to maybe believe (with a heavy dose of suspicion) Az when he said it just a certain author's set of books (Archer maybe?)

#still feral #good omens #good omens meta #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #go2 spoilers #probably #I can't remember which books Az deflects with #and I can't pull up the show rn #I only have mobile internet until Tuesday #and Vodafone is def something Crowley messed with #bc it is sloooooooowww #sorry this is so long #call me paso loquatious #my meta

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sebastianshaw · 10 months

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I ALMOST FORGOT! It’s still Fanfic Friday and here’s my fic! Haven, Ajak, Makkari, Darkstar, Scorpion, Asp, Mantis, Lightwave. All the dress designs I did or plan to do. Plus Essex and Bennet as cameos, and Selene in the role as the villan. requested by @catboy-sinister Shaw is mentioned in passing but does not appear. This is all about Haven being a damsel in distress who gets saved by multiple beautiful women, because I really really really like Haven getting rescued like she never did in canon. Basically, self-indulgent slosh as always! Complete with my attempt at classic comic-book dialogue style!

The third Hellfire Gala was in full swing, held outdoors, for the glory of Krakoa itself surpassed the beauty of any structure’s interior. There were sheltered areas, of course, but these were open, and they were not concrete and cement and glass and rebar, but natural structures formed by Krakoa itself. Caves and tunnels of stone that had sprung up overnight like giant mushrooms, with natural holes to serve as windows and crystals that jutted from the ‘sills’ to cast colored light on the opposite walls, twisting overheads of massive tree roots risen from the ground ensnared by whole forests worth of vines and flowers, spiraling fungi steps leading up to second ‘floors’ made of branches so wide and flat on top they served easily as walkways for multiple people to mingle upon. And as the sun set, genetically engineered insects, flowers, lichens, and more fungi lit up the dusk with their natural glow. Well, natural-ish. Mantis found it all very interesting. She’d always had an inborn empathy with nature, and her connection to plant life in particular had only been enhanced by her union with the Prime Cotati as the Celestial Madonna. Therefore, she’d been keen to communicate not simply with Krakoa itself, but all the organisms upon it—and no, she didn’t mean mutants. She wanted to know how these flowers and lichens and so on felt about their modification and utilization as decor for these invasive meat-creatures. Their responses varied, as with any population, but most seemed content enough with the situation. She’d also found it quite interesting to communicate with a fellow guest, Radha “Haven” Dastoor. A human philanthropist with a long history of supporting all those downtrodden or oppressed, she was the only current human member of Krakoa’s Inner Circle of the Hellfire Trading Company. Appointed its Black Queen, she was a liaison to both the human world, and invaluable as someone who knew where the miracle drugs of the famous island flora were needed most, and how to distribute them. What was of interest to Mantis though, was the woman’s. . .vibes, might be the most accurate word in English. Again, Mantis was a keenly sensitive individual even before her link to vegetation formed, and that extended to people. It seemed Haven, though she possessed no superpowers, was the same. The older woman had seen her off by herself—well, seemingly by herself, if you didn’t count non-animal life forms!---and how she appeared entranced with the plants before her, touching them with her antenna, for Mantis spoke to them without words, in their own language. She’d approached, and inquired most politely about it. Sensing her sincerity, Mantis explained, and she felt the most exquisite reaction of wonder and joy from this Haven! Haven found this a fantastic thing, and she told Mantis so, setting off their conversation. And through that conversation, Mantis could feel a bond growing between them rapidly, and what was more, she could feel Haven feeling it as well! Emotions and words flowed rapidly and naturally between the women like two rivers mixing their waters, and in minutes it was if they’d been lifelong friends. These two were not the only ones finding common ground. Two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Carmilla “Scorpion” Black and Aurora “Lightwave” Dante, were also hitting it off. Despite both being employed with the same organization, and both superpowered women of similar youth, they’d actually never met before til now, when they were sent in attendance together after receiving their mutual invites. “I wasn’t sure I even counted as a mutant, to be honest,” Scorpion was telling Lightwave, “I mean, my powers came at sixteen, yeah, and it happened on its own, no radioactive scorpions involved, but I thought that was all due to my bio-monster’s genetic engineering.” “I guess maybe it could be a little of both?” Lightwave suggested, “Maybe you always had the X-gene, and your mom just played around with how it manifested.” “Well, given how it ended up actually SAVING me from her brainwashing chemicals, that would make a lot of sense. There’s no way she’d have arranged for THAT deliberately.” “That’s the old unpredictable x-factor!” Lightwave quipped, “You never know what it’s gonna do or how it’s gonna do it! I think that’s actually why it’s named that.” “Really? I always figured it was after that Professor X guy, didn’t he discover it?” “He did, and he named it, but I heard it wasn’t after himself, it was—oh, hi, can we help you?” “I apologize so much for interrupting,” said the dark-skinned woman who had approached them. She was beautiful, older than the pair of them but surely not out of her 30s, maybe not even into them, her sleek black hair in a chin-length bob and her black-and-gold gown in an Egyptian-inspired design. “But you, in the fetching green number. . .you are the one they call Stinger?” “I’m Scorpion. This is Stinger,” Scorpion lifted her left arm and pointed to it with her right one. The latter was covered in a long ruched sleeve that matched the skirt of her dress, but the former was bare save for a metal armlet from which metal fringes and small spikes, matching her earrings, dangled, and a metal bracelet linked to a ring, with a dazzling green gem between them set on the back of her hand. This ring-bracelet was a modified version of the gauntlet specially constructed by S.H.I.E.L.D to help her better control the discharges from Stinger, as she called her left arm. Normally, the gauntlet contracted into a much plainer little bracelet for her civilian-wear, but the good folks in the SHIELD labs had crafted her a bauble more befitting this occasion. “I see,” said the woman sweetly, and the smile at her lips was looking less polite and more. . .intrigued? Pleased? Anticipatory? “Why do you ask?” Lightwave said, feeling a bit odd about all this, and a bit left out of the conversation. “I’m Asp, of the Serpent Society,” the woman replied, “And while I’ve yet to take up residence on this lovely island, I’m a mutant myself—one of the few among my cohorts whose powers are all-natural. All-natural and—very similar to yours.” She darted her eyes towards Scorpion, and continued, “I can fire blasts of energy from my hands—both hands—that has an effect on the body like that of a venomous snake. You call yours a sting; I liken mine to a bite.” “Uh huh, cool,” Scorpion was somehow both bored and suspicious, and placed her hands on her waist, “So our powers are vaguely alike. Anything else you wanted to tell me?” Unresponsive to the rise of rudeness in the younger woman’s tone, Asp continued in her own polite one, though there was a persuasive silkiness to it now, “I’ve been propositioned by a few residents of Krakoa to partake in a game of chance. They want to take bets on which of us has a better venom-blast. And the winner gets a cut of the pot.” Scorpion looked at her hard. Lightwave tensed, unsure of what the outcome would be. “Nah,” said Scorpion, “My powers aren’t a game for me, lady. I don’t play with them like one.” “Oh, what a pity,” said Asp primly, “I did so hope you’d be a willing participant.” “What’s that supposed to mea–” Scorpion was cut off as Asp fired a venom blast towards her; Scorpion’s quick reflexes allowed her to jump out of the way, but it still would have grazed her calf if not for Lightwave’s equally quick force shield. Asp readied another blast, but was caught from behind by tendrils of darkness that bound her arms to the sides and lifted her off her feet. Behind her, controlling the solid shadows, hovered a slender blonde woman, dressed in Gala regalia was well. Darkstar, aka Laynia Petrovna, a recently arrived resident on Krakoa who had defected from service to the Russian government. “No fighting is allowed here! You know the rules!” Darkstar commanded. “We’re not…ungh…fighting. . .we’re competing!” Asp gasped, straining against her umbrous bonds. Darkstar looked to Scorpion and Lightwave for confirmation. . .or lack thereof. “Yeah,” Scorpion said after a moment, “We were just testing our powers against each other. They’re pretty similar so we wanted to see who packed more poison.” Lightwave looked at her comrade in surprise, but didn’t contradict her. “Hmm,” Darkstar evaluated the situation. She’d wanted to be useful to the nation of Krakoa, as they had shown her great mercy by allowing her here, and she was consuming resources of the island, and she wished to give back to its people, protect them, as she had protected those of Mother Russia. To this end, she’d been appointed a reserve X-Man, and in the meantime given a great many menial tasks. For instance, Gala security. She lowered herself down, and released Asp, stating, “Games of skill are permitted as part of the Gala’s activities, but please, use an area designated for such. I will guide you to one and supervise.” Asp looked irritated, but all she said was, “Thank you so much.” As Darkstar lead the way, Lightwave whispered to Scorpion, “Why did you say that?” “Because I can handle myself,” Scorpion whispered back, “I don’t need KG-Blondie coming to my rescue. This lady really wants a fight? Fine.” Meanwhile, Asp was calling some friends on her little snake-themed cell phone, and by the time the trio arrived with Darkstar to the clearing, there was already a little crowd of interested parties waiting. “This better be a good show and a good pot, love,” Pyro quipped at Asp, “I left a bonzer card game for this!” “You were losing,” Phantazia pointed out. “Not for long I wasn’t gonna be!” Scorpion and Lightwave weren’t the only guests experiencing some. . .conflict. “Oh dear me, Ajak, you may be divine these days, but that dress surely is not!” Sinister crowed at the Eternal, “Oh my, wait, no—Dante did write the Divine Comedy, did he not? That must be what he meant!” Ajak had come to the Gala not as Ajak Celestia, but as herself. Somehow. Yet she had allegedly not unfused with the Progenitor. According to her, this was but a tangible aspect of herself, continuing to experience the world as an individual while her whole remained at her post, watching the world and waiting for the right time to pass the final judgement upon it all. Right now though, she was being judged, quite harshly, by Sinister. Or rather, her sartorial choices were. And while Ajak was not one who took pride in fashion, pride she did have, much too much so to be mocked by this obscenity before her that called itself Sinister. “You were gagged and shackled by me before,” Ajak warned coolly, “Do not tempt me to do so again.” “Oh, you’re not the one I’d want doing that,” Sinister assured, “But Bennett, dear, have you seen Shaw around? He might be into it.” Exodus and Ajak both looked confused, but Makkari, who had been doing her best to diffuse things, looked disgusted. Unlike the other two, she’d spent a long time in the modern world, after all. But she needn’t have worried. No one had seen Shaw for quite some time this evening. How very odd. Very, very odd. Wherever Shaw was, though, he wasn’t with Haven. Nor was Exodus. Nor was Ajak. Save for Mantis, she was alone. And Mantis, she said, suddenly had an engagement. So scratch that. Haven was alone when a column of darkness solidified before her into none other than Selene, Black Priestess! Priestess to what? The ultimate goddess—-herself of course! “You wretched little creature!” the sorcerous mutant spat as tendrils of her darkness reached out and wrapped around Haven, flexible as vines and strong as chains, “You truly thought you could usurp my place?! You thought it was yours to take and Shaw’s to give?! He’s been dealt with and now so shall y–” Selene was cut off by a kick to the back of her head that would have decapitated a mere mortal. . .or a mutant who wasn’t smart enough to have protectively enchanted her body since that little upstart snipe(r) Hope had shot her. “This one thinks not!” Mantis cried, having used the kick to push herself away from Selene once more and land dramatically near Haven, whose bonds had momentarily loosened due to Selene’s distraction. Loosened. . .but, Mantis found when she tried to free her new friend, not enough. “This one sensed something was afoot!” she explained, in her customary third-person speaking style. It was not due to lack of understanding so-called “proper” English, but a very deliberate way of distancing herself from the ego of the words “I” and “me” as the Pama Priests had taught her. “So you hid in the shadows til I emerged,” Selene emerged, looming over her new opponent, “Very clever—but you’d have been far more clever to avoid the Black Queen!” As she spoke, the rocks and stones around them levitating and hurled down towards Mantis like comets. She leaped into the air once more, using them as stepping stones, trying to get back to Selene. The rocks, meanwhile, avoided Haven; Selene had far more personal plans in store for her attempted replacement. Selene’s telekinesis could only affect inanimate objects. Plants, though perhaps not as mobile as their meaty counterparts, were not inanimate. They were beyond her control. But they answered to another mistress—Mantis, the Celestial Madonna! As she bounded from rock to rock while avoiding being hit by the same projectiles she climbed, she still managed to direct a portion of her mental energy towards summoning the aid of the surrounding flora—something Krakoa was plentiful in! Flowers, ferns, and moss, they all came to her aid, the trees themselves bending to swing their mighty branches at the black-clad witch, as though nature itself were trying to banish her unnatural presence. But Selene just cackled, and the foliage before her burst into flames. For pyrokinesis was on her list of myriad talents mutant and magical. Still, even this defeat served its purpose for Mantis, who used the Black Priestess’s moment of triumph as a distraction to lunge at her! But Selene met this too with laughter, welcoming Mantis into her arms—arms whose skin instantly began to drain the life itself from the Celestial Madonna’s flesh! “My what truly potent energy you have!” Selene crowed, “So unique! Those senses of yours didn’t tell you what MY true gift is, did they? To drain your life and make it my own! Don’t fret though, you won’t die—you will live for eternity in ME!” “The only place of eternity for you is the PIT!” Darkstar had joined the fray. Like Mantis, she too had sensed a disturbance in the force—the Darkforce, specifically, which Selene was calling upon for her shadow manipulation. She couldn’t commandeer the shadows that were holding Haven, but she could at least summon her own to save Mantis, engulfing the former Avenger in a Darkforce teleportation portal, sending her somewhere safer. Alas, that also meant that Mantis was out of the fight, especially since those unused to traveling through the Darkforce dimension were often drained by it, physically and mentally. Even now, mere prolonged contact with it was probably harming Haven on both fronts. Darkstar knew she had to end this fast. Selene, however, had no intention of cooperating with that notion. The two Darkforce wielders went at it, firing their obsidian elemental energies at each other. But while Darkstar’s power was the Darkforce alone, Selene had many other abilities at her disposal, and Darkstar was fading fast against them. Finally, she fell from the sky, her fancy feathered Gala dress in a heap around her, giving her the likeness of a bird that had crashed into a windowpane. There was a roar of fire around her as a ring of enchanted flame encircled her, then formed a dome above her. She tried to teleport, but could not even call upon that much. The Darkforce has closed its doors to you, my dear, Selene’s voice spoke in her head, You are but its friend—I am its QUEEN! Don’t fret though; you won’t be burned unless you try to escape. After all, if Darkstar died, she might remember what happened to Haven the human when she woke up. Selene would need to make some modifications to her memory first. Not normally within Selene’s telepathic abilities, which were in fact relatively minor ones, but sorcery was always a boost. And the enlisted aid of mutants too afraid to say no, of course. Selene sauntered now to the still-imprisoned Haven, who seemed to be awaiting her fate impassively. “No begging? No pleading? I’m almost disappointed by your dignity. Or are you just so purely petrified? I know it can’t be that you’re actually RESPECTFUL enough to hold your tongue in the presence of a goddess,” Selene crooned, “After all, you had no respect when you accepted MY place and title!” “I do beg you not to do this,” Haven said, her brown eyes indeed imploring, “For your sake. You will harm yourself, horribly, if you try to–” “HA!” Selene cut her off with a derisive laugh, tossing her elegant head back so her elaborate necklace jewels gleamed in the fire’s light, “You think those FOOLS on the Quiet Council can imprison ME? They couldn’t even keep me dead!” “We’ll do better,” said a new voice. For the third time, a new player had entered Selene’s scene to save Haven. Or rather, two new players. Haven had been physically silent through the whole ordeal, but she’d been mentally calling out to Ajak and Exodus the entire time. Alas, Exodus and Ajak had become. . .engaged. . .with Sinister in a psychic. . .dispute. . .and Makkari was as telepathically Deaf as she was physically. It was only now that Exodus had things, er, handled, that he and Ajak got the message. Exodus was required to stay behind to keep Sinister contained, but Ajak and Makkari were now free to handle matters for their friend. “Oh, the so-called gods arrive,” Selene seemed unimpressed, “Truth me told, I’m rather pleased to see you. I’ve long wanted to test your mettle against–” She was cut off by a massive energy blast by Ajak. At the same time, Makkari rushed behind Selene as she was blasted backwards, pummeling her rapidly in the back with such strength and speed that even her magically enhanced body buckled. The ebony prison around Haven did the same, slackening and then dissipating entirely, and Haven fell to her knees, drained by the contact with the Darkforce. At the same time, the fire imprisoning Darkstar disappeared, though the Russian could not yet use her powers again. Selene put up a valiant fight; she was no pushover. But the Eternals could manipulate cosmic energy, move at high speeds, lift over 15 tons, and, most importantly, never tire. For all her power, Selene could be worn down. Ajak and Makkari could not. And when the former was spent, by coincidence, she had collapsed right next to Haven. Still conscious, her body now rapidly withering into a crone from the expenditure of energy, she knew she could not win. . .but she could at least do what she had set out to, and to replenish her youth in the process. “No!” Haven cried out as Selene reached for her, “Selene, don’t! It’s dang–” She was silenced as Selene began to sap her energy, and Makkari and Ajak both rushed to intervene. Makkari’s speed was more than adequate to get there before Selene’s skin even made contact with Haven, and yet her incredible strength could not separate them. But it was not Selene who was keeping Haven trapped; it was vice versa. Haven and Selene were both howling, Selene in pain, Haven in sympathy as she tried to free the other woman from her own body. Yet even as Haven successfully pushed her away, Selene’s body continued draining the energy from Haven. Makkari and Ajak could SEE it crackling in the air, linking the women’s bodies. “Help her!” Haven cried out to the confused Eternals, “The demonic energy—it’s too much, it’s going to destroy her from inside–” Ajak and Makkari didn’t exactly understand, and frankly neither of them were inclined to help Selene at all, but Haven’s distress was a motivator if nothing else for Ajak in particular. But. . .what could they do? Not knowing what else to do, Ajak ran to Haven and grabbed her, preparing to get her out of there, away from having to watch whatever was going to happen to Selene. And this turned out to be the correct move. Ajak’s body had moved between the energy streams that had linked the women, and in doing so, had severed them. . .no, not severed them. Ajak’s cosmic energy that fueled her nigh-indestructible body flowed now along the current into Selene just before it disappeared. Even this tiny transfer was a life-saving boost, saving the sorceress and restoring her youth in the bargain. But she was still powerless, on her hands and knees, her head down, unable to even speak, panting in pain on the grass. What was that? Makkari signed, and Ajak relayed it to Haven as always. “I’ll. ..explain,” said Haven, hesitantly, as if she didn’t wish to, “But first. . .” She knelt beside Selene, placing a steadying hand on her. Selene tried to shrink from her instinctively, like a scared animal, and only ended up collapsing into the lap of her would-be prey. Haven held her gently, trying to comfort her while also keeping the woman’s pride and dignity in mind, “I’m sorry. It’s very unjust to you, isn’t it?” Because Haven knew that, from Selene’s point of view, it likely was. She had never met the former Black Queen before, but Shaw had told her about her extensively, and she’d also been able to garner Selene’s perspective quite well from the things she’d said to her in this encounter. And what she had garnered was that Selene was as locked into her own perspective as Haven had once been in. For which Haven could not blame her; changing one’s mind was hard enough, and Selene had held hers for thousands of years. And it must be such a comforting one; she never questioned her own worth or place in the universe, her reason for being here or the purpose of her long life or the morality of taking the lives of others to sustain it. To step away from that belief. . .why, it might literally kill her. She was what she was, and Haven loved her. She loved everyone. Which was why she asked the others not to tell the Council about this. Darkstar could not agree. She was dutiful to Krakoa’s laws. But Haven’s request for mercy would also be relayed, she promised. Mantis was fine, as were, of course, Ajak and Makkari. Haven was weakened, but wished to remain at the Gala after Selene was taken away by Exodus. And she did give that explanation to the Eternals. “The thing that lived in me once. . .is gone,” she said, each word a labor, “But some remnants of its power. . .” The Eternals both nodded grimly. She did not continue and they did not urge her to. As for Scorpion and Asp’s contest, the moment Darkstar left, it no longer had a referee, and the spectators swiftly decided they wanted to be PARTICIPANTS instead. It was an absolute disaster and a good time was had by all involved! Oh, and Shaw was er. . .fine. If you care. END

#fanfic friday #fic #writing

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thelittlestspider · 4 months

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an excerpt from Friend You Can Keep that i wrote in one sitting wherein peter and ash are in their honeymoon phase, and matt extorts johnny in exchange for staying at his place.

“Johnny, I'm not kicking you out, but you have to crash somewhere else for a few days,” said Peter, matter of fact.

“Why?” asked Johnny, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Because if you don't, you won't get any sleep.”

Johnny blinked. Wait a minute. His eyes widened in understanding.

“So you and Ash?”

Peter smiled. “Yeah.”

His eyes were soft and his smile was dopey. Love looked good on him. Johnny was happy for him, even if his heart panged that he wasn't part of it.

“Y'know, if you guys ever need a third…” Johnny waggled his brows. He half-meant it as a joke, but to his surprise, Peter said, “We'd be happy to have you. But I kind of want him to myself for a while.”

“So you're not mad about me and Ash?” Johnny asked cautiously, afraid to upset this moment of gracious maturity from Peter. But like, he had to know everything was cool before he made any moves here. After all, what if Peter woke up tomorrow deciding to be a jealous maniac again? Though that angry stare was pretty sexy…

Peter looked thoughtful. “We talked about it some the other day.” He swished his coffee around. “Ash loves you, I love you.” Johnny's eyes went big with shock.

“You love me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Tears welled up in Johnny's eyes as he stood up to kiss Peter, laughing with happiness as he wrapped his arms around his best friend. It was a terrible kiss. Mostly because they couldn't stop smiling. But Johnny wouldn't trade it for the world.

“I love you too,” Johnny said against Peter's cheek. “So, so much it's insane. God, I thought I'd never have this.”

“There's some stuff we need to talk about,” interrupted Peter. Uh oh. Johnny frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. That could mean literally anything.

“Like what?”

Play it cool, Johnny.

“Matt,” Peter said simply.

Johnny groaned, rolling his eyes heavenward.

“Oh my God, don't talk to me about Matt. The man's impossible!” Ugh, the nerve of that man, ruining yet another fine moment in Johnny's life. If the guy wasn't so damn miserable right now, Johnny'd curse him.

Why did everything have to come back to Matt? What did Peter see in him? Sure he was older and kind of sexy, and he had the whole Daredevil lawyer thing working for him, but he was also an asshole who wore grandpa sweaters and messed with Johnny every chance he got. It was like being picked on by an 80 year old grandpa in the body of a 38 year old acrobat.

Johnny could light himself on fire, but he was convinced Matt was actually made of hellfire.

“Uuuugh,” groaned Johnny.

“He's not that bad,” argued Peter.

Peter was blinded by love. He didn't know what he was talking about.

“He's insufferable.”

“You're also insufferable,” pointed out Peter, unhelpfully. Johnny glared at him. Peter stared back at him, unmoved. He sipped his coffee.

One, two, three.

“I guess,” Johnny ground out, “I can get along with Matt. For your sake.” Compromise sucked. Compromise was the enemy of the people.

“Good, because your options are your family, Matt, or Clint.”

Johnny's mouth dropped.

“You wouldn't.”

Peter smirked behind his mug.

“I would.”

Evil, sexy bastard. God, Johnny wanted to kill him. Maybe he could get Ash to run interference.

“Ash can't help you out of this.”

Damn it.

Johnny weighed his options. He could go stay with his family for a few days while Peter and Ash went through their honeymoon phase; con, he'd have zero privacy. Option 2: Clint. Natasha was on a job right now, so Clint might be lonely and appreciate the company. Con: Lucky and Liho wouldn't let him sleep.

Wade was out because of Valentine and Vanessa. Shit. Johnny scrunched his face. He was going to have to suck it up and call Matt.

“I take it back. I hate you.”

“Love you,” Peter said, sweetly.

Fuck his stupid life.

…

“Hey Matt,” started Johnny, already feeling awkward about this.

“Hi Johnny,” answered Matt. His voice was smooth and cool like water. Unbothered. Like Johnny calling was something that happened every day and they hadn't been mortal enemies for the past ten years. He was so weird. Johnny hated him.

“So I have a favor to ask,” Johnny inhaled through his nose, bracing himself. “I need to stay at your place for a few days.”

There was perfect silence on the other end. Matt was surprised. Then after a few moments Matt's stupid, smug voice asked, “What's in it for me?”

“Whadda mean, what's in it for you?” Johnny asked, feeling annoyance wash through him. “You want me to clean for you or something?” He didn't think Matt would be enthusiastic about it, but he didn't think Matt would be this much of an asshole about it either.

“You could help Foggy balance the books.”

“But that could take forever!”

“Take it or leave it.”

Ugh.

“Fine.”

“Then you've got a deal.”

“I hate you. Tell Foggy and Kirsten hi for me.”

That stung Matt a bit. He didn't answer. The dial tone sounded.

Wow, he hung up on him. Johnny didn't know what he expected.

#these hungry streets tag #ths: friend you can keep #ths: matt/johnny

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scottish-purple-shrubbery · 2 years

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Something Wicked

Pearlescentmoon started this new world with hope and the love for her soulmate, whoever they were, warm in her heart. She encountered friends, joked with them, accompanying one of them into the fiery depth of the nether to keep him safe

She left the nether, tired and aching but fulfilled, and a bit mischievous. Her and her companion joined those on the surface, seeking their partners. They knew they were not each other's, but the journey had still been fun.

Only to discover that her partner had abandoned her, declaring that she had abandoned him, for running off with someone who wasn't her soulmate while he and her friends partnered kept the two of them alive while they kept hurting themselves.

Scott and Cleo left, declaring each other their soulmates, shunning the ones that they actually shared life with. Pearl stood there, spurred, and turned to Martyn before he too, walked away from her.

All she had left was Tilly, her dog

The days passed and Pearl forged her own path. She was still friendly with the other people trapped within the limited world, but she no longer watched them with naive love. This world had abandoned her, dropped her when she needed help.

It was only her and her Tilly now.

Tilly kept her company as Pearl built her tower in the sky, fortified with stone so no one could chase her out with flames and smoke. Between buildings, she sought to torment her soul bound, purposely falling into deep snow and letting the deadly chill seep into her blood. She grinned with the knowledge that somewhere, Scott burned with the same cold fire

The players kept fighting.

Some in broad daylight, stealing resources and griefing buildings without any worry of being caught, while others traded whispers, sowing seeds of distrust.

Pearl watched all of this from her tower, idly amused as madness chattered in her ears. Tilly would whine and snuggle close, offering her comfort. Pearl cuddled her back, her Red-wrought heart filled with love for her companion.

The Ranchers were the first to fall, ending just as they began—alone. The Canary and his Coal Mine perished as the Canary rushed home, only to fall to the wandering creatures of the End.

The Coal Mine felt the blows and lifted his shield, desperate to save himself and his bonded, only to die alone.

Then it was the King and his companion, rushing to defend a keep already invaded by outsiders. They died by the hands of a friend too lost in their own blood lust to realize exactly who they were targeting.

The fallen Watcher made a fatal error, thinking he could play another trick on the other Players, but was not knowledgeable enough, not wise enough, to realise the dangers he was putting himself and his soul bound through.

The Smooth Talker collapsed on his horse, confused and lost in the woods, not knowing why his heart was shutting down within his chest, with nothing to cause it.

Then the ones that both wore borrowed faces slowly burned within the hellfires of the Nether, ending as they began, together.

The husbands feel the revengeful bite of wolves, a pack chasing them as their owner stalked her prey, diamond axe gleaming with her murderous intent, fully under the thrall of the Red.

They would have been just the next ones to fall, but no.

A bucket of lava was placed, killing Pearl's precious Tilly. After that, she hunted with rage and sorrow. Her only companion on this blasted world—gone, just like that.

Her sweet little darlin'.

Bdubs fell to her blade, taking the imp with him.

Then was the one she'd started her journey with. The one she had followed into the hellish world to keep safe. The one who had abandoned her to try and win back the favour of his soulmate. Martyn betrayed her, yelling about a curse. He blamed the dog, her sweet little Tilly for her madness, claiming that she had corrupted her.

Pearl laughed, the sound equally unhinged and grief-filled.

'Tilly's not alive anymore!'

There was no one to blame but herself.

She knew that. There was something wicked within her, and it was time to unleash it.

Martyn and his bound, the Undead, perished soon after, falling to their deaths.

Now all that was left was Scott.

In the small part of her mind, Pearl never thought it would come to this. She'd thought she'd perished way before this, since she hadn't been particularly careful with her health. But here she was, one of the last bonded.

When the world didn't disappear around them, it became clear that there was one more life to give. Scott messaged her, saying that they'll meet where it started. Pearl almost didn't know what he was talking about. Everything felt so long ago, covered in a film of Red.

Once back on spawn hill, Pearl circled her last prey, Scott watching her wearily.

The more they regarded each other, the more Pearl couldn't think straight.

One more.

There was one more death to cause.

There could only be one winner.

But then Scott put down some TNT.

Pearl jumped away, thinking it was an attack.

No.

Scott stood next to the TNT, the fuse already lite.

He smiled sadly at her, saying 'Tilly death do us part'

She screamed, sudden fear for her soulmate filling her, temporarily drowning out the ceaseless chanting for blood.

She died as he did, her body crumpling as her string was cut.

He sacrificed himself for her, choosing death so she didn't have to endure the pain of killing her own soul bound.

Huh.

Maybe she forgave him after all.

#pearlescentmoon #double life pearl #double life #the life series #scott #double life scott #grian #goodtimeswithscar #tango tek #solidaritygaming #rancher duo #that ENDING #OMG #I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT BUT I LOVE IT #i wrote this in dms #explaining pearsl pov #to a friend that dosent watch any mcyt #and i liked it enough to post on its own

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marveltournaments · 5 months

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#marvel #marvel comics #marvel 616 #emma frost #white queen #gamora zen whoberi ben titan #gamora #quiet council #guardians of the galaxy #hellfire trading company #west spiral arm guardians #x-men #nova corps #cosmic avengers #infinity watch #phoenix five #hellions #generation x #polls

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brw · 1 year

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I saw your post about Charles Xavier, and I loved it. I hate when Charles is written by as villainous or seen that way by fans; because of his visible disability and one the fact that he's one of the most prominent disabled characters in comics that is being portrayed/seen as evil.

Also, could you tell me about your thoughts on Charles please.

ooooo yeah i do think writers have given charles a VERY short end of the stick... which is weird because a lot of writers after will continue to write him as a kindly old man figure despite the moral transgressions which i think is where most people's frustration comes from. but i do think he's held to a higher standard? like i keep saying it but emma's name is literally white queen + she once stole & used ororo's body against her will + hellfire trading company is very clearly inspired by the east india trading company, but she's a fan favourite. this isn't to say he isn't an awful person at times but for xmen that means kind of nothing to me. anyway, for me personally i just get frustrated because i think there is a good potential narrative here but because writers aren't disabled & don't understand our experiences this context is always missing.

"charles is a spineless liberal" is funny to say but it makes more sense once you think about him as a disabled man who for most of his life was not disabled. disabled people HAVE to make themselves digestible & acceptable for neurotypical society, so we can get the accessibility & accomodations we desperately need. it makes SENSE from that perspective charles would be more about acceptance & assimilation, because from his experience as a disabled man that's what he needs. it makes sense that erik, as a jewish survivor, knows that you can't make peace with some people & it is much better to be independent, to have the ability to defend yourself & to take out the people who literally want you dead, but those aren't necessarily the same goals as the disabled community, at least not for Charles. Him & Erik are a very interesting potential narrative about how different communities have different goals and different needs, but because few writers who touch Charles have disabilities that nuance is often lost & he becomes the spineless liberal we joke about.

Charles also works as a very good discussion on internalised ableism, were people to take him in that direction. Like I said, Charles wasn't always disabled & for much of his early adult life he was able bodied, & he grew up in an ableist society. It makes sense he would then internalise that & project that onto his own students & the way he approaches mutants. because he's so uncomfortable with himself & the way he looks, he's become uncomfortable with the way visible mutants look too because he struggles to separate the two. that would explain in part why all the mutants he chooses to represent the xmen or to go out for press conferences or whatever are all human passing, because of his internal sense of shame that he's projected onto children who don't deserve that.

& that's one of the biggest let downs of the modern era is that Charles automatically chooses to be walking.Yes, for some people that's empowering, but Charles will always be the first name people think of when they think of wheelchair users in comics, aside from Barbara. That recognisability in my opinion is more important, & I just can't help but feel like it would be important to have Charles be with Karma in a character that has accepted their disability & is not interested in changing themselves. Yes, that isn't everyone's experience & I do think it's important for some people who want those stories to have a voice, but Charles has a pop culture iconography that in my opinion is more important than a justification to erase his disability.

Charles is a very flawed person, & I think he should stay being flawed & imperfect & often ignoring other people's needs & opinions that are based around their experiences that he doesn't share, but I think he also does have a lot of potential as a disabled character & I'm very frustrated at the x-office opting to just erase that aspect rather than try and include those narratives. Like Krakoa still doesn't look wheelchair accessible. We could have an interesting discussion about how even in leftist utopias disabled people are still often forgotten about or ignored & erased out of the discussion, but because nobody sees the inaccessibility that discussion just isn't there. It's disappointing & just another item in the long list of how the X-Men team fail to tackle minority politics accurately or at all.

#asks #itsblueberry13-blog #charles xavier #krakoa #i just feel like theres a lot of potential nuance & story in a character like charles #but again it just feels like the xmen office are just incapable of understanding them #& i love wiz-kid & his story hes great i dont want people to think im ignoring him #but as ive said if you ask the average person to name a fictional wheelchair user charles is one of the first names you will hear #his most iconic iteration is as a wheelchair user! that status in pop culture is important! it shouldnt be erased or ignored!!#just bothers me #professor x

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spiralcass · 2 years

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DREAM X-LINE

X-MEN

ROSTER: MIRAGE (LEADER), JUBILEE, HELLION, WIND DANCER, SURGE, MERCURY

PITCH: The core X-Men team exists to show the world that Krakoa isn’t something to fear and that they’re the same heroes they’ve always been, but with younger heroes stepping into the spotlight, will the values they spread be in line with their home country’s?

NEW MUTANTS

ROSTER: HONEY BADGER (LEADER), AERO, ESCAPADE, COSMAR, THE CUCKOOS

PITCH: The kids of Krakoa are hungry and eager to prove themselves as heroes in their own right, but on their very first mission, it becomes clear there's a traitor among them - and all signs point to the girl who doesn't want to be here.

EXILES

ROSTER: BLINK (LEADER), WOLVIE, BLING!, ARMOR, LOA, APOCALYPSE

PITCH: 6 Worlds. 6 Krakoas. When a group of strangers from across the multiverse are brought together for an unknown purpose, their only chance of freedom is to trust each other, but with all different ideas of what it means to be homo-superior, failure and death are inevitable.

HELLFIRE QUEENS

ROSTER: WHITE QUEEN EMMA FROST (LEADER), RED QUEEN KATE PRYDE, BLACK QUEEN MONET ST. CROIX, WHITE BISHOP CAPTAIN KRAKOA, RED BISHOP MAGIK, BLACK BISHOP CHAMBER

PITCH: Krakoa has cemented itself has a world power, but for the queens of the Hellfire Trading Company, it won't be enough until Krakoa rules over all. Emma, Kate, and Monet believe themselves prepared for anything, but Selene has some fatal surprises in store for them.

HELLIONS

ROSTER: PRODIGY (LEADER), TAG, DUST, WALLFLOWER, ICARUS, WITHER

PITCH: Paradise discarded and corrupted their friends. Their leaders abandoned them. Now, the remnants of a bygone era have only three goals: Spread chaos, burn Krakoa down, and kill Josh Foley.

X-MEN RED

ROSTER: STORM (LEADER), JEAN GREY, NIGHTCRAWLER, ICEMAN, EYE BOY, NATURE GIRL

PITCH: "Space Race" takes on a whole new meaning as the X-Men and Abigail Brand scramble to claim as much galactic territory as they can. Storm and Jean Grey hate that they've been forced to expand to populated worlds, but they know if Abigail wins, Krakoa is finished.

WOLVERINE

PITCH: Wolverine and Honey Badger are back! Taking a break from Krakoa, they're back in NYC, ready to have some fun and fight some good old fashioned baddies! But with how much they've changed, can they still work together - or even keep from coming to blows?

EMMA FROST

PITCH: Emma is about to have a nervous breakdown. After putting it off as long as possible, her older sister Adrienne has been resurrected. She may act like the past is in the past, but Emma knows she wants to take everything she has - and she won't let that happen

CAPTAIN KRAKOA VS CYCLOPS

PITCH: Scott Summers has everything he ever wanted, and when a quantum hiccup causes his teenage self to appear on Krakoa, Scott is excited to show Cyclops all they've achieved. Just one problem: his teen self despises Krakoa.The last time he came to the future, he could only be told about what he'd done before he died. This time, he's not going home until Captain Krakoa falls.

GWENPOOL THE MUTANT

PITCH: To save herself from comic book limbo, Gwen Poole retconned herself into being a mutant. Fat load of good it did her. Now, starring in yet another surprise mini, she's out to prove she's the most important mutant on Krakoa.

#x-men #krakoa #gwenpool #scott summers #emma frost #laura kinney #gabby kinney #x-men red #hellions #new x-men #academy x #kate pryde #exiles #new mutants

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imlyfie · 2 years

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Reread @rosetintednerdglasses’s Greek Mythology Hades/Persephone AU Don’t Bite for the nth time and being the PJO fangirl I got absorbed into Uncle Rick’s Riordanverse again.

Now I’m thinking how the Characters of Vincenzo would be as Demigods. More specifically Who would be the godly parent of the Vincenzo Cast. Here’s my take on our protagonists.

Vincenzo Cassano / Park Joo hyung

Son of Hades (obviously)

- Lmao, you saw that coming from a mile away didn't you?

- Tbh we all did.

- His personality trait just fits the traits of a demigod of cabin 13 (ngl as a fellow Scorpio like Vinny I agree with this)

- The entire premise of the story is calling Vincenzo a ‘Monster’ associating him with death so this was a no brainer

- But actually, I had some after thoughts about him being the son of Hephaestus due to his affinity for fire but I personally just took this as a side aspect of Vincenzo with his preferences for destruction.

- His powers would be like Nico Di Angelo’s but also being able to control hellfire and metals. Basically a bit of everything because why not?

POWERS:

The ability to control Hellfire hence his affinity to regular fire which is a mild comparison of his powers and keeps him in check calms him down.

His ability of precious metal manipulation resonates with his desire for gold (let's be real who doesn't want to be rich) but imo in this AU, this greed for money is a partial excuse because gold is his main dealings (just like how he sent like 80 million euro which I can assume to be the value of the gold traded to the Luciano for Cha Young) I think his main dealing with bribery is his domain when it comes to material affinities. And since he can conjure precious metals out of thin air he is never out of money or else how do you explain him getting enough Booralro suits to change here and there every episode when he got robbed in his first five minutes in Korea? Also side headcanon that his lighters are made of gold and platinum, the ones he conjured on his own.

he also can control the undead like Nico, but i think it would bee more watered down, occadionally summoning a kitten skeleton to keep him company in his private office or something.

Umbrakinesis (ability to control the shadows) cool ability I don't think he uses it much unless he is preparing for a combat attack but the side effect is since he does not use it much, this ability of his is only able to be harnessed in darkness. Any flick of light as bright as the billboards in Seoul city or bright street lights can cause him to strain. He can also hence shadow travel but becomes really exhausted.

And just like all children of Hades, he can control the walls of the underworld.

Preferred choice of weapon: Stygian sword and gun

-Vincenzo is more accustomed to death and is both known as the Gatto Sazio and Reaper of Scum in the mafia, the latter name mainly for his affinity of eliminating the betrayers of the Cassanos.

As the saying goes, “you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” This designation might also give some insight on how Vincenzo is emotionless to killing (since in most cases, rather than death, the killing is what traumatises you) yet Vincenzo Cassano is very mechanical when it comes to his kills, going the extra mile to toy with them. Maybe being the son of the God of Death might be one of the reasons he is so unaffected, though he has trauma through nightmares, it is safe to say that for the most part he doesn't mind if he has to kill someone, he’ll carry out the order without a second thought if he deems the victim of his kill worthy of death as a consequence for their actions as if he is almost reaping them. Yes his actions have caused unresolved trauma to him, but he has accepted it, made peace with it.

Imagine a young 9 year old korean boy who has just assimilated into his new italian life, name and language only to realise that he was emitting strange powers, he could bend shadows and had an affinity for metals (which were not cursed). He would hear stories about the demigods who once roamed the earth and his own family’s ancestry which travelled back to one of the children of the big three. After his parents Matteo and Fiorella Di Angelo were murdered by a freak robbery incident Vincenzo Di Angelo found himself at the Cassano estate holding his family’s only heirloom of their ancestor, the Diary of Nico Di Angelo which contains tips of how to survive as a demigod of the King of the Underworld and a black Stygian sword . Imagine his mentor was a fellow demigod of Nyx, and taught him the ways to defeat monsters if he came across some, imagine him killing enough monsters both magical and mortal that he looks at himself and realises he is still alive, he has lived long enough and killed enough to become a villain forging his own path away from the gods.

Should I write this? Please someone write this so I can die happily.

Hong Cha Young

Daughter of Eris (goddess of chaos/ mischief and strife)

Another close call but this time with the goddess Nike goddess of victory (because my girl does not like losing). But the more I think about it, our resident crackhead lawyer and her infamous theatrics are the main reason I chose her to be the offspring of this powerful goddess.

Headcanons borrowed and inspired by @pjoheadcanonsbyid65

“Usually very intelligent, able to properly assess any situation. Very good at finding weak spots in defences, in people or armies. those kids who can ask a question at the start of class and send the teacher on a spiral, making them completely forget about their lesson plan. Can send any room into chaos with two words. Make excellent lawyers. Will literally fight over anything”

This has Cha Young’s name written all over it. Though she loves her drama in life by creating it, she has the emotional maturity and can assess situations, has background knowledge and she is willing to create chaos for the fun of it. Just look at ep 6, 15 and 16 for her strong points in relating to this theory. She is a ball of chaos and though more toned down than the riordanverse wiki claims how Eris’ children usually are, Cha Young is pretty spot on with chaos surrounding her.

Hong Cha Young thrives in the commotion and adrenaline caused by arguments, she is an ace in court because of it. She bribed her witnesses, but in ep one where she decimates her father’s case? All by herself, she wins over her father who has 22 more years of experience than her. She even enjoyed and wanted Pig's blood on Jang Han Seok and when the ensemble screams in shock and disgust she grins and giggles giddily on adrenaline. Want more proof? Look at ep 6 where the tenants cause a scene in court at the gallery, she smirks, she glows in the chaos and she wins. When confronted with Choi Myung Hee she is practically giddy over the accomplishment, mainly fed by the chaos. Hours later she doesn't let go of the scene and laughs about the chaos executed and how the judge gets stung by the Hornets.

Since being the daughter of Eris means inadvertently she is a granddaughter of goddess Nyx the goddess of Night, she can also to some degree shadow travel and has the constant pull towards Vincenzo for no reason. Though the attraction is one, their magnetic pull is another that can vaguely be traced to their shared power of darkness. Cha Young has never harnessed this, and mainly uses chaos, but I figured Vin teaches her this as well as becoming a villain.

Facts from the Riordan wiki page

Children of Eris can be very unpredictable and persuasive

The children of Eris can shadow travel due to the fact that Eris' mother is Nyx.

13. Children of Eris don't fear the Underworld.

Children of Eris are able to make a room darker due to Nyx being Eris' mother and have the ability of Umbrakinesis.

7. Children of Eris tend to have a rebellious nature because they are fond of chaos and anarchy

Peferred weapon of choice: Most of the time are her pointed high heels which can cause severe damage if struck by her kick in the place where the sun doesn't shine or a dagger knife or celestial bronze and cursed gold given to her by Eris the gold causes sharp prickling pain that intensifies for an hour before the victim gets treated, however the gold only works on deities and/or non-mortals (though she prefers to stab them in the arms and legs before running away, she doesn't like bloodshed and kept it locked up once she left camp)

Side headcanon: that Cha Young went to camp when young but since Eris’ cabin was not widely recognised she was embarrassed by her godly mother since she was the only Eris kid there, she preferred the woman her father married when she was three, to be her actual mother. Her father was a mess not knowing how to handle her hence he sent her to camp at the age of 10 causing her to bear a grudge against him. She went to camp until 18 where she was studious, even rivalling Athena’s kids in her pursuit to become a lawyer out of spite to beat her father in his own game since she knew very well the topic of law was the only thing that sparked a decent conversation between them, and even that soon spiralled into a fierce argument, and the louder they both got, the more the temper and emotional whirlwinds flared, the stronger she became, she emitted a sheen of confidence, the aura that spells: ‘You fell into my trap, it's too late for you' which she discovered in one of their many arguments being the observant girl she is, and it enhanced her willingness to unleash her dramatic flare.

Vincenzo teaches her to embrace the powers she is born with and the skills she has developed. She learns through this journey with him that your powers are best when put to use for benefit of others doc not define who you are, and if the actions are taken to achieve your goal, and your powers mean the world calls you a villain, then fuck their opinions because you live your life to win it.

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