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ficnoire2 · 3 months

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A Little Legendborn/Bloodmarked Top 10 (Spoilers Ahead)

Happy Black History Month! As we approach the release of the extended Bloodmarked chapter and the Will POV (as well as the painful wait for Oathbound), I thought I’d compile a list of my top 10 favorite Bree moments from LB and BM. I have always enjoyed lists and trivia of some sort and thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite moments from the series. These are the moments that made me shout into my book with joy, frustration, delicious vengeance, and squeal with pure giddiness. I am sure there are many more to add, but these are ten scenes that hit for me. Hope you enjoy!

10. Punching a Demon

“The demon stands, snarling in a flash of triumph, lifting Nick high–then slams him into the silver stone. His body goes still. I’m running. I barrel into the demon just as Sel swings Nick’s sword. Together, we send the body in one direction, and the head in another.”

Well come on then fearless Scorpio KING!!! I loved this moment because it gave us a glimpse into what was to come from our Bree. Before she knew the extent of her power she was hurling herself into the thick of it. It also gave us a sneak peak into her partnership and power sharing with Selwyn as well. This scene made me excited to see what else our King was truly capable of.

9. Threatening Aldrich

“You may have a King’s blood - Aldrich finds my gaze and holds it–but you are not a Scion. You are…a camgymeriad. A mistake.”

To which Bree replies,

“Aldrich! I call. He pauses at the door to look at me. I let the grin spread slow across my face. Not here, Not today. But somewhere. Someday.”

I loved this call back from the prologue in Bloodmarked when Jessie describes the smart ass at the diner with the slur written across his face. We get a glimpse into the darker parts of Bree, the parts of her that enjoy the challenge, the fight. It also showed that if the good ol’ boys club doesn’t have anything, they have audacity. Imagine being in her presence and because she does not come in the package you want her in, she is deemed unworthy. Brought into this life because of mediocrity, brutality, and privilege. To be deemed a mistake because her very being is too grand and unfathomable to comprehend. I love the grin she gives him. It screams “Fuck around and find out” and I am looking forward to Bree making good on this promise.

8. Hitting Sel Where it Hurts

“Throwing a temper tantrum, crossroads child? I spit. Both of Sel’s dark brows fly up to his hairline, and red spots appear on his cheeks. Direct hit.”

I cackled when I read this! Not to mention Sel was so pissed he was slamming doors off in the distance. Anytime Bree gets in touch with her shadow side and employs psychological warfare, I squeal (just a tiny bit). It was one of those scenes that made me say “That’s what your ass gets!” Which was mild in comparison to Sel trying to, oh I don’t know, KILL HER! No matter how scary he was at the moment, the fact that she couldn’t help but toy with him was a masterclass in being with the shits.

7. Embarrassing Vaughn (with his basic ass)

“You’re a bigot and a bully, Scheafer. You insult me because you think you know what I am capable of, but you don’t. I must make you nervous, though, for you to expose your insecurities about your odds of success in the tournament…”

“I grin at Vaughn and look him directly in the eye. Our future king does not owe you an explanation, and behaving as though he does displays insubordination, disloyalty, and fear. Not power. Not strength. In fact, I pity the Scion that chooses you as their Squire. That is, if you get chosen at all.”

DAAAAAMMN HOMIE! Talk about reading for filth! As you can tell, I love when Bree pipes up. Vaughn mustered up all that tiny dick energy to lunge himself across the table and the baby girl didn’t even get out of her chair. The constant microaggressions, the persistent air of “She doesn’t belong here” primed Bree to get some things off of her chest at this moment and what better asshole, than Vaughn (who was mesmered into obscurity) to get all the smoke? I have lived moments similar to this, when you just don’t care anymore. The weight of decorum becomes too heavy and it's time to “Let them thangs go” as we used to say back in the day.

6. Sexy Bloodwalk with Nick/ Kissing Sel

Nick

“His eyes snap open and lock with mine, pupils swallowed in silver. “Yeah.” He nods, wraps a hot palm around the base of my neck, slides it up into my hair. “Yeah.” And then his mouth is on mine, and every call and response we’ve ever felt pales in comparison to this one. Power cycling from his body to mine in a slow loop between his skin and mine. Everywhere we touch speeds the rotation until I can’t tell whose breath is whose, whose flame arcs higher, which spark starts the fire that surrounds us. He moans, tugging us to the ground. I open my eyes –and see that the stars over his shoulder shine in our rhythm too.”

Well, shit. There was a lot to unpack in this passage. Lots of metaphors. Were they…? Whatever freaky dreamscape, bloodwalk, Camelot, ancient descendent sex magic was going on here, I was here for it. I had to read it again to make sure I read it right, and yup, I did! The euphoric, cosmic otherworldliness of it all was so carefree and light. As @justbrainrot says “They were high in Camelot!” I love that this scene takes place after Sel hides his true face and she decides to go see her other man! Came back so bathed in “Love” Selly had to roll all the windows down!

Sel

“Well,” I say, biting my lip. “Maybe it’s not enough for me. Before I can respond, I pull his head down and press my mouth to his indignant scowl until it turns soft and warm. He shudders against me. Then, his palm wraps around the nape of my neck, turning the kiss fierce, his mouth open and hot. He pulls me in by the hip, closer, a pulse building between us, a shared demand. There’s a whoosh, movement, and I am against a tree, bark digging into my back, Sel’s mouth working against mine before he tears himself away entirely with a low groan.”

These two love a good hand on the nape of the neck! I always enjoy the parallels Tracy creates. Nick’s tenderness (even though he had Bree on the floor looking at the stars over his shoulder) in Camelot juxtaposed with Sel, Merlin crip walking her against the tree was delicious. The hint of feral lust out there in the woods was perfection and I love that Bree made the first move. Lots of world tilting and hot mouths and passing fire and heat and moans and shit! Bree leaning into her light and dark side letting herself be loved on and loving on someone else. Taking charge and going after what she wants (in the moment or otherwise). Reckless girl indeed.

5. At the Fair with Faye

“Inside the box my mother’s charm bracelet is pulsing like a heartbeat. When the tips of my fingers touch the gold links, a voice echoes in my mind.”

“Bree…”

“I drop it. I’m gasping, choking, sobbing. ‘Mommy…?’”

This was a hell of a scene. The gravity of a mother understanding that she has limited time with her child. Understanding that she will face terrifying peril while trying to give her as much covering as possible, without being there in the physical form to facilitate that protection was beyond heavy. Listening to Faye nervously try to get it all out without alarming Bree, the desperation in her voice…heartbreaking does not cover it. I adored the power in this scene because despite Faye knowing the hell her baby would go through, she wanted her to know that if she had to do it over again, she would. It helps me understand some of Bree’s choices that will inevitably come with dire consequences. When it comes to fight or flight, Bree is going to fight. It’s in her blood.

4. Root Sharing

“I take in a deep breath through my nose, and when I exhale, the flames of root blow to life in my hands, red and fierce. I extend my hands before I can talk myself out of it. Sel’s eyes rise to mine, drop to my fingertips, then back up to me. I will him to understand, because I don’t know how to say what I want him to do. I don’t know how to ask for this, don’t even know if it will work.”

This moment had me on the edge of my seat. I am one of those that shouts at the screen when I watch movies and I was shouting into the pages of this book. I was STRESSED. I knew they couldn’t go out like that, but I didn’t know how they were going to get out of this pickle. The description of Sel looking at her like “Oh shit!” and then going with it! They were in tandem. Bree was in her bag here pouring her very being into Sel. It was a show of force that let us know she has only scratched the surface of what she can do. This was squeal worthy for me!

3. Escaping the Institute

“A release of breath through the earpiece. ‘Crown Scion Matthews.’ A voice I don’t recognize. I grasp the counter’s edge, swallowing. ‘Y-Yes.’ The voice turns muffled, like they’re facing away from the receiver. ‘It’s her.’

‘Who are you?’

When they speak again, the voice is clear. Confident. ‘Someone who can create a five-minute window of escape for you…’

‘Someone you can trust.’”

My number three moment takes me back to any film I’ve watched where the heroes were down and all seems lost. An expertly crafted switcheroo, caper, great escape! The hurried tone of the person on the other end of the earpiece, the anxiety of thinking “Damn, what if she drops the keycard?” “What if the Mageguard is there when she opens the elevator!?” And let’s not talk about Bree putting those track muscles to work to run down a dark hallway to free herself just before the barrier snaps back into place. I felt the urgency of Samira telling her “You can go faster, run faster, trust me!” When Bree crossed the barrier and made it to Alice, I cheered like I had won the Mega Millions. Plus, I love a good callback with the "someone you can trust" line William says in LB.

2. Burning the Streams/Erebus Deal

“Think of the power you possess and the woman who gave it to you. I smile, sadly. ‘I used to think that woman was my mother, and, through her, you. Tried it her way and it didn’t work.’ She tilts her head. ‘And why is that?’

‘Because you all didn’t give me my power.’ I kneel to face the streams, thrust my hands into the earth from which they came. ‘I did.’”

By the end of Bloodmarked, I was tired of Bree getting her ass handed to her. Tired of her seeking out the ancestors only to be foiled at every turn. This is the moment where she chose herself and I loved it. It has sparked so many conversations and it makes me think of how older generations can sometimes shame you for choices that they did not have the courage to make. Granted, Vera did what she needed to do in her time, but it also shows how generational curses can follow and impact us. I felt for Bree in this moment because she tried to do it like everyone told her (or didn’t tell her) and when all else failed, she bossed up and did it her way. As a seasoned woman, I make it a point to give the younger girlies game, if they are willing to hear it. By the time we got to her burning the streams and making a deal with Erebus, no matter how reckless it seemed, I was here for it. Dragons take what they want and burn the rest, after all.

1. Pulling Excalibur

“We are in the cave again. We take one step and we are already at the stone. We grasp the ancient hilt, warm under our fingers. We pull Excalibur free.”

Look at you! You made it to the end, to my number one Bree Matthews moment! I have to say that Legendborn sat in my office for a year before I picked it up (life was lifeing like it never lifed before). Oddly enough, it called to me. I started listening to it on Audible first (before I read it physically). By the time I got to chapter 54 and Bree started recounting Vera’s life, her strength, then being at the hospital and meeting Sel’s mom, I said “Aww shit!” It was a “On your left” Sam Wilson moment, a Charlie Baltimore “Die screaming MF” moment, a Tupac “Hit em up” moment. I had that chapter on repeat! It had everything! The sheer awe of everyone in the cave with their mouths agape watching our good sis snatch that sword out of the stone, her switching to sinister employing battle tactics and throwing fire like Megan throws ass, Martin Davis curling into himself and fleeing after telling her essentially she was not worthy! I am a sucker for deep reverence so at the end, when Sel was the first to kneel at the feet of this amazing, dynamic, black girl…I could have never imagined such a thing in all my years. This scene was written beautifully and was so satisfying considering all that our Bree had gone through in book one. It was a huge middle finger to all of the stuffy Order bigots that pined over their blood and lineage when in truth, all they have and represent was built on the backs of those whose blood is baked into the soil. Black Folk. Those whose souls are as rich and complex as the truth history keeps trying to bury.

What are some of your top Bree moments? Let me know in the comments or give your good sis a reblog.

Happy Black History Month Y'all!

P.S. - Did you know there is a Black History Wales????

#bloodmarked #legendborn cycle #bree mathews #tracey deonn

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criptochecca · 8 months

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who are your favorite dark souls 3 boss fights?

So far?

I really liked the Abyss Watchers but with evocation + magic i found them far too easy. I wanna retry them again melee possibly without a summon because I really loved them but I felt like I wasted the boss fight.

Sulyvahn, Aldrich and the Dancer I all liked especially after the first half of the game which was mostly gimmick bosses. I think Sulyvahn is the one I liked more.

I also and this is gonna sound weird liked the Old Demon King. I don’t know if it was a mix of playing it with my gf, the sheer tragic comedy of beating this poor old man to a pulp (truly elderly abuse) in three or the fact that i died twice in the stupidest way to one of the easiest bosses, but I had a very fun time against him.

I also liked Yhorm but mostly for the plot (fought him with Siegward) rather than the actual boss fight. I didn’t hate it but I found it a less polished and far too easy version of Rykard (or, well, Rykard is a bettered version of Yhorm). Between the gimmick bosses (and ds3 has a lot of them) he’s my fav.

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orsialos · 2 years

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15 Days of Deity Devotion: ARES

Day Four: Favorite Myths

Ares is not as heavily featured in mythology outside of the Iliad and Odyssey, but he does have a few fragments of myths that I've always enjoyed. There are 3 that I would like to share today - how Eros made Ares and Aphrodite fall in love, how Ares caught Sisyphus and released Thanatos from confinement, and how Ares slew the son of Poseidon who assaulted his daughter, Alcippe.

I love these myths because they show some very different sides of Ares that we don't see in the Iliad & Odyssey. Whereas those, in my opinion, were written to build up Athena and not tear down Ares per se, these myths are used to help understand some of the cult worship of Ares. He is truly an interesting deity - his main function is that is war and bloodshed and rage, but as two of these myths show, sometimes that can appear in many forms.

Eros makes Aphrodite & Ares fall in love

"One day Ares came in from the battlefield brandishing a strong spear and began to make fun of Eros' weapon. Eros said ‘This one is heavy : try it and you will see.’ Ares took the javelin, while Kypris [Aphrodite] smiled quietly; and with a groan he said, ‘It is heavy : take it back.’ ‘Keep it,’ said Eros [and so presumably bound Ares and Aphrodite in love.]."

The Anacreontea, Fragment 28 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C5th B.C.)

Ares apprehends Sisyphus & frees Thanatos

"The drama was satyric; its theme, the escape from Haides of the crafty Korinthian king. According to the fabulous story told by Pherekydes (Frag. 78 in Müller, Fragmenta Historicum Graecorum) Sisyphos made known to Asopos that it was Zeus who had carried off his daughter Aigina; in punishment for which offence the god sent Thanatos (Death) against the babbler; but Sisyphos bound Thanatos (Death) fast, so that men ceased to die, until Ares came to the rescue, released Thanatos, and gave Sisyphos into his power."

Aeschylus, Sisyphus the Runaway (lost play) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :Weir Smyth (L.C.L.) quotes Pherecydes, a C5th B.C. mythographer, in his discussion of the plot of this lost play

Ares avenges his daughter Alcippe

"Agraulos [daughter of Kekrops king of Athens] and Ares had a daughter Alkippe. As Halirrhothios, son of Poseidon and a nymphe named Eurtye, was trying to rape Alkippe, Ares caught him at it and slew him. Poseidon had Ares tried on the Areopagos with the twelve gods presiding. Ares was acquitted."

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 180 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.)

"There is a spring [near the Akropolis, Athens], by which they say that Poseidon's son Halirrhothios deflowered Alkippe the daughter of Ares, who killed the ravisher and was the first to be put on his trial for the shedding of blood."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 21. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.)

Source

#Ares #ares deity #ares devotion #15 days of deity devotion #deity devotion challenge #theoi #hellenic worship #hellenic deities #greek mythology #hellenic paganism

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cassidysparacosm · 1 year

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She-Ra

Huntlow

King Andrias Leviathan, Lord of Amphibia. Peacekeeper of a thousand years and the first of his name.

Thank you for the ask :D

She ra

• Favorite character: Glimmer

• Least Favorite character: did the purple goat person ever get a name?

• 5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Glimmadora, Scorfuma, Glitradora, and thats it

• Character I would be best friends with: bow would like be the best person to hang out with ever

• a random thought: fun fact theres a character called sans undertale. Im serious

• An unpopular opinion: Micah deserved more screentime

• My Canon OTP: Scorfuma

• My Non-canon OTP: Glimmadora

• Most Badass Character: Scorpia

• Most Epic Villain: idk

• Pairing I am not a fan of: catradora. Im sorry. With the right redemption arc i couldve shipped it but i just dislike the way it turned

•Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

• Favourite Friendship: The og friendship squad,, i love em.

• Character I most identify with: Glimmer

• Character I wish I could be: Mermista

Huntlow

• When I started shipping them: gonna be honest i was pretty late on the huntlow train, it wasnt til thanks to them that i got on board

• My thoughts: its neat. Doesnt really remarkably stand out for me but i dont mind it.

• What makes me happy about them: trauma buddies helping each other recover. If thats not goals i dont know what is

• What makes me sad about them: that so much s3 was cut out so we only saw snapshots of their interactions

• Things done in fanfic that annoys me: i havnt read any huntlow fanfics

• Things | look for in fanfic: hurt/comfort

• Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I originally shipped willuz at the start of the series so probs that, but with amity included bc poly relationships are better than love triangles. As for hunter i dont really have anyone i ship him with. I think i see him as aroace lol

King Andrias

• How I feel about this character: mixed feelings. I think hes unreasonable in his past actions and hes a bit of a coward- though i get why, with aldrich and the core in his head all the time. Happy with the ending he got though. Not dead but none of his actions being downplayed by the cast.

•Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: i think if andrias hadnt changed then him and Leif and Barrel coulda been sweet together.

• My unpopular opinion about this character: i dont get why he had to be a robot? It came outta nowhere and i woulda just been fine thinking he was just immortal. It raises so many questions like did his body start decomposing at some point from old age?? Or as soon as he was king was he wired on with cyborg parts.

• One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: see above answer. Also wish wed seen more of his family, like his mom or something. Where did he come from??? If his species is planet destroyers is his species even originally from amphibia? Srsly tho where momdrias at

• Favorite friendship for this character: Leif and barrel

• My crossover ship: i know some people would want me to say Belosdrias but

Darkstalker andrias anyone? /j

Also thank you for the ask game! Just a heads up for others seein this, my ask box is still open and im eager to share my OSC opinions

#ask game #amphibia #toh #huntlow #andrias amphibia #she ra and the princesses of power #cress rambles

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robbyrobinson · 2 years

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The Hardest Thing (Review)

My god.

There was so much to love about "The Hardest Thing," I don't know what to start with.

So, picking up immediately after "All In," the Core, a sore loser extraordinaire, rockets itself to the moon to kickstart it into crashing into Amphibia. Andrias explains that the moon was where his ancestors would perform their baby projects one in particular being that, should the opportunity arises, they would use the moon to destroy all life in Amphibia not even caring they will die as well. And they berated Andrias' breakdown in "A Froggy Little Christmas?" At least he didn't go "Oh, well, I lost: so I'm gonna pulverize them all with the moon!" Absolutely genius thinking by the Core...

Mother Olm informs Anne and the girls that, should they activate the powers of the Calamity Box, there could be a chance that they could never return to Earth. Despite that, they all resolve to stop the Core from wrecking the world.

After speculating about what Sasha and Marcy looked like in their Calamity forms, they were truly awesome with how they were using their powers to create things like tennis rackets. But, of course, Sasha and Marcy were not used to their powers like Anne was, so they end up losing steam fast.

But easily one of my favorite parts of the finale happened. Andrias, watching all this play out, is contacted by his father once more. His father begs him to save him and the others assuring that he could "join them" as being immortal rulers. I have said it before and I will again: up to this point, King Andrias is a good Disney Villain. In fact, I believe that he is one of the best well-written villains in a Disney Channel animated series (maybe second to Bill Cipher; somewhere before Lord Dominator). He was motivated to "atone" for his mistakes when the music box was stolen, but he was a victim of the long cycle of multiversal conquerors abusing the Calamity Box and being gaslit and emotionally abused by the Core. But, of course, this does not mean that he should be taken as too sympathetic at the cost of glossing over his worse actions.

Here he continues with baby steps, but he almost made my heart stop: he summons his frogbots and they all go into space (how can Anne and her friends, and then Sprig breathe in space)...but, in a surprising twist, he has them to help the girls push the moon. Then comes the cherry on the top of the sundae:

Core/Aldrich: You fool! You could have been immortal! What are you doing!?

Andrias: Something I should have done a long time ago...standing up to you!

And then he crushes the crown with his bare hand. Just perfect.

But because Sasha and Marcy were powering down, Anne needed to have them give her their Calamity Gems. Mother Olm originally informed her that there was a way to use the full capacity of the gems to defeat the Core...but it is at the cost of the user.

The two girls saying their goodbyes are bad enough on their own, especially in Marcy's case because of how she rashly whisked her friends to the world of Amphibia with little consideration to their safety, but Sprig's attempt to stop Anne...almost broke me. Well that scene and then the one towards the end. I loved how the scene represented the two friends being in two separate worlds. Sprig telling Anne to not go because of how much she changed his life for the better was heartrending.

Anne asks the gems to help her save the world she loved and she fires a frickin' laser beam into the moon. The music in this scene was so epic and awe-inspiring. I could feel the sheer force that Anne was using to concentrate that into a beam.

The Core's defeat is interesting. It is sweet, sweet cathartic irony. The Core tries to paint itself as being the ultimate lifeform, a god even. After all, it does house the minds of other Amphibia rulers who have cheated death through capturing specimens and experimenting on them and were worshiped by the kings who would then be assimilated into their ranks.

But instead, they were just megalomaniacal control freaks who were terrified by death uncaring that they were becoming some inhuman abomination that was a freak of nature. After all those thousands of years ruling Amphibia through puppet kings and causing untold misery and despair, the once mighty Core was now nothing more than a cowardly mortal being who is panicking once they realize that their time has come and they can do nothing about it. Their most loyal follower, Andrias, renounced them because of their consistent mistreatment of him. They evicted themselves from their metallic husk which could have allowed them to avoid being in fatalistic situations. Marcy did not join their ranks, nor was she their vessel anymore.

Their death is imminent and the only thing they can do now is stare, stare in utter disbelief as their plans literally blow up in their face. How could they, the great TRUE ruler of Amphibia, be bested by a human girl with Amphibia's greatest treasures? I would wish to know what their final thoughts/words were, but I'd like to imagine their final words are a scornful "BOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCHHHHUY!!!!!"

It is just satisfying seeing all their eyes explode.

Kind of weird...but Anne does actually die and it is a disturbing thought. Sure, no blood or gore are seen, but she is reduced to pale leaves that disappear into the ether. Then we get the Calamity Gems creator, an eldritch being that takes the form of Anne's pet cat Domino because their true form would make Anne's head explode.

So, okay: Anne does die and in some ways, she did not because a copy of herself was made and her memories and personality went into that. Good thing that she'd probably forget that moment...or should. The creator explains that they wanted to test mortals by creating the Calamity Gems and see what they would do with them...which went as well as you'd imagine. Having seen that Anne sacrificed herself for Amphibia, they wanted her to become their successor, but was willing to ask Anne again in 78 years. Wow, that is totally not a creepy thought.

But the goodbye scene, my god. We all knew this was coming but I was not ready for it. Marcy's farewells to Olivia and Yunan are heartfelt with her lamenting that she wished she learned more about them. And, where the waterworks were flowing, she bids a goodbye to Andrias. That's right: even after all the terrible things he had done, she forgives him enough to say farewell when she had every right to hate him. All Andrias can give her is a pained "take care, kiddo." I really wished that, should things have played differently, they could have been legitimate friends.

Sasha's goodbye to Grime was sad but also funny with how they try to hold it together. But Anne's...heartbreaking.

She first says goodbye to Polly, and then Hop-Pop. Hop-Pop's response is heartbreaking with him saying that if she ever wanted a warm meal or her old room back, he was always welcome having since coming to accept her as a granddaughter. But Sprig...good god.

I lost it. Just seeing Sprig scrunch up his favorite hat out of sadness and heartbreak made me cry hard. He knew that there would come a time he would have to say goodbye to his best friend, but there was no way that he would be mentally prepared to do something like that. Of course, they had to have their final words to each other being "Spranne against the world."

With the three human girls gone, the Calamity Box finally disintegrates. Ten years pass and we see a few things around Wartwood from Toadie becoming the mayor to Yunan and Olivia becoming a couple (called it). Even Bessie somehow having a snail-bird hybrid with Joe Sparrow. Hm. Well, I was honestly not expecting that; I thought Joe dancing for Bessie was just a one-time thing.

We see that Hop-Pop settled down with Sylvia and had fulfilled his avocado dream. Polly is a fully-grown frog (but she will always be a tadpole in my eyes) with Sprig and Ivy about to adventure to an unknown continent not touched by frog, newt, or toad.

Andrias had abdicated the throne and became a farmer under imprisonment. I was surprised that Andrias did not die at the end, but I am honestly happy that he was kept alive. After all the suffering he was put through by his father and the Core, seeing him carry Barrel's war hammer as a walking stick finally free from all the pain is just satisfying. If Barrel and Leif could see him now, they would be proud of him.

But of course, the biggest thing is the ritual ceremony depicting a statue of Anne to commemorate her as the hero who saved their world. God thinking about it makes me tear up again.

As for the three girls: Marcy eventually moved and began a webcomic. Sasha now worked with kids and Anne worked as a herpetologist at an aquarium. She even made a little model of the Plantar house in the exhibit and named a frog Sprig after a dear, dear friend of hers.

While I can spend time theorizing on how the girls could return to Amphibia or go traveling universes if Terri worked on the portal machine, I do like that the show does convey how those you love will always be with you even when you cannot see them or be with them at that moment.

It is sappy, but it is true: they will live on in your heart as memories and how you base your decisions or live your life by using what you had learned during your time with them to become a better person. Without Anne going to Amphibia, she would have never been able to find out who she wanted to be had she continued to be coerced into doing things that went against her best interests. She went from not liking frogs to cherishing those special times.

Perhaps she'll cross paths with Sprig and the others again, but for now, both sides are continuing to live their lives.

Just a perfect finale. Thank you Matt Braly for your work on this show. I will never forget this experience.

#review #reviews and thoughts #hardest thing #the hardest thing #amphibia #disney channel #reviews #series finale

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fem-blade-adept · 9 months

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I’m sure people are tired of these, but I can’t just not do this for my favorite game in the series.

Dark Souls 3 Boss List (Best to Worst)

Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: The true test of endurance. 3 full phases, all of them require you to deplete a full health bar to progress, and Blackflame Friede after two other phases? It’s a brutal ask, but I’ve never enjoyed any fight more. Plus the music is FIRE.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley: Music mentions will appear a lot in this list. Dancer takes the win for best base game boss because of the music, the ominous vibe, and how difficult she can be. It’s always a coin toss how long it takes me to clear her and yet I love it. Her weapon drop is also pretty fire despite how much everyone else tends to hate them.

Darkeater Midir: WE STAN A GOOD DRAGON FIGHT! I maintain the opinion that this is the only well designed dragon fight in Dark Souls. Elden Ring tried, and I respect it, but Midir just really is everything to me even though he kicks my ass a lot.

Slave Knight Gael: This imposing figure gives me chills and makes me feel all kinds of accomplished after I beat him.

Abyss Watchers: They remind me a lot of Lady Maria and honestly that’s enough to put them up here. Never hard per se, but it’s definitely a badass fight and the music is really freaking good here.

Demon In Pain/Demon Below: Not a lot of people talk about this one, but they should. I really like the design here. The music is a banger, but this, in my opinion, was the closest they came to Ornstein and Smough in being an amazing gank fight.

Twin Princes: I got hard stuck on these guys in my first playthrough. They have a lot of nasty attacks, but there is a rhythm you can get into if you follow their attack speed. Also, music again.

Nameless King: Before DLC, this guy was THE FIGHT. This guy was the controller destroyer. He still kind of is. Dude can bring the hammer down on people who aren’t focused. His health bar is nothing to scoff at either.

Champion Gundyr: A solid, fair fight. This fight gives me chills because the only person I can blame if I die to this man is myself. Difficulty is mid, but I really enjoy this fight every time I do it.

Aldrich, Devourer of Gods: I get scared in this room. I shouldn’t, but he moves weird and he swarm attacks you like a menace. The music is also dope because it’s an ominous take on DS1 music and I love it.

Dragonslayer Armour: The one guy in this game that surprises me every time with how much damage he does. It’s like a jump scare really. I do like him a lot, but it’s always wild to get hit for so much damage and panic heal right afterwards.

Soul of Cinder: A great end to the series and a fantastic homage to the years I spent playing this game. He also attacks like Gwyn which is really nostalgic.

Yhorm the Giant: More about the cinematics than anything. Imposing guy and you take him down with a wind sword. Great power fantasy fight.

Pontiff Sulyvahn: The only fight in this list that actively makes me nervous. This dude has a lot of health no matter how leveled I think I am and he has a way of hitting me no matter how I try to avoid him.

Iudex Gundyr: Best first boss in the Souls franchise. Not hard by any means, but definitely a wake up call.

Oceiros, the Consumed King: I’ve never understood how I can beat this dude so easy. Logically, he should be destroying me, but I regularly come out of there with a win in 1-2 tries. Weird guy.

High Lord Wolnir: The solid middle of this list. Easy as hell, but he just looks so cool.

Vordt of the Boreal Valley: Solid easy game clap. Nothing too special about this guy.

Curse-Rotted Greatwood: Tree balls. That’s all I’ve got.

Crystal Sage: Forever my benchmark for kill or be killed bosses. By no means hard, but he will hose you the fuck down with magic sometimes without warning.

Old Demon King: My kryptonite in this game. He kills me for really stupid reasons. He’s like Magma Wyrms in Elden Ring. I should not struggle with this boss and yet…

Deacons of the Deep: Good place to vent out my frustration about organized religion.

Champion and Gravetender: The dog makes this fight a hassle.

Halflight, Spear of the Church: I hate PvP. Fuck this guy.

Ancient Wyvern: Why is this here? Does this count? I really don’t think so.

#dark souls 3

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afaimsarrowverse · 11 months

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250(ish) Favorite Arrowverse Episodes: Part 2: 225-201

Picked from „Arrow“, „Black Lightning“, „Supergirl“, „Legends of Tomorrow“, „The Flash“, „Barwoman“ Season 1+2 and „Superman & Lois“ Season 1+2. I did consider kicking „Superman & Lois“ of this list, but since it pretended to be part of the Arrowverse for its first two seasons I left it on here.

225. Second Chances (Arrow 5x11)

103, Written by: Speed Weed, Sarah Tarkoff, Directed by: Mark Bunting

"Yeah. Maybe this team is all about finding second chances."

224. Hell No, Dolly! (Legends of Tomorow 4x7)

58, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Morgan Faust, Directed by: April Mullen

"Sara? Is it possible that our fugitive killer is a possessed doll?"

"Horror movie 101."

223. Exodus (Supergirl 2x15)

35, Written by: Paula Yoo, Eric Carrasco, Directed by: Michael Allowitz

"'A halb emes iz a gants lign', as my grandmother from the shtetl would say: A half-truth is a whole lie."

222. Streets of Fire (Arrow 2x22)

45, Written by: Jake Coburn, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: Nick Copus

"You honor the dead by fighting and you're not done fighting! Malcolm Merlyn, The Count, the Clock King, the Triad... everyone who was trying to hurt this city, you stopped them. And you will stop Slade."

221. The Trap (The Flash 1x20)

20, Written by: Alison Schapker, Brooke Elkmeier, Directed by: Steve Shill

"You look so young. And I could kill you right now so easy. What I wouldn't have given? All those times before to have had you like this. So helpless. But fate, it's tricky, isn't it? I come here to destroy you. And then to get home, I have to be the one who creates you. But I will say, it's been an education. Watching you grow up all these years. Science fairs and soccer games. No hint, no sign, no trace of the man you will be one day for whom I have nothing but hate. And to be clear, nothing is forgiven. There will be a reckoning. I promise you, Barry Allen, that you will die."

220. There Will be Blood (The Flash 6x4)

118, Written by: Lauren Certo, Sterling Gates, Directed by: Marcus Stokes

"Everyone dies, Ramsey. Maybe the only thing that makes it bearable is to find some meaning in it."

"Well, that means I'm making the greatest sacrifice of all. Don't you see? What I'm becoming, this is the cure. I am the answer, Flash, to the greatest mystery of all. Life eternal."

219. Leap of Faith (Arrow 8x3)

163, Written by: Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Elizabeth Kim, Directed by: Katie Cassidy

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about mom and dad lately, wondering what they would think about the lives we've chosen. All the mistakes they made, all the lies they told in their own very, very messed up way. They thought they were protecting us."

"They weren't. They didn't." "No, but it did help us become the people we are today. They turned us into heroes."

218. Tender is the Nate (Legends of Tomorrow 4x6)

57, Written by: Phil Klemmer, Matthew Maala, Directed by: Dean Choe

"When I first stepped on to this ship, I was, you know, trying to get away from all my baggage back home, and I can't believe I'm gonna say this.... Hemingway once wrote 'Can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.' And thanks to you guys, I don't have to run anymore."

217. Through the Looking Glass (Batwoman 1x16)

16, Written by: Nancy Kiu, Directed by: Sudz Sutherland

"When I was under the influence of Fear Toxin, out of all the horrible things I experienced, worst was being left behind by you."

216. Homecoming (Supergirl 2x14)

34, Written by: Caitlin Parrish, Derek Simon, Directed by: Larry Teng

"I'm not being paranoid here, I'm not. When's the last time we were this lucky? Lucky enough that Cadmus was moving their most valuable prisoner, a guy that the D.E.O. has been unable to find for 15 years, and he just lands in our lap?"

215. City of Blood (Arrow 2x21)

44, Written by: Holly Harold, Directed by: Michael Schultz

"I don't know anything about hoods and masks or...human weapons...or any of this...but I know you. I know you like I know my own name. And I realize it may sound crazy in the light of your secret but I know you in your bones, Oliver. That person doesn't give up. That person...he ALWAYS finds a way."

214. Grodd Lives (The Flash 1x21)

21, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Kai Yu Wu, Directed by: Dermott Downs

"Maybe the accelerator explosion created a meta-gorilla."

213. The Justice Society of America (Legends of Tomorrow 2x2)

18, Written by: Chris Fedak, Sarah Nicole Jones, Directed by: Michael Grossman

"Well, I gotta admit, watching your team work like a well-oiled machine kinda makes me feel like I'm doing this whole hero thing all wrong."

212. What We Leave Behind (Arrow 5x9)

101, Written by: Wendy Mercile, Beth Schwartz, Directed by: Antionio Negret

"There's two types of every legacy, two versions of what we leave behind. There's the good and then the bad. You just really have a lousy habit of focusing only on the bad."

211. Haywire (Superman & Lois 1x4)

4, Written by: Michael Narducci, Directed by: James Bamford

"I've had a lot of time to think about you, obsessively tracking your patterns. I noticed you haven't been around Metropolis quite as much. But that's how I knew that the, um, big shots would move me to a more secure prison. It seems like you're obligated elsewhere. That makes you distracted. Vulnerable. A weakling."

210. Dancing Queen (Legends of Tomorrow 4x3)

54, Written by: James Eagan, Morgan Faust, Directed by: Kristin Windell

"My best friend Nate, he, uh, has a desk job. And Amaya... well, she's gone. I actually really miss her. She was kind of our moral compass. Helped us do the right thing when it wasn't always easy to do the right thing."

"I never knew disco could get so barmy."

209. The Martian Chronicles (Supergirl 2x11)

31, Written by: Gabrial Llanas, Anna Musky-Goldwyn, Directed by: David McWhirter

"This is for every Green you ever killed." "In that skin, you look like a monster." "We're the monsters, Armek. This skin is beautiful."

208. Seeing Red (Arrow 2x20)

43, Written by: Wendy Mercile, Directed by: Doug Aaroniokoski

"Oliver, I know. I know. I've known... since last year, I suppose. The night of The Undertaking, everything became so clear. It was pretty much the night I stopped sleeping."

"Before you say anything else..." "There's nothing else to say. Nothing I need to say. Except I could not be more proud."

207. Rogue Air (The Flash 1x22)

22, Written by: Todd and Aaron Helbing, Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski

"You can't stop me, Flash, and you never will."

206. Out of Time (Legends of Tomorrow 2x1)

17, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Chris Fedak, Phil Klemmer, Marc Guggenheim, Directed by: Dermott Downs

"As flawed and unruly as you are individually, together you are the best crew, the best team a captain could ever hope for. So... stick together. And remember: history is yours now, my dear Legends. Good luck!"

205. Call to Action (Supergirl 4x6)

71, Written by: Gabriel Llanas, Daniel Beaty, Directed by: Antonio Negret

"Well, we did stop the Children of Liberty from hurting innocent aliens. But Agent Liberty is still out there. And the rhetoric of hate is growing. Just haven't figured out how to win this fight yet. With so many people siding with fear, how far will this go?"

204. The Darkest Place (Supergirl 2x7)

27, Written by: Robert Rovner, Paula Yoo, Directed by: Glen Winter

"I've heard that before. Years ago, Superman came to my son, Lex, and promised him the world. A new dawn for mankind. Lex believed him, poor thing. And then he watched as your kinsman infected this country with his propaganda, as his power became unchecked. And when Lex tried to take that power back, Superman convinced the world Lex was evil. My darling boy. My genius son. An actual superman, behind bars for life. Because you and your kind will stop at nothing to poison Earth."

203. Birds of Prey (Arrow 2x17)

40, Written by: Mark Bemesderfer, A. C. Bradley, Directed by: John Behring

„No. He died. And I couldn't deal with it. So I became a drunk. Every problem I had, I solved with a pill or a drink. My friends and my family, they tried to help me, but I wouldn't let them. You don't have to do this, Helena. It's not too late." "Yes, I do. Because once you let the darkness inside, it never comes out."

202. Crazy for you (The Flash 1x12)

12, Written by: Todd and Aaron Helbing, Directed by: Rob Hardy

"Not too many men can keep up with me."

201. Abnominations (Legends of Tomorow 2x4)

20, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Michael Allowitz

"No! Please, don't say it. I know they're essentially a myth, but I have this irrational fear of..." "Zombies." "Please, don't say it."

#Arrowverse #Favorite Episodes #Arrow #The Flash #Supergirl #legends of tomorrow #Batwoman #Superman & Lois

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manhunter4 · 2 years

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i made my own meme to suit my own needs

#gotta be one of my favorite genders #meme #venom #vexus #no face #aldrich #nowhere king #aku #elephant's foot #goomy #gender #ferngully #spirited away #centaur world #dark souls 3 #centaurworld

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sassypantsjaxon · 3 years

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The Second Seat

Long long ago, before you or me, before the king and queen, and even before the four kingdoms and the jokers-”

“Mama, you always tell this story,” a little voice objected.

“That’s because it’s your favorite.” Saeko reminded her young son with a kiss on his round cheek. He giggled, unable to protest as she hugged him closer.

“Before everything, there were the Fates. And the Fates had power over everything. So They made the world, and the people, and everything the people needed to live, and They gave the people a part of their powers, and everything was right in the world.”

The toddler yawned as he laid his head on his mother’s shoulder. She paused to kiss his dark hair before continuing.

“But the rightness wouldn’t last. The people began to fight, they learned war, and how to use the powers the Fates had given them to hurt and kill. They fought over food, over land, over other people, and over whose powers were stronger.”

Little fingers tightened on her shoulder. This was his least favorite part.

“The Fates were unhappy that Their gifts had caused such pain. So They divided the world into four kingdoms, according to the land, and the ability of the people, in the hopes that the wars would end. The four kingdoms came to be known as Diamonds, Spades, Clubs, and-”

“Hearts.” her son sleepily finished for her.

“Yes,” she praised him, giving him another kiss. “Hearts. And for a while it worked. Everything was right again. Until the people grew angry again. They asked why the Fates should have so much power while the people were stuck under Their control. So the people came together, thinking that their combined powers would be enough to hurt the Fates, to bring Them down to our level, and truly make the world right.” Her arms tightened around her son.

“But this angered the Fates. They retaliated by stripping the people of the powers They had given them, and took almost all memory of the ability we once had. And we were alone.”

She could feel her son’s deep, even breathing. If he wasn’t asleep yet, he would be soon. She continued the story anyway, almost to the end. “But They left us with a few parting gifts: the Jokers, the only ones left with the powers They had given us; the royalty of the four kingdoms, to lead and guide the people; and one single ability for everyone, the greatest ability of them all, to be able to find love.

“And there was one more gift,” she whispered to her sleeping child, rocking him in her arms, “Four very important people, one for each kingdom, with the ability to find their powers again, and to bring them back to the people when the time is right.” She kissed her son as she laid him into his bed, “And that time is coming soon, my dear,” she promised, “I know it is.” Saeko brushed his hair away from his forehead, and tucked a blanket around him. She got up, giving her son one last loving look before leaving, trusting that he would be alright alone for a little while longer.

She took her gloves from her apron pockets, putting them back on as she left the servant’s halls and made her way back to the queen’s room. As the personal lady’s maid to Queen Adriana, Saeko carried a lot of responsibility. But the two women trusted each other, in fact, Saeko was one of the few people Adriana was close enough to to call a friend. And yet…

Saeko gently knocked on the queen’s door, “My Lady?” she called, waiting for an answer.

...During a conversation earlier in the evening, the two had come into a disagreement. Adriana had been in the wrong, and refused to budge, but as the queen, it was her right to have her way. So Saeko had ceded, at least for the time being, and excused herself to put her son to bed, as she did every night with the queen’s blessing.

“My Lady?” she repeated, knocking again before letting herself into the room. The room was empty, the bed untouched, and the queen’s dressing gown still laying across it, where Saeko had left it earlier. Across the room, the queen’s chair was pushed away from her desk, as if she had abruptly stood. The diary that she meticulously kept was laying open on the desk.

Saeko turned around again. The door to the queen’s bath was open just a crack. Saeko could feel the warmth of the steam as she approached the door. “My Lady,” she sighed as she turned back to pick up the queen’s dressing gown, double checking that she had replaced her gloves, “You could have had my assistance if you had waited a little longer.”

…

Her son was awake again when she returned to their room. He was crying, and reached out for her as soon as he saw her. “Oh, my dear,” Saeko sighed as she picked him up, brushing his hair away from his face again. She hadn’t removed her gloves yet, but could still feel how warm his skin was through them. “Oh, Fates,” she whispered, either a curse or a prayer, as she wrapped his blanket around him. She didn’t even take the time to find her own coat, holding him against her shoulder and hurrying downstairs.

She had almost made it to the servant’s door before she was stopped.

“Saeko?” someone asked before she could make her escape, “Is something wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”

She turned to look at the footman who had stopped her, “It’s my son,” she explained, his crying had died down, but she could still hear his gasping breaths and feel the heat of his skin against her own. “He has a fever. I need to take him to a doctor.”

“Why not just call the court physician?” he offered, “I’m sure he could handle it.”

Before Saeko could protest, one of the bells for one of the upstairs rooms rang. “Oh, dear,” the footman sighed, “That’s probably the queen, wanting her nightly tea,” he shook his head, “I could hold him, if you’d like, and wait for the doctor, while you tend to her.”

Saeko shook her head. “Can’t someone else go?” she begged in a desperate whisper, “It’s my son, she would understand.”

He gave her a sympathetic smile, “You know how these royals are,” he reached for the child, “Really Saeko.”

She stared at him in disbelief. There were three things she was sure of: the severity of her son’s situation, that it wasn’t the queen ringing for her, and that she would never be able to convince this man of either of the first two. She finally relented, knowing there was no other way out, and praying to all the Fates as she left her son behind.

…

It was late. Aldrich was pacing across his office, Lucius was sitting in one of his chairs, watching him. “I don’t understand.” Aldrich finally said.

“No,” Lucius agreed in a heavy sigh, “I don’t either. I’m sure we never will.”

“Adriana was more level headed than that-”

“Unless she really wasn’t,” Lucius argued, “We’ll never know that either.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Aldrich snapped.

Lucius shrugged, “One of us has to be. By morning, you’ll have calmed down, and it will be my turn to panic.”

The king sank into his chair behind his desk, running his hands through his hair and glaring at his jack, knowing he was right. “I don’t understand.” he repeated, a bit more calmly this time.

The queen was dead. She had been discovered in her bath when her personal maid and one of the kitchen maids had brought her some tea. The two women were currently being asked about the scene they had found by a few of the guards. The king and jack were waiting for an official report from the ace.

There was a soft knock on the door. “Yes,” Aldrich snapped, expecting to see his ace enter, but instead it was the nurse who cared for his two sons, as well as Lucius’ two grandsons. Both men sat a little straighter, the previous anxiety mixing with a sudden concern for the children. “Is something wrong?” Aldrich asked.

“Well, your Majesty,” the poor woman glanced from one man to the other to the floor as she twisted a pair of gloves in her hands, clearly nervous, “It’s just...Miss Saeko, the queen’s maid? Her boy was sick. And...with her...occupied...he was brought to me so I could care for him. The doctor was supposed to look at him, I think, but with the queen...oh Fates, the queen…” she was crying now, unsure how to continue.

Aldrich shook his head, wondering if there was a reason for this story, or if the woman was just rambling, “And?” he prompted.

“And...his fever is terrible,” she choked back a sob, “So I thought maybe I should do something. A cool bath never hurt anybody.” She sobbed again, wringing her gloves in her hands, “He’s just so small…” she broke down sobbing.

Aldrich waited for her to calm down a bit more again. “And what about him? Is there something wrong?”

She nodded as she wiped her eyes, then shook her head, “Not wrong, exactly. He...he has the Queen’s mark.”

#you can have the unedited prologue to the geritapan cardverse soulmates story...#as a treat #hetalia fanfic #cardverse #aph germania #aph rome #aph japan #oc #does my good christian upbringing come through in the worldbuilding?#i feel like it does #when will I write more of this?#who knows? maybe never #we'll see #cardverse soulmate au #the second seat

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moos-cow · 3 years

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Gemini

Chapter 3

A/N: Wellllp, look who's back with the long overdue, chapter 3 hehehehehe

5:00 am. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The room was bathed in darkness when she woke up to the sound of her phone’s annoyingly loud alarm. Unfortunately, she left the device on the dresser across the room. Despite feeling the drag brought by jet lag, she mustered the energy to get up and turn it off, shaking off any of the drowsiness she had left along the way.

Unread notification: 1 file successfully downloaded

Right. It was still there-- the file sent by Max. She fumbled with her phone for a bit, a strange yet vague gut feeling calling to her.

“Oh, what the hell. Like it will change anything.” She scoffed and opened the file. She was stuck in another world, surely someone else would go and take this assignment in her place after a week or two.

Click. Click.

The Academy --Confidential-- Agent ID: Bellona Target ID: “Aldrich Winter” Last known whereabouts: Farringdon, London, England, -12 weeks Notes: Track and eliminate. --Image below--

"12 weeks? No wonder why this idiot sent me this." She murmured to herself. In her opinion, Max deserved the title of being the most annoying admin personnel in all of The Academy; volunteering on her behalf for the most absurd and difficult targets the Council had on their list, even if his intel saved her ass a couple of times.

Aside from the short text, the file came attached with a sole picture of a man. Being curious as always, she carefully studied the photo in the file-- Ocean blue eyes, neat blonde hair, and a large scar from his left cheek bone down to his jaw.

What on earth did you do that made the Council hate you so much?

Time seemed to pass by fast that morning as sunlight gradually filled the room. She closed the file and completely shut the phone down, sticking it back in the side pocket of her bag. By habit, she took a shower and changed into some clothes that seemed to fit in this world: a partially tucked v-neck, jacket, jeans, and sneakers.

With a packed wafer in hand, she tread for the door. A short knock was immediately followed by her opening of the door, Ray and Sirius stood there waiting.

“Ray, Sirius. Good morning.”

“You're up early.” The Queen greets nonchalantly. "feeling better, little lady?"

"Much much better. Please, come in." She gestured and led them inside the room, offering them a wafer each as they took a seat on the sofa. “I was just about to go and look for the two of you.”

“Lucky us then." Ray chimes as he studied the wafer in his hand.

"Everything is packed like that in the other- in the Land of Reason." She comments and tears open hers to demonstrate. "I assume that you don't have those here?"

"We don't." Ray deadpanned, placed the wafer down on the table and clasped his hands over his knees, signalling the change of topic. Sirius slipped a fountain pen and paper across the table-- a contract of sorts.

"So, Alice," Ray started again, "We had a discussion yesterday, and we’d like to propose a deal to you, one that will both help us survive in this world.”

“What kind?” She leaned on the dresser behind her, listening intently, but not batting an eye to the document.

“You see, your ability to nullify magic is just what we need.” The King continued, “so, if you promise to help us when we need you, we promise to keep you safe.”

Ah, and there it is-- the catch.

“Safe? I don’t know how to control this magic though,” she bluntly stated, remembering Kyle’s words from the night before. "I might just be a liability to you all."

Ray took a quick glance at Sirius. “We can work that out.” Sirius flashed her a satisfied grin.

Onyx pools looked into their eyes for a moment of thoughtful consideration. Accepting their proposition would seem… ideal, but it required trust. She’ll be bound to them for a whole month if she'd agree. Daily interactions with the soldiers will surely rouse them up, and the dreaded questions about her will come-- there will be no escaping that. She had to delay those as much as possible.

Distancing herself sounded impossible, and evading will only lead to more questions; at that moment, lying was her only option, even if it was never her strong suit.

The less they know, the better.

She took the pen and paper and scanned through the contents. Taking her time in marking out items that she thought needed revisions before she slid the document back to them.

"Forgive me, but I've never been in an army setting before. I’d rather be civil and be called by my real name, not Alice."

Sirius scanned over her legibly written notes on the document. A soft smile graced his lips, her points were valid, and all were taken. Besides, even they didn’t mind foregoing their titles when simply talking to their comrades.

"We can work with these." he spoke, handing the document to Ray, who later read and, to her surprise, signed at the bottom of the document.

“Just like that?" she spoke after munching on the last bite of her wafer.

“Just like that.” Ray stood up and raised his hand to salute her, “On behalf of the Black Army, Amaya, Freedom soars on raven wings. Welcome.” She mirrored him and saluted in return.

Sirius stood up and rested a hand on her head, lightly ruffling her hair in the process. “Welcome to the Black Army, little lady.”

Amaya walked them to the door, but paused just as her hand held the knob, muffled voices can be heard-- voices that belonged to Seth and Fenrir were right by the doorway, bickering over whether they should knock this early or not. With pursed lips and a light sigh, she opened the door. It was indeed them, clad in their complete uniforms.

“Ahh!” Seth immediately shrieked at the sight of the young lady. "Alice, sweetie! How are you?!"

"Mornin’, guys!" Fenrir quickly followed up, eyeing their superiors who were just behind her.

“Seth, Fenrir, good morning! I’m much better, thanks.” she says, taken aback by their extremely high energies so early in the morning. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything's perfect, sweetie!" Seth announced in his goody-good high tone.

"Since you were out cold yesterday, we decided to postpone your Official Black Army Headquarters Tour to today!"

"My what?" She asked, lost, obviously not picking up on anything they were saying.

"Sir Fenrir, Sir Seth! Ah, Sir Ray and Sir Sirius too! Good morning, sirs! I have a message from Sir Luka!" a soldier came running and stood in attention before them, "You have one hour, else, no dessert tonight!"

"One hour for what?"

Without batting an eye to anything she just asked, they exchanged huge grins and stepped to either side of her, each of them taking a hold of an arm.

"Well we wouldn't want to miss tonight's special dessert now, do we?!" Seth exclaimed, shaking and swaying the young lady's arm in the process.

"All aboard Amaya's Official Black Army Headquarters Tour!" Fenrir shouted through the hallways.

Their sheer excitement was overflowing, it was clearer than day that they hadn't heard a single word she'd said. Next thing she knew, they were racing down the hallways.

"She’ll be fine... right?" Ray grinned to the taller man beside him, whilst Sirius just sighed and closed the door behind them as they left the room.

Down the stairs and out the front door the trio went, running along the paved road that stretched out long between lawns lined with black flags that snapped with the chilly wind.

“Welcome to the Black Army Headquarters!” the two officers sang as they turned her around. "Your home until the next full moon!"

At the end of the paved road stood a huge black manor, completely different from how the Red Army Headquarters looked like.

From the gates, they headed to the training grounds and stables at the back of the building. Some soldiers who just finished their morning runs casually greeted them as they passed.

Inside, they took her through the common areas of every floor they could get their hands on, and scanned through the bedrooms on the second floor.

“So how many soldiers live here?” Amaya asked as they walked through the bedroom assignments.

“500.” Fenrir states, “But the only ones required to live here are the thirteen officers.”

“And the others?”

“They can stay as long as they keep their rooms clean and chip in with the chores, like--” Seth declares as he opens one bedroom door for a random inspection.

“AHH!” He squeals and slams the door shut before anyone else could get a look of what’s inside. His face lost all light and turned extremely grim.

“Seth, what’s wrong?” she asked while Fenrir laughed hysterically.

“Nothing, sweetie.” Seth turned around in a snap and with a huge pout on his face. “Let’s head back to the dining hall, shall we?”

Fenrir whispered in her ear, trying to suppress his laugh. “Looks like a messy room to me.”

The gentle scent of food wafted through the air as they made their way back to the dining hall.

“Oh wow, that smells good.” she took a deep death in, taking in all that goodness.

“If it’s Luka’s cooking, I’m sure it’ll taste even better!” Fenrir said as he opened the door to the dining hall, gesturing for her to step inside.

The aroma that blew past them was incredibly tantalizing. Dishes of all sorts, including some of her favorites, were lined up along the huge dining table-- from pancakes, salad, toast, eggs, bacon, fresh fruits, sausages, croissants-- it was mouthwatering, to say at the very least.

“Ah! Is that banana bread?” she asks, eyes immediately locked onto the loaves placed at the center of the table.

“Looks like our little chef had fun in the kitchen today.” Seth gushed, looking at the direction of Luka.

Taking Seth's hint, she called out to the army's chef, “Luka, this looks amazing!”

“Thanks.” Luka gruffly said, looking away with a faint smile on his face. “Eat. It’ll get cold.”

Seth pulled a seat and gestured for Amaya to sit between Luka and himself.

As they all began to eat, Ray called from the head of the table, raising a glass in cheers. “To the newest member of the Black Army.”

She raised her glass and just smiled back before downing the orange juice in it.

“Tell me, little lady. What sort of work did you do in the Land of Reason? Or are you still studying?” Sirius asked from across her.

“Both? I work in marketing and am taking my postgraduate studies at the moment.” she gleefully answered, pouring a ton load of syrup on her 3-storey pancake tower.

No sooner had she noticed that the table had fallen silent, eyes and ears were on her as the officers listened intently to the answers.

“And you’re, how old?” Fenrir asks through a mouthful of hash browns.

“Fenrir, you oaf! You don’t just go around asking ladies how old they are!” Seth outright scolded the younger lad, waving his fork around. “That’s downright disrespectful!”

“Oh wow. It’s fine, Seth! It’s fine!” she gushed, trying to suppress her bursting laughter “I’m turning 25.”

“When?” Luka promptly asked from beside her in his quiet tone.

“Soon. But not in the next 30 days.”

"You're not far off from these brats." Sirius spoke with all seriousness.

"Really?" She tried to bite back her sarcasm, but her tone made it all too obvious, earning a laugh from Sirius.

“So, any hobbies? Interests? Do you want to go shopping?” Seth bombards her with question after question.

Struck by the question, she set her fork down on the plate and leaned back on the chair, pouting unconsciously “Hmm. I’ve never really thought about that.” she took her cup to her lips, inhaling the earthy aroma of the coffee, “Coffee? I like good coffee. Travelling, maybe? I travel a lot for work. Cooking? Breakfast is magical, by the way.”

“Do you have any siblings, Alice?” another asked from the other end of the table, earning him some teasing remarks from the other soldiers. "Yeah maybe you can bring them here sometime!"

Goodness. Boys. Of all the things they could ask.

She drew a quick frown at the question before clearing her throat to answer, “I had two older sisters.” She stuck her fork through the sliced 3-tier pancake and shoved it into her mouth. Pissed. Though, it wasn’t because of the 3 of Spade’s audacity to ask that swashbuckling of a question, but rather, it reopened a deep wound.

“Was that bad?” Luka asked softly.

She slipped, eagerly shaking her head, “Oh- no, no.” she paused, carefully looking for the right words to say, “Family is… just something I'd rather not talk about.”

Thankfully, Luka didn’t press any further. But the weight of Sirius’ gaze on her was evident, one she just chose to ignore.

Breakfast with the officers wasn’t as uptight as how she thought it would be. They were bantering and teasing one another left and right like kids. This proved to be a rare sight for military men, their titles and ranks seemed to be left at the door.

Not long after, one by one, they began to leave for their respective duties, and Amaya was left with Sirius and Luka in the dining hall. She volunteered-- insisted, rather, to help clean up the area after knowing that they actually threw this breakfast banquet for her.

With a couple of mugs in hand, she stopped by the window to watch the soldiers spar with each other out in the courtyard. Fenrir and Ray were there, getting pretty hands-on themselves.

"Is it like this everyday?" she asked, eyes still glued to the window.

"Hmm?" Sirius towered over her short frame, taking a quick peek at the activities outside. "Generally, yes. Training is scheduled throughout the day. Different times for different squads."

"Mmm." She hummed. Her eyes followed one of the soldiers who was heavy on his feet. It was amusingly painful to watch how he threw himself forward with the thrust of his wooden sword, only to be parried and tripped to fall face first on the ground. "Oh nooo-" she mumbled, lightly laughing at the young man's stumble.

Engrossed in the comedic scene before her, she forgot that Sirius was still beside her by the window when he spoke, "Those are their new recruits, by the way."

Of course they were the new recruits. If they weren't, they'd be wiped out in an instant if they were thrown out in the frontlines. She kept her opinions to herself, slightly shaking her head at the thought that maybe even she could take them out with her eyes closed.

"Mmhmm, and it looks like Ray and Fenrir are having the time of their lives with the kids." she chuckled, watching the Ace spar 3-to-1. His hand-to-hand combat skills are impeccable, but a bit reckless to some extent, obviously treating that session like a game more than an actual spar.

"Sirius," Luka softly called from the kitchen door, cutting the two from their conversation. "I'll be going to the market."

"Want to go for a walk, little lady?" Sirius asked.

"Sure," she shrugged, taking one last look outside before glancing at Sirius. "Where to?"

Sirius gazed at Luka who was buttoning his jacket by the kitchen doorway, "Luka, could you take this little lady with you to the market?"

The purple-haired soldier looked questioningly back and forth between Sirius and Amaya, "Amaya? Okay."

#ikemen revolution fanfiction #ikemen fanfiction #ikemen kakumei #ikemen series #ikemen revolution #ikemen original character #gemini

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hellshores · 4 years

Text

switchblades and sinshots

chapter from my current wip, viva la vida - there are no spoilers:)

It had been late on a rainy night when Switch had gotten the assassination job, but then again, Switch only operated during the darkest hours.

Switch – always referred to as they, as their identity was so well-hidden that the people of the streets couldn’t even figure out whether the feared assassin was female, male, or neither – had been perched on the fire escape of a gambling den when it had happened.

They’d been biding their time, waiting for nothing and no one, as they weren’t in the middle of a job and had nowhere else to go except for their shithole of a home. Depending on the job, a life as an assassin paid well, but it wasn’t nearly enough to live comfortably.

As Switch surveyed the dark street, slick from the rainfall, they wondered just how the hell they’d gotten to this point, how the hell they’d become someone like this – a question the assassin often found themselves contemplating. Falling sins, even their very street name came from their weapon of choice: a switchblade, small but fast, unassuming yet deadly.

The last thing you’ll see is the glint of their switchblade, the people of the streets liked to whisper. In a strange, twisted sort of way, they loved the notorious assassin: most things in this side of the city – nicknamed Hellshore, as it was right along the ocean that divided Tenebra and Lumen – were gambled for, so it was no surprise that many people had placed countless bets on Switch’s identity.

In fact, there was one occasion when a particularly talented and sneaky – or, more likely, desperate and stupid – individual became dangerously close to finding out. It was really rather unfortunate that the night had ended with the dreaded switchblade of the very person the idiot was trying to identify buried in his gut.

But what was done was done. Switch couldn’t shed their reputation as an assassin any more than Argent and Mech, the other two faceless, notorious figures of Concordia, could.

Argent, Switch, and Mech. The infamous three names that everyone both feared and respected, the Unholy Trinity, as the people of Hellshore liked to call them, the rulers of the streets – until, of course, another piece had entered the board: Deadfall, possibly the most dangerous, mysterious of them all. No one knew who he was or what his intentions were, not even Argent, the thief of secrets. He seemed to be utterly untouchable; as far as Switch knew, no one had ever made direct contact with him. The only thing Switch was aware of was that, while it seemed as though Deadfall had been on the streets since the beginning of time, he’d only materialized shortly after the fall of King Drystan Alastor.

Many assumed all four dangerous, unidentified figures worked together, or that the Unholy Trinity worked under Deadfall himself – but in truth, they all worked for no one but themselves, and they rarely interacted; on the contrary, they had an unspoken, mutual agreement: Don’t interfere with my dealings, I won’t interfere with yours.

Though it seemed as if Switch had been having a severe lack of jobs to be interfered with recently. Of course, one might consider that a good thing, as less people were being killed – but as their only source of income, Switch didn’t find this a positive, especially because the targets they were tasked to assassinate were usually the sewer-rat-type sinshots who more likely than not deserved to die.

Before Switch could sink further into their rather ironic self-pity, the faintest noise reached the assassin’s ears: a nearly imperceptible flick, like a card being flipped in the air. Holding their breath, Switch waited until they were completely sure the person was gone before slowly leaning over to see where the sound had come from.

Sure enough, a playing card lay on the ground, rainwater soaking it through.

Quickly and soundlessly, Switch leapt from the fire escape and landed lightly on the street, the puddles under the assassin’s feet barely rippling as they leaned down to swipe the card. There was writing on the back, part of it smudged unintelligibly thanks to the rain, and Switch melted back into the shadows of the gambling den’s dirty alleyway to try and decipher the smeared words.

I have a job for y willing to pay a price you can’t turn

To meet me, follow the ca

Stifling an irritated sigh, Switch tilted the card, trying to figure out what the missing letters were.

I have a job for y . . . ou, and I’m willing to pay a price you can’t turn . . . down.

To meet me, follow the . . . cat. . . . cart. . . . call. . . .

The first two lines were safe bets, but the last one was questionable – until a group of obnoxiously loud men barreled out the door from the gambling den, drunkenly shouting something about heading over to the club on the next block over, and it finally clicked in Switch’s mind:

To meet me, follow the card.

Switch flipped the playing card over. The fifth of clubs – the club on Fifth street. Absurdly obvious now that they understood. Oh, how so gods-damned clever of you.

The rain dripped off the water resistant material of Switch’s dark hood as they leapt back up onto the fire escape, quickly climbing up to the roof. Of course, they could have taken the route through the narrow alleyways, but the rooftop made a far better vantage point – and anyway, the assassin could use the adrenaline rush.

The buildings of Hellshore were tightly packed together, making it all too easy to jump from one to another. Switch enjoyed the rush of the wind as they flew from roof to roof, each landing light and silent, each leap smooth and graceful.

If the assassin had any sort of favorite pastime, this would be it.

Almost too soon, Switch had reached Fifth Street, a busy main road with people and carts hurriedly rushing in every direction. From Switch’s viewpoint, they all closely resembled a colony of panicking ants, scurrying around with no real place to go – open, vulnerable, all-too-easy prey.

But you’re not here to hunt them, Switch reminded themselves, quickly locating a drainpipe to slide down. There was only one club on Fifth – the notorious Nightshade institution, known for its sketchy dealings and, according to the rumors, the best drinks in all of Tenebra. And since everyone in Hellshore ultimately ran on alcohol alone, Nightshade was always packed, any and every time of the day.

Switch made it to the club, considered entering through the door, and then deigned to go through the club’s large vent system – not to be unnecessarily complicated, but because the assassin didn’t have the time nor motivation to battle the crowds and whispers.

And yes, fine, going through the vent system was also undeniably fun.

Switch located the opening to the vent and was just about to pry it open when a faint whisper reached their ears.

“Assassin.”

Switch was already standing, that infamous switchblade in their hand, glinting dully in the weakly flickering street lights.

“Come out slowly with your hands up,” Switch said, their voice disguised by a special microphone in their hood. “If you so much as flash a weapon, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

The phrase was usually enough to subdue anyone who dared hire the dangerous assassin, but whoever had led Switch here only gave a dark, quiet laugh. “You won’t kill me,” they said. “I have a price you can’t refuse – and from what I hear, Switch, you never turn away a good price.”

By the sound of their smooth baritone, Switch assumed the unknown figure was male – though they could have been using a voice-changing microphone as well, so there was no way to be sure.

“Show me your face, and then we’ll talk,” Switch replied, an unfamiliar sense of uneasiness beginning to press in. No one had ever been able to stay unseen from the assassin for this long; the fact that they were accomplishing so was enough to set Switch on edge.

“You say that while still keeping your own identity hidden,” the unknown person remarked, sounding faintly amused. “That hardly seems fair, now, does it?”

Falling sins. It took quite some nerve to provoke the Switchblade Assassin – if Switch could have even just seen this mysterious potential hirer, the bastard would’ve been dead long ago. But they couldn’t even sense the other person, couldn’t even hear a whisper of their breath, something that rarely – indeed, never – happened.

Switch’s teeth gritted together. After a long moment of silence, they finally said, “Just tell me what the bloody job is, sinshot.”

Though the assassin couldn’t see it, they could sense the other person’s humorless smile. “I knew you would come through for me.”

“I swear to all the gods, I will carve out your ass and leave it on the street to rot,” Switch snapped. “You have thirty seconds to tell me the job, or we’re done.”

“You truly do drive a hard bargain,” the other person deadpanned. After a pause, they said almost too simply, “Assassinate Prince Laurent Aldrich.”

For a moment, Switch was entirely caught off guard – and Switch was never caught off guard.

Finally, the assassin said, “That’s the job?”

“That’s the job.”

“Falling sins and saints, you’re a blasting idiot.” Switch turned to leave. “I’m out. Find some other lucky sinshot to pine after.”

“Ah, but there’s more to it than I’ve told you,” the other person said. “Unfortunately, I cannot detail the rest unless you accept – and remember, I’m offering you a price you can’t turn down.”

“No amount of coins will make this worth it. It’s impossible, risky to the point of idiocy.”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not offering coins.”

Switch laughed in disbelief. “Then what is this un-turn-downable price you claim you can give me?”

There was another pause. “I can give you the identities of both Argent and Mech.”

Again, Switch was thrown.

For a moment, it sounded unbelievably tempting – but reason finally caught up with the assassin, and they shook their head. “Hardly worth it. It makes it easier for us to operate unknown and unnamed – and anyway, why the hell should I trust that you even know?”

“Because,” the sinshot answered, “I know your identity as well.”

Switch shook their head again. “You’re full of shit, sinshot. We’re done here.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t walk away quite yet,” the other person said, and though their voice remained pleasantly indifferent, Switch could hear the veiled threat behind the words. “The impossibility of your situation hasn’t yet clicked, has it?” There was a pause where Switch imagined the sinshot leaning forward, as if coming in to share a secret. “If you don’t do this job, Switchblade Assassin, I will tell both Argent and Mech who you are – and once the thief of secrets knows, no one can predict where that juicy little tidbit of information will spread.”

For a moment, Switch was frozen. Falling gods-damned sins and saints. Now that this unknown figure had pointed it out, the assassin finally understood too late the amount of saintshit they were in. Even if this bastard was making it up, there was that slightest chance they weren’t – which meant Switch’s entire life was hanging precariously in the balance.

Was it worth taking that risk?

“If you’re really telling the truth,” Switch finally said, “you can tell me either Argent’s or Mech’s identity now.”

“Oh, I could,” the sinshot replied. “But if you decide to back out of the job at the last second, I will have traded the name for nothing.”

“So you want to pay me after I kill the gods-damned golden prince of Lumen – and if I don’t, you’ll tell all of Concordia my identity.”

“Again, there’s more to it than that – but ultimately, yes.”

Switch very much wanted to stab something – preferably whoever the hell they were talking to. “You could be a lying bastard for all I know.”

“I could,” the sinshot said, “but do you want to wait and find out, knowing there’s a minute chance I’m not?”

The assassin silently cursed themselves – they were well and thoroughly trapped. “At least tell me how you know my identity.”

“I have connections.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“That’s the only answer you’re going to get.”

Switch shook their head in incredulity. “At least show me your blasting face.”

“That’s something I simply cannot afford.”

Oh, Switch very, very much wanted to stab them. “Give me your name, then, sinshot, because I don’t deal with people I don’t know.”

The mysterious hirer gave a dry laugh. “Well, since you asked so gods-damned politely,” they replied, and then paused for a long time – not for dramatic effect, but as if they were slowly, carefully thinking of how to respond.

Finally, they said, “Call me Deadfall.”

#holy crap that was longer than i thought #writing #writing snippet #wip #writer #vlv #saintshit

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sukizula · 5 years

Text

Happy Father's day to my favorite, and arguably one of the best fathers in Greek Mythology: 🗡Ares🗡

- Avenged his daughter Aclippe by killing her attempted assaulter or rapist Halirrthious, a son of Poseidon.

vrs. 1 (tw: attempted assault)

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 180 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

vrs. 2 (tw: rape)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 21. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :

- He gave his son Oenomaus, A king of Pisa, armour, weapons and a fabulous four-horse war chariot (the context is a bit gorey but we are talking about Ares' kids here.)

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca E2. 5 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

"He [Oinomaos king of Pisa] offered his daughter in marriage as follows: the suitor had to take Hippodameia on his own chariot and flee as far as the Isthmos of Korinthos. Oinomaos at once gave chase, fully armed with weapons and horses given him by Ares. If he caught them, he killed the suitor . . . he would cut off their heads, and tack them up on his house."

- He gave his own war-belt to Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons who were his daughters, because of her warrior like spirit.

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 98 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

"As a symbol of her pre-eminence among them [the Amazones], Hippolyte was possessor of the belt of Ares."

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 1. 618 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) :

"Amazones have joyed in ruthless fight, in charging steeds, from the beginning: all the toil of men do they endure; and therefore evermore the spirit of the War-god thrills them through. They fall not short of men in anything: their labour-hardened frames make great their hearts for all achievement: never faint their knees nor tremble. Rumour speaks their queen to be a daughter of [Ares] the mighty Lord of War. Therefore no woman may compare with her in prowess - if she be a woman, not a God come down in answer to our prayers."

- He gave his son Diomedes, a King of Pisa, a herd of man-eating mares which Heracles stole (King Diomedes: ….thanks dad?)

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca E2. 5 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

- He bestowed upon Penthesileia, another queen of the Amazons, a fabulous set of armour and weapons. When she died in the Trojan War he mourned for her deeply, wanting to destroy Achilles (until he remembers the other god's sacrifices in the war)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 1. 176 ff :

"But when Eos (the Dawn), the rosy-ankled, leapt up from her bed, then, clad in mighty strength of spirit, suddenly from her couch uprose Penthesileia. Then did she array her shoulders in those wondrous fashioned arms given her of [Ares] the War-god.

Her death:

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 1. 923 ff :

"Then Ares' heart was thrilled with grief and rage for his child slain. Straight from Olympos down he darted, swift and bright as thunderbolt terribly flashing from the mighty hand of Zeus, far leaping o'er the trackless sea, or flaming o'er the land, while shuddereth all wide Olympus as it passeth by. So through the quivering air with heart aflame swooped Ares armour-clad, soon as he heard the dread doom of his daughter...So Ares, battle-eager Son of Zeus, was stayed, how loth soe'er; for all the Gods to the Ruler of the Blessed needs must yield, seeing he sits high-throned above them all, clothed in his might unspeakable. Yet still many a wild thought surged through Ares' soul, urging him now to dread the terrible threat of Kronos' wrathful Son, and to return heavenward, and now to reck not of his Sire, but with Akhilleus' blood to stain those hands, the battle-tireless. At the last his heart remembered how that many and many a son of Zeus himself in many a war had died, nor in their fall had Zeus availed them aught. Therefore he turned him from the Argives - else, down smitten by the blasting thunderbolt, with Titanes in the nether gloom he had lain, who dared defy the eternal will of Zeus."

Burial:

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 1. 1990 ff :

"And, as for a beloved daughter, rang all round the Trojan men's heart-stricken wail, as by the stately wall they buried her on an outstanding tower, beside the bones of old Laomedon, a queen beside a king. This honour for Ares' sake they rendered, and for Penthesileia's own."

- Actively supported his Amazon daughters in their respective wars (one in numerous Anatolian kingdoms, the other in the battle of Troy)

Aeschylus, Eumenides 685 ff (trans. Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :

"And this Hill of Ares (pagos Areion), the seat and camp of the Amazones, when they came with an army in resentment against Theseus, and in those days built up this new citadel with lofty towers to rival his, and sacrificed to Ares, from which this rock takes its name, the Hill of Ares."

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2. 382 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) :

"[King Phineus tells the Argonauts of the obstacles they will face on their voyage across the Black Sea :] ‘When you have left these behind [the Mossynoekoi tribe on the southern shore of the Black Sea], you must beach your ship on a low-lying island, though not before you find some means of driving off the innumerable Birds that haunt the lonely shore and pay no deference to man. Her the Queens of the Amazones, Otrere and Antiope [or Hippolyte], built a marble shrine for Ares when they were going to war.’"

- When his daughter Queen Harmonia was living a catastrophic life, the worse comes to worst when she, along with her husband Cadmus, are turned into snakes by an angry Apollo (for sacking his oracle). He safely transferred them in the Elysium, where they may live a long immortal life among the blessed gods.

Euripides, Bacchae 1357 ff (trans. Buckley) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :

"[Dionysos addresses Kadmos :] ‘Kadmos, hear what suffering Fate appoints for you. You shall transmute your nature, and become a serpent. Your wife Harmonia, whom her father Ares gave to you, a mortal, likewise shall assume the nature of beasts, and live a snake. The oracle of Zeus foretells that you, at the head of a barbaric horde, shall with your wife drive forth a pair of heifers yoked, and with your countless army destroy many cities; but when they plunder Loxias' [Apollon's] oracle, they shall find a miserable homecoming [transformed by the god into serpents]. However, Ares shall at last deliver both you and Harmonia, and grant you immortal life among the blessed gods.’"

- Sorefully grieved for his son Askalaphos when he died during the Trojan War

Homer, Iliad 15. 110 ff :

"Hera spoke before them all [the gods on Olympos] in vexation : ‘. . . I think already a sorrow has been wrought against Ares. His son has been killed in the fighting, dearest of all men to him, Askalaphos, whom stark Ares calls his own son.’ So she spoke. Then Ares struck against both his big thighs with the flats of his hands, and spoke a word of anger and sorrow : ‘Now, you who have your homes on Olympos, you must not blame me for going among the ships of the Akhaians, and avenging my son's slaughter, even though it be my fate to be struck by Zeus' thunderbolt, and sprawl in the blood and dust by the dead men.’

- When his son Kyknos was killed by Heracles, he attempted to avenge his son’s death, but Zeus threw a thunderbolt between them, causing them to seize. (other version have Athena and Heracles injuring him.)

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 31 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :

"He [Herakles] killed Cygus, son of Mars [Ares], conquering him by force of arms. When Mars [Ares] came there, and wanted to contend with him in arms because of his son, Jove [Zeus] hurled a thunderbolt between them."

- When his lover Aerope died giving birth to their son, he made a way so that his son can still drink his mother’s milk. He named Aphneios, meaning “abundant.”

Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 44. 7 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :

"On the right of the road [from Tegea, Arkadia through the Manthouric Plain] is a small mountain called Mount Kresios, on which stands the sanctuary of Aphneios. For Ares, the Tegeans say, mated with Aerope, daughter of Kepheus, the son of Aleus. She died in giving birth to a child, who clung to his mother even when she was dead, and sucked great abundance of milk from her breasts. Now this took place by the will of Ares, and because of it they name the god Aphneios (Abundant ); but the name given to the hill was, it is said, Aeropos."

- He is the second God with the most number of godly children: Eros, Anteros, Adrestia, Harmonia, Deimos and Phobos, and Enyalius (first being Zeus of course no one can top him.)

-And cool ass mortal kids too: such as the Amazons and Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome.

[*Statue above is "Mars and Cupid" 1820- at the Chatsworth House, U.K. It depicts Mars (Ares) looking at his son Cupid (Eros)]

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cutulisci · 4 years

Quote

1. Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl (Griffith, 1919) USA 2. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (Wiene, 1920) Germany 3. Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler – Ein Bild der Zeit (Part 1 - Part 2) [Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler] (Lang, 1922) Germany 4. The Gold Rush (Chaplin, 1925) USA 5. La Chute de la Maison Usher [The Fall of the House of Usher] (Jean Epstein, 1928) France 6. Un Chien Andalou [An Andalusian Dog] (Bunuel, 1928) France 7. Morocco (von Sternberg, 1930) USA 8. Der Kongress Tanzt (Charell, 1931) Germany 9. Die 3groschenoper [The Threepenny Opera] (Pabst, 1931) Germany 10. Leise Flehen Meine Lieder [Lover Divine] (Forst, 1933) Austria/Germany 11. The Thin Man (Dyke, 1934) USA 12. Tonari no Yae-chan [My Little Neighbour, Yae] (Shimazu, 1934) Japan 13. Tange Sazen yowa: Hyakuman ryo no tsubo [Sazen Tange and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo] (Yamanaka, 1935) Japan 14. Akanishi Kakita [Capricious Young Men] (Itami, 1936) Japan 15. La Grande Illusion [The Grand Illusion] (Renoir, 1937) France 16. Stella Dallas (Vidor, 1937) USA 17. Tsuzurikata Kyoshitsu [Lessons in Essay] (Yamamoto, 1938) Japan 18. Tsuchi [Earth] (Uchida, 1939) Japan 19. Ninotchka (Lubitsch, 1939) USA 20. Ivan Groznyy I, Ivan Groznyy II: Boyarsky Zagovor [Ivan the Terrible Parts I and II] (Eisenstein, 1944-46) Soviet Union 21. My Darling Clementine (Ford, 1946) USA 22. It’s a Wonderful Life (Capra, 1946) USA 23. The Big Sleep (Hawks, 1946) USA 24. Ladri di Biciclette [The Bicycle Thief] [Bicycle Thieves] (De Sica, 1948) Italy 25. Aoi sanmyaku [The Green Mountains] (Imai, 1949) Japan 26. The Third Man (Reed, 1949) UK 27. Banshun [Late Spring] (Ozu, 1949) Japan 28. Orpheus (Cocteau, 1949) France 29. Karumen kokyo ni kaeru [Carmen Comes Home] (Kinoshita, 1951) Japan 30. A Streetcar Named Desire (Kazan, 1951) USA 31. Thérèse Raquin [The Adultress] (Carne 1953) France 32. Saikaku ichidai onna [The Life of Oharu] (Mizoguchi, 1952) Japan 33. Viaggio in Italia [Journey to Italy] (Rossellini, 1953) Italy 34. Gojira [Godzilla] (Honda, 1954) Japan 35. La Strada (Fellini, 1954) Italy 36. Ukigumo [Floating Clouds] (Naruse, 1955) Japan 37. Pather Panchali [Song of the Road] (Ray, 1955) India 38. Daddy Long Legs (Negulesco, 1955) USA 39. The Proud Ones (Webb, 1956) USA 40. Bakumatsu taiyoden [Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate] (Kawashima, 1957) Japan 41. The Young Lions (Dmytryk, 1957) USA 42. Les Cousins [The Cousins] (Chabrol, 1959) France 43. Les Quarte Cents Coups [The 400 Blows] (Truffaut, 1959) France 44. A bout de Souffle [Breathless] (Godard, 1959) France 45. Ben-Hur (Wyler, 1959) USA 46. Ototo [Her Brother] (Ichikawa, 1960) Japan 47. Une aussi longue absence [The Long Absence] (Colpi, 1960) France/Italy?48. Le Voyage en Ballon [Stowaway in the Sky] (Lamorisse, 1960) France 49. Plein Soleil [Purple Noon] (Clement, 1960) France/Italy 50. Zazie dans le métro [Zazie on the Subway](Malle, 1960) France/Italy 51. L’Annee derniere a Marienbad [Last Year in Marienbad] (Resnais, 1960) France/Italy 52. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (Aldrich, 1962) USA 53. Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 1962) UK 54. Melodie en sous-sol [Any Number Can Win] (Verneuil, 1963) France/Italy 55. The Birds (Hitchcock, 1963) USA 56. Il Deserto Rosso [The Red Desert](Antonioni, 1964) Italy/France 57. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Nichols, 1966) USA 58. Bonnie and Clyde (Penn, 1967) USA 59. In the Heat of the Night (Jewison, 1967) USA 60. The Charge of the Light Brigade (Richardson, 1968) UK 61. Midnight Cowboy (Schlesinger, 1969) USA 62. MASH (Altman, 1970) USA 63. Johnny Got His Gun (Trumbo, 1971) USA 64. The French Connection (Friedkin, 1971) USA 65. El espíritu de la colmena [Spirit of the Beehive] (Erice, 1973) Spain 66. Solyaris [Solaris] (Tarkovsky, 1972) Soviet Union 67. The Day of the Jackal (Zinneman, 1973) UK/France 68. Gruppo di famiglia in un interno [Conversation Piece] (Visconti, 1974) Italy/France 69. The Godfather Part II (Coppola, 1974) USA 70. Sandakan hachibanshokan bohkyo [Sandakan 8] (Kumai, 1974) Japan 71. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Forman, 1975) USA 72. O, Thiassos [The Travelling Players] (Angelopoulos, 1975) Greece 73. Barry Lyndon (Kubrick, 1975) UK 74. Daichi no komoriuta [Lullaby of the Earth] (Masumura, 1976) Japan 75. Annie Hall (Allen, 1977) USA?76. Neokonchennaya pyesa dlya mekhanicheskogo pianino [Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano] (Mikhalkov, 1977) Soviet Union 77. Padre Padrone [My Father My Master] (P. & V. Taviani, 1977) Italy 78. Gloria (Cassavetes, 1980) USA 79. Harukanaru yama no yobigoe [A Distant Cry From Spring] (Yamada, 1980) Japan 80. La Traviata (Zeffirelli, 1982) Italy 81. Fanny och Alexander [Fanny and Alexander] (Bergman, 1982) Sweden/France/West Germany 82. Fitzcarraldo (Herzog, 1982) Peru/West Germany 83. The King of Comedy (Scorsese, 1983) USA 84. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Oshima, 1983) UK/Japan/New Zealand 85. The Killing Fields (Joffe 1984) UK 86. Stranger Than Paradise (Jarmusch, 1984) USA/ West Germany 87. Dongdong de Jiaqi [A Summer at Grandpa's] (Hou, 1984) Taiwan 88. Paris, Texas (Wenders, 1984) France/ West Germany 89. Witness (Weir, 1985) USA 90. The Trip to Bountiful (Masterson, 1985) USA 91. Otac na sluzbenom putu [When Father was Away on Business] (Kusturica, 1985) Yugoslavia 92. The Dead (Huston, 1987) UK/Ireland/USA 93. Khane-ye doust kodjast? [Where is the Friend's Home] (Kiarostami, 1987) Iran 94. Baghdad Cafe [Out of Rosenheim] (Adlon, 1987) West Germany/USA 95. The Whales of August (Anderson, 1987) USA 96. Running on Empty (Lumet, 1988) USA 97. Tonari no totoro [My Neighbour Totoro] (Miyazaki, 1988) Japan 98. A un [Buddies] (Furuhata, 1989) Japan 99. La Belle Noiseuse [The Beautiful Troublemaker] (Rivette, 1991) France/Switzerland 100. Hana-bi [Fireworks] (Kitano, 1997) Japan

Akira Kurosawa’s List of His 100 Favorite Movies

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watcher-of-worlds · 5 years

Text

bruce banner fic recs

26/08/19 - i’m pulling these from my ao3 bookmarks - i dont use ff.net or read much fic on tumblr, so i may have missed some good ones! these are all pretty bruce-centric, though some have more focus on his relationships than others. they’re all also about mcu bruce.

[the ones in bold are just ones i’m pretty sure i lifted from other rec lists, so i think they’re pretty popular (fan favourites?)]

Sorry If You're Starstruck by heyjupiter (complete, 60k)

bruce banner/tony stark

“While recovering from an on-set injury (and the resultant problem with painkillers), billionaire playboy genius filmmaker Tony Stark sets his eyes on his next project--an adaptation of the Gamma Garcia books, a widely beloved young adult sci-fi series. The books' notoriously reclusive author, Bruce Banner, rejects all film offers, but he reluctantly accepts Tony's friendship. Their bond deepens into something more, even as personal and professional setbacks threaten their chance at a Hollywood happy ending.”

Multicolored by Trumpeteer34 (complete, 54k)

background pepper potts/tony stark; background thor/jane foster

“As the Avengers slowly grow closer to each other, they begin to notice some oddities about their resident gamma expert, oddities that he is not even aware of.

Prompt from tumblr user pushingcrazies: What if Bruce also had some of the more traditional (if there is any such thing) DID personality types/archetypes. Obviously the Hulk is the Protector Archetype. What if Bruce also had a child personality, or a punk personality, or….I dunno, I’m trying to think back to my psychology class and when I used to watch United States of Tara, but I’m coming up blank on some of the more common personality archetypes. But you know what I mean.

And, like, thanks to the Gamma radiation, each personality type would manifest itself in a physical variation of Bruce.”

Irreconcilable Differences by determamfidd (complete, 133k)

bruce banner/tony stark

“Bruce has been searching for a cure again, but Tony doesn't think the green guy is a disease. Abruptly, he's given everything he's ever wanted, and... well, it seems it's all more complicated than that.

FEATURING: Hulk - Amateur Psychology Hour with Tony Stark - Clint as a troll - more Hulk - Bruce as an angry introspective mess - Hulk again - Steve as Team Dad - Nick Fury as Nick Fury - Hulk smash! - Tony as a caped crusader for Hulk Rights - Rules, Rules, Rules - Natasha as the boss of everything - the Experimental Method (by T. Hulk) - Thor as the God of Thunder and Frustration - Tony as the king of the oblivious idiots - Stealth Sass Master Banner ...

...and a lot of figuring out who you really are.

And Hulk.“

by the light of all your bridges burning by branwyn (complete, 39k)

bruce banner/tony stark

“Bruce Banner is twelve years old. It's not an easy age. For anyone.”

Diminuendo by CrumblingAsh (complete, 4.3k)

bruce banner/tony stark; background bucky barnes/steve rogers; background natasha romanoff/steve rogers

“When there is just under a week left until the world is set to end, Bruce finds a man sitting on a sidewalk, shivering in the pouring rain.

And takes him home.“

These Walls Are Paper Thin by IamShadow21 (complete, 13k)

bruce banner & avengers team; bruce banner & hulk; hulk & avengers team

”When most people think of Bruce Banner and The Hulk, they think of it as an either/or situation and assume that it's easy to tell who they're face to face with.

Most people are wrong.”

Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be (series, 3 works) by Ravenspear (incomplete, 3.6k total)

bruce banner/tony stark; bruce banner & tony stark

“In a world that is a little bit darker, a little bit bleaker, Tony Stark is much less of a nice man. But he doesn't like bullies, and especially not ones who keep other people hostage to make weapons.

And that is how he meets Bruce Banner for the first time.“

In These Rough Hands by icarus_chained (complete, 1.3k)

bruce banner & steve rogers

“Bruce & Steve, and the fear of always being the last one standing.“

Your Mind's a Steel Trap (series, 3 works) by 44TayLo (incomplete, 62k total)

bruce banner & tony stark; bruce banner & steve rogers; past bruce banner/betty ross; past bruce banner/monica rappaccini; bruce banner/tony stark

“Bruce has an incredible mind. He's able to pick things apart and analyze something over and over again until he's examined it thoroughly. That's an extraordinarily convenient thought process for a scientist. Unfortunately, it's a horrible thought process for a man. Especially if that man is a monster.“

Perspective by MusicalLuna (complete, 1.6k)

bruce banner & himself; bruce banner & avengers team

“Tony shakes out the piece of paper inside and clears his throat. “Dear Hulk,” he reads, “You’re green. Green is my favorite color. I love you. Love, Gina.”

The fullness in Bruce’s throat only gets worse when Tony gives him a look over the top of the letter as if to say, How do you like them apples?”

Injection by sciencebutch (complete, 1.1k)

"Good becomes great, bad becomes worse."

take a step back and breathe by angelheartbeat (complete, 1.1k)

past thor/bruce banner

“Bruce Banner is the last person on earth.He'd always craved alone time. He never thought it would be so exhausting.“

The Marvel Fractions (series, 4 works) by Nonymos (complete, 175k total)

bruce banner/clint barton; clint barton & kate bishop

“Being a hero with no superpowers kind of sucks. Clint Barton feels out of place in the Avenger Tower; Hawkeye feels out of place in his Brooklyn apartment. It's not hell though. He's got friends on both sides of his life, and he never gets bored. Still – there's this deep loneliness inside him that nothing can seem to cure.”

After the whole Loki business, both sides of Clint feel a little out of step, and he tries to avoid aliens and giant monsters and world crisis in a whole. Problem is, he's not the only one to exist on several scales.

And who better than Bruce Banner to teach someone about dual nature.”

Sunrise over Manhattan by CharityLambkin (complete, 1.5k)

bruce banner & steve rogers; bruce banner & tony stark

“The morning after a long battle, Steve comes across a lump of post-Hulk Banner on the couch. Comfort ensues. Oh, and Tony wants in because, hey, can't forget about Tony.”

Resilient by CharityLambkin (complete, 37k)

bruce banner/tony stark; past bruce banner/betty ross

“Tony and Aldrich have built AIM from the ground up, but Extremis is proving tougher than either man expected. Then, one day, Aldrich buys a new test subject from the U.S. Army, and Tony's day gets a lot more interesting.“

His True Colors by Nonymos (complete, 103k)

bruce banner/clint barton

“The battle of New York was a turning point for the entire planet – but especially so for Bruce Banner. This is a unique chance for him to find the Hulk a place in this world. It is a staggering hope, but unrealistic as it sounds, it might just come true.

And then his hesitant plan turns out to be too successful. Everyone including the Avengers apparently expect the Hulk to take his turn in the spotlight. But the more Hulk thrives, the more Bruce withers, and nobody seems to notice or care. When Loki extends a hand to him, he is fully aware it is a trick – but he has got nothing else to hold onto.

The Avengers realize just a bit too late how royally they screwed up. The sharp-sighted, ever-watching Hawkeye cannot blame himself enough for not having seen this disaster coming. Can they still be saved from Banner ?

Do they even deserve it ?

(The story is set right after the 2012 Avengers movie with slight EMH dynamics thrown in the middle.)“

#fic recs #bruce banner #fic #am too tired to add my own comments #and there are a couple that im trusting past me's judgement on because i cant remember what's going on in them #one or two i didnt include because they're more steve-centric even if bruce plays a big role

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