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rynnaaurelius · 3 years

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Titan’s Curse But Make It Time Loop: Nico di Angelo Edition

-Okay so I’m at work and not doing much and who wants to actually edit your shit drafts for your actual WIPs so that they’re less bad? No one, that’s who

-So I had an idea: The Titan’s Curse. Also known as the book where people start to die. It sucks to be a demigod in this book--for the first time in the original series, it really does.

-Not everything is fixed, not everyone is saved, and people start to have to make really tough decisions.

-So we fix it. Not by throwing Percy, or Annabeth, or Thalia, or, hell, even Bianca or Grover into the mix.

-Throwing the marginally more grown-up, more trained, and more knowledgeable demigods into the fire, who’d get everyone alive and safe by the third time ‘round? Nah.

-We’re making Nico fix this.

-Because here’s the thing about Nico di Angelo: Sure, he grows up to become a major badass, the Ghost King, so on and so forth. But not yet.

-For now, Nico is baby, a ten-year-old whose experience with any kind of fighting consists of one (1) Capture The Flag game and who’s still half-reliant on Mythomagic to explain what the fuck is happening.

-He’s also got the worst knowledge makeup possible! He knows he’s a son of Hades, which is bad, he knows to stick monsters with the pointy end of swords but nothing else, he knows that Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace are Very Big Deals (But also doesn’t know why beyond parents), and he’s, at best, vaguely aware that there’s some kind of bad prophecy hanging around.

-Also by the end of the book, he’s just been told his last immediate family who isn’t Hades is dead in one of the worst ways possible, and he--pretty irrationally IMO, but Nico’s a kid who has been through a lot recently, so we’re not holding that against him--blames Percy Jackson.

-Literally, you probably can’t pick an angstier or worse choice to run through the time travel trope. I love it.

-We’re making this kid save Bianca’s life via time loop, which happens due to. . .hmm, we’ll say the Fates did it.

-So, Loop 0 = Canon, only at the end of the day on December 21st, after the conversation with Percy, Nico falls asleep only gods know where only to wake up the day he meets Percy Jackson:

Loop 1:

-Nico doesn’t actually change anything meaningful at first.

-Spends most of it shellshocked and not unconvinced the last week (For him, anyway) wasn’t a horrible nightmare; shellshocked and staring at Percy Jackson, anyway.

-(Percy’s wondering what’s up with the silent kid his sister had talked up as a cheerful chatterbox)

-It’s only when Bianca agrees to join the quest for Artemis that he starts kicking up a fuss; demanding to go, screaming that she can’t leave him even more, not again.

-(Bianca hesitates; briefly, enough to remind Nico that she loves him. But she’s not their mother, and she needs this)

-Bianca still dies. Percy comes back pale and guilty. Nico doesn’t yell at him when he returns--he already knows. He accepts the Hades figurine so that he can throw it into the lake.

-He slinks off back into Cabin Eleven and falls asleep, hoping desperately that he gets a third chance.

Loop 2:

-He does.

Loop 3:

-After a very painful death at the hands of Dr. Thorn, Nico, generally being a straightforward person at this stage of life, takes the obvious path this time around: He tries to tell Bianca--who brushes it off as a dream.

-Annabeth still goes over the cliff when Nico takes the initiative of attaching himself and his sister to Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace at the dance. He tries to tell Percy and Thalia when Bianca still joins the Hunt, promising Nico that whatever he saw, she’ll be extra careful.

-(Bianca’s fearful of what Nico's saying, and thinks that if these sworn sisters can’t keep her safe, who can?)

-Artemis gives Nico a speculative look but agrees when he begs her to protect Bianca at all costs.

-He doesn’t get on the quest. Being a reasonable demigod of questionable parentage, he sneaks out of camp.

-He gets caught, because despite being aware of his awesome new powers, he doesn’t know how to use them, and is still a ten-year-old who can barely hold a sword the right way.

-He gives Percy the puppy dog eyes and shows off said awesome new powers. Percy forces him back.

-Nico follows him.

-Repeat until Percy dies saving Nico from the Nemean Lion in Washington, DC.

-Nico can’t find it in himself to be terribly sad--especially when he doesn’t make it much longer.

Loop 4:

-He’s really stuck like this, huh?

-Oh, Di Immortales.

-(Before Percy gets his chest ripped to shreds by a lion and Nico meets skeleton cats, he learned how to hold a sword properly and curse fluently in Greek. Percy probably only meant to teach him one of those things)

-In unrelated news: Having a big crush on a guy who thinks he’s only known you for a couple hours? Terrible.

-Trying to hate the guy who let your sister die when he’s that stupid and nice? Even worse.

-That stupid lion.

Loop 5, 6, 7, 8, 9:

-Nico repeats: That stupid lion.

-Somewhere in Loop 7 he starts to steal supplies out of the camp store when he follows Percy following the quest.

-They forcefeed the lion enough trail mix and frozen ice cream in Loop 9 that they don’t die this time.

-At least until someone called the General shows up and Nico’s dead before he can raise his sword.

Loop 10:

-Nico wakes up in his and Bianca’s room in Westover and starts crying. Bianca tells the headmaster they’re both sick and Nico lets her hold him all day.

-They fall asleep and Nico swears he won’t let her die again.

Loop 11, 12, 13:

-He wakes up and he still can’t get out of bed without feeling that blade cutting between his ribs, burning like it’s on fire.

-Gods, he’s so sorry, Bianca. Dispiace tanto.

Loop 14:

-He can get up without feeling like he’s about to die again. Bianca fusses but assumes it was just a bad dream.

-Nico is caught stealing and can’t follow Percy until it’s too late.

-Everyone assumes this means he’s a son of Hermes, however, and Nico can’t correct them without opening his mouth and letting the sobbing laughter out.

-Figuring he’s about to get another chance next round anyway, he takes Travis and Connor Stoll up on their offer to learn a thing or two so that he doesn’t get Cabin Eleven slapped with kitchen duty from now until Doomsday.

-He likes the Stolls. He spent most of the time, pre-looping, actively avoiding everyone at camp as he waited for Bianca and Percy to come back, but they’re not that bad.

-Percy comes back with the figurine and no sister and Nico remembers why he’s stuck.

Loop 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23:

-After Loop 12 and being killed in Washington DC again, Nico realizes: He needs to learn how to fight.

-Unless he gets killed early or refuses to leave Westover, the loop resets after seven days. So, he has seven days to train each time.

-He gets to camp, finds the arena, and meets Clarisse La Rue. He demands she teach him how to kill monsters.

-She laughs, and tells him that attitude in his size will make monsters easy to kill, they’ll laugh so hard.

-Clarisse teaches him how to swing a sword each time--but only after mocking his unamused face.

-Somehow, Percy coming back with news of Bianca’s death only hurts more each time.

Loop 24:

-Nico wakes up before Bianca this time. He looks over at her bed and knows. He’s got to try this time.

-It’s disturbingly easy making friends with Percy Jackson after the last loops.

-Bessie’s new. Cute, but new.

-Nico wonders just how much he’s missed in the past--he thinks of Annabeth Chase, and hopes she hasn’t been dying each time.

-Percy doesn’t even argue when Nico shows up in the stables with a bag slung over his shoulder, and the sword he’s been stealing out of the shed strapped to his hip.

-Nico suggests the ice cream--again--to Percy in DC before

-Nico might be getting the hang of this.

Loop 25:

-Nico is not getting the hang of this.

-Zoë Nightshade’s refusal to accept Percy and Nico on the quest--violating a prophecy, and gods, Nico’s curious if that prophecy ever mentioned this--has so far gotten them attacked and killed by spartoi once.

-And again. As Nico bleeds out on the floor, he watches a panicked blond man--a demigod--plead for mercy.

-Isn’t he on the other side?

Loop 26:

-His name is Luke Castellan and he apparently wants the gods dead.

-Nico can relate at this point.

-The General is Atlas, and Nico knows enough about Greek mythology, real and wrong, at this point to know that is bad.

Loop 27:

-Twenty-six tries, but they finally make it out of DC. Threatening the questers with Atlas killing them all is more than enough.

-For the first time, Nico doesn’t know what happens next. He glues himself to Bianca’s side and glares at anything suspicious.

-With help that Percy refuses to name, even when Nico tries his hardest, they go to New Mexico.

-There’s a boar and it’s so close, they make it to what the others are calling “the junkyard of the gods”.

-Nico sees the Hades figurine on the ground.

-Bianca grins in delight and picks it up, calling for him.

-He can’t help it.

-Nico starts screaming.

Loop 28:

-His sister’s murderer was never Percy Jackson.

-His sister’s murderer was a force of mechanics that makes Nico fully understand, for the first time, what the gods are, beyond stats on a card.

-Talos.

-Nico is going to destroy him.

Loop 29:

-She dies.

Loop 30:

-Again.

Loop 31:

-Again.

-Loop 32, 33, 34, 3536373839FortyFo r t y O n e--:

-Again. Again. Again. Again again againagainagainagainAGAIN--

Loop 42:

-Nico gets out of bed. He finds Percy Jackson at the dance, hugs him, and tells him he’s sorry.

-Nico walks outside and waits for Dr. Thorn in the snow. He can feel the shadows curling at the edge of the wood like a sixth sense, now. Waiting for him to summon the restless dead out of them.

-So many attempts to save his sister, ranging from sacrificing himself to sacrificing Percy--not that Percy needs the push, Nico has found--to any and all members of the quest.

-She dies. Always, always dies. Whatever Nico does, that junkyard is full of the death of Bianca di Angelo.

-He tried avoiding it. Once. Loop 33. Nico threw such a fit he’s surprised he wasn’t sent back to Camp Half-Blood by the Hunters, but it kept them out of the junkyard.

-He tries not to remember how little was left of his sister’s body by the monsters that time.

-Son of Hades. After all this time, Nico’s beginning to wonder if this is what it means. Death and death and death.

-Dr. Thorn walks outside, and Nico can feel a ghoulish grin crossing his face that has no place on a ten-year-old.

-One of them is going to die, this loop. And Nico will not go to New Mexico.

Loop 43:

-Nico wonders if there was a past life of his he needs to remember. Who could he have made this angry?

-He lies to Bianca and they stay in Westover again this time. Better than death, anyway.

Loop 44:

-Nico tries a different tack this time. A more roundabout way of things.

-He takes Bianca and throws the two of them in the way of the battle with the manticore.

-After all this time, he still doesn’t know much about Annabeth Chase. She gets kidnapped and returned safely to Percy every time, to the best of his knowledge.

-Nico dies holding up the sky, but at least Bianca lives, under the protection of Artemis.

Loop 45:

-Nico looks in the mirror and studies the new grey streak with fascination. And, maybe, some hope.

-Things can change.

Loop 46, 47, 48, 49, 50:

-Nico gets kidnapped a few times. Once, he’s killed in a rage by a Titan with horns, but it’s quick. Mostly, he holds up the sky to get Artemis out.

-She looks at him strangely each time and Nico wonders if she can see what he’s done.

Loop 51:

-They figure out he’s a son of Hades. They offer him Olympus. Olympus and Bessie--the Ophiotaurus, rather.

-Nico says no.

Loop 52:

-Nico says yes.

Loop 53:

-Being on the verge of overthrowing the gods and keeping everyone he’s grown to care for--in the case of several Hunters, against his will; in Percy Jackson’s case, Nico loves him as much as he hates him at this point--doesn’t do much, apparently.

-Nico stays in Westover again. He resists the urge to tell Bianca that would-be destroyers of Olympus don’t need to brush their hair, whatever she says.

Loop 54:

-Nico goes over the edge of the cliff again, but with Percy Jackson.

-This isn’t the first time; in Loop 46, Percy had taken the sky for both the sake of Artemis and Nico until it killed him.

-What’s different, is Nico’s in the middle of what’s become the usual panic attack when he’s about to die for the hundredth time, and his powers react.

-Percy holds him close and calls him cousin. Tells him he’ll never leave Nico.

-You have no idea, Nico whispers. You can’t leave me.

-You think I want to? Percy whispers back. You’re not alone, Nico.

-Nico’s sobbing sounds like laughter.

Loop 55:

-Nico tells Percy the truth for the third time. This is the first time he hasn’t told Bianca first.

-They’ve just found the Erymanthian Boar, Thalia’s told Nico his goth needs work--whatever that means--and Nico’s bracing himself for the junkyard again.

-Getting kidnapped by the Titans really gets old after a while.

-He still has the grey streak, and no number of excuses will fully soothe his sister, but the Hunt’s a good distraction from it.

-Nico doesn’t blame Bianca anymore for it. He thinks.

-Nearly a year into this loop and Nico’s finding it hard to blame anyone for much of anything, anymore. Especially when he sees what she’s faced. Again. And again.

-For now, this time, Percy Jackson is staring at Nico with wide eyes at what Nico’s told him--through these loops, Nico’s starting to wonder if he now knows more about Percy than Percy’s own best friends--and says he believes him.

-Once, Nico would’ve exploded from joy. Now, he just sighs and nods.

-Percy tells him how to condense the conversation for the next loop. He advises Nico to research Talos, “like Annabeth would.”

-He advises Nico to warn Percy’s next loop self about Annabeth’s kidnapping. Nico wonders if he’s gone insane that he’s considering it.

-Bianca dies.

Loop 56:

-Nico makes the executive decision this time to try and befriend Annabeth Chase. As such, he takes Percy’s advice.

Loop 57:

-It takes him two tries to befriend Annabeth Chase and learn about Talos.

Loop 58:

-Three times.

-But the nail. The nail in the ankle of Talos.

Loop 59:

-He hangs back at camp again this time and meets Charles Beckendorf, head of Cabin Nine, and son of Hephaestus.

-Nico figures that short of finding the god himself and committing temporary suicide--not that it hasn’t crossed Nico’s mind--his son will have to do.

-(He’s tried his hand at summoning ghosts, but Daedalus refuses to show, for some reason)

-Beckendorf frowns and tells Nico he would have to see Talos himself.

-Nico hadn’t realized just how much cursing he had picked up off of Percy and Thalia until that moment.

Loop 60:

-Nico knows what the prophecy says. One shall be lost in the land without rain.

-He knows it’s why he’s been failing so much.

-The trouble is, he no longer cares.

Loop 61:

-It took him a try, but he gets Beckendorf on the quest, prepared to defeat the Talos prototype.

Loop 62:

-Strike that, two tries.

-Nico really hates the Nemean Lion.

Loop 63, 64:

-Nico has solved half a problem: How to defeat Talos without putting someone inside the robot.

-The other half of the problem is now that they are all electrocuted by a dying automaton for their efforts.

Loop 65:

-Beckendorf’s crush--girlfriend? crush, they’re both insisting--Silena Beauregard comes along this time. Nico won’t complain over the extra manpower, even if he’s positive that eight campers and Hunters are patent overkill for one quest.

-Silena pulls Bianca out of the wreckage. Nico’s heart stops.

-Silena’s crying when she mentions that if they had been a bit earlier, she could have been revived.

-Nico wonders if Thalia’s going to stab him as he starts whooping. And takes notes about where Talos falls.

Loop 66:

-Nico swears, if Percy Jackson tries to sacrifice himself for Annabeth Chase one more time--

Loop 67:

-Bianca.

-I found you, he sobs. I found you.

-Gods damn the Hoover Dam.

Loop 68:

-And again.

-Despite having the distinct inkling at this point that he doesn’t much like like girls, Nico could kiss Silena Beauregard and Thalia Grace when they manage to revive his sister each time.

-She’s shaky and leaning on him and was dead, he could see her soul floating away--

-But she’s there.

-Nico refuses to let his sister out of the sight at the Hoover Dam and Percy befriends the Naiads this time.

-At least, until the Titans--who Nico made the very big mistake of taunting at DC--sends monsters he can’t control.

Loop 69, 70, 71, 72, 73:

-They keep dying in various combinations at the Hoover Dam now that Nico’s figured out how to save Bianca.

-At least, until he gets separated from Percy in Loop 73 and he meets a redheaded girl with a penchant for calling Nico pint-size.

-Athena dislikes Percy, Nico, Bianca, and Thalia in equal measure. Having learned of the Great Prophecy in Loop 16 and Percy’s mooning over Annabeth in. . .well, every loop, Nico can’t quite blame her.

Loop 74:

-Her name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Nico likes her. She takes none of their shit and if it weren’t for the fact that they already have eight people on the quest, he’d want to take her along.

-Bianca gets in a fight with the Old Man of the Sea. Thalia electrocutes him when he throws Bianca in the bay.

Loop 75:

-Nico wakes up in Westover with the distinct feeling that he was drowned on dry land.

-He stays in bed shivering, that day.

Loop 76:

-Atlas is the father of Zoë Nightshade. Nico learned this around Loop 50. He had realized around five loops ago that this probably meant she was going to die “by a parent’s hand.”

-He hadn’t realized that it was going to hurt to watch.

Loop 77, 78, 79, 80, 81:

-Now that he’s figured things out to about San Francisco, it seems the world is out to get him. The number of fights or mistakes that he either makes himself or has to head off are ridiculous.

Loop 82:

-Nico is so very tired. And wishes he felt ten years old again.

Loop 83:

-If Thalia gets in one more fight with Nereus, Nico's going to walk into the sea.

Loop 84:

-He wanders off, in this one. Grover had been killed in Hoover Dam, so Nico’s waiting for the reset at this point.

-In the meantime, Nico figures there are worse things to do than enjoy a good afternoon in San Francisco. He even meets a boy in a purple shirt.

-His name is Jason and he has hair like the sun.

-If he ever fixes this, Nico wants to find him.

Loop 85:

-Nico’s not fast enough in the junkyard.

-In San Francisco, he tries to find the ugliest, biggest trouble he can find.

-He finds a pair of teenagers in armor who yell Latin at him instead.

Loop 86:

-There’s a dragon that will attack them in the Garden of the Hesperides if they make it angry enough and Nico is so tired.

Loop 87:

- Zoë Nightshade is dead. They’ve won.

-Funny definition of “win”, considering they’ve all almost died this loop about a dozen times each, and Nico can’t explain why he’s crying on the body of a Hunter he only met a week ago, in their eyes.

-She hates him, some loops. More loops, she looks at him with ghosts of old grief in her eyes and hands him a knife.

-The gods execute Bessie, and then, Nico watches as his father turns to him and Bianca with sorrowful eyes.

-Nico should’ve figured, after almost ninety loops.

Loop 88:

-Luke offers one of them the entrails of Bessie again.

-Nico takes them.

Loop 89:

-For all the good it does. Nico wakes up as he does every time now: Powerless, in bed, and with only a grey streak to show for his efforts.

Loop 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98:

-Nico doesn’t know how to save Zoë Nightshade. Bianca, he could trick and fight his way into it. Beckendorf and Silena and Percy and a loophole in lost could save his sister.

-Her, she just. . .dies. Sometimes in DC, sometimes in San Francisco, sometimes on the hills of Mt. Tamalpais. Always at the hands of Atlas.

-Always, being murdered by her father.

-It’s not as gutting as watching his sister die, but it aches more in his chest, somehow.

Loop 99:

-He sticks close to Zoë this time. Same as he’s done with Percy, Annabeth, his sister, Thalia, and Grover, time and time again. But not her, Nico is realizing. Not the clinging he’s achieving now.

-Hoping for. . .something.

-He knows better than to tell the immortal Lieutenant of Artemis the whole truth. The loneliness is enough.

-She’s less frosty to him from the start than to, say, Grover or Percy, after Annabeth goes over the cliff again. When he shows up in DC, she’s much less angry than he’s seen her.

-Along the way to New Mexico and then San Francisco, he listens. He’s grown better at it, this far in. When the others are asleep, when Bianca is being fussed over after Talos, when everyone but them is asleep by the fire, he listens.

-And she tells him about her sisters. About her father, when the world was young and Atlas had looked on every daughter of his with pride. She tells him, pride glistening in her eyes, of the battles she has seen, the hunts she has overseen at the command of a goddess, the monsters she has killed, and the epithets she has been given.

-He doesn’t ask anything of her. Not until they’re in the house of Annabeth’s father, drinking lemonade the night before the battle, and Nico knows she is about to die again.

-What do you want, he asks. You’ve done everything. What’s left?

-She stopped, ice seems to creep over her again, and Nico wondered if he’d hit some sore spot.

-He’s opened his mouth to make his apologies when she answers, so quiet and quick he thinks he’s imagined it.

-To be remembered. When my lady has taken another lieutenant, as she must, and I have gone to where all gods go when they die, I wish for my memory to remain. And. . .

-Nico waits, and ignores the sudden, terrifying thought that he no longer knows what he wants.

-I wish to see the stars again. I was born a nymph of the sunset; starlight is precious to me. I want to see it again.

-Nico dies to preserve the memory of Zoë Nightshade.

100:

-Nico di Angelo wakes up in Westover Hall. He hopes for the last time.

-He does everything right: Annabeth goes over the cliff, his sister joins the Hunt, Percy is soon his friend, and he convinces Silena and Beckendorf to join the quest.

-The Nemean Lion never stands a chance, and Nico is glad to be rid of it.

-His sister lives.

-Nico watches Percy watch Rachel Elizabeth Dare go, looking like he’s just taken a frying pan to the face, and fights the urge to snicker.

-Thalia doesn’t start a fight with Nereus, but Percy certainly does. Nico could’ve sworn he saw the boy with sun-hair again, watching with curiosity.

- Zoë Nightshade dies in the arms of Artemis and is made into the stars she loves so dearly. Nico promises her soul that he will remember.

-For, he has found, the dead have a tendency of remembering things they shouldn’t.

-Annabeth and Percy now have grey streaks to match Nico’s, and Nico can’t wait to spend the rest of his life trying to explain that.

-It’s closer than he would like, but much less close than other lives with Olympus. The Ophiotaurus is alive and safe, and they are all alive.

-As Nico walks out of the council, he looks off to the side. By the fire is the familiar girl with red eyes--the Lady Hestia, looking much closer to Nico’s age than that of the Olympian she is.

-Besides her are three old ladies. Nico’s heard about them from Percy, in Loops 26, 53, 61, and 62.

-One lady holds a ball of string that is the color of a warm umber. The other is knitting what looked suspicious like socks. The last. . .

-Scissors, in one hand. Just as expected. Nico swallowed.

-In the other, was a knot of burnt string, tied to the socks. Behind her, Nico could see discarded string of all colors: an electric blue, a stormy grey, a black that seems to glisten with the promise of a storm, string the soft, hopeful pink of love, yarn run through with bright copper.

-Glowing threads that Nico could only describe as the color of starlight.

-As he walked out, firmly between Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace, the Hunt of Artemis behind him, Nico hears one last promise:

It is done, Nico di Angelo.

127 notes · View notes

ahjustroza · 3 years

Note

Hello, could you write an HC about an GN!MC who used to be a mob boss or run an illegal organization and the Mains 6 + Valerius' Reaction? Doesn't need to be angsty just dramatic

I wanted to go dramatic with the CGs lmao. Also, it got long and everything is under the cut.

Warning!

Headcanon includes the mention of murder, suicide, crime, and depression. So I would say it is NSFW.

Mob Boss MC Headcanons

Asra

He always knew it

He knows everything about you even the things you don't know about yourself

I can see you as the type of boss that doesn't create mass murders for personal gain

However, I can see thievery, blackmailing, and playing your games dirty

Maybe illegal underground market business in the red market (a version of the black market in Vesuvia)

You are smart but also have a soft spot

For him

And only him

Since MC canonically lives with him for a long time I can only picture you being a mob boss in your past before him

But your past is probably still haunting you

You don't necessarily need a tragic childhood to be a mob boss

I want to leave the reasons up to you but I refuse to believe you would be cruel and unreasonable

Because you are all amazing human beings

Many people get into this lifestyle by mistake, choice, or by someone else's force

Whatever reason that made you get into this lifestyle however did change you

You have trust issues, always on defensive mode, and always observing everything around you for possible threats or problems

But he came into your life and became the center of it

You told him what you did before moving to Vesuvia step by step

Not in one go

You tried to see how he would react to you

When you couldn't keep this secret from him anymore, you just told him

It was very impulsive of you

Highly surprising

You told him how you started from the bottom and climbed to the top

you told him how everyone in your home knows your name

How many people were your followers and how if you ask they will come and continue to follow you without a question

You did dirty work, you hurt people too

Violence is something he can not tolerate

At all

But just like you, he is also at the loss of words when any topic comes to the possibility of you leaving

He doesn't want you to go

And you don't want to leave

So expect him to stay away from you for a while

He will not speak of it out loud ever again

Never going to tell anything to even Muriel

No one has to know

Because you are now here and a different person

He will assume that you did what you did to survive

Just like his best friend...

When you lose your memories and slowly starting to gain them back

He is hesitant to answer any question regarding your past

But he knows that he has to

So he does

And you get involved in the red market

Asra is disappointed but you assure him that it is to find ingredients for your magic shop

He will never leave you, but he is not approving illegal business

Yet who he is to judge?

He made a ritual to bring you back by killing the Count of Vesuvia

So he is more on the stick close to you so that you won't get hurt side

Nadia

She will either use your connections for spy mastering or lock you up until she gets rid of your gang/illegal organization

But oh no she will not give up on you for being a simple mob boss oh no

She grew up into the royalty and probably dealt with and seen worst situations

She will not allow you to put yourself into any kind of danger and if she must she will put you on house arrest or even lock you up in dungeons

She dealt with a crazy husband before and she learned from her mistakes

So do as she says

She will give you two options, either listen to her or leave Vesuvia completely

Nadia will want her answer on the spot because if you truly want to be with her, you shouldn't need a lot of time to think about it

She will be even more dominant around you

She will make sure to remind you who has the power

If you leave Vesuvia she will never want to see you again

But she will be there personally to put you to the ground if you cause any trouble

If you choose to stay then you have another two options

You leave the business completely or run it for her favor

Provide him important information about the underground market and other organizations in Vesuvia

Yet that only can happen if you can hide your identity as a mob boss

So get creepy and wear a Tokyo Ghoul mask during business hours

I'd say if you chose to go disguise and spy on the underground for Nadia

You two will be the dictionary definition of the power couple

Like hot damn

Imagine

You live like royalty during the day and go be a mob boss during the night

She will even make you her spymaster if you are willing

Julian

He will volunteer to be your henchman (is this what it is called?)

Yeah

You have now extra trouble because he is not leaving your side

He will even find you more connections for business

He knows key people in different countries and cities

He knows roads to pass without getting caught

He did live this lifestyle for quite a long time after all

Minus the mob boss part

He is by no means not letting anyone he doesn't like to even have an audience with you

My man knows his way with people and not afraid to put up a fight for you

He is impulsive but useful in the underground world

He is a doctor without a license (or it is just a myth? who really knows...) so he was really doing illegal consultations on regular basis lol

He will patch you up when you get hurt and probably will teach you how you can make lethal damage to your enemy during a fight by teaching you anatomy

You will have to send him to horny jail whenever he talks about anatomy because he is a visual learner

And the best way he teaches anything is to show you

So lock him up

It's not like he will resist

He is good with reading body language too

I can think of Julian to be giving you the most understanding reaction when you tell him that you are a mob boss

He has a history (again I remind you)

So if he is in love with you, he is stuck to your side and yes he will still have his leeches with him

His plague doctor mask becomes popular underground too

If you didn't know better, even you would find him scary and intimidating looking during the friendly business hours

And Julian being Julian, he will insist that you find yourself a mask too

So that you will be a power couple

But make it romantic

However, this is the best scenario where you are just doing business in the red market by selling illegal goods, or being a Mob Boss Robin Hood

if you do unacceptable things, such as cruelty towards children and the innocent

And anything violent that including torture and murder,

He will end this all himself

Julian is dramatic but if he had to kill you because there is no other way to stop you he will

Then will follow you not too long after.

Portia

She will hate to hear that.

Portia is strong but fragile at the same time

She has a strong emotional connection to you and you are probably one of those people she trusts more than anyone

So when you say that you are a mob boss she is broken

Hurt and disappointed

But mostly confused

She doesn't know what to do with this

What to do with you, with what you have between the both of you

She loves you a million

But you are wrong with your life decisions

the good and the bad fights inside of her mind when she tries to make a decision

She will either leave everything behind and live a life similar to what her brother had to live

Or let you go to be yourself and get hurt

She will never forget you or never stop loving you

But she will be in a deep depression after you leave her

Most likely never recover

Because you broke the trust she gave you

So if you want her

If you want to be with her

You have to play your cards right

You are on very thin ice here

You can literally break her in a way without a return

So chose your life carefully

What do you want to do as a mob boss?

Will, you hurt people? Cause trouble and chaos? Torture the innocent and break families?

Or will you just do underground illegal trades and sales?

She can keep your secret if you just do your business in the red market

But she will not tolerate you causing harm to others

She will hate it but will stop you no matter the cost before you become the monster you two fought while falling in love with each other

You have her heart

But she has yours too

So she will not allow anyone else to stop you and do it herself

Because she is afraid for others to put you down in a painful way

She'll stop you rather gently

Caress your cheek while crying beside you

She will never forgive you but also will never stop loving you

You are her only big love and will remain like that forever

She will be the person she was while Julian was on the run

Always nervous and always having anxiety and panic attacks

She won't leave you no

No no no no.

She rather dies than spend a day without the thought of you not loving her

Being there for her

She refuses very strongly to let you go and also get caught.

So in this scenario, you two are still together and preferably alive

But she is in agony every second of the day

And you know that this is all your fault

Yet continue anyway.

Muriel

No.

He is not accepting this.

He will be furious and hurt so much that he will tell you to go right away

He trusted you and you betrayed him

There is not much to say for Muriel

He doesn't want to see you again

Even though he wants you

He dreamed about having a peaceful life with you

But he will not go over all the pain he had caused by violence and power

Lucio

You already know he is down

He will do anything for you

Destroy enemy mob boss?

Run the entire underground together?

Invade a city so that you can make the illegal legal?

Do you want someone dead?

Do you want him to arm people for you?

Recruit followers?

Done.

With the potential he has there is no option to stay peaceful in the underground business

Even if you just mention that you want to make a certain business

He'll take it as order the moment it comes out of your mouth

It will be scary

Terrifying even

You will be unstoppable

Valerius

Lmao you probably got him cornered and forced him to work with you

And he got so turned on that said yes on the spot

But made it look as he was the victim here

He seems to be distressed with your connection but secretly he likes the power you have

You do as you please, take whatever you want

And people in the palace have no idea

He knows that you are smart

Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to become a boss and run your business flawlessly

He'll support you financially of course

Under the table

But the real job he does is to give you information

He is also good at creating gossips and rumors as well

He is connected to the high class and works in the palace so it is really hard for people to make any kind of connection between him and you

He pretends to make investigations about your illegal business but what he actually does is mislead the palace

In return, you get him precious stuff

Expensive wine, silk clothes, anything he wants

Oh my god Valerius is your sugar baby and he doesn't even know

Whenever you tell him to see you he is there the moment he can leave his work

He likes to be around you but plays hard to get

He loves to see you struggle and frustrated

He will not give you away but don't expect him to go down with you if you get caught either

He cares about his reputation

The best he can do is to help you escape in a way people can't make connections with him

Then you will most likely become his sugar baby-ish for a while

He will boss you around but the second you remind him who you are he will act bratty

Oh does he likes being bratty

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hellsbellschime · 3 years

Note

Could you make a meta about jonerys storyline in s7?

LOL okay so fun story! I thought this would be a fun idea for a video and figured I’d do a scene by scene analysis except by the time I was done with 7x03 I already had FIFTEEN MINUTES of material, so I stopped there. It was interesting so I might dive more into it at another point, but I do feel like at the very least the subtext and narrative material from 7x03 is the most rich anyway.

youtube

Most fans of Game of Thrones were looking forward to the shows main leads, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, meeting each other for years. But unfortunately once "ice and fire" finally came face to face, their chemistry and relationship was tragically lacking. However, given that the show was trying to sell an epic love story between them in half a dozen episodes, what was it about Jon and Dany that went so wrong? And in retrospect, did it even go wrong at all? One of the most interesting bricks in the foundation of Jon and Daenerys's relationship actually gets set in stone before Jon and Dany even meet, and it's set in stone by Tyrion. There is an significant miscommunication caused by him in the second episode of the season, because Daenerys commands him to invite Jon to Dragonstone specifically to bend the knee, but the message he actually sends to Jon doesn't include that vital tidbit. But the question is, why is that?

It's possible to chalk it up to just an error in writing or editing, however it's something that would have to be overlooked by everyone, and given the way the season progresses it seems unlikely that that's the case. It could have easily been edited out of the episode itself, so the fact that it wasn't means that it had to have been left in for a reason. And the fact that this miscommunication is never clarified or brought up by Tyrion afterwards seemingly indicates that it's an intentional moment too. But what matters more about this intentional confusion is not the confusion itself, but what it's supposed to tell the audience.

This disconnect between perspectives and understanding between Jon and Dany seems to repeat itself from the literal moment that they're introduced to each other as well. Obviously Missandei listing off all of Dany's many titles while Jon Snow is introduced with such little fanfare is a moment that plays very well comedically, but despite the fact that up until this point Jon and Dany have been portrayed as two of the most heroic characters in the series, the audience is immediately meant to see them as total opposites of each other. Obviously the disparity between them will become clearer later, but given the way they've both been presented as individuals thus far, it's quite odd that the literal second they meet they're portrayed in direct contrast to one another.

Jon and Daenerys's interactions are really weird right off the bat. Not only is Jon completely thrown for a loop when he arrives on Dragonstone and is immediately commanded to bend the knee and taken prisoner, but Daenerys is her worst, least appealing self as soon as she meets him. It's not entirely out of her wheel house to play hardball with another person in power that she's just met, but from what Tyrion has said about Jon she has no reason to negotiate so aggressively with him, and yet she does anyway.

What really sticks out in this initial conversation more than anything though, is that immediately after Daenerys meets Jon, she does quite a few things that are going to be incredibly unappealing to Jon as a character. Firstly, she disregards Robb's quest for independence, something he literally died in service of, in order to defer to the supposed last King in the North, Torrhen Stark. That might make sense from Dany's perspective given that she has very little love lost for Viserys, but to Jon, overlooking his deceased brother who was legitimately chosen to be King in the North is not something that is going to win any points with him.

Then Dany points out that Torrhen Stark swore fealty to House Targaryen in perpetuity in exchange for his life and the life of the Northmen. Now, given what Dany has done up until this point, no one would have expected her to kill all of the Northmen if Jon hadn't bent the knee, but Jon doesn't have the benefit of narrative omniscience, so this statement after his frosty welcome to Dragonstone seems like a pretty clear threat that if Jon doesn't submit to her, he and the Northmen will die.

She also makes it clear that she sees Torrhen's vow (if a vow can even be considered legitimate when it's given under threat of death) as still valid despite the fact that this is centuries old history that she nor Jon had any choice in. When he refuses, she levies the accusation that he is somehow breaking faith with House Targaryen, despite the fact that according to feudal law, the Mad King very clearly broke faith with House Stark by nearly executing all of the men in the family.

This is the first moment where Jon actually pushes back against Dany's claims and points out that it was clearly House Targaryen that broke faith, and Daenerys admits some guilt on her father's behalf but asks that he forgive this crime and not judge a daughter by the sins of her father. That would be a halfway decent concession for her to make, were it not for the fact that it's buffered by two implications that Jon is responsible for an oath that his ancestor swore as well as responsible for the fact that his father was best friends with someone who attempted to kill her.

Her next attempt at winning Jon's allegiance is even stranger. She claims that House Targaryen and House Stark were allies for centuries, when the obvious reality is that they were unwillingly subjugated by House Targaryen and the Iron Throne for the entire time. She also calls them centuries of peace and prosperity, which they very clearly and objectively were not. Westeros has never been particularly peaceful, but it's also never been as chaotic as it was during the reign of the Targaryens. She also somewhat hilariously presents him with the offer of Warden of the North, as if that were a prize to be won for him and not an obvious downgrade in terms of his status among his people and in Westeros in general.

Jon refuses in a pretty fair retort, explaining that he isn't beholden to his ancestors vows and Daenerys isn't guilty of her father's crimes. It's interesting though, because Daenerys is frustrated by this. It's somewhat understandable that she'd be frustrated by the fact that Jon isn't bending the knee, but it's also intersting that she is frustrated by something that is an objectively fair propisition that puts both she and Jon on equal footing with one another. Throughout their conversation it's been clear that she does not see things that way, she expects Jon to bend the knee because someone who isn't him made a vow, but she doesn't expect to be held guilty for her father's crimes because it wasn't her doing.

When Jon says that he needs Dany's help and she needs his, her response here is very telling as well. Clearly she's flexing because she wants to be perceived as intimidating by everyone she meets, but what's curious is that she automatically disbelieves that she could need Jon's help when he hasn't even explained what she needs his help for. It's extremely telling because she is already in a mental position where she believes that nothing and no one could possibly pose any kind of threat to her.

Jon's engagement with the conversation takes an interesting turn here, because even after everything that has been said and done so far, he tells Daenerys that she is at least better than Cersei because she hasn't attacked King's Landing yet. While that is technically true and feels slightly more on par with the heroic Dany that everyone has seen so far, what the audience does already know is that she hasn't just decided not to attack King's Landing, she's been convinced not to attack King's Landing. Thus far, this is the only positive thing that Jon has said about her, and the viewers already know that it's false.

Jon, ever the wordsmith, tries to immediately apprise Daenerys of the gravity of the situation in the worst way possible by likening the game of thrones to children playing a game screaming that the rules aren't fair. But again, it's interesting that, even though Tyrion corrects her afterwards, Daenerys is offended that Jon is calling HER a child. And it seems that honestly, Dany has no interest in what Jon is saying to her so long as it's not about her and her right to rule Westeros.

What's also really bizarre here about Daenerys and Tyrion's behavior is that when he starts explaining what's going on with the army of the dead, they are both apathetic and disbelieving, despite the fact that Melisandre told them to summon Jon Snow because something big was coming and Jon knew more about it than almost anyone. It's possible that they were suspicious that it was some kind of trap or ruse, but it's strange that they both act so clueless and uncaring when they've both already been told that Jon was going to show up and tell them some wild shit.

The dialog exchange gets really bizarre at this point, because instead of actually responding to anything that Jon said, Dany goes off on a tangent that essentially sums up to the idea that she believes in nothing but herself and it's her destiny to rule Westeros. It seems so off topic that it's hard to even understand what the writers were trying to convey here, but the only thing that I can possibly comprehend is that they're essentially trying to make it clear that after everything Jon has said and done, Daenerys is still thinking of nothing more than her destined birthright.

And once again, we're all meant to see a contrast here because Davos intercedes and counters with the idea that if it's Dany's destiny to be queen, then all of Jon's accomplishments were his destiny too. This is interesting for two reasons though. The first is obvious, that Jon isn't the type to talk himself up or behave in a remotely entitled way, and that he doesn't command respect but earns it.

However, this points out something else interesting that is easy to overlook throughout this exchange. Daenerys is extremely forthcoming about herself, her accomplishments, and what she believes is her right, but Jon hasn't offered up any information about himself willingly. It's an understandable strategic tactic, there is no reason to offer up information to a potential enemy, but the fact is that this conversation clearly has confirmed in his mind that Daenerys is still a very possible enemy.

And unfortunately for both of them, as Jon and Dany's first ever conversation concludes, Daenerys actually confirms that Jon is her enemy, claims that he is in open rebellion against her, and takes him prisoner while refusing to admit that she's actually taking him prisoner.

Jon's conversation with Tyrion later is even more interesting. Because Jon directly calls out the fact that he's a prisoner, and Tyrion tries to claim the exact same thing that Dany did, that he's not a prisoner based on the incredibly frail technicality that Dany did not directly tell him that he was a prisoner. But even more importantly, this is an obvious instance where Tyrion could have told Jon that his message to him was intentionally misleading and Daenerys's aggression towards him may have been partially his fault, but he doesn't, nor does he explain this at any point later.

Another interesting element to their conversation is that Tyrion tells Jon that he actually does believe him about the army of the dead. It's interesting because, if that were the case, why did he so clearly tag-team Jon in his first meeting with Daenerys? Perhaps it took him a moment of thought to actually understand what Jon was saying and come around to believing him, but it's interesting that the writers had a character who was familiar with Daenerys and Jon who could easily have mediated between them and didn't have him mediate.

Tyrion also makes mention of the fact that children are not their fathers, luckily for all of us. While this is just a one off line and potentially means nothing, it's also a potentially very telling one because, honestly, Jon and Tyrion are very much like their fathers. Jon has idolized Ned for his entire life and desperately wants to be his father, and despite all of his attempts to distance himself from Tywin, Tyrion is clearly the Lannister child who is the most similar to his own father. So the subtext there about none of them being their fathers when even at this point two out of three of them are incredibly similar to their fathers specifically, seems like it could be very obvious foreshadowing.

But probably the most intriguing and noticeably strange aspect of Jon's conversation with Tyrion is that Tyrion explains to him that asking for Daenerys's help against an enemy she doesn't even believe is real is not a reasonable thing to ask. However, literally everything that Tyrion and Daenerys have asked of Jon so far has been wildly unreasonable to ask. Daenerys has asked a complete stranger to bend the knee to someone he's never met or even seen before, and she has essentially taken him hostage when he refused instead of just trying to convince him to do so. Jon even offers her an incredibly easy way in, he asks for her help, and if she provides it it's obvious that he and the rest of the Northmen would be much more open to the idea of her as their queen, but rather than even hearing Jon out she takes a seemingly desperate person as her prisoner with the clear intent of holding him there until he bends the knee.

When Tyrion convinces Daenerys to give Jon the dragonglass he requires, Daenerys makes her first attempt to actually relate to Jon on a personal level. It's once again interesting that Daenerys brings up the loss of her two brothers and relates it to Jon's loss of his brothers, because Jon offers literally nothing in return.

But what seems to be more relevant is Dany's position that everyone enjoys what they're good at and Jon saying that he doesn't. Once again, because the audience has the luxury of seeing Jon's entire journey thus far, it's easy to see why he feels this way. However, this seems to be another opportunity to point out the way in which Jon and Dany contrast each other, not to point out the ways in which they're similar to one another.

It's interesting that Melisandre claims that she has brought ice and fire together at the beginning of the episode. Aside from being a nice nod to the original text, it also positions Jon and Daenerys as opposing forces instead of united ones. And these constant contrasts that are being brought up from the instant that they meet seem extremely relevant to their relationship to one another, but the fact that Dany enjoys what she's good at while Jon doesn't seems to be the most vital bit of information that the show conveys about Jon and Dany right off the bat. Because there really are so many parallels between what they're good at. Much of Jon and Dany's journeys thus far have been about fighting from the bottom to get to the top, winning people over, and trying to kill their enemies before their enemies can kill them. However, many of the things that Jon seems to dislike about leadership the most seem to be things that Daenerys actually does genuinely enjoy.

It's safe to say that their very first meeting wasn't all that many fans were hoping for, however it seems like in the brutally short timeline of the final two seasons of Game of Thrones, the writers felt that the most important thing to establish between Jon and Daenerys right off the bat was not some sort of chemistry or romantic interest, but was the idea that these two people are diametrically opposed to one another in every way that matters. Despite the fact that their character arcs have had so many parallels thus far, the first episode where Jon and Daenerys actually meet seems to be designed to establish that everything about their personalities, dispositions, and overall ideals are on opposite ends of the spectrum, which was truly just the first gigantic step in establishing a romantic relationship that seems muddled, disjointed, and generally hard to follow and comprehend.

#anti jonerys #anti jonerys meta #anti daenerys targaryen #jon snow #got #got meta #game of thrones #game of thrones meta #meta #my videos #Anonymous

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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

Text

The “Momma Sturmvoraus was Literally Satan” AU

As requested by @spazzbot. This AU was initially brainstormed on the GG fanworks server almost a year ago. Specifically, on the first day of 2020.

[ID: a truncated discord message by “Miss Nixy, Gay for RoboLadies” posted 01/01/2020. The message reads “I need to sleep but please for the moment consider:” and ends there.]

So. Let’s get to it.

Satan took a human form because why not see what's going on topside, live like a human, and “Oh shit is this pregnancy? This is pregnancy. Fuck, that's a tiny human. Which is now half demon. Am I supposed to take care it? Wonder if retconing this form into that Valois family was a bad idea. They do have SO much money though, I get to live like a queen. I suppose another child shouldn't hurt, it wasn't that bad. Oh, he's cute, this is actually making sense, why humans do all the sinning. Not counting dear Aaronev's murders, of course, those are just evil, but I did search out the worst of the humans to pair myself to...”

This is literally just "Tarvek and Anevka's mom was low-key Satan on a bored “let's be human for a decade or two to see what happens” jaunt, consequences happen because these kids are LITERALLY half-demon and arguably anti-Christs."

Also it's just Very Funny for Tarvek, ineffectual sexy lamp fashion twunk extraordinaire, to be an antichrist

Jeff thinks he’s pretty. Jeff keeps describing features that don’t entirely make sense. (Jeff’s canon name is Karl Thotep but they spent so long unnamed that the server collectively named them Jeff.)

This is not a crossover with anything, btw. Ambiguously Pop Culture Satan just got bored and went to have babies with a serial killer.

They’re just kids! That are vaguely demonic. So. Moreso than the rest of the Valois.

Sometimes "mom" comes back from the dead and visits Anevka and Tarvek to impart Wisdom and possibly magic lessons The rooms always smell faintly of sulfur after that...

They try to put Anevka in the machine but SHE isn't hurt and the MACHINE just melts

So that's the end of that.

It's very awkward for everyone, but the paperwork isn't too bad. It's very easy to write "incidental fire began during late-fugue experimentation, resulted in fire spreading through six rooms and several casualties, including Prince Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvoraus."

As per @atagotiak, “I feel like if we’re going in any way dimensional weirdness with thing, Tarvek got so good at exploring bc he could just clip through walls.”

With image provided by @thisarenotarealblog:

Tarvek in Paris: My dead mother keeps showing up in my dreams to tell me I need to seduce my way out of my problems and also she looks like Satan. Tarvek's Voltaire-Appointed Therapist: I still don't know what that means. Just like the last five times. Tarvek: I keep telling her that I can’t seduce Colette, if seduction is that important she should get Anevka to do it.

Like he probably wouldn’t say most of that in front of any Voltaire-approved individual, but still.

Tarvek is still very good at self control but there's a Special Edge to his rants.

(Derailed in the moment to me thinking about Anevka in a sfw-but-concerningly-deadly succubus getup, because... yeah.)

Aaronev dies and goes to hell and his dead wife is just there like "hi! Time to be tortured for eternity!" He wasn't a good husband so. He can't exactly sentimentalize his way out.

“In the sexy way?” “... not for you, no.”

Mostly I just want the BULLSHIT that is "Storm Mom was actually just Satan getting bored and going on vacation as a retconned Valois girl, the kids are half-demons and sometimes it Shows."

To clarify: the Satan bit isn't the retcon. Grandma used to have one daughter. Now there are two. (Seffie and Martellus's mother doesn't remember being an only child, but sometimes...)

Satan retconned a new daughter in, which included a Valid Valois Venusian Vestment, so the blood tests play out.

The subtle signs of wrongness would be fun too. Anevka tends to smile a bit too wide and sharp for a human face. Inexplicable uneasiness, here you can’t point at any specific thing that’s wrong but it’s uncomfortable. Uncanny valley prettiness, almost like the porcelain she became in other timelines. Skin isn’t supposed to be that smooth.

My brain's pre-nap contribution at that point was "Satan's pronouns when not pretending to Human are sin/sinself" which is! Certainly a thing.

Tarvek, at some nebulous future point: I mean, your ancestors were monsters, but my dad was a serial killer and my mom was literally Satan, instead of just figuratively like Lucrezia, so. I mean. I kind of get what you're going through.

Per @firebirdeternal: Tarvek and Anevka growing up with "you're allergic to holy water" and not questioning it until a little later because What.

And then they test it and it's like "yeah, no, there's a rash now. That stung. What the fuck."

It INFURIATES Gil in Paris when Tarvek tells him that's a thing, because there's nothing chemically different about Holy water and regular water. But no, this is somehow happening.

It gets logged in medical journals as a Valois genetic thing because, well, Mom was like that too, right?

One time they both go into a church for an Adventure and Gil is very annoyed to find that Tarvek is like. Faintly smoking. It smells like burnt hair in here.

Gil: What smells like burnt hairgel? Tarvek: [glares]

Gil decides that it must be something particular to the church, like a fungus or something in the stone, contaminating the air and water so it only LOOKS like the holiness is what's setting off reactions.

It is not.

Tarvek once got into an argument with someone and ate a slab of raw, completely uncooked meat as a power move.

SVV seems to work perfectly. Everyone is fine. We get the ‘you fight like ducks’ moment.

And then Tarvek bursts into flames, and everyone panics because no they fixed this what the fuck is he still infected with Hogfarb’s oh my god... and then everything settles down and he's perfectly fine. Not a scratch on him, no longer turning funny colors. Completely unharmed. He's in a nicely tailored suit and looks faintly stunned

"I just met my dead mom, who's apparently Satan. She told me that after I died the first time just now, I should be harder to kill later, especially with fire, because now there's more demon and less mortal and guys I think I'm going crazy." "Is that a martini?" Tarvek looks down. "Apparently."

Tarvek starts just. Randomly setting things on fire by glaring too hard and has to tone it down. Meanwhile, Agatha and Gil are having crises about how he's somehow getting PRETTIER.

Is he faintly glowing? Maybe!

Gil handles it by angrily sniping at Tarvek about how of COURSE he's an evil little rat with a background like that.

Tarvek just wants a nap and to forget this ever happened. Many people are sworn to secrecy. It's very awkward.

Still, SVV did something, for handwave-y reasons, and so they're linked now. Gil and Agatha both getting tiny flashes of the same shenanigans.

They get none of the powers. They just keep getting Weird Shit.

Other characters with divine influence are like "Did you.... did you make a pact with a demon?" "What no that's our boyfriend."

Tho tbh I wouldn’t be surprised if a Heterodyne did sign a contract with a demon at some point in exchange for like. Materials. A hundred souls sacrificed in exchange for some succubus blood. Thanks!

Tarvek and Othar: Falling out of CW as in canon. Tarvek: WHAT THE HELL SINCE WHEN DO I HAVE WINGS HIDE THIS BEFORE I GET BOOTED FROM THE LINE FOR THE THRONE

IDK where Anevka is during all this. I think she might have decided to go sleep her way through the courts of the Ice Tsars. Vacation, y'know?

Othar after he's decided to make Tarvek his new Heroic Apprentice: AH, my poor afflicted young friend, it's noble of you to go against the dark nature of your tragic heritage like this. Tarvek: I hate you. I wish I could hate you to death. But you have a point. I shouldn't let my father's blood limit what I strive for in life. Othar: I... I thought your mother was... Tarvek: I know what I said.

Tarvek: Also you can't tell ANYONE about that, I can't have them thinking I'm not actually in line for the Storm King's throne.

He does admittedly have to like. Explain things to Grandma.

Terabithia is Tarvek’s maternal grandmother so this is supremely awkward. That said...

Grandma fondly remembers her pregnancy cravings; bone marrow and sulfur.

"Yeah so, my mother, your daughter, was... maybe actually Satan? But retconned into your life?" "Tarvek, darling, please. I figured that out half a century ago."

TARVEK ACCIDENTALLY FINDS HIM HIMSELF WEIRDLY INTENSE AT CONTRACTS

I mean that honestly just Tracks about Tarvek anyways? But like moreso.

He just. Writes something up and there's things getting signed or shook on and then the person tries to break the contract and either suddenly catch fire or are deeply unlucky for a set amount of time.

And Tarvek's just standing there like "how in the FUCK did I do that?"

Severity of infernal punishment depends on the severity of the breach of contract.

Tarvek finds out that Anevka's been convincing rich people to sign their souls over to her. It's a fun challenge. She keeps them in jars.

They can still remotely pilot their bodies but like. They can't TELL anyone what happened.

Satan: I'm going to go make babies and now everyone else has to deal with the consequences.

Anevka's living up to that whole "princess of hell" vibe. Tarvek's just like "nope nope nope I want the storm throne, not the hell throne, BYE MOM."

Satan's just feeling sinself down in hell like "awwww look at my babies go, aren't they adorable?"

Tarvek: Anevka, what... first off, how did you figure it out? Anevka: Well, I temporarily died when father put me in the machine, and... I can't say that hell kicked me out because they were afraid I'd take over, but mother DID say she'd rather I play about with human governments instead of Hell's. Tarvek: Okay, cool cool cool. What after you planning to DO with all these souls? Anevka: They make for some lovely reading lamps, don't they?

(Anevka absolutely sets herself the goal of acquiring new titles that rival her old ones, or even surpass them. She just black widows her way through Europa.)

I just want someone (probably Snackleford) to ascend, take one look at Tarvek, and run SCREAMING.

Tarvek still needed to be anchored to Higgs, because Tarvek is Baby.

Gil is eventually in a relationship with an Eternal God Queen and the Literal Son of Satan.

Family dinners can include ALL the in-laws if you duck down to hell! - You borrow Bill from... probably heaven, maybe purgatory. - You have Lu and Aaronev and Satan already there, though the first two... well. Aaronev and Lu get invited to dinner but they have to eat by themselves at the kiddy table and nobody talks to them or acknowledges their presence. After all, this is hell, and what better punishment for Lu than to be completely ignored, and for Aaronev to see Lu at her worst and be reminded that he gave everything for this horrible, horrible person who isn't even pretending to care about him anymore. - Zanta and Klaus get invited via portal. - Anevka saunters in with a blood-soaked dress and a complaint about militant demon-hunters refusing to let her go shopping for a new pair of shoes. - Zeetha tagged along with the OT3. (She can't wait to see this situation explode.)

Oh God, Satan is actually second place as far as good parenting goes.

Well, actually, fourth. Because Adam and Lilith. But second as far as bio parents go. 1. Zanta 2. Satan 3. Klaus 4/5. Lu and Aaronev N/A. Bill

Someone (Anevka) decides to stir the pot and invites Von Pinn, Terabithia, Bang.

Bang is basically Gil’s older sister, right? Right.

This is Zanta meeting Bang for the first time! Zanta is just: "It's so nice to meet my husband's adopted daughter." Klaus freezes. Bang freezes. Gil is the only one who is just. "Yeah." Meanwhile Zeetha is crying with laughter off to the side because both of them deserve this. (Zanta would legit love Bang though.)

Agatha: Tarvek, I think DuPree is-- Tarvek: Hitting on my sister? I know. Agatha: On your mom, actually. Tarvek: NO!

Also I do love the idea of like. Nobody tells Bang they're inviting her. She just wakes up in Hell like. "Ah. Yes. Fair enough."

Satan: Oh no no no my dear, you're here as a guest. Besides as well as you'd fit you're not one of mine, you've got other things waiting for you. Bang: Okay, but I love the decor. And is that Cheesecake?

Bang’s family has their own evil god in the novels, but! Bang DID pick on Tarvek a lot in Paris. Satan cares more than Anevka does. Bang might get the sexy punishment.

I feel like the fact that no permanent damage was done and it taught Tarvek a lot of things means Satan isn't gonna be all that upset about it.

And let's be real, if there's a character in GG who could look the literal Christian devil in the eye and be like "Yeah I tortured your kid, what're you going to do about it?" it's Bang.

Even Satan doesn't know what to do or think about Othar.

He sure is here! As Anevka’s arm candy! Nobody knows what to do except Anevka herself, who just wants to be Smug.

(What's that scene from Phineas and Ferb that's the mad scientist trapping the platypus within the rules of polite dining at a fine restaurant? Like he can't make a scene because that would be rude?) (That. Othar would dearly love to start a fight, but it's a Family Dinner. You're only allowed to fight verbally at those.)

(Othar isn't even fighting Satan, he just wants to argue with Klaus.) (And maybe fanboy in Bill's direction a bit).

#Girl Genius #Phoenix Posts #Anevka Sturmvoraus #Tarvek Sturmvoraus #Aaronev Sturmvoraus #Gilgamesh Wulfenbach #Agatha Heterodyne #Lucrezia Mongfish #Othar Tryggvassen #Bangladesh DuPree #Otharnevka #GG OT3

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lalis-fandom-stuff · 3 years

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Original twins headcanons

I'm finally making this after months. Here's some random facts from my fic. Let's go.

Ok mostly they're opposites in everything (very predictable, I know). Rafal dresses like a royal, Rhian has an infinite amount of copies of the same outfit like a cartoon character. Rafal is charming and good at speeches and all that jazz, Rhian doesn't want to be percieved. Rafal is a Light Yagami kinnie, Rhian has 0 self esteem. Rafal is an absolute monster, Rhian is a literal angel. You get the drill. One thing that they do have in common is that they're both introverts.

They're left handed. It's not relevant, I just accidentally made them left handed in a drawing and now I decided it's canon.

Random Rhian facts: he's your typical Hufflepuff. He has a pretty smile. He hates responsabilities and talking to stranger. He likes walking in the woods. He deserved better. I miss him a lot (and I make him suffer in every chapter even tho he's my favourite character).

Rhian is the only valid straight person in sge sorry I don't make the rules 😔✋🏻. I think I accidentally made Rafal aromantic. I sincerely apologize to all my aro followers for that.

According to Personality Databes, Rafal's MBTI type is INTJ. I decided that Rhian is INFP because I kin him.

As I said in a previous post, Rhian is a cottagecore king and Rafal is too much into dark royalcore. Uhm. Interesting contrast.

Rhian's talent is ice magic (because their dad is related to the Snow Queen) and Rafal's is controlling shadows (Shadow!Rafal canon ✨).

They actually became school masters a short time after their third year (does that count as a fourth year quest?!). The reasons why they put two litteral 18 year olds on charge of protecting the most important entity in the woods? 1. They're two twins from different schools, therefore a perfect symbol of balance between Good and Evil (wich was very needed in that time period). 2. They're some of the best students from that year. 3. The previous School Master died suddenly (... long story) and they were really desperate to find a new one. 4. Their dad is famous and no one wants to upset him. 5. "They're siblings!! They should get along!!! Right?!" (And then they didn't).

Rhian didn't even want to be a School Master, one day Rafal basically went "Hey I know you want to live in a cottage with your gf and shit but I wanna become the School Master very badly and they probably won't let me without you" and Rhian was like "😀?!?!? Ok I guess?!?!!!!" (Spoiler: it was a terrible idea).

Pretty irrelevant but young Rafal wears a shitton of rings because I think they're cool. Later on he gets into gloves (because they give creepy vibes and also for sad edgy reasons).

Their mother (Ingrid, name stolen from @tedros-is-helpless ) is a former Ever and their father (mr Isa Mistral, that fucking bastard) is a Never. Wich creates a lot of drama, even tho Isa doesn't live with them.

Rafal is good at seeing people's true natures (=mostly if they're Evers or Nevers) and Rhian is good at understanding other people's emotions. Except that they use these qualities in the worst way possible. So yeah my first hot take from today are "Rafal has some sort of emotional intelligence but he only uses it for evil".

Rhian is generally better at magic and Rafal is furios about it, even tho he doesn't show it.

Rafal really gets into weapons (especially very fancy daggers that can conveniently be hidden in your sleeve to kill your brother).

No but they were actually very close when they where little, but they broke apart a little bit when they started school. Rhian kinda hoped that becoming the school masters would solve everything, but as you might expect it got really shitty real quick (and it was Rafal's fault, as always. He's gross).

My secon hot take is "the only person Rafal ever loved was Rhian and deep down he regrettes killing him". And he knew that Rhian cared about him but he simply decided to ignore it and pursue power instead. (Also his idea of "caring" is "I want him by my side and I don't want him dead" and not "I want him to be happy").

Rafal felt like he could only be truly himself with Rhian, wich either means "snarky edgy teen" or "manipulative and controlling monster that only cares about himself" depending on the context. Basically he's only nice to important people and he's passive aggressive.

Rhian is only twenty-something when he dies and that breaks me (even tho I wrote it). Also he always tried to justify Rafal's actions because he didn't want to lose him and, even tho he eventually had to put the School's safety first, he loved him until the very end. Maybe it doesn't hit you as hard described like this, but it definetly hit me hard a worring amount of times a day.

So yeah. Here's what, as the kids say, lived into my mind rent free for the last year. I wrote most of this at 1 am and it shows. Please like it.

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kaiserin-astraia · 3 years

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NieR's Project Gestalt

So after several nights losing sleep over this, I decided to write down my biggest issue with the NieR series: project gestalt. It’s pretty unanimously agreed by fans that project gestalt was probably the worst plan in the history of plans, executed in the laziest way possible. And yet, I couldn't help but obsess over how project gestalt could have been salvaged, even after the events of ending E of nier replicant.

This is the part where I say: I’m going to spoiling the hell out of NieR: Replicant and in some capacity NieR: Automata. If you don’t want to be spoiled, then get out now — that being said, if you’re sticking around anyway, I’ll be attempting to give summaries and explanations to concepts in the games that are relevant, so that we are all on the same page. also also I only know the high level details of the Drakengard series & won't be touching on it much.

So. What the hell was project gestalt?

Project gestalt was the terrible and last ditch effort to save humanity from a widespread pandemic called white chlorination syndrome, or WCS. WCS was caused by a literal inter dimensional fight between a red dragon and demon baby thing that resulted in the death of both and the deterioration of their corpses causing salt (also called Maso particles) to fall from the sky. If you got infected, the Cult of the Watchers gave you the choice of losing your free will and fighting for them as a soldier in the Legion, or turning into a pile of salt and dying. BrandonSP has a wonderful video talking about the Legion and the Nier universe leading up to the events of Nier: Replicant that I’ll link if you want to know more about this history (here), but all you need to know is: humanity is on the brink of extinction and the planet is no longer inhabitable in its current state.

Project Gestalt discovered that the way humans could escape extinction is by separating their souls from their bodies — the soul having no physical form is immortal & immune to maso, while the body without a soul can't become infected, because there’s no consciousness to force into a demon deal, I guess. You know, I realized while writing this that it’s not clear why separating soul from body actually worked to prevent WCS, but whatever it worked because Yoko Taro Said So.

However, separating body from soul was no easy task; upon doing so, most people’s souls would instantly go berserk, turning into mindless violent entities. The first success was the playable character of Nier: Replicant, who I’m going to call Nier. Upon this first success, the governments of the world convinced / coerced him into cooperating with the Project, and he became the cornerstone for all the “gestalts” aka the souls separated from their bodies.

Just to keep everyone up to pace, gestalts are the souls separated from their bodies, otherwise known as “shades” in Nier: Replicant.

So Project Gestalt’s planned chain of events was as followed:

1. All remaining humans would undergo gestalt-ing 2. The resulting replicants (aka, the soulless bodies) and androids would fight and defeat the legion & clean up the planet so that it was habitable again … which meant containing or eradicating the leftover maso covering the planet. 3. Once ready for rehabilitation, Grimoire Weiss and Grimoire Nior would merge into each other, causing all gestalt souls to snap into their respective replicants starting with Nier 4. Profit. Seems a simple plan, right? Well, not even a single step of that plan worked. By the end of Nier: Replicant ending E, Nier’s Gestalt, aka the shadow lord, has been killed by his own replicant; the replicants have gained sentience and I would argue their own souls, and many gestalts have relapsed into becoming violent, nonsensical entities. The insta-snap grimoires are dead, too, and-- Oh there’s the tiny issue that when a gestalt relapses, their corresponding replicant gets something called the “black scrawl”, a painful and terminal disease. Once a gestalt relapses or dies, their replicant can’t be recreated (well... mostly) and because the original gestalt, the shadow lord, is dead, all the other gestalts are doomed to eventually relapse or die as well, and thus humanity goes extinct. This is where I call bullshit. There’s little known about the time period between Nier: Replicant and Nier: Automata— especially the time of the gestalt and replicants decline. The game(s) leads you to believe that nothing can be done because the soul snapping Grimoires are dead and so is the original gestalt. However, there is tons of evidence in the game itself that implies it’s not so simple, and truly the true tragedy is that simply, everyone gave up — or more likely, Yoko Taro didn’t want us to think this hard, lol. Well TOO BAD, I can’t stop thinking about it so finally let’s actually talk about how to save humanity. First of all, I read on Reddit how it seems to be that the androids Devola and Popula are only two units, and with their demise in Nier: Replicant that project gestalt is doomed to failure. However, Nier: Automata clearly talks about how there were several Devola and Popula model pairs in different cities/continents. There’s no way that only our Devola and Popula in Nier: Replicant knew how to merge a gestalt with its replicant; such vital information would be stored in every android related to the project, and these models were quite literally created to oversee it. So. Idk why the hell the project was allowed to even get so disorganized, but regardless, after the the Shadow Lord and grimoires die, the remaining Devola and Popula units should have immediately made a plan B. There were several big issues with the state of the world before, so we’ll tackle them one by one for the biggest chance of success. 1. All relapsed gestalts need to be eradicated or contained. Their violence has lead replicants to attack them back and view them as monsters, leading to meaningless conflict. If the Devola and Popula units are programmed not to harm the gestalts because they are the 'true humans', they need to make new units ala A2 or 2B to take care of it. Because we know that android technology is already there, evidenced by the Memory Tree, and Devola and Popula, it follows this is definitely possible.

2. There should be three divisions of research made as follows:

2.1 Research into the effects of mismatched replicants merged with gestalts, like Kaine. Because the clock is ticking, there’s unfortunately no time to gawk at morals. Taking volunteers, even 1 success could be the difference between extinction or survival.

2.2 Creating and housing “iced” or “stasis” gestalts, while replicant bodies are “grown” for them. Because replicants have formed their own identities, they should try to create/raise replicants completely asleep/comatose. If not this, research into putting gestalts into their proper replicants at infant stage can be tried. (Note: replicants were infertile, hence why replicants had to be made, not born of sexual reproduction. Yoko Taro said that replicants couldn’t reproduce because they didn’t have their souls, however I think this was just a comment said to cover a plot hole.)

2.3 Research into whether replicants truly have souls or not, and whether something can be done to allow them to reproduce. Regarding the soul issue, it’s heavily implied that the Memory Tree, having absorbed the memories of so many replicants, began growing a soul of its own (that Nier killed, thinking it was a shade, oops). Now, how is that possible? It shouldn’t be, unless the replicants had made their own or unless a soul being created was possible. If we want to get fancy, a fourth division could be organized to study Emil and the weapons project that experimented on him, with an emphasis on how to either reverse the effects or if any information can be gleaned from them regarding the soul.

2.4 Black scrawl 2 electric boogaloo: it’s said in the project gestalt files that they couldn’t find a cure or reason for this phenomenon, but if we’re trying to cover our bases, another research division should be created to investigate and attempt to cure it. It seems to be a magical malady, so I wonder if Emil would be able to help... or even Kaine.

3. (Moving along...) More androids should be created to build cities / homes / areas of civilization for the newly reformed humans to re-habitat. This is said to be a goal of the androids in Nier: Automata, and they were doing a piss poor job — maybe if they got started earlier they’d have a better shot. The replicants were/are already living in medieval levels of squalor and poverty, which is ridiculous considering the android's technology is so advanced.

4. No more lies: though in my plan, replicants shouldn’t have to be created except to be possessed, but if they are created and allowed to mature into a sentient age, replicants should be educated and informed about the truth of their existence — this is for many reasons. First, that way replicants will be less likely to fear and attack shades they see; two, worst comes to worst, they may be more willing to share their bodies with their gestalts and who knows? Maybe they’d merge naturally. Three, no replicant would be allowed to get strong enough to defeat an android (or two -- seriously, what were the twins thinking letting Nier get so powerful?).

Hopefully this makes it very obvious that the death of humanity was entirely the fault of Project Gestalt itself and the androids meant to oversee it -- at least the androids have the excuse of being programmed to act a certain way, but still. It's so frustrating that we just have to accept that humanity was doomed even though, by its own lore, there was a lot that could have been done to attempt to save humans. Like, I love you, Yoko Taro, but gees.

anyway if you've read all this I'm so sorry but also I'm REALLY interested to hear what y'all think about the Nier universe and it's facets. idek why I've got such deep brainworms but here we are.

P.S. As of writing this, I've played some Nier: Reincarnation and it just further implies that the way they created and treated replicants was both A) awful, holy shit, it's so bad, and B) ill-advised on every level. I don't want to spoil but good lord. Honestly, I think at this point YT just wants to express/nail home that humanity was doomed to fail because of its own cruelty and flaws. ok ill shut up now bye love u

#nier replicant ver.1.22474487139...#nier replicant spoilers #nier automata #nier lore #rant #nier project gestalt #long post #nier lore discussion

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in-tua-deep · 4 years

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tua rewatch with the roommate

Episode five

Oh fuck the “I found you. all your bodies.” scene

“We died?” “Horribly.” throwback to the ben convo o o f

“If perfectly arranged under rubble and otherwise unharmed counts as ‘horribly”’ - roommate

I like that Diego says he’s going to kill Hazel and Cha-Cha like it’s a challenge?? lol five doesn’t care if they live or die he only cares if u do you big dumbass

“Well I know none of the main characters die bc there’s a season 2... and i’m pretty sure they’re all in s2... like all of the family?”

I mean luther is kind of valid for being frustrated that five didn’t share about the apocalypse but also like,,, the first person five told about it (Vanya) suggested he might be insane. so. i can understand some reluctance on his part on top of the whole “the last time my siblings fought this the Whole World Died Including Them i would like them as far away from apocalypse stuff as possible”

okay okay so five says “they turned me into the perfect instrument” so do y’all think that implies experimentation like in the comics or ????

all i can think about during the kennedy scene though is my high school history teacher. he went over the assassination in intimate detail and i’m pretty sure he was writing a book about it and everything. mr. hansen if you’re out there -

i like feral beard five more than mustache five tbh if i’m picking

“Someone ELSE shot the president? Was he supposed to shoot kennedy or was he supposed to kill the person who shot kennedy?” - Roommate

love that five tells luther to grow up over murder,,, though to be valid pretty sure they did actually murder people as kids SO. grow down?

fuck i love mary,, will you love me like you loved me in the january rain??? just shoot me in the heart

GOD rob is such a good actor

“wait a second... how is he wearing pants?” oh roommate you have a big storm coming

i have some serious questions about the commission and their methods of communication. where do?? the tubes come from? where do they go after?

Allison: i have a bad feeling [about leonard]

where are these instincts for everything else tho??? her marriage?

“Vanya. she really is trying to look out for you. i really would trust her. you could invite her to come along so she can see he’s perfectly fine??” - Roommate, whose instincts regarding not trusting leonard-harold are spot on

apparently my roommate knows people who put salt in their coffee. i have. so many questions.

“That’s suspicious?? that’s suspicious right?? did he do that? is he a secret serial killer? is he a FUCKING secret serial killer?” roommate when they talk about helen cho going missing

“What do you mean stop showing up it’s been like. a day” - I mean. the roommate has a point.

Klaus’s depression bath is a mood :(

did klaus put eye shadow on before his bath or did he get his hands on eye shadow in vietnam?? the questions that will never be answered

Five is so enthusiastic about having someone who understands... he doesn’t even notice absolutely Not Being In The Mood,, klaus is grieving and five is just like !!! where did you go!!!! like it was a vacation

klaus: yeah i’m ten months older now. when i’m done being depressed i will lord that over diego for the rest of our natural lives.

does five write in all caps all the time?? why?

roommate: I wonder what the upper size limit on the knives her can use. like is it machete length? forearm length? what are the limits on his powers. if he sharpened a very sharp mechanical pencil could he use it? if he sharpened a piece of the chandelier? at what point does something become a knife?

me: could he hurl mia (my cat)? mia and her knife feet?

allison also writes in all caps to write leonard’s address

we stan agnes and hazel in this household

“I never said we didn’t !! i just thought she was just a random extra in the first episode and every time we cut away i think that’s the last we’ve seen of her” - roommate because i keep saying that this is an agnes stan household

“OH THERE’S THE PATCHWORK COAT i was afraid it didn’t come back” - okay though good question he definitely didn’t have the coat on the bus. what is it with klaus and his magically appearing coat????

oh :( oh klaus :( every time klaus is sad i am also sad :(

honestly a family conversation IS the threat in this family

god though this random vet in this bar is actually an asshole though like. klaus doesn’t owe him shit. klaus served. he’s clearly having a moment with the photo. that could have been a family member or something who died i don’t even know

agnes: i’m a twitcher :)

“like a twitch streamer?” -Roommate

PLEASE give me twitch streamer!Agnes au

look i just enjoy hazel and agnes

roommate: honey you’re too young for her

me: NO DON’T BE MEAN TO THEM,,, agnes deserves a boytoy

“does diego drive a manual?” my roommate once again focusing on things that i do not

five: i have to find the people whose deaths could save the timeline

my roommate: is it agnes?? is he going to kill agnes????

i’m still laughing about that fact that luther is holding dolores.... over the fire escape... she couldn’t drop that far lads

luther’s dumb sometimes but he does have some nice heart to hearts with his brother,,,, honestly he and five get along pretty well in the early episodes. kindred spirits. body dysmorphia and isolation squad.

my roommate has to keep remembering social media doesn’t exist in this universe

i am still confused as to why

that won’t stop me from giving everyone iphones and youtube accounts in my aus though

diego can curve ANYTHING he throws, usually knives, according to cha-cha’s research. but that doesn’t explain the spoilers i have seen about s2 sO

Klaus: You also told me that licking a nine volt battery would give me pubes

HOW DID I FORGET THAT LINE

oh diego got a bullet graze forgot about that as well?? does he ever get like. medical attention for that? diego?????

it really has been like. maybe two days since helen cho died. is no one??? concerned????? they just immediately jump into replacing her??????????????????? hellO?

“very clear camera angles to show that this actress did not actually play the violin for this role” - i mean that’s fair but ellen is trying rip

me: who’s your favorite character so far? roommate: that’s a tricky question. klaus is very entertaining to watch. allison is the most reasonable and i’m very interested to know, well, she seems like the best combination of reasonable and has the least selfish intentions. diego and luther i feel like are both good in a bland way in that they’re both doing good in the best way they can which usually involves punching people. five is fun. five is very fun. five is as fun to watch as klaus, they’re both very fun actors to watch on screen. they’re more expressive than diego and luther tend to be. me: so which is your favorite????? roommate: first instinct says allison, though she probably has the least dynamic or interesting arc so far

are hazel and cha-cha the best because their victims never see them coming?? like. they aren’t really THAT competent.

“I do LOVE the aesthetic of an ice cream truck playing ride of the valkyries” - my roommate is valid

“LOVE the hypersaturated background in this scene. it’s more fun that having it be desaturated.”

five looks so baby in this scene with the handler :(

still unsure where five got that handgun but i’m vibing

hate when she touches his face !! awful!!!

the handler’s little “all of them??” like yeAH ALL OF THEM even though they irritate the living FUCK out of each other. siblings man

ben gets shotgun for the getaway !!! go ben!

“I’m starting to think... given how space and reality seemed to be warping during her playing... that her medication... isn’t for anxiety...” - oh, oh roommate

ah i blocked out the leonard vanya make out as well

“DIDN’T YOU MEET HIM TWO DAYS AGO?” - yeah i feel u roommate

yup there’s helen’s body

“CSI call crime scene investigation - that’s going to start to smell real soon”

pogo: and you understand that the children can never know

me: actually pogo fuck you

and that’s episode 5 everyone thank you and goodnight

episode six

i do love a good flashback to klaus

klaus: sees a shirtless soldier and instantly falls in love

they don’T EVEN QUESTION HIM just “KATZ GET THIS MAN A PAIR OF PANTS” and they go with it?? he just APPEARED and they don’t even care

klaus was really just vibing in the 60s huh

wait this is like 1962 or 63 right

when does s2 take place?? also the 60s right???

didn’t kennedy die in 1963 i feel like what i know about s2 contradicts that date but i could have sworn they said a round trip to 1963??????

luther is SUCH A MOOD in the family briefing.

“aww he’s a bad liar” - roommate

“I realize that [the umbrella] was necessary for the title drop but where the fuck did that come from”

@ the handler please stop touching five,,, but also five has such. non reactions to her touching him. which worries me. like she grabs his shoulder walking alongside him and he doesn’t even look at her

why are there gas masks in the briefcase room...

can you IMAGINE if your boss toted a child into the room and introduced him as the Legendary Time Travelling Assassin that the whole office had a betting pool over who would die that one time and is Definitely approaching 60 not 13... and then called him LEADERSHIP MATERIAL. implying that this child will probably get a promotion before you do?? can you IMAGINE?

“again... two days ago...” roommate about leonard and vanya

vanya really chose literally just the worst time to come back to the academy huh

okay but vanya going off?? valid, but also,, i mean. it IS their dads fault that they don’t have any relationship with vanya?

luther: it’s about the moon roommate: critical role moon theory

hey like. how did the family get together in the first timeline holy fuck. it’s hard enough to get them together when they Literally Know The World Is Going To End

so remember diego getting grazed with a bullet yeah well he has a sling on now which makes sense!! and yet. when five got grazed by a bullet he SLAPS A BANDAID ON IT. someone please address this.

five is such an asshole coworker i love it

i wonder if dot is a mother. or just a nice coworker. she keeps trying to talk to him and invite him to lunch aww

i wonder if it’s purposeful on the handler’s part to call him “mr. five” instead of “mr. hargreeves” to like... further isolate him from his family? by removing his last name they’re sort of removing his ties to his siblings considering it’s not like they’re related by blood

forgot how much i hate the bathroom scene !! wow !! hate it so much!!! there’s so many violations of social etiquette in such a short scene! it’s so deeply uncomfortable!

luther: stop it pogo! you know everything our dad did

i am remembering once again how much i hate pogo all over again!! reginald literally locked klaus in a mausoleum!! he abused the kids! pogo didn’t even speak up about sending luther to the MOON,,, oh luther :(

he just learned his dad exiled him for no reason he has lots of rights his entire world view was just shattered wow i am like infinitely more sympathetic to luther on the second watch

“I knew allison and luther was a thing. you told me allison and luther was a weird thing. still not a fan.” - my very valid roommate

they could have made the fort so much more sibling-y instead of romantic and it would have been so much better honestly

oh dave :(

“I wonder who her primary care physician is and if she can find out what that medication was...” roommate i wish i knew

“I’m trying to decide if he knew ahead to time to try and get at her specifically or like... i don’t know when he took the figurine I was like ‘doesn’t he own an antique shop is he there to steal antiques from the family home’.” roommate on leonard

forgot the handler gifted five a suit. also don’t like that. don’t like her talk about his body and everything either.

“is it too much to ask to give him two outfits? one he can wear now and one with the new body?” - roommate

honestly with hazel’s talk on budget cuts i’m not surprised he only gets one suit

STOP TOUCHING HIS FACE,,,, HANDLER. STOP TOUCHING HIS FACE

five and his sweet tooth. don’t take the candy five. come on. what did your father TEACH YOU. honestly reggie probably was like “let them get kidnapped it will probably teach them a life lesson”

“there were like... villages that needed rebuilding after disasters. he could have been sending these packages to legit lunar research facilities. legit facilities would have adored to have that information.”

okay but people KNEW he was on the moon. cha-cha mentioned it. it was in vanya’s book. why were scientists not knocking down reginald’s door demanding the research??? if i was a moon scientist i would have the mansion staked out trying to demand info jesus

“love his eye fluttering in the way of ‘oh shit i got something in my eye i can’t break character scene is still going scene is stILL GOING’“ - hilarious observations from the allison luther fort scene 2.0: grown up version that gets erased

did they just leave the fort up all those years. did no one USE the green house??? did grace lovingly work around it all that time?

oh :( dave :(

grace is capable of lying and pogo is a shadowy motherfucker

“okay now that they’re actually putting it into the plot i understand why you don’t think he’s trustworthy but you really got on my back about that”

in my defense i just hate him tbh i did not like him when he first showed up and i never particularly liked him tbh

allison: i think you’re the only person who knows who i am and likes me anyway

me, remembering the theory that allison rumored luther to love her: HMMMMMM

okay but i think the luther and allison dance scene is fucking HILARIOUS. absolutely ridiculous. i mean i hate that it’s incest but also the fucking LIGHTS DESCENDING. the RANDOM WARDROBE CHANGE.

roommate likes the green underskirt thing under allison’s random dance dress

are they just doing this in public???

ugh. the kiss. ugh. erased that from my memory as well

“they clearly want romance in this show but they painted themselves into a corner with the siblings thing” - roommate

five and his fucking STAPLERS isn’t this the second time he’s knocked someone out with a stapler?? the bank robber and now gloria??

five please your siblings were finally doing some decent work on their own issues :/

five is the kind of dramatic as fuck entrances

“love how he just grabs [allison’s] coffee. kid needs a coffee after all that.” - roommate

five actually does a good job of rallying the siblings though?? they just broke the fuck up in the og timeline

“something tells me that harold jenkins might be leonard”

oh roommate

episode seven

uh oh harold was born

i feel vaguely bad for him

“me the night before a convention” - roommate on harold’s tape and cosplay and everything

okay but how did reginald even KNOW harold jenkins had no powers?? did he? keep tabs on all the forty some kids not just the seven he kept?

but also why the fuck are these people laughing at An Actual Child fuck all of them honestly

“did HE kill hargreeves?? I mean. he’s got motive.” - roommate

harold really said “i think my superpower is actually this hammer motherfucker”

how did he get twelve years?? was he tried as an adult?? was he in juvie? how old WAS he

twelve years ago... they’re 29 soooo seventeen? he did NOT look seventeen? he was NOT seventeen in that flashback what???

roommate theorizes that harold ran off after the murder and committed petty crimes until caught and tried for murder when he was seventeen so was maybe 13 in the flashback

okay so i looked up the timeline and he got out in 2014 or something so he was like 13 in the flashback which makes SO much more sense honestly but also what the FUCK was he doing for five years

“he’s actually laying out all the facts as he knows them and I appreciate that.” -roommate about five briefing the team

five?? the only member of the family with communication skills? it’s? somehow more likely than you think?

“allison’s pants that she’s wearing now are the most perfectly tailored things i’ve ever seen. not even a wrinkle when she’s standing still. do you know how hard that is to do?” again my roommate noticing the things i absolutely do not

five. five. you have a GUT WOUND and also jumped a BUNCH OF TIMES. you are not blinking into the police station and getting the file. you need some SLEEP. and REST. and WOUND CARE FIVE FOR FUCK’S SAKE. you still have a GUNSHOT GRAZE on your upper arm and a SLICE on your wrist from DIGGING OUT A TRACKER. FIVE.

diego wants to be batman SO BAD.

five crossing his arms and Not Uncrossing Them because he’s literally HOLDING HIMSELF TOGETHER.

wow luther is really handling this so much worse in this timeline rip

luther is losing validity points for CHOKING KLAUS i knew this happened but i didn’t remember how awful it was !!! bad and terrible! and luther is very drunk and very sad and very angry. oh. he’s saying he never left the house and never had friends for nothing :(

klaus had the realization that reggie was an asshole YEARS ago and he’s just kind of like “aww. luther :(”

klaus is trying so hard

“Klaus has had the most heart to hearts with the most siblings honestly.” - roommate

allison at the beginning making her laugh in the office with the EYES, five on the steps of meritech, diego after the vet bar, luther on the couch...

wow cha cha really thought hazel was talking about how meaningful his partnership was with her when he was talking about agNES

five limping up the lawn and staggering up the stairs and clinging to the rails baBY SIT DOWN. YOU ARE BLEEDING.

“inspiring leadership” “one of the greats” what a sibling moment honestly.

five really said “i think i will pass the fuck out now”

five really said “hey i am literally willing to die for this mission because this mission is the safety and lives of my entire family and i love you guys :(”

except he doesn’t because five is decent at information sharing but getting feelings out of him feels like pulling teeth at times smh

is leonard trying to vicariously live his “normal child born on the umbrella academy day discovers they have had powers the WHOLE TIME” dream through vanya??

we yell about how leonard and vanya have known each other for like a week but i mean same for hazel and agnes!! he’s literally asking her to run away with him and she says yes !!!!! agnes is here for the romantic adventure with this man she’s really living her first hot girl summer and living for it

“she’s having her own little rom com! she thinks she’s living in a rom com not a dark sci fi!” - roommate accurate as usual

she just called ben the emotional support ghost and i mean... she ain’t wrong

honestly klaus should have just left luther to his rave, he didn’t get to party in his teens or during his college years or anything

i do appreciate the viking yell of “B R O T H E R” that luther greets klaus with though because that’s exactly how i greet my own siblings whenever i see them

oh klaus :(

he’s having war flashbacks, cravings, is in withdrawal, AND experiencing sensory overload while reliving one of the more traumatizing moment of his life

oh klaus :(

five in a bed for the second time of the season which is nice for him. if only the first time wasn’t because he passed out drunk and the second time wasn’t because of a whole shrapnel wound. i am now that captain of the Let Five Sleep brigade holy SHIT like at least they imply that the others sleep five is just feral and ready to go at all times

are the police allowed to just. remove someone’s arm sling? is that permitted? his arm could be fucked up? i mean. it is? he was shot?

“I saw everything my brothers and sister could do ruin their lives” VANYA some REALIZATION up in here,,,, admitting that the umbrella academy wasn’t exactly a desirable place to be is actually some real growth for her and leonard just fucking shuts her down? fuck that man

VANYA SEE THE RED FLAGS FOR WHAT THEY ARE COME ON

oh klaus :( oh luther :( oh :(

“love his corset side pants, like benedict from violet evergarden” - on the topic of Klaus’s pants

“I made everyone else so I must have made you” says god except for the fact that the kids just... surprise popped up instead of coming about the natural way. maybe god DIDN’T made them????????

oh klaus :( prepare for disappointment :(

oh i didn’t notice the photos of the umbrella academy in the barbershop the first time i watched this

so klaus gives an age for the mausoleum... thirteen... do you think that was before or after five left? statistically it’s probably after bc it was only a couple of months after they turned thirteen that five vanished

Klaus’s “we were just kids” breaks my heart every time

if i was one of reggie’s kids i would have just not gone to the funeral. rip to the hargreeves kids but i’m different

he doesn’t even call klaus klaus in death, he still calls klaus number four. fuck that man.

“i was gonna say i’d have been very very surprised if they kept him dead” - roommate on klaus waking up

“Five bucks says he set these guys up to try and get something out of her” - the roommate being very perceptive

cha cha is VERY rude to my girl agnes

honestly why DIDN’T hazel just kill cha cha after her whole speech and threats about killing agnes slowly in front of him???? like he literally watched her try to kill him as well

why wasn’t diego arrested in the original day that wasn’t actually?? he was being considered already. he still left the house, albeit with grace instead of allison. why wasn’t he arrested then????????

roommate thinks it’s interesting how committed the show is to their old timey shit. she used a nicer words like anachronisms but the point is: w h y

are these episodes even longer than i remember?? holy SHIT

#tua rewatch #honestly these are half proof to my sister that i am watching tua #she keeps yelling at me about s1 #there can't be that many more episodes right #apparently there are ten episodes in s1 #that's a whole 'nother three hours #jeebus #and then ten more hours for s2 #so LONG

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datawyrms · 4 years

Text

A Literal Soul Bro

Dannymay 2020 day 15 Fave AU. (we’re going with it’s danny phantom. BUT DEMONS. as i am a hack and also can’t pick Just One)

Demons didn’t exist. They were stories and heavy handed morality fables. So of course he couldn’t back down when Sam dared him to try the summoning she found. That would be admitting he was scared of some fairy tale.

The green eyed thing leering at the pair of them from the carefully drawn circle apparently did not care it should not exist.

“Okay Sam, great prank.” He stammered, trying to ignore the clear surprise etched on his friend’s face.

“I sort of thought this was your prank Tuck,” she answered quietly, eyes darting between her tech obsessed friend and the smoky glowing thing that was now in the basement.

“Two of you?” It spoke in a disquieting tone, leaving the friends with the sensation of being doused in buckets of ice water. “Yet you only offered me one soul.”

Tucker broke the strained silence first. “Woah, hold up. I’m not offering any demons any souls!”

“Oh? So the girl is offering you as a snack?” The eyes were bright and curious, even though the rest of the ‘demon’ remained an odd undulating mass that probed at every inch of the circle with smokey tendrils.

“No! You can just go back home now.” She sounded steady, though Tucker could hear the note of fear hiding just below the false bravado.

The idle smoke flashed into a brilliant green flame “I answered for a soul, and I will have one. One given soul for one lifetime of servitude. That is what you offered and I accepted.”

“Please tell me that book has a dismissal spell or something.” he managed to squeak out, too afraid to run away in case that broke some other rule that they knew nothing about.

“Don’t rush me, I’m looking!”

The demon flames died down somewhat, but the flash of hot anger was still lingering in the room. “You confirmed the contract in blood. I am here. I may not get your soul if you break it, but I’ll have both your lives.”

Sam, to her credit, was trying to read a dead language as quickly as possible in a dark room with wildly varying demon fueled lighting. That didn’t mean she was finding anything useful.

Tucker gave a weak smile, trying to think of a way to buy more time. “We didn’t actually know you existed? So if you could just let us off with a warning this time that’d be great, really.”

“None of us are leaving here until I am paid, or you are both dead.”

Well. It had been worth a shot. “Uhhh, do you take payment plans by any chance? You can totally ask the electronics store, I always make my payments on my PDA.”

The flames snuffed out as the eyes fixed on Tucker, not so much a glare as the curious look it had had before they’d made it angry. “I can be reasonable. You both did offer…” The eyes closed as it seemed to hum a little bit.

“I can’t find anything, everything is phrased like just telling them to go will be enough.” Sam hissed, gripping the book so tightly that the colour was draining from her fingers.

“Of course I would go if my master said so. Neither of you are that. Yet.” the demon clarified, snickering when Sam flinched. “Since you seem so against giving me a soul, I will accept half of each.”

Tucker was pretty sure any deal offered to you by a demon was probably the worst possible option to take, even if it sounded less terrible at first brush. “That’s not really a payment plan, demon dude.”

“An alternate form of payment, then. You each retain half of your soul, secure my loyalty, and I get the soul I want.” the smoke flicked and danced in light airy circles. “Everyone’s happy. So choose something.”

The pair shared a look. This was obviously not a good idea. Yet who could really force their best friend to be alone in some demonic contract with this thing?

“This was my fault.” Sam muttered, dropping the book before giving it a solid kick. “Maybe not having a soul is just maximum goth.” her grin couldn’t be more paper thin if it had been made out of tissue paper.

“Oh this is totally your fault. But maybe I don’t want you hoarding all the demon powers to yourself Sam.” he shot her an equally sickly grin before looking back to the monster in the circle. “Okay, halfsies it is.”

“You both agree?”

Sam hesitated. “Thanks Tuck.” she whispered. “Halfsies, demon.”

The creature vanished. Yet it was absolutely still present, judging by the horrid seeping cold scrabbling at his chest. It stabbed and tore something and he fell, clutching at a woundless chest. The cold lessened as he shuddered, but there was still a hollowness where there wasn’t one before. Sam’s loud string of obscenities at least assured him she was alright from whatever that had been, though he didn’t quite feel steady enough to get back to his feet.

“So dramatic. You’ll get used to the feeling. I did.”

The demon was still in the room. He’d almost forgotten. Tucker forced himself to get upright again, holding his glasses as he tried to spot the smoky fiend. A smirking white haired, green eyed boy was hovering nearby, watching with rapt attention. “You look different.”

The boy lifted an eyebrow “I’m your demon. There’s no point in trying to freak you guys out anymore.” He flexed a white gloved hand, four wickedly sharp claws replacing what had been fingers. “I’m still plenty scary if I want to be.”

Tucker agreed with that sentiment, considering the claws ended up an inch from his face. “Noted.”

“Urgh. Too much for one day. Go back to wherever you came from.” Sam groaned, rubbing at her forehead.

The demon tilted his head, pointed ears flicking before giving a fang filled smile. “Hmm. Nah. Think I’ll stick around for now.”

“Wait you said-” Tucker sputtered.

“I’d obey my master unquestioningly.” the grin widened, even though it should no longer fit on his face. “But you two are sharing that title. I only need to obey you two for half of your lifetimes. Did I not mention that bit?”

“You know you didn’t you lousy-” Sam looked liable to kick up into a proper rant, but managed to stop herself.

“Demon. That’s what you called, and that’s what you got.” he glanced back at Tucker. “The hell is a PDA anyway? I haven’t gotten to get over here in ages.”

And that was how two best friends ended up with a demonic third wheel.

#dannymay2020 #Danny Phantom #Tucker Foley #sam manson #my stuff #this prompt was so not fair #how do you only pick one #so i went for one i always wanted to write about but never did #honestly i had so many things i wanted to cover #but two hours is not a lot of time to do a whole thing #sam and tuck totally get rad demon powers from this arangement #and danny becomes more human and conflicted #aka it all works out and they become pals but i uh. didn't have time to go past This Bit #let sam and tucker be helpful full members of the team 2020 instead of occasional cheerleaders

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chiseler · 3 years

Text

Ophelia By the Yard

Cobwebbed passages and wax-encrusted candelabra, dungeons festooned with wrist manacles, an iron maiden in every niche, carpets of dry ice fog, dead twig forests, painted hilltop castles, secret doorways through fireplaces or behind beds (both portals of hot passion), crypts, gloomy servants, cracking thunder and flashes of lightning, inexplicably tinted light sources, candles impossibly casting their own shadows, rubber bats on wires, grand staircases, long dining tables, huge doors with prodigiously pendulous knockers to rival anything in Hollywood.

Here was the precise moment — and it was nothing if not inevitable — when the darkness of horror film, both visible and inherent, leapt from the gothic toy box now joined by a no less disconcerting array of color. The best, brightest, sweetest, and most dazzling red-blooded palette that journeyman Italian cinematographers could coax from those tired cameras. Color, both its commercial necessity as well as all it promised the eye, would hereafter re-imagine the genre’s possibilities, in Italy and, gradually, everywhere else.

When color hit the Italian Gothic cycle, a truly new vision was born. In Hammer films and other UK horror productions, the cheapness of Eastmancolor made it possible for blood to be red. Indeed, very red. And, while we shouldn't underestimate the startling impact this had, it was a fairly literal use of the medium. In the Italian movies, and to a large extent in Roger Corman's Poe cycle, color was an unlikely vehicle to further dismantle realism rather than to assert it. Overrun with tinted lights and filters, none of which added to the film’s realistic qualities, the movies became delirious. In Corman's Masque of the Red Death, we learn of an experiment that uses color to drive a man insane; it seems that filmmakers like Corman and Mario Bava were attempting the very same trick on their audiences.

The application of candy-wrapper hues to a haunted castle flick like The Whip and the Body adds a pop art vibe at odds with the genre, and when you get to something like Kill, Baby...Kill! the Gothic trappings are barely able to mask a distinctly modern sensibility, so much so that Fellini could plunder its phantasmal elements for Toby Dammit, fitting them perfectly into his sixties Roman nightmare.

Blood and Black Lace brings the saturated lighting and Gothic fillips into the twentieth century -- a sign creaking in a gale is the first image, translated from Frankensteinland to the exterior of a contemporary fashion house. A literal faceless killer disposes of six women in diabolical ways. The sour-faced detective remains several deaths back on the killer’s trail because the movie knows its audience, knows that it has zero interest in detection, character, motivation — though it’s all inertly there as a pretext for sadism, set-pieces of partially-clad women being hacked up, dot the film like musical numbers or action sequences might appear in a different genre.

Since the 19th-century audience for literary Gothic Horror was comprised of far fewer men than women, would it be fair to ask whether Giallo’s advent might be an instrument of brutal violence, even revenge against “feminine” preoccupations? Consider 1964’s Danza Macabra, the film’s amorous vibes finding their ultimate source in that deathless screen goddess named Barbara Steele, whose marble white flesh photographs like some monument to classicism startled into unwanted Keatsian fever. Her presence practically demands that we ask ourselves: “Who is this wraith howling at a paper moon?” In other words, is it a coincidence that Steele’s “Elizabeth Blackwood” — a revenant temptress and undead sex symbol — hits screens the very same year as Giallo, which would transform Italian cinema into a decades-long death mill for women?

The name “giallo”, meaning yellow, derives from the crime paperbacks issued by Italian publisher Mondadori. The eye-catching covers, featuring a circular illustration of some act of infamy embedded in a yellow panel, became utterly associated with the genre of literature. These books were likely to be by Edgar Wallace, the most popular author in the western world, or Agatha Christie: cardboard characters sliding through the most mechanical of plots; or classier local equivalents, like Francesco Mastriani or Carolina Invernizio. The founding principles laid down concerned the elaborate deceptions concealed by their authors, traps for the unwary reader, and the use of a distinctive design motif. The tendency of the characterisation to lapse into sub-comic-book cliché, the figures incapable of expressing or inspiring real sympathy, was, perhaps, an unintended side-effect of the focus on narrative sleight-of-hand.

When Italian filmmakers sought to translate sensational literature to the screen, they looked to other filmic influences: American film noir, influenced by German expressionism and often made by German emigrés (Lang, Siodmak, Dieterle, Ulmer); and the popular krimi cycle being produced in West Germany, mostly based on Edgar Wallace's leaden "shockers." These deployed stock characters, bizarre methods of murder, deceptive plotting, and exuberant use of chiaroscuro, the stylistic palette of noir intensified by more fog, more shafts of light, more inky shadows. A certain amount of fun, but different from the coming bloodbath because Wallace, despite somewhat fascistic tendencies, is anodyne and anaemic by comparison. No open misogyny, a sadism sublimated in story, a touching faith in Scotland Yard and the class system. In the Giallo, Wallace's more sensational aspects are adopted but made to serve a sensibility quite alien to the stodgy Englander: people are generally rotten, the system stinks, and crime becomes a lurid spectator sport served up to a viewer both thrilled and appalled.

The Giallo fetishizes murder. But then, it fetishizes everything in sight. Every object, every half-filled wine glass and pastel-colored telephone, is photographed with obsessive, product-shot enthusiasm. Here, it must be emphasized that design implicates the viewer as the Italian camera-eye gawps like some unabashed tourist. Knife, wallpaper, onyx pinky ring — each detail transforms into an object made eerily subject: a sentient and glowering fragment of our own conscience, staring back at us in the darkened theater and pronouncing ineluctable guilt. And yet, for the directors who rode most dexterously the Giallo wave, homicide was something one did to women. Indulging in equal-opportunity lechery was merely an excuse to find other, more violent outlets for their misogyny. Please enter into evidence the demented enthusiasm for woman-killing evinced by Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, et al. — whatever trifling token massacres of men one might exhume from their respective oeuvres are inconsequential. Argento’s defense, “I love women, so I would rather see a beautiful woman killed than an ugly man,” should not satisfy us, and hardly seems designed to (also bear in mind Poe’s assertion that the death of a beautiful young woman was the most poetic of all subjects).

Filmmakers like Argento have no interest in sex per se. Suffering seems inessential, but terror and death are key, photographed with the same clinical absorption and aesthetic gloss as Giallo-maestros habitually apply to their interior design. Here, it must be emphasized that design implicates the viewer as the Italian camera-eye gawps like some unabashed tourist. Knife, wallpaper, onyx pinky ring – each detail transforms into an object made eerily subject: a sentient and glowering fragment of our own conscience, staring back at us in the darkened theater and pronouncing ineluctable guilt. That’s one important subtlety often lost amid Giallo’s vast antisocial hemorrhage.

Like a river of blood, homophobia, in the literal meaning of fear rather than hatred, runs through the genre. Lesbians are sinister and gay men barely exist. As we try to work out what in hell the Giallo is really up to, little dabs of dime-store Freudianism seem sufficient.

The filmmakers’ misogyny could be suspect, a sign of compromised masculinity, so they need fictional avatars to cloak their own feverish woman-hating. The subterfuge is clumsy at best, the desultory deceit embarrassingly macho. Giallo’s visual force, powerful enough to divorce eye from mind, is another matter, leaving us demoralized and ethically destitute; our hearts beating with all the righteous indignation of three dead shrubs (and maybe a half-eaten sandwich).

The Giallo is founded on an unstated assumption: the modern world brings forth monsters. Jack the Ripper was an aberration in his day, but now there's a Jack around every corner, behind every piece of modular furniture, every diving helmet lamp. Previously, disturbing events arose from what Ambrose Bierce called The Suitable Surroundings, or what the mad architect in Fritz Lang's The Secret Beyond the Door termed, with sly and sinister euphemism, "propitious rooms." There's the glorious line in Withnail and I: "That's the sort of window faces appear at." But now, in the modern world, evil occurs in the nicest of places, and tonal consistency died in a welter of cheerful stage blood. One needn’t enter an especially Bad Place to meet one’s worst nightmare, or perhaps better to say: the whole bright world qualified as a properly bad place. Imagine the pages of an interior design magazine invaded by anonymous psychopaths intent on painting the gleaming walls red.

Though the victims are overwhelmingly female and their killers male (Argento typically photographed his own leather-gloved hands to stand in for his assassin’s), when the violence becomes over-the-top in its sexualized woman-hating (like the crotch-stabbing in What Have You Done to Solange?), it’s usually a clue that the movie’s murderer will turn out to be female: a simple case of projection. Only Lucio Fulci, the most twisted of the bunch, trained as a doctor and experienced as an art critic, not only assigns misogyny to a straight male killer (The New York Ripper) but plays the killer himself in A Cat in the Brain. Though, in another self-protecting twist of narrative, all psychological explanations in Gialli are bullshit, always. Criminology and clinical psychology are largely ignored, and Argento has a clear preference for outdated theories like the extra chromosome signaling psychopathy (Cat O’Nine Tails). Did anybody use phrenology, or Lombroso’s crackpot physiognomic theories, as plot device?

A tradition of the Giallo is that the characters all tend to be dislikable, something Argento at least resisted in Cat O’ Nine Tails and Deep Red. With disposable characters, each of whom might be the killer and each of whose violent demise is served up as a set-piece, this distancing and contempt might just be a byproduct of the form rather than a principle or ethos, but it’s of some interest, perhaps mitigating the misogyny with a wash of misanthropy. A Unified Field Theory of Gialli would find a more deep-seated reason for the obnoxious characters as well as the stylized snuff and the glamorous presentation. What urge is being satisfied, and why here, now, like this?

Class war? Though prostitute-ripping is encouraged in the Giallo, most victims are wealthy, slashed to ribbons amid opulent interiors. Urbane characters who might previously have graced the sleek “white telephone” films of forties Italian cinema were briefly edged out by neo-realism’s concentration on the working class. Now these exquisite mannequins are trundled back onscreen to be ritually slaughtered for our viewing pleasure.

Victims must always be enviable: either beautiful and sexy or rich and swellegant, or all of the above, so the average moviegoer can rejoice in their dismemberment with a clear conscience. Mario Bava bloodily birthed the genre in Blood and Black Lace (1964), brutally offing fashion models in a variety of Sade-approved ways, the killer a literally faceless assassin into whom the (presumed male) audience could pour their own animosities without ever admitting it, with the female killer finally unmasked to provide exculpatory relief.

If narrative formulas absolve the straight male viewer, compositions have a way of ensnaring him. Beyond that omnivorous indulgence of sensation for its own lurid sake one finds in Giallo, there is a more gilded emphasis placed on Beauty (in the Catholic sense), and it is only the women who are mounted upon its pedestal. That these avatars of beauty are to be savored, ravaged, and brutalized — in that order — is what concerns us. But the sex and the suffering that captivates most sadists is never what registers; no, it is the instance of death, the terror that afflicts the dying woman’s face that resonates. Once again, physical interiors become a negative form of emotional interiority, rooms amplified for the sole purpose of grisly annihilations; a kind of heretical, strictly anti-Catholic transcendence through amoral delight in what otherwise falls under trivial headings, either “the visuals” or “color palette” – neither of which touch the essential nerve endings of Giallo.

Swaddled inside an otherwise hyper-masculine castle lies a windowless chamber with feminine, if not psychotic, decor. Before he tortures and stabs her to death, “Lord Alan Cunningham” (fresh from his sojourn in the asylum) brings his first victim to this pageant of off-gassing plastic furniture, the single most obnoxious vision ever imposed on gothic environs. Risibly overblown ’70s chic rules The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave with nods to Edgar Allan Poe, as the modish Lord juggles sports cars and medieval persecution. Laughs escape the viewer’s throat in dry heaves when each new MacGuffin devours itself without warning. Take “Aunt Agatha” (easily two decades younger than her middle-aged nephews) suddenly rising from her motorized wheelchair, clobbered from behind seconds later, her body dragged into a cage where foxes promptly munch her entrails. Nothing comes of this. The phony paralysis, the aunt’s role in a half-dozen mysteries, which include a battalion of sexy maids in miniskirts and blonde Harpo Marx wigs – all gulped, swallowed.

About the only thing we know for certain is that “Aunt Agatha” is gorgeous. Though, in the end, she’s another casualty of the same nihilism that crashes Giallo aesthetics headlong into Poe country. That is into “Lord Alan” and his gaudy room crowded with designer goods to be catalogued in a horror vacui of visual intrusiveness – a trashy shrine to his late wife, the titular Evelyn. If lapses of good taste define The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave, they also reflect Giallo’s abiding obsession with real estate. After all, this Mod hypnagogia has to fill the eye somewhere. Why not bang in the middle of a castle? Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher features a wealthy aristocrat burying his twin sister alive, thereby entombing his own femininity.

Evelyn represents both Usher’s primary theme of the divided self and the obdurate refusal to learn from it. “Alan,” who emerges a moral hero in the end (after his shrink aids and abets his murder spree), remains just as ornery, alienated, and vainglorious as Giallo itself. We’re never told precisely what the film’s fetish objects are supposed to mean. And since the camera seizes upon each one with existential grimness, we’re left with a visual style that begs its own questions.

Function follows form into the abyss. One Ophelia after another dies to satisfy our cruel delectation, even as will-o’-the-wisp light, taken from the bogs and neglected cemeteries of Gothic Horror, finds itself transformed into a crimson-dripping stiletto. Evelyn stands in for all Gialli, a genre which redefines film itself on the narrow front of visual impact: stainless steel cutlery and candy-colored light enact a sentient agenda as color becomes an instrument of hyperbolic misogyny that fills the eye and then some.

As with certain other Italian genres, notably the peplum, smart characterization, solid performances and decent dialogue seem not only unnecessary to the Giallo but unwelcome (the spaghetti western, conversely, in which many of the same directors dabbled, seemed to demand a steady stream of good, cold-blooded wise-cracks). Argento, in pursuit of that “non-Cartesian” quality he admired in Poe, took this to extremes, stringing non-sequiturs together to form absurdist cut-ups, torching his stars’ credibility merely by forcing them to utter such nonsense. And this wasn’t enough: from Suspiria (1977) on, the psychological thriller (which the Giallo is a sub-genre of, only the psychology has to be deliberately nonsensical) was increasingly replaced by the supernatural. So that the laws of nature could be suspended along with the laws of coherent motivation.

In Suspiria and its 1980 quasi-sequel Inferno, the traditional knifings are interspersed with more uncanny events, as when a stone eagle comes to life and somehow makes a seeing-eye dog kill his owner, and there are also grotesque incidents with no relation to story whatever: a shower of maggots, or an attack by voracious rats in Central Park. The Giallo’s quest for a solution, inspired as it was by the old-school whodunits, is all but abandoned, replaced by the search for the next sensational set-piece.

Argento’s villains are now witches, but, abandoning centuries of tradition, these witches show more interest in stabbing their fellow women with kitchen knives than with worshipping Satan or riding broomsticks. Regardless of who they’re meant to be, Argento’s characters must express his desires, enact the atrocities he dreams of. And inhabit places built for his aesthetic pleasure rather than their own. Following Bava’s cue, he saturates his rooms in light blasted through colored gels, making every scene a stained-glass icon, no naturalistic explanation offered for the lurid tinted hues. Just as no explanation is offered for the presence of a room full of coiled razor-wire in a ballet school, or for the behavior of the young woman who throws herself into its midst without looking.

Dario Argento’s true significance, at least with respect to Giallo, was perceiving in the nick of time the almost incandescent obviousness of its limitations; that Italian commercial cinema’s garish, polychromatic spin on the garden-variety psychological thriller – departing from its forebears mainly in the rampant senselessness of its “psychology” – had Dead End written all over it. It could never last. On the other hand, Giallo does take a fresh turn with Argento’s Inferno, thanks in no small measure to a woman screenwriter who sadly remains uncredited. Daria Nicolodi explains that “having fought so hard to see my humble but excellent work in Suspiria recognized (up until a few days before the première I didn’t know if I would see my name in the film credits), I didn’t want to live through that again, so I said, ‘Do as you please, in any case, the story will talk for me because I wrote it.’”

Daria Nicolodi

Nicolodi’s conception humanizes (it would be tempting to say “feminizes”) Argento’s usual sanguinary exercises du style, while at the same time summoning legitimate psychology. This has nothing to do with strong characterization – indeed, the characters barely speak – and everything to do with the elemental power of water, fire, wind.… Inferno rescues Giallo by plunging it into seemingly endless visual interludes, a cinema that draws its strength from absence.

by The Chiselers

Daniel Riccuito, David Cairns, Tom Sutpen, and Richard Chetwynd

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samsoleil · 3 years

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9 and 10?

ask game

V I am sending the most fond vibes in your direction I hope they make it there okay!!

10. Your favourite season and why.

Honestly? Either S2 or S11.

Season 2: Sam has psychic powers and Dean is terrified that his brother might actually be bad, but is still ride or die for him. This is where we can see their relationship flourish without the search for John hanging over their heads. But y'know what does hang over their heads? John telling Dean he'll either have to save Sam or kill him, and Sam who is desperate to be saved and willing to be killed. And then!! when Sam dies!!! Dean saves him in the worst possible way!!!! Also, it's visually gorgeous. You've got the high contrast vibes from S1 but slightly less desaturated and you've still got the grainy film texture. An excellent time.

Season 11: Listen. I still think it should have been Chuck sending Sam visions. And I don't particularly care for the B plot. But Sam and Dean peak in this season for the first time since pre-s4 and it was amazing. It's the immediate aftermath of Sam literally unleashing "a force on the world that could destroy it" to save Dean. Codependency at its peak. And in two mid-season episodes they absolutely nail the S2 energy. I mean, establishing beyond any doubt that Dean loves Sam? And then making him think Sam is dead in the very next episode? Where Sam is also the dictionary definition of BAMF? Not to mention, Sam is just. so understanding of Dean and his messy feelings about Amara. Love that for them.

9. What episodes best encapsulates the brother’s relationship? Does this change throughout the series? Doesn’t have to be the best episode btw.

To answer the second question, the brother’s relationship very obviously changes throughout the show. It’s obviously very codependent from the get go (especially from Sam’s perspective! Literally unendurable), and it varies in toxicity. Some seasons they are very soft! Some seasons I want to shout at Sam to run for the hills and never return. And then there are some episodes in seasons where their relationship is literally awful that are wonderfully tender (like 08x21 when Dean says “You gotta let me take care of you, man”).

Imo, S1-3 are peak brothers. S4/5 are excellent to watch but not the most tender. S6 is on thin fucking ice. S7-10 are, generally speaking, when I would absolutely be willing to kill a man (Dean), but are still SO compelling because these crazy kids are devoted and have no moral boundaries when it comes to the other. S11 is a return to the good stuff! I haven’t seen the seasons after that but from what I have seen, Sam becomes a Dean apologist and Dean just gets worse. But they’re still codependent, so that’s fine. “You were gonna leave and you weren’t even going to tell me?” and “What about me? Would you trade me?” are baller lines. Sam is a grown man but he’s out here saving the world by being Dean’s baby brother. Iconic of them.

OKAY so. First question. I originally had several episodes per season but I have to limit it to 2, this is going to be too long otherwise. Also, as you well know, I've only watched up to 12x06, so I won't include S12 here.

Episodes (and explanations) under the cut!

Obviously, both 01x01 Pilot and 15x20 Carry On. Literally the perfect bookends for this show. I don’t need to elaborate.

01x05 Bloody Mary - Has the moment where Dean actually has an emotional conversation with his brother, because he’s switched on to Sam’s emotional needs. He was willing to let Sam blame him for Jess’ death so that Sam didn’t blame himself! And near the end it has the iconic line "You're my brother and I'd die for you." Dean, right? No! It was Sam!! Anyone with any sort of reservations about whether Sam cared about Dean in early S1 can refer to this episode. It’s episode 5!! of the whole show!! and it has that line!!

01x11 Faith - Sam has absolutely no regrets about someone dying to save Dean's life. In retrospect, this episode says a lot about how much Sam loves Dean.

02x01 In My Time of Dying - Sam can sense that Dean is there, either through psychic powers or because they are soulmates. Both are good. Also, Dean is told that he may have to kill Sam, which influences their dynamic for the rest of the show <33

02x21 All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1 - Dean, on his knees in the mud, telling Sam's corpse that it'll be okay and screaming his name. That is all. Also, after thoroughly chewing out a victim earlier in the season for selling his soul to save a loved one, Dean sells his soul to save a loved one.

03x08 A Very Supernatural Christmas - Sam decorated a Christmas tree with pine air fresheners to give Dean a Christmas. Obsessed.

03x11 Mystery Spot - Dean dies repeatedly, then dies for good for about 6 months, and Sam becomes a ruthless hunter in order to bring him back. Dean spends longer dead in this episode than he actually does at the end of S4.

04x14 Sex and Violence - Dean's siren is literally just a version of Sam that is devoted to Dean and would do anything he says.

04x22 Lucifer Rising - Bobby coming for Dean's life. The VOICEMAIL!! Dean acting as though them being family is a cure-all and saying he'll beat Sam up, but also apologising. I'll take it. And then, of course, the voicemail Sam hears, which is more or less what Dean said in 04x04, and that being what tips him over the edge. The edge, of course, being killing Lilith to avenge Dean’s death, which has been his quest since the end of S3. Excellent.

05x16 Dark Side of the Moon - Ohoho. This episode. You know why this episode is here.

05x22 Swan Song - Same as the above! Dean who doesn't have a plan, just doesn't want his little brother to die alone. Sam, who fights off the devil himself and (essentially) kills himself to save his brother and the car they call their home. That memory sequence, for me, gave Sam the power not to save the world, but to save his brother. The world was just a bonus.

06x11 Appointment in Samara - "Dean doesn't care about me, he just cares about his little brother, Sammy, burning in hell. He'll kill me to get that other guy back." Dean's anger at himself for screwing up and forfeiting Sam's soul was. a lot. Also, Sam begging for his life and Dean just continuing anyway? Horrific. But very testament to their relationship at this point. Dean wants Sammy back and he WILL kill this other guy to do it.

06x22 The Man Who Knew Too Much - Sam being right about the consequences of having his soul put back in. And "You know me. You know why. I'm not leaving my brother alone out there."

07x03 The Girl Next Door - I was tossing up between this and 07x02 but. this has some flashbacks to past Sam!! Unfortunately, it also has Dean punching Sam for using the Impala, the car they both rely on to get around. And Dean murdering Sam's childhood friend for killing rapists. This isn’t an episode that makes you think “Awh, they’re codependent!”, it’s an episode that makes you send Sam vibes screaming at him to get out.

07x14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie - Ever think that maybe Sam fears clowns because he associates them with being abandoned? Also, nostalgia vs reality.

08x09 Citizen Fang - The voicemail from S4 is still hanging over our heads. Dean asking “Does that sound like the Benny we know?” and Sam replying “I don’t know Benny.” Dean keeping Benny away from Sam because Sam is apparently the one who will kill monsters with no nuance or remorse. But this episode is on the list specifically because of how pivotal the line "Yes, I do – too well. In fact, every relationship I have ever had has gone to crap at some point. But the one thing I can say about Benny – he has never let me down." is in absolutely wrecking Sam's mental health down the road!

08x23 Sacrifice - For obvious reasons! “You know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down!” and then Dean’s speech of blatant lies. It sounded good, though. Dean really is that devoted, but unfortunately he has amnesia.

09x01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here - Autonomy violation. This is what advanced care directives are for. Dean being so dependent on Sam that he would violate his autonomy and trick him into consenting to possession. Dean will do anything to keep Sam alive, including destroy Sam.

09x16 Blade Runners - The parallels between Colette and Sam are unbearable. “Drop the blade.” Also, Dean becomes SO feral when Sam’s cheek gets cut.

10x19 Book of the Damned - Sam’s speech! “But I can’t do it without my brother. I don’t want to do it without my brother. And if he’s gone, then I don’t….”

10x24 Brother's Keeper - Ahahahahaaa. Sam kneeling down in front of Dean and letting him kill him, if he wants. Dean not doing so. Please do not emulate this relationship in your real human lives.

11x04 Baby - Obvious reasons. Also, the perfect example of how these two communicate. Dean clearly states his opinion so that Sam has something to base his arguments around, and then Sam provides his perspective. That meta about how Dean and Sam communicate and how Sam is the major decision maker opened my eyes. Impeccable takes.

11x16 Safe House - The thing Dean loves being Sam (and Sam being genuinely relieved that it was!!). Sam propping Dean’s sleeping body against the fridge while saying “I got you! Stay with me.” Him cradling Dean in his arms and patting his head and Dean being SO confused but not fighting it.

11x17 Red Meat - Okay, I lied about the 2 per season thing, I just needed all three of these episodes. They are too good to not include. Dean joking to hide how scared he is for Sam? Being willing to let all three of them die just because he thinks Sam is dead? Attempting/committing suicide to try to bring him back? Sam fighting through immense pain to get back to his brother? This episode is so good. They are absolute lunatics (affectionate).

#emblian #ask game #answered #spn #V I LOVE YOU!!#kael.txt

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years

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February 9: Mr. Robot 3x10

Finally watched the last episode of Mr. Robot season 3. I was actually on the ball today so I’ve done lots--worked a full 8 hour day, read at lunch, went on a walk, read some fanfic for the first time in literal months--and now I’m exhausted.

So I don’t have too many coherent thoughts.

I remembered a few things from this ep--mostly the Dom part, the Angela and Price reveal, and the very last shot. But there were still a lot of details I forgot, and honestly I think I forgot everything after they leave the barn. I completely forgot all that stuff with the finding the secret magic code keys to undo the hack. I think that’s because it’s actually rather anti-climactic versus a lot of the other stuff that happened. What does restoring the data do? As Grant says, the Dark Army doesn’t care because 5/9 was just a part of the bigger plan that served its purpose. And everything in the past 2 seasons has shown that the Prices and whiteroses of the world will come out on top no matter what, because even tragedy (esp. tragedy) is open to being manipulated. And finally, as the Lady of the Night at the end says, it’s just too simplistic a plan. Just like 5/9 itself. So I mean it’s very IC for Elliot and there’s a certain amount of satisfaction to something, at least, being nice and clean and tidy, but it doesn’t feel like this BIG big moment, especially compared to the earlier scenes. Like the point from the subway on doesn’t match anything from before, where I was so tense my stomach hurt.

I remember finding the Price and Angela story really emotional and surprising the first time I watched it, not because him being her father was so shocking--it’s the sort of twist Esmail does well, where you’re like.. oh DUH and it actually makes more sense now--but because I’d been so willing, in my own naivety, to believe that literally anything, even perhaps time travel itself, was possible-- I mean all the hints! And here he is saying, definitively, no, this is still a realistic universe, in fact probably one of the most realistic universes on tv, and there is absolutely no way we’re suddenly going to become Back to the Future--sometimes people, even/especially ridiculously powerful people, are just out of their minds. The reason was pettiness--it was really that small. There’s something so effectively gut wrenching about that, to me. Such big things, happening for such small reasons.

I felt sort of similarly about Dom being flipped, actually. In some sense, it was a big operation to get her on the side of the Dark Army: a lot of research and so on. But ultimately it was also so simple. She said nothing would make her betray her values and her country and her job, but when they showed her just how far their reach went, how they knew and could find literally her whole family, well that was it. It’s not a complex scheme, is what I’m trying to say, it’s just threats--but it’s also the worst threats imaginable, coupled with some classic emotional manipulation. And so just like that she’s ruined.

The show is just so good at balancing the big and the small, the personal and the organizational and the political. Elliot is just one, often naive, person, and the show doesn’t make him bigger than he is--but it does acknowledge that he’s the protagonist for a reason. So he is good enough to have whiterose’s project moved to the Congo, for example, even though “hundreds of people like” him couldn’t do it. His character and his influence on the world is just... so well calibrated. Big enough to warrant this being HIS show, but not so big as to ruin the realism of a show that’s so much about the puppeteering ability of the rich and powerful.

To circle back to Angela... I haven’t seen S4 but I do know that she dies in 4x01 and I read at least one article that was very unhappy with that narrative decision. I don’t know exactly what I’ll think of it in context yet but I will say... rewatching this season and especially the last couple of episodes, she’s just so damaged, and so lost, it’s hard to see how there could be a redemption or recovery arc for her. I’m talking strictly from a narrative point of view. I do see how the character has come to her end place.

The parallel between Angela and Elliot was so strong. I mean I should have seen it straight off with the way her scene with Price was edited in with his scene at the barn, but like... when Price says “You have to recognize you’ve been conned and learn to live with what you’ve done” I just felt like that could apply to Elliot too. Except Angela’s instinct is to get revenge and Elliot’s is to undo his bad decisions and start again, and Angela is held back from her instincts and Elliot is given free reign. So she ends the season with, essentially, nothing at all, and he ends it with a new purpose (and a new/old antagonist, with Vera coming back....)

So yeah, something here with my Elliot and Angela theory lol... increasingly from the first season on, they’re separated but parallel--like in the scene where he talks to her through the door. They sometimes approach but never quite meet--like when the Cyber Bombings episode ended with them finally face to face, unable to hold both of them together in the frame. They’re so important to each other, but this importance is so often unsaid or out of focus. And I still don’t know what I think... is the love for her that he has located in Elliot or in the Hacker? Or both?

Anyway. I started thinking about how well plotted this show is and how poorly plotted other shows are and now my brain is somewhere else. I need to get ready for bed because I am very tired.

Final thought: I saw you there Ms. Lulu Ferocity!

#the year 2021 #2021: fandom thoughts #2021: mr robot

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th3okamid3mon · 4 years

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Spies in disguise, weirdly wholesome (Spoilers)

This movie was so freaking weird. I thought Blue Sky Studios was so dead, the only movie I´ve seen from them was Ice Age and Robots, and Ice Age went downhill after the 3rd movie. But this??? This could be their revival.

Sinopsis:

Lance Sterling is one of the best spies in the agency. He loves his job and does it really well but when a bad guy starts harming different people across the world using his face, Sterling has to clear up his name in any way possible with the help of a young scientist called Walter Beckett. Problem is, though, the same scientist tried a very complex experiment on him by accident which result on him turning into something everybody hates: a pigeon.

Animation:

I´m sure Blue Sky has made more animated movies than just Ice Age, but being completely honest I literally only knew that one. I loved that movie, I also like Robots, but the rest they´ve made aren´t as striking to me.

As an animation studio they know what they are doing, it is really good. The details in the water and rocks, all the backgrounds? They all look awesome!

It´s no Klaus though. In comparison to other movies, this is pretty much blends with the rest of the CGI movies there exist. Ice Age and Robots had a very distinctive style, but this one? This looks like something Pixar would do (they kind of went a bit downhill, Toy Story 4 was not needed and The Incredibles 2 felt off and incomplete, animation was fine, writing meh. I hope Onward and Soul are better. Fingers crossed.) I also thought Dreamworks made it. It´s not very... original as in the style of the animation.

The lighting was cool as hell!! The first scene in Japan WAS SO FREAKING AWESOME. It had amazing highlights and it was perfect blend in the atmosphere. The darks werent so obscure you couldnt see anything and when a certain light hit the character it was a great contrast.

The design of the characters were really great, the background characters looked kind of the same though. It was like the main characters were anime protagonists in this case, not only because of the design but because they use more striking and hotter colors in them while the background characters had really opaque palettes.

Story and Characters:

So.. Disclaimer: Spy movies taken seriously is not my thing. I HATE Mission Imposible. I HATE JAMES BOND 1, 2, 3, INIFINITE WHATEVER. I hate them, they are boring and the main characters are worst than Superman (Who, by the way, I also HATE. not the animated one, just the live action one. LIKE BATMAN I HA-). That´s because they portray them as all mighty, powerful, type of card of all traits. Making them too useful and too able makes it boring and it makes you question Why do they even have a freaking team with them?

In this case you have the all mighty, hella cool and able Lance Sterling. He works alone, he is able to do everything and anything, right? Well, at least he is charismatic and such. Of course you have to add something to him so he isn´t just a cocky super human spy. What do you do? GIVE. HIM. AN. OBSTACLE. AND. MAKE. IT. HILARIOUS. Thank god this is comedy.

It was a really weird premise for the super spy to become a pigeon. From all animals, a Pigeon? Uh... Yeah, sure? This director and writer do know how to make this shit work. And BOI was this really interesting.

So it goes like this: Sterling goes against a bad guy who isn´t even the main bad guyTM. He does his cool fighting montage during which POOF, GLITTER! Glitter..? Da fuq? And he rolls with it because if he doesn´t he COULD DIE. (I know there´s the flashback montage for Walter at the beginning but bare with me). He gets the briefcase, which had a very dangerous and powerful machine which in spanish is called LITERALLY ASESINO (MURDERER) , LA-DI-DA-DI-DA he goes back to the agency and... The briefcase is empty and some agent comes all of the sudden and has some recording where it is shown HE stole it and killed some guys in Japan with it.

But he escaped, relax.

Now, previously he had fired Walter because he got into Sterling´s things and put the glitter bomb, which actually did his purpose: distract and make everyone happy.

Walter is actually a curious character to me. He has good intentions, he just wants to make a safer world and all his inventions in comparison to the rest are to minimize damage and to protect not only the spies but also the villains. Now days we have characters who are mostly all in favor to not kill, because killing is wrong. It´s not a new thing, its a pretty old concept, but it is mostly seen in TV shows (at least from the movies I´ve seen, even if the hero doesn´t want to kill, the villain still ends up dead somehow). From all the movies I´ve seen, there were several that didn´t killed the villain but... I didn´t like them at all because the villain didnt even made sense (IM LOOKING AT YOU FROZEN 1 AND THE INCREDIBLES 2, FUCKING WASTE OF MONEY AND VILLAINS, SO HELP ME GO-)

I dont know why Walter stick to me so much more than any other characters in other movies. His motivations were always for the greater good even as a kid. The biggest inspiration in his life was and is his mother, and I think because of her dead that motivation became even stronger. His whole personality and genuine care into his work to help others leaks in everything he does. It´s in your face, ALL THE TIME, but in a good way? It isnt at the point of being annoying, it´s weird how they manage to make such a nice character with certain points that are quirky without making him annoying.

Ok, back to the story without spoiling much and going to the point, they both start working out how Sterling as a pigeon can do his spy work and Walter works on an antidote while also helping Sterling with the spy work. Question: Is it original? I dont know. Does it matter? No.

Look, the concept of a character turning into something is not really original and as spy movies we all KNOW in all 9 levels of Mictlan that Spy theme movies are not original at all. Spy Kids? That was slightly more original than any other spy movie I ever seen AND I LOVED IT. The important manner here is and will always be the characters which... Well... Will Smith acted as Will Smith, or well.. I watch in spanish... wait...

Ok, I already knew Mario Filio was the official Will Smith voice Actor...

HOLY SHIT, EMILIO TREVIÑO IS MILES MORALES TOO?!?!?

Where was I...? Ah, yeah.

As a plot, it had pretty much a lot of dark themes and several heavy spots. For example: The talk between Will- I MEAN Sterling and Walter in the boat, where they talk about how to fight the villain we saw a bit more of them. We already knew the motivation for Walter, but Sterling? The cocky cock has feelings? WHO WOULD´VE KNOWN! He really doesnt want people to get killed and it gets to him, because that form limits him a lot. Walter is so stress too, they both want the best for the people and they argue but in a manner that makes it a bit heavy. Walter is still young and too dreamy, Sterling has worked in the battle field, he tells Walter you have to fight fire with fire and doing it Walter´s way is not gonna work because bad people doesnt care about the good people. Walter replies that there are no good or bad, only people. (UM... I HAVE A BIT OF A PROBLEM WITH THAT?? But I will discuss it later.)

There some scenes i did not expect to get emotional and it quickly returns to comedy but not as awkwardly as I would thought. It´s a fun movie, if it wants too it gets a tad heavy and if it wants to it becomes extremely dumb. It´s a weird blend, the concept is super dumb but the plot and the characters teaches you certain things like: People still get hurt even if you acted with the best intentions. Sometimes to solve a problem you need to think in another way. Kindness is a powerful weapon. And most importantly: Weird is good.

Conclusion:

So... It was a really fun movie. Weirdly wholesome, weirdly good! Pretty good actually, it didn´t get me much as other movies but it did stick to me. It has good animation, the characters are enjoyable and charismatic, the super good boi is Walter MY GOD, HE DESERVES THAT JOB HE GOT. Sterling is a good pal once he sees the value in Walter. That part with the egg was strange but Walter made it have sense and they both rolled with it and it was pretty cool.

Now, the messages are good. I understand people are people and such. You shouldnt kill because its wrong. I mean, the villain DID kind of had second thoughts after Walter saved him from falling after turning the droid off, which was SO COOL TO HAVE KILLIAN LOOK LIKE THAT. He didn´t had to say shit, just that look of ¨Huh... That kid did save me even after I tried to kill him...¨ Yes, give me more shown not tell. THIS MOVIE HAD A LOT OF SHOW NO TELL, THANK YOU.

Still, bad people not always want to change. Some bad people stay bad, and sometimes we will have to fight back. We had movies like The Incredibles 2 or Steven Universe: The Movie shown what should we do and what happens to the villains. They had a backstory, they had their motives, as heartbreaking their backstories were what they did was wrong and at least one of them in those examples were punished for their wrongdoing. Steven in the movie fought back instead of getting himself hurt.

In this movie, the villain was kind of kept a mystery, his backstory wasn´t a flashback or anything, it was told by the character but I think that was a good thing because the pain in his eyes and the anger he felt leaked from his explanation to Sterling. Even when he was explicitly a bad guy from the beginning, before even the movie started, we can see that those bad guys, in fact, are people too, and as the good people they can get hurt too because they have families, friends, pets, interests, hobbies and more. Walter does have a point, they are just people so we shouldn´t kill them. I guess the problem I have with the saying ¨There´s no good or bad, just people¨ is that the people who do bad things, people like Killian, they hurt and murder so many people and I am not fine with those kind of people. I say Eye for an eye, but then again ¨Eye for an Eye and everyone gets blind¨.

I dont know why or how they manage to get somehow complex in movie where a person LITERALLY TURNS INTO A FEMALE PIGEON. Oh, yeah, by the way. Sterling becomes a female pigeon because Walter uses a feather of his female pet pigeon.

I had low expectations and came out impressed and howling with laughter even after getting home. I do recommend this movie for his whole ridiculousness and for his weird but wholesome character development, bonding, different characters and final message.

Weird is good and we need weird to make the world a better, safer place.

-Sincerely weird, T.O.D

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snowfall-fanfictions · 4 years

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Beware the Frozen Heart Chapter 10- The Poisoning-Part 2

Previous Chapter

Ao3 link

FFN link

We see the results of Eryn’s sabotage

WARNING: someone does throw up in this chapter. Also someone dies.

The evening couldn’t have gone any smoother for Elsa. She’d been charming the French dignitary, Jacques Arnot, ever since he came off the boat. The elderly gentleman was quite easy to please, to the relief of Elsa, as he recounted his many exploits during the reign of Napoleon. Elsa was only partially paying attention to him as the day went by and his stories continued to drag on and on. This is for Arendelle, she reminded herself as they eventually made their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

Normally the hall was used as the throne room for citizens to express their grievances to the crown during the day. During important events and meals, however, the space was either completely empty or, in the case of that night, had a large banquet table running through the middle.

Elsa spent most of the night sipping wine as she discussed important details with her guest.

“Thank you again for coming, Monsieur Arnot,” Elsa said, “I hope everything is to your liking.”

Ah, Your Majesty,” Arnot chortled, “Everything is absolutely magnifique! You and the princess are simply wonderful!”

Looking over to where Anna was sitting, the diplomat couldn’t have picked a worse time to bring the princess up, as she was shoveling heaps of potatoes and duck into her mouth.

“Um, t-thank you, Monsieur,” Elsa said, trying to change the subject. “Now, uh if you don’t mind me asking, has the king taken my proposal into consideration yet?”

The old man let out a sigh, “He has, and he has yet to make a decision. Terribly sorry, Your Majesty, but our country is still trying to rebuild even after thirty years since Napoleon, so most of our focus still lies inwards.”

Elsa took another small sip of wine, trying to mask her dissapointment. “Tell him I appreciate his consideration and I eagerly await whatever decision he makes.”

“Many in Parliament have expressed interest in your kingdom, Your Majesty. They see your power, both literally and figuratively, as something that could benefit both our countries.”

Elsa smiled into her glass. After years of fearing about her powers, she finally found a use for them in her duties. As it turned out, with the growing hostilities in Europe, people were quick to warm up to the one woman in the whole continent who could freeze a small country with a simple flick of her wrist.

“Speaking of which, I have heard that you don’t actually use your ice magic to attack, just for simple parlour tricks. How do you plan on defending yourself?”

“That’s what Derrik’s for!” Olaf chirped, “He’s great! And he taught me a new word, wanna hear it?”

“NO!” Elsa shouted, “That- that won’t be necessary Olaf.”

Jaques stroked his beard at the snowman’s declaration. “Hmmm, who is this Derrik the snowman speaks of?”

XXXXXX

“She’s asking for what?” Eryn said, nearly shouting over the commotion of the kitchen. It had died down since the royal dinner started over half an hour ago, but there were still a great number of people prepping the desserts and other food items.

“You, Mr. Ormeister,” the servant said, “Though I’m not sure why that is.”

Eryn wasn’t sure either. His mind immediately went to the worst case scenarios. Had he finally been discovered? Did that fat oaf squeal? A chill ran up his spine.

“Er… v-very well then,” he said reluctantly. He maneuvered his way through the bustling kitchens through the servant’s corridor. The corridor was incredibly thin, only allowing two people at most. The walls were eerily lit with the occasional torch that was bolted to the stone every few feet. This didn’t ease the tension in Eryn’s body. He quickly reached down and unlatched the dagger. He needed to be ready for whatever came next.

As he exited the corridor, he was greeted by the sound of light chatter. Before him sat a great table, filled with various platters and plates filled with food. Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff were scattered across the table, each enjoying the heaps of food before them. Anna in particular had sauces dribbling down her blouse as she wolfed down a heaping of roasted duck. Elsa sat at the head of the table, poised and proper looking, conversing with a lanky man with a pencil thin beard and moustache sporting a light blue uniform. Eryn let out a slight cough and said, “You wished to see me, Your Majesty?”

Elsa looked up at Eryn. “Oh, hello Derrik!” she said. She turned to the man beside her and announced, “Monsieur Arnot, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Derrik Ormeister, the man who saved mine and Anna’s lives.”

Eryn wandered over to the table as the man in blue rose from his seat. The two of them grasped hands as the man said, “Ah, the queen has been singing your praises. You should be proud of yourself!”

Eryn chuckled at the compliment. “It’s not that big of a deal really,” he said, “I’m sure anyone in town would have done the same.”

“Don’t be so humble, Derrik,” Elsa said, “Especially for someone with your kind of background.”

“Ah, oui. My sincere condolences for your father. Weselton is truly an unforgiving place, is it not?”

“Indeed… Is there anything else you need from me, Ma’am?”

Elsa gestured to an empty seat beside the Frenchman. "Please, have a seat.”

Eryn was incredibly confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“There’s no need for you down there anymore, so I’d like you to join us.”

No danger, huh? Eryn thought, Just you wait…

He slid into the seat beside the man as quickly as possible. Out of the corner of his eye, Eryn could see Kristoff glaring at him, almost as if he read his mind.

“So, Derrik,” Elsa said, “I don’t think I’ve ever asked you this, but what did you do after you fled Weselton?”

“Well… I used what money I could salvage from my estate and bought passage to New York, where I worked as a shoe shiner for a few months. It was a hard life, but I couldn’t complain.”

“Oh, you’ve been to America?” Anna asked, cheeks still puffed full of food. Elsa shot her a scowl as the princess meekly swallowed before continuing, “Kristoff and I were thinking about going to America for our honeymoon.”

“Well, if I can give you some advice, avoid the Lower South Side. Everyone there will try to rob you, even the rats.”

Anna, Elsa and the dignitary began laughing as Kristoff continued to scowl at Eryn. What was his deal?

“How did you get to Arendelle, then? This seems out of the way from America, no?” The Frenchman said. Eryn quickly thought up a good enough excuse.

“Well, I got into… a bit of a disagreement with one of the locals. Smuggled myself on a ship bound for Arendelle, and now here I am!”

Out of the corner of his eye, the contact had appeared beside the queen with another bottle of wine. The exact bottle Eryn had slipped the nightshade in earlier. He could feel the excitement inside him rising as the contact poured the red liquid out into the queen’s glass.

“That sounds awful, Derrik,” the queen said, smiling warmly, “But we should count ourselves lucky that you showed up when you did.”

“Indeed,” Eryn returned the smile as he watched the contact fill the others glasses as well. The queen raised her glass high as she said, “I’d like to propose a toast. To both Monsieur Arnot and to Derrik!”

“Here, here!” Anna shouted through another mouthful of food. Kristoff followed suit, raising his glass in the air almost reluctantly. Elsa brought the glass up to her mouth as she took a large sip from it. A part of Eryn began to ache as he watched the red liquid pass her lips, knowing what was about to happen. Almost immediately, she hunched over as she let the glass fall from her hand onto the floor, scattering shards all across the floor. Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and the dignitary looked on in horror as Elsa groaned in apparent pain. Eryn soon joined the concerned looks, a part of him recoiling in guilt. The queen leaned over to the side of the table and ,with a loud *HURK*, vomited an interesting mix of red and brown across the floor.

“ELSA!” Anna cried, rushing over to her sister’s side. Kristoff and the Frenchman shot up out of their seats as the ice harvester ran for help. Eryn could only sit there in sheer disbelief.

She was supposed to be convulsing on the floor, gasping for air, not vomiting. He saw that the poisoned bottle was left on the table and grabbed it. Bringing it to his nose, Eryn took a quick sniff and felt his rage grow. ELDERBERRY! Eryn thought. He jumped out of his seat as he scowled at the contact, who began to flee for his life. Wasting no time, Eryn dashed after him, unsheathing the dagger and gripping it in his hand. The chase only lasted a few moments before Eryn tackled the contact to the ground, rage filling his eyes as he flipped the fat bastard over.

“‘Freshly picked Nightshade berries, just like you asked.’ Was that not what you said?!” Eryn growled, pinning the man to the floor with the knife. The contact started trembling as he began sweating bullets.

“I-I’m sorry boss! The guy said they was Nightshade, fresh from the area-”

“NIGHTSHADE DOESN’T GROW THIS FAR NORTH, YOU FAT DIPSHIT!”

“I didn’t know! The black market around here-”

“So either you’re stupid, or the people you deal with are!”

“It-it’s just that the berries looked the sa-”

“I’ve had ENOUGH of your STUPID excuses!” Eryn brought the dagger to the man’s jaw.

“Please! Don’t, I- I won’t let it happen again!”

“Damn right it won’t happen again!” Eryn took the knife and, with as much force as he could muster, jammed it right under the man’s chin. The contact let out a few gurgles as his arms flailed around, blood flowing from his mouth as the color left his eyes. In a few short seconds, the contact’s arms stopped flailing as they fell to his sides. Eryn pulled the knife out of the fool’s skull, still visibly furious at what had transpired. A part of him did feel relief, however, knowing that she wouldn’t immediately die. It was at that point when Eryn felt a familiar numbness.

Now what have we learned today, Odrikson?

Eryn brought the dagger up to his face. The blade was still soaked in blood, yet the runes still shined through like lanterns in the fog.

Oh, so now you decide to chime in? Not when you could CLEARLY see that they were elderberries?

I had much more pressing matters than botany, boy. Like teaching ingrates like you a lesson.

I was close to killing her.

Were you? Or were your human feelings getting in the way like they always do? I sensed your grief when you poisoned the wine, your relief when you found out it wasn’t nightshade. You’re secretly hoping this fails, I can sense it!

Had this oaf not fucked up, she’d be dead and we’d be halfway to Karnisvarne by now! This was entirely out of my control!

The dagger growled at Eryn’s words. Heed my warnings next time, Odrikson, or you will share in his fate...

“Mr. Ormeister! Is everything alright?”

Eryn snapped his head to see who was talking. One of the guards stood there, grasping his polearm with aggression.

“Y-yes,” Eryn said, “This… waste of skin tried poisoning the wine. Didn’t mean to kill him though. But that’s neither here nor there, is the queen alright?”

“Yes, sir. She’s currently being looked at by medical professionals. They’re saying it was elderberries that were slipped into the wine.”

“I see. Is she able to speak?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Take me to her then, and get someone to clean this mess up!”

With that, Eryn and the guard made their way to the queen’s chambers with due haste.

#frozen fanfiction #disney frozen #OC #queen elsa #princess anna #olaf #kristoff #Eryn Odrikson #blood tw #gore tw #mature #duke of weselton #hans #fanfiction #assassination

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akitokihojo · 5 years

Text

In Between: Chapter 7

Alright, before jumping right in, I wanted to give a warning about some of the sensitive material to expect. There’s descriptions of dead bodies, mentions of drugs, and a bit of violence up ahead. Nothing is horribly graphic, I promise! Anyway, here we go! The longest chapter yet!

Previous chapters can be found in my fic masterlist, as well as on AO3 and ff.net.

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Abi Phoenix's Residence

The creak from the rusty gate’s hinges echoed in the night, the sound eerie and torturous to the senses. Even as a human, Hojo could tell something was horribly wrong as they slowly made their way around the weed-inhabited, untended walkway at the side of the house, leading to the front door. Mindfully, he pushed his coat aside so that his hand could sit on the grip of his gun, sparing his partner a small glance so that she knew to be prepared for anything. Something told him he should have known Sango was one step ahead of him, as per usual. In fact, the pistol was already in her grasp, the muzzle aimed at the ground as she gave a curt nod to him.

The windows were dark, curtains from within making it impossible to see inside. Hojo began to slow, signaling to his partner behind him to stop. He could see from his angle that the door was ajar. It was a distressing mixture of ice and flames that licked through his bloodstream, his heartbeat beginning to drum, the rhythm growing bolder behind his ribcage. He slid the gun from its holster, squeezing the grip as he continued on and stepped up the single step of the porch. He could feel Sango’s presence literally inches behind him. Carefully, he nudged the door open with his shoulder, extending his arms in front of him as soon as the entrance was widely accessible, pistol at the ready and leading the way.

Very little light trickled in from the street lamps outside, shadows crawling and creeping over the majority of the home, so both he and Sango retrieved their flashlights, clicking them on as soon as they were level over the barrel. The home was in complete disarray. Dishes were piled up in the sink and over the surrounding counters, the trash looked like it hadn’t been taken out for months, floors were grimy, and junk was stacked and crammed all over the house. As Hojo swung his light over the filthy counters in the kitchen, roaches fled from immediate sight. This wasn’t signs of a break in. This was signs of negligence. Possibly hoarding, as well. The detective fought off the urge to grumble in disgust.

“Hojo.” Sango called from somewhere not too far down the hall. Immediately, he headed her way, a powerful stench tainting his nostrils the further he went. His face scrunched into a grimace as he grunted, unable to cover his nose with both hands occupied.

“What is that?” He whispered. The house hadn’t been cleared yet so it was still important they remain quiet, though it seemed pretty obvious no one was home. Or, at least, no one should be in a place like this.

“I don’t know, but my guess is it’s coming from one of these rooms.” She used her flashlight to illuminate the two doors, both of which were just barely hanging open.

Nodding, Hojo stepped before her, inching toward the closest door. His partner, staying by his side, checked down the hall to their left, the bright light flicking from corner to corner until she was satisfied with their evident lack of company. The smell was putrid; something he’d never encountered before in his life. There wasn’t a single hint of resemblance he’d be able to pick out from the odor that would help him describe it to anyone who may ask what caused his stomach to churn or his eyes to water in this manner. And as he reached the door and pushed it open, it became so overwhelmingly powerful he had a hard time swallowing the bile that threatened to lurch through his esophagus.

Holding his breath, he quickly flung his flashlight about the room, searching for the source of the smell. The bedroom was crowded and cluttered with junk and objects, a walking path nonexistent to anyone who wasn’t perfectly familiar with their surroundings. On the bed, there was a large, unmoving lump. Sango tried to pinch his coat through her busy hands, a whispered warning slipping from her lips, but he ignored her, stepping through to shine his light on the decomposing body of an elderly woman.

The cramp in his lungs quickly became too much, and suddenly Hojo was inhaling the worst breath of his life. Immediately, he heaved dryly, the burning sensation short-lived as his mouth filled with vomit and he turned and ran back to the hall quick enough to puke away from the victim.

Sango stepped back with a violent shudder. Quickly, maneuvering past Hojo’s crumpled, hurling form, she stepped to the second bedroom, kicking it open to reveal the decaying body of a young woman sprawled along the floor of her untidy bedroom. She could feel her stomach growing weaker, the lump in her throat building until she gave a weak gag and turned away.

Unclipping the bulky walkie talkie from her belt, Sango called in a code, alerting units of the bodies within the house as Hojo stumbled further away from the bedrooms, still doubled over and clutching his abdomen.

—

“Three weeks?”

“I’d estimate, yes.” The coroner nodded, guiding Sango and Hojo back into the house and towards the bedroom. Windows had been opened, lights had been turned on, and the two were given Vaporub to generously apply on their upper lip which would help fend off the awful odors that had brought them down before. As they reached the beginning of the hall, the three of them idled at the edge of the living room, allowing two officials to pass with a stretcher and bodybag containing the remains of the elderly woman.

“What’s the cause of death?” Hojo asked.

“For the mother, it was a simple gun shot to the head. She was ill and bed-ridden, so there didn't seem to be a struggle. Though, her decomposition was a bit more advanced than Abi's." Ayame answered, waiting patiently as they slowly wheeled her through.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, she died at least a day beforehand. Abi wasn't so lucky. From the looks of her condition, she was tortured for hours before she was killed. And there's something else you'll want to see, follow me."

The two detectives followed the woman down the hall, still able to catch minor whiffs of the rancid odor left behind, but nothing that debilitated their senses anymore. Taking the small curve in the hall, they stepped into Abi's bedroom, her body in the same spot as when Sango had first seen her. Now that the room was properly illuminated by both the ceiling light and tripod lamps provided by the investigators, the pool of blood staining the carpet around her body was clearly visible. Bruises and lacerations decorated her thin body like ornaments on a Christmas tree, poking through her torn and stained clothing.

Ayame knelt down next to Abi's body, handing both Hojo and she a pair of latex gloves. Her own hands were already covered in the material as she set to showing them details of her markings beginning at the dark blue and purple line across her neck.

"So, I've done a little digging into your perp's old files. Looks like old habits die hard; strangulation is still part of his M.O., but it wasn't her cause of death. If you look closely, you can see several different contusions along her neck created by what I would guess to be a thin wire of some sort. Some are darker than others, so I'm thinking he would cut off her air passage as a way to scare and torment her, then continue on with his other tactics." Her hands drifted down towards Abi's legs. "There's no evidence of rape, which also fits this guy's typical M.O.. He's never once raped a woman or child, but there is a bit of bruising on her inner thighs that I find peculiar, along with a bite mark here just above her knee. What's important here is-"

"He left his DNA behind." Sango finished, mouth hung slightly agape.

"Exactly. I've already sent in a sample, so we should have solid confirmation of who did this shortly. Do you think he's getting sloppy?"

"No, this was intentional. He must have known we were onto him." Hojo said, gently moving aside the woman's black hair to inspect a bruise on her forehead.

"But how?" Sango asked, shifting her disconcerted gaze from the red-headed doctor to her blue-eyed partner. "This happened about three weeks ago, right? We only found out about Naraku escaping two days ago, and Inuyasha's hunch was the day before that. I agree that this was deliberate. He knows what he's doing. The only mistake recorded was his incidental slip with Abi so many years ago, leading to his downfall."

"Do you think that was on purpose?" Hojo asked.

"No. I think that was a legitimate overshare. He's a good criminal, but he's not perfect. The thing is, we didn't know about him this long ago so why would he leave behind his DNA?"

"Wait," Ayame spoke, green eyes shadowed by her furrowed brow. "The neighbors mentioned to the investigators outside that it wasn't strange to not see Abi or her mother for weeks on end. As I previously mentioned, her mother was ill. Abi was her sole caretaker, and they didn't get out much - if ever. The windows were sealed tight, and the only way for most of the smell of their decay to leak was through the crack in the front door. If it were Summer, their deterioration would have been accelerated causing the smell to grow stronger and travel, and the neighbors no doubt would have called it in, but with how cold it's been and how spread out the neighborhoods around here are, they never smelled it at all."

"And since no one was able to alert the authorities given the circumstances, the only other reason for us to check Miss Phoenix's household was if he was already a suspect." Hojo added. He looked at his partner who was already staring back at him, her dark eyes direct and serious.

"He wanted us to know." Sango said.

"Yeah. It's like he's three steps ahead of us."

"He's had a seven month head start. It makes sense."

"Koga wasn't kidding... you guys really are dealing with a twisted murderer."

"A twisted psychopath is more I like it. What killed her?" Sango asked, sighing out and shaking her head, her long, brown ponytail spilling over her shoulder as she following Ayame's fingers.

"One stab wound to the right side of her chest, and three to her abdomen. She bled out slowly." She answered, moving aside Abi's clothing to make the lacerations visible to them. "There's - uh - one more thing, though."

"What?"

"I'm gonna warn you, it's a real kicker." Ayame seemed nervous as she rose to a stand, her fingers fidgeting before she clenched them into a fist. The two detectives stood as well, waiting for the coroner to guide them. She took in a deep breath, giving them an uncertain look before swallowing so thickly it was audible and gesturing for them to follow her to the master bathroom.

The large mirror above the sink and adjacent walls were decorated with dozens of taped-up polaroids, causing Sango's skin to crawl madly. She moved in closer, fully taking in the photographed people, her stomach plummeting to the floor. It was all of them. Pictures of herself walking just outside her townhouse, getting dinner, with her younger brother, on a scene with Hojo. Koga and Ayame walking hand-in-hand. Hojo with his mother outside of the holistic pharmacy she ran, drinking in a coffee shop sitting across from another male. Inuyasha with a woman she'd never seen before, her long, black hair glistening even in the low-quality image. These photos and more littered the bathroom, making her feel sicker than she had when they'd first discovered the dead bodies.

Cautiously, Hojo plucked a photo from the edge of the wall to his right, slowly handing it over to Sango. She tried to hide her shudder, tried to bite back the tense exhale that burned her throat but couldn't, the image of her and their team Psychologist, Miroku, kissing on his porch step, door opened behind them as they were about to enter was now evidence in their case.

"Looks like we all get to feel a little bit of what Inuyasha's been going through now." Ayame sullenly mentioned.

"Does Koga know yet?" Hojo asked.

"Are you kidding? He's the last person I plan on alerting. I need to give myself a chance to get my job done before he becomes my full-time, temperamental watch dog and distracts me." She said, shaking her head as she left them to finish up.

"I know what's going through your head." Hojo quietly said now that he and his partner were alone. Sango, staring at the pictures in front of her, shook her head and gave a breathy laugh, one that described how high her stress levels had climbed in the recent minutes. "How long?"

"A few months."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because at no point did I ever think he and I would become something serious." Still, she avoided eye contact.

"Have you?"

"This picture is from last Friday." She chuckled again. "I've been staying over at his house lately because this case gives me the creeps. So, yeah. I guess you can say he and I have gotten pretty serious."

"Sango-"

"Don't! There's so many important things that needed to be focused on at the moment, I thought it could wait. I never once considered that you, or Koga, or I, or even Ayame would be caught in the crosshairs of this mess. And now, so is he." She responded, piercing him with a daring stare before pulling her cell phone out of her back pocket and exiting the room.

SVU Precinct

The team stood around stiffly, awkwardly, leaning against tables, or sitting with their knees bobbing. It was obnoxiously quiet in the precinct, the early hours of the morning from their sleepless night making it all even worse. Slight scuffling in the background from officers passing through was easily and oddly muffled by their tense breathing and irritable mannerisms.

"So," Sango spoke, applying most of her upper body weight to the table in front of her, Hojo standing along the corner only a few feet away. "Who want's to be the one to say it?"

"Say what?" Inuyasha asked sternly, knowing damn well they were alluding to something pertaining to him.

"I'll fucking do it." Koga volunteered from his seat at the other end of the office.

"Oh, no. Not you." Sango shook her head, stopping him just as he'd directed his deadly stare towards his partner.

"Why the hell not!?"

"No offense, but you're not the best at breaking things to Inuyasha nicely. Especially when you're in a mood." Hojo claimed.

"Can you guys not talk about me as if I'm not here?" Inuyasha growled.

"The mood is justifiable!"

"I'll just do it." Sango rolled her eyes.

"Why would you ask if you're just gonna-"

"Sango!" Totosai called as he entered the precinct. His tone was severe, lips curved downward as he beckoned her to follow him into his office. Hojo was the only person to keep a flat reaction, his eyes falling to the wood. The other two stared curiously, eyes burning a hole through her back.

"On second thought, how about you do the honors?" She mentioned to Hojo as she walked away.

Totosai waited at the door, throwing it shut the moment the detective was through. She stood behind the chairs, clutching the back of one as her captain heatedly stomped over to his desk, dropping a thick file down before speaking. "I expect stupid things from Inuyasha and Koga. I expect stupid things from Hakkaku and Ginta. Hell, I would expect something stupid from Hojo before I'd suspect something this idiotic from you. Do you know how bad it looks that I can't keep my team in line? It's like I have to babysit you lot and make sure you're doing things by the book! It makes this department look like it's full of amateurs, myself included!"

She stayed quiet, accepting the verbal punishment she was receiving.

"How long has this been going on? No, wait. I don't want to know. What I do want to know is why you wouldn't immediately tell me?"

"In retrospect, sir, I thought it could wait." She answered honestly.

"You know better, detective. When two members of the forces are in a relationship, it needs to be reported. You know damn well that I have no choice but to bring this to Internal Affairs - the very people we've been trying to avoid due to the circumstances of this case!"

Sango winced, a measured guilt weighing on her chest. "Can they actually take the case from us now, though? It was originally an SVU investigation that's just been reopened."

"You know very well that they can."

"That can't happen! Inuyasha's counting on us! I won't see Miroku again, I-I'll remove myself from the case! Problem solved!"

"And then I'd be left with two accessible detectives." Totosai sighed.

"It's better than losing the case!"

"Is it?"

"Yes! This is my fault! I'll take the fall, but don't let it affect anyone else! Don't let them take it!"

"Detective-"

"What do you want me to do? How do I fix this?"

He paused, rubbing his temples before plopping down in his seat, rolling backward slightly from the force. The silence was agonizing to Sango, the round clock on the wall behind her ticking so loud she could have sworn there was an echo. She watched as her captain's buggy eyes looked away, studying the far wall to his right as his nails tapped his head in beat with the passing seconds. Her palms were sweaty and slippery against the wood of the seat she clasped, and her breathing increased in anticipation as the click of his tongue signified he was about to speak. Leaning forward an inch or two, the elderly man pulled four polaroids from the front pocket of his shirt, tossing them on his desk for Sango to retrieve, all of which were images of her and Miroku together.

"I snagged them before they were officially submitted into evidence. You better hope we catch this bastard before he releases more photos of you two together, or else you and I will receive the ass chewing of a lifetime. And count your blessings, Sango. I won’t be able to cover for you like this again. Keep everything with Miroku on the down-low for now. We’ll figure it out later.”

She nodded thankfully, snatching the pictures up and shoving them into her pocket. Totosai motioned to the door, excusing her as he ducked his head into his file of paperwork. Hastily, she did as instructed. Her captain had a bad habit of making people sweat before coming clean and letting them know they were off the hook. She’d never once been on the receiving end of it, and hopefully never would be again.

Shutting the door behind her, she rejoined the group, the air about them slightly less dense than before but still murky; the exact opposite of what she’d been expecting.

“What was all that about?” Koga asked, using her as an obvious change to the subject they were speaking.

“Oh, nothing.” Sango quickly answered. “Just some paperwork I’d made a mistake on. What’s up?”

Inuyasha gave a rough groan and stood from his seat, walking around the corner with exerted control over his demeanor. “I’m getting some coffee.”

“Turns out,” Hojo spoke as soon as Inuyasha disappeared around the corner. “The woman pictured with Inuyasha is actually his ex.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’m surprised he was willing to say anything about her. Even I hardly know his personal shit.” Koga mentioned, walking up to join them so they wouldn’t have to converse loudly.

“I guess she has a history with drugs. She was clean and healthy for a good while, and during that time she and Inuyasha dated. Toward the end of August, she relapsed and left him.” Hojo said.

“So, if you think about it, Naraku really didn’t waste time in tracking down Inuyasha.” Sango pointed out.

“Not at all.”

“Is there more?”

“Yup, but it’s more for drama, less for the case.” Koga smirked.

“Go on.”

“Looks like she reappeared at his door around November or December. She was asking for money and jonesing hard. He took her in to help her break the habit, all the while he and Kagome were whatever the hell they were. Kagome came over without warning, saw his ex, and peaced the fuck out.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened.”

“Guys, he’s gonna come around the corner any minute now and hear us gossiping.” Hojo warned.

“Alright, so big issue here is he has no idea where his ex is now.” Koga continued, lowering his voice. “She left in the middle of the night, and as far as Inuyasha knew, she hadn’t completely recovered. He’s checked the system religiously over the last however many months, and she hasn’t turned up arrested or dead. Now that this picture’s turned up, he’s obviously going to be worried that this sick creep has gotten to her.”

“Geez, this guy can’t catch a break. Not that it’s relevant, but how long did they date.”

“Not sure. Couldn’t have been too long, but that doesn’t stop a guy like him from caring.” Koga replied.

“How do we help?”

“You can’t.” Inuyasha remarked bluntly, reentering the room with a steaming mug. “There’s more important things for you to concentrate on.”

“Inuyasha-“

“Let it go.” He said with a hint of finality.

“You want answers, don’t you?” Koga crossed his arms over his chest, following the half demon to his desk.

“What, like you’re capable of giving them to me?”

“What’s your deal with not accepting peoples’ help? Why are you so headstrong?” Sango asked, a sting of acid in her tone. “You were so bent out of shape when Kagome didn’t want your help, but you sit here and do the same thing with us. She, at least, had a reason to resent you. What’s your excuse?”

Inuyasha winced, words escaping him as he stared back into her dangerous glare. “It’s… none of your business.”

“Maybe you’re right, but you know what is? Kagome’s safety. The case, and her well-being, are technically our responsibility.” She declared, gesturing back and forth between her and Hojo with her finger. “The more you’re distracted by your ex-girlfriend’s potential involvement, the more chances we have of your focus slipping.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Inuyasha growled, placing his cup on the desk before stepping toward her.

“I’m saying,” Sango challenged, echoing his motion and stepping inward. He stood only a few inches taller than her, and although he had demon blood, she’d learned over the years that that wasn’t anything she couldn’t personally take. “We can’t allow that. It’s time for you to grow up. You want to handle things on your own, but look how well you’re doing so far. You’ve been looking for how long now?”

He didn’t answer, slanted ember eyes daring her to proceed. So she did.

“How long, Inuyasha?”

“Four months.”

“Since the day she left, I bet. Maybe we can get you answers you weren’t capable of finding on your own, maybe we can’t. That’s not the point. What matters is that at the end of the day, you’ll finally be able to say you put your best foot forward and exercised all of your resources for once in your adult life. So do me a freaking favor and write down her name, last known contact information and address so we can get the ball rolling, because unlike you, we don’t have time to waste.” Sango pushed passed him, grabbing a sticky note pad and pen and slamming them on the face of his desk as incentive. For a moment, he only stared at her incredulously, but she didn’t budge or falter. Her expression was unapologetic as her deep brown eyes looked straight through him. Giving in, he pulled out his phone and wrote down the contact information he had saved, sliding the pad toward her hand and without a word, she peeled the note free, shrugged her brows carelessly, pushed passed him once more, and stomped out the doors to the precinct, her partner following behind with an annoying look of amusement.

—

It was several hours before Sango and Hojo sauntered back through the doorway, their lips curving solemnly. Koga had been waiting to head out with Totosai to check in with Naraku's parents, dropping his feet from the top of his desk at the same time that Inuyasha stood from his own as they marched in.

“No, don’t fucking tell me you found her that quickly.”

“We didn’t find her, no.” Hojo admitted. “But we do know she’s alive.”

“How!? Where is she!?”

“We don’t know, exactly, but-” Sango said, her tone much softer than before.

“Then how do you know!?”

“Let them talk!” Koga barked, efficiently shutting his partner up.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, her number is disconnected and she’s no longer at the address you gave me. So, we blew up the photo of you two in evidence and took to the streets. Hojo surprisingly has a couple of connections with some undercover agents from his own time as one, and they were willing to help.” She could see the effort on Inuyasha’s face as he kept it as straight as possible and swallowed his questions for later. “There’s a few well-known dealers downtown if you know where to look, and it’s guaranteed they won’t want to speak to a cop, so that’s where Hojo’s buddies came in. One of these dealers recognized Kikyo, and told us to hit up a woman named Hitomiko and let us know where to find her; that she’d know her whereabouts since they were close.”

“Hitomiko runs a church-based shelter not too far from his location.” Hojo picked up. “She’s a nun. Turns out, Kikyo would often stay at the shelter after she’d lost her place. Hitomiko was apprehensive about talking with us at first, but after showing her the picture of both of you and proving to her that you were a detective we worked with and you only wanted to know she was okay, she gave in.”

“Inuyasha, Kikyo’s in rehab.” Sango said, a small smile gracing her lips. “She left town and started over in a completely different timezone. She calls Hitomiko to check in whenever she’s allowed to make phone calls, and their last conversation was on Wednesday - she figured you’d want that last little bit of validation. Kikyo’s gonna be fine. And yes, it was that easy.”

Inuyasha could feel the tension in his muscles slowly easing, deflating almost. It was like a huge weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. Physical evidence would soothe him all the more, but it wasn’t attainable and that was something he could accept. What was important was that she was okay. She was seeking treatment. She was far from Naraku. He didn’t have to worry about her getting caught up in this mess; he figured if he did, the bastard would have been rubbing his nose in it all along with just as many polaroids as he’d sent of Kagome. But he hadn’t. The one today served as nothing more than a reminder, maybe even a taunting message, and hopefully that’s how it would remain.

Already, he felt his mind growing less muddled with endless thoughts of protecting someone he physically couldn’t. Sango was right. He needed to concentrate on the one woman that deserved his undivided attention right now. There was still a part of him that wanted to ask for more; what timezone was she in? What facility was housing her? How was she fairing with money if she was in a shelter just before? But he bit his tongue. None of it was his business. As much as he cared, as much as he worried, Kikyo was still his ex-girlfriend. All he needed to know was that she was safe. The rest he could let go of.

“Thank you.”

Inuyasha’s Residence

The water ran hot as Kagome scrubbed the dishes clean, acknowledging what Inuyasha said from the other room with a simple hum. He’d recovered from the other night without a word of what had plagued his mind, and she couldn’t help but still be worried. She tried not to show it around him. His plate was full, and he’d taken her in on top of it all. Maybe he was just stressed or tired, but she felt like it had to be something more. Something terrifying.

She’d stopped asking what was wrong after he admitted he needed her. Though talking about your problems usually helps alleviate pain, even she could admit that sometimes it did the exact opposite and could even potentially make it so much worse.

They stood by the entryway table for a while, then she slowly began to back up, adhering to his request and never parting, guiding him to his large mattress that sat just beyond the open living room area. He never resisted, completely trusting her until she had reversed their places so the back of his knees would graze the bed. Inuyasha had stood up straight just then and gazed down at her, the air of him slightly reserved but still pleading for something as he brushed the backs of his fingers up and down the skin of her arms. Kagome hadn’t really made a plan; she’d only thought it would be better to get him into bed considering how he was acting and the time of night. In all honesty, she didn’t know what to do. All she understood was that she absolutely hated seeing him this way, and if he was going to do so much to protect her, she could try and do whatever the hell she could to protect him from what he was going through.

Wordlessly and carefully, Kagome pushed the jacket from his shoulders, allowing him to slowly shimmy it off and drop it to the floor away to the side. She pulled the badge free from his belt and set it on the nightstand, cautiously looking from the gun holster on his side, to his eyes, then back as she reached for it. Surprisingly, Inuyasha never stopped her, allowing her to lift the entire thing up to unclip then very gently place it beside his badge. Her fingers fiddled with the buttons of his dress shirt, working her way down and pulling the wrinkled ends out from the confinements of his pants. He didn’t need instigation that time; he pulled at the bottom of the grey sleeves, removing his shirt and dropping it away from them.

“Lay down.” Kagome whispered. Inuyasha toed his shoes off and sat on the edge of the mattress, his ember eyes glowing within the shadowed walls of his bedroom. His hands idled on his thighs, clenching into weakly-formed fists then relaxing open again, and then drifted across to her legs to pull her a few inches forward to stand between his own.

“Kagome-“

“I’m not going anywhere.” She promised softly, reaching over to undo the knot at the crown of his head. His long silver hair fluttered down his back and she threaded her fingers through to smooth out the crease, watching his eyes close briefly as he finally began to relax.

“Just a little bit longer.” He murmured, ducking his stare nervously, his fingers gliding to the backs of her thighs.

“As long as you need.”

He gave her a nudge and she following his lead without thought, bringing one knee over his thigh, then the other to completely straddle. There was a moment as they sat there, the bouncing light from the television hardly reaching their corner, the night still and silent, that a magnetic force began drawing her in. She'd fought against the current relentlessly for weeks that now that she'd finally given in, she'd realized she'd been so afraid of drowning when in actuality she was able to take her first breath of fresh air in who knows how long. It was almost liberating. Even as her lips dangerously hovered just an inch or so above his mouth, so close that his features blurred, compelling her to gently drag the tips of her fingers over his bottom lip and chin.

Inuyasha inhaled through his nose as he clutched her close at her waist, hoisting her up slightly as he supported her weight while climbing backward on the bed, turning them both on their sides as their heads reached the pillows. Shimmying downward, Inuyasha nuzzled into her chest just below her chin, his breath hot against the bare skin exposed from her loose, v-neck top. His hands pushed inside of the material, rubbing up her back to keep her where he needed, his ear giving a minute twitch as she sighed out comfortably.

For hours, she stayed with him like that, gently massaging his scalp to soothe away tension, incorporating her nails here and there just because she knew he loved that. She even found herself placing her lips to his head at certain points, unable to stop the old habit from resurfacing. Not wanting to stop the old habit from resurfacing. He’d fallen asleep fairly quickly, his hold on her slackening, but she couldn’t peel herself away. Not from lack of trying, but from the selfish desire to retain this peace for as long as physically possible, forcing herself to stay awake as long as she could so she could consciously live in the quiet moment where the dangers that haunted them ceased to exist.

She’d woken up early the next morning to the half demon carefully removing himself from their embrace, whispering for her to go back to sleep as he pulled a blanket over her body. She’d rubbed her eyes and asked where he was going, her voice just short of a whine from sleep, and he responded with a soft smile, pushed the hair in her face behind her ear, pressed a kiss to her head, and whispered once more that he was heading to work.

In the last two days, everything seemed comfortable and normal. He was either feeling better, or was swallowing his stress very well, which was the exact opposite of what she’d wanted. Obviously, she’d prefer he’d open up and let her in, but she couldn’t blame him for being apprehensive when they’d had a wedge between them for too long. Not to mention, she understood that he would always be guarded when it came to discussing work matters. That didn’t stop her from worrying that there was still something weighing down his mind; that something might bring him crashing down once more.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

Kagome looked over her shoulder as she tumbled out of her thoughts, noticing the half demon stomping forward. A mischievous and playful giggle escaped her as she turned her body to try and block his view as she rinsed the soapy plate in hand as quickly as possible.

“I told you I’d do the dishes, you dummy!” He barked, using his hip to try and push her out of the way.

“Whoops! Sorry, all done!” She beamed, stretching across him to place the last dish on the drying rack.

He kept pushing her aside, dipping his hands in the still-running faucet and flicking water at her, making her laugh as she failed to block her face. "I've never met anyone who doesn't take up an offer to have the dishes done for them."

"You're doing the exact same thing now!"

"You cooked dinner, I should wash the dishes! That's the way it goes!" Inuyasha flicked water at her one last time before cutting the stream.

"Oh, hush."

"That's the way it's been with us since the very beginning."

"Maybe so, but you're doing enough for me at the moment." Kagome said, her tone taking on a small air of seriousness. She could feel her cheeks flush warmly as she averted her eyes to the side, suddenly finding herself too nervous to directly look at him. "You're letting me stay here, and you've been making sure I'm taken care of. The least I can do is the chores."

"No." He gave a half smile, fully facing her as she leaned against the counter near the stove, crossing his arms as he confidently cocked a brow. "It's not your responsibility."

"And I'm not yours."

"No, you're not." His charisma never faltered, even as he took a step closer. "I protect you because I want to. You know why that is?"

Kagome's face felt uncomfortably hot as she stared at his defined forearms directly in front of her, subconsciously wishing he'd relax them and come even closer. And even as her wish surprisingly came true, and the half demon caged her against the marble counter, ember eyes sultry and beautiful, her nerves flared and her mind became muddled and she realized that her subconscience was a dangerous tool.

"You - uh - didn't want Naraku to hurt me." She managed to answer.

"More than that."

"Then why?"

Inuyasha smiled again, a breathy chuckle brushing passed his lips. "You know why, Kagome." His voice rumbled.

He pushed himself from the counter, exiting the kitchen.

Kagome stood there, mouth hung slightly agape as he disappeared from sight. When did this happen? When had she fallen down this hole again? When had she become so completely submerged in this guy that there was no need nor desire to find the safest route out? Was it the other night when she'd finally let go of all reservations? Sure, probably. That made sense. More importantly, though, did she even have the right to feel this way after everything that had happened? Maybe it was just one of the side effects of being a victim. He was her knight in shining armor, after all. She'd been so vulnerable that maybe, just maybe, the safety he was engulfing her in was enough to confuse her emotions.

Then again, she knew what it felt like to love him. And this - this sensation that overwhelmed her mind and sent a thunderous wash over her heart - was achingly familiar.

Did she have the right?

Was it still okay to love Inuyasha?

Kagome had no control over her body as she stepped away from the counter, her bare feet softly patting against the wooden floor.

Was the timing wrong?

She followed his path.

Would he turn her away?

Did he feel the same?

What was she even doing?

Inuyasha stepped around the corner of his bedroom donning a wife beater and some sweats, freezing in his tracks as the intensity of her brown eyes sent a riveting chill down his body.

As much as she tried to reason with herself, there was no stopping. Not even as it became much harder to breathe steadily, or even as unsolicited tears burned at the base of her eyes. Kagome's legs, though slow, kept moving until the two of them stood only inches apart. She waited to observe the body language he'd respond with. He'd stiffened a little, but didn't move aside in the slightest. In fact, when she reached to touch his upper arms, her fingers skimming over the shading of the large tattoo she hardly noticed from how acquainted she was with his skin, he welcomed her in, gently clutching the backs of her elbows to keep her there.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe a little crazy."

"What's new?"

She smiled, relaxing against him as she finally built the nerve to slowly press up on the balls of her feet. "Please-" Her breath hitched, interrupting until she gathered herself once more. "Please, don't pull away. Not yet." Kagome whispered.

Carefully, languidly, she pressed her lips to his, the fluttering within her stomach easily dying off as warmth flushed through and calmed her system. She came back down to her heels, sighing out shakily as she blinked her eyes open. There was a part of her that wondered if she should let him go, and just as she tried to deduce what may have been going through Inuyasha’s mind at that moment, he released her elbow and threaded his fingers through the raven hair at her temple, pushing back her waves and gently grasping the locks at the back of her head, tilting her chin up with a small pull to meet his gaze.

“I don’t want you thinking for a single second that I’d ever pull away from you.” He said, his voice husky and undeviating as he curved down to kiss her again.

He started soft, absolutely no haste behind the fluidity of his lips. It was like a spark hitting kindling, slowly catching and building, eating the material that withered away mercilessly just so it could stand a chance to climb and scorch the tower of wood standing above it, igniting heat and light, growing, growing, growing, growing. Inuyasha pushed against Kagome, spinning her around to back her against the wall he once stood in front of. He refused to release her silky hair from between his fingers, refused to travel away from the smoothness of her cheek, kissing her harder as he found himself afraid that it’d end. She was just as fervent, her hands pulling at the thin shirt over his torso, wrapping around his waist to bring him in closer, the wife beater bunching up at the sides as she reached under to feel his flesh. He breathed her in, the flames that built in the pit they stood in licking through his veins, fueling him as his tongue swiftly grazed her bottom lip only to bring him painfully crashing down as his work phone erupted from across the room.

“Fuck!” The half demon hissed after breaking apart, hovering above her mouth with the reigning threat that he’d ignore the call just to feel her kiss-swollen lips again and again and again. Kagome pressed up, kissing him slowly, bringing an involuntary rumble from the depths of his chest.

“Answer your phone.” She whispered.

“No.” He kissed her again.

“Answer it.”

How the hell was he supposed to comply when she was making it so fucking hard to be more than two inches away? Her spine was curving to press more firmly into him with each kiss, and he couldn’t stop himself from moving his hands to her waist to feel the way she arched.

“If it’s Koga, he’ll just call again.”

He groaned, hating that she was right. Hating that he had to give up his hold on her. Hating that he was now marching across the room to answer a stupid call from stupid work that was going to make him go to a stupid job when all the stupid people he worked with avidly told him he should be at home with Kagome.

“What?” Inuyasha harshly answered the blaring cell.

There was a moment where Kagome watched Inuyasha listening to the details he was given, his lips pressing into a thin line as he exasperatedly shut his eyes.

“Why the hell would I go with Ginta? Where the hell is Hakkak-" A pause. "Of course he is. Yeah, fine, text me the address.”

“Gotta go?” Kagome asked as he hung up, biting her bottom lip.

“I’m sorry,” He shook his head disbelievingly. “It’ll be quick, though. I promise. Just a house run to check in. Since everyone’s working on our case, I have to pitch in with some of the rookies and-”

“It’s okay.” She giggled.

"It'll be quick." He swore again, his expression serious.

"Even if it's not, I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded, like he'd gotten an answer to a question he'd wanted to ask, and crossed the living room, passing her by to enter his bedroom. She didn’t follow or move from her spot, knowing he was changing into work-appropriate attire. As he emerged, he curved around her, gently pushing some hair behind her ear as he placed a scant kiss to her forehead.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“I will.”

“I’ll be back.”

“See you.”

He locked the door on his way out, the loud click of the heavy bolt securing her within his home.

—

Kagome gently pat her cheeks as she finished her evening routine, her skin glowing from the sheen of the creamy night moisturizer she’d just finished applying, turning out the light as she exited the bathroom. There was an eeriness in the silence and dim-lighting that unsettled her in Inuyasha’s apartment, something she never seemed to notice while he was around, bringing her to recognize she was inside her own mind again. She turned on the tv to break the quiet as she unfolded the quilt on the head of the couch to prepare for bed, making everything as cozy as possible for herself. Before bundling in, she headed to the kitchen for a glass of water, the grinding sound of a key in the bolt grabbing her attention at the edge of the room.

It had only been thirty minutes since he’d left, but she couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as she watched the knob turn and the door open.

“You weren’t kidding when you said it’d be qu-“

“Hello, beautiful.” The arrogant, thin-lipped grin of the pale man from the coffee shop beamed at her from the doorway, stealing her breath as she notably felt her expression fall.

As if he belonged, the man closed the door behind him, his thin, black ponytail swaying with his steps. His smile never gave, nor did his menacing stare, as he dug into the front pocket of his black jeans and pulled out a gold key, slapping it on the face of the entryway table. “Thought I’d give back the master key to your apartment. Looks like the boss man forgot to return it to your landlord sometime ago. He never noticed it was missing, did he?” He asked, a smugness radiating from his tone.

Kagome didn’t say anything. She couldn’t as the wrenching fear crawling through her body steadily switched her mind into fight or flight mode. How did he get in? How was he here? This was the one place she was safest, and he had just waltzed in as if he was a cosigner on the lease. In answer to her silent question, he raised the key he’d entered with, wagging the metal gloatingly.

“I’ll admit, this one was a little trickier to get considering he keeps his spare at work.”

Her brown eyes flickered across the room, swiftly landing on her cellphone she’d left on the end table by the couch, then back to the man’s slanted, violet eyes. His smile grew wider, more toothy, and she knew she hadn’t been casual enough.

“Nah-ah-ahhh…” He taunted, beginning his walk toward her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

She dove as fast as she could, reaching for the phone but falling incredibly short as she was violently knocked down by the demon’s unbridled strength and speed. He’d said something more as he grabbed a handful of her hair - something mocking - just as she was trying to stand, easily throwing her to the side and further from her phone, but she didn't hear it through the thumping sound in her ears. There wasn’t one thing Kagome could concentrate on in that moment; no action plan she could logically create. The only thing she could manage was flailing her body to make it impossible for him to dominate, kicking and twisting her hips to make it too difficult for him to fully straddle her.

The man punched her in the cheek as he grew frustrated, trying to still her, and as fatigued as she was quickly becoming, she didn’t give up. Thankfully, his palms had grown sweaty in their struggle and the arm he'd gripped slipped free. With as much might as she could muster considering their proximity, she flung a clenched fist at his face, smacking him in the jaw with the side where her curled fingers met her palm, her wrist stinging slightly from the impact.

He lost his balance and fell to the side, scampering after Kagome as she hastily crawled away from him on her hands and knees. She felt his nails scratch her lower back as he tried to grab onto the hem of her pajama shorts, his claws digging into the back of her thigh as he missed. She yelped, kicking back and hitting what she guessed was his sternum or diaphragm from the sound of the desperate wheeze that left his mouth. She was able to get to her feet then, but before she could get far, the demon had recovered and was beside her, wrapping his fingers around her neck and flinging her backwards to the floor.

He squeezed her throat without cutting off her breathing, hurting her but not choking her, his claws digging slightly into the flesh he wrung. As soon as she got passed the shock, Kagome began squirming, her fingernails digging into the hand he pinned her with while trying to bend and knee him hard enough to let her go. He smiled, jostled slightly by her attempts but otherwise unaffected. He was angled perfectly so that she could only strike his backside. His long, black hair fell from over his shoulder, skimming and tickling the skin of her now-exposed abdomen as her tee-shirt rode up from her frantic movements, and she watched as his eyes narrowed, a small chuckle showing how much he enjoyed her vulnerability.

Kagome couldn't hide how terrified she was. He was so much stronger than her, so much faster. She hardly stood a chance, and she couldn't help but wonder how long she'd be able to last against him. How long would he toy around before killing her? If she kept up the struggle, could she keep the bastard busy until Inuyasha got back?

No. She didn't have time to wait. That wasn't an option right now. She needed to get out and run as fast as she could to find help. Screw the phone, screw everything.

It was difficult to battle her body's main reaction to fight the man's hand against her, especially as he began applying pressure to her air way, but she finally managed, throwing her fist up to collide with his face. She hit his cheek and he hardly flinched, so she quickly hit him again, punching his nose. A brief thought struck her as he released her neck, clutching his nose in pain, and she aimed down a little, striking his throat with as straight a wrist as she could control. The demon choked, falling back onto his ass, and Kagome, though coughing slightly, crawled away again.

She was exhausted already, and her body was shaking as she got back on her feet, spinning around as the man rose with a fierce scowl furrowing his features, blood dripping from one nostril. She looked around for anything to protect herself with, caught off guard when he ran at her. She backed up quickly, a small scream escaping her sore throat from the panic, bumping her head against the wall as he caged her with his arms.

The man slapped her again and again. Kagome tried to push him away, to stop him, but he was fervent and furious. He grabbed her by the hair and directed the turn of her head with a sharp yank, thrashing her temple against the light switch, and she cried out. She begged him to stop, but all he did was move in closer. She whined and quivered, and he laughed and licked his lips, still holding her head to face the side. Kagome blinked open her eyes as he whispered grotesquely in her ear, eyes pinning on the table lamp a foot away. Her hand reached out and she grasped the neck of the ceramic, swinging it sharply to shatter against the side of the demon's head.

He was dazed and wobbly for a moment, his hands slackening on her as he stumbled back a few steps. Before he could recover, before his demon blood re-alerted his senses, Kagome smashed her body into his, bringing the both of them crashing to the ground. She didn't waste time in her assault, straddling his waist as she struck his face time and again, only hoping to keep him so uncoordinated that he wouldn't be able to chase after her as she fled.

There was blood leaking from his scalp where she'd hit him with the lamp, drenching the roots of his hair and the majority of his pointed ear. She sat there on top of him, trying to gather herself in that instant as she stared at the dark liquid. The adrenaline coursing through her was causing her to shake wildly, and she understood there was no point in idling. In one final act to bring the demon down from power, Kagome slowly dragged her nails against his cheek creating an angry red to swell behind the trail, small sprinkles of blood coming to the surface and keeping her from getting carried away. He was done. He wasn't fighting. She needed to run.

Kagome didn't waste another second, stumbling off of the man as she assembled control over her muscles, running at the door to fling it open, and throwing herself outside.

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