#mentioned are

[ao3screenshotss]

[beans-and-rice101]

Hey, hi, I'm here to, uhh, talk about Gwen Stacy of Earth-65? Okay, here we go;

So, I've seen a lot of talk about Miles Morales which is fucking ACES because I always thought he needed more stans, so good job there. There's a blow-up about Spider-Ham and Spider-Man Noir which is... A thing, that's a thing that's happening... But I've seen little talk of Gwen and Peni and I??? Huh???

Gwen is, like, such a magnificent breakthrough and so is Peni??! I'm here to talk about mostly Gwen, but during my research I found that both FEMALE spiders are pretty much ignored unless it's shipping. Which makes me angery. Very. Angery.

In the movie, when we first meet Gwen she is undercover at Miles' new school. She starts off being hella cool and diverting some of the attention of the class from Miles when he's late, then later she's understandably a little weirded out, but still tries to be as nice as she can despite the fact that this kid has his hand stuck to her hair. Later, after revealing herself in the forest and saving both the boys' asses, she dives straight into considerate and relaxed with Miles, humouring him when he lies and, despite having every reason to avoid friendships - especially with the guy who, albeit accidentally, messed up her hair, even makes him an exception to her rule when he suggests it.

She continues, then, to constantly consider the newer spider's safety, empathizes with him over his loss, and looks out for him throughout the end fight. And that's so amazing. Here we've got this badass girl, tragic backstory of losing her best friend and blaming herself, a whole city on her shoulders. But she's nice. Always. Just because she "doesn't do friends" that doesn't mean she doesn't do nice. Even though it's not exactly visible in this picture, you can still see Gwen's second-hand pain for Miles' loss.

She could've so easily been that character who smirked and turned her nose up at Miles, be that bitchy character that thinks he's useless. But she's not. And I'm really happy about that. In addition, as if she wasn't awesome enough, you see those ballet shoes she's wearing? That's such a fucking SMART IDEA HOLY SHIT! I'm no dancer, nor am I a shoe expert, but in my mind, I see ballet shoes as the best option for a spider person after bare feet. Ballerinas spend a lot of time on tiptoes, so there's actually a box in the front protecting their toes. Guess how Gwen kicks most of the time?

Damn straight. And that's not all! Ballet shoes are made of thinner, flexible material, which is equally helpful to one who probably wants to feel the surface under her feet, especially when high up. I think it's super cool that Gwen took something that many people would sneer at, something girly and weak, and uses it to kick ass!

Gwen should be more popular. And not as a ship with Miles or as a second child-figure for Burrito Peter. Gwen should get more attention because she's cool

and nice

and a well-rounded, well delivered character. Treat her better, guys!

Also, as a sidenote paragraph, I wanna quickly gush about Peni Parker, y'know that awesome girl whose friends with her dimension's radioactive spider? The one with the big fuck off robot with an emoji face?? Yeah her. Holy crap, I was honestly afraid that the movie would take the piss out of this character for being anime style and pretty magic girl-esque. But for the time she was on screen, she was intense, loud, smart, sweet, kickass and A LITTLE GIRL WITH NO MALE GAZE SET UPON HER. She was unapologetically smarter than the our main protagonist, aggressive and ready to kick names and take ass, and yet still emotionally open like a child should be. She, Porker and Noir stood out the most out of the cast for their different art styles, which was fantasticly done. I loved the way her eyes were always twinkling, and her fight shots were typical of anime art, yet not so much as to stray from the movie's flow. I rate her A+++

In conclusion, pay the females more attention. Goddammit you guys, please be cool about these ones, they're real special to me!

[iceepsy]

The Keyblade War. Part 5. The end.

The last is Ira. A world of forgotten dreams.

Edit: had to remove the links

With that last strike, shale crushing bone, Ira knows that the war is over. It’s in his gut. It’s in the way the wind silently blows through, echoing the deep canyon, mocking him. It’s in the look - the hurt - on Aced’s face as the boulders fell. It’s in the last words he exchanged with Invi, brisk and professional. It’s in the last glances he shared with Gula and Ava before they all parted ways.

Ira’s breath hitches; Aced’s face rings of shock. It’s unforgivable; he let his anger overtake him. He immediately regretted his actions, but now, he can only accept the consequences. He closes Aced’s eyes and mouths a prayer to whichever god or master listening. How much darkness must be in his heart for him to kill an old friend? Never had he thought the hours (days, years) he spent pouring over the book of prophecies would amount to this ending. Ira carefully moves the cracked conglomerate crushing Aced and gingerly lifts him up, throwing his companion’s arm around his shoulder. He’s reminded of those years ago, seeing the brawnier man clutching against the brick and mortar buildings of Daybreak Town. “Gula,” Aced whispered, “has known all along there was a traitor.” Even Gula’s obsession and methodical examination of the lost page was unable to prevent this tragedy.

“The darkness will prevail and the light will expire.” The Master was right. As he always was, despite his eccentric ways.

Aced’s limp despite Ira’s grip. He can only hope the others made it out alive. He has to believe even when faced against such a miniscule probability. He has to believe. To keep his light. That said, he tries to ignore the piled bodies of the keyblade warriors, some even younger than Ava and Gula, littering the landscape. 

Ira finds Ava in a cove, not far from his fight with Aced. At first, he saw pink, relieved she was only resting. He hobbles towards her while half-carting half-hauling Aced. He whispers another prayer for defacement of the dead. Upon closer examination, his head peaking into the crevice, Ira’s heart breaks. Ava sits against the wall, her head limply flopping forward. Only half of her treasured mask rests precariously in her open palm. The other half must have long since been destroyed. He tries lifting her head in hopes for a small miracle. For Ava to stir. Instead, he’s met with the sight of her pained expression and the feeling of slight resistance from her contracted muscles when he tries to smooth her face into peaceful sleep. 

Ira fights back tears. What did she go through to cause her to have such nightmares? He shutters and stops the train of thought. He had secretly hoped of the six - five - foretellers, Ava would be the one to make it out. And not him. Ava, their ray of sunshine. Ava, and her fierce loyalty. After the traitor incident, Ava refused give up Gula’s location. He’d catch her sometimes, head tilted, staring at him. She’d soon rapidly turn her head, embarrassed to be caught. Ira didn’t know what she was thinking; Ava hides everything under a laugh and a smile. He had only hoped she realised it was only in best intentions that the truth of the traitor needed to be revealed.

He pockets her mask and lifts her body with his other hand. Groaning under the combined dead weight, he continues forward.

He makes it to the middle of the battlefield where the five of them first met, surrounded by their union members. It must be an omen for the center and four outreaching paths are cleared of debris, keyblades, and fallen warriors. Ira sets Ava and Aced down before he himself collapses from the strain. On a better day, he would have wondered about the perfectly formed sigil and it’s relation to the prophecy. However, the prophecy has been told and he needs to find Gula and Invi.

Invi was the hardest to find - or to say the least - all of Invi was hard to find. Despite the horrors he experienced during his training, nothing prepared him for the smell of charred flesh and the sight of Invi laying like a ragdoll. Ira is reminded of the explosion he heard hours before. Ira would rather fight thousands of shadows, fight the darkness of his own heart, than come to terms with Invi’s death. At least shadows don’t rot, waiting to be buried, when killed.

He doesn’t want to limp closer and see the state of his longest friend. Ira holds his breath. Like with Ava, Invi’s mask was blown in two. The exposed left side of her face was partially blown off, exposing the soft tissue underneath. The blood has already drained from her face, giving her a ghostly-pale complexion, and gathered at the bottom of her body. It leaks, spreading across the dried ground. Ira takes a step back, unable to hold in his nausea. One arm has been blown off; her other limbs have been twisted in unnatural angles. Bile forms in his mouth. He runs to the closest rock before throwing up.

He finds her arm blown several feet away. It’s stiff and it doesn’t feel right touching it. It’s sacrilege. Ira tries to reattach the arm but healing magic does not work well on the dead. Carefully, he tries to move Invi’s other limbs into a better position for carrying but it’s difficult with her body setting into rigor mortis.

Ira looks at Invi, head cradled against his shoulder, her good side facing him, and thinks back to feather-light touches, surreptitious glances, and whispers he knew would amount to nothing but enjoyed nonetheless. He admits to wishing more than once for heated, impassioned nights that never came. Their relationship had always been kinesics cues layered over a rouse of professionalism. For as long as he’s been a keyblade wielder, Invi has always been by his side. She was a silent, sturdy presence who kept him grounded. Really, he couldn’t wish for a better partner. And now, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Who will he awkwardly try to make laugh, leave bookmarked sections of poetry for, or ask for guidance on public speaking? Invi looks to be smiling when she died. Ira can only hope she’s in a better place.

He brings her back and lays her next to Aced.

He finds Gula last, at the other end of the canyon. Like Ava, he’s sitting in a small alcove, his hands placed neatly on his lap. Unlike Ava, Gula looks to be peacefully sleeping. It’s only when Ira called and shakes the young man’s shoulders that he realizes Gula has been long dead.

Ira’s relationship with Gula was unfortunately never the same after his talk with the younger man. Stubbornness must have been a trait in all of them; he remembers raising his voice, stuttering, reasoning his actions were justified, desperate to get information out that could prevent the darkness. At first, though he admitted his role, Gula remained mum. As hours dragged on, Gula relented and talked about the page. It was a terrible explanation filled with vague mentions of a sigil. Ira remained stupidly unconvinced, “Lies!” he exploded, “Where is your proof? You must know more!” It was only when he saw the fright in Gula’s eyes that he let the leopard forteller go. Maybe he shouldn’t have. Maybe he should have apologized.

Gula has extreme burns on his face, and traces of them on his hands, where the skin did not heal properly. Ira can only imagine the fight he’s been through. It’s the tell-tale signs of Ava’s magic, though it’s curious why she only healed his hands. 

Ira places him next to the youngest foreteller. He knew how well the two got along; Gula’s crush was the worst kept secret of the Daybreak Town Clocktower. Maybe the afterworld would be better.

With everyone found, the realization sinks in. Ira collapses, his knees suddenly weak. Given how careless a leader he was, why is he the only one left? Given how careless a leader he is, maybe he does deserve such a fate? 

Ira sits down in front of his dead companions, staring over their bodies at Kingdom Hearts.

___

Epilogue

Luxu heaves a sigh as he stares down at the sight beneath him. Ira sits down next to his - no, their - dead friends. How often he wished to join them, talk with them, and interact with them again. Ava sought him once before the war started, but it was as said in his copy of the book of prophecies. Their blades would clash in a resounding sound, indicating the unravelling of peace and the start of the war.

The sixth apprentice summons the Master’s keyblade. The book had written none would be alive. If Ira still breathes, would he have to kill him? Luxu really hopes for that not to be the case. The Master only told him to be a watcher of the events, but a prophecy is a prophecy no matter how it’s carried out. If they deviate, then Luxu has to step in and fix it, or so he was instructed. So far, he hasn’t needed to interfere. The other’s books did not tell the full story; only he and the Master know of the events to come. “It’s for the best,” the Master told him in an unexpected moment of solemnity. 

He looks across the night sky. The scattered keyblades form a perfect outline of the sigil; the Master’s plan is proceeding smoothly. The thing Gula had tried to summon was but a pale comparison to the real Kingdom Hearts. None of them ever knew what it looked like and Lux was a poor substitute to real hearts. The fake is already fading from the sky. The real one…he hopes will never appear. “Are you satisfied now?” he asks into the air. The blowing wind only continues to tease him. Maybe. Maybe.

Gripping the Master’s blade, Luxu descends to finish the prophecy.

[historyfanatic17]

Well, it's too early to be creative.

Sequel to this

Oops. I wrote more. I regret nothing. Sequel to this Haven't written for my boy in a while. A sort of sequel to: More little ghost girl :3

He slowly blinked his eyes open and heard rustling beside him. Where was he? What was going on?

"Elijah? Oh holy hell, Elijah!"

Then, suddenly, his older brother's worried expression was in his field of vision. He couldn't tell which one it was, just that it was one of the twins (but he couldn't tell them apart on the best of days anyway). Whichever twin it was stayed in his view for a moment, frowning before he looked to the door and he spoke to someone out of Elijah's narrow view.

"Cullen?"

Ah, so this was Evan then. A pause where Elijah guessed Cullen must have spoken and then

"Yea man, he's awake. Is James?"

Elijah narrowed his eyes. 'James? Why was James needing to wa-' his eyes widened and he suddenly remembered what had happened.

He'd been meeting James at the front of the university dorms. He'd been going to take James and a few of his friends anywhere they wanted to go in exchange for his choice of lunch. They hadn't come out and he'd eventually gone in to make sure they were even ready to go, sure the group had gotten distracted by something silly. He'd only just entered the dorm when he felt his chest tighten and his head begin to ache.

He'd attempted to leave but hadn't made it to the door before his vision blacked out and he must have passed out.

He'd woken up after that in a basement or maybe a cell, chained to the wall, his knees on the floor.

Humans, it had been humans. He remembered them entering the cell and speaking to him, telling him they all they needed was info on his family, where they were and how many where there? He'd refused and gotten hurt for his refusal.

It continued like that for a while, the injuries getting worse with each continued refusal. Then he'd seen Alice and...

Elijah blinked a few times, finding himself back on the bed with Evan's worried expression back in view.

"Damn. You were really gone there for a bit." He said as he pushed some hair from Elijah's face. Elijah frowned but didn't speak, glancing as best he could towards what he assumed was the door.

"Cullen went back to James' room. Seems like he woke up too." His brother trailed off, leaning away.

"What the hell happened to you guys?"