#jack is monstrous and hurt and far more scared than he seems

[samclownchester]

Supernatural Rewatch 04x04

Metamorphosis

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Alright, we’re gonna look at this episode from two different perspectives:

1. Dean’s role as an older brother throughout the episode

Dean is in an extremely emotionally vulnerable place at the beginning of the episode, he just met his parents as young adults before they were destroyed but monsters, he watched his grandparents die, he saw his father dead and brought back to life by a demon who he knows is the one who will kill his mother. He was already filled with emotions, then Cas shows him that Sam has been lying to him and doing things that look unnatural with a demon Dean already doesn’t trust.

So, he’s emotionally vulnerable. And what does Dean do when he’s emotionally vulnerable? (say it with me class) that’s right, he responds with cruelty. He is so overwhelmed already, and he’s scared, Sam’s powers have always freaked him out, although he tried to hide it at first, and he’s worried, and he feels betrayed, so he lashes out. He says things rashly, he cuts Sam where he knows it’ll hurt.

DEAN Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends.… If I didn't you know... I would wanna hunt you.… tell me. If it's so terrific... then why'd you lie about it to me? Why did an angel tell me to stop you? … Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will. See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?

And he succeeds, he hurts Sam because he feels hurt. Honestly, I think that this is less about what Sam is doing and more about the fact that he kept it a secret from Dean. I’ve talked before about how Dean rarely lies to the people who are important to him, and although both brothers have kept secrets from each other before, it was never about something this big, or this scary. John was the one who kept secrets, but Dean always knew that he and Sam would have each other’s backs. So, to find out that his brother had been lying cut him really deeply.

However, throughout the episode there are little moments where it feels like Dean is trying … to apologize, in a way? Trying to act like their just good brothers who didn’t have a hurtful argument just a few hours before: Some examples

Playful teasing like he normally does

TRAVIS You still a.. oh, what was it... a mathlete? SAM No. DEAN Yep, sure is.

When Travis is offended that Sam felt the need to do further research and not just trust Travis’s experience (it’s more teasing but he’s also trying to protect Sam from having to defend himself to Travis).

DEAN Sam loves research. He does.

Also, when Sam says he doesn’t want to talk Dean tries to playfully tease him again

SAM Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it. DEAN Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?

And I think there’s a few more instances like that, with subtle little signs of affection that show that Dean is trying to get things back to normal with Sam, although Sam reacts to all of these a little stiffly, because he’s not ready for things to be back to normal.

(Also, and this continues throughout the season, all of these instances are Dean remembering Sam as his nerdy little brother, poking fun at things that he sees as Sam’s defining attributes, but Sam isn’t the nerdy, emotional kid that Dean wants him to be. He’s tired, with harder edges and he doesn’t really want to be seen as the mathlete, research loving, emotional little brother. So, Dean’s attempts at brotherly bonding fall flat.)

But, he’s also a little passive aggressive:

SAM I should have told you. I'm sorry. DEAN You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine.

…

TRAVIS John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this. DEAN Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family.

Then, because Dean’s not an idiot and he knows his brother and he can see the parallels to 01x14 as clearly as we can, he tries to bring it up. This is actually pretty big, because we know that Dean is not big on talking about feelings, so the fact that he is the one trying to open up a conversation about this stuff shows that he really does care about how Sam is feeling. I think he’s aware that he made a pretty deep cut at the beginning of the episode and he really is trying to fix it the best way he can (he just sucks at it). Which brings a heartbreaking monologue from Sam that we’ll discuss in a moment.

And then, to Dean’s credit, he tries it Sam’s way, much like he did in 01x14 and 02x03, despite his belief that they should shoot first and ask questions later, he stands down, tries to talk it out with Jack first. This, to me, was the biggest sign that Dean didn’t mean what he had said at the beginning of the episode. Because if he had lost trust in Sam, if he truly believed that Sam deserved to be hunted, he would not have even tried to have this conversation with Jack.

And I think he understands what it means to Sam that they failed, that Jack gave in to his impulses and that Travis died (largely because they didn’t take the preventative measure that Travis suggested). Dean knows that Sam is seeing this all as a metaphor and he sees how much it hurts him. 

2. Now, Sam’s emotional journey throughout the episode:

At the beginning, with Ruby, he seems to be happy and proud of himself. He didn’t get a headache this time! They saved the vessel! Everything is going well. Until Dean ruins everything with his controlling, paranoid, attitude.

SAM I'm pulling demons out of innocent people. DEAN Use the knife! SAM The knife kills the victim! What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year. DEAN That what Ruby want you to think? Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers? Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends. SAM I'm not gonna let it go too far.

And this is one of the things I really hate because Dean proves to be right, in the end, even though he’s the one acting irrational and jumping to conclusions, while Sam has some really good points! But it’s whatever…

And then Dean says something that shakes Sam to his core.

DEAN If I didn't you know... I would wanna hunt you.

If it's so terrific … Why did an angel tell me to stop you? … Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will. See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?

This feels especially cruel coming from Dean, who’s never even believed in God, who insults every angel he meets. He has no reverence for heaven or their plan, so he only brings it up knowing that Sam has faith in God. Knowing that it will mean something to him, and scare him into stopping.

So, now Dean has effectively called Sam both a monster and a sinner (without using the exact words but that’s what he said) and the two of them have to shove that aside, not deal with it, and go hunt a man who has monster genetics and works as a perfect metaphor for what Sam is going through.

(I see you Chuck, and I hate you)

Sam sees himself in Jack, yes, but he also has an intrinsic belief that people are basically good. That, given the choice, people will choose to be kind and decent, and not give in to their evil nature. I like to think that, even if he hadn’t been struggling with his own “monster” nature, he would have fought to give Jack a chance.

However, Dean pokes at the problem and Sam explodes

SAM Stop the car or I will! … You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean? Because of crap like this. … The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak … You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot! Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong! DEAN Do you know the difference, Sam? I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately. SAM You have no idea what I'm going through. None. DEAN Then enlighten me! SAM I've got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to.

(Every time that Sam yells I find it very therapeutic. Like YAASS QUEEN tell them how it is!)

We haven’t really heard the word freak for a while. It was a recurring theme throughout the first 2 seasons, but it was mostly dropped in season 3. Here it is again, twice, reminding us that Sam’s always been afraid of being a freak, of being different.

At the end of the episode, Dean finally, actually says the words “I’m sorry” (I haven’t checked but I bet you could count on 2 hands the number of times Dean says those words throughout the entire series). But Sam doesn’t want to have a heart to heart about it.

DEAN Sam, I wanna tell you I'm sorry. I've been kind of hard on you lately. SAM Don't worry about it, Dean. DEAN It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me. SAM Look, if it's all the same... I'd really rather not talk about it. … There's nothing more to say. I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand … Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with. DEAN Not alone.

And exactly when Dean says “not alone” the camera cuts to a shot of Sam looking out the window, staring at his own reflection, showing us that, despite what Dean is saying, Sam really is alone in this.

But ... the events of the day have been enough to convince him not to use his powers. After all, if Jack couldn’t fight off his monstrous nature, who’s to say that Sam can?

#should I write about how his famous quote #it doesn't matter what you are it only matters what you do #as inspirational as it sounds #is actually a reflection of type 2's belief that their worth comes only through their actions and not from any intrinsic value? #that this shows that Sam believes that just existing doesn't give him worth #that he has to prove his worth by being good #by saving people #also it's interesting that the writers chose to name Jack Kline #Jack #as he also functions as a parallel to Sam's journey with his powers #anyway will someone please pay me to write these essays I have so many ideas #Supernatural #Rewatch #Supernatural Rewatch #04x04 #4x04 #4x4 #Metamorphosis #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #Monster #Powers Sam #Dean can have depth and still be a dick

[shadeofazmeinya]

Solar (11/?)

Chapter Summary: He left to protect them from shit like this. He has to save them now.

A/N: I’m so so sorry this chapter took so long. I don’t have a lot of good excuses tbh. But it’s here now! Next chapter after this will take a bit as well since I’m starting a new job, but it will be worked on when I can. As always, comments and reblogs are super appreciated!!!!

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17319107/chapters/49271171

It’s the creak of wood that pulls Ryan’s mind to the surface. It’s slow, drawn out. The apartment is an older one and the wood protested every step in it. Normally one wouldn’t think much of it, but Ryan’s a light sleeper and even the small squeaks make him stir. Then there’s a voice, hushed where he can’t make out what is said. But there’s no familiarity in the tone. Only a spiked heart rate and catching breath as Ryan’s eyes fly open.

They’ve found me.

It’s the first thought through Ryan’s head as he sits up and sees a blurred figure step towards the back of the apartment, the bedrooms. He can’t make out who or what it is, the person hidden under black clothing and a hood covering the head. But the frame is unfamiliar, footsteps awkward as they creak towards where his family lay resting.

They found us.

Ryan moves despite his side, the pain grinding his teeth as he bolts up. He reaches instinctively at his waist for a weapon, a knife or gun or something and cursing as he pads empty air. He shouldn’t have stored that shit away before he came here. He shouldn’t have let his guard down this much.

Ryan pulls himself off the couch, climbing to the floor and starts padding around the room. He keeps close to the furniture, not creating any more noise to alert the invaders. He aims for the kitchen, thinking of a knife or some sort of blunt object that could be used as a weapon. He hunches low, eyes staring at the figure that disappears into the hallway, blending into the darkness. He can hear the continued footsteps, moving with purpose further and further back.

Maybe he is overreacting, he thinks as he crouches by the counters, pulling open the drawer quietly, softly. He reaches up, wanting to rummage around for a knife. Maybe the person is one of the others grabbing water or a midnight snack. In his bleariness of waking, it may be possible he misheard. That the voice isn’t a worry. But his body continues, no stopping or hesitating. His heart beats in his ears and his throat is tight as he holds back his breathing.

Then, a hand flies out, fingernails digging into his wrist and yanking him back.

Ryan jolts, gasping and throwing out his arms. He pulls back, but the hand keeps a firm grip and Ryan looks into stern grey eyes, unfamiliar but unnerving and it makes Ryan freeze.

“Stop,” a voice whispers through grit teeth. “Don’t fight back. You’ll regret it.” Ryan merely snarls in response, because like hell he is going to listen.

He shoves the person off with a grunt, throwing his weight against them. He yanks his arm back in the same moment and is able to free it as the person stumbles and falls against the cabinets with a solid thud. Ryan forgets about his original plan for a knife, instead jumping towards the person, hands grabbing at their face. The person recoils, snarling but Ryan finds a hold and jumps into their mind.

He moves too fast in the mind to see anything but blurry images as he blindly searches for fear. There’s a sensation of helplessness, of pain, and Ryan holds on tight and yanks it to the surface. He sets it in faster than normal and it earns an ear piercing scream from the person as their whole world is filled with the vision Ryan grabbed.

Ryan hopes the commotion is enough to wake and warn the others, shoving the howling intruder aside as he races back down the hall in the direction where the other figure disappeared. Panic moves his limbs for him, fear racing his heart with thoughts of what could be happening to the others. What and how they could be hurting.

He left to protect them from shit like this. He has to save them now.

He bursts into the hall as he hears the sound of something crashing from the bedrooms. His feet slide against the hardwood as he suddenly turns, scrambling to shift his body weight to move to the bedroom door that hangs open. A yell is heard as he bursts into the darkness, broken only from a flickering glow and a scared face that is pushed to the corner behind Geoff. Jack’s grunt snaps his head to the side, seeing his arms raised and thrusting up. There’s a moan from the house, movement as the floor vibrates. Ryan sees vines, thick and slithering, climbing across the floor and up the wall. There’s a groan under them, as they entangle and constrict an assailant to the wall. This man is different from the one before, hiding under a black mask but cold, dark eyes glaring at them all as he fights. Jack snarls, arms shaking under the strain but his eyes are fierce, firm.

“Get out!” Jack commands to the other two, voice tight. Geoff bursts into action, grabbing Gavin and pulling him forward. The boy squeaks, wide eyes staring at the figure as he is dragged. Ryan shifts, stepping in to let them pass and help Jack.

The assailant snarls, fingertips digging at the plants that pin him. Then, there’s a sound, like glass creaking and shattering. As Ryan steps in to help, protectively moving in front of Jack, he watches in horror as the plants start to turn blue and their growth stunted. There are shards that stick out from the ends of the vines as a chill floods into the room. The vines start breaking off as ice travels down them. Realization dawns as the ice gets more intense, sparking from the person’s hands.

This person has an Ability. These people have Abilities.

Ryan grabs out to Jack, as more vines burst through the wood floor to pin the person. Splinters of wood litter the ground, holes deep and likely coming from the nursery of the flower shop. Jack’s safeguard of plants, now growing to monstrous sizes and strength. Jack is shaking, breath ragged from the effort, but lets Ryan drag him away, running from the room. They move to the void of darkness in the hallway and Ryan hears a deep growl as a familiar burst of fur bounds through the black towards the sounds of other grunts and fighting in the kitchen. Still having a knuckle-white grip on Jack’s arm, Ryan drags them to the others. They’ll be safer together, where they can outnumber the invaders. At least those are his thoughts through the chaos. As much as he can grasp.

It’s a fury of movement as they bound into the main room, Michael’s beast form snarls and bites at the person Ryan had left in fear. But the stranger is up again, yelling as they fight Michael off, barely ducking out of the way of lashing claws and teeth. Ryan watches, as the whole body seems to flicker during the fight. They are there one second, raising a startled arm under Michael’s neck to shove his maw away, then the body is gone the next second like it was never there.

Ryan shoves Jack in the corner, forcing him out of the way of the fight. Then Ryan bursts for a weapon again, throwing open the drawers for a knife. It might not do much, but being armed with anything is better than nothing. He digs through the drawer, not caring about noise now as snarls and yelps and grunts send every nerve on end. As he pulls out a blade, there’s a flash. The whole room brightens, but harsher than with Gavin’s light. Like a clash of lightning but then there’s a crackle that sounds with it. A buzz of electricity and Ryan looks up to hear a howl of pain, feral and animalistic.

Michael falls away, body ripping back to his human form. He sprawls to the ground with a horrific thud. The stranger’s body is back to being seen, something in their hands that continued to fizzle as they hold their arm. Blood is dripping onto the ground, slipping between their fingers.

Ryan sees red. Raising the knife, he charges forward.

“Ryan, don’t-“ Geoff’s voice comes through, but Ryan doesn’t pay it any attention, colliding with the figure.

The person turns towards him just as he reaches them and Ryan can see more details about them. Seeing long blonde hair pulled back and a snarl spread across the face with hatred in deep grey. The black outfit they have on is tactical, heavy armor with a blue logo patched on the shoulder. An unfortunately familiar logo.

These people might not be here for Ryan.

Ryan realizes this as the knife swings forward. His arm is stopped as their hand shoots out and collides with his wrist. It pins his arm in place, again with a strength that surprises him. Ryan snarls and kicks out, catching their side harshly. Pain radiates through his leg, doubled only by the pain from the older wound on his side. The kick makes them unsteady but their hand keeps on Ryan and they both topple over.

The sparking weapon they had skitters across the wood, out of their grasp as they crash. Ryan twists, trying to grab at their face again. But they’re prepared this time, twisting Ryan’s wrist harshly to point the knife in his hand towards him. The tip hovers near his throat, arm starting to shake in the strain of keeping it away. He flinches away, the knight catching the moonlight as it moves closer and closer to him. His side flares, straining against the stitching and Ryan cries out as it burns. The person growls in effort, grunting as they thrust the knife forward.

Ryan ducks at the last moment, the knife scratching the side of his neck as it plunges into the wooden floor. It sticks, the other grunting as they try to pull it out. Ryan takes the moment to thrust his hands back on them, grabbing either side of their face.

He throws himself deeper. Far too deep, far too fast, he can’t block out the images the flood as it rips the fear forward. Images of pain, screaming for it to stop. Restrained, fighting. And terror, unadulterated fear. Nearly stopping his heart, stealing his lungs. Not again. Please, not anymore, make it stop-

Then cold, stinging, pounding into his back. Ryan gasps as he’s ripped from the other person’s mind, their body slumping to the floor. A shout fills the room and as Ryan turns around, he sees Jeremy swinging and a body slamming against the wall. A trail of ice leads from Ryan to where the person had been standing, razor-like fragments sticking out of the trails.

“Don’t kill them!” Geoff cuts through the chaos, still pushing Gavin out. The boy cowers but glows, the light cutting harshly through the darkness around them.

“What the fuck else do we do, Geoff?” Michael’s angry voice cuts through, matching the hands on Ryan’s back, dragging him up.

“We run!” Jeremy supplies, feet racing through the room. The ice Ability is still laying on the ground, recovering. Vines grow, crawling through the ground and wrapping around the form that doesn’t move. Jack is grunting, sweat falling off his brow as his whole body shakes.

“Get to the car!” Geoff commands, throwing the front door open. “Jack, keep the fuck down a few more moments.”

“Where are you going?!” Michael howls as Ryan sees Geoff bolt back through the apartment, turning back to the darkness.

“Go,” Ryan grits to Michael, hand pressing to his own side as he stands back up. He feels some stickiness drip through his fingers and he doesn’t need to look to know its blood. “I’ll deal with this. You get everyone else safe.”

“Fuck you-“ Michael starts to scream, but Jeremy grabs him, pulling him away. Michael yelps as Jeremy grabs harder than he means, but reluctantly Michael goes where he pulls, shoving Gavin out with them.

From the ground, the Ice Ability stirs and snarls, weakly fighting the plants. But there are too many untangled now and his ice isn’t can’t seem to spread enough. He growls as his eyes level straight through the rest of them. Looking right at Gavin who pauses, staring in the doorway. “Stop running! You know you can’t be out! You have to come back!”

Ryan can see the glow behind him increase; Gavin’s light spilling on the floor, echoing in sputters through the room. Ryan doesn’t look back though as he strides forward and leans down with his non-bloody hand. He rests it on the pinned man, who flinches, twisting uselessly. Ryan’s body resists just trying to call for his power, exhaustion pulling at his bones but he pushes past it. Letting his Ability move through the contact. Ryan doesn’t need to set in a lot, careful not to shove in too deep. He can feel the intruder fall limp; trapped in whatever nightmare Ryan forced his now sleeping body to be in.

As the figure falls silent, Ryan pushes himself to stand back up, hissing through his teeth as his body aches. He takes an unsteady step only to feel comforting arms come up besides him, throwing his arm over a shoulder. “I got you,” Geoff says, leading the way.

Ryan can only grunt, head spinning as he shuffles along. He catches Jack stumbling out, hears Geoff commanding. Ryan couldn’t focus on any of it, the last rush of his Ability draining like the blood pooling between his fingers.

They make it to the car somehow, tires squealing as they pull out, racing through the blinking glass buildings. The streetlights flash in and out and in and out, stripes across their tense expressions, clinging hands to seats. The car is a cacophony of noise, shouting and worried voices, but Ryan can’t sort through any of it. The pain dulls the world and Ryan rests his head back on the seat, focusing on keeping pressure on his side.

A face peers at him, warmth radiating from it. Ryan cracks his eyes open to see the scared, worried face of Gavin. Lips pulled tight, lines of stress making him seem so much older and more ragged than from even when they first met. He hears Gavin murmuring, cutting through the sounds of their world flipping on its head.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. I swear, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

#solar #superpowers fahc #freewood #fake ah crew #fahc #sorry this took so long #hope you guys still enjoy!!! #posted a bit early i know #but i wanted to get it out

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Pennywise (2010s duology)

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

27 years after the miniseries adaptation, a new adaptation of Stephen King’s It came along, and with it, a new Pennywise the Dancing Clown. As hit or miss as the miniseries was, pretty much everyone is in agreement that Tim Curry’s fantastic, hilarious performance is the one bright spot of that version, meaning anyone who would be playing Pennywise in the new version would have some pretty big clown shoes to fill.

Thankfully new Pennywise Bill Skarsgard is 6’4” tall, a size that is most certainly big enough to fill any size clown shoes his predecessor may have left. His performance is a fantastic new take on an iconic character, and while it certainly does have weaker elements to it (as Curry’s did), there’s still more to love than there is to hate.

Actor: Bill Skarsgard portrays Pennywise this time, and while he is quite obviously no Tim Curry, he most definitely is a Bill Skarsgard. I love everything he brings to this role: his intimidating height, his creepy voice, that weird thing he does with his eyes… in the same manner in which Curry brought his Pennywise to life with the voice and mannerisms of a charming kid’s show host, Skarsgard brings his Pennywise to life with the mannerisms of an alien beast that can only just barely put forth a front of normalcy as it hunts its prey, and because of this he manages to make Pennywise utterly terrifying.

Motivation/Goals: Pennywise’s motivation is the same as it always is: he comes around every 27 years to eat children, opting to spice them up with a healthy dose of fear before going in for the kill. Frankly, in this regard he is really no different from the Tim Curry version or the book version, though he does opt to do things in a more overtly sinister manner than the other two incarnations, and when it comes time for him to harass the adult Losers in Chapter Two, while he does opt for some jokes here and there, he mostly remains creepy and disturbing the whole time.

Personality: This take on Pennywise is actually quite interesting, as compared to the Tim Curry one, this one is actually legitimately terrifying… to a fault. He is so utterly monstrous that a lot of the time it’s hard to believe he could ever sucker children in to being his victims, with Georgie’s death being a prime example – Pennywise is so absolutely creepy to the point of salivating over the thought of eating Georgie that the kid nearly runs before he gets within biting range. He’s pretty light on the jokes too, but frankly I don’t see that as a big minus; I like that this Pennywise is creepier and legitimately unnerving.

Final Fate: This is where the Skarsgard version truly has the Curry one beat; instead of turning into a giant, awful stop-motion spider, Skarsgard’s Pennywise turns into a giant clown drider and tries to kill the Losers. While he manages to get Eddie in the final confrontation, the remaining members all band together and… basically just insult him until he shrinks down and they can rip his heart out. When I said this has Curry’s beat, I never said it was perfect, after all. At the very least a green glow post death implies that Matarin was helping the gang, and Pennywise seems definitively dead in this continuity, so at least this goofy finale leads into a happy ending.

Best Scene: Much like Curry, Skarsgard has no shortage of fantastic scenes to pick from, with my personal favorite being when he unfolds from the fridge to attack Eddie in the first movie. However, objectively speaking, I think Skarsgard’s most definitive moment is his insane little jig he does to try and weird out Beverly, which went absolutely memetic after the film released. Of course, what the memes don’t tell you is when Beverly does not respond to his goofy dance, he peels back his face and shows her his deadlights, causing one of the most wonderful mood whiplashes I have ever seen in any film ever.

Honestly, I do find it kind of amusing the funnier Pennywise got a best moment where he was actually scary, while the scarier Pennywise got a best moment where he was actually pretty funny.

Best Quote: Unlike Curry, I don’t feel like Skarsgard was really a goldmine of quotes. Still, he gets some good bits in where they count, such as when he feigns hurt feelings at Bill for not thinking his scares are “real” enough. However, I think his taunting of Richie over his closeted gay desires, complete with a goofy little song, is his best bit for just how many lines it ends up crossing before finally landing on darkly hilarious:

“Did ya miss me, Richie? 'Cos I've missed you! No one wants to play with the clown anymore. Play a game with me, would ya? How about Street Fighter? Oh, yes, you like that one, don't you? Or maybe Truth or Dare? Oh, you wouldn't want anyone to pick Truth though, would you, Richie? You wouldn't want anyone to know what you're hiding. I know your secret! Your dirty little secret! Oh, I know your secret! Your DIRTY little secret! Shall I tell them, Richie?”

Final Thoughts & Score: Skarsgard’s take on Pennywise is a take I just love. I love the weird quirks and mannerisms Skarsgard brought to the table, such as the eye thing his Pennywise does or the weir contortions and gestures and faces. I also love just how menacing and disturbing his Pennywise is, something that I felt was especially lacking in Curry’s performance; while Curry was certainly funny and had superb line delivery, he just couldn’t muster up a single shiver from me the way Skarsgard’s take on Stephen King’s monster clown did.

So, of course, I give him a 10/10. It really helps Skarsgard didn’t have a finale half as bad as Curry’s Pennywise did, and he did manage to be genuinely amusing in Chapter 2, though certainly not to the extent Curry’s Pennywise was. He’s an enjoyable take that, while not as entertaining in persona and comedy, is definitely a fun watch in terms of horror and sheer sadistic glee. It’s sort of a Heath Ledger’s Joker to the Jack Nicholson Joker that Curry’s take was: two excellent, valid performances of the same character that are great for different reasons.

But here’s the thing: they aren’t perfect. Out of all of Stephen King’s villains, Pennywise is one of the ones that could easily be an 11 out of 10. He’s iconic, he’s entertaining, he’s a big figure in pop culture and has inspired numerous monster clowns and eldritch abominations since his inception… and yet, every time the character has been put to screen so far, there is just something missing, that secret essence that King tapped into in his book that managed to make Pennywise equal parts darkly comic and unrelentingly monstrous. As far as adaptations go, these facets of Pennywise have been split into two performances, and if we ever got them in one performance, we’d have the definitive Pennywise that I could safely say is one of the greatest cinematic villains ever.

For now, we’re at least fortunate to be stuck with two great, unique takes on It. Let’s see how they do him justice 27 years from now in the next adaptation.

#Psycho Analysis #Pennywise #Pennywise the Dancing Clown #Bill Skarsgard #It #It Chapter 2 #Stephen King

[thanatophobix-blog]

🖊 + all do it coward

Yelling about my OCs // ACCEPTINGRabbit, you are a fool and so am I. I’m just gonna, like… give a headcanon per OC on this blog under the cut.

Achilles - His semblance is called Disconsolate. It makes others able fully feel what he is feeling, from absolute sorrow, blind rage, to pure joy, right down to the last ounce of pain he gets from a paper cut. It can take over other people’s rational thinking processes and make them react as he would, which is often never good (and leads to his death).

Alexus - She doesn’t have any real senses, even if she says its a simulated thing, she has none. She’s a cpu program! HOWEVER, she can still smell charred flesh from when her girlfriend shocked & burned to death. It’s burned into her mind even though her mind can no longer comprehend what a sense is.

Artharrachadh - Doesn’t actually like 7/11 or gas stations, they just give off the vibe he strives for in life. The mystery, the scandals, the robberies. It’s so out in the middle of nowhere that its perfect. Although, thanks to 7/11 he developed an addiction to slushies. Cherry/blue raspberry, for our god of liminal spaces, baby!!

Cas - Her powers have limits. Without her power retaining equipment (essentially, a choker, two bracelets, and two ankles), she would have ripped herself into shreds after a few usages of her powers. Her speed could send her cells into different dimensions, her ‘pyrokinesis’ could set herself on fire since she is not impervious to fire, and if she uses her luck too much, karma returns the favor with brain bleeds.

Cephriel - As angelic as they are, they are more monstrous and demonic than they’d like to admit. They eat sinners alive for nourishment, but it is all for the holy conquest. Plus, the more souls they consume, the stronger they get. The stronger they get, the quicker they can accomplish the holy conquest.

Dolores - She really wanted to get back in touch with her son but she could never find him. She went back to LA looking for him only to find that he’d been adopted and shipped off to Germany. She felt so, so horrible. It’s her fault that he was sent off to a totally abusive household and she lives with that guilt so, so horribly.

Dominique - Has never once acted like a true criminal, more like a robin hood type figure. He doesn’t kill, he doesn’t hurt, he doesn’t do anything like that, the worst he does is steal from the rich and give to the poor. Either through charity donations or through mysterious wads of cash showing up at people’s houses. However, since he steals from the rich and not the poor, that makes him evil for the media.

Eirian - Has never been one for conflict. Avoided school drama all throughout high school (minus his tiff with Lizzie which was created by him being an idiot). Now he’s running from town to town with an eldritch being chasing after him with so many guns in the back seat of his truck its almost fucking criminal. He’s learned, so, so much combat things that it scares him. He’s practically a weapon himself.

Erik - Has the hardest time keeping the ‘we’re all monsters or demons’ secret a secret out of all of Clearfall’s citizens, and he’s the one that made the whole thing happen. Lucky for him, Corey Booker, the human reporter, is kinda dense. Unlucky for Erik, he thinks that Corey is hot shit and would gladly sell him his soul to stay in Clearfall. But, for Corey to stay in Clearfall, he’d have to be turned into either a werewolf or a vampire but he doesn’t want to do that because Erik’s both a wimp and doesn’t wanna hurt

Eva-Marie - In Hell, everyone wears the sign of how their died. People shot have their bullet wounds, knife wounds, the blood loss makes you incredibly lethargic and cold, sickness makes you permanently sick and tired, burning makes you always feel like you’re on fire, and maybe you are! But Eva-Marie doesn’t show signs of her death, or at least, not if you’re not paying attention. She has perfect posture and never lowers her head, the thick choker on her neck is blood red, sometimes she starts choking and coughing up blood. She was killed via beheading, and she takes perfect care to make sure that her head never falls off.

Fane - Has extreme commitment and attachment issues because of how many loved ones he has lost. He couldn’t save… anyone. When one of his last surviving relatives, his great great great great hella fucking great nephew, Lucas, died, he was there. Fane was teaching him how to drive and they got in an accident because Lucas couldn’t take his fucking foot off the gas because he was scared shitless and they got whacked by a semi and Fane has never, ever forgiven himself for that. Or any other of the deaths.

Florian - Is destined to become fully evil, and will thrive in that evil. He was never meant to be a florist, to live and survive off of cuddles on couches and cheap pays for a good job well done. At the end of the day, he has a strong sadistic streak that was never fulfilled as a child. Florian is all smiles and no substance on the inside, and was going to kill himself if he ever had to live another second in that flower shop doing nothing, that’s what the explosion was, an attempt to end it. Now? He’s soft and sweet on  the outside as a cover, and on the inside, he’s ready to seduce your husband and blow up your house.

Fritz - Doesn’t need to sleep and doesn’t sleep. You see, on his home planet, people move so fast that sleeping was essentially something of a social death sentence. Entire empires would rise and fall while one of them was asleep, your wife could start another family and leave you behind because you would be out cold for another millennia. SO! To bypass that, they engineered a serum that would alter their chemical makeup so they’d be constantly producing energy to replace sleep.

Henri - Does not miss being a royal. She knows that the second she gets back, she’ll be forced into an arranged marriage with a guy who a) she will never love because she is a lesbian to every degree and b) she hates anyway, the guy’s a fuckin’ douchebag to every degree. She just wants to stay in NYC with the punk rock and the grunge and the Crownweaver gig with her punk gf, Dex, and never look back.

Jack - Used to be a Team Spectre Admin. Dated Salem for years, was there when the whole team got launched under Salem’s reign. They were really, really into the whole thing too, believed that the world would be better if they could just wipe everyone’s memory clean and start over with the same people, but have everyone listen to a group ‘concerned about their health, their sanity and their well-being’. Eventually realized that it was all bullshit, all of it, shit, bullshit, and that Salem? Asshole! Shit boyfriend, shit person, shit… just shit. Left, went legit, went good.

Julia - Knows everything about you. She has no clairvoyance or telepathy or omniscience or anything like that, but she knows everything about you. She has connections, her connections have connections, she’s met practically everyone in town and if she doesn’t know everything about you when you first meet? You can be sure that she’s going to hunt down someone who at least knows something. She’s incredibly well informed, scarily well informed, and also good at social cues.

Kennedy - Killed a man in university. It was her first kill and by far, her favorite. The rush she felt, the understanding of why people murder for fun, it made her understand. She had a knife on hand, took it out of the restaurant she was eating at just beforehand and completely forgot about it, but she was glad she had it. She gutted him, top of the chest all the way down to the lower stomach, and she hanged him from a fire escape by his own intestines. He was coming onto her and she was not about that life, rest in peace, fucker.

Klaus-Michael - Has a really hard time hiding his job from his father, aka the Spider-Gold job. Yes, his father is in Germany and Klaus-Michael himself is in NYC, however, it is a requirement between the two that they have a video call once a week. He comes home after fighting off an army of bad guys with so many bruises and so many cuts and dings and busted lips and broken bones and casts and oxygen tanks that his dad should be suspicious, especially since his dad is a genius. But, Klaus-Michael always seems to have some sort of excuse tucked up his sleeve.

Liz - Finds Atlantis. She does! With help, she arrives, and, unlike the dis.ney movie, there is no one alive. Skeletons line the streets of the drowned city, the location is crumbling, and she is horrified. The haunted location gives her the creeps the second she is in there, and for good reason, because something  is watching her. Not something living, but machinery, and once it catches up to her, it brands her on her side for the rest of her life. A marking, a warning.

Lizzie - Has slight celestial heritage. Didn’t think Arhkangelskaya was chosen as her last name for a reason? It was! While she doesn’t have archangel blood per say, she has guardian angel blood, and that’s what brings her back (her ghost back) from the dead to look after Eirian’s dumb fucking ass. The guardian angel blood comes from her great grandfather who was her great grandmother’s guardian angel, ever since then, the arhkangelskayas have returned as ghosts to the person they feel needs the most help.

Lori - Is destined to die at the age of twelve. In a way, she feels invincible because who in their right mind would kill a child? She thinks, that, because she’s so young, nobody is gonna raise a finger against her when she walks in to kill them, because she thinks that they don’t think that she’s going to kill them! And then, one day, she realizes that everyone is an assassin and assassins don’t have rules, assassins just want money. And, on that day, that is when she dies.

Lukas - Is not out for anyone but himself and his town. If you die, and it’s his fault, it’s not on his conscience. He’s not here to fix your problems, even though he fixes way too many of them anyway, he’s here to get the money and go. He’s here to get enough cash to either buy enough medicine to last him and his hometown years and years and years, essentially ridding them of their poisoning, or, he is going to use that money to entice scientists to search for a cure. He’s tired of having slag course through his veins, it hurts, more than he likes to admit.

Lux -  Is not impervious to fire. If she emits it from her body, she only does so from her hands for this reason, she’s not some hum.an tor.ch lookin’ chick, she’s completely human to every regard and her powers are created by machines. She can use her powers of vibrating molecules to a frequency on objects that she is not holding that are within close range, but she can also ‘set the air on fire’ (more like oxidation). She doesn’t realise this, but its how she makes her fireballs. The palms of her hands are incredibly scarred.

Madeleine - Killed a man in self defense and nobody will ever, ever know about it. Or, at least, she hopes so. She doesn’t want anybody to find out about it, because she knows that she’d be sent to jail. Sure, it started out as self defense when the main pulled out a gun at her at semi-close range in an alley way after a case where she sent a criminal away for life and she stabbed him through the heart with her rapier. It was when she took the gun and the sword and started going overkill with panic that it became less about self defense and more like making sure that that guy would never come back. She got an old friend with connections to clean the scene.

Marque - Isn’t trying to provide chaos to provide the world with equal opportunity to rise from the ashes and anarchy as a new, better evolved race, he’s doing it so he can control Giratina and take over the Reverse World. If he takes control of the pokemon, then he is also, by default, the master of the Reverse World. If he allows other to live within the other dimension, he will become their leader by default. And, by causing chaos in Kalos, Sinnoh and the other regions, he will have more and more people wanting to move into the Reverse, gaining more and more subjects and more and more power.

Matthew - Will not be able to survive if he ever leaves the Entity’s realms. His body is emaciated beyond what should be humanly possible (not like the hag is, more like he’s 6′4″ and 90lbs) and he’s surviving based on the Entity alone. His blood is complete and utter drugs at this point and he’s fragile. He’s skeletal, but in the same way that b.ane works, the drugs kind of give him a boost? They give him the strength to keep moving, but he will die if all of them ever get out because he was only a little better than this before he got into the realms.

Myles - Is suffering from unknown internal damage thanks to the facial scar that he is unaware of. The deal with this is, the scar pushed the outer layer of metal inward and, while it hasn’t damaged any of his inner workings yet, if anything happens to his face… welp! A good hit to the cheek, falling head first, anything like that will push the sharp metal further inward and damage his internal wiring. This could potentially be fatal depending on how hard the hit is, or how many times he gets hit. He is very stunned after a good head injury.

Ollie - Is a little hypocrite His whole episode is about the importance of not doing drugs, but in itself, the episode really leans towards how ‘some drugs are good’. Big companies will gladly sponsor a tv show into corrupting the minds of children to think that certain drugs are alright to take by hiding information about them, just like the tobacco industry in the past with cigarettes. Ollie, the pill bottle filled with prescription drugs, may say that some are bad, but he himself offers the pills he contains to the members of the show, getting them addicted, like a fucking hypocrite.

Richard - Wants to move onto news reporting on television, but is held back by Thomas. Their personalities are incredibly similar thanks to the method of their creation, but Richard’s has always been a little bit louder and more personable and much, much more suited for news reporting. He’s always taken to celebrity incidents more, so he’d be suited for something like…. eta.lk or en.tertainment toni.ght. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to report a death on tv that you caused?

Salem - Does not understand that he is in the wrong. Like, you know how some villains understand that to do some good things, you need to break a few eggs? And they deal with that guilt?? LIke uh, shit, like Negan had guilt on cheating on his wife and all that, like they can realize that they’ve done bad shit? Salem is so insecure that he projects all guilt and anger and anything wrong onto other people. World falling apart? People losing their families to memory loss? Not his fault, all yours.

Shae - Never wanted to be the hero. She’s watched too many superhero movies to see how it all turns out. Metr.oman? From Meg.amind? Yeah, she doesn’t wanna turn out like that, but she knows that she’ll burnout from all the people saving and all the heroics and that one day she might just have to kill her best friend so as sunshine-y as she is she’s always dealing with this black cloud that hangs over her head and heart and it hurts her that the world is always so in danger and she can only do so much. She wants to have a break.

Sinclair - Has never lived for himself. He only ever helps others. When Jack disappeared, he took it upon himself to defeat the Team Spectre residing within the League. He took over so that people could still experience the League even though he didn’t actually technically become the champion. After all that happens, he leaves to go help others because he has nothing else to live for, he doesn’t know what to do but help. Even as a child, he poured himself into others rather than building himself up.

The Boys - Used to travel the world to sate their hunger before fully settling in their new home, a now dead, formerly economically booming, rural town that still sees some people coming in. When they travelled, they were not known as the boys, more as The Figure, as they did not hivemind as much. It is only thanks to their new setting where they take place in the high school like to eat teenagers that they hivemind as seven different boys (the most they can manage with having separate personalities and appearances while still being connected).

Thomas - Once tried to have a family outside out of Richard without Richard knowing to see what it was like. They aren’t connected other than their purpose, so they share no hivemind, just basic personality. He soon realised that a family would not be for someone like him, as they would always die before him, leading him to fake his death so it’d make human sense. He lost track of where his descendants are now, however, he doesn’t care because he’s dependant on Richard.

Virgil - In Agents of Mayhem, Virgil becomes M. Squelette, the title gained when becoming the leader of the Ivory Skeletons. Either way, his Saints Row verse, he still was a member of that gang, but he left the gang life there to move to Stilwater and then got rescooped into it. He has a lot of Saints ink, the fleur de lis and all that shit, one on his neck, y’know. However, he has a piece of Skeletons ink that he refuses to blot out because its… really nice. Like the tattoo artist obviously worked really hard on it and as loyal as he is to the Saints, he also has a large respect for the arts so there is no way in hell he’ll blot out something so nice looking. Besides, he can just pass it off as something he got when he was drunk considering that he never talks about his time as a Skeleton to anyone.

Woodland - Learned how to ‘speak English’ thanks to the dying screams of the people she killed and ate alive. Some people would try and bargain with her, others would just string together a stream of ‘shit’s and ‘no’s. Of course, this doesn’t help when learning English, as you only learn certain words and all their connotations are fucked and disjointed. She tries her best though. Also, she doesn’t actually have a name. Woodland is just a term.

Xander - Found out that he was a god when he didn’t die when he should have. By all means, he should have died. He was in a car accident with some sorta not really friends (all his other friends were in the other car, thank gods) and all the other ones died horrifically. Someone got flung out the windshield and into a tree, someone stepped out of the crash and got hit by a passing truck, when the car caught on fire, two people were stuck inside. Only Xander lived, but he was in a hospital with wounds that should have never healed, but they did. He then got a message from his fathers telling him about his true parentage.

#Ah ha ha. Bless your soul. (answered) #death mention // #suicide mention // #blood mention // #burn mention // #abusive relationship mention // #child death mention // #anorexia mention // #drug mention // #that is a lot of mentions #yikes #this took WAY too long but theres 37 oc headcanon like things #enjoy #time to suffer

[ernmark]

Because it seems there’s been some confusion: making Sarah Steel less monstrous was never about making her actions seem any less awful, it’s all about freeing Juno to stop hating himself so he can finally start to heal the deepest wounds that her abuse has left in him.

Sympathizing with Sarah Steel as a human being is not the same as condoning her behavior, and I don’t think it was meant to be read that way.

Juno never forgave her for what she did. In fact, it was brought up several times that he isn’t going to. He doesn’t have to.

JUNO: You want me to feel bad for her? You know how many victims she made in her life? BEN: (A VERY “I WAS ONE OF THEM, DUH” TONE) Yep. But I never said we have to forgive her.

JUNO: Don’t think this means I forgive you. SARAH: Why would you? I don’t.

JUNO: I am not going to forgive her! She’s just evil. BEN: Seems like a strong word. JUNO: If she wasn’t evil, then who the hell is, Ben— BEN: Didn’t mean evil. I meant “just.”

(In that last one, the fact that she’s evil isn’t being argued against. What’s being argued is that evil isn’t all she is.)

We are made to sympathize with Sarah, but that doesn’t make her the good guy. If anything, sympathizing with her makes her actions that much worse, because it’s not like abusing her kids was some insatiable drive in her nature. It was a series of choices that she made, just like her attempts to be a good mother were a series of choices that she made, and she is responsible for every one of those choices.

And that’s important on so many levels.

Juno erased her humanity as a defense mechanism, because it was the only way he could remain sane. And in that time, it was an effective defense mechanism. It got him far away from a dangerous abuser and motivated him to rise above her, and that kept him alive. The fact that Ben rejected that particular defense mechanism contributed to his death:

JUNO: When it all started to hurt the only way I could deal with it was to look away from everything human and just see the monster… but you could never stop seeing the person she could’ve been. BEN: It wasn’t the right choice. It wasn’t a noble choice. But it was my choice. And I think it’s about time you let me take responsibility for my choices. Okay?

The problem with defense mechanisms is that they’re really effective in one very specific situation, but they can be incredibly toxic once you’re out of that situation. And that’s where Juno has been for almost twenty years, and it fucked him up royally, because he was measuring himself by the same metric with which he measured her.

BEN: Is that how you think of yourself? Like a few problems are enough reason to call yourself trash?

And that’s the whole point of this conversation right here:

JUNO: For years now it’s felt like you were the beast lurking inside me. Like the part of me with the short fuse and the bruised knuckles had a name and that name was Sarah Steel, and every time I felt you in my hands or heard you in my voice it was a sign my days were numbered. That one day I was gonna be just like you. Causing as much pain as you. Feeling as much pain as you. SARAH: And now you’re finally ready to get rid of me. So he’s an exorcist, too. JUNO: No. I’m not getting rid of you. I’ve tried that already and it doesn’t work. You are always going to be a part of me. I am always going to do bad things and feel you in them. But you weren’t a monster, Mom. You were just a person. A person who let her own hurt pour out and hurt other people, yeah. But… SARAH: … But what? JUNO: No, not “but.” And. You hurt people and you cared about them. And you scared people and you made things nobody else could make. And you were brave, Ma, brave enough to push yourself as hard as you could, and you weren’t smart enough or patient enough or something enough to see that you never should’ve pushed yourself that far in the first place. And I don’t have to be scared every time I feel you in me anymore.

Because Juno had learned to think of Sarah Steel as an inhuman monster, that meant in turn that he was an inhuman monster every time he saw any parts of her reflected in himself, and that’s a big part of the reason why he was suicidal, why he broke all the relationships he ever had, why he couldn’t allow himself to be happy, why he left Peter.

The point was never forgiving Sarah for what she’d done. I don’t think he ever will. The point was to make it so forgiving her was a conceivable option– a choice he was free to make, or free to refuse– so that he would finally be free to forgive himself.

As that long exchange goes on, it seems like the monster of Sarah Steel is tamed, that she turns into the person that he once loved. She compliments him. Teases him, even. She’s playful. And for a second, you think everything’s All Better.

(Remember the phrase All Better? “Crazy’s” as bad as “all better” and you know it. It’s an ending. We don’t get those, alive or dead.)

SARAH: Principled. Strong. Stronger than I was. (GETTING MORE DESPERATE AND AGGRESSIVE) And now you saw him do it. Now you know Benzaiten wasn’t my fault— JUNO: Nnnnnope, that definitely was.

The ghost of Sarah seems to think she’s been forgiven, that her sins have been absolved. They haven’t. She murdered her son in cold blood because she didn’t like his tone, and that’s 100% on her. Just because he remembers that they loved each other once doesn’t somehow erase the fact that her actions were truly evil.

And then suddenly things start sounding like something out of a horror movie.

She starts ranting and raving about how what she did is all Jack’s fault, that Juno needs to avenge their family, that he needs to become a cold-blooded murderer just for her, and she starts abusing him again. She becomes larger than life and monstrous, her voice is echoed by both Turbo’s cartoonish catch phrases and Juno’s own words of self-loathing, and Juno flees in terror while he’s pursued by her phantom.

And that’s the last time we see her. That’s the note we go on, the image that’s left to stick in our brain. He’s faced the monster head on, and in doing so he’s stripped her of much of her power over him, but she hasn’t stopped being violent, vindictive, and cruel.

She’s still there in his head, and he’s going to have to keep fighting her every day for the rest of his life.

At least now he knows that the battle wasn’t already lost before it started. At least now he knows that he isn’t doomed to fail because he, too, is a monster. She made her choices. To paraphrase a certain knife wielder, Juno is still alive, and he’s still free to choose to be a good person.

#the penumbra podcast #penumbra meta #100

[the-ghost-writers]

All Tangled Up

NSFW. I’d write a description but there’s really no plot to this story, it’s just an excuse to write about two gay snake knights fucking.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The story is for and characters belong to @thebeeknight

Sun rays rain down upon the land, their light filtered through and turned green by the giant leaves of the jungle canopy. The light comes down to the damp dirt of the jungle floor to illuminate a path between the trees. The trunks are wet and dripping from the night’s rain, leaving them with a shine that glistens to make the vegetation have a plastic look to it. The mud is still slick and squelches when stepped on, or slithered upon as a snake is doing. Orange and white scales slide along the dirt, fallen leaves, and over giant roots as the monstrous knight goes on his way without a care. There’s a sway in his slither as he ducks under a few branches, all the while humming to himself; he doesn’t seem to notice that his humming is the only sound to be made in this part of the forest.

The ball python slows down as comes upon a break in the jungle, the trees, not parted by a river, but by a fire from years back. Vegetation has taken root in the ashes and buried most of what was burnt, leaving only traces of grey ashes are strewed among the greenery. Bright red flowers are scattered among the break, all of them thriving as there are no trees to block the sun and rain. The shape of them is like that of a cup and filled with rainwater, albeit that it’s red tinted water from the flower’s pollen. The ball python stays just within the edge of the forest, hidden from sight, as he gives the flowers a curious look. Geroldin pulls his tail in on himself to curl around his body as he half hides behind a tree, keeping his head out so he can see what’s to come.

It’s not long before the knight gets what he came for as he spots movement coming toward him from down the break. It’s another snake monster, just like Geroldin, albeit much darker as this one is completely black and significantly larger than the python. Slinking behind the cover of the tree, Geroldin watches the other snake make his way through the break until the black mamba is in the center of the flowers. Doing his best to not make a sound, the python lowers himself and waits for an opportunity to present itself as his tongue flicks out in anticipation. In the meantime, he looks over the mamba, taking in the deep black of his armor and scales, yet how they still shine in the sunlight.  His armor is hard to make out aside from his helmet, a jagged grin with too many eye holes above, all bound together to form his wicked face while giving the look of him letting out a sadistic laugh. Behind his head trails a short black veil that catches the wind when he moves.

The helmet splits apart as the snake opens his mouth into four separate mandibles along with showing his black flesh inside. They twitch as the snake approaches one of the flowers and, instead of using the sword sheathed on his waist, cuts it off at the stem. He lifts the delicate flower, tilts his head back and drinks the tinted water held captive by the petals; the red water nearly looks like there’s blood in it as it disappears down his gullet. He doesn’t seem to care when he spills some onto his chest, just as he doesn’t seem notice Gerodlin who’s slinking up to him from behind. A smile on the python has his helmet open up, he has to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. He’s only a few feet away from the mamba when the other snake lowers his drink. “I don’t appreciate it when people try sneaking up on me, creamsicle.”

Geroldin stops in mid-slither as he freezes up. As the black mamba twists around to face him, both their mouths close up to resemble helmets again. “How’d you know it was me?” He whines.

The dark snake snickers as he tosses the flower away. “We snakes make a unique sound when moving, but your is faint due to how small you are.” Pulling his tail in, Askell crosses his arms. “That, and you’re the only person I know that giggles when they’re sneaking. I guess that’s to be expected of someone nicknamed Silly String.”

Snapping his fingers, the ball python slumps in defeat. “Dagnabbit,” Planting his hands on his hips, he shakes his head. “I really want to get a surprise attack on you.” He gives a heavy sigh and keeps shaking his head. After a few more seconds, he peers at Askell and sniffs. “Are you not going to ask why?”

He shrugs. “No, I don’t particularly care.”

Silly String freezes up again before crying out. “That’s so rude!”

“I mean, it’s true...”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not rude!” With a huff, Geroldin turns away from the mamba. “I’m not sure if I even want to wrestle with you anymore.”

A moment passes before Askell rubs his temple. “Silly, why are you here?” Geroldin lifts a finger to speak, but the mamba carries on. “No, I don’t mean about your wrestling. I’m mean why are you here, with me of all people, when I’m an infamous warrior known for killing other snakes? You do know that black mambas eat other snakes, right? Don’t you have a sense of self-preservation?”

Pulling his hand back to him, the python sniffs and tilts his head. “I know you get in lots of fights, but I never heard of you killing anyone.”

“Erm,” Askell slaps his tail against the ashes and finds himself looking away from Silly as he’s suddenly interested in his sword hilt. “They keep running away…”

Watching the mamba pick his weapon, Geroldin slithers up to him as a smile breaks over his face. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” Sliding up close to Askell, he tilts his head to the side again. “I bet it has nothing to do with you.”

The mamba snaps his head up. In a mere half second, he moves to put himself an inch away from the python as he looms over the smaller snake. “Are you trying to say I can’t fight? Or that I’m scared to?”

“Hey,” Putting his arms up in mock defeat, the python starts laughing. “You’re the one who’s afraid to wrestle me, and I’m the smallest snake around.” Poking a finger in Askell’s chest, he pushes him back. “What does that say about you?”

One second, Geroldin is in the middle of sticking his tongue out at Askell. In the next, the python is pinned on his back as the mamba hisses at him with bared fangs. He cuts himself short, and his helmet comes back together with a click. “You were aggravating me to trick me into wrestling.”

“Whaaat?” The orange snake’s face splits into a smile as he plays pretend. “I’d never try something like that.” Head cocked to the side, he shrugs. “But if you want, I’m here for it.”

Askell doesn’t have a smile as he leans forward. His face is mere inches from Geroldin, making the creamsicle squirm as he begins to worry that he pushed too far. “Fine,” His words come out bitter but are quick to turn cruel. “I’ll indulge you.” Pressing in, a wide tipped tongue flickers at Geroldin’s face. “I like playing with my food.”

“You wouldn’t eat me.”

The mamba only chuckles as he gets up. “You can certainly tell yourself that. Now,” Waving a hand through the air and pulling his weapon off his hip to toss it away, he pushes his tail behind him as he faces Silly. “Come at me.”

“Have at thee, knave!” Geroldin shouts as he tries flipping himself upright. He manages to raise himself and lunges for the mamba with a tackle in mind.

The said snake shifts to the side and ideally watches as the creamsicle goes sailing past. “Do you even know what that phrase means?”

The orange reptile only rights himself before throwing his entire body at his so-called enemy. “Fight me!”

“Huh,” Askell puts his arms out and catches Geroldin, snatching him out of the air. He’s quick to shift the weight so that he leads Silly to go over his head before tossing the snake behind him. “I’m not sure if you were answering my question or just shouting a battle cry.”

“Aha!” He shouts as he his tail wraps around Askell’s waist, giving Geroldin something to latch on to. He pulls himself to the mamba and actually manages to push hard enough to put the black knight on his back. Arms holding down Askell’s shoulders to pin him still, he huffs. “Are you going easy on me?”

“Perhaps.”

“If you are, which I’m pretty sure you are, then you should stop.” Pointing a finger at the mamba, he tries hard to sound serious. “Listen here, you jack-o-lantern lookin guy, I wanted a tussle, not a lazy slap fight.”

Askell leans his head against the ground and coos to the other snake. “Careful what you wish for, you might just get it.”

Silly String only sighs, relaxing his grip in doing so. “You always talk but you never-” He stops and looks down to see Askell had managed to fully wrap his tail around his own orange tail while he was distracted from talking. “Oh.”

Geroldin lets out a short yell as he gets swept off the ground only to be slammed on his back hard enough to knock the air out of him. As he catches his breath, Askell takes his time with laying his chest atop the creamsicle. “That was pretty damn easy. “Silly, are you going easy on me?” Bapping the small snake on his helm, the mamba rubs salt into the wounds his mocking tone left. He waits for the python to respond, perplexed when Geroldin squirms underneath him without a word. He presses his weight on the snake and chuckles. “Don’t tell me you’re giving up so easily.”

“I’m not!” Pushing his hand against the Mamba’s helm, he tries pulling the black snake off him and fails. As a result, he pouts, squirming in vain to free himself from the mamba. “It was just a blow to my pride.”

“You have pride?”

“Not much, but just enough for it to be hurt.” As Askell starts to laugh, Geroldin presses his palm into the big snake’s face and forces him off. The two manage to flip up and face off again; the python mumbling his plans of attack while the mamba runs his tongue along his jaws. Something takes over Geroldin and he goes stiff for a second before jutting a finger out. “Hey, don’t do that, no sexy tactics!”

Straightening himself, the mamba cocks his head. “I didn’t think something that small would get you excited. But if it does…” Taking all the time in the world, Askell slithers closer to the python, making his approach clear as if challenging Geroldin to stop him. Geroldin may have meant to do something, but he finds himself freezing up when the mamba’s helmet splits apart into four mandibles as he shows his mouth to the creamsicle. “I just this to say.” Sliding up, he sets a hand against the python’s chest and leans in. His tongue lulls out, dragging it along the soft spot of Geroldin’s neck, only stopping and pulling his tongue back in when his head is beside the python’s. Gently, he whispers. “You should really pay attention to the fight.”

Geroldin is brought out of his dreamy state by the obscurity of the sentence. “What?” That’s all he gets to say before something wraps around his chest and squeezes, forcing the air out of him until he starts to wheeze. A quick look and he sees the black coils of Askell’s tail making its way up his humanoid half. The grip lessens as the owner of the tail grabs hold of Geroldin’s cheek and softly pats it. The trapped sneak looks away, being sure to add some venom to his voice. “You can’t even beat me without tricks.”

The hand moves under Geroldin’s chin to tilt his head up and Askell coos. “No need to be so sour, you’re far too sweet for that.” Inspecting the python, he cocks his head to the side. A gentle hum comes from him as he traces his claws along the shiny silver of Geroldin’s helm. “It just occurred to me that you’ve never before asked to rough house with me. So tell me, Silly: are you trying new things or is there an alternative motive in this?”

“I’m not really hiding the fact that I’m trying to fuck.” That manages to stop Askell dead in his tracks. The two stare at each for a long while until Geroldin tilts his head, the only thing he can really move at the moment, forward. “Were you expecting something else?”

The mamba puts a hand over his mouth, massaging his jaw to work the stress out. “I expected you to at least try and save face.” A light chuckle comes out of him as he slides himself against Geroldin, his coils loosening so that he can slip his hand within. “But at least that means you won’t mind if we just skip to the good part.”

The python practically squeaks when sharp fingers hone in on his slit, pressing against his entrance hard enough to feel his twin erections hidden inside. Askell’s skilled fingers are quick to find their mark, his sharp tips slipping only just inside of Geroldin. He slides in a little farther and spreads his fingers, splitting the snake apart until he feels something prob his finger. Pulling his hand away, the mamba lets his real mouth show, breaking his helmet apart and letting his tongue hang out. Twirling his fingers in slow circles and keeping them stretched, the mamba slowly begins to let Geroldin out of his coils and sets both of them on the ashy jungle floor.

Laid out on his back, the creamsicle watches in confusion as Askell starts lowering himself until his head is level with the orange snake’s crotch. Tensing up from deft finger rubbing to make him excited, Geroldin gently calls out. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want me doing that?” A black tipped tail gently wraps itself around Geroldin’s helmet, effectively silencing him and any protests he may have given.

Nestling himself to lay on top of the python’s tail, Askell hardly hides his enjoyment as he makes himself comfy and plays with his prey’s cloaca, coaxing out the delicious little things hidden inside. The black snake grins as Geroldin’s twin cocks come out into the open air. Leaning in, Askell splits his mouth open, his hot breathing washing over the python’s members and causing him to shiver. Clawed, sharp fingers grab hold of both dicks and presses them together as Askell slowly jerks Geroldin off. His eyes are on the python, watching every shudder and gasp he makes from under the mamba’s merciless grasp. “You’re not used to getting attention, are you?” Geroldin only shakes his head no; this brings Askell to make a twisted smile. “Then you’ll love this.” His words put the python on high alert, but it’s far too late for Geroldin to do anything as Askell yawns wide and takes both of the smaller snake’s members into his mouth. Nothing bothering to watch for Geroldin’s reaction anymore, he closes his eyes and pours himself into the blowjob he’s giving. His wide forked tongue wraps around the entirety of the cocks, slathering them slick with saliva and making it easier for him to take their whole length into his maw. He’s slow with it, deliberately so as he knows the speed is grueling for the other snake, the one who’d much rather that they go as fast as they can. A short gasp comes out of the python as Askell shifts his tongue between the two members, licking over every inch of them in slow, steady strokes that cause the cocks to throb from all the attention. His tongue unfurls and flicks at the between the base of the shafts, just licking at the sensitive flesh deeper in. Geroldin tenses up at this, and that’s all the motivation Askell needs to press on. Grabbing him by the hips, he spreads the python open and pushes his face into the snake’s already slick crotch, allowing his tongue into the depths of Geroldin’s cloaca where it wrecks havoc with merciless licks.

The python presses his hands against Askell’s helmet in an attempt to push himself away and relieve himself from the overstimulation. In turn, the mamba tightens his grip on his prey and steels himself, relentlessly pleasuring the small snake to the point that his yellow tail starts spasming. A loud half cry, half moan comes from Geroldin as Askell pushes his face in and it drives the snake over his limit. The python’s climax isn’t glamorous, he’d merely squirms as he cums in Askell’s maw. The mamba doesn’t move away, even when Geroldin is finished, just stays put, coiling his tongue along the python’s softening members to draw out the moment. Still, he pulls back only when he’s the one that wants to, pushing himself half up to stare at the panting snake bellow him. He laughs, openly so, at the mess Gerodlin is. “Good to see you enjoyed it.” Leaning in, Askell presses his cocks against the smaller snake’s slit. He rubs one of his tips against the python, throbbing in anticipation as he runs his black claws across yellow scales. A moment passes as he hesitates from touching the other snake, but moves again and takes Geroldin’s soft members, pressing them back into their home. His split maw spreads into a grin, drops of cum running down his mandibles as he looms over Geroldin to line himself up with the snake's cloaca. “Ready?”

Peering down between them, Geroldin’s eyes linger on the mamba’s dual dicks; they’re adorned with ridges, a knot on each, dark black and shining from pre with a head looking blunt and unforgiving, the python finds himself biting his tongue. “They’re thicker than I remember.”

Askell takes the compliment, and the fear lingering behind it, in stride, grabbing hold of the python’s waist to hold him still. Pressing only one of his tips into the smaller snake, hissing from how tight it is with Geroldin’s cocks stuffed inside. “This might be a tad uncomfortable.” That’s the only warning before he's throwing his weight onto Geroldin, sinking into him and spreading him wide. The python lets out a cry, squirming what little he can until his body relaxes, allowing pleasure to wash away the pain. But that takes time, and Askell as no patience for that, selfish lust driving him forward; taking his second cock, he slides it in after his first and makes the already tight fit a feel like a vice grip on him. He lets out another hiss, this one coming out with a smile, as he presses against the snake below him. “Fuck! This feels amazing, I should’ve done it sooner!” His tail wraps on the python as he thrusts into him, grinding their bodies together with his grip on Geroldin’s waist keeping them close. Rolling his hips, Askell tosses his head back and hisses as he splits the Geroldin wide open, the python tight around his member and coaxing out an orgasm. But the little snake will have to work harder to get him off as mamba is intent on enjoying himself and plans to drag this out for as long as he possibly can. Sliding his twin shafts out of Geroldin, he looks down at the snake and takes in the sight. Sprawled on his back, the creamsicle python is panting hard, his mouth showing itself as his tongue hangs out while his claws are digging into the ashy soil. Askell reaches out and takes Geroldin’s chin between his thumb and finger, tilting it up to look into the other monstrous knight’s helm and catch his eyes. “I love it when you’re like this.”  He lets the python smile, turning it into a moan as he slams into him and sends jolts through both of them. That black tail of his wraps around Geroldin’s as he presses their chests together and starts fucking the smaller snake into the ground. He slips his arms under Geroldin’s and grabs onto the other’s plated shoulder from behind, keeping a tight grip as his knots press and squeeze, trying their damn hardest to squeeze in a cloaca that’s already filled.

With Askell’s weight crushing him as he’s pounded into the dirt, Geroldin presses against the black snake to try and take some of the pressure, serving to only meet the mamba as he thrusts. Craning his neck and muffling a moan, he holds onto the back of Askell’s head and pulls him closer. The mamba hardly reacts as he’s too invested in fucking to care for anything else, but Geroldin pulls again until the black snake’s split mouth is pressed against his neck; with the python refusing to relent, Askell gives in and lets his tongue out, dragging it along Geroldin’s neck before baring his fangs and biting down. He doesn’t pierce flesh, but the pressure he puts hints that he could and the thought of being so close to danger, to be playing with fire, makes the creamsicle go crazy. Everytime that Askell grinds their hips together, he lets out a moan loud enough for anyone passing by to hear. The two are intertwined together when the mamba finally forces his knots in, bringing Geroldin to cry out and curl his fingers, dragging across the knight’s armor and scratching thin silver lines into the black plate. Throwing his weight around and crushing the python into the dirt, a snarl tears across Askell’s helm, all of it coming together as the mamba finally goes over the edge and he cums.

He bites hard on the python, grinding his hips against the smaller knight as he unloads in him, a murmur bubbling from his throat as he leans into Geroldin and he loses himself in the pleasure. The feeling of Askell cummin inside brings Geroldin to do the same, his cocks twitching once before coating his and Askell’s stomach in cum. The mamba lets out a choked moan at the feeling of his knots held tight in Geroldin’s cloaca, the grip ensuring that he’s not leaving it any time soon. The two of them are breathing hard as their shared climax comes to an end, each satisfied and tired as hell. Sliding off the python, Askell releases his bite on his neck and flops to lay on the ground beside him, pulling the Geroldin with him to have to smaller snake on top of him. An arm is still around the python, keeping him close to share heat as he rests, but it’s not long before Geroldin perks up and lays himself out on the mamba’s chest.

“So that was kinda fun.”

Putting his other arm around the python, ASkell scoffs. “Only kinda?”

Rolling his head to the side, Silly shrugs a little, occupying himself by tracing a claw along the grooves and the black knight’s armor. “You’re a tad smaller than the guys I usually fool around with, but you were still okay.”

Askell keeps quiet for a while and stares at the python with mixed emotions. Siding against shoving the smaller snake off of him, he instead wraps his arms around Geroldin and leans his head back, squeezing tight the keep the knight from speaking as he rests. The creamsicle wiggles about for a moment until he gets comfortable laying atop Askell to wait for the knots to shrink, his tail wrapping around the mamba’s in a twisted coil of black and orange.

#mlm #monster #this story sucked the life out of me #never again #they'll probs be another in a month of so

[who-contest]

LJ Entry: Flesh (Body Parts Challenge)

Title: Flesh

Rating: T

Word Count:    1,260

Characters:  Cass, Twelfth Doctor, River Song, quick cameo of Thirteen

Spoilers: “The Doctor Falls”; spoilers for Thirteenth Doctor's identity

Warnings: Some violent implications

Summary: The Time Lords are far closer to vampires then they say. (AU)

Cass didn't watched the dead husk at her feet. That husk used to be her brother. A creature with the large, many-angled form of some horrible night-mare come to life eyed her, as it threw the skin of her brother onto her.

“Your blood-Cousin's consciousness will be added to my own,” it said. The serpentine tones of the monstrous creature slipped into Cass's mind. Her brother's skin was slipped over its' flesh, as a bright white light began to envelop it. Two hearts of an alien monster were covered by her brother's skin.

And then Cass shot the monster in the face. Again and again and again. The monster wearing her brother's skin screeched, and whimpered in her brother’s voice “Please, don't hurt me. I am still your brother.”

Cass kept on shooting, until the monster stopped screaming. Her brother's eyes were frozen in fear, but the soul that was fading within wasn't his. As the creature died, it spat “You harm me? My species is the only thing keeping you alive. There are worse things than us in the universe. The Daleks will make your kind suffer.”

“Yes. But it wasn't a Dalek who killed my brother,” said Cass.

“I don't want to change,” says the Doctor. He is in his thirteenth body, in a body patterned after Caecilius. That is the lie he tells Clara. It's so close to the truth, that he nearly believes it. But his morality means he cannot lie any longer.

His body is dying. A familiar hunger grows in his gut, as his ur-form wishes to grow, and retake more biodata. Oh, that is a euphemism. He is alone now, so he can be honest. His body desires flesh. He has tried to take kindly, to devour slowly and painlessly. But it is still a voracious action. The Master knows this too. But the Master revels in it, and the Doctor has tried not to.

But he always does.

Caecilius is on his deathbed. A man he hasn't seen in years shows up. It is the Doctor.

But not the Doctor as he knew him. This time, the Doctor looks horrifically tired. His eyes are red, and his mouth is far too wide. Inside his mouth, something wriggles.

“Are you here to kill me?” asks Caeclius.

The Doctor stares for a long time. He hovers over the man, like a judge preparing for a sentence.

Then his eyes seem to clear. He frowns, and says “No. Guess not. You deserve a less painful death.”

Caecilius dies moments later.

On the other side of time, a murderer wearing a bowtie, and a slander young face, disappears. No one notices.

Frobisher points the gun at his face. He is ready to pay for his sins.

A man with a bowtie appears. He nearly falls on the floor, as he walks to Frobisher.

“Who are you?” asks Frobisher.

“I'm the Doctor. Usually. Anyway, you were going to, um...anyway, I have a better solution. I used to just take the bodies but, um, I want to do this differently. Like, um, a civilized body-snatcher. Your body, and in return, you'll die. Sorry. Time says you die.”

“You want my body? Why?”

“Only certain bodies work for certain Time Lords. Your ancestors carry a specific trait that I need in bodies. So you get the lottery ticket. I waited till this moment, when you were about to die. So, you die like you want to, but I get a body. Sorry.”

Frobisher considers. “Yes.”

The Doctor smiles sadly, and unfurls his hidden ur-form. Frobisher catches a glimpse, and shoots the gun by accident. The Doctor digests Frobisher slowly, taking every singe drop of flesh, and storing Frobisher's consciousness within his system. The taste is sweeter than fish fingers and custard.

The Doctor leaves, allowing the humans to deal with the Miracle Day. Partially because he can't fix every problem, and partially because he can not face Jack. Because the Doctor knows, had he tried harder, he could have possibly stopped Frobisher from committing suicide. Frobisher would have died a few days later, but the Doctor could have saved his life then. The Doctor tries to tell himself that it doesn't matter. The Doctor must change.

“I don't want to change again”

River stares at him like he's a monster.

“You understand the hunger,” said the Doctor. “When you changed from Mels to River. You had to feed the hunger for flesh. Regeneration requires sacrifice. And without looms, even more sacrifice is required. I have selfishly taken lives. I no longer wish too.”

“Didn't those people give their lives willingly?”

“Most of them did. But when a vampire approaches a man for blood, there's always...the implication if they say 'no.' No one ever told me 'no'. But my secret is, I'm not sure I would have cared if they did,” said the Doctor. He fiddled with his blue hoodie, staring straight into River.

River remembered the taste of flesh that Madame Kovaria had fed her. She hadn't realized what it was, until now. That biodata must have been used to fuel any future regenerations she needed. In her older days, she began to wonder what the lives were of the woman who biodata she held within her. Thankfully, being part-human had spared her the flesh hunger. The urge to find a willing body for the next regeneration.

“You know,” continued the Doctor, “I never even realized it was wrong. On Gallifrey, it's considered quite fine to select a human to feed off for the next regeneration. It was Barbara who taught me it was wrong. She and Ian showed me that human life was not to be taken lightly. I still find it difficult to feed, to this day.”

“But you still do,” said River.

“No more,” said the Doctor.

“Why didn't you tell me this before?”

“Some secrets are too dark to share.”

The Doctor watches Cass's dead body. He has never taken a human biodata in this body. He will not do it now. He wonders why she was scared so of his race.

He drinks the draught. It is a human's consciousness, in liquid form. To drink it is to perform a violation he promised himself he would never do again.

“Will it hurt?”

Ohila says “Yes.”

“Good.”

“I don't want to change again”

He screams against the void of his soul. His body desires to change, but he resists. He will not change. The body inside begins to decay. He will not change.

Somewhere in his mind, the voice of Donna rings out. Donna, the woman who he spared this terrible curse.

“Space Man! Don't be a tosser. No one wants you to die.”

He shakes his head. Those are just his mind playing tricks. It's the addict of the flesh looking desperately to get a fix of human biodata. He is a monster, and no amount of good deeds will ever fix it. He is a vampire. He will not change. He will not take another life.

Gold light rips his body, begging him to feed.

He sees Rose.

“It's okay, Doctor. You grey-haired old man,” she says, smiling. “It's time. You had a great run.”

He closes his eyes. He opens his eyes. He sees his first self.

Is he missing something?

The Doctor sits on the end of a pier. She watches the ocean beneath her. Teeming full of life. Each creature preying on the other. They need to, in order to survive.

In the end, the Doctor did something to survive.

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