#craven hulk
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Craven Hulk
Abandoned at birth, the giant was raised by goats. Ironically, it grew up to be the most cautious member of the herd.
Artist: Nicholas Gregory
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Death Becomes Us
Part 8: Warm Hands, Frozen Hearts
vampire!eddie x supernatural!reader
masterlist playlist
18+Only, werewolf!steve, allusions to smut, allusions to devious deeds, mention of addiction, mention of drinking blood, angst, waitress!erica, Bob Newby lives, Chief Hopper sighting, as well as another glimpse of vampire!max.
summary: you go on your "just friends" date with werewolf!steve, but meanwhile, Eddie makes a bold decision and things heat up between the two of you. Jareth's interest in you grows stronger, as does his determination to find out exactly who/what you are as everything begins to come to a head.
word count: 4.8k
author's note: for the sake of this story, Jareth is meant to be a cross between Jamie Campbell Bower and Eric Northman from True Blood. As a little reminder, The Upside Down exists in this story, but not the same way it does in ST. All of the ST characters in this do not know each other in the same way they do in the show. But, Steve and Robin are friends, because, well, always.
Fanger: derogatory slang for Vampire
Previous Chapter here
One week earlier
Steve was summoned to visit Sacrament in the Upside Down, and he should have gone with a few of his brothers in the pack but decided he didn't want company. He snuck out there through the portal in the woods in his hulking wolf form at first, to sniff the place out, noting the high number of vampires and demobats circling overhead.
He came back the next night in his truck, through the bridge, and was told to ask for Craven at the bar.
Craven sniffed the air and snarled when Steve walked up, and Steve returned the gesture, curling his top lip to show that he had sharp teeth too. Werewolves were very strong—supernaturally so—but they were not immortal like vampires, and so it was always wise to operate around bloodsuckers with a measure of caution.
“I’m here to see Jareth,” Steve shouted over the synth music, squeezing in between two scantily clad human women.
Steve was dressed like he’d just come from chopping wood in the mountains in a plaid button-down and jeans, and a wholesome curl of dark hair that bounced over his forehead. Craven, on the other hand, was tattooed from neck to hands, wearing a wife beater that fit tight around his muscles and slicked back hair that was a bit greasy, but in a sexual way.
“No one sees Jareth without an invitation,” Craven said smugly, throwing a rag over his shoulder to brace his hands in front of him.
Steve gave a wry smile. “You think I’d come here just to shoot the breeze with you Fangers? He knows I’m coming.”
Craven clicked his tongue disapprovingly and went to grab the phone on the wall above the cash register, but in the blink of an eye, Jareth was already standing there, right next to Steve. He must have watched him come in on one of the cameras mounted on the ceiling. Steve moved back, out of surprise, but then he stepped forward again, meeting blonde, vampire Jareth eye to eye, letting him know he wasn’t afraid.
Steve really wasn’t afraid; his alpha ego was too big for that. Sure, he knew there was a chance that an older vampire might best him in the end, but he’d get the fight of his life.
“Whatever he wants, it’s on the house,” Jareth told Craven, all while never taking his eyes off his guest.
Steve declined a beverage and followed in Jareth’s wake through the sea of people moving to the music under the blue lighting.
Back in the simple black and cream decor of his office, Jareth found his firey assistant Maxine sitting behind his desk and he waved her out.
“Oh? You didn’t tell me we were adopting a pound puppy,” she teased with a deadpan delivery, keeping a bored expression on her face.
Steve knew they’d be taking cheap shots at him, he’d prepared himself for it.
“Get out, Maxine,” Jareth said impatiently. “I need to have a word with our lycanthrope friend here.”
She obeyed, slinking out the door in her skin tight latex dress and platform heels, smacking her glossy lips in Steve’s face as she went.
Jareth was in all black with a slim leather jacket on that looked like it had been tailored just for him. He perched at the front of the desk, crossing his booted feet at the ankles, and folded his arms over his chest.
“Take a seat,” he told Steve.
Steve glanced down at the chair in front of Jareth. “I’ll stand, thanks. What is this about?”
“You really don’t know why I’ve asked you here?” Jareth’s face looked like it was carved out of stone. “Do you need a hint?”
For the first time, Steve broke eye contact. “I don’t have any news about the girl.”
Jareth tilted his head back, so that he was looking down his nose at the visitor. “You’ve been keeping an eye on her, like I asked?”
Steve gave a tight nod.
The truth was that Steve hadn’t accidentally bumped into you at the bookstore that day two months ago; he knew where you would be and he’d sought you out. His pack were in league with what some would consider “vampire royalty” and they made a lot of money doing jobs for them.
At first, he started looking out for you because Jareth told him too. But after around the third week, he realized he was protecting you because he cared about you. He didn’t trust anyone from the pack to watch your trailer after dark, so he did it himself. There were a few nights when he swore you’d looked out from your kitchen window and saw him: two red eyes glowing in his honey brown fur.
“What’s your interest in her?” Steve chanced, knowing full well that Jareth would not answer it if he didn’t want to.
“She says she’s human, but I don’t believe her,” Jareth raised an eyebrow. “There’s something else going on with that one, and until I find out, I don’t want any harm to come to her.”
You weren’t human, Steve knew that from the first smell. You were part human, part something else, as if your blood were filled with static from a television.
“I asked you here because I need you to get closer to her, to see if you can find out anything more about her…condition.”
Steve didn’t like this anymore, he felt like he was being dishonest to you, and that one day you’d find out he was hired to watch you instead of being the avid science fiction lover he’d claimed to be. Every time he interacted with you lately, he wanted to mention it, but he couldn’t figure a casual way to say, “hey, I’m being paid to watch you, I sleep in the woods outside your trailer a few nights a week, but I’m starting to have feelings, and was wondering if you were free for dinner?”
Steve pulled his shoulder’s back, puffing his chest out a bit. “If you want to know more about what she is, why don’t you just ask her, man? What’s with all the cloak and dagger?”
Jareth pushed off the desk and walked over to look at a piece of abstract splatter art on the wall while he spoke, clasping his hands behind his back. “My presence at her trailer park would certainly ring some alarms, I’m sure you are not so dense,” his tone was condescending but proper. “I don’t want anyone, especially Munson, to know that I have any interest in her. Not yet, anyway.”
Since Steve had been watching you, he was also well aware of Eddie’s comings and goings. “Eddie hasn’t interacted with her in weeks, not that I’ve seen,” Steve told him. “Appears like the two are avoiding each other.”
Jareth scoffed. “I’m not particularly a fan of his, but when Edward has a job to do, he does it well,” he turned from the painting and went around the desk. “My gut tells me that he has something up his sleeve, and my gut is never wrong.”
Steve let the information sink in. “You don’t think Eddie would hurt her? He’s a car thief and a drug dealer, but not a killer.”
Jareth bent down to pretend to look at some paperwork, but then his eyes lifted to Steve and he smirked. “Is that what he told you?”
“We’ve never really talked but—”
“I’ve been doing my own investigating, but until I get some answers, just get close to her however you can, I want to accelerate this end game.”
“And what endgame is that?” Steve’s voice was low and commanding as he pushed the sleeves of his flannel up to reveal the generous muscles in his forearms. He rested his back against the wall, not sure he wanted to know the answer.
“The official endgame, Sir Harrington,” Jareth’s striking, ancient blue eyes gleamed. “Is none of your business.”
—---
“Sorry about that,” you told Steve as you climbed into the cab of his truck. “I had no idea he was coming over.”
You were apologizing for Eddie, of course, and the way he’d been giving Steve the death stare when he’d come to pick you up. The snow was coming down harder now, in huge wet flakes the size of quarters, plopping like dissolving puffs of cotton onto the windshield of the truck.
“Was he bothering you?” Steve asked protectively, glaring at the door to Eddie’s trailer while you fumbled with your seatbelt.
“No, he’s…he’s just a friend,” you said, trying to blink away the flashes of all of the sex dreams you had of him that were ricocheting through your head.
After Eddie had stepped out of your trailer and shut the door, he’d stood on your porch for a minute, taking his time to light a cigarette before slowly making his way over to his place. He made eye contact with Steve a few times through the windsheild, wondering if he should kill him.
The inside of Steve’s big old truck was warm, it smelled like winter wool and the yellow vanilla car freshener he had hanging from the radio knob. The song Working Man by Rush played low from the speakers.
You’d heard about the Werewolves of Hawkins from Bob and Argyle when a few of them came into the bar one night. Apparently, they were very reclusive and only ventured to town in human form every so often.
“Have you never seen a werewolf before?” Bob Newby, the owner of the bar you worked at, asked you with a tilt of his head and a curious smile. “They’re all over the woods. Beautiful creatures.”
He’d said it so casually, as if a man turning into a wolf and roaming around at night was the most normal thing in the world.
“Are there no werewolves where you come from?” Argyle asked while he wiped down a bottle of tequila.
You moved your eyes as if to think. “Uh, nope, not that I know of anyway. Hawkins is the only place I’ve ever heard of them ever existing before. What’s next? Are you going to tell me that Faeries and Shapeshifters are real too?”
Bob and Argyle exchanged a knowing look. Bob gave you a consolation pat on the back, “one day at a time there, missy. Let’s give you a chance to get used to werewolves first, and then we can move on to the next.”
That night in the darkness of the movie theater with Steve, you turned to whisper in his ear. “Can you change into a werewolf whenever you want, or only during a full moon?”
He chuckled, leaning in so that his cheek was on your head. He was so warm, you wondered if he had a fever. “When you’re a pup, in the early days, the transformation happens at the most awkward times. Once we get older and learn how to control our emotions, we can go through the change whenever we need to.”
“Like right now?” Your lips were close to his neck, breath tickling his skin, giving him goosebumps.
The side of his mouth moved against your forehead. “Just say the word, darlin’.”
Your hands fumbled together a few times while reaching for popcorn at the same time, and a voice in your head said:
This is nice
Steve is nice
Steve was a good guy who probably thought you were a normal woman who’d led a fairly typical life, and you worried you were misleading him.
There were a few times though, after the movie and on the ride back, when you felt like he wanted to tell you something, but then he would stop short. He’d rub the back of his neck and start out with, “yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” but then he’d shake his head and jump to another topic.
Steve cursed to himself at how bad he was fumbling the night, he felt like he was a goddamn teenager again.
The only thing he knew for sure after that night was that he liked you a lot, and more than ever he needed to cut ties with Jareth. He’d been meaning to break free from the politics of the pack to become a Lone Wolf, and this felt like the perfect opportunity. He was next in line to be Alpha, but it was a role that he had no interest in playing.
Parked next to the hearse in front of your trailer again, the snow had stopped, but it was up to your ankles now, and you couldn’t help but notice the light in Eddie’s living room was on.
“Here, wait, let me walk you,” Steve insisted.
“No, I’m good,” you were already on the ground, looking up at him across the seat. “If Bela hears your voice too close to the house, she’ll just go nuts again.”
You'd told him about your new companion earlier, and he looked at you like you'd decided to take in a pet dragon.
“I’ll wait here until I know you got in okay.” Steve said softly, giving you a nod. “Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow night?”
“I’m, well, I think–” you stammered. Was Steve about to ask you on an actual date? “I might pick up a shift at Main Vein tomorrow night.”
“There’s going to be a reading at the bookstore, and I promised Robin I’d help string some lights and set up some chairs. So, I’ll be in the neighborhood if you want to get something to eat or, whatever. I’d really like to see you again.”
He said the last part in a rush, partially hoping you wouldn’t catch it.
The admission made your cheeks hot under his steady gaze.
You told him you’d stop by if you weren’t waitressing, and at your front door with the key in the lock, you turned to wave at him one more time over your shoulder before slipping inside to flip the deadlock behind you. You closed your eyes and leaned against the door until you heard the rumble of his truck growl onto the main road, and then you flipped the lights on.
“Mr. Wonderful couldn’t walk you to the door?”
The voice made you jump and a scream caught in your throat.
Eddie was sitting on your couch, arms stretched out over the back of it, as if it were his trailer and he’d been expecting you.
You let the shock of it subside, taking a long breath to slow your heart rate.
You hung your bag on the hook by the door and started to shrug out of your coat. “You know, when I invited you in, I didn’t mean break in whenever you felt like it.”
“I didn’t break in,” he lowered one arm and rested that hand between his legs. “I know where you hide your spare key.”
“It’s not funny, Eddie,” you threw your jacket on the recliner. “I’d like you to leave now, please.”
“How was your date?” He bit out the last part.
“I’m not answering any of your questions,” you stopped in your tracks and looked around, suddenly alert. “Where is Bela? I don’t hear her. Eddie, if you did anything to her, I will —-”
“I would never hurt her,” he moved to stand up, and under his breath he added, “or you.”
“So?” You flapped your arms out, impatiently, blood pressure spiking. “Where is she?”
Eddie came forward and put a finger to his lips, motioning for you to lower your voice. He guided you down the hallway, ignoring your protests, until he arrived at your bedroom door and turned the knob, opening it slowly.
Bela was curled up on your bed in a blanket, breathing heavy like she’d just been dosed with a tranquilizer.
“She broke out again while you were gone,” he whispered. “Blew the bathroom door right off its hinges and came scratching at my door like maybe I had you.”
Your eyes went to the window across the room, seeing that there were boards hammered over it now, which was more of Eddie’s handiwork.
Feeling you softening at his side, Eddie pulled the door closed with a click. You were having a hard time meeting his eyes. You’d been so mad at him, so ready to scream and kick him out into the snow.
“She let you hold her?” You asked, noticing that you no longer had a bathroom door, Eddie must’ve taken it out to fix it.
“I'm charming, what can I say?” he shrugged. “And I gave her some of my blood from a little eyedropper.”
“You what?” You spun on him, appalled.
“Don’t sound so horrified,” He put his hands on his hips once you reached the kitchen. “They need vampire blood to calm their nervous system. She’ll sleep like a baby now.”
In the book you were reading, the author did say that demobats who drank regular doses of vampire blood seemed to fare better than the others, but you’d decided to disregard that information as speculation.
“In that case, I guess I should say thank you,” you opened the fridge and took out the Brita water filter and a glass from the cupboard.
Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his thigh against the counter. “Did that Steve guy try to make a move on you or what?”
You frowned at him. “Listen, you don’t get to invade my space and bombard me with personal questions. Why does it matter so much to you what we did?”
“I don’t trust him,” Eddie had his eyes trained on one spot in front of him, studying a patch of air while he worked his jaw.
“If it’s any comfort, I don’t think he cares much for you, either.”
Eddie’s head spun to look at you. “What did he say about me?”
“Nothing!” You clarified, raising the tone of your voice to match his. “He didn’t mention you at all, actually. It’s just a feeling I got.”
You took a drink, and when you put the glass back down, Eddie moved in, bracketing your hips with his hands on the countertop, caging you there while he searched your eyes. “Did he kiss you?”
You didn’t answer right away, and so he asked it again.
“Did he kiss you?”
The way his lips hovered there so close to yours made you swallow hard. The air between the two of you crackled with electricity. You waited for his eyes to go black, for his fangs to eject, for him to take your blood into his mouth like he had that night in the alley.
“Would it bother you if he had?” There was an air of pleading in your tone that you had not intended to be there.
Please let it bother you.
Eddie slid his bottom lip through his teeth and leaned back, stepping away from you. “I just think you should keep your distance from him, that’s all. Werewolves are notoriously…” he trailed off as if searching for the right word. “...undisciplined.”
You wondered about Eddie’s discipline, how hard it was for him not to go the rest of the way and claim you just then. To sink his teeth in and suck on that nectar of yours that he craved so deeply. You could see the desire in his eyes, the way the brown irises melted into umber and his pupils expanded.
You would not have stopped him, that was the final truth of it.
In that moment, you knew that if Eddie Munson wanted to kiss you, you would not put up a fight.
You would not pull back and ask, “what are you doing?”
You would just know.
“I changed the bulb in your porch light, by the way,” he added on his way to the door. “Noticed it was out.”
You did not turn to watch him go, you kept your back to him. “Thank you again for Bela and for boarding up the window.”
He mumbled something under his breath that made you look over your shoulder. “What was that?”
He stopped in his tracks with his hand on the doorknob, hair long around the shoulder of his leather jacket. “I said, you know where I am, if you ever need anything.”
Eddie stepped out onto your front porch and exhaled a shuddering, long-held breath. He shut his eyes and rubbed the heels of his palms into them. “Holy shit, Munson, you are such an idiot,” he scolded himself, feeling a sprinkle of snow again on his flesh.
He took a step down and then paused, thinking he should go back in.
Thinking he should tell you…everything.
Maybe you would understand.
Maybe you’d lean into his kiss and pull him closer.
Maybe…
But then the shadow of uncertainty shrouded him and he kept going.
—-------
You ended up covering for Argyle behind the bar the next night while he went to California for a week, and thankfully it was a slow shift because you were still figuring out what alcohol went in which drink. But then a crowd of people on their way to the poetry reading at Robin’s came through, and two of them were vampires, so you had to get out the manual to remember which synthetic blood type to use in the various mixtures.
“Another whiskey with a beer back for the Chief,” Erica scooted up next to you and tapped your arm to get you to lean in closer to her. “Do you think he’s waiting for someone?”
Jim Hopper was in a booth by himself in the dimly lit room, facing the door, and you had noticed that he seemed very interested in getting a good look at everyone who came in that evening. He still had his uniform on, since he was only recently off the clock, and he was tapping his knee and chewing on the side of his fingernail with some type of anticipation.
You knew that if you got closer, you’d be able to get a better read on his emotional state.
“I’ll take it to him,” you said to Erica, and then the two of you talked about the movie you went to with Steve because she hated it and said she was angry those were two hours of her life she could never get back. “I can’t believe you let a werewolf take you on a date,” she squinted. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were looking for trouble.”
You moved around her with both of Jim’s drinks and winked. “I’m the one who’s trouble. They come looking for me.”
“Oh I believe that,” she quipped in your wake.
The closer you got to Jim, the more you could sense the yearning inside of him. There was desperation with sadness around the edges, and the hint of a familiar sinister urge, much like you’d felt with the Klemps all those weeks ago.
His eyes met yours only briefly when you set his drinks down, and then you asked if he wanted one menu or two.
“Not tonight, thanks. I’m waiting for someone, and then I need to split,” he nodded as he warmed the whiskey in his big hands and wiped a sheen of perspiration from his forehead.
Well, there was your answer.
You and Hopper both looked up when the door opened that time, and you were pleasantly surprised to see Steve standing there. Shoulders broad in his plaid shirt and his luscious head of hair looking wild from the wind outside. His face lit up when he saw you.
“Hey stranger,” you walked over to him, beaming.
Steve had been pacing out on the sidewalk between the bookstore and the bar for the past 15 minutes trying to decide if he should go in or not. By the way you were smiling at him, he could tell he'd made the right decision.
“Hey, you,” he gave a smirk and raked his big hand through his unruly hair a few times. He glanced around at the 8 or 9 customers. “Do you have a break soon? Or can I bring you anything?”
“My shift is over in an hour,” you talked as you returned to your station, waving at Bob through the serving hatch. Steve rested his elbow on the bar. “I was thinking I’d make my way over to the bookstore if you’re still around.”
“Oh I think I’ll be around,” he assured, tapping his knuckles on the wood, not wanting to sound too eager. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Erica glaring at him. She was not much of a fan of the supernatural.
Right behind Steve, a strikingly beautiful woman with short black hair and red lips strolled in. She had a long leather coat that she pulled tightly around her as she walked, and she appeared to know exactly where she was going, strolling over with ancient grace to Jim’s table. He stood up to greet her, and then they hunched across the table toward each other as if they were telling secrets.
You realized you were staring as you spotted a tiny vial of dark liquid in her palm just before she slid it across the way to him under a cupped hand.
“I’ll come back when you’re finished,” Steve said a few other things, but your mind had not retained them. “We can walk over together.”
“Sure,” you said absently. The mysterious woman with Jim got up and left after only a minute or two. Jim downed the rest of his drink, left a tip, and exited out the back, putting his hat on as he went.
A bit later, as you were changing out of your apron in the back room and counting your bills, you wondered where Eddie was and what he was doing.
It made you curse out loud, the persistent way your mind clung to him.
It was irrational and wholly unfair.
You wanted him to pull up in the GTO and tell you to get in without any explanation of why or where you were going.
The customers continued to wane, and Bob told you to skedaddle 20 minutes earlier than you’d expected, so you figured you’d get a head start and meet Steve half way. Erica flipped you off, playfully mocking the fact that you could go home before her. You snuggled down into your winter coat and pushed through the employee door that led to the parking lot at the greeting of a gust of bitingly cold wind. You stopped to pull your gloves out of your pockets and the door that could only be opened from the inside locked shut behind you.
When you looked up, Jareth stepped out of the shadows and loomed there, blocking your path.
“I’m afraid you'll have to come with me, love.”
----
hugs and kisses, thank you so much for reading! Your comments, asks, and reblogs mean the world xoxo
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#Eddie Munson fic#Eddie Munson#vampire!eddie#werewolf Steve#Death Becomes Us#vampire Eddie Munson#True Blood au#Eddie Munson series#paranormal reader#Eddie Munson x reader#Spotify
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FFXIV Write Entry #28: The Last
Prompt: vainglory || Master Post || On AO3
What creature could stand before the might of a dragon? They are children of wind and flame and aether, fierce and mighty, the unchallenged rulers of all they survey. Dragonsong rings from every corner of the land.
The metal beings, machines, that descend from the heavens, flatting mountains and felling forests to build their bases and factories of black iron, at first seem as ants despite their own abilities. Claw and fang and fire end them. But they learn, these things, and perhaps worse: they reproduce quickly, quicker than dragons. The spindly drones are replaced by heavy, many-limbed soldiers, by hulking cyclops, by great beetles that outfly the swiftest of flying dragonkin.
For every omicron that falls, five more take its place.
Dragons cannot beget eggs so quickly, nor can their hatchlings grow so fast.
Dragons are mighty. Dragons are fleet of foot and wing, and clever of mind. Dragons are proud.
But dragons die.
And dragons are dying faster than machines, and the star dies with them, swallowed by black iron, skies polluted and waters poisoned, the dragonsong fading from the heavens.
He is the greatest of his kin, his mane of fire a war banner and declaration. He has clashed and clashed again with the greatest of the omicron, their Omega, but Omega cannot be truly slain, merely defeated, and so more and more often their battles are for the purpose of distraction. To take the field is to draw Omega’s attention, and it allows his siblings and cousins to retreat, to evacuate hatchlings, to do whatever is needed to try and live one more day.
They cannot fight forever. They are dying.
Some go to sleep and do not wake up again. Some let apathy take them while waking, and they whither. Some throw themselves at the omnicrons, their goal only to take as many with them as possible.
Some do the unspeakable to their own hatchlings, unwilling to let the omicrons or the diseased star take them first.
He is a warrior. He is expected to fight until the last.
But there are seven eggs carefully tucked into his nest. And he will not do to them what some of kin say he should.
Dragons are dying, and he will not be the last.
Their last stronghold is falling. Even as destruction rains down on the last bastion of dragonkind, he carefully gathers his precious eggs in his clawed forelegs, tucking them close to his chest.
His sister, the last of his nestmates, finds him as he prepares to leave their accursed world. She stares at him for long moments, but offers no condemnation, and instead reaches forward to touch her muzzle to his. For a moment, they allow themselves the luxury to breathe in one another’s scents for a final time.
Go, she says. Live.
Omega bursts through the smoke and smog, and his sister throws herself at the machine with a roar even as he throws himself skyward. Not all of their fellows have yet fallen, and their warsongs name him craven. But her song is instead a dirge, for herself and for her kin and for her star, but entwined in that too is her hope that the memory of them all will not fade entirely. The echo of it follows him into the black of the void, until nothing but silence remains.
He wraps his aether tightly around himself, strongest around his precious cargo. Distantly, he can sense his great enemy giving chase, but his sister gave her life to ensure he had opportunity, and opportunity he does not waste.
He flies for a long, long time.
There are many stars he passes. The first ones crawl with omicrons. Others are dead, others in the process of dying. Many have songs infected by a strange, awful note of discordance twining through their aether.
He sings to himself, and to his eggs. He forgets the name his dam granted him, but he finds he cannot bring himself to mourn it. He forgets the name of his sister, and that brings him grief. But he sings, and at least the language of dragons shall endure in some manner.
The fire of his mane has long been extinguished when he comes to a new star in the void. Its song is piecemeal, as if it is missing key harmonies, and there is a newness to its people despite the age of the core that speaks of past tragedy. But there is a spark here, of potential, its song ringing with something he barely recognizes at first.
The star’s heart flies out to meet him.
Her Light is a balm after so long in darkness, and She reaches out to gently cradle his weary head in Her hands.
Well met, winged wanderer, She whispers. Thou hast traveled far from thy home. What trials have brought thee hence?
War, and death, he says. Mine home is lost and I am all that remains to sing its memory. But for the chance to see mine children hatched and grown, I have flown across infinity, pursued by a relentless foe. I beg of thee succor, that we may not be the last of the dragons.
Succor I grant to thee, Father of Dragons, the star’s heart replies. But in return, I must ask of thee a boon.
Once, a very long time ago, he would have bristled at such a demand, even from a goddess. A boon, from a dragon? From him, greatest of them all?
But his pride is gone, and for his children he will do whatever is necessary to give them a future.
Name it, Divine Light.
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Concept: marvel movie marathon, but exclusively movie adaptations of marvel comics that were not made by marvel studios
Wes Craven's Man-Thing movie
The Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider movies
Toby Maguire Spiderman
The 2003 Hulk
The 2003 Daredevil
The 2004 Punisher
And so on
#via rambles#marvel#marvel comics#daredevil#hulk#ghost rider#man thing#fantastic four#Spider-Man#spiderman
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Daily Writing Challenge August 2022 Day 3
Sentimental / Feral ( @daily-writing-challenge @serararku )
World: Final Fantasy 14
Theme: Rúnahild - Urseid
They call it a Grrangr. A gathering of Nunhs to plan a course of action that no single tribe can perform themselves– a moot to decide the future of the Miqo’te living in Thanalan. There were only six nunhs in attendance but several hundred surrounded the secluded clearing on the side of the mountain facing westward, so they could watch the bountiful sun slip beneath the horizon for his brief slumber… a great place for meditation, if they were here for less pressing matters.
“We cannot defeat them.” T’ketchu of the Condor Tribe spoke first to break the chorus of whispers behind him. “The walls of Ul’dah are too high and too thick. Their armies are well fed and armored. Defying them can only mean death for our people. It’s as simple as that.”
A patronizing snort on his left caught his attention, and up rose J’mindi the Gnarled. “Only a fool would strike a hulking giant across the nose. There are other ways of dealing with the halfling city… ones that are far more… subtle.”
“You mean poison.” R’yaach the White Maw crossed his arms over his wide chest before spitting into the dirt. “Am I surrounded by cravens? What glory is there in such cowardice?!”
S’vahli the Hrothblood rubbed at the bridge of his nose as soon as the uproar started; they couldn’t go five whole minutes before they started hurling insults at each other. He did his best to drown out their incessant howling, focusing on the flickering bonfire and the dancing shadows. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes to block out the noise but it was no use; every passing moment of their uproar was filling him with anxious dread, his body physically reacting in ways he couldn't afford right now.
Yelling turned to screaming. Metal tubes and iron clamps. Needles, needles, needles. Round eared monsters with three eyes staring, watching, observing. Pain unmatched. Glass prison. Knives sever the flesh. Syringes pumping poison. Fear and rage and hatred. Kill to be free. Kill to be silent. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL! KILL! KILL! KI-!
A tiny hand gripped his shoulder and the nightmare receded back to the corner of his mind. S'vahli turned to meet S'era's soothing gaze… two sparkling eyes deep and blue enough to drown in. Only now did he realize he was trembling and sweating. He half-expected her to scold him for his strange behavior, but she didn't; all she did was hold his shoulder and steal his attention until the trembling stopped. "I should tell her." He thought, even as shame washed over him. "She deserves to know what they did to me." But no sooner did he open his mouth to speak did the shouting match between the other nunhs suddenly fall silent.
Tap, tap, tap!
Everyone dropped to their knees and bowed. Everyone.
A woman whose flesh turned into bone with even the slightest injury stirred for the first time in forty summers. A large crown of bleached goat horns and antlers sat slanted on her head, adorned with heavy chains of gold and amber. Paralyzed from head to toe, her face was permanently facing the north star, so she could gaze upon the cosmos and commune with both Azeyma and Menphina. Wiser than all, and far older than anyone could possibly fathom, she was the greatest treasure and best kept secret the Seekers of the Sun tribes had. Miraan the Eldest has her life prolonged by mystical and divine power, and despite how delicate and helpless she has become, it was in all likelihood a certainty she would outlive everyone here.
"This mountain… is holy… our ways… are ancient." Her voice was barely a whisper, but every word carried the weight of the world. "To spill blood… in this place… without first… declaring a… Urru'thun… is sacrilege. It is… known."
"It is known." They all repeated, settling down… for now.
"S’era… Firstborn Daughter… of Rarku the… Red…” She paused to catch her breath– every inhale sounded like splintering wood. “Tell them… your plan.”
She stiffened at the sound of her name; not once has she met Miraan the Eldest, but she not only knew her name, but also her title? Slowly she glanced over and met S’vahli’s gaze, before rising to her feet and straightening out her back and shoulders. “You are all right to fear reprisal from Ul’dah and the other free cities. Even with our combined strength we could not outlast them in an all-out war. We have the numbers, this is true… but they have powerful magick, and the Warrior of Light on their side. Facing them in open field would be suicide.” A few nunhs nodded in agreement as subtle whispers echoed in the crowd sitting before her. “They know they could crush us if they willed it… but it would also cause unrest and chaos within their walls by the Miqo’te living there. They cannot attack us directly until we deal the first blow, so instead they mean to drive away our hunting game and starve us out.”
R’yaach the White Maw spat into the dirt again. “Cowards and traitors.”
“Be that as it may…” S’era continued, shooting him a furtive glance. “I have a solution that can resolve this conflict peacefully. Or at the very least… get them off our backs and out of our lands.” That certainly caught their interest, but only a stark few seemed to care for what she had to say. “Our answer lies in the Shelled Men. Along the coast deep in Amal’jaa territory lies an incomplete castrum that was serving as an armory before their armies were scattered. If Ul’dah will not listen to the Miqo’te through reason, we will make them listen with a display of force. Tribes gathering near their towns with magitek weapons are sure to get their attention.”
“Your plan is to threaten them? They will slaughter everyone involved and tighten their grip on the rest of our necks!” Cried out a tribewife from the crowd, a babe to her breast. “Suicide!” Cried another from the opposite direction. “Madness!”
“WE ARE STARVING!” S’era shouted at the top of her lungs to get them to shut up. “Your children… our children are going hungry! There isn’t enough meat to survive through the winter! We can’t rely on raiding merchant wagons for food! If any of you fools have a better idea then let’s hear it!”
I’vazu Stone Tongue rose first, clutching his walking stick and grunting from the still-fresh wounds on his stomach from defending his breeding rights against a Tia just yesterday. “The halflings will not take threats idly. We should instead barter… learn what they want and offer a trade!”
“COWARD!” Another shouted, causing the wounded man to flinch. He turned red in the face as he spun around to face the direction of that accusation.
“Who said that?! Speak up and face my wrath-aaugh…!” He clenched his teeth in pain and his legs almost buckled; this was going nowhere fast.
Miraan the Eldest opened her eyes. Pale blue pearls that glimmered like the stars in the night sky– gazing into them was like gazing into the cosmos, the realm of the very gods. “They are… outsiders. They have… no respect… for the land. Look at… Mor Dhona… as proof of… their greed. We Miqo’te… have given them… enough. It… is known.”
“It is known.” They all repeated again, some less enthusiastically than others.
“She is right.” S’era added. “Anything we have that they value will be picked off our corpses once we start dropping from starvation. Or perhaps they want us to kill each other off competing for food? If we do not stand united, we will die divided. This is the plan. You will follow the Zu Tribe to prosperity or you will be left behind to rot.”
“Who made you the leader of our people?” E’zohl the Howler finally spoke up, unable to remain silent any longer. “The Zu Tribe angers Ul’dah the most. Why not throw yourself at their stone tents and rid us all of your reckless stupidity!”
S’era barely looked in his direction, but pointed her finger directly at him all the same. “We are among the few brave enough to stand up to them. I don’t see the Eft Tribe doing much of anything these days. Terrified of creatures half your size?”
“Bite your tongue and drown on your blood!” E’zohl snapped, earning her undivided attention. “You are no nunh! You are no elder either! You are just a tribewife pretending to be some self-appointed savior! You are no warrior! Go back to your hut and spread your legs, as is your duty!”
“I’ll take your tongue for that!” S’vahli shot up to his feet, but S’era raised a hand to calm him down.
“When the time comes for us to march on the shelled men’s sanctum, you will answer the call.” She declared with a threatening calmness. “Or the Zu will destroy you.”
“You forget your place!” E’zohl rose to stand, his warriors rising behind him; S’era’s warrior sisters returned the gesture, and now two tribes were at each other’s throats once more. “The Eft Tribe will see you bloated in the sand before we march to our deaths! This I vow!”
“You vow?!” Eyes flaring, teeth clenched, ears pinned down, and tail bristling, S’era shouted back, “THEN I DECLARE URRU’THUN ON THE EFT TRIBE! SEND OUT YOUR GREATEST CHAMPION, E’ZOHL, I KNOW YOU ARE FAR TOO MUCH A COWARD TO FACE ME YOURSELF!”
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Best 50 First Watches of 2022: The Jungle Book to Wonder Woman 1984
The Jungle Book (2016) dir. Jon Favreau
King Richard (2021) dir. Reinaldo Marcus Green
Last Night in Soho (2021) dir. Edgar Wright
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) dir. Kenneth Branagh
Moon Knight (2022) dir. Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Mr. Malcolm’s List (2022) dir. Emma Holly Jones
Ms. Marvel (2022) dir. Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Meera Menon and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Murder by Decree (1979) dir. Bob Clark
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) dir. Deborah Chow
Scream 4 (2011) dir. Wes Craven
Scream 5 (2022) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
She Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022) dir. Kat Coiro and Anu Valia
She’s All That (1999) dir. Robert Iscove
Soul of a Man (2022) dir. Bill Skarsgard and Landon Liboiron
Spencer (2021) dir. Pablo Larrain
A Study in Terror (1965) dir. James Hill
Suburban Gothic (2014) dir. Richard Bates Jr.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) dir. Taika Waititi
Time After Time (1979) dir. Nicholas Meyer
Turning Red (2022) dir. Domee Shi
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) dir. Dan Gilroy
Werewolf by Night (2022) dir. Michael Giacchino
What If (2013) dir. Michael Dowse
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) dir. George Miller
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins
#first watches of 2022#last night in soho#moon knight#mr malcolm's list#ms marvel#obi wan kenobi series#obi wan kenobi#star wars#scream 4#scream 2022#she hulk: attorney at law#spencer#thor: love and thunder#turning red#the witches of eastwick#wonder woman 1984
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Stays Krunchy in Milk Episode 465: Getting In Touch With Your Inner White Woman
The late-night social media deep dives are probably terrible for you but it’s good to know that you have friends up with you. The Walleye Tournament cheating scandal took the internet by storm but it was hyper local to team SKiM so we had to discuss it. President Biden issued pardons for anyone charged federally for simple possession of marijuana and began the process of changing how weed is currently scheduled nationally. It’s a big deal no matter what anyone tells you. Hershel Walker is trash and watch Georgia still end up electing his bitch ass. Ant has been experiencing some issues with anxiety and has been doing better with it until he and the family went to the local skating rink. Gabe took his kids bowling for the first time and his youngest may have a future in the sport. Tee has been without a dishwasher for a month but not for not trying to get one. We of course head on down to Reddit for some AITA. Oh, you should check out Boldy James and Nicolas Craven’s album Fair Exchange No Robbery as it is fantastic. She-Hulk is so good, as is Abbott Elementary and Atlanta. Per Ant, Power Book III: Raising Kanan is bad in a good way so you may want to watch if that sounds appealing to you. You should be watching The Great British Bake-Off and if you don’t watch it, listen to our recap on our sibling show Kréme Patisserie: A Great British Bake-Off Podcast
Team SKiM
Alternative Title – Freak Dancin’ in The Middle of the Floor
Links
Biden Pardons Thousands of People Convicted of Marijuana Possession Under Federal Law
Cheating scandal at Ohio tournament rocks competitive fishing world
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Teaser Trailer
AITA
u/thymotherisgay
AITA for embarrassing my dad after he stole my truck?
u/ThrowRASelfishParent
AITA for the way I reacted to my parents open relationship and no longer paying rent
UPDATE: AITA for the way I reacted to my parents open relationship and no longer paying rent
#Cleveland #Ohio #Podcast #LiveFromThe216 #DeLaSoul #BuhlooneMindState #EgoTrippin #Biden #Pardons #Cannabis #Walleye #VoteRalphelWarnock #Anxiety #RollerSkating #Bowling #Parenthoof #Reddit #AITA #BoldyJames #FairExchangeNoRobbery #SheHulk #CodyZiglar #AbbottElementary #Atlanta #HouseoftheDragon #GBBO #GreatBritishBakeOff #StreetsofRage4 #PowerBookIIIRaisingKanan #RIPJudyTenuta
#Cleveland Ohio Podcast LiveFromThe216 DeLaSoul BuhlooneMindState EgoTrippin Biden Pardons Cannabis Walleye#VoteRalphelWarnock Anxiety RollerSkating Bowling Parenthoof Reddit AITA BoldyJames FairExchangeNoRobbery SheHulk CodyZiglar#AbbottElementary Atlanta HouseoftheDragon GBBO GreatBritishBakeOff StreetsofRage4 PowerBookIIIRaisingKanan RIPJudyTenuta
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@healingwords asked: 👀 - Name a series you've recently started!
Munday Questions meme
Possibly the most dangerous question on this list (for infodumping at least!). In short, when I’m not writing here, taking part in a few hobbies, or working...I’m likely reading or watching something. Partly for work and partly because I’m addicted to manga sites and my kindle, I’m never not starting, in the middle of, or finishing a series. Video games are easy though: like every other otome fan with a Switch, I’m on Piofiore 1926 and Amnesia Later x Crowd.
That said, here’s a few things I’m currently into or have just started:
Books:
Bow Street series and Gamblers of Cravens series by Lisa Kleypas (might as well go through all of her historical romance series at this rate)
Rokesby series/Bridgerton prequels by Julia Quinn (Please be better than the Smith-Smythe series!)
Girl Meets Duke and Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare
The Selection (series) by Kiera Cass
A Court of Thorns and Roses (series) by Sarah J. Maas (my friends are convinced this is a fantasy series I will actually love! So I’m giving book 1 a shot)
I’m also waiting on a few other series to drop some updates/next editions in their respective series, too. But the above is what I’m actively reading.
TV:
She-Hulk (haters to the left, this is an incredible series and Jennifer Walters & She-Hulk have been my favorite Marvel characters for years), What We Do in the Shadows (Just finished Season 4!), The Bear, Miss Scarlet & The Duke Season 2, Rings of Power, Sandman, Never Have I Ever, and I need to start Andor. Some of these I watch with my fiancé and we are very slow at catching up.
I also have my super guilty pleasure show of Real Girlfriends in Paris no don’t look at me like that, I hate almost everyone on it but I get sweeping shots of Paris and that’s what counts
I’m waiting for a lot of new series updates to drop after seeing what Netflix/Tudum is offering, including but not limited to: Bridgerton, Bridgerton: A Queen Charlotte Story, The Crown, You, Elite, Stranger Things, Castlevania, Emily in Paris, Wednesday, Lupin, Squid Game, and 1899. Someone yell at me to finally start and finish Enola Holmes and The Umbrella Academy, too.
And for Hulu...I need Season 3 of The Great. So much.
Manga:
I read a lot of josei and historical manga/manhwa, mostly! I need to get caught up with the new chapters that just dropped of Father, I Don’t Want to get Married!. I’ve also just started Is It Fortune or Is It Woe? and I just finished What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?.
Everything else I either need to start from the beginning or I’m waiting on new updates.
#more-than-a-princess answered#more-than-a-princess musings#(Munday Questions meme)#healingwords#(Thank you for the ask!)#(Also I'm so sorry: bulk listing fandoms is a weakness of mine)#(But yeah I watch/read a lot. Probably way too much.)
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“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2022) Is... Good? (Repost from Quora)
Well, this was not an entry I thought I was gonna be making. I just turned this movie on because I’m a slasher fan and felt legally required to watch the first ten minutes and confirm for myself that it was a waste of time. And then I just…didn’t end up turning it off.
Slasher fan though I am, I’ve never really cared much about the Texas Chainsaw franchise. I think the first one is okay, but I appreciate it more on a level of “Oh, I see how this helped pioneer some techniques that future movies put to better use.” It’s not terribly entertaining taken at face value. Not compared to Freddy vs. Jason or the original Slumber Party Massacre or any of the Scream movies, which altogether account for my personal favorite entries in the slasher subgenre.
Point being, I haven’t watched many Texas Chainsaw movies. I’ve seen the original, I tried and failed to get through the 2003 remake, and now I’ve watched this latest one, number…seven or eight, I think. I had zero expectations other than believing I would turn this off almost immediately. But Texas Chainsaw Massacre 12 actually has some good qualities and I ended up enjoying myself. So that’s my recommendation right there, go watch it if you like slasher movies, from here on out, we’re talking spoilers. You’ve been warned.
You know how some movies are parodies of other movies, and then there’s movies that are almost parodies but not quite?
The Scream movies are an interesting example, because they do still function very well as slashers, but they’re also very self-aware. The characters are aware of the tropes of scary movies, and so the dialogue is constantly winking at the audience. For this reason, I would say Scream leans a little more toward parody than not. But Texas Chainsaw Massacre 15 is not a parody, yet it still manages to make a few jabs at contemporary slashers. Specifically, the Halloween revival.
I’ve struggled to understand why the 2018 Halloween was so well-received. I think just the basic idea of a 70-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis fighting an also 70-year-old Michael Myers is pretty stupid. No, movies don’t have to be realistic to be fun, but the idea of these two old people battling each other only fits inside a movie that is way more over-the-top than Halloween chose to be.
But that’s where this new Texas Chainsaw really surprised me. It brings back the final girl from the first Texas Chainsaw, Sally. And Sally looks very similar to Laurie Strode in the new Halloween. She’s got gray hair and she’s very frail, but she’s wielding a shotgun and looks ready to rumble.
The difference is, where Laurie Strode has been mostly successful in her recent face-offs with Michael Myers—at least in terms of surviving—Sally is not. Leatherface destroys her and I was very okay with that. He’s this big hulking brute wielding a chainsaw and she’s this old woman who looks like she weighs less than the shotgun she’s holding.
Still, I’m not sure this movie would have killed her off if it weren’t for the legacy of this series. At this point, I don’t think I believe there is any such thing as a devoted Texas Chainsaw fan, not compared to the still relatively vocal fans of Halloween or Elm Street or Friday the 13th.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre has had the same longevity but the difference is none of the sequels have stood out. I know the second one is supposed to be bonkers, and Matthew McConaughey was in Next Generation, but so what? That doesn’t hold a candle to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.
The point is, I think the people behind this movie knew they weren’t gonna piss off many if any viewers by killing Sally, and so this particular creative choice allows the film to laugh at the new Halloween which again, I’m okay with.
Something else I did not expect from this movie…it has subtext?
The basic plot is that these young snowflake Gen Z kids have come to this small town in Texas to turn it into some kind of tourist attraction. And there’s very real tension between them and the old-fashioned, right-wing rednecks that live there. And in fact, it’s this tension that results in the old woman who takes care of Leatherface dying. And since she was apparently the only thing capable of keeping Leatherface from going berserk, things get out of hand fast.
But the interesting thing is the message this movie sends, whether intentionally or not. It wants to say that young liberal people cause trouble for innocent old conservative people. It also wants to say that at the end of the day, the old conservative people are going to win that battle. Because even though Elsie Fisher and her sister believe they’ve beaten Leatherface at the end, the film’s last shot is Leatherface grabbing the sister out of their escape vehicle and killing her while Elsie Fisher is helplessly driven away.
As a person who has such a distaste for politics and really doesn’t consider himself conservative nor liberal, I’ll admit I do still find it fun to dig into horror movies in search of sociopolitical messages. It’s just such a key trait of this genre. You can look up any number of think-pieces on old slasher movies that read into their subtext, and now, you might be able to do it with this one, too.
Ultimately, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 19 has several scenes that don’t make any sense and has several characters who make stupid decisions but that’s standard slasher stuff, you either accept it or you don’t. There’s at least one truly awesome sequence that’s basically Leatherface’s version of Darth Vader’s final scene in Rogue One. Also, this is a Netflix-produced 50-years-later sequel to a horror film that isn’t really prevalent in today’s pop culture compared to a few others I’ve named.
This movie shouldn’t have worked and it certainly shouldn’t have been able to get a good response from me, but it did. See you next time.
#film#film discussion#movie#movies#horror movies#texas chainsaw massacre#halloween#leatherface#laurie strode#movie review#movie reviews#just admit it#evco#evco productions
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Abandoned at birth, the giant was raised by goats. Ironically, it grew up to be the most cautious member of the herd.
-Craven Hulk
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Most Marvel post-credit scenes hint at the future. Loki opted for a blunter approach: the God of Mischief would return in season 2.
Based on the final turn of events, there was really no other choice: Loki (Tom Hiddleston), having journeyed to the furthest point in spacetime with his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to meet the founder of the TVA, a scientist-turned-survivor-of-multiversal-war known as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), finds himself zapped into a new reality when his lady self slays the omnipresent being. The mind reels!
Creator Michael Waldron takes delight in the endless possibilities of Loki’s core premise. And as a veteran of Rick and Morty, he knows what anchors a mind-bending show, and what will keep Hiddleston’s character hurtling through his chaotic, rewritten future. Below, Polygon talks to Waldron about landing on the key choices of Loki season 1, what to expect from season 2, and a bit on his next project, the wrestling drama Heels, which is set to premiere on Aug. 15.
Did you know there’d be a second season of Loki from the beginning or was that choice made later in the process?
Michael Waldron: We always knew that it was a possibility. We always knew that we wanted to propel Loki and these characters out into the MCU after this, into further stories. But that didn’t really crystallize as a sure thing until we were in production and everything. And as we were really figuring out the finale.
So you were still cracking the ending as you shot the show?
There was a hiatus due to the pandemic. So things were constantly being retooled because of that. I think, by and large, everything with He Who Remains and the Sylvie-Loki conflict was always there. But that cliffhanger was the sort of thing that suddenly became a really appealing opportunity, a chance for that to lead into a second season.
What element of the series helped you crack the macro story of Loki, and made all the other pieces fall into place? Each episode almost feels like a standalone adventure, similar to Rick and Morty, but what helped it all click?
The first couple of weeks in the writers room was just laying out the individual episodes. It was very important to me that each episode stood on its own, and you could say “This is the Lamentis episode,” “This is the apocalypse moon episode,” “This is the Void episode.” I didn’t want it to just be cut up chapters and have one long continuous story. Obviously, we had to figure out the time travel for things to slot into place. I think a big idea for us was the way you get around the TVA by hiding in apocalypses. That felt like such a big, cool, exciting idea that it drove the action of episode 2, episode 3, and in a way it’s like Alioth is the ultimate apocalypse that He Who Remains is hiding behind. That sci-fi idea cracked a lot open for us. I know that after we had that I went home and I slept a little sounder.
Did adding the multiverse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel like blowing something up or expanding it, in terms of narrative possibilities?
In the same way that after the first couple Iron Man movies, and with the first Avengers, suddenly these movies were kind of going to space. Then we had Guardians. I think of the multiverse as another version of that. It’s new ground to cover, and particularly interesting because characters meeting other versions of themselves and other versions of people they know is... cool. That’s just a cool sci-fi concept! But I think with anything, as you expand outward, it only works if the humanity remains. It’s exciting to watch characters dealing with big crazy multiversal conflicts because we can see ourselves in them. I think you just have to hold on to the humanity that makes these stories work in the first place.
Did you go back to the Thor movies for Loki? Was there anything to find in the past of Marvel as you were paving the future?
Absolutely. I mean I watched them many times, contrary to what Twitter might think because I did some bits on there saying that I’ve never seen Avengers and I upset some people [laughs]. I have seen it many times. “Confirmed: Loki writer has seen Avengers and saw it before writing Loki show.”
In fact, I was watching all these movies on a loop in the writers’ room. I gleaned so much because you watch the evolution of the character. Avengers was particularly informative because our story picks up Loki right after that, but I also I found a lot of inspiration in Thor: The Dark World, a maybe sometimes maligned movie that I actually really enjoy. I just think there’s great stuff with Loki being tangentially responsible for the death of his mother, how he reacts to that. That is the start of his journey of that version of Loki’s redemption, so I was inspired by that.
What’s propelling the characters into season 2? Where are you headed in basic terms?
In season 1, you saw a lot of characters reckoning with and questioning their own glorious purpose, and that glorious purpose changing, [characters] realizing that that can change. Everybody except for Sylvie. I think she holds onto hers, which is vengeance, and to the detriment of us all, perhaps. And we’ve got a Loki who, at the top of our show, assessed himself as a villain and, I would argue, at the end of our show, has become a little bit of a hero. There’s nothing more heroic to me than fighting for the right thing and losing. You see that washing over him as he’s there back at the TVA, after Sylvie has knocked back there. And then he gets up because that is what heroes do — they keep going. So I think that you’re gonna see a Loki that looks at himself in a different way certainly that at the top of this.
Do you hope to explore more of Sylvie’s backstory in season 2?
I guess we’ll see. We certainly have our own rich backstory for her, stuff that didn’t get to make it into the show. Elissa Karasik, our episode 2 writer, wrote a lot of amazing backstory for Sylvia and everything. So those ideas exist out there.
And her version of Thor?
Tune in.
How did He Who Remains come about? Did you bring the character to Marvel or was that a character Marvel hoped to introduce?
I was pushing and our team was pushing early on in the writers’ room that it should be a version of Kang up in that Citadel, sort of fusing the mythology of He Who Remains with a little bit of the Immortus mythology. And that was a thing we were excited to do. And it became clear that it actually made sense for our story. The only way we were going to do it was if it made sense, but it was like, who had a better argument for creating the TVA to prevent other versions of themselves from existing then a guy as evil as Kang the Conqueror?
You wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — did Marvel hire you for that after Loki? Does the movie feel like a continuation of the show?
Yeah, that opportunity came as we were getting ready to start production on Loki. It was a pleasure. I got to work with Sam Raimi, a hero of mine. I was in London for five months making that movie at the top of this year. We had a blast. I think that it’s a continuation in as much as ever every Marvel movie is to some extent a chapter in an ongoing story, but these things are meant to stand alone and the most important thing about Doctor Strange too is making the most kick ass Doctor Strange movie we could.
Is Loki a two-part show now or are you invested in telling a longer story with future seasons beyond season 2?
Time will tell, but I do my hope is that season 1 stands on its own. We always wanted to tell a complete story there. And in whatever the next chapter may be will stand on its own as well.
Your next show, Heels, is already on the way. We got a big preview out of Comic-Con this year, but I’m curious about the scope of this story. You’re starting with two brothers running an independent wrestling franchise, but you’ve dropped the name “Vince McMahon” a few times — is this about the building of an empire? Would you liken it to The Godfather or Breaking Bad?
I always thought about it a little bit of a Scorsese-sort-of rise, and we’ll see if there’s a fall. Starting from humble beginnings and trying to build some crazy. Wrestling was certainly not always the empire that it is and that’s what’s interesting, to watch the evolution of a family-run wrestling business from something you do in your small towns and perhaps a national, even global empire. That would be a really compelling arc for a show over the course of several seasons. I’d be excited to explore that.
What’s the most dramatically fulfilling wrestling moment you’ve witnessed? What’s the bar for the wrestling drama of Heels?
It’s gotta be Hulk Hogan turning heel in the WCW. There was an invasion storyline, these guys from WWF, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, came over and they were the bad guys. It was at a Pay-per-view and and they were beating up on the good guys that you love, and here comes Hulk Hogan in the yellow and red and he’s the hero. “The Hulk’s gonna get ‘em! The good guy’s here!” And then the Hulk just leg drops Randy Savage. That was the original Red Wedding. I just think about the boldness of turning him heel. To a little kid... I wasn’t even like a massive Hulk fan, but he was just such a mythological figure. What a chance that Hulk Hogan took as a performer, as a bankable kind of movie star at that point. That was bold, risky storytelling and it set off two years of amazing storytelling with Hogan just playing a craven, cowardly heel and just being so evil. I really respect the hell out of them for doing that. That was a great storyline.
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nancy drew name meanings
so this is the work i’ve been doing over the past couple days, I want to give you guys a heads up that list will contain spoilers for some of the characters/games so please be aware of all of that. if this garners interest, i’ll do maybe the penvellyn family tree (that thing could not fit in here) or last name origins!
Main Cast
Nancy Drew: Grace (Hebrew)
Bess Marvin: god of plenty (English)
Georgia “George” Fayne: farmer (English)
Edward “Ned” Nickerson: wealth, fortune, prosperous OR guardian, protector (English)
Joe Hardy: god will increase (English)
Frank “Franklin” Hardy: free landowner (English)
SCK/SCKR
Jacob “Jake” Rogers: supplanter (Hebrew)
Daryl Gray: open, from Airelle (English, French)
Connie Watson: strong willed, wise (Irish)
Hal Tanaka: army ruler (English)
Hector “Hulk” Sanchez: holding fast (Greek)
Mitch Dillon: Who is like God, gift from god (Hebrew)
Detective “Steve” Beech: crown, garland (Greek)
STFD
Mattie Jensen: lady, mistress of the house, might in battle (Aramaic or German)
Richard “Rick” Arlen: brave ruler (English)
Dwayne Powers: swarthy (Irish, Gaelic)
Lillian Weiss: lily, a flower (English)
Millie Strathorn: industrious (German)
William Pappas: resolute protector, strong willed warrior (German)
Ralph Guardino: counsel wolf, famous wolf (Norse, English)
MHM
Rose Green: rose, a flower (English)
Abby Sideris: father’s joy (Hebrew)
Charlie Murphy: free man (Charlie)
Louis Chandler: fame, warrior, famous in battle (French)
Hannah Gruen: favor, grace (Hebrew)
Emily Foxworth: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)
TRT
Professor Beatrice Hotchkiss: she who makes happy, bringer of joy, blessings (Italian, French, Latin)
Dexter Egan: right handed, fortunate, one who dyes (Latin)
Lisa Ostrum: God’s promise (English, Hebrew)
Jacques Brunais: supplanter (French)
FIN
Brady Armstrong: spirited, broad (Irish)
Joseph Hughes: he will add (Hebrew)
Nicholas Falcone: victory of the people (Greek)
Simone Mueller: god has heard (Hebrew)
Maya Nguyen: good mother (Greek)
Eustacia Andropov: fruitful, productive (Greek)
Sherman Trout: shearer of woolen garments (English)
SSH
Joanna Riggs: god is gracious (Greek/Hebrew)
Alejandro Del Rio: defender of mankind (Spanish)
Taylor Sinclair: tailor (French)
Henrik Van Der Hune: ruler of the home, lord of the house (Swedish, Danish)
Franklin Rose: free landowner (English)
Poppy “Penelope” Dada: weaver (Greek)
Prudence Rutherford: prudence, good judgement (Latin)
DOG
Red Knott: person with red hair (English)
Jeff Akers: pledge of peace (English)
Emily Griffin: rival, persuasive, wily (Latin, Greek)
Sally McDonald: princess (Hebrew)
Vivian Whitmore: lively (Latin)
Mickey Malone: who is like god (Hebrew)
Lucy: as of light (English, French)
Iggy: fiery (Latin)
Vitus: lively (Latin)
Xander: defender of man (Greek)
Yogi: one who performs yoga (Indian, Hindu)
CAR
Harlan Bishop: army land (English)
Ingrid Corey: beloved, beautiful (Norse, German)
Elliot Chen: with strength and right, bravely and truly, boldly and rightly (English, Breton)
Joy Trent: joy, happiness (Latin)
Paula Santos: small (Latin)
K.J Perris: Petros-> the rock (Greek)
Tink Obermeier: love (English)
DDI
Jenna Deblin: white shadow, white wave (English, Welsh)
Katie Firestone: pure (English, Greek)
Andy Jason: manlike, brave (Greek)
Holt Scotto: woods, forest (English)
Casey Porterfield: vigilant, watchful (Irish, Gaelic)
Dr. Irina Predoviciu: peace (Greek)
Hilda Swenson: battle (Norse)
SHA
Dave Gregory: beloved (English)
Tex Britten: from Texas (American)
Mary Yazzie: bitter, beloved, rebelliousness, wished for child, marine, drop of the sea (Aramaic, Hebrew via Latin and Greek)
Shorty Thurmond: a short person (American)
Bet Rawley: god is my oath (Hebrew)
Ed Rawley: wealthy spear, protector, guard, frend (English)
Sheriff Hernandez: son of Hernando (Spanish)
Dirk Valentine: famous ruler (German)
France Humber: free one (French, English)
Meryl Humber: shining sea (English)
CUR
Linda Penvellyn: beautiful, pretty, cute OR clean (Spanish/Portugeuse, Italian)
Mrs. Leticia Drake: joy, gladness (Latin)
Jane Penvellyn: god is gracious/merciful (English)
Nigel Mookerjee: champion (Irish, Gaelic)
Ethel Bossiny: noble (English)
Hugh Penvellyn: mind, spirit (English)
Mrs. Petrov: petros-> rock (Greek to Russian)
CLK
Emily Crandall: rival, wily, persuasive (Latin, Greek)
Jane Willoughby: god is gracious/merciful (English)
Richard Topham: strong in rule (English, French, German, Czech)
Jim Archer: supplanter (English)
Carson Drew: son of marsh dwellers (Scandinavian)
Gloria Crandall: glory, fame, renown, praise, honor (Latin)
Marion Aborn: star of the sea (French)
Mrs Farthingham: a house supplying food (Scottish)
Josiah Crowley: god has healed (Hebrew)
TRN
Lori Girard: bay laurel (English)
Tino Balducci: little, junior (Italian)
Charleena Purcell: free man (German)
John Gray: graced by god (Hebrew)
Jake Hurley: supplanter (Hebrew)
Camille Hurley: helper to the priest (French)
Fatima: captivating, shining one (Arabic)
DAN
Minette: star of the sea, love, will helmet, protection (French)
Heather McKay: evergreen flowering plant (Middle English)
Jing Jing Ling: perfect essence (Chinese)
Dieter von Schwesterkrank: army of the people (German)
Jean-Michel Traquenard: god remits (Hebrew)
Lynn Manrique: pond, lake, pool, waterfall (Welsh)
Hugo Butterly: mind (German)
Zu: knowledgeable and voracious reader (French)
Tammy Barnes (Minette): palm tree (Hebrew)
Noisette Tornade: hazelnut (French)
the n*zi will not be appearing on this list
CRE
Pua Mapu: flower (Hawaiian)
Big Island Mike Mapu: who is like god, gift from god (Hebrew)
Dr. Quigley Kim: descendant of Coigleach or maybe messy hair (Irish)
Dr. Malachi Craven: messenger of god (Hebrew)
ICE
Ollie Randall: olive tree (Latin)
Yanni Volkstaia: god is gracious (Greek)
Bill Kessler: resolute protection (English)
Lou Talbot: renowned warrior (French)
Guadalupe Comillo: river of the wolf (Spanish)
Chantal Moique: stone (French)
Elsa Sibblehoth: pledged to god (German)
Freddie Randall: elf, magical counsel, peaceful ruler (English, German)
Isis: throne (Egyptian)
CRY
Henry Bolet Jr.: house ruler (French)
Dr. Gilbert Buford: bright pledge/promise (French)
Lamont Warrick: the mountain (French)
Renee Amande: reborn, born again (French)
Summer: season, half-year (German)
Bruno Bolet: brown (German)
Bernie: strong and brave bear (German, French)
Iggy: fiery (Latin)
VEN
Colin Baxter: whelp, cub, young creature (Irish, Scottish, Gaelic)
Margherita Faubourg: daisy (Italian)
Helena Berg: light/bright (Greek)
Enrico Tazza: homeowner, king (Italian)
Antonio Fango: priceless one (Spanish, Italian)
Sophia Leporace: wisdom (Greek)
HAU
Kyler Mallory: bowman, archer (Dutch)
Matt Simmons: gift of god (Hebrew)
Kit Foley: bearing Christ (Greek)
Donal Delany: world leader (Scottish)
Alan Payne: precious (German)
Fiona Malloy: white, fair (Gaelic)
RAN - Her Interactive refuses to acknowledge this game and so will I.
WAC
Corine Myers: maiden (American)
Danielle Hayes: god is my judge (Latin)
Mel Corbalis: council protector (English)
Megan Vargas: pearl (Greek)
Izzy Romero: god’s promise (Hebrew)
Leela Yadav: play OR night beauty (Sanskrit or Arabic)
Rachel Hubbard: ewe, one with purity (Hebrew)
Kim Hubbard: of the clearing of the royal fortress (Old English)
Rebecca Sawyer (Nancy): join, tie, snare (Hebrew)
Rita Hallowell: pearl (Spanish)
TOT
Scott Varnell: from Scotland, a Scotsman (old English)
Debbie Kircum: bee (Hebrew)
Tobias “Frosty” Harlow: god is good (Hebrew)
Chase Releford: to hunt (French)
SAW
Shimizu Yumi: reason/cause, beauty; abundant, beauty; evening, fruit; tenderness, beauty (Japanese)
Shimizu Miwako: child of beautiful harmony (Japanese)
Shimizu Kasumi: mist, clear, pure (Japanese)
Nagai Takae: filial piety, obedience and large river (Japanese)
Aihara Rentaro: dependant on kanji used (Japanese)
Savannah Woodham: treeless plain (Spanish)
CAP
Karl Weschler: free man, strong man, man, manly (German)
Anja Mittelmeier: grace (German, Russian)
Lukas Mittelmeier: man from Lucanus (German, Greek, Swedish)
Renate Stoller: Reborn (Latin)
Markus Boehm: dedicated to Mars (Latin)
ASH
Chief McGinnis: son of Angus (Irish)
Deirdre Shannon: broken hearted, sorrowful (Irish, Gaelic)
Brenda Carlton: sword (Norse)
Alexei Markovic: defender (Russian)
Antonia “Toni” Scallari: priceless, praiseworthy, beautiful (Roman)
TMB
Abdullah Bakhoum: servant of Allah (Arabic)
Lily Crewe: lily, a flower
Jamila El-Dine: beauty (Arabic)
Dylan Carter: son of the sea, son of the wave, born from the ocean (Welsh)
Jon Boyle: God is gracious, gift of Jehovah (Hebrew)
DED
Victor Lossett: winner, conqueror (Latin)
Ryan Kilpatrick: descendant of the king, little king (Irish, Gaelic)
Mason Quinto: one who works with stone (English)
Ellie York: shining light (Greek)
Gray Cortright: color, black mixed with white (English)
Niko Jovic: people of victory (Greek, English, Slavic)
GTH
Jessalyn Thornton: he sees (Hebrew)
Clara Thornton: clear, bright, famous (Latin)
Wade Thornton: to go, ford (Anglo-Saxon English)
Harper Thornton: harp, son of the harper (Scottish, Irish, English)
Colton Birchfield: swarthy person, coal town, settlement (Old English)
Charlotte Thornton: free man, petite (French)
Addison Hammond: son of Adam, son of Addi (Old English, Scottish)
SPY
Alec Fell: defender of the people (English)
Bridget Shaw: power, strength, virtue, vigor, noble or exalted one (Gaelic, Irish)
Ewan Macleod: born of the mountain (Scottish, Gaelic)
Moira Chisholm: destiny, share, fate (English)
Kate Drew: pure (English)
Samantha Quick: listens well, as told by god (Aramaic, Hebrew)
MED
Sonny Joon: son (English)
Patrick Dowsett: nobleman, patrician (Latin)
Leena Patel: young palm tree, tender, delicate (Qunaric Arabic)
Kiri Nind: skin, bark, rind (Māori)
Jin Seung: rise, ascent, victory, excel, inherit (Sino-Korean)
LIE
Xenia Doukas: foreigner, outlander, welcomed guest, hospitality (Greek)
Niobe Papadaki: fern (Greek)
Thanos Ganas: immortal (Greek)
Grigor Karakinos: vigilant (Greek)
Melina Rosi: honey, god’s gift (Greek)
SEA
Soren Bergursson: severe (Scandinavian)
Dagny Silva: new day (Old Norse)
Elisabet Grimursdottir: pledged to god (Hebrew)
Magnus Kiljansson: great (Latin)
Gunnar Tonnisson: fighter, soldier, attacker, brave and bold warrior (Nordic)
Burt Eddleton: bright, glorious (Old English)
Alex Trang: man’s defender, warrior (Greek)
MID
Mei Parry: beautiful (Chinese)
Teegan Parry: special thing, little poet (Cornish, Gaelic)
Olivia Ravencraft: olive, olive tree (Latin)
Judge Danforth: hidden ford (Old English) [Last name]
Lauren Corey: laurel tree, sweet of honor, wisdom (English, french)
Alicia Cole: noble natured (Germanic)
Jason Danforth: healer (Greek)
#nancy drew#the formatting is weird but hey it works#frank doesnt have a normal meaning so i used franklin bc some media did use that#anyways enjoy#sck#sckr#stfd#mhm#trt#fin#ssh#dog#car#ddi#sha#cur#clk#trn#dan#cre#ice#cry#ven#hau#ran#wac#tot#saw#cap#ash
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A Warrior’s Heart | Phase 1: Welcome - 2
Girls’ Night
Summary: Ife begins her first ‘mission’ with the help of her friends.
Warnings: Swearing, Excessive Partying, Some Angst
Rating: Explicit/18+
Word Count: 4,145
Main Pairing: Stucky x Black!OFC (Ifekerenma ‘Ife’)
Characters: Ifekerenma, Wanda, Natasha, and Ife’s friends
A/N: I’m sorry that it’s been a while since my last chapter. Please practice self-care, everyone! Also, thanks to everyone who has given me feedback. Dividers were created by the wonderful @firefly-graphics! Check them out!
Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
<<Previous
(late May 2015)
“Ah, that hits the spot!” Ife moaned as she submerged into her heated circular indoor pool.
So far the team has treated her well enough given how her first 24 hours went. No one had any major negative emotional echoes coming off of them and they even talked to her, especially Steve and Sam.
Her first mission was mostly a success.
The team was able to stop and apprehend the Macedonian weapons smuggler, Branko Stojanoski, before he made it to Paris with HYDRA/Chitauri stockpiles.
One would think that would be enough, but it left Ife with more questions. Why did some of the weapons look like Magitech? Why did one of the female combatants feel like more than human, like Natasha?
She needed to inform Eliza.
After Ife finished her R&R, she made her way to the Common Room only to find Wanda practicing her powers while flying. Well, trying to anyway.
Ife had always felt that Wanda’s methods were lacking which made sense. Both Wanda and Pietro got their powers ten months ago when Strucker and HYDRA experimented on them. They’ve never really had the chance to practice, surrounded either by vicious idiots or well-meaning comrades who were seriously out of their depth.
Perhaps she would be the best place to start.
Wanda was trying to levitate herself while taking apart the steel cube again with no luck. She couldn’t get herself in the ‘right mindset’ which was just aw well since she was always surrounded by chaos.
Their parents tried to shield both her and Pietro from the chaos outside their sanctuary of the apartment building. She even had friends in Angelika and Emil. They would pretend that they were exploring an enchanted forest and other fairy tale adventures. Pietro would join in when coaxed by Angelika (Wanda knew he liked her).
They were in their own little paradise...until the bombs came.
Wanda just got back from playing with Angelika and the music box that she got for her tenth birthday. Her mother was preparing Pietro’s favorite dinner when they heard the blaring of alarms and evacuation orders. Her father hurried them to the door, but their mother forgot to turn off the oven. He went back for her when the mortar shell hit their home.
Both of their parents died instantly. She and Pietro huddled together under the table for dear life when the second bomb landed four meters in front of them. They were in that position for two days wondering if the rescue efforts would sign their death warrants, all while glowering at the words engraved on the missile.
STARK INDUSTRIES
When the rescuers finally got them out, they found out that they were the only ones to survive the bomb raids. One of the rescuers handed Wanda Angelika’s music box thinking it was hers.
They attended their first Anti-US Imperialism protest three weeks later.
––––––––––
Years passed and Wanda would sporadically spare a thought for her parents, Emil and Angelika. She kept wondering what they would do if they were in her place. Somedays the only she could remember Angelika was when she played the music box.
One day, a man simply known as List approached them after yet another protest of a craven leader. List said that he could give them the power to end all the revolutions and strife in Sokovia.
Frustrated with the lack of progress, she and Pietro agreed to the experiments along with 212 other volunteers. Once again, they were the only ones to survive.
List and Strucker subjected them to painful and demeaning ‘tests of strength’ not two days after they received their powers.
Both their hatred for HYDRA and their yearning to be free grew in the coming months. She almost gave up, until one day in early March when the Avengers finally found the base.
This was their chance.
–––––––
It wasn’t hard to plant a seed of chaos into Tony Stark. He already had one foot in the proverbial hero’s grave already. To be honest, she was surprised at how quickly the Avengers turned on each other. Witnessing their inner anguish was just desserts.
The problem was that it worked too well.
Sure, it was fair game to go after Tony, but Bruce? In retrospect, setting the Hulk loose on Istanbul was a low blow.
And Seoul….where to begin.
As soon as she caught a glimpse of the mass extinction Ultron desired, she knew they fucked up big time.
She and Pietro only wanted the Avengers and the US to fall, not wipe out all life on Earth! They knew that they had to swallow their pride and hate if Earth wasn’t going to have an unexpected turn of events (i.e. everything going the way of the Dodo).
Thankfully, the total death count was three (especially since reports put the worst-case scenario at least 15,000).
Although sometimes Wanda wondered if her drive for revenge was worth it.
“Hi, Wanda! How’s it going?”
Wanda snapped out of her thoughts and turned around to find Ife with a warm smile.
She didn’t know what to think of Ife at first. Okay, besides the fact that she consumed enough food to feed a village in under two hours, she was kind. More importantly, she feared neither her nor her brother. She started cooking for the team and staff (turned out she’s what Sam calls a ‘supreme chef’), and would answer questions they had about non-humans. It’s just that something seemed amiss about her and the way she answered the questions like she’s hiding something.
Wanda returned the smile, “Not much.” Just trying to get a simple task done.
Ife pressed her lips together in contemplation, “I was wondering if you would like some help training. I’ve seen you practice by yourself and,” she hesitated for few seconds, ”well I figured you would like some help, or at least the company.”
“I would like that.”
“Great! Give me ten minutes.” And with that, Ife flew out of the room.
“Okay, this is a magic gauge. Homo Magi and other Non-Humans use it to see where a person is power-wise.” Ife explained as Wanda approached the peculiar object.
The gauge was made of glass (at least Wanda hoped it was glass), double-gourd in shape with floral engravings.
It glowed Venetian Red with the intensity increasing the closer Wanda got. The glow’s color quickly turned Burnt Maroon then Red Ink once she touched it. Soon she felt a pull from the gauge as if it was reaching into her mind. Her anxiety flared up and Ife pulled her out of the way as the gauge exploded.
“Well, um...do you want to take a break and continue tomorrow? I’m so sorry about that, Wanda.”
“It’s alright. I’ll see you around dinner.”
“Okay.”
“So, um how to put this...we might have a problem,” Ife stated as her friend group met virtually to discuss what to do for Girl’s Night.
“What is it, Ife?” Ashtoreth asked.
“Did they find out about your room? Or about the time when-”
“Okay, Djamila,” Itzel interjected, “Please continue.”
Ife shot Itzel a grateful grin, “Thanks ltzel. So you know how Eliza Maza tasked me with aiding the Avengers?”
“Yeah, so they can help us in the future? Figured someone from BNA would ask ya. Didn’t think it would be so soon.” Azeneth noted.
“Makes sense, they’ve been trying to get in with them for years now-” Mayumi started.
“Back to the direct topic at hand, is it possible that a few of you could help Wanda Maximoff?”
“The new Homo Magi that has the Magic Council up in arms?” Marama guessed as Ife grabbed the footage from earlier.
“Yeah. Take a look at this. I think we might have a problem on our hands.”
Ife watched as her friends’ expressions shifted from mild amusement to sad and worried. Except for Djamila and Gulmira, they had a good chuckle.
“I think Wanda has an affinity towards chaos magic, specifically reality-warping and possibly Hex Bolts. She might have more, I couldn’t tell. She’s more powerful than the Magic Council originally guessed. Although, that’s not the problem here.”
“She’s mentally and emotionally unstable,” Nermin stated.
“Right to the point, I see,” Marjani commented while examining her fingernails.
“Exactly. I fear that she may become a danger to herself and the planet.”
“And all of BNA’s hard work goes up in flames. So, what do you want to do, Ife?”
Ife bit her thumbnail in contemplation, “We have to train her. I can show her some of the basics, but the rest of us will have to train Wanda before she hurts herself. She’s barely making it on her own and let’s face it, no one else here knows fuck all about magic .”
“Hot in looks but clueless when it comes to magic and Non-Human affairs.”
“I wouldn’t say completely clueless, Azeneth.” Ife corrected, “I showed them ‘The Basic Bitch’s Guide’ and I’ve answered any basic question regarding Non-Humans. They’re not up to speed on BNA, but at least they know about dragons, yokai, and the Fae.”
“Ok. So, it’s safe to say that you’ll be keeping a tight lid on the UA, right?”
Ife sighed and offered Marama a small frown, “Yes. And it would be best that you do as well. Please?”
“No problem, Ife.” Ashtoreth assured her while the rest of the group nodded,” Now that we’ve settled the Wanda Matter, What are we going to do in celebration of Xiomara’s grand opening?”
Several days passed and Wanda was making great progress in her magical studies with Ife (after Ife promised to make it up to her). She was getting the hang of levitation and flight as well as basic Magical Energy Manipulation in the form of force fields, telekinesis, illusions, and some basic spells.
It was nice to not have to rely on her anger nearly as much. Though she couldn’t access Ife’s mind. Not that she meant to, it was an accident.
Maybe in time, Ife will let her.
“Hey, Wanda. I was wondering,” Ife bit her thumbnail as she’s want to do, “Do you want to come to Girl’s Night with me this Saturday? One of my friends, Xiomara, just founded and opened her own design studio! The rest of us wanted to celebrate. I figured it would a great chance to introduce you to my friend group and have some time away from the Compound.”
Wanda lowered her head in thought. It would be nice to meet Ife’s friends and connect with individuals who don’t fear her. Getting off the Compound would be a great bonus.
“Sure. On one condition: Natasha has to come as well.”
“Okay.”
After asking (slight begging) Natasha to join them for Girls’ Night, the trio agreed to meet outside of Ife’s quarters around 6:30 PM.
Natasha gently grabbed one of Wanda’s hands, “Relax, It’ll be fine.”
“I know. It’s just-”
At that moment, Ife stepped out into the hallway looking well, strikingly different. She was wearing a gold and sapphire mid-thigh length African wax print dress done in detailed petal designs. Most of her long Midnight Purple hair was in a single braid with a high, single wrap around the back of the head and a single row of gold bands down the middle of her scalp that she divided into three parts with a comb.
It was nice and a little weird seeing her outside of her uniform and tactical gear. She looked gorgeous!
“You came!” Ife beamed as she gave Wanda and Natasha a hug, “You look lovely,” she added noting their attire. Natasha was sporting a Faux Leather Mini Skirt with a Wine colored deep v-neck top. Wanda was dressed in a Spartan Crimson Deep V Bodice Satin Short A-Line dress.
“You look ravishing! You should be out of your normal gear more often!” Natasha praised as Ife frowned ever so slightly.
“Well, aren’t you going to let us in?” Wanda asked sensing Ife’s discomfort.
“Of course! Come in.” And with that, Ife welcomed the two heroines into her ‘apartment’.
“You do realize that we’re having our Girls’ Night in your room from now on, right?” Natasha insisted as she and Wanda entered Ife’s living quarters.
“I figured,” Ife muttered as she turned to look at her teammates, “I know I sound like an asshole for asking this, but could you not tell the others yet?”
“Well, you agreed to let us frequent the room for our own Girls’ Night, so yes.” Wanda decided as the trio came to stop in front of a 20ft (6.1m) spherical door with an Art Nouveau design.
“Okay. Let me put in the codes and we’ll be on our way.”
“Make sure to get all the characters this time, Ife. You don’t’ want them to wait for 30 minutes like last time.” A pretty deep, easy-going masculine voice chimed in.
“What-” Wanda started.
“Oh, that’s BEBOP, my AI. He’s like FRIDAY or JARVIS, but cooler.”
“A lot cooler,” the voice said before materializing in front of the women,” Let’s try this again. Technically, my name is BEBOP, but you can call me Spike.” The holographic man was tall (6’4” / 1.93m), lean and athletic in build, had a fluffy mop of dark green hair, light brown eyes, and wore a navy blue leisure suit with the sleeves rolled up.
“So you created Spike?”
“I made BEBOP, but he named himself Spike,” Ife explained as she tried her darnedest to enter the codes before Spike embarrassed her.
“She also has six patents for-”
“Got it! After you, ladies.” Ife announced as the door glowed Pale Gold and opened in a spiral motion.
The door opened to a coffee shop that wouldn’t be out of place in the ‘hipster corner’ of an urban neighborhood.
“Hello. What can I do for you three?” The barista greeted as they raised their head out of the book they were reading and smiled at the trio.
Ife glanced at the chalkboard menu, “I would like a medium Lemongrass Twilight Tea please.”
The barista’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly, “Seems strange for the season.”
“I know, but one should enjoy the simple things in life while they last.”
The barista seemed to like Ife’s reply because Wanda heard the ding of an elevator to her left.
“Enjoy your evening ladies.” The barista said as Ife dropped $100 into the tip jar.
The elevator was a lot bigger on the inside with its interior having a modern Victorian design.
“What’s wrong?” Ife asked as the elevator’s doors closed behind her.
“Nothing.” Natasha replied as she did a quick scan to see if any ‘funny business’ was about to go down.
“Relax and enjoy the ride,” Ife assured as the elevator started to speed up its descent after a few minutes.
The elevator’s interior got larger and larger until a voice announced that the elevator would be entering ‘Pod Mode’. Automated controls and windows started forming at the front and sides of the now morphed elevator interior.
“You might want to strap in,” Ife advised as three seats formed from the now pod floor.
The pod paused in its descent and accelerated forward on what seemed to be high-speed rail tracks.
Wanda looked out the windows in awe as she started to see a floating light, then a floating landmass, then buildings Wanda only saw in fantasy/sci-fi novels and concept art.
“Welcome to Nephetz, ladies,” Ife announced sensing Wanda’s wonder and Natasha’s subtle amusement.
Hopefully, they’ll like her friends.
Twenty minutes after Ife made her soft announcement, the trio arrived at the number one club in Nephetz, Zenaida.
Ife walked up to the bouncer, a troll in sleek obsidian armor, and showed them her invite.
“Welcome to Zenaida, ladies.” the bouncer greeted them as Ife led her fellow Avengers past the threshold.
Wanda gasped at what was before her.
The club’s interior was massive, to say the least. The first thing to hit her was the giant floating orb over the center of the dance floor. It had stage lights shooting out pinks and light blues orbiting around it like satellites and what looked to be five women dancing on a stage about 33’ (10.1m) above the orb. A DJ stage was set in the far left of the dance floor with sparkling mist flowing beneath it. Around the dance floor was a body of water containing spectacular coral reefs and grottos with what seemed to be mermaids, tritons, nymphs, and Aquatic Atlanteans dancing in it. Above the main dance floor were 25 floating islands with magically sustained clouds underneath them. All around the club were glowing orbs much smaller than the one above the dance floor.
All in all, it was probably the coolest place Wanda’s ever seen.
“Ife! Finally, you’re here!” a tall, dark-haired woman in a black PU Jumpsuit with a maroon oak crop jacket walked up and pulled Ife into a short hug.
“Salam, Nermin! I see you’ve made it early.” Ife remarked as Nat softly elbowed her upper arm.
“Right! Nermin, these are my teammates, Natasha Romanova and Wanda Maximoff. Natasha, Wanda, this is Nermin Ozana Negrescu. She was the one who helped me in Novi Grad.”
Nermin held out her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both! Ife has told us much about you.”
“Good things I hope.” Nat prodded as she shook Nermin’s hand.
“The best,” Ife assured.
“Well, we have one of the VIP Islands for Xio’s bash. Let’s go!” Nermin announced as a self-driving group hoverboard descended in front of them.
“All aboard!”
The floating island had about 40 people lounging around different tables and booths with the largest one having 17 people around it.
“Ife!” The island’s occupants cheered when the hoverboard dropped off the group.
“Late again, I see,” a woman in a Cardin Green asymmetrical maxi dress with a plunging V-neckline, padded shoulders, and long sleeves.
“I know, I know. Husna, I already got it from Nermin at the entrance. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, Ife. We know.” Husna reassured Ife as they made their way to the big table.
“Everyone,” Ife announced making the table’s occupants turn their heads, “Sorry I’m late,” everyone groaned, “I know. But, I would like you all to meet two of my new teammates, Natasha Romanova and Wanda Maximoff.”
Everyone on the island crowded around the duo effectively pushing Ife to the sidelines.
Wanda felt it was a bit surreal meeting Ife’s friends. All of them looked happy to see her, not the mixed looks of fear, hatred, and disgust that most people (outside the team) would give her.
{{Ife sure has a lot of friends.}} Wanda thought almost bitterly.
Ife’s friends, or ‘crew’ as she calls them, were an eccentric group of demigoddess, Fae, Homo Magi, Homo Superius, Demons, Jinn, Orcs, and Succubae.
Their names were: Caterina IsmeneMetaxas, Itzel Erna Alondra Losnedahl (Arnesdottir), Batari Moon, Thiri Rajvir Sharma, Marama Zehra Arslan-Avci, Ashtoreth Marceline Sabah-Faucher, Nermin Ozana Negrescu, Djamila Ijebusomma Ngozika Amantea, Azeneth Esperanza Zoraida Ramirez, Gulmira Eriayomi Hendrix, Mayumi Filippovna Lebedeva, Marjani Subira Xun, Husna Meadhra Al-Hashim, Astridr Kara Signe Losnedahl (Bjørnsdottir), Xiomara Ekundayo Jimenez, Aghavni Jamshidi, and Lakshmi Hamasaki.
((Here are the face claims for Ife’s friends))
When she got past the ethereal glitz and glamour, Wanda realized that these women were quite funny and nerdy, like Ife.
Maybe her heart had room for a few more friends.
“I can see why you’re worried.” Azeneth stated as she and Ife were watching Wanda being the center of attention, “I can feel her anxiety from the threshold.”
“I know. Do you think you can help her?”
“We talked about her before you arrived. Djamila, Nermin, Nazaret, and I will train her if she’ll have us.”
“I’m sure she’ll have you. Thanks, Azeneth.”
“No problem. Although, there has been talk amongst the Magic Council about her. Strange is doing his best, but there are others who want to bring Wanda in.”
Ife frowned remembering the Magic Council’s need for control. This wouldn’t be the first time her crew has ruffled a few of their feathers.
“So, did BNA find anything about the Magitech info I sent them?” Ife asked in reference to the Branko assignment.
“Nothing yet, I’m afraid. It seems that HYDRA’s not dead just yet.”
Ife pressed her lips together in annoyance,” Thanks anyway.”
Azeneth noted Ife’s choice of words,” It looks like it’s time for the toasts.”
“To Xiomara! May all your dreams be fulfilled and the well of your creativity never runs dry!” Caterina proclaimed to the crowd.
“Here, Here!” the crowd cheered as everyone down another shot of Zenaida’s House Fireballs (Nat and Wanda had a lighter version).
“To Xio Labs!” Djamila shouted as the crowd downed another round of Fireballs and Xiomara got up to speak.
“Thank you, everyone! It has been a rough couple of years, but it was worth it. And with your support, it will be glorious!” Xiomara exclaimed to thunderous applause and the raising of glasses.
“Alright, time to dance!” Lakshmi trumpeted as she, Djamila, and Marjani coaxed everyone to the dance floor.
“Don’t worry, I’ll follow,” Ife reassured Wanda and Natasha when they noticed her hanging back on the VIP Island.
Ife flew down to the dance floor once everyone else got off their VIP Island. She found Lakshmi up to her usual shenanigans (flirting with a female Undine). Wanda was dancing with Batari, Aghavni, Djamila, and Gulmira while finally easing her nerves (that’s a win in her book).
A couple of guys tried to flirt with Wanda, but Batari and Gulmira shooed them away.
Ife spied Natasha checking out Renata Labriola, a drider, in her human form.
Ife’s plan seemed to be working perfectly.
“So, are you ready to let loose?”
Ife groaned as she awoke on a super comfy couch. She didn’t remember what happened after that question was asked. It was probably Djamila getting back at her for Spring Break.
“Figures she would do that,” Ife muttered to herself as the Woman of the Hour waltzed into the room with Natasha and Wanda in tow.
“Nice to see that you’re awake,” Djamila stated in a sing-song manner that made Ife want to throw a pillow at her.
In good fun of course.
“Neat.” Ife deadpanned followed by a mirthless chuckle when Djamila pointed to the time.
“You looked and felt pretty tense during the toasting so I gave you a gentle push to loosen you up a bit. It worked and you were the center of the dance floor for about an hour, flew up and danced on the platform above the orb, made-”
“Okay, okay. I get it.” Ife interrupted too embarrassed to know what happened next.
“Fine,” Djamila raised her hands up in submission, “After your escapades, you and your teammates were wiped and I had the three of you crash at my place for a few hours.”
“Thanks, Djamila.”
“Just so you know, now we’re even.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ife grumbled as she got her things.
“Okay, let’s head back.”
The trio passed the way back in relative silence, but a peaceful one instead of the stereotypical hangover groans and slight shame.
“How did you find last night?” Ife asked as they stepped into her quarters.
“It was great,” Wanda stated, happy that she found people who weren’t afraid of her. Perhaps she could ask Ife if they could help her with her powers.
Ife could hear the emotional echoes of excitement from Wanda and smiled knowing that she succeeded in her plans so far.
“That good. One more thing,” Ife paused, not knowing how to phrase the next bit of information,” the portal uses a time manipulation spell (and some other stuff) and well, the 15 hours we spent in Nephetz was about three hours on the Compound. Just wanted to let you know.”
“Right, good night, Ife.” Nat said as Ife led them to the door.
“Hey, Nat can I ask you something?” Ife queried when Wanda passed the threshold.
“Shoot.”
Ife pressed her lips together in contemplation, “Does the rest of the team know you’re 80 years old?”
*-Elsewhere-*
“How is our Danica faring?” A woman in black asked.
“She’s doing well, better than we expected.” A voice replied from the shadows.
“Good. Has Kaecillius and his team dealt with the Magic Council yet?”
“Not yet, Mistress. Though Jon Canmore has gotten his own show on CNN and Maximus has procured enough Terrigen Crystals for our plans.”
“I see. Have our allies in the Inter-Realm Parliament be informed of our progress.”
“Yes, Mistress. One last thing, Our sources believe that the French Ambassador is on to our plans.”
The woman sighed, “Have Yelena handle him. We can’t leave anything to chance now.”
“Of course, Mistress.” The voice uttered and left.
They’ve put so much into this and they can’t fail. Not when they’re so close.
Next>>
Taglist: @giorno-plays-piano @lookiamtrying @jtargaryen18 @sapphirescrolls @jobean12-blog @sweeterthanthis @gotnofucks @mculibrary @saiyanprincessswanie @golden-ariess @navegandoaciegas @stargazingfangirl18 @opheliadawnwalker3 @tilltheendwilliwrite @imanuglywombat @bucky-the-thigh-slayer @navybrat817 @anyatheladyclown @buckysbunny @nacho-bucky @donutloverxo @stephanieromanoff @threeminutesoflife @angrybirdcr @angrythingstarlight @chixkencxrry @hurricanerin @marvelfansworld
#stucky x ofc#stucky#avengers imagine#marvel fanfiction#mcu#mcu imagine#wanda#scarlet witch#natasha romanov#black widow#bucky barnes x ofc#steve rogers x ofc#alternate history#alternate mythology#alternate canon#atlantis the lost empire#toriko#dark!mcu#dark!marvel#gargoyles#a warrior's heart#steve rogers imagine#bucky barnes imagine#black fanfiction#mcu au#marvel au#steve rogers x black!reader#bucky barnes x black!reader#stucky x reader
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COMING HOME IN THE DARK - Review
DISTRIBUTOR: Dark Sky Films
SYNOPSIS: A family’s idyllic outing at an isolated coastline descends into terror when high school teacher Alan ‘Hoaggie’ Hoaganraad, his wife Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon unexpectedly come across a pair of murderous drifters - the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his hulking man-child accomplice Tubs - who thrust them into a nightmare road trip. At first, the family’s terror seems to be born of a random encounter with two sociopaths, but as the night drags on, Hoaggie and Jill realize that this nightmare of actions that set it in motion 20 years earlier.
REVIEW: Filmmaker James Ashcroft’s COMING HOME IN THE DARKis a gritty and raw thriller that is an emotionally terrorizing film, especially for viewers who are parents. There is a tone to the film that is reminiscent of the early films of Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, William Friedkin, Meir Zarchi, David Fincher or even Speilberg’s “Duel.” It is a much darker character study set against a lavish New Zealand landscape.
Like several of the earlier works of the filmmakers mention, at its core the film is a character study. Two men were abused when they were younger at a foster care facility. We know that the father, Alan aka Hoaggie, of the family was there at that time, but what is he exactly guilty of? It isn’t 100% clear that he was an abuser, but is that as bad of a sin as having turned a blind eye and not doing anything? The filmmaker makes it clear that they were not the only two victims. As such, Mandrake and Tubs have come upon Alan and his family and Mandrake wants his pound of flesh. The filmmaker presents his tale in such a way that we feel about the same for Mandrake, Tubs and Alan. The filmmaker makes a bold statement by removing any question of innocence in the narrative by removing two characters early on who represent that to a degree. He then does a slow burn as he peels back the layers and we begin to understand who these characters are. What is justice in this instance? Is Alan any different from Mandrake?
Along the way they encounter other people who fall victim to Mandrake’s wrath. One is the hapless victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The other is a group of adolescents who by their actions, or lack thereof, fall prey to Mandrake. It provides the filmmaker with just enough ambiguity as to the true nature of Mandrake.
I’m sure Ashcroft and Kent named the character Mandrake because of some of the implications of the word. Mandrake also feels like the anti-hero from an old western in both his tone and timber. He is out for revenge, but goes about it in a more horror film style with his share of collateral damage. In contrast there is Tubs, who feels like a classic literary observer, he has let the Jin out of the bottle and must watch the deadly results of his wish. In the end it is only by his action that these events can come to an end.
The majority of the film is set outdoors, in cars, at night and minimal locations. It is beautifully shot, nicely edited, and features excellent performances. The entire cast lulls you into a narrative. Regardless of how horrible the events are, you feel you are watching something organic unfold before your eyes. The entire cast is amazing, but you can’t help but feel how special Daniel Gillies' performance is as Mandrake. It is one of those magical screen moments.
James Ashcroft’s COMING HOME IN THE DARK is a mature narrative that deals with potentially real-life situations and trauma as the undercurrent for a gruesome character study. The horror and the gore are not simply there for exploitation but serve as a catalyst and catalyst in this psychological game with deadly consequences. Ashcroft offers no comic relief. Mandrake may offer some sarcastic or ironic dialogue, but it is never present in a way to offer the viewer relief. It is a powerful film with lingering effects on the viewer's psyche. I’m quite sure that James Ashcroft is a filmmaker that we will be hearing more of in the coming years.
CAST: Daniel Gillies, Erik Thomson, Miriama McDowell, Matthias Luafutu, Billy Paratene, Frankie Paratene and Bailey Cowan.
CREW: Director/Screenplay - James Ashcroft; Screenplay - Eli Kent; Based on a Short Story by Owen Marshall; Producers - Mike Minogue, Catherine Fitzgerald and Desray Armstrong; Cinematographer - Matt Henley; Score - John Gibson; Editor - Annie Collins; Production Designers - Philip Gibson & Kate Logan; Costume Designer - Gabrielle Stevenson; Special Effects Supervisor - Doug Falconer.
OFFICIAL: www.cominghomeinthedark.com
FACEBOOK: m.facebook.com/cominghomeinthedark/
TWITTER: twitter.com/chitdmovie
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/kvj24PTQa7Q
RELEASE DATE: In Select Theaters and VOD On October 1st, 2021
**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)
Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri
#film review#movie review#coming home in the dark#cominghomeinthedarkmovie#dark sky films#james ashcroft#eli kent#owen marshall#daniel gillies#erik thomson#Miriama McDowell#horror#psychological#revenge#joseph mauceri#joseph b mauceri
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Nancy Drew Asks- Send me a Suspect!
Since it seems everyone is cooped up at home, I figured I’d make an ask game of my own to help the Clue Crew combat boredom... Send me a suspect and rb!
Daryl Gray: What kind of car do you drive?
Connie Watson: Are you a part of any clubs?
Hal Tanaka: Have you ever cheated in school?
Hector “Hulk” Sanchez: Do you play any sports? If so, which one(s)?
Detective Beech: Do you keep a journal? What’s in it?
Mitch Dillon: Have you ever blocked your number and if yes, why?
Mattie Jensen: Describe the plot of the last TV show you watched.
Rick Arlen: What’s your favorite kind of chocolate?
Lillian Weiss: What’s the worst way you’ve ever broken up with somebody?
Millie Strathorn: Would you consider yourself cluttered or organized?
Dwayne Powers: Do you hold a grudge?
Ralph Guardino: What is your job?
Rose Green: Do you talk with your hands?
Abby Sideris: What is your star sign?
Louis Chandler: What’s the oldest thing you own?
Charlie Murphy: How many different places have you lived?
Dexter Egan: Did you get in trouble a lot as a kid?
Professor Hotchkiss: Early bird or night owl (hoot hoot)?
Lisa Ostrum: Do you speak another language?
Jacques Brunais: Would you rather have a big or small wedding?
Brady Armstrong: What was the worst job you ever worked?
Simone Mueller: Has anyone ever climbed out of your wardrobe?
Nicholas Falcone: Have you ever been to a protest?
Joseph Hughes: If you had to move away to live with family in another state, who would it be and where?
Joanna Riggs: What’s your favorite exhibit at the museum?
Henrik van der Hune: Are you attracted to Henrik? this is a serious question I know a lot of you are or at least used to be.. what was the deal with that..
Alejandro del Rio: What country are you from?
Taylor Sinclair: Do you have a nickname?
Red Knott: What’s your favorite animal?
Emily Griffin: If you owned a store, what would it sell?
Jeff Akers: Do you have any pets?
Harlan Bishop: Have you ever gotten into trouble with the law?
Ingrid Corey: If you suddenly got a lot of money, how would you spend it?
Joy Trent: Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist?
Elliot Chen: If any, what kind of art do you do?
Katie Firestone: What is your favorite kind of sandwich?
Holt Scotto: Political alignment?
Andy Jason: Sharks or whales?
Jenna Deblin: Starbucks or local coffee shop?
Dave Gregory: You got a steady back home?
Tex Britten: Have you ever ridden a horse?
Shorty Thurmond: Are you a good cook?
Mary Yazzie: Have you ever had a secret relationship?
Linda Penvellyn: Are you married?
Jane Penvellyn: Favorite mythological creature?
Mrs. Drake: Do you have plants?
Ethel Bossiny: What period in or piece of history fascinates you the most?
Nigel Mookerjee: Do you scare easily?
Emily Crandall: When was the last time you stayed in your pajamas all day?
Richard Topham: Have you ever seen a psychic?
Jane Willoughby: What kind of accent do you have?
Jim Archer: Are you good with money?
Lori Girard: Favorite celebrity?
Charleena Purcell: What was the last book you read?
Tino Balducci: Do you exaggerate stories?
John Grey: What’s the cheesiest TV show you watch?
Minette: Do you have any tattoos?
JJ Ling: Most outrageous lie you’ve told?
Heather McKay: Do you care about fashion?
Dieter von Schwesterkrank: How many people have you dated?
Jean-Michel Traquenard: Where do you do your best work?
Dr. Quigley Kim: Bugs: yay or nay?
Big Island Mike: What’s your favorite meme?
Pua Mapu: Have you ever been surfing?
Malachi Craven: Do you take compliments well?
Ollie Randall: Have you ever been hunting?
Freddie Randall: Do you like winter weather?
Bill Kessler: Name a place from your childhood that holds a fond place in your heart.
Yanni Volkstaia: Winter or summer sports?
Lou Talbot: What did you major in or what would you like to major in, if applicable?
Guadalupe Comillo: Did you have a “wolf phase” growing up?
Henry Bolet: Are you more goth, jock, nerd, or prep?
Renee Amande: Do you have a secret stash of food in your room?
Lamont Warrick: Do you have allergies?
Gilbert Buford: Describe your best friend.
Margarita Fauberg: Do you prefer to spend time inside or outside?
Helena Berg: What’s your favorite city in the world?
Colin Baxter: Do you give a single shit about tesserae tiles??
Enrico Tazza: Favorite card game?
Antonio Fango: Do you work in an office?
Kyler Mallory: Do you know much about your family history?
Matt Simmons: Do you enjoy playing practical jokes?
Kit Foley: Have you ever gotten into a physical fight?
Donal Delaney: Favorite drink, alcoholic or otherwise?
Fiona Malloy: What was your favorite toy as a kid?
Johnny Rolle: Favorite Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
Corine Meyers: Did you get good grades in high school?
Izzy Romero: Were you popular in high school?
Mel Corbalis: Do you play an instrument?
Rachel & Kim Hubbard: Do you have any siblings?
Scott Varnell: What are you really passionate about?
Debbie Kircum: Are you a hard worker?
Frosty Harlow: Do you like photography?
Chase Relerford: Have you ever stolen from a store?
Pa: Do you do any theater?
Yumi Shimizu: Would you consider yourself bossy?
Miwako Shimizu: Are you timid or assertive?
Takae Nagai: Do you have any traditions you honor?
Rentaro Aihara: Are you technical-minded? I was gonna ask if you like puzzles but, um, this is the friggin clue crew
Karl Weschler: Are you a leader or a follower?
Anja Mittelmeier: Have you or would you lie on your resume?
Lukas Mittelmeier: Do you like to cause trouble?
Renate Stoller: Tell us the best story you’ve got.
Deirdre Shannon: Do you get jealous easily?
Brenda Carlton: Are you just the fucking worst? (HINT: No, because you’re not Brenda)
Toni Scallari: Do you talk about people behind their backs?
Alexei Markovic: Do you break things often?
Abdullah Bakhoum: Do you have high self-confidence?
Lily Crewe: Favorite board game?
Dylan Carter: Are people inclined to believe you, even when you lie?
Jamila El-Dine: Do you believe there are aliens on other planets?
Victor Lossett: Are you strict?
Ryan Kilpatrick: What’s your favorite kind of candy?
Mason Quinto: Do you consider yourself a logical thinker?
Ellie York: What “percent scientist” are you?
Gray Cortright: Would you work a night shift?
Clara Thornton: Tell us a story you haven’t told almost anyone. Apparently “have you ever accidentally gotten someone killed?” isn’t an appropriate question for tumblr dot com
Wade Thornton: Do you believe in ghosts?
Jessalyn Thornton: Do you think spending a night on a haunted island with your best friend sounds like fun?
Harper Thornton: What’s your favorite book?
Colton Birchfield: How would you get the attention of someone you liked?
Alec Fell: Are you especially witty?
Moira Chisholm: Again, since “have you ever accidentally gotten someone killed?” isn’t gonna cut it, I’ll go with: What are your hobbies?
Ewan Macleod: What piece of spy gadgetry would you pick if you got to take one home?
Zoe Wolf: Do you like to break the rules?
Sonny Joon: Do you doodle?
Patrick Dowsett: Are you a good swimmer?
Leena Patel: How did you meet your best friend?
Kiri Nind: Why did you dedicate your life to being on trashy TV? Do you watch reality TV?
Xenia Doukas: Which fictional character do you relate to on a personal level?
Niobe Papadaki: Are you a good public speaker?
Grigor Karakinos: If you had to make up a fake identity for yourself, what first and last name would you pick and why?
Thanos Ganas: Do you think you’re intimidating?
Elisabet Grimursdottir: Are you a cat or a dog person?
Dagny Silva: What’s your sexuality?
Soren Bergursson: If you were a villain, what would be your weapon of choice?
Gunnar Tonnisson: What stands out about your physical appearance?
#i didnt include mid bc i dont care#also i was gonna go back and fix some of these but i just didnt#nancy drew#clue crew#ask#ask game#mine#spoilers
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Bad Company
Chapter 9 of my Jackie/Vesper fic (yes their pronouns are wrong here, but haven’t gotten to the point where they come out so yeah)
Enjoy! <3
AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26539525/chapters/70751862
“Shit Vesper if you had told me it would be this easy to track this gonk down then I woulda done it two days earlier,” Rath slid the shard across the squat glass coffee table that sat at the back of the VIP lounge.
Vesper smiled, nodding to Jackie who shared the pink loveseat with her, letting him get a crack at the info first.
“That bad?” A wave of relief washed over them, even if it was small.
“This guy has bad debts with as many gangs as there are in Night City, he’s probably calling in any and all money he can get his hands on. he’s got a small crew, an offshoot of the ‘Tinos, I would say you can probably tell him to fuck off and he couldn’t do much. Especially since it seems the gang won’t back him up if it’s his own shit he’s stepped in,” Rath took a drag from his cigarette, the blue smoke spilling out from between his porcelain lips.
“Mierda, well that’s a relief, if he had just asked…” Jackie sighed, slumping in his seat beside Vesper who rested her hand on his thigh.
“Listen honey, men like him don’t ask for anything, they take and take until there’s nothing left,” Rath said, his voice softening with sympathy, Rath wasn’t one of the highest paying joytoys for nothing.
Jackie rested his hand on top of Vesper’s, intertwining his finger’s with her own before sighing, he knew it was true, he wasn’t naive like that, he just wished it wasn’t.
“Alright, well, this will definitely help us get him off our ass,” Jackie said, Rath nodding as he took another drag.
“Thank you so much Rath, here’s your fee,” she watched his eyes flicker blue before he relaxed back into the couch.
“Thank you for your kindness, love.”
The pair made their way out into the damp night air of Night City, ducking into Vesper’s small black Thorton Colby as the rain pounded down around them.
“That was much better news than I was anticipating!” Vesper said, turning over the engine.
Jackie chuckled as he shook his head “still gonna have to tell him to fuck off, he’s not just going to go away on his own.”
“Well I still think we deserve to celebrate! At least have a drink with me?” She asked.
“Of course jaina,” he said with a laugh, the stress he had previously held in his throat had seemed to dissipate a little as they drove to Vesper’s apartment.
“Good cause you’re buying,” she said with a grin.
---
“It’s Bolts,” Jackie said, his eyes glowing the soft cyan as his holo chimed.
He set down his drink, putting the call on speaker as Vesper leaned forward on her bed.
“Hey Jackie, got your message, I ain’t doing this over the phone, you want to talk it’s in person.”
Jackie glanced at Vesper, sitting across from her on the blue ottoman, she nodded, encouraging him to reply.
“Fine, but I want it out of Valentino territory,” Jackie replied.
There was silence, the two of them exchanging glances as they held their breath.
“Fine. I’ll flick you the address.”
The line went dead and they both let out a sigh.
“That went well,” Vesper said softly, testing his emotional waters.
“Yeah, yeah it did, this should be over by tomorrow night,” he said rubbing his hand down his face, he still sounded stressed even after the drink.
“I want to go with you,” Vesper said, reaching out and putting her hand on his knee, his head snapped up, the look of fear on his face was enough to tell her that he wasn’t keen on the idea.
“No, no, that would be a bad idea,” he said shaking his head.
“You think I’m going to let you go and meet him alone? He could figure that he’s got nothing to lose, put a bullet in your head.”
He chewed on his lip, he knew she was right, she could see it in the way he bobbed his head ever so slightly as he dropped his gaze to his feet.
“Fine, but you stay back alright? He could just as well put a bullet in your head just to punish me,” he said, leaning forward, taking her hand and kissing the knuckles, it looked for a moment like he way praying.
“He won’t even know I’m there.”
---
Vesper had long since settled into her spot on top of the BD Shack, watching the back parking lot that had long gone dark since the sun had set, below the only streetlight was Jackie, sitting in the driver's seat of her car. They were antsy, Bolt was late, not by much, only 15 minutes, but it was enough to make them want to call the whole thing off. It was then there was the sound of a car, the engine roaring as if it were climbing a hill and not just rolling into a parking lot, but after a moment Vesper could tell why. Three frankenstein monster-esque trucks flew into the parking lot, brakes screeching as they came to a halt around Jackie.
“It’s a trap!” Vesper called, grabbing for the gun at her hip and going for the ladder that led down to the pavement.
Vesper lost sight of the lot as they dashed for the hole in the fence behind the business itself, but she was surprised that gunshots hadn’t immediately rang out.
“Vesper stop!” Jackie’s voice got to her too late, before she could react a hand snagged her by her jacket, pulling her through the hole in the fence and into the arms of a hulking Maelstrom member, his face a hollow shell filled with red lights glowing behind a slightly opaque black mask. Vesper raised her pistol in a futile attempt to get free, but the ganger was nearly twice her size and easily wrenched it free of her fist.
“Now that we’re all here, where’s the money?” A man with a synthetic voice demanded, he stood in front of Jackie, who seemed to have been persuaded out of the car by more thugs with guns.
“My debt is with Bolts,” he said, voice hard, and for a moment Vesper saw that Valentino edge.
“Bolts dead, and now it’s my turn to collect.”
It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the parking lot, the words hanging in the air, thick enough to slice.
“He’s dead?” Jackie asked.
“You hard of hearing? Bolts is dead, your debt to him is now a debt to me,” he said.
“Who the fuck are you?” Jackie growled, folding his arms across his chest.
“Craven, and I’m starting to think you didn’t bring any eddies,” his voice dropped low, the synthesizer becoming gravely as he stepped towards Jackie.
“I need more time, now that I know who the fuck I’m working with,” Jackie said.
Vesper watched as he glanced her way, the ganger at her back still having a hand on her shoulder. Craven looked him up and down, shifting in his worn black trench coat, crossing his own arms, sizing Jackie up before speaking.
“Fine.”
Vesper let out a breath, looking to Jackie whose eyes had gone wide before he controlled his expression.
“But,” the word made Vesper jump, her attention snapping back to Craven “the bitch comes with us.”
“What?”
The next minute felt like a snap second, the man at her back moved quicker than she did, wrapping his arms around her waist in order to hoist her up. Vesper lashed out, kicking back into the legs of her captor, she could see Jackie reaching for his gun only to see one of the gangers strike him in the back of the head. His name bubbled up out of her throat, mixed in with screams of terror as he hit the ground, her throat clenching as she tried to breathe, it felt like she was drowning as she was carried away. She could see Jackie on the pavement, blood trickling down the back of his neck as he struggled to sit up, mouthing her name as she was dropped into the trunk of one of the Maelstrom’s cars.
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