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tanoraqui · 4 months

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obviously the Historical Figure Episode(TM) of Doctor Who that I’d write would of the Noted Author subset endemic to the RTD Era; it’d be called “Spiders in the Trenches” and be set in the middle of World War One ft. one Lt. John Tolkien.

idk if the main aliens are spiders or if they're just using giant robotic spiders as soldier-minions. Either way, Tolkien is a little too defensive when he says he's not afraid of spiders.

The alien invaders want some sort of shiny mcguffin, maybe as a power source for their ship? Or for a mega-weapon? We do not want them to get it, at any rate. Race to find the Shiny Power Jewel-Thing which has been lost somewhere in this like 20-mile radius of the Western Front.

When our heroes narrowly beat the spiders to the SPJT, Tolkien realizes that the spiders only ever attack at night because light hurts them somehow, so he holds the SPJT up as it flares and shouts, "Get back, foul creatures! Back into the shadows from whence you came!"

(They're from the dark side of a tidally locked planet, and made for extremely low-light conditions? The SPJT flares because it's controlled telepathically and it connected to Tolkien's mind when he touched it?)

Ideally Tolkien's first encounter with the Doctor is that he wakes up in the trench one day (after losing some men to a mysterious monster in the darkness a couple nights ago?), and there's 2 random strangers in weird clothes idly singing and playing an instrument which they stole from someone a couple bedrolls down. (This works well with Fifteen & Ruby's established inclination to music!)

We do need an Eowyn Moment, because that's iconic, but I'd split it: for dialogue, at one point the head boss evil alien boasts, "No human can defeat the Tenebrarachnid Empire!" and the Doctor replies, "Good thing they've got me, then."...

[I don't know if this is a Fifteen line yet. I know it's a very Eleven line]

...and there's a soldier in Tolkien's unit who is revealed to be secretly a woman! Who disguised herself as a man in order to enlist for ??? reasons, and who dramatically pulls off her hat to reveal her long hair.

The third notable local character is the sort who inspired Sam Gamgee, "...the English soldier, [like] the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war, and recognized as so far superior to myself.”

^those two can have a romantic subplot if it fits (comrades-in-arms is also extremely good). Tolkien, however, at some point shows Ruby the picture of his wife Edith which he carries at all times, she of the black hair and bright grey eyes, and is obviously ready to monologue about how wonderful she is.

In the same scene(?), Tolkien looks up at the stars and says their brightness shining afar, clear of all the horrors on the ground, is always a source of hope and strength to him.

Maybe also in the same scene? Tolkien is shown to make up stories for fun, or to read them in his little spare time - fairy tales and mythological epics. Maybe he tells them to the men around the fire, maybe he keeps a little notebook, maybe he just admits to daydreaming... When asked why, he paraphrases his quote from later life, " Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?"

At some point (Star-watching scene? when the Doctor inevitably has to explain that aliens exist? when they're all saying goodbye in the end?) there's a line drawing attention to the Doctor's parallels with Eärendil - eternally wandering figure of hope, sailing the stars in a ship with a light on top, not quite mortal...

Tolkien DEFINITELY tries to figure out the alien language, in writing or speech.

Something the aliens are doing is making people sick. Maybe the attacking robo-spiders are venomous, maybe there's a toxic byproduct of the alien ship, maybe it's a deliberate first assault of the planned invasion... By the end of the episode, Tolkien is very ill. The Doctor has figured out an antidote and given it, but Tolkien says goodbye to him and Ruby only to stumble to a medical outpost - from where, the Doctor explains to Ruby, he'll be sent home with this bad case of what's assumed to be trench fever. Between the fever and the brief psychic entanglement, and unentanglement, with the SPJT, he won't even remember most of this, and what he does remember, he'll put down to fever dreams amidst the horrors of war.

But he'll remember some things! He'll remember an eternal wanderer of the stars, unaging and undying and ever-hopeful, heralded by light (and a vworrrp vrorrrp noise).

#doctor who #JRR Tolkien #ficlet #my fic

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fastcardotmp3 · 1 year

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Eddie's little "get her back" speech in the Upside Down is so funny bro just found out there's a parallel hell dimension to his home town where an evil wizard lives with his army of demon creatures and decided "yeah the best way to cope with this is to meddle in this near-stranger's love life maybe if I make these two act messy enough we can all focus on that instead of the whole impending doom thing" and you know what so true bestie create alternate drama to avoid your problems good job good for you

#dot post #eddie munson #stranger things #it's literally like what was the point of all that why was he so invested duffers explain #in canon he doesn't KNOW them why does he CARE jfdklsjf

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alltheweirdkidsinoneplace · 1 year

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Eddie Munson + potential Iron Maiden references

because I'm hyperfixiating and desperate. Also apparently not everyone was raised on 80s metal, so this might be new to some people and gatekeeping is lame. None of this is confirmed obviously and I'm probably reaching but here we go

let's start with the most obvious one: This is Iron Maiden's mascot. His name is Eddie. He's been on every single album cover, most single covers, merch, posters... He looks a little different every time, but he's always undead.

This is the cover artwork for the 1982 album The Number of the Beast. It features A huge version of Eddie, controlling the strings of a red, devil-like creature, which in turn holds the strings of a tiny version of Eddie. The Devil (Vecna, there I said it) is not shown to be aware of Big Eddie controlling him. It's all very double agent, The Spy parallel. Also if you take just the frame of Big Eddie's hand and the devil, it looks A LOT like Eddie Munson's puppetmaster tattoo. With a little fantasy and even more reaching there's also some vaguely mindflayery shape in the background of the image.

(probably irrelevant but still fun fact: This album was released on March 22nd 1982 - EXACTLY four years before Eddie Munson became the main suspect in Chrissy's death)

This one speaks for itself. We've all seen the Eddie prequel book that's gonna come out later this year with literally the same title as this 1983 song.

Interestingly, Eddie has batwings here, aka KAS THEORY CONFIRMED?

This one, holy shit. This is the artwork for the 1986 (!) album Somewhere in Time, and if the year and title weren't enough, there is so much more.

1. Again starting with the most obvious: There is a graffito on the wall to the very right that literally says EDDIE LIVES.

2. Under the graffito we see a hand reaching up from the ground (grave?). The version of Eddie that we get here is a cyborg, and the hand on the ground looks very cyborg-esque as well. The band members are seen a little towards the left as normal humans, so it's not like everyone's just a cyborg in this world. Ergo the hand belongs to a second Eddie, which is very in line with the whole "there is another timeline with shadow selves"-theory.

3. The red clouds in the background are very vecna-y.

4. The little winged figure from the Flight of Icarus cover is seen left of the big tower in the middle.

5. The neon sign of the movie theatre to the very bottom left contains the words "Live After Death" (illegible here, but it's there!)

6. The lyrics on this album! In particular Wasted Years, featuring the lines "But now it seems I'm just a stranger to myself

And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but someone else"

- again, very much in line with shadow selves. And even more Stranger in a Strange Land:

"Was many years ago that I left home and came this way

I was a young man full of hopes and dreams

But now it seems to me that all is lost and nothing gained

Sometimes things ain't what they seem

No brave new world, no brave new world

Night and day I scan horizon, sea and sky

My spirit wanders endlessly

Until the day will dawn and friends from home discover why

Hear me calling, rescue me

Set me free, set me free

Lost in this place and leave no trace

Stranger in a strange land

Land of ice and snow

Trapped inside this prison

Lost and far from home

[...]

They found his body lying where it fell on that day

Preserved in time for all to see

No brave new world, no brave new world

Lost in this place, and leave no trace

What became of the man that started

All are gone and their souls departed

Left me here in this place so all alone"

Does that sound like someone left for dead in the Upside Down or is that just me?

7. idk a fuckload more in the cover probablay because it's wild.

Bonus Metallica fact: Master of Puppets was released on March 3rd 1986. Eeven if he bought the album the day it was released (he would) that would have given him under three weeks to rehearse it so much that he could give the most metal concert ever on March 27th.

Anyway that's just from the top of my head; I might add on to it if/when I think of more. PLEASE spam me with your theories I beg you.

Side note: Contrary to popular belief, if you got into metal because of Eddie: That's awesome! Welcome! Again, gatekeeping sucks; we've all had our minds blown by a Metallica song for the first time at some point, so let's be nice to the newcomers.

#don't you love it when several special interests merge like *autism intensifies*#stranger things #eddie munson #kas theory #shadow selves #iron maiden #flight of icarus #the number of the beast #somewhere in time #metallica #master of puppets #stranger things theories

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rinrinx2 · 1 year

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Gullible

Getou x reader

Summary: Getting help from a stranger is great but it'll leave you vulnerable if you don't use your brain, luckily you don't.

Warnings: Smut, you're getting used without your knowledge, fingering, orgasm, Mature themes, language.

*All characters are of age*

You gripped your school bag a bit tighter to your side as you anxiously looked about the room you stood in. The cold white tiles reflecting the worried look painted onto your features as you waited; your patience running thin as your nerves told you it was best to leave while you still had the chance.

'Maybe it wasn't a good idea to ditch school for this' you thought your mind racing, but as much as it felt like bad idea to be there you were sure how many more nights you could hiding under your blankets in fear.

"Welcome" a voice echoed out, snapping your attention to the man who spoke.

"Follow me" he instructed as he turned his back towards you, walking back into the room he came from.

With the little courage you had been able to summon, you followed him.

The floor of the cold white tiles was quickly replaced with oak wooden floors which seemed much more inviting, paired with the smile of the man who sat patiently on his modest throne.

"So what brings you here?" he asked, his head lazily being held up by his hand propped up on a piece of wood.

"I - I" you struggled to speak as even with the little welcoming attitude that had been presented you still felt anxious.

"Look up when you speak to me"

The command in his voice was enough for you to look up without a hesitation.

You looked at the man infront you watching his stern features stare back at you. Which only caused for your nerves to begin to feel just as it was while you waited in that white tiled room.

But just as your nerves rose you saw the serious look on his face fall into a soft smile. His smile was warm and comforting just like the appearance he held when you walked into the room you currently stood in.

His smile was inviting you to talk and you gladly accepted.

"I hear voices at night and I heard from some girls at my school that you could help me with it"

You watched a the man stood up now coming closer to you, his warm smile still present on his face as he approached you. When he finally stood parallel to you, with a quick moment of his hand you felt a sense of ease.

"There" he said without even sparring you another glance as he turned back to his throne.

"You won't hear the voice anymore" he said as he sat back down.

"And I won't see any stuff anymore?" You questioned further.

"See?" The man asked now with a bit more interest.

"Yes, like those creatures I see at night when I look from under my blanket"

"So, you know how the creatures who speak to you look like?"

"Yes, that's what makes me so scared" you replied looking into his eyes.

"Well you won't see that one anymore" he said with his warm welcoming smile growing bigger by the second.

"But I can't assure you that you won't see other things"

"Other things?" You asked.

"Yes, other things. The is no real way to stop seeing them but I could teach you how to destroy them" he spoke with honey laced words.

"Please teach me" you begged.

"Well then in that case you'll have to come to this temple everyday and I'll teach you"

"Good girl" he cooed, as a silence began to fill the air while you mind span with the praise he gave you.

"Suguru Getou" he said after a moment

"What's that?" You asked.

"My name"

"Where you rushing off to (Y/N)?" Your friends asked as you hurriedly back your school bag.

"I have work" you said with a short sentence trying to reduce any more interactions with them to waste time.

"You have work everyday?"

"Yes" you lied.

There was no job that would employ a student and have them work nearly everyday even during exams, and your friends knew that which only grew their suspicions more to where you would rush off to after school day after day.

But you knew you couldn't tell them, where you were going and what you were doing and more importantly who you were doing it with.

You knew how much Getou despised those who couldn't see curses.

'Monkeys' that's what he'd call them, you didn't like name he had given them but you weren't one to argue with him. You weren't one to go against him at all. Every word he spoke to you felt sacred along with every touch.

After Getou has helped you with the voices you had heard in the night, you held true yo your word and came back to the temple the next day and then the next and the next and before you knew it everyday was filled with him, along with every thought.

"Here you are" Geto said as you entered his personal room.

"I was getting worried you're 10 minutes later than your usual time"

"Sorry about that. The train was delayed and I tried my best rushing over here" you replied taking in deep breathes to calm yourself after you had sprinted nearly the rest of the way to Geto.

"Well we've already wasted 10 minutes, let's not waste any more" Geto said as he walked over to your direction.

Geto watched as you put your school bag down in the corner, watching as you began to undo the shirt that clung to your body.

He was amazed that a girl who was so smart could be so gullible, that you really believed he was going to help you be able to overcome curses. He was a curse user he didn't want to kill cursers he wanted to use them to his benefit.

But he could sense that you whole heartily believed that you would be able to destroy them and he found that cute like a little innocent puppy chasing its tail.

"Shirts off" you said standing infront of Geto.

"Good but remember skirt too"

'His so kind reminding me' you thought as you pulled your skirt down leaving you in just your frilly pink panties.

"You look beautiful just as you did the day before, and the day before that and the day before that" Geto said as he kissed you neck causing you to giggle.

Taking his large hand as he intertwined your fingers with his as he lead you to his modest throne.

Carefully sitting down so that you would easily fit in his lap.

"You all comfortable?" He asked as his hand rested on your thighs.

"Yes" you nodded enthusiastically.

"Great, we'll begin now"

Getou began to move his fingers across your upper thighs, his warms fingertips gently touching your inner thighs as they went upper and upper to the place between your legs.

But just before they could reach your aching core his hands would begin moving up your body. His hand sliding up your waist and onto your breasts, giving them a firm squeeze which always caused you to gasp from pleasure.

"Feels good" he whispered into your ear, as he massaged your breast. His much bigger hands working away at your just pawing them as he would begin to feel your harden nipples from underneath your bra.

You felt the cool air against your chest as Getou pulled down your bra revealing your perched nipples that were begging to be pulled at, which Getou happily did.

Getou knew how wet you would get when he'd begin to pinch your nipples, how in a matter of minutes you would be attempting to hump the air to find some relief.

"Calm down don't get to excited" he chuckled which only caused the slick between your legs to increase.

With one hand still pinching your nipples Getou brought the other down, gliding gently down your body till it reached your soaking cunt.

Without a moment hesitation Getou slipped his hand passed your panties and onto your wet slit. Teasingly gathering slick as he tapped it onto your clit.

"Remember this is the important part of getting a curse away"

Getou smiled at himself as he watched you nod in agreement to his false words.

With a soft sigh he plunged his fingers into your sobbing cunt feeling as your walls greedily sucked him in as if they weren't inside you the day prior.

Getou pushed his fingers back and forth slowly, just savouring your lewd moans that ached for him to speed up.

"Getou-sama" you moaned out, the magic words he had taught you to get him to move his fingers faster.

And that's exactly what happened when that named spilled from your swollen lips.

Getou fingers were no fucking into your brutally with the palm of his hand knocking against your clit bringing you closer and closer.

"Important part now, this is how you stop curses" he whispered as he licked your ear causing more pleasure to ripple along your body.

All your mind could focus on was the deep pleasurable sensation from within as Getou fucked his fingers into you, feeling as your walla grew tighter and tighter.

"You're nearly there" Getou encouraged on.

Until finally it happened, Getou felt you pussy clamp down hard on his fingers as you hands grabbed at his wrists to steady his fingers. Feeling as squirts of clear liquid released from your pussy and onto the oak wooden floor.

"And that's how we deal with curses"

Decided to do write in a new style kind of and I also wanted to write something. Please let me know if yall liked it.

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raayllum · 7 months

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one of the things i love most about arc 2, i think, is the breaking down of "this action is always bad" from arc 1 into "this action is always circumstantial" in arc 2. not that arc 1 is devoid of morality complexity and ambiguity, but there's definitely more examinations of said things and said unforeseen consequences in arc 2.

in arc 1, Claudia doesn't break away from her father (isn't familial morality good?) and Rayla does (becoming the first real traitor in the series in a lot of ways). In arc 1, Nyx is our primary (bad) thief who steals for self-centred (monetary) reasons, but in S5 we see both Ezran and Rayla engage in thievery with good intentions, even if for Rayla it is also for 'monetary' reasons (ha!) and Callum spares/helps her much the way Rayla spared/helped Nyx, even after being 'tricked' and certainly lied to. Nyx's thievery has the least consequence with Ezran's having the most, but their intentions (to return a baby creature for money / to save baby creatures from a truly terrible fate and existence) is what divvies up the actions accordingly.

Soren and Terry are both crestfallen and wracked with guilt upon killing someone - for Soren, his father, which is extra complicated given that Viren clearly paid quite a steep price to keep his son alive; for Terry, a relative stranger - but both murders affect them in similar ways. For Terry, it was something he'd never been trained to do and wholly in defense of someone he loves; for Soren, it was fulfilling his purpose as a knight and a crownguard for someone he loves, but also reflective of the strength it took to stand up against his father for what was right.

When Callum breaks away from Aaravos in future seasons, he will be retreading Viren's path in 5x09. Claudia and Rayla continue to parallel each other quite strongly, particularly with 6x01 in mind. Callum, like Viren and Claudia, has used dark magic two times now for Good reasons, yet is clearly still worried by what path it may set him on, while Viren is forced to recognize his own agency (much like Callum did in S2).

IDK if this makes sense but I really like the way TDP takes intention, circumstance, and consequence into account, and doesn't let any character off the hook for their choices within those circumstances, but also doesn't demonize any of them for their choices either

#tdp #the dragon prince #the cycle #like what are we kantians #it is funny tho how the show routinely treats lying as like #the most minimal issue to have ever #which like tracks bc it's like. WE'RE WELL PAST THAT #next to stealing i guess. big bois only care about Murder and even then #mini meta #analysis series #the gang's all here

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azsazz · 2 years

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Cupid's Chokehold (Part 4)

Azriel x Reader

Summary: You are a Cupid, a nearly extinct creature of Prythian. When you get caught trying to shoot Elain with your arrow, well, it’s a little hard to explain what you’re trying to do.

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 2,351

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

_________________________________________

For an alleged spymaster of the Night Court, the male surely asked a lot of questions.

He’d shone up early this morning to the training ring with your beloved armor and bow to which you’d excitedly snatched from his grasp and examined your possessions for damage.

There’d been a moment during the interaction that Azriel thought you might leap forward and hug him for bringing your weapons back and he found himself wanting to feel your body pressed up against his like that first time he’d caught you, found himself aching for it.

He’d cleared his throat instead, reveling in your excitement because surely no one had ever looked at him like that before. The eyes you gave him when you were finished inspecting the golden bow, bright and a wide smile on your face that made his heart flutter in his chest so quickly that he’d nearly had to gasp for air.

He understood your love for your weaponry, Truth-Teller had not left his person in centuries, no matter what. There’s a pang in his chest as he thinks about what it would be like to have his weapon taken from him by strangers. It would be like standing naked in front of his captors, and as his eyes trail down your glowing skin in the morning sun, he lets his mind wonder, imagining you with less and less on.

You pull the fitted gold breastplate over your head and it snags his attention, cheeks feeling hot as he averts his gaze from the metal that only accentuates your curves.

Mother, why did he agree to this again?

To distract himself he;d begun asking questions about your line of work, and it surprised even himself as he’d never been a male of many words. A part of him just wanted to hear the sweet lilt of your voice, your accent a mix of the lands across Prythian and beyond.

“For someone in so much armor, you were surprisingly easy to catch,” the shadowsinger quips, trailing through the thick brush behind you. Azriel assesses the golden nature of your coverings; the pristine white cloth you don beneath the shiny fitted metal. It would take nothing for him to rip through the thin fabric, maybe slightly more work to rid the breastplate from your body but he’d manage. He shakes his head, scolding himself for his wandering thoughts, forcing his eyes away from your clothing. Your wings are the same, nearly blinding like the snow, brighter than even the Winter Court’s storms.

“Not everything has to have such a blunt explanation, shadowsinger,” you roll your eyes, ducking around a branch that he wouldn’t have seen coming if he’d kept imagining filthy thoughts. “Just because I wear armor does not mean I am a warrior the same as you. It symbolizes the parallels between warfare and romance. How love can be invincible.”

“How love can be death, you mean.” Twigs and rocks grind underneath his boots.

You furrow your brows, halting in your spot, spinning on your heel to face him, “What?”

He nearly runs into you, stopping so quickly he flares his wings out so he doesn’t go toppling on top of you. He blinks once, twice before answering. “To be in love is to welcome death. To have a mate is to be blinded. One would rather die than to have their other half die, and to suffer alone is a far worse fate.”

“Are you not tired of suffering alone, Azriel?” you question. Your voice is so soft and pointed that something cracks inside of him. He hadn’t meant to upset you but that’s all he seems to be good for where you’re involved. You don’t wait for his response, twisting on your heel and stalking through the brush, leaving him standing frozen in his spot, dumbfounded.

He slinks behind you without another word, kicking himself for always seeming to say the wrong thing in your presence. He can’t help his curious nature and you’re more intimidating than he’d ever admit. A dangerous female with the beauty to strike him silly before you pierce his heart.

You duck behind a thick oak tree and he follows suit, watching intently as you draw an arrow from your quiver, hooking it into the string of your bow.

“There they are,” you whisper, and he can tell just how much you love love by the biting smile on your face and sparkle in your eye as you admire the couple sneaking through the forest.

It’s an effort to look away from your smile, and Azriel’s heart pounds so loudly in his chest he’s afraid he might scare the lovers away.

But it freezes in his chest when he sees your target.

The oldest son of Autumn, gallivanting with his secret lover through the woods this early in the morning? From the information he gathers quickly, his shadows hissing in his ears, he can tell that she’s a low-born and Eris should be nowhere near her.

Had he learned nothing since Lucien’s terrible fate?

“What if you miss?” he murmurs but his eyes stay glued to the couple. Eris has that familiar sly smirk on his face, the same one he uses to get under Azriel’s own skin, but the female puffs out a breathy laugh and hits him lightly on the shoulder.

She tries to keep walking but Eris is grabbing her so suddenly that you and Azriel tense. The Autumn heir spins the beautiful female around and dips down to kiss her in a fluid movement that has your breath hitching in your throat.

You ached for something like this, something like the love you’d seen throughout your lifetime. So much of it to bask in; gentle caresses of hands, a fleeting kiss, cheeks tinting pink, but it had never been you, couldn’t be, with your job.

Fingers twitching on the string of your bow you swallow harshly, responding, “I never miss.”

It’s true, your arrows have a slight magic to them to keep them on the path to your victim. Where the arrow would land was a separate issue, hence having shot a few someones in the ass before.

Azriel’s eyes flick to you as you take a steadying breath, raising the weapon into position to strike. It’s like that first time all over again, when he’d caught you in the garden at Rhys’ house, calm and still and no idea that he was behind you until he pulled that blade on you.

His words though, feel like he’s sliding that beloved metal blade right through your heart.

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” He places a hand on your shoulder, his hesitant breath caressing your ear as you scrunch your face up in distaste. Azriel’s touch sends shivers up your spine and you need to re-steady your bow.

You shrug his hand off of your shoulder, keeping your aim locked on the pair before you. “I’m beginning to think that you don’t want me to do my job at all, shadowsinger.”

He hears the tenderness in your voice, the fleeting glance you give him, and he curses himself again for making him seem like an ass, but you don’t know Eris, don’t know of Lucien’s mate or his father or the strained connection with his court…should any of them find out–

“You don’t know him, what his father will do–”

“It’s not my place to know,” you grit, clearly irked by the male beside you. You’ve had enough of this. At first he seemed almost eager to tag along, asking all of those leading questions…maybe it was only to gather intel for his High Lord.

You’ll be damned if he stops you this time.

“It is only my place to shoot,” you whisper tightly. Taking aim again. If you don’t shoot now you’ll lose your target.

“Please, (Y/N),” he begs and you falter for a moment as your breath goes shaky. He’d never said your name before, only calling you Cupid. You’re sure it would sound like absolute sin rolling off of his tongue if he were pleading you for something else.

“This could ruin everything between the Night Court and the Autumn Court, you can’t.”

If Eris’ father found out he was rolling around in the bushes with a low-born he’d surely be chased out of the Autumn Court or worse, killed by the hand of the cruel man.

And if that were to happen there would be no choice for a peaceful treaty between his court and theirs.

“I have to,” you grit, blinking back the tears stinging your eyes. He shouldn’t be stopping you like this, shouldn’t be trying to stop you at all. Gods, you should’ve already taken your shot but you don’t know why the tenderness of his voice has you second-guessing the Mother’s mission.

“There has to be others, we can go on a different mission.” He’s still trying to talk you down, has half a mind to send his shadows skittering off into the woods to make the leaves of the bushes rattle, hopefully it’d be enough to scare the two away.

“No,” you bite harshly. It’s a strain to keep your voice low when all you want to do is scream. “It’s going to be them and it’s going to be now.”

“It’s not,” his jaw ticks, fury blazing in his golden gaze. He acts as you release the arrow aimed straight towards the two, still locked together at the lips, snagging the arrow around its slim body, stopping the trajectory.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you hiss, no longer able to hold yourself back. You push to your feet quickly and he follows but he isn’t prepared for the shove you give him and it sends Azriel stumbling back a half-step. “Do you know how dangerous that is? You could’ve been pricked and–”

He stops listening, your voice going muddled as he bites his lip when he wants to preen, even though you’re angry with him. You care about him in some capacity or you wouldn’t be worried about the possibility of him getting hurt.

“What?” you ask sternly, crossing your arms over your chest when you realize that he’s not really paying attention to anything you’re saying, he’s just looking down at you with those gorgeous honeyed eyes, lip tucked between his teeth.

“Nothing, nothing,” he dismisses coolly, the shadow curling around his ear whispers that the Autumn male and his lover have left. He surrenders the arrow to you.

Knocking the arrow back into your bow is useless, a quick glance proving that you’d missed your chance. Your shoulders droop and you’re shoving the arrow back into your quiver strapped across your back, mood sullied because of this male.

“You’ve ruined my mission,” you huff, tucking your arms across your chest. “You wanted to come with me and now you’re interfering. Why can’t you just let me do what I need to do?”

Azriel feels horrible then, he really does, but you don’t want to hear what he has to say, you just want to return to Velaris and hide away in your room until supper.

“I apologize,” he tries, trailing you like a lost puppy through the woods. His tail would be tucked between his legs if he had one, but instead his wings droop slightly behind him at your gloom. “But you don’t understand what this could mean, if you’d shot them.”

“There are many things that I don’t understand, Azriel.” You don’t turn to face him like he wishes you would and he’s stuck staring at the back of your head as you speak. “And I do not have the time, nor wish to comprehend. Everything happens for a reason. If a couple aren’t meant to be but still share a bond, that is fate. If they are madly in love and something dares happen to one of them, that is fate. If they live happily ever after as mates, that is fate. So please, do not tell me what I do and do not know, because I know what I’ve vowed, and that is the truth.”

“If you’d just let me explain–”

“I don’t want you to explain,” you whirl around, chest heaving so harshly your breastplate moves with each breath. Your eyes are blazing with fury. You’re done with this male and his petulance.

“Well I want to,” he growls, temper flaring in response to yours. His resolve snaps, taking a long stride forward, grasping your arms in his own as he backs you up, pinning you against a tree.

Your temper eddies in that moment. He smells of charcoal and sage, intoxicating your senses with it, mind dizzying from the closeness. Every inch of your body that is touching his is on fire – fitting for the Autumn Court – surely your metal crested breastplate will melt between the two of you.

Maybe if you’re lucky it will fuse the two of you together.

“I don’t even think I can look at you right now,” your voice doesn’t sound as meaningful as you want it to.

All you can think about is his calloused fingers caressing your face, so achingly gentle as he traces patterns into your perfect skin like you’re some porcelain doll teetering on the edge of its shelf. His breath fans across your face and your eyelashes flutter. Good, because you meant it when you said you couldn’t look at him, his awfully striking beauty that had sparked something within you even when he was your captor.

“Then close your eyes, darling,” he whispers just as quietly, just as wavered as your words had been. You’re only a hairsbreadth apart now, his towering figure ever so slowly leaning down into yours. All you’d have to do is inhale and your mouth will be pressed up against his.

“Ah,” a smugly lilted voice startles the both of you. Azriel shoves you behind him and you’re quick to reach for an arrow strapped to the side of your normal ones, smelling of ash and sulfur.

“I knew I smelled a bastard in my woods.”

#azrielxreader #azriel x reader #azriel/you #azriel/reader #azriel x you #azriel #azsazz #acotar #acowar #acomaf #acotarxreader #cupids chokehold #i love this with all my heart

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a-local-idiots-shitpost · 8 months

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Solomon with a Dimension Traveling!Mc

this piece belongs to this and has 691 Words

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Solomon befriended (or made enemies) of all kinds of creatures from reaching to the Celestial Realm all the way to the Devildom and everything between and this includes the weird slightly Humanoid creature that disappears and reappears at will, but if they were only teleporting Solomon wouldn´t be really interested in them but what makes them so interesting for him was that they can move between all kinds of Dimensions and Realities or even parallel Dimensions

the only reason he even knows that they can do that is when he first saw them they were holding a one of a kind magical artifact that Solomon knew could only be his and when he tried to confront them they just disappeared before he could even reach them, what surprised him the most is when he went home nothing was missing not even the magical artifact the stranger was holding

the second time he met them was when they were just sitting in his own house and were confused when he tried to make them leave and he was even more confused when they said HE asked them to come over, he tried to question them on how they even got into his home because he secured it as much as possible but just as before they just looked around let out a small “ohh I think I messed up again” and they were gone just as fast as they appeared

the third time and the first time he was even allowed to talk with them was when he found them while he was out looking for rare ingredients of a new Potion recipe he invented and as soon as he saw them he immediately went towards them, they won´t escape him and his questions this time but when they answered his questions he was left with more than when he first saw them, but nowadays he just chalks it up to them confusing him with one of the versions of him they already knew, despite them not making sense to him one of the few things he could gather from them is that they can not only move freely between Realms but also Dimensions and this was the reason why he even tried to befriend them in the first place, they just laughed and told him if there is always one constant they can count one is those words from him, and just went along with him the most surprising thing to him is that they didn´t even seem to be concerned and that if he wanted he could have easily gotten ride of them but they are just going along with that he´s doing without any care in the world

and just as he was about to get lost in another memory of his time with them he saw them move towards him and cuddle up besides him “and what do I owe the pleasure that you finally decided to leave the poor kitchen alone to make your excuse of and with very big air quotes food” he smiled, they always are such a jokester, he laid his arm around them and pulled them even closer “I was just thinking about the crazy way we meet each other, your quiet the enigma did you know that” either his joke didn´t land or they are to tired to react, he likes to think they are to tired because they sound like they are drowsy and are just cuddling with him most of the time he has to stop them from crawling along the walls just so they can get their energy out of their system

“uh hu” and this answer confirmed it that yes they must have tired them out doing whatever they do when he isn´t looked and is now to tired to do anything, he just gave them a kiss on their forehead “sleep then, if you´re this sluggish you must have used up all of your energy” they just managed to snuggle even closer to him, mumbled something he couldn´t make out besides a quiet “night” and decided to just enjoy the rare moment where he can just hold

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me fanfiction #obey me fic #obey me fanfic #obey me solomon x mc #obey me solomon x reader #obey me solomon

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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The Hellflire Club Foreshadows Mike's Monologue (and More Than You Think...)

Several fans have noticed already that there are direct parallels between Mike's monologue in The Piggyback, with Eddie's monologue in The Hellfire Club.

While we've been grappling with all sorts of supernatural creatures over the course of Stranger Things' entire run, here Eddie is warning us about forced conformity and how that is the real monster.

This has also led fans to joke painfully about the fact that Max 'died' because forced conforming; that's what's killing the kids, aka Mike's whole speech to El wouldn't have happened the way it did in the first place, had him, Will and El not been trying so hard to be who they think they're supposed to be, instead of who they truly want to be.

However, what I want to add to this discourse, because I haven't seen anyone else acknowledge it (correct me if i'm wrong!?), is that this scene at lunch has two extras with whom Mike sits between, which are very likely meant to represent Will and El.

We've seen a lot of (love) triangle blocking used with these three before, often with Mike between the two. This screen-cap below has gotta be one of the most iconic and so I feel the need to mention it briefly:

What also makes this shot relevant as an example for this post, is the costume choice for Will and El here: the same shade of dark blue (hints of gray), and the fact that this doesn’t align with the colors/style they usually wear as individual characters. However, this was presumably one of the few times Will and El have genuinely interacted beyond supernatural happenings. And so now, with both of them standing on either side of Mike, after two seasons of him having only one of them beside him, and while the other was out of reach, what we're seeing is that these two are more or less two sides of the same coin. Whether Will and El are actually blood related (I'm like 75% sure they could be) remains to be seen. However Mike's bond between both of them individually is causing him to sort of be at war with himself (and his identity).

Now bear with me, because I know so many of you see theories/analysis involving set design/blocking/costumes and you just instantly check out and stop taking it seriously. But I can assure you, this is the real deal.

What follows, is so outrageously easy to overlook. And yet upon thinking about what it actually requires to film a scene, especially a scene like this with dozens of background extras, along with how this scene actually turned out, I'm going to explain why there are several factors which make me feel fairly confident about what these two specific extras represent.

To start things off, we know how this scene begins, with Eddie dramatically reading a Newsweek magazine:

"The Devil has come to America. Dungeons and Dragons, at first regarded as a harmless game of make-believe, now has both parents and psychologists concerned. Studies have linked violent behavior to the game, saying it promotes satanic worship, ritual sacrifice, sodomy, suicide, and even... Murder."

After they give us a short introduction to some of the faces of the Hellfire Club (notably Eddie), they cut to this point of view shot from Mike:

Here we are instantly introduced to the two extras that are going to dominate a majority of this scene outside of the main characters themselves, aka Willel...

note: interesting they don't include Mike in the shot for that specific sound bite below... almost as if he considers himself a freak for a different reason...

Yes, on the surface this scene is establishing that Mike and Dustin are finding a place in High School, as the freaks and geeks, but a place nonetheless.

Though, is that really all there is to it?

You'll see what I mean.

note: there's no meaning behind the circles touching here. i just wanted to acknowledge here that the El extra is visible at first, only for her to become hidden the moment that the Will extra becomes visible.

Now, this shot right here below is kind of iconic, because it's what made me realize that this girl extra here in the scarf represents El.

To provide a little more context, the Will extra next to Mike has already been picked up on by a decent amount of fans. I've even posted about it at least once. This guy definitely resembles Will at certain angles, to the point where he could arguably be a stand in/stunt double for scenes that don't require a close-up of him.

Also keeping in mind, this is a scene of the party in high school, in a D&D club. Assuming Will could have stayed in Hawkins and went to high school with the party, he would've more than likely been right here beside them. So that's what I initially got out of this scene and still partially do get out of it, regardless of these other observations I'm discussing here.

What's so fascinating about the Will extra though specifically, is that they avoid showing his face as much as possible, which is a unique choice that we're just not seeing be applied to the other extras in the frame. They even let us see the face of the guy across from the Will extra (blue/yellow striped shirt guy) multiple times, but apparently they really wanted to avoid showing this guys face (there are a few notable, but fleeting side profiles from an outside POV), almost to keep up this guise that we could imagine this is Will and hell, it could be him, bc it's pretty damn close.

However, upon recently rewatching this scene, I remember looking for other points when this Will extra might have been prominent, to see if I could find anything else.

And that's when I realized this girl in the scarf, directly blocks the Will extra at the most convenient time.

And that's when it hit me...

FORCED CONFORMING!!!!!!!

The following images below is when it really starts to get obvious that there was an intended direction going on here with the blocking of these two extras, in accordance with Mike's placement in the frame.

What sealed the deal for me, was noticing how the other extras surrounding them (excluding Willel), do not seem to be granted much importance in the continuity of this scene.

Continuity between shots is pretty essential to filmmaking. It's gotta be the main thing about film that just bugs me, which is that you can tell very visibly when a shot is followed by another shot, but from a separate take (has the capacity to ruin the illusion that this is real and not all fabricated).

For example, what I gather from the beginning of this following conversation, is that there were at the very least 2-3 takes done for these reaction shots of Dustin and Mike, and it's because the extras in the background give it away. Sometimes they're in the frame, sometimes they're not.

The Will and El extras provide a contrast to all the other extras, in that the continuity for their blocking in the frame is fairly spot on each time, equal to the standards of the main cast arguably. Meaning they had a mark and they had to stick with it.

Check this out:

side note: star wars reference (luke & leia??)

The most obvious thing that gives away the importance of these two extras, besides the blocking, is them both sporting an almost identical color in their costume. While the Will extra wears a maroon shirt, the El extra wears a scarf in that same color.

This is so simple yet sort of genius, because again, from what I understand, no one has noticed this, and so it's pretty epic once you finally do pick up on it.

The Will extra is almost always in the frame on Mike's right? The El extra is facing the the opposite direction as them (not on the same page), and wearing a scarf, which is there to represent the tentacle choking her during Mike's monologue...

This theory does take a turn for the hilarious, when at a later point Eddie starts monologuing again, while Dustin and Mike look at him fondly (w/ Mike in focus), the Willel extras are now nowhere to be found...

I think this choice was made to indicate that Mike's attraction to Eddie is based on the most basic type of attraction, while what he shares for Will and El is so much more complicated (and deep). When you're just experiencing everyday attraction, you're not thinking about your significant other or your hearts desire in that moment, because this moment is just a blip encounter that isn't going anywhere, it's attraction and that's all there is to it. Whereas what he feels truly for Will is true love, while what he feels truly for El is familial love. This tiny moment isn't about his conflict over his romantic feelings, it's about the fact that Mike is attracted to men.

And then what follows directly after this, is that little snippet of Eddie's monologue, which echoes Mike's monologue to El at the end of the season...

Oh and look who it is?! The El extra has made a reappearance, just in time!

This is one of the few times they made a point to have the El extra in the frame while the Will extra wasn't, which I also think is intentional because it could be a hint to how Mike's speech about falling in love with El the moment he saw her is a fabrication (copyright to be exact), and it also doesn't resemble the love that Mike has for Will, hence why he was almost entirely left out of those shots. (Also similar to Mike's monologue at the end of the season, where Will was in certain shots but not others, because the words did/didn't match Mike's feelings for Will at those points).

Lastly, we get a Gap (gay and proud) reference for Mike. And low and behold, the Will extra is making a reappearance, just in time!

I think what makes this scene easier to understand on a basic level, without making it too complicated for yourself, is comparing the implications that come with it, to the implications that came with Mike's monologue.

The choice to put Will in most of the shots, directly behind Mike as he professes his love to El, who is lying before him unable to look in his eyes or even respond, leads those truly paying attention, to the conclusion that this is not how you shoot a satisfying love confession. Therefore it can't be a genuine love confession.

Instead what this scene more so depicts is a character having a confession practically wrenched out of him. And because of all the other details happening over the course of this season and just the series overall, we can gather that Mike feels pressured to go through with this because he thinks he has no other choice.

They didn't beat the big bad this time, instead they lost. Because forced conforming, that's the real monster.

With only one season left, they're going to have to face the truth if they want to make it out alive this time (and happy!).

#byler #stranger things #stranger things analysis #mike's monologue #stranger things theory #blocking #costume design #the hellfire club #the piggyback #these scenes could have taken a long time to film #when you've got dozens of extras #with upwards of at least 5-10 in the frame at times #you have to account for continuity and making sure each shot reasonably matches the previous #the problem is sometimes you get a take that's really good but the next part of that same take isn't good #so they have to go with whatever shot works best #sometimes that means having to settle for shitty continuity #and that happens a lot when there are lots of extras #because being picky would make you a pain in the ass to work with #especially when it comes to young actors #though it does seem to me like the willel extras were probably a big part of the framing of each shot including them #bc it's way too consistent in comparison to the other extras for them to not have been in the notes for the shot in some capacity #we also see other times when extras look like will #so this is a decenty common occurrence #i think it also does a good job of hinting at will being in the back of mike's mind at times when we least expect #which is also why will is in the back of the frame facing him constantly #bc in those shots will represents mike's feeling he has for will that he's repressing...#they've been doing that heavily since s2 this is not new at all

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silyabeeodess · 8 months

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TWST Analysis: Malleus/Aurora Parallels

In one of my previous posts on TWST, I explained my thoughts on how our leading bad boys had heavy parallels with the heroes of the Disney films through their personalities. Unfortunately, at the time, I couldn't cover Malleus well since Book 7 had yet to release. I still don't feel like I can in-full since the Book isn't finished; however, I have noticed a couple of new things that only add to my previous explanation on how he paralleled Aurora. While this is a shorter post, to avoid spoilers for the Japanese release, I will continue below the cut:

So there's two things I want to add so far with what chapters have been available to us: Malleus' feelings of isolation and, later on, his feelings of the small world around him collapsing. I'll mention Silver as well for comparison, because he too has several clear Aurora parallels. Silver talks to animals, he's an ethereal beauty, and--obviously--his sleeping habits. As explained in one of the Halloween events, he also grew up in the woods and was left by himself at times by Lilia. However, despite this, Silver found himself in ready company and was comfortable in the cottage he called home. He quickly made friends with forest creatures, he had Lilia, and he would later have Malleus and Sebek. Malleus though...

Malleus may have had some of that growing up, but there was always a distance established right from his birth due to his status as a prince and insane strength as a mage. Silver and Sebek are his friends, but they also work for him. They greatly respect him, but it's to the point that they won't treat him on an equal level as they do each other. (This can also parallel how the three fairies raised Aurora, but ultimately weren't her family, instead serving her and her parents as royalty. They lied to Aurora to keep her safe, pushing her to take up her duty as princess when she'd barely learned she was one.) He's set on a pedestal high above and far away from everyone else. That's his cottage in the woods.

Because of this, like Aurora, we find Malleus responding to his loneliness by becoming something of a wanderer. Aurora explored the forest near her home, daydreaming of finding love in someone she would "walk together and talk together" with. Malleus wanders the campus grounds for places that feel lost to time, like Ramshackle Dorm, like how he himself feels due to his long lifespan as a fae. Then, also like Aurora, he eventually happens upon someone he's been waiting for for so long during one of these walks. Aurora met her prince, her true love. Malleus met Yuu, a friend who will accept him as a person rather than an object of power or fear.

Now for the second part: The feeling of the world collapsing around him. To recap on things I've covered before with her character, in Aurora's case, she lost her sense of identity and freedom. She grew up believing she was a commoner girl who could one day fall in love with whoever she pleased... only to go home the same day she meets someone she likes and be told she's a lost princess who has to abandon everything she's ever known to get hitched to a total stranger. For Malleus, he finally finds a friend in Yuu and feels comfortable with his life as a student... and it's all ending in a blink of an eye to him. Lilia is leaving him, possibly even dying, as far as he knows. Yuu is trying to leave to go back to their own world. Even without those two issues, he's still a junior and the year is ending: Even though he technically has one more year of school to go, at least half of it will be spent away from Night Raven College, as is the case with all of its seniors. The good times are ending. Everyone is going away. Malleus is being thrown back into that isolated state that he was so miserable in before.

#twst #analysis #twisted wonderland #video games #malleus draconia #princess aurora #twst silver

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pinkeoni · 1 year

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Okay I'll make a masterpost

Orange=Major Theory Red=Trigger Warning

Will Byers is Jesus Christ and Other Biblical Stuff

What Exactly Do I Mean When I Say Will is Jesus Christ? (read first)

Christ Figure Will OG Post

Christ Figure Will Part II ft. Mike & Judas

Will as Jesus Actual OG Post?

Will's Cleric Robes

Is Will Actually God?

Will/Jesus Shot-Reverse-Shot

Is Henry the Antichrist?

Hawkins & Sodom & Gomorrah

The Sacred Heart of Will Byers

Will-El-Vecna Christ Figure Triad

The Red Dragon and the Beast From the Sea

Revelations 1:8

Will as a Vessel for God/One

Will Byers Has Powers

Will's Creation Powers: A Man, His Dog, and a Baseball Bat (TW)

Will Can't Remember His Childhood Very Well (TW)

The Upside Down is Will's Original Hiding Spot (TW)

Will’s Birthday: Clowns, Fathers, Baseball & Powers (TW) Part 2

The Dragon Represents Wills Self Harm (TW)

Is It Too Late to Reveal Will's Powers?

Will the Wise Weirdness

Vecna Creates Flesh From Flesh; Will Creates Flesh From Dust

Will as the Creature With a Gaping Mouth

Hinting at Will's Powers Through Dialogue

Will as a Source of Energy

Puzzle Game Powers Hints

White-Haired Will

Was Will a Mistake By the Lab?

Does Will Have Soteria in Him?

When Did Will and Vecna Create a Connection?

Why Did it Take Two Extra Days For Particles to Come Through?

El's Arc vs Will's Arc

Peter Pan: Is the Upside Down Neverland? Part 2

Will's Shadow Walking and Joyce's Vision

Will's Powers Could Be Activated With Drugs

Will Cloned Himself in the Upside Down

Will Transformation Theory

Lonnie Byers Your Days Are Numbered

Figuring Out Lonnie’s Deal

How Much Does Joyce and Jonathan Know About Lonnie's Abuse?

The Importance of Lonnie Byers in Season 5

Will Probably Misses His Dad

Lonnie Phone Weirdness

Lonnie/Lab Hypothetical

Lonnie & Editing

Lonnie/Chester/Bat Demomonsters

Will Might Kill His Dad?

Will's Fear of Clowns is Related to His Dad

Lonnie Byers is Bones

Was Lonnie an MK ULTRA Test Subject?

Larry the LEGO Man Analysis

Lonnie Wants a Family Just Not Will

Stranger Things x Twin Peaks

Will Byers & Laura Palmer Part I Part II

Joyce Byers & Sarah Palmer

Will & Laura Dancing on Video

Joyce & Sarah Hallucinations

Episode One Similarities

The Secret Diary of Will Byers

S2 & FWWM Similarities

Will & Laura Visual Parallels

"I held a mirror up to them"

Character Analyses

Mike & the Word "Girl"

Dustin's Absent Father and the Effects on His Character

El's Dresses

Has Mike and El Ever Had a Mutual... Anything?

El's Monster/Superhero Dichotomy

Mike Wheeler and Audience Perception

Will Byer’s Coming of Age Horror Story

Sam Owens: Playing Devil’s Advocate

The Effect NINA Actually Had on El

Willel Narrative Duality— With Charts!

Willel Narrative Mirroring: Presenting Themes of Sexuality (TW)

“And yet you still have a C in Spanish.”

Max is El's Mentor

Other Theories

Vecna the LEGO Man

Will Vecna Try to "Combine" With Will?

Reagan/Bush '84 and the Looming Danger of Homophobia

No Longer Will

The OTS Shot

"It Was a Seven" & The Seventh Seal

Will's Missing Left Hand

Will "Creature With a Gaping Mouth" Visuals

Is Vecna Absorbing Will's Memories For Strength? (Birthdaygate)

Will & Hopper Parallels

Color Stuff

"Love, Mike"

Collar Theory

Max Could Activate the Doomsday Clock

Thoughts on Will's Scrapped Letterman Jacket

Sam Owens Fishiness

Henry as Will's "Good Angel"

Mike and El Confession Parallels

Mike & El + Steve & Robin Parallels

On Character Biases and Parallel Storylines

Is the Upside Down a Living Thing?

#pinned post #masterpost #will be editing periodically

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thegayhimbo · 2 months

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@stillhidden I'm answering here because this is longer than I thought it would be, and I have different theories about the UD and the monsters within that I wanted to expand upon. Tagging @skellybonesandtrees @pusheen1802 @spaghettificationandpretzels and @lavandulaphoenix since they've also contributed to these theories as well in past reviews I've written.

First, I think it's important to note the Duffer Brothers have mentioned that the Alien franchise served as inspiration for both Stranger Things and the design of the Demogorgon:

We see this with how the Demogorgon is implemented on the show. The Demogorgon's life cycle, for instance, has similar parallels to the Xenomorph, from the impregnation of humans.....

....to the baby creatures (Chestbursters/Larve-Pollywogs) that come out of the humans......

.....to how rapidly these creatures grow once they leave their human host.....

.....to their animalistic nature.

Both Stranger Things and Alien even feature eggs. The difference is the Alien franchise established that the eggs were a part of the Xenomorph's life cycle, whereas the Demogorgons in Stranger Things appear to eat the eggs, as we see several times in S1:

We've never gotten an explanation about what the eggs in the UD are. It doesn't appear they hatch Demogorgons the same way the eggs in Aliens hatch Facehuggers.

It's possible the Duffer Brothers originally intended for the eggs to give birth to Demogorgons before they changed their minds and the eggs instead became a source of nutrition for the Demogorgons. My guess is the eggs are part of the life cycle of a different monster with a different biology, and it's the kind of monster the Demogorgon would eat to sustain itself. It's the Circle of Life and Survival of the Fittest at play in the UD, similar to how other animals on Earth eat each other. They've shown and talked about other creatures in the Upside Down before: The Demobats. Nancy mentioning different monsters and a "giant creature with a gaping mouth." There were even designs for something called Demospiders that didn't make it into season 4, but could possibly appear in season 5:

In any case, to answer your question @stillhidden, I think the show already has gone with the "Alien origin" in some regard. I doubt the Demogorgons have a Queen similar to the Xenomorphs, but you could argue that Vecna/The Mind Flayer (MF for short) is their Queen. The Xenomorph Queen and The Mind Flayer even have similar (and likely intentional) designs:

As for other theories regarding the Upside Down:

1.) I think Dustin is correct in that the UD is a world that's been around for thousands (or even millions) of years.

2.) I think the ONLY reason Vecna survived in the UD for 7 years without dying of starvation or thirst is because of his ability to consume the life force of any creature when he kills them. We also see vines attach to his back in S4 whenever he remote-travels. The implication I took from that is he draws power from the Upside Down, which may be helping to preserve his life:

3.) I could be wrong about this, but I don't believe there's really a "special origins story" for the monsters of the UD. Previously, I went with the theory that the UD was once a thriving world before the MF came in and turned it into its personal hellhole while also transforming the inhabitants into Demogorgons and other monsters. However, given the way S4 went and the reveal about Vecna's relationship with the MF, that theory is moot. The only semblance of that theory I could see playing out in S5 is maybe creatures like the Demobats having some kind of poison in their bites that slowly morphs their bitten victims into similar-like monsters (think Seth Brundle's transformation in The Fly (1986)). If that theory pans out, then Steve's in a lot of trouble next season due to his bite wounds:

4.) I don't believe Demogorgons/Demodogs are predisposed to hate and hunt humans, and can even befriend them under the right circumstances. D'Artagnan and his relationship with Dustin in S2 is proof of that:

Vecna infecting the Demogorgons and other monsters with the MF, and hijacking the hive mind, is the primary reason they've been going after humans. The Demogorgon in S1 I am dead sure was being possessed by Vecna.

As for the Soviet Demogorgon, the way the Russians treated it as an attack dog and likely abused it (i.e. kept it isolated, used electricity/cattle prods on it, deliberately starving it before they released it on prisoners, etc) is why it's as vicious as it was. Notice btw that the moment it realizes the electric fence is off in the arena, it immediately climbs out and goes after the guards:

Dustin treated D'art well, and he rewarded him by sparing his life (and the lives of Dustin's friends) in the tunnel. The Russians mistreated their Demogorgon in the name of weaponizing it, and paid the price for it.

5.) See my review of The Other Side for more details about UD theories, but I still maintain that Will being taken to the Upside Down is why time froze and the Upside Down terraformed into a version of Hawkins from November 6th, 1983. Vecna wants to know what Will did and how he did it, which is why he's interested in Will, why he didn't immediately kill Will in the UD despite having multiple opportunities to do so, and why he may have even tried to possess Will with the MF in S2. It's a given they're going to explore the connection between Will and Vecna in S5.

6.) In my review of Tomb of Ybwen, I discussed that one possible way for predicting how Season 5 will end was to look at The Lord of the Rings as a blueprint since the show LOVES referencing those books, and even makes parallels between them. Vecna's dominion over the Upside Down reminds me of Sauron's dominion over Mordor. Assuming Vecna's taken complete control over the inhabitants of the UD in preparation for his invasion of Hawkins, and that these monsters are connected to him via the MF and the hive mind, his demise will be similar to Sauron's: Once Vecna's dead, so are the monsters under his control, and he might have integrated himself deep enough into the Upside Down that said world could collapse (similar to Mordor collapsing once the Ring was destroyed and Sauron was vanquished).

7.) They haven't clarified entirely on whether the hive mind always existed in the UD between the various monsters and Vecna simply hijacked it when he formed the Mind Flayer, or if the hive mind was Vecna's creation and he bound those monsters to him when he infected them with the Mind Flayer.

8.) There's also the whole relationship between Vecna and the Mind Flayer. We know Vecna manipulated the cloud of black particles he found to form the Mind Flayer, but what exactly the MF is still unexplained. My brother (who finally watched the show) believes that the Mind Flayer is its own organism that only became a threat once Vecna gave shape to it, and (as part of its agenda) it's currently pretending to let Vecna think he's in control of it when it's actually the Mind Flayer itself that's calling the shots and using Vecna as a pawn.

IDK how I feel about that theory, but it's an interesting direction the writers could choose to pursue.

Sorry for the length lol! I had a lot I wanted to discuss because I love speculating about the nature of the Upside Down. Let me know what your theories are! :)

#stranger things #st5 theories #vecna #henry creel #steve harrington #will byers #demogorgon #the mind flayer #demodogs #d'artagnan #the upside down #number 1 #stranger things season 5 #stranger things theories #the duffer brothers #tgh opinions #alien 1979 #xenomorphs

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alpha-window-9 · 4 months

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Okay, my voice designs are complete! I am about to ramble about them.

Some general comments before getting into each individual one; I'm terribly inexperienced at drawing creatures, so while I adore how some artists are making them different birds and I would've loved for them to have actual beaks, I care too much about quality to do that to myself. So I just gave them pointy noses. Don't question the ears. At first I was just going to make them all have different outfits that could be worn by any gender or shape of person, because anyone can play the game, but that got in the way of other ideas I had. So they all have different styles/proportions to make them stand out. At first they had different feather bits, but then I realized how much I liked the cannon Long Quiet's little head bits that look like cat ears, which are already super expressive. So I went with that.

Going in rainbow order, first we have Voice of the Paranoid!

I'm pretty sure his was the first of the group I designed, or at least, he's gone through the least revisions. I went full bug-eyed panic obviously. The eyes also make squinting in suspicion very obvious. While I like the designs that include the vital organs he keeps running, he serves a more general role in other routes. The outfit was the hardest to figure out, but I landed on the baseball tee because it was a bit more distinct, not too childish, but still very casual. Some symbolism I realized later is that you get to the Nightmare route by making choices that are uncomfortably in the middle, and that's reflected by Paranoid's shirt and pant sleeves stopping in the middle of the arm, right in the joint.

Voice of the Skeptic.

This one was the hardest for me. I don't know him too well, and he doesn't have a specific action or attitude to play into. I finally got an idea when I decided against using realistic proportions for a different voice, that Skeptic was perfect for realism, he's all about facts and reality. The glasses came pretty quick, and I decided on the beard because he needs something to stroke in contemplation. He almost had a pipe as well, but I decided against it. The outfit was difficult again, I looked up a lot of references to scholars and various sherlock interpretations, and finally decided on a dark academia style turtleneck and the long coat, which was everywhere in my searches. If you could see both of the little head thingies the other one would be sideways kind of like a quirk eyebrow.

Voice of the Contrarian.

While I adore the jester parallels so many others have made, I wanted to focus on the immature side of him. So he's a little brat with a backwards baseball cap because he's rebellious. I wanted to make sure to incorporate the sympathetic side that shows up later in Stranger.

Voice of the Opportunist.

He's honestly one of my favorite voices, and I think part of that is how he's good with people and social interaction, so I leaned into that side by going for a sleezy business man aesthetic. He also mentions that he likes to travel, so I gave him that excellent shirt. He's on the business casual side because you can't be serious all the time, you need to relate to the people. He doesn't know what the earpiece is for, it's just there.

Voice of the Hero.

Everyone's favorite boy! My main goal with the body type was friend shaped. Cause he's your bud. Went with the classic Link tunic because it's so incredibly hero coded, and the half cape to keep it fresh and friendly. I liked that another design gave him pauldrons to convey an upside down triangle shape, which represents intelligence and change, which I thought fit him very well. But fighting isn't really his thing, so I went with only one, putting the design off balance in a way I really liked. The head thingies came like first try, he's definitely swoopy and dynamic.

Voice of the Hunted.

This one sucked to design because as I said previously, I'm bad at animalistic designs and shapes. My first thought was an Australian Bear Grylls type survivalist with realistic proportions, but it wasn't quite working and I loved everyone else's feral creatures. So I tried. The hair thingies came to me at random, and I like that they look like deer antlers. By this point I had everyone else down and none of them had a top heavy face shape so I tried that for Hunted and I liked how it turned out. I learned in my failed creature designs that a wide neck was important, so I did that. I kept the shark tooth necklace for flare.

Voice of the Cheated.

I got very tall vibes from him for some reason. Maybe because it helps contrast his squinty eyes. For his outfit I went with a "someone who went broke at the casino" vibe. It felt right for everything to be mismatched, uneven, and messy. He's also the only one I gave a tired line.

Voice of the Stubborn.

Of course he had to be buff, also wide things are sturdy. The tank top was the best shirt to show off those muscles, and I feel like the basketball shorts were a necessity for this stereotype. Thick eyebrows because angry. His head thingies are tiny and adorable mostly because I found it a funny contrast. The blue was honestly a bit of an afterthought, I'd already given red to Paranoid, and the orangy colors felt too weird for him. I think the blue works though.

Voice of the Broken.

He's small. I had to go for a hoodie because it's gloomy and also to give cult vibes. The face needed to be big in order for those watery eyes to be prominent, and I felt keeping it in shadow was the easiest way to keep it simple. I had a lot of crazy ideas about unmatched puzzle pieces and wobbly towers that I'm incapable of executing, but I needed some sort of literal expression, so there's that big scar. The little line on the top is supposed to evoke a puppet whose string has been cut. I imagine that the others drag him around by it if they get frustrated.

Voice of the Cold.

It was a bit difficult to figure out his design until I realized that he's the type to do hard drugs if given the opportunity to. Then things clicked. And once I made the connection of black lipstick, everything came together. The head thingies are supposed to look like dreadlocks.

Voice of the Smitten.

I struggled so hard with this. I can not draw handsome people, but I can't have Smitty looking like a dork. The swoopy head thingies were easy enough, but most of the rest didn't look right, or was literally just Roman from Sanders sides. But I got in a chin, and decided to go for the heart body shape and I think it turned out well in the end. I was even able to keep the shirt sleeves and bowtie that I had discarded earlier for being too dorky.

#slay the princess #stp voices

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strawberrybyers · 7 months

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poltergeist vs stranger things parallels

i watched poltergeist for the first time the other day and there’s a lot details that actually feel very similar to stranger things?? not entirely sure what these parallels are going to prove, but maybe someone would be able to add to it??

In Poltergeist, a little girl named Carol Anne is able to communicate with something through the TV. The home starts experiencing weird things happening such as objects moving, lights going out, and TV automatically turning on. In Stranger things, Eleven is able to use her powers by using white noise of a TV. She also can communicate through radio signals. Will was able to communicate through lights whilst being in the Upside Down.

Look at how similar these scenes are of Carol Anne’s mom communicating with her vs Joyce communicating with Will

3. Something else I noticed was how similar the Freeling Family is to the Wheeler Family.

Literally, copy and paste lmao. You have the brunette teenage daughter, the middle child son, and the blonde haired younger sibling. Both families are considered successful, middle class families. They both do not want any information of what’s going on within their household to be leaked to the public because that would ruin their “perfect suburbia” image. Also, interesting how Carol Anne was targeted by the Poltergeist through the TV and when Holly went to the Byers house, she was led astray from Joyce and Karen to Will’s room because of the lights. Also, Steve Freeling and Ted Wheeler both support Reagan.

4. Even though I said the Freeling Family and Wheeler Family parallel each other— there’s actually one member of the family that parallels Will and that’s Robbie. Robbie actually has trouble sleeping one night because he’s afraid of the tree outside his window. He explains to his parents he feels like it knows he’s there—that the tree is actually alive. Interesting to think about Will and how he can sense the presence of the Mindflayer. Also, interesting how if you think about how even though Robbie wasn’t the main target like Carol Anne was, he was still able to sense something evil was lurking… Makes you think about how Will was kept alive in the Upside Down… Also, Robbie and Will’s appearances are somewhat similar??

5. The tree that Robbie is afraid of eventually does snatch him, but he’s saved by his parents. It’s wild because the tree has a similar appearance to the Mindflayer. And we know that Will has a connection with the Mindflayer, just like Robbie had a connection with the tree.

6. The Poltergeist creature’s appearance looks very similar to the Mindflayer…

7. Even the portal vs the Gate look similar…

8. In the Poltergeist, a medium ends up coming to the house to help rescue Carol Anne. She mentions that the dimension that Carol Anne is in, she’s there with something very evil. A presence that is angry and has felt betrayed. Who does that remind us of? Oh, yeah 001/Vecna. 001 gives a monologue about how angry he is and he tells El he uses that anger to increase his power. Also, the medium mentions that the beast or whatever they refer to it as, lies to Carol Anne and keeps her close. Well, why did the Mindflayer keep Will alive? Will still has a connection with the Upside Down. We know Vecna was manipulative. He could alter realities. He knew what people were thinking and their fears. The creature in the Poltergeist has the same capabilities. The medium explains that Carol Anne thinks the creature is another child and uses her to restrain the others… Um, doesn’t this sound like how Will is being used for a reason we’re unaware of yet and that’s why he was kept alive? Doesn’t this sound like how Vecna was used by the Mindflayer? Doesn’t that sound like how Billy was used as a host?

9. A conversation that has been had about the Upside Down is the presence of no water. Also, El uses water to help with her powers. In the Poltergeist, the medium mentions that when Carol Anne and her mom return, they have to immediately be put in the bath. Also, the Freeling Family was getting a pool built in. One of the mom’s fears was the kids falling in. The pool is shown multiple times with both parents falling into it. Just another interesting way of how water plays a role in both Poltergeist and Stranger Things.

10. The final parallel I discovered was the slime that Carol Anne and her mom are covered in when they exit the portal and the slime that’s on Nancy when she exits a gate in season 1. For some reason, I feel like there’s more Stranger Things characters who have entered the Upside Down and have had slime on them, but I couldn’t find any other images/clips of that??

Anyways, not sure what this post proves or whatever. It’s possible someone has already made this parallel considering Poltergeist is considered a classic 80’s movie and Stranger Things takes place in the 80’s. Just wanted to share my thoughts and if anyone has anything else to add to this analysis or has a theory, please share! I’d love to read it!

#byler #stranger things #stranger things analysis #wheeler family #wheeler family analysis #will byers #joyce byers #will byers analysis #stranger things theories #poltergeist #poltergeist 1982

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guthrie-odonto · 4 months

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Chapter 3 still hasn't been released yet, which can only mean one thing... we can still speculate and have fun ideas as to who the fan-favorite Secret Skrunkly Boss™ will be! In my case, I have a mix of multiple common theories: The runningest, rip-roarin'est raptor this side of the Pixos, Chonery the Cowboy! (pronounced similar to "Connor" and "canary")

Once the beloved star of a simultaneous kids show and computer/video game (think like Dora the Explorer but inverse/a video game would be seen as a show in the dark world), Chonery even knew Ralsei at one point, the two being good friends and going on all sorts of fun adventures before Ralsei ended up leaving for his princely duties in a way, Chonery was the Chara/Kris to Ralsei's Asriel.... One day, Chonery would be told by some stranger (through mail, like how some shows would have fan mail segments) that their show would come to an end, as cowboy shows tend to go. At first, they just saw it as a chance to give one final great perfomance and proudly watch as his successors carried on in their role. But...

Nobody came...

Nobody did anything with them, no director/screenwriter/controller gave any commands, nothing was done with the sets he once performed on, nobody even came back for props. Eventually, the mysterious entity they had been in contact stopped writing to them, his last note being about the truth of this world paired with a shadow crystal and a poncho constructed from pure darkness, information so core-rattling that it left literal scars on their eyes. Being left alone without a spotlight, without light, without anything more than darkness for so long, cursed with the so-called freedom of abandonment beyond their control, even their color left them; but that's just how cowboy shows are... right? The one place they ended up finding solace in was the deep caverns of the fossil mines and the remains found within. Might not seem like the place for a spunky buckeroo to be in, but perhaps they saw a bit of themselves in the extinct creatures after all, they were certain that they too were a Goner.... And besides. If a canary sings in a mineshaft and nobody is around to hear it... why would it mean that there's something wrong?

Then, after the dark fountain that had been seeded was opened, Chonery noticed that some visitors had shown up in his little ghost town. Not just any visitors, but genuine, bonafide lightners! It wasn't enough to completely bounce them back, but the sight of Lighters of all entities visiting their little patch of NOTHING was enough to bring some hue to Chonery's shaded face. And if that wasn't enough, his old friend "Rip-Roaring Rally" subsequently arrived, having detected the dark presence that had been spawned in the Dreemurr household. After being filled in on the situation, Chonery even volunteered to join the party as someone who knows the ins and outs of this particular dark world as well as being just as knowledgeable on matters of darkness and lore as Ralsei (in battle, Chonery and Ralsei would act together as a single party member). And what's more, they didn't even ask for anything in return, not even a chance to get the airtime they'd gone so long without it's not like a dead bud walking such as themselves had any reason to breathe anymore. But Chonery would have an idea for a project he'd make for the fun gang, one that they suggest Kris and the player could help out on by obtaining the six power cathodes split amongst the two big factions of the dark world, the gangs led by Mike and Tenna respectively. This, of course, is the buildup for the secret boss fight, but it was also... oh, it was an idea. a great idea.

It was a simply WONDERFUL IDEA.

for some meta, behind the scenes notes: Chonery (a portmanteau of Chara, Goner, Flowey, and canary–as in "canary in a coal mine") is obviously a mix of Chara and Flowey in allusions, paralleling how Ralsei was in Chapter 1 and being the Ralsei version of Chara. (doesn't hurt that it means they have eye scars that match Photoshop Flowey and look like a face in the Memoryhead enemy from Undertale) In addition, they also draw on the popular cowboy/woody theory, with the video game aspect being from the sonic theory crafted by @right-brain-left-brain as well as the semi-common idea that the chapter 3 secret boss could be inspired by how Asriel had an attachment to Yoshi and felt enough guilt over pulling the "Yoshi down the pit" trick to confess to it in church–hence why they're specifically a raptor (plus it fits the sonic angle because what's more 90s and cool than a dinosaur?) Also, the secret bosses all have some kind of speech quirk (Jevil's repetition, Spamton's advertisment interruptions) and have actual voice lines somewhere, so what'd those be for lil' ol' Chonery here? They'd be both. That's right, instead of a written speech quirk, all their dialogue would come with voice acting (almost as if they're capable of not just speaking to Kris and the others, but to the player). As for what object they're formed from: The trashed flowers from Asgore? The bootleg video game controller? Kris' feelings of the once-happy (or at least relatively stable) state of the Dreemurr family overall, now a shadow of what it used to be? Who's to say.

Even with all their knowledge on the truth of this world and what darkners become in the light world, Chonery isn't so sure themselves...

#I suppose they could also have holes in their hands like LBRB said for the Gaster/Mystery Man design trait #Just here they've come to mournful terms with the percieved fact that freedom is an impossibility if not a lie-unable to be held #amber's post #my art #deltarune #deltarune chapter 3 #deltarune oc #secret boss #flowey #woody theory #sonic theory #deltarune theory #yes I'm doing Utahraptor Susie; bite me

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