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castiels-majestic-wings · 3 years

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Sixth Sense - Chapter 3

Paring: Loki x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2,255

Warnings: Accidental violence/injury. Mental health (Loki).

Posted: 03/01/2021

Odin wasn’t particularly fond of you staying in Asgard. But you had insisted to keep a close eye on Loki. You had told him it was to make sure the darkness didn’t get stronger. But there was something else, after reading him so deeply, so intimately. Something changed. You no longer feared him, but you felt as if you wanted to save him. You needed to save him. From his thoughts, from the entity that harmed him before his forced attack on Earth. You knew he was tortured before his attack, you saw the footage, keeping tabs on what was happening during the battle. But now, you just felt worse. He thought he was the very monster his father despised. He had been lied to his whole life, even by his mother- whom he trusted the most.

Getting lost in your thoughts you didn’t hear Thor entering the room. He was worried for you, he had seen you read auras before but you had never acted like this afterwards. He hoped he hadn’t caused you harm letting you come here. He stared at your figure for a moment. You were facing away from him but your facial features seemed stressed and concerned. Your eyes were narrowed, facing the ground. Your right hand rested on your face while your left draped over your knees. You were unmoving. Completely still until you felt something and your head jerked up and your eyes met Thors. Your eyes narrowed, you had never sensed someone’s presence before. Was your being here helping you tap into your powers. The endless possibilities of being in a magic realm, would that make you more powerful, dangerous?

“Thor- I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You seemed deep in thought” You couldn’t tell him about Loki if he knew his feelings- from what you understood- it would break him.

“Yes, I think my pow- my abilities, I think they’re evolving” It wasn’t exactly a lie. But not the whole truth of what was on your mind.

“Evolving? How so?”

“Before I could only read auras. But now, I can sense them. Not straight away obviously. But what if- what if being here, is making me more powerful? Compared to earth, this realm is one of magic.” You stated, wanting his opinion on the matter.

“It’s possible. So you could sense my presence without knowing I was there?”

“Yes, and-”

“And?”

“And- and I feel a connection- to Loki I mean. I had never read that deep into someone. I felt like his therapist, but it’s more than that. A man like that, he wouldn’t willingly let me read his emotions. But I still felt them. I cant tell emotions from peoples auras, Thor. But with Loki. I did. Is it my being here? “

“We need to tell my father about this” Thor turned to leave but you grabbed his arm holding him back from walking further.

“Don’t. Don’t tell him yet. He doesn’t trust me, not yet. Wait until I gain his trust, then you can tell him” Thor turned to face you again, as your arms fell to your side.

“What if being here causes you harm, Y/N?”

“And what if it doesn’t? If Odin finds out- He will banish me from Asgard for eternity. Thor, trust me on this. There are things you don’t know, about Loki, about your father. Thor, please. Give me a month.”

“One month. No more, no less.”

“Yes! Thank you, Thor” You pulled him into a hug in which he accepted. After pulling away you knew you had to ask Loki about it. You began walking and Thor automatically followed- being you protector here. You memorised the way to the prisons, once Thor had realised your destination he held a hand out in front of you stopping you.

“Are you sure this is wise?” He looked down at your smaller form, concern filling his eyes.

“His speciality is magic, who else could I ask about this?” He frowned, knowing he was the only one that you could ask for answers. A sigh escaped his lips, lowering his hand, letting you continue. Once in the prison you had asked the guards to leave, they denied until Thor had ordered them to. Loki looked up confused with your visit. Sitting up from his laying position on the bed he was given.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” His voice was dull. He knew there was no point in being strong around you, you could read him as easily as the books he reads.

“I have a question, related to magic.” His eyebrows perked in curiosity.

“Magic? Well, you’ve come to the right place.”

“My abilities are evolving. I assume it’s my being here. I can now, not only read auras but sense them. And I think they’re still growing.”

“Well, this is the realm of magic, my dear. There are endless possibilities for the reasoning of your growth. But I would say your assumption is correct.”

“Would I be in any danger being here? Will my body be able to handle the change in my abilities.”

“That all depends on you. If you’re strong enough to sustain it, you will be fine. But if not, there is a certain danger to it.”

“Thor let me into the cell. I need to test something”

“Are you sure? He just said it’s dangerous”

“Only if I can’t handle it. I’ll stop before any permanent damage is done. Don’t worry so much. I’m stronger than I look.” Thor was hesitant but complied. Loki didn’t make a move to hurt you even with Thor on the outside. You sat in from of Loki with a chair, much like last time.

“Look, I’ve never done this before so if it hurts I’m sorry.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Just relax” You placed your fingers on his temples gently, closing your eyes. You tried to concentrate on him, his pain. You wanted to understand him more. Then you saw the tesseract and a purple titan with a deceiving smile. A tear rolled down your cheek as you searched for the cause of his pain. You saw auras within his memories. Those of his adopted family in happy memories turned sour. He believed his life was a lie. He didn’t want to love anymore, in fear he would get hurt again. He-.

You were brought back to reality, your hands were no longer on Loki’s temple but within his hands. You had caused him pain. Making him relive those memories. Thor had entered the room at this point. You still didn’t notice the tear on your cheek until Loki wiped it away.

“How- how did I see that?”

“That I’m not entirely sure of. It seems you hold abilities even more than you already possess”

“But I read auras, not emotions and memories.”

“I’m afraid you might be wrong there.”

“You are not doing that again” Thor demanded, voice deep.

“Why not? This would be the best way to heal your brother”

“Y/N you screamed as you cried. I do not think its best for you to continue. I shall call Stark and-”

“No! I- I need to continue”

“Y/N it will harm you”

“No, you don’t understand. I need to continue Thor. Not only am I helping Loki, but I’m expanding my knowledge of my powers. Who knows what other abilities I possess.” Excitement and urgency filled your tone, making Thor rethink his decisions. Was it wise to keep you here, letting you continue? Without his father’s knowledge? What was he thinking? He trusted you. He had to let you do this. You know the dangers, yet still want to continue, who was he to deny that.

“I shall not stop you if this is the path you choose. You cannot stop. You must continue forward until the very end” He lectured you as if you were entering battle.

“I know. But I trust my gut, Thor. This is something I have to do. There are no choices in this, no decisions that will change my mind. Its something I know that must be done” Thor nodded saying nothing more. You turned your attention back to Loki. He stayed silent, knowing exactly what you saw.

“Thor, leave us. Can you mute the cell? The barrier would have that ability I assume?” Thor huffed but nodded, answering your question as he left. He gave a thumbs up showing that he could no longer hear you, but you had to check. You knew what he was like. You turned and yelled.

“Thor is a giant asshole with an ego bigger than Tony!” Thor didn’t budge, but Loki stifled a laugh. You turned towards him and let out a giggle yourself.

“I had to check. He’s not very fond of us being alone together. Even if he can see us, he thinks you’ll manipulate me if he cant hear us.”

“And what makes you think I won’t.” He tried to shield himself again, going back to his trickster persona.

“I’ve seen your pain, your memories, Loki. You don’t have to hide anymore. Not with me. You hold no hatred for attacking my planet. I know you had no choice. That thing. The purple titan. He forced you to do it. I know you're not the monster they think you are.” You held his hand in a comforting way. Letting him know that he could trust you. His eyes searched yours for deceit. Anything that would show him that you would betray him like the rest of them. But he found nothing. He began to break.

“I didn’t want to do it. I thought I killed Thor. And I hated it. But I had to prove to him- to Thanos-”

“His name is Thanos?” His eyes shut briefly as he sighed.

“Yes. I had to prove my loyalty. He tortured me after he saved me. He needed me. The god presumed dead by his brother. No one would see me coming.” You nodded your head, listening to every word diligently. He poured his heart out, for the first time in his life. He was vulnerable. He told a Midgardian everything that was eating at his conscious. And during that whole ordeal, you didn’t say a word. You let him vent. It seemed as though you were a therapist of some kind to him. Once he stopped, he noticed your tears. You felt empathy, for him. No one had cared enough to ever listen to his words. But now, here you were, sat in front of him, crying. He didn’t know what to feel.

Thor was stood outside Loki’s cell the whole time. Not being able to hear a word. He saw that Loki was the only one speaking. He feared that Loki was trying to manipulate you, he went to interrupt before he saw your hand signalling him to calm down. You sensed his tension. You had to let him know you were okay. Loki wouldn’t open up if Thor interrupted. But when Loki stopped speaking and Thor saw your lips move, with tears in your eyes. He couldn’t take it anymore. He burst into the cell. You stood in defence at the sudden sound.

“What did you say to her Loki?!” Thor had misread the situation. You had to calm him down. You walked towards him, putting your hands up to try and calm him.

“Thor, I’m fine. He didn’t do anything” Thor barged passed you and went to punch Loki but you jumped in front of him taking the hit. You grunted as the force threw you to the wall. Thor pulled back, seeing your figure leaning against the wall. He resented himself for striking you, even if it was by accident. You looked up, holding your waist. The force you hit the wall at caused some more physical damage than the broken and bloody nose. Your other hand made it up to your nose to examine the damage. With the force of a god, you were lucky you were still conscious. Loki had come to your aid, helping you up while Thor was frozen, unable to believe his actions.

“Are you alright?” Loki’s voice showed concern. You kept hold of Loki’s shoulders to keep your balance. The thumping in your head didn’t stop you from yelling.

“You idiot! Thor, when will you learn that your actions have consequences! Stop and listen before attacking someone. It will get you out of so many unnecessary situations!” You removed your hand from your waist, placing it on your head. The shouting had made it worse.

“Damn it, Thor. I told you to trust me.”

“You were crying what was I suppose-”

“I was crying because he told me everything! I got so sad thinking ‘How could he live like that? How did he last so long?’ I cried because I have empathy, Thor.”

“I’m so sorry Y/N I-”

“Save it. I’m not mad. Just hurt.” You groaned in pain as you shifted your weight.

“Let me take you to a healer” Thor’s hands reached out to help you.

“Fine.” You removed your arm from Loki’s shoulders as Thor placed a hand under your knees, and the other on the small of your back before he lifted you. You looked at Loki and saw how hurt he was of your pain. He wanted to take you himself and check on you whenever he could. But as a prisoner, he wasn’t granted that freedom.

Taglist: @lovermrjokerr @lord-byron @lucywrites02 @violetica

#loki #loki lafeyson #loki odinson #mcu #mcu loki #tom hiddleston #loki imagine #loki (marvel)#loki x reader #loki series #loki fic series #mcu fanfiction #mcu fic #marvel mcu #cazza writes

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bookscapadesblog · 4 years

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What to Read While Stuck in Quarantine

Right now, many people (myself included) are stuck inside and social distancing due to the Hell that is considered our world because of Corona. As a fun activity for myself and in the hopes of maybe helping a few people through this weird/uncomfortable/stressful/whatever other negative phrase you want to use time, I thought I’d compose a list of books that may occupy your time. I’m going to try and stick with completed series or stand-alones so that in addition to everything else you’re not miserable you have to wait for a new book.

Similiar to my Non-Horror October reads post, I’ll add the Goodreads link so you can check out ratings and such!

So...here is my list of books that might help get you through the dumpster fire that is our current situation!

(I am aware some of these are very popular but I’m adding them anyway in case someone hasn't read them)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

After serving a year in a slave camp, Celaena Sardothien is granted the chance at freedom when the crown prince chooses her to be his champion in a competition to find the new royal assassin.

If you haven't read this series yet and love YA fantasy please do yourself a favor and get it. Katie and I love it so much

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast; Feyre is dragged off as a prisoner to a magical kingdom after killing a faerie while hunting in the woods. She comes to learn that maybe her captor, a beautiful Fae trapped in a mask, might not be as terrible as she thought.

I’m not even going to lie this was difficult to give a two sentence summary of. The first book is great but 2 and 3 are exponentially better and Feyre is just the badass woman we all need.

The Iskari Trilogy by Kristen Ceccarelli

Asha is the Iskari, responsible for hunting dragons in her kingdom. Engaged to a man she will never love, she is given the opportunity to prevent her marriage by killing the most ancient of all dragons.

All three of these books are interconnected but each one follows a different main character. They were all AMAZING, but book two (The Caged Queen) was my favorite

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

In the country of Ravaka, cut in half by a darkness called The Shadow Fold, Grisha are an elite magical group. After learning of her own abilities during an attack on the fold, Alina Starkov is taken away to learn to harness her power while under supervision of their leader, The Darkling.

I put off reading these like an idiot and finished them a few months ago and absolutely loved them. King of Scars is a continuation but maybe wait until the second one comes out to read it because I’ve been struggling getting over it and anxiously waiting for any news about it.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Kaz Brekker is one of the most notorious criminals in Ketterdam. When offered a job that will make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, he gathers a crew that can help him pull off a deadly heist.

This book has an array of diverse characters and a lot of excitement and hijinks. Takes place in the same universe as Shadow and Bone, so I would recommend reading it after them, but it can be done on its own.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

The small town of Sparrow is located on the coast of Washington and has a troubling history. Every summer witches possess three mortal girls and use their bodies to lure boys into the ocean and drown them. When a new boy arrives Penny doesn't know if she will be able to protect him from her sinister home.

I read this one in a day and absolutely loved it. Easy and entertaining read.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Alessandra is tried of being in the shadow of her older sister so she devises a plan: make the Shadow King fall in love with her, marry him, and then kill him and take his kingdom.

This book was described as a ‘slytherin love story’ and I was all about it. It was an easy read and definitely kept me intrigued in the story.

Gone by Michael Grant

All adults disappear, along with cell phones, internet, and any other way to get help. Teens are left to pick up the pieces in this sic-fi story.

I read this series a pretty long time ago but it was SO GOOD. Grant did such a great job sucking you in, to this day I will still recommend it to people.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning (Book #1 is Darkfever)

When her sister is murdered, MacKayla travels to Ireland in search of answers. While there she learns she is able to see beyond the human realm, into the real of the Fae.

Honestly this series was so wild and I remember there being some unnecessary erotic stuff but it was still SO DAMN ENTERTAINING. A good way to escape the humdrum of quarantine life.

Anything by Gillian Flynn

If you need a thriller, murder mystery, etc just honestly pick Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, or Dark Places. They're all so good.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Scarlett has always wanted to participate in the fantastical performance that is Caraval. She gets her wish when an invitation arrives, but then regrets it when she learns the performance centers around her sister Tella, who has been kidnapped by Caravel Master Legend.

I love these books. Scarlett and Tella are both amazing in their own way and the mystery and not knowing what is real and whats part of the game makes it so fun to read.

These Rebel Waves (Stream Raiders) by Sara Raasch

Adeluna is a soldier that helped free her home island of Grace Loray from its oppressors, the kingdom of Argrid. Devereux is a pirate, sailing the waters of Grace Loray and collecting its magic plants and selling them on the black market. Benet is the Crown Prince of Argrid, unsure of his father’s beliefs and methods after watching his uncle and cousin burned to death after practicing magic. Their fates are intertwined as they all search for peace between Grace Loray and Argrid.

Katie and I both just read this and they were so good. The beginning is a little slow but the history you get on all the characters is great.

Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days) by Susan Ee

Angels of the Apocalypse have fallen to Earth. Streets are ravaged and life as we know it is over. When Penryn’s little sister is taken by Warrior Angels, she's willing to do anything to get her back, even make a deal with an enemy angel.

I looked for a hard copy of this trilogy everywhere and couldn't find it, so finally gave up and got the kindle books. I loved it, the end of world sci-fi and enemies-to-lovers tropes were wonderful.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking) by Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt lives in a town of only men, where everyone can hear each other’s thoughts. He stumbles across a girl in the swamp, the only one he’s ever seen and it sets off a chain of events that can't be stopped. On the run and hunted by the only people he's ever known, Todd tries to discover the dark truth of his world.

This series was so well written and just sucked you in. Even if it seemed like nothing was happening or was going to happen soon, I couldn't put it down. The books are all long too so thats a plus for quarantine reading.

And if you need something to bring you back to a time when things were simpler, may I recommend rereading some old favorites, two of mine are:

Harry Potter by J.K Rowling and Percy Jackson and the Olympians (also The Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

These don't need links, but they were two series that I loved when I was younger. The Goblet of Fire was the first big chapter book I ever read on my own and PJO just was so fun. I just read all the PJO graphic novels because I found them when I redid my bookshelves and it was a nice little escape.

Honestly, I have more recommendations but I feel like this is a long post already so I’m going to stop here and maybe I’ll do another one.

Anyway...happy reading, I hope this helps someone. It definitely improved my mood. Just remember High School Musical and hopefully we’ll get through this soon.

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terramythos · 3 years

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TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 32 of 26

Title: The Siren Depths (2012) (The Books of the Raksura #3)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, LGBT Protagonist, Third-Person

Rating: 8/10

Date Began: 11/09/2020

Date Finished: 11/21/2020

Moon's past has always been obscure. A winged shapeshifter, he has spent most of his life as a solitary wanderer. He has few memories of his childhood, and only recently found others of his kind-- the Raksura. Now Moon has found a home as first consort to the queen Jade in the Raksuran court of Indigo Cloud.

However, when a neighboring queen recognizes his bloodline, Moon's new life is upended as he's forced to return to a family he doesn't even remember. Seemingly abandoned by Jade and overcome with doubt, Moon has to navigate the complex politics and grave secrets in the court of Opal Night alone. But an old enemy is about to return, threatening every Raksuran court in the Reaches.

The one thing he hadn’t expected to do was miss Indigo Cloud so much. He had been leaving people all his life, to the point where all the turns seemed like an uninterrupted progression of departures, and there had been people he had missed terribly. But this was a never-ending ache in his chest... You’ll get over it, he told himself. You always get over it.

But somehow, this time was different.

Some major spoilers and content warning(s) under the cut.

Content warnings for the book: As always, graphic violence and action. There is a disturbing scene that's... kind of forced cannibalism I guess (I'm not sure how else to describe it). Some sexual content is implied but not graphic. The r*pe plot point from The Cloud Roads is relevant, but is not depicted or described in detail. A romantic relationship with a significant age gap is briefly mentioned (both are consenting adults but it may make some readers uncomfortable).

For the most part, I enjoyed The Siren Depths more than the previous entries. I connected much more strongly to the central conflict, and was pleased to see some deeper character development than in the last two books. This entry also introduces fascinating new settings and characters while exploring some genuinely interesting ideas. It serves as a good parallel to The Cloud Roads, with similar plot beats explored in different ways. I did have one big problem which I will detail further in the review, but let's talk about the good parts first. Moon's conflict in this story, like the rest of the series, has to do with belonging. But The Siren Depths has the advantage of two books of development. From what we know of Moon's past, he sees any home as temporary, and when he's suddenly forced to leave Indigo Cloud (presumably for good), his new attachments and way of life come into question. To some degree, Moon sees this as an inevitable part of his life. Sooner or later, something out of his control will happen and he'll be abandoned. What I found relatable is there's several times Moon knows he is being irrational but still can't stop the negative downward spiral. Like... jeez, just call me out specifically next time! While a depressed protagonist can be a drag to read, I think it really works here because we've grown attached to Moon and know how far he's come. And sure enough, he does get his ass in gear when he realizes this ISN'T like before, and lots of people do care about him. The found vs biological family conflict is interesting as well. I think The Siren Depths does great here because you can see both points of view. Moon always assumed his biological family died, and they assumed the same thing about him. This should be a happy homecoming, but under the circumstances simply isn't. Moon resents being torn from Indigo Cloud because a group of people he barely remembers have a legal claim on him. Opal Night seems strangely hostile until you learn more about its politics and secrets. Even though they're early antagonists, they're not really villains; just a traumatized group of people who see Moon as a missing link from their past. When he's not what the others are expecting, obvious issues ensue, but Moon finds he does care about some of these people, even if it's not really his home. Outside of Moon, several other characters have arcs in this book. While the previous books feature a likeable enough cast, the characters are mostly one dimensional. Not so here; we explore the insecurities and struggles of some of the supporting cast. Jade isn't nearly as self-confident as she appears to be, and grapples with this throughout the book-- for example, wanting to prove to Moon that she is willing to do whatever it takes to get him back. Similarly, Chime's struggle with his involuntary transformation comes to a head here as his strange new powers become relevant again. We see just how bitter he is that he's cut off from his old magical gifts and still holds out hope that they'll return. We even get some indication that while this HAS happened before in Raksuran history, it's incredibly rare. There’s also an interesting hint on what the powers really are, which has some pretty big implications. This is potentially a future plot point, so I’m hoping it gets explored. (Also, I was totally right about Moon/Chime, do I get a prize?)

There are several new characters I found really interesting, namely Malachite and Shade. Malachite (spoiler: Moon's biological mother) is initially presented as the antagonist, and her behavior seems inscrutable. She's a powerful queen who commands respect, yet seems unpredictable and standoffish. All of this starts to make sense as one learns more about her. Turns out unbelievable, extended trauma really fucks with a person. The Fell destroyed her colony, killed her consort and most of her children, and she spent almost a year in full guerilla warfare against them. Yet she adopted the Fell/Raksura crossbreeds and raised them as her own children, demonstrating nothing but indulgent love and kindness towards them. I'm not sure I would be able to do that in her place. In general she's just a huge badass; totally decked out in scars and the first to leap into battle. At least we know where Moon gets it from. Did I say Fell/Raksura crossbreeds? Yup, that plot point is back. Only, it's explored in a different way here. The crossbreeds in The Cloud Roads are terrifying weapons deployed by the Fell. The ones in The Siren Depths, raised in a loving home, are just kind of weirdly pale Raksura. I liked Shade in particular, who we learn is Moon's half brother and serves as an interesting foil. Moon would probably be much more like Shade if the Fell attack on Opal Night never happened. Shade is an earnest and kind (if naïve) man and behaves like none of the Fell we’ve met in the series. I hope we see more of him (and Lithe, the other crossbreed) in future volumes, because I think they're an interesting take on nature vs nurture with the "inherently" evil Fell. Speaking of the Fell, while they themselves haven't changed much, I thought they were more effective villains than in The Cloud Roads. We see their manipulations and twisted views of the world in much more detail. There's a long sequence where much of the main cast is captured by The Fell, and their struggle to survive and potentially escape is harrowing. I also like that Moon isn't their main focus this time, which adds some nuance and perspective to their behavior. They’re also just... creepy as shit. While I do have some issues with the ending of the book, I think the Fell are handled pretty well beforehand.

I'd be remiss to ignore the always excellent worldbuilding in this series. Like in The Serpent Sea, we get to see more Raksuran courts, all of which feel distinct. It’s cool and impressive for a singular fantasy race to have multiple believable factions and societies. The settings in this book are also creative, including a giant half-dead mountain tree, a city carved into a giant statue, and what I can only describe as "Rapture, but make it a solarpunk prison". Wells goes into vivid, loving detail when it comes to the world. That being said, I would like to see more of the sea/sky realms, since this series has largely focused on the earth. The Three Worlds is kind of a misnomer if two of them don't really show up much. Oh well, maybe in future books/stories.

My main complaint, and what drags down the rating, is the ending. It's... underwhelming, confusing, and seems pretty rushed. I'll go into more detail below. *major spoilers for the ending* So... one of the big plot points in both The Cloud Roads and The Siren Depths is that the Fell are crossbreeding with captured Raksura. In The Cloud Roads, this is explained as a ploy to strengthen the Fell with some unique Raksuran abilities; queens can prevent others from shifting, mentors can scry future events, and so on. In The Siren Depths, however, we learn it's not that simple. There's some third party manipulating the Fell and encouraging their actions. The goal is to produce a crossbreed that physically resembles the (unnamed) Fell/Raksura common ancestor for... reasons. We are led to believe the being orchestrating this is in fact an ancient ancestor, though its motives are unknown.

While this feels like a retcon, the discrepancy is acknowledged in the story, and it is explained that the Fell in The Cloud Roads were either lying or those specific ones decided to pursue their own agenda. Which... fine, makes sense based on what we know about them. I'll let it slide. Perhaps it was hinted at earlier and I just don’t remember.

So Moon and the others follow the Fell to the mysterious source, a vast and abandoned underwater city. Soon they find the creature that's been imprisoned there. Turns out it's not the Fell/Raksura ancestor, but something different. I can only describe it as sort of eldritchy, with a vaguely creepy physical form, and the abilities to speak through dead/dying Fell and to create disturbingly realistic illusions. The Fell/Raksuran ancestors trapped it there eons ago, and the only way to free it is the physical presence of a member of the ancestor species (for some reason). Which explains why it has been encouraging the crossbreeding, since their common ancestor is presumably extinct. It's freed from its prison since Shade fits the "ancestor" criteria based on his physical appearance. Then, in the span of literally one chapter, it attacks everyone, chases the characters through the underwater city, gets hit by some water, then promptly melts like the Wicked Witch of the West and dies.

I had a couple problems with this ending. First, the whole Fell crossbreeding conflict with the Raksura is a huge generational trauma thing. Moon has his own horrible experience with them, of course, but it's also a big issue with both Indigo Cloud and Opal Night. Hell, it's the whole reason Moon was separated from his family and lived thirty-some years in exile without knowing what he was. The series literally wouldn't have happened without this conflict. To have everything explained away by "an eldritch wizard did it" is very anticlimactic. I vastly prefer the original explanation.

Second, we know basically nothing about this creature. How was it able to communicate with the Fell (and Chime)? Why was it imprisoned other than being super evil and stuff? Who knows. And yeah, it's possible this will be expanded on later. Except I'm pretty sure that when this book came out, it was the last one planned for the series. The next two books follow a different storyline and came out four years later. So this was probably the only explanation we were ever going to get.

I'm not totally against the concept, but it needed more time and a more interesting/memorable villain for it to work. Introducing all of this in the second to last chapter of (presumably) not only the book but the series, then defeating it with little effort, feels unsatisfying. Hell, there’s more time dedicated to discovering and exploring its prison than anything involving the creature itself! As it stands, the Fell were much creepier and more memorable bad guys in this book, yet narratively serve as bit players in the end. It just feels off.

Also, a nitpick, but the title of the book is weird. The Siren Depths is obviously referring to this imprisoned being. It's trapped underwater and is calling the Fell to it. But it's never referred to as a siren; I'm not sure that word is used at all in the book. It just seems like an odd choice of title that doesn't really fit the vernacular of the world. Siren has some very specific meanings/connotations in our world that don't translate to The Three Worlds. Not a huge deal, just something I noticed.

*ending spoilers end here*

Despite my issues with the ending, I really enjoyed everything else about the book. It does everything the other books do well while featuring serious improvements. I've heard mixed things about the next two books but plan to go in with an open mind.

#8/10 #taylor reads #2020 reading challenge #BONUS ROUND #*casually posts this a week late*

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verminator-rex · 4 years

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Zorlon, Creed, and Elysian!

Ah, a three for one deal!

I’ll go ahead and start with Elysia since she’s one of my minor and thus more obscure OC’s, one that I intend on using again in the future.

Full Name: Elysia Opal Crane

Gender: Cis Female

Sexuality: Not sure yet, possibly bisexual.

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/species: Dwarf, Irish American

Birthplace: I wanna say a place rather similar to Drake, though haven’t nailed it down just yet.

Birthdate: October 1st (15 years old)

Guilty Pleasures: Rom-Coms

Phobias: Arachnophobia

What They Would Be Famous For: Coming from a family of steampunks, she is a great inventor in her own right. Wanting to be in the spot light, she would likely try to invent something so awe inspiring that her story would be told for generations.

What They Would Get Arrested For: If she ever got desperate enough for fame(which I wouldn’t doubt would happen), she would steal some pretty hardcore tech or get a hold of some illegal tech.

OC You Ship Them With: Non applicable for now

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: I don’t really have any OC’s that would know her that well, though let’s just say a certain reformed golem gets that idea...

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Science Fiction for sure.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliches: The stubborn leader/father who won’t listen.

Talent and/or Powers: As mentioned earlier, she is a great inventor, and has invented some pretty “out there” inventions over the years. As such, she’s very savvy on various tools and machines, particularly those most would have trouble with.

Why Someone Might Love Them: Those of like minds would like Elysia for her intellect, which pretty high to say the least, likely enough to get her out of high school early. As such, she’s actually quite poplar among snobby inventors in her own core group. Deep deep down, however, she somewhat has a low opinion on herself, mostly for when it comes to her family’s inventions. To be frank, her parents are very egotistical and usually don’t give her inventions much thought, which is what drives her to seek fame and create such gadgets. This reveals a softer side that she doesn’t show publicly, in truth all she wants is to feel appreciated.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Wanting to be all high and mighty among her peers, it’s actually quite easy for others to hate her, as she’s very condescending and and cold, often saying the most hurtful things to those she considers beneath her. Above that, she’s very underhanded and will finds creative ways to sabatoge her competition, which so far had been Em, the only dwarf so far who had ever posed any real threat to her status. Talking of which, Elysia’s also very prone to jealousy, especially among other such inventors like Em, who have invented quite a few impressive items as well.

How They Change: This is where we get into slight spoiler territory....

She won’t change a WHOLE lot, but after a series of unfortunate events, she softens up a bit and develops a bit more respect for Em over time, as she opens up to Em why she is what she is.

Why You Love Them: Needless to say, she’s not someone I’d get along with in real life. That said, I enjoy smart bully characters who attack verbally rather than physically, which in many respects is almost worse than physical bullying as they can mentally mess someone up. I also like her eventual slight change of heart. I emphasize slight as people like her don’t truly change, though it’s nice that she heads in the right direction.

_____

Full Name:

Former name: Hectillius Fang

Current name: Creed Slitherwick

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Aromantic Asexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Species: Anthropomorphic Viper

Birthplace: Oron

Birthdate: November 20th (Age 35)

Guilty Pleasures: Newspaper comics

Phobias: No specific phobia, but he is paranoid of anyone finding out his true status as a crimelord.

What They Would Be Famous For: Here we have two sides of the same coin. On the surface, he’s already famous as Drake City’s leading philanthropist/entrepreneur. People idolize him and young kids wish one day to be him. On the other hand, in the eyes of the Undercity he’s the most infamous crimelord. Most criminals idolize him for allowing criminals free range in the Undercity, as well as Drake City depending on areas where authorities are more scarce. Those who are innocent in the Undercity despise and fear him due to his greedy nature, taking from the innocent any chance he can get and will dispose of anyone in his way.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Would you like the short list, or the loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong list? Honestly, he’d likely face a death penalty for stealing the petrified King and Queen alone.

OC You Ship Them With: Being an Aro-Ace, he’s not likely to get shipped anytime soon. Ha, admittedly I thought of a funny bit where Serena Snakecharmer develops a light crush on him since he complimented her hair, though that won’t be canon.

OC Most Likley To Muder Them: There is no shortage of people who would love to drive a knife through Creed’s heart. Spoiler Alert: Someone Actually Succeeds

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Mystery, horror, crime dramas

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: When people split up and get picked off during horror movies.

Talent and/or Powers: His mastermind-level intellect alone is the most dangerous trait he has, as he comes up with elaborate yet clever schemes to evade the local authorities, the royal guard, and, especially the Mysticons. Though he’d rather not get into a physical confrontation if he can help it, he’s very well versed in melee combat, as well as marksmanship with canes that have venom projectiles. He can also morph into a seemingly normal viper and evade or sneak up on his opponents, or simply to escape. Being a viper, he also has a deadly venomous bite that would end just about anyone, and will gladly do so if he feels the need rises. Perhaps his most notable talent, however, is his knowledge in criminology and business, thus learning how to use charisma to his advantage and turning every weakness into a strength.

Why Someone Might Love or Hate Them: I decided to combine these two together since, again, it’s two sides of the same coin. People would love him simply for his seemingly humanitarian life style. The naíve citizen would simply idolize him for his efforts to bring a better tomorrow for his fellow citizens.

Of course, this is all just a facade, as those who know Creed very well realize that he’s one of the most dispicable individuals out there. By name and definition, he’s a monster, having very little to no sorrow for any of the immoral deeds he commits, whether it’s stealing from those naìve enough to donate to his “fundraisers”, killing off street rats merely for getting in his way, tricking the poor unfortunate people into his debt, and perhaps his biggest crime to date, kidnapping the petrified King and Queen.

How They Change: In a way, Creed already has changed for the worst. In his youth, he simply wanted to belong into society, but was often singled out due to his father’s criminal status, to say nothing that he was a venomous species. After taking up the criminal lifestyle and becoming a prodigy, his father set him up and he ended up in prison. Since that day, Creed has learned that being as ruthless as possible was the only way to claw his way to the top.

In this day in age, he won’t ever change his ways. He’s become a negative flat character arc, rather than changing much himself, he influences/manipulates change around him for the worst.

Why You Love Them: Creed pretty much is everything I love in a villain; intelligent, sneaky, scheming, and lovably heartless (weird contradiction I know). It’s also worth noting that he didn’t start off as a monster, he was made into one, and that all comes from his upbringing and his environment.

———

Full Name: Zorlon Icestone

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Straight

Species: Wizard? I’m not all too clear if that’s considered a race separate from humans or not.

Ethnicity: Caucasian American

Birthplace: An old mage temple on the outskirts of Gemina.

Birthdate: January 24th (he looks to be in his late 30’s to early 40’s, but is actually about 600 years old.)

Guilty Pleasures: Reading Harry Potter-Esque books

Phobias: Thanatophobia, more specifically he’s afraid of losing those close to him the same way he lost his wife and daughter.

What They Would Be Famous For: Being an Astromancer, thus a protector of the realm, he would easily be recognized as one of the best members in the astromancer academy.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Though he wouldn’t actively try to break the law in any shape or form, he likely would have been arrested for treason to the astromancer council if circumstances had gone differently in “Gems of The Past”

OC You Ship Them With: While I dont have another OC to ship Zorlon with, I have a confession to make. So my closest tumblr friends know I don’t actively ship characters, right? Well, I thought once or twice about shipping him with Queen Truefin, mostly for laughs but I also thought some chemistry could come out of it. I doubt it will be canon in my stories though.

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: The only OC I have right now that would have intentions to murder Zorlon is Creed. However, that likely won’t happen, as both will rarely, if ever, meet.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: History, though being 600 years old he would be very nitpicky about “historical accuracy”. He also likes the occasional adventure book/movie.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Love Triangles

Talent and/or Powers: He is one of the most powerful astromancers in the realm, surpassing Nova Terron within 2 years. As such, he’s able to tap into extremely powerful magic. He’s also very well versed with melee combat with his magic staff, as years have granted him much battle experience, enabling to take down various foes. His advanced age also made him smart as a whip for anticipating his opponents attacks. Beyond that, he’s a very good teacher and is great at inspiring his students to push forward and keep on trying their hardest. Perhaps his greatest strength is his expansive knowledge and wisdom, which pretty much stands to reason given his advanced age and all that he’s seen in the world as a result.

Why Someone Might Love Them: Despite being a fierce warrior by necessity, Zorlon is a gentle soul who wants nothing more than to help those whom he can give guidance to. As such, he’s more fatherly toward his students and allows them to train at their own pace, his philosophy being that students should be allowed to grow as into their role as magic users.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: There are times when Zorlon can be strict when it comes to training, which can be off putting to some of the more brash and impulsive students assigned to him. Aside from that, most of the astromancers, Nova included, don’t get along well with him due to his ideals and his tendencies go against their wishes which tend to be sketchy at best.

How They Change: Again, in many respects, Zorlon has already changed. In his early youth, he was a rebellious teen adventurer, getting into all sorts of danger. As the years went by, he matured and became a loving husband and doting father. Upon losing his family, he entered a state of depression that seemed endless, to the point where one day he contemplated suicide, but ultimately he thought better of it. Once he met Malvaron and Tazma, he viewed it as a chance to start over, allowing him to grow more self assured yet more no nonsense as a result of his loss.

In this day in age, Zorlon is not likely to change his ways. Like Creed, he is a flat character arc, only in this case he influences positive change rather than changing much himself over the course of the series.

Why You Love Them: To this day, I consider Zorlon to be my best OC, for he’s the one I’ve dedicated the most time to developing than any other I’ve created in the past. Even if I’m tooting my own horn, what’s not to love? He’s kind, fatherly, wise, attentive, and will guide you every step of the way if you feel lost.

Phew, that kept me busy, but it was well worth my time. Thank you so much for the asks!

#oc asks #zoron #creed #elysia #extremely pearlmethirsty #mysticons

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the-last-lemon · 4 years

Text

This is a full list of everything bad thing that’s ever happened to Steven, from mildly traumatic (but still noteworthy) stuff to extremely traumatic stuff. Please tell me if anything’s been left out here. I do plan on updating this regularly, cause I can tellstuff’s gonna get real in the next few episodes.

This all happens to a pubescent teen who, by the way, never goes to a doctor, physical or emotional, once until near the end of this list.

Season One- Steven struggles with not being strong enough to go on missions with the gems/not being as strong as he needs to be, and trying to activate his mother’s powers.

Steven’s favorite ice cream is taken off the market. This isn’t too major, but it’s where all the trauma began. (Gem Glow)

Steven and the Crystal Gems are attacked by two centipeedles. (Gem Glow)

Steven almost sees the entirety of Beach City be obliterated by a giant crystal eye. (Laser Light Cannon)

Steven repeatedly almost dies during a mission with the Crystal Gems. Well… we’ll get to that later. (Cheeseburger Backpack)

The entirety of Frybo. From seeing that mascot thingy, to seeing the people of Beach City be hurt… oh god. (Frybo)

Steven turns into a giant cluster of cats and almost dies if not for his dad. (Cat Fingers)

Steven and Connie almost drown and get killed by a roller coaster and a corrupted gem. (Bubble Buddies)

Steven almost dies REPEATEDLY during a mission with the gems. (Serious Steven)

Steven almost/does gets physically and emotionally hurt whilst wrestling, but I can’t remember this episode all too well. My apologies. (Tiger Millionaire)

Another gem attack. (Arcade Mania)

Steven gets (nearly) eaten by a giant bird monster, and nearly dies whilst navigating those floating islands. (Giant Woman)

Steven almost dies of old age. This is one of the most traumatic scenes in the whole show. (So Many Birthdays)

Steven and Jerk Friend are almost eaten alive by moss in a horror-movie like episode. (Lars and the Cool Kids)

Onion being Onion. That should be enough said. (Onion Trade)

Steven watches Pearl get poofed, and then has to fight the very hologram that killed her so easily in the first place. (Steve the Sword Fighter)

Steven and Connie get attacked by a giant tennis ball machine thingy. I can’t remember too much of this episode though, sorry. (Lion 2: The Movie)

Another gem attack. I should probably make a full tally for this at the end. (Beach Party)

Steven, after reaching his breaking point, goes into his dead mom’s room and sees everyone he’s even known and/or loved glitch out and die as he tries to escape from this glitched out reality. I… I just… (Rose’s Room)

Steven gets hits by a rock, teased about it, and sees two of his space moms beat up him and the other mom up. (Coach Steven)

Steven watches his friend choke on a spicy donut and almost burn down Beach City and die, all after seeing his other friend respond to the first friend ditching her. (Joking Victim)

Steven creates multiple alternate universes, and watches himself die multiple times. (Steven and the Stevens)

Steven tries to befriend a corrupted ally, but she’s beyond saving. (Monster Buddies)

Steven watches his friend get badly hurt, slowly fall apart, and has suffers emotional trauma whilst trying to live up to his mom. (An Indirect Kiss)

Steven tries to talk to a gem trapped in a mirror for thousands of years, and in doing so, sees the planet’s water be removed. He and his moms get blamed for it, and he, his moms, his friend, and his dad all go to try to get it back. They all are either badly hurt, or are nearly drowned. He sees his dad, in his van, be thrown far away, causing him to break a leg. Steven now has to reconsider how morally good the gems are. (Mirror Gems)

Steven’s dad, who has a broken leg, interferes in his life negatively (though also positively), though this is eventually resolved. (House Guest)

Steven and Bird Mom almost die in a violent accident, all has his dad watches in helpless horror. (Space Race)

Steven, Sadie, and Lars are all trapped on a tropical island for a month, and are attacked by an invisible monster. (Island Adventure) ((btw, this is the first episode to break the streak of every SU episode up until this point having something notably traumatic happen to Steven.))

Steven is abducted by a crazed conspiracist jerk whilst trying to make him feel better about himself. He’s knocked out and examined. (Keep Beach City Weird)

Steven attempts to run away with his friend Connie, though the bus they’re on his forcibly stopped by a giant fusion between his three moms. (Fusion Cuisine)

Steven’s watermelons come to life and attack his entire city, then his moms. His favorite one, the only kind one, is slaughtered by the others. Also, Onion and the crazed conspiracist. (Watermelon Steven)

Steven almost suffocates and dies repeatedly. (Lion 3: Straight to Video)

Steven and Connie, while fused together, are… hit on, to say at the least… by Annoying Douchebag. (Alone Together)

Steven almost suffocates and… dies repatedly Also, he nearly freezes to death. Also ALSO, he slowly goes insane due to stress. (Warp Tour)

Steven learns that, in Cheeseburger Backpack, where he nearly dies repeatedly (eh, sort of), the mission that proved to be semi-traumatic to him was actually a test, making him doubt his abilities as a team member. He takes another test, which only proves that his moms still doubt his abilities as a team member. (The Test)

Steven becomes extremely paranoid, almost to the point where he fears he’ll die at any given moment. This is extremely traumatic. (Future Vision)

Steven and Mom #2 run away, and are almost both killed by an unstable injector. Steven and Bird Mom then watch Mom #2 have a breakdown.

This entire episode. (Horror Club)

Steven sees multiple futures where the following happens: Connie catches a cold, he, his dad, and Connie all die in a violent car accident with her father, and the entire universe collapses due to a crystal breaking or something. (Winter Forecast)

Steven is traumatized of Dead Mom by his Mom #2, and so is his dad traumatized. Before this, he watches Mom #2 and his dad slip away from not only his life, but reality as a whole. This is very traumatic. (Maximum Capacity)

Steven and the gems struggle to fight off large balls that have some unknown malicious intent, and then he’s almost killed by Angry Dorito for the first of many times in the show.

This whole episode, from the emotional trauma to the near-death experiences. (Rose’s Scabbard)

Steven once again travels to the Dead Mom’s room, where he goes through romantic-based and emotional stress. Also, he gets attacked by… the room itself. (Open Book)

Steven’s new friend, Uncle Grandpa, is attacked by his moms. (Say Uncle)

Steven learns that his town may be in danger because of stuff that Dead Mom did in the past. after receiving a hurried and eerie mesage from a potential war prisoner. (The Message)

Steven has to help keep an entire city alright as The First Big Uh Oh draws nearer. (Political Power)

Steven and his moms are taken as war criminals because of stuff Dead Mom did in the past, but not before he watches one die, and is knocked out. (The Return)

Steven nearly dies after the ship he and his moms are taken as war criminals on crashes on his home town, and has to deal with the gem he saved in Ocean Gem be fused with the warrior who knocked him out. (Jail Break)

Season Two- Stuff gets real(er).

Steven struggles with the emotional baggage gathered in the last two episodes, and struggles to keep his love interest safe. (Full Disclosure)

Steven’s friends take him to try to help him relax, but he’s soon attacked by his moms and nearly dies. (Joy Ride)

Steven watches Mom #2 get killed multiple times. (Reformed)

This entire episode. He gets attacked, and watches his friend Connie lose all purpose in life other than to protect him. Also, he has to fight Bird Mom (Sworn to the Sword)

Steven and Mom #3 have to gaze at the traumatic sight of some of their old allies, corrupted, deformed, and broken, which nearly causes Mom #3 to completely breakdown. (Keeping It Together)

Exhausted by searching for the friend who’s stuck under the ocean in a fusion, he, while trying to take a nap for once, is subconsciously tortured by thoughts of said friend.

Steven watches Mom #3 fall apart into Lesbian Red Rock and Lesbian Blue Rock, but tries to have a nice road trip regardless. He does not, sees witnesses an argument between the two rocks, and ends up feeling guilty about all of it. (Keystone Motel)

Onion. (Onion Friend)

Steven and Mom #2 almost sees Bird Mom and Mom #3 get crushed into oblivion. (Friend Ship)

Steven, Connie, and Connie’s mom all get attacked those horrifying corrupted allies from Keeping It Together. (Nightmare Hospital)

Steven gets attacked by Angry Dorito. (Catch and Release)

Stevn discovers that his entire planet, the thing his moms fought for, the thing that many of those corrupted monsters fought for, and more, has a giant geo-weapon incubating under its surface. (When It Rains)

Steven almost turns into a zygote and dies. (Steven’s Birthday)

Steven and his moms fight and are betrayed by Angry Dorito, and have to deal with almost being seen by Giraffe Aunt. Also, they all almost explode. (Message Received)

Season Three- Identity Crisis™ begins.

Steven astral projects into a watermelon and sees his watermelon friends and moms almost kileld by Watery Rock Face. He almost dies himself, actually. (Super Watermelon Island) ((I’m actually laughing internally while re-reading this summary, am I a bad person?))

Steven… where do I even begin? He and Nice Dorito (not Angry Dorito anymore) go inside the Earth, hours before it’s destroyed. Steven is traumatized by the confused corupted monsters from Nightmare Hospital/Keeping it Together, and later by their broken souls. While trying to franctically drill, the dril breaks, he becomes queasy, and astral projects into the spirit realm, where he convinces the geo-weapon to bubble itself. He and Nice Dorito emerge alive. (Gem Drill)

Steven almost falls from like, a few kilometers in the air because of Flying Water Girl getting distracted. (Same Old World)

Steven and the gems almost get killed by a group of Ruby soldiers because of Lesbian Red Rock and Lesbian Blue Rock. (Hit the Diamond)

Steven almost starves to death, and then almost falls to his death, all because of emotions/powers he can’t control. (Steven Floats)

Steven… oh my god. He takes over someone’s body, and then astral projects back into his body after his friend faces a traumatic experience. This episode raises the question of what it even means to be conscious. (The New Lars)

Steven tries to heal a corrupted general, but can’t. This is a bit of an emotionally scarring episode. (Monster Reunion)

Rock Face comes back, and tries to get back with Flying Water Girl, all to Steven’s horror. He’s also physically hurt by this, and sees his dad lose like, 500,000 thousand dollars or something. (Alone at Sea)

Steven and Connie have to directly face more corrupted monsters led by Rock Face. (Gem Hunt)

Rock Face attacks Steven, Connie, and Mom #2. (Crack the Whip)

Steven and Mom #2 duke it out. This causes more way physical trauma than emotional. (Steven vs. Amethyst)

Steven is almost killed by, shockingly, another gem who hated Dead Mom/ her actions or something. He finds out that his mom hid away an ally, and never told the other moms. He bubbles her away again. (Bismuth)

Steven, Mom #2, and Metal-Bending Dorito fight Rock Face. They win, but not without our good ol’ friend Physical Trauma™.

Steven almost dies. I’m not even joking. He almost suffocates to death, and even goes unconscious after a fight with Angry Red Rock, which he gets hurt during. (Bubbled)

Season Four- Identity Crisis™ intensifies, and more trauma.

Steven gets hurt while trying to fight a corrupted gem monster. (Kindergarten Kid)

Steven and Mom #2 almost completely disappear from reality after Oprah’s room collapses. (Know Your Fusion)

Steven literally has an emotional breakdown after building up guilt from his past. (Mindful Education)

Onion. (Onion Gang)

Steven almost falls out of a plane after his Mayonaise Uncle tries to fly away from the barn. (Gem Harvest)

Baby Steven is abducted by his moms. (Three Gems and a Baby) ((past trauma))

Steven desperately tries to discover the truth about Pink Diamond, but in the process, loses his dad to Sad Aunt. (Steven’s Dream)

Steven, while breaking most known laws of physics, almost accelerates himself out of existence and crashes his head on a control panel with a velocity faster than that of the speed of light, all whilst having an emotional breakdown. (Adventures in Light Distortion)

Steven is abducted into some sort of human utopia where he has to watch humans experience pain for the first time ever. (The Zoo)

Steven is betrayed by Happy Red Rock, and almost dies. (Room for Ruby)

Steven almost dies of heat exhaustion, all to find out he could’ve been named Nora. (Lion 4: Alternate Ending)

Steven suffers from motion sickness. (Doug Out)

Steven slowly watches his friends get abducted, including his friend Connie, but of course, not after some physical trauma during a fight. (Are You My Dad?)

Steven turns himself into Homeworld, prepared to be executed for Dead Mom’s crimes, all to the horror of his moms and friends. (I Am My Mom)

Season 5- Identity Crisis, and why Pink used to suck.

Steven and Jerk Friend have an emotional breakdown while trying to get back to Earth. (Stuck Together)

Steven escapes from Sad Aunts after the trial, and encounters some off colors, though not before they’re attacked and Jerk Friend dies in Steven’s arms. He gets brough back to life, though. BUT THE EMOTIONAL TRAUAMA! (Off Colors)

Connie gets upset at Steven (though for a good reason), and leaves him.

Steven gets sadder and sadder about being away from Connie, and has a breakdown in front of his dad, all while his moms try to interpret his sadness. (Gemcation)

Steven and Mom #2 watch Nice Dorito become depressed after Flying Water Girl leaves Earth, though they cheer her up eventually. (Back to the Kindergarten)

Steven breaks down, but gets back together with Connie. (Kevin Party)

Steven and Connie, now fused together again, crash on a deserted colony, where they get traumatized of dreams of Steven’s forgotten past, and attacked by monsters. (Jungle Moon)

Steven discovers the truth about his mom, completely changing everything he’s ever known about her. Dead Mom is actually Pink Dead Mom. (A Single Pale Rose)

Steven and his friends/moms are attacked by Scary Aunts, are forced to cry, and Steven gets crushed completely. He projects into the astral plane where he’s subjected to electromagnetic blasts of energy or something. (Reunited)

Steven and Connie are thrown in prison for High Crimes and Misdemeanors™. (Together Alone)

Steven astral projects into a watermelon, loses his leg, and dies of exhaustion. (Escapism)

Uh… where do even begin? Steven has an identity-crisis of a dream, is attacked emotionally and forced to cry, witnesses a fight break out, sees his aunts get turned into lifeless zombies, almost ses his moms get shattered, is nearly crushed, fights a giant robot, sees his moms turn into lifeless zombies, doubt his entire existence and emotionally breaks down, has his gem removed, and becomes a weak, helpless child for a bit. (Change Your Mind)

Steven Universe The Movie- Noodle Woman fights well.

Steven’s entire planet is assaulted and nearly destroyed by a giant injector.

Steven fights Noodle Woman, causing physical trauma, especially during and at the end of the fight.

Steven sees his moms be killed, and lose all their character development.

Steven almost sees Lesbian Red Rock die.

Steven becomes increasingly more exhausted after he loses his powers.

Steven fights Noodle Woman again, and has a nose-bleed. This brings him a lot of physical and emotional trauma.

Steven his knocked from like, a kilometer in the air, onto an injector by Noodle Woman. This injector then explodes.

Steven Universe Future- The trauma turns emotional.

Steven fights Post Corrupted Rock Face, and suffers lots of physical trauma, plus emotional trauma. The corruption stuff begins here. (Little Homeschool)

Steven and Mom #2 have to help save Beach City from the chaos Steven accidentally created. (Guidance)

Steven, plus his moms and dad, are traumatized by gems that all look, sound, and act like Dead Mom. (Rose Buds)

Steven breaks down while trying to fix Volleyball, and almost sees her and Pearl be rejuvenated. (Volleyball)

Steven’s dad gets hurt emotionally, and Steven has to fight Angry Red Rock and Annoying Short Flying Girl. (Bluebird)

Onion. Also, Steven becomes exhausted emotionally. Wait, did that actually happen, or was that just an ad? It looked like an ad…? (A Very Special Episode)

Steven runs away from multiple reminders of his weaker, past self, after continuing to deal with stress problems. (Snow Day)

Steven’s friends all begin to leave him. (Little Graduation)

Steven gets attacked by the literal personification of his negative thoughts, which is also a cactus that hurts him physically. (Prickly Pair)

Steven deal with the emotional trauma of all his friends leaving him behind. (In Dreams)

Steven realizes that he’s kind of falling out of touch with social interactions, and being a normal kid. (Bismuth Casual)

Steven realizes that Connie’s life is going in a different direction than his. He tries to propose to her, but is told “Not Now”. This is basically his tipping point. (Together Forever)

Steven’s mental and physical state gets worse, and he breaks down. (Growing Pains)

Steven gets into a violent car crash after breaking down because of how bad his childhood has been. (Mr. Universe)

Steven begins to lose himself, remains un-helped by his friends and family, and begins training with Jasper, where he’s subjected to TONS of physical trauma. He gets crushed, slammed, beaten, and etc. He also deals with the emotional trauma of having shattered Jasper. Yeah. (Fragments)

Miscellaneous physical and emotional trauma. (Homeworld Bound)

OH MY GOSH STEVEN’S SILENTLY HAVING A BREAKDOWN, BUT HE’S PRETENDING HE’S FINE (Everything’s Fine)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! STEVEN LOSES HIMSELF AND BECOMES CORRUPTED! THIS IS LITERALLY THE SHOW’S PEAK! (I Am My Monster)

NO TRAUMA! STEVEN IS ACTUALLY GETTING HELP NOW, AND IS LIVING A WONDERFUL LIFE! YYEESSSSS! (The Future)

(Goodbye Steven Universe.

You were a show we didn’t deserve)

#steven universe #steven universe future #su steven #steven needs therapy #su

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marvelxreader · 5 years

Text

Through the Glass - Part 1

Request from the lovely @rubberduckymomma: There is one maid that Loki never paid attention to, even though she served him for years. After he gets imprisoned for attacking New York, she's the only one that will still serve him.

Warnings = none

Word Count = 2,4 k

Y/N = Your Name

Y/E/C = Your Eye Color

A/N = Thanks to @rubberduckymomma I have a vague idea of where I want to go with this, but I’m always open for suggestions!

You’ve worked as a maid for the royalty of Asgard since you were a teenager, because your mother insisted on it and you needed the money. You didn’t mind though, because Frigga and Odin always treated you with respect. They even allowed their oldest son Thor to befriend you, his brother Loki on the other hand had no interest in you whatsoever.

Every time you entered the library to clean it, he would sit on the velvet armchair in front of the fireplace, captivated by the story he was reading and completely oblivious to your presence. It seemed like he was spending all of his free time in between walls of books, escaping into one of the many realities he could choose from, and it made you wonder if he wasn’t satisfied with the one he was living in.

Loki was always very distant and he never talked much, but when he did, he was the only thing you concentrated on. You could listen to him all day, and you wouldn’t get bored of the intelligence and mystery of his carefully chosen words, even though they were never directed towards you. Most of the time, he talked to his family and you just happened to be in the same room, but you always seemed to be the only one that actually cared about what he had to say, and you wanted to know what else he was hiding in that clever mind of his.

Over the years, you noticed his behavior changing dramatically. His only goal in life was to ascend the throne of Asgard, proving Odin, Thor and himself how much he was capable of, how much power he had. It made you curious, but ‘curiosity killed the cat’ and you figured it would be best to stay out of their family issues.

But then, he attacked Midgard.

————————————————

„There he is, my majesty“

The words of a royal guard sent shivers down your spine as he dragged Loki across the throne room, all chained up. He looked like he was in really bad condition, and you almost felt sorry for the broken man in front of you.

For a split second it seemed like he glanced over to you before you realized he was looking at Thor, who was standing by your side. Odin didn’t even look at him, while Frigga’s quiet sobs echoed through the room occasionally.

“I have returned, father. Did you miss me?”, he hissed through gritted teeth, “I am sure Thor was there to dry your tears while I was gone”

“Take him to the dungeons”, Odin said in a cold tone, before the guards pushed Loki out of the room.

It was silent for a moment, until the King raised his voice.

“Stop staring and get back to work!”, and immediately everyone continued doing their thing, like the Prince of Asgard didn’t just get imprisoned minutes ago.

————————————————

A few weeks went by, yet he was all you could think about. Every time you walked through the castle, you hoped Loki would be sitting in the library like he used to, reading an old book that was about to fall apart, or walking in between beautiful flower beds in the royal gardens with Frigga. But he never was.

You were tossing and turning in your bed, desperate to fall asleep, but the thought of him spending the rest of his life in the dungeons wouldn’t let you. You looked at the time, it was 1 am. Great.

You remembered how your mother used to go for late night walks when she couldn’t sleep, and you decided to give it a try. You rolled out of bed and got dressed before leaving the room, the golden halls of Asgard’s palace welcoming you once again.

You mindlessly strolled through the dimly lit corridors, trying to make as little sound as possible, when a sudden idea crossed your mind. The doors to the library were directly in front of you. You sneaked in, the smell of old pages and dust tickling your nose, almost making you sneeze. There were still some embers in the fireplace from earlier, softly illuminating the spines of countless books, while you searched for a story that might interest the imprisoned prince. After you gathered a few he could choose from, you returned back into the hallway and made your way to the cold dungeons.

It was wet and dark, the ominous silence making you feel uneasy, as you passed several cells before reaching Loki’s. It seemed like he didn’t belong here, among the most dangerous enemies of the nine realms, but yet he was destined to spend the rest of his life here in a cell, being treated like a monster.

Loki peacefully laid on his bed and stared at the wall, his hands resting on his stomach. He still wore his full armor, apparently always ready for a fight, when he jolted up and looked at you. His sudden movement made you jump, causing you to drop the books with a loud thud.

“You should not be here in the middle of the night, Maid”, his eyes pierced right through you.

“Forgive me, your Highness. I thought you might enjoy some reading material”, you said while picking up the novels on the ground, feeling his gaze on you as he mustered you from head to toe.

Loki slowly approached the glass wall that separated the two of you, never breaking eye contact, causing goosebumps to form on your skin. The man who looked so innocent a few seconds prior became very intimidating all of a sudden, and you started to understand why Odin kept him here.

He could see the fear in your eyes as you backed away bit by bit, holding the books with shaky hands, and it broke his heart. Loki hasn’t done anything to the woman in front of him, yet you were scared, just like everyone else. He never wanted the throne, he only wanted to be Thor’s equal, but he made a huge mistake in the process and this was the price he had to pay.

You were about to leave again, as his deep voice echoed from the stone walls.

“Come back here, Maid”

You stopped dead in your tracks, your heart hammering against your chest. You were afraid of what was about to come, but it was an order from the Prince that you had to obey. It seemed like you caught the attention of several prisoners as you walked back to Loki, some of them whistling after you, some of them cursing you for waking them up.

“You are Thor’s Maid, Y/N, right?”, he asked you.

“Indeed, your Highness”, you responded, trying to sound as calm as possible.

“I see. Your effort is very appreciated, but you cannot give these books to me without a key”, Loki said as he sat down on the chair next to him, “Would you read them to me, please?”

You looked at him with big eyes, uncertain if you heard him correctly. The imprisoned Prince wants you to read to him at two in the morning? He officially lost it now, you thought. But an order is an order.

“Which one would you like to hear, m’Lord?”

“Whichever you find the most interesting”, he said in a deep, silky voice and it almost sounded like he actually cared.

You sat down onto the cold stone floor and looked through the books, before you chose “History of Midgard”. How ironic of you.

It appeared to be a very old book, it’s thin pages worn out by the amount of times they have been turned, a yellowish tint spreading across them, some letters already faded. You started reading to Loki as he watched you intently from his cell, clinging onto every word, even though he knew them like the back of his hand. He used to read this book over and over again, but somehow it was so much better when you did. The torches on the wall illuminated your face in a warm glow, as your slender fingers danced over the old pages, flipping them every now and then. Strands of hair fell into your face, as your Y/E/C eyes wandered over the letters, and your beauty was the only thing Loki could concentrate on.

You’ve been reading for an hour, when a yawn escaped your lips.

“Forgive me, your Highness”, you looked at him through heavy eyelids, almost falling asleep on the cold dungeon floor.

“Do not apologize, I should have noticed your fatigue earlier. I really enjoyed this and I hope you visit me again some time. Now go and get some rest, Y/N”

You didn’t even notice him calling you by your name, as you closed the book and got up. You bowed to him before leaving the dungeons and walked back to your room, not bothered to change into your night gown before crashing onto the bed, sleep washing over you immediately.

You woke up the next morning, still confused by last night. You had to admit, you enjoyed the attention Loki gave you, and the fact that he knew your name brought a smile to your lips. All these years of serving the two Princes of Asgard, even establishing a friendship with Thor, and still Loki had to be imprisoned first to finally acknowledge you.

You got ready for the day and left off into the kitchen to grab Thor’s breakfast. The two of you became pretty close throughout the years and he never made you feel like he was above you, always showing the respect you deserved and treating you like an equal, even though he was the God of Thunder and you were just an ordinary Maid.

“Good morning, Lady Y/N”, he greeted you as you walked through the door with the tray in your hands. Knowing how much Thor loved breakfast in bed, you walked over to him and put it on his nightstand.

“Morning, Sleepyhead”, you jokingly said, earning a hearty chuckle from him.

“You look like the Sleepyhead between the two of us. Tell me, Y/N, did you not sleep well?”, he asked, before taking a bite of the asgardian pastry in his hand.

“I have to admit, it’s been a.. weird night, but don’t worry. I’m up and running, that’s all that matters”

“A weird night? How so?”

Thor was a sucker for good stories and you knew that, but you can’t possibly tell him what happened last night. Maids weren’t allowed in the dungeons if they weren’t explicitly told to do so, especially not in the middle of the night to keep the imprisoned Prince company.

“You know, I-I kept dreaming about.. uhm.. your coronation”

“About my coronation? There is nothing weird about that now, is it?”

“Well.. Loki had a deal with the frost giants and let them into the King’s weapon vault during the celebration”

“I see. Now that is truly ridiculous, Lady Y/N”

“Right?”, you chuckled nervously, knowing that you’ve just lied to the God of Thunder.

The rest of the day went by like every other, nothing special happening. Yet.

It was just after dinner, when Thor approached you.

“Lady Y/N, could you bring this to my brother? It is his favorite meal, but I cannot go myself right now. I have a meeting to attend”, he looked at you with big puppy eyes and you nodded, earning a thankful smile.

You walked down the stairs to the dungeons, several pairs of eyes lingering on you as you made your way towards the guard in front of Loki’s cell.

“Good evening. Thor sent me to give this to his brother”, you said, looking down at the tray of food in your hands. The guard looked at you in suspicion, but he eventually walked up to the metal door of Loki’s cell and opened the little slot with his key, so you could slide the tray inside.

He sat in the chair, looking like he was waiting for you to arrive, when you met his gaze. A smile tugged on his lips as he saw you looking back at him, and you couldn’t help but wonder why. Loki had realized that you were the only one who still believed there was some good left in him, and he was determined to prove you right. He didn’t care much about other people, but there was something about you he couldn’t explain, and he couldn’t bear to see you scared of him.

“Thank you, Lady Y/N”, he said as he picked up the tray from the floor of his cell, making your heart jump. Only Thor called you that, he insisted on it in order to show his mutual respect, but you never thought Loki would do the same. He didn’t even bother looking at you before he got trapped down here, and although you enjoyed the way he treated you now, you thought he might be up to something. They called him the God of Mischief for a reason, right?

“You’re welcome, m’Lord”, you said as you bowed to him, before hearing the guard behind you laughing.

“m’Lord? Really now? Look at him, he got imprisoned by his own father”, he said as you turned around, anger rising inside of you.

“I'd watch my words if I were you. He is still the Prince of Asgard and he holds more titles than you ever will”, you snarled back at him, now Loki’s turn to laugh.

„I like her“, he said to the guard who was glaring at you, but decided to keep his mouth shut. You did have a point after all, and he didn‘t want to mess with you any further.

But wait, Loki liked you?

For all you know, there is no one, except for Thor and Frigga, who he actually liked and cared about. You turned to him, confusion written all over your face, as your eyes met his. He looked at you in admiration for being the first one, besides Thor, to ever defend him and even though you’ve only known him from these awful rumors, it didn’t take a second for you to snap back at the guard.

You tried to wrap your head around his behavior, but eventually brushed it off. He was probably just trying to be a better person after everything he has done, and what better way to start than by complimenting the Maid?

#Loki #Loki x reader #Loki fanfic #Loki fic #Loki imagine #marvel x reader #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston fic

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tarithenurse · 5 years

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On my mind, in my soul - 10

Prompt: (Anon) “Natural” by Imagine Dragons, Asgard, Loki’s helmet. Pairing: Loki x Burglar!reader. Content: Swearing as usual (I think), angsting, pining, worrying due to illness, arguing, fluffing (Yes! You read that right: FLUFF.). A/N: Please feel free to reblog if you liked it <3 Or comment! Thanks to all of those who’ve been waiting patiently through the last while of scheming, but hey...now I’ve got a few chapters lying ready.

Patience

It’s annoyingly difficult to stalk with rage in each step when you’re still weak from having been poisoned. If you could have, however, then the footsteps would have been sharp against the stones on the way through the palace. As it is, you’re using every ounce of energy simply to keep up with the two royal men and the surrounding guards.

At least you pay attention to the route. Valhalla’s grand, filled with numerous chambers, halls, and stairs that would make it easy to get lost. You’ve got a method which always has helped you memorize a new place…just in case you’ll need to navigate through the building alone and possibly while being chased. Occupational hazard. Admittedly, if you had to run now, you probably wouldn’t move quickly at all.

Maybe Thor notices your physical discomfort. Maybe he’s simply as curious as the electric-blue eyes shimmering at you leads to think. Slowing his steps, he falls back to walk by your side and even offers an impressively muscular arm to lean on which you take after a brief hesitation. If he’d hurt me, then he’d already have done so.

With his support, you manage to descend several levels, leaving the light of day behind in favour of brazier-fueled shadows that jump and dance when people pass. Down past heavily locked and guarded doors to a room that seems a hybrid between a fancy gallery and old dungeons. Invisible walls shimmer with fragmented lines of gold, somehow containing the bright illumination as if the wall were solid concrete. Descending a number of steps brings the contents of the two first “rooms” in view. One on either side, and each with what must constitute for prisoners here in Asgard.

“Why’re we here?” you demand, unafraid of which etiquettes you’re breaking.

Not bothering to pause or look back, Odin leaves it up to his son to answer. “You recall the warning Loki was given? That the donation of his blood could cause him his life?”

“…yeeah?” Gods…no. Not that. Please don’t…

“He seemed to think it was a price worth paying as he otherwise would be at the mercy of Odin due to having entered the realm uninvited.” His eyes dance around, landing on the cells and the floor…anywhere but you before he points to a cell a few yards up ahead. “He will not escape the punishment for his transgressions.”

Shoving ahead of the group, you stumble to the raised area of the cell, catching yourself on the barrier as you stumble over the ledge. You’re faintly aware of mixed reactions behind you, but it doesn’t matter because all you see is a room where ice spreads from a single, blue figure lying on a bed. Loki. The effect of his natural form is raging unchecked and it should frighten you…perhaps. All it does is turn fear to joy. He’s alive.

“Loki!” Your yell only stirs a few snowflakes that are gliding through the air on the other side of the barrier. “Loki!”

A heavy but gentle hand latches on to your shoulder and isn’t shaken off. “Lady [Y/N], he cannot hear you. He’s beyond reach,” Odin explains gently.

“Then let me in there so he can hear me!”

“It is not due to any barrier of our world.” Turning you, an old eye scans your face. “He may be alive…but the procedure took its toll.”

The words click fast enough, but the king’s choice is beyond your grasp. “Then why’s here in there? Send him to a hospital!” How can he be so cruel?

“He is being treated by our healers, Midgardian. However, this is the safest place to keep him until his powers are under control once more.”

That…kinda makes sense. Looking over your shoulder, only a magical veil obstructs the view to the unconscious Loki. A blanket’s spread over him but it doesn’t quite cover the tall frame so blue shoulders are left exposed save for where a few tendrils of black hair reaches. You could look at him all day. Will him to wake up.

In this house of mine? Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost, tell me

…

It had been a surprise when the king wanted you to stay as long as was needed, even more so when he hadn’t objected when Thor recommended you were moved to another room. You didn’t care much even if it was a veritable suite with perfect view and lavish furniture, preferring instead to spend as much time as you could by the cell. The guards had gotten used to you, greeting you with smiles when you arrived and if there’d been any changes in Loki’s status then they’d undoubtedly let you know. There just wasn’t.

The last rays of sun are slipping past a layer of clouds, finally bringing some warmth into the room. If you would pay any attention, then you could marvel at the amber gleam of the wood, or the many shimmering hues of green woven into the drapes at either side of the wide windows and balcony doors. Instead you’re staring into one of the many books this room contains without actually seeing the page or what’s written on it. It’s the knocking on the door that brings you back to the present.

“Enter.”

It’s probably yet another servant. Of all the differences you’re getting accustomed to here on Asgard, it’s the staff that are making you feel the most out of place, especially because they all seem to find you more adorable than actually special. Sure, they’re perfectly polite. They just happen to talk to you as though you were a child.

“Lady [Y/N],” the deep rumble belongs to the only prince capable of walking the castle freely, “may I keep you company for a while?”

You can hardly refuse and soon Thor has dragged over another gigantic chair next to the one you sit in and set down a flask and two goblets. Watching bemused, you mentally note the difference of liquid he pours into the goblets but choose not to comment as he passes you the one with the least in. A careful sniff clears your sinuses instantaneously, but the honeyed scent is too good to resist for long, so you accept the quiet toast. Holy fuck! The alcohol burns sweet and strong, triggering all the right taste buds.

“You may want to drink with caution,” Thor warns as you down the remaining mouthful, “Midgardians are more…susceptible to our liquors.”

“Oh. Okay.” You’ve barely placed the goblet on the table before you feel the slight buzz which normally would require a lot more to drink.

Silence reigns. Oppressing. Loaded with unspoken thoughts, most of which (at least on your behalf) are related to Loki and his situation. So, he’s a stalker with a conscience…big deal. Still, there’s no way you can pretend the flutter in your stomach doesn’t appear each time you think of being near him (in a more conscious state), or the paralyzing dread by the idea that Loki might not survive. Even the thought of him being stuck in a prison cell while you’re free to live your life somehow seems unbearable. I don’t owe him! He chose to save…save me oh crap. Not only had he saved you, he’d even tried to warn you. And he’d confided in you.

“Why did Loki attack New York?”

Shifting in his seat, Thor thinks for a while before answering. “I shouldn’t tell anyone this…but I’m willing to do an exception in your case...” A sip from the goblet buys him more time. “The full tale is much longer…but there had been certain…event.” Grabbing the flask, both cups are given a generous refill. “My brother was distraught, acting out of despair and spite…sorrow…” A drink is shared, renewing the buzz in your head. “He left us and fell into the hands of a very evil being who…broke him…”

“A titan.” Your comment makes Thor eye you with surprise. “Loki told me a gruesome story full of torture and brainwashing…I guess I kinda hoped it’d been a lie.”

“You would rather see him commit those crime voluntarily?”

“Of course not! I just don’t want him to…to…”

“Trust you?” You shrug at the suggestion. “[Y/N]…I do not claim to understand the nature of the relationship between my brother and you. But I know he’s good at heart, and that circumstances beyond his control have forced him to build a façade, to keep people at an arms length.”

…

There’s so much you want to know, but you don’t know how to and the liquor’s beginning to cloud your brain. It’s not until Thor’s about to leave and offhandedly remarks whom the room belonged to, that your mind jumps back into action.

“I used to sneak in here at night, as a little boy, if I couldn’t sleep,” the god smiles, “often Loki would be awake too and we’d play until we ended up being too noisy and the maid or mother would hear us.” A shimmer of bittersweet joy is visible in the rugged face, but it’s soon gone and Thor bids you goodnight.

Loki’s room. Leaning against the closed door, you take in the place, noticing the colour scheme and items reflecting the interests Loki still entertain on Earth. All the books (or at least those you’ve been able to decipher) cover a range of subjects and genres, forming a perfect foundation for someone who wishes to be well-spoken…even silver-tongued. I should’ve seen it. The entire room is a treasure trove of information on the one person you need to know everything about.

Rather be the hunter than the prey And you're standing on the edge, face up 'cause you're a…

…

Dividing your time more or less equally between your own basic needs, watching over Loki, and exploring his room meticulously, it takes a few days before there’s only a single chest left unopened…and still the god is unconscious.

“Lady [Y/N],” one of the usual guards greets you as you enter the dungeon, “I’m afraid there has been no change overnight.”

For the untrained eye, it could almost look as if he really is sorry, but there is a shadow of relief that not even the most rigorous training can smother.

“It’s oka– it’s fine.” Placate him. What you want to achieve requires all the pity you can make him feel. “I don’t expect he’ll recover…not before I have to leave, anyways.”

“You’re leaving?”

Gaze downcast, you shrug awkwardly. “I don’t belong here…even though everyone treats me kindly, there’s no…joy for me here. Just pain.”

“Is there anything we can do to ease your troubled heart?”

“I…it’s…what I want isn’t possible.” Sheer willpower (and a bit of bad memories) makes the vision of your shoes go blurry with tears and you can finally look up.

A split-second of shock and discomfort is all it takes before the guard’s mind has been made up. “Tell me what I can do.”

A beating heart of stone You gotta be so cold To make it in this world

… Loki’s PoV …

A fistful of bright heat has appeared in the midst of the soothing cool enveloping Loki’s body. A part of it wants to shake it away because it burns his skin where it touches…but mostly he wants the sweet pain the stay. To remind him of something…important. Nay…someone? It would fit with the soft hum of a gentle voice that has infused the dreamlike state Loki has revelled in since…

Memories rattle the calm, sets the god fighting against the paralyzing dream that has numbed his thoughts until now. I must wake up. He recalls everything up to the moment where darkness took him. Death, he had thought, but this cannot be death after all because the voice belongs to [Y/N] and she must have survived.

“…waiting……all very……why did…”

Bits and pieces of a one-sided conversation are recognizable by now, spurring Loki on. The heat he’s been feeling takes form of a hand, fingers entwined in his own and although he doesn’t dare move or open his eyes just yet, he knows how little it is in the blue of his own limb. Shivers run all the way to [Y/N]’s fingertips. She’s cold. Grasping for the magic within to shift into the warmer, gentler form of an Asgardian, Loki finds that he has nothing left to work with.

“…”

He can’t get the words out to get the Midgardian to leave, to find a warm place rather than linger in the cold he emanate. Finally wrenching his eyelids up, the white room nearly blinds him until he manages to find the darker shape that is the woman. Wrapped in a cloak, she huddles on something by the floor of his bed, probably preferring to sit there so she can hold his hand.

Testingly, Loki squeezes the slender fingers, and all sounds stills. Even her breathing. Once more, then.

“Loki?” A trill of hope’s laced into that single uttering.

As their eyes meet, [Y/N]’s begin to well up with tears of joy that fall on her cheeks to freeze into beads of glittery ice. It’s a sight he could admire all day, but he’s given very little time to do so before her face looms tauntingly over his, the smiling lips whispering his name before finding his. Cold and heat mingle beautifully, proving that this is no dream. The kisses taste of ocean and fruits, the crisp air smells like heaven, and a shy face beams down at Loki when it comes to a halt.

“Loki…”

“Mmmmm?” He can’t help the smile from stretching his lips.

“You. Are.” A delicate finger taps the tip of the blue nose. “A complete and bloody moron!”

The smile disappears, replaced by surprise and angrily furrowed brows. “What –?”

“Why the hell would y’ give up your freedom let alone risk your fucking life?! Fine!” Even the time it takes for [Y/N] to draw in air is too short to get a word in. “So you’ve claimed y’ care about me ‘n whatnot! What am I s’posed to do with that if you go ‘n sacrifice yourself like some some…uhh!”

Loki can fell how dry his throat is when he tries to talk again. “If this is your way of thanki–“

“Thanking?” Pretty eyebrows shoot upwards in protest. “Yes, thank you for saving my life.” She sounds as sarcastic as I can. “And for placing me in an impossible position where I’m in debt to a fucking god and his freaking family!”

“The debt owed was mine. We’re even now.”

“Oh really? Just like that?” [Y/N] wipes away tears from her hectically warm cheeks. “From where I stand the scales are out o’ balance.”

By Odin’s beard, she’s stubborn. “It’s of no concern right now, at least. Alright?” A shrug and then a nod makes it out for an answer. “Tell me instead…why are you here? Is the All-Father not letting you leave?”

“H’agreed to let me stay for a while…” [Y/E/C] doesn’t meet Loki’s but are trained on their hands that still are locked together. “They took me t’ see you when I woke up…y’re just lyin’ here...”

Loki knows better than to say anything as the woman explains the part of the events she has witnessed. The words themselves hold little value, it’s the tone and the facial expressions that captivates the Trickster because it tells much more than [Y/N] intends. Yes, she has been cared for. Yes, she feels indebted after her life has been saved. Yet none of that is the true concern harboured in her heart, and even if she realises what the cause really is, she still hasn’t got the words. Eventually, she quiets, eyes partially following the path of her thumb over Loki’s knuckles and back.

That’s how Odin and Thor finds them after a guard has hurried slowly to alert them of Loki’s consciousness.

… Reader’s PoV …

The castle is going to sleep, and you’re sitting on the soft rug, finally calmed down enough to use the improvised tools you’ve created to pick the lock on the chest. Alright, tools might still be too grand a term. It’s a couple of hair and shawl pins, a fork with bent prongs, and a thin dagger. Asgardian locks are slightly different from the standard Midgardian type, but it only takes a few attempts before you’ve managed to gain access and lift the lid.

“Oh.”

You’re not sure what you should have expected…but it wasn’t a deep green, velvet pillow in the bottom with one object resting upon it. Colden horns the length of your forearm are curving upwards from the headgear. Picking it up slowly, you turn the familiar crown-like item over and over in your hands, careful not to poke yourself in the face with the horns. Antlers.

A silly thought pops into your mind, prompting you to rush over to the tall mirror by the wardrobe and place the iconic accessory on you head. It’s a tad too big, wobbling when you move and needs to be stabilized to prevent it from sliding crooked. Still…I get it. This is power in an object.

“I see you understand the appeal,” a smooth voice announces from behind you.

A mix of fear and embarrassment freezes you in place rather than turn towards the door, but in the mirror, you see Loki being ushered into the room by a couple of guards and Thor before the door closes again. You hear the lock click, but that doesn’t matter because the green eyes are burning.

#On my Mind in my Soul #loki x reader #loki x you #Loki Laufeyson #loki odinson #loki angst #loki pining #loki fluff #loki fanfic #loki marvel #loki mcu #Loki Laufeyson x reader #Loki odinson x reader #asgard #Thor Odinson #thor #odin #Valhalla #Loki lemon series

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loving-barnes · 6 years

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FORBIDDEN LOVE - LOKI

(A/N): I’m going to see Thor 3 tonight and so I’m giving you this one-shot with Loki. I can’t believe I actually wrote something with him. Anyway, sorry for mistakes and enjoy.

Pairing: Loki x f!reader

Summary: The only way the lovers, Loki and Y/N, can be together is promising help to the Avengers.

Warning: none (maybe bit fluff)

Words: 1900+

FULL MASTERLIST // LOKI MASTERLIST

FORBIDDEN LOVE - LOKI

The whole team was sitting in the common room, distrustfully staring at Thor with a young woman by his side that had special cuffs on her wrists. He brought her with the intention to help to solve the newest problem they had. A magical enemy that co-worked with Hydra became one of the worst threats they ever dealt with. The creature wanted to destroy the entire humanity. Luckily, the Avengers weakened him and now, they had a lot of time to create a plan and seek help. Thor promised Loki’s help but he needed something or someone to convince him to join the team and battle the evil.

“So, let me get this straight, you brought a prisoner from Asgard that is supposed to help us?” Tony questioned him, eyes travelling from him to the young woman who was surprisingly very quiet. She didn’t seem to be dangerous or a threat to anyone. “And here I thought I am the only one who has stupid ideas.”

“Why did you bring her here, Thor?” Steve was the one who took the word and asked a question. “She’s a prisoner, she has betrayed your people and you think she’s the one who can help us and not try to do the same to us?”

The girl tilted her head, checking the tall blonde man from head to toes. Her silence, neutral stare brought goosebumps to some of the team members. Natasha tried to remain calm, focused on the woman from a different realm. She was studying her calm, mystic behaviour, trying to find what was wrong with her.

“Have you called for my brother?” Thor asked, not answering any of the remarks and questions. Instantly, the girl’s eyes snapped to the blonde god. Natasha registered that. Was she scared of the trickster?

“Thor, you need to tell us everything,” Bruce suggested calmly, putting down his glasses. “We have some hours, maybe days to create a plan to destroy the enemy. We need answers; we need to know more about her. Who is she?”

“Someone who is afraid of Loki,” Natasha smirked, crossing her arms over breasts.

Thor grinned and pulled the woman by the forearm closer to him. “She is not afraid of him,” he sighed, turning his head to the prisoner. At that moment, a tall dark-haired man came into the common room, angrily glaring at everyone.

He was wearing his usual Asgardian attire, minus the horns and his weapons. He wasn’t allowed to use them unless he was with the team on a mission. Loki was holding a book in his hands as a sign he was interrupted while reading it.

“What do you want?” he asked darkly, eyes immediately locking with Thor’s.

“Loki,” the woman sighed, eyes widening and shining like never before.

When the man registered the feminine figure, he lost his breath for a moment, not believing who was standing in the same room with him. “Y/N?” he wanted to shout.

“She is in love,” Thor continued, “well, they both are.”

“Ew! Reindeer games is in love, that is so sick!” Tony pretended to puke, which made Natasha slap his head. “Ouch,” he growled.

The god went closer to the woman, ready to touch her but as soon as he touched her hand, an electric wave hit his body and he flew through the room, landing on a cold floor. Some of the people protectively covered their bodies, the rest only squinted. Y/N took a deep breath, ready to run to Loki, only to be pulled back by Thor.

“What was that?” Clint asked, quickly grabbing Natasha’s gun that was under the coffee table.

“The cuffs are under a spell. Their love is forbidden and thus they are not allowed to touch each other or be together.” Thor pushed Y/N onto the nearest chair and made her sit down. “It is a very long story.”

Loki was slowly standing up, eyes fixed again on the girl. He was breathing heavily, anger filling his veins and every cell in the body. He knew exactly what happened and why it happened. “Why did you bring her here?” he questioned, reaching for the book that was lying on the floor next to him.

“We need your help, brother, and hers too.”

“What?” Tony gasped. “Hold on, Point Break, we didn’t agree to this. Two psychopaths helping us, what if they betray us? I believe Loki is an expert at that.”

“What are her powers?” Natasha changed the subject a little, ignoring Tony’s stupid remarks. “We need to know if she’s able to help us defeat the thread.”

“Oh, you have no idea what she can do,” Loki’s voice went deeper, darker and he gave them a lopsided grin.

She turned her attention towards the god, biting down her lower lip. She loved when Loki talked about her like that – made her more powerful, dangerous to the people who despised her. If only she could run to him and hide in his arms. They had been separated for many years and they longed for each other. “I am unique,” Y/N sighed, unwillingly turning to the redhead. “I can do a lot of things,” and she took a deep breath through her nose.

“Well, if you are trying to scare us, you ain’t doing a good job,” Sam remarked with a snort. A second later, his whole body was in a massive cramp and he slowly fell down on the floor. A scream escaped his throat and tears appeared in his eyes.

“Y/N!” Thor shouted, making the woman to stop. “If you want to go back to the dungeons, all you need to do is ask.”

“She’s crazy,” Tony frowned.

“Tony, don’t,” Bruce nudged his shoulder.

“I can do many great things – from mind-control to actually moving objects and manipulating the elements. With my powers and Loki’s help,” she once again turned to tall, dark-haired man and smiled at him lovingly, “we can help you defeat the creature Thor talked about.”

“What do you want in return?” Steve knew how these things usually went. Someone always wanted something and from all the glances and loving stares between Loki and her, she would want something regarding the trickster.

Thor tensed, Natasha helped Sam back on his feet and the rest of the team carefully listened. “I want to be with Loki – no cuffs, no magic that has to separate us. I want to be with him. And, in addition, I will not hurt any of you anymore. Is this too much?”

There was a massive silence. Obviously, everyone was thinking about her offer. Thor wasn’t happy about it and he strongly disagreed with it. He knew what the two of them were capable of. “No,” he shook his head.

“Then I won’t help you,” she replied strictly.

“Is there any catch?” Natasha asked, slowly walking to her.

“No,” Y/N said. “All I want is to be with Loki. I will not do any tricks on you, I will help you, but in exchange, I want to be with the man I am madly in love with. You have my word and I never break it.”

“That’s true,” Loki nodded. “She is not allowed to break promises. Her heritage does not allow it.”

The muscular tall blonde god was surprised. “I never knew that,” he barely whispered. “So, magic has its price.”

“Yes,” they said at the same time.

“Fine, I agree. If you help us, you can be with Loki,” Steve continued, stepping closer to her. He stretched his arm, ready to close the deal. “If you are lying and something goes wrong, I will kill you. I don’t care if you are powerful and from another realm. If you hurt my friends, my family, you are dead.”

As they shook their hands, Thor took off the cuffs that were wrapped around Y/N’s wrists. She stretched her arms, smiling widely. “Thank you,” she said honestly, turning on her heel. When she opened her eyes, Loki slowly approached her, carefully grabbing her soft hands into his.

When they first touched after many, many years, a warm feeling went through their bodies bringing smiles to their faces. They were in love and everyone could see it. “At last,” he said under his nose, making her grin at him. “It has been ages, my love,” his hands found her cheeks and he just stared into her (e/c), mesmerizing eyes. He missed her so much, and he didn’t care how weak the love for that woman made him. No, he wasn’t weak because of it. He was strong, stronger than ever. He knew that they are meant to be together, rule the realms together.

As he was leaning closer to her, a voice interrupted the two. “Get a room!” Tony shouted at them, disgusted by what he was seeing.

“Gladly.”

Thor watch them leave, shaking his head from side to side. “I do not like this idea, my fellow friends,” he stated. “Their love is forbidden in Asgard. If our father sees that they have reunited, they both will be punished.”

“How much damage can they do with their freaky love?” Sam asked, still shaking up from the mental attack.

“Uh,” Thor didn’t want to tell them but one glare from Steve made him speak. “Let’s just say we can compare it to the New York attack.”

“What?!” everybody shouted at the same time.

“Rogers, this is your fault,” Tony yelled, pointing a finger at Steve.

While the team started to bicker about the reunited couple, the two headed somewhere where they had some privacy. Loki took them into his quarters where he stayed most of the time. He had a lot of books to read, he had a massive comfortable bed and there were always fruits in a bowl on a wooden table. Even when Stark hated him, he gave the god a fancy living area.

Before any words were spoken, they finally had their first kiss. Loki’s lips connected with hers, taking her breath away. When she tried to catch a breath, his tongue slipped inside her mouth, exploring every corner of it. It was sweet, passionate – everything they dreamt for a long time.

“My queen,” he sighed, fingertips training gently scanning her face and neck. “I missed you so much.”

“My king,” she bowed a little, showing him some respect. “We are finally reunited.”

They ended in another feverish kiss. Their love was strong and pure. Even when both of them were evil, they shared the love for each other. Loki kneeled, still holding her hands in his and occasionally kissing them. “You spin my world, my love. I don’t know how did you do it, but I love it. You are and will be the only woman I will kneel in front of. I love you.”

She smiled at him. “I love you too, my king.”

“Together, we can rule the world together,” he stood up, determined like never before. “We are powerful enough to take over the tower. We are stronger than those mortals and my dull brother.”

“Loki-“

“They have to pay for what they did to us,” he was getting angry. “Especially Odin.”

Y/N touched his forehead with a tip of an index finger, instantly making him calm. He didn’t like this power but there was nothing he could do about it. “Not now, my love. I promised my help, our help. I cannot break my word. You know the consequences.”

There were many, however, the worst one was her death. He nodded. “I just-“

“Shh,” she gently kissed his lips. “All in good time, my love. All in good time.”

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cormackkynnith · 6 years

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If I Were the Devil

By Cormac Kynith If I were the Devil, the great Satan, Lucifer, knowing what I knew, my pride would never allow me to admit defeat, even though I knew God had tossed me out of the Garden just as casually as he had the gullible Adam & Eve. In fact, as a last protest in the face of my sworn enemies, I would set myself to do as much harm to what God holds dear, take as many down with me as I go, embellishing the whole time, seeing things only my own way as I went. A third of the very angels of Heaven doomed to fall with me to start, but hardly the tip of the iceberg. I was so powerful, God created this prison of Time to trap the corrupted part of Creation with me in it. Ever walking forward in reverse, all the while only seeing the past that cannot be changed while being blind to the future. Talk about frustrating! This is no way for the Morning Star to be treated! After all, I am the brightest star in Heaven’s Host. Too bad for those lost & fallen that followed me, but eggs & omelets. I really believed that I could win. I just wanted to be God. But maybe I still can be. I would not just go in charging like some unsophisticated bumpkin. As one of the single-highest of Heaven’s Host, I am more than a match for anyone not directly empowered by God, Himself. I will use my best tactical advantages, play to my strengths, & move forward in as direct a fashion as I can get away with. Making Cain think that works of his own hands would satisfy God, then pitting his growing shame & rage against his brother should wipe out the Woman’s Seed. But Adam & Eve had too many children for me to set them all up with the same guile. I will have to think bigger… I will send some of the fallen among the humans to make children, the Nephilim. They will teach the humans that they are gods & demigods! There will be monstrosities among them to terrorize them so that the mighty men will slay them to become heroes & draw the humans to believe on them, worship them! They will have supernatural powers from the fallen angels tainted blood-lines, after all. What is this redemption, I have to wonder? These humans are as corrupt as anything I crafted from flesh with tainted angel-blood, & how easy it is to lure them into doing my bidding, pitting them against each other on a larger & larger scale! Is God watching this horror-show? I will accuse them daily right to His Holy Face! I am eternal as an angel. Having a few thousand years to plan things, the first thing I would like to do is sabotage the redemption & just stop it at the Source – I will directly alter the bloodlines with that of my fellow-fallen angels, & once I corrupt ALL living things that I can. God will not be able to redeem anything we taint, because He has condemned us, the fallen, from kith to kin. God of course is omnipotent, commands all Creation. The Flood slowed me down. That approach obviously failing, I would need a more long-term, less-direct back-up plan. I will keep working this route in smaller numbers, but I will have to scale it back & slow it down as well as keep working on misleading humans across the Earth. I will operate through subtleties & sins against these so-called “Chosen People!” I now have a huge host of disembodied spirits at my bidding because of the flood. The Earth-Born or Earth-Bound, children of the Earth – try trapped here with the rest of the fallen. Even our souls are trapped here in this cursed prison. I will use them as spies & emissaries. God may see all, but I will have eyes everywhere telling me everything, whispering into every ear, & tempting every human walking the world! I will bring them down at every turn, keep them focused on the pleasures & pains of the world, short-sighted. So, the children of Abraham, carried on by Noah, inherited the God’s Covenant? It is reconfirmed in the line of Jacob??? This guy??? I never saw THIS coming! Jacob is so rotten, God had to change his name to Israel! I will focus my attacks & efforts against this idiot & his decedents! I need to lay a better trap, however. I have to out-think God, corner this line of people, & eliminate them! God having a clear view of all time/existence that allows Him to unfairly safeguard His people, I have to take a fast, direct line to cut it off with more surgical precision. How nice of God to give written record of His Line with this Moses-idiot! I can NOT believe God used this guy to help the chosen of Israel to escape Egypt! That was a good plan, slipping one of mine onto the throne & enslaving the nation of Israel. This guy, Moses, in all of his bad temper does not know how to deal with my influence among God’s Chosen. Their arrogance alone makes them easy prey. The Books of Moses clearly lay out God’s plan & I can now target a more & more narrow line of people. Every freaking time I made a move against the King David & his line, lead him astray, set him up, strike surgically against their numbers, slaughter them whole-sale, God found a way to save one of them here & there, just enough to keep the line going! I now understand that I can never pull out a victory or evade my sentencing. Herod failed. Christ was born, I thought I had Him, set His own arrogant people against Him, THEY KILLED HIM, & God used THAT to make Himself the sacrifice to redeem ALL Creation! I HAD HIM, & He had stacked everything up to this point, using MY machinations to accomplish HIS goal! I cannot win. God sees all Creation throughout time like looking down on a parade from above it. I get it. He sees what I am doing from conception to the bitter end. But I will not go down quietly! I will destroy as many of these wretched children of Adam & Eve as I can! What I need to do is not oppose God directly, but the rest of Creation. God is perfect, but the rest of Creation is flawed, fallen, & vulnerable! I sucker-punched Adam & Eve with temptation & preying on their emotions, & got ALL Creation thrown down! I am the power of the winds, here! I am the god of this world until Jesus takes it back! How can this remaining lesser version of the human race resist me when the first & strongest of them could not? But I cannot be overly straight-forward into the masses. Subtlety is what worked before, so looking at what they pursue in their weaknesses, spelled out right in the Bible, I can use their desires, their greed, lusts, gluttony, & such. Who is more beautiful than me in all of the Host of Heaven? I am mentioned in the Bible exactly so! God does not promise feel-good times for worshipping Christ on this world. Look at what happened to the apostles! Who among mankind wants to suffer in this mortal world? These mortals cannot see the Eternity all around them. All they see is the World in the moment in front of their faces! I have to sow doubt about the Bible. I have to start with the posh & powerful to want to be free of the rotten consequences they face for following my plan, & set them to lead everyone they influence. I will dress it up as anything & everything they all want. I will use beauty, debauchery, & half-truths, all the while denying God or calling Him names like tyrant, hypocrite, & worse. I will put questions about the veracity & validity of God into their heads. I will set about making the cultures love themselves, focus impotently & uselessly on their own inner peace & pleasures until they are useless & lost in themselves. I will start societal movements, false religious movements, philosophical schools, & more with ALL of it pointing ANYWHERE other than to God for fulfillment! I will start slanderous myths about the religion of Christianity & keep tempting their numbers to failures & hypocrisy. But the best weapon will be men of sin in key positions within the leadership of every single leading organization trying to follow God! I own the synagogues, the Vatican was my idea, my personal favorite, Islam, is exactly where I want it, I have evangelical leaders with beauty & charisma focused on hypocrisy & heresy that people enjoy hearing, & entertainment will be an ever-swirling pool of temptation! I will OWN entertainment in this realm! Seriously, how entertaining is God? Ask anyone about how excited they get reading the Bible! If you are awake by the end of Genesis, you are not a normal, well-adjusted person! Now a good conspiracy movie or alien-genesis science-fiction book, & it is a party! I have most of the enlightened educational establishments teaching heresy for centuries, now. Every society & empire to rise under my tutelage against God as the Creator has fallen in huge style, self-destructed in their own arrogance. All throughout history, it has happened. I do not know if they are getting dumber or more arrogantly self-consumed. The only thing humans have learned from history is that humans do not learn from history – that’s them, not me! Honestly, it is going great for me, here! I am picking up speed! It is hard to believe this streak is going to come to an end! America, the United States formed for the purpose of Christian worship & freedom, now follows the single most insulting idol of ALL time! They believe that all Creation is a cosmic accident, & that existence all came from nothing. So many of them believe this! They believe in nothing creating everything, & that life came from goo by way of the zoo! Some humans act like monkeys, but flinging feces is hardly proof of truth. Gullible masses actually bought this! The level of sophistication required these days is actually beneath me. There just is not much challenge in this for me anymore. Human toys may have advanced with my help, but they have been in a steady decline in & of themselves. Seriously! God as the Son sacrificed Himself for this? I look back, & I remember the victories I enjoyed: setting the Muslims to try to take over & reave the world, using the hatred it formed in the Europeans from that to send the crusades against them in retaliation – then for the profit! I took control of the Vatican easily very early on, I STARTED Islam specifically to wipe out God’s Chosen, but these Christians are easy targets, too. I will use the Vatican & Islam to cull these Christians. Those not hearty enough to fight or courageous enough to kill themselves in suicide-missions can support those that are by their donations. I will keep the main war on the nation of Israel, make them live in fear which will gradually become anger & hatred for the world. The world, I will pit against them & each other. I will use greed & lust for power to guide leaders to my bidding – as always – as well as materialism, sin, & willful, self-inflicted ignorance to control the masses as much as possible. I will convince them that the greatest love they can ever achieve is love for themselves! I will do everything I can to make them so sick with sin, they will not stand for the Bible to be read around them for fear of the consequences of their selfish, self-indulgent, & lustful lives! And as we go, I will keep building up steam, drawing more & more into this sinking luxury liner. I will take as many down with me as I can to take revenge on God through His Creation, His precious humans! I have it all lined up & ready to go! The Jesuit Pope is forming the beginnings of MY one-world religion, starting with the Vatican, the false teachers of mega-churches, the corrupted synagogues, & the Nation of Islam as the base-components! The Christians in America are eaten up by their idolatry, comforts, worldly desires, & following prosperity & feel-good ministries that are signing on with the Vatican! Biblical World View & unquestioning belief in the Bible is at an all-time low. Iconic entertainers openly proclaim MY name, BRAGGING about selling their souls to me, & people follow them more than they pray to God! There are still too many stinking saints around to make my big move, but this Rapture the Bible talks about happening will pull all of the Jesus-fans out of the way – leaving the nation of Israel without so many willing to come to their aid. Nobody knows when it will happen, but when it does, I will say it was something new-age or alien-related. I will say that they graduated to the next level of existence & offer to teach them how to do it, too, so they can all go to paradise with the saints that left. Enough buy the evolution-bit & contrived aliens from other planets that it will wash. Aliens have been eluded to, mentioned, & issued to the world in movies to prepare them for my grand lie to justify why some of my demonic offspring look like they do at any rate. I will set up the ecumenical religion, have my spokesman set himself up as the figurehead, throw in some supernatural displays I have been telling them for centuries do not exist, blow their minds, & then take over by force when they least expect it. Sure, Jesus will roll in to save the day, but just think for a minute how many billions of suckers will have fallen for my world-sweeping plans! How many fell for the false teachings & nonsense I set up using minions, spawns like Nephilim or worse, to form cults & fallen-angel teachings to tempt & lead whole civilizations generation after generation astray seeking after power – just enough to get them killed before they could be Saved! God may know who all He has saved. I do not, so I will keep trying to sink them as fast as I can. I do know where I will end up, but look at what I did! Look at how many are going down with me! Look at your life! How much have you loved versus how much you have hated & been angry with others? How much have you given versus how much you have taken? How long do you spend indulging yourself in comfort versus how long you dedicate to helping others? How many singers, movie-stars, & sports-heroes can you name versus people in the Bible? How many YouTube videos have you watched of critical-fail compilations or mindless entertainment versus researching the Bible? How many books of the Game of Thrones & Stephen King have you read versus the books of the Bible? The BIBLE! The Handbook of Creation! How much of it can you even remember hearing? I know Christ died for you! I tried to talk him out of it! God is the original source of all unconditional love, the original, divinely pure, beyond understandable love. The Greeks called it Agapé, & it is beyond human understanding – you do not deserve it. Not one of you rotting mortals deserve anything except Hell, Sheol, the Abuso! Yet all you have to do is pray to Christ Almighty? Where is MY forgiveness??? Where is MY redemption??? Where is MY mercy??? I am STILL the most beautiful of ALL the angels of Heaven, & yet it is YOU incompetent, easily misled APE-looking wingless monstrosities who can just cry to HIM, & all of you are granted front-row seats to MY fall??? Well, I will not be alone down here when Christ returns to smite everyone left opposing him! There will still be plenty of your friends & family right here with me as Christ rolls in like an unstoppable force. Remember all of those Sundays you could have spent praying for your families & friends in church but spent screaming at the football games on TV instead? Remember all of those hours alone that you could have saved yourself by repenting & begging Christ to accept you as His servant? Who all do you know that will be right here when He comes like a scythe? Do you really think I will help you? I am why you are here! What is more, I cannot even save myself! Enjoy the show…

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rayegunn · 3 years

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Thor mega ramble

Haven’t rambled about Thor here for a while. So I’m just gonna dump my thoughts, after reading the preview for the next issue of Thor. I mean, in a couple days this may be proven wrong, but...

So just a overview of my thoughts on things. I think in the Thor books, set up in Aaron’s run, but Cates seems to be continuing this, there are roles in the Norse pantheon that are fixed, and MUST be filled at all times, because the gods are ‘creatures of story’ and the Story of Asgard just needs these roles filled by a character in order to continue. But these roles can be filled by different people. Right now, we are in a period of transition, with most of these roles changing hands. ‘there must always be a Thor’ but that goes for all the other major roles as well, there must always be a king of Asgard (now Thor, after Odin passed it on to him) the Vakyries (now Jane, after Brunnhilde and the rest were killed) a watcher on the Bifrost (now Sif, after Heimdall was killed) and so on. I think it’s important to keep in mind that though I may refer to these roles as ‘the Thor’ or similar, but that’s just because it’s easier. These roles predate the characters we as readers most associate with them. Before Thor, there was Sigurd (the ever glorious), and even Odin, and maybe others we don’t even know about. It’s just that these characters have held their current (well, previous now, i guess) roles for so long, that both we the readers, and the characters themselves, tend to think of the roles as uniquely and specifically theirs... but they’re not. The roles are bigger than any one character, they pass hands, and there is a chain of succession, even if we have mostly only seen one character in each of these roles.

But right now, there are two notable roles that should be changing hands, but the successor has not been revealed, at least not strongly.

Thor’s old role of the hero, the protector, which he is stubbornly clinging to in the beginning of Cates’ run, to the detriment of himself and of Asgard as a whole. I can get where he’s coming from, after only just having gone through a crisis of worthiness and all, of course after only JUST having regained his worthiness, he doesn’t want to give up that role again. But still, it’s not his job anymore, and he needs to either accept that, or give up the throne. He can do one or the other, not both. By trying to do both, he’s doing both poorly, because the responsibilities associated with them come into conflict. I suspect this is why Mjolnir is acting up, and at least part of why the magic of Asgard is wonky. As the new All-Father, he has to set down new magics to replace the ones Odin set down, and that includes a new worthiness enchantment for his successor, and he has not yet done that, because he doesn’t want to admit that the role is no longer his.

And Loki’s old role, after he turned face. The villain, the deceiver, the betrayer. Loki during Aaron’s run felt like he was being pressed by fate into filling this role despite no longer wanting to, and he hated that, he spent 10 (real world) years trying to better himself, but found himself pressed by fate to fill a role he now hated because it was necessary to the Story of Asgard. But it appears that since WotR, where Loki did a li’l speed run of the heroes journey (seriously, it hits every beat, refusing the call, before accepting it, a threshold guardian, a magical realm, a symbolic death, returning with a boon, it is textbook, it just happened very, very quickly, aside from refusing the call, which he spent a long time on) when he faced, and was killed, by Laufey, but he got better. I suspect because at that point the Valkyries had been killed, so there was no one to escort him to Valhalla, and he ended up magicking himself alive again when he heard that Laufey was about to turn the world into an icecube rather than allow that to happen. He tried to define new roles for himself, but nothing has quite seemed to stick. He tried the God of Stories, but that didn’t stick, was still pressed into filling his old role in Aaron’s run despite that, (though he is back to calling himself that in the last issue of Thor) and then the God of Outcasts. But I suspect the main problem here is that these aren’t one of the official roles that the Story of Asgard needs filling, so it ends up not having much effect. But he HAS escaped his old role since the end of WotR, that much is now clear to readers, even if the other characters don’t see/buy it. He is no longer being pushed to fill the role he no longer wants.

So. all that was to explain why I think some of the things I do about where I think the new Prey arc is going, with Donald Blake going on an insane killing spree. Basically, last issue Thor asked for Loki to help him because he wanted to switch places with Blake again, to figure out what was wrong with Mjolnir and the magics of Asgard. Loki (reluctantly) agreed, but when Blake showed up, he’d gone completely nuts, and promptly attacked Loki, breaking his arm, while Thor ended up in a suburban neighborhood gone to hell, which was where Blake was kept when not ‘in use’ as Thor’s alter ego on Midgard. Blake had gone nuts and wrecked the place, and somehow gained a lot of power while doing so.

Here is the preview for next issue:

https://weirdsciencemarvelcomics.com/2020/11/25/thor-10-preview/

We see there that Jormungandr and Thor say that the magics protecting Blake’s pocket realm broke down when Thor took the throne, which lines up with my thinking that Thor has to make his own magics for his rule. He has to decide what his rule will be like, and that will not necessarily be the same as what Odin did. It’s not Odin’s role anymore, it’s THOR’S, so he gets to say how things should be. If Odin created Blake to suffer, that doesn’t mean Thor has to do the same, etc. Times change, and the way Asgard is governed should change to reflect that. I think that extends to the worthiness enchantment on Mjolnir. I think Thor has to make a new enchantment (possibly on Mjolnir, but not necessarily, previous ‘Thors’ had different weapons, Sigurd used the sword Gram, for instance) one which may not necessarily be the same as the one that defined worthiness for him. I think we are seeing a slew of people lifting Mjolnir recently because it’s the last chance before the rules get changed, and people who were formerly worthy, Cap, Beta Ray Bill, Jane, etc. may no longer be after this story is done. They will still possess all the qualities that made them worthy of Mjolnir in the past, they’ll still be good people and heroes, but the rules of worthiness will change. My thinking is that thematically, this story is about the necessity of allowing progress to happen, and not clinging to the old ways. The rules of worthiness on Mjolnir were set in place hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago, and why should the ideals of worthiness from hundreds of years ago still be held up as the ideals of today’s world? I think the point is that the ideals of the past need to be updated.

And that brings me to why I think Blake is going after ex-Thors. Like, in story his motivation is revenge, and because he sees them as potential gateways back to his prison realm. But from a storytelling perspective, I think it is a dual purpose of clearing the board of potentials, (there’s gonna be some deaths, I’m almost completely certain. Blake is an archetypal slasher villain, and slasher villains have bodycounts) so that fans can’t go ‘but why not use ____ again to fill the Thor role?’ because they’ve filled it in the past, which you saw a lot of with Jane, AND i think it will show that the qualities that made them worthy will be ill suited to new kinds of threats like Blake. I'm betting characters like Bill, Sif etc. will keep throwing themselves at Blake in direct confrontation to try and stop him, very brave, selfless and noble, sure, but ultimately futile as he keeps just cutting them down. I think Sif is safe, because she is not an ex-Thor, and she has her own role to fill right now as guardian of the Bifrost, same with Jane, I think killing her so soon after she recovered from cancer would be pretty tasteless for one, and her new role as Valkyrie offers a degree of protection despite her being the most recent ex-Thor, as well as being the character with the closest connection to Blake. Everyone else though? up in the air. Anyone could die. I think in that preview, either Bill or Volstagg (who is also an ex-Thor, even if he wielded an alternate universe Mjolnir with somewhat different worthiness rules) is about to take an ax to the face. I like both characters, so it’s not like I particularly want this to happen, but I do think it is likely. Bravery and tackling things head on without really having a plan beyond 'i have to face this thing, and fight it, because it is the brave/right thing to do' only really works if you are facing something that can be dealt with by force, and I do not think that is the case with Blake. As mentioned, he is a slasher villain, and in slasher movies, you don’t typically see the villain being defeated in a straight up fight. The final girl outsmarts and tricks him because he is physically more powerful, sometimes even possessing supernatural abilities. She’s still brave and heroic, just.... not in a brute force kind of way, and it’s that brute force thing that I think is outdated in today’s world with Thor. (and last arc, we saw this being addressed with Thor responding to every problem big or small with violence and asserting dominance over everyone with how powerful he was, and I think this will bite him in the ass down the line) I think intelligence, resourcefulness, and diplomacy will be more important qualities going forward. Trying to beat him into submission also doesn’t address arguably the bigger problem of Thor being trapped in Blake’s pocket realm. I think in the end Blake will have to be outsmarted, and possibly tricked into switching places with Thor again, to return to his realm which will now truly be a prison because of the crimes he committed. And I think the person who does this will be the new ‘Thor’

... and yeah, I think that will be Loki. There’s a role that needs filling, and he needs a new role after leaving his old one. He’s turned face, he wants to do good, but that doesn’t mean he will do things exactly the same way Thor did them, his methods are very different. I also think a key part of the role is learning on the job, you don’t step into it as a perfect hero, you have to learn to be one, the away Thor had to learn humility with Blake, and we saw in flashbacks to young Thor, he was... rough around the edges early on. He will also likely have his own lessons to learn, and with the worthiness enchantment acting as a signal if he’s straying from the right path. So that Loki still has a ways to go (he means well, but his methods are sometimes questionable) isn’t really a mark against him, imo. I think another key aspect is butting heads with the All-Father, which he would definitely do. I also think there is a difference between possessing the qualities that make one worthy, and actually filling the role for realsies. A lot of the other ex-Thors, while they were worthy, are not really suited to it in a larger sense because they are either lacking the connections to Asgard, and specifically the Asgardian royals, (the assorted human/frog ones) or they lack a connection to Earth (like Bill) which I think is a key aspect of the role, having your loyalties torn between Asgard and your family, and your adopted home of Midgard. I think it’s probably not a coincidence or mistake that Cates had Loki call himself ‘Odinson’ last issue, when he had always gone by ‘Laufeyson’ previously in the comics, tying him closer than before to the family. And also, in Cates’ Dr Strange run, Loki started a romantic relationship with a Midgardian, Zelma. Yeah, they kinda broke up, but then in Strange Academy he was flirting with her again, so... maybe on again? That would give him a ‘Jane’ but even without Zelma, there is still another Midgardian he has close ties with (though not romantic) with Verity, so he’s both tying himself closer to the royal family by taking the Odinson name, and trying (though not all that successfully) to get closer to Thor, while at the same time forging close relationships with Midgardians, so he’d have that pull of two worlds thing. The story also opened with him helping Thor enact this plan, neither of them realizing how badly it would go wrong, but it does still make it his responsibility to try and fix it. Blake also broke his cane and dropped it in front of Loki. That cane is likely the key to getting him back to his realm, if Loki can fix it, or transfer it’s magic to something else, or something like that.

As for who will take Loki’s old role, not enough has been revealed in Cates run to say for sure, but it was hinted that Tyr may be taking this role in Valkyrie’s book. It’s unclear if Cates will follow up on this or not, though. But he has made mention of a ‘new god of lies’ in his run as a tease for the future, so it does appear he will be having SOMEONE, whether it is Tyr or someone else, officially step into that role, making the great game of role musical chairs finally complete. Tyr would make sense though, he has the familial connection to make the betrayal sting, he has a motivation that fits, and he certainly made a big villainous move in Valkyrie, where he unleashed an ancient evil upon the world that killed a bunch of people, and he mind controlled Thor. But Cates may be going another direction there, just not enough there yet to say, we’ll have to see.

If it is Tyr though, I suspect Angela will step into his God of War spot. Don’t envy the person who snags Balder’s old role though, now that he’s the Norn King.

#ramble #speculation #thor #loki #marvel #comics #donny cates

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dfroza · 4 years

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we know in our hearts that the whole world needs to be cleansed of its past (tense)

and so we look forward to this new beginning with hopeful eyes that see beyond what now is, since this is what the birth of Christmas points to (inside, Anew)

it is (A new covenant of grace) that clearly speaks of (Anew, genesis)

and yet, the way was paved through betrayal and even death (in our place) of the Creator Himself, manifested in the Son, to reveal just how cruel people can be in this world given their own free will to choose right from wrong, and such a freedom to either choose or reject Love in its True nature.

and we read of this in Today’s chapter of the book of John in a life that began at the genesis spark of conception in a virgin’s womb, although the life of the eternal always has been, and will be. we are simply a part of God’s True story of rebirth of the heavens and the universal garden of earth.

chapter 18 of John:

When Jesus finished praying, He began a brief journey with His disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley, a deep ravine that floods in the winter rains, then farther on to a garden where He gathered His disciples.

Judas Iscariot (who had already set his betrayal in motion and knew that Jesus often met with the disciples in this olive grove) entered the garden with an entourage of Roman soldiers and officials sent by the chief priests and Pharisees. They brandished their weapons under the light of torches and lamps. Jesus stepped forward. It was clear He was not surprised because He knew all things.

Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

Judas’s Entourage: Jesus the Nazarene.

Jesus: I am the One.

Judas, the betrayer, stood with the military force. As Jesus spoke “I am the One,” the forces fell back on the ground. Jesus asked them a second time:

Jesus: Whom are you searching for?

Judas’s Entourage: Jesus the Nazarene.

Jesus: I have already said that I am the One. If you are looking for Me, then let these men go free.

This happened to fulfill the promise He made that none of those entrusted to Him will be lost. Suddenly Peter lunged toward Malchus, one of the high priest’s servants; and with his sword, Peter severed the man’s right ear.

Jesus (to Peter): Put down your sword, and return it to the sheath. Am I to turn away from the cup the Father has given Me to drink?

So the Roman commander, soldiers, and Jewish officials arrested Jesus, cuffed His hands and feet, and brought Him to Annas (the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest). You may remember that Caiaphas counseled the Jews that one should die for all people. Simon Peter and another disciple followed behind Jesus. When they arrived, Peter waited in the doorway while the other disciple was granted access because of his relationship with the high priest. That disciple spoke to the woman at the door, and Peter was allowed inside.

Servant Girl (to Peter): You are one of this man’s disciples, aren’t you?

Peter: I am not.

All the servants and officers gathered around a charcoal fire to keep warm. It was a cold day, and Peter made his way into the circle to warm himself.

Annas (to Jesus): Who are Your disciples, and what do You teach?

Jesus: I have spoken in public where the world can hear, always teaching in the synagogue and in the temple where the Jewish people gather. I have never spoken in secret. So why would you need to interrogate Me? Many have heard Me teach. Why don’t you question them? They know what I have taught.

While Jesus offered His response, an officer standing nearby struck Jesus with his hand.

Officer: Is that how You speak to the high priest?

Jesus: If I have spoken incorrectly, why don’t you point out the untruths that I speak? Why do you hit Me if what I have said is correct?

Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas bound as a prisoner. As this was happening, Peter was still warming himself by the fire.

Servants and Officers: You, too, are one of His disciples, aren’t you?

Peter: No, I am not.

One of the high priest’s servants who was related to Malchus—the person Peter attacked and cut off his ear—recognized Peter.

High Priest’s Servant: Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him?

Peter denied it again, and instantly a rooster crowed.

Before the sun had risen, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the governor’s palace. The Jewish leaders would not enter the palace because their presence in a Roman office would defile them and cause them to miss the Passover feast. Pilate, the governor, met them outside.

Pilate: What charges do you bring against this man?

Priests and Officials: If He weren’t a lawbreaker, we wouldn’t have brought Him to you.

Pilate: Then judge Him yourselves, by your own law.

Jews: Our authority does not allow us to give Him the death penalty.

All these things were a fulfillment of the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way that He would die. So Pilate reentered the governor’s palace and called for Jesus to follow him.

Pilate: Are You the King of the Jews?

Jesus: Are you asking Me because you believe this is true, or have others said this about Me?

Pilate: I’m not a Jew, am I? Your people, including the chief priests, have arrested You and placed You in my custody. What have You done?

Jesus: My kingdom is not recognized in this world. If this were My kingdom, My servants would be fighting for My freedom. But My kingdom is not in this physical realm.

Pilate: So You are a king?

Jesus: You say that I am king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the cosmos: to demonstrate the power of truth. Everyone who seeks truth hears My voice.

Pilate (to Jesus): What is truth?

Pilate left Jesus to go and speak to the Jewish people.

Pilate (to the Jews): I have not found any cause for charges to be brought against this man. Your custom is that I should release a prisoner to you each year in honor of the Passover celebration; shall I release the King of the Jews to you?

Jews: No, not this man! Give us Barabbas!

You should know that Barabbas was a terrorist.

The Book of John, Chapter 18 (The Voice)

and receiving grace is a pure treasure, indeed, that cleanses us (by the renewal of the Spirit) in the baptism of the heart. to be followed through with a baptism of the physical body in water as well, just as we are instructed to do when we choose to “believe...”

and ultimately there is Judgment coming to right every wrong done on earth, to restore it all. which is what is pointed to in chapter 2 of Micah that is paired with John 18 in Today’s reading of the Testaments:

[God Has Had Enough]

Doom to those who plot evil,

who go to bed dreaming up crimes!

As soon as it’s morning,

they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.

They covet fields and grab them,

find homes and take them.

They bully the neighbor and his family,

see people only for what they can get out of them.

God has had enough. He says,

“I have some plans of my own:

Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!

Your necks are on the line.

You’re not walking away from this.

It’s doomsday for you.

Mocking ballads will be sung of you,

and you yourselves will sing the blues:

‘Our lives are ruined,

our homes and lands auctioned off.

They take everything, leave us nothing!

All is sold to the highest bidder.’”

And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,

no one to speak for you before God and his jury.

“Don’t preach,” say the preachers.

“Don’t preach such stuff.

Nothing bad will happen to us.

Talk like this to the family of Jacob?

Does God lose his temper?

Is this the way he acts?

Isn’t he on the side of good people?

Doesn’t he help those who help themselves?”

“What do you mean, ‘good people’!

You’re the enemy of my people!

You rob unsuspecting people

out for an evening stroll.

You take their coats off their backs

like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.

You drive the women of my people

out of their ample homes.

You make victims of the children

and leave them vulnerable to violence and vice.

Get out of here, the lot of you.

You can’t take it easy here!

You’ve polluted this place,

and now you’re polluted—ruined!

If someone showed up with a good smile and glib tongue

and told lies from morning to night—

‘I’ll preach sermons that will tell you

how you can get anything you want from God:

More money, the best wines . . . you name it’—

you’d hire him on the spot as your preacher!

“I’m calling a meeting, Jacob.

I want everyone back—all the survivors of Israel.

I’ll get them together in one place—

like sheep in a fold, like cattle in a corral—

a milling throng of homebound people!

Then I, God, will burst all confinements

and lead them out into the open.

They’ll follow their King.

I will be out in front leading them.”

The Book of Micah, Chapter 2 (The Message)

and we see the same cry for Justice in beautiful earth from these lines of Today’s Psalms:

[Psalm 58]

For the worship leader. A prayer of David to the tune “Do Not Destroy.”

Can you, panel of judges, get anything right?

When you judge people, do you tell the truth and pursue justice?

No, your real selves have been revealed. You have wickedness in your heart,

and many people have suffered by your hands.

Evildoers are naturally offensive, wayward at birth!

They were born telling lies and willfully wandering from the truth.

Their bite is painful; their venom is like the deadly poison of a snake;

they are like a cobra that closes up its ears

To escape the voice of the charmers,

no matter how enchanting the spells may be.

O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths!

Render the young lions harmless; break out their fangs, O Eternal One.

Let them run off like the waters of a flood,

and though they aim their arrows, let them fly without their heads.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 58:1-7 (The Voice)

[Psalm 24]

A song of David.

The earth and all that’s upon it belong to the Eternal.

The world is His, with every living creature on it.

With seas as foundations and rivers as boundaries,

He shaped the continents, fashioned the earth.

Who can possibly ascend the mountain of the Eternal?

Who can stand before Him in sacred spaces?

Only those whose hands have been washed and hearts made pure,

men and women who are not given to lies or deception.

The Eternal will stand close to them with blessing and mercy at hand,

and the God who redeems will right what has been wrong.

These are the people who chase after Him;

[like Jacob, they look for the face of God].

[pause]

City gates—open wide!

Ancient doors—stand back!

For the glorious King shall soon pass your way.

Who is the glorious King?

The Eternal who is powerful

and mightily equipped for battle.

City gates—open wide!

Ancient doors—stand back!

For the glorious King shall soon pass your way.

Who is the glorious King?

The Eternal, Commander of heaven’s army,

He is the glorious King.

[pause]

The Book of Psalms, Poem 24 (The Voice)

[Psalm 4]

For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by strings.

Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right.

I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me.

Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor;

bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.

How long will you sons of Adam steal my dignity, reduce my glory to shame?

Why pine for the fruitless and dream a delusion?

[pause]

Understand this: The Eternal One treats as special those like Him.

The Eternal will answer my prayers and save me.

Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.

When night comes, in calm be silent.

[pause]

From this day forward, offer to God the right sacrifice from a heart made right by God.

Entrust yourself to the Eternal.

Crowds of disheartened people ask, “Who can show us what is good?”

Let Your brilliant face shine upon us, O Eternal One, that we may know the undeniable answer.

You have filled me with joy, and happiness has risen in my heart, great delight and unrivaled joy,

even more than when bread abounds and wine flows freely.

Tonight I will sleep securely on a bed of peace

because I trust You, You alone, O Eternal One, will keep me safe.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 4 (The Voice)

and so we are to dream while in this world, to be little creators just as our Creator has made everything good, and promises to restore it all in A grand end of time.

with this point of inspiration seen in the lines of Today’s chapter in the book of Proverbs for december 24:

Wise people are builders—

they build families, businesses, communities.

And through intelligence and insight

their enterprises are established and endure.

Because of their skilled leadership

the hearts of people are filled with the treasures of wisdom

and the pleasures of spiritual wealth.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 24:3-4 (The Passion Translation)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Tuesday, december 24, the 4th day of Winter and day 358 of the year:

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gottagofastreads · 7 years

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Part 21

(This part was supposed to happen BEFORE Knuckles issue 4 So my bad.. )

Sonic 49 & 50 (technically, the Issue 50 Director’s Cut Super Sonic Special # 6)

St. John fires on Sonic and with no more choices left for him Sonic jumps. He’s exhausted and stressed, but with some quick thinking and some maguffiny ability he is able to create a small land bridge with the dirt collected in his shoes because, you know… comic book logic. He's doing everything he can to try to get back to Knothole and prove his innocence, but St. John will not give up.

Things back at Knothole are not faring any better. The King has just reinstated Robotnik as warlord, and now the freedom fighters are standing face to face with their worst enemy in their home... Betrayed by friend and now their king…?!

But wait. As Robotnik taunts our heroes he simply presses the back of the King's head and he explodes, it was a trick! A robot double of King Acorn.

The real King is still comatose and his body crystalline.

We see that Doctor Quack was blackmailed into flubbing Sally's death record.

With his wife and children in danger Dr. Quack has no choice but to keep his mouth shut and do whatever Robotnik and Snively command.

Back with Sonic, running out of options and running out of time he lets out a high pitched whistle to summon his friend Dulcy the dragon, and with her help he is able to escape St. John… for now.. but not for long since he is being tracked by him.

Draco the Wolf’s girlfriend Hershey the Cat is a citizen of Knothole and she has just heard the terrible news of Sally's death and Draco strikes her and tells her that she is the one responsible. Like the reader, Hershey is confused so Draco explains the nefarious plan. He tosses out the Sonic suit that she did wear on that fateful day. With some comic book logic that made total sense to 11 year old g2gfastreads, and somewhat sense to me now… (tirade time! I do not think that the technology used in the sonic suit or even the sonic suit itself is out of the realm of possibility for the universe that they live in. Robotnik was able to create a robot double of King Acorn that was able to fool his own daughter.. so come on. End rant)

Hershey with the head of the Sonic suit gazes into a mirror, and instead of seeing the Sonic mask, she sees Snively… uh oh…

Distraught by her involvement in Princess Sally’s assassination Hershey breaks down and weeps. Her lover is not who she thought he was and as far as well all know, Sally is gone because of it.

Waaaaay over in Downunda we see that this is where Bunnie and Antoine were taken for their imprisonment. Bunnie is rigged up to an explosive set to go off if she uses her robotic limbs to try to fight or escape. They are thrown into a cell with the Downunda Freedom Fighters who were ambushed and captured by orders from Crocbot… which was, if you don't remember, the main antagonist from Tails’ miniseries.

After he was blown up, he had enough power to try to salvage nearby scrap to rebuild himself and he swore vengeance against the DFF and Tails.

Up above it all Sonic and Dulcy approach the Floating Island and with everything that has been going on lately Knuckles attacks first and does not bother to question why Sonic or the Dragon have come. Knux’s sucker punch knocks Dulcy our cold. Of course, this means Sonic and Knuckles get into yet another scuffle. They do not get to duke it out for long because Geoffrey St. John has been hot on Sonic’s tail this entire time.

The issue opens with a dream, a flashback to around more than a decade ago when Doctor Julian Ivo, joined forces with the Mobians. Jules and Charles Hedgehog were surprised to see Overlanders (Humans) pursuing and attacking their own kind. So Instead of killing him right there, or leaving him, the brothers took him back to the King. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

The dream showed how Robotnik gave up Overlander secrets and became War Lord.

When he awakes from his slumber his Swatbots inform him of a prisoner, not a mobian, but an unfortunate Overlander. Robotnik uses the poor to test out something that he is sure will ensure his complete and utter dominance over the world. Snively, though, has other plans.

Back on the Floating Island, Sonic now has to deal with both St. John AND Knuckles but luckily Dulcy has come too and with a mighty shout and a stomp, she is able to get everyone’s attention.

Apparently, Dragons cannot tell lies, so since Dulcy believes Sonic about being framed, that’s good enough for everyone else. So now that Sonic is not public enemy #1 St. John, his men, Knuckles, and Sonic regroup and head back to Knothole.

Meanwhile! At Knothole, Combots, and Swatbots have all the citizens of Knothole lined up and being marched to robotization. Tails and Rotor go underground to try to escape but even the tunnels are compromised! Drago captures them and is going to have them set to the prison camp in Downunda like Bunnie and Antoine.

Speaking of Bunnie and Ant. Bunnie slips her organic arm out her restraints and with the help of Barbie’s claws they are able to get free. Bunnie detonates the exploding collar, fooling the combot guard into thinking that they’ve blown themselves up.

Now that they have the element of surprise, they free the other members of the DFF and Bunnie and Antoine stole away onto a plane that was flying back to Robotropolis to deliver ore. The ore that is the lynchpin for the Ultimate Annihilator. The UA is Robotnik's magnum opus, with this device, not only would destroy Knothole, he would wipe it from existence, all zones, not even a memory. And that’s of course, really bad.

As Draco marched Tails and Rotor, an unexpected plane flies overhead. Sonic, Knuckles and St. John rain down from above and Draco, now outnumbered retreats.

I'm not really sure how Draco was able to get away from Sonic without being overtaken immediately but, we wouldn't have one of the more memorable scenes in the comic.

Hershey offers to help Draco hide but then once his guard is down she pretty much kicks his ass and almost kills him! Sonic came by just in time to see the aftermath and as she weeps she explains everything.

Sonic rushes to Robotropolis to bring the fight back to Robotnik. Snively uses an armored suit to try to stop Sonic but he is defeated quickly. Before Sonic can look for Robotnik, he quite literally runs into Bunnie and Antoine.

Bunnie and Ant want to try to blow the weapon up so Robotnik will not be able to use it, and Sonic is going to try to make a distraction to buy them some time but… it’s already too late. As Sonic goes to confront Robotnik, Bunnie and Antoine watch in horror as the structure opens and the device activates. It’s do or die now. Even though it’s too late to stop it from firing, they can however make sure that it never works again after that.

Swatbots swarm Sonic and Robotnik takes the opportunity to fire the UA.

Knothole is gone.

...Well, at least Bunnie and Antione’s sabotage seemed to work, the UA is overloading, alarms are blaring, this thing is going to blow.

Sonic, with the destruction of Knothole has nothing to lose, and Robotnik who has finally destroyed Knothole, seems to be pleased with that and seems to be willing to die.

So they fought, how sweet would it be to die, knowing he took down Sonic with him.

The Ultimate Annihilator explodes

Sonic for a moment is bliped out of existence

Robotnik is destroyed.

Hours later Sonic wakes up in Knothole med bay, and he is understandably confused. He saw his home destroyed, what happened?!

I’ll let Rotor explain because I don’t get it either~

Okay, but why did Robotnik die and Sonic was fine? Take it away Doctor Quack.

So everything is right as rain, right? No, what about Sally? Dr. Quack explains that while that fall didn’t kill her, it did injure her and now she’s in a coma. And there is no telling when she will come out of it. Sonic doesn’t care, and he rushes out to Sally’s ‘memorial’.

He kisses her cheek, and quietly pleads for her to come back and he loves her. And because it’s a comic book, and Sonic just so happens to have perfect timing this time. Her eyes flutter open and she’s like “What did you say?” He scoops her up in his arms and they share a passionate kiss… But he wimps out and just says he was happy to see her instead of his confession.

Issue 50 was another big milestone in the Archie, Sonic run and reading it for the first time when I was young was pretty awesome. Every few pages where penciled by different artists who worked on the series.

The Endgame series is finished, Robotnik is dead. What is next for Sonic and Friends?

#Gotta go fast reads #sonic comics #sonic the hedgehog #archie sonic

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cielrouge · 7 years

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2017 YA Reads by Authors of Color

*As per usual, this list will be updated as more covers are revealed

After the Fall by Kate Hart - In a story told from two viewpoints, 17-year-old Raychel relies on the support of her overachieving best friend Matt while secretly sleeping with his brother Andrew, and Matt tries to play hero and hide how much he loves her.

Akata Warrior (Akata Witch #2) by Nnedi Okorafor - A year ago, Sunny Nwazue, an American-born girl Nigerian girl, was inducted into the secret Leopard Society. As she began to develop her magical powers, Sunny learned that she had been chosen to lead a dangerous mission to avert an apocalypse, brought about by the terrifying masquerade, Ekwensu. Now, stronger, feistier, and a bit older, Sunny is studying with her mentor Sugar Cream and struggling to unlock the secrets in her strange Nsibidi book. Eventually, Sunny knows she must confront her destiny, and fight a climactic battle to save humanity.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han - Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for.But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson - 15-year-old Mary B. Addison, once accused of murdering a baby when she was nine, finds herself pregnant after release to a group home - and the only way to keep the baby is to tell the truth about what really happened six years ago.

American Street by Ibi Zobi - On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian - Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real. But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking about her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally off limits, Daria doesn’t have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of control—can she figure out how to stay true to herself?

Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez - 17-year-old Dani struggles with how to process the ambiguous grief she feels in the aftermath of her mother's death after moving to New Mexico with an aunt she never met.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco - Tea's gift for death magic means that she is a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community, but when an older bone witch trains her to become an asha - one who can wield elemental magic - Tea will have to overcome her obstacles and make a powerful choice in the face of danger as dark forces approach.

Calling My Name by Liara Tamani - Told in fifty-four short, episodic, moving, and iridescent chapters, this story follows Taja Brown on her journey from middle school to high school.

A Crown of Wishes (Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi - Gauri, the princess of Bharata, has been taken as a prisoner of war by her kingdom’s enemies. Hope unexpectedly comes in the form of Vikram, the cunning prince of a neighboring land and her sworn enemy kingdom. Unsatisfied with becoming a mere puppet king, Vikram offers Gauri a chance to win back her kingdom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together, they’ll have to set aside their differences and team up to win the Tournament of Wishes—a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. Reaching the tournament is just the beginning. Every which way they turn new trials will test their wit and strength.

The Closet I’ve Come by Fred Aceves - When Marcos is placed in a new after-school program for troubled teens with potential, he meets Zach, a theater geek whose life seems great on the surface, and Amy, a punk girl who doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. These new friendships inspire Marcos to open up to his Maesta crew, too, and Marcos starts to think more about his future and what he has to fight for. Marcos ultimately learns that bravery isn’t about acting tough and being macho; it’s about being true to yourself.

Dark Goddess (Alpha Goddess #2) by Amalie Howard - After an epic struggle that unseated the Asura Lord of Death and placed Serjana Caelum’s best friend, Kyle, on his throne, the Mortal Realm is peaceful and the balance between good and evil—which Sera is sworn to protect—has been restored. But signs of a new threat to the world of men quickly begin to appear: A scourge of demons descends on the Mortal Realm, and Sera is beside herself trying to locate their source. She sends word to the gods for help, and their answer comes in the form of Kira, the living incarnation of Kali, goddess of destruction. Soon Sera and Kyle find themselves fighting not just the demon plague, but Kira and her twin. But when an even more sinister threat arises—putting not just the human world but all planes of existence in jeopardy—they must all learn to work together or lose everything.

Dead Little Mean Girl by Eva Darrows - Unapologetic geek girl Emma’s life is made a living hell by her new stepsister Quinn - until Quinn’s untimely death forces Emma to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone - Justyce McAllister is top of his class, captain of the debate team, and set for the Ivy League next year—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs during the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up. Way up. Much to the fury of the white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. And Justyce and Manny get caught in the crosshairs. In that media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack. The truth of what happened that night—some would kill to know. Justyce is dying to forget.

Dove Alight (Dove Chronicles #3) by Karen Bao - Shy, introverted Phaet Theta has gone from being a top student to an interplanetary fugitive to the reluctant but fierce leader of a revolution. But as the death tolls rise, the cost of the war weighs heavily on Phaet. Phaet started this war because she lost someone she loved. Will she have to lose another to end it?

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera - After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez is forced to pay off her debts by working in her family's South Bronx grocery store. But she must make the right choices about her friends, her family, and Moises, the good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood.

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza - Two sisters—sole survivors of a murdered royal lineage - must reunite from opposite ends of the galaxy to salvage what's left of their family dynasty and save the universe from a greater threat.

The End of Oz (Dorothy Must Die #4) by Danielle Page - Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to save Kansas and make Oz a free land once more. At the end of Yellow Brick War, Amy had finally defeated Dorothy. Just when she and the rest of the surviving members of the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked thought it was safe to start rebuilding the damaged land of Oz, they realized they’ve been betrayed—by one of their own. And Dorothy might not have been so easily defeated after all.

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - F.C. Yee - Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets American Born Chinese, wherein 15-year-old Genie Lo wonders if she's qualified enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school, then becomes powerful enough to break through the gates of Heaven with her fists.

Exo by Fonda Lee - For a century now, Earth has been a peaceful colony of an alien race, and Donovan Reyes is a loyal member of the security forces, while his father is the Prime Liaison--but when a routine search and seizure goes bad Donovan finds himself a captive of the human revolutionary group, Sapience, terrorists who seem to prefer war to alien rule, and killing Donovan just might be the incident they are looking for.

Flame in the Mist by Renee Adhieh - The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by the Black Clan. Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of this gang. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh - Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology—written by the best children’s authors—celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao - A dark and edgy reimagining of the evil queen from Snow White based on Asian folklore and mythology in which Xifeng must unleash a jealous god on the world and set free the viciousness of her own soul in order to become Empress of Feng Lu.

Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu - Five teens get to know one another and work to overcome the various disorders that have affected their lives, they find themselves forming bonds they never thought they would, discovering new truths about themselves and actually looking forward to the future.

Girl on the Verge by Pintip Dunn - A provocative story about a high school senior, Kanchana, straddling two worlds, unsure how she fits in either—and the journey of self-discovery that leads her to surprising truths.

Good Girls Don’t Lie by Alexandra Diaz - A Mexican-American Juno, a realistic coming-of-age story starring good girl Josie Figueroa.

A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho - Finley returns to her small Maine hometown seeking revenge for the death of her childhood best friend Betty, and explores whether the right kind of boy can get away with killing the wrong kind of girl.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - 16-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga - Despite sending him letters ever since she was thirteen, Taliah Abdallat never thought she'd ever really meet her rock star father, Julian Oliver. With her best friend Harlow by her side, Taliah embarks on a three-day journey to find out everything about her 'father' and her family. But Julian isn't the father Taliah always hoped for, and revelations about her mother's past are seriously shaking her foundation. Through all these new experiences, Taliah will have to find new ways to be true to herself, honoring her past and her future.

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen - A scrapbook-style teen guide to understanding what it really means to be a feminist packed with contributions from a diverse range of voices, including celebrities and public figures, and featuring more than forty-four pieces, including an eight-page insert of full-color illustrations.

History Is All You Left Of Me by Adam Silvera - Secrets are revealed as OCD-afflicted Griffin grieves for his first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, who died in a drowning accident. If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana - This profoundly moving memoir is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringyimana, a girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who tells the tale of how she survived a massacre, immigrated to America, and overcame her trauma through art and activism.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican-American home.

I Believe In A Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo - Desi Lee is a disaster in romance. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds her answer in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years. Armed with her “K Drama Rules for True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Heart by Benjamin Alire Saenz - Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican-American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

It’s Not Like It’s A Secret by Misa Sugiura - A not-yet-out lesbian, Japanese-American teenager, Sana Kiyohara, deals with being the new kid at school, has a family with stifling traditional Japanese values (which help protect their secrets), dates a girl who hangs out with a totally different crowd, and makes plenty of mistakes along the way.

Kokoro (Kojiki #2) by Keith Yatsuhashi - Masterfully combining fantasy, science fiction and Japanese mythology, the sequel to Kojiki takes us into the heart of a war that spreads across the worlds.

Legion (Talon #4) by Julie Kagawa - The legions are about to be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragon slayer can stand against the coming horde in book 4 out of the Talon series.

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana - Amrita must unravel the mysteries of her past to save her kingdom, but in doing so, she herself might come unraveled.

A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo - Jess Wong is Angie Redmond’s best friend. But when Angie begins to fall for Margot Adams, a girl from the nearby boarding school, Jess can see it coming a mile away. As Angie drags Jess further into Margot’s circle, Jess discovers more than her friend’s growing crush. Secrets and cruelty lie just beneath the carefree surface of this world of wealth and privilege, and when they come out, Jess knows Angie won’t be able to handle the consequences. When the inevitable darkness finally descends, Angie will need her best friend.

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert - A Los Angeles native, black and Jewish Suzette, deals with the aftermath of her stepbrother's mental health crisis and navigating unexpected love.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds - A novel in verse about the consequences of street violence, and a second novel tentatively about a crew of young musicians who find their audience in the most unlikely of places.

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar - Based on the author's childhood in the 1960s, a young Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl adjusts to her new life in New York City when her American dream is suddenly derailed.

The Merciless III: Origins of Evil by Danielle Vega - When Brooklyn answers a call on her teen helpline, she finds herself plunged into the cultish community of Christ First Church’s youth group. She's especially drawn to Gavin, the angelic yet tortured pastor's son.Torn between an unstoppable attraction to Gavin and her obsession with the truth, Brooklyn is forced to make a devastating choice to rid Christ Church of evil once and for all...But the devil has plans for Brooklyn's soul.

The Mind Virus (Wired #3) by Donna Freitas - Skylar Cruz’s heart is shattered. But even though everyone has betrayed her, Skylar was able to negotiate a way to open the door between the Real World and the App World. Now Skylar must help the people who left the virtual world behind as they become refugees in the Real World. And for everyone who remained plugged in, a new danger has become evident. Their bodies are mysteriously dying, and it’s because of events Skylar’s sister, Jude, set in motion. A virus has been unleashed that could mean total extinction of the App World—and everyone in it.Skylar and Jude must set aside their differences and work together if they are to defeat the mind virus before the App World fades away into oblivion.

North of Happy by Adi Alsaid - In the wake of his brother's untimely death, teen chef Carlos Portillo runs away from home to find his true path in life.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate - 17 -year-old theater student and Alto 2 at a Performing Arts boarding school, Jordan Sun, disguises herself as a boy in order to audition for the school's exclusive all-male a cappella group--and discovers a world packed with tradition, rivalry, and debauchery.

One Dark Throne (Three Dark Crowns #2) by Kendare Blake - The battle for the crown has begun, but which sister will prevail? With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

Overturned by Lamar Giles - Nikki Tate is infamous, even by Las Vegas standards. Her dad is sitting on death row, convicted of killing his best friend. And for five years, he’s maintained his innocence. But Nikki wants no part of that. Then her dad’s murder conviction is overturned. As her dad digs into the seedy underbelly of Vegas, the past threatens everything and Nikki is drawn into his deadly hunt for the truth. But in the city of sin, some sinners will do anything to keep their secrets, and Nikki soon finds herself playing for the biggest gamble ever—her life.

The Place Between Breaths by An Na - 16-year-old Grace is in a race against time—and in a race for her life. She is smart, responsible, and contending with more than what most teens ever have to. Her mother struggled with schizophrenia until, one day, she simply disappeared. Ever since, Grace’s father has worked as a recruiter at one of the leading labs dedicated to studying the disease, hoping against hope to find a cure in time to help his wife if she is ever found. Grace does her part, interning at the lab and one day make a breakthrough, when she stumbles upon a string of code that could be the key. But something inside of Grace has unraveled. Could her discovery just be a cruel side effect of the schizophrenia finally taking hold? Can she even tell the difference between what is real and what isn’t?

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson - Tired of being singled out at her mostly-white private school as someone who needs support, high school junior Jade would rather participate in the school's amazing Study Abroad program than join Women to Women, a mentorship program for at-risk girls.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman - Half-Japanese teen Kiko Himura fails to get into art school away from home, leaving her to navigate through social anxiety and microaggressions in a small town, as she reconnects with her childhood crush and learns to stand up to her self-centered mother - all while growing to love the part of her heritage she was never taught to appreciate.

The Savage Dawn (Girl at Midnight #3) by Melissa Grey - Echo awakened the Firebird. Now she is the only one with the power to face the darkness she unwittingly unleashed...right into the waiting hands of Tanith, the new Dragon Prince. Echo might hold the power to face the darkness within the Dragon Prince, but she has far to go to master its overwhelming force. The war has begun, and there is no looking back. There are only two outcomes possible: triumph or death.

The Ship Beyond Time (Girl From Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig - In this breathtaking sequel, Nix has escaped her past, but when the person she loves most is at risk, even the daughter of a time traveler may not be able to outrun her fate—no matter where she goes.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera - Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

Siege of Shadows (Effigies #2) by Sarah Raughley - Maia and the other Effigies can’t escape the eyes of the press—especially not after failing to capture Saul, whose power to control the monstrous Phantoms has left the world in a state of panic. When Saul suddenly surfaces in the middle of the Sahara desert, the Sect sends Maia and her friends out after him. But instead of Saul, they discover a dying soldier engineered with Effigy-like abilities. And although these soldiers seem to answer to Saul, Maia can’t help but wonder if he has outside help.Yet the looming danger of Saul and this mysterious new army doesn’t overshadow Maia’s fear of the Sect, who ordered the death of the previous Fire Effigy, Natalya. With enemies on all sides and the world turning against them, the Effigies have to put their trust in each other—easier said than done when secrets threaten to tear them apart.

Soulmarked by Shaila Patel - 18-year-old Liam Whelan, an Irish royal empath, has been searching for his elusive soulmate. Laxshmi Kapadia, an Indian-American high school student from a traditional family, faces her mother's ultimatum: Graduate early and go to medical school, or commit to an arranged marriage. When Liam moves next door to Laxshmi, he’s immediately and inexplicably drawn to her. In Liam, Laxshmi envisions a future with the freedom to follow her heart. Liam's father isn't convinced Laxshmi is "The One" and Laxshmi's mother won't even let her talk to their handsome new neighbor. Will Liam and Laxshmi defy expectations and embrace a shared destiny? Or is the risk of choosing one's own fate too great a price for the soulmated?

That Thing We Call A Heart by Sheba Karim - Pakistani American teen, Shabnam Qureshi, living in New Jersey, tells a lie that has unexpected consequences. When her feisty best friend, Farah, starts wearing the headscarf without even consulting her, it unravels their friendship. As Shabnam rebuilds her friendship with Farah and grows closer to her parents, she learns powerful lessons about the importance of love, in all of its forms.

The Victoria In My Head by Janelle Milanes - Cuban-American straight-As student and dutiful daughter Victoria Cruz, defys expectations when she breaks out of her shell to successfully auditions for a local rock band and winds up falling in love with the bad boy frontman.

Vindicated (Emancipated #3) by M.G. Reyes - Murder will out in the shocking conclusion to the Emancipated trilogy, where no one is who they seem and the truth has a nasty habit of showing up uninvited. The six Venice Beach housemates have made some life-alteringly bad decisions since they were each legally emancipated from their parents, including confronting a killer. And the consequences have been deadly. Now, they’re hiding out, trying to find a way out of the mess they’ve made without getting themselves killed when one of the housemates disappears, two fall in love, and another betrays them all. And when the secrets they’ve been keeping are finally laid bare, they’ll wish they’d never started looking for answers in the first place.

Want by Cindy Pon - Set in a teeming, pollution choked Taipei which follows a group of teens living on the seedy fringes of a highly divided society that works only for the elite as they decide to risk everything to take down the powerful company which controls the city,

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon - Told in alternating perspectives, When Dimple Met Rishi focuses on two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married.

When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn - Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly about what happened on what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.

Wild Beauty by Anne Marie McLemore - A novel of magical realism, the Nomeolvides women have tended the lust estate grounds of La Pradera which they've grown for generations, until the reemergence of a family curse starts to makes the men they love disappear, again.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones - 19-year-old Liesl must venture to the Underground when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow - 17-year-old Audrey receives an unexpected letter from her birth mother as she and her boyfriend struggle to decide what to do about an accidental pregnancy, while facing a growing distance with her best friend, keeping secrets of her own.

#authors of color #book recommendations #yalit

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beneathathousandskies · 4 years

Text

Hello!

We’re days away from the start of September and the launch of Self-Published Fantasy month (Website| Twitter), so I thought that I would compile my TBR for the event. It was hard to narrow down the ones I wanted to include as I have a large backlog of indie fantasy that I want to get too, and I keep adding more to the list, and I am hoping that I will be able to read a few more than the ones mentioned here throughout September but decided to keep them as bonuses and focus on this TBR.

However, in addition to these ten I will also be participating in blog tours for ‘The Skald’s Black Verse’ by Jordan Loyal Short and ‘The Jealousy of Jalice’ by Jesse Nolan Bailey so please keep an eye out for those tours.

THE TBR

1) Paternus: Rise of the Gods (The Paternus Trilogy #1)- Dyrk Ashton

Book Summary:

Even myths have legends. And not all legends are myth.

When a local hospital is attacked by strange and frightening men, Fiona Patterson and Zeke Prisco save a catatonic old man named Peter—and find themselves running for their lives with creatures beyond imagination hounding their every step.

With nowhere else to turn, they seek out Fi’s enigmatic Uncle Edgar. But the more their questions are answered, the more they discover that nothing is what it seems–not Peter, not Edgar, perhaps not even themselves.

The gods and monsters, heroes and villains of lore—they’re real. And now they’ve come out of hiding to hunt their own. In order to survive, Fi and Zeke must join up with powerful allies against an ancient evil that’s been known by many names and feared by all. The final battle of the world’s oldest war has begun.

***** *****

2) Blade’s Edge (Chronicles of Gensokai #1) – Virginia McClain

Book Summary:

Mishi and Taka live each day of their lives with the shadow of death lurking behind them. The struggle to hide the elemental powers that mark the two girls as Kisōshi separates them from the other orphans, yet forges a deep bond between them.

When Mishi is dragged from the orphanage at the age of eight, the girls are unsure if or when they will find each other again. While their powers grow with each season-cycle, the girls must come to terms with their true selves–Mishi as a warrior, Taka as a healer–as they forge separate paths which lead to the same horrifying discovery.

The Rōjū council’s dark secret is one that it has spent centuries killing to keep, and Mishi and Taka know too much. The two young women have overcome desperate odds in a society where their very existence is a crime, but now that they know the Rōjū’s secret they find themselves fighting for much more than their own survival.

***** ****

3) The Heresy Within (The Ties that Bind #1) – Rob. J. Hayes

Book Summary:

As any warrior will tell you; even the best swordsman is one bad day away from a corpse. It’s a lesson Blademaster Jezzet Vel’urn isn’t keen to learn. Chased into the Wilds by a vengeful warlord, Jezzet makes it to the free city of Chade. But instead of sanctuary all she finds is more enemies from her past.

Arbiter Thanquil Darkheart is a witch hunter for the Inquisition on a holy crusade to rid the world of heresy. He’s also something else; expendable. When the God Emperor himself gives Thanquil an impossible task, he knows he has no choice but to venture deep into the Wilds to hunt down a fallen Arbiter.

The Black Thorn is a cheat, a thief, a murderer and worse. He’s best known for the killing of several Arbiters and every town in the Wilds has a WANTED poster with his name on it. Thorn knows it’s often best to lie low and let the dust settle, but some jobs pay too well to pass up.

As their fates converge, Jezzet, Thanquil, and the Black Thorn will need to forge an uneasy alliance in order to face their common enemy.

***** *****

4) Song of Shadow (Ballad of Emerald and Iron #1) – Natalya Capello

Book Summary:

They said she was out of her mind. The dark truth will shake the foundations of the fae realm…

Lorelei refuses to believe her wild visions mean she’s insane. But despite her royal sidhe heritage, she’s banished to a remote priory to prevent her causing trouble. So when a priestess of the Elemental Order urges her to join a risky pilgrimage, she flees her prison and sails headlong into danger.

Traveling to an ancient land imbued with volatile magic, she chokes back her disbelief after unearthing evil sorcery that shouldn’t exist. And now that Lorelei holds the forbidden secrets, she fears it’s only a matter of time before the powerful Elphyne Empire silences her permanently. If the fae church’s ruthless assassins don’t hunt her down first…

Can Lorelei expose the sinister conspiracy before darkness falls forever?

Song of Shadow is the captivating first novel in the Ballad of Emerald and Iron epic fantasy series. If you like strong women, potent magic, and non-stop adventure, then you’ll love Natalya Capello’s enthralling tale.

***** *****

5) The Wrack – John Bierce

Book Summary:

Plague has come to the continent of Teringia.

As the Wrack makes its slow, relentless march southwards, it will humble kings and healers, seers and merchants, priests and warriors. Behind, it leaves only screams and suffering, and before it, spreads only fear.

Lothain, the birthplace of the Wrack, desperately tries to hold itself together as the plague burns across it and its neighbors circle like vultures. The Moonsworn healers would fight the Wrack, but must navigate distrust and violence from the peoples of Teringia. Proud Galicanta readies itself for war, as the Sunsworn Empire watches and waits for the Wrack to bring its rival low.

And the Wrack advances, utterly unconcerned with the plans of men.

***** *****

6) A Wind from the Wilderness (Watchers of Outremer #1) – Suzannah Rowntree

Book Summary:

Hunted by demons. Lost in time.

Welcome to the First Crusade.

Syria, 636: As heretic invaders circle Jerusalem, young Lukas Bessarion vows to defend his people. Instead, disaster strikes.

His family is ripped apart. His allies are slaughtered. And Lukas is hurled across the centuries to a future where his worst nightmares have come true…

Constantinople, 1097: Ayla may be a heretic beggar, but she knows one thing for sure: nine months from now, she will die. Before then, she must avenge her father’s murder–or risk losing her soul.

Desperate to find their way home, Lukas and Ayla join the seven armies marching east to liberate Jerusalem. If Lukas succeeds in his quest, he’ll undo the invasion and change the course of history.

But only if he survives the war.

Only if his enemies from the past don’t catch him.

And only as long as Ayla never finds out who he really is.

***** *****

7) Cradle of Sea and Soil – Bernie Anés Paz

Book Summary:

The Primordial Wound has festered with corruption since the birth of the world. The island tribes have warred against its spawn for just as long—and they are losing.

Burdened by the same spiritual affliction that drove the first Halfborn insane, Colibrí lives in exile with little more than her warrior oaths and her son. But when Colibrí discovers corrupted land hidden away by sorcery, those same oaths drive her to find answers in an effort to protect the very people who fear her.

Narune dreams of earning enough glory to show that he and his mother Colibrí are nothing like the Halfborn that came before them. Becoming a mystic will give him the strength he needs, but first, Narune will need to prove himself worthy in a trial of skill and honor.

Together, Colibrí and Narune must learn to become the champions their people need—and face the curse threatening to scour away their spirits with fury.

***** *****

8) Blood of Heirs (The Coraidic Sagas #1) – Alicia Wanstall-Burke

Book Summary:

Lidan Tolak is the fiercest of her father’s daughters; more than capable of one day leading her clan. But caught between her warring parents, Lidan’s world begins to unravel when another of her father’s wives falls pregnant. Before she has time to consider the threat of a brother, a bloody swathe is cut through the heart of the clan and Lidan must fight, not only to prove her worth, but simply to survive.

Ranoth Olseta wants nothing more than to be a worthy successor to his father’s throne. When his home is threatened by the aggressive Woaden Empire, Ran becomes his city’s saviour, but powers within him are revealed by the enemy and he is condemned to death. Confused and betrayed, Ran is forced to flee his homeland, vowing to reclaim what he has lost, even if it kills him.

Facing an unknown future, and battling forces both familiar and foreign, can Lidan and Ran overcome the odds threatening to drag them into inescapable darkness?

***** ****

9) Smoke and Stone (City of Sacrifice #1) – Michael R. Fletcher

Book Summary:

After a cataclysmic war of the gods, the last of humanity huddles in Bastion, a colossal ringed city. Beyond the outermost wall lies endless desert haunted by the souls of all the world’s dead.

Trapped in a rigid caste system, Nuru, a young street sorcerer, lives in the outer ring. She dreams of escape and freedom. When something contacts her from beyond the wall, she risks everything and leaps at the opportunity. Mother Death, a banished god seeking to reclaim her place in Bastion’s patchwork pantheon, has found her way back into the city.

Akachi, born to the wealth and splendour of Bastion’s inner rings, is a priest of Cloud Serpent, Lord of the Hunt. A temple-trained sorcerer, he is tasked with bringing peace to the troublesome outer ring. Drawn into a dark and violent world of assassins, gangs, and street sorcerers, he battles the spreading influence of Mother Death in a desperate attempt to save Bastion.

The gods are once again at war.

***** *****

10) A Sea of Broken Glass (The Lady & The Darkness) – Sonya M. Black

Book Summary:

Secrets have a price.

After enduring weeks of torture and being convicted of witchery, Ris escapes, only to discover the Darkness and the Lady are hunting her. They need the magic that sings within her.

Creator of all, the imprisoned Lady needs Ris, her last vessel, to find the Heart of Creation. The Darkness seeks to corrupt the vessel and retain his hold on the Lady, and with it, the world.

Ris finds help from a pair of Paladins of Light who aid her in cleansing the evil taint from the lands. As her power grows, so do her questions. How can she restore balance to the world and free the Lady? Should the Lady be trusted or is she as much at fault for the evil in the world as the Darkness? With powerful demons War, Ruin, and Plague at her heels, Ris struggles to stay alive as she tries to unravel the secrets hidden within her before it’s too late.

Secrets that may cost Ris her soul even if she does succeed.

Let me know if you’ve read any of these, if you plan to read them and any recommendations (because if I put a dent in the tbr, I have to fill it again – that’s the rule).

Rowena

Self-Published Fantasy Month TBR Hello! We're days away from the start of September and the launch of Self-Published Fantasy month (

#Indie #Self-Published #Self-Published Fantasy Month #TBR

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swipestream · 5 years

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New Release Roundup, 2 February 2019: Fantasy and Adventure

The Devil is not in the details, but on the battlefield. In his shadow, infernal hitmen and detective saints; Nazi wizards and British mages; dragon slayers and divine champions clash in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

The Caster of Destruction (Overlord #9) – Kugane Maruyama

For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild’s glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens–and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues’ gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning…

The annual war between the kingdom and the empire almost always ends in little more than a staring contest. This year, the Fresh Blood Emperor’s visit to Nazarick will change everything. Ainz himself has joined the fray, which is a dark omen of the coming storm. The arrival of the absolute ruler of Nazarick means only horror and death await those who stand on what will become the most hellish battlefield anyone has seen in living memory…!

Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #3: The Conscience of the King – Chuck Dixon and Frank Fosco

While King Ace is in training with Big Simba and the Specials of the UN-SPC, his former partner-in-fighting-crime Fazer languishes in a prison designed especially for people with superhuman powers. Fazer is desperate to escape, but how can he get out when his jailors possess the technology required to block his unique abilities?

But Fazer isn’t the only one feeling trapped, as King Ace quickly comes to learn that his new team isn’t tasked with fighting crime in the city of Avalon, but rather, tracking down other people like him and Fazer. And he also discovers that signing on with the official forces of law and order means accepting restrictions on your ability to do what you think is right.

Chuck Dixon is the most prolific comic book writer in history. Set in the world of Alt★Hero, CHUCK DIXON’S AVALON is the legend’s newest creation.

The Circle of St. George – John Auber Armstrong

Nothing in his life prepared Charlie Walker for meeting King Arthur and Merlin, King Oberon and Puck, or to find himself riding with the Wild Hunt and fighting a cohort of bloodthirsty Valkyries attacking GI’s on the beaches of France! Compared to that, a naked Winston Churchill barely rates mentioning …

Britain, 1940: a coalition of British magicians have united to oppose the Nazi’s use of black magic, and a young American soldier is sent to observe and report on the program code-named The Circle of St. George. Captain Charlie Walker doesn’t believe in gods, ghosts, or magic … until he has no choice in the matter!

Charlie’s education in magick is a hero’s journey like no other you’ve read. His instructors include Aleister Crowley and a who’s who of British occultists. Together, from the great plain of Glastonbury and the isle of Avalon to the Fae Kingdom and the death camps of the Third Reich, Charlie and The Circle of St. George stand alone against Hitler’s magicians.

The Devil’s Gunman (The Devil’s Gunman #1) – Philip S. Bolger

Working as a hitman for the devil of paperwork is a pretty good gig. Until you settle your obligation and don’t have the job anymore. Then what do you do?

For Nick Soren, it was the best of times and the worst of times. Having made more money working for the devil than he could ever spend, he lived it up in a haze of booze and drugs. Until the devil put a hit out on him.

On the run, Nick finds help from someone he never expected—another of the devil’s previous hitmen—who wants Nick to kill the devil. But there are vampires and Hellhounds on his tail, and that is going to make things…difficult. Can Nick get clear of the supernatural creatures hunting him long enough to take his shot and get revenge on the devil?

He’s not alone in his mission—a jiangshi mage and a chimera are along for the ride, and may help even the odds…or just get him killed all the faster.

Time is running out and the vampires are closing in…is this the end for the devil’s gunman?

Flying Sparks: Meta-Man Special – Jon del Arroz

For the last fifty years, Meta-Man has been an enigma—a reclusive hero who does his duty but shies away from the public eye. What happened? Who is he?

Unlocked from the archives for the first time, you can dive into one of Meta-Man’s early adventures and get a glimpse into his heroic world as he works to stave off a plot from his nemesis Dr. Malicious and his communist commandos! Can Meta-Man prevail, or will the U.S.S.R. interfere with the American presidential election and spread the reach of the Iron Curtain across the globe? Read this action-packed superhero comic and find out!

“A touch of backstory for a side character, a dash of 60s comics-style fisticuffs, and a sprinkle of the classic tragedy of missing out on important personal moments for the sake of saving the day for someone else. “–Amazon Reader Review

Infernal Affairs (Saint Tommy, NYPD #3) – Declan Finn

My name is Officer Thomas Nolan, and I am a saint.

I can smell evil. I show mercy to the lesser criminals – the desperate. Even those I’ve put behind bars seem to like me. But now there’s a serial killer bringing darkness beyond imagination to my city. I can smell his stench a mile away.

Detective Tommy Nolan is having a bad day.

First, the celebrant was murdered during mass. Then the SWAT team knocked down his door trying to kill him.

With the million dollar bounty on his head, every gunman and demonic monster is coming out of the pit to collect it.

Tommy has to discover who’s out to make him a martyr before he becomes a saint for real.

Sowing Dragon Teeth (The Iron Disciplines #1) – James Alderdice

Nobody said getting revenge on a dragon that killed your father would be easy, but nobody said it would be this hard either.

War looms on the horizon. Aisha is scouting the borderlands wary of a coming secret invasion when she is ambushed by a crazed old shaman who was sure that she was trying learn his secrets. She isn’t interested in the old legends about a dragon graveyard but after burning the secret map she is the only one who knows where it is supposed to exist and every gold hungry rogue crawls out of hiding to try and force her to take them there for riches untold.

The journey will take them across a cursed landscape brimming with foul sorceries and terrible monsters, but the promise of both treasure and revenge is irresistible. Sowing Dragon Teeth is an action-packed heroic fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction and thrilling treasure hunts. If you like gory battles, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you’ll love James Alderice’s gritty tale.

A Thousand Drunken Monkeys (The Hero of Thera #2) – Eric Nylund

Continue Playing the Game? Yes / No

The Kingdom of Thera is a crossroads to many worlds and realities. Here a secret war between the gods plays out via their proxy mortal champions. These player-champions use all the augmented-reality interfaces and game mechanics that role-playing and video-gamers know and love.

Join Hektor Saint-Savage, Marine and martial artist extraordinaire; Morgana Nox, shapeshifting druid-thief and trickster; and the cantankerous dwarf, Elmac Arguson—as they punch, blast, stab, and slither their way through the second Hero of Thera novel.

Can they outwit, outfight, and outrun assassins? The Imperial Knight Champion of Chaos? Feisty gnomes with slide rules? A horde of a thousand inebriated simians?

There’s only one way to find out…

Viridian Gate Online: Doom Forge (The Viridian Gate Archives #6) – James Hunter

Jack and the crew of the Crimson Alliance have finally made it back from the Realm of Order, but the threat to Eldgard is deadlier than ever.

Vogthar incursions are increasing, dungeons falling in droves, towns and cities ravaged by Darklings—Players and NPCs who have willingly sided with the Dark Overmind Thanatos. But thanks to a priceless artifact Jack found after defeating the Lich Priest, there might be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Jack and company have unearthed a Doom-Forged relic, one part of an ancient weapon capable of killing even a god. But to assemble the legendary god-killer, they’ll need to find the other relics and locate the fabled Doom Forge of the Dwarven godling Khalkeús, all while unraveling a mystery five hundred years in the making.

New Release Roundup, 2 February 2019: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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