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abctranslator · 4 years ago

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Volcanic Age 37

About thirty wooden dolls were standing on both sides of the wall.

And all of them were motionless.

“Why are wooden dolls here?” One of the warriors spoke. Wooden dolls were familiar for the warriors. It was because they trained their martial arts with them when they were young. They swung their swords or their fists to grasp the location of the organs.

Besides that, they also took out wooden dolls that were accumulating dust in the storage when they needed an opponent but had no one.

“That is also a mechanism device.” Zhuge Seung Kye checked out the ceiling, floor and walls and then finally at the wooden dolls.

“What kind of mechanism?” Ju Seo Cheon asked.

“I don’t know either as I haven’t seen it before.” Zhuge Seung Kye shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s right. I’m sorry brother, I relied too much on you. I will reflect on that.” Ju Seo Cheon swung his sword and held it right.

“For now, it doesn’t seem like there is any other mechanism in here besides those wooden dolls...but it will be better to be careful.” Zhuge Seung Kye warned Ju Seo Cheon as he approached the wooden dolls.

“Alright, thank you.”

“Will captain Ju be fine alone?” Wang il asked.

“I’m fine, just protect Seung well in case something unexpected occurs.”

Part of the reason he brought Wang il with them was not only to carry their luggage but also to protect Zhuge Seung Kye.

Ju Seo Cheon slowly took a step forward while being cautious. The moment he entered a certain range, the wooden doll that was in front of him reacted like lightning and threw a punch.

“Hm.” Ju Seo Cheon jumped backwards quickly and dodged the fist.

“Huh?” He waited for the next attack but it didn’t happen. He advanced once again to see what was happening and then, the same attack came towards him.

This time, he raised his sword to block the punch.

Slash!

The wooden arm was cut down by the sword.

And Ju Seo Cheon retreated once again. The wooden doll returned to its original position with its arm cut off.

“So it was like that.”

He understood what kind of device this was. It seemed that the device was programmed to act in a certain way when you entered a determined range.

“Can you disarm it?” Ju Seo Cheon turned back to look at Zhuge Seung Kye.

“No. I can’t see any mechanism nearby.” Zhuge Seung Kye shook his head sideways.

“I will crush them all then!” Ju Seo Cheon charged forward.

“Haat!”

He first got rid of the wooden doll that got its arm cut off, by swinging his sword.

The doll was cut in half the moment he swung his sword vertically.

Ju Seo Cheon had his doubts on how the wooden doll hadn’t rotten until now but he didn’t think too deeply about it.

He just thought that it was thanks to the power of a mechanism device and danced among the wooden dolls.

Drrrrrk!

The wooden dolls moved along the sound of a device interlocking. Some moved their arms and legs at the same time and some others only kicked or punched with all their strength.

All of their reaction speed was like lightning so it would have been hard to even block their attacks for the average martial artist.

Most of all, the movements were restricted because the passageway was narrow.

“Hap!”

It was certainly impressive but that was all.

Ju Seo Cheon was safe inside the attacks of the wooden dolls even though his movements were restricted. He didn’t allow even one attack to land on him.

He didn’t stop at dodging or blocking. He counterattacked and destroyed the wooden dolls.

Ju Seo Cheon wasn’t facing the wooden dolls just with his swordsmanship. Sometimes, he counterattacked with the Plum Blossom Fist Arts when needed and crushed the dolls.

‘Hm, I'm glad I increased my boundary before coming here.’

His physical abilities and reflexes had increased a few times. That was thanks to having completed the Universal Plum Blossom Breathing Method and increased his boundary.

He had revealed his power about a month ago in the battle against the pirates. There was no need to hide his identity now.

That’s why he trained on the Universal Plum Blossom Breathing Method that he had halted on purpose and reached the peak boundary the instant he completed it.

His sword techniques didn’t change because they were already at grandmaster level but instead, his physical abilities and the total amount of internal energy increased.

The total of internal energy he had now was sixty years worth.

Ju Seo Cheon counterattacked against the attacks of the wooden dolls with no problem.

“Ho…” The warriors that saw that scene got amazed.

“It’s just like brother Wang said.” “He really is an expert.”

Humans were creatures with lots of doubts. They would doubt you until the end if they didn’t confirm it with their own eyes. Even if Wang il had said so himself, they were still half in doubts.

“Didn’t I tell you so?” Wang il also got impressed and followed Ju Seo Cheon’s movements with his eyes.

It was to gain even a little bit from that.

“Are they the so called geniuses…” Cho Ryeon looked at Ju Seo Cheon and Zhuge Seung Kye alternatingly.

“I don’t wanna live anymore.” “I agree.” Zhuge Seung Kye was another matter, however they felt a sense of deprivation when they saw Ju Seo Cheon.

Some of them were at their middle ages but weren’t able to get close to the peak boundary but someone that had just become a youth was already a peak expert.

They knew that life was unfair but it was that much painful when they experienced it for themselves.

“Would they know how beings like us feel?” “Will they?”

The warriors shared a conversation with a teary voice.

“I know it fully well.” Ju Seo Cheon answered their words. He took care of the last wooden doll that remained. All of the wooden dolls that were standing still and looking at each other had become a mess.

“Did you take care of them all?” Zhuge Seung Kye asked. It seemed like he was holding back something.

“Yeah. Why?” “Then, can I go and inspect those?” Zhuge Seung Kye’s eyes shone with excitement.

“Do it in moderation.” Ju Seo Cheon nodded.

Zhuge Seung Kye started to check the destroyed wooden dolls as soon as he got the permission to do so. He became really bright when it came to things related to machinery.

“It looks like wood but why didn’t it rot… hoh, it was able to move because of this being connected…” Zhuge Seung Kye was mumbling something while observing the wooden doll.

Joo Seo Cheon waited for about ten minutes.

There weren’t many places that you could see a mechanism device in the current Murim and it was an uncommon opportunity for Zhuge Seung Kye. That’s why he favored him, because he knew that.

On top of that, there was nothing wrong with Zhuge Seung Kye obtaining knowledge after inspecting the wooden doll as that knowledge would return as a great help for him.

“Let’s start going.” “Slurp.”

Zhuge Seung Kye smacked his lips in regret.

They started to walk in the passageway again after getting rid of the wooden dolls and were able to see the end of the passageway after about half an hour.

The time they relied on their torches also ended.

Bright light entered from the end of the passageway.

However, they could not relax yet. They had encountered lots of traps in that short time.

It was impossible to count how many mechanism devices were installed and everyone doubted everything they saw.

“Ho.” A room that they couldn’t even think about welcomed the group as soon as they came out of the passageway.

“Wh, what is this….!” “Heeok!”

All of them were shocked. The thing in front of their eyes was a mountain of silver coins that they hadn’t been able to see until now. There was no other expression for this.

The silver coins piled up on the walls and formed a mountain range of coins. They couldn’t grasp how much it would be if they converted it in money.

“Are there only silver coins?” However, Ju Seo Cheon wasn't surprised by that. He checked his surroundings with a flat face and checked if there were no other treasures.

“Hey! Don’t touch that!”

Zhuge Seung Kye yelled in the middle of his inspection. When they turned their heads they saw Cho Ryeong trying to grab a silver coin.

Cho Ryeong scratched the back of her head when her eyes met Ju Seo Cheon’s as if she was embarrassed and then apologized.

“Ahem! Sorry for having touched it thoughtlessly. However, all of this will go to the head merchant, can’t you close your eyes just this once?” “It doesn’t matter to me but it will be better if you didn’t touch it. Think about who was the one that stopped you from doing so.” “Ah!” Only then did Cho Ryeon remember how Zhuge Seung Kye had been helping them.

“Don’t tell me..?” Wang il frowned and checked the silver coins.

“Yes. There’s a mechanism installed in it, just like I guessed. There are some that don’t, shall I teach you which are?”

The eyes of the warriors shone in greed at Zhuge Seung Kye’s last question, however they were all aware of Ju Seo Cheon.

“There are other things to prioritize so it’s impossible if it’s not a handful of it. Also, you may activate a trap if you drop coins while moving so if you really want to, take some when we return.” Ju Seo Cheon spoke as if he had already expected that.

“Are you speaking about that, captain?” Wang il pointed at a wooden chest that was buried under the mountain of coins.

Ju Seo Cheon looked at Zhuge Seung Kye and Zhuge Seng Kye nodded telling him that it was fine.

He rummaged the mountain of silver coins and then opened the wooden chest and checked its contents.

“Ho.” A pungent smell pinched his nose as soon as he opened the chest.

There were pills inside, and no doubt about it, they seemed to be miraculous drugs.

“Well done.” Ju Seo Cheon complimented Wang il and handed him the wooden chest.

Wang il looked at the wooden chest as if he was envious but he closed his eyes and stored the chest.

“It will be better to not get greedy. I will give you suitable compensation when we return safely. I’m saying this beforehand but it will be good if you don’t think that you can evade my eyes.”

Ju Seo Cheon warned them in a low tone on purpose. It was to prevent something before it happened.

‘This is only the beginning.’

The silver coins were only the appetizers and they had just passed through the first gateway. His chest beat wildly at the rewards that would appear from now on.

The group headed towards the next gateway.

At Mount Hua.

��Hat!”

Nak Seo Wol swung her sword with all her strength while yelling.

“Kid.” Shim Ok Ryeon’s brows raised ferociously.

“Yes, master.”

Nak Seo Wol lowered her sword and answered the call.

“What do you think I am going to say?” Shim Ok Ryeon looked down at Nak Seo Wol with strict eyes.

“....I’m sorry.” Nak Seo Wol apologized for her mistake while being aware of Shim Ok Ryeon.

“...Haa.” Shim Ok Ryeon pressed her forehead and let out a low sigh.

“It’s not that your skills dropped, but they aren’t getting better either. Is it because of that half-wit?”

She was referring to Ju Seo Cheon when she said half-wit. It was a nickname that suited to his other nickname of the flashy yet frail one.

“He’s not a half-wit anymore…”

Nak Seo Wol mumbled in a depressed way. It was something that couldn’t be imagined at all from the usual her. To speak back against her master, the Iron Plum Sword. This had never happened before.

Nak Seo Wol seemed to be surprised herself that she hurriedly covered her mouth.

“I’m, I’m sorr…” “No, it’s fine. You are right.” Shim Ok Ryeon showed an unexpected reaction compared to what she was thinking.

“He had been hiding his skills. He’s an amazing kid.” The reason Shim Ok Ryeon didn’t see Ju Seo Cheon in a good light was because she thought that he had been lucky but besides that, he had no skills at all.

But that wasn’t the case anymore. Her perception of him changed into Ju Seo Cheon having great skills and was also excellent in sword techniques.

“But that’s all. He is already dead.”

Shim Ok Ryeon spoke coldly. She wasn’t called the Iron Plum Sword for nothing.

“Listen well, kid. When you go out to Kang Ho in the future, you will experience the death of the people surrounding you until you get tired of it. You just experienced it a bit faster. So stop crying and concentrate on training.” Death.

It was the death of a fellow brother of hers that she had goodwill to. That truth made Nak Seo Wol’s heart heavy.

By the time she got a hold of herself, tears were already dropping from her eyes.

“I’m not so cold as to not give you time to feel sad, but you can’t keep crying forever. Forget him now. Ju Seo Cheon is dead.” …….He was alive and kicking.

#volcanic age #volcanic age novel

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imagine-that-one-thing · 7 years ago

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Styles Towers. || 8.

Author’s Note: Hey, hey!! Here is part 8. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have writing it. Let me know what you think and message me. :) xx

Warning: Rated M for Mature audiences.

Don’t forget the other links: The first book Can also be found on WattPad, HERE. The first book found HERE

You can find my blurb Master list HERE

|| Don’t stop to smell the Roses. ||

|| Elise. ||

The warmth around my body leaves from being enveloped around me for most the night and I feel the comforter moving slightly from under my grasp.

My eyes open and blink a few times, gradually adjusting to being awake. I watch Harry’s silhouette gingerly make it’s way around the bed, his figure settling in front of the wardrobe, his hand wrapping around the handle before discreetly drawing the doors open, being vigilant to pull them in a certain way so they don’t creak and wake me.

He’s considerate like that, perpetually doing his best to be as placid as possible in the ungodly hours of the morning.

I watch his hands intertwine with the fabric of his t-shirt before he hauls it over his head and tosses it into the hamper for dirty clothes in the corner of the room. It’s arduous not to admire him without a shirt on. It’s as fascinating as it is sexy to see the shape of his muscles and the way they stretch and contract as he moves.

He lets out a heavy groan as he draws his shirt up his arms and brings the fabric to his front. His fingers work gradually to button the buttons from the bottom, moderately hiding the beautiful body and the few tattoos painted on his arms. He turns back towards the wardrobe and steps in and I lose him in the closet. I lie quietly, soaking up the warmth of the covers, continuing to admire my view—Nice ass—.

He turns back toward the bed to see how I’m doing and that’s when he realizes I’m awake and he completely freezes.

“how long have you been awake?” Harry sounds as though he doesn’t even recognize his own voice.

“A couple minutes,” I speak softly, my voice a little raspy from being quiet overnight night. I can tell he can see it in my eyes that I have been awake long enough to watch him get dressed. The look in his eyes tells me he wants to be mad at me.

He watches me shift back the covers before thoroughly sliding out of bed. I let out a small shiver as my feet hit the raw floorboards before I make my way towards him.

“You’re still handsome to me, you know?” I answer softly, my hands coming to rest on his waist.

Since he has been home, I have noticed how he doesn’t roam the house in the same way he did. At night, he usually just wears a pair of sweatpants and leaves his torso exposed— he hates sleeping with shirts on— even in winter he tends to stay shirtless. But since his accident, he has hidden his body like he’s ashamed of it— self-conscious you could say. I have come to notice how he tends to get dressed when I’m not looking or busy in another room.

“scars and all. I don’t like how they got there, but I find them kinda sexy if I’m honest.” I grin cheekily.

He doesn’t really smile back, I can see he wants to do, but he just won’t allow himself to.

“You don’t have to sugar coat it. I know my body doesn’t look the same as it did before.” His voice is faint and saddening, his eyes leaving their gaze with mine for a brief moment.

“To a small extent, I know how hard this is for you. I’ve struggled with my own appearance and how I look and you were always there to remind me how beautiful I am. That we’re all beautiful in our own way. I’m not sugarcoating anything as some half-assed attempt to make you feel better. And I’m not saying it because I’m your wife. I’m saying it because it’s true. But more than anything, I’m just pleased that you’re still alive and you came back to me. Your scars don’t have to be a negative thing. They are a symbol of the battle you fought and won.” I express my words in a way that I hope comforts him.

I know his body doesn’t resemble the same as it used to. I know it is laced with a few scars, but I’d rather have those marks than to not have him at all. The scars merely are just a representation of the fact he fought a battle that wasn’t easy and despite it all, he won. They’re his story.

Harry shrugs and takes a step away from me, “You are beautiful.” He reminds me with a small smile. “My body changed and I don’t like it, at least, not right now.”

“You know, my body is going to change and probably won’t be the same again…” I trail off, suddenly becoming aware that maybe his distaste for his body will become a dislike he has for my own.

He shakes his head, his lips pursing into a fine line as he steps back towards me and caressing his hands to rest on my hips. He tenderly lures me closer to him. “You’ll always be beautiful to me, nothing can change that.”

“Then why can’t you understand that about yours? Hmm. You don’t need to hide from me.”

He swallows hard and his lip catches between his teeth as silence coats the room for a moment. I cock my head slightly to the side, my eyes glued to his while his mind plausibly races with various different thoughts.

He’s fighting a battle with himself, one that he will never win.

Harry clears his throat before kissing my lips, “good morning,” he mumbles against them, changing the subject in an attempt to wiggle his way out of my point.

“Good morning,”

“You should get back in bed, it’s only five-fifteen,” he gestures towards the bed that is, indeed, calling my name despite being bare and cold by now. “I can see in the way your lips are curling you want to fight me on this,” Harry points out before brushing his lips again against mine, “please don’t,” he whispers, putting a little distance between us.

“I’ll go back to bed if you stop being hard on yourself, really, you’re perfect to me.”

“I’ll do my best,” he nods, gently guiding me back to the bed protectively.

He tugs the covers over my body and I concede my fingers to curl around the edges of them, drawing them tighter around me. “Blanket hog,” he chuckles jokingly, delighted by the way I manage to force the comforter tightly around me.

“It’s bloody cold in here because you refuse to turn the heat on until it hits winter,”

“Mhm, until it hits single digits outside, there’s no need,” Harry defends his reasons for not wanting the heat on.

The truth is, he’s warm bodied and can’t sleep if the room is too warm, having my body pressed to his side also doesn’t help, so I understand his logic. But, I also know that the second he walks out of the bedroom he’s going to turn the heat on for me. It’s something he always does, if he notices I’m wrapped up in the comforter tighter than usual. “Do you need anything before I head to work?” Harry offers sweetly, reminding me of the reason why I forced myself out of bed in the first place— a cold drink.

“Water with ice.” I give him a small smile and he nods, not thinking twice before leaving me alone in the bedroom.

I listen warily for his heavy footsteps, making it my mission to listen for when he reaches the stairs before counting each step to make sure he safely executed his way down them. I still worry about him, I really can’t help it.

Harry steps back into the room with my ice cold drink. “Elle, isn’t this bad for you?” He summons, handing me the drink, the coldness instantly touching the tips of my fingers and sending a cold chill down my spine.

I ignore his comment and take a sip, delighted to feel the cold rush of the water rush down my throat, I find it to be a rather soothing feeling. “Can I talk to you about something quickly while you’re awake?” Harry challenges as I indulge in another sip of the water that I am mentally glorifying right now. I never knew how satisfying iced water could possibly be to me.

I give Harry a nod as he begins to wander around the room, his hands reaching for one of his ties he set out for his day. “Well, Logan needs help, money type of help. I know things have been a roller coaster the last few days with everything and at one point I thought all our assets would freeze, but things are looking up…” Harry begins and trails off, not really asking me any sort of question, but instead stumbling around with his words.

“Harry, what’s the question?”

“I guess… should we help him?” Harry suggests as his hands wrestle with his tie, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he awaits my answer.

I don’t really think he is asking for my permission but more for my guidance. I think he is a little bit confused and lost in that mind of his.

I place my glass on the nightstand before proceeding to speak. “Harry, I don’t know what our finances look like right now and I don’t want to know because I don’t need to stress out… but, if you think we can spare the money, I think you should consider helping him. He is your brother— and before you jump down my throat, whether you like it or not, you two are related. Think of it as you giving him a chance to redeem himself from past mistakes. Worst comes to worst, you’re being a good person by helping someone else. Just think about it for a little.” I inform Harry on my thoughts of what he should do.

At the end of the day, this is his decision, not mine. I can only stand by him and support whatever he decides.

Harry gives me a shrug before he strides closer to the bed and wanders closer to me, “I have to go, I’ll see you at lunchtime. Jus’ a half day.” He informs me, leaning down and kissing my lips before I can say a word.

As selfish as this sounds, I kind of wish he wasn’t given some leeway with his business. A week of just me and him wasn’t enough for my liking. I’m self-centred and want him all to myself. But, at least now he’s allowed a little control of his company and isn’t exiled into the dark shadows as much. I just hope he knows how to mend the mess that the company is in. I still don’t know how he managed to sort a few things out or even how he got in the mess, to begin with.

*** ***

I stand by the French doors that overlook the garden with a cup of tea in my hand. My eyes become delighted with the morning landscape, the dew and fog still patchy across the grass and hazy at the base of the trees in the distance. With constantly working, I haven’t had the time to appreciate the small things life has to offer, like the way nature presents itself at different times of the year.

My attention is diverted as the ringing of the doorbell echoes the house. I place my tea down on the coffee counter as I bypass it and pad my way down the hallway and to the front door. I draw my cardigan around my front as I open the door, the morning air swirling around me immediately. I’m greeted by a delivery man holding roses and a small box, “Elise?” He questions and I nod, carefully taking them from him and politely saying goodbye.

I carry the roses and box to the kitchen, placing them down before grasping my tea.

My eyes take in the stunning, rich colours of red and black. That’s when it occurs to me. This arrangement is particularly different to the arrangements Harry ordinarily sends me.

He has never sent me red roses mixed with black.

On special occasion, such as anniversaries, he sends me red roses that are sometimes accompanied by white roses - both symbolizing love and honour. On my birthday, he sends me something diverse every year, alternating the shades so it’s always a surprise. Last year, he sent the most beautiful custom rose bouquet I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

When he wants to apologize - pity flowers - he tends to send them in a soft pastel pink with a card that has a handwritten apology scribbled on it. It’s the black that throws me for a loop. Maybe this is a new thing.

I open the small box that the flowers came with, delighted to observe a box of chocolates before me. Perfect.

I smile to myself as I take a bite and admire the fact that he’s so sweet, sending me flowers for no real reason.

“Hey, thanks for the flowers and chocolate!”

“Elle, what flowers?CEO. Styles.& Co -Harry.”

Before I can respond my phone begins to ring with his name popping up on the screen. I slide across and answer his call.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Elise, what flowers are you talking about?” Harry asks softly, the sound of his fingers typing at his computer echoing through the phone.

“The ones in front of me,” I inform him.

“Sweetheart, I wish I could take the credit, but I haven’t sent you roses.. hold on… Anastasia did you send flowers to Elise?…” I hear Harry call to his assistant as shuffling becomes evident through the phone, “Yeah, Elise those aren’t from me.” Harry informs me, my brows instantly furrowing as I stare at the roses from an unknown individual, chocolate coated at my lips. “Sweetheart, is there a card? Maybe they got delivered to the wrong address?” Harry questions and I take another look, my hand moving the roses tenderly in search for a card.

“No. And the delivery guy said they were for me,” I inform Harry, the bustle of his office coming through in the background of his phone call.

I hear him sigh heavily, a slamming of a drawer instantly taking me by surprise, “I’ll call you back. Just—, just leave the flowers until I get home.”

“Oh, okay… I’ll talk to you later,” I conclude the phone call, not bothering to question Harry. There’s no doubt in my mind he is in business mode and doesn’t need to be on the phone to me while in his office.

*** ***

I hear my name echoing through the walls of the house, Harry’s voice sounding as though it’s being amplified louder than it needs to be.

I gingerly sit up on the couch and stand to my feet, my hands tugging my cardigan around my front as I hear the soft mumbles of two voices and force myself down the hallway, stunned when I observe Harry holding the door for Logan, “So damn slow. I have a fucked boy and still, I am faster than you,” Harry mutters as Logan appears to accompany Harry in tow.

“You parked closer to the door,” Logan defends his slowness, gesturing towards the distance between the two cars and the front door.

Harry rolls his eyes and shifts the door shut, “Excuses, excuses.” Harry grumbles as Logan steps closer and gives me a small smile before granting me a fragile hug. At first, I’m surprised but I shrug it off and hug him back.

When Logan steps away, my eyes flicker towards Harry. He’s standing with his back against the door, his arms crossed over his chest with a raised brow. He doesn’t look too amused. Oops.

He clears his throat and shakes his head before stepping away from the door and shuffling closer to me, “Hey,” he simply greets, caressing an expeditious peck to my lips as a simple acknowledgement. I assume he isn’t pleased with my welcoming of Logan.

“Hey.” I murmur, stepping away from Harry and gazing at the two of them. They both resemble like they’re on some sort of mission— they have this glimpse dangled in their eyes— and it isn’t the brotherly resemblance either.

Harry steps forward and takes a lead down the hallway and Logan and I follow in his footsteps. I notice as Logan looks around, taking in the surroundings of the house like it’s a foreign place, then I realise. He has never been inside the house, at least not this far in.

I don’t think he has made it past the front door before.

“Nice house, those are admirable pictures.” Logan compliments the photos on the wall of Harry and me.

Everywhere you turn in our house there are photos of our relationship, I have no issue showing us off. Harry, on the other hand, his office says it all. There’s one photo frame of the two of us from our engagement on his desk, and a small collage print on his shelves. He’s not into public showings of the relationship through photos. I haven’t quite figured out why. But, he let me have my way with decorating the house to make it home-y.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Logan.” Harry chimes and I instantly glare towards Harry. He rolls his eyes and clears his throat, “but thank you. Elise does look gorgeous in all photographs.” Harry recovers his he-ass comment.

“She does, too bad she has a nitwit beside her,” Logan throws a cheap shot towards Harry and I roll my eyes. Harry shrugs and ignores his comment.

“Why are you even here?”

“Because you wanted me to help you figure out who sent flowers to Elise.”

“Ah, yes,” Harry nods, “put yourself to good use.” Harry gestures for Logan to shuffle closer to the petals on the kitchen counter and Logan does exactly that.

I watch as the two of them hover over the arrangements as if they’re detectives endeavoring to obtain the world’s deadliest mystery of the roses. They’re being a little over the top, but I don’t dare tell either of them that.

I sit up on a stool and watch the two of them share glances towards each other before Logan presses his hands to the bottom of the base and turns the roses around.

“Logan,” Harry instantly scolds,

“Christ, not like it’s going to bite me,” Logan mutters,

“Wish it fucking would.”

“Elle… Elle,” Harry’s voice distracts me from my bewildered gaze and I lift my head off the palm of my head and glance towards him. “Hey, are you okay? Been trying to get your attention,” Harry informs me as I stroke small circles on my stomach with the palm of my hand.

“Sorry, I think morning sickness is kicking in… what do you need?” I question, staring at the two idiots that are still prancing around the roses.

“What time did they arrive?” Harry questions and I shrug.

I don’t know, I wasn’t paying much attention to the time, I was busy admiring the roses I thought my husband sent me.

He transfers closer to me and stands behind me before laying an arm around me and caressing his hand to my stomach, moving mine away and soothingly massaging small circles while Logan throws out some theories, Harry disagreeing with all of them.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit ridiculous that you’re spending time on this? They’re just flowers.” I bring into question, Logan immediately flicking his eyes towards me with the same dark and powerful stare as Harry.

If anything streams in the bloodline between them, it is definitely that dark relentless stare that pierces the soul and makes one question their existence.

“No.” He dismisses my comment rather promptly.

“Oi–“ Harry’s voice travels swiftly from his lips.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound harsh,” Logan instantly corrects his tone of voice, apologizing for his dismissal. “Black roses aren’t something normal people send unless for decoration or Halloween.”

“Well, I gathered that.” Harry sighs.

“A black rose was used by the Sicilian mafia as a message. It’s like the kiss of death.” Logan informs us, only causing me to roll my eyes. They are taking this far too seriously.

“This isn’t some kind of mafia movie, they’re flowers,” I mutter softly with a heavy huff.

If only the two of them would pour this much effort into working on their relationship. “You two should put this energy into sorting out the mess between the two of you,” I speak my mind as Logan flicks his eyes back towards me.

Harry scoffs from behind me and I open my mouth to speak, “seriously, maybe the two of you wouldn’t be fucking annoying.”

In this moment, the two of them are on my nerves and acting ludicrous, in my opinion.

“I see your tendencies have rubbed off on her,” Logan muses with a chuckle but he stops the second I narrow my eyes onto him. “Harry, is she going to kill me?” Logan murmurs, not amused by my unrelenting stare.

“She’d be doing us a favour,” Harry grunts, his words whether joking or not, striking my nerves.

“If I hear one more snarky comment from the two of you, I’ll bury you in the back garden,” I press my hands to the edge of the counter, making sure the tone of my voice conveys my message. They both grow withdrawn and I slide off the stool with a slight wince and intake of air.

“Elise, are you okay?” Logan’s voice is laced with concern and I give him a nod, ready to stride away, but I’m stopped by Harry.

He benevolently lures me back towards him and forces me to face him, his eyes burning into me as if they’re ready to brand me. I go to give him a small smile but it turns to a grimace and a heavy breath again as the same, uncomfortable writhing pain laces my stomach and travels through me.

I can see in his eyes he’s ready to jump at me with many questions. He’s waiting to be my saving grace and be at my beckon call.

I lean up and kiss his cheek before he can say a word before I begin to speak, “I’m going upstairs. Morning-Midday-sickness really isn’t my thing.”

“That was a grimace of pain,” Harry instantly states,

“Try not to kill each other.” I gesture between the two of them as I step away from Harry.

“Elle, I’ll take you up–“ he begins to offer to escort me upstairs but I shake my head and cut him off.

“No,” I bluntly respond.

He doesn’t need to always be my knight in shining armour. I’m capable of making my way to the stairs and up to the bedroom without falling and shattering to pieces like a porcelain doll. I know he’s just trying to be a caring husband, but ever since I announced the news, he has been breathing down my neck and ready to be at my beckon call. I know it’s just his protective and loving side kicking in. But I have been independent for a long time, even during the relationship and marriage. I can look after myself.

It’s when I’m halfway down the hallway that the sudden realization that my body doesn’t want to go any further catches me. But, against its own plea and will, I force it closer to the stairs, doing my best to think about how good it’ll feel to get to the soft bed waiting for me. My legs feel heavier and the steps my feet take exhibit like they’re taking an excessive about of energy from me. I rub my eyes for a moment to focus, the blur not settling and fading as I stumble slightly before catching my balance.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment. I know, in this moment, that I don’t need to be stubborn and that having Harry’s warm help may be beneficial. “hey, Harry?” My voice croaks and my lips feel dry as I feel a bit breathless. The air exhibits as though it’s gradually becoming dry and nonexistent, it endeavours as though it’s a sense of drowning. My lungs desperately want to taste the fresh air, but the air doesn’t want to be grasped in the depths.

When I don’t hear a reply or the echo of Harry’s shoes bouncing off of the flooring, I take it upon myself to continue my journey. My shaky hand manages to catch the bannister as I double over with a little pain, the walls of the house abruptly circling around me and closing in on me.

This can’t be happening.

The lighting seems brighter and hurts my eyes as the coldness in my body leaves and I become overwhelmed with severe warmth, my thin cardigan becoming heavily coated as it rests on my shoulders. Nausea settles in the pit of my stomach as the twisting pain continues to creep up on me, dizziness casting itself upon me rather strongly as I attempt to take another deep breath.

My fingers curl and I try to steady myself, desperately needing to settle myself down and sit. But I can’t find it in me to muster up the energy to move. “Harry, Logan.” I attempt to travel my voice to reach them in the kitchen, struggling to keep my eyes open and my breaths steady.

I’m surrounded by air but I can’t breathe. How ironic.

I hear the screeching of the bar stool legs creaking against the flooring, everything moving at a fast pace no matter how I hard I attempt to stop it.

“Elise?” It’s Logan’s voice that softly grasps my attention as I grapple to focus on his moving figure that is striding towards me.

“Something’s not right.” My voice is weak as it leaves my lips, my body simultaneously feeling both hot and cold at the same time with constant nausea.

I feel myself sway and my hand leave it’s grasped position on the bannister, “Harry!” Logan’s voice rings through my ears as dizziness sets in harsher than I’ve ever experienced.

Everything becomes a blurred image circling me before everything turns to black.

(Tell me what you think, HERE.). Xx

#Harry styles imagines #harry styles prompt #harry styles prompts #imagine harry styles #harry styles blurbs #harry styles blurb #harry styles fluff #harry styles preference #harry styles preferences #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles writing

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harrish6 · 7 years ago

Text

Falling Into A Different Destiny -Looking Into A Flawed Mirror - Part 1

https://youtu.be/TwfBFyYrR64

I do not own Undertale or any of the characters - besides my OCs, Null and Void - unless stated otherwise, they belong to their respectful owners.

Ship: Error/Error, Error x Error, Erratum X Error - AKA, yes I am doing this. I am taking that dive into those kinds of waters ladies, gentlemen and those of unspecified gender. Don't like, then don't read. It is not that hard. But they are counterparts like other Sanses, Error is from another Multiverse - both of them are, so I don't really see the issue with it to be honest with pairing them together. A lot of one-sided relationships to Erratum and Error, meaning others have feelings for them but Erratum and Error do not return these affections the same way.

I do not own this song or video, it belongs to it's respectful owners. I really thought that this song fitted in a weird way with the two Error's in this. I just imagine Error in all of this. Like instead of Papyrus, I think of the new Error with my Error and some moments with my Error with the new Error. It's like a mix of them both. And at the end, it's my Error along with Null and Void that holds the new Error instead of Frisk holding onto Papyrus. Instead of Chara and Sans, I see Ink/Inky - both of them really - and Nightmare. Showing both the different sides that want Error for something. That or Destiny and Fate.

World: Error and the Kids land in a Multiverse where it is the same as Error's with only a few slight differences. This new Error didn't leave or try to kill himself - not that others haven't tried to kill him off that is in his place, he just stopped killing of AU's and waited to rot instead of killing himself off. And while Fate plays a part, they do not have as much power in this Multiverse as they did in Old Error's.

Sometimes it is better to heal with the only one who can understand your pain. When you help another get better, that forces you to get better if only for that other person. So Error - Erratum now - takes the new Error into his arms and swears he will protect him no matter what. He would willingly become the Destroyer once more if it meant that this smaller Error was safe and happy. Erratum knew he - himself - was long gone, that there was no real hope for himself anymore. To heal, to be better, to truly live, to be something more then a destroyer are things just out of his reach but it seems it works out in the end now. The Error in his arms could have it better then he ever had it, and he would destroy as many Universes as it took for the little Error in his arms to be free.

Erratum protects what is his, he would kill whoever and destroy as many things as needed to prove that, even let the world go to hell for what is his, and Error is more then just his when you think about it. So Error is under Erratum's protection wither he likes it or not, Erratum will kill for Error as to give him a better life then he ever had.

Good thing too, because not too long after that the new Multiverse's Ink comes blazing in, demanding how Error killed off those AU's that just crumbled together. Only to get a shock of a lifetime when he sees that another yet much more broken skeleton, that looked like a taller more mature Error, is there holding Error and two little baby bones protectively.

It may take a while, but maybe one day this Multiverse will understand where Erratum's did not.

-Start Chapter-

Error awoke before he fell into the new Multiverse that Destiny was leading him to. It shocked Destiny, but allowed it to happen, for the new Multiverse was not too far below him. They did not question him looking around, many would do the same after all if they had the chance.

When Error came too, free falling at a moderate pace, he heard a voice similar to his. Whoever was the other one was crying, was begging for the pain to stop, for everything to just end. He didn't like it. The voice was slightly higher pitched then his, static flowing behind it as it glitched out. It ringed in his skull, echoing. Error didn't like that the other was crying. He never wanted another to go through what he did, not even a small portion of it.

"I-I d0n't w-w-w-ant this a-any-ym0re!"

'Where are you?!' Error glanced every which way, trying to find the source of the voice. Holes of many sizes showing different places and people.

"-r0-0-0t!.....Ple-ease...."

'No! Don't cry!' His SOUL screamed, mind racing, when he finally saw where the voice was leading too. Not too far down was a portal filled to the brim with white. He could hear the voice cry from there!

"I-I jus-st w-wan-nt....it al-ll t0 st0p! I'M-M S0-0-0R-RRY!"

'Don't worry! I'm on my way.' Something not unlike DETERMINATION flared throughout his SOUL. JUSTICE can be a powerful motivator, can make many move to do right when others can and will not. Something was pulling him to the voice. It screamed at him to get there, and he would listen to it for once in his life. He would make his own choice now. He clutch the sleeping children tighter to himself. 'I will not let you fall like me. I swear it!'

What Destiny did not expect was for Error to grab tightly a hold of his children, and dive for a different Multiverse then the one they had picked out. They could only gasp when he somehow moved himself and the children in his hold to a different Multiverse, one too much like his own. But Destiny could not stop him. Error was making his own choice, making his own destiny.

And as they watched him go into the new Multiverse where one so much like him was crying out for help, looking so grim and determined to get to the other, they wondered if that was what he really needed. Destiny gave a small smile. This, while not be the Multiverse they were planning, could work. Sometimes healing the hurt was a long road as it dragged on. Sometimes it was quick and harsh, other times it was soft and warm. But this was a different kind.

Sometimes you can only heal with another that understands you like no other. Sometimes to heal, you have to heal another. Because you want to get better for them, if only for their sake and not your own.

But this Multiverse will make healing so much more difficult for Error. This Multiverse is so much like his own after all. The only difference is that Fate had less of a foothold, but still played a big part in making it like Error's even if Fate could no longer touch this Multiverse. Balance still hangs by a thread, there is still a creator and destroyer. There is still a Forced Destroyer.

Destiny could now only watch, nudge, and pray that everything will be alright. That Error chose a better destiny then they could have for him. But that was the whole point in destiny, choosing your own way with no higher power forcing their way onto them.

Destiny prayed that this kills two birds with one stone, that Error could help out the one even she can never reach for he refused to take his destiny in his own hands like Error did.

-New Multiverse, Anti-VOID-

When Error landed feet first into a very familiar place, he cursed in his head. The Anti-VOID could drive anyone insane. The endless white messes with the mind, the Voices yelling driving one to want to die. He had hoped that Null and Void would never have to come into this place. But a risk is needed for now. He had to know what the hell was going on and who was crying for help. After that Error can find a place for him and the kids to stay until he finds out what to do. Sniffing caught his attention.

Tucking the wakening children closer to his chest just in case, Error turned around only to still at just who he was seeing in the distance. It wasn't that hard with nothing but white surrounding them, he, like Error, stuck out in the white like a sore thumb. Just like Error.

Both babybones were awake, Error having no idea how much time passed as he stood there staring at the lump in the distance. Before the children could say anything, Error silently shook his head, shushing them. Surprising the other could make things worse in the long run after all. And if the other is anything like him in the surprise department, then it could get dusty real quick and in hurry.

Slowly and silently, he walked to the whimpering curled up Monster. Never taking his eyes off the other, feeling like he was having a out of body experience at seeing how different yet the same Monster in front of him. The other never paid him any mind, most likely lost in his own mind. Because soon Error was standing just by the smaller glitching skeleton.

Gently putting down Null and Void behind him, the taller glitch knelt down next to the crying lump. Having no idea what to do really - But when has Error ever had any idea on what to do though? Seriously, most of his life was based on 'when in doubt, wing it'. And if anyone hasn't noticed, he is always winging it for that very reason. - he cleared his throat.

A head shot up, and in that moment, Error was looking into a flawed mirror.

Although with different proportions and with way less scars and marks, it wasn't too hard to see that they shared a very similar face. The smaller had bigger eyes and sockets, less scars and marks, tear marks were also smaller yet seemed more potent in color, and the smaller one was also wearing the old clothes that the taller used to.

Both were dark in color with the colors of red, blue, and yellow mixing. Both were glitching, both were skeleton Monsters, and both felt almost the same.

Both have the feel of Destruction.

'Well....shit.' Error took in his smaller counterparts from this Multiverse - because he just woke up in the VOID, something he didn't think was possible by the way, and dove into a portal, landing in a Anti-VOID that looks the same yet different with another Error crying in it. If this isn't another Multiverse then his mind has finally been broken in ways unimaginable to be seeing what he's seeing. - tears, looking down the smaller's body, he saw that the other's leg was broken. Although the other had less permanent marks on him, he looked so beat up. The smaller almost looked like he did when he got out of that mass beating before he decided to jump into the VOID.

Slowly moving his hands - to make sure that the other knew he wasn't making any hostile movements, no need to start a fight that may never end if his counterpart is like him in the not dying department. - he took off his leather gloves as his mind raced one what the hell he was supposed to do in this situation. "....hEllO." Error could have slapped himself, but it was too late for regrets.

His smaller counterpart sniffed, glitching harshly before whispering out a reply. "H-H..H-Hell0-0-0...."

Letting his gloves fall to the endless white floor, He slowly moved his hands so that they were inches from touching the other, the other nervously glancing to the hands and back up to his face. Trying to put on a gentle smile, and most likely failing epically, Error tried to think on the next plan of action - especially when there is no plan of action. Winging it never got a definition until now for him.

'Oh, I am going to fuck this up ain't I....' The taller silently despaired, not noticing the smaller watching him closely.

Looking at the taller skeleton, Error had to wonder if Ink had finally hit him one too many times for him to be seeing what was in front of him. It was like looking in the future almost - Almost, because Error is fully grown and he knows he is never getting any taller. - and that scared him beyond belief. Yet at the same time, he felt comfort. The taller one was wearing destruction and power like a cloak, it wrapped around him as if hugging him, keeping all the bad away. The taller one felt safe. Something he had never really felt before. There is supposed to be nowhere safe for a good for nothing glitch like him, yet around this tall glitch he felt safer then ever, like nothing could touch him as long as the taller one was there.

Safety was nothing but a dream, wasn't it? Nothing he deserved, the Voices made sure to tell him that all the time along with much more. Wait. The Voices....Why are they so silent? The screaming has stopped....right about the time this Monster came to him....Why?!

Were the Voices too shocked to say anything like he was?

"liTTlE eRROr, dO yOU knoW WHo i aM?" The taller version of himself cooed out, eyes gentle and smile soft as he looked down at him. "DO yOu UNdeRsTaND wHO i AM liTTle ERRoR?"

Error's SOUL pounded as his mind races. There was only one real answer, because Ink would never create another Destroyer.....Right? "Y-Y0u're....m-m-me?" He was able to choke out, eyes lighting up when the taller's smile grew a inch.

"yEs anD nO." The taller glitch chuckled lightly, softly laying a hand on top of his head. Shivering at the gentle touch, Error couldn't stop himself from nuzzling into it. When was the last time he got a soft touch, a touch that didn't end in pain? Not one that he can remember in any case.

"i AM yOU, yET noT YoU." The hand tenderly rubbed the top of his head, making him purr slightly as he listened closely to the words that the other was kindly saying to him. "i AM a vERsiON oF yOU - a CounTerPARt - fROm anoTHeR mUltivERSE. i AM noT yOU, WE haVE liVEd diFFeREnt lIVEs aND havE diFFerENT SOULS, buT yOU CouLD saY i AM a 'WHaT iF' miRRoR, SHoWIng YOU WhaT yOU coULD havE bEEn. nOt tHE samE MONstER, WE jUST haPPen TO lOOk vERy muCH alIKE." The taller then snorted as two little heads peeked out form around him, making Error gasp out, to pain ridden to back away like he wanted to. "DOn'T woRRY. ONe diFFerENCe tHAt WE haVE - i hAVE tWO bABy bONEs wiTH mE. mEEt mY sONS, NUll anD vOID. NUlL, vOID, mEEt ErRoR."

Null and Void said nothing, but did give sweet smiles and waves. Both knew to let their Daddy deal with this, to help the smaller Error that looked so much like their Daddy yet not. Null figured that if their Daddy could save him and his brother, could help them and make everything better, to make them feel so safe, then he could do that with this new Monster. Their Daddy is a powerful Monster, more importantly a merciful one. He would make things better, that much they are for sure about.

Seeing that the two children were not going anything, Error whimpered as he tried to scoot closer to the taller counterpart, pain flaring up his mangled leg as he did so - but still he kept trying. Drinking up all the comfort that he could, afraid that it would disappear at a moments notice. But another hand stopped him. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw that the taller glitch had used his free hand and placed it on his shoulder to stop him from coming closer. Silently crying at this, only to flinch when the other Error let go of his shoulder to wipe away his tears.

"lITTlE ErroR, yOU aRE HUrT. YOU ShoULdn't BE moVInG aROunD. DO noT woRRy, I'M noT gOING anYWHErE." The taller shushed softly as he wiped away the tears. "WhY dON'T yOU lEt mE hElP yoU?" He asked, taking a quick glance to the broken leg before looking back down at him with such serene eyes. "wHIlE i DO thAT, YOU caN coME uP wiTH a nAME foR mE. TwO ErRoR's CaN gET a bIt ConfusiNg, DOn't YOu thINk? WOuLD yOU lIKe tHAT liTTle ErROR? To GivE mE mY nEW namE?"

"I-I-I c-ca-a-n na-ame y0-0u?" Error sniffed out, leaning into the hands that moved to lift him up. "A-a-a-nything?"

With a snicker, the taller sat down full and, with careful hands, sat Error down in his lap. The taller gently lead Error to lean on his chest so that he could let go and focus all his attention on the leg. "suRE. YOu CaN EvEn NAme ME 'RaINboW pRincEsS' oR hoW aboUT 'blAckBErRY' iF yOU wanT somEthINg moRe simPLE?" Error couldn't help but giggle - flinching at the pain it brought - along with the children at those names, it didn't fit the taller one at all. "i ThINk i CouLD makE THoSe nAMEs syNoNyMS WitH 'BADaSS'." The bigger Error commented, looking to the leg to assess the damage, strings coming to life on his hands.

"T-T-Th-hat....n-n-n0!" Error giggled out, a ghost of a smile growing on his face.

"WhaT?! WHY noT?!" The taller gave a over dramatic gasp, a smirk on his face as he tenderly wrapped his strings around the Error's mangled leg. To Error's surprise, the strings didn't hurt. they felt warm and comforting, much like the body he was leaning on. "yOU DOn'T thINk i caN? i'LL havE yOU knoW tHAT i aM onE-NO, THE moST baDASS mOthERfuCKER - dON'T saY thOSe WoRds bOYs, thEy'RE aDulT woRDs - aROuND. ANyoNE iN mY MUlTivERsE coULd tEll yoU thAT. aIn't tHAt riGHt boYs?"

"Daddy's the strongest!" The blue one - Null wasn't it? - said straight off the bat with a wide grin. Error blinked, only to glitch harshly when a small hand lightly touched his arm. Head shooting to the front, he was met with a babybone Papyrus in a orange dress - Void? - who was cooing at him, lightly patting his arm and trying to climb up his Father's lap to him. "Dadadada!" Void laughed before pouting. "Da~Ma~pa~!" He suddenly sang out, making no sens whatsoever, but Error couldn't help but smile a bit more at the two children.

"thERe We GO!" Error turned his head, looking to see that the taller one had wrapped his whole mangled leg up in his strings. "mY mAGiC WiLL FoRm yOUR leG bAcK tO hoW iT WaS, juSt giVE iT sOME tIME. soRTA LIKe hOW We foRM a DoLL ouT oF thE sTRIngs....yOU caN do THAt ToO, RIghT?" All Error could do was nod in agreement, tears starting to come alive once more.

No one has ever been this kind to him. Given him such tender looks or gentle touches. Never love, always LOVE. The taller one had drove away the Voices somehow, took care of his wounds, held him close, and hasn't made one threatening step towards him. How another him could be so benevolent and compassionate, Error will never know. This was something he didn't deserve, something that had only happened in his daydreams. Maybe this wasn't real? Was this all a lie? His mind playing tricks on him once more.

blue tears started to fall once more, pain flaring in his SOUL at the very thought that the one holding him wasn't real. That him and the two children were nothing but something his lonely mind made up to torture him once more.

"No, NO, nO....liTTle ErRoR." Arms enclosed around him, the sound of a SOUL beating right by his head and feeling like nothing bad could touch him happened next. Error blinked up to see his counterpart looking down at him in slight worry, yet never loosing the soft look to it. "thErE's NO nEed tO cRY liTTle ErRoR. WhaT's WRoNG? i'LL makE iT beTTEr." The taller swore with a grim edge to it. Unknown to the little Error, the taller would do anything for the other if asked. Even - especially - if the smaller had asked for Ink's head on a platter right then and there, the taller one would have done just that quite happily.

Error placed both hands on the taller's chest, one hand clinching the red scarf as he listened to the other's SOUL. "Y-Y-Y000u're n-n-n-n0t a dr-r-r-eam....r-r-rig-g-ht?"

"nO, i'M noT." Was the blunt answer, the taller shifting so that one arm was around Error and his free hand coming up to get rid of the tears once more. Eyes that seemed to understand so much stared down into Error's own watery eyes. "I'M ReaL As YOu oR tHE chilDrEN aRE, liTTle ErRoR, i'M noT goING anYWhErE unlEss yOU waNT mE tO."

That very idea terrified Error more then it should. "N0!" Error panicked yell sounded out as he reached out, tightly holding onto his counterpart. "I-I-I-I d0-0-0n't wa-a-ant th-h-h-at!"

"thEN, WhaT iS mY nAME liTTle ErRoR?" Was the soft coo in response to the panic. "i WoNt lEavE yOU, bUt i MUSt havE a NEW naME. thEre cAN onLy bE oNE 'ErRoR'. YOu aRE ErRoR, WHO aM i?"

"E-Errat-tum!" The name came out of Error's mouth without thought. "Y-Y-00-u ar-re Er-rra-atum..."

"ErrAtUm? WaY bEttER tHEN blACKbERRy, iSn't iT?" Erratum laughed slightly, then he glanced around him before settling back to the glitch in his arms. "WhaT dO yOU waNt liTTle ErROr?"

Error didn't even have to think about it. "I w-w-wa-ant y-y-0u t-t-to s-s-t-tay w-w-wit-th m-m-meee."

"i wILL stAY WiTH yOU aS lonG AS yOU waNT mE tO." Erratum agreed gently, trying to sooth the other's glitching and terror. He had to ask that though. If Error didn't want him near him, then he would have to plan accordingly. Erratum would in no way abandon Error, he would never have someone go through what he did. It doesn't matter if he has to go back to destroying, just so long as no one has to be beaten down like he was. If Error didn't want him near, then he would have became his shadow. Without the smaller noticing, Erratum would have protected him in the dark.

But now, he doesn't have to do that. Error wanted him to stay by him, meaning that Erratum could be his shield and guard for when shit hits the fan. Erratum would sooner deck Fate across the face then let another become what he is and was. He was already lost, too broken to be fixed or healed. But Error, he wasn't as lost as he was. So if falling deeper was all it took for Error, Null and Void to be safe and whole, then Erratum would readily jump and start the next free fall that he tried to escape by falling into the VOID.

Because, now Erratum had a reason to Destroy. A better reason, a reason to keep him going when all he gets is pain in the end.

It was just all the sweeter that Fate wasn't here to see this or feel this, to know that they failed once more, in more ways then one.. Erratum could sense the Voices, but they were not as strong as Fate or the other Voices - his power and magic are keeping them from screaming out. If Erratum had lower magic or was weakened, then the Voices would be able to be heard. But with Erratum's and Error's power together, the Voices were on mute you could say.

To be honest, the whole place felt....more like a echo to Erratum. The whole white prison felt weaker then his own, like it was missing more then just Fate's presence. But he put that to the back of his mind for later, he had more important things to worry about right now.

"nUlL, vOID." Both children giggled when their Daddy gently scooped them up and placed them in Error's lap, making Error gasp and jolt lightly. Now all three were in Erratum's lap. "mEeT ErRoR. ErRRo, mEEt NUlL anD voID."

"Hello!" Null smiled brightly, leaning up and lightly laying down on Error's chest with his younger brother. "'M Null!"

"Mamamamama-pa~!" Void babbled out, lightly patting Error's chest. "Dadadada....papapa....pap!"

"I-I-I'm-m....E-E-E-Err-r0r." Error muttered out, burying his face into Erratum's chest.

"AnD i'M ERRaTUm." Erratum snorted, bringing both arms around all the skeletons that were sitting on him, cuddling them close. "noW, ErRoR, TeLL mE whY yOU WeRE cRyiNG. i hEaRD yOU IN thE VOID, iT's tHE reAsON whY i CamE hERE. i WanT tO hELp yOU, i WanT tO kEEp yOU saFE." Erratum added in when Error looked like he didn't want to say anything on the matter.

'Safe.' That took his breath away. Someone wanted to keep him safe, keep him protected. Besides, who better to understand him then another version of himself? With that in mind, Error didn't even hesitate to answer. "I-I-Ink a-an-nd 0-0-0the-ers am-mbu-shed m-me...T-Th-hey tr-r-ried t-t0 ki-il-l me-e-e, b-b-ut I g-g-ot a-a-away." Error grimaced thinking back on that day while Erratum looked grim. Null and Void were hanging off Error's every word, silently gasping at the thought of someone even thinking of doing that to someone else. "L-L-Land-ded he-ere. I c-c-an-n't!" Error sobbed out, shaking as he clawed at Erratum. Erratum didn't even flinch at this. "I-I-I c-c-a-annnn't d-d00-00 th-h-is a-a-any-y-m0re! N-N-N0 m0-0re d-d-destr-0-0ying!" The smaller panted, SOUL hurting more then ever at the thought of even leaving the Anti-VOID to go destroy a AU. "R-R-Rath-h-er r0-0-0-000t h-h-her-re! D0n-n-n't wa-a-an't t-t0!"

'So, instead of jumping like I did, you instead decided to stay in the Anti-VOID for the rest of your life. To see if you would finally rot and decay.' Erratum never really thought of that, mostly because he didn't want to deal with the Voices more then he had to and partly because he knew he couldn't die no matter what. He tried to rot in other AU's like Error is trying, but it never worked for him. But maybe there are more difference between him and Error then just looks and personality? In any matter, this Error is stronger then he is. He stayed, Erratum jumped. Sure, both wanted death, but one stayed where as the other went to the absolute last resort - and it figures that it didn't even work.

"Then don't do it." Null pointed out factually out of nowhere, making Erratum laugh and Error pause in his sobbing. Void giggled wile Null pouted up at the adults. "If you don't want to, then don't."

"B-B-B-But-t-t...."

"NuLL iS RighT." Erratum cut in before Error could go on. "iF yOU dON't WanT tO Go on BEinG thE desTroYER, thEN doN't." Erratum took in a deep breath, using one hand to lightly rub Error's arm to calm him down. "lEt mE hanDle EvERyTHinG. lIttLE ErROR, thEy WiLL noT touCh YOU leT alONE foRce YOu inTO anyTHinG iF i hAVe anYThinG To sAY aboUT iT."

With that said, the four fell into a calm. As time has no meaning in the Anti-VOID, they could have sat there for just a second to years. But to all four of them, it didn't matter. Error was fine, lightly purring as Erratum tenderly rubbed his back and hearing the other's SOUL beat. Null was fine being near his Daddy and new friend, loving that he had so many new family members. Void was perfectly happy with everything that was going, knowing without a doubt that in that moment there was nothing but love unlike before Daddy came to them. And Erratum was finally at peace for once in his long life, holding those that were his close and safe with him.

So, of course, that fragile peace he had with him had to be shattered. Because when does Erratum ever deserve peace?

If Erratum had hair, it would have stand up on edge when he felt a familiar built up of magic, meaning that a portal was opening or someone was readying a attack - maybe even both. He blankly saw a swirl of colors come to life, making him sigh and rub Error's head to calm the now shaking skeleton down.

'Here comes the next contender...I wonder how much different yet the same this one is...'

"ERROR!" Ink roared as he jumped into the Anti-VOID, feeling anger unlike ever before.

After the huge war they had with Error, ending with them beating him and forcing him to hide away in the Anti-VOID, AU's were once more being destroyed. Ink had thought that Error had finally stopped this, that they had finally won. But apparently not. And just when Ink had been getting into a creative beige too.

Now all the AU's are heading to the Original AU's, just in case a certain someone decided to go and destroy their AU's. Finally having enough of this - and because the Council has a hold of the evacuations - Ink found that it was time to go have a talk with Error about his poor life choices.

- Looking back on it, maybe that is why Ink was so shocked to found everything out. Choices. Such a funny word that he had used to describe Error's...life in general he supposed. Something that many take for granted. -

Stepping into the endless white, Ink nearly fell flat on his face when he looked to Error, choking on the words he was going to yell out at the sight that greeted him in the Anti-VOID.

A older, more war torn Error was sitting there with the Error he knew in his lap, and then there were two babybones in his hold as well. The taller sat there, holding them protectively and seemed to be staring into Ink's SOUL.

"sOME tHINGs nEvER chANgE." Ink flinched back at the deeper voice, still glitching in a similar fashion as Error's.

Erratum took in the new Ink. Like the tall Ink, this Ink was taller but not reaching his height. This Ink came to Erratum's collar bone, where as Error came up to Erratum's lower chest/upper stomach area. But it is true, some things never change. Inky always busted in whenever he wanted to, yell at the ready for the 'slights' against him. Time to see if that's all there is that is the same, or if there is more.

Sliding the three off his lap - with the kids whining about while Error whimpered - Erratum stood up, taking off his bag, sitting it next to Error, and taking off his trench coat to put it around Error. Error softly cried, reaching up as if to grab a hold of him, but he lightly shook his head as he gently pushed the hands back down, promising with his eyes that he would be here and wouldn't leave him. Both Null and Void cuddled close to Error, trying to calm his shivering while Erratum turned to face Ink, making sure that the three were behind him safety.

"CreAtoR, wHY aRE yOU HeRE?" Might as well get this over with, he has more important things to do.

Ink, meanwhile, wasn't on the same page as the taller one. In fact, he was too busy gaping up at the taller figure that walked up to him, stopping at a safe distance from him. "E-Error...?"

".....nO, aT lEasT, noT iN thE waY yOU thINK. i AM ErraTUm." Erratum eventually stated before focusing fully on Ink, making the creator unwillingly take a step back at the darkly intense look he was getting. How something could be scarier then a glare, he will never know. "i ASk agaIN; CrEaTOR, whY aRe YoU hErE?"

Feeling super confused on just what the hell is going on, while wondering what the other meant by 'Not in the way you think', Ink decided there was no time to ask all the questions he wants to and went ahead on demanding information needed on the AU's being destroyed. His creations took propriety here.

Standing as tall as he could, Ink frowned harshly as he tried to glance around this 'Erratum'. "I'm Ink. I'm here to have a talk with Error about him destroying more AU's."

Erratum's eyes grew sharp when he heard Error whimper behind him. He had a good idea what was going on outside the Anti-VOID. Error had already admitted to staying in the Anti-VOID - where time has no meaning so he could have been in there way longer then how it felt - to rot. Without Error, and if Ink just went on creating, then AU's must be touching by now, destroying one another.

Too bad for Ink, Erratum in no way cares about this fact. It's mostly Ink's fault in his opinion anyway.

Luckily for Ink, Erratum was willing to step into the Destroyer's shoes once more. Just so that another may be free from Fate's shackles.

Only good thing out of the two is that Fate no longer is here, but it doesn't change the fact that Fate created this Multiverse most likely after his. That much isn't hard to figure out.

"CreaTOR, DiD A aU DesTRoy riGht BEfoRE yoU goT hERE?" At Ink's hesitating nod, Erratum went on with a slight growl in his voice. "eRRoR hAS bEEn wiTH mE aND mY chilDREN aT tHE tIME. SO tELL mE hoW ErRoR DesTROyEd thOSE aU'S WiTH hIM bEIng hERe wiTH mE."

Time to see just how alike and different this Ink really was to Inky.

With a startled look, Ink started to shake his head. What was this weird Skeleton Monster saying? There was no possible way it wasn't Error. He was the only one who could destroy whole AU's. There was no other way for all this to happen. "It has to be Error! He's the destroyer-"

"hE hAS a bROkeN LEg." Erratum cut off the Creator, pushing back the urge to strangle the other. "mAngLEd REaLLy. iT wAS aboUT tO faLL oFF WhEN i FOunD hIM, SO hoW coULd hE bE mOvINg aROUnd AU tO AU TO dEsTroY whILe i WAs WraPPing Up hiS lEG? oR bEfoRE i founD hiM wHEN hiS lEG WaS REaDY tO comE OFf?"

With a blink, Ink tilted so that he could finally take a better look at Error from around the other skeleton - Who, Ink had a feeling, would have forcibly made sure he wouldn't be able to get around him. - and gasped when he saw the glitches leg wrapped up in strings, blood and dust on him and surrounding him. Never mind that two little babybones glaring at him while Error holds them close, silently crying.

"B-But....Error...." Ink paused, brows frowning as he thought at the words that were being said. Logically, Erratum was right. Whoever this skeleton was, is right. And it couldn't have been Erratum either if this was the case then. If Erratum was telling the truth - and Ink couldn't sense no lies coming off of him - then that meant as soon as he came here - from wherever that was - he and his children had been with Error, who's leg was so badly messed up that he couldn't move.

The last time he had seen Error was when they all used the all out plan, attacking Error until he had jumped back into the Anti-VOID. That had been a while ago, so that meant Error had been here in the white for a long while with his injuries festering until Erratum and the kids showed up.

- Ink ignored a piece of him that was horrified on Error's behalf. To stay there, sitting in pain with no one coming for stars knows how long until someone finally did, a stranger at that most likely. A killer could have come by and Error would most likely have let the other do him in. But then again, isn't Ink and the others the killers in this instance? Ink had to push back the colorful vomit that wanted to come up at the thought. He had more important things to deal with right now. Error shouldn't have been destroying AU's, destroying lives and families. But now it seems Error has learned his lesson, so it's all good...right? -

This all points to it not being Error who was destroying the AU's. And while Ink couldn't see any other way, it doesn't mean he can't see logic when it was slammed in front of his face.

"So...It's not Error then." Ink sighed harshly, grimacing as a thought hit him. "But, then that means..."

Erratum's brows raised at this, was this new version of Ink actually going to own up to the fact that this is his fault?

"There's a new destroyer!" Ink gasped out, eyes widening in horror.

"WhAT." Erratum completely deadpanned. A few feet behind him, Error had stopped crying in pure shock. Null looked confused but had a deep frown on his face, showing that he was deep in thought, while Void was just plain confused at the turn of the mood in the air.

"I'm sorry Error. I blamed you for something you didn't so this time." Ink apologized with a sad air. "I don't know how another Destroyer came to be, but I'll catch him and leave you be....along with your....friends?"

"W-W-W-Wh-h-hat." Error was dumbfounded, tears gone as he stared wide eyed at the creator.

"WhY DO yOU thINK thERe iS a nEW DEstROYER?" Erratum couldn't help but ask, feeling like he was missing something right now, that, or this Ink was so deeply in denial at what he has done he is delusional right now it isn't funny.

"How else are the AU's being killed off?" Ink asked back, lifting his brush to make a portal to leave. "Only Error has been able to destroy them. But I understand logic, so I know you speak the truth on this matter. So, therefore, only another destroy could have done this base on facts."

Now even Null was looking at the Creative Monster like he was a idiot. The babybones may not know exactly what was going on, but he knew there could be so many reasons for the littlest of things, that there is no way just one possible explanation. He had learned that from Him and the others in the labs - so many results from the hurts before Daddy had come to save them.

'Logic....and facts.' Well, at least this Ink is different then Inky, but still the same. Inky was emotionally driven, never stopping to look at the truth staring him in the face, even if it screamed at him like the Voices did to him. But the Ink here was willing to listen and hear them out, and after thinking on it, agreed with him because everything Erratum had said made sense and was perfectly logical. Sure, he still treated Error like dirt and Erratum could tell that Ink thought that Error deserved his wounds as the Creator didn't look like he cared about the broken leg.

But if this is the case, that Ink would listen to logic, then why is it that he is ignoring that he is the problem here? That he is so deeply in denial about his wrong doings? Erratum is missing pieces, and he wanted them so that he could have a full picture. Yet, for now, Erratum had to do something so that he could get Error out of the white without someone attacking them on spot, he had to do the others job without fights breaking out...He wouldn't take the same treatment as before, not when he had three Monsters to come home to. He didn't have time to waste spending on fighting, he wanted to do his job, get out, and then spend the rest of the time with Error, Null and Void.

'Inky always had it easy! If only the others knew-' A light bulb went off in Erratum's head. It could be a long shot, but maybe it could work. Luckily for him, he has lost so much he was willing to do just about anything for those he considers his to be safe and sound.

"lETS cuT tO thE ChASe, I knoW WHy thIS iS gOING ON. bUT i tHOUghT yOU alREaDy kNEW, sO i DIDn't saY anYTHinG bEfoRE." Erratum told the paintbrush wielding skeleton before he could leave. If he wanted this half-baked plan to work, then he needed to play along with the other's delusions.

While Erratum would rather just blast his way in and out, he could play sly if needed to. No matter how much it makes his magic crawl at the very thought of playing along with this insane Ink. But it's different now. He had others to worry about, others that he actually cares about.

Anything for for what is his.

Anything and everything.

Even if it destroys him.

Even if it shatters him beyond the point of return.

Because they are worth so much more than himself.

"You do?!" Ink nearly fell flat on his face when the taller said this, turning in haste to look up at him. "Why then?! Who's been doing this!?"

"hoLD ON." Erratum lifted up a hand, eyes grim and serious. "i WaNT tHERe tO bE NO miSunDERstANdiNGS oN WhaT iS gOING ON. I alSO WaNt EveRYoNE tO knOW ErROR is NOT aT faUlt hERe. SO i wILL onLY SaY thE reAsON ONCe - To EvERyONE."

Now, Ink was looking at him shrewdly. Seems he wasn't a total idiot after all. "And what's stopping you from attack everyone? You are a unknown, a Monster I know for sure I never created. I'm also pretty sure I never created those children too. Never mind that you look so much like Error, I have no guarantees that you are not planning anything violent for the others."

"i WiLL ExplAIn EvERyTHinG, abOUT mE inCluDEd, IN frONt oF evERyoNE. RemEmbER, i KNoW WHY tHE AU's aRE DesTRoyINg. I couLD bE yoUr ONlY choiCE, BEcauSE i CaN TeLL yOU nOW thAT iT wiLL noT StOP." Erratum held back the smirk that wanted to come up, he never thought he would be bargaining with any creator in his long life, but different Multiverse different rules. "WhiLE i CaN't GivE yOU pRoOF aboUt anYThinG riGHt noW, i DO SweaR ON mY SOUL thAT i WILL noT aTTaCk anYoNE UnlEss thEY aTTaCk fiRSt."When Ink glared at him, Erratum snorted right in his face. "yOU saID iT yoURsELF; i LOOk liKE eRRor. AND i'vE sEEN whAT yOU'vE doNE tO hIM." Erratum jerked his face to where Error was, Ink flushing a bit in shame at this. "i ALSo wiLL bE takINg ErRoR anD thE kiDS wiTH mE, SO iF anyONE gETS thE iDea iN thEIr emptY hEaD to TRy anYTHinG WitH thEM, I WiLL dEfenD thEM. i REfuSE tO lEavE thEM alONE In thIS hElLhoLE."

Ink had the idea that 'defend' was more like 'I will slaughter every single one of them, leaving not even dust behind or before they could even make a single sound'. He might be over reacting about it, but the way Erratum said it made it sound like a promise for murder of the highest degree if anyone so much as brushes past one of the three behind him. Did Ink really want to chance this?

"i aLSO knOW HOw TO sTOP iT." Erratum offered up absent mindlessly. "thE oNLy WaY TO mAKE iT sTOP."

Then again, they did gang up on Error to horrifically beat him while not listening to his screams for Mercy...So Ink thinks that this is perfectly understandable even if he doesn't like it and they all had a good reason for fighting Error.

Lowering his brush, he thought about it. What was there to really loose in the end from agreeing to this? AU's were dying off slowly now, but that could change in a moment. And if whoever or whatever kept killing them off, then they would all die no matter what. On the off chance that Erratum wants to get them together to kill all the Monsters off, then what does it matter in the long run? Because Ink knew that they had nothing to go off of now, now that he knows it wasn't Error who destroyed the AU's.

This new strange Monster was offering answers to all Ink could ask for, the answer that could save the whole Multiverse, and all he was asking for was for no violence towards him and his as he told everyone so that no misunderstandings happen. Not too bad, as long as he can get the others to not attack Error. But he's sure they could see the logic in it if it meant that the rest of the AU's can be saved. Now, the issue was getting all the main skeletons in one AU - including Night's gang - without their being bloodshed.

'Well, got nothing to loose.' And that was the cruncher, there was nothing to loose if this didn't work. But if it does? Then he had everything to gain.

But what did Erratum have to gain by sharing this? What did he have to loose?

Some part of Ink was dreading the answers he will get, but sacrifices must be done if he wants to make sure the Multiverse doesn't up and die on him. So, he pushed his feelings aside and decided to go for it.

"Alright then, I'll take your offer and deal." Ink made sure not to even glance at where Error and the children were, keeping his eyes on the mysterious Erratum. "It'll take me some time to gather everyone and tell them what is going on, so I'll come and get you three once everyone is in one place and they have been told not to touch you and yours."

"AS loNg aS thEY unDersTANd WhaT WiLL hapPEN iF thEY Do noT lisTEN TO yOU." Erratum nodded in agreement, watching blankly as Ink nodded once more before making a portal and leaving.

Once he was for sure that the creator was gone and not coming right back, Erratum relaxed and turned back to Error, who was watching him with wide eyes along as he held Null and Void.

Taking a deep breath, Erratum walked back to them, plopping down right by Error as he popped his neck. "WeLL...thAT haPPEnEd."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Null pouted up at his Daddy, not understanding what was going on. Void hummed loudly, chewing on his dress.

"DaDDy maDe a oFFeR tO thE deVIl, AnD saID DevIL tOOk iT." Erratum snorted, gently stopping Void from chewing on his dress. While he could fix holes easily, he didn't want the babybones to get into that habit. "DaDDy hAS a pLAn iN moTion, DesTRucTION iS nEEdeD ONce mORE."

"I-I-I d0n-n-n-n't wan-n-nt t-t0 des-s-str0y an-n-nym0re...." Error whispered out, reaching out to Erratum. Erratum knew that if Error could, he would be crawling to him. Not wanting the other to aggravate his wounds - especially the ones that Erratum hasn't looked at yet. The taller knows that Error has to have some broken ribs and other bones than just his leg. Although that must be the worse one...hopefully. - Erratum took the smaller's hands in his own, rubbing the back of the hands with his thumb to try and calm the other. "P-P-P-Plea-a-s-e....d-d-d0-000n't m-m-mak-ke me-e-e!"

"i'M nOT goiNG TO mAKE yOU DesTroY liTTle ErRoR, i WiLL TakE youR plAcE WhEN iT coMEs Time FOr iT." Erratum quickly hushed Error, who opened his mouth to protest. "i hAVE a PLaN liTTle ErROr. iT caN GO iN manY DirEctIONs dEpEndiNg On YouR mUltivERsE's cREaTOR. tElL mE," Here Erratum leaned down so that he and Error were face to face. "doES thE AU's KNoW aboUT US? abOUT FatE anD InK? OUr jOBs?"

Error sniffed silently, frowning a bit before shaking his head. "N-N0. T-T-T-The-e-y d0-0-0n't kn0-0w." Understanding lit up in Error's eyes. He looked to Erratum in shock. "A-A-Ar-re....y-y-00u g0-0ing t0-0 tel-ll th-he-em?"

"yES. i AM gOING tO tEll tHEm EveRythINg. i RefuSE TO lEt thIS GO oN IN anoTheR mulTivErSE, I wiLL noT leT ThiS GO oN." The taller glitch sighed, leaning back from Error. "BuT thEre aRE maNy poSSiblE ouTcomEs fROm thIS, nOt aLL goOD. bUt i SwEaR tO YOu, thEY wiLL noT sO muCh aS toUCh yOU. aNY oF yOU." Erratum glanced to Null and Void when he said this, the two children now quietly playing with one another as the two adults talked.

Error clinched the hands that he was holding onto, feeling like everything was going to change and never be like it was before. He now had someone on his side, someone who was willing to give up everything for him. It blew his mind and made his SOUL float lightly and skip a few beats. This Monster in front of him, another version of him and someone he could have been, was going to tell the whole Multiverse about everything and, from the he was saying it, didn't care for how they reacted too much. Erratum was going to bring chaos, and Error loves it.

Erratum was going to make the pain, just like with the Voices. If Erratum can make the screaming stop with just his presence alone, then he could make the Monsters stop hurting him, right?

"0-0-00utc0m-mes?" Error asked aloud, mind going to how this could all go down, but feeling much better knowing that Erratum wasn't going to force him into anything and protect him.

"oNe WAy thIS cOULD ENd iS wiTH NO onE beliEviNG mE. tHuS i hAVe TWo iDeAS foR thAT." Erratum suddenly smiled. It reminded Error of a shark. "fiRST is tHAT i lET thEM fiGuRE oUT ThaT i aM teLLinG thE tRUtH tHE haRD wAY; mEanINg thAT i lET tHE AU's DestRoy thEMsELvES unTIl thEY cOME beGGing FOr mE tO fiX evERyTHinG. BuT whILe THEy dO tHAT, WE stAY saFelY tuCKEd AWAy ANd WaTCh thEm FaIL At evERyTHinG elSE uNtiL thEY dO. iF thEY dON't DO anYthiNg, thEn i CoulD eitHER WaiT foR ThEm TO moStlY bE desTORyEd bEfoRE saVIng tHE reST, moRE spAcE and QuiEt THAt waY, oR We couLD waTCh thEM aLL buRN. mEtapHOricalLy thAT iS - unlEsS yOU waNT Me tO SeT sOME oF thEm oN fiRE, nEvEr reALLy triEd thAT bEfoRE sO it's boUND tO bE fuN - aS thEY wiLL juSt CruMblE AwAY."

Error's jaw dropped a little while Erratum darkly chuckled. Erratum was petty, VENGEANCE was apart of him just as it JUSTICE, he could own up to that. Revenge and Vengeance went hand in hand, Justice was not peace nor was it nice and pretty. One person's justice could be another's torture and end. And while Erratum may not be able to get even, who is to say he wouldn't enjoy the same faces burning for what they did to him if it comes down to it. He's never tried it, and it's always what they say; Try it at least once, or, don't knock it until you try it.

Erratum truly is one petty Monster - but he's fine with it. Such thoughts are sometimes the only thing that kept him going after all in his more darker moments.

"SecONd thING i COUld DO iN thAT scENaRiO iS jUSt gO ThrOUGh wiTH dEstROyING whAT iS nEEdEd AnD lEt thEM sEE thAT i AM riGHt thAT waY. bUT thAT opTioN depENDS ON iF iNK stOPS cREaTINg tHEN. I aLSO DOn't WanT thIS tO bE liKE bACk in My mULtiVERsE oR liKE hoW youRs iS bEfoRE alL thiS, SO lasT REsoRT." Error nodded in agreement with that. "thE oTHEr WaY thEY coulD reacT TO thIS iS tO SeE i AM TelLINg thE truTH, EndinG wiTH foRcinG INk tO mAkE a DeaL wiTH mE iF thE othERs gANg uP on HIM anD baCk mE uP iF hE doESn't TakE tHE deaL."

"D-D-Deea-al?" Error almost pitied Ink. Almost.

"HmMM, yEs, a DeaL." Erratum hummed, smiling going softer as he let go of Error's hands and started to take off his jacket. Error helped him take it off without protest, only whimpering at the slight pain and shifting so that he didn't drop Null and Void. Seeing that the smaller's arms were also cracked and banged up, Erratum got out his strings and went to work. "i WiLL oFfeR UP a DeAL AftER i AM dONe explAinING. thEY wiLL bE aBLE tO moVe tHE MONsTERs aND oTHErS IN thE AU's tHAT nEEd To BE DesTRoyED - bUT thEiR CoDES nEEd TO bE enTEREd IN tHE AU thAT tHEY wILL bE liVing IN FROm NOW oN. mEaNINg thAT tHEY wILL hAVE TO mERgE. thE oTHeR pARt oF tHE dEAL iS thAT INk stOPS cREaTIng aND WE stOP DesTRoyiNG WhEN thIS iS aLL DOne." Error's head shot up, breath stopping while Erratum grinned at him. "unLESS AU's aRE aboUT tO TouCH oF couRSE. thEN wE wILL waRN EvERyONE aND a MErgE CAN hapPEn so thAT i CaN desTRoy WhaT nEEds TO bE. BUt, i'M TiREd TOO liTTle ErRoR. hopEfuLLy sOOn WE wILLboTH bE fReE fROM FaTe's shacKlES."

While Error was processing this, Null blinked up at Erratum as he cuddled Void close. "What happens after all that Daddy?" Null may not understand fully what was going on, but he knew it was a make or break decision that was going to happen soon. But he wondered what will go on after that, what will they do then?

Erratum blinked, stilling from where he was wrapping up Error's arm and glanced down at the smaller glitch.

"aFtER tHAT, hMmM? SO manY choiCEs."

'Choices'. Erratum used to think that word was a lie, a funny joke.

For the first time ever, it held meaning.

But looking to the three in front of him, he knew many other words suddenly held meaning to him now. And he would sooner watch this whole Multiverse burn to the ground before he looses these meanings, these Monsters that give color and definition to the words that had been nothing to him before.

'Family' was just one of those words.

-End Chapter-

Here it is! Sorry for the long wait. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter as I did making it.

Inky is emotionally driven. He can be reasoned with, but it is a heard thing to do because he lets his emotions blind him most of the time. It's one of the main reasons he doesn't ask the important questions, besides him believing that he is right. Where Ink was willing to listen to Erratum and see the truth in his words, Inky wouldn't have listen and would have attacked. It will take a whole lot more then just talking facts at him to believe in something he thought was right - something Erratum knows well and painfully.

Ink on the other hand is logically driven. He can be swayed with emotions and can get very emotionally - like we will see in the next part - but he would sooner listen to the facts then his own emotions most of the time. That's why he would hear Erratum out and not attack, he sees the logic in it after hearing the others words and seeing proof with Error being too hurt to move really. And while this Creator does believe he is right, it's because he doesn't have anything else to say he is wrong.

Both Creators are similar, but very different in the inner workings of their minds. both do not know the truth, and both are going to find out in different ways eventually.

It's the same with Erratum and Error too, which will be more obvious as time goes on. Erratum is older then Error. Fate tried to make another Multiverse, but lost their power in that Multiverse early on because of Destiny - that will be explained more on, much more later on in this story - so that explains why Erratum is older. Also time moves differently in the Multiverse too, adding in another factor.

Next chapter, Erratum meets the whole group and pretty much starts a riot....that or WW3 Undertale version because of all the bombs he drops with no cares at all. Also, some bonding with Error and the Babybones!

Words: 9433

#Error Sans #Forced Destroyer Error #Papa!Error #Healing What Has Been Broken AU #Falling Into A Different Destiny #FaiDD #Null #Void #My OCs #Harrish6 #Fanfiction #Fanfic #Error/Error #Erratum/Error #Errorcest #Selfcest #But Not Technically #But Also Kind Of Is #Multiverse

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sindrafalcone · 7 years ago

Text

Wrong Number, Right Call (part 2)

Part 1

Fandom: BIGBANG/ Choi Seung Hyun x Reader

Synopsis: Texting leads to phone calls and feelings...

Warnings: There’s a little talk about nightmares and depression in this chapter. Nothing too in detail, though.

Author’s Note: Continuation of the Tabi fluff! <3 Although things get a little more “real” in this chapter. There’s feels & stuff... lol

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This story contains fictional representations of real people. None of the events are true. This is from an American standpoint, so some of the situations may not happen the same way they might in Korea. I make no money from the writing of this fictional work.

Masterlist

Seung Hyun didn’t text that night. But the night after, at three in the morning, you received a message…

So… this is a text. it said.

I can see that. you replied, and immediately felt bad. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable about the whole thing, so you quickly fired off another text in an attempt to start a conversation. Do you happen to like art?

Contemporary. he immediately replied.

Art Nouveau. you sent back.

Gasp! Seung Hyun texted. TRAITOR!

And, just like that, the two of you were off.

It became a habit, texting each other. At first it happened only a handful of times a week, mostly late at night & in the small hours of the morning. But by the time a month had passed since that initial contact, you were texting during the day as well. Not daily, but almost, and usually about inconsequential things. Sometimes you watched movies at night, or binge-watched dramas. For eight (not consecutive) nights you both watched, at Seung Hyun's insistence, nothing but Coffee Prince. Somehow it was something you hadn't watched yet, and you were sorely disappointed in everyone who had ever suggested any drama to you and somehow failed to include it.

You talked about other things too, though. Not really in the deep, soul-baring kind of conversations you'd have with your best friend, but about little tidbits in between other things. You found out that Seung Hyun really did have a lot of nightmares, even though they tapered off as the month progressed. Not that you could really talk. Your own nightmares and restless nights caused by bouts of insomnia were entirely random, they didn't wane and didn't really wax either.

Seung Hyun was a thoughtful guy, you learned. Most of your conversations might have appeared silly at first glance, about movies or TV shows and the characters in them, but Seung Hyun was insightful in a casual way that was actually rather endearing. It was... charming, really, how much thought he put into it. His commentary was sometimes hilarious. He didn't make fun of the show, but, as he said, it was also kind of hard to take it entirely seriously and sometimes you laughed so hard there were tears in your eyes.

And somehow among all that, you still ended up revealing things to each other that you would not talk about with any of your friends. Well, that was wrong. You would talk about it if they asked, but you wouldn't just randomly bring it up. But with Seung Hyun, you somehow did.

You talked about being disoriented sometimes, like you were in the wrong place and the wrong time & you felt like a stranger in your own home, in your own skin, and didn't know how to do anything but breathe. Seung Hyun said that he could relate to that so much it hurt and couldn't offer more than that.

These confessions always happened in the dead of night and it was a little strange, considering how you were really just strangers. But after a month of very regular contact, it didn't feel that way. In fact, you would call Seung Hyun your friend. Not someone you would call to pick you up if you were drunk at a bar, but still someone you would text if you needed somebody to talk to.

Which was why you were secretly pleased when Seung Hyun actually called you one night. Well, at first you were startled, then confused, then worried when when you saw who was calling your phone. It was just past midnight but that wasn't the issue... since that initial 'wrong number' call, the two of you hadn't spoken on the phone at all. But you had, once, you reminded yourself, and that made it a little easier to accept the call.

"Yes?"

"________-ah!" Seung Hyun said your name very loudly. All of a sudden you understood what people meant when they said that they could hear the caps lock. You had always thought it was a silly way of saying shouting, but, no... you heard the caps lock.

“Seung Hyun." you answered. He was somewhere noisy, but not actually loud, though it was impossible to tell exactly where from the background noise. It was just a low murmur of people.

"_______-ah." Seung Hyun repeated your name, this time drawing out every single letter. He was definitely drunk, or at the very least well past the point of being tipsy.

"Seung Hyun." you said again, as amused as you were confused now. "Everything alright?"

"Iss our annivers'ry," he informed you very seriously.

"Anniversary?" you repeated, puzzled for just a moment until you realized what Seung Hyun meant. It had been one month since that phone call. Exactly one month, apparently. "Oh! Right, it is. Is that why you're celebrating?"

"No." Seung Hyun frowned. You could also hear the frown, you weren't sure how, but you could. "The guys said I need to get out more?"

It sounded like a question, but you definitely heard noise in the background, possibly a bar... something indoors, in any case. "So you went out?"

"Yesssssssss I'm out." Seung Hyun confirmed in that exaggerated manner people sometimes used while drunk. “I'm so far out, ________-ah”

No laughing at the drunk person, you reminded yourself, unable to suppress a smile. "That's great, Seung Hyun-ah. More power to you. Is there somebody with you?"

"They was just..." his voice turned distant like he turned away from the phone to look around. His voice got quiet and far away & you had a little trouble hearing what he said next. “I think... OH! Yes there." Then he put the phone back to his ear and kept on talking. "They're there... there they... they are. There. I'm watching the table _______-ah. 'Cause I don' wanna dance."

"Are you?" for some reason, you found yourself smiling up at the ceiling. "But you're not alone, that's good. They'll make sure you get home safe?"

"I don' wanna dance _______-ah." Seung Hyun informed you seriously, entirely ignoring the question. “Do you think it'ssss 'cause the dark thoughts in my mind? My depression?”

Suddenly, this wasn't so amusing anymore. You felt shocked, and dismayed, on behalf of your friend. Because of his depression, but also because Seung Hyun had just drunkenly told you something you were pretty sure he wouldn't have told you otherwise. At least not yet.

"________ah?" Seung Hyun asked, sounding a little forlorn.

"Yeah, I'm here, Seung Hyun. That might be part of it." you said, making sure to keep your voice calm and even. "Listen, I'm not sure you wanted to tell me that, maybe we should hang up?"

"Hang up?" he repeated, dismayed. "I jus called you! Iss our anniversary!"

"That's true, and I'm very flattered you thought of me." you agreed. You definitely should end this call, Seung Hyun wouldn't thank you tomorrow if you didn't, especially if he ended up spilling more secrets. But somehow you found yourself unable to with him sounding so sad at the prospect.

"Are you happy _______-ah?" he asked, still with that forlorn undertone in his voice. "'Cause I'm not sure you are. An' sometimes I'm not happy and I'm sad that you're not either."

"Everybody gets sad sometimes." you said quietly. "I'm happy that you called me."

"You are?" it was like the sun rose in Seung Hyun's voice, he audibly perked up and it was utterly adorable. "Tha's good!"

"Yes." you agreed with a smile just as the noise in the background suddenly increased. Some people with loud voices were apparently gathering around Seung Hyun. You couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded friendly & he was laughing.

Then, you heard a loud voice close by say. "Did you drunk dial somebody?"

"________-ah." Seung Hyun said seriously. "Iss our anniversssary."

"Aww...." the person said cutely. "Can I talk to her for a minute?"

Seung Hyun must have been okay with that, because next thing you heard was a completely different voice speaking into the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello." you returned the greeting, not quite sure what the protocol was here.

"Hey, this is Daesung, one of Seung Hyun's friends. And also the designated driver so I'm the only sober one. I'm sorry about the drunk dialing, I'll keep him from doing it again okay?"

"Nah, that's okay. I don't mind." you waved off his concern and apology. "So you'll get him home safely?"

"Sure thing. Bye!"

He hung up, leaving you with the dial tone and a sinking feeling in your chest that you were in deeper than you had previously thought.

For a moment you stared at your phone. Then, hesitantly, you sent Seung Hyun a text: Hope you're ok and sleep well!

You got no reply, but you didn't expect one. Phone on the nightstand, you stared up at the ceiling and went back to counting sheep in a vain attempt at falling asleep.

Well into the next morning, you received a text.

Please tell me I didn't do what I think I did.

I can only do that if you tell me what you think you did. you replied. Hangover bad?

Moderate, but I still hate everyone for letting me drink so much. Seung Hyun texted back. Sorry for drunk calling you.

It's okay, I wasn't asleep anyway. you replied. Happy anniversary, by the way. ;)

Seung Hyun texted back so fast that you honestly suspected he had super texting powers. Oh my god... everyone thinks we're dating now! Sorry about that.

So, you were probably not going to talk about the accidental spilling of secrets he indulged in last night. If that was how Seung Hyun preferred it, that was okay. You weren't going to bring it up.

No big deal. Not like it's me they're going to give a hard time to for not telling them. ;p

Oh I see how it is... Seung Hyun texted back. Then, after a moment: So, you know about the depression thing now.

Or maybe you were going to talk about it. Okay.

Yes. I'm sorry, I should have hung up when I realized that you were drunk.

Did you just apologize because drunk me told you something sober me hadn't told you yet??? he wrote back quickly. Although sober me sort of wanted to tell you but didn't know how, so I guess it's a good thing drunk me took care of that.

You don't have to tell me anything you're uncomfortable with me knowing. you replied.

Anyways... sorry. I need to go coddle my hangover. I'll text you later. he sent back.

Bye. You texted him then sighed and went to do laundry.

A couple of days later you received a picture of two baking mixes (one for brownies, one for chocolate muffins), on a shelf next to each other, clearly in a supermarket.

I'm craving chocolate. Which one??? Seung Hyun sent after the picture.

Oh, no. There was no way you could explain in texts just how wrong he was right now. You hesitated for only a second before you dialed his number.

"Yes?" he accepted the call. His voice was pleasant, a little rough, and you were starting to think that was normal as opposed to a drunk thing. "It was a simple question, you didn't need to call."

'I could always hang up', was what you meant to say, but what actually came out was. "No."

"Huh?"

"No." you repeated. You were committed now, you might as well continue. "Do you know how many chemicals and crap are in those things?! Seriously. I'm going to read you a list of things to buy and you're going to get them, and then I'm sending you a recipe and you're going to follow that. Okay?"

"Wow." Seung Hyun said sounding amused. "So this is a thing for you? No baking mixes?"

"You may as well just eat the plastic bag they come in." you replied firmly. "Now, back away from those boxes, turn right and exit that aisle."

"Yes, ma'am." he chuckled, even more amused now, but he followed your instructions and got the ingredients you told him to get. You stayed on the phone until he paid and was standing outside the supermarket with his bags.

"You can hang up now, I'm not going to go back in there and buy a mix. I promise." he told you, laughter still in his voice.

"You better not." you threatened playfully. "I'm sending you the recipe now, okay?"

"You do that."

"Bye." you said, feeling strangely unsure all of a sudden. You waited until Seung Hyun returned the word, then hung up and immediately sent him a link to the recipe.

Nice to know I'm making brownies. Seung Hyun texted. Be prepared for in progress pics. You got me into this mess, you can damn well watch me dig my own grave...

It'll be fine, you did great with the cookies and they're harder to make. you replied.

Hah! was all he sent back. But he did send you pictures of his progress and at the end, a picture of the brownies as they came out of the oven with the words: Looking good, huh?

Very good. You told him. See? Everything went great.

I'm kind of surprised. Seung Hyun replied. I've never gone out to the store by myself, bought ingredients and baked something from scratch until I met you.

You smiled. Well, you have a talent, then. That's pretty cool.

Clearly... he sent back, obviously impressed with himself.

You probably shouldn't have found it as adorable as you did.

From that point on you didn't just text, you also started calling each other. At first, it was just every now and then. After the baking mix incident, it was three days before you talked on the phone again. But it started happening more and more often. Initially you had reasons for calling each other. But as time went on, you used less and less excuses or reasons and just called each other randomly, until it got to the point where you talked almost daily.

By the time three months had passed since that first misdialed call, you were talking every evening and Seung Hyun was intimately aware that he was in trouble. He was really in trouble.

The thing was... he might have felt like he knew you, and he did in a lot of ways, but he was very conscious of the fact that he only knew what you wanted him to know. And the reason why he was so sure of that was because the same held true for what you knew about him. There were a lot of things that he hadn't told you yet.

Namely, the fact that he was also T.O.P. Which included a number of other bigger and smaller secrets that he had never really thought about until he had to hide them from you in order to keep the whole celebrity thing a secret. For example where he lived... his district wasn't exactly a common residential area. Not that you had ever talked about that, but both of you had brushed the topic of which parts of the city you lived in. Where his villa was located wasn't really something he could tell you without you drawing some unwelcome conclusions, or getting suspicious about how he could afford to live there. You knew too much about his childhood to think that he'd inherited enough to live as lavishly as he did now.

This was a problem Seung Hyun didn't know how to get out of. Part of him was honestly scared of telling you who he was because you knew some intimate things about him that he didn't want the public to know. Not that he thought for one second that you would be the type to blab to the media, but the huge, (not always welcome) amount of fame that came with his career sometimes made people do the strangest things. One time he actually saw a woman scrape dirt off the tire of his car, fold it into a napkin and walk away with a smile on her face. It was scary, creepy, and weird... how completely normal people could get totally carried away. They might feel embarrassed about it afterwards, but it still happened.

Seung Hyun was aware that it wasn't really about him but about what he symbolized. Or rather, what the Idol side of him symbolized. Unfortunately, a lot of people had difficulties telling the differences between Seung Hyun and T.O.P until after they had hung out with him a couple of times. A lot of younger artists within the YG label had that problem. They would usually shyly admit that to him months after they'd first met him, and they of all people should know better.

And not all reactions to his fame were good. It was actually Yang who had warned him about that, but he didn't need to... by that point Seung Hyun had already had the experience himself. The barista at that cafe he used to go to sold "her story" to the media, about how she used to serve T.O.P several times a week, what kind of things he ordered, and how "sad and lost and forlorn" he looked. It had been small and trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it had hurt nonetheless.

Seung Hyun didn't want to believe that you were that kind of person. He didn't believe it. But it had been drilled into him to be cautious, and he hadn't met you in person yet. Usually he was a good judge of character, but could he rely on that when he had never met you face to face?

He shouldn't, he was aware of that, and he felt horrible for thinking such things about you.

The obvious solution, of course, would be to meet you. But he really couldn't do that, for equally obvious reasons, and so he felt a bit trapped. He wanted to, he really wanted to meet you and see where this could go, but at the same time he was terrified that once he did, this safe little bubble of distance and anonymity he had built would burst. Maybe it would make room for something better, but there were so many ways things that could go wrong. People thought Seung Hyun was a bold person, but he really wasn't, not where it counted.

He also was not a good liar.

What's up? you texted him one day, a couple of days after Seung Hyun forced himself to face facts and had inevitably ended up trapped in a spiral of 'what if's?'. You've been broody lately.

Just thinking. he replied, well-aware that it was an evasion and still somehow unable to reply any other way. What else would he say, anyway?

What about? I mean, if you want to tell me.

"Here." Jiyong said in that moment, placing the cup of coffee he got for Seung Hyun on the table in front of him. "Now, we'll talk."

Seung Hyun got a sinking feeling in his chest. It was starting to dawn on him that the leader's, seemingly innocent, offer for coffee might not have been that innocent after all. "Uh... what about?"

Unimpressed, Jiyong raised one eyebrow at him.

His phone vibrated in that moment (a text from you, just reading Seung Hyun?) and Jiyong somehow managed to look even more unimpressed. It was uncanny how he could do that.

Jiyong had him cornered. Seung Hyun could recognize when there was no way out, and right now there wasn't one. "Uh, just a second." he told Jiyong, Then texted you, Sorry my friend just ambushed me. Apparently it's honesty hour. Talk to you later. Then he put his phone on silent and flipped it around so it laid display down on the table.

Jiyong just leveled Seung Hyun with a look as he took the seat opposite him.

"So, um." Seung Hyun bit his lip and took a sip from his coffee to stall for a few seconds, but he honestly didn't know where to start or what exactly Jiyong wanted to talk about. "What's up?"

"That, for one thing." he nodded towards the phone. "You've done a good job at being inconspicuous, but it was only a matter of time until somebody figured out that it wasn't one of us you were texting all the time." Supporting his chin on one hand, he looked at his friend for a moment. "Don't get me wrong, this is private and none of anybody's business, which was why I didn't bring it up when I figured it out two months ago. It's probably also why nobody else has brought it up, if anybody has figured it out yet. But you've been looking unhappy lately. Why?"

It came out almost like an interrogation, but Seung Hyun knew Jiyong well enough to know that, for him, this was his way of showing concern. He might not always know how to express it, but he cared. He might even be worried.

Unsure, Seung Hyun drew his lower lip between his teeth and thought about it for a moment. "Would you say I'm a good judge of character?"

Caught a little off-guard, Jiyong blinked. Then he shifted, suddenly uncomfortable, and looked down at his own cup, brows furrowed. "You tell me. A lot of people would tell you not to trust me, so..."

Face softening, Seung Hyun reached out to touch the other man's hand. When Jiyong stilled instead of pulling away, he slid his fingers into his palm and squeezed a little. "I'm not wrong about you. You may hide under a million layers and sometimes I'm not sure even you know who you are, but you're a good friend."

Jiyong squeezed back and nodded slightly. Then he sighed, exasperated, and sat back in his chair, letting go of Seung Hyun's hand. "I meant to find out why you're sad, not end up with you comforting me. How do you do that?"

Mouth quirking, Seung Hyun shrugged. "Genuine caring might play a part in it, at least where you're involved."

Still pointedly exasperated, Jiyong huffed and looked away. Seung Hyun smiled and looked down at his coffee again to give him a moment.

"So..." Jiyong said after a while. "What's up with you? Is it because of the people you've been texting?"

"Not really because of... her." Seung Hyun admitted, deliberately giving away the fact that it was just one single person, and your gender. "More because... well..."

Frowning, Seung Hyun stared into his coffee. There was no way to tell Jiyong his problem without first explaining the circumstances, so he sighed and summed it up as best he could.

"Three months ago, I accidentally called a wrong number. There was this woman at the other end of the phone, we didn't talk or anything...” he hastened to point out. “I hung up pretty quickly. Nothing extraordinary. But somehow we started texting, and then texting more, and eventually talking on the phone. I'm pretty sure we're friends now but..."

This was where he paused, because he hadn't even really admitted it to himself yet. It just sounded so ridiculous, when he put it like that. How well could you really know a person you'd never even met? Then again, how wrong could you be about a person you talked to and texted every day?

"I like her." he said lamely after too long a pause. No doubt Jiyong would draw his own conclusions from those three little words. "But she doesn't know I'm an Idol."

"And you're not sure you can trust her." Jiyong concluded.

When he said it like that, Seung Hyun felt even more guilty. He ducked his head and stared moodily into his coffee cup again. "Yeah. I want to trust her, and I feel bad for not trusting her, but..."

"But you've told her secrets that you don't want to end up in public."

Seung Hyun was long past the point of wondering how the leader managed to do that. It probably wasn't even a difficult conclusion to arrive at, but Jiyong always had the ability of being able to get right down to the root of the issue. He was always right, and he was always fast.

"Yes." he confirmed quietly.

"Hyung..." Jiyong leaned towards him. "You don't have to feel guilty about that. Your whole life is practically a matter of public record. It's entirely natural to be protective of your privacy. Although.." one of his eyebrows hitched up. "In light of that fact, it was rather unwise to spill your secrets to a complete stranger."

"It's not like I told her stuff about the group!" Seung Hyun immediately protested. "Or any deep dark secrets. It's just... intimate, some things. Not things I want to be asked about at press conferences, you know?"

"Yes, I know." Jiyong said softly. "Well..." he continued after a moment. "There's no point crying over spilled soju. You really have only two options: one, back away. Slowly withdraw from the relationship or just stop talking to her altogether. Two, talk to her. Tell her who you are. See what happens and take it from there."

Seung Hyun could only blink at him after that. He was completely right, of course, and it was so obvious, but somehow he didn't see it until Jiyong bluntly put it into words just now.

After a moment, that stunning realization wore off. "I don't want to stop talking to her, or withdraw." he told Jiyong softly. The thought of doing that was actually painful and that was a new realization all in itself. He hadn't known he was in so deep.

You were important to him. You weren't the only one Seung Hyun talked about private things with, or the only one he told everything to, but he did tell you a lot. And you trusted him with a lot too... like your nightmares & what they were about. Little things and bigger things, but it wasn't just that, it was simply your presence in Seung Hyun's life. It might have sounded silly, considering how you had never actually met, but you were an important part of his life. He looked forward to talking to you in the evening, your customary post-dinner phone call that sometimes lasted even past whatever the two of you were watching on TV that night. When he had a stray thought about something he thought you might find interesting, he found himself texting you before he had even made the conscious decision to do it. When something happened, you were usually the first person Seung Hyun wanted to talk to about it.

He wasn't fixated on you, at least he didn't think so. He had other friends that he spent time with and talked to frequently, and he didn't text you every time he so much as breathed or anything. But you were important to him, it was undeniable.

"Then there's really only one thing you can do." Jiyong said, well-aware that Seung Hyun knew it too. "There's no point in stalling, it'll only make you feel more nervous about it. I know you, hyung. You have the tendency to get too into your own head about things like this. Talk to her. Soon."

Seung Hyun swallowed thickly and nodded. The thought was still terrifying, because it was so much more likely he would lose you in some way, and that really was the scariest part. Not the fallout, that would hurt too, but he had a feeling that not being able to talk to you anymore would be the worst part of all.

Jiyong sighed heavily and narrowed his eyes. "I see. You're already in too deep. Text her, now."

"Text her?" Seung Hyun repeated, scandalized. "Jiyong, I can't just tell her something that important via text."

Jiyong rolled his eyes. "Tell her that you have something important to talk to her about. Don't say "we need to talk", those are break-up words and everyone knows it."

Thoroughly derailed, Seung Hyun flushed. "We're not... there's nothing to break up."

"Isn't there?" Jiyong raised an eyebrow at him, entirely unimpressed with the older man's self-awareness or lack thereof. "You're not the only one who talks to her every day. She talks to you every day too."

That was... very true. And it was a fact, not just something Jiyong said to try and encourage him. The tiny lift in confidence Seung Hyun felt from that was enough for him to pick up his phone and text you.

I have something important to talk to you about, let me know when you have time? Belatedly realizing how that sounded, he quickly followed it up with. Nothing bad, promise.

But he wasn't sure that was the entire truth.

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mojput-mypath · 5 years ago

Text

7 traps on the spiritual path/7 zamki na duhovnom putu

Reading time: 6 minutes, 28 seconds

For spiritual people – so they know what to look out for. And for non-spiritual people, in case they might get into spirituality – just so they know what not to do:

1. You have done a meditation course. You are now a meditator. You did a course of a day or two, and even had some colourful experiences during your meditation. You are now a real meditator. You do know everything about meditation, and yes, you meditate every day. You deserve a title of a meditator. Above all, you now know everything about meditating and meditation. You are ready to teach others!

A cool meditator/Otkačeni meditant

2. I have been doing practices for years but I am not progressing at all. When you lack self-worth. I have been doing spiritual practices for many, many years, but somehow I am not advancing. I still get angry, I still fight others and I still hate other people. Something is just wrong with me. Everyone else is better, I am just not made for it, God does not support me, no matter how much I try.

3. I just know what is best for you. Go ahead and ask me! After 10 years of spiritual life, I know all the answers to all the questions that mere mortals ask. I see how they live and I have some real advice for them. I can recommend them what would be the best spiritual practices to do and explain to them in detail how to live in order to gain the most out of the practices I recommended them.

4. The material world is an illusion, I will not participate in that illusion any longer. To seemingly not participate in the material world starts by not spending any more time with people who are “not spiritual”. From a certain moment on, all my friends are actually spiritual and I go out only for kirtans and pujas. They definitely do not live in the illusion of the material world (they don’t eat, nor pee nor poop, they live on prana and think about God all day long).

Escher’s illusion/Escherova iluzija

5. My Guru, my practice, my ashram – are the absolute best. My teacher is the most enlightened teacher of all teachers. You must meet him/her and feel it to know how enlightened they are. My practice is amazing. You know how good I feel after doing my practice? You must start doing it to see how great it is. In my ashram, all the people are available, open-hearted, dedicated – just beautiful people. You must meet them all.

6. I have transcended the practice and the knowledge, I do not need those anymore. I did a lot of practices, and not only did I do them, but I practiced for hours and hours, practically day-and-night. I have experienced all states of consciousness. I am so ‘high’ on prana that I don’t need practices any longer. I have watched and read so much knowledge and spent so much time with the enlightened that I have arrived to my own conclusions, therefor I do not need to meditate any longer, nor ever read any knowledge.

7. Thinking you know what the traps on the spiritual path are. You write a blog about your (spiritual) life, you have been meditating for some years and you think it’s on you to wake up your spiritual friends and their spiritual friends by explaining them how wrong they are. To your mortal friends you need to explain what to look out for if they stumble upon a yoga or meditation class one day, just so they know.

The source of all my knowledge/Izvor svog mog znanja

Just so you know, I have been stuck in all the 7 traps. This is what I advise myself when I find I got caught:

1. You have experienced meditation. It’s great! Now you have the experience of meditation. It must have been a meaningful, deep and beautiful first time… As like with anything else in life, some time is needed for things to fall into place, practice is needed, for it to become a real experience, and a part of daily life. Only then do we really feel the full benefits of what we are doing and can safely state that our experience is truly what it is and then maybe start transferring it to others.

2. Change comes moderately, exactly as it should. Once we start with spiritual practices, especially at the beginning, life somehow takes a sharp turn. Suddenly everything seems to be different. We perceive ourselves, others and the world quite differently. However, after that time, most commonly that leap never repeats itself in the same way. That does not mean we are not progressing, or not changing, not learning from our mistakes – it just means all this is happening in a different pace, that is natural to us and our lives. Look at how you were 2 years ago and how and who you are now – is there any difference?

3. You know what is best for you, let others live… It is certain that after long years on working on raising the quality of your life, you have experienced a lot and you must know what worked and what did not work – for you. Which practice, what kind of diet, physical and emotional cleansing, healing etc. has given you the most benefit, and which might have not brought you any benefit. This does not mean you are an expert in knowing what is best and in alliance with other people and their way of life, not to even mention their individual karma.

4. Material world being one aspect, spiritual world being another aspect of the same. Every person that has touched spirituality has decided at some point that the material world basically sucks. Too bad! Because the material world is the one we live in. How come? We have arms and legs, we eat and drink, we speak and meditate. All this seems to be happening inside of the material world. This material world has a twin, the spiritual (emotional, mental, intuitive) world. Both are complementary. To reject living in the dirty material world, is the same as saying: I wish not to live at all.

5. My Guru, my practice, my ashram – is a choice. Gurus, spiritual practices and spiritual groups – are many! Some Gurus are no longer physically with us, yet their spirits is quite alive in people, some are with us, and they are wonderful, but not recognised. Spiritual practices are in abundance: ancient authentic ones, ancient but modernised, new authentic ones, or new but less authentic ones. Spiritual groups also differ from each other by having different beliefs. Some spiritual groups are exclusively vegetarian, some are not at all and similar attitudes. No one is better or worse, what is important is what you choose and what chooses you - and that is the best for you.

6. Spiritual ego. The teacher explains how at the end of the path one needs to let go of the meditation practice as well. After having meditated for a looooooooooong while, we should become free from it, in the sense of letting go of the bondage or addiction for anything in this world. Yes, maybe for some advanced souls. To the mere mortals it is really never bad to continue doing spiritual practices even longer than long. After some time, we become stronger from the inside, we become more stable and then we become arrogant, we start believing we have all the knowledge and we tend to lose the innocence of the student, and the openness to receive new insights.

JP Sears, Spiritual As Hell/JP Sears, duhovan ko sam vrag

7. I know everything. I do not think I know, I KNOW what the traps on the spiritual path are, and I have successfully proven this now, right? To convince oneself that you are ultimately right from your subjective point of view, never becomes boring. So, I hope that my arrogance will keep you here, still reading, while knowing I cheated you into it.

Me, being spiritual in the material world/Ja, duhovna u materijalnom svijetu

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

HRVATSKA VERZIJA

Vrijeme čitanja: 5 minuta, 31 sekunda

Za duhovne ljude – da znaju na što treba pripaziti. I za ne-duhovne ljude, u slučaju da se susretnu s duhovnošću, da znaju što im je ne-činiti:

1. Prošao si tečaj meditacije. Ti si sada meditant. Prođeš jedan-dva tečaja na kojima imaš lijepa ili čak i živopisna iskustva s meditacijom. Ti si sada pravi meditant. Sve znaš o meditaciji i da, ti meditiraš svaki dan. Zaslužuješ titulu meditanta. Ti si sada meditant i ništa osim toga! Ideš okolo i govoriš ljudima kako ti meditiraš. Osim toga, ti znaš sada sve o meditiranju i meditaciji. Spreman si za podučavanje!

2. Radim prakse godinama, ali jednostavno ne napredujem. Napretka niđe. Osjećaj manje vrijednosti. Radim duhovne prakse već dugi niz godina, ali nekako ne napredujem. I dalje se ljutim, i dalje se svađam i dalje mrzim ljude. Nešto sa mnom nije u redu. Svi drugi su bolji od mene, ja jednostavno nisam za to, ne ide mi, mene Bog ne podržava koliko god se ja trudio.

3. Ja jednostavno najbolje znam što je dobro za tebe. Pitaj me! Nakon 10 godina duhovnog života, ja znam odgovore na sva pitanja koja obični smrtnici postavljaju. Vidim kako žive i imam prave savjete za svakog od njih. Mogu im preporučiti što bi im bilo najbolje raditi od duhovnih praksi i detaljno objasniti način kako živjeti da bi dobili najviše iz tih praksi koje sam im preporučio.

4. Materijalni svijet je iluzija, ja u toj iluziji više neću sudjelovati. Prividno ne-sudjelovanje u materijalnom svijetu počne tako da se više ne družimo s ljudima koji „nisu duhovni“. Od nekog trenutka na dalje, svi moji prijatelji su duhovnjaci i ja izlazim samo na kirtane i puje. Oni definitivno ne žive u iluziji materijalnog svijeta (ne jedu, ne piške ni ne kake, žive na prani i cijeli dan razmišljaju samo o Bogu).

5. Moj Guru, moja praksa, moj ashram – su apsolutno najbolji. Moj učitelj je najprosvjetljeniji učitelj od svih učitelja. Moraš ga/ju upoznati i osjetiti to da bi znao koliko je prosvjetljen. Moja praksa ti je fenomenalna. Znaš kako se dobro osjećam nakon svoje prakse, moraš je i ti početi raditi da vidiš kako je dobra. U mom ashramu su samo radišni, otvoreni, požrtvovni, pre-kras-ni ljudi. Moraš ih upoznati.

6. Ja sam praksu i znanje trancendirao, više mi nisu potrebni. Radio sam puno praksi, i ne samo to već sam i te prakse radio satima i satima, maltene danonoćno. Sva stanja svijesti sam već iskusio. Toliko sam 'high' na prani da ti meni te prakse uopće više ne trebaju. Toliko sam znanja pročitao i pogledao, družio se s prosvjetljenima, da sam na kraju došao do svojih vlastitih zaključaka. Nije mi potrebno više meditirati niti išta pročitati.

7. Misliti da znaš koje su to zamke na duhovnom putu. Pišeš blog o svom (duhovnom) životu, meditiraš neke godine i misliš da je na tebi da probudiš svoje prijatelje duhovnjake i njihove prijatelje duhovnjake tako što ćeš im objasniti gdje griješe, a svojim prijateljima smrtnicima objasniti na što da pripaze ako slučajno jednog dana nalete na neku yogu ili meditaciju, čisto da znaju.

Samo da se zna da sam sama zapela u svih ovih 7 zamki. Ovako sama sebi savjetujem kada se nađem u raljama zamki:

1. Doživio si meditaciju. Super je! Sada imaš iskustvo meditacije. Mora da je taj prvi put bio znakovit, dubok, lijep… No, kao s bilo čim drugim u životu, za sve je potrebno neko vrijeme da sjedne na svoje mjesto, da se vježba, da se iskusi i da postane dio svakodnevnog života. Tek tada osjećamo pune dobrobiti onoga što radimo, i možemo sa sigurnošću tvrditi da je naše iskustvo istinito i eventualno ga prenijeti drugima.

2. Promjene dolaze umjereno, baš onako kako treba. Kada počnemo s duhovnim praksama, pogotovo u početku, nam se život nekako naglo promijeni. Odjednom sve izgleda drugačije. Drugačije doživljavamo sebe, druge i svijet oko sebe. Međutim, nakon toga se najčešće više nikada ne dogodi taj kvantni skok kao taj prvi put. To ne znači da ne napredujemo, da se ne mijenjamo, da ne učimo na greškama – samo se odvija u tempu koji je prirodan za nas i naš život. Pogledaj sebe prije 2 godine i sada – ima li kakve razlike?

3. Znaš što je najbolje za tebe, a druge pusti živjeti… Svakako nakon dugo godina rada na poboljšanju kvalitete svog života da si iskusio mnogo toga i da puno bolje znaš – za sebe – što je funkcioniralo, a što nije. Koja praksa, kakva vrsta prehrane, fizička i emotivna čišćenja, iscjeljivanje itd. su ti donijele više dobrobiti, a koje možda ni nisu. Što ne znači da si vrhunski stručnjak u tome niti da znaš što je najbolje i u skladu s drugom osobom i njenim načinom života, a da kažem s njenom individualnom karmom.

4. Materijalni svijet je jedan aspekt, a duhovni drugi aspekt istog života. Svaka osoba koja se dotaknula duhovnosti je u jednom ili više trenutaka ‘odlučila’ ili zaključila da materijalni svijet ne valja. Šteta! Jer materijalni svijet je onaj u kojem živimo. Kako to? Imamo ruke i noge, jedemo i pijemo, govorimo i meditiramo. Meni se to sve čini kao da se radi u materijalnom svijetu. Taj materijalni svijet ima svog blizanca, duhovni svijet (emotivni, mentalni, intuitivni). Oba su komplementarna. Odbijanjem življenja u prljavom matrijalnom svijetu, je isto kao da smo rekli: ne želim živjeti.

5. Moj Guru, moja praksa, moj ashram – su odabir. Gurui, duhovne prakse i duhovne grupe – ima ih! Neki Gurui nisu više fizički s nama, ali njihov duh u ljudima je itekako živ, neki su s nama, i divni su, a nisu prepoznati. Duhovnih praksi, hvala Bogu, ima ko pijeska. Što drevnih neiskvarenih, što drevnih koje su modernizirane, što novih autentičnih, što novijih, a manje autentičnih. Duhovne skupine se odijeljuju po vjerovanjima kolektiva. Neki duhovnjaci su isključivo vegetarijanci, neki ne i slično tome. Nitko nije bolji ili lošiji, ono što je važno je što ti odabereš ili što tebe odabere – i to je najbolje za tebe.

6. Duhovni ego. Učitelj objašnjava kako na kraju puta treba otpustiti i praksu meditacije. Nakon što smo duuuuuuuuuuugo meditirali, treba se i toga osloboditi, u smislu vezanosti ili ovisnosti za bilo što na ovom svijetu. Da, možda za neke napredne duše. Običnim smrtnicima nije loše raditi duhovne prakse dugo i još duže. Nakon nekog vremena ojačamo iznutra, postanemo stabilniji, i onda počinjemo biti bahati, vjerovati da smo pokupili svu pamet svijeta i izgubimo nevinost učenika, otvorenost za nove spoznaje.

7. Ja sve znam. Ja ne mislim da znam, ja ZNAM koje su to zamke na duhovnom putu, i to sam sada uspješno dokazala, zar ne? Uvjeravati sebe da si ultimativno u pravu iz svog subjektivnog kuta gledanja nikada ne dosadi. Zato se nadam da će te moja bahatost zadržati tu da i dalje čitaš – znajući da sam te dohvatila na prevaru.

#spiritual path #spiritual ego #spirituality #personal blog #spiritual traps

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moltementi · 6 years ago

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' considering i'm the one with the weapons, i get to say what i want. ' - for eddie boy :D

shadowhunters starters | accepting~!@paddyfuck

’ now lass, I’m not sayin’ y’can’t– ’

How he sodding managed to find himself without blade or gun was beyond his understanding. Given that the linear passage of time was also a concept beyond him at the moment, it may be safe to assume that he’d gotten a bit more drunk than initially intended.

It was a vice, and not one he could moderate well.

“-I’m jus’ sayin’ that maybe a spot of caution is warranted, aye? Only one of us is armed, and that’s not quite a situation I savour the thought of.”

#( answered | edward kenway )#[ you know. i have a feeling this started after he tried to swing his weight around. xd ]#[ so maybe anne swiped his shit when he was blackout. he needs a babysitter i swear to piss. ]#onlyliberty #( asked and answered; )

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tumblunni · 7 years ago

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Not really a huge development, but a random thought about the undeveloped wild dragon mom rpg idea thing!

I had a cute concept for an ally dragon and/or love interest? I dunno, I haven’t decided yet how rare the dragon species is gonna be. Like, if there’s gonna be multiple potential eligable batchelor draigs then that could be cute. it could be kinda nostalgic like in the oldest harvest moon games where there was barely much dialogue and it was just like Here A Gift Of A Cheese. Win over your potential mates wiv one (1) interestingly shaped rock and some groovy dragon danceys! Tho I feel like if this other character was instead gonna be the ONLY other dragon npc, then it’d be a total waste to just use that plot thread on the same old ‘literally no chemistry except we need to repopulate the species’ thing that’s been done a bazillion times. mebbe jus b friendz!

Anyway, the idea was that this dragon (preemptively named Roger) would be more based on that extra tiny caterpillar with the brown fluffy catflike face. Lil kitten churro! Lil fluffle mc hug! This would be a valuable pedigree breed from a human perspective. So we have a group of human poachers as a very rare enemy around the jungle, and you’d be able to meet like The One Good Human who keeps this lil dragon pal as his secret pet while all his commanding officers are trying to skin them for their valuable scales. Roger would basically be like a pampered dog, and it’d be a super surreal experience from the perspective of the wolf in this scenario. Why are you sitting on that human’s lap?? What’s that jingle bell around your neck?? WHAT EXACTLY IS A ‘ROGER’??? I’m thinking Roger isn’t 100% oblivious about wild life tho, since after all he’s just being kept at some guy’s wilderness habitat, and he was ‘rescued’ from the wild in the first place. Tho its been so long that he’s lost a lot of his survival skills, and he’s absolutely terrified of returning to the forest. I suppose that’s natural when he was the only one that survived the poachers attacking his nest. Even if he had to survive by becoming a coward and living in servitude to one of the same poachers :( So his sidequest would be a lot of you both learning about each other’s different way of life, and trying to figure out if this human named ‘Owner’ is really the one human who isn’t as evil as sin itself. And Roger has a lot of tales to tell about the mythical ‘Apartment’ land, somewhere across the ocean, where you can sleep in a warm indoors forever and try amazing foods that come out of steel cans! He’s kinda a bit like a cult member sometimes... And.. like.. he’s not even really domesticated or anything, he’s literally like if you stuck a collar on a wolf. One that’s been mentally broken might be able to be obedient to some degree, but they’re still a wild animal that’s potentially dangerous and living in this environment is potentially dangerous to them too. Not to mention he’s probably always almost blowing his human friend’s cover cos he doesn’t know how to stay quiet. “Uhh.. yeah boss... someone ate all the paperwork... it was me. I was sleepwalking.” *muffled yelps of something moderately dragon sized hiding inside a duffel bag* Possibly a sidequest or two could be you sorta helping this human figure out how to take care of Roger properly? like, the human camp doesn’t have any meat rations so he’s completely malnourished. Or he accidentally eats something that’s poisonous to dragons. Or he gets a claw caught in the fence and everyone’s panicking trying to get him out before the seargeant sees him, and then roger is like ‘THIS IS AN OMEN! This is what i get for trying to follow you back to that scary forest! I BELONG IN THE DUFFEL BAGGGGG’

So there’d probably be a choice in the end of whether you wanna prematurely end your story here and let yourself be tamed by this human too, or if you manage to convince Roger to leave. And either way could go good or bad, if you try and force Roger out of his safe home against his will then he’s not gonna magically realise you were ‘right’ as soon as he gets in the wild, he’s just gonna be depressed as fuck and never trust you again. It’s more about making him realise that he’s being delusional about the housepet life being 100% safe, and about it really being what he wants. And hell, you could even help him work through his past traumas while coming to the opposite realization about yourself, and deciding that living with humans is actually where you’re meant to be. Orrrrr you could decide to go with Roger before actually talking out all these issues, and you could end up being dragged into this paranoid worship of humans and never feel safe again for a single day of your life even as you tell yourself its the safest place on earth. ‘They won’t kill me cos I’m useful, I have to stay cute forever’ is a pretty messed up way to live your life! Oh, or you could just get a version where you chose to dislike all the stuff about being a pet, yet went along with it anyway cos Roger Wuv, which ends in the absolute opposite of all cheesy romance endings because seriously yo don’t give up your entire life for your man!

And then like The True Route would have Roger’s human owner finishing up his redemption route, basically. He’s been doubting his boss’s orders and he hid Roger as his pet to protect him, but he hasn’t been brave enough to actually try and stand up and stop all of this. Him and Roger are very well matched in fear! So ultimately if you do everything right he’ll be inspired by your beautiful tale of small animal romance to go forth and protect you, even at the cost of his own life! The ending would play out the same as if you get Roger to leave him, but instead the human seemingly abandons him and vanishes overnight. After a few weeks of sorrow, he actually comes back... along with a giant fleet of more human soldiers! Aaaa, is it an invasion?! but for some reason these humans fight off the bad humans and take them to ‘arrest’ for ‘illegal smuggling of dragons’ and you don’t understand any of these words but OK something is happening I guess!! And it’s all yay, but then Roger’s human has to leave again, this time for a much longer time. he went back home and told the authorities about the smuggling operation, but that meant confessing that he was part of it too. So he’s got a long sentence to carry out... And then depending on whether you sided with the pro-wild or pro-tame philosophy, your lil family’s fate is different. The good guy humans might just set you free into the wild again and promise to protect your forest from this ever happening again. (Tho you get a weird tag on your back foot and some vaccinations for rabies.) Or, if Roger never managed to adjust back into the wild, then the human scientists conclude that you’ll never survive on your own now, and the humans need to take responsibility for what they’ve done. So you don’t get to stay with that one particular human, but you get rehomed to a wildlife sanctuary and get even more snuggles from even more nice people. ^_^ And then it could be kinda bittersweet cos dragons live very long. From your perspective you thankfully didn’t have to wait too much until you could see your first human friend again, but you barely even recognise him cos 20 years in prison does a lot to a person. Oh, and in the version where you stay in the forest, he’d actually join with the wildlife conservationists after he finishes his sentence, so he’s finally able to see you every day! 20 long years and seeing his lil pet Roger again was his only reason to live. And now he can meet your whole big ol cuddly dragon family!

#dragon mom game #basically imagine the kittypets from warriors #but dragons #but also kinda kitties #but also named roger #i dunno why but roger is just a really cute name for a cat

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italianvillaallen · 7 years ago

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Using Chinese Herbs for Colds and Flu

Italian Villa Restaurant | Allen, Tx - Italian Villa Restaurant | Allen, Tx -

Chinese Herbs for Cold & Influenza

Photo fm Flickr

We have actually all heard it stated that scientific research, regardless of its notable success, has actually never ever successfully treated the cold. You have actually heard it previously, “We could land spacecrafts on Mars, yet cannot cure the common cold.” In addition to this expression comes the depressing resignation that this issue might be merely more than we can handle – a humbling curse that is humanity’s permanent concern – the curse of the cold.

Many individuals assert you could heal a cold with an incredible range of supposed remedies. Garlic, ginger, elderberries, zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, gold seal, and also a couple of over the counter solutions like Airborne © are common recommendations. Many find that perhaps a few of them assisted, but none completely eliminated the cold. Usually, as soon as cold symptoms appear, regardless of what remedy is applied, the cold would have to run its course.

A New, Old Discovery

One auspicious cold season a friend recommended a little vial of Chinese tablets with instruction to take them if a cold started. Not long after, there was occasion to test them when the first signs of an impending cold appeared one morning. Remembering the vial, and desperate to avoid the typical seven days of misery, I gave them a try and went off to work.

That night, over supper, I was actually amazed when I recognized that I had completely forgot waking ill that morning. Rather than blossoming into a full blown cold with all it’s challenges, it just didn’t happen. All the symptoms disappeared completely. Chinese herbs? Who knew?

Yin Chiao

Photo by jimd2007

The pills turned out to be something called Yin Chiao, additionally referred to as honeysuckle as well as clean toxin tablets. Amazed I’d never heard about this before, it opened the world of Chinese herbal remedies for me. Ever since, Yin Chiao and other comparable Chinese solutions have actually circumvented the majority of my colds in addition to those of my family members, friends, and associates. Even though modern medical science hasn’t achieved a cure for the cold, it would seem Chinese herbalists discovered it hundreds of years ago.

As it turns out, it also wasn’t the secret I thought it was. Billions of people in Asia have been using these herbal drugs long before the 18th century. It’s difficult to understand why, if they work so well, they aren’t more main stream. Even when the history reflects their long term success, these Chinese remedies challenge the basis of our pharmaceutical science and are often met with resistance.

With modern prescription drugs often proving harmful or having unacceptable side effects, perhaps even as ineffective, many have lost their trust in them, and even in the doctors writing the prescriptions. Even over-the-counter medications so typically marketed as risk-free and extensively recommended by medical professionals, have been discovered to actually elevating our blood pressure, hindering various other medications, as well as proving harmful, if not fatal, to our kids. Most of children’s cold medications have been recalled by the USFDA, deemed unsafe.

A Safe Alternative

Photo by Jonas B

It’s past time we truly discovered these Chinese herbs and learned their uses, because they’re safe, and frankly, are more effective than anything being prescribed by modern physicians.

If everyone was aware and used these remedies, it would revolutionize the industry. Considering half of all doctor visits are for cold symptoms and similar ailments, more common use of these remedies would change the face of Western medicine. Perhaps bad news for doctors, reducing unnecessary doctor visits would unclog a system grown congested and inefficient. Good news for patients, as doctors will potentially have more time to actually visit with you and do a more accurate diagnosis.

Chinese medicine has actually long recognized that cold and flu are triggered by foreign microorganisms developing outside our bodies and showing up as if by the wind. These wind pathogens attempt to permeate our defenses and penetrate deeper into our bodies. They are referred to as exterior wind diseases and defined in 4 classifications: wind cold pattern, wind heat pattern, wind damp pattern, and also summer heat pattern. A lot of health problems we identify as colds belong in the wind cold or wind heat classifications.

Our bodies are shielded from these by the lungs, referred to as the umbrella organ. The lungs regulate the skin as well as govern the opening and closing of the pores. The lungs are vulnerable to attack when the pores are open on the skin protecting the upper body. When exposing your chest, neck, head, or shoulders to a draft, particularly if you’re sweating, will offer easy access for any wind disease that may be blowing by. Ultimately, this is why it’s best to cover up during the flu season.

Wei Qi

Photo by h.koppdelaney

The Chinese teach that we are additional protected by our own defensive energy, called wei qi, said to permeate our lungs and skin, creating a protective barrier to these winds. With sufficient wei qi you should withstand exposure to most colds without suffering ill effects. Wei qi can be boosted with the use of herbs like astragalus huang qi, which tightens the surface, offering additional protection because they close the pores and minimize sweating. They’re used when you’re well, before you have symptoms, to block the illness. Once you’ve become ill, they’re use is discontinued so you don’t trap pathogens and prevent them from being expelled naturally from the body, causing the development of symptoms in deeper organs, like nausea and diarrhea.

Discharging pathogens is accomplished through herbs that promote sweating. They fall into two categories: warm pungent herbs for cold pathogens, and cool pungent herbs for warm pathogens. Which pathogen you’re suffering from is defined by the symptoms.

Headache, body aches, strong chills, mild fever and the lack of thirst reflects wind cold requiring warm pungent herbs. A fever over 101 degrees, sore throat, mild chills and generally more severe symptoms reflect a hot pathogen, which requires cool pungent herbs. Wind heat pattern diseases are the flu, measles, and mumps, for example.

Herbs treating wind heat work as well as wind cold treatments so the differences aren’t as important. Most of the commonly available Chinese herbs align with wind heat formulas effective for any kind of cold, however there are some body part specific formula distinctions for herbs that work particularly well on specific areas of the body.

For instance, colds which start in the throat appear to react best to Yin Chiao, which is probably one of the most well-known of all Chinese cool solutions. This formula was initially released in 1798 in Dr. Wu Ju Tong’s Wen Bing Tao Bian (Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases).

Dose

Yin chiao is taken as a tablet or powder instead of as a hot tea to maintain the chemical stability of the major natural herbs.

ADULTS: At the very first indication of cold or influenza, take 3 to 5 grams right away (normally 6 to 8 tablets, depending upon the brand name of yin chiao), after that take 2-3 grams every 4 hrs for the remainder of the day. For avoidance, take 2 grams (3 to 4 tablets) every 4 hrs when at risk for cold or influenza. This formula is purported to be safe for pregnancy.

CHILDREN: 700 milligrams (typically one tablet computer) per twenty-five pounds of body weight is appropriate, crushed and blended with food.

Program of Usage

The course of therapy is a minimum of a day, but no longer than a week, with plenty of bed rest, when possible.

Suggestions

Keep a supply of yin chiao tablets in convenient locations like your car, bag, or pocket throughout the flu season. If you feel a cold breaking, then take it right away, and before entering public places like an airport or a mall just to be safe.

Chinese Medications and their function

Honeysuckle (jin yin hua, Lonicera flos): Expels external wind heat, cleans toxins and clears heat.

Forsythia (lian Qiao, Forsythia suspensa fructus): expels external wind heat, clearing heat and toxins.

Balloon flower (jie geng, Platycodi grandiflori radix): circulates lung energy, transforming cold mucus and is beneficial to the throat, directing other herb actions upward.

Peppermint (bo he, Menthe herba): good for the throat, will also clear your head and eyes while clearing wind heat.

Edible burdock (niu bang zi, Arctium lappa): also good for the throat, detoxifies fire poison and clears wind heat.

Crested grass (dan zhu ye, Lophatheri gracilis): relieves thirst and reduces irritability, while clearing exterior wind heat.

Schizonepeta (jing jie, Schizonepeta tenuifolia): clears exterior wind cold and wind heat.

Fermented soy bean (dan dou chi, Sojae praeparatum seminal fluid): Relieves irritability and clears both hot and cold exterior conditions

Chinese licorice root (gan cao, Glycyrrhiza uranelsis radix): moderates and balances various natural herbs while purifying fire poisons, this herb is good for the Qi while it tonifies the spleen.

For colds that start in the nose, Gan Mao Ling is best. It can be used alone or with Yin Chiao to address the first sign of sinus congestion or a cough.

DOSE

ADULTS: If taken alone or along with Yin Chiao or Zong Gan Ling, take 2-4 tablets every three to four hrs.

CHILDREN: Crush one tablet per 25 pounds of body weight, combined with syrup or food.

INGREDIENTS: (and traditional uses)

Ilex Origin Gang Mei Gen – Removes Warmth and also Settles Toxic Substances

Evodia Fallen Leave San Cha Ku – Gets Rid Of Warm and also Fixes Toxic Substances

Chrysanthemum Blossom Ju Hua – Distributes Wind-Heat, Gets Rid Of Liver Warm, Cools Down Lung Warmth

Vitex Natural Herb Huang Jing Cao – Spreads Wind-Heat, Cools Down Lung Warmth

Isatis Origin Restriction Lan Gen – Removes Warmth, Cleans Contaminant

Lonicera Blossom Jin Yin Hua – Removes Warmth Cleans Toxic Substance, Soothes the Surface area.

WARNINGS

Due to the brief background of usage for several of its components (less than 100 years), Gan Mao Ling is Not Advised For Usage While Pregnant. Extended usage can trigger indigestion or loosened bowels.

To ease colds which are too well established to block, or to soothe colds that start with body pains, high temperature, as well as chills, I think the most effective treatment is Zong Gan Ling.

Zong Gan Ling (Likewise recognized as: Efficacious Cold Treatment)

CONVENTIONAL USAGES

Good for relieving severe cold or flu symptoms like body aches, fever and chills, congestion, sore throat, or headache.

DOSE

ADULTS: Take 3 to 6 tablets every 4 hrs. If signs continue, see an accredited healthcare service provider. Do not surpass 12 tablets a day.

CHILDREN: One tablet per 30 pounds of body weight. Crush and combine with food. Do not surpass 4 tablets a day.

INGREDIENTS

Kudzu Root (also referred to as Ge Gen or Radix Puerariae): Clears heat, relaxes the muscles, and nourishes fluids. Known main components: puerarin, puerarin-xyloside, daidzein, daidzin B-sitosterol, arachidic acid.

Hirsute Holly Root (additionally called Mao Tung Ching or Radix Illicis Pubescentis): Rejuvenates Blood and clears toxic heat. Known main components: flavonoid glycosides, triterpenoids, tannin, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid.

Vervain (likewise called Herb of the Cross or Ma Pien Tsao or Herba Verbenae): Disperses blood and clears heat. Known main components: hastatoside, verbanalin, verbenin.

Woad Root (referred to as Indigo, Ban Lan Gen or Radix Isatidis): Quells heat, Purifies Fire Poison, and helps the Throat. Known main components: indoxyl-B-glucoside, B-sitosterol, isatin, arginine, glutamine, proline, tyrosine.

Wormwood Plant (also called Qing Hao or Herba Artemisae): Cools blood and clears heat, deficiency fever and summer heat. Known main components: abrotamine, B-bourbonene, farnesyl acetate, caryophyllene, B-humulene,, artemesia ketone, vitamin A.

Typsum (called Shi Gao or Gypsum Fibrosum): Quells Fire and clears heat and stomach fire rising to the head. Known main components: calcium sulfate, calcium oxide.

Notopterygi (referred to as Qiang Huo or Radix & Rhizome Notopterygium incisium): Disperses dampness and cold, alleviating pain and directing herbs upward while releasing the exterior. Known main components: angelical, osthol, glabra lactone, bergaptin.

EXPERT NOTES

Unlike Zhong Gan Ling imported from China, Dr. Shen’s Zong Gan Ling consists of no medicines, dyes, drugs, animal products, or unlisted active ingredients. Each tablet consists of a 750 mgs. of quality wildcrafted natural herbs. Each tablet has a natural food glaze coating in a shape that makes swallowing easier.

Dr. Shen’s Zong Gan Ling is a twentieth century formula which utilizes a battery of heat clearing herbs, many of which have actually been revealed to hinder the development of a vast array of microrganisms.

COURSE OF USE

The program of therapy is a minimum of one dosage over a maximum of 2 weeks each episode. Rest throughout the period of administration will help.

These strong heat clearing herbs are not recommended for continuous use or as a daily supplement.

Cold prevention is an entirely different formula, strengthening the body’s defenses. Jade Windscreen (or Jade Shield) is the most well known of this formula.

Jade Shield – Astragalus Mix

Additionally referred to as Augmented Jade Windshield, this formula is made use of to develop protective power (wei qi) and also Consolidate the Surface area (cold and flu protection).

Formula Source: Jade Windshield Powder, Teachings of Zhu Dan Xi

Activities: Enhances the Qi, Exterior stabilization

Enhancement: enhancement of Ligustrum lucidum (privit fruit Nu Zhen Zi and also Cinammomi ramulus cinammon branch Gui Zhi Practitioner Note: Including Ligustrum increases the immune enhancing tendencies of astragalus while decreasing the drying properties of both the atractylodes and also the ledebouriella. Changing some siler and also bai zhu with cinnamon twig additionally minimizes dryness. These adjustments make the formula extra powerful and also appropriate for long-term usage for those with dry or yin deficient constitutions.

Components, Functions, as well as Major Chemical Components

Astragali Radix

Botanical Name: Astragalus Membricanaceus

English name: Milk-vetch root

Mandarin name: Huang Qi

Japanese name: Ogi

Korean name: Hwanggi

Taste: Sugary Food Nature: Warming, Very safe

Functions: Advantages the Qi, Raises the Yang, Reinforces the Spleen/ (pancreas), Tonifies the Wei Qi (protective power)

Significant components: 2,4-dihydroxy-5,6- dimethoxyisoflavane, choline, betain, kumkatenine, glucoronic acid, b= sitosterol

Ligustri Lucidi Fructus

Organic Name: Ligustrum lucidum

English name: Privet fruit

Mandarin name: Nu Zhen Zi

Atractylodis Rhizoma

English name: Atractylodis root

Mandarin name: Bai Zhu

Cinnamomum cassia

English name: Cinnamon branch

Mandarin name: Gui Zhi

Ledebouriellae Sesloidis Radix

Herb Name: Ledebourilla or Saposhinikovia

English name: Siler

Mandarin name: Fang Feng

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Where to Find Chinese Herbs

A lot of these solutions are readily available in health food shops, specifically on the West Coast. If you cannot locate them at your neighborhood natural food shop, you could definitely locate them on line. I highly recommend that you attempt them. They will certainly open your eyes to the strength as well as dependability of Chinese herbals. And also, unlike a lot of the medicines at your pharmacy, every one of these are risk-free for youngsters.

Bear in mind that a simple century back, no person in the West had actually become aware of Chinese food. Today there are Chinese dining establishments almost everywhere. I could guarantee you that Chinese cold medications function, and will certainly end up being as beneficial to our society in the 21st century as Chinese food ended up being in the 20th century.

This post Using Chinese Herbs for Colds and Flu was authored by site.dev2

from Italian Villa Restaurant | Allen, Tx http://ift.tt/2Dau3g4

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studentofrhetoric-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Part 3, Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017

International News:

--- "Centrist Emmanuel Macron is projected to come out on top in the first round of France's presidential election next month ahead of far-right leader Marine Le Pen before going on to win in a runoff, a Harris Interactive poll showed on Thursday. Macron was seen winning 26 percent of the vote in the April 23 first round followed by Le Pen on 25 percent, according to the poll for France Televisions. Both scores were unchanged from the last time the poll was carried out two weeks ago, even though it was carried out after the two traded barbs in a televised debate on Monday involving all the main candidates. Conservative candidate Francois Fillon saw his score slip to 18 percent of the first round vote from 20 percent as he struggles to limit the damage from a series of financial scandals. Meanwhile, far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon saw his share of the vote rise to 13.5 percent, surpassing for the first time the score for the ruling Socialists candidate Benoit Hamon at 12.5 percent. Macron was seen winning the presidency by beating Le Pen in the May 7 runoff with 65 percent of the vote to 35 percent for the National Front leader, unchanged from two weeks ago.The poll was conducted on March 21-22 among 6,383 voters."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-idUSKBN16U09F?il=0

--- "The number or people who died in an attack close to Britain's parliament on Wednesday has risen to five after the death of a third member of the public, police said. Previously, the death toll had stood as four, including the attacker and a police officer. Britain's top counter-terrorism police officer Mark Rowley told reporters that police believed the attacker was inspired by Islamist-related terrorism. Rowley said police believed they knew the identity of the attacker but he declined to provide details."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-police-update-idUSKBN16T38U?il=0

--- "In a move without precedent in German history, the country will soon deport two German-born men accused of having discussed terrorist activity. On Tuesday, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig threw out a case saying that the men, one an Algerian national and the other a Nigerian citizen, should not be deported because there was no proof they had committed a serious offense. In so doing, it cleared the way for deportations that the state government of Lower Saxony ordered last month, when it described the pair as a threat to national security. It is the first time in the country’s history that German-born residents will be deported, a spokesman for Lower Saxony’s interior ministry told the dpa news agency. The ruling may be a sign of hardening attitudes in Germany, which has been facing the joint challenges of migrant inflows and terrorist attacks since 2015. "You can count on us using all means at our disposal with full force," state Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said, the Associated Press reported. "It's completely irrelevant whether they grew up here or not."...Unlike the United States, Germany does not confer citizenship on any child born in the country. Instead, citizenship follows the principle of jus sanguinis, or right of blood, in which citizenship is not determined by birthplace but by the citizenship of both parents. That means Germany can deport people to their country of citizenship even if they have lived in Germany all their lives."

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2017/0322/Germany-set-to-deport-native-born-potential-terrorists

Domestic News & International News

--- "Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday the United States would set up "interim zones of stability" to help refugees return home in the next phase of the fight against Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria and Iraq. The top U.S. diplomat did not make clear where these zones were to be set up. He was addressing a meeting of 68 countries and organizations gathered in Washington to discuss accelerating the battle against Islamic State. "The United States will increase our pressure on ISIS and al Qaeda and will work to establish interim zones of stability, through ceasefires, to allow refugees to return home," Tillerson told the gathering at the State Department, where the former oil executive was hosting his first major diplomatic event. Although it was unclear how the zones would work, creating any safe havens could ratchet up U.S. military involvement in Syria and mark a major departure from President Barack Obama's more cautious approach. Asked about Tillerson's remarks, coalition spokesman Colonel Joseph Scrocca said the U.S. military had not yet received direction to establish any kind of "zones". Increased U.S. or allied air power would be required if President Donald Trump chooses to enforce 'no fly' restrictions, and ground forces might also be needed to protect civilians in those areas...Tillerson called on coalition partners to make good on financial pledges to secure and rebuild areas where Islamic State has been pushed out. The coalition has pledged more than $2 billion in assistance for Iraq and Syria in 2017."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-idUSKBN16T0CQ?il=0

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump, who has sought to ban travelers from Iran and other Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States, issued a holiday greeting on Wednesday to Iranians celebrating the New Year holiday known as Nowruz. Trump, who has also criticized the nuclear deal between Iran and western powers negotiated during President Barack Obama's administration, did not refer to the travel ban in his statement. "Nowruz means 'new day' in Persian. It is an occasion to celebrate new beginnings, a sentiment that is particularly meaningful for so many Iranians who have come to our country in recent decades to make a new start in a free land," Trump said in a statement issued by the White House. Nowruz is Iran's most important national event and is celebrated with family gatherings, vacations and gift-giving. "For many years, I have greatly enjoyed wonderful friendships with Iranian-Americans, one of the most successful immigrant groups in our country’s contemporary history," he said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-iran-idUSKBN16T3A6?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump and House of Representatives leaders pushed on Wednesday for votes for their plan to overhaul Obamacare and said they were making progress in their efforts to win over conservative Republicans who have demanded changes to the legislation. With a vote on the bill expected Thursday evening, members of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative Republican faction, said they had been negotiating possible concessions with the White House. Much of the discussion hinged on finding a way to scrap what are labeled "essential health benefits" - services that insurance plans are required to cover under the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, such as mental health help. "I can tell you that we're making great progress," Mark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters. "We're not there yet. But we're hopeful." Trump was to meet at the White House with members of the Freedom Caucus on Thursday at 11:30 a.m, the White House said. But while the president courted conservatives, the bill appeared to be losing traction among Republican moderates, some of whom attended a meeting late Wednesday in House Speaker Paul Ryan's office. Representative Charlie Dent, a leader of the "Tuesday Group" of House Republican moderates, issued a statement saying he could not back the bill. "I believe this bill, in its current form, will lead to the loss of coverage and make insurance unaffordable for too many Americans, particularly for low- to moderate-income and older individuals," Dent said in the statement. The chairman of the House Rules Committee, which met all day Wednesday to set the rules for the bill's consideration on the House floor, said late on Wednesday that the panel would resume its meeting on Thursday, having made no definite decision on the timing of the floor vote."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16T22X?il=0

--- "A spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer said on Wednesday a proposal to add a provision to a Republican healthcare bill repealing essential Obamacare benefits would violate reconciliation rules and thus require 60 votes to pass the chamber. "Repealing the essential health benefits provisions under the Affordable Care Act is a policy change, not budgetary, and thus violates the Byrd Rule," Schumer's spokesman, Matt House, said in a statement. "It will require 60 votes to repeal these protections, and the votes just aren’t there in the Senate,” the statement said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-schumer-idUSKBN16T394?il=0

--- "Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday about infrastructure and reducing urban crime, calling the sit-down a "positive" first step toward finding common ground. The lawmakers presented Trump with a 130-page policy proposal titled "We Have a Lot to Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century," a reference to Trump's repeated query on the campaign trail asking what did blacks have to lose by supporting him. "We think it's a positive first start and we're going to continue the dialogue," Representative Karen Bass, a Democrat from California, told reporters after the meeting. Trump has pledged to improve the lives of African-Americans, who largely voted in favor of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 presidential election. Many black leaders have criticized his depiction of urban areas as crime-ridden war zones and his false claims that the first black U.S. president, Barack Obama, may not have been born in the United States. Trump later admitted he believes Obama was U.S. born. At the start of the meeting, Trump said he was serious about his promise to help African-Americans. "Every American child has a right to grow up in a safe community, to attend great schools, to graduate with access to high-paying jobs," Trump said during the portion of the meeting open to reporters. Since coming to office Trump has held a listening session with some of his black supporters and signed an executive order seeking to boost government support for historically black colleges."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-black-caucus-idUSKBN16T390

--- "The 2016 election was just a month away when Steve Curtis, a conservative radio host and former Colorado Republican Party chairman, devoted an entire episode of his morning talk show to the heated topic of voter fraud. “It seems to me,” Curtis said in the 42-minute segment, “that virtually every case of voter fraud I can remember in my lifetime was committed by Democrats.” On Tuesday, Colorado prosecutors threw a wrench into that already dubious theory, accusing Curtis of voter fraud for allegedly filling out and mailing in his ex-wife’s 2016 ballot for president, Denver’s Fox affiliate reported. Curtis, 57, was charged in Weld County District Court with one count of misdemeanor voter fraud and one count of forgery, a Class 5 felony, according to local media. The case is the only voter fraud investigation related to the 2016 election that has resulted in criminal charges in the state, the Colorado secretary of state’s office told Denver’s ABC affiliate. Curtis has not entered a plea. If convicted, he could face more than a year of prison time and a $5,000 fine. His attorney, Christopher Gregory, declined to comment on the case when reached by The Washington Post Tuesday night...Curtis served as chairman of the Colorado Republican Party from 1997 to 1999. In 2011, he made a brief reentry into state politics when he oversaw the advisory board for the Denver Tea Party Patriots, ABC 7 reported."

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/22/ex-colo-gop-leader-said-only-democrats-committed-voter-fraud-now-hes-charged-with-voter-fraud/?utm_term=.00a7aba51a78

--- "A Hawaii lawmaker who says she was pressured to give up her leadership post at the statehouse after criticizing President Donald Trump resigned Wednesday from the Republican Party. Rep. Beth Fukumoto said members of the GOP refused to oppose racism and sexism including a suggestion by Trump to create a Muslim registry during his campaign. "As a Japanese-American whose grandparents had to destroy all of their Japanese artifacts and items and bury them in the backyard to avoid getting taken and interned, how could I not have said anything?" Fukumoto asked. "And how could my party have not said anything?" Fukumoto was voted out of her post as House Minority Leader in February after calling Trump a bully in a speech at the Women's March in Honolulu, saying many of his remarks were racist and sexist and had no place in the Republican Party. Since then, she sought feedback from her constituents about leaving the GOP and said three-quarters of the more than 470 letters she received supported the move. She said she agrees with many Democratic positions on affordable housing and equitable taxes, and hopes to join that party. Hawaii Democratic Party leader Tim Vandeveer said Democrats will give Fukumoto a fair shake, but some members are concerned about her past voting record on civil rights and women's issues...Fukumoto voted against same-sex marriage when it came before the Legislature in 2013. She said Wednesday she voted that way to represent the majority of her constituents, but if she was voting on her own, she would have voted yes. On reproductive rights, Fukumoto said she does not believe in abortion in all three trimesters but does not want to rescind individuals' rights once they have been granted...Members of the Democratic Party on Oahu will ultimately decide whether to accept Fukumoto, but the process could take months, Vandeveer said."

Source: http://time.com/4710443/hawaii-republican-resigns-trump/

--- "On Tuesday, President Trump signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017. The legislation authorizes $19.5 billion worth of spending in the 2018 budget year, and keeps several of NASA’s high-profile exploration programs on track. Signing the law earned Trump a blue NASA jacket and approval from a bipartisan group of lawmakers and astronauts. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat and former Space Shuttle astronaut, voiced optimism about the legislation. "We have the commercial companies going to and from the International Space Station and we have NASA going out and exploring the heavens," he said during the Oval Office signing ceremony. "And we're going to Mars." For the most part, NASA has avoided the deep cuts that the Trump administration has proposed for other research agencies. This authorization bill continues that trend, but doesn’t yet have scientists breathing a sigh of relief. Space policy expert Scott Pace, speaking to The Washington Post, described the bill as a “vote for stability.” Among other measures, it maintains NASA’s long-term goal of sending humans to Mars by the mid-2030's, and continues to fund development of the Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule that will get them there. It also calls for continued support of robotic missions already underway, like a Europa probe and the James Webb Space Telescope. The $19.5 billion authorization bill marks a slight increase over the $19.1 billion requested in Trump’s 2018 budget, described by the agency’s acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot, as “a positive budget overall for NASA.”"

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2017/0322/With-budget-boost-Trump-shifts-NASA-s-gaze-from-Earth-to-Mars

--- "The State Department, which was criticized for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, said on Wednesday it failed to meet an end-of-2016 deadline to manage all its email records electronically. The department, and other U.S. government agencies, had more than four years to meet the deadline under an Aug. 24, 2012, directive that aimed to eliminate the use of paper records as much as possible in favor of electronic record-keeping. That directive was part of an Obama administration effort to update government record-keeping for the digital age and promote accountability for official decisions by ensuring they are properly documented and preserved for future generations. In a report posted by the National Archives on Wednesday, the State Department checked the "No" box in response to a question on whether it had met the goal of managing all its email records in an electronic format by Dec. 31, 2016."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-diplomacy-emails-idUSKBN16U04Z?il=0

--- "On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of two parents of an autistic son, finding that his Colorado school district had failed to provide him with a "free and appropriate public education." School districts are required to provide such an education under the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). But the exact meaning of an "appropriate" education has remained unclear. In January, The Christian Science Monitor’s Henry Gass explained that some federal appeals courts have “held that the district is only required to provide educational benefits that are more than minimal or trivial,” while others have instead ruled that “schools must supply a ‘meaningful educational benefit.’” As a result, “it is unclear whether school districts have to provide ‘meaningful’ or just ‘more than trivial’ educational benefits to students.” In their unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court’s eight justices came down decisively against the “more than trivial” camp, a ruling that could bring major benefits to students with disabilities – especially those with “individualized education programs,” or IEPs. "It cannot be right that the IDEA generally contemplates grade-level advancement for children with disabilities who are fully integrated in the regular classroom,” argued Chief Justice John Roberts in the opinion, “but is satisfied with barely more than de minimis progress for children who are not."...But in the court system, one noteworthy supporter of school districts against students has been Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. NPR reports that, as a federal judge on the 10th Circuit, he “repeatedly ruled the other way on similar cases.”"

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2017/0322/In-unanimous-decision-Supreme-Court-raises-bar-for-special-education-video

--- "The rate of infant deaths in the United States has improved, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study released on Tuesday. The infant mortality rate dropped 15 percent over the past decade, from a record high 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 5.82 in 2014, data show. While the new report indicates a promising development in the country’s public health, commentators say the United States has a long way to go to catch up peer nations. Across the country, a rising number of babies are living to their first birthday in most states – 33 states and Washington, D.C., to be exact – and the remaining 17 states saw no significant change, the reports said. The researchers of the study credited awareness and education programs with helping to reverse the trend...While the infant deaths rates of almost all race and ethnic groups followed the larger trend of decline, American Indian or Alaska Natives saw no significant change. Among the declines, infant mortality rates of Asian or Pacific Islander fell the most of 21 percent, followed by non-Hispanic black women at 20 percent. Yet, the disparity among racial groups remains stark, observers said. As babies born to non-Hispanic black women are more than twice as likely to die before their first birthday as those born to a non-Hispanic white woman, a point Slate’s writer Christina Cauterucci highlighted as “the most troubling aspect” of the data...Despite the improvement, the United States still falls behind many other industrialized nations. According to a list maintained by the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States ranks 56th with an estimated infant mortality rate of 5.8 in 2016, trailing after countries such as Canada, Singapore, and a number of European countries. Monaco and Japan are at the top of the list, with rates lower or equal to 2.0."

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2017/0322/US-infant-mortality-rate-declines-but-disparities-remain

#international affairs #domestic affairs #trump administration #source: reuters #source: the Christian science monitor #source: the washington post #source: time

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