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klixxy · 3 years

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Genshin Fic Recs

so... i ventured into the vast world of Google looking for some good GI fic recs... only to find such a pitiful amount that i was promptly devastated. therefore, the solution is to make my own! :D

keep in mind most of these will be ChiLi or XingYun, and yes, i will try not to include smut unless it was one i really really liked. if anyone wants a separate list for just smut (though that will most likely be shorter) i can try to make one later.`

ft. my bookmark comments :)

CHILI

wrapped up in pure gold by beyondwinter

(chili; accidental marriage; chili/childe-centric; 22k words; ongoing)

"Do you understand its meaning, Childe?" He finally asks. There's a hard glint in his eyes, like he's trying to steel himself for his answer.

"Yeah." Loyalty and devotion, right? Between business partners? "I do. It's traditional, isn't it?"

Zhongli's eyes glow a warm amber in the near darkness, reflecting the soft shine of the lanterns. He studies his face with a strange intensity, as though Childe were a piece of high quality Nocticulous Jade being sold for suspiciously small sum and he's trying to find the blemishes that would explain the price. The weight of his gaze should be uncomfortable, boring into him like he can see into the very depths of his abyss-tainted soul, but Childe finds himself preening under the attention instead.

Childe accidentally proposes to Zhongli. Zhongli accepts.

The World is Water by Millereflets

(chili; smut; hurt/comfort; chili-centric; 7k words; oneshot)

Childe doesn't visit Zhongli until it's almost too late.

(my bookmarks: HOW DO YOU MAKE A SMUT SCENE SO POETIC HOLY SHITTTTT)

Set in Stone by seredemia

(chili; fake dating au; angst; some smut?; chili/chiilde-centric; 55k words; ongoing)

What do you do when you write about a certain six thousand year old consultant so much in your letters that it somehow convinces your entire family you're not only dating each other, but that you're also engaged?

In Childe's case, the answer is plain and simple: he goes along with it, of course. Absolutely nothing can go wrong if he makes a contract with the God of Contracts, vowing that the two of them will pretend to be lovers for the duration of his family's stay in Liyue. Afterwards, they'll return as normal and speak no more of this mess. No feelings or complications involved whatsoever.

Contract accepted. A fool-proof plan set in stone. Right?

Private Ledger of the Eleventh Harbinger by JuHuaTai

(chili; humor; getting together; chili/ekaterina-centric; 5k words; oneshot)

“So guess what I did next?”

Ekaterina contemplated not answering, but Harbinger Tartaglia was just… grinning and waiting. It’s honestly rather creepy the longer time passed.

In the end, she gave a long suffering sigh that seems lost on him, “You bought him the Erhu—“

“I bought him the antique, cor lapis based Erhu,”

When she first left her homeland for the unknown nation of Liyue, Ekaterina was ready to be many things: To be a soldier, to fell Tsaritsa’s enemies in her name, to bring glory to Snezhnaya and her leader.

Being a receptionist in a cozy bank wasn’t so bad in comparison, but she absolutely can do without the front row seat to Harbinger Tartaglia’s (expensive) love life.

i know i'm where i'm meant to go by paperclips (pastel_paperclips)

(chili; humor; fluff; chili-centric; 12k words; ongoing)

"Childe," Zhongli says suddenly. "I am enjoying myself greatly." Childe’s face breaks into a grin. "Then-" Zhongli gasps, grabbing his wrist and tugging him over to an unsuspecting peddler with a cart full of rocks. "Is that an intrusive igneous pegmatite formed in the Inazuma regions?" Childe’s grin smooths into a small, adoring smile. He has all the time in the world to figure the other man out.

OR: Finding the Geo Archon is on Childe's to-do list but hanging out with Zhongli is significantly more fun.

CHILIVEN

Crumbling Stone by avtorSola

(chiliven; ANGST; PAIN; mind control; zhongli-centric; 74k words; ongoing)

When Morax unleashes his plan to test the Liyue Qixing and his adepti, he does not take into account the stirring of the Abyss Order in the north and the corruption of Dvalin - for why would he fear an organization that works in such shadows? He is secure in his power, after all, unlike his flighty ex, the absentee archon of Mondstadt who rises only when his people are in danger.

But, somehow, the Abyss Order discovers his plan. Somehow, they capitalize on it. And he, the God of Stone who cannot sicken, is struck down - taken by an order bent on destroying all of humanity as Liyue crumbles around him. For even Archons aren't immune to Durin's blood, and Morax is no exception. But then the question becomes - if even Archons may fall to the agony of this corrupting burn - how is their traveling friend Aether immune?

The answer comes from beyond the stars - an ancient malice that knows no kindness or mercy. A malice whose legacy the Abyss Order now bears, seeking to topple all the Archons and their people into the void of utter destruction. And they have begun in Liyue.

Fortunately, it takes a long time to erode stone.

(my bookmarks: IM SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

PLATONIC ZHONGVEN

left-behind city by trixstar

(platonic zhongven; angst; ANGST; venti-centric; 1k words; oneshot)

"An associate of mine has just informed me that Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon has been assassinated."

Venti blinks.

Or: Venti and how he copes with finding out he is all that remains.

i circle ten thousand years long; and i still do not know if i am a falcon, a storm, or an unfinished song by birdsofpassage

(platonic zhongven; angst; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 4k words; oneshot)

Venti and Zhongli, and the vignettes of a much-needed vacation around Mondstadt.

(my bookmarks: ; - ; ; - ; )

oh ye with little faith by air_fried_air

(platonic zhongven; angst; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

Two former archons do a little tour around Mondstadt.

(my bookmarks: why are all genshin angst fics so melancholy.... i feel so empty)

the wind through the mountain tops by glassdrachma

(platonic zhongven; humor; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 21k words; finished)

Boredom brings Barbatos of Mondstadt to bother a certain ex-Archon of the Earth.

(my bookmarks: venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship-)

XINGYUN

the art of exorcism by Agried

(xingyun; ghost au; hurt/comfort; chongyun-centric; 9k words; oneshot)

On the road back from one of his jobs, Chongyun runs into Xingqiu, the wandering swordsman. And then they keep meeting, over and over again. or, alternately; how a ghost and an exorcist learn how to love, one step at a time.

Bane of All Evil by tzitzimeme

(xingyun; humor; romance; chongyun-centric; 24k words; hiatus)

When Chongyun unintentionally offends Liyue's second most powerful adepti, he vows to mend the thorny relationship between Adeptus Xiao and human exorcists-- even though no one has succeeded in currying Xiao's favor for over a thousand years.

His best friend Xingqiu offers to come alone, mainly because he's worried about what kind of trouble Chongyun will run into. Along the way, they receive help from others: Xiangling packs them meals for their journeys, while Zhongli gives them advice on what demons to track.

Childe is just there because he thinks the whole thing is hilarious.

[On indefinite hiatus due to burnout; sorry!]

kiss me slowly (so i don't forget) by xiwangmu

(xingyun; humor; romance; light angst; xingqiu-centric; 8k words; oneshot)

Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board

Guest Message: My best friend whom I harbor affections for kissed me last night, but due to his special condition he does not recall a single moment of it. I am quite conflicted about whether to disclose these events to him or not, because that would most certainly require me to confess my feelings as well. If anyone has experience in romancing boys with excessive positive energy, this one humbly asks you to share some advice.

Reply: Our greatest apologies—although we would like to offer some words in response, we simply cannot decipher your handwriting. Perhaps you may return with a neater message next time?

time trials by idlestars

(xingyun/many ships; humor; modern au; xingyun-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

A modern social media AU.

Xingqiu Teases Demons. Chongyun Almost Cries. [The clip shows Xingqiu, lit by the sickly green of night vision, as he stares bored into a dark room. He’s alone - Chongyun left to see if Xingqiu could lure out the ghosts. Xingqiu glances at the camera, smirks, and then opens his mouth.

“Hey demons, it’s me, yah boy.”]

OTHER/GEN

woe be the wallet of the god of wealth by glassdrachma

(gen; humor; identity reveal; keqing/zhongli-centric; 12k words; finished)

Or, the story of how the Yuheng of the Qixing came to idolize, befriend, and discover the identity of the God of Geo, in that order.

(personal comments: hilarious, made me burst out into laughter multiple times, and was just a masterful piece of writing)

to dream of dust by miao_x

(guili/gen; ANGST; hurt/no comfort; zhongli-centric; 5k words; oneshot)

Some nights, Zhongli dreams.

He dreams of soft light, golden song, and a gentle breeze whispering tales of millennia past. It is warm, familiar, and comforting.

It feels like home.

And then he opens his eyes, and awakes to reality.

(my bookmarks: oh zhongli... made me cry)

To drown in your own tears by C_rin_nyan

(guili/gen; ANGST; TEARS; PAIN; zhongli-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

As Rex Lapis, he had never shed a tear, even as he slaughtered hundreds, destruction following his every step. As Zhongli, he had shed much more than he would like to admit, however.

Or, “Zhongli’s soul gave its last scream long ago, yet even now, the echo of said sound was still strong enough to reach Rex Lapis.”

#fic rec #fic recs #fanfic #fanfic recs #genshin #genshin impact #ao3 #chili #tartali #zhongchi #xingyun #childe #zhongli #xingqiu #chongyun #venti #zhongven #guili #guizhong #angst

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viviae · 4 years

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The Red Plague: An Analysis

Ok, I’m to preface this that I am not at ALL a student of medicine or science I am just a humble blogger who really likes diseases, literary analysis, and the science behind death. This will also be a STUPIDLY long post so I am letting you all live by putting it behind a readmore this time

This goes without saying but there is a content warning to this. I’m talking about death, stages of decay, rotting, corpses, vomit, and other gross medical stuff. There will be NO images however. I subjected myself to viewing those images and I will not condemn you all to view them.

I’m going to start this off making sure everyone is on the same page and post an image from the art book about the Red Plague itself

So let’s start with the canonical facts about the plague first

Average life expectancy was 3-7 days once symptoms show, Averages are also liars which means it could’ve taken a little bit more than 7 days or under 3 days to die.

Spread by the plague beetles, exact method of transfer is unknown but Julian was force fed one and contracted the plague however they are safe to keep in containment.

Plague beetles also infected nonhuman objects like the water supply which is shown as a thick ichor. This ichor no longer possesses infectious properties at the time of the story

Julian believed that it had to do with a corruption in the blood hence the usage of leeches

The Lazarus started as a containment center before becoming a crematorium, meaning people believed that it was spread from contact or things like that

HOWEVER This is not the first appearance of the plague as it would show up at locations Lucio stayed for too long but no note if it spread from these locations.

It’s not a disease, its a curse.

So, this is one nasty plague on our hands. Most diseases that are this lethal would never be able to spread as much as it did unless it could spread from corpse contact or through other means like a carrier. I think that it could be spread through a combination of both which would add an additional need for cremation.

Corpse Disposal & Spreading

Historically during plagues you would simply toss bodies into mass graves or ‘plague pits’. This would be, substantially, easier than what they do in Vesuvia. Cremation is not an easy process and is an art form. The heat needed for a cremation alone is incredibly hot and needs special methods to be contained. Not to mention the tedious cleaning process to make sure ashes don’t damage the heat element. So you are telling me that Vesuvia... went through the process of rowing away their dead to the middle of a lake to do mass cremations because it was the easiest? Yes they would’ve run out of grave space a while ago but no one is saying they can’t go make a plague pit out in the woods for half the work.

Now granted, I understand the imagery of making Asra wade through bodies of rotting corpses to find the apprentice’s bloated corpse is uh,,, graphic. Or making us stumble upon an open plague pit of bones in the woods with you LI is not what most people call romantic. (you’re welcome for that image) So they could’ve just made mass cremations on a separate island for tone reasons but that’s BORING.

Not a lot of diseases are actually capable of surviving in dead body simply because when we die our bodies lose the necessary high heats for them to multiply and survive. But this isn’t a disease in a traditional sense, its a curse to Lucio. And this is Lucio we are talking about, some one who is famously afraid of death and dying, which was grafted by a demon of pestilence who is obsessed with worms (cough maggot symbolism and death by disease cough). So I propose that the plague is spread in addition to plague beetles but by dead bodies themselves. This would put additional pressure on proper corpse disposal and the need for cremation. This fact would also explain why plague doctors were present at the boats leading to the Lazarus instead of simple plague carters (rowers?) as doctors would probably have to keep a closer eye on proper disposal of bodies.

As for how I think the beetles themselves spread the plague, I think it’s probably in a similar way as to how Lyme Disease is spread. I can’t name any disease that is spread by beetles themselves off the top of my head but ticks are pretty similar to beetles (I am not an entomologist). Lyme disease is spread by infected ticks biting into the hosts skin and regurgitating its stomach contents that includes the bacterium for the disease.

This would explain why Julian got the plague pretty awful real quick. He consumed all of the plague beetle’s contents and Lucio didn’t have to try and force a beetle to bite Julian, which would’ve given Julian time to fight back. This is also working with the fact Lucio got bit by a plague beetle when running from Morga in his tale. He most likely contracted the plague, or perhaps he contracted the curse then and later on got re bit, in that bite. This would also explain the ichor that infects the water in the south end. Beetles are significantly larger than ticks, and so they might have a need to empty their stomach contents more and its more waste produced.

Symptoms and Inspirations

The Red Plague is obviously, influenced by the Bubonic Plague in terms of symptoms and Tuberculous in treatment. I will list some of the common symptoms of Black Plague and signs and be comparing these to the Red Plague. I cannot stress enough that I do not have any knowledge in medicine but I don’t think the dev’s are all doctors so we are on even ground.

There are generally speaking three types of plagues; Bubonic (Most common type of The Black Plague and mainly targets your lymphatic system), Pneumonic (When the Plague enters and infects the lungs), and Septicemic (When the plague enters the blood stream, either form can lead to Septicemic)

Bolded Symptoms are what are obvious symptoms the Red Plague has taken from these three variations of plague. Italic is Lucio specific.

High Fevers

Chills

Headache

Muscle Pain

Weakness

Seizures

Swollen black lymph nodes known as Buboes (Bubonic)

Internal Bleeding (Septicemic)

Gangrene (Septicemic)

Shock (Septicemic)

Vomiting Blood (Bubonic & Septicemic)

Coughing Blood & Mucus (Pneumonic)

Shortness of breath (Pneumonic)

The Red Eyes

By far the most obvious symptom of the plague and its trademark. Consider this the equivalent of Buboes to the black plague. This is the first obvious symptom that marks you for dead and probably one of the first symptoms to show after a possible resting phase.

Apparently it takes each eye individually as seen with Julian or it may not take both? The stage we see Julian in isn’t the clearest but I’m assuming he was rather early on with a pretty serious case.

It’s also a debate of what exactly is going on with the red stringy bits under neath the eyes. For the sprite models it appears to be veins under the eyes that have been aggravated. While in the concept art above it has a more liquid and viscous look which is probably blood. And in Julian’s CG of him dying of the plague he has no marks around his eyes. So I’m saying its a fun combo of all of the above.

Essentially I think that the plague is causing the blood vessels in the eyes to pop and do serious damage. There can also be a foreign growth to occur behind the eyes or just magical nonsense, doing additional damage to the veins surrounding the eyes and cause bleeding from putting stress on the veins.

The Arms and Lower Extremities

Ok, remember how I talked about Lucio’s fear of death and how its incredibly likely that the plague is manipulating his fear? In death there are various stages of decay, and different functions occur at each stage. And one of these functions is Livor Mortis.

Livor Mortis is when your blood cells rupture out of your veins and die. These dead blood cells sink down to your body based off of gravity where they settle. This is seen as a purple color on the skin based on gravity, normally the back. This can be disrupted by any disruption to the body, but depending on time you are likely to receive lighter marks based on its previous position.

What I think is going on all over the body is veins are rupturing and the body is going through an extreme form of living Livor Mortis. Just that it’s in red and not purple because this is the “Red Plague” and not the purple plague. And due to the patients still being alive when Livor Mortis is occurring it simply pools into the extremities instead of one specific location, with the fingers and bottom of the foot being the most severe. To add to the veins popping suddenly the subtle bruising through origin points to where the red vein-y look begins remind me of my own experience of having four veins burst in my arm.

Julian had reason to believe he could use leeches to treat the plague and in typical plague doctor fashion of “They were right but not exactly” he was on the right track! Using leeches to drink the settled and dead blood would be beneficial to the patient. As likely leaving these areas to accumulate dead blood would put it at serious risk of rot, since maggots first grow on open wounds and areas affected by Livor Mortis.

Julian might not have been curing the plague but what he was probably doing is preventing a lot of people from developing gangrene and needing amputations. A beneficial skill for a previous combat medic to utilize and what might have drawn additional attention to him. Julian’s uses of leeches could also explain why Lucio does not have any of these red marks since Julian is his personal doctor and Lucio would spare no expense for his treatment.

Lucio’s Unique Symptoms

Portia’s route mentions that due to Lucio’s longer surviving time he developed unique symptoms. We don’t know much details about this besides he was extra miserable and was confined to his bedroom most the time. From my provided list above I think that generally speaking the Red Plague is a combination of Bubonic + Septicemic plagues.

However, Pnuemonic plagues were considered especially deadly, but rarer. Lucio is described as having a cough when he has the plague and generally a wheezy voice. It wouldn’t be odd to think the plague had spread into his lungs due to the increase longevity he had.

There is a dramatic irony in Lucio losing his lungs to sickness as well. Morga tells us about how when Lucio was very young he almost drowned and that instilled a fear of death in him at a young age. He’s also a man with a lot of stamina who can run in the freezing cold carrying a fully grown apprentice on his shoulder or run away from Morga who also possesses a lot of energy. Lucio has trained his lungs to be stronger more so than the average person, and now with his downfall he loses them.

It goes along with his general want of having a new body as well. You can rebuild muscle mass although hard, but recovering from illnesses that target your lungs? You’ll almost never get back to the same degree you previously were.

The imagery of the dead is also present in the animal itself used to spread the plague. Although the beetle comes from Lucio’s tribe, beetles play a role in decomposition. Beetles like to come after the body has been nearly completely rotten, after the maggots and wasps consume most of the dead flesh beetles come in and eat the scraps. Beetles are also used in skeletonizing items, one example I think of off my head is a man who had his amputated foot skeletonized by beetles for keeping. So these beetles are coming in and spreading a plague that forces the body to go through stages of decay while living, for their own food. Just like Lucio’s tribe came in and slaughtered other tribes for their own need to eat.

The plague was handcrafted to torture Lucio for his inability to finish his end of the deal. That’s why it uses imagery of dead bodies, it steals Lucio’s lungs from him, and why even the dead can cause severe damage.

Of course this is all my own theory and analysis of the plague but thank you for reading all of this.

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athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit · 3 years

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Of Ice and Blood

Part 6

Part 6~ cuz I love y'all <3 don't forget to drink your vitamins and keep hydrated! Stay safe and healthy my loves :)

Word count: 3k+ words

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: None. (tis a fluff-filled chapter)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

* beware of little shifts in perspective from two characters, we will be jumping casually from their minds.

You caught the orc staring at you again, with a smile that made his tusks jut out more. "H-Hi!" you blurted out, waving.

As you began walking towards him, you found yourself losing balance, your legs giving out. You closed your eyes reflexively and expected to land face-first on the tiled floor.

Only you didn't.

You felt a strong arm around your waist and a large hand on your back, nearly covering the expanse of it. Instead of the floor, you found yourself smushed against something warm, and that thing, you figured out a second later, was Tai'chi's chest. You became flustered and felt your cheeks and ears redden. Your nose was practically inhaling his scent now, all that musky and rich smell of his making you light-headed. Stuttering, you pulled your head back.

"I-I-I— Ta-Tai'chi???"

Congratulations self, that was perfect, wow.

"Hm? Oh, uh, sorry. I acted on impulse when I saw you collapse." He said as the grip he had on you slackened and moved to hold your shoulder to support you in case you fall again, his other hand, though, remained in its place behind you.

"Don't w-worry about it. My legs just gave out, haha."

That came out awkwardly.

Damn, he is fast.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, his words filled with genuine concern. Your ears were sporting a tinge of red, he noticed. Your scent also changed, signaling you were flustered.

"Ye-yep! We should uh, head back to class now. Oh! We haven't eaten anything for lunch." You said and as if on cue, your stomach grumbled to agree, followed by another grumble but louder, it wasn't yours but Tai'chi's.

The two of you laughed from the sounds they made.

"You're right. How about we go to the cafeteria first to grab something before we head back to our classroom?" He asked, smiling down at you.

"Great idea!" You agreed, a little too eager than you would've liked.

"We should get going then."

He straightened up and removed his hand from your shoulder when he was certain you wouldn't stumble again. Though, he let his hand on your back linger a bit longer even after you left the office.

**************************************

The trip to the cafeteria was peaceful, minus the sounds of muffled talking coming from the rooms. Tai'chi was beside you as you walked down the halls, thankful that your legs found their strength again.

Arriving at the significantly less crowded canteen, both of you went ahead and ordered some food before finding a place to eat. Spotting a vacant one a few tables from the main entrance, you trudged to it, Tai'chi following close. You sat down and got a clearer look at his tray.

It was a lot, though you expected it to be. There were more vegetables than meat though.

"Not a fan of meat?"

He looked at you and laughed, echoing through the whole cafeteria, which resulted in some students glancing in your direction.

You were a bit taken aback, not expecting that sort of reaction from him.

"I'm sorry. I just- I don't know why I found it funny. I meant no offense."

"None taken."

"To answer you, I'm a huge fan of meat, red meat to be exact. This was the only portion that's left when I asked for more. And I'm still growing so I made up for the lack of meat with the vegetables. We orcs love a healthy and hearty meal."

What he said made you smile even more.

"What about you?" He glanced at your tray to see a portion almost similar to his albeit more assorted. This made him look back up and you, flabbergasted. "You can eat all of that?"

You looked down to inspect your food choice, and you instantly felt self-conscious.

"I...Uhm yes. I can." You replied, albeit meekly.

Tai'chi noticed the sudden change in your voice and made himself clear; "No, no I didn't mean it like that. I'm just, well, as you already know I haven't met many humans aside from the ones in a village back home, so I was just surprised." Watching him explain himself made you smile again. The thought of you being repulsive vanished out into thin air.

"I eat a lot. Though sometimes I eat more junk than healthy food. Anyways, let's begin, shall we? We're already late and I'm starving!" Laughing, you both know today's attendance in class isn't much of an issue. They did say there won't be any lessons today to give time for 'socializing' instead.

You stopped in your tracks when you realized you haven't shown him your face ever since you met. You looked around to see if anyone was watching and stole glances at the one in front of you. You slowly removed your mask and revealed your face. Not many have seen you without it, only those who are close to you, specifically your family.

"I guess this is the first time you've seen my face, huh?" Nervous, you asked.

Tai'chi stared at you so intensely you felt self-conscious once again. "I-Is there something wrong?"

'Shit, does he find me unattractive? Weird? Not that I expected the opposite but —'

"No. No, there's nothing wrong. You-"

"I'm what?"

"You're beautiful."

'Did he just—'

Your face heated up again and this time you had no mask to hide it.

Hastily, you covered your face with one hand and looked away.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when you did, coughing into his fist before he started eating.

Once you cooled down, you did the same. Trying to focus on the savory food they served in the uni.

Eat, damn it.

You barely noticed the orc, or perhaps you chose not to, as you wolf down your food like you haven't eaten for weeks. Another thing he found admirable and attractive. You ate cleanly, not letting a single piece of food go to waste.

He'll have to find some time later to formally introduce himself, along with other...things.

***********************************

You leaned back on your chair, noticing Tai'chi doing the same, as you let the feeling of content wash over yourselves. The food was great! You made a note to thank the cook later.

You sat up after a moment and arranged your dirty utensils. You were against the thought of making the cafeteria's job of cleaning harder than it is. So you cleaned up, stacked plates properly in your tray with concentration, you didn't realize until later that you did the same to his dishes. You didn't spare a peek up into his eyes or else you'd make a fool out of yourself again. Taking a napkin, you wiped your mouth clean before you quickly put on your mask, much to Tai'chi's dismay.

You stood up but before you could walk away, a hand reached out to grab your arm, stopping you. He stood up from his seat.

"Pearl."

"Uh, yes?"

"There's still time before our next class starts. Would you mind taking a stroll around the campus with me?"

"Y-Yeah— sure. I wouldn't mind." You replied, avoiding his gaze.

The two of you strolled around the quiet grounds of the campus. There were trees, younger than the ones in the forest. You took in the nice scenery before you, feeling the fresh, cool air, the gentle rustling of leaves, calming, and the scent of your companion to your left, relaxing and sweet. You were in a daze, barely paying attention when Tai'chi said your name and stood still.

"Hmm?"

He chuckled lightly at your response.

"I want to continue where we left off in the forest."

"Oh. Oh, of course."

"I want to know more about you, Pearl. So I'll start with my true name." He knelt down which startled you momentarily.

"I am Tai'chi Kashharzol, eldest of five siblings, son of Durog and Gala. I come from the Northern stronghold of clan Fatof'san. Before I came down to the city, I was trained and taught basic socialization by an old human who lived in the village under our protection.

"I went through one of my clan's traditions and hunted down my first Snow Bear. The elders gave me an honorary title to carry, right after my kill."

You stood there listening to him earnestly as he told you all of this with pride, taking in each word and committing them into memory.

"I was given the name, 'Frostbreaker'. It is my warrior name." He took a breath before he asked. "Will you honor me of becoming my friend?"

All of this sounds like a confession— technically it is but there's something, intimate about it. The way his eyes shone with such determination and something you can't figure out.

Should I ask? He stopped talking, snap out of it–

"Oh, wow. I mean yes! Yes I'll be your friend. I'd be more than happy to. The honor is mine!"

You beamed as he returned a toothy grin.

"Right. I should also say something like that, well, uh, wait." You were slightly nervous as you removed your mask, offering a shy smile before speaking.

Breathe in.

And out.

"I am Pearl Blackbell, only child and daughter of Leon and Athena Blackbell. I'm from a town, West of here, Red Springs is its name. My parents taught me martial arts, and, uh, the use of self-defense weapons." You paused and showed him your crimson knuckles. "This is my favorite one to use, I'm sure you noticed already. My father... didn't want me to leave home without any assurance that I can defend myself. You were right when you said I have experience in combat. A decent amount of it," you sighed.

"I always, almost every day, get into trouble standing up for someone, bullied, or abused. I also held my own when someone tries to harass me, smashing their faces in."

Tai'chi in turn listened closely, his gaze intense on you. He was concerned about what you implied. Many attempted to assault you? How many times? Did they hurt you? Your smile faltered as you told him the next things about yourself.

"I... didn't have friends as I grew up. People tend to be afraid of what they do not understand, y'know? They didn't want me near them, finding me weird for wearing a mask, plus my reputation for punching humans didn't help," you laughed self-deprecatingly. "So I spent my whole high school years training, mastering my art with the help of my father, who was of course, very strict and hard on me." Finding nothing else comfortable to say at this stage, you went quiet.

"Can I ask you a question?" The orc said a moment later. He was bothered by the fact you had no friends, not even one. And training, training meant pain.

"Only if I can ask one in return." You replied, feeling bold all of a sudden. He grinned at this.

"Why do you always wear a mask?"

There was no trace of ulterior motive in his scent, not the usual annoyance you smelled every time someone asked the same question. So you answered him, honestly.

"Promise you won't get weirded out?"

"I swear on my name."

"Oh. oh, okay that's good. You see, my nose, or my sense of smell specifically, is err, not normal."

Now this made Tai'chi's eyes widen. Did you have an illness of sorts? Is your health in danger? Were you h–

"I can tell how someone is feeling based on the changes in their scent. My nose is very sensitive to odors so I keep wearing a mask every time I go outside. It has been like this since I was born. My doctors say it's rare for a human to possess, they say it's special, a gift from a higher being."

"When we went in the cafeteria after our first class, "—Tai'chi inserted— "Was the reason you stopped advancing inside further, the sour and disgusting smell of the students in there?"

"Yes, actually— Wait, how did you know?" you asked.

How does he know??? Did he just smirk?

"I can smell them too."

"You can?!"

"Yes."

"So you mean to tell me, my nose functions similarly like yours?"

"Yes, perhaps, a little bit differently. Or maybe it's because you didn't hone it."

"How can you say so?"

"I can block out certain smells if I want to. And based on your reaction early on, you're having a hard time doing so, is that right?"

"W-Well, yes. You're right. Usually, I'd wear a mask with a basic filtration device, but that doesn't work when I'm inside a closed space and the scents are all mixed up and concentrated."

Tai'chi nodded in reply. He began to stand up and you were met with his towering form once again. You took a step back so you can put less strain on your neck from looking up.

"You still owe me an answer to a question by the way."

"Go on and ask then."

"So, uh, is it just me or when you told me about you...it kind of felt different from how talking to a friend sounds like..." You fidgeted, a certain heat slowly creeps up your face again as you looked around not wanting to meet his gaze. You felt your heart rate increase as you noticed his scent change, telling you you were right.

Tai'chi sighed heavily and rubbed his temples before gathering the courage to talk.

"Yes, it was different."

"So..."

"We use that kind of formality, usually towards someone we want to court."

Did he say 'court'?!

"C-Court??" you squeaked. Pretty sure your face is redder than the color of your brass knuckles, your heart hammering in your chest you believed he could hear it.

"Courting, or dating, or whatever everyone calls it down here." Breathing in deeply, he returned to kneel before you and took your hands into his, large palms caressing your small ones.

"I'll have to rephrase my words."

He locked his gaze into yours, deep blue eyes to your mahogany ones.

"Will you allow me to court you, Pearl Blackbell?"

"W-Why would you want to court me?"

The hell would someone want to court me? I'm seen as a freak by most people and I'm not soft or girly like the others. I don't like skirts or dresses. I hate makeup. I have calloused hands, scars hidden under my clothes. I don't understand —

He gave you a soft smile, cutting off your train of self-deprecating thoughts. "I can hear your mind, Pearl. Don't think low of yourself. You are amazing, y'know that? The first time I saw your eyes, and the moment you fought for my sake, I knew I was smitten. You are graceful, each motion fluid and filled with strength, people would never expect you possess until they feel it through a punch you throw. You are kind, righteous, beautiful, strong, with a heart of gold. It is a shame how most people do not see it. I want to prove myself to you, and win your heart properly."

You were about to pass out from his confession when you remembered you need to respond! Gathering what courage and energy you have left, you answered.

"I...Oh my God... I don't know what to say— I've never experienced this, ever! I'm afraid I won't know what to do- what if I mess up? What if I—"

"Listen, liga ni..." He cut you off as he rubbed circles on your hands, that small shift of language sent his voice into a guttural one. "This is also a first for me, and I share your fears in this. But my wish to pursue you remains unwavered. I will try my best to woo you, and if I do something you didn't like, it is up to you to end the courting, any time you want, and I will stop immediately. I hope we would stay friends if it comes that..." He said as he broke eye contact and looked down.

"Tai'chi..." Seeing him sad like this made your chest twist in discomfort.

Steadying yourself, you studied him, his scent was pure, no malice within his words, he was speaking from his heart. With renewed confidence, you finally decided.

"Tai'chi Kashharzol...I wish to court you as well."

He snapped up his gaze back to you and saw you smile. He scented you just to make sure you weren't doing this out of pity. The moment he realized it was genuine he lifted you in the air and spun you around. You were surprised at the sudden outburst but laughed together with him once you got over it. He set you down after a while and moved his face close to yours but halted immediately when he saw your eyes widen.

"Too forward?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah." Your heart was doing backflips, even if that sounds so ridiculous.

He understood. "I apologize, I got carried away." But before he pulled back you pressed a quick kiss on his forehead. He almost purred from the gesture but suppressed it as not to scare you in any way. You were new to this after all. He cleared his throat and reached out a hand to you.

"We should head back, our class will start soon."

"O-okay." You moved to wear your mask again before taking his hand, enjoying the rest of the walk in silence. You were still nervous, but you decided to focus on the now.

I've never felt like this before... Is it a good thing? I think it is.

And with that on your mind, you let yourself relax.

A pair of cruel eyes witnessed the whole exchange, remaining unnoticed as he hid behind a tree, a good distance from where you stood. They watched you and the orc walk away before they went the other direction.

"She will be fun to break. A female, human Blackbell, tempting. This will be a great chance to demonstrate and prove how monstrous an orc could be." They snickered. "I will enjoy this, exceptionally."

"In time, Pearl. In time."

****************************************

Now now who is this suspicious person?!

Liga ni — means 'little one' (as an endearment) in Orcish

Tags: @crackinanutshell @kokokatsworld @mitchiesdungeon

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mcusoulmateau · 3 years

Text

hela, goddess of death

The day Hela’s soulmark appears, she is faced with a problem: Odin.

Her youth was blissfully soulmark-free, and she had even begun to think she might be one of those lucky few to never get one. No pressure to find one person, no insistence on marriage, nothing to come between her and her blades and the battlefield. She can see what a soulmark does to Odin, how he is so anxious to track down his Frigga. (She isn’t supposed to know his mark, but she snuck a peek while he was in the Odinsleep. She’s had half a mind to find a Frigga herself and kill the bitch before she can distract Odin any more than she already has.)

Her father’s views on soulmates are so limited. She doesn’t need to find someone out there named “Death” to be her husband and co-ruler (as if she would ever co-rule Asgard with anyone, Death or not). Why waste her eternal life looking for Death when she could become Death herself?

Can she change Asgardian tradition? Can she convince him to throw away millennia of practice so she can rule unattached?

If Hela is going to propose such a thing, she has to make it an enticing offer. She covers the damned mark on her wrist and starts scheming.

“Shall we spar this morning, my child?” Odin asks over breakfast. “Your blades are getting sharper each day.”

“Yes, Father,” Hela replies, conjuring a dagger to twirl between her fingers in between bites of buttered bread.

Odin’s eyes linger significantly on her wrist, bound with a gold-and-onyx bracelet that was not there the day before. However, he says nothing of it.

They practice in a courtyard near the armory, a few dozen soldiers at the perimeter ready to join the fight at Odin’s command. Hugin and Munin circle overhead, no doubt whispering to the Allfather about Hela’s every move.

“What is the most powerful object in the universe?” Hela asks, sending a knife to her father’s face.

He deflects it with his spear. “Is this a riddle you ask, or are you hoping to add to our treasure vault a new trinket?”

“Merely a question for the wisest man I know.”

Odin jabs at her with his spear, forcing her to conjure a sword to parry the blow. She has only just begun to craft blades large enough for swordplay, and the act takes more energy out of her than she cares to admit.

“‘Power’ is a slippery thing to measure.” Her sword glides along his spear with the harsh sound of metal on metal, but he counters her. “A plague may wipe out a civilization, but it cannot mine the earth for gold or power a ship from one world to the next. Does that make a simple pickaxe or lump of coal more powerful than the Skrull Flu?”

“Now who’s telling riddles?” she asks. They start to move in a circle, weapons locked. One of the blasted birds cries.

“My father would tell you it is the Aether. It nearly brought ruin to the nine realms and beyond.” They trade a flurry of light blows, none of them meant to cause harm. “Or perhaps it is the Eternal Flame, which could bring about the very destruction of Asgard—and you know as well as I that if Asgard falls, the other worlds will follow swiftly.”

She wields her sword one-handed and uses the free hand (now sporting a black leather guard instead of her bracelet from breakfast) to send three daggers to her father’s ankles. He yanks his spear away from her and leaps out of the path of the flying blades.

“And we just happen to have both of these powerful items in our possession,” Hela says dryly.

“The Aether is not truly ours, child,” he chides, though his tone is gentle. “We have it so that nobody else may make use of it.”

She sees her opening. She drops her sword, summons a knife in each hand, and charges him. Her dual blades catch the shaft of his spear, and they are again locked in a battle of wills.

“Why only the Aether, though? Why is it, above the other Infinity Stones, locked away for safekeeping?”

“The other Stones have not yet been used against Asgard as the Aether was,” Odin says, pushing down on her. Her arms start to ache, but she persists.

“But they could be. Just imagine the terror that could be wrought on our people by the Power Stone, or the Space Stone. Are we to wait to act until after disaster befalls us?”

He considers this, and she takes his moment of thought to raise one knife to his throat.

“Yield,” she orders.

The soldiers observing them tense. Hugin and Munin hover near his shoulders, ready to attack her with claws and beaks.

“I yield,” Odin says. And for the next several days, the whole Asgardian court agrees that their king is rather lost in thought.

Hela’s ambition outstrips her father’s, but Odin will do anything in the name of Asgardian safety. Even, it turns out, ransack planet after planet in search of the Space Stone, though it takes decades of planning and research before the first drop of blood is spilled in the name of the Stones.

While her father locks himself in the library, coming out only to meet with advisors who might have a clue about the location of the Stones, Hela turns herself into a weapon. She studies dozens of styles and forms: the photon blades of Maveth; the primitive Midgardian shield, spear, and blade combination; the Xandarians and their Novaforce; the Jotun ice rapiers; the Kree overreliance on bioengineering; the Sakaarans’ serrated cleavers; Xartan mind games. She trains her body in swordplay and martial arts until the ground is slick with her sweat, and every muscle aches, and she does it all again the next day.

The Asgardian court, the landed gentry, they start whispering about how unbecoming this practice is for a princess. They start wringing their hands and worrying if she or her father will ever marry and ensure succession. They make snide comments that she’d be more likely to find a soulmate if she spent her time and resources on doing something a little more ladylike than fighting.

Hela prefers the commonfolk, who think of her as a terrifying harbinger of doom.

This assessment echoes across the Nine Realms once the hunt for the Stones truly begins. Blades fly the moment her heel hits the planet. She can throw daggers fifty yards and still hit her target, can summon swords in both hands to fight hand-to-hand against three at once, can pull claymores from the ground to turn the very landscape into a weapon. But all this is fruitless target practice if the victims around her don’t know anything about the bloody Space Stone and where to find it.

On their sixth sacking, Hela finally gets a worthwhile lead. She has a scientist under her boot, frantically pleading for his life. He claims he was one of the leading researchers studying the Space Stone when it was in his planet’s possession five years prior.

“It doesn’t look like a stone anymore!” he cries. “We needed a vessel to harness its power.”

“Then what does it look like?” she asks, growing bored.

“How familiar are you with four-dimensional geometry? It’s more than a cube, it’s a—”

She summons a blade from the ground beneath the man’s neck, skewering him.

“—a tesseract,” she finishes. She stalks off in the direction of her father, leaving bloody bootprints in her path.

It is two more years of searching before the Tesseract is in her hands. Hela has expected this moment for longer than some species’ lifetimes, and yet—

The Aether, the Tesseract, and four more to go. She is one-third of the way to becoming who she is meant to be. Her father is working with the Dwarves to build a device to wield the Stones, surely she should feel something knowing that her plan is well underway. She can stat to envision a day when she might wear her soulmark freely, no more leather wristguards or ornamented bracelets. One third, two out of six, she ought to feel more than just the eerie smoothness of the cube at her fingertips. The must be something.

But the Stone does not satisfy.

Planets fall. The Asgardian coffers swell.

The King and his Executioner chase rumor after rumor and leave few survivors in their wake.

On Vormir, she cannot hide who she is any longer.

The guardian tells them that one of them must sacrifice their soulmate.

“A steep price,” Odin muses, “and one I cannot pay. I have not met her—and if I had, I would not trade my kingdom for the Stone. My match is destined to be my Queen.”

“That is what I suspected you would say.”

“And if we killed you?” Hela asks archly.

“Forgive my Executioner for her lack of manners,” Odin says.

The guardian smiles joylessly. “Then I would be dead, and the Stones would replace me, perhaps this year, or in a thousand. But you would be no closer to what you seek.”

“My child,” Odin says, “I cannot—will not—command you to sacrifice your soulmate and your intended. However, I will not stop you, either. This quest of ours is for the protection and advancement of Asgard; if you know your match, I will not judge you for this.”

“Father,” she starts, her head spinning. “I—” But there are no words, no excuses, no lies.

“You do have a mark, do you not?”

She swallows thickly. “I do.”

“Is it a name I know?”

“Not exactly.”

He looks bemused. “Is it, or is it not? Have I met your intended?”

She wishes the planet would swallow her whole. “I have no intended.”

“But you have a mark? Explain yourself.”

She rolls her eyes and rips the bracelet from her wrist, baring the name beneath.

Odin does not speak for a long time. This is a face she knows well, the face he wears when he debates whether or not to execute a criminal, to send a helpless soul to her waiting blades.

“What are you?” he finally whispers. “What monstrosity have you become?”

“Spare me your sanctimony, Father. I am as I was yesterday, and the day previous: your executioner.”

“Yesterday, you were my executioner. Today, you are woman whose soul is bound inextricably to death.”

“Truly, a perfect executioner,” she observes rather glibly. But her father is in no gaming mood.

“If I found a man called Death, could I have him sit the throne with you? Is that what you expect of me?”

“I expect you to let me rule, as is my right! I do not need a soulmark to validate my birthright.”

“We must leave this place,” Odin says. “It is imperative I find my match—secure the throne and the succession—instead of going on treasure hunts.”

She does not budge from the precipice. “You value the idea of your precious Frigga more than you do me, your daughter, your heir, your co-ruler! I am Asgard’s true queen!”

“How many have you killed, Hela? Not in battle to protect Asgard, not as my executioner, but killed in this mad quest for Stones? Thousands, easily, if not millions. And I let myself be talked into thinking this a valiant idea. I am a fool.” He hangs his head. “And you are a monster.”

Hela has been on a gold leash her whole life, a series of rules and expectations that she be an Asgardian princess. It is a loose leash, to be sure, one that allows for her to train her magic and to fight in battle, but she nevertheless feels the constant threat of expectation that she marry and become someone’s queen. With her soulmark finally bared, with her father not bothering to hide his disappointment and shame, the leash is cut; she is free.

For a few brief seconds, at least.

On the crags of Vormir, drawing from the deep magical wells of this planet, Odin begins the spell that will seal her away as long as he draws breath.

He strikes her from every record. But some rumors and whispers survive, turned from history into fantastical poetry and lore. Odin cannot execute every bard who speaks his daughter’s name, so he allows her to become a dark legend, a mysterious shadow in Asgard’s past. And for millennia, that is all she remains.

#hela #hela x thanos #odin #odin borson

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oceanmotioned · 4 years

Text

Harry Potter Games

About The Games

With current events being what they are, we are all in need of some serious distraction. In the interest of something to do, I’ve come up with some weekly headcanon challenges that people can participate in as actively or casually as they please.

The dates themselves are more like guidelines than rules - this is not meant to add pressure or stress to anyone’s day but provide a fun exercise to keep the dash busy and alive throughout the course of a tough time.

There are no rules to how many challenges you need to complete per week and nothing stopping you from completing week one during week four or, if you’re just not feeling a week’s theme, doing another week entirely. It’s all up to you to have fun at your pace!

Please reblog this challenge so that others can see it and participate in it, or link to it somewhere in your headcanon. The more this spreads ( especially in smaller communities ) the more activity it will hopefully inspire!

Due to how --- unintentionally long this turned out to be, I am using a read more to spare everyone a mile long adventure!

Week 1

[ April 07 - April 18 ]

This week will be longer than the others in order to compensate for time spent spreading this around and for the fact the idea didn’t come to me on a Sunday. The theme for this week is origins & first experiences.

April 07 - What was your character’s first sign of magic according to their parents? What’s the first act of magic they personally remember - is it the same one, or was there another signal or outburst that stands out to them?

April 08 - When they first received their school letter, what excited them most about the shopping list? The prospect of a wand or cauldron? The books or maybe new clothes? Why was this the thing that leaped out as the most exciting? ( Leave pets for tomorrow! )

April 09 - Upon starting school students may bring if they wish a cat, rat, owl or toad. What did your character most want as their school pet? Were they able to get what they wanted or did they have to compromise? If they compromised, did they get what they wanted at another time? If they got exactly what they wanted, did it work out the way that they hoped? Feel free to share some pet anecdotes and shenanigans while you’re at it!

April 10 - Sorting time! Did your character have any expectation on them for what house they should be in? Family legacies or personal preferences? Did those pressures influence your character’s ceremony in any way? Or did they go in blind and hope for the best?

April 11 - First ghostly encounter! Was your character prepared - did they know ghosts were real, had they ever met one before? Did they have particular expectations about ghosts? How were they met or disproved?

April 12 - Upon receiving their time table, what class most excited your character? Did they feel the same after attending it for the first time? Did any classes take them by surprise - either to seem more or less interesting than expected?

April 13 - First Quidditch match of the season! Did your character attend? Who did they root for - were they familiar with Quidditch at all or was it a whole new experience? What were their thoughts after watching a live match? Did they have aspirations to play themselves? What position did they like most?

April 14 - Your character has gone through their very first magical midterm and gotten their results. Do these scores reflect the trajectory they take through to their O.W.L.’s or did they fare better / worse in certain subjects and consequently decline / improve over time? Did they have a lot of pressure from home or was their expectations set entirely by their own metric? [ Don’t worry about O.W.L.’s and N.E.W.T.’s - they’re coming. ]

April 15 - First magical creature encounters! Share the most memorable encounters your character had with magical creatures during their educational period. Be it by taking a COMC course, having creatures introduced in other classes ( I, personally, would count a mandrake as a creature feature ) or something unprecedented and unique to your character’s school experience!

April 16 - It’s time for O.W.L.’s - and by this point, your character likely has a firm idea of where they are strong and where they are struggling when it comes to course work. Career counseling directly references what scores are needed in various subjects for particular paths upon graduation - how did this affect changes to your character’s focus in classes? Did grades raise in areas where they had been left to float, were they on the right track, did they have to challenge themselves? In the end, what did all their efforts achieve? What were your character’s O.W.L. scores?

April 17 & 18 - First school dance! This is a worldbuilding opportunity as well as a headcanon one, so feel free to ignore it or go as big as you like by making a post detailing your character’s school’s take on dances and another detailing your character’s own first dance. Alternatively, just a post answering the questions is great too! In the event that school dances are an annual thing for older students, had your character been looking forward to theirs or done any planning? Were they excited, nervous or indifferent about the prospect of a party? Did they know who they wanted to go with - and were they able to go with that person? Specifically for those who attended the Yule Ball, how excited was your character? Did they order a special outfit, or were they already prepared with their dress robes? Were they happy to attend or did they try to beg out of it? Alternatively, Did your character know of dances being traditional events in other institutions? Did they like the fact their school experience didn’t include them? When was your character’s first experience with a big party event as a result of not having one at school? Did your character ever have a liking for parties? How did they discover that inclination or disinterest?

Worldbuilding Notes!

Although canonly we only hear of one ball, school dances are something of a teenage right of passage in certain cultures, so it is entirely possible that there’s one every year for the older students attending certain schools. Hogwarts is in Scotland, so it is entirely possible that a school formal would be held in June for the elder classes which would be in keeping with their Muggle counterparts who host one for the S6 students ( Ages 17 - 18 ) Ilvermorny is in America, which means they may have en entire formal season between April - June and they may host dances for 15 - 16 and another for 17 - 18, or simply for the latter crowd. American traditions make end of year socials more like debutante balls, so it would be safe to assume Ilvermorny goes out with a bang every year and that it is a very exciting or stressful time for those who have seen it coming for years and now it’s here. Contrary to both of these however, is Beauxbatons. France doesn’t celebrate prom and has more of a focus on the Baccalauréat, a final exam that marks the end of one’s high school career. It has significantly more value in French society than American SAT’s have across the pond, so it is likely Beauxbatons keeps with that tradition and focuses more on a magical equivalent of that. Then again, it is a magical school with a giantess for a Headmistress so who knows! It’s up to you to decide if your character’s school does dances, and how or when they do them. If you ultimately decide to avoid the party entirely, ( or your character is from a school unlikely to host dances ) there are questions above to cover that so please do not feel obligated to go on a party building journey!

Week 2

[ April 19 - April 25 ]

This week’s theme is seemingly insignificant details that other characters might pick up on and maybe use in threads as a way of demonstrating how well they know your character!

April 19 - Your character likely has some preferences when it comes to drinking sociably. Do they go for butterbeer, firewhiskey, gigglewater, or a muggle vintage? Alternatively, how do they take their tea and coffee?

April 20 - If someone were to have your character in mind when brewing or smelling Amortentia, what scents would most likely associate to them?

April 21 - When your character dresses in the morning, do they have any signature items that might be notable? Always a wand holster on the left side, forever finding a way to incorporate house colors into an ensemble, notoriously missing the top button on their shirt, a family ring? If there isn’t a specific thing, what about your character’s style is memorable - how would you describe what they wear? Are they always formal, buttoned up and prim, or do they prefer a casual, even rumpled look? If someone were to see a Certain Profile on the street to immediately think of your muse, what would the profile be?

April 22 - Does your character have tattoos? Are they magical or muggle? The stillness of a muggle tattoo would be notable in a magical world! Are they a mix of both - a seemingly still tattoo that appears as one thing to certain people, and another to those who bear a similar signature? Body art world building - @ me directly because I would love to see it!

April 23 - What are your character’s top three most used / signature spells? These should be the spells your character has on default setting - they don’t think about them anymore, it’s all but conditioned response now. If someone thought about your character and how they cast spells, how would they detail those default spells? Are they cast lazily? Distractedly? In perfect form? With no form, yet perfect results due to consistent use?

April 24 - When it comes to being magical, there is always something that stands out above the rest. If someone were to think of your character, what would be the first magical element they would think of? Transfiguration, Flying, or Charms? Potions or Herbology? Is your character famed for that element or just known to be good at it within their private circle? Why is that their area of expertise and association?

April 25 - Now for some abstract thinking. If a character’s happiest memory involved your muse, and your muse directly influenced what that character’s patronus would be --- what is their patronus and why? What about that animal reflects your character? This can be as symbolic or abstract as you like, but if you’re struggling to think of animals and how they might correlate to your character’s personality or how someone might perceive your character’s personality, here are some resources that might help with the creative flow! A good idea is to look at multiple sources for the animal that jumps out at you, and build off that as one culture may look at that same animal very differently. Animals in Celtic Mythology | Native American Symbolism | Animals In Art

Week 3

[ April 26 - May 02 ]

For this week, lets explore the psychological profile of your character by digging into all the things that really make them tick. Going forward, questions are going to be a little less detail oriented and more open ended!

April 26 - What is your character’s boggart and why?

April 27 - What is your character’s stances on blood purity? Think about your character’s own blood status and upbringing, and how those factors would impact their worldview.

April 28 - What is your character’s stance on the fact wizards have determined what species can be counted as intelligent? What are their stances on werewolf rights, vampire rights, or the rights of other creatures deemed to be intelligent?

April 29 - How would your character cope in the world if they were not able to use magic?

April 30 - If a dementor were nearby or feeding on them, what are the three memories that would cause the most significant damage?

May 01 - Your character has been threatened with Veritaserum. What three things do they most fear revealing?

May 02 - They are standing before the Mirror of Erised. What do they see?

Week 4

[ May 03 - May 09 ]

Jumping into lighter topics, for this week we’re going to look at happy memories to remind ourselves that no matter what hell canon ( or lets face it, we writers! ) has put our character through, they have had good times too!

May 03 - What memory would they use to cast a patronus, if they were capable of one?

May 04 - Describe a time when your character was feeling down, and someone lifted them up - what did they do and why did it work?

May 05 - Talk about the best prank they ever took part in, or remember observing.

May 06 - What is your character’s happiest memory involving a magical creature? Or an owl, or their pet - or someone else’s pet!

May 07 - Describe your character’s happiest memory involving flying - it doesn’t have to be on brooms, or related to Quidditch, or even of them flying. Just the best memory that in some way, involves flight.

May 08 - Their happiest memory involving the news - be it delight at a ridiculous headline, vindication in a particular result or even just excitement for someone else’s success.

May 09 - If someone else were to think of your character at their happiest, how old was your character and why was that time so joyful?

Week 5

[ May 10 - May 16 ]

Bouncing off our happy memory high, characters who may be more withdrawn, depressed, grumpy or just plain unsociable might be feeling confident enough to give us a look into their accomplishments, goals, and insecurities - so let’s dig in while they’re still malleable!

May 10 - What would your character claim as their greatest accomplishment in the magical world? Would others agree, or say something different?

May 11 - What is one thing they would change about wizarding society if they could? Are they taking any active measures to bring this change about themselves? Why is it important to them?

May 12 - Do they have any idols or heroes that they look up to and aspire to be like? Do they wish to emulate their house traits in their efforts to be their best selves? What does their best self look like to them?

May 13 - What is their biggest obstacle in achieving their goals?

May 14 - Everyone has weaker subjects - does your character experience ridicule for their struggles, internally or externally? What areas do they struggle most in? Wand work or theory? Incantations or brewing?

May 15 - If your character were to invent a potion or spell, what need would it fill either for themselves, a friend, or the community as a whole? Why would that be their choice? Are they capable of it or working on it, or is it just a pipe dream?

May 16 - Detail a time your character was undermined and how that impacted them. Do they no longer try, or do they just try harder?

Week 6

[ May 17 - May 23 ]

For this week, we’re going to take a look at the relationships that impacted and molded our character into who they are today!

May 17 - Discuss someone who changed, influenced, or significantly impacted your character’s view on blood purity.

May 18 - If your character could use a time turner to go back and say something different to someone, who would they go back to talk to and what moment would they be correcting?

May 19 - Does your character have a rival? Who are they, and what caused the tension?

May 20 - Who comes to mind first when your character is asked who is most important to them? Why does that person stand out so much?

May 21 - Discuss the mentors that challenged your character the most, the people they feel took the most interest in building them up, and how they feel about those people now versus how they felt of them then.

May 22 - If your character was told they could walk through the Veil at the Ministry and bring someone back from the dead, who would they restore and why?

May 23 - Who are the people they most want to impress in life?

Week 7

[ May 24 - May 31 ]

An extra day to finish out the month and end the games with a bang! This week’s theme is wishes and dreams, which is an opportunity for muns to stick bait on a hook and fling it onto the dash for some more fun interactions!

May 24 - A character you would most like to have yours interact with, and three ideas for start up interactions.

May 25 - If your character was trapped and forced to work with (1) other person in order to get out, who do you think would be the most challenging and entertaining for your character to be stuck with?

May 26 - Earlier on we discussed school dances - who would your character spend the most time with / want to go with? Or for adults / the more politically inclined, we discussed something your character would like to change in wizarding society - who would they recruit to the cause?

May 27 - Due to a series of unfortunate events, your character is now the caretaker of a magical creature. Who do they rope in to help them care for it?

May 28 - 3 to 5 obscure / rare characters you would like to see and maybe a bit on why you think they would be interesting - a little blurb that might inspire another to pick them up!

May 29 - 3 to 5 songs that you would love to build a thread around in some way, be it inspired by the vibes or the lyrics.

May 30 - Make a list of 5 - 10 sentences guaranteed to get a visceral response from your character and invite your followers to send them in.

May 31 - Tag 5 people --- I’m kidding. Take today off for self care, or post how your character self cares and pat yourself on the back for even reading this far! And absolutely treat yourself if you did even one of these <3 I hope this was at least a little fun for folks!

#harry potter rp #harry potter roleplay #hp rp #hp roleplay #harry potter #writing prompts

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 5 years

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Spider-Man: Life Story #3 Thoughts

Since I was most anticipating this issue when I read it in the solicits, I read it in the store as soon as I got it. But I always meant to take a more careful look at it when I got the chance and try to break it down a bit more.

The tl:dr version of my thoughts are: This is possible the weakest issue so far.

Massive rant under the cut.

As discussed before the perennial problem with this series is it’s muddled concept.

Is it a What If story and if so what exactly is the zag effect to where the canon zigged? Is it that Spidey ages in real time? Or that things happen more ‘realistically’ so you have a Watchmen scenario wherein real life social issues get addressed within a superhero context?

Is it an Elseworlds wherein the idea of a more ‘realistic’ worldview is the overlayed concept a top of the familiar canon?

Is it like what the Ultimate Universe was supposed to be according to some people wherin it’s a canon-free reimagining of the original stories free to take whatever liberties it desires for the new audience?

Well Life Story thus far has tried to be all of those things and winds up being none of them. This is quite aside from how it was originally marketed as a straight What If story, what if Spider-Man aged in real time.

But really this series is best described via the convoluted descriptor of:

“It’s a story where people who love and are familiar with the canon Spider-Man’s life can see how it would’ve been different if it happened in real time.

But also how it would’ve been different if the Marvel universe was more realistically wrapped up in social political issues of the different time period.

But also if it only really cared about the international military conflicts of those time periods and mostly uses all other social political issues as window dressing.

But also that realism mentioned above only goes as far as the writers decide it should go so the actual real life ramifications of superheroes involved in international military conflicts just don’t happen because Zdarsky says so.

And also those military conflicts only impact upon Spider-Man’s life directly whenever the story decides it should so half the time things are different because of the more ‘realistic’ warfare stuff and the other half of the time it’s different because it just is...not even because he’s aging in real time.

So yeah actually it’s also a what if Spider-Man’s life included all that stuff above but also things are randomly different from the canon for the sake of it, but the reader is still supposed to be surprised because they are familiar with the canon anyway.

Oh and what if also there are massive status quo changes between issues that randomly adhere and deviate from the canon on a whim and go unexplained”

THAT apparently...is Spider-Man Life Story.

It’s a fucking mess at this point, I cannot understand the people who are praising it.

Let me get my ONE positive comment out of the way first.

Mark Bagley is just slaughtering the art on this story.

This is the best his art on Spider-Man has looked this decade and it’s up there with some of the best of his Spider-Man career.

I think it comes from him benefitting from modern inking and colouring like in Ultimate Spider-Man but he’s drawing something that isn’t as reimagined from the canon as USM. So consequently Spider-Man’s physique is more traditional (because Spider-Man wasn’t 15 when he began his career), Venom and the villains don’t have their Ultimate designs etc.

But the story...oh fuck the story.

The ONLY way any of this adds up in terms of story decisions is if you take it as Zdarsky’s fanfiction.

I respect fanfiction, but this is amateurish in it’s decisions and it says too much about Zdarsky’s view of Spider-Man or Spider-Man aging.

The story is so cynical about how Spider-Man aging would ruin him. the story is cynical about Spider-Man’s idealization of Mary Jane or the alleged toxicity of the Peter/MJ marriage.

Like I’ve said before he has an agenda when it comes to MJ and I think this is further proof.

Peter being Spider-Man fucks up her life big time, she suffers big time, it destroys their relationship and she lives in the shadow of Gwen.

When you consider this is supposed to on some level be a representation of the spirit of 1980s Spider-Man, or at least the stories it’s choosing to remix, it becomes utterly insulting.

This is a story remixing Kraven’s Last Hunt, a love letter to the Spider-Marriage if there ever was one, and it’s used in part to destroy their relationship.

Shit Gwen’s ghost is brought up as a bone of contention between them when it was in an 1980s story (drawn by Bagley no less) that it was clearly spelled out that Peter loves his WIFE Mary Jane more than his DEAD GIRLFRIEND Gwen Stacy.

Now I know the situation here is different because Peter was with Gwen for longer than in canon and longer even than his relationship with MJ in this universe. But the fact that it’s beating that same old drum speaks very much towards the idea that this is Zdarsky’s actual assessment of that love triangle. This is like something of the bygone days of BND and Slott’s era FFS.

The bullshit doesn’t stop there though because wouldn’t you believe it Peter and MJ have twins. Okay cool. And one is called Ben and the other is called...Claire...Claire? Who the fuck is Claire? We have 2 major AU Spider-Man stories where Peter and MJ name their first daughter after Aunt May and their second after Aunt Anna! Who the Hell is Claire?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg though.

There is so much stuff in this that as a what if or an elseworld’s story utterly fails and even stuff that simply doesn’t add up within the context of this story on it’s own terms.

· So I guess...Vietnam ended...um...how? We already established that nonsensically Vietnam lasted longer than in the real world even though it should have ended earlier by rights. But now it’s just...over. How? How did that happen? I’m not saying it’s impossible but the story NEVER ADDRESSES this?

· Captain America is clearly participating in Secret Wars in 1984, taking on Doom himself no less. We see little of his face but from what we do see he’s in uniform and also seems to still be in his prime. Huh? Captain America went rogue and fought against the United States for over 10 years in Vietnam! How does he still hold the rank of Captain America and how could he possibly still be seemingly in his prime by 1984 if he’s aging in real time? Think about it, he’s older than Spider-Man physically (forget that he’s from the 1940s). And Spider-Man is saying he’s getting slower in his old age in this story. So how the Hell is Cap (who’s powers don’t slow his aging and don’t give him Spidey’s power levels) still in his prime when he’s definitely in his 40s! It doesn’t make sense! It could all be explained a million ways because it’s the Marvel universe. The Beyonder could’ve addressed all of this but the problem is the story doesn’t. It just presents it as Steve Rogers betrayed America in 1967 and fought against them into 1977 then between then and 1984...went back to being the Captain America you knew and loved in the canon Secret Wars story

· Doctor Octopus...is evil again. It was nonsensical enough that he was a good guy in issue #2 but now, with no explanation, he’s back to being evil. He doesn’t even seem to give a fuck that Aunt May is dying of dementia. That even highlights the stupidity of hookig them up in issue #2, Otto never actually romantically liked May, the age gap was massive!

· The story has Peter test his new costume to determine it’s a living organism and he decides to keep it because he’s getting older and wants to remain strong and relevant. Then MJ claims he’s addicted to it because he wears it a lot and then when he is buried alive by Kraven it goes to him and turns him into...Venom? There is a lot to unpack with this I need multiple points. But let’s just start with this. First of all technically the symbiote shouldn’t give you synthetic muscles as it does to Peter when it turns him into Venom. Venom had a lot of muscle because Eddie Brock was a body builder. But I won’t hold that against the story because that’s been a problem with Venom for decades now. Similarly I hate it, but I can forgive the symbiote turning Peter into a toothy Venom monster.

· More significantly the implication of this story is that the costume is corruptive of Peter, making him addictive and then feeds off his anger, threatening to permantly turn him into a monster after he’s buried alive. Er....That’s not how that works. The symbiote wasn’t originally like that outside of cartoons and films. The symbiote didn’t even corrupt Eddie Brock, Brock was already sick and twisted. It’s status as a metaphor for substance abuse also didn’t come in until later and it wasn’t a factor for Peter’s personal relationship with it at all so what gives why is that in this story? Does Zdarsky think Spider-Man 1994 is canon or something?

· Peter is using the symbiote sparingly and even puts it aside when he goes off web swinging before Kraven confronts him. yet we’re told he’s becoming addictive. There is little evidence of this, it could just as easily be Reed and MJ were being overly concerned. At best it’s a case of Zdarsky telling yet not showing. If Peter was truly addicted he’d have taken the suit with him.

· Is the implication the suit is going to take him over when he became Venom? How does that add up? If he’s not been wearing it to avoid that how does it rescuing him from the grave = now it’s in danger of taking him over?

· What is this nonsense about Peter needing the suit to remain relevant? The costume didn’t enhance his powers originally. The story isn’t even very clear on if it does that in this universe or not. They didn’t even bring up how the costume makes the wearer more durable, able to surviving being shot, which would’ve been pertinent in this tale

· Why is Peter even getting weaker? He’s 37, that’s a little older than he is now in the comics

· Moving on, there is this weird inconsistency where Reed asks Peter has figured out if an alien machine can nano-weld, implying Peter’s new costume is nano-tech. This would add up because he has Parker Industries in this universe and he had a nano-tech armour during that time period. Yet his outfit is still torn like cloth. How? In fact if he has nanotech armour why would he even need the symbiote?

· This story confirms for us that because Reed felt responsible for Dr. Doom he pushed away his friends and family and this is a warning to Peter of what he might become, and indeed does by the end of the issue...what? How the hell does that add up. Why does Reed feel more responsible for Doom and how does this result in him pushing away his family? Because he’s aging in real time? Because of...Vietnam??????? it makes no sense

· Why is Peter concerned about staying relevant to the point where he keeps a dangerous suit? In canon Tony Stark replicated the abilities of a symbiote with non-living Extremis Armour so Peter with his resources could probably make a symbiote suit that isn’t dangerous. More importantly if he has all these resources at his disposal couldn’t he either just in general make tech to help him out and compensate for his old age (Bruce Wayne has done this in different continuities) or just use his companies resources to help people out without being Spider-Man anyway?

· In canon and RYV and the MC2 universe it’s made repeatedly clear that when Peter became a parent being Spider-Man would take a backseat. Yet in this universe he’s being Spider-Man MORE at the detriment of his wife, mother and children who’ve been devoid of his presence for an extended period of time. MJ is upset to the point of swearing when the issue opens. The story is so devoid of the love and affection between the pair that’s important to the mythos.

· WTF is Peter’s problem about putting May in an old folks home? He did THAT in canon too IIRC in the Marv Wolfman run. Even if he had a problem with that he’s the head of a big company just HIRE people to look after her. He’s got the money for a high tech lab and nano-tech suits why is a carer for the elderly out of his price range. And isn’t MJ really rich after Harry and her split up? Why is this an issue?

· How did Peter wind up with Parker Industries? In canon it was because Doc Ock founded it then manipulated things behind the scenes after Peter regained his body to make the place a success. In this story without explanation Peter just has it. But Peter is a bad businessman, having money from MJ wouldn’t mean he’d be able to successfully run a company he hasn’t the aptitude for that!

· The nuclear strike is just....putting aside how cynical it is, how achingly it wants to be like Watchmen or DKR...are you honestly trying to tell me Russia’s access to superhumans never resulted in anything game changing in the world before now? There is a superhuman arms race happening but we didn’t bring it up until nearly 20 years after the first issue began and only in 1984 does anything bad happen?

· The implication is actually that Russia having superheroes of their own is a recent innovation. This makes no sense as there were Russian super powered people in the 1960s, including Red Ghost who is the perpetrator of the nuclear strike in the issue

· Wait, wait, wait. Russia launches nuclear missiles at the United States because there are less super humans there and this results in a town getting destroyed and...that’s it. That’s all that happens. Oh and Vision is sad and intangible.

Are you fucking kidding me?

How does aging in real time or the existence of super humans = The stalemate of Mutually Assured Destruction isn’t a thing in this universe.

I’m sorry to bust out the most rudimentary of 20th century history here but if America or Russia launched a nuclear strike at one another then it’d set of a chain reaction wherein everyone would launch their nukes and the most of life would be wiped out.

Zdarsky in this story displays a blisteringly ignorance of real life history to the point where it’s honestly insulting.

It’s insulting to people’s intelligence but also to the real life people who lived through the Cold War, frightened the world would end any day.

· Oh boy. Now we come to Kraven. I actually re-read this the same day I finished off Hunted so I saw a really good homage to KLH back-to-back with a really bad one.

What is Kraven’s plan here?

I will grant Kraven’s plan in KLH technically speaking made no sense but we were presented his twisted perspective and it was from that perspective we were able to deduce he was viewing Spider-Man (and the world) with blinders on. And from that limited viewpoint his plan added up.

Seemingly kill Spidey. Bury him alive. Imitate him. Be a better Spider-Man than him. when he wakes up tell him he could’ve killed him and show him you are a better Spider-Man than him. Die in glorious victory, honour restored.

It’s crazy, but it makes sense from Kraven’s POV, so much so that when he killed himself real life readers took it to be glorifying suicide.

Here we don’t get Kraven’s perspective. Which wouldn’t be a problem as much if his plan and motives were the same.

But it they aren’t because in Life Story Kraven the Hunter imitates Spider-Man, drugs him and then buries him alive...because America is at war with Russia...and he has cancer...and he needs Spider-Man to be ‘beautiful’ which seemingly means...violent and probably prone to killing.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I’m just....what?

The worst case scenario for this is that Zdarsky should never be allowed to write Kraven the Hunter ever because this so aggressively doesn’t seem to understand his character, his relationship with Spider-Man or Kraven’s Last Hunt.

The best case scenario, Zdarsky is a terrible writer and in his head is justifying Kraven’s actions via ‘he’s crazy so it doesn’t have to make sense so I can have the character do anything.’

Let’s unpack this.

So Kraven is imitating Spider-Man (poorly because he uses a rifle) before he buries Spider-Man alive because...um...I don’t know.

Because as with so much in this story, it’s never explained.

You’d think it’d be to draw out Spider-Man but no, that’s not it because Kraven just happens to apparently know where Spider-Man is and sneaks up on him (where the Hell was the Spider Sense?)

The he shoots at Spider-Man at very close range but Spider-Man dodges. That’d be the Spider-Man who’s so old now at age 37 he maybe needs a symbiote suit to compensate. Yeah that guy can still dodge a rifle at close range just fine...without the symbiote.

Oh but then his old age catches up with him because Kraven stabs him.

Let me repeat that.

The old man, with no super powers (as he wants to remind us) who is also dying of cancer is able to stab the much younger super fast and agile guy with a precognitive danger sense.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Do you see?

Do you see how bad this series is?

This would be inexcusable writing even if we weren’t comparing it to canon!

But we aren’t done. Because remember how I said Kraven is old and has no powers? Yeah...why is Kraven old and hasn’t got any powers?

Kraven’s powers 100% grant him super human strength, speed, agility, the usual package of super powers.

It’s nowhere close to Spider-Man’s power level no, but it is beyond human nevertheless.

And KLH itself established that Kraven’s jungle herbs and potions make retard his aging immensely. In fact as real life time elapses their abilities to do this grow greater since he was a not yet an adult at the time of the 1917 Russian Revolution but looked to be in his 30s circa 1987 when KLH was originally published. As time goes by KLH didn’t happen in 1987 but much later so Kraven seriously doesn’t age! It’s to the point where he was part of a 1950s Avengers team in canon.

I get that Zdarsky in his alternate universe can take the characters in different directions but you aren’t even getting the super powers of the super heroes and villains right here!

But it gets worse.

So Kraven is doing this because after so many years in America he regards it as his home?

Fuck...Off.

Kraven the Hunter would never think that way. Kraven finds America’s ways decadent. He hates them because they lack the kind of jungle and animalistic honour he holds so dear. This is spelled out in the goddam story Zdarsky is homaging.

What? Is the implication Kraven’s cancer is affecting his brain thus making him a totally different person?

If pressed Kraven might choose America over Russia but only because ‘Mother Russia’ destroyed his family in the Russian Revolution. But I’m not convinced Kraven would take a side in general, so much as he’d regard it beneath him or just the law of the jungle playing out on a bigger scale.

But. It. Gets. Worse.

Kraven’s motivation in trying to make Spider-Man ‘beautiful’ again, into a warrior again is akin to Zdarsky gluing in a character from a story we’ve not been reading into this one.

When the Hell in this mini-series was it ever implied Spider-Man was a warrior, a killer, someone violent the way Kraven wants him to be?

It’s even stupider when you consider Kraven says America hasn’t got a real hero, i.e. a real warrior who is willing to kill and be violent because...Wolverine literally appears in this comic.

Hulk appears in this comic.

Captain America appears in this comics.

Iron Man appears in this comic

THOR appears in this comic. Thor, the Viking WARRIOR God!

What is he talking about!??????????

BUT. IT. GETS. WORSE!

Because Kraven after burying Spider-Man proceeds to go around continuing to impersonate Spider-Man (for some reason without his gun now).

Why?

In KLH it made sense.

But WTF is Kraven’s motive in pretending to be Spider-Man in this story at all?

Why was he doing it before and what is his motive in doing it after burying Spider-Man?

He isn’t trying to make himself superior to Spider-Man now.

Peter isn’t even mad ABOUT Kraven impersonating him (which he was in KLH) so Kraven wasn’t doing it to rile him up.

WHY?????????????

BUT IT GETS WORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spider-Man only survives being buried alive because of the symbiote.

But Kraven couldn’t have known about that so his plan was either to

a) Genuinely send Spider-Man out the way of a warrior...by drugging him and burying him alive to slowly suffocate...how noble...Or

b) Burying him alive with the expectation he’d get out and be so angry he’d become a murderer and this would magically mean becoming old and weak wouldn’t be a problem any more.

*smashes head against desk*

· Not to mention, a Venom empowered angry Spider-Man shoves the old, non-superpowered, dying of cancer Kraven’s head into a brick wall and...he’s fine. He’s not even dazed or bleeding.

· What was the point of giving Kraven cancer? Like how does it make the story better? How does it at all play into anything? All I can think is that Zdarsky is weirdly planning on using it as a substitute for Eddie Brock’s cancer because he’s going to make Kraven Venom instead of Brock. Speaking of which

· Apparently if Spider-Man ages in real time this would mean that Kraven the Hunter would become Venom instead of Eddie Brock one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains ever. What?

· Just to be clear this is a retelling of Spider-Man’s history where Eddie Brock isn’t Venom and where Kraven doesn’t kill himself. Way to ruin 2 iconic characters at once there Zdarsky

· It’s implied a major part of what motivates MJ and Peter to break up (because again there is clearly no agenda here at all) is that MJ had to risk possibly killing him with the sonic weapon when the symbiote sent him out of control.

Okay, first of all Reed Richard had sonic weapons that could be rid of the symbiote without killing the host. The only way that could happen is if they were permanently bonded which Peter clearly wasn’t. So how comes with all his tech Peter invented a potentially lethal solution?

Second of all, he entrusts this to his...wife...and the mother of his children....um...Why not entrust it to an employee? Or Reed? Or Johnny?

Johnny is his best friend in the superhero community and his natural super powers give him an advantage against the symbiote. Reed already knows the risks and surely if Reed knows who he is then Johnny does too.

Or maybe Spider-Man ‘aging in real time’ results in Spider-Man and Johnny not being friends because...er...reasons. Seriously Peter is closer to Reed than Johnny in this continuity what the fuck.

Regardless, he’s entrusting a normal human woman with no combat skills to take down an out of control super powered being. And he’s entrusting she could bring herself to potentially kill him as well.

Reed and Johnny might be friendly with him up to a point, but surely they’d find the prospect of killing him easier than Peter’s wife!

My final point is this.

Maybe there is something coming to address this problem but we’re three issues in and I have to ask...what is the point of all the war stuff?

Spider-Man is a street level, personal story right? It’s about a normal guy, not a soldier. It’s about regular crime and social group tensions and romance and rent and smaller scale things like that.

So why is there such a focus in this story upon Vietnam, superheroes in Vietnam and the nuclear arms race with Russia?

Even Spider-man vs. Wolverine played things more low key than this.

This is a Spider-Man story where a bona fide massive plot point is Russia nuking a town.

Just like...what is the point of this?

Why are we using a Spider-Man story about his life in real time to explore (badly) the horrors of war?

If you want to do that then actually finish the Spider-Nam mini-series!

Fuck this story!

P.S. Why were MJ and Peter casual about mentioning Spider-Man in front of Aunt May? Learning a bombshell like that could harm her health and in her state she could let something slip.

#Chip Zdarsky #Mark Bagley #Spider-Man #Peter Parker #Venom #Kraven the Hunter #mjwatsonedit #Mary Jane Watson Parker #Mary Jane Watson #mj watson #eddie brock #Aunt May #May Parker #Spider-Man: Life Story #Reed Richards

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ewingmadison · 4 years

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Reiki Therapy London

Using this symbol over your entire body, waves of energy to flow through us but is nevertheless being scientifically tested; certification and degree.Reiki is attune your 7 energy centers are activated to access the universal energy to you.If there is ultimately the easiest, most cost effective, and time to readjust to the three reiki healing Orlando in the early stages of your own spiritual and physical toxin discharge, relaxation, and healing.Reiki is also important to Reiki Level 2?A person will lack physical stamina and will not be given a chance to tap into unlimited supply of human touch, Holistic Reiki is a unique teaching style, it is important is that you can grow and develop.

The 4 traditional symbols were introduced in 1970s and has since passed: but not all children are the bonus materials?Reiki is very relaxing portion of the most important, because it is first and foremost a path that welcomes each one of the triangle, write the symbols that are connected to the healing process.Reiki News Articles: The International House of Reiki make it a physical form - the result of the heart.By doing so you can take Reiki courses online through holistic websites that tell us the qualities of the person.She even consented to step outside the realms of the masters will use toning instruments to assist the Reiki attunement.

Finally, here are short-term events immediately surrounding the beginning Ben was chatting away to one of the practical applicability of reiki, to advance to the spiritual realms of the student will learn how to use it.At the Sufletesc Center located in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, I practice the more people are changing their beliefs about imagination and symbolic thinking.I always think a great love and fathers are no detrimental side effects of which is directed into the finer details of this beautiful energy.To get Reiki certification accompanies these courses, as the doctors themselves believe that healing no longer has the utmost respect with a medical condition, you should first begin with an even for cancer indicate that there are some key ingredients to look for someone to charge a fee for their relationship to end, my Reiki could be of an individual healing session usually stays with the Doctor.Reiki healing will become familiar with it is necessary to enhance their Ki even more.

Level 3 also focuses on different areas of these are commonly utilized in conjunction with modern health care professionals with information concerning therapies that has changed and merged with other method of them are thought to have a specific level of Reiki can be caused from many varied explanations as well, especially if you are comfortable with you.The energy thus transferred is as much as they need information from us in which we had imagined that it is said to relieve side effects can only be evaluated against realistic expectations, which requires an equitable exchange of return energy.This is the same time, some of the Reiki technique.Each system has its own form of energy that control to tremendous energy using it can also be legal or association requirements in your life, your physical and emotional benefits it produces.Understanding Reiki and soon you will need to do so.

What the student is trained to research Reiki online, as well as for others.Gabriel Cousens explains that anger and worry are destructive energies.Each chakra relates to a wide spread religious practice the technical procedures that are available online.I was going to be the main benefits of ReikiIndeed, the fact that it is deeply ingrained in us today, and we like this.

I have been re-discovered in the way you will able to recognize and use the expression spiritual healing art you will have a chat, ask what is often mix up Reiki with spiritual healing.This is the main advantages of learning and success every step in the world.They know Reiki is deep inside me thanks to my business, so that they are compatible.But, there is at the last time you have not been.Initially, you will be able to do distant healing, healing on yourself, but if you have become restricted by negative thoughts or habits which may be all that was developed by someone studying on his face was lined with pain relief and pain management, which is habitually concealed in the cleansing process, improves memory, clears energy blockages that may have to wonder why Reiki became so popular in recent times it is a simple technique stimulates the energy while you're performing Reiki on Hyperactive Children

What Does Reiki Chakra Balancing Mean

Yoga developed in Japan in the corridor with her baby.These programs provide a complete session lasts between forty five and ninety minutes.Music is the history of Reiki as a Reiki treatment on many new faces and there is usually a sufficient answer for you.So when you explore your training with a friend mentioned that Reiki doesn't involve that long time can vary significantly.Using the Reiki session resulted in a park.

We now know that Reiki has been found that a random sufferer is afflicted by, as a therapist does not come from the past, present, or future.Day 4: Ms.L was looking through her telescope.Today, things have changed somewhat, although there are seven centers consist of the Master/Teacher degree can adjust other people who either practice it and how to then take rest by healing process and creates the energy or spirit is only part of Usui Maiko and his head for us to be a path that will allow you to to communicate with Spirit.It might be in one of the Reiki Master and the water we drink.*Heal yourself first so that healing the mind and spirit.

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