#(my already big mind palace app is already. big)

[helielune]

[laurenetuttle]

Japan Day 3 (September 8, 2024)

Today was a great day! I’ll be at very hot and humid. We both had probably at least eight hours of sleep. The hotel room is very nice, but the beds are definitely very firm and we both woke up with back pain. But the hotel overall is great. We enjoyed another buffet breakfast this morning. And then took off to start our day. Immediately, when we stepped outside, we both were just absolutely drenched with sweat. I cannot emphasize enough how hot and humid it is. We’re both really excited to be here, but I think the next time I come to Japan, I will avoid the summer.

We took the subway over to the imperial Palace this morning. I also cannot emphasize enough how amazing the mass transit is here. The whole subway system has been so easy to navigate so well marked. Everybody is so polite and consider of each other’s space. The subways and stations are all very clean. And the subway rides are always very quiet. Everybody’s keeping to themselves and being very mindful. The imperial Palace is where the Japanese royal family lives. Most of the palace grounds are not open to the public. this includes any of the actual buildings. But we had a nice walk around the outside and we explored the palace gardens. They offered a free audio tour so we both downloaded that app and did most of the tour. However, it was very hot and humid. Near the beginning of our tour we needed a break already. So we stopped to get ice cold drinks from a vending machine. Nice thing about Japan is that there are vending machines all over the place is very cheap drinks and they also have a lot of variety of drinks. We took our time to wander through the gardens and take lots of breaks. I was very grateful today for my electric fan. At one point today Liz got a paper fan which she is very excited about because it is also her favorite color which is purple.

After our lovely hot morning, stroll around the Palace Gardens, we decided to take the subway over to the neighborhood of Harajuku. Harajuku is also another Hoppin neighborhood. We spent some time walking around Takeshita street. This street was quite overwhelming with all the people. But it is known for their crêpes. We did decide to pass on the crêpes because it was overwhelming and we really wanted to find a place to eat where we could sit down and maybe cool off a little bit. We ended up finding a restaurant off the beaten path that is known for their gyozas, which are Japanese dumplings. They were absolutely delicious. We got several types of these dumplings plus spring rolls and a curry roll and garlic fried rice. We also both enjoyed a nice iced tea and enjoyed the air conditioning. Everything that we’ve had to eat so far in this trip has been fantastic. This lunch spot was no exception.

After lunch, we made our way to the Meiji Jingu shrine. This shrine was built about 100 years ago in honor of one of the emperors of Japan. This shrine complex is in the middle of a park which is a nice oasis in the middle of this big city. This whole park was covered in really big trees which provided some relief from the sun. Also sidenote during this period we also purchased these Japanese cooling wipes. Their wipes that you’re supposed to wipe across your body and then make you feel cooler for a period of time afterwards. I think they helped a little bit, but it was just so hot. I’m not sure that anything would’ve made us feel super cold. But overall, the shrine and the surrounding gardens and Park were beautiful. We also witnessed a procession of a Shinto wedding. I also acquired an amulet to help me find a good partner in life. We spent some time paying our respects to the shrine and taking in the scenery before walking back into the city. We then decided to take the subway over to the Tokyo metropolitan government building. It’s a 45 story tall building that has an observatory on the top floor. The observatory is free. We ended up walking around basically the entirety of the building before figuring out where the entrance was. It was definitely a hot struggle. But thankfully, we did find the entrance and there weren’t very many people there. to surprise, the observatory was indoors and air-conditioned. And had lots of seating. So we took a nice break in the air conditioning sat down for a period of time. We also enjoyed the views of the Tokyo city skyline. We saw a little bit of the outline of Mount Fuji. It was obstructed with some clouds. We then decided to take the subway to another neighborhood called Shinjuku we saw the famous 3-D cat billboard, highlight of the trip. After walking around Shinjuku a little bit, we stopped by a famous block of little alleyways and traditional Japanese hole in the wall restaurants called Izakayas. We ended up eating at Coco Ichibanya. We both enjoyed a lovely curry dinner, and the air conditioning that the restaurant provided.

We then decided to head back to the hotel because both of us were very tired and hot and gross. We have walked over 20,000 steps today which is more than yesterday. So when we got back to the hotel, we decided to take advantage of the hotel spa/onsen. It’s this big hot tub area where we went to go and relax. Unfortunately it was pretty hot so we didn’t stay very long. But it was nice to relax and soak for a little bit. Also sidenote. Bathing suits were not allowed. We are both now enjoying some quiet, relaxing time and letting our feet rest prior to going to bed. We are looking forward to another day tomorrow with hopefully slightly less walking and maybe a little bit cooler?

[mygainyear2024]

Day 73 Farewell EU and your 90 day visa rules, I'm/we're off on a bucket list adventure to Morocco

Rose and I spent the morning playing tetris with our luggage, particularly as we're flying Ryan Air from Santander to Marrakesh. We duck out to grab some cash and Rose wanted to look at a different Pull & Bear shop. One of the great things about Europe has been the late checkouts, 12 noon at Hotel Chiqui.

I made a reservation at BNT Street Food for lunch, a place on the water I'd seen the first night I walked (no google, no Fork App, just intuition!). First stop the seals and lone penguin at Parque Marino de la Magdalena. This is a free park with ocean on either side and a lovely green space for hanging out.

Lunch did not disappoint. The view out to the beach/ocean, the wine and the burgers, yum. And Rose offered to buy me a cocktail, I opted for the local red instead, so smooth and good with or without the food, I had two!

Our suitcases were both 2kgs over. It worked out ok, we were allowed to remove stuff and jump the queue to bring them back as he'd ticketed us. And no-one really checked our excess carry on!

I was excited to arrive in Marrakesh and it wasn't horrid through passport control. I even practiced my very poor French with the Officer. Sadly the perfume Rose has been desperate to buy in Australia, and we found at Duty Free here, was only available in the departures area, not the arrivals area, despite me pre-ordering. Fingers crossed the pre-order at Tangier Airport on our way out will be available.

We pre-arranged transport with the Riad, and were expecting to see a sign with "Bohemian Jungle" on it and Hassan waiting. But nothing. Luckily the free airport wifi worked outside the terminal, as I left the purchase of a sim card as the Riad owner, the usually very responsive Anna from the Netherlands, said Hassan would help us with all of that. I rang Anna several times, and the Riad, and no answer. I wondered at what point I just get a taxi knowing that we still needed to walk at the end. After about 20 minutes someone else showed up with the scatchings of "Bohemian Jungle" on the back of his sign and said "I'm not Hassan, and handed me his phone to speak to Hassan to confirm we should get in the car!" It was a very exciting ride, even more exciting than any Asian country I've been to. Big cars, down narrow two way alleyways, motor cycles, cyclists, pedestrians, chaos. We entered one medina, passed the Kings Palace, and exited that one and in and out of a couple more. Rose said "I thought we were going to the jungle". My reply "it is a jungle of sorts"! We reach our destination, and I said to Rose, we'll be met and need to walk the rest of the way. The driver and Hassan seemed to be having several heated conversations. I think it was about how far he needed to drive us in. Thankfully Hassan was there when we stopped and we walked about 300 metres around several corners and we arrived. It is magnificent. Hassan served us traditional mint tea and biscuits, gave us a map and explained the important sites, a book with pictures of how to get out of the Riad and back again, and an old phone to ring if we get lost. He's already suggested to Rose that they share shisha, having given up alcohol. I heard them talking and Rose said something like "my mum won't let me"! I sang out and said "I don't mind it's up to you"! We asked for some ice so we could make a start on the second 1 litre bottle of gin! And I asked if there was fresh milk I could have for my coffee in the morning, already googling that fresh milk is available in Marrakesh, but best bought early before the sun affects it!!

[bitchassbucky]

.avi

Word Count: 1.2k

Warning/s: nsfw! (literally) stalkerish themes. dark!bucky x dark-ish!reader. cybercrimes being committed. f & m masturbation. sex toy (vibrator mention). this is kinda meta, tbh.

A/N: the long-awaited part two of .exe mwahaha. we're delving not-that-deep into bucky's little thingy methinks. as always, reblogs and comments are welcomed! <3

follow the CTRL series:

i - .exe

ii - .avi

iii - .raw

iv - .png

v - .zip

CTRL playlist

CTRL moodboard

Jesus Christ, you’re insatiable.

Bucky barely woke up when he caught you masturbating with a rabbit vibrator on your bed—laying on your stomach. The towel you thoughtfully laid on was folded halfway. He assumes that you’re a squirmer too when you come. The Friday night show was his favorite though, shame that he didn’t get any footage of it.

His dick is already hard but he’s got no time to waste just yet. Clicking open a screen recording app, he gets to work. Bucky’s already got some footage of you sleeping, cleaning up, and tidying your sheets. In his little mind palace, he’d never let you do any of these things—he’ll be the one to change the sheets, he’d tuck you in bed too.

Bucky let the program run on the desktop as he went to get his breakfast. His mind keeps drifting back to you in his office.

How do you like your coffee?

Do you even like coffee?

You look like a tea kind of person.

Maybe he’ll ask you for breakfast, as soon as he learns how your morning routine goes.

When he came back to his desk, the bed was already made up (again). He got worried for a second until your face came into the frame, your glasses fogged up with vapor.

You bring the laptop with you to the living room, along with a big mug of… something.

He’s gotta learn what you like so he can like it too.

On his side of the things, he sees that you keep your word processor running in the background. More work, perhaps? He hadn’t had the chance to check out your files just yet. He kept himself busy with your pictures and candids. Bucky had his favorites all printed out—he, of all people, knows that technology can’t be trusted, so why were you uploading these pictures of yourself?

There were ones taken in your bathroom, he presumes. On your bed. In the kitchen. By a fucking window, for crying out loud.

He wants to be the one to take these pictures, to imprint them into his memory. Seared in his brain. But not yet.

For now, he just needs to get back at making sure you’re safe in your apartment.

You’ve been staring and smiling at your phone for a while now.

What are you up to?

—

Turns out Mr. IT Guy isn’t very social-media savvy.

All his pictures are out in the open for everyone to see. You wonder what he’s like in private, then.

Maybe he likes posting candids of his new girlfriends and deleting them when it’s over? For a man who has a face of a god, you’d expect to see at least a girlfriend within the past few months.

But he doesn't. No corny pictures, no hashtags of anniversaries, no tagged photos.

You spent your morning working up yourself with your trusty vibe, the image of him fucking you by the kitchen sink fresh on your brain.

Holy shit, does he have that effect on everyone?

What if you wander into his office after a shift and you’d find him stroking his cock? Would you close the door and never speak of it? Maybe you’d smirk and walk over him, sinking down on your knees to suck him off.

God, now you’re all worked up again. Horny, hot, and bothered. That’s good though, then you’d have the energy to finish the chapter you left a week ago.

—

So you’re a writer by choice. Bucky knew that much.

What he wasn’t expecting though, is you write the most explicit things.

The all-white collar girl he met last week likes to get fucked roughly. Overstimulated. Choked. Gagged. Slapped. Spit on.

He’s gotta show you how to make love. Slow, sensual love. Preferably after the roughhousing, that is.

Oh, the things he’d do to you—how he’ll worship your body, head to the tip of your toes. Bucky wants to bury his cock between your lips and praise you for the good girl you are. He wants to let you know that you don’t need to be degraded in order to come.

You just need him.

Bucky’s cock twitches in his sweatpants, still painfully hard. The thick vein on the underside of his shaft protrudes, waiting for him to just fuck something warm.

His hand will do for now.

By the time he got his hand gripping the base of his cock, he’s got you in fullscreen. The recording app still running in the background.

You’re busy. Typing. Researching. Looking for words to replace ‘say.’ Your sleep shirt is loose on your soft frame.

Bucky focuses on you, then. Imagining you on your knees, right here in his apartment. You’d be wearing those glasses you have on. He knew he had a thing for girls with glasses.

He closes his eyes to indulge himself in his own movie.

Your tongue laying flat against his girth, drooling all over the thick base of his dick. He’d let you take your time licking, all the way from his balls to tip. Your lips would close around his leaking head, teasing and tasting his precum.

One of his ties would be around your wrists so you’d learn how to use your mouth.

Bucky swears to God that he felt your mouth closing in on his cock as he pistons his fist faster. A guttural moan spills out of his mouth as his toes curl, the carpet gripping the pads of his feet.

“God, fuck—Y/N.”

Bucky forgoes any kind of underwear last night, only dressing himself up with baggy sweatpants. It was for the better too. He doesn’t think he’d come so much from watching someone—well, not just someone—on the screen.

He sighs, wiping himself clean on the underside of his pants. He needs to do his laundry soon.

Bucky looks at your face longingly from his side of the screen; God, is this how long-distance couples feel?

Maybe he’ll shoot you a text later.

—

Unknown Number: I hope you’re doing well.

Unknown Number: How's your laptop?

Unknown Number: Shit, sorry, it’s Bucky from IT. :)

Your head spun in three different directions as the texts came in.

Hey, Bucky! I’m doing well. The laptop is too.

Was it too curt? Well, you didn’t want to come off too strong. It’s not like he’s been on your mind for the better half of your weekend morning.

Your stomach made a worrying flip as the message status turned Read 10:44 AM. But there was no typing bubble.

Whatever, you’re fine. You’re a busy girl. A strong, independent woman who—

IT Guy Bucky: Good! Just checking on you. We had some downtime due to system maintenance last night.

Oh, it’s work.

No problems on my end! You type in quickly, sending it. To be fair, all you had in common was a band.

Hey, I have a question. It’s not work-related.

—

Oh.

Oh, he fucked up, didn’t he?

Y/N: Do you know any restaurants near the office? I’m sick of eating take-out food. Other than the hipster hideyhole you told me.

Bucky breathed out a sigh of fucking relief when he read your text. He chuckles mostly at himself and composed a reply.

Yeah! I have a non-hideyhole spot a block away from the office. You wanna check it out sometime?

You already got inside jokes.

Is 11:30 good?

Yeah, Bucky types, a smile forming on his lips, 11:30 it is.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 3-1: 海水与火焰 Seawater & Flames Translation

“The flames of the sunset flicker within your orbs; and the leaves flutter, falling upon the water surface that is your soul.”

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *CG Image used with permission from 蓝咕咕 ☆ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night

Brother Mao: It's soooo god-damned hot out today! A new coffee shop opened down the east street with huge grand opening sales. Come on, come on, everyone grab your share!

Brother Mao had just returned to the office after completing his out of office assignment. He didn't even have a minute to spare to put the bag of goodies down, only wiping his sweat before giving said goodies out to everyone.

MC: Thank you, Brother Mao!

Brother Mao waved his hand in dismissal and threw the neatly folded plastic bag into the bin, only for his eyes to suddenly stop on the handle of the door. He incredulously widened his eyes.

Brother Mao: Since when did our door handle get all fixed up?

Li Man'man: No idea. It was already fixed when I came in in the morning.

Hao Shuai: Sister Zheng Lin, did you nag at the administrative department for this?

Zheng Lin: She fixed it. I saw her fiddling around with it when I clocked in this morning.

Zheng Lin retrieved her documents from the photocopier and jerked her chin at me.

Brother Mao: So this is our beloved heroine of the day! Do humbly pardon me!

MC: I'm the one who broke it after all. Plus, it didn't take that long to fix anyway.

Brother Mao poked his head in front of me, curiously twirling the sleeve of the formal dress I was currently fixing up and doing corrections on.

Brother Mao: You're changing it up that much again? You don't have to reply to me, but you're adding these butterflies? That's real creative! ...And they're all made of twisted metal wire?

MC: Yeah. I started out using soft tulle mesh, but it was all droopy and didn't seem very nice for wings that are supposed to look powerful and lively.

Brother Mao: Now not only does this give it a dynamic feel, but also brings about a romantic yet cruel one!

Brother Mao: Not bad, not bad! Keep at it, and you'll definitely be able to finish fixing it up before next week!

MC: But the Deadline got brought forward… She's going to be doing the fitting tomorrow morning, so I have to finish it by today...

Brother Mao: No way! Don't tell me it's that agent again...

He glanced around, checking that no one had their attention turned to us, before leaning down to my ear.

Brother Mao: I asked around about it earlier, and I heard that the agent has a pretty foul temper.

Brother Mao: Not just to the staff, but her daughter as well. She'll start scolding people at the drop of a hat, even if they did nothing!

It felt as if I could hear the piercing and horrid lashing from that day resounding in my ears again. Her words had been ingrained into my very brain like a needle stuck into a pincushion.

Brother Mao: Geez, Lin Yao's such a brilliant kid. What's there for her to be so unhappy about?

Brother Mao: My mom always told me not to blame myself, and that health always comes first, whenever I fail the promotion. She even said that if I couldn't make it big, then I could just go back home and she'd raise me.

MC: I don't know either. Maybe all these feelings we take for granted come on a conditional basis for her, I guess.

He'd stared at the table and spaced out for a long while. It was almost as if he'd retreated into his memory palace as his expression turned a little sad.

Brother Mao: I'll help you twist them into shape too. Just treat it as my way of thanking her for helping us get out of the pickle we found ourselves in that day.

MC: Okay.

Time passed silently, and it wasn't till nightfall that we finished our work. The office had already cleared out a long time ago, and sporadic stars glimmered in the ink-blue sky up above.

Brother Mao: Done!

I nodded at him in gratitude and kept the now completed dress away. That was when a message notification popped up onto my phone screen.

Housing Agent: Miss (Y/n), don't forget that we're supposed to sign the agreement today at 8 PM. Be there or be square!

Brother Mao: What's wrong?

MC: I'm supposed to go check out the new apartment I'm getting with my agent at 8 PM today, and sign the agreement if all goes well.

And the time displayed on my phone right now was… 7:28 PM.

MC: I should run! Thanks for today, Brother Mao! I'll treat you to food next time!

Grabbing my bag and my work ID, I made a mad dash downstairs.

❖☆———————————★❖

I thought that I'd make it there right on the dot if I'd left now, but who knew that the taxi-hailing app had 80+ people waiting in line! Seeing as how the app wasn't an option anymore, all I could do was to run to the nearest taxi stand.

MC: Why's it not here yet…?

I paced back and forth at the stand, but no taxi ever made an appearance. Just as my anxiousness was about to reach a tipping point, a black sports car drew to a stop before me. The car's windscreen slowly rolled down.

MC: ...Evan?

Evan: Waiting for a ride? Headed somewhere?

MC: Yeah. I'm going to take a look at an apartment. The place I'm renting right now is too far from here, so it isn't terribly convenient.

Evan: Location?

MC: Guangqi-Century City.

He slightly inclined his head, glancing at his watch before getting out of his car and opening the door to the passenger seat for me.

Evan: Get on. I'll send you there.

★Night Choice: Turn him down

MC: No need. I'd be causing you too much trouble.

Evan leaned his arm atop the door of the car, beaming as he looked at me.

Evan: Not at all.

Evan: Besides, I don't have anything on tonight. On the other hand, you seem like you're in quite the rush.

Evan: It'll be bad if you end up late for it because you dawdled here.

His eyes were filled with such sincerity that it made me feel like I'd be doing him a disservice if I refused.

I eventually nodded, seeing as there was no way I could shimmy myself out of this without feeling bad about it.

MC: Thanks.

☆Light Choice: Accept his offer

I glanced back at the taxi stand. It didn't seem like a taxi was coming anytime soon. And I'd really be late if I didn't get a suitable ride soon…

MC: Thanks. Don't mind if I do then.

8 PM, right on the dot. We reached the entrance of the housing estate where the agent was already waiting.

MC: Here it is. Thank you for this! I'll treat you to a meal someday!

Evan: Sure.

❖☆———————————★❖

I hurriedly got out of the car as the two agents quickly rushed up to me upon seeing me.

Agent A: You have a good eye, Miss! This apartment's a hot favourite! 10 over people booked slots to come check it out the moment the listing went up!

Agent B: We've kept this apartment for you till now since you seemed especially keen on it!

Agent A: Let's get the contract agreement signed tonight if there are no problems lest it keeps you up at night!

MC: Sorry, but I'll still have to confirm with you again later. Let's go check the house out first.

Both agents sidled up side by side, enthusiastically explaining and introducing things to me on either side as they urged me forwards.

Thud.

The sound of a door closing behind me made me turn, only to see that Evan hadn't left, and had gotten out of his car.

MC: ?

Evan: I'll go with you.

The agents continued their endless stream of marketing chatter as they pointed out every selling point of the apartment.

Agent A: —And that's all from us. If you sign the agreement contract today, then we can persuade the landlord to give us a little discount...

MC: Okay, then I'll-

Evan: Sorry, but we'll think it through a little more. Could you recommend us some other apartments as well? Sorry about that.

I looked at him in surprise, but he gently shook his head. Hence, I calmed my initial excitement down and turned down their request to have the contract immediately signed.

❖☆———————————★❖

The night was already deep into the throes of darkness by the time we returned to the car park.

The riverbank was coloured with streams of yellow light from the streetlamps above in picturesque disorder. I could smell the refreshing scent of blooming greenery that hung in the air.

MC: Was something wrong with the apartment earlier?

Evan: I don't think you'd like to stay in an apartment filled with construction noises, yes?

MC: But I didn't hear anyone renovating anything?

It was only after the words left my mouth that I realized something.

MC: Oh, right. It's nighttime right now, so all the construction workers should be off work by now… Still, how did you know?

Evan: I noticed that there were paint stains at the edge of the neighbouring apartment's door frame upon entering, and it looked rather fresh too.

Evan: Plus, that housing estate was built 10 years ago, yet the elevator has its interiors boarded up with temporary protective boards.

Evan: So, I'd garner that the neighbouring apartment's most likely, not the only one undergoing renovation recently.

MC: I'd never have realized if you didn't point it out…

Evan: And adding on to that, I observed the surroundings a bit when we entered the housing estate and the security personnel stationed nearby seemed rather sparsely spread.

Evan: So it wouldn't be too safe for you to be staying here alone.

MC: Yeah…

Evan continued talking about the pros and cons of the apartment as the enchanting lights from above reflected in his eyes, melding into the smile that wavered within.

MC: You're so knowledgeable when it comes to this. Did you rent an apartment before?

Although, for someone with his family background, he shouldn’t ever need to rent an apartment on his own.

However, Evan nodded, affirming my suspicions.

Evan: I’ve rented a couple of places for my company back when I was in university.

MC: You mean, the company you founded back when you were studying in Lordton?

Evan: You know of it?

MC: I’ve heard of it before! It’s truly a legendary tale!

Evan: Looks like I’ll have to personally clear up the rumours for you then. It wasn’t exactly a smooth experience.

Evan: I, too, encountered a great many difficulties that I hadn’t thought of before during my first time renting an office.

Evan: For example, unreliable agents. The relevant renting procedures never came to pass for a long time due to that.

Evan: Hence, the office wasn’t ready even if all the employees were already in place.

Evan: And another example would be poor property management, with robberies aplenty as a result.

Evan: Also, I had no choice but to take drastic action and relocate the entire office to a new location since I hadn’t initially considered office expansion.

MC: Wow, I never knew that starting a business would be so hard. You’re amazing to have done it!

❖☆———————————★❖

Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

[Guangqi Rental] Whole apartment for lease. Felin Avenue, 199 Street. 1 bedroom and 1 living room. [Guangqi Rental] Whole apartment for lease. Changle Heights. 1 bedroom and 1 living room.

It was the agent, recommending me a couple more apartments.

[Guangqi Rental] How about any of these?

MC: Now that's way too many…

Evan: You can forward them to me if you don't mind. I can check them out with you.

Evan: I might not be very experienced in this, but nothing will go wrong with having another person to think it through with.

MC: Thank you, Evan.

The night breeze blew past, gently ruffling the loose hairs that had fallen out of place in front of Evan’s forehead.

Evan: We've been talking for so long that I forgot that it's already 9 PM. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat anything?

MC: I said I'd treat you! How about we do it now?

MC: Is there anything you'd like to eat?

Evan: Just pick anything you want to eat. I'm fine with anything.

MC: Don't say that! I'm going to need a proper answer from you today.

Evan: Alright then. I'd prefer for it to be something cooling, if possible.

MC: Hmm… Something cooling?

I glanced around, my eyes sweeping past the signboards of teahouses, food stalls, fast food outlets… until it finally stopped on an old and aged sign that stood not too far away.

MC: I know! Wait for me for a while!

❖☆———————————★❖

MC: Auntie! Can I get two servings of red bean ice and two servings of fruit soup?

Many customers surrounded the small shop. The owner stirred the pot of soft red beans, filling the air with a delectably rich scent of sweetness.

Due to the auntie being the only one manning the store, the demand for the red bean ice far exceeded the available supply. Hence, I had to wait for quite a while before my order finally got done.

Just as I happily took the icy delights from her, the pitter-patter of rain sounded from behind.

The rain came down hard and vicious.

The raindrops that pelted against the roof were akin to silver metal wires, trapping me within the confines of the narrow eaves.

With no other option in sight, I held the two cups of icy treats to my chest using my wrist and freed a hand to shoot Evan a message to inform him of my predicament.

However, before I could fish out my phone… a silhouette had come to a stop before me. He put the umbrella away.

MC: I was just about to ping you. What are you doing here?

Evan didn’t say anything, only smiling gently as he took the icy treats from my arms, quietly standing by my side.

Evan: The rain should cease soon. Let's wait together.

MC: ...Okay.

The curtain of rain secluded us in our own little world, and the puddles, reflecting the neon lights of the signboard above, rippled from the night breeze of summer.

And like a domino effect, this soft and gentle ambience made our moods calmer and much more relaxed in turn.

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 2-24 Light) / (Chapter 2-24 Night) | Next Part: (Chapter 3-3)

[bigfrozenfan-fanfics]

Chapter 15 - Valley of the Living Rock

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday at 6:00 pm CEST dst/UTC +2:00 on (link) Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks. It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting and music.

Elsa could not avert her gaze as they passed the ice palace on her left about an hour after dark. She had placed her forearms on top of each other on the side of the wagon and supported her chin on her left hand while she visibly enjoyed the sight. A pale blue glow lit up the palace from the inside and made the filigree structure visible from afar. It was like a beacon in the night and beautiful to look at.

“This is what I should have created?” she asked Anna softly, “It is simply fantastic.”

“Yes, that was you, Elsa, all alone. I'll have to tell you the long story about it sometime after. It was your refuge and is now the home of Marshmallow and the Snowgies.”

Elsa turned to her with a questioning expression on her face. But Anna laid a hand on hers before she could ask for it and said, smiling, “Be patient. It's an exciting as well as funny story and you'll certainly have many more questions about it.”

Elsa nodded and turned around again afterwards. “All right", she said very quietly and, "I'd love to have a look at it from the inside,” more to herself than to Anna.

But Anna had heard it and said almost as softly, “You will, sis. We will visit your palace together. Hopefully very soon.”

Suddenly Anna remembered all the events when she was looking for her sister back then. Except for the pure beauty of the palace itself and the fact that she had met Kristoff on her arduous journey, however, she did not have very pleasant memories of it and she was somehow glad that Elsa did not insist on her story right now. There was plenty of time for that in another day; she thought.

But it wouldn't be easy for her to reopen her past, she knew that for sure now. She bit her lower lip slightly as she thought about it, but quickly shook the thought off again. There were more important things to do now and soon they would reach the Valley of the Living Rock. Her eyes fell on Olaf, who was sitting directly opposite her. Somehow he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, for he nodded at her in a knowing way and looked at her sympathetically.

But as if she had guessed the right moment in advance, Kristoff just called forward in a loud voice and asked Mattias to come back to him. Both wagons stopped and Mattias rode to his side.

“I know a shortcut and we have to turn off further ahead soon. The path is hard to see, especially now in the dark. It's best if I get in front of your wagon and drive ahead. Sven also knows the way and will lead us there safely.”

“All right, Kristoff. I'll let my people know up front, and we'll come after you. How long will it take us to get there?”

“A little over an hour, I'd say. We'll have to walk the rest as soon as the road is too narrow for the wagons. Besides, the area is very rocky and there are active geysers there.”

Kristoff saw, in the flickering light of the lantern hanging outside the wagon, how Mattias looked at him in astonishment, finally just nodded and rode back. Kristoff pulled up slowly when he saw Mattias waving. The wagon in front also had a lantern hanging on the outside and as he drove by he saw two sceptical looking faces. Trygve and Kristina were obviously not very eager to meet living legends from an ancient fable story in the middle of the night. He nodded at them smiling, “Don't worry, folks. The trolls are harmless. I grew up among them.”

But Kristoff did not see them grinning at each other anymore and Trygve tapped his temple with his finger and shook his head.

Olaf climbed to the front beside Kristoff and laughed in his inimitable way: “I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, especially the little ones. They're always so funny.”

Kristoff looked over at him and was about to answer him when Anna's head appeared between them and said to Kristoff conspiratorially quietly, “Kristoff, I think it's better if you go ahead later and make sure that only Grand Pabbie is waiting for us alone. I don't want Elsa to be frightened. You know how trolls are. Maybe you should warn him about her condition right away.” Turning to Olaf, she quickly added, “I'm sorry, Olaf, but you won't be able to see the little ones tonight.”

“Never mind, Anna, we'll visit them some other time soon,” he returned happily and laughed at her.

Anna looked at Kristoff again and he nodded. “All right, Anna. I hadn't thought of that yet.”

She put a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “Thanks, honey.”

When she sat back down again, Elsa grabbed her arm and asked, “Trolls? We are going to see trolls now?”

Anna pressed her lips together with raised eyebrows and wide open eyes and felt caught. Kristoff hadn't exactly been quiet earlier, and Elsa was now certainly feeling insecure. Why hadn't she instructed Kristoff before.

“Um ... well, actually only to one troll. He is very old and wise, has great amount of knowledge. You have seen him twice before and he has known you since we were both little kids. Kristoff and I hope he can help us with your lost memories. He has certain abilities, you know? You don't have to be afraid of him, even if he looks a little ... strange at first glance.” Anna searched Elsa's face to see if she seemed afraid.

But Elsa just smiled and replied, “I think I have many more miracles to prepare for. I'm beginning to feel as if I've woken up in a fairy tale that's come to life.”

~~~

Yelana had now been on the road for hours and stopped at a lively little stream to refresh herself and give the reindeer water. The advantage of travelling cross-country, as opposed to a wagon on a reindeer, was to save time and travel. She knew the area pretty well, so there was no danger of getting lost in the woods. But despite the time saved, dusk had already fallen and she would not quite make it to Arendelle in daylight. It did not make sense to arrive there in the middle of the night.

She looked around and found a good place to spend the night. The foliage of a big tree was very dense and underneath it was a small open area that would protect her from possible rain. At least as long as it did not pour.

She led the reindeer there and tied the line of the harness to a thick branch. Then she gathered lichen, moss and some mushrooms for the animal. Unfortunately, she herself had not had time to provide for her own food, but this area here offered enough plants that were full of edible berries. She gathered enough of them to satisfy her hunger to some extent.

She then cut off some green pine branches from various trees around her and used them to make a temporary camp for the night. Finally she sat down in front of it and thought about her next steps. Would the council in Arendelle even believe her? She had to find Queen Anna first and inform her about the new situation. It would change everything and possibly endanger the newly won peace treaty between Arendelle and her people considerably. Would she be able to help her to regain her place as leader of the Northuldra?

Yelana sighed and shook her head. Probably not; she thought. In order to proceed against Kolgrimr without endangering further human lives, someone with magical abilities would be needed. Someone like Elsa. Right now they were all so dependent on their fifth spirit, however Elsa was unfortunately out of action.

Yelana reached into her bag and pulled out her scarf that she once got from her mother. She put it around her shoulders and wrapped herself tightly in it. Lost in thought, she stroked the five symbols on it and thought of her past, of the time when everything was still in balance and they all lived in harmony with themselves and everything around them. Long before the fateful day when King Runeard appeared and since then everything, but really everything, had gone out of control.

The peace had not lasted long and she would have to fight for it now, even if it cost her her own life. Once again, she had been thoroughly mistaken about someone, for as it now turned out, Gyda had been giving her son shelter for years and unnoticed. It had probably been she herself who had poisoned her son's being with her hatred and had turned him into a monster. Someone who was now even willing to kill.

Under no circumstances was Gyda allowed to lead the people of the sun. Not ever. She would make sure of it. But Yelana did not yet know how she would do it. She needed support. She needed help from Arendelle.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance and disappointment at herself as she thought back to the Norting and what she had told the men there.

Gyda had lied right into her face and she had believed everything.

~~~

Kristoff stopped the wagon and jumped off the trestle. “End of the line. We have to walk from here,” he called out.

Rocks rose up to their left and right, and the path had become narrow and rocky. Further ahead, the steam of the geysers enveloped the rest of the path.

Kristoff waved back to Mattias and the other two drivers and then went to Sven to make sure that everything was all right with him and that he felt comfortable. Mattias said something to his people and then came forward alone.

“Are we there?” he asked.

Anna replied in Kristoff's place, “Pretty much, Mattias, but Kristoff will go ahead alone first and announce our arrival.”

Mattias nodded and got off his horse to stretch his legs a little.

“I'll be back soon,” Kristoff said as he came back to them and got a torch from inside the wagon. He lit it on the lantern and disappeared shortly afterwards in the fog in front of them.

They waited and it took at least half an hour until finally the other two came to them as well. Trygve carried the lantern from the wagon and asked, “Is there a problem?”

“No, it's all right. Kristoff went ahead alone and should be back any moment,” Mattias replied to them. He saw their skeptical looks, which were directed past him to the front and said, “You don't have to come along if you don't want to.”

“It's okay, General” Kristina said, “We've been through so much already, we don't want to miss the opportunity to encounter a myth.”

She looked at her companion, who nodded affirmatively, “We'll come.”

“All right,” Mattias said, “to be honest, I feel the same way, but keep your eyes open all the time, remember our duty is to protect the royal family at all cost.”

A few minutes later, a faint reddish spot dancing up and down in the thick haze like a will-o'-the-wisp announced Kristoff's return.

After he gave his okay, they all left. Anna walked ahead at his side, followed by Elsa with Olaf, then Mattias, who looked around attentively, and in the end Trygve and Kristina, who looked visibly nervous and kept peering back over their shoulders into the dark. Kristina rubbed her wet palms against her leg dresses.

The little geysers hissed and enveloped them in their damp steam as they passed them. However, after a short time the view became clearer and the narrow path opened up into a lower, almost circular area where there was a large rock. On it sat a quirky looking creature covered with moss, wearing a chain of yellow shining crystals around his neck. It was Grand Pabbie, the king of the trolls, who looked calmly and serenely towards them and had folded his big hands in his lap.

They were already halfway to the clearing when Elsa only now noticed him and stopped in surprise. She stared at him and began to nervously knead her hands in front of her. She hadn't expected this after all. All the others behind her also stopped and waited to see what might happen. Only Olaf ran on and stood next to Anna, who now stopped right in front of the troll. She hadn't noticed anything behind her yet.

The old troll bowed before her. “Your Majesty ..., Kristoff ... it is never a dull moment with you all. Only this time you're going to give me a real challenge.” He looked at Elsa in between them and it took a few seconds before he finally said something again. “She's afraid.”

Anna's head spun around and she ran the few steps back to Elsa, took her hands in hers to calm her down and looked deep into her eyes. “Elsa, you don't have to be afraid of him, really. He only wants to help. Please come forward with me, I'll be by your side at all times,” she said softly and almost imploringly. “Trust me, there's no danger at all.”

Anna felt her sister's hands tremble slightly and for a few moments Elsa didn't react but just stared at the troll. Then her sister took a deep breath and nodded. She looked at Anna and squeezed her hands.

“Okay, let's do it. Whatever come next, we'll do it ... together.”

Anna smiled in relief and led her to Grand Pabbie, holding one hand. They stopped in front of him and Elsa scrutinized him closely, looking at every square inch of the old troll and wondering how such a creature could even exist.

He was alive, there was no doubt about that, but his hair and eyebrows seemed to be made of dry straw and there even grew a small bundle of it out of his ears. His bulbous nose was unnaturally large and the small indentations in it, which were probably the pores of his skin, looked more like the surface of a weathered stone, as did his skin, which showed traces of moss. His moss mantle looked somehow ... fresh, as if it had been harvested in the morning dew and simply peeled off in one piece as a blanket from the ground. The transparent crystals he wore around his neck on a willow rod chain glowed from inside without any visible light source and it almost seemed as if this glow was pulsating slightly.

Finally she looked up into his night-black eyes and held her breath. His gaze seemed to penetrate her and literally nailed her to the spot. His eyebrows lifted and he stretched out his short arms towards her, palms up. He obviously wanted her to put her hands in his. She felt Anna's handshake and her thumb stroking the back of her hand.

She took her eyes off Grand Pabbie and instead looked at her sister questioningly. She now released Elsa's hand and nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead, Elsa. That's just his special way of finding out hidden things inside us. This way he can feel and see what's bothering us. He can help you with that,” Anna said and looked into the troll's face. “At least I hope so,” she then added somewhat more quietly.

Elsa hesitated but finally raised both hands and slowly lowered them onto Grand Pabbie's large four-finger palms. When she touched them, all she felt was a cold, rough surface and a gentle pressure as the troll embraced her hands and held them.

For a while, nothing happened at all, everyone just stood there and concentrated on what was happening. Grand Pabbie had now closed his eyes and his bushy eyebrows were drawn together in deep concentration. There was a tense silence.

Then the old troll suddenly moaned and stared at Elsa. “You really have a big problem, Elsa, and I'm afraid I can't help you. You're under some kind of spell. Someone with magical powers has blocked the access to your inner self along with your memories.”

~~~

---

To be continued ...  

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know, except you are already tagged :-)

Tagging: @karma26 @whether-near-to-me-or-far @annaofthenorthernlights @igotelsapregnanthelp @the-fifth-spirit-elsa ​

[fanficshiddles]

Trust, Chapter 17

Thor and Jane looked surprised when Loki appeared to head to Asgard, with Darcy in tow too with a suitcase.

‘Where’s the Bifrost then?’ Darcy asked excitedly.

‘I did not realise you were joining us, Darcy.’ Thor said, but smiled widely as he then looked at Loki.

Loki grinned. ‘She is going to save me from having to deal with any boring commoners. And will likely lighten the festivities greatly.’

‘Ah excellent!’ Thor beamed happily.

Jane looked slightly irritated. Not overly happy about Darcy going too, knowing the pair of them would likely cause too much mischief.

The group all headed outside onto the green, Thor looked up and called for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. Tony ran out towards them screaming like a mad man at them not to do it on what was essentially his front lawn. But it was too late.

All that was left when he got there was burnt grass again. ‘Bloody Asgardians!’

Darcy was in complete awe as they were whisked through space in the rainbow Bifrost. Then before she knew it, they were on Asgard, stepping into the observatory.

She noted Loki’s arm around her and she looked up at him with a smirk. ‘What’s with the death hold on me?’

Loki rolled his eyes as he let her go. ‘To make sure you didn’t fall out at the wrong place. I don’t exactly fancy spending years looking for you on some unknown realm.’

Darcy shoved his arm playfully. ‘N’awwww you’d come looking for me? How sweet!’

He chuckled and ruffled up her hair in return. ‘I wouldn’t trust you not to cause chaos on some poor unsuspecting race.’

‘Yeah, cause that’s your job.’ She grinned and Loki grinned back at her with a wink.

‘Welcome to Asgard!’ Heimdall said, tearing Darcy’s attention away from Loki.

‘Oh wow, cool sword. You’re the all seeing Himdall, right?’ Darcy asked.

Loki sniggered and bumped her with his hip. ‘Heimdall.’ He corrected.

Heimdall smiled slightly and nodded once. ‘Nice to meet you, Darcy.’

Then the sound of hooves pounding the ground towards them was heard. Odin, Frigga and a guard with some spare horses came riding across the bridge to greet them.

Loki did the introductions for Darcy, since Jane had already met them before. Jane bowed her head to Odin and Frigga, greeting them politely.

Darcy’s mouth fell open as she looked at Frigga.

‘Jesus, Loki. You never told me your mother was so beautiful!’ She said in a slightly high-pitched tone to Loki, then she turned to Frigga and curtseyed. The best she could anyway without actually wearing a dress. ‘It’s so nice to meet you, Loki’s told me all about you.’

Frigga smiled widely at Darcy as she reached out to shake her hand. ‘Nice to meet you too. I heard from Thor that you’re responsible for bringing Loki back to Earth. Figuratively and literally.’ She smiled kindly at her.

‘I kind of am.’ Darcy said smugly, holding her head high.

Loki just cringed awkwardly beside them and put his head in his hand.

‘Although, we didn’t know you were coming till last minute. We don’t have any spare chambers left, so we are in a pickle of where to put you.’ Frigga said regretfully as she looked at Loki.

‘I’ll just bunk with Loki.’

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Oh really?’ He folded his arms over his chest.

Darcy shrugged. ‘I’m not sleeping on the floor. Besides, we’ve shared a bed before.’

Frigga looked between them both in amusement and curiosity. ‘That’s settled then.’ She said quickly before turning around and heading back to her horse.

‘I am going to have to deal with your snoring for two whole nights?’ Loki groaned.

‘Hey, it’s not going to be a barrel of laughs for me either.’ Darcy said as she poked him.

She was then introduced to Odin. She could feel the tension between him and Loki, it was thick in the air. She didn’t say much to Odin, just bowed her head politely.

The group headed out to the horses and Darcy was handed the reins of one of them.

‘Loks. You better give me a leg up, I have no idea how to ride never mind get on.’ She said as she looked over at him, just as he was about to mount his horse.

‘You mean you’ve never ridden before?’ He chuckled as he wandered over to her and swiftly grabbed her leg, not even checking if she was ready, he hoisted her up and onto the horse.

‘Nope!’ She squealed a little as she sat up straight and gathered the reins.

‘Sit up straight, keep your heels down and don’t tug on the horses’ mouth if you can help it.’ Loki said as he put her feet into the right position and moved her fingers into the right place for holding the reins.

Thor had Jane ride with him on the same horse. She hadn’t ridden before either, even on her last trip to Asgard she didn’t ride.

Loki got on his horse and rode up beside Darcy. ‘Your horse is rather attached to mine, so you don’t need to worry about steering right now.’

Darcy only just noticed a hint of mischief cross Loki’s face, before he suddenly kicked his horse on into a canter. Darcy screeched in surprise as her horse cantered straight after his. Loki laughed as he looked over his shoulder and saw her bouncing around in the saddle, but laughing too. He knew she was perfectly safe on that horse and would be up for a bit of an adventure.

Thor chuckled at their antics as they went racing across the bridge ahead of them, Darcy holding on for dear life.

‘Don’t even think about it!’ Jane said to Thor quickly as she held onto him from behind, he just grumbled in response.

Loki and Darcy were long at the palace before the others were. He helped her off the horse and they made their way inside.

‘Holy shit! This place is incredible.’ Darcy said as she looked around herself with her mouth hanging open.

‘It’s alright.’ Loki drawled.

‘Come on, Loki. I know this place doesn’t exactly bring back good memories, but surely even you can tell this place is more impressive than the compound back home.’ Darcy said as she stopped walking and faced Loki.

He shrugged. ‘I guess so. There are some good memories too, I suppose. Racing Thor on our horses across the land, causing mischief to the maids and guards when we were younger.’ Loki gave a very slight smile that made Darcy smile too.

‘See, there’s always good too. Odin does seem… not so great, but Frigga seems wonderful.’ Darcy said sincerely.

‘She is, probably the only wonderful thing about here.’ Loki nodded and continued walking, Darcy followed.

Loki took her to his chambers. She couldn’t believe the size of the room.

‘Bloody hell, this is like the size of a house back on Earth!’ Darcy said as she looked around, checking out the en-suite too. ‘Am I dreaming? Is this for real?’ She said as she jumped onto the bed in a star fish, but still wasn’t even taking up half of the bed because it was that big.

Loki chuckled and used his Seidr to get the fire roaring to life. ‘Anything you need, just ring the bell by the door and a maid will come to see what you need.’

‘What, like, anything and anytime?’ Darcy quickly sat up straight.

‘Yep.’ Loki smirked, sitting down on a chair by the fire.

Darcy slipped off the bed and ran over to the bell, ringing it twice. Loki watched in amusement as not even two minutes later there was a knock on the door. Darcy opened it and was amazed to see a maid.

‘Good evening, anything I can get you, miss?’ She asked with a smile.

‘Some snacks would be nice please… Loki, what kind of snacks do you have here?’ Darcy looked over her shoulder to him.

Loki smirked. ‘Matilda, if you would be so kind to get us the cheese board selection.’

‘Of course, Prince Loki.’ She gave a small bow and smiled at Darcy before disappearing down the corridor.

Darcy stuck her head out of the room and watched her heading off. ‘Is there really someone on standby all the time? Even in the middle of the night?’

‘Yep. Cooks are always in the kitchen too, ready to make whatever you want. Within reason.’

She then snickered. ‘Prince Loki.’

‘What?’

‘Just funny hearing someone call you that. I forget you are a Prince.’

‘Maybe you should start remembering it.’ Loki grinned.

While waiting for the snacks, Darcy disappeared into the bathroom to put on her comfortable pyjamas, which was actually a Rolling Stones t shirt and plain black shorts, just in time for Matilda retuning with the biggest selection of cheese Darcy had ever seen, with crackers and some grapes too.

‘Oh my god, this is definitely heaven!’ Darcy climbed onto the bed with the board and got comfortable.

‘You’re not eating on my bed.’ Loki stood and made his way over, but Darcy was already tucking in.

‘Come on, chill out. Are you going to join me or not?’ Darcy patted the bed next to her.

Loki rolled his eyes. He knew that there was no point arguing with her, so he decided to just admit defeat and join her.

After stuffing themselves full, Loki read for a while by the fire while Darcy played a game on her iPad. There was no WiFi but she was still able to use some game apps without. She was so engrossed in one game she never noticed Loki disappear into the bathroom, until he reappeared.

‘Lights are going off, I want to get rest before tomorrow’s antics.’ Loki said as he made towards the bed.

‘Not like you to need ohhhhhhhhhh my god! LOKI! PUT SOME DAMN PANTS ON!’ Darcy screeched as she glanced up at him, only to see he was completely nude. She quickly averted her eyes like they were burning.

Loki smirked as he got into bed. ‘What? You are the one who said you would share a room with me. I told you before I sleep in the nude.’ He chuckled and got comfortable. He turned the lights out with a snap of his fingers.

‘Well don’t blame me if you get kicked in the bollocks in the middle of the night.’ Darcy said as she rolled onto her side and put her iPad down.

‘Goodnight, Darcy.’

‘Goodnight, Prince Loki.’ She teased, but that earned her a poke in the back. ‘Owww!’

‘Go to sleep.’ He growled.

‘Bossy boots.’ Darcy grumbled quietly.

[mirismuffins-ovo]

Plant Palace ☘️Pt 2

Warning ⚠️ Mpreg

He removed his hands and stood up, helping John to his feet. “So, dinner, what do you have in mind? I’d like to help.” He gave off a cheesy grin.

John blushed and the small cat jumped off his lap when he stood up. “Well we can make some rice n beans,along with some broccoli and carrots” Giving a meek smile and leading him into the kitchen and getting out the broccoli and carrots from the fridge. Taking out the chopping board and a knife and then some pots for the rice and beans “would you mind making the rice and beans while I cut the vegetables?” Eddie had nodded and began to prep the pot's boiling water before adding the rice in.

John had begun to cut the vegetables chopping the carrots awkwardly for a moment until he got into a rhythm. He got too cocky with the speed he was chopping and gave out a small pained hiss when he cut his finger. Cursing under his breath he watched as he saw small roots branching off the carrot growing more off the small slice. Small flowers blooming from the cut he quickly rushed to throw out the carrot slice and painfully ripped out the plants in his wound throwing it in the trash. He heard Eddie say something to him in concern but John ignored him. “I’ll be back..I’m gonna get a bandage” he rushed to the bathroom to get a band-aid.

“Let me know if you need help!” Eddie called over his shoulder.

He saw the water boil so he turned it down for the rice and set it aside. Next he got to work on the beans, washing them then boiling them a bit. John returned a few minutes later looking frazzled. The other shaked it off and resumed cooking.

“Rice is done, beans are cooking? I hope I’m not messing them up.” He said, looking into the pot with curiosity. All he’s ever cooked were beans in a can.

“I bet they’re great” He said in a more calmed tone,continuing with the vegetables before placing them in with the rice and beans “we’ll let them steam for a lil bit” He placed the cap onto the pot and stretched some more,his back was still aching and he felt somewhat dried out “Maybe after eating I’ll take a bath” He shrugged,part of him wanted to ask Eddie to join him but he was never that brave. Tiredly he sat up on the counter and motioned for Eddie to come over. Eddie had walked over to John who was now his height sitting on the counter,John gave Eddie a small hug resting his arms on Eddie's shoulders. The smaller man pulled back for a moment before giving Eddie a small hesitant kiss. John was pretty tired and he always became low energy once the sun started to set. His kiss was gentle and soft,still radiating the flowering scent that consumed the both of them.

Eddie wrapped his arms back around John and held him. The kiss was a surprise, but it felt good. He kissed back, before resting his head on John’s chest. They stayed still for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence. He had grown to love John a lot since meeting him and working for him. He was his breath of fresh air and his newest inspiration for music.

His team was curious as to why they wanted to go a little soft and gentle with their music. Eddie decided to do a few calm songs to make a small EP for his own side stuff. Right now everything was instrumental, and one day hoped to perfect it enough to share it with John. As his ear rested against the younger man’s chest, he could hear the steady heartbeat and something else. It was lighter, quicker, but seemed to match a rhythm.

He pulled away, he needed paper. John was confused at first as Eddie asked for paper and a pen. He got off the counter and found some scrap paper and a pen, handing it over. Eddie quickly drew 5 lines in a row before looking at the confused botanist.

“Stay still.” He asked as he placed his ear to his boyfriend’s chest again, listening for the quick beats. He closed his eyes and envisioned the sound then began to write. The singer got lost in his world, confusing John who left to go fix the food before it burned.

Eddie opened an app on his phone to record a synthesized beat, lost in his zone. He was in his zone, trying to get it right until John tapped him on the shoulder, scaring him out of his little world.

“Ah! Oh, sorry!” He realized what had happened. “Oh no, I’m so so sorry! I just heard your heartbeat and I just had to write music around it. It was… I can’t explain it, but it sounded like you had two heartbeats. There was a big and steady one then a sub beat that was quick and light. I tend to get lost when I hear a good beat. Inspiration just struck me and I had to write it down.” He felt bad for zoning out his boyfriend but once he could put guitar and drums to it, it was going to be a song. John’s song. A song for him.

John couldn’t help but blush at what he said “oh..that’s pretty sweet” He pushed his hair back with one free hand after handing a bowl of food to Eddie “didn’t know my heart made such an interesting rhythm” He laughed softly as he guided Eddie to his bed to go eat in the comfort of his room. “Let's get comfortable,you can write later luv” John's voice was a gentle soft tone as he took his shoes off and sat in bed,Eddie following suit. Them eating together on the bed,John had brought some water to his room, downing the large glass quickly. He basically inhaled his food,he hadn’t mentioned how hungry he’d been recently. He’d felt his stomach start cramping again and the idea of a warm bath coming to him again hoping it’d help. “I was thinking of taking a bath..if you’d like” His face felt hot and was red. “you could join me?” John's words were shy and shaky as he made the offer.

Eddie was surprised to see how hungry John was, but thankful his sickness was passing and he could eat normally. But when he mentioned the bath, Eddie got all shy. Of course he wanted to become more intimate with his boyfriend. He nodded, taking in his last bite of food and taking the bowls while John ran the bath. He took a moment in the kitchen to gather his thoughts.

I mean… he will sit in your lap to fit in the tub. That sounds nice. He could hear his mind smirking. He shook his head. He needed to be respectful. He heard John call him from the bathroom. Nervously he wiped his hands on his shirt to get rid of the sweat and followed the younger male into the bathroom.

John couldn’t help but feel nervous and decently body conscious since he’s put on a few pounds. He looked up at the taller man as he took off his pants sighing in relief when the tight buttons no longer smushed his pudgy belly.

“I’m not making you uncomfortable at all am I?”

John turned around to face him all the way,only standing in his boxers and loose shirt. He didn’t wanna make Eddie feel weird at all,but John at the same time couldn’t help but feel the need for physical comfort. He glanced away as Eddie also got undressed,John slid his shirt off shyly revealing his pale pudginess. Now only in his boxers and ready to get in the tub.

“Not at all.” Eddie replied with a red face. He turned away. “I’ll keep my back so you can jump in first.”

He heard the water slosh around as John got in. John did the same, looking away as Eddie finished getting undressed and stepped in himself behind John. He got comfortable before opening his arms for the younger man to sit in his lap and relax, his fluffy red hair tickling his chin. The two let out a duel sigh, thankful to finally relax.

The two relaxed for a bit but as soon as they felt the water start to grow cold, they washed up quickly and got out. Eddie stepped out first to grab a towel and wrap it around his waist before helping John up and out, setting a towel around the man’s shoulders to help dry him off. They had their backs turned to give each other some privacy as they dried off. Eddie loved the contact the two had in the bath, just holding onto each other and enjoying the quiet. But what next? Was a movie in order? Was he staying the night? He didn’t want to impose.

Once the two finished dressing, they returned to the bed to relax some more.

John went back to the bathroom and dried off his hair which was now a red puffy mess. He dried off his body a bit more and he looked in the mirror for a moment while he combed his hair. His tummy had been noticeably more swollen than normal,it made him anxious. It looked like it was just small pudge,he gently rubbed it. He could feel the cramping again and he tugged at what used to be a loose t-shirt on him. He focused for a moment on the cramping and winced slightly at a small pressure he felt. He was lost in thought and hovered his hands over his stomach to test something. He put energy forth that he’d normally do when growing plants. He felt internal panic when he felt slight squirming and saw the bump grow slightly. Johns face went flushed and he held his stomach in his arms tightly. He didn’t know what this meant.

Only taken out of this trance when he heard Eddie call out to him checking if he was okay.

“I-I’m fine!..” He tried to hide that he was trembling,in denial of what just happened. John slid back out of the bathroom and back to Eddie who was lying in bed.

Eddie felt something was off again. John had joined him back on the bed with a clouded look on his face. He sat up and inched closer to the man.

“John, you’re really starting to worry me.”

He reached up to take his hands noticing John’s usual loose fitting clothes looked more snug. He almost looked… pregnant. It wasn’t a usual pudge with the weight hanging over the waistline, no it looked almost too perfectly round. It was small and didn’t look right. He wanted to say something but didn’t want to frazzle the man any further than he already was. All Eddie could do was wait.

He let out a shaky breath and couldn’t look at Eddie only past him.John spoke in a soft flat tone “I’m okay..alright Eddie?” He tugged at his shirt some more and sat up straight pulling some of the blankets over him to hide his growing tummy. John didn’t know how to explain what'd just happened in the bathroom. He didn’t want Eddie to get super involved because he knew it might be an abnormal thing and he was still considerably afraid to tell his boyfriend. John hadn’t noticed the small leafs and buds that’d barely grown from John's small test. He was guessing there was a chance he had seeds inside his stomach and maybe that was what was happening.

“Okay, I’ll drop it. I’m sorry for pestering you about it… I just want you to know you can trust me if you need help.”

He looked at his boyfriend with sincere eyes and let go of his hands, sitting back in the bed, opening his arms. John crawled onto the bed and snuggled up to him. Bitty had joined them too, curling up closer to the younger man, purring up a storm.

Eddie was feeling tired but wanted to stay up with John. As they sat there, enjoying each other’s company it wasn’t long until Eddie could hear the soft evened breath of John. He was asleep, curled up to him, his head on his chest. He carefully moved them to lay down and turned off the lamps before cuddling him back and the two fell asleep.

[imagine-loki]

Trust, Chapter 17

TITLE: Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 17 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki kidnaps Darcy Lewis, in hopes of getting the tesseract in return for her. Imagine his surprise when he grows rather fond of the mortal, finding that she understands him better than anyone else ever has.  RATING: M

Thor and Jane looked surprised when Loki appeared to head to Asgard, with Darcy in tow too with a suitcase.

‘Where’s the Bifrost then?’ Darcy asked excitedly.

‘I did not realise you were joining us, Darcy.’ Thor said, but smiled widely as he then looked at Loki.

Loki grinned. ‘She is going to save me from having to deal with any boring commoners. And will likely lighten the festivities greatly.’

‘Ah excellent!’ Thor beamed happily.

Jane looked slightly irritated. Not overly happy about Darcy going too, knowing the pair of them would likely cause too much mischief.

The group all headed outside onto the green, Thor looked up and called for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. Tony ran out towards them screaming like a mad man at them not to do it on what was essentially his front lawn. But it was too late.

All that was left when he got there was burnt grass again. ‘Bloody Asgardians!’

Darcy was in complete awe as they were whisked through space in the rainbow Bifrost. Then before she knew it, they were on Asgard, stepping into the observatory.

She noted Loki’s arm around her and she looked up at him with a smirk. ‘What’s with the death hold on me?’

Loki rolled his eyes as he let her go. ‘To make sure you didn’t fall out at the wrong place. I don’t exactly fancy spending years looking for you on some unknown realm.’

Darcy shoved his arm playfully. ‘N’awwww you’d come looking for me? How sweet!’

He chuckled and ruffled up her hair in return. ‘I wouldn’t trust you not to cause chaos on some poor unsuspecting race.’

‘Yeah, cause that’s your job.’ She grinned and Loki grinned back at her with a wink.

‘Welcome to Asgard!’ Heimdall said, tearing Darcy’s attention away from Loki.

‘Oh wow, cool sword. You’re the all seeing Himdall, right?’ Darcy asked.

Loki sniggered and bumped her with his hip. ‘Heimdall.’ He corrected.

Heimdall smiled slightly and nodded once. ‘Nice to meet you, Darcy.’

Then the sound of hooves pounding the ground towards them was heard. Odin, Frigga and a guard with some spare horses came riding across the bridge to greet them.

Loki did the introductions for Darcy, since Jane had already met them before. Jane bowed her head to Odin and Frigga, greeting them politely.

Darcy’s mouth fell open as she looked at Frigga.

‘Jesus, Loki. You never told me your mother was so beautiful!’ She said in a slightly high-pitched tone to Loki, then she turned to Frigga and curtseyed. The best she could anyway without actually wearing a dress. ‘It’s so nice to meet you, Loki’s told me all about you.’

Frigga smiled widely at Darcy as she reached out to shake her hand. ‘Nice to meet you too. I heard from Thor that you’re responsible for bringing Loki back to Earth. Figuratively and literally.’ She smiled kindly at her.

‘I kind of am.’ Darcy said smugly, holding her head high.

Loki just cringed awkwardly beside them and put his head in his hand.

‘Although, we didn’t know you were coming till last minute. We don’t have any spare chambers left, so we are in a pickle of where to put you.’ Frigga said regretfully as she looked at Loki.

‘I’ll just bunk with Loki.’

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Oh really?’ He folded his arms over his chest.

Darcy shrugged. ‘I’m not sleeping on the floor. Besides, we’ve shared a bed before.’

Frigga looked between them both in amusement and curiosity. ‘That’s settled then.’ She said quickly before turning around and heading back to her horse.

‘I am going to have to deal with your snoring for two whole nights?’ Loki groaned.

‘Hey, it’s not going to be a barrel of laughs for me either.’ Darcy said as she poked him.

She was then introduced to Odin. She could feel the tension between him and Loki, it was thick in the air. She didn’t say much to Odin, just bowed her head politely.

The group headed out to the horses and Darcy was handed the reins of one of them.

‘Loks. You better give me a leg up, I have no idea how to ride never mind get on.’ She said as she looked over at him, just as he was about to mount his horse.

‘You mean you’ve never ridden before?’ He chuckled as he wandered over to her and swiftly grabbed her leg, not even checking if she was ready, he hoisted her up and onto the horse.

‘Nope!’ She squealed a little as she sat up straight and gathered the reins.

‘Sit up straight, keep your heels down and don’t tug on the horses’ mouth if you can help it.’ Loki said as he put her feet into the right position and moved her fingers into the right place for holding the reins.

Thor had Jane ride with him on the same horse. She hadn’t ridden before either, even on her last trip to Asgard she didn’t ride.

Loki got on his horse and rode up beside Darcy. ‘Your horse is rather attached to mine, so you don’t need to worry about steering right now.’

Darcy only just noticed a hint of mischief cross Loki’s face, before he suddenly kicked his horse on into a canter. Darcy screeched in surprise as her horse cantered straight after his. Loki laughed as he looked over his shoulder and saw her bouncing around in the saddle, but laughing too. He knew she was perfectly safe on that horse and would be up for a bit of an adventure.

Thor chuckled at their antics as they went racing across the bridge ahead of them, Darcy holding on for dear life.

‘Don’t even think about it!’ Jane said to Thor quickly as she held onto him from behind, he just grumbled in response.

Loki and Darcy were long at the palace before the others were. He helped her off the horse and they made their way inside.

‘Holy shit! This place is incredible.’ Darcy said as she looked around herself with her mouth hanging open.

‘It’s alright.’ Loki drawled.

‘Come on, Loki. I know this place doesn’t exactly bring back good memories, but surely even you can tell this place is more impressive than the compound back home.’ Darcy said as she stopped walking and faced Loki.

He shrugged. ‘I guess so. There are some good memories too, I suppose. Racing Thor on our horses across the land, causing mischief to the maids and guards when we were younger.’ Loki gave a very slight smile that made Darcy smile too.

‘See, there’s always good too. Odin does seem… not so great, but Frigga seems wonderful.’ Darcy said sincerely.

‘She is, probably the only wonderful thing about here.’ Loki nodded and continued walking, Darcy followed.

Loki took her to his chambers. She couldn’t believe the size of the room.

‘Bloody hell, this is like the size of a house back on Earth!’ Darcy said as she looked around, checking out the en-suite too. ‘Am I dreaming? Is this for real?’ She said as she jumped onto the bed in a star fish, but still wasn’t even taking up half of the bed because it was that big.

Loki chuckled and used his Seidr to get the fire roaring to life. ‘Anything you need, just ring the bell by the door and a maid will come to see what you need.’

‘What, like, anything and anytime?’ Darcy quickly sat up straight.

‘Yep.’ Loki smirked, sitting down on a chair by the fire.

Darcy slipped off the bed and ran over to the bell, ringing it twice. Loki watched in amusement as not even two minutes later there was a knock on the door. Darcy opened it and was amazed to see a maid.

‘Good evening, anything I can get you, miss?’ She asked with a smile.

‘Some snacks would be nice please… Loki, what kind of snacks do you have here?’ Darcy looked over her shoulder to him.

Loki smirked. ‘Matilda, if you would be so kind to get us the cheese board selection.’

‘Of course, Prince Loki.’ She gave a small bow and smiled at Darcy before disappearing down the corridor.

Darcy stuck her head out of the room and watched her heading off. ‘Is there really someone on standby all the time? Even in the middle of the night?’

‘Yep. Cooks are always in the kitchen too, ready to make whatever you want. Within reason.’

She then snickered. ‘Prince Loki.’

‘What?’

‘Just funny hearing someone call you that. I forget you are a Prince.’

‘Maybe you should start remembering it.’ Loki grinned.

While waiting for the snacks, Darcy disappeared into the bathroom to put on her comfortable pyjamas, which was actually a Rolling Stones t shirt and plain black shorts, just in time for Matilda retuning with the biggest selection of cheese Darcy had ever seen, with crackers and some grapes too.

‘Oh my god, this is definitely heaven!’ Darcy climbed onto the bed with the board and got comfortable.

‘You’re not eating on my bed.’ Loki stood and made his way over, but Darcy was already tucking in.

‘Come on, chill out. Are you going to join me or not?’ Darcy patted the bed next to her.

Loki rolled his eyes. He knew that there was no point arguing with her, so he decided to just admit defeat and join her.

After stuffing themselves full, Loki read for a while by the fire while Darcy played a game on her iPad. There was no WiFi but she was still able to use some game apps without. She was so engrossed in one game she never noticed Loki disappear into the bathroom, until he reappeared.

‘Lights are going off, I want to get rest before tomorrow’s antics.’ Loki said as he made towards the bed.

‘Not like you to need ohhhhhhhhhh my god! LOKI! PUT SOME DAMN PANTS ON!’ Darcy screeched as she glanced up at him, only to see he was completely nude. She quickly averted her eyes like they were burning.

Loki smirked as he got into bed. ‘What? You are the one who said you would share a room with me. I told you before I sleep in the nude.’ He chuckled and got comfortable. He turned the lights out with a snap of his fingers.

‘Well don’t blame me if you get kicked in the bollocks in the middle of the night.’ Darcy said as she rolled onto her side and put her iPad down.

‘Goodnight, Darcy.’

‘Goodnight, Prince Loki.’ She teased, but that earned her a poke in the back. ‘Owww!’

‘Go to sleep.’ He growled.

‘Bossy boots.’ Darcy grumbled quietly.

[writing-frenzy]

Airplane Crossing Over Plots~

Like it says on the tin, these were ideas I had for crossovers involving our fav writer~ (EDIT: Thank you @guiltycorp for inspiring this a bit XD)

Now, I’ve mentioned before, with Airplane choosing the go home option, he ends up still with a golden core in all this mess but he needs to cultivate his body really carefully because of it. (come on, he put in all the time and effort to be an immortal master, he should be able to still have his bad ass skills; not to mention with it being a soul thing, because a golden core is just as spiritual as it is physical, so he will definitely still have it.)

So, sealing his core and having his Nascent Soul outside his body to relieve some of the pressure on it, (having it look like a little chibi SQH that usually hangs out in hoodie pockets or hiding in Airplane’s hair with an aura of disguise around it), Airplane has to go and actually work out, which isn’t too much of a hardship for him at least, seeing as he’s had years to get into a routine and survival instincts kicking in to help him out there.

And, he may have actually started taking school seriously again, actually applying himself, maybe even getting an online accounting job to help supply his income. When he’s steady with that, he finishes PIDW the way he had been leading up to, the ending that makes the most sense and satisfices the writer the most (and if it gives him some closure, he isn’t saying anything about that.) Now that he is finally free from PIDW, and has college and work to worry about, he writes whenever he damn well pleases, and whatever he wants to fuck what anyone says.

(He might or might not write some absolutely filthy porn whenever the mood hits him, and cackles how his fans both greedily read it and cry because his newer works are so tragic, even if they have happy endings at times. Yes, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky is a porn writer, but first and foremost is he an angst writer more~ His fan’s tears and cries just make him stronger kind of writer~)

(I just honestly want Airplane to write what he wants to now, that is one of the biggest motives behind all this honestly)

So, we have the set up :D let’s get to what we can cross over here~

First Up: ~Cutivation Group Chat~

Come on, how can one resist this? Plopping good old Airplane into this wild ride is one of the few things that makes me so happy in life. The thought of it makes me grin, especially since it can go two ways in my opinion~

First way: Airplane replaces Song Shuhang; like, just seeing Airplane, who was an Immortal Master and Teacher in those situations would be so funny, yet intriguing as well to see how he handles it, because you know he’ll be able to, just in ways no one ever expects. (Besides, that werid luck of Shuhang’s would be perfect for him, tho he won’t seek death like the other would~ :D Airplane still has a lovely sense of self-preservation~)

Second way: Airplane is one of Song Shuhang’s roommates. (for this, I’m going to say their Dorm was big enough for five peeps, because I want Airplane to have more friends damn-it.) Just... the imagery of the two neutral disasters getting into so much mayhem and hijinxs together, giving Song Shuhang not only a friend/brother in arms he can always depend and rely on, but also a steady source for learning and cultivation as well :D

(Also, Airplane and Gou Moumou being writer friends, the two of them able to bounce ideas on to each other (oh god, now you have inspired me, how dare you make me write this./hahahaha, you know you want too/ bitch turnabout is fair play/ ah fuck.) also: just the image of Airplane meeting Senior White and being completely unaffected because not only is his survival instincts going in overdrive, but also:

Airplane: ? He’s not my type.

Everyone: *jaws dropped*

:D Anyways~

Second Idea: Card Room (Rebirth)

Now First, for those who don’t know Card Room (Rebirth), this is an action/survival/mystery thriller BL Unlimited Flow type of novel; it follows one Xiao Lou, a medical professor who specializes with examining the dead, and his journeys through multiple rooms after having died in reality, the difficulty of each of these rooms measured with Playing Cards from 2 to K and with different types of rooms being sorted by their suits of Hearts (Mystery), Diamonds (Puzzle), Spade (Survival), Club (Luck/Money). The Goal of the story is to beat all the rooms and return back to the world of the living once more. To aid in this, people can get special cards to help them fight/ take care of their health/ or even just daily life essentials to be able to actually get through places. 

So... this means after getting all used to living once more and getting into his grove in the modern world... Airplane unfortunately kicks the bucket, yet again! Thing is, this time it happened after he played a card game with some of his roommates, I’m going to say poker, and they were betting who would do what chores. Aiplane managed to make out pretty well, and was pleased with it, so was very much bummed when he ended up dying yet again.  He goes through the room, some by the skin of his teeth, but with his cultivation abilities still usable (can’t stop something on a soul level here) he gets by okay. Though, all his cards either deal with writing, supplies, and the rare cultivation one at times.

He gets by at least.

Now, because this series gives me some emotions, here is one thing I will say: Airplane and Liu Ying end up partnering up and break through together, because damn it, Liu Qiao and her sis deserve some damn happiness ;-; Maybe Airplane and Liu Ying meet by chance, Airplane impressed by the young woman’s intelligence and Liu Ying can in turn be grateful for Airplane’s resourcefulness. Maybe even include the original girl that Liu Ying teamed up with, So we have three people already in your team to survive! (because surviving the rooms 2-4 is already damn amazing considering how hellish they get :D ) 

This is a fun crossover for me to imagine honestly, because it would be perfect to showcase Airplane’s skills in logic, reasoning, and pure survival our boy is known for; let that resourceful and logistic riddled mind out to play as he fights to get the fuck out of this world, even if The City of the Moon is beautiful and all.

:D So, those were the ideas I would like to really see, but here is some more for anyone curious:

Honorable Mentions: These are ones I would love to see Airplane accidently going into, and just going yikes, or nope! or even ‘Really?’

Lord of End of World:

... This story, it concerns me greatly; I like the worldbuilding, even has a few really cool girls in it, and I find the protagonist rather curious (to an extent, blackened Gary Stu that he is...) but does it make me cringe at times with the underage theme to it; it’s part of their cultivation and all, but god damn does the way this story push some of it really sqink me out, I had to drop it because it made me so uncomfortable, so just a heads up there. this is one of those stories that makes me want to write spite fiction, but also make me cringe at the thought of remembering it at times.

Anyways, so, how it boils down to it is that this poor guy, known as the Young Master of the Unground Palace, was abused in all the ways one can practically be abused, just so their Master can get stronger themselves by forming the perfect cauldron to absorb, but who manages to kill their master only to die as well. He ends up transmigrating into Gong Lixin, a 16 year old wealthy young master about a year (I believe) before the apocalypse happens... (Like I said, I have so many damn issues with this damn story, I cry.)

Just, on one hand, imagining Airplane in this world also makes me laugh (and maybe hope), because maybe here Gong Lixin could actually learn a cultivation style thats not only suited to him, but also doesn’t need him to dual cultivate all the time and rely on cauldrons (maybe get some needed therapy as well, Airplane knows some peeps; I can dream~), he can have a stable, reliable teacher here who will have no lust or attraction to him, Airplane helping the kid out at first because they look like they’re recovered from a really bad Qi-Devitation and the teacher in him can’t leave that alone. Airplane can also relate with the youth about transmigrating, maybe even telling him about his own time with that. (And Airplane can use his own cultivation to smack around any bitch looking sideways at his student, because fuck that shit, he is only seventeen and traumatized.) Just, turning this story into a cute mentor and discipleship and emotional healing would make me so happy.

Monster Inn Rectification Report

So, this is another Transmigration story~ MC transmigrates as a poor canon fodder son, who would have ended up in a vegetable state after being neglected in favor of the super amazing awesome adopted son. He then goes on to accidently inheriting a supernatural end for Monsters~

Like, this idea makes me grin evilly; though things will change up a bit, since both of Airplane’s parents have already split up and have their own families? Just, the Former An Ding Peak Lord running an Inn? :D Building it from ground up from bascially nothing? :D Oh, man, this man has run worse things, and even a Demon Kingdom, he got you~

Supernatural Movie Actor App

Its a BL about a guy with a split personality who does realistic (as in for real) horror movies through an app, to get his wish to come true.

This actually goes really good with my idea of Airplane wanting to be an actor and all, only to have his dreams crushed :D He doesn’t at first realize what he is getting into when he gets the app, thinking it might be a chance for him to still be able to do his dream, only, surprise, surprise, he ends up entering a real life Horror movie environment~ I’m really curious about what he would dream about~

I Have Medicine

:D Airplane and Gu Zuo interactions make me smile~ these two would be so fun, seeing them bounce off each other would be a treat.

So What if You’re Reborn

.... hahahahahaha, oh, the chaos that could be unleashed in this timeline would be glorious~

Running Away From the Hero

:)

[ourplaceinthecosmosphff]

Chapter 8. Louis

'No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.' C. S. Lewis

He never woke up again.

Louis got home from London and met Peter at the town house they shared. He showered and they talked about the last couple of days. Louis sat atop the kitchen table telling him all about our fight and reconciliation and what we had done on tour, while Peter cooked salmon for them to have for dinner. The food was almost ready when Louis jumped from the table to get more wine and almost immediately fell to the floor, unconscious. Peter was quick on his feet. It took him barely ten seconds to get Louis’ security officers to come help. They drove him to the hospital themselves. 

There are a lot of contingency plans for emergencies such as these; In Louis’ case, when he moved into town we established a plan with a local private hospital where he could be received as privately as possible should he need it. I‌ had the same thing in America when I was at ‌University, and even today in Bellpont where I lived. It was the sort of thing we knew about in the back of our minds, it was briefly explained to us on briefings, and we then went on with our lives, forgetting it immediately after, hoping we would never need it. 

Louis hadn’t even been admitted to the hospital when Charles and Auguste received the alert from our Security Headquarters and ran to inform my parents. With one look, they knew what to do. Auguste was sent to make preparations for a private plane to take my parents to Scotland as fast as possible; Charles started making calls and arrangements so that this trip could be as swift and secretive as necessary; my father ran upstairs to pack. 

I wanted to make a remark about how ironic it was that we had made a point to take the train to Britain on tour for the environmental impact and to highlight the travel options, and now they were taking a jet, but even my love for Environmental Law wasn’t big enough to ignore the facts, and the fact was it was not the time.

My mother lingered before rushing off to pack, holding on to my shoulders. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing!” She said, kindly. I nodded. “Maggie, I‌ know you have work in the morning, could you possibly drive home tomorrow instead of tonight? Your sister goes back to boarding school tomorrow morning and-”

“You don’t want her to be alone. Yes, of course. I’ll just leave in the morning.”

She smiled and rushed off as well; in the confusion, the dogs must have followed someone out of the room, and the door was closed, so I found myself alone in my father’s suddenly very quiet office.‌ I‌ took a seat and a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. 

When I looked at my phone, Harry had texted, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on him now. So instead I‌ texted my brother.

‘are you ok??? mom and dad are leaving now. They’ll be there soon, text me as soon as you get this’

While I watched the message, quietly hoping it would be viewed and replied as I did, I got a new text, from Peter.

‘Hey Maggie, I have L’s phone, saw you texted. I just got to the waiting room, he’s with the doctors. I’ll let you know if I have any news.’

Completely forgetting everything else, I‌ talked to Peter for the next several minutes, getting all the information I could, which was how I‌ learned about the salmon and the wine and Louis falling unconscious from the kitchen table. 

I only realized I had spent too long talking to Peter in my father’s office when the door opened and Cassidy, one of the house maid staffers, came to tell me my parents were leaving and wondered where I was; so I ran out, down the stairs and through the main hall towards the entrance atrium and down the further stairs to the same entrance I had come in from with my father.

Lourdes was there already, looking downcast, hugging our mother. Our father was on the phone with someone, while a staffer loaded their luggage into the black-tinted-windows SUV (no one would be expecting the King and Queen to be in such a car, which was usually used by staffers only).

We gave them a quick hug goodbye, and they were off. Lourdes was looking sadder by the second, so‌ I‌ tried to pretend an eye-roll was just me being heavily interested in the renascence carvings in the ceiling. 

“Well, let’s go back inside.”

“What do you think happened?” She asked, teary, following me back up the stairs.

I‌ told Lourdes what I had learned from Peter in the most casual tone I‌ could, reminding myself to be patient with her. She was a kid, and I suppose this was scary. Especially with the lack of information.

“It won’t do much to be dramatic about it”, I told her. “They’ll call soon, let’s just try to distract ourselves.”

With mom gone, we didn’t have to keep the dinner plans she had made, but I knew she would ask as soon as this thing was over, so I marched Lourdes to the kitchen and we prepared dinner as well as we could. Harry had to leave for a conference call, but by the time I read this message he had already left and I felt terrible for having stopped replying so suddenly. I tried to text him a short and low on information text, but I couldn’t come up with one without a strange crampy feeling on my throat.

So I had Lou chop up some vegetables for us to roast in the oven and eat with the fillets of salmon I made on a frying pan while I thought of how to get back into the texting horse with Harry. He asked me out! I wanted to talk more about it. On his last message before he had to leave he asked what was my favorite type of food, and if I had suggestions of where we could go in Bellpont, and as much as I wanted to think about that, there was too much to handle in my own kitchen.

I had to stop Lourdes from sharing her concern - and therefore the facts - with her friends.

“They can’t know he’s in the hospital! It might leak to the public or press and it’ll generate panic!”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t text anymore. 

It was only after dinner, when Lourdes was busy taking out the plates, that I checked my phone and realized Peter had texted to let me know my parents had arrived at the hospital in Scotland. I tried calling them, but the call went unanswered. I texted them, but nothing happened, and I didn’t want to bother Peter asking for more information than he had. I was sure he would tell me more as soon as he could.

So instead I scrolled through my texts conversations, wanting to talk to someone, but unable to. I had to follow the advice I gave Lourdes, after all. 

A loud sigh alerted me that Lourdes had finished loading the dishwasher, and was now staring at it with a glossy, worried look in her eyes.

So I texted our brother. ‘I will seriously kick your ass when I see you again’

I wanted to say something to Lourdes, but I had nothing. I wanted to text Harry, but I also didn’t know what to say. Not telling him something this big felt… wrong. So I said nothing.

I just closed the messaging app and put my phone in my pocket. “Let’s go for a walk.” I told Lourdes. “For the dogs.”

She smiled, and we went upstairs to grab the leashes and the babies.

The garden to the south of the Palace was private; it was only open to the public for a couple of months in the summer when we left for the beach, and the palace did guided tours on a few selected wings. It was also not visible from anywhere outside the Palace grounds, surrounded by ivy-covered high walls, so it assured us a large, open space, and privacy. As the palace was situated next to a large national park, with mountains and hiking trails, most of its vegetation was just… our lawn.

The dogs loved it. We kept them on leashes through the manicured garden; like much of our architecture, it had been modeled after Versailles, an award-winning botanical creation they would be far too delighted in running through. Beyond the garden there was a trail that led to a small forest, and there we were able to let the boys roam free. The youngest two ran towards the trees as soon as they could, but Heathy continued strutting happily only a step or two ahead of us.

“They should have called by now.”

I forced myself to roll my eyes, so she’d see how ridiculous her statement was. 

“They had a long day, they must be tired. Especially dad, he just left London this morning and now is back in Scotland. Give them time.”

“But what if it’s bad?!”

“He was probably just dehydrated or anemic.” I‌ justified. “Relax, we’ll never let him live this down.”

Even as I said this in as much of a laid back tone as I‌ could, I checked my phone once more, and there were no new texts from Peter, my parents or Louis.‌ There was, however, two new ones from Harry.

‘Just got back, sorry I‌ had to dash earlier!‌ Hope we get to talk some more when you’re free’

‘I’m googling nice private places for our date. Do you like italian food?’

We made our way uphill. I watched the dogs to make sure they would poop, and cleaned after them with plastic bags. We sat atop the hill and watched the lights in the palace and the city ahead. It was a starry night, still, warm and not too windy. It was the last warm night of October. I asked Lourdes to tell me about her friend Channel getting her first boyfriend, and for the next several minutes she sounded like she was back to her old, unpreoccupied self. 

I took deep breaths as I listened, staring at the sky, letting myself believe the words I had told her. He was probably just anemic. It was going to be okay. We were all going to feel so silly for worrying as soon as this was over. It was a nice night.

“Has Harry said anything else?”

I sighed, unblocking my phone. I showed her his last texts in lieu of explaining.

“Why aren’t you texting him back?”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You could start with answering his question. You love italian food.”

“It’s… not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t… know. It feels like lying.”

She sighed, heavily. “Just say you’re sorry you went MIA, you got stuck babysitting your sister, and that you love italian food, but have to go now and hope you can talk more later. And then say goodnight and maybe wish him good dreams with a winky emoji.”

“...You’re relentless.”

“Do you want me to write it for you?”

“Shut up.”

We walked back. The dogs - and me - tired. Lourdes ready to keep texting her friends. I forced her to finish packing, and to have a shower, and finally to go to bed at a reasonable hour, which to me was just before midnight. Before I left her room, I realized she was using a body wash that smelled familiar. Something from L’Occitane, something citric. I was already grabbing the bottle from her when I realized it was Harry; this reminded me of Harry’s smell.  I didn’t tell Lourdes this, but she called me weird anyway. I said goodnight and went to have a shower of my own.

Right before I stepped into the shower, I told myself to stop being ridiculous and typed a reply to Harry:

‘So sorry I disappeared, got stuck babysitting. I love italian! Have a good night, talk later!’

It felt… wrong. Surely I could trust him with a secret like this? Him, of all people… But I couldn’t. So I threw the phone in my bed and had a long, relaxing shower. When I got out, wrapped in a towel, I ran to my bed, dropping all pretenses, and picked up my phone hurriedly, and feeling rather pathetic, but there was no response from Harry. So I placed it in the night table, and went back to the closet to put on clothes, apply lotion and do my skin care routine, all while trying not to think too much about it. 

Then, my phone rang. I ran back into the room in a fury, grabbed the phone and fell to the bed, trying not to smile like an idiot as I said, “hello?!”

“Maggie, it’s mom.”

And then I wanted nothing more than to go back uphill, lay on my back and watch the city lights under the stars to the sound of my blabbering sister and over-excited, running dogs. 

“It’s not a problem, mom!‌ I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry.”

——

The first thing I wanted to do was text Harry. If I‌ had, I‌ would have written:

‘sorry I‌ disappeared today, my brother collapsed at home and my parents flew out to check up on him and I was freaking out but had to keep my little sister from telling the whole country because it could generate a panic which is the same reason I couldnt tell you, but the truth is this last weekend and speaking with you today has left me giddy with excitement and I‌ cant wait for our date!’

Instead, I took a deep breath, turned off my phone, and went to feed the dogs. My coworker Larissa had sent over a few contracts for me to help her with, so I sat down in bed to go over them in my laptop, but I‌ couldn’t focus. Next thing I knew, my eyes were shutting of their own accord and I hadn’t even made it three pages.

I crashed and slept terribly all night. I‌ kept thinking I‌ heard my parents getting home and woke up full of anxiety, wanting to run towards them and ask a million questions. Eventually, at almost five, I was so sure I had heard something that I‌ walked out, as silent as possible not to disturb the dogs, and made my way to Louis’ room. By the time I was at his door I felt silly; Of course no one was home. Of course I heard nothing. This place is too big, anyway. I wouldn’t even be able to. 

When I opened the door, though, Lourdes was there. She’d slept in his bed, apparently. 

“Dramatic.” I‌ rolled my eyes, exhausted, but even as I‌ did I‌ was forced to admit to myself I‌ knew exactly what she was feeling. 

In the following hour, I‌ changed out of my pajamas, put on some makeup, and went back to Louis’ room at the time I‌ knew her alarm was set for. I got there just in time to catch her hitting the snooze button.

“Hey.”

“His bed is better than mine.” She justified, blushing. 

“Mom called.”

She sat up, forcefully wiping her eyes.

“What did she say?!”

As it turns out, Louis’ condition was a little more serious than we had previously thought. As I tried to calmly explain it to Lourdes, as she furiously and breathlessly asked, I‌ didn’t know what that meant exactly. All mom had said was he was still unconscious and they needed a second opinion, and they were getting one in Savoy, both from our own doctors, who knew Louis since he’d been born, specialists from all over the country, as well as famous doctors from around the world who were already being flown in. So they were air-ambulancing him home as fast as possible so he could be in the country by the time the press and public was informed.

“That means it’s something bad.” Lourdes decided.

“I forget, what school did you get your medical degree in again?”

She rolled her eyes, and I could never tell her, but I had been wrestling the same thought. 

That morning, a monday in late October, I called work and informed them I would be extending my leave for another couple of days. I was essentially using all my vacation days, but I‌ was more concerned with going to work and attracting more paparazzi than usual to the building’s entrance and making my coworkers hate me. 

It was the same reason mom had me call Lourde’s boarding school and inform her dean she would be home that week for personal issues. The school had been briefed on what to do in this situation; her teachers would email her the workload, and she would email back questions. Tutors were available for online sessions should she need them.

The staff served us breakfast in the usual tea room we used for small meals, but without the others the room felt bigger and, at the same time, I felt more claustrophobic. So when Lourdes asked for the third time if we could just meet them in the hospital, I‌ gave up, and said yes.

When we arrived at the biggest hospital in the country, St. Agnes Royal, they had only recently arrived as well. After making sure Louis was stable, the Savoyen doctors took him for tests, and my parents sat in the two seat couch in his room, looking tired.

For the next several hours, a lot happened very fast, and almost at the same time. First, our mother had a lot to say about us arriving unexpectedly, a lot of questions regarding the instructions she had left me, and some choice words for Lourdes who should be home doing the homework her teachers hadn’t even had time to send yet.

My father sat in a chair in the bathroom - where mom’s words didn’t carry - to call the Prime Minister from a secure line and inform him of the situation. After him, he called the senator who led the King’s Council to inform him and ask that he inform the rest of his council members. He then called his siblings, and by the time he was done, mom was still going on about how important it is for us to be discreet at times of emergency, since one word of the situation at the wrong time and the country could think we were in a crisis.

“This is a crisis!”‌ Lourdes whined. “Louis could have died!”

“You don’t even know what happened!” I‌ told her.

“Yeah, because no one will tell me!”

“Alright!”‌ Mom sighed, sitting back in the couch, back straight as an arrow, legs crossed at the ankles, as if she was at work. “Apparently, your brother had a brain aneurysm.”

Lourdes immediately started googling on her phone. I‌ sat down besides my mother, my shoulder brushing hers in a supportive gesture. 

“Well… is he… what’s next?”

“A brain aneurysm can leak or rupture, causing bleeding into the brain; hemorrhagic stroke”, Lourdes read, her voice becoming more strangled with each word. “A ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life-threatening! And requires prompt medical treatment!”

“Which your brother had.” Mom told her, on a low, controlled tone, hands clasping each other in her lap tightly.

“Thank God for Peter.” Father said pacing around the room after his staff had left to give us a moment alone.

“Where is he, by the way?”

“Scotland.” Mom told me. “Poor thing stayed in the hospital most of the night with us, refused to leave until we did for the airport. Remind me to send him a thank you card.”

I‌ shook my head. “He didn’t want to come with you?!”

“Darling, we couldn’t possibly expect him to. He’s done enough, and he has classes.”

“He-!”, I‌ stopped myself, taking a deep breath, “He’s Louis’ friend, it happened in front of him! Maybe he wanted to come and be with him, you should have asked.”

My mother passed an arm around me. “We imposed enough on him. We’ll let him know when we have news.”

“This says severe leaked aneurysms can be fatal!”‌ Lourdes told us, “Do you know if his leaked? Did Peter say if he’d been having headaches before it happened? That could indicate-”

Mom interrupted, “Honey, why don’t we wait to see what the doctors say?” 

“But what did the Scottish doctors say?!”

“That’s enough googling for today, Lourdes-Abigail.” Dad told her, grabbing her phone and giving her a tight hug.

It was lucky she didn’t see the worried look our parents exchanged, or she might convince herself they were hiding something.

The next thing that happened was the much dreaded moment the press was informed. An announcement was sent via email in the early morning to the main media vehicles of the country. It read:

‘From the desk of His Majesty, King Philippe IV of Savoy

In the late hours of last night, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Louis-Adolphe was admitted to Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he was diagnosed with signs of an aneurysm. 

The Crown Prince was airlifted to Savoy’s St. Agnes Royal Hospital where he is being cared for by a team of specialists. His current condition is stable, and he is undergoing tests.

Their Majesties, the King and Queen, Princess Marie-Margueritte and Princess Lourdes-Abigail, are in the hospital with His Royal Highness.

More updates will be given when appropriate.’

The key word there was ‘stable‘. Dad had been in a long debate with his staff over whether they should announce the particulars of his coma, or the location of the aneurysm, all things they knew would be asked eventually. They chose, however, to delay the conversation as long as possible. Was Louis’ condition serious? Yes. But it was also stable. And that put a good enough spin on reality.

After what felt like an eternity, the incredibly big team of specialists called my parents for a meeting with the hospital’s chief of surgery and director, in a conference room down the hall, where they stayed for the next two hours. In that time, I tried to take Lourdes’ mind off it by going on a stroll around the hospital, but all we did was get some food from the cafeteria and go back to his room, since we felt we were being stared at by everyone around us.

When we did return, Louis was there, being tucked in by a nurse.

He seemed calm, almost as if he was merely asleep, but too distressed to actually look it. Lourdes looked scared to approach, so I‌ dragged a large armchair to sit closer to his bed, and she eventually came by and sat on one of its arms.

Louis’ chief security officer, Stevens, was standing in the corner of the room, watching over him with tired eyes.

“How did Peter look?”‌ I asked him, “When you guys left?”

“He seemed…” He shrugged, apologetic, “worried.”

We exchanged a look of understanding, and he looked down, seeming somewhat disappointed. Stevens had been in my brother’s protection detail for the better part of the last decade.

“Thank you.”‌ I‌ told him.‌ “We heard your team got him to the hospital really fast.”

He stared at my brother in bed. “I wish we’d been faster. Maybe he’d be awake by now.”

Lourdes looked at him. “But he’ll wake up. Right?‌ He’ll wake up eventually.”

It was unfair to ask Stevens to have to deal with her at her most dramatic/sensitive, so I asked him to go check on the paparazzi outside, to give him an excuse to leave.

“He’ll wake up eventually.”‌ I‌ told my sister, as calm as I‌ could.

We let a few minutes pass in silence as we looked at our brother. He had dad’s nose and jaw line, mom’s eyes, the same eyes I saw in the mirror, the same ones fighting tears in the girl next to me. 

"They've been in that meeting for a long time." Lourdes whispered.

“Yeah… they, they probably wanna be thorough.”

“Maggie?”

“Yeah?”

“I‌ read brain aneurysms can cause brain damage.”

I sighed. “I‌ wish you would just… stop this. Yes, there’s a million bad possibilities. There’s also a million good ones. Why don’t you think about those?”

“I‌ can’t help it! Okay? I‌ would love to!‌ But I can’t help it! I know it’s probably silly, and he’ll probably wake up soon, and you’ll both mock me forever for it, but right now all I can think about is the last time I talked to him!”

“You have to calm yourself-”

“It was two months ago, in person! Four days on Skype, I don’t think texts count, do they?”

“Lourdes, I‌ promise-”

But I‌ could not make her a promise I would never be able to keep, as it was then that my parents came back, and asked to have the room. Even though we tried asking for news before leaving, they were relentless, so I‌ held Lourdes’ hand and pulled her out into the hallway, where we walked towards the opposing wall and she promptly sat on the floor.

“They could have just told us if he’ll be okay or not.”

“I’m sure they’ll let us know as soon as they can.”

“They could, right now. Would have taken them one second. Four words. He. Will. Be. Ok. Done.”

I sighed, and sat beside her, legs crossed in front of me. At times like this I wish Louis could help me navigate how to keep her from freaking out. He’d know what to do.

I grabbed my phone from my purse, it was still turned off, and considered if I really wanted to turn it back on. I wanted to talk to Peter, but I‌ knew there would be a lot more to deal with if I‌ did. 

“What else did Harry say?”‌

I sighed again, feeling my chest tighten. That was the other element I had been trying not to think about. He must have heard by then what happened to Louis. Would he be upset I didn’t tell him? Would he cancel our date?

I‌ had to explain. Surely, he of all people would understand the need for secrecy. I’m sure he would have dealt with the same rules if this had happened to his family. He is the one guy in the world who had to understand. 

I reminded myself of this as I‌ tried to gather enough courage to turn on my phone. Meanwhile, Lourdes crossed her arms over her knees, and her head on her arms. 

"They're probably just… you know, discussing whatever the doctors told them. Processing.“

She ignored me, and started biting her nails.

I‌ sighed, replaying her words from inside the room. What was my last memory with my brother? Something other than his nagging about texting Harry? I‌ tried to remember, but all I could think of now was of our stupid, ridiculous fight in London.

I was unsure of how much time passed, but when the door to Louis’ room opened, it was when my parents secretaries all walked in, together, with purpose.

“We should go in.”‌ Lourdes said, voicing my own thoughts.

“We would have been called if we were supposed to go in.”

“They weren’t called!”

“Dad must have called them on the phone to avoid walking out to find them.”

“That’s not fair!‌ We deserve to know whatever is going on!‌ He is our brother!”

“They… they are probably just informing their secretaries of whatever the specialists told them," I told her, "And processing it together, making decisions..."

"What decisions?"

"Well, to better deal with this… to make decisions into actions." I said, matter-of-factly. "They'll call us in when they're ready for us."

"Maggie." She started, in a whiny voice again. "What if it's bad?"

I returned my phone to my purse, and scootched in closer to her, "Then we'll deal with it."

She looked at me. "How?!"

I hadn’t noticed until now, but her eyes were slightly red, swollen, her lips, trembly. She was so ready to cry. She was ready for bad news. She was expecting it as if it was the only possible outcome.

"Life is not that dramatic, Lou." I said, passing an arm around her shoulders. "He'll be alright. We'll bring him home, we’ll take care of him, help him stay on top of his studies so he doesn’t have to delay graduation! We'll adapt. Learn. It'll be-"

The door opened, and out walked, bleak and somber, Gustave and Montennon, accompanied by Madaleign Qadir, our mother’s secretary. They looked at us - no, at me - for half a second before diverting their eyes. 

Two steps down the hallway from us, they stopped, exchanged a few whispered words, and Montennon walked away, already calling someone on the phone. Qadir called another of mom’s staffers and they walked to the opposing end of the hall. 

Gustave, however, walked towards us, hands in his back, and smiled, politely, if a little stiffly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked us, though decidedly looking at me.

Lourdes looked at me.

"We're fine." I lied.

“Are my p-”, Lourdes stopped herself, “the King and Queen busy?”

He took in a deep breath before answering, unsure. "They are almost ready for you."

"What are they doing?" She asked.

"Lourdes." I warned.

"What?" She returned. "He asked if he could do anything. He could tell us what's going on. What did the doctors say?"

Gustave looked down, for a long time he didn't say anything. Then he gulped. Just as I was starting to think my sister was right to worry, the door to our brother’s room opened again.

It was my father this time, and though we were hoping for a sign of good news, the sight that greeted us was his reddened eyes, unkempt hair, fallen shoulders. Everything he wasn’t when he was ‘on’, when he had to be the strong, unmoving King of Savoy. 

My sister got up, quickly, and followed him into the room. I followed, at my own pace; Gustave offered me his hand to pull me up on my feet. As I crossed the hall, he bowed his head. There was something very different there, something much more… reverent about the way he was looking at me. Just as I‌ got to the door, with a painful knot on my throat, a quick look into the room showed me all I never wanted to see. 

My father held a shaking Lourdes tightly to his chest, a lonesome tear strolling down his cheek. Besides Louis’ bed, my mother was brushing his hair gently. I‌ looked back at Gustave before closing the door behind me, and realized when he looked at me, he wasn’t seeing me anymore. 

He was seeing his future Queen.

--- ---- ---

[A/N: I know, I know. This sucks. I KNOW. It.............gets worse before it gets better. THANK YOU FOR READING <3 let me know what you think??? just click here to leave a message with your thoughts! Or click like on this chapter! Next week: reactions]

[mygainyear2024]

Day 73 Farewell EU and your 90 day visa rules, I'm/we're off on a bucket list adventure to Morocco

Rose and I spent the morning playing tetris with our luggage, particularly as we're flying Ryan Air from Santander to Marrakesh. We duck out to grab some cash and Rose wanted to look at a different Pull & Bear shop. One of the great things about Europe has been the late checkouts, 12 noon at Hotel Chiqui.

I made a reservation at BNT Street Food for lunch, a place on the water I'd seen the first night I walked (no google, no Fork App, just intuition!). First stop the seals and lone penguin at Parque Marino de la Magdalena. This is a free park with ocean on either side and a lovely green space for hanging out.

Lunch did not disappoint. The view out to the beach/ocean, the wine and the burgers, yum. And Rose offered to buy me a cocktail, I opted for the local red instead, so smooth and good with or without the food, I had two!

Our suitcases were both 2kgs over. It worked out ok, we were allowed to remove stuff and jump the queue to bring them back as he'd ticketed us. And no-one really checked our excess carry on!

I was excited to arrive in Marrakesh and it wasn't horrid through passport control. I even practiced my very poor French with the Officer. Sadly the perfume Rose has been desperate to buy in Australia, and we found at Duty Free here, was only available in the departures area, not the arrivals area, despite me pre-ordering. Fingers crossed the pre-order at Tangier Airport on our way out will be available.

We pre-arranged transport with the Riad, and were expecting to see a sign with "Bohemian Jungle" on it and Hassan waiting. But nothing. Luckily the free airport wifi worked outside the terminal, as I left the purchase of a sim card as the Riad owner, the usually very responsive Anna from the Netherlands, said Hassan would help us with all of that. I rang Anna several times, and the Riad, and no answer. I wondered at what point I just get a taxi knowing that we still needed to walk at the end. After about 20 minutes someone else showed up with the scatchings of "Bohemian Jungle" on the back of his sign and said "I'm not Hassan, and handed me his phone to speak to Hassan to confirm we should get in the car!" It was a very exciting ride, even more exciting than any Asian country I've been to. Big cars, down narrow two way alleyways, motor cycles, cyclists, pedestrians, chaos. We entered one medina, passed the Kings Palace, and exited that one and in and out of a couple more. Rose said "I thought we were going to the jungle". My reply "it is a jungle of sorts"! We reach our destination, and I said to Rose, we'll be met and need to walk the rest of the way. The driver and Hassan seemed to be having several heated conversations. I think it was about how far he needed to drive us in. Thankfully Hassan was there when we stopped and we walked about 300 metres around several corners and we arrived. It is magnificent. Hassan served us traditional mint tea and biscuits, gave us a map and explained the important sites, a book with pictures of how to get out of the Riad and back again, and an old phone to ring if we get lost. He's already suggested to Rose that they share shisha, having given up alcohol. I heard them talking and Rose said something like "my mum won't let me"! I sang out and said "I don't mind it's up to you"! We asked for some ice so we could make a start on the second 1 litre bottle of gin! And I asked if there was fresh milk I could have for my coffee in the morning, already googling that fresh milk is available in Marrakesh, but best bought early before the sun affects it!!

[dailyaudiobible]

05/26/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 9:1-11-27, John 15:1-27, Psalm 119:49-64, Proverbs 16:1-3

Today is the 26th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm sorry…I was…I was like chewing something. Okay. I think I'm all in the clear now. I didn’t want to chew so close to your ear. So, here we are, the 26th day of May already to take the next step forward as we continue this journey. And first up, of course, we’ll be moving back into the Old Testament, which lands us back in second Samuel squarely in the life of King David. So, we’re reading from the Evangelical Heritage Version, the EHV, this week. Second Samuel 9, 10, and 11 today.

Commentary:

Okay. Second Kings today. It’s like we were going along so well. What happened? All of a sudden what happened? David has been this upstanding, upright, godly God-fearing king who brings justice to his people. The people respect David. They know what he went through with Saul and they watched his ascension to power and the way that he was humble in all of it. And the next thing we know, we flip the page and Bathsheba's naked taking a bath and he sees her, and he sends for her and she comes and she's another man's wife and…I mean…she gets pregnant, so they get together. And it's a difficult situation because it's the king. So, does…you know, she doesn’t really have any say in the matter, her husband Uriah is off fighting a battle on behalf of King David while King David is sitting in the palace sleeping with his wife. And then it turns out she's pregnant and she sends word back. So, now she is bearing a prince, the royal a royal child. And David's got this situation. But he seems to be decisive about what he is going to do and it's like what is going to do is only bad. He calls for Uriah the Hittite to come from the battle and what he’s gonna do is kinda give Uriah a furlough so that he can go home and be with his wife, get rested up, maybe cover-up the pregnancy. Not maybe. Cover-up the pregnancy and all that transpired to make her pregnant. But Uriah won't behave after that fashion. He has honor for his fellow soldiers his king and the battle, the mission that they are on and he won't…he won't do it. The irony is now, that Uriah is acting more like David than David. And David is acting more like Saul than anybody else in this situation. Saul tried to send David into battle lots of times to get him killed. Now David, after seeing that he's not going to get Uriah to go home and cover this whole thing up, sends him back to the front lines where he will most certainly be killed. And he most certainly is killed. One of the little, little pieces of this story that is so fascinating is, later on when we kinda get to the end of David's life and his reign we’ll meet a lot of names, like a big recap, all the different kinds of people that were involved in what they did and there will be the valiant soldiers…like the best of the best of the nation, they'll be named, the mighty warriors, the mighty warriors of Israel, the mighty warriors of King David and Uriah the Hittite was one of them. One of the most loyal, dedicated gifted committed warriors David had. He had him killed to cover up what he had done, which looks way more like Saul. And we’ll continue this story because it hasn't…I mean we’re kind of in the middle of this story. So, we have some more territory to cover but what seems to become quite apparent in this story is very very similar warnings that came through Moses. When you get into that land and you don't have anything to fight for anymore and all is going well, when you find that you are living in houses you didn't build, and you’re eating from vineyards you didn't plant, all is well all around you, prosperity is the norm then don't forget who your God is because when you make that turn it may take a minute but it's over. In so many ways that is what we see here. David has been a warrior, he has been fighting, he has been honorable, he's been holding and clinging to God for his very life. So many times, he’s clinging to God as the only hope to stay alive and God has kept them alive, but now he has subdued his enemies. He has been blessed. He has everything that he could want, and he wants Bathsheba. He wants something he can't have, he’s not supposed to have, but he's got it all and peace is on every side, and there's no reason to cling to God for dear life anymore. And, so, he gets himself to the position where this type of thing could happen. It doesn't have to…I mean for us to apply this to our lives doesn't have to be adultery, doesn’t not to be sexual, doesn’t not be anything like that. It could be anything that can distract us, anything that can make us self-sufficient, a decision that we make out of our own strength and out of our own power and out of our own means to do something, to do something despite God, to do something without consulting God, to do something that we might even know God would not approve of but we’re in a good place, we’re resourced well, we’re gonna do what we want to do because we’re not clinging for dear life. We've lost the plot of the wilderness, which is exactly what Moses was telling the children of Israel before they came into the promised land, “do not lose the plot of the wilderness. You are utterly dependent on God no matter what. And, so, when you get into the promised land and it doesn't look like that anymore don't forget.” David obviously has forgotten, at least for the moment, and we are guilty of the same so many times in our lives. So, let's think about that because the thing that we continually pray for is blessing and relief from the pressures around us, but when the pressures are relieved we no longer need to cling in utter devotion to God, we have things back under control and we…we repeat the cycle. If we could get off that train, if we could just truly finally realize we are utterly dependent on God no matter what, no matter what the circumstance. Whether the circumstances are trying or whether we just have infinite abundance, we are still utterly dependent upon God. When we lose that plot…I mean…this is one of the central plots of the Bible. Like all…what…let's just continue to watch. We’ll see what happens to a people when they lose that plot and then we can understand what happens to us because we’re in the middle of it right now. And as we can see from the story of David when you lose that plot, really really bad things can happen.

Prayer:

Father, we don't want to lose that aspect of the story. It's a central deep foundational part of our story. You have created us. You are our Creator. We are dependent upon You. We are not independent of You. We need You for survival. And You have only ever been willing to Father us, yet we just act like rebellious children most of the time. So, forgive us, because it is from Your hand that all good things that have ever happened in our lives have flowed, and we have no desire to dishonor or disrespect that in any way. But we do when we…when we get lost in our own story, when we get disoriented and upside down and start believing that we have control, and we have power and if You’re not gonna come through then we’re gonna come through. And we just get this thing so upside down and it has led us to the same place, some sort of destruction of our own making in some sort of way in our lives. And, so, we’re asking for forgiveness. We’re repenting, we’re changing our mind about this type of behavior. We repent. You are our only hope. We are utterly dependent on You for everything. Help us to remember this Father, we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it's…it's the website and its where you find out what's going on around here. If you are using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access these things as well from within the app by pushing the Drawer icon.

But, yeah, the Community section, this is where the Prayer Wall is and stays. It's where the links to different social media channels that we are a part of are.

And the Daily Audio Bible Shop is full of resources that are intended to be used as we take this journey through the Bible in a year. And, so, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or there are a number of numbers that you can use, that you can dial. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number or if you are in Australia or the lands down under 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi DAB family, I’ll call myself Child of God. I’m a faithful listener since October of last year and first-time caller. I’ve begun journaling daily and logging prayer requests. Though I’ve been a Christian all my life the DAB has helped me grow so much spiritually, especially my prayer life. After hearing Momma D from Indiana’s request for prayer for healing for her marriage even after two years of petition because of being encouraged by God Smile’s story, I decided to ask the DAB family for prayers for my broken family. We live in a small rural town and our three married children with young families all live here too, serving the Lord faithfully. We have a 30-year family business. We’ve raised our family here. After our middle son finished college and joined our business conflict began plaguing us. I was constantly playing mediator in the roles of wife and mother. My husband feeling betrayed if I’d side with my son on issues. Our success has made him prideful and headstrong. Delegating the work and spending little time actually managing the business or being there yet unwilling to let go of any power and decision making. He had an affair 4 years ago, he blamed me for it, and it went on for two years. This shattered our world. My kids were our rock for me through it all. Counseling helped me but my husbands hardened heart became more hard and the relationship between him and our son became worse. Our son sought counseling, but his father refused. Our son left the business 1 year ago and now his father goes around painting him as ungrateful, unappreciative, and disloyal. Things have gotten very ugly. We’re now separated. Please pray for wisdom and direction as I navigate through this storm, for my husbands hardened heart to be softened and for my hurting children and grandchildren. Thank you.

Hey DAB family it’s His River and Rain here calling from the UK. I’ve just been listening to the 8th of May and I’ve just heard our sisters Viola’s voice and I just want to pray for her Lord. She’s a very servant, prayer-filled member of the DAB family and she’s always calling in to prayer over us, always calling in to, you know, just give her prayers and give her blessings and comfort to people, Lord. So, I just want to pray that our sister Viola and she’s such a God-filled woman, you know, spirit filled and…and everything and I just want to continue to say God just to bless her just to love on her, comfort her. She’s always praying for us all and I’m just so glad God that you’ve chosen her, you’ve chosen Viola to be part of this family, you’ve chosen her at this specific time to be with us all, to praying for us all. And God I just ask that You continue to bless her and continue to favor her, continue to just fill her with Your Holy Spirit and anything that she’s going through God cause she continues to pray for us, she continues to pray for…for, for the DAB family. I just ask that anything that she’s going through, Lord may you bless it Father God, may You heal and restore anything that she’s going through and just continue to just fill her up God so there’s, you know, less of us and, you know, less of me and more of You, less of me and more of You God in every situation. We ask the same for Viola God. We pray over her so much God and we thank You so much. And so, to sister Viola, we love you, we love you so much and I love hearing your voice, I smile every time I hear it. And I just want to give blessings and ask that God blesses you and favors you and keeps you. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. You guys have been a huge encouragement to me just hearing everybody pray for each other. I just joined the family in late February, early March-ish and I’m play catch up. So, you guys are about a month ahead of where I am so now but I’m still hearing all the prayers and all the people who take a genuine interest in the life of their fellow Christians and…and those people hurting and…and trying to lift them up and…and I came here looking to just find a place to hear God’s word and…and I think God has brought me here to…just to soften my heart and give me a heart for others. And you guys demonstrated that so well and I want to say thank you. And…and just keep it up guys. And Have a great day.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible listeners Isaiah 66:16-20 Come and listen all you who fear God let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth, His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened and heard my voice and prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me. Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us that our ways may be known on the earth…that Your ways Oh Lord may be known on the earth and Your salvation among all the nations. And I just want to praise God for what He has done. I had been praying for my youngest son Jordon who had gone…7 years ago had gone off on the wrong…the…the evil ways of this world. I mean he had…was bound by the enemy. And I never…my husband and I never stopped praying, we fasted, we prayed, we interceded, we always let him know that we were there for him, loved him and thank God last year he accepted Jesus all on his own through a YouTube video of a street preacher and now as of today he loves Jesus, he has surrendered his whole life. He has made King Jesus, king of his heart. He got married in February. He is having a baby and God is good. So, keep on praying for your sons and your daughters. Do not let the enemy take ‘em, you say no Satan you will not take my kids. My kids belong to God. Be like a dog on a bone, do not let go. Keep trusting in God with faith, tenacity and just keep on praying for your children. And ask God to guide you by His Spirit with what to do and how to help them in any way shape or form and pray for other believers to be placed in their life to be given the…the word of truth…

[robrpatz]

Robert Pattinson new interview in Elle Magazine ( March 2020)

ELLE: You started acting when you were 18 years old, and in 15 years you’ve made 34 movies (and won eight awards…). Why do stay so active? What moves you?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Now I have more fun making movies! The more I learn about how to do things, the more doors it opens to my mind. And the more comfortable you feel, the freer you’ll feel as well. I used to think in acting as a test, in which there was the possibility to fail. But when you stop thinking about the result…You never know if it will be good or bad, so the best thing is to enjoy it! And, as soon as you start behaving like that, everything becomes funnier.

ELLE: And, as you get older, maybe you can choose the roles you want to play and who you want to work with?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes. It happens when you get older and [you] do more projects. You can talk to the director. It’s more of creative collaboration. When you’re younger, you have that school mentality. Someone is telling you what to do and so you just feel like saying no all the time. But then you realize that they are all in the same boat. And that everyone wants to make a good movie!

ELLE: What would you say to the teachers who discouraged you from joining the theater club?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I’m glad they did. When I think about it now … At the time, I was so angry that I didn’t want to have anything to do with the arts at school. And then, I ended up getting an agent, which wouldn’t have happened if I had een a part of the school’s drama club. Sometimes having a little bit of resentment is pretty good. It gives you more fire [energy].”

ELLE: Do you really think that you managed to attract a more “male” audience, as some professionals in the field suggested after Cosmopolis?

ROBERT PATTINSON: To be honest, I never thought about an audience. But the first time I noticed that men accepted me better must have been with Good Time. And it was a little strange … But, again, it’s the same logic as the drama teacher. I liked it when the male audience said to me “Oh, you’re an idiot”, because it made me want to go to the fight! These things give you energy. What’s dangerous is not having enemies. We always need good enemy!

ELLE: Do you read reviews about you on the internet?

ROBERT PATTINSON: When a movie comes out? Yes.

ELLE: What about the bad ones, does it affect you or do you consider yourself strong enough to deal with it?

ROBERT PATTINSON: When I was younger, it affected me. But now … it’s a strangely addictive thing. Reading the bad reviews is more addictive than reading the good ones. You can read a hundred good ones and a bad and, I don’t know if that’s because of that, but now the bad ones don’t affect me anymore. Unless they involve someone else. If it’s just about me, I can take it.

ELLE: What if it’s about someone important to you?

ROBERT PATTINSON: It doesn’t happen much. And I think I can separate things well. It’s one of the advantages of not having an Instagram account. Access is cut off. I’ve always had a barrier and that’s why there’s no problem. It’s all just noise.

ELLE: You’re turning 34 soon and you’re going to be a part of the so-called Millennial. What does it mean to you? Do you recognize yourself as a member of that generation?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I think I’m another last stronghold of the previous generation. I don’t feel like a Millennial at all. Many of the things that people think are important, such as social networks … are not at all important to me. They annoy me. I don’t see what it is the reason to have, to publish, to take pictures of myself and put them online … It all seems crazy to me.

ELLE: You’ve made a lot of movies lately. Waiting for the Barbarians, The King (Netflix), The Devil All The Time, The Lighthouse and Tenet (currently being shot). How many scripts do you receive per month? It’s you who choose each role?

ROBERT PATTINSON: To be honest, I don’t receive that many scripts. Except when it comes to a director I really want to work with. When I’m not working, I read a lot of scripts, but right now… I find it very difficult to read a script when you’re working on another project. I cannot understand it completely. But I love to discover filmmakers that my agents don’t know about!

ELLE: And the movie you’re filming now, Tenet? Can you talk about it?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I can’t say anything about Tenet… nor about Batman! Anyways, I don’t know anything. I’m only starting Batman next year. We’re not even filming yet.

ELLE: After all the artistic films you’ve made, was it difficult for you to decide to be in a film like Batman?

ROBERT PATTINSON: No, I wanted to do it. In every new job, I’ve been trying to do the opposite of the previous one, to be able to surprise myself. And I don’t know why, but at the end of last year, I was thinking I really wanted to do a big movie. I hadn’t think about exactly what it could be, and then Chris Nolan and Tenet came in and Batman came out shortly after. I had been making small movies, I was already relatively comfortable in what I was doing for a while, I didn’t even get nervous anymore. Not even with Tenet, which is a great production. I think it was also because of the directors. I can totally trust Chris Nolan and Matt Reeves. They are very unique filmmakers to whom I would immediately say yes if I wanted to make a smaller film.

ELLE: Do you have to physically prepare to step into Batman’s shoes? Is that the reason why you’ve been running a lot lately?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes. As soon as I finish this job, I will immediately start intensive training. In fact, it is quite pleasant, because I have been doing so many hours in the Chris Nolan film that the idea of, for a few months, being really healthy, just doing physical exercise and sleeping seems like a real dream! I can’t wait! But yes, I’ve never been a big guy. So I have a certain curiosity about what it’s like to be.

ELLE: You’re the face of Dior Homme since five years ago. How did this colaboration started and what does it means to you?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I think it was before that. I met them in 2012. I wasn’t thinking about doing anything like this. But when I met them, I liked the team very much, the three people who talked to me at the beginning. They’re really cool. And Dior is Dior!

ELLE: That was your first ad? Is it the only one until now?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes. The only one! Basically, I really liked the way they presented the project to me. At the beginning, I wanted to work with Romain Gavras. And, at the first meeting, I asked: “Can we do it with Romain?” And they said “Yes, it’s a great idea!”. It’s great to work with Dior. I never went to the shows in Paris before, and I never even thought about it. But now I look forward to them every year. With Dior, I have all the glamor of acting, but without the hardest part! When you’re making a movie, you work 20 hours a day, you’re exhausted all the time. This collaboration is fast and very funny. It’s the best job ever!

ELLE: Do you like to discover underground artists? How was it to shoot the new Dior Homme campaign with the french avant-guard duo, The Blaze (Guillaume and Jonathan Alrie)? Have you met them before?

ROBERT PATTINSON: It was great! I met them in Cannes in 2017* (they were DJs at the Good Time party) and I was talking to them about making a movie together because their films are so cool. They know what performance is. And when it came to Dior, I didn’t even have anything to do with it. When I heard it, I thought, “Oh, this is great, because it’s a big ad, and they are quite unknown. something like that! Their music is great.

ELLE: There is a dance moment in the ad. It seems to be “possessed”. Any preparation?

ROBERT PATTINSON: A shot of tequila and nothing else! I was literally in the dark. I couldn’t see anyone around me.

ELLE: Do you like dancing, in real life?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I was always very shy to dance, so when I did that, my thought was,”Oh, I broke the curse. Now I can dance in front of people!” About two weeks later, I went to a party, everyone was dancing and I threw myself on the dance floor and it was like “Yes, it’s okay. You just have to dance!”

ELLE: How do you feel when you see yourself in a Dior outdoor?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Actually, I’ve never seen any! I’m always walking around airports and thinking,“ How is Johnny Deep’s here and not mine?” It’s always Johnny Depp! [Laughs] ” What beauty care do you have? A diet, a routine? “Yes, now, at 30, I really think about what I eat. I didn’t try very hard, I ate pizza at three in the morning, but… if you don’t eat well – especially when you’re always working – you can’t even survive.

ELLE: What’s the best way to turn off and relax?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Probably, running. As soon as you get used to running, I think it’s better than anything else. It clears the mind so much! But what I really like nowadays is finding ways to sleep better. I’m obsessed with sleep masks, meditation apps, essential oils… I LOVE those things!

ELLE: Do you have any sleep disorder?

ROBERT PATTINSON: A bit. I don’t take pills to sleep. But I love that moment when you fall asleep! So, I got a good sleep mask that helps me fall asleep anywhere. On set, I sit on a chair, put the sleep mask and fall asleep quickly … in front of everyone.

ELLE: Are you narcoleptic?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Maybe! [Laughs]

ELLE: And talking about music, what’s on your playlist?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I’ll see … (opens Spotify on his phone) … what have I been listening to … Oh [Message on the screen] … I didn’t pay my last bill … [Laughs] … changing my credit card … I’ve been hear a lot of Aretha Franklin and that sort of classic stuff. When I can!

ELLE: How would you define your style?

ROBERT PATTINSON: It depends. You know what? There is this thing about sneakers. I use these Adidas from a collaboration with Palace, which were made in 2015. They are no longer produced. And I use different pairs… I have about 20 pairs of these sneakers in all colors and I use them every day! And when some go bad, it’s scary, because there are only a few left. I already called the company to see if they had any extra stock they didn’t sell.

ELLE: Are you a kind maniac?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes, with these shoes. I wear the same pair of shoes for five weeks in a row, and I have an alert on eBay. Whenever my size appears, I buy it immediately!

ELLE: Today you’re fully dressed in black, but we’ve already seen you wearing extravagant clothes on the red carpet such as capes.

ROBERT PATTINSON: I didn’t think much about what I’m wearing today, but I like to wear crazy things, and I think that if I didn’t work with Dior, I would be a little more shy about using more extravagant pieces. With the collection created by Kim Jones, now it makes even more sense (Note: Pattinson was also the first Dior Homme ready-to-wear ambassador).

ELLE: Would you wear a colour such as pink?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes, I like the contrast, although a few year ago, when I shaved my hair, wore a lot more pink. When you have you hair dyed blond, long, seems like you’re in Miami Vice. But yes, if I had my hair shaved, I’d definitely wear skirts and stuff like that.

ELLE: What would you never wear?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Hum… I don’t like serious and perfect things. But I’ll probably wear then at some point of my career.

ELLE: You confessed ELLE that you obsessed with Kate Moss and Jane Fonda when you were young. Have you met them?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I met Kate Moss and was with her a couple of times, doing things for Dior. And I haven’t met Jane Fonda yet, but I’m still a huge fan of her.

ELLE: She is an activist like you, Robert. You are collaborating directly with GO Campaign. What does this NGO do?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Go Campaign improves the lives of orphans and vulnerable children worldwide by creating local partnerships and solutions. All the children have the right to have opportunities, education, medical care, food, water… Two of my friends worked for them and told me to go to an event, five years ago or so. They made an auction and built a school in Cambodja. It is a completely transparent and very efficient non-profit organization. Over the past five years, it has become much bigger than it was when I started working with them.

ELLE: And now there’s a Robert Pattinson School?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Yes! And the school has been growing every year. I’m really proud of it.

ELLE: What keeps you alive and motivated in general?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Actually, I only do things to have fun. Your body tells you how to live your life if you listen to it carefully. There were bad times. I watched Amy Winehouse’ documentary a few years ago. And Tony Bennett said something that touched me, “Life shows how to live, if you live enough”, or something like that, I can’t remember the exact quote. As you get older, the more your body tells what to eat, what to do, tells you everything. If you listen to it and pay attention! And if you’re not having fun doing a certain thing, stop. As soon as you start living like that, you start to feel always well.

ELLE: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I would love to have a production company. There’s a part of me that would like to record an album- but I don’t know if it will ever happen. I like to make long-term plans. That is the key of happiness. That’s it and having plans for the future – everything you build is towards a goal. And you have to have those plans!”

ELLE: What was the strangest thing that happened to you?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Become an actor! The strangest thing in my entire life! I really don’t know how it happened.

ELLE: What do you like the most about your friends?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Positive attitude. I don’t like people who like to complain. It’s really boring.

ELLE: Your biggest flaw?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Pfff, none [Laugh]. Actually, how do you say it? Procrastinate. I postpone everything, really everything, until the last minute.

ELLE: Your idea of happiness?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Being in very creative places. I’m very happy in the initial stage of the work of a creative project before the problems start. When everyone is very excited.

ELLE: Your idea of unhappiness?

ROBERT PATTINSON: When people that I love are worried about something and I can’t help them. And repetitive things. Like being stuck in a circle with the same things always happening. That’s unhappiness to me. Like in that Bill Murray’s movie, Groundhog Day.

ELLE: If you weren’t Robert Pattinson, who would you like to be?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Probably a dog. I think I’ll be one in my next like, almost certainly.

ELLE: The heroes of you’re life?

ROBERT PATTINSON: As I get older, the more my parents are. But when I was younger, were a lot of rappers. They were the first people I saw who didn’t care about what people would think about them. It looked like they were showing the middle finger to everyone.

ELLE: Favourite cult movie?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Probably Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

ELLE: Favourite series?

ROBERT PATTINSON: The Wire. It is a tv series about a policeman and criminals in Baltimore.

ELLE: A director that you admire?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Claire Denis. I admire her a lot.

ELLE: Favourite book?

ROBERT PATTINSON: I’ve been reading a lot of Batman comics lately. I’ve also read a very good book by Christopher Hitchens called Mortality.

ELLE: Favourite dish?

ROBERT PATTINSON: Any type of pasta. I’m really boring when it comes to food. Maybe Spaghetti bolognese. More pasta than burgers.

ELLE: Ideal holidays?

ROBERT PATTINSON: An extreme or the other. Doing something with lots of activities, like climbing or going to the beach and do absolutely nothing, with no one around me.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Baton Pass! AU Part 2

To see Part 1, go here or here

Bakugou’s Palace was indeed a playground; the school was now made of jungle gyms and plastic tubing, metal poles and mulch covering the ground. The Thieves were already in their clothes - intruders even in the mind of someone who didn’t know them - and the front door of the school, now plastic like a little kid’s playhouse, were chained up with a broken swing.

“What just happened!? Where are we??”

Shocked, the thieves turned to see Izuku, who was practically shaking with incomprehension. His school is now a playground??? There’s a weird cat thing???? His friends are dressed weird????? (okay, he’s kinda used to that last one, but this is different even by Yusuke’s standards). 

They’re all trying to get Izuku out of the metaverse so they can explain and Izuku is Not having it when Bakugou’s shadow arrives. 

Unlike other shadows, who look fairly close to their counterparts, Katsuki’s is different. 

Mainly because his look’s like a four year old, since that was when his insecurities started and overtook him. 

He’s dressed like in a hero costume - his hero costume, only as if it were recreated by a child. 

The shadow immediately starts cussing the thieves out (his voice is the same as teen Bakugou and its really unsettling). Then he notices Izuku, who has been standing there, horrified and loosely connecting things the thieves said before Bakugou interrupted to the Shadow. 

Bakugou is Livid that “Deku” is here after “he spent his entire life trying to get rid of Izuku, but he just kept coming back. Like a mold. or a rat.” 

Izuku is crying. The shadow mocks him for it, saying that if he was smart, he’d leave. “But Deku’s aren’t smart, are they?” So he attacks Izuku. 

The Thieves intervene, but Bakugou is an incredibly strong shadow, able to out maneuver them with incredible speed. 

Izuku, watching his friends being beaten by his bully, begs Bakugou to know why he hates Izuku, why he’s trying to hurt his friends. 

Bakugou scoffs. He rants about how “Deku is always looking down on him, thinking he’s so high and mighty for what? Being worthless? He doesn’t have friends, don’t fucking lie. No one would ever want a pathetic, useless piece of shit like him-” 

“Don’t you FUCKING say that about him!!!!”

Ryuji immediately comes to Izuku’s defense. He and the others refute Shadow Bakugou, praising Izuku’s good qualities and showing their support for him. Makoto notes that Katsuki is just throwing his own insecurities back on Izuku, which shocks him. Izuku is touched. 

But before he could say anything, Bakugou attacks, furious about these strangers standing up for his punching bag. He knocks them all back and is about to deliver the final blow when Izuku gets in between them. 

“Get out of the way, fucking Deku!”

“You don’t have the right...”

“Huh!? What’d you say to me?”

“I said you don’t have the FUCKING RIGHT!! To hurt them! To hurt me! You’re not going to touch them because I won’t let you!”

“Then you can fucking DIE!”

But Izuku isn’t listening anymore. He’s collapsed, clutching his head in pain. 

“Finally. Tell me, why have you let this fool hold you back from taking what’s yours? For years you’ve suffered under the boot of others; now, let them face your resistance! I am thou, thou art I - Your dream is closer than ever before! Now, call out my name and take it!”

“Come to me, Anansi!” 

Flames erupt all around Izuku. When they dissipate, Izuku is left looking like a cowboy wearing a long flapping-in-the-wind duster, colored all black with the exception of neon green accents. On his head is a black cowboy hat and his mask is a black stretch of fabric around his face - an outlaw’s mask. On his wrists are grappling bracelets and across his back sits a long sniper’s rifle.

“Kaachan... Bakugou. For years, I looked past the abuse. I brushed away the burns and bruises and offered my friendship to you, over and over again, only to get pain! Well, no longer! Your insecurities, your quirk... neither of these things are an excuse for how you’ve treated me!”

“You fucking... how dare you stand up against me! You damn pebble!” 

“I’m not a pebble! Like it or not, Bakugou, but I’m going to be the number one hero! And there’s nothing you can do to stop me! Now, Anansi!” 

Izuku is the key to defeating Bakugou’s shadow - he’s the only one who can keep up with it, with both Anansi (who is super fast) and with his grappling bracelets. Together, they manage to defeat the shadow and escape into the real world. 

Izuku is exhausted once he returns to the real world, vaguely realizing that he’s not going to be in any shape to clean the beach. The group hauls him back to his apartment, where they can be sure Futaba isn’t listening, and meet Mamadoriya, who is thrilled that Izuku is bringing friends home for once even if they’re older. 

They explain the Metaverse and how they’re the Phantom Thieves. Izuku is a little on edge, since the media had been portraying the thieves as villains, but is calmed after some explanation. It’s not a quirk and it’s not like there are laws against it. Besides, they had saved lives by changing hearts, both literally and future-wise. So they’re basically heroes!

(It’s not like Izuku has much respect for the law anyway coughstainfightcough)

He wants to help and they let him with minimal protests. It’s not like they can stop him since he now has the Meta-app, and isn’t it better to work as a group? So Izuku’s a Phantom Thief now. 

But what are they going to do about Bakugou? Izuku convinces them to leave it. It’s not like Bakugou can do anything more to him without risking his hero career. They should be focusing on Futaba. 

Secretly, Izuku doesn’t want to change Bakugou’s heart at all. Not for any sentimental reason; Anansi is there to remind him of every bad thing Bakugou’d ever done to him. No, it’s because Bakugou is a child. He still has time to change, given that the teachers at UA don’t cater to his ego. Izuku wants to give him the chance to change on his own. 

The group thinks they’ve solved what was going on with Izuku, but he corrects them. He was telling the truth, that his exhaustion was from hero training, but he managed to find a retired hero to train him. 

Speaking of his training, All Might calls him. Izuku, panicking, manages to grab the phone before his friends can see the caller id but accidentally puts it on speaker phone. So All Might introduces himself to the group at Toshinori Yagi, All Might’s secretary and the Thieves decide to involve themselves with Izuku’s training. 

****************************************************************************** Why I chose Anansi as Izuku’s Persona: 

Trickster god (most important part, since all other level one personas in P5 are Tricksters). 

Big part of oral culture, alluding to Izuku’s habit of muttering. 

God of writing and stories

Celebrated by American slaves as a symbol of resistance and survival. 

Uses cunning, trickery, and strategy in order to outwit stronger opponents, much like Izuku does.

Explaination of Izuku’s Persona outfit:

Cowboys were often seen as outsiders to society, with a high population of Men of Color and gay men. This is a reference for Izuku being on the outside of society. 

Westerns often have a “find your own justice” vibe that I thought fitted Izuku well. 

Outlaw mask - also on the outside of society. 

Long rifle - This will actually involve his quirk, just let me get to it later. 

Cowboy hat - I want Snipe and Izuku to do the “same hat” meme really bad.

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 23: Two Awakenings

Saturday, after school, Ann excused herself to use the restroom. Ren decided to wait for her. Suddenly, Mishima walked up to her. “Hey” he said. Ren was curious. He seemed excited. Mishima looked around. He then leaned in to whisper. “So, you, Takamaki, and Sakamoto are the Phantom Thieves, right?”

Ren was surprised. “Well, uh…”

Mishima chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. In fact, I’m here to help.”

“Ummmmm, K?” Ren said.

Mishima pulled out his phone. “Have you seen this?” he said, showing her his screen. “The Phantom Thief Aficionado website. And you’re looking at its creator.” Ren was incredibly taken aback by this. “What you did was nothing short of amazing. It made me realize that I don’t just want to sit back and let life happen to me. I want to help. So I made this!

The Phantom Thieves save people. But they can’t be everywhere at once. This is where I come in. I help facilitate the public image of the Phantom Thieves as heroes of justice! There might not be a lot of support right now, but just you wait!”

He scrolled around. “And check this out.” He found a section of posts. “Some people are already leaving requests. I’m sure you can work your magic and help those who need help. And don’t worry, I’ll be there every step of the way.”

Ren was impressed. “You seem really invested in this.”

“Heh, well, I do what I do,” Mishima said. He then got a little less playful. “Listen, I don’t know exactly HOW you guys do all of this, but it’s clear you have a lot on your plate. So, let me try and lighten the load.”

Ren took note of Mishima’s understanding nature.He seemed really eager to help out in some way. He truly believed in the Phantom Thieves, much like he truly believed in her when he didn’t go along with Shiho’s plan. She smiled. “Alright then. But as the leader, I’d like to check in on you every so often.”

Mishima grinned. “Done and done.”

I am thou... Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow...

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Moon Persona I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power

Moon-Yuuki Mishima: Rank 1

“Well then, till we meet again” Mishima said. He left.

Ryuji and Ann walked up to Ren. Morgana popped out as they came over. “So, what was Mishiman talking to you about?” Ryuji asked.

Ren smiled. “He’s the creator of the Phantom Aficionado site. He knows who we are, and is on our side.”

“What?!” Ryuji said.

“Calm down!” Ann said. “I don’t think he’d expose us.”

“Well, maybe not purposefully,” Ryuji said.

“I don’t think we need to worry about it too much,” Ren said. “But I’ll be checking in with him just to be sure.”

“Well, if you're doing that…” Ryuji said.

“Oh, and look!” Ren said. “His website even has request posts. Maybe we can look into them to find our next target.”

Ryuji smiled. “Alright. Now we’re talking.”

Morgana thought for a moment. “Hey. Can we head to the subway station today? I think I might have something to show you guys.”

“Um, sure?” Ann said.

“What is it?” Ren asked.

“It has something to do with the requests” Morgana said. “If they are what I think they are, then it’ll be important.”

“Man, you’re always so vague. Just spill it already” Ryuji whined.

“It’s...easier to just show you!” Morgana protested.

“Fine,” Ryuji said. “It’s not like I wasn’t gonna do it anyway.”

“So, now that we’re all in agreement, let’s roll!” Ren said. The four of them headed to the station.

Meanwhile, Sumire was at ballet practice. She had begun to open up to some of her classmates a little more, which made her a bit happier. She also felt like she had never been better at ballet. However, after one routine, Coach Hiraguchi’s face told a different story. “Did I do something wrong?” Sumire asked.

“Sumire…” Hiraguchi said in a disappointed tone. “It’s great to see you in higher spirits, but I don’t know how much it’s doing for your ballet.”

Sumire looked despondent. “I am trying. What am I doing wrong?”

“Well…” Hiraguchi said. “You’re not doing anything wrong, per say, but it just feels like you’re sliding back into Kasumi when doing your moves.”

“Ummmm, how is that a bad thing?” Sumire said. “Kasumi was the best. Doing her moves will guarantee our dream of becoming the best to come true.”

“This is what I’m talking about,” Hiraguchi noted. “Kasumi performed her moves with a passion only she could provide. You’re just doing a pale imitation of them. They’re technically impressive, but emotionally, they feel hollow.”

Sumire was shaken. “Coach…”

“I know it’s hard to hear!” Hiraguchi interrupted. “But if you want to make it to the top, you need to perfect YOUR moves. You need to understand that what people want to see is Sumire Yoshizawa as herself.”

Tears began to form in Sumire’s eyes. “But...no one does want that… I’m never good enough. I know you care for me. I know people care for me. But no one is expecting me to make it to the top. They all expected Kasumi. And...and I ruined it. If Kasumi can’t make it to the top, and Sumire can’t make it to the top, then who is going to make it to the top?”

Sumire ran to the locker room. She threw off her leotard with hardly a care. She was too distraught. She put her clothes on, and then ran out the door. Coach Hiraguchi noticed this and tried calling out to her. “SUMIRE!” Sumire didn’t hear her. She kept running through the city, trying to deal with the emotional turmoil of everything.

After running a few blocks, she thought to herself Wait. This is just like what happened last time. She slowed down, and took a deep breath. I don’t want to cause another death. Heh. Even from beyond the grave, Kasumi is saving me.

She looked around. Maybe I just need to clear my head for a bit. I don’t know what I want right now. Maybe I haven’t found as much of myself as I have thought. But where to go? Sumire continued walking. I guess I’ll see where my feet take me.

The Phantom Thieves made their way to the subway station. They began looking through some of the requests on the Phan-site, but none of them felt all too dire. That is, until they found a post about one Natsuhiko Nakanohara; a municipal teller stalking his ex girlfriend. “Ugh. What a creep” Ann noted.

“So, we’re in agreement then?” Ryuji asked. The others nodded. “Alright, now let’s figure out where his palace might be.”

“Hold on,” Morgana said, taking charge. “This is why I brought you here today. Try the word ‘Mementos’.”

“Umm, alright,” Ryuji said. “Mementos.” Suddenly, the world shifted around them. The bustling station was now empty, and Morgana had taken on his Metaverse appearance. “Huh?”

“What’s going on?” Ann asked.

“I figured as much,” Morgana said. “C’mon, let’s head down.” Morgana headed down the platform stairs. The others just shrugged and went with it.

A few moments before, Sumire had made her way to that exact subway station in her stupor. She sighed. “Maybe I should just head back. I haven’t found anything. She glanced up and noticed something across the station from her. “Isn’t that senpai and her friends?”

“Navigating” her phone said.

“Huh?” Sumire noted. She got out her phone. “How come I haven’t noticed this app before?” she asked herself. “It looks strange.” Suddenly, she felt the world change around her. “Huh?” She looked around and saw no one.

Sumire was in disbelief. The once crowded station was now barren. “What’s going on?” She looked around, only to find herself more confused. She looked back and saw that Ren and company were going down a flight of stairs. She looked determined. “Maybe senpai knows what’s up.” She decided to follow them.

Once down the stairs, the thieves were greeted by a few surprises. The platform was there, but instead of rails there was a field of dirt with a bunch of flowers growing in it. They were also in their Phantom Thief attire. “Woah! What’s this?!” Ann asked.

“Is this that Nakanohara guy’s palace?” Ryuji asked. “Why is it here? Why is it a garden?”

“Hold on,” Ren said, remembering this scenery. “This seems familiar.”

“Hm hm hm” Morgana chuckled. “Well, you’re sort of right Skull. But, you’re sort of wrong as well. Mementos is everyone’s palace.”

The thieves were confused. Ryuji sputtered “Everyone’s…”

“...Palace?” Ann finished.

Morgana nodded. “Not everyone has a palace all to themselves. Only those with incredibly distorted desires. Most people’s shadows, you’d just find here. This place is basically the thing that connects all human minds.”

“So, how do we get this guy’s attention?” Ryuji asked.

Morgana grinned. “We already have.” Again, everyone was shocked. “That Phan-site is a useful tool. It can act as a calling card for people without palaces. And, since their desires aren’t as warped, it’ll have a longer effect on them.”

“Huh” Ann said.

“So, we can just go and get that Nakanohara guy now?” Ryuji asked.

Morgana nodded. “Let’s go!”

“But, um, how?” Ren asked. “I mean, this place seems big.”

“Never fear!” Morgana said. He posed. “Morgana transform!” he transformed into a car.

“WHAT?!” Ryuji said.

“We can go like this,” Morgana said.

“How can you turn into a car?!” Ann asked.

“Oh, well, uh, you see, it’s a common perception that in fantastical situations, cats can turn into cars. And since we’re basically in the collective unconscious...”

Ren just shrugged. “OK.”

“What? You’re just gonna accept that?!” Ryuji asked.

“Why not? It makes things easier” Ren chuckled.

Ryuji sighed. “Well, we’re already this deep.”

“Yeah, it might be easier to not question things,” Ann added. The three of them got in.

“Um, why aren’t we moving?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m a car!” Morgana said. “Someone needs to drive me!”

“Oh” Ryuji said. “Um, since he’s sort of your cat, do you want to drive him?”

Ren simply said “Sure.” She got into the front seat and took off.

Meanwhile, Sumire managed to make it down the stairs to see Ren, Ann, and Ryuji in strange looking suits getting into a car that looked kind of like a cat and drive off. “Huh. That’s, um… unusual…” Sumire looked around. “This is also unusual.” She looked at the path where the car drove down. “Well, I don’t suppose I’m going to get any answers just standing here.” She hopped off the platform and followed the car on foot.

As they were driving, Ann asked “So, um, not for nothing, but why didn't you do this at the palace Morgana?”

“A big car like this would attract too much attention when we’re trying to sneak around” Morgana answered. “Plus, it was way too narrow to do anything in.

“I guess that’s true,” Ryuji said. “I’m wondering why you didn’t tell us all this ‘bout Mementos beforehand.”

“Well, you know how you reacted when he turned into a car, right?” Ren answered. “Basically that.” Ryuji knew she was right, but didn’t want to say it out loud.

They reached a strange looking portal. “What’s this?” Ann asked.

“I’m sensing a specific shadow there,” Morgana said.

“Nakanhara?” Ryuji asked.

“Most likely,” Morgana said.

“Bring it on,” Ren said. She hit the gas and drove through. On the other side, there was a smaller plot of land. In the middle of it stood Nakanohara. Growing from it was a small thorny vine.

“Let’s get him!” Ann said.

“Hold up,” Ren said. She observed the vine.

“What is it?” Ann asked.

Ren thought some more. She sighed. “In my initial vision, I saw the subway system turn into this garden. That vine… Something feels off about it.”

The other thieves looked at it. “You think it’s protecting him?” Ryuji asked.

Ren stared some more. “No. I think the opposite.” Everyone else was confused. “If Eris is giving people the power to exact revenge on those with palaces, that vine might be the equivalent of that here.”

“You mean that vine is from his ex and it wants to kill him?!” Morgana said.

“Well, that’s my working theory anyways,” Ren said. She smiled. “So, it doesn’t change much. If we steal his heart, that vine can’t destroy him.”

“Alright!” Ruji said. “Now you’re talking!”

“Let’s go!” Ren said. The four of them headed out of the shadows to Nakanohara.

Nakanohara noticed them. “Hm. Are you those so-called Phantom Thieves? I bet you’re here because of what my girlfriend said about me.”

“Don’t you mean your ex-girlfriend?” Ann snapped back.

“SHE’S MINE!” he screamed. “Tch. I don’t even know why you’re here! Why not take on someone who deserves it?! Like Madarame!”

“Madarame?” Morgana said.

Ren struck a pose. “We are the Phantom Thieves. We are on the side of justice. Hence, we shall steal your distorted desires.”

“Yeah! You can’t just act like a creep because other people are worse!” Ryuji added.

“Grrrrr” Nakanohara. “GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” he transformed into a shadow that could not be reasoned with any longer. “SHE’S MINE! MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE! I WON’T LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE HER!”

“Let’s go!” Ren said. The thieves fought Nakanohara’s shadow, and won.

After that, Nakanohara reverted back to himself. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just-” he sighed. “I lost everything to Madarame. I had hopes and dreams, but he took them all away. I had to settle to be a teller. So, when my girlfriend left me, it just opened up old wounds.”

“That’s no excuse for stalking!” Ann said.

“Heh. You’re right” Nakanohara said. “I’ll apologize and leave her alone. But please. Steal Madarame’s heart.” Nakanohara vanished and a small treasure appeared. Ren grabbed it. She looked down and noticed the thorny vine had also disappeared.

“So, we did it,” Ryuji said. “Let’s go.”

“Hold on!” Morgana said. “There’s something else we need to do.”

“For real?” Ryuji said. “Well, if you say so.”

“Yeah, you’re the expert Mona!” Ann said.

Morgana blushed. “Thanks Panther.” He turned back into a car. They drove back to Mementos proper.

“Huh?” Ren said, looking back. “That portal closed behind us.”

“Well, we stole Nakanohara’s heart,” Morgana said. “It has no reason to exist anymore.”

“I guess that’s true,” Ren said. “Alright then, what’s next.

“Find another platform” Morgana said. “Not the one we came from.”

“Alrighty then,” Ren said. She drove off, exploring Mementos for a little while until coming to another platform. “More stairs?”

“Yeah,” Morgana said. “Mementos isn’t just a one floor structure. It keeps going.”

“How deep?” Ryuji said.

“That I don’t know,” Morgana said. “But I know at the bottom is the source of all of this...probably.”

“So, that’s where Eris lives, I presume?” Ann asked.

“I’d think so,” Morgana answered. “Anyways, let’s head down.” They got out and headed down the stairs.

Meanwhile, Sumire was still trying to find Ren. “Man, this place is confusing.” She kept walking. Unbeknownst to her, a large thorny vine was following her.

On this new floor, it was just a straight path to a strange looking door. “What’s this?” Ann asked. Ren felt like the door was calling to her somehow. She walked over. “Hey, wait!” Ann said, trying to stop her.

Ren placed her hand on the door. The door then opened up. “Woah” Ryuji said.

Ren looked at her hand. “Huh.”

Morgana smiled. “I knew you could do it!”

The three teens looked at him. “Um, do what?” Ryuji asked.

“That door's been locked for the longest time,” Morgana said. “But now, we can open it.”

“Um, do you know why it’s been locked?” Ann asked.

“I’m thinking it’s a power thing,” Morgana said. “I was originally exploring Mementos, but I hit this dead end. So, I met up with the two of you in Kamoshida’s Palace to try and gain power by stealing his treasure.”

“Hmmmm” Ren said. “I don’t know if that’s entirely correct.”

“How so?” Morgana asked, confused.

“Well, you’re right that we needed more power,” Ren began, “but it might not be raw power. This place is basically the collective human unconscious, right?” Morgana nodded. “So, I’m thinking the power needed is the power to make an impact on this unconscious.”

“Ohhhhhhh” Morgana said.

“Wait, how’d we do that?” Ryuji asked.

Ren grinned. “We stole Kamoshida’s heart. People are talking about the Phantom Thieves now. We’re not nothing to the public anymore.”

Ryuji was dumbfounded. “I guess that makes sense.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Ann said. “In order to progress through Mementos, we need to keep making an impact by stealing more hearts from people with palaces.”

“Seems like it,” Ren said.

“Well then let’s do just that!” Ann said.

“Of course” Ren said.

“Hmmm” Morgana said.

“What’s up Mona?” Ann asked.

“Nakanohara gave us a name,” Morgana reminded them. “Madarame. I think that’s worth looking into.”

“Hm. You may be right” Ren said. “It could be our next big break.” Ren looked at the recently opened door. “Wanna continue, or should we call it here?”

“Well, we’ve learned a lot,” Ryuji said. “It might be better to collect ourselves for the time being.”

“You have a point Skull,” Ren said. “OK, let’s head back for now.”

“Right, but remember,” Morgana began saying, “ we need to make occasional trips here to deal with shadows like Nakanohara’s.”

“Right,” Ren said. They headed back up the stairs. Morgana turned back into a car and they were on their way back.

“Hey, this looks different,” Ann said.

“That’s because Mementos is always changing,” Morgana said. “Because so many people are influencing it, no two visits will be the same.”

“Huh” Ann said. They continued to drive. On their way to finding the platform that will take them up, Ann spotted something. “OVER THERE!”

The others looked. They saw a small boy next to a tipped over car that was on fire. Ren turned the car to meet with this mysterious boy. She got out.

“Oh, hello” The boy said. He was wearing a white coat with star patterns on it, with matching boots, black pants, and wearing a pair of goggles.

“Hello,” Ren said. “Um, who might you be?”

“Oh. I guess that’s the human thing to do” the boy said. “My name is Jose.”

“Wait. ‘Human thing to do’?” Ryuji asked.

“Does that mean?” Ann asked.

Jose nodded. “I am not a human.

“You look like one,” Morgana said, pouting a little.

“While that might be true, I’m just a dweller of this universe created to study humans here in Mementos” Jose explained. “Or, at least I was.”

“Was?” Ren asked.

Jose nodded. “These weird, plant-like things sensed my presence and destroyed my car. I guess they didn’t like that I was trying to drink them.”

“Drink...plants…” Ryuji said. “Alright, I’m officially giving up trying to understand things.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all mad here,” Ren said.

“The plants I’m trying to drink are the essence of humanity” Jose explained. “Well, before they were tainted by this garden of madness.”

“So, why study humanity?” Ann asked.

“I was asked to by my creator,” Jose said. “He wanted to know what I thought humans were like.”

“Why couldn’t he just do it?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s complicated,” Jose explained. “But now I can’t do it, My car is destroyed, and those shadow things keep attacking me. But I can’t go back to him empty-handed.”

Ren felt sorry for him. She smiled. “Hey Jose,” she said. Jose looked up. “Wanna come with us? I’m sure you can learn a  thing or two about humanity by studying us actual humans.”

Jose smiled. “I’d like that ma’am.”

“NO!” screamed a voice. The group turned toward the source to see a cabal of shadows. “Humanity will be brought to its knees by chaos. We won’t let this interloper interfere!”

“Bring it on!” Ryuji said. The Phantom Thieves put themselves between Jose and the shadows and began fighting.

Jose looked on. “These shadows. They want to stop me. But these humans. They wish to aid me? Those shadows are trying to force their beliefs by stopping me, while these humans wish to help. If humanity really will descend into chaos, why aren’t these humans allowing it?”

He looked on to see the Phantom Thieves fighting. He got a determined look. “If you humans are so willing to help me find the truth about humanity, then these shadows are wrong!” he yelled.

“Well done” said a voice in Jose’s head. He started to struggle. “Stand up to those who would hide the truth from you. They proclaim truth, but in reality are pushing lies. Are you ready to seek the truth? Are you ready to spread it, even if people aren’t willing to listen?”

“...Yes...of course…” Jose answered.

“Hm hm hm” the voice continued. “Very well. I am thou. Thou art I. Call upon my power to bring the light of the truth to the world!”

Jose gripped his goggles and tore them off his face, blood flowing from the tear. “Galileo!” he called. Suddenly, his persona appeared behind him. Galileo looked like a balding man with a beard, wearing a black cloak and black pants, with a white collar. He had a telescope in one hand, and a book in the other. Nothing really changed about Jose’s outward appearance though.

“Holy shit!” Ryuji said.

Ren smiled. “Looks like he’s one of us” she said.

Jose looked angry. “Let me join in.”

“You got it!” Ren said. Jose rushed in to help defeat the shadows with his new persona along with his weapons of choice: A hammer, and a sniper rifle.

After the fight, Jose was breathing heavily. “WOO!” he exclaimed. “That felt great.”

“You’re pretty good Jose,” Ann said.

“For real,” Ryuji said.

“It’ll be nice to have you on the team,” Ren said.

Morgana stared at him. “Yeah, he’ll be fine.”

“Aww, are you jealous?” Ren asked. “Don’t worry, you’re still important to the team. But we need all the help we can get.”

“I guess that’s true,” Morgana relented.

“Thanks,” Jose said. “But, who are you guys anyway?”

The four of them were shocked. “Oh, right, well…” Ren said.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” someone screamed.

“What was that?” Ryuji asked.

“It sounded like someone screaming” Ann pointed out.

Ren went pale. No way. Could it be? She ran off in the direction of it. Everyone else followed suit. When Ren got there, she came face-to-face with what she feared it was. “SUMIRE!” she called out. Sumire was being tied up by vines and was about to be enveloped by this plant-like thing.

The other thieves were just as surprised by this sight, as was Jose. However, Jose noticed something else. “HEY!” he called, pointing to Eris. The thieves’s attention was now on her. “You’re the person controlling these plants, right? You destroyed my car!”

“She did this?” Ann said.

“Grrr. Why do you always have to cause so many problems?!” Ryuji howled.

“We should just stop you right now!” Morgana added.

“Hehehehehehe” Eris snickered. “You can only open one door. What chance do you have against me?”

“LET HER GO!” Ren demanded.

“What? You mean her?” Eris said, pointing to Sumire. “No can do.” She laughed. Ren tried to run to save her, but some shadows stopped her. “You don’t get it. Unlike you, she’s not here to save anyone. She’s here to bury herself in the depths of Mementos with me.”

“Bullshit!” Ryuji said.

“Yeah! She’s not just something for you to claim!” Ann said.

“Oh, but she’s always been mine,” Eris said. “I’m the only one who will accept her.”

“That’s not true!” Morgana protested. “We accept her!”

“Really?” Eris said. “Well, maybe for now. But what will happen when I show you this?!” A giant flower grew and blossomed. It presented a large screen. Appearing on it, a girl who looked like Sumire with brown hair in a ponytail, and a mole on her face.

“Oh no,” Sumire said.

“Today was brutal, huh?” Kasumi said on the screen. She looked at the camera. “Feeling OK?”

The camera shook its head. “It’s not that,” Sumire said in the video, who is now revealed to be the camera. They keep walking. “Why am I doing so bad?”

Kasumi looked at her sister. “Your growth spurt has just changed your eye level. See, you’re as tall as me now.”

“We practice the same amount,” Sumire said. “But you’re the one that’s always getting first place.”

“You know why?” Kasumi asked. “Because it’s my right as the elder sister.”

“We’re in the same grade though,” Sumire pointed out.

“Aw, don’t be so down,” Kasumi said. “We’ll reach the top of the world together. That’s our dream, right?”

“You don’t get it” Sumire said, sadness in her voice. “You’ll never understand how I feel.” She started to run. We can hear her thinking. Kasumi...if I were like you...things would be so much better.

“Hey! Wait up!” Kasumi cried out.

Kasumi’s the one people want.

“Look where you’re going, the light’s red! Hey!”

The talented one who CAN reach the top of the world.

“Sumire! Stop! Listen to me! SUMIRE!” Sumire felt a push, as Kasumi shoved her. She heard a car pull up.

After Sumire had gotten up from the shove, the next thing she saw was Kasumi dead in the middle of the road. “Kasumi?”

It is there that the video ends. Everyone was in shock. “That’s right,” Eris said. “She killed her own sister by attempting to die. What a truly horrible thing to do. She really is a monster, destined to join the shadows down here forever.”

Sumire was crying. “She’s right,” she muttered. “After what I did to Kasumi...after taking her from this world...I can’t...I can’t…I can’t forgive myself.”

There was silence. Sumire was slowly sinking into the plant, resigned to become the monster she thought she was. “NO!” Ren shouted, surprising everyone. Sumire looked up. “You are NOT a monster! You are NOT horrible! You are Sumire Yoshizawa! You are kind! Gracious! Welcoming! And I will do everything to help you see that! PERSONA!” Ren summoned her persona and started fighting the shadows.

“Pathetic,” Eris said.

“You're the one that’s pathetic, Eris!” Ann shouted. “Preying on people’s emotions to get what you want! It’s disgusting!” She joined the fight. “And I won’t let you do it to one of the sweetest people I’ve met! Sumire! Don’t give in!”

Sumire was stunned. “But..but I-”

“No you didn’t!” Ryuji chimed in. He started fighting too. “It ain’t your fault the situation turned out shitty! You’re not worthless! You mean something!”

“He’s right!” Morgana added. “You have more power than you think you have!” He started to fight. “You just need to channel it!”

Jose was fighting some shadows already. “From my limited observations, these humans fight for what they believe in. And they believe in you. You must be something special if they’re willing to fight like this.”

“SUMIRE!” Ren said. “You said that you’d be able to handle anything hard if it was from me, right?! Well here’s something hard! Kasumi died saving you! She did that because she believed you were worth saving! Is this any way to honor her?!” Sumire was shocked.

Ren went on. “If she felt like giving her life to save you, then so will I! SUMIRE! I’LL FIGHT FOR YOU TILL THE END!” The group kept on fighting the shadows.

“My my” Eris said. “They just can’t accept the way things are, can they?”

Sumire looked on, as her new friends risked everything for her. The inspiring words they said. The bitter fact that Ren was right. Kasumi did sacrifice her life for her’s. “...everyone…”

“Hm?” Eris said, looking at her. “You can’t really believe that, can you?” she asked. “You’re a pathetic weakling. You’ve always been pathetic. And you always will be!”

“SHUT UP!” Sumire shouted, gaining the attention of everyone. “I’m THROUGH being weak. I’m THROUGH running away! I’m THROUGH needing others to save me! Senpai! Everyone! They have their own demons to fight! And yet, they continually help me fight mine!

Well. This is no longer going to be a one way street! From now on, I’ll help them too! Because that’s what I do! Because I am Sumire Yoshizawa! And I will NOT let my sister’s gifts go wasted!”

“My, what a forceful person” A voice in Sumire’s head rang out. Sumire started to struggle under the wraps of the vines. “But if you are here, then all is good. Only go for success. Your sister will always stay in your heart.”

One of Sumire’s hands broke out of the vine. The voice continued. “She is grateful you have not accepted a life of cinders. That you now strive towards splendor. One question remains. Will you fill these shoes and dance with me?”

“Yes,” Sumire said, a mask appearing on her face.

“Then we shall dance to the end. I am thou. Thou art I. Accept this contract. This spell I cast upon you.”

With one swift motion, Sumire ripped off her mask, leaving blood spattered on her face.”CENDRILLON!” she called. The energy of her summoning her persona forced her out of the plant. When she landed, she found that she was dressed in a leotard, a coat with three flaps, stockings, heels, a belt with a violet on it, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail with a black ribbon. Sumire quickly jumped in to fight the shadows.

Eris was growling. “FINE! You can have her! But know this. I will always be watching. Waiting. And the moment any of you have doubts, I’ll be there.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji said. “Like it matters what you say at this point.”

“You laugh now!” Eris continued. “But once humanity has embraced chaos, they will evolve! Beyond the need for suffering! Beyond the need for hate! Beyond the need for saviors like you!” Eris vanished.

Ryuji wanted to try and chase her, but Ann stopped him. “Let’s fight this fight first!” she pointed out. Ryuji nodded. With all six of them, the shadows went down.

Sumire was breathing heavily. “We did it! I did it! We won! I won!” She passed out.

“Sumire!” Ren shouted. She ran to catch Sumire as she fell.

“Let’s get out of here!” Morgana said. He transformed back into a car. Ryuji got in. Ren handed Sumire to him. She went around to take the driver’s seat.

Ann stepped in. She turned to Jose. “Hey!” she called, reaching her hand out. “Wanna come with us?”

Jose smiled. “Sure. You’re an interesting bunch. I feel like I will learn a lot from you.” Jose took Ann’s hand, and the both went in together. Ren began to drive to find the exit to Mementos.

They reached the platform. Everyone left, and Ren took Sumire back. Morgana transformed back, and they all headed up the stairs. They used the app to leave Mementos and appear back at the subway station.

When Sumire came to, she was staring at Ren’s eyes. “Senpai,” she said. She gave Ren a little hug. Ren got slightly embarrassed.

“Ahem,” Ren said. “How are you feeling?”

“Well…” Sumire said. “Right now, that seems like a loaded question. I’m feeling all sorts of things.” She looked back at Ren. “But I’m glad you found me when you did. I’m glad you’re here.”

Ren’s face was now as red as a ripe tomato. She looked at Sumire. “I’m glad you’re here too, Sumire.”

“SUMIRE!” Coach Hiraguchi called out.

Sumire looked up. “Coach?” She got up to see her coach had come looking for her.

Hiraguchi found her. “Sumire!” She ran over. “I was looking all over for you. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry,” Sumire said. “I guess I’m not as over everything as I thought.”

“And that’s fine,” Hiraguchi said, placing her hands on Sumire’s shoulders. “No one’s expecting you to be fine after what happened.” Hiraguchi gave her a hug. “I just don’t want anything bad happening to you.”

Sumire was awed. She gave her a hug back. “Coach. Thank you.”

The two ended their hug. Hiraguchi turned to Ren. “You’re Amamiya, right?” Ren nodded. “You found Sumire then?”

Ren nodded again. “Yeah. She was wandering about when I came across her. She explained to me some of her problems, and then I helped her work out some things. She passed out, feeling exhausted.”

Hiraguchi smiled. “Well, I can certainly see why Sumire has taken a liking to you.”

“Coach!” Sumire said, her face now turning red.

Hiraguchi smiled. She checked her phone. “It’s getting late. If it’s alright with you, I can take you home, Sumire.”

“Oh” Sumire said. “That’s fine.” She waved at Ren. “Seeya, senpai!” She and Hiraguchi walked off. Ren waved back. She then got out her phone and texted her.

Ren: Hey. If you wanna talk about all that stuff about Personas and stuff, meet me tomorrow at Leblanc.

Sumire: Wait.

Sumire: That was real.

Sumire: I thought that was a dream I was having.

Ren: Nope.

Ren: It’s real.

Ren: Believe me.

Sumire: …

Sumire: Well, I guess it would be helpful to understand it all.

Sumire: Alright, I’ll come over.

Ren: Thanks.

Ren: Seeya!

Ren: And get some rest.

Sumire: I will.

Sumire: Thanks.

Ryuji, Ann, and Jose walked up. “Well, we should probably head back too,” Ryuji said.

“Yeah,” Ann said. “But what about Jose?”

They looked at him. “Yeah, you’re right,” Ryuji said. “We can’t just leave him alone.”

“Maybe we could,” Morgana said, riding in Ren’s bag. Ren rolled her eyes.

“Actually, Mr. Kitty is right,” Jose said. The thieves looked at him, surprised. “Don’t worry about me for now. I can figure something out.”

“...Well, if you say so,” Ann said. Morgana groaned. 

Ren smiled. “Hey. Jose. Wanna come over to my place tomorrow to discuss everything?”

“Sure,” Jose said. “If you tell me where you live.”

“Oh. Right. I live at a place called Leblanc” Ren said. “If you ask, I’m sure you can find it.”

“Noted,” Jose said. “Oh, before I leave, what are your names?”

The thieves were surprised. In all the hubbub, they didn’t mention them. “Well, my name is Ren. This is Ann.”

“Hello.”

“This is Ryuji.”

“Sup.”

“And Mr. Kitty here is Morgana.” Morgana pouted. “Don’t mind him,” Ren added. “He’s just going through some things.”

“I see” Jose. “And Sumire was that girl from before, correct?” Ren nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to stop by then.” Jose walked off.

“Boy, I’m exhausted,” Ryuji said.

“Same,” Ann said. “I can’t wait to get home and relax in a bath.”

“I’m just gonna chow down on meat and then watch anime till I pass out” Ryuji said.

“Sounds fun,” Ren said. “I might do both of those.” They all walked off. Ren went to a public bath not too far from Leblanc and enjoyed some leisure time to herself, as Morgana waited outside.

Once she finished, she headed for Leblanc. She used her key to open the door. She noticed Sojiro wasn’t there. “Hm.” She began making food for her when a thought occurred to her. Wait…

She remembered what Eris said. “You laugh now! But once humanity has embraced chaos, they will evolve! Beyond the need for suffering! Beyond the need for hate! Beyond the need for saviors like you!”

But didn’t those shadows that attacked Jose say…?

“Humanity will be brought to its knees by chaos. We won’t let this interloper interfere!”

Hm. Well, we’re meeting tomorrow. I don’t need to think about this today. I’m too tired. She finished cooking. She went upstairs with her food, changed into her pajamas, turned on the TV, and ate. Once she was finished eating, she continued watching TV until she fell asleep.