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mittensmorgul · 3 years

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musings while watching the pilot of supernatural for the elevnty-billionth time, but the first time after watching 15.20...

15.20 would’ve served as a decent finale to like... s2. Sam and Dean finally unified in working together, John’s original revenge quest against the thing that killed Mary laid to rest with John and Mary happily in Heaven together, none of the other problematic shit like angels and Dean and Sam having been to Hell, having suffered more losses but also saved the universe too many times to count, having started dreaming of a future out past the obligate hunting and settling down with specific people who they knew loved them in return. Plus, Harvelle’s in Heaven? El Sol being declared “terrible?” That’s s2 shit. Those are the dreams of s2 Dean, before 13 years of personal growth. Same with Sam. Running away from the life, from his family’s true legacy, and pretending to be normal while hiding the Impala and metaphorically his entire life up to that point under a tarp in the garage, where he goes out to have a good cry once in a while remembering that his life used to have a purpose outside of his Brother Replacement Child. And I of course became irate travelling down this line of thought, because honestly... >.>

All because Sam’s 1.01 motives match up with what he got in the finale-- a “safe” (read: specifically not NORMAL, he corrected Dean’s assessment of what he wanted from NORMAL to SAFE. He thought he would be SAFE living a life away from hunting) life, without Dean there to drag him back into it. Jess, in this case, could be just as blank a slate as Blurry Wife could be. It was never her specifically that Sam was in love with, just the idea that she was “safe,” because he’d kept her untainted by the Supernatural and never intended to tell her anything about it, until she was literally dragged into it by her death.

It also feels reasonable to assume that John harbored deep suspicions about Sam, about what we know he learned about the demon blood and the events of that night in 1983 later on. But even in this episode, John walking in to find Sam in his crib with Mary pinned to the ceiling above, and zero evidence that anyone else had been involved in that scene... I just imagine he HAD to have at least wondered if Sam himself played any role in her death more directly...

We saw in later episodes that Sam had been sheltered from the Supernatural as long as possible (didn’t even discover the truth about what John and Dean knew until he was EIGHT), and then was relegated to research or other side-roles until he finally left hunting behind. Even in 15.16 flashbacks, to 1993 when Sam was nearly 10, it was framed as his “first hunt” of sorts, despite the fact he didn’t actually do any of the “hunting.” It makes me think that Sam’s first ACTUAL hunt where he was given a more active role was the woman in white.

Plus, we know that's one of mary's fears later on, terrified that Sam would hate her because of what her deal did to him most directly, but it's never actually addressed with john. Which... makes it impossible to see 15.20 as even remotely plausible out past 2.22 for me. It could’ve worked before we learned anything more about the cosmic manipulations of their entire lives out beyond Sam’s Special Child status, but beyond there it begins to completely fall apart.

One final thought, since the finale centered Sam as The Main Hero of the series and relegated Dean to Accessory Brother Who Dragged Sam Into The Story:

I don't know how they thought the audience would identify with Sam as the Main Protagonist, when the premise of the show was "welcome to this shady underbelly of a world filled with monsters, and here is Dean, your competent and engaging tour guide." Maybe before they started actually writing this series, it seemed a solid choice to assume the audience would identify more with the kid who wanted a normal life in the suburbs with a blonde nurse-fantasy wife... but we weren’t here for a legal/family drama, we were here for the Supernatural. Like... how did that framing even last beyond the first episode?

If they’d actually shot Kripke’s first draft of the Harrison Brothers learning about the Supernatural together after a lifetime being raised in the ‘burbs, then maybe that Sam=Luke, Dean= Han framing would’ve held up, but... it absolutely does not in the story Kripke actually laid out for us over the first few seasons.

And again, Dean needing to die so Sam could be “safe,” so he could have a life free of the Supernatural, doesn’t really hold up out beyond Dean’s literal self-sacrifice to give him that chance in 2.22, and Bobby’s tearful reprimand about Dean having that low an opinion of himself to throw his life away so Sam could live... it’s just... not plausible as an ending after that point. Even out past Cas, and “what’s the matter, you don’t think you deserve to be saved?” It makes zero sense. It’s the ending Chuck would’ve written in a bland world before the apocalypse. If Sam and Dean had been allowed to just... die... rather than being resurrected over and over just to tell another version of his eternal ego-soothing, self-congratulatory story of doomed siblings and manpain.

#spn 1.01 #spn 15.20 #spiders georg of the tnt loop #spn 2.22 #just because I keep talking about it >.>

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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

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Prophecy

Summary: When Yugyeom had first envisioned your fate, he hadn’t expected his own to weave in with yours.

Pairing: Kim Yugyeom x reader

Genre: fantasy / fluff

A/N: I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to write up Mal and Yugyeom’s tales up in Heaven, yet the morning after writing the three previous stories, I reached for my phone and wrote this before even getting up! I really hope you enjoy this story!

Whilst this is part of the KOD world, you can read this away from the series, though it would make more sense to read the previous stories to understand the world this takes place in.

King of Demons series: Havoc // King of Demons // Unfathomable // Sacrifice // King of Demons: The Return // In The Night // Identity // Prophecy // Someone // The Devil Contained // The Monsters Witch

Word count: 1331

For the first time in his existence, Yugyeom had a sleep schedule. Normally, he could sleep for years at a time, the visions he saw flooding his mind as he tried to make sense of it all. As a prophet, he saw many things, both wondrous and destructive, and for the many realms of this world. It kept him busy and sleeping was the most important thing he could do.

Until he met you.

He had dreamed of you before meeting you in person. Yugyeom had seen what fate had in store; as a young woman, your future had been bright until you went to a party, drank too much and ended up in the arms of a man who you would never see again. He left a lasting impression though, soon pregnant with a child you hadn't planned to have until you had finished your degree, and had further years of experience. Yet having your daughter wasn't a curse. She shaped you into a strong single mother and you still managed to work, study part-time and raise your daughter right. There were the nights where you honestly felt at a loss and grieved for the life you once had, but whenever you saw her little face the next morning, you knew you couldn't live without her.

Losing her had been the hardest experience you could ever face. At six years old, your daughter already showed so much promise. She was bright and carefree, yet due to her shaping on earth by you, she sometimes showed a maturity that surprised you for someone so young. Her innocence was robbed of her that day. You had told her to wait in the car as you dashed in to pick up a package from the postal services, and during that time, three men had stolen the car with your daughter in it. It was hard for Yugyeom to see what events would unfold for the girl and as a mother, hearing what those monsters did to her before her life ended, had enraged her more. The guilt you felt for leaving her behind consumed you, as did revenge. The police had identified the killers, yet they weren't doing enough. In your eyes, they had no right to breathe in the same air as everyone else.

So you took matters into your own hands. Yugyeom knew it wouldn't be a crime scene that would be clean. You had stabbed all three of them to death and mutilated their genitalia, hoping that if there was a Hell, they would suffer eternally for their crimes. It seemed to end so soon for you when the police found you, dragging you away and sentenced you to life imprisonment. You didn't have the will to live out your life anymore and a year later, you had died.

Yugyeom had seen you standing at the pearly white gates upon your death and your daughter had come running, screaming out happily from seeing you again. And right as you were so close you could reach out and almost touch her, you were dragged to the fiery depths of Hell, faced with endless atonement for your sins. Yet you couldn't accept your fate here either. You yearned to see your daughter again.

Yugyeom had been surprised all the same when he rose from his slumber to find you before him. Although he knew one day you would come to him, he had still been amazed by seeing someone so beautiful in the flesh. Instead of being annoyed that his sleep had been interrupted by you and your new friends, he had reached out to touch you. To help you see your daughter. Those tears you shed resonated deeply into his soul. He had seen so many things over his centuries, yet it was your life and death that impacted him the most.

And now, from his willing trade to take you to the Heavens and guide the Gods himself for six months at a time, he was dreaming of you alongside his visions.

“Mummy, look! It’s the second sunset!” A little voice cried out, your daughter bouncing up and down on the spot. She turned to see Yugyeom watching you both and gasped. “Oh, you are awake!”

You glanced over your shoulder to see him standing there, your endless smile only growing wider at his appearance. Stepping over to you both, Yugyeom stood behind you and you leaned into him instantly, your small body still fitting into him perfectly. As you all watched the sun set in the skies, Yugyeom thought over how he had not once envisioned falling in love with you. Yet he had.

“Well, you know what it means now, right?” you told your daughter, who groaned heavily. You merely smirked. “Come on, it’s off to bed. The sun has set and you need your rest so we can play together tomorrow!”

Your daughter reached out for Yugyeom's large hand and put on her best pleading face. “Will you tell me another story before bed?”

“Of course! You go wash up and then I will be right up to tell you something wicked!”

Your daughter giggled and you turned in his arms, giving him a reproachful stare. “Nothing too wicked I hope.”

“Kid-friendly, I promise.”

“Good.” You sighed then, your smile faltering. “We only have five days left before our return to Sheol. I don't know how to tell her we have to go.”

“She already knows,” he told you reassuringly. “She is a smart kid. Those six months apart will only make the next six we have together with her that much more special.”

“Have I thanked you enough for all you have done, Yugyeom? You have allowed me to see my daughter again, and brought me here when you didn't have to.” You stopped to toy with the hem of his shirt before looking up at him. “You also allowed me to feel love for the second time. First for my daughter and now with you. I did such terrible crimes, and I would do them again too if I was faced with the same situation. Yet you accept me and see me as worthy of your love.”

“Do you think it’s only you who has gained from our union?” he asked softly, hoisting you up so he could set you on the balcony's railing, bringing your face closer to his. “I have seen so many prophecies for everyone else in this world and yet not once did I think when I watched your fate weave together as it did that I would eventually be holding you in my arms like this. All I have had is my visions and my slumber. But now I have you.”

He leaned in to kiss you, his lips almost touching yours when he let out a small sigh. Without turning, he smiled. “Get up to your bed, little lady, or no story.”

“Aw, it’s not fair how you know everything! Besides, you forgot to say one thing to Mummy!”

“And what's that, munchkin?” you asked, looking around Yugyeom at your daughter.

Yugyeom smiled at the words he heard in his mind before out loud, overwhelmed by the emotions he felt as your daughter spoke. “You have me too! We are a family now, right? I always wanted a Daddy. Now Mummy has even more reason to smile!”

You teared up as Yugyeom helped you down off the railing and then crouched down to your daughter. “Of course, we are a family. And I am so lucky to have you all.”

“Can you tell me the story now, Daddy?”

He nodded happily, a single tear rolling down his cheek at the first time being called that. Grabbing your hand and then hoisting your daughter up into his arms, Yugyeom smiled. “Let’s all go share story time together.”

“And then after?” you asked, smiling up at him.

Yugyeom squeezed your hand. “We'll go discover what fate has in store for us.”

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aj-the-satyr · 5 years

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All the Questions......

So Tag games...... Used to do ‘em a lot then kinda fell off writing for a while and then it got quiet. Well now I got tagged in 3 of those 11/11/11 things. You know the ones answer 11 questions, ask 11 more to the 11 people you tag. Well I’m not going to tag anyone other than the 3 people asking @writersblockandapotoftea @carrotgirl-1 and @rosewinterborn and say thankyou for doing so. So here goes..... the goat tries to get through all 33 questions.

1) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Hmm.... I suppose that I have a habit of making the names of both things and characters have deeper meanings. Like Grigory Zmeya, his last name means snake and he is a snake shifter type person. So stuff like that.

2) If you could ask one successful author three questions about their writing, writing process or books what would they be?

Not sure about this. I’ve read interviews with many authors where they have dispensed their advice and advice is not a one size fits all thing but I would lie to ask more personal things like favorite characters, Least favorite scene to write and most surprising side character. Stuff like that.

3) Do you have a library membership?

Nope.

4) Ebooks, yay or nay?

Used them and they are fine but I am the old school like to have the physical book in my hands kinda goat.

5) What feeling do you want your readers to get from what you write?

Wow, deep question. Enjoyment? Other than that I’d like them to have feelings for different characters, to pick favorites, to hate some and love some. I suppose I’d like my characters to be memorable but I will settle for the “That was Good” feeling after reading, even if nothing gets carried with them.

6) What time of day are you most productive?

Considering how many times I’ve written my snippets after 10pm and into the wee hours of the morning, I’d say then.

7) What is your writing Kryptonite?

Myself really. There are times I just get conflicted about my writing and rather than just let it flow and let the characters lead I will find myself deleting things and starting over many times. I’m trying to do that less but it’s hard sometimes to just let go and see what happens at the keyboard.

8) Which scenes are your favorite to write?

Huh....... I’m a dialogue heavy writer trying to get more description into my scenes so I favor just talking but am trying to change that a little.

9) What comes first in your development/outlining process plot or characters?

Well considering I don’t outline anymore (Used to waaaaay back) It would have to be characters. Make the characters and pop them in a setting. Plot will happen, hopefully.

10) What is your favorite novel to film/TV adaptadion?

Comic books count right? I love the Constantine TV show. Shame it got cancelled, love the fact they brought the character back for Legends of Tomorrow and the fact he might be getting his own show again is awesome. Love Constantine.

11) Do you think yourself as more of an artist or entertainer?

Neither really. Not something I’ve ever thought about, since you are asking me to think about it...... entertainer??

Right onto the second set of questions gonna add a read more break here to avoid taking up huge chunks of Tumblr real estate and for those people that don’t really care what this old goat has to say

12) Play fuck, marry, kill with Gandalf, Aragon and Arwen.

Er........ Kill Gandalf.... no wait he’ll come back for revenge..... Kill Aragon..... man that would be hard to do..... Kill Arwen then? But I wanted to marry her.......... Man...... Kill Aragon with Gandalf’s help, fuck Gandalf as payment and then go off to marry Arwen. Problem solved.

13) If you had to set fire to a famous building, which one would you set alight?

The Vatican?

14) If you could bring someone back from the dead who would it be?

It would be Sandra, a friend I made for a brief time on the internet who I RP’d with and had a good rapport with. She died of cancer at 20 I think, it’s hard to think about. I do always remember that I talked to her through her brother in her final days and managed to make her smile, something her brother told me she hadn’t done for weeks. Crying typing this. Yeah. Fuck yeah I’d bring her back and let her live her life. Fuck Cancer.

15) Which fictional Universe would you go into?

Star Trek. No need for money, could sit at a cafe and write all day. Great.

16) Where would you go if the world ended?

Hell. Oh wait that’s not what you were asking. Er...... nowhere. No point if it’s all gone is there? I’d stay here and still be a loner. Wow..... fun goat answers.

17) What’s you alignment?

Chaotic Neutral.

18) Lovecraft or Shelly?

Er....... as much as I love Cosmic Horror Mary Shelly was one of the most badass goths there has been. Plus the whole creating the sci-fi genre as a fuck you to Lord Byron. She is amazing and doesn’t get enough respect.

19) What’s the weirdest food you have eaten?

Sea Urchin or deep fried shrimp heads not sure which I think was weirder.

20) How do you want to die?

Die? I’m immortal. Or is that immoral? One of those.

21) Who is your least favorite character to write?

Probably The Professor since he’s a homophobic bigot who killed his own son’s boyfriend (Though he claims that was merely an accidental oversight of his grander plan) since he is not a very nice character at all. Makes my skin crawl.

22) What’s your favourite fairy tale?

Can’t say that I really have one. None of them resonate anymore, neither the grimdark originals or the fluffed up modern takes. I do however enjoy the book Dragon’s Bait by VIvian Vande Velde which is about a 15yr old girl who is put out as a sacrifice to a Dragon and ends up allying with the dragon and seeking revenge.

One more set. Almost there with the goat interrogation.

23) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Probably in University where I started writing a little something called “Space Gerbils” and was sending it out via email to about a dozen internet friends. They were hooked, I thought it was garbage but voila! The spark ignited. Heavily got into tabletop RPGs at the same time so that probably helped my desire for storytelling.

24) What book/Book series have you always meant to read but have not yet?

The Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I have a boxed set of them all but I just haven’t cracked the cover yet.

25) Who’s you favourite writer?

Published? Either Sir Terry Pratchett or Eoin Colfer. But a special shoutout goes to @yuutfa for Caster. They are a wonderful storyteller and got many an emotion from me while I was reading an early draft.

26) What was your favourite book as a child?

It is one that sits on my shelf this very moment. It is called “Science Fantasy Stories” and is a collection of short stories that I read many times over as a child, back when I would consume a book a day almost.

27) Favorite music to work to?

Soundcloud generally has my back but it does sometimes throw up the odd track that makes me question if its algorithm has developed some sort of twisted intelligence Black Mirror style.

28) Hogwarts House?

Ah..... this question. I’ve read the books, saw a couple of the movies (Did not like the movies) and enjoyed every step of the way. I bought my first Harry Potter books when they were selling the first 3 as a set so I jumped in to see what the fuss was about. Never once have I thought about what House I would be in. Never. So Imma gonna say Slytherin.

29) Hobbies?

Writing?? Generally I play vidja games. Current faves being Monster Hunter World (PC), Endless Legend (PC) and Crash team racing nitro fueled (PS4) and I also daydream scenes with my characters in them. Trying to get back into reading regularly again.

30) Where do you draw Inspiration from?

Everywhere I guess. From random conversations to ideas had after playing games, watching TV or reading books. Sometimes I’m not sure where the inspiration comes from but I am just trying to let myself go at those moments, run with it. Who cares if The Simpsons already did it? Truly new ideas aren’t new anyway. (Except maybe for theoretical physics, that shit is bananas) I mean one of my characters basically declared themselves to be a God (At least in my head) after I read an article on Retrocausality. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Use it!

31) What do you consider your aesthetic to be?

Look I can barely spell that word you want me to have one as well?

32) Favorite mythology?

Favorite mythology of AJ the Satyr................

33) What do you think influences your work the most?

My co author?? But seriously working things out with them has been very helpful but also there’s this little writing discord that I’m part of that is really welcoming and a great source of inspiration and ideas. But all in all I think Neil Gaiman influences me the most when he answered a question about how he does it. He told the person asking that you just write everything down that happens in the first draft and then when you go back and rewrite you make it look like you knew what you were doing all along.

Right. One Goat, 33 Questions. And I won! Not tagging anyone else but I want this to get me going on these tag games. I can’t just hide in the dark corners of Tumblr anymore. I must face the light! Has @notanotherhour done this yet??

#Tag game I guess #Not tagging anyone else in this nightmare #Writeblr #About Me #I answered the questions #Yay writing!

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tonystarkbingo · 5 years

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Week 7 Roundup! Does anyone else look forward to these not only for the awesome content, but also for that glorious cowboy RDJ pic? Either way, check out all the awesome stuff that was shared with us this week!

Title: Invincible Summer Collaborator: monobuu Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Fantasy World Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: arranged marriage, misunderstandings, fluff Summary: Tony, a member of the desert-born Iron Tribe, is given away to the White Wolf of the North, the Winter Warlord, as part of a treaty to save his people. Now he must go to the cold northern territories to join his future mate when all he's ever known is the heat of the desert sun. Word Count: 5586

Title: Stark Confections Blueberry Donettes Collaborator: monobuu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A1 - image of Stark Storefront Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art, fluff Summary: What if instead of making weapons, the Starks made snacks?

Title: Art for Such Sweet Revenge by ali_aliska Collaborator: feignedsobriquet Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A1 - diner / restaurant Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Tony and Bucky sitting in a diner

Title: Coming Home Contributor: Areiton Square Filled: K4 Presumed Dead Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18130361 Pairing: Tony Stark/Peter Parker Warning: presumed dead, grief/mourning, adult Peter Parker Summary: “They want to plan the funeral,” he says, after a while, and Harley smiles. It’s not a happy smile. It’s the kind of smile he learned from Tony, the kind that is all sharp teeth and threat and it makes Peter shiver. “Tony left plans for that,” he says. “Let them have their spectacle.” Word Count: 2,647

Title: You Got This Collaborator: Trammel Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Denial Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: Endgame trailer spoilers, angst, time travel, Iron Dad Summary: "Dad, it's me," she said. Then he realized she had Pepper's hair - with stripes of green and purple in it - and his eyes. Oh shit. "You're not real," he said to the hallucination. Word Count: 1047

Title: Polar Opposites Collaborator: mistrstank Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Ransom Note Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: shapeshifters AU, Steve is a troll, fluff and crack Summary: In which Bucky's shift is the best thing Tony has ever seen, no one knows what Tony's shift is and there are explosions. Word Count: 1270

Title: Faith, Against All Logic Collaborator: lbibliophile-mcu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K5 - Robots Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: poetry, Tony’s bots

Title: A WEAB caused this Collaborator: SyoshoHiataki Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: parental Tony and Bucky, somewhat not Steve friendly Summary: Tony Stark hated stupid but genius villains. Now, he and the infamous Winter Soldier were stuck in an alternate world with different Heroes running around. Needless to say, he and Bucky were going to prove that you don't need a Quirk to be a Hero. After all, he was one. Word Count: 1896

Title: Monaco Race Collaborator: ironstrange-is-the-endgame Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - image of Tony in his racing suit Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: digital watercolour

Title: That's what you get for waking up in Vegas Collaborator: cutebutpsyco Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - MIT Years Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: Vegas wedding, underage drinking Summary: Tony tried to looking for an answer to that specific question, but there were none that he could provide. He ran a hand in his hair and then went back staring at the empty wall in front of him. “I don’t know, but I’m out of cash and my fake ID isn’t any longer in my wallet, and I think we couldn’t find the key of the room last night.” Word Count: 2567

Collaborator: trashcanakin Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S1 - shapeshifters Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: art, shapeshifters Summary: Fanart to go with mistrstank’s fic “Polar Opposites”

Title: Lullaby In Binary Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Tony in the workshop Ship: Tony & Dum-E Rating: Gen Major Tags: protective Dum-E Summary: DUM-E will take care of his creator, even when said creator is being stubborn about it. Word Count: 875

Title: Best Bot Dum-E: Bedtime Enthusiast Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - humor Ship: Tony & Dum-E Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff and humor, bot fic Summary: Dum-e is a very good helper bot. Steve witnesses him being helpful in an unexpected way. Tony will probably have a few small bruises... Word Count: 1068

Title: New Signature On The Network Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - image of JARVIS Ship: Tony Stark and his bots Rating: Teen Major Tags: angst, character death, bots Summary: Dum-E meets Vision for the first time. Word Count: 715

Title: Let it Lie Collaborator: yuuki_Illene Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Dark Alleys Ship: Tony Stark & Bucky Barnes Rating: Not rated Major Tags: angst, recovery, hurt/comfort Summary: It begins with Tony in an alleyway and getting mugged. But what has already been stolen is best left in the dark. “Dude, chill,” he gasps out as quickly as possible, slapping the mugger’s muscular arm with his normal hand. “And if you’re going to say money or your life like some kind of cheap mugger I’m gonna be real disappointed.” Word Count: 3313

Title: The Doom Of All Men... Is To Be Flirted With Collaborator: katling Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - doom Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Team Iron Man, not Team Cap friendly Summary: Look, Tony likes being flirted with as much as the next person but he has standards, you know. Word Count: 805

Title: I Don't Mind You Comin' Here Collaborator: chase_acow Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - slime Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Explicit Major Tags: shower sex, explicit sexual content Summary: There was a lot Tony would do for the man he loved, but slime of questionable provenance would make him hesitate a bit. Word Count:

Title: Sins Of The Father Collaborator: katling Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Hank Pym Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: redemption, not Team Cap friendly Summary: When Hank Pym requests a meeting, Tony isn't expecting much in the way of good things. He's pleasantly surprised. Word Count: 1529

Title: Fixed Point Collaborator: notsopowerfulowl (theowlgalaxy) Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - hugs Ship: Pepperony Rating: Teen Major Tags: hurt/comfort, insomnia, PTSD, implied/referenced abuse Summary: Sometimes it takes soft words and gentle touches to bring Tony back from a nightmare. Word Count: 937

Title: Earth's Best Defender Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - art format: stained glass Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: My first fill for the Tony Stark Bingo. Some of the details were lost when I scanned it into the computer, but it looks okay. Done in watercolour first, then the lines added with ink.

Title: R5- Seeing Red Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - seeing red Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: post-Endgame, no spoilers. Howard Stark’s A+ Parenting Summary: Inspired by this post on tumblr: there’s tons of fics w howard appearing in the future and steve or tony telling howard how badly he fucked up but consider: rhodey taking one look at that piece of shit and fucking DECKING him in front of god and everybody Word Count: 1005

Title: Not a damsel in distress Collaborator: alexisriversong Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Damsels (and others) in distress Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: hurt Tony Summary: Tony gets kidnapped, Bucky wants to save him but Tony is already saving himself. Word Count: 924

Title: Let me Sum Up Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Tony as the Sorcerer Supreme Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: time travel, sorcerers, Tony needs a hug Summary: Tony has a big problem-- and several medium sized ones, and a dozen little ones… but mostly… what the hell is he supposed to say? Word Count: 939

Title: Playing Human - Chapter One Collaborator: rainbowshoes Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Myths and Legends Ship: ThunderIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Dark Tony, Extremis Tony Summary: loosely based on the concept from American Gods (which i've neither seen nor read) that our gods are created from the things we "worship" the most - and Tony Stark is the god of modern technology Word Count: 2223

Title: Playing Human - Chapter Two Collaborator: rainbowshoes Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4: Good Guys Gone Bad Ship: ThunderIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Dark Tony, Extremis Tony Summary: loosely based on the concept from American Gods (which i've neither seen nor read) that our gods are created from the things we "worship" the most - and Tony Stark is the god of modern technology Word Count: 2223

Title: Try, Try Again Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Time Travel Ship: IronStrange Rating: Teen Major Tags: time travel, marriage proposal Summary: It’s a very important date, and Stephen is determined that everything will be perfect. Everything. Word Count: 2371

Title: take me like a victorian dame Collaborator: yuuki_Illene Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - KINK: mirrors Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, dorks in love, fluff and crack Summary: It starts an engagement announcement in an elaborate dress before they start going down at it in an elevator. Word Count: 2781

Title: Sacrifice Collaborator: martianwahtney Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Conflicting Obligations / Oaths Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: Soul Stone, Endgame spoilers Summary: Tony Stark visits Vormir alone. The Soul Stone demands a sacrifice. Tony insists he's sacrificed enough. The Stone puts him up for evaluation. Word Count: 1168

Title: Done This Before Collaborator: Tuessday Square: S4 "Kink: Collars" Rating: Explicit Warnings: NAWA, but be aware of age gap, kidnapping and the aftermath of violence/captivity, BDSM, bad BDSM (leave it as read this is fiction and not a good guide for how to), bondage, consensual violence, characters being bad at communicating things they probably really should. Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark Summary: Peter hadn't ever really thought about it. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228557 Word Count: 4414

Title: rouge Collaborator: scarynoodles Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: angst, pining, explicit sexual content Summary: His eyes are the most striking thing about him. He likes to think it’s his goatee, or even the reactor when he still had it, but no, it’s his eyes. Those dark, warm, expressive eyes the color of whiskey when the sunlight hits them just right. Steve is in love with those eyes, he loves seeing them bright and happy because then they sparkle even in the darkest of places. It hurts him whenever they’re dull, depressed, hidden by flashing red shades the color of anger and aggression. Word Count: 1667

Title: Baby, I Wasn’t Expecting You Collaborator: FreyaS Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - silver haired Tony Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: pining, identity porn, happy ending Summary: Bucky walked into the bar with his last twenty and a scowl that could have peeled rust off of iron, slapping the bill on the bartop with his prosthetic hand. “Gimme the strongest thing this’ll buy,” he snapped. The bartender took one look at Bucky before he unscrewed the serving tip off of a bottle of rum and handed him the half-full bottle. Bucky grinned, all teeth, and poured himself a generous serving into a glass and knocked back the drink with his good hand. “Whoa there, might want to slow down,” a voice said from his left. He turned sharply and almost lost his breath as he met the gaze of the most beautiful man he’d seen in a while. He was clearly older. Silver threaded through his hair and was peppered in his well-groomed goatee, but he wore his age well. His whiskey brown eyes were crinkled into a smile and his soft pink lips were quirked up as he sipped from a glass full of a clear but sparkling liquid with a lime wedge on the rim. (Or Bucky meets the man of his dreams and proceeds to get cockblocked by babies, his family, and Tony himself, before he finally gets his happily ever after.) Word Count: 10,163

Title: Trust Collaborator: katling Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - MIT Years Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: Shifter AU Summary: Rhodey finally finds out that Tony is a shifter and what his form is. It doesn't happen in quite the way Tony wanted but it all works out okay. Word Count: 1772

#tonystarkbingo #tonystarkbingo2019 #weekly roundup #week 7 roundup

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inkyardpress · 6 years

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Your 2018 YA Fantasy Guide, part 1

There’s no denying it: we’ve seen some excellent YA fantasies already this year, and the genre continues to top our TBR piles month after month. With a handful of fantasy blockbusters still to come before the year is even halfway over, we wanted to give you a quick guide to the books we’ve loved so far in 2018 and what we just can’t wait to read next! Here’s the best of 2018, part one:

January

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

The Cruel Prince is out now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

Zenith is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

The Hazel Wood is out now from Flatiron Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

February

Everlife by Gena Showalter

At seventeen years old, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood had to make the ultimate choice—where to live after she died. Loyalty to her selected realm has not wavered…until now. She is out of time. Sacrifices must be made, and a terrible price must be paid. But is she too late?

As the Everlife descends into darkness, a single truth becomes clear: Troika and Myriad must unite—or perish. In order to bring sworn enemies together, Ten must enter forbidden territory…and destroy the powerful Prince of Ravens. But there’s only one way inside—bonding with Killian Flynn, a deadly rival who sets her blood aflame.

When nothing goes as planned and betrayal leads to the edge of utter defeat, Ten and Killian will have to rebuild trust from the ashes of their hearts. Victory seems impossible, the odds stacked against them. In the end, how far will they be willing to go for the sake of their realms and the Everlife?

The entire Everlife series is out now! Add Everlife to your Goodreads shelf!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

The Belles is out now from Disney-Hyperion. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Cadaver & Queen by Alisa Kwitney

When Lizzie Lavenza enrolled at Ingold as its first female medical student, she knew she wouldn't have an easy time. From class demands to being an outsider among her male cohorts, she'll have to go above and beyond to prove herself. So when she stumbles across what appears to be a faulty Bio-mechanical—one of the mechanized cadavers created to service the school—she jumps at the chance to fix it and get ahead in the program.

Only this Bio-mechanical isn't like the others. Where they are usually empty-minded and perfectly obedient, this one seems to have thoughts, feelings…and self-awareness.

Soon Lizzie realizes that it is Victor Frankenstein—a former student who died under mysterious circumstances. Victor, it seems, still has a spark of human intelligence inside him, along with memories of things he discovered before his untimely death…and a suspicion that he was murdered to keep that information from getting out. Suddenly Lizzie finds herself intertwined in dark secrets and sabotage that put her life, and the lives of Victor and their friends, in danger. But Lizzie's determined to succeed—even if that means fighting an enemy who threatens the entire British Empire.

Cadaver & Queen is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?

Shadowsong is out now from Disney-Hyperion. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

March

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

Restore Me is out now from HarperCollins. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

Children of Blood and Bone is out now from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow, where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

The Wicked Deep is out now from Simon Pulse. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

April

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city… And she’ll need to play.

Ace of Shades is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

Dread Nation is out now from Balzer + Bray. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

The singleborn

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

The diminished

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what's left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

The Diminished is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Inferno by Julie Kagawa

Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon. If they can survive the encounter. Meanwhile, Ember's brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon.

The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.

Inferno, the fiery conclusion to the Talon Saga, is out April 24. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

May

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all…starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power…for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

War Storm is out May 15 from HarperTeen. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable—until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world—and of each other.

Furyborn is out May 22 from Sourcebooks. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

Legendary is out May 29 from Flatiron Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

June

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion—even at the cost of his humanity.

A Reaper at the Gates is out June 12 from Razorbill. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Dawn of Legends by Eleanor Herman

Prince Alexander of Macedon has battled both men and monsters, but his final war will determine his fate…and the future of mankind. While Macedon’s enemies close in from all corners of the earth, Alexander must fulfill one last prophecy that dictates only he—and he alone—can ensure humanity’s survival against the age of the deadly Spirit Eaters.

As the threads of fate draw Alexander closer to his destiny, an exiled queen will meet a runaway princess, a young sorceress will set the final path of her heart and generals will choose their final battles. Before the light of victory can shine, enemies must become allies, Death must be tamed and hearts must break.

Who will rise and who will die? All is revealed in the epic finale to New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman’s rich and fantastical Blood of Gods and Royals series.

Dawn of Legends, the final installment in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, is out June 26. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman’s Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie’s New York Times–bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is out June 26 from Greenwillow Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

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#ya books #ya reads #fantasy #bookworm #am reading

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amandaklwrites · 4 years

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Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (POTC #3) (2007)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Rating: 10/10

Movie Review:

I’m going to be honest here. While I loved this movie as much as the others, I also felt like I was high on drugs the whole time.

You have to admit. This one was trippy. A ship flipping upside down in the water? A huge waterfall landing them in Davy Jones’s Locker inside the Kraken?? (Like.... how does that work??). Jack seeing multiple versions of himself? And how did they not freeze that frozen tundra? Pirates managing to entrap a goddess in a human form?????

But this one has the most fantasy out of all them, to me. (Though I still need to rewatch Dead Men Tell No Tales, and I remember that one being far out there too).

This was the first of the POTC movies I saw in theaters (remember how I said these movies scared me when I was young because of the violence? It took me a while to start watching them on the big screen).

This one has so many great points though, especially when it comes to character arcs. We see Elizabeth Swann develop into the strongest, most badass female character I have ever seen (PIRATE KING!!!!), and she’s fully into the pirate world. She’s become herself, she has figured out that she will make decisions that will be risky, but she has to choose what is best for her. Will Turner saves his father, though he doesn’t 100% realize the sacrifice he’s making because he’s dead, and protects Jack and Elizabeth until his dying breath. Jack discovers that protecting just himself doesn’t make the world turn, so he gives up immortality for Will (though, you know, he still goes searching for the Fountain of Youth). Norrington, with the help of Elizabeth awakening him more, realizes that the system he is a part of doesn’t work, it can be rather cruel, so he protects the people he should be stopping and ends up dying in the process, but he still did the right thing. There are so many finales of character arcs in this movie, that you can tell the screenwriters did a marvelous job at doing an actual trilogy that worked and made sense.

Let’s talk about Tia Dalma and Davy Jones for a moment. I remember being in the theater and I knew it was the two of them that had been involved (Tia Dalma, or Calypso for that matter, was the one Davy Jones loved). And I love their love story, though I do have questions. Davy Jones was human at one point when they were in love, and I want to know how he had met a goddess and fallen in love with her. But alas, we didn’t get the whole story. But what we did get was wonderful. That scene with them talking was one of the best love stories I had ever seen. Her touching his face and seeing him human broke me nearly in half. We saw the man behind the monster, we saw the man without a heart look at her with such love. For someone who couldn’t feel because of his heart, that scene, I think we saw so much more emotion than we could believe. Remember what I said in the last review about love stories being at the heart of basically every story? Here, we know it. Davy Jones was spurned in love and that’s what led him into the villain we know. And that makes it so interesting and complicated.

Now, I found it strange that when Calypso was released (and I know who she’s supposed to be, I've read the stories) from her human form, she... just turned into a storm? I know it was supposed to represent her rage, and she’s a goddess that can become anything she wants, but it just felt a little lacking. I wanted to see more of what she could do. However, I do think there was supposed to be some metaphor or symbology or whatever at the end. When Davy Jones died, he said her name, and then the storm stopped. I hope that means their souls are together somewhere, that their love/hate storyline had ended in the human world. They moved on somewhere else, and maybe, the goddess Calypso brought her love back with her in some form. That’s what I would hope for them.

Beckett. I would love to slap him in his scrawny face. But I mean, you have to give him credit as a villain. He literally had control of THE powerful villain creature. That makes him an ultimate villain. He used others, he manipulated. He had Elizabeth’s father murdered (Elizabeth’s reaction is so heartbreaking, she literally has no family left, except for the one she creates with the pirates). He was a metaphor for the greed and destruction of the human world. He was literally that representation. He was the entitled bastard that made people want to become pirates (because I guarantee you, so many pirates in history became that way because they didn’t want to follow the British systems any longer-- they even created their own!). He is what is wrong with our world.

But what I love is how little of importance he is. They literally just blow up his ship, killing him, and that’s it. There’s no great battle with him, no final eulogies of the villain. He literally means nothing to them. While he’s a mastermind at manipulation and power and control, he’s so meaningless that he’s not even worth the fight. They just turn their ships, blow him out of the sea, and wipe their hands clean.

And that’s because, honestly, he’s one of those men that use other people to get what he wants. He may have the power, he may figure out how to have power over people and control them, but without those people, he’s nothing. He has others do his dirty work, he has a sea captain with power and infamy kill people for him. He’s the epitome of the bastards high in power who do absolutely nothing. He’s the gang leader who sends everyone off to kill people for him, and keeps his hands clean. It’s a weird psychology thing, one that I won’t get into too much depth about, because I could write pages and pages about it. But the best revenge is not giving him the satisfaction of rage or a battle. Just blow him up like the little, worthless man he is.

Barbossa is still just incredible because he’s there. He doesn’t really have any story arc, which is fine, because he’s the character that represents the pirate’s life. Him and Beckett are on opposite ends, to represent these two different worlds. He has depth, he’s interesting, but he’s also somewhat of a prop for others to bounce off of. He’s there to create humor and tension with Jack. He has the best quips. He’s not necessarily a one-dimensional character, but he’s rather close to it. But we all still love him because he’s just... Barbossa. The battle scene with him marrying Elizabeth and Will is one of my favorites as well, because it’s funny and sweet and monumental.

Will’s death and transformation is effortlessly done, and I try not to cry every time I watch it. Throughout all the movies, we see Will slowly come out of his shell-- he was so quiet and in his place in the first movie-- and controlling the ships without Jack or Barbossa. He’s constantly proving himself as a leader, and THEN, he becomes the leader of one of the most famous ships on the seven seas. I remember crying in the theaters when Will died, but then seeing him as captain of the Flying Dutchman was quite the gasping moment. But what I noticed this time was that the crew changed-- they were monsters anymore, they were men. Will became the captain and instantly, everything changed. Because he’s a good leader, a good man. And he would treat them fairly and like other men.

I have to admit, the ending scene of Will and Elizabeth on the beach was rather... hot, let’s just be honest. Especially kissing her leg. Like good lord, I’ve never felt so hot in my life. And it releases some tension-- they’ve been waiting YEARS to finally have sex. Now, they have. And it makes them feel different, which is wonderful to see. Will and Elizabeth have literally gone through hell and death and the ends of the world for each other. It may not be happily ever after because he’s gone for so many years at a time, but they still have each other. And honestly, if they are ever out at sea, he can protect them from afar.

Jack has come a long way too. It ends with him and Gibbs planning to find the Fountain of Youth, even though Barbossa-- once again!-- has stolen the Black Pearl. Jack may have come rather far-- the many different versions of him was... interesting, and funny-- but we see that he’s still who he is. A pirate who wants to live forever. That will never change. But he has learned some things, and that’s the whole point.

The trilogy is over. There are more stories to come, but this arc, Elizabeth’s (and even Will’s story) have pretty much concluded. The scene at the very end, of Will returning home to visit Elizabeth and his son, is one to remember. The trilogy started with Elizabeth, and her finding Will, and it ends once again with Elizabeth, and Will coming home. It was always this love story, these two falling in love and being together, despite everything, of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. This is Elizabeth’s story, at the very, very heart, and we watched this world of piracy and adventure unfold with her, watching her grow at the same time.

#pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the caribbean at world's end #at world's end #movie reviews

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maevelin · 7 years

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Hell!o I was just thinking about the amazingness that is Klaroline and was just wondering what your opinion might be on a few things. (I'm not trying to stir up some shit or start a fight I am genuinely curious as to what you think) What do you thing, in you own personal opinion, is the most underrated KC moment ? Favourite KC moment? Most iconic? and what you believe to be KC's biggest flaw or problem ig. Like I said, I Iove KC just really wanted to know what you think. MERCI

Hello :)

So most underrated KC moment? I think it was this even though technically was not a Klaus x Caroline scene but it was a Klaroline one in its core. And this one spans through the ages for this Ship. Literally.

Was it worth it?

Klaus in the shadows watching Caroline dance with Tyler. Watching her being happy. Not with him but with his mortal enemy. Seeing her in love. Happy. Smiling. So close and so out of reach. His heart aching. Breaking.

He can’t take that away from her. He can’t ruin it. Because she comes first.

And so it begins.

And I will use a Doctor Who quote for what comes next when it comes to what Klaus is capable to do for Caroline without asking anything in return and it sums up what he feels for her and the lengths he is ready to go at to ensure he happiness.

“ Without hope, Without witness, Without reward “

In the end for Klaus the only thing that matters is Caroline’s well being. No questions asked. Nothing to ask in return. No limits.

His feelings for her far are bigger than his hate for Tyler and his need for revenge. Yes, conveniently enough there was always a layer of manipulation when it came to separating Caroline from Tyler. Which as always Klaus always thrives in that element as does Caroline too. And she proved it by using Klaus’ feelings in order to make him pardon Tyler and make sure that Tyler would not die and in the long run would not get Katherine’s fate either. But that would not work if those feelings were not there and if they were not deep enough.

And this scene proves it.

Because Klaus, either Caroline knows it or not, either she will know what he will do for her or not, he will always put her needs above his hate and his anger and his need for vengeance. He is flawed. He is selfish. He is twisted so his idea of mercy is a problematic one but when it comes to Caroline he is ready to walk the line.

In that scene after everything that happened to Klaus that night Caroline was still in his mind and this was something that Caroline would never learn.

But this would go full circle over and over again.

Because later on he would ask her again amidst everything that was happening in his life if she would give him the same choice she was ready to give Tyler if Tyler would just put her first and let go of his revenge. Because the world could be changing around Klaus and would be falling apart and thousand faces would come and go but if Caroline would ever give him a chance…a choice to make…then his choice would always be her. She would never be a second choice. He would never sacrifice her or put anything else before her.

Because actions speak louder than words.

Caroline: Because I made him choose Me or his stupid revenge fantasy, and he chose wrong. …

Klaus: Would you give me the same choice?

Which btw…later on he did let go of his centuries’ old revenge against Katherine for Caroline so the answer to what his answer would be -if Caroline would give him the chance- was clear. And he would do it without her giving him the choice either. Because in the end Caroline’s needs for Klaus come first without him asking anything in return aside her well being…because the same question comes around over and over again.

Was it worth it?

To give Caroline what she needs? To make her happy. Safe. To make sure she will be okay. Is Caroline worth it? With no questions asked. With no reward. With no witness. With no hope for him either. Without having anything to gain. Surely not her.

It doesn’t matter because in the end for him the important thing is not what he needs and what he wants. But what Caroline needs and what he wants even if he won’t be part of that. She comes first. Every time. Full circle. Every time.

And every time the answer will be the same. Yes. It will always be worth it. She will be worth it. She will come first. Before his needs. Before his hate. Before his revenge. Because this is true change in him. Because no matter how selfish Klaus is and will always be he will always be selfless for Caroline. It is engraved in his heart now.

And the same question will be coming around over and over again. Full circle every single time.

His family would be in danger. He would be in danger. Chaos all around and despite everything, even from far away and even without her ever knowing the full lengths he will go to ensure her happiness Klaus will always put her needs first even by endangering his entire world despite the world falling all around him.

Because Caroline is worth it. For Klaus it will always be worth it. She will always be worth it. Every. Single. Time.

Over and over again. Through days, years, centuries. To make sure she would smile. She would be happy. She would be safe. She would be content. She would be just okay. Even if he would never see her again. Because just like that night when she danced with Tyler there was distance between them. Either a window or a state or a continent. The distance is there but it does not matter. Only what Caroline needs matter.

And no matter what. Either Caroline would know or not Klaus will always look out of her. And it will be worth it. And hell save me now I am even going to use TO canon to support this argument.

Full circle everyone.

Was it worth it?

Of course it was. It will always be.

Personal favorite KC scene you say?

This was their turning point for me. When things turned serious. Not just an infatuation. Not just promises. Not just the allure. Not just the idea and the potential and the obsession and the fun idea of it all.

This was when both sides felt something deeper. Under all the layers. A connection. An honest connection.

Most Iconic KC scene. Well I think everyone will agree that it was:

Because let us face it…HOWEVER. LONG. IT. TAKES.

And… flaw?

The word almost between them. Almost there but not. Almost starting but not. Almost finished but surely not.

Basically…Beautifully Unfinished.

#klaroline #Klaus Mikaelson #Caroline Forbes #Klaus x Caroline #TVD #the vampire diaries #the originals #TO #my klaroline meta #why are you making me do this?#it still hurts #Anonymous

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gold-from-straw · 6 years

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11 Question Tag

I was tagged by @w3-4r3-th3-f1r3, whose questions are the fucking best, and I have no hope of competing...

Rules: Answer the 11 questions, write 11 of your own, tag 11 people.

1. Where would you imprison an ancient, unkillable monster should you encounter one and need to get rid of it?

I would probably try to make friends with it, because what else can you do, really? It’s obviously going to be better at pretty much everything than me! So I guess it really depends on whether it’s good with kids, because I have a pretty big garden, and if it’s nice to my girls, it’d be pretty useful to have around...

2. What’s the most dangerous superpower you can think of?

Omnipotence feels a bit of an obvious answer here...is that even a superpower? Or is there a separate category for godhood? Honestly, though, any superpower can be dangerous if you use it in the right/wrong way...just look at what Trump can achieve with the incredible Power of Privilege

3. If you could possess any person for any given length of time, who and why?

If I had such an opportunity I guess I’d take one for the team and possess some nasty asshole to make them do something desperately humiliating (and yet I never get sorted into Slytherin...) but it would make me feel icky afterwards

4. If you could take any three fantasy characters and put them into the real world, who and why?

I don’t read vast amounts of fantasy, actually, but following a conversation with @salamanderink, Will and Lyra from His Dark Materials, because those kids need to catch a break, and they could be together in the same reality that way! For the third, I want to say Ford Prefect because he’s epic, but that’s sci fi isn’t it?

5. You have become the all-powerful deity of a new planet. Describe it.

I don’t know what it says about me that I immediately start thinking of the logistics of supply and demand, and making sure everyone with different cultures is accommodated...I have no interest in being a diplomat, I assure you, but if I’m going to be a god of some sort, I’m going to attempt to be responsible. There will probably be a certain amount of removing assholes from the rest of the community and putting them on a flat topped mountain as basically a really patronising version of time out...

6. Magic Pocket, Bag of Holding, or Seven-League Boots?

Is a Magic Pocket really big or something? seems like a Bag of Holding to me (is this a DnD thing? I’ve never had the opportunity to play to be honest, though it sounds like a gas). Definitely the boots though, anyway! I like to travel, and all that ‘journey is more important than the destination’ stuff is bollocks when it comes to being a tourist!

7. Suppose you were going to do an immensely powerful magical spell and it would be the solution to all your problems, but for the fact that–oh no–the book insists that it requires “the sacrifice of a hundred people.” What do you do?

Not do it.

8. Cool colors or warm colors?

ALL THE COLOURS! It depends, I think I wear more cool colours, but I paint with warm colours - I’m planning to paint murals all over my new house, oak trees and cherry trees and life cycle of a star, and I think they’ll mostly be in warm colours

9. If someone were to cut off your hands, what would you do to get them back?

Headbut the motherfucker who cut my hands off, kick their ass (I have one hell of a kick) and then ask my mate Stu who had his fingers reconstructed in stainless steel after an oil rig diving accident if he can hook me up with his doctor’s number. I would be slightly more responsible about looking after my metal hands, too, he used to flick bottle tops open with his thumb, or do the barbecuing without tongs - they looked real too! Swear to God...he couldn’t feel anything on them, no sensation in his fingers at all, just the palms of his hands

10. Opinion on spiders?

I pretend I don’t mind them for the sake of my arachnophobic family members (mum, daughter, husband...) but I have to admit they creep me out a little. Although tarantulas feel like they don’t count...I’ve held one before and she was lovely. I think if someone DARED me to hold one barehanded I totally would

11. Where would you live if you got the chance to do so for free?

I sort of wish I could live in my home town, Shimoni - it’s just so far away from anywhere and it’s also changed a lot since I was a teenager, so that feels a bit (a lot) sad. So much of the jungle has been chopped down. I’ve just moved house, though, so I’m quite happy here, and if I lived here for free I could do all the renovations I want to lol! There are just too many places I want to go, I can’t name one of those

My questions for you guys:

1. What book or piece of art do you wish you’d created?

2. What would you like to become expert in if you could do so for free?

3. What’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone?

4. What is unforgivable?

5. What are you procrastinating on right now?

6. What’s your dream job?

7. Who’s going to direct your life story, and what kind of genre will it be?

8. How would you get revenge if your best friend was hurt?

9. Would you rather have the ability to fly or the ability to breathe underwater and why?

10. Biology, Chemistry or Physics?

11. Which would be more difficult for you to adapt to, losing your sight or losing your hearing?

Told you my questions wouldn’t be as good as Red’s...

Answer if you like! I’m not tagging anyone because I have a tendency to tag people who aren’t my mutuals and I should have more shame or something...

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swanqueeneverafter · 7 years

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02. The Thing You Love Most, Pt.4

The Enchanted Forest. Past. (The same forest where the Evil Queen's attempt to cast the Dark Curse failed. The Queen stands brooding with her valet.) Valet: “Perhaps it's for the best. The forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive.” Evil Queen: “Oh, now you're trying to protect me?” Valet: “It's what I do.” Evil Queen: “I know. You're the only one who does.” Valet: “Helping you... is my life.” Evil Queen: “Well, then, help me understand why this curse isn't working.” Valet: “If you want to know that, then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place. (She looks away:) Revenge is a dark and lonely road. Once you go down it... there is no heading back.” Evil Queen: “What is there for me to head back to?” The Enchanted Forest. Past. (Rumplestiltskin's prison cell. Rats scurry about.) Rumplestiltskin: “It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself!” (One of the rats, in a cloud of smoke, transforms into the Evil Queen. Rumplestiltskin makes a pleased sound.) Evil Queen: “That Curse you gave me.. (She shows the scroll:) It's not working.” Rumplestiltskin: “Oh, so worried! So, so worried. Like Snow, and her lovely new husband!” Evil Queen: “What?” Rumplestiltskin: “They paid me a visit as well. They were very anxious. About you. And the Curse.” Evil Queen: (Steps closer to the cell bars:) “What'd you tell them?” Rumplestiltskin: “The truth! That nothing can stop the darkness. Except, of course, their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. (Pauses for effect:) Their child is the key. Of course, the curse has to be enacted first.” Evil Queen: “Tell me what I did wrong.” Rumplestiltskin: “For that, there's a price.” Evil Queen: “What do you want?” Rumplestiltskin: “Simple. In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life.” Evil Queen: “Fine! You'll have an estate, be rich.” Rumplestiltskin: “I wasn't finished! There's more!” Evil Queen: “There always is with you.” Rumplestiltskin: “Yeah, yeah... In this new land, (Pauses:) should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say "Please".” Evil Queen: “You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?” Rumplestiltskin: “Oh well, then what's the harm?” (Steps back into the cell.) Evil Queen: “Deal. What must I do to enact this Curse?” Rumplestiltskin: “You need to sacrifice (with a flourish:) a heart.” Evil Queen: “I sacrificed my prized steed.” Rumplestiltskin: (Jumps against the cell bars, reaches through them and grabs the Evil Queen's throat:) “A horse? This is the Curse to end all curses??! You think a horse is gonna do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious.” Evil Queen: “Tell me what will suffice.” Rumplestiltskin: “The heart of the thing you love most.” Evil Queen: (Removes Rumplestiltskin's hand from her throat:) “What I loved most died because of Snow White!” Rumplestiltskin: (Strokes her cheek:) “Is there no one else you truly love? (The Evil Queen stares at Rumplestiltskin:) This Curse isn't gonna be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question. How far are you willing to go.” Evil Queen: (Brings her face close to Rumplestiltskin's:) “As far as it takes.” Rumplestiltskin: “Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it! You know what you love... now go kill it!” (The Queen turns and walks away.)

Storybrooke. Present. Granny's Bed & Breakfast, hallway. (Emma uses a key to open the door to her room.) Granny: (From behind:) “Miss Swan? (Emma turns around:) Oh my, this is terribly awkward. I need to ask you to leave. (Emma looks at her with a stunned look on her face:) I'm afraid we have a "No felons"-rule. It… it turns out it's a city ordinance.” Emma: “Let me guess: the Mayor's office just called to remind you.” Granny: (Nods:) “You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back.” (Emma hands her the key.) Storybrooke. Present. The Mayor's house, exterior. (Regina kneels on the grass next to the fallen branch of her apple tree and puts apples into a basket. Sheriff Graham approaches.) Regina: “She destroyed city property. I want her arrested.” Graham: “Again?” Regina: “What are you waiting for?” Graham: “I'm just not convinced arresting her is the right plan. (Regina stands up:) And I'm not talking about your tree. We both know she didn't steal those files.” Regina: “Oh, do we?” Graham: “I mean, she looked pretty shocked when I leveled the charges against her.” Regina: “That's because she doesn't like being caught.” (Kneels down again.) Graham: “Or because she was set up. And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying. If he's lying that means that someone asked him to. (Regina stands up:) Are we really confident that the man's conscience won't eventually get the best of him?” Regina: “I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment. Remember, I made you Sheriff. And I can take it away just as easily.” Graham: “You want me to arrest her again? I will.” Regina: “Good.” (Kneels down.) Graham: “But she is gonna keep comin' at you. And I know you, you are gonna keep comin' at her. You will do whatever it takes to get her out of here. And you may succeed.” Regina: (Angrily:) “I will succeed! (Gets up:) He's my son! It's what's best for him.” Graham: “I know that's what you believe. But if this escalates, it seems to me the only one who will get hurt is Henry.” (Regina sighs.) Storybrooke. Present. Outside Granny's Bed and Breakfast. (Emma is walking along the sidewalk.) Emma: (She looks over at her car and notices that there is a boot on it. Her phone rings. She picks it up and answers it.) “Yeah?” Regina: (On the phone:) “Ms. Swan, I'd be happy to continue demonstrating my power, but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?” Emma: “You have no idea.” Regina: “Well then. I think it's time we made peace. Why don't you drive over to my office. (Emma slams her car door:) Or walk—whatever suits you.” (Emma hangs up and rolls her eyes.)

Storybrooke. Present. Regina's office. (Regina and Emma are seated, talking.) Regina: “I'd like to start by apologizing, Miss Swan.” Emma: “What?” Regina: “I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here…” Emma: “That's right. I do.” Regina: “...And that you're here to take my son from me.” Emma: “Okay, let's be clear: I have no intention of taking him from anyone.” Regina: “Well then, what are you doing here?” Emma: “I know I'm not a mother—I think that's pretty self-evident—but I did have him, and I can't help it—he got in my head and I want to make sure he's okay. The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how.. troubled.. he is.” Regina: “You think he's troubled?” Emma: “Well, he's in therapy, and I only got through a couple pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside—he thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character.” Regina: “And you don't?” Emma: “How can I? The poor kid can't even tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy.” Henry: (Suddenly in the doorway:) “You think I'm crazy?” Emma: “Henry... (He runs out of the office. Emma stands, as if to follow, then addresses Regina:) How long was he there?”

Regina: “Long enough.” Emma: “You knew he would be here.” Regina: “Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely five P.M. so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I'm his mother. Your move.” Emma: “You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?” (Regina makes no reply as Emma exits the office.) Enchanted Forest. Past. The Dark Palace. (The Evil Queen stalks a promenade lined with mirrors. The Magic Mirror appears in various mirrors along her path as he addresses the Queen.) Magic Mirror: “What happened? Did you get your answer? (She makes no reply, only continues to walk:) What's going on? Your Majesty? Your Majesty!” (The Queen enters her great hall, where her Valet is lighting candles.) Valet: “Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?” Evil Queen: “Yes.” Valet: “...And?” Evil Queen: “I'm not sure I should say. I'm conflicted.” (She paces the room.) Valet: “How bad is it? Maybe I can help.” Evil Queen: (She stops pacing:) “I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most.” Valet: (Realization dawns on his face:) “Me.” Evil Queen: “Daddy, I don't know what to do.” Valet: “My dear... please... you don't have to do this.” Evil Queen: “I have to do something.” (She resumes her pacing, her father follows.) Valet: “Then move past this. I know this may sound self-serving, but you don't need to enact the Curse.” Evil Queen: (Addressing him face-to-face:) “But I can't keep living like this! What Snow did to me, what she took from me... It's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished.” Valet: “What... (She walks away, he follows:) If the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it? (She stops:) Stop worrying about Snow White and start over. We can have a new life.” Evil Queen: “But what kind of life? All I've worked for, all I've built, will be gone. My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing.” Valet: “Power is seductive, but so is love, and you can have that again.” (He holds open his arms. After a moment, the Queen steps into them, and her father enfolds her in an embrace.) Evil Queen: “I just want to be happy.” Valet: “You can be. Of this, I'm sure. (She sheds tears as he continues to speak:) I believe, given the chance, we can find happiness together. But the choice is yours.” Evil Queen: “I think you're right. (She steps back to look at her father:) I can be happy. (He breathes a sigh of relief:) Just not here. (Abruptly, the Queen reaches into her father's chest and removes his heart. He looks shocked, then falls to the floor:) I'm sorry.”

#swan queen #sq #swanqueen

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hooksandhappyendings-blog · 7 years

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Her Master and Commander: Chapter 12

No curse AU smut. The infamous Captain Hook buys a pleasure servant to keep him company on a long journey, only to learn that she is a princess, sold into slavery by an evil queen. A dark!Hook fic.

So first of all I am not technically back yet. GoT season isn’t quite over so I’ll be working on Jonsa fics for a bit longer, but this insane idea came to me (because I possibly have a brain tumor or something) and I knew how much you guys deserved this.

As for what this is... I have no fucking idea. By far the most fucked up thing I have ever written in my life. In fact, I have read a lot of fanfiction and I am confident in saying it is definitely up there with most fucked up of all time. This is like some cheese-before-bed-while-on-period-hentai-sex-nightmare shit. I cannot express to you enough how intense this is. There is something wrong with me. I don’t even expect anybody to like this because it’s so out there but whatever. I accept the shame.

WARNING: This fic contains severe dubcon, extreme penetration aided by magic so like this is no your average EP, not exactly a enema but like pretty much only more fucked up and THERE ARE NO TAGS FOR THIS FILTH and I am so so sorry. Expect the worst and feel free to bail at anytime.

Btw, I know this is not how anatomy or physics or fucking eclipses work but I really went high fantasy with this one so deal with it.

This fic is also available on ff. net and Ao3.

Chapter 12: That’s Some Fucked Up Black Magic

Months past on the Jolly Roger. One morning Emma came of the captain’s quarters to see snow falling from the sky in magical little flurries. In the distance she saw a white strip of land passing by. Killian told her it was Arendale. Emma furrowed her brows. Arendale was more North than the Northern kingdom. Where could they possibly by headed

Weeks past, then months again. The days rolled on, tumbling sunrise over sunset into the perilous beyond of an apparently empty sea. It was cold for a long time. Every night the chill would seep into Emma’s bones and Killian would stay up all night tending the fire.

Finally, after at least an entire season, the weather started to turn. The sun grew hot and bright and the clouds parted to reveal a clear sky. Emma now found herself sweating through her corset in a way that made her feel awful. Instead she wrapped her breasts in muslin and wore one of Killian’s black shirts with the sleeves cut off, secured at the waist to a red skirt with a large brown leather belt.

The heat persisted for a few weeks until finally the crow’s nest announced the appearance of land. Emma dashed up the steps to the upper deck and as fast as she could take her. “Where are we?!” she gasped at the captain.

Killian was smiling happily. “Can you see it in the distance?”

She looked. Far off on the horizon Emma could just see something glimmering like a star. “It’s... shining.”

“Yes. Gold tends to do that.”

She looked at him in confusion.

“Emma, have you ever heard the legend of El Dorado?”

She scoffed, “Of course. It’s a myth sailor’s tell in whorehouses.”

“Aye. A myth. That’s what I thought. But, turns out,” he said, taking a swig of rum from his flask, “I am the greatest pirate on the high seas. And many years ago I discovered the city of gold.”

Emma watched the sparkle in the distance grow brighter. “Is it all true? They practice black magic?”

“Aye. The El Doradians worship ancient heathen gods of rage and sex. They’re rituals involve rape and blood sacrifice. It is a very dangerous city. We’ll have to be careful.”

“If it’s a dangerous city then why on Earth are we here??” Emma bit out spitefully.

Killian sighed, brushing his nose with his thumb. “The truth is Emma, I bought you for... a nefarious purpose.”

Emma sent him a sarcastic expression, “No.”

“Indeed.” Killian said seriously, missing her insinuation completely, “The pleasure of gave you, the countless orgasms, long, excruciating orgasms--”

“Yes, captain , you are very talented.”

“Well it was supposed to be a ruse so that I could use your body for an ancient and powerful ritual that would involve impregnating you with dark magic producing a monster that will defeat my greatest enemy.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yes, it’s rather gruesome. But the good news is I won’t have to hold you down because I have thoroughly seduced. Aren’t I clever?”

Emma slapped him hard across the cheek, “You tricked me! You made me think that you cared for me!”

“Emma, I do care for you!”

She went to slap him again but he caught her arm with a dark look in his eye. “Clearly not as much as your revenge.”

“Did it ever occur to you, princess, that my revenge is the same thing as your safety? With the Dark One dead the Dark kingdom will fall, along with it’s prince. Your parents will be free of their deal and you’ll be free to marry who you like.”

“Oh, Killian,” Emma begged, “I know that this sounds like an easy solution but dark magic isn’t the way. There are always consequences.”

“Emma you don’t understand. El Dorado isn’t another kingdom, it’s another realm. It’s rules are different from the Enchanted Forest. Here, there is no dark magic, only black magic. It’s powered by there gods who aren’t evil here, but revered. It’s how their society works. Anger and lust are virtues here.”

With an incredulous look she implored him to tell her what he was leaving out.

Killian scratched behind his ear nervously, “The thing is... they’re a tad misogynist.”

“How misogynistic?”

He winced, “According to their religion women were put on earth to sexually please men. It’s what they do, all day, everyday, anytime they’re desired. They also operate on a caste system, so some women are considered communal property and can be taken by anyone at any time. The result can be... a bit disturbing.”

“So they’re just raped in the streets?!” she said in horror, trying not to be aroused by the idea. Killian had turned her into a very sick girl.

“Well, not all the time. There are flowers that grow everywhere called fire flowers. Their magic causes men and women to crave sex constantly. If they go without it too long they get violent. Which isn’t good since the flowers also case men to have fifteen inch cocks.”

“No, they don’t.” Emma said rolling her eyes. The light had grown dark with dusk approaching and the gold light was getting closer by the minute. “That is a myth that lady’s maids tell late at night because they are silly little girls. A man couldn’t fuck any woman with a fifteen inch cock.”

“They can with magic. When women step on this island their bodies change so that they can take it.”

“But it would hurt!”

“Well I hear it’s a little difficult to breathe if you don’t arch your back enough but I assure you it’s quite pleasurable. Imagine your favorite spot lining your walls all way up to here.” He slid his fingers from her crotch to the spot just below her cleavage. Then he grabbed her puller her to him facing out. He put his hand on her stomach, “You see, their pregnancy ritual is unlike any other. The man needs a long cock so that he can cum directly inside the womb.”

“That is not how the human anatomy works!”

“It is here.” he said insistently. “He then fills the womb with so much come her belly starts to bulge. He fucks her some more and the flowers make pain cause pleasure so he makes her come which hurts more, which makes her come until finally he fills her with as much as necessary. Now he can barely fit because her ass is full too.”

“With what?!” Emma shrieked.

“Come! On the island men can come continuously for half an hour. He puts a couple of liters in her ass before he starts filling the womb. She has to be completely full until she looks around ten months pregnant. In a month she’ll be ready to give birth, usually to quadruplets.”

“That is the most repulsive thing I have ever heard!”

“Don’t be silly. I told you, pain brings pleasure here. You’ll enjoy every second of it.”

Emma turned around “What the hell makes you think I’m doing that?!”

“Emma, we have a solution to all our problems. We love each other, the ritual is harmless and notoriously enjoyable. There is no reason why we can’t make a monster who will destroy both the Dark One and his wretched son. I can take you home and--”

“And what?! And I can marry you?! Hook I can’t marry a pirate, what good would that do my kingdom? You’ve murdered, you’ve destroyed villages. You’re a criminal. You can’t sit next to me on the throne.” Emma blinked. How had those words come out of her mouth? It felt like she believed them, but how could she? Her parents had taught her that love was more important than anything else, but was the love of her kingdom more powerful that her love for a pirate? The look on his face was heartbreaking. He looked as if she had struck him. He was shocked. Did he believe what she said?

After a moment, Killian’s face grew dark. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and walked her briskly over to the railing. “The sun is setting.” he said, “The next time it rises it will be nothing more than a ring of gold and will stay in the sky for a month. Tomorrow we will perform the ritual which will likely take all day. You’ll be pregnant for a month, and then you will give birth to a magnificent beast capable of destroying our enemies. If you resist, I will tie you down. If you somehow cause the ritual to fail, I will spend the next month fucking you with my fifteen inch cock and I will fill you with so much come you won’t be able to physically move. Do you understand?”

Emma gulped. What had she done? The pirate had gone mad with jealousy. She thought of a place fueled by black magic. It would make him worse. More angry. More violent. A month was a very long time. But she had nowhere else to go.

KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK

El Dorado was truly incredible. Emma marveled at the architecture. Great pyramids made of gold soared high into the sky. The streets were filled with vendors selling strange meats and gorgeous fabrics. Everything was adorned with gold and jewels. Killian took her to the top of a pyramid where he had rented a beautiful apartment. She explored the rooms that wound through the top point of the pyramid. It was an incredible place. The bedroom had a large balcony that looked over the city far below. As night fell, the lights on the ground shined brighter than the stars. This realm was much more advanced than the Enchanted Forrest.

She managed to drift to sleep, reluctantly sleeping Killian’s arms. She tried not to acknowledge the hope in her heart that the foolish pirate’s plan would work. But what would she have to go through to get it.

KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE

The next morning Emma woke to darkness. She walked out onto the open balcony and breathed in the cool springlike breeze. The weather was perfect here. In the sky was the sun concealed completely by the moon save for a thin rim of gold. She had been dressed in a humiliating garb. She wasn’t allowed anything but band of gold medallions around her waist holding up two thin swaths of fabric, one for the front, and one for the back.

Killian had said he would be walking in the pleasure gardens which were filled with fire flowers. Apparently it would only take a few hours for his body to change. Hers was changing too. He’d filled the entire room with the bright orange blooms. The men felt rage and lust, but she felt no anger. Only the endless stream leaking out of her. She felt empty. Her body ached for stimulation. And just then, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Killian--”

With a growl the captain pulled Emma onto the bed and put her on all fours. “I was thinking, perhaps the reason you don’t want to do this is because you actually want to be with Baelfire.”

“Killian, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh, it doesn’t sound so ridiculous to me. I mean, he’s a prince. Prince’s are gallant and honorable. They do don’t to their princesses what I’m about to do to you.”

She heard trouser come off and felt the head of an enormous cock at her entrance. She cried out in fright, “No! Killian you can’t! That’s... that’s...” He chuckled darkly, straightening his back, “Too big for you? Yes, it is. It’s astoundingly large, isn’t it? Four inches thick, at least.”

“Hook, there is no possible way that I can take that without pain. It will kill me!”

He laughed, spanking her hard, “Pain feels like pleasure. And your body has been altered. Your anatomy is different.”

“This is insane!” she sobbed.

“This has to be done,” Killian lined himself up and guided her upper body down to the mattress. Emma took a deep breath. “You need you arch your back.” he said, forcing her into an extreme position.

He forced his bulbous head past her lips and she immediately felt the stretch. She sobbed. “Shhhh...” he cooed, “It’s alright, you can take it. I promise it won’t hurt. You’ll feel it, but it won’t hurt. You’re very wet.” She whimpered as he forced himself deeper. Inch by inch he penetrated into the depth of her body. It was as if his cock never ended. She felt him press against a wall of resistance and she winced at the pleasure pain it caused. Her body was quivering around him. “I-is that all of it?” she asked hopefully.

“No. It’s only half.”

She cried out as he pushed past the wall, somehow going deeper than should have been possible. Emma was making helpless noises now. They were loud. It was an agonizing feeling to have a four inch wide, rock hard cock buried at least elbow deep. How was she alive? How did it not hurt? She could literally feel him in her stomach. She was stuck like a pig, completely unable to move her body, too overloaded with physical sensations to move her limbs. But most shameful of all, the amount arousal that was pouring from her body was immense. Her thighs were dripping like a leaky faucet. Her walls were pulsing and aching for him to move. “No more!” she begged. “Arch your back more.” Emma moaned as he pushed the last few inches in. “There you go, princess.” then he burst into a fit of laughter, “Darling, you’re so full. Tell me how it feels.”

Emma tried to respond but couldn’t speak. Every time she took in a breath she could fell cock pressing against every single part of her. He spanked her several times until she said, “I feel stretched!”

“Can you move?”

She shook her head.

Killian laughed giddily. Without warning he pulled out and slammed his cock into her so hard it knocked the wind out of her. He fucked her deep and fast, making her bottom half slam into his hips hard enough to bruise. Her eyes rolled back into her head at the pressure instantly started to build but he stopped after just a few seconds. She sobbed at the lack of sensation. She wanted more. He spanked her several times, the tight sound echoing around the walls. “This dirty pirate is going to fill you with his come until your body runs out of room. And then your precious prince can have the filthy rag that’s left.”

He wasted no time in fucking her like a fucking machine. It was surreal. Her body was somehow taking him, but just barely. He was pounding into her so hard and so fast she felt like nothing more than an abusable toy. The pressure suddenly exploded inside her and she came so hard she thought it would literally kill her. As her body shook uncontrollably her pussy clenched around his massive cock and water poured from her like a river. The pleasure inside her grew until the spasming muscles became blindingly painful. When it finally released her she gasped desperately for breath. Killian didn’t stop fucking her for even a second. He brought her to orgasm in just seconds, this one just as painful as the last, and fucked her through it, sliding through her clenching walls in a way no human man should be able to. The pain felt like pleasure indeed. Every time his cock would push extra deep it would trigger another orgasm and another until they began to overlap. Her body fought it like pain which made it agonizing, but as soon as it stopped she wanted more.

When Killian turned her on her back he slowed down. He kissed her passionately and said, “Watch.”

Emma looked down her bare body to where is join hers. He very slowly entered her and her eyes widened as she took in the sight. His cock was as thick as his arm and as long as a small sword. She trembled around it as it went deeper and cried out as her stomach bulged with it’s girth.

“Look at that.” he chuckled. There was nothing but a sick darkness in his voice and eyes. He pushed in further and angled up so that the bulge forced her back to arch. She moaned pathetically.

“It’s feels too big. I feel like I’m going to burst.”

It feels that way but you won’t, I promise.” He then began fucking her slowly, never taking his eyes off the moving bulge that proved his utter domination of her body. Sometimes he force her into an arch just to hear her beg for mercy. He fucked hard until he was ready to come and then he quickly put her back on all fours. Somehow, his cock slipped easily into her virgin ass. Her body shivered as he pushed it in halfway and with a few pumps began to release his seed.

His body spasmed endlessly and Emma began to panic as she felt the amount of hot come growing steadily inside her. Deep inside, in a foreign place, she began to feel full. He had said she needed to take two liters, but she didn’t know how much that was. The presseure built gradually until it was making her wince.

“I’m getting full.” she said worriedly.

“It’s alright,” he grunted, “It won’t hurt. Men and women from our world do something similar without the magic of pleasure pain. You’ll be stretched to your limit but you’ll be fine.”

As minutes past she felt her stomach stretching. She gasped when her hand felt the bulge growing in her belly. “My stomach! No more, please!”

“It’s alright Emma. You can take quite a bit more.”

He filled her, stretching her insides with a warm pressure until it felt like her gut was full of lead. There was so much in her it was as heavy as a bucket of water. Finally he pulled out and let her fall to the bed, but not before forcing a soft plug into her ass to keep it in. Emma slowly struggled to roll over. Her bowels were filled to bursting. She could barely move but managed to sit up against the ornate pillows of the bed. She put her hand on her stomach and ogled in amazement. How could there possibly be that much come inside her? It looked as if she were five months pregnant.

When she looked up, Killian was stroking his already hard cock.

“No!” she cried.

“Emma I have to fill your womb now.”

“With as much?” she asked, lip trembling.

“Twice as much, I’m afraid.”

“But I can’t! I can’t take you like this!”

He walked over to the bed and kissed her hard. She kissed him back, hungry for his lips despite her hate. When they parted he growled, “I will not let Baelfire have you. Now, get on all fours, it will be the best position for you.”

Emma sighed, but obeyed. There was no point in resisting now. With a full belly she rolled over and pulled herself up, sticking her as in the air for him. This time he could barely force himself in, her insides were so full of come, but when he did he wasted no time. She could feel his long cock fucking her deep. Amazingly the pain from his immense girth pressing against her full bowels just made her come. When the pleasure resided the pain returned and sent her spiraling again. Sh came hard and saw nothing but white for what felt like hours. Her body welcomed his cock despite the tight fit. And then he began to come.

She could feel the hot liquid spilling inside her. Immediately the pressure caused her already large bulge to grow. This part of her body was much more sensitive to heat and she began to whimper, “It’s hot, Killian. It feels like it’s on fire!”

“Shh...” he managed, “The hot spring... it was extremely hot, but it didn’t burn you. You can take it. Let me fill you, Emma.”

She breathed, telling herself over and over that the magic of the island would protect her body. Even so, his cock was now taking up way too much space. Her bowels were filled, her womb was filled, and there was a fifteen inch pole plunged through her body. She could do nothing but let him pump her full of liter after liter of come. When he was finally done her pulled her up. She fell into him, unable to speak. His hands came down to rub her large belly. “Look at how full you are.” he laughed, “My little come keeper. I like it. I can put as much as I want in you and none of it comes out until I say so. Isn’t that right.”

“Please let me... my... ass is too full.”

“You want to expel. Not yet. It’s an important part of the ritual.”

“But it’s cramping.”

“Cramps are good. They make you more sensitive so when you come it’s more intense. Watch.” He gently pressed on her stomach her scream out as the pressure on her bowels blinded her with pain only to send her spiraling into an epics orgasm. Water poured from her and her body attempted to clench around the liquid inside her. Killian forced her to come this way several times just to prove a point, then he flipped her over and entered her slowly, but soon was fucking her hard and deep. The orgasms were ripping through her. Every time she thought she would pass out from the cramping her body would clench and come harder than before.

When Killian came for the last time a dark glint sparkled in his eye as he watched her bloat with his seed. In the end, Emma gave in to the curse of this evil island. She laid back and enjoyed him filling her past the point that she thought would surely kill her. She watched her belly rise. Her whole body was telling her she needed to release the pressure yet it survived the procedure.

Emma lay there, a vessel for a dirty pirate’s come. How could she ever go back to her old life now? Her body was undeniably his. Not only had he marked it inside and out, but he’d stolen her heart.

Killian came to lay beside her on the bed. His hand went straight to her swollen belly. “I wish there was a child in there.”

Emma whipped her head to him in fear.

“There’s not! This will be a baby monster created by ancient heathen gods of rage and sex. Much less frightening.”

“We can never have children. Where would we raising them, the Jolly Roger?”

“I don’t see why not!”

“And you’ll teach our sons to be gentlemen while stealing from and raiding villages?”

“Oi! A pirate’s life builds character and I’ll have know disparaging my profession from the woman stuffed to bursting with my come.”

“What happens now?” she asked with a wince. It hurt to speak.

“You need to expel what you can. It will help. You’re womb will stay full but the cramps will go away.” He helped her to the bathroom and after helping her clean, took her to bed. All night, Killian kept his hands on her swollen belly. She put her hand on his and felt a blush rise through her. It did feel like she was pregnant.

For just a moment, Emma closed her eyes and imagined she was carrying their child. A boy with black hair and blue eyes just like his father. She fell asleep to the image of her giving him a child.

The happiness she felt was troublesome and she knew it would be the death of her.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.

#captain swan smut #cs smut #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan ff #cs fanfiction #cs ff #dubious consent #dubcon #cs dubcon #captain swan dubcon #please forgive me #i am a sick sick puppy

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mst3kproject · 7 years

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Hercules

Now that we’ve all seen Starcrash, I’m sure we can agree that there was only one question on our minds while we watched it – namely, what would happen if the same group of people got back together and made a Hercules movie?

Well, okay... it was probably more like “what drugs were these people on?” or “what terrible secret did Christopher Plummer have, and who found out about it and blackmailed him into this movie?” or even “who was wearing more eye makeup, Caroline Munro or David Hasslehoff?” but I don’t have answers to any of those questions. I can, however, answer the Hercules one, because that's more or less exactly what we have here: Luigi Cozzi, Golan and Globus, and their insane design team made a Hercules movie, and it's a legitimate fucking masterpiece. If not the Mona Lisa of terrible movies, this is at least the School of Athens. I found the DVD in the ninety-nine cent bin at Zellers back when Zellers was a thing, and it was the best dollar and six pennies I ever spent (pennies were a thing then, too).

The so-called plot is an absurd mess. It's as if one movie starts, then another, then a third, and it's only by complete accident that most of the threads are sort-of-but-not-really tied up by the end. After the most confusing history of the universe you will ever hear, the god Zeus creates Hercules to be a hero among men and sends him to be incarnated as the prince of Thebes. Sadly Zeus' timing is not very good, for shortly thereafter the King and Queen of Thebes are overthrown and murdered by agents of the evil King Minos of Thera, and baby Hercules is saved only by his nanny putting him in a boat to drift downstream and be found and adopted by some childless peasants. So surely this story will be about Hercules discovering his royal heritage and reclaiming the throne, right?

Nope! Our hero's origin story is more or less immediately forgotten. He grows up on the farm, doing useful chores like uprooting stumps and pulling a triple plough, only to be tragically orphaned again. First a bear mauls his adoptive father, and then his mom is killed by a giant robotic fly created by Deadalus, goddess of science, at Minos' behest. Okay, so this movie is going to be about Hercules searching for the killer of his adopted parents and taking revenge for that, right?

Still no! Instead of setting out on a quest for vengeance, Hercules rather more practically goes looking for a job. This brings him to the court of King Augeas, who needs a new bodyguard for his beautiful, be-veiled daughter Cassiopeia. Herc gets himself hired but falls in love with the princess he's supposed to be protecting, whereupon Zeus for some reason strikes them with a lightning bolt. Maybe this is because Cassiopeia is already supposed to marry somebody else, but I can't see that mattering to Zeus of all dieties. The lightning incapacitates the lovers, so Minos and his daughter Adriana kidnap Cassiopeia in order to sacrifice her to the phoenix who lives in their volcano. So the movie's gonna be about Hercules rescuing his true love and taking her home to marry her with her father’s blessing, right?

Well... sort of. We never do see King Augeas again or meet Cassiopeia's original fiance, but after considerable sidetracking Hercules does manage to save her from the Phoenix. In the process he also defeats Minos and Adriana, but I'm not sure whether he has any idea that Minos is the one who killed both sets of his parents. It's apparently important that the Phoenix is now free from Minos and 'its fire can serve the universe', but this comes out of nowhere and I'm not sure what it means. At the end, Hercules and Cassiopeia kiss and then ascend to the stars. Over the course of the story, Hercules did a number of 'heroic' things like separating Europe from Africa, slaying some monsters, and retrieving Circe the Sorceress' amulet from hell, but there's no real sense of him having 'saved the world'.

The ending still kind of works, though, possibly because nothing else in the film makes any sense either. Hercules has shown us a bunch of scenes that don't really fit together into a coherent narrative but kind of look like a movie, so as long as the ending kind of looks like an ending, it's a fitting close.

If you want humour, the major source of giggles in Hercules is the special effects. These are a mix of poorly-chosen and poorly-executed, often both, and sometimes one and then the other in succession. The only effects moment I can think of that looks all right is Hercules pushing Spain and Morocco apart – and it comes only seconds after the utterly ridiculous shot of him growing to enormous size to accomplish the deed! Swordfights are accompanied by flashing lights and laser noises. The miniature robots are atrocious. Hercules beats up the bear that killed his adoptive father and then throws it into space, as represented by a shot of a completely stiff model bear in a crucifix position tumbling head over teakettle into a starfield. I've only got room for one screenshot here, though, so my vote for the worst effect in the entire movie is the moment when Zeus' hand reaches out of a waterfall to catch the boat with baby Hercules in it. It looks like a plasticine octopus. It's so awful, the first time I saw it I nearly pissed myself laughing.

The movie's attempt at mythology is not even worth mentioning. Names appear out of a dozen different stories, many of them in places that have nothing to do with the characters they're supposed to belong to. Cassiopeia, for example, was the mother of Andromeda in the legend of Perseus – she had nothing to do with Hercules. Daedalus was a male human inventor whom Minos imprisoned, not a hermaphrodite deity he worshipped. Circe lived on one of the islands in The Odyssey, and never met Hercules – she doesn't even turn anybody into a pig in this movie. The one thing Circe is known for in popular culture to this day is turning people into pigs! Ducktales knew that, for crying out loud! Why would you put Circe in your movie and not turn anybody into a pig?

There's exactly one place in the movie where it really got its mythology right, and weirdly enough it's something almost everybody gets wrong. The container given to Pandora was a pithos – a clay pot – rather than a box. How did Hercules get that right while screwing up practically everything else? The Italian Wikipedia article for 'Pandora's Box' is titled Vaso di Pandora, even though the illustration on the page shows a box, so it appears the correct translation is common knowledge there. That explains it... and then, having done that right, the movie dives cheerfully back into its totally bullshit creation story about how the planets formed from the pieces of the broken jar!

Does any of this matter? Well, no, not really. The whole movie is so completely divorced from its source material that it's hard to even think of it as Greek mythology. It's more a piece of particularly bizarre heroic fantasy with some mythologically-inspired names. Between the weird sound effects, colourful stars, robotic monsters, and jarring appearance of a literal rainbow bridge, it feels like what you might have got if the early eighties had tried to make a Thor movie.

Is Hercules trying to say anything? Rather shockingly, I think it is. Throughout the film runs a theme of science as being something opposed to the gods. Plenty of movies have tried to take a look at the complicated relationships between science, magic, and religion, but Hercules goes about it in a particularly strange way. After all, this is a world in which the gods actually exist. How can Minos talk about science when he's standing on the moon talking to a divinity, and when his secret weapons are a fiery bird and a magical sword?

I think maybe what this is getting at is that science is how humans become gods, by learning to do things that only the gods ought to be able to do. Either that, or once we have science and technology, humans no longer need gods, either for protection or as an explanation for what's going on around us. If either of these is what was intended, it's pretty muddled... not least by the fact that in the final battle, science loses and the gods, via their champion Hercules, win! What are we supposed to learn from this? Should we put curiosity aside and go back to trusting in deities to make the world work? Or does this dichotomy actually mean anything at all? Maybe somebody just thought it sounded cool, and I'm seeing meaning where none exists.

The only place where I'm confident that somebody was making a point was with the figure of Daedalus, goddess of science – I'm not sure 'goddess' is the right word here, but I don't know what else to call her. Daedalus is played by trans actress Eva Robin's (that's how she spells it), and wears a costume with both a sweetheart neckline and a codpiece to emphasize her nontraditional gender. The gods of Greek mythology were male and female, and susceptible to the passions of lust and jealousy that go with that – Daedalus, as personification of science, is not subject to such irrational emotions. She is male and female, both and neither, in a single body. I'm not sure what this says about Luigi Cozzi's views of trans people, but it does seem to be the only place where anybody thought about the theme very hard.

So yeah, Hercules seriously is all-around terrible in every possible way – and it's one of my favourite movies ever. If I had to pick one movie to watch every day for the rest of my life, Hercules would be on the short list with real movies like Back to the Future, The Martian, and Lilo and Stitch. It misses out on being my favourite Hercules movie only because the Disney version had catchier music. This is not only the Starcrash of Hercules movies, it's also the Space Mutiny, entertaining in its very incompetence, and I love it. Wait'll you see the sequel!

#mst3k #reviews #hercules #episodes that never were #my cheese steak #80s #just fuckin weird #magic voice recommends

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mypralaya · 7 years

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If I were going to adapt Haven's arc to a cartoon, I think I'd merge it with the Adversary's original introduction during The Fall of the Mutants.

The Fall of the Mutants is when we first meet the Adversary. It happens in 1988, when Haven would still have been pregnant with him/it, so some fans question this as a continuity snarl, but I think it's very easily explained via magic. We've literally seen the same thing---incarnating a soul into an unborn child back in time---with the Scarlet Witch and her sons. I don't think it's at all impossible for the Adversary to do this, or to be in two places at once.

Anyway, basically what happens is the X-Men come to Dallas looking for Storm, and find out that time and space are running amok there. Dinosaurs, cavemen, cowboys, demons, all these strange people and creatures are just coming out of random portals and rampaging through the city. Finally, a scene from the Vietnam War pops in that reveals the explanation for what's happening. The X-Men known as Forge is not only a mutant, he's also a Cheyenne shaman with magical abilities...as well as a Vietnam veteran. During his time in Vietnam, the troop he was with were slaughtered, and he ended up summoning the Adversary to take revenge. He had banished the Adversary back from whence he came, but the Adversary still gained a foothold on Earth....and it's finally become strong enough to come back, along with all this chaos.

The X-Men try to fight the Adversary, but realize it can't be defeated in any way that they're capable of. The only way to get rid of him is for Forge to banish him once again...and to do that, he needs nine souls, nine lives. The X-Men, being the heroes they are, volunteer to do it, to die for the world to be saved. And thus Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Longshot, Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, Havok, and Madelyne Pryor (Cyclops had left her at this point, but she still remained with the team because MADDY IS AWESOME) all died, and the Adversary locked away again...though only, as his eternal enemy the goddess Roma pointed out, temporarily. Roma, in reward for the X-Men's selfless sacrifice, resurrected them. Since their deaths had been televised, the world now believed them gone, even their allies X-Factor and Magneto, and they decided to take advantage of this, moving their base to Australia and continuing their operations in secret.

Then, of course, in 1995 the Adversary returned, being born physically back into Earth via Haven. And there's that little time hiccup I mentioned, because Haven has been pregnant with him for the last TWENTY YEARS so how could he have been in Dallas, but, again, given the kind of creature the Adversary is, his immense power, and the fact time and space don't mean shit to him, I feel like there's really no contradiction here at all.

So, if I were adapting all this into a cartoon, I think I'd merge these two Adversary events into one. Have X-Factor's conflict with Haven happen first, and have that eventually culminate into birthing the Adversary. Then all that freaky shit begins, whether in Dallas or somewhere else, and X-Factor has to call on the X-Men to come help them. Forge recognizes the Adversary, and recounts how he summoned it during the Vietnam War (or another event, depending on if this is set in the 1990s or made more current) and concludes that while he thought he banished it, it must have used its foothold in this world to incarnate into Haven's unborn child.

From there, things proceed as they did in the comics, with the X-Men coming together to defeat it via Forge's magic. I'd still have them all contributing their souls/life force in some way to the spell, but I don't think I would bother with them dying if they're just going to get resurrected two seconds later by Roma anyway. That's such a cop-out. If they do need to be thought dead by the world for plot reasons, though, if this also follows with the comic book story of "and then they fuck off to Australia" then Haven has to get resurrected too. Alternatively, maybe she doesn't die at all from the birth but contributes to defeating the Adversary. Maybe she gives up her life instead of them giving up theirs. That way, the death in the story is permanent and thus actually has an impact, but we don't lose our heroes for their future adventures. It's still sad for Haven, but getting to go out a hero and stopping the Adversary is definitely a better ending than just dying alone with the realization she brought this evil into the world.

I think compressing it into one story would work better for a cartoon. And while I think that's fine as is, I wonder if it could be meshed with Inferno as well? Because Madelyne Pryor and Magik both deserve cartoon adaptions a lot more than Haven does (I may personally love Haven, but she's nowhere near the major character status these two have) And, both thematically and content-wise, these stories are very similar? In Inferno, you've got demons trying to come to Earth and make it their personal playground. Same with the Adversary. As a result, a whole lot of crazy destructive magical chaos starts happening in Manhattan. Same with Dallas. And in Inferno, these demons use and manipulate two tragic female characters to their own ends. Same with Haven and the Adversary. Honestly, it's almost the same event, just with different demons! And in addition to the theme of women being used, of their agency and identities being eroded, there's also a theme of children. For Magik, it's her lost childhood, and sacrificing her existence to become a child again. For Madelyne, it's her child being taken from her, and then her becoming so twisted that when she gets him back, she's going to sacrifice him. Obviously, Haven shares that theme as well, being controlled by the demon that is possessing her unborn child.

So, all things considered, the stories fit together REALLY easily, and streamlines them into one event that brings a lot of heroes together--X-Factor, X-Men, New Mutants---so it would work really well as a finale to a cartoon season that had focused on all three squads separately. I also kinda like the trinity thing going by having three women instead of two, as the "triple goddess" is a recurrent archetype in numerous myths and magical women working in threes is a trope that shows up in loads of media, so it makes it feel a little more magical in a way, which an event like this should because it IS magical and much more fantasy-heavy than the usual X-Men stories, which are more sci-fi and action/adventure-oriented. It also gets a Three Faces of Eve thing going perfectly.

The one problem would be giving these three women the attention they each deserve. Each of them deserves her specific story to be treated with care, tragedy, and pathos. That gets harder with more of them. It's also difficult because of the similarity of what's happening them. The same thing that makes them fit together thematically also means it's harder to play their tragedies as individual rather than part of the same unit. If it was a novel, I think it could be done, but not a TV show or even a movie. There's also the danger of overwhelming the viewer even if it is done correctly; when there's TOO much tragedy at once, it actually loses its effect because the viewer/reader/etc just hits this emotional ceiling. Even if each woman is successfully given the portrayal and attention and sympathy from the narrative she deserves, viewers still might not be able to feel everything they should for all three because it's too much at once.

Also, if I could, I would like to squeeze Exodus in there. It's already cluttered as hell once it's merged with Inferno, but ideally, if possible, I think this would be a cool way to introduce his character in the cartoon adaptation. Because it's a conflict with DEMONS, and Exodus is an extremely religious character, he was a knight during the Crusades and he still has that mentality. He's even literally described as a "mad scary angel" by another character. So isn't it just perfect to have him fighting demons? In this universe, rather than being woken up by Magneto, the magical and psychic energies going on during the conflict are what woke him up. Confused, he followed them to their source like a beacon, arriving on a scene of what he believes to be literal Hell. He originally concludes that the X-Men fighting the demons are merely souls of the damned, and thus must be left to their fate.

But then, something convinces him to help them. Maybe he admires how valiantly they fight, seeing in them kindred spirits. Maybe he realizes that the demons have abused innocent women who need to be rescued, and there's that whole knightly chivalry thing going. So he helps out, and at the end it looks like the X-Men might have a new ally...but then at some point, obviously, that would have to change, because Exodus works much better in a story as a foe to the heroes than a friend. But if he's going to be a bad guy in this universe, I think he'd end up having a far different dynamic than in the comics, because in the comics, Magneto wakes him up, so he's indebted to him and learns about the world from him first and seems kind of in love with him, so of course he takes on Magneto's viewpoints...in this scenario, he's waking up alone, and the first thing he sees is this horrible hellish vision...and finds out afterwards it was more or less caused by mutants as much as demons, and also stopped by mutants, and humans don't even enter into the picture. So I don't see how he'd come out of that with his extremist "mutants good, humans bad" mindset.

Hmmm...maybe scratch the whole "Inferno wakes him up" deal, and say he's already awake and a follower of Magneto and an enemy of the X-Men, he's just helping them this one time because he doesn't want Hell on Earth either? It could work, though there would have to be some answers about just when Magneto woke him up, since I'd like to keep the "Magneto was mentor to the New Mutants" thing from the comics.

But most likely, putting Exodus in would just be adding too much. Mushing the Haven, the Adversary, and the Fall of the Mutants with Inferno is already a considerable expansion in plot and characters, one more guy in there is probably not only not needed, but not doable. But if I could squeeze him in, I'd like to. Not that this is an actual project that's gonna happen or anything, just thinking about if it was.

So yeah, basically, I think compressing the Adversary's story by merging the Fall of the Mutants with Haven's arc would work very well and could very easily be done, I'd definitely do that. I think that then expanding this by merging it with Inferno could also be done, though with some additional challenges, I'd TRY to do that. And I think throwing Exodus in, while a cool idea, would probably be too much but uh I might still try because I like Exodus but I wouldn't push it either.

#xmen #x men #x-men #inferno #fall of the mutants #ideas

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enemymine2000 · 6 years

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I’m not good at that whole meta thing. I’m more of an “Oh, my intuition tells me”-kinda gal. And sometimes these feelings are just to darn strong.

I can’t get over Gabriel. I mean, this whole supposedly sacrificed himself only to get trapped by Asmodeus to be milked for his grace for years thing only to then get free, get milked for his grace to get TFW into the AU, only to then sacrifice himself thing reeks funny.

Obviously I don’t have any supporting evidence, but from the moment we saw his scorched wing marks (again) I was like “Nah, that totally isn’t what it looks like”. And now with the new episode and Michael’s emphasize that in contrast to Gabriel he is the better one, I just feel that to be true.

(Longer headcanon behind the cut.)

So if Gabe isn’t sleeping in the Empty right now (Although also a nice thing to imagine, especially once he wakes up. If the entity was annoyed with Cas I can’t imagine what it would be like with Mr. Trickster himself.), he is out there somewhere. He pulled that trick already. more than once actually. The first time the boys met him, he created a simulacrum for them to stab. Then he created two simulacra to trick Lucifer into believing he stabbed the real one. Three times is the charm, isn’t it? And we had that whole arc with Gabe going after real Loki and his sons to emphasize his trickster witness protection thing.

So how did he pull it off, if he indeed did pull it off? Well, my best guess is that he did the switcheroo when he was allegedly extracting his grace in the privacy of Dean’s room. He couldn’t have pulled off a switch when already on the other side of the rift or Rowena would have seen him come back through it before anyone else. (And I don’t believe him to actually ever have entered the AU in the first place - Gabe was behaving way to weird there, as if he didn’t know how to react to things, which a simulacrum without the original there to observe and guide might struggle with.) So a switch in the bunker, when he shook off Cas with the hint about privacy.

When Gabe emerged, the amount of extracted grace was pityful. Okay, so Asmodeus had milked Gabe pretty bad just the day when Ketch decided to rescue him, because of course he did. An archangel needs to be “milked” pretty dry to not be dangerous. What the Prince of Hell not injected immediately into his veins, he kept in storage because still he needed to wait for the reserves to build up again for more. One vial went into the spell for the rift, that landed Dean and Ketch in the AU. The second one was consumed by Gabriel upon coming back to his senses. Looked like approximately the amount of grace that was left of Cas’, when he retrieved it from where Metatron had stashed it. So at the time Asmodeus came to the bunker, we are let to believe that Gabriel is about as powerful as Cas. Obviously not counting whatever amount of grace still needed to have been in him to begin with, because as I said Asmodeus had “milked” him bad, but he had not drained him completely. He would only have kept his levels low enough to not be a danger to him when he first caught him. The rest insurance of Gabriel’s compliance he achieved with continued torture. So I guess Gabriel is slightly less than at regular angel strength when he deals the death blow to Asmodeus. That’s admittedly weak for an archangel, who is used to creating whole worlds at the snap of his fingers. But he is not Cas weak, whose strength levels have been all over the place - but who I think isn’t as weak as anyone seems to think he is, he only chooses to use his powers selectively. (Or Dean chooses for him - I mean come on, Cas mind-wiped Donatello without breaking a sweat, he still heals Dean’s more major wounds with barely a tap. It was only Ishim’s healing that winded him in season 12, but Cas told us that that wound was exceptionally deep. And Ishim was an angel to be healed, not a human, so probably a little more demanding on Cas’ grace.)

Anyway Gabriel feels strong enough after smiting Asmodeus to immediately go on a revenge spree against Loki and sons. Who are Norse gods or at least demigods. That’s the same archangel who prior to going up against Lucifer (back in season 5) was all lover not fighter. So he must have thought himself powered up enough and was genuinely surprised about not being able to heal himself after his confrontation with Fenrir. Cue his surprise visit with the Winchesters in the hope of getting more of his stashed grace. Tough luck, it’s all used up. So Gabe takes a nap on the couch, after which he does not seem to suffer from his injury anymore - he can bend down to pick up the case with the wood sword thingies just fine, where before he could barely stand upright. It’s only after the next fight against Sleipnir and Narfi that it seems to smart again. So yeah, self-healing works just fine, it just takes a bit longer. Then Gabe tells his story and off they all go to exact some revenge. Tough to tell time in SPN (that with indoor scenes, time jumps and supernatural beings manipulating the environment to fit their needs and stuff) but if it’s a couple hours tops inbetween events. So I stand with my assumption of at least Cas levels of power for Gabe at this point and constantly growing. Asmodeus last “milking” extracted three vials and was a while ago. Again with not being able to tell the passing of time in the show, but the boys had been on Rowena’s case in Oregon inbetween events, so I hazard a guess that’s it’s been at least a week if not longer since they last saw Gabe. If Gabe was at say approximately one and half vials of grace when he left the bunker, I think it should have been at least at two by them all meeting up again. Also they don’t immediately have him donate grace for the spell. They expressively wait for him to recharge a bit. Again no telling how much time actually passes. Taking into account the rather impatient nature of the Winchesters when it comes to family saving on one side and their understanding of such matters thanks to years with Cas, I’d say they would give him a week before going bonkers. And they appear slightly frantic in the episode when gathering. Cue in Gabriel’s need for privacy and the pityful amount he seems to be able to extract. At most a quarter of a vial, more like a fifth. Yeah, it’s funny because (insert phallic reference here) and it cause the problem of not actually being enough to establish a portal, so they need to hunt down Lucifer. So if it was all a trick by Gabe wouldn’t he have done it better?

Well, Gabe - or the guy that we think is Gabe - says that he is convinced that his special high powered juice should be enough even in such a small dosage. So, if Gabe actually used the privacy to create a simulacrum of himself it still would make sense. He doesn’t know that the dosage needs to be higher and he would need as much of his grace as he could to keep the simulacrum up and running while getting as far away from whatever was going to go down as possible. And he would have been able to leave Dean’s room and even the bunker without anyone being the wiser. The bunker hasn’t been angel proof in a long time and Gabe has his full set of wings. One flap and he would have been gone without anyone realising it. The simulacrum however would appear as much as Gabriel as possible but without his sharp wit about him, because that would require Gabe actually to be there and to guide the thing. That’s why “Gabriel” is barely able to cover himself with a book when caught in a compromising position with Rowena, instead of using his dry wit and some dirty jokes. That’s why “Gabriel” barely spends any time with the group in the AU, always keeping himself separated. That’s why he actually avoids fighting (the vampires and the angels) and to the best of my memories doesn’t use his powers at all after burning out the angel warding of the camp. Probably ate up all the limited powers the real Gabriel infused him with to make the ruse believable. More it didn’t need, because it was meant to die. Just like the one in the motel in season 5.

Meanwhile Gabriel would be free to return to his witness protection program. Apart from the Winchester, Rowena and the few angels left no one alive knows that he is an archangel. He wears the face of Loki, and no one knows that the real Loki is dead. His sons too, so he can take his place without contest. Back to being a trickster, waiting until his grace fully recharges. Eating sweets, creating pornstar fantasies. Until one day something lures him out again. He doesn’t know yet that Heaven is that close to failing - that was something Cas told the simulacrum. Maybe he doesn’t know yet that Michael wears Dean to a new Apocalypse and that Lucifer truly is dead now. And maybe he comes through for TFW and Heaven once he learns about it. Or maybe my feeling is completely wrong and he is dead and in the Empty. Then I hope something wakes him up soon and he annoys the hell out of the entity.

#spn headcanon #theories #just putting it out there #so it's no longer haunting my brain

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nothingman · 6 years

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Jon Bernthal in "Marvel's The Punisher" (Credit: Netflix/Nicole Rivelli)

Flattened and perverted by a generation of us-or-them, with-us-or-against us psychomachia-inspired messaging from the right (and left), even the very idea of heroism has been corrupted almost beyond recognition in America.

For many, snipers, men who kill at the distance of over a football field, are heroes. So too are cops and civilians who kill without reason and outside of the law. Politicians who mouth Christian values, without walking the walk, are heroes. Anyone who commits any kind of crime, belongs to the wrong community, comes from the other side of the political spectrum or simply offers any kind of dissent to traditional, calcified values are evil, eternal villains to this same population.

In this post-9/11, polarized country, where many believe counterfactually that crime is now more of a threat to American lives than ever before, it’s little wonder that the iconic symbol of the Punisher, the Marvel comic-book character, can be seen on the uniforms of our military personnel and the police cars that patrol our streets.

Clad in black with a massive skull across his chest, the former Force Recon Marine also known as Frank Castle kills criminals at all levels and of all kinds without remorse or sympathy — doing the vital job, as the logic for many goes, that the corrupted official justice system isn’t strong, brave or honest enough to do.

For these people — mostly men — Superman, Batman, Captain America and even the real-life cop on the beat and the judge behind the bench have all lost the thread and lack the guts it takes to bring peace and balance into our world. These are the same people that cheer Zack Snyder’s murderous, Randian takes on Batman and Superman in the Warner Bros. DC film franchise, the same people who see cops in military body armor in real-life America as an unfortunate, but necessary step to quell the unrest they see as consuming the public sphere.

Frank Castle, M249 SAW at his side, has those guts. The street-level vigilante is, for a significant subset of our country, the hero we need right now.

But as Frank Castle, two-dimensional on the printed page and in the new Netflix series, reminds his audience regularly, he is nothing of the sort. Moreover, the war he wages has no relation to the America we live in.

Yes, Frank lives by a code of justice, one he believes is ultimate and higher than that of anyone else. But even he understands that the way he executes it, while just, is not right. He knows he’s eventually going to the hell he imagines he sends his targets to.

Castle looks at Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and understands them as weak, as unwilling to do what needs to be done. But he also understands that these Avengers are the true heroes. He, by his own admission, is a revenger who understands his absolute war on all crime and on all criminals is neither tenable or ethical from 360 degrees.

“When it’s all over,” Frank says of his black-and-white battle against crime in “Moon Knight” vol. 3 #10, “when they’re all dead and the war is over, there’ll still be one bullet left to clear all accounts.” Here he admits that he deserves exactly the absolute punishment he deals out and, if necessary, will apply it to himself.

And besides, as the comics and the TV series make clear, Frank’s crusade is a personal one he wages out of rage, hurt and anger. Triggered by the murder of his family, Castle doesn’t operate out of a sense of nobleness or self-sacrifice, but — much like the Charles Bronson “Death Wish” character he is patterned after — the transference of his own pain onto the world at large. Essentially, his categorical framework for justice is rooted in personal psychosis.

Captain America, long the moral standard bearer of the Marvel Universe put it more simply when he beat the living hell out of the black-clad vigilante after he killed inactive criminals in front of the star-spangled hero in 2006’s “Civil War” miniseries. “Frank Castle is insane,” he said.

As Castle’s character has evolved from his beginnings as a Spider-Man foil near the end of the Vietnam War (Frank was originally portrayed as a vet of that conflict) to his rise as a popular antihero in the Reagan Era and beyond, this has become all the more clear.

Through and following Garth Ennis’ now-definitive take on the Punisher, the idea that whatever darkness powers his crusade existed inside him long before his family died has been established as canon. The simple theory here is that many people lose their families to violence in the real and fictional worlds (Batman included), but almost none of them reactively launch into homicidal wars against the universe. That takes a different kind of mind. Frank, it seems, always had one.

For easy kicks, morally gray narratives and, yes, good, old-fashioned revenge-fantasy jollies, Castle works brilliantly and satisfyingly when limited to the printed page or the television screen. More than that, his almost Heideggerian or Nietzschean (take your pick) dedication to a simplistic, one-lane moral/ethical code has an interesting effect when kept to the confines of fiction.

Unlike other comic-book characters, Frank has no qualms about his actions even if he understands that his position has its faults. While other characters spend umpteen panels and plenty of ink doing the work of teasing out the moral questions involved their actions for the reader through tortured, wandering exposition (see “Civil War,” “Civil War 2” and “Captain America: Civil War”), Castle forces the audience to do that work for themselves, to engage and labor with a sometimes — though certainly not always — challenging text.

So, yes, often reading a Punisher book is just about sitting back and unironically enjoying the carnage as a man solves his and the world’s problems with a M60 or M1911 (Frank likes his Vietnam-vintage tools). Regularly, though, it means confronting the faulty logic of Castle’s problem-solving approach, one that normally admits no possibility for rehabilitation, mercy or error.

But out in the real world — where criminals and military opponents also happen to be real people, where bias and misidentification exist, where everything is even less black and white — people in military units, police departments and in the civilian public are not doing that work. There, the Punisher has become a totem of a false belief that, yes, America is in an existential war with threats from within, that the well-researched evidence that violent crime has been on a downward slide for decades is somehow opposite of reality.

This is the same theory that has made us the nation of manifestly harmful mandatory minimums, of treating convicts like caged beasts, of Ferguson, of Tamir Rice and Freddie Gray, of police-training programs called “Killology,” of an absolute war on terror whose prosecution only increases, not decreases, our number of enemies, of Jeff Sessions’ belief that marijuana is the same as Fentanyl, of almost everything President Donald J. Trump says and does. It’s a toxic categorical framework without nuance, kindness or nobleness, and Frank Castle is its unfortunate mascot.

The Punisher is a great character in a 2D universe where evil exists and the world can actually be saved by a handful of adventurers in a matter of pages. Outside of it, he’s a death’s head symbol of an vicious ideology that only sees America at its worst and looks to absolutism as a way out. The fact that he’s a hero of our times suggests just how desperately in need of revision of our shared notion of heroism and ourselves we really are.

via Salon: in-depth news, politics, business, technology & culture Salon

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