#✤ ⤞ ⦅ memento mori; remember you will die || { »;canon } ⦆
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Chapter 1 | Memento Mori
“Remember you must die”
18+ fic, minors do not interact!
Fic summary:
The Red Keep stood tall on Aegon’s hill. It used to house the nobles of the realm in the old histories of Westeros but now it was home to the Targaryen family, tainting its red color with their dark and gloom. The Targaryens were a family plagued with rumors, drama and perhaps even the supernatural. It doesn’t help that King’s Landing has been plagued with murders ever since their arrival. Once a month on the morning of the first full moon a body turns up in the Blackwater Bay and everyone suspects it is the mysterious family living in isolation, safe from the horrors that plague the city.
Your father, a well-known businessman and a lover of mysteries, had received a letter from Lady Alicent Hightower that contained a marriage proposal. She wished to marry you to one of her sons who had both recently come of age like you. Your father itched at the opportunity to unravel the mysteries of the Targaryen family and immediately sent you on your way as a future bride and with a mission: uncover the secrets of the most prestigious family in the kingdom.
Chapter summary:
You arrive at the Red Keep. You meet the strange family and try to get along with your distant and secretive fiancé. Meanwhile another body is found in Blackwater bay.
Chapter warnings/tags:
Mentions of death, gore, corpses, organs, profanities, canon typical incest, the supernatural, betrothal, family drama, family secrets
if any of these things are not to your liking/ are triggering i recommend not to read it!
Word count: 5.2k
Rigor Mortis Masterlist | Main Masterlist
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“They say the castle is haunted, my dear sister.” Your older brother teased with a large, shit-eating grin. The two of you were being escorted to King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros, in a cramped black carriage pulled by two large black horses. The inside of the carriage was small and you had been practically squeezed up against your brother the whole ride. The cushions were covered in a dark purple velvet while the rest of the inside was painted black.
Heavy rain splattered against the roof and the window of the carriage and you pitied the coachman that drove it. It had been raining all day long. Your mother used to say rain was a bad omen, that monsters were able to lurk amongst the normal people due to the lack of sunlight and the gloomy atmosphere. However, your mother had also been sent to an asylum a few years ago. As much as you wanted to, you never visited, terrified of finding out what they did to her there. It started off with a doctor’s recommendation to visit the seaside to clear your mother’s mind but that coastal visit had quickly turned into a one way journey to the ‘madhouse’ on the Arbor. Despite all of this you were certain of one thing. Your mother wasn’t a lunatic.
It bothered you and your father more than it did your brother. Your brother and you never truly got along. Your older brother was blinded by greed, he was the heir to your father’s company and would inherit everything once your father passed. If anything, it was your brother that was the black sheep of the family, always preferring the company of his lousy, rich friends over you and your parents. You and your father, however, had always gotten along well. He would tell you stories of great mysteries and detectives or sometimes about the world outside of Westeros. You liked stories, whether they were fake or not. Despite all the stories your father and mother had told you, you never believed in the supernatural. You knew the human mind worked in peculiar ways and would often fill in the blanks if someone didn’t understand what they were seeing. Human creativity was both a blessing and a curse.
“I doubt the castle is haunted, dearest brother. They are just ghost stories to keep unwanted visitors away.”
You didn’t even know why your brother had insisted on travelling with you. Perhaps he got a sick kick out of giving you away to a bunch of rich strangers, never to be seen again.
“You’re no fun. I can’t even scare you properly-”
He was cut off by the carriage shaking for a moment and you could feel the left back wheel get stuck in a pot hole. The carriage was slanted and you felt yourself lean towards the lower point. You cursed under your breath and stared at your brother for a few seconds as if to urge him to go check it out but he didn’t move.
You crawled over him and opened the door of the carriage and hopped out yourself. You immediately cringed when you felt the mud stain your new proper black boots and the bottom of the skirt of your deep blue dress. You held it up as best as you could and walked around to the back of the carriage to find the coach man inspecting the wheel. The old man was soaked to the bone due to the heavy rain and the pity you felt for him only worsened.
“Can’t the horses pull it out?” You asked him as you turned your gaze to the wheel as well. The pothole was rather deep, not to mention slippery because of the dirt turning into a muddy puddle. The old coachman shook his head and took off his black top hat to run his hand through his thin grey hair.
“No Lady, someone must push the carriage from behind as well. It is too slippery for the wheel to roll out properly.”
You let out a frustrated groan and stomped back to the carriage door and peeked your head back through the door. Your brother’s gaze fell upon you and he grinned.
“Benjamen, I need you to push the carriage out of the pothole.”
“Why do I have to do that?”
“Because you’re a man and you’re stronger than me.”
Benjamen rolled his eyes and glanced up and down, scanning your already soaked and dirty attire. His lips curled back up into a shit eating grin and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’re already soaked and dirty, you do it.”
You groaned at his childish attitude and slammed the small door of the carriage shut. Once you were behind the carriage again you glanced at the wheel and sighed. The pothole was filled with a watery muddy puddle and you grimaced. The coachman’s brows furrowed when he saw you outside again.
‘He pities you’ You cringed at the thought.
“We should move the carriage now. I shall push it.” You replied, trying to seem as calm and confident as you could. You wore your best dress today but it didn’t matter anymore. The bottom of the long blue dress was soiled with mud while the rest of your dress was starting to get soaked. If only you had invested in a waxed cloak.
The coachman reluctantly nodded and walked back around the carriage to sit down at the front and spur the two horses in. Once you noticed the horses trying to pull the carriage you placed your hands flat against the back of the carriage and pushed with all your might. It was tedious and heavy but once you felt the carriage move forward you let out a sigh in relief and kept pushing until the wheel was fully out of the pothole and it came to a halt so you could re enter.
As you stepped back into the carriage you could hear your brother Benjamen snicker at the state you were in. You sat back down and ignored him for the rest of the bumpy ride to the Red Keep. You only listened when he said the city of King’s Landing came into view. The city was old and incredibly large. It had a harbour on the south side of the city where the narrow sea turned into a river and the city was built on three hills. Rhaenys’ hill, where a large abandoned structure stood that once had the name ‘The Dragonpit’. You had read the old rulers of the city used to hold gladiator fights or host trials by combat in it. People believed it was now haunted, sometimes disgruntled screams could be heard coming from the ruin and people avoided it at all cost if they could. The second hill of the city was Visenya’s hill, a tall hill that housed the great sept of Baelor. It was a tall gothic structure with seven crystal towers to represent the seven gods. It was an old building covered in details of the seven pointed star, the main symbol of the religion. Then, finally, there was Aegon’s hill. Aegon’s hill housed the large castle that was called ‘The Red Keep’, your future home. It was a grand structure located on the south east of the city. It had many tall towers that overlooked the beautiful, yet treacherous narrow sea. It was said that ever since the Targaryens took residency in the Keep the sea had become more wild and stormy as if it was protesting against them.
The carriage entered the city through the north western gate that was famously dubbed the Dragon’s gate. You had hoped the ride would be less bumpy now that you had finally left the King’s Road but you were wrong. It was clear the city structures and the cobblestone roads were neglected, to say it nicely.
As you peeked through the window of the small carriage you could see the people living in poverty, especially once the carriage rode onto the street of the sisters and past the city district that was named ‘Flea bottom’, or so your brother had told you. The more uphill the carriage got, the wealthier the city folk became. The streets were deserted due to the rain but you could still peek through the windows of some of the houses and gawk at the interiors or occasionally the people themselves.
They were dressed like you, well, the women were. Their lavish dresses that reached the floor were in various colours. Most of them are darker colours but if the fabric was lighter the colour was muted and desaturated.
The castle gates of King’s Landing came into view and the structure seemed even larger when you stood close to it. The carriage came to a halt and you saw the coachman open the door to let you and your brother out.
You saw the family standing in a part of the courtyard that was roofed over, safe from the heavy rain and looking at the carriage in anticipation. As you glanced down at your dirty cloak and dress you could feel your cheeks heating up, your hair most likely looked like a mess as well due to the rain, though it did have time to dry in the carriage. If it couldn’t get any worse you saw a bright flash in the sky followed by a loud rumbling boom a few seconds later.
Benjamen urged you to leave the carriage so you did, finally released from the cramped space. You took in the sight of the family again. A woman, clearly the mother, though still young, stood in the middle of the group. She had beautiful auburn hair braided into a delicate hairstyle. It looked complex yet elegant and if it weren’t for the horrible weather you assumed it would usually be worn with a garden hat or a bonnet. Her dress was large and ruffled. It was black and dark green, which you found quite bold. After all, your nanny had always taught you black dresses should only be worn with light colours and white dresses should be worn with darker colours. To her right stood an older man who had the same hazel coloured eyes as her. He was a tall man and wore a high black top hat. His entire outfit was dark, from his long frock coat to his shoes. The only white piece of clothing he wore was his shirt which could barely be seen due to his many layers of clothing. Resting under the man’s was a cane with beautiful golden details. You had quickly figured out the two standing in the middle were Otto- and Alicent Hightower, your future grandfather- and mother-in-law.
The other members of the family all had beautiful silver blonde coloured hair. Next to Otto stood a beautiful girl in a pale purple dress. The dress had many frilly details and ruffles. It complimented her violet eyes well. She was a little plump and her long silver hair was curled and up in a bun that was less complicated than her mother’s bun. You still thought she looked extremely elegant, especially with the white and purple flowers in her hair that served as accessories.
Next to the pretty young lady, on her left, stood a tired looking male. His silver blonde hair was unkempt and grew a little past his jawline. His eyes were plagued by dark circles and the mustard coloured double breasted vest he wore made him look ill. The vest had a darked mustard colour stripes and fitted his figure quite well, unlike his jacket. It was too large and boxy, something that would be worn 30 years ago maybe. The mustard yellow colour made his violet eyes look darker and less noticeable compared to the people you assumed were the man’s siblings.
On the far right of the group, the opposite side of the tired looking man stood a guard in uniform. The man’s skin was tan and he had dark hair that was combed back. He sported a moustache and a beard, though both were quite short and were only noticeable due to the dark colour of the hairs. His uniform coat was white with silver details and his pants a greyish colour. The man’s arms were large and you assumed he must be close to the family if they allowed him to stand beside him like that.
Finally, the man between Alicent and the Guard stood out the most to you. He was taller than most of his family members and had a sharp jawline. He had long straight silver blonde hair like the rest of his siblings and his outfit was dark with hints of green, like his mother’s. Unlike the tired looking man his coat fitted him perfectly. It accentuated his waist and shoulders well and made him look elegant. The thing that stood out the most though was the ‘subtle’ scarring on the left side of his face. It was a thin shaky line that went from his cheek, over his eye and then stopped at his forehead. In the place where his eye was supposed to be was a glass eye but instead of it having an iris and a pupil it was completely white. His left eyelid twitched occasionally, as if it wasn’t used to the glass eye yet. He was beautiful, yet his intense gaze sent shivers down your spine. He was studying your every move, you could feel it.
You knew you had to marry one of the brothers, but you had no idea which one yet. Judging by the two silver haired men you didn’t want to marry either. There was something eerie about this family and you couldn’t seem to shake the feeling.
You could hear your brother behind you step out of the carriage and he followed you as you walked towards the family. As you were to introduce yourself, Benjamen beat you to it.
“It is an honour to meet you all. Please let me introduce my dearest sister to you all.”
Benjamen politely bowed with an arm tucked over his stomach and you bowed as well. You told them your name and Alicent pulled you under the roofed area in a gentle manner.
“You poor thing, you’re completely soaked.” She cupped your face in her hands and inspected it with a large, proud smile. “You’re truly as beautiful as your father claimed in his letters.”
Alicent turned to look at the guard and nodded at him. “Ser Criston, please tell the maids to prepare a nice warm bath for the poor girl. We wouldn’t want her to fall ill because of this weather.”
The guard sternly nodded his head, turned around and entered the castle. You turned to look back at your brother who was eagerly (too eagerly, in your opinion) helping the coachman unload your wooden trunks from the carriage. You had taken most of your belongings with you, for starters, you didn’t own a lot of large lavish dresses and Alicent had assured in her letter that your future husband would order some for you as soon as you arrived.
Benjamen returned and roughly patted your shoulder as if you were one of his male companions. You winched and shot him a quick glare which he returned with a taunting grin.
“I shall miss you dearly, sister. Make sure you write home so father won’t miss you too much.” Benjamen said and roughly patted your shoulder again.
‘Dickhead…’
“She will be in good hands, Lord Benjamen. We take good care of our ladies.” The man with the scarred cheek said, the tone of his voice was icy and you could hear the passive aggressiveness in it. He was belittling your older brother and you had to stifle a laugh. It was a clear jab at Benjamen’s rude behaviour towards you. While you tried not to laugh, the tired looking brother let out a snort that he quickly tried to hide with a cough. Both Otto and Alicent sent the two men a warning gaze before looking back at Benjamin who’s cocky grin had been replaced with a scowl.
“Do not fret brother, I will be in good hands and I shall write plenty.”
You, reluctantly, hugged your brother goodbye and watched as he stepped into the small carriage. The coachman sat on his seat in front of the carriage and took off his tophat to wave at you. He spurred the horses on and you watched as the carriage walked through the gates and a loud boom of thunder could be heard again. The gates closed behind them and only now it had dawned on you that you were all alone in a castle with mysterious strangers.
You felt Alicent’s hand gently rest on your shoulder.
“Don’t worry dear, Aemond shall take good care of you.”
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The room they had given you was spacious. It had a dark wood king size bed with pale blue silk covers. The furniture was in the same dark wood and detailed style as the bed. There were many items in the room. In the corner near the fireplace there was a large white porcelain vase with blue details painted on it. Instead of flowers the vase held many beautiful and neat peacock feathers. The vase might’ve lacked flowers but the rest of the room did not. The table had a centrepiece with the Bay Rose Rhododendron as its main flower. It made you frown. You walked up to the flower and inspected the pale pink petals. You were no expert in the language of flowers but you knew what this one meant.
Danger. Beware
The other flowers in the piece did nothing to ease your worries. The person that had put together the flowers had made it very clear they wanted to warn you for something.
You opened one of your wooden trunks and rummaged through it until you had found what you were looking for. An empty leather notebook, the dip pen your mother had given you and a regular pot of ink. You sat down at the table where the centrepiece stood and scribbled down the flowers that were in it with the different meanings.
- Afternoon, the fifth day of the first month of the year 1871 -
Bay Rose Rhododendron - Danger. Beware.
Cypress - Death. Mourning.
White Catchfly - Betrayal.
Creeping Cereus - Horror.
You softly blew on the ink in your notebook to make it dry quicker and hid the notebook back into the wooden trunk. Your father had gifted the notebook to you before you left. He was enthusiastic when he had gotten the proposal of Alicent to marry you to one of her sons. Not only would this strengthen his business’ reputation but it also meant insight into the mysterious Targaryen family. He wanted you to log your findings in a notebook like the detectives in the stories he told you about when you were younger.
No one knew where they came from centuries ago. It was almost as if they had appeared out of thin air. Your father was rich but compared to him they were filthy rich. Their ancestors had bought the Red Keep and had resided there ever since. There were many rumours about the family. Some believed they were vampires, stalking through the dead of night and looking for their victims in the city of King’s Landing.
Others believed them to be shape-shifting beasts, ghouls, werewolves or even the undead. You had met them only a few hours ago and you could say with certainty that they were neither undead, beasts or ghouls. Not that you believed the other supernatural rumours.
There were plenty of non-supernatural rumours about them that were equally distasteful. Some said ‘they liked to keep the family pure’. Inbreeding was one of the main things they were accused of but they never confirmed nor denied it.
The most well-known rumour about the Targaryens had to be the one relating to the cases of dead bodies found in the Blackwater bay. No one knew exactly when it started but one thing they knew for sure was that it didn’t happen before the Targaryens appeared in King’s Landing. Well, it didn’t happen before in a pattern.
Every morning after the first full moon of the month a body would be found dead in Blackwater bay. It had been happening for a century at this point and every time it was the same. The body would be found with no eyes and no one could find anything on the body that pointed towards murder. No stab wounds, no bruises, no nothing. Even the empty eye sockets showed no signs of violence. As if someone surgically removed them without a trace.
People didn’t go out on full moons, no one did. Even the animals like house cats or even stray cats found shelter somewhere inside. There weren't a lot of things the people knew about the mysterious deaths, only that they knew the Targaryen family had something to do with it.
“Do you like the flowers, dear?”
Alicent’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts. You hadn’t even noticed you were staring at the flowers that contained the ill message.You sheepishly nodded and forced yourself to smile.
“I do, my lady.”
“Please, call me Alicent, dear. I hope you are eventually able to call me mother as well.” Alicent chuckled and walked further into the room and motioned at the centrepiece. “Helaena arranged them for you. She is a wonderful girl and so incredibly creative.” Alicent beamed as she spoke of her daughter.
Helaena was the pretty lady in the pale purple dress, you remembered. She seemed sweet, did she really mean to combine these flowers together to send such a strange message or did she genuinely not know? No. You figured it was too much of a coincidence not to know.
“I see you have changed your clothes as well, you look absolutely beautiful. Aemond is lucky to have you as his bride.”
Alicent complimented you with a kind smile. The lady next to you had changed into her evening gown. A fully green velvet dress with many ruffles and layers. Her hair had also been braided into a much simpler style than earlier that day.
“Thank you my lady- I mean Alicent. You look wonderful as well.”
Alicent beamed at your compliment, perhaps she didn’t get them often.
“We shall have dinner in half an hour and afterwards Aemond shall give you a tour of the castle. Take that time to get to know each other.” Alicent spoke and turned around to leave your room again.
When the door closed behind her the only noise in your room was the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace. You rummaged through your trunk to find your notebook again. You needed a more well hidden spot for it, especially since the first findings you had made about the family weren’t particularly positive. You’d hate for them to find it.
You eventually settled on hiding it beneath your mattress. The notebook wasn’t too thick and if it was uncomfortable to sleep on it was a small price to pay. Before hiding it in its designated spot you added a small note underneath the list of flowers.
Helaena arranged it.
Once the notebook was hidden in its spot you sat down on a sea green velvet couch and tried to devise a plan. You knew Aemond’s tour of the castle wouldn’t be enough to explore it to your liking but you didn’t want to make it too obvious you were snooping around.
You had mulled over it during the duration of dinner. Absentmindedly answering the questions the family asked you. Well, it was mostly Alicent and Otto that asked you questions. After a few cups of wine Aegon joined in too but Alicent quickly shut him up once the questions got too perverse.
You were now walking with Aemond through the castle and you had quickly figured out he was a stern man. His long straight hair was braided down his back and tied off with a black ribbon. He didn’t wear his coat inside the castle, only wearing his white shirt with puffy sleeves and a black double breasted vest with silver buttons.
“These are my quarters.” He said with a monotone voice and pointed at the room on the left, not even bothering to show you the inside. You continued to follow him through the hallway. He pointed at the rooms in the hallway that belonged to his siblings Aegon and Helaena. Their names were engraved on a small golden plate attached to the door in swirly letters. He skipped over one room, not even bothering to look at it. You, however, noticed it still contained a golden plate with a name engraved on it. From the corner of your eye you could only barely make out the name.
Daeron Targaryen.
‘Weird.’ You thought. You weren’t aware of a Daeron living in the castle with them. Perhaps he was a cousin or an uncle? You had learned at dinner that Aemond’s half-sister Rhaenyra lived in a different castle with her husband and five sons and two step-daughters, perhaps it was one of them.
You had also learned Aemond’s father had been ill for a long time and that he had sent his apologies to you for not being able to meet you this afternoon. You were only half-listening to what Aemond was saying, too deep in thoughts to concentrate on his voice.
“You mustn’t enter this hallway.”
You snapped out of your thoughts and looked at Aemond. You had exited the stairwell and were a floor above his chambers now. The hallway didn’t have any servants walking through and many of the white candles that lit it were almost fully burnt up.
“Why is that?” Your voice was laced with curiosity as you stared into the creepy hallway. It was long and quite dusty. The silence and darkness sent a shiver through your body but your body ached to find out what was located there.
“These are father’s chambers. He doesn’t like visitors. No one comes here except mother and the doctors.” Aemond replied sternly and gazed at you. You had made sure to walk on his right side so he could see you easily without having to turn his head too much.
“What? Really? Not even you or your siblings?”
“Yes.”
An awkward silence hung between the two of you but he eventually motioned at you to follow him to the next floor. You had only now realised you hadn’t asked him any questions about himself yet and you mentally cursed at yourself for not doing so.
“What is it that you do?” You asked him as you followed him through the hallways of the next floor.
“I plan on opening a doctor’s practice and a morgue in King’s Landing.”
You were unsure on how to reply to that. Being a mortician was a rather dark profession but you knew many places in Westeros lacked one. Usually the septs handled all the burials of the deceased.
“I studied medicine and anatomy in Old Town, I have only returned half a year ago.”
He must’ve sensed your hesitancy to reply so he continued to speak but didn’t bother to look back at you. His body language screamed dominance and authority. He walked with his arms behind his back in a stiff manner. You simply nodded and picked up pace to catch up with him.
“Do you like it?”
“No.”
‘By the gods at least give me something to work with.’ You internally groaned.
“Why didn’t you like it?”
“I prefer history and philosophy.”
Now that was something you could work with. You loved history and a small smile tugged at your lips when you learned he did as well. At least there was something you and your betrothed had in common.
“What kind of history do you enjoy the most? I enjoy learning about the Old North and The Children of the Forest.”
His eyebrows raised a little in surprise and for the first time he actually turned his head to look at you instead of glancing at you from the corner of his eye.
“I enjoy learning about my family history and the cultures of Essos and Sothoryos.”
He paused for a moment before speaking again.
“I didn’t expect you to like history, my lady.”
A grin tugged at the corner of your lips, your hands were now behind your back as well, only your stature was a lot more relaxed than his. It was always easier to converse when the topic was something you enjoyed.
“Well, perhaps I am full of surprises.”
You knew you had to win him over if you wanted a chance at a decent life with a husband that tolerated you. Of course, you couldn’t forget your father’s wishes as well. Investigating this family would be a lot easier with a husband that trusted you.
The rest of the tour of the castle was a lot more pleasant than the first half. He showed you his workstation with medical supplies, located on the base level of the castle. The interior creeped you out a little. In his room were bottled up organs in a mixture you did not know the name of. His supplies were neatly stored in various cabinets and he showed you the books he had to use in his studies, promising you that you were always allowed to borrow one whenever you wanted.
He had also promised to take you on a walk on the castle grounds the next day if the weather would allow it, after all, the storm was still raging outside.
He had dropped you off back at your room after the tour. Wishing you a good night whilst he pressed a soft kiss against the back of your hand. You knew he was only being a gentleman but it still made your stomach flutter. The men in the North weren’t as chivalrous as men in the south.
“Sleepwell my lady.” He said before turning around and walking away, his braid swaying a little from side to side and his footsteps echoing through the empty hall of the castle.
A few maids helped you change into your nightgown and you dismissed them before they could help you into bed. You wanted a little more time writing in your notebook about the first day in the castle. You didn’t want to write much, after all, it would be a shame if you filled it too quickly.
- Night, the fifth day, first month of the year 1871 -
I ate dinner with the family, most of them (Targaryen side) were quiet even after initiating conversation. I met my future husband and he seems like an intelligent man. All of them are quite secretive. The father of the family is ill, no one could tell me about his ailment and no one is allowed to go near his chambers.
Who is Daeron Targaryen?
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Aaaa thank you all so much for reading the first chapter. I had a lot of fun writing and researching for it. I’m still not sure at how many chapters it will have but I'll keep you all updated.
If you want to be added to the taglist let me know! 🫶
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Taglist:
#aemond targaryen#house of the dragon#hotd fic#hotd fanfic#hotd#aemond x reader#aemond fanfiction#aemond one eye#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond x you#aemond smut#the house of the dragon
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My idea for a potential DEATH BATTLE! #8
2023 Dec 12, 26, 27, 30, 31
2024, Jan 1, 2, 19, Feb 8, Mar 14, 24
MASTER POST
Thumbnail art
P3 Hero vs Neku Sakuraba (Persona vs TWEWY)
The Reaper will claim someone's soul permanently today!
FIGHTER 1: The P3 Hero, the Wildcard Messiah that ended the Dark Hour.
FIGHTER 2: Keku Sakuraba, the Shibuya Saviour in the Reaper's Game.
Wiz: Memento mori; remember that you will die. Time never waits and it delivers all equally to the same end, be it by aging or a bullet.
*insert clips of playing chess with Death from The Seventh Seal, Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Maddie, Death from Castlevania*
Boomstick: So, take off your headphones and remember to make bonds and connections as they make life worth living. The world ends with you, so it's up to you to expand it. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
PREFACE (What to know): So, Season 10 just ended and its final episode gave a teaser for Season 11 showing the Fool, Death, and The World tarot cards. Many suspect that this hints towards a Persona MU, which could be this one as the P3 Hero is represented by the Fool, Death, Judgement, and Universe Arcanas (The Universe is the Thoth Tarot equivalent of The World), and even though I started another suggestion as of me writing this, I wanted to this suggest this one as soon as I could. I get that it is not yet confirmed or denied. However, I want to get it out on the slight chance that it is the planned episode.
As of Pi Day 2024, Persona 3 Reload has been released, DLC has been announced, and Persona 6 is rumored to be released in 2025.
Also, I am not giving the P3 Hero a specific name. The SMT Wiki, Persona 3 Movies and P3 Dancing call him Makoto Yuki, but I don't like that name because it means that there'll be two Makotos if we involve P5 and three if we involve P2. I get that their names are spelled with different kanji to denote different meanings, but other sources from ATLUS call him by different names: the PQ2 Artbook calls him P3 Hero and the P3 Manga calls him Minato Arisato. For brevity and ease, I'll be referring to the character of today as P3H.
ANALYSIS OF ARSENAL (What I will be giving them):
Consider this to be part of the preface as this will cover something that you should know. To have them at their absolute best, I will take P3H at his endgame and Neku with his powers and experiences from NEO.
For the sake of the argument and animation, both will fight on their own, so no navigators, All-Out Attacks, Light Puck, Cross Combos, Fusion attacks, Mashups, or Killer Remixes. Any thread that Neku wears will have the effects of Final Remix or NEO. I will also use the affinity system from P3 Reload instead of the one from P5R, which although expansive, P3's battle affinities make more sense to use since we're talking about the P3 protagonist.
Both have vast arsenals that the player can choose from. P3H can have a bunch of items that can restore his health and SP, the Ultimate Personas and skills or Fusion Spells/Theurgies like Primal Force, Armageddon, Infinity, High Counter, Arms Master, Spell Master, Regenerate 3, Invigorate 3, the ultimate weapons and items like Lucifer's Blade and the Omnipotent Orb, or he can have none of that. PQ and PQ2 are canon, so do I include the status circle moves, Link attacks, or the game-breaking Heroic Gemini? Neku can have game-breaking threads, Psychs, and Pin Sets like Dope Line+SOS Boosting threads + Wild Boar Resonance which can one-shot a lot of bosses, the Eden Set which grants total invulnerability, the Darklit Planets Set, the Yearlong Ensemble, and the Black Cat set, all of which are supremely powerful, or he can Week 1 pins and clothes. How the heck will I go over their arsenal and skills?
The best way to go about this is to max out their stats and analyze this fight twice. The first battle will be analyzed using a traditional playthrough setup, and the second will be using the absolute best equipment and tools they can reasonably access (no PQ stuff).
WHY:
Connections (What do they have in common):
1. They are known for being or at least appearing antisocial or asocial but learn to make genuine connections and friendships. Said friendships give them power. Examples for P3H include: 1. Social links unlocking the Ultimate Personas of an arcana, 2. Social Links boost the EXP gained when fusing Personas of their arcana. Examples for Neku include: 1. Shopkeeps and cashiers can give you details of some clothing threads and/or give you access to more powerful clothing, 2. Fusion attacks can be performed, 3. A Player who fails to make a Pact will be erased if they don't have a partner within a certain given amount of time, and a player who has made a Pact is erased seven minutes after their Partner is erased. Said friendships helped them overcome the final bosses of their game which only served to reinforce the themes of friendships and connections. This is further emphasized by the fact that the mobs of their games, Shadows and Noise, are manifested from and/or attracted to negative thoughts. Said enemies also include a "Reaper": P3 has a boss Shadow known as The Reaper, and TWEWY's Noise creatures are created by other Players of the Game called Reapers.
2. Both have an intimate history with death. During the majority of P3, P3H had Death sealed within him. At the end of his journey, he sacrifices himself to become the Great Seal. He is also orphaned due to the death of his parents, and in the P3 Movies, Makoto witnessed their deaths. Neku is traumatized by the death of his best friend (even though this is from the events of the Another Day timeline). He has also died at least twice; he was shot dead by Joshua, came back to life, and was shot again by Coco.
3. Both wear headphones and even use a similar MP3 player. P3H uses one from Sony's NW-S20x series and Neku's seems to be based on Sony's NW-S200. Their music players are used to symbolize their lack of social skills or meaningful connections at the beginning of their journeys.
4. As minor as it is, both are a sort of "Chosen One" or hold unique positions in their power systems. P3H is a Wildcard, so he can wield multiple Personas, which only those who have formed a contract can do. Neku is the Proxy of the most powerful being in Shibuya and his high Imagination allowed him to use a lot of psychs during the initial Reaper's Game.
Personal reasons (Why I want this battle/like this MU):
I consider this MU superior to Joker vs. Neku. Aesthetically, P5's style meshed better with TWEWY's graffiti and urban aesthetic, and there is also the Shibuya connection with similar themes of reaching out, forming connections, and defying the game you're in, but then P3 Reload was released. There are also the connections mentioned above. I also think this MU is more appropriate thematically due to the themes of death and broadening one's world.
THE FIGHT:
Art and animation:
It'll be in 3D unless someone can get their hands on P3H sprites. The models do exist for both characters: P3H has models from all his games and Neku has models from KH DDD and NEO. However, the following pieces of art by u/Crossover and u/Ok_Administration_45 respectively show that the sprites do exist.
To get the most out of P3H's Wildcard ability, I will give him some of his roster from the P5R Full Moon Challenge Battle and some extras.
1. Orpheus
2. Thanatos
3. Messiah.
4. Orpheus Telos to represent his max strength
5. Helel for Armageddon.
6. Satan for Armageddon.
7. Vishnu for Infinity.
8. Ananta for Infinity.
9. Sigfried for Scarlet Havoc
10. Mithras for Scarlet Havoc
Neku will use a mix of psychs that are iconic like Shockwave, Massive Hit, Force Rounds, Pyrokinesis, and Cure Drink as well as pins related to him specifically (in NEO, Topo the Talented, Black Hole Bunny, and Hotaru can only be obtained if Neku is the one who maxes out their pre-evolved forms)
Possible setup:
We open by looking at the sky. black as pitch, and the full moon's pale light beautifully shines down. However, this does not mean peace, especially not for the leader of SEES or the Composer's former proxy. We cut to the top of the 104, our teenage heroes have already engaged in a fight, and not just with each other. P3H is fighting animals with tattoos for limbs and Neku is fighting masked humanoids with shadowy skin. After cutting down the black armies, they face each other.
"Ready?" P3H gets into his battle position again.
"Yeah." Neku prepares himself with new pins.
FIGHT! :
1. Shockwave vs Sword. The two teenagers engage. Neku uses Shockwave, creating a blade, and clashes blades with P3H. P3H gets a good slash and stab in, knocking Neku back, but Neku charges in, landing in a horizontal slash, a vertical slash, and then uses Stellar Flurry, finishing his combo off with a Lance Lunge, knocking P3H back instead.
2. Neku then uses Pyrokinesis, engulfing P3H in flames. Yet, P3H is barely affected, taking slight damage. He grabs his Evoker and quickly points it to the side of his head. "Persona!" After pulling the trigger, Orpheus is summoned and he casts Blazing Hell, surrounding a large area in front of him in fire and heat.
3. Neku takes massive damage, and P3H rushes in to use Orpheus' physical power, but Neku quickly backs away and uses his Force Rounds. P3H dodges the energy bullets as he closes in on his foe and switches his Persona. "Thanatos!" The Death God comes out and slashes with lethality and precision, capping the combo off with a Brave Blade, slashing hard and wide, but Neku narrowly escapes yet again. Neku senses something odd about this guy... "Focus... Open up your senses..." His Soul is varied, and there are a lot of powers within, but they all have different affinities and weaknesses that he can exploit. He needs to be careful, and maybe he'll win. He switches to Hotaru and meets Thanatos' slashes with his own, hitting the Persona with its weakness to Light, dizzying P3H a bit. Neku charges up a Massive Hit psych. "Goin' up!", and P3H is sent flying this time.
4. P3H quickly picks himself up and feels the power of Theurgy. He grabs his evoker and summons the power of Sigfried and Mithras, the Scarlet Havoc. The scarlet razors and slashes are so fast that they blindside and overwhelm Neku. P3H sees his opponent is down. "Come forth, Messiah!" and he uses Debilitate on Neku, Heat Riser on himself. "Siegfried!" Using Concentrate, he then uses Vorpal Blade.
5. Neku uses a Healing psych but barely hangs on after the brutal slash attack, but he switches his pins again to a Doomed Life, Doomed Attack, Doomed Defense, and Doomed Mobility combo. P3H notices that his buffs are effectively nullified, and he even starts to feel weakened. Neku then uses an Entanglement psych, but P3H very-handedly dodges, until Debilitate and Heat Riser wear off. Neku then easily catches P3H, using his Black Hole Bunny, dealing strong damage.
6. Neku then charges Topo the Talented and fires the missiles, but P3H breaks free of his confines and switches personas again to "Orpheus Telos!", tanking the damage soundly.
7. Neku senses extreme power from the Soul, so switches his pins to Over the Top and a combination of Apport and Psychokinesis. All his pins in Reboot are quickly filling up again. He combines Psychokinesis with Apport to summon meteors and even f*cking subway trains and throws them all at P3H who sees the incoming attack, but he's low on health. He pulls his Evoker, summoning the power of Ananta and Vishnu, and casts Infinity, protecting himself from the powerful strike. By this point, he's almost out of SP, but he's far from dead. Neku sees this, so he uses a Healing Aura and Inspiring Aura psych combo to heal and buff himself up and switches Psychs once again, this time to a combo of Nexus Ray and Laser Inferno psychs.
8. With a Concentrate, P3H charges up his magic energy while Neku raises his arm, and charges the energy at the end of his hand. Messiah unleashes a charged Megidolaon and Neku fires his Ray/Laser amalgamation. We get a wide shot of Shibuya and the 104, and we see a giant flash of light. Both teens are still standing, but very close to dying, panting. Thank goodness for Endure.
9. P3H wins by sheer overwhelming force. Neku has exhausted most of his pins, and they're not rebooting fast enough, even with Over the Top. He switches pins again, but P3H summons Messiah again and casts Salvation. Neku tries to attack, but with a summon to "Orpheus Telos!" and he holds off Neku for enough time for the Theurgy gauge to charge. He uses an SP recovering item and uses debilitate again, and Neku is crippled yet again. P3H summons Helel and Satan, thinks of his dear friends, and casts Armageddon. Neku is unable to use any healing psychs in time. His last thoughts? Shiki, Beat, Josh, Rindo…
10. Ending 2: Neku wins by wearing down his opponent. Neku uses Grave Marker quickly to knock his opponent off balance, and he's able to launch attack after attack, keeping his adversary on the backfoot. P3H can't even switch his Persona, His Theurgy is ready, but as he tries to grab his Evoker, Neku binds him with Entanglement. Over the Top really came in handy. Neku, thinking of his friends, charges up a final attack like in the TWEWY fight against Draco Cantus. P3H sees oblivion, but he only thinks of his friends. He didn't tell Junpei, Yukari, Mitsuru, or even Aigis goodbye...
11. The winner takes the loser's headphones and music player (call them "World Expander's Music Set '' or "SEES Music Set"). If Neku wins, then he also picks up a pin that looks like the Gekkougan High emblem named "Full Moon", and all of these are top-tier gear. The winner does not get to simmer in his thoughts because he hears the sounds of swarming creatures behind him. He turns his sight to the amassing Noise and Shadows around him. "I'll live on for the both of us." They lunge at the black armies.
12. KO!
RESULT:
Strengths and weaknesses:
P3H:
+ Is more powerful as he fought Nyx, who could affect the population on a worldwide scale as opposed to Anguis Cantus, Draco Cantus, Dissonance Tapir, or even Phoenix Cantus, all of whom would at most affect just Shibuya. Even if he fought Nyx with a team, P3H is still more powerful. At most, it can be highballed to say that P3H is a planet buster since Nyx, once fully completed, could destroy the Earth, and P3H stopped this fully powered Nyx.
+ His magic is arguably stronger than Neku's psychs. This is especially true for skills like Ragnarok, Pralaya, Infinity, and Armageddon.
+ Sword allows for greater range in close combat.
+ Has resistances and immunities with Null, Void, and even recovery with Drain or can redirect attacks with Repel. Items like Omnipotent Orb or Tome of the Void can Null damage or status effects.
+ Has instant death/kill options such as Maeigaon, Door of Hades, and Mudoon.
+ Megidolaon and other Almighty skills bypass resistances. If treated like in mainline SMT, then all Pierce skills will also bypass resistances except for repelling.
+ If given access to all his passive abilities, then he can likely passively recover and outlast his opponent with skills like Invigorate and Regenerate, return damage with High Counter, reduce damage a lot with Firm Stance, increase hit rate with Apt Pupil, reduce the cost of his skills with Arms Master and Spell Master, double evasion rate against all magical attacks except Light, Dark, and Almighty with Angelic Grace, flat out nullify, repel or drain most of Neku’s psychs, amp his own attacks and odds of inflicting status conditions, survive certain death with Endure and Enduring Soul (these stack), and increase damage with his own weapon with Weapons Master.
+ Heat Riser and other Enhance skills increase his own Attack, Defense, and Agility/ Hit/Evasion rate or reduce the opponent's.
+ Dekunda removes inflicted debuffs, Dekaja removes the opponent's buffs.
+ Rebellion and Revolution increase Crit Rate.
+ Tetrakarn and Makarakarn put up barriers.
+ Charge and Concentrate can boost the damage of their next offensive skill.
+ Life Drain can recover a small amount of HP from a foe.
= Comparable speed as both have dodged light-based attacks,
- Theurgies take a long time to charge up.
- Abilities like Regenerate and Invigorate don't recover a lot of HP and SP.
- Buffs/debuffs, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, Charge, and Concentrate are not permanent and wear off after a certain amount of time or upon using their next offensive skill.
- The high-class attacks and Recovery skills require large amounts of HP and SP respectively.
- Instant kill options have a low success rate.
Neku:
+ If given access to all his pins from the first game like Mega Man is given access to all his weapons, then Neku has the edge in versatility (sheer number of psychs and affinities) and invulnerability (Eden set), so he can overwhelm P3 and exploit his weaknesses.
+ Greater mobility and can even teleport (more so if he is given access to Flowmotion).
+ Edge in range due to ranged attacks.
+ Most pins work by cooldown and don't drain HP, so even if they're exhausted, they'll immediately begin to recharge. This includes the healing psychs of Aqua Barrier and Dark Barrier, and even NEO's Healing Aura as well as the buffing psych Inspiring Aura. This all pairs well with the Over the Top psych which reduces reboot time by 40%.
+ Turbo psych increases the amount of uses per pin, adding extra longevity to the pins.
+ Can cripple his opponent by inflicting negative status effects like Immobility or Airborne to immobilize, HP Drain to continuously reduce the target's HP by a percentage. The Doomed psyches also reduce the opponent’s Attack, Defense, and/or Mobility. These don’t count as mental ailments so Unshaken Will does not nullify them.
+ Debuffs on opponents last longer with the Blight psychs.
+ Psychs like Nexus Ray and affinities like Time and Gravity could count as Almighty skills and thus bypass resistances and passive skills. Other psyches like Stellar Flurry can count as Pierce skills (I already mentioned the significance of Pierce skills).
+ Is more experienced.
+ Threads increase his stats, nullify or reduce knockback. There are also threads that increase his stats more when in low health (Second Wind, Steely Resolve, etc.), increase the capacities of psychs with abilities like Reinforced Chains, Stranglehold, or Synergy, provide skills like Resistances to poison, shocks, or burns, Regen and Auto-Charge (allows the release of psychs that require charge up time).
≥ This is a big stretch, but Neku could find the weakness of the Personas. Neku can read minds with the Player Pin and is even able to scan Soul by the time the events of NEO happen, and Personas are seen as the manifestation of the soul.
= Similar speeds as they both have dodged light-based attacks.
- Most healing pins have a limited number of uses (Already mentioned which ones don't). Those that don’t have a limited number of uses cannot be used until fully recharged.
- Cannot bypass Infinity.
- Does not have abilities or equipment that can completely nullify, absorb, or redirect damage.
Ending puns:
"P3H shouldn't take it personally, but he faced his Mass Destruction."
"Neku may have been psyched up, but he was left Twisted."
MUSIC:
Name: The Reaper Hour
The name refers to the Dark Hour and the Reaper's Game. It is also a nod to the Reaper Shadow and the Reapers.
Art: Look at Yate's "My Dread Burns with You" and simply add their MP3 player to the art and you get the gist of the art. If you want an original answer: take the Reaper symbol, have it wear Neku's headphones, and have it use an Evoker. Around where the "neck" would be the Sony MP3 player. In the background is a giant Midnight Hour clock being broken like in P3.
Sound: TWEWY's rock + P3's hip hop. The opening sounds like Twister, but when the combatants engage, the music shifts to a mix of Mass Destruction and Hybrid (The sound of Hybrid + the instrumentation and lyrics like that of MD). When the battle reaches its climax, the music sounds like Burn My Dread like it's the P3 Final Boss, but it has elements and lyrics like those of Calling. Death is calling the protagonists, but only one will heed the calling.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND WORDS
Imagining the fight was pleasant, but the preface was a nightmare. Worse still, my increased workload meant I couldn't finish this when I wanted to, and I could rarely find the energy to work on this. Getting this out before the announcement of Season 11 did not make this any easier, not that I could actually do so. I apologize for the long time between posts and for any inconsistencies. Still, I had fun, and I wanted to pay respect to characters that I look up to. They taught me that even if making connections is hard, it is never impossible, and that not reaching out only makes life worse. Friends help us, and whether or not bonds are the answer to the question of life, they should help us grow. Some will harm us, some will leave, but is that a reason to cut yourself off from the others?
THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!
Psych affinities -> Persona affinities:
No affinity and makes bodily contact = Physical
No affinity and is ranged = Gun (P5) or Physical (P3)
Burst = Nuclear/Nuke (P5) or Fire (P3)
Darkness = Curse (Eiha, P5) or Darkness (P3)
Electric = Electric
Fire = Fire
Gravity = Almighty
Kinesis = Psychokinesis/Psy (P5) or Physical (P3).
Ice = Ice
Light = Bless (Kouha, P5) or Light (P3)
Poison & physical = Physical
Poison & ranged = Gun
Sound = Wind
Wind = Wind
Time = Almighty
----------------------------------------------
Sadly, I can only barely account for one of these contenders since I did play The World Ends With You, though my time with it was very... forgettable. Not a lot for me to grab onto, to be honest. BUT that doesn't detract from this great idea of yours! Hopefully, we'll get another Death Battle in the near future.
#submission#death battle#persona 3#makoto yuki#minato arisato#neku sakuraba#twewy neku#twewy#neo twewy#the world ends with you#neo the world ends with you#smt persona#my submissions#my thoughts
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memento mori - remember you must die
[colour, overlay, and text experiment in CSP with my OC Shiloh amanita, who dies in canon lore :(]
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Memento Mari - Chapter 1 - hootsifer_darling - Yellowjackets (TV) [Archive of Our Own]
Rating: Not Rated
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/F
Fandom: Yellowjackets (TV)
Relationship: Mari/Misty Quigley
Characters: Mari (Yellowjackets), Misty Quigley, Yellowjackets (TV) Ensemble, Akilah (Yellowjackets)
Additional Tags: Canon Universe, Teen Timeline (Yellowjackets), Slow Burn, canon compliant until it's no longer convenient, canon typical warnings apply, POV Mari, TaiVan (Background)
Words: 1, 798
Chapters: 1/?
Summary:
Memento mori: remember you must die. In roughly twelve hours, the Earth will have rotated sufficiently that the Sun’s light will once again fall on these woods. She will not live to see the dawn. Her name is Mari, and she is now living the final five minutes of her life.
But in death, let there be rememberance of the life that came before.
Invisible omens follow Mari on her journey from when she was just a girl to the moment the ground gives way beneath her feet in those cold and haunted woods. But in the space between life and death there was love, for whatever that was worth.
or
Follow Mari's perspective of the events of the show and discover how, to her great confusion, she fell in love with Misty Quigley.
#this fic was an experiment that I think turned out really well!#I'm excited to share it with the ten other people that move for mistymari lol#also softlaunching this sideblog to exclusively host my writing since it is the namesake for my ao3 handle!#yellowjackets#mistymari#mari yellowjackets#misty quigley#fanfic#fanfiction#ao3#my works#memento mari
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i watch the storm approaching. the darkness calls my name. the trees are growing restless. they feel the season change.
mature || chaptered || ongoing || 51.8k words
mike is stuck in a time-loop, forced to witness chrissy, fred, patrick and will die over and over again until he finds a way to stop vecna and get to the next day.
(or: a byler groundhog day au)
🕰️ link: archiveofourown.org/works/43004139
🕰️ wip wednesday: ch2 | ch3 | ch3
🕰️ asks: "obsession" | inner monologue | la vita nuova | memento mori
read excerpt, tags and warnings below:
excerpt
"Mike," Dustin interrupted, equal measures of concern and desperation in his voice. His eyes were wide, sparking with the tears he'd shed from watching Will— "You need to pay attention," Dustin declared, determined voice successfully breaking Mike's inner monologue.
And Mike couldn't understand what that was supposed to mean, because he was.
But Dustin knew him too well. He was quick to clarify, the urgency in his words somehow registering in the mess that was Mike's broken mind. "You need to pay attention to everything that happens around you. Every movement, every detail, every word you hear," he instructed. "You need to remember everything, and you need to make us believe you. That's the only way you can stop this and get to tomorrow."
He paused; and then—
"The only way you can save Will."
tags
groundhog day, canon rewrite, fix-it of sorts, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, unreliable narrator, mike needs a hug, pre-relationship, pining, fluff, slow burn
warnings
major character death (not permanent), canon-typical violence, blood and injury, internalised homophobia, mental health struggles (anxiety, depression, acute stress disorder), suicidal thoughts and self-harm
(all of these will be repeated at the beginning of the chapters where they apply)
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Tàr (2022, dir. Todd Field) *spoilers
i've been waiting for MONTHS to watch Tár and i finally got to see it on the weekend.
Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár is a tour de force, as expected. so are Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant, and Sophie Kauer as supporting actresses, who have their own understated power in the film. but it's Blanchett's performance, as well as the cinematography and music, that creates a consistent tension that doesn't let up until the end of the film.
this is a character study, and to see this as some kind of political statement is a disservice to the film and to the viewer.
i really appreciated the insight into the minutiae of the classical music world at its pinnacle, having grown up with a classical music education. the delicious irony of course is that we are getting a vinyl soundtrack from DG, with the Mahler 5 and the Elgar Cello Concerto to boot.
(as an aside, the Jacqueline du Pré reference was beautiful and this is my note to you to watch Julie Andrews in Duet for One, which is loosely based on du Pre's story.)
i would've loved more of those scenes, but the ones we got were so impressive and meticulous. there's a moment where Tár is so wrapped up in the dying notes from G to F to silence at the end of the Adagietto of the Mahler No. 5 that she literally looks like she's in post-orgasmic bliss.
so the ending. i think if you look at it superficially, there is an Orientalist view. but! Field and Blanchett are smarter than that. there's a moment where Tár comes face to face with her abuse of power when she sees all the women in the massage parlour/brothel.
here's the thing. whether we like it or not, i don't think there's any other situation that would have made Tár confront her moral shortcomings. it's a sad fact of our world that there is something about being in a non-Western country that can make a person reflect on their privilege and power as they would not do in their own country.
the Marlon Brando reference is likewise interesting, a Great Man brought down by failures of his own making.
i think it's also reductive to see the ending as punching down on video game music as opposed to the classical music Canon, although it's also clearly the punchline of the credits. the point is not necessarily that Tár has been taken down a notch. a few scenes prior, Tár rewatches old videos of her mentor Leonard Bernstein teaching young conductors and she breaks down in tears.
to me, this is the moment when she recognises that her ambitions were about control, they were no longer about the music itself. and by returning to the music itself, she hasn't necessarily been redeemed in the sight of others. but she has repented herself.
the end of the script says 'memento mori', which is Latin for 'remember that you die'. it's an artistic trope about the inevitability of death. death comes for all of us, unto dust we shall return.
anyway, all this to say i loved Tár, and i can't wait to see the Variety Actors on Actors interview with Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh. whereas EEAAO gave voice to things i might not have been able to otherwise articulate, Tár has kept me thinking long after it ended. two of my favourite movies of the year.
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I was "tagged" by @nyxelestia 😅 thanks lovely
give us the links to your wonderful words with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.
I'm going to eliminate repeat stories so I'll mention it if there's one that has more of whatever but has already been linked.
Most Hits: Stereotypes are Bulls**t
11.3k | KimChay, complete | rated M | A/B/O
Summary:
Alphas protect and Omegas nurture. That is what everyone says. So it must be true.
Most Kudos: Memento Mori, Memento Vivere (after Stereotypes)
34.2k | canon couples, complete | rated E | Porsche-centric rewrite of the show
Summary:
Remember that you must die, remember that you must live.
Porsche remembers. (Or, more accurately, Porsche never forgot.)
Most Comments: if ever I could make it back for us (after Memento Mori & Stereotypes)
11.5k | KimChay, complete, part of a series | rated E | Mpreg, Canon divergence
Summary:
In the first few weeks after reaching his decision, Chay tries to go to the club again. He gets turned back at the door, apparently on some sort of blacklist. He’s not sure if it’s just him or if Kim (if that was even his real name) does that to all the people he sleeps with.
In this universe, Chay is not ready to let it go.
Most Bookmarks: Family means… (after Memento Mori & Stereotypes)
9.3k | Canon couples, complete, part of a series | rated T | Canon divergence
Summary:
"This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good."
- Stitch, Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Kim has been living with the Kittisawats for a few years when the past comes knocking.
Most Words: need you to believe (I'm cheating a bit with this one and putting a series instead of a single story. But! My 5th most words story (the other 4 are up there in the other categories 😆) is part of that series)
34.4k | KimChay, can be considered complete | rated from T to E | Mpreg, canon divergence
Summary:
Series of stories in the same alternate universe where Kim and Chay meet before canon and have a one-night stand with unplanned consequences.
Least Words: Hazy (I'm not counting works that aren't fanfic)
341 words | Andrea Rhodea/Cloud Strife, complete | rated G | for the prompt Fantasy/Reality
Summary:
"There’s lights. That’s the first thing he notices."
I'm tagging @xxatlasxx & @wisteria-daydreamer (and anyone else who wants to do it)
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23 + 28 + 29 + 35 for aislinn? annnnnnnnnd memento?
very rambly, very long, very under the cut! contains some vague early durge and githyanki créche spoilers
What are your Character's thoughts on the dream visitor? (23)
Aislinn: they think the dream visitor is a real person in some way, and not something conjured up by the tadpole - call it gut feeling, or maybe just wishful thinking. so they trust her, though not enough to stick more tadpoles in their brain (i mean. in-game they do because idk how to live without favourable beginnings and luck of the far realms. but in-universe they wouldn't). they're grateful for her protection and equal parts frustrated & intrigued by all the mystery - the more time passes, the more they're just frustrated. they heed her advice, but not enough to avoid the githyanki créche (which they rapidly come to regret - see the answer to question 35 below)
---
Memento: they have no idea what to think of him, and this makes them very very uneasy. they wish he could protect them against their own mind as well as he protects them from the absolute instead of just telling them "you have to resist your violent urges or we're fucked". they're pretty well aware of that already!
there's that same ludonarrative dissonance aislinn has where i invest in the tadpole skill tree despite the fact that the character probably wouldn't, and also i did kind of skip through the scenes with memento's guardian because i'm very impatient to get to the really juicy durge stuff later in the game lol
Did you recruit Scratch the dog? Did you encounter him at all? (28)
this is a yes for both of them! i could not ever live without scratch. aislinn is a big animal person in general (they took beast speech as one of their eldritch invocations, not that i remember to use it) and immediately fell in love, and memento mostly felt sad for him (and thought having a dog around might help them somehow - they do sleep a tiny bit easier when scratch is curled up nearby, at the cost of being perpetually covered in dog fur)
Did you adopt an owlbear? Do you have a name for your child? (29)
another yes for both of them, with much of the same reasons! memento never named him - canonically they haven't really named *themself*, for some reason i've decided memento isn't their in-universe name/nickname (and the same goes for mori) - but aislinn named him... after some figure of legend & myth that i don't know enough about dnd lore to pick. look i don't want to just go with baldur, that feels lazy
Has your Character done anything that they regret in Act 1? (35)
Aislinn: i mean, just all the violence, really. this early on they are extremely unaccustomed to it (to answer a different question on the list: andren, the guy inside the entrance to the temple ruins, was the first person they ever killed), and every fight makes them sick to their stomach, no matter how unavoidable it was or how morally awful their opponents are. to pick something specific: fighting their way out of the githyanki créche was, up to that point, the worst thing they had ever done, and even as they get used to the blood-covered adventuring life, that's a day they'll always look back on in horror. maybe they didn't have any choice in it, but they hate it all the same. and not to mention how rapidly they turned lae'zels life completely upside down! like it is a good thing for her ultimately, but in the moment they really felt like they fucked up.
---
Memento: aside from the big thing every poor durge gets... they caused arabella to die. they knew that snake would kill her the moment it struck, and it was looking for any excuse to do so, any sudden movement. they flicked their eyes to the door - they keep telling themself it was unconsciously. she tried to make a run for it. the viper struck. they didn't have it in them to face komira and locke themself, to tell them their daughter died. they saw the parents again at the saved-the-grove party, though, where komira tried to get her vengeance on kagha - they stopped her, and even that they sometimes regret.
they also tortured liam, the goblins' prisoner, and revealed the grove's location to minthara. i'm undecided of how cognizant they were while they were doing this, but they were certainly fully aware of what they had done and it's implications afterwards. they don't make excuses for themself when speaking to zevlor - i did this. if anyone else dies here, it will be my fault. but please let me make up for it. and they did! the raiding party did destroy the gate, but they never made it inside. two of the tiefling defenders (arka, who they didn't stop from killing that goblin prisoner, and asharak, who was teaching the children alongside wyll) died, and of the party memento was the last one standing after a brutal irl-one-hour-long fight (i was level 4, it was very difficult), but the defense was otherwise a success. it never should've happened to begin with, two people dead is two too many, and this + the torture is what they regret, but it also gave them the first real hope they've had in the short weeks of their amnesiac life. hope that they can be more! do better! be a hero! touch people's lives without destroying them in the process! they can't save everyone, maybe they can't even really save themself in the end, but god, they can try. they enter into act 2 just a tiny bit more resolute and confident in themself.
#thank youuuu!!!!#excited to see your answers to the ones i sent over as well 👀#oc: memento#oc: aislinn summersorrow#i should probably get a bg3 tag actually if i'm really putting all my oc stuff here#bg3
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Memento Mori
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/0DVStes
by hiddensnowflake
Memento Mori - Remember, You Will Die
Damian Wayne has lost his family in a slow, but inevitable march of death. He couldn't do anything to save them then. But when he finds Tim's old notes on multiverse travel, Damian decides he doesn't want to stay in this timeline without his family. He is determined to find a timeline where he can have his family back.
He finds one where the Damian al Ghul of that time doesn't appreciate what he has. That's close enough for Damian Wayne's purpose.
OR
A multiverse hopping Damian Wayne steals Damian al Ghul's siblings and he is not happy about this.
Words: 717, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English
Series: Part 2 of Ad Meliora
Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Categories: Gen
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Damian Al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Barbara Gordon, Duke Thomas, Stephanie Brown, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Clark Kent
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon & Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne & Everyone, Jonathan Samuel Kent & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent
Additional Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Damian Wayne-centric, Damian Wayne Needs a Hug, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Good Sibling Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Damian Wayne is starting to know better, Damian Wayne is a work in progress, Temporary Character Death, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Bad Parent Talia al Ghul, I swear I love Tals but she is awful in this timeline, It made the story work better, I'm so sorry Talia, you deserve better, Family Feels, I just want them to be a family, they will get there, I have a playlist for this fic called 'how was I supposed to know if no one told me?', DC stands for Disregard Canon, technically I decided these events take place on Earth 752, Kidnapping, Protective Older Brothers, Good Parent Bruce Wayne, Multiverse Travel
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/0DVStes
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For your fic title thing I have 3 titles: 1. The monster at the end of this book 2. The ups and down of being a trophy wife 3. Memento Mori (remember you will die)
eee anon i love you!! these are so gooood!! coming up with fic ideas based on titles alone though?? harder than i thought lmao, and I am sorry that it has taken me literal weeks to answer this!
The Monster at the End of This Book
the first idea I had for this one was children's book author!Buck, where Eddie and Chris meet him at a book signing or something! buuut I would probably not write that (for various reasons, though children's author!Buck is adorable), so I stole an idea from my personal prompts doc (because, like i said, coming up with ideas is hard!! lol) that I think would be interesting with this title: it'd be a canon-divergent au wherein Eddie doesn't warm up to any of the firehouse quickly when he joins the 118; he's a great firefighter, and they all trust him on the job, but they don't really know him. Buck and him repeatedly end up the only ones awake late at night though (for different trauma-related reasons for both of them), and they just kinda sit in silence - alone but together - until one night, one of them falls asleep on the couch, only to be woken from a nightmare by the other, and the rest is history (aka they forge a friendship and work through their issues together)
The Ups and Downs of Being a Trophy Wife
can't tell you how much I love this title! naturally, this would be a 5+1 fic of course - I'm such a sucker for 5+1, both for reading and writing them. I'd probably do something like, 5 times Eddie shows Buck off + 1 time Buck shows Eddie off? this one was tough, despite how much I love it lol
Memento Mori (Remember You Will Die)
This screams presumed dead or near-death-experience (or both, of course!), so I would definitely do something where either Buck or Eddie gets hurt majorly or buried/missing somehow and presumed dead, but I'm not sure what the other context would be. Perhaps, they're in an established relationship, and the event is the catalyst they need to get engaged/married, or it could be a getting together fic with a love confession. I could also see writing something around Eddie or Buck Begins, either some introspection on Buck's side during Eddie Begins where he has his "oh moment" or make Buck Begins even more intense somehow.
anoooon thank you again so so much!! these were so fun, and I am definitely adding all of this to my prompts, though I can't promise I'll write any of them (especially the last one, since I'd definitely want to go with presumed character death, and that's just too much for me, as much as I love it). <3
#hahahahaaaa this truly sat in my inbox for TOO LONG and i am SO SORRY#i had to ruminateeee#also got one from lee/two-cut-lines and ooh boy let's see if I'm able to answer that one today#love you both though @ lee and anon!#thank you so muchhhhhh#mine#ask#answered#anon#ask game
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Ten days.
Ten days, she notices with no grand epiphany as she rolls over to turn the alarm on her phone off. She’s awake already, unfortunately, blessedly awake – she doesn’t need the soft beeps of her phone to rouse her, anymore. Not when her dreams ( if they can even be called that ) do such an excellent job of keeping her up already.
Ten days, she thinks to herself, pulling the pillow she’s clutching to her chest even more tightly against her skin, clinging to the warmth it holds. It smells like memories; like the worn fabric of a red peacoat, wrapped around her shoulders to protect from the cold night’s chill. Like long, brown hair, threaded through her fingers while lips press against her jaw, her cheeks, her neck, everywhere they can reach. Like the soft touch of skin, accompanied by the only music they’d ever need – the racing, stuttering beat of two hearts in tandem, scared, uncertain… but loving. Always loving. As if there had never been any other choice.
Ten days, she repeats dully in her mind, slowly propping herself up in the bed to swing her legs over the side. The bed, not her bed – she hasn’t slept in her own bed for the past nine nights. Not to say that she really sleeps in this bed, either, but at least here, surrounded by his scent, by his things – by him – she can begin to find a sense of quiet, melancholy acceptance. It soothes her in a way that spending the nights in the empty, lonely atmosphere of her room never could, replacing the flashes back to green-red-cold-hot-blood-fear-screaming with softer, happier images. The mock gruff stare given to her when she’d done something particularly stupid in Tartarus. A rumbling voice reminding her to laugh as they sat in the lobby of the dorm. Arms around her and that same deeply resonant voice, lower, huskier, whispering into her ear…
Ten days, she sighs wordlessly, her fingers making deft, short work of setting the pins in her hair, then tying the fabric at her chest into a perfect bow as she dresses. There’d only been one point in her life prior when a week and a half had seemed like such an infinitely long stretch of time, she realizes, and the connection between then and now would have her frowning if she weren’t so exhausted. It’d been ten years since she’d last felt like this, after the car crash and the memorials and the seemingly endless family and friends that had all crawled out of the woodwork to come comfort her after her loss. Those people no longer come, not now, not when she’s so much older, but once again she has lost, and this hasn’t gotten any easier with age like they’d all promised it would. What would she say to them now, were they here?
Ten days, she whispers to herself as she opens the door to his room and, with the coast clear, ducks swiftly upstairs to go grab her book bag from her room. The second day of midterms awaits her. Much like yesterday, she plans on drinking as much coffee as her body can manage before putting on a smile ( that doesn’t quite reach to the sadness reflected in her eyes, no matter how hard she tries to force it – ) and heading to school, praying that the countless nights of studying had prepared her well enough to run through the tests on what basically amounted to zero sleep. Yesterday’s tests had seemed easy enough. Small fortunes. ( not that it mattered that she’d trade any and all benefits of ‘luck’ away in a heartbeat if it meant having HIM back… )
Ten days.
Her mask slips on seamlessly the instant her feet hit the bottom floor of the dorm, shoulders down, back straight, chin up, eyes alert. She is the leader, and she will set the best example she can in times of crisis even if it is her fault her fault her fault should have noticed should have made the connection should have finished the battle more quickly should have SAVED HIM –
Ten days.
With a smile that doesn’t quite match her usual bright grace, she waves to Amada and heads out the door, pretending she doesn’t still hear his anguished screams echo on an endless loop in her mind, or that it immediately doesn’t snap her back to blood on her hands and that indescribably gentle look in his eye when he’d turned to her.
Ten days.
She’s always been skilled at hiding herself when she wants to – deflecting questions and turning the conversation back on the other person had been a defense tactic she’d perfected at a very tender age, to avoid the probing, unpleasant topic of her past – but she’s found herself utilizing that talent more than she’d ever expected as of late. How many times has she murmured a rushed “I’m okay” in response to worried glances from her friends, or brushed her tired appearance off on stress of midterms? She doesn’t know; she’s long since lost count. Enough people had seen her snap at that disrespectful student during the announcement that it had caught the attention of almost all of her school friends, which had been an interesting development to have to explain away. Such was life.
Ten days.
Ten days, since October 4th. Since Shinjiro had fallen. Since her world had been, inevitably, turned right on its head.
There’s no question of how to move forward, in her mind. Her mission is the same as always; lead SEES to the end of the Dark Hour, continue on as he’d so clearly wanted her to. The doctors have confirmed that he likely won’t wake up any time soon, if at all – which means that there’s only one option for her. She must work forward in his stead, look after Akihiko, and Amada, make sure no one else gets hurtbecause of a lapse in judgement because of forces beyond her control. Much like the strands of fate that had brought them together, she has no choice in accepting such responsibility – and thus, in accepting it, she’s also accepted that there is no room for her to stumble and fall. Profound, poignant sadness aside, to let herself to come undone at the loss of him, no matter how much she’d loved him, no matter how much her fault it was that she’d lost him, was to fail him, and that she just wouldn’t allow.
No matter what, Arisato Hamuko, field leader of SEES, would remain strong. For the ten days past, for ten days in the future, for ten days more… for as long as she’s required to be.
SHE WILL NOT LOSE ANYONE ELSE AGAIN.
#drabbles //#>10;4#✤ ⤞ ⦅ memento mori; remember you will die || { »;canon } ⦆#(anyway lmao)#(i fished this out of my archive)#(and i am A DAY LATE IN REPOSTING IT AAAA)#(take this as my excuse for activity sdjhkfhskjdf the last two weeks have been... smth)#spoilers //
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For fic recs (if you want, you don’t have to ofc)- Dainkae perhaps
Damn it took me a while to figure out whats Dainkae and i hope i got it right.
Dainsleif/Kaeya
https://archiveofourown.org/works/34320265
"the abyss order has fallen, the unknown goddess vanished by dainsleif's guilty hands. khaenri’ah has been rebuilt. dainsleif is relieved to be home, and kaeya always follows what he finds familiar."
-post canon, canon divergence, bittersweet.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32950123
"For Kaeya, everything was supposed to be as usual, until the mark on his skin began to glow brightly."
-soulmate au, fluff.
Me: im always a sucker for soulmate aus so this wins a vote.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/32264152
"Memento mori - Latin for 'remember that you [have to] die'"
-no important tags
Me: the best of the list so far, i love the transition from present to past to present again, a very pleasant read.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/30834020
"Dainsleif met the traveler in Mondstadt, but the three questions he wanted answered most were for someone else entirely. Would Kaeya remember him? Would Kaeya remember Khaenri'ah? And if he must choose, with what nation would his loyalties lie?"
-light angst
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29962113
“I… My name is Dainsleif'', he says solemnly. With no recognition in Kaeya’s eyes, Dainsleif admits to defeat. “I am Khaenri’ah’s bough-keeper, and I am here to protect you”. He kneels down, “My prince”.
Kaeya stays silent for a while. “Get up”. Dainsleif obeys. “I’m not a prince. I have no kingdom to rule anymore”.
-Not Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst
Me: i loved this one so much!! But i think maybe Dains is a bit ooc if i have to find any fault, but doesnt stop it from being a good read, one of the best on the list.
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And thats it for the first one folks, i'll be honest i did NOT expect the amount of ships i got and some wont be as quick as this one (that had only 6 pages for me to go through and a lot was e rated) but well, i wont be bored so soon i guess, i tried to put a comment on some of them, mostly so when some angst or best ones come i can talk, it wont be on all and probably future lists will be much longer.
#mod amber#genshin impact#dainkae#Amber's fic reccs#dainsleif genshin#kaeya genshin#fanfic#ask#ma1ewifesiriusgibson
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🎃 2021 Halloween Fest Masterpost 👻
The masterpost for the 2021 Halloween Fest is here! Thank you to everyone who participated. We hope you had fun!
You can browse through the 14 spooky fanworks for this fest under the cut, or you can visit the AO3 collection here!
If one of your works should be in this post but isn’t, please let us know and we’ll add it ASAP.
If you’d like to give feedback on this or any past fests, or make a suggestion for the future, you can fill out our survey to let us know!
FANFICTION
@ultraviolet-eucatastrophe
● Awake (prompt: body horror)
Summary: From the moment the lights began to flash red, Ianto knew he was going to die in Thames House. So he's surprised when he's left alive, holding Jack's body in his arms. Little does he know, the 456 are the least of his worries. (Warnings: body horror, violence, temporary character death.)
● Wrap your roots all around my bones (prompt: undead)
Summary: After nearly being killed by Suzie, Gwen is struggling to deal with the full implications of being Torchwood, and all that's happened to her since she joined up. The last thing she wants is to be alone with her thoughts. But as it happens, she's not. (Warnings: varying degrees of consensual possession, canon-typical violence, dark theme.)
● Janet’s Very Big Adventure (prompt: creature feature)
Summary: One ordinary day, the wall of Janet's cell explodes. (Warnings: canon-typical violence, canon-typical weevil behaviour.)
● Chirality (prompts: doppelgangers, existential horror)
Summary: Ianto looks in a mirror. (Warnings: major character death, canon-typical violence, horror.)
● The Two Brothers (prompts: myths and fairytales)
Summary: A rewrite of Child Ballad 10/The Twa Sisters/The Cruel Sister/The Bonny Swans/whatever other title you may know it by, but about Jack and Gray. If you aren't familiar with that, you may well enjoy this anyway. (Warnings: canonical major character death.)
@sammys-magical-au
● Funny Feeling in my Soul (prompt: precognition)
Summary: Sam meets a stranger in the rainforest who seems weirdly familiar to her, but she can’t explain why.
● Bats
Summary: Summary: the team investigates an old church for Weevils, but they find something else instead.
● Arachnid High
Summary: School's out for summer, and Gros Islet High will be vacant for the next three months. Or so you would think. When Sam and Gwen visit the school to check up on things, since Tosh notified them that Rift Energy had spiked there recently, Sam unknowingly deposits a tiny, alien spider and her eggs. The creature soon mutates into a monster, along with her offspring, turning the high school into a giant nest and trapping Sam and Gwen inside. The pair find themselves in a kill-or-be-killed environment as they fight for survival against the family of hungry spiders - the flies in the school aren't enough to feed them, and they've suddenly gotten an interest in the taste of human flesh. Sam's been doing this all her life in the jungle, but for Gwen, there's a big problem. She is petrified of spiders. (Warnings: spiders, canon-typical violence.)
@horselover107
● Memento Mori
Summary: Memento Mori. Latin. “Remember you must die.” An artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. (Warnings: implied/referenced canonical character death.)
● Grim Grinning Ghosts
Summary: Captain Jack Harkness takes Gwen Cooper to investigate an old mansion, on the pretense of a vacation to New Orleans.But little do they know this mansion is the key to a mystery Jack has spent decades finding the pieces to across the globe, from the eccentric Henry Mystic to the ghost town of Thunder Messa to Jack’s ex wife Constance, whom once left him without a head.Welcome to The Haunted Mansion. There’s always room for one more…unless you happen to be immortal. (Warnings: Implied/Referenced Major Character Death)
@torchwood-99
● The Nightmare in Miss Amelia Pond’s Nursery
Summary: Miss Amelia Pond knows that the crack in her old nursery is a dangerous thing. Her eccentric guardian agrees, and has summoned the best people possible to search what lies beneath.Torchwood/Doctor Who crossover, featuring the Torchwood team and Eleven and Amy. Victorian AU. Major Character (sort of) Death.
FANART
@night-terrors-official
● Team art inspired by The Twilight Streets
● Torchwood Halloween Moodboards set 1/2; Midnight Black
● Torchwood Halloween Moodboards set 2/2; Pumpkin Orange
#torchwood fan fests#torchwood halloween fest 2021#2021 halloween fest masterpost#2021 halloween fest fanworks#torchwood fan fests masterpost#torchwood
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Mary and butterflies - the inevitability of death, murderous calling cards and collectors
Some ramblings with links to other people’s excellent meta, in which I suggest that butterflies (and/or moths) symbolize Mary as Moriarty’s reincarnation and or calling card, while also hint at her inevitable death.
Disclaimers: credits are below the cut. I’m not an expert in any of these topics. Thank you, @thewatsonbeekeepers for the beta. In this post I’ll be using moths and butterflies interchangeably, apologies to any entomologists.
Mary’s appearance in the show brings with it new imagery we haven’t seen prior to The Empty Hearse - butterflies. Once Mary’s in the picture, there are butterflies in some very strategic locations, all are either visually or subtextually leading to her. The show has done that previous to season 3; Moriarty is connected to some well established symbols like magpies, apples and IOUs.
When I first started reading meta I used to think these themes were a bit of a stretch, but I’ve since accepted that this is a show that puts barely noticeable phoenixes in a restaurant scene that shows us Sherlock rising from his death.
Here are some of the butterflies I spotted so far:
Butterflies (and in the case of this piece of meta, moth) symbolize most commonly resurrection, change and renewal. Behind the symbolism stands the transformation of a small, ungainly creature into something full-grown and unbound. In that case, in the simplest way, one could argue that butterflies were chosen to symbolize her because the ‘Mary Morstan’ persona was a stillborn’s identity that was stolen and used ‘reborn’ to create a new person.
But more than this simplistic idea; butterflies carry multiple symbolisms. When it comes to Sherlock, I and many others tend to look at Victorian symbolism, considering the detective’s Victorian roots.
I find the appearance of butterflies interesting in Mary’s context, much like I find the skull interesting in Sherlock’s. The skulls, in Sherlock’s case, serve plenty of purposes, but one of them is the idea of memento mori.
Memento mori (Latin for 'remember that you [have to] die') is an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. These are representations that can appear in any form of art such as paintings, literature, poetry etc. It’s a concept that existed in many ancient cultures but is also deeply rooted in early Christianity. It serves to remind people of the inevitable; that even if we choose to ignore it, not think about it, it’s always there lurking, and the purpose is not to scare us but to encourage us to make good use of our time when we’re alive.
Memento mori was the philosophy of reflecting on your own death as a form of spiritual improvement, and rejecting earthly vanities.
Victorians were obsessed with the concept (weren’t Victorians obsessed with everything?). They would take photographs of the dead and keep locks of hair of those who died in mourning brooches. It is said that they found these practices comforting.
Another expression of the ‘remember that you must die’ concept was vanitas art; vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. The Latin noun vanitas (from the Latin adjective vanus 'empty') means 'emptiness', 'futility', or 'worthlessness', the traditional Christian view being that earthly goods and pursuits are transient and worthless. It alludes to Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8, where vanitas translates the Hebrew word hevel (הבל), which also includes the concept of transitoriness.
This concept reminds me, most especially, of the skull used in The Abominable Bride, which is actually Charles Allen Gilbert's 'All is Vanity' Illusion art.
Back to butterflies - butterflies are a staple component of vanitas art - paintings executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. They also provided a moral justification for painting attractive objects - in a way, it’s a justification for the vanity, or the human need of enjoyment of beautiful things. Below is a vanitas by Jan Sanders van Hemessen:
But butterflies are also considered an omen of death:
“Butterflies and moths were associated with death, sometimes merely as omens, sometimes as the soul or ghost.” These butterfly omens came in many ways. For example, in the nineteenth century United States, some people thought that a trio of butterflies was an omen of death.” [x]
Oh.
But I also think there’s more to the butterfly symbolism than Mary’s imminent death; I suggest that, in keeping with @loudest-subtext-in-tv M-Theory (suggesting that Mary was planted in John’s life by Moriarty), they symbolize Mary as Moriarty reincarnated following his death in TRF. That Moriarty had indeed not disappointed Sherlock - there was a posthumous game after all! That Sherlock was supposed to understand that while one form of Moriarty died on that roof, another had emerged, continuing the mission of burning Sherlock’s heart. Mary is Moriarty’s calling card, left behind in the crime scene. They’re different, but not separate, which is why Sherlock is so obsessed with Moriarty between HLV-T6T; he’s both wrong and correct at the same time.
So far, what I’ve suggested is that in Sherlock, skulls are Sherlock’s symbolic memento mori - the skulls are associated with Sherlock in some very significant ways.
However, Mary’s character was doomed from the start - she dies during Sherlock’s hiatus in ACD canon. I believe many fans assumed Sherlock’s Mary expected the same fate when she was introduced to the show. Although the story of Samarra is told by Sherlock, who expects his own death in T6T, Mary is the one who ends up dying.
Butterflies in ACD canon
Searching for the significance of butterflies in the ACD and BBC canon led me to a number of interesting directions in meta written by others.
The first and probably the best place to start is this meta post by @tendergingergirl, which I strongly suggest you read in full: Butterflies, Sexual Deviancy & The Bloodline Theory in The Hound of The Baskervilles.
Stapleton also has a hobby. He collects bugs…Butterflies, to be exact. This can often be seen as purely academic, but depending on the actions of the hobbyist, they can indicate more disturbing things. That of holding something vulnerable captive, treating it as your hostage, pinning it down. The torture of animals has come to be a good indicator of someone who would do this to a human. He had already shown callousness by laughing as he recounts to Holmes of ponies wandering onto the Moor, becoming trapped, and dying. In 1974, there was a release of a new edition of Sherlock Holmes stories, with the forward of The Hound of The Baskervilles written by British author, John Fowles. He is responsible for several well-known works, including The French Lieutenant’s Wife. Another, was a novel that Mason finds himself wondering why Fowles doesn’t mention in his introduction, since the villain is such a close parallel to Stapleton.(but as we have learned through the study of ACD, most writers will not come right out and say where they got their inspiration. They like for you to guess!)
A lonely young man, works as a clerk, and collects butterflies, becomes obsessed with a pretty young girl, Miranda, an art student. He chloroforms, and kidnaps her, taking her to his cellar basement, to add Miranda to his collection. That book was called The Collector. But what else does it sound like?
“So yes, I googled. From an article on the release of the movie’s Documentary. "The docu proves a poor reference point for anyone who wants to understand the literary and movie links for “Lambs.” There’s no mention, for example, of how Harris partly based the butterfly-loving Bill on John Fowles’ kidnapper in “The Collector” …And here I thought Mofftiss added allusions to Silence of The Lambs into Sherlock just for fun. SMH.”
@tendergingergirl also added this photo to their post:
So what we have here is a chain of metatextualities/inspiration, starting with ACD’s THOB, where Jack Stapelton inspires a book about a disturbed butterfly collector (The Collector by John Fowles), which inspires a the author of Silence of the Lambs in creation of his character Buffalo Bill, a serial murderer who inserts a death's head moth into the victim's throat because he is fascinated by the insect's metamorphosis. Silence of the Lambs served as inspiration for Sherlock as analyzed by @garkgatiss in Bond, Hannibal, and Holmes (I suggest you read the whole Hannibal section) .
Let’s look again at some imagery from His Last Vow. Mary shoots Sherlock’s heart, essentially burning his heart out, and who does Sherlock meet in his Mind Palace in a very cocoon-like straightjacket? Yes, the dead dude who encourages him to die already (“one more push, and off you pop”).
What’s the next thing we as an audience see once Sherlock opens his eyes? Mary coming to the hospital to hear that Sherlock had, in fact, survived. And what is she wearing? Her butterfly scarf, one which will another appearance later in the episode, during the tarmac scene.
I also find it interesting that in the context of Sherlock and Silence of the Lamb, there’s an element of gender-switching between Moriarty and Mary. Buffalo Bill, the murderer from Silence of the Lambs, skins bodies of women to create himself a woman’s 'suit’; in Sherlock, Moriarty is a man-villain who transforms into a female-villain in the form of a bride and/or Mary.
By the way, who else is obsessed with his suits?
Also, let’s not forget the worms, maggots and other such crawlers in the grave scene:
Now, let’s go over some of the photos I included in the beginning of this post a bit further.
Mrs. Hudson’s butterfly tea set is first shown in TEH - she uses it to serve John tea when he comes visiting her and tellis her about Mary. We also see it near John’s chair on the day of the wedding. This isn’t Sherlock’s set - his set is different, featuring the British Isles. Moriarty drinks from it in TRF. The next tea set we see, now that Moriarty is dead, is the butterflies one. In TLD, Mrs. Hudson uses Sherlock’s tea set - the butterflies are gone.
Mary’s bedroom wallpaper is very feminine, with flowers and butterflies, both complementing symbols while also very common in vanitas art. Much like Mrs. Hudson’s wallpaper in Baker Street, Mary’s wallpaper is supposed to show the contrast between Mary’s flat/Mary and Sherlock’s flat/Sherlock.
There’s an interesting moth reference in The Empty Hearse, which in my opinion, is Mary & Moriarty related. In short, in a previous piece of meta I wrote, I suggested that the Jack the Ripper case in TEH is subtext alluding to Mary’s skeletons, which Sherlock ignores because he’s upset by his reception by John. And what’s one of the first things Sherlock notices about the skeleton? New mothballs smell, hinting at an attempt to get rid of moth/butterflies - maybe a hint to the fact that Sherlock has a chance to discover the truth about Mary but misses it. Also, in the context of Mary and the Jack the Ripper case, notice this transition:
Transitions are important on Sherlock - they’re nearly always there to draw our attention.
This, I think, is perhaps the most telling about a possible connection between Mary and Moriarty: we have both magpies (a Moriarty hint) and butterflies together here. This isn’t the only hint of Mary’s past we get in the wedding; there is, after all, the telegram from CAM.
Mary’s scarf is colorful, and it appears by the time Sherlock’s subconscious suspects Mary. Mary’s black butterfly dress - an ominous dress, I’d say - is the one she wears during the labour scene in the car. The third photo is a behind the scenes photo uploaded by Amanda Abbington, although I’m unsure whether this necklace is AA’s or Mary’s (but I couldn’t pass on including this).
Interestingly, the butterflies do not appear in Rosie’s context - either because it’s a telling sign that Mary won’t be with us much longer, or because Rosie is spared being considered a part of the ‘burning Sherlock’s heart’ plan. Sherlock, on the surface, seems to love Rosie and accepts her.
Also, another BTS photograph I came across during my research which I’ve never seen before and ties nicely to the vanity topic is this one (found here):
The Death's-head hawkmoth and ‘Death with Interruptions’
You’ll recall that I referenced The Collector and Silence of the Lambs, both featuring butterflies on their cover art.
The Silence of the Lambs cover features Acherontia atropos, otherwise known as the death's-head hawkmoth. It gets its name from the sinister-looking skull shape on its back. In many cultures it is thought to be an omen of death. In a bit of another coincidental but stunning piece of symbolism, all three species of the Death's-head hawkmoth are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee; A. atropos only invades colonies of the well-known western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and feeds on both nectar and honey. They can move about in hives without being disturbed because they mimic the scent of the bees and are not recognised as intruders.
Anyway, the use of Acherontia atropos reminded me of the book ‘Death with Interruptions’ by Jose Saramago. Interestingly, this is another book about a deathly collector with a butterfly on the cover:
In Death with Interruptions death is a woman, and she falls in love with one of her future victims. She decides to spare his life: Every time death sends him his letter [notifying him of his imminent death], it gets returned. death discovers that, without reason, this man has mistakenly not been killed. Although originally intending merely to analyse this man and discover why he is unique, death eventually becomes infatuated with him, so much so that she takes on human form to meet him. Upon visiting the cellist, she plans to personally give him the letter; instead, she falls in love with him, and, by doing so, she becomes even more human-like.
It’s pretty common to read theories about Mary who maybe was one of the assassins due to kill John both at the pool and in front of Barts. So we have a death harbinger trying to kill someone twice and failing. She then falls in love with him.
But how does the butterfly fit in?
Well, at some point in the story, death (that’s her name, sans a capital d), contemplates that using the death head butterfly, instead of a violet piece of paper, would have sent a much stronger message to those whose death is coming for.
And here’s another last bit of coincidental reference to Sherlock: I’d argue shades of purple, among them shades of violet, are associated with Mary and her secrets. There’s the purple dress she wears in TEH, her bridesmaids’ dresses include various shades of purple (including what I would argue was a violet sash) and let’s not forget:
Oh and, by the way, remember the song Donde Estas, Yolanda from TEH, about a woman called Yolanda? Always thought it was a bit of an odd choice for a song?
Yolanda is a female given name, of Greek origin, meaning Violet.
:)
Thoughts?
Credits: thank you @lukessense for directing me to @tendergingergirl meta about butterflies. Episode screenshots are from kissthemgoodbye.net.
@sarahthecoat @tjlcisthenewsexy @devoursjohnlock @inevitably-johnlocked @shylockgnomes @possiblyimbiassed @raggedyblue @ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @waitedforgarridebs @helloliriels
#mary mosrtan#butterflies#silence of the lambs#the collector#meta#sherlock meta#tjlc#johnlockendgame#jim moriarty
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My Personal Takes on Stormbringer:
Without a full and accurate translation to go through in one sitting, it’s still hard to get a handle on things properly. That said, thank you to everyone who’s working on it.
Now.
(please note all quotes are my memory of translations I have read, and are not verbatim.)
-Asagiri, please, you do not need to make so many coding analogies with regards to Chuuya and Verlaine. They don’t work.
-It often feels - not just in this book but also in 55 Minutes, where there are tight restrictions on a time travel ability - that Asagiri limits abilities based on how scientifically accurate they are. However, this doesn’t make sense! why should it! Literature should be an expression of freedom. There should be rules - the same way the Page has rules - but in the sense of Magic A is Magic A. You make up the rules and then you don’t break them in future. Why have Kunikida able to create something with a mass heavier than a piece of paper out of a page of his notebook, but then say you can’t do [x/y/z] because it’s scientifically unviable?
-I have no issue with how skk treat each other. they are chaos teens. let them be. like... this is the beginning of their actual trust. they’re also in the mafia, and in a dark time in their lives. it’s fine. (it isn’t, but at the same time, it kinda is.)
-I feel like Chuuya taking things from other people and making that thing “his” fits him as a character? he had nothing before, so when you have nothing, all you have is what people give you. If someone gives him a bike, then that bike is his now. He has to learn to look after it, love it, and respect it, and he’ll remember that friend by it. Same goes for pretty much anything else. Also, it’s a show of how well Chuuya adapts to things, and what things he chooses to pick up.
-The hat. I do not like how the hat was treated. Making it into the key that helps Chuuya be able to activate Corruption cheapens the meaning and weight of having been given the hat as a memento of the first person who told him to live as a human being. Why not have the hat be a reminder of his humanity in a purely sentimental way? I’m going to ignore anything canon about this and just say it’s sentimental. Which, like, it could have been a safety blanket type thing, not pseudo-science.
-The coding in Chuuya’s body is a bit... of a reach? How do you put that in there? I don’t get it. Just say that there’s a possibility he might die if he uses Corruption, or that he’ll never become “Chuuya” again. That he’d lose himself utterly. The log history can be either on a chip (insert Dazai making “lost dog, if found return to the mafia” jokes here) or on something else that could easily be destroyed during the course of the story (or not).
-Dazai living in the shipping container reads to me like an extreme version of “I do not want to be found I do not want to be helped I am worthless trash and what’s the point in having an actual home if I plan on dying any day anyway.” Verlaine asks what drove him there, and Dazai says “you” and tbh that offers up so many questions (like, was the shipping container thing recent, was it temporary, or what). There’s the possibility that Dazai doesn’t always live there, because otherwise he’d suffer from hypothermia and get pneumonia in the winter! But above all, Mori had nothing to do with this. He was probably terrified to go too close in case he got killed. Stop saying Dazai lives here because “poor baby was abused :(” that sure was not it.
-Dazai goes all this way - plotting for ages, since before the beginning of the book, having been number one on Verlaine’s hit list, just to get the truth about Chuuya’s humanity and to preserve it - because “I want to see Chuuya suffer as a human being” is him saying he doesn’t want to see Chuuya become like him, or inhuman, because that’s not Chuuya. (dude, there ain’t a straight explanation for this...)
-following on from the previous, Dazai refusing to just let things be the moment he realises that it’d mean double suiciding with Chuuya. I personally see that as a shippy moment because Dazai had already given up on Chuuya being alive (if I read the translation right) and in that case, dying would just be letting go. But Mori says “yeah but I don’t think he’s dead yet?” and that, along with the “double suicide” thing, makes Dazai go “absolutely NOT.”
OK a related thing - as far as I remember, when IRL Dazai attempted double suicide, right up until his actual death it would result in either a failure or... his partner dying and him surviving. The cold potential of this happening in BSD if Dazai had just given up reminded me of that.
-Regardless of my thoughts on how it was handled, Stormbringer reinforced my previous ideas about how Chuuya basically IS Arahabaki. It also suggests that Arahabaki was more of a sentient ability than a true “god” but... that’s fine. For me, all I cared about was that all those “Arahabaki is an evil being that is constantly trying to take over Chuuya and Corruption is Arahabaki being let out” takes are not true. It’s... basically Chuuya taking the lid off his power. I joked at one point that Corruption is Chuuya going “I’m so pissed off I’m gonna kick the door open and throw away the key” and Dazai going “go for it babe, I got your key.”
-Rimbaud and Verlaine are... very complicated characters? They’re not easy to get a handle on. I sometimes find myself liking them and sometimes find myself disliking them, and that’s something that’ll be easier when I have a full translation available - and one of Fifteen. Rimbaud was held back by seeing Chuuya, at first, as nothing more than an empty vessel to Arahabaki’s power, while Verlaine was so taken over by grief without understanding how to handle that, that he became a monster up until the end of the story. Neither of them were good people. That said, their relationship to each other? It’s very complicated and reminds me of their IRL selves to a point but without the skeevy nature and without it going so far, so kudos to that.
-Adam. Knowing his creator was a ten year old girl makes so much sense when you look at the things he says and does. He doesn’t get so much. He’s very logical, but doesn’t understand that a game of billiards isn't as much of an icebreaker as he thinks it should be. Surprised by bubble gum. Games like “strange things humans do” are very much like the word games kids play in the car.
-Verlaine being the fifth executive was something I did not predict at all, whatsoever, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Like... how did he get to that point. Only so much can be said in a few paragraphs (it seems) of “this is [x] number of years in the future where Chuuya’s an executive now.”
The last we see of him, he’s overcome by grief, hatless, and he seems to have only just realised how much he wished he could return what Rimbaud gave to him. (Ironically, by being able to grieve like that, it shows that he is capable of what he thinks he can’t do - same as Dazai.)
But how does he become an executive? Do they come to him slowly at first, and they gradually build up trust? Does he stay in contact with Chuuya? Do they see each other properly as brothers now, or not? I can’t help but feel that as it’s a long time - six years, in fact - between Stormbringer and canon, some bond of trust must have been built. The mafia protects Verlaine from the authorities and from the outside world just the same as Kouyou says that she wants to do for Kyouka, and the same as they’re there for Chuuya, too. So. A Verlaine who trains the mafia’s best assassins not because he’s forced into it, but because he feels the same loneliness as Chuuya, and finds that it helps? A Verlaine who learns slowly that he can care about more people than just Rimbaud and Chuuya? Holy shit yes please. A Verlaine who is loyal and protective and who you should be glad is in a (probably) gilded prison of the mafia’s basement, because otherwise he would actually do so many things to those who would harm his family.
Let’s just say - if I think of Arahabaki as a guardian or protector god who is just plain destructive because it can’t help that, then Chuuya and Verlaine looking and acting in similar ways because they share that same “parent” in a sense, makes sense. They are no longer just Arahabaki, they’re “Chuuya” and “Verlaine” - but they also share traits such as “Papa Wolf” and “lonely” and “violent,” among others.
-At least twice, pre-Soukoku Dazai and Chuuya refer to how they’re constantly thinking of each other. No, they don’t mean in positive ways, but they’re chaos teens and it’s still strong emotion. Chuuya mentions how he’s thought of at least 190 ways to punish Dazai for the things that he does (which also implies how their relationship is equal, and Dazai doesn’t call all the shots, and doesn’t get away with everything scot-free), and Dazai says that Verlaine can’t possibly win against him, because Dazai “spends all of his time, waking and sleeping, thinking of ways to annoy and harass Chuuya,” (quote not perfect.)
We also have Chuuya having Dazai appear to him first in his hallucinations, which I see as Chuuya’s inner Dazai-voice saying all the worst things, and ironically not actually saying or meaning things that would get across what real Dazai would want him to feel; in other words, that’s Chuuya’s view of him, or his mind searching for the one person he’d believe it to realistically come from.
As well, Dazai saying “there’s no way Chuuya could be an artificially constructed personality, because no one could create a personality that I [hate/that annoys me] so much.” Which, like... sure... you tell yourself that, kid...
Basically, they’re all the kinds of things that teenagers who don’t really get how strong feelings like these work yet, who are still figuring themselves (and their orientations, probably) out, would say if they don’t even like that other person that much, but they’re still attracted to them. A strong “why does it have to be THEM?” haha. And yet, as others have pointed out, Chuuya seems more on the oblivious side than Dazai, since as said, Dazai goes to all this effort and seems fond (but only when Chuuya’s not looking, dumbass) but Chuuya just... doesn’t get it.
A shorter summary of my thoughts and feelings?
Chuuya suffers, but is ultimately happier for it no matter whether he’s one of the clones or whether he’s the original (it’s arguable either way, and I don’t mind either way) as he’s still Chuuya. His bond with the mafia is also stronger than so many people think it is. They’re literally his adopted family. Even if he chose to leave, he’d still see them as family. I can’t see him leaving. He’s just... they’re family... don’t tear them apart...
The skk is strong, no matter what people say, because this is the start and it’s the end of their first year in the mafia and it’s not supposed to be a healthy time, for fuck’s sake. They’re both all sorts of messed up. They’re allowed to be. This is a time when that’s kinda the point of the book. But yeah, the trust and the bond is real.
Verlaine. I am now fascinated by Verlaine. I was so sure before the spoilers and translations came out that I’d hate him. I no longer do. He confuses me but I NEED TO KNOW MORE.
#bsd#Stormbringer spoilers#bsd spoilers#all opinions are the OP's#you don't have to agree but they are mine#facts are just facts tho#and this got long whoops#may add more if I remember more later
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A big, messy Linked Universe playlist
Link for Links
Heavy on the angst, because of who I am as a person. (At the same time, don’t take it too seriously, man.)
Influenced by canon, manga (TP Link is really Going Through It™ ), my personal perceptions, and popular fandom canon.
A pretty wide variety of genres, with a bias towards metal and prog rock.
I kept snippets of lyrics for most songs, also because of who I am as a person. (Some were particularly hard to narrow down to just one verse or chorus.) Those - and a little more rambling - are under the cut if you really want, in the order of the playlist.
But.
It’s long.
I didn’t initially make this with the intent to share, but hey.
Throughout my past year+ of listening, I’ve been haphazardly adding songs to a playlist I very creatively named Links. If something reminded me of them, whether through the music or lyrics or both, I threw it on the playlist, so some songs might seem odd or vague.
Some are really on the nose, as subtle as a sledgehammer. (Sky for Sky? Dude. Sorry.)
Some are there because of a fitting line or two that stuck in my head.
Ultimately, music - like any form of creative expression - can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.
My listening habits and tastes are erratic, which is why this is one big, jumbled playlist and not separated for different Links. Not to mention if I did that, some (Wild, Legend) would have a lot and some (Wind, Four) would have none, both because of my own familiarity with them, and because of the general themes of the music I tend to listen to. Most songs are a general ‘hero’s spirit reborn’ mood, anyway - those are the first part of the playlist. The second half is more nuanced to specific Links, plus a few Ganon vibes.
1. Deep Purple - April
(Koji Kondo, composer of the original Legend of Zelda theme, was into Deep Purple as a kid, and it shows.)
2. Kamelot - Regalis Apertura
3. Au4 - So Just Hang On, Beautiful One
(I’ve posted this here before. I can’t hear it without thinking of LU now.)
So I slipped in through the gate almost unknown.
All my border stamps were late. Seven days old.
Cold hand griped my shoulder blade, broke the bone.
Bloody nose and turned away, all the way home.
4. FC Kahuna - Hayling
Don’t think about all those things you fear, just be glad to be here
5. Glass Animals - Youth
Boy, when I left you you were young
I was gone, but not my love
You were clearly meant for more
Than a life lost in the war
6. Pain of Salvation - Restless Boy
A restless boy in a world too slow
A flame born into cinder, ash, and glow
I've given everything I gave it all
Yet find myself alone
7. Haken - The Endless Knot
Our design shifted frame by frame!
Across the line our cycle starts to fail.
Our design shifted frame by frame!
Across the line we die to live again.
We need a story to believe in.
We need a hero to prevail.
We need a challenge we can overcome,
it takes a tragedy to make us one
8. Kamelot - Memento Mori (I particularly associate this with Time and Twilight)
I am the god in my own history
The master of the game
I may believe if she would come to me
And whisper out my name
Sometimes I wonder where the wind has gone
If life has ever been
Sometimes I wonder how belief alone
Can cut me free from sin
9. Katatonia - Fighters
Look I told you so
We never stop
If we said that We'll back it up
For sure
You know
We're fighters
10. Megadeth - This Day We Fight! (I mean, all Links, but particularly Warriors)
For this I was chosen, because I fear nothing
With confidence I tread through the dead of the night
Off to another war-torn, faraway battlefield
Wherein lies a demonic enemy horde
11. Moon Tooth - Igneous
Well, the spirit took me
And this old broken body leapt up and danced
Settin’ out
Settin' out with all my heroes in a bundle at my back
Hawk am I
More wings span in my shadow than overcast
Yeah, you know what they say
Always need something to look up to, ha
12. Samael - Moongate
Destiny, tomorrow is today
Destiny, without boundaries
How many nights will we spend together traveling infinity back and forth and again
How many times will we go together questioning eternity about us about our wonders...
13. TOOL- Parabola
This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality
Embrace this moment, remember
We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion
14. Lunatic Soul - Blood on the Tightrope
No matter how hard you try
To shut down your feverish thoughts
They hunt you down with no regret
Cause you have to fix it all
15. Hybrid - Keep It In The Family
16. Soul Savers - Unbalanced Pieces
Gone, now carry on
Through violent seasons
I call you mother, mother, mother
In vain, absent chain
The twilight's bleeding
And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces
17. Steve Von Till - Valley of the Moon
All she gives is a stone facade
Like ill-given flowers at a dead man's wake
Here we slave for the dreams of another
And fight over scraps like wayward dogs
18. Ludovico Einaudi - Experience
19. Lunatic Soul - Summoning Dance
Three stones on the right side
Three stones on the left
My vicious circle of life and death
“Oh you want it”
I hear it again
“Oh you want it”
My burden
Curse to break
20. Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods
Run through your shaded woods
Run through your shaded mind
Run through the night
Run away
Run through the darkness
Run
21. Lunatic Soul - Naavie
22. David Bowie - Nature Boy
There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far
Very far, over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he
23. The Dandy Warhols - Sleep
Well, I could sleep forever
But it's of her I dream
If I could sleep forever
I could forget about everything
24. Au4 - Everyone is Everyone (and Everything is Everything)
Tripping and tumbling,
Flipping and fumbling.
Flowing on the rivers of sadness
That have been forever rumbling.
But from dawn until now
Of all the paths that I could have gone down
Of all the valleys
That I could have been flowing through.
In spite of all the chaos
And all that has come between us,
How is it I still find myself
Here with you.
25. Kingcrow - Everything Goes
Your hands again upon the ground
Falling rain for hours and hours
As you learn the game
Time dispels the fog
...
Ever been there?
Ever felt like prey?
Ever thought your mind was feeble?
Lot of things that don’t make sense
26. Pain of Salvation - Icon
As a child I felt too old
And now when I'm grown-up I feel too young
A different kind so I've been told
Just slightly out of reach and out of time
27. Sophia Loizou - Divine Interference
(I got spooky dungeon vibes. Also, the title.)
28. Carpenter Brut - Fab Tool
Runnin
Gunnin
Forward in the phantom shatter so grand
Splatter grand, arcanum fuel
Wrought iron out of the sky
Over me, tells no lie
29. Blue Stahli - Death Will Have to Run
All on the open road
Where none will ever grow
A journey toward the known
With countless miles to go
30. Gyroscope - Mistakes & Ladders
I am the first?
No I can't be the first
A continuous nothing, destined for something
Tell me who you are and why you trapped me here
31. Queens of the Stone Age - Run, Pig, Run
Run, pig, run
Here I come
32. Chali 2na & Krafty Kuts - Guard The Fort
The swords are drawn and odds are stacked
And we clash the impact's a thunderous clap
Calm demeanor
Even though we are under attack
[...my turn to guard the fort ready for combat]
33. The Great Discord - Army of Me
(lol)
34. Kongos - Terrified
I think I'll start again and change my name
You only live once or twice, what a shame
Somebody fucked up when designing this game
35. Woodkid - Run Boy Run
Run, boy, run!
This ride is a journey to
Run, boy, run!
The secret inside of you
Run, boy, run!
This race is a prophecy
Run, boy, run!
And disappear in the trees
36. The Beta Machine - The End
A million miles away from you this time
I'll do what it takes
I'm on my way
If lines are in the sand
I'll go under
If I can make it in time
I will bring you back with me
37. Devin Townsend Project - Gump
When we last met who was I?
I'm sorry we no longer see eye to eye
The energy to keep you in while keeping myself out
I'm sorry how you'll take this
But I just don't have the patience anymore
38. Arrested Youth - Riot!
I can't get much satisfaction living in this cave
It's tough to breathe, I'm in the belly of the beast
Can't sleep with all my rage
With me and all my generations living in this cage
Pick up your guns and tell your sons, tonight we break the cage
39. Led Zeppelin - Friends
So anytime somebody needs you
Don't let them down, although it grieves you
Some day you'll need someone like they do
Looking for what you knew
40. Faunts - M4, pt 2 (Wild)
Fight your foes you're not alone
Holy war is on the phone
Asking to please stay on hold
Bleeding loss of blood runs cold
And I need you to recover
Because I can't make it on my own
41. Faith No More - Ashes to Ashes (Wild)
I want them to know it's me, it's on my head
I'll point the finger at me, it's on my head
Smiling with the mouth of the ocean
And I'll wave to you with the arms of the mountain
42. Devin Townsend - Jupiter (Wild)
I know you
At least I think I do
Everything's changed
But in the days that are so dark
It's wonderful
43. Katatonia - Neon Epitaph (Wild)
Shadow of my shadow
Cling not to my grief
I am long left behind now
You are free
44. The Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning is the End is the Beginning (Wild)
Time has stopped before us
The sky cannot ignore us
No one can separate us
For we are all that is left
The echo bounces off me
The shadow lost beside me
There's no more need to pretend
Cause now I can begin again
45. Katatonia - Lacquer (Wild)
My voice travelling
Soaring bird above your head
The house we lived in
Ridden with disease
...
The levee breaking
I can't live to fight once more
The road to the grave is straight as an arrow
I'm just staying around to sing your song, baby
46. Eskimo Joe - This is Pressure (Wild)
There is no romance in suffocation
The walls fall down like your expectations
You want to scream
And you want to shout
But you've built up steam
And you can't let it out
This is pressure
47. Portugal. The Man - 1000 Years (Wild)
We'll wait 1000 years
Until the end of time
We'll wait 1000 more
Dressed up in gold and white
We'll climb the mountain sides
To find what's in the sky
We'll dig through mountain sides
To find what's deep inside
48. Au4 - An Ocean’s Measure of Sorrow (Wild)
Forgot my name and who I was.
Memories of nothing floating up.
All of the sorrow we once knew,
Colours the ocean's water blue.
49. Band of Skulls - Carnivorous (Twilight)
I am corrosive and cohesive
Like a chemical bond
I'm all together undone
I am the broken kingdom
I'm just so, so, so
So carnivorous
50. Glass Animals - Flip (Twilight)
I wanna go back with a club and attack
I wanna take to my guns and break you
I gotta make my little foe take his own
51. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me (Twilight)
My mind has changed my body's frame, but, God, I like it
My heart's aflame, my body's strained, but, God, I like it
52. Kamelot - The Spell (Twilight)
All my demons cast a spell
The souls of dusk rising from the ashes
So the book of shadows tell
The weak will always obey the master
53. OSI - Radiologue (Legend)
I was dreaming I was heading west thirty days faster
Had a fever
woke up in a sweat
bailing out the water
Can't go on
Can't go back
Heard your voice coming through the noise
wrote it in the radio log
Hurt my head, wondering what you said
so I threw it overboard
54. Katatonia - Don’t Tell A Soul (Legend)
I have been destroyed by the perfection that is a lie
see I'm moving soon
see my feet are already on the road
and if you know where I’m going
don’t tell a soul
55. Haken - The Mind’s Eye (Legend)
The shape of things to come are closer than they seem
Changing your design every time you disappear
I'm planning my escape through portals of your mind
Where people seem to drop like flies
56. Pain of Salvation - Species (Legend)
Sometimes I hate my fucking species
Yet most days I'll do anything to please it
My generation was fooled to pursue our dreams
But it is not what it seems
You never need what you want
And you rarely want what you need
57. Euringer - Do You Kiss Your Mama with That Mouth? (Legend)
All my life, misunderstood
I'm fuckin' too smart, too smart for my own good
The last question, before I go is
"Hey motherfucka, do you kiss your mama with that mouth?"
Yes!
I kiss your mama with this mouth
58. !!! - Pardon My Freedom (Legend)
Like I give a fuck, like I give a shit
Like I give a fuck about that shit
Like I give a fuck about that motherfucking shit
59. Team Sleep - Ataraxia (Legend)
Froze asleep
Coma deep
I dream I'm out with you
Alone at sea
60. Oliver Tank - Embrace (Legend)
You're in my dreams
The world is torn apart at the seams
And I don't wanna leave
Wearing my heart on it's sleeve
61. Machine Gun Fellatio - The Girl of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares) (Legend)
The girl of my dreams is giving me nightmares
I don't know what it means but she's got multi-coloured hair
When she stands in the sand I dream of peaches
And I'm not sure what that means either
62. Earl Greyhound - Shotgun (Legend & Hyrule)
I am nobody, nobody is who I am
I am a traveler on this land
And nothing, nothing, nothing in my hands
63. TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun (Hyrule)
You're staring at the sun
You're standing in the sea
Your mouth is open wide
You're trying hard to breathe
The water's at your neck
There's lightning in your teeth
Your body's over me
64. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (Time)
Fate
Up against your will
Through the thick and thin
He will wait until
You give yourself to him
65. Sufjan Stevens - Sugar (Sky)
Don’t break my heart, don’t break my flow now
And all this rage has got to go now
Let’s take up this lifeline
Come on, baby, gimme some sugar
Don’t make me wait
Don’t make me wait too long
Don’t make me sing the sad song
Come on, baby, gimme some sugar
66. Obsydians - Ascension (Sky)
Rise above the hardships you’ll face
I will sign and keep on rising
As long as you are giving me your soul and keep me awake
Feel like home and spread your light around
I will listen and just be there
As long as you are giving me your love I’ll give you my soul
67. Sonique - Sky
-_-
68. Enter Shikari - The King (Ganon)
Watch your back, my friend
I'm about to kickstart a cycle
Of never ending revenge
And this time it's primal, it's tribal
69. Saul Williams - WTF! (Ganon, Hylia)
"You've been polluted, uprooted by time
You have been muted, computed but I'm
A living vessel of the one, of the moon, of the sun"
Hey! You ain't as dead as you seem, what the fuck?
Hey! But you keep living your lies
70. These New Puritans - We Want War (Ganon/ Dark Link/ any nemesis I guess)
Shadows dance back up, it's happening again
If you listen carefully you might hear them whisper:
"We hold all the secrets, we hold all the words;
But they're scrambled and broken so you'll never know"
Can't you see them
Floating like black ash?
Can't you feel them
Crawling down your back?
#linked universe#linkeduniverse#listening to music while I stare blankly at nothing is legit my number one hobby#and then shit like this happens#linked universe playlist
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