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kurt-wagner-official · 10 months

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Post #75: Avengers issue 263 and Fantastic Four issue 286 and XF issue 1

I wanna credit the people who put in work that made it easier for me to do this readthrough, and with this issue I’m officially jumping ship with my online reading order. Up until now, I’ve mostly been using the one on Comic Book Herald, editing as I go along, but starting with the launch of X-Factor I’m switching to mainly follow the one on Crushing Krisis. This new reading order is a lot more comprehensive; it includes both stuff published later that takes place during this era and books like Captain Britain and Dazzler, which would be retroactively absorbed into the X-franchise but at the time were pretty independent. It also has a lot of ancillary crossovers and guest appearances. All this to say I’m not following it directly, but it’s very helpful, as was the CBH one. Anyway, to hype up the launch of X-Factor, the Marvel bullpen organized a crossover launch threading an issue of Avengers and one of Fantastic Four together into the big debut. This technically takes place sometime between the Trial of Magneto and the end of Secret Wars II, but these issues don’t tie into SWII so I think it flows better here. This Avengers issue is by one of the all-time great Avengers creative teams, Roger Stern and John Buscema. This is mostly a downtime issue dealing with ongoing plots in that book. The one I’m interested in is their recovery of a mysterious cocoon shooting energy bursts from the ocean by JFK Airport, which the audience learns contains Jean Grey. To be honest I’m not really sure why I read this whole issue, but it was good even though I have basically no context for the ongoing Avengers plotlines.

Fantastic Four at this point was written and penciled by John Byrne, and I believe Claremont edited some of the dialogue in this issue, so it meshes about as well as you could hope with the ongoing X-family stories. Anyway, at this point in the FF series the Baxter Building has been destroyed so they’re living at Avengers Mansion. Since the Avengers don’t currently have a science guy, Reed takes point on the cocoon investigation when he returns from space. As soon as he touches it out pops Jean in the dress she was wearing in Uncanny 100, who upon waking starts a telekinetic storm across the Mansion. She believes all the heroes are Lang Sentinels, and Captain America realizes she’s Marvel Girl of the X-Men. Interestingly, none of the heroes know that she was the Phoenix, instead saying Marvel Girl disappeared the night of Uncanny 98, which is also the last thing Jean remembers. Hank, who at this point hasn’t been an Avenger for a while, obviously knew the story, and we find out later that he fully recorded it in the Avengers files, but this means he never really discussed the incident with his team at the time. Jean wants to go see the X-Men, but Cap says it’s not a good idea because they’ve been teaming up with Max. It’s interesting to see it from the perspective of other non-X heroes. The Avengers have historically been terrible allies to the X-Men and to mutantkind, but sometimes they do have actual reasons, even though we the readers know that they’re not valid. Anyway, the FF take Jean to her house, where she interfaces with the newly repaired memory orb thing. It’s weird that there’s no mention of Rachel’s presence in the orb. She and the FF have a vision of the memories she’s missing; while she was piloting the shuttle back to Earth, the Phoenix Force came to visit. It offered to save the X-Men and put Jean in the cocoon to heal her from the radiation if in exchange it could take a little essence of Jean to turn into a physical form for itself. Jean accepted, and the Phoenix took her form, fully believing itself to be Jean. Jean, reeling from this info and the stories of Dark Phoenix, decides not to contact her family, but as the issue ends, Reed says there’s someone else they can call.

We open X-Factor issue 1 with a few pages of Bob Layton trying to undo all of Scott's development since the Dark Phoenix Saga. Under Layton's script, Scott only married Madelyne because she reminds him of Jean, who he's still in love with. Layton doesn't vilify Madelyne as much as you might think, but he does try to imply that she's annoying for expecting help with the baby and holding Scott back from the X-Men. We then jump to Warren, Hank, and Bobby. Until recently, the three of them were members of the New Defenders. Bob Layton pitched X-Factor right around the time they decided to cancel that series because of low sales, so rather than just have them leave the team, the final issue of New Defenders sees the death of the entire team except for those three. And to add insult to injury, the deaths are caused by the Beyonder in a Secret Wars II tie-in (will I never be free of that series?). I'm not a Defenders fan, but some people are and were, and that was a really disrespectful way to end a series that people loved. After that whole fiasco, the three of them are chilling at one of Warren's houses. Layton has a fine voice for all three characters. Hank and Bobby don't want to give up being superheroes, but after multiple teams falling apart Warren is ready to retire, so they all go their separate ways. Warren's retirement lasts for about 30 seconds of hanging out with his girlfriend Candy when he gets a call from Reed Richards and flies off to New York, where he's reunited with Jean. Despite having been over his feelings for her for years even before her "death," his crush is back. But he's more worried about what'll happen when she and Scott reunite and what that'll do to both of them and to Madelyne. When he does call Scott, he doesn't tell Madelyne what happened, just that he's leaving for New York. Madelyne tells him if he leaves not to come back, but off he goes to further the plot. When he gets to New York, Jean assumes their relationship is back on track, but he just silently sobs in her arms. Warren gives him the full story. Because this is also for the benefit of new readers, he starts with the entire Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Saga, which Scott interrupts multiple times to say he was there. I think this is a meta joke about exposition dump in 80s Marvel, and if so hats off to Layton because it's very funny. When Jean asks them what they've been up to, Scott doesn't say anything about Madelyne and Nathan, and Jean can't read his mind because since she woke up she has no telepathy and much stronger telekinesis. When they both tell her they've retired from heroics altogether, she's angry at their perceived abandonment of Xavier's dream and at their willingness to let Max in the X-Men. She flies off, and Warren goes after her while Scott has a breakdown. When he catches up, he tells her he has an idea on how they can still help mutants and the world. While all this was happening, a young navy sailor named Rusty Collins returns to port and has his mutant powers activate for the first time, creating a bunch of uncontrollable fire that badly burns a woman and leads to his arrest. A couple weeks later, we pick back up on Hank, who despite his talent and resume has been rejected from every university position he's interviewed for for being a mutant. Bobby's landed a steady job as an accountant, but he's bored with it. When they're contacted by Warren for a new opportunity, they both jump on it, and when he reintroduces them to Jean, they're overcome with joy. Warren sends Hank and Bobby to go find Scott and recruit him for their new team, and they find him at the pier where Jean crashed. He tries to push them away, but they get through to him and he confesses how confused he is. He's apparently still in love with Jean, but doesn't know how to tell her about Madelyne. He's also worried about Madelyne, but expresses no interest in going back to her. Absolutely no mention is made of his infant son. I hate all of that, but I do like the way Scott's oldest friends draw him out of his shell. Layton is good at selling the history between them and the trust that comes with it. When they return, Warren introduces them to his business partner, Cameron Hodge, who finally introduces them to the project they've all been recruited for: X-Factor. Publicly, they'll be human scientists who people can call to report mutant activity. They'll take the mutant into custody and then secretly protect them and train them to use their powers. Their first assignment comes soon when Rusty's commanding officer tries to shoot him in his cell and he freaks out and burns down the building and runs off. To cover his tracks, the CO calls X-Factor in the hopes that they'll take him off the board before the military finds him and he reveals what the CO did. The find him in the desert and, in their superhero outfits, drive off the military people chasing him. They then knock him out and sneakily change into their X-Factor uniforms and take him home with them. Now I get a chance to talk about one of my favorite bits of Marvel trivia: asbestos. Before they discover it caused cancer, it was shockingly common for asbestos to be treated like some superpowered antifire substance in Marvel. The Human Torch had asbestos clothes and furniture and fought the terrifying Asbestos Man, who wore asbestos armor. Here they put the unconscious Rusty in an asbestos bag for transport. They kinda just gloss over the jurisdiction issues with a vague comment from the CO. The issue ends with the team celebrating their reunion and success with Rusty before cutting to a silent panel of Madelyne, alone in Alaska watching an X-Factor ad on TV.

The cover of X-Factor issue 1 says "BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT" and if I ever find the guy that demanded this he needs to watch his back. I actually do love this series later on, but by the time this issue is over the book has retconned all the emotional beats out of the Dark Phoenix Saga and completely undone all of Scott's character development since then. A lot of people just hate the idea of Jean being resurrected in the first place, but honestly I'm okay with the idea of bringing her back. I love the character and a lot of the stories that have only been possible due to her return. But this might have been the worst way to do it. And even if Scott was still in love with Jean, and until this issue it was established that he wasn't, walking out on his family is so shitty and out of character. Pretty much every X-Men fan I've interacted with agrees it was terrible, but a lot of them focus on the abandonment of Madelyne and gloss over how he abandoned his infant son. As shitty as the former is, the latter is so much worse, and that part isn't even acknowledged in this issue, maybe because Layton knows there's no way to possibly justify it. After all Scott has been through with losing his parents, both his bio ones and now Xavier, the idea that he'd just walk out on a child is horrible writing. Obviously there are people with parental issues who walk out on their families, but Scott didn't walk out because he was scared of commitment or being a father or anything like that. He just prioritized Jean over his wife and child, and that's not at all in line with how his character arc has led to here. It's also just not a person who you would want to read a comic about. Louise Simonson will take over writing this book in a few issues and almost immediately start doing damage control to redeem Scott, but that can't erase the events of this issue.

#wes reads xmen

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ratherbewild · 5 years

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@antolcgias ♥’d for tegan.

“ CAN I GET A CUP O’ COFFEE AND A KISS FOR THE ROAD? ”

it’s said with a bravado that she, for once, doesn’t feel. hasn’t had this twisted knot in her gut since she left her o w n hometown, and this --- this isn’t that. this isn’t the same. left to save herself, that time, but now ... well. nice girl like keyleth doesn’t need to get any more tangled in tegan’s SHIT than she already has.

duffel bag hits the floor of the empty diner, followed by a tattered backpack. everything she owns; more than what she had when she a r r i v e d . her heart hurts at the uncertain look on keyleth’s face. they haven’t ... spoken since tegan drove her home last night, hands still caked in gunshot residue around the handlebars. should’ve skipped town without a word, but --- but she couldn’t resist. coming here, one last time. shaking off the p i t in her stomach to smirk like nothing’s wrong and lean into the counter. one last time.

“ EXTRA SUGAR, PLEASE, DOLL --- on the kiss, not the coffee. ”

#antolcgias #antolcgias ( keyleth. )#t. baxter.#t. baxter ( thread. )#t. baxter ( w. keyleth. )#t. baxter ( v. lone wolf. )#temp tealeth mv tag #.ok SO #.i'm thinking like.... first time the gang track her down #.tealeth are in the Early Stages of dating/hooking up and #.tegan maybe doesn't kill the guy but... tries to #.in front of keyleth #.maybe also the night keyleth finds out tegan's a werewolf????#.and then :) this shit :)

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christinaroseandrews · 3 years

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So we watched The Ten Commandments on ABC on Saturday night and decided to do a livetweeting. Because why not?

But if you missed the livetweeting, well, here you go! This will include the tweets in text form (for ease of reading), neatened up a bit. Some of them also ended up in side threads, so...here they are, all together!

1) Okay for shits and giggles the Pagan with the History major and the Jew with a Religion Major are gonna be #LiveBlogging the #TenCommandments because it's fun. That's why. Expect snark about everything from the costumes to the weirdness.

2) I always forget Yvonne de Carlo is in this. So it's always a shock when Lily Munster shows up in this.

3) I fully think this movie would be improved if she appeared dressed like this:

4) Love the stock video of the clouds.

5) So baby Moses is Charlton Heston's son. That's one way to do Take Your Child to Work Day.

6) This is some hella clunky exposition. My editor's brain is going to find a better way to do this.

7) Is it just me or does the whole "the star heralds his birth" read as a rewrite of the Christmas story?

8) Last I checked, Ancient Egypt didn't have granny panties under their robes. Or spandex.

9) Like this secret isn't going to come back to bite everyone in the ass.

10) I love that the attendant can recognize exactly which group of Hebrews the cloth belongs to. Like why would she pay attention to that?

11) Okay but, Yul Brynner is a total thirst trap. Although I keep waiting for him to start saying "Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

12) Okay but, I want to know where they got California Poppies in Egypt.

13) Hollywood casting: the woman who plays Moses's adoptive mother is younger than the man who plays Moses. *facepalm*

14) Okay but I'm seriously cringing during this whole Ethiopian Tribute segment. Like... whoa.

15) "You conquered us so have our most valuable possession!" Seriously, it's terrible.

16) So the height difference was so great between Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston that they tended to put Yul on a whole stair higher so they would look like they were the same height.

17) Or Two. It's pretty noticeable once you know to look for it.

18) I love all this talk about the Deliverer, I'm expecting them all to break out into Prince of Egypt's "Deliver Us."

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19) Oh look, it's time for a Deus Ex Machina. Because of course Moses saves his own mother.

20) Oh Look, it's Vincent Price. I am now waiting for Dracula to show up.

21) The brownface is pretty cringey in this. Like seriously cringey.

22) Yul Brynner is the only PoC in this so far. (He's Russian of Mongol descent and born in Vladivostok.) Not that anyone knew that at the time. Also, there is a distinct lack of Jewish people in this. This will be a problem later. Spoilers.

23) Amendment... major speaking role... the Ethiopians were there and the princess did speak... to make eyes at brownface Charlton Heston. But considering this is pre-Greek Egypt there should be more Brown and Black people in this.

24) Poor Anne Baxter got Sharon-Stone-d in this. Half her costumes are see-through -- pay attention and you'll see everything.

25) On the other hand, there is the very strong positive of all the male eye candy. Lots and lots of attractive shirtless men.

26) I am seriously loving the polyester on the pharaoh's costume. A+ 1950s.

27) Is it just me or is that obviously a greenscreen? Or, well, a projection. Because pre-CGI.

28) Wait... is this supposed to be Seti I? You know the same Seti from The Mummy? If so, then where is Anck-Su-Namun and Imhotep?

29) If so... is the Nefretiri played by Anne Baxter supposed to be the same Nefertiri played by Rachel Weisz? Where's my Hamunaptra? Dude... These are important questions.

30) Also can we all agree that that Brendan Fraser > Charlton Heston?

31) On the one hand, Moses was the son of Levites, so they got that right. On the other hand, why do both the Egyptian servant woman and Nefretiri recognize that it specifically belongs to a Levite? Why would they know that much about their slaves?

32) Also, Nefretiri, dropping it where you stand was incredibly stupid if you're trying to hide the truth. Cause that's not going to come back to bite you. *facepalm*

33) The Melodrama in this is on point! I can almost hear the old timey piano and see the twirling handlebar mustache.

34) Also seriously, Moses's mother was named Jochebed/Yocheved (the latter is closer to the Hebrew pronunciation, the former is in the King James Bible). Not Yoshebel which is what they're saying. Come on, guys.

35) So it pisses me TF off that Moses just tosses his adoptive mother away like she didn't raise him and love him. And he like literally loved her until like 5 minutes ago. This is an insult to adoptive parents and children everywhere.

36) Also the whole thing with God's name is wrong. See, we don't know the pronunciation of God's name NOW. But they did back then! The High Priest said God's name every Yom Kippur! And the High Priest was literally descended from Aaron, so it's AFTER this.

37) Sadly, this is only one of many examples on why they, you know, maybe should've asked a Jewish person to work on this film.

38) Is it just me or does this bit about slaves working sound like the narration in March of the Penguins or that sort of documentary?

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39) Lark: I'm going to bow out. I don't want to watch this part. Rose: But I don't want to watch this part. You watch it. Lark: I said it first! Both of us do not like the section where Moses is a slave because he is TSTL.

40) The hotness of shirtless!Charlton Heston is unfortunately tempered by his NRA-Assholery and his severe homophobia (see: Ben Hur).

41) You can see the hand/fingerprints of the makeup artists where they artistically smeared mud exactly on the right spots on Charlton Heston's chest and arms. Can't have mud messing up his face after all!

42) There's a fucking zipper on the back of Nefretiri's teal outfit. Last I checked, zippers didn't exist in 3000 BCE!

43) Why the hell is Lilia wearing wedges and gold lamé? Go home, costume department, you're drunk.

44) And we've now entered the homoerotic BDSM portion of this movie.

45) The makeup department had fun drizzling raspberry sauce on Joshua.

46) Last I checked, gold sequins didn't exist in Ancient Egypt!

47) The costume department really skimped on those dancers. Green polyester and blond hair showing under the dark wigs.

48) Seriously, his mom is still being his mom...and she's wearing wedges. Silver fucking wedges.

49) Rose: Is it bad that this scene is making me want a Moses/Ramses/Nefretiri threesome? Lark: Nope! It's very "stop it, I'm already bi!"

50) We are not okay with the Black attendants here. [Later note: due to the severe racism exhibited by the Black people only being attendants and being treated that way.]

51) That dress is way too close to her skintone. As in, unless the camera is really close, it doesn't really look like she's wearing anything.

52) Why are you walking during the day, Moses? Find some shade and wait 'til dusk and dawn!

53) Sephora (should be Tzipporah, but hello no Jews) and her sisters: color coded for your convenience!

54) Moses: I want something to drink, not have my feet washed. These sisters are THIRSTY for Charlton Heston. Also, seriously, Jesus imagery much?

55) Jethro's necklace looks like turquoise. We didn't know turquoise was native to the Sinai. /sarcasm(Edit note: Turns out it was back in 3000 BCE -- The more you know!!!)

56) Hey, Moses, you're not a runaway slave if you're let go by the people who enslaved you!

57) We will now have the bellydancing portion of this movie.

58) 1) Mount Sinai is surrounded by other mountains, including taller ones, so it won't stand out like that. 2) Mount Sinai isn't a volcano. 3) If there are clouds about Mount Sinai, they move. (edit note: also the location of Mt. Sinai is disputed so there’s that too.)

59) Nefertiri's bangs are on point. I am definitely getting "Ask a Mortician" vibes from her.

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60) Doggy doggy doggy doggy doggy!

61) Those are some really shiny chains considering how far he came.

62) Lark: How is he able to see the burning bush from where he was if he has to climb this far? It's DAY! And it's in the rocks! Rose: Magic.

63) The Voice of God will also be played by Charlton Heston. So we have Charlton Heston talking to...Charlton Heston.

64) The makeup and hair department had a LOT of fun with the canned gray hair.

65) "Your God is my God" -- great, now we're grabbing from the Book of Ruth.

66) We are entering the portion where Rose will take over the angry tweeting and Lark will just sit back and make snarky commentary about the costuming.

67) Cheat out, Charlton Heston! Cheat out!

68) It's all about the gold lamé. And wearing a cape so I can hide the zipper.

69) Does the smell of myrrh scent her skin? Well I should fucking hope not considering myrrh was used to hide the scent of death! Come on guys, do research on ancient Egypt.

70) We don't want to have to figure out how to show all the plagues so we're just going to skip over them. (Though I must admit the blood in the water was well-done.)

71) Ah, it's time for "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

72) At least there are multiple women with actual roles. Even if it's not technically a Bechdel test pass?

73) So they're not going into how they know about the lamb's blood. That...should be mentioned maybe?

74) Okay, seriously, the Passover seder is to COMMEMORATE this night! "Why is this night different from all other nights?" comes LATER. Time for the "just hire a freaking Jew!" rant.

75) Lark: why is no one sitting on the other side of the table?

76) Why is he calling her Bithia? She RAISED him. She's mom! Sigh.

77) Also, why aren't you offering Bithia's Black...slaves? Servants? A place at the table.

78) "Why do we eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs, my uncle?" ...Because we're remembering the night you're LITERALLY HAVING RIGHT NOW. The unleavened bread DOESN'T EXIST YET OH MY FREAKING GOD.

79) I'm just sitting here because NO. Like they literally haven't left yet! The matzah hasn't been baked! They're commemorating TOMORROW at this point!

80) The seder didn't exist! You shouldn't be having a seder right now, guys. Seriously.

81) I will say this: for 1956, the special effects are actually really good.

82) So Pharaoh is explicitly exempted from the death of the first born even though he is a first born so he can, you know, suffer more, but...they should've stated it in the movie.

83) Don't blame her, you asshole, you were already hardened against him!

84) "He's my only son." Well, that's your fault, isn't it?

85) Love how the "dead" kid is still moving his arm to help his dad get it into position.

86) Alert! Alert! We have actual Egyptians in this scene!

87) Getting really really sick of this exposition narration. It is bad storytelling.

88) The camel: I want that. I am going to eat your dates. Mine!

89) Oh my god he's throwing gold to the crowd. That's...probably not the best way to deal with it.

90) Did they borrow costumes from The Conqueror? We've got a bit of Genghis Khan going on here.

91) Maybe not have the Black people carrying the white "Egyptian" woman? That...is bad.

92) Okay, the kid sleeping on top of the...animal? And the guy carrying the donkey. Those are great.

93) Though that donkey is possibly dead, so...why?

94) Somebody tell the kid to hold his breath!

95) That is one big blue helmet.

96) So how many of these chariots were later reused in Ben Hur?

97) Oooh, more actual Egyptians! (In this case, the Egyptian Army was used for the chariots.)

98) The clouds are actually moving this time!

99) Where's the #EverGiven to bridge the Red Sea?

100) That is clearly cartoon fire, but the parting of the Red Sea is a pretty damn impressive effect. And don't forget to pose for the poster!

101) The kids are the best part in this scene. Whether they're sleeping or playing or with the animals or whatever.

102) There's gotta be some really confused fish right about now. And some pretty annoyed mollusks and crustaceans. And the coral must be really pissed off.

103) Also, we want to know how they're not sinking up to their armpits in sea gunk. That's some really impressive dry ground there -- and surprisingly devoid of fish poop.

104) Bring him to me alive! I must have him for more homoerotic torture! And my threesome!

105) Honestly I am with the Egyptian guys who look terrified of those walls of water. Like, I would be noping the fuck out of there if I were them.

106) And we've gone full Gandalf. You shall not pass!

107) Those poor horses. :( I always feel sorry for the horses.

108) No more Yul Brynner or Anne Baxter and this movie is made lesser for it. :( Who will quench my thirst now?

109) Time to fastforward through the rest of the Torah!

110) Okay, at least Dathan acknowledges that Bithia IS his mother. By the way, what happened to Yoshebel? Or however they're spelling it. Dude, did Moses's birth mother just disappear?

111) And we finally get to the whole point of the damn movie! It's time for the Ten Commandments! And we have less than fifteen minutes left in the entire movie. 4 1/2 hours in, we're finally getting to the name of the movie.

112) This woman is shining the golden calf with her *hair*

113) Time for the orgy portion of the movie!

114) Couldn't you just wait for 40 days? Honestly, after #COVID19 I no longer doubt that.

115) Those are some really light stone tablets. He's carrying them like they're made out of the styrofoam that the props are actually made of.

116) Bad Aaron! Bad Moses's brother! And yet somehow he's the only one of the siblings who makes it into the holy land. Clearly no good deed goes unpunished.

117) Stand there for the glamour shot! Do the other pose for the poster! Joshua, darling, get out of the way.

118) Somehow Moses has aged like 40 years in this movie while Joshua has aged about two.

119) "Oh shit, Dad's home!"

120) Where is Moses's son? His wife came back, but where's his son?

121) It's SUPER BEARDY Charlton Heston.

122) "Damn it, if you won't play by my rules, I'm going to pull this car over and we are going to STAY HERE until you kids get your shit together!"

123) Okay guys, hide that ark. Nazis are going to want to steal it later.

124) Okay, we have Aaron's son -- where's Moses's? Clearly he is Sir Not Appearing In This Movie Anymore.

125) Excuse me while I pose dramatically in front of this painting.

126) We hope you enjoyed this liveblogging of the #TenCommandments!

If you enjoyed it, please drop a tip in our Kofi!

#the ten commandments #ten commandments #liveblog #livetweet #charlton heston #yul brynner #anne baxter #snark #serious snark #costumes #racism #bad judaism #passover #yvonne de carlo #hollywood #references #lots of references #ever given #long post

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riverdale-retread · 3 years

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Riverdale S4 E7 (Spoilers!)

- Thanksgiving & the Ice Storm! Archie is mourning Fred (as are we all, still). Hiram is now Mayor of Riverdale. Jughead is away at school. Dodger is in a coma in the hospital.

- I appreciate the fact that Riverdale confronts the reality of many relationships, which is that they are inorganic and people have to force them to continue, sometimes powered by delusion and nothing else. Jughead has a girlfriend who can’t be happy for him to have a great educational experience, but he has decided that she’s his happy place. Bret knows Jughead is obsessed with Betty but has decided that he has to make some sort of play for him. FP has known for decades that Alice AND Gladys are destructive and bad news, but he has decided that he’s obligated to stand by mothers of his children (well, that he knows of) (he has more than three, he has to), so he stays with these shit women. Veronica has decided that Archie is good, and so she is subservient to a level that would otherwise be unimaginable, and in the face of his blank disinterest.

Jughead

- Jughead’s hardheadedness and stubborn insistence border on suicidal. He knows that his classmates are evil people, that something has gone very wrong with Chipping, and that Dupont built his fortune on some sort of lie, and yet he directly confronts Dupont about Chipping’s death and his own accusation of plagiarism.

Jughead is such a fabulous character because he’s so painful to watch - he keeps acting like he has nothing to lose, despite also working and trying so hard all the time, and fate always answers his actions by making him lose everything.

- Jughead truly loves his Stonewall Prep experience. Even after getting locked overnight in a coffin and witnessing a terrifying suicide, Jughead loves it there. He’s confident and happy there, all the time. The visit from Betty is icing on the cake, cherry on top of the sundae, of course, but the fact of having the campus to himself, Stonewall without the preppies, is what is getting him really excited.

Bughead

- Bughead get a mystery to solve and a conspiracy theory to mull over, so the Hive Mind is very pleased with itself.

By the way, Jughead says Baxter Franchise is worth $200M,and I am not sure what I’m supposed to think about this number. A cursory google search of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series do not yield any sort of simple answer on valuation of book series. Like, I know how much JK Rowling is worth, but that doesn’t seem analogous.

- I got such a kick out of Betty this episode though. She’s all in Action Barbie mode. She needs to get it on now, HIT SAVE JUGHEAD. Notice (sorry Bugheads) that this 17~18 year old teenage boy would rather keep typing. Regardless, OH their chemistry is such a tonic, I love it. They’re wearing his ‘n’ hers t shirts and matching pajama pants. Betty giggling as her lips meet Jughead’s? Delightful. Jughead may bring the devotion and romance to Bughead, but the heat is all Betty. I appreciate you girl.

- Hot sex is good for Betty, because post-coitus Betty even has an actual sense of humor, which she normally doesn’t. Her YES!! when she gets excited about the prospect of a junk food Thanksgiving before she gives Jughead what looks like a powerful wallop of a smack was terrific. Betty’s sarcastic rejoinder about the bunny-face ‘prank’ that Bret tried to pull, “Oh yeah... funnnn,” was tip-top! She punctuates her telling off of Bret as she stitches his scalp back together with an extra hard snap of the thread was so satisfying. Girlfriend needed to get laid more often.

- Oh yeah: BETTY BASHES BRET’S HEAD IN WITH A GOLF CLUB. Her huge blazing eyes, communicating What the fuck is happening? and Are you ok? and I love doing violence, I am so high right now! all at the same time? CHEF’S KISS. I just so love this about Betty. She sees a baddie go in the direction of Jughead, and she’s so efficient - find weapon, approach, attack. Normal people might call out a warning or whatever, but Betty Cooper is going to use her goddamn Serial Killer DNA, thank you very much.

- The Quill & Skull secret society is introduced and Jughead has theories on what may have happened to Chipping.

Bret --> Jughead

- Let’s take a minute to discuss Bret. Bret is stalking Jughead, and really only hurting himself, because he has to listen to Jughead say “Hurry up and get here already!” and “I love you” to Betty. Unrequited love sucks, Bret, let it go. I haven’t had this experience of being fixated on someone I shared close quarters with but damn, it’s gotta be painful. It must have stabbed Bret in the heart to see Betty in the stonewall sweater. Bret sets up the sex tape cam in the room, and I really wonder if he hasn’t just been filming Jughead all the time. This tape that eventually gets sold later in the season may be the most, um, commercially viable, but I have to think there are just hours and hours of Jughead, sleeping, reading, doing homework, changing in and out of clothes, in Bret’s personal archives.

- The choice of the bunny head costume. I first thought they’d picked it for like Donnie Darko (movie I haven’t watched) mixed with sly commentary about Jughead’s dental situation, but now I think it’s sexual. Hey Jughead, let’s go at it like rabbits.

- Bret bites down on a leather belt while Betty is stitching him up, not because he needs it, but because he wants to bite leather in Jughead’s presence. (Um, do I need to put like a Minors DNI here?)

- Thanks to Donna’s assist, Bret actually gets to do the Gotcha, I Win narration that Jughead attempts to do all the time, to Jughead, who is looking so pissed off (and so pretty - how are his lashes so long?), green eyes furious. After delivering a couple lines that you know Bret workshopped with Donna (“Chipping’s death was a suicide driven by a guilty man’s fear of exposure. Case closed, Detective Jones.”), Bret does the most touching Bret-ish thing ever. He moves his hand to Jughead’s arm like he’s going to touch him, maybe give him a WASP 1% asshole pat, but he can’t bear to, he doesn’t dare, so he sort of does a hand gesture below the sightline of the camera and then moves away. Meanwhile Jughead has no idea Bret has hands. Poor Bret.

Bughead v Donna

- Never Have I Ever. Jughead Jones HAS NEVER DONE DRUGS. (Taking a quick sob break thinking about S5A). But he’s all for underage drinking, which surprised me. In the course of this game, I at first thought that Jughead was not being subtle and doing the Poirot confrontation when he brings up the secret society in a way that nobody would ever fall for, but N!o! it was a plan to let Betty go do some sleuthing by buying time. (And also get a big gulp of alcohol. Oh no).

- But then the Bughead urge to go CONFRONT before they are fully ready is not something they can overcome, in the end. And Donna is smarter than all three of them. Donna the character is a great actor - her distress and tears are fully so convincing, even though the music and Betty’s reaction makes it clear i’m not supposed to believe her.

- Donna Lies About Being Assaulted. Girl who lies about sexual assault is a misogynist trope they need to fucking retire already from all media forever altogether. For fuck’s sake. That is lazy.

- So Donna goes to talk to the head master to head off any further action by Jughead.

I take it from my cursory search nobody ships Donna and Jughead, but I sort of do, in the same way I sort of ship Veronica and Jughead. Both these dark haired girls share things in common with Jughead and are smarter & more capable than he is, and I kind of want to see Jughead coping with that.

Choni pull a Titus Andronicus

- Choni - well actually, Cheryl - plan to dump the body of uncle Bedford before the Sweetwater River freezes over in the ice storm. Cheryl goes AND THEN THE SALMON CAN GOBBLE UP HIS EYES and Toni is squicked out but pretends that that;s not the problem and says she feels she’s being watched.

- Style note: Cheryl in the tightest reddest dress is so very beautiful. And how does she find lipstick that matches her clothing so well.

- They pretend to have cooked Bedford into pies and fed them to the other Blossoms, and then fake out, it’s lamb. As a person who absolutely loves savory pies, I am always happy to see meat pies in pop culture, but ... why do a fake out? It’s not like it’s not something Cheryl would think of doing.

- Best part of Choni is Nana Blossom telling a story about an event that happened in the last 19th or early 19th century like it just happened to her last year. Nana Blossom is an immortal.

I cannot ship Falice

- The show keeps trying to make the point that FALICE = Parentdale Bughead and All~ Of the No.

- FP’s straight job takes a total turn for the worst. He needs to take orders from Hiram as mayor and he has the same inability to compromise with reality as his son. He delivers the news that he has to, as Sheriff, and then tells the kids to disregard him.

- The Whatever You Decide I Back You 100% is the kind of statement that’s gotten everyone in a tizzy over on Bughead, and it turns out Betty gets this from Alice. Eww. Later in the booth at Pop’s, FP is doing something I have not seem him do with Gladys- that caressing one shoulder thing that Jughead does all of the time. Is this genetic? And Alice cannot resist the urge to make FP erupt into violence. This is also exactly the same as Betty. (Oh wait, is this... is this meta commentary by the show? That if Bughead really do stay together into their 50s it will become this?)

- Parentdale foursome: Hiram, Hermione, FP and Alice all at Pop’s. (Why can’t Pop’s go home for Thanksgiving? Are all the Tates waiting for him to close up the Diner to do their own family dinner?) Bret Donna Jughead and Betty in another place. in what’s supposed to be a parallel and I don’t like this.

-- Inevitably, FP attacks Hiram with a bottle. He’s no good at punching people by the way, and so I posit once again that the Serpent King is not about how well you fight, it’s about something way more Romantic. FP has a lot of Romantic ideas and yanno I feel like tv drunks are frequently wounded dreamer types, whether or not this is actually true in real life. (Oh and S5 Jughead is also a wounded dreamer drunk, so yeah.)

-Is there a rule that says you can’t be sheriff AND Serpent King? Actually yes, Alice, there is. The rule is called COMMON FUCKING SENSE. Alice wants to be Serpent Queen, and wants to relive her youth as being the ‘bad’ girl because the decades spent being the ‘good’ woman and ‘middle’ class went very badly, and then the attempt to be ‘spiritual’ also sucked. So Alice invites the Lodges to join them, because being the sheriff’s girlfriend is just a tad too tame for her. I hate Alice.

Veronica in Doormat Mode is Upsetting

- Why is there such food insecurity in Riverdale, where the main problem that Veronica’s community center (because Archie isn’t doing fuck-all actually for it) deals with is childhood hunger? How long has it been this bad?

- Of course, Veronica is the one who provides all the food for the free food night. All Archie brings is the fryer for the turkey. Veronica says, religiously: You’re too good for this world Archiekins. I mean.... compared to WHO?

- Before we get to the bullshit with the Dickinson crime clan: Mary is a shit lawyer. Hiram has done something to prevent Archie’s feeding the kids etc, and she is like Yeah sure disregard the ordinance. An attorney is faced with a mayoral action and reacts with empty mind, free of thoughts. Why not try for an injunction, you know, contact the judges, or look into the ordinances to examine on whether Hiram can actually do this or not. Ugh. And because everything Archie touches turns to absolute shit, she ends Thanksgiving by pointing her gun at a woman and threatening to kill her. And Veronica stabs a man in the hand, because whenever Archie gets involved in your life you end up in violence.

- Anyway the center gets invaded by the Dickinson clan. Dodger’s mother seems 5 years younger than Dodger and I don’t know why they couldn’t make this story about his WIFE. Or maybe in the Dickinsons, Mother is an honorific like King /Queen are in the Serpents? Also why is she from a whole different region of the US than Archie and CO? Anyway the kids, to protect Archie, do a I AM SPARTACUS reenactment, which was cute.

- When it’s all over, there’s a bit of a highlight. Archie laughs so winningly as he remembers good times with his dad, of all of them falling asleep on the couch after Thanksgiving Turkey, and I am moved. Am I just a sucker for a pretty face? (Yes, yes I am). He’s so beautiful and lovely, and I want all the best for him (Fuckin’ A - I am Jughead in this sentiment, goddamn) Mary continues to be a moron and thinks that Fred was trying to communicate / watching out for them through a deep fryer, and Archie smiles about it.

- Archie dedicates this center, that was gifted to him by Hiram and funded by Veronica, to Fred Fred Andrews, with a plaque that calls Fred a ‘humanitarian.’ Absolutely none of this is earned. Bless Fred, but he WASN’T any sort of humanitarian. Well at least humanitarian is spelled correctly, and we get to look at Luke Perry’s smiling face one more time. (Plaque is dated November 2019).

Please give Sweet Pea a name, for the love of god.

I don’t know if Dodger is or becomes actually important again, so I will take the opportunity to note that stupid Dodger, rote bad guy villain of almost no consequence, has a last name, but Sweet Pea does not. (When the hell is the show going to fix this??) Oh and Mr. Chipping’s first name was Rupert. (Seriously, show, give Sweet Pea a name.)

#jughead #falice #bret weston wallis #donna sweett #betty cooper #bughead #riverdale recap #riverdale episode recap

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mattzerella-sticks · 4 years

Text

🔥Hot Seat🔥

4.6k, T, Peter Parker/Johnny Storm (ao3)

Spiderman likes Johnny. Like likes him. And he thought Johnny felt the same. He wasn't wrong, but Johnny like liked someone else, too. Someone he actually wanted to pursue, over Spiderman.

Unfortunately that someone is Peter Parker.

However, after a terrible misunderstanding, Johny isn't too keen on seeing either Peter or Spiderman; the longer this confusion left unresolved, the more Johnny's hurt would fester. Can Peter find a way to make Johnny listen?

Peter stares at his phone, hoping that Johnny will reply to one of the many, many messages he sent over the past few days before Peter continues with his latest and most idiotic plan. Seeing the most recent one – Torch, please, the cold shoulder is ridiculous – still left on read, no sign of typing dots appearing, Peter forfeits any intervention from the other man. Squaring his shoulders, Peter drops from the building’s ledge.

Thwack!

He swings, climbing higher and higher, towards the most intimidating and heavily fortified building on 42nd street.

The Baxter Building never felt less welcoming. And Peter could blame Johnny, but deep down he knew whose fault it was. Who could have prevented such a Galactus-level misunderstanding. Could have deterred this crisis if he were braver.

Like any normal night, Peter traipsed through the air space above horrendous New York City traffic. The lights blurring underfoot with each completed arc. Peter journeyed uptown, nearing Central Park. And as he decided between left and right, a fiery bullet sped past and swept the board for a third answer. Peter followed Johnny’s trail, crawling up the brickwork of a nearby building that overlooks the park.

“Torch!” he crowed, watching as his friend touched onto the roof. Flames extinguished like a rolling wave, from the tips of his toes until sparks flew off his bleached curls. Brown eyes, warm like hot cocoa, lit up at hearing his nickname; a wide grin cracked his face like an egg. The yolk pouring out and sizzling on Peter’s frying pan heart. Each added beat like an extra click on a stove, turning up the heat.

“Spidey,” Johnny said, gripping his hand for a quick shake, then dragging him into a one-armed hug, “Just the bug I’m lookin’ for.”

“Not a bug…” he mumbled, too aware of how in such a loose hold their chests were flushed together. He broke the embrace, sidestepping the other hero. Giving Johnny a wide berth for Peter’s sanity. “So… what do you need? Interdimensional incident? Rescue mission? …Prank?”

Johnny, in a rare show, adopted a more bashful pose. His smile shrunk to half its size, teeth hiding as his lips fell over them like a curtain. Head bowed, he focused on the embers dancing out of his fingertips. A nervous habit Ben mentioned in passing once that Peter never saw until then. “Well… it’s nothing that serious,” he started, not looking at him anymore. “But it’s still important and I’d – excuse me,” he cleared his throat, voice scratchy suddenly, “I’d appreciate if you and I could… talk?”

At least three different quips flit through his mind. He swallowed them all. Peter didn’t need a Spider-Sense to know that his ribbing wouldn’t be appreciated. Instead, he reached forward. Clapped Johnny on the shoulder, startling him so brown eyes looked into white lenses. He mirrored Johnny’s expression, even if it was pointless. “You know I’m always here for you Johnny,” he said, “whatever it is…” Then, since he couldn’t help himself. “Even if you decided to give up superheroing for a quiet, boring life on a farm far away from your favorite webslinger… I’m sure I’d understand. Somewhat.”

Snickering, Johnny whacked his hand off. “I can’t believe you…”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Peter huffed, “I’d probably make sure you weren’t a Skrull first.” Mood lightened, Peter plopped onto a nearby air vent. “So? Spill it hot stuff!”

Johnny stiffened at the nickname, a sign Peter should have taken for what it was. Like deer fleeing the woods, the smell of smoke not reaching your nose yet. Or being on a boat, sky clear and blue, although there’s a charge in the air. Disaster was at hand.

“What?”

“Spidey…” He turned, facing the park. His shoulders drooped with a deep breath, tension leaking out as he looked off into the distance. “You can’t call me that anymore.”

“Johnny,” Peter stood, “What’s –“

“You can’t call me hot stuff, and you… you can’t flirt with me. Not anymore.” Heavy ultimatums that hurt worse than a lashing from Doc Oc or ten-thousand volts from Electro. “I just… I can’t take it.”

Peter stumbled, at a loss for words. In time, he strung together a few. “I… I’m sorry,” he said, shame coiling tight and cold in his stomach. “I never meant to make you uncomfortable… if I overstepped boundaries or – or read things wrong –“

“No, that’s just it,” Johnny said, finally facing him again. Laughing, bittersweet and beautiful. Church bells during a funeral. “It’s not because I’m uncomfortable… far from it, actually.”

“Then…” Peter’s tongue felt useless, hanging on by a thread. “Then… why?”

“I want something more,” he confessed, “More than… than what this is. This – this confusing partnership-slash-friendship-slash… whatever.” Johnny dragged a hand across his face, steam twisting around his fingers. “Fuck, I want a relationship. And I think I found someone who can give that to me?”

“Really,” Peter asked, defiant. Banging his fists on the subway car as it lingered in the station. “Johnny if you want that… all you had to do was say so! What could they give you that I can’t?”

“A name, for starters.”

Peter visibly flinched, fight crumbling into sand.

“A face,” he continued, “friends I can meet… family he can introduce me to. Co-workers who, when I show up and surprise him for lunch, can go ‘is that Johnny Storm, the Human Torch’ he can say ‘no that’s Johnny Storm, my boyfriend’.” Johnny’s knees shook, but he remained standing. “We’ve known each other for years, and you still haven’t shown me your face. Don’t you… don’t you trust me? How can you like me, but not trust me?”

There’s no answer he can give that would make Johnny happy. Peter crashed into the air vent, mindful of the newly formed dent. Glad for the mask in such a moment. Johnny can’t see his face. He can’t see his pain. But he can definitely hear it. “Well… good for you, I guess,” he sniffed, leaning on his knees, “this lucky guy gave you a name? What is it?”

Johnny, softening into another timid display, shifted on his feet. “You actually know him,” he said. Bouncing, like he would rather fly off than tell Peter who he lost to. Who Spiderman lost to. “I… I don’t want to make it awkward.”

“It won’t be awkward.” A rushed promise he cannot necessarily keep. Pettiness flowed through his body like blood, and if given a name Peter will devote time on his already busy schedule to messing with whoever cut in on the funny little dance between him and Johnny. “I swear,” he lied.

Johnny arched a doubtful brow. “Okay,” he relented, sighing, “it’s… you know that guy?”

“I know tons of guys.”

“No, this one – he works for the Bugle,” Johnny lifted his hands, holding onto air in front of his face. He closed one eye, and a finger twitched. He imitated a click and shutter with his lips, capturing Peter’s utter disbelief in a fake photograph. “The one who gets all your good sides, who made that book about you? Peter Parker?”

“Oh,” he said, “…him?”

Of course.

Peter quietly traipses the Baxter Building, sticking within the shadows. Reflecting on the sheer coincidence and misfortune that Peter wound up on opposite ends of a love triangle. Johnny Storm dead smack in the center of a one-sided tug-of-war.

He should have noticed, though. How Johnny warmed up to Peter recently, after they reconnected. Not necessarily running in the same circles during high school – Johnny home-schooled and a celebrity, Peter barely given a second glance when out of costume – they crossed paths every now and then. On assignment for the Bugle at a swanky function or in the streets, coincidentally. Peter, by virtue of being himself, immediately irked the teenage Wicker Man. Every conversation between them, in the past, filled with sniping comments and waxy fakeness.

Not like Spiderman and the Human Torch got along then, either. Hormones, insecurity, and superpowers did not mix well. Both of them caught in the resulting explosion meant awkward and difficult team-ups.

But time went on. Peter and Johnny barely saw each other, and Spiderman and the Human Torch learned how to set aside their differences. They actually became friends. Best friends. And something more he couldn’t speak aloud.

Then Johnny entered Peter’s life again. “Wow,” he muttered, gaze scrolling down his body, “you… look bigger.”

Not really. He stopped wearing baggy sweaters, bottle-coke glasses he didn’t need, and cut the mop on his head. But Johnny never saw Peter in a shirt that actually fit him.

Still, even with the chapter on puberty closed, Peter figured first impressions were made and set in stone. As himself, Johnny considered Peter a friendly but often annoying fly that buzzed around. Entertained because who would harm a fly besides a sociopath. Jokes laughed at because it was better than letting an awkward silence linger. Or passionate rants suffered through because Johnny blocked whatever Peter said, mind thinking about a million other things. When Peter slipped, flirting in a way only Spiderman did with Johnny, he figured Johnny’s response more a reflex.

It was all intentional. That never occurred to him. Stunned, Peter strategically retreated from the rooftop conversation with Johnny. Stuttering through an excuse, he tripped over the building’s ledge and nearly splat onto the sidewalk if he hadn’t shot a web at the last second. He ignored Johnny’s calls as he fled through the night.

Now Johnny ignores his calls. Peter’s. Spiderman’s. Both men having pissed off the fiery hero in a horrible, but foreseeable, misunderstanding.

“Johnny…” Peter reaches his window, peering inside, “where are you my little firefly…” Nothing moves. He tries pushing on the glass, finding it uncharacteristically locked. “Dammit…”

There’s no getting in that way.

Peter abandons Johnny’s window, hurrying. Sprinting, building speed, so when he jumps, he rolls his landing on the roof.

Johnny may have blocked his usual entrance, but Peter doubts he remembers this one. Used in the beginning, when Peter and the Fantastic Four were still strangers. If there was an emergency and Peter needed help, he would sneak in through this exhaust tunnel. Security minimal given the tight squeeze.

While a fifteen-year old Spiderman could easily slip in like Santa, with his current, adult body, Peter barely manages. Except he doesn’t exit where he usually does. While wiggling through the musty, ashen chute, Peter hears the metal creak and groan. Something pops and pings. His Spider Sense fritzes a second too late.

He drops down. Not into Reed’s lab, like he expected. The ceiling breaks, Peter landing on his stomach while a cloud of foul dust trails behind him. “Gah…” he whines, checking for any broken bones, “this totally won’t help with my apology…”

“You don’t know the half’a it, bug.”

Seizing, Peter follows the noise. He spots Ben Grimm standing in front of a door frame, nearly eclipsing it with his orange, rocky frame. Flanked by Sue and Reed, the three other members of the Fantastic Four glare at him as if he were Doctor Doom.

“Hey,” he croaks, speaking around the lump of fear lodged in his throat, “nice seeing you all… Sue, did you do something with your hair? It’s been forever since you’ve braided it.” She folds her arms over her chest, flicking the tightly woven coils over her shoulder. “Johnny told you what happened, didn’t he?”

Reed’s arm shoots forward, trapping him. Squeezes bruised ribs while dangling him over the shattered remains of a coffee table he hadn’t noticed during his fall. A pinata with three-very candy crazed children circling like sharks.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Peter curses, checking off another box on his bingo card of bad luck. One more and he’ll have five in a row.

He’d been avoiding Johnny. As Peter and Spiderman. Mainly by spending every moment of free time in costume, swinging through the streets. Never stopping for too long, only when an emergency struck. Sometimes not even then. Once, he spotted a few robbers pounding pavement by Hudson Yards. He swung in with a kick, knocking a bad guy into the water; flicked his wrist two more times and stuck the accomplices to nearby posting. Peter carried on with his patrol.

All that time as Spiderman meant a few things. He barely slept, staying at his apartment for a few short hours since Johnny knew where he lived. The costume became a second-skin, too. Lines became blurred, and there were moments where Peter thought he wore his mask when he wasn’t. Making faces that were visible and embarrassing. Miming, lifting imaginary fabric before he ate. Almost firing a web off without changing.

But when he wore the costume, he forgot it was even there.

Like the miserable morning Johnny caught him.

Peter woke up in bed, cold. The blanket fell off him in the night, and his tattered suit lain over his desk chair. Damaged after a fight with the Vulture. Overwhelmed by the criminal because his thoughts were elsewhere, taking damage normally avoided. Battle longer than he expected, Peter slumped into his apartment late at night. Stripping with the little energy he had left and collapsing on the bed in his Spiderman boxer-briefs.

And his mask.

Yawning, Peter shuffled out of his bedroom and into his kitchen. He checked his phone, delighted at the rare peacefulness that came from his schedule being clear. With only an appointment late in the afternoon, Peter decided he should treat himself with a nice breakfast. A big breakfast.

Or eggs, as they were the only items in his fridge not expired.

Peter grabbed a pan and started cooking.

Although it took seconds for his mind to wander, Peter still a little sleepy. Turning the burner on low, he groped behind for his phone again. Peter opened his Spotify app and hit shuffle, smiling when the first song came on. “The classics…” he sighed, hips shaking with the beat. Wyclef John started his intro, Peter mouthing along. Never missing a single lyric. Body awkwardly following behind, embarrassingly so. An insult to Shakira.

He shuffled through a few more songs while in his kitchen, enjoying himself. Forgetting about his past worries. Nothing mattered except his breakfast, the music, and him.

While the eggs cooled on a plate, Peter freed himself from the stove and began dancing around the apartment. Hopping, throwing his arms up, and singing wildly off-key as Patrick Stump transitioned into the ending for ‘What a Catch, Donnie’.

As all the layered vocals crescendo, Peter sensed movement out the corner of his eye. He looked, and immediately tensed.

Johnny, de-flamed and holding a bouquet of Amaryllis, gaped through the open window by his fire escape. They stared for an obscene amount of time, enough for Peter to realize he was practically naked save for his underwear and mask.

His mask.

“Johnny,” Peter started, wincing as his phone continued playing. Britney’s voice echoing in the apartment. “I can explain…”

The trance broke. Johnny screwed his mouth shut in an ugly frown, eyes blazing. Skin smoking. The flowers he carried were immolated in his grasp. Peter mournfully watched ashen petals fall; they were his favorites.

“I… I can’t believe you, Spidey.” Johnny stormed into the apartment, blonde afro enflamed. “You… you fucking asshole.”

“What?”

“You fucking prick!” He shoved Peter, tipping him over and onto the couch. Floating above, Peter could only stare as the other hero spiraled in front of him. “You are the worst fucking friend – you… you… you couldn’t let me have this? Not if it wasn’t you? You promised.” His voice cracked, the shards stabbing Peter’s heart. Tears boiled, droplets becoming steam on his cheeks. “But you fucked me over you selfish asshole.”

“What?” Peter asked, gasping for breath. His chest was too tight, no air getting in. Squashed under a heavy boot of regret, watching Johnny breakdown because of him. “I… whatever you’re thinking, it’s –“

“No, I don’t want to hear it,” he growled, fists flaming. “You can’t spin yourself out of this web, not after catching you here. Catching you post-fuck with Peter. Making him breakfast while he… while he what? Sleeps? Because you’re an awesome lay?” Johnny glared at the closed bedroom door, yelling. “Fuck you Peter Parker!” Then, at Spiderman. “And fuck you, too. Friendship over.”

He flew, Peter numbly calling after him. Stopping at the window’s edge, fear keeping him from thwapping out. Chasing Johnny so he can explain. Johnny’s exit must have drawn someone’s eye. If they saw Peter leaving in his Spiderman costume, the puzzle would complete itself.

Which is why he’s here. Hoping he could trap Johnny in the Baxter Building, surprise him with an explanation. Of how Peter, being Spiderman’s friend, let him crash in his apartment while he visited his aunt. Besides the truth, it’s the best excuse he can create.

And he can’t say the truth, obviously.

“Listen,” Peter struggles in Reed’s grasp, “I’m here in good faith.”

“Somehow I don’t believe that…” Ben says, grinding his fist in an open palm. The sound grates on Peter’s nerves.

“No, really,” he says, “I – I came to apologize to Johnny. Explain what he saw –“

“He saw enough,” Sue says, stepping forward. Like her brother, a fire burned in her eyes. Except without the actual pyrotechnics, her quiet anger scared Peter more. “You should leave, Spiderman. Only contact us if there’s an emergency – even then… we better be the last heroes you try.” She sighs, pinching her brow. Like he gave Sue a migraine by existing. “Y’know, Johnny really liked Peter.”

“I know, I know –“

“And yet you still went behind his back?” Ben scoffed, “What a friendly neighborhood spider…”

Peter groaned, head thrown back. “I didn’t sleep with Peter!” he shouts, swinging, “I couldn’t sleep with Peter!” Choking, he bites his lip. The latter half of his statement spoken in complete exasperation, afterthought barging in only when his teeth clacked on the ‘r’.

Three doubtful sets of eyes stare at him. “Sure,” Ben says, “You couldn’t. So… you still wanted to?”

“No!” he says, trembling, “No, I – it’s like you said, Johnny liked him. What kind of friend would I have been if I had… Peter’s not my type, anyway. Too much of a nerd and – and God, he has the worst taste in everything. Such a scaredy cat, too, never takes a risk…” Cramming more of his foot in mouth, Peter switches tactics seeing the heroes grow angrier at his self-deprecation. “Peter wasn’t even in the apartment when Johnny was there?” he tries, weakly. Unconvincingly. “He was at his aunt’s?”

“Can I hit him?” Ben asks the others, “Please? No one’ll even see the bruise!”

“No, Ben,” Reed tells him, releasing Peter. Dropping him onto the broken table pieces again. He arches a judgmental brow at Peter, “We’re better than cheap shots.”

Panic sets in. Peter rushes forward, slamming against an invisible barrier. Sue’s mouth thins as she pushes, Peter digging his heels in. “No,” he says, straining, “no I can’t leave without talking to him.”

“You have no right,” Sue says, using both hands as she fights with him. He slides backwards, losing. “He doesn’t want to see you. Not tonight, not ever again. You ruined any chance he has with Peter.”

“I’m… not…” he says, “he’s… ruining his chance –“

“Oh yeah!” Ben snickered, “And how’s that?”

“Because I’m Peter!”

Peter slams onto his face, the invisible wall disappearing. Pain barely registers over the shock at revealing his identity to the others. They all gape at Peter, feeling the same cocktail of emotions that stir inside him. “W-what,” Sue whispers, “you – you can’t…”

A thought surfaces. He could leave, and Johnny’s family could reason Peter’s response as the throes of desperation taking hold. Crazed response carrying little weight.

But this might be his only chance. Johnny would hear the others’ recount, and then nothing he'll ever say could fix their issues. Another misunderstanding tearing at frayed cord.

In the space between blinks, Peter decides one secret he spent so hard protecting was worth nothing if it meant an eternity suffering in icy solitude.

Swallowing his fear, he scrambles up. Tears off his mask in one swoop, dropping it in the wreckage. “I’m Peter Parker,” he says. Puffs his chest with false bravado, when every logical bone in his body tells him to deflate. “I’ve always been Peter Parker, from the very beginning.” Before they could respond, he shuffles close. With wide eyes, he works through his nerves and says, “Please, let me see Johnny. Let me explain to the hotheaded idiot that I’m kinda in love with.”

“…You’re only kinda in love with me?”

Johnny stands in the doorway once blocked by Ben. He’s dressed sloppily, in sweatpants and a hoodie Peter never saw before. Stained with an innumerable amount of foods Peter bets they could stock a fridge with. “Peter,” he drifts forward, “you’re… wow.” Giggling, Johnny scratches at his neck. “Only kinda in love, huh?” he repeats.

“Well,” Peter says, “I – uh… it might’ve been more. The whole way. But then you chose some other guy –“

“You were the other guy.”

“And you ran off, before I could offer you some of my eggs.” He blanches, the ruddiness on his cheeks obvious without fabric covering them. “My breakfast,” he amends, “My… yeah.” Peter fiddles his thumbs, wincing. “I’m really sorry you had to see that. And for making you think – by not telling you –“

“About your secret identity,” Johnny finishes for him. Irritation creeps onto his face, hardening the soft glow in his eyes. “You realize all this could have been avoided if you told me on that rooftop, right?”

“I am aware, yes.”

“Okay.” He frowns, hand hovering between them. Like he wants to reach out but can’t. Not yet. “You came here then, to clear this all up?” Johnny asks, “Tell me the truth?”

The lies bubble up easily. Practiced in dancing around reality, Peter can give Johnny exactly what he wants to hear. Brush this entire evening under a rug and move on.

But that’s not how they should begin this. Johnny knows his secret – should have known it much earlier than this. Brought in on Peter’s terms when the other hero wasn’t furious with him. If he chose the easy road paved with falsehoods, they won’t go far.

“No,” he confesses, studying his feet. Unworthy of Johnny’s beautiful face. “I wasn’t. I was gonna sell you on an awful lie, hoping you’d buy it, and then find you as Peter and… turn you down.” Johnny splutters from nearby, Peter continuing despite it. “Suggest you try Spiderman, because he really likes you – I really like you. And being with you as Spiderman than as… as regular ol’ Peter was… it’s all I thought I could have.”

“It didn’t have to be,” Johnny finally crosses the divide. Grabs Peter’s hand, squeezing it. His gaze trails up, finding Johnny’s warm face shining with a sunny expression. “I’d gladly have all of you… if you trust me.”

“Johnny…” Peter figures he’ll be spilling more than one secret tonight. “It was never about trust. I trust you with – well, with everything.”

“Except –“

“Except I was so scared!” he blurts out, squeezing Johnny’s hand. “I’d think about what it’d be like, letting you in on my double life. But then my brain would always focus on what could go wrong. You date me – the world will know about us. Whether it’s Peter and you or Spidey and you… What if we kiss while in costume, and someone snags a picture? People will think I’m a homewrecker and you’re a no-good cheat. Or they’d figure things out, put two and two and you and me and me together. And if that doesn’t miraculously happen… well, you know how villains love kidnapping loved ones. They could surprise me midway through a costume change and my secret’d be everywhere. I… your family can protect themselves, but mine can’t. If I didn’t have to worry about my friends, my aunt… you understand, don’t you?”

Johnny smiles, using their joined hands to drag Peter into a hug. Lips brush against his ear, chuckling. “Yeah… I understand. I always did speak Spider better than every other hero…” Peter nuzzles at Johnny’s neck, wondering at how fantastic it feels standing together like this. “Man,” he continues, mumbling, “can’t believe I never realized. It’s so obvious.”

“Imagine how obvious it’d be if we were on every magazine, trending on Twitter.”

“Then what does that mean for us? Are you still scared?”

Peter clears his throat. “Terrified. Of what being in a relationship with you will mean, and how things will change… but, somehow, the idea that you’d never be in my life again scares me even more. Given the options… I’d always pick you.”

Johnny collapses in his arms, Peter grateful for his super strength. “That’s a relief,” Johnny tells him, “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you told me all this and still rejected me.” He stiffens, leaning out of the embrace. “I wouldn’t expose you, of course. Never. Not even if Jameson held me captive, threatening me with a bad dye job and an eternity of bad press – your secret’s safe with me, Peter.”

“With all of us,” Sue adds, reminding them of her presence. She, Reed, and Ben watched them from the sidelines. Ben hides behind his hand, shoulders trembling. “I hope you can forgive how we acted, Peter –“

“It’s all good,” he says, “you were looking out for Johnny. I get it.”

“Family looks out for each other,” Johnny says. He shifts, arm sliding as he tucks Peter into his side. “And since you’re practically family, that means we’ll keep an eye on everyone you’re worried about and make sure they stay safe, too.”

A smile forces itself onto his face, “You really mean it?”

“You trust me right?”

“Of course.”

“Then what else do you need?”

For the first time, Peter happily acts on his first instinct. His hand snakes around the hoodie’s collar, bunching it in his grip. “This.” He pulls Johnny down, slotting their mouths together.

Fire slowly burns over his skin from where they meet, Peter delighting in the burn. He sometimes wondered what it felt like using Johnny’s powers. Body tingling, lighter than air, and hotter than ever, Peter thinks this is the closest he’ll get without flying through cosmic rays.

They part, foreheads pressed. Johnny flutters his eyes open, the light shining there changing. Regarding Peter differently, combining two halves and seeing the entirety of his being. Knowing him, truly.

“Wow,” he gasps, “if that’s all you need, feel free to do that whenever.”

Peter will hold Johnny to that.

There are other things that need attending, first. Ben groans, drawing them from their little cocoon. “Great,” he says, slapping his forehead, “I thought the pining was bad, but this? We’ll never get anything done now!”

Johnny hisses, glaring past Peter at the others. “Can we get a little privacy, please?”

“We’ll get out of your hair hot shot,” Sue says, corralling Reed and Ben through a different exit. “Remember though,” she sings, “if you plan on going to your room, keep your door open!”

“Sue!”

She snuffs the fireball with a simple thought, arching a stern brow. “Try that again and I’m taking away your Spiderman privileges.”

Johnny knocks their heads together, whistling a low, sad tune. “Sue, please…” Sue leaves without any further teasing, only Johnny and Peter in the living room now.

They don’t move. Content standing, loosely embracing, in a moment Peter wishes could last forever. It won’t. Peter’s exhaustion bears down, no longer shielded from it by adrenaline. He’ll leave soon and fall asleep in an empty bed. Wake the next morning doubting if this actually happened. Only believing when Johnny texts him something stupid yet charming, stoking the fires within his heart. Keeping it lit, chasing off any shadows that might hang over their future.

Because right now, they’re Spiderman and the Human Torch. Peter Parker and Johnny Storm. Amazing and Fantastic.

And together. Finally, blessedly together.

#peter parker #spiderman #johnny storm #the human torch #spideytorch #spideytorch fanfic #black johnny storm #black sue storm #mistaken identity

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crimsoncityhq · 5 years

Text

The High Priestess, upright

sacred knowledge

Hours pass but time within the Art Institute stands still—most patrons inebriated by their intake of alcohol or swayed by the rhythm of the music that surrounds them. The snake in the grass is yet to be seen. A group of heretics knew what hand would be played out tonight. Not even the gift of knowledge would spare them from their fate. ‘Tis true that there are more guests than normal, but none of them had been identified as foe. A group of people on the elevator hear an extra tick to the beat of music that vibrates all four walls. Those on the dancefloor or inside see the lights suddenly power down. Darkness pours through, and even the dim moonlight is no help at all. The music stops all together, but it doesn’t cease the subtle ticking of a distant, haunting metronome.

Suddenly, the Earth quakes under foot. The loud explosions strike true louder than thunder as the party erupts into chaos. Anonymous armed gang members are blocking the exits with guns. A loud ominous inhumane squeal emits from the staircases. Bullets whizz by the frantic guests, and the fire has started to entrap them into the building. The embers carry the light in the building, and crawls up the curtains and burns through the spilled alcohol on the ground. Even for civilians the fight or flight survival instincts have kicked in. Those normally innocent from crime do whatever needs to be done to get outside to their salvation. It’s a frenzy, dog eat dog, and if you want to survive, you’ll have no choice but to fight.

It’s promising if one finds themselves outside the thick veil of smoke, but the promise is yanked once the survivor realizes their salvation has been denied. All the bodies they crawled over were once someone they knew. Some burned, some caught in the crossfire, some purposefully disposed of, and some trampled by the people looking to live another day.

There are no saints among the sinners.

Hello everyone! Welcome to part 2 of the event. This will run from October 21, 2019 to October 28, 2019. You may still continue event threads from the first half of the plot if you wish. While you're not required to pause your regular threads, we encourage you to prioritize event ones. Please tag all event threads ‘crimson.event’. The below plot drops are currently open, but each player is limited to 2 slots only.

FIRST FLOOR

Heavy security. No guns. MONIKA ADLER smuggles in guns with the help of VALARENA CASTILLO ( Fausts )

DIMITRI VASILE notices the bomb under the staircase, alerts CHARACTER D to help them block the way.

SAGE CAULFIELD-PROUVOST fights the flames with a fire extinguisher, but soon runs out of powder and instead begins to crack open the windows with the blunt edge.

CHARACTER F, G, and H try to turn on the fire sprinklers, but MELANIE WARD and BLUE DANIELS sabotaged their efforts. The fire sprinklers are disabled as the smoke continues to rise with the flames.

CHARACTER K catches on fire and needs to stop, drop, and roll to extinguish the flames.

TATIANA STEELE pulls the fire alarm and their sleeve catches on fire.

TEDDY COHEN and JACK DAWSON IOAN ( Fausts) are guarding the main exit. They allow Fausts and Civilians out, but fight anyone else. CLEMENTINE O’SHEA, BOONE O’SHEA, FINNAGÁN O'SHEA , and LEVI BOHAN ( O’Sheas/Vasiles ) are denied which leads to a fight at the main exit.

JORDAN WAKE (Civilian) gets caught in the crossfire and takes a bullet to the abdomen, courtesy of CHARACTER T.

HOLLY BYRNE and JOHNNY BENNETT sustain third degree burns being too close to the stairs when they collapse.

SANTIAGO LOPEZ ( Civilian/Vasile/Leon/Washington ) picks a weapon from one of the bodies to defend themselves but is too afraid to pull the trigger. NAOMI WASHINGTON ( Civilian/Vasile/Leon/Washington ) confiscates the gun and fires in SANTIAGO LOPEZ’s stead.

ILYANA ROMANOVA steps out of the way just in time for debris to come crashing from the ceiling, trapping TOBY O’SHEA, CONNOR MASON O’SHEA , and JULIETTE HARPER underneath. CHARACTER Y jumps to their rescue, and TOBY O’SHEA, CONNOR MASON O’SHEA , and JULIETTE HARPER are injured.

CHARACTER C1 tries to douse some of the flames with a cup of water. Good looking out, bro. The whole building is on fire.

CHARACTERS ON THE FIRST FLOOR ESCAPE VIA A SHATTERED WINDOW AND ARE SWEPT UP BY A FLEET OF AMBULANCES TO ASSESS THEIR INJURIES.

SECOND FLOOR

VICTORIA STONE, HEAVEN RICHARDS and CHARACTER F1 are trapped in a stalled elevator. They hear something beeping under the floor—the stark realization that they only have minutes to escape before the elevator blows incites panic.

LUKA SOKOLOV hears the commotion from inside the elevator and runs to help pry the doors open for VICTORIA STONE, HEAVEN RICHARDS, and F1.

BIRDIE MENDOZA passes out from smoke inhalation and has to be carried to the fire escape by TYLER MADDOX, CHARACTERS J1 and K1 witness CHARACTER L1 go out the fire escape and follow suit.

RYKER WARREN ( O’Shea ) and ZINADIA “Z” ANTONOVNA ( O’Shea ) work together to escape with priceless paintings during the commotion.

STELLA HOLLIDAY ( Civilian/Vasile/O’Shea ) takes a stray bullet in the shoulder and returns fire on JUNO SONG ( Faust ), who is struck in the chest. Luckily, the placement is non-lethal.

ANASTASIA VASILE ( Civilian/Vasile/Leon/Washington ) finds a way down to the first floor and escapes through a broken window.

MARCELLINE VASILE sacrifices a painting to the flames, but the fire only grows. It was a bad plan—their palms suffer second degree burns.

KATERINA FOX, ARABELLA DAVIDSEN, and U1 are saved from the fire by OLIVER FAUST. They suffered minor injuries, but are still taken to the hospital.

MIKAL VOLKOV is stabbed in the shoulder but doesn’t see their assailant—SAMANTHA REDFORD gets away with it.

EVERYONE ON THE SECOND FLOOR HAS EITHER DIED OR ESCAPED VIA THE FIRE ESCAPE. THE BOMB IN THE ELEVATOR GOES OFF, AND THE SECOND FLOOR COLLAPSES.

OUTSIDE

ZACH WASHINGTON and Y1 help survivors down from the fire escape and lead them across the street, a safe distance from the flames lapping at the roof of the Art Institute.

SASKIA O’SHEA suffers a severe asthma attack due to smoke inhalation.

CHARACTER A2 tries to resuscitate CHARACTER B2, and after a few agonizing minutes, CHARACTER C2 miraculously comes back to life.

FELIX GELLER makes the idiotic decision to snuff out their cigarette, but instead creates a small fire outside. CHARACTER E2 witnesses this and ( does/does not ) report them.

QUENTIN O’SHEA , CHARACTER G2 ( O’Sheas ) wake up outside the Art Institute. They don’t remember how they got there, and are unscathed by the flames. They are taken into custody by CHARACTER H2 ( Leon/Cop ) as prime suspects.

CHARACTER I2 ( O’Shea ) picks a fight with EFFIE FAUST and K2 ( Fausts ) thanks to the creeping suspicion that it was the Faust family who planted the bombs.

CHARACTER L2 and CHARACTER M2 assist the first responders on site to help get the fire under control.

BAXTER GREENE is arrested, but flees the scene with the handcuffs still on. They are not captured by police.

FENRIR SJOBERG and DEXTER O’SHEA are MIA after the event of the fire. It is unsure if they survived, if they fled, or if they are still in the building due to injury.

#crimson.event

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goldenboughs · 6 years

Text

Themes - E’salih Goldenbough

((Music is my SHIT get ready for me to go way overboard on this.))

[General Theme] Joy - Sleeping at Last - ‘so i let go, and in this moment, i can breathe.’ • The most fundamentally Salih song of them all. Every single line of this fits him to a T - the anxiety, the beauty in the world and the people around him that calms it, and his desire to see the wonder, the best in things. How Far I’ll Go - Auli’i Cravalho - ‘i’ll be satisfied if i play along - but the voice inside sings a different song. what is wrong with me?’ • I really tried to avoid Disney for a majority of this, but pieces of Moana wormed their way irrevocably into my ideas of Salih so I couldn’t not go with this one. Wants to cross the sea to explore and see the world for themselves? Shackled to important family roles with parents not exactly supportive of the lifestyle they want to lead? Female mentor figure whose passing marks a major turning point for them? Check, check aaaand check. Dreamers - K. Flay - ‘i used to knock on wood, i used to never curse. i used to think i could control the universe - with my obsessive thoughts, and what felt like a prayer. i shouted to the sky, ‘don’t let my family disappear.’’ • A more solemn one - I was linked this by a good friend, and the more I listened to it the more I realized how well it captures Salih’s longing, the rut he’s currently stuck in.

[Travel Theme] Tarir, the Forgotten City - Lena Chappelle Road of Trials - Austin Wintory Secunda - Jeremy Soule Exploration and excitement abound - the essence of where Salih wants to be - but sometimes the road is long and requires a bit of quiet introspection, especially during moonrise.

[Happy Theme] Taste - Sleeping at Last - ‘i wanna feel tectonic shifts - i wanna be, i wanna be astonished.’ • An incredible toast to the world Salih longs to see. Alone Together - Aivi & Surasshu - Steven Universe was another big inspiration for Salih, and Stevonnie especially. Fitting that Alone Together (the song) is such an incredibly sweet, upbeat tune for him.

[Love Theme] Stray Italian Greyhound - Vienna Teng - ‘i just stopped believing in happy endings - harbors of my own. but you had to come along, didn’t you? tear down the doors, throw open windows- oh, if you knew just what a fool you have made me.’ • He’s trying so hard not to let feelings happen, but feelings happen so easily for him and he doesn’t know where to put them all, how to bottle it all up so instead it overflows and he’s a stuttering mess around those he has a crush on, but who might not necessarily know that yet. The End of All Things - Panic! at the Disco - ‘in these coming years, many things will change. but the way i feel will remain the same.’ • The world will change, people change - this is inevitable, especially so when you have dreams like Salih’s. But when Salih loves, he loves for better or worse, and there is little that can be done to change that. Eric’s Song - Vienna Teng - ‘ambitions like ribbons worn bright on my sleeve’ / ‘so we just hold on fast, acknowledge the past as lessons exquisitely crafted, painstakingly drafted to carve us as instruments that play the music of life.’ • Those who Salih loves best are those he will endlessly forgive, and who will forgive him his shortcomings. No one is perfect. But falling into that mutual, loving understanding of one another is the key to long-lasting relationships with Salih. It’s Love, Isn’t It? - Joe Hisaishi - Should be self-explanatory, if you’ve seen half the things I’ve queued for him. A theme specifically for his relationship with Rhos. Yuri on ICE - Umebayashi Tarou - :3c

[Sad Theme] Friends - Yoko Kanno Sakura Nagashi - Utada Hikaru - ‘however great the fear, i won’t look away if at the end of it all, love still remains.’ • I’ve no words for this, other than the sense of loss communicated is profound and the constant thread of hope that strings through - that lovers will see one another again, even at the end of everything, is a powerful motif. Whispers - Dave Baxter - ‘in whispers, in whispers - you say ‘let it go, let it go home.’’ • Despite the years, he still misses Khoya. Most of the time, he’s fine. On the rarest occasions, though, and more commonly in the past - he needs to be told to set his grief down.

[Anger/Frustration Theme] Hardest of Hearts - Florence + The Machine - ‘there is love in your body, but you can’t get it out - it gets stuck in your mind, won’t come out of your mouth.’ Headlock - Imogen Heap - ‘afraid to start, got your heart in a headlock - you know you’re better than this.’ Often it’s Salih’s inability to act or make concrete decisions in situations where immediate action is not strictly necessary - citing paralyzing anxiety or worry as the cause - that stresses him the most, and what has the most potential to cause friction with others or with himself.

[Lust Theme] Unfold - Alina Baraz & Galimatias - ‘he says that i’m glowing / the kind of love we can’t control.’ Ok Go - I Want You So Bad I Can’t Breathe - ‘i want you, yeah i want you - so bad i can’t think straight, so bad all my bones shake, so bad i can’t breathe.’ Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae - ‘you know i love it, so please don’t stop it - you got me right here in your jean pocket.’ Lust and love usually go hand in hand for Salih, but when he wants he wants. It’s all or nothing and if you’ve got him interested, he’s down anytime, (almost) anywhere.

[Villianism Theme] Fear Not This Night - Maclaine Deimer ver. - ‘who needs the light? fear not this night.’ • AU - For the boy who never left O’ghomoro, and grew much, much darker at the edges for it. The Dread Wolf - Trevor Morris • AU - For the boy who left home much, much too early on his own - and found a world he could not convince himself was worth saving. Glitter and Gold - Barns Coulter - ‘do you ponder the nature of things? in the dark - the dark, the dark, the dark.’ • AU - For the boy who exchanged one abuse for another. Piracy pays, but carries a price tag of its own.

[Fight Theme] Laura Palmer - Bastille - ‘the night was all you had - you ran into the night from all you had. found yourself a path upon the ground, you ran into the night, you can’t be found.’ • Once he’s found his strength, he’ll go places. It’s just a matter of believing it first. Blitz - Iwasaki Taku You Say Run - Yuki Hayashi (Cloudjumper ver.) • I really don’t have an excuse for this, I just wanted to shove a My Hero Academia song in here somewhere and this absolutely works thematically as a Salih battle theme.

[Death Theme] Stoick’s Ship - John Powell - ‘my dearest one, my darling dear - my might one has fallen. the children weep for their protector; the loved ones will be praying. so we part again, my love, my darling one - so the gods above will bless you.’ Sad Moon - Yoko Kanno Passage - Vienna Teng - ‘now i am nothing, everywhere - several breaths of strangers’ air, and all thoughts ever written in my hand. they plant my tree out in the yard - it grows, but takes the winter hard.’ • The world would recover, given time.

[Bonus Theme] | Super Blue Blood Moon - Sleeping at Last • ‘Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?’ / ‘I wouldn’t mind that. It’s only fair.’ Geminid Meteor Shower (December 13, 2017) - Sleeping at Last • For the boy with stars on his face and in his eyes, who so carefully planned his first proper date in years to coincide with a meteor shower. Light in the Hallway - Pentatonix • ‘for we all have our nightmares - even me, my dear.’ • A lullaby.

tagged by: @captaingiddyblack - lovingly stolen! I’ve been vibrating to do this prompt since I first saw it.

tagging: This is a time intensive prompt, so it’s cool if I tag you and you don’t want to do it (and ESPECIALLY not to the level of detail I went, I am just weak for music themes) - however, I’d love to see the choices @elegant-etienne (YOU ESPECIALLY I LOVE YOUR MUSIC TASTE), @actualkomodo, @mrhos-xiv, @campcatte, @moonlifter (for Khena or Aedwen, esp.) and @mveerah would make! If you’ve been eyeing this prompt like I have, and I didn’t expressly tag you, feel free to steal anyway! I LOVE seeing the music people associate with their characters.

#memes #long post #holy SHIT i had fun with this

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bandstolookup · 2 years

Text

in solitude

into the moat

istapp

junction 18

jakiro

keepsake

the killing moon

the kinison

knockout

let's get it

logan square

cory marks

lonely kings

lostprophets

jason lancaster

jim florentine

king of asgard

intensus

jacobs dream

john arch

king's x

the hevails

i killed the prom queen

in battle

incapacity

ipissimus

jim breuer and the loud & rowdy

kill division

lay down rotten

lazarus a.d.

machinemade god

memory garden

mortification

lightning swords of death

malefice

mirror

mount salem

native construct

nightfall

nova collective

OSI

neaera

noctum

omen

over your threshold

martyr

molotov solution

nasty savage

negligence

nonpoint

one way mirror

overcast

channel zero

sourvein

paths of possession

pentagram

pilgrim

poison headache

powerwolf

princess pang

pyrithion

ravage

raven black night

razor of occam

the red death

rival

sahg

return to earth

rose funeral

sarke

phoenix mourning

poundhound

psyopus

raven

the red chord

riot

the rotted

satans wrath

secrets of the sky

shining fury

sister

skyforger

slough feg

sonic reign

symphony x

symphorce

theories

this ending

thought of industry

thrust

torture killer

trigger the bloodshed

trouble

since the flood

starwood

system divide

thomas giles

torchbearer

trioscapes

vader

valkrja

viking

winter solstice

vehemence

voivod

witchkiller

y&t

x-cops

church of agony

vesania

vomitory

red devils

yob

40 watt sun

bodyfarm

darkness by oath

demonical

down among the dead men

ereb altor

facebreaker

the foreshadowing

gloria morti

poison the well

pentagram chile

shakhytor

internet money

zombified

admiral sir cloudesley shovell

age of taurus

blood ceremony

cathedral

diagonal

electric wizard

the gates of slumber

gentlemans pistols

grand magus

hidden masters

iron man

litmus

nicolás

poison the prophet

river lynch

rios mios

orange goblin

purson

uncle acid & the deadbeats

witchcraft

river lynch and the spiritmakers

astra

church of misery

supa bwe

internet raised

firebird

horisont

moss

troubled horse

witchsorrow

woe of tyrants

hammers of misfortune

fight the fight

good tiger

hamferð

this romantic tragedy

vesuvius

wearing thin

we are defiance

common threads

whitney peyton

common holly

the charlie daniels band

fatboibari

victor internet

no vacation

the adverts

felton

aaron joseph russo

through lifeless eyes

mellow fellow

modern english

jorja smith

rian basilio and the roosters

whaley and hedner

jesus molina acosta

air reez

petrov

basilisk

basil curious

vancouver sleep clinic

cole bennett

vansire

vantage

buckethead & friends

vanic

vanilla

age of shadows

foy vance

no vanity

up from here

yung van

vanilla muffins

vanilla oreo

jam in the van

vandelux

vanilla fudge

vandella andrew

SBTRKT

karen o

major lazer

ezra koenig

page ninety nine

enemy soil

realtor 7

facade burned black

gnob

pankration

cobra kai

[fate of] icarus

jumbo

jeromes dream

sam dinovo

denel

lurka

ethan gruska

RAC

empathy test

discovery

boy george

nightly

rayvon owen

malaki

gemma bradley

corite

hablot brown

hope waidley

dj scheme

polo g

twst

park hye jin

fonkynson

matt fax

soleima

k.i.n.e.t.i.k.

audrey mika

leon of athens

ayelle

jazzinuf

cynthia lovely (cyn)

brasko

sly5thave

wesson

the r train

macca wiles

alex the astronaut

didirri

jaguar jonze

hayden calnin

st south

mass minor

king crash

bakar

100 gecs

carrie baxter

imminence

christian sparacio

raye zaragoza

kembaland

criibabysos

daniel avery

dominic Fike

josh levi

rebūke

bonelang

america's favorite punk

all things blue

allie x

brad brownfield

dick vitale

ethan camarata

chris adler

willie adler

the dirty guvnahs

ezra furman

ezra bell

the fight

ennio morricone

tear ducks

joey dean

ezra vine

ezra millz

george ezra

ezra collective

far caspian

smoothboi ezra

sly

the outfield

motorama

forests

forest

forest sword

forester

champ's club

forest creatures

forest blakk

east forest

berklee college of music

the forest rangers

forest therapy

pink turns blue

boy harsher

twin tribes

cabaret nocturne

soviet soviet

ellis b

the dirty pennies

emanon shakur

the heartways

mokele mbembe

baby keem

dominic fontana

laladee

fawns of love

giveon

afrotricks

pop smoke

vision video

jason lapierre

the dude ranch

imperial cities

SCR

gene taylor

the roots

stl gld

christian mark gibbs

aveline wallflower

josiah grey

dead lover

forest sun

forest rochester

the forest escape

slightly stoopid

trevor hanks

brandon bee

marza panther

wide waters

shane michael

loose cattle

hexakiri

do work naked

in two we break

candy claws

chinatown slalom

summer salt

cotton jones

skramz

forest lane

forest dump

k forest

the lonely forest

deep forest

dead wood forest

random forest

the forester sisters

sleeping forest

an american forrest

metallic forrest

sean casey

shoobies

hole

violet night

violeteyez

violet cold

violet nine

violet skies

violet taxi

violet marvel

violet rock

violet light

violet dust

little violet

backdrop violet

hello violet

violet aurora

circles violet

james violet

violet indiana

violet tyson

the high violets

witch vomit

witchrider

witchskull

witchfinder general

witchdoctor

all them witches

witch mountain

b*witched

witchery

witchaven

future of forest

witchtrap

witchmob

witchtorch of autumns

witcho

bell witch

angel witch

the deadly angels

crunk witch

acid witch

devil's witches

mountain witch

night witch

esben and the witch

burning witches

psychedelic witchcraft

purple hill witch

damn the witch siren

the witch dr.

little witch

the witchitas

mercury witch

witch taint

seven year witch

dead witches

witchthroat serpent

country witch

two witches

witch cross

burning witch

black witchery

strangers

minus house

witchfinder

the witch kids

vinegar hill

recoil vor

saints alight

confession

little sea

isotopes

duck duck ghost

fort vine

neon vines

the musket vine

of the vine

sweet vine

the vineyard sound

strange vine

trent vine

witches of london

frankie and the witch fingers

carpthian forest

boom forest

foreign forest

ezra henderson

ezra band

ezra salmine

ezra jordan

ezra hazard

better than ezra

labrinth

crisaunt

sweatcult

maze

maze1981

maze116

basil poledouris

jeremy loops

soft glas

basil rathbone

basil valdez

basilica

basilio

basilisk osiris

basil o'glue

basil panagop

basil

the spitescreamer basilisk

covenant basilisk

basil harwood

schola cantorum basiliensis

martin basile

mazen

mazen awad

blonde maze

mazes and phazes

mazeskin

mazembe

the maze

yxng maze

colour mazes

stoned mazes

juvenal maze

mazerboy

mazebored

mazemat

ivan b

ivan ave

ivan gough

ivan ooze

ivan

waverly

waverly hills

waverly seven

waverlys

waverly lies north

waverly ross

the waverlys

the waverly giant

waverly consort

digitization maze

kuna maze

spendtime palace

miel

deafheaven

common souls

common market

eery

good morning

commonminds

common sense

common tiger

common jack

commonwealth baptist college

common cents

jamie n commons

common grounds

the common view

common children

thee commons

our common collapse

the commonheart

common man music

commoninterest

forever the sickest kids

common courier

nothing in common

common & friends

the common linnets

cure the common

chris common

common market

scott miller & the commonwealth

common strangers

spencer common

common luck

commons

commonwealth choir

common war

common grackle

common threads

van common

prada-g

common deer

pinwick commons

common souls

16yrold

p4rkr

surfliner

life of death

thaiboy digital

SEBii

A.G. Cook

cartier god

lord apex

gupi

barry white

ben e king

smitech wesson

blanke

naeleck

hyper

jon brion

jeremy messersmith

tilly and the wall

common thieves

common rotation

sweet trip

jonatan leandoer96

wondha mountain

yves tumor

död mark

danger incorporated

duwap kaine

fly commons

common creation

fightstar

loreen

twisted insane

mechatok

albin gromer

cloud cult

dye

hopsin

mélanie laurent

nic & the family

lokey

common people

alan walker

joyfriendd

uglyzucc

where is nomu (nomu ? idk)

unitkai

powerdolls

slayyyter

arca

rico nasty

313d3p

tamia

red velvet

ratif

sutter kain

trio hot

the nonkey brothers

the notwist

nero's day at disneyland

veronica maggio

hypnosister

forrest gardner

klezmeyers

JPEGMAFIA

dakota commons

common ground

9 in common

every king & commoner

commonweather

common jones

king commoner

common.voices

commonknowledge

commonplaces

justin trawick and the common good

the boston common

common unity

commoneer

commonfaced

commonfolk

commonside

commontime

commonsound

commonplace

commonrage

commonyouth

CommonPlace

creation rebel

commontone

common folk

common center

common fires

common labor

common things

common cliche

ritt momney

commonSen5e

commonblue

kid common

common users

commoncycle

cure for the common

whether, i

jarrod alonge

ending left

kevin devine

versaemerge

right away great captain

monster magnet

the filthy souls

lower than atlantis

middle class rut

colour revolt

alex greenwald

lanski

coconut records

chasing sokaris

the so so glos

mansions

moving mountains

all get out

the dead hunter

o'brother

matt jaffe

thundercloud kid

story untold

american sin

than luu

this wild life

busted

flower leperds

half past midnight

glasslands

than zaw myint

electric valley

kevin harp

jason lapierre

riverchild

rob mathes

conceited

ghoul

kevin hewick and friends

get scared

40 rod lightning

shadows fall

battousai

kidcrusher

tony gallichio

heavygrinder

mike vallely

betraying the martyrs

soilwork

lee ving

jc charles

in the moment

northlane

a thousand times over

junkyard fieldtrip

all things blue

fear

matty mullins

the utah jazz

in hearts wake

jon lewis

awake and unafraid

new found glory

WSTR

just jax

jes say

mineral

jeffrey nothing

shadow kid

løenwulf

skud

in dying arms

lynk

hollywood ending

action item

fronzilla

julien baker

cannabiscorpse

goatwhore

gonstermachers

against me!

slutty hearts

the blue van

eyes set to kill

a band called sad

alesana

hinder

theory of a deadman

cris cordero

broken bells

the devil wears prada

sick puppies

hoobastank

the dark

drive by truckers

lil tarus

marek stanisław sajmbor

canto

the early november

the arcs

atta boy

circa survive

half moon band

HAWK

half moon baby

manilarajj

from over the water

commonwealth choir

frames

innerlove.

de'wayne

the dangerous summer

kids in america

lakes

example

mosey

promise of redemption

sleep in.

sleepy limbs

string machine

suntitle

sweet pill

the still, small voice

triangle shirt factory

twentythreenineteen

vinnie caruana

champagne colored cars

nude shoes

mas malo

milkmen

the phoenix within

post season

rich people

selfhelpme

vincent john

actor|observer

aficionado

aviator

for all i am

battle lines

broadway calls

the casket lottery

doll skin

emarosa

fame on fire

groundculture

hands like houses

have mercy

hold close

lotus eater

point north

roam

stand atlantic

sylar

thrice

tonight alive

vaines

vanish

what's eating gilbert

wstr

88 fingers louie

against all authority

air dubai

amber pacific

atom and his package

break the silence

coldrain

common rider

cruel hand

damion suomi & the minor prophets

digger

dillinger four

divided by friday

driver friendly

dryjacket

dying in designer

i am the avalanche

ever we fall

falling sickness

fifteen

for the foxes

funeral oration

guttermouth

heckle

heroes of modern earth

the human abstract

hundredth

jeff ott

kaddisfly

the kickdrums

the photos

best ex

charmer

lil xtra

melee

mike park

milk teeth

mustard plug

the nobodys

nural

the queers

ronen kauffman

royden

samiam

scared of chaka

the silence broken

selby tigers

daisyhead

departures

drug church

early graves

the felix culpa

foreign tongues

forest green

former thieves

grey gordon

great grief

hot mulligan

in between

jail socks

julia louise

koji

long lost

looming

lowtalker

maps for travelers

old sol

mixtapes

muskets

no trigger

old lines

pine

pet crow

rescuer

run forever

sainthood reps

seasons change

shai hulud

spill

state faults

stay inside

unturned

xerxes

adventures

allison weiss

temptress

anakin

i call fives

balance and composure

funeral for a friend

ghost key

into it. over it.

lee corey oswald

the fire the flood

major league

now, now

small leaks sink ships

somos

the swellers

tancred

touché amore

la dispute

half moon bay

half moon day

half moon

half moon sound

half moon god

half moon factory

half moon portrait

the crew of the half moon

the half moon shrine

half moon tuesday

half moon science

half moon jug band

half moon nima

half moon waves

aaron west and the roaring twenties

half moon codex

half moon glass

anthony raneri

half past moon

Afterlife

stairwell

story untold

somos

there for tomorrow

thrice

tripp underwood

the weakerthans

young & heartless

dwellings

invent animate

settostun

strawberry girls

valleys

aethere

the afterimage

a kiss for jersey

armor for the broken

the artificials

alesana

a skylit drive

avant garde -

bad luck.

boxbomb

brighter than a thousand suns

confide

the dead rabbitts

delusions

earthists.

everyone dies in utah

erra

eternal void

finch

greeley estates

i set my friends on fire

half moon tide

the half moons

van & his hotel half moon orchestra

half-way to the moon

charlie and the half-moon

gangz

animal sun

righthandshade

rome hero foxes

young kings

coworkers

the coworkers

the car ride home

soothing car ride

xxx car ride

carpet ride

carol rider

carly rider

carlton ridenhour

red carpet ride

rider tax-cara-cara

ruby stone french

carl axell and his temporary rid...

business school

HUNGER

better off

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aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

As Spider-Man Rumors Persist, Andrew Garfield Reveals a Downside to its Fame

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Andrew Garfield’s personal life can currently be described as events that occur when he’s not publicly denying rumors of involvement with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The actor, who broke big from relative obscurity with his two-film run in director Marc Webb’s abruptly-ended duo of The Amazing Spider-Man films, has been bombarded by questions—in some cases accusations—that he, along with preceding portrayer Tobey Maguire, will appear in Marvel’s multiverse-threaded threequel alongside current star Tom Holland. While he is undaunted in his denials, the actor is also reflecting on the path that playing Spidey has set for him.

Garfield’s Spider-Man turn will probably always be overshadowed by its status as an ignominiously forgotten casualty of industry events. Indeed, the grandiose franchise aspirations of the 2012-2014 Sony-licensed Amazing Spider-Man films were unceremoniously abandoned for a historic deal with Marvel Studios to bring about Tom Holland’s shiny new version of the Wall-Crawler. This was especially shocking for those who recall the pure, palpable passion Garfield displayed for the role, both on and offscreen. It also yielded him an (eventually-ended) IRL relationship with onscreen co-star Emma Stone, who played Spidey’s inevitably doomed love interest, Gwen Stacy. Yet, notwithstanding the nature of its end, his recent comments to Total Film paint an intriguing picture of his (maybe not so bygone) Wall-Crawler days.

“I don’t know about reincarnation, and if there is one opportunity for me to be alive, and I get offered the opportunity to do a prolonged dress-up as my favorite character of all time, there’s no way I can say no,” says Garfield. “And, yeah, the only thing that I knew was going to be a challenge was the fame aspect, and I knew that a lot of good would come with that as well. I knew it was going to provide a gilded prison… As a creative person, I knew I would have to balance it out with theatre and with waiting for the right movies to come along that would make sure that I stayed an actor, rather than this idea of a movie star. I love movie stars. I love The Rock. I fucking love Tom Cruise. This is in no way a detriment to them.”

For Garfield, the opportunity to play Spider-Man for a major release was too powerful, despite being a stage-driven actor-type who seems to prioritize the craft over the commercial. In fact, so great was the opportunity that it superseded any apprehension he may have had about the inevitability of instantly taking on the kind of merchandise-friendly fame he seemingly eschews. Yet, his apprehension was shared by a significant portion of the general public, since the 2010-reported initial news of the movie project that would become 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man was widely perceived as Sony’s cynical attempt to spin an unnecessary reboot, especially since the Maguire-headlined previous iteration’s last outing, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, was still relatively fresh, and rumors of a fourth film remained ubiquitous and topically diverse.

However, the early days of Garfield’s sentence in his proverbial gilded prison was nevertheless permeating with optimism. Details were slowly starting to be divulged about an updated, more serious version of Spider-Man—in contrast to the often-outlandish tone of Raimi’s films—emerging to match the significantly raised level of comic book movie pathos of the money-printing MCU movies. Moreover, Garfield provided a monumental moment at 2011’s Comic-Con, in which he appeared in a fan Q&A during the film’s promotional panel disguised in a cheap, pajama-level Spidey costume, at which point he ripped off the saggy, eye-holes-poked mask to reveal that he was the genuine article for the then-upcoming film, creating a raucous wave amongst attendees and those watching later on YouTube. Indeed, Garfield was anxious to prove himself, and, as he now reveals, his preparation for this layered, loftier, conspiracy-unravelling iteration of Spidey involved a significant amount of research.

“My intention… I started studying myth, which is the basis of comic-book films and comic books generally,” he explains. “And you go, ‘Oh, right. The responsibility of modern filmmakers is the same as the person telling the story around the campfire.’ Stories are the things that remind us of who we are as human beings, and we actually have an opportunity to provide deep wisdom and medicine and guidance. So, for me, it was like: How do I help to infuse this with as much soul and universality as possible, knowing that millions of young people are going to be watching? So, it’s not an exercise in selling t-shirts and mugs and Happy Meals, but it’s giving young people the opportunity to feel their own extraordinariness, and their own ordinariness, and seeing someone who’s just like them struggle with those two things living inside of themselves. So, for me, it was about that. And then, you know, there’s everyone else that’s serving their own masters.”

Movies

Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Breakdown and Analysis

By Mike Cecchini

Spider-Man: No Way Home – Breaking Down The Sinister Six Villains

By Joseph Baxter

The tchotchke-churning franchise prospects were initially validated when The Amazing Spider-Man went on to gross $757.9 million worldwide in 2012, creating an upsurge of studio plans for not only the obvious sequel, but an Avengers-esque team-centric megamovie focused on Spidey’s coterie of archnemeses, the Sinister Six; plans that, even now, purportedly remain in place. Indeed, Garfield, in a recent interview with Collider, intriguingly shed some light on the state of things at Sony regarding that never-realized project, which had tapped a genre veteran in writer/director Drew Goddard. “I don’t know how close it got, but I definitely had a few meetings, and it was really exciting,” recalls Garfield. “I’ve got to say, because I love Drew so much, and I love Cabin in the Woods, and the other stuff that he’s made. We just got on like a house on fire. I loved his vision, he’s so unique and odd and off-kilter and unconventional in his creative choices. So that was definitely a fun couple of months, but life.”

Pertinently, the professional drawbacks Garfield divulges about his otherwise-fulfilling Spider-Man cinematic sojourn might be another form of denial amidst the wave of rumors that currently consume his days regarding Sony’s MCU-adherent Spider-Man: No Way Home. Said rumors snowballed significantly upon the long-awaited release of the film’s trailer, which confirmed the long-rumored notion of its plot centering on Multiverse concepts wrought by the magic of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange. In fact, Garfield found himself in denial mode earlier this week during a remote appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where the host confronted him over recently-viral pictures of what is believed to be him on the film’s set. Perhaps at a point in which he’s used to his denials being met with instant incredulity, Garfield takes a light-hearted tone with his answer—in contrast to the exasperated tone of previous denials—stating, “I heard about it. And I did see it. And it’s a Photoshop. Look, if they want to give me a call at this late, late stage in the game, you know, I’m just sitting here in my tracksuit.”

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Regardless, it will be interesting to see if Andrew Garfield’s internal struggles over commercialism as an artiste will ultimately lean a certain way for a nostalgic big screen trip as his angstier, skateboarding version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the live-action manifestation of the Spider-Verse for Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 17. In the meantime, fans can witness his chameleonic transformation (that, in no way, was a reference to villain the Chameleon,) as disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, opposite Jessica Chastain’s equally uncanny title role.

The post As Spider-Man Rumors Persist, Andrew Garfield Reveals a Downside to its Fame appeared first on Den of Geek.

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miss-pyrrha-nikos-isms · 6 years

Text

Getting to know the Writer

Thank you to @braith-eisen-isms and @zsweber-studios for the tags!

1. Short stories, novels, or poems?

I’ve been informed when I turn my hand to poetry it’s not bad at all. Sadly, I think otherwise.

Truthfully, the most of what I write is campaign notes, world-building, NPC and character backstories and downtime. I’ve helped building three different worlds thus far, one medieval low fantasy, one extrememly high fantasy, and one somewhere in between. And one Sci-fi universe. Although, admittedly, I had an absolute blast with that.

When I do turn my hand to proper writing, it’s typically RP responses that are grossly overdue and short fics. I’m massively guilty of what I call ‘consequence free writing’ wherein I’ll create a scenario, I’ll let a problem or scene develop, and then I’ll end it after the scene’s climax.

Actions don’t have consequences if you’re a character in one of my fics ^_^

2. What genre do you prefer reading?

I’m a dolt for Fantasy in it’s many many shapes and forms. I’ve been known to pick up a a Sci-fi or Dystopian novel once in a blue moon. There’s even some poetry and epics on my bookshelf. If the paranormal, magical, other-worldly, bizarre or otherwise fantastical make an appearance, I am all over that.

And, of course, some writing manuals. Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ is an actual god send.

3. What genre do you prefer writing?

I write what I read. Admittedly, RP-wise, I have been writing a surprising amount of romance as of late. I’ve turned my hand to horror before, but I fear it didn’t go overly well.

4. Are you a planner or a write-as-I-go kind of person?

I can have a beautiful plot lined up, full of intricacy and clever twists, and my lead character will take one look at it and simply decide otherwise. They have minds of their own. I just sort of set up the world, create the character, their motivation and turn them loose.

5. What music do you listen to while writing?

It really depends on the genre. Like almost everyone, the LOTR soundtrack features heavily in my playlist. There’s some translated anime soundtracks thanks to Lie and Lee, Nate Wants to Battle and Amalee. The Swedish Orchestra have done some beautiful work with gaming soundtracks, particularly Bloodbourne and Witcher.

6. Fave books/movies?

Ohhhhhhh buddy. I’ll save us all and limit myself to 5 recent books.

Mistborn- Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson’s character breathe. They are truly marvellous. His world is a vast one, his story gorgeously compelling and holy hell those twists.

A Darker Shade of Magic/ A Gathering of Shadows- V. E. Schwab

I adore Delilah as a protagonist. Schwab doesn’t pull punches and try and make his protagonists completely likeable. They are flawed human beings and that gets them into just as much trouble as their abilities get them out of. Kell and Lila serve as each other’s muse and devil, even when half a world away.

Terry Pratchett- The Night’s Watch

The Discworld never fails to enthral me with it’s wit and charm. Pratchett’s characters are both caricatures and subtle developed individuals. Everyone has at least one character in Discworld they simply adore. Vimes is definitely one of mine.

The Once and Future King- T. H. White

This collection of Arthurian tales will forever remain on my bookshelf. It has earned it’s place there time and time again.

The Last Wish- Andrzej Sapkowski

I heard the books where darker than the game. I am currently in the middle of finding out. Sapkowski’s world is a brilliant example of a grimdark world down without the depressing overlay. There are glimpses of nobility, of love and companionship. One just has to be careful those traits don’t get you killed.

7. Any current WIPs?

Every single RP thread I’m working on. The worlds are constantly expanding with more lore and epic-tier backstory.

8. If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Leather leggings are a must. Likely a vintage cartoon T-Shirt or a block colour top with a loose denim shirt as a cover and ankle boots.

Unless we’re LRP-ing- Then it’s the corset, gyspy-top, long boots and Hunting coat ensemble. Two swords, a small hand hammer, holy symbol around the neck, more potions than possibly needed and a hipflask (essential). An outfit I love way too much.

9. Create a character description for yourself:

(More of a NPC description, but ho hum)

‘Away with the fairies’. She had frequently been described as such, and now she seeks to emulate it. Tall, but with far too much of a sweet palette to be lithe. She has a smile like a breeze. Perpetually there, and many don’t realize it’s presence until it’s gone. A mane of curls bounce as she talks animatedly.

10. Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

I may steal a series of conflicting traits from a person, but I won’t steal their full being.

11. Are you kill-happy with characters?

Oh gods no. I will put them through hell, and possibly their worst nightmares, but I will rarely kill them. All too often, that would be a kindness.

12. Dream job?

A librarian, or a lighting apprentice for a theatre. I’ve always been fascinated by the backstage of the theatre. The special effects and everything else. I can’t be onstage for the life of me, but I would happily delve into the secrets of the backstage arts.

If I could write LRP plot for a living I would love to, but a girl’s gotta eat.

13. Coffee or tea while writing?

I’m with Braith. Hot chocolate wins.

14. Slow or fast writer?

I make the tortoise look like Usian Bolt.

15. Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

Everywhere. I carry a notebook everywhere I go. Sometimes it’s a great collection of ideas, sometimes it’s just one well-wrought sentence.

16. If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

Oh dang, which one? I’ll assume person preference.

Probably one I helped make. If I forced to pick, Asyre, particularly in the City of Larchenette. A city risen from the sea, sourced around a fragment of the legendary Sun Crystal. It was one of the first places I ever created and sentimentality holds a lot.

Not to mention, at some point a dragon washes up on shore, with a merfolk, and half a dozen others.

17. Most fave book cliche? Least fave book cliche?

Favourite- ‘Two characters sparring, one partner pins another to a wall, intense few seconds, both character start making out.’

Least favourite- ‘My biggest flaw is I’m clumsy/My power makes me heartless.’ Get OUT of my novel with that nonsense. I will fully rage-quit a story over this type of writing.

18. Fave places to write?

I tend to write best in an environment where something is going on. A coffee shop, a library, a bar, there’s a lot of options.

19. Fave scenes to write?

Descriptive, or ones where I can work in some foreshadowing.

20. Most productive time of day for writing?

Whenever the feeling strikes. Normally when I’m in the middle of something.

21. Reason for writing:

“For a teller of tales will never die- not while there are still people willing to listen.” Stories speak to something primal and universal. In every culture, we have narratives for entertaining, narratives for warning and ones written in tribute or commemeration. I find it speaks to me on that level. Hearing a compliment after I bear my soul, or put my best effort into writing somethingfulfils me in a way nothing else does.

To make things easier, and to quote a wise green haired man once upon a time, I am a writer “because there is nothing in this world I would rather be.”

Tags- @cody-baxter-isms, @churchboy42, @and-his-name-is-rouge-crimson, and anyone else who wants to give it a whirl!

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ratherbewild · 5 years

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@ineveryvein ♥’d for tegan.

“ YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIKE ME, SWEETHEART, but until someone invents a time machine, we’re just about all we’ve got. ” she steps c l o s e r to spencer, lowers her voice. “ and as far as they’re concerned? ” pointed gesture to the GEEKS bustling around the compound. “ --- WE JUST MET. so get a better poker face. ”

#ineveryvein #ineveryvein ( spencer hastings. )#t. baxter.#t. baxter ( thread. )#t. baxter ( w. spencer hastings. )#live together; die alone ( ineveryvein. )#.the audience: silent / me: lost verse! lost verse! lost verse!

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anoddreindeer · 4 years

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Questions Asked

If it wasn't for the burning, howling unreality in front of him, Milt Felling would be highly intrigued by the place he found himself in.

Truth to tell he was still intrigued - it wasn't every day you got sucked into an inter-dimensional void between reality and unreality; that was usually reserved for the annual arcano-engineer Company mixer - but getting away from the shredding inverse of nothingness in front of him was a higher priority. It wasn't sucking him toward it yet, but that was highly likely to change at any moment. He'd been in one too many prototype explosions to think otherwise.

Milt spun in place, looking to see if there was an obvious path back, and was surprised to see the entire ship's complement standing in the space with him. The rest of the engineers were closest, with the rest of the crew spread out somewhat randomly - the largest group was a gaggle in the uniforms of ship's cooks, looking terrified and clinging to one another. The command crew and the away teams were standing closest to the only other figure Milt didn't recognize, some guy done up in a Dunklesnicht costume carrying some kind of staff weapon.

Milt could only be glad he didn't have to deal with that guy. Completing his rotation, he saw the Fire system stretching out behind what looked to be some kind of filter or barrier. It wasn't close enough to touch, and one glance at his instruments saw the readouts spewing page after page of strange glyphs he didn't recognize. He flipped record on, because glyphs he didn't recognize were rare and he'd really like to have data to analyze later, but stowed the detectors away in their cases after doing so. Whatever the hell they were picking up wasn't useful right this second; he'd have to figure this one out the hard way. He took a step-

The world shattered.

Milt found himself standing on a fragment of reality. Above him he could see an infinite number of other shards spinning in directions human minds weren't truly mean to contemplate and which translated to his human brain as simply "away." A quick glance around showed him he was at once standing before the figure in the costume he'd seen earlier, and also doing an infinite number of other things in an unknown number of ways. He was standing here, but he was also fixing Haven's engines, tinkering with the Void Jumper, getting a drink, getting some exercise, eating dinner, lunch, breakfast, midnight snack, kissing his wife, kissing his husband, ruffling his kid's hair -

Milt forcibly looked away from everything and focused back on the figure in the costume. He had so very many questions; what was this place, what was the figure, how could he replicate this, what was the hungry place he'd seen, what were his personal scanning devices actually picking up, what were those strange symbols, was he even still alive -

What actually came out of his mouth was "so, uh. Is this real?"

The figure seemed to consider for a moment.

"Yes, in as much as anything can be real. Crossing the borders of Reality to get here as we did meant we had to cross the borders of all Reality, not just the thread which you are currently experiencing. When the Heir shattered the tether, he did so across all Reality and, just for this moment, your limited mortal understanding is allowed to see all the permutations of Reality and not just the linear one created from the choices you have made in the past."

Milt considered this for a moment. "But then why-"

Reality collapsed.

Milt found himself standing in the tiny machine shop he'd been relegated to since Baxter's desertion. Not a single tool was out of place that hadn't been knocked about before that strange event, and there were no alarms blaring overhead. He looked around, still feeling a tad shell-shocked.

"Huh." He said.

And then he leaned over and threw up all over the floor.

------

Claire was not certain she liked this place.

The part in front of her looked awful scary - like a big, hungry mouth - but it couldn't get to her because of the curtain. Behind her was much nicer, with the stars all glittering and the planet all glowing red. The moons made a nice contrast to it. She liked looking that way.

She didn't like the scary man standing in front of her daddy. He was tall and he sounded funny and he carried a big stick. There was something about him that reminded her of the hungry place, though, a kind of sensation like he'd gobble her all up and not be sorry about it afterward. He looked scary-mean, but her daddy was between her and the hungry man, so that was okay. Her daddy could stop anything, and he'd never let the scary man hurt her.

She was watching the pretty red planet slowly turn when-

Everything broke.

Claire blinked. She was alone, and the scary-hungry man was right in front of her. The sky above him was weird; it was like the time she'd accidentally broken daddy's glass tablet, all pieces and broken jagged edges with rainbows glimmering on them flying apart at once very fast and very slow.

Daddy wasn't there.

She looked around and saw herself, also looking around, and that was scary too, so she looked back at the scary-hungry man as her eyes began to water. "Are you going to eat me?" She asked in a wobbly voice.

The scary-hungry man didn't move. "Yes. It is our nature to consume everything; when the Continuum is destroyed, nothing shall remain before us. We will swallow all of creation, and finally each other. So were we made, so shall we do."

That sounded even worse to Claire! The scary-hungry man was going to eat everything up, like the wolf in the story her daddy would read to her sometimes before bed. They'd eat the stars, and the planets, and-

"Daddy!" Claire screamed-

Everything collapsed inward.

As the warm lights of the Captain's room off the bridge became real around her, Claire wobbled. She felt bad, dizzy, and she really just wanted her daddy.

Plunking herself down on the floor, she leaned her head back and wailed.

------

Arrn had been polishing one of the Fire-powered lasers when the magic took hold.

Suddenly finding himself standing in the middle of nowhere on nothing and staring down the gaping maw of a hellscape was mildly concerning. The fact that he was also doing so without the F'laser he'd been holding in his hands not ten seconds ago was highly irritating. Fire-powered weaponry was harder to manufacture than your average Void-powered blasters, but the difference in damage dealt more than made up for the difficulty. Your standard Void-blaster could put a decent-sized hole in your average soft target; the smallest Fire-powered laser you could buy would punch a two-inch hole through five inches of steel. Starship security forces were not allowed to carry F'lasers for that reason, but the Haven had a few onboard because, well, you'd never know when or where you'd need them when escorting around dignitaries.

He performed a quick area scan/threat assessment, and zeroed in immediately on the person standing way too close to the command/VIP contingent. The person was tall, of indeterminate gender and age - and was also carrying the most impressive glaive Arrn had ever seen. Half again as long as the person wielding it, the blade was polished to almost mirrored sheen with edges that looked sharp enough to cut between atoms. He'd seen some monomolecularly-edged weaponry in his time, but he'd never seen anyone foolish enough to put it at the end of a polearm. And, truth to tell, this blade looked even sharper still.

On the one hand, it was kind of his job to at least try and put himself between such an obvious threat and the VIPs. On the other hand, Rex was already standing nearly in hand-to-hand distance with the hooded figure and she was a good kid more than capable of taking down one asshole with a polearm all by herself. Plus if he tried to ease up between the VIPs and Hoodie he'd have to get closer to the clawing, grasping nothing on the other side of some kind of veil in front of him, and he really, really didn't want to do that.

On the other other hand, he didn't have to go forward to get between some of the other crew members and Hoodie, so Arrn shifted his weight and prepared to take a step and-

Reality shattered like glass.

Arrn found himself standing on a plane that was at once infinite and infinitesimal; before him stood the Hooded Figure, well within the reach of the glaive it still carried. Above him the sky was a-whirl with broken pieces, spinning this way and that like snowflakes in a blizzard. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw - impossible things. Things he absolutely refused to contemplate. He concentrated on the figure in front of him instead.

"Am I going to have to deal with you?"

The question was a reflex; being so far out of his depth pushed him back to old habits, ones that had kept him alive for year after year of serving as Company muscle.

The figure before him spread its hands in a gesture Arrn might interpret as helpless if it hadn't included the nine-foot glaive. "You are dealing with us now; as it stands, however, your interactions with the timeline have been minimal, inconsequential. Your thread of reality interacts with ours very little, and if you stay on the path you have chosen they will remain that way. You will continue to maintain the armory on the ship, handing weapons and gear to others, and nothing of true consequence will come of your life. You will die an old man, alone in your bunk, and be buried in the soil of your home planet to rot in peace."

The figure spoke without even a tinge of judgement in their tone; whatever else, they seemed to truly not give a single shit about him or anything he did. Arrn wasn't sure if he was offended or pleased by this; he opened his mouth to say something - a witty quip, a snarky rejoinder, something - he-

The shards collapsed.

Finding himself suddenly standing back in the armory holding the precious F'laser was jarring. The vertigo and nausea that rushed in a second later were surprising only in their force, and Arrn had to put down the F'laser for a second as he breathed through them. He didn't throw up - he's had to deal with much worse in his years as a Problem-Solver - but it was a little closer than he'd like. A quick glance around to make sure nothing had fallen from where he'd secured it - nothing had; when he'd felt the evasive maneuvers start he'd locked his workspace down tighter than a miser's purse - and a quick motion to magnetically secure the F'laser to a nearby weapon mooring allowed him to go to the small room that contained his bunk with a clear conscience.

Looking around at the small space, bare of anything truly personal save for the weapons he'd picked up over the years as trophies, he was reminded vividly of what the figure had said. "You will die an old man, alone in your bunk, and be buried in the soil of your home planet to rot in peace." He threw himself down on the bunk and smiled.

That was really all he'd asked for, after all.

------

Luke was not having a good time.

Naturally high-strung, suddenly finding himself standing on nothing and staring into a place that his lizard brain gibbered at even attempting to understand was giving him heart palpitations. Blindly he flailed around to his left where he'd remembered Zaza standing before something weird had happened to throw them here, and managed to get a hold of her arm. "Zaza, oh Elements preserve us, Zaza, we're going to die, it's going to kill us and suck the marrow from our bones and destroy us in tiny microns we can't fight it we can't survive oh elementselementselements-"

A resounding crack confused him for a moment as he head jerked around, and then the pain made itself known. He swung around to face - ah. Not Zaza.

Fran glared down at him, the white showing all the way around her eyes belying her fierce expression. "Now ain't the time to panic, Luke. We gotta hold on to something or this whole thing'll fall apart and then we'll really be in the soup."

Luke gulped and nodded, looking around. Besides the - oh dear sweet elemental creators preserve us - howling void in front of them, the reassuring red of the Fire planet hung in space behind them. Above and below them were just stars, and all around them seemed to be some kind of darkness both supporting them and keeping them separate from the void. It didn't look particularly strong to Luke, but it'd been doing the job so far.

He turned back to Fran, whose elbow he still clutched. "So-"

Everything exploded.

Luke found himself standing right in front of a tall figure wearing a black robe and carrying some kind of long weapon. He stared at the blade on the end of it, hypnotized by the shining metal. That thing could kill him fast enough he probably wouldn't even know it before he found out what came on the far side of life. He could almost see it now, sweeping down and slicing him in half, with the top taking a few minutes to fall, it was so clean. He could almost-

"Are you the Grim Reaper?" he asked the figure in front of him, mostly to drown out the images trying to overwhelm him with primordial terror.

The figure seems to consider this question for a moment. "No. I may be described as grim, but I am not here to harvest. I am here to collect the Heir and be gone - something which I have apparently failed to do. His continued resistance has grown irksome; we will need to take stronger measures, it seems, though this current attempt has failed utterly."

"Oh."

Luke didn't quite know what to say to that. He wasn't sure what an Heir was, and while failing at something sucked he couldn't help but feel a little glad such a scary person hadn't gotten what they wanted. Something in the back of his mind still gibbered about how the person in front of him could absolutely kill him at a moment's notice, and he didn't really have much sympathy for murderers. He opened his mouth to offer some kind of meaningless platitude-

Everything collapsed.

Luke staggered as he found himself back in the galley of Haven, almost knocking a dazed-looking Zaza to the floor. The various other cooks looked about as good as Luke himself felt. He blinked, feeling his head start to swim. "I-"

He fainted to the sound of Big Mike cursing up a storm.

------

There was something at once terrible and fascinating about the whirling unreality that raged behind the veil in front of her.

Mika wasn't one much for mysticism; sure, everything worked on magic but that was no reason to go assigning spiritual value to it. You plugged your grill in, let the Void energy spin up the heating coils, and went about your day. Nothing special to that, it was just what you did if you were a cook. Worrying about what was going to happen to you when you died didn't get the morning flapjacks made or the orange juice squeezed; there were just better things to do with her time.

Still, seeing the burning, swirling maw in front of her was rapidly beginning to make her rethink this stance. She leaned over to Zip, who appeared to be having some kind of religious experience, and jabbed him hard in the shoulder with one finger. "What do you make of that?" She asked, gesturing to the sight in front of them.

Zip didn't quite answer her, but he half-turned so that whatever he'd been saying became audible to her. "...So shall the elements wither and wane before the Unmaker, but the Continuum shall be the light evermore and save us from the Darkness..."

Mika tuned him out; whatever was going on in that head of his was obviously pretty far removed from whatever reality they were currently experiencing. She turned in a slow circle; besides Zip standing next to her, the rest of the kitchen staff was clumped up pretty close together and the rest of the crew kinda spread out along...whatever the Void they were standing on. Furthest forward were the special guests and the command folks, and furthest back were the new brig security people they'd picked up to replace the ones who hadn't survived the Company rep's short but tyrannical reign aboard ship.

She turned a little more to see what was behind them, and-

Everything exploded.

Mika blinked as pieces of reality danced before her eyes; looking around didn't bring any further clarity as all she saw was herself. Doing things - washing dishes, mostly, though there was the odd scene of her attending some kind of rocket launch, or being handed a certificate on a stage, or being murdered in an alley. She blinked and turned away from that last one hurriedly; it didn't seem to bode well for how this whole situation was going to turn out.

As she looked away from that scene, a tall, hooded figure caught her eye. Seven foot tall at least, she'd've piled their plate high if they'd come into her kitchen. There was something hungry about them; she would bet there wouldn't be any meat on their bones if she could see through the flowing layers they wore.

Or maybe she wouldn't give ‘em a plate at all, not if they were still carrying that pig-sticker they clutched in one hand. Mika had a strict no-weapons policy for the galleys she worked in, and the rest of the staff aboard Haven had been quick to agree with her. Kitchen implements were one thing; sure, you could murder people with 'em but that tended to dull the blades dreadfully so you were better off just using them to, y'know, actually cook. Weapons just made for killing were worse than useless in a kitchen - even blasters.

"Who're you supposed to be, then?" She asked, using her best I'm-not-impressed voice.

The hooded figure didn't seem to care. "I am Asahel Keturah Pipe-Wolferstan, and we are the Other. I am supposed to be servant of the Heir, but I cannot be so until he takes up his true purpose and name. Until he does, I am merely the one chosen to deal with Reality to make him take up his duties to us." They paused for the merest sliver on an instant. "It is...uncomfortable, but I am the second best able to exist in Reality, and so it is my duty to do so."

Mika raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems to me-"

Everything collapsed.

Mika blinked through the sudden wooziness of finding herself back in the kitchen of Haven. Zaza was hyperventilating, Luke had straight-up fainted, Zip sounded like he was still praying, Fran was clutching her face and weeping, Hank was making unpleasant noises in the corner, and Zeiriogh was breathing heavily from where they were leaning on the counter. Mika barely registered her count was off before a nasty sizzling noise heralded a bout of cursing from behind her; she spun around to find Big Mike near the stove, cradling one hand with the other. Apparently he'd tried to copy Zeiriogh in leaning on something, but had chosen his leaning surface poorly.

Mika heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "What a rotten way to get out of a conversation," she remarked to no-one. If the universe somehow carried her parting shot to Asahel, it gave no sign, and she went over to start tending to Mike's hand.

One mess at a time, in her kitchen.

------

Today was definitely going to be a red-letter day in her daybook, and not in a good way.

To be fair, Fran didn't get too many red-letter days, full stop. There was the day she got assigned to Haven, that'd been a good one; the day Silas had kissed her and promised her his hand, that'd been a really excellent one; the day she'd gotten a letter and Silas' ring from the Company, that'd been a bad one; the day Roger'd been eaten by the giant bug on the Bloom planet, that'd been a bad one; and so on, and so forth. Point being, there were more bad red-letter days than good ones, and this was shaping up to be a really bad red-letter one.

For starters, she was standing on nothing in the middle of nowhere with what looked like the descriptions of the Underworld the local cults used to try and scare people with back on her home world stretched out in front of her. Standing to her right was Luke and to her left was Zaza, and she could hear Zip babbling somewhere behind her; he sounded like he'd taken some kind of religion to heart and was regurgitating it to deal with whatever was going on in his head. Fran mentally dismissed him as unhelpful and started to turn around when something grabbed a hold of her elbow.

Spinning to face the possible threat, she found herself face to saucer-plate-sized-eyes face with Luke. He was also babbling, though he sounded a lot more hysterical than Zip did. Voice high and breathy, chest going like someone on speed pumping a bellows, pupils the approximate size of pinpricks - Luke was clearly less than ten seconds away from complete meltdown. So Fran did the only thing she could think of to snap him out of it.

She slapped him.

Hard.

"Now ain't the time to panic, Luke. We gotta hold on to something or this whole thing'll fall apart and then we'll really be in the soup." He stared at her owl-eyed as she spoke, the imprint of her hand reddening on his cheek, and nodded jerkily while making an odd gulping noise - like he'd tried to swallow but didn't have anything in his mouth to swallow. His eyes were still darting around crazily, however, and he had a glint in them she didn't like.

He opened his mouth and said hoarsely "so-"

Everything exploded.

Fran found herself moving very fast and yet at the same time standing perfectly still as reality fractured like a cheap window. Luke's hand was gone from her elbow, and the whirling shards of what she had the nasty feeling was literally Everything were going too fast for her to see if he'd ended up in one of those. The fragments were actually kind of pretty, in the same way that broken glass could reflect rainbows if turned just right, but the fact that they were fragments and not whole was probably a bad thing.

So entranced was she by the whirling bits of Reality above her, she didn't even realize someone was standing in front of her until they cleared their throat. Or at least, made a noise like they were clearing their throat, and she glanced down in surprise. The figure was tall, taller than Big Mike - no mean feat as Big Mike was the biggest person she'd ever seen - and shrouded from head to toe in black cloth. They looked almost funerary in that get-up, and a terrible thought struck her as she glanced between them and the broken sky above.

Fran took a deep breath, and asked the question that had plagued her mind for decades. "How did Silas really die?"

She'd asked that question many times of many different people, and had never gotten a satisfactory answer. There was no real reason this person would know who Silas was, or anything about him but - that clothing. That weapon. The broken sky above them. If she didn't at least ask, she'd hate herself for the rest of her life.

The figure looked at her - or maybe through her - for a long moment before answering. "Silas Marner was an informational security specialist in a minor branch of The Company on the planet most notable for its vast reserves of the elemental magic your kind classifies as 'water.' He was a dependable worker, and good at his job - too good. One day he intercepted leaked plans for a siphon the Company had planned for the planet on which he stood, plans he knew were illegal. He deleted them, and all mentions of them, from the Company database. The Company sent a Problem Solver to his quarters, who beat him to death in an attempt to retrieve the plans. If the Problem Solver had not arrived when he did, Silas would have been summarily executed by the Industrialist faction who had been responsible for trying to data-mine the leak in the first place and whose kill team was waiting outside while the Problem Solver worked."

Fran's mind went blank. she'd always suspected the Company had been involved - that it hadn't been an accident - that - that-

Everything collapsed.

Finding herself standing back in the kitchen of Haven, not having moved a single inch from where she could remember being before being sucked into space was surreal. Not a single ladle was out of place, not a pot had moved, and yet everything had changed. Everything was different. Silas had died a good man, and he'd died at the hands of the Company - the Company she was working for.

It was all too much. Fran buried her face in her hands and wept.

------

Zaza was fascinated.

The constantly-moving energy patterns of the whatever that was in front of her were mesmerizing. The sudden unpredictable shifts that drew the eye for just a moment, only for something else to change and attract her attention - she felt like she could stare at it for hours. If only there wasn't that weird darkness in the way so she could see it properly. She reached out, but her hands met nothing; whatever was between her and those wonderful, swirling flames was at once close enough to touch and far out of reach.

She took a step forward, and another, and then-

Everything exploded.

If Zaza had thought the flames were beautiful, they had nothing on the whirling shards of Reality itself that spun in an infinite number of fragments above her head. She couldn't see into any of them, of course - she suspected that was her eyes failing to comprehend what they were seeing, rather than any actual attempt by the universe to keep her from peeking. She huffed, impatient with the failings of her optic nerves - the Company did offer upgrades, but they cost an arm and a leg and Zaza'd never be able to afford them on her salary as a cook - and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a low laugh in response.

Looking around suspiciously, her eyes landed on a strange figure dressed all in black. Strange costume, she thought, and turned her gaze back to the sky in its infinite complexity.

"I want to see this all the time," she stated baldly, never taking her eyes off the up there.

"You would wish this view all the time?" The figure sounded surprised. Zaza snorted.

"Of course, who wouldn't? The firey place wasn't too shabby either."

There was a long stretch of silence.

"Seek me out on your return, and I'll give you the eyes to see what you so desperately desire."

Zaza dropped her gaze from the sky, finally. "How-"

Everything collapsed.

-do I find you died on her lips as she took in the boring normality of the kitchen around her. She could feel her heart racing and her breath coming in too fast as she tried to reign in the feelings that adventure had brought out in her. Clearly she needed to find the guy dressed all in black, and asap.

After I finish cleaning, she amended mentally as Hank threw up in the corner. Sighing, she went and fetched the mop and bucket and got to work.

------

Hank felt like he ought to be sick.

He'd never had a head for heights, and from when he could see there was nothing below him but a long, long way to fall. Whatever he was standing on was at least semi-transparent, reminding him vividly of the time his little sister had convinced him to walk on the glass bridge that went out over a waterfall on the Bloom planet. It was apparently a must-see on all the tourist guides, but he'd very nearly had a heart attack just taking the first few steps and his sister had eventually given up and gone the rest of the way without him. He'd been dragged off the clear surface after she'd left by a kindly security guard who'd forced him to drink two cups of peppermint tea before releasing him from "custody."

The strange thing this time was that he wasn't sick. At least, not sick to his stomach; he couldn't look up from the vast emptiness of space beneath his feet, but he didn't feel like he was about to throw up. Maybe those therapy sessions his sister had forced him to go to after the bridge incident hadn't been a total waste of time after all.

He still couldn't look up, though.

He felt Big Mike's hand - no way it was anyone else, Big Mike had hands big enough he needed custom oven mitts - settle between his shoulder blades. "Breathe," the bigger man commanded with his deep voice and Hank sucked in a breath, the spots at the edge of his vision clearing. He could feel Mike's hand giving him a soothing rub. "You gonna be-"

Everything exploded.

Hank missed Mike's hand on his back immediately, but at least whatever the hell he was standing on now was opaque. He looked up and around, and blinked in surprise. He saw himself, but like, in a weird funhouse-mirror kind of way. The reflections - if that's what they really were - nearest to him looked the most like him, while the more outlandish ones looked like they were further away - though he wasn't sure if distance had a real meaning here.

Though, actually, that wasn't quite right. The nearest person to him didn't look like him at all. Hank wasn't seven foot tall, for one, and for another he'd never wear a crown. He'd despised them ever since his sister had shoved the paper crown you'd get from Void Burger Conglomerate for your birthday down over his eyes and given him paper cuts on both ears and the bridge of his nose.

Which, of course, begged the question. "Why are you wearing a crown?" He asked the not-him figure.

They shifted uncomfortably - or maybe they didn’t, Hank’s eyes couldn’t quite resolve the gesture they made. "It is a symbol of my power. I am a titan of the third order among my people, but human minds cannot even conceive of us in our entirety. Your minds simply interpret our power as a crown."

"That’s cool?" Hank hazarded. What were you supposed to say to something like that? Still-

Everything collapsed.

Hank blinked around at the warmly-lit kitchen. It was good to firmly be planted back on the ground after- after-

He leaned over and threw up in the corner with the drain. Apparently he hadn't quite gotten over his fear of heights after all.

------

"The Continuum shall light my path; it shall drive away the darkness, and keep me safe."

This place was everything the mystics of home had warned Zip about, from the swirling maw of the Unmaker in front of him to the vastness of space swirling to either side.

"I shall place my faith in the Continuum, that it may shelter me against the storms and the raging fires, and all that would destroy It's joyous work."

He couldn't exactly confess himself regularly, being the only practicing Bright Spot Continuuist on the ship, but he made sure to send the proper percentage of his pay-packet home to the priests and they, in return, sent him monthly recordings of the lessons he missed by being aboard ship.

"For the Continuum holds the light, and life, of all the worlds safe in Its hands."

Something poked him hard in the shoulder, and he half-turned while keeping up the Litany Against Darkness.

"When faith is gone, so shall the elements with and wane before the Unmaker, but the Continuum shall be the light evermore, and save us from the Darkness when all other hopes have failed."

Mika was the one who'd poked him, but he couldn’t spare a thought for her right now. He-

Everything exploded.

Zip couldn’t look up. The Continuum - the Continuum was - he couldn't look up. Couldn't look around, either; he could just see the terrible lies crowding the edges of his vision, versions of himself that have not existed and will never exist so he will not pay them any mind now. Looking down showed him a simple, opaque blackness, and in front of him was-

"Are you the Unmaker?" He blurted, heart seizing in his chest.

The terrible figure shrouded all in black with a bleak crown and black staff leaned over him, and Zip could feel its terrible, awful gaze in his very soul, and-

"One of them." It replied.

Zip reeled back and-

Everything collapsed.

Zip looked around at the warm, familiar shapes of the kitchen, closed his eyes, and prayed.

------

Michael "Big Mike" Derane was not an easy man to startle; when you were as big as he was, you didn't have the luxury of starting at every little thing. When you moved instinctively, chances were better than even you'd accidentally elbow another person in the face - especially in the close quarters of a kitchen. If he'd become a Problem Solver like the Company reps had wanted him to, it wouldn't've been a problem, but Big Mike liked cooking and so to the galley of Haven he went.

All that being said, he definitely froze when something jerked him away from the stove he'd been in the process of shutting down - it would have been nice to have more warning before evasive maneuvers started, he'd been lucky there hadn't been anything actively cooking on the stove when the Captain had done something that threw them all across the kitchen - and into a great, big, nothing.

He could see things all around him - things beyond just the other cooks, though it was good to see them here too - but they seemed to be separated from space by some kind of smoke. It didn't bode well, but they also weren't actively dying at that point so that was something. Well, most of them weren't actively dying.

Big Mike walked over and put a hand carefully between Hank's hunched shoulder blades. "Breathe," he advised the shorter man, taking a deep breath himself to demonstrate. Hank sucked in a short breath that sounded like he'd just been dunked in a barrel of icy water, and Big Mike carefully started rubbing up and down the bony back beneath his hand. "Easy, you're gonna be-"

Everything exploded.

Big Mike found himself standing on a featureless plane while the world whirled above him. There was someone standing right in front of him, taller than he was, but he ignored them in favor of looking around. Everywhere he looked, he could see himself looking back, like a mirror maze or something.

Except no two of the reflections were exactly alike. Most of them looked like him, generally speaking, but one or two looked very different. It was one of the very different ones - a much-older version of himself with snow-white hair and, more importantly, a wedding ring - that caught his attention, and he stepped away from the weirdo in black to get a better look.

The older him smiled at his approach, and held out one wrinkled hand for him to shake. He took it, and looked himself straight in the eyes.

"Who?"

The older him's smile grew dazzling. "Marlene Aschamps-Marie, in a little diner on the Void planet."

Big Mike's smile grew to match older him's, and-

Everything collapsed.

Big Mike found himself right back where he'd been, in front of the stove in the kitchen of Haven. His heart felt lighter than air, his stomach was doing flip-flops, and a whole lifetime had passed since he'd last been here. A wave of dizziness struck him and he had to put both hands down to make sure he wouldn't fall over.

A mistake.

A nasty sizzling noise preceded a burning pain in his hand made him jerk his hand away from the still-hot stove top. "Blighted son of a dog and serpent!" he roared - one of his mother's favorite curses, from way back. "Void-begotten cock-mangling rotten-"

------

This wasn't how they'd really expected this day to go.

Granted, Zeiriogh was pretty certain that "the way they'd expected today to go" had gotten shot in the foot somewhat further back than "being launched into the void between spaces," but this was pretty much the icing on the cake. Unexpected evasive maneuvers, fine, nobody'd been handling a knife at least and they could always clean up the mess from the not-quite-empty gravy boat, but being yanked out of the ship to watch the VIPs and Command crew jaw with some weirdo in a shroud?

Yeah, that hadn't really been on the docket for today.

Still, at least it didn't look like they were going to be consumed by the awful flames any time soon. Whatever they were standing on seemed firm enough, and was possibly also responsible for keeping the flames from coming any closer which, honestly, was a relief. Zeiriogh had dealt with a fair amount of nonsense in their tenure with the Company, but reality-warping flames were the purview of actual scientists and not cooks, and they'd very much like to keep it that way.

They looked around, noting that the rest of the cooks were standing reasonably close to them. A lot closer than the rest of the crew, anyway, though they weren't sure how much distance actually meant in this place. The furthest one away looked like one of the engineers, and he appeared to be pirouetting which was about what they expected from an engineer in a place that defied the normal laws of physics. They could only hope the hapless engineer didn't get any ideas or there stood the real possibility of a repeat performance.

The thought made them facepalm, but just as their hand reached their face-

Everything exploded.

Zeiriogh slowly removed their hand from their face as it became apparent that things had changed yet again. This time it looked like none of the crew were nearby. Instead, they saw a tall figure wearing all black and carrying a glaive standing at attention nearby. They gave the whole ensemble 10/10 for good thinking - a glaive was a nice, versatile weapon - but minus several million points for style. All black did nothing but make you overheat; if you wanted to blend in, you were better off going with neutral mottling of brown and grey, and if you wanted to stand out you'd highlight the important parts in other colors to really emphasize the black.

Whatever; whoever this person was, it wasn't Zeiriogh's job to tell them they'd fucked up their outfit. Whoever they had to do that had obviously fallen down on the job, but if you were good at something you should never do it for free - or so they'd heard.

Zeiriogh huffed a gusty sigh. "Is there likely to be a repeat performance of this?" They asked in their most bored, disinterested tone.

The figure shifted slightly. "No; you may thank the Heir for even this much. Such a shattering has never happened before, and is all the more proof we must cut this iteration short. That the Heir could do this with only the most basic grasp of the abilities open to him is...troubling. We will have to try harder to bring him back and try again or this entire cycle could end badly for everyone."

Zeiriogh didn't like the sound of that. They straightened out of their careful slouch, and tried to look the other person straight in the eye. "You mean-"

Everything collapsed.

Zeiriogh blinked as the kitchen swam into and out of focus around them. Wherever they had been, the journey back had been one hell of a ride. They leaned against the counter and tried to breathe through the nausea.

Fucking doomsayers.

#void jumpers #short story

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