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ramshacklehousewarden · 5 months

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Rising Dawn

The Museum was an interesting place. The historic events of the Great Seven and all other historical figures that, while not famous held a place in this world. To the students of Night Raven's College this was all like a history lesson.

Of course for Yu he was interested in seeing more. Dressed up in the a shimmering white suit with matching purple pants and black dress shoes. As with most events he wore make-up (which he applied decently himself. All that practice paid off) a silvery shade.

The Museum itself was really nice to look at. Under the starry sky that was starting to fade due to the rising sun. They were there pretty early after all. On top of the stairs was what looked like a shadow portrait of a man in robes. Given by the look of everything it looked like magician. Professor Trein spoke and said that the figure was a great mage that lived many years ago

He had brooms clean his abode and even said to have an apprentice. The hat that was on display looked familiar.

A blue cone like hat with stars. On it, looking closer it was as if the galaxy swirled around it and even though Yu couldn't sense any magic. He felt that something was special.

The hat was stolen by the apprentice because he was impatient and wanted to cast magic only for chaos to occur it made Yu think of an old movie with that premise. He couldn't remember what it was, but he knew, of course it was a Disney movie. The hat was seen on Mickey so the mouse must have been that impatient student.

Looking at where Grim was, hanging out with Ace Yu couldn't help, but chuckle at the thought

Once the headmaster and the teach said their piece they were all given leave to look around.

Yu quickly wandered off to explore and the first image he came across he was expecting a look into the Great Seven's past only to find

"Wait isn't this..."

This....was a movie screenshot basically. This was the Beautiful Queen or as Yu knew them the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. This is supposed to be flattering? This was just a screenshot straight from that boring movie

Moving on Yu looked at the others

"Ok this is pretty weird"

Scar in the midst of his Villain song. "Be Prepared" he can hear the song in his head and almost starts to hum.

Yu continues to look at the other images and Yu was having a bit of fun quizzing himself on what movie and what scene was taking place. Those not in the know might see this as Yu being a History nerd and others that sort of knew saw it as Yu eager to learn about Twisted Wonderland's history and figures of the Past. So many memories as a kid watching all of these movies. It's a shame he can't rewatch them at the moment.

Yu was hit with a wave of nostalgia, no one could understand as he wanted to gush about how he's seen most of these movies. Yu wonders what other movies he's missing. As Yu explores more of the museum. He stopped at a larger image featuring a few people instead of one

"What's this one?"

"!!"

These three...wait they exist here?!

He recognized these three. It stood out from the other images. They shouldn't be here? They were outsiders, intruders in a way. Then again...

"I see this one caught your eye" a voice called

Yu turned to see Professor Trein walking up to him. Yu's eyes turned back to the image

"Who are they? I've never seen them before"

The professor looked up to the image

"That's no surprise. Not much is known about this group, but they did serve the Great Seven." The professor started

"These three were part of a group that saved many lives. There was a wicked mage that had a terrifying power causing trouble and harm to all of Twisted Wonderland. With this Organization they were apart of they held special magic that defeated the wicked mages and his followers" The Professor explained

Yu listened closely. Organization XIII...they were different here. Guess that's not surprising. Yu can't help, but wonder now if a certain Door and a Key also existed here. Most likely it wasn't the Seekers of Light that they didn't fight against. If anything they were the Seekers of Light. The professor said something about a terrifying power, stealing hearts?

"These three were the closest of friends. Stuck by with each other til the end. Almost like you and those two students in Heartlabyul"

Yu chuckled a bit. Yu did start off faking it, not thinking he would bond with Ace and Deuce and while Yu might give them grief and in return they give him a headache. It was...nice to make friends.

"Well, I'll let you be. They have a special treat for the students and you wouldn't want to miss it"

Yu nodded as the elderly man walked off. His gaze turned back to the three

Thinking about the other two Ace could be like Axel, and Deuce could be Roxas' stand-in...Yu was Xion.

Tragedy struck and something happened. Xion was a puppet that faded away after she fought with Roxas to free Sora's memories. He can see the scene play out. The three hanging out on the Clocktower and Xion simply...fades away. Forgotten.

If Yu goes back home. Will he be forgotten? Yu hasn't thought much about his world since coming here and it makes him wonder. Does Yu really want to home? He wouldn't be blamed for it, after what he has to deal with. If Crowely doesn't send him home or can't then he could just live somewhere peacefully? Can that be done in a world of magic like this?

"Oi! YU!" A voice cried out

Yu turned to see Ace, Deuce, and Grim. They were holding something in their hands

"Come on! They're giving out Ice Cream" Ace called out

"It's called Sea-Salt Ice Cream" Deuce added

Sea Salt Ice Cream? Looking back up to the image one last time. It was the same treat. With a soft smile and turned

"Coming!"

The Ramshackle Prefect took off to meet with his new friends. Like Xion Yu was an outsider and while he didn't fit in much with the other mages being magicless. He still...managed to find some friends along the way. Hopefully, he won't end up being like Xion.

But...Xion eventually returned and reunited...so it should be fine.

#(Event: 100 Year/Platinum Drabble)#(Trying to write more of these)

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thetoxicgamer · 1 year

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The Diablo 4 Beta’s Most Dangerous Enemy is an Old, Familiar Face

As the first public Diablo 4 beta weekend rolls on, players are discovering their favourite builds, exploring the various towns and dungeons found in the first act of Blizzard’s fantasy RPG game, and learning how to fight some of its toughest enemies and bosses. But a surprise appearance is catching many Diablo 4 players off-guard as one of its most iconic foes lumbers out of the shadows to claim the fresh meat of veterans and newcomers galore. While the various boss fights you’ll encounter during the beta such as the Den Mother and X’Fal the Scarred Baron can certainly demolish your character in a few moments, there’s one particularly deadly foe who can be found lurking in the many dungeons that has the element of surprise at its back. And, no, we’re not talking about Diablo 4 error code 316719. The Diablo 4 Butcher can appear as a random boss encounter in any of the game’s dungeons, and he’s perhaps the most terrifying sight to run into in the dank cellars and dusty corridors of Diablo 4. Equipped with his trademark giant meat cleaver and a meat hook he can throw out to yoink any unfortunate victims straight into his clutches, The Butcher can make a meaty mess out of you in mere moments. As if his weapons weren’t terrifying enough, The Butcher has the capability to charge you down at a quite frankly staggering speed, and can stun adventurers in place to all but seal their fate. He’s already among the most dangerous foes in the beta, but made all the more so because you’re unlikely to see him coming. Blizzard’s Twitter account says, “Apologies to all butchered during the beta. But it will happen again. And again. And again.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vjOR0KmS-Q First appearing in the original 1996 Diablo, The Butcher has since appeared as an end-of-act boss in Diablo 3, and rears his ravenous head again in Diablo Immortal. Diablo 4’s Butcher is terrifying enough on a standard character, but especially so for those brave souls playing on hardcore. Apex Legends streamer Chris Covent tweets, “In a classic Diablo move, I lost my first hadcore character to The Butcher,” and he’s not alone. No matter which of the Diablo 4 classes you’re playing, The Butcher is a threat. However, the general community consensus seems to be that the Sorcerer generally feels strongest out of the gate, while the Barbarian’s need to stay in melee range isn’t matched by enough survivability in the early game. Of course, there’s every chance that will change as players reach higher levels, or that Blizzard will re-balance things for the full release. I do have a kill on The Butcher to my name, but it wasn’t cause for bragging – rather, I was fortunate enough that my second time running into him came mere moments after I picked up the Conduit Pylon buff, which turns you into a teleporting ball of lightning death. By the time it ran out, The Butcher was down to less than 10% health, and I was able to ping him down from relative safety with my ranged Rogue build. The less said about my first encounter with the gargantuan demon, the better. Diablo 4 beta - screenshot taken just after a character has died to The Butcher, a giant demon with a cleaver and meat hook. The text on-screen reads, "You have died."Make sure you’re ready for the next open beta weekend and the full Diablo 4 release date by taking a look through the Diablo 4 system requirements. If you need more loot after that, we’ve picked out the best games like Diablo on PC in 2023 to keep the rares coming. Read the full article

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garnimalia · 3 years

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Can’t believe I forgot to post the screen theme for my new phone!!

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charliedanilovich · 3 years

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image descriptions: Three drawings of Iwakura Lain from serial experiments lain. In the first Lain is standing in the centre in her long white vest looking fearfully to the left of the picture at a flying raven with its wings outstretched. Her right hand is raised to shield herself. The background is a larger close up of Lain’s face facing to the right with a worried expression. Her right hand is raised to cast a shadow over her hair and ear. To the right of the picture is a screenshot of the series’ opening credits depicting the silhouettes of black birds flying over blue and black lines into distant powerlines. In the second lain looking over her shoulder at the viewer with an anxious expression. The background is a photograph of an old window’s pc with a still from the anime edited onto the screen. Lain is tentatively holding her left hand to her chest while resting her right hand on the clunky mouse. The third is three pictures of Lain Iwakura from Serial Experiments Lain with the opacity lowered to make her see through so the pictures overlap. The one on the left is Lain facing left with a frown, the second one which is in the middle is Lain facing the viewer and making eye contact, the third is Lain looking over her shoulder with a frightened expression, her hands put foward. The background is of green hills with a blue sky with white clouds that was the background of old windows computers. end description.

all my Lain art so far in one place.

#serial experiments lain #webcore #iwakura lain #lain iwakura #my art #charlie's art #sel #lain #animecore #anime art #retro anime #early 2000s

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celestialvoid-fanfiction · 3 years

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Falling in Love All Over Again

Stiles wakes up in hospital after an accident, but he doesn’t remember anything… or anyone.

For @evanesdust - Happy Birthday!

He slowly blinked his eyes open, wincing as he stared up at the bright LED lights and the white insulated panels of the ceiling. He struggled to keep his eyes open, blinking heavily as his vision slowly came into focus.

He felt weak, his body aching as he struggled to move, trying to turn his head and look around the room.

His breathing felt heavy, every breath sending shooting pain through his chest.

He let out a weak groan.

“Hey,” someone said, their voice soft.

He turned his head slightly to look at the woman who stood beside him. She was in her thirties and wore teal scrubs. A small gold necklace hung around her neck, the pendant was woven strands of gold with four gemstones set into the design. Her soft face was worn with creases, a kind smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were like dark smoky quartz and her gaze was soft. Her long dark hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, falling in messy waves down her back. A few curls had escaped the elastic tie, falling down around her face. She smelt like roses and something nostalgic.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

He paused for a moment, taking everything in.

“Sore,” he answered, his voice raspy and broken.

“I’ll give you something to help with that,” she said. “Can you tell me your name?”

He paused, searching his mind for anything that seemed familiar, but he couldn’t think of anything. His eyes widened slightly as a sickening feeling of fear settled in his stomach. He shook his head.

“That’s okay,” the nurse reassured him. “Do you know where you are?”

“Hospital,” he guessed.

His answer brought a smile to her face. “Which hospital?”

“I don’t know,” he answered.

“Okay, do you remember what happened to you?”

He shook his head, fighting back the tears that welled in his eyes; he didn’t like feeling this way, he didn’t like feeling lost, confused and helpless.

“Do you know how old you are?” the nurse asked.

“No,” He answered.

“Do you know your birthday?”

He shook his head.

The nurse nodded, bowing her head slightly s she looked down at her chart.

He swallowed hard against the growing lump in his throat, fighting back the wave of nausea as his stomach twisted in knots.

“What happened to me?” he asked.

“You were in an accident,” she explained. “You took quite a blow to the head and it seems to have affected your memory. But it’ll be alright; a lot of the time, memory loss is temporary and your memories come back after some rest or by triggers—people, places, smells, etcetera.”

“How long do you think it’ll take for my memories to come back?” he asked.

A solemn look passed over her face. Her voice was apologetic as she said, “It could be a few hours, or a few days—maybe even a few weeks. There’s no way to know for sure.”

He nodded.

“I’ll check in on you in a little while,” the nurse said as she returned the clipboard to the end of his bed. “Try and get some rest, okay?”

“Wait,” he called after her.

She stopped and turned back to him.

“What’s my name?” he asked, trying to hide the desperation in his voice.

“Stiles,” she answered. “Stiles Stilinski.”

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

Stiles let out a sigh as he woke to the sound of voices.

“Just take it easy,” he heard the nurse – Melissa, she’d said her name was – said quietly.

Stiles shifted slightly, pushing himself upright slightly and sitting back against his pillows.

Two men entered the room. The first looked to be middle age, his fawn-brown hair thinning slightly and his face worn with wrinkles. His hazel eyes looked at Stiles with a mix of pain, worry and love. He wore a dark windcheater with a logo on the sleeve that had the letters B.H.P.D embroidered into it and a brown shirt with a gold-plated name badge pinned above his breast pocket that read STILINSKI.

The other man had raven-black hair and a strong jaw shadowed by the thin scruff of a beard. His pale aventurine eyes were mesmerising. He wore a faded grey Henley and a worn black leather jacket.

Stiles looked between the two of them, hoping his nervousness didn’t show.

“Hey, kiddo,” the older man said softly. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Stiles lied.

The man with the black hair let out a sigh that ended in a breathless chuckle.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“That’s what you always say when ‘fine’ is the last thing you’re feeling,” the man said.

Stiles dropped his gaze.

These two seemed to know him well—one called him ‘kiddo’ and the other could read him.

“Do you know who we are?” the older man asked.

Stiles looked at him, letting his gaze linger as he took in every detail of the man’s face. There was something familiar about the lines on his face—as if every one of them told a story. There was something familiar about the hints of brown in his hazel eyes. There was something familiar about him, but Stiles couldn’t place it—like a word stuck on the tip of his tongue.

Stiles looked at him apologetically and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” the man said.

“Your nametag says Stilinski,” Stiles pointed out. “Melissa said my name was Stilinski.”

“Yeah,” the man replied. “I’m John Stilinski… I’m your dad.”

“My dad?” Stiles repeated back.

“Yeah,” he replied. He looked across to the man who stood at the end of the bed. “And this is Derek.”

Stiles met his gaze.

The corner of Derek’s lips turned up in a soft smile.

“Your boyfriend,” John clarified.

Stiles’ eyes widened with shock. He turned to John. “Seriously?”

John nodded.

Stiles looked at Derek then back at John. “You’re kidding, right? He’s way out of my league.”

Derek let out a low chuckle, bowing his head slightly as he tried to hide the rosy blush that coloured his cheeks.

“John,” Melissa called from the doorway, nodding towards the hallway.

“I’ll be right back,” his dad said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before heading towards the door.

“So,” Stiles started slowly when it was only him and Derek. “How long have we been dating?”

“Six years,” Derek answered. “Nearly seven.”

Stiles was stunned. He bowed his head, his mind reeling as he tried to make sense of everything—tried to grasp at threads of thoughts or hidden memories.

“It’s okay,” Derek said softly. “You don’t have to remember everything right away. It must be weird looking at a stranger and being told you’ve been together six years.”

“It’s a little unnerving,” Stiles admitted.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to try and kiss you or do anything that’ll make you uncomfortable,” Derek reassured him. “I’ll give you as much space as you want, but I’ll be here if you need me.”

Stiles let out a soft sigh. “Thank you.”

Stiles looked down at the foot of his bed.

“Can you pass me my chart?” Stiles asked.

Derek’s brow furrowed slightly with confusion, but he stepped down to the end of the bed and passed the clipboard to Stiles nonetheless.

Stiles read it.

“Wait,” he said, his brow knitted together as looked down at the page. “That’s not my name.”

Derek stepped over to Stiles side, looking over his shoulder at the clipboard.

“Yeah, it is,” Derek said. “It’s your given name, but you go by Stiles.”

“I don’t even know how to say that,” Stiles said.

“Mieczyslaw.”

“Mieczyslaw,” Stiles repeated. He skimmed down the page as he read aloud, “Broken ribs, fractured left wrist, ligaments in shoulders strained and slightly torn, blunt force trauma to head, bruises and lacerations, memory loss—possible retrograde amnesia.”

He set the clipboard down in his lap, trying to hide the broken look on his face, but apparently Derek knew him better that Stiles thought.

“It’s going to be okay,” he reassured him. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it.”

Stiles looked up at him, his dark eyes full of gratitude.

Derek offered him a reassuring smile.

Stiles smiled in return.

“What’s your favourite colour?” Stiles asked.

“Orange,” Derek answered. “Like a sunset.”

Stiles thought for a moment. “What’s my favourite colour?”

“Blue,” Derek replied.

Stiles nodded, thinking it over.

“Tell me about yourself,” Stiles said, a hint of pleading in his voice.

“Um… My name’s Derek Hale. I have two sisters—one older, one younger. I was born and raised here in Beacon Hills – like you. I was orphaned when I was fifteen and older sister took us to New York, but we returned a few years later.” Derek thought for a moment. “I like dogs—and we planned to get one as soon as our house is ready.”

“We live together?”

“Yeah, we’ve lived together for three years now,” Derek answered. “We’re building a new house on my family’s land.”

“Wow,” Stiles said quietly, taken aback by how wonderful his life seemed.

“Sorry to interrupt,” John said, stepping back into the room. “Melissa said that maybe some photos will help.”

John set a plastic back down on the table at the end of Stiles’ bed. It had a bright red band across it with bold white letters that spelt out EVIDENCE. John opened it and pulled out the phone inside, passing it to Stiles.

Stiles looked down at the screen as it lit up. The phone was locked by a password.

Stiles swallowed hard against the lump in his throat as he tried to think.

“1107,” Derek said softly.

Stiles looked at him, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“It’s my birthday,” Derek explained.

Stiles typed in the password and the phone opened.

“You’re a romantic,” Derek teased.

Stiles let out a breathless chuckle. He opened the photos on his phone, starting at the most recent – a screenshot of a dog on a rescue site; probably the one they were going to adopt once their house is finished – and scrolling back through the photos.

There were pictures of him and Derek, him and his dad, him and a young man with short brown hair and a khaki police uniform—Jordan, his dad told him. There were several photos of him and Derek hanging out with a group of people that looked to be their age: a girl with copper-coloured hair and soft green eyes, a boy with a mop of brown hair and a crooked smile, a girl with long blonde hair, a boy with dark skin and a kind smile, and another boy with thick blond curls. Derek told him each of their names.

“You don’t remember anything about Scott?” his dad asked.

Stiles looked down at the picture again and shook his head. “Should I?”

“You’ve been best friends since you were four years old,” his dad explained. “Inseparable. Partners in crime. I thought maybe seeing his face would spark a few memories.”

Stiles set the phone down. His dark eyes glistened as tears began to well.

“I’m never going to remember, am I?” he said quietly, his voice strained and breaking. “I don’t remember my best friend, my boyfriend, or my own dad. I didn’t even know my own name until Melissa told me.”

“Hey,” Derek said softly, reaching out to take his hand. “It’s going to be okay. Maybe your memories will come back in a day or two.”

“Or maybe they’ll never come back,” Stiles countered.

“Then you get a second chance at life; not many people get that,” Derek said, trying to stay positive.

“I don’t want a second chance,” Stiles said, his voice quiet. “The life I had sounds pretty good.” He glanced at Derek, feeling shy as he added, “You sound great.” He blinked back his tears, his voice broken as he said, “I want that life back.”

“I know it must be frustrating, but we’ll give it a few days and see if there’s any change, okay?” Derek said, craning his neck to look Stiles in the eye, lovingly and reassuringly.

Stiles met his gaze, feeling the waves of anger and anxiety wash away. The weight in his chest lightened as he let out a calming sigh and nodded. He picked his phone up again and began to scroll through the photos.

There were photos of friends that Derek named for him, a lacrosse team, and a photo of four of them: Stiles, Scott, Lydia, and a young girl with long dark hair.

“That’s—”

“Allison,” Stiles said quietly, interrupting Derek.

Derek looked at him with a mix of confusion and hopeful excitement.

“Allison,” Stiles turned the name over, pulling on the tangled thread of memories.

He remembered her smile, her laugh. He remembered the way she held a bow and arrow with strength and unwavering composure. He remembered the sound of her hand hitting the ground—he hadn’t seen it, but he’d felt it. He remembered slowly returning to consciousness as he and Lydia stumbled out of the darkness and into the cool night air. He remembered the moment his heart broke when he saw her lifeless body cradled in Scott’s arm, her unmoving hand fallen aside.

There was a glimmer of a memory in the corner of his mind. He reached for it; the image of Allison’s silver necklace – a family heirloom in the shape of a crest with a rampant lion in the corner.

It was like a row of dominoes; one crashed into the other and the floodgates burst open. Waves of memories crashed over him.

“Stiles?”

Derek’s voice drew him back to reality.

Stiles looked up at him.

“Gerard,” he said.

“What?” Derek asked.

“Gerard Argent,” Stiles replied. “He’s the one who did this to me.”

“Gerard kidnapped you years ago, Stiles,” his dad said

“No, I remember. He drove me off the road and when I woke up again, I was in some kind of basement. My hands were in chains and I was hanging from the ceiling,” Stiles explained.

“Are you sure you’re remembering what happened a few days ago?” Derek asked.

“Titus,” Stiles said abruptly. “The dog we adopt, he’s a black Great Dane and we were going to call him Titus. I wanted that name because it’s the name of Damian Wayne’s dog from Batman comics and you agreed because it’s a reference to Shakespeare. You also wanted to adopt the German Sheppard at the shelter but we had to see how he goes with other dogs first. We were going to call him Achilles. But I also saw the way you looked at the Australian Sheppard, the old boxer, and the Bernese. And if we’re both being honest, we know we’re not leaving with only one or two of them.”

Derek just stared at him, stunned.

Stiles turned to his dad. “Whenever you order take out at the station you always order a beef burger with onion, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and ketchup, but Parrish always orders you a salad as well because you’re meant to be looking after your heart health after you were injured eight years ago. Your full name is Noah John Stilinski, but you’ve always gone by John because Noah was your father’s name. My given name is Mieczyslaw – after my maternal grandfather – but I could never pronounce it right so Mum would always jokingly call me ‘Mischief’—although the nickname got more fitting as I got older. And after you and Mum had a falling out with her family, you hated calling me by that name, so you came up with ‘Stiles’ and you’ve called me that ever since.”

He turned back to Derek. “Every morning, you make me a cup of coffee. I never ask for it, you just do it because you love me, and I love you. Your favourite book is The Little Prince because your dad used to read it to you every night when you were little—I got you a hard-cover version of it for your birthday last year.”

He looked between the two of them.

“I remember,” he insisted. “I can even tell you where I hid the ring I was going to propose to Derek with.”

“You were going to propose to me?” Derek asked.

“The night I went missing,” Stiles admitted.

Derek let out a quiet laugh.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“I was going to propose to you that night too,” Derek confessed.

Stiles couldn’t help but laugh.

John stepped out of the room, but from the hallway Stiles could hear his dad call in a police search for Gerard Argent.

“So… Out of curiosity, if I had proposed to you, would you have said yes?” Derek asked hesitantly.

“Without hesitation,” Stiles said, smiling at Derek.

Derek let out a sigh of relief.

“I am still going to propose to you,” Stiles told him. “Just in a more romantic setting than this.”

Derek leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Stiles’ bruised cheek.

“About the dogs,” Stiles started slowly as Derek sat back in his chair.

“You only want one?” Derek asked, heartbroken.

“Oh no,” Stiles replied. “I want all of them. Including the really old Great Pyrenees and the wrinkly little bulldog puppy.”

A bright smile lit up Derek’s face. “Deal.”

#sterek #sterek au #sterek fic #sterek fanfiction #sterek fanfic #sterek amnesia au #sterek temporary amnesia au #for evanesdust #evanesdust #happy birthday!

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demifiendrsa · 3 years

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Redfall - Official Announce Trailer - Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2021

It’ll launch for Xbox Series and PC in Summer 2022. It’ll also be available via Xbox Game Pass.

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Overview

An Open-World Co-Op Shooter Coming Summer 2022

Launching exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC in Summer 2022. Play it Day One with Xbox Game Pass.

Bite Back

Redfall is an open-world cooperative first-person shooter from Arkane Austin, the award-winning team behind Prey and Dishonored. Continuing Arkane’s legacy of carefully crafted worlds and love of creative game mechanics, Redfall brings the studio’s signature gameplay to the co-operative action and FPS genres.

Welcome to Redfall

The quaint island town of Redfall, Massachusetts, is under siege by a legion of vampires who have blocked out the sun and cut the island off from the outside world. Trapped with a handful of survivors against diabolical enemies threatening to bleed the town dry, choose your hero from a diverse roster, grouping up with others to create the perfect team of vampire slayers.

Slay Together

Redfall blends single- and multiplayer options seamlessly, allowing the player to venture into the darkness alone or to squad-up with up to three friends for four-player co-op. Teammates can try different hero loadouts and combine their strengths to overcome the vampire legion and their brood of maniacal followers.

Devinder Crousley is an internet-famous paranormal investigator, amateur cryptozoologist, and aspiring inventor. His recent book tour landed him in Redfall, just before it went dark. After years of struggling to create cutting-edge tech to hunt paranormal phenomena, everything is finally starting to click. In Redfall, monsters are real and his inventions work. As he puts them to use fighting vampires, he documents every step of the way. If he gets out of this alive, he’ll have all of the validation he needs.

Layla Ellison moved to Redfall from Wisconsin. She studied biomedical engineering at Redfall Technical University and interned at the ominous Aevum Therapeutics research facility, where apparently something went very wrong. She says everything after that is kind of a blur. The last thing she remembers is waking up with a killer headache and wild telekinetic powers.

Remi De La Rosa is a combat engineer, and a brilliant one at that. She’s lived her life on the frontlines of conflict, using her brilliant mind to protect her loved ones and help those in need around the world as part of an elite Navy rescue unit. On their way to investigate the Redfall incident, her ship was destroyed, and her entire crew was lost. Now, with the help of her robot cohort, she’s determined to help rescue Redfall’s survivors and eliminate any enemies that stand in her way.

Jacob is an ex-military sharpshooter, sent in to Redfall just before the sun darkened as part of an elite private security force. Dark circumstances separated him from his platoon, forcing him down a rogue path. Now he stalks the streets of Redfall, neutralizing evil from the shadows with supernatural precision. Look for a mysterious, ragged raven circling overhead—you may not see him, but Jacob will be nearby.

Reign in Blood

Redfall’s vampires aren’t your typical bloodsuckers. They were created after a scientific experiment went horribly wrong and are continuing to evolve. After their transformation, some vampires develop powerful abilities and grow into bigger and badder vampires. But they’re not the only thing standing in your way – players will also face off against the human cultists who worship the island’s hungry new leadership with the hopes of joining their ranks.

#Redfall #Arkane Studios #Bethesda Softworks #video game #Xbox Series #Xbox Series X #Xbox Series S #PC #E3 #E3 2021 #long post

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thesimperiuscurse · 3 years

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THE CHALLENGE — show a certain part of your story process based on you being tagged by other creators.

Thank you @herpixels for tagging me in your wonderful challenge! Here’s a behind-the-scenes essay for En Pointe ❤

WRITING PROCESS — show us a part of your script or explain how you write your scenes. do you write in screenplay format or novel format?

I write in novel format, and have a very methodical process. I have a Planning Notebook which covers all the general elements of the story; cast list + descriptions, main plot, themes, overviews of all chapters, timeline, world + settings information, research links, and a massive section with all my notes on relationships, character styles, history, writing goals, arcs, and most crucially, what to avoid from the absolute fucking mess of Fallen Angels.

At the smaller scale, before writing, I plan out each chapter in my Chapter Workbook. First is the Outline, which is a synopsis of the main events. Going off that, I write a list of Chapter Shots which describes in writing all the pictures; what kind of shot it is (long, over-the-shoulder, etc), the location + atmosphere, and what the characters are doing. Corresponding to these I list the Poses, for each character and what expression they have. I then write a To Do List for what sets to build, new sims to make, number of poses to create, the cc I have to find or make. The final section is Details, which notes down all the little things I have to remember; running gags, nuances, and themes; current state of relationships and character arcs to keep track of their development; what my aims are for character perceptions + issues I need to fix from the last chapter. This section is super important to make sure the story unfolds smoothly and revelations make sense, or else I get something abrupt like Mako x Raven, because I didn’t foreshadow clearly or early enough in advance. Here are snippets of what this looks like:

Once I finish all this planning (the current word count of the two documents is 20k lmfao), then I begin writing. It’s a lot less structured because I just start with the most exciting scenes or ones I’ve been thinking about for a while. I organise the paragraphs according to the Chapter Shots. A bit of light editing then the writing is ready to publish!

SCENE BUILDING — show us you in the middle of scene building through pictures, gifs, or a video. explain what is the best thing about scene building and what is the worst!

I dislike scene building because TS3′s weak ass makes everything so tedious. I have a Pinterest board to inspire the settings. The worst part is definitely when the game moves at 0.001 m/s and crashes, which happens far too often and pisses me off. Here’s a screenshot I accidentally took when setting up the big family dinner scene in Chapter 8. I tried my best to minimise the amount of sims that were actually there because I take shortcuts whenever possible. Crowd scenes suck.

CC + POSE MAKING — do you make your own cc/poses for your scene? If so, what is your process like to create? do you just go off the top of your head? do you use reference photos?

I make all the poses that aren’t singular and ‘normal’, due to height differences and also so I can achieve my exact vision. Depending on the length of the chapter, this can range from 20-50 poses, which is looking to be around 700 poses by the story finale. I try to find reference photos (essential for ballet poses) when I can to make them look natural. I also convert or mesh clothing + objects, but I’m lazy so I often cheat with Photoshop.

GETTING IN THE ZONE — what do you do to get in the zone to work on a scene? examples include: show us your playlist you use when working on a scene, what’s your go-to scene snack/drink, etc.

I don’t actually have anything for this. If I don’t feel like doing a particular task on the To Do List I just try something else. Sometimes I listen to Eva and Mako’s playlists when working though, and there are certain songs I associate with certain parts of the story which help me when I’m thinking of them.

SCREENSHOT FOLDER — give us a look into your screenshot folder to show us just how much goes into one scene for your story. scrapped pictures encouraged!

I also have a linear method for pictures. Firstly, I create the poses, and test them in a blank background, which is when I figure out the most flattering angles, and edit the poses if needed. After that I begin series of test shots in the actual set, redoing up to three times until it looks passable. Since I use natural light almost every shot has a double (or even triple), with outdoor lighting for the environment and controlled interior lighting for the sims, which is then spliced together along with other atmospheric editing. There’s a lot of screenshots to ‘build’ the final visual but I rarely have alternative or scrapped finals because that would be a terrible waste of time. Why do I do this ridiculously tedious process? Because I’m stupid.

CAPTIONS — are you a caption on the picture kind of storyteller or captions in text box type of storyteller? why? do you do both?

I don’t do caption format, because for me, it removes lots of detail and nuance. Long prose means my audience is much smaller, but I wouldn’t be able to convey half the things just by still visuals and dialogue. As you might be able to tell from the aforementioned question, picture taking is also just immensely tiring.

EDITING — explain and show us your process editing a scene through a video, gif, or picture. a before and after will suffice if you aren’t in the middle of editing a scene as you answer this.

Corresponding to the Screenshot Folder question:

I no longer rely on Reshade for post-processing, except for DOF, but even then I blur in editing. Lately I’ve been trying to create a more realistic, atmospheric look with strong DOF, bloom, motion blur, and smoothing out light + shadows with exposure brushes.

THROWBACK — show us an ancient story scene you done in the past and explain how you would do the scene differently today!

You mean every scene I’ve ever done before En Pointe LOL If we’re talking ancient, I might as well go back to the very beginning of The Kingston Legacy, in 2015. It’s the classic legacy opening of the founder moving to a new town, with basic writing and terrible low-setting-no-cc pictures. I would do literally everything different. I can’t even begin to describe so here’s something to laugh at.

I tag — @lazysunjade (watch her post it 1 second later) @amys-snapshots @notjustabooksims @simnights ❤ Please check the challenge post for the full and original format, and anyone else who wants to participate can also reblog it as an ask game!

#bruh #this tired me out but it was very fun #now time to sleep before work #genfour #lilaremonn #thesimperiuscurse #enpointeprep

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asscreeds · 3 years

Text

Heila - Chapter 4

thank you again to @freyastrider for letting me yoink your screenshots :’D

TW for graphic descriptions of violence & death. Read on AO3 | Masterlist

The cool midday wind blew from the North, hastening the journey by longship, and Eivor thanked the Gods for their favor today. Curled up at the Wolf's feet, Nali hissed at Dag almost comically when he had boarded, scarcely recognizing the man, making Eivor chuckle. Not even five minutes into the journey, Dag started up another one of his stories, and Eivor did not realize how much she had missed the man's silly tales until her crew burst out into laughter at something absurd he said, the Wolf-Kissed joining in heartily.

Four hours passed and they had just passed Roucistere. By then the sun had sunk further into the sky, sending its rays into everyone's eyes and turning the sky and eastern sea a beautiful gold. Were it any other day, Eivor would have found the scenery beautiful, yet even with Dag's stories and the lightheartedness of the journey as her and her vikingr were reunited on the ship once again, she could only think of the battle ahead and prayed that it would go smoothly.

Thinking back to your sobbing form made her heart squeeze with some unknown emotion; she could not decide if it was pity or something else. The name 'Gunnar' stuck in her mind. Who was the man to you? Part of your clan, obviously, but what was he to you? A companion? Brother? Lover, maybe? Despite her trailing thoughts she surmised it was not for her to know and began chastising herself for even pondering. It was not important to her; what mattered was honoring her promise to you and seeing that he and the others were returned to you safely.

As they pulled into the docks, Eivor could see a few of her men that had been sent forward earlier in the day had already set up a small camp above the beach, higher on the hillside where the two-dozen horses could graze and rest. Jumping from the lypting of the ship to the dock she bid her vikingr follow her up the hill to the forward camp, the raiders most grateful for being able to stretch their legs after the journey.

As they gathered about the campfire, she called for their attention. "From what the scouts have told, the Danes are being held to the southwest of the barracks, near the most open portion of the city. There is a northern gate near the barracks that leads to the heart of the city that we will rush through. If two or three could ride forward to fire arrows and slay the gate's guards, we will catch them off guard and ride forward with little problems. The issue lies in exiting the city once we have freed the Danes, as the northern gate will be undoubtedly crowded with the soldiers from the barracks. We may either leave by the most western yet farthest gate, or the closer eastern gate - it depends on how the guards will react. Whatever happens, stick together," she explained, and her vikingr nodded, some cheering. Before letting them mount the horses she added in one final thing: "Remember, these are people who have been scarcely fed for days and been treated as animals. There is a very low chance that they will be able to defend themselves if they are targeted - load them onto the backs of your horses, then ride as fast as you can. Do not engage in battle unless you must, if you are outnumbered or are blocked from pushing forward. If all goes well we will overwhelm them with the suddenness of our attack and we will be able to slip in and out with little issue."

Then she let them go, and they each mounted a horse, standing near the mouth of the road waiting for her to lead them. To her surprise she found her personal mount among the horses; Askr, the rowdy, black destrier stallion she had purchased from Rowan a few months ago, whom she had just recently bonded with enough to be able to ride him into the heart of battle. Patting his nose, she mumbled, "I pray to Thor that you will not suddenly turn your heart in the middle of this and buck me," and then took her seat in his rune-inscribed saddle. The horse only gave her a side-eye and snorted.

Walking Askr forward to the road, she raised her fist to the sky, looking at the vikingr. "To Canterbury!" she cried, and the resounding war cries of the warriors hastened their mounts forward into a comfortable gallop on the stone road. By now the sun had eased down into the horizon, and they would reach the city hopefully just in time for the gap in guard rotation as the day rota switched for the night.

Even in the dim light of dusk Eivor could still see the steeples of the church rise into the sky as they rode over the hill, and then Eivor pulled them all to a slow trot. Much to her delight, they had just begun lighting torches for the night and even from a distance she could see only one lone guard at the northern gate. Looking over and nodding to an archer, she sent them forward to deal with him before they rushed in and the guard could call for help. "Light your torch near the gate once you have dealt with him." One Norseman would only puzzle him, instead of seeing an entire raiding party descending down the hill like a flood.

By now the last light of the sun had nearly gone, and the sky turned a deep indigo as the first stars began to shine and the slim crescent moon began to rise higher. For what was about to transpire, it was such an incredibly calm night; a gentle breeze, the soft chorus of crickets, the hooting of an owl nearby. As they crested over the hill in definite eyesight of any eagle-eyed guardsmen she saw the torch of the archer being waved around near the gate; their signal. Bidding Askr into a canter, she and her warriors rode forth to the gate, meeting with the archer that had remounted their horse. The breach was quiet, and though the thunder of the horses' steps were a dead giveaway, it seemed that scarcely anyone had noticed their arrival. Good.

Things did not go so smoothly once they rounded the corner to the area where the Danes were kept. Almost instantly four or five guards jumped up with weapons drawn from where they had been conversing around a table, and Eivor could only give a smirk as she and a few others drew their bows back to release a volley of arrows upon the men, not missing a single mark. They quickly fell, and she rushed forward to the imprisoned Danes. Despite their cages being secured with a lock and her nor the guards having the key for them they bent and broke easily enough. Drawing out her torch and stepping forward into the cage she was met by sad, sunken eyes that should have never belonged to any human being. Slowly, she approached them.

"I have been sent by y/n to rescue you. We will help you to mount the horses, take you to our longship and to Ravensthorpe where you will be fed and bathed," she said quietly, and immediately some burst into tears, rejoicing, others staring ahead quietly afraid. In all there were only maybe a dozen of them, four women and eight men divided into separate cages, all as visibly ill as the next. She did not ask any of them for their names.

As the fifth Dane was paired to a horse, a patrol rounded the corner to the clearing, and Eivor felt the rush of adrenaline blanket her mind. They were met with swift swords to their shields almost instantaneously as her vikingr beat them back away from the Danes, and the shouting from the conflict seemed to wake the entire city. Another two Danes were paired, and suddenly the church's bells began to ring, splitting the calm air of the night in two. Shit.

Moving as fast as she could she lifted a large man with bright blue eyes to rival her own onto her shoulders, placing him on the back of her horse. The man groaned with the movement and in her torchlight she could see dried bloodstains about his torso; another sad victim. She bid him to wait, leading Askr a few paces away in a shadowed alleyway between buildings to hide, and then ran back to the others to continue to pair the ninth, tenth, and eleventh Dane.

By now many of the Saxon guardsmen knew what was happening and descended upon the warriors like fighting dogs, and though the Raven Clan had a mounted advantage they were beginning to be pushed back into the clearing. Some had already fled, beginning the ride back to the longship. Eivor prayed that they would not be followed.

Grabbing the final Dane was where things went sour. An arrow flew right into the eyesocket of a Danish woman, who fell limp in the saddle and shocked the warrior at the front with the sudden dead weight at their back. More heavily-armored guards rushed in from the barracks and were poking and slashing at the horses chests, spooking them; little by little they were losing ground and precious time. The last prisoner secured, and with a final push from the guards, Eivor mounted Askr and commanded her warriors to follow her and run. They galloped higher into the city, heading towards the eastern gate with hopes of escaping cleanly - unfortunately, these guards were intelligent and had swarmed not only the east gate, but all other exits, too. They were penned in.

Eivor could not see any other solution. Pushing Askr into a hard gallop she rode forward as archers stationed in the barbican above the gate released their arrows and the Wolf-Kissed had raised her shield just in time to prevent them from piercing her and the man's flesh. Some others were not so lucky nor swift enough. Three more Danes were struck by arrows. In the pause of archers knocking arrows again her vikingr rushed behind her, yet this time the arrows were set aflame. The portcullis was still open, thankfully, though beset by a formidable wall of soldiers.

They would fall and be trampled just as any other.

Galloping forward in the final stretch Askr's chest connected with the unfortunate men in the path of destruction, hooves pounding on their bones as if wading through water. What a good horse. Thankfully, he was never wounded by the effort. Taken aback by the feat most archers did not fly their arrows a second time, and those that did scarcely hit their target. Nobody was injured that time. The other horses followed close behind and soon there was a pretty pile of corpses lying near the mouth of the portcullis like a disgusting blanket.

Exiting the city and breaching the cold night of Cent made Eivor release a breath she did not know she was holding, the shock of adrenaline still hitting her hard. She definitely was not going to do that again any time soon. Glancing behind her to check they were not followed, she opted to take the quickest route to the longship; regardless if someone came after them they would still board the ship as quickly as they could.

She decided to try and talk to the man on her horse, just as she'd done to you. "What is your name?"

The man stirred slowly, as if he did not recognize that he was being talked to. He could not focus on much past the way his body felt as if it were being carried forward by a valkyrie, mounted on her horse and riding towards Valhalla. "G-Gunnar," he croaked, and Eivor nearly choked on the cool night air. Ah.

Looking behind her at the state of the man, she realized he was in a far worse state than you were when she'd rescued you. His eyes were clouded, unfocused, dried blood seeped down from a wound at the center of his forehead; he was weak, with the way he barely clung onto the Wolf-Kissed's smaller frame despite being heads taller than her. There were the dried blood stains at his middle, too, and she could not guess where those wounds came from.

She prayed to all the Gods she could think of, even those that she did not revere, that he would stay alive long enough to make it to Ravensthorpe.

"Alright, Gunnar. I am Eivor. We're taking you and your clan to a safer place." The ride to the ship felt much longer than riding from it, despite being the same route.

Gunnar would seemingly gain awareness some moments, holding tighter to Eivor's waist and groaning in pain, and then completely lose it at others, falling limp at her back and scaring her each time thinking that the man had passed.

Only one time did he address her. "Y/n sent you…?"

"Yes, she did," Eivor said, and the beach and her longship were in her sight. Nobody was followed. Five of her raiders and their paired Danes had already boarded the ship, keeping it still to the harbor even in the night's high tide.

Gunnar let out a breathy wheezing sound. "Ah, she's alive…" he said, and Eivor could hear the smile in his voice despite everything. "Alive…"

Slowing Askr down to a trot they approached the longship, the tide rising to the point where the horses were lifting their legs in the water. There were still more of her clan stationed at the forward camp; they would return the horses to Ravensthorpe after they departed. Dismounting the horse, she grabbed Gunnar by the waist, laying the large man over her shoulders and carrying him to the ship. He could not find the strength to sit up on the seats. Eivor slowly lowered him against the side of the ship, propping him up.

Taking a headcount, every single one of her drengr survived; out of the dozen Danes they rescued, five would not live.

Jumping to the lypting again she commanded the ship be turned round and the sail raised. The sea's wind roared, boosting the speed of their getaway, though it would not hold over the river Thames as they passed Roucistere. The night's calm northern breeze did little to bend the cloth of the sails, so it was lowered.

At some point, Gunnar roused again. Nali had curled at his bloodied side and was purring furiously, and the man gently petted the cat, in another spell of awareness. "Hello, little friend of Freyja," he spoke, spooking Eivor.

"You are awake, Gunnar. Are you feeling better after a bit of rest?" Eivor asked, grasping at anything to keep the hope of this man reaching Ravensthorpe alive.

"No," came his simple answer, looking up towards Eivor. Blood began oozing from the corners of his mouth and his nose. Immediately Eivor rushed to his side, and all her warriors turned their heads, and upon seeing why the Wolf-Kissed acted so suddenly, they understood.

Gunnar could only look to Eivor still with an unreadable expression. Taking a cloth from her pouch she began wiping away at the blood, though it continued to run and run, and then Gunnar smiled at the Wolf-Kissed's efforts. In the calmness of the moonlight and Gunnar's awareness she realized how bright his eyes were and how they crinkled at the corners when they were not clouded with pain. Grabbing her hand, he willed her to stop.

"It is no use. I am a dying man," he said, and then let out a great, wheezing cough to drive the point home. Blood still ran from his mouth, down the scraggly hairs of his beard, onto the front of his tunic. Eivor stared, wide-eyed, her own heartbeat pounding in her ears as she stared at the fading man.

"...What would be your last wishes, drengr?" she asked, and Gunnar picked Nali up from his side and set her down farther away, and though Nali only weighed not even a stone it was a great effort for the man, who then fell limp after.

Gunnar seemed to pause, taking in wheezing breaths, thinking of the many answers he could give. Avenge my clan. Slay Frederik. Send word to my wife and daughter in Denmark of my death. Above all he chose one.

"Keep y/n safe," he rasped, suddenly reaching for Eivor's hand and holding it firm. "Keep her safe. Keep this clan safe. There is nothing else left of us.

"I have known her since we were children. Like a brother. I have cared for her as I have cared for my own blood. She is the voice of reason that kept us all bound together in times of strife. I could not protect her when I swore I would. I have known I would die this way for months, yet I did all I could to fight against it. For her. Please, keep her safe. In this world, and the next," he said, and his cryptic words both puzzled and troubled Eivor.

Eivor nodded, and squeezed the man's hand. "I heed your dying words. I will protect her to the ends of the earth."

Slowly, like the moon's face dwindling away as the sun rose each morning, he faded, the light in his eyes dying with him, and he went with a calm exhale into the night air. Eivor set his hand upon his lap and closed his eyelids. He would be given a proper burial, though where, she did not know. It was for you to decide.

The rest of the journey was in silence.

...

You had spent the better part of the day anxious, uneasy, unable to rest like Valka had wanted you to. To keep your mind distracted she asked you of your homeland, to which you gave mostly simple answers, and eventually you grew so anxious you had to pace. Scarcely moving around for days except to relieve yourself made your body shriek in pain with the effort of moving that you would have collapsed if Valka had not caught you. She scolded you like a mother would a child, and then you'd begged her like a child (much to her amusement) for her to help you relearn to walk.

After an hour and some more food and drink you were able to hold your own weight again, and after two more you could walk, albeit slowly, without the strain of the sliced muscles in your back bothering you too much. Valka took you to the pond behind her hut, and you revelled in the sound of the waterfall, and though the movement pained you enough to cry you could not stop yourself from cupping the fresh water in your hands and splashing it in your face. Valka laughed and said she could draw you a bath later. You stayed there for a while, until the sun began to hang lower in the sky, and then you noticed peculiar wisps of light that you've never seen before - catching one you found it was some type of delightful insect that held light within its body, and you let it be free again.

By now your stomach growled with hunger and you slowly raised yourself off the ground and went back into the hut where Valka had already gotten the two of you fresh bowls of soup and bread. Ever grateful you ate quickly, feeling a little calmer after the day. After you ate Valka drew a bath for you, and though the water was lukewarm to ease the pain of your injuries you were grateful to be able to clean the layers of sweat off your body. Valka helped you with the areas that you could not reach, even helping to wash and rinse your hair, and not once did you feel uncomfortable with your nakedness in front of the other woman. It felt natural, in a way, and you surmised she wouldn't really care, anyway. After redressing your wounds, you were surprised by her giving you a freshly-washed, simple chemise, made of soft linen and about ankle length, saying that "It would be easier on your body to sleep warmer, yet not be inhibited by heavier clothing," referring to the men's trousers and tunic you had been dressed in as a prisoner.

Then Valka made you more of the sleepy tea, and you fell asleep before the sun had even set. Thankfully you did not have a nightmare this time, and were back to the normal nonsensical dreams that you would never be able to recall come waking up.

Your sleep, however, was disturbed by the sound of a horn being blown, your mind instantly connecting the sound to Frederik’s horn, and you were sent into a minor panic before you remembered who was blowing the horn. It was not Frederik coming to face you, nor were you back on his longship heading to the monastery; it was Eivor, bringing the remnants of your clan to you. Adrenaline fueled you and you leapt from the bed, frightening Valka who had not yet fallen asleep and she rushed to your side, bidding you to return to bed, but you could not. You had to see Gunnar, you had to see your kinsmen. Limping forward a few paces out into the cold air of the night Valka ran back to her hut and returned with her heavy fur cloak, gently setting it about your shoulders so that you did not freeze.

You walked past the stables, down the western side of the longhouse, past numerous buildings you did not know the purpose of and saw several people getting off the longship. And even in the dark of the night you could see bodies being lifted onto stretchers, and your heart dropped. Some deep, deep, ugly part of you hoped that they were Eivor's warriors and not yours, to no avail. There were five of them, and you rushed forward, stumbling, and in the light of the torches you tried to make out faces.

A hand was felt on your shoulder, preventing you from toppling over, and you turned to face Eivor, who looked at you with a somber, defeated face. You did not like that look, nor the way you were turned away from looking at the final body of your kin. You could only stare silently into the Wolf's eyes.

"Y/n, I…" Eivor started, unsure of the right words to say. She sighed, and then took hold of both of your shoulders and squeezed. "I am sorry," was all she said, pulling you closer to her chest in comfort. You did not like her tone and what it meant. You could not make yourself move to match the warmth of her hug. The entire clan had gathered, but they were all silent.

Slowly, she let you go, and you turned around to look at the bodies. You could recognize the pallid faces of poor Lissi, and Jørgen, and Erna, Nils…

And then there was Gunnar, stiff and pale, blood staining the cloth of his tunic all around, and you froze, your mind not processing what you were looking at. And then you drew in a great breath and wailed, a painful, broken-hearted sound pulled from your throat like a bow running harshly across the strings of an instrument. You dropped to your knees, crawling closer to the man's body and pressing the palms of your hands to his cold cheeks, sobbing and gasping for breath. like a madwoman over his body, willing your hot tears that fell onto his face to bring him back to life. Why was he to die like this? Away from his family? His home? He did not even die in battle. He did not deserve this death. You hunched over his body, still sobbing, pressing his cold forehead to yours and then closed your eyes, and prayed that he would find his way out of Hel's domain to where he belonged, seated with the other einherjar in Valhalla. Maybe guided by a valkyrie, maybe out of his own will.

When you pulled away you were now weeping silently, and you could not bring yourself to look at the bodies of the rest, nor look at the faces of those that were alive, passing by you as they were carried to the barracks. You instead looked out into the forest on the far side of the river, and you could not bring yourself to move even as Eivor's men began to haul the stretchers away.

The Wolf-Kissed approached you, slowly, and set her palm on your shoulder again. "He passed peacefully, facing the moon and stars. His wounds were too dire for him to go on," she said, and you rose from kneeling on the ground, her hand on your shoulder a wonderful feeling keeping you grounded in reality. You could not speak, only staring ahead still. Eivor stayed by your side, silent for a moment.

"He… he called for me to protect you, to keep you safe as his dying words," she said quietly, and this made you turn and look at her through your tear-laden lashes. Eivor's heart squeezed. "I promised to him that I would. And my word is my bond. I will keep you safe, until… until you decide what you want to do," she said, the last bit sounding strained, as if that was not what she truly wanted to say. This was all very sudden to your already exhausted mind.

You stared at her for a moment longer, and Eivor felt you were looking through her, not at her. Blinking some tears away you slowly turned from her, looking at the water's edge and how it reflected the moonlight, trying to clear your head. "I… he… " you began, trying to find your words and will the lump in your throat away. "H-he… he was not my blood. But we grew up together… a big brother to me," you mumbled, not truly knowing why you were telling Eivor this. "I… I cared greatly for him. I still do. I've thought before what I would do if he passed, and even that hurt, but… this is…" Snivelling, you pressed a palm to your mouth so that Eivor would not have to see the ugly way your face contorted and lip quivered as you tried to hold in another anguished cry. The woman did not think any less of you. She stood unmoving behind you. "This is… this is Frederik's fault. All of it. If he had done anything…" you croaked, the lump in your throat rising again to the point where you could not speak further nor breathe, choking on air and holding it for far too long, and Eivor set her large palm on your shoulder again. When you did not respond, she slowly pulled you into another hug, being ever mindful of the injuries at your back, and you immediately clung to her, shoving your face into her chest even though it was still armored, your head under her chin, and sobbing anew. You couldn't help it at this point. You felt like a maelstrom of emotion, waves of sorrow washing over you as you kept thinking of Gunnar's soft smile that he gave you on the longship and how it contrasted with the stillness of his pale, dead face. And then you realized how cold you were, even in Valka's coat, when the warmth of the larger woman began to seep into your body; a small comfort. Eivor shushed you gently and dared to smooth your hair out just as Valka had, and you felt yourself growing calmer in the arms of the warrior.

After some time you felt more composed, calmed, and you slowly removed yourself from Eivor as the intimacy of her consolation and promise to Gunnar hit you and you suddenly felt uncomfortable, stepping back and looking to the patterns in the wood of the docks.

"I know Gunnar had a wife and child, back in Denmark. They should know of his passing," you said, running your fingers over the edges of Valka's cloak. Eivor nodded. "I will send a letter, then."

Swallowing, you thought of her words earlier. Protect me until I decide what I want to do, she says… you did not see any other path.

"You… you said that you would protect me, until I have decided to go elsewhere," you started, looking up to match Eivor's blue eyes, though difficult it may be. The woman blinked slowly and nodded.

"I… I do not think I could go elsewhere. I do not want to return to my family, knowing that Frederik could potentially return there, too. And whatever lies he spun they would believe his words over mine. I do not have a home there, not anymore," you explained, and then broke eye contact with the drengr, feeling a burst of anger at the entire situation for a moment before you took a deep breath, sighing.

"And you… you saved my life. You and Valka, you've helped me to recover. And that is something that I feel I can never repay."

You met Eivor's blue eyes again, and even in the dim light of the moon could see how soft they've grown. "I would stay with the Raven clan, if you would let me," you said, feeling small again. Eivor blinked again, and then her expression somehow grew softer, and nodded. "Of course, y/n. You will always find a home here in Ravensthorpe, and wherever else we may go," she said, sending you a muted smile. You will always find a home with me.

You let out a breath, sighing in relief and in exhaustion, and realized how cold it had gotten when you could see it hanging in the mist, and then you felt it seep into your bones. "Th-thank you, Eivor," you shivered, and the Norsewoman took note of your state almost immediately, and on instinct pulled you to her side and began walking you back to Valka. "Of course, lagr kærr."

Passing the barracks you were relieved to see some of your kin already tended to and resting; you would speak with them tomorrow of your decision. You did not have a leader, not anymore, and it was up to them whether they wanted to leave or stay once recovered. You, however, would find a home in the Raven clan yet.

Valka was, as expected, not in the hut, most likely at the barracks treating the last of your friends. After such a long day both you and Eivor were exhausted, and the Wolf bid you farewell at the door, turning to go to her own place of rest. Shrugging off Valka's coat you placed it in it's usual spot and then crawled into your cot, still straining with the movement. Your body had its own celebration when you finally relaxed, and though you would certainly feel the soreness tomorrow you were glad that you still had some mobility after the wounds near your spine had become infected. You would heal in time. Closing your eyes, you fell asleep blissfully quickly.

In the shadows of the longhouse's exterior, Randvi had watched how your smaller form tucked into Eivor's as the two of you ascended to the seeress's hut, and felt an ugly twist of envy in her gut. She turned away from the scene to storm to the alliance map. She still had reports to write.

#yall dont get a summary this time i am tired #my writing #valhalla #ac valhalla #eivor x reader #f!eivor x reader #eivor #lady eivor

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fanfictionsrookie · 3 years

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Watch As I Overanalyze Cinder’s Fight Wit Penny...

I knew Cinder was one for dramatics, but good grief, what happened to being subtle XD

But considering the situation and the time they had left to stop Amity, this was the best course of action.

Can I tell you I screamed! Also, just a screenshot I liked. There will be a lot of them lol.

So Cinder is still holding onto her grudge with Ruby, but it was honestly for the best that she wasn’t there. Cinder would not have been able to take on Ruby and her team as well.

Now I wonder if this is Cinder projecting in some way. Not just because in terms of Salem’s plans, Cinder has been doing the heavy lifting, or at least been tasked to do so. Cinder likely sees this situation as an example. But because of the implications that Cinder as a child, was forces to so a lot of strenuous work on her own.

It’s possible that this might be more projecting, but the way Cinder says it, makes me think she sees herself more as that. Salem did tell her that she was more valuable, but she’s still just a piece in this game. Cinder might be trying to convince herself otherwise.

Have another bootiful screenshot.

Every time Neo does this... I feel things...

More screams.

So things like this suggest to me that Cinder is slowly but surely finding her way back into her comfort zone, trying to re-establish whatever sense of identity she had before volume 3. That and becoming more proficient in using her Maiden Powers, which has become a lot more personalized since volume 3/4 where she relied on fire alone.

Now I love this little reaction, because it is the moment where Cinder realises that Penny is simply distracting her from her main objective. So Cinder is starting to get a handle on her anger and is able to exploit it in a moment of clarity when she turns back. However, she still has quite a bit of growth to go through.

Just something I was wondering about. How does Penny know a person poses a threat? Does she log them into her memory so that they are much easier identifiable later on when they might be more difficult to spot?

And another thing. In this moment Cinder either priorities her mission to stop Amity, or she realises that she would have more success in stopping Penny with Emerald and Neo around.

Maria is having a field day, and I would feel bad if it wasn’t lowkey funny lol. But it’s nice to know Maria still got it. Neo was due a hit to her winning streak as well.

Sexy smirk.

But more alarmingly, that arm. Like that thing has progressed past her shoulder completely and I’m willing to bet that it is making it’s way across her back and side. Now, gauging from the shadows around the Grimm strands, we can conclude that it is not as invasive as we thought, merely anchoring itself at the edges. However, I do hope something are done about them soon, even if Cinder does not seem particularly worries about it... yet.

I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this question. As for the answer...

I. Was. Floored.

Mostly because I didn’t expect that answer at all. You could do a whole post just about those three lines. But I’ll try to be concise.

So first, Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem. This can be interpreted in a few ways.

1.) Cinder does not see herself as bellow Salem, not far at least. Linking back to Cinder ‘being more than a pawn’ it could be that Cinder sees her affiliation to Salem as more of a mutual agreement where both parties get something out of it. As for why Salem would let her think this? I think it plays into Cinder’s fear of being controlled and taken advantage of, as she has implied to have been in the past. Thus, in order to keep Cinder under her control, Salem makes her think that she isn’t under control but rather ‘guidance’.

Cinder might be using Salem as a means of gaining power for some other goal. A goal more specific than just wanting power, or an extension thereof. Which Salem could very much be aware of. But Salem’s control over Cinder goes far past what Cinder believes or would want to. And that is why she is trying to convince herself otherwise.

2.) Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem, because she sees herself as an extension, a ‘vessel’ of Salem’s will. Now this links back to Cinder seeing herself as more useful. But this version implies an even greater loss of her identify. Cinder wants power, not just because of her fear of being powerless, but a cultivated desire to be like Salem and carry out her will. Even if they disagree on how that should be carried out. In a sense, Cinder does not see herself as serving Salem, but rather ‘becoming’ her in some way.

Have an adorably happy murder child.

Linking back to Cinder’s tactical retreat to Amity. This is the clearest example of Cinder learning from her fight with Raven. Cinder used her environment to perfectly set up a situation where Penny is near defenseless and where Cinder can go after her Maiden Powers.

Now, I have talked about the possibility of Cinder having absorbed some of Raven’s Power. But that it might not be enough to open the vault, that the scenario was simply set up as a visual cue to show HOW syphoning those Powers would work.

But this time, not only is the visual cue clear and day-light, shown longer, but it’s also front and center. Do I think that this is enough for Cinder to open the Vault?

No.

But I do hope something comes from this. CRWBY can’t keep showing us Cinder visibly taking more and more of the Maiden’s power, even if just a little bit, and not have it pay off or come around in some way.

With just one look, Cinder and Emerald had a plan ready to go. And I wish we got more of that in this episode. I wish we had more instances of Cinder working with others, because clearly they do know how to read each other and work together. At the very least, I hope it’s a build up to what can happen in the future, because I fully expect to see much more of Emerald’s semblance.

Yes, please and thank you.

Now this scene is very familiar. And I wished that Cinder and Co would have made more use of tactics like this, even if I explained in the beginning why that opportunity went up with Amity. I did feel bad for Penny though. The memories must’ve been awful.

I will be drawing the screencap.

BABY NOOOO!

Ugh, I felt so bad for Emerald during this scene.

And I really do hope that these two get to actually talk to one another. At the very least that Cinder realises that if it weren’t for Emerald, she’d be dead. In the same vein, it’s also high time that Emerald confronts Cinder about how wrongly she has been treated. Because even when Cinder took Emerald with her, you could see that Cinder was not paying attention to either Emerald or Neo, up until the time she needed them. Which is ironic because Cinder does not seem to take notice of the things Emerald or Neo has done for her, past what Cinder expected of them. And that needs to stop.

Because you people need an unhinged Penny.

And I wonder if Penny realised it too...

That this scene is eerily similar to the one she had when she had to protect Winter.

I’ve been holding off on saying it but... gods does Cinder look sad and adorable. poor baby.

As for Neo, not only is she probably pissed that Emerald is giving her orders but that they would have to return to Salem after Cinder’s bad idea got her, and them all by extension, in an even worse position. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neo starts looking for an out soon after this.

Looks like Salem is back to petting her favourite XD

Now, how is Salem going to react to this? Because from this shot it seems like she wanted the world to know about her. If that was the case, it makes sense to tell Cinder to stay put, but then WHY NOT TELL CINDER? Salem probably does not feel the need to explain herself to others, but this whole detour could be avoided if she had just given her some kind of reasoning.

So not only will Cinder be punished for disobeying orders and failing at her task, but for setting out and doing something that goes completely against Salem’s goals. The only thing I can give for these events, is that it is continuing to drive a wedge between Cinder and Salem, whilst also demonstrating that Cinder does have her own goals and ways of thinking.

But narratively? Does it hold a lot of weight? I don’t know.

We don’t know the full extent of the message, so we don’t know if Cinder’s actions stopped another point of key information going through. Penny would have been hacked by Watts regardless. And I really did hope that Cinder would succeed, that they would have made more use of Neo and Emerald’s semblance, even if subtlety wasn’t a viable tactic. Considering that Cinder mostly relied on her own abilities, and assuming her arc is realising power does not guarantee victory, this makes sense.

But if that was CRWBY’s intent, why not demonstrate this by forcing Cinder to rely more on Emerald and Neo, past just having them to take her to safety, even if that is a big deal. Look this scene revealed a lot of not only Cinder’s way of thinking, but Penny’s as well. I just wish everything didn’t play out as straight as it felt. As for narrative outcomes, I hope we get to see more of that, and it’s not just me wanting to see Cinder taking some of Penny’s Powers, have actual consequences.

Because in terms of consequences, there could be a LOT.

Emerald finally standing up to Cinder, defecting with Neo even, Cinder getting some appreciation for Neo and Emerald, Salem punishing Cinder in a way that makes her want to break away, Cinder reliving more of her past memories, (although I feel like this will be more crumbs, leading up until the third altercation which might be the final push, because I do not feel like this is quite it), Cinder confronting Salem about her goals and why they were kept hidden from her, only for Cinder to realise that Salem does not hold her in as high regard as she thinks.

Whatever happens, I want the fall out of this to drastically change the very views Cinder established in this episode.

I want Cinder’s disobedience in pursuit of her own goals to have drastic effects and propel her character development forward, even if Cinder is thinks that she is just taking one step back after another.

Whatever the fallout is, I am here for it.

#rwby #cinder fall #rwby8 #rwby8 spoilers #penny polendina #neopolitan #emerald sustrai #cinder fall theories #i am living for the screenshots #XD

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travllingbunny · 4 years

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The 100 rewatch: 5x04 Pandora’s Box

Another excellent episode, maybe a little less action-packed than Sleeping Giants but still fast, full of tension, new information, and many warm reunions and nice character moments - which are important to see before all these characters start having conflicts and many of these relationships get strained to the point of almost breaking later in the season.

This one picks up immediately after the last scenes of both 5x02 (the bunker - cliffhanger with Kane as one of the fighters in the pit) and 5x03 (Eden with Bellamy, Clarke and the prisoners after Bellamy has negotiated with Diyoza, Raven and Murphy on Eligius 4), brings everyone together*, as the prisoners open the bunker and Wonkru finally gets out - and ends with the conflict that means that war between Wonkru and the Eligius prisoners is imminent. The Pandora’s Box has been opened, to use another one of Bellamy’s Greek mythology references. (Oddly enough, he makes that reference in the next episode, not in this one.)

(*Well, not everyone - Monty, Harper, Emori, Echo and Madi are MIA this episode. hiding somewhere in Eden, before they also reunite with the rest of Spacekru plus Clarke plus Wonkru in the next episode.)

If I hadn’t seen season 5 before, I’d be thinking “Will this be the best season of the show?” It is by far the season with the strongest beginning - before the plot starts to drag, building conflicts within both camps. so that war would not happen until the two-part finale. Strong beginning, strong ending, poor middle part.

After the epic Bellarke scene at the end of 5x03, this episode delivers their actual reunion, with another one of those incredibly intimate and intense hugs that Bellamy and Clarke are known for. They tend to grow in intensity, and I’ll just say this: when Tumblr flagged gifs of this hug as “explicit”, well - for once I could see why poor Tumblr bots were getting confused:

A reunion after 6 years, during which Bellamy believed Clarke to be dead, while Clarke didn’t know if Bellamy was alive but still called him on the radio and talked to him every day for 2199 days, has to be pretty epic, and this scene delivers. It seems almost like Clarke - who had been badly tortured - wasn’t entirely sure if that was really Bellamy who emerged out of the darkness to save her, of if she was imagining it, with the way she says “You are really here!”, while crying out of happiness. The intimacy in the body language and the way they look at each other is also reflected in Clarke telling him “And now you’re home!” This goes way beyond how platonic partners and non-romantic best friends interact with each other. The scene is not just acted but directed and shot in such a way that anyone who would see it without knowing Clarke and Bellamy’s actual relationship status, would get the wrong (?) idea. For a moment, they even look like people who have been caught making out, like they don’t want these strangers to witness such an intimate moment.

Even if she did not see this scene in particular, it’s no surprise that Diyoza assumed Clarke and Bellamy were a couple (“the hostage taker and his girlfriend”) after what she saw of their interactions. Really, who wouldn’t?

Bellamy quickly updates Clarke on how everyone is - Madi, Spacekru, acknowledges that Clarke has saved them all (something multiple people do in this early part of the season) and that all of the people who went to space are safe. (”Murphy, Monty, Raven?” “Echo and Emori”. - But why the Harper erasure? This is one of the very few lines in this episode that feel wrong. She’ one of the Delinquents both of them have known since they landed on Earth and Clarke would logically care about her more than Echo, who, she barely knew and who was her enemy 90% of the time. )

Another beautiful reunion happens by radio - Murphy and Raven learn that Clarke is alive. Murphy smiles the moment he hears her voice, and Raven, teary-eyed, thanks Clarke for saving their lives. The Spacekru have been criticized a lot in the fandom for not appreciating Clarke’s sacrifice, but it has to be said that, right after they learned she was alive, they all acknowledged it and expressed gratitude. (Some of them were just later angry at her and not so ready to try to understand her perspective after living isolated for 6 years.) This is one of the very few moments of happiness in season 5 (whenever I see that screenshot of Clarke and Bellamy’s big smiles, I mistake it for a moment for a BTS photo. That’s how rare it is to see characters looking happy on the actual show.)

…………………….

Meanwhile, over in the bunker, no one is happy. and everything is dark, sad and disturbing. Octavia is full Blodreina and acting like a Roman Emperor, deciding if gladiators get to earn their freedom or not. because even being “the last” doesn’t necessarily earn you freedom now - it all comes down to the Queen’s whim. Kane is forced to fight in the pit again tomorrow. I suppose they already have the next batch of fighters ready - it would be a bit weird if she expected a bunch of new “crimes” tomorrow. But things must have gotten progressively worse if they’re now having death matches every day. If they had been condemning people to the pits at that pace throughout those 6 years, even more than 1/3 of the Wonkru would be dead.

One thing I had not noticed before - there is a singer, singing an anthem or ceremonial song before the fights start, and it is the same woman who sang the Coalition anthem in 3x03. This somewhat changes my views of the way Grounder clans chose 100 people to survive the bunker. At least one of the clans was smart enough to include a musician, rather than a bunch of warriors. There should have been even more musicians and other entertainers (you’d expect a culture like Grounders to have some sort of epic poetry!), as that would’ve helped the life in the bunker much more than warriors (and there could have been entertainment that does not include killing). But this was probably an exception, because this person probably had a high status as a ceremonial singer.

Our first look at Abby after the time jump - and she is obviously in a bad state and pill-addicted, and both she and Kane look tired and worn down. He is protecting her and taking the guilt for her crime - stealing pills, since Abby is obviously in no state to fight - and on her part, Abby wants to confess and spare him. But Indra - who has been helping them and is clearly unhappy with the way Blodreina is ruling - is more rational and knows Kane winning is the only way to save them both. Kane, however, is choosing to take a stand and refuse to fight.

Kane and Abby got a lot of flak from the fandom and were accused of hypocrisy for their attitude to Octavia later in the season - with the argument that Abby was the one who persuaded Octavia to go through with cannibalism and killing people for refusing to ear, and that Kane knew Abby’s role in it but blamed Octavia. All these arguments presume that they were blaming Octavia for the cannibalism and everything else that happened the Dark Year. But in fact, there’s zero indication that this is what they blamed her for, and it’s pretty clear that the reason why they - and others - have issues with Blodreina is that she’s been ruling by fear and throwing people into fighting pits for all sorts of reasons, and generally being a scary tyrant/leader of a cult of death and violence. Yes, as we learn later, Abby was a crucial part of how Octavia turned into that person, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is that person now, that she has absolute power in the bunker, and people have been living in fear of her.

Kane tries to plead with Octavia when she comes to tell him he has to fight, and at this point, he seems to still believe she could change and start making better decisions. What feels a bit off to me is that he says he’s been silent for too long - this can’t be the first time he’s tried to change her mind? He would have probably had a lot more chance to succeed if he tried much earlier. We get the first mention of the infamous “Dark Year” (this is also the episode where we first hear “All of me for all of us”) and see Octavia getting upset at its very mention (a reveal will be dragged out for 6 more episodes). It’s interesting that Jaha and Kane both mentioned Aurora Blake’s fate in their speeches to Octavia, but they used it to say completely different things. Jaha was saying that this is what you have to do, execute everyone who is the “enemy” because they endanger your survival in any way, even if it’s having one more child. Kane was saying that’s what they shouldn’t be doing anymore, she shouldn’t be doing what they did on the Ark, but do better. Octavia ended up taking Jaha’s advice, which shaped her as leader, for better or worse. (Mostly worse, IMO.) She could have maybe taken Kane’s advice years ago, but now it’s clearly too late.

If anything, Kane’s refusal to fight makes her more determined than ever to break him - she doesn’t want to condemn him to death, she wants to break his resistance and his stubborn insistence on morality. I don’t approve of all of Kane’s later actions in season 5, but it’s really not hard to see why, after these experiences and everything in the bunker, he thought Blodreina’s rule was the worst thing that could happen.

And then - like a Deus ex machina, the bunker door opens and Bellamy is literally coming down from above, into the darkness of Octavia’s underground realm, as the savior, bathed in light, It’s the second episode in a row where he comes as a Big Damn Hero in almost dreamlike scene, from a POV of a woman in his life, this time his sister. For a moment, Blodreina is Octavia again and hugs her brother. Clarke comes down a moment later (but she is not bathed in light - she looks at the Blake siblings from the shadows.)

Instead of hugging, Clarke and Octavia greet each other with a forearm handshake - which is quite an interesting choice, particularly since (thanks @jeanie205) this is apparently a type of greeting associated with Roman generals greeting each other. (But only in Hollywood movies, It wasn’t a thing in actual Roman history.)

In addition to all the reunions, some characters meet for the first time - such as Octavia and Diyoza, who are about to become rival leaders on two sides of the war. Who could have known what their relationship would turn into in season 6 and season 7?

I love the way that everyone - Bellamy, Clarke, Diyoza and the rest of the prisoners - have the “WTF is this” look when they see the fighting pit (which is all covered in blood - apparently, they don’t wash it. It’s an aesthetic, I guess.) Bellamy soon asks Octavia what the heck she’s doing (and guesses exactly what inspired her: “Someone must have read Ovid one too many times). It’s an experience she hasn’t had in years - to have her decisions questioned by someone who’s not one of her subjects and not afraid of her.

More reunions follow: Clarke and Abby, Bellamy and Miller (another relationship that will turn sour in the rest of the season), Clarke and Kane.

Meanwhile, on Eligius 4, Raven finds more info about Diyoza backstory - Colonel Diyoza was "something called Navy SEAL" (it makes sense that Arkers wouldn’t know about such things), decorated for valor three times, before turning into a rebel/terrorist, and leader of a movement called United Liberation Army. As we see in these articles, civilians died in these attacks, which is something Diyoza regrets in season 7 - even if her cause was right, her means were wrong.

Raven and Murphy have some fun playing soccer, but they’re also worried about the fact they may need to murder 283 people. Raven finds it hard, so Murphy offers to do it to spare her. It’s typical for their relationship that Murphy tends to see Raven as someone better and more moral than himself (in spite of the fact that she once tried to sacrifice him instead of Fin), while Raven often says disparaging things about him, even though she is fond of him.

One thing I found a bit odd that Murphy at one point says: “Why do you have to always be the one to sacrifice?” - even though this was just the second time Raven has decided to sacrifice herself, and he wasn’t even around for the first time - trying to blow the bridge in 1x10. But Murphy seems to have a somewhat idealized view of Raven, driven by his guilt over crippling her and his self-loathing. Or maybe he meant the others in the group in general. as he sees himself as the selfish cockroach as opposed to them. (Note: I initially wrote this in my 5x03 review, before I realized it was actually said in this episode. That’s what happens when you finalize posts after having seen two episodes ahead.)

Raven and her future love interest Shaw try to outsmart each other in hacking (Raven even kind of flips a bird at Shaw at one point - it’s like they are having a digital meet cute without having even met.)

But when Diyoza finds a way to outsmart Spacekru by suffocating Raven and Murphy - Raven tells Murphy to pull the lever (usually Clarke’s job) and kill the prisoners; and when he hesitates, she goes into her fierce/ruthless mode and goes “Fine, I’ll do it”, before Murphy comes up with the smart solution that prioritizes survival and also doesn’t include mass murder - a win-win, except it also takes away Bellamy’s leverage.

I wonder where the standoff between Wonkru and the Eligius prisoners would have led after Diyoza took Abby and Kane with her and announced her people were taking over Eden? Would war still have been inevitable? I can’t see Octavia giving up on Eden so easily. In any case, the war here was started by an idiot who shot an incredibly destructive weapon at Octavia just because her arrogant Blodreina grin pissed her off. (This guy, called Szybunka, is a part of McCreary’s faction, and here we first learn that they are preparing a rebellion against Diyoza, though McCreary thinks it’s still not time for it.)

A lot more deaths were prevented by Shaw, Major props for him in this episode both for that, and because he is the first person to finally make the point that there are so few people left of the human race and that it is incredibly stupid to kill more of them

Octavia immediately blames Bellamy for everything - even though he was the reason why she and Wonkru got out of the bunker instead of being stuck there forever/ And this time, I’m sure this was 100% meant to highlight that she has a habit of unfairly placing blame on Bellamy whenever something goes wrong in her life.

Body count: I haven’t been doing these for a while, but now I’m doing the body count for the entire season 5 so far:

Wonkru - we learn in this episode that, out of the 1200 people in the bunker, there are 814 remaining. So, 386 - almost a third - died during those 6 years. That includes 3 people who died in the fighting pit. An additional Wonkru member is killed by the idiot Szybunka while protecting Octavia, leaving 813.

Eligius prisoners - two of the party on Earth were killed by Madi and Clarke in 5x01, Four more were killed in 5x03 - one shot by Clarke, another one mercy killed by Diyoza after getting into one of Clarke’s traps, two more shot by Madi to save Bellamy, Monty, Harper, Emori and Echo. On the ship, Kodiak, the big guy Diyoza activated as a weapon (”activate Kodiak!”) was killed in self-defense by Bellamy with help from Echo and Raven. And in 5x04, Szybunka is killed by McCreary for his stupidity. This leaves 282 prisoners on the ship and an unknown smaller number on Earth.

Rating: 8/10

#the 100 #the 100 season 5 #the 100 rewatch #pandora's box #the 100 5x04 #bellamy blake #octavia blake #clarke griffin #charmaine diyoza #marcus kane #abby griffin #raven reyes #john murphy #bellarke #indra #indra kom trikru

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