#i really wanted to see that terrifying black and green dragon. and the comic takes its time too in the way the movie didnt. nimonas hair

[dameronology]

one hell of a mandalorian {din djarin}

summary: actions speak louder than words - which is good for din djarin, because he's not very good at words. (this was a commission for an anon! i hope you enjoy).

warnings: language

enjoy!! if you're interested in commissions, you can find out more here :)

- jazz xx

Din Djarin was a man of few words.

That had become clear not long after you'd met.

It wasn't that he didn't like talking, or that he was rude - he'd just never had the need for it. The Mandalorian could spend days and days in hyperspace, on his own with nothing but a frozen bounty to keep him company. And they were hardly chatty, even before they were thrown away into the trawling depths of carbonite animation. There were a few select geniuses who tried to make conversation with him in a last-ditch attempt to appeal to his humanity and beg for mercy, but so far, they'd had a zero-for-zero success rate. It wasn't that he didn't have any humanity to appeal to it - because he did, and his weird, green surrogate kid was an absolute testament to that - but it just took a little bit for it to come out.

The beskar made him seem a little...robotic. Like a droid, which was ironic, because he wouldn't have gone near the things with a ten-foot-barge pole. Din had just become so used to people seeing his mask and his intimidating posture before him that having human traits, like feelings and thoughts and opinions, had never been any use. Having defining traits and a personality was all well and good, but nothing helped you through the galaxy quite like the ability to put the fear of God in people.

The Mandalorian was something, but Din Djarin was somebody. He was good; not necessarily pure and golden-hearted like a typical comic book hero, but he had a strong moral compass. Sometimes, it pointed in opposite directions, but he helped those who needed it and he paid his dues. That was probably a lot more than anyone in the galaxy could have said for themselves. In the fight of good and bad, in a world that existed entirely and black and white, there was nothing more grey than an honest man. Somebody who refused to pick a side held the power of both. For that, Din could have either been extremely smart, or extremely dumb.

Sometimes, he was extremely dumb. Made the wrong moves in combat, or got too cocky, however out of character it was for him. It was the losing fights that truly brought out the human side of Din, and it took a very, very specific eye to see it, sometimes to the point where even he missed it. It never went over your head, though.

You'd joined the crew on the Razor Crest as a mechanic - then you became a baby sitter, and his partner-in-crime, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. His non-verbal nature meant that most of his emotional cues came in the physical form. It went over the heads of everybody else, but between your intuition, and the time spent in such a cramped space, it quickly became like a second language to you. Helmet tilts when he was confused, and little nods when he was pleased; tensed shoulders when the Mandalorian was nervous and balled fists when he was about to absolutely lose his shit.

Today was one of those days. Even though you were both in one piece and the baby was - by some absolute fucking miracle - asleep, it almost hadn't been that way. Nevarro had been quieter than usual, and Din had let his guard down; finally convinced himself to relax a tiny bit and ever-so-slightly loosen the stick that was firmly up his backside. His sudden lack of awareness for your surroundings had meant that someone managed to track the Crest, however briefly. The kid had barely noticed, and you weren't phased by what had been a simple, human mistake. Din, true to nature, was already beating himself up for it.

That was evidenced by his heavy footsteps, and the way he'd immediately retreated to the cockpit and slammed the door. Common sense would have entailed that he wanted to be left alone, but you'd long surpassed the point of any of that. Common sense didn't exist in a galaxy like this one. Doing the obvious thing was, nine times out of ten, usually the wrong way. Expecting the unexpected was the right way to go.

You'd paced outside the door for the better part of fifteen minutes - to go in, or to not go in, that was the question. You were torn between wanting to give Din space and wanting to be there for him; a cranky Din was often an unbearable one, but you cared deeply for him. Maybe a little too much, but that was a can of worms to open later.

"Din?" You gently called. Nothing. "I know you're brooding, or whatever it is you do under that helmet, but talking is good."

"I'm fine."

You sighed. "The scale goes great, good, bad, awful, world-ending and then fine."

"I've never heard that before in my life."

"Yeah, I just made it up on the spot." You murmured.

Resting your hand against the doorknob, you pondered for a moment. Did you want to risk it by going in? Making him mad when he was literally shutting you out? It was hard to know what to do with Din - it wasn't like he came with an answer key, or even a vague manual that could point you in the right direction. It was all just guess work.

"Is the helmet on?" You softly asked.

"Yeah."

You took that as a sign - with a deep breath, you gently opened the door and stepped inside the cockpit, shutting it quietly behind you. The tense atmosphere inside was almost enough to swallow you whole. The man practically radiated angst.

"Talk to me." You took a seat beside him.

"There's nothing to say."

"Bullshit." You murmured. "You might have a thousand inches of beskar hiding your face but your body language is a dead giveaway."

"I'm meant to protect you and the kid." He replied. It wasn't much, but it was better than silence. "It's my job to catch bad people and outrun them when I need."

"You did outrun them." You reminded him. "I'm safe. You're safe. The kid is safe. Does anything else matter?"

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place." Din said. "I was relaxed-"

"- you allowed to relax." You cut him off. "Despite your best efforts, you're a human being."

Reaching out, you gently placed your hand over Din's ungloved palm. He didn't resist or try to brush you away. His hands were soft and callous in equal measures, which felt like a fitting metaphor for him on the whole. You tangled your fingers in his and held on tightly, perhaps in a sad attempt to remind him that you were there.

But Din knew you were there - he could feel it constantly, and he thought about it just as much. Every day of his life prior to you had been filled with rigidity and angst, then you'd come waltzing in and for the first time in years, he'd untensed his muscles and stopped looking over his shoulder. Learnt to take a breath and enjoy the simple things in life, like Grogu laughing or you accidentally tripping over a tree branch. You'd become so important to him that the prospect of losing you was too much for him to even fathom. He'd come close today - too close - and it had been an eye-opener. The irony was that telling you why he was so fucking scared was more frightening than the entire thing itself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." The gentle pull of your voice lulled him back to reality. "Please?"

His grip on your hand tightened. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." You breathily smiled. "You don't have to apologise."

"I never thought I'd have someone like you." Din admitted. "Coming so close to losing you was terrifying, even if it wasn't that close at all."

He'd never been so open about his feeling towards you before. Obviously, you knew that he viewed you in a way he didn't see anybody else, but that knowledge had been based entirely on physical cues and mere guesswork. You'd never expected him to vocalise the way he felt, or even acknowledge them. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, or even something you considered to be detrimental. The words came as a nice surprise.

"You mean a lot to me, Din." You said. He'd always loved the way his name sounded when you said it; nobody had used it for years, not since he'd lost his parents. It was something to vulnerable and personal. You were the only one he trusted with it.

"I do?"

You didn't mean to laugh at that - you really didn't, but it just came out. A low snort of disbelief; shock at his absolute inability to read the fucking room. Din was as intuitive as they came, with the ability to read criminals like a bedtime story he'd been rehearsing since he was a kid. Then it came to you, and he knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. To call him clueless would be the understatement of the century.

"Maker." You murmured. "Of course you do - more than anyone or anything."

"You're special to me." Din replied. "It scares me sometimes."

Din was straight forward with everything he said - it was just finding the courage to say it. He'd gone into battle with Imps and Republic Rangers alike; fought krayt dragons and droids and fellow Mandalorians and yet this entire thing shook him to his very core more than anything else.

You didn't know it, but you were perfectly holding his gaze. Staring right through it and looking right into his soul. He forgot he had one sometimes. It was probably a little dusty and covered in cobwebs, but it was there, and you were bringing it right out of him and back to reality.

Din used his grip on your hands to pull you a little closer - a moment later, he gently pressed the cold metal of his helmet to his forehead. It was the closest you'd ever been to him, even if it wasn't that close at all. You could hear his soft breathing through the modulator, the sensation acting as a stunning reminder that there was a person underneath there. There were times when you forgot, or felt a little disconnected from the idea entirely. You'd never felt the need to see his face, though - you hadn't a clue what he might look like, but at the same time, you had an image of him in your head. It was as clear as day; as bright as the suns on Tatooine and as persevering as the kid's insistence that he receive all your attention, all the time.

You knew what the action was; a Keldabe kiss. The Mandalorian had recounted its meaning to you not long after you'd met - he'd finally let his barriers down and let you plague him with questions about his culture and the creed, and you'd stumbled on the subject. Initially, you'd been entertained by the fact that it two such vastly different meanings. On one hand, it could be a headbutt. A beskar punch to knock the daylights out of anyone who particularly annoyed you. On the other hand, it was almost a romantic gesture; a way that Mandalorians could show their affection to one another without having to remove their armour.

Din had the latter meaning in mind, but also so much more. He was giving you a piece of his culture - including you in the very thing that defined him as a person.

"It won't happen again." The Mandalorian gently said. "I'll never let you get hurt again. I promise."

"I know." You softly smiled. Your eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the cool metal against your forehead. "For what it's worth, I have your back too."

He softly chuckled. "Thank you."

You gently pulled back, eyes meeting again (not that you could tell).

"Seriously!" You said. "I can be a bad-ass."

"You can be a lot of things." Din replied. "You're one hell of a girl."

"And you're one hell of a Mandalorian."

#din djarin x reader #din djarin x fem! reader #din djarin x you #din djarin imagine #din djarin imagines #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x you #mandalorian imagines #mandalorian fluff #din djarin fluff #star wars x reader #star wars characters #star wars x you #star wars imagines

[sssn-neptune-vasilias]

RWBY vs Comic

Alright, I said I was gonna do this back when the comic first started getting published but I got so frustrated reading it that I couldn’t actually keep up with it enough go through with it. I think I stopped around issue 4 because that was when I just got angry and threw my comic back into the plastic. I figure now’s as good a time as any since I’m actually rereading it now. My whole issue with the RWBY DC comics is that they’re super canon divergent but somehow still canon material. It’s so frustrating that this is the case because we’re supposed to take into account things that happen in the comic as gospel- things like Adam revealing he’d always been genocidal, Bumbleby’s bottlecap, Weiss’ zoo animal arc, etc, but a lot of these different story arcs don’t make sense in our current canon. So I’m gonna talk about them because why not.

 Issue #1:

The first issue actually isn’t that bad- mostly because it’s just an intro to the series- but there are still some huge inconsistencies between the comic and official canon.

These two panels are a fucking mess.

1) Ruby was passed out when she was delivered to Patch by Qrow. She’d just used her Silver Eyed Warrior powers for the first time, hurt Cinder, frozen the dragon, and passed out. We were literally forced to listen as Qrow carried Ruby out of the rubble and back home, because she was unconscious. But the comic has her just arriving back home all on her own. “I came back to my dad’s house.” No you didn’t, you literally woke up in your bed after what must’ve been days of being unconscious.

2) We know Blake didn’t get to Menagerie on a little wooden boat. We all watched the episode. It was a decent sized ship with multiple crew members, dozens of passengers, and literal armaments designed to destroy Grimm. Sun can’t hide in a robe for 3+ days on this boat. This boat wouldn’t have survived a Grimm attack in the first place. Idk why they decided to draw this boat instead of just drawing the Pride the way it was designed in the first place, but whatever I guess.

RNJR didn’t tell Taiyang they were leaving. Ruby and her team just left. There was a whole scene dedicated to showing the shock and horror on Tai’s face as he saw Ruby’s letter and ran out of the house hoping to catch up to his daughter before she left. Also not as important but still relevant, RNJR left during winter. There was snow on the ground. I don’t see no snow in this panel- that tree looks real green. That last issue is mostly a nitpick- who cares what season they left in tbh. But the fact that they just wrote this panel into the comic despite the fact canon shows Taiyang had no idea of Ruby’s departure- and the fact that Ruby’s departure is actually really important to a bunch of later scenes in this show is really fucking weird.

Issue #2:

I know we know next to nothing about Raven Branwen, but holy fucking shit do I wanna believe this is ridiculously out of character for her. You’re telling me that Raven actually did come visit Yang and Tai and Ruby, but the one time she ever made her presence known to any of them was to berate and terrify Ruby the one time she’d learned anything about Summer?! Like BRO. This is so fucked up! This is too fucked up! This is straight early 90′s level villainy right here. What was even the point behind this?! This scene tells us that she felt so negatively about Summer Rose that she was willing to break her silent cover just to disillusion Ruby for no other reason than to tell her she was weak. Which makes no fucking sense because when we finally meet her during season 5 Raven has nothing bad to say about Summer at all! What did Qrow say to her after they spoke? “Hey sis why the fuck are you flying around your ex’s home scaring his daughter who just lost her mother? You realize you’re talking shit about the woman who raised your child too right?” Like, this is so wildly terrible, that if we’re meant to take this into account, I don’t see how anyone who reads these comics could say anything positive about Raven ever again. This is strike one, two and three for her entire characterization.

Issue #4:

I’ve said it already but fuck this boat.

Not so much an issue with the comic as it is with RoosterTeeth’s sometimes sloppy storytelling, but we really need an exact age on Adam. Is this man a pedophile? We know Blake is about twelve here, meanwhile- besides looking maybe a little scrawnier- Adam looks the same as he did during the show. How old is this kid right here? Fifteen? Seventeen? Was he 20 during the events of volume 1? Was he 25? I really dislike this specific problem RT has created because at no point during canon were we led to believe that Adam was significantly older than Blake or our other characters, but here in the comic we’re getting huge pedo vibes. Idk if this was RoosterTeeth retroactively trying to throw Adam’s character even further into question but... Idk man, RT y’all need to hurry up and carbon date this kid because I’m really not liking this.

I’m not gonna harp on the whole “Adam as a revolutionary vs Adam as a genocidal maniac” issue again. Most of y’all already know where I stand on this and have either made up your minds that either, yes, Adam’s sudden change towards being genocidal after being forcibly conscripted by Cinder doesn’t make much sense, or, no, Adam’s behavior is entirely in line with what little we’d seen of him up to that point in the story. I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinions on this issue, I’ve got about a dozen other posts for that. My issue with these panels specifically is that this is the moment Blake discovers Adam is genocidal. This is the moment Blake realizes that Adam never wanted peace, never wanted coexistence, never wanted what the White Fang actually wanted in the first place. He wanted Faunus supremacy- a goal entirely removed from the White Fang’s goal of equality between Faunus and humans. This is the moment Blake realizes that his ideology is so far from what it is she herself wants. If this is correct, why does Blake never mention this AT ALL when she’s talking about Adam. When the conversation comes up during season 3, she specifically states that Adam’s change was gradual. Not that he’d been hiding who he really was from her but that he’d become a completely different person from the man she’d originally known. I recognize that a lot of people say that this could be explained away as evidence of Blake’s abuse- oftentimes abusers don’t even realize just how monstrous their abusers are, even after they’ve escaped from said abuse. But this is just such a monumentally larger issue than manipulation and abuse. Adam is outright saying that he wants genocide! He’s not trying to hide it, he’s not trying to lie, he’s not trying to manipulate her! He’s telling her explicitly that he wishes he could kill as many humans as possible. But during the Black Trailer she’s still asking Adam about the crew members as if they hadn’t had this conversation hours ago! During season 2 she’s drawing him in her notebook as if she misses him! During season 3 she’s explaining that he’s simply misguided! This is apologia of the umpteenth level that is absolutely inexcusable. If I’m honestly supposed to be made to believe that Blake knew Adam was genocidal from before the events of the Black trailer and season 1 but still had feelings for him... I’m sorry but I’ve lost any and all respect for her entire character. You can’t have feelings for someone who’s genocidal- who you know is genocidal- and expect sympathy. No amount of abuse would forgive someone for having feelings for Hitler.

I recognize the comics aren’t supposed to be a shot for shot recreation of the show, but what the fuck is this panel? The frame of Adam dismembering Yang was such a good, amazing, impactful frame. The black and red framing, the yellow of Yang’s hair and weapons, the red of Adam’s sword. Why would you not even try to recreate that?

Leaving nitpicks for the end, really wish they hadn’t used “sunflower” here. That’s Yang/Ren. But again, the comic is made by people who aren’t in the fndm and don’t interact with the RWBY community at large in the first place, so of course they wouldn’t know.

Issue #5:

Why does Blake seem so ooc here. Like, the fact that she’s trying to make Weiss feel guilty for “cheating” in a “win by any means necessary” free for all match is really??? Weird??? When we know Blake isn’t above using underhanded tricks herself considering what she did to Reese during the tournament and her Semblance in general??? But whatever, that’s mostly a nitpick as well.

Issue #7:

My issue with this story is that it ends with Yang like, wistfully thinking of spending more time with Blake. But this is before she even put the prosthetic on. This is before she even got to talk with Weiss after meeting up with Raven. This is so early on in her healing process that I find it extremely difficult to believe that Yang is fondly remembering any time she spent with Blake. When Ruby talks to her during 3.12, she was angry that Blake had left her! Abandoned her! And then in the conversation she has with Weiss that happens after this event in the comic she’s still frustrated with Blake for leaving. So like... did she suddenly forgive Blake just a few weeks into her recovery and then relapse back into feeling like she’d abandoned her? Wtf is this?

Issue #9:

I know she’s obviously supposed to be drunk here, and we barely got to know her during the short scenes she had, but like... she never struck me as this kind of person. To literally forget how old her daughter is? Like...???? The same woman who was so perceptive she was able to recognize that Whitley was acting out because he’d felt lonely and abandoned by his sisters? Doesn’t know how old one of her children is? This is silly.

This isn’t the same woman we met during season 7. This isn’t the same quick witted woman who immediately directed Weiss to the cameras she’d hidden around the house when it was time to spring the trap on Jacques. This isn’t the same woman who was so honest when she admitted to her own faults just a few short months after this scene supposedly took place. You could argue that the events of this comic are what led Willow to become the person we meet later on, but like... That’s an absolutely ridiculous amount of offscreen growth you’re expecting me to just assume has happened. These aren’t the same people. This is ridiculous.

Issue #12:

This seems so ooc for Sun. Why is he literally begging her to run away and not face a problem when his entire relationship with Blake up to and past this point is him teaching Blake to love herself enough to face her problems head-on in the first place? This is so weird and gross imo because it just feels like they’re warping Sun’s character to make it look like Yang is the only good influence in her life when that’s simply not the case. Every conversation Sun has with Blake from season 1 to season 6 is him telling her that she deserves happiness, love, and to forgive herself. There are multiple songs about this aspect of their relationship! Sun has helped Blake grow just as much as Yang has. Why is Sun taking this approach to manipulate Blake into staying silent about something that’s bothering her? On top of that, Sun’s never been the brightest banana of the bunch anyway, why the FUCK is he smart enough here to recognize that if Blake tells the truth and makes those people feel bad, that they’d draw more Grimm? He’s never been this intuitive before. It really feels like they made him smarter than he normally is just to make him scummier than he’s ever been so that we could feel that Blake’s relationship with Sun is less than her relationship with Yang. Awful writing and characterization from the RWBY DC team here

Issue #13:

This is so wrong and despicable and manipulative and terrible. Again, this isn’t the same woman we met in the show. 

Willow never made excuses for herself or her actions like this. Not once during the entire time she was on screen did she do anything like this. She knew she wasn’t a great mother and she took full responsibility for her actions- and inaction- I don’t know WHY she’s trying to excuse herself here. This is more Cruella De Ville than it is Willow Schnee.

I’m not gonna explain how lumping this “prized menagerie” story with “Faunus slave labor” story together is godawful but just recognize that it’s Black History Month and this plot point they decided to write in is not MLK approved.

Anyway, that’s the whole RWBY DC run. All in all it wasn’t the worst adaptation of an established series, but goddamn. I’d rank this up there with Eragon or Percy Jackson or the end of the Soul Eater anime or something. This is such a slap in the face by people who obviously only ever skimmed through the show for the explicit purpose of writing this series that I’ve read fancomics and fanfiction that handle canon better than this. It’s really frustrating too because this comic run is like, beloved by certain people in the fndm who are only in this for the ships, and people who refuse to see anything wrong with this series ever. The healthy servings of Bumbleby and crumbs of Monochrome and White Rose are apparently enough to make people go “fuck all the inconsistencies, this comic is great.” Cannot express how much these people make me wanna slam my head into a wall. 

I did this just to highlight all the issues I have with the run, but I’m sure other people have other issues with this comic than I do. Have fun in the comments I guess.

#RWBY #RWDE

[jedi-order-apologist]

I finished reading Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, and I have to say, I really, really loved it! Everyone who recommended it to me was 100% right - this book is great, and especially great in its representation of the Jedi. I think I like it even more than Shatterpoint, and I really liked Shatterpoint.

There are some weak points - it was a little slow to pull me in, and there’s a couple of Weird Legends Things™ that, with me not being particularly immersed in that continuity, don’t quite fit in with my conception of Star Wars (Dooku apparently having had a Master that was not Yoda; the infamous 13-year-old age limit (though I was at least familiar with that one), the Jedi being so far in the public eye that there exists a famous Yoda impersonator, etc), and I was a little iffy on how it handled the “Jedi shouldn’t be in the war” angle (I’m fine with there being Jedi who think that the Jedi shouldn’t be in the war. I’m less fine with an author deciding that other Jedi can’t find the words to defend their involvement, because that’s a cheap way of framing the argument), and a small moment of the “everyone falls in love” stuff I dislike.

But those were very small aspects of the book, all things considered, and pretty much everything else about this book is really, really good, and very Star Warsy - a very healthy mix of the wacky as well as the philosophical sides of the franchise, which suited my tastes really well. This book is fun - Yoda is the grumpy grandpa that he deserves to be, and spends a good portion of the book disguised as an astromech that gets into all sorts of trouble. Obi-Wan and Anakin have peak sibling energy in the handful of scenes that they show up in - Anakin at one point insisting that a woman would have to be desperate to want Obi-Wan, and only a younger sibling could possibly say something like that with a straight face to a man as attractive as Obi-Wan, as well as Obi-Wan lying to Mace Windu’s face to cover for Anakin and then immediately grumbling about it to Anakin that he doesn’t know why he does these things for him is such an older sibling thing to do.

Where this book really shines, though, is the serious stuff - the philosophy and the dark side and especially grief. What absolutely sold me on this story, and what made me sit up and go “this is going to be one of my favorite Star Wars books”, was the part where Yoda speaks to the padawans and helps them address and work through their grief. It was phenomenal, and beautiful, and absolutely everything I want out of depicting the Jedi - especially in the context that only a chapter earlier, Ventress had been hurling those standard accusations of “the Jedi don’t let you feel”, and this book wonderfully, completely demolishes that nonsense. This section is absolutely amazing:

Yoda set his bowl of gumbo regretfully aside. “Hear it working, do you?”

“Hear what?” Whie snapped.

“The dark side. Always it speaks to us, from our pain. Our grief. It connects our pain to all pain, our hurt to all hurt.”

“Maybe it has a lot to say.” Whie stared at the starscape hovering over the projector table. “It’s so easy for you. What do you care? You are unattached, aren’t you? You’ll probably never die. What was Maks Leem to you? Another pupil. After all these centuries, who could blame you if you could hardly keep track of them? Well, she was more than that to me.” He looked up challengingly. Tear tracks were shining on his face, but his eyes were still hard and angry. “She was the closest thing I had to a mother, since you took me away from my real mother. She chose me to be her Padawan and I let her down, I let her die, and I’m not going to sit here and stuff myself and get over it!” He finished with a yell, sweeping the plate of crêpes off the projection table, so the platter went sailing toward the floor.

Yoda’s eyes, heavy-lidded and half closed like a drowsing dragon’s, gleamed, and one finger twitched. Food, platter, drinks, and all hung suspended in the air. The platter settled; the crêpes returned to it; Whie’s overturned cup righted itself, and rich purple liquid trickled back into it. All settled back onto the table.

Another twitch of Yoda’s fingers, the merest flicker, and Whie’s head jerked around as if on a string, until he found himself looking into the old Jedi’s eyes. They were green, green as swamp water. He had never quite realized before how terrifying those eyes could be. One could drown in them. One could be pulled under.

“Teach me about pain, think you can?” Yoda said softly. “Think the old Master cannot care, mmm? Forgotten who I am, have you? Old am I, yes. Mm. Loved more than you, have I, Padawan. Lost more. Hated more. Killed more.” The green eyes narrowed to gleaming slits under heavy lids. Dragon eyes, old and terrible. “Think wisdom comes at no cost? The dark side, yes - it is easier for them. The pain grows too great, and they eat the darkness to flee from it. Not Yoda. Yoda loves and suffers for it, loves and suffers.”

One could have heard a feather hit the floor.

“The price of Yoda’s wisdom, high it is, very high, and the cost goes on forever. But teach me about pain, will you?”

“I...” Whie’s mouth worked. “I am sorry, Master. I was angry. But...what if they’re right?” he cried out in anguish. “What if the galaxy is dark. What if it’s like Ventress says: we are born, we suffer, we die, and that is all. What if there is no plan, what if there is no ‘goodness’? What if we suffer blindly, trying to find a reason for the suffering, but we’re just fooling ourselves, looking for hope that isn’t there? What if there is nothing but stars and the black space between them and the galaxy does not care if we live or die?”

Yoda said, “It’s true.”

The Padawans looked at him in shock.

The Master’s short legs swung forth and back, forth and back. “Perhaps,” he added. He sighed. “Many days, feel certain of a greater hope, I do. Some days, not so.” He shrugged. “What difference does it make?”

“Ventress was right?” Whie said, shocked out of his anger.

“No! Wrong she is! As wrong as she can be!” Yoda snorted. “Grief in the galaxy, is there? Oh, yes. Oceans of it. Worlds. And darkness?” Yoda pointed to the starscape on the projection table. “There you see: darkness, darkness everywhere, and a few stars. A few points of light. If no plan there is, no fate, no destiny, no providence, no Force: then what is left?” He looked at each of them in turn. “Nothing but our choices, hmm?”

“Asajj eats the darkness, and the darkness eats her back. Do that if you wish, Whie. Do that if you wish.” The old Jedi looked deep into the starscape, suns and planets and nebulae dancing, tiny points of light blazing in the darkness. “To be Jedi is to face the truth, and choose. Give off light, or darkness, Padawan.” His matted eyebrows rose high over his swamp-colored eyes, and he poked Whie with the end of his stick. Poke, poke. “Be a candle, or the night, Padawan: but choose!”

Whie cried for what seemed like a long time. Scout ate. Fidelis served. Master Yoda told stories of Maks Leem and Jai Maruk: tales of their most exciting adventures, of course, but also comical anecdotes from the days when they were only children in the Temple. They drank together, many toasts.

Scout cried. Whie ate. Fidelis served.

Yoda told stories, and ate, and cried, and laughed: and the Padawans saw that life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

I want to show this passage to every hot-take Yoda-critical fan who’s ever leveled that kind of nonsense at him. I want every one of them to read this and still try to tell me that Yoda is detached and uncaring of the galaxy around him. I want every fan who thinks the Jedi are expected to be unfeeling to read this and understand what the Jedi actually say and do and why giving into these feelings is the issue, not the feelings themselves.

The confrontation with Dooku is also amazing. Yoda challenges him to explain why the dark side is so great, and Dooku only gets more and more frustrated as Yoda is unswayed by any of what he tempts him with. I especially love this bit where Yoda lays out exactly why what the dark side promises is false:

“Want something else. Want power.”

“Power have I.”

“Want wealth.”

“Wealth I need not.”

“Want to be safe,” Dooku said in frustration. “Want to be free from fear!”

“I will never be safe,” Yoda said. He turned away from Dooku, a shapeless bundle under a battered, acid-eaten cloak. “The universe is large and cold and very dark: that is the truth. What I love, taken from me will be, late or soon: and no power is there, dark or light, that can save me.”

That then leads into a bit where Dooku has a vision of what a dark!Yoda would look like, and realizes how utterly terrifying that would be.

Dooku also has abandonment issues on full display - lashing out at the lady who had given her son up to the Jedi, getting furious at her on the son’s behalf (but so clearly, his own, speaking of his own resentment towards his parents), and throwing an absolute hissy fit because he’s convinced Yoda likes Anakin more than him. I’m not kidding, he’s so offended by Anakin’s entire existence that just his mere presence in his house is enough for Dooku to stop feeling conflicted about the whole thing and jump right back into the dark side.

And there’s just so many good little moments throughout it all on top of all that. Whie’s dreams - and oh, I knew exactly what his dream of his own death was when he described it to Scout and it hurt at the end when he hugged Anakin while saying “I’m so glad you’re not coming to kill me!”. And Ventress, calling Dooku out on the fact that it’s so obvious that Sidious will end up replacing him (also for a more humorous bit - the fact that she apparently has some petty grudge against Anakin and Obi-Wan for stealing her ships so she goes out of her way to steal their ship at the end), and the droids, and Scout’s cleverness in winning the tournament despite her disadvantages, Jai Maruk’s last stand and refusal to fall when he was at the edge, and...so much, really.

And above all else, the book really latches onto the idea of Jedi as family, and you all know how much I really, really love the idea of the Jedi as a big found family. The idea that they consider each other to be family is driven home again and again, in their words and in their actions, and I absolutely adore this book for that emphasis.

#yoda dark rendezvous #yoda #in defense of the jedi #book review #book recommendation #jedi positive #jedi #the jedi order #jedi order #guys i REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK #seriously #i highlighted so many passages in it and I couldn't possibly include them all in this post #there are so many REALLY good conversations #about the dark side #and grief #and so much #on the dark side #on emotion

[bugaboowritings]

Are You A Superhero? - Not So Miraculous AU

Doing What A Superhero Would- Walking a Kid Back Home in a Chilly Winter Night

“Are you a superhero?”

It was a simple question and honestly one that would be laughed at, but she wouldn’t even dare to do that. Not when that question brought back a feeling she thought died a while back.

What do you do when you have no powers? You kick ass in a Ladybug mask, of course! All as you keep it a secret . . . well, try to at least. It was a secret before some kid saw you . . . .

—-

  Her ears tingled as she went from hearing the loud sound of smashed glass to the serene silence that snow brought into the air as it falls and packs down on driveways and window shutters. Her senses had to readjust while the sharp air dove into her warm lungs and her shoes felt hot and heavy as the frost crunched under her weight. It felt a bit anticlimactic, she just escaped having a knife to her throat and now she was surrounded by the calm, dancing snowflakes.

   A chill came up her spine.

“Are you a superhero?”

  Her hand hovered over her belt before she stopped herself a millisecond before pulling out something with a trigger. Like if a pin coated with poison poked her spine, Marinette stood paralyzed.

  It was a child.

  A kid on the concrete sidewalk with a backpack over their small shoulders.

 She didn’t think anyone would cross this part of town. Wait, no- Marinette knew that no one would cross this street for the minutes she planned on staying. She has been scouting the area for weeks and no one passes here during the morning, night, or noon. Not a single car or a single piece of trash. Not a drunk or a lost bystander. No one wants to walk on this side of the city. Especially at breaking dawn.

  No one expect the awful people in the abandoned building behind her. Still- they never left the building unless some black van pulled up on Tuesday at 8:15.

Luckily, it was 7:30.

Meaning no witnesses.

No worries.

No danger.

No innocent people in danger.

 However, even with all the precautions, Marinette was spotted leaving the crime scene. Her eyes swept the street back and forth, ready to jump away into the darkness if anyone else came along. Her heels were ready to push her back- Yet, she stood there as the kid with the big bug eyes stared right back at her.

Paralyzed and surprised.

 Marinette could only imagine what the kid was thinking, watching a stranger lurk in the streets of Paris. Especially as the day dipped down and hues of purple and oranges brushed across the winter sky.

  For a split second, they seem like they were two worlds crashing into each other. The kid’s naive nature drew a sharp contrast to Marinette’s fists and mask. Her face was grown and her features were sharp while the kid still had baby fat on their cheeks. The kid wore color layers as she sported sable color-palette with touches of red. Yet, even with their differences, they both felt their face get scrapped and the warmth thinning from their body as the wind blew a little harder.

They both need to get out of the cold.

  Marinette’s hair and ears froze stiff as the snow settled gently on her black hair. Forming a little white halo, serving as a contradiction to what she really was. The heat she had before died in the palms of her hands. The adrenaline from punching and wrestling feather-out in her breaths that fog up the air.

  Leaving her system in nice, long dragon breaths.

 “A superhero?” Marinette whispered as her teeth pulled down her lips. Tasting her lip balm and feeling it stick to her tongue and teeth. She hasn’t heard that anyone call her that in like forever.

“You know, like the ones from the comic books?” The kid repeated. Shuffling their feet together in what seems like an early form of anxiety, but the kid’s eyes didn’t leave Marinette’s. Deep and pearly eyes that wouldn’t leave until they got an answer.

 The child had to be around 6 or 7 years old. Honestly, Marinette couldn’t really tell with all the colorful layers they wore. Even with their stacks of scarves protecting their lips and nose from the chilling wind, a little slip of skin showed that the bridge of their nose glowed bright red.

 A superhero? From a comic book?

 Mari tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, swallowing the words that clouded her mind.

Her- A superhero?

 God, that sentence brought back something she thought crawled in a corner and died. Her blue eyes glanced back at the kid with the oversized backpack. Whatever their age, they were definitely too young to remember her. Too young to wake up to the reports of a cat and bug jumping over roofs and swinging off and over towers. Too small to scream and jump up and down when they spot a girl in red and black spots. Too much of a baby to understand that she and her partner were the reason the world still stood. Too little to be wearing her out-dated merch. Too green to even remember who she was.

 And definitely too young to call her a superhero.  

 Little sniffles brought Marinette back to reality, snapping her out of her thoughts as she proceeded her answer. Her senses came back to her, waking up from the numbness of the winter cold and cutting off the memories that swelled in her chest. Overwhelmed by the small moments on rooftops she treasured, only to remember that they were gone. Reminding herself where she was now and who she was now.

 Anything, but a superhero.

Marinette bit her lip a little harder, scolding herself for not saying anything. She was most likely scaring the kid just by standing there and saying nothing at all.

Honestly, who wouldn’t be?

  You see a woman walking into an abandoned building, only to come out with blood from the other guy on her knuckles.

Who wouldn’t be scared?

Her eyes clicked down to the child on the sidewalk.

Yeah, but this kid didn’t seem a bit terrified.

  The kid’s face remained emotionless or look like it. Their hat covered their eyebrows so Marinette couldn’t really tell what they were feeling even if she wanted to know. Marinette’s eyes trace the lines of their face, not helping herself when she saw the pattern on the hat was definitely crocheted and then the scarves around their neck were knitted. Then the gloves on their thin fingers were hand-me-downs due to the style and color. Those same gloves were used as tissues as the kid occasionally brought their hand to face to wipe their nose after sniffing a few times. Their dark blue jacket puffed up around their shoulders and stretched over their thumbs, another sign that the kid had layers on layers under.

  It brought this sort of warm feeling in her. Reminding her how her father would rummage around the closets just to find her “one more thing” before she went outside to play in the snow. Then how her mother would pull that stiff beanie over her ears and kiss her forehead. Sending her off when they open the front door and let the cold breeze in.

That warm feeling brought cold water down her back.

It’s late.

 Too late for someone this small to be out here alone at night. Especially here. Judging from the clothing, someone at home would definitely be worried. And if they waited any longer than the child would definitely end up with a nasty cold, even with all those layers of jackets.

 “What makes you think I’m even one?” Directing her mind back to their question at hand. Not helping the stressed chuckle that slipped her lips as she crouched down to their height. Hoping that her small laugh would put the kid at ease. Even if she looked over her shoulder and tensed up as another gush of wind pushed up her hair.

She needs to get this kid out of here. Quickly.

  Inside of the building behind her was the unconscious group of human-organ traffickers, all tied up and ready for the police to come to handle the rest. Knowing that around 8:15 PM, a black van will pull up expecting anything but handcuffs. Marinette knew that she was safe, but this child?! She knew she did her job and a good one so the criminals inside were definitely out cold, but the last thing she could ever do is leave someone out here with them nearby.

Or was that all a dumb reason to have a chance to direct this kid home? Or to hear them call her a superhero, just one more time. A title that seems to bring a sense of nostalgia and-

 The gears in Marinette’s brain spun a little faster as she thought over the real problem in front of her.

 Why is this kid even here? Where are their parents? And-

“You fought that guy that was hurting the owner of the corner store.”

“I-,”

 The store robbery.  The unexpected rescue that almost blew her cover. Chat chewed her out for that and was his trump card whenever they got into fights for that whole week, but she knew that if she didn’t jump in - he would have instead.  

“-And now too.”

“Now?”

 “Yeah, right now.” The child repeated, shaking their head with a grin. Their little gloved hand reaching up to adjust the wool on their mouth.

 “You’re dressed like a superhero. With that mask, boots, and red superhero armor. You even got a cape!” The child exclaimed. Pointing eagerly at Marinette’s outfit. Her boots were a little out of place to brush it off as her daily shoes. Her superhero ‘armor’ was nothing but the protective padding around her torso and shoulders. The cape was just the silhouette of her trench coat. It’s oversized so it did give a cloak feeling to it.

 Marinette pulled the belt of her coat a little tighter.

 “I- Look it’s late and you shouldn’t be here,” Marinette huffed. Nodding her head towards the nearest bus stop.

 “Did you get off at the wrong stop or are you lost?”

 “I’m walking home today. My Dads are at work and told me to wait for them-but ... I couldn’t really stay at school so I decided to take the bus.” They stumbled over their words, getting really quiet before they opened their mouth again- but Marinette already got the picture.

“Come on then,” she sighed, tucking her own scarf over her face before reaching out her hand. Before she could ask, a pair of small fingers curled around her palm. Feeling those hand-me-down gloves not doing any good as the fabric felt thin and light. Unconsciously rubbing them between her thumbs to warm them up.

“Let’s go before your family gets scared, okay?”

“Okay.” The child answered before grabbing her arm a little tighter.

——-

  “Your teacher sounds nice.”

  “Ms.G is mean at times though.” The child added, correcting Marinette’s statement as they kicked the stone under their shoes. Hopping over the black gum on the sidewalk before adding the fact Ms. G yells when the other kids don’t listen to her during recess.

  Marinette hummed again. Letting the kid speak to fill the chilly air and silent between them with the story of their day. Asking short questions to get them to speak more and more until they reached the kid’s home street. This one-sided conversation help pass time a little faster and put the kid at ease. Once getting there, Marinette couldn’t help but notice it seemed a bit familiar. Maybe it was because of the decorations and ribbon hanging from the windows and doors.

  Another chill ran up her neck, the cold nipped her skin a little more before she tugged on her coat a little tighter, feeling the padding on her belly rather than the squish that her jeans would cover. Fumbling with her buttons before she sighs another cloud into the air. Keeping her hand entangled with the kid’s before she drops down to their height.

  “There, by the light post, is that your house?”

 The kid looked up and with a crooked smile- nodded. The pom-pom on their hat bounced before quickly thanking her. Telling her that she just had to meet “Dads” so they could show them that they got home safe thanks to her.

 But Marinette brushed off that invitation. Explaining how she has to get home too before someone starts worrying for her.

 It pained Mari to have to let go of the kid’s hand even though she just met them some minutes ago. It seems to hurt a little more when they asked for her name and she couldn’t answer. So she did the best thing she could do, she played the superhero role.

 “It’s a secret.”

“I can keep a secret.” The kid responded coy.

 “Yeah well, it’s a superhero secret and if I tell you then my identity would be in danger.”

 The kid’s face lit up much like the light decorations around the neighborhood.

 “So you ARE a superhero then!”

 “Ha, sure.” Marinette smiled. Standing up to her full height before motioning them to start walking to their door.

  But the kid didn’t move away but just step a little closer.

 “So what is your superhero name, then?”

 “I-“ Stumped on what to say next before it hit her. It all seems like an old memory, a classic case of deja vu. Except for this time, it wasn’t a blond wearing leather asking.

  “I’m Ladybug.” She beamed, cocking her head to the side- letting her bangs slide over, giving the kid a better look at her mask.

  It took four tries to get right, but it became the perfect mold of her face with patience and practice. Slipping easily on and staying on. It was even red and spotted too, much like the old gear she had back in high school.

  “Ladybug…” the child repeated. Chewing the name in their mouth before accepting it.

 “Thank you so much, Ladybug! I’ll promise that-“

 Then she was gone. The woman that just walked them home and to safely had disappeared into thin air. All without a trail of snow prints to follow.

 Before the kid could call her out, the front door opened. Quickly feeling the warm lights cover their back as two sets of arms pulled them near.

 “God, you had us so worried!”

 “Where were you?!” A red-head shouted, alternating from pulling his child close and yelling on how scared they were.

 “Dads! You will never believe who I met?” Exclaimed the child, ignoring their parents’ shouts as they went on explaining the lady that walked them home and save them when that robbery happened last week and who-

  The child threw their hands up and around, it was quite cute to watch. Marinette couldn’t stop the small chuckle that leaked from her coral lips as she watched the ‘show’ from the rooftop. Noticing how the kid’s parents seem confused, angry, and then relieved and then back to confused when the kid said her name.

 “-then I got home thanks to the help of Ladybug! She saved me and she-“

 “Ladybug?”

 “Yeah, Ladybug! She was wearing this mask and had this coat and then she had this superhero armor over her clothes!”

  The parents pulled their kid in the house and even with closed doors, Marinette could still hear the kid boast about her.

 The kid with the bug eyes couldn’t stop gushing over the red bug.

Wait, until the cat hears about this.

#ml #miraculous ladybug #miraculous the tales of ladybug and chat noir #my writings #lee writes #fic #ml fic #marinette dupain cheng #a short drabble #my writing #my fic #no so #miraculous au #ml au #au #happy holidays #aged up #aged up au

[fanfictionlive]

Which of these SI ideas do you want to read about?

What it says on the tin. I'm in the middle of a writing binge but I have so many plotbunnies and don't know where to start. Here's a list of things I'm in the mood to work on. Please, tell me which one catches your attention! If you got an idea/trope/headcanon of your own that I have your permission or liberty take, maybe twist, or implement in one of my wips, feel free to add them too. I'll credit you, of course 

HARRY POTTER:

Male!SIOC as the older brother of Sirius and Regulus Black and heir of the Black family.

SI of myself; I'm a muggleborn girl in the same year as the Weasley twins.

Male!SIOC with a twist; he's an Auror from the 2010s who time-travels to either the Marauders era or canon era. He accepts a position as teacher at Hogwarts.

PERCY JACKSON:

SI as Percy Jackson. Realistic rewrite of the series. Will stay true to the nature of Greek Mythology (the gods are fudging terrifying and not troll parents)

NARUTO:

Male!SIOC in Sunagakure. Grimdark. Lots of worldbuilding. The journey from cannon fodder to capable shinobi. He's a year or two older than Kakashi.

Female!SIOC at the end of the Third Shinobi War. Focuses on the civilian side of things and the spying/seduction game. She wakes up in Tanzaku Gai and earns money by continuing her previous part-time job: pole-dancing. She takes to Jiraiya like a baby duckling and follows him in his travels. (She'll never be anything stronger than genin, if even that).

A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE:

SI!Robb Stark. Enough said.

Male!SI as Balerion, the Black Dread. ( yes, he turns human at one point  )

Crossover/reincarnation, although no prior knowledge of Naruto is needed. Uchiha Shisui is reincarnated as the trueborn son of Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon. He's crown prince

Female!SI(OC) as the daughter of the one who launched the Tourney of Harrenhal (when Rhaegar crowned Lyanna instead of his WAIFU). She has 3 older brothers and her uncle is Oswell Whent, a member of the Kingsguard. Looooots of humor, while keeping in mind the stakes of the world. I kinda see it as romcom in Westeros?

Male!SIOC as the younger brother of Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King. I've already written a teaser for this one; read it under the list!

DRAGON AGE:

Male!SIOC. Kinda a crossover? Kinda portal fantasy? Bo prior knowledge of FF7 is needed. Premise is: a SOLDIER from Final Fantasy 7 (already a reincarnated soul from our world) falls into the Lifestream (it's green) just before Sephiroth goes Ragnarok on everyone. He ends up stuck to an elf for a years or so, invisible and intangible. The elf is the one who stumbles upon Divine Justinia being threatened at the Conclave but just before he picks up the sphere, SIOC does it for him. BOOM. He's the Inquisitor instead of Lavellan.

DC COMICS:

Male!SIOC as a Lantern. That's all I have for now so if you got suggestions... I'm eying the Violet Lantern like a thirsty dog, though. As for the universe... Injustice is winking at me ahdgjsjs

SI as Aquaman. The comics were soooo frustrating but I love Arthur to bits. Can't wait to get my hands on Atlantis. Worldbuilding a fish city? I volunteer!

Male!SIOC as Bruce Wayne's younger brother (he's one year old when their parents die, so eight years younger than Bruce). Bro. BRO. This wip is my BABY. So much worldbuilding. So much nostalgia. I've actually nearly managed to make a decent timeline of events. ALL major DC events are in this monster of a wip, from Countdown to Infinite Crisis to Blackest Night to Flashpoint. ALL beloved villains and heroes, from Cyborg Superman to Jason Todd to Kilowogg. It spans from the Wayne brother's childhood filled with shenanigans (baby catwoman, black mask and twoface helping Bruce solve a crime? It's more likely thatn you think!) to Nightwing proposing to his love (this is when I'll be annoying and say "read to find out who it is!!" Lol)

Disclaimer: All of these ideas are mine!! Their worlds are not ( for the most part lol). They're not up for adoption. If you really want to take one and write your version of it, please tell me. Some are already named, some already written, some are barely a vague aesthetic in my head.

Warnings: All warnings apply with my fics. I write everything, and some topics/tropes/plotlines will offend you, or make you uncomfortable. My wips, besides being lgbt-friendly, often reflect my thoughts, which you'll probably disagree with in some cases. They also, in some cases, contain DARK themes, and while I may not always write explicit scenes, I do make the characters feel the consequences.

submitted by /u/LuceLucky [link] [comments] from FanFiction: Where Magical Ponies battle Imperial Titans https://ift.tt/2rwYcWA

#fan fiction #writing #fanfiction #tv show #series #movie #fan #write

[paladin-andric]

Razorwing and the Party Crasher

An idea I’ve had on the backburner for a while now! At a play Razorwing is attending, playing himself, of course, an uninvited guest nearly sets a disaster in motion...

“Ha-HA! You are no match for me, foul beast!”

Razorwing fired a dummy arrow from his bow. The cheap, small bow was nearly a toy, though it looked real enough from the crowd. The arrows were tipped with a soft, pliant material instead of the typical steel or iron it was made of. All of this was so the target wouldn’t be harmed when they were hit.

Wouldn’t want to hurt the other actors, after all! Razorwing posed heroically as the young dragon roared and collapsed in rather dramatic fashion. The dragon was really a black dragon, from when Razorwing fought the beast, but this actor was a green one. It was quite hard to find a black dragon who’s heart wasn’t filled with hatred, much less one that would willingly participate in a...show.

He did, however, look like a black dragon. The young Koutu magician that had signed up to work with the play had cast a spell that wrapped the young dragon in shadow, giving him the appearance of a black-scaled dragon.

“Graaah! This cannot be! I am the great and invincible Lightdrinker! How could a mere mortal like you defeat me?!”

“You underestimate the spirit of Koutu, Human and all other races! Together, our hearts are unassailable!”

With a dramatic flourish, Razorwing pulled back on the small bow and fired, smacking the dragon in the forehead with a dummy arrow, the beast’s head thumping to the ground as the birdman raised his weapon in triumph.

The crowd, overwhelmingly Koutu, went wild, cheering, hollering and applauding as the curtains closed on the stage. Razorwing quickly moved to the side, getting ready for the next scene. The green dragon, shadows already lifting from his form, stood up and shook the rubbery arrows off of him.

“Thanks, Aldyn!” The other Koutu whispered as he hurried to get alongside Razorwing.

“Ahh, it was nothing! I would be a fool to not take such a lucrative offer! I’m off to take a quick nap. I’ll be back for my pay later, catch up with me if you are still here! Good luck, you two!” The dragon quickly unfurled his wings and launched himself through the hole in the roof, designed specifically to get him on and off the stage without the audience seeing.

The young Koutu next to Razorwing excitedly clutched his wand. The birdman was short and had jet-black feathers, along with a short, mostly flat beak, giving him the appearance of a crow. The magician could barely contain himself.

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this! I-I’m really going to be in a scene with you! Oh goodness, oh goodness, this is real, this is really happening...”

“Ah, don’t be so nervous, Eignach!” Razorwing said, wrapping his wing around the smaller Koutu’s shoulder, “Just relax...and relish in the spotlight!”

Eignach looked almost ready to faint. “O-Oh, yes sir! I-I swear I’ll put on a good show!” The bird shot him a near delirious grin, which made Razorwing ruffle the magician’s head.

“Relax, relax! Everything is going to be alright! Don’t think this play’s the end of this! We’ll have plenty of time to talk afterwards!”

“T-Talk?! Y-You want to talk with me?”

Razorwing suppressed the urge to laugh as one of the other actors headed onto stage, not wanting to ruin the scene. “Sure! But let’s do this afterwards! They’re ready for us! Remember the coaching!”

Eignach nodded. “Yessir!”

Another Koutu stood on the stage, waving his arms and moving his head around as he addressed the audience.

“After his glorious victory against the mighty Lightdrinker, Razorwing soon heard talk of demons preparing an attack on the village of Haven, a small, peace-loving human village, just across a bridge at our border! We have a lengthy history with the people of Haven, one of great closeness and friendship! With the burning desire to protect the humans from the horrible demons, Razorwing set out to Haven immediately! On the way, he encountered a traveling magician, who offered his aid to the great hero...”

Although Eignach wasn’t really who Razorwing had encountered, he fit the bill well enough. Besides, he had been so excited when he showed up to audition...who could say no to a person like Eignach? Razorwing suspected he had a bit of an...obsession with the hero. He suddenly became nervous, tongue-tied and clumsy when the archer was around. He was eager to please him and always listened extremely closely to the larger man. Razorwing couldn’t help but find it endearing.

As the curtains parted once again, a few musicians began playing from the back of the stage. Trumpets and violins softly set the scene of the long road the two stars were making their way down. Razorwing strutted confidently in from the side, holding his bow slung over his shoulder.

“So, tell me magician,” Razorwing said loudly, “Have you any knowledge of these accursed demons?”

“Horrible!” Eignach shouted, hamming it up at tad too much, “Unholy monsters! Destroyers of order and life! Corrupters of the pure and innocent! It is the end of days, mighty hero! Even my magic has no effect! Please, for all life in Deaco, save us!”

Razorwing turned away from the audience before grinning. The small magician was supposed to be a sort of comic relief in the play, but this was too much! How could anyone take this seriously?! He really should have gone over the lines with the directors, the magician he had met wasn’t this desperate. In fact, he was more...sad. Believing it couldn’t be stopped, blaming himself for it. Razorwing had consoled him, and the two bonded on that road to Haven. It would have made for a much more touching scene, only it looked as though the directors wanted a goofy schlockfest instead.

The archer posed heroically and shot Eignach a cocky smile. “Do not worry, dear magician! I shall triumph over the monsters! There’s nothing to be worried about. I am by your side. We can do this, together!”

“Are you sure about that, bird?”

A sudden, deep and distorted voice from up above made the feathers on Razorwing’s body frazzle and stand up.

That voice.

That horrible voice.

He had heard one just like it before.

A large figure leaped down from the hole in the ceiling, landing in the center of the stage. Large, batlike wings. Deep red skin. A deformed face and black eyes. Big, sharp, tusk-like teeth. Cloven feet. A purple aura of corruption surrounding him.

This was a demon. A real, living demon.

This wasn’t in the script. This wasn’t planned. This was never even spoken of. The cast was to use magic to make a few actors look like demons in an upcoming fight scene. No one was mad enough to...summon a demon for this.

The musicians suddenly stopped playing, all wide-eyed. They quickly rushed into the back room as Eignach cowered behind Razorwing, huddled behind the hero for safety.

“W-W-Why is t-there a...d-d-demon?!”

Razorwing swallowed. “I...don’t know,” He whispered.

The demon laughed, the deep, otherworldly chuckle sending shivers up the birdman’s spine. “Not so tough now, are you, ‘hero’?” The demon said in a mocking sneer. “I’m here to extract revenge. You killed my brother. Now you will die, here, in front of all your loving fans.”

Razorwing glanced back at the audience. The Koutu were all excitedly whispering among each other and staring at the trio, transfixed.

Oh no, Razorwing thought, a pit in his stomach, no, no, NO. They think this is part of the play...

The birdman glared at the demon as he stood motionless, thinking his options over. He could fight the demon, of course, only...

Damn it! This baby-toy and these worthless arrows will do nothing! And all my equipment is in storage!

“Yes, this is why I chose now to attack. You are disarmed, with no hope to stop me...”

“Clever bastard...”

A sudden noise behind Razorwing made him quickly whirl around. Eignach had fled, rushing to the exit of the auditorium.

I can’t fight him like this...

Hesitating, Razorwing launched himself into the air and flew out of the hole in the ceiling, fleeing to safety.

The demon laughed. “See how pathetic and cowardly this great ‘hero’ truly is? He has abandoned you, his loving fans, to a fate worse than death. Curse his name as your mind shatters from my might!”

The audience continued chattering excitedly, still all under the idea that this was just another part of the play. Eignach, now at the doors, hesitated as he looked back. The demon was standing front and center, at the head of the stage, and raised his hand out to the crowd.

He’s...oh, by the Shining Lord! He’s going to unleash demonic corruption...upon this entire venue!

The magician clutched his wand as he considered what to do.

Razorwing...he’s just...he’s got a plan! Yes, that’s it! He’s a big hero! He’ll save the day! I just have to trust him! I need to buy him time!

Taking a deep breath, the small Koutu ran back, moving to the front of the audience as he held his hand out, channeling a magical barrier. He had never protected against corruption before, but he didn’t have to win...just buy enough time.

Eignach gasped as the demon’s magic smashed into his barrier like a battering ram. It had nearly broken through immediately. The novice magician strained and heaved against the mighty demonic force, nowhere near prepared for it.

“Oh. Brave one, aren’t you? I felt you buckle. You know you don’t stand a chance, and yet you persist. Hmm...” The demon shot the birdman a terrifying grin as he raised his hand once more.

“You’ll make a fine demon.”

Terror seized at Eignach’s heart. A demon?! This monster was going to corrupt him! His arms and legs shook as he quivered, whimpering under his breath. He couldn’t lose. He couldn’t become like THIS thing. He HAD to win.

As the corruption slammed into him again, his resolve wavered almost immediately. The demon was so powerful, he couldn’t keep this up...

Another wave of magic was all it took. Eignach felt the barrier shatter as he nearly collapsed, completely spent. He quivered and cowered as the demon laughed and leaped off of the stage, marching directly up to him.

The demon grabbed the magician and pulled him into his grip. Eignach could only wriggle his legs as the mighty beast held him up to his face.

“Pathetic. Now you know true might.”

Eignach suddenly felt...funny. His head spun as his vision worsened and thoughts slowed. He felt almost as if he was heavily influenced by drink, only much worse...

The corruption! Eignach had realized now that he was soaking up corruption just by being this close to the demon. Normally, passive corruption, not focused by magic, was a trivial thing, easily resisted by most people for a long time.

Eignach however, had just spent himself mentally on the barrier. Now, he had no more fight in him. Slowly, he felt himself slipping as the demon looked more and more like someone to be listened to.

“How easy this is! I don’t even need to try. You are so pitiful, so weak.”

“Pitiful...weak...” Eignach recited, in a trance.

“Yes, that’s right. A worm like you has no place better to be than beneath me. You will obey...”

“Obey...” The Koutu was starting to feel...pretty content with this. Wasn’t this what he was supposed to be doing, anyway? There had been something else, for some reason he was supposed to oppose this mighty ruler...but he couldn’t remember why.

A sinister laugh made the entire audience quiver. Even though they thought this was still an act, they could certainly feel the demonic nature of the creature before them. “Worthless, broken thing. You shall submit yourself to me.”

“Sub...submit...my...self...”

Even this deep in the trance, Eignach felt...off. He admired this great man, but...something was wrong...

“A little inkling of resistance? No matter, just stay close, feel the corruption enter you, and know your place.”

“My place...”

What WAS his place? He couldn’t remember, but this...pillar of resolve...he seemed like a good enough sort...the magician really liked him, in fact. Maybe he could clear all this confusion up?

Suddenly. a sharp noise made the demon whirl around, just in time for his shoulder to take an arrow that would have hit his head. The demon roared in pain, dropping the bewildered Eignach to the floor.

“W-Whaaa...? My...my place...? Wait...”

The magician muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes, straining to see what was happening. From the roofhole, an avian figure stood triumphantly, illuminated by the sun, longbow in hand.

“R...Razorwing!”

Suddenly, everything came flooding back to Eignach. His will slowly rebuilt itself as the magician felt himself waking up somewhat, his memories anchoring his mind against the corruption.

The crowd began cheering wildly as Razorwing readied another arrow. The hero had quickly fled to the storage room, grabbed his gear, and raced back.

“Foul demon! Back to hell with you!”

The archer quickly fired another shot, hitting the demon in the foot as it launched itself toward him. He quickly dodged the demon as it flew through the hole, falling through and firing up at the beast as he flew back down to the stage.

Another arrow lodged itself in the brute as he flew down as well, the Koutu and the demon flying around the stage and each other as the demon fired magic, and Razorwing fired arrows in quick succession.

“Die, damn you! DIE!”

“I shall banish you first, demon!”

As the aerial battle continued, Eignach could feel just a spark of energy in him. Enough for one spell...

The demon slammed into Razorwing, sending the Koutu smashing into the wall. The archer groaned as he felt weak and sluggish.

“End of the line, ‘hero’.” The demon readied a blast of fire, and...

A sudden jolt of electricity stunned him. The spell was quite weak, but it distracted him just long enough for Razorwing to kick off of the wall, pull back on the drawstring, and...

The demon froze as an arrow lodged itself into his skull. The demon fell back down to earth, collapsing onto the stage as Razorwing landed gracefully beside him.

The crowd burst into wild celebration, cheering, screaming and clapping ferociously as Razorwing grinned. He took a moment to soak it all in before hopping off the stage and offering a hand to the fallen magician.

The male accepted the hand, their talons locking together as he was pulled up to his feet. “Oh, Razorwing...you saved me. You saved us all. You really are a hero...”

“Nonsense, good magician! Your little stunt at the end there saved ME! And for that...”

Razorwing pulled Eignach forward until the young man’s beak touched his own, a typical display of Koutu fondness and love.

“...I thank you.”

The young magician swooned, collapsing into the hero’s arms. Razorwing couldn’t help but chuckle at the fainted birdman, surrounded by cheering fans and feeling ecstatic relief.

“Oh, Eignach...whatever am I going to do with you?”

This was a LOT of fun to write! I really love Razorwing’s showy but still loving nature, and the whole “play gone too far” was an excellent dynamic.

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @the-true-shadowmaster, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner

[lorawinters]

Grown-Ups-- a personal essay

On a rainy October night, my tiny dorm bedroom is lit by only the golden glow of the lamp on my desk and the flashes of Young Frankenstein dancing against the faces of my boyfriend, Stefan, and me. It’s a Tuesday; the only day of the week Stefan can make the drive up from Meadville to my tiny dorm room and spend the night before waking up at five in the morning to go to work. We sit on my bed, too warm to climb under my spider-web quilt; I lay on my back as Stefan rubs my tummy, aware that pain killers had done nothing to assuage the cramps I had been experiencing all day. I hated to be wearing my glasses, but I would never give up a chance to see Gene Wilder’s crazed eyes in a Mel Brooks film in high definition.

Stefan is ten years older than I. He and I were aware we were going to get a lot of crap for the discrepancy in our ages, being 31 and 21, respectively. We have fun with it and even take joy in the looks on people’s faces when they see us together. On one side stands a six-foot-one man with dark red hair and blue-green eyes; beside him, a small girl with pigtails covered head to toe in black, dressed perfectly for a funeral. Except we’re in a bagel shop or a grocery store, laughing while Stefan makes stupid jokes only I would find funny.

Our friends, through whom we had met, are possibly the least capable of comprehending our relationship. They, of course, are also adults, nearly each of them married, paired perfectly with one another, only one or two of them single. For some reason, Stefan and I always end up holding ourselves up to compare with those friends.  At least as far as we can tell, they have their lives together. They have houses, and careers, and cats. Us, not so much. Stefan is 31, divorced and his car is falling apart at the seams. I am a 21-year-old college student with not much life experience to speak of.

Stefan is a human space heater, and the heat of his hands does wonders on my abdomen. I’m just entering the realm of being sleepy when he says, “So John wanted us to come to this haunted house with him and Ellen.” I turn my head to face him, my face perking up at the prospect of going to a haunted house. “I told him we couldn’t because we already had plans to go see the Halloween parade,” I’m ready to tell him I would gladly skip the parade to go to a haunted house. “Besides, with me house-sitting this weekend, I can’t really go that far away anyhow.”

“Oh well,” I say, “It was nice of him to offer, though. Maybe we can hang out with them some other time.”

“Yeah that’s what he said, too. He said we should figure out a day to hang out.”

John and Ellen are possibly our favorite couple on the planet. At nearly forty, they have their shit together. They both work for the post office, Ellen in the sorting room, John out and about delivering. Ellen once spent a year teaching English in China. John loves to talk to me about his videogames, being aware that I have an interest in them and Ellen does not. John was Ellen’s first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first everything. They’re more like a separate set of parents, really. I’ve always seen Bear (John’s nickname) as a sort of Dad. He’s about forty years old and he gives me the biggest hug a human is capable of when he sees me. If I have an event, he and Ellen are the first ones to be there to support me. Ellen has behaved like a mother figure to the both of us. Before Stefan and I were seeing each other, she had been trying to fix him up with women she knew. When she found out that I was about to experience my first Edinboro winter without proper winter boots, she took the initiative to go out and buy them. They are probably the adultiest adults I can think of.

So when I hear they want to hang out outside our usual friend group, my eyes light up. “Bear wants to double date with us?” Stefan nods. “You know that this means, don’t you,” I sit up to raise my hands in the air, bringing them down in a hug as I speak, “We’re real adults! The Grown Ups want to hang out with us!” We’re no longer viewed as children to them. We no longer need them to keep us alive, we have each other to make sure of that.

“Hooray!” Stefan cheers. “We’re real grown-ups!

We hug and laugh as Gene Wilder screams “It’s aliiiivvvee!!”  We behave as though we are kids who have just been told we are no longer required to sit at the children’s table at Thanksgiving dinner. But maybe, just maybe, we are adults. Stefan certainly is, by most standards. But I’m stuck somewhere on that smudged line. I have some bills and I have a job I hate, but I also have no problem watching The Magic School Bus by myself in my room, and I giggle when someone says the word “boobs.” I have always thought of adulthood as this lofty goal to be dreaded. As though growing up was the death of my soul. I never noticed when I became an adult, but somehow over time, I started to see little signs that I was on the edge of it.

I have always been terrified of adulthood. Being a Grown Up certainly hadn’t done my father any favors. He was always worrying about work, about how to make sure my brother and I ate at night. I was raised with this negative view of Growing Up. One day, probably on a birthday, you woke up and POOF! you were a Grown Up with a mortgage, a job you hate, coworkers who drive you crazy, and distant friends you are just too tired to talk to anymore. But as I began to toe that line of child and adult, Stefan and I figured out a balance between the two.

One of Stefan and I’s favorite activities is probably to go out together, into the world and run errands as though we are true Grown Ups. On any given Saturday morning, we get into Stefan’s beat-up beige Pontiac, shopping list in hand, and off we go.  On our way, we talk about all our normal activities, Dungeons and Dragons, movies, theatre, comic books, etc. Once we pull into the Aldi parking lot, we grab a quarter out of the change-laden compartment between us and get a shopping cart. Stefan hates grocery shopping, he often jokes that he is merely there to drive me back and forth.

“I can’t just let you walk, there’s weirdos out there waiting to take a cutie like you,” he jokes, tousling my hair and kissing me on the cheek.

“Only because I’m small and can’t fight back. I may be easy to take, but I’ve got a big enough mouth that I’m even easier to return.” We both laugh, knowing I’m right. But as we peruse the aisles, and he is both my muscle and my height, lifting cases of soda from shelves below, and cartons of heavy cream from the top of the refrigerator. As I’m collecting the ingredients for dinner tonight, Stefan grabs other little things he knows we’re low on, milk, eggs, powdered sugar. We eventually get to the checkout line and we split the cost. It looks a bit uneven, I have more items on the belt than he, but I’ve stuck him with buying the meat so I know it’ll even out.

Once everything is packed up in the back seat of the Pontiac, we head to Dollar General. While Stefan is off searching for dryer sheets (which I insist he doesn’t really need), I’ve been overtaken with joy at the cheap seasonal items on display. By the time he’s come back, I am silently laughing at a light-up cup with a curly straw wrapped around the outside. The look on my face is pure joy, the face of a little girl who actually got that pony from Santa. Stefan picked up one of the cups from the shelf and flipped it over to take a look at the price. Four Dollars; I know because I looked briefly before resuming my hopping up and down. After glancing at the bottom of the cup, Stefan put the cup back, picked out one he liked, and spun me around toward the counter. “Come on,” he said, “we’re getting them.” And that night, we eat chicken Florentine and drink wine out of those cups.

#essay #personal essay #grown up #growing up #writing #writer #write #My writing #writers

[amariemelody]

5 Things Meme

I was tagged just this Tuesday (an eon ago) by @hobbitsaarebas for this meme. So sorry that it took so long, Hobbit, and thanks for thinking of me always! 

I tag @afro-elf, @zetsubonna, @platonicharmonics, @indi-flying-with-dragons, and @the-omniscient-narrator. Have fun if you like, loves! 

Here we go, under the readmore! :D 

5 Things You Can Find on My Blog 

Note: I don’t post very much to my Tumblr blog here, but still!

1.) Positive, uplifting, pro-black content, especially pro-black women & girls content. Hell, you can see that in my blog’s headers. Gotta take care of your people; gotta love your people. And then you start and continue to love yourself. ‘Tis vital for a healthy heart, soul, and identity. 

2.) Shippy things! Mostly Marvel! I ship the hell outta SamSteve, SamBucky, SamSteveBucky, RhodeyTony, etc. I don’t quite consider myself an active black gal Marvel blogger because of how little I post, but I do hope I post a lil something that some people like and enjoy-I know I certainly like and enjoy those things. 

3.) Links to my AO3 fics. I...don’t quite have a large fanbase. Haha...hah...hahaha...hah. -lolsobs- So as soon as I finish editing and posting to AO3, I gotta excitedly head over here to my Tumblr blog to post the good news! I only write stories about and with characters of color, especially. Feel like I’m doin’ the fandom lord’s work and I love, love, love it! 

4.) Just about anything I find hilarious.It could be yet another meme, videos, joke posts, etc. Ya’ll can usually find that under the “I iz HOWLING”, “I iz CACKLING” or even “I’m done” tags. Yep, yep! :D

5.) Correspondences with my friends. I love, love, love, love getting tagged/mentioned by them (can ya tell by me doing this? Haha!) and I strive to return the favor in kind. I love when they reblog things from me and I reblog things from them. I love hearing kind, encouraging words from them-it never fails to brighten my day. You can find a lot of this under my tag “Chitchat with friends” and “Being tagged by friends is WONDERFUL!” 

5 Things You Can Find in my Room or House

1.) Romance/erotica books. Comic books. Romance/erotica books. Graphic novel books. Romance/erotica books. African American-centered books. Romance/erotica books. Educational and classic books (ex. I love and read the shit outta Cyrano; I’ve re-read it 4 times so far.) And now I also have fucking nursing books right now because I had the brilliant, dumpster fire idea to go to nursing school. Fucking hell, Amarie. Fucking hell. What were you thinking. 

2.) My wittle Windows Surface RT tablet! I got her as a surprise Christmas gift from my friend’s family just this January! I gave her a pink screensaver (wallpaper), and so I thusly named her “Pinky”! (Her freakin’ charger had to be replaced, tho. And I gotta take her to Geek Squad ‘cause her keyboard acting up next...grrr...) 

3.) Posters! I’m a huge, huge black gal nerd and proud of it! I have 3 Spider Man posters (well, one is really a calendar from my 13th birthday party, but shush), a Sailor Moon poster, a Lego Batman movie poster, a Transformers: Bumblebee poster, a Monster High poster, a Marvel characters poster, 2 Falcon (Sam Wilson, baes) posters, and finally one Tuskegee Airmen poster!! 

4.) Makeup. Uhh...I’ve been told that I have a pwetty face shape and I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at using makeup to softly highlight my features. Uhh...I get compliments. That’s all I know. ‘M just here. 

5.) More books. 

5 Things I’ve Always Wanted to Do

1.) Travel, travel, travel! Especially wanna go to Paris, France (I’m a huge ass romantic sap). And recently, I wanna go to Disneyland and spend a whole mortgage payment and then some just to finally hug Princess Tiana. 

2.) Write at least, ehh...30 to 50 fanfictions. Wanna make a whole library for you all. 

3.) Take a ballroom dance/waltz class. I wish to whirl ‘round and ‘round the ballroom. 

4.) Play Super Mario Kart Brothers, or whatever the hell it’s called. I’ve never owned a game console (I be broke & so I’ve only ever had books and Sims on my PC), so that’ll be a novel experience for me! 

5.) More traveling. 

5 Things That Make Me Happy

1.) Thinking hopefully about the future. Honestly, it’s the main thing that keeps me going. I think about what a mostly great career I’ll have as a nurse (I’ve always wanted to go into healthcare, but never even dreamed that I’d be an RN). I think about my lil chute-chute of a car that’ll be all mine. I think about my time that’ll be all mine. 

2.) Watching cartoons, especially old ones from my childhood. Ya’ll, prolly about 98% of what I watch is literally cartoons. I’m learning not to beat myself up about that/call myself immature. Like...if that’s the worst thing I do to cope with life right now, then ain’t nobody getting hurt. 

3.) My wittle entitled white boy of a cat, Dante. Sweet baby boy has gotten me through many a hard day and night. 

4.) Music, music, music! 

5.) Reading 

5 Things On My To-Do List

1.) Finish my physical and shit for my clinical packet at school. 

2.) Pharmacology homework 

3.) Fundamentals of nursing homework 

4.) Speech class homework

5.) Clean the goddamned house 

6.) Sleep (Fuck it, we need a 6th one) 

5 Things You May Not Know About Me

1.) I have a vivid, surrealistic imagination. One of the most common complements I get on my fics is along the lines of “This was so vivid that I could picture everything so clearly! I could smell that scent, I could see them dancing!” or “You painted such bright, beautiful pictures in my head-I could see and understand everything so easily! It was like I was right there in the scene!” 

Yeah, it was just like that for me, too-I saw it like that in my head, too. I just have the ability and desire to translate that onto the page in black-and-white. So thanks a ton!

The...slight problem that this causes, tho? I can’t turn the strength of my imagination off...and so I can’t watch horror movies. I am 25-years-old and I can’t watch horror movies and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. It’s all just as real, just as vivid, just as valid to me and I take on the emotional tones of the movie just as easily as if I were watching Brandy’s Cinderella or Rugrats in Paris: the Movie.

I become terrified & affronted when I’m tryna listen to music on YouTube and a fucking ad comes on first for a horror movie and I smash that “Skip Ad” button as quickly as I can-lately, it’s been It and I just...ugh. Ya’ll, not everyone can handle horror movies. 

It’s not kind. It’s not good. 

2.) Umm...I wanna cuddle Bucky Barnes. Like, if I could cuddle Bucky Barnes one day, my life would be complete and I’d need no more fulfillment. Just...lemme cuddle Bucky Barnes and all will be right in my world. 

3.) I am an avid tea drinker! I especially love to drink tea when I’m working hard-be it at writing or homework! I drink plain English breakfast tea, lemon-ginger tea, Constant Comment tea, Jasmine green tea, plain green tea, English black tea, french vanilla tea, and just about every other kinda tea you can imagine! Yep, yep! 

4.) I grew up and still live in the south, but I got my parents’ northern blood. So I love, love, love, love, love and prefer the cold. You can betcha ass that I’ll get up a 5am in the morning just to go for a walk in the freezing, pre-dawn morning. It’s like a soft, soothing winter wonderland and I love it! 

5.) I am a proudly self-professed romance sap...but I couldn’t give less than a shit about sci-fi. I’m just...not a sci-fi person. At all. You gotta put some black folk up there in them stars before I think to care. 

Well, then! That was quite a long and enjoyable meme and I hope you all had fun! Thanks so much again to Hobbit and much love to one and all! :D 

#Being tagged by friends is WONDERFUL! #Amarie talks

[bogb0ng]

Excuse me ma'am, we're going to have to see you answer 1-100.

Yessir! 

1. I always have more milk than cereal! (i’m basically a child) 

2. I love the cold on my cheeks but 9i don’t like th burning sensation after too much 

3. Scraps of papers sometimes i just fold the page corner

4. I take my coffee with just creamer and my tea i take black! 

5. Absolutely not! i love my smile and i’m very happy 

6. i do! i have a cactus at home and I have an aloe plant in my dorm room 

7. not really thats a lot to remember 

8. I use poetry, drawings, and writing to express myself. sometimes song lyrics 

9. fun fact I hum all the time if you listen really closely! if im really comfortable i’ll sing 

10. I sleep on my Tum! also wrapped around a body pillow because i get lonely at night 

11. we don’t have any yet! 

12. PLUTO! (viva la pluto fuck you!) 

13. talking to my friend Hunter 

14. it’s probably your typical open concept brick warehouse type flat 

15. a shot glass filled with neutron star matter would weigh as much as mount everest! 

16. I really like cajun chicken fettuccini 

17. either blonde or ginger 

18. I used to pretend to be married to my best friend in kindergarten... i guess thats one 

19. I’ve been wanting to keep a journal for a while, but i just can’t 

20. oddly enough I really like deep brown/hazel eyes, but also blue!

21. sadly that bag was retired long ago after the straps broke years ago, but i had a green turtle backpack with spikes all over it! 

22. NOOOO I’m very much the person who convinces you to get back in bed and snuggle 

23. walk around pantsless eat yummy snacks, binge watch netflix and  play video games all day! 

24. Yes, but sadly she’s in Alberta and we rarely get to talk, but she knows everything 

25. oddly enough i trespassed into my cousins old property to hot tub. 

26. A pair of brown boots my mom bought me (they look like hiking boots) 

27. Spearmint!! 

28. sunset! because then i get to watch the moon rise 

29. they check up on me

30. yes. petrified 

31. I love really fuzzy socks! i sleep with them when my feet are cold (which is apparently always right now) i have tons of wool socks, but like 2-3 pairs of normal socks.

32. I’m like never awake past 2 am so i don’t have any stories im sorry!

33. I really like cupcakes!! 

34. I still have him!! I named it Bubby.. it kinda looks like a mouse crossed with a bear?? and it has this rattle inside it.. idk i still have it somewhere and i love it 

35. I love them! but i don’t buy them ever because my writing is very messy and I don’t have anyone to send my pretty stationary 

36. City and colour mostly

37. my rooms a mixture of messy and clean at times 

38. I hate rude people! especially when people fake not knowing who i am or ignoring me.... and petty people 

39. black... most of my wardrobe is black lol

40. I have a bracelet from pandora that i lost and never found..... I’m really sad because it had all these charms that were sentimental to me :( 

41. the new harry potter cursed child book!! I was so into it!

42. I don’t but i guess timmies is cool

43. no one. i watch the stars alone most nights because no one will with me 

44. actually i’m feeling serene and at peace right now for some reason! 

45. yes. but also no because they can lead me astray 

46. I’m not very good with puns sorry!!

47. any kind of animal testicles 

48. Heights and falling from them.... yes i’m still terrified 

49. I never actually bought a CD 

50. I collect teeth... like the metal ones i’ve made in lab! (i work in dental) 

51. Slow hands.... (don’t ask me why) 

52. hewwo (i hate and love it) 

53. LOVEEEEEE rocky horror is my fave

54. myself....

55. straight up chugged some hot sauce 

56. a heart of gold, a sweet smile, a good sense of humor and a sense of the world 

57. It makes me feel good and of course~! go hard or go home 

58. Julians the vodka (aunt) and Ash is the wine (mom) 

59.the lochness monster actually! 

60. Anything from Neil highborne 

61. an already owned batman figurine i gave to my brother when i was 5 and i received a selfie stick.... 

62. yeppers!! either orange juice or cranberry raspberry juice 

63. i just leave em be 

64. pitch black right now 

65.Yeah I’d love to see Devon tbh 

66. probably big yellow sunflowers because i’m happy rn 

67. I love them! i feel at home oddly

68. very cold and covered in snow. YAY CANADA

69. i actually don’t like board games i prefer card games! 

70. no and i dont wanna 

71. I really like a tea called sweet lime 

72. yesssss!!! 

73. i bite my nails when i’m extremely anxious 

74. lets see they’re very kind and caring. they care about me no matter what mood i’m in they don’t talk with me often, but i always feel safe when i talk to them. 

75. i have a golden retriever! his name is crash and he’s a goofball!! 

76. studying 

77. PINK! OMIGOSH!!!! 

78. hateeeee

79. told me i was cute

80. white :( no i didn’t get to choose 

81. the dark spot/circle where a knot used to stick out of a tree on a stained coffee table 

82. not the greatest, but i try 

83. everything from imagine dragons 

84.yess!!! i want tree rings and plants 

85. i used to! archie comics all the wayyyy

86. eh no

87. rocky horror, a clock work orange, lord of the rings

88. banksy i like a lot 

89. i was a lot more when i was younger, but i’m struggling since we butt heads from time to time it feels 

90. CN TOWER THAT IS ALL

91. scotland!! i want to see my heritage 

92. DROWN ER IN CHEESE 

93. hair in a bun or down in my messy curly mop 

94. chris was! 

95. i’m going on a halloween haunt friday night and studying the rest of the weekend!! 

96. procrastinateee lol i hate updates 

97. ISFP, Capricorn, Hufflepuff 

98. it’s been a long time, but i love hiking so much!! i love being alone in nature 

99. hunter, chris, robin, brendan, josh, katie

100. probably 5 years into the future? im always wondering what the future holds for me so  yeah! 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 10 December 2018

Quick Bits:

Astonisher #13 adds Ryan O’Sullivan to the writer’s chair alongside Priest as this arc takes an interesting turn. The idea of the red parasite that’s been haranguing the planet since the first issue being fractured and confused pretty much turns the first twelve issues upside down if it’s indeed true. Great art from Al Barrionuevo, Rodney Ramos, Matt Banning, and Jamie Grant.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Avengers #11 takes a very different approach than the first ten issues or so as Jason Aaron throws more plot developments at us than Ursus Major hurls insults. It’s interesting as it works through the building problems with the US government, attempts at building a coalition of nations assisting the Avengers, Thor and Jennifer Walters’ date, and the surprise heel turn of a once deceased SHIELD agent. All with wonderful art from Ed McGuinness, Cory Smith, Mark Morales, Scott Hanna, Karl Kesel, and Erick Arciniega.

| Published by Marvel

Batman Annual #3 features a very sweet story from Tom Taylor, Otto Schmidt, and Troy Peteri that focuses on Alfred and all that he sacrifices and takes on himself in order to ensure Bruce can continue in his chosen vocation. The art from Schmidt is perfect and the heart and soul, complete with some very nice humour, that Taylor instills in the dialogue and narration are a very welcome change of pace from some of the grim and gritty takes on Batman. I think we need more Batman stories like this.

| Published by DC Comics

The Batman Who Laughs #1 is an interesting counterpoint to the Batman Annual, with a tale of body trafficking, alternate Batmen, and death from Scott Snyder, Jock, David Baron, and Sal Cipriano. It’s dour, bleak, and even more violent, even with corny insurance jokes. I can’t say it’s bad, though, the mystery is interesting, the art is wonderful, and there’s one hell of a cliffhanger, but it is dark.

| Published by DC Comics

Bitter Root #2 features some amazing artwork from Sanford Greene and Rico Renzi. The designs for the monsters, Jinoo or otherwise, are amazing and the feel of the colours, purples and greens, just bathe the story in an otherworldly glow.

| Published by Image

Black Panther #7 begins Book 2, “The Gathering of My Name”, with Kev Walker and Stéphane Paitreau joining Ta-Nehisi Coates and Joe Sabino to provide the art for this story. It’s a little more focused than the first arc, delivering a solid plan for the rebels to reclaim their identities.

| Published by Marvel

Captain Ginger #2 keeps things purring along as the Captain and Ramscoop leave off to follow a signal that they hope will bring them to another ship of cats. Then everything goes to hell aboard the mothership. Love the artwork from June Brigham, Roy Richardson, and Veronica Gandini. There’s also the usual prose pieces and a Hashtag: Danger back-up comic to round out the issue. “Company Policy Regarding Eel” from Mark Russell with a spot illustration from Ryan Kelly is particularly humorous.

| Published by Ahoy

Champions #27 concludes the Weirdworld arc and this volume of the series with the power of friendship. It’s actually a pretty good character arc for the former Nova and some neat stuff you wouldn’t necessarily have expected from Viv. Amazing art and designs from Max Dunbar and Nolan Woodard.

| Published by Marvel

Daughters of the Dragon #2 continues this digital original with a slightly different approach from the others, presenting an overarching story, but within that Jed MacKay is breaking it down into discrete two-part arcs. It works fairly well, giving some very entertaining action stories. The art for these two parts is handled by Joey Vasquez, Craig Yeung, Rain Beredo, and Jordan Gibson and it looks pretty good. There’s some really nice composition in the final confrontation.

| Published by Marvel

Dead Kings #2 is not quite as immediately bleak as Crude was, but it’s pretty close, with Steve Orlando revisiting some similar themes of regret and responsibility in Russia here. This is obviously more fantastical, blending fable and technology in a post-apocalyptic Thrice-Nine, with wonderfully dark art from Matthew Dow Smith and Lauren Affe to bring life to this slowly dying world.

| Published by AfterShock

Detective Comics #994 begins “Mythology” from the new creative team of Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, David Baron, and Rob Leigh and it’s pretty damn good. It feels great to actually see some detective work in Detective Comics and the mystery of why someone would go to the lengths to stage a pair of murder victims to look like Bruce’s parents is intriguing. The art from Mahnke, Mendoza, and Baron is also wonderful. Mahnke’s style is actually fairly restrained here compared to what I’ve been used to, which when combined with this particular blue from Baron, reminds me more of the Batman of yesteryear and the works of Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Norm Breyfogle, Marshall Rogers.

| Published by DC Comics

Doctor Strange: The Best Defense #1 continues this very interesting crossover event. Gerry Duggan, Greg Smallwood, and Cory Petit deliver a wonderful “Old Sorcerer Stephen” or “Doctor Strange: The End” type tale with Strange being almost the sole wanderer in a world where Dormammu and his spawn have conquered the Earth. It’s bleak, horrifying, and beautifully illustrated by Smallwood. It’s also interesting in how it ultimately dovetails the rest of the event. Although it definitely can be enjoyed on its own, this one gives a couple answers to the broader picture of what’s going on.

| Published by Marvel

Dragon Age: Deception #3 concludes with everyone hating everyone else, more or less, and an interesting revelation about the Magister everyone was so incensed about meeting, killing, and/or stealing from. Interesting new developments regarding the Qunari incursion of Tevinter as well. Great art from Fernando Heinz Furukawa and Michael Atiyeh.

| Published by Dark Horse

Electric Warriors #2 gets into the battles between warriors and the mechanics of those battles, what transfers to whom depending on challenge, as an alternate to war. It’s interesting enough on the surface, but Steve Orlando definitely seems to be building something bigger. Great art again from Travel Foreman and Hi-Fi. The designs for the characters are truly amazing.

| Published by DC Comics

The Empty Man #2 pushes the insanity caused by the disease even further. I’m not sure what’s more horrifying, the actions caused by the effects of the disease or the cult popping up around it. Cullen Bunn, Jesús Hervás, Niko Guardia, and Ed Dukeshire are delivering a fairly visceral, thoroughly brutal, horror tale here.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Fearscape #3 endeavours to make you hate the series protagonist, Henry Henry, even more than you already probably do with heinous act after heinous act. It is incredible as to how thoroughly unlikable Ryan O’Sullivan has managed to make him that at this point you kind of just want to see him torn apart by pedantic, pretentious literary critics literally.

| Published by Vault

The Flash #60 gives us more details on Fuerza, the new Strength Force user, and her plight against a corrupt police force in Corto Maltese. Joshua Williamson is definitely making these new characters interestingly complicated while Flash tries to understand the new forces. Great art from Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey, and Hi-Fi.

| Published by DC Comics

Hawkman #7 brings Hawkman a new origin, and a new reason for being, from Robert Venditti, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft. This new origin nicely builds on Hawkman’s complicated legacy, not invalidating anything, but enhancing why he keeps being reborn in different places, different eras, and gives him a purpose that’s often been lacking in some of his reboots. Great work.

| Published by DC Comics

Hellboy Winter Special 2018 has a trio of tales, each of them spotlighting a different era. The first is a wonderful traditional Hellboy short from Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck, and Dave Stewart of a seance gone horribly wrong as they also seem to. The second builds on the vampire mythology from the BPRD: 1946-1948 series amidst superstitious villagers fearing for their crops from Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon, and Dave Stewart. And finally a Lobster Johnson tale from Tonči Zonjić of criminals trying to pass off their handiwork as the Claw of Justice. All three stories are very well done, gorgeous art all throughout.

| Published by Dark Horse

Infinite Dark #3 reveals the plans, more or less, that Alvin and Kirin put in place to destroy the station. It’s terrifying, and its source possibly more so. It does kind of make me wonder why people are being driven mad at its reality, though.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Infinity Wars: Ghost Panther #2 concludes this mini, the last of the Infinity Warps. Absolutely stunning artwork from Jefte Palo and Jim Campbell. 

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Dark #6 concludes the Myrra arc as James Tynion IV waxes philosophically through Bobo and Diana about guilt and responsibility, even as the nightmares at the gate get even closer elsewhere. The art from Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, and Adriano Lucas is really damn good.

| Published by DC Comics

Magic: The Gathering - Chandra #1 features some very impressive art from Harvey Tolibao, Joana Lafuente, and Tristan Jurolan. Nice detail, character designs, and beautiful colours.

| Published by IDW

The Magic Order #5 delivers one hell of a twist in this penultimate chapter. Also, very inventive methods of torture. Drop dead gorgeous artwork from Olivier Coipel and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Image

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 is a great debut from Saladin Ahmed, Javier Garrón, David Curiel, and Cory Petit. This first issue mainly gets us back up to speed on Miles’ life and supporting cast, introducing and reintroducing the characters and his connections, largely giving narration through his journal, integrating an exercise from his classes to convey the narrative. We get a robbery and a confrontation with the Rhino that sets up the hook for a larger plot and mystery. The art from Garrón and Curiel is gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Oblivion Song #10 is insane. Another bit of Philadelphia has been popped off into Oblivion by the less stable of the Cole brothers and this issue is the resulting chaos. I’m still very impressed with how Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni, and Rus Wooton are constantly throwing this book into upheaval, with practically every issue giving a new revelation or upending the status quo. This is just great.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Outer Darkness #2 follows up an entertaining first issue with an outstanding second issue, introducing us to much of the crew and more explicitly the types of horrors that they’re going to encounter in space. John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau have something fairly unique here, with the humour just putting it over the top.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #313 brings this battle with Morlun to an end and with it this series. It’s been a decent tie-in to Spider-Geddon from Sean Ryan, Juan Frigeri, Jason Keith, and Travis Lanham, but it is basically a three issue fight scene designed to keep Peter away from the main plot of the event.

| Published by Marvel

Red Sonja Holiday Special has a fairly entertaining lead story of Sonja learning about Christmas and then becoming embroiled in some weird witness shakedown from Amy Chu, Erik Burnham, Ricardo Jamie, Omi Remalante Jr., and Taylor Esposito. There’s also a classic reprint story from Roy Thomas, Frank Thorne, and Mike Kelleher.

| Published by Dynamite

Redlands #9 continues this arc’s structure of beginning with a flashback, this time giving us a hint of what Casper did before he was indentured to the sisters. This one’s a little light on pushing the narrative ahead very far, but very high on building more atmosphere, and developing a potential new problem for Laurent.

| Published by Image

Shadowman #10 has some really great art from Renato Guedes, Eric Battle, and Ulises Arreola. The trade off of sequences for Jack’s confrontation with Sandria Darque and then the flashbacks between Guedes and Battle is very nice, giving a unique feel to both.

| Published by Valiant

Silver Surfer: The Best Defense #1 has some oblique ties to the rest of “The Best Defense” crossover, mentioning whatever this “train” is, but like the others of these first four parts features a largely independent character study. Jason Latour and Clayton Cowles present a twist on a traditional Silver Surfer morality tale by making it a game between the Surfer and Galactus. Beautifully illustrated, tapping into some of the weirdness of Marvel’s cosmic.

| Published by Marvel

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #3 has Gwen and MJ work out where the Green Goblin’s hideout is with the assistance of this world’s Glory and Betty. This has been an interesting first arc and tie-in to Spider-Geddon from Seanan McGuire, Rosi Kämpe, Ian Herring, and Clayton Cowles.

| Published by Marvel

Star Trek: Waypoint Special #1 is more than worth it just for “My Human is Not” by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Sonny Liew, and Neil Uyetake. It’s an adorable story from the point of view of Spot, beautifully illustrated by Liew. The other three stories in this special also aren’t too shabby, but you’ll want to buy this one for the tabby.

| Published by IDW

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Darth Maul #1 continues this series of one-shots with a spotlight on everyone’s favourite horny Sith Lord from Jody Houser, Luke Ross, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham. The art from Ross and Tartaglia is wonderful. The layouts for many of the action sequences are particularly impressive, knocking things off-kilter to evoke the kind of chaotic fighting style of Maul.

| Published by Marvel

Supergirl #25 goes home to Krypton in the lead story from Marc Andreyko, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, Lan Medina, Sean Parsons, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano. It takes Kara’s quest into another different direction, adding another possible impediment in finding everyone and everything that aided in the destruction of Krypton. There are also a couple of back-ups, one fleshing out Dr. Z’ndr Kol and the other a sweet Christmas story.

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #6 has some absolutely stunning spreads from Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, and Alex Sinclair. The battle between Rogol Zaar and Superman & Zod is incredible, probably some of the best pages I’ve ever seen from Reis. The narration by Superman from Brian Michael Bendis is also interesting as he waxes philosophical about his speed and fighting side by side with Zod. What is less magical is the ending. Superman leaving Zod, even with pressing concerns elsewhere, feels wrong. I don’t know if it’s intentionally a bad decision on Superman’s part that will be addressed, or if it’s just a bad decision from Bendis. It just doesn’t feel like what Superman would do. Otherwise, this is a pretty great issue.

| Published by DC Comics

Titans #31 adds Kyle Rayner to the team as Donna Troy officially takes the lead and a number of the simmering sub-plots converge to kick off a new adventure. Great art from Clayton Henry, Brent Peeples, Dexter Vines, and Marcelo Maiolo.

| Published by DC Comics

Vampirella vs. Reanimator #1 is a damn good start to this mini from Cullen Bunn, Blacky Shepherd, and Taylor Esposito. The art from Shepherd is very impressive. I love the choice to present the story almost entirely in grey tones with spot colours for red and a little bit of sickly yellow, it really makes the art stand out.

| Published by Dynamite

William Gibson’s Alien 3 #2 continues this excellent adaptation of Gibson’s unproduced screenplay by Johnnie Christmas, Tamra Bonvillain, and Nate Piekos. The political aspect and veritable cold war are very interesting additions to the Alien lore.

| Published by Dark Horse

Wonder Woman #60 turns the screw a bit with some unexpected developments for Ares. I’m really liking the art from Cary Nord, Mick Gray, and Romulo Fajardo Jr. While definitely partially the influence of Gray’s inking, Nord’s presenting a somewhat looser, more angular style that reminds me a bit of Frank Miller and Phil Hester which really works for the chaotic and bellicose story.

| Published by DC Comics

Other Highlights: Accell #16, Amazing Spider-Man #11, Animosity: Evolution #9, Asgardians of the Galaxy #4, Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbits #2, Battlestar Galactica Classic #2, Birthright #34, Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise, The Black Order #2, By Night #6, Cemetery Beach #4, DuckTales #14, Elephantmen 2261 Holiday Special, Fantastic Four Wedding Special #1, From Hell Master Edition #2, Giant Days #45, Go Go Power Rangers #15, God of War #2, Goddess Mode #1, Head Lopper #10, Hit-Girl #11, House of Whispers #4, James Bond: Origin #4, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #5, Joe Golem: The Drowning City #4, The Lone Ranger #3, Mage: The Hero Denied #14, Murder Falcon #3, New Talent Showcase 2018 #1, Patience! Conviction! Revenge! #4, Planet of the Apes: The Simian Age #1, The Quantum Age #5, Red Sonja/Tarzan #6, Rose #15, Sasquatch Detective #1, Sleepless #10, Smooth Criminals #2, Spider-Force #3, Spider-Girls #3, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #27, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #1, TMNT: Macro-Series #4: Raphael, Typhoid Fever: Iron Fist #1, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #39, The Unstoppable Wasp #3, Vampironica #5, War Bears #3, The Wasted Space Holiday Special #1

Recommended Collections: Amazing Spider-Man - Volume 9, Black Crown Omnibus - Volume 1, Blackwood, Britannia - Volume 3: Lost Eagles of Rome, Cloak and Dagger: Shades of Grey, Curse of Brimstone - Volume 1: Inferno, Fear Agent: Final Edition - Volume 4, Giant Days: Early Registration, Go Go Power Rangers - Volume 2, Hillbilly - Volume 3, Ice Cream Man - Volume 2: Strange Neapolitan, Judge Dredd: Under Siege, Scarlet - Book 2, Star Wars - Volume 9: Hope Dies

d. emerson eddy would like to take a moment to finally admit...”I’m Batman”.

#This Week in Comics