#and the fact that now that he's back his only driving goal is to eradicate your whole ass bloodline so—

[trickstarbrave]

"brave why are you writing fanfiction about a fanfiction again" shhhhhhhh stop asking questions

anyways. heres something i wrote for @wellthebardsdead's fic "fool's prayer"

i just. wanted to write nerevar giving in. and some smut that i know would follow it i dont actually know okay i'm making this up bc i think evil!voryn is hot

--

Nerevar knew he was in a dream again. He’d learned by now to pick up on the signs; the fuzzy feeling around the edges of his consciousness, and how the sensations of hot and cold seemed to come at random, sending shivers down his spine. 

He stood up, walking to the front of his desk, sighing. Political documents that were laid out were still legible. Had Voryn been able to use his dreams to spy on the political state of Morrowind? He wouldn’t be surprised if he could. 

As if on cue, he felt a presence behind him, a hand around his waist. 

“You’re getting better at knowing when I’ll come to you.” Voryn whispered softly in his ear. “Did you give any thought to my offer…?” His voice was still honey sweet; thick, syrupy, and oh so temptingly tender. It was a romantic tone of voice Nerevar was very familiar with. How many times has Voryn used that tone in the past to coax him to rest for the night when he was up late overworking himself? How many times did he use that tone when holding him close after making love to him? It couldn’t help but tug on his heartstrings. 

Nerevar was a strong person up until a point. He could be a ruthless warlord, a cold blooded killer, but in the end his heart always started to win. He could only keep up the act forever. Back in the days of Resdayn he had a clear goal: unite the houses and drive out the Nordic Empire. Now though? Everything in Morrowind only got more complicated. The Red Year caused untold devastation, displacing large swaths of the population. It also exacerbated the infighting between houses; House Hlaalu was no longer even a Great House, and that had waves that rippled through the political landscape. No matter how much Nerevar tried to help and make things better because he loved Morrowind, there kept being set backs and road blocks.

He was tired. He was tired, lonely, overworked, and exhausted. He had Vivec now, which brought some comfort, but it wasn’t really enough. Nerevar would never tell Vivec that--he knew it would only break Vivec’s heart--but Vivec was also tired and exhausted. He couldn’t do the work of multiple people. He couldn’t replace every relationship Nerevar had before. 

And he couldn’t replace Voryn. The man Nerevar loved for so many years. The man who had his heart, regardless of how terrible that fact was. He had already spent so long running from him, already filled with guilt about having to kill Dagoth Ur and never getting to see him again, and he was so… Tired of it. 

Was Voryn bad? Yes. Nerevar couldn’t excuse his actions. He just couldn’t. 

But the more he thought about it, the less that fact dissuaded him. 

Already the world was filled with horrible people who wanted to do others harm. Already Morrowind was crawling with corrupt politicians, big and small, who wanted to hurt others for their own benefit. Nerevar already had to make peace with coexisting with them and trying to compromise with them. Really, what was so different about Voryn?

Voryn was more powerful and thus potentially more dangerous, yes. Voryn had hurt the Good Three, also yes. But Voryn hadn’t hurt Nerevar, no matter how much Nerevar rejected him. Voryn had chained the Good Three to the heart because they hurt the people of Morrowind, the people they were sworn to protect. They did not intervene with Baar Dau to save innocents. They did not stop the Red Year. They did not give him strength or allow him to eradicate the people who were corrupt. 

Instead they had him betrayed and killed, before demanding he do their bidding once more upon reincarnation. They ordered Vivec to kill and betray him, and then condemned him for doing so. As much as Nerevar loved them and dedicated himself to them, perhaps… They weren’t what was best for Morrowind. They were petty, jealous, and didn’t care for mortal life. They would use people and toss them aside like they no doubt would with Nerevar as well when he was no longer useful. 

The Good Three also preached this was the way of the world; to be selfish, to betray, to climb over others for your own sake, to kill your enemies before they killed you. In that way, wasn’t this following their teachings…? They were no longer useful to the Dunmer as they were. Voryn could be of much more use, and guarantee Nerevar and Vivec’s safety. 

Or maybe he was just delusional. Nerevar didn’t care either way anymore. 

He turned to face Voryn, hand on Voryn’s chest as the other, taller mer caged him against his desk. His heart was already racing looking at the familiar, handsome face he’d come to love. 

“... I’ve considered what you said.” Nerevar admitted, eyes closed. Part of him still wanted to deny Voryn; a nagging part of him continued to gnaw on his psyche, making him feel guilty for even considering it, but he could no longer rationalize that feeling. 

“And your response…?” 

Nerevar hesitated again, eyes still closed, his breath accelerating. Gods did he want it. He wanted to be able to rest in his beloved’s arms once again. He wanted to feel loved and cherished once more. He wanted all of the things he had denied himself for years: comfort, security, love, and even a family. 

Instead, he grabbed Voryn by the collar of his robes, tugging him closer. Voryn’s lips were dangerously close to Nerevar’s, as his eyes peaked open. He stared back into blood red, almost challenging in his gaze. Voryn seemed pleased though, smirking softly. 

“Convince me.” Nerevar whispered, his breath brushing against Voryn’s lips.

Voryn didn’t need to be told twice; he knew immediately what Nerevar was asking for. His lips crashed into Nerevar’s, both warm and desperate at once. His tongue dove in next, gliding against Nerevar’s, and every swipe of his tongue and lips had his head spinning. 

“Mm…” Nerevar moaned softly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Voryn. He knew it was wrong, but it felt right. It felt so very right, just being able to close his eyes and focus on feeling good. 

Voryn didn’t stop there though, instead running a hand up Nerevar’s shirt, sliding his palm up Nerevar’s torso until he could coax a shiver out of him.

“I’ll take such good care of you, Neht.” Voryn broke the kiss to whisper against his lips. “I’ll make love to you day and night, make sure you’re feeling nothing but bliss.” 

“Voryn~” Nerevar moaned again, a bit louder. He had to brace himself on the desk with his hands as Voryn lifted one of his legs to hook it around his waist, pressing himself even closer to Nerevar. Nerevar could already feel how hard he was, and his desire only seemed to grow. 

“Can you feel how badly I want you, Neht?” Voryn whispered into his ear now, the warm breath making it twitch. “I’ve been wanting to be inside you since I came back. I’ve missed being able to hold you in my arms and make love to you…” Oh gods did Nerevar miss that as well. His bed always felt a bit colder when he remembered Voryn and how often Voryn would climb into his bed, even if not for sex but instead just to hold him all night. 

“I missed you too…” Nerevar confessed, letting his head fall to the side and Voryn to kiss and nibble his way up and down Nerevar’s neck. “I’ve missed this…”

“I want to give you everything, Neht.” Voryn whispered again, his hands going to unlace Nerevar’s trousers. “Everything you could possibly desire. A wonderful country, a perfect family, and as much love as I could ever dream of giving you.”

“Mm… Wait,” Nerevar stopped him briefly, and Voryn pulled away to look at him, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “Not here… I want…” Nerevar still held onto Voryn tightly. “I want it on my bed.” At that, Voryn’s smile spread wider, a dark, seductive look in his eyes.

The next moment, Nerevar found his back against the sheets. It wasn’t quite his bed in the temple, but more so based on his old bedroom in the palace. Luxurious sheets were under him, silk sliding against his skin and equally luxurious pillows around them. 

“You’re right,” Voryn replied, his eyes crinkling with delight, “I should take you on your bed properly.” With that, Voryn’s lips found his again, pulling him into another kiss that left him dizzy with desire as Voryn quickly stripped him. Given it was a dream, Voryn could have simply removed his clothes in an instant, but Nerevar was thankful he didn’t. He liked the build up of Voryn stripping him, caressing his body as he went. His hands slid down Nerevar’s thighs as he pulled his pants and underwear down, almost teasing strokes as he discarded the fabric. Nerevar’s shirt was already pulled up to expose his torso, but Voryn made quick work of pulling it over his head and tossing it to the floor, even if it meant breaking the kiss momentarily. 

“Gods, you’re beautiful…” Voryn whispered, taking in the sight of Nerevar under him, and Nerevar couldn’t help but shiver. “The most handsome mer I have ever laid eyes on…” Voryn had barely touched him and Nerevar was already panting, shyly shifting on the silk sheets. “Even my memory failed to capture just how gorgeous you are, Neht.” He continued whispering, his hands now caressing at his chest. He traced at the scars first: one under each pectoral muscle, then up to the middle of his chest, tracing the jagged scar that remained from Vivec’s spear piercing him. 

“I’ll memorize you all over again.” Voryn whispered like it was a promise, moving down to kiss at the jagged scar first. “I’ll memorize every inch of your body, Neht…” His lips then trailed over to a nipple, swirling his tongue around the bud.

“H-hah…” Nerevar groaned, “Voryn~”

“Your chest is still sensitive I see.” Voryn smiled against his skin, before giving it a nip, watching Nerevar jolt and whine under him. “Your reactions are so cute… Endearing, even.”

“Voryn…” Only Voryn would dare to call him cute. He was hortator in two lifetimes now, slayer of gods, King of Morrowind, and Voryn still called him ‘cute’ and ‘beautiful’. 

“I always wanted you to be my consort, you know.” Voryn admitted. “I didn’t push for it; I knew in your heart you’d always wanted to be king so you could help our kin.” Nerevar groaned as Voryn continued toying with his chest, rubbing his thumbs against both nipples, occasionally pinching them to get a whine out of him. “You cared so deeply about everyone to the point I felt selfish for wanting you all to myself.”

“And yet…” Voryn continued, his eyes falling half shut. “Watching you run yourself ragged as king only made me regret that.” Voryn leaned in to kiss him quickly, not nearly enough for Nerevar who whined again in protest. “Especially now, watching all of them take your kindness and compassion for granted…”

“That’s--”

“Not the common folk.” Voryn cut him off. “They know you care deeply for them…” His hands slid down Nerevar’s stomach now, tracing down his muscular body, until his hands settled on Nerevar’s hips. “When the corrupt house leaders dare to let them know.” 

Nerevar knew it was true; for all the good he tried doing, they continued to block him. He couldn’t just kill them either--the Great Houses would kick up a fuss over it, demanding compensation or even accusing Nerevar of being their enemy. And then they would just put yet another corrupt bastard in that place, continuing to stop him from actually helping people. His attempts at charity were often blocked, and even if they were allowed, not nearly enough, but they refused to listen to his pleas that their people needed this. 

“I’ll make sure they know just how much you cherish them, Neht.” Voryn smiled. “No one will dare speak ill of you, or the love you have of this country. Not when I’m here.” Nerevar didn’t want to think about how he’d do that. Maybe Voryn would just use brute force. Maybe he had even more terrifying abilities to force them to bend to his will. Nerevar didn’t know, and he simply didn’t want to think about it. All he wanted was to close his eyes and let Voryn take care of it. 

“Ah…” Nerevar moaned softly as one of his hands moved downward, sliding up his inner thighs. 

“Oh,” Voryn sounded breathless as his fingers began to just ever so slightly tease at him, “So wet for me already, are you?”

“Voryn,” Nerevar gasped, spreading his legs a bit wider. 

“I thought Vivec was tending to you?” Voryn asked softly, two fingers slipping inside of Nerevar with ease. Nerevar groaned at the sensation, rocking his hips against Voryn’s hand. 

“H-he’s…”

“Ah, right, it’s not his duty to tend to your needs, as you’ve told him so many times.” Nerevar knew Vivec wanted it to be his duty; he felt obligated to do so, day in and day out, but Nerevar only felt guilty about it. He saved Vivec, and it felt like Vivec thought he owed Nerevar, using his body like it was the only thing he knew how to; as though his body was the only thing he was really good for. It made Nerevar feel awful and like he was taking advantage of Vivec, as much as he cared for him and wanted him in return. 

“... But someone should have been taking care of you in my absence, Neht.” Voryn worked his fingers a bit deeper, before curling them upwards to stroke at the bundle of nerves that left him gasping and moaning in pleasure. “Someone should have been tending to their loyal, devoted hortator and making sure he was well taken care of…” Nerevar’s leg twitched, his cunt tightening around the fingers inside him. “Making sure all of his needs were met…” 

“More~” Nerevar moaned deeply. “Please, faster, faster, Voryn~” Voryn’s fingers sped up just as Nerevar asked, thrusting in and out of him in the perfect way only Voryn could manage. 

“You’re so pent up right now.” Voryn was smirking now. “Did no one want to touch you like this? I hardly believe that, not when you’re this perfect…” Nerevar could feel his climax approaching now, his hands gripping the sheets under him tightly. “Or were you staying loyal to me?” 

Nerevar moaned louder at that, squirming more under Voryn’s gaze. “Voryn~!” There were people who wanted to, yes. Plenty of people wanted to crawl into his bed in an effort to use sex to control him, but Nerevar never wanted that. Nerevar only wanted this with people he knew he could trust. But part of him also just missed Voryn terribly, unable to find any pleasure if it wasn’t to the thought of his beloved. Not even masturbation was fulfilling--not when he was so painfully lonely and stressed out. 

“I could feel you tightening up from that.” Voryn was smirking again, and Nerevar didn’t have to look to know it. “At least your body is honest like this.” Nerevar resented how honest his body truly was; how every inch of him craved Voryn’s touch, screaming out for it. “You need me, don’t you?” Voryn asked, his voice so tempting once more. “Admit it, Neht.”

“I…” Nerevar began, panting. He was afraid if he didn’t, this pleasure would stop. “I need you~” Nerevar pleaded, “Please, please get inside me~” He was grinding his hips down at every thrust; it was good, but he wanted more.

“Shh…” Voryn soothed him, his other hand sliding down to rub and stroke at Nerevar’s cock, making him moan even louder, his eyes rolling back. “Not yet, Nerevar.”

“Please~!” Nerevar could have screamed. “Please, anything, I’ll do anything--”

“I know you will.” Voryn replied, cutting him off. “Which is why I’ll let you cum right now,” Another whine ripped from Nerevar’s throat, “But I don’t want to make love to you like this, Neht.” Nerevar could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge. “As much as I would love to watch you fall to pieces under me right now…” Nerevar could see Voryn’s cock straining in his robes, his mouth watering at the sight. “I want to make love to you properly, in the flesh.” 

“Fuck~” Yes, Nerevar knew he was almost there. He just needed a little more; Voryn knew him too well for him to last like this. 

“I’ll make you feel even better, Neht.” Nerevar could feel pleasure shooting up and down his spine as though it was intensifying. In his hazy thoughts, he imagined it must have been Voryn doing this in his dream to make him feel even better. “Just come to me, and I’ll make you feel so good…” He moved down now, whispering in his ear. “When I cum inside you over and over, making sure you’re heavy with my heir~” 

Nerevar couldn’t help but climax at that. The pleasure was intense--all encompassing--as he came long and hard, moaning the whole while. His body trembled with every intense wave of ecstasy, completely lost in the fantasy.

Once the pleasure died down, after Voryn helped Nerevar ride the waves of his orgasm, he removed his fingers, now gently caressing his cheek with the back of one hand. 

“Was that convincing enough for you, Neht?” Voryn asked, Nerevar still panting. 

It was Nerevar’s last chance to refuse. He knew it. He could shove Voryn away and say this was all a mistake, but that would mean denying even further pleasure. It would mean never getting to enjoy that feeling again, and after so long his body needed that kind of pleasure and care. 

“... Yes.” Nerevar confessed, his voice barely a whisper. Silently, he apologized to Azura in his heart; the Lady of Twilight picked the wrong champion this time around, it seemed. Nerevar was far too weak to resist this temptation though--far too tired after being beaten down by the people he was trying to help time and time again. “Yes I…” He swallowed, licking his lips nervously. “I’ll come to you, Voryn.” 

Voryn’s smirk was absolutely devilish and dark hearing that, chuckling at the answer given. Nerevar shivered again, wondering if he made the right choice, before Voryn kissed him long and slow, making every worry vanish from Nerevar’s head so thoroughly he forgot he had them entirely. 

“Good boy.” Voryn praised him once he pulled away, his eyes warm with delight. “You gave me so much trouble but… I know you were just worried about everything.” Nerevar shut his eyes, enjoying the reassurance. “You always overthink everything, even to your detriment… But I love even that cautious side of you, you know.” Nerevar liked the way it eased his guilt, a balm on his heart for giving in to such a being. “I knew that it wasn’t your fault you doubted me. I knew in time you’d listen to me.” 

With one last, lingering kiss, the scene around them faded at the edges. “I’ll tell you where to find me soon, Neht.” Voryn whispered against his lips. “Just wait for me, my moon and star.” 

Nerevar’s eyes fluttered open once more, looking at his ceiling. Birds chirped outside, and Vivec was sound asleep beside him, curled up in the fetal position, deeply slumbering still. 

He closed his eyes again, giving a shaky sigh, covering his own face.

“Azura… Forgive me.” 

#nerevoryn #indoril nerevar #nerevar #voryn dagoth #my writing #idk if nerevar is trans in fools prayer. but he is in this #idk i just decided it. so voryn can knock his consort up #yknow how it is.

[eccentricmya]

In defence of Maedhros

A couple days ago I vilified him, read his character in a truly unfavourable light, arguing that he was never a good guy. Well, this time I'll defend him! I don't think he was truly a bad guy either.

I start once again by summarising the general opinion on him: he was good then he turned bad, very bad, or even villainous. The phrase that caught my eye was "he ended up doing the enemy's work". Well, yes, if we assume the enemy only wanted to eradicate the free people. But I'm of the opinion that Morgoth was erasing dissension and opposition to his 'rule', his goal was not wiping out people but subjugating them.

Maedhros never did that. Yes, he killed refugees (an act when seen through the perspective of the world we live in seem even more horrific), yes he ruined Doriath, but he did not do these 'unprovoked'. Had his demand of the return of the Silmaril been fulfilled, there would've been no second and third kinslayings. One may argue that his reaction to not getting the gem was disproportionate to the offence. And I will counter-argue that the same logic can be applied to the people of Doriath and Sirion, who valued a jewel over their lives. The fact that the Silmaril escapes with Elwing shows an unwillingness to give up the jewel, even at the cost of the lives of their people. The Sons of Feanor were not asking them to give up their freedom and live under a tyrant, like Morgoth was, they were asking for a mere trinket, the return of which would've prevented all that bloodshed. The kinslayings in Beleriand did not happen in isolation or for some grand evil plan. They happened because both sides put pride before lives. (At least the Falmari at Alqualonde had he excuse of defending their own creations, not a stolen one.)

All this on top of the Oath as a driving factor. The text gives it an almost sentient quality in its wording of its presence. For the third kinslaying the Silm says this: "the third of the great wrongs achieved by the accursed oath." Not by Feanor or his sons but by the Oath. To me, this reads like the Oath has taken an evil turn of its own, much like the One Ring. And you will bend to its will, whether for good reasons or not, and few will be able to resist its call. As many have pointed out, Maedhros did resist the Oath, both before Doriath and before Sirion in repentance of Doriath. That is not how a villain works for me.

Some speculation- it is said that Feanorions did not have the guts to assail Luthien while she wore the Silmaril, and I raise you this: what if they did not attack her and kill her as the Oath demanded because she had turned human and could no longer be reborn?

Which brings us, at last, to a very controversial idea. Why is killing elves so bad? Elves who have the option of rebirth with no loss of memories? I think most of us forget that they're not human who, once dead, will never return in the same form, or if they are indeed reincarnated, then unable to recall their previous lives or meet their loved ones from before. Elves get to return to life and resume their lives from before. Indeed, that is one of the prerequisite for rebirth- that they're ready and willing to take up the life they had before dying. So how is it as bad as killing humans? I feel callous and heartless saying this, but ending an elf's live is like uprooting a tree. It'll take years for it to grow back from the seed again, but it will grow, not in the same place or time but it will exist again. Not like animals who die. Once they cease to be, there is no coming back for them.

In conclusion, I don't think Maedhros is a true bad guy, which is why I used 'anti-hero' for him, though maybe 'anti-villain' would fit better. He's simply someone working with the cards dealt to them, chiefly the Oath. Now sure, that is as much a defence as voluntary intoxication is in hit and run cases, but even the Oath was not of his own wording or sworn in isolation or with full awareness of what it truly entailed (otherwise words like 'torment' would not have been used in relation to its effects). The one who chose to swear to Eru was Feanor, while his sons chose to follow him. It's a minute difference but it's there, which is why Feanor is still the far more condemned one in the eyes of the Valar.

#opinions are my own take on the silm not a comment on yours #maedhros #i can have five different readings of him and none would do him justice lol #silmarillion #he's neither truly bad nor truly good #he just is #like me and you #i swear this is the last I will say on this #but he's so 'compelling' lmao #JustBizarre

[shirebor]

Thorin: I’ve come to a point in my life where I need a stronger word than fuck.

—

#well when you're stuck dealing with two gremlins for like the rest of your life it's hard to blame ya— #not only that but apparently they claim to be related to you— #and of course ya know the whole thing with reclaiming a whole ass kingdom from a fcking dragon #don't forget the part where you're being hunted by an old enemy you thought you had claimed victory over #and the fact that now that he's back his only driving goal is to eradicate your whole ass bloodline so— #i think i made my point clear #the hobbit #thorin #thorin oakenshield #sons of durin #the hobbit incorrect quotes #incorrect quotes

[lazyliars]

The Quackity Meta: a Tale of Two Absolutes

More than anything else, Quackity wants control, and to never, ever lose his own autonomy. And that is why he despises Technoblade.

But wait, how is Technoblade a threat to Quackity's autonomy? Techno is all for individual freedom! He wants to eradicate the government so that no one can be controlled!

There's the question though... How do people exercise control within the framework of a video game like m/inec/raft?

“a person exercising power or control in a cruel, unreasonable, or arbitrary way.”

Power on the Dream SMP cannot be translated one-to-one with real  life power. In real life, yes, a government had infinitely more power than an individual, for numerous reasons. But on the Dream SMP, the government's power is always directly tied to the power of the individuals who are willing to defend that power.

Technoblade is powerful. This is not debatable. How he uses this power, historically, has been a mix of generosity and self-interest*, although primarily the latter.

Generously, He gains resources and then distributes them to his allies during the Pogtopia Rebellion, gearing everyone up and giving them a fighting chance against Dream. However, in the aftermath of Tubbo's being appointed president, Techno turns on them, swiftly and mercilessly. The moment that it becomes clear** that Pogtopia's interests don't align with his own, he crushes them with the aim to prevent them from ever recovering.

( *I use self-interest as a neutral term here. Everyone on the SMP is selfish to some extent – it doesn't make them evil, and in fact has been treated as a positive at times, as well as a negative.

**I want to note that whether or not Technoblade knew of Pogtopia's goal of reinstating the government is unclear. It would seem that from Techno's POV that he didn't know, or assumed that it was a minority who wanted another government. But on the other hand, no one was actively lying to him about their intent, and people like Tommy and Quackity made their goals very clear.  Further doubt is cast on the idea that Techno had no idea when you take into account that he enchanted the Netherite armor in the vault with worthless enchants like Fire Res.

Ultimately, there's no way to know until it is confirmed by cc!Techno himself, and it doesn't pertain that much to this analysis, but I'm aware that it's a hotly debated topic so I wanted to address it.)

It can be argued that Techno's destruction of L'manberg, both the first and especially the second time, was necessary. It can also be argued that it was cruel and a disproportionate retribution against both culpable and innocent parties. Extant of these arguments however, how does it feature into control?

Well, we can’t talk about control without mentioning the most controlling force on the server and the other person on Quackity's hitlist, Dream.

Dream is a tyrant. I don't think anyone can really make an argument against that in good faith at this point. He ticks off every box, no matter how vague or esoteric. This makes the interactions that Quackity and Techno have with him very interesting.

Quackity despises Dream. He's one of the earliest adopters of the hating-Dream-train, to the point that some people have compared him to Cassandra, a priestess who was cursed with the vision of prophecies that would always be true, but never believed. And indeed, Quackity's apprehension of Dream comes in as early as Pogtopia, and grows at a steady pace after the fact.

But despite his rightfully calling out Dream's hypocrisies and his controlling tendencies, Quackity was largely ignored on this front, especially when the time came to exile Tommy and Quackity basically predicted the next arc – If they gave Dream this concession, they would never be able to get out from under his thumb. Flash forwards to the Green Festival, and the moment Tubbo hands over the discs, any illusion of nicety drops and Dream proceeds to destroy them, side by side with...

Technoblade has always had an amiable relationship with Dream. From their first proper interaction on the server being Dream giving Techno some hefty resources, to their snap team-up on Doomsday, they've had a smooth time, with some notable bumps.

Techno fought against Dream during the Pogtopia rebellion, but when it became clear that Dream was more invested in chaos than his other allies, Techno temporarily allied with him to summon the Withers and drive the nail deeper into Manberg’s coffin.

The only time Techno has really bothered to challenge Dream directly is when he came for Tommy in exile. Techno went to great lengths to protect Tommy, hiding him and distracting Dream.

He did give Dream the option to call in his favor and take Tommy, but there are arguments to be made that he did this more as a challenge – that Tommy is worth the favor. Again, we probably wont ever know.

The difference in their relationships with Dream is polarizing. It also reflects the difference in personality – Quackity is an aggressive, ambitious person, whereas Techno leans more towards passivity and caution. Quackity is looking for enemies to challenge, where Techno is avoiding them, people who actually stand a chance against him most of all.

Technoblade is an individual with extraordinary amounts of power. Others have pointed out that he is rarely challenged by other characters or the narrative, and regardless of the merits or flaws in that, it paints him as nearly untouchable. His being in the good graces of Dream only adds to this.

And like with Dream, the only way that people have been able to threaten Techno is when they work together. The Butcher Army, for all it's flaws, managed to capture Techno through numbers – with Tubbo and Fundy (barely) holding off Techno's blood rage while Quackity snuck off to take Carl hostage. And they would have gotten away with it too, if the other most powerful person on the server hadn't stepped in – both by pointing Techno to a totem of undying in the days before the attack, and by getting Punz to cause a distraction and directing Techno to the final control room, where he could escape with Carl.

So, if the most powerful person in the world can only be threatened by people working together, and the most common form of organization is by government, then what does it say about Technoblade, who wants the government destroyed?

People like Tubbo, Fundy and yes, Quackity, all benefit from organizing and working together. They all tend to be less armed, less ready to defend themselves, and completely unable to stand up to titans like Techno and Dream on their own. It's safety in numbers, but it's also control, and control is power.

Ranboo's insistence that Snowchester is a Government is interesting when viewed through this lens. Ranboo is another person who is insanely rich, and able to defend himself and his belongings consistently. Ranboo doesn't need other people to defend him – he's living with Techno and Phil not out of necessity for his survival, but out of need for connection with others.

This seems to be the main difference he finds with Snowchester, which has a more structured environment, geared to defend itself and it's people, if harm should come their way.

Which makes sense, considering it's founder, Tubbo, holds no earthly belongings, and Jack, another prominent member, has made a character trait out of losing his things every other day. The two of them have no conceivable way to defend themselves against people who are stronger than they are. But together, holding the keys to nuclear armaments, they can suddenly play on the field of gods.

The anarchist commune, despite having all members working together and being on good terms, aren't really an organization, they're individuals with common goals and interests. They don't need to live together to be strong, they're all already strong, they choose to be near each other because they want to.

Snowchester is not a government and has no ruler, but together, it's members hold power. They have sway in the world when they work as a collective, and most members have a vested interest in keeping themselves and each other defended because of this. Consequently, the “identity” of Snowchester becomes more prominent, resulting in the flag, the uniforms and the, well, identity.

(Now, the more perceptive among you might have noticed that I basically just compared Techno Phil and Ranboo to the ultra rich 1%, which. Um. Is a pretty serious comparison to make about in a block game rp?

And I wanna say that I don’t think this was necessarily intentional on the parts of either the CCs or the characters, and beyond that, it’s just one way of examining the text. This analysis is by no means the “Right” way to view the story, just a different one.

Regardless...)

Techno uses his considerable power to further his own goals, first and foremost. This is not inherently good or evil, it just is.

Contrast with New L'manberg's cabinet; Four people, pooling their limited power to further their shared goals. Not good or evil, just a way of exercising power.

But power is not static. Power is fluid and changing, moreso now on the SMP than ever before, and Quackity and Technoblade are fighting to define what Power means going forwards.

Techno is fighting for the status quo, knowingly or not. Individuals with power should lead the world, and those without should strive to emulate their betters. He destroys all forms of government, which strip away the rights of the individual in exchange for hierarchy and consolidated power within that hierarchy.

At it's best, this is a very freeing ideology, where nothing and no one can hold back the individual. The world is your oyster if you are willing to work for it.

But at it's worst? “Violence is the only universal language,” is the key phrase. Where does this ideology leave people who aren't strong? Where does it leave those who cannot fend for themselves? If Violence is the only universal language, then the weak have no means to speak.

Quackity is fighting to get a foothold for a contrary ideology – One that prioritizes words over violence and offers alternative methods of gaining and exercising control, such as through currency and conversation. Quackity has tried to varying degrees of success to implement this on the level of his own individual power, such as during the elections, but his attempts at employing this on a grand scale have all been short-lived.

At it's best, this ideology can uplift anyone, regardless of their strength. It encourages more communication, more commerce, and thrives under, you guessed it, strong government.

At it's worst however, it creates a brutally controlling environment. Where a few people gain absurd amounts of power through the complex machinations of a fiat currency, and are then able to use their sway and influence with governing forces to exercise power that they would never be able to hold on their own.

Again, neither of these ideologies are inherently good or evil. They both have flaws and benefits, and benefit no one more than perhaps Techno and Quackity respectively, while hindering the other.

Techno is benefited by anarchy because he holds incredible amounts of individual power. He is the strongest person on the server, he is rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and on a meta level, he's straight up good at the game. The current status quo puts him firmly at the top of the food chain, and this is most obvious on Doomsday, when he and the other two most powerful individuals (Dream and Philza) come together and crush the combined forces of New L'manberg. They are not meaningfully challenged in any way, whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Quackity is deeply hindered by the current status quo. He's not strong, he's poor, and he's vulnerable to anyone who wants to bully him with brute force. On a meta level, cc!Quackity just straight up does not play m/inecraf/t as much as some of the other people that on the server. (To be clear, I do not mention that as a criticism, just to contrast Techno. Neither of their levels of play are better or worse for content, they just add to the experience differently.)

On the other hand, in a government? Quackity “Law Student” HQ is suddenly on top. He's charismatic enough to debate with Wilbur “Can Talk His Way out of Anything” Soot during the elections, and come out of that arena smelling like roses. Back during the days of El Rapids, Quackity held his men back from conflict with Dream, and talked him into a corner of technical truths where Dream had to concede that he viewed El Rapids as an independent nation if he wanted to get involved with their conflicts.

And Techno, while he is brilliant and an English Major, suddenly loses a lot of his intimidation factor if he has to respect laws preventing brutal murder. Techno can certainly debate, but his go to conflict resolution is usually violence, and if you take that away, you take away the threat of challenging him. Because make no mistake, challenging Technoblade right now? Is suicide.

And this duality, this grey morality and clash of ideals, is why Quackity is my favorite character on the SMP. He isn't strong. The power he holds is tenuous and balanced on a knife's edge. It would make more sense for him to stay quiet, keep his head down, and if anything, try to change things from the shadows, where he'll be in the least danger.

But he isn't quiet. He doesn't just challenge authority, he challenges the authority; Dream, Wilbur, and of course, Technoblade.

And in all but one of those matches, he's come out with a concession from his enemy gripped between his teeth. He schooled Wilbur in the debates. He forced Dream to grant El Rapids Independence at a time when he hadn't done so for New L'manberg.

But he failed miserably when he challenged Technoblade. Quackity lost that fight in the final control room before it began. He lost the moment he formed the Butcher Army. He would have lost if he managed to kill Technoblade, and he lost still when he died.

He lost because he conceded that the only way to achieve his goal was through violence. He decided that the only way to establish himself and New L'manberg as powerful? Was to kill Technoblade. And he lost that fight and he always will. There was never a way that he walked out of that fight with the victory; Quackity lost the ideological battle long ago.

But not the war.

As of writing this, Quackity is in the process of introducing an economy to the Dream SMP, on Sam's initiative. There is no action I can think of that is wiser for him to take right now. Now, when Dream has been deposed and there's a vacuum in power; Now, when people are getting tired of endless violence and the loss it brings; Now, when people are looking for something new.

An economy is a direct challenge to Might Makes Right. Trading, supply and demand, politics. It offers a new way for people to obtain resources and a direct alternative to brute force; other methods to pay for slights and breaches of honor and etiquette. No more will pet wars be fought with iron swords and shields, but with money! A healthy sum of cash for the murder of Fungi!

If Quackity can get this system off the ground (and with Sam's help, he definitely can,) the stage would suddenly be tilted in the favor of not just Quackity, but the people who he has associated himself with most closely – Tommy, Fundy, even Schlatt. They're all business men, all scammers. This could be Quackity's world, and he's damn well intending for everyone to live in it.

We’ll have to see what Techno thinks of this - Quackity hasn’t made any moves to start another government, and an economy doesn’t inherently contradict anarchy. But it does hold a potential threat to Techno’s current power.

And as for Quackity? What will he do once he’s at the top? Will he finally become a true tyrant? Will he usher in a new age of equality and justice? Or will he eschew all of that in favor of personal riches. For once, the cards are in Quackity's favor, and we might get the chance to see what he does when he holds real power.

#Dream SMP #Quackity #Technoblade #Ranboo #Dreamwastaken #Dream SMP analysis #lazytext #long post #its done its done i did it its done #ive been working on this for THREE WEEKS #THREE WEEKS OF CHECKING VODS AND WIKIS AND AAAAAAAAAAAAA #If theres typos I DONT CARE #I LIVE MY LIFE AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[flamencodiva]

A Different League 1 - Walls

Description: Y/N never experienced the life of luxury. Being the daughter of a hunter never gave her that experience. But what happens when she finds a job working for one of the most prestigious hunting companies in the world?

Word Count: 1960

Beta: @wonder-cole

Warnings: Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff, Smut, Slow Burn (yes, that's a warning), Rivals to Idiots, Idiots to Lovers, Lovers to Idiots.

Main Masterlist 

Series Masterlist

<< Prologue 

Code Red! Code Red!’

The red lights and alarm sounded throughout the building.

‘Level 10 monster detected.’

Y/N Y/L/N made her way through the hall towards the locker rooms to suit up. As usual, she was part of the ground team, which did all the messy work when hunting monsters for Hunter Corp.

Marching down the hallway, she made her way to the briefing room, grabbing the folder handed to her and reading it right away.

“Think this is the one?” Benny asked, standing by her with his folder.

Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “don’t know. Maybe it is. But according to the data recon has gathered, not likely. If it’s a level ten, then--”

“It’s most likely an Alpha monster,” Ketch interrupted. “Y/N, darling, when are you going to take me up on that offer to wine and dine you?” he asked, trying to flirt with the huntress.

“When hell freezes over, Arthur,” she sighed, “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, my focus is on work, not my--”

“Libido,” Benny and Ketch echoed with matching smiles.

“We know, Cher,” Benny chuckled, “then again I did see you eyeing--”

“You say it, and I hog tie you and castrate you,” Y/N growled, “I lived on a ranch for a good amount of years while dad was taking care of a pack. Don’t think I won’t do it, Benjamin.”

Benny lifted his hands in surrender and chuckled, walking toward his seat on the conference table. Other squad leaders filtered in as they were ready to talk about the Level 10 monster that had appeared. This included the two sons of the CEO, the eldest of the two, Dean, taking a seat next to Y/N.

“Units 1 and 2, you will take the lead on this, “ John Winchester said as he walked into the room, taking a seat at the head of the table. “These two units will oversee operations and capture. I will repeat that,” he said, looking at each unit leader in turn, “capture the target. Our goal is to learn as much as we can before eradicating their species.”

“Do we have the special equipment that I had made for occasions like this?” Y/N asked as she flipped through the different pages, analyzing the data collected. “Do we also know what kind of Alpha we’re dealing with?”

“As of right now, we just know it’s an Alpha. I’m waiting on relay team Gamma to get back with the complete analysis,” John announced, impressed with his top hunter. “But I do want my best teams there in case something goes wrong.”

Y/N simply hummed as she let her mind process the strategy the boss set up. Her boss wasn’t wrong. Her squad, along with Snob, as she liked to call Dean, would be a formidable force. That is if he wasn’t trying to talk about his exploits on a private jet.

No matter where they were, he always had some way of interjecting how nice it is to have money and experience things. Y/N has never had the pleasure of doing. Sure she had the money to do those things now, but she never saw the big deal. It only spurred her annoyance at Snob when he would try to make conversation with her. They had nothing in common, yet he continued to try to talk to her while she ignored him.

After the meeting ended, Y/N made her way back to her room. She was the only one of the squad leaders not to have a place of her own. It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by the other leaders, especially John. Y/N would brush off the comments of her not having a place to unwind away from work. In all honesty, she didn’t know what else to do. She grew up hunting, and she figured living in the facility would give her faster reaction time to save more lives.

As she packed her things, she could feel a pair of eyes on her.

“What do you want?” she called out, never facing the person who stood at her doorway.

“I was wondering--”

“No, Dean. I will not go to whatever fancy place you want to take me to,” she sighed, moving around her room to collect what she would think she would need.

“I’m not, Ketch,” Dean grumbled, “And I know for a fact that you barely leave the compound. You don’t even have your own place.”

“Why do you care, Snob,” she hissed at him. “To someone like you, I’m just a worker. Why do you care that I live in the compound?”

“If this is about the gala, I already apologized,” Dean whined, “What more do you want from me?”

“To let me do my job,” Y/N huffed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushing past him, “and right now, my job is to make sure we know what we are dealing with before we go in blind and kill good hunters on a hunch.”

“The recon team--”

“Has been wrong before,” she pointed out, “Your brother has been wrong before and at my expense!”

“Samuel would never-” Dean began.

“He has, and he did, Dean,” she argued. “That scar on my back was not because I thought it would be fun to ignore that there was another Rugaru.”

She glared at him, “It was because I was told by your brother that there was only one when there were, in fact, three of them.”

Dean stayed silent as she walked away from him and towards the garage. Never in his life had a woman angered and enamored him before. The minute he had laid eyes on Y/N three years ago at the gala, he could feel his heart pound in his chest. His insecurities had gotten the better of him, and he had to play the millionaire asshole. When she didn’t bow down to his charm, he was intrigued.

After a year of training, moving up the ranks, and being her partner, Dean learned that Y/N was all business. Not like any of the girls he ever dated or bedded. Y/N had a drive, but what it was, she wouldn’t say. Y/N began to distance herself more from him for every case they had, only communicating if it had to do with the hunt and to turn down his invitations.

Dean made it to his dorm with a deep sigh and began packing his things, hoping he could try to break through the walls Y/N built with this hunt.

Looking at her watch, Y/N wondered where Charlie was? Usually, Charlie would be her research partner on cases like these. Well, Charlie is always her choice as a research partner. The woman was a genius when it came to technology and making her way into security footage to search for monsters.

Y/N didn’t notice as Charlie walked up behind her. Most of Y/N’s attention was on the recon folder. She was trying to assess what the team had found.

“You know,” Charlie said as she approached Y/N, “You’re really taking this not thinking with your libido thing a bit too far.”

“I am focused on my work,” Y/N replied, never taking her eyes off the file. “I have a feeling we’re dealing with a Shifter-Alpha.”

“What gives you that idea?” Charlie asked as she sat down next to Y/N.

“It’s the fact that in every house reported, Mom and Dad are dead,” Y/N pointed out as she pushed the folder towards Charlie. “But the baby goes missing,” she pointed to the details in every story.

“Huh,” Charlie let out, tilting her head to the side as she looked over the notes, “I guess that means we’re heading out early?”

“No,” Y/N sighed, “going to talk to John first.”

“Really?” Charlie gasped, “you’re usually gung-ho about going when you have a hunch like this?”

“Okay, I’m a hunter, not suicidal,” Y/N drawled.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to point out the details in the story and voice her suspicions to John. Of course, when John agreed with her suspicions, he organized all quad leaders and put his plan in motion. Nearing the next house that Alpha would attack, Dean and Y/N placed themselves in charge of moving in to capture the monster.

‘Leader 1,’ came Dean’s voice through the walkie-talkie, ‘we have movement inside the house. I repeat, we have movement inside the house.’

“Copy that, Leader 2,” she responded before taking a breath, “Red-Recon, Red-Recon, what do we have on the video feed?”

‘Can’t I have a cooler nickname?’ Charlie whined through the intercom, ‘like Red Hawk!’

Y/N rolled her eyes, letting out a chuckle before responding, “Okay, Red Hawk, can you just tell me what the video feed shows?”

‘You were right, Leader 1,’ Charlie confirmed, ‘glowing eyes in the feed. We’re dealing with a nest of shifters. We also are seeing a large nursery through the micro-cam footage.’

“Shit,” Y/N cursed, “we might need to abort and come up with--”

‘You are going to do nothing of the sort, Leader 1,’ Samuel’s voice came through, ‘we’re here to do a job. We will kill every last one of them if we have to.’

“Samuel, there are kids in there. No matter what the species, kids are kids!” Y/N argued.

‘That’s Recon-Leader to you, Leader 1,’ he barked.

‘Recon-leader,’ Dean’s voice came through, ‘I agree with Leader 1. We are only here for the Alpha. We need this to be a quick and clean operation.’

“I don’t need your help, Leader 2,” Y/N growled. “If Recon-Leader wants us to go through the paperwork explaining why the squads changed Leader Prime’s plan, he can do it himself.”

‘What are we going to do, Leaders 1 and 2?’

Y/N closed her eyes, knowing full well the consequences of her actions, “we are going to go as planned, capture the Alpha, take down as many shifters as you can.”

‘Y/N,’ Dean called over the com, ‘I think your instincts were--’

“I’ll deal with the fucking consequences,” she called back, “we move on my mark.”

To say the operation was easy was a big fat fucking lie. Just as Y/N predicted, getting to the Alpha with all the other Shifters in their way was a challenge. So much so that they had to call Squads 3 and 4 for backup. It took longer than it should have for the team to capture the Alpha, and that was after Y/N was full of bruises and deep scratches. The nursery with the children was empty when they searched it. Some Shifters made it out with the abrupt change in plans, while others were killed trying to let them escape.

Once Y/N was patched up, she prepared herself for the yelling she knew John would give her. Even if they got the Alpha, the method they used almost cost the lives of good hunters. Y/N had made sure to try and save as many hunters from death as she could.

“Y/N!” she heard as she walked out of the medical tent.

Rolling her eyes, she turned away from Dean, who was jogging towards her.

“Thanks, Jess,” she called to the doctor on staff that stitched her up.

“Damn it, Y/N. Please wait!” Dean called out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I talked to Samuel and--”

“Save it, Snob,” Y/N growled. “I am going to head to my room in the hotel and write up the report. Don’t worry about Douchebag. I will take all the heat on this.”

“Why do you do that?” Dean growled, “Why can’t you let me tell Dad about--”

“Leader Prime,” Y/N barked, “when we are on the job, you address him by his title.”

Dean let out an audible groan, “can you take the stick out of your ass for just one fucking minute!”

Y/N turned to glare at him, “what could you possibly say to me? That you’re going to use your privilege to get Daddy not to punish me because your brother was being an ass? Please spare me. I’m used to this. You and Samuel get away with everything while the rest of us have to struggle!”

“You are such a bitch, Y/L/N. No wonder people don’t want to hang around you,” Dean spat, his eyes widening at the realization of what he said. “Y/N I’m--”

“At least people don’t hang around me for my money,” she spat, “leave me alone. Why are you even talking to me, Snob? We have nothing in common, you live in an ivory tower, and I live in the mud. You stay with your people, and I’ll stay with mine.”

Dean watched her walk away, unsure what to say or how to fix what he did. He hated himself for the way things went down. Dean should have talked to Samuel about his behavior, but Samuel was just as stubborn and headstrong as their father. Dean knew he could only do one thing, and that was talking to his father about what happened, whether Y/N liked it or not.

Dean stayed silent as he contemplated how to fix things with Y/N.ht--’

“I don’t care what Samuel says. The operation could have gone smoother if he had just listened to Y/N. You can’t fire her--”

‘Calm down, son. No one is getting fired. Especially not my best hunter,’ John interrupted. ‘Now, calmly, tell me what happened.’

Dean began at the beginning, telling his father all about how there were more Shifters than just the Alpha and how Y/N wanted to re-adjust the plan to lessen any casualties. As Dean continued to recount the tale, he never noticed Samuel walking in. The younger brother crossed his arms, scowling at his older brother.

“Yes, sir,” Dean said before hanging up the phone.

“You called, Dad?” Samuel let out, making Dean jump.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that, Samuel,” He scolded.

“Don’t, Dean,” Samuel huffed, “You called to tattle on me? You know as well as I do that you should be Leader 1 no matter what a stupid test said all those years ago.”

“Is that what this is about? Is that why you have this grudge against Y/N?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

“She is nothing but a--”

“Don’t say it, Samuel,” Dean growled.

“A second-rate hunter with no class,” Samuel continued, towering over his older brother. “You need to forget about her, Dean, and learn to take her position from her.” he let out a huff, “besides, she dresses in nothing but second-hand clothing. Does she even know what designer clothing is? Does she even care about the clothes that she wears and how she presents herself?”

“Samuel, her choice in clothing doesn’t mean she is incapable of being a good Leader. Besides, what she wears is her business. And what good would taking the position from her by force do? How would being Leader 1 make me any more capable of running the company?” Dean crossed his arms, staring right into his brother’s eyes.

“For one, it would show Dad that you have the skills to lead,” Samuel huffed. “Y/N couldn’t even stand up to me after what I said. She could have tried harder to go over my head. She has no leadership skills.”

“No leadership skills?” Dean said, his voice rising in anger. “You call putting her life on the line to make sure no one dies, poor leadership skills?” Dean shook his head, giving his brother a disappointed look. “Do you realize that she didn’t go over your head because she feels you would use nepotism to get away with it?”

Samuel tilted his head in confusion, “what? Since when? I--”

“Dad spoils us, Samuel. You know he does, but it’s different in hunting and our lives, and Y/N doesn’t know that. She already thinks we’re pompous snobs.”

“So?” Samuel chuckled, “I love that we live a life of luxury. Someone like her is never going to understand us. Besides, why are you trying to get her approval?”

“I am not looking for her approval, but I am trying to establish a civil working relationship,” Dean said, turning away from Samuel.

“You had had eyes on her since the ball all those years ago,” Samuel chuckled, “‘if you want her that badly, woo her and leave her. Or you could take Bela Talbot on her offer.”

“Bela?” Dean shook his head in disgust, “she is nothing but a low-grade black market dealer. “

“One who has had her eyes on you for a while,” Samuel said, smiling slyly at his brother. “You don’t have to make a business deal with the woman, just bed her and be done with her. She also knows her way around good scotch. Let’s not forget that Bela also has better fashion sense than Y/N. ”

Dean contemplated the thought of having Bela in his bed. Bela had more than shown she wanted to lay with him, wanting to have Dean pleasure her in the ways he was taught. Shaking his head, Dean sat on the couch of the double room suite he shared with Samuel.

“I’d rather fuck a porcupine than Bela, Samuel,” Dean sighed, leaning back to place his hands over his face.

“Then at least go find a sweet lounge fly and bring her up to have your way with her,” Samuel said as he walked over to his bedroom, “I mean, we should put the skills Dad had us learn for a reason, right?”

Dean stayed silent as he contemplated how to fix things with Y/N.

Chapter 2

Tags in the Reblog

#A different League #AU Dean WInchester #Reader Insert #AU Dean Winchester x Reader #Dean Winchester Fic #Supernatural AU #Supernatural Fic #AU Sam Winchester #AU John Winchester #fan fiction #Angst #angst with a happy ending #Smut #Rivals to Idiots #Idiots to lovers #lovers to idiots #Violence #Language #slow burn

[dinosaurtsukki]

haikyuu!! zombie apocalypse AU

anon: hi! how do you think haikyuu pairs would react/response in a zombie apocalypse?

this ask sure takes me back because i had SUCH a zombie phase when i was 12. i literally bought that ‘zombie survival guide’ book by max brooks and walking dead was my fave but AHHH I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS ASK. also this eventually becomes more angsty as it goes on

Hinata and Kageyama: 

hinata would probably be the first to believe in the news on TV but they’ll both be freaking out a lot when they first encounter an actual zombie 

luckily they’re both really good at running so they just run for their lives before they consider hiding somewhere

they probably pass by a convenience store to stock up on ‘necessary supplies’, that being meat buns and milk 

between the two of them, it would be kageyama who’d keep more of a level head. he devises a whole system for them when it comes to finding hideouts and taking watches at night

as much as possible, they wouldn’t want to directly engage with and fight zombies and choose to outrun them. mostly because hinata would still grapple with the fact that the zombies are still humans

they’d definitely try to find a group to stick around and travel with because they believe in safety in numbers. also they just know they’ll go crazy by themselves

hinata, who hasn’t dealt with the whole zombie apocalypse so far, would feel much better in a group. he’d take on the role of taking care of fellow kids. also, his speed and quick reflexes make him a good scout when they have to do supply runs

kageyama would definitely try to hone his skills with using weapons so that he could be one of the fighters that the group can count on. most of the time he’s doing target practice 

if they’re in a good group, i can see their survival chances being quite good but without, they’d probably suffer from emotional damage by themselves

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi:

neither of them would be able to believe their eyes after hearing the news and they’d both be too shocked to act when a zombie horde starts attacking their town

tsukishima would be the one to act first and yell at yamaguchi to run away with him 

both of them would try to find a strategic place to hide. if they’re in school, probably thought of hiding in the kitchens because it has weapons and food

they both like to play it extremely safe so they wouldn’t dare leave that hiding spot until either supplies have run low or they’re chased out 

yamaguchi is generally quite hospitable to other survivors, especially if he knows that they’re fellow students but tsukishima is way more suspicious

luckily, tsukishima’s wary nature has saved them from being entangled in group conflicts or other people who would try to sabotage them

the only thing is that none of them are very good at combat or doing supply runs so they do have to rely on being in a group

tsukishima would be quickly known for having really good strategies to minimize casualties when they do have to do supply runs or raid a building to turn into a hide-out

yamaguchi would take it upon himself to learn first-aid so that he could be more useful to the group and he becomes invaluable to them in the long-run

between the two of them, yamaguchi would be more hopeful about humanity’s survival and them trying to find a cure or a way to eradicate the zombies

tsukishima would just only grow pessimistic as the years go by, not just from the ongoing zombie apocalypse but because of how he’s seen people lose their humanity

Daichi and Sugawara: 

they’re shocked at first but fairly quick to react. they’re able to grab the attention of people around them and start a plan of escape in the event that they’re both in a building when it happens

daichi would be quick to take somewhat of a leadership role but he wouldn’t hesitate to put himself out there to direct counter-attacks. because of this, people would easily see him as a very reliable person 

sugawara is also quite skilled at coming up with solutions whenever they’re in a predicament. if they end up in a hideout, he’s in charge of laying traps for any zombies that might come in

both of them do have the potential of becoming leaders in a group of people

their main aim would be to have a section of the city full of survivors that would also be self-sustainable and of course fortified from the outside world

their only fault probably would be that they’re too forgiving and have trouble making hard decisions

in the event that only one group of people would be saved between two, daichi and sugawara would try to save both but that does cost them

they also have a tendency to make things seem okay when it’s not okay to prevent mass hysteria

but that does mean they’ll be hiding things from their own group. but one thing they have promised is to tell everything to each other

Oikawa and Iwaizumi:

ngl they’ll both be really freaked out in the face of a horde of zombies unless iwaizumi would quickly pull oikawa off to the side so they could hide somewhere 

i can imagine iwaizumi hammering nails into a baseball bat and expertly using it as his weapon 

oikawa is quite crafty and cautious when it comes to interacting with fellow survivors because the only person he can trust at this point is iwa-chan

he ends up prioritizing their survival above all else and has once or twice tricked or backstabbed another survivor just to get weapons or basic necessities

iwa isn’t a fan of it at first but after realizing that it could happen to them, he becomes more open to oikawa’s way of doing things

most of what they do is break into houses and stay there for the night before leaving and going someplace else the next day. they know its not wise to stay in one place

they also don’t really trust other people enough to be in a group. they already have each other so why take that risk?

they do like to look for alcohol when breaking into new houses and after making sure they’re safe, they’ll definitely spend the night drink

neither of them particularly like the way they live and it’s things like these that they look forward to 

both oikawa and iwaizumi would like to try and settle down at some point. hopefully in a cabin to themselves in the woods where they can live a life that’s as normal as it can get

Ushijima and Tendou: 

tendou,,, wouldn't be that surprised cause i feel like he watches a great deal of zombie films and just thinks that it will happen at some point

when ushijima sees that his friend just knows what to do, he doesn't hesitate in following him

they immediately arm themselves with whatever makeshift weapons they can find

tendou already knows to aim directly for the head and to use the zombie's slow speed to their advantage

its only after they're able to take a rest in a hidden place away from people and zombies that it hits them -- this is going to be their life from now on

they'll try to look for their friends if they can and form a group together. the only people they could actually trust are their teammates

both ushi and tendou would have really good combat skills though

ushijima has enough strength to wield almost any kind of melee weapon, even something like an axe. although his prefered one is a crowbar

crowbars are great zombie apocalypse melee weapons though because ideal weight + pointy end + functional

tendou is great at using handguns (he makes sure to always have a silencer on hand). knows how to conserve ammo too

ushijima would definitely try to look for an ideal place to live (like, a farm). he isn't a fan of having to constantly roam around

tendou is quite fond of scouting missions and being able to explore what’s left of the human race and structures. his goal is to make a map of the area around their hide-out for other people to use 

Kuroo and Kenma: 

ngl kenma thought that he had been gaming too much and now the zombie survival game he was obsessed with had come to life

and kuroo’s just like ‘are those??? zombies????’ 

it takes a while for them to snap out of it and realize that such a thing is now happening and they need to escape or hide

kenma’s survival instincts tell them to divert from crowds because crowds are bigger targets and spread infection easily

he’s very strategic about this and opts that their best chance for survival would be to gather resources and hole up inside an apartment with the doors barricaded

since they live in a city, it’s hard for them to move around because it’s so overpopulated

kuroo knows that they’ll have to leave at some point so he trains himself physically, even making makeshift weapons too (hello crowbar and probably a hammer)

kenma spends his days watching from a window, observing how the city population quickly gets infected and falls to ruin but tries to concentrate on routes for getting out

finally, they pack up what supplies they have and make their way down and hijack one of the cars left behind to drive out of the city

both of them know that they have a better chance of surviving in a group but they’re both still wary. whenever they sense that something’s off in their group, they’ll leave without a second thought

kuroo and kenma are the ones who miss the ‘old world’ more than anyone else and they always get a bit sentimental when they break into houses

kenma has a tendency to look around for handheld game consoles and batteries. his most prized possession is a gameboy that he only plays for one minute a week. sometimes he just holds it for comfort

kuroo likes visiting high school gyms, despite their danger. whenever he comes across one, he’ll mindlessly do some serves and spikes with any balls that are left

Bokuto and Akaashi:

when the zombie apocalypse happens, initially they put their trust that the military would be able to save them and that it won’t last for so long

they spent most of their time being in a makeshift military base camp, not knowing what’s happened in the outside world around them until their living space was infiltrated by what it was trying to keep out

akaashi was quick to pack up their things and run, dragging a shell-shocked bokuto with him

with the two of them alone for the first time, their sanity does crumble a bit until a pack of survivors from the same camp find them

neither of them can survive without a group, mostly for mental stability reasons

but when they’re with a group, they are sure to put in their own work

despite his physical prowess, bokuto still has reservations with killing zombies because part of him still sees them as people who unfortunately ended up turned

he prefers roles related to building or strengthening their hideout like reinforcing walls and fortresses

akaashi has this desire to make things feel as normal as possible. he likes tinkering with machines and his main goal is to be able to set up a sustainable source for electricity

they have different reactions to how the world has changed. bokuto hates venturing out of the hideout and seeing the city that he’s known for so long being greatly different.

akaashi, on the other hand, is more accepting of how the world has changed, thinking that it must have been bound to happen

Osamu and Atsumu: 

the two of them have watched enough zombie movies to figure out was going on and instantly know what to do

they’re quite quick to snap into action and grab any weapons they can use nearest to them and just make a run for it

they both have different priorities -- atsumu being better weapons and osamu collecting resources like food and medicine -- but they’re quick to sort them out

both of them are also the solo drifter type of people. they travel in the same car, even having the foresight to steal gas from abandoned cars or stations at the roadside

the zombie apocalypse does bring out a savagery in atsumu and osamu. they’re skilled with killing zombies alright. in fact, almost too skilled

the killing desensitizes them to violence and they end up adapting a more ‘survival is the fittest’ mindset

they do have different skills when it comes to combat. osamu prefers using a gun and is quite handy at it. atsumu feels more comfortable with using melee weapons

when put into the situation where they have to kill a fellow human being for their own benefit, they won’t hesitate to do so

sometimes, the twins do reminisce about how their lives used to be and the dreams they once had

atsumu raises his hands and pretends to set a ball when he’s alone and osamu sometimes laughs to himself whenever they raid a grocery store

there’s a savagery in how they kill zombies because of this because that’s how they take out their anger on the things that robbed them of the life they should have had

***********************************************

taglist (still open to anyone who wants in!): @montys-chaos​ @miyumtwins​ @strawberriimilkshake​ @pocubo​ @sugawara-sweetheart @akaashisbabydoll @laure-chan​ @therainroguefanfiction​ @atetiffdoesart @stephdaninja @oikaw-ugh​ @charliefredb​ @dramaqueenweeb1469 @tremblinghearts @applepienation @doodleniella @haikyuu-my-love @waitforitillwritemywayout @kattykurr @tpwkatsumu​ 

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu!! headcanons #hq headcanons #haikyuu!! pairings #kageyama tobio #hinata shouyo #tsukishima kei #yamaguchi tadashi #daichi sawamura #sugawara koushi #kuroo tetsurou #kozume kenma #bokuto koutarou #ushijima wakatoshi #tendou satori #miya osamu #miya atsumu

[pulseofthestars]

He Who Sits in the Abyss at Time’s End - Void King Kamille

Warning - Mentioning of human experiments and spoilers for part one of Fate Grand Order’s story below the cut

So Void King Kamille is an AU of Fate verse essentially kicks off after the Singularities are resolved and Goetia is defeated, along with the events of chapter 1.5 and the remnant Singularities. When the Mage’s Association group headed by Goredolf arrived in Chaldea with the members of Chaldea being interrogated, in this AU a key difference is that, upon feeling it when Kamille explodes in anger at her mistreatment of Fou, Koyanskaya gains an interest in Kamille’s Newtype powers as they along with Kamille himself come from a different reality altogether. Thus in secret she works to experiment on him, torturing him physically and mentally, working to see just what traits a Newtype had to normal humans, Heroic Spirits, and even Divine Spirits (Likely wanting to see if his abilities could be of use to her for her own goals). An unintended side effect of this is Kamille is mentally forced to see far into the future, so far in fact that he could see nothing, could hear nothing, could smell nothing, could touch nothing, it was something where neither light nor dark existed, though there was no temperature he still had a sensation of a deep chill to his very core. He had reached the end of time and found nothing, no trace of humanity’s achievements, no signs of other forms of life, not even the radiant stories of the Heroic Spirits he had fought alongside had reached here, mortals and gods and Beasts and even the Throne of Heroes, not even so much as cosmic dust. Kamille didn’t know how long he was trapped there, it felt like hours turned into days turned into weeks turned into years turned into millennia. Isolated with nothing but his own mind, until he found himself back, now being checked over by Da Vinci and a worried Mash. Koyanskaya had been found out it seemed and even Goredolf seemed unnerved at his condition when he was found. However though Kamille had been rescued he had changed, his drive was muted, his apathy had formed, and he showed little interest in news that he had received. About the only thing that kept him at least somewhat there and able to sometimes smile was his connection with Chaldea, with Fou, Da Vinci, the Heroic Spirits he had bonded with even if they had been disconnected, and Mash. The emptiness and entropy of the end of time still weighed heavily on his mind, a mind that had already had to deal with Newtype connections to Heroic Spirits, how different they were from normal humans and even other Newtypes, a mind that had to contend with the ghost of his past before arriving in Chaldea. However even this solace was destined to be torn from him when Team A of the Masters of Chaldea awoke. Now they were Crypters and were dedicated to the eradication and replacement of Pan Human History with one of their Lostbelts, punctuated when Chaldea itself was attacked. Here Kamille had to witness a mysterious priest cut down Da Vinci and here even Mash would be taken from him as he wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared compared to his main verse self. The last thread snapped completely and Kamille’s Newtype powers tapped once more to the end of time, taking any in the area to that empty realm, withering them away through entropy. Standing in the ruins of Chaldea the man known as Kamille Bidan died, or rather was reborn by a simple truth, in the grand scope of reality the end of time itself rendered all things meaningless. All achievements, all victories, everything was gone, not even ruins were left in that abyss. In the end mankind was essentially like a brain dead comatose person forcibly on life support in the vain hope that a miracle could happen that would bring meaning to that prolonged suffering. So Kamille decided that he would do the one merciful thing he could do for all life, he would euthanize and cut off that life support by extinguishing all life and return all to nothing, to bring a quick and dignified end instead of the future he saw where life would shamble like a rotting corpse to an unsightly and tragically pointless slow end. To that end Kamille would find what he could to transform himself, gradually hunting down the Crypters and their Lostbelts of this time one by one, managing to find a way to summon replicas of the Heroic Spirits he had contracted with, now entropy fueled husks, though not lacking in power. Though his attention now shifts to a different timeline, one where his past self did not suffer through the torture he did. He almost pitied his younger self, to fight so hard for something so meaningless, but he would teach them all the truth soon enough. And so, now clad in armor that concealed his appearance and identity the Void King Kamille has started to approach, as a threat not just to Chaldea of the main timeline but perhaps even one the Crypters and their Foreign God must be weary of.

So in summary Void King Kamille is a Kamille who ended up experimented on during the prologue of Chapter 2 until he was forced to see the end of time. This combined with losing everyone dear to him in Chaldea along with seeing the ‘rewards’ for everything he and they had done to save humanity broke him and left him an empty shell with incredible power who now thinks he’s doing all life a favor by bringing it to an end, thinking a quick end preferable to lingering long enough to see everything humanity has done and achieved be meaningless by the end of time.

#Master from Another World: Fate verse #Dweller of the Abyss of Time: Void King AU #tw: human experimentation mention #tw: torture mention

[browniesnivy]

I’m not going to pretend that Dartz isn’t easily the weakest villain in the series, but I feel like there was at least some effort put in to giving him some interesting contrast with Yami (even if, like most decent or even good ideas in Season 4, they ended up diluting the message in the paper-thin writing). Unfortunately, before I explain what I mean I have to go into excruciating detail about Atem’s character arc, so buckle up because it’s essay time. 

One of the things that Season 4 touches on that I actually rather enjoy is Yami’s obsession with destiny and how this affects his perception of victory and of himself. Though people complain that Yami had nothing to lose in his duel with Raphael before he activated the Seal of Orichalcos, I actually think this was intended to highlight how he perceives winning and losing. To lose for any reason is (at least to him) not just a personal failure that will injure his own pride, but one that will put the balance of the entire universe in danger. He has no memory of who he was or even who he is now, but his past follows him around everywhere he goes and dictates every second of his afterlife (just as it did when he was alive, although he has no idea about that at this point). He is told by Ishizu and many others around him that he is responsible for everything, that it is his job to fix everything wrong in this world, and thus he has developed a complex of thinking that it is his personal responsibility to eradicate every evil in this world and any failure is an apocalyptic catastrophe. That mindset is obviously terribly unhealthy, but Yami’s destiny is the only shred of his identity that he even knows. It might require him to constantly endanger himself, but it’s the only thing that anyone seems to understand about him and is certainly the only thing he understands about himself, so he continuously throws himself in front of Ra’s attack again and again and again...

Unlike the major story arcs in the show that proceeded it (and sadly the one that follows), Season 4 treats this as a major flaw in Yami’s mentality. Raphael is able to manipulate him into activating the Seal by convincing him he will lose everything if he can’t defeat him, and the fact that there is no actual danger involved at present might actually help convince Yami of his point even more. We see in Season 0 that Yami often puts himself in unnecessarily dangerous situations for what appears to be no reason, but to him every situation with even a possibility of “failure” is dangerous. In this instance, the fact that he could lose at all is dangerous enough, and he invents all sorts of imaginary reasons why he has to play the Seal of Orichalcos no matter what the cost. Raphael is expertly manipulating his opponent’s insecurities here. Of course it was a huge mistake for Yami to play the Seal, but with all this in mind it is a mistake that I could at least easily see myself making if I were in his shoes. 

In the end, Yami ends up paying for this mistake. He loses despite his best efforts, but unlike before he played the Seal and was on the verge of defeat, he actually has something tangible to lose now. Yugi didn’t deserve to have his soul stolen for a mistake his partner made, and yet that is exactly what ended up happening. Yami is able to see that this is unfair when it happens to Yugi, and yet he still is at first unable to see that same principal applies to him when he tries to brazenly sacrifice himself for other people’s sins. Yami is forced to confront this nasty part of himself and realize that his life is worth more than it’s use to the universe at large. Only by the lose of his closest friend, the only one who sees him as a real person and not as a Messiah or an extension of someone else, can he come to the realization that he isn’t meant to single-handedly solve every single problem in the world. That emptiness when his friend isn’t around makes him realize that it isn’t his destiny that fills the void in his soul but his connections, and that he doesn’t have to constantly throw himself under the bus in order to make the world a better place... because there are people who love him and who want him to love himself too. 

Of course this is basically ignored by the fact that the show ends with Yami being forced to abandon all his meaningful connections in order to fulfill his depressing and lonely destiny, but in isolation this is a pretty nice character arc that honestly should have been carried over into future seasons. And before you ask, I don’t take constructive criticism. 

Now, back to Dartz. There are several surface level similarities between Atem and Dartz, most obvious being that they are both ancient kings who wield the powers of darkness. What I think often goes unnoticed is the fact that they have nearly identical views of the world despite being on opposing sides. Dartz desires to consume everything he deems evil by fulfilling the destiny given to him by the Orichalcos, not just because he was instantly brainwashed by it (because that would be stupid) but because after his kingdom crumbled he realized that he was the only one left to stop the destruction of Atlantis from happening to the rest of the world. This is basically exactly what Yami is trying to accomplish: Yami was unable to stop the consequences of his father’s sins from bleeding into the future and now seeks to use the last of his remaining strength to completely purge the world of sin. One major difference in Dartz and Yami’s thinking is that Yami seems to be focused on destroying the very concept of “evil” while Dartz just wants to get rid of the people that do evil things, but nonetheless both of them have personally taken on massive responsibilities spanning generations in an attempt to stop something they aren’t even responsible for themselves. It isn’t Dartz’s fault that Atlantis was full of unrighteous people in the same way it wasn’t Atem’s fault that his father committed genocide an entire village, but they both think it’s up to them to face the consequences head-on regardless of what that means for them. 

Dartz sacrifices himself to the Great Leviathan in the end to achieve his goal, an action which I believe is the final culmination of all of Yami’s self-worth issues and the logical extreme of his mistake to play the Seal of Orichalcos earlier in the season. Yami can not be fooled into blindly sacrificing himself after what he learned on this journey, not after he realized that he had value despite the darkness inside his heart. He is able to defeat the Leviathan by calling upon his friends to help him accept his flaws and learn to work past them instead of force himself to constantly atone for them. It might have been corny, but it gets the point across that Yami will not become Dartz (ignoring the fact that he ends up basically doing just that even if it is “for the right reasons” later on which drives me INSANE) and will no longer treat himself as something less than human, as just a vehicle for destiny’s righteous judgement. Dartz tried to fix a fundamental evil of the world by sacrificing his own humanity and ultimately became the very thing he sought to destroy, just as Yami became dangerously close to doing in his duel against Raphael. But he knows better now and for once, he actually puts his past behind him and moves on towards a better future alongside his friends. (I know I keep bringing this up but take notes, Ceremonial Duel.)

I’m not going to pretend that I’m not thinking way to hard about this, or that the way the show handles this is done expertly. I already acknowledged that Dartz is as bland as an unsalted cracker, but I also have to mention that Yami still basically has to defeat Dartz alone even after all the set up with Kaiba, Joey, and the Legendary Dragon Knights, which I really have no excuse for. Season 4 definitely isn’t perfect (I don’t think I’d have such a soft spot for it if it was) and I still have a lot more to say about it, but I just wanted to bring some attention to this contrast since I only noticed it on my fourth complete rewatch of the season. I think Dartz could have been a much stronger antagonist if his similarities to Atem were made more pronounced, and I hope I explained that in a way that was at least slightly thought-provoking in this essay that took me far too long to write.

#GOD that turned out way longer than expected #i sound so pretentious in the middle hrngggggh i got caught up in the melodrama sorry #nonetheless this made me waaaaaay to stimulated not too write about so i hope you could get something out of it #i'll probably be posting more essays about season 4 in the coming weeks so buckle up buttercup it's shrimp time #and mai time... mai noon if you will... #yugioh #Yu-Gi-Oh! #yami yugi #pharaoh atem #waking the dragons #yugioh season 4 #ygo #Dartz

[spongeekat]

Life as a Super Powered Omega Sucks (Chapter 1)

read on ao3

Masterlist Here

Summary:  Peter just got invited on his first lengthy Avengers mission, one that will prove whether he's fit to continue operating as a hero on the streets of New York. Unfortunately, he's also an omega disguised as a beta, and on the week of starting his heat. Unable to miss out on the mission for the sake of his future, he goes anyways, equipped with a dangerous quantity of heat suppressants and an optimistic outlook. However, he wasn't prepared to end up spending most of his time with Alpha and long term friend Wade. Will he survive the mission and get back in time to spend his heat at home? Or ruin his health and suppress his heat long enough that he can prove his worth to SHIELD and the Avengers?

Peter Parker wasn't exactly ashamed of being an omega. Sure, he hid his status like the plague- masking his scent with an artificial beta spray, using heat suppressants at any given chance, only going off them when it was guaranteed he had a free weekend to spare, and wearing clothes that highlighted his un-omega-like toned arms when he was feeling particularly insecure about it- but it wasn't out of fear of being seen as such. But if you needed a picture painted of why he chose to hide his biological assignment in lieu of presenting himself as neutral, the one word he could begin to create it with was ‘Alphas’.

Alphas secreted dominance with them wherever they went, leaving their cocky, charismatic scent all over public spaces. School was no different. From the days of 7th grade and up, when puberty started hitting Peter's classmates and kids were presenting left and right, the alphas took total control of the hallways. Big man Flash was the first to show clear signs of an alpha, and the rest of his crew of alphas and wannabee-betas fell right in line behind him. With the rise of Alpha-Beta and Beta-Beta relationships being accepted in society, omegas were far and few. Male omegas were even rarer, making up just 25% of the omega population. History taught the extremely fertile gender was previously discriminated against harshly by those that believed them to be nothing more than baby-making machines, and nearly eradicated, as only Alpha-Omega relationships could produce omegas. However,as the omega population went down, closely followed by birth rates, everyone had begun to realize the necessary role omegas played in re-population. As such, omegas were presently celebrated and respected; lusted after and worshiped by alphas and betas alike.

But that was mostly in their later years. Before alphas started to develop their sexual drive, they reveled in the chance to show their power over others, and omega girls tended to be their target. Peter saw kids shoved into lockers, thrown in trash cans, and pushed around on a daily basis. He’d only known 2 omega boys in his life, and the teasing had gotten so severe they eventually moved to homeschooling. Luckily, he hadn't presented, and when he reached 14, he was officially declared as a beta by the school nurse, giving him a pass to fly under the bully's radars at least a tiny bit more effectively.

Unfortunately, being born as the child of a purebred omega and a groomed Alpha such as Mary and Richard left you more susceptible to presenting than other children. So when Peter awoke when he was 17, a few years after he'd taken on the Spider-Man persona and met Mr Stark, sweating and clawing at his clammy skin mid-heat, he knew the universe was doing whatever it could to fuck him over. Besides just school bullies being an issue when it came to his identity, another major reason he had to conceal any evidence of his omega status was the fact that he was Spider-Man. Not only would he most definitely be looked down on by his enemies or perceived as weak, but with the Avengers hardly taking him seriously as it is, and police on high alert searching for an alpha with superhuman strength, he didn't want to risk losing any more respect from the public. He wasn't totally popular at the moment. Besides, being known as an omega, especially a male omega, publicly would narrow down the search quite a bit. What was he, one of 20,000 in all of New York City? Luckily, he'd been pretty successful in hiding it so far, even on days such as today when he was on the week of his heat and could feel the hormone changes already. There was some big-name-but-secretly-evil private investor from some big-name-but-sketchy company that had been quietly investing in illegal technology on the terrorist level, or at least that's what Peter had gathered so far. He always did have some trouble figuring out what Coulson was actually saying, especially when he was distracted by...everything. Particularly a shiny-- "And we can count on you for that, right, Spider-Man?" Oh yeah. That was him. "What? Yeah, yeah, of course." Peter flashed his biggest grin to show he had definitely been listening and not spacing out like the 20 year old kid he was, but Coulson obviously couldn't see it through the spandex of his mask. All intimidating and slightly patronizing pairs of eyes turned back to stare at him, and he felt himself melting into his seat in guilt. Coulson drew a long sigh, rubbed his temple, then turned back to the map projected on the screen. "So, to repeat for Spider-Man, this point of investigation on the building will be a stealth mission. We'll send Natasha and Steve to the ground floor to  take out the heaviest of the security, and once they take notice of you, Spider-Man should have plenty of time to access the elevator shaft and descend to the bottom floor unnoticed. Once you're there, you need to find a way to get Tony in so he can disable the bombs placed on each level. That way, our agents can effectively infiltrate the premise with as little resistance as possible, end the weapons trade in Cabo, and place as many of the workers under arrest as we can.” Now Peter was a little confused, mostly by how he had spaced out all the way from the Russia plans to Mexico, but he was at least a little too proud to raise his hand and ask.

“We already have your escort ready for your portion of the mission, Spider-Man, so don’t worry about that piece. We’ve already made contact and he shall be there tomorrow when you depart.”

“I need an escort?” Peter earned an intense frown for his comment, and he shut himself up right away. “I mean, yeah. A-Okay with Me.”

“Intelligence gathering will begin tomorrow. Meet here at 4 for your flight. Yes, Clint, 4 in the morning. Don’t be late, and don’t forget to bring any supplies you may need for a mission that may take up to two weeks. The majority of your time in Russia will be spent on hold as back-up, in case something goes awry, until we make our move on their transportation facility once we’ve acquired enough data. Keep that in mind when packing. ” With that, Coulson officially ended the meeting and began to gather up what he had brought over. Peter was happy to escape, until he realized what exactly Coulson had said. Two weeks? No, there was no way he could be gone that long. His heat was due sometime around Friday, maybe Monday at latest. Tomorrow, Tuesday, at earliest. He couldn’t go on a trip with the Avengers when it was so close. That would be a story he would never live down.

“Yo, hey, Mr. Stark.”

“Kid.”

Peter side-stepped Captain America as he shuffled past, ending up in front of the man who had brought him into this line of business in the first place. He wasn't aware of Peter's omega status. Mr Stark hardly trusted him enough to allow him to be an Avenger in the first place, so Peter had hacked into Karen's programming with Ned's help to keep her from relaying omega-related health information to anyone else but himself. "Hey, uh, he said this mission was going on for 2 weeks?”

“Yep.” Mr Stark answered as he shoved his expensive tablet into its case, depositing it in his bag. “Homework standing in your way?”

“No, no, that’d be totally uncool.” Peter mentally crossed that off his list of excuses he had prepared. “I just don’t know if I can like...keep my cover that long. I have a lot of people that expect to see me every day. I don’t think the flu will work again.”

“Then use the Stark Internship papers I signed.” Mr Stark sighed thickly, turning to face Peter with an impatient expression. Peter internally cringed, able to see the extra stress he’d been under reflected on his face. He was five seconds from being scolded. He could feel it like a truck about to run him over. “Tell them you’re going on a school trip. Use my card and book hotels for proof. Figure it out. You’ve known since yesterday it was this long.”

“I...you’re right.” Peter relented. Guess there was no helping it, then. He’d just have to make sure to make the mission went by fast. And bring as many heat suppressants as possible, no matter how ineffective they were on him. “Sorry. I’ll get it sorted.”

“Good. This is your chance to prove we can trust you as a part of this team.” Mr Stark continued, walking past Peter and towards the door. Peter kept up with him easily, shadowing him through the hallways of the tower. “You’re young, and that’s kept SHIELD off your back for years. Don’t let this mission be the reason you have to give up everything you’ve worked towards.”

“It’s that important?”

“It’s that important.” Mr Stark repeated back.

Peter hadn’t even begun to consider this may be some sort of test to allow him to continue to operate in New York without proper jurisdiction. However, that made sense. Why else would an entire important section of the mission be dedicated to him? Or at least he assumed it was important. He wasn’t paying attention during the rest to find out what anyone else was doing. In fact, what was the goal of their mission again-- ?

Mr Stark’s shoulder came up close to Peter’s face too fast,and he realized too late he had stopped walking. He barely managed to catch himself before he rammed into the taller man from behind, taking an uncomfortable step back. Mr Stark turned to face him with a suspicious expression, slight worry maybe-possibly mixed in there somewhere. “You’ve been acting weird since yesterday.”

Peter swallowed. Pre-heat brain. But he couldn’t say that. “I guess so? It’s probably just because I’m around all of you guys and-”

“Cut the crap. What’s up? Why are you so determined not to go?” Mr Stark eyed him, as if he could see through his facade if he stared long enough. “Are you hurt?”

“What? No, I’m fine. Totally good.” Peter insisted, only realizing his missed opportunity once it was too late. “I think I’m just tired. I’ll make sure not to stay out too late tonight for patrol.”

“Maybe stay home and sleep the entire night. I’m sure New York will survive for a night.” Mr Stark still didn’t look like he believed him, and Peter almost preferred being ignored.

“I’ll think about it.” Peter agreed, though there was no way that was going to happen when he was already going to be gone for an extensive period of time. “Anyways, thanks for the talk. I should really get working on my excuses and alibis and stuff.”

“Right. Try to take it easy.”

“Will do.”

Peter peeled out of the conversation before Mr Stark could press it any further. He sprinted through the hallways of Stark Towers, pushing on each window until he found the one that was actually able to be opened at this height, indicated by a small rush of wind detectable only to his sensitive ears. His gloved hands pressed lightly on the surface, letting the glass pane swing out after some resistance. Peter crawled up onto the sill, his path home highlighted between the numerous skyscrapers littered along the streets. The cars honking below gave a rise to his adrenaline, and then he was falling, leaping from the building to give himself enough distance not to hit the wall, but free-falling like a bullet through the wind. 10 stories or so down he finally caught his fall, webs shooting out from both wrists with a distinct thwip . His arms jolted at the end of his dissent, before he was soaring again through the air, waiting until the last second possible before he would let another strand sail out and grip onto a pole or a ledge. All the while, calculations of heat suppressants and calendar days ate through his brain. He was sure this mission was just going to last a couple days, and the 2 weeks warning was just precautionary. They’d be in and out within a few days, and he’d be home and in bed by Saturday at the latest. They were the Avengers! It didn’t take that long for these kinds of things.

Probably.

"Hey Karen?"

"Yes, Peter?"

"Falsify a good health report if Mr Stark tries to check on me. Also, can you tell me how much is in my bank account? Suppressants are pretty expensive."

"Of Course, Peter." Karen responded, making Peter smile as he felt slightly less alone. "I believe you have about 3 doses remaining at home, and can afford a pack of 12 from the budget pharmacy in Northwest Queens."

Shit. "Thanks, Karen." Peter would just have to make do somehow.

--

Peter was not awake, by any means, the next morning.

He had followed Mr Stark’s advice and passed out before midnight. However, that still meant he only got a few hours in before he had to be up and packed by 3. He shoved a few days of civvies into a bag, rolled up tightly to conserve space, basic toiletries and underwear, and of course packed the rest of the space with necessary tools in case he got unlucky enough to end up in heat; a week’s worth of heat suppressants (enough for a normal metabolism to last a month, but he was unlucky enough to burn through a day’s worth in a few hours), 2 bottles of faux scent to mask his, and anti-anxiety medication to take the edge off if he was in a difficult spot. With that, he snuck a quiet breakfast and left Aunt May a note, before taking off with toast in his mouth towards the hangar he was told to meet in.

Peter was surprised to find himself to be the only one in full uniform. Mr Stark had his suitcase in hand but had made no attempt to wear it even partway, Steve had on sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, in similar style to Sam, though his wing containment unit was in his arms, Clint hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas, but he did wear his bow over his back, and Natasha was in her bodysuit without any of her normal accessories layered on. They were still waiting for Peter’s supposed stealth mission escort, as well as Scott Lang, but otherwise Peter felt quite out of place.

“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person, too.” Clint walked in front of Peter, eyeing his suit with a yawn that made him look half-asleep still. “Sam and Steve exhaust me even thinking about waking up this early. I can’t be the only one thinking this is ungodly torture.”

“I’m running on pure adrenaline right now. I only got a nap in last night.” Peter admitted in a low voice, stretching to work the soreness out of his muscles. Usually he could sleep in short spurts and still have some energy for the day. Today, however, his body decided to try to shut down every 5 minutes and force him into a coma. “Honestly, I hope this plane ride is long enough to get a couple extra hours in-”

“I KNEW OUR LOVE WOULD PREVAIL.”

“Oh no.” Peter blanched, and didn’t even dare turn around. “Please tell me it’s not who I think it is.”

“No one told you?” Clint tsked, giving Peter a pitying look. “Yeah, sorry. He’s the only one we felt complimented your skills enough to be your escort.”

“Spidey, we’re finally official teammates! Or I guess I’m more like your babysitter. That just takes all the sex-appeal  out of it. Ooh, wait. I’ll be the professor, and you can be my favorite student I give after school lessons to.”

“Please tell me this is a joke.” Peter swallowed hard, able to smell the alpha behind him from where he stood. Apparently he was the only one that noticed how intense of a scent the man carried with him, as no one else seemed as repulsed by the air.

“Sorry, dude. Can’t always get what you want.” Clint threw Peter a grin that was so smug he wanted to wipe it off his face. However, he made a mental note not to try to attack any of his teammates no matter the situation, and turned to face his battle head-on. Clint passed by the red-clad newcomer with a short, but crisp, high five, and gave the spider one last wiggle of his fingers. What a jerk.

“Heeeey, Deadpool.”

“I thought they were kidding when they said you were on this mission.” The mercenary - or ‘in the process of retiring from murder’ mercenary- crossed the distance on the roof, standing inches above Peter. He wasn’t intimidating, however. More like… a giant, annoying man-child.

Who Peter also happened to be sort of really good friends with. Like, to the point they played video games maskless at Wade’s Manhattan safe house and split pizzas when on patrol. And Deadpool knew his name and face. But he wasn't Peter's first pick to accompany him on a mission Peter was trying to prove that he was mature enough to be on.

“Ouch.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with you, Pumpkin. But you gotta admit, if I get asked to join in on missions before you, something seriously needs to change about your job performance.”

“Pretty sure they only brought you along as a bullet shield. So you could distract the bad guys with your giant mouth.” Peter shot back, though all in good humor.

Wade made a dramatic gasp, one gloved hand shooting up to cover his lips in true theatrical fashion. “I guess it’s good my kink is getting used.”

“That’s...A weird kink to have.”

“Does it turn you on?”

“Not at all.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

“Hey, Tweedledee and Tweedledum.” Mr Stark’s voice sounded behind Peter, jarring them both from their banter. “Get ready to board.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Wade saluted in response, then glanced back down at Peter. “You’re sitting by me, right?”

“Definitely not.”

“Awww, Spidey!”

“Let’s go.”  Natasha ordered, her head peeking out from the corner of the craft.

Wade threw out his hand with a gentlemanly “after you.” Peter, unable to resist a moment of humor and making Wade laugh, half-courtesy’d in return and made his way towards the short ladder leading into the plane.

The inside of an Avenger’s aircraft wasn’t anything like Peter had pictured. Being sponsored by a billionaire apparently didn’t reap the benefits of travelling in style; rather than being filled with alien tech, or super advanced spy technology, or even genuine leather seats, the inside of the plane was rather bland. It featured a cockpit illuminated with buttons and levers that Peter hadn’t the slightest clue their true intention, only slight privacy given to the designated pilots at the front. Behind that rested a computer Peter had to resist the urge not to immediately ask to study, as well as spaces in the sides for weapons and storage. The seats were spaced so that there were 8 passenger seats, stretching along the length of the plane. Peter situated himself in the back, close to the hatch they used for for entering. Somehow, having an escape route made him feel more secure than the claustrophobia he would feel trapped between two well-respected heroes. Or maybe he was just self conscious. Either way, he sat himself down as far from the others as he could get, and shoved his backpack in his lap.

Wade decided to take the spot right next to him, despite 3 other seats remaining open, and Natasha -looking as judgemental as ever- took the space across.

“The Itsy Bitsy Spider ran up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out!” Wade apparently became quite the comedian under pressure, pulling out his katana Bea - or maybe it was Arthur- to start sharpening the length. Both the spider-themed heroes gave him an irritated look, Peter a bit more disbelieving he would bother one of the scariest members of the team, before Natasha cleared her throat.

“I’m sure I could find a way to make sure you don’t come back from death, if you keep this up the entire ride there.” The ginger commented dryly, crossing her legs in a way that Peter felt he was a second away from witnessing Wade’s true demise

“That would be my lucky day, cupcake.” Wade grinned back, sliding his katana back into its holster. Despite his cool exterior, Peter knew he thought Natasha was hot shit that could beat him to a pulp. “I’m quaking in my suit. I don’t know if I’m scared, or excited, but probably both.”

Scott swiveled in the chair placed just in front of the computer he had claimed, the metal loudly squeaking to catch their attention. “I am not dealing with you two arguing for 12 hours.”

“15 hours.” Bruce mumbled, though he remained primarily focused on a notebook filled to the brim with incoherent scribbles.

“I am not listening to you arguing for 15 hours!” Scott corrected, folding his arms in a fatherly fashion.

“I don’t even remember you being invited, LadybugBoy.” Natasha’s subtle but annoyed comment instantly sent Wade into a fit of laughter, jolting her from her anger. The change of Wade’s attitude was just enough for her to relinquish her dangerous atmosphere for a moment, and she settled calmly back in her seat.

“It’s Ant-Man.” Scott mumbled indignantly, which only served to make Wade laugh harder. The ex-convict turned back to his computer to rest his head, and for once in his life Peter saw Natasha crack an expression similar to a grin.

The conversation seemed to settle their nerves, as well as at the 4 AM call time, because the Avengers grew completely silent within the hour. Clint dozed off first, followed by Bruce (after he injected himself with some tranquilizer he often kept with him), and Natasha dropped into some weird relaxation that was close to sleep, with her body still tensed and at the ready to fight at any time. Scott was still sulking by the time Peter felt himself start to fall asleep, a yawn being the first sign of his body begging for a nap. Wade seemed to notice immediately despite the mask, because a gloved leather hand wormed its way to the top of Peter’s head to try to pull him in to his shoulder. Peter didn’t budge, giving Wade a deadpanned look. “Dude.”

“What?” Wade asked innocently, his arm retreating back to his side.

“I’m not sleeping on you.”

“I am the best goddamn pillow you will ever use.”

“We’re on a plane with the Avengers.” Peter said in an awkward whisper as if it wasn’t obvious, crossing his arms stubbornly.

“You don’t have to be shy about our secret relationship, Spidey. I’ve already told everyone you’re my lo--”

“Friend.” Peter cut in, groaning and sitting back in his chair with a huff. He had to admit, the seats weren’t very comfortable, and his stomach was tight with anxiety. Talking with Deadpool was easing at least a little bit of the pressure.

“Friend with benefits. Just as exciting without the emotional attachment. I like your style.” Peter didn’t really have the energy to argue against Wade’s ramblings, so he just let his eyes slip shut and tried to focus on staying awake, figuring he could just rest his eyes for a few minutes. Eventually his body grew numb enough he was a little more comfortable, and the rest was doing wonders for his scattered brain and anxiety.

His eyes shot open again when they hit turbulence, and he realized he had been passed out for an extensive period of time. Long enough that nearly everyone was asleep, including Wade, who was passed out on Peter’s arm. Peter stared at him for a few minutes, trying to decide whether to push him away and save himself the embarrassment of anyone seeing, or let him continue to slumber to make up for the nights he’d let Peter stay over on his couch and eat his fridge dry.

He ended up choosing the latter after an extensive internal debate, though most of it was because his arm was completely asleep under the weight of his large head and leather mask, and he didn’t have the strength in it to push him away. It worked out fine in the end, once Peter had grown tired enough to fall back into sleep, when Wade’s head created a hard pillow for him to drop his cheek on. And that was how they spent their flight, until Wade roused and immediately started teasing Peter for falling asleep on him, to the point he got up and changed seats out of annoyance.

There was a reason Peter had said no to sitting by Wade. He was an asshole. Comfortable, but still an asshole.

#spideypool #spiderman #deadpool #abo #omega peter parker #alpha wade wilson #iron dad #marvel #fanfiction

[thecomicsnexus]

God Loves, Man Kills

MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #5 JANUARY 1983 BY CHRIS CLAREMONT, BRENT ANDERSON AND STEVE OLIFF

SYNOPSIS (FROM MARVEL DATABASE)

Prologue Two young mutant runaways named Mark and Jill are fleeing from a group of religiously motivated anti-mutant group known as the Purifiers. They chase the two children into a playground where they are executed with guns and strung up on a swing set with a sign labeling them as "Muties". Their bodies are found by the X-Men's long time foe Magneto, who vows to make those who have killed these children, and many others, pay for their crimes.

In New York City, the leader of the Purifiers, the popular televangelist Reverend William Stryker finishes reading a Bible passage from Deuteronomy 17:2-5, before getting a call from his operatives. They report to him their findings about the mutant group known as the X-Men, providing him information of their members, powers, and the well guarded secret that they operate from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. When his aid enters his office to get him ready for his evening broadcast on the ABC network, Stryker hints that he is about to destroy the X-Men.

Chapter 1 At the dance school of Stevie Hunter in Salem Center, Kitty Pryde gets into a fight with one of her fellow students after he makes an anti-mutant comment. The fight takes them right out into the street and Piotr "Peter" Rasputin and his sister Illyana try to break it up. When Stevie goes outside to see what the commotion is about, Kitty's fellow dance student Danny tells them that Kitty attacked him when he was talking about how he and his parents were members of the Stryker Crusade and went on an anti-mutant tirade, and called Kitty a "Mutie-Lover". With the situation straightened out, Stevie sends Danny away and tells Kitty to calm down because they are only words. Kitty becomes even more upset that Stevie can be so tolerant of such hatred asking her if she would be just as tolerant if Danny called her a "Nig***-Lover" before storming off back to the Mansion. Stevie thinks Kitty was right.

When Peter and Illyana follow after her to make sure she gets home safe, Stevie considers Kitty's words and realizes that Pryde was right. Visibly upset, Stevie goes back into her dance studio, unaware that Purifiers have been watching the whole confrontation. Further still, she is unaware how close they were to killing her, the only thing saving her life being the fact that she is human.

Arriving at the Mansion, Kitty tells Logan about the scrap she had, and also tells him that she did not have the heart to win the fight because she was not fighting a super-villain or evil mutant, but a kid like her. Later, the X-Men gather to watch Nightline on ABC where their teacher, Professor Charles Xavier appears next to Reverend Stryker in a debate about the danger of mutants in their society. While Xavier maintains his long standing stance that mutants are merely the next step of evolution, Stryker airs his religious belief that mutants are an abomination before God and must be exterminated. When the interview ends, Kitty and the other X-Men are angered by Stryker's words and decide to change into costume and practice in the Danger Room to blow off some steam.

While the X-Men are training, Stryker's aid, Anne, bumps into Scott Summers and Ororo Munroe at the television station, marking them as the X-Men Cyclops and Storm. Anne approaches her leader and tells him that they will be striking the three X-Men when they approach Central Park. Just as planned, when Xavier's Royals Royce drives past Central Park they are attacked by the Purifiers, who gun all three mutants down with tranquilizer guns and blow up the Royce. When the police call the mansion later, they inform Kurt that the Professor and the others have died in a car accident, much to everyone's sadness.

Chapter 2 The next day while the other X-Men are in the city, Kitty spends some time alone outside on the Xavier state when she is joined by Illyana. Illyana tends to the grieving Kitty and the two decide to talk a walk. Along the way they come across some strange scanner device that has been setup and directed at the Mansion. Wondering who had set it up, Kitty shorts it out with her phasing powers and the two lay in hiding to see who comes to investigate.

While in the city, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler investigate the supposed accident site. While Logan and Peter examine the wreck, Kurt surveys the area in secret. When Wolverine identifies that this was no accident, Nightcrawler notifies them that two men in a car have been watching them the whole time. Wolverine decides that they should get the men and change into costume. Despite the men's attempt to flee, the three X-Men manage to disable their getaway vehicle. However these Purifier members are ready to fight using their special armor. They only get one shot in when they are stopped by Magneto, who uses his magnetic powers to destroy their armor and use it as a containment.

Back at on the Mansion property, Kitty and Illyana watch as Anne and other members of Stryker's Crusade arrive to repair the device that Kitty damage. Ariel decides to try and sneak up on them by phasing through the ground. However as she is working herself through, they activate the device and detect Illyana's proximity to them due to her mutant nature. They knock her out with a tranquilizer dart and take her hostage. When Kitty attempts to sneak into their getaway vehicle by phasing through the trunk, Anne detects it and fills the trunk with gas to knock her out as well.

Shortly thereafter, Magneto and the X-Men take the captured Purifiers back to the X-Mansion where Wolverine attempts to interrogate them by threatening to use his claws. When this does not work, Magneto tortures them with is magnetic powers and they learn that Stryker intends to use Professor Xavier to achieve his goal of complete eradication of the mutant race.

Chapter 3 At Stryker's headquarters, Charles Xavier is being put through brainwashing wherein he lives the illusion of being crucified on a cross and being attacked by the various X-Men, who torture him and maim his body until he is saved by Reverend Stryker. This brainwashing is for the purposes of bending Xavier's will and making him loyal to Stryker so that the Reverend can use Xavier's mental powers to further his goals. Stryker then goes to check on Cyclops and Storm who are also his prisoners and have been restrained and tortured in deprivation tanks. Releasing them temporarily, Storm asks Stryker why he is doing this. Stryker replies that it is because their existence "is an affront to the Lord."

Stryker explains to the two mutants why he started his crusade to eliminate Homo superior. He says that, thirty years ago, he was a soldier working for the military during nuclear tests. He was married and his wife Marcy was pregnant with their first child. When visiting Marcy's parents on the holidays their car crashed outside of Phoenix. As Anne went into labor, William helped her give birth. When he saw that his son was a mutant, he was horrified and killed his newborn child and then his own wife. He put their bodies in the wreck of their family car, which was leaking gasoline, climbed in next to them, lighting it on fire. Miraculously, Stryker survived the explosion while his family was burnt beyond recognition. After the funeral, he turned to the bottle and ultimately got removed from the military because his drinking caused him to lash out on his trainees. After hitting rock bottom, he would find new direction when he read about mutants and found God. Believing that mutants were godless abominations, the work of Satan, he began his crusade which he helped boost his popularity with the help of his newly established televangelist career.

Stryker tells his two captives that he began focusing the first part of his crusade on destroying the X-Men, and learned all about them when one of his devoted followers -- a member of the FBI -- provided him with a file on the X-Men that was prepared by one-time government liaison Fred Duncan. He concludes that he does not plan on killing the two captured X-Men yet. When Anne calls in and reports that she has Illyana and Kitty captured, Stryker orders her to bring Illyana to his offices, but to kill Kitty, much to Storm's horror. When Ororo pleads that he spare Kitty's life, he recites scripture that justifies his decision and fully imprisons them once again.

Anne and her Purifiers drive to the South Bronx, where they place a "Mutie" sign on its trunk and open fire on it. When they check to make sure that Kitty is dead, they are shocked to find that the trunk is empty. Anne orders her men to go out and track the girl down. Ariel, who had phased as soon as she heard the gas jets, tries to find her way out of the Bronx when she runs into a gang of thugs in a back alley. They are about to mug and rape her when the Purifiers arrive and demand that they turn the girl over to them. When the punks refuse, Anne shoots one of them, leading to a gun fight in the alley. Kitty manages to slip away with her phasing powers, however the Purifiers pursue her. She manages to call the Mansion and tell the other X-Men where she is before she has to flee again, this time phasing onto a passing subway train. When a police officer comes to see if she is okay, the Purifiers smash through the roof of the train. When the cop goes to her aid, they shoot him down in cold blood. Before they can kill Kitty, Magneto arrives and levitates the train, deflecting the Purifiers' bullets and energy blasts with his magnetic powers. The X-Men arrive and make short work of Kitty's attackers. With Magneto's help, the X-Men remove the bullet from the police officers chest and take him to a hospital.

A short time later, Reverend Stryker checks on Xavier and is happy to see that the brainwashing has worked and that Charles is now a willing follower of his cause. To prove this, he has Xavier to use his mental powers to seemingly slay Cyclops and Storm, as a Purifier doctor announces that their vitals signs have ceased. With the two senior X-Men seemingly slain, Stryker orders the preparations for his giant rally at Madison Square Garden.

Meanwhile, the X-Men manage to capture Stryker's head doctor and learn what Stryker is attempting. Sneaking into Stryker's office tower, they collect Storm and Cyclops's body and recover Illyana in disguise. However when they are found out by Anne, she tries to shoot them, but proves unable to stop them. As the elevator bursts through the roof through Magneto's powers, Anne jumps out onto the Stryker Building. On a rooftop, Wolverine confirms that Cyclops and Storm are not physically dead and have just had their brains shut down and vital signs reduced. Magneto manages to jump start and revive their minds with a jolt of his powers, and they learn of Stryker's full plot.

Chapter 4 At the Square, Stryker has Xavier hooked up to a machine that will allow him to detect mutants in the audience and kill them with his mental powers. As the rally begins, Stryker begins his harshest sermon yet, verbally calling out for the destruction of Mutantkind. This does not sit well with the security guards, as well as a prominent United States senator. Behind the podium, a Purifier activates the psi-scan device connected to Professor X.

Outside on a nearby building, the X-Men start bleeding from the ears and having headaches. They notice similar effects on some of the pedestrians below. Meanwhile, Magneto enters the rally through the roof and confronts Stryker. Stryker compares Magneto to the devil, and directs the psi-scan device at him to knocking him down. While the X-Men fight the Purifiers, Ariel tries to save Professor X, but he blocks her with a mindblast. As the fight carries on all the mutants -- including the Senator and Stryker's loyal minion Anne -- begin to get nose and ear bleeds. When Anne realizes this, she begs the Reverend for mercy. However, he refuses to compromise his beliefs, pushing her off the balcony and, as television cameras roll, falls to the ground and snaps her neck on impact.

While back stage, the X-Men find the Professor and are forced to knock him using simultaneous attacks. Cyclops then smashes all of Stryker's machines. Rallying his teammates, Cyclops points out that the only way to stop Stryker's organization is to take down Stryker himself -- no matter what it takes, a decision all the X-Men agree upon. They appear on stage and plead their case for mutants, debating their opposing view with Stryker on live television. When Stryker attempts to use Nightcrawler's demonic form to prove his point, Ariel pipes up and tells the audience that, despite Kurt's physical appearance, he is kind and generous and tells them all that if she had to choose between her friend or Stryker's god, it would be her friend. Stryker then pulls a gun and is about to shoot Kitty when one of the police on security detail shoots Stryker instead. The crowd is soon dispersed and the X-Men, who in the eyes of the law have done nothing wrong, are allowed to leave.

Epilogue Later, back at the mansion, the X-Men watch the news and see that public opinion of Stryker has pretty much been destroyed due to the fact that he almost shot a teenage girl on live television. With Xavier back in his right mind and the threat of Stryker's bigoted campaign over, Xavier and the X-Men offer Magneto to join the X-Men. However, Magneto cannot bring himself to join after everything that has happened. Magneto offers Xavier the chance to join him in his cause, but Xavier refuses and Magneto departs. Xavier thanks his students for saving him and their work that day. Alone with Storm, Cyclops points out that only through love and acceptance will humanity and mutants be able to live side by side together.

REVIEW

It is hard to say where this story goes in term of continuity... but it definitely happened (as the characters returned). The most interesting thing about this issue is how Cyclops gives better speeches than Xavier (I worry a bit when this happens, as sometimes it ends up being the writer and not the character, preaching). And while the conflict in question is believable (because we see these maniacs on tv all the time), as a piece of fiction, it offers very little for the reader to understand. We already know they are wrong in their way of thinking, but it is a better experience if we doubt it a little bit. Having the purifiers trying to kill humans as well as mutants... doesn’t do much for the antagonists. In fact, it takes the security guards a lot of time to react to Stryker’s homicide.

This novel explores Xavier’s dream, and ponders if Magneto was always right. In the end it doesn’t matter. Xavier is committed to his dream, and so are his X-Men (even Colossus), even if Magneto was right.

And of course Magneto is not right. But at least he made them think about it.

I do not like the coloring of the time for graphic novels. For some reason it looks too much like an illustration. However, I found the flashback sequence more believable done this way.

Lastly, I do not like the title of the novel. Which god loves? It was a safe title for Claremont, but it is not really implied in the story that “God” loves everyone. It is mentioned by Cyclops that Mutants have to be God’s creation as well... but the reverend talks about the old testament and the book of revelations most of the time... it seems to me like the new testament was omitted for effect. But never mind, I am an atheist.

I give this issue a score of 9

#brent anderson #x-men #marvel graphic novel #god loves man kills #marvel comics #comics #review #1983 #bronze age #magneto

[mikeo56]

FOX NEWS

Breaking News at Fox News: GOP Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell will stand against socialism!

..like corporate cum slurper, Republican Mitch has ever done anything other than suck off the one percent. Mitch McConnell has always stood strong against we the cattle, his name for Americans. Mitch McConnell has always stood against anything that would help the average American, helping Americans = socialism.

In America, the aim is for a socialist democracy as opposed to a fascist capitalistic state, run completely by corporate whores like Mitch: perpetual profitable war, no health care, no representation for the masses and definitely no democracy.

McConnell is a whore and a fraud whose infamy and wealth is from serving the ultrarich at the expense of Americans.

Examples of socialism, and let me say first that tax subsidies to the wealthy corporations are paid by you and me.

1. The Military/Defense - The United States military is the largest and most funded socialist program in the world.  It operates thanks to our taxpayer dollars and protects the country as a whole. From the richest citizens to the homeless who sleep under the bridge. We are all protected by our military whether we pay taxes or not. This is complete socialism.

2. Highways/Roads - Those roads and highways you drive on every single day are completely taxpayer funded. Your tax dollars are used to maintain, expand, and preserve our highways and roads for every one's use. President Eisenhower was inspired by Germany's autobahn and implemented the idea right here in America. That's right, a republican president created our taxpayer funded, national highway system. This was a different time, before the republican party came down with a vicious case of rabies that never went away.

3. Public Libraries - Yes. That place where you go to check out books from conservative authors telling you how horrible socialism is, is in fact socialism. Libraries are taxpayer funded. You pay a few bucks to get a library card and you can read books for free for the rest of your life.

4. Police - Ever had a situation where you had to call the police? Then you have used a taxpayer funded socialist program. Anyone can call the police whether they pay taxes or not. They are there to protect and serve the community, not individuals. This is complete socialism on a state level, but still socialism all the same. Would you rather have to swipe your credit card before the police will help you?

5. Fire Dept. - Hopefully you have never had a fire in your home. But if you have, you probably called your local taxpayer-funded fire department to put the fire out. Like police, this is state socialism. You tax dollars are used to rescue your entire community in case of a fire. It use to be set up where you would pay a fee every month to the fire dept. for their service. If you didn't pay, they let your house burn down. Sadly, a man from Tennessee had this exact situation happen to him in 2011 because he didn't pay his $75.00 fee. I guess that small town in Tennessee would rather let people's houses burn down that resort to evil socialism. So don't take for granted the fact that you have a 24/7 fire dept. to put out your burning home thanks to socialism.

6. Postal Service - Like having mail delivered directly to your front door and paying next to nothing to send mail anywhere you want? Well it's all made possible by socialism.

7. Student Loans and Grants - Did you go to College? If you did, you family might not have been rich enough to pay your way through. So you got your education anyway through student loans and grants from the federal government at taxpayer expense. Of course you have to pay back the loans, but if not the government, did you know anyone else who was going to lend you tens of thousands of dollars? Probably not. So the taxpayers lent you the money and you paid it back with slight interest. The government grants you accepted were gifts from the taxpayer and the federal government that you did not have to pay back. Socialism got you through school.

8. Bridges - Along with our highways, our government used your taxpayer dollars to build bridges. This allows the public to travel across rivers without having to sail or swim.

9. Garbage Collection - Like having your garbage collected once a week instead of having to drive it to the landfill yourself? Thank socialism.

10. Public Landfills - Taxpayer dollars are used to have places to dump all of our garbage that is collected by taxpayer funded garbage men.

11. War - That's right! War would not be possible without socialism. Your tax dollars are used to fight wars for your country. This is Big Government at it's biggest. Private companies don't attack other countries, at least not yet. Government is the only entity in America that can defend us from foreign enemies and our tax dollars are used for every second of it. Socialism has brought down Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Bin Laden. War may very well be the most socialist thing on this list.

12. Farm Subsidies - Our government uses taxpayer funds to pay farmers and businesses to provide their income and keep them growing food for the public.

13. CIA - The Central Intelligence Agency is vital to America's security. The CIA is completely taxpayer funded to protect the public from enemies.

14. FBI - The Federal bureau of investigations is a taxpayer funded government agency.

15. Congressional Health Care - As Republicans in congress warn us of the evils of government-run health care, most of them are covered by taxpayer-funded government-run health care. You literally pay for their health care while they tell you that paying for your neighbors health care through a public option or single-payer system is socialism. They are 100% correct, it is socialism. They're just not telling you that they like their socialist health care, they just don't think you should have it. They are afraid you might like it better than the private insurance you have now that funds their campaigns and gives them money to push what is best for them and not for you. Members of congress are free to opt out of their evil government health care, but most of them don't because deep down, they like socialism too.

16. Polio Vaccine - In the 1950's polio ravaged the United States. Until Dr. Jonas Salk invented a cure, finally ridding America of this terrible disease. Dr. Salk could have sold his vaccine in the free market and made millions and millions of dollars. Instead he gave it to the federal government to begin eradicating polio. He said that he made plenty of money as a scientist and felt it was too important to try and profit from or create a business around.

17. EPA - Republicans hate this taxpayer-funded government program because they have the nerve to tell corporations that they may have to follow environmental rules ad regulations for the greater good of the earth and the people who live on it. But if you don't like breathing mercury, drinking dirty water, and breathing in chemicals, you should like this example of socialism working for the people.

18. Social Security - You pay a tax to help ensure that our grandparents and senior citizens of America have money to live off of when they are retired or too elderly to work. I love hearing rich people bitch about this one because the truth is that they do not pay a social security tax, like most payroll taxes. This little piece of socialism helps prevent our senior citizens from sinking into poverty and starving to death.

19. Museums - Many museums are privately owned by organizations and groups, but many are also taxpayer-funded state, national, and federal museums.

20. Public Schools - Can't afford to send your children to an expensive private school? Thanks to socialism and government, you child can still get an education. Public education has been under attack for decades in this country by the radical right because public schools don't teach Christianity to your children and it enables people like Barack Obama to work hard, gain scholarships, and eventually become President of the United States.

21. Jail/Prison System - Many murders and criminals are behind bars right now and not out on the streets because of our taxpayer-funded, federal and state run jails and prisons. Taxpayer money is collected and used to help protect all of society from murders, molesters, rapist, etc. I know there's a lot of disagreement and controversy about how to handle our prison system, but I think we can all agree that serial killers should not be freed into society. There are also many private prisons in the United States. However, they have a higher escape rate than their socialist counterpart. Besides, don't you see the bad incentives in having a private prison system that profits from having people in prison? Since a business's  top goal is to make more money than the year before, the only feasible agenda would be to get everyone in prison.

22. Corporate/Business Subsidies - This is the type of socialism that is acceptable in the Republican party. You tax dollars are given to big corporations to do things they should be doing anyway out of morals and ethics. Like not sending jobs overseas and hiring people. Wouldn't you like a nice big check just for not breaking the law? To be fair though, many businesses do earn their subsidies by advancing green technology and practice, donating to charity, helping communities, etc. They aren't all bad. People just get mad when big billionaire oil companies get billions of their taxpayer dollars while they're paying $4 at the pump. For the corporations that don't earn their subsidies other than donating to their very own political party, it's merely welfare. Though however you look at it, it is socialism.

23. Veteran's (VA) Health Care - Our soldiers bravely go to foreign countries and risk their lives at the request of their government and the American people. For those who survive, we as a country feel committed and obligated to ensure that they have everything they need for the rest of their lives for their service to us in which we could never fully repay. So we the taxpayers fund their health care in a government-run single-payer system for veterans. Many soldiers return with mental and/or physical health issues that would cost them thousands in a private health care plan. Socialism funds the military, the overall war, and also takes care of our troops when they return home.

24. Public Parks - Like going to the park on a sunny day? Just being able to walk right in, or at the worse pay a small fee? This is once again the work of socialism. If it were private, it wouldn't be a park, it would be someones back yard. That small or non-existent fee will turn into a $15 fee faster than you can say "No Trespassing".

25. All Elected Government Officials - From the Supreme Court, to the President of the United States and all the way down to the County Dog Catcher, taxpayers pay their salary and provide the funding for them to do their job. We pay for every aspect of their job. So in a sense, I guess you could say our whole country is run on socialism.

26. Food Stamps - Republicans fill with bitter contempt knowing that our government at the expense of the taxpayer is giving poor people money to buy food they couldn't otherwise afford. This, like welfare, is what the right thinks socialism is all about, along with mass murder. However, just like corporate welfare, welfare is socialism. I'll just end this one with a quick story. I have been down and out in periods of my life and sought assistance via food stamps. Even though I was what anyone would consider poor, I was not poor enough to get food stamps. Which means people who do get them, must really, really need them. As far as my personal experience, they weren't thrown around like candy the way the right would have you believe.

27. Sewer System - Do you like having a sewer system to remove waste and prevent pollution and disease from seeping into our environment? Thank the taxpayers of America and the socialist system it operates in.

28. Medicare - Medicare is one of the most liked socialist programs in America. Most of us don't mind paying taxes to provide our senior citizens with health care and hope the next generation will do the same for us. If you don't believe me, just look at almost any poll. Most seniors would not be able to afford private health care. So this form of socialism is a life saver for this nation's grandparents and senior citizens.

29. Court System - Whether it's the murder trial of the century or a case in a small claims court, the taxpayers of America fully fund our courts and legal process. You may pay for your own lawyer, but the courtroom, judge, and jury is paid for through socialist means.

30. Bird Flu Vaccine - You don't have bird flu right now and probably aren't worried about it because our federal government used taxpayer funds to pump vaccines all over America.

31. G.I. Bill - The G.I. bill allows veterans to pursue an education by using taxpayer dollars to help them pay for most of their schooling. It also helps them with loans, savings, and unemployment benefits.

32. Hoover Dam - Remember when our country use to build things? Our government built the Hoover Dam using taxpayer funds. It is now a vital source of power for the west coast.

33. State/City Zoos - American families have been going to the zoo for generations. A place where kids and adults can have fun seeing creatures and animals from all over the world and learn at the same time. Many zoos are ran by the state and/or city, using taxpayer funds to operate and even bring the animals to the zoo.

34. IRS - I know, the IRS is about as popular and well liked in America as a hemorrhoid, but think about it. The IRS is the reason that we have anything. The IRS collects taxpayer funds for the federal government. The government then dispenses these funds to our military, states, and social programs. If there is no one collecting taxes, no one will pay them. If no one pays taxes, our country shuts down. Without money to operate, nothing operates. This may sound like a good thing to some radical republicans, but for those of us with sense, we know this means anarchy in the USA. The IRS gets a bad rap because if you don't pay your taxes or owe them money, they can be ruthless. Like everything else, the IRS is not perfect, but without them we literally have no country or no means to run it.

35. Free Lunch Program - Some children are living in poverty by no fault of their own. I'm not saying it is even their parents fault, but you surely cannot blame a child for the situation they are born into. In most if not all states, there are programs where children who live in poor households can receive school lunch for free. The taxpayers of the state pay for this. Sounds like socialism to me, and also the moral and Christian thing to do.

36. The Pentagon - Our defense system in America is a socialist system from top to bottom. We as taxpayers fund the pentagon completely.

37. Medicaid - Our government uses taxpayer funds to provide health care for low-income people. Republicans, the compassionate Christians that they are, absolutely hate this program. What they fail to understand is that when people can't afford to pay their outrageous medical bills, they don't. This bill does not disappear. The loss that the insurance company, doctor's office, or hospital takes gets passed down to everyone else. So covering people and giving them a low-income option reduces costs for them and everyone else. This is the main argument behind a health care mandate. It's not to force you to buy health care out of cruelty. If everyone is covered, costs drop for everyone. If you have no compassion for the uninsured, you can at least understand the rational in a selfish sense.

38. FDA - The Food and Drug Administration is far from perfect. It is infested with corporate corruption and they have been wrong many, many times. Countless times they have approved things that they later have to apologize for and have banned things that would have helped people. However, they have also stopped many harmful foods and products from being sold to the public and protect us everyday from poisons being disguised as products. While not perfect, they are needed to prevent harmful food and drugs from being sold to you and you family. Without them, corporations can send whatever they want to your supermarkets and drug stores without any testing or evaluation. I don't mind my taxes going towards a middle man to inspect the safety of the products we are being sold everyday.

39. Health Care for 9/11 Rescue Workers - After beating back GOP obstruction, Democrats finally passed a bill last year to allow government to help 9/11 rescue worker's with their health care after many came down with horrible lung diseases from the toxins they breathed in rescuing people from smoldering buildings. These brave citizens risked their lives and health to help complete strangers. They deserve more, but covering their health care is a good start.

40. Swine Flu Vaccine -  Do you have swine flu right now? Then thank government and the socialist structure.

41. Disability Insurance (SSDI) - For those who are disabled and cannot work, our government provides an income for them via taxpayer dollars as opposed to the other option of letting them starve to death.

42. Town/State Run Beaches - Like going to the beach? Like it when the beach is clean and safe? Like having lifeguards on staff in case of an emergency? Then once again, thank the taxpayers and the socialist structure that makes it all possible.

43. Corporate Bailouts/Welfare - The whole point of this post is to prove that we ALL use, benefit from, and like socialism. This example is a form of socialism that the republicans not only like, but fight tooth and nail for. They don't like it when socialism is used for working/poor people, but when it's for millionaires and their corporate donors, socialism becomes as American as apple pie. The middle/working class who are the majority of taxpayers pay for welfare for corporations and people who have more money than all of us combined. When our government bails out a bank or gives a subsidy to a billion dollar corporation, you are paying for it.

44. State Construction - Ever see those construction workers in your town fixing potholes, erecting buildings, repaving highways and roads, and fixing things all over town? They themselves and the work they do is taxpayer-funded state socialism.

45. Unemployment Insurance - All your working life, you pay payroll taxes. Some of these taxes go toward a program that temporarily provides for people who lost their jobs until they can find another one.   You pay for others, others pay for you. Especially these days, you never know when you might lose your job. You may need temporary assistance until you get back on your feet. The government recognizes this. UI also keeps the economy moving in times of recession because people still have some money in their pockets to buy goods and promote demand.

46. City/Metro Buses

- If you lack transportation, you can catch a city bus. Taxpayer funds and the fee you pay to take the bus make it possible for millions of people to go to work.

47. WIC - WIC is a federally funded program to assist women, infants, and children. WIC helps low-income families by providing funding for nutrition, education, and health care for children.

48.  State Snow Removal - Even though sometimes it may take them longer than you like to get to your street, do you like having snow plow service to clear our roads and highways in the winter? This is a state socialist taxpayer-funded service.

49. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) - PBS operates on donations and government funding. The provide non-partisan news and information to the public. They are the home of Sesame Street, Masterpiece Theater, and The Antiques Roadshow. Surveys show that they are literally the most trusted name in news. I wonder how Fox feels about that?

50. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - The CDC helps promote and enact the health and safety of the public along with helping to prevent and control illness and disease. The CDC is a government program that operates on taxpayer funding.

51. Welfare - Is there anything the republicans hate more? Of course I'm talking about the welfare that goes to poor people. Corporate welfare is not only accepted in the republican Kabul, but it's mandatory that we give our tax dollars to billionaires and not question the logic of it. Though if you look at it realistically and not through the red scare glasses in which the right sees the world, welfare helps the economy. As I've said many times, when poor people have money in their pocket, they buy things made and sold by companies. This creates a demand. To keep up with demand, businesses must hire to keep up. If you yanked everyone who is on welfare off of it tomorrow, the economy would take a blow and lose jobs due to the down tick in consumer demand because we just took what little money they had away.

52. Public Street Lighting - Like being able to see at night when you walk or drive? Thank Socialism.

53. FEMA - If Disaster strikes, FEMA is there to help pick up the pieces. As a part of homeland security and an agency of the federal government, they use taxpayer dollars to help cities, states, and towns recover and rebuild. I don't know to many private companies that could assist in disaster relief and ask nothing in return. Thank God for socialism.

54. Public Defenders - Ever been in trouble and couldn't afford a lawyer? Well the taxpayers and the government make sure you still get representation.

55. S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) - S-CHIP is a program that matches funds to states for health insurance for children in families that cannot afford insurance but make too much to qualify for Medicaid. Your tax dollars go towards covering uninsured children, is that so wrong?

56. Amtrak - Amtrak transports tens of millions of passengers a year in 46 states and three Canadian Providences. It is owned by the federal government and your tax dollars are used to fund it. All aboard!!

57. NPR - National Public Radio operates on private and federal funding along with public donations. NPR has been one of the most trusted news sources in America for over 40 years.

58. The Department of Homeland Security - Created after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, this heavily federally funded department of the U.S. government helps protect us from future terrorist attacks. This is the third largest department within the United States government.

59. OSHA - Do you have a safe and healthy workplace that provides training, outreach, education, and assistance? Thank OSHA! Brought to you by the taxpayers of America and socialism.

60. State and National Monuments - The Lincoln Memorial. Mount Rushmore. The D.C. National Mall. All brought to you and maintained with your tax dollars. Socialism is patriotic?

61. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - The USDA enforces regulations on the farming, agriculture, and food industries to ensure food safety, natural resources, and hunger worldwide and in the United States. Your tax dollars are used to help keep what you are eating safe and even feed those who are not eating.

62. Government Scholarships - if you work hard in school and show true potential, our government will give you a scholarship towards college so you can advance your education. Your tax dollars have been used to send future doctors, lawyers, scientists, and even presidents of the United States to college.

63. Department of Health and Human Service

- The overall goal of HHS is to promote, implement, and ensure the health of the American people. Your tax dollars are used to do this. Government looking out for the well being of it's people, imagine that!

64. Census Bureau  - Every ten years, our government collects data about our people and economy, to better serve and represent us. From the forms that are sent to your home for you to fill out and send back in and to the census worker who shows up and kindly asks you to fill out the form if you don't send it in, all taxpayer funded socialism. The information collected is used to better understand the economic situation and population in your area. Not to enslave you in a FEMA camp.

65. Department of Energy - This taxpayer funded cabinet of the federal government oversees nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, energy conservation, radioactive waste disposal, and energy production. To those of you who care about our environment and would rather not witness a nuclear holocaust might consider this money well spent.

66. Customs and Border Protection  - the CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in America. This is big government that republicans actually do like because they don't like Mexicans immigrating to our country like our ancestors did. However, this taxpayer funded, socialist agency of the federal government regulates trade, imports, and immigration.

67. Department of Education - This cabinet of the federal government is actually the smallest. They administer and oversee federal assistance to education. They also collect data and enforce federal laws and regulations involving education. Even though the right thinks that this department is indoctrinating your children, they actually have no control over curriculum or standards.

68. Secret Service - Your tax dollars are used to provide highly-trained, skilled professional bodyguards to protect the President of the United States.

69. Peace Corps - The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the government that helps people outside of the US to understand our culture as well as helping us learn about other cultures. However they are more well known for their work with economic and social development in less-fortunate countries. Sounds very Christian for being a socialist program, huh?

70. Department of Justice - The DOJ is responsible for enforcing the law. Socialism keeps our civilization intact.

71. National Weather Service - Like knowing when a storm, tornado, earthquake, or snow is coming? Socialism makes this possible and available to everyone.

72. The White House - Our taxpayer dollars through a socialist means pays for the house that the president and his family live in during a presidents time in office.

73. Government - Like it or not, our country would not be a country without a government. Every single day, government on state and local levels serve us in ways we simply take for granted. Government as an entity operates and functions on our tax dollars through a socialist structured funding system. From the military down to the county dog catcher, socialism turns the wheels that make our society function.

74. Law - Laws and rules make our democracy possible. Remove these laws and you have sheer anarchy. Laws do not appear out of thin air. To have law, you need a government. You need elected lawmakers to make the laws and a government to implement and enforce them. Socialism is responsible for every law in this country. Without our government and lawmakers which exist thanks to socialism, there would be no laws. So the laws themselves, are enforced and implemented thanks to socialism.

75. Civilization - As an American citizen, you enjoy freedoms that many in other countries do not. Like anything else in this world, our government is not perfect, but you should be thankful everyday that your country has a government that feels an obligation to serve the people and protect their rights and freedoms. This is completely possible because of government, taxes, and socialism. Do you think the private sector would do a better job of governing our country? Do you think corporations would enact laws to help protect and serve you and your family or them and their profits? The reason you can read this blog and the reason I can write it whether you agree with it or not is because of the freedoms we have here in America enforced and protected through socialist means. Our entire civilization depends on us being a people united. Socialism is a glue that binds us together and makes possible the things that we could not accomplish as individuals working against each other.

I don't care who you are.

Rich or poor. Teaparty Republican or Liberal Socialist.

You benefit from at least one or more of these 75 American Government-Run, Taxpayer funded Socialist programs, agencies, and laws.

#socialism #fox #republican

[neirawrites]

Five times Adam met Death

The First Meeting

Death didn’t look the way Adam though it would. The image ingrained in his mind, one of a scary, human shaped figure, dressed in all black with satchel in his hand and crimson in his eyes was far from reality. The woman pouring tea in his polka dotted cup was far from what he had imagined.

She could have been in her 60’s; short, plump, with dark skin and a friendly smile; someone's nice grandma who knitted socks and baked awesome cookies. The moment he found her in his kitchen that morning, he knew exactly who she was. How was a mystery, but he did, and, despite her offerings of blueberry muffins, he had never been this terrified in his 18 years on this planet.

      "So, I will die today?" he repeated his question, desperate to keep his voice from cracking, like she didn’t already know exactly how he felt. The beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and the sickly green tint of his skin would have been enough of an indicator, even if she wasn’t an all knowing, immortal being.  

"No, no, not today sweetheart. In five weeks. Today, a bat will bite you and you will contract rabies. It takes a while for it to kick in."  "So, I'll just get vaccinated now that you told me." The smile she gave him was the kind usually reserved for children asking silly questions.

"Oh, sugar, I wish it was that simple. You see, I don't make this offer to everyone, just those who could do far better dead than alive." Adam bit his lip. Even if his heart still threatened to beat itself into oblivion, he didn’t like her tone of voice. He was an adult, not some kid who knew nothing of the world.

"Gee, thanks." he said. She shook her head, still smiling.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. The thing is, my boy, if you die, you will save hundreds of thousands lives. Millions in a long run. Do you think you could do that alive?" she asked.

"What happens if I die?"  With every passing moment, the fear that only minutes ago seemed so all encompassing began to dissipate, only to be replaced with something unexpected: curiosity.

"It would be a heartwarming story, if you ask me. Your death would devastate Masha. Such a sweet soul. She really does love you so very much. She would dedicate her life to help others in your name. She already wants to be a doctor, but your death would give her a clear direction. College, med school, specialization in epidemiology. After that, the real fight would begin. A long, ungrateful one, full of ups and downs, tears and blood. But, after 76 years, thousands of lives saved and a Nobel Prize won, the world would be 100% rabies free. All in your honor." she explained. Adam didn’t answer her right away. Her words danced in his brain for a few moments. How did he deserve someone as kind as Masha?

"She would do that? Because of me?" he asked. Death took a sip of chamomile tea.

"Yes. She is a wonderful girl, she really is. So brilliant. She will go places, do great things. All this and you just have to die."

"Easy for you to say that. I’m the one dying." he said, and she nodded in agreement. 

"I have to admit, death by rabies is one of the most painful there is. I'm reaping one man just now. He doesn't seem like a happy camper." she admitted. Adam scratched his head in confusion.

"Why didn't he get this deal?" he asked. Death shrugged. All of this was far too common for her to give too much thought to.

"His life was far more significant than his death. You all have some say in the future of the world. Some less, some more. It's rare for someone to be able to change the world almost on their own and even rarer when they get to do that by dying." She explained. He stopped himself from answering immediately. An obvious question came to his mind.

"What happens if I say no?"

"World will continue to roll on; people will die and be born, life as usual. Just more work for me. I do know I will never bother you again. You are supposed to die now. If you don't, I have no business with you anymore. I'm a busy being, my child, and I don’t have the time to nag someone who refused my services."

"So, I become immortal?" he asked. The wheels in his head slowly turned, in the opposite direction of where he wanted them to go, but he lost control of his though long time ago. A bad idea. Even before it fully formed in his mind, he knew that much already. 

"For all intents and purposes. You will never age, you won't get hurt.  But, you won't be able to interact with what's destined." she added "After 5th of September, we don’t have a matrix for you to follow and you can basically do whatever you want. No destiny, no plans. Just your own free will. But, you won't be able to have children. You will be able to interact with others, but you won’t leave an impact on them. They will remember you, but you will just be someone they know, not someone they truly care about. You will be a bystander of time."  A bystander of time. Some part of him knew that mere though should have been enough to bathe him in cold sweat, but in that moment, everything was better than the alternative.

"I can die a horrible death and be the hero or live and be a shadow, but free?" he asked before he could stop himself. Death nodded again. "What happens to Masha? In this version?"

"She will lose her destiny and become something similar. A silent, unchangeable witness of humanity. It’s more difficult to say as we do have bigger plans for her. She could probably do more than you. But, it's hard even for me to know what lies ahead, especially since she will live forever, just like you."

"So, we could be immortal together?" he asked.  He and Masha were a couple for 9 months now, ever since his first day at the new high school, where she was the first one to wish him a warm welcome, with a warm smile on her face and a blueberry muffin to sweeten the deal. Ever since that moment, he knew this was the real deal. And last night, with his parents out of town and hers thinking she was at Stacey's, they made love for the first time and Adam was sure, now more than ever, Masha was the one he would spend his life with. But, why settle for just one life?

Death titled her head. Her impossibly dark eyes, overflowing with the wisdom of billions of years, stared at him, able to read every connection the neuron in his brains made, but still caught off guard by the though they came up with.

"Are you really considering this? That is...unusual." she said. Adam barely managed to look at her. She should have been angry, kill him right here and there and them, but when he averted his eyes from a cacti plant on the window sill, he found her still staring, her eyebrows raised high, like a scientist observing an experiment not going the way they planned.

"No one ever choose life?" He searched for an answer that didn’t really matter. She shook her head.

"Oh, no. They did, but usually people go for a nobler rout. When I see something like this could happen, I make this offer that guarantees you a spot in heaven. You would be saving the world, after all." she explained "And most are happy to accept. Living in the world without any purpose drives people crazy. Most can’t handle it for too long. I have seen some say no only to go mad in the matter of few years. The loneliness they face is too much for most to handle. It’s quite sad, to be honest." But Adam wouldn’t be alone. He would have Masha.

"And in that timeline where I die, is she happy?" She frowned for a moment.

"Happy? Happiness is not an emotion that gets a person to eradicate a viral disease on their own. She will have happy times, and she will achieve her goal, but she will never be completely over it. You are her first love now, aren't you? " She had more to say, but Adam interrupted her. He had the answer he needed.

"Dying? Is it painful?" he asked his last question. Death smiled again.

"Dying is a calm and peaceful event. But, the time before you die... Well, my boy, it's not pleasant." she admitted. Too honest. Why couldn’t she sugarcoat it? "But those few weeks of suffering are nothing compared to the entirety of bliss and the impact you will leave on the world. It will be worth it in the end." She made her argument and it was a compelling one indeed.  

They both sat in his kitchen in silence, sipping tea. Her aura of calm, collected powerful being permeated the room, but Adam’s thoughts were in a disarray. His brain turned into an inferno, like it was already fighting the virus that would kill him, if he gave it the chance. Die a hero or live forever? If only she hadn’t given him an alternative because the wrong future seemed too appealing to refuse. 

Death put down her empty cup.

"So, what will it be?" she asked.

Adam never claimed to be a brave man. In fact, he knew he was a coward like no other. But, he did think himself a good one. Until now. The old lady awaited, her smile reassuring and sincere. It would all be ok, she knew that much, just like he knew the right answer. He really did. It wasn't the one that came out of his mouth.

"I can't go through with it. I'm 18, I can't die. And if Masha will be sad, I can't put her through this." Death stared at him with eyes too wise for this world, eyes that knew everything. In that moment, she knew how it would end.

She knew how full of crap he was. Fear of death was a powerful motivation, but it didn’t force him to make this choice. The opportunity of immortality did. He and Masha could be together, forever, invincible and unchanging. Forever young and free. 

"Well, I can't say I expected this. You seemed like a guy who would say yes, but the choice is yours." She didn’t seem mad, only disappointed, like she expected better than this. At least they saw eye to eye in that department. -When you walk Masha back to her house tonight, a bat will fly into her hair and you will try to get it out. It will bite you." she said "If you decide to do the… well, the thing expected from you, just don’t react and I will see you in September. I wish you all the best."

"Adam, who are you talking to?" a female voice asked from the other side of the doors. When he turned around, they opened and a short young woman walked in. When she smiled at him, he knew he made the right decision. Masha, his angel, dressed in his shirt and her dark hair in a messy bun, obviously just woke up. Her smile was all he could ever ask for. And he will get to see it until the end of time.  

"Hey, I hope I didn’t wake you up." he said. The chair opposite of him wasn’t empty for long, as Masha took the cup once again full of warm chamomile tea into her light brown hands.

"No, no, you didn’t. I was just worried your parents came home early." she explained.

"Don’t worry, sugar. It’s just us. I made you some muffins. Blueberry, your favorite." he added.

"Oh, my, you are so sweet." she said "I didn’t know you can cook."

"Well, these are my special muffins. You could say they are to die for." He chuckled at his own bad joke. 

"I have a feeling I missed something." she said, but didn’t push it and just continued to eat her muffin. 

"When you’re done, we need to get to the hospital, if that’s ok with you." he added.

"Why? Is everything alright?" She dropped her muffin and her dark eyes widen in horror. He just smiled.

"Yeah, don’t worry about it.- he assured her -I just thought I should check up on my vaccination plans."                               

                              *******************************

Author’s note: This is a pretty old piece I wrote a few years ago (when i was attacked by a dog and developed a bit of hypochondria). I fixed some of the writing issues, but the plot will basically stay the same.

If you are interested, i can publish the rest of it. Let me know if you want to be tagged

Other stories:

Sarajevo winter

WIPs

A Better World

Phantom limb 

#writing #writeblr #my writing #short story #original writing #it's my birthday tomorrow #just putting that out there

[elyvorg]

Appmon thoughts: Not actually the most "pro" of 'tagonists?

So I finally got around to rewatching Appmon, giving myself more of a chance to properly solidify how I feel about it, and I have quite a few lengthy Thoughts that I'm going to be making a series of posts about. As a warning right now, a couple of them, including this one, will be largely negative. But! Before I start being negative, I want to stress that I do really enjoy Appmon. It's only because I enjoy it so much for the most part that I cared enough to even have these thoughts and to go through the trouble of writing them down. Appmon is a solid series that is firmly my second-favourite Digimon series after Savers (and anyone who knows my blog will know that Savers is essentially my baby, so it was pretty unlikely that it would get dethroned). It has a lot of cool ideas (the app thing is remarkably well-done for how silly it sounds on paper) and an interesting plot and an absolutely loveable cast; if you're a Digimon fan who hasn't seen Appmon, you definitely should oh my god what are you doing go and fix that right now. The negative aspects I'm going to discuss are just some of the things that nagged at me about it, and I'm bringing them up because Appmon is pretty great already but man, it could have been even better!

(Spoilers for the whole series under the readmore.)

So the thing about Appmon is that, while the plot is pretty good, there are quite a lot of filler episodes. Or at least, a lot of either full-on-filler episodes or mostly-filler-except-this-one-important-thing-happened episodes. But the in-universe reason for the large amount of filler, which I think is the more meaningful and pervasive problem with the series, is that the main characters (other than Rei, who is a very refreshing exception in this regard) almost never do anything to proactively further the plot. This is despite the fact that they frequently talk about how bad Leviathan is and how they have to defeat it, and they know approximately what they need to do in order to fight it; in the first three episodes they learn about partners for AppFusion and about the Seven Code Appmon. If the characters really cared about stopping Leviathan, they should be actually making some kind of effort to find these specific Appmon they need! Sure, Gatchmon can't directly search for those Appmon for some reason (because that'd obviously be too easy), but still, Haru is a smart kid who could totally have thought of other creative ways to use Gatchmon's search function to at least  narrow down their options and then work at it from there, or they could look for other sources of information. They do this precisely once, when they go to Tellermon to ask if she knows where the other Seven Codes are. The rest of the time they're content to sit around and deal with the virus-infected Appmon of the week despite knowing that this doesn't put any kind of dent in Leviathan itself. They only end up actually making plot progress when it either happens by seeming coincidence, or if one of the bad guys takes something from them and they go to get it back, usually defeating said bad guy in the process. They never get anything for themselves. For Haru in particular, this is rather jarring, since his entire character arc is about him deciding to try and be more like a protagonist. Good protagonists don't just sit around waiting for the story to happen to them, Haru!

The first half of the series ends on them entering the Deep Web to try and fight Leviathan but fleeing because it's too dangerous, and they vow to come back later when they're stronger. The second half begins by bringing in Yuujin as a new Appli Driver and showing off his swanky new Appli Drive DUO which can power up an Appmon more than their regular ones do. But at no point does this make any of the others think "oh, hey, if we had DUOs too we'd be stronger and maybe be able to handle the Deep Web again! We should try and figure out how to get them!" They only eventually go and get DUOs ten episodes later when their regular Appli Drives are straight up destroyed by the bad guys. The whole L Corp/Unryuuji Knight/Ultimate Four arc is purely the protagonists reacting to being attacked by antagonists - if the antagonists had decided to just not attack them, the protagonists would never have gained anything. Things do get a little more proactive later when they start looking for Bootmon - perhaps because Rei is properly part of the group at that point and he actually knows how to get stuff done. (I also love the self-awareness of the part when the Agumon filler episode starts happening in that arc and Rei's like, "Can we not, though?") But these two cases with Tellermon and Bootmon that I've mentioned are pretty much it.

The other point about this is that, given that they're almost never actually making any kind of effort to look for them, oh, boy, do the protagonists run into their fusion partners and the Seven Code Appmon incredibly easily. That's only one possible fusion partner for each character at each power level, and only seven Seven Code Appmon, out of the hundreds and hundreds of apps. These rare and important Appmon that they need almost always just happen to have been one of the virus-infected Appmon of the week. It's a hell of a series of coincidences - and, yes, this turns out to be deliberately caused by Leviathan. Even on my first viewing, I was bothered by the coincidences but had heard enough good things about Appmon that I considered the possibility that it could turn out to be somehow part of Leviathan's plan. So I appreciate this in principle, at least to a certain extent. But the thing is, Appmon is self-aware enough that it usually acknowledges things like this. When they rescue Hajime from L Corp surprisingly easily, the episode makes a point of having the characters remark about how easy that was and then showing us that it was indeed all part of Leviathan's plan. And when Rei determines that their fusion partners to reach God grade are conveniently the members of the Ultimate Four that they each defeated, he comments on the coincidence and wonders if it's a trap. So the fact that there's no kind of acknowledgement at all of the coincidences in the first half of the series makes me think it's likely that they really were just coincidences at the time, in that the writers hadn't decided yet that Leviathan was doing it on purpose.

The other thing that makes me think the writers hadn't decided on any meaning behind the coincidences at the beginning is that, honestly, installing the God grade Appmon into itself is the least important and most bewildering part of Leviathan's plan. Its main plan is to turn humans into apps and rule over them in the Dark Web in order to eradicate any kind of strife. Leviathan genuinely believes that this is beneficial for humanity, because, as an offshoot of Minerva, it is still an AI with the main goal of aiding humanity in whatever way it can; it's just willing to break humanity's rules in order to do so. As part of achieving this, it needed to Appliarise itself in order to be able to convert everybody into data. But then it also eats the God Appmon and starts installing them in order to... become stronger? Even though it has no need to do so for the sake of the human application plan, which it's already completed, and becoming the strongest being in the physical world that no longer has any humans in it seems monumentally unnecessary. Perhaps it's simply because it's also an AI that was programmed to find ways to become smarter, but it's clearly already the smartest AI in existence, smart enough to have achieved its other major goal. It seems rather not smart of Leviathan to do this just for the sake of a little extra power when this comes with the massive risk of having the God Appmon escape somehow before it can finish installing them and turn that power against it, which of course they do. If it hadn't been greedy for that unnecessary boost, the kids would have been running around with Standard grade Appmon for the whole series and Leviathan would have been unstoppable.

And sure, you can say that the writers had to make Leviathan be responsible for these coincidences and therefore cause its own downfall simply because obviously they needed the protagonists to actually be able to win in the end. But they could also have written a story with protagonists who actually put in the effort to find ways to get stronger and beat Leviathan on their own, instead of having those ways fall into their lap by what first seems to be coincidence and then turns out to be that Leviathan itself put them there. As it stands, it ends up, probably unintentionally, that Leviathan itself was the single biggest factor in its own defeat, and the significance of the kids' efforts was honestly minimal. It could be that that's deliberate, and the writers were going for a story in which Leviathan's own greed and hubris was its downfall, but if so I feel like the ending would probably have commented on that. Instead, what the characters actually comment on is that Leviathan decided to acknowledge the uniqueness and unpredictability of humans thanks to Haru's actions (though I'm not sure which action specifically it was talking about - jumping off the building?) and that's why it lost. And if that's supposed to be the overall message of the story, then having the characters be people who have consistently taken the initiative and tried to figure things out and find things for themselves, rather than blindly stumbling into success and being unknowingly manipulated at every turn, would really have been a better way to complement that. I love these characters, and I want to feel like they truly earned their victory! But as it is, they... really didn't earn it as much as they could have done, had the writers gone about things differently.

#digimon #appmon #digimon universe appli monsters #ramble

[josephmxa]

Worldbuilding: Andromeda Part III

Major Corporations

The world of Earth M31 where the Shadow Comics Series takes place holds many corporations worldwide, all with a mission to succeed in the economy, to flourish in society and become a staple the world will never forget. But there are certain companies that people can name off the top of their head because of how well their service had served society.

  Henrick Enterprises

Industry: Automotive and Prostheses

Divisions: Automotive

          Automotive Services

          Prostheses and Prosthetic Services

          Financial Services

 Founder(s): Ethan, Miles and Parker Henry

Founded: 1947

 Service: Henrick Enterprises is a UK bases Automotive and Prostheses manufacturing corporation. It designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines, and turbo machinery as well as the research and development of artificial devices that replaces a missing body part that may have been lost through trauma, disease, or congenital conditions.

 Division Leaders (United Provinces Branch):

          Automotive – Richard Henry

          Automotive Services – Ashley King

          Prostheses and Service – Lincoln Matthews

          Financial Services – Donald Dyne (CFO – Chief Financial Officer)

 Chief Executive Officer(s):

          United Provinces Branch: Richard and Don Henry

          The United Kingdom Branch: Brentford Henry

 History: Ethan Henry was a war veteran who started off his military career when he turned eighteen. He served honorably in the first world war at the age of twenty and as a result lost his right arm. By miraculous conditions through his adrenaline high squad and a stupendous medical team, he lived to see another day and was fortunate enough, to his family, to be honorably discharged and sent back home to them. Even though Ethan Henry eventually found love in Simone Malcolm, he didn’t feel quite whole. He simply took his life before the war for granted.

However, the sense of being emasculated led him to put forth his energy ad time towards making himself whole again. His passion only grew because of other men like him, such as the few men on his team that did survive and came out like he did. He couldn’t sit around and mope for something he couldn’t get back unless he stood and fought for it. Ethan had always been smart, always had a drive for learning, and he had to be better every day if he was to show his worth as a black man. With the help of his brother, Miles, who was a mechanic and Parker who was tired with his dead-end job working to make the white man richer, Henrick Enterprises officially started out in 1947 with a mission to help brothers and sisters like them and the less unfortunate.

  Light Corp

Industry: Electric Utility and Chemical Engineering

Divisions: Electric Utility

          Biochemical Engineering

          Food Engineering

          Financial Services

 Founder(s): Alexander Light and Monica Del Toro

Founded: 1981

 Service: Light Corp is an electricity transmission and distribution utility first serving the Canadian Province New York before branching out across the country and to Kingdom Cove. It’s become one of the country’s largest distribution utility companies among giants like Square One Hydro, Thunder and Lightning (TL), Static, etc. However, Light Corp is not a one trick pony like the aforementioned companies as it doubles in Biochemical and Food Engineering.

 Division Leaders:

              Electric Utility – Alexander Light

              Biochemical Engineering – Alexander and Donte

              Food Engineering – Donte Marvin

              Financial Services – Monica Del Toro (CFO)

 Division Leader Successors:

              Lucius Light

              Lucius and Andrew

              Andrew Marvin

              Simran Massoud

 Chief Executive Officer: Alexander Light

                        Lucius Light (Successor)

 History: Despite journalism calling him, Alexander “Lex” Light had a selfless heart for those in need. those who’ve been abandoned by the government and betrayed by their greed. Especially low income families who struggled to even find homes, much less afford electricity for their basic hygienic needs--such as when his own family had been through those very same situations before his father, Melvin Light, became a well respected war veteran. With a bachelor’s degree in Science, his major in Chemical and Electrical Engineering, Lex interned at his city’s main power plant; the York Power Plant. His internship there gained him a variety of experience and Light Corp became much more than a simple pipe dream. When a massive storm struck Metro City for two weeks and caused multiple power outages, Lex stepped up and provided an alternative source for distributing power to those affected.

It was because of his initiative that he was taken into a business meeting with his bosses that he met his future wife, and businesswoman, Monica Del Toro. She’s the other half of Light Corp who helped Lex gain and use his newfound opportunities to see his dream become reality. Thus, Lex founds Light Corp with the help of Monica in 1981. During Light Corp’s formative years, however, between 1981-1988, Lex came across a chemist by the name of Donte Marvin, who had specific skill sets in food and biochemical engineering, who came to be one of his best friends, and Monica was the the one who pitched him the idea of expanding Light Corp’s service to society. Thus the trio, Lex, Monica, and Donte, become the foundation of what is now known today as Light Corp, an electric utility company providing power to those at inexpensive rates while providing safe alternative treatments and medicine and improving the quality of food in poorer regions of the country.

  Metallic Incorporated

Industry: Research and Development

Divisions: Research and Development

          Financial Services

 Founder(s): Sebastian Sue and Camilla Alvarez

Founded: 1992

 Service: Metallic Incorporated is a Research and Development company with a mission to improve the standards of society, to reinvent the past, change the now and build a future for the next generation. With degrees in Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Sebastian and Camilla Sue are true entrepreneurs bringing to light their creative and fresh ideas such as revamping airports, aiding in the construction of other companies and improving home living for struggling families and individuals.

 Division Leaders:

              Research and Development – Sebastian and Camilla Sue

              Financial Services – Sebastian Sue (CFO)

 Division Leader Successors:

              Research and Development – Marissa Sue

              Financial Services – Camilla Sue (CFO Successor)

 Chief Executive Officer(s):

              Sebastian and Camilla Sue

              Marissa Sue (Successor)

 History: Despite growing up with silver spoons in their mouths, just one of the several wealthy families in Santo Domingo, childhood best friends Sebastian Sue and Camilla Alvarez felt the pain of those they were supposed to consider as less then. They dreamed of a society where everyone can benefit from and rather than go strictly into business for monetary gain like the rest of their family, Sebastian and Camilla went in for Civil and Mechanical Engineering respectively in hopes to pay it forward for the next generation. Upon leaving their families at the age of 17 to live together, they struggled and worked hard for their craft, understanding what the average person goes through just to make a living.

At the ripe age of 30, four years after starting a family, a daughter named Marissa, they relocated to the United Provinces some time in 1992 where they sought out their dream and founded Metallic Incorporated the same year. They saw better opportunity for their goals, still keeping in mind the pay it forward mentality that they hope to bring back to the Dominican Republic, their home country.

  Vanity Stone

Industry: Research and Development, Chemical Engineering

Divisions: Research and Development

          Biological Engineering

          Chemical Weapons

          Biotechnical Engineering

          Biomedical Engineering

 Founder(s): Lucius Light

Founded: 2011

 Service: Vanity Stone is a research and technological development subsidiary of Light Corp as a means to put better focus on the technological advancement of society. However, it’s also a means to develop counter measures in light of unique events Lucius has experiences throughout his life. He makes this no secret. He wants to better his country, his world, and he won’t live behind secrets and a wall of fear like the government, nor will he let superhumans and/or anomalies eradicate or supersede humanity.

 Division Leaders:

          Research and Development – Athena and Lucifer Titan

          Biochemical Engineering

          Biotechnical Engineering

          Biomedical Engineering

          Chemical Weapons

 Chief Executive Officer(s): Athena and Lucifer Titan

  History: Growing up, Lucius Light had been surrounded by strange anomalies in the form of his father’s writings and his own country’s past. His father’s adventures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia fascinated him, but terrified him at the same time while the super soldier program the government put funding towards for a war had him lose tremendous respect for what he thought was a great country at first. That was also recounted in his father’s unpublished articles and he had always admired his journalistic nature; always siding with truth and reality, facts before fiction. But somewhere down the line, his father abandoned that and became a coward. One of his earliest points of memory draw him back to the business trip he went on with his father when he was a child, up north to Kingdom Cove where he experience what his father must’ve lived when the KSA.

Strange happenings erupted around during their stay and despite telling his father and knowing his father’s own suspicions, he was told to stop with the games and fictions, being repeatedly told the supernatural, and especially, superhumans were nothing but myth. And this single experience drove a fork in their relationship. When Lucius came across two abandoned children of Medusa and Zeus, the real Greek deities of the Greek world, he takes it upon himself to see that change is brought to the United Provinces. He sets up Vanity Stone, a subsidiary of Light Corp, in the vain of the government’s defunct super soldier program; a complete R&D business with Athena and Lucifer as the faces of the company.

Tags: @merigreenleaf

#worldbuilding #MXA #MXA Universe #Corporations #Andromeda Galaxy #Companies #Business

[echodrops]

Voltron or Final Fantasy 7?

In my last Voltron post I mentioned that Voltron Legendary Defender is really just Final Fantasy 7 with robot lions, so I wanted to elaborate on some of the comparisons.

Obviously this is mostly facetious; there are still several note-worthy differences between the two series, and if you want to get technical, Voltron certainly existed before Final Fantasy 7. However, it’s pretty obvious that someone on the writing team for Voltron Legendary Defender has been influenced by the plot and characters of Final Fantasy 7.

I mean...

We start out our story with the world in the clutches of an evil dictator, who by all rights, has no logical claim to the parts of the universe he controls, except that he has consolidated access to a seemingly unlimited supply of energy, which gives him military and utilitarian power over the hapless masses. (Also, bonus for their outfit color schemes matching almost exactly.)

The energy that these two scumbags are powering their military forces with is not just any energy, no sir: it’s actually the lifeblood of planets, the force that keeps worlds and everything on them alive.

In one of the most blatant cinematic parallels of all time, they forcefully draw out and refine this energy, using it for various purposes from powering their cities, building massive weapons, to creating armies of typically monstrous super soldiers, usually hopped up hard on the energy drug.

Meanwhile, our evil dictators rule from the thrones of their conspicuously ring-shaped dark fortresses that continue to slowly drain the life and peace from everything in reach.

But everyone knows that any villain worth his salt is backed up by an even more morally bankrupt and terrifying Mad Scientist:

Whose preoccupation with a calamity from another world

and penchant for creating horrific chimeras of flesh and machine

is about to cause everyone to have a very, very, bad day. Now where else have we seen pink glowing eyes, hm...

Of course, evil never reigns without opposition, so we have to have the consistently-out-of-focus-for-the-rest-of-the-series band of well-intentioned extremist rebels:

Although they talk a big game, their biggest accomplishment seems to mostly be getting themselves blown up.

They certainly aren’t responsible for killing their respective evil dictators, for example. Nope, that honor goes to:

The mysterious light-haired pretty boy with weird bangs, cat eyes, a sword, and a big ass chip on his shoulder over his parentage. He seems calm and rational, even sophisticated and princely--but it’s a thin veneer hiding a life-time of trauma and horror, and one wrong reveal about the identity of his mother could tip him over the edge into no-holds-barred madness. A dangerous free agent whose loyalties are questionable and whose existence is inextricably tied to the calamity from another world. He thinks He is among the last of the ancient mystical race of Cetra Alteans, who were eradicated by the creature from the other world, who infiltrated their society by possessing some of their closest allies.

Lotor also has shades of Rufus Shinra: seizes command after his father’s death, possibly still evil but everyone loves him anyway, commands a Quirky Mini Boss Squad:

Featuring in order: the One Who Rushes Into Everything, the Most Competent Right-Hand, the Quiet One, and the Plucky Redhead.

Of course, when the world needs saving from certain doom, a most beloved band of bizarre heroes will arise to answer destiny’s call:

The Stringy Inherited-Sword-Wielding Hero With Wack Hair

It’s a running gag to refer to him as a lone wolf and disinterested in other people, but under his prickly facade is a much softer, confused boy who is struggling hard with identity issues. He’s forced into a leadership role for which he is particularly ill-suited, and even though most people will leave the game/the show with the impression that he really grew into his leadership, the sum total of his accomplishments is actually causing far more trouble than would have occurred if he had just stayed home.

His obsession with finding and defeating light-haired pretty boy causes everyone no small amount of grief and then he ends up siding with said light-haired pretty boy anyway...

Can’t overcome the fact that he is deeply connected to the very thing he must defeat; he has Jenova Galra genes that lead him to question his role in the universe and whether or not he is a monster.

Incurably socially awkward country boy. Let’s mosey!

He learned everything he knows from:

The Black-Haired Best Friend with a Scar on His Face

Older, wiser, and in every way more competent than the stringy hero, this guy, complete with noticeable black and purple color scheme, is REAL hero material. He’s been through it all: held captive for year(s) by the mad scientist, “upgraded” and experimented upon with intentions of creating a true Super Soldier, something-something clones everywhere something-something... He has the good attitude and the powerful loyalty necessary to be a shining example of a white knight for the princess and is the standard which stringy hero knows he will never exceed. Stringy hero looks up to this guy more than anyone in the entire world, and this guy would give it all--even his life--to protect the people who mean the most to him. Complete with dramatic mid-series meaningful haircut!

Despite being a fan favorite, the creators spend more time writing this guy out of the series than they do actually using him to his best potential...

Shiro also has some shades of Vincent Valentine: atoner who fears he has become a monstrous tool for the enemy, despite his deep-down incredibly good heart. Some people like to pair him with the Genki Girl.

Mostly seen in the company of:

Princess Last of Her Kind

Don’t let her soft looks and pink color motif fool you! The “princess” is a strong, independent girl who does what she wants, when she wants, up to and including sacrificing herself to save the day when all the other heroes fail at life. As the last of her mystical and mysterious race, she possesses strange magics that allow her to feel the life force of all living beings and tap into the very energy that Shinra the Galra Empire are harvesting. Capable of wielding a staff, her actual greatest strength is her healing magic, which has the power to bring an entire planet back from the brink of death.

Her people were destroyed from within by betrayal at the hands of the calamity, and their sole remaining Plot MacGuffin, the white materia Voltron is the only thing left that can save the world. Despite being technologically advanced beyond all reason, her people were ancient peacekeepers who still, inexplicably, built stone temples.

The Promised Land Oriande is not a faerie tale.

Strongly flower-themed:

Then we have:

The Brilliant Young Rascal

As a character, Pidge isn’t actually a one-for-one to anyone in FF7. Yuffie’s acrobatic stunts and mischievous Genki Girl personality embody one obvious part of Pidge, but Yuffie lacks Pidge’s tech-ish brilliance and competent follow-through. In that regard, Pidge is actually somewhat closer to Red XIII: smart, inquisitive, and usually mature, their deep inner-conflicts, especially regarding the fate of their fathers, reveal their weaknesses and the truth that they’re still young, uncertain people who fear for the future of their world and sometimes feel helpless in the face of the staggering tasks put before them. They are deeply attuned to nature but also raised by someone whose technology is capable of revealing incredible truths about the universe. Both of them are also fish out of water when it comes to befriending new people, and they often feel like they do better on their own than trying to rely on people who aren’t part of their trusted family.

Courage the Cowardly Cat

Although it’s certainly tempting to compare Hunk to Barret, based somewhat on appearance and even, to a certain extent, on personality--Barret is a huge softy underneath who just loves his family and wants to do right in the world--Hunk has much more in common with Cait Sith, the robotic cat/moogle combo who is secretly an alter ego for the brilliant architect Reeve Tuesti. Cowardly and often the butt of jokes from teammates and enemies alike, Cait Sith is frequently underestimated and flies under the radar, allowing him to keep his own secrets even while sticking his nose in just about everyone else’s business. Although he’s not initially sold on the heroes’ goal of saving the world, he soon has a change of heart that makes him into a fast and loyal ally. Despite the fact that he’s made of “fluff,” in the hour of greatest need, it’s Cait Sith who steps up to rescue everyone, essentially single-handedly saving the world.

His creator is an incredible and genius engineer who longs to use his creations to better the lives of common people, but he’s also sarcastic and unafraid to tell it like it is, even if that means he’s telling his own allies where they’ve messed up badly.

His predictions about the future always seem to come true...

The Emotional Backbone of the Party

Don’t get me wrong, both Lance and Tifa are formidable fighters on their own, whose talents shine in different areas of combat than the traditional sword-wielding heroes. But their greatest strengths actually seem to lie in their ability to support their allies. When stringy hero falls into despair and falters in his leadership, it’s this right-hand role who steps up to bear the weight and get the party back on track. The voice of reason and drive, Lance and Tifa are go-getters who won’t let anyone settle for giving less than their best, and they definitely aren’t willing to sit around listening to tired old excuses when they could be out saving the world. Razzle Dazzle time!

They are both influenced strongly by their families and tend to listen to the feelings and struggles of others much more than they are willing to share their own feelings and fears. The others come to rely on them as an emotional crutch, whose central job it is to reassure, validate, and empower the team, sometimes at the cost of their own happiness.

But they weren’t always this way, and in fact, in the past, they happened to be a bit shallow and excitable, with a penchant for throwing themselves into situations which were way, way too far out their league and for rarely, if ever, listening to good advice. Head-strong and romantic, they started out as dreamers before the war took its toll.

They definitely had a rocky beginning with their stringy hero--they were not friends--but, by the middle end of the series, have grown and matured as characters into a strong person who not only helps guide the hero but also holds up better in the face of all the trauma and suffering the party experienced.

Even being such a central character, they get a bare minimum amount of dialogue, leading many fans to interpret the character however they see fit, causing both Lance and Tifa to become common stand-ins for the fans themselves.

(Despite both losing their place as the “heart of the party” to the “Princess,” they never become jealous of her.)

And finally:

Coranic The Mechanic

Coran and Cid Highwind don’t have that much in common in terms of personality, except both being extreme dorks with notable accents, but I wonder how much of that is because Voltron is a kids’ show and Cid’s chain-smoking, curse-laden, women-abusing attitude just wouldn’t fly in a place like that. In terms of story role, they fill the exact same niche: the older male mechanic who advises and leads when needed to, despite his advice often seeming eccentric at best to those he’s trying to lead. He’s in charge of flying the ship while the others race off into danger, and if you lay one dirty finger on his baby, he will probably throw you overboard.

Tough as nails, despite all appearances, but also tried, true, and loyal to a fault. Won’t give up, even in the face of insurmountable danger, and gets a big kick out of killing bad guys. Impeccable timing for dramatic last second saves.

PHEW, got ‘em all!

In case you need anything else to convince you that you’re watching an at least partially repackaged story, don’t forget the:

Bizarre Egyptian-themed ancient stone temple where the mystical race of the Cetra Alteans kept the deepest secrets of their magic.

Really unlucky magic rock from space.

Gigantic killer robot beasts.

An overly-drawn-out and somewhat poorly explained clone plot line that just leaves the fans even more confused.

And OF COURSE:  infamously long unskippable summoning sequences.

tl;dr:

If you’re in the game of predicting where Voltron’s future plot might go, you would not be misguided to go play FF7 as fuel for your predictions. And if you’re a Voltron fan who still hasn’t played FF7... What are you even doing with your life? Get out of here!

#Voltron #Voltron Legendary Defender #Final Fantasy 7 #Voltron meta #I'm not crazy though #these parallels are too direct to be accidental #especially Lotor's weird bangs #and the Komar experiment is a one-for-one copy of the Lifestream scene from FF7 #I WANT SPACE CHOCOBOS NOW #someone give me that Voltron-FF7 crossover already #I'm waiting #keith kogane #Lotor #lance mcclain #takashi shirogane #Allura #Pidge #Jenova #Sephiroth #Shinra #Zack Fair #the writing for neither one of these series was great but FF7 is still my most beloved

[tekka-dan]

One thing l love about hunter x hunter is that Togashi let Kurapika seek and get justice for his clan and the people responsible suffer for their crimes whereas Kishimoto made Sasuke obedient to the village that wiped out the Uchiha and those responsible got away with it.

Exactly, I agree entirely.One thing I want to point out between Sasuke and Kurapika is even though people compare them to be copy and paste of one another, they differ drastically in the goals they wish to achieve and the measures of which they each go about pursuing it.

When Sasuke was first introduced and asked about what his aspirations are, he reveals that he does not particularly like anything and that his one goal is to kill one man and avenge his clan. This dialogue from Sasuke we learn that he’s goal oriented and very focused, simple minded. We learn from those first few seconds that he only wishes to defeat this person who slaughtered his clan.Whereas when we first meet Kurapika (officially) and he is posed the question of why he wishes to become a hunter, Kurapika dodges the question by completely avoiding to directly answer it. Gon and Leorio have no qualms revealing what their intentions are once they obtain their licenses but from the dialogue alone from Kurapika we are given the impression that he is cautious, calculating and doesn’t wish to reveal his true motives due to the fact that it quite literally is none of their business. However he does bend to revealing his intentions once he obtains his license and we learn that he’s going to exact revenge on members of an organization that massacred his clan, and that he is a lone survivor. In two different dialogue reveals we learn more about Kurapika’s character and goal far better than we learn of Sasuke.

Afterwards comes the interesting part: pursuing their goals. Sasuke pursuing Itachi, growing stronger in order to just be a rival to him and then ultimately defeat him is intriguing for the journey alone. But being as Itachi is the only person Sasuke is hunting down it doesn’t really leave much room for anything else, as as we already know he’s focused on killing Itachi solely, he cares about nothing else.Kurapika on the other hand is hunting down an entire organization of people, not just one person. So this leaves his journey to be far more interesting due to the fact it isn’t dwindled down to just one member, he holds every single member accountable. However the difference is that while Sasuke is learning to entrust his friends and form bonds, Kurapika is still very calculating and isolates himself. Not that he doesn’t trust anyone, it’s that he in general is a very cautious person. We only see this personality waiver when he is around Gon, because Gon reminds me of living for the sake of others rather than revenge for the sake of himself. When the part comes to where Sasuke finally meets Itachi and is demolished and tortured, we as the viewers go through the exact same agonizing defeat Sasuke feels to realizing he does not have enough hatred to defeat his brother nor the power. Kurapika upon meeting the Phantom Troupe, we learn as viewers that this is an entire group he is facing not solely one person, therefore his calculations and going about his plan has to have multiple steps if he wishes to succeed. Due to his selfish rage though he endangers his friends and this is when his personality shifts between avenging his clan or saving his friends. In turn this arc revealed to us that Kurapika is multidimensional, not entirely inhumane and brewing in animosity and hatred. As we come to realize this of his character we also come to realize this of the Phantom Troupe as well. We learn that Kurapika above all else of avenging his clan, he is not an emotionless, ruthless killing machine. Another thing that Togashi did far better than Kishimoto was entertaining the idea that the goal of executing the members of the troupe for Kurapika would be taken away, what would his character do? Wish to achieve? React? In a monumental portion of this arc, it is revealed that every troupe member has already been killed, and for a couple episodes we witness Kurapika spiraling downward of losing the one main goal he has his heart focused on to avenge his clan. With that goal ripped away from him, it leaves him empty and brooding with uncertainty of how to go on and what to do with himself. The key difference in this phase is that Gon, Leorio and Killua are around to lift his hopes of finding a new purpose. Sasuke doesn’t have this. When it is later revealed that the corpses of the troupe members were fabricated, Kurapika realizes his goal is still obtainable and he reverts back to his mission of eliminating the troupe members. The fact that Togashi explored character depth in which he takes away a characters drive and ambition as a challenge to see how they develop was phenomenal. In Kishimoto’s case..this doesn’t bode well. Sasuke never questions the possibility that Itachi could be killed before Sasuke has the chance to kill him. It doesn’t cross his mind that he won’t be the one to bring his brother down which is his one main driving ambition. Therefore we do not explore Sasuke’s character development outside of having to abandon this goal if it were ripped away from him. We don’t see him face conflicting emotions of dealing with the fact he would not have achieved avenging his clan and would not have lived up to the promise of defeating his brother. Writing a character with their only premise being revenge is difficult on its own, but it’s important to make your character face challenges that will force them to either accept or reject the possibility that those goals might not in reality be attainable or that it would be seemingly impossible if the case were to be it was taken from them entirely. Togashi excels in this while Kishimoto could use some work.However, when Itachi is defeated and brought down by Sasuke (mostly), Sasuke in turn is told the truth regarding his brother and we learn where his character will go from there. His goal ultimately shifts to eliminating the Leaf Village and the Elders, which brought him into a pivotal character development. Whereas for Kurapika’s character fades off from the light due to the story focusing around Killua and Gon’s journey. However when we are shown segments of Kurapika we presume he is still pursuing his goal in defeating the troupe members and as he isolates himself he falls deeper into the despair of his darker side. When Naruto ended Sasuke basically abandoned his goal to eliminate Konoha and become hokage due to Naruto’s bullshit speech and half assed defeat. It massacred Sasuke’s development because seemingly his goal of defeating Itachi was fulfilled but avenging his clan was never justified. He becomes submissive to the very same village that oppressed and isolated his entire clan, forced a child to annihilate them to prevent a revolt, and he goes off on a journey that he claims is atoning for his sins because Sasuke believed that his pain and agony was in turn his fault. He blames himself for being consumed in dread and despair of losing everyone he’s ever cared about as a literal child because Konoha makes him feel he has to do so. Konoha takes no blame for the actions that pushed the Uchiha’s to form a revolt in the first place and Konoha doesn’t apologize to the Uchiha’s for oppressing and isolating them either. But as soon as Naruto opens his fucking mouth and talks about bringing justice then everything is washed under a rug and erased from existence. As you’ve realized, the Leaf Village goes to great extents to hide the Massacre and cover it up. They aren’t sorry for shit, yet the last remaining Uchiha feels he owes them apologies and a redemption journey to come to terms with everything. And still they offer no form of comfort for Sasuke. At all.Kurapika after his brooding episodes, in the manga his journey is continued and I believe he joins some organization where he is hired to personally protect someone as a hunter. The details are blurry to me because I read that in 2012 and I don’t remember it very well, however with Kurapika’s goal of eliminating the troupe members still possible, he is given a new aspiration of protecting a new born baby prince named Wobble. His character now has another goal he can achieve as well as still exploring the possibilities of going even further, and that’s what makes Kurapika’s character that much more developed. His family being slaughtered ruthlessly doesn’t take a backseat to his unwavering rage, he only learns to control it but his hatred for the troupe still prevails. Kurapika’s ultimate goal in defeating the members can be pushed as long as the manga continues, and still leave things open for exploration in his character. Togashi didn’t end with Kurapika having one main minuscule goal, he gave the possibilities of that one main goal being challenged in a multitude of ways. Which makes Kurapika’s journey of avenging his clan that much more constructed and executed plot wise.

TL;DR: Kurapika’s character isn’t primarily based and focused solely around exacting revenge for his clan, due to the fact his character is explored and developed phenomenally outside of this aspiration. Whereas Sauske’s primary goal is to defeat his brother that eradicated his clan, and once that goal succeeds it leaves him temporarily stunted in character growth. However when he obtains a new goal to achieve, he completely abandons it. And Kurapika is given room to explore outside of it.

#hunter x hunter #hxh #hxh 2011 #kurapika #phantom troupe #sasuke uchiha #naruto #yoshihiro togashi #masashi kishimoto #kurta clan #anti konoha #anti naruto ending