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nsharks · 1 year

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bleeding blue | apocalypse au

part seven —other parts

pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x fem!reader words: 3.3k tags: death. blood. zombies of course. reader menstruates. single dad ghost. there will be sex but it isn't here yet. slow burn!!! enemies to lovers. summary: After losing your companions, you run into a skull-masked man and his daughter. They are your last hope for survival. a/n: some chill stuff before more angst ya know

The next morning, it is your turn to slip a treat into Blue’s hand.

You can tell by her expression that the Twix bar is like gold to her. Her teeth sink in. She stifles a moan. She hisses a swear you haven’t heard yet— Fucking noodles.

It reminds you of the time Paul found a Cadbury egg for Joseph. You smile as you watch, the kind where your teeth manage to poke through and your cheeks have to do some stretching. Ghost is chopping wood somewhere on the other side of camp, but still, you decided to close the shed’s door.

Last night, you were too worn to stay in the cabin for long. You left just after Ghost shucked on some large helmet with two strange eyepieces attached to it. To see in the dark, Blue explained in a whisper. Of course he would have that. When you asked him where he was going, he’d mumbled under his breath, Gonna make sure you didn’t have any bloody followers. You hadn’t even thought of that. He must not have thought of it until you actually showed up, either. He expected you not to make it.

You don’t know how long he was out there, but by the fact that you’d woken up to his axe chopping wood instead of heads, you figured the territory was clear.

“Better than Nutella?” you ask Blue.

Grey light streaks through the shed and over her face. The smell of potential rain looms in the air.

“That’s a tough question,” she says, licking the residue from her lips. She’s eaten half. She folds the wrapper over to cover the rest and hands it to you. Sweets like these are rare. You told her you’d keep it in your bag until she wanted the rest.

“I think it’s a strong tie,” she decides and then groans, moving her chin to the dip of her folded knees. “I wish chocolate could be hunted.”

“Me, too.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the rest?” She sounds guilty. “It is your Twix.”

“No, really. It’s a thank you.” Your knee gives a nudge to hers. “As if you haven’t given me food that is yours before.”

The guilt turns into a smile.

“You know,” she then says, eyes flicking to your pillowcase bag of looted goods. “When I was looking at your clothes last night, I got an idea of how you could fix them. Can I—” she tilts her head, “Can I show you something?”

She leaves Grim with you as she departs to collect whatever it is she has to share. It turns out to be a magazine of all things. She clutches it to her chest, rolling her lips together before turning it around to show you. The bright ink is faded a little. The corners bent and worn. The date of the issue reads March 2018. There is a woman on the front - some model you can’t remember the name of - clad in a tight blue dress.

The sight is just as weird as the abandoned streets and homes. For a moment, you look down at the skin of your hands, abraded from your bowstring, and press your lips.

“Remember how I told you Ghost and I went to a military base once?” Looking back up, you nod. “Well, we were mainly there to get ammo but we also went through the barracks— that’s where they slept.”

She explains it as if you have no clue, which you don’t. Never in your life did you care about the military, except for that first day when you hoped they might come to find you in some big tanks or something. They didn't.

Blue giggles. “I found this in one of the men’s old dorms.”

When she sees your expression, she says, “It’s okay. I’m not stupid. Ghost told me his old teammates liked to look at pictures of pretty women sometimes when they got bored. Anyway, I’ve looked through it so many times. I like all the fancy clothes people used to wear.”

She begins to flip through the pages and points out a few things. Where before you sometimes zoned out, your mind distracted by survival, this time you listen fully. One page has an ad with lush grass in the background and she informs you that the shade of green is her favorite color.

“Not blue?”

“That is my name, not my favorite color." Her nose scrunches. "What is yours?”

Do you even have one? You think for a moment. What comes to mind are the flowers your mother used to grow at the house in Norbury.

“Violet,” you softly say. “Like the flowers.”

“Huh?”

“They are like… a bluish purple.”

“Oh! There are some flowers like that by the pond sometimes. Hopefully, they come back this year."

Another page she points to has people laying on a white beach with crystal-like water. Blue says she hopes to go there someday. Not to just any beach. That beach.

When she passes an ad with a young man’s face on it - someone about your own age - she pauses for a moment and looks up.

"Do you think he is cute?" she asks. A tender curiosity.

"Um," you can't remember the last time you saw a man's face besides Paul. Ghost is always covered. She holds the page up so you can see it better. A sharp jaw. Dark hair and a strong nose.

"Yeah, he is very cute. Do you think so?"

She nods and bites her lip. "Did you… have a husband before shit happened?"

"What?" You frown. "I'm not that old."

"A boyfriend, then?"

"I had," you search the memories. They feel unimportant. Buried. "I had a few people who I enjoyed spending time with in uni."

"Like sex?"

You almost choke. "What?"

"I am not stupid," she says again. "The rabbits. They do it all the time. Ghost told me that's how they have their babies, and that is how him and my mum had me."

Oh. This is the first time Blue has ever mentioned her mother and you don't know why, but it makes your stomach tight. But she doesn't add anything else about her, as if she'd just told you the sky is blue or Grim is her friend. Something so casual. Brushed aside. As if, she hadn't mentioned it at all.

You don't pry about it.

Not to a kid. Trauma, grief— you can only imagine what a young brain has decided to do with them. But for a moment, your brain tries to imagine what kind of woman it could have been, what kind of woman Ghost enjoyed spending his time with. The only thing you can picture is Blue's eyes. She clearly didn't get them from him.

Blue moves on from the picture of the man. The page she really meant to show you is of a woman wearing jeans with a belt around them. She points to it and explains you could try something like that for the jeans you found.

Right. Jeans. Along with the blouse you grabbed, you got an ugly pink sweater and some jeans that won’t fit you.

"That’s called a belt," you say. “I don’t have one.”

“I have an old shoelace,” Blue says. “How about that?”

“That could work.”

Blue tells you bluntly that you need to bathe first. You smell like those fucks, no offense. You take your new clothes and she finds you a rag. In the bathroom, you harshly scrub your skin to erase the smell of rot. You wash your hair which is slick with sweat.

On your wrist, you notice a light bruise growing where that Grey had grabbed you. Luckily, you were too tired last night for your brain to conjure up any nightmares, otherwise, you probably would've had one about it biting you. Even a bite to just your hand - to a finger - would be enough for the virus to enter the bloodstream. You don’t want to admit it, but with that revolver, Ghost saved your life again.

After bathing, you slip on the blouse and a pair of too-big jeans. Blue gives you the shoelace. You feed it through the belt loops. It works well enough. The pantlegs fall past your ankles so you roll them. You tuck the large blouse so the excess fabric won’t get in the way while you hunt. The sweater… you don’t bother with it for now. It’s not warm enough. You will stick with Paul’s old coat when you go outside.

You look in the mirror again.

You stroke your own cheek, looking yourself over. You smooth your hands over the clothes. Underneath, you feel the plush of your breasts. The muscles of your stomach. The curves of your ribs. You are almost back to your normal weight, but it is still evening out. Under your eyes, the skin remains grey. Floorboards and stress will do that to a person.

"Let me see," Blue says on the other side of the door before you open it. You can still hear Ghost chopping wood outside.

“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” She touches the sleeves. “These are pretty long. They will get in the way when you shoot arrows, right?”

You nod. “Can you bring me the scissors?”

After you cut the sleeves down to your wrists, Blue picks up the scraps of fabric. “Hey, you could tie your braids with these. Like ribbons.”

"I could," you shrug and give a smile. "But I think they would look nicer on you."

The shyness returns as she nods. Gently, you guide her in front of the mirror and begin working your fingers through her hair, just as you do most evenings.

You notice her staring in the mirror with studious eyes as if she is trying to understand exactly what she sees. You wonder if she ever compares herself to those girls in the magazine. An eleven-year-old you certainly used to.

"You look very pretty, Blue."

"It doesn't matter if I do," she shrugs. "It's not like anyone will ever actually get to see me."

"Well," you swallow, "I get to see you right now, and I think you are pretty."

"Thanks.” She accepts the compliment with a puckered expression, before it softens and she adds, "I think you are, too, Twix.”

Twix?

But before you can question it, you hear the front door shut and realize that the sound of chopping wood has been gone for at least a minute. It is clearly Ghost entering the cabin.

You drop your hands before you can finish the braids, stepping back.

He calls out her name.

Recalling the rifle he pointed at you yesterday, you whisper to Blue, "Maybe you should go out before he—“

But of course, his heavy boots approach. The dark shadow of him materializes in the bathroom's doorway, consuming the space with his head dipped down to fit.

You turn around to face her father at the same time Blue does. His brows are drawn low and in one hand he carries the axe. You notice a sheen of sweat at the bridge of his nose where his mask begins.

The thing is, you try to avoid being spotted alone with Blue like this. She talks to you in your shed. You interact when he is busy with things.

Ghost reaches for Blue’s hand. He gently tugs her to him. He cups the back of her head and bends down to meet her level, though he is still much taller.

"Remember what we talked 'bout?”

What did they talk about?

"I remember," she mumbles. She tugs her arm away. "I was just helping her with her new clothes.” Smoothly, she changes the topic. “What do you think? The shoelace was my idea."

Blue. You almost groan, feeling his dark eyes slowly shift over to you. You think you would rather him press the axe to your throat than share his opinion about your clothes— they aren’t exactly like what the models in Blue’s magazine wore. His stare rarely does anything other than burn holes through your skin, so it is no surprise when you feel the heat through your blouse, up your neck, and all the way to your cheeks.

You look down at your feet.

Then, a bitter memory comes to mind.

You look like you're one 'em already.

That is what Ghost said once.

For a brief moment, you wonder if he still thinks it.

He doesn’t give an answer. All he does is clear his throat. Your strange curiosity fades as he stands and looks down at his daughter.

"C'mon, kid. Start the fire with me."

"No, not yet. She needs to finish my hair, Ghost."

He allows it, but remains in the doorway, watching as you finish her braids, using the fabric as floral bows to tie them off.

It looks nice.

It rains just like you thought it would.

Not too heavy, but enough to cut your hunt short for the day, earning you only one squirrel.

When you return to camp, you find Blue crouched over the wood planter as she covers the sodden soil with a layer of mulch. Apparently, Ghost had her plant some cabbage seeds before the rain. The mulch is to stop the seeds from washing away, she explains.

Spring will soon arrive. With it, some crops to add to their meals. Good for them. Maybe you can convince Ghost to lend you a seed or two to plant for yourself.

After dinner, you sit by the fireplace with your boots off in order to warm your toes. The soft drum of rain against the cabin's walls lulls you into a trance as you listen to Ghost quietly read to Blue. Sometimes he points to words for her to try.

Tonight it is a book you recognize.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Your father read it to you once. A younger version of yourself told him it was too boring. But now you find yourself quite liking the story about a magic wardrobe where kids can escape to another world.

Blue falls asleep on the couch. Ghost carries her to bed like usual. It is your time to leave. The rain has died down some but you already know the water has probably leaked into your shed. Lovely.

But again you are stopped by a hand around your arm.

You turn to see Ghost. He clutches the map in the other hand.

“Um. What is it?”

You slip your arm away, his grip allowing it. Is he mad about you hanging out with Blue? Did he discover your secret exchanges? Is he going to finally kick you out since you didn't die like he probably hoped?

“Sit with me.”

You raise your eyebrows. He motions for you to follow him to the table so you sit down, hands in your lap, and pick at the skin of your knuckles. He spreads the map open. He also has a pencil in his hand. Between gloved fingers, he fiddles with it before sliding it over to you.

To your surprise, he demands, “Show me where you went.”

Although confused, you abide, making a small mark over the village. Ribchester.

His eyes narrow. “Not jus’ that. Show me which way you went.”

“This way,” you say, annoyed by his tone. Faintly, you draw a line through the forest all the way to the highway. “Then I followed the road.”

He takes the pencil from you and slides the map back in front of him, sweeping his eyes over the marks you’ve made. Under the black fabric, you detect the contour of his lips pressed into a straight line.

“How many were there?”

“Not many, really,” you admit. “Do you… Are you wanting to go there?”

You furrow your brows as you recall what Blue said. They don't make trips often. It is not like Ghost has much need to.

“No.” Not looking at you, he draws a mark some kilometers south of the one you made. “I want to go here.”

“Why?”

“I need ammo.”

His voice is clinical and gruff. You definitely prefer it over threatening. As he continues, it officially becomes the most words he has ever spoken to you.

“Went to a base over here two years ago.” He points a gloved digit to a spot on the east side of the forest. That must be the trip that Blue was talking about. “Wasn’t much left. Took what I could.”

“You’re all out of ammo, then?”

He gives you a flat look. “No. But I’m runnin’ low. I don’t want to wait until I am all out to go. Need some ammo to make it there, don’t I?”

“Why haven’t you gone sooner?” you pry slowly. “Why do you want to go now?”

“Got a bit more to lose than you do.”

It is a harsh truth, inviting a sharp breath through your lungs. What he means is he has someone he loves, unlike you. Someone he can’t just leave behind on her own.

You realize that Ghost probably avoids leaving this haven he has set up for that very reason, and maybe it is also why he is particularly conservative about their supplies. Whenever they end up running low, he has to drag her along with him to get more. The threats out there can be hard to predict. You’d been lucky.

Ghost continues.

“But if you could make it through here,” he gestures back to the marks you made. The route can act as a way to the military base, but he would still have to go further, maybe 10 kilometers past the village. “Then I can make it that way with her.”

You nod slowly as you begin to wonder why he is telling you this. But then, it sinks in, a pit settling in your stomach. If they leave, where are you supposed to go?

Ghost must read the expression that takes over your face. You don't wear a mask.

“You’re comin’ with us.”

“What?” You stand up, shaking your head as you hiss through your teeth. “No. I don’t want to. I just fucking got back.”

“You’re not staying here on your own,” he growls quietly. “I’m not askin’ whether you want to go or not.”

You catch his eyes. Black glass reflects the dim glow of the fire.

Of course.

He doesn’t trust you enough to stay here.

You have no choice.

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon ghost riley #ghost #cod #zombies

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mmani-e · 4 months

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I've finally finished my Danganronpa AU personal project! I personally call it

DANGANRONPA: DEMIX

And yeah, all the swaps as you can see above, and these guys in the middle are the replacements for Monokuma and Usami respectively:

Check out under the cut for some design insights on my take AND closer pictures of each pair:

Finally finished my personal AU project. I hope it's to everyone's liking!

I can go on forever about these designs but I'll limit myself to one-two sentences on some facts about the designs.

Mikan: Mikan's face tattoo was commissioned on her against her will so that she can never hide her nature as a Yakuza, but her leg tattoo was done on purpose, and she and Nagito have matching tattoos on their legs, his is just hidden most the time.

Nagito: He is usually seen with a spear and prefers the weapon over the sword, but he is more famous for his natural skill with the blade. That said, he resents the blade and wishes he could be recognized for the things he actually works hard to do, like throwing spears or protecting Mikan and her family.

Ibuki: I kept her design very similar to her base design because she pretty much just looks like a student, and I don't want to change anyone's personality so there's no reason for her to not get highlights. But I gave her some more symmetry in this design and gave her a cute little semi ahoge I guess with a hair tie, bc she doesn't naturally have one.

Imposter/Gamemaster: Yeah I made the big brain choice to keep him with his colors as "Byakuya" because it made for a more striking visual, and more recognizeable as the impostor. Also I made him too tall because I wanted to give him big legs lol.

Hiyoko: Her four cats are named Heart (scraggly cat), Mr. Pearls (sleepy cat), Big Red (Giant cat), and BB (black cat) bc canonically the four dark devas are named after shonen manga, I named her cats after pokemon games, which she canonically likes playing. Also chickens are her favorite animal, despite her love of cats.

Kazuichi: Kazuichi's not a natural born prince, through shenanigans it turns out he's extremely distantly related to some royal line in a microstate north of germany called "Nordsumpf." Their main exports are cars and Kazuichi is still new to being a prince.

"Kyoko": She'd try her best to act like Kyoko, but she's a little too meek and openy affectionate to pull it off properly. Also her knockers are way bigger than Kyoko's, so there's an immediate discrepancy to the trained eye.

Also in my au of DR1, Kyoko is the ultimate affluent progeny and Makoto is author/serial killer.

Hajime: His hair is actually extremely long back there, he just keeps it tied up. On shows he lets it all out and a wears red contacts, his stage name is "Izuru."

Sonia: Sonia became a team manager because she was escaping an assasination attempt, strolled into a junior laegue soccer game, took over for the coach and started just barking orders and the team won. They were the worst team in the whole league and after that she just sorta stuck around them and won them the championships.

Gundham: Gundham was orginally meant to wear the japanese flag… but there was too much white in his design so I cut it. He has names for all of his gymnast moves and he announces them very loudly when he does any of them.

Peko: I tried to give Peko a unique sort of "zombie survivor" kinda vibe so while she's clearly a mechanic first she can also just fucking kill you by braining you with that monkey wrench. Most of the time she's cool though, she's just like horribly dependent on other people to tell her what to do, so she attaches to Kazuichi because he's the most immediately available authority figure.

Fuyuhiko: He's got that sort of machismo that makes him not like to admit he loves dancing, but the moment he's complimented on it he'll really appreciate it. Also he's still part of a crime family, but it's just not as strong as Mikan's.

Akane: She really looks sporty still, but don't worry she's definitely "lucky," she's just much more focused on the future than her bad luck in the moment… which can be very bad, actually, and can make her come across as kind of aloof.

Nekomaru: Why is nurse Nekomaru not as common a thing. Just think about it, it's perfect. Nekomaru here got inspired by the bravery and hard work of the nurses that treated him and boom he became a nurse, nobody tougher than healthcare professionals after all.

Mahiru: Mahiru as a nurse is honestly a really really really fun concept but I feel like I wasn't very ambitious here, and I can't really show it through the drawing but one of my early drafts had her look more like a european chef a la gordon ramsey bc I headcanon her as a scot.

Teruteru: Decided to give him a raincoat which my sister pointed out to me could also be a trenchcoat, which is just PERFECT for a creep like him. It just writes itself man, though seriously he's mostly a landscape photographer who specializes in pics of the countryside. Still a huge perv tho.

Usowa: Name is a combo of Usagi and Chowa, the word for Harmony. She's less like a chaotic force of nature like Monokuma and more a manipulative and hardline teacher who coaxes the students into doing awful things by playing into their insecuritoies with motives, and which then causes them to kill, allowing her to punish them, "weeding out the weak and undisciplined among their ranks." She replaces Monokuma.

Kyojuma: Name is a combo of Kyoju (professor) and Kuma. He's a pretty silly guy with an easy temper to poke at, but he's good at heart and tries his best to be a more sort of "fun" teacher than the rules lawyer Usami kinda was. He just wants to help his students, too bad Usowa showed up and decidedly does NOT like his approach.

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vampyrixdarling · 3 months

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I LOVED YOUR ZOMBIE SONIC WRITING HSHDJF

Okay so Sonic with a reader that he caught feelings for, right ? But the thing was, they were a big bad meanie guy out for BLOOD. They liked Sonic too, but refused to change their villainous ways tehe

IM IN LOVE Q THIS IDEA

HCs or a one shot is fine >:)))

— 「𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧」

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ MASTERLIST

╰┈➤ Sonic the Hedgehog x villain!reader

: ̗̀➛ synopsis; Sonic never could’ve predicted that he’d be falling for the same person who would actively endanger his home and his friends. But it happened. Mutual pining with slight rivalry mixed in with playful fighting, who’s to complain?

: ̗̀➛ Type; romantic headcanons

: ̗̀➛ warning(s); brief mentions of fighting (not detailed), swearing.

Likes/Reblogs are always appreciated!! <3

I’m like honestly SO embarrassed of the quality of this😭 please let this slide Orion I am BEGGING🙏🙏 my writing is normally SO MUCH BETTER I SWEAR

→ Sonic is someone who prides himself on being able to save his world from any threat that dares try to destroy it or hurt his friends or innocent people. He’s a hero, and he’s proud to call himself one. Sure, the praise and the fame that comes with it is cool and all, but all Sonic really cares about is saving all that he can, and taking down evil. He doesn’t need a reward for just doing what he loves. Hell, he’d even get to hangout with his friends just talking about the fight he had, and try some of Amy’s delicious deserts of course. Except if it was strawberry shortcake. He’d stay far away from that if he could.

→ You, on the other hand, were just another villain. You found a kind of sadistic joy in the misery of other people— a sick satisfaction from watching all those below you suffer a terrible fate at your hands. It’s always been this way for as long as you could remember, really. There wasn’t a moment you truly felt happy. No moment where you truly felt complete. And maybe, just maybe, causing pain and suffering to those undeserving made you feel just a little better about the dull, boring life you had. Something like the phrase, “if I can’t be happy, nobody can”, as much as you hated it.

→ But, nobody could deny the slight excitement you felt when the blue blur himself stood in your path, eyes locked on yours as he got ready to attack. A fight with him was never boring, that much was guaranteed. and perhaps you felt the same way, unfortunately you’d never get to finish your thought before he spin-dashed into you, sending you flying into the nearest wall.

“Ugh, come on, [Name]… haven’t we been over this once before?”

“Three times, actually. Learn to keep track.”

The hedgehog rolled his eyes as he sped towards you again. Meanwhile, with a cocky grin on your face, you shakily got up.

→ Sonic would feel extremely conflicted and confused. On one hand, you were everything he hated. Someone who felt joy in causing terror and harm upon those he cared for. But, on another hand, there was an undeniable chemistry between you guys. None of you would ever admit that, though.

→ He hated how felt this way about you. He shouldn’t feel anything like this for any of his enemies. But, there was also this one flaw about him. The fact that he’s willing to give second chances and hope for the best. He does see the good in you, no doubt about it. It’s just that you’re being so damn difficult, he wish you’d just give up.

→ But you weren’t oblivious to this. You saw how the hedgehog briefly hesitated before landing a punch to you. You saw how his eyes lit up once he realized you weren’t dead from that landing. And, a part of you felt pity for him. You realized how hard this was for him, to hurt someone he’s grown to love, and you really wished you wouldn’t care. But you did.

Because you loved him too.

→ None of you took the realization well. You both hated each other for feeling this way, and while you both tried to separate from each other, you just kept coming back. You both would swear it’s because you’re causing trouble and Sonic’s just trying to save everyone, but you both knew it was different. But one day, during a pretty heated fight..

“Why can’t you just let me do what’s best for you, [Name]?!”

“This isn’t what’s best! You don’t know anything about me!”

“I know that I love you!”

…

Oh.

Oh..

→ Once the awkwardness was out of the way, and you two were finally able to confront each other… you got it all out. You both had a talk about how you really felt. He expressed his concerns, and you voiced your clear distain towards leaving your villainous ways. Which, he understood. He hated how you refused to stop, but you just wouldn’t listen to him. So after negotiating, you agreed to slightly tone down your attacks. Which wasn’t much, but at least you weren’t killing anybody.

Bonus: He’d LOVE chasing after you and getting into so many playful fights with you while you’re attacking the town. It would be so fun and exciting for the both of you.

#sonic the hedgehog x reader #sonic x reader #headcanon

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theanonymousninja247 · 1 month

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Random Turtle HC: Raph & Anxiety

*clears throat and approaches microphone before hitting whiteboard with a ruler* A-HEM! Behold my theories peasants!

As we see expresses in the VERY 1st episode of ROTTMNT, the turtles can recognize each others signature scents and can smell fear.

Raph especially is shown briefly through the brothers dialogue to be the most aware and self conscious about said scent to the point of becoming defensive about it.

This leads me to believe that due to both natural biological olfactory senses and increased abilities due to mutation, the turtle brothers (with an advanced ability tipping to Raph due to his size and sensitivity) can actually smell the hormone cortisol.

WebMD defines cortisol as, “Your body’s main stress hormone. It works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear.”

Simply put, the turtle boys can literally smell fear.

Now I know you’re asking yourself, “Okaaaaaay cool fun fact I guess, what does that have to do anything with me?”

*takes a step back and adjust glasses with a smirk*

My dear dear fellow tumblr, allow me to share the wonders of mixing fact, madness and media all in one! *sounds of maniacal cackling can be heard*

(I wrote this with the intent to be platonic but it could be romantic if you squint long enough)

•So we've established Raph can smell fear right?

•As a protective big brother who is quite literally in fact “BIG” he knows a thing or two about getting scared

• Especially when it comes to looking out for people he cares about

•Hes been fighting baddies for his family since he was a tot! From keeping away scary dreams at night, from crushed ancient metal zombies to terrifying alien virus monsters, there ain't much he hasn't seen

•So when you join the ranks of the Mad Dogz, you immediately also get a built in prtoector

•Raphs been looking out for the little guys his whole life, what's one more?

•Not to mention you're kinda cute, so he doesn't mind sticking around a little bit closer

•But you're different than most folks, Raph notices. I mean besides the fact that you WILLING want to be friends with 4 mutant turtles of all things.

•No besides your abnormal incredible bravery in looking beyond the status quo to reach out the hand of friendship to these reckless reptiles, Raph noticed that you just kind of…smelled

•Not in a bad way or anything just…you always seemed to have a lingering scent of fear on you

•And Raph would know. Hed recognize that scent anywhere. It's a scent that ghosts every hour of every day for him. Nighttime and being alone especially.

•Raph hates being scared. He's the biggest and the oldest. He's supposed to look after his peeps! And he can't do that if he's frozen with fear all the time!

•So what does he do? Raph faces the problem head on like he always do.

•You get scared a lot. That's understandable, but Raph decides to make it his business that you don't need to be scared when he's around.

•Raph’ll protect ya

•Be prepared to have this turtle subtly (orrer not to much so because although he's a ninja he ain't exactly tactful or subtle) watching you every time you and the gang get all together

•Its not hard. You've always caught his attention for some reason or another. So looking at you is something he does without even realizing it.

•He’s looking for triggers, anything that gets that heart rate of yours spiking and that scent start to waft.

•Fidgeting hands, bouncing knees, shutting down and slinking into your hoodie, nervous chewing, pulling or playing with your hair and pacing, he's got eyes on it all.

•Once a trigger has been spotted, Raph immediately tries to locate the source

•Too many people? Suddenly you find a 6ft something giant turtle behind you, letting you know with his massive presence alone that he got your back. Literally.

•He kinda likes this position because he can see everyone that comes close enough to interact with you and everybody can see him.

•All he's got to do is narrow his eyes a little a give em a flash of that all too familiar snaggle tooth of his if he thinks someone's being mean and he gets his unspoken threat across just fine

•Not to mention you're also close enough to grab if someone he doesn't deem fit for your attention gets a little too close for his liking. But he doesn't say that part out loud.

•Scared of talking? You suddenly feel the cool tip of his massive scaely alligator tail (anatomically correct alligator tail be darned, I'm going with the fandoms HCs for this one) gently wrapping around your ankle as a physical reminder that he's right there here to support you

•Overwhelmed and the world feels like it's closing in on you? Raphs massive size is a natural battering ram that allows him to pass through thick crowds with easy. He's not afraid to help heard you into a quiet little corner away from it all

•Years of practice with Donnie allows him the experience to ask you if you're good with touch.

•If yes, you know you're going to be instantly wrapped into his arms, pulled flushed up against the worn keratin of his plastron. Raph’s always been more of “hands-on experience” kinda of guy anyway.

•Raph gives good hugs. They're firm and tight, padded with the security of arms who have been holding the weight of the world for years.

•He will rest his chin on top of your head, gently guiding your head with the motion ever so slightly so you're somehow perfectly nestled right against his heart.

•It's a loud heart, especially when you're up so close. It's actually his strongest muscle and one he's most proud of. He cares about you, so he reckons he’ll allow you the privilege of getting close to it. In more ways than one.

•Raph doesn't talk much during these special security hugs. He's never really been much good with words anyways. Raph knows sometimes the noise can be too much, but he also knows that the silence can be defeaning. So being a turtle comes with some built in perks that make up a happy medium.

•Hes got a special churr saved for special situations just like this one. It's one of the lowest and deepest ones he's capable of making. More akin to a muted growl more than anything the way it vibrates his chest as you're pressed up against it. You can feel it more than hear it and it just takes a handful of minutes listening to this bad boy before Raph can sense your fear stink slowly dissipating and your natural sweet scent can return.

•Raph can smell fear, and there's something incredibly humbling for this Atlas of a turtle to have the sweet experience of watching that scent drift away whenever he gets the privilege of being close to you like this.

•”You don't need to be scared no more, Sweet Pea. Raph’s got ya. I'm gonna be right here until you're ready to face the world again. Until then, let me just hold ya.”

Dedicated to the one and only @anobodyinabog. Sorry this took so long,but I hope your day gets better Shortcake. Please know you're always looked out for and loved ok? 🧡❤️

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liesmyth · 7 days

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Anon with the friend who's reading tlt on the reverse order: Yes, he knows he's being a lab rat, he doesn't keep motes on the books because he's very much a casual reader (and thus perfect for the experiment) and so far we have only done Nona The Ninth and The Unwanted Guest, plus some chapters of HTN & Doctor Sex. There's the slight chance of osmosis corruption because I occasionally reblog modern au memes on my main blog, which I think is how he got Palamedes' whole deal.

There's not much he guessed, and even less he guessed correctly. He did call the fact Crown and Ianthe are related a pleasant plot twist, and he initially thought John was Varun.

The most interesting guess he had, which he arrived through flawed means, was Paul's existence, and the fact Pyrrha had some sort of connection to Gideon The Ninth — mostly because he guessed the average Lyctorhood to be Camilla and Palamedes', and with the reference of Gideon and G1deon as 1) permanently dead, in a setting where he's aware necromancy exists and he thought zombies to be actual resurrected people 2) connected to Pyrrha, and 3) the fact Pyrrha had "some weird vibes" (he refused to elaborate) led him to thinking Pyrrha was half Gideon, half someone else, and the reason Kiriona was vaguely off-putting to people was because she didn't have a full soul. Anyways he did think the same would happen to Palamedes and Camilla, which it did, and that Kiriona was pissed at Pyrrha because of an ambiguous degree of relationship

We have paused rn, as the labrat experiment is in return for me reading a webcomic per book

Oh yeah also im doing this because i either dreamt a post proposing it up or actually saw it, and honestly i wanted to see how much biases and previous narrative impacted the relationship of the reader with tlt characters, their relationships, and worldbuilding, as i absorbed tlt by osmosis as an agender aroace. so yeah giving a gay guy tlt without previous context in the reverse order to complete the trifecta (lesbian woman reading it in the correct order, aroace agender getting to know it by osmosis and figuring out the plot best I could before reading it, gay guy reading it in reverse)

ANON THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK! @mayasaura and everyone who wanted a follow-up to the first part.

"Thought John was Varun at first" is soooo big brained actually! I'm always thinking about John's more RB-like traits. I'm also very amused that he cast Pyrrha as the zombie puppeteer, I bet he's going to love tiny Harrow walking around her dead parent's bodies for a decade.

I also feel like the worldbuilding in NtN is veeery different from the general #vibe of the first two books — it feels like an "anime filler arc" kind of sidequest plot — and I'm very curious if going from NtN to HtN is going to make the settings vibe changes feel stronger or weaker than reading it normally would.

Anyway, I love that you decided to do this, and please let us know what he thinks about HtN! I hope you enjoy the webcomic :D

#Anonymous #ask #elle tlt posting

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8um8le · 4 months

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Sorry for the ask but just generally curious cuz I feel like ive missed lore or info?? About 8ot (hope that's the right name) what are they cuz like- visibly he looks female but I see u call him 'he' so I'm just generally confused what is happening

I couldn't find any info about 8ot so I thought I'd ask forgive meh

All confusion aside I adore your art/art style every time I see it I'm just in aw I am steal yo hands and in exchange I give heart 💕

Ahh yes, the black sheep of the group, 8ot/ 80t/ Bot

Long story short, He started off as virus that took over a headless feminine looking mannequin only made to pose and do fashion, hence why he got scrapped, like a zombie he roamed the scrapyard stealing parts, met a woman, that decided to take care of the mannequin, give it clean clothes, civilizing the zombie into something more human. Unfortunately she passed away which took a big hit on the guy, once he upgraded his vessel, using the money he gained from the life of crime that costed his dear human’s life; he decided to add a head to his headless design using her face. (But then changed his face up and cut his hair for the sake of individuality)

8ot barely has an identity from square one, he wasn’t built as a character mascot (like the space friends bots), doesn’t have a nationality (he’s a robot), and didn’t even have a face to begin with. Strangely he finds comfort in the shape of his body, taking pride in his curves since he ties that to his identity, completely separating it from the fact it might give off human woman anatomy vibes :pp

Use whatever pronouns for him, and u can refer to him as woman, man, whatever, cuz he doesn’t mind getting called any :pp <33

#8ot #8ot is a crytid 😂

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ericdeggans · 4 months

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My List of the Best TV in 2023: An Abundance of Quality Even in Adversity

What’s the surest proof that there truly is too much television available these days?

The fact that, even though 2023 featured historic performers and writers strikes in Hollywood which crippled film and TV production for months, there was still enough great series and projects to fill an entire notebook page.

Way too many, in fact, for me to cover in my small part of NPR’s awesome annual listing of the best TV and film of the year, compiled among six different critics. It’s one reason the strikes went on so long in the first place – for fans of great TV, it didn’t really seem like much changed, as streaming services kept dropping cool stuff, thanks to their long production lead times.

Ironically, viewers may notice the strikes’ impact more next year – in part, because a lot of cool TV shows left us in 2023 (pour one out for Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Crown, Reservation Dogs, Succession, and, possibly, Ted Lasso) and also because the streamers will spend some time rebuilding lineups which got depleted.

Here, where I have a lot more room is my highly subjective and surprisingly long list of the Best TV of 2024:

TOP PICK - Succession – A show which perfectly captured how the dysfunctions of wealthy families can impact the world delivered a note-perfect finale that surprised – though I did predict Tom would win out – and yet felt completely inevitable. All while the world was second-guessing and writing their own endings. Masterful.

The Last of Us – Who knew reinventing the zombie apocalypse story was simple as coming up with a new cause – fungus, eww! – and the willingness to hand big chunks of the story over to compelling, fully drawn supporting characters. Doesn’t hurt to have ultimate zaddy Pedro Pascal and precocious acting genius Bella Ramsey on the case, either.

The Bear - Speaking of compelling supporting characters…this show’s second season sparkled by giving the other employees in Carmy’s greasy spoon-becoming-a-great-restaurant lots of narrative room. But it took flight with unexpected, brilliant cameos from Jon Bernthal, Olivia Colman, Oliver Platt, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis.

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Reservation Dogs – Proof of the amazing, authentic, original stories which come from letting indigenous people tells their own stories, smashing together a crushing realism with the sense that a jarring visit from the spirit world is always around the next corner.

Fargo – Not sure I love the ultimate message on the healing power of suburban, white, upper middle class Midwestern family life (or what happens to the one major Black character). But crackling performances from Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason leigh and Dave Foley make this year’s installment the best version in many years.

Shrinking – An emotional and truly funny comedy that reminds us how hilarious Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams can be while not making us spend too much time on Jason Segel’s angsty privileged white guy shtick.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The TV series which scored the most by taking the boldest swings, leaning into Trek’s original heritage as an adventure-of-the-week which told the most ambitious stories on the small screen.

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(The dancing, dubstepping, boy band-style Klingons on Strange New Worlds powered my favorite TV scene of the year.)

Star Trek: Picard – Yeah, I put TWO Trek series here, because everyone else in critic-land seems to be sleeping on the fact that they made more than one excellent season of a new Trek series filled with nods to what came before, including this show, which reunited the Next Generation cast in a storyline basically about old people saving the universe from young, clueless, mind-controlled pawns.

Barry – Wasn’t thrilled about how grim this series’ finale eventually became. But respected the fact that co-creator/star Bill Hader never shied away from the fact that the show was going to be his laboratory for all the directing and storytelling tricks he ever wanted to try, and a dark comedy about a hitman-turned-actor has to be seriously dark to mean something.

Beef – A road rage incident becomes a crackling, entertaining look at everything from Asian family culture to Elon Musk-level mogul dysfunction while also proving my girl Ali Wong can act her ass off.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Story – While other celebrities are executive producing documentaries to show how legendarily cool they are, Fox helped create an up close look at his struggle with Parkinson’s disease which show how hard it is to put on socks and take a walk on a new York street without crashing to the ground right in front of a concerned fan.

Only Murders in the Building – A comedy about over-privileged crime podcasters in an Upper West side apartment building should not stay entertaining over three seasons. But this show pulls it off, tossing in against-the-grain cameos by Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep that provide the best icing on a very fine cake.

Slow Horses – This show about a department filled with failed British intelligence agents not only subverts the spy genre, it subverts the satires which originally subverted classic spy dramas, like Get Smart. Topped by mesmerizing performances from Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, I would have subtitled this one, Get Smarter.

Happy Valley - This series about an experienced, ball-busting divorced single mom of a police sergeant in a mid-size town in Britain notched an underappreciated series finale featuring the amazing Sarah Lancashire as Catharine Cawood, finally confronting the man she blamed for her daughter’s suicide and her grandson’s emotional turmoil.

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BS High – A great documentary often tells a story which keeps going deeper and better, like a descent into a spellbinding madness. This film achieved that by giving center stage to master manipulator/football coach Roy Johnson, who got ESPN to air a game featuring his Bishop Sycamore High School team; the film contends their crushing loss eventually exposed that the school didn’t really exist.

I’m a Virgo – Creator and activist Boots Riley made an urban parable where Black excellence became superpowers and the world’s exploitive class came for a 13-foot-tall Black teen played by the always compelling Jharrel Jerome. Always inspiring to see how Boots turns mainstream media’s tropes and expectations against itself.

#tv #youtube #npr #best tv of 2023 #succession #succession hbo #the last of us #the bear #beef #reservation dogs #Youtube

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 months

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What I Quickly Thought about What If...? Season Two

For those who don’t know, I’m one of the few people who actually enjoyed What If…? Season One for what it was. Did it take advantage of telling interesting tales with the MCU, giving us intense glimpses of these universes that showed us what COULD HAVE been? Not all the time. Was it still good dumb fun? To me it was. And that’s pretty much what What If…?, as a concept, was, even in the comics. Yeah, you got interesting stuff like “What if Spider-Man never became a crime fighter?” or “What if Daredevil was raised by The Kingpin?” but it also had stuff like “What if the Original Marvel Bullpen Became the Fantastic Four?” or “What if Sargent Fury Fought World War Two in Outer Space?” The comics were less about high-concepts and more about writers doing whatever the hell they wanted with the Marvel Universe and being able to have fun with it because, well, none of it was canon. The same applied to the MCU’s What If…?, as it was a chance for the writers to do a murder mystery with the Avengers or make T’Challa fix the universe as Star-Lord. They can kill characters, make dumb(er) jokes, and play around with the heroes and villains in the MCU like they were action figures. And I’m into that. Don’t get me wrong, I would love more episodes like “What if…Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?” or “What if…Ultron won?” as they DO have a lot of great moments and show off what these characters are capable of than what the movies/shows proved. But at the same time, I didn’t mind watching the big buff lady that is Captain Carter kill Nazis or watch Spider-Man and a band of heroes try to survive a zombie apocalypse. It’s a show where everyone is meant to just sit back, turn their brain off, and have some fun while occasionally getting something interesting. Again, just like the comics.

So when Season Two got announced, I was genuinely excited. I like Season One and I wanted more of it. Then when the trailer came out with an episode list, I thought, “Okay, this could be the show embracing comic book wackiness.” Now, not a lot of people were into that…In fact, the majority said that a lot of these concepts weren’t even interesting and were, instead, kind of lame. I don’t get it, maybe because I’m in the exact mindset the MCU wants me to have with this series, but I was still looking forward to Season Two. The question is, was it worth it? Well, let’s quickly go over each episode to find out.

Spoilers Ahead

What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?: Ooooooooh, what a great start. Watching Nebula act as a cop/detective, but with her cold, deadpan badassery still intact was a ton of fun in this dark, gritty setting made for this new version of her. I loved watching this new version of Nebula make her way through a darkened Xandar, with her never straying from this oath and acting as it should be intended, all while teaming up with Howard the Duck of all characters. Like, I kind of enjoy seeing Howard turn out to be this sleazy casino owner who treats Nebula as a true friend despite them working on opposite ends of the law. The concept itself is funny and execution is endearing with Seth Green giving much needed charm to the character. It’s part of the fun of What If…?: Showing characters who couldn’t interact in the movies or didn’t have much screen time and allowing them another chance to shine…Unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing. Because while I love seeing a character like Howard make a surprisingly good comeback, watching Yon-Rog, one of the more boring MCU villains, show up and lack any intrigue or fun is just…no. And then there’s Nova Prime who decided to betray the entire Corp by taking down the force field…Something that was HER idea to do and, given the pull she had, could have done at any point. Why string Nebula along when Nova Prime could have just made the ruling herself that the force field needed to be taken down? A friend of mine tried explaining how it could make sense, but I don’t know. It doesn’t change this weird got while watching. But while flawed, it was pretty cool to see this new setting in the MCU, carried by Nebula as the Super Nova (Love that name, by the way. It’s perfect). The plot has a big ol’ hole, not every character return works, but it gave me a half-hour of fun so I’m not complaining (Get used to that thought process, by the way).

What If…Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?: And this one’s a little rough around the edges. It’s fun to see this alternate version of the Avengers form to fight a Peter Quill who has Ego’s powers, but it feels like the entire episode is on fast-forward, almost like this is what would happen if the first Avengers movie needed to be made thirty-minutes long. It’s sort of the downside of What If having a half-hour runtime, where it has to both tell a story and introduce us to this new universe in under thirty minutes. It’s the same with the comics that had less than thirty pages to do the exact same thing, only to feel longer because comic writers in the seventies and eighties don’t know how to shut the hell up. The end result is a story that’s fine ENOUGH, but it would have benefited with more time to slow down and let us appreciate this new team of old heroes. I mean, we have the original Captain Mar-Vel, T’Challa’s father, and even Goliath, which would have been AWESOME to see them play a big role. But instead, the episode focuses on Hank Pym, Bucky, and THOR, somehow, making these other heroes valued members but also a bit of an afterthought. Also, despite this being a different version of the Avengers, they somehow make MORE quips than the original team, with few of it feeling like it’s in character. It has the same problem as Age of Ultron where everyone is cracking jokes at every second as much as they can, and it HIGHLY depends on your willingness to stomach that kind of thing if you’re willing to watch this episode. That and if you’re willing to forgive a character doing this STUPID AND RISKY thing that worked out for the better but doesn’t change how stupid and risky it is. Overall, this whole episode is a very interesting idea mixed with some very FLAWED execution that spoils the fun to be had.

What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?: Now this? All kinds of fun to be had with this one. The return of Justin Hammer of all villains isn’t something I thought I needed, but I heavily enjoyed watching what’s basically the anti-Tony Stark show up and be his most despicably charming self. It was a blast to watch this scrawny little twink TRY and act intimidating as he dances all over the place. It makes him feel more and more like a cartoon villain, which is appropriate for yuletide fun. You don’t NEED a menacing presence for Christmas, you need a GOOF. And Hammer’s the goofiest with his lame catchphrases and very STUPID dancing, I couldn’t get enough of it. But the real star is Happy, who gets juiced up for an adaptation I NEVER would have expected from the MCU. The Freak is one of the sides to Happy that not many fans would know about unless they’ve immersed themselves with Iron Man lore (Or read a shit load of comics for the past two years like me), but it really is cool to see that side of him brought to life. The way Happy looks and moves like more of a manic Hulk on crack does great at setting him apart from the Jolly Green Monster we know and love, but also makes The Freak feel more unique from how he was in the comics. It was a blast of a holiday special with the only downside is that Darcy’s OCCASIONALLY annoying. Not much other than that, though, as this is the best Christmas present I could ask from Marvel.

What If…Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?: Fun fact, this was originally meant to be in Season One but was cut due to time constraints. Yeah, remember how weird it was that the Watcher plucked a version of Gamora we didn’t know? Well, now we finally know…through a story that’s primarily about Tony Stark that makes me wonder why the hell The Watcher didn’t take him.

But facts and jokes aside, I loved the shit out of this episode. There are probably going to be some cynics out there saying that the cars and the race is an excuse to sell toys or LEGO sets or some shit, but I don’t care because everything about it was AWESOME!. Not to mention that it lit up a special place in my heart and brain to watch Tony Stark be a hero again, not hesitating to save lives, putting everything on the line, and helping bring Gamora into the light, all while still being his snarky, Starky self. And huge props to Mick Wingert voicing him, who doesn’t sound like Robert Downy Jr at ALL, but still nails the energy and mannerisms. I can picture RDJ saying all of these lines and it helps make this feel like one last Iron Man story for the fans. Seeing the Grandmaster again was ALSO a plus, as he was his same goofy-self. As for the real hook of this episode, Gamora, she’s…fine. I don’t love that it’s Tony that helped her redemption arc since I always preferred how turning against Thanos was something Gamora decided for herself instead of this thing that someone brought out. It’s not a BAD idea, but it’s something that might have worked better with NEBULA, a character that could actually USE convincing, instead of Gamora, a character who would likely go to Stark to help kill Thanos. Still, I don’t HATE it, nor do I hate the episode. It was an adrenaline thrill-ride that gave us a return of Tony where he DOESN’T die in the end. I couldn’t have asked for more if I heard this episode’s title, and I’m glad it’s what we’ve got.

What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?: I…KIND OF understand the reception towards Captain Carter. I don’t get why Marvel keeps pushing her more than their actual Captain America replacement, Sam Wilson. I mean, Captain Carter showed up in three projects (two seasons of television and a movie), where Sam made his official appearance as Captain America once…and hasn’t even cameoed in any other movie or show. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the big buff lady and it’s awesome seeing her fight the giant robot. It’s cool, I love it. I also heavily enjoyed this episode, getting into the drama, action, and seeing Peggy make a surprisingly believable friendship with Black Widow. Heck, I’d go so far as to say that this is a better Black Widow story than her actual movie gave us. So I like it, I like seeing Captain Carter and some of her adventures. I especially like that this story isn’t a direct rehash of Winter Soldier like how the first episode is a rehash of First Avenger. The writers actually set out to make something more unique and it makes me like Captain Carter a little more. I just wish we could get that same love and appreciation towards Sam Wilson, whose movie got pushed back to 2025 and will count as the only time this character has been relevant since his mini-series. If this is our new leader of the Avengers and the man who will fight to save the multiverse, we’re probably going to need more than one appearance from the guy. I don’t think people would complain about more Captain Carter if Sam Wilson’s Captain America wasn’t so blatantly shoved too far to the side.

What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?: One of the few rare times the MCU made an ORIGINAL superhero. There is no previous comic, movie, or show that Kahhori is based on. She’s a completely original character made up for this franchise, much like Miles Morales in the Ultimate universe or X-23 in X-Men Evolution (Check that show out, by the way. It’s pretty damn good). And just like those two, I REALLY hope Kahhori manages to become such a hit with audiences that she spawns more content, because Kahhori and her world is something I would love to revisit. Her personality is fun, her motivation is inspiring, and her powers are unique enough to make her stand out more to the other heroes in the MCU. As for her story, it’s your bare-bones origin story. The whole episode is about explaining her powers, the world she lives in, and the people she loves and fights for. It does all this while proving her heroics through fighting a supervillain set out to do some damage. Only, instead of some generic supervillain that matches her powers it’s this Spanish Conquistador who…honestly still looks like a supervillain, which is kind of funny. And it works for Kahhori, proving that while she’s currently the most powerful person in the world, she’s willing to fight against oppression and the monarchy, advocating for peace instead of a continuous war for who gains the most control. Like I said, that’s inspiring and it’s why I want to see more of this character and how far she can go when fighting bigger, more evil threats than the Queen of Spain. Whether it’s a spin-off TV show/movie, a comic mini-series, or even introducing Kahhori into the 616 comics (somehow), I wouldn’t mind seeing this new, wonderful hero more in the future.

What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?: I…did not expect to like this one as much as I did. I wasn’t the BIGGEST fan of Hela, because aside from seeing her actress having a blast to go full ham, there wasn’t much to her. Yeah, she was this conqueror alongside Odin, which is an interesting backstory for HIM, but for Hela, it’s not enough. Instead of telling me WHO she is, Thor: Ragnarok kept telling me WHAT she was. Then here comes an episode of What If…? that not only gives me that answer, but a lot more. Sure, the first half is a bit wonky, but when we get to the second, we finally get an idea of who Hela is. Simply put, Hela doesn’t know who she is beyond a conqueror, and that’s because Odin never trained nor raised her to be anything more. This episode forces Hela to face that and discover answers she never knew she was seeking, having a surprisingly decent redemption, becoming a goddess of life instead of death. I…love that. I love that WAY MORE than I could have expected to love it. It makes me appreciate Hela a lot more and maybe see that there’s a tragedy to her in Thor: Ragnarok. Hela could have changed for the better if she met someone that could bring her good side out, but because she was banished into isolation by Odin, it caused Hela to be both spiteful and vengeful, making her refuse any alternative beyond being a conqueror or a goddess of death, with her final acts of life being someone who destroyed her home because destruction was all she knew. This episode has a better, more unique story to tell than Hela and Wenwu fighting over the Ten Rings to see who can cause more destruction. Speaking of, if there’s one thing to complain about the episode, it’s how underutilized Wenwu is to the story. He’s actually one of MY favorite MCU villains and it feels weird that he’s just…kind of there? Most of the meat to the story goes to Hela, and I do appreciate it, but Wenwu could have done more than wanting to bone Hela or assisting her in fighting Odin. But aside from that, I’d still say that this is a fantastic episode that surpassed my expectations.

What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?: Of all the episodes, this is the one I was looking forward to the most. I’m a sucker for seeing characters in a different setting. They’re very much the same in terms of personality but their differences vary from positions in life or the skills they’re capable of. It’s no different here, as so much of this feels like a period piece fanfic where the writers seemed to have so much fun making the Avengers be in 1602. And I don’t give a shit if people hate her, I LOVE that Captain Carter refuses to leave this world until she saves it from complete collapse. It would have been the same if it was Steve Rogers, I get that, but how do you expect me to hate a hero who’s willing to fight with her last breath to save the world? Those are my favorite kind of superheroes! You want me to give up what I love most about superheroes just because you don’t like that the big buff lady fights King Thor and his vibranium thunder sword? F**k you.

Also, this comes with the added benefit of watching big buff Steve and big buff Peggy constantly being on the VERGE of wanting to rip their clothes off and f**k each other whenever they’re on screen together. And, honestly, I can't blame them. They’re both gorgeous. LET THEM F**K!

Overall, I had fun, even if there are problems. Sure, the reveal that Steve is indirectly the cause of this universe’s collapse is way too predictable, no thanks in large part to the trailers SPOILING IT! And it’s pretty weird that Scott can still shrink and grow. Like…How can he do that in this setting? Also, this universe has a merry band of misfits that’s similar to Robin Hood, and there’s not even a SINGLE Hawkeye in it? Not even Kate Bishop? COME ON NOW! Come on now…

But, yeah, this episode is the perfect epitome of what makes What If…? enjoyable to me. It can offer you a fun concept of having the Avengers be in 1602 and just ask you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Not everyone’s going to be into that, but I am and I could take ten more seasons of this if I could.

What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?: You want me to hate the big buff lady and new MCU character Kahhori fighting Strange Supreme and a whole gaggle of universe killers just because *checks notes* Captain Carter is a Mary Sue? F**k you. I don’t care if you feel like Captain Carter is forced upon you, she punched a demonic Doctor Strange in the face with the power of INFINITY. That is awesome no matter WHO the character is and if you can’t appreciate it, then I guess this show really isn’t for you. As for the finale, the whole thing is awesome as this big fireworks show to close out the season, added with Strange Supreme going back to the dark side for the sake of reviving his universe. I’ll admit that Strange Supreme had a bit of a forced redemption last season, so it is great for this finale to prove that he is, in fact, still twisted inside while allowing him to earn a more true redemption in making up for his actions. It makes his tragedy STILL feel like a tragedy, giving everyone but him a happy ending. And, again, he got punched in the face with the power of infinity. F**k all you haters, this show’s great.

Season Two is a definite improvement to Season One. Sure, the pacing is wonky, the jokes are trying too hard, and animation can look gorgeous at times but ugly at others. But the writing’s stronger, the concepts are bigger, the fun’s funner, and I got to see a woman punch a demon in the face with the power of infinity–I keep bringing that up because it is so damn awesome. And it’s the same with this show! It just fuels that part of my brain that wants to see cool, comic book shit happening. It’s not for everyone, I know that. It’s neither good nor bad, it’s just…subjectively fun. It’ll either light up your world or leave you wanting more substance than dumb fun. I enjoyed the hell out of this season, but others won’t for their own reasons (some of them being that they just hate Captain Carter). They can feel that way all they want. Still won’t change how I enjoyed the hell out of this season and look forward to more.

#marvel cinematic universe #mcu #mcu reviews #captain carter #nova nebula #marvel what if #what if season 2 #kahhori #mcu the freak #happy hogan #mcu hela #hela #justin hammer #strange supreme #tony stark #iron man

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sinsandsweetness · 1 year

Text

Irrevocable (sex and zombies- chapter 4)

pairing- {Rick x fem!reader)

summary- Reader finally gets what she's been longing for. Well... almost anyway.

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI, angry Rick Grimes, he is kinda mean for a moment, mentions of character death, typical twd violence I suppose.

notes- time jump to after the farm is overran.

An arrow missed your face by an inch, piercing the skull of a dead one behind you.

You gave Daryl a quick glare but continued on, putting another one down with your knife. You and a few others were clearing a grocery store. Seeing if there was anything left. Anything still edible.

Lori, Carl, Beth, Hershel, and T-dog, had stayed back at the house you were all staying in. Back where it was at least cleared out and locked up. Not a permanent residence, but for a week it would do.

You were all hungry. Practically starving. You had noticed your hip bones in the mirror of the bathroom that morning. More prominent than you’d remembered a few months ago.

“Clear!” You heard Rick call from the back of the store. It was a small town grocery store. Nothing special. And a lot had been taken. But there was some dried goods, a few cans left too.

All of you sat in your respective aisles, eating stale chips and resting your legs. You had no vehicle. Not anymore.

You sat across from Rick, and watched him lick the salt off his fingers. You had to look down at your own bag for a moment to collect your wandering thoughts.

He tapped his boot against your leg though, inviting your gaze back to his face. Beard a little long, and face a little dirty. But still just as handsome.

He smiled and grabbed your boot to pull you forward, earning a little laugh as you got dragged closer to him and fell on to your back. He then grabbed your hand pulling you towards him. Forcing you to fall forward in between his legs. For a moment you stayed there. Smiling big at his playfulness. But you decided to move, and shifted so that you were sitting down again. Both of were now facing the same empty shelves. You in between his legs.

Trying not to think about the fact that you were in between his legs. Practically in his lap. You leaned back into him, like he was your own personal couch cushion.

He snaked his arms around you and nuzzled into your shoulder, air warming your t-shirt when he let out a big sigh.

He knew you wanted him like this. But you also knew boundaries. And when not to cross the line. The two of you had done a decent job at keeping things tame. Overstepping once or twice, but never enough to feel any guilt. Kind of like this. Playful flirting, long glances from across the table, touches that lasted a few seconds too long. You’d even kissed him. You’d made your move but respected his rejection. Partly because you knew that he was married. The other part because you were holding on to the hope that he wanted you too. What you had been hoping for since Rick arrived at your camp in Atlanta. Something pulled you to him like a magnet.

And now, he had been the one to pull you. He was the one practically cuddling you on the floor of the supermarket right now.

Turning your neck you look back at him, eyes quickly shifting to his lips. But he shook his head and smirked. Not that you were going to. You rolled your eyes. Leaned your head back and stayed pressed up against him for the few more minutes you’d have left until the group wanted to go back.

Eventually, Maggie and Glenn called out for you on their way back to the front door. They saw the two of you on the ground but their eyes didn’t linger.

“Coming,” Rick's voice answered next to your ear. You went to get up, turned around and reached a hand out to help Rick up.

Everyone sat in a circle around a low fire that night. Eating their portion from the finds earlier. Cans mostly. Beans and corn. You gave extra to Lori. And then plopped down next to Daryl. He was scowling at first but as soon as you draped your blanket over the two of you he softened up a little. His shoulders relaxed and he even leaned in closer. It was cold in the house. And having to keep the fire as low as possible meant that there was very little heat anyway.

When the fire went out you shifted even closer to Daryl. Snaking your arm around his waist and tucking your face into his neck. You would have earlier but didn’t really care to make Rick watch. Not that it was a secret.

Daryl didn’t move. He never cuddled. Not since you two had started and he probably never would. But you were touch starved and needed it. And right now at least, he didn’t seem to mind being little spoon.

------------------------

A few painful weeks went by. And then Daryl and Rick found the prison.

It was nice. More than nice. It was perfect. As soon as the cells were cleaned out at least. And there was privacy. Beds. Blankets.

Then there was even lots of food, at least after Rick found those prisoners.

But lots had happened while you were all settling in. Hershel’s leg. The inmates. Walkers. It was a lot.

And then things went south. Lori's death was unexpected. That one hurt.

Rick was hurt.

Initially you all gave him space as he went off to clear a cell block all alone. People need time. Time to heal. To be ok. And he would be. Eventually.

And no one blamed him. He’d been through hell. Killed his best friend. Had a baby and lost his wife within the span of a few months.

You made the mistake of trying to talk to him. Thinking that your previous friendship would roll on even after his wife’s death. But for whatever reason, likely just grief, he lost it on you.

He rushed out of the cell block and you couldn’t help but follow after him. Even through the couple of comments from Hershel and Glenn to “just give him some space”.

You jogged to catch up to his face paced getaway. His hatchet held loosely in his hand.

“Are you serious?!” You were shocked. He hadn’t acknowledged her. His baby girl. He didn’t even look at her. Just checked on Carl and left to kill more walkers.

He came to a stop and stood still. Not facing you.

“What, you don’t wanna hold her? Feed her?” You continued.

“Don’t.” He spoke firmly.

“Don’t what? Don’t bring up the fact that there is a newborn baby in the other room that you haven’t even acknowledged?!” You were offended. For her. For Lori. I mean of course he was allowed to grieve but come in man. Suck it up. It’s his kid for Christ sake.

He didn't answer,

"At first I got it Rick, you needed a minute to blow off some steam. But we're safe in here. She- you haven't even held her. Lori- she- she would have wan-"

He turned around and approached you fast, hatched swiftly piercing into the wall beside you. The air from his swing was cold on your face.

“Drop it.”

You were stunned. Back against the wall and his arm up near your face. His hand was still gripping the hatchet. Your heartbeat was going insane.

“You have no idea what’s going on in my head. You don’t have the right to judge me for how I’m dealing with this,” his tone was angry. Furious even.

“She’s your daughter-“ your voice cracked.

His free hand came up to grab your face. Hard. Aggressively pulling you close. To hear him perfectly. Crystal clear.

“Shut your fucking mouth-”

You did. Cheeks hurting from his grasp.

“-and drop it.” He let you go with a slight push. Dislodged his hatchet from the wall and stormed off.

You walked back to your cell, fighting off tears.

You avoided him the rest of the day. The entire next week actually. Avoiding eye contact. Not speaking.

You did what came natural to you and distracted yourself with something familiar and… well, easy.

-------------------------

“Fuck.” Daryl groaned a little louder then you’d prefer.

“Shut up man.” you whispered, rolling your hips onto him. His fingers digging into your ass. Pulling you back down on to him.

“Keep doin that.” he looked up at you through his heavy eyelids and thick eyelashes.

You circled your hips again. And again. And again.

Finally he flipped you both over and finished you off.

“Gonna need more of these.” He said while rolling off the condom and tossing it in the trash.

You rolled your eyes and searched for your clothes, hidden in the blankets. It was first thing in the morning. New day. Same routine. Though usually it didn’t start quite this way. Waking up to Daryls face between your legs, doing that thing with his tongue. You knew the one.

The knock at your cell door was abrupt and you only had enough time to cover yourself with the sheets before Rick opened the curtain. He started saying something but paused when he saw you holding the white sheet to your chest. And then his eyes went to Daryl who was standing next to you and doing up his belt.

Rick's jaw clenched. “Breakfast is ready.” He informed you both.

Shit.

After avoiding Rick’s glare at breakfast you were ready to go check traps with Daryl. Instead, Rick pulled you aside.

“I was hoping you could help me clear some of the other cell blocks today.” His hand on his hatchet. No emotion on his face.

“Oh,” Definitely surprised but you tried not to show it. “Sure.”

You grabbed a machete and followed him to the cell block. The hallways were dark. Just a tiny flashlight to lead the way. It was relatively easy. Most of the bodies were already dealt with. Just had to be moved to the yard.

The next cell block however, was a little more difficult. More walkers than the last. Not that it was an issue.

Rick's hatchet came up and made you flinch. Piercing the corpse right behind you. You swallowed. The body thunked to the floor. Rick's face was so close to yours you could feel his breath.

“Pay attention,“

You nodded. You'd glanced at his lips. So quickly. Maybe he didn’t notice.

The two of you helped clear the rest of the block. Walker blood spraying both of you with every swing of your weapons.

Covered in blood, you made your way back to the main cell. It was dark out now. You’d been working the whole day. Hadn’t eaten. Hadn’t taken a break at all. You passed the courtyard and headed for the water barrel, scooping a handful and slurping it into your mouth. Rick was right behind you. Maggie and Glenn were on watch in the tower above. But they weren’t paying attention to the two of you.

Rubbing your wet hands on your face you could feel the blood. The grime. You needed a shower. Desperately.

“What?” You asked Rick who seemed to be staring at you. For a little too long.

“Nothin,” he licked his lips and cracked his neck. “You should uh… go wash up though,” he pointed to the blood all over your clothes. As if he was any less covered. You nodded and walked past him. Feeling his stare continue as walked back towards the cells.

Your shower felt glorious. And your pyjamas felt even better.

Back in your cell, Rick was already sitting on your bed. Showered as well. His damp hair combed back, waves and curls forming behind his ears.

“Good job today,” he moved over, inviting you to sit down.

“Thanks…” you weren’t sure what he was doing.

“I’m grateful,” he started. Looking down at his hands.

“You’ve done so much for us, for me,” he went on. It wasn’t a lie. You’d been a major help with the initial taking over of the prison. And even more while you were on the road those months in the winter you’d given everything to Lori, to Carl. To anyone but you.

“Least I could do,” you were confused. He’d seemed mad at you for a week and then when he caught you and Daryl this morning he seemed even less impressed. Now he was... back to his usual self.

“I didn’t mean to scare you…” you knew what he was talking about. He didn’t have to explain.

“It’s ok.” You didn’t really wanna talk about that.

“No it’s not. I lost it on you and that wasn’t okay.”

“Yeah, I mean it wasn’t cool.” You nod and clasp your hands in your lap.

“I shouldn’t have been so harsh. And I- I just… I acted out. And I’m sorry.”

“You lost your wife. And now there’s a newborn. I don’t really blame you for being on edge.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you .”

“Yeah. You shouldn’t have.” You agreed.

His hand went to your thigh, rubbing up and down

“So you and Daryl…” he changed the topic.

You wanted to suffocate yourself into the pillow.

“I didn't realize that was still..."

"Happening?" you finished his sentence. Avoiding his eye contact, and instead focused on your hands.

"Yeah. I mean I'd heard that you guys...well...I never really knew for sure."

“Yeah well...” Your voice was quiet. You weren’t gonna lie. But it was a little awkward.

"Since the farm?" He asked.

"Atlanta..."

He nodded slightly. Realization hitting him slowly. All that time you had been pining over him, you’d also been fucking Daryl. There was a hint of what you could only assume was disappointment in his eyes.

“You were married so…” you told him like it was an excuse. Well it was an excuse. You couldn’t very well have had him at the time.

“Well I’m not anymore.” He looked up at you. A mix of sadness and suggestiveness on his face. It was true though. There wasn’t anything holding him back from you anymore. Just grief.

His pupils were dilated and his hand was still on your leg. He brought his other hand up to the back of your neck, pulling you into him.

“Rick-“ you protested. He was obviously not well.

“Shh” he presses your foreheads together. You couldn’t help but let your eyes close. He wasn’t thinking clearly. Broken hearted. Looking for something to fill a void. But some part of you didn’t care. Anything he’d do in the next moment was ok with you.

“God you're so soft...” his thumb rubbed your cheek gently. Finally his lips met yours and you though hesitant, you found yourself pulling him down on top of you. Gently. His hands roamed up and down, under and over your shirt. Mouths moved against each-other, exploring all over. His damp hair tickled your neck when he dipped down to kiss your collarbone.

“You’re not thinking right,” You say to him softly.

“Just be quiet,” he whispered into your skin, hand reaching beneath your waist band, finding its way to your panties. Your heart skipped a beat. There was no way this was actually happening. You couldn’t help the moan that left you when his fingers found your clit, rubbing soft circles over your underwear.

“Rick we shouldn’t-“

“Shh,” he cut you off and went back to kissing you. Tongue tracing your lips. Inviting you in even more. Closer. His other hand found it's way up your shirt, and you arched as far into his touch as you could.

You both shot up at the sound of Rick's name being called. Beth was looking for him. Probably to hand Judith off.

The blush was still apparent on your face as Beth peeled around the curtain. Even though Rick was now standing. She seemed oblivious though.

“You want me to put her to bed or did you wanna take her?” She asked Rick. He took Judith from the girl and bounced her in his arms, rocking back and forth. Sleepy. She didn’t make a sound. He looked over at you and chewed at his bottom lip.

“We should get some sleep,” you tell him.

He nodded a quick “Goodnight” and hesitantly left your cell.

You touched yourself the second the curtain closed.

#daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x y/n #rick grimes smut #daryl dixon smut #rickyl #rick grimes x y/n #daryl dixon fanfiction #rick grimes fanfiction #smut #twd fanfiction #sexandzombies #sinsandsweetness

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silver-bunny6958 · 7 months

Text

Aliens/Zombies

Danny and his sister jazz would star gaze on the roof of Fenton Works when he was young, and ,while he could not verbalize it for the longest time, Danny knew that was the only time Him and Jazz could be normal kids. On those nights they where away from the judging eyes of the other kids at school who thought them weird and the concerned looks of the Adults who asked weird questions about who makes dinner. On those nights Danny and Jazz where just siblings looking at the stars, just a little brother and his big sister dreaming of what they would do when they grew up. Danny misses those nights so dearly.

Danny was just 14 when his life changed forever, just 14 when his dreams died with him. But he would not die, no, he had to see at least Jazz achieve her dreams, had to be there for her every step of the way like she’d tried to be for him. They got older, the world around them changed with them and Jazz went to college. Danny stopped being a hero, took up the idea of being a trauma therapist, he was with Jazz when she started working for the insane asylum Arkum. Danny watched as new heroes came to protect their world.

Danny was there from the beginning of the Dark Knight’s rise, watching, waiting. He applied to help this new Justice League as a therapist, he knew how tough it was to be a hero.

Danny had once dreamt of going to the stars, had once believed in getting to see earth from afar. Those dreams have long passed, but as Danny is shown the observation deck on his tour of his new work place that little part of him that still dreams finds itself home in this tiny room with little-to-no chairs and a veiw of home from so very far away.

————

The creation of the new “Watch Tower” was coming along nicely, or at least Jo’nn thought so. He’d been on earth so far from home for so long that he felt relieved with the operational status of the orbital spacecraft. Jo’nn was waiting on the observation deck for the tour of the last group of new hires to help the place operational and safe, he was just to make sure none of them acted too foolishly- or so Batman had implied.

Jo’nn was caught off guard by the wave of emotions that came into the room with the new hires. In fact it threw him off enough to literally take a step back, when Jo’nn came back to himself he tried to figure out who it’s coming from. As he peered at the group they all seemed to have the same emotions right about now, a sense of awe and accomplishment. As Batman lead the group further in the overwhelming emotions turned from the usual to a sense of home, and one that Jo’nn could relate to.

The only one that had a look that could be even similar was a tall man with black hair and blurs eyes. As it was described to Jo’nn, this was the new therapist. Jo’nn thinks someone so open would be good for the JL.

#ectoberhaunt23 #danny fenton #fanfiction #crossovers #idk what im doing #dpxdc #dcxdp

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burritowitch · 9 months

Text

Lonnie's 'in case of my death' note from shadow of the bat #41 which according to @lesbiananitafite reads a hell of a lot like a suicide note because he is Not Normal, written out below because it is so hard to read as is:

It looks like tonight must have been that night. I know I've caused you a lot of pain and grief over the past couple of years, and I'm sorry for that. You thought you were bringing me up to be the All-American boy, playing ball on the weekends, studying hard to be a doctor or lawyer. Instead you got a criminal. My memory is tainted, my good intentions derided. And, probably, I'm dead.

How to begin to explain how I feel? The world is like an alien planet to me, the brittle laughter and hollow fun of a theme park overlaying the nightmares of war and discrimination and brutality. The people society respects-- the great and the good-- are, in most part, the small and the evil to me. It's as if I see with laser eyes, burning away the surface illusions that hide the fact that we're zombies-- puppets controlled by somebody else. Again I'm sorry, because I know you're upset. You're good people-- nearly everybody is good people-- and that's what the elite take advantage of. But society is changing. The information revolution allows every man to see the great and good are no better than him. The old power structures and their fascist ways cannot compete with the anarchy of tomorrow's technology. The time of the common man is coming. No longer will he have to march to battle as fodder for bankers and arms makers. No longer will he live in a fog of deceit stoked up by politicians' lies. The future is freedom... and all I ever wanted was to hasten its birth.

I think it all began with Xuasus. I was eleven when he became my penpal... Every month I wrote to tell him the wonders of America-- Every month he wrote back with tales of hovels and soldiers and the brutal repression that made up his life. After a year, his letters suddenly stopped. Mine were returned "Not Known." Another year passed before I found out why he Xuasus wrote once more, a single sheet scribbled in some seedy back alley. His father had been arrested and not heard from since. His mother took ill. His sister died of malnourishment. At the age of 11, Xuasus was fending for himself on the streets. Remember I asked you to help me find him, Dad? You said it was another country, the rules were different there. We could do nothing. But I couldn't just forget a friend like that. I started to haunt the library. I found out Xuasus' country was a dictatorship, at war with Marxist guerillas, with ordinary people caught in the crossfire. I found out the guns came from Europe, and Russia... and here. A few men made big profits, while half a world away, poor people suffered. I read about war and the history of war, and the psychology of war, and the horrors of war. You never knew it but--

That's when I went through those months of nightmares. Remember? Anyway, I soon realized something-- almost all wars were caused by only one man, or one small group of men. And every time the elites ordered 'Fight!' it was the ordinary men who became canon fodder-- and ordinary families followed him into oblivion.

I learned that the state is more important than the individual. I learned that politics is soaked in blood. But I couldn't accept that it had to be that way. Remember how crazy I was about books, Dad? I used to make you take me to the bookstore every Saturday. Flying saucers, cults, conspiracy theory, religion, the occult... I drank it up, tried in vain to make sense of it all. Then I discovered Scudder Klyce's "Universe" and the jigsaw finally fell into place.

Scudder Klyce worked out the secret of humanity. Vox populi, Vox Del. The voice of the people is the voice of God. The elites are parasites, vampires sucking on the life-blood of man, turning everything good and decent into foul corruption! That's when Anarky was born. I couldn't help Xuasus-- but I could give the people of Gotham a voice, no matter how small, against the forces that oppress them.

--If I am dead, please don't think ill of me. I only wanted to bring a little sanity into an insane world for a little while, I was something no one else had ever been... the voice of the people. One day-- and it won't be long-- the tyrants will die away, scorned and mocked by their former victims. One day you'll see that I'm right; maybe then you'll be proud to say "My son did that."

All my love, Anarky (alias Lonnie Machin)

#lonnie machin #save me i suffered doing ths

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animehouse-moe · 6 months

Text

Chainsaw Man Chapter 145: Kumbaya

Wow, a whole lot of questions have arisen from this chapter. Yoshida appears, Asa makes a move, the prophecy creeps ever forward as the Chainsaw Man church is captured. Fujimoto can make a lot happen in a chapter when they really want to.

So, Mr. Public Safety Devil Hunter here says two interesting things to open up this chapter. He talks about wanting War to mutually destroy Chainsaw Man, and he alludes to Chainsaw Man being God. Yeah, capital G there.

So, what do they mean? Clearly, Public Safety (through the Future Devil) became aware of the Nostradamus Prophecy a while back, and have understood that Denji has a key role to play in it. Fami corroborates this theory as she tries to weaken him.

And the second image. Well, that one's sort of obvious. Chainsaw is revered as a Devil unlike any other, the only ones we've not seen it conquer is the primal devils. Even then, he got pretty close with the Falling Devil.

Anyways, one of the big reveals of the chapter: the Justice Devil.

When you look at its design language, you see nothing of the fiendish appearances from previous instances of "justice devil" contracts. So what could be going on here?

There's a few ideas, but first its important to gather up the facts.

Firstly, the corpse of the Justice Devil was beneath the Chainsaw Man church. Secondly, Fami at the minimum had control of the Falling Devil. Third, the Justice Devil and Falling Devil appeared at sunset and the Falling Devil returned at sunrise. Fourth, the devil that has formed contracts with people throughout the story is claimed to not be the Justice Devil.

So, my first theory. The Justice Devil actually did form contracts with the individuals in question. However, these contracts weren't formed on Earth. Devils "forget" about Hell, but are a new iteration of themselves each time they appear on Earth. The "them" that exists in hell is the original, so what would happen if someone formed a contract with a devil in hell? It's not the most likely, as Fujimoto probably hasn't mislead readers with the identity of this Devil, but you never know.

The more likely theory though is that the Devil that formed a contract with these individuals under the guise of the Justice Devil, is the same one that gave Fakesaw Man his abilities. But what could it mean, is the real question. Does this unnamed Devil impart the abilities and nature of "Justice" onto individuals in how each person understands it? The class president and the Chainsaw Man church believer both sport at least a little similarity in design language with the idea of multiple heads, which makes sense given the selfish nature of each. Yuko's appearance though is largely different from theirs, which is once more understandable considering the difference in reasoning.

So, what could this devil that's been masquerading as Justice be? I think the one that comes to mind the quickest is "Desire", or something similar. The Devil requires the ability to fulfill the interests or needs of the individual, and to do so in a very direct way. Yeah, we've seen a lot of this "Justice" in Part 2, but we should remember that in part 1 almost all the devil contracts out there did not do anything to change the appearances of the individuals forming the contracts. The only example off the top of my head is the Zombie Devil.

But going further than that is the question of how Fami got this Devil on their side, and even further why she's playing so many angles at once. Betting on "both sides" she aims to kill Asa and Yoru, but also empower them through the Chainsaw Man church? There's a very long game going on here with Fami and the Nostradamus Prophecy, and I'm very very curious to see how it all ends up going down.

Anyways, here's another Asa door moment. Couldn't be a CSM protagonist without them.

Following this, two very big things happen. The first is the sun goes down. Drawing attention to this is signaling that another devil will appear. Whether it's a primal devil or not, or even potentially the revival of the Justice Devil I've no idea, but a threat looms on the horizon.

This idea begs the question of why the weapons were trying to create a massacre at the amusement park today though. It seems probable that their entire goal was to have a new devil appear come sunset (considering Barem's reaction), so it makes me wonder why they would try to do something so pointless.

The second though, is Asa's arm getting cut off. This is really big for two reasons. One, badass Yoshida in action looking like a young (and hot) Kishibe.

Secondly, and more importantly, it's the first time Asa's been severely injured since Yoru revived her. What are the mechanisms for regeneration and healing with Asa? How much can she heal, if it all? Is regeneration entirely on Yoru, does she have to be in control of the body to heal?

There's a lot of questions with this piece, because unlike all the other hybrids that have a "starter" for their transformation, Asa's is implicit. There's nothing that "kickstarts" her hybrid form, simply because she doesn't have one. Does that mean that she'd heal closer to how a Fiend might? That is, the act of transformation alone cannot regenerate or heal like it does for Denji?

I'm very very curious to see what happens here, because oddly enough this is a piece that can massively affect how we view exactly what Asa and Yoru are.

We're quickly barreling towards the date of July 18, 1999, the date of the last lunar eclipse of the 20th century, and with chapters like these we're piling on all sorts of curious odds and ends that will undoubtedly play a role in this impending night of terror. Really can't wait to see what Fujimoto does with it next.

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monstercampus · 7 months

Note

How bad is the bullying situation at Monster Campus?

Not great! As much as the monsters you've met so far like you, there's quite a large part of MC that is not so friendly. While there's a certain divide of people who are just not very pleasant to begin with, there's a big demographic of the student body that absolutely despise the fact that there's a human on campus. Whether it's because they dislike you invading their space, or it's a matter of pride (as there's many monsters who are very particular about their lineage and social pedigree), or for a variety of other reasons, there are students who would love to make your life hellish enough to force you to drop out. Especially since there's quite a few popular, highly-sought-after monsters that are being looked at for marriage or mate material that like you--and the thought of a human ruining a well-respected monster's chance of bagging them is more than enough to make them furious enough to kill.

(cws: bullying)

But it's for that very reason that you're probably the safest you'll ever be on campus. If you caught somebody like Antón or the Dean's eye and you weren't a student, you'd be in danger from the first moment you locked eyes with them--but being in the dorms, having friends that care about you, and being the subject of so much attention ensures that practically nobody has the guts to try anything with so many eyes on you. Not that anyone would tell you, but upon having your enrollment initially confirmed the Dean had sent out a schoolwide message about your upcoming arrival, and quietly handed around a poll for the students living on campus to gauge who would be comfortable living near you, and who would adamantly reject the very premise of you attending. He and the other profs then put together a list of ideal students to be housed in the same building as you, and assigned the others to the dorms on the opposite side of the campus. Just about as far away as they could get. So you don't really encounter them much around the apartments or in classes, and it's quite intentional--some monsters can get brutal when they want to defend their territory.

....Which is also why the monsters you've made friends with are oftentimes so clingy. They worry about you! You're just a pretty, gentle little human, and you're even sweeter than they imagined you'd be. You would be in so much trouble if they left you to fend for yourself against those prudes. And while some of them are in the same boat as you and have been bullied pretty bad (Efraim, Lidya, Jude, Jelly, Tentacles, Ollie, Portia, Zombie, Aryck, etc etc) and thus are quite empathetic, there are others that use their popularity to instead turn the snobbish ones off and keep them away, so as to (hopefully) give you the impression that you're not disliked at all and surround you with friends. Nick and Raith are very much that way--as popular as they are in those circles, they have no fear of openly rejecting any high-status proposals that come their way or invitations to noble-monster-only parties. Nick isn't even of high-class lineage in the first place, so he just thinks it's ridiculous and stupid to exclude people and make it seem like you're the problem.

Then you've got people like Kirk, Jelly, Tentacles, Cyrus, Huxley, [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] who would rather kick the shit out of anybody that tries to get close to you with bad intentions. Yet they pretend to either not care that much about you or act all innocent about it, hoping that you don't notice them all jumped up or wiping a bit of blood off after they hurry in late for class.

But yeah! In truth, the percentage of people you've met so far are a rather small portion of the student body that are exceptionally tolerant (compared to their fellow snobs, at least) and there's a lot of bullying that goes on with varying degrees of severity. You'll probably notice a lot more of it if you manage to catch a glimpse of someone giving your friends a hard time, or if someone gets close enough to you to shoot you a glare or whisper something derogatory while your little guard dogs are out of earshot. After that it becomes a lot clearer that you've been protected by your friends and love interests from all that negativity to a staggering degree. They'd much rather be the ones on the sharp end of the proverbial stick than subject you to it, plus, they have something to protect. For plenty of them, that's all they could ever want. They don't want you to drop out, after all! Please don't drop out. Otherwise you'll have a whole lotta heartbroken monsters on your hands </3

#monster campus lore #monster campus #multiple monsters #monster boyfriend #monster girlfriend #ellie chats #anons

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sonik-kun · 3 months

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To say JC was disrespecting his sister's sacrifice by blaming WWX for her death is a bit of a reach, honestly. Especially since that's obviously his trauma speaking. Merely him trying to put the blame onto someone because sometimes, when we grieve, we feel better when there is someone to blame. Something to attribute those feelings to and hope that by hunting it down, maybe they'll finally go away? And that maybe he will finally get the answers and feelings of closure he yearns for when he does?

We see his conflicted feelings throughout the latter part of the story and how he struggled with them, after all (Which is another tragic aspect of his and WWX's character, which we can't ignore).

Even then, you could argue that in the moment, that was just how JC perceived and rationalised things. WWX did lose control at Nightless City. And whilst it wasn't intentional, and this time by the hands of someone else, rather than his own "zombies", we can see why JC would rationalise it to be WWX's fault. That's what trauma does to a person.

Also, the implications that JC sees his sister as some "commodity" is just wrong and unfairly misrepresenting his character, too. Sorry. Especially whilst he respected all of her wishes throughout. Be it her choice to marry JZX or not, despite JC and WWX hating the dude.

Allowing her that choice to either reject the arrangement (which was hugely beneficial for the sect btw and something families did back then), or accept it by choice is a big deal for a dude of that period tbh. Especially whilst JC effectively had "control" over his sister (which again, he never exercised. She was always the big sister to him, whose word he respected. We see this when he confides in her during the search for WWX during the war). So no. She wasn't a commodity for him. JC started a siege over this woman. He loved her dearly and to reduce their relationship to something so surface level is disingenuous and so not what the author wanted to convey in her work. Js.

To sum up, whilst JC was factually wrong to accuse WWX of the death of his sister, we can see beneath the surface why he reached that conclusion, regardless of the facts.

Context matters greatly here. And WWX did inadvertently bring that threat to them. What doesn't help is also the events that took place before this.

WWX refused to open up to JC when prompted. He kept things from him prior to the incident and just.. Looked culpable as heck for everything despite actually being innocent (especially since this took place not long after the death of his brother in law which was apparently by WWX's hands). All feelings of confusion, anger and grief were bound to mount up and unfortunately, WWX was going to be the outlet for all that because behind it all, there he was. Looking responsible for all that went wrong for JC (despite us as the reader knowing that there's more to the situation than that and that wasn't true. But remember, JC doesn't see what we see. So it's only natural he's going to attribute all that's gone wrong in his life to the man that was always there, somehow at the core of it -ahem. No pun intended there!-).

But all this aside, you've got to remember that JC does let WWX go in the end anyway. He drops all feelings of malice as the truth comes out and he learns that WWX wasn't actually fully responsible for everything he accused and hated him for.

To still hate JC for initially blaming WWX for the cause of JYL's death is a bit silly tbh, especially when they effectively closed that chapter at the end of the book and moved on anyway.

JC doesn't pursue him anymore for answers and nor does he continue to hold him accountable for everything. To bring up his old feelings when the book is finished and all has been put to bed is unfair tbh. Especially when some of you won't even put yourself in JC's shoes and try to come to understand how he came to that conclusion in the first place.

#canon jiang cheng #jiang cheng #jiang wanyin #mo dao zu shi #mxtx mdzs #mdzs #pov matters!

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