I am not a historian, but my general read is that the thing that above all tends to spur development is prosperity. You do not develop new shit when you are barely hanging on with what you have. You have no margin to do so.
The combination of economic incentive and seed capital (for which prosperity is a necessary but not sufficent condition) is what drove the big technological leaps - i speak not of singular inventions, but broad advances across a connected but wide field - of history.
War is anti-prosperity for the most part. The only reason why we have the "war advances technology rapidly" meme is because of the unusual circumstances of the US in WW2. We were for the most part safe behind the world's largest moat, while also accelerating from a loose economy with lots of industrial slack to a war footing economicallysecured in part by massive arms purchases from other nations who were getting their factories blown up.
Hi, getting a proofreader wouldn't be a bad idea, I've noticed several typos in the other chapters also.
I would recommend that you stop inserting music files into the chapter, or anything else not prose, it breaks the reading flow and is kinda annoying.
Rather than have the music help with immersion as you might have intended, it actually hurts it.
Regarding pictures, if you feel like they are needed, then you are not using enough descriptive text.
A/N: And, Arc 2 Officially begins! Largely because of some new themes we will be exploring. And I want a new banner art.
Taylor V
Alone, I half-trudged half-limped through a frozen tundra- was that the roof of a building I saw jutting out of the snow covered ground? The Jotuns really did a number on Canberra. Everywhere, from the landscape to the weather, looked like something out of that Aleph movie, "The Day after Tomorrow". I couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of freakish blizzard could cause a miniature ice age over night in Australia of all places. I would have been terrified if I wasn't so exhausted and hungry. The drugs felt like it had stretched out my energy rather than replenish it. It was a weary kind of awareness despite the perfect calm I feel.
It was cold too, so very cold- fortunately, my power armour seemed to remove any of the negative effects- for some reason I still feel the chill. Did the designers went asked themselves "I wonder whether people who wear this armour wants to feel the cold, but not suffer from the negative effects of it? Obviously yes."
It occurred to me then, that perhaps normal Dark Elves didn't feel the cold and so the designers saw no need to build a feature like heating into the armour, so long as the armour's magical clark tech or whatever kept the wearer alive. If was probably my human side that had felt the cold. That would make sense.
It was getting dark, the sun was setting- the glare of the snow gave way to a depressing blew- it felt like early morning somewhere in Northern Canada or the North pole even- but no, I was in Australia. I continued walking- the Jotuns would have known that whatever crashed into the building I was at had escaped alive, after all, there was ample proof in the form of almost a hundred corpses, my favourite surfboard and a giant reptile monster missing a head courtesy of a singularity grenade. I was awesome.
I scored a solid 171 points in my opinion, that monster was hard to kill, it was pretty tough and really fast- fortunately, like most things in existence, it couldn't deal with a singularity I threw into its open mouth. The dodging, rolling and screaming I did as it chased me for fifteen straight minutes was memorable though.
As I walked closer towards what looked like a city, I heard roars and chants and the glow of something within the valley of buildings half sticking out of the snow. Huh, more Jotuns? I thought they were behind me, not in front of me! I spied a building half buried in snow- it was tilted slightly diagonally, so either the ground I was standing on had uneven topography or the entire building there was emulating the leaning tower of pisa. Probably due to the Endbringer fight.
I tried to limp as fast as I could, particle pistol clutched in one hand as I hopped towards the building and leapt from window sill to window sill- ignoring the broken glass, god I hope the people inside were okay- to hop on top the roof. Couldn't run, but I could still jump. Alien physiology and all that. Dropping to my belly, I shimmied up over to the edge of the roof and pushed myself up, back to the balcony.
Carefully, I peak over the ledge and spied what was happening on the street over. First of all, on the other side of the building I was on, the tundra dipped down into a snow covered valley. I vaguely recognized the streets as where the Endbringer battle was happening when I had first arrived in Canberra. The streets was just covered unevenly in snow, some of them were at least four or five stories high, but the Jotuns seemed to have cleared an area for their use, and cleared paths between the snow filled streets to allow for trave. And there was a lot of Jotuns. Like thousands and thousands. Some were patrolling, some were digging away at the snow, parting them with a wave of their hands as they clear a path. Others yet were erecting some kind of temple or ziggurat using blocks of dark ice. I saw some glowing runes engraved on it- oh boy, magic. Something I knew next to nothing about.
Man, this was the was the snow day to beat all snow days- If this happened in Brockton Bay, I doubt Winslow High would let students stay home even if this much snow happened. It was a bit notorious for insisting students come to school regardless of howl life threatening the weather was.
I watched the origin of the flashing light- it was some kind of building sized portal standing at an intersection between four large streets. The edge of the portal was frozen solid somehow, and the other side showed me a fearsome sight.
A vast tundra that stretched out- perpetually dark as snow storms raged perpetually. Wind howled and impossibly vast mountains and glaciers dipped and stretched into the skyline, like a ridged labyrinth of some architect who had the power of God.
Jotunheim I realized. That was fucking Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants.
"Pull!" Someone roared, voice thrumming with an inhuman reverb.
I focused back down to the streets and saw a large group of Jotuns pulling long chains that was stretched through the portal. What were they trying to move out from the portal? It was quite heavy, because the Jotuns were straining, one even tripped and fall, only for another Jotun yell angrily at him before smacking him across the face.
I directed my attention back to the portal and saw that what I had thought was a glacier was actually a block that was inching closer with every grunt and step of the pulling Jotuns.
Slowly, the edge of the glacier emerged from the portal and entered our world. I looked closer and saw that it was long, elongated. Something dark and scaled could be glimpsed under the semi-opaque ice.
That could not be good news. I lowered myself down from the edge and considered what I should do.
Briefly I considered attacking them- it would be pretty glorious, leaping from the ledge dropping black hole grenades and raining down energy beams from above, as Jotuns fall to my might- but I would immediately die.
This was like, Jotun-central, with a honestly scary army. If all Jotuns were considered parahumans, then this was the kind of army that would scare the the US Government. Furthermore, it was obvious they could deploy infinite reinforcements from Jotunheim through the frozen rip in space-time. It would be suicide to fight here.
Right, it was time to make myself scarce-
The screaming whine of a plane force me to look up. Holy shit, was that the Australian Air force? Six jets howled across the sky and unloaded missiles to fire into the Jotun position, explosions and light burst into existence on the other side of the ledge.
An explosion gouged a large chunk of the ice on the snowy area next to my building and I decided I need to get away before I get bombed by accident. I slid down the tilted roof before I hopped off to the hit the ground.
I ran for the nearest cover, the top floors of what looked like parking garage- I could probably dig my way into the basement level I reasoned. As I dashed towards safety, I heard the roar of a thousand Jotuns.Turning my head, I saw that hundreds of spears of ice were launched high into the sky with a speed that would have scared people who had never parahumans in action. This was Earth Bet however and I pegged it as pretty meh. Most of them missed the Jet fighters- then I saw one spear nick the wings of a plane and it immediately spun off course to crash into a nearby building. There was a massive explosion as the plane and the pilot in it was killed. I winced. Was the spear throw really that strong?
Another jet flew overhead, pounding the streets with it's auto cannons before another shard of ice punched through the cockpit's windshield and painted the whole blood red. The pilot-less plane dived into the streets to cause a sea of flame to erupt- the heatwave nicking at my feet.
A Jotun was shouting something. Suddenly there was a loud hum and a blue dome of energy erupted from the streets and rapidly expanded, phasing through my skin and leaving a deep chill in my heart that almost stopped it. I clutched my chest in pain at the brief stopping of my heart.
The energy shield I realized. The expanding field spread far out into the horizon, to the very limits of what my eyes could see, then crawled upwards into the sky, arching over the heavens. One jet was caught by the energy and immediately exploded. The energy coalesced back above sky of where the energy first originated and a shimmering blue dome was complete. Several explosions immediately occurred as the remaining jets slammed into the shield trying to fly above it.
And just like that, the air raid was over. It was overwhelmingly one sided. I couldn't imagine the Government doing much better than that, except maybe send in more capes or nuke this place. God, I hope not.
And now thanks to the Jotun's energy shield, Canberra got domed after all. This was bad it meant air raids against the Jotuns wouldn't be feasible. That magical ice temple thing I saw must responsible for maintaining the shield- it would have to be taken down from the inside. Something I could not possibly pull off in my current state- hell, even were I healthy, I doubt I could take thousands of Jotuns and survive.
I would have to escape first, report what I know to the government and then come back with reinforcements. That would be the smart thing to do.
No longer needing to hide in a parking garage, I changed direction and started walking. The further away I was from Canberra the better it was for my long term health I decided. Maybe I could reach one of the outlying towns?
I wish I still had elevator-guy with me, then maybe I could surf my way out here at a faster pace, unfortunately, this snow I was standing on wasn't exactly ski-worthy, and I wasn't trying to get anywhere with a lower elevation. Without elevation, I couldn't do my snowboarding thing- if only I had snow dogs!
With a groan at my lack of faster transportation options, I proceeded to half limp, half trudge across a figurative ocean of ice.
+++
It was something like five hours I had been trying to get as much distance between me and the Portal of Canberra as possible. I felt myself being drained of my awareness and stamina. I was so hungry.
I pulled out another combat drug from the bag I had slung over my back. It was a good thing there was enough of those, or I would be die. I had maybe six injectors left. That wasn't a lot.
Kudos to the designers for creating a drug I apparently couldn't overdose on thought. I guess that was why they designed the Kurse Stones; for when you absolutely need to abuse a substance that would kill you.
The amount of alien combat stims I had taken should scare me, but I kept myself dosed up perpetually so the panic attack and crash that would follow never had the chance to happen. It was simply too risky to stop taking the drugs right now.
I needed to get to a doctor and fast- Panacea hopefully, if she was still alive. If anyone was still alive. God, I hope the entire planet wasn't covered in ice. It was a very real possibility. I had no idea when in time the thaumaturgic anomaly I had experienced had dumped me. Was I in a future Ice Age, one where the Jotuns had conquered the world? Was humanity extinct?
No, that didn't make any sense, those Australian jet fighters looked quite modern- so obviously it couldn't have been that long since I rammed the Simurgh into space. At least someone was still resisting the Jotuns.
Goddamned had I never felt more disoriented or confused. If only I had a phone, maybe I could check the internet. Oh wait, who was I kidding? It would be doubtful if the internet even worked right now, at least in Jotun territory- the Jotuns probably had spells that pulled down the communications infrastructure the moment they set foot on the planet. That's what the Dark Elves would do anyway- destroying communications was step one before any invasion in a classic Dark Elven "Nightfall" maneuver. Aka, the "Uncloak and burn a planet before they knew how they died, then pull out by the time their allies realized all traffic had ceased from a particular world." It was pretty terrifying when Mom described it as a "fairy tale" when I was a child.
I injected myself with one of the drugs, waited for the beep, and then pulled it back out to stashed it back in my bag. I couldn't leave the empty injector cartridges lying around either, or the Jotuns could use that to track me.
I rounded the corner of what looked a large public building, frozen over into an impromptu ice mount - and stumbled to a stop when I came face to face with several people.
A dark-haired man, eyes bulging out in terror, he wore a light jacket over a wife beater and jeans. Behind him, layered in several jacket and warmer clothing was a red haired woman of the same age that was most likely his wife, a middle aged lady hitting the end of her golden years- a grandmother perhaps?- and a little girl with a backpack and red pigtails.
Then I noticed the the medieval looking axe he was holding- what the hell- and he immediately raised it and roared at me.
"Dark Elf! You shall not harm them!"
The fuck.
I sidestepped his swipe and pushed him away from me- he dodged and slid to the side, then moved back to make sure that he between me and the womenfolk.
"I don't want to hurt you!" I yelled out, one hand and a stump out so he could see how empty of weapons it was. And how handless the other one was. "I have no idea what's going on! I just got back from ramming the Simurgh into space."
His maybe-wife piped up suddenly. "That was you!?"
I took a step forward, relaxing a bit. "Yeah, that was me-"
The man raised his axe again. "Stay back, Svartálfar!"
"What the fuck is your problem." And how did he know I was a Dark Elf? Like, sure, my "costume" was fairly obvious, but how did a mere mortal know who I was? And Svartálfar wasn't exactly in common usage amongst the mortals.
Unless he wasn't a mere mortal.
Let's see, it was fucking cold out, mortals could die in this weather- most probably did before they could ever escape I realized, and yet here was a well-built man looking not even like the cold bothered him, wearing almost nothing that was even remotely warm.
The stench of blood and death- much faded, but still distinct hit my nose and I wrinkled it in disgust, almost gagging on it. Thank god it wasn't much stronger.
"Aesir!" I hissed, venom creeping into my voice, my entire body tensing up, which made him tense up as well. How, how had they found me? Shit, I knew I shouldn't have exposed myself.
A fully trained adult Asgardian were dangerous beyond belief- my mother told me that they were more than a match for the Dark Elves, having honed light based weapons and sorcery to exploit the natural weaknesses of our race. They broke the Dark Elven army, they could have only become more advanced and powerful by now.
My remaining hand reached for my gun- this prompt the Aesir to charge at me- only for a shout to freeze us both in place.
"This way! The Midgardians ran that way!" The distant but unmistakable voice of the Frost Giants shouted. "Quickly!"
We looked at each other briefly- round eye lenses to fierce blue ones and came to a silent agreement.
"Go, go, go!" I told the mortals as they start hurrying away. I turned towards the patrol of Jotuns that rounded the corner, snarling and with ice weapons raised in front of them.
The Aesir grabbed the grandma, threw her over his shoulder and began to hightail it out of there. I rained down several bolts of energy particles at the Jotuns- several died right away, but the ones behind were holding ice shields that dented from the shots but did not break.
I hurried after the family and lobbed a black hole grenade over my shoulder. With a scream I heard the familiar swoosh of the black hole massacring its immediate vicinity.
Taylor 183. Jotun 0. I still got it.
We ran and ran- well, they were running, I was half-limping, half-jumping, like some kind of demented John Carter. The family was in front, and I kept a short distance behind, not wanting to spook the overprotective Aesir. Who was he? Why was he with this group of mortals? When did he arrived on Earth Bet? I have so many questions.
Until the little girl collapsed into the snow with a gasp, panting heavily. His family overtook her by several paces before halting and turning back.
"Gwendolyn!" The Aesir shouted, concern in his voice.
He tensed when I reached over and hauled the little girl up. I was surprised she even made it this far- her mother- for it could be no one else given their physical similarities, was panting up a storm, clutching her abdomen in pain. I carried her underneath my arms and ran up after the rest of the party, roaring at the Aesir as I passed by. "Keep moving!"
He hesitated, then grabbed Gwendolyn's mother with the other arm and dashed after me.
After something like a solid hour of running, and jumping-limping for me- that should be a new sport by the way. Olympics, here I come!- we reached what was starting to look like an out of town kind of area. The Aesir nodded towards an abandoned looking house. How did I know it was abandoned? The garage doors were open and there was no car inside. They must have fled by car when the Endbringer sirens went off. Good for us! There was probably intact food supplies and clean bedding.
I could so use a hot shower.
"We'll rest here for the evening." The Aesir said, looking at me.
I nodded my head in agreement. "Let's rest then."
We trudged into the small hotel room, I went in first and went to stand by the corner and watched his family spread out. Grandma and the woman sank down on the sofa immediately
"That was close." She said. Little Gwendolyn hurried over to hug her mom.
"I could have taken them, Lindsey." The Aesir said as he turned on the kitchen lights- but immediately started pulling down the curtains. Smart, wouldn't want the Jotun to be able to tell someone was here in the dead of the night. "The electricity works, that's good."
He turned towards me and frowned. I stared back at him defiantly.
"I don't know what your game is Dark Elf, or why you fought the Simurgh, or even why you bothered fighting the Jotuns. But if you harm my family, I will kill you."
H-his family?
They were his family? I looked between him and Gwendolyn. Yeah I could see some similarities in the facial structure. The woman really was wife then- and the grandma must be his mother in law or something.
I groaned. They were his family! God I was so stupid, why else would an Aesir be here on Earth hanging around with mortals? Why did I assume a god couldn't live amongst humans? My mom did.
He was still staring at me with distrust and anger. This situation required a bit of an exercise in trust I thought. I reached up and took off my mask, hissing slightly at the cold and the ethereal taste of oxygen after so long breathing in filtered air. I stared him straight in the eyes.
"My name is Taylor Hebert. I am half-dark elf and half human. I mean you no harm, please believe me, Aesir."
The Aesir looked stunned. "Half-dark Elf, how the fuc-" He immediately turned to look at his glaring wife and his daughter. "I mean how the Hel was that even possible."
"Well, when mommy and daddy loved each other very much..." I began, sarcasm thick in my tone, only for him to stare at me incredulously.
He raised his hands in the universal gesture of "whatever" and sighed. "Whatever. I guess at least you're useful against the damned Jotuns. Let's talk in the kitchens." He turned to walk away before turning back and saying. "I assume you want out of Jotun territory too, huh?"
I nodded my head and followed him into the kitchen table. He sat down on a chair and groaned, relaxing his muscles. I remained standing, still wary and aloof of the god of blood and death.
The Aesir continued speaking. "It's been an intense couple of days. Trying to get out of the city on foot, while avoiding Jotuns and through a snowstorm was a daunting task. More so for my mortal family."
His voice became more frustrated. "And then it turns out that freak storm had been spreading. I think the Jotuns extended their winter magic all the way to the borders of the neighbouring cities. Goddammit, where is Asgard?"
A damn good question, thankful as I was for not apparently attracting Official Asgardian attention.
"How long have you been on Earth Bet?"
The Aesir actually chuckled. "Gods, it's been so long. I think...something like a thousand years at the very least. I was here the last time the Jotuns invaded. I stayed behind to help police Midgard, make sure the Jotun holdouts in the Antarctic don't try to build icebergs and invade Africa or something."
The last time the Jotuns invaded? That would have started with the Battle of Tønsberg wasn't it, in the 10th century- according to Mom anyway. I think she was asleep for most of that time and avoided drawing attention to herself. And I was honestly a bit worried there were apparently Jotuns in Antarctica.
The Aesir was still talking. "I helped administrate the new Aesir Cults that cropped up afterwards. Eventually, official instructions stopped coming from above, Christianity got way more popular and by that point I had already lived amongst the mortals for so long I saw no reason to leave- it wasn't like any of my superiors ordered me back. Shit got weird with the capes, the Endbringers and Earth Aleph and everything- more excitement in the past three decades than a millenia combined. "
Aesir cults? I guess that explained some things. I had to ask something however.
"Why didn't you call Asgard for help?"
He frowned. "I don't know how. They contact me, I don't contact them. I tried yelling at the sky about ten years ago, but Heimdall apparently didn't bother responding."
That was bizarre. Another question came to mind.
"Gwendolyn, is she your biological daughter?"
His face darkened. "Of course she is! What did you thi-!"
Then he smoothed back his dark hair and shook his head. "Nevermind, my apologies. I mean, yeah, she's my biological daughter. Half-Aesir."
I nodded my head. I mean, logically I knew that was possible. I just had never thought about the possibility. The Asgardians take a very hands off approach to Midgard, so the idea that one of the fabled Aesir came down here and made a family was pretty weird. Who wants to make a family on the hellhole that was Earth Bet?
Well, apparently mom did, so really, who was I to judge. And why was I still standing? It probably made me look ruder than I had wanted to portray myself. I sat down as well, on the opposite end of the table, placing my elven mask carefully on the table next to the salt and pepper shakers. "I guess I am not the only hybrid out there, huh?"
"Yeah. Not that I understand how you're even possible." He said. "I have so many questions for you, but that can wait. I am going to go cook up something for my family. Uh, do you want any? I know the whole light based food thing is insulting to your kind and all, but-"
I shrugged. "I eat people food you know. Because I am half-human and I live here, on Earth Bet. You know, just like you."
He coughed in slight embarrassment and went to the fridge to rummage for things. He paused and turned back towards me, meeting my eyes. He hesitated, then he spoke again.
"I should've introduced myself first, huh? Name's Björn." He slammed one fist over his heart- some kind of Asgardian salute I realized. "It's uh...nice..to...uh...meet you, Taylor."
I considered whether I should reciprocate with the pseudo-Nazi Dark Elven salute before deciding that was a bad idea. Instead I smiled back at him- and he returned it. It was clipped however and he went back to cooking. I was a bit disappointed honestly, I revealed my identity to them and everything! Not even my dad knew I was a dark elf and this was how they reacted?
Of course, I tried to look at it from Björn's point of view. If I was Jewish and a Nazi came up to me dressed like the SS Gestapo and told me that he was only "Half German" and that I should trust him with the lives of my family and allow him to even sit in the same room as them….
Alright, I get his point. I didn't have to like it, but I understood where he was coming from.
"Daddy, whatcha gonna cook!?" It was little Gwendolyn who came bouncing up to clutch her father's leg. The Aesir smiled down at her. It was so genuine, so at odds with the stench of death he clung about him.
Oh God, Dad.
I looked away, throat tight and eyes wet. I got up and went to the family room, and noticed Lindsey chatting silently with the other woman.
"We'll be fine, mom. We'll get out safe, all of us-"
Ah, so that was her mother then. I turned away and limped my way back to the kitchen. I felt like I don't belong. And I don't, this wasn't my family. Ignoring the smell of frying oil, I sat back down at the kitchen table. Björn continued cooking and I tried to imagine my Dad-
No, I have to stop thinking about that. Oh God, I was suffering from homesickness or something. The alienation and none stop fighting hadn't help.
I scooped up the mask that I had left on the kitchen table. That was when I saw that my left hand was shaking uncontrollably. It twitched and spasmed. My throat felt dry and I felt a headache began to build. I tried to breath, but it was hard to draw in more than a small gasp of air. I was starting to hyperventilate as well.
"I going to take a bath." I declared suddenly, voiced clipped.
Björn nodded his head as he carried a bunch of cabbages, tomatoes and canned foodstuff to the stove era. "Okay, whatever, no need to tell me that."
I neglected to mention I was also going to inject myself with more drugs, out of sight of children of course. Don't want to have to explain to the literal Godfather why his precious angel saw a space nazi demonstrate substance-abuse.
I opened the bathroom door, stumbled inside and spot a rather clean white bathtub. Good enough. I spun the knob to get the hot water started. I turned to look at myself in the mirror, sans my mask and glamour for the first time what felt like years and stared into my dilating eyes.
I looked….I looked tired and worn. Like mom sometimes did when she gets that far off look in her eyes as if the burden of the whole universe weighs down on her. The same eyes that Dad carried in his eyes from a bad day when trying to negotiate for the Union against another cheap stalling tactic thrown his way by conniving politicians and the CEOs who pulls the strings.
Those eyes I saw reflected in my pale ones. I looked shell-shocked. My hair unkempt, my lips bleeding. I grinned in the mirror, to check out my teeth. Yup, dried blood stained my teeth.
Gods.
I need help. I need help soon.
"Hey, do you know Santa?" I did a double take and stared down at Gwendolyn, who stood outside of the bathroom doorway.
I laughed at that. "I think your Dad might be more familiar with Santa Claus than I ever will."
"What do you mea-"
"Gwen! Don't bother the nice elf lady!" Lindsey said as she hurriedly pulled the child back. "Sorry about that!"
I waved away her concern. "It's no problem."
She smiled awkwardly and left. I was going to assume her husband (or boyfriend, I didn't want to assume or anything) hadn't told her anything about the big scary space Nazi. But the way he reacted to me probably told her all she needed to know.
I was dangerous and it wasn't safe for Little Gwen to be around me.
Fair enough. I turned off the knob, the bathtub was full of steaming water that quickly created a thick fog over the mirror. I wiped it away so I can imagine my naked body carefully.
I closed the door and locked it. Quickly stripping out of my armour and skinsuit- I had to peel it off, it clung to my body with the dry blood. I worked carefully around my wounds- it looked like my chest was burned, the skin felt leathery and I could see a bit of my rib cage poking out, but the flesh was already knitting together slowly but surely.
Thank God for my inhuman physiology or that would probably smart a lot more.
My stump was problematic, the cold iron allergy had turned it black and brittle, like the husk of a dead tree. I seriously need to clean out the iron particulates inside of the wound- parahuman help would certainly be required. If only I could get out of Canberra or however far the Jotun's territory had expanded by now.
I sighed and dipped a toe into the hot water. It felt just right- which meant that it was probably too hot for most humans to tolerate. I slipped in and lied down, groaning in pleasure as I allow myself to relax marginally for the first time in what truly felt like forever.
Or however many days it was on on Earth. I should probably ask Björn or Lindsey about that. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the shakes.
This was getting bad. I wanted to save my supplies, but I had no choice. I leaned out of the tub to grab my bag with the edge of my fingers and began to rummage through it for my combat drugs. As I did so, I wondered what Dad would think of all of those. Would he be furious or proud of me? Would he be concerned of my apparent addiction to combat stimulants? Hehe.
Was he okay? What did he think of me missing for however long I was gone? Did he thought I was dead? I couldn't bear to think of how pained and worried he was. He wasn't the same when Mom disappeared. I couldn't imagine what my seeming disappearance would have done to him. I couldn't destroy him. I know what it was like to be destroyed. There was many ways to be destroyed, slowing, dying from the toxic light that corroded my kind from within.
Or swiftly as life gouged out large chunks of my soul. My soul consisted of three parts. They were called Annette, Daniel and Emma. That was what important to me. Mom and Dad, and even of Emma, my blood sister as she was, not as she is. I had very few people in my life, I had very few, very precious things that I cared about and loved.
Two thirds of my world had been taken away from me and I might not live to see the last. The world felt smaller and so very lonely. It was like the Universe was shrinking around me. Like I was being rejected from this world.
Unacceptable. I have to live. I have to win. I have to get back home to my Dad alive. I cannot accept any more defeat in this hostile universe. I wanted to fight back against life and I did. I risked everything, foolish as it was- but I don't regret showing up at this fight.
And I won't regret killing everything in my way to get home to Dad. There was only so much of myself left that I could afford to lose. I pumped myself full of drugs and closed my eyes, lowering my head back into the waters. Let them cleanse me of dirt and grime and blood- to purify my tumultuous feelings.
Despite the drugs suppressing my emotions, I cried anyway.
___________________
References: Fimbulvinter: Fimbulvetr. Fimbulwinter. The Great Winter, 3 successive winters in a row that kills all life on Earth. This event precedes Ragnarök. Is still used as the name of "very cold winters" in Nordic Countries.
___________________ A/N: Anyone know how one could get their fic on TV tropes, or is that like something that just happens naturally?
I wrote it yesterday night, so no I wouldn't say the Infinity Trailer inspired me (not directly, since the themes are so different), but I was super pumped for it nonetheless.
It at least reminded me I need to make sure my plans for the Infinity Stones presence in this fic needed to be used well.
Not when she's dressed like the SS Gestapo. Remember, she's in full space Nazi get up. And for these mystical godly races, she IS still literally some kind of terrifying entity from before most of the current life in the universe has existed. Alien in the way that the Gods of Cthulhu mythos might be. Would you trust a child of Cthulhu at a first meeting? I don't think so.
I sat on the balcony and took another swig of my beer and watched the sun setting in the horizon. The nurse was smoking next to me. I appreciated the company- and of course, there was an informal understanding that I wouldn't report her for breaking hospital regulations. I wasn't some anal retentive lawyer.
Who cared about secondhand smoke? It was better that I died sooner anyway. I fingered the mostly healed wound in my neck, a stab wound I had inflicted upon myself. I had missed the important part by mere inches- and that was what "saved" my life.
I don't know, maybe I deliberately missed? Maybe I hadn't really wanted to die? I wasn't that in tune with my inner world to really understand it. Maybe my therapists will figure it out.
I did not thank the surgeons who brought me back from the brink of death. The first words out of my mouth- dried from lack of water and thick with saliva and blood- after I was coherent enough to realize what had happened was to scream and rage at the nurses around my bed. Security personals had to come in to strap me down to the bed.
Bad memories.
Maybe I hadn't wanted to die, maybe I do. I just don't appreciate still being alive to think about these kind of depressing thoughts. It would have been easier if they had just let me bled out on the operating table.
Even now, I was considered "at risk" and placed on a suicide watch. That was what the nurse next to me was here for after all, to keep an eye on me. Lily was her name. And a no-nonsense woman she was too, I guess I didn't mind. She gave me little pity, just the way I preferred.
And yes, they let me had beer. This hospital wasn't exactly the most clean or professional, but it was all I could afford. My medical debts was going to be a big problem if I somehow managed to live long enough for it to be a problem once I got out of here, they were already very high.
My whole life, I had been ill. Wheelchair bound. It was extremely difficult even just trying to do simple day to day things. Trying to get somewhere, but there was no ramps. Or when I had applied for jobs, but there wasn't anyway to actually get to the interview- then being rejected once my potential employers realized I was wheelchair bound. The fuckers. I had never even had a successful relationship that hadn't blown up in some strange mixture of self pity and my partners finding themselves unable to sustain the difficulties of my financial and psychological needs.
"I can't do this anymore, David."
I was less than a man, I was a cripple. Who wanted a man like that?
Certainly not the military either- I had thought that I could die gloriously in battle. That I could have made my life meant something.
They had rejected me.
They had rejected me. I had nothing left, so I had decided to end it all. I was born to die I reasoned. Just a stab I had told myself- just jab it into my neck. Just like that. It took me no more than a hour to go from deciding I wanted to die to making sure I was bleeding out, relieved I finally ended it all. Only, my attempted death hadn''t take and so now I was here, wondering when I would have the chance- and the courage- to try and kill myself again.
Why was I alive? Why did they save my life? Why couldn't I have just stabbed myself properly, why did I miss? So many questions.
"You shouldn't drink so much, David." Lily admonished as she dropped her cancer stick and stomped out the cigarette butt, grinding it into the ground.
I snorted.
"Is that so? Maybe you shouldn't smoke so much, then. I'll quit when you quit." I joked.
"Hahaha, very funny. You have a fair point though. Don't jump while I go grab a drink, okay?" She said, sliding open the glass door to walk back in.
"Ha!" I actually laughed out loud and pointed at the balcony wall. "That's too high up for me, I'd never make it over to the otherside. Shoddy architect, preventing disabled people from trying to off themselves."
God I wish I could just climb up and throw myself over it. The hospital might be cutting corners, but they weren't stupid. The PR scandal wouldn't be worth it so they watched me like a hawk.
I sighed and watched the sun dip lower and lower, bathing the city in a golden light. God it was beautiful. Why was the world so beautiful- but my life was so hopeless? Does the Sun shine on everything, but me?
"David, was it?"
I turned my head and saw a black woman walked up next to me- that was weird, I hadn't heard her sliding the door open. She pulled a notebook from a large pocket of her lab coat- so I guess she was a doctor, then- and flipped open to a random page.
"Yeah, that's me. David Cunae, the guy on suicide watch."
She nodded her head. "You wanted to die. And you still do."
No shit, captain obvious. She didn't word that like a question though, more like a statement. Did she have a file on me? What was she trying to pull here, some kind of nonsensical reverse psychology bullshit? She didn't look like a therapist.
"Well, you might get your wish. Do you want risk death for a chance at being healed?"
Wait, what. A cure?
"We have an experimental procedure, very top secret kind of thing. Priceless even, but we need testers. If you're going to throw away your life anyway, why not do it for a good cause? You might even be able to walk again." She paused then looked down at me. "You in, or what?"
Yeah, yeah I was.
"Fortuna will sign you up." I then noticed the pretty girl next to her- couldn't have been older than seventeen if I had to guess, pulled out a sheaf of papers. The Italian or Spanish looking woman looked so frail and thin, what was she doing in this business? As an intern or something?
Bah, what does it matter?I just wished her a long life and hoped that she would never have children who was a burden like I was on my own parents.
She handed me a contract. Lots of weirdly worded legal speak, blah, blah, blah. I didn't bother reading it. I frankly don't care if they were just going to use me for medical experiments and dump my body in a ditch somewhere.
Either heal me or let me die, I decided. I don't rightly care anymore.
+++
I had never felt more alive. I was akin to a god. No, I am a god, flying through the air under my own power and shining with my own intrinsic brilliance.
"You're going to save millions of lives."
I laughed and whooped with joy.
I was whole. My mind was clear. My body was strong- I could walk. Walking wasn't nearly as exciting as flying, but it was a close second!
Today, everything had changed for me. Today, my world had just begun. Today was the day I was born, my second birth date, my true birth date.
Nothing could keep me down anymore.
I was going to be a hero!
"The most powerful man in the world!"
+++
"You let him die." I accused her. We were the only two left in the conference room.
Fortuna paused at the door. Then she turned to look me right in the eyes. She had grown older, become more gorgeous and deadly than any being I have ever known. A veritable goddess.
"Yes."
I sat back down on the chair, shocked by the frank admission.
"What about Siberian?" I asked.
"Siberian is an asset. You are expressly forbidden from killing him."
I hated her so much, but I obeyed the words of Fate.
I allowed Hero -Nima Musa- 's killer to go unavenged.
+++
I ignored the screaming mutants in their cages, futilely slamming against the impossibly dense bars. Hollering and pleading and threatening vengeance in a thousand languages from across a thousand Earths.
Nima.
We had sacrificed Hero. We could sacrifice anything.
I could sacrifice anything, any price was worth paying.
I ignored them and kept walking.
"It was a honour to meet you, sir. I became a hero because of you."
"Thank you Eidolon, for all the lives you've saved, I present you this Presidential Medal of..."
"David, I love you. But I understand your duties couldn't allow you to…"
"You are a saint, thank you, thank you for saving my life."
+++
Behemoth. Thousands of heroes dead. I couldn't do a thing.
Leviathan. Millions dead. I couldn't do a thing.
Simurgh. Millions lost. I couldn't do a thing.
Siberian. Untouchable. I couldn't do a thing.
Cauldron. The pit of my sins. I couldn't do a thing.
I was simply too weak. I needed more power. Power that escaped me, slowly but surely. Was I born to die, to live again, only to die?
I diminish day by day. They call me the most powerful cape in the world. They consider it to be praise, I considered it to be mockery.
What was the point of it all?
I need to prove myself. I need to be stronger.
+++
Wind…
Pain...
Mountains…
Pain...
An explosion of light….
Pain...
A large vessel rocketing away from me towards the sky and vanishing with the winged angel…
Pain...
Mountains….
Pain...
Twisting, turning, screaming…
PAIN!
My eyes snapped open and I took in a deep shuddering breath. I tried to move, but my body was frozen, a neck brace was wrapped around my neck and my hands and legs were bound.
"I wouldn't move if I was you, your spine was broken, and you have a concussion." A thickly accented voice called out from beyond my line of sight. "We tried to do the best we could, but you'll need time to heal."
I tried to move my hands- the swollen digits twitched and I growled in annoyance.
My legs, I could feel it moving! What was he talking about?
"Phantom pain- I know what you think you're feeling. But it's an illusion."
I sighed- goddamit. Wait. My mask- I wasn't wearing my mask, in fact, looking down I could see that I was almost entirely naked except for a thin sheet of blanket laid on top of me.
"Y-you unmasked me?"
The voice replied. "Your brain was spilling out of your skull, we had to perform an emergency surgery to save your life- your power was going out of control. You had already torn down half a mountain, almost destroying a village in the process by the time we put a stop to your unconscious rampage."
A sudden horrible chill went down my spine- what part of it I could feel.
"I am sorry, your corona gemma had to be removed- we excised it completely to prevent further destruction."
I was stunned. No. No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! I reached for my power, for that familiar place deep inside myself,for the endless ocean of lights just beyond my reach, where I might occasionally snag something substantial and bring it forth to the surface.
There was nothing there. Nothing at all.
"Y-you depowered me?"
The face swam into view. A swarthy face with a well managed beard, handsome but aged, with sharp ruthless eyes. I recognized him immediately from my dossiers- he wasn't exactly one of those capes that bothered with a mask or secret identity- with the exception of the general public not being aware that he existed.
"They call me Phir Sē, of the Thanda school of India's parahuman community, it is a honour to meet you in person, Sri Eidolon."
"Give me back my power!" I screamed at him, spittle hitting his face.
The Indian cape drew back slightly. "We cannot heal such severe cerebral trauma- you're lucky you hadn't become a drooling vegetable- perhaps Panacea may help you, but it is my understanding that she cannot heal brains. This is the best we can do for now. Rest now and when you get better we'll try to get you back home. Life isn't over just because you lost your powers."
"Fuck you!" I roared, rage overtaking me as I struggled in me restraints. Restraints that should have snapped under my strength- strength that was no longer my own. Strength that was beyond me.
In the face of my fury, the Indian man turned to leave, then paused. "Australia has been invaded by a a most fearsome race of Daityas, just so you know, but they got most of the civilians out in time. But I wouldn't worry about it- your comrades are doing what they can. I plan on joining them myself for the upcoming battle. You focus on recovering"
I don't care about Australia. I don't care about anything. Fuck them.
My world had just ended. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
+++
It was evening- the streetlights filtered in through the open window. Did they not fear thieves in this place? I did not know how long I had lay there, just thinking. Thinking of my past. Of my life.
What, in the end, had I accomplished? All I had to show for a decade of slowly declining power, of becoming more and more helpless and useless at Endbringer fights was this: Me screaming incoherently in rage at the person who had saved my life. Again.
The door to my room opened and I turned my head slightly (had to be careful not to break my neck in the process) and watched someone enter the room, carrying an oil lamp of all things- what the hell? Does India really still use that?
The figure set it on a nearby table and walked over to my bedside. The swell of her breasts told me the stranger was a woman, a servant of Phir Sē no doubt. I immediately discounted an assassination attempt, the Thanda could have had me killed at any time while I was unconscious after all. They could have just chosen not to even bother operating on me and I would've probably tore myself to pieces with my powers going out of control. Granted, there was that village they saved, but that could have been accomplished with a bullet to my head.
I would remain somewhat vigilant however, the Thanda was by no means a united community, and some parahuman somewhere might decided Eidolon was better off dead for whatever reason.
She examined my injuries quickly. She then proceed to change my bandages despite my protests. She worked quickly, but silently, wrapping the new bandages over my bleeding legs. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of my modesty laid bare before a complete stranger- but this wasn't any different than what indignity I had to endure for most of my life.
Now that she was closer, I was startled to find that she was no Indian, but a caucasian woman, middle aged I would guess, with deep green eyes. And completely bald, oddly enough. Was she a cancer survivor, perhaps?
"Where am I?" I asked her. Phir Sē was an Indian cape who operated out of New Delhi, but it was probably best to get a grasp of where I am.
"You are in Kamar-Taj."
What.
"Where in India is that?"
She laughed. "You're in Nepal, silly. In the capital city of Kathmandu specifically."
I tried to process that. From Australia to Nepal- I guess I had fallen pretty far off course when I jumped from whatever kinetic manipulation field was surrounding that mysterious spaceship.
I suddenly felt a raging irrational hatred towards that spaceship and whoever had been piloting it. It was all their fault! If they hadn't tried to ram the Simurgh into space-
I was distracted from my thoughts when the stranger sat down next me on the bed, her back towards me as she stared at the far wall.
"I have been waiting for you, David. Waiting for a long long time."
How did she-
"How did you know my name?" I grew angry then, had they run a face check on me, violating the unwritten rules even further? "Are you trying to threaten me?"
If I still had my powers, I would show her the folly of her arrogance!
She turned to look down on me, pity in her eyes. I hated those eyes. I saw eyes like that my whole life and I had never wanted to ever see it again.
"I waited for years- years and years, but you weren't ready." Then she abruptly stood up. "You still aren't ready."
For some reason, what she had just said pissed me off.
She walked out, leaving me alone with my impotent anger. I screamed at the waning sunlight drifting through the wooden windowsill until it was dark and I was tired.
I couldn't sleep, I was so full of violent visceral hate.
+++
The next morning, the damnable woman came back to check on my injuries. I yelled at her.
"Leave me alone, bitch!"
She ignored me. She fucking ignored me- changed my bandages, and then left just as quietly as she came. Without responding to my threats or insults even once. She wasn't even cowed.
She just straight up ignored me, as if I was beneath her.
Then she tried to feed me soup, I spat it out and turned my head, refusing to eat. She left shortly after that.
If only Fortuna could find me and rescue me- but I was blind to her path. Despite my gemma being removed, I may still be under the same obfuscating influence of my agent.
I was so tired, that, despite my best efforts, I felled asleep.
+++
I woke to sunlight in my eyes and the chirping of birds and even the cry of roosters- that was odd, why would Houston have roosters?
I had felt refreshed however, my head clear for the first time in a long while. It felt like a rare experience. I breathed in the fresh mountain air, I saw saw the shimmering morning light dancing across the wooden floors and walls. It was so tranquil.
God it was beautiful.
I looked around, confused and disoriented. Where was I, really? This wasn't my room. I-
Simurgh.
Space.
Phir Se.
Nepal.
Woman.
Injuries.
No power.
NO POWER. NO POWER.
The hate and anger came coursing back as my blood pounded in my ears. I tried to move, but my arm was still limp and my legs did not respond even though I could feel them. Bending my chin to my chest, I strained to watch my legs and I tried to force them to move.
I will it!
They didn't so much as budge. I began to sweat from the strain.
"It's phantom sensations, David. Your spinal cord was severed, remember?"
I turned to the same serving woman who had attended to me the other night and snarled. "You!"
"Me." She laid down a tray, with fruits and a bowl of soup. "This will help you recover faster- vegetarian herbal soup, made from mountain ginseng roots soaked in diluted vril."
"Fuck you."
She shrugged. "You should be able to move your hands, please feed yourself, it will give you better self-esteem."
She walked out on me. Again.
My stomach grumbled hungrily and I sighed before reaching for the soup.
This repeated for lunch and dinner.
This night, I stayed awake for a long time thinking.
Of my life, from the beginning.
What was it all for?
+++
I woke up again. The woman came again. I ignored her as she checked my bandages. Then she left.
She returned moments later with a tray of even more solid food.
Then she left.
Neither of us talked. Just was well, I don't want to talk to her.
I then saw something on the tray while I chewed on some strange white dough like bread. It was a book, titled Samyutta Nikaya with a feather marking a specific page. Opening it, I found that it was written in English.
I focused in on what I had assumed to be the relevant page.
If one regards himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of the body that is impermanent, painful and subject to change, what else is it than not seeing reality? Or if one regards himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of feelings, perceptions, volitions or consciousness, what else is it than not seeing reality? If one does not regard himself superior or equal or inferior by reason of the body, the feelings, perceptions, volitions or consciousness what else is it than seeing reality?
The fuck? I placed the book on the table next to my bed. That was a bunch of nonsense I don't understand.
When she came back to check on me in the evening, I asked something I was embarrassed about.
"I need to use the bathroom."
She nodded and left. She returned with a old wheelchair and I groaned. I didn't want to see a wheelchair ever again in my life, much less used one. But needs must. I swallowed my pride and allowed her to help me to the bathroom- thankfully, it was disability friendly and I could help myself from there.
+++
"It's all bullshit." I told her as she came to check up on me the next day. I pointed at the book on the table next to me. "I read the first couple of chapters. Not at all applicable to my life. It doesn't help me one bit. It doesn't change the fact that the world has lost Eidolon. Who will fight at Endbringer battles now? Who, huh? Could the Buddha or Jesus or whatever come down here and take my place? Could this book magically save the world?"
She said nothing.
"I am not reading more of this crap." I threw the book on the ground with a thump. I hoped that made her angry. I hoped she started yelling at me, or even try and assault me.
She remained still, gazing at me with pity.
"Come, on! Don't be so unflappable! Say something! Show some emotion! What are you, a machine!?" I screamed at her and grabbed the tray of food to throw it on the ground.
She said nothing, only reaching for a towel on the table. She then leaned down to clean up the spilled food with a towel and then left.
+++
I couldn't sleep.
I looked outside at the moonless night. It was so dark. I wonder what was happening in the world? Something had invaded Australia? Something from Hero's portal then?
It embarrassed me slightly that I had only started to worry about that right now.
Dammit Eidolon, you can't be this unaware of what's going on.
I'll ask tomorrow about what's happening, I promised myself. Not that it made much of a difference? What could I do? I had no powers.
I glanced back to the floor- wait, was that a glow? The book I had thrown on the ground was glowing. I reached down to try and grab it, but it was too far away.Dammit. If only I had my powers, that would have been trivial. I leaned back down and considered why the book was glowing. Some tinkertech maybe? Or was I hallucinating? I looked back- the book wasn't glowing anymore.
That was strange.
+++
I found the same book in my breakfast tray the next morning. It was there before I woke up. I grumbled, did she come in the middle of the night to put that book in my tray?
She walked in and looked surprised to see me up.
"You're up early today."
"Couldn't sleep." I mumbled. I was surprised at how courteous I sounded. Actually, I didn't even feel angry today.
"That's because anger is an illusion." She said.
The fuck, was she reading my mind?
She wasn't done. "It derives its existence from causal chains that link together to create the anger responses. It has no substance, it has no independent matter that can justify it's own existence. Anger is only if you wanted to be angry. If you don't want to be angry, then you don't have to be. It's a choice."
I frowned. Okay, she got weirdly philosophical. "I am not into the Buddhist or whatever crap you're peddling. Just let me out of here, already. There are people who can help me better than you."
Like Panacea. She could at least let me walk again- I wasn't so sure on whether she could return my powers to me however, but she was my only hope.
The serving woman walked over to the window to stare outside. "When you woke up in the morning- just for a moment, you existed in bliss. Because you did not know who you were, where you were, or even when you were. You had no reasons to be angry, and so you couldn't be."
She turned back to me. "Is that not wonderful? Do you not feel liberated from the prison of your own tumultuous feelings?"
"My powers give me bliss."
She smiled. "And yet, the moment they were taken away, your bliss is gone. Bliss contingent on conditions are no true bliss, wouldn't you agree?"
She flicked one hand and the book flew into her hand. She moved a finger over it and smiled, "This book has true power- because it holds the secret to ending suffering. The suffering of the mind, which is the only real suffering there is."
I tensed at the casual display of superhuman ability. Of course, she was a parahuman. That only made sense, given that she was in Phir Sē's employ. A couple days ago, such a display of power would be dismissed by me- I wouldn't even notice it, much less find it threatening. Today, as I was right now, I am very much on edge, gripping my bedding tighter.
"I am no parahuman." And she smiled wider. "And now, neither are you. Isn't that thought liberating- that we aren't defined by what we are?"
"Are you mocking me?"
She laughed. "Your arrogance mocks you more than anyone else possibly could."
I bristled.
She continued. "I gave you time to cool your rage, to let you come to terms with the ending of one chapter of your life- the classical stages of grief; denial followed by anger. Shall we now move on to the bargaining stage?"
"Bargain? Ha. You can't return my powers to me." I said. Or could they? Was this part of some secret conspiracy to blackmail Eidolon- take away my powers, than give it back, but with strings attached?
Oddly enough, that reminded me of Cauldron.
"You don't need powers to fulfill your karmic potential for greatness, David. Or did you think a nobody cripple somehow lucked their way into becoming Eidolon? And yet, you squander what you have been blessed with."
What the fuck was she talking about?
"What do you mean?"
"I'll show you. You had a little too much ego for the past couple days. But now you're calm enough not accidentally attract demons and other external powers. It's such a delicate thing, your mind, floating alone in a sea of worlds."
What.
She reached out with her hand towards me and I flinched back.
"What are doing?" I said with hostility- was she trying to master me?
"To show you how much you don't understand."
She placed her palm on my face- her hand was burning hot to my skin- and then she pierced my forehead with her thumb.
My world expanded into a kaleidoscope of infinities.
__________________ References
-The Buddhist passage is from Saṃyutta Nikāya 22.49, one of the three core texts of the Pali Canon (Tipitaka).
-Cunae, David's surname is a latin word meaning "cradle". it derives from the Indo-European root word, kei-1 " bed, couch; beloved, dear." It has the same etymological root as the Vedic divine being/epithet, Shiva (God of Transformation/Destruction- "kind, auspicious, to cherish"). __________________
This might work, but there is one big difference between Strange and Eidolon:
For all his ego, Dr. Strange gained his abilities as a neurosurgeon one memorized textbook at a time. That's why he was so successful studying magic.
If Eidolon gains massive magical powers in a few months of half-assed work, it will kind of devalue the accomplishment.
It feels kind of weird the change of tone of the three last chapters from the first animeish ones. However isn't unwelcome. In fact, this is what I was expecting when I began to read this story, having read some of your previous fics.
Hoping to see more. This is shaping to be a really interesting thing.
Strange that Cauldron didn't try to get to him. It would only take a moment to find him and either close the potential security leak, or bring back to give him new powers. Can Contessa still not see him? Something to think about.
Strange that Cauldron didn't try to get to him. It would only take a moment to find him and either close the potential security leak, or bring back to give him new powers. Can Contessa still not see him? Something to think about.
I think that his gemma was already damaged and they had to remove both gemma and polentia. But well, this is a crossover so the author can change those things for the sake of the plot.
It feels kind of weird the change of tone of the three last chapters from the first animeish ones. However isn't unwelcome. In fact, this is what I was expecting when I began to read this story, having read some of your previous fics.
Hoping to see more. This is shaping to be a really interesting thing.
Because the THEME and DRAMATIC STRUCTURE necessitates it.
1) In the first Arc, we explored VAINGLORY, which is "inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity." This is Glory Girl's major character flaw and is the major character flaw of nearly all POV character chapters. Taylor, Brad, Colin, David- they are all defined by their ego, power and pride. Thus far, there hasn't been alot of consequences from this, but in this Arc, we need to give people CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
There is no choice but to kick them in the face because VAINGLORY is a sin. True Glory does NOT require vanity. To be real heroes, they must rise above their own ego.
2) We had a good start, and immediately went to a climax with nonstop glorious action. I cleaned up the chapters a bit to get a more accurate characterization. As I became more familiar with the characters, I realized it was necessary to explore the main theme of VAINGLORY and how it would relate to the plot. It's boring if we're climaxing all the time. So we had to have falling action and denouement and then we'll try and get to a climax again, with characters that are more real and that has grown over time.
An interesting turn of events, but I really hope this is about as far as it goes for including other Marvel/MCU properties. A lot of the time with any Marvel crossover fics that are more a fusion, the story eventually seemingly seeks to recreate the Marvel universe in their own little way, including creating the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-men, etc., just with different or analogue characters. I never liked that because it always seemed to take away the original focus of the story and make it bigger than it has to be. I hope this remains a mainly Thor focused crossover/fusion and that we don't see an Earth Bet Captain America, Iron Man, or Spiderman pop up as secondary main characters. Keep up the good work!
It's not TOO much of a stretch, but it still feels aberrant to what you've produced thus far. Why should the Earth Bet metaphysical cosmology have any similarities to MCU? It doesn't have a fraction of the superhuman history of MCU's earth.
There are only 2 things I feel I am really good at writing.
1) Worm (due to practice)
2) Myth-History and Religion (due to my own personal interests and vocations)
So why a Thor crossover? Because Thor is a God. I know how to do gods. I know how to do god-like-gods and even god-like-aliens (the two are different in Buddhism only in terms of relative power levels and scope of existences- even humans are deities of a sort).
Why is Doctor Strange involved? 1) Because of the plot I had already set up that cannot be easily deviated from. It necessitates the Sorcerer Supreme to be involved. Also to help anchor the more magical side of the setting.
2) Magic and Religion is related. Therefore, it is not possible for me to include Thor for it's religious themes and avoid Dr. Strange, when the two themes are one in my mind.
3) Because the Ancient One is Celtic. This is important.
Will Original Stuff be involved? Yes. But it will be slightly controversial in that it has only a brief nod to a Marvel element, but WORKS within the cosmology as I had set up right now.
Will other MCU stuff be involved? There will only ever be as much as needed to justify what I want to do with this story (barring any potential sequels or spinoffs). Which is about Vainglory, Heroics, and Mythology.
So no, not alot. I am not a huge Marvel fanboy, I went with MCU because I understood it better than Marvel. I am not an encyclopedic lawyer whose trying to impose the MCU on Earth Bet in unnatural and spurious ways.
Is the Earth Bet Cosmology different? Very different. But part of why it's different necessitates the Sorcerer Supreme's presence.
Let me give you a hint (this spoiler only hints at what's different, not the fine details or the why or how).
1. All of Midgard, every Earth, every iteration, shares One Asgard.
I had thought about that due to the close similarities in anger management (but nothing else- Danny is no Scientists). In an original plot. But in the current cosmology, this would not be possible, because having Annette be responsible for Captain America (yes, I had that) and the Hulk made NO sense and was far too convoluted. It was cut out of the original Annette I chapter and the planned Sophia I chapter (which would have introduced Steve Rogers as her stepdad).
BLOOPER CAPTAIN AMERICA
Steve Rogers got combat drugs modified from Annette who worked with Abraham Erskine to produce them in order to stop Hitler (but without Annette exposing her presence to Asgard). The drugs were temporary power ups and Steve was sent on suicide missions. It WAS NOT a super soldier serum, but the side effects extended his lifespan. He married Sophia's mom and Sophia's mom was happy she finally found a "Good man."
This entire Drug idea was recycled into Taylor's use of the Dark Elven combat drugs.
BLOOPER HULK
Danny is angry. He had an accident with Annette's leftover technology while worrying about Taylor's missing status.
I think that his gemma was already damaged and they had to remove both gemma and polentia. But well, this is a crossover so the author can change those things for the sake of the plot.
Ah, that makes sense. I thought about removing the Pollentia, but it didn't seem like it had any connection to his power, it's just his connection to his shard- which exists even before triggers happen.
I was under the impression supervillains weren't lobotomized because they were necessary against Scion.
The Ancient One may have had a hand in it. Phir Se claimed that Eidolon already had skull and brain damage when they found him, so perhaps his rampage was the result of his corona being damaged, and the Ancient One stepped in to help?
Well, I somehow manage to have 4 chapters floating around in NON-CHRONOLOGICAL order, they're usually "readable" but lacking in details. I'd say before I publish them, I double their wordcount and then shoot them out.
*writing in non-chronological order I feel, is key to my pace, it let's me work around issues to revisit later- as long it's not SUPER PLOT CRITICAL. For those, I keep track of in a document dedicated to outlining different routes to take for my story or what to write about in a given chapter. Through this, sometimes I see the need to split up a chapter, change things or slot it somewhere else.
